Commonwealth v. Andre ( 2020 )

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SJC-12060
COMMONWEALTH vs. STEVEN ANDRE.
Suffolk. November 8, 2019. - April 2, 2020.
Present: Gants, C.J., Lenk, Gaziano, Lowy, & Budd, JJ.
Homicide. Firearms. Evidence, Hearsay, Business record, Prior
misconduct, Firearm. Practice, Criminal, Capital case,
Motion to suppress, Instructions to jury, Argument by
prosecutor.
Indictments found and returned in the Superior Court
Department on January 7, 2011.
A pretrial motion to suppress evidence was heard by Charles
J. Hely, J., and the cases were tried before Christine M.
McEvoy, J.
William S. Smith for the defendant.
Darcy Jordan, Assistant District Attorney (John P. Pappas,
Assistant District Attorney, also present) for the Commonwealth.
LOWY, J. A Suffolk County grand jury indicted the
defendant, Steven Andre, on two counts of murder in the first
degree, as well as on counts of possession of a firearm without
a license, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, and armed
2
robbery. Before trial, the defendant filed a motion to suppress
evidence that police discovered upon executing several search
warrants, which the motion judge denied. A jury convicted the
defendant of both counts of murder on the theory of deliberate
premeditation, as well as the three other charges, and the trial
judge sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility
of parole.1
On appeal, the defendant seeks reversal, assigning error to
(1) the motion judge's denial of the defendant's motion to
suppress evidence; (2) the trial judge's admission in evidence
of a document that constituted inadmissible hearsay and failure
to give the requisite jury instruction; (3) the trial judge's
admission of testimony concerning firearms, which were allegedly
dissimilar to the murder weapon, that the defendant possessed a
week prior to the murders; (4) the trial judge's jury
instruction regarding the firearms testimony, which he argues
created a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice;
and (5) the prosecutor's improper statements made in his closing
argument, allegedly prejudicing the defendant and violating his
constitutional rights. The defendant also requests that we
1 The judge also sentenced the defendant to a term of life
imprisonment for armed robbery, and prison terms of from four to
five years for possession of a firearm without a license and
assault by means of a dangerous weapon, each to run concurrently
with the murder sentence.
3
exercise our power pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E, to reduce
the murder verdicts or to grant a new trial. Finding neither
reversible error nor a reason to exercise our authority under
G. L. c. 278, § 33E, we affirm.
Background. We summarize the facts the jury could have
found, reserving some details for later discussion.
1. The murders. On September 6, 2010, Angel Acevedo and
Jenret Appleberry were fatally shot in their apartment in
Chelsea (apartment). On the evening of September 5, the victims
had been at the apartment with their roommate, Luis Rodriguez,
and Rodriguez's five year old son.2 The defendant arrived at the
apartment after midnight on September 6. At some point
thereafter, Rodriguez and his son went to sleep in Rodriguez's
bedroom with the lights off. The victims and the defendant
remained in the living room. Between 1 and 2 A.M., the sound of
two gunshots awakened Rodriguez. The defendant then entered
Rodriguez's bedroom, turning on the light with one hand, and
pointing a gun at Rodriguez and Rodriguez's son with his other
hand. At gunpoint, the defendant forced Rodriguez, who was
holding his son and refused to put him down, to search through
the victims' bedrooms for money. The defendant told Rodriguez
that he had heard that there was $50,000 somewhere in the
2 There were two other individuals at the apartment that
night, but they left before the murders occurred.
4
apartment, that the defendant had been watching the apartment
for about two weeks, and that someone offered to pay him $25,000
to kill the victims because they were informants. Even though
Rodriguez said he did not know about any money, the defendant
threatened to kill both Rodriguez and Rodriguez's son if
Rodriguez's son looked at him or if Rodriguez did not reveal the
money's location.
The defendant then directed Rodriguez to go into the living
room to search for shell casings. Once in the living room,
Rodriguez saw the victims' bodies. The defendant took money
from Acevedo's pocket, ripping it in the process. The defendant
told Rodriguez to use a shirt to wipe down anything the
defendant may have touched, and Rodriguez complied. From the
living room, the defendant took a PlayStation 3 gaming console
(PS3) and put it into a suitcase he took from a closet.3 While
still at the apartment, the defendant used Rodriguez's cell
phone, telling the person on the other line, "it's done."
The defendant eventually let Rodriguez and his son leave
the apartment, at which point they walked to Rodriguez's
3 The defendant also took a gun from under Appleberry's
mattress and between $300 and $500 in cash and "crack" cocaine
from Rodriguez. Rodriguez testified that following the murders,
an Xbox gaming console that Appleberry kept in his bedroom was
also missing.
