Although the prosecution might have physical evidence against you in your white-collar crime case, much of their argument is going to rest on witness testimony. If you don’t know how to properly handle the prosecution’s witnesses, then you could be setting yourself up for conviction.
Therefore, you need to have a strong strategy for questioning these witnesses, which may include attacking their credibility.
Why witness credibility matters
The jury in your case is going to decide which witnesses are the most trustworthy and whose testimony is the most powerful. As a result, if you can minimize a witness’s credibility, then you can minimize the weight that’s given to their testimony.
This can make a huge difference in your case.
How can you attack witness credibility?
You have several options here. These include:
- Raising the witness’s relevant criminal history, especially if that criminal past speaks directly to the witness’s character for truthfulness.
- Highlighting inconsistent statements made by the witness, which may occur during a deposition, police questioning, or trial testimony.
- Showing that the witness has a motivation for testifying against you.
- Illustrating how the witnesses is otherwise biased against you.
There may be other strategies that you can utilize in your case. Just make sure that you’re putting in the time and work necessary to adequately assess the prosecution’s witnesses and how you can attack them in a way that protects your case.
Developing the strongest criminal defense possible under the circumstances
A mishandled criminal defense can leave you facing significant penalties. If you want to maximize your chances of avoiding that outcome, then you need to diligently work to build your criminal defense.
Now is the time to act to do so, so don’t hesitate to take the steps that you think are necessary to protect your interests and your future.