Case Name: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. John Louis HUNTER, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1976-07-06
Citations: 468 Pa. 7
Docket Number: No. 42
Parties: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. John Louis HUNTER, Appellant.
Judges: Before JONES, C. J., and EAGEN, O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX and MANDERINO, JJ.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 468
Pages: 7–9

Head Matter:
359 A.2d 785
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. John Louis HUNTER, Appellant.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Submitted May 3, 1976.
Decided July 6, 1976.
Anthony S. Federico, Harrisburg, for appellant.
Marion E. MacIntyre, Second Asst. Dist. Atty., Harrisburg, for appellee.
Before JONES, C. J., and EAGEN, O’BRIEN, ROBERTS, POMEROY, NIX and MANDERINO, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION
PER CURIAM.
Appellant pled guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to a prison term of six to twelve years. He appealed to this Court from a denial of his petition for post-conviction relief.
An examination of the colloquy reveals that the trial judge failed to explain to appellant the nature and elements of the charges against him. Because this failure rendered the plea legally involuntary, we reverse ap pellant's judgment of sentence. Commonwealth v. Minor, 467 Pa. 230, 356 A.2d 346 (1976); Commonwealth v. Schork, 467 Pa. 248, 356 A.2d 355 (1976); Commonwealth v. Ingram, 455 Pa. 198, 316 A.2d 77 (1974).
Reversed and remanded for a new trial.
POMEROY, J., filed a dissenting opinion.
JONES, C. J., and EAGEN, J., dissent.
This appeal was not preceded by the filing of a petition in the trial court for withdrawal of the guilty plea, which is the proper method for challenging a plea of guilty. Commonwealth v. Lee, 460 Pa. 324, 327 n., 333 A.2d 749, 750 n. (1975); Commonwealth v. Zakrzewski, 460 Pa. 528, 327 n. 1, 333 A.2d 898, 900 n. 1 (1975); Commonwealth v. Starr, 450 Pa. 485, 488, 301 A.2d 592, 594 (1973).
Since, however, the adequacy of the colloquy can be decided on the record before us, we will consider the merits of the appeal. Commonwealth v. Lee, supra, at 327, 333 A.2d at 750 n. See also Commonwealth v. Minor, 467 Pa. 230, 356 A.2d 346 (1976) (dissenting opinion n. 1).