Commonwealth v. Pina
Commonwealth v. Pina
Opinion
**414 A Superior Court jury convicted the defendant of murder in the first degree, on a theory of deliberate premeditation, in the shooting deaths of Jovany M. Eason and Manuel Monteiro. At trial, the Commonwealth alleged that the defendant and Eason *581 were involved in an altercation inside a bar, then the fight spilled out into the street, where the defendant grabbed a handgun from his codefendant and fired at Eason. 1 The defendant missed, but the stray round shattered a window in front of the bar and hit Monteiro, a bar employee, in the chest. The defendant, according to the Commonwealth, then chased Eason down the street and shot him multiple times in the back. As the defendant fled the scene, one of Eason's friends, Timothy Santos, shot at the defendant, and they exchanged several rounds of gunfire. 2
In this consolidated appeal from his convictions and from the denial of his motion for a new trial, the defendant challenges a **415 number of the judge's rulings and his instructions to the jury. The defendant argues that the judge erred in denying his requests for an instruction on accident with respect to Eason's death, and instructions on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter with regard to Monteiro's death. The defendant maintains that he was denied a fair trial because the judge miscalculated the number of preemptory challenges that had been exercised by his trial counsel, depriving him of two additional challenges that could have been made. The defendant maintains also that the judge erred in allowing identification testimony by a police officer who identified the defendant as an individual shown in video surveillance footage, as well as by many of the others at the scene. In addition, the defendant argues that trial counsel's failure to present an intoxication defense through available witnesses constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. Finally, the defendant asks this court to exercise its extraordinary authority pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E, and to grant him a new trial or to reduce the conviction to a lesser degree of guilt.
After considering all of the defendant's arguments, and conducting a thorough review of the trial record, we conclude that there is no reversible error, and no reason to disturb the verdicts.
1. Background . We summarize the facts that the jury could have found, reserving other facts for our discussion of specific issues. Many of the events, both inside and outside the bar, were captured by the bar's security cameras, as well as by security cameras mounted on a nearby building.
In the early morning hours of August 2, 2009, an argument broke out at a bar and restaurant on Hancock Street in the Upham's Corner neighborhood of Boston. The argument started shortly after the codefendant and a companion entered the bar. In the entranceway, the codefendant greeted another patron with a hug, then said, "I don't understand why you hang with the Draper Street niggas." The victim, Jovany Eason, who was friendly with *582 people from the Draper Street neighborhood, took exception. Eason approached the codefendant and they exchanged angry words. A bouncer moved in and separated the two men. The codefendant and his friend left the bar and walked away from the area; Eason did not leave.
The dispute continued inside the bar, where Eason argued with one of the codefendant's friends, Otelino Goncalves. The altercation moved from the entranceway to the rear of the bar near the restrooms. A few minutes later, the defendant, who was also a **416 friend of the codefendant, entered the bar and headed directly to the men's restroom, where he joined Goncalves in arguing with Eason and some of Eason's friends. A fight broke out between the defendant and Eason and their respective friends. The bar owner, some of his employees, and a regular customer named Adelberto Brandao separated the combatants. The defendant was escorted out of the bar through the front door. Eason left the bar on his own accord immediately before the defendant was ejected.
The hostilities spilled out onto Hancock Street, where Eason squared off to fight Goncalves in the middle of the street. Before any punches were thrown, the codefendant walked up to Eason and pointed a pistol at him. A patron inside the bar, Joao DePina, 3 observed the codefendant attempt to "rack" the handgun or, as the witness described it, "He was trying to get the bullet to shoot at something." Eason backed away. The defendant then grabbed the weapon from his codefendant's hand. He ran toward Eason, who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the bar, and fired. The defendant missed Eason, but the stray round, fired from a .45 caliber weapon, shattered a plate glass window near the front door of the bar and struck Monteiro in the chest. Monteiro, who was working a second job as a cook, had been watching the altercation on the street from inside the bar. He collapsed in the middle of the bar, and was pronounced dead by emergency medical technicians who arrived at the scene.
