State of New Jersey v. Reginald Anthony

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-2658-12T3
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION
Plaintiff-Respondent,
January 19, 2016
v. APPELLATE DIVISION
REGINALD ANTHONY,
Defendant-Appellant.
____________________________________________
Argued September 21, 2015 – Decided January 19, 2016
Before Judges Messano, Carroll and Sumners.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New
Jersey, Law Division, Essex County,
Indictment No. 11-04-0702.
Mark H. Friedman, Assistant Deputy Public
Defender, argued the cause for appellant
(Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender,
attorney; Mr. Friedman, on the brief).
Lucille M. Rosano, Special Deputy Attorney
General/Acting Assistant Prosecutor, argued
the cause for respondent (Carolyn A. Murray,
Acting Essex County Prosecutor, attorney;
Ms. Rosano, on the brief).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
MESSANO, P.J.A.D.
Tried by a jury, defendant Reginald Anthony was convicted
of second-degree conspiracy to commit burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2
and 2C:18-2(b)(1). The jury acquitted defendant of the
remaining counts of the indictment, including burglary, robbery,
murder, felony-murder and related weapons offenses. The judge
granted the State's motion to sentence defendant as a persistent
offender, N.J.S.A. 2C:44-3(a), and imposed the maximum extended
term of twenty years' imprisonment, with an eighty-five percent
period of parole ineligibility pursuant to the No Early Release
Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2.
Defendant raises the following issues for our consideration
on appeal:
POINT I
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED PREJUDICIALLY IN
RULING THAT UNDER [RULE] 3:17 THE POLICE
WERE NOT REQUIRED TO RECORD THE QUESTIONING
OF DEFENDANT BETWEEN HIS ARREST AND HIS
STATEMENT THAT "PIPE MADE ME DO IT" BECAUSE
THEY VIEWED HIM AS A WITNESS RATHER THAN A
SUSPECT FOR THE CRIMINAL ACTS COMMITTED
AGAINST [THE VICTIM].
POINT II
DEFENDANT'S SENTENCE IS MANIFESTLY EXCESSIVE
AND UNDULY PUNITIVE BECAUSE IT IS FOUNDED ON
IMPROPER FINDINGS REGARDING AGGRAVATING
FACTORS.
We have considered these arguments in light of the record and
applicable legal standards. We affirm defendant's conviction
and remand the matter for reconsideration of the sentence
imposed.
2 A-2658-12T3
I.
A pre-trial evidentiary hearing was held regarding the
admissibility of defendant's statement to investigators.1
Lieutenant Thomas J. Kelly of the Essex County Prosecutor's
Office Homicide Squad testified that on Thursday, April 15,
2010, he responded to a single-family home in Essex Fells to
investigate a homicide. The ninety-one-year-old victim was
found dead in his home office with his hands and feet bound.
The home was in disarray, and the victim's body bore "defensive
type wounds" on his forearms as well as a laceration to his
neck.
Kelly learned that the victim's wife last had contact with
him at approximately 7:00 p.m. the night before. She told
detectives that the couple regularly used a car service to drive
to New York City where they had an apartment. On April 13, she
went to New York alone. The driver was not her usual driver but
someone "with the name Reggie." According to Kelly, using
several "databases," police were able to identify "Reggie" as
1
Defendant was indicted with Shaun Woodson. Both defendants
participated in the pre-trial evidentiary hearing; however,
defendant was tried separately.
3 A-2658-12T3
defendant, and they located his possible residence in East
Orange. Defendant was the subject of an open arrest warrant.2
Detectives arrived at the East Orange address and took
defendant into custody on the active warrant. Kelly advised
defendant of his Miranda3 rights by reading from a card Kelly
kept in his wallet. At approximately 8:30 p.m., after being
transported to the Prosecutor's Office, defendant agreed to
speak with detectives. We quote extensively from Kelly's
testimony which sets forth in detail the foreknowledge
detectives possessed at this point in the investigation.
At this point[,] we . . . believed
[defendant] possibly was the last person to
have contact with our victim. We questioned
him about . . . his Aunt . . . Sheila
Humphreys . . . who either owns or operates
the company that the [victim and his wife]
utilize when they travel back and forth from
the City. . . . Mrs. Humphreys . . . had
asked [defendant] to make the pickup. . . .
[T]his wasn't the first time. He had done
it one other time he told us in that initial
interview.
[Defendant] reported that he went to
the location on [April 13], picked up [the
victim's wife]. He advised us that [the
victim] did not make the trip with her, and
. . . he noted that. . . . [H]e drove her
into the City.
2
On cross-examination, Kelly confirmed this was a "municipal
traffic warrant out of West Orange."
3
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d
694 (1966).
