Commonwealth v. Fappiano

At the time of the criminal offenses on October 20, 1996, the defendant, Susan Fappiano, was the mother of three young children who were living with her: five year old Jeffrey Columbus, three year old Shy-la Harper, and fifteen month old Clyde Harper, Jr. She repeatedly beat them, eventually killing Clyde (she was tried as both a principal and a joint venturer).1 On October 1, 1998, she was convicted of various offenses, including murder in the second degree, and those convictions were affirmed in an unpublished memorandum and *728order.2 See Commonwealth v. Fappiano, 57 Mass. App. Ct. 1105…