Rule 7C:4 - Trial Together of More Than One Accused or More Than One Offense and Joint Preliminary Hearings(a)More Than One Accused/ Joinder of Defendants. On motion of the Commonwealth, for good cause shown, the court, in its discretion, may order persons charged with participation in related acts or occurrences or in a series of acts or occurrences constituting an offense or offenses to be tried jointly unless such joint trial would constitute prejudice to a defendant.(b)More Than One Accused / Severance of Defendants. If the court finds that a joint trial would constitute prejudice to a defendant, the court must order severance as to that defendant or provide such other relief as justice requires.(c)An Accused Charged With More Than One Offense. The Court may direct that an accused be tried at one time for all offenses then pending against him, if justice does not require separate trials and (a) the offenses are based on the same act or transaction, or on two or more acts or transactions that are connected or constitute parts of a common scheme or plan, or (b) the accused and the Commonwealth's Attorney consent thereto.(d)Joint Preliminary Hearing. Upon motion of the Commonwealth's Attorney, preliminary hearings for persons alleged to have participated in contemporaneous and related acts or occurrences or in a series of such acts or occurrences constituting an offense or offenses may be heard jointly, if jurisdiction over each person and offense lies in the same court, unless the court finds that such joint preliminary hearing would constitute prejudice to a defendant.Amended by order dated September 3, 2020, effective 9/3/2020; amended by order dated November 23, 2020, effective 3/1/2021.