Williams v. Erie County District Attorney's Office

OPINION BY

JOHNSON, J.:

¶ 1 In this case, we consider for the first time whether and to what extent 42 Pa. C.S. § 9543.1, which governs post-conviction requests for DNA testing, applies to petitioners who have pleaded guilty to the underlying charge. The question arises in the context of Charles Stephon Williams’s pro se challenge to the trial court’s order denying his post-conviction discovery request. He contends that the court’s refusal to provide him with documentary and physical evidence for purposes of DNA testing, or alternatively to order such testing, violated his confrontation and due…