Appeals Court Reverses Suppression of Statements, Citing Ambiguous Request for Counsel

A Florida appellate court has reversed a trial court’s decision to suppress key statements made by a Brevard County man accused of first-degree murder, concluding the suspect did not clearly and without a doubt request an attorney.

The ruling means the man’s statements to police, in which he claimed self-defense, can now be used as evidence in his trial.

In a decision released Thursday, the Fifth District Court of Appeal sided with the State of Florida in the case of Thomas Michael Pastor, Jr., who is charged with the premeditated murder of Michael Akerberg. The case centered on a 45-minute interrogation during which Pastor, a 24-year-old with a bachelor’s degree, was read his Miranda rights.

The app

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