DISCLAIMER:

These summaries of case decisions are intended for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be interpretations of the law, nor do they encompass the subtleties of each case. Therefore, reference to the original text is indispensable.



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Mallory Douraghi's Summary of "Commonwealth v. Henderson"

Commonwealth v. Henderson
82 Mass. App. Ct. 674 (2012)


Facts:
The defendant was serving a probationary sentence for 3 previous assault and battery charges. Terms of his probation included not violating any state or federal laws. During his probation term, the defendant was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a shod foot for attacking his girlfriend. During the defendant’s revocation hearing, the girlfriend and the arresting officer were summoned by the probation officer. They did not appear in court but both submitted written testimony as to what had happened during the altercation. The judge found the defendant to be in violation of his probation and reinstated the original underlying sentence. The defendant appealed claiming that the written testimony lacked trustworthiness and was hearsay and, therefore, lacked sufficient due process.

Issue(s):
Did the written evidence submitted at the revocation hearing meet the standards of due process?

Holding/Rationale:
The court found that the evidence submitted needed to meet the standards of fairness for a revocation hearing. Evidence submitted may rest solely upon hearsay so long as the evidence is reliable. Because the arresting officer and the girlfriend, the victim, were present at the incident, there evidence was deemed reliable. They also did not appear due to what the court determined to be good reasons. Therefore, the court acted properly when (he or she) reinstated the defendant’s original sentence.

Judgment: Affirmed.

Written 7/31/2013