I am reminded of reports from sailor’s who survived U-boat attacks. The sailors often said things like, “They must have known what we were carrying because they knew just where to hit us.”
It’s really hard when you are in the thick of things to know facts like, it’s a coordinated attack. I have read studies on witness reliability. Although the laymen jurors give full credence to whatever the witness says, the witness is very often wrong. People see what they expect to see, or what someone after the fact told them they saw. This is why they no longer let a cop take a victim to see someone and ask, “There! Is that the guy?” Because, guess what, that man just became “the guy” in the witness’ mind.
“This is why they no longer let a cop take a victim to see someone and ask, “There! Is that the guy?” Because, guess what, that man just became “the guy” in the witness’ mind.”
They do that all the time, but with a caveat. They take the witness to where the suspect was detained and let them look. But they do not take a suspect to the scene where the witness is.