4 A-2658-12T3
[Defendant] explained . . . that the
normal procedure . . . is the driver goes to
the person's house in their own car, and
then you pick up the person's car, make the
transport to and from in that vehicle, and
return the vehicle to the person's house and
then get in your own vehicle and go about
your business.
[Defendant] advised us that on [April
13] that's not what he did. He told us that
he came back from the City and instead of
going back to . . . the [victim's]
residence, he took their car for a ride. In
the course of doing that, . . . he . . . met
up with a friend of his named Pipe. . . .
[H]e believed his first name [w]as Shaun and
that he was from East Orange . . . .
[Defendant] told us that at some point
he received a phone call from his aunt
making sure that he was back with the
transport . . . . [H]e went back up with
the [victim's] car and returned it to [the
victim's] home . . . . [P]ipe was with him
when he returned the car. . . . [T]hey
parked the car the way they're supposed to,
and they got back into the car that
[defendant] drove to get up there and they
left Essex Fells.
Defendant denied ever returning to the Essex Fells house.
At approximately 2:45 a.m., detectives applied for and
obtained a communication data warrant (CDW) to "plot out
[defendant's] cell phone to see if his movements as . . .
described . . . in his interview were accurate." While this
occurred, defendant remained in custody in the interrogation
room on the active warrant, but was not questioned further.
5 A-2658-12T3
By 9:00 a.m., records secured through the CDW revealed that
defendant's cellphone had "hit off a cell tower" near the
victim's home at approximately 8:00 p.m. on April 14. This was
contrary to defendant's claim that he had never returned to the
victim's home after leaving there the prior evening. Confronted
with this information, defendant asked to speak to Kelly alone
and told him, "Pipe made me take him back up there."
At this point, Kelly had another detective "start the video
camera so we could start recording anything that was said . . .
from that point forward." Kelly re-administered Miranda
warnings to defendant, who executed a waiver of rights form and
agreed to provide a statement to detectives, but that process
was not recorded. The video recording, approximately thirty-
eight minutes in length, was played for the judge.4
Kelly denied that defendant suffered any injuries while in
custody, or that defendant ever asked to speak to an attorney.
On cross-examination, Kelly acknowledged the "Attorney General
Guidelines" regarding the recordation of statements, but
asserted that "[t]he [G]uidelines don't require that the Miranda
itself [be] recorded." Kelly stated that defendant first became
a suspect in the homicide "when I knew his cell phone was up in
th[e] area" of the victim's home.
4
The video is not part of the appellate record.
6 A-2658-12T3
Detective Philip Gregory testified as a defense witness.
He accompanied Kelly during defendant's arrest, corroborated
that Miranda rights were read to defendant in the police
vehicle, and started the video recording machine outside of the
interview room. Gregory believed that the re-administration of
Miranda rights to defendant was recorded. Gregory also denied
that any officer used physical force against defendant, or that
defendant was injured in any way during the time he was in
custody.
Defendant's girlfriend testified that, when defendant drove
her to work during the afternoon hours on the date of his
arrest, he bore no signs of physical injury. Defendant
testified that he was treated harshly when arrested, and
detectives neither read him his Miranda rights nor told him why
he was arrested. Defendant claimed that in the interrogation
room, detectives made him "feel" like he was in custody for the
homicide and denied defendant's request for an attorney.
Defendant testified that Gregory and other officers physically
assaulted him. He acknowledged initialing the Miranda waiver
form for Kelly, but he only did so after first refusing because
he feared additional physical abuse. Defendant further
testified that Kelly told him what to say prior to recording the
statement. Defendant was in pain upon his arrival at the county
7 A-2658-12T3
jail, and sheriff's officers transported him to the hospital
where he was diagnosed with contusions and a "ruptured eardrum."5
On cross-examination, defendant admitted familiarity with
the Miranda warnings, as evidenced by three waiver forms
defendant admittedly executed following prior arrests, and also
acknowledged his prior criminal convictions. Although initially
claiming that he had never given a statement to police in the
past, the prosecutor confronted defendant with a signed
statement from one of his prior arrests. Defendant had
forgotten because it occurred long ago.
After argument by the attorneys, the judge orally explained
his decision to admit defendant's statement into evidence. In a
written opinion that followed, the judge specifically credited
Kelly's testimony and discredited defendant's. The judge made
various observations from the video recording that belied
defendant's assertions of maltreatment and physical abuse, and
noted that medical notes did not support a conclusion that
5
In argument that followed the testimony, defense counsel
referenced some nurse's notes from the hospital, which he
claimed were "stipulated to by the State." There was no
reference to them during the testimony, but the notes apparently
contained observations of "fresh blood in [defendant's] ear
canal caused by a ruptured eardrum, a contusion on his forehead,
[and] a swelling of his right jaw." At trial, the nurse
practitioner who treated defendant at the hospital testified to
his injuries.
