A criminal suspect told police "give me a lawyer dog." However, police did not provide him with a Lawyer Dog before questioning him. The suspect has since said his request was for a lawyer and "dog" was merely a form of address to the person to whom he was speaking. However, the court ruled that he was, in fact, asking for a dog licensed to practice law and the police were correct to decline the request as defendants have no right to confer with dog attorneys before questioning, only human attorneys.
A Harvey man's contention that he was denied his constitutional right to an attorney when New Orleans police ignored his request for a "lawyer dog" two years ago was rejected by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Justices voted 6-1 last week to deny the writ application of Warren Demesme, who awaits trial in Orleans Parish on charges of first-degree rape and indecent behavior with a juvenile under 13.
"In my view, the defendant's ambiguous and equivocal reference to a 'lawyer dog' does not constitute an invocation of counsel that warrants termination of the interview."
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