I'm more on the side of the law in Mass I think. Just because he didn't testify at trial doesn't mean he couldn't/wouldn't have testified at his appeal. Joe makes a good point that the suicide angle makes it tough, but I still think the law is fine. Like others have said, if this ends in his family getting a payday, with the monster being 6 feet under now, I think that is a pretty decent ending for everyone. It sucks for Lloyd's family that the conviction is gone, but I think they know that the guy who did it got his justice.