Eric Frein’s lawyers want confession tossed in trooper ambush

(Milford) — A man charged in the 2014 ambush slaying of a trooper clearly invoked his right to remain silent before going on to incriminate himself “dozens of times” in a police interview after his arrest, a defense attorney argued Monday on the eve of trial.

William Ruzzo asked a judge to throw out the videotaped confession of Eric Frein, saying troopers quickly developed a rapport with the anti-government survivalist and got him to implicate himself even after he told them he didn’t want to “answer questions about crimes.”

Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin said Frein was ambiguous about asserting his right to remain silent.

Frein, 33, could face a death sentence if he’s convicted in the late-night attack in northeastern Pennsylvania that killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex Douglass. He led police on a 48-day manhunt in the Pocono Mountains before his capture by U.S. marshals.

Judge Gregory Chelak, who watched portions of the videotaped interview, said he would rule by the end of the day on the defense request to throw out Frein’s confession. Opening statements in the trial are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The video of the police interview — which was conducted at the same barracks where Frein is accused of opening fire — showed Cpl. Michael Clark reading Frein his rights. Frein told police he didn’t want to talk about crimes but would provide information about the location of a rifle he’d buried in in the woods.

Clark and Trooper Michael Mulvey struck up a friendly conversation with the former fugitive, offering him a cigarette, which Frein accepted, and praising Frein’s parents.
“You know that you’re famous? You’re a national figure,” Clark told him.

The troopers urged him to tell his story because, as Mulvey said, “the world wants to know.”

Frein went on to call Dickson’s slaying an assassination and said he did it to “wake people up” and make a change in government, according to court documents.

“They violated his rights, they did it very skillfully and they got what they came in to get,” Ruzzo said.

The defense also said police blocked an attorney hired by Frein’s parents from seeing him.

Tonkin said “there is a balancing interest at stake” between a police officer’s obligation to collect evidence and a defendant’s obligation to be clear about whether he wants to answer questions. He said Frein opened the door to further questioning by engaging in a discussion about Dickson’s children.

Authorities have said they have a wealth of physical evidence tying Frein to the crime, including spent shell casings in his SUV that matched those found at the crime scene.
Police also recovered a journal allegedly written by Frein in which the gunman describes how he opened fire on two state troopers — watching one of his victims fall “still and quiet” — and then made his escape.

An earlier story appears below.

(Milford) — A judge heard testimony Monday on whether he should throw out the videotaped confession of a man charged in the 2014 ambush slaying of a Pennsylvania trooper.

Attorneys for Eric Frein contend police violated his rights on the night of his arrest by continuing to interrogate him after he told them he didn’t want to “answer questions about crimes.” They also say police blocked an attorney hired by Frein’s parents from seeing him.

The judge watched portions of the tape Monday but has yet to rule. Opening statements in the trial are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Frein, 33, could face a death sentence if he’s convicted in the attack in northeastern Pennsylvania that killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex Douglass. He led police on a 48-day manhunt in the Pocono Mountains before his capture by U.S. marshals.

The video of the police interview — which was conducted at the same barracks where Frein allegedly opened fire — showed Cpl. Michael Clark reading Frein his rights. Frein told police he didn’t want to answer questions about crimes, but would provide information about the location of a rifle he’d buried in in the woods.

Clark and Trooper Michael Mulvey struck up a friendly conversation with the former fugitive, offering him a cigarette, which Frein accepted, and praising Frein’s parents.

“You know that you’re famous? You’re a national figure,” Clark told him.

The troopers asked Frein if he knew Dickson left behind two children, then urged him to tell his story because, as Mulvey said, “the world wants to know.”

Authorities have said they have a wealth of physical evidence tying Frein to the crime, including spent shell casings in his sport utility vehicle that matched those found at the crime scene.

Police also recovered a journal allegedly written by Frein in which the gunman describes how he opened fire on two state troopers — watching one of his victims fall “still and quiet” — and then made his escape.

An earlier story is below:

Attorneys for a man charged in the 2014 ambush slaying of a state police trooper in Pike County are asking a judge on the eve of his trial to throw out his videotaped confession.

Eric Frein (freen) is accused of opening fire outside a state police barracks in the Poconos, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding a second trooper. Frein led police on a 48-day manhunt before his capture.

Frein’s lawyers contend police violated his rights on the night of his arrest by continuing to interrogate him after he told them he didn’t want to “answer questions about crimes.” Police have said Frein was informed of his right to remain silent but agreed to cooperate.

A judge is scheduled to hear arguments Monday on whether Frein’s statements should be suppressed. Opening statements in the trial will be held Tuesday.