5
father's house. Approximately six hours later, Rodriguez's
parents reported the shootings to the police.4
2. Police investigation. When the police arrived at the
apartment on September 6, 2010, the victims' bodies were in the
living room. Appleberry had been shot in the head at close
range, and Acevedo had been shot three times in the head. There
were no signs of forced entry. After Rodriguez identified the
defendant as the person who committed the murders, the police
arrested the defendant and executed a search warrant at the
apartment where he lived with his girlfriend and his cousin. In
the defendant's bedroom, the police found a gold, square earring
and a white watch. In his cousin's bedroom, the police found a
PS3 and a different gold earring. Appleberry's family
identified the watch and an earring as belonging to Appleberry.5
The PS3 was also later linked to Appleberry.6
4 At trial, Rodriguez initially testified that he called
911, but later admitted, after defense counsel refreshed his
memory using Rodriguez's grand jury testimony, that his parents
contacted the police.
5 The Commonwealth put forth evidence insinuating that the
gold earring found in the bedroom of the defendant's cousin
belonged to Acevedo. The Commonwealth, however, did not seize
that earring, and the record does not reflect that anyone
positively identified the photograph of the side of the earring
as belonging to Acevedo.
6 The birthday, security question, and e-mail address
registered with the account matched that of Appleberry. In
addition, when the police turned on the PS3, the screen
6
Discussion. 1. Standard of review. Upon a defendant's
direct appeal from a capital conviction, we conduct a plenary
review of the record for error pursuant to statutory mandate.
See G. L. c. 278, § 33E. Where we discern an error to which the
defendant did not object at trial, we review for a substantial
likelihood of a miscarriage of justice. See Commonwealth v.
Gonzalez, 469 Mass. 410, 415-416 (2014). Where the record
reflects an error that the defendant preserved below, we apply
the ordinary standard of review ascribed to errors of that type
in all appeals. See Commonwealth v. Upton, 484 Mass. 155, 160
(2020).
2. Motion to suppress. When reviewing a decision on a
motion to suppress, "we accept the judge's subsidiary findings
of fact absent clear error, but conduct an independent review of
[the] ultimate findings and conclusions of law" (quotation and
citation omitted). Commonwealth v. Colon, 449 Mass. 207, 214,
cert. denied, 552 U.S. 1079 (2007). We recite the facts as the
motion judge found them, supplemented by certain necessary,
uncontested facts from the motion hearing record. See id.
Rodriguez spoke to the police on three separate occasions
in the days following the murders: on September 6, 7, and 11,
2010. On September 6, Rodriguez told the police that two masked
displayed a friend request to "A-Rock_031." "A-Rock" was one of
Acevedo's nicknames.
7
men shot his roommates. Based in part on Rodriguez's
statements, the police applied for and received search warrants
for the apartment and for the victims' and Rodriguez's cell
phones. On September 7, the police interviewed Rodriguez's
young son, who said that only one of the men who entered the
apartment was masked. Later that day, the police confronted
Rodriguez with the inconsistencies between his and his son's
statements, but Rodriguez maintained that there were two masked
men.
Finally, on September 11, 2010, Rodriguez informed the
police that the defendant had committed the murders alone.
Rodriguez also told the police that he lied initially because he
feared someone would kill him and his son. Based in part on
Rodriguez's newest statements, State police Trooper Kevin
Sweeney applied for and received five additional search
warrants.7 In the affidavits supporting each of the five
additional search warrant applications, Sweeney omitted both
Rodriguez's prior contradictory statements and the statements
Rodriguez's son made to police.
Prior to trial, the defendant moved to suppress the
evidence seized pursuant to the latter five search warrants.
The search warrants covered the defendant's cell phone
7
records, apartment, and purported vehicle, as well as the PS3
recovered from the defendant's apartment.
8
Citing Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154 (1978), the defendant
argued that material omissions in the affidavits supporting the
search warrants rendered the search warrants invalid. The
record is unclear both whether the defendant's motion contained
a request for a hearing under Franks to determine the veracity
of the search warrants and whether the hearing that the
defendant received constituted a Franks hearing. Id. at 155-
156. The motion judge, however, denied the defendant's motion,
concluding that the omission of Rodriguez's and his son's prior
statements in the warrant affidavits did not "demonstrate that
the warrant affidavits were knowingly or recklessly false on the
essential facts that were material to probable cause for the
warrants."8 On appeal, the defendant argues that the judge
applied the incorrect standard.
The defendant is entitled to a Franks hearing only if he
makes two "substantial preliminary showing[s]." Commonwealth v.
Long, 454 Mass. 542, 552 (2009), S.C., 476 Mass. 526 (2017),
quoting Franks, 438 U.S. at 155. First, the defendant must
demonstrate that the affiant included "a false statement
knowingly and intentionally, or with reckless disregard for the
truth" or intentionally or recklessly omitted material in the
The motion judge further concluded that "[t]his is not a
8
case of material distortion of a defendant's statement as in
Commonwealth v. O'Dell, 392 Mass. 445, [448-449] (1984)."
