Commonwealth v. McFadden
Commonwealth v. McFadden
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
The appellant, Reginald Mclfadden, was convicted by a jury of murder of the first degree, burglary, aggravated robbery, larceny and conspiracy.
The trial evidence established that McFadden, along with three other young males, entered the Philadelphia residence of sixty-year-old Sonia Rosenbaum, for the
During the second trial, evidence of oral incriminating admissions made by McFadden to the police was introduced into the record over objection. The sole question posed by this appeal is whether or not this evidence was properly admitted against the accused. The pertinent facts, as disclosed by the record, are these.
The burglary and other crimes here involved occurred on the night of December 7, 1969. Subsequently, McFadden’s accomplices were taken into custody and implicated him. About 4:30 a. m. on December 11, the police went to the McFadden residence to take him into custody and to search the house.
In the meantime, Reginald hid in a closet until after the officers looked into his room. Then he went out an upstairs window onto a porch roof. However, he was
Once police determined who he was, they promptly placed him under arrest. They informed him, while his mother stood immediately alongside, that he was under arrest for the murder of Sonia Rosenbaum and proceeded to inform him, also with his mother present, of his constitutional rights, as mandated by Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). He was then handcuffed to a chair and left with his mother in the living room for approximately ten minutes while the officers completed their search of the house.
During the search of the house, the police officers found and confiscated a sum of money in excess of $600.
McFadden arrived at the Police Administration Building at approximately 5:20 a. m. He was placed in an interview room immediately. He was again informed that he was arrested for the murder of Sonia Rosenbaum and was again read his constitutional rights. He indicated that he understood his rights and had no reason not to talk to the police officers. He was questioned for approximately thirty minutes during which time he maintained that he was in no way connected to the Rosenbaum crimes. However, during this interview, two Gang Control Officers entered the room and informed McFadden that his accomplices had confessed and implicated him. Within the next fifteen minutes, McFadden made oral admissions, introduced at the second trial and complained of in this appeal, which admitted complicity in the burglary and gagging but which conflicted in some details with the statements of his accomplices. At 6:15 а. m., the first interview was completed; however, police
At the time of his arrest on December 11, 1969, McFadden was sixteen years and ten months old.
McFadden maintains evidence of his oral incriminating admissions should have been suppressed for two reasons. First, he argues the admissions were the product of an unnecessary delay between arrest and arraignment in violation of Pa.R.Crim.P. 130 (then Rule 118) and Commonwealth v. Futch, 447 Pa. 389, 290 A.2d 417 (1972) and related cases. Appellant’s argument stresses that a delay of over twenty-two hours occurred between the time McFadden was arrested and the time he was arraigned. He does not, however, consider that the admissions complained of in this appeal and used in the second trial were made within one and one-half hours of his arrest and within forty-five minutes of his arrival at the Police Administration Building. That is a crucial oversight. This Court has repeatedly held that, in order to suppress evidence under Rule 130, that evidence must be a product of the unnecessary delay between arrest and arraignment; that is, there must be some nexus between the delay and the evidence. Commonwealth v. Smith, 463 Pa. 393, 344 A.2d 889 (1975); Commonwealth v. Coley, 466 Pa. 53, 351 A.2d 617 (1976); Commonwealth v. Young, 460 Pa. 598, 334 A.2d 252 (1975); Commonwealth v. Rowe, 459 Pa. 163, 327 A.2d 358 (1974). In fact, this case is substantially similar to Commonwealth v. Davis, 460 Pa. 644, 334 A.2d 275 (1975) where this Court said:
“On the record before us, we find no unnecessary delay in appellant’s arraignment which contributed to his*611 confession. Appellant orally confessed within one hour after his arrival at police headquarters and within thirty minutes after his actual questioning began. Since appellant’s oral statement was the same as his written confession, any delay in arraignment after the oral confession would not be prejudicial to appellant, since he had already admitted his participation in the homicides.”
334 A.2d at 276. Since McFadden’s oral admissions were not the product of the delay and no prejudice accrued as a result of that delay, the trial court did not err in ruling use of this evidence was not proscribed by Rule 130.
Second, McFadden argues that, since he was a juvenile at the time of his arrest, his oral admissions should have been suppressed because he did not consult beforehand with an attorney, his mother or some other interested adult.