8 A-2658-12T3
defendant's ear had been injured seven hours earlier, as
defendant claimed.
Addressing the salient issue on appeal, the judge wrote:
[D]efendant was . . . read his Miranda
warnings at the time he was taken into
custody. Further, while defendant argues
that the Miranda waiver should have been
electronically recorded pursuant to [Rule]
3:17(a), the rule requires only that
"custodial interrogations conducted in a
place of detention must be electronically
recorded when the person being interrogated
is charged." Moreover, "the failure to
electronically record a defendant's
custodial interrogation . . . shall be a
factor for consideration by the trial court
in determining the admissibility of a
statement." R. 3:17(d). Here, as both
officers testified, defendant was a witness
because he was possibly the last person to
see [the] victim alive and did not become a
suspect until he indicated he wanted to
talk, when he was again issued the Miranda
warnings and given a waiver form to sign
before providing an electronically recorded
statement.
[(Emphasis added).]
The judge concluded that the "custodial interrogation was
properly conducted[,] . . . the requisite warnings [were]
given[,] . . . [and] the State ha[d] proven beyond a reasonable
doubt that . . . defendant knowingly and intelligently waived
each and every one of those rights . . . and that . . .
defendant neither invoked nor attempted to invoke any of those
rights thereafter."
9 A-2658-12T3
The State introduced defendant's statement at trial. It
suffices to say that defendant claimed Woodson demanded that
they return to the victim's home on the night of April 14, and
told defendant he wanted to "rob[]" the place. Defendant
reluctantly drove there and waited in the car as Woodson entered
through the front door of the home. Defendant never knew the
victim had been murdered until his aunt told him.
Defendant testified before the jury and gave a similar
account of events, admitting that he agreed to drive Woodson to
the home with the intention that Woodson enter to burglarize the
house if no one was at home. He also testified regarding the
physical abuse he sustained during interrogation by police. As
noted, the jury convicted defendant of conspiracy to commit
burglary but acquitted him of all other charges.
II.
Before us, defendant contends that the judge erred by
concluding the interrogation did not need to be recorded
pursuant to Rule 3:17 (the Rule) until defendant uttered the
phrase, "Pipe made me take him back up there." Defendant
contends that the judge erred as a matter of law by concluding
the officers' subjective belief controlled, and he argues we
should review de novo the judge's conclusion that defendant was
not a suspect until that point. He urges "an objective
10 A-2658-12T3
standard" should apply, i.e., application of the Rule should
turn on whether a defendant is a "suspect" based upon "objective
rather than subjective circumstances." Defendant argues that,
although the Rule does not mandate suppression of his statement
if violated, the error nevertheless requires reversal in this
case.
The State argues that the detectives were not required to
record their initial interview with defendant because he was not
arrested for any of the crimes listed in the Rule which trigger
law enforcement's obligation to record the interrogation.
Alternatively, the State argues that objectively looking at the
facts known to Kelly, defendant was not a suspect in the murder
until Kelly confronted him with the CDW information, and
defendant blurted out, "Pipe made me take him back up there."
From that point, the State argues investigators complied with
the Rule. Lastly, the State contends that any error was
harmless, because the jury obviously believed defendant's
version of events and acquitted him of all but the conspiracy
count at trial.
The Rule is relatively new, having been adopted by the
Court in 2005, following its decision in State v. Cook, 179 N.J.
533 (2004), the formation of a special committee, id. at 562,
and receipt of the committee's report. No reported decision has
11 A-2658-12T3
fully construed the Rule's somewhat ambiguous provisions.6 We
begin by clarifying our standard of review.
A.
As the Court most recently said, "[a]ppellate courts
reviewing a grant or denial of a motion to suppress must defer
to the factual findings of the trial court so long as those
findings are supported by sufficient evidence in the record."
Hubbard, supra, 222 N.J. at 262. "We defer to those findings of
fact because they 'are substantially influenced by [an]
opportunity to hear and see the witnesses and to have the "feel"
of the case, which a reviewing court cannot enjoy.'" Ibid.
(quoting State v. Johnson, 42 N.J. 146, 161 (1964)). We do not,
however, defer to the trial court's legal conclusions, which we
6
In State v. Hubbard, 222 N.J. 249 (2015), the Court referred to
the Rule by stating,
[T]he Court adopted Rule 3:17 in 2005, which
generally requires electronic recordation of
custodial interrogations of those charged
with certain enumerated serious offenses.
Rule 3:17(a) outlines a series of
circumstances in which the electronic
recordation requirement applies when the
person being interrogated is charged with
murder, aggravated manslaughter, or
manslaughter.
