Supreme Court, U.S. FILED · 2010-07-30 · Supreme Court, U.S. FILED I _OFFICE OF THE CLERK IN...

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Supreme Court, U.S. FILED I _OFFICE OF THE CLERK IN l~[E SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES CHARLES L. RYAN, DIRECTOR, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Petitioner, vs. JOHNATHAN ANDREW DOODY, Respondent. On Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TERRY GODDARD Attorney General MARY R. O’GP, ADY Solicitor General KENT E. CATTANI Chief Counsel Criminal Appeals/ Capital Litigation Section JOSEPH T. MAZIARZ (Attorney of Record) Assistant Attorney General Criminal Appeals/ Capital Litigation Section 1275 W. Washington Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Telephone: (602) 542-4686 [email protected]

Transcript of Supreme Court, U.S. FILED · 2010-07-30 · Supreme Court, U.S. FILED I _OFFICE OF THE CLERK IN...

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Supreme Court, U.S.FILED

I

_OFFICE OF THE CLERKIN l~[ESUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

CHARLES L. RYAN, DIRECTOR, ARIZONADEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS,

Petitioner,vs.

JOHNATHAN ANDREW DOODY,

Respondent.

On Petition for Writ of Certiorari to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI

TERRY GODDARDAttorney General

MARY R. O’GP, ADYSolicitor General

KENT E. CATTANIChief CounselCriminal Appeals/Capital Litigation Section

JOSEPH T. MAZIARZ(Attorney of Record)Assistant Attorney GeneralCriminal Appeals/Capital Litigation Section1275 W. WashingtonPhoenix, Arizona 85007Telephone: (602) [email protected]

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QUESTIONS PRESENTED

Johnathan Doody killed eight Buddhist monks anda nun at a Buddhist temple near Phoenix Arizona in1991. During questioning by law enforcement officers,he admitted being at the Temple when the victimswere shot.

The state trial court conducted a 12-day hearing onDoody’s motion to suppress his statements. The courtheard the officers testify, listened to the audio tapes ofthe interview, and found that Doody was advised ofand waived his Miranda rights and that hissubsequent statements were voluntary. The ArizonaCourt of Appeals carefully reviewed the record andupheld the Miranda and voluntariness findings. Aftera federal district court denied Doody’s federal habeaspetition, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed.Over a vigorous dissent, a majority of an en bane panelof the Ninth Circuit held that the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ Miranda and voluntariness analysisamounted to "unreasonable" determinations of federallaw and facts.

1. Did the Ninth Circuit disregard the AEDPA andthis Court’s recent decision in Florida y. Powel]when itheld that the Miranda warnings given to Doody wereinadequate?

2. Did the Ninth Circuit disregard the AEDPAwhen--based on its mischaracterization of the statecourt record, redetermination of witness credibility,and drawing of inferences adverse to the states courts’legal and factual determinations--it held that Doody’sstatements were involuntary?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

QUESTIONS PRESENTED FOR REVIEW ............iTABLE OF AUTHORITIES ...................................iiiOPINION BELOW ...................................................1STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION .........................1CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ........................1STATEMENT OF THE CASE ..................................4REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT .............14CONCLUSION .......................................................39APPENDIX A, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

FOR 9TH CIRCUIT OPINION ...........................A- 1APPENDIX B, U.S. DISCTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA,AMENDED REPORT ANDRECOMMENDATION AND ORDER ..............B- 1

APPENDIX C, COURT OF APPEALS,DIVISION ONE, OPINION ..............................C-1

APPENDIX D, SUPERIOR COURT OFARIZONA MARICOPA COUNTY,ORDER ...............................................................D-1

APPENDIX E, JUVENILE MIRANDAWARNINGS .......................................................E- 1

APPENDIX F, TRANSCRIPT OF TAPE 31(16284) ................................................................F-1

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

CASES PAGE

Allen v McCurry, 449 U.S. 90 (1980) .......................15Berkemer v. McCarty, 468 U.S. 420 (1984) .............30Brown v. Payton, 544 U.S. 133 (2005) .....................16California v. Prysock, 453 U.S. 355

(1981) ...............................................................17, 18Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157 (1986) ..............29Dickerson v. United States, 530 U.S. 428

(2000) ...............................................................29, 30Doody v. Schriro, 548 F.3d 847 (9th Cir. 2008) .......12Doody v. Schriro, 596 F.3d 620 (9th Cir. 2010) .........1Duckworth v. Eagan, 492 U.S. 195

(1989) ...................................................18, 24, 25, 27Fare v. Michael C., 442 U.S. 707 (1979) ..................29Florida v. Powell, 130 S. Ct. 1195

(2010) ...................................................18, 24, 25, 27In re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 45 (1967) ...........................29Knowles v. Mirzayance, 129 S. Ct. 1411 (2009) ......38Lockyer v. Andrade, 538 U.S. 63 (2003) ..................16Miller-E1 v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322 (2003) ...............16Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966) .............9, 17Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600 (2004) .................30Oregon v. Mathiason, 429 U.S. 492 (1977) ..............17Rice v. Collins, 546 U.S. 333 (2006) .........................17Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (1973) ....27State v. Doody, 930 P.2d 440

(Ariz. App. 1996) ....................................1, 11, 35, 37State v. Jimenez, 799 P.2d 785 (1990) .....................31Thompson v. Keohane, 516 U.S. 99 (1995) ..............17Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362 (2000) ..................16

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Wood v. Allen, 130 S. Ct. 841 (2010) ........................16Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 635 (2004) .........38

STATUTES28 U.S.C. § 1254(1) .....................................................128 U.S.C. § 2253 ..........................................................128 U.S.C. § 2254 ..........................................................228 U.S.C. § 2254(d) .............................................13, 1628 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1) ...............................................1228 U.S.C. § 2254(4)(2) ...............................................1628 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1) .........................................16, 17

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONSUnited States Constitution Article III, Section 2 ......1

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OPINIONS BELOW

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ en baneopinionis reported as Doody y. Sc]~riro, 596 F.3d 620 (9th Cir.2010). (Petitioner’s Appendix ("Pet. App.") A.) Thatopinion reversed a decision by the United StatesDistrict Court for the District of Arizona, adopting theMagistrate’s Amended Report and Recommendationand Order (Pet. App. B) denying Doody’s petition forwrit of habeas corpus. The Arizona Court of Appealsopinion is reported as State v. Doody, 930 P.2d 440(Ariz. App. 1996). (Pet. App. C.)

STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION

The Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed Doody’sconvictions and sentences on direct appeal. State v.Doody, 930 P.2d 440 (Ariz. App. 1996). (Pet. App. C.)The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had jurisdiction toreview the federal district court order and judgmentdenying the petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuantto 28 U.S.C. § 2253. An en bane panel of the NinthCircuit reversed the federal district court’s judgmentdenying the petition. Doody v. Sc]~riro, 596 F.3d 620(9th Cir. 2010). (Pet. App. A.) This petition for writ ofcertiorari is timely filed within 90 days of that decision,and this Court has jurisdiction pursuant to UnitedStates Constitution Article III, Section 2 and 28 U.S.C.§ 1254(1).

