Commonwealth v. Howell

The defendant was convicted by a jury of armed assault with intent to rob and of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution, Cedar Junction, for concurrent terms of from nine to twelve years and from nine to ten years. The defendant appealed to the Appeals Court, and we transferred the case to this court on our own motion. We affirm the defendant’s convictions.

The defendant argues on appeal that the judgments should be reversed on two grounds. First, he contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel, in…