Commonwealth v. Walker

A jury in the Superior Court convicted the defendant of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty for the shooting death of Francis Stephens. The defendant was also convicted of the armed assault with intent to murder of Jose Astacio, who was shot but not killed, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. A codefendant, Willie Johnson, was acquitted on all charges.1 Represented by new counsel, the defendant filed a motion for a new trial on the ground of ineffective assistance of counsel. The motion was denied after an evidentiary hearing…