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

The Fifth Amendment to the United StatesConstitution provides, in relevant part:

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No person.., shall be compelled in any criminalcase to be a witness against himself...

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United StatesConstitution provides, in relevant part:

¯ . . nor shall any State deprive any person oflife, liberty, or property, without due process oflaw ....

STATUTES

28 U.S.C. § 2254 provides, in relevant part:

(a) The Supreme Court, a Justice thereof, acircuit judge, or a district court shall entertainan application for a writ of habeas corpus onbehalf of a person in custody pursuant to thejudgment of a State court only on the groundthat he is in custody in violation of theConstitution or laws or treaties of the UnitedStates.

(d) An application for a writ of habeas corpuson behalf of a person in custody pursuant to thejudgment of a State court shall not be grantedwith respect to any claim that was adjudicatedon the merits in State court proceedings unlessthe adjudication of the claim--

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(1) resulted in a decision that wascontrary to, or involved an unreasonableapplication of, clearly established Federallaw, as determined by the Supreme courtof the United States; or

(2) resulted in a decision that wasbased on an unreasonable determinationof the facts in light of the evidencepresented in the State court proceeding.

(e)(1) In a proceeding instituted by anapplication for a writ of habeas corpus by aperson in custody pursuant to the judgment of aState court, a determination of a factual issuemade by a State court shall be presumed to becorrect. The applicant shall have the burden ofrebutting the presumption of correctness byclear and convincing evidence.

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STATEMENT OF THE CASE

A. Material Facts.

In 1991, Jonathan Doody (Doody) was living atLuke Air Force Base west of Phoenix, Arizona with hisparents. His brother, David, was a novice monk at anearby Buddhist Temple, and his mother cooked mealsfor the monks. Doody attended Agua Fria High School,where he was the commander of the R.O.T.C. HonorGuard and Color Guard, and also was active in theCivil Air Patrol.

In early June, Doody suggested to his friend, Alex,Garcia, that they rob the Temple. During their visitswith David at the Temple, they questioned himregarding details of the Temple. Doody wanted to waituntil David left the Temple to commit the robbery, soDavid would not recognize him. Initially, the plan was"just robbery" but, in late July, Doody decided to "justbasically go ahead and shoot them," "execution style"so there would be "[n]o witnesses."

Doody and Garcia agreed to commit the robbery onthe night of August 9, 1991. On August 7, theyborrowed a .22 caliber rifle from Rolando Caratachea.They decided that Garcia would take his father’s 20-gauge shotgun and that Doody would have the .22 rifle.

A week prior to August 9, Doody was with BrandonBurner, a fellow student and member of the R.O.T.C.Color Guard. Doody told Burner that he could not bewith him on Friday, August 9, because he and Garciawere going on an "intrusion alert" near the BuddhistTemple.

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On the evening of August 9, Doody and Garcia metat Amanda Hoelzen’s house. They left her house about9:00 p.m. and drove to a citrus grove and changed intocamouflage clothing. They entered the Temple, toldthe occupants that they were the police, and movedthem to a room. While Garcia stood guard over themonks, Doody went through the rooms looking forvaluables. Doody then stood guard over the monkswhile Garcia went through the rooms looking for anyvaluables that Doody had missed. After a while, a nunwho apparently had been asleep, came out, and theymade her stay in the room with the eight men. Afterthey had put all of their loot in the car, they shot thevictims; Doody fired 17 .22 caliber bullets into theheads of the victims, and Garcia fired four shots fromthe shotgun. They took six cameras, a CD player, twoportable stereo sets, some jewelry, several wallets, aknife, a police scanner, and $2,650 in cash.

The bodies were discovered on the morning ofAugust 10. At 4:30 that afternoon, Doody saw hisfriend Angel Rowlett, and told him about the killings,saying that the monks had been killed with rifles. At7:00 that evening, Doody was driving in his car withBrandon Burner, and "out of the blue" began talkingabout the Temple killings. Doody said the Buddhistswere murdered for nothing, that there were a bunch ofgunshots that went off, and that they were shot in thechest and head.

It was determined that the murder weapon was a.22 caliber rifle manufactured by the Marlin Company.On August 21, while with Doody on Luke Air ForceBase, Rolando Caratachea consented to a search of his

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car, and a military police officer found a Marlin .22caliber rifle in the car.The rifle remained inCaratachea’s possession.The Air Force policesubsequently told officers investigating the Templemurders of the August 21 incident, and gave themCaratachea’s name.

Shortly after the murders, Doody’s father wastransferred to an Air Force base in Colorado andDoody’s parents moved. Doody wanted to stay inArizona to complete his schooling, so he moved in witha friend, Moises Cruz, for a week or two, then rentedan apartment with Rolando Caratachea and MikeMyers for a couple of months, and then moved in withGarcia.

On September 1, Angel Rowlett saw Doody and,because Doody’s mother and brother were membersof the Temple, Rowlett asked Doody if he heardanything more concerning the murders. Doody saidthe investigators thought it might be gang-related, andwhile describing what the killers had done, Doody firsttalked about what "they" did, but as the conversationwent on, he talked about what "we" did. He said the"primary mission" was to rob the place and that "they"were supposed to go in and leave, but one of the monkshad awakened. After "they" became "we," Doodyidentified the "we" as himself and Alex Garcia. He saidthey dressed in military clothing and took rifles withthem. Doody said that, once the monks awoke, he andGarcia started shooting because he did not wantanyone to identify them.

Vicki Jones had been Doody’s girlfriend since May1991. In September, Doody told Vicki that he used to

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kill people for money, and the "OSI" (Office of SpecialInvestigation) had killed the people in the Temple.Doody said that he and Garcia had obtained $2,000 bykilling people, and that he had killed them "executionstyle," which he described as having them on theirknees with their hands behind their backs andshooting them in the head.

Ben Leininger was a student at Agua Fria HighSchool, who met Doody in R.O.T.C. During a ColorGuard practice after the killings, Doody told Leiningerthat he worked for the OSI. He said that the people inthe Temple were not Buddhist monks, but werethreatening national security, that they had to beeliminated, and that he and Garcia had eliminatedthem. He said that he and Garcia met first in the riverbed, and that they shot the victims "mercenary style,"which meant shooting them in the back of the head.

On September 10, Detective Sinsabaugh went towhere Rolando Caratachea was working, told him hewas investigating a burglary, and that he thought arifle Caratachea had might have been taken in aburglary. Sinsabaugh asked Caratachea if he wouldmind giving it to him so he could check it andCaratachea agreed. They went to the apartmentCaratachea shared with Myers and Doody, andCaratachea gave Sinsabaugh the rifle.