9
search warrant affidavit. Long, supra, quoting Franks, supra at
155-156. Second, the defendant must show that "the allegedly
false statement is necessary to the finding of probable cause,"
Long, supra, quoting Franks, supra at 156, or that the inclusion
of the omitted information would have negated the magistrate's
probable cause finding, see Commonwealth v. Corriveau, 396 Mass.
319, 334-335 (1985) (affidavit with omitted material "would not
have conveyed a significantly different message" regarding
probable cause from that in submitted affidavit without omitted
material). See also United States v. McLellan, 792 F.3d 200,
208 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct. 494 (2015), quoting
United States v. Rigaud, 684 F.3d 169, 173 n.5 (1st Cir. 2012)
("In the case of an omission, this means establishing that the
inclusion of the omitted information 'would have led to a
negative finding by the magistrate on probable cause'" [emphasis
in original]).
If a Franks hearing is ordered, the defendant must meet the
same two-prong test by a preponderance of the evidence (as
opposed to the "substantial preliminary showing" already
demonstrated). See Long, 454 Mass. at 552. As to the second
prong, "where an omission forms the basis for a Franks
challenge, the judge considers whether the affidavit,
supplemented by the omitted information, furnishes probable
cause." Id. at 553. If the judge finds probable cause lacking,
10
the judge must void the warrant and suppress the evidence and
any "fruits thereof." Id.
The defendant here would not have succeeded at a Franks
hearing because, even if he sufficiently demonstrated that the
affiant had intentionally or recklessly omitted from the latter
five search warrants the statements that Rodriguez and his son
made to police prior to Rodriguez's September 11 interview, the
defendant could not have demonstrated by a preponderance of the
evidence that those omissions negated probable cause.9
Rodriguez reported to the police that his roommates had
been shot and killed at the apartment. When the police
responded to the apartment, they found two identified deceased
parties with gunshot wounds. Rodriguez identified the defendant
as the shooter and knew him by name. The defendant took
responsibility for the shootings and ordered Rodriguez to put
Rodriguez's son down so that the defendant could shoot
9 The record is unclear whether the defendant's motion to
suppress contained a request for a Franks hearing or whether the
hearing the defendant received constituted a Franks hearing.
Although our conclusion here does not hinge on this issue, the
same may not be true for every case. Thus, it is essential that
judges and parties establish a clear record as to whether a
Franks hearing is sought and as to whether an adequate showing
has been made such that such a hearing is warranted. See Long,
454 Mass. at 552; Commonwealth v. Amral, 407 Mass. 511, 522
(1990) (judge has discretion "to order an in camera hearing
where the defendant by affidavit asserts facts which cast a
reasonable doubt on the veracity of material representations
made by the affiant concerning a confidential informant").
11
Rodriguez. The defendant threatened to kill Rodriguez and his
family if Rodriguez told anyone what had happened. It was not
unreasonable for Rodriguez to refrain from identifying the
defendant out of fear of retribution. The motion judge
therefore did not abuse his discretion in denying the
defendant's motion to suppress.10
3. PS3 account memorandum. At trial, Joseph Lamoureux, a
security supervisor at Sony Computer Entertainment of America
(Sony), testified for the Commonwealth regarding the account
information connected to the PS3 seized from the defendant's
apartment. After the murders, pursuant to a State police
request, Lamoureux searched for and found the account
information in Sony's electronic database. Lamoureux then
10Even when the reasons for a witness's prior inconsistent
statements concerning the identity of the perpetrator seem
obvious from the circumstances, the better course is to provide
the magistrate reviewing a warrant application with such witness
statements that might detract from the strength of the witness's
subsequent identification. The nature of the ex parte
proceeding prior to any search requires magistrates to rely on
the police to provide a complete picture as to the credibility
and veracity of witnesses' statements. See Franks, 438 U.S. at
169 ("The magistrate has no acquaintance with the information
that may contradict the good faith and reasonable basis of the
affiant's allegations"). It is then the magistrate's
responsibility to determine whether probable cause exists based
on the relevant circumstances, and the magistrate will then be
able to weed through any conflicting information in making his
or her determination. See G. L. c. 218, § 33; Commonwealth v.
Connolly, 454 Mass. 808, 813 (2009) (magistrate considers
affidavit "as a whole and in a commonsense realistic fashion").
12
copied the account information11 from the database to a new
document (PS3 memorandum). The Commonwealth sought to admit the
PS3 memorandum under the business records exception to the rule
against hearsay, to which the defendant objected. Following a
voir dire of the witness,12 the judge ruled that the memorandum
was admissible.
a. Business records exception to the rule against hearsay.
