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Criminal Procedure Keyed to Ohlin
Brewer v. Williams
Citation:
430 U.S. 387 (1977)Facts
On December 24, 1968, a 10-year-old girl named Pamela Powers went with her family to the YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa, to watch a wrestling tournament. When she failed to return from a trip to the washroom, a search for her began. The search was unsuccessful. Robert Williams, who had recently escaped from a mental hospital, was a resident of the YMCA. Soon after the girl’s disappearance Williams was seen in the YMCA lobby carrying some clothing and a large bundle wrapped in a blanket. Two detectives met with Williams and Kelly, who, they understood, was acting as Williams’ lawyer. The detectives repeated the Miranda warnings and drove to the place where they suspected that Pamela’s body was buried. At no time during the trip did Williams express a willingness to be interrogated in the absence of an attorney. Instead, he stated several times that “when I get to Des Moines and see Mr. McKnight, I am going to tell you the whole story.” When the detectives could not find the trace of Pamela, Williams directed the officers to places where he had left his shoes and disposed of the blanket. Nothing was found. He then directed the police to the body of Pamela Powers.
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