Edwards v. State

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of Christopher Edwards’s petition for DNA and latent-fingerprint testing under Act 1780. It held that the notice of appeal and petition were sufficient, rejected his claim to a default judgment based on the State’s failure to respond, and concluded that his guilty plea meant identity was not at issue for purposes of Act 1780 relief. The court also held that his girlfriend’s claimed ownership of the drugs and firearm did not establish actual innocence or create an exception to that rule.