Commonwealth v. Solomonsen

There was no dispute that the defendant, Paul E. Solomonsen, shot and killed the victim. The main issues at trial *123were whether the defendant committed murder or acted in self-defense, or, if the killing was unlawful, whether he was guilty only of manslaughter. The defendant appeals his conviction of second degree murder,1 arguing that the jury instructions on malice were incorrect and that a witness was erroneously permitted to testify as to his subjective impression of what someone said. He also claims that trial counsel was ineffective in not exploiting certain evidence to the fullest and…