Commonwealth v. Armstrong

The defendant, Edward Armstrong, appeals from the order denying his motion for new trial under Mass.R.Crim.P. 30(b), as appearing in 435 Mass. 1501 (2001). The defendant alleged in his motion that his guilty plea eight years earlier to a charge of armed home invasion was invalid for lack of a factual basis, contrary to the requirements of Commonwealth v. Hart, 467 Mass. 322, 325-326 (2014), and Mass.R.Crim.P. 12(c)(5)(A), as appearing in 442 Mass. 1511 (2004). Specifically, he claimed that the plea colloquy failed to establish a factual basis for one of the elements of the crime of armed home…