State v. Crockett

The State of Louisiana (plaintiff) charged Anthony Crockett (defendant) with the armed robbery of Harmon Wright. After Crockett’s arrest, Crockett waived his Miranda rights and gave a statement to the police about the robbery. On July 17, 2003, the day that Crockett’s trial was scheduled to begin, Crockett told his lawyer that he had additional information that he wanted to share with the district attorney’s office and the police about the robbery. The prosecutor told the court on the record that there were no plea deals in progress and that the state planned to prosecute Crockett for the charged crime. The prosecutor further stated that she understood that Crockett was waiving his rights against self-incrimination and would be giving a statement to police, and she agreed to a continuance of the trial so that Crockett’s information could be investigated. The trial court and Crockett’s lawyer both indicated their understanding that there were no plea deals being offered to Crockett, and the trial court postponed the trial for five days. A detective then came to the courthouse and took Crockett’s statement. On Crockett’s new trial date, Crockett moved to suppress his July 17 statement to the detective, arguing that the statement was hearsay and had been made as part of plea negotiations. The trial court denied the motion to suppress and allowed the state to use the statement at trial. The jury found Crockett guilty, and he appealed to the Louisiana Court of Appeal.