Commonwealth v. Reid

The defendant Lucille P. Reid was indicted for murder in the first degree in the stabbing death of Danny Harris. After a jury trial, Reid was convicted of murder in the second degree, and she appeals. We transferred the case to this court on our own motion. At trial, Reid admitted killing the victim but claimed that she had acted in self-defense. On appeal she claims error concerning (1) the application of Commonwealth v. Soares, 377 Mass. 461, cert, denied, 444 U.S. 881 (1979), to peremptory challenges made by criminal defendants; (2) the denial of her motion for a required finding of not…