Commonwealth v. Grassie

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the second degree and affirmed the trial judge's denial of Defendant's motion to reduce the verdict to manslaughter, holding that the trial judge did not err or abuse its discretion in denying Defendant's motion to reduce the motion to reduce the verdict.Defendant filed his motion to reduce the verdict pursuant to Mass. R. Crim. P. 25(b)(2), which authorizes a trial judge to reduce the verdict - even if the evidence warrants the verdict - to help ensure that the result is consonant with justice. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the trial judge's denial of the motion, holding that, while the case was a close one, the trial judge did not err or abuse his discretion in deciding not to reduce the verdict. View "Commonwealth v. Grassie" on Justia Law