Com. v. Williams, A., Jr. ( 2017 )


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  • J-S48023-17
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
    COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA                     IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    PENNSYLVANIA
    Appellee
    v.
    AARON S. WILLIAMS, JR.
    Appellant                No. 2075 MDA 2016
    Appeal from the PCRA Order Entered November 3, 2016
    In the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County
    Criminal Division at Nos: CP-22-CR-0004453-2013 and CP-22-CR-0004900-
    2011
    BEFORE: OTT, STABILE, and PLATT,* JJ.
    MEMORANDUM BY STABILE, J.:                        FILED OCTOBER 19, 2017
    Appellant, Aaron S. Williams, Jr., appeals pro se from the November 3,
    2016 order entered in the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County,
    dismissing his petition for collateral relief filed pursuant to the Post
    Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546.          Following
    review, we vacate and remand for an evidentiary hearing.
    Appellant was arrested on November 18, 2011 and was charged with
    six counts including, inter alia, possession with intent to deliver (“PWID”)
    and carrying a firearm without a license at Docket 4900-CR-2011.          The
    prosecution provided discovery materials to Appellant’s counsel on February
    ____________________________________________
    *   Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
    J-S48023-17
    6, 2012.    At that time, the Commonwealth provided notice that the
    Commonwealth might seek the applicable mandatory minimums for 42
    Pa.C.S.A. § 9712.1, relating to certain drug offenses committed with
    firearms, and 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7508, relating to drug trafficking.
    After numerous requests for continuance made by his counsel,
    Appellant’s case finally proceeded to a plea hearing on September 8, 2014.
    In the meantime, Appellant was arrested on July 13, 2013 and charged with
    three counts including, inter alia, PWID at Docket 4453-CR-2013. That case
    also proceeded to a plea hearing on September 8, 2014.
    At the time of the plea hearing, the prosecution advised the trial court
    that two additional dockets were being nol-prossed and that a plea
    agreement had been reached for the remaining two dockets. At 4900-CR-
    2011, Appellant would plead guilty to PWID and the firearms charge with the
    remaining four counts being nol-prossed.        At 4453-CR-2013, Appellant
    would plead guilty to PWID with the remaining two counts being nol-
    prossed.   Notes of Testimony, Plea Hearing, 9/8/14, at 2-3.       The overall
    sentence agreed upon was five to ten years. Id.
    Appellant testified that he had reviewed his written colloquy with
    counsel.   Id. at 3-4.    On the first page of the written colloquy, “the
    maximum punishment” was listed as ten years and a $25,000 fine along
    with seven years and a $15,000 fine for Docket 4900-CR-2011, and ten
    years and a $100,000 fine for Docket 4453-CR-2013. The “total maximum
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    penalties” were 17 years and a $115,000 fine. Written Colloquy, 9/8/14, at
    1. The prosecution requested that the written colloquy be made part of the
    record. The trial court accepted Appellant’s guilty pleas and set October 10,
    2014 for sentencing. Id. at 4-5.
    No further activity is reflected on the docket prior to the October 10
    sentencing hearing.    At that time, the prosecution asked the court “to
    impose the negotiated agreement of four and a half to ten years.” Notes of
    Testimony, Sentencing Hearing, 10/8/14, at 2. The record does not reflect
    any discussion or written information accounting for the change in the
    minimum sentence, nor is there any explanation of how the minimum was
    calculated.   The transcript from the sentencing hearing reflects that the
    maximum sentence of ten years is the result of the subsequent drug
    trafficking conviction, doubling the five-year maximum that would otherwise
    apply. Id. at 3.
    The trial court set a delayed report date of January 2, 2015 and
    explained to Appellant that his final sentence would be “closer to eight to
    twenty” if he did not report as directed. Id. at 4-5. The court also advised
    Appellant that a request to withdraw the plea after sentencing would be
    denied. Id. at 4. Finally, Appellant would receive credit for time served by
    future order of court. Id. at 6.
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    Appellant did not file a direct appeal from the judgment of sentence.
    The trial court issued an order on May 29, 2015, granting Appellant’s motion
    for credit for time served.
    Appellant filed a timely PCRA petition on July 6, 2015. In his petition,
    Appellant asserted the following facts, which we repeat here verbatim in
    relevant part:
    On Sept. 8th 2014 counsel told me if I plea to drugs on that day,
    I wouldn’t be facing mandatory minimum of 5 to 10 under
    42.9712.1a because plea will seperate drugs and gun, but if not
    then ill be facing guideline 42.9712.1a as stated in discovery.
