Legal Opinion
Commonwealth v. Graziano
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Decided July 19, 1975PublishedCited by 133 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtBraucher, J.
Each of the two defendants appeals from convictions of armed robbery and murder in the second degree. G. L. c. 278, §§ 33A-33G. We reverse the convictions and order a new trial because of error in restricting the defendants’ cross-examination of the principal prosecution witness. We also disapprove references, in the prosecutor’s summation to the jury, to the ethnic origin of the defendants and some of their witnesses.
The victim, William Griffin, a black man, the proprietor of a package store in Springfield, was murdered on the evening of Labor Day, September 4, 1972. His body was found by…
2Cases cited27 opinions
- Davis v. AlaskaSupreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Chambers v. MississippiSupreme Court of the United States · 1973
- Commonwealth v. DascalakisMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1923
- Commonwealth v. ChalifouxMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1973
- Commonwealth v. FlynnMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1972
22 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by133 opinions
- Commonwealth v. SoaresMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1979
- Commonwealth v. KozecMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1987
- Commonwealth v. MahdiMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1983
- Commonwealth v. BohannonMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1978
- Commonwealth v. SantiagoMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1997
128 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.