On Point blog, page 457 of 484

Sentencing – Review – Articulation of Primary Factors in Setting PED

State v. David S. Leighton, 2000 WI App 156, 237 Wis.2d 709, 616 N.W.2d 126
For Leighton: Daniel Snyder

Issue/Holding: In setting parole eligibility date trial court need not separately refer to primary factors used in imposing sentence. ¶¶52-53.

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§ 904.01, Relevance – Consciousness of Innocence – Offer to Take DNA Test

State v. Miguel Angel Santana-Lopez, 2000 WI App 122, 237 Wis.2d 332, 613 N.W.2d 918
For Santana-Lopez: Rex Anderegg

Issue: Whether a sexual assault defendant’s pretrial offer to take a DNA test is relevant as consciousness of innocence.

Holding: “(A)n offer to undergo DNA analysis [is] relevant to the state of mind of the person making the offer — so long as the person making the offer believes that the test or analysis is possible,

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Functional Equivalent of Interrogation

State v. Ondra Bond, 2000 WI App 118, 237 Wis. 2d 633, 614 NW2d 552, affirmed by equally divided vote2001 WI 56, 243 Wis. 2d 476, 627 N.W.2d 484
For Bond: William Coleman; Janet Barnes; Ellen Henak, SPD, Milwaukee Appellate

Issue: Whether, following arrest but before administration of Miranda rights, an officer’s response to the suspect’s asking why he’d been arrested was the functional equivalent of interrogation and therefore in violation of Miranda.

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Jury – Selection – Bias / Disqualification – Doubtful Fairness: Belief Police More Credible

State v. Scot A. Czarnecki, 2000 WI App 155, 237 Wis.2d 794, 615 N.W.2d 672
For Czarnecki: Patrick M. Donnelly, SPD, Madison Appellate

Issue: Whether the trial court should have granted the defense motion to remove a prospective juror who acknowledged believing that police officers would be more credible than other witnesses.

Holding: Juror bias is reviewed with deference to the trial court’s resolution. Because police credibility was never at issue,

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Jury – Selection – Bias / Disqualification – Doubtful Fairness: Equivocal Statement

State v. Nathaniel A. Lindell, 2000 WI App 180, 238 Wis.2d 422, 617 N.W.2d 500, affirmed on other grounds, State v. Nathaniel A. Lindell, 2001 WI 108
For Lindell: Russell L. Hanson; Timothy J. Gaskell

Issue: Whether the prospective juror’s allowing, “I think I could” make a fair determination, established subjective bias.

Holding: The trial court’s ruling of no subjective bias isn’t clearly erroneous.

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Jury – Selection – Bias / Disqualification — Doubtful Fairness, Generally: Defer to Trial Court — Need for Precise Questioning

State v. Marquis O. Gilliam, 2000 WI App 152, 238 Wis.2d 1, 615 N.W.2d 660
For Gilliam: Robert B. Rondini

Issue: Whether the trial court’s denial of a motion to remove a juror based on subjective bias was clearly erroneous.

Holding: The issue of a juror’s subjective bias is reviewed deferentially to the trial court’s resolution. Though this case is different from prior cases — here, “whether the juror has expressed a prejudice or predilection in the first instance”

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Jury – Selection – Bias / Disqualification — Doubtful Fairness: Equivocal Statement — Deference to Trial Court Finding

State v. Jimmie R.R., 2000 WI App 5, 232 Wis.2d 138, 606 N.W.2d 196
For Jimmie R.R.: Martha K. Askins, SPD, Madison Appellate

Issue: Whether the trial court erred in refusing to strike for cause a potential juror who was equivocal on his ability to be fair.

Holding: The trial court did not err in finding no subjective bias.

 When asked if he could listen to the evidence and apply the law,

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Jury – Selection – Bias / Disqualification – Doubtful Fairness: Predetermined Guilt – Trial Court Obligation to Conduct Hearing

State v. Theodore Oswald, 2000 WI App 2, 232 Wis.2d 62, 606 N.W.2d 207
For Oswald: Jerome F. Buting, Kathleen B. Stilling

Issue: Whether prospective jurors’ expressions of predetermined guilt established either objective or subjective bias.

Holding: Applying a mixed standard of review, the court discerns no bias, in that the strength of these opinions changed during voir dire and, more importantly, because the defense conceded factual guilt.

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Miranda Waiver, Deaf Suspect

State v. George W. Hindsley, 2000 WI App 130, 237 Wis. 2d 358, 614 N.W.2d 48
For Hindsley: James B. Connell

Issue: Whether a deaf suspect, fluent in ASL but with limited proficiency in English, validly waived his Miranda rights, when those rights were explained to him in English-based (“transliteration”) signing.

Holding: When the suspect is advised of Miranda rights in a language other than English (including sign language for a deaf suspect such as Hindsley),

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Miranda – Good-Faith Exception

State v. George W. Hindsley, 2000 WI App 130, 237 Wis. 2d 358, 614 N.W.2d 48
For Hindsley: James B. Connell

Issue: Whether a good-faith exception to Miranda should be recognized.

Holding: The court of appeals doesn’t have authority to articulate a good-faith exception to Miranda: “(It) is not the proper role of this court to create an exception to, or modify,

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