Court Opinion

ID: 9706798
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:51:54.06456+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:25.206285
License: Public Domain

Opinion by
Mb. Chiee Justice Bell,
This is an appeal from the Judgment of Sentence entered on a conviction of voluntary manslaughter after a jury trial which lasted two days. The crime for which defendant was convicted occurred on July 10, 1965. Defendant was arrested on August 20, 1966, and pleaded not guilty to the indictments charging him with the murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter of Dicky Willmore.
The most important contention made by defendant in this appeal is that the trial Judge abused his discretion in refusing to grant defendant’s motion for sequestration of three out of the four Commonwealth witnesses. We note at the outset that two of the witnesses whom defendant requested to be sequestered had testified at a preliminary hearing, as well as at a habeas corpus hearing. The notes of both hearings were available to defendant and his counsel at trial. The *3third witness was not present in Court at the time defendant’s motion for sequestration was made, nor was he present during the testimony of the other witnesses. Sequestration was granted by the Court as to the fourth witness, who nevertheless refused to testify at the trial.
In Commonwealth v. Kravitz, 400 Pa. 198, 161 A. 2d 861, in discussing the question of sequestration, we said (pages 217-218): “In nearly every criminal.and civil case, one side or the other would like to have some or all of the witnesses of his opponent sequestered. The lack of adequate room space, the long delays which would inevitably be caused by sequestration and other practical considerations, make sequestration of witnesses ordinarily impractical or inadvisable, except in unusual circumstances.* For the foregoing reasons the question of sequestration of witnesses is left largely to the discretion of the trial Judge and his decision thereon will be reversed only for a clear abuse of discretion.”
Moreover, the record indicates that the proposed witnesses to be sequestered did not “mold” or “shape” their testimony to coincide with that of the witness preceding them, nor indeed was there, as defendant contends, repetitive or harmonious testimony elicited from the various witnesses. There is not the slightest merit in appellant’s contention of an abuse of discretion on the part of the trial Judge in refusing to allow the sequestration of the aforesaid witnesses.
Appellant next contends that the trial Judge in his charge to the jury committed reversible error when he commented on the fact that defendant was a fugitive from justice, and that the jury could infer guilt from this fact. Defendant argues that the statement was *4prejudicial and reversible because the jury could take it to mean that the Judge was expressing his own opinion as to defendant’s guilt. While we do not agree with defendant’s interpretation of this charge, we once again call to the attention of the Bar and the trial Courts that the trial Judges have the right and power to comment on the guilt of the defendant so long as the jury is clearly told that the opinion of the trial Judge was not binding upon it, and that the Court left that determination entirely to the jury. Commonwealth v. Raymond, 412 Pa. 194, 194 A. 2d 150; Commonwealth v. Cisneros, 381 Pa. 447, 113 A. 2d 293; Commonwealth v. Lance, 381 Pa. 293, 113 A. 2d 290.
We have considered all of the remaining contentions of the defendant and find them to be totally without any merit.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Mr. Justice Cohen concurs in the result.

 “A request for sequestration of a witness or witnesses should he specific and should he supported by some reason or reasons demonstrating that the interests of justice require it.”