Importance of Proof and Self Defense in a Criminal Case
One of the fundamental Constitutional Rights of a person is the right to a lawyer when charged with a crime. If you are unable to afford a lawyer, it is the duty of the court to provide you with one.
If you want to save yourself from the ‘headache’ of a criminal case in court, you must hire a lawyer. Do not try to tread in the legal path alone.
Importance of “proof” in a criminal case
Proof holds an important place in criminal cases. The prosecuting party must prove that you have committed the crime “beyond reasonable doubt.”
As per the Maryland criminal law, this is the highest standard in the court of law. Cases of crimes are usually tried in front of jury members. However, if there is sound proof, a single judge can decide upon the case.
6 Kinds of proofs vital to a good defense:
- Physical proof/evidence
- Witness testimony
- Digital proof
- Documentation proof
- Affidavits
- Demonstrative proof
The law gives you a chance to raise a range of defenses. This is particularly helpful in case you are wrongfully charged.
Moreover, you also have the benefit of “presumption of innocence.” This means the court should assume you are innocent until proven guilty or you plead guilty.
Best defense strategy
Having an alibi is one of the best defense strategies in a criminal case, according to criminal lawyers in Largo.
An alibi means that, at the time when the crime happened, you were at some other place, doing something else and were with somebody else.
So, the alibi is that “somebody else” you were with. The alibi can be a single person or a group of people. They must testify in the court about your whereabouts during the occurrence of the crime. It is impossible for a person to be at two places simultaneously, so this defense strategy is powerfully effective.
Self defense
Self-defense is a good defense strategy in cases wherein you are accused of physical assault.
If you are using this type of defense, you must show to the jury or judge how the argument or the episode started in the first place and what type of threats or physical violence the other party showed against you. You must also prove that, in such a condition, self-defense was the only thing that could save you.
The amount of force you used (physically) on the other person should also be shown as reasonable.
Say, you are accused of murdering somebody. Now, in this case, you cannot say in your defense that the other person slapped you hard in the face and that’s why you murdered him or her!
But yes, you can prove that the other person tried to strangle you or kill you and you had to kill them to save yourself.
You must speak to one of the best lawyers specializing in Maryland criminal law to prepare a strong self-defense strategy. This is because, as mentioned earlier, it’s all about proof in a case of crime. The lawyer will also know what type of defense strategy is good for your case. You cannot use self-defense in all types of criminal cases.