Commonwealth v. Greene

DISSENTING OPINION BY

FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.:

Because I would find that appellant’s Massachusetts convictions qualify as substantially similar crimes of violence to relevant Pennsylvania law, I would affirm appellant’s life sentence. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.

The issue before us is one of statutory construction that implicates the legality of the sentence imposed. As a result, our standard of review is de novo and the scope of our review is plenary. Commonwealth v. Samuel, 599 Pa. 166, 961 A.2d 57, 60-61 (2008); Commonwealth v. Collins, 564 Pa. 144, 764 A.2d 1056, 1057 n. 1 (2001).

Commonweal…