(Download) "Commonwealth Pennsylvania" by Supreme Court of Pennsylvania No. 12 E.D. Appeal Dkt. 1990 * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Commonwealth Pennsylvania
- Author : Supreme Court of Pennsylvania No. 12 E.D. Appeal Dkt. 1990
- Release Date : January 17, 1992
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 83 KB
Description
MR. JUSTICE McDERMOTT On January 3, 1990, the jury trial of Robert Peter Zook, Jr., commenced in the Court of Common Pleas
of Lancaster County before the Honorable Louis J. Farina in connection with the July 24, 1985 brutal slaying of Paul Conrad
and Sandra Wilker. The jury found appellant guilty of two counts of first degree murder and sentenced him to death on both
counts. This was appellant's second trial on these charges. In appellant's first trial the jury returned guilty verdicts and
sentenced appellant to death on both counts; however, these verdicts and concomitant sentences were reversed by this Court
and appellant was awarded a new trial.1 Appellant's appeal from his second trial is now before us on automatic review pursuant
to 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(h)(1). Although appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, it is the obligation of this Court in cases where
the capital sanction is imposed, to independently examine the sufficiency of the evidence supporting an appellant's conviction.
Commonwealth v. Zettlemoyer, 500 Pa. 16, 454 A.2d 937 (1982), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 970 (1983), reh'g denied, 463 U.S. 1236
(1983). In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we must determine whether the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable
to the Commonwealth as verdict winner, is sufficient to establish all the elements necessary to sustain a conviction of first
degree murder. Commonwealth v. Strong, 522 Pa. 445, 563 A.2d 479 (1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1060 (1990). With these standards
in mind we will review the record in this matter.