Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court· 3/21/2008

Commonwealth v. Williams

Citations

450 Mass. 879
883 N.E.2d 249
2008 Mass. LEXIS 200

How courts have described this case

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

noting that “[wjhere the evidence raises a question of self-defense,” the government must disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt
omissions from model jury instructions did not create substantial likelihood of miscarriage of justice in view of “overwhelming evidence of excessive force presented at trial”
preferred method for raising ineffective assistance of counsel claim is through motion for new trial because “[a] motion for a new trial allows for the presentation of evidence”
judge’s instructions first discussing self-defense “in defining the first element of murder in the first degree, an unlawful killing,” were based on Model Jury Instructions on Homicide
no burden shifting where judge repeatedly instructed jury of Commonwealth’s burden to disprove self-defense
prosecutor’s comments were attempt to meet Commonwealth’s burden of disproving self-defense

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Judges: Botsford

Read full opinion on CourtListener

Cited by

14 cases in this archive cite this case.

Cites

27 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.