Jose Camino v. L.S. McEwen ( 2015 )


Menu:
  •                            NOT FOR PUBLICATION
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                              FILED
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT                                FEB 18 2015
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    JOSE J. CAMINO,                                  No. 13-56319
    Petitioner - Appellant,            D.C. No. 8:12-cv-00057-GW-E
    v.
    MEMORANDUM*
    L. S. MCEWEN, Warden,
    Respondent - Appellee.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Central District of California
    George H. Wu, District Judge, Presiding
    Argued and Submitted January 8, 2015
    Pasadena, California
    Before: KOZINSKI, WARDLAW, and W. FLETCHER, Circuit Judges.
    Jose Camino appeals the district court’s denial of his 
    28 U.S.C. § 2254
    petition. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 
    28 U.S.C. § 1291
    , and we affirm. The
    California Court of Appeal’s determination that Camino was not subjected to an
    unlawful, deliberate two-step interrogation is neither contrary to, nor an
    *
    This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
    unreasonable application of, clearly established Supreme Court precedent. 
    28 U.S.C. § 2254
    (d)(1); Harrington v. Richter, 
    131 S. Ct. 770
    , 785-86 (2011).
    The California Court of Appeal correctly identified and applied Supreme
    Court precedent governing midstream Miranda warnings. The California Court of
    Appeal considered whether substantial evidence supported the trial court’s finding
    that the officers did not deliberately employ a two-step interrogation strategy.
    Missouri v. Seibert, 
    542 U.S. 600
     (2004). Focusing on Officer Rondou’s testimony
    and the murky circumstances of Camino’s involvement in the crime at the
    beginning of the interview, the California Court of Appeal reasonably applied
    Seibert’s law on deliberateness.
    In the context of two-step interrogations, we have held that “a deliberateness
    finding is appropriately reviewed as a factual finding.” United States v.
    Narvaez-Gomez, 
    489 F.3d 970
    , 974 (9th Cir. 2007). We must defer to a state
    court’s factual finding unless it “was based on an unreasonable determination of
    the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding.” 
    28 U.S.C. § 2254
    (d)(2); see Taylor v. Maddox, 
    366 F.3d 992
    , 999-1000 (9th Cir.
    2004). Here, in light of Officer Rondou’s testimony and the circumstances of
    Camino’s arrest, the state trial court reasonably concluded that “there [was] no
    deliberately employed two-step process.”
    AFFIRMED.
    2