United States Third Circuit

In a case involving the joint bench trial of two alleged conspirators in a murder, in which the judge considered a confession by one defendant implicating the other, denial of petition for habeas relief is affirmed where: 1) the Bruton rule is inapplicable to the incriminating confession of a nontestifying codefendant in a joint bench trial; 2) defendant's constitutional rights were therefore not violated; and 3)defendant's counsel was not ineffective.

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/19/2008
• Published 11/19/2008

Judges

• Before:  SLOVITER, FUENTES and ALDISERT, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Cheryl J. Sturm, Esq., Chadds Ford, PA, for Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Joshua S. Goldwert, Assistant District Attorney, (Counsel of Record), Thomas W. Dolgenos, Ronald Eisenberg, Arnold H. Gordon, Lynne Abraham, Office of the District Attorney, Philadelphia, PA, for Appellees.