Here, McFadden had an opportunity to consult with an interested and informed adult; that is, his moth
Nor can either Reginald or Mrs. MeFadden be called unsophisticated or lacking knowledge of the criminal justice system. Reginald’s arrest record shows sixteen prior arrests and seven prior adjudications of delinquency. Mrs. McFadden’s older sons, Gorden and Victor, were each arrested several times prior to this incident. The record reveals that each of these three sons was arrested at least once in the presence of Mrs. MeFadden. Further, Mrs. MeFadden had previously secured counsel and had participated in criminal proceedings involving her sons in two states.
It is also significant that after his departure from the family dwelling, neither MeFadden nor his mother asked to see the other before the incriminating admissions complained of here were made. At one point, MeFadden asked to see his brother Victor, who was seventeen years old at the time, and had been taken to the Police Administration Building along with his brother. The request was promptly granted. Mrs. MeFadden did not ask to
Therefore, the rulings in Smith, supra, and related cases are inapposite here. Instantly, a knowledgeable defendant and his knowledgeable mother were informed of the charges against him and his constitutional rights at the time of his arrest. Thereafter, they were left in each other’s company for ten minutes. From that time until well after the incriminating admissions complained of here were made, neither made any request to see the other. Therefore, there has been sufficient showing that there was an opportunity for this defendant to consult with his mother before waiving his rights.
Since the per se suppression rule does not apply, we must consider the question of the voluntariness of this confession under the totality of the circumstances test applicable to voluntariness of confessions generally. Here, McFadden was warned twice of his constitutional rights and twice responded that he knew and understood those rights before expressing his willingness to talk to the police officers. His confession was prompted by the information that his accomplices had implicated him as well as themselves. See Commonwealth v. Fogan, 449 Pa. 552, 296 A.2d 755 (1972). Under the circumstances, there can be no doubt that this confession was not the product of illegal police conduct and was voluntary.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
. This was McFadden’s second trial and conviction on the same charges. Subsequent to the first convictions, the trial court awarded a new trial ruling that the evidentiary use of a written confession given by McFadden to the police was reversible error in that its use was proscribed by Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 118 (now 130). The Commonwealth did' not appeal from this ruling.
. The police were armed with a search warrant.
. Reginald had, in fact, been arrested and incarcerated in New York on a stolen car charge. However, Mrs. McFadden had succeeded in securing bail for Reginald on this charge. Also approximately one week before the arrest instantly, Philadelphia juvenile court officers informed Mrs. McFadden that Reginald was wanted on a bench warrant in Philadelphia. It was the bench warrant, Mrs. McFadden testified, that she thought was the subject of the arrest on December 11, until she was informed otherwise.
. He and his mother were together in the living room but it is not clear from the record whether or not they were alone. There were police officers assigned to guard each exit and the record does not show whether they assumed their post inside or outside of the house.
. Police claimed to have found the cash on Reginald’s person after he was found attempting to escape. Mrs. McFadden claimed the money was taken from her purse. In either event, the search warrant authorized, inter alia, a search for a large sum of money believed to have been taken from the Rosenbaum residence.
. Mrs. McFadden testified that she could not phone earlier because, when Reginald was first arrested, the police officers were using her phone to contact headquarters since, relying on her representations that Reginald was not home, several of the officers had been dispatched to another location and were then being recalled.
. Mrs. McFadden was told, by an answering service to call again at 8:45. When she called again, her attorney said, “Those boys of yours are giving you a rough time, when you leave there, come down to see me.” He did not, however, offer any assistance at that time.
. It was the evidentiary use of this written statement at the first trial that influenced the trial court to order the second trial. This evidence was not introduced at the second trial.
. The Commonwealth contends that this issue has been waived. However, the question was argued at the suppression hearing preceeding McFadden’s first trial and was included, inter alia, in McFadden’s post trial motions following the first trial. Defense counsel sought to raise the question again in a second suppression hearing when, prior to the second trial, he requested that a new suppression hearing be held to determine this and other issues. The request for a second suppression hearing was refused and counsel noted his objection. The question was included in the post trial motions following the second trial and made a part of the brief in the instant appeal. Accordingly, the issue has not been waived.
. It is noted that when Mrs. McFadden asked to see her son, the request was refused for the present. She waited for three hours before departing to consult with her lawyer at his office. However, it is also noted that from the time of her arrival at the PAB until 7:45 a.m., Mrs. McFadden’s primary interest was securing a property receipt and no request, either to see her son or to call an attorney to assist him, was made until that time. When she secured the property receipt, she requested to use a phone to call an attorney, which request was granted at 7:45. At 8:45, she first asked to see her son.
. In his brief, appellant contends that at the time of his arrest, he was under the influence of heroin. However, at the suppres
Concurring Opinion
concurring.
