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
25-P-643
COMMONWEALTH
vs.
HAMZA H. ABDO.
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 23.0
After a jury trial in the District Court, the defendant was
convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor.1
On appeal the defendant challenges the empanelment of two jurors
who, he contends, showed bias in favor of the police. The
defendant further contends that his trial counsel was
ineffective for failing to request an instruction on lost or
destroyed exculpatory evidence. We affirm.
1The judge also found the defendant responsible for the civil infractions of speeding and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. 1. Juror selection. During jury empanelment, defense
counsel challenged juror no. 12 and juror no. 7 after the judge
questioned each of them about whether they would believe the
testimony of a police officer over that of a civilian.3 The
judge declined to excuse either juror for cause, and both were
empaneled.4 The defendant argues on appeal that this was an
abuse of discretion. We disagree.
After the judge posed questions to the venire, including
whether they would "believe the testimony of a police officer
over the testimony of a civilian witness just because that
person is employed in law enforcement," the judge called juror
no. 1 to sidebar. In response to further questioning, juror
no. 1 stated that he would "believe in a police officer over a
civilian" because police "know . . . the laws and stuff." When
the judge explained that "the question is whether you think you
2 The defendant identifies this juror as juror no. 3, but the Commonwealth represents that the juror actually took the first seat. From our reading of the transcript, it appears that the Commonwealth is correct, so we will refer to the juror as juror no. 1. This discrepancy is not, in any event, material to our analysis.
3 The defendant challenged juror no. 7 for cause but raised only a general objection to juror no. 1. As the Commonwealth treats the objection as a challenge for cause, we will do likewise and assume the challenge was preserved.
4 The defendant later used his peremptory challenges on two other jurors.
2 can follow my instruction on assessing the police officer's
credibility and testimony just like anybody else that
testifies," juror no. 1 answered, "Right." The judge then asked
directly, "Can you follow my instruction in deciding whether to
believe the officer or not?" to which juror no. 1 answered,
"Yeah." At this point the judge had juror no. 1 step back, and
a discussion ensued between the judge and defense counsel.
Although portions of that discussion are designated as
inaudible, it appears that defense counsel raised an objection
based on "some hesitation" in juror no. 1's answers. The judge
overruled the objection, expressly stating that she "didn't find
any hesitation after [her] final question."
With regard to juror no. 7, the judge called her to sidebar
for additional questioning because she had written on her
questionnaire, "I don't trust anyone." In the course of that
questioning, juror no. 7 stated, "I guess I should have raised
my hand when you said about the police officer." When the judge
probed further by asking juror no. 7 whether she would "tend to
believe a police officer," juror no. 7 answered, "Uh-huh." The
judge then asked, "So even with the notion that you're coming in
with a disposition to potentially believe police officers,
nevertheless, can you still follow my instruction and assess a
police officer's credibility on the witness stand just like you
3 would a civilian witness?" Juror no. 7 answered, "Sure," and
said, "I don't," in response to the judge's follow-up question
whether juror no. 7 had concerns about her ability to follow the
instruction. The judge found juror no. 7 to be indifferent and
denied defense counsel's challenge for cause.
In light of these exchanges, we are unpersuaded by the
defendant's argument that the judge abused her discretion by
empaneling the challenged jurors. "A trial judge has broad
discretion in determining the partiality of a prospective
juror." Commonwealth v. Jaime J., 56 Mass. App. Ct. 268, 271-
272 (2002). "When a trial judge -- who is in a much better
position than an appellate court to evaluate a prospective
juror's ability to be impartial -- has examined a juror for
possible bias and declared [that juror] indifferent, appellate
courts defer to the judge's discretion 'unless juror prejudice
is manifest.'" Id. at 272, quoting Commonwealth v. Seabrooks,
433 Mass. 439, 443 (2001). Thus, "[a] determination by the
judge that a jury are impartial will not be overturned on appeal
in the absence of a clear showing of abuse of discretion or that
the finding was clearly erroneous." Commonwealth v. Chambers,
93 Mass. App. Ct. 806, 809 (2018), quoting Commonwealth v.
Andrade, 468 Mass. 543, 548 (2014).
