Commonwealth v. Romilson B. Ferreira.

NOTICE: Summary decisions issued by the Appeals Court pursuant to M.A.C. Rule
23.0, as appearing in 97 Mass. App. Ct. 1017 (2020) (formerly known as rule 1:28,
as amended by 73 Mass. App. Ct. 1001 [2009]), are primarily directed to the parties
and, therefore, may not fully address the facts of the case or the panel's
decisional rationale. Moreover, such decisions are not circulated to the entire
court and, therefore, represent only the views of the panel that decided the case.
A summary decision pursuant to rule 23.0 or rule 1:28 issued after February 25,
2008, may be cited for its persuasive value but, because of the limitations noted
above, not as binding precedent. See Chace v. Curran, 71 Mass. App. Ct. 258, 260
n.4 (2008).

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

APPEALS COURT

23-P-486

COMMONWEALTH

vs.

ROMILSON B. FERREIRA.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 23.0

Following a bench trial in the District Court, the

defendant was convicted of (1) assault and battery on a police

officer (ABPO), in violation of G. L. c. 265, § 13D (2015); (2)

resisting arrest, in violation of G. L. c. 268, § 32B; and (3)

disorderly conduct, in violation of G. L. c. 272, § 53 (2015).

On appeal, the defendant claims that (1) the denial of his

motion to continue the trial constituted structural error;

(2) he received ineffective assistance of counsel; (3) the

evidence was insufficient to establish that he acted with the

knowledge and intent required to sustain a conviction for either

ABPO or for resisting arrest; and (4) the absence of a voluntary
intoxication instruction created a substantial risk of a

miscarriage of justice. We affirm.

Background. We summarize the evidence presented at trial,

reserving some details for subsequent discussion.

On October 10, 2016, the defendant, after ingesting "a line

of cocaine" and alcohol, became fearful that unidentified people

were trying to harm him. The defendant sought refuge at a Stop

& Shop grocery store in Marstons Mills. Barnstable Police

Officer David Valiga was dispatched to the store, and on

arrival, he saw the defendant situated behind the deli counter,

where he was arguing with Stop & Shop employees. Valiga, in

full uniform, identified himself as a police officer and asked

the defendant to explain what "was going on." The defendant

told Valiga that somebody was trying to kill him. Valiga

described the defendant as exhibiting paranoia, and he saw that

the defendant's eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were dilated.

When Valiga asked the defendant if he was under the influence of

any drugs, the defendant stated he used cocaine a few hours

prior.

Valiga requested that the defendant exit the store with him

to continue their conversation in order to quell the disruption

to the Stop & Shop, as a crowd of about twenty people had formed

at the deli counter. Although Valiga described the defendant as

appearing "[v]ery paranoid, very erratic," the defendant was not

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confrontational; the defendant agreed to go outside. While they

were exiting the store, however, the defendant suddenly stated,

"[t]hey're trying to kill me again" and expressed concerns that

Valiga was not a police officer. When the defendant suddenly

grabbed Valiga by his jacket, Valiga responded by taking the

defendant to the ground. The defendant then punched Valiga in

the chin and grabbed Valiga's firearm. As they struggled,

Valiga told the defendant that he was under arrest, and

commanded him to stop resisting. Once Valiga and Barnstable

Police Officer Adam Ruggieri subdued and handcuffed the

defendant, he became cooperative.

Discussion. 1. Denial of a request for a continuance. We

review the denial of a request for a continuance for abuse of

discretion. Commonwealth v. Cavanaugh, 371 Mass. 46, 50-51

(1976). "[T]here is no 'mechanical test' for determining

whether the denial of a continuance constitutes an abuse of

discretion because we must examine the unique circumstances of

each case, particularly the reasons underlying the request."

Commonwealth v. Pena, 462 Mass. 183, 190 (2012). A judge should

grant a continuance only when justice so requires, balancing the

requesting party's need for additional time against concerns

about inconvenience, cost, potential prejudice, and the burden

of the delay on both the parties and the judicial system.

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Commonwealth v. Gilchrest, 364 Mass. 272, 276 (1973); Mass.

R. Crim. P. 10 (a) (1), 378 Mass. 861 (1979).

Moreover, Mass. R. Crim. P. 10 (a) (1) provides that after

a case has "entered upon the trial calendar, a continuance shall

be granted only when based upon cause . . . ." There is a

nonexhaustive list of factors "a judge shall consider in

determining whether to grant a continuance in any case." Mass.

R. Crim P. 10 (a) (2), 378 Mass. 861 (1979). These factors

include:

"(A) Whether the failure to grant a continuance in the
proceeding would be likely to make a continuation of the
proceeding impossible, or result in a miscarriage of
justice.

"(B) Whether the case taken as a whole is so unusual or so
complex . . . that it is unreasonable to expect adequate
preparation of the case at the time it is scheduled for
trial.

