Why interrogation confessions don't mean much.

[Joejojoba111]

...Because the confessee might have signed it with a gun to his head. Literally.
http://www.texas-justice.com/txmthly/underthegun.htm

"The star detective would admit to withholding the truth about key evidence. A grand juror would call for hearings into whether the district attorney was unfairly rushing the defendants through the grand jury process. A report would reveal that none of the suspects' DNA was found at the scene; indeed, there was not an atom of physical evidence or a single witness that could tie these suspects to the crime. An extraordinary photograph of Detective Merrill holding a gun to Scott's head would show up on the Internet - an image that had come from the APD's own camera during the interrogation that eventually produced the case's most important confession."

What has changed? Now days they take care to make sure video camera footage doesn't get on the internet. How many people actually die in interrogation?

 

[Preacherman]

Read the "About Us" section of that Web site. It's a pressure group formed by the families of the accused young men. It is not, repeat, NOT, an unbiased, neutral, reliable source of information from an independent source.

So why are you posting it as fact???

 

[Pilgrim]

How many people actually die in interrogation?

I suppose a check of the dumpsters behind the police station will give you a good idea.

Pilgrim

 

[Joejojoba111]

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-06-15/pols_feature2.html

I'm posting it because it scares the crap oughtta me, and the way to stop it being scary is to understand it. This article purports to have both sides of the story, the first quote is the bad one, and the second quote is the good guy. Sounds a lot like Afghanistan interrogations, the mock execution stuff.

"Again, prosecutors will lack any physical evidence tying Scott to the crime, and will rely on Scott's confession, obtained after 18 hours of interrogation over four days in September 1999. And again, likely to arise are questions about police coercion. A notorious still photo taken from Scott's confession -- widely reproduced in the media -- shows APD Detective Robert Merrill standing behind Scott, apparently holding a gun to the back of his head."


"Merrill has also said that while he did have a gun in the interrogation room, which Scott had seen, he never held it directly up to Scott's head, but only placed his fingers up to the back of Scott's head while holding his gun down at his side."

 

[AZRickD]

Stinks to High Heaven. And likely more common in PD stations across the country than many here would care to admit.

Rick

 

[kbr80]

Interesting. IF this DID happen, There should be a backlash towards the officer, department the likes that have never been seen before.