Commonwealth v. Gonzalez

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted as a joint venturer of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation. The conviction was based on evidence that Defendant had been the driver of the vehicle that dropped off at an intersection four people who shot the victim. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial judge erred in denying her motion for a required finding of not guilty. The Supreme Judicial Court reversed, holding that Defendant’s motion for a required finding of not guilty should have been granted because the evidence was insufficient to allow a jury to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Defendant was the driver of the vehicle or that she was in some way involved in the shooting. View "Commonwealth v. Gonzalez" on Justia Law