Shaun Kareem Burney v. Mario Ramirez, Acting Warden

Where an accused's "will has been overborne" by circumstances of the interrogation, a confession is deemed involuntarily given. Schnechloth v. Bustamante, 412 U.S. 218, 225-26 (1973). In determining the voluntariness of a confession, courts examine the totality of the circumstances to determine if an accused's due process rights are violated, including the characteristics of the accused being interrogated and the interrogation techniques used by police. Withrow v. Williams, 507 U.S. 680, 689, 693 (1993). When law enforcement officers, investigating a potentially capital murder charge, conduct a lengthy and high-pressure interrogation of an 18- year-old with the mentality of a 15-year-old, who sobs, asks for his mother, and changes his story repeatedly, can a resulting confession be deemed voluntary and reliable under the totality of the circumstances?