    On October 10 2014 counsel told me that I was facing two
    mandatory minimum 5 to 10 under 18.7508(a)(3)(ii) as stated
    in discovery (CP-22-CR-001803-2012), but if I plea guilty to gun
    then D.A. agree to only give me a 4½ to 10 years, and make
    00018-2012 go away.
    PCRA Petition, 7/6/15, at 3, Section 5(A).       Appellant raised additional
    ineffectiveness claims, including counsel’s failure to request suppression of
    evidence obtained as a result of a vehicle stop.    Appellant contended that
    the evidence was “fruit of the poisonous tree” because the vehicle charges
    were dismissed. Id.
    In his petition, Appellant identified two “matters” he wanted to assert.
    Relevant here is the first matter identified: that his “[p]lea was unlawfully
    induced because counsel gave erroneous advise (sic) on permissible range of
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    sentence and duration.” Id. at 3, Section 5(C).1 Appellant asked that the
    court consider various arguments and citations to authority. Appellant cited
    four cases in his list of authorities: Commonwealth v. Newman, 
    99 A.3d 86
     (Pa. Super. 2014) (en banc); Commonwealth v. Fennell, 
    105 A.3d 13
    (Pa. Super. 2014); Commonwealth v. Cardwell, 
    105 A.3d 748
     (Pa. Super.
    2014); and Alleyne v. United States, 
    133 S.Ct. 2151
     (2013).              PCRA
    Petition, 7/6/15, at 7, Section 14.
    On July 21, 2015, the court appointed Attorney Wendy J.F. Grella as
    PCRA counsel.        After requesting and receiving five extensions to file a
    supplemental petition, Attorney Grella instead filed a motion to withdraw on
    February 11, 2016, pursuant to Turner/Finley.2         Based on her review,
    counsel concluded that Appellant’s guilty plea was voluntary, knowing and
    intelligent and noted that “at the time of the original sentencing hearing, the
    sentence imposed on [Appellant] was not greater than the lawful maximum;
    consequently, there is no issue concerning the legality of his sentence.”
    ____________________________________________
    1  The second issue claimed his plea was unlawfully induced because of
    counsel’s failure to seek suppression of evidence. 
    Id.
    2 Commonwealth v. Turner, 
    544 A.2d 927
     (Pa. 1988); Commonwealth
    v. Finley, 
    550 A.2d 213
     (Pa. Super. 1988).
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    Motion to Withdraw, 2/11/16, at ¶¶ 14 and 18. Attached to the motion was
    counsel’s letter to Appellant advising that the claims asserted in his PCRA
    petition either had no merit or were not cognizable under the PCRA statute.
    Turner/Finley “no-merit” letter, 2/11/16, at 1.
    On February 29, 2016, Appellant filed a pro se motion requesting an
    extension of time to respond to counsel’s Turner/Finley no-merit letter. By
    order entered March 29, 2016, the PCRA court denied Appellant’s motion
    without prejudice as premature, noting Appellant could respond to the
    court’s disposition of his petition pursuant to Rule 907 and could request an
    extension at that time, if necessary.
    On April 20, 2016, Appellant filed a supplement to his PCRA petition,
    asserting PCRA counsel should not be permitted to withdraw.        He again
    claimed that plea counsel was ineffective for failing to pursue a motion to
    suppress evidence after his vehicle charges were dismissed. He also argued
    that his guilty plea became involuntary because he did not know he could
    seek suppression of the evidence. Therefore, he could not have voluntarily
    waived his rights.
    On July 8, 2016, the PCRA court issued a Memorandum Order.       The
    court first acknowledged that Appellant’s petition was timely filed and,
    therefore, the court would discuss its merits. Memorandum Order, 7/8/16,
    at 4.    The court observed that when a defendant enters a guilty plea, his
    “appellate rights are limited to challenges to the validity of the plea, the
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    legality of the sentence imposed, or the trial court’s jurisdiction.”                        
    Id.
    (quoting Commonwealth v. Flood, 
    627 A.2d 1193
    , 1198 (Pa. Super. 1993)
    (citations omitted)). Citing Commonwealth v. Prendes, 
    97 A.3d 337
     (Pa.
    Super. 2014), the PCRA court examined the requirements for a valid guilty
    plea, recognizing that “manifest injustice occurs when a plea is not tendered
    knowingly, intelligently, voluntarily, and understandingly.”                  
