United States v. Michael Sidney Walk

I respectfully dissent.

Despite the majority’s semantic, legerdemain, I remain unpersuaded that a statement originating out of a defendant’s mouth — a statement which can be used against that defendant as an admission at his trial — ceases to be his statement for purposes of discovery simply because it is reported to the government by a third person. Simply put, a defendant’s statement is a defendant’s statement; it matters not who repeats it, it remains his statement. To me, that conclusion is manifest.

By way of background, the record shows that defendant Walk was indicted for bank robbery…