Boston Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

SJC Rules on Independent-Source Doctrine in Affirming Murder Conviction

Published on: December 2, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

The Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Almeida settles three issues you care about if you or a loved one faces serious charges in Massachusetts. First, the Court upheld a search warrant under the independent-source doctrine, which means the police could still rely on the warrant even after a statement by the accused was suppressed. Second, the Court rejected several jury-selection challenges and explained how trial judges should evaluate strikes, hardship excusals, and questions about views on police credibility. Third, the Court vacated an unlawful-possession conviction in light of Commonwealth v. Guardado, sending that firearm count back for further proceedings. If your case turns on a warrant affidavit, a video identification, or a disputed gun charge, this opinion shows where suppression arguments still win and where they do not.

Why The Warrant Survived Under an Independent Source

Police linked the accused to a Boston shooting through surveillance footage, cell-site records, and clothing later recovered from an apartment. The trial judge suppressed a custodial statement but denied the motion to suppress evidence seized from that apartment. On appeal, the SJC agreed that the search warrant stood on its own because the affidavit showed probable cause without the tainted statement. That is the independent-source doctrine in action: when a warrant is supported by evidence gathered before or apart from the challenged step, the Court may uphold the search.

Cambridge Hits Pause on License-Plate Cameras

Published on: November 3, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

When Cambridge announced it was halting the use of automatic license-plate reader technology pending review of data-sharing practices, the decision reflected more than a policy debate. It exposed an emerging evidentiary fault line under Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. At the same time, Brookline’s consideration of privately owned plate readers with police access demonstrates how quickly surveillance systems can expand beyond traditional public control. Together, these developments offer meaningful insight for defense counsel assessing whether the Commonwealth relied on warrantless, technology-driven tracking to build its case.

When prosecutors present evidence drawn from automated plate readers, defense strategy should center on three questions: how long the data was stored, whether it was shared with outside entities, and whether law enforcement used cumulative scans to reconstruct a person’s movements across time. Each of these factors directly influences whether the collection qualifies as a “search” under Article 14.

How ALPR Surveillance Becomes a Constitutional Issue

Massachusetts Court Clarifies Nonresident Gun Licensing After Donnell

Published on: October 15, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

You may not realize that moving through Massachusetts as a nonresident can trigger state licensing rules even if you lawfully carry at home. In Commonwealth v. Donnell, decided March 11, 2025, the Supreme Judicial Court struck down the Commonwealth’s prior, pre-2022 nonresident licensing scheme under G. L. c. 140, § 131F because it vested unfettered “may-issue” discretion in the State Police colonel, which failed the Supreme Court’s Bruen text-and-history test under the Second Amendment. The SJC affirmed dismissal of the § 10(a) charge that depended on that unconstitutional scheme.

The Facts of the Case

In the early morning of November 8, 2021, two Massachusetts State Police troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash on I-495 northbound near the Lowell Connector. They found the driver, Dean F. Donnell, Jr., a New Hampshire resident, sitting near his Ford Explorer and noted signs of intoxication. After field sobriety testing, troopers arrested him for operating under the influence. During a subsequent vehicle search, they discovered a handgun and ammunition. Donnell did not hold a Massachusetts nonresident license to carry.

GPS Tracking and Bail Conditions in Massachusetts Criminal Cases

Published on: October 14, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that courts may impose GPS monitoring as a condition of release without violating the state constitution. If you are facing criminal charges in Massachusetts, and a judge orders you to wear a GPS device, you may be wondering whether that order is legal. In Commonwealth v. Goparian, the court clarified how far the Commonwealth may go when imposing electronic tracking during pretrial release.

This decision affects many defendants who are accused but not convicted. Understanding its implications is critical if you are currently subject to pretrial monitoring or if your release is under review.

Court Confirms GPS Monitoring Does Not Automatically Violate Privacy Rights

In this case, the court examined whether requiring GPS monitoring as part of bail conditions constituted an unreasonable search under Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. The defendant claimed that being tracked, even before a conviction, infringed on privacy protections.

Understanding Repeat OUI Charges After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Foley Decision

Published on: September 3, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

If you are facing charges tied to operating a vehicle with a revoked license due to a past OUI or motor vehicle homicide, your case may fall under Massachusetts laws that carry steep penalties. A recent opinion from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth v. Foley, decided on July 15, 2025, explains how prior convictions influence new charges and sentencing enhancements. The ruling confirms how the state applies repeat-offender laws in cases involving serious driving offenses and outlines what prosecutors must prove to support those charges.

