It Doesn’t Matter Where You Were At The Time Of The Crime If You Hired The Hit Man
Everyone who has ever passed the time during a multi-day snow emergency by reading detective novels or playing murder mystery parlor games has a basic understanding of the alibi defense. When you provide an alibi, you are claiming that you cannot be guilty of the charges because you were somewhere else when the crime occurred. The alibi defense depends on you and other witnesses persuading the jury that your recollection of events is sufficiently detailed and accurate, but despite that modern technology has made way for much more sophisticated defenses, some defendants still use the alibi defense to cast doubt on the prosecution’s accusations against them. If you were not in the place where prosecutors say you were at the time of the crime, contact a Pittsburgh violent crimes lawyer.
There’s a Time and a Place for the Alibi Defense
If you plan to use the alibi defense in a Pennsylvania criminal trial, you must file a notice of alibi with the court; it must state where you say that you were at the time of the crime. This way, the prosecution can gather evidence to show that you were not where you say you were. They must disclose this evidence to you, so that you have time to find ways to argue against it. For example, if you are being accused of selling drugs at PNC Park, you would state in your notice of alibi that you were at the King of Prussia Mall at the time of the crime. The prosecution must tell you the evidence they have that you were not at the King of Prussia Mall, so you can explain to the jury that this evidence does not prove that you were not at the King of Prussia Mall.
Of course, even the most airtight alibi will not cast doubt on your guilt if you are being accused of conspiracy. It doesn’t matter where you were when things got ugly if you were the one who hired the hit man to commit the violent crime or told the buyer and the seller where to meet to exchange the drugs.
In the News
On October 29, Zachery Sellers threw a Molotov cocktail at a house in Napier Township where at least three generations of a family were staying. The intended target was a daughter of the homeowner. It turns out that her estranged wife, Heather Dibert, had hired Sellers to set fire to the woman’s father’s house, where she had been staying since her separation from Dibert. The family was able to extinguish the flames, and no one was injured. Now Sellers and Dibert are both facing criminal charges. Dibert, 43, claims that she was in West Virginia at the time of the attack, but even if that is true, it will not help her as a defense against conspiracy to commit arson and conspiracy to commit homicide.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing charges for conspiracy, where an alibi defense is not applicable. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Sources:
lawandcrime.com/crime/woman-hired-hit-man-to-burn-down-house-where-her-estranged-wife-was-staying-planned-trip-to-strip-club-as-alibi-police/
law.cornell.edu/regulations/pennsylvania/title-234/chapter-567
