Ernesto Arturo Miranda Hispanic criminal Date of Birth: 09.03.1941 Country: USA

1. Early Troubles with the Law
2. Attempted Military Service and Dismissal
3. The Birth of the Miranda Rule

Ernesto Arturo Miranda: Latin American Criminal and the Birth of the Miranda Rule

Ernesto Arturo Miranda was a Latin American criminal whose legal case led to the establishment of a new legal norm known as the Miranda Rule. He was born on March 9, 1941, in the city of Mesa, Arizona. Miranda had a difficult relationship with his family, and his problems with the law began while he was still in school.

Early Troubles with the Law

Miranda received his first sentence in the eighth grade and was sentenced to a year in a special school for burglary. Just a month after his release, he found himself back in the same school due to a court sentence. After his second release, Miranda relocated to Los Angeles, where he was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery. Although the suspicion was not substantiated, Miranda was only released after two and a half years, during which he committed several minor sexual offenses.

Attempted Military Service and Dismissal

Upon his release, Miranda decided to try his hand at military service. However, he repeatedly faced disciplinary action for going AWOL during his time in the military.

After being dishonorably discharged from the army, Miranda settled in Phoenix, Arizona, having spent nearly a year and a half in the southern states, primarily in their prisons. During his time in Phoenix, Miranda committed multiple robberies and sexual assaults against women. He came to the police's attention, and eventually, he was arrested when one of the victims remembered his face and his car's license plate number.

The Birth of the Miranda Rule

Initially, Miranda was brought in for an identification process, but after being recognized by the victim, he was offered a chance to confess. Within two hours, Miranda confessed and agreed to undergo a voice identification procedure. After all the procedures, Miranda signed a confession on multiple pages. He seemed unfazed by the words printed at the top of each page, stating "...this confession was made freely and voluntarily, without any threats, promises, or coercion, with knowledge of my rights and understanding that it may be used against me."

The case was then handed over to the Maricopa County District Court. The trial took place in mid-July 1963, and Miranda was represented by a seventy-three-year-old attorney named Alvin Moore.