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Commonwealth v. Stevens

Citations

  • 739 A.2d 507
  • 559 Pa. 171
  • 1999 Pa. LEXIS 3227

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

  • noting that prejudice exists where petitioner shows a “reasonable probability that, but for the error of counsel, the outcome of the proceeding would have been different.”
  • affirming PCRA court's denial of claim that counsel was ineffective in presentation of mitigation evidence where PCRA court was also factfinder at bench trial and evidence of guilt was overwhelming
  • stating meritless individual assertions of error lead to rejection of unfounded claim of cumulative effects
  • approving limiting construction of aggravating factor of torture to require: “[1] the unnecessary and wanton infliction of severe pain, agony, or anguish; and [2] the intent to inflict such pain, agony, or anguish”
  • affirming PCRA court’s denial of claim that counsel was ineffective in presentation of mitigation evidence where PCRA court was also factfinder at bench trial and evidence of guilt was overwhelming
  • Commonwealth must show beyond reasonable doubt that defendant possessed an intent, separate from intent to kill, to inflict pain and suffering

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Judges: Flaherty, Zappala, Cappy, Castille, Nigro, Newman, Saylor

Read full opinion on CourtListener

Cited by

45 cases in this archive cite this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

Cites

44 cases in this archive are cited by this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

Other cases with this name

Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.