    Id.
     (quoting
    Prendes, 
    97 A.3d at 352
    ). The PCRA court also considered the guidelines
    for   a   sufficient      guilty   plea   colloquy   as   outlined   by    this      Court    in
    Commonwealth v. Yeomans, 
    24 A.3d 1044
     (Pa. Super. 2011).                                     As
    explained in Yeomans, the totality of the circumstances surrounding entry
    of the plea must be examined and “must affirmatively show that the
    defendant understood what the plea connoted and its consequences.” 
    Id. at 1047
     (citation omitted).
    The PCRA court then reviewed the plea colloquy and the September 8,
    2014      guilty   plea     proceedings,     concluding    that   the     totality    of     the
    circumstances established that Appellant “provided a knowing, voluntary,
    and intelligent plea, thereby stripping [Appellant’s] ability to challenge the
    validity of the plea.”         PCRA Memorandum Order, 7/8/16, at 7. The court
    further determined that the sentence imposed on Appellant “was not greater
    than the lawful maximum and did not exceed the amount determined in the
    guilty plea agreement. Therefore, there is no issue concerning the legality
    of the sentence.” 
    Id.
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    The PCRA court’s order reflected its conclusion that Appellant’s basis of
    relief lacked merit. Therefore, the court granted Attorney Grella’s motion to
    withdraw.     Id. at 8.    The court provided Appellant the Pa.R.Crim.P. 907
    notice of its intent to dismiss Appellant’s petition within twenty days of the
    order and advised Appellant of his right to respond to the notice within that
    time.
    On July 21, 2016, Appellant filed a motion for extension of time to
    respond to the Rule 907 notice so that he could obtain the transcript of the
    guilty plea hearing.      By order entered the following day, the PCRA court
    granted an extension of sixty days to respond to the Rule 907 notice but
    denied the request for an extension to secure transcripts because all
    transcripts were provided to PCRA counsel. Order, 7/22/16, at 1.
    On September 22, 2016, Appellant filed a motion for leave to amend
    his PCRA petition.     He requested the opportunity to allege plea counsel’s
    ineffectiveness for providing erroneous advice that Appellant was facing two
    mandatory minimum five-year sentences and to assert that he would not
    have agreed to the plea bargain if plea counsel had given correct advice.
    Motion for Leave to Amend, 9/22/16, at 1.         He argued that a decision to
    plead guilty cannot be accepted as knowingly and intelligently entered
    unless “the accused fully comprehends the maximum punishment that might
    be imposed for his conduct.”      Id. at 4.   He claimed that he had raised a
    genuine issue of material fact warranting an evidentiary hearing in light of
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    the absence of any explanation on the record of plea counsel’s erroneous
    advice.   Id.    He also sought the chance to raise a claim of PCRA counsel
    ineffectiveness for failing to present Appellant’s claim in an amended PCRA
    petition. Id. Appellant ultimately requested that the PCRA court grant him
    an evidentiary hearing. Id. at 5.3
    By order entered September 28, 2016, the PCRA court granted
    Appellant thirty days, i.e., until October 28, 2016, to supplement the record.
    The order provided that there would be no further extensions.                        Order,
    9/28/16, at 1.
    On October 19, 2016, Appellant filed a motion to correct an illegal
    sentence.     On October 24, 2016, the PCRA court entered an order that
    provided, in pertinent part:
    AND NOW, this 24th day of October, 2016, for reasons set forth
    in our Memorandum Opinion and Order filed July 8, 2016
    dismissing Defendant’s Motion for Post-Conviction Collateral
    Relief (PCRA), and taking into consideration Defendant’s Motion
    to Correct Illegal Sentence and Defendant’s Motion for Leave to
    Amend Post Conviction Relief Act thereto1, IT IS HEREBY
    ORDERED AND DECREED that Petitioner’s PCRA petition(s) filed
    in the above-captioned dockets are hereby DISMISSED without a
    hearing.
    1
    This Court's July 8, 2016 Memorandum Order notified the Petitioner
    of its intention to dismiss his petition within twenty (20) days and
    advised the Petitioner that he could respond to this Order within such
    time. Petitioner filed a Motion for Extension of Time in which to file a
    ____________________________________________
    3Appellant also requested a new trial and other relief as the court deemed
    appropriate. Motion for Leave to Amend, 9/22/16, at 5.
