Commonwealth v. Chappell
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of murder in the first degree on the theory of deliberate premeditation. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction and declined to grant relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that the trial judge did not err by (1) permitting the Commonwealth’s DNA expert to testify about the results of DNA testing performed by another analyst, who was not available to testify; (2) limiting direct examination of Defendant’s primary mental health expert witness; (3) instructing the jury regarding the consequences of a verdict of not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility; and (4) not limiting the jury’s consideration of evidence of consciousness of guilt solely to the issue of Defendant’s mental state at the time of the crime.
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