Sinsabaugh interviewed Doody because his brotherhad lived in the Temple. Doody was not a suspect.Doody talked about his brother being a novice monk atthe Temple and of visiting him there, some times withAlex Garcia and Angel Rowlett.

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Also, on September 10, the investigating officerslearned from the Tucson Police Department that aperson who claimed his name was "John" said he hadinformation regarding the Temple murders. Officerslater learned that "John" was Mike McGraw, and hewas a patient at the Tucson Psychiatric Hospital.McGraw said that he and three others were involved,Leo Bruce, Mark Nunez, and Dante Parker (the"Tucson Four"). The officers arrested the four Tucsonsuspects on September 13 and 14, and the State latercharged them with the Temple murders.

Although the officers believed they had the killers,they still had not identified the murder weapon. BySeptember 10, they had collected 96 Marlin rifles, all ofwhich had to be tested. Caratachea’s rifle was notsubmitted for testing until a month later.

On October 22, the task force officers learned thatCaratachea’s rifle was the murder weapon. Officerscontacted Caratachea, and he agreed to come to thepolice station. Caratachea said he had loaned his .22rifle to Garcia and Doody on August 8 or 9, 1991.

At about 8:00 p.m., Detective Patrick Riley andF.B.I. Special Agent Gary Woodling drove to the AguaFria High School football game, where Doody waspresent in his role as commander of the R.O.T.C. ColorGuard. When they arrived, they learned that Doodywas in the parking lot, so they drove up to him, andwhile seated in the car, identified themselves.

Detective Riley asked Doody if he remembered hisprevious interview with Detective Sinsabaugh; Doodysaid he did. Riley explained that they had some

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additional questions about the rifle they had takenfrom Caratachea and asked Doody if he was willing togo to the police station; Doody said he was willing,opened the door of the police car himself, and got intothe back seat. As the officers were leaving, theyreceived word that Garcia might be in the area, soSpecial Agent Woodling got out of the car to look forGarcia, and Doody got into the front seat. DetectiveRiley and Doody arrived at headquarters at 9:10 p.m.

An interview began with Detectives Riley andManley present. The interview, which lasted about 13hours, was tape-recorded, without any breaks in therecording. Although Doody was not under arrest andwas not a suspect, Riley read Doody his rights,employing the standard-issue juvenile Miranda1 form.(Pet. App E.) Before proceeding through the warnings,Riley followed standard procedure by obtaining fromDoody his age, date of birth, grade in school, andoverall performance in school. (Pet. App. F at 5-9.)Doody said that he was in the 11th grade and had anoverall "B" average. (Id. at 8.) Doody appeared tounderstand the warnings, and did not show any doubtor confusion. (Id. at 9-13.) Riley added someexplanations to help Doody understand his rights. (Id.)Doody initialed the boxes on the juvenile Miranda

form. (Id.; Pet App. E.)

When asked about Caratachea’s rifle, Doodyinitially denied that he ever borrowed or possessed it.However, about 2½ hours into the interview, headmitted that he and Garcia had borrowed it. As the

Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).

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detectives’ questions became more pointed, Doodybegan looking down, playing with his R.O.T.C. beretand a pop can, ceased eye contact, and became quiet.Doody said he was afraid because there had beenthreats toward his girlfriend and his family.

The only other officers in the room during parts ofthe interview were Captain White and DetectiveSinsabaugho When Sinsabaugh entered the room atabout 2:45 a.m., he became the primary questioner. Atthat point, Detective Sinsabaugh noted that Doody was"very erect, had a military bearing, and he appearedalert." Doody indicated that he was afraid for his ownsafety, and that of his girlfriend and family.Sinsabaugh asked, ’~Were you involved?" Doodyreplied, ’~/es."

Doody said that he and Garcia drove and parkednear the Temple, and that Rolando Caratachea, GeorgeGonzalez, and at least one other person arrived inanother car. Doody claimed that the only plan was toprobe the Temple security system, but things "justwent downhill" and they entered the Temple. Doodysaid that eight monks and a nun were taken from theirrooms and put in the living room and they"ransack[ed]" the rooms. Doody claimed that one of thecaptives yelled out Gonzalez’ name and Doody was toldto go outside to determine if the Temple was"soundproof." Doody said that, after he went outside,he heard a shot fired, he walked into the Temple, thenthere were three shotgun blasts and several shots firedfrom the .22 rifle into the heads of the monks and nun.Doody denied shooting any of the victims. He claimedthat they grabbed some items from the Temple,

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including cameras, a radio, and cash found under abed, and fled.

Doody claimed that Gonzalez and some of theothers threatened to kill him, his girlfriend, andmembers of his family if he told anybody whathappened. Doody said, "I didn’t know it was supposedto happen," and, "I’ve never meant to get involved."

B. Procedural Background.

Doody and Garcia were charged with nine counts offirst-degree murder, nine counts of armed robbery, onecount of burglary, and one count of conspiracy tocommit armed robbery. Both Doody and Garcia movedto suppress their statements to law enforcementofficers and the trial court held a 12-day evidentiaryhearing on the motions. The trial court also listened tothe entirety of Doody’s and Garcia’s taped interviews.The court denied both motions to suppress. RegardingDoody’s motion to suppress, the trial court found thatDoody was advised of and waived his Mir,~nda rights,and that his subsequent statements were voluntary.(Pet. App. Do) Garcia then entered into a pleaagreement with the State and testified at Doody’s trial.Following a 2-month jury trial, Doody was convicted onall counts.

On direct appeal, the Arizona Court of Appealsaddressed Doody’s Miranda and voluntariness claimsat length, finding that his statements were Mirandacompliant and voluntary. State y. 1)ood~y, 930 P.2d 440,445-49 (Ariz. App. 1996) (Pet. App. C.) On federalhabeas review, the district court magistrate carefully,and in detail, reviewed the Miranda and voluntariness

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claims, concluding that the Arizona Court of Appeals’rejection of the claims was neither contrary to, nor anunreasonable application of, clearly established federallaw. (Pet. App. B.) The district court adopted themagistrate’s findings.

On appeal, a three-judge panel of the Ninth CircuitCourt of Appeals found that the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ determination that Doody was advised of andwaived his Miranda rights did not constitute anunreasonable application of clearly established federallaw under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1). Doody v. ~chriro,548 F.3d 847, 862-66 (9th Cir. 2008). However, thepanel concluded the Arizona Court of Appeals’determination that Doody’s subsequent statementswere "voluntary" under the Fourteenth Amendmentwas an "objectively unreasonable" application ofclearly established federal law. Id. at 866-69.

