198 Conn. 573 | Conn. | 1986
The defendant, William Tosté, was arrested on December 20,1974, for the killing of Mavis Hardy of Bridgeport. He was subsequently indicted for murder in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54a, tried before a jury, and found guilty. He was sentenced on November 12, 1976, and an appeal to this court followed. On August 14,1979, we granted him a new trial because of an erroneous charge to the jury on the insanity defense. State v. Toste, 178 Conn. 626, 424 A.2d 293 (1979). The retrial commenced on March 18, 1981. The defendant was again found guilty and was given a sentence of twenty-five years to life. He now appeals that conviction.
The jury could reasonably have found the following facts. On the morning of December 20, 1974, the defendant bought and drank some beer and went to the home of Mavis Hardy on Upton Street in Bridgeport. Hardy lived there with her son, Phillip Monteith, who was a friend of the defendant. Hardy had previously refused the defendant’s request to move in and live with her son “like a brother.” No one was home at the time he approached the house, so he gained entrance by breaking a window. He searched the house for money and took some coins and two watches. When he heard a car in the driveway, he went into the basement. Through a window, he saw that Hardy had come home. The defendant then took a pair of tinsnips, put on a pair of gloves and put a towel over his face. When Hardy went into the kitchen, he went upstairs and hit her twice in the head with the tinsnips. He then grabbed a knife and stabbed her in the back approximately twenty times. He also took a longer knife, a fork and a nail file and stabbed her again repeatedly.
The defendant appeals claiming (1) that the trial court erred in failing to suppress the inculpatory statements given to the police,
I
The defendant claims that the oral statements made the night of his arrest
The circumstances leading to the incriminating statements can be summarized as follows: The defendant was brought to the police station immediately after his arrest on Friday, December 20,1974, and was read his Miranda rights by Fabrizi.
At this time, the defendant asked if he could see Monteith. When Monteith was brought in, the defendant apologized for what he had done to his mother and explained that he only wanted to live with him. The defendant also indicated to Fabrizi that he needed help and that he did not want to go to jail. Fabrizi told him that he did not have the authority to send him to a mental health facility, but did say that he would ask the court to order a mental evaluation. The defendant was then taken to a cellblock and had no contact with Fabrizi until Monday, December 23.
At about 9 a.m. on Monday, Fabrizi brought the defendant out of his cell and read him his Miranda rights in the same fashion as on Friday—stopping after each paragraph and asking him if he understood. The defendant responded affirmatively and again signed an acknowledgment form. Fabrizi then asked the defendant if he wanted to give a written statement concerning the murder, and the defendant agreed. The captain posed questions and typed the defendant’s answers. In his statements the defendant described in detail how he had killed the victim.
Fabrizi testified that he had known the defendant for four or five years. When asked about the defendant’s mental capacity, Fabrizi stated that “he operates at about a sixth to seventh grade level, [is] street wise, communicates well, [has] no extensive vocabulary, but he understands, he comprehends. . . . He reads very
A
The defendant claims that the state failed to prove that he had knowingly and intelligently waived his right to remain silent at the time he made incriminating statements. Specifically, he argues that he had a limited ability to understand the Miranda warnings as read to him and that the police did not adequately explain the meaning of his rights. As to the Friday statements, he claims that intoxication additionally may have interfered with his ability to understand. He also argues that the state did not show that he had waived his rights by his course of conduct.
