Commonwealth v. Lantzy

JOHNSON, Judge:

In this appeal, we are asked to determine whether a Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petitioner may, after having withdrawn his direct appeal and post-sentence motions contesting the validity of his guilty plea and sentence, restore these challenges by asserting that sentencing counsel was ineffective for advising him to withdraw his appeal and motions in return for a modified sentence. Jesse D. Lantzy maintains that by following his counsel’s advice, he was deprived of the right to take a direct appeal when a panel of this Court vacated his modified sentence and reinstated…