Suspect Confesses to Murder He Didn't Commit

[ECH1969]

Roberto Rocha, a 20-year-old landscaper and the son of a minister, became a suspect in the crime. Rocha was a schoolmate of Hamlin's, and it seemed he had some kind of relationship with the young girl — his number was found in her cell phone's speed dial.

During the questioning, police accused Rocha of killing Hamlin, which he vehemently denied — at first. But a rare look inside the interrogation room shows how suspects can become confused, frightened and disoriented, and sometimes confess to things they didn't do. "I didn't kill nobody, man. What are you talking about?" Rocha said during the police interrogation.

The police changed tactics and began to threaten Rocha. "You better start telling the truth, or I'm going to lock your damn ass up!" said a policeman. "You don't know what we know. You think we just picked you out of the blue? Now start telling the truth!"

The police continued to challenge Rocha, acting as if his presence at the crime scene was fact. After more than two hours, Rocha said he became confused and exhausted. He and his attorney said that police told Rocha if he went along with them, he could go home.

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/LegalCenter/story?id=1779251&page=1

[pitohui]

1. a death in canaan

everything old is new again, i guess, actually i suppose police have never stopped using these techniques which have the unintended effect of causing disoriented people to confess to crimes they could not have committed

i bet there are lots of these that we never hear abt

[Mikimouse]

3. I am not convinced that the effects are...

unintended. But then again, I have a grave mistrust of the agents of social control.

[pitohui]

6. in some cases they are probably intentional

to be honest i too suspect there are times when cops just want to clear a case and don't much care if they get the right guy, they just want to get some guy

[0007]

9. And usually it is a person with a low I.Q. or a person that

has mental problems that are first class candidates to be convicted.

[LostinVA]

11. I don't either -- I think they know exactly what they're doing

It's the modern-day form of the Third Degree... just as effective...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. I was introduced to these tactics at the age of 18

My first real job, a retail drugstore. Money came up missing and I was interogated for 2 hours in the storeroom by an ex-cop. By the end, he almost had me believing I had taken it, and did not remember.

almost.

I was a mess for weeks after.

[pitohui]

5. that's what happened in the "canaan" case

at one point he believed he had done it and just did not remember, the cops used a lot of psycho-babble on him apparently

it is scary sometimes how easily we can be hypnotized into believing what is not so

[superconnected]

4. reminds me of a few incidents

A friend of mine worked at a large corporate stereo store in the late 80's, and some stereos got stolen. The corporation brought in these cops to talk to the guys working there. All of them had to go into a room with this blue eyed interrogator that somehow calmed them and got them to just dump everything they knew - by miming their body positon, speaking tone, etc. My friend said he didn't steal the stereo but if the guy would have told him he did, he would have believed him. That's how mind altering of an event it was for him. It still scares him.

It also reminds me of when I was in track in HS and went up to the coach to quit the track team. I don't remember what he said to me, but I was agreeing with him and agreed to stay the whole season. I walked away in awe that somehow I had been minipulated into it, and I really didn't want to be on the team, and I really don't know how he did it.

And it reminds me of a story in the book Reminiscense of a stock operator, where Lefever had an encyclopedia sales man walked into his office, and the guy could minipulate people into buying $500 worth of encyclopedias they didn't want. And they wouldn't realize what happened until they had written the check and he left.

So yeah, I could see this happening.

[LisaL]

12. One boy in my high school was accused of being a serial rapist.

He confessed too, even though he did not do it. They finally got the real rapist, but if they didn't, he probably would still be in prison.

[Nickster]

15. Sounds like you're talking about NLP. Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Very interesting subject. Good sales people use this alot.

[TrogL]

7. Welcome to the Reid technique

Been there done that.

My wife was in a single occupant car accident. I was hope asleep at the time. Police would not let me leave an impromptu interrogation room set up at the hospital until I basically confessed to killing her.

:shrug:

[pitohui]

8. how awful

:hug:

[PetraPooh]

10. What I don't get . . . everyone should know by NOW that police

are allowed to LIE during interrogations; so why do folks keep falling for this stuff? Now, I have to say that if WE are supposed to be truthful when interrogated, they shoud have to be too. But it is clear that they aren't and haven't been for years (probably decades), so how come folks give in? As mentioned above, I guess it is usually ignorant, or mentally slow, or youthful individuals; but not always.

[LisaL]

14. You haven't been interrogated, have you?

They really put a lot of pressure on you. They know how to do it too.

[cleofus1]

13. if you ever get picked up for a crime

and you really want to fuck with the man...

don't say shit...keep asking for a lawyer...and keep repeating...

i'm not saying a damn thing till you get me a lawyer...