Outside, the defendant chased Eason down Hancock Street while firing at Eason. The two passed a community center on the corner of Hancock Street and Jerome Street which had its own security cameras. At the three-way intersection of Hancock Street, Jerome Street, and Bird Street, the defendant ran to the right onto Jerome Street. Eason ran to the left onto Bird Street, and collapsed near the intersection shortly after he turned onto Bird Street. 4
On Jerome Street, near Cushing Avenue, the defendant encountered Timothy Santos, one of Eason's friends. Santos, who was armed with a .380 caliber handgun, shot at the defendant, who fired back. Both men fired multiple rounds; the defendant hit Santos **417 in the leg above the knee. A friend dropped Santos off at a hospital, where he refused to cooperate with police, and told his doctors that he woke up with the gunshot wound. 5
Police officers found Eason lying face down on the ground near the intersection *583 of Hancock Street and Bird Street. He had been shot in the lower back, in the upper back near his shoulder blade, and through the shoulder or upper arm. The medical examiner extracted a .45 caliber projectile from Eason's lower back; the other two projectiles passed through his body. At trial, the medical examiner opined that Eason died as a result of suffering two gunshot wounds to the torso. 6
2. Discussion . a. Instruction on accident . Following the jury charge, the defendant requested that the judge instruct the jury that Eason's death could be excused as an accident. Trial counsel argued, "[T]here was a gun battle on top of Jerome Street and that the person who was shooting down with a .45 could, in fact, in self-defense [have] shot Mr. Eason. And that would fall under the category, as I'm thinking about it, accident." Trial counsel also filed a supplemental request for jury instructions which read, in part,
"In this case there is evidence that there was an exchange of gunfire between two individuals on Jerome Street ... If you conclude that the government has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person who shot Mr. Santos did not act in self-defense, then for purposes of the following instruction, you may consider whether the shooting death of Mr. Eason was or was not an accident."
The prosecutor urged the judge not to instruct on accident, on the ground that there was no basis in the evidence for such an instruction because the defendant fatally shot Eason prior to the firefight on Jerome Street. The judge declined the motion that the jury be instructed on accident with respect to Eason. Because the defendant objected, we review to determine whether there was
**418
prejudicial error.
Commonwealth
v.
Martinez
,
Accident, like self-defense and defense of another, is an affirmative defense.
Commonwealth
v.
Podkowka
,
A defendant is entitled to an accident instruction in a shooting death "only where there is evidence of an unintentional or accidental discharge of a firearm."
Commonwealth
v.
Millyan
,
*584
Commonwealth
v.
Zezima
,
The circumstances in
Millyan
,
Here, the defendant claimed that he accidentally shot the victim while exercising his right to self-defense. The theories of self-defense and accident are "mutually exclusive."
Commonwealth
v.
Barton
,
Here, the defendant was not entitled to an accident instruction because there was no evidence that he unintentionally or accidentally discharged a firearm. See
Commonwealth
v.
Gibson
,
*585
Millyan
,
b. Transferred intent self-defense . The circumstances of this case require us, in the exercise of our plenary review pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E, to consider an issue of first impression. In other States, the shooting death of a bystander during an act of self-defense may be excused by application of transferred intent **420 self-defense. 7 See W.R. LaFave, Criminal Law, § 6.4, at 449 (6th ed. 2017) (LaFave). We conclude that the defendant is not entitled to relief pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E, because the facts in this case do not support the application of transferred intent self-defense, and we leave its adoption as a matter of our homicide jurisprudence for another day.
The theory of transferred intent is well established in the Commonwealth and, indeed, forms the basis for the defendant's liability for the shooting death of Monteiro. See Model Jury Instructions on Homicide at 45-46 (2018). Under this theory, "if a defendant intends to kill a person and in attempting to do so mistakenly kills another person, such as a bystander, the defendant is treated under the law as if he intended to kill the bystander."
Commonwealth
v.
