A Superior Court judge has thrown out an alleged confession by the man accused of killing Manchester Police officer Michael Briggs.
NHPR's Manchester Correspondnent Ellen Grimm has more.
Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire says Michael Addison's alleged confession is inadmissible at his capital murder trial because detectives continued to question Addison after he sought a lawyer.
According to the transcript of their 2006 exchange at a Boston police station, when Addison read out loud his right to have a lawyer, he said, "I would like that, though."
Addison added, "A lawyer. That's just what I was told."
But Manchester detectives didn't grant that request, and said they were confused. Judge McGuire ruled if that was the case, they should have clarified.
Mike Iacopino is president of the state Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers:
"The state constitution has been interpreted very clearly to require that if a defendant, a person under arrest, even mentions that he would like to have a lawyer, the presumption is that is an invocation of the right to have a lawyer."
Judge McGuire declined to suppress other statements made by Addison on that day.
Prosecutors could appeal McGuire's ruling to the State Supreme Court.
For NHPR News, I'm Ellen Grimm.
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Update 7/24: Attorney General Kelly Ayotte has announced her office will not appeal the ruling.
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