One of the most gratifying cases our team has ever won. An Army Sergeant stationed in Okinawa was on trial for allegedly stabbing someone at a bar fight in March 2017. Defense Attorney Tim Bilecki was able to get him full acquitted of all charges and specifications following a two-day trial in front of an enlisted panel.
Mr. Bilecki was retained less than two weeks prior to trial, He was able to quickly assemble a team, fly to Okinawa, and build a solid defense. After interviewing numerous witnesses, our team toured the scene where the crime occurred. The crime scene was a bar in the Sunabe Seawall area of Okinawa.
It was quickly apparent to us that the lighting conditions, view planes, and level of intoxication by the eye witnesses claiming our client perpetrated the stabbing should all be called into question. In less than two weeks, Mr. Bilecki was able to obtain an expert witness in the area of eyewitness misidentifications. He flew that witness to Japan and had him testify to the jury. This expert educated the jury about the inherent unreliability of eyewitness identifications.
The highlight of the trial occurred when the individual we believe actually did the stabbing invoked his 5th amendment right while on the witness stand after relentless cross examination. It was a true Perry Mason moment! The panel deliberated for less than 20 minutes before returning the Not Guilty verdict.
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