[Id. at 263.]
We believe this passing reference was dicta, since the Rule
itself had little to do with the issue confronting the Court in
Hubbard.
12 A-2658-12T3
review de novo. Id. at 263. "And for mixed questions of law
and fact, we give deference . . . to the supported factual
findings of the trial court, but review de novo the lower
court's application of any legal rules to such factual
findings." State v. Harris, 181 N.J. 391, 416 (2004).
Because interpretation of a court rule is a legal issue,
our review is de novo. State v. Tate, 220 N.J. 393, 405 (2015).
"The approach taken in respect of the construction of court
rules is the same as that for the construction of statutes."
State v. Clark, 191 N.J. 503, 508 (2007) (citing Wiese v.
Dedhia, 188 N.J. 587, 592 (2006)). "[W]e typically begin by
examining the plain language of a court rule, and give the words
their ordinary meaning." Ibid. (citing Wiese, supra, 188 N.J.
at 592). "We turn to extrinsic materials when the language of
the rule is ambiguous and lends itself to more than one
plausible interpretation." Id. at 508-09 (citing Wiese, supra,
188 N.J. at 592).
B.
In Cook, supra, 179 N.J. at 542-46, the defendant was
arrested on outstanding municipal warrants and interrogated on
four separate occasions over two days; the sessions were not
electronically recorded. The Court rejected defendant's claim
that his due process rights were violated by the State's failure
13 A-2658-12T3
to record the interrogations, but it concluded "[t]he proverbial
'time has arrived' . . . to evaluate fully the protections that
electronic recordation affords to both the State and to criminal
defendants." Id. at 562. The Court "establish[ed] a committee
to study and make recommendations on the use of electronic
recordation of custodial interrogations." Ibid.
The Supreme Court Special Committee on Recordation of
Custodial Interrogations (the Committee) issued its report on
April 15, 2005. The report included a comprehensive analysis of
the different recordation requirements adopted throughout the
United States, as well as statutes and case law from sister
states where policies had already been enacted. Report of the
Special Committee on Recordation of Custodial Interrogations, at
6 (Apr. 15, 2005) (the Committee Report). The Committee made a
series of recommendations including:
RECOMMENDATION 3: Electronic recording
should occur when a custodial interrogation
is being conducted in a place of detention
and should begin at, and include, the point
at which Miranda warnings are required to be
given.
. . . .
RECOMMENDATION 4: Electronic recording of
custodial interrogations occurring in a
place of detention should occur when the
adult or juvenile being interrogated is
charged with an offense requiring the use of
a warrant pursuant to [Rule] 3:3-1c.
14 A-2658-12T3
. . . .
RECOMMENDATION 5. The requirement for
electronic recordation of custodial
interrogations occurring in a place of
detention should not apply in circumstances
where:
. . . .
(f) a statement is given at a time when the
accused is not a suspect for the crime to
which that statement relates while the
accused is being interrogated for a
different crime that does not require
recordation[] . . . .
[Committee Report at 37-40.]
The rule proposed by the Committee included recommendation four
and five but did not explicitly include the requirement in
recommendation three, i.e., that recordation "begin at, and
include, the point at which Miranda warnings are required to be
given." Id. at 44-46.
On October 14, 2005, the Court ordered implementation of
the Rule, effective January 1, 2006, in respect of all homicide
offenses and January 1, 2007, for all other offenses specified
in paragraph (a) of the Rule. The Rule as adopted mirrored the
Committee's proposed rule and provides in relevant part:
a) Unless one of the exceptions set forth
in paragraph (b) are present, all custodial
interrogations conducted in a place of
detention must be electronically recorded
when the person being interrogated is
charged with murder, . . . aggravated
manslaughter, manslaughter, robbery, . . .
15 A-2658-12T3
burglary, . . . any crime involving the
possession or use of a firearm, or
conspiracies or attempts to commit such
crimes.
. . . .
(b) Electronic recordation pursuant to
paragraph (a) must occur unless:
. . . .
(vi) a statement is given at a time when
the accused is not a suspect for the crime
to which that statement relates while the
accused is being interrogated for a
different crime that does not require
recordation,
. . . .
The State shall bear the burden of proving,
by a preponderance of the evidence, that one
of the exceptions is applicable.
[R. 3:17 (emphasis added).]
The failure to record the interrogation does not require
suppression of a defendant's statement, but it "shall be a
factor for consideration by the trial court in determining the
admissibility of a statement, and by the jury in determining
whether the statement was made, and if so, what weight, if any,
to give to the statement." R. 3:17(d). Further, in the absence
of recordation, the court "shall, upon request of the defendant,
provide the jury with a cautionary instruction." R. 3:17(e);
see Model Jury Charge (Criminal), "Statements of Defendant (When
16 A-2658-12T3
Court finds Police Inexcusably Failed to Electronically Record
Statement)," (Approved 11/7/05).
