Commonwealth v. Arriaga

The defendant Hector Arriaga was convicted of murder in the first degree based on deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty. His codefendant, Alex Delgado, was convicted of being an accessory before the fact to that murder. The defendants filed several posttrial motions, including motions for a new trial. They have appealed from the denial of these motions. On appeal, the defendants also raise a number of issues that they argue entitle them to a new trial; the trial judge’s instructions to the jury; the improper admission of witness testimony; and the ineffective assistance of…