ARRAIGNMENT: The initial court hearings at which the accused is brought before a judge, told the charges against him/her and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
BAIL: A sum of money required of the defendant to secure freedom until the date of trial or hearing. The purpose of bail is to ensure that the accused shows up at court. If he or she does not appear, the money is forfeited to the court.
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT: The standard for the burden of proof placed on the prosecution in a criminal case. Reasonable doubt, as the name implies, is a doubt for which one can give a reason. It is such a doubt as would cause a juror, after careful and impartial consideration of all the evidence, to be so undecided that he/she cannot say that he/she has an abiding conviction of the defendant’s guilt. It is such a doubt as would cause a reasonable person to hesitate or pause. It is not a fanciful or a whimsical doubt, nor a doubt based on conjecture. It is based on reason. The government is not required to establish guilt beyond all doubt, or to a mathematical or a scientific certainty. Its burden is to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Malice - A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite.
Law. The intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another.
MURDER, FIRST DEGREE - A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing. (Killing by means of poison, or by lying in wait, or by any other kind of willful, deliberate and premeditated killing.)
MURDER,SECOND DEGREE - committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony. (engaging in or being an accomplice in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing, or attempting to commit robbery, rape, or deviate sexual intercourse by force or threat of force, arson, burglary or kidnapping.)
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth. The court makes final interpretations of state law and has administrative authority over the entire Pennsylvania court system.
The Supreme Court receives about 2,500 civil and criminal appeals each year.
Excited Utterance - a statement made by a person in response to a startling or shocking event or condition. The statement must be spontaneously made by the person while still under the stress of excitement from the event or condition.
HATE CRIME - is a criminal offense committed against persons, property or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by an offender's bias against a specific characteristic of an individual or a group such as race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.
Stay of Execution - a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgement. In cases where the death penalty has been imposed, a stay of execution may be sought to defer the execution of the convicted person.
Vehicular Homicide - In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or that results from driving while committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony.