The business records exception to the rule against hearsay
requires the judge to find that the record was made (1) in good
faith, (2) in the regular course of business, and (3) before the
civil or criminal proceeding in which it was offered began, and
(4) that it was "the regular course of such business to make
such memorandum or record at the time of such act, transaction,
occurrence or event or within a reasonable amount of time
thereafter." G. L. c. 233, § 78. See Mass. G. Evid.
§ 803(6)(A) (2019). Such records are "presumed to be reliable
and therefore admissible because entries in these records are
routinely made by those charged with the responsibility of
making accurate entries and are relied on in the course of doing
11As stated, the Sony memorandum contained the following
information, which was later linked to Acevedo: account
creation date, account number, first and last name, date of
birth, age, security question, and address.
12The judge initially agreed with the defendant and
sustained the objection, but shortly thereafter she suspended
her ruling to conduct the voir dire.
13
business." Wingate v. Emery Air Freight Corp., 385 Mass. 402,
406 (1982). We review the admission of the PS3 memorandum for
abuse of discretion. See Commonwealth v. Denton, 477 Mass. 248,
250 (2017).
The defendant argues that the judge erred in admitting the
PS3 memorandum under the business records exception because
Lamoureux made the memorandum after criminal proceedings
commenced and at the prosecution's request, not in the regular
course of business, rendering it inadmissible.13 We disagree.
Under the business records exception to the rule against
hearsay, the act of printing out or copying an electronic record
verbatim into a separate document does not constitute the
creation of a new record, even where a party requested the
printout or copy for litigation. See United States v. Burgos-
Montes, 786 F.3d 92, 120 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct.
599 (2015) ("[T]he physical manner in which the exhibit was
generated simply reflects the fact that the business records
were electronic, and hence their production required some choice
and offered some flexibility in printing out only the
13The defendant also argues that the judge erred in failing
to make the four preliminary factual determinations required to
admit in evidence a document under the business records
exception. This argument is unavailing, however, because "[a]
judge's decision to admit the records implies these requisite
findings under G. L. c. 233, § 78." Beal Bank, SSB v. Eurich,
444 Mass. 813, 815 (2005).
14
requested information"). Therefore, contrary to the defendant's
argument, the proper inquiry is whether the underlying
electronic record, not the printout or copy, satisfies the
foundation for the business records exception. We conclude that
so long as an electronic record satisfies the business records
exception, a printout or verbatim copy of such an electronic
record also satisfies the business records exception, even if
the electronic record was printed out or copied after criminal
proceedings commenced or in response to the prosecution's
request. See United States v. Briscoe, 896 F.2d 1476, 1494 n.13
(7th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 863 (1990) (printouts
admissible as business records even when prepared specifically
for trial and not in regular course of business because data
contained therein was entered into computer at time each call
was placed and maintained in regular course of business); United
States v. Sanders, 749 F.2d 195, 198 (5th Cir. 1984) (printouts
made in preparation of litigation admissible where printout did
not sort, compile, or summarize data).
The defendant does not contend that Sony's electronic
records did not satisfy the business records exception, nor is
there any evidence in the record to even suggest as much.14 At
14Although the Commonwealth admitted that the actual
electronic records on which Lamoureux based his memorandum were
no longer accessible at the time of trial, the defendant does
not contend that the electronic records were not made in good
15
the time that Lamoureux searched for the relevant PS3 account
information, Sony kept electronic records of registered user
account information in the ordinary course of business. The PS3
account information was entered on March 4, 2010, before
litigation commenced, and the defendant does not contend, nor is
there any indication, that it was not Sony's regular course of
business to make this type of record on that date. Therefore,
the electronic record satisfied the business records exception.
Because the PS3 memorandum was a verbatim copy of Sony's
electronic records, the PS3 memorandum also satisfies the
business records exception to the rule against hearsay.15 The
judge did not abuse her discretion by admitting it.16
b. Jury instruction. Under G. L. c. 233, § 78, when a
judge admits a record under the business records exception to
the rule against hearsay, "all other circumstances of the making
faith. Accordingly, the records' unavailability does not have
any impact on our conclusion.
15We note that the defendant does not contest that the
verbatim copy was made in good faith. Indeed, during oral
argument, counsel stated that he was not arguing that there was
anything "untoward on this record."
16The defendant also makes a passing argument that because
Lamoureux created the PS3 memorandum at the behest of the police
and, thus, literally in anticipation of litigation, the
memorandum was testimonial. This argument is unavailing. Given
our conclusion that the PS3 memorandum was not a newly created
business record, but instead a copy of a prior business record,
the PS3 memorandum was not created in anticipation of
litigation.
