289 Pa. Super. 44 - Commonwealth v. Suggs’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

13 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 13 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Appellants requested the lower court to charge the jury that, if two or more equal inferences arose from circumstantial evidence, they could not select or guess at inferences of guilt. The lower court refused to so charge, and we agree with the Commonwealth that such refusal was reasonable and proper. Herein, the charge to the jury was thorough and comprehensive. The lower court expounded upon the Commonwealth’s burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt more than once in its lengthy charge. With respect to circumstantial evidence, the jury was instructed that all the pieces of evidence, when considered in total must reasonably and naturally lead to the conclusion that the defendants were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. See Commonwealth v. Littlejohn, 433 Pa. 336 , 250 A.2d 811 (1969). Commonwealth v. Turner, 270 Pa.Super. 58 , 410 A.2d 895 (1979). We are more than satisfied that the jury charge was proper in all respects, including this one.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 380 Pa. Super. 78 - Commonwealth v. Sanders