Commonwealth v. Beaulieu

After a jury trial, the defendant, Donna Beaulieu, was convicted of assault and battery on her teenage daughter.1 Approximately one week later, the victim recanted; the defendant then filed a motion for a new trial based solely on the recantation. *774After an evidentiary hearing, the motion was denied. The defendant now appeals from the denial of her motion for a new trial, arguing that the judge abused his discretion by “berating” the recanting witness and threatening her with incarceration for testifying in support of the defendant’s motion.

The defendant also appeals from her underlying…