Opinion ID: 2317878
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Request for Grand Jury Testimony

Text: Appellant next claims that the trial court erred by denying his pretrial request to examine the testimony of witnesses who appeared before the grand jury. Appellant claims the trial court should have granted this pretrial request in the interests of justice. The Commonwealth responds that the trial court complied with Rule 230(B)(2) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure and Appellant does not argue otherwise. The trial court likewise held that it complied with Rule 230(B)(2) when it denied Appellant's pre-trial request. The relevant portion of Rule 230(B)(2), entitled Disclosure of Testimony before Investigating Grand Jury, and on which Appellant relies, provides as follows: When a witness in a criminal case has previously testified before an investigating grand jury concerning the subject matter of the charges against the defendant, upon application of such defendant the court shall order that the defendant be furnished with a copy of the transcript of such testimony; however, such testimony may be made available only after the direct testimony of that witness at trial. Pa.R.Crim.P. 230(B)(2) (emphasis added). Here, the trial court complied with the mandates of Rule 230(B)(2) by making the relevant grand jury testimony available after the witness's direct testimony. Appellant has identified no relevant statutory or constitutional basis in support of his argument that he is entitled to the grand jury testimony pretrial. Accordingly, Appellant is entitled to no relief.