Commonwealth v. Verticelli

BECK, Judge:

The issue in this case is whether the Commonwealth satisfied the corpus delicti rule so as to permit the admission of appellant’s statements to police. In affirming the judgment of sentence, we consider the rule, its purpose and its impact.

In the late afternoon hours of March 26, 1994, Officer Robert Burkhardt of the New Britain Township police department responded to the radio call of a motorcycle accident. At the scene, Burkhardt observed a motorcycle lying partially on the road and partially on the lawn of a residence. Upon investigation, Burkhardt noticed that the motorcycle…