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Rule 648 – Verdicts

May 14, 2021 | Criminal Procedure, Pennsylvania

(A) Upon retiring to deliberate, the jury shall select one of its members as foreman.
(B) The verdict shall be unanimous, and shall be announced by the foreman in open court in the presence of a judge, the attorney for the Commonwealth, the defendant and defendant’s attorney, except as provided in Rule 602.
(C) If there are two or more defendants, the jury may report a verdict or verdicts with respect to those defendants, upon which it has agreed, and the judge shall receive all such verdicts. If the jury cannot agree upon a verdict with respect to all of the defendants, the verdicts which have been received shall be recorded.
(D) If there are two or more counts in the information or indictment, the jury may report a verdict or verdicts with respect to those counts upon which it has agreed, and the judge shall receive and record all such verdicts. If the jury cannot agree with respect to all the counts in the information or indictment if those counts to which it has agreed operate as an acquittal of lesser or greater included offenses to which they cannot agree, these latter counts shall be dismissed. When the counts in the information or indictment upon which the jury cannot agree are not included offenses of the counts in the information or indictment upon which it has agreed, the defendant or defendants may be retried on those counts in the information or indictment.
(E) If there are two or more informations or indictments, the jury may report a verdict or verdicts with respect to those informations or indictments upon which it has agreed, and the judge shall receive and record all such verdicts. If the jury cannot agree with respect to all the informations or indictments, if those informations or indictments to which it has agreed operate as an acquittal of lesser or greater included offenses to which they cannot agree, these latter informations or indictments shall be dismissed. When the informations or indictments upon which the jury cannot agree are not included in the offenses of the information or indictment upon which it has agreed, the defendant or defendants may be retried on those informations or indictments.
(F) If there is a summary offense joined with the misdemeanor, felony, or murder charge that was tried before the jury, the trial judge shall not remand the summary offense to the issuing authority. The summary offense shall be disposed of in the court of common pleas, and the verdict with respect to the summary offense shall be recorded in the same manner as the verdict with respect to the other charges.
(G) Before a verdict, whether oral or sealed, is recorded, the jury shall be polled at the request of any party. Except where the verdict is sealed, if upon such poll there is no concurrence, the jury shall be directed to retire for further deliberations.

234 Pa. Code ยง 648

Committee Explanatory Reports:

Report explaining the August 12, 1993 amendments published at 22 Pa.B. 3826 (July 25, 1992).

Final Report explaining the March 1, 2000 reorganization and renumbering of the rules published with the Court’s Order at 30 Pa.B. 1478 (March 18, 2000).

Final Report explaining the March 9, 2006 amendments concerning joinder of summary offenses with misdemeanor, felony, or murder charges published with the Court’s Order at 36 Pa.B. 1392 (March 25, 2006).

Final Report explaining the June 21, 2012 revisions of the Comment concerning the former abolition of the indicting grand jury published with the Court’s Order at 42 Pa.B. 4153 (July 7, 2012).