08 September 2004

Weird Understandings of the Law

Rapists never view themselves as rapists. They all have a rationalization.

There was this guy we arrested for rape; he was a serial rapist. And he had been arrested before. And we were talking about his prior, and he said he didn't do it. And he'd already been convicted and been in jail for this. I said, "Why?" He said, "I couldn't possibly be a rapist because she took her clothes off. And if a woman takes her clothes off, it's not rape." Well, in all cases, he made the victims take their clothes off. But in his mind, even if you're pointing a knife or gun at somebody and they take their clothes off, it's because they want to have sex with you.
p. 138

[comment] And, after he's confessed, yet again, to this crime he gets pissed at me because I won't argue his perfect defense to the judge during the trial.

If I had a dime for every time one of my clients had some offbeat legal theory which wouldn't pass the red face test . . .

1 comment:

Ken Lammers said...

Yep, and you know the truly weird (and a little upsetting) thing is that when the other lawyer tells him exactly the same thing I did the guy will believe him.