Commonwealth v. Goldsmith

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Manderino,

Walter Goldsmith, appellant, was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprison*24ment in December, 1958. No appeal was taken. In 1965, appellant filed pro se a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Original trial counsel was appointed by the court to represent the appellant. An order denying relief was affirmed on appeal. Commonwealth ex rel. Goldsmith v. Myers, 430 Pa. 385, 243 A. 2d 429 (1968). In 1970, appellant filed pro se a PCHA petition, claiming for the first time that he had not knowingly and voluntarily waived his appeal rights…