Court Opinion

ID: 9761914
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:59:22.113673+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:48:41.184526
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Justice Eagen :
On March 25, 1971, a majority of this Court who originally heard the appeal, speaking through former Mr. Chief Justice Bell, affirmed the judgment of sentence. Although reargument was subsequently granted, nothing advanced during the second round has persuaded me that our original order of affirmance was erroneous. Hence, I would still affirm the judgment for the persuasive reasons articulated in the opinion of our former Chief Justice.
I take the privilege of setting forth the opinion of former Chief Justice Bell in pertinent part:
“On August 10, 1962, Edward Bleecher, a blind man who was a night manager of a hotel in Philadelphia, *102was badly beaten and then strangled to death by defendant-appellant, Leonard Archambault, in the victim’s room, in the early hours of the morning. Archambault orally confessed, and later signed a lengthy written confession at the end thereof, and also on every page. He signed his written confession after having been duly warned of his rights and after having stated therein that his confession was absolutely free and voluntary and was given without any force, fears, threats or promises or inducements of any kind. In his confessions, Archambault admitted that he went to the hotel keeper’s room in order to rob Mm, and that after he left the blind man’s room, he found $45 in his pocket which he could not account for. Moreover, a witness for the Commonwealth testified that, shortly before this robbery-murder, Archambault asked him to join him in robbing the hotel keeper.
“In his confessions, Archambault said that earlier that evening he had committed sexual intercourse with another man. Archambault further stated (in both his oral and written confessions) that when he thereafter went to the victim’s hotel room in order to rob him, the victim asked Archambault to have sexual relations with him, and this infuriated Archambault so much that, after striking Bleecher, he strangled him to death.
“On December 6, 1962, a jury found Archambault (who had not taken the witness stand) guilty of murder in the first degree, and fixed the punishment at life imprisonment. At his trial, Archambault was represented by two experienced court-appointed attorneys. No post trial motions were filed on his behalf, nor was any appeal taken from the judgment of sentence.
“On January 25, 1968, Archambault filed a petition for post-conviction hearing relief, alleging that he had not knowingly and intelligently waived his right to a direct appeal. After a hearing, his petition was dis*103missed* whereupon he took an appeal to this Court. In Commonwealth v. Archambault, 433 Pa. 336, 250 A. 2d 811, we remanded the case to the Court below for a hearing on whether Archambault’s failure to take an appeal was due to his lawyers’ advice, or to his fear of receiving the death penalty at a second trial. The Court of Common Pleas (Trial Division) denied his petition for relief, as well as his motion for a new trial. However, that Court granted him the right to file a direct appeal.
“Archambault’s principal contention is that the charge of the trial judge constituted reversible error because the Judge expressed therein his opinion as to appellant’s guilt. He urges us to overrule our prior decisions and abandon our long-established rule in this Commonwealth that a trial Judge may express an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant, if he leaves solely to the jury the determination of innocence or guilt and the crime, if any, of which the defendant is guilty. This we decline to do. More particularly, the portions of the charge which, he contends constitute such prejudicial error as to require a reversal of the jury’s verdict, and the grant of a new trial, are as follows:
“ ‘They are the three crimes. I say to you, members of the jury—and here is my comment—that I don’t think voluntary manslaughter is in this case, and I don’t think murder in the second degree is in this case. I think it is a question of murder in the first degree or not guAlty, and I say it because all the evidence is that way*. ... I make comment again, but that comment can be totally disregarded by you, because it is entirely for you. I think it would be a miscarriage of justice to find this defendant not guilty.’
*104“The real issue before us boils down to this: did the trial Judge’s comments on Archambault’s guilt and his possible crimes improperly and unfairly impair the absolute right of a jury to determine his innocence or guilt as well as the crimes, if any, of which he was guilty?
“This Court has held many times that in reviewing a charge for prejudicial and reversible error, we must consider the charge as a whole. Commonwealth v. Butler, 442 Pa. 30, 272 A. 2d 916; Commonwealth v. Whiting, 409 Pa. 492, 187 A. 2d 563; Commonwealth v. Lance, 381 Pa. 293, 113 A. 2d 290. In Commonwealth v. Butler, 442 Pa., supra, this Court pertinently said (page 34) : ‘ “It is elementary that the instructions to a jury must be read as a whole and correctness and adequacy thereof determined from that reading: Commonwealth v. Thompson, 321 Pa. 327, 184 Atl. 97 (1936); Commonwealth v. Gibbs, 366 Pa. 182, 76 A. 2d 608 (1950).’” In Commonwealth v. Lance, 381 Pa., supra, the Court expressed the same principle in slightly different language (page 298): ‘The charge must be considered in its entirety and error cannot be predicated on certain isolated excerpts from it (Commonwealth v. Moyer, 357 Pa. 181, 187, 53 A. 2d 736); which is what defendant attempts to do in contending that the court disparged his evidence. . . .’
