Commonwealth v. Murphy

OPINION OF THE COURT

LARSEN, Justice.

On July 21, 1986, Appellant, Craig Murphy, was convicted by a jury of murder of the first degree and possession of an instrument of crime. After the verdict was announced, a sentencing hearing was held pursuant to the Sentencing Code, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9711, and the jury unanimously sentenced Appellant to death. Appellant filed post trial motions which were denied by the trial court. This direct appeal followed.

The record reveals that on May 11, 1981, Appellant approached Mary Magee, regarding the whereabouts of Ma-gee’s boyfriend, Steven Brown. Brown was an…