Commonwealth v. Gerome
Commonwealth v. Gerome
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Appellant filed a petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act, alleging, among other things, that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his counsel had a conflict of interest and that he was denied
Upon review of the record, we agree with the court below that appellant failed to prove there existed a conflict of interest in the representation afforded him by counsel. Cf. Commonwealth v. Werner, 217 Pa. Superior Ct. 49, 268 A. 2d 175 (1970). However, at the same time, since the trial record is silent and no proof was offered, the Commonwealth failed to prove appellant competently and intelligently waived his right of appeal. Commonwealth v. Rawls, 217 Pa. Superior Ct. 123, 268 A. 2d 121 (1970). Accordingly, the part of the order of the court below denying appellant’s conflict of interest claim and all other Section Three claims he might have raised is affirmed. 19 P.S. §1180-3 (Supp. 1970). See Commonwealth v. Beecham, 438 Pa. 326, 265 A. 2d 372 (1970). The order is also reversed in part and appellant is granted the right to to file post-trial motions nunc pro tunc to raise any evidentiary claims he may have.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.