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    response at docket nos. 4453-CR-2013 and 4900-CR-2011. Petitioner
    filed a Motion for Leave to Amend Post Conviction Collateral Relief at
    docket 4453-CR-2013 and at docket no. 4900-CR-2011, Petitioner filed
    a Motion to Correct Illegal Sentence. This Court treats said filings as
    responses to our July 8, 2016 Memorandum Order.
    Order, 10/24/16, at 1.
    On October 28, 2016, the deadline set by the PCRA court for Appellant
    to supplement the record, Appellant filed a supplemental amended PCRA
    petition alleging, inter alia:
    After reviewing previous submissions, Petitioner recognized he
    neglected to include the material facts of his conversation with
    counsel during plea negotiations prior to his guilty plea, and
    conversation after guilty plea (prior to sentencing). Petitioner
    committed an oversight concerning the material and relevant
    facts supporting his claim of counsel’s ineffectiveness inducing
    Petitioner's involuntary and unknowing guilty plea.
    Petitioner also includes a claim of PCRA counsel’s ineffectiveness
    for failing to properly investigate the case and review of the
    record concerning the illegality of Petitioner’s sentences. PCRA
    counsel's no-merit letter did not comply with the Turner/Finley
    standard.
    Supplemental Amended PCRA Petition, 10/28/16, at 1. Appellant set forth
    facts and offered case law in support of his amended petition and requested
    an evidentiary hearing. While acknowledging that the right to an evidentiary
    hearing is not absolute, Appellant asserted that he alleged facts outside of
    the record in support of his claims. Id. at 8. He explained:
    Those facts involve conversations he had with counsel off-the-
    record and those facts are material to the outcome of his claims.
    Petitioner’s claim of counsel’s ineffectiveness involves an “issue
    of material fact” about whether counsel actually did give
    Petitioner erroneous advice inducing Petitioner to plead guilty to
    illegal sentences. Again, disposition of Petitioner’s claim requires
    counsel’s testimony warranting an evidentiary hearing.             If
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    counsel’s testimony confirms Petitioner's allegations,        then
    Petitioner is entitled to relief as a matter of law.
    Id. Appellant attached a declaration as an exhibit to the amended petition,
    setting forth the facts he intended to offer as sworn testimony in an
    evidentiary hearing on his petition. Id., Exhibit A. The certificate of service
    accompanying the amended petition reflects that Appellant mailed the
    amendment on October 25, 2016, the day after the PCRA court dismissed
    his petition, and presumably before Appellant received the October 24 order
    in the mail.
    On November 2, 2016, Appellant filed a motion for reconsideration of
    the October 24 order.       Appellant argued that the court’s order was
    premature in light of the PCRA court’s order granting Appellant the
    opportunity to supplement the record by October 28. He asserted that his
    motion to correct the illegal sentence was not a response to the court’s Rule
    907 notice. He claimed that the PCRA court should consider the timely-filed
    supplemental amended petition rather than dismiss the filing based on a
    mischaracterization of Appellant’s motion to correct an illegal sentence.
    Appellant also noted that the PCRA court’s order did not address PCRA
    counsel’s Turner/Finley letter, which was related to Appellant’s PCRA
    claims. Motion for Reconsideration, 11/2/16, at 1-4.
    The PCRA court issued an order on November 3, 2016, providing in
    relevant part:
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    AND NOW, this 3rd day of November, 2016, for reasons set forth
    in our Memorandum Opinion and Order filed July 8, 2016
    dismissing Defendant’s Motion for Post-Conviction Collateral
    Relief (PCRA), and taking into consideration Defendant’s
    Supplemental Amended PCRA Petition thereto, IT IS HEREBY
    ORDERED AND DECREED that Petitioner’s PCRA petition(s) filed
    in the above-captioned dockets are hereby DISMISSED without a
    hearing.
    ....
    IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant’s Motion for
    Reconsideration, filed in the above-captioned dockets is hereby
    DENIED.
    IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant’s Motion to Correct
    Illegal sentence, filed on October 19, 2016, at docket no 4900-
    CD-2011 is hereby DENIED.
    IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant’s Motion for Leave to
    Amend PCRA petition, filed September 22, 2016, at docket no.
    4453-CD-2013 is hereby DENIED as MOOT.
    Order, 11/3/16 at 1-2 (footnotes omitted).
    Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal from the November 3 order
    and complied with the court’s directive to file a concise statement of errors
    of complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).      On December
    19, 2016, the PCRA court issued a statement in lieu of memorandum opinion
    in accordance with Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a), explaining that its reasons for
    dismissing Appellant’s PCRA petition were addressed in its July 8, 2016
    Memorandum Order.
