Commonwealth v. Higgins

Following a jury trial in Superior Court, the defendant was convicted of violating G. L. c. 269, § 10(6), by carrying a dangerous weapon (a knife).1 Because we agree with the *535defendant that the evidence was insufficient to prove that his knife was of the type prohibited by the statute, we reverse the judgment and set aside the verdict.

Background. On September 5, 2009, Boston police officers, who were investigating a stabbing that had occurred earlier that day, arrested the defendant at his residence. After the arrest, the defendant acknowledged that he owned a knife, while denying that he had…