Commonwealth v. Cifizzari

On the morning of September 29, 1979, seventy-five year old Concetta Sciappa was found dead on her living room floor, as a result of massive internal injuries caused by the insertion of a mop handle into her vagina. Almost five years later, the defendant, Gary J. Cifizzari, the victim’s nephew, was tried for and convicted of the murder in the first degree of his aunt. His appeal raises the following issues: (1) Did the judge commit reversible error in admitting expert testimony on bite mark identification evidence? (2) Did the judge commit reversible error in denying a motion for a mistrial…