Criminal Defense Attorney Successfully Uses Facebook Message as Alibi
A 19-year-old man who was recently arrested and charged as a suspect in a robbery case had the charges dropped after his criminal defense lawyer presented his Facebook profile as his alibi.
The robbery suspect had typed an updated on October 17 at 11:49am, which was the same time as the crime he was accused of. The district attorney subpoenaed Faceboo to verify that the update had been at the suspect’s father’s home in Harlem. Once Facebook confirmed that detail, the robbery charges were dropped.
This is apparently the first time that a Facebook page has been used an alibi; however, social networking sites have been used as prosecutorial evidence. In one burglary case, the alleged burglar checked his Facebook page and left it open, leading police to the suspect. Social networking sites are also sometimes used in civil cases; for instance, to prove cheating in a divorce case.
Source: His Facebook Status Now? ‘Charges Dropped’, New York Times, November 11, 2009
Contact a South Florida criminal defense lawyer if you have been arrested and charged with a crime such as drug possession, burglary, or sexual assault.
