Witt v. Commonwealth

The trial court, sitting without a jury, convicted Robert C. Witt under 16 of 19 indictments charging statutory burglary and sentenced him to a total of 20 years in the penitentiary. Following a finding in a habeas corpus hearing below that Witt had been effectively denied his right to appeal, we granted a delayed appeal from the judgment of conviction.

The crucial issue is whether Witt’s written confessions were induced by implied coercion.

Before proceeding to a trial on the merits, the trial court conducted a hearing on Witt’s motion to suppress the confessions. The evidence upon which the…