Opinion ID: 2382224
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: amending charges to include attempted rape

Text: Next, appellant asserts that the trial court erred when it allowed the Commonwealth to amend the Informations to add attempted rape as the underlying felony to support the second degree murder charge. Appellant was originally charged with rape, but the charge was dismissed after the trial court determined that there was no evidence, direct or circumstantial, from which an inference could arise that penetration had occurred. Appellant complains that by allowing the Commonwealth to add the attempted rape charge, he was prejudiced in a number of ways. First, he claims that the addition of the attempted rape charge allowed the Commonwealth to admit certain evidence that would not have otherwise been admissible but for the attempted rape charge. Specifically, the court's decision to admit the photographs of the victim's decomposed body was based on the argument that the specific positioning of the body was probative of the attempted rape charge. [17] Second, appellant claims the addition of the amendment allowed two additional felony counts to go before the jury (second-degree murder [18] and attempted rape) possibly confusing and inflaming the jury. [19] Third, appellant claims that the amendment provided an additional aggravating circumstance for the jury to consider in voting to sentence appellant to death. Rule 229 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure governs the permissibility of the amendment of criminal informations, and provides: The court may allow an information to be amended when there is a defect in form, the description of the offense, the description of any person or any property, or the date charged, provided the information as amended does not charge an additional or different offense. Upon amendment the court may grant such postponement of trial or other relief as is necessary in the interests of justice. The decision of whether to allow the Commonwealth to amend the Informations is a matter within the discretion of the trial court, and only an abuse of discretion will constitute reversible error. Here, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the Commonwealth to amend the Informations to include a charge of attempted rape after the rape charge was dismissed. There was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that appellant and the co-defendant were attempting to rape the victim when she was murdered and appellant, by virtue of the original rape charge, was on notice that the Commonwealth intended to pursue a sexual assault related offense. Thus, appellant's claim must fail.