No. 80-240
I N THE SUPREME COURT O THE STATE O MONTANA
F F
1980
STATE O M N A A
F O T N ,
P l a i n t i f f and A p p e l l a n t ,
VS .
GUY J O H N ALLIES,
Defendant and Respondent.
Appeal from: District Court of t h e T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t ,
I n and f o r t h e County o f Y e l l o w s t o n e .
Honorable C h a r l e s Luedke, J u d g e p r e s i d i n g .
Counsel o f Record:
For Appellant:
Hon. Mike G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , Helena, Montana
H a r o l d F. H a n s e r , County A t t o r n e y , B i l l i n g s , Montana
Klaus P . R i c h t e r a r g u e d , Deputy County A t t o r n e y ,
B i l l i n g s , Montana
F o r Respondent :
R i c h t e r and L e r n e r , B i l l i n g s , Montana
Alan J. L e r n e r a r g u e d , B i l l i n g s , Montana
S u b m i t t e d : November 1 4 , 1980
Decided: .rEC 3 1 a
D
j
Filed:
--
-DEC% ~!dm
M r . C h i e f J u s t i c e F r a n k I . H a s w e l l d e l i v e r e d t h e O p i n i o n of t h e
Court.
D e f e n d a n t Guy J o h n A l l i e s was c o n v i c t e d of f o u r c o u n t s of
m i t i g a t e d d e l i b e r a t e homicide following a j u r y t r i a l i n Y e l l o w -
s t o n e County D i s t r i c t C o u r t . H e was s e n t e n c e d t o s e r v e
c o n s e c u t i v e terms o f 40 y e a r s i m p r i s o n m e n t on e a c h c o u n t i n t h e
Montana S t a t e P r i s o n , w i t h o u t p o s s i b i l i t y o f p a r o l e . On December
3 1 , 1 9 7 9 , t h i s C o u r t r e v e r s e d t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s c o n v i c t i o n and
remanded t h e case f o r a new t r i a l .
On remand t h e S t a t e c h a r g e d t h e d e f e n d a n t w i t h f o u r c o u n t s
o f m i t i g a t e d d e l i b e r a t e h o m i c i d e , and t h e d e f e n d a n t p r o m p t l y
moved t o s u p p r e s s c e r t a i n items of e v i d e n c e . On A p r i l 21, 1 9 8 0 ,
a h e a r i n g was h e l d o n t h e m o t i o n s t o s u p p r e s s a n a l l e g e d s t a t e -
m e n t made by t h e d e f e n d a n t t o C a t h y T e r r y and p h y s i c a l e v i d e n c e
c o n s i s t i n g o f .22 c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s w h i c h were s e i z e d p u r s u a n t
t o a n a l l e g e d c o n s e n s u a l s e a r c h of t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s v a n .
On J u n e 11, 1 9 8 0 , d e f e n d a n t ' s m o t i o n s t o s u p p r e s s t h e t w o
items were g r a n t e d . The S t a t e now a p p e a l s f r o m t h e o r d e r
s u p p r e s s i n g t h e s t a t e m e n t s and c a r t r i d g e s .
The f a c t s r e l e v a n t t o t h i s a p p e a l f o l l o w . A more d e t a i l e d
s t a t e m e n t o f t h e f a c t s of t h i s c a s e may be f o u n d i n S t a t e v.
A l l i e s (1979), Mon t . , 606 P.2d 1 0 4 3 , 3 6 S t . R e p . 2352.
The crimes u n d e r l y i n g t h e case t o o k p l a c e i n B i l l i n g s ,
M o n t a n a , o n November 11, 1 9 7 6 . The B i l l i n g s P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t ,
i n i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e crimes, had i d e n t i f i e d Guy J o h n A l l i e s as a
p e r s o n who had d e a l t i n d r u g s w i t h t h e h o m i c i d e v i c t i m s . I n con-
n e c t i o n w i t h t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n , t h e d e f e n d a n t v o l u n t a r i l y came t o
t h e p o l i c e s t a t i o n f o r q u e s t i o n i n g on November 22 and November
23, 1 9 7 6 . D u r i n g t h e November 23 i n t e r v i e w , o f f i c e r s H i r i s c h i
a n d B e l l n o t e d t h a t A l l i e s had t r o u b l e a n s w e r i n g q u e s t i o n s , c o u l d
n o t k e e p names or d a t e s s t r a i g h t and was p o s s i b l y o n d r u g s .
On November 30, 1 9 7 6 , A l l i e s v o l u n t a r i l y t o o k a p o l y g r a p h
exam. The t e s t t o o k a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h r e e h o u r s . By t h e end of
t h e t h r e e h o u r p e r i o d , d e f e n d a n t was d e s c r i b e d a s " t a l k i n g to t h e
w a l l s " and " c o m p l e t e l y o u t of i t . "
On t h e m o r n i n g o f December 9 , 1 9 7 6 , p o l i c e o f f i c e r s a g a i n
a s k e d A l l i e s t o come t o t h e p o l i c e s t a t i o n . Defendant
v o l u n t a r i l y p r e s e n t e d h i m s e l f a t t h e s t a t i o n a r o u n d 11:00 a . m .
a n d was t a k e n t o a 1 2 ' x 1 2 ' room o n t h e f o u r t h f l o o r . Here h e
was i s o l a t e d and q u e s t i o n e d f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y f o u r h o u r s by
o f f i c e r s B e l l and T r i m a r c o . H e had n o t had a n y t h i n g t o e a t b u t
was u n d e r t h e i n f l u e n c e of a l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f d r u g s - - n a m e l y ,
m e t h a m p h e t a m i n e , t r i a v i l and m o r p h i n e . Bef o r e t h e s e s s i o n b e g a n ,
B e l l r e a d d e f e n d a n t h i s Miranda r i g h t s o f f a c a r d , and d e f e n d a n t
s i g n e d a w a i v e r p r i n t e d on t h e back of t h e c a r d .
The o f f i c e r s a t t e m p t e d t o employ a " M u t t and J e f f " , o r a
"mean c o p - - n i c e c o p " method o f i n t e r r o g a t i o n d u r i n g t h e f i r s t
p a r t of t h e s e s s i o n . One of t h e o f f i c e r s t e s t i f i e d t h a t h e g o t a
" l i t t l e emotional" during the interview. A l l i e s described the
o f f i c e r s as g e n e r a l l y r o u g h , h a r s h and o b n o x i o u s . Both o f f i c e r s
e v e n t u a l l y t o l d d e f e n d a n t t h a t i f he n e e d e d p s y c h i a t r i c h e l p , it
was a v a i l a b l e . H e was a l s o t o l d s o m e t h i n g was wrong w i t h t h e
November 30 p o l y g r a p h t e s t and t h a t t h e o f f i c e r s knew h e w a s t h e
murderer. H e w a s a c c u s e d of t h e crimes o n s e v e r a l o c c a s i o n s , and
t h e q u e s t i o n i n g c o n c e n t r a t e d o n how h e c o u l d l i v e w i t h h i m s e l f
a f t e r committing such b r u t a l acts. I n employing t h i s " g u i l t
a s s u m p t i o n " method o f i n t e r r o g a t i o n , b o t h o f f i c e r s f r e e l y c o n c e d e
t h e y l i e d t o d e f e n d a n t a b o u t w h a t t h e y knew of h i s c o n n e c t i o n to
t h e homicides. They t o l d him he had b e e n p o s i t i v e l y i d e n t i f i e d
a n d p l a c e d a t t h e s c e n e of t h e crime.
A t first defendant's s t o r y was consistent with what he
had e a r l i e r t o l d D e t e c t i v e H i r i s c h i . H e s a i d h e was w o r k i n g o n
h i s v a n a t a r e n t e d g a r a g e when t h e h o m i c i d e s o c c u r r e d and had
r e t u r n e d home a b o u t 1 : 0 0 o r 2:00 p.m. o n November 11. After
about twenty minutes, Trimarco advised defendant t h a t they d i d
n o t b e l i e v e h i s s t o r y , t h a t h e was a s u s p e c t i n t h e h o m i c i d e s ,
t h a t t h e y knew he was t h e k i l l e r , and t h a t h e had p o s i t i v e l y b e e n
p l a c e d a t t h e s c e n e o f t h e crime.
D e f e n d a n t t h e n changed h i s s t o r y . H e s t a t e d t h a t he
h a d " b l a c k e d o u t " a s he was c h a n g i n g o i l and "came to" a t a g r o -
cery s t o r e near the victims' house. H e s a i d he c o u l d n o t
remember w h e r e he was a t t h e t i m e t h e crimes were c o m m i t t e d .
