State v. Shaun E. Kelley, 2005 WI App 199
For Kelley: Gregory Bates
Issue/Holding:
¶12 Kelley contends that the police should have disclosed that they had reason to believe he had child pornography in his apartment. We are not persuaded that the detectives’ failure to disclose all their suspicions invalidated an otherwise validly obtained consent. This was not a case of deception or false pretext. The detectives went to search Kelley’s apartment because they were investigating a murder. They had legitimate suspicions based on the circumstances present that he may have been involved in the murder. They disclosed the purpose of this investigation. This was not a case where the officers fabricated a story about a non-existent murder to sneak their way into Kelley’s apartment in order to look for child pornography. They had valid reasons to believe a search of his apartment was pertinent to the actual murder investigation. Thus, the failure of the officers to disclose secondary suspicions did not result in coercion or an involuntary consent.
