Commonwealth v. LaPierre

The defendant appeals from his conviction on an indictment charging aiding, counseling or procuring the burning of a building (G. L. c. 266, § 2) on the sole ground that the trial judge erred in excluding evidence as to the bad reputation for truth and veracity of a key prosecution witness. There was no error.

The key witness had been a short order cook at the defendant’s restaurant. The excluded evidence was that of a waitress at the restaurant who testified at a voir dire hearing that among her fellow workers, namely two waitresses and a cook, the key witness’s reputation was that “she…