United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Reck v. Pate, 367 U.S. 433 (1961)

Reck v. Pate

No. 181

Argued April 19, 1961

Decided June 12, 1961

367 U.S. 433

Syllabus

Petitioner, then a mentally retarded 19-year-old youth with no criminal record, was arrested in 1936 on suspicion of stealing bicycles. After being held virtually incommunicado and interrogated by groups of police officers for nearly four days while sick and faint, inadequately fed, without a hearing, and without the advice of counsel, family or friends, he confessed to participation in a murder. At his trial in an Illinois State Court for murder, his two written confessions were admitted in evidence over his timely objection, and he was convicted and sentenced to prison for 199 years.

Held: on the record in this case, petitioner's confessions were coerced, and the State violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by using them as evidence in his trial. Pp. 367 U. S. 433-444.

274 F.2d 250, judgment vacated and case remanded.