Case Name: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Elmer Herman ULBRICK, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1975-07-07
Citations: 462 Pa. 257
Docket Number: No. 11
Parties: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Elmer Herman ULBRICK, Appellant.
Judges: Before JONES, C. J., and EAGEN, O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX and MANDERINO, JJ.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 462
Pages: 257–261

Head Matter:
341 A.2d 68
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Elmer Herman ULBRICK, Appellant.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Submitted April 9, 1975.
Decided July 7, 1975.
Thomas F. Morgan, Public Defender, Clearfield, for appellant.
Richard A. Bell, Dist. Atty. William C. Kriner, Asst. Dist. Atty., Clearfield County, for appellee.
Before JONES, C. J., and EAGEN, O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX and MANDERINO, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
PER CURIAM.
The appellant filed a petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act challenging the legality of his sentence after his conviction of two counts of murder in the second degree. The petition was denied and this appeal followed.
The trial court imposed a sentence of twenty years. No minimum sentence was stated by the Court as is required by the Act of June 19, 1911, P.L. 1055, § 6, 19 P.S. § 1057. Appellant contends that the failure to announce a minimum sentence makes the sentence illegal and justifies his discharge. However, imposition of a flat sentence benefits the defendant for the minimum is then presumed to be one day and he thus becomes immediately eligible for parole. Commonwealth v. Butler, 458 Pa. 289, 294, 328 A.2d 851, 855 (1974); Commonwealth v. Daniel, 430 Pa. 642, 647 n.* 243 A.2d 400, 462 n. 6 (1968); Commonwealth ex rel. Kehl v. Myers, 194 Pa.Super. 522, 169 A.2d 117 (1961); Commonwealth ex rel. Clawges v. Claudy, 173 Pa.Super. 410, 98 A.2d 225 (1953); and Act of Aug. 6, 1941, P.L. 861, § 21, as amended, 61 P.S. § 331.21. Since the minimum is implied, the sentence is legal and the appellant has incurred no harm.
Order affirmed.
ROBERTS, J., filed a concurring opinion.
POMEROY, J., filed a concurring opinion.
. Assuming arguendo the sentence to be illegal, the proper remedy would be to remand for resentencing, not discharge. See, e. g., Commonwealth v. Swingle, 403 Pa. 293, 169 A.2d 871, cert. denied, 368 U.S. 862, 82 S.Ct. 107, 7 L.Ed.2d 59 (1961).
. The trial court modified the sentence to reflect this immediate parole eligibility. This formal modification occurred after the time permitted by statute. Act of June 1, 1959, P.L. 342, § 1, 12 P.S. § 1032. Appellant cites this late correction as an additional ground for the invalidation of his sentence. The modification, however, only verbalized that which the law already recognized.