Defense Strategies in Henrico County Criminal Cases
A lawyer’s role in a case is in a Henrico criminal case is to investigate the facts of the case, interview the witnesses involved in the case, review the relevant law and case-law that may benefit their client, and provide a solid analysis of the case so that a client has options in how to proceed. In handling any case a Henrico County criminal defense attorney will want to provide their client with some options on how to resolve the matter. We can always plead not guilty and fight, but sometimes that may not be the best course of action and that is where providing options, whether it be a plea agreement or alternative sentencing program, is beneficial.
If you have been charged with a criminal offense call today and schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. The following is more information on how to build the strongest possible defense in a criminal case.
How Do You Build Strong Defense Strategies As A Henrico Criminal Lawyer?
In order to build a strong case we first need all the facts from our clients. This requires a solid relationship of trust because if a client does not disclose all they know about a case it can be extremely detrimental to our defense. We want to learn as much as we can about the client, about their actions that led to the charge, as well as learn about their background. Are there substance abuse issues or mental issues we need to be aware of? Next we want to learn about any witnesses and what information they have that could be beneficial to our case.
We then file for discovery to learn what evidence the prosecution has and plans on using to prove their case. We want to know what witnesses they are going to call, what statements they are going to use, and more important what evidence they are going to provide to the court. Do they have video cameras, video tapes, photos? Do they have forensic evidence, things of that nature?
What Are Some Common Defense Strategies In Henrico Criminal Cases?
One of the first strategies is to challenge the stop, search or seizure of our client. We attempt to show there was a 4th amendment constitutional violation when the search or stop was conducted. What was the probable cause for the stop of an individual? What was the probable cause for the search? What was the probable cause for the detention of an individual?
If we can show that there is a question as to the probable cause we can often get the case dismissed or get the charge reduced. What we also want to see is you know are there issues with the evidence that they are presenting? Are there any issues with the scientific studies they have used, their handling of the evidence, how it was transported and the chain of custody. What we also want to do is take a look at the witness statements. Again are these witnesses going to contradict themselves? Can we attack their truthfulness? Can we impeach them based on prior statements or inaccurate statements?