Commonwealth v. Woollam (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-196-17)
Murder conviction affirmed despite police presence at grand jury and claimed ineffective assistance of counsel on various evidentiary and procedural issues.
Category SJC Opinions
Commonwealth v. Diaz (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-195-17)
Affirmed conviction for first-degree murder based on DNA evidence. Prosecutor's closing argument statements, though some improper, did not warrant new trial given overwhelming evidence.
Commonwealth v. Camblin (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-194-17)
Breathalyzer evidence admissible after scientific hearing establishes dual-sensor device reliably distinguishes ethanol from interfering substances and meets federal certification standards.
Peterson v. Commonwealth (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-191-17)
Erroneous convictions statute eligibility requires reversal on grounds tending to establish innocence, not merely police misconduct or procedural error.
Commonwealth v. Vazquez (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-192-17)
First-degree murder conviction affirmed. CSLI records harmless; prior bad act evidence erroneous but harmless; transferred intent instruction proper.
Ewing v. Davenport-Mello, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-190-17)
Inmate's petition seeking to compel filing of notice of appeal dismissed as moot after notice was docketed and record assembled.
Commonwealth v. Morin (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-188-17)
Defendant convicted of felony murder is entitled to new trial where trial counsel failed to file motion to suppress improperly searched cellular telephone; search warrant affidavit lacked probable cause.
Commonwealth v. Facella (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-189-17)
Murder conviction affirmed where defendant's interferon-defense rebutted by evidence of pre-treatment violence against former girlfriends, despite temporal remoteness of incidents.
Commonwealth v. J.A., a juvenile (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-187-17)
Youthful offender statute's "serious bodily harm" language does not encompass harm to animals. Court affirmed dismissal of indictments but noted Commonwealth could pursue delinquency complaint.
Commonwealth v. Sullivan (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-186-17)
Affirmed. DNA match evidence from CODIS database was inadmissible hearsay but harmless error; nondisclosed proficiency test failures by lab analyst did not warrant new trial.