If you’re facing drug charges, your future is on the line. That’s why you need to leave no stone unturned as you develop your criminal defense. This includes addressing crucial matters like jury selection and witness credibility.
Why witness credibility matters
The power of witness testimony can make or break your case. That’s why you need to help the jury see whether a witness should be trusted. You can do this by protecting your witnesses and, perhaps more importantly, attacking the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses. How do you do that? You might be able to use each of the following strategies in your case:
- Pointing out inconsistent statements, especially if the witness was deposed and then changes his or her story at trial
- Highlighting the witness’s criminal history, especially if that criminal history includes offenses related to untruthfulness, such as fraud and forgery
- Demonstrating that the witness is motivated to testify against you for some reason, such as having a bad relationship with you prior to trial or being given a plea deal for a similar or even unrelated offense
- Showing that the witness is biased against you, such as when a police officer has a history of racially discriminating behavior
There may be other ways that you can attack the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses. You just have to research the witnesses who are going to be used against you and know how to properly address their weaknesses.
Developing your criminal defense strategy
There’s a lot of work that goes into developing a strong criminal defense. Therefore, you might find it helpful to work with a criminal defense attorney who knows how to navigate the law and craft aggressive legal arguments in your defense.