Commonwealth v. Hill

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

In 1942, John Henry Hill pleaded guilty to murder generally, was convicted of murder in the first degree, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1973, following two post-conviction proceedings and an evidentiary hearing, the trial court dismissed appellant’s post-trial motions allowed as if timely filed. On this direct appeal, Hill contends that the absence of the transcript of his 1942 degree of guilt hearing prevents him from effectively challenging the sufficiency of the evidence raising his degree of guilt to murder in the first degree. More precisely,…