Murder convictions overturned because police questioned too soon
Compared to the Supreme Court’s 1966 Miranda ruling — which required police to tell suspects in custody that they had the right to remain silent and consult a lawyer — the court’s 2010 decision in Maryland vs. Shatzer is pretty obscure. But Shatzer, which requires officers to wait at least 14 days before trying to question suspects who have invoked their Miranda rights, is likely to become a byword in California police stations now that it’s been used by a state appeals court to overturn a double murder conviction. The case comes from Merced County, where Bryan Bridgeford was charged with the gang-related shootings of Leonel Medina and Juan Avalos