Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court· 1/30/1975

Commonwealth v. Coleman

Citations

322 N.E.2d 407
366 Mass. 705
1975 Mass. LEXIS 1131

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

manslaughter instruction not warranted where defendant, after being punched, left the room and shot victim several minutes later
no manslaughter instruction where defendant left scene after being punched, and then returned and shot victim several minutes later
unclear how defendant convicted of murder in the second degree could have been “harmed in a practical way” by erroneous instruction on involuntary manslaughter
no manslaughter instruction where defendant left scene after being punched, and then returned and shot victim several minutes later
manslaughter in “heat of passion” sense not plausible where defendant had time to calm down in “several” minutes between time victim punched defendant and bloodied his nose and when defendant shot victim
new trial denied despite prosecutorial assertion that killing was intentional

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Judges: Tauro, Quirico, Braucher, Kaplan, Wilkins

Read full opinion on CourtListener

Cited by

65 cases in this archive cite this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

Cites

29 cases in this archive are cited by this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

Other cases with this name

Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.