Commonwealth v. Butler

OPINION OF THE COURT

LARSEN, Justice.

The issue before the Court in this case is whether trial counsel provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to request a jury instruction on self-defense.

Appellee James Butler was found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault 1 and a violation of the Uniform Firearms Act 2 on May 9, 1984. These charges arose from appellee shooting Gerald Colwell in the back on August 9, 1983. Appellee’s post-trial motions were denied on June 18, 1984, and appellee was sentenced on September 17, 1984 to a term of imprisonment of 5 to 10 years on the conviction for…