Taylor
,
In a number of States, the theory of transferred "innocent" intent has been applied to excuse the shooting death of a bystander during the lawful exercise of self-defense.
8
See e.g.,
State
v.
Stevenson
,
**421
Pinder
v.
State
,
"There are, of course, some situations where, though A intentionally kills or injures B, A is not guilty of murder or battery.... Now suppose A shoots at B under these circumstances but, missing B, hits and kills or injures C, an innocent bystander. If A aims at his attacker B in proper self-defense, but hits C instead, he is not generally guilty of murder or battery of C. Once again, he is only as guilty as to C as he would have been had his aim been accurate enough to have hit B."
We have not as yet recognized transferred intent self-defense as a matter of our homicide jurisprudence, and need not do so in this case. Viewed in the light most favorable to the defendant, the evidence established that he fired errant gunshots in the direction of Bird Street, where Eason collapsed. The defendant, however, cannot point to any evidence that he fatally shot Eason during his gun battle with Santos. To the contrary, the evidence supported a reasonable conclusion that the defendant shot Eason prior to the gunfight on Jerome Street, based on shell casings recovered on Hancock Street, surveillance footage of Eason grabbing his back in the spot where he suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and the fact that Eason was found unresponsive a short distance along Bird Street after rounding the corner from Hancock Street. See
Commonwealth
v.
Perry
,
c.
Instruction on manslaughter
. A manslaughter instruction is required if the evidence, considered in the light most favorable to a defendant, would permit a verdict of manslaughter and not murder. See
Commonwealth
v.
Nelson
,
We first address the defendant's request for an involuntary manslaughter instruction related to the death of Monteiro. At the charge conference, the defendant requested an instruction on involuntary manslaughter.
9
He agreed that there was some circumstantial evidence of "an intent to kill Mr. Eason at that point." He argued, however, that the fatal shot that
*587
shattered the bar window and struck Monteiro possibly had been fired as "a warning shot," or in an "attempt to just injure somebody." The judge declined to instruct the jury on involuntary manslaughter, and the defendant objected at the conclusion of the charge. We review to determine whether there was error and, if so, whether the error prejudiced the defendant. See
Commonwealth
v.
Rogers
,
The common-law crime of manslaughter is defined as an unlawful killing without malice.
Commonwealth
v.
Webster
,
**423
Commonwealth
v.
Souza
,
"In determining whether an involuntary manslaughter instruction must be given, we ask whether any reasonable view of the evidence would have permitted the jury to find wanton and reckless conduct rather than actions from which a plain and strong likelihood of death would follow" (quotations and citation omitted).
Commonwealth
v.
Braley
,
The defendant's actions in
Commonwealth
v.
Horne
,
By contrast, we held in
Commonwealth
v.
Dyous
,
In this case, the evidence did not support an instruction on involuntary manslaughter. The jury were presented with overwhelming evidence that the defendant fired a gun at Eason, in front of a crowded bar. The projectile missed Eason, shattered a window, and struck Monteiro in the chest. The defendant's argument that he meant to fire a warning shot (apparently at chest level of the six-foot tall Eason) is entirely speculative. See
Commonwealth
v.
Santo
,
We turn to the question of voluntary manslaughter. The defendant requested an instruction on voluntary manslaughter at the charge conference, without specifying the grounds for his request. On appeal, he contends that the judge should have provided an instruction on voluntary manslaughter based on the theory of excessive use of force in self-defense. This argument, however, is inconsistent with the defendant's earlier position concerning the availability of a self-defense claim.
**425 During the course of the charge conference, the defendant conceded that there was no issue of self-defense with respect to the shooting in front of the bar. While discussing the issue of self-defense, with respect to the shooting of Santos on Jerome Street, the prosecutor requested that the instructions be "crystal clear" that self-defense applied only to "what happened on Jerome Street with Santos."