D u r i n g t h e q u e s t i o n i n g , d e f e n d a n t was shown a p i c t u r e of o n e of
t h e v i c t i m s a s s h e was found on November 11. D e f e n d a n t became
u p s e t and v e r y d e p r e s s e d a t t h e i d e a he c o u l d h a v e c o m m i t t e d s u c h
an act. H e began t o s o b and t h r e a t e n e d t o c o m m i t s u i c i d e . He
t o l d t h e o f f i c e r s o f h i s h e a v y d r u g u s e ; t h a t he b e l i e v e d t h e
" S p a c e B r o t h e r s " had l a n d e d i n Wyoming and were e x e r t i n g a n e v i l
i n f l u e n c e o v e r him; t h a t he b e l i e v e d i n w i t c h c r a f t ; a n d , t h a t h i s
ex-wife was a w i t c h who had p l a c e d a n e v i l c u r s e on him.
D e f e n d a n t s a y s he was s u f f e r i n g from d r u g w i t h d r a w a l and
a t a b o u t 3:00 p.m. a s k e d f o r food t o r e l i e v e h i s d i s c o m f o r t . The
o f f i c e r s do n o t r e c a l l s u c h a r e q u e s t . A l l i e s s a i d he t h o u g h t h e
n e e d e d p s y c h i a t r i c h e l p , and t h e o f f i c e r s e x p r e s s e d t h e o p i n i o n
t h a t h i s p r o b l e m was m e d i c a l o r m e n t a l r a t h e r t h a n c r i m i n a l .
H o s p i t a l i z a t i o n a t Warm S p r i n g s was m e n t i o n e d .
During t h e i n t e r r o g a t i o n , t h e officers t o l d d e f e n d a n t
t h e y were n o t " t o o c o n c e r n e d w i t h d r u g s " r a t h e r , t h e y were
s e e k i n g i n £ o r m a t i o n or e v i d e n c e p e r t i n e n t t o t h e h o m i c i d e s . They
s a i d t h e y would l i k e t o s e a r c h h i s h o u s e and van f o r h o m i c i d e
e v i d e n c e , and d e f e n d a n t e x e c u t e d t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n s e n t t o s e a r c h :
" I , Guy J o h n A l l i e s ,
G I V E D e t . B e l l and T r i m a r c o WHO HAVE IDENTIFIED
THEMSELVES AS POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE C I T Y OF
BILLINGS, YELLOWSTONE COUNTY, DO HEREBY CONSENT
TO HAVE THEM SEARCH MY HOME OR PROPERTY LOCATED
AT 6 2 8 No. 1 4 1 9 6 5 GMC Van B l u e AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN
ADV~DTHATIDONOTHA~~ TOGIVE THESE
OFFICERS PERMISSION TO SEARCH MY HOME AND
PROPERTY. I AM G I V I N G THIS CONSENT WITHOUT ANY
THREATS OR PRESSURES OF ANY TYPE USED AGAINST
ME.
SIGNED: S/Guy J o h n A l l i e s
"WITNESS: S/G. Bell ADDRESS Billings Police
Dept .
"WITNESS: S/John Trimarco ADDRESS B.P.D."
B e l l and T r i m a r c o l e f t d e f e n d a n t ' s p r e s e n c e a b o u t 3 : 4 5
p.m. and were e n g a g e d i n s e a r c h i n g t h e h o u s e and van f r o m a b o u t
4:00 t o 7:30 p.m. M e a n w h i l e , d e f e n d a n t was l e f t i n t h e f o u r t h
f l o o r room. B e c a u s e o f h i s s u i c i d e t h r e a t s , h e was " w a t c h e d " by
O f f i c e r s Ward and M i l l a r d . A l l i e s t e s t i f i e d t h a t during t h i s
t i m e h e a s k e d Ward when he would be a l l o w e d t o see a n a t t o r n e y
a n d t h a t h e w a s t o l d t o w a i t u n t i l B e l l and T r i m a r c o r e t u r n e d .
Ward d e n i e d t h a t t h i s o c c u r r e d .
D u r i n g t h e a f t e r n o o n , b o t h L t . H e n s l e y and H a r o l d H a n s e r ,
t h e Y e l l o w s t o n e C o u n t y a t t o r n e y , had b e e n p o s t e d on t h e p r o g r e s s of
the interrogation. A t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 4: 1 5 p.m., Hanser c o n t a c t e d
Dr. B r y c e H u g h e t t , a p s y c h i a t r i s t employed by t h e S t a t e . Hanser
i n f o r m e d him t h e r e was a s u s p e c t i n t h e h o m i c i d e s who c o u l d n o t
remember w h e r e he had b e e n when t h e crimes were c o m m i t t e d . He
a l s o s a i d t h e s u s p e c t had i n d i c a t e d a d e s i r e t o s e e a
p s y c h i a t r i s t and a s k e d H u g h e t t t o come down.
On a r r i v i n g a t t h e s t a t i o n , H u g h e t t was f u r t h e r b r i e f e d o n
t h e s i t u a t i o n by H a n s e r and L t . H e n s l e y . H u g h e t t , who f e l t h e
was a c t i n g as a f a c t f i n d e r or a s s i s t a n t t o t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r and
a s a d o c t o r , t a l k e d w i t h d e f e n d a n t f r o m a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5:00 t o
6: 00 p.m. H u g h e t t s t a t e d t h a t A l l i e s was "calm--spoke quietly
and w i l l i n g l y . 'I The major t o p i c s o f d i s c u s s i o n were d e f e n d a n t ' s
p a s t , p a r t i c u l a r l y h i s d r u g a b u s e p r o b l e m , and t h e h o m i c i d e s .
During t h e i n t e r v i e w , Hughett s u g g e s t e d t h a t sodium a m y t a l , a
h y p n o t i c d r u g , m i g h t allow A l l i e s t o remember w h e r e h e had b e e n
d u r i n g h i s November 11 b l a c k o u t .
A f t e r t h e i n t e r v i e w b y D r . H u g h e t t , B e l l and T r i m a r c o
r e t u r n e d f r o m s e a r c h i n g d e f e n d a n t ' s h o u s e and v a n . They had
f o u n d d r u g s a t h i s h o u s e and a number o f .22 c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s
i n t h e van. A l l i e s w a s a r r e s t e d f o r p o s s e s s i o n of d a n g e r o u s
d r u g s and p l a c e d i n j a i l . A t the defendant's preliminary hearing
i n j u s t i c e c o u r t o n December 1 0 , 1 9 7 6 , h e a s k e d t o see a n a t t o r -
n e y and w a s t o l d t h a t a n a t t o r n e y c o u l d be a p p o i n t e d o n l y i n
D i s t r i c t C o u r t and t h a t o n e would be a p p o i n t e d upon h i s
appearance i n t h a t court.
A f t e r an i n t e r v i e w with Harold Hanser, t h e defendant
a g r e e d to a sodium amytal i n j e c t i o n . The n e x t d a y A l l i e s w a s
t r a n s p o r t e d t o t h e p s y c h i a t r i c ward a t D e a c o n e s s H o s p i t a l . That
e v e n i n g , a f t e r h e a r i n g s t r a n g e n o i s e s f r o m d e f e n d a n t ' s room, a
g u a r d e n t e r e d and f o u n d d e f e n d a n t c r o u c h e d on t h e b e d , s o b b i n g
a n d s a y i n g , "The D e v i l w a n t s me to h u r t you." The g u a r d
c o n t r o l l e d t h e s i t u a t i o n by h a v i n g A l l i e s p r a y . Shortly a f t e r
t h i s i n c i d e n t , t h e d e f e n d a n t was i n j e c t e d w i t h s o d i u m a m y t a l and
interrogated. A l l i e s made s e v e r a l i n c r i m i n a t i n g s t a t e m e n t s
d u r i n g t h e a m y t a l i n t e r v i e w and was c o n v i n c e d t o c o n f e s s t h e n e x t
d a y by D r . Hughett.
