The Superior Court affirmed attempted-murder and related convictions, holding that circumstantial identification evidence and shots directed toward an officer’s torso supported the verdict.
The Massachusetts SJC ordered a new murder trial because prosecutors used particles from scientifically negative gunshot-residue tests as identification evidence without establishing that inference was reliable.
In a precedential ruling, the Superior Court held that an officer who personally watched a suspected drug transaction could give a lay opinion informed by his training and experience.
The Superior Court held that an electronic service provider’s CyberTip report was inadmissible hearsay and ordered a new trial on the only count that depended on the report.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld child-rape convictions after curative instructions and ruled that parties cannot impose appellate secrecy without a motion and good cause.
The Superior Court reversed suppression of a firearm, holding that a suspect had no reasonable expectation of privacy in a stranger’s pickup truck and abandoned his bag by leaving it in the open bed and fleeing.
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld drug-dealing and firearm-theft convictions, finding prior transaction messages relevant under Rule 404(b) and the theft evidence sufficient.