Commonwealth v. Dowling

OPINION

Justice BAER.

Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 621(B) provides in full that “[a]t any time before the commencement of trial, a waiver of a jury trial or the judge’s approval thereof may be withdrawn.” This appeal presents the issue of whether Appellant’s trial had commenced at the time he sought to withdraw his jury trial waiver and reinstate his right to a trial by jury, where both parties waived opening arguments, but no witnesses had yet been called. We hold that trial had commenced for purposes of Pa.R.Crim.P. 621(B) and, therefore, the trial court did not err in denying…