Legal Opinion
Commonwealth v. Russo
Massachusetts Appeals Court
Decided July 7, 2000No. 95-P-1330PublishedCited by 8 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtJacobs, J.
The principal issue before us is whether certain comments in opening and closing statements of counsel for the codefendant, James Ciampi, call for a reversal of the defendant Russo’s convictions. Russo argues the comments constitute improper reference to his failure to testify. We conclude they do *580not. We also reject Russo’s claim of error based on an alleged conflict of interest on the part of Ciampi’s trial counsel.
After a joint trial, a Superior Court jury convicted Russo of two counts of trafficking in cocaine and acquitted Ciampi of a single charge of trafficking.1 Represented by new…
2Cases cited21 opinions
- Griffin v. CaliforniaSupreme Court of the United States · 1965
- Commonwealth v. SaferianMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1974
- Carlos Garza De Luna v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1962
- Commonwealth v. AlphasMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1999
- Commonwealth v. CurtisMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1994
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3Cited by8 opinions
- Commonwealth v. BacigalupoMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2009
- Commonwealth v. VallejoMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2009
- Foreign Car Center, Inc. v. Essex Process Service, Inc.Massachusetts Appeals Court · 2005
- Commonwealth v. FullerMassachusetts Appeals Court · 2006
- Commonwealth v. BotelhoMassachusetts Appeals Court · 2015
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