Commonwealth v. Johnson

The defendant was convicted of murder in the first degree by reason of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty.1 He sought to persuade the jury that he acted either in self-defense or at least out of fear of the victim, and he complains that, among other errors at trial, errors in the trial judge’s charge prevented the jury from properly considering those claims. We affirm the conviction and decline to exercise our authority under G. L. c. 278, § 33E, to order a new trial or reduce the degree of guilt.

I

The defendant, Johnson, and the victim, Charles Malone, had been friends…