Petitioners’ motion for rehearing en bane wasgranted. 566 F.3d 839 (9th Cir. 2009). On February25, 2010, a sharply divided 11-judge en bane panelissued its opinions. (Pet. App. A.) The seven-judgemajority held that the Arizona Court of Appeals’determination that Doody was adequately advised ofand waived his Miranda rights constituted "both anunreasonable determination of the facts and anunreasonable application of clearly established federallaw." (Id. at 78.) The majority also held that theArizona Court of Appeals’ finding that Doody’sstatements were voluntary was an unreasonabledetermination of the facts and an unreasonableapplication of clearly established federal law. (Id. at78-79.) Accordingly, the majority ordered that the

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district court grant Doody a writ of habeas corpus,unless the State of Arizona retried him within areasonable time. (Id. at 79.)

Chief Judge Kozinski concurred in the result,disagreeing with the majority’s conclusion that theArizona Court of Appeals’ finding thatDoody’sstatements were voluntary amountedto anunreasonable determination of factsor anunreasonable application of clearly established federallaw. (Id. at 79-82.) However, Chief Judge Kozinskiheld that the Arizona Court of Appeals’ finding thatDoody was "adequately warned" of his Mi~’and,~ rightsconstituted an unreasonable determination of clearlyestablished federal law. (Id. at 82-91.)

Judge Tallman, joined by Judges Rymer andKleinfeld, wrote a spirited dissent, chastising themajority for failing to heed this Court’s repeatedadmonition that Ninth Circuit judges comply with thedictates of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) and grant appropriatedeference to state court determinations of fact and lawand not substitute their judgments for that of the statecourts. ([d. at 91-93.) The dissent pointed out that"the majority reviews the record as though it were theinitial finder of fact or reviewing a federal convictionon direct appeal" and "pays mere lip service to AEDPAand then proceeds as if it does not exist." (_Id. at 101.)After reviewing the state court record and this Court’sclearly established federal law, the dissent concludedthat the Arizona Court of Appeals’ finding that Doodywas adequately advised of and waived hisrights "was not objectively unreasonable." (Id. at 112.)The dissent then reviewed the facts bearing on the

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voluntariness of Doody’s statements and concludedthat the Arizona Court of Appeals’ "holding on the factspresented fell squarely within the bounds of SupremeCourt precedent on voluntariness." (Id. at 130.)

REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT

THE EN BANG COURT’S FAILURE TODEFER TO THE ARIZONA COURT OFAPPEALS’ DETERMINATIONS THAT DOODYWAS ADEQUATELY ADVISED OF ANDWAIVED HIS M/RANDA RIGHTS AND THATHIS SUBSEQUENT STATEMENTS WEREVOLUNTARY CONFLICTS WITHESTABLISHED PRECEDENT OF THISCOURT.

Once again, the Ninth Circuit has failed to complywith this Court’s jurisprudence, the express provisionsof the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of1996 (AEDPA), and basic principles of federalism andcomity by reversing the district court’s determinationthat the Arizona Court of Appeals’ determination thatDoody’s statements were Miranda-compliant andvoluntary did not amount to an unreasonabledetermination of facts or an unreasonable applicationof clearly established federal law. Themajority did so by parsing the record, disregardingportions of the record that support the state court’sfindings and legal conclusions, drawing its own Doody-friendly inferences, and making credibilityassessments in contravention of the AEDPA. As notedby the dissent;

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In violation of AEDPA, the majority adjuststhe scales and weighs the facts anew. Thissort of appellate factfinding on habeasreview is contrary to the congressionallymandated standard of review. It also createsunpredictability for habeas petitioners,attorneys, and state and federal courts ....Such careless dismissal of reasoned findings isdemoralizing and insulting to the state courts,eschewing the principle that "comity betweenstate and federal courts has been recognized asa bulwark of the federal system." Allen vMcCurry, 449 U.S. 90, 96 (1980).

With little more than a hat tip to the statecourts’ extensive findings, the majoritynonetheless concludes theses findings were"objectively unreasonable." The majority’smessage to our state courts is clear: no matterhow carefully you decide constitutional issues incriminal cases, no matter how well you justifyyour opinions with evidence of record, we willcast your work aside simply because wedisagree. We should instead give the reasonablefindings of the Arizona courts the deference towhich they are entitled under AEDPA.

(Pet. App. A at 131-32.)

A state prisoner is not entitled to federal habeasrelief with respect to any federal claim that wasadjudicated on the merits in state court proceedingsunless adjudication of the claim:

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(1) resulted in a decision that was contraryto, or involved an unreasonable application of,clearly established Federal law, as determinedby the Supreme Court of the United States; or

(2) resulted in a decision that was based onan unreasonable determination of the facts inlight of the evidence presented in the State courtproceeding.

28 U.S.C. § 2254(d).

Under the "unreasonable application" clause of§ 2254(d), a federal court is prohibited from issuing awrit "simply because the court concludes in itsindependent judgment that the relevant state-courtdecision applied clearly established federal lawerroneously or incorrectly." Lockyer v. A~drade,538 U.S. 63, 75-76 (2003) (quoting Wi]]iams v. Taylor,529 U.S. 362, 411 (2000)). "A state-court decisioninvolves an unreasonable application of this Court’sclearly established precedents if the state courtapplies this Court’s precedents to the facts in anobjectively unreasonable manner." Brown v. Payton,544 U.S. 133, 141 (2005).

"Factual determinations by state courts arepresumed correct absent clear and convincing evidenceto the contrary, 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1), and a decisionadjudicated on the merits in a state court and based ona factual determination will not be overturned onfactual grounds unless objectively unreasonable inlight of the evidence presented in the state’courtproceeding, § 2254(d)(2)." Miller-El v. Cock, eli,537 U.S. 322, 340 (2003); see also Wood v. Allen,

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130 S. Ct. 841, 848-49 (2010) (declining to resolve aquestion this Court had "explicitly left open" in Rice ~Collins, 546 U.S. 333, 339 (2006), "whether, in order tosatisfy § 2254(d)(2), a petitioner must establish onlythat the state-court factual determination on which thedecision was based was ’unreasonable,’ or whether§ 2254(e)(1) additionally requires a petitioner to rebuta presumption that the determination was correct withclear and convincing evidence").

As pointed out by the dissent, the Ninth Circuit hasrepeatedly failed to abide by the provisions of theAEDPA and pay state court factual and legaldeterminations the deference they are due. (Pet. App.A at 92-93 (citing cases)). It has done so once again.

