Commonwealth v. Massie

HOFFMAN, Judge:

Appellant contends that the lower court erred in denying him an evidentiary hearing with independent counsel on his Post Conviction Hearing Act (PCHA) 1 petition alleging trial counsel’s ineffectiveness. We agree and, accordingly, vacate the order of the lower court and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Appellant, represented by an attorney from the Allegheny County Public Defender’s office, pled guilty on June 18,1974 to multiple counts of armed robbery, theft, and related weapons offenses. He was sentenced to a maximum of fifteen years in prison, and took no…