United States Seventh Circuit
Collins v. Gaetz, 09-2212
District court's denial of defendant's request for habeas relief from a conviction for first-degree murder of his girlfriend is affirmed where: 1) a state's court's finding that defendant validly waived his Miranda rights was not contrary to or unreasonable application of federal law; 2) the Supreme Court never held that police can render a waiver of Miranda rights involuntarily simply by failing to take "special care" that a suspect with a mental disability understands his rights; 3) although defendant produced significant evidence of his limited mental capacity at the time his gave his statement, state courts were not unreasonable in determining that defendant understood to the requisite degree both the Miranda warnings and the consequences of waiving his rights.
Appellate Information
- Argued 01/14/2010
- Decided 07/13/2010
- Published 07/13/2010
Judges
Court
- United States Seventh Circuit