Court Opinion

ID: 9718576
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:27:20.066978+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:00.443768
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, Judge,
concurring:
While I agree that the judgment of sentence should be affirmed, I write separately to express my discomfort with the Majority’s assertion, without discussion, that “[t]he issue of certification of a juvenile to stand trial as an adult is jurisdictional and cannot be waived.” Majority op. at 314. This principle has been applied in various contexts in this Commonwealth. For example, courts have held that entry of a guilty plea in criminal court does not preclude the defendant from challenging the trial court’s refusal to transfer the matter to juvenile court on direct appeal. See Commonwealth v. Moyer, 497 Pa. 643, 444 A.2d 101 (1982); Commonwealth v. Austin, 444 Pa.Super. 601, 664 A.2d 597 (1995); Commonwealth v. Leatherbury, 390 Pa.Super. 558, 568 A.2d 1313, appeal denied, 525 Pa. 643, 581 A.2d 570 (1990); Commonwealth v. Zoller, 345 Pa.Super. 350, 498 A.2d 436 (1985). In addition, it has been determined that failure to raise the propriety of the certification or transfer proceedings in post-verdict motions does not result in waiver of the issue on direct appeal. Commonwealth v. Reed, 435 Pa.Super. 304, 645 A.2d 872 (1994) (en banc), appeal denied, 540 Pa. 630, 658 A.2d 794 (1995) ; Commonwealth v. Sanders, 339 Pa.Super. 373, 489 A.2d 207 (1985). However, the present case is factually distinguishable from the above cases. Here, the juvenile was *319tried and convicted in two separate proceedings. No post-trial motions were filed following either proceeding. Subsequently, the juvenile was sentenced, and no direct appeal was filed. The juvenile later filed a Post Conviction Relief Act petition, in which he raised only one issue; namely, that he had been denied his right of allocution at sentencing. His petition was granted, and he was resentenced. He has now filed a direct appeal, which challenges for the first time the certification procedures that took place prior to trial. My research has failed to disclose any case that has similar facts to those at bar. Accordingly, I am reluctant to conclude, without analysis and discussion, that the issue of certification has not been waived given the particular procedural posture of this appeal.