A. MIRANDA WAIVER.

1. Applicable Law.

When a person is both "in custody" and subjected tointerrogation, he must be advised of his FifthAmendment rights to remain silent and to counsel.Tl~on~pson g. Keol~ane, 516 U.S. 99, 102 (1995); Oreg’ony. Matl~ia~on, 429 U.S. 492, 495 (1977). Specifically, aperson in custody and subjected to interrogation mustbe advised "that he has a right to remain silent, thatanything he says can be used against him in a court oflaw, that he has the right to the presence of anattorney, and that if he cannot afford an attorney onewill be appointed for him prior to any questioning if heso desires." Miranda, 384 U.S. at 479. However,Miranda does not require a "talismanic incantation tosatisfy its strictures." California y. Prysoek, 453 U.S.355, 360 (1981). "The four warnings Miranda requires

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are invariable, but this Court has not dictated thewords in which the essential information must beconveyed." Florida v. Powe]], 130 S. Ct. 1195, 1204(2010). "Reviewing courts, therefore, need not examineMiranda warnings as if construing a will or definingthe terms of an easement. The inquiry is simplywhether the warnings reasonably ’conve[y] to [asuspect] his rights as required by Miranda."’Duekworth v. Eagan, 492 U.S. 195,203 (1989) (quotingPrysoek, 435 U.S. at 361); see also Powell, 130 S. Ct. at1204 (quoting Eagan, 492 U.S. at 203 and Prysoek,453 U.S. at 361).

2. Relevant ~’acts.

Although when the interview began Doody was not"in custody" or a suspect in the Temple murders,Detective Riley, in an abundance of caution, decided toadvise Doody of his juvenile Miranda rights. (Pet. App.F at 2-4.) Detective Riley asked Doody if he had heardof a "Miranda Warning’’ and Doody answered "No." (Id.at 3.) Detective Riley then stated:

They call it Rights on t.v., okay. What, whatthat is and basically all that is Jonathan is, it’snot necessarily something that is, like on t.v.where they portray it when somebody’s ah guiltyof doing something, ah, we read these things topeople on somewhat of a regular basis, whetherthey’re responsible for doing something or not,okay. So I don’t want you to feel that becauseI’m reading this to you that we necessarily thinkthat you "re responsible for anything, it’s for yourbenefit, it’s for your protection and for our’s aswell, okay?

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(Id., emphasis added.) Doody answered "Okay," thenRiley asked him some questions to gauge Doody’smaturity and ability to comprehend. (Id. at 3-8.)Doody related that he was 17, in eleventh grade, andhad "[a]bout a B A" average. (Id. 6, 8.) He alsoinformed Riley that he had been in the R.O.T.C. atAgua Fria High School for 3 years and added, "I justhappen to be in charge of the Honor Guard and ColorGuard." (Id. at 5-6.) Doody said he was currentlyliving with Alex Garcia. (Id. at 7-8.)

Detective Riley then read, and explained to Doody,his Miranda rights as follows:

RILEY: ... The reason I ask that is just to getan idea of how well ah, you understand thingsand everything. Okay, and I’m just going toread these verbatim off the, the sheet here andthen ah as I said, if, if you have any questions byall means ask me, okay.

DOODY: Okay.

RILEY: And again, it’s not meant to scare youso don’t, don’t take it out of context JONATHANokay. Ah, what this is, is that ah you have theRight to Remain Silent and ah, what it states isthat this means that you do not have to talk tome or answer any questions about ah, thematter that we’re going to discuss with you,okay. You can be quiet if you, if you wish. Okay,did you understand that?

DOODY: Uh-huh.

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RILEY: Okay, ah, as we go here, they ah, theyask that you initial ah, here indicating that Iread it to you and that you understand it. Ah, soif you could ah, as we go, I will go ahead andjust have you initial in the box whether you door you don’t.

DOODY: Okay.

RILEY: Okay. And the next one is thatAnything that you say can and will be usedagainst you in a court of law and what thismeans is that anything you tell me, I can uselater against you in court and a court of law is aplace where a judge will decide whether ah, youdid something or whether you didn’t dosomething, okay. And a judge is like an umpirein a baseball game. He decides whether youhave acted in a right or wrong way, okay. Ah, ifyou did something wrong ah you may bepunished, okay. Do you understand all of that?

DOODY: Uh-huh.

RILEY: Okay, if you could just initial there.Okay, and the next one states that you have theright to have an attorney present prior to andduring questioning, and what that means that ifyou want one, you’re allowed to have a lawyerhere before and during you know my questionsto you, okay. And then an attorney is a lawyerwho will speak for you and help you concerningthe crime or any kind of offense that ah wemight think that you or somebody else isinvolved in, if you were involved in it, okay.

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Again, it [sic] not necessarily mean that you areinvolved but if you were, then that’s what thatwould apply to [sic] okay. And do youunderstand that?

DOODY: Yeah.

RILEY: Any questions?

DOOD~ No.

RILEY: Okay, Okie doke.

DOODY: Oh yeah what’s this for?

RILEY: Ah, okay I’ll, again I’m gonna go inand, and explain some things to you. Ah, in thenext one states that if you cannot afford anattorney, you’d have the right to have oneappointed for you prior to questioningokay, andwhat this means, is if you do not have the moneyto get a lawyer ah, if you wished ah, one will begiven to you free of charge before any questionsand things like that, okay. Do you understandthat?

DOODY: Uh-huh (indieating yes)

(Id. at 8-11, emphasis added.) Riley then advisedDoody of his state right to have a parent presentduring questioning and the possibility that Doodycould be prosecuted in "adult court." (Id. at 12.)

Doody initialed each Miranda right after it wasread by Riley, acknowledging that he understood thatparticular right. (Id. at 9-13; Pet. App. E.)

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At no point during the ensuing interview did Doodyindicate that he wished to discontinue questioning,remain silent, or obtain the presence of counsel or aparent.

3. The Arizona Court of Appeals" DeterminationThat Doody Was Adequately Advised Of andWaived His Mlranda Rights Was NotUnreasonable.

In affirming the trial court’s finding that Doody wasadequately advised of and waived his Miranda rights,the Arizona Court of Appeals wrote:

[C]onsidering the circumstances in theirtotality, we conclude that the trial court did noterr in determining that the officers advisedDoody of his Miranda rights in a clear andunderstandable manner and that Doody made aknowing and intelligent waiver. At the outset ofthe interrogation, the officers advised Doody ofhis rights under Miranda and of his right tohave a parent or guardian present duringquestioning. The officer also advised Doody ofthe possibility he later could be transferred toadult court. The officers read each warningfrom a standard juvenile form and providedadditional explanations as appropriate. Afterreading each warning, the officer asked Doody ifhe understood the right involved and obtainedhis initials on the form. Although Doody had noprior experience with the criminal justicesystem, the officers explained the rights in amanner appropriate for his age and apparentintelligence.

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The officers testified at the suppressionhearing that Doody appeared to understand thewarnings and exhibited no signs of doubt orconfusion. Based on that testimony and thecourt’s review of the taped interrogation, thetrial court concluded that the officers adequatelyadvised Doody of his rights and obtained anappropriate waiver before continuing. In soholding, the trial court expressly consideredDoody’s age, intelligence, and lack of priorexposure to the criminal justice system. Ourreview of the record, including the audiotape ofthe warnings, supports the trial court’s findingthat Doody knowingly and intelligently waivedhis rights, and therefore we will not disturb thecourt’s ruling.

