Commonwealth v. Jackson

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder in the first degree, the unlawful possession of a firearm, and the unlawful possession of ammunition. Defendant was sentenced to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for the murder conviction. Defendant’s motion for a new trial was denied. Defendant appealed, arguing, among other claims, that the trial judge erred in denying his request to instruct the jury on duress. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the convictions, holding (1) juveniles, along with adults, are generally barred from using a duress defense for intentional murder; (2) Defendant procedurally waived his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial during the jury empanelment, and therefore, his right to a public trial was not violated when the courtroom was closed for a period of sixty to ninety minutes during jury empanelment; and (3) Defendant was not prejudiced by a noncitizen juror deciding his case. View "Commonwealth v. Jackson" on Justia Law