State v. Gregory M. Sahs, 2013 WI 51, on review of unpublished court of appeals decision; case activity Sahs, on probation for child pornography, admitted to his probation agent that he again possessed child pornography. He was charged based on evidence seized as a result of his admission. He sought to suppress the evidence, claiming… Read more
C. Voluntariness
State v. Douglas H. Stream, Case No. 2011AP2051, District 1, 1/29/13; court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); case activity The circuit court properly denied the defendant’s Wis. Stat. § 974.06 postconviction motion, which claimed that his trial lawyer was ineffective for not objecting to references to the truthfulness of his confession during a… Read more
Question presented: When a criminal defendant affirmatively introduces expert testimony that he lacked the requisite mental state to commit capital murder of a law enforcement officer due to the alleged temporary and long-term effects of the defendant’s methamphetamine use, does the State violate the defendant’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination by rebutting the defendant’s mental… Read more
State v. Dennis D. Lemoine, 2013 WI 5, affirming unpublished court of appeals decision; case activity Lemoine’s inculpatory statement to the police was voluntary: ¶3 We hold that the admission of Lemoine’s statements at trial was not error because, under the totality of the circumstances, the statements were voluntary. The well-established test for voluntariness balances the… Read more
on review of unpublished decision; case activity Issue (composed by On Point) Whether Sahs’ statements to his probation agent, along with evidence derived from those statements, were suppressible under the “Evans-Thompson” rule, which holds that a probationer’s statements which are compelled by the terms of probation – provide information to an agent when requested or face revocation… Read more
seventh circuit decision Habeas Review – Confessions – Voluntariness Given the deferential nature of habeas review, the state court reasonably determined that a 16-year-old’s confession after 55 hours of interrogation was voluntary: Particularly in light of the highly deferential standard due to the state court, we have no reason to doubt that it took into account all… Read more
State v. Joseph J. Spaeth, 2012 WI 95, on certification; case activity Probationer’s statement, compelled by rules of his supervision, is covered by derivative as well as use immunity in a criminal prosecution. ¶3 We hold that the statement that Spaeth made to Oshkosh police was derived from the compelled, incriminating, testimonial statement that he made to his… Read more
on review of unpublished opinion; for Lemoine: Donna L. Hintze, Katie R. York, SPD, Madison Appellate; case activity Involuntary Statement – Coercion Issue (composed by On Point): Whether Lemoine’s in-custody statement was involuntary given the following police tactics: promising that in exchange for the “true story” he would not go to jail that night; telling him that… Read more