4 We discern no abuse of discretion or clear error here, as
the judge could have fairly interpreted the jurors' statements
as unequivocal expressions of impartiality. The judge
appropriately asked the jurors whether they could "set aside
their own opinions, properly weigh the evidence, and follow the
judge's instructions." Chambers, 93 Mass. App. Ct. at 809. It
was within the judge's discretion to view juror no. 1's answer,
"Yeah," as unequivocal, especially where the judge found that he
responded without any hesitation. Likewise, the judge could
have fairly viewed juror no. 7's answer, "Sure," and her follow-
up statement that she had no concerns with following the
instruction to be unequivocal. The judge did not abuse her
discretion in finding these jurors impartial. See Commonwealth
v. Colton, 477 Mass. 1, 16-17 (2017) (not abuse of discretion to
empanel juror who said "he had a 'hard time with [the] concept
of' the 'defense of a lack of criminal responsibility'" but,
when asked whether he could be fair, responded, "Yes, I think
so"); Jaime J., 56 Mass. App. Ct. at 273-275 (not abuse of
discretion to empanel jurors who, when asked whether they could
be impartial, said, "I probably could do that," "I think I
could," and "I imagine I could, yeah").
2. Ineffective assistance. At trial the arresting officer
testified that the defendant was "mostly argumentative" during
5 the booking process and showed signs of intoxication. The
Commonwealth did not introduce a booking video into evidence.
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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
25-P-643
COMMONWEALTH
vs.
HAMZA H. ABDO.
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 23.0
After a jury trial in the District Court, the defendant was
convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor.1
On appeal the defendant challenges the empanelment of two jurors
who, he contends, showed bias in favor of the police. The
defendant further contends that his trial counsel was
ineffective for failing to request an instruction on lost or
destroyed exculpatory evidence. We affirm.
1The judge also found the defendant responsible for the civil infractions of speeding and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. 1. Juror selection. During jury empanelment, defense
counsel challenged juror no. 12 and juror no. 7 after the judge
questioned each of them about whether they would believe the
testimony of a police officer over that of a civilian.3 The
judge declined to excuse either juror for cause, and both were
empaneled.4 The defendant argues on appeal that this was an
abuse of discretion. We disagree.
After the judge posed questions to the venire, including
whether they would "believe the testimony of a police officer
over the testimony of a civilian witness just because that
person is employed in law enforcement," the judge called juror
no. 1 to sidebar. In response to further questioning, juror
no. 1 stated that he would "believe in a police officer over a
civilian" because police "know . . . the laws and stuff." When
the judge explained that "the question is whether you think you
2 The defendant identifies this juror as juror no. 3, but the Commonwealth represents that the juror actually took the first seat. From our reading of the transcript, it appears that the Commonwealth is correct, so we will refer to the juror as juror no. 1. This discrepancy is not, in any event, material to our analysis.
3 The defendant challenged juror no. 7 for cause but raised only a general objection to juror no. 1. As the Commonwealth treats the objection as a challenge for cause, we will do likewise and assume the challenge was preserved.
4 The defendant later used his peremptory challenges on two other jurors.
2 can follow my instruction on assessing the police officer's
credibility and testimony just like anybody else that
testifies," juror no. 1 answered, "Right." The judge then asked
directly, "Can you follow my instruction in deciding whether to
believe the officer or not?" to which juror no. 1 answered,
"Yeah." At this point the judge had juror no. 1 step back, and
a discussion ensued between the judge and defense counsel.
Although portions of that discussion are designated as
inaudible, it appears that defense counsel raised an objection
based on "some hesitation" in juror no. 1's answers. The judge
overruled the objection, expressly stating that she "didn't find
any hesitation after [her] final question."
With regard to juror no. 7, the judge called her to sidebar
for additional questioning because she had written on her
questionnaire, "I don't trust anyone." In the course of that
questioning, juror no. 7 stated, "I guess I should have raised
my hand when you said about the police officer." When the judge
probed further by asking juror no. 7 whether she would "tend to
believe a police officer," juror no. 7 answered, "Uh-huh." The
judge then asked, "So even with the notion that you're coming in
with a disposition to potentially believe police officers,
nevertheless, can you still follow my instruction and assess a
police officer's credibility on the witness stand just like you
3 would a civilian witness?" Juror no. 7 answered, "Sure," and
said, "I don't," in response to the judge's follow-up question
whether juror no. 7 had concerns about her ability to follow the
instruction. The judge found juror no. 7 to be indifferent and
denied defense counsel's challenge for cause.
