The Relationship Between the 6th Ammendment and Police Interrogations

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The Relationship between the Sixth Amendment and Police Interrogation BREWER v. WILLIAMS (WILLIAMS I), 430 U.S. 387, 97 S.CT. 1232, 51 L.Ed 424 (1977). The deceased, Pamela Powers, was on a family vacation at the YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa. A search was made in the attempt to find Powers when she did not arrive back from her trip to the washroom. The defendant, Robert Williams, was an escaped mental patient who resided in the YMCA where Powers’ family went for their vacation. A witness spotted the defendant carrying a large bundle with two white legs sticking out. The defendant’s lawyer stepped into a De Moines police station where he informs the police officers he received a phone call from Williams on what he had done. The lawyer, Henry McKnight, advised Williams to turn himself in which he did the next morning. He was booked and charged by Davenport authorities and given his Miranda Warnings. Williams had council in Davenport as well. Police Detective Leaming was ordered to pick up Williams from Davenport and bring him to Des Moines. Both lawyers urged Williams to not speak about Pamela Powers with the officers in the car ride until after consulted with McKnight in Des Moines. An agreement was made between McKnight and Detective Leaming that Leaming would not question the defendant without counsel regarding to the deceased during the trip. Both Leaming and Williams were reminded multiple times to not talk about Ms. Powers until council was present. During the trip back to Des Moines, Williams tells the office that he will tell the whole story when he sees his lawyer. The Detective used his knowledge of the defendant’s religious background to deliver his “Christian burial speech.” This speech suggested that Williams should confe... ... middle of paper ... ...he investigation can also be considered violation (Holland, 2009). Reference Del Carmen, R. V., & Walker, J. T. (2011, October 12).Top 10 cases for police series, part 1. Retrieved from http://www.lawofficer.com/article/training/top-10-cases-police-series-par Holland, B. (2009). A relational sixth amendment during interrogation. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 2(99), 381-434. Retrieved from http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7321&context=jclc Kamisar, Y., LaFave, W. R., Israel, J. H., King, N. J., Kerr, O. S., & Primus , E. B. (2012). Basic criminal procedure: Cases, comments, and questions. (13 ed., pp. 739-746). St. Paul, Minn: West. Standler, R.B. (2010). "Christian Burial Speech" in Brewer v. Williams [PDF file]. Available from http://www.rbs2.com/cbs.pdf

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