Commonwealth v. Silvis

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Jones,

Appellant was charged with murder and armed robbery in Forest County. A pre-trial petition for change of venue was granted and we transferred the case to the Common Pleas Court of Armstrong County. Appellant was tried before a jury which ultimately rendered a verdict of first degree murder. After disposition of post-trial motions, appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment. This appeal followed.

Briefly reconstructing the facts, an armed robber confronted Miss Alice Neal Siggins, an aged and retired school teacher, and her housekeeper, Mrs. Opel Bedrnan, in Miss…