“In order to show that the defendant waived his privilege against self-incrimination, the state must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he knowingly and intelligently waived his constitutional right to remain silent. State v. Alfonso, 195 Conn. 624, 628, 490 A.2d 75 (1985); State v. Perry, 195 Conn. 505, 516 n.8,
Whether the defendant has “knowingly and intelligently waived” his rights under Miranda depends in part on the competency of the defendant, or, in other words, on his ability to understand and act upon his constitutional rights. See Tague v. Louisiana, 444 U.S. 469, 469-70, 100 S. Ct. 652, 62 L. Ed. 2d 622 (1980); Fare v. Michael C., 442 U.S. 707, 725, 99 S. Ct. 2560, 61 L. Ed. 2d 197, reh. denied, 444 U.S. 887, 100 S. Ct. 186, 62 L. Ed. 2d 121 (1979); see generally 1 LaFave & Israel, Criminal Procedure (1984) § 6.9 (b). Factors ■ which may be considered by the trial court in determining whether an individual had the capacity to understand the warnings include the defendant’s experience with the police and familiarity with the warnings; Fare v. Michael C., supra, 726; State v. Alfonso, supra,
Reviewing the record in this case in light of the above factors, we find that the state has met its burden of showing that the defendant had the capacity to understand the meaning of his rights as explained to him by the police. The defendant was an adult, was familiar with police procedures and had been arrested previously. He was described as being street-wise and as operating on a sixth or seventh grade level. He could communicate well orally, could read and write to some degree, and had good comprehension. Although the defendant did have a fairly low IQ and there was some evidence that he was schizophrenic, these facts alone do not compel a finding that he could not understand the meaning of his rights. See People v. Watson, supra, 396 (where confession from an accused with an IQ of 65 and with signs of chronic organic brain damage and
Although we conclude that there was substantial evidence to support the finding that the defendant had the capacity to understand his rights as read to him and that he understood them, this does not end our inquiry. “Waiver is not conclusively established by demonstrating that Miranda warnings were given and understood. State v. Wilson, [183 Conn. 280, 284, 439 A.2d 330 (1981)]; see United States ex rel. Abubake v. Redman, 521 F. Sup. 963, 975 (D. Del. 1981). ...” State v. Aversa, supra, 695, quoting State v. Harris, supra, 579-80. “In the absence of an express waiver, the state bears the heavy burden of demonstrating, as a matter of fact, that ‘waiver can be clearly inferred from the actions and words of the person interrogated.’ North Carolina v. Butler, supra, 373.” State v. Harris, supra, 580.
B
The defendant makes the related claim that the statements made to the police were not voluntarily given. He argues that his limited intelligence and mental instability diminished his capacity to make a voluntary confession. He also claims that Fabrizi coerced him into confessing on Monday by his use of physical force and promises of pyschiatric treatment on Friday.
“ ‘It is the state’s burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the challenged confession was
After a careful review of the record, we agree with the trial court’s conclusion that under all of the circumstances the two confessions here were voluntary. Reviewing the evidence concerning the defendant’s mental capacity, we are satisfied that he was fully capable of voluntarily giving a confession. The defendant was advised of his rights before each confession and he was not interrogated for long periods of time nor repeatedly badgered by the police. Cf. Culombe v. Connecticut, 367 U.S. 568, 81 S. Ct. 1860, 6 L. Ed. 2d 1037 (1961). Although the defendant was “slapped” and “shoved” by Fabrizi on Friday after his first incriminating statements were made, there is absolutely no evidence to support the claim that this incident in any way affected the voluntariness of either confession. If anything, the evidence showed that the use of force by
II
The defendant’s remaining claim is that he was denied his right to a speedy trial. Specifically, he argues that the delay in retrying him violated General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d, and also violated his right to a speedy trial under the sixth amendment to the federal constitution and article first, § 8, of the Connecticut constitution. We do not agree.
A
General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d
This court overturned the defendant’s original conviction of murder and ordered a new trial in a decision dated August 14,1979. The defendant at that time was serving a sentence for manslaughter, a crime wholly unrelated to the one in the case before us. The sentence imposed for the manslaughter conviction was discharged on March 31, 1980. After the sentence had expired, the defendant remained incarcerated in lieu of bond while awaiting retrial on the murder charges. The new trial did not commence until March 18,1981.
The defendant, in a letter dated October 24, 1979, sent a request to Kay Bryan, the records supervisor of the Connecticut correctional institution at Somers, asking her to file a “Speedy Trial Disposition” on his behalf. Attached to the request was a copy of a letter which he had sent the same day addressed to the “Court House” in Bridgeport. In this letter he also requested a “Speedy Trial Disposition.” Bryan forwarded copies of the request to the state’s attorney’s office with a letter stating that she was unaware of any “outstanding warrants on which to process a speedy trial.” On May 5, 1980, the defendant filed a pro se motion to dismiss. The defendant in the motion sought to have the charges against him dismissed because the state had failed to
The defendant in this case clearly had not complied with the statutory requirements of General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d when making his request for a “speedy trial.” First, the defendant did not bring to Bryan’s attention the fact that he was relying on this particular statutory procedure. Bryan could have considered the defendant’s letter as a request for a speedy trial as a matter of constitutional right. Second, the request as forwarded to the state’s attorney and the Superior Court in Bridgeport never mentioned the statutory procedure now relied upon by the defendant. As such, the state’s attorney and the court were never put on notice that the defendant was invoking Ms rights under the statutes. Third, Bryan never obtained and forwarded a certificate stating the nature of the sentence then being served. Thus, neither the court nor the state’s attorney was informed as to whether the defendant was even eligible under the statutes.
