Court Opinion

ID: 9750870
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 15:42:32.363363+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:26.069307
License: Public Domain

*325CERCONE, President Judge,
concurring:
While I am in accord with Parts II and III of Judge Price’s carefully reasoned opinion, I must, nevertheless, concur only in the result reached in Part I.
In my opinion, the appellant is not contending for a prophylactic rule which would require in all probation revocation hearings that a trial judge order a psychiatric examination to determine the competency of the accused before conducting a Gagnon II. On the contrary, he argues that the nature of the crimes, which led to his probation revocation hearing and his “ramblings” on the stand at this hearing, “should have been a signal to the trial judge to order a psychiatric evaluation to determine if appellant were well enough to participate in his own defense.” The appellant further reasons that these circumstances created a reasonable doubt concerning his ability to understand and cooperate in the Gagnon II proceeding.
When such a contention has been raised on appeal in other contests, both our Supreme Court and this court have examined the record to evaluate the merits of the defendant’s claim. If the record initially revealed serious doubts concerning the defendant’s competency, the reviewing court proceeded to ascertain whether the record conclusively established the accused’s incompetency. Where the record has not permitted such a judgment either a remand for an evidentiary hearing was ordered, see Commonwealth v. Marshall, 456 Pa. 313, 318 A.2d 724 (1974); Commonwealth v. Davis, 455 Pa. 596, 317 A.2d 211 (1974); Commonwealth ex rel. Hilberry v, Maroney, 417 Pa. 534, 207 A.2d 794 (1965); Commonwealth v. Hunt, 259 Pa.Super. 1, 393 A.2d 686 (1978); See also Commonwealth v. Phillips, 468 Pa. 400, 364 A.2d 255 (1977); Commonwealth v. Smith, 227 Pa.Super. 355, 324 A.2d 483 (1974), or a new trial was granted in unique circumstances where a remand hearing would not suffice to meet the demands of due process.
In the instant case, appellant has not come forward with evidence which definitely raises serious doubts about either his ability to comprehend the nature of the charges and *326proceedings against him or his ability to assist his counsel in preparation for and during his Gagnon II hearing. Accordingly, since the evidence adduced at the Gagnon I and II hearings failed to cast serious doubts on appellant’s competency, the learned trial judge committed no error when he did not sua sponte order a psychiatric examination to determine if the accused was incompetent. See Commonwealth v. Hunt, 259 Pa.Super. at 1-12, 393 A.2d at 687-691.