With this background in mind, we return to the arguments
advanced on appeal.
C.
The State contends that the detectives were under no
obligation to record their initial interview with defendant
because he was in custody on municipal warrants and had not been
"charged with" the homicide or any other crime listed in
subsection (a) of the Rule. Defendant counters by arguing such
an interpretation would permit police to question suspects in
homicides without recording the interrogation, thereby defeating
the prophylactic purposes of the Rule. Defendant also argues
that the State's interpretation is inconsistent with the
exception provided by subsection (b)(vi). We agree with
defendant.
Although subsection (a) is triggered when the person in
custody is "being interrogated" and "charged with" one of the
listed offenses, subsection (b)(vi) excepts from the Rule's
requirements the need to record a statement if "the accused is
not a suspect for the crime to which that statement relates
while the accused is being interrogated for a different crime
that does not require recordation." R. 3:17 (emphasis added).
17 A-2658-12T3
The State concedes the ambiguity of the operative terms used in
the Rule, i.e., "charged with" versus "not a suspect." Under
the State's rationale, the Rule does not require recordation of
a statement made by a defendant who is not charged with a listed
crime, even if he is a suspect.
The construction urged by the State would render exception
(b)(vi) superfluous, a circumstance we seek to avoid in
interpreting a statute or court rule. See, e.g., In re N.B.,
222 N.J. 87, 101 (2015) ("Such an interpretation would
contravene the canon of statutory construction that directs
courts to interpret laws so as to give meaning to all of the
. . . text."). Instead, "[t]he Court must 'seek an
interpretation that will make the most consistent whole of the
statute.'" Ibid. (quoting State v. Sutton, 132 N.J. 471, 479
(1993)).
A more consistent interpretation, and one that supports the
policy of the Rule, is that urged by defendant. Law enforcement
officials must record custodial interrogations of those who are
suspected of committing, and will be questioned about, any crime
listed in subsection (a) of the Rule. This interpretation is
supported by other provisions in the Rule. For example,
subsection (b)(iv) excepts from the recordation requirements
statements made "by a suspect who indicated, prior to making the
18 A-2658-12T3
statement, that he/she would participate in the interrogation
only if it were not recorded; provided however, that the
agreement to participate under that condition is itself
recorded." R. 3:17 (b)(iv) (emphasis added).
This interpretation finds support in the Committee Report,
which examined existing laws and case law in Alaska, Minnesota,
Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. In
each instance, the Committee noted the procedures enacted or
contemplated in those states expressly applied to "suspects" or
to the "accused" at trial. Committee Report, supra, at 6-12.
The State argues that the Court's adoption of the "charged
with" language in subsection (a) was a conscious decision to
depart not only from the direction charted by other states, but
also from the path plotted by, and being voluntarily implemented
by, New Jersey's law enforcement community when the Rule was
adopted. The State cites to the Committee's review of the
Interim Policy Statement of the New Jersey Attorney General and
the New Jersey County Prosecutors' Association (Apr. 13, 2004),
and the Amended Policy Statement (Dec. 17, 2004), which provided
for electronic recording of "a person who is suspected of
committing" certain crimes. The State contends the Court
intended to limit the Rule's application to only those instances
19 A-2658-12T3
where the person "being interrogated" was already "charged with"
certain crimes. We disagree.
First and foremost, the defendant in Cook, the decision
which spawned enactment of the Rule, was not "charged with" the
homicide or any other enumerated offense when questioned by
police, although he was surely a suspect at the time. Cook,
supra, 179 N.J. at 541-43. Like defendant in this case, he was
arrested on municipal court warrants. Ibid. The Court's charge
to the Committee was "to study and make recommendations on the
use of electronic recordation of custodial interrogations[,]"
without limiting consideration to interrogations of only those
"charged with" certain offenses. Id. at 562.
Additionally, although not precisely on point with the
issue here, the Court has considered whether a defendant's
statement should be suppressed in a variety of circumstances
where the defendant was not fully appraised of his status as a
suspect prior to receiving or waiving his Miranda rights. For
example, in State v. A.G.D., 178 N.J. 56, 68 (2003), the Court
held that a suspect was deprived of "information indispensable
to a knowing and intelligent waiver of [Miranda] rights" when
the detectives interrogating him failed to advise that they
already possessed a warrant for his arrest. The Court concluded
that "[w]ithout advising the suspect of his true status when he
20 A-2658-12T3
does not otherwise know it, the State cannot sustain its burden
. . . that the suspect has exercised an informed waiver of
rights, regardless of other factors that might support his
confession's admission." Ibid.