16
thereof, including lack of personal knowledge by the entrant or
maker, may be shown to affect its weight and . . . in a criminal
proceeding all questions of fact which must be determined by the
court as the basis for the admissibility of the evidence
involved shall be submitted to the jury, if a jury trial is had
for its final determination" (emphasis added). We have yet to
explicitly determine for what purpose the jury consider the
questions of fact undergirding the admission of the business
record, and we take the opportunity to do so now. Judges must
submit to the jury such questions of fact, not for the jury to
redetermine admissibility, but to evaluate what amount of weight
to accord the business record.17 In other words, unlike the
17 We provide an example of an appropriate jury instruction:
"There are records which were admitted in this trial which
will go to the jury room with you. When considering what,
if any, weight to give these records, you may consider the
following factors:
"(1) That the record was made in good faith;
"(2) That it was made in the regular course of business;
"(3) That it was made before the beginning of this criminal
proceeding; and
"(4) That it was the regular course of business to make
such a record at the time of such act, transaction,
occurrence, or event, or within a reasonable time
thereafter."
See G. L. c. 233, § 78; Mass. G. Evid. § 803(6)(A) & note
(2019).
17
situation with the humane practice doctrine, statements of
coconspirators, or dying declarations, the jury need not engage
in finding the legal foundation for admitting business records
as an exception to the rule against hearsay before considering
the records. Rather, the jury may consider the evidentiary
foundations for admission of business records as it affects the
weight of the evidence. Contrast Commonwealth v. Rakes, 478
Mass. 22, 36-37 (2017), citing Commonwealth v. Bright, 463 Mass.
421, 426-427, 432 (2012) (before jury can consider joint
venturer's statement as bearing on defendant's guilt, jury must
first make their own independent determination, based on
preponderance of evidence other than statement itself, that
joint venture existed and that statement was made during and in
furtherance thereof); Commonwealth v. Caillot, 454 Mass. 245,
263-264 (2009), cert. denied, 559 U.S. 948 (2010), quoting
Commonwealth v. Cryer, 426 Mass. 562, 571 (1998) ("Under the
Commonwealth's 'humane practice,' if the voluntariness of a
defendant's statement is a live issue at trial, the judge must
instruct the jury that the Commonwealth has the burden of
proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the statement was made
voluntarily and that the jurors must disregard the statement
unless the Commonwealth has met its burden"); Commonwealth v.
Nesbitt, 452 Mass. 236, 251 n.16 (2008), S.C., 459 Mass. 1005
(2011), quoting Commonwealth v. Key, 381 Mass. 19, 22 (1980)
18
("Under traditional Massachusetts procedure, the judge and then
the jury are to determine whether the requirements for a dying
declaration have been established by a preponderance of the
evidence").
The defendant argues that the judge erred by failing to
instruct the jury to make the four preliminary findings required
to admit a document under the business records exception before
considering the document. See G. L. c. 233, § 78; Mass. G.
Evid. § 803(6)(A). We agree that the judge's failure to provide
guidance to the jury regarding how they should weigh the
business records constituted error. We are confident, however,
that the error did not create a substantial likelihood of a
miscarriage of justice. See Commonwealth v. Evans, 438 Mass.
142, 157 (2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 966 (2003) (unpreserved
claim of error in jury instruction reviewed for substantial
likelihood of a miscarriage of justice); Commonwealth v.
Ruddock, 428 Mass. 288, 292 n.3 (1998); Commonwealth v. Devlin,
335 Mass. 555, 563 (1957), S.C., 363 Mass. 171 (1973) (where no
objection was made, lack of jury instruction on questions of
fact did not amount to reversible error). Even if the judge had
properly submitted the requisite questions to the jury, and the
jury had determined that the PS3 memorandum should have been
19
accorded less weight, the jury still heard ample other evidence
that the defendant killed the victims.18
4. Firearms testimony. The defendant also argues that the
judge erred in admitting Krista Najarian's testimony regarding
her observations of the defendant's prior possession of firearms
because the description of the guns she observed the defendant
holding was "wholly different" from Rodriguez's description of
the murder weapon. During trial, the Commonwealth introduced
evidence that the unrecovered murder weapon was a nine
millimeter firearm. Rodriguez testified that he believed the
defendant had a "gray and black" gun, which had a "flat shape"
and no barrel, on the night of the murders. Najarian thereafter
testified that about a week prior to the murders, she observed
the defendant take two "dark," "regular size guns" out of his
waistband and put them under the seat of her car.19 Najarian
further testified that she did not know what kind of guns they
Such evidence included the defendant's statement to
18
police that he was at the apartment on the night of the murders;
Rodriguez's testimony identifying the defendant as the murderer
and his first-hand account of the immediate aftermath of the
murders, which was corroborated by physical evidence found at
the murder scene; and the seizure of Appleberry's jewelry and
Acevedo's PS3 from the defendant's apartment.
