Darcy v. Commonwealth

Opinion of the Court by

Chief Justice MINTON.

We have a long-recognized preference in our criminal law for jointly trying defendants who are, or could have been, jointly indicted. Joint trials promote judicial economy and consistent verdicts; but they present unique difficulties, as well. This case presents an opportunity for us to confront one of those joint-trial difficulties and to provide trial courts with guidance in the future. We are asked here to reconcile one defendant’s interest in a continuance of the joint trial with his codefendant’s asserted statutory right to a speedy trial under…