Watch and wait.
Juries are often unpredictable and the facts reported are scanty. Given the track record of the media and the reliance on information given to them by authorities, some of those "facts" may not be so.
Self-defense cases that are not open and shut turn on the facts presented to the jury, the timing and actions of participants, jury judgments of witness testimony, and just how the individual jurors apply the laws of Missouri to those case facts. In Missouri, the defense only needs one juror failing to vote for conviction. Then possibly replaying in a retrial, etc. Overcharging by prosecutors can also be a problem if there are no lesser and included offenses in the charge.
One other issue is what kind of defense team the defendant can get along with his trial preparation budget. Expert witnesses and good attorneys do not come cheap and are often needed in such cases. Self-defense cases are different due to their affirmative nature than the typically SODI or TODI criminal defense strategy.
Juries are often unpredictable and the facts reported are scanty. Given the track record of the media and the reliance on information given to them by authorities, some of those "facts" may not be so.
Self-defense cases that are not open and shut turn on the facts presented to the jury, the timing and actions of participants, jury judgments of witness testimony, and just how the individual jurors apply the laws of Missouri to those case facts. In Missouri, the defense only needs one juror failing to vote for conviction. Then possibly replaying in a retrial, etc. Overcharging by prosecutors can also be a problem if there are no lesser and included offenses in the charge.
One other issue is what kind of defense team the defendant can get along with his trial preparation budget. Expert witnesses and good attorneys do not come cheap and are often needed in such cases. Self-defense cases are different due to their affirmative nature than the typically SODI or TODI criminal defense strategy.