19 Najarian also testified that the defendant often took her
car during the summer of 2010 and that after the night on which
she observed the defendant place the guns under her car seat,
the defendant kept her car until after the murders. This car
was also the subject of one of the search warrants.
20
were, nor did she know anything about guns. Following
Najarian's testimony and at the close of the evidence, the judge
provided limiting instructions to the jury.
a. Admission of firearms testimony. We review a judge's
evidentiary rulings for an abuse of discretion.20 See
Commonwealth v. Rosa, 468 Mass. 231, 237 (2014); Commonwealth v.
McGee, 467 Mass. 141, 156-157 (2014).
We have long held that "[e]vidence of prior bad acts is not
admissible to show that the defendant has a criminal propensity
or is of bad character."). Commonwealth v. Otsuki, 411 Mass.
218, 236 (1991), quoting Commonwealth v. Robertson, 408 Mass.
747, 750 (1990). Such evidence may be admissible, however, so
long as it is relevant for some other proper purpose and its
probative value is not substantially outweighed by the risk of
prejudice to the defendant.21 See Commonwealth v. Tavares, 482
20The Commonwealth filed a motion in limine to permit this
testimony, which the defendant opposed, but the defendant did
not renew his objection at trial. At trial, however, the judge
recognized defense counsel's previous objection and acknowledged
that the objection was preserved. Thus, although the trial took
place prior to Commonwealth v. Grady, 474 Mass. 715, 719 (2016),
we conclude that the defendant's appellate rights are preserved.
See id. (prospectively, "[w]e will no longer require a defendant
to object to the admission of evidence at trial where he or she
has already sought to preclude the very same evidence at the
motion in limine stage, and the motion was heard and denied").
21We need not decide whether the new standard we
articulated in Commonwealth v. Crayton, 470 Mass. 228, 249 n.27
(2014), applies retroactively ,because under either standard,
the judge here did not abuse her discretion. See id.
21
Mass. 694, 711 (2019); Commonwealth v. Valentin, 474 Mass. 301,
306 (2016). In the context of firearms-related evidence, we
have often held that such evidence may be admissible to
demonstrate the defendant's access to or familiarity with
firearms. See Commonwealth v. Vazquez, 478 Mass. 443, 449-450
(2017); Commonwealth v. Bonnett, 472 Mass. 827, 841 (2015),
S.C., 482 Mass. 838 (2019); McGee, 467 Mass. at 157;
Commonwealth v. Ridge, 455 Mass. 307, 322-323 (2009). While
this is true, such evidence also "creates a risk that the jury
will use the evidence impermissibly to infer that the defendant
has a bad character or a propensity to commit the crime
charged." Valentin, supra, quoting McGee, supra at 156.
Before admitting such evidence, the judge should articulate
the precise manner in which the evidence of the defendant's
access to and familiarity with firearms is relevant and material
to the facts of the particular case. See Mass. G. Evid. § 401;
P.C. Giannelli, Understanding Evidence 168 (5th ed. 2018).
However, the fact that the firearms-related evidence may be
relevant to a specific, nonpropensity purpose does not render
the evidence admissible. The judge must then consider and
articulate "the risk that the jury will ignore the limiting
(clarifying that "'other bad acts' evidence is inadmissible
where its probative value is outweighed by the risk of unfair
prejudice to the defendant, even if not substantially outweighed
by that risk").
22
instruction and make the prohibited character inference" and use
the evidence for an inadmissible purpose, such as propensity.
Giannelli, supra. See Commonwealth v. Crayton, 470 Mass. 228,
249 n.27 (2014), quoting Commonwealth v. Johnson, 35 Mass. App.
Ct. 211, 218 (1993), S.C., 43 Mass. App. Ct. 509 (1997) (prior
bad acts evidence is "inherently prejudicial"). This risk is at
its zenith in an identification case because the jury may
incorrectly infer that if the defendant possessed a firearm
previously (or subsequently), he is probably the person who
committed the crime charged. This is especially true when the
firearms-related evidence is not connected to the firearm used
in the commission of the crime charged by either forensic
evidence or eye witness testimony. Once the judge articulates
these considerations on the record, it is then within the
judge's discretion to determine whether the probative value of
the firearms-related evidence is outweighed by the risk of
prejudicial effect on the defendant. See Crayton, supra; Mass.
