State v. Krajger

In State v. Krajger, 182 Conn. 497, 438 A.2d 745 (1980) the Court held that the action of a police officer constituted custodial interrogation for Miranda purposes when the officer held up a jacket in front of the defendant's cell and stated, "Bella, this is your jacket. You left it here last time you were here when you ran out of the building." Id., 499 and n.2. The defendant responded, "Yes, that's my jacket." Id., 499. The court further stated that "although the query was not posed in the form of a question, it clearly was interrogation in that the police conduct was reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response." Id., 499 n.2. This questioning took place approximately five or ten minutes before the defendant was informed of his rights and interrogated. State v. Krajger, supra, 182 Conn. 499. The jacket had actually been found outside a murder victim's home. Id. During the subsequent interrogation, the defendant denied ownership of the jacket. Id., 499-500. During the trial, however, the state introduced the officer's testimony that the defendant had admitted ownership of the jacket. Id., 500.