Legal Opinion
Commonwealth v. Watson
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Decided January 14, 1991PublishedCited by 42 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtGreaney, J.
We conclude that the defendant’s third motion for a new trial was properly denied by a judge of the Superior Court, as a matter of discretion and without a hearing on its merits, because the ground for relief could have been raised in previous proceedings and appeals and thus has been waived.
The procedural history of the case is as follows. A jury in the Superior Court convicted the defendant of murder in the first degree on May 27, 1976. He thereafter filed a motion for a new trial based principally on the recantation of a prosecution witness. That motion was denied by the trial judge, and…
2Cases cited10 opinions
- Commonwealth v. TavaresMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1982
- Commonwealth v. HarringtonMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1980
- Commonwealth v. McLaughlinMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1973
- Commonwealth v. GarciaMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1980
- Commonwealth v. WatsonMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1979
5 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by42 opinions
- Commonwealth v. CraytonMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2014
- Commonwealth v. AmiraultMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1997
- Commonwealth v. LeFaveMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1999
- Simpson v. MatesanzCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 1999
- Commonwealth v. GaynorMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2005
37 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.