Commonwealth v. Collier

A jury in the District Court found the defendant, Jeffrey S. Collier, Sr., guilty under G. L. c. 209A, § 7, of violating a protective order because he came within one hundred yards of his former wife and in so doing placed her in fear of imminent serious physical harm.1 The defendant appealed, and we granted his application for direct appellate review.2 We must decide whether the Commonwealth was required to prove that the defendant intended to do the act that resulted in the apparent violation. We conclude that such proof was necessary on the evidence in this case. We reject the defendant’s…