Commonwealth v. Blair

OPINION OF THE COURT

Appellant, Herman A. Blair, was convicted of murder in the second degree following the entry of a plea of guilty to murder generally. A term of imprisonment of eight (8) to sixteen (16) years was imposed. No direct appeal was taken.

On April 26, 1973, appellant filed a petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act 1 alleging that his plea was not voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently entered because he was not advised of his right to a jury trial. Although appellant requested counsel and alleged indigency, the trial court denied his petition without appointing counsel…