Commonwealth v. Wallace

Opinion by

Ms. Justice Roberts,

The sole question presented by this appeal under the Post Conviction Hearing Act 1 is whether the court below erred in denying appellant’s petition without affording him a hearing in order to determine whether he knowingly and effectively waived his absolute right to appellate review. See, e.g., Commonwealth ex rel. Robinson v. Myers, 420 Pa. 72, 215 A. 2d 637 (1966).

In August 1964, appellant was convicted by a York County jury of murder in the first degree. His court-appointed counsel duly filed timely motions for a new trial, but subsequently withdrew them. At…