G. Evid. § 403.
In this case, the judge did not abuse her discretion in
admitting Najarian's testimony. Contrary to the defendant's
contention, Najarian's and Rodriguez's descriptions of the
defendant's firearms were not "wholly different." Najarian
described the firearms as "dark," while Rodriguez described the
murder weapon as "gray and black." In addition, Najarian
23
observed the defendant with the firearms one week prior to the
murders. Nevertheless, even if the judge had erred in admitting
the evidence, that error would not have prejudiced the
defendant. See Commonwealth v. Barbosa, 463 Mass. 116, 121
(2012). Given the amount of properly admitted evidence of the
defendant's guilt, see note 18, supra, the scant attention
Najarian's firearms testimony received at trial,22 and the
judge's limiting instruction,23 any error "had at most a 'very
slight effect' on the jury." Barbosa, supra at 124, quoting
Commonwealth v. Flebotte, 417 Mass. 348, 353 (1994).
b. Jury instructions. At the conclusion of the evidence,
the judge gave another limiting instruction as to Najarian's
firearms testimony: "If you credit that testimony, you may
consider it for limited purposes, which I've explained to you
before, that is, . . . whether or not the defendant had access
to guns and familiarity with violence" (emphasis added).
Because there was no objection, we review any error for a
22Najarian's testimony regarding the defendant's prior
possession of firearms only comprised three pages of over sixty
pages of testimony. In addition, the prosecutor briefly
mentioned the acquaintance's testimony during his closing
argument, but did not argue that the weapons-related evidence
demonstrated access to or knowledge of firearms.
23Immediately following Najarian's testimony, the judge
instructed the jury to first determine whether they credited the
testimony and, if they did, to then only consider the testimony
for the limited purposes of the defendant's access to guns or
familiarity with weapons.
24
substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice. See
Commonwealth v. Rodriquez, 461 Mass. 100, 106 (2011). Here, the
judge clearly misspoke; however, such a misstatement does not
rise to the level of substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of
justice.
"We evaluate jury instructions as a whole and interpret
them as would a reasonable juror." Commonwealth v. Kelly, 470
Mass. 682, 697 (2015). Immediately following the Commonwealth's
direct examination of Najarian, the judge gave a lengthy and
detailed limiting instruction. See Commonwealth v. Holley, 478
Mass. 508, 533 n.25 (2017), quoting McGee, 467 Mass. at 158
(where firearms-related evidence excluded as pertaining to
possible murder weapon, contemporaneous limiting instruction
often required); Commonwealth v. Facella, 478 Mass. 393, 408-409
(2017) (no abuse of discretion where judge gave "forceful
limiting instruction[] . . . [i]mmediately following"
testimony); Barbosa, 463 Mass. at 126, citing Ridge, 455 Mass.
at 323 (jury presumed to follow limiting instruction).
Moreover, the judge's misstatement occurred in the middle of her
otherwise complete and accurate jury instructions on prior bad
act evidence. Indeed, immediately prior to and following her
misstatement, the judge correctly instructed the jury not to
consider any evidence of the defendant's alleged drug
distribution activities, gang affiliation, or possession of guns
25
as proof that the defendant "had a criminal propensity or bad
character." See Commonwealth v. Kosilek, 423 Mass. 449, 455
(1996) (jury instruction "misstatement is preceded and followed
by accurate statements"). See also Vazquez, 478 Mass. at 449-
450 ("judge's instruction forbade the jury from using the
evidence in ways that were unduly prejudicial to the
defendant"). Even if the jury had considered Najarian's
testimony for an improper purpose, her testimony was not so
pivotal as to create a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage
of justice.
5. Prosecutor's closing argument. The defendant contends
that the prosecutor made several improper statements during his
closing argument, which individually and collectively went to
the heart of the case and prejudiced the defendant.
Specifically, the defendant argues that the prosecutor
improperly (1) disparaged the defendant's right to counsel; (2)
insinuated that the jurors had a duty to convict the defendant
despite doubts as to someone else's involvement; and (3)
appealed to the jury's sympathy.24 The defendant objected to the
24The defendant also argues that the prosecutor improperly
proclaimed his belief that the defendant received a "fair trial"
and, thus, he improperly and inferentially referenced the
defendant's appellate rights. The prosecutor stated: "And now
at this point, at this time you've heard all the evidence in the
case in what I suggest to you has been a full and fair trial for
Steven Andre in which he's been represented by an experienced
attorney." We are unable to see how this statement referenced,
26
first alleged improper argument; thus, we review for prejudicial
error. See Commonwealth v. Alvarez, 480 Mass. 299, 305, S.C.,
480 Mass. 1015 (2018) (no prejudicial error where error did not
influence jury or had "very slight effect" [citation omitted]).
Because the defendant did not object to the latter two
statements, should we find them to be erroneous, we review for a
substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice. See
Vazquez, 478 Mass. at 451.
