A Case of Mistaken Identity

03/01/2009 - Suskauer Law Blog - Link to This Entry

I DIDN'T DO IT. THEY GOT THE WRONG GUY!!!

Throughout history people have too often been falsely accused and convicted of crimes that someone else did. In recent years through the tireless efforts of criminal defense attorneys combined with scientific and technological advances in DNA, falsely convicted defendants have been exonerated and set free (many of whom were facing the death penalty). For too many reasons to mention in this blog, “Mistaken Identity" has been the cause of too many false arrests and convictions.

Our attorneys have successfully represented many fellow citizens who have been victims of mistaken identity. This has led to false charges for theft, robbery, burglary, and many violent offenses. Too often the process with which the police handle the identification is tainted. We have seen cases where shortly after the crime; the police inform an eyewitness that they want to bring them to another location "to identify the suspect we have in custody.” That is the type of statement that suggests an expectation in the witness that the police have the actual person that committed the offense before the actual identification is made. In that situation the process is forever tainted resulting in a possible mistaken identification.

Last year, Suskauer Law obtained a not guilty verdict where the police improperly tainted the process and our client was falsely accused by the witness and then falsely arrested. Meticulous and thorough investigation and analysis by the defense attorney is required to effectively represent their client in these cases.