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Appeals court reviews admission of uncharged conduct and prosecutor's language in Castillo child-sex case
Summary
An Appeals Court panel heard arguments about whether testimony claiming 15–20 uncharged incidents and a prosecutor's "house of horrors" phrasing created unfair prejudice in the conviction of Jorge Castillo; the Commonwealth said the evidence and instructions cured any risk of prejudice.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court heard argument in Kamal v. Jorge Castillo (2024-0341) over whether testimony about "15 to 20" additional uncharged incidents and a prosecutor's descriptive closing statement improperly prejudiced the jury.
William Foreman, counsel for the defendant, urged the panel that testimony about many additional incidents was an amorphous, prejudicial "blanket statement" that left the defense unable to respond: "It's essentially a blanket statement that there were other incidents that took place," Foreman told the panel, saying the defense could not fairly rebut unspecified allegations and that the number and vagueness made defense preparation and…
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