When a jury understands all the evidence presented to it by prosecutors and a defense attorney, it can then make an informed decision. We read recently of a Texas jury that listened carefully to the evidence in the trial of a 23-year-old woman who had been accused of intoxication manslaughter.
She had faced a possible prison sentence of 2 to 20 years. But the jury listened to the woman’s defense attorney, deliberated for about 3 hours and then acquitted her of the charge.
She was found not guilty of the charges that stemmed from a fatal 2014 West Lubbock car accident.
“I would just like to say thank you to the jury for their courage and returning a just verdict where they actually followed the law,” her defense lawyer said.
The lawyer had told jurors that his client was not impaired by intoxication that late December night. Instead, he said it was a tragic accident that did not involve criminal acts.
“Not every accident is a crime,” he said to the jury, according to a news report. “I don’t know why this happened. I don’t know why God intersects two lives. I don’t understand. It’s not for me to understand. It’s not for you to understand.”
He said the charges against the woman were the result of a flawed investigation that did not include an accident reconstruction or calculations about how the accident happened. Instead, investigators had relied completely on a statement by the defendant that she had consumed alcohol.
She apparently failed a sobriety test after the crash and told an officers that she had consumed two shots of whiskey and a beer.
However, a defense toxicology expert testified that he believed the defendant’s blood-alcohol content was below the legal threshold at the time of the accident.
The acquitted young woman is undoubtedly grateful for her attorney’s help.
To speak with an Edinburg criminal defense attorney experienced in DWI matters, contact the Sanchez Firm.