[1] In Justice Brennan's dissent, he argued that this constituted an involuntary confession and that it violated a ''fundamental right to make a vital choice with a sane mind, involving a determination that could allow the state to deprive him of liberty or even life.

During the trial, the psychiatrist that evaluated Connelly testified that he believed that God told him to confess to the murder, or commit suicide.

The evidence of Connelly's confession was suppressed under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In the words of the Supreme Court: Coercive police activity is a necessary predicate to finding that a confession is not "voluntary" within the meaning of the Due Process Clause.

[4]Connelly significantly changed the voluntariness standard - the test used to determine the admissibility of confessions under the due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.