“When we examine the Court’s charge in its entirety, we find that the defendant-appellant was not unfairly or unjustly prejudiced. The above-quoted excerpts from the Court’s charge were covered and explained by the Judge’s repeated instructions to the jury that it and it alone was to determine the ultimate innocence or guilt of the defendant. For example, the Court charged: ‘. . . And you me the complete, final, unequivocal arbiter of the verdict, no matter what I say.
“ ‘I am going to make a comment, but in the last analysis you, and only you, have the ultimate, final and *105unequivocal responsibility to decide this ease and to return one, and only one, of these four possible verdicts. Do you understand that? . . . Under that “murder”, you can find one of these three verdicts: murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree or voluntary manslaughter. / will tell you what I think, but you are not bound by what I think, no matter what I say, except as to the law.
“ ‘ I will make a comment when I get, later on in my direction to you, or my charge to you, as to what I think, but what I think is not at all binding on you, and please remember that, because I say again, unequivocally, the final determination of this case is completely in the hands of the jw~y, entirely with you. . . . Nevertheless, members of the jury, please understand, me—and I am pointing my finger at you so you will understand the emphasis of what I am saying—it is entirely, completely, in your power to find any verdict.
“ ‘We always hope that a jury will exercise intelligence and use its power wisely and intelligently, but in this case, I cannot take away from you the power to return a verdict of murder in the second degree if you so decide unanimously, or a verdict of voluntary manslaughter if you so decide. . . . But please remember, I am, giving you my thought, but it is entirely, completely, for you to say what the verdict shall be, and it shall be one of those four possible verdicts. . . But it is entirely, completely, for yon. If you think it differently, it is your thought that controls, and it will be for you to say which one of these four possible verdicts you will bring in after you have deliberated and unanimously decided on what verdicts to bring in. . . . But, members of the jury, on that, too, I say again, with emphasis, it is entirely, completely, for yon and I can’t and, nobody else cam stop you or prevent you, if you so unanimously decide, from bring in a verdict of murder in the second *106degree. . . . The Commonwealth asserts, and whether the assertion is so or not is entirely for you, for you and only you can decide what the evidence is. . . . But if you find those to be the facts beyond a reasonable doubt, then you would be warranted in finding this defendant guilty of murder in the first degree, because if you find those to be the facts you find an agreement to rob, going in, robbing, pockets turned out, money taken, a radio taken, and a death, bruises, and a strangulated throat with a towel around the throat.
“ ‘But whether that is so is entirely, completely, and finally for you. Then, members of the jury, you have a right, if you so unanimously decide for any reason, or if your reasons establish themselves from the evidence, to find this defendant not guilty. This is entirely for you.... But again I say emphatically that it is entirely, completely, finally, unequivocally for you, because yours is the power of a full, honest, impartial, intelligent consideration of the case to say what the verdict shall be. And it shall be one of these four verdicts, and that sheet will go out with you.’
“In the light of the repeated and crystal clear statements in the Court’s charge, we are convinced that the jury was not coerced or unfairly and improperly influenced to bring in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree.
“Furthermore, we note that appellant’s experienced trial counsel made no objection, at the time of the trial to the Court’s comments and instructions to the jury of which he now complains.
“In Commonwealth v. Chambers, 367 Pa. 159, 79 A. 2d 201, this Court said (page 161) : ‘It is the exclusive province of the jury, not the court, to decide all the facts, the inferences therefrom, the credibility of the witnesses and the weight and effect to be given to all of the testimony. While the main purpose of a judge is to *107state and explain the law and briefly review the evidence, it is always the privilege and sometimes the duty of a trial judge to express his own opinion, including his opinion of the weight and effect of the evidence or its points of strength and weakness or even the guilt or innocence of the defendant and the verdict, which in his judgment, the jury should render, provided (1) there is reasonable ground for any statement he may make; and (2) he clearly leaves to the jury the right to decide all the facts and every question involved in the case, regardless of any opinion of the court thereon: Commonwealth v. Cunningham, 232 Pa. 609, 611, 81 A. 711; Commonwealth v. Foster, 364 Pa. 288, 293, 72 A. 2d 279; Commonwealth v. Simmons, 361 Pa. 391, 407, 65 A. 2d 353; Commonwealth v. Watts, 358 Pa. 92, 97, 56 A. 2d 81; Commonwealth v. Jones, 341 Pa. 541, 551, 19 A. 2d 389; Commonwealth v. Nafus, 303 Pa. 418, 420-1, 154 A. 485.’
