Commonwealth v. Lutz

OPINION OF THE COURT

ROBERTS, Justice.

This is an appeal from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County which, after a counselled evidentiary hearing, dismissed a petition for relief under the Post Conviction Hearing Act (PCHA), Act of January 25, 1966, P.L. (1965) 1580, § 1 et seq., formerly 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. Appellant Donald Lutz pled guilty to a single count of voluntary manslaughter while standing trial on charges including murder of the first and third degrees. He now contends that his guilty plea was unlawfully induced by the ineffective assistance of guilty plea…