United States v. Brown

Justia.com Opinion Summary: Officers stopped to investigate a gathering in front of a house. They saw defendant flee from the scene with a handgun in his waistband. After a chase, they arrested defendant and placed him in the back of a squad car. An officer read the Miranda rights; asked if he understood those rights, defendant bobbed his head and made a sighing sound. In response to questions, defendant indicated that he had a gun due to a "murder hit" put on his head, that he did not want to go back to jail and that he would like to strike a deal. At the station, defendant was again informed of his rights under Miranda and responded "Yeah" when asked if he understood and again when asked if he wanted to continue speaking. The Seventh Circuit affirmed conviction for illegal possession of a firearm, stating that defendant's attempts to negotiate a deal and his selective answering of questions are evidence that he understood his rights and voluntarily waived them

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