*589 Defense counsel responded, "I would not argue any differently." The prosecutor repeated, "It [self-defense] has no bearing on what happened at [the bar] or up until the point that [the defendant] allegedly went up Jerome Street and engaged in whatever happened up there with Mr. Santos. That's all I'm requesting ... that we're crystal clear on that." The judge stated, "I will be very specific that it only applies to [Santos]." Defense counsel agreed to this, and pointed out that his written request for jury instructions on self-defense exclusively referenced the shooting of Timothy Santos.
"An objection adequately preserves the claimed error so long as counsel makes known to the court the action which he desires the court to take or his objection to the action of the court" (quotations and citation omitted).
Commonwealth
v.
McDonagh
,
"Voluntary manslaughter is an unlawful killing 'arising not from malice, but from ... sudden passion induced by reasonable provocation, sudden combat or excessive force in self-defense.' "
Commonwealth
v.
Acevedo
,
We conclude that the absence of an instruction on voluntary manslaughter did not create a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice. In his brief, the defendant contends that he was entitled to use deadly force outside the bar to protect himself, or his friend Goncalves, for several reasons. There was an "explosive" argument between Goncalves and Eason outside the bar; the defendant argued with Brandao (who allegedly was aligned with Eason); "all the while" Brandao pointed "what the defendant suggests is a firearm."
The defendant did not testify, and the record does not otherwise contain sufficient evidence to support an instruction on
*590
self-defense. Brandao denied that he possessed a firearm in front of the bar, and no witnesses testified that Brandao participated in the altercation, or that Brandao threatened the defendant with a firearm.
10
Moreover, the defendant did not establish that he was somehow justified in using deadly force to protect himself or another from Eason (who was unarmed).
**427
d.
Peremptory challenges
. There is no dispute, as the transcript indicates and the Commonwealth concedes, that the defendant was deprived of the right to exercise two peremptory challenges. The issue presented on appeal is whether the defendant was able to show prejudice or injury resulting from that error. See
Commonwealth
v.
Bockman
,
The judge decided to empanel sixteen jurors. As a result, each party was entitled to sixteen peremptory challenges. See Mass. R. Crim. P. 20 (c) (1),
On the final day of the three-day empanelment, the defendant exercised a peremptory challenge to excuse a potential juror called to fill seat number 14. The judge mistakenly informed defense counsel, "That takes care of all your challenges." At that point, the defendant had exercised fourteen peremptory challenges and had two remaining. Later, defense counsel stated, "It is my understanding, and I might be wrong, that I had two challenges left." Thereafter, the judge sat two jurors: juror no. 69 (seat number 16) and juror no. 80 (seat number 10) (to replace an excused juror). The defendant, in both instances, did not object to the jurors being seated or raise a challenge for cause.
While not guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, peremptory challenges "historically [have] performed an important role in assuring the constitutional right to a fair trial" (quotation and citation omitted).
Bockman
,
In
Wood
,
We conclude that the defendant is not entitled to a new trial based on the erroneous deprivation of the two preemptory challenges. The defendant has not shown a violation of his right to an impartial jury. He did not object when the judge advised him that he had exhausted his peremptory challenges. He did not argue at trial, in his motion for a new trial, or on appeal, that he would have used a remaining peremptory challenge to exclude either juror no. 69 or juror no. 80. Indeed, the defendant did not contend that juror no. 69 or juror no. 80 were partial or biased, and did not otherwise voice any dissatisfaction with these jurors. See
Bockman
,
In addition, the defendant received all of the rights afforded by State law. At the time of the defendant's trial, G. L. c. 234, § 32, provided, "No irregularity in ... [the] empanelling of jurors shall be sufficient to set aside a verdict, unless the objecting party has been injured thereby or unless the objection was made before the verdict."
11
See
Commonwealth
v.
Figueroa
,
e. Identification evidence . The defendant alleges that he was deprived of the right to a fair trial due to the erroneous introduction of identification testimony. We address each of these claims in turn.
i. Police officer's identification of the defendant . Surveillance video footage from the bar and from a nearby community center building played a prominent role at trial. In his opening statement, the prosecutor characterized the video surveillance cameras "working inside and outside of [the bar] and ... down the street at the [community center]" as "silent witnesses." He told the jury, "You're going to be able to see what [the defendants] were wearing *592 that night, who they arrived with, what time, what they did inside, ... what they did outside and what they did leading up to, during and after the time that Jovany Eason and Manuel Monteiro were shot."
