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Commonwealth v. Knapp
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
VII American State Trials 395 (1830)
- Written by Abby Roughton, JD
Facts
John Francis Knapp (defendant) was on trial for the murder of Joseph White. The prosecution (plaintiff) claimed that Knapp aided and abetted another man, Crowninshield, who had actually committed the act that killed White. The prosecution thus needed to show Crowninshield's guilt in order to prove Knapp's guilt, but Crowninshield had committed suicide prior to trial. The prosecution introduced Crowninshield’s suicide as evidence that Crowninshield committed the murder. During closing arguments, the lead prosecutor, Daniel Webster, explained why Crowninshield's suicide should be considered probative evidence of Crowninshield's guilt.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
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