United States v. Boyd , 31 F. App'x 601 ( 2002 )

FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
MAR 7 2002
TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
No. 01-2041
v. (D.C. No. CR-00-941-MV)
(D. New Mexico)
TRAVIS SEAN BOYD,
Defendant - Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before SEYMOUR and HOLLOWAY, Circuit Judges, and VAN BEBBER,
Senior District Judge. **
Travis Sean Boyd pled not guilty to all counts of an indictment charging
conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, tampering with
a witness, and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Following a jury verdict of guilty as to the first two charges, the district court
sentenced Mr. Boyd to 300 months imprisonment for each count of the
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
The Honorable G. Thomas Van Bebber, Senior United States District
**
Judge for the District of Kansas, sitting by designation.
conviction. Mr. Boyd appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress
self-inculpatory statements, asserting that his waiver of Miranda rights was
invalid and that his subsequent self-incriminating statements were not voluntary
and were the product of delay. We affirm. 1
At 10:00 p.m. on October 7, 1999, local officials arrested Mr. Boyd in
Carlsbad, New Mexico pursuant to a municipal warrant for two misdemeanor city
code violations, possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license.
He was advised orally and in writing of his Miranda rights and signed an “advice
of rights” form at 10:42 p.m. Thereafter, local and federal authorities questioned
him regarding his possible involvement in felony drug-related activities and a
death threat made to a drug task force agent. During the interrogation, Mr. Boyd
made both oral and written inculpatory statements.
In the early morning hours of October 8, authorities transported Mr. Boyd
to a local motel after he agreed to act as a police informant. While there, he
completed his written statement to authorities. Mr. Boyd appeared in municipal
court in Artesia, New Mexico that afternoon on the charges for which he was
arrested. Federal agents took custody of him once he was transported back to the
motel. The following evening, authorities transported him to Las Cruces, New
Mexico for his scheduled appearance before the federal magistrate on October 10.
1
After a complete review of the record, we decline to grant Mr. Boyd’s
pro se Motion to Relieve Court-Appointed Counsel.
-2-
On the day of his appearance, the government filed a criminal complaint
charging Mr. Boyd with certain federal offenses. He entered a guilty plea, which
was later withdrawn following the appointment of new counsel by the district
court. The government then filed a four-count indictment, to which Mr. Boyd
pled not guilty as to all counts. After an evidentiary hearing, the district court
denied Mr. Boyd’s motion to suppress his inculpatory statements.
Upon appeal of the denial of a suppression motion, we review the district
court’s factual findings for clear error, taking the evidence in the light most
favorable to the district court’s ruling. See United States v. Toro-Pelaez, 107
F.3d 819, 826 (10 th Cir. 1997). Ultimate determinations of waiver and
voluntariness present questions of law subject to review de novo. See id.(waiver); United States v. Hernandez, 93 F.3d 1493, 1501 (10th Cir. 1996)
(voluntariness). Procedural safeguards set forth in Miranda are designed to
protect a suspect’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination during a
period of custodial investigation. See Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. 412, 420
(1986). A valid waiver of this privilege must be “knowing, voluntary and
intelligent,” meaning it is “the product of a free and deliberate choice rather than
intimidation, coercion, or deception,” and is “made with a full awareness of both
the nature of the right being abandoned and the consequences of the decision to
abandon it.” Id. at 421. The government must prove the validity of a waiver by a
-3-
preponderance of the evidence. See Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 168
(1986).
Mr. Boyd argues that his written waiver of Miranda rights was invalid. He
asserts that it was not knowing, voluntary or intelligent because the true reason
officers took him into custody was to question him about the suspected federal
felony charges, not the minor misdemeanors for which he was arrested. However,
the state of mind of the police is irrelevant to determining whether the suspect
made a valid waiver. See id. at 423. Moreover, an express written statement of
waiver, such as the “advice of rights” form signed by Mr. Boyd, is strong proof of
the waiver’s validity. See North Carolina v. Butler, 441 U.S. 369, 373 (1979). In
light of this precedent, as well as our review of the record, we find no error in the
district court’s determination that Mr. Boyd effected a valid written waiver.
Nor are we persuaded the district court erred in finding that Mr. Boyd’s
subsequent incriminating oral and written statements were voluntary. To be
voluntary, a confession must be “the product of an essentially free and
unconstrained choice by its maker[.]” Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218,
225 (1973). Both the characteristics of the accused and the circumstances of the
interrogation are relevant to this determination. See id. at 226. A review of the
record under the totality of the circumstances standard supports the district
court’s determination that Mr. Boyd’s statements were voluntary.
-4-
Finally, we see no error in the district court’s denial of Mr. Boyd’s claim
under 18 U.S.C. § 3501(c). 2 Mr. Boyd urges us to hold that he was in federal
custody from the time the interrogation began on the night of October 7. Even if
we adopted this position, a review of the record shows that Mr. Boyd made the
majority of his inculpatory statements within six hours of his arrest. Moreover,
strict adherence to the six-hour rule in § 3501(c) is not required to render a
confession admissible. See United States v. Glover, 104 F.3d 1570, 1583 (10 th
Cir. 1997) (quoting United States v. Shoemaker, 542 F.2d 561, 563 (10 th Cir.
1976)). 3
AFFIRMED.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Stephanie K. Seymour
Circuit Judge
2
Section 3501(c) states:
In any criminal prosecution … a confession made or given by a person
who is a defendant therein, while such person was under arrest or other
detention in the custody of any law enforcement officer or law
enforcement agency, shall not be inadmissible solely because of delay
in bringing such person before a magistrate ... if such confession was
made or given by such person within six hours immediately following
his arrest or other detention: Provided, That the time limitation … shall
not apply in any case in which the delay … is found by the trial judge
to be reasonable considering the means of transportation and the
distance to be traveled to the nearest available such magistrate. . . .
3
In Dickerson v. United States, 530 U.S. 428 (2000), the Supreme Court held that
Congress, by enacting § 3501, could not supersede Miranda, a constitutional
decision. Nothing in Dickerson overrules or affects the time limitation specified
in subsection (c) of § 3501.
-5-