On December 1 3 , 1 9 7 6 , d e f e n d a n t was c h a r g e d w i t h f o u r
c o u n t s of d e l i b e r a t e homicide. A l l i e s w a s t r a n s p o r t e d to t h e
maximum s e c u r i t y u n i t o f W a r m S p r i n g s S t a t e H o s p i t a l o n December
23, 1 9 7 6 , w h e r e h e r e m a i n e d f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y s i x w e e k s . During
t h i s p e r i o d d e f e n d a n t ' s g i r l f r i e n d , C a t h y T e r r y , v i s i t e d him
frequently. On e a c h o c c a s i o n s h e e x t e n s i v e l y q u e s t i o n e d t h e
d e f e n d a n t on h i s i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e h o m i c i d e s . In a deposition
t a k e n by t h e Y e l l o w s t o n e C o u n t y a t t o r n e y i n 1 9 7 7 , s h e s t a t e d t h a t
t h e d e f e n d a n t t o l d h e r o n o n e o c c a s i o n t h a t h e " t h o u g h t h e was
involved. H e s a i d h e d i d n o t know how. H e d i d n o t know why.
B u t h e t h o u g h t he had u s e d h i s own gun t o s h o o t ."
Following d e f e n d a n t ' s s t a y a t Warm S p r i n g s , h i s motion to
s u p p r e s s t h e c o n f e s s i o n g i v e n t o t h e p o l i c e and t h e e v i d e n c e t o
w h i c h it l e d w a s d e n i e d by t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t . The t r i a l w a s
commenced and he w a s c o n v i c t e d of f o u r c o u n t s of m i t i g a t e d d e l i -
b e r a t e homicide. T h i s Court r e v e r s e d on a p p e a l b a s i c a l l y f i n d i n g
t h a t t h e c o n f e s s i o n was i n v o l u n t a r y d u e t o p s y c h o l o g i c a l c o e r c i o n
a n d t h a t it was o b t a i n e d i n c o n t r a v e n t i o n of d e f e n d a n t ' s r i g h t t o
counsel. The d e f e n d a n t was e n t i t l e d t o s u p p r e s s i o n of h i s invo-
l u n t a r y c o n f e s s i o n and a l l e v i d e n c e o b t a i n e d as a r e s u l t of t h e
c o n f e s s i o n u n d e r t h e " f r u i t of t h e p o i s o n o u s tree" d o c t r i n e .
Upon remand, t h e d e f e n d a n t i m m e d i a t e l y moved t o s u p p r e s s
t h e .22 c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s and t h e a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t made t o
Cathy T e r r y d u r i n g d e f e n d a n t ' s i n c a r c e r a t i o n a t Warm S p r i n g s .
The a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t was n o t i n t r o d u c e d i n t h e f i r s t t r i a l as a
r e s u l t of a s t i p u l a t i o n e n t e r e d i n t o between t h e Yellowstone
C o u n t y A t t o r n e y and t h e d e f e n s e c o u n s e l . The c o u n t y a t t o r n e y
a g r e e d n o t t o a t t e m p t t o i n t r o d u c e t h e s t a t e m e n t i f d e f e n s e coun-
s e l would n o t p u r s u e h i s t h e o r y of a common-law m a r r i a g e b e t w e e n
t h e d e f e n d a n t and C a t h y T e r r y .
I n addition t o the facts previously stated, the
Y e l l o w s t o n e C o u n t y D i s t r i c t C o u r t a l s o c o n s i d e r e d t e s t i m o n y con-
c e r n i n g t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s mental c o n d i t i o n i n t h e 1980 s u p p r e s s i o n h e a r i n g .
Dr. H u g h e t t t e s t i f i e d t h a t o n t h e b a s i s of w h a t h e had
b e e n t o l d p r i o r t o h i s d i s c u s s i o n w i t h A l l i e s on December 9 a n d
o n t h e b a s i s of t h e d i s c u s s i o n i t s e l f , t h e d e f e n d a n t " c o u l d
v o l u n t a r i l y and w i t h k n o w l e d g e w a i v e h i s r i g h t s and g i v e p e r -
mission f o r the search," i n h i s expert opinion.
The d e t e c t i v e s , T r i m a r c o and B e l l , t e s t i f i e d t h a t A l l i e s
a p p e a r e d t o be n o r m a l p h y s i c a l l y , r a t i o n a l , and n o t u n d e r t h e
i n f l u e n c e o f a l c o h o l or d r u g s . Two o t h e r p o l i c e o f f i c e r s who saw
t h e defendant b r i e f l y during t h e i n t e r r o g a t i o n submitted similar
testimony.
I n a d d i t i o n , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t c o n s i d e r e d t e s t i m o n y con-
c e r n i n g t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n a t t h e t i m e of t h i s
i n t e r r o g a t i o n which c o n t r a d i c t s t h e t e s t i m o n y of D r . Hughe t t .
D e t e c t i v e B e l l s t a t e d t h a t h e b e l i e v e d t h e d e f e n d a n t was " n o t
v e r y s t a b l e m e n t a l l y " a t t h e t i m e of t h e i n t e r r o g a t i o n , b a s e d o n
h i s s t a t e m e n t s c o n c e r n i n g w i t c h c r a f t and h i s " b l a c k o u t s . " Bell
f i l e d a w r i t t e n r e p o r t o n December 1 2 , 1 9 7 6 , t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t
was m e n t a l l y u n s t a b l e and a d m i t t e d t h a t it was a " p r e t t y r a r e
o c c a s i o n " f o r him t o n o t e a m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n .
C o n s i d e r a b l e p s y c h i a t r i c t e s t i m o n y was a l s o p r e s e n t e d to
t h e District Court. Dr. Rich t e s t i f i e d t h a t he b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e
d e f e n d a n t was " i n v o l v e d i n m u l t i p l e d r u g a b u s e " d u r i n g t h e t i m e
s u r r o u n d i n g December 9 , b a s e d o n i n f e c t e d n e e d l e marks and t h e
q u a n t i t y and q u a l i t y of d r u g s and p a r a p h e r n a l i a d i s c o v e r e d i n t h e
s e a r c h o f d e f e n d a n t ' s v a n and r e s i d e n c e . H e also s t a t e d t h a t he
h a d d i a g n o s e d d e f e n d a n t ' s c o n d i t i o n as a " B o r d e r l i n e P e r s o n a l i t y
Disorder", and t h a t " [ e l v e n i n t h e a b s e n c e of d r u g a b u s e a n d / o r
d r u g dependence, such a p e r s o n w i t h t h i s type of p e r s o n a l i t y
d i s o r d e r h a s d i f f i c u l t i e s w i t h j u d g m e n t , l o n g - t e r m p l a n n i n g , and
w i t h u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e n a t u r a l r e s u l t s of h i s own b e h a v i o r o r
decisions." H e c o n c l u d e d t h a t A l l i e s "was n o t c a p a b l e of u s i n g
good judgment t o make a d e c i s i o n t o s i g n a w a i v e r t o allow h i s
p r o p e r t y t o be s e a r c h e d . " Dr. Rich also t e s t i f i e d t h a t A l l i e s v
p r o b a b l e d r u g a b u s e was n o t i n c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e d e t e c t i v e s '
t e s t i m o n y t h a t h e a p p e a r e d n o r m a l b e t w e e n t h e p e r i o d of 1 1 : O O
a.m. and 3:45 p.m. o n December 9 , 1 9 7 6 . Katherine Gallagher, a
c l i n i c a l p s y c h o l o g i s t employed a t Warm S p r i n g s , p r e p a r e d a
p s y c h o l o g i c a l e v a l u a t i o n of t h e d e f e n d a n t . She c o n c l u d e d t h a t
A l l i e s w a s " s u f f e r i n g from mental i l l n e s s ; namely s c h i z o p h r e n i a ,
paranoid type, - and f r o m h i s a p p a r e n t d r u g a d d k t i o n . " H e r testi-
mony i n d i c a t e s t h a t A l l i e s was u n a b l e t o f o l l o w t h r o u g h w i t h h i s
d e c i s i o n s or make h i s n e e d s or w a n t s known--"he was e a s i l y l e d . "
Mrs. G a l l a g h e r s t a t e d t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t would n o t h a v e b e e n able
t o w a i v e h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t s i n a knowing, i n t e l l i g e n t or
voluntary fashion i n signing a consent t o search considering h i s
mental i l l n e s s , even without c o e r c i o n o r drug dependence. She
f u r t h e r stated t h a t the s t r e s s f u l s i t u a t i o n a t the police s t a t i o n
would h a v e made him more d i s t u r b e d t h a n h e m i g h t h a v e o r d i n a r i l y
been. A n o t h e r p s y c h i a t r i c e x p e r t , D r . A l e x a n d e r , b a s i c a l l y con-
curred with M r s . G a l l a g h e r ' s t e s t i m o n y , and added t h a t con-
s i d e r i n g t h e a u t h o r i t a t i v e environment of t h e p o l i c e s t a t i o n
i n t e r r o g a t i o n and t h e a c c u s a t o r y n a t u r e o f t h e q u e s t i o n i n g ,
A l l i e s would f e e l t h r e a t e n e d t o a r e a s o n a b l e p s y c h i a t r i c
certainty.
