Miranda rights do apply to all of a person's multiple personalities, a Helena District Court Judge ruled last week in the case of a Helena woman accused of stabbing her longtime roommate last year.

Judge Thomas Honzel threw out several statements made by attempted deliberate homicide suspect, Tessa Haley, at the time of her arrest, on the basis that the statements made -- presumably by a multiple personality of Haley's, named Martha -- came after Haley exerted her right to have an attorney present.

"I can understand why the judge made his decision and we'll try to work around it and get some better evidence," said Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher after reviewing the decision Monday.

Haley, 58, is scheduled to go to trial on the count of attempted deliberate homicide on Jan. 21, and if convicted, faces a maximum of life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.

She is currently being held at the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

According to court documents, officers with the Helena Police Department responded to an address on the first block of Valley View at about 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 2 after receiving a call from a woman identifying herself as "Martha," who said she had just stabbed another woman.

When officers arrived, they found Haley -- wearing a surgical mask, with blood on her clothes -- working on her computer inside the house.

Haley, who said she wore the mask because she was susceptible to germs, denied any knowledge of the 911 call that was made from her residence, or of anyone named Martha.

In the meantime, according to the court file, police received a phone call from officials with St. Peter's Hospital who reported that they were treating a woman with a 2-inch stab wound in her back. The victim identified Haley as her attacker.

The officers placed Haley in handcuffs and advised her of her Miranda rights prior to searching her home, with Haley's consent.

Due to some strange behavior on Haley's part, officers asked her if she would take a breath test to ascertain whether she had been drinking or taking drugs that evening, court documents indicate.

At that point, Haley said she should probably talk to a lawyer, and officers ceased questioning her.

However, as Haley and one of the officers waited in the kitchen, the officer noticed a change in Haley's personality, changes that culminated in Haley growling at the officer and demanding to know what was going on.

Then, she identified herself as "Martha," and when asked by the officer if she knew the victim in the case, said, "I stabbed her," the police reports read.

Officers determined that Haley should go to St. Peter's Hospital for a mental evaluation prior to being taken to the jail.

While at the hospital, court documents indicate, Haley continued to make statements relating to the stabbing, including one in which she said she couldn't finish killing the victim because she ran off.

Haley's public defender, Randi Hood, argued that none of "Martha's" statements should be allowable in court because Haley had already invoked her right to an attorney when the statements were made.

"It is inconceivable that one personality could relinquish the right to have an attorney present before questioning to the detriment of other personalities," Hood wrote.

She added that statements made by "Martha" at the hospital should be stricken from evidence for similar reasons.

Prosecutors disputed those objections, arguing that officers forced neither Haley, nor Martha, to reveal anything to them, and in fact, stopped their line of questioning when Haley requested a lawyer.

"Martha's" admissions at her residence aside, Gallagher wrote, Haley's spontaneous statements at the hospital came without any prompting from officers.

"Justifiably, the police brought her to the hospital for an evaluation, not to further their investigation, but rather to look after her medical and psychiatric welfare," Gallagher's brief reads.

However, Honzel reasoned that, considering the totality of the circumstances, the statements made at Haley's residence and the hospital should be suppressed.

He said Haley was in handcuffs at her residence and was later placed in restraints at the hospital.

And while neither the doctors, nor the officers, at the hospital questioned Haley about the stabbing itself, they referred to her as Tessa and as Martha as they queried her about her medical history.