Case Name: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Appellee, v. Jeffrey DENNIS, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1984-12-18
Citations: 506 Pa. 460
Docket Number: No. 57 E.D. Appeal Docket, 1984
Parties: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Appellee, v. Jeffrey DENNIS, Appellant.
Judges: Before NIX, C.J., and LARSEN, FLAHERTY, McDERMOTT, HUTCHINSON, ZAPPALA and PAPADAKOS, JJ.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 506
Pages: 460–461

Head Matter:
485 A.2d 1097
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Appellee, v. Jeffrey DENNIS, Appellant.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued Oct. 26, 1984.
Decided Dec. 18, 1984.
David Rudovsky, Philadelphia, for appellant.
Joseph A. Smyth, Dist. Atty., Ronald T. Williamson, Chief, Appeals Div., Asst. Dist. Atty., for appellee.
Before NIX, C.J., and LARSEN, FLAHERTY, McDERMOTT, HUTCHINSON, ZAPPALA and PAPADAKOS, JJ.

Opinion:
ORDER
PER CURIAM.
The order of Superior Court affirming the appellant's conviction for third degree murder is affirmed. While the killing was unintentional there was plainly sufficient evidence to show that the appellant "consciously disregarded an unjustified and extremely high risk that his actions might cause death or serious bodily harm." Commonwealth v. Young, 494 Pa. 224, 228, 431 A.2d 230, 232 (1981). See also Commonwealth v. Drum, 58 Pa. 9, 15 (1868) (malice exists "where there is wickedness of disposition, hardness of heart, cruelty, recklessness of consequences, and a mind regardless of social duty . ").