Commonwealth v. Shepherd

Summary

The court affirmed the defendant’s first-degree felony-murder conviction and the denials of his three motions for a new trial. It held that prospective application of the abolition of felony-murder as an independent theory did not violate equal protection, and it rejected the defendant’s challenges to the jury instructions, the trial judge’s conduct, and counsel’s effectiveness. The court also found no basis for discretionary relief under the governing capital-case review statute.