In State v. O'Neill, 193 N.J. 148, 180 (2007), the Court
concluded that "[t]he two-step, 'question-first, warn-later'
interrogation is a technique devised to undermine both the
efficacy of Miranda and our state law privilege." The Court
held that "as a matter of state law, . . . when Miranda warnings
are given after a custodial interrogation has already produced
incriminating statements, the admissibility of post-warning
statements will turn on whether the warnings functioned
effectively in providing the defendant the ability to exercise
his state law privilege against self-incrimination." Id. at
180-81.
In State v. Nyhammer, 197 N.J. 383, 406 (2009), cert.
denied, 558 U.S. 831, 130 S. Ct. 65, 175 L. Ed. 2d 48 (2009),
the Court made clear that failing to inform a person of his
"suspect status" does not necessarily vitiate the voluntary
waiver of his Miranda rights "or . . . require[] automatic
suppression of a statement." "[T]he failure to be told of one's
suspect status still would be only one of many factors to be
considered in the totality of the circumstances." Id. at 407.
21 A-2658-12T3
Even though suppression of a defendant's statement is not a
fait accompli if the Rule is violated, the cited cases reflect
the Court's concern that a defendant's status as a suspect be
part of the calculus in determining the voluntary nature of any
waiver of the right to remain silent. Additionally, the Court
in Cook cited its historical concern "for the reliability and
trustworthiness of confessions as a prerequisite for their use."
Cook, supra, 179 N.J. at 560; see also N.J.R.E. 104(c)
(requiring the judge to preliminarily determine the
admissibility of any statement by a defendant).
The critical role of the jury in evaluating the
truthfulness of a defendant's statement has been long-recognized
by our courts. See State v. Hampton, 61 N.J. 250, 272 (1972)
(jury must "decide whether in view of all the . . .
circumstances the defendant's confession is true"); State v.
Kociolek, 23 N.J. 400, 421-22 (1957) (requiring jury to be
charged on factors affecting accuracy of extra-judicial oral
statements); see also Model Jury Charge (Criminal), "Statements
of Defendant," (revised June 14, 2010). The model jury charge
approved to implement the Rule further convinces us that
defendant's interpretation is correct. The charge provides in
pertinent part:
Our Rules require the electronic recording
of interrogations by law enforcement
22 A-2658-12T3
officers when a defendant is charged with
[insert applicable offenses] so as to ensure
that you will have before you a complete
picture of all circumstances under which an
alleged statement of a defendant was given,
so that you may determine whether a
statement was in fact made and, if so,
whether it was accurately reported by
State’s witnesses and whether it was made
voluntarily or is otherwise reliable or
trustworthy. Where there is a failure to
electronically record an interrogation, you
have not been provided with a complete
picture of all of the facts surrounding the
defendant's alleged statement and the
precise details of that statement. By way
of example, you cannot hear the tone or
inflection of the defendant’s or
interrogator’s voices, or hear firsthand the
interrogation, both questions and responses,
in its entirety. Instead you have been
presented with a summary based upon the
recollections of law enforcement personnel.
Therefore, you should weigh the evidence of
the defendant's alleged statement with great
caution and care as you determine whether or
not the statement was in fact made and if
so, whether what was said was accurately
reported by State’s witnesses, and what
weight, if any, it should be given in your
deliberations. The absence of an electronic
recording permits but does not compel you to
conclude that the State has failed to prove
that a statement was in fact given and if
so, was accurately reported by State's
witnesses.
[Model Jury Charge (Criminal), supra
(emphasis added).]
If we accepted the State's rationale — only interrogations of
those "charged with" enumerated crimes need be recorded —
portions of a defendant's statement, unrecorded through
23 A-2658-12T3
conscious decision of his interrogators, would be unavailable to
the jury, depriving it of "a complete picture of all of the
facts surrounding the defendant's alleged statement and the
precise details of that statement." Ibid.
In sum, we conclude that 1) the Rule requires electronic
recordation of "all custodial interrogations" if the person is
suspected of having committed one of the enumerated crimes
contained in subsection (a) and is ultimately charged with one
of those crimes; and 2) law enforcement authorities need not
record the interrogation if at the time "the accused is not a
suspect for the crime to which that statement relates." R.
3:17(b)(vi).
D.
We must still address how the trial judge should consider
whether a defendant was "a suspect for the crime to which th[e]
statement relates," so as to trigger the recordation
requirement. We agree with defendant that the judge cannot
simply accept the interrogators' subjective belief that
defendant was not a suspect. See, e.g., State v. O'Neal, 190
N.J. 601, 615-16 (2007) ("The determination whether a suspect is
in 'custody depends on the objective circumstances of the
interrogation, not on the subjective views harbored by either
the interrogating officers or the person being questioned'")
24 A-2658-12T3
(quoting Stansbury v. California, 511 U.S. 318, 323, 114 S. Ct.
