Commonwealth v. Baez

OPINION OF THE COURT

KAUFFMAN, Justice.

Appellant, Angel Santo Baez (“Baez”), was convicted of murder of the first degree after a jury trial in the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County. Post verdict motions were denied, a sentence of life imprisonment was imposed, and this appeal followed.1 Baez contends that the trial court erred in permitting the Commonwealth to read directly from a hearsay statement in an effort to impeach his credibility on cross-examination. We agree and, accordingly, vacate and remand for a new trial.

The relevant facts are as follows. On March 23, 1979, at approximately…