In Commonwealth v. Romero, the court considered an interlocutory appeal of an order denying the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence seized and statements made after a warrantless search of a parked car that was registered in his name. At the suppression hearing, the police officers testified that five individuals, including…
Massachusetts gun laws are some of the strictest in the nation. Handgun owners must be licensed to buy firearms and ammunition and to carry them. A police officer must have reasonable suspicion to stop you for carrying a handgun without a license. What is reasonable suspicion? In a recent appellate…
In a recent non-precedential case, a Massachusetts defendant was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. He was subject to enhanced penalties. A judge granted the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence of the firearm. The case arose when a uniformed police officer was standing outside a bar that he routinely…
To prove the crime of perjury in Massachusetts, a prosecutor must prove (1) a defendant was required by law to state the truth in a judicial proceeding, (2) the defendant willfully testified falsely, and (3) the false statement was material to something at issue. What is materiality in this context?…
In addition to some of the common criminal laws and statutes regarding the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, there is also a parallel system of federal laws which applies to all citizens living within any state in our nation.One such law that may be unknowingly violated is the Lautenberg Amendment of the…
A Quincy man who was recently released due to the controversy in processing criminal evidence by chemist Annie Dookhan, was re-arrested over the weekend along with another suspect, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney. Police initially pulled over the vehicle due to its expired inspection sticker. They discovered that…
Two individuals were arrested by Cambridge Police earlier this month, following an exchange in which a detective witnessed what he perceived to be a transaction involving a firearm, drugs, or both. An ununiformed detective spotted one of the individuals, and believed that the individual was concealing a firearm, and after…
Earlier this month, four criminal defendants pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a September 2011 armed robbery and shooting, which resulted in the injuring of an on duty police officer.The men pleaded guilty to various charges, which included: armed assault with intent to murder masked armed robbery assault & battery…
According to an announcement by Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, there has been a significant drop in crimes in Boston during the first quarter of the year. The Commissioner believes that this is due in large part to dedicated police work and inclement weather, which keeps people inside. According to…
According to data recently released by Massachusetts and the FBI, gun crimes of all kinds are up, these include: Murders committed with firearms Aggravated assaults involving guns Robberies involving guns; and Gunshot injuries Gun owner advocacy groups point to this data as evidence of the lack of efficacy of gun…