Commonwealth v. Bonds

On November 25, 2002, a jury convicted the defendant, James M. Bonds, of raping a nineteen year old woman (whom we shall call Ellen) suffering from a brain disorder and resulting mental disability. The Appeals Court set aside the jury’s verdict, Commonwealth v. Bonds, 63 Mass. *822App. Ct. 163 (2005), holding that the trial judge had improperly admitted character evidence of the victim’s trusting nature and propensity to be victimized, through the testimony of her mother. We granted the Commonwealth’s application for further appellate review. Because we conclude that the evidence admitted was not…