Opinion ID: 1917909
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 25

Heading: 150. joinder of offenses and defendants.

Text: (a) Joinder of Offenses. Two or more offenses which are triable in the same court may be charged in the same indictment or information in a separate count for each offense, when the offenses, whether felonies or misdemeanors, or both, are based on the same act or transaction or on two or more connected acts or transactions. (b) Joinder of Defendants. Two or more defendants may be charged in the same indictment or information upon which they are to be tried: (1) when each defendant is charged with accountability for each offense charged; (2) when each defendant is charged with conspiracy and some of the defendants are also charged with one or more offenses alleged to have been committed in furtherance of the conspiracy; or (3) when, even if conspiracy is not charged and all defendants are not charged in each county, it is alleged that the several offenses charged were part of a common scheme or plan. Such defendants may be charged in one or more counts together or separately, and all of the defendants need not be charged in each count. Committee Note: Provisions of former Rule 3.150 are transferred to and incorporated in Rule 3.130, Pre-Trial Release. (a) Substantially the same as Former Rule 3.140(d)(4) except that it omits proviso that the court have jurisdiction to try all offenses charged. The proviso seems redundant. (b) Substantially the same as ABA Standard 1.2 but omits sub-paragraph (c) (2) which would permit joinder of charges so closely connected in respect to time, place, and occasion that it would be difficult to separate proof of one charge from proof of the others. The ABA commentary on this Standard concedes that in such cases the chances are considerable that defendants would have a right to severance. Difficulty of separating proof is a good reason for denying a right to join charges. The Committee is of the opinion that defendants not connected in the commission of an act and not connected by conspiracy or by common scheme or plan should not, under any circumstances, be joined. The Suggested Rule omits the provision of former Rule 3.140(d)(4) permitting joinder of two or more defendants in a single indictment or information, if they are alleged to have participated in the same series of acts or transactions constituting more than one offense. If all defendants participated in a series of connected acts or transactions constituting two or more offenses, the offenses can be joined under the Rule 3.150(a). The last sentence of the Suggested Rule is the last sentence of former Rule 3.140(d) (5).