Case Name: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Edward W. DICKSON, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1978-11-01
Citations: 482 Pa. 517
Docket Number: No. 218
Parties: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Edward W. DICKSON, Appellant.
Judges: Before EAGEN, C. J., and O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX, MANDERINO and LARSEN, JJ.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 482
Pages: 517–519

Head Matter:
394 A.2d 442
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Edward W. DICKSON, Appellant.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued Sept. 26, 1978.
Decided Nov. 1, 1978.
Reargument Denied Dec. 7, 1978.
Thomas P. Ruane, Jr., Public Defender, Uniontown, for appellant.
Gerald R. Solomon, Dist. Atty., Ralph C. Harman, Union-town, for appellee.
Before EAGEN, C. J., and O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX, MANDERINO and LARSEN, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION
PER CURIAM.
This is an appeal from the judgment of sentence entered upon a jury verdict finding appellant guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Appellant raised the following arguments:
(1) That the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to charge the jury on the elements of involuntary manslaughter.
(2) That the trial court committed error by refusing to permit appellant to elicit testimony of specific acts of violence committed by the deceased from defense character witnesses.
(3) That the trial court did not adequately instruct the jury concerning the burden of persuasion as it relates to the defense of self-defense.
We have considered these contentions and find them to be without merit.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
ROBERTS, J., filed a dissenting opinion in which O'BRIEN and MANDERINO, JJ., joined.
This Court's jurisdiction over the murder conviction is based upon section 202(1) of the Appellate Court Jurisdiction Act of 1970, July 31, P.L. 673, No. 223, Art. II, section 202, 17 P.S. section 211.202(1) (Supp. 1978-79).