Teen suspect's statements admissible

COEUR d’ALENE — Statements made by a Coeur d’Alene teen to police after he was arrested for allegedly killing his father and brother in March will be heard during his trial, Kootenai County District Court Judge Benjamin Simpson ruled Thursday.

Simpson was asked by Public Defender John Adams to suppress the statements made by his client, Eldon Samuel III, then 14, while he was detained and interrogated by Coeur d’Alene Police detectives. During a hearing last week, Adams argued that detectives downplayed the gravity of Samuel’s situation — the teen faces life in prison if found guilty — and coerced him into signing a waiver of his Miranda Rights so they could interrogate him without an attorney present.

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