People v. Johnson

Statement of the Case

The record in this robbery and murder case is a saddening chronicle of multiple human tragedies resulting from the commission of criminal acts of almost unbelievable cruelty. Two elderly people died and four others suffered serious injuries as the result of the senseless and brutal beatings inflicted upon them by Lloyd Johnson, the appellant herein, and by his two partners in crime named Anderson and Dennis.

There is no question of guilt in this case. The only question presented is whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence of appellant’s incriminating statements which amounted in effect to a confession. Appellant argues that his confession was inadmissible because it was the product of impermissible police interrogation renewed after he had invoked his right to counsel. We have concluded that the evidence supports the trial court’s finding that,appellant’s incriminating statements were freely volunteered and were not the result of either physical or psychological pressure, coercion, duress or undue influence. It follows that the judgment convicting appellant of first degree murder and of first degree robbery entered upon the verdict of…