Card #80: Final jury charge · proof, expert weight, and verdict options
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The completed charge covered presumption of innocence, proof to a moral certainty, direct and circumstantial evidence, expert-opinion weight, graphic exhibits, criminal responsibility, and lesser verdicts.
[VERIFIED FACT] Judge Sullivan instructed jurors to decide solely from admitted evidence, apply the presumption of innocence, and convict only if the Commonwealth proved the required allegations beyond a reasonable doubt—described as an abiding conviction to a moral certainty. He explained direct and circumstantial evidence, said jurors could accept or reject expert opinions in whole or in part, and warned them not to be influenced by the graphic nature of exhibits. [VERIFIED FACT] The charge and verdict materials allowed consideration of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, a straight not-guilty verdict, and not guilty because the Commonwealth failed to prove criminal responsibility. [UNKNOWN] The existence of an option says nothing about which option jurors favor.
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Topic: Source Library & Methodology. Comments: 0.