Thompson v. Louisiana

Although the homicide investigators in this case had probable cause to search the premises, they did not have a warrant. Therefore, for the search to be valid, it must fall within one of the narrowly and specifically delineated exceptions to the warrant requirement. In Mincey v. Arizona, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the existence of a murder scene exception. The Court noted the government may make warrantless entries onto premises where it reasonably believes a person within is in need of immediate aid, and that the government may make a prompt warrantless search of the area to see if there are other victims or a killer is on the premises.

Likewise, the warrantless search and seizure conducted at the home of the defendant by investigators who arrived at the scene thirty-five minutes after the woman was sent to the hospital is not valid on the ground that there was a diminished expectation of privacy in the woman’s home. The woman’s call for medical help cannot be seen as an invitation to the general public that would have converted her home into the sort of public place for which no warrant to search would be necessary. Therefore, the warrantless search after the defendant was taken to the hospital was unreasonable.