Comm. v. Tyrrell, 2018 PA Super 5 (Jan. 17, 2018)
This was an appeal out of Dauphin County. Jonathan Tyrrel was convicted and sentenced to 50 to 100 years’ imprisonment on charges of raping his then eight-year-old daughter. On appeal, Tyrrell…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court deals a blow to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) using separate and independent state-law grounds.
Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its opinion in Commonwealth v. Muniz, ___ A.3d ___ (Pa. July 19, 2016), which addressed the issue of whether the Sex Offender Registration and…
A win from the Pa. Supreme Court for unrepresented prisoners
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided Commonwealth v. Burton, ____ A.3d ____, 2017 WL 1149203 (Pa., Mar. 28, 2017). The case involved what is known as the “public-record presumption.”…
Jury bias sees the light of day
The verdict has come down. Guilty! The accused is in disbelief. The question arises: why did the jury decide this way? How can this be? As is typical, defense counsel speaks to the jury…
Round Two: The Appeal
In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that 69,348 state criminal appeals were resolved nationwide. On average, accounting for 143 appellate courts, that’s approximately 484 criminal…