If your current charge stems from a prior OUI or similar offense, this case may help you better understand what the government needs to show and how an experienced lawyer can challenge parts of the case.

How the Court Interpreted Repeat Offender Statutes in This Case

GPS Monitoring Before Trial Raises Privacy Questions

Published on: August 19, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

When Massachusetts courts require GPS monitoring as part of pretrial release, many people are unaware that the location data collected may later be used as evidence against them. In a recent ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court, the justices reviewed whether law enforcement could lawfully access and rely on GPS records collected during monitoring to investigate a new incident. This case is important because it shows how conditions imposed before any conviction can still affect your rights well into the future.

If you are accused of a crime in Massachusetts, the conditions tied to your release may seem routine or temporary. However, as this case shows, each requirement can have lasting consequences. You need a criminal defense attorney who understands how to challenge surveillance measures and safeguard your rights from the beginning.

Massachusetts Court Confirms GPS Data from Bail Monitoring Can Be Used

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rejects Sex Trafficking Charges Based on Online Sting Operation

Published on: August 5, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

In May 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court clarified the limits of the state’s sex trafficking statute. The court rejected the Commonwealth’s attempt to charge men who responded to online ads with trafficking, holding that their conduct did not meet the definition of that offense under G. L. c. 265, Section 50. This ruling matters for anyone facing solicitation or prostitution-related charges in Massachusetts, particularly in cases stemming from undercover operations.

If you have been charged with a sex crime in Massachusetts, especially after responding to an online ad, you may be unsure which charges the Commonwealth can lawfully pursue. This recent opinion makes clear that prosecutors cannot stretch trafficking statutes beyond their scope just to increase pressure on the accused. You need a defense lawyer who understands where police authority ends and where your legal protections begin.

Supreme Judicial Court Confirms Trafficking Law Does Not Cover Online Sting Buyers

Massachusetts Involuntary Manslaughter Case Highlights Double Jeopardy Risks in Criminal Sentencing

Published on: July 25, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

Multiple charges often follow when someone is accused of a serious offense involving a fatal crash, each carrying its own penalties. However, the law does not allow prosecutors to stack overlapping charges for the same act. A recent decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court clarifies how courts must avoid imposing multiple punishments when offenses stem from the same event.

In a case decided in May 2025, the court considered whether a person convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal highway crash could also be punished for motor vehicle homicide and operating to endanger. The court ruled that the lower court erred by convicting the accused on all three counts, finding that the additional charges duplicated the involuntary manslaughter conviction. Those two lesser charges were vacated, while the manslaughter conviction and a separate conviction for driving without insurance were upheld.

This case is important for anyone facing multiple charges from a single incident. Prosecutors may file every possible charge during the early stages of a case, but not all of them can result in separate punishments. If you are charged with overlapping offenses, you may have legal grounds to challenge the sentence or the charges themselves.

Why Police Cannot Cross State Lines and Take Your Phone

Published on: July 12, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

If police officers from Massachusetts cross into another state and seize your property without a warrant or permission from that state, the evidence they take may not hold up in court. That exact issue came up in a recent decision from the Supreme Judicial Court. Officers from Lowell crossed into New Hampshire during a home invasion investigation. While there, they took a man’s phone without a warrant, suspecting he was deleting evidence. Once back in Massachusetts, they obtained a warrant to search the phone.

The court made clear that this action crossed a legal line. Officers from Massachusetts do not have power to seize property in another state unless they follow that state’s rules or get permission. Because the detectives failed to do that here, the search violated constitutional protections. As a result, the court suppressed the evidence from the phone.

How This Affects You If Police Search Your Belongings

Can Prosecutors Use Your Hospital Blood Work Against You in a Massachusetts OUI Case

Published on: July 1, 2025 | by Patrick J. Murphy, Esq.

If you are charged with a third-offense OUI in Massachusetts, you may believe that refusing a breath test protects you from chemical evidence at trial. However, a recent case confirmed that prosecutors can still introduce blood alcohol content (BAC) calculations based on hospital records. Even without your permission, hospital blood work collected during medical care may lead to a conviction.

In this case, police stopped a driver who showed signs of intoxication. He refused a breath test at the station and was later taken to a hospital for treatment. Medical professionals drew his blood for clinical reasons, not for law enforcement. Police later obtained a warrant for the samples and sent them to a crime lab. A judge suppressed those results, but prosecutors still moved forward using records from the hospital and a scientific conversion to estimate his BAC. The state’s highest court ruled that this converted evidence could be used.

Prosecutors’ Use of Medical Data After Test Refusals