The Suffolk County district attorney’s office in Boston has lost six of 24 homicide cases so far this year, says the Boston Globe. Its 75 percent conviction rate, which includes guilty verdicts and pleas, is the lowest since 2000. It still is higher than the 64 percent average for the 75 largest counties nationwide, says a 2000 federal study.
Citing a recent acquittal, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said the jury didn’t spend enough time on the case. Three jurors disagreed, saying that the lack of physical evidence, conflicting testimony, and unreliable witnesses created reasonable doubt. Said Conley: “We don’t choose our witnesses. They don’t come out of central casting.” He added that some juries “ignore the standard of proof and demand absolute and mathematical certainty. That’s not the standard.”
Link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/03/murder_convictions_becoming_more_difficult/