Commonwealth v. Tharp

OPINION

Justice CASTILLE.

This is a direct appeal from the sentence of death imposed on appellant by the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County. 1 We affirm.

Appellant’s trial was originally listed for June 14, 1999. Approximately one week prior to the commencement of jury selection, however, appellant and her then-co-defendant Douglas Bittinger, Sr., filed requests to waive their rights to a jury trial. In response, the Commonwealth requested a jury trial pursuant to the 1998 amendment to Article I, Section 6 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. 2 The trial court granted the Com monwealth’s…