Unreliability of Witnesses

Criminal Attorney Fairfax VA

When someone is charged with a criminal offense, very often there is at least one witness whose testimony the prosecution will include in the case against the defendant. If you were charged with a crime and there is one or more witnesses who are prepared to testify against you, you may be very concerned. However, as our criminal attorney in Fairfax VA from Dave Albo – Attorney can tell you, witness testimony is rarely conclusive. If you were charged with a crime, it’s critical that you contact a criminal attorney in Fairfax VA immediately if you have not already done so. If someone you care about is currently behind bars and has not yet hired a criminal attorney in Fairfax VA, call us immediately. We offer potential clients a free first-time consultation so that we can learn about your case and determine how we might protect your rights.

The Nature of Witnesses

Witnesses are people after all, and people are human which is to say that they make mistakes. Also, rare is the human who is truly objective. Most people interject their own experiences and interpretations into events, even those which they witness with their own eyes. For example, if a robber comes into a store and there are a dozen people inside, more than likely there will be twelve unique interpretations from those people about how the robbery occurred, and exactly what the robber looked like. An experienced criminal attorney in Fairfax VA is well aware of this phenomena. Many attorneys might tell you that the weakest part of a case against a defendant is often the witness who claims to have seen the client commit the crime. This is because witnesses are notoriously unreliable.

Cross-Examination of Witnesses

During the trial, if the prosecution calls a witness to the stand to testify against you, your criminal attorney in Fairfax VA will have the opportunity afterwards to question that witness. In doing so, a skilled criminal attorney will have the ability to cast doubt on that witness’s testimony. It’s not to say that compelling and accurate witnesses do not exist; it’s just that they are rarer than most people probably realize. Your criminal attorney in Fairfax VA might ask them questions that concern their veracity, such as:

• Their honesty and integrity because if these are in question, it might also be true of their testimony. This is tricky because your criminal attorney in Fairfax VA cannot verbally attack the witness, and questions asked of them must be relevant to your case but a good attorney can often identify ways to do this.
• The day in question, and the crime for which you are charged. Was the witness in fact where they claim they were, and if so, were they in a position to actually see what happened? For example, were they in a location that is partially blocked from where you were allegedly located? Was it too dark for them to make an accurate identification of you?
• Is their story or version of events consistent in their telling of the details? Do they contradict themselves, or cast doubt on the information they are providing? A good criminal attorney in Fairfax VA, such as one from Dave Albo – Attorney will have performed due diligence in researching every possible conflicting bit of information from the witness.

Protect Your Rights

If you were charged with a crime, you have the right to hire an experienced and reasonably priced lawyer. Call us at Dave Albo – Attorney without delay to request a free and confidential consultation with a criminal attorney Fairfax VA residents choose to protect their rights.