People v. Shaw

The trial court sustained a motion to suppress defendant’s confession on the basis that the confession was involuntary because it was induced by a promise of help. Defendant made oral and written confessions that he mixed paint remover with the milk in his 14-month-old baby’s bottle, knowing that it would be fed to the child and in fact was ingested by the child. The trial court found that the defendant’s confession was based on a promise of help in the form of treatment rather than punishment. I respectfully dissent because I conclude that the interrogating officer’s remarks to the defendant…