Bowie Teen: Police Forced Confession After 51-Hour Interrogation

July 22, 2004 Tron Nick

MD: Police Deliberately Obstructed Suspect's Rights, Court of Appeals Rules-

Bowie Teen Says Police Forced Confession After 51-Hour Interrogation --Lawyer Not Present

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals recently reversed a court ruling that found a Bowie teenager guilty of a double homicide, arguing that county police obstructed the suspect's rights, when detectives elicited a confession by interrogating the suspect for 51-hours, without a lawyer present, and held the teen past a 24-hour limit set by state law. Robert Angel Perez, Jr., the teenager charged with the murders, was in county police custody well over the legal time allowed without being granted his legal right to presentment, according to court documents. Perez was in an interrogation room for three dayswithout a lawyerwhile county detectives questioned him about the murders.[ more]