Commonwealth v. Gordon

After a jury-waived trial, a District Court judge found the defendant, James P. Gordon, guilty of malicious destruction of property with a value exceeding $250. See G. L. c. 266, § 127. He appeals, arguing that the Commonwealth failed to prove he destroyed the property maliciously. We affirm.

Background. On March 13, 2010, the defendant was in his rented second-floor apartment in the town of Bourne. He started to break things. First, he broke his cellular telephone; then he broke the dishes on his kitchen table. After that, he began to break his furniture, progressing eventually to fixtures in…