Commonwealth v. Yocham

OPINION

NIX, Justice.

This is an appeal from a dismissal without hearing of appellant’s counseled petition filed under the Post Conviction Hearing Act, Act of January 25, 1966, P.L. (1965) 1580, § 1 et seq., 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. (Supp. 1976-77) (hereinafter “PCHA”) by the Court of Com mon Pleas of Somerset County. The petition set forth as the basis for relief the assertion that appellant, Rickie Allen Yocham, had been denied effective assistance of appellate counsel due to that counsel’s failure to pursue on direct appeal from his murder conviction the challenge to the validity of a…