Massachusetts Appeals Court Upholds Hatchet-Chase Conviction in Natick on October 27; Self-Defense Claim Rejected
Natick, Middlesex County, Massachusetts — A hatchet chase inside a Natick store reached an appellate result on October 27: the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld Sean N. Pelfrey's conviction for assault by means of a dangerous weapon and rejected his argument that the evidence was insufficient. The incident occurred on the morning of May 23, 2024, at a Burlington Coat Factory store in Natick. The jury found that after a man refused Pelfrey's request for money, Pelfrey chased him with a hatchet into an employee-only back area; when an employee stepped in front of him with arms outstretched, he said he "needed to do what he has to do," and the store manager evacuated staff and called police, who later recovered a hatchet and a machete from his backpack. Pelfrey testified that the tools were for work and that he acted in self-defense after the man first threatened him with a broomstick and a gun. The Appeals Court held the evidence sufficient under both theories of assault — attempted battery and immediately threatened battery — citing the chase, the statement, and the victim's flight into a restricted area and shaken demeanor afterward. The unpublished summary decision is, by rule, persuasive only and not binding precedent.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：马萨诸塞州纳蒂克市（资料图）。Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) 摄，Public domain，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Natick, Massachusetts (file photo). By Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
