Are Witnesses Evidence?
If you've been charged with a crime, you may think you can get off because the police only have witnesses instead of evidence. While many different types of evidence can help prove a case, the police can make their case even if they only have witnesses. Here's why.
Witnesses Are Evidence
The first thing to understand is that witnesses are evidence. Evidence simply means something that can help show what happened. So while you might think of fingerprints and murder weapons when you think of evidence, the evidence doesn't have to be something the police can store in the evidence locker at their station. It can be a witness or any other type of information that might convince a jury of who committed the crime.
There Is No Minimum Number of Witnesses
Most crimes don't have a minimum number of witnesses. There are sometimes exceptions like for capital murder or conspiracy, but one witness is enough. The only rule most of the time is that a witness has to be able to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. If one person who knows you well and gives a good description of the crime comes forward, that might be enough. Of course, you'd be able to work with your criminal defense attorney to try to challenge the witness's credibility and memory. You can also argue to the jury that what they said wasn't enough to prove the case against you.
Evidence Doesn't Work As it Does on TV
If you watch crime TV shows, you might expect the police to be able to find crystal clear video, fingerprints, and other physical evidence of every single time. That can give you unrealistic expectations when you go to meet with your criminal defense attorney. Most cases aren't as clear as you see on TV, but the prosecutor still manages to convince the jury to find the defendant guilty.
The reason you hire a criminal defense attorney is for their experience with what happens in trials and how juries in your area react to different evidence. Your attorney can help you evaluate your chances at trial whether your case is only based on witness statements or physical evidence. Then, you can decide whether to take your case to trial or if a plea deal is your best option.
To learn more about how to defend the case against you, contact a criminal defense attorney.
