Commonwealth v. Pimental

The defendant was indicted for the murder of Robert E. Pichette in Fall River on September 11,1972. He had admitted to the police that he had killed Pichette, but he had told the police, and he claimed and testified at trial, that he had acted in self-defense. The trial judge directed a verdict for the defendant on so much of the indictment as alleged murder in the first degree and submitted the case to the jury on murder in the second degree and manslaughter. The jury convicted the defendant of manslaughter. The case was taken, and the defendant’s appeal is here, under G. L. c. 278, § §…