(Pet. App. C at 17-18.) The Arizona Court of Appeals’resolution of the Miranda claim is certainly areasonable application of Miranda, Prysock, and Eaganto the facts of this case.

The on banc majority held that the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ determination was "both an unreasonabledetermination of the facts and an unreasonableapplication of clearly established federal law" because,according to the majority: (1) Riley "downplayed thewarnings’ significance" by telling Doody that the policedid not necessarily suspect him of having committed acrime, and, (2) Riley did not read the parentheticaldescribing the right to have counsel present prior toand during questioning verbatim off the form. (Pet.App. A at 35-42.)

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Regarding the majority’s first conclusion, DetectiveRiley did no more than tell Doody the truth: he wasnot a suspect and was being advised of his rightsprophylactically, to "protect" both Doody as well as theintegrity of any statements he made duringquestioning. (Pet. App. F at 2-3.) This Court hasnever held that a law enforcement officer must sternlyadvise a person of his Miranda rights, or that theofficer may not tell the person the "truth" regardingthe circumstances surrounding the questioning. See,e.g., Powell, 130 S. Ct. at 1204; Eagan, 492 U.S. at201-03. Indeed, advising a person in a friendly, non-confrontational manner of his Miranda rights and thecircumstances under which law enforcement officersseek to question him would clearly provide the personwith a more informed basis upon which to decidewhether to invoke or waive his Miranda rights.

Additionally, the majority infers a nefarious intenton behalf of Detective Riley, finding that "the fact thatDetective Riley’s explanation of a one-page Mirandawarning form consumed twelve pages of text istestament to the confusion generated by the detective’sobfuscation." (Pet. App. A at 36.) First, the majorityis simply wrong. Detective Riley’s reading andexplanation of the Juvenile Miranda form (whichincluded Doody’s right to the presence of a parentduring questioning as well as the admonition that hecould be prosecuted in "adult court") encompassed lessthan/~’yo pages. (Pet. App. F at 9-13.) The precedingfive pages involved Riley obtaining backgroundinformation from Doody to gauge his maturity andcomprehension. (Id. at 4-8.) A total of less than fivepages to read a juvenile his Miranda and state rights,

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the explanatory parentheticals of each, and inquirewhether he understands each right is hardly"excessive." Proving the old adage that no good deedgoes unpunished, the majority criticizes DetectiveRiley for taking the time to actually explain the rightsrather than simply conducting a rote reading of theform. This Court has never held that rote reading ofMiranda rights is constitutionally required, or that lawenforcement officers may not take some additionaltime to explain those rights before obtaining a waiver.See, e.g., Powel], 130 S. Ct. at 1204; Eagan, 492 U.S. at201-03. The en bane majority’s analysis flies in theface of this Court’s caselaw, making it an unreasonableapplication of clearly established federal law.

The majority’s conclusion (as well as that of ChiefJudge Kozinski in his concurrence) that DetectiveRiley’s "deviat[ion]" from the Juvenile Waiver form inexplaining Doody’s right to counsel prior to and duringquestioning amounted to advising Doody that he "hadthe right to counsel if Doody was involved in a crime"(Pet. App. A at 36, 85-87), amounts to a strained andmyopic reading of a cold transcript, devoid of thecontext in which the statement was made. Rather,Riley was simply telling Doody, once again, that thepolice did not necessarily believe that Doody hadcommitted a crime but, nevertheless, he had the rightto have counsel present prior to and duringquestioning. The Juvenile Miranda form reads asfollows regarding that right:

You have the right to have an attorneypresent prior to and during questioning.(This means, if you want one, you are

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allowed to have a lawyer here before andduring my questions to you. An attorney is alawyer who will speak for you and help youconcerning the crime which we think youha ve done.) Do you understand this right?

(Pet. App. E at 2, emphasis added.) Before readingDoody his Miranda rights and the explanatoryparentheticals, Detective Riley had told Doody that thepolice did not feel that he was "necessarily""responsible for anything." (Pet. App. F at 3.) It wasin this context that, after reading the right verbatimfrom the form, Detective Riley varied from theparenthetical to convey that Doody had the right tocounsel regardless of whether he was involved in thecrime:

[W]hat that means is that if you want one,you’re allowed ta have a lawyer here before andduring you know my questions to you, okay.And then an attorney is a lawyer who will speakfor you and help you concerning the crime orany kind of offense that ah we might think thatyou or somebody else is involved in, if you wereinvolved in it, okay. Again, it [sic] notnecessarily mean that you are involved, but ifyou were, than that’s what that would apply to[sic] okay. And do you understand that?

(Id. at 10, emphasis added.)

Based upon the above colloquy, the majority andconcurrence concluded that Detective Riley hadeffectively advised Doody that he had the right to have

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counsel present prior to and during questioning on]yifhe was "involved" in a crime. (Pet. App. A at 36, 83-87.) In doing so, they, myopically focused upon thestatement, "Again, it [sic] not necessarily mean thatyou are involved, but if you were, then that’s whatwould apply to [sic] okay," disregarding the context inwhich the statement was made, the fact that Riley hadjust readthe right to counsel verbatim off the form infront of Doody, and that Doody had initialed it.

This Court has made clear that "reviewing courtsare not required to examine the words employed ’as ifconstruing a will or defining the terms of aneasement."’ Powe]], 130 S. Ct. at 1204 (quoting Eagan,492 U.S. at 203). Yet, that is precisely what themajority and concurrence have done.

On the other hand, the Arizona Court of Appealsfaithfully followed this Court’s precedent, consideringthe entire colloquy in context and upholding the trialcourt’s finding that Detective Riley "advised Doodyof his Miranda rights in a clear and understandablemanner and that Doody made a knowing andintelligent waiver." (Pet. App. C at 17-18.) "Theinquiry is simply whether the warnings reasonablyconve[y] to [a suspect] his rights as required byMiranda." Powell, 130 S. Ct. at 1204 (quoting Eagan,492 U.S. at 203). As pointed out by the dissent:

A state court, earnestly trying to apply Eaganto the facts at hand, could reasonably concludethese combined warnings "touched all of thebases required by Miranda," and "reasonablyconvey[ed] to [a suspect] his rights as required

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by Miranda." Eagan, 492 U.S. at 203. TheSupreme Court has not addressed a case inwhich an officer inadvertently makes anambiguous elaborating statement that conflictswith otherwise-accurate spoken warnings. Norhas the Court indicated what effectsimultaneously acknowledged, written warningsmight have when the oral warnings are unclear.On this basis alone, the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ conclusion was not objectivelyunreasonable.

(Pet. App. A at 111, citation omitted.) Again, the onlycourt to act "unreasonably" is the en bane majority.

