State v. J.R.N.

OPINION

MATTHEWS, Justice.

When police arrest and detain a juvenile, Alaska Delinquency Rule 7(b)1 and AS 47.-10.1402 require that they “immediately” notify the juvenile’s parents. Police arrested sixteen-year-old J.R.N. for murder. He confessed and led the police to critical evidence before the police notified his father. The court of appeals ordered that J.R.N.’s confession and the evidence be suppressed based on the court's conclusion that the police violated DR 7(b). We reverse.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In early October 1989, Duane Samuels was shot three times and killed; his car was…