Commonwealth v. McCabe

SPAETH, President Judge,

dissenting:

I do not believe that the Commonwealth has carried its burden of establishing the corpus delicti by evidence independent of appellant’s confession or admission. Accordingly, I should reverse the judgment of sentence.

The general rule that governs this case is well settled:. The corpus delicti may not be established by a confession or admission standing alone. It follows that a confession or admission alone cannot support a conviction. Putting it conversely, a confession or admission must be corroborated by independent evidence of the corpus delicti. The…