California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from The PEOPLE V. WILLIAMS, No. A 579310-01, S029490 (Cal. 2010):
Defendant nonetheless urges that the officers coerced his statements when, during the first interview, they threatened he would suffer the death penalty unless he cooperated with them. "Of course, '[a] [c]onfession induced by the threats of prosecution for a capital crime [has] been held inadmissible.' " (People v. Avena (1996) 13 Cal.4th 394, 420.) As defendant claims, and as demonstrated by the
Page 42
italicized language, ante, at pages 34-36, there were several references to the death penalty during the first interrogation.
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.