At trial, Boston police Sergeant Detective James Wyse testified that an individual, who was depicted in the surveillance video entering the bar at 1:04 A.M. , wearing a white T-shirt, was the defendant. The defendant objected to this testimony, and we therefore review under the prejudicial error standard.
12
See
Commonwealth
v.
Martinez
,
Making a determination of the identity of a person from a photograph or video image is an expression of an opinion.
Commonwealth
v.
Pleas
,
We need not dwell on the issue whether Wyse was in a better position than the jurors to identify the defendant, and whether the testimony was admitted erroneously. It is clear that Wyse's identification testimony, even if erroneous, was not prejudicial. Prior to his testimony, two witnesses, Aldison Resende and Brandao, identified the defendant as the individual depicted in the surveillance footage walking into the bar, wearing a white T-shirt. The bar owner identified the defendant as the person depicted in the surveillance footage being removed from the bar after the fight in the restroom. A fourth witness, Joao, identified the defendant, from a still image of the surveillance video, as the individual outside the bar who "took the gun from the other kid." See
Commonwealth
v.
Austin
,
ii. Photographic array . The defendant also challenges the fact that, contrary to Boston police department regulations, *593 individuals asked to identify him from a photographic array were presented only five photographs, including his, from which to choose. In November 2004, the Boston police department adopted standard protocols for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence. Under this protocol, a photographic array must "include a total of [eight] photos consisting of seven (7) fillers, plus one (1) suspect." Pursuant to this protocol, Wyse prepared a photographic array consisting of eight photographs arranged in sequential fashion. On August 7, 2009, a police officer unconnected to the investigation, acting as a blind **431 administrator, displayed the eight-person array to Joao. A month later, Wyse provided the folder to a different police detective unconnected with the investigation, and that detective displayed the photographs to Brandao. This time, however, three filler photographs were missing, and the array consisted of only five photographs. Wyse testified that this was a mistake, and that he had assumed that the folder was intact from the prior identification procedures and that it contained eight photographs.
The defendant did not raise this issue in a motion to suppress identification evidence as an unnecessarily suggestive identification procedure, or object to its admission in evidence at trial. See
Commonwealth
v.
Watson
,
In
Walker
,
iii.
Witness's familiarity with the defendant's name
. The defendant contends also that the judge erred in denying his request for a voir dire examination of Joao concerning his knowledge that the shooter's nickname was "Ima." The decision to conduct a voir dire examination of a witness rests in the sound discretion of the trial judge,
Commonwealth
v.
Rodriguez
,
Prior to August 1, 2009, Joao recognized the defendant from the neighborhood and knew the street where the defendant lived, **432 but did not know his name or nickname. Sometime after the shooting, and before Joao spoke to the police, he learned from someone in the community that the shooter's nickname was "Ima." On August 7, 2009, Joao identified the defendant's photograph from an array and described him *594 as "Ima." He told the police that the person in the photograph was "the person [he saw] shoot inside [the bar]. I [saw] him [take] a gun from the other guy and shoot. 'Ima Ima.' "
The defendant requested a voir dire examination of Joao to determine "where [Joao] got that information." The prosecutor represented that Joao had heard the nickname from an unknown source outside of law enforcement, had known the shooter "by face" prior to the incident, and knew where the shooter lived. The judge denied the request for a voir dire hearing, and ruled that the Commonwealth would be prohibited from suggesting that Joao had known the defendant's nickname before the shooting. The judge agreed with the Commonwealth that Joao's lack of personal knowledge at the time of the shooting would be "fair cross-examination."
