The Phoenix Police Department confirms the passing of the arresting officer in the landmark Miranda rights case.

Retired Phoenix Police Captain Carroll Cooley, the arresting officer in the landmark case that led to the Supreme Court’s Miranda rights ruling, has passed away at the age of 87. He died on May 29 after an unspecified illness.

Cooley joined the Phoenix Police Department in 1958 and retired two decades later. On March 13, 1963, he arrested Ernesto Miranda in connection with the kidnapping and rape of an 18-year-old Phoenix woman. Miranda was convicted based on his handwritten confession and sentenced to 20-30 years in prison. However, his conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court, which ruled that his confession was inadmissible because he had not been informed of his rights, leading to the establishment of the Miranda rights.

Cooley’s role in this pivotal case has left a lasting impact on law enforcement procedures across the United States.