State v. Thompson

The police officer murder defendant subjectively believed that he would lose his job, if he did not cooperate with the investigators from the Major Felony Unit and Internal Affairs.

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Torrey Thompson, a police officer, was indicted for the murder of Lorenzo Matthews. Thompson moved to suppress statements he made in the course of an internal police investigation. See generally Garrity v. New Jersey , 385 U. S. 493 87 SC 616, 17 LE2d 562 1967 the protection against coerced confessions under the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the use in subsequent criminal proceedings of confessions obtained from public officers under a threat of removal from office. He also sought immunity from prosecution under OCGA § 16-3-24.2. The trial court granted Thompson’s motion to suppress but denied his motion for immunity. The State appeals from the grant of Thompson’s motion to suppress; Thompson cross-appeals from the denial of his motion for immunity. We find no error and affirm. At approximately 3:15 a.m. on September 12, 2006, the DeKalb County Police Department DKPD received a 911 call reporting a stolen motor vehicle from an apartment complex. Officer R.L. Knock, Sergeant Berg, and Officer Torrey Thompson, among others, were called to the scene. Police interviewed the complainant, Earl McCord, who stated that his car, a Monte Carlo, had been stolen from outside his apartment. Police then interviewed Ms. Mullins, another resident of the apartment complex, who told police that the car had not been stolen, but had been involved in a hit-and-run car accident involving the Monte Carlo and her car, and that the drivers and passengers of the Monte Carlo were friends and relatives of McCord. Ms. Mullins directed police to apartments 38 and 40, and told them Lorenzo Matthews, who was involved in the hit-and-run incident, lived there.

Officer Nunn, another policeman on the scene, recognized Matthews’ name and alerted his colleagues to the fact that Matthews was wanted for questioning regarding a shooting incident in a nearby apartment complex, as well as for assaulting a police officer. Mullins added that Matthews was known to be armed.

State v. Thompson

The police officer murder defendant subjectively believed that he would lose his job, if he did not cooperate with the investigators from the Major Felony Unit and Internal Affairs.

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