Commonwealth v. Houck

OPINION

Justice BAER.

We granted review in this matter to consider whether a criminal defendant’s waiver of a jury trial can be rendered invalid when he is informed at a jury waiver colloquy of a range of sentences he could face if convicted which is shorter than the sentence he eventually receives. The Superior Court answered this question in the affirmative because the trial court informed the defendant, Randy James Houck (Appellee), of a range of sentences that was less than the sentence he received following his conviction. While we ultimately conclude that the validity of a defendant’s…