Reed v. People

Reed claims that he did not make the statement that was admitted into evidence and alleges that he was under the influence of narcotic drugs at the time he was questioned by Detective Villano. At the trial, however, Detective Villano denied Reeds allegation and testified as to the manner in which the statement was taken and to the presence of a court reporter during the taking of the statement. A hearing that fully complied with the constitutional standards of Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964), was held outside of the presence of the jury to determine the voluntariness of the confession, and the trial court made a finding that the confession was voluntary. In Whitman v. People, 170 Colo. 189, 460 P.2d 767 (1969), we directed that the trial court make an affirmative finding that a confession was voluntary at the conclusion of the Jackson v. Denno hearing. See Compton v. People, 166 Colo. 419, 444 P.2d 263 (1968).