Commonwealth v. Francis

This is yet another in the series of cases arising from the misconduct of Annie Dookhan when she was employed as a chemist, at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute (Hinton drug lab). Here, the defendant was found guilty at trial of the trafficking and distribution of cocaine. At trial, certificates of drug analysis (drug certificates) were admitted in evidence, signed by Dookhan as an assistant analyst, that declared that the substances in question were cocaine and that set forth their weight. The defendant learned of Dookhan’s misconduct after trial, and now moves for a new trial…