Alex Davis Case Study

In the given scenario the burden of proof and its parts were are all addressed in some way or another. The levels include a hunch, reasonable suspicion, probable cause, prima facie evidence, and proof beyond a reasonable doubt. For instance, the police had a hunch when they heard the description of the suspect. They were told that the robber was a white male, in his 20s and of the average body type. This could describe almost half of the male population, but somehow this gave the police the impression that the robber must have been Alex Davis due to his previous record of robbery and theft. This is considered a hunch because it is no more than a gut feeling, they didn’t actually have any concrete evidence to support their claims. The police …show more content…
When they approached him the man told them he didn’t commit the crime. The police finally had probable cause when they were able to match Mark Carlotti’s fingerprints to ones found at the liquor-store. This places him there and discredits his earlier claim of having no involvement. They have also found out that he has payed his rent even though he had previously lost his job. All of this evidence then gives them probable cause to get a search warrant for his house. After having searched his house they found a revolver, empty alcohol bottles, and a bag from the store with $68 inside. At this point they have prima facie evidence and would be able to show that Mark Carlotti most likely committed the crime. This is much more concrete evidence because it connects him, the alcohol, the money, and the liquor store robbery together. The final level of the burden of proof is met when the police are able to find the liquor store’s manager’s fingerprints on the money found in Mark Carlotti. This gives proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Mark is the man who committed the crime because the police were able to attach Mark to the crime scene and the stolen money to