Commonwealth v. Carter

OPINION OF THE COURT

HUTCHINSON, Justice.

Appellant, Charles Carter, appeals directly from the judgment of sentence of ten to twenty years imprisonment imposed by Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas following his conviction by a jury of third degree murder.1 Appellant argues his trial counsel was ineffective because he did not make an exception when the trial court failed to instruct the jury on the complete statutory definition of voluntary manslaughter.2 Although the judge instructed the jury on “heat of passion” voluntary manslaughter, it did not instruct on “unreasonable belief” voluntary…