Advertisement

No 2nd Trial For Mass. Man Who Shot Wife 18 Times

A Massachusetts man who shot his wife 18 times in a jealous rage because he thought she was having an affair will not get a new trial, the state's highest court ruled Monday.

The Supreme Judicial Court refused to grant John Tassinari a second trial or to reduce his first-degree murder conviction in the 2008 killing of his wife, Barbara Tassinari.

Prosecutors said Tassinari used two handguns to kill his 29-year-old wife in the driveway of their home in Abington. When police arrived at the scene, they found the victim's brother holding the suspect.

Tassinari's lawyer called the slaying a crime of passion, saying he flew into a rage when his wife told him she was having an affair. The defense argued for a manslaughter conviction.

In his appeal, Tassinari argued that the judge at his trial should have excluded testimony from his wife's best friend and her sister-in-law, who testified about ongoing hostility in the couple's marriage and how Barbara Tassinari had asked for a divorce.

John Tassinari also objected to the judge's decision to allow three autopsy photographs of the victim, saying they were unduly prejudicial.

He also objected to jury instructions and portions of the prosecutor's argument.

The high court said it found no errors and rejected Tassinari's arguments.

This article was originally published on September 09, 2013.

This program aired on September 9, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close