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    Appellant asks us to consider four issues, which we have reordered for
    ease of disposition:
    1. Did the PCRA [c]ourt commit error when it denied Appellant’s
    Original and Supplemental Amended PCRA Petition without an
    evidentiary hearing?
    2. Did the PCRA [c]ourt commit an error of law when it denied
    Appellant’s claim that trial counsel was ineffective for advising
    and inducing Appellant to plead guilty to two illegal
    sentences?
    3. Did the PCRA [c]ourt commit an error when it denied
    Appellant’s claim that trial counsel was ineffective for inducing
    him to plead guilty rather than filing a Motion to Suppress
    [i]llegally obtained evidence?
    4. Did the PCRA [c]ourt commit error when it denied Appellant’s
    claim of PCRA [c]ounsel’s ineffectiveness?
    Appellant’s Brief at 5.
    We begin by setting forth our scope and standard of review. As our
    Supreme Court has explained, “In PCRA proceedings, an appellate court’s
    scope of review is limited by the PCRA’s parameters; since most PCRA
    appeals involve mixed questions of fact and law, the standard of review is
    whether the PCRA court’s findings are supported by the record and free of
    legal error.”   Commonwealth v. Pitts, 
    981 A.2d 875
    , 878 (Pa. 2009)
    (citing Commonwealth v. Strong, 
    761 A.2d 1167
    , 1170 n. 3 (Pa. 2000)).
    In his first issue, Appellant asserts trial court error for denying his
    original and supplemental petitions without an evidentiary hearing. As this
    Court reiterated in Commonwealth v. Burton, 
    121 A.3d 1063
     (Pa. Super.
    2015 (en banc):
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    There is no absolute right to an evidentiary hearing. See
    Commonwealth v. Springer, 
    961 A.2d 1262
    , 1264 (Pa. Super.
    2008). On appeal, we examine the issues raised in light of the
    record “to determine whether the PCRA court erred in concluding
    that there were no genuine issues of material fact and in denying
    relief without an evidentiary hearing.” 
    Id.
    Id. at 1067.
    To obtain reversal of a PCRA court’s decision to dismiss a
    petition without a hearing, an appellant must show that he
    raised a genuine issue of fact which, if resolved in his favor,
    would have entitled him to relief, or that the court otherwise
    abused its discretion in denying a hearing.
    Commonwealth v. Paddy, 
    15 A.3d 431
    , 442 (Pa. 2011) (quoting
    Commonwealth v. D'Amato, 
    856 A.2d 806
    , 820 (Pa. 2004)).4
    In his original petition, Appellant raised a claim of plea counsel
    ineffectiveness with respect to the plea agreement.        To prevail on his
    ineffectiveness claim, Appellant must show, inter alia, that counsel’s conduct
    worked to his prejudice. Commonwealth v. Hickman, 
    799 A.2d 136
    , 141
    (Pa. Super. 2002) (citation omitted). “To succeed in showing prejudice, the
    defendant must show that it is reasonably probable that, but for counsel’s
    errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have gone to trial. The
    reasonable probability test is not a stringent one.”     
    Id.
     (quotations and
    ____________________________________________
    4 Because Paddy and D’Amato were capital cases, the rule at issue was not
    Rule 907 but, rather, Rule 909(B). Both rules provide the process for giving
    notice of the court’s intent to dismiss and the defendant’s opportunity to
    respond.
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    citations omitted). Further, as this Court recognized in Commonwealth v.
    Wah, 
    42 A.3d 335
     (Pa. Super. 2012),
    [A]llegations of ineffectiveness in connection with the entry of a
    guilty plea will serve as a basis for relief only if the
    ineffectiveness caused the defendant to enter an involuntary or
    unknowing plea. Where the defendant enters his plea on the
    advice of counsel, the voluntariness of the plea depends on
    whether counsel’s advice was within the range of competence
    demanded of attorneys in criminal cases.
    
    Id. at 338-39
     (citations omitted).
    Appellant asserted that on September 8, 2014, counsel advised him
    that—absent the plea—Appellant would be facing a mandatory minimum
    sentence of five to ten years pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9712.1(a), relating
    to certain drug offenses committed with firearms.         However, three weeks
    earlier, this Court had declared § 9712.1 unconstitutional in light of Alleyne
    v. United States, 
    133 S.Ct. 2151
     (2013). Commonwealth v. Newman,
    
    99 A.3d 86
     (Pa. Super. 2014) (en banc). As reflected above, Appellant cited
    both Alleyne and Newman in his pro se PCRA petition.