The Arizona Court of Appeals faithfully andreasonably applied this Court’s precedent in upholdingthe trial court’s finding that Doody was adequatelyadvised of and waived his Miranda rights. Byconcluding that the state courts’ determination was"unreasonable" the en bane majority failed to affordthat determination the deference it is due under theAEDPA, and has defied this Court’s repeatedadmonitions to comply with the AEDPA.

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B. VOLUNTARINESS FINDING.

1. Applicable Law.

This Court has held that involuntary statements2

are inadmissible in evidence under the Due ProcessClause of the Fourteenth Amendment. See, e.g.,Diekerson v. United States, 530 U.S. 428, 433-34(2000); Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 223(1973). In determining whether statements areinvoluntary under the Fourteenth Amendment a courtconsiders the "totality of all of the circumstances~boththe characteristics of the accused and the details of theinterrogation" to determine "whether a defendant’s willwas overborne." Diekerson, 530 U.S. at 434 (quotingBustarnonte, 412 U.S. at 226). That same standardapplies to statements of juveniles, Fare v. Michael C.,442 U.S. 707, 725 (1979), with the caveat that"admissions and confessions of juveniles requirespecial caution." In re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 45 (1967).Additionally, this Court has held that "coercive policeactivity is a predicate to finding that a confession is not’voluntary’ within the meaning of the Due ProcessClause of the Fourteenth Amendment." Colorado y.Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167 (1986).

Although this Court has not held that "compliancewith Miranda conclusively establishes thevoluntariness of a subsequent confession," it has notedthat "cases in which a defendant can make a colorable

2 The Court often refers to "confessions" rather than "statements"but the standard remains the same. In this case, there was no"confession," only largely self-exculpatory statements.

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argument that a self-incriminating statement was’compelled’ despite the fact that the law enforcementauthorities adhered to the dictates of Miranda arerare." Berkemor v. MeCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 433 n.20(1984); see also Diekerson, 530 U.S. at 444. Morerecently, a plurality of this Court wrote, "giving the[Miranda] warnings and getting a waiver has generallyproduced a virtual ticket of admissibility; maintainingthat a statement is involuntary even though givenafter warnings and voluntary waiver of rights requiresunusual stamina, and litigation over voluntarinesstends to end with the finding of a valid waiver."Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600, 608-09 (2004)(plurality opinion). When juxtaposed with theAEDPA’s highly deferential standard of review, it isexceedingly difficult for a federal court to logicallyconclude that a state court’s finding of voluntariness ofMiranda-compliant statements is objectivelyunreasonable.

2. The A~’zona Court of Appeals" Determinationthat Doody’s Statements were Voluntary was notUnreasonable.

In addressing Doody’s voluntariness claim, theArizona Court of Appeals stated that confessions arepresumed involuntary, and that the State mustestablish that the defendant confessed "voluntarily andfreely". (Pet. App. C at 7.) It noted that, in assessingthe issues, it looked to the totality of the circumstancesand determines if the defendant’s will was overborne.(Id.) It further stated that, with respect to juvenileconfessions, the "greatest care must be taken to insurethat the admission was voluntary." (Id. at 8, quoting

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State v. Jimenez, 799 P.2d 785, 790 (1990)).

The court rejected Doody’s claim that the merelength of the interrogation required a finding that hisstatements were involuntary: "Other factors indicatethat, despite the length of the interrogation, Doodyconfessed voluntarily." (Id. at 9.) It noted that Doodyacknowledged, 2½ hours into the interrogation, that hehad borrowed Caratachea’s rifle. (Id. at 10.) It foundthat he admitted involvement in the Temple robberyabout 6½ hours into the interrogation. (Id.) It foundthat the remainder of the time was devoted to Doodyrelating what he claimed happened, and discussing anypossible involvement of the "Tucson Four." (Id.)

The court found that the tone of the interrogationwas not coercive, but rather was in "a courteous,almost pleading style of questioning during most of theinterview." (Id.) It noted that the officers testified thatDoody remained alert and responsive throughout. (Id.)It found, "Our review of the audio tapes confirms theofficers’ testimony." (Id.) The appellate court notedthat, because Doody did not testify at the suppressionhearing, there was "no basis for assuming that hewould have contradicted the officers’ testimony." (Id.)The court found no evidence, even in the record of thetrial, that called into question Doody’s alertness. (Id.)It noted the officers’ offer of food, drink and restroomprivileges. (Id.)

The court then found that Doody had been asked ifhe wanted a parent present, and agreed to speak toofficers without a parent. (Id. at 11.) It found that, inlight of Doody’s age and consent, the absence of a

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parent did not make his statements involuntary. (Id.)

The court then, at some length, rejected Doody’sargument that there had been any sort of improperpromise upon which Doody had relied. (Id. at 12-13.)It specifically found that the "variety of approaches"and "tactics" the police used in interviewing Doody didnot "overcome Doody’s will." (Id. at 13-14.)

Additionally, as previously discussed, the court ofappeals also found that "the officers advised Doody ofhis Miranda rights in a clear and understandablemanner and that Doody made a knowing andintelligent waiver," including waiving the right to thepresence of a parent. (Id. at 17-18.)3

In an attempt to undermine the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ eminently reasonable determination thatDoody’s statements were voluntary, the en banemajority redetermined the credibility of the lawenforcement officers that testified at the suppressionhearing, drew inferences adverse to the state courts’findings, parsed the state court record and viewed itthrough a Doody-colored prism, and seized upon threealleged "unreasonable determination" of "facts"mentioned by the Arizona Court of Appeals in itsvoluntariness analysis. (Pet. App. A at 50-58.) Aspointed out by the dissent, "In light of the Arizona

3 Additionally, the state trial judge, who heard the witnessestestify during the course of the 12"day hearing and listened to thetape recordings of the interview, carefully considered the totalityof the circumstances and found that Doody’s statements werevoluntary. (Pet. App. D at 2-5.)

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courts’ extensive findings and careful application offederal law, the best the majority can do is tomischaracterize the state court findings and re-evaluate the record." (_Id. at 125.)

At bottom, the majority hangs its hat on the alleged"unreasonable determination" of what it claims arethree "pivotal facts": (1) that the audio tapes of theinterrogation confirmed the officers’ testimony at thesuppression hearing that Doody "remained alert andresponsive throughout the interrogation and did notappear overtired or distraught"; (2) "the audio tapesreveal a courteous, almost pleading style of questioningduring most of the interview"; and (3) "Doody admittedhe had borrowed Caratchea’s rifle at the time of thetemple murders after approximately two and one-halfhours of questioning." (Id. at 51, 54, 56.) Though these"facts" are not of significant consequence to the ArizonaCourt of Appeals’ overall determination ofvoluntariness, (and certainly not "pivotal"), the en bancmajority mischaracterizes the record and the substanceof the Arizona Court of Appeals’ recitation of those"facts."

