Commonwealth v. Almeida

A Superior Court jury convicted the defendant, Jason J. Almeida, of murder in the first degree for the shooting of Joseph Canto in the rear parking lot of a lounge in New Bedford on October 4, 2000.1 The defendant appeals from his conviction and from the denial of his motion for a new trial. Represented by new counsel on appeal, he claims he was denied the right to confront and examine a spectator whom the judge believed was attempting to coach a witness; he was denied his right of cross-examination because of the lack of memory of a *603key identification witness; the prosecutor impermissibly…