Midkiff v. Commonwealth

I

Thomas Jefferson Midkiff was convicted by a jury in the Circuit Court of Carroll County of two counts of first degree murder and one count of arson. He received a sentence of life imprisonment for each murder conviction and 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $15,000 for the arson conviction.

On appeal to the Court of Appeals, Midkiff challenged the admissibility of a confession he made during a police interrogation. Midkiff contended that during the course of the questioning, he effectively invoked his constitutional right to counsel and his right to remain silent and that the exercise of…