Ocean City Sex Crimes Investigations
Sex crime investigations can be daunting and thorough. If you find yourself facing charges, be sure to contact an Ocean City sex crimes lawyer as soon as possible. Such an attorney can guide and advise you throughout the process, building the strongest defense possible and working toward the best outcome possible.
Unique Aspects of Sex Crimes Investigations
The investigation for a sex crime case can be very different from other types of cases based on the ages of the parties involved. Depending on the age of the plaintiff, there are statutes in Maryland that would allow the statement from the plaintiff to come into court without said party actually having to appear and testify.
That being said, it is a very narrow range when that is allowed, but it can happen. The disadvantage of that to the defendant is he or she is not able to cross-examine the maker of the statement.
Another unique part of the investigation of sex crime is that an investigation can very well include medical records. There are nurses who are trained as forensic examiners. They are called sexual assault nurse examiners and they know how to perform an examination to accurately record any injuries that the patient might have that would prove lack of consent. The test may also prove that intercourse took place, in case there is any disagreement as to the details of the case.
Other Forms of Evidence
In these types of cases, it is quite possible that the nurse examiner is looking for particular evidence, such as proof of semen and if they do in fact find some, then the defendant has to provide a DNA sample. At that point, there would be a forensic testing done to determine if it is the defendant.
Any time there is a forensic examination that involves DNA testing, it is best to have those test results reviewed by your own independent expert. Unfortunately, for most defendants, the financial cost of that is just prohibitive. They are not going to be able to afford the fees of the expert.
Law Enforcement Tactics
In sex crime cases, depending on the age of the victim, the investigation might include a controlled phone call. Under the statute, there is a whole list of cases that allows for the police to set up a call between the accuser and the defendant in an attempt to get the defendant to admit to having done these things.
If law enforcement chooses to employ this tactic, they will discuss it with the accuser ahead of time, and assist in crafting the sorts of things that they want to say and the types of questions they want to ask. They do this in the hope that the defendant will be caught off guard and will admit to wrongdoing.
If the police have a recorded phone conversation where the defendant is apologizing, for example, that is very damaging in a criminal case.
How An Attorney Can Help
If the defendant is charged with crimes of this nature, it is extremely important to be working with an attorney who has experience in defending against these specific types of cases. It’s incredibly beneficial if said attorney has worked as a prosecutor and prosecuted those types of crimes.
That experience helps the lawyer better understand the perspective of the state, which in turn allows for a more targeted and effective defense. As discussed above, there are very unique evidentiary issues involved in a sex crime, and your best recourse, should you be facing charges, is to hire an attorney who is aware of those unique circumstances and the statutes that accompany them.