The Massachusetts SJC held that corruption in an overlapping police investigation did not justify plea withdrawal without a concrete nexus to the defendant’s own case.
The Massachusetts SJC affirmed a first-degree murder conviction, holding that counsel reasonably avoided first-aggressor evidence and that a planned fight did not warrant a sudden-combat instruction.
The Massachusetts SJC held that a coordinated foot pursuit seized a suspect before he discarded drugs, but upheld the stop based on preexisting reasonable suspicion.
The Massachusetts SJC ordered a new murder trial because excluding postarrest psychiatric records stripped the defendant’s criminal-responsibility defense of its medical foundation.
The Massachusetts SJC held that conviction-based constitutional claims must proceed under Rule 30 and remain subject to the § 33E gatekeeper process.
The Massachusetts SJC affirmed a first-degree murder conviction after finding four alleged investigative failures did not undermine the verdict.
The Massachusetts SJC held that a court seal and clerk’s stamped signature do not replace a written attestation that a docket copy is accurate.
The Massachusetts SJC affirmed a new trial where witness records, third-party-culprit evidence, and modern DNA results collectively cast real doubt on a murder conviction.