Commonwealth v. Schnur

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Eagen,

On December 1, 1955, the appellant, John Schnur, plead guilty generally in Montgomery County to an indictment charging him with the murder of Carl Schwarz. After an extended hearing before a three-judge court, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to imprisonment for life. Throughout, Schnur was represented by privately-retained counsel. No appeal was then filed.

In November 1967, Schnur instituted post-conviction relief proceedings challenging the validity of his conviction and sentence, and also asserting that he had been deprived of his…