I join in the opinion of the Court. While I agree that the recently enunciated decisions of this Court pertaining to juvenile confessions
. See Commonwealth v. Stanton, 466 Pa. 143, 351 A.2d 663 (1976); Commonwealth v. Smith, 465 Pa. 310, 350 A.2d 410 (1976); Commonwealth v. Webster, 466 Pa. 314, 329, 353 A.2d 372 (1975); Commonwealth v. Chaney, 465 Pa. 407, 350 A.2d 829 (1975); Commonwealth v. Riggs, 465 Pa. 208, 348 A.2d 429 (1975); Commonwealth v. McCutchen, 463 Pa. 90, 343 A.2d 669 (1975); Commonwealth v. Starkes, 461 Pa. 178, 335 A.2d 698 (1975); Commonwealth v. Roane, 459 Pa. 389, 329 A.2d 286 (1974).
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
I dissent. Appellant argues that a juvenile, because of his youth and lack of experience, is incapable of understanding the constitutional rights afforded him by Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966), and therefore, without the aid and advice of someone more sophisticated and knowledgeable, any waiver on a juvenile’s part is a nullity. This argument follows the reasoning of a majority of this Court in recent rulings concerning confessions by juveniles. See Commonwealth v. Chaney, 465 Pa. 407, 350 A.2d 829 (1975); Commonwealth v. Webster, 466 Pa. 314, 353 A.2d 372 (1976); Commonwealth v. McCutchen, 463 Pa. 90, 343 A.2d 669 (1975); Commonwealth v. Starkes, 461 Pa. 178, 335 A.2d 698 (1975); Commonwealth v. Roane, 459 Pa. 389, 329 A.2d 286 (1974).
Prior to Commonwealth v. Roane, supra, this Court consistently ruled that the validity of a waiver of constitutional rights, be it by a juvenile or adult, depended upon whether the waiver was knowing and intelligent, and this in turn was to be resolved after a consideration of all the attending circumstances. In Roane, supra, however, a majority of this Court ruled that if the parent of a juvenile who is faced with police questioning specifically refuses to consent to a waiver of Miranda
“ ‘. . . absent a showing that a juvenile had an opportunity to consult with an interested and informed parent, or adult or counsel before he waived his Miranda rights, his waiver will be ineffectual.’ ” [Emphasis in original.] [Quoting from Commonwealth v. Chaney, supra.] 465 Pa. at 312, 350 A.2d at 411.
Appellant McFadden was arrested at 4:30 a. m., at his home in his mother’s presence. At the time he was informed of his Miranda rights. He was then handcuffed to a chair in the living room and left there, with his mother, while the police completed their search of the house. The search took only ten minutes. During the course of the search appellant’s mother got into an argument with the police over the money that they discovered. Furthermore, it is not clear whether appellant and his mother were left alone in the living room or whether the police stayed in the room with them. The majority’s assumption that advice could pass freely from mother to son is not warranted. The record, as pointed out by the majority in footnote 4, does not show whether or not po
It is now axiomatic that the prosecution has the burden of proving that an alleged waiver of constitutional rights is knowing and intelligent. Commonwealth v. Goodwin, 460 Pa. 516, 333 A.2d 892 (1975); Commonwealth v. Ewell, 456 Pa. 589, 319 A.2d 153 (1974). In my opinion the prosecution did not show that the appellant was given the opportunity to consult with his mother at the time that he was arrested, as required by Smith, supra. After he was informed of his rights, he was in his mother’s presence for only ten minutes and for at least part of that time his mother was embroiled in an argument with the police over ownership of the money. Moreover, the prosecution did not show that appellant and his mother were left alone during this ten minute period. Under these circumstances I cannot conclude that appellant had meaningfully consulted with his mother.
Additionally, police gave no indication to either appellant or his mother that they were going to question him at that time. It appears that their only interest was incarcerating appellant and searching the house for evidence. When the police finally did decide to question appellant, his mother was not present with him, although she was present in the police administration building. As we stated in Commonwealth v. Webster, supra, 466 Pa. at 326, 353 A.2d at 378,
“. . . police officials must make a reasonable effort to provide an opportunity for the youthful accused to confer with and receive the benefit of counsel or an interested and informed adult [’s] guidance before permitting him to elect to waive these important constitutional rights.”
Accordingly, I would reverse the judgment of sentence and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Appellee, v. Reginald McFADDEN, Appellant
- Cited By
- 21 cases
- Status
- Published