Commonwealth v. Williams

CIRILLO, Judge:

This case was certified to the Court en banc to address problems arising under the doctrine of merger of offenses for sentencing.

I

Leon Williams was tried by jury and convicted of aggravated assault, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon, carrying a firearm on a public street in Philadelphia, and resisting arrest. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on an evening in February, 1976, in the City of Philadelphia. Officers Moriarity and Winchester of the Philadelphia Police Department were on highway patrol; near the intersection of Belmont and Westminster…