![]() These shows portray how police forensic scientists go to great lengths using advanced technology to obtain all forensic material that is presented to the jury and used to convict the criminal. But on the other hand, shows like CSI have created the notion that only forensic evidence can be used to convict a prisoner. The director of the Law and Order series views his show as an achievement as it educates people on how the justice system works and why sometimes evidence is not presented to the jurors (Cole 14). It is true that these TV shows are educational in that a juror knows what is expected from the prosecutor. In this article that jurors derive their legal expertise from TV shows which in essence can be very counterproductive to any particular case. Where the freedom of a person or their life is on the line, it is necessary to be absolutely sure that the person did indeed commit the said crime. The reason why this standard has been in use for a very long time in our legal system is that at times criminal proceedings may deny a person of his rights and may also lead to his death. This legal standard is the highest standard of proof that prosecutors must meet in all criminal trials. Members of the jury simply could not find that Simpson was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.The term guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is used to apply to the requirement that the prosecutor has to prove that the defendant is guilty without any reasonable doubt before the defendant can be announced guilty (Hails 4). Although a huge amount of evidence, much of it accompanied by complex explanations, was presented to the sequestered jury, that one act of trying on the glove was perhaps the greatest influence in derailing the entire case. Simpson not guilty on both counts of murder. This gave rise to attorney Johnny Cochran’s now-famous declaration, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”Īfter deliberating less than four days, the jury found O.J. Simpson, standing in front of the jury box, tried on the bloody leather glove that had been presented as a key piece of evidence by the prosecution, showing his hand could not fit into the glove. When Simpson’s rock star team of attorneys took over to present his defense, their only goal was to create even a small doubt in the minds of the jurors that Simpson had killed his ex-wife and Goldman. ![]() The prosecution presented both lay and expert witnesses, as well as a mountain of evidence over the course of six months in an attempt to prove to the jury that Simpson committed the murders. Simpson was accused of the brutal murder of his ex-wife, Nichole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. In a 1995 trial that lasted nine months, former football player O.J. The reason the burden of proof in a criminal trial is so strict is that, while a civil trial may result in the defendant being ordered to make monetary payment, a criminal conviction may result in the defendant being deprived of his freedom, or even in his death.
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