We consider remarks made during closing "in the context of
the whole argument, the evidence admitted at trial, and the
judge's instructions to the jury." Commonwealth v. Felder, 455
Mass. 359, 368 (2009). The judge here properly instructed the
jury that the closing argument was not evidence, and we must
presume that the jury understood that instruction. See
Commonwealth v. Kolenovic, 478 Mass. 189, 200 (2017).
a. Disparagement of defendant's right to counsel. After
mentioning defense counsel's alternate theories of the case, and
over defense counsel's objection, the prosecutor stated: "A
skilled, experienced, competent attorney will ask those
questions to get you collectively to start focusing on not
improperly or otherwise, the defendant's appellate rights.
Moreover, we discern no way in which this statement would "have
the inescapable effect of reducing the jurors' appreciation of
the significance of their deliberations and verdict."
Commonwealth v. Walker, 370 Mass. 548, 574, cert. denied, 429
U.S. 943 (1976).
27
what's before you." The defendant argues that this statement
impermissibly disparaged the defendant's right to counsel
because it insinuated that the defense's theory of the case was
"merely smoke-blowing by a well spoken, slick defense lawyer."
The prosecutor's comments did not disparage the defendant's
right to counsel, nor did it disparage defense counsel
personally or her defense strategy overall. Instead, the
prosecutor commented on specific defense tactics, arguing that
the jury should not believe the defense's version of events and
permissibly urged the jury to focus solely on the evidence
actually before them.25 See Felder, 455 Mass. at 369 ("read in
context, there was no error in the prosecutor's limited
references to the attempts by defense counsel to create 'smoke
screen[s]'"); Commonwealth v. Jackson, 428 Mass. 455, 463
(1998), S.C., 468 Mass. 1009 (2014) ("prosecutor may comment on
defense tactics that the jurors have witnessed themselves").
See generally Commonwealth v. Kozec, 399 Mass. 514, 516 (1987)
("We have never criticized a prosecutor for arguing forcefully
for a conviction based on the evidence and on inferences that
may reasonably be drawn from the evidence"). There was no
error.
25The judge also instructed the jury not to "decide the
case based on speculation, surmise or conjecture."
28
b. Insinuation that jury had a duty to convict. In his
closing, the prosecutor posed several rhetorical questions
regarding another person's possible involvement in the murders
and then stated, "Those are issues for another day, for another
jury. Your issue collectively is this man on this case and at
that moment at that time . . . ." The defendant argues that the
prosecutor "craftily" intimated that even if the jurors believed
someone else may have been involved in the murders, and thus
were hesitant about the defendant's guilt, they should
nonetheless convict him and leave the issue of multiple
murderers for "another day."
The prosecutor's statement again permissibly asked the
jurors not to speculate based on evidence not before them and
reminded the jurors that their sole job was to determine the
defendant's culpability. Moreover, the prosecutor also made the
challenged statements in response to defense counsel's arguments
that two people had been involved in the murders, that Rodriguez
lied about the defendant's involvement, and that the police
failed to thoroughly investigate anyone other than the
defendant. See Commonwealth v. Bresilla, 470 Mass. 422, 438
(2015) (prosecutor "entitled to respond to defense counsel's
criticism of the police investigation"); Commonwealth v. Smith,
450 Mass. 395, 408, cert. denied, 555 U.S. 893 (2008), quoting
Commonwealth v. Chavis, 415 Mass. 703, 713 (1993) ("A prosecutor
29
is permitted to 'make a fair response to an attack on the
credibility of a government witness'"). There was no error.
c. Appeal to the jurors' sympathies. The defendant also
contends that the prosecutor improperly appealed to the jurors'
sympathies by highlighting Rodriguez's emotional state at the
time of the murders to explain why Rodriguez failed to call the
police immediately.26 While the prosecutor may have overly
emphasized Rodriguez's plight, we must impute to the jurors "[a]
certain measure of . . . sophistication in sorting out excessive
claims" in closing arguments. Commonwealth v. Taylor, 469 Mass.
516, 529 (2014), quoting Kozec, 399 Mass. at 517. A reasonable
juror would understand that the prosecutor intended his remarks
to demonstrate that Rodriguez acted reasonably in light of the
threats to his five year old son. See Valentin, 474 Mass. at
310-311. There was no error. Even assuming these statements
constituted error, the judge properly cured it by instructing
the jury that it was their job alone to determine a witness's
credibility and that they should not decide the case based on
any sympathy they might have had towards a particular side. See
Kolenovic, 478 Mass. at 200-201.
26Specifically, the prosecutor discussed Rodriguez's
brother's murder, which occurred less than a month before the
murders, and Rodriguez's experience witnessing his roommates'
murders, while his son's life was threatened. The prosecutor
argued, "And for the [Rodriguezes] of the world fortunate are
those who don't walk in his shoes."
30
6. Review under G. L. c. 278, § 33E. We have reviewed the
entire record of this case pursuant to our responsibilities
under G. L. c. 278, § 33E. We conclude that there is no basis
for reducing the defendant's sentence on the murder conviction
or ordering a new trial.
So ordered.