Santiago v. Commonwealth

In 1996, a juvenile, Felix Santiago, was found delinquent by reason of murder in the first degree as well as other charges. In 1997, we reversed the juvenile’s adjudication of delinquency because of the prosecutor’s improper closing argument and ordered a new trial. Commonwealth v. Santiago, 425 Mass. 491 (1997) (Santiago I). Shortly thereafter, the juvenile, who had reached the age of nineteen, argued in the Juvenile Court that he had “aged out” of the Juvenile Court’s jurisdiction under the law as it existed at the time of his alleged offense. See G. L. c. 119, § 72 (1994 ed.) (providing…