Bruton v. United States

This case presents the question, last considered in Delli Paoli v. United States, 352 U. S. 232, whether the conviction of a defendant at a joint trial should be set aside *124although the jury was instructed that a codefendant’s confession inculpating the defendant had to be disregarded in determining his guilt or innocence.

A joint trial of petitioner and one Evans in the District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri resulted in the conviction of both by a jury on a federal charge of armed postal robbery, 18 U. S. C. § 2114. A postal inspector testified that Evans orally confessed to him…