Commonwealth v. Bermudez

The defendant was convicted of murder in the second degree for the killing of his wife. He challenges the judge’s refusal to charge the jury on manslaughter and the admission of certain inculpatory statements. He also asks us to exercise our authority under G. L. . c. 278, § 33E, to order the reduction of his degree of guilt to manslaughter. There was no error of law, and we see no occasion to exercise our power under § 33E in favor of the defendant.

1. The defendant argues that voluntary manslaughter was a permissible verdict on the evidence and that the judge should have charged the jury to…