"(C) Whether the overall caseload of defense counsel
routinely prohibits [their] making scheduled appearances,
whether there has been a failure of diligent preparation by
a party, and whether there has been a failure by a party to
use due diligence to obtain available witnesses."

Id.

On the morning of the trial date, December 20, 2017, the

defendant moved for a continuance to pursue an expert witness to

assist in his defense of intoxication. The trial date in this

case had been continued multiple times, at least once by the

defendant. The judge denied the motion after conducting an

extensive review of the record, which reflected numerous

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continuances and court dates.1 The judge also considered the

lack of progress the defendant had made in securing an expert,

as the defendant had not had any contact with an expert prior to

the trial date.

Moreover, when the judge asked counsel how an expert would

offer an opinion that would assist in determining whether the

defendant was so intoxicated that he lacked knowledge the victim

was a police officer, counsel responded, "I don't think I could

say exactly what the expert would opine other than to say that

. . . [there was] the possibility of cocaine or intoxication

negating the specific intent there." The judge, after

confirming with counsel that evidence of the defendant's

condition would be admitted at trial independent of expert

witness testimony, reasonably concluded counsel's proffer to be

inadequate to support the motion to continue considering the

nature of the speculative expert testimony. See Commonwealth v.

Bryer, 398 Mass. 9, 15 (1986), citing Gilchrest, 364 Mass. at

277 ("no abuse of discretion when a judge refused to continue a

trial to allow expert testimony regarding the effects of Librium

in a situation where the 'expert testimony would not have been

based on a physician's observations of the defendants themselves

1 Before denying the motion to continue, the judge noted
that the docket reflected the case had had four pretrial
hearings, two jury status dates, and at least three motions to
continue.

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when under the influence of Librium'"). By carefully

considering the history of continuances and the nature of the

evidence, as well as the relevance and weight of the purported

expert witness testimony, the judge did not abuse her discretion

in denying the defendant's motion to continue the trial.

Furthermore, we reject the defendant's argument that the

denial of his request for a continuance amounted to structural

error. Though he contends that it infringed on his Federal and

State constitutional rights to call witnesses to testify on his

behalf, "the right to call witnesses is not absolute; in the

face of legitimate demands of the adversarial system, this right

may be tempered according to the discretion of the trial judge"

when considering the "legitimate demands of the adversarial

system" (quotations omitted). Commonwealth v. Durning, 406

Mass. 485, 495 (1990).

2. Ineffective assistance of counsel. The defendant

raises, for the first time on appeal, a claim of ineffective

assistance of counsel. "The preferred method for raising claims

of ineffective assistance of trial counsel is through a motion

for a new trial." Commonwealth v. Davis, 481 Mass. 210, 222

(2019). "Relief on a claim of ineffective assistance based on

the trial record is the weakest form of such a claim because it

is 'bereft of any explanation by trial counsel for [their]

actions and suggestive of strategy contrived by a defendant

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viewing the case with hindsight.'" Commonwealth v. Gorham, 472

Mass. 112, 116 n.4 (2015), quoting Commonwealth v. Peloquin, 437

Mass. 204, 210 n.5 (2002). Relief may be afforded in such

circumstances "when the factual basis of the claim appears

indisputably on the trial record" (quotation omitted). Gorham,

supra. "[W]here the contested issue concerning the attorney's

performance is clear on the extant record, is a narrow exception

to the general principle that claims of ineffective assistance

of counsel, at least in the first instance, should be advanced

in the context of a motion for a new trial" (quotation omitted).

Commonwealth v. Anderson, 58 Mass. App. Ct. 117, 124 n.8 (2003),

cert. denied, 540 U.S. 1009 (2003).

The defendant contends that counsel performed deficiently

by first, failing to retain, develop, and introduce expert

evidence of the defendant's "cocaine induced" psychosis; and

second, by failing to argue that voluntary intoxication

prevented the defendant from forming the intent required for

ABPO and resisting arrest.

The defendant's claim that trial counsel failed to call an

expert witness to testify as to the defendant's purported

"cocaine induced atypical psychosis," a condition raised for the

first time on appeal, cannot be resolved without some evidence,

in addition to counsel's proffered basis for calling an expert

and the evidence adduced at trial, "bearing on the testimony

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that [a witness] would likely have provided." Commonwealth v.

Adamides, 37 Mass. App. Ct. 339, 344 (1994). Thus, we are not

persuaded that the defendant's claim as to counsel's failure to

develop expert witness testimony falls within this narrow

exception such that the factual basis of the claim appears

indisputably on the trial record allowing us to decide it on

direct appeal. See id.

In addition, we do not discern from the record that

counsel's approach to the issue of voluntary intoxication fell

below that of an ordinary, fallible lawyer. See Commonwealth v.

