12-07-2011, 09:01 PM
Guess I spoke too soon. After doing some research on Pennsylvania laws I found this: Accessory after the Fact
For a person to legally be found guilty of an accessory offense, the prosecutors must prove that the defendant had knowledge of the crime that was going to be, or had been, committed. The prosecutors must also prove that the alleged accessory had intentionally acted to help the criminal in the commission of the offense. A person who unknowingly houses a person who has just committed a crime, for instance, may not be charged with an accessory offense because they did not have knowledge of the crime. Spouses may also be exempt from accessory charges.
From p. 596 Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
But the wife cannot become accessory by the receipt and concealment of her husband; for she is presumed to act under his coercion, and therefore she is not bound, neither ought she, to discover her husband.
So Dottie can't be charged with accessory under Pennsylvania law, even if she would admit that she knew all along. Under the law, she would be seen as acting under his coercion, and is NOT bound to turn him in.
For a person to legally be found guilty of an accessory offense, the prosecutors must prove that the defendant had knowledge of the crime that was going to be, or had been, committed. The prosecutors must also prove that the alleged accessory had intentionally acted to help the criminal in the commission of the offense. A person who unknowingly houses a person who has just committed a crime, for instance, may not be charged with an accessory offense because they did not have knowledge of the crime. Spouses may also be exempt from accessory charges.
From p. 596 Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
But the wife cannot become accessory by the receipt and concealment of her husband; for she is presumed to act under his coercion, and therefore she is not bound, neither ought she, to discover her husband.
So Dottie can't be charged with accessory under Pennsylvania law, even if she would admit that she knew all along. Under the law, she would be seen as acting under his coercion, and is NOT bound to turn him in.