Commonwealth v. Barron

Opinion by

Mb. Justice Eagen,

The appellant, Fred Ellis Barron, was convicted by a jury in Somerset County of robbery and other related crimes. Post-trial motions were dismissed, and a prison sentence was imposed. On appeal, the Superior Court affirmed the judgment without opinion. We granted allocatur and now reverse.

At trial, Barron testified personally and denied commission of the crimes charged. During cross-examination, the trial court permitted the district attorney, over objection, to question Barron concerning prior criminal convictions “to impeach his credibility.” This was prejudicial…