1526, 1529, 128 L. Ed. 2d 293, 298 (1994)); State v. Pineiro,
181 N.J. 13, 27 (2004) (an investigative detention and any
seizure that results "cannot . . . be justified merely by a
police officer's subjective hunch") (quoting State v. Davis, 104
N.J. 490, 505 (1986)).
Defendant posits that the standard should be whether a
reasonable person in defendant's situation believed he was a
suspect. We reject the contention, if for no other reason than
"that the Miranda warnings themselves strongly suggest, if not
scream out, that a person is a suspect." Nyhammer, supra, 197
N.J. at 407. Certainly, any person being interrogated who
actually committed the crime would reasonably conclude he was a
suspect, regardless of what law enforcement actually knew at the
time.
Instead, we believe the judge must apply an objective
standard that takes into account the totality of the
circumstances then known to the interrogator, and decide whether
a reasonable police officer in those circumstances had a
reasonable basis to believe a defendant was a "suspect" in the
crime about which he was being questioned. That standard
mirrors the one we apply in many other police-citizen
encounters. See, e.g., State v. Mann, 203 N.J. 328, 338 (2010)
25 A-2658-12T3
("[A] reviewing court must assess whether 'the facts available
to the officer at the moment of the seizure or the search
warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the
action taken was appropriate.'") (quoting Piniero, supra, 181
N.J. at 21); O'Neal, supra, 190 N.J. at 615-16; State v. Moore,
181 N.J. 40, 46 (2004) (noting that probable cause to arrest or
search "exists where the facts and circumstances within . . .
[the officers'] knowledge and of which they had reasonably
trustworthy information [are] sufficient . . . to warrant a
[person] of reasonable caution in the belief that an offense has
been or is being committed") (quoting Schneider v. Simonini, 163
N.J. 336, 361 (2000)). Under this standard, the State must
prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant was
not a suspect for the crime to which the statement relates at
the time of the interrogation. R. 3:17(b).
We recognize that this standard does not draw a "bright-
line" demarking interrogations that must be recorded versus
those that need not, and that the judgment officers exercise in
the moment may subsequently be questioned and scrutinized well
after the fact. Of course, an easy answer to that problem is
that all custodial interrogations conducted during
investigations of crimes listed in the Rule should be recorded,
and, indeed, at least one of our sister states has adopted that
26 A-2658-12T3
practice. See Committee Report, supra, at 7 (describing
practice in Alaska). Moreover, as already noted, practices in
those states examined by the Committee explicitly required law
enforcement officers to record interrogations of "suspects," not
just defendants charged with predicate crimes.
E.
In this case, although the judge did not expressly apply
the objective standard we have now defined, we conclude that he
did so implicitly. Defendant seizes on a snippet of the judge's
written opinion in which he wrote, "both officers testified,
defendant was a witness" when interrogated, and argues the judge
applied a purely subjective test. We disagree.
Kelly explained that they knew defendant had been to the
victim's house two evenings before his body was found, surmising
defendant might have been the last person to have seen the
victim alive, other than the victim's wife, who had,
additionally, spoken to the victim the night before the body was
found. The judge found that testimony to be believable, and,
the testimony did not demonstrate that Kelly possessed other
information pointing to defendant as a suspect. Kelly explained
that only after the CDW reports indicated defendant had lied did
defendant become a suspect. The judge credited this testimony,
too, and concluded that defendant only became a suspect when "he
27 A-2658-12T3
indicated he wanted to talk" to Kelly. Notably, Kelly started
the recording immediately thereafter.7
It is easy in hindsight to say that defendant was an
obvious suspect in the murder. But, the record reveals that, at
the time defendant was arrested on municipal warrants, police
only knew that he drove the victim's wife from her house to New
York, and returned the family's car, two nights before the
victim's body was found. Under these circumstances, the
interrogators' belief that defendant was not a suspect in the
murder was reasonable, and therefore there was no violation of
the Rule.
Having reached that conclusion, we leave for another day
consideration of what would be the appropriate remedy if the
Rule was violated, and the judge failed to properly find a
violation or charge the jury appropriately.
III.
At sentencing, the judge stated that he did "not intend to
consider any other charge . . . than the charge that [defendant]
7
We express some concern that Kelly testified he "confronted"
defendant with the information from the CDW before defendant
asked to speak to him alone. Defendant was clearly a suspect
when Kelly realized he had lied about never returning to the
Essex Fells house. However, it appears from the testimony that
this was a fluid series of events that occurred in rapid
succession and that the recording began immediately after
defendant made his remark about Woodson.
