Placing a Suspect In a Room Which Contained Evidence Relating to a Murder

In McWatters v. State, 36 So. 3d 613, 35 Fla. L. Weekly S 169 (Fla. Mar. 18, 2010), the police read the suspect his Miranda rights in conjunction with questioning for an offense unrelated to the murder and sexual battery case. McWatters was not questioned after the warnings were given but was instead taken to the police station and placed in a room which contained evidence relating to the murder case. He was later told that he had been taken to the wrong room; he was then paraded through the police station past witnesses related to the murder case. Although we found that the defendant knowingly waived his rights, it was of concern that the police used this technique, especially given the fact that the officer admitted that the ruse was being used to keep McWatters from invoking his rights.