Title: Miranda v. Arizona...The Story Behind the Opinion | Miami Crime Lawyer
Headings: Miranda v. Arizona...The Story Behind the Opinion
Miranda v. Arizona...The Story Behind the Opinion
Content: You have the right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you" ... The reality is that those cherished rights are not exactly what you may think. Moreover, the history behind how they came to be and how those rights ultimately affected Mr. Miranda, may intrigue you. The Landmark Miranda Decision
On March 13, 1963, Ernesto Miranda, was taken into custody after police suspected him of stealing eight dollars from a Phoenix, Arizona bank employee. During several hours of police questioning, Miranda confessed to his involvement in the theft. Without ever being offered an attorney, Miranda also ended up revealing to law enforcement that about a week and a half earlier, he had brutally kidnapped and raped an 18 year old woman. Shortly thereafter, the Arizona resident was convicted after a jury trial and sentenced to twenty years in prison. The jurors based their verdict primarily upon Miranda's confession. Miranda's appellate attorneys moved to set aside his guilty verdict asserting that police never advised Miranda that he did not have to answer law enforcement officers' questions. Influenced by Mapp v. Ohio (1961) and Escobedo v. Illinois (1964), the highest court in the land, in a 5-4 decision, agreed with Miranda's attorneys, reversing the rape conviction. The court established what has now become the famous, "Miranda Rights."