Commonwealth v. Parson

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Commonwealth v. Parson

401 A.2d 749, 485 Pa. 240, 1979 Pa. LEXIS 589

CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania

DecidedMay 31, 1979

DocketNos. 217 and 632

StatusPublished

Cited by1 cases

This text of 401 A.2d 749 (Commonwealth v. Parson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Commonwealth v. Parson, 401 A.2d 749, 485 Pa. 240, 1979 Pa. LEXIS 589 (Pa. 1979).

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Opinion

[242]*242OPINION OF THE COURT

LARSEN, Justice.

Appellant was arrested for the shooting death of one Sylvester Quattlebaum in June of 1976. He proceeded to trial without a jury and was found guilty of murder of the third degree and possessing instruments of a crime. After denial of post-verdict motions, appellant was sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment of six to twenty years and two and one-half to five years, and this direct appeal followed.

Appellant raises four issues. In his first two contentions, appellant alleges that the courts below erred in not suppressing the incriminating statements he made six hours after his arrest as involuntary and the product of unnecessary delay. Next, appellant alleges that the trial court erred in admitting the hysterical statements his sister made within moments of the shooting under the res gestae exception to the hearsay rule. And, finally, appellant contends that, as a matter of law, he was guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder of the third degree. We have reviewed the record and find each of these issues to be without merit.

Accordingly, the judgments of sentence are affirmed.

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[242]*242OPINION OF THE COURT

LARSEN, Justice.

Appellant was arrested for the shooting death of one Sylvester Quattlebaum in June of 1976. He proceeded to trial without a jury and was found guilty of murder of the third degree and possessing instruments of a crime. After denial of post-verdict motions, appellant was sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment of six to twenty years and two and one-half to five years, and this direct appeal followed.

Appellant raises four issues. In his first two contentions, appellant alleges that the courts below erred in not suppressing the incriminating statements he made six hours after his arrest as involuntary and the product of unnecessary delay. Next, appellant alleges that the trial court erred in admitting the hysterical statements his sister made within moments of the shooting under the res gestae exception to the hearsay rule. And, finally, appellant contends that, as a matter of law, he was guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder of the third degree. We have reviewed the record and find each of these issues to be without merit.

Accordingly, the judgments of sentence are affirmed.

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401 A.2d 749, 485 Pa. 240, 1979 Pa. LEXIS 589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-parson-pa-1979.

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