Commonwealth v. Dominique M. Oliver

Summary

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed Dominique M. Oliver’s conviction for uttering because the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she knew the check was forged. The court held that the evidence—her lack of relationship to the account holder, the uncertain timing of the check’s theft, a minor misspelling of the signature, and the cashing of a relatively large check—was insufficient to infer the requisite knowledge. The decision applied a de novo review of the sufficiency of the Commonwealth’s evidence.