The losers are not only the defense lawyers and what little credibility they had, but any innocent person who might be falsely charged. Juries just might tune out whatever arguments his lawyer makes.
Thank you. You have said it very well. When I tried to posit the opinion the day of Westerfield's verdict that this verdict could well diminish the rights and liberties of innocent people down the road, I got some pretty awful hate-filled responses. Everything about this trial bothers me. I'm glad that they got Westerfield. However, I'm also disturbed that the prosecution, who absolutely knew that they had their man, did not present a stronger case. Had I been on the jury, I would not have convicted him. I believe that the lowered standards of conviction here will spell disaster for innocent people in the future.