Commonwealth v. Boyer

OPINION

Justice SAYLOR.

We allowed appeal to consider whether a trial court’s failure to issue a cautionary instruction upon the admission of evidence of a co-conspirator’s guilty plea during a jury trial constitutes reversible error.

In the early morning hours of August 31, 2001, Appellant and two other men forcefully entered the residence of an elderly couple. The three perpetrators, one of whom was armed with a pellet gun, threatened to shoot the victims, bound them with duct tape, and absconded with a large sum of money. Appellant was subsequently arrested by the Pennsylvania State Police,…