State v. Mendacino

The issue presented in this criminal case is whether a confession made by the defendant to a psychiatrist prior to arraignment should have been suppressed by the trial court.

On the night of Thursday, November 3, 1977, the defendant was present at the apartment where the six year old child of the defendant’s girl friend had been murdered. He was questioned at the scene by the police and at about 11 p.m. he was taken to a hospital to receive medical attention for a cut on his arm. Because the defendant’s statements to the police were inconsistent and contradictory, the police, at about…