“More recently in Commonwealth ex rel. Smith v. Bundle, 423 Pa. 93, 223 A. 2d 88, the appellant complained of the trial Court’s comment that a not guilty verdict would be a 'miscarriage of justice’. We rejected this contention, and said (page 97): 'In view of this record, particularly Smith’s own trial testimony, we find no merit in the argument that the trial judge’s comment, that a not guilty verdict would be a miscarriage of justice, was unwarranted or unfair. This is especially so, since it also appears that the jury received careful instructions that the determination of all factual questions was solely for its decision, and that a not guilty verdict could be returned.’ This same language, i.e., 'miscarriage of justice’* was specifically used *108by a trial Judge and approved by this Court in Common-wealth v. Cisneros, 381 Pa. 447, 113 A. 2d 293; Commonwealth v. Raymond, 412 Pa. 194, 194 A. 2d 150.
“In reviewing the record in this case, particularly Archambault’s confessions, we find no prejudicial or reversible error in the trial Judge’s charge.
“The cases relied upon by appellant are clearly distinguishable. In Commonwealth v. Ott, 417 Pa. 269, 207 A. 2d 874, this Court granted a new trial because the Judge stated in his charge that he had a duty without any qualification to comment on guilt. The Court held that the use of these words may result in the jury’s concluding that a guilty verdict is the only choice they have. However, the Court said (pages 272-273):
“ ‘In connection with the right of the trial judge to express an opinion on the weight and effect of the evidence, this Court said in Commonwealth v. Cunningham, supra, 232 Pa. 611, 81 A. at 712: “It is the undoubted right of a judge, and often it is his duty, to express to the jury his opinion of the weight and effect of the evidence.”
“ ‘For the first time, as far as our research discloses, in Commonwealth v. Nafus, 303 Pa. 418, 154 A. 485 (1931), this Court held that a trial judge may also express an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant. And in many cases since, this right has been reaffirmed provided (1) that it is exercised fairly and temperately; (2) that there is reasonable ground for any statement the judge may make; and (3) that he clearly leaves to the jury the right to decide all the facts and every question in the case, regardless of his opinion : Commonwealth v. Raymond, 412 Pa. 194, 194 A. 2d 150 (1963); Commonwealth v. Chester, 410 Pa. 45, 188 A. 2d 323 (1963); Commonwealth v. Patskin, 372 Pa. 402, 93 A. 2d 704 (1953); and Commonwealth v. Watts, 358 Pa. 92, 56 A. 2d 81 (1948).
*109“ ‘In connection with the right of the trial judge to express an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the accused, it was said in Commonwealth v. Nafus, supra, 303 Pa., at 420, 154 A. at 486, “that it was sometimes* his duty to do so.” In Commonwealth v. Moyer, 357 Pa. 181, 53 A. 2d 736 (1947), it was held that “in some cases” it may he his duty to express such an opinion. Likewise, in Commonwealth v. Chambers, supra, 367 Pa. at 164, 79 A. 2d 204, we said “. . . it is always the privilege and sometimes the duty* of a trial judge to express his own opinion, including his opinion of the weight and effect of the evidence or its points of strength and weakness or even the guilt or innocence of the defendant and the verdict which, in his judgment, the jury should render. . ..” See also, Commonwealth v. Patskin, supra. However, in no case within our knowledge has it been said that it is ahoays* the duty of the court to do so, and clearly no language of this Court has ever indicated that a judge should feel compelled to do so in every case, regardless of the nature, quality or quantity of the proof.’
“In Commonwealth v. Young, 418 Pa. 359, 211 A. 2d 440, we reversed and granted a new trial because of the following language in the Court’s charge: ‘“My comment. . . and I have a good reason for making it.** . . .” ’ This Court held that a jury could conclude that a trial Judge was in possession of facts, not disclosed by the evidence, that proved the guilt of the defendant. In Commonwealth v. Holton, 432 Pa. 11, 247 A. 2d 228, and Commonwealth v. Wilmer, 434 Pa. 397, 254 A. 2d 24, the Judge stated to the jury its responsibility to God in determining the guilt or innocence of the defendant. We granted a new trial because we believed that the jury could have concluded that the Judge was threaten*110ing them with the wrath of God should they bring in a verdict of not guilty.
“From the experience of several centuries the law permits, under certain circumstances, a trial Judge to comment on a witness’s testimony or on any part of the evidence and to express his view and opinion of the evidence and of the alleged crimes and defenses, provided he expresses his opinion fairly and temperately and that there is reasonable ground for any statement he may make, and, most importantly, that he clearly leaves to the jury the right to decide all the facts and every question in the case regardless of his opinion. The reason and justification for this (although rarely ever expressed) is that a Judge’s knowledge and experience and analysis may at times, aid the jury in reaching a just verdict.” '

 Italics throughout ours, unless otherwise noted.”

 In view of the numerous complaints about this language, and in the interest of avoiding the possibility that such strong language might unfairly prejudice a jury, the Court believes that this phrase should not hereafter be used by a trial Judge in his comments or charge to the jury.”

 Italics in Commonwealth, v. Ott."

 Italics in Commonwealth, v. Young."