Commonwealth v. Pfeiffer
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The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the trial judge reducing Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree to involuntary manslaughter pursuant to Mass. R. Crim. P. 25(b)(2), as amended, holding that the judge did not abuse her discretion by reducing the jury's verdict.
Defendant was convicted of murder in the second degree on a theory of felony-murder with arson as the predicate felony. Defendant later filed this rule 23(b)(2) motion. The judge granted the motion and reduced Defendant's conviction, concluding that the weight of the evidence showed that Defendant lacked the requisite intent and also taking into account mitigating circumstances constituted by Defendant's cognitive limitations and mental disorder. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding that the reduction in Defendant's verdict was not an abuse of discretion.
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