On the few occasions that we have had the opportunity to apply General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d, we have required strict compliance with the statutory notice procedures. For instance, in State v. Springer, 149 Conn. 244, 178 A.2d 525 (1962), we held that an initial request to the prison official was not sufficient to start the running of the 120 day period. The defendant must show that there was actual delivery of the request and supplemental information to the appropriate prosecuting authority and court before invoking Ms
In this case, because the defendant did not comply with the notice provisions of General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d, he was not entitled to a dismissal of the charges against him and he was not denied his right to a speedy trial under these statutes.
B
“The sixth amendment guarantee of a speedy trial is a fundamental right applicable to the states through the fourteenth amendment to the United States constitution. Klopfer v. North Carolina, 386 U.S. 213, 223, 87 S. Ct. 988, 18 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1967). This right is also guaranteed by the Connecticut constitution, article
There was a nineteen month delay in this case between the date of our decision in State v. Toste, 178 Conn. 626, 424 A.2d 293 (1979), and the time of retrial. In part, this delay resulted from the fact that during the period the defendant had a total of three different public defenders appointed to represent him. The attorney originally appointed, Edward Kunin, filed a motion to withdraw on November 15, 1979, because the defendant had threatened his life. The next attorney appointed, Victor Ferrante, was allowed to withdraw on July 9,1980, after the defendant refused to cooperate with the court until new counsel was appointed. On July 21,1980, attorney Joseph Brophy was appointed and remained the defendant’s public defender through the time of trial.
There was also substantial delay caused by psychiatric examinations conducted pursuant to Practice Book § 760
The delay in this case did not presumptively violate the defendant’s constitutional rights, but it was of sufficient length to trigger analysis of the other three factors set out in Barker v. Wingo, supra. See State v. Johnson, supra, 545. Reviewing the reasons for the delay, we note that the state must bear some of the responsibility for the nineteen month lapse, particularly for the period of time between March 6, 1980, and May 19,1980. The record indicates, however, that the defendant himself contributed substantially to the
Overall, analyzing the facts of this case in light of the factors set out in Barker v. Wingo, supra, and State v. Johnson, supra, we conclude that the defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial was not violated.
There is no error.
In this opinion the other judges concurred.
The state argues that the issue concerning the confessions was already decided by this court in the prior appeal; State v. Toste, 178 Conn. 626, 424 A.2d 293 (1979); and therefore need not be addressed. It is true that the constitutionality of the admission of the confessions was raised and briefed in the prior appeal. The state argued both that the defendant waived his right to raise the claim on appeal by failing to object to the confessions at trial, and that the state had met its burden on the issues of voluntariness and waiver of constitutional rights. We held that there was no error in the admission of the confessions, but the opinion of the court did not disclose on what grounds we so held. Because of the possibility that the issue was decided on the failure to object at the first trial, we will entertain the claim again on this appeal.
The defendant has claimed that, as to the Friday statements, both his confession to Fabrizi and his statements to Monteith should have been suppressed. He argues essentially that the statements to Monteith were made only because he had already let “the cat out of the bag.” See United States v. Bayer, 331 U.S. 632, 540, 67 S. Ct. 1394, 91 L. Ed. 1654 (1947); State v. Rosa, 170 Conn. 417, 425-28, 365 A.2d 1135, cert. denied, 429 U.S. 845, 97 S. Ct. 126, 50 L. Ed. 2d 116 (1976). Because we hold that the Friday
The defendant has also called into question the admissibility of the Monday confession, given the claimed illegality of the Friday confession, and he again invokes the same “cat out of the bag” doctrine under United States v. Bayer, supra. Again, because we hold that the Friday statements were admissible, we do not reach this additional claim.
