Commonwealth v. Sorenson
Commonwealth v. Sorenson
Opinion of the Court
Following a jury trial in the Superior Court, the defendant, Erich Sorenson, was convicted of armed assault with intent to rob, and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. On appeal, the defendant claims that the judge erred in denying his motion to suppress. We affirm.
Background. On April 14, 2012, the defendant stabbed the victim during an attempted robbery. The victim sustained serious injury and was hospitalized for more than six weeks. Two days after the incident, an eyewitness to the stabbing identified the defendant as the assailant and told the police where he lived. Lowell police entered the residence, which was described as a three-story building with numerous apartments on each floor. Sergeant Joseph Murray knocked on the door of one of the units, and after speaking with a female, the defendant came to the door. Murray asked the defendant to step out into the hallway and, after he complied, Murray arrested him.
The defendant filed a motion to suppress both the statements that he made to the police subsequent to his arrest as well as Murray's observation of a cut on the defendant's finger. The defendant claimed that the police did not have probable cause for a warrantless arrest. After an evidentiary hearing, the judge denied the motion, finding that the police had probable cause to arrest the defendant.
Motion to suppress.
"In reviewing a decision on a motion to suppress, 'we accept the judge's subsidiary findings of fact absent clear error "but conduct an independent review of [her] ultimate findings and conclusions of law." ' " Commonwealth v. Keefner,
Notably, the defendant does not argue that the judge's findings are clearly erroneous. Indeed, at oral argument, he conceded that the police had probable cause and, having reviewed the record, we agree. Probable cause to arrest "exists where, at the moment of arrest, the facts and circumstances within the knowledge of the police are enough to warrant a prudent person in believing that the individual arrested has committed or was committing an offense." Commonwealth v. Franco,
Instead, on appeal, the defendant claims for the first time that the arrest was made at the curtilage of the apartment and therefore a warrant was required. The defendant also claims that all he need do is file a motion to suppress citing as the basis the mere fact that he was arrested without a warrant. We disagree on both claims.
Pursuant to Mass.R.Crim.P. 13(a)(2), as appearing in
As the defendant details, a curtilage analysis is a fact-specific one. See Commonwealth v. Leslie,
Judgments affirmed.
We rely solely on the testimony at the suppression hearing, notwithstanding the defendant's citation to trial testimony.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.