J u d g e Luedke e n t e r e d h i s o r d e r s s u p p r e s s i n g t h e . 2 2
c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s and t h e a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t made t o C a t h y T e r r y
o n J u n e 11, 1 9 8 0 . H e f o u n d t h a t t h e p r o s e c u t i o n had n o t
s u s t a i n e d its burden of p r o v i n g t h a t t h e w r i t t e n c o n s e n t to
s e a r c h was g i v e n v o l u n t a r i l y . It w a s also determined t h a t t h e
a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t made t o C a t h y T e r r y was i n a d m i s s i b l e u n d e r t h e
" c a t o u t o f t h e bag" d o c t r i n e .
W e c o n s i d e r t h e f o l l o w i n g i s s u e s on a p p e a l :
1. Whether t h e D i s t r i c t Court e r r e d i n f i n d i n g t h e w r i t -
t e n c o n s e n t t o s e a r c h e x e c u t e d by t h e d e f e n d a n t on December 9 ,
1976 i n v o l u n t a r y ?
2. Whether t h e D i s t r i c t Court e r r e d i n c o n c l u d i n g t h a t
d e f e n d a n t ' s a d m i s s i o n t o C a t h y T e r r y m u s t be s u p p r e s s e d u n d e r t h e
" c a t o u t o f t h e bag" d o c t r i n e ?
W e f i r s t a d d r e s s t h e i s s u e of w h e t h e r t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t
e r r e d i n s u p p r e s s i n g t h e .22 c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s which were d i s c o -
v e r e d upon a s e a r c h c o n d u c t e d w i t h t h e w r i t t e n c o n s e n t of t h e
defendant.
" I t is w e l l s e t t l e d u n d e r t h e F o u r t h and
F o u r t e e n t h Amendments t h a t a s e a r c h c o n d u c t e d
w i t h o u t a w a r r a n t i s s u e d upon p r o b a b l e c a u s e is
' p e r se unreasonable ... s u b j e c t o n l y t o a few
s p e c i f i c a l l y e s t a b l i s h e d and w e l l d e l i n e a t e d
exceptions.' K a t z v . U n i t e d S t a t e s , 3 8 9 U.S.
3 4 7 , 357. ..
established exceptions
[ O l n e of t h e s p e c i f i c a l l y
... is a s e a r c h con-
ducted pursuant t o consent . . ." S c h n e c k l o t h v.
B u s t a m o n t e ( 1 9 7 3 ) , 4 1 2 U.S. 2 1 8 , 2 1 9 , 9 3 S . C t .
2 0 4 1 , 2043-2044, 36 L.Ed.2d 8 5 4 , 8 5 8 .
P u r s u a n t t o S c h n e c k l o t h , when t h e p r o s e c u t i o n s e e k s t o r e l y upon con-
s e n t t o j u s t i f y t h e l a w f u l n e s s of a s e a r c h , it h a s t h e b u r d e n of
p r o v i n g t h a t t h e c o n s e n t w a s f r e e l y and v o l u n t a r i l y g i v e n . The
t e s t a p p l i e d t o d e t e r m i n e t h e v o l u n t a r i n e s s of c o n s e n t t o s e a r c h
i s t h e same as a p p l i e d t o d e t e r m i n e t h e v o l u n t a r i n e s s of a
confession. " I n d e t e r m i n i n g w h e t h e r a d e f e n d a n t ' s w i l l was o v e r -
b o r n e i n a p a r t i c u l a r case, t h e [ U n i t e d S t a t e s Supreme] C o u r t h a s
a s s e s s e d t h e t o t a l i t y of t h e circumstances--both t h e charac-
t e r i s t i c s o f t h e a c c u s e d and t h e d e t a i l s o f t h e i n t e r r o g a t i o n . "
I n l o o k i n g to t h e f a c t u a l circumstances surrounding t h e
c o n f e s s i o n , a c o u r t m u s t assess t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l i m p a c t o n t h e
a c c u s e d and e v a l u a t e t h e l e g a l s i g n i f i c a n c e o f how t h e a c c u s e d
reacted. S c h n e c k l o t h , 412 U.S. a t 226, 9 3 S . C t . a t 2047, 3 6
S i n c e t h e t e s t a p p l i e d t o d e t e r m i n i n g t h e v o l u n t a r i n e s s of
a c o n f e s s i o n and t h e v o l u n t a r i n e s s of c o n s e n t t o s e a r c h a r e t h e
same, t h i s C o u r t ' s d e c i s i o n i n A l l i e s - s h o u l d c o n t r o l t h e d i s p o -
I
s i t i o n of t h i s i s s u e . I n d i s c u s s i n g t h e i n v o l u n t a r i n e s s of
Allies' c o n f e s s i o n t h i s Court s t a t e d :
" W h e t h e r o r n o t d e f e n d a n t was ' i n c u s t o d y ' d u r i n g t h e
December 9 i n t e r r o g a t i o n by O f f i c e r s B e l l and
T r i m a r c o is n o t p e r t i n e n t t o a d e t e r m i n a t i o n of
w h e t h e r h i s u l t i m a t e c o n f e s s i o n was v o l u n t a r y and
t h u s a d m i s s i b l e . The c i r c u m s t a n c e s of t h a t s e s s i o n
a r e , h o w e v e r , r e l e v a n t as c o e r c i v e f a c t o r s which
f i g u r e i n d e t e r m i n i n g i f , i n t h e t o t a l i t y of
c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e c o n f e s s i o n is v o l u n t a r y . Many of
t h e f a c t o r s h a v e b e e n j u d i c i a l l y condemned as c o e r -
cive in nature. S e e g e n e r a l l y M i r a n d a , 384 U.S. a t
445-58, 86 S . C t . a t 1612-19, 1 6 L.Ed.2d a t 707-14.
T h e s e f a c t o r s i n c l u d e k e e p i n g t h e s u s p e c t incom-
m u n i c a d o i n a small room; i s o l a t i n g t h e s u s p e c t i n a
h o s t i l e p o l i c e e n v i r o n m e n t ; t h e mean c o p - - n i c e c o p
i n t e r r o g a t i o n technique ; and, t h e g u i l t assumption
t e c h n i q u e of i n t e r r o g a t i o n . The f a c t o r s d o n o t , o f
themselves, render the confession involuntary; they
m u s t m e r e l y be c o n s i d e r e d i n t h e t o t a l i t y of
circumstances. The e f f e c t of m o s t of t h e a b o v e
v a r i a b l e s and i n t e r r o g a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s on t h e f i n a l
c a l c u l u s is d i m i n i s h e d by t h e t i m e l a g b e t w e e n t h e
i n i t i a l q u e s t i o n i n g o n December 9 a n d t h e c o n f e s s i o n .
A l s o e n t e r i n g i n t o o u r a n a l y s i s is t h e f a c t t h a t , f o r
t h e most p a r t , t h e a b o v e - d e s c r i b e d c i r c u m s t a n c e s and
m e t h o d s were n o t r e p e a t e d a f t e r December 9.
"Two v a r i a b l e s w e i g h h e a v i l y i n o u r c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
The f i r s t , l y i n g t o d e f e n d a n t a b o u t how much is
known a b o u t h i s i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e crimes, is p a r -
t i c u l a r l y r e p u l s i v e t o and t o t a l l y i n c o m p a t i b l e w i t h
t h e c o n c e p t s o f d u e p r o c e s s embedded i n t h e f e d e r a l
and s t a t e c o n s t i t u t i o n s . The e f f e c t is p a r t i c u l a r l y
c o e r c i v e and i n t h i s case is n o t l e s s e n e d by t h e t i m e
l a g b e t w e e n t h e i n i t i a l i n t e r r o g a t i o n and t h e
con£ess i o n .
