Commonwealth v. Phap Buth

**113 A jury in the Superior Court convicted the defendant, Phap Buth, on two indictments charging murder in the first degree for the shooting deaths of Amy Dumas and her father, Robert Finnerty. Both murder indictments were based on a theory of *928 joint venture felony-murder, with armed home invasion as the predicate **114 offense. On appeal, the defendant argues that, because there was insufficient evidence to show that he knew that his companions were armed, his convictions must be overturned. He also claims that the merger doctrine prevents his convictions and that the felony-murder…