Commonwealth v. Leonard

A jury convicted the defendant of murder in the first degree on theories of extreme atrocity or cruelty and felony-murder, and of home invasion, armed robbery, armed burglary, confining for purposes of larceny, and burning a dwelling house. On appeal, he argues that the judge erred by admitting evidence of prior bad acts and that the prosecutor made improper comments in his closing argument. We reject the defendant’s arguments and discern no basis to exercise our authority under G. L. c. 278, § 33E, to reduce his murder conviction to a lesser degree of guilt or to order a new trial on the…