As an observer, it has been noted multiple times that prosecutors seek to solve a case by any means necessary. But countless times it has been found that you also will use unreliable or faulty resources without having the proper evidence and right resources in order to make a closing statement. Your desperation to solve a case in a quick and timely matter is just proof that you will take anyone’s word before checking the validity and reliability of the first time informants often times taking note of his desperation and use this in order to seek entry way into a resolution. I stand before you today and acknowledge the weight you have on your shoulders to convict and solve a case. But it is the lengths individuals you all go in order to get …show more content…
We feel as though by putting a name to a crime we then have the knowledge and therefore closure. But tell me this, what good is this when you know within your mind that your resources and tactics to solve the case were driven by despair. Another case in particular is the framing of Larry Peterson. In 1989 there was a murder and sexual assault of a New Jersey woman. It was said by multiple people that Larry Peterson had fresh fingernail scratch marks on his arms and by assumption, was definitely the culprit behind the murder. Peterson reported to the police department without hesitation and denied all accusations against him. Three of Peterson’s co-workers came forward and said that on the time in which the victim 's body was found dead, they were with Peterson. But after multiple interrogations, threats of prosecution and questionable police tactics” (Innocenceproject.org) his co-workers changed their stories and said that he confessed to the murder after a ride home from work. I’m sure you can guess how this went for Mr. Peterson, he later stood trial and was sentenced to life in prison. When DNA testing came into play Peterson, lucky, was offered a re-try to prove his
Following a jury trial in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Larry Offutt (“Offutt”), appellant, was convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, and related charges. On appeal, Austin presents three questions for our review, which we have rephrased as follows: 1. Whether the trial court erred by limiting cross-examination of a state’s witness regarding her involvement in an unrelated offense. 2. Whether the trial court erred in overruling an objection to the prosecutor’s statements on the grounds that the statements impermissibly shift the burden of proof to the defense.
The Scott and Laci Peterson case is about his wife getting murdered (Laci) with their eight month old year baby. In December 24, 2002 Laci Peterson was called in missing from her home in Modesto, California. Her husband called in to report it; he says when he returned home she was nowhere to be found after his fishing trip. Although, he told Laci’s half of the family that he went golfing at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo where his wife attended college there. Her body was found in the San Francisco Bay about four months later.
Larry Nassar On January 24, 2018 Larry Nassar was sentenced 40 to 175 years in a state prison. He pled guilty to the sexual assault of minors, and has been convicted as a child molester. Nassar was the USA Gymnastics national team doctor and a physician at Michigan State University.
Larry Nassar was accused of sexually abusing over a hundred women during the time he was a physician with USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University (Dator 1). On January 24, 2018, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. He plead guilty to 7 counts of sexual assault and also for possessing thousands of images of child pornography (Winowiecki et al. 1). Many girls have come forward over the years and told different people, but it was never taken seriously. Michigan State University and USAG association failed to protect the girls by not reporting the many claims of sexual abuse against Larry Nassar.
In September of 1961, a woman from District of Columbia had an intruder break into her apartment. While the invader of the home was there, they had taken her wallet, and also raped the woman. During the investigation of the crime, the police had found some latent fingerprints in the apartment. The police then established and processed the prints. The prints were then connected back to 16 year old Morris A. Kent.
Scott Peterson was convicted of the murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner Peterson. He has been on death row for over a decade as he tries to get his conviction appealed. Peterson and his family maintain his innocence, even participating in a docu-series titled, The Murder of Laci Peterson. This has caused quite a stir among viewers who now say they have doubts about his guilt. Could Scott Peterson been wrongfully imprisoned for so long because of circumstances he had no control over?
The United States Supreme Court has made many controversial rulings throughout the many years since it was established. These cases have been decided by a very close vote. Each one shaping the structure and jurisdictions of the government. Some strengthened the powers of government and some gave more rights to the individual. They will forever effect and influence the future of America.
The duty of any criminal prosecutor is to seek justice. A conviction is the end of justice being served prior to sentencing; however justice cannot be served if an innocent person is found guilty. Even though the prosecutor(s) are there to represent the public and has the duty to aggressively pursue offenders for violations of state and federal laws, they shall never lose sight or their own moral compass of their main purpose is to find the truth. In the pursuit of truth, the United States Supreme Court has developed or made rulings in reference to several principles of conduct which have to be followed by all prosecutors to assure that the accused person(s) are allowed the proper procedures and due process of the law granted by the 14th Amendment.
Scott Peterson’s lover came forward in January of 2003 and confessed he had told her that he was single and a widower (Library, CNN. 2014). This made the case even more interesting and gave the husband a motive. To add further interesting facts, Scott Peterson was found to have purchased a 250,000-dollar life insurance policy on his wife in the summer of 2002 (Janell Wang, Law research 2002). The sources, in this case, were the Petersons neighbor Rusty Dornin, Amber Frey which was the woman
She urges jurors to remain skeptical of eyewitness identifications of defendants, and demonstrates how mistakes have been made. This book is built around descriptions of cases in which Loftus has been involved as an expert witness for the defense. The book begins with a brief description
First, the victim was taken to a hospital for a rape examination and her clothing and bedspread were collected as evidence. The laboratory found sperm evidence in the rape kit, on the victim’s jumpsuit, and on a blanket, which matched Good’s blood type and one-third of the caucasian male population (Haynes: Circuit judge). This shows that there was evidence but not enough evidence to say it was Donald Good. Next, Good was convicted on the spot. Good spent more than seven years in jail for rape and murder has been exonerated because of a tainted testimony from a former State Police chemist.
“DNA testing in 2001 had been rejected, the Tulsa department claimed evidence had been destroyed” (Innocence Project). The Tulsa Department said his evidence was destroyed, but when the Innocence Project retested them in 2007 and proved Sedrick Courtney’s innocence
Furthermore, there can be several factors at play when a wrongful conviction occurs and each case is unique. Three of the more common and detrimental factors that will be explored in this essay are eyewitness error, the use of jailhouse informants and professional and institutional misconduct. Firstly, eyewitness testimony can be a major contributor to a conviction and is an important factor in wrongful conviction (Campbell & Denov, 2016, p. 227). Witness recall and, frankly, the human emory are not as reliable as previously thought. In fact there has been much research showing the problems with eyewitness testimony such as suggestive police interviewing, unconscious transference, and malleability of confidence (Campbell & Denov, 2016, p.227).
A comparison between the Due process model and crime control model Within the criminal justice system, there are two competing models: the crime control model and the due process model. These two models were constructed by Robert Packer and each represents a particular school of thought. In managing crime, there is the individual i.e. the suspect and there is the society. The due process model is seen to focus on the suspect whereas the crime control model focuses on the society. This paper analyzes these two models and based on the rate of crime in the society, makes recommendations as to which is the best model in criminal justice.
Although, this tactic does not always work, it can cause some problems. Officers are supposed to use the tactic when there is a suspected criminal, but if it turns out there is no criminal it can cause many problems. Officers do not need to persuade the innocent because then the cops are just creating crime witch is the opposite of what they are supposed to do. The main point of this article is that it wants to make the structure and the frame work of the entrapment system clearer and more precise. The article identifies ways to make entrapment more stable and clearer.