Defense Opening Statement

Essay by Dragonlover67University, Bachelor'sA, January 2010

download word file, 2 pages 0.0

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, the defendant, Ronald Riff won over $900 in a poker game between 8:30 P.M., and 12:00 A.M. the night of the alleged burglary of Marquette's Market. Witnesses will testify that they saw Ronald Riff win a great deal of money, and others will testify; he shared the news of his winnings before the alleged burglary occurred. We will prove the defendant started winning money as soon as he sat down at the card table. He was stuffing his pockets all night long, and the defendant won a Canadian five-dollar bill from one of the poker hands.

Ronnie Riff stopped by Red Chip's office and asked him if he could get a money bag, and Mr. Chip said he could find one under the service counter. The defendant did indeed find one, and grabbed a tan, cloth bag, then stuffed all the money in it.

He mentioned the bag had something written on it, but he could not remember what it said. The defendant left Red's Pleasure Palace shortly after 12:00 A.M., and began to walk home. On his way home, he saw Speedy Marquette; the alleged victim of burglary, in the alley behind Red's Pleasure Palace as he went out the alley door of the card room.

Ronald Riff stopped by to talk to Rusty Fender and brag about his winnings, but he remembered he owed Rusty money and left when he heard someone banging on Rusty's door. The defendant feared that he would be robbed of his winnings, so he took a hammer from Rusty Fender's so he could protect himself. The defendant never stopped by Marquette's Market, but he did toss away the hammer as he ran home. He arrived at his home that was lit up from Betty Biddy's flood lights. He reached his yard and took the money out of the bag and started to count his winnings. As he approached his back door, he began to count his winnings and tossed the money bag in his bushes.

The defendant, Ronald Riff had no motive to steal from Speedy Marquette. He won enough money to pay off his debt to Vibes Blare and purchase a guitar. He also had a friend who offered to buy his guitar for him. So we ask you, the jury, why would Ronald Riff need to burglarize Marquette's Market? We will prove that the defendant, Ronald Riff is innocent of all charges. The day after the alleged burglary, he used his winnings of $917 towards his purchase for his new guitar.

ReferencesCurran, P., and Strauch, G. (2004). Simulation casebook: Minnesota v. Ronald Riff. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth and Thompson-Hall