Commonwealth v. Chartier

During his trial on charges of malicious destruction of property and violation of a domestic abuse protective order issued under G. L. c. 209A, § 3, the defendant Michael Chartier took the witness stand in his defense. On cross-examination of Chartier, the Commonwealth placed in evidence his prior convictions, three months earlier, of violating a c. 209A protective order and of making annoying telephone calls. The prosecutor, while making his closing argument, twice referred to the prior c. 209A conviction as evidence tending to prove the falsity of Chartier’s trial testimony, which was that…