The defendant has made his claim under both the federal and state constitutions. We have held: “Although the Miranda warnings were originally effective in state prosecutions only because they were a component of due process of law under the fourteenth amendment; Miranda v. Arizona, [384 U.S. 436, 463-65, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 (1966)]; Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 3, 84 S. Ct. 1489, 12 L. Ed. 2d 653 (1964); they have also come to have independent significance under our state constitution. Conn. Const., art. I, § 8; State v. Falby, 187 Conn. 6, 11 and n.1, 444 A.2d 213 (1982).” State v. Ferrell, 191 Conn. 37, 40-41, 463 A.2d 573 (1983). The defendant, however, “has proffered no argument that the rights afforded to him by the federal and the state constitutions are in any way distinguishable with respect to the substantive issue that he has raised. We see no reason, on the facts of this case, independently to undertake such an analysis.” State v. Braxton, 196 Conn. 685, 688 n.2, 495 A.2d 273 (1985).
The Miranda warnings were read from the police department’s “notification of rights” form. The form, which the defendant signed, also served as an acknowledgment that the defendant received and understood his rights. The form used here provided:
“The Constitution requires that I inform you of your rights;
“You have a right to remain silent. If you talk to any police officer, anything you say can and will be used against you in court.
“You have a right to consult with a lawyer before you are questioned, and may have him with you during questioning.
“If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you, if you wish, before any questioning. If you wish to answer questions, you have the right to stop answering at any time.
“You may stop answering questions at any time if you wish to talk to a lawyer, and may have him with you during any questioning.
“I fully understand the above notification of rights.
“Signed_
“Time: _
“Date: _
“Witness: _”
While the defendant had no obligation to testify on this matter and the burden is on the state to show voluntariness of the confessions, a court cannot supply evidence that is lacking. State v. Aversa, 197 Conn. 685, 697, 501 A.2d 370 (1985); State v. Harris, 188 Conn. 574, 579-80, 452 A.2d 634 (1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1089, 103 S. Ct. 1785, 76 L. Ed. 2d 354 (1983).
General Statutes § 54-82c, formerly General Statutes § 54-139, provides: “(a) Whenever a person has entered upon a term of imprisonment in a correctional institution of this state and, during the continuance of the term of imprisonment, there is pending in this state any untried indictment or information against such prisoner, he shall be brought to trial within one hundred twenty days after he has caused to be delivered, to the state’s attorney or assistant state’s attorney of the judicial district or geographical area, in which the indictment or information is pending, and to the appropriate court, written notice of the place of his imprisonment and his request for final disposition to be made of the indictment or information. For good cause shown in open court, the prisoner or his counsel being present, the court may grant any necessary or reasonable continuance. The request of the prisoner shall be accompanied by a certificate of the warden, community correctional center administrator or other official having custody of the
“(b) The written notice and request for final disposition referred to in subsection (a) hereof shall be given or sent by the prisoner to the warden, community correctional center administrator or other official having custody of him, who shall promptly forward it together with the certificate to the appropriate prosecuting official and court by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested.
“(c) The warden, community correctional center administrator or other official having custody of the prisoner shall promptly inform him in writing of the source and contents of any untried indictment or information against him concerning which the warden, administrator or other official has knowledge and of his right to make a request for final disposition thereof.
“(d) Escape from custody by the prisoner subsequent to his execution of the request for final disposition referred to in subsection (a) hereof shall void the request.”
General Statutes § 54-82d, formerly General Statutes § 54-140, provides: “If an action is not assigned for trial within the period of time as provided in section 54-82c, no court of this state shall any longer have jurisdiction thereof, nor shall the untried indictment or information be of any further force or effect, and the court shall enter an order dismissing the same.”
Other courts applying the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, a statute very similar to General Statutes §§ 54-82c and 54-82d, codified in § 54-186, have adopted the same rule requiring strict compliance with the notice procedures. See, e.g., Seymore v. State, 429 So. 2d 1188, 1193-94 (Ala. Crim. App. 1983); State v. Bass, 320 N.W.2d 824, 828-29 (Iowa 1982); Hines v. State, 58 Md. App. 637, 649-50, 473 A.2d 1335 (1984); Hill v. Jones, 94 App. Div. 2d 904, 463 N.Y.S.2d 655 (1983); State v. Smith, 64 Or. App. 588, 669 P.2d 368, 369-70 (1983); Commonwealth v. Gonce, 320 Pa. Super. 19, 28, 466 A.2d 1039 (1983).
Practice Book § 760 provides: “In an appropriate case the judicial authority may, upon motion of the prosecuting authority, order the defendant