Commonwealth v. Chambers

At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a Superior Court jury convicted Anthony Chambers of involuntary manslaughter, G. L. c. 265, § 13. On appeal, Chambers argues that *625the trial judge abused her discretion by exclusion of evidence of the victim’s prior violent conduct. He asserts that the exclusion was additionally prejudicial because defense counsel, relying on the trial judge’s initial decision to allow the testimony, told the jury in his opening argument that they would hear such evidence. He contends also that the trial judge wrongly refused to instruct the jury on the defense of…