On direct examination, Joao testified that he had seen the shooter around "once in a while" on a particular street in the neighborhood, and that he knew that the defendant's father, "Mocho," lived on that street. Joao further testified:
Q .: "Is it fair to say that the person you saw shooting the gun, you didn't know that person by name?"
A .: "Before, no."
Q .: "And you didn't know that person by nickname?"
A .: "No."
Q .: "But you did know, and you told the police, you knew that person by sight?"
A .: "Yes."
Later, Joao testified that he identified "Ima" from a series of photographs. He stated, however, that he did not know the shooter's nickname on August 1, 2009, and only heard the nickname from someone else.
We discern no abuse of discretion in the judge's decision to deny the defendant's motion for a voir dire hearing concerning the source of Joao's information. Joao testified that someone told **433 him the defendant's nickname prior to the identification procedure, and there was no suggestion that Joao knew the nickname at the time of the shooting. The defendant chose not to pursue the issue on cross-examination, and did not contend that this information tainted Joao's identification testimony.
f.
Ineffective assistance of counsel
. The defendant moved for a new trial, pursuant to Mass. R. Crim. P. 30, as appearing in
In reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance in a case of murder in the first degree, we apply the more favorable standard of review of a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice, pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E. See
*595
Commonwealth
v.
Vargas
,
To support his motion for a new trial, the defendant submitted five affidavits from friends and family members (his sister and **434 brother) stating that they knew from personal observation that the defendant had been intoxicated from drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana on August 1, 2009. The defendant's proffer included an affidavit from his sister, who stated, "I was at my residence with my brother Emmanuel Pina and several other friends and family. We were hanging out on the porch from the early morning into the late evening. We were drinking beer and smoking weed. I observed my brother ... to be drinking and smoking all day with us and appeared to be high and intoxicated."
The defendant also submitted an affidavit of trial counsel detailing counsel's efforts to investigate and raise an intoxication defense. In sum, trial counsel located witnesses, including the defendant's sister, who "confirmed that [the defendant] had been drinking beer/hard liquor and smoking marijuana just before he left for the bar." Trial counsel interviewed the defendant's sister and "became concerned about her memory, willingness to testify and her ability to withstand cross-examination." In addition, trial counsel's investigator continued to search for other witnesses to corroborate the sister's testimony. The investigator identified at least one individual who indicated that the defendant had been intoxicated that night. That person subsequently refused to meet with trial counsel. Other potential witnesses, according to trial counsel, "down right refused to speak with [the investigator and trial counsel]."
During the trial, counsel continued to assess the value of presenting an intoxication defense through the defendant's sister, in light of her vulnerabilities and the possibility that the defendant would testify. On the first day of empanelment, trial counsel moved to exempt the defendant's sister from the sequestration order. He informed the judge that she would testify "as to [one] narrow area and that is that she was with my client the evening of the shooting ... they were drinking shots and beer on the porch of their house.... Her opinion would be that [the defendant] had drunk excessively that night."
As the trial unfolded, counsel waited until the close of the Commonwealth's evidence before he decided whether to call the sister as a witness. In his affidavit, trial counsel explained that he "assessed this possibility in conjunction with [the defendant] testifying himself." When the Commonwealth rested, trial counsel decided not to call the sister or to present any evidence. While he did not recall the details of his discussions with the defendant's sister, counsel represented that "this conversation reinforced my concerns that she would not be a good witness."
**435
*596
A judge is required to grant a defendant an evidentiary hearing on a motion for a new trial "only if a substantial issue is raised by the motion or affidavits."
Commonwealth
v.
Torres
,
The judge had more than adequate grounds on which to deny the motion for a new trial without an evidentiary hearing. She found that trial counsel's affidavit was "very clear about the decision he made on the question of intoxication." Trial counsel, she determined, "spotted the possible defense early and took reasonable and diligent steps to pursue it." These steps included attempting to identify additional witnesses and assessing the value of calling the defendant's sister in light of her "difficulties." The judge determined that trial counsel "made the deliberate and strategic decision that [the sister] would not be a good witness." The judge concluded, and we agree, that counsel's informed strategic decisions were not manifestly unreasonable.
