Haddad v. Commonwealth

In this criminal appeal, we determine whether the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to declare a mistrial on motion of the defendant as the result of comments made by a juror to third parties during a recess.

In a one-day trial, defendant Afif I. Haddad was convicted of first-degree murder for the homicide of his estranged wife. He also was convicted of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Defendant appeals from the final judgment which sentenced him to terms of 30 years and one year respectively for the murder and the firearms charge.

The issue on appeal arose in the…