"The s e c o n d f a c t o r t o which w e g i v e w e i g h t is t h e
' s u b t l e ' p s y c h o l o g i c a l p r e s s u r e which was e x e r t e d o n
A l l i e s f r o m t h e t i m e he f i r s t t a l k e d w i t h B e l l and
T r i m a r c o u n t i l t h e t i m e he c o n f e s s e d . The p r e s s u r e
of which w e speak l i e s i n l e a d i n g d e f e n d a n t t o
b e l i e v e h i s problem w a s 'medical o r p s y c h i a t r i c
r a t h e r t h a n c r i m i n a l . ' I t b e g a n on December 9 when
B e l l and T r i m a r c o g a v e d e f e n d a n t t h e i r o p i n i o n a b o u t
h i s s i t u a t i o n and t o l d him he c o u l d g e t h e l p ,
possibly a t Warm Springs. The p r e s s u r e was k e p t up,
and t h e i d e a t h a t h i s p r o b l e m was p s y c h o l o g i c a l was
r e i n f o r c e d l a t e r on t h e 9 t h i n t h e i n i t i a l c o n t a c t
w i t h D r . Hughett." 606 P.2d a t 1050-1051, 36 S t . R e p .
a t 2361-2362.
I n a d d i t i o n to t h e e v i d e n c e of t h e p o l i c e p r o c e d u r e s u t i -
l i z e d on December 9 , 1 9 7 6 , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t a l s o w a s p r e s e n t e d
w i t h e x t e n s i v e t e s t i m o n y r e l a t e d t o t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s m e n t a l con-
d i t i o n a t t h e t i m e he e x e c u t e d t h e w r i t t e n c o n s e n t to s e a r c h .
A s previously discussed, t h e e x p e r t t e s t i m o n y of s e v e r a l
p s y c h i a t r i s t s r e v e a l s t h a t e v e n a b s e n t t h e c o e r c i v e a s p e c t s of
t h e i n t e r r o g a t i o n and t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s d r u g d e p e n d e n c e , t h e r e is
d o u b t t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t was c a p a b l e o f v o l u n t a r i l y and k n o w i n g l y
consenting t o the search. T h i s testimony r e v e a l s t h a t t h e defen-
d a n t w a s s u f f e r i n g f r o m a m e n t a l d i s o r d e r which may h a v e p r e -
v e n t e d him f r o m making a r a t i o n a l d e c i s i o n t o w a i v e h i s c o n s t i t u -
tional rights. T h i s c o n d i t i o n a l s o was n o t c o m p l e t e l y unknown t o
t h e B i l l i n g s P o l i c e Department. On November 30, 1 9 7 6 , A l l i e s
became " s q u i r r e l y " d u r i n g a p o l y g r a p h e x a m i n a t i o n and by t h e end
o f t h e i n t e r v i e w h e was " t a l k i n g t o t h e w a l l s " and was
" c o m p l e t e l y o u t of i t . " On December 9 , 1 9 7 6 , p r i o r to c o n s e n t i n g
t o t h e s e a r c h , he t o l d t h e o f f i c e r s of h i s h e a v y d r u g u s e ; t h a t
h e b e l i e v e d t h e " S p a c e B r o t h e r s " had l a n d e d i n Wyoming and were
e x e r t i n g a n e v i l i n f l u e n c e o v e r him; t h a t h e b e l i e v e d i n
w i t c h c r a f t ; a n d , t h a t h i s e x - w i f e was a w i t c h who had p l a c e d o n
e v i l c u r s e on him. Furthermore, af t e r the i n t e n s e i n t e r r o g a t i o n
a n d t h e u s e o f t h e p r e v i o u s l y condemned p o l i c e t e c h n i q u e s , the
d e f e n d a n t became v e r y d e p r e s s e d , b e g a n t o s o b , and t h r e a t e n e d to
commit s u i c i d e .
I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e t e s t i m o n y of D r . Rich, D r . Alexander
a n d Mrs. G a l l a g h e r , s e v e r a l p o l i c e o f f i c e r s and D r . Hughett
t e s t i f i e d t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t a p p e a r e d t o be r a t i o n a l and n o r m a l
physically. I t is t h e S t a t e ' s p o s i t i o n t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t
c o m p l e t e l y i g n o r e d t h e t e s t i m o n y of t h e p o l i c e o f f i c e r s and D r .
Hughett. I t is a s s e r t e d t h a t t h e s e w i t n e s s e s w e r e t h e o n l y
p e o p l e who were i n c o n t a c t w i t h A l l i e s on t h e d a t e i n q u e s t i o n
a n d a s a c o n s e q u e n c e , t h e i r t e s t i m o n y s h o u l d be g i v e n con-
s i d e r a b l e weight. The p r o s e c u t i o n c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t
C o u r t a b u s e d i t s d i s c r e t i o n i n n o t a t t a c h i n g g r e a t w e i g h t to
Dr. Hughett's testimony, s i n c e h e was t h e o n l y m e d i c a l e x p e r t t o
come i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e d e f e n d a n t on December, 9, 1 9 7 9 .
P r i o r t o d i s c u s s i n g t h e s t a n d a r d of r e v i e w , it i s
worthwhile t o note t h a t a d e f e n d a n t ' s mental c o n d i t i o n a t t h e
t i m e o f e x e c u t i n g a c o n s e n t t o s e a r c h is a f a c t o r to be con-
sidered i n t h e t o t a l i t y of t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s . A s was s t a t e d in
Schneckloth:
" J u s t as was t r u e w i t h c o n f e s s i o n s , t h e r e q u i r e -
ment of a ' v o l u n t a r y ' c o n s e n t r e f l e c t s a f a i r
a c m ~ ~ a f a t i oon t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t s
f
involved. I n examining a l l t h e s u r r o u n d i n g cir-
cumstances to d e t e r m i n e i f i n f a c t t h e c o n s e n t
t o s e a r c h was c o e r c e d , a c c o u n t m u s t be t a k e n of
s u b t l y c o e r c i v e p o l i c e q u e s t i o n s , as w e l l a s t h e
p o s s i b l y v u l n e r a b l e s u b j e c t i v e s t a t e of t h e p e r -
s o n who c o n s e n t s . Those s e a r c h e s t h a t are t h e
p r o d u c t of p o l i c e c o e r c i o n c a n t h u s be f i l t e r e d
o u t without undermining t h e c o n t i n u i n g v a l i d i t y
of consent searches. I n sum, t h e r e is no r e a s o n
f o r u s t o d e p a r t i n t h e a r e a of c o n s e n t
s e a r c h e s , f r o m t h e t r a d i t i o n a l d e f i n i t i o n of
' v o l u n t a r i n e s s . 'I1 412 U.S. a t 229, 9 3 S . C t . a t
2048-2049, 36 L.Ed.2d a t 864.
T u r n i n g t o t h e s t a n d a r d of r e v i e w i n t h e p r e s e n t a p p e a l ,
we r e i t e r a t e our discussion i n A l l i e s -
I:
" I n reviewing s u p p r e s s i o n proceedings, we a r e
g o v e r n e d by t h e f o l l o w i n g w e l l - s e t t l e d
principles :
"'When a m o t i o n t o s u p p r e s s is p r e s e n t e d to a
t r i a l c o u r t , i t s a n a l y s i s of t h e e v i d e n c e p r e -
s e n t e d a t t h e p r e t r i a l h e a r i n g m u s t f o c u s on
whether i m p e r m i s s i b l e p r o c e d u r e s were followed
b y law e n f o r c e m e n t a u t h o r i t i e s . The b u r d e n of
p r o o f o f v o l u n t a r i n e s s is upon t h e S t a t e , and it
i s r e q u i r e d t o p r o v e v o l u n t a r i n e s s by a p r e -
p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e e v i d e n c e b u t n o t beyond a
reasonable doubt. [Citations omitted. ] ' S t a t e
v . S m i t h ( 1 9 7 4 ) , 1 6 4 Mont. 3 3 4 , 3 3 8 , 5 2 3 P.2d
9 5 , 9 7 ; s e e a l s o Lego v. Twomey ( 1 9 7 2 ) , 404 U.S.
4 7 7 , 92 S . C t . 6 1 9 , 30 L.Ed.2d 6 1 8 .
" 'The q u e s t i o n of v o l u n t a r i n e s s l a r g e l y d e p e n d s
upon t h e f a c t s of e a c h c a s e , no s i n g l e f a c t
being dispositive ... The d e t e r m i n a t i o n of
v o l u n t a r i n e s s , r a t h e r , d e p e n d s upon t h e " t o t a l i t y
of the circumstances
S t a t e v. Lenon
." [ C i t a t i o n s omitted. I'
( 1 9 7 7 ) , 1 7 4 Mont. 264, 5 7 0 P.2d
901, 906, ... see a l s o G r e e n w a l d v . W i s c o n s i n
( 1 9 6 8 ) , 390 U.S. 5 1 9 , 8 8 S . C t . 1 1 5 2 , 20 L.Ed.2d 7 7 ;
G a l l e g o s v. C o l o r a d o ( 1 9 6 2 ) , 370 U.S. 4 9 , 82 S . C t .