Saferian, 366 Mass. 89, 96 (1974). In reviewing the closing

argument in the context of the evidence adduced at trial, we

conclude that counsel sufficiently implied the defendant's use

of cocaine contributed to his "addled state," which led to him

believing the police officers were imposters. For instance,

counsel elicited testimony from Valiga that "something[] [was]

not right [with the defendant]," as the defendant was showing

symptoms of central nervous system impairment, as well as

testimony from Ruggieri that the defendant's behavior "was

consistent with someone that was taking drugs." Additionally,

counsel elicited testimony from the defendant as to his

hallucinations, consumption of cocaine and alcohol, and lack of

sleep in the hours before the incident. Thus, when viewing the

entire trial record, we conclude counsel adequately pursued an

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impairment defense aimed to negate the knowledge element of both

ABPO and resisting arrest to the extent that his performance did

not fall measurably below that of an ordinary fallible attorney.

See Saferian, supra.

3. Sufficiency of the evidence. We review sufficiency of

the evidence for "whether, after viewing the evidence in the

light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of

fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond

a reasonable doubt." Commonwealth v. Latimore, 378 Mass. 671,

677 (1979), quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-319

(1979).

When proof of knowledge is an element of the crime, a

defendant's intoxication "bears on the defendant's ability to

possess the requisite knowledge of the circumstances in which he

acted" (quotation omitted). Commonwealth v. Andrade, 422 Mass.

236, 245 (1996). The fact finder "may consider evidence of the

defendant's words and conduct before, during, and after the

offense in reaching their conclusion on the defendant's . . .

capacity both to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct and

to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law"

(quotation and citation omitted). Commonwealth v. McGillivary,

102 Mass. App. Ct. 501, 504 (2023).

The defendant contends that he suffered from an "atypical

psychosis" as a result of his cocaine consumption that

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debilitated his mental state, and as a result, he did not

possess the requisite knowledge that Valiga was a police

officer, an element that is necessary to establish both ABPO2 and

resisting arrest.3 The defendant relies on his testimony that he

ingested cocaine approximately five hours prior to arriving to

Stop & Shop. He further maintains that his statements to Valiga

and Ruggieri -- "You're not police. You're not police. Someone

call the police." -- demonstrate that he did not understand that

Valiga and Ruggieri were police officers.

The circumstantial evidence adduced at trial supported the

judge's conclusion that the defendant had the requisite

knowledge that Valiga and Ruggieri were police officers when he

punched Valiga and resisted arrest. The officers were dressed

2 "The crime of assault and battery is defined as the
'intentional and unjustified use of force upon the person of
another, however slight, or the intentional doing of a wanton or
grossly negligent act causing personal injury to another.'"
Commonwealth v. Moore, 36 Mass. App. Ct. 455, 459 (1994),
quoting Commonwealth v. McCan, 277 Mass. 199, 203 (1931). "The
offense of assault and battery on a police officer requires a
specific intent to strike a police officer"; to convict a
defendant of ABPO, the Commonwealth must prove "two additional
elements beyond those required for simple assault and battery
. . . -- the officer must be engaged in the performance of
[their] duties at the time and the defendant must know that the
victim was an officer engaged in the performance of [their]
duties." Moore, supra at 461.

3 The crime of resisting arrest is "a general intent crime
that requires proof that the defendant 'knowingly' prevented or
attempted to prevent a police officer acting under color of
[their] official authority from effecting an arrest . . . ."
Commonwealth v. Mountry, 463 Mass. 80, 91 (2012).

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in their full uniforms and identified themselves as police to

the defendant. The defendant even acknowledged multiple times

during his trial testimony that Valiga and Ruggieri were police

officers when he encountered them. The judge was not required

to credit the defendant's testimony that he suddenly disbelieved

that Valiga was a police officer when Valiga attempted to escort

the defendant from behind the deli counter. See Commonwealth v.

James, 424 Mass. 770, 785 (1997), quoting Commonwealth v. Ruci,

409 Mass. 94, 97 (1991) ("When assessing the sufficiency of the

evidence, we resolve issues of credibility in favor of the

Commonwealth; '[i]t does not matter that some of the evidence

could be characterized as equivocal or contradictory'").

Accordingly, in viewing the evidence in the light most favorable

to the Commonwealth, we conclude that the evidence supported the

guilty findings.

4. Absence of voluntary intoxication instruction. The

defendant opted to proceed with a jury-waived trial. "In a

jury-waived or nonjury case, the judge need not expressly

instruct [themselves]. . . . This is because we presume that

the judge correctly instructed [themselves] on the law of

evidence" (quotation omitted). Commonwealth v. Sepheus, 468

Mass. 160, 170 (2014). In the instant bench trial, the judge

correctly applied the law as to specific intent, and the absence

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of an express instruction did not create a substantial risk of

miscarriage of justice.

Judgments affirmed.

By the Court (Vuono, Rubin &
Smyth, JJ.4),

Clerk

Entered: December 6, 2024.

4 The panelists are listed in order of seniority.

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