Moreover, the defendant has not demonstrated that he raised a substantial issue of newly discovered evidence. A defendant seeking a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence bears the burden of demonstrating that (1) the evidence "is in fact newly discovered"; (2) the newly discovered evidence is "credible and material"; and (3) the newly discovered evidence "casts real doubt on the justice of the conviction" (quotation and citation omitted). See
Commonwealth
v.
Staines
,
The defendant has not met his burden of demonstrating that reasonable pretrial diligence on his part would not have produced the statements by the purportedly newly discovered witnesses. The witnesses consisted of the defendant's friends, and a family member, who were with him for hours prior to the incident. Further, according to the trial record, two of the friends were inside **436 the bar with the defendant and participated in the altercation. We agree with the motion judge that "the identity of all these people was readily discoverable by the defendant long before trial. All that can fairly be described as new about these affidavits is the witness's new willingness to address the particular topic of [the defendant's] intoxication, and to go on record doing so." A posttrial change of heart by a witness, well known to the defendant before trial, does not constitute newly discovered evidence.
3. Review under G. L. c. 278, § 33E . We have carefully reviewed the entire record pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E, and we conclude that there is no reason to order a new trial or to reduce the conviction to a lesser degree of guilt.
Judgements affirmed .
After a joint trial, the codefendant was convicted of murder in the first degree.
Commonwealth
v.
Tavares
,
During this exchange, Timothy Santos was shot in the leg. The defendant was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon for this shooting. The jury were instructed on self-defense with respect to these charges, and the defendant was acquitted on both charges.
Because Joao DePina shares a last name with multiple unrelated individuals who testified or were involved in this case, we refer to him by his first name.
A vehicle parked on Bird Street (on the side of the street opposite from where the victim collapsed) was hit with gunfire. The police also recovered a spent .45 caliber projectile in front of a funeral home on Columbia Road, more than a block away from the shootings on Hancock Street and Jerome Street.
The police found two clusters of .45 caliber and .380 caliber spent shell casings on Jerome Street.
Martin Lydon, a Boston police department ballistics expert, examined the shell casings and projectiles recovered from the crime scenes. He testified that the projectiles that killed Monteiro and Eason, and the projectile found on Columbia Road, were all fired from the same .45 caliber handgun. He also testified that the spent .45 caliber shell casings found on or near Hancock Street, and the cluster of shell casings found on Jerome Street, were fired from the same weapon.
We did not reach this issue in
Commonwealth
v.
Santiago
,
One way to distinguish between transferred intent and transferred intent self-defense is to focus on the intent being transferred. In transferred intent, when a defendant acts with the intent to harm an intended victim, but because of bad aim harms a third person, the law imposes liability just as if the defendant actually had harmed the intended target. See
Commonwealth
v.
Taylor
,
In his memorandum in support of this argument, the defendant sought an instruction on involuntary manslaughter based on wanton or reckless conduct; at the conference itself, he did not specify this reasoning.
On appeal, the defendant contends that a bartender, Francisco Amado, testified that an unidentified person (presumably Adelberto Brandao) was pointing something moments before the first gunshot, and that the object in his hand could have been a gun. The defendant mischaracterizes Amado's testimony. On cross-examination, Amado testified:
Q .: "Does it appear that he's pointing something at people?"
A .: "Yes."
Q .: "Does it appear he's possibly pointing a gun?"
A .: "He's pointing something, but I can't --"
Q .: "Okay. So you can't tell?"
A .: "No."
The provision was effective until May 10, 2016, and was repealed by St. 2016, c. 36, § 1, when attorney voir dire became effective. See St. 2016, c. 36, § 4, inserting G. L. c. 234A, §§ 67A -D.
For the first time on appeal, the defendant contends that Sergeant Detective Wyse impermissibly identified the codefendant and other individuals on the surveillance tapes. We conclude that the defendant has not established a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice. See
Commonwealth
v.
Wright
,
Reference
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