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Mincey v. Arizona
Supreme Court of the United States (1978) | 57 L. Ed. 2d 290; 98 S. Ct. 2408; 437 U.S. 385; 1978 U.S. LEXIS 115
TL;DR: Police conducted a four-day warrantless search of an apartment after a fatal shooting. The Supreme Court rejected a “murder scene exception” to the Fourth Amendment and also found that statements made by the wounded suspect from his ICU bed were involuntary and inadmissible.
Legal Significance: This case establishes that the seriousness of a crime, such as homicide, does not create a categorical exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement. It also affirms that involuntary statements, determined by the totality of the circumstances, are inadmissible for any purpose, including impeachment.