    Appellant also claimed that on October 10, 2014, the day of
    sentencing, plea counsel told him that he was facing two minimum
    mandatory     sentences   of   five    to   ten   years   under   18   Pa.C.S.A.
    § 7508(a)(3)(ii), relating to drug trafficking.    However, on May 22, 2014,
    four and a half months before the sentencing hearing, this Court found that
    a mandatory minimum sentence imposed pursuant to § 7508(a) was an
    illegal sentence under Alleyne.       Commonwealth v. Thompson, 93 A.3d
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    478 (Pa. Super. 2014).            This Court reached the same conclusion in
    Commonwealth v. Fennell, 
    105 A.3d 13
     (Pa. Super. 2014), decided on
    November       21,    2014.      This    Court     subsequently    found    §   7508(a)
    unconstitutional on April 20, 2015. Commonwealth v. Mosley, 
    114 A.3d 1072
     (Pa. 2015).          While Fennell and Mosley post-dated Appellant’s
    sentence, they did pre-date the filing of Appellant’s PCRA petition alleging he
    was induced into entering a guilty plea based on mandatory minimum
    sentences that had already been determined to be in violation of Alleyne.5
    Again, the trial court imposed a sentence of four and a half to ten
    years in prison. How the minimum was determined is not reflected in the
    record.      The Commonwealth simply asked the court “to impose the
    negotiated agreement of four and a half to ten years.” Notes of Testimony,
    Sentencing Hearing, 10/8/14, at 2.             In doing so, the trial court did not
    impose a five-year mandatory minimum sentence in violation of either 42
    Pa.C.S.A. § 9712.1 or 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7508(a).                 However, Appellant has
    asserted facts in his petition that, if substantiated, could support a finding
    that he was prejudiced because he agreed to plead guilty rather than face
    sentences      that   would    have     been     illegal   sentences.      Under   those
    ____________________________________________
    5   Appellant also cited Fennell in his petition.
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    circumstances, his guilty plea would not be considered knowing, voluntary or
    intelligent.
    Consequently, we find the PCRA court erred in dismissing Appellant’s
    petition without an evidentiary hearing to consider Appellant’s claim that his
    “plea was unlawfully induced because counsel gave erroneous advise (sic) on
    permissible range of sentence and duration.” PCRA Petition, 7/6/15, at 3,
    Section 5(C).
    Further, Appellant raised a claim of PCRA counsel ineffectiveness in his
    supplemental amended PCRA petition “for failing to properly investigate the
    case and review of the record concerning the illegality of [Appellant’s]
    sentences.      PCRA counsel’s no-merit letter did not comply with the
    Turner/Finley standard.” Supplemental Amended PCRA Petition, 10/28/16,
    at 1.
    The PCRA court’s November 3, 2016 order reflects that the court
    dismissed Appellant’s petition “for reasons set forth in our Memorandum
    Opinion and Order filed July 8, 2016.”         Order, 11/3/16, at 1.   However,
    Appellant had not asserted a claim of PCRA counsel ineffectiveness at that
    time and had not challenged counsel’s Turner/Finley letter. Consequently,
    the PCRA did not address either of those claims in its July 8, 2016 order. In
    light of the factual issues raised in Appellant’s amended petition relating to
    PCRA counsel’s ineffectiveness, we find the PCRA court committed an error
    of law by concluding there were no genuine issues of material fact and by
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    dismissing Appellant’s supplemental amended PCRA petition without an
    evidentiary hearing.
    Because the PCRA court erred in failing to conduct an evidentiary
    hearing, we vacate the November 3, 2016 order and remand for a hearing.
    In light of our disposition of Appellant’s first issue and our directive to the
    PCRA court to conduct an evidentiary hearing on remand, we decline to
    address Appellant’s remaining issues.        Finally, we note that Appellant’s
    Supplemental Amended PCRA Petition was filed at docket 4900-CR-2011
    only, although the petition clearly addresses both that docket and docket
    1803-CR-2012. On remand, Appellant may refile his supplemental petition
    within twenty days of this Memorandum, correcting the caption to reflect
    that it is being filed at both docket numbers.
    Order vacated. Case remanded for further proceedings in accordance
    with this Memorandum. Jurisdiction relinquished.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 10/19/2017
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