Commonwealth v. Rodgers

CERCONE, Judge:

This is a direct appeal from the judgment of sentence entered after a jury convicted appellant, James Franklin Rodgers, of first degree murder, 1 robbery, 2 and aggravated assault. 3 For the reasons appearing below, we affirm.

The events underlying the instant appeal transpired at some time between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. on the night of June 7-8, 1988 when the seventy-two year old victim in the case was assaulted and robbed in his Altoona, Pennsylvania home. A subsequent autopsy disclosed that the perpetrator inflicted at least seventy (70) stab wounds on the…