Commonwealth v. Tolbert

Opinion by

Mr. Justice O’Brien,

In June of 1953, appellant, James Corey Tolbert, then sixteen years of age, pleaded guilty to murder generally. A three-judge court found him guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. No appeal was taken.

In 1967, appellant filed a petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act, alleging, inter alia, that his guilty plea was induced by his involuntary written confession, that he did not understand the significance and consequence of his guilty plea, and that he was not informed of his right to appeal. In an order and opinion dated…