As the dissent noted, contrary to the majority’sparsed recitation of portions of the audio tapes, theArizona Court of Appeals’ finding regarding Doody’sdemeanor during the interview is amp].vsupported bythe tapes:

The majority wants to interpret Doody’sfailure to answer certain questions as"unresponsive." The Arizona Court of Appealsobviously viewed his failure to immediately

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answer in a more sinister light; Doody couldhave been thinking up a tale explaining hisadmission that he was at the murder scene in anon-incriminatory fashion. Doody ultimatelystated that he was at the temple but outsidewhen the murders occurred.

The finding that he was "alert andresponsive" was not unreasonable, even in lightof Doody’s silence, for there is more to alertnessthan perpetual chatter. Doody could certainlyhave been pondering the consequences oftruthfully answering the detectives’ questions.Of course, silence may be indicative ofinattention or unresponsiveness, but visualclues and physical demeanor must also beconsidered.

(Id. at 125-26.) That is precisely what happened inthis case. Doody tried to throw the officers off his trackwith seeming cooperation and guile. When that wasnot working, the wheels in his head began to spinwhile he conjured up a story that distanced him fromthe robberies and murders. Eventually, he came upwith the ridiculous story he told the officers. Ofcourse, because the on bane majority opted to view therecord in a light most favorable to Doody, it simplyignored this probability.

Next, the majority rejects the Arizona Court ofAppeals’ statements that "the audio tapes reveal acourteous, almost pleading style of questioning duringmost of the interview." (Id. at 54.) Again, the majoritymischaracterizes the record, ignoring the qualifier

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"most" in concluding that the officers were "far fromcourteous":

The majority next deems unreasonable thefinding that "the audio tapes reveal a courteous,almost pleading style of questioning during mostof the interview." Doody, 930 P.2d at 446;Opinion at 2994. The majority reviews thetapes and scolds that the officers’ tones were"far from pleasant." This was no tea party. Thestate court did not treat it like one. The officerswere unquestionably persistent in seeking, andsometimes demanding, information. That iswhat we pay them to do. But it is entirelyaccurate to say the officers were "courteous,almost pleading" for "most of the interview"(emphasis added). Finding a courteous tone formost of the interview does not conflict with thefact that the officers were sometimes sarcastic,demeaning, and unpleasant.

(Id. at 127.) Again, rather than deferring onreasonable inferences to be drawn from the record, theen bane majority simply construed the audio tapes andthe state courts’ statements in a light most favorable toDoody.

Finally, the majority takes the court of appeals’statement that Doody admitted that he borrowedCaratchea’s rifle "at the time of the temple murders"after 2½ hours of questioning out of context andmischaracterizes its significance. (Id. at 56.) Themajority equates Doody’s admission that he borrowedthe rifle with an admission of "involvement" in the

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crimes. (Id.) The Arizona Court of Appeals, however,drew a distinction between Doody’s mere admissionthat he had borrowed the rifle and his subsequentadmission that he was present during the robberiesand murders:

Although the entire interrogation lastedapproximately thirteen hours, Doody admittedhe had borrowed Caratachea’s rifle at the timeof the temple murders after approximately twoand one-half hours of questioning. Doodyadmitted he had participated in the templerobbery after approximately six and one-halfhours of questioning, and his description of theevents at the temple spanned nearly two hours.During the remaining hours, the detectivesreviewed Doody’s testimony and probed for aconnection to the Tucson Four.

(Pet. App. C at 9-10, emphasis added.)

Thus, the Arizona Court of Appeals recognized thatDoody did not admit any "involvement" in the crimesuntil 6½ hours into the interview. Moreover, thesignificance of Doody’s admission that he "borrowed"the rifle was that he had spent 2 hours adamantlydenying that he ever borrowed it, not whether heborrowed it a month or so before the crimes werecommitted or on the day they were committed. Again,the majority’s parsing of the record andmischaracterization of the Arizona Court of Appeals’statements evidence the lengths to which it went toundermine the state courts’ determinations:

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Indefatigable in its mischaracterization ofthe state court’s findings, the majority nextclaims that, "contrary to the findings of theArizona Court of Appeals, Doody decidedly didnot admit to involvement in the temple murdersafter two and one-half hours of questioning."Opinion at 2996. The Court of Appeals did notsay Doody "admitted to involvement" after twoand one-half hours. It said, "Doody admitted hehad borrowed Caratachea’s rifle at the time ofthe temple murders." Dood~v, 930 P.2d at 446.This is a reasonable finding of fact. Doody saidhe borrowed the rifle "close to the end of June."The murders occurred in August. Consideringthe Court of Appeals reviewed the case roughlyfive years later, "at the time" reasonablydescribes the time frame. It is disingenuous tore-write the state court’s findings in orderto declare them "patently unreasonable."Opinion at 2996. Although not conclusive, theinculpatory admission that he possessed themurder weapon before the temple invasionprovided a strong basis for the officers to believeDoody had some involvement in the robbery andmurders.

(Pet. App. A at 128-29.)

Having nit-picked through the voluminous statecourt record and the Arizona Court of Appeals’ well-reasoned opinion, the en bane majority culled snippetsout of context, redetermined the credibility of the lawenforcement officers, and drew inferences adverse tothose drawn by the state courts. Such a practice flies

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in the face of the provisions of the AEDPA and theunderlying principles of federalism and comity.However, even accepting the majority’s biased view ofthe record, it still fails to demonstrate that the statecourts’ resolution of the voluntariness issue wasobjectively unreasonable:

The majority spins a good yarn, but the statecourt also told a good story. Even federal judgescan’t read Doody’s mind or travel back in time.And, as the Supreme Court has told us, "Themore general the rule, the more leeway courtshave in reaching outcomes." Yarborough v.Alvarado, 541 U.S. 635, 664 (2004). This isprecisely the kind of debatable application of a"general standard" where finality and respectfor the independent judgment of the state courtscounsels the highest deference on federal habeasreview. Soo Knowles v. Mirzayaneo, 129 S. Ct.1411, 1420 (2009). I would therefore let standthe state court’s finding that the confession wasvoluntary.

(Id. at 81-82, Kozinski, C.J., concurring.)

The en bane majority clearly failed to follow thisCourt’s repeated admonition that federal courts(particularly the Ninth Circuit) abide by the provisionsof the AEDPA and accord state court legal and factualdeterminations the deference they are due.

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CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above, Petitioner requeststhat this Court grant certiorari and reverse thedecision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Respectfully submitted

TERRY GODDARDAttorney General

MARY R. O’GRADYSolicitor General

KENT E. CATTANIChief CounselCriminal Appeals/Capital Litigation Section

JOSEPH T. MAZ]ARZ(Attorney of Record)Assistant Attorney GeneralCriminal Appeals/Capital Litigation Section1275 W. WashingtonPhoenix, Arizona 85007-

2997Telephone: (602) 542-4686

742924

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APPENDICES