Maryland case law › HENN AND JOHNSON v. State

HENN AND JOHNSON v. State

236 Md. 615 (1964) · Court of Appeals of Maryland
Court of Appeals of MarylandDisposition: Affirmed✓ Good law
HoldingHenn and Johnson were convicted of attempted robbery and appealed, raising three contentions: (1) their confessions were inadmissible, (2) the evidence was insufficient, and (3) counsel was inadequate.

Per Curiam. These appellants, convicted of attempted robbery, contend that their confessions were inadmissible, the evidence was insufficient, and counsel was inadequate. We find no merit in any of these contentions. The State met its burden of proving voluntariness, and there was independent proof, through circumstantial evidence, of the corpus delicti.

See Veney v. State, 225 Md. 237 . We distinguish Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U.S. 478 , 616 on the ground that neither Henn nor Johnson requested counsel or were denied an opportunity to consult counsel prior to their brief interrogation. Johnson’s claim that he was entitled to a preliminary hearing is without merit. See Shorey v. State, 227 Md. 385.

The fact that counsel had not been appointed at the first arraignment is immaterial. No plea was taken, and there was a subsequent arraignment at a later date after the appointment of counsel. Judgments affirmed.