Commonwealth v. Hamilton

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Pomeroy,

On March 20, 1968, appellant William Hamilton was tried before a jury and found guilty of murder in the first degree under our felony-murder rule. Following denial of post-trial motions by the court en banc, Hamilton was sentenced to life imprisonment. The primary question presented for our consideration is whether, in the absence of any Miranda warning, 2 an oral confession made by appellant while in the custody of police officers in response to an accusation by a co-conspirator was properly admitted in evidence over timely objection by defense counsel. 3

The…