Commonwealth v. Ballard

OPINION

Chief Justice CASTILLE.

We review the direct appeal of Michael Eric Ballard (“appellant”) from four sentences of death imposed on May 17, 2011, following appellant’s plea of guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and the subsequent jury trial to determine his sentence, which was held before the Honorable Edward G. Smith of the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. Appellant raises claims of trial court error regarding aspects of his penalty phase hearing, a constitutional challenge to the admissibility of victim impact testimony, and challenges to the jury’s weighing of…