A federal appeals court ruled that an Arizona teenager’s confession to nine murders in 1991 during a 13-hour interrogation interview was involuntary. With the confession overturned, the Arizona Attorney General must now ask the Supreme Court to review the case or decide to retry the teen without the alleged confession.
In 1991, Jonathan Doody, a 17-year-old high school student from Phoenix, was sentenced to 281 years in prison following his conviction for murder, armed robbery, and other charges in connection to the nine people found dead in a local Buddhist temple. Doody and a co-defendant pleaded guilty to the murders. The co-defendant testified that Doody was the triggerman and that they had intended to steal the large amounts of gold and cash they believed were stored in the temple.
Doody confessed to the murders to two police officers after a marathon 13-hour interrogation in which Doody was deprived of sleep. Doody tried to file motions to suppress his confession, but they were rejected and his confession was included in his initial trial. The ruling stood until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard his case and ruled that the confession was involuntary.
Doody petitioned that the reading of his Miranda rights were inadequate, thus rendering his confession involuntary. The court agreed on both counts. The court found that the administration of Dooley’s Miranda rights were far from “clear and understandable.” On more than one account, Dooley stopped and asked the officers about certain parts of the Miranda form, stating that he did not understand certain parts of the Miranda rights. The officer who read the Miranda rights deviated significantly from the printed Miranda form and repeatedly minimized the warnings’ significance when explaining them to Doody.
The court also found that Doody’s confession was not voluntary given under the circumstances. The officers repeatedly asked Dooley the same questions several times and utilized relentless interrogation tactics precisely because Doody remained unresponsive or did not provide the answers the officers sought. Also, because Doody was a juvenile, the court did not believe Doody was physically and mentally mature enough to handle the 13-hour interrogation.
At Wallin & Klarich, our team of experienced Southern California defense lawyers can help you or your loved ones in the event of an arrest or interrogation by police. We will examine every detail of the incident to see if your Miranda rights have been violated. Call us today at (888) 280-6839 or contact us on the web at www.wklaw.com. We will be there when you call.
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