Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/558bv.pdf
Page Number: 217

56 

BEARD  v.  KINDLER 

Opinion of the Court 

Police  later  arrested  Kindler  and  charged  him  with  bur­
glary.  He was released on bail.  Bernstein agreed to testify 
against Kindler, but Kindler had other plans.  At about 2:30 
a.m.  on  July  25,  1982,  Kindler  and  Shaw  attacked  Bernstein 
outside his apartment.  Kindler beat Bernstein with a base­
ball  bat  approximately  20  times,  and  Shaw  shocked  Bern­
stein 5 times with an electric prod.  Bernstein at that point 
was  still  alive  but  unable  to  move,  and  Kindler  and  Shaw 
dragged  their  victim  to  their  nearby  car,  loaded  him  in  the 
trunk, and drove to the Delaware River.  At the river, Kin­
dler tied a cinder block around Bernstein’s neck and dumped 
him  in  the  water.  A  forensic  examiner  later  determined 
that  Bernstein  died  of  drowning  and  massive  head  injuries. 
536 Pa., at 236–239, 639 A. 2d, at 5–6. 

Kindler was brought to trial and convicted of capital mur­
der.  The  jury  recommended  a  death  sentence,  and  Kindler 
ﬁled  postverdict  motions.  Id.,  at  230–231,  639  A.  2d,  at  2. 
But  on  September  19,  1984,  before  the  trial  court  could 
consider  the  motions  or  the  jury’s  death  recommendation, 
Kindler  escaped.  Ibid.  In  an  organized  effort  to  saw 
through  the  external  prison  bars  with  smuggled  tools,  Kin­
dler  broke  out  of  the  maximum-security  wing  of  the  prison 
and headed for Canada.  See Commonwealth v.  Kindler, 554 
Pa. 513, 517–518, and n. 4, 722 A. 2d 143, 145, and n. 4 (1998). 
Kindler remained a fugitive in Canada until April 26, 1985, 
when  he  was  arrested  in  Quebec  for  separate  burglary  of­
fenses.  The  United  States  sought  Kindler’s  return,  but  an 
extradition  treaty  allowed  Canada  to  refuse  to  hand  over 
anyone  likely  to  face  execution.  See  Kindler  v.  Can­
ada  (Minister  of  Justice),  [1991]  2  S. C.  R.  779,  84  D.  L.  R. 
(4th) 438. 

Kindler  turned  into  something  of  a  local  celebrity.  He 
even  appeared  on  Canadian  television,  explaining,  among 
other things, how he had escaped and why he chose Canada: 
“I  knew  there  was  no  death  penalty  here.”  CTV  National 
News:  Joseph  Kindler’s  Fate  Unresolved  (Canadian  televi­