Commonwealth v. Rodriguez-Green
Commonwealth v. Rodriguez-Green
Opinion of the Court
A jury convicted the defendant, Ferssy Rodriguez-Green, of assault and battery on a family or household member, G. L. c. 265, § 13M(a ).
1. Motion for a required finding. At issue here is whether the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence at the close of its case to satisfy any rational trier of fact beyond a reasonable doubt, Commonwealth v. Latimore,
First, evidence derived from the victim's medical records from the day of the incident, show that the victim identified the defendant as her "Significant Other." She also listed him as her emergency contact. Furthermore, the incident occurred at approximately 2:00 A.M. , and the defendant's mother was present in the apartment when police arrived.
Moreover, despite suffering a serious injury at the hands of the defendant (police found the victim, who attributed her injury to the defendant, in the bathroom, bleeding from a gash to her arm), the victim, according to what the defendant told police, protected the defendant from arrest by telling him to leave the apartment before the police arrived. The defendant did not flee the area but, rather, remained nearby, hidden in a car that was parked behind the apartment building and, finally, in further support of the existence of a substantive relationship, there was the defendant's statement to the police that the victim "would not testify against him." This evidence, together with all of the inferences that could be reasonably drawn therefrom sufficiently established that the victim and the defendant were in a substantive dating relationship and, thus, that they were members of the same household. Commonwealth v. Dustin,
2. Admission of medical records. The defendant next challenges the admission of three portions of the victim's medical records. He argues the first page is inadmissible because it states the victim was a "Crime Victim" and that she was married, with the defendant as a "Significant Other." He also takes issue with the admission of three references to the victim having been the subject of an assault, and, finally, he disputes the admission of an unidentified quote in an emergency medical technician's (EMT's) report, which states that "he beat her up bad." The defendant did not object to the first of these portions but did object to the other two.
a. Standard for the admissibility of medical records. Pursuant to G. L. c. 233, § 79, patient records kept by hospitals under G. L. c. 111, § 70, "shall be admissible ... as evidence ... so far as such records relate to the treatment and medical history of such cases." Bouchie v. Murray,
"[1] the document must be the type of record contemplated by G. L. c. 233, § 79 [;] ... [2] the information must be germane to the patient's treatment or medical history[;] ... [3] the information must be recorded from the personal knowledge of the entrant or from a compilation of the personal knowledge of those who are under a medical obligation to transmit such information[; and] ... [4] voluntary statements of third persons appearing in the record are not admissible unless they are offered for reasons other than to prove the truth of the matter contained therein or, if offered for their truth, come within another exception to the hearsay rule or the general principles discussed [herein]."
Bouchie,
b. Unobjected-to hearsay challenge. We review the unobjected-to challenge to the admission of the first page of the medical records for any error that created a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice, Dargon,
The admission of the statement that the defendant was the victim's "Significant Other" and that she was married, even if error, also did not create a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice, as the jury heard other substantial evidence, including testimony from the victim during the defendant's case-in-chief, that the two were in a dating relationship. See Commonwealth v. Gabbidon,
c. Objected-to hearsay challenges. We review the defendant's objected-to challenges to the three references to the victim being the subject of an "assault" and the entry in the EMT record that "he beat her up bad" for prejudicial error, Dargon,
Given the overwhelming testimonial and documentary evidence of the seriousness of the injury the victim suffered at the hands of the defendant, we are not persuaded that these comments influenced the jury's verdict. The arresting officer described a "large laceration" to the victim's arm, and medical records detailed the extensive injuries to her face and arm. Furthermore, the jury does not appear to have been swayed by any inadmissible hearsay, as they acquitted the defendant of the more serious offense of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. See Commonwealth v. Bastaldo,
3. Commonwealth's closing argument. Last, the defendant asserts that the prosecutor twice misstated the evidence during his summation. The prosecutor argued, without evidentiary support, that the defendant told police that the victim was his wife, and that the victim told police that the defendant was her boy friend.
In determining the impact of a prosecutor's misstatement, we look to "(1) whether the defendant seasonably objected; (2) whether the error was limited to collateral issues or went to the heart of the case; (3) what specific or general instructions the judge gave the jury which may have mitigated the mistake; and (4) whether the error, in the circumstances, possibly made a difference in the jury's conclusions." Commonwealth v. Kater,
First, the defendant did not lodge a seasonable objection. Second, the judge instructed the jury twice that closing statements are not evidence. Finally, although the comments went to an element of the offense, there is little possibility they affected the verdict, as there was overwhelming evidence that the victim and the defendant were members of the same household, including the victim's trial testimony that she and the defendant were in a dating relationship.
Judgment affirmed.
The jury acquitted the defendant of a charge of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.
The Commonwealth contends the defendant waived this argument by not specifically identifying it in his motion for a required finding of not guilty. However, a motion for a required finding of not guilty need not specify the precise challenge. See Commonwealth v. Mills,
There likely was no error in the admission of the EMT entry "he beat her up bad," see DiMonte,
To the extent the defendant raises the claim that cumulative error warrants reversal, it is unavailing. "The cumulative error was no more prejudicial than the individual errors, which had minimal impact." Commonwealth v. Kosilek,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.