Legal Evidence and Admissibility in Court

Upcoming Exam Details - The exam is scheduled for a week from Thursday. - It will be conducted in person, not online (online placeholder is only for grading and value visibility). - Students must bring a pencil as it will be a Scantron exam. - The format includes multiple choice and true/false questions. - It is crucial to be aware of the in-person nature and materials required. - Allen Charge / Dynamite Charge - This is an admonition issued by a judge to a deadlocked jury. - Its purpose is to instruct the jury to resume deliberations. - The vast majority of juries issued an Allen charge subsequently return with a verdict. - There is a critique that this practice is often detrimental to the defendant, as it pressures juries to reach a decision rather than remain genuinely deadlocked. - Ray Cruz Case Example - This case involved not one, but two dynamite charges. - It was rich in information and evidence, viewed from start to finish. - The speaker believes it was clear that Ray Cruz was involved in a conspiracy, based on the victim's statements immediately after being shot and later communication (nodding in the hospital). - Ray Cruz was recently released from prison; his son survived the trauma that led to his mother's death. - The case involved a popular OB/GYN and his wife; the wife was recovering from surgery. - The daughter testified that she heard her mom screaming, found her covered in blood, and her father claimed she slipped in the bathtub. - He then stated he carried her to the living room to perform CPR on the bed, which was contradicted by medical professionals as "no doctor ever" would do that. - Blood evidence was found in the bedroom, not just the bathtub/living room. - The daughter testified her mother was wet, suggesting she was in the bathtub. However, paramedics and hospital staff testified she was not wet and her hair was not damp, contradicting the husband's story. - He was found innocent in the first trial but guilty in the second. - Forms of Evidence - Evidence can be broadly categorized as either circumstantial or direct. - Legal Definition of Evidence: Any means which seeks to establish or prove the veracity of a questioned fact. - Technically, evidence is only considered such if it is admitted in court; otherwise, it is simply material. - For anything to be discussed/debated in court, it must be a questioned fact. - Evidence can be presented in various ways: material objects, scientific analysis, eyewitness accounts. - Not all material that speaks to the truth is admissible. - Primary Requirements for Admissible Evidence (Federal Rule of Evidence) - Relevant: The evidence must logically tend to prove or disprove a material fact in the case. - Competent: The evidence must legally be admissible (e.g., obtained properly, not hearsay). - Material: The evidence must be logically related to the factual issues under dispute in the case. - Probity: Refers to the strength or truth-speaking quality of evidence. Something with high probity value significantly helps in understanding a particular fact. - Types of Relevant but Inadmissible Materials: - Prejudicial Evidence: Evidence that is overly gruesome or inflammatory, whose probative value is outweighed by its potential to unfairly bias the jury. - An example involved crime scene photographs from the Matamoros drug cartel killings ($1980$s/$1990$s). - These cartel members practiced a perversion of Santeria, an island religion with roots in Catholicism and voodoo. - Investigators found decomposed bodies in vats. While relevant, extremely graphic photos could be replaced by less gruesome ones or verbal testimony. The judge may deem the most disturbing too much for the jury. - Illegally Collected Evidence: Evidence obtained in violation of legal procedures or constitutional rights. - Such evidence cannot be introduced. - A