Certain sexual abuse allegations can be very hard to prove. Lack of physical evidence and witnesses, along with victim testimonies that don’t match the accounts provided by those accused of the crime, can make it very hard to prove that anything ever happened.

 

This however, doesn’t stop most prosecutors. Also because jurors often fear not listening to a victim and letting a predator go free, they tend to err on the side of caution. This means that in many cases, wrongfully accused people end up behind bars, convicted of a crime they never committed.

 

Thankfully, however, this isn’t always the case. A recent case in New York, where a foster father accused of sexually abusing several young boys was acquitted, goes to show that not all juries tow the party line.

 

Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu has fostered many boys over the years in his Long Island home. Recently, six of those boys testified in court that Gonzales-Mugaburu had sexually assaulted them while they were under his care. However, the testimony of the six young men wasn’t enough, and so without any corroborating evidence to support the witness testimony, the charges were dropped.

 

When jurors later spoke to the media about their struggle to convict Gonzales-Mugaburu on any of the charges he was facing, it was clear that lack of evidence was a factor. Jury foreman Tim Carney told news media that he had actually believed some of the victim’s testimonies, but that there were too many holes in the prosecution’s argument.

 

It was a stance Carney said he had held since the start of the seven day deliberation period. “I could not put a man away for the rest of his life on what they gave us, the evidence they produced.” he said. And apparently he wasn’t the only one who struggled with the prosecutor’s lack of evidence.

 

We don’t know the details of this case.

 

We have no idea whether or not Gonzales-Mugaburu is an innocent man who has been falsely accused, or a guilty man who got off scot free. What we do know is that it is encouraging to see that juries are less and less willing to convict people without enough evidence.

 

This means that hopefully, in the future, there will be fewer and fewer people wrongfully convicted, simply because the jury was too afraid to take a stand. When you think about it, putting a person behind bars for ten or twenty years, or even a lifetime, is a very serious responsibility. Not one that should be taken lightly, or rushed into. It’s a mistake that many juries have made in the past, and it’s cost lots of people their lives, freedoms, and futures.

 

We would like to remind all of you that, while a compassionate and skeptical jury can be a good thing, one of the best ways to ensure your future is a good defense attorney. It is our passion to defend the wrongfully blamed and falsely accused in Michigan. It is what we do best, and what we’ve been doing for decades.

 
So if you or a loved one have been accused of abusing or neglecting a child, contact The Kronzek Firm immediately at 866 766 5245. Our skilled and experienced CPS defense attorneys are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to discuss your case and provide unparalleled legal advice. So don’t wait. Your future is at stake, and there is much work to be done in order to provide you with the best defense possible.