Montana Code Annotated 2017

TITLE 46. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

CHAPTER 11. COMMENCEMENT OF PROSECUTION

Part 4. The Charge

Discharge Of Codefendant

46-11-405. Discharge of codefendant. (1) When two or more persons are included in the same charge, the court may, at any time before the defendants have gone into their defense, on the application of the prosecutor, direct any defendant to be discharged so that the defendant may be a witness for the prosecution.

(2) When two or more persons are included in the same indictment or information and the court is of the opinion that in regard to a particular defendant there is not sufficient evidence to require the defendant to put on a defense, the court must order that defendant to be discharged before the evidence is closed so that the discharged defendant may be a witness for the codefendant.

History: En. Sec. 187, p. 245, Bannack Stat.; re-en. Sec. 308, p. 237, Cod. Stat. 1871; re-en. Sec. 308, 3d Div. Rev. Stat. 1879; re-en. Sec. 309, 3d Div. Comp. Stat. 1887; amd. Secs. 2075, 2076, Pen. C. 1895; re-en. Secs. 9276, 9277, Rev. C. 1907; re-en. Secs. 11974, 11975, R.C.M. 1921; Cal. Pen. C. Secs. 1099, 1100; re-en. Secs. 11974, 11975, R.C.M. 1935; Secs. 94-7206, 94-7207, R.C.M. 1947; redes. 95-1504(d) and (e) by Sec. 29, Ch. 513, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 19, Ch. 184, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 95-1504(5), (6); amd. Sec. 18, Ch. 262, L. 1993.