1 2 0 9 , 8 L.Ed.2d 325, 8 7 ALR2d 614; S t a t e v. L u c e r o
( 1 9 6 8 ) , 1 5 1 Mont. 531, 538, 4 4 5 P.2d 7 3 1 , 735.
"We e m p h a s i z e t h a t t h e i s s u e of v o l u n t a r i n e s s is
a f a c t u a l o n e a d d r e s s e d t o t h e d i s c r e t i o n of t h e
trial court. S t a t e v. W h i t e ( 1 9 6 5 ) , 1 4 6 Mont.
226, 234-35, 405 P.2d 7 6 1 , c e r t . d e n i e d 384
U.S. 1 0 2 3 , 8 6 S . C t . 1 9 5 5 , 1 6 L.Ed.2d 1 0 2 6 . W e d o
n o t s i t a s t r i e r s of f a c t ; n o r d o w e l i g h t l y
disturb the trial court's decision.
" S m i t h and Lenon make it c l e a r t h a t t h e s t a n -
d a r d t o be a p p l i e d by t h e t r i a l j u d g e o n a
s u p p r e s s i o n of admiss i o n s q u e s t i o n is
' p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e e v i d e n c e ' , b u t when t h e
same q u e s t i o n comes t o u s o n a p p e a l t o t h e cre-
d i b i l i t y o f t h e w i t n e s s e s and t h e w e i g h t t o be
g i v e n t h e i r t e s t i m o n y is f o r t h e t r i a l c o u r t ' s
d e t e r m i n a t i o n and o u r r e v i e w is l i m i t e d t o
d e t e r m i n i n g w h e t h e r t h e r e is s u b s t a n t i a l cre-
d i b l e evidence supporting t h e District C o u r t ' s
findings. S t a t e v. G r i m e s t a d ( 1 9 7 9 ) , Mont .
, 598 P.2d 1 9 8 , 203, 36 S t . R e p . 1 2 4 5 , 1 2 5 1 . "
606 P.2d a t 1049-1050, 36 S t . R e p . a t 2359-2360.
The " t o t a l i t y o f t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s " i n t h e p r e s e n t c a s e
i n c l u d e s n o t o n l y t h e p o l i c e t e c h n i q u e s employed on December 9 ,
1 9 7 6 , w h i c h w e h a v e a l r e a d y found p a r t i c u l a r l y c o e r c i v e b u t a l s o
t h e t e s t i m o n y p r e s e n t e d of t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n .
A g a i n , t h e b u r d e n of p r o o f rests on t h e S t a t e to p r o v e
v o l u n t a r i n e s s and t h i s m u s t be shown by a p r e p o n d e r a n c e of t h e
evidence. The D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o u n d t h a t t h e p r o s e c u t i o n had n o t
s u s t a i n e d i t s b u r d e n and on t h e b a s i s of t h e r e c o r d t h e r e c a n be
no d o u b t t h a t s u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e e x i s t s to s u p p o r t t h a t
finding.
Next, the S t a t e contends t h a t the D i s t r i c t Court e r r e d i n
s u p p r e s s i n g t h e a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t made by t h e d e f e n d a n t to C a t h y
T e r r y u n d e r t h e " c a t o u t o f t h e bag" d o c t r i n e . T h i s d o c t r i n e is
a p p l i e d i n c a s e s w h e r e a n i n a d m i s s i b l e c o n f e s s i o n is o b t a i n e d and
s u b s e q u e n t l y t h e d e f e n d a n t makes o t h e r i n c u l p a t o r y s t a t e m e n t s .
The U n i t e d S t a t e s Supreme C o u r t h a s summarized t h e d o c t r i n e a s f o l l o w s :
"Of c o u r s e , a f t e r an accused h a s once l e t the
c a t o u t of t h e bag by c o n f e s s i n g , no matter
what t h e inducement, he is n e v e r t h e r e a f t e r f r e e
o f t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l and p r a c t i c a l d i s a d v a n t a g e s
of having confessed. H e can never g e t t h e cat
b a c k i n t h e bag. The s e c r e t is o u t f o r g o o d .
I n s u c h a s e n s e , a l a t e r c o n f e s s i o n a l w a y s may
b e l o o k e d upon a s f r u i t of t h e f i r s t .
U n i t e d S t a t e s v. B a y e r ( 1 3 4 7 ) , 3 3 1 U.S. 532,
.. .I1
5 4 0 , 67 S . C t . 1 3 9 4 , 1 3 9 8 , 91 L.Ed. 1 6 5 4 , 1 6 6 0 .
T h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n a l d o c t r i n e does not always r e s u l t i n an abso-
l u t e b a r of t h e s u b s e q u e n t a d m i s s i o n . The l a t e r i n c u l p a t o r y s t a -
t e m e n t s may be r e n d e r e d a d m i s s i b l e i f t h e p r o s e c u t i o n
d e m o n s t r a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s a " b r e a k i n t h e stream o f e v e n t s ...
s u f f i c i e n t t o i n s u l a t e t h e f i n a l e v e n t s from t h e e f f e c t of a l l
t h a t went b e f o r e . " Darwin v. C o n n e c t i c u t ( 1 9 6 8 ) , 3 9 1 U.S.
3 4 6 , 3 4 9 , 88 S . C t . 1488, 1490, 20 L.Ed.2d 630, 634; See Beecher
v . Alabama ( 1 9 6 7 ) , 389 U.S. 3 5 , 88 S . C t . 1 8 9 , 1 9 L.Ed.2d 35. In
Bayer, t h e C o u r t f o u n d t h a t t h e t a i n t had b e e n removed by t h e
d e f e n d a n t ' s s u b s e q u e n t f r e e d o m from c u s t o d y and t h e p a s s a g e of
s i x months.
I n t h e p r e s e n t case t h e B i l l i n g s P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t
o b t a i n e d a n i n a d m i s s i b l e c o n f e s s i o n on December 1 2 , 1 9 7 6 , w h i l e
A l l i e s w a s i n c u s t o d y a t t h e p s y c h i a t r i c ward of D e a c o n e s s
Hospital. H e was removed t o t h e maximum s e c u r i t y u n i t of W a r m
S p r i n g s S t a t e H o s p i t a l o n December 23, 1 9 7 6 . The a l l e g e d s t a t e -
m e n t made t o C a t h y T e r r y o c c u r r e d a p p r o x i m a t e l y s i x weeks l a t e r
i n response t o Terry's p e r s i s t e n t questioning . The r e c o r d
r e v e a l s t h a t C a t h y T e r r y v i s i t e d d e f e n d a n t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 42 times
w i t h i n a 19-day p e r i o d i n J a n u a r y and F e b r u a r y , 1 9 7 7 .
The p r o s e c u t i o n c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g f a c t o r s remove
t h e t a i n t of t h e o r i g i n a l c o n f e s s i o n : (1) P a s s a g e - - e
of t i m - the
d e f e n d a n t ' s o r i g i n a l c o n f e s s i o n o c c u r r e d o n December 1 2 , 1 9 7 6 ,
and h i s s u b s e q u e n t a d m i s s i o n w a s i n d u c e d i n l a t e J a n u a r y o r e a r l y
F e b r u a r y o f 1 9 7 7 ; ( 2 ) Change - l o c a t i o n
in - t h e o r i g i n a l con-
f e s s i o n was made i n t h e p s y c h i a t r i c ward of t h e D e a c o n e s s
Hospital i n B i l l i n g s while the l a t e r admission occurred a t the
maximum s e c u r i t y u n i t of t h e Warm S p r i n g s S t a t e H o s p i t a l ; ( 3 )
Manner - i n t e r r o g a t i o n
of - t h e f i r s t c o n f e s s i o n was o b t a i n e d by
p o l i c e o f f i c e r s and a " p s y c h i a t r i s t - i n v e s t i g a t o r " w h i l e t h e sub-
s e q u e n t a d m i s s i o n was i n d u c e d by t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s mistress, and
( 4 ) Representation - counsel
by - the f i r s t confession occurred
w h i l e d e f e n d a n t was n o t r e p r e s e n t e d by c o u n s e l , however a n a t t o r -
n e y had b e e n a p p o i n t e d and had c o n s u l t e d w i t h d e f e n d a n t p r i o r t o
t h e a d m i s s i o n made a t Warm S p r i n g s .
