Court Opinion

ID: 9695915
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:31:16.149534+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:17.358236
License: Public Domain

POMEROY, Justice,
concurring.
I join in the opinion of the Court. While I agree that the recently enunciated decisions of this Court pertaining to juvenile confessions 1 do not, on the facts surrounding the interrogation of Reginald McFadden, serve to invalidate his confession, it is my view that the per se exclusionary rule which has evolved in those cases should not be considered applicable to the case at bar in any event. The arrest here was in 1969, and the trial in 1970. The first of the cases requiring parental or adult guidance with respect to juvenile confessions was decided in 1975. Commonwealth v. Starkes, 461 Pa. 178, 335 A.2d 698 *615(1975). I do not believe that the police should be faulted for failing to adhere to the requirement relative to juvenile suspects when that requirement did not become part of our case law until several years after the time the police here were acting. See Commonwealth v. Lee, 470 Pa. -, 368 A.2d 690 [1977] (Pomeroy, J., dissenti6ng, joined by Mr. Chief Justice Jones and Mr. Justice Eagen). See also Commonwealth v. Starkes, 461 Pa. 178, 190, 335 A.2d 698, 703 (1975) (Eagen, J., dissenting, joined by Mr. Chief Justice Jones and Mr. Justice Pomeroy).

. See Commonwealth v. Stanton, 466 Pa. 143, 351 A.2d 663 (1976); Commonwealth v. Smith, 465 Pa. 310, 350 A.2d 410 (1976); Commonwealth v. Webster, 466 Pa. 314, 329, 353 A.2d 372 (1975); Commonwealth v. Chaney, 465 Pa. 407, 350 A.2d 829 (1975); Commonwealth v. Riggs, 465 Pa. 208, 348 A.2d 429 (1975); Commonwealth v. McCutchen, 463 Pa. 90, 343 A.2d 669 (1975); Commonwealth v. Starkes, 461 Pa. 178, 335 A.2d 698 (1975); Commonwealth v. Roane, 459 Pa. 389, 329 A.2d 286 (1974).