Opinion

Ajabu v. State

  • 693 N.E.2d 921
  • 1998 Ind. LEXIS 19
  • 1998 WL 97849
Court
Indiana Supreme Court
Filed
Mar 6, 1998
Status
Published
Author
Selby
On the bench
Boehm, Shepard, Dickson, Sullivan, Selby
Cited by
91 cases

finding scrivener’s error where the trial court wrongly labeled subsection of statute it used to enhance the defendant’s sentence

How later courts described this case

  • finding scrivener’s error where the trial court wrongly labeled subsection of statute it used to enhance the defendant’s sentence
  • finding a sentence of life without parole is subject to the same statutory standards and requirements as the death penalty
  • ''The federal right to counsel as protected by the Sixth Amendment, so as to ensure a fair trial after charges are filed is not implicated here because Ajabu had not been charged or arraigned at the time of the alleged constitutional deprivation."
  • considering the contemporary plain meaning of “compel” to interpret the Self-incrimination Clause of the Indiana Constitution

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

SELBY, Justice,

concurring with separate opinion.

I agree with the majority; however, I write separately to address the actions of the police and prosecutors in this case. This case does not involve a personal appearance by the lawyer at the stationhouse or a request to speak with the suspect. The Court’s holding today should not be understood to apply to those circumstances, which might present different considerations depending on the factual context or constitutional provision at issue, as the Court’s footnote 5 implies. While it may be true that the law enforcement officials did not act in a manner egregious enough to constitute a violation of defendant’s constitutional rights under Bur-bine, we should not condone such conduct.

DICKSON, J., concurs.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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