Ernesto Miranda was a petty criminal whose arrest transformed American law. Born on March 9, 1941, in Mesa, Arizona, he had a troubled childhood marked by conflict with his stepmother and run-ins with juvenile authorities. He served in the Army, was dishonorably discharged, and drifted through menial jobs and minor criminal offenses. In March 1963, Phoenix police arrested him on suspicion of kidnapping and rape. During a two-hour interrogation, Miranda confessed without being informed of his right to remain silent or his right to an attorney. His court-appointed lawyer argued the confession was coerced. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed it in 1966 in a 5-4 decision that became one of the most significant rulings in American criminal law. Chief Justice Earl Warren's majority opinion in Miranda v. Arizona established that police must inform suspects of their constitutional rights before custodial interrogation. The specific warnings, now known as Miranda rights, must include the right to remain silent, the warning that anything said can be used in court, the right to an attorney, and the right to a court-appointed attorney if the suspect cannot afford one. The ruling was immediately controversial. Law enforcement officials argued it would handcuff police and allow guilty suspects to escape justice. Supporters argued it was a necessary safeguard against coerced confessions. Miranda himself was retried without the confession and convicted on other evidence. He was paroled in 1972. On January 31, 1976, Miranda was stabbed to death in a bar fight in Phoenix over a card game involving a dispute of approximately two dollars. His killer was read his Miranda rights upon arrest.