Criminal Lawyer Los Angeles – Insufficient Evidence
When there isn’t enough evidence to prove a crime
It is important to note that insufficient evidence is not a standalone defense, but rather a part of the larger burden of proof analysis in a criminal case. Insufficient evidence is essentially a negative defense, meaning that the defense attorney relies on the fact that the prosecution doesn’t have enough evidence to prove that the alleged crime was committed.
The burden of proof in a criminal case lies with the prosecution, and they must prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the prosecution fails to present sufficient evidence to prove the defendant’s guilt, the defendant may be acquitted.
However, if there is some evidence presented that tends to show the defendant committed the crime, even if it is not conclusive, the case may still go to trial. In such cases, the defense may argue that the evidence presented by the prosecution is not sufficient to meet the high burden of proof required for a conviction.
The defense may also argue that the evidence against the defendant was obtained illegally, or that the witnesses or evidence are unreliable. If the defense can cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, the defendant may be acquitted.
When in a preliminary hearing, the Judge finds there is insufficient evidence to hold the defendant to answer
The prosecution in a criminal case has the burden of proving that there is sufficient evidence that a crime was committed and that the defendant committed it. In California felony matters, the judge will conduct a preliminary hearing in which he has to determine if there is probable cause to hold the defendant to answer as to the alleged charges. Otherwise, he must dismiss the case and order the defendant released.
Sometimes, when prosecutors don’t have enough evidence to move forward with a criminal case, they may use their discretion and not file criminal charges, or they may suspend the matter until further evidence is found.
If criminal proceedings have already commenced and a crucial piece of evidence is missing or a key witness can no longer be located or becomes unavailable to testify, the prosecution could move to dismiss the case because they are not able to proceed with prosecution.
When there is insufficient proof of identification of the suspect
If identification of the defendant as the perpetrator of the crime is an issue, then the prosecution must present sufficient evidence by the way of video clips or live witness testimony or other evidence that the defendant was in fact the one who committed the alleged crime.
An aggressive criminal lawyer who has successfully challenged a live line-up or an invalid search by law enforcement could force the prosecution to drop the case. This is likely when the prosecution knows that the remaining evidence is insufficient to prove defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
How can a Criminal Defense Attorney help when the evidence is weak to prove a crime?
Pointing out the lack of sufficient evidence is one of the most powerful tools in a criminal defense lawyer’s arsenal in Los Angeles courts. By challenging a key evidence against a client, an experienced criminal lawyer makes it difficult or impossible for the prosecution to prove defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. When a witness is not available to testify or if certain documents or videos cannot be located to prove defendant did the crime, an aggressive criminal attorney must be quick in pushing for dismissal.
If there is sufficient evidence against the defendant, and the file has already made it to the filing prosecutor’s desk, it is rare that charges are not filed. However, sometimes a caring and experienced criminal attorney may be able to reach out to the district attorney or city attorney’s office and convince them not to file charges. Here, the defense attorney is not focusing on sufficiency of the evidence but on the minor nature of the crime, lack of criminal record by the defendant, minor role the defendant may have played in the crime and the possibility of keeping the file out of court. Our office has been successful in this type of negotiation and convincing the city attorney, for instance, to arrange an informal city attorney office hearing in lieu of filing criminal charges.
