People v. Mosley
People v. Mosley
Concurring in Part
(concurring in part; dissenting in part). I agree with the majority’s decision to remand for a new trial because the trial court improperly announced to the jury its finding that defendant’s confession was voluntary. I cannot, however, agree with the majority’s conclusion that defendant’s arrest was legal.
In the opinions issued by the United States Supreme Court in Michigan v Mosley, 423 US 96; 96 S Ct 321; 46 L Ed 2d 313 (1975), the legality of
A review of the testimony taken at the hearing on defendant’s motion to suppress his confession confirms the statements found in the Supreme Court opinions. The arresting officer testified that some time prior to defendant’s arrest on April 8, 1971, he received an anonymous phone call while on duty at Detroit Police Headquarters. The caller named defendant as one of the persons involved in recent armed robberies on the city’s lower east side.
On direct examination, the arresting officer was asked:
”Q. What information did you have that prompted you to arrest Richard Bert Mosley on that particular date?
”A. It was some time during the first week in April, got an anonymous phone call from — that—and the party gave me the name of several persons that were operating on the lower east side, holding up places and that, and the name of Richard Mosley and another party — two other men, I believe — that the information was that they had held up — .”
On cross-examination, the officer testified:
"Q. At the conclusion of your conversation with this
"A. No, sir.
"Q. For what offense specifically did you arrest Mr. Mosley at 1:05 p.m. or thereabouts on April 8th of 1971?
”A. For investigation of the robbery armed of the Blue Goose Bar and the White Tower Restaurant on Mack.
”Q. Was the White Tower Restaurant mentioned to you during your telephone conversation with this anonymous caller?
’A. Yes.
"Q. And the Blue Goose Bar also?
"A. Yes.
"Q. Would it be fair to say, Sergeant Cowie, that you arrested Mr. Mosley on April 8th of 1971, solely and exclusively on the information that you received from this anonymous telephone caller?
"A. Yes.”
The hearing on defendant’s motion continued the next day. The arresting officer then produced "pattern sheets”
The officer had testified the day before that he had arrested defendant for investigation of robberies at the Blue Goose Bar and at the White Tower Restaurant. He did not attempt on direct examination to match defendant with the pattern sheet descriptions of the persons involved in those incidents. On cross-examination, the officer stated that defendant could have fit the description given for the number 1 man at the White Tower robbery. That man was described as 20, 5-8, 150, light complected, medium afro.
The four pattern sheet descriptions that the officer stated he relied on were, in part, inconsistent. The Kercheval Market robbers were described as dark complected, the Night Party Store robber as medium complected and the White Tower Restaurant robber as light complected. Two robbers were described as having afros, one as having short hair. Two were described as having mustaches, while two were not. Where the descriptions were not obviously inconsistent, they were not very helpful. There are thousands of young black males of medium height and medium weight in Detroit.
Under these circumstances, I cannot find a valid warrantless arrest of defendant. An anonymous tip, which did not verify itself, cf. Draper v United States, 358 US 307; 79 S Ct 329; 3 L Ed 2d 327 (1959), even if combined with several general descriptions that could fit thousands of people in the area, does not provide the basis for a reasonable belief that defendant had committed the robberies
Pattern sheets are synopses of recent crimes drawn from the accounts given by victims and witnesses and circulated internally by the police department.
Opinion of the Court
On Remand From U.S. Supreme Court
On April 5, 1972, the defendant was found guilty by a jury on one count of felony murder in violation of MCLA 750.316; MSA 28.548.
The defendant having taken an appeal by right, this Court reversed his conviction and remanded the case for a new trial after having decided only a single issue. It was the conclusion of this Court that the defendant’s confession had been obtained in violation of Miranda v Arizona, 384 US 436; 86 S Ct 1602; 16 L Ed 2d 694 (1966), and was therefore improperly admitted. People v Mosley, 51 Mich App 105; 214 NW2d 564 (1974). Leave to appeal was denied by our Supreme Court, 392 Mich 764 (1974). Upon grant of the people’s application for writ of certiorari, the United States Supreme Court vacated our holding and remanded the case for our further consideration. Michigan v Mosley, 423 US 96; 96 S Ct 321; 46 L Ed 2d 313 (1975).
In his brief and supplemental brief, the defendant raises four meritorious issues which we now consider.
He first argues that although Michigan v Mosley
We are unaware of any existing authority rooted in Michigan law, rather than upon Miranda, which provides that in such a factual setting a confession must be excluded, whether or not found voluntary.
It is our opinion that if such a rule is to be formulated, it is within the exclusive province of the Supreme Court to do so. In the absence of existing Michigan law to support the defendant’s position, we hold that his confession is not to be excluded on the single ground of the police conduct complained of here. This is not to say that it is necessarily admissible. It is still subject to exclusion if made involuntarily or otherwise illegally obtained.
Defendant next contends that his confession should be excluded as a product of an illegal arrest under one of the rules of Wong Sun v United States, 371 US 471, 491; 83 S Ct 407; 9 L Ed 2d 441 (1963). Unlike the Miranda rule, which is designed to protect a defendant’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the rule of Wong Sun is designed to discourage disparagement of his or her Fourth Amendment right to remain
We have examined the record of the circumstances surrounding the defendant’s arrest and conclude that the arrest of the defendant was made upon probable cause to believe that he was the perpetrator of one or more robberies and was, therefore, legal. Consequently, the confession that followed was not inadmissible on this ground.
The defendant’s next assignment of error relates to the method by which the trial court submitted his confession to the jury. Having found at an early Walker hearing, People v Walker (On Rehearing), 374 Mich 331; 132 NW2d 87 (1965), that the confession had been voluntarily made, the court told the jury:
"The Court: Now, I think it is time for the Court to caution the jury as to what has happened here as to the statement.
"I have ruled, as a matter of law, that this statement was at the alleged time here, let’s put it that way, was given freely and voluntarily.
"Mr. Ziemba: Now, I object your Honor.”
Later in his charge to the jury the court repeated his finding of the Walker hearing and instructed the jury that it was their function to
The defendant also assigns error to the unobjected-to failure of the trial court to instruct the jury on the elements of the underlying felony. We have held that even absent any objection, if commission of the underlying felony is substantially in issue, it is incumbent upon the court to instruct on its elements. Failure to so instruct may constitute manifest injustice. People v Jones, 66 Mich App 223; 238 NW2d 813 (1975), People v McGhee, 67 Mich App 12; 239 NW2d 741 (1976). The trial court is cautioned, upon retrial, to consider the impact of these decisions.
The defendant’s conviction is reversed and the matter remanded to the trial court.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- People v. Mosley (On Remand)
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published