Most crimes under district court’s jurisdiction are subject to a six-year statute of limitation. This means that prosecutors must file their complaint for criminal charges against the defendant within six years of the alleged crime.
There are, however, two major exceptions to this general rule. First, it does not apply to sex-crime charges brought in district court. Second, anytime the defendant resides outside of Massachusetts will be excluded from the six period.
The full text of the Massachusetts statute of limitations for criminal prosecution is found in M.G.L. c. 277, Section 63.
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