Defense counsel contends t h a t t h e c o n t r o l l i n g f a c t o r s
u n d e r t h e " c a t o u t of t h e bag" d o c t r i n e i n t h e p r e s e n t c a s e a r e :
t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s c o n t i n u o u s i n c a r c e r a t i o n ; t h e s e t t i n g of b o t h
a d m i s s i o n s is v e r y s i m i l a r - - a hospital I s p s y c h i a t r i c ward i n t h e
f i r s t i n s t a n c e and Warm S p r i n g s i n t h e l a t e r i n s t a n c e ; and t h e
d e f e n d a n t was d i a g n o s e d a s b e i n g m e n t a l l y ill d u r i n g b o t h t i m e
p e r i o d s which r e n d e r e d him v u l n e r a b l e t o succumbing t o t h e
demands of o t h e r s . Defendant a l s o p o i n t s o u t t h a t t h e prosecu-
t i o n h a s t h e b u r d e n of p r o v i n g a b r e a k i n t h e s t r e a m of e v e n t s
s u f f i c i e n t t o remove t h e t a i n t of t h e o r i g i n a l c o n f e s s i o n .
J u d g e Luedke r e s o l v e d t h e i s s u e a s f o l l o w s :
"Weighing t h e c o n t e n t i o n s o f f e r e d , a s w e l l a s
t h e evidentiary m a t e r i a l s before the Court, .
". . . t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e p r o s e c u t i o n is n o t
c a r r i e d by t h e p r e p o n d e r a n c e of t h e e v i d e n c e .
I t follows t h a t the defendant's contention t h a t
t h e Warm S p r i n g s H o s p i t a l a d m i s s i o n was a f r u i t
o f t h e p r i o r i n a d m i s s i b l e c o n f e s s i o n is w e l l -
t a k e n and h i s m o t i o n m u s t be GRANTED."
W e agree.
I n r e v i e w i n g t h e c a s e s d e c i d e d u n d e r t h e " c a t o u t of t h e
b a g " d o c t r i n e , w e n o t e t h a t t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n of w h e t h e r t h e
c a u s a t i v e l i n k b e t w e e n t h e c o n f e s s i o n s h a s b e e n b r o k e n is e s s e n -
t i a l l y a case-by-case factual determination. Although t h e c a s e s
c i t e d by b o t h p a r t i e s a r e a l l f a c t u a l l y d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e from t h e
p r e s e n t c a s e , w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n of B a y e r t h e s e c a s e s h a v e f o u n d
t h e c a t o u t of t h e bag d o c t r i n e a p p l i c a b l e i n e x c l u d i n g t h e sub-
sequent admission. Darwin v. C o n n e c t i c u t , s u p r a , ( o n e day
b r e a k ) ; B e e c h e r v. Alabama, s u p r a , ( 5 d a y s f o l l o w i n g " g r o s s
c o e r c i o n " ) ; C l e w i s v. T e x a s ( 1 9 6 7 ) , 3 8 6 U.S. 707, 87 S.Ct.
1 3 3 8 , 1 8 L.Ed.2d 423, ( 9 d a y s ) ; Commonwealth v. Meehan ( 1 9 7 9 ) ,
Mass. , 387 N.E.2d 527 ( s p o n t a n e o u s s t a t e m e n t to a f a m i l y
m e m b e r ) ; Oregon v. Paz ( 1 9 7 7 ) , 3 1 0r.App. 8 5 1 , 572 P.2d 1 0 3 6
( i m m e d i a t e phone c a l l t o a f a m i l y member) ; S t a t e v. Cullison
( I o w a 1 9 7 5 ) , 227 N.W.2d 1 2 1 ( o n e d a y b r e a k ) ; W i l l i a m s v. U.S.
( 5 t h C i r . 1 9 6 4 ) , 328 F . 2d 6 6 9 (one-month b r e a k ) . These c a s e s a l l
p l a c e t h e b u r d e n o f p r o o f upon t h e p r o s e c u t i o n . As previously
s t a t e d , Bayer i n v o l v e d a six-month break between t h e c o n f e s s i o n s ,
and a t t h e t i m e o f t h e s u b s e q u e n t a d m i s s i o n t h e d e f e n d a n t was
not i n custody.
Our d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e s t a n d a r d of r e v i e w u n d e r t h e f i r s t
i s s u e i n t h i s a p p e a l a p p l i e s w i t h e q u a l w e i g h t to t h i s i s s u e . In
s h o r t , s u b s t a n t i a l c r e d i b l e e v i d e n c e e x i s t s to s u p p o r t t h e
District C o u r t ' s f i n d i n g t h a t the p r o s e c u t i o n f a i l e d t o s u s t a i n
i t s burden of p r o o f . In reaching t h i s holding, the circumstances
o f d e f e n d a n t ' s c o n t i n u o u s i n c a r c e r a t i o n and t h e f r e q u e n t , p e r -
s i s t e n t q u e s t i o n i n g by C a t h y T e r r y w e i g h h e a v i l y .
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s o r d e r g r a n t i n g s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e . 2 2
c a l i b e r c a r t r i d g e s and t h e a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t t o C a t h y T e r r y is
a £f irmed.
Chief J u s t i c e
W e concur:
..............................
Justices
Hon. P e t e r G . District
Judge, s i t t i n g p l a c e of M r .
J u s t i c e John C. Sheehy.
Mr. J u s t i c e John Conway H a r r i s o n d i s s e n t i n g :
I must r e s p e c t f u l l y d i s s e n t t o t h e h o l d i n g of t h e
majority opinion.
I do s o on t h e b a s i s of t h e second c o n f e s s i o n made by
d e f e n d a n t d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of some s i x weeks when he was a
p a t i e n t a t t h e Warm S p r i n g s S t a t e H o s p i t a l . A s noted i n t h e
majority opinion, h i s live-in l a d y f r i e n d , Cathy T e r r y ,
v i s i t e d him f r e q u e n t l y w h i l e he was a p a t i e n t a t Warm S p r i n g s .
On e a c h o c c a s i o n s h e q u e s t i o n e d d e f e n d a n t a s t o h i s i n v o l v e -
ment i n t h e murders of t h e f o u r members of t h e T i l l o t s o n
family. I n a d e p o s i t i o n t a k e n by t h e Yellowstone County
a t t o r n e y i n 1977, s h e s t a t e d t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t t o l d h e r on
one o c c a s i o n t h a t he " t h o u g h t he was i n v o l v e d . H e s a i d he
d i d n o t know how. H e d i d n o t know why. But he t h o u g h t he
had used h i s own gun t o s h o o t . "
Following r e v e r s a l by t h i s C o u r t of h i s f i r s t c o n v i c -
t i o n , d e f e n d a n t immediately s o u g h t s u p p r e s s i o n of h i s i n -
v o l u n t a r y c o n f e s s i o n and a l l e v i d e n c e o b t a i n e d a s a r e s u l t
of t h a t c o n f e s s i o n under t h e " f r u i t of t h e p o i s o n o u s t r e e "
doctrine. T h i s i n c l u d e d t h e s u p p r e s s i o n of .22 caliber
c a r t r i d g e s and t h e above-mentioned s t a t e m e n t s made t o Cathy
T e r r y d u r i n g h i s i n c a r c e r a t i o n a t Warm S p r i n g s . (I point
o u t h e r e t h a t t h e a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t was n o t i n t r o d u c e d a t
t h e f i r s t t r i a l a s a r e s u l t of a s t i p u l a t i o n e n t e r e d i n t o
between t h e Yellowstone County a t t o r n e y and d e f e n s e c o u n s e l .
The c o u n t y a t t o r n e y a g r e e d t h a t he would n o t a t t e m p t t o
introduce the statement i f defense counsel d i d n o t pursue
h i s t h e o r y of a common-law m a r r i a g e between d e f e n d a n t and
Cathy T e r r y . ) The D i s t r i c t C o u r t , a s n o t e d by t h e m a j o r i t y ,
s u p p r e s s e d t h e a d m i s s i o n made t o Cathy T e r r y under t h e " c a t
o u t of t h e bag" d o c t r i n e .
I do n o t f i n d t h a t t h e i n c r i m i n a t i n g s t a t e m e n t made by
d e f e n d a n t was " f r u i t " of h i s a l l e g e d i l l e g a l l y o b t a i n e d
confession.
