Marcus Times
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Murder Suspect Found Innocent - Entire Hotel Resort Shocked!
The week prior to this newspaper, a case dealing with the murder of the Royal Palm Resort hotel's manager, John Strangeways. The main suspect was Dusty Wall, a maid at the resort. Though the prosecution targeted the maid as the main suspect for the murder, the defense shifted the blame to Cheryl Spoon, the resort's head chef. Though Wall had the more believable motive for murder, he was found innocent due to the fact that there was an absence of scientific evidence found by the prosecution, creating no real argument for them.
After the events of the trial, a juror reasoned his belief in the innocence of the defendant. "[the prosecution] did not have enough evidence to prove that the maid was guilty, [and that] you are not guilty until proven guilty." Others shared the same thought, such as the mayor, exclaiming "the jury made a good decision, [and that] [he] thought the chef was guilty." These thoughts make it simple to understand the jury's thought process when making their decision. Another reason for the innocent verdict could be due to the prosecution's closing statement, which said "Your Honor, members of the jury, today Dusty Wall, the maid, has been charged by the state for manslaughter. Based on the facts presented, one can obviously see how Dusty could be guilty. Let me remind you the key facts, um, of this case in our court today. Through the answers of our witnesses and the intelligent *brief pause* questions asked by our lawyers, the made just looks more and more guilty: being caught doing something illegal, like stealing from the guests, and, um, being fired and the resentment towards that". Just like the evidence in the court case, the lawyer was just as insufficient. Dusty Wall might have been the cold-hearted killer that the prosecution claimed he was, but the lack of evidence and preparedness of the prosecution would prove otherwise.
-Braden Wagoner, reporter.
Main prosecution lawyer after questioning a witness.
Defendant Dusty Wall being questioned by prosecution.