Commonwealth v. Howell

Following a jury trial, appellant was convicted of burglary. The trial court subsequently denied appellant’s post-verdict motions and imposed sentence. No direct appeal was taken. Thereafter, appellant filed a petition pursuant to the Post Conviction Hearing Act (PCHA). 1 After an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court concluded that appellant had been denied his right to appeal from judgment of sentence and granted him permission to file this appeal nunc pro tunc.

Appellant contends, inter alia, that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to secure the testimony of two…