Peggy

Peggy

Name

Institution

Peggy

The judge was responsible for ensuring that justice was served in the case of Peggy. The investigators had not managed to gather conclusive evidence and the prosecutor did not have a case. The defense counsel was right in arguing that being in a crime scene did not mean that Masters was guilty of murder. It was the duty of the prosecutor to file charges. Dr. Richard Hammond was a possible suspect and there was enough evidence to build a case against him, yet the prosecutor failed to do so. The prosecutor acts as a government representative. He had the duty of presenting enough witnesses, including professionals in different fields, to prove that the defendant was guilty. In defending the state, the prosecutor needs to question the witness on all matters (Neubauer& Fradella 2013). For instance, in this case, determining how Masters’ footprints were present in the blood trail and his reason for collecting guns was important to the case.

The defense counsel has the obligation of representing the client and ensuring that his rights are observed during the entire process. The defense has to build a case to ensure that the defendant is not convicted wrongfully. He does this by question the evidence presented by the prosecution. He further advices the defendant concerning legal matters (Siegel & Worrall, 2014). The role of the judge is to ensure that justice is done. He considers the evidence presented by the defense and the prosecution (Minor, 2007). In this case, the judge had the role of presiding over the trial and sentencing the defendant if he was found guilty. He instructed the jury concerning their duties in determining whether the defendant was guilty.  

References:

Minor, I. K. (2007). Corrections and the criminal justice system. Hoboken, NJ: Jones & Bartlett Learning

Neubauer, D., & Fradella, H. (2013). America’s courts and the criminal justice system. New York, NY: Cengage Learning

Siegel, L., & Worrall, J. (2014). Essentials of criminal justice. New York, NY: Cengage Learning