Commonwealth Pennsylvania v. Harold C‪.‬

JUSTICE ZAPPALA DECIDED: February 27, 1996 On October 4, 1989, a jury convened in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County convicted Appellant, Harold C. Wilson, of three counts of first degree murder, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2501; and possession of an instrument of a crime, 18 Pa.C.S. § 907. Following the jury's pronouncement of its verdict of guilt, a sentencing hearing was conducted in accordance with 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711. The jury found that there was one aggravating circumstance, a murder committed before or at the same time as another murder, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(d)(11), and no mitigating circumstances, thereby imposing the death penalty for each murder conviction. Appellant was then formally sentenced to death and to a concurrent term of one to two years imprisonment on the possession of an instrument of a crime conviction. Direct appeal from the judgments of sentence of death was taken to this Court pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(h).