A new trial lets defense rework the factual record that convicted

Evidence

The documents withheld at the first trial revealed that when questioned early in the investigation, the maid had never mentioned having seen insulin and a syringe in von Bilow’s bag. Under intense defense questioning, she retracted her testimony from the first trial about the insulin. The defense also brought forward expert witnesses who countered the prosecution’s claim that Sunny’s coma had resulted from an insulin injection. In June 1985, the jury found Claus von Biilow not guilty of all charges. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1249

Categorization

• CANDY: A near-perfect elevator story: the butler’s accuser, on the stand, took it all back — and the defendant walked free.
• SHARE: For a friend in criminal defense or trial advocacy — a compact case study in how a retrial gives the defense a second bite at the witness list.