Opening statements are not evidence and they are not arguments. They are statements by the lawyers to sketch out their respective cases for the jury. Think of them as guided tours of the witnesses to be called and the evidence to be introduced. They are often described as roadmaps of the case and you can reasonably expect many sentences will begin with the phrase, “The evidence will show . . . “
Since the burden of proof is on the prosecution, the defense is not required to give an opening statement, but it would be foolish not to do so because they will not get another chance to speak to the jury until after the prosecution finishes putting on its case-in-chief, which will likely take several months.
I always gave an opening statement after the prosecution’s opening so that I could break their momentum and get the jury thinking about my case and I believe the defense will give an opening statement today for the same reason.
As I have said before, I do not believe this case is about winning or losing for the defense. It is about living or dying. From the defense perspective, they are going to be using the guilt/innocence phase of the trial as a slow motion guilty plea emphasizing evidence that mitigates the offense.
The defense has three powerful mitigators: Dzhokhar’s youth and immaturity, his absence of a serious criminal record, and most importantly, his fawning and submissive relationship with his older brother Tamerlan. When Tamerlan said, “Frog,” Dzhokhar said, “How high do I jump?” Beginning with their opening statement, I expect the defense will emphasize these mitigators every time an opportunity arises.
I am not expecting the defense to advance any elaborate government conspiracy theory to frame the Tsarnaev brothers. I do not believe there is any evidence to support such a theory and pursuing it would likely infuriate the jury and assure a death sentence. This does not necessarily mean they will refrain from mentioning and exploiting errors of commission or omission by law enforcement.
To our readers: Crane and I have been posting regularly at Firedoglake during Jane Hamsher’s hiatus from the site. She is the owner. You can expect to see my articles here more often as I am now growing more comfortable handling my responsibilities there.
