If you have been charged with a crime, you need to figure out a way to defend yourself from whatever attacks the prosecutor might throw at you in order to prove that you are guilty. One way to help increase your success is to come up with a solid defense strategy with your criminal law attorney. Here are some tips for developing that strategy.
1. Work Together to Solidify the Details of Your Testimony
In many cases, it's in your best interest to tell the truth as the defendant. You are going to end up telling your side of the story many times and, even if you tell the absolute truth each time, each time you tell it, something might change. This can be a problem because it can cast doubt on your side of the story and make it difficult for others, such as a judge or a jury, to trust that you are telling the truth.
Tell the story of what happened many times to your criminal defense attorney. Have him or her write down what you say each time. Then, compare the versions of your account to see what details are changing slightly. Then, choose a version of the story that is easy to remember with regards to the details. This will often be the shortest, least complicated story. Practice this story several times to be sure that you are getting the smallest details perfectly correct.
2. Rely on Moral Responsibility
A solid defense to appeal to the jury's sense of moral responsibility on the part of the defendant. If you were charged with robbery of a store and you are able to show that you desperately needed the money to buy diapers and baby formula for your newborn, you might be able to convince the jury or the judge that you had a moral responsibility to commit a smaller crime because you believed that it was the lesser of the two evils. If you got involved in a fight, you might be able to show that you had the moral responsibility to step in and defend someone who would have assuredly been hurt or killed. Showing that you had a moral responsibility to do what you did will help your case.
3. Check the Eyewitnesses
Finally, your last course of action to help strengthen your defense is to question the validity of the eyewitnesses. If one of the eyewitnesses testifies that you muttered that you wanted to kill a person that you fought at a bar under your breath, you could in turn bring up the fact that it's rather unlikely that anyone was able to hear you speaking softly in a crowded bar.
For more information, talk to a company that specializes in criminal defense, like those at Larson, Latham, Huettl Attorneys.
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