In light of these exchanges, we are unpersuaded by the
defendant's argument that the judge abused her discretion by
empaneling the challenged jurors. "A trial judge has broad
discretion in determining the partiality of a prospective
juror." Commonwealth v. Jaime J., 56 Mass. App. Ct. 268, 271-
272 (2002). "When a trial judge -- who is in a much better
position than an appellate court to evaluate a prospective
juror's ability to be impartial -- has examined a juror for
possible bias and declared [that juror] indifferent, appellate
courts defer to the judge's discretion 'unless juror prejudice
is manifest.'" Id. at 272, quoting Commonwealth v. Seabrooks,
433 Mass. 439, 443 (2001). Thus, "[a] determination by the
judge that a jury are impartial will not be overturned on appeal
in the absence of a clear showing of abuse of discretion or that
the finding was clearly erroneous." Commonwealth v. Chambers,
93 Mass. App. Ct. 806, 809 (2018), quoting Commonwealth v.
Andrade, 468 Mass. 543, 548 (2014).
4 We discern no abuse of discretion or clear error here, as
the judge could have fairly interpreted the jurors' statements
as unequivocal expressions of impartiality. The judge
appropriately asked the jurors whether they could "set aside
their own opinions, properly weigh the evidence, and follow the
judge's instructions." Chambers, 93 Mass. App. Ct. at 809. It
was within the judge's discretion to view juror no. 1's answer,
"Yeah," as unequivocal, especially where the judge found that he
responded without any hesitation. Likewise, the judge could
have fairly viewed juror no. 7's answer, "Sure," and her follow-
up statement that she had no concerns with following the
instruction to be unequivocal. The judge did not abuse her
discretion in finding these jurors impartial. See Commonwealth
v. Colton, 477 Mass. 1, 16-17 (2017) (not abuse of discretion to
empanel juror who said "he had a 'hard time with [the] concept
of' the 'defense of a lack of criminal responsibility'" but,
when asked whether he could be fair, responded, "Yes, I think
so"); Jaime J., 56 Mass. App. Ct. at 273-275 (not abuse of
discretion to empanel jurors who, when asked whether they could
be impartial, said, "I probably could do that," "I think I
could," and "I imagine I could, yeah").
2. Ineffective assistance. At trial the arresting officer
testified that the defendant was "mostly argumentative" during
5 the booking process and showed signs of intoxication. The
Commonwealth did not introduce a booking video into evidence.
The defendant argues that, as a result, he was entitled to an
instruction on lost or destroyed exculpatory evidence and that
his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to ask for such an
instruction. The defendant's argument finds no support on this
record.
"[O]ur courts strongly disfavor raising claims of
ineffective assistance on direct appeal." Commonwealth v.
Zinser, 446 Mass. 807, 811 (2006). Although a "narrow"
exception exists "when the factual basis of the claim appears
indisputably on the trial record," id., quoting Commonwealth v.
Adamides, 37 Mass. App. Ct. 339, 344 (1994), that is not the
case here. To prevail on his claim, the defendant would need to
show that he "would have been entitled to a jury instruction" on
lost or destroyed exculpatory evidence had counsel requested
one. Commonwealth v. Acevedo, 446 Mass. 435, 442 (2006). To
meet that burden, the defendant would need to show in turn that
there is "'a reasonable possibility, based on concrete
evidence,' that the evidence was exculpatory." Commonwealth v.
Seino, 479 Mass. 463, 477 (2018), quoting Commonwealth v.
Williams, 455 Mass. 706, 718 (2010).
6 The factual basis of the defendant's claim does not appear
indisputably on this record. Most fundamentally, the record
does not demonstrate that a booking video even exists. Although
the arresting officer acknowledged on cross-examination that
"[t]here are cameras" in the booking area, he testified that
"[i]t's not audio recorded" and that he was not positive whether
it was video recorded. Later, when the judge asked the
prosecutor whether there was "any video in this case," the
prosecutor replied, "Not to the best of my knowledge" and "We
always request video from the departments." And defense counsel
himself acknowledged that "it's unclear as to whether or not
specifically in this case there was video."
Moreover, even assuming a booking video exists, the record
does not demonstrate that it is exculpatory. Without any
evidence of what the video would show, the defendant's assertion
7 that it would impeach the arresting officer's testimony is
speculative. The defendant has therefore failed to establish
ineffective assistance of counsel on this record. See Zinser,
446 Mass. at 810-811.
Judgment affirmed.
By the Court (Henry, Shin & Toone, JJ.5),
Clerk
Entered: May 14, 2026.
5 The panelists are listed in order of seniority.