Being in the wrong place at the wrong time or being involved with the wrong people can give you a lot of guilty traits, even if you're completely innocent. If law enforcement is looking for suspects, anyone within eyeshot can be considered a potential culprit. If you're confused and looking for reasons to escape the situation, calm down and think about what you were doing; how it separates you from any criminal acts; and how mobile devices, receipts, cameras and other pieces of technology could help you out of a bad situation.
Time-Based Evidence: Cell Phones
Having an alibi showing that you were otherwise occupied during the time of a crime, but you'll need more than word of mouth to support your story. One good source of time-based evidence is cell phone discussions.
The cell phone discussions can tell a lot about what you were doing. It'll show how long you were in a conversation, and if the actual conversation can be retrieved, it can give some evidence of background activities through the background audio.
Another good part of speaking on a cell phone is that your position can be tracked. Cell sites (including cell towers and smaller antenna for inner-city systems) are used to place and route your calls, and your cell phone company can be contacted to figure out which cell site you were near.
This can be a long stretch and based on chance, but if you were on your phone at any time during the events in your accusation, call records may be useful in proving that you weren't near the event.
Time Based Evidence: Receipts And Purchase Records
This technique is clever, but not at all innovative and also relies on luck. If you bought anything during the alleged incident, you may be able to use your purchase as proof of innocence.
The receipt could be used to show that you were at a certain store during the incident. Depending on travel time, it may be impossible for you to make a purchase at the location and reach the crime scene in time. Someone could have made the purchase for you, but you could also use the clerk as a witness and request camera footage for the surrounding area.
Although the receipt is a contentious piece of evidence alone, it gives lawyers a lot to work with in your defense. It isn't just the store that could have evidence; the entire path from your purchase to the area that you traveled to can be examined. Any businesses, hospitals or other buildings with cameras can be investigated for proof of your position.
A lot of this evidence-finding may be too much effort for the prosecuting attorney, and the very idea may be dismissed if you don't aggressively--but professionally--push for examination. Contact a criminal defense attorney like Andrew H P Norton to discuss your alibi, possible pieces of evidence to support your story and better ways to protect your best interests.
