Commonwealth v. Kearse

Opinion by

Van der Voort, J.,

The appellant, John Elwood Kearse, was indicted on two counts of robbery by violence and with an accomplice. The charges were based on purse-snatchings from elderly women in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Prior to trial, a hearing was held on defense counsel’s application for suppression of confessions given by appellant. The suppression court denied the application.

On June 27, 1973, the appellant appeared before the lower court. The transcript of this proceeding shows that, after a colloquy, Kearse entered a guilty plea to charges of robbery and larceny. An officer was…