Commonwealth v. Gaeten

The defendant appeals from his rape conviction in the Superior Court. He raises a number of issues on appeal. He seeks reversal on the ground that improper statements by the prosecutor in her closing argument denied him a fair trial. He also claims that reversible error occurred in the jury instructions on reasonable doubt and consciousness of guilt, the exclusion of certain evidence, the judge’s refusal to ask certain questions of the venire on voir dire, the failure to provide effective assistance of counsel, and the judge’s refusal to poll the jury after the verdict. We affirm the…