Mississippi Criminal Law BlogIn today’s time of victim empowerment where the police, prosecutors, and even juries are flipping the due process and fairness by presuming the credibility of the accuser in sex crimes cases. You will be presumed guilty simply by being charged with a sex crime. Your silence is more important than ever when charged or investigated with a sex crime. Never agree to speak with police or detectives before consulting with an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Even then, there is virtually no scenario where an offender should agree to speak with law enforcement about sex crimes accusations. Your reliable alibi or mistaken identity simply means nothing and you will not be believed.
Why Should an Offender Refuse to Talk to Law Enforcement in any Sex Case Investigation?
The reason criminal defense lawyers advise against speaking to police in sex crimes cases is because law enforcement officers seldom reach out to a suspect to rule him out. Instead, their motivation is to gather evidence to charge or convict suspects. This is because they do not care about the accused’s “side of the story” until they have interviewed the accuser (usually several times) and, in most instances, deemed his/her credible. More often than not, the result of speaking with the police is that the information given inadvertently supplies details that the police are seeking to use to help charge or convict the accused. The police or investigators are often looking for statements such as: “yes, I was with her but I didn’t do anything”; or “yes, we had sex, but it was consensual”; or “I can’t recall because we were both drinking”. While meant to profess innocence, such statements are more likely viewed as admissions to help build or provide evidence of the sex crime. At the same time, nerves, faulty memory, pressure, and intimidation can, and do, result in misstatements or inconsistencies which the police will use as evidence of untruthfulness. In short, the police are not your friends and are not looking to help you. They are instead motivated to make and prove their case, and let the jury decide.
Why is Having an Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney Valuable in This Situation?
Our lawyers at the Carmody Law Firm always tell our clients, “Far more suspects talk their way into being charged by police, than ever talk their way out”. Because of this, it is always best that any talking with the police be done solely by an offender’s lawyer and not by the offender. An experienced sex crimes attorney knows he/she can, and should, reach out to investigators once retained not only to attempt to learn the status of an investigation, but also to assert a client’s innocence. If they are already in possession of exculpatory evidence such as favorable text exchanges or witness statements, defense lawyers can use their judgment and experience to determine if it’s in the client’s best interest to provide this to prosecutors upfront or to preserve the evidence for trial.
Enlist the Help of a Qualified Attorney
When you are searching the state of Mississippi for a qualified, experienced sex crime defense attorney, look no further than Vic Carmody Jr., P.A. No matter the circumstances of your case, the sooner you get in touch with a qualified criminal defense attorney, the better chance you have for a favorable outcome. Over the years, we have helped numerous offenders who have been charged with sex crimes. Please call us for a free consultation today, and we can help you defend yourself when you are arrested and charged with a sex crime in Mississippi.
Please also see us on mississippi-lawyers.com and view our reviews on avvo.com, superlawyers.com, and martindale.com. Our email address is vic@mississippi-lawyers.com, and our office phone number is (601) 948 – 4444 option 1.