State v. Powell
State v. Powell
Opinion of the Court
The majority opinion of the court was delivered by
The Union County Prosecutor brings this interlocutory appeal from an order dated April 30, 1982 suppressing the results of a polygraph examination taken by defendant. Judge McKenzie found that defendant did not have “full knowledge” of the consequences of submitting to a polygraph and stipulating that the results of the test would be admissible in court.
Defendant was arrested at the scene of a fire and charged with criminal trespass. A second individual, Julio Rojas, was also taken into custody and charged with arson. Defendant offered to take a polygraph to clear himself. The results of the lie-detector test, taken three days later, were unfavorable to him and defendant was indicted for arson. Prior to the test, defendant signed a stipulation, by which he agreed to submit to a polygraph examination and further agreed that the results of the test, if conclusive one way or the other, would be admissible in evidence at trial on behalf of either defendant or the State. The five-page stipulation identified Julio Rojas as the “defendant” and recited at length the rights and undertakings of “defendant.” It was signed, however, by Powell as “defendant.”
While the stipulation was explained in some detail to defendant, we are persuaded, as was Judge McKenzie, that the
Whether these requirements were met in this case is primarily a factual determination. Judge McKenzie observed that defendant “appear[ed] to be of low intelligence” and that he was “very slow in his verbalization of his ideas, both in the quickness of his response and also in his saying, in his verbalization of the answers.” He noted the technical defect in the stipulation which named Rojas as the defendant. Judge McKenzie also found that defendant’s prior experience and “street knowledge” led him to believe that polygraph results were not admissible, notwithstanding the prosecutor’s statement that they were. Based on all these circumstances, Judge McKenzie concluded that, although defendant “did voluntarily waive counsel,” he executed the stipulation “without actual knowledge of the consequence of the polygraph examination. ...” That factual finding is adequately supported by the record. State v. Johnson, 42 N.J. 146, 162 (1964).
In finding that the stipulation is not enforceable against defendant, we do not hold that the State has a burden to show that a defendant believes what he is told. The focus is not on what defendant believed, but on what defendant understood. Judge McKenzie’s factual determinations support and justify
The April 30, 1982 order is affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
t/a (dissenting).
I am constrained to disagree with the result reached by my colleagues. I am unable to support their exclusion of the polygraph results which were given after a knowing and intelligent waiver by defendant of his right to counsel and upon a stipulation that was fully understood by him.
It is to be pointed out initially that the Public Defender accused the State of a violation of DR 7-104(a)l, alleging that he communicated with the defendant knowing him to be represented by a lawyer without the prior consent of the lawyer. The trial court however specifically found that the State had not violated that rule because the assistant prosecutor had no knowledge that counsel had been assigned to the defendant on the day of the polygraph test. In fact the defendant himself was unaware that he had counsel. The identical situation existed in State v. McKnight, 52 N.J. 35, 42 (1968). Then Chief Justice Weintraub pointed out that neither defendant nor the prosecutor’s office knew that an attorney had been appointed for defendant at the time that the prosecutor met with the defendant and advised him of his right to counsel and obtained a statement from him. That court held that where there was no purpose to interfere with the relationship of attorney and client and no seeking to overreach defendant in any way, that the State cannot be charged with improper conduct. The findings of the court below in this case are quite specific that the State was not guilty of misconduct and that the defendant intelligently and knowingly waived his right to counsel.
The trial court also found that the State had gone over the polygraph stipulation in great detail with the defendant and had thoroughly conveyed its meaning to the defendant. More im
The requirements of State v. Smith, 142 N.J.Super. 575, 597 (App.Div. 1976), certif. den. 72 N.J. 465 (1976) and State v. McDa
no less ‘voluntary’ and ‘knowing’ and ‘intelligent’ because he misconceived the inculpatory thrust of the facts he admitted, or because he thought what he said could not be used because it was only oral or because he had his fingers crossed, or because he could well have used a lawyer. State v. McKnight, supra, at 55.
There is no doubt that the State has demonstrated the defendant understood what he was told. State v. Fussell, 174 N.J.Super. 14, 21 (App.Div. 1980). I cannot now accept the imposition of the burden on the State to demonstrate that a defendant not only fully understands what he is told but also believed it. I question whether in this case it is a matter of “believing” as opposed to choosing to give greater weight to what someone else has told him. I would not hesitate in a case where a defendant indicated to the State that he had doubt or question concerning his rights or the agreement to afford him
For the above reasons I would reverse the decision of the trial court and permit into evidence the results of the polygraph test.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE OF NEW JERSEY v. PATRICK JAMES POWELL, DEFENDANT-RESPONDENT
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published