LaBonte v. Commonwealth

Convicted of robbery and sentenced to a 15-year penitentiary term, the defendant, Donald LaBonte, seeks reversal on the ground that a confession he gave the police was admitted into evidence erroneously. Specifically, the defendant contends the confession was inadmissible under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), because it was obtained after he had announced during police interrogation that he desired to consult an attorney.

The issue of the confession’s admissibility was determined adversely to the defendant in a pre-trial suppression hearing. Later, in a non-jury trial, the confession…