It All Depends on Evidence and the Opposing Attorneys
Video Transcribed: How difficult is it to be convicted of a crime in Oklahoma? Hi, I’m Oklahoma City attorney Ty Smith with Wirth Law. The question we are addressing today is how difficult is it to be convicted of a crime in Oklahoma.
Well, thankfully, if you are facing criminal charges, it is among the most difficult things that a court can do to convict you of a crime. That’s because the state has to meet its highest burden possible in law to put you behind bars.
The burden is beyond a reasonable doubt, which simply means that the state’s attorney, the district attorney, has to put together enough evidence to convince a jury of 12 people if this is a jury trial, that there is no reasonable doubt that you committed a crime or at least the crime that they are they’re accusing you of.
If it’s a bench trial, which means it’s just in front of the judge, the state just has to convince the judge that you did it, and they have to find beyond a reasonable doubt that you did it.
But if it’s a jury trial, your defense attorney and a good defense attorney will plant a reasonable seed of doubt in that jury pool and not say that it’s impossible, as clearly people go to jail all the time for crimes they’ve committed. But it is the hardest thing to do as far as rendering a verdict simply because of the high standard the state has to meet to achieve that.
Now, if you have any further questions about this or if you have been charged with a crime or you or a loved one have been charged with a crime, please contact us at theoklahomacityattorney.com to get in contact with a criminal defense lawyer in Oklahoma and we can answer any of your further questions.
