In 1980, the defendant's wife was stabbed to death in her Bourne home.  Twenty five years later, a man named Steven Stewart was convicted of murdering her.  After Stewart's conviction was reversed on appeal, he entered into a cooperation agreement with the Commonwealth and agreed to testify that he was a hitman, paid by...

In his State of the Judicial speech delivered today, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants argued that the Legislature should enact legislation to end mandatory sentencing in drug cases.  Gants, who has served on the Supreme Judicial Court since 2009, was elevated to chief justice three months ago upon the retirement of...

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today affirmed the first-degree murder conviction of a man who argued that his statements to the police were obtained unlawfully.  The name of the case is Commonwealth v. Vincent. (more…)

In an important decision delivered last Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed a district court judge's order that a witness in a criminal case testify at trial, even though the witness' testimony would tend to incriminate him.  The name of the case is Commonwealth v. Leclair.  (more…)

The Massachusetts Appeals Court today reversed the finding of a Worcester County Superior Court judge that an intellectually-disabled defendant had knowingly and voluntarily admitted to violating his probation, and overturned the 5-to-8 year prison sentence awarded against him.  The name of the case is Commonwealth v. Abdullah Muhammad Sayyid.  (more…)