Commonwealth v. A.S.

A.S. was charged with Aggravated Assault and Possession of an Instrument of Crime after his own mother reported to police that he attacked her with a machete after becoming intoxicated. At trial, the defense attacked her ridiculous story that he swung the machete full force at her neck but only escaped injury when her hoop earing caught the deadly weapon. She further claimed that he chased her around the house but that she was able to dodge injury by blocking his attempts with a chair. She testified that she loved her son and would never lie about the incident. Medical records and photos were introduced indicating bruising, not gashes. The defense unveiled her web of lies by establishing that the mother was committing fraud by renting out properties she owned and living in public housing at the same time. In fact, her motive for fabricating the incident was because A.S. threatened to reveal her illegal activities. The defense also called the police officers who responded to the scene on the night of the incident to contradict the victim’s claims that she was injured and that she had told a different story to those officers than what she said in court. A.S. was found not guilty.