An innocent person will be terrified to hear the police found his fingerprints at the scene of a serious crime. He knows there is no way he was anywhere near that location. However, the police view the fingerprints as proof he is lying. Even though he hasn’t been arrested or read his rights, he needs to call a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Wichita KS, for help. Despite what he may have seen on popular television crime shows, comparing fingerprints is an art, not a science.
The lawyer already knows ingerprint experts compare a number of points on two fingerprints to determine if they match. Experts can disagree on how many points must match. Some say nine points are sufficient, while others require 15 for certainty. If they are comparing a complete fingerprint to a partial print, there is even more disagreement on how to determine if the two prints match. The defense attorney will hire his own fingerprint expert to determine which standard was used to match the fingerprints. The fingerprint expert will also evaluate the quality of the fingerprint taken from the crime scene. If a print is smudged, it can be hard to determine which points are good matches.
The fingerprint evidence may cause the police to doubt the person’s alibi. Even though he was in a bar and people saw him there, the police may think the eyewitnesses are wrong or covering for him. The attorney will work with a private investigator to find additional proof the person was at that location. A surveillance camera from a nearby bank may have picked up his car at the same time the crime was being committed. A person matching his client’s description was driving it.
Despite this additional evidence, the district attorney may insist on taking the case to trial. The Criminal Defense Lawyer in Wichita KS, will use it to get a lower bail set for the client. He will also use it to plant reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury. People who are also being investigated by the police can visit us to learn more about hiring an attorney and protecting their rights.
