Commonwealth v. Sullivan

On the fourth day of deliberations, a jury returned verdicts of guilty against the defendant, Kevin P. Sullivan, of murder in the second degree, of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon upon John Grimes (who was killed) and upon Paul Kelly, and of assault and battery upon Deborah Sullivan, the defendant’s wife. We reverse the convictions of murder and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon because a supplementary charge erroneously undertook to quantify the concept of reasonable doubt.

Among the patrons who had been ushering in the new year, 1983, at the Stephen James…