Commonwealth v. Smith

OPINION

O’BRIEN, Chief Justice.

In October, 1972, appellant, Westley Smith, was convicted by a jury of murder of the first degree and robbery. The convictions arose from an incident where appellant and a co-defendant, William Von Smith, had beaten to death a Harrisburg barber, George Fautz, and had then taken the victim’s wallet. Appellant was informed of both his right to file postverdict motions and the right to appeal immediately after the jury had announced its guilty verdicts; the court then sentenced appellant to life imprisonment.

Although co-defendant Von Smith subsequently filed…