Commonwealth v. Howard

Opinion by

Mr. Justice O’Brien,

On April 11, 1966, appellant, Stanley Howard, with the advice of counsel, entered a plea of guilty generally to an indictment for murder in the death of Clifford Grogan. After a hearing, wherein extensive testimony was taken and documentary evidence was reviewed, the court en banc fixed the degree of guilt as murder in the first degree and imposed the death penalty. The appellant filed a motion in arrest of judgment and, after submission of briefs and oral argument, the court, on October 25, 1966, by its opinion and order, denied the motion. On November 2, 1966,…