Anyone facing criminal charges in Maryland probably thinks about their criminal defense strategy constantly. After you have been arrested or you walk into that courtroom, you know this isn’t like TV. There are serious consequences on the line and, in many cases, your freedom is on the line too. How to craft a criminal defense strategy then is, understandably, at the forefront of a defendant’s mind.
Depending on the crime charged, there could be any number of potential defenses in a case. Self-defense, duress and even insanity are some of the defense strategies that most people are probably familiar with to some extent. But, these types of defenses usually require a defendant to actively fight back against the prosecutor’s presentations and evidence in a bench or jury trial. In many cases, it can help to go back to the base requirement of proving a criminal case in Maryland.
It is the prosecutor’s burden to prove every element of the criminal charges “beyond a reasonable doubt.” That is an incredibly high burden to meet. So, for some defendants in Maryland, the criminal defense strategy might be pretty straightforward: argue that the prosecutor has not met this high burden and, as a result, there can be no conviction in the case.
Each case is different
Although some of the available strategies across criminal cases in Maryland might be similar, the facts of each and every case will be different. So, what might work for one defendant might not work for another. If you are facing criminal charges, be sure to review all of the evidence in the case and all of the potential defense options that may be in play for you.