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You are "This Close" to Life in Prison

By Mike

How much evidence do you think a jury would need to hear before convicting you of murder?  This, literally is all it takes: Sergeant Eddy took notes of this interview [with the defendant] and told [the defendant] that he would 'pass on everything he told me to the prosecutor's office,' but he did not tape [the defendant's] statement, use a stenographer, or get a formal sworn statement from [the defendant]. Yes, that's it.  All a jury needs is to hear a detective claim that you admitted doing something illegal.  If you think I'm exaggerating, read pages 1-3 of this case.  That was literally the only evidence against the defendant.  People v. Moore, at *3.  ("Because neither [the victim] nor any other witnesses could identify [the defendant] in a lineup, [the defendant's] statements to Sergeant Eddy were the only evidence linking him to the murder...continue to full post

Full post as published by Crime & Federalism on January 11, 2008 (boomark / email).