The " f r u i t of t h e poisonous t r e e " d o c t r i n e was f i r s t
s e t f o r t h by t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Supreme C o u r t i n S i l v e r t h o r n e
Lumber Co. v. United S t a t e s ( 1 9 2 0 ) , 251 U.S. 385, 40 S.Ct.
182, 64 L.Ed. 319, 2 4 A.L.R. 1429. I n Silverthorne a
f e d e r a l a g e n t s e i z e d documents, photographed them, and t h e n
r e t u r n e d them t o t h e d e f e n d a n t . The C o u r t h e l d t h a t t h e u s e
o f t h e p h o t o g r a p h s a t t r i a l was improper:
". . . The e s s e n c e of a p r o v i s i o n f o r b i d d i n g
t h e a c q u i s i t i o n of e v i d e n c e i n a c e r t a i n way
i s t h a t n o t merely e v i d e n c e s o a c q u i r e d s h a l l
n o t b e used b e f o r e t h e C o u r t b u t t h a t i t
s h a l l n o t be used a t a l l . .. I f knowledge
of them i s g a i n e d from a n i n d e p e n d e n t s o u r c e
t h e y may be proved l i k e any o t h e r s , b u t t h e
knowledge g a i n e d by t h e Government's own
wrong c a n n o t be used by i t i n t h e way pro-
posed. . ." 251 U.S. a t 392.
L a t e r , i n Nardone v . United S t a t e s ( 1 9 3 9 ) , 308 U.S.
338, 60 S.Ct. 266, 84 L.Ed. 307, t h e C o u r t q u a l i f i e d t h e
r u l e of S i l v e r t h o r n e by n o t i n g t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e r e m i g h t be
a c a s u a l c o n n e c t i o n between t h e " p o i s o n e d tree" and t h e
e v i d e n c e o f f e r e d a t t r i a l , t h e " c o n n e c t i o n may become s o
a t t e n u a t e d as t o d i s s i p a t e t h e t a i n t . "
I n Wong Sun v . U n i t e d S t a t e s ( 1 9 6 3 ) , 371 U.S. 471, 83
S.Ct. 407, 9 L.Ed.2d 4 4 1 , t h e Supreme C o u r t c l a r i f i e d i t s
a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e " f r u i t of t h e p o i s o n o u s t r e e . " I n Wong
-the
Sun C o u r t s e t f o r t h a t w o - p a r t t e s t t o d e t e r m i n e whether
a s u b s e q u e n t d i s c o v e r y of e v i d e n c e i s t a i n t e d w i t h t h e
primary i l l e g a l i t y : (1) t h e e x c l u s i o n a r y r u l e h a s no a p p l i -
c a t i o n where t h e government l e a r n s of t h e e v i d e n c e "from a n
i n d e p e n d e n t s o u r c e ; " and ( 2 ) t h e e x c l u s i o n a r y r u l e h a s no
a p p l i c a t i o n where t h e c o n n e c t i o n between t h e l a w l e s s c o n d u c t
of t h e p o l i c e and t h e d i s c o v e r y of t h e c h a l l e n g e d e v i d e n c e
h a s become s o a t t e n u a t e d as t o d i s s i p a t e t h e t a i n t .
The United S t a t e s Supreme C o u r t i n d i c a t e d t h a t a l l
e v i d e n c e i s n o t " f r u i t " s i m p l y b e c a u s e i t would n o t have
come t o l i g h t b u t f o r t h e i l l e g a l a c t i o n s of t h e p o l i c e .
Rather, the c o n t r o l l i n g question is, ". . . w h e t h e r , grant-
i n g t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a primary i l l e g a l i t y , t h e e v i d e n c e
t o which t h e i n s t a n t o b j e c t i o n i s made h a s been come a t by
e x p l o r a t i o n of t h a t i l l e g a l i t y o r by means s u f f i c i e n t l y
d i s t i n g u i s h e d t o b e purged by t h e p r i m a r y t a i n t . . ." See
McQuire, Evidence - G u i l t ,
of 8222.
While t h e Supreme C o u r t h a s f a i l e d t o e l a b o r a t e on what
i s meant by t h e " i n d e p e n d e n t s o u r c e " l a n g u a g e of Wong-
- Sun,
t h e lower f e d e r a l c o u r t s and many s t a t e c o u r t s have i n t e r -
p r e t e d t h e term i n v a r i o u s ways t o d e v e l o p e x c e p t i o n s t o t h e
" f r u i t of t h e p o i s o n o u s t r e e " d o c t r i n e . Many c o u r t s have
accepted the " i n e v i t a b l e discovery" exception t o the f r u i t
of t h e poisonous t r e e . See The I n e v i t a b l e Discovery Excep-
- -t-t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n a l E x c l u s i o n a r y R u l e s , 74 Columbia
tion o
L. R. 88, 90 ( 1 9 7 4 ) .
A r e a d i n g of the cases indicates t h a t the prosecution
may succeed i n removing t h e t a i n t when i t c a n be e s t a b l i s h e d
t h a t t h e i n c r i m i n a t i n g e v i d e n c e would have been d i s c o v e r e d
i n a b s e n c e of t h e i l l e g a l p o l i c e c o n d u c t . The burden of
proof of t h a t showing r e s t s upon t h e S t a t e . See Alderman v .
U n i t e d S t a t e s ( 1 9 6 9 ) , 394 U.S. 165, 89 S.Ct. 961, 22 L.Ed.2d
176. The problem o f t e n a r i s i n g i n t h e c a s e of c o n f e s s i o n s
i s t h e e f f e c t of t h e i n a d m i s s i b l e c o n f e s s i o n upon s u b s e q u e n t
confessions. The c o u r t s have developed c e r t a i n c r i t e r i a
which t h e y u t i l i z e t o d e t e r m i n e i f t h e second c o n f e s s i o n i s ,
under t h e Wong - t e s t , purged from t h e p r i m a r y t a i n t of
Sun
t h e f i r s t confession.
A f r e q u e n t l y c i t e d d e c i s i o n i n t h i s a r e a which b e s t
r e f l e c t s t h e c u r r e n t s t a t e of t h e law i s U n i t e d S t a t e s v .
Bayer ( 1 9 4 7 ) , 331 U.S. 532, 67 S.Ct. 1394, 91 L.Ed. 1654.
I n Bayer, which I f e e l i s c o n t r o l l i n g i n t h i s c a s e , t h e
C o u r t d e a l t w i t h t h e a d m i s s i b i l i t y of a second c o n f e s s i o n
o b t a i n e d from t h e d e f e n d a n t s i x months a f t e r t h e inadmis-
s i b l e confession. The C o u r t upheld t h e a d m i s s i b i l i t y of t h e
second c o n f e s s i o n , emphasizing t h a t t h e d e f e n d a n t (1) had
made t h e second c o n f e s s i o n s i x months a f t e r t h e f i r s t ; (2)
was n o t under any s o r t of r e s t r a i n t i n h i s freedom d u r i n g
t h e t i m e ; and ( 3 ) had r e c e i v e d a f a i r warning t h a t t h e
second c o n f e s s i o n m i g h t be used a g a i n s t him. However, t h e
c o u r t noted :
". . . a f t e r a n a c c u s e d h a s once l e t t h e c a t
o u t of t h e bag by c o n f e s s i n g , no m a t t e r what
t h e inducement, he i s n e v e r t h e r e a f t e r f r e e
of t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l and p r a c t i c a l d i s a d v a n -
t a g e s of having c o n f e s s e d . He c a n n e v e r g e t
t h e c a t back i n t h e bag. The s e c r e t i s o u t
f o r good. I n such a sense, a l a t e r confes-
s i o n always may be looked upon a s f r u i t of
the f i r s t . But t h i s C o u r t h a s n e v e r gone s o
f a r a s t o h o l d t h a t making a c o n f e s s i o n under
c i r c u m s t a n c e s which p r e c l u d e i t s u s e , perpe-
t u a l l y d i s a b l e s t h e c o n f e s s o r from making a
u s a b l e one a f t e r t h o s e c o n d i t i o n s have been
removed. . ." 331 U.S. a t 540-541.
The a l l e g e d s t a t e m e n t s of d e f e n d a n t do n o t a p p e a r t o m e
t o be of a k i n d which w a r r a n t s e x c l u s i o n under any r u l e . In
m o p i n i o n , t h e r e e x i s t s no good r e a s o n why a second j u r y
y
s h o u l d n o t have been a l l o w e d t o h e a r t h a t e v i d e n c e .