Commonwealth v. Sitler
Pennsylvania Superior Court
144 A.3d 156 (2016)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Robert Sitler (defendant) was charged with vehicular homicide. The prosecution (plaintiff) alleged that Sitler was driving too close to the car in front of him. The prosecution alleged that when that car began to turn off the road, Sitler swerved around it at a speed 15 miles per hour over the speed limit and hit a boy, killing him. Prior to trial, Sitler filed a motion in limine to exclude evidence of his prior conviction for vehicular manslaughter. In that case, Sitler had been tailgating a car too closely, and when the car began to slow down, Sitler swerved around it and crashed into an oncoming car, killing someone in the car. The trial court granted Sitler’s motion. The prosecution appealed, arguing that the prior conviction was admissible to prove Sitler’s knowledge under Pennsylvania Rule of Evidence 404(b).
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ott, J.)
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