Commonwealth v. McLaughlin

33 Pa. D. & C.3d 435, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 92
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clearfield County
DecidedMarch 29, 1983
Docketno. 397
StatusPublished

This text of 33 Pa. D. & C.3d 435 (Commonwealth v. McLaughlin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clearfield County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. McLaughlin, 33 Pa. D. & C.3d 435, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 92 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1983).

Opinion

CHERRY, S.J.,

The above-mentioned defendant originally pled guilty to a charge of murder in the second degree on March 20, 1975. He was thereafter sentenced to a period of incarceration, the minimum of which was ten years and the maximum of which was 20 years, together with a fine and the costs of the prosecution.

Defendant subsequently lodged an appeal therefrom with the Superior Court, and on December 9, 1976, the case was remanded to this court for a new trial. Whereupon defendant was convicted after trial by jury on or about February 12, 1977, of murder in the second degree.

Another appeal was taken to the Superior Court, and the case was again remanded to this court for another new trial on May 30, 1979. Several petitions for extension of time for the commencment of trial filed on behalf of the Commonwealth were granted by this court; and finally on March 15, 1980, a hearing was held whereat counsel for defendant, the Public Defender’s Office of Clearfield County, was [436]*436permitted to withdraw as counsel under the then existing Commonwealth v. Miller conflict of interest doctrine. (See: Commonwealth v. Miller, 281 Pa. Super. 392, 422 A.2d 525 (1980), for reconsidered decision.)

Because of this withdrawal of counsel, the court advised defendant on the record that there would necessarily be a delay in obtaining new counsel for him, which duty was assumed by Richard H. Milgrub, Esq., Chief Public Defender of Clearfield County, and further that any such delay in obtaining new counsel or allowing new counsel adequate time to prepare would be attributable to him, defendant, and not to the Commonwealth for Rule 1100 speedy trial purposes, to which defendant indicated his understanding and acquiescence. No further petitions for extension of time were ever filed by the Commonwealth; and the case proceeded to trial on or about December 2, 1980, with defendant being represented by the Blair County Public Defender’s Office. At the trial, defendant was once again convicted of murder in the second degree.

The matter is now before this court on defendant’s post-trial motions in arrest of judgment and for new trial. Several issues are raised by said motions, but because this court agrees that defendant must be discharged under Rule 1100, only that issue shall be considered herein.

As indicated hereinabove, defendant agreed at the hearing held on March 15, 1980, to waive any complaint he might otherwise have under Rule 1100 for any delay from that date until such time as his newly appointed counsel indicated his readiness for trial. However, even assuming that this waiver was done knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily, this court is constrained to hold that it is neverthe[437]*437less defective in that no extension of time was sought or granted.

At the time that this case was being brought to trial, Rule 1100(d) provided in part:

“In determining the period for commencement of trial, there shall be excluded therefrom such period of delay at any stage of the proceedings as results from:
(2) any constinuance in excess of thirty (30) days granted at the request of the defendant or his attorney, provided that only the period beyond the thirtieth (30th) day shall be so excluded ...”

Because of this provision, a problem arose when a continuance was granted at the request of defendant in determining when the applicable Rule 1100 period began running again. This precise problem arose in Commonwealth v. Coleman, 477 Pa. 400, 383 A.2d 1268 (1978), in which case the Supreme Court adopted the opinion of Judge Hoffman, speaking for the Superior Court, as follows:

“ ‘The Rule 1100 problem created in the instant case could have been avoided by the expedient of granting a continuance for a specified period of time. If a continuance is granted for an indefinite period, as in the instant case, it is impossible to tell whether it is for thirty days or for more than thirty days. The court’s failure to specify a date certain, however, cannot operate to deprive appellant of his Rule 1100 rights. It is just as likely as not that appellant wanted a continuance for no more than thirty days. . . .’1 (Emphasis added by Supreme Court.) Id., 477 Pa., at 405, 406.

[438]*438To put an end to this problem, the Supreme Court went on to state that . . in the future we will require that continuances be granted for a specified time ...” (Emphasis added.) Id., 477 Pa., at 406.

Since the time of the Coleman decision, the Superior Court has considered the rule enunciated there several times (see, e.g.: Commonwealth v. Robinson, 269 Pa. Super. 398, 410 A.2d 316 (1979); Commonwealth v. Green, 292 Pa. Super. 299, 437 A.2d 54 (1981); Commonwealth v. Machi, 294 Pa. Super. 338, 439 A.2d 1230 (1982); and Commonwealth v. Hensley, 295 Pa. Super. 225, 441 A. 2d 431 (1982)), and has applied the rule specifically to waivers of Rule 1100 as well as to requested continuances. Commonwealth v. Robinson, op. cit.

Applying those cases to the instant facts, this court must hold that any purported waiver of Rule 1100 rights by defendant here, without further request for and grant of extension was legally ineffective, since no date was set certain for the expiration of the waiver. The Commonwealth would argue that the on-the-record colloquy conducted by the court and defendant’s then counsel on March 15, 1980, advising defendant of his rights, and explaining to him that there would necessarily be some delay in obtaining new counsel and giving him adequate time to prepare, and further advising him that any such delay would be attributable to him and not to the Commonwealth for Rule 1100 purposes, cured any defect for not setting a date certain for the expiration of the waiver just as the colloquy conducted in Commonwealth v. Hensley, op. cit., cured a similar defect there. However, as the court noted there:

“Although this waiver was defective because it failed to state the period of the continuance, Commonwealth v. Coleman, 477 Pa. 400, 383 A.2d 1268 (1978), this defect xuas cured xuhen the court ad[439]*439vised appellant on the record of his right under Rule 1100 to a speedy trial, and appellant agreed to a trial date during the first xueek of July.” (Emphasis added.) Id., 295 Pa. Super., at 228.

In Hensley, then, a date was set, which date was deemed certain enough to cure an otherwise defective waiver of Rule 1100 when that date was coupled with advice as to defendant’s right to a speedy trial. Here the only date set for the expiration of the waiver was when defendant’s newly appointed counsel indicated his readiness to proceed to trial. It is the opinion of this court that such a date is wholly too uncertain and indefinite to be able to cure the defective waiver even though the rest of the colloquy was sufficient to advise defendant of his rights under Rule 1100.

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Related

Commonwealth v. Hensley
441 A.2d 431 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. Robinson
410 A.2d 316 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Green
437 A.2d 54 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. MacHi
439 A.2d 1230 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. Manley
422 A.2d 1340 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1981)
Commonwealth v. Miller
422 A.2d 525 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Ellison
378 A.2d 325 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1977)
Commonwealth v. Coleman
383 A.2d 1268 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Commonwealth v. Shelton
364 A.2d 694 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
33 Pa. D. & C.3d 435, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 92, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-mclaughlin-pactcomplclearf-1983.