A criminal charge is a serious legal matter. When a Texas resident is facing allegations of criminal wrongdoing, they may have questions about what awaits them in the future. While every criminal matter should independently be assessed by a criminal defense legal professional, there is a general course that many criminal matters follow during the trial process.
When a person is charged with a crime, one of the first items that may occur in the trial preparation process is to seat a jury. A jury is a group of people who will hear the evidence and charges brought against the defendant and who will decide if they are guilty. In some instances, a trial may occur only before a judge.
Once the jury is in place, the prosecutor and defense attorney may make their opening statements. These statements preview the arguments that they will make. Once opening statements are over, the two sides may offer evidence and cross-examination in order to prove the claims that they made at the start of the trial. The trial ends with closing arguments made by both sets of counsel.
The jury may receive instructions from the judge regarding how to assess and consider the matter before them, and after they have deliberated they may offer a verdict on the criminal case. As readers can see, there is a lot that goes into preparing for a criminal trial and not all defendants may be comfortable facing these and other legal hurdles on their own. Criminal defense support may help them work through their trials and achieve favorable outcomes for their pending legal matters.