Commonwealth v. Hernandez

*172 This case presents the question whether the defendant's coinhabitant could validly consent to a warrantless search of a closed, unlocked suitcase located in a common closet of a bedroom she shared with the defendant. A warrantless search of the suitcase yielded a gun, which was the basis of the defendant's convictions. A District Court judge ruled that the coinhabitant's consent was valid as to the suitcase, and that the seizure of the firearm was therefore lawful. We affirm.

1. Background . a. Incident . On February 3, 2015, at 11:00 A.M. , Lynn police Officer William Stilwell responded to a…