Court Opinion

ID: 9696660
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:54:03.506191+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:24.908258
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING STATEMENT
BY POPOVICH, J.:
¶ 1 I agree with the majority’s affirmation of the judgment of sentence. I write separately to express my disapproval of the actions of Judge Cashman’s tipstaff during the jury’s deliberations at the first trial. It is a fundamental principle in our justice system that a jury remains free from outside influence when rendering its decision.
¶2 The members of the jury testified regarding the tipstaffs actions during deliberations. While the jury’s testimony was not completely consistent as to who initiated the conversation regarding the issue of intent, it is evident that the jurors recalled the tipstaff being involved in their deliberations to some degree. Our system of justice has rules to ensure that a jury is to base its decision solely on the evidence and the argument presented in the courtroom and not on any outside influence, especially a member of the judge’s staff. See Commonwealth v. Ogrod, 576 Pa. 412, 839 A.2d 294 (2003). In my opinion, the tipstaffs actions during the jury’s deliberations, at best as described by a juror that she was present during the deliberations, were wholly inappropriate and, at worst as some of the jurors described that she actively participated in the deliberations by posing hypothetical questions to the jury, were appalling and usurped independence from the jury. Whether the tipstaff only *825nodded her head in agreement or actively participated in the deliberations is immaterial because in several of the jurors’ minds, Judge Cashman’s tipstaff played a part in the jury’s deliberations. As a former trial court judge, I am dismayed at what transpired.