By Associated Press - Tuesday, July 23, 2019

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - A divided New Jersey Supreme Court has thrown out a sex assault suspect’s confession because two police detectives who questioned him made false promises of leniency.

The justices issued their 4-3 ruling Monday.

The case involves a registered sex offender suspected of committing several sexual assaults. When he was reluctant to talk with the Bloomfield detectives, they offered him promises of counseling instead of jail time and said a quick confession could help keep him free to raise his child.

A trial judge found the man’s confession was “knowing, voluntary and not the product of improper police procedure and/or misconduct.” But an appeals court reversed that ruling.

The Supreme Court majority agreed, finding the interrogation tactics meant the confession was coerced. The minority noted the defendant was skeptical of the detectives’ reassuring comments and downplayed his culpability.

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