28 A-2658-12T3
was found guilty of . . . ." Citing defendant's extensive
criminal history that included four prior indictable
convictions, the judge found defendant was a "persistent
offender." Focusing on the "violence . . . perpetrated," the
judge found aggravating factor one. N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(1)
("the nature and circumstances of the offense").8 He also found
aggravating factor two, stating that defendant "knew or should
have known that the victim of the offense was particularly
vulnerable." See N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(2) ("[t]he gravity and
seriousness of harm inflicted on the victim, including whether
or not the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that
the victim of the offense was particularly vulnerable or
incapable of resistance due to advanced age"). Citing
defendant's recidivism, the judge found aggravating factors
three, six and nine. N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(3) (the risk of re-
offense); (a)(6) (extent and seriousness of prior record);
(a)(9) (the need to deter defendant and others). Again citing
the victim's age, the judge found aggravating factor twelve.
N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(12) (offense committed against a person
8
We note that the judgment of conviction does not include a
finding as to aggravating factor one. However, the judge's oral
opinion controls. See State v. Warmbrun, 277 N.J. Super. 51, 58
n.2 (App. Div. 1994), certif. denied, 140 N.J. 277 (1995).
29 A-2658-12T3
sixty years of age or older). The judge found no mitigating
factors and imposed the sentence referenced above.
Defendant argues the judge mistakenly found aggravating
factors one and two by relying "heavily on the facts of the very
offenses that defendant was acquitted on." We agree.
We begin by noting that "[a]ppellate review of the length
of a sentence is limited." State v. Miller, 205 N.J. 109, 127
(2011). As the Court has recently reiterated:
The appellate court must affirm the sentence
unless (1) the sentencing guidelines were
violated; (2) the aggravating and mitigating
factors found by the sentencing court were
not based upon competent and credible
evidence in the record; or (3) "the
application of the guidelines to the facts
of [the] case makes the sentence clearly
unreasonable so as to shock the judicial
conscience."
[State v. Fuentes, 217 N.J. 57, 70 (2014)
(alteration in original) (quoting State v.
Roth, 95 N.J. 334, 364-65 (1984)).]
"When applying [factor one], 'the sentencing court reviews the
severity of the defendant's crime, the single most important
factor in the sentencing process, assessing the degree to which
defendant's conduct has threatened the safety of its direct
victims and the public.'" Id. at 74. (quoting State v. Lawless,
214 N.J. 594, 609 (2013)). "[A] sentencing court may justify
the application of aggravating factor one . . . by reference to
the extraordinary brutality involved in an offense . . . . A
30 A-2658-12T3
sentencing court may consider 'aggravating facts showing that
[a] defendant's behavior extended to the extreme reaches of the
prohibited behavior.'" Id. at 75 (alteration in original)
(citations omitted) (quoting State v. Henry, 418 N.J. Super.
481, 493 (Law. Div. 2010)).
"[Aggravating factor two] compels 'a pragmatic assessment
of the totality of harm inflicted by the offender on the
victim.'" Lawless, supra, 214 N.J. at 610 (quoting State v.
Kromphold, 162 N.J. 345, 358 (2000)). "It focuses on the
setting of the offense itself with particular attention to any
factors that rendered the victim vulnerable or incapable of
resistance at the time of the crime." Id. at 611 (citing
N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(2)).
Defendant was acquitted of all substantive offenses. The
jury only found defendant responsible for the criminal agreement
to commit the burglary, rejecting the claim, despite being
appropriately charged, that defendant was legally responsible
for Woodson's conduct either as an accomplice or co-conspirator.
See N.J.S.A. 2C:2-6(b)(3) and (4) (making one "legally
accountable for the conduct of another" if an accomplice of the
other person or "engaged in a conspiracy" with the other
person).
31 A-2658-12T3
As a general proposition, "[a]lthough a defendant may be
vicariously accountable for the crimes his accomplice commits,
he is not vicariously accountable for aggravating factors that
are not personal to him." State v. Rogers, 236 N.J. Super. 378,
387 (App. Div. 1989), aff'd, 124 N.J. 113 (1991). In this case,
defendant was not found vicariously culpable for the crimes of
his co-defendant. Respecting that verdict as we must, the judge
erred in attributing the violent, heinous acts of defendant's
co-defendant to defendant, and, while there is certainly support
in the record for the judge's conclusion that defendant knew the
victim was very old, the jury concluded he did not know that
Woodson would do personal violence to the victim.
We conclude it was error to find aggravating factors one
and two on this record. We remand the matter to the trial court
to re-sentence defendant without consideration of those two
factors. We do not express any opinion as to the appropriate
sentence.
Affirmed in part; reversed in part and remanded. We do not
retain jurisdiction.
32 A-2658-12T3