Commonwealth v. Basemore

OPINION

SAYLOR, Justice.

This is an appeal in a capital case from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County denying post-conviction relief.

On December 23, 1986, Appellant, William Basemore (“Basemore”), gained entry, without permission, to the premises of his former employer, the Riverfront Dinner Theater in Philadelphia, by removing slats in the window of the men’s bathroom. Using a homemade hook device, he pulled through the window an acetylene tank, an oxygen tank, a cutting torch, and martial arts weapons, which included a knife and a homemade spear that had attached a…