Commonwealth ex rel. Bostic v. Cavell

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

Preston Bostic, petitioner, initially entered a plea of not guilty in the Court of Oyer and Terminer of Chester County to an indictment charging him with murder. After four jurors had been accepted on voir dire, petitioner’s counsel requested a recess. Following *574the recess, petitioner withdrew his plea and entered a plea of guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Thereafter, on July 21, 1961, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of six to twelve years.

In October 1964, a petition for a writ of habeas corpus was filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County…