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Pamela Powers Obligation To Des Moines

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On December 24, 1968, a 10-year-old girl named Pamela Powers went missing in Des Moines, Iowa. Henry Williams, who had recently escaped a mental hospital, was seen carrying a “large bundle wrapped in a blanket” into his car. Without anyone being able to see what was in the bundle he drove 160 miles east of Des Moines where he abandoned his car. Henry Williams called a lawyer named Henry McKnight, who then informed officers that Williams was going to turn himself in. From the Des Moines Police station McKnight called Williams to inform him that two Des Moines Police officers will be driving to his location to pick him up. McKnight assured Williams that these officers would not question him about Pamela Powers until he got to Des Moines. …show more content…

During the car ride to Des Moines, Henry Williams stated multiple times, "when I get to Des Moines and see Mr. McKnight, I am going to tell you the whole story." One of the police officers knew that Williams was a very religious person. The police officer used this information to try and get Williams to locate the body of Pamela Powers. The police officer said to Williams “…that the parents of this little girl should be entitled to a Christian burial …And I feel we should stop and locate it on the way in, rather than waiting until morning and trying to come back out after a snow storm, and possibly not being able to find it at all.” When the car was about 20 miles away from Des Moines, Henry Williams directed the officers towards the body of Pamela Powers. Williams was indicted for first-degree …show more content…

The author of the opinion was Justice Stewart. Agreeing with Justice Stewart was Justice Marshall, Powell, and Stevens. The main reason the court found the way it did was because it was clear that the detectives tried to obtain self-incriminating information from Williams without his attorney present. The detectives in the car were very aware of Williams’s constitutional rights but still attempted to get as much information from Williams before he could see his lawyer in Des Moines. The detectives were also told before hand that they were not to question Williams about Pamela Powers until Williams was able to meet with his lawyer. The detectives had an agreement with McKnight that they did not follow through on. Williams went through the trouble of contacting a lawyer and taking his advice to stay silent. This establishes his right to assistance of a counsel and once this is established the state cannot properly interrogate Williams without his lawyer unless Williams voluntarily waives his right, which he did not do. This is why the Supreme Court decided to suppress all evidence that was found from the car ride to Des

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