Law Homework Help

You are a prosecutor and you are working a high profile case in your jurisdiction. The case involves the murder of a two young boys. The police arrested two males – one who was 17 years old and another who was 18 at the time of the murders. The evidence collected by the police includes the testimony of two eyewitnesses: a 9 year old boy who claimed to see the two victims talking to the defendants on the day of the homicides and a former girlfriend of one of the defendants who claims he confessed to the murders. It comes to your attention that both eyewitnesses have changed details of their stories throughout the investigation, however, police did manage to get the 17 year old defendant to confess to the crime. He later recanted his confession claiming police coerced him to confess. Both defendants have a history of drug arrests and the older defendant has been arrested for assault twice in the past. The citizens in your jurisdiction believe that the two men sacrificed the boys in some sort of satanic ritual because the two men had made claims to worship the devil while in high school and both had pentagram tattoos on their necks. As the trial approaches and you are reviewing all of the evidence submitted by police, you happen upon a piece of exculpatory evidence indicating that the two defendants are innocent. You know that the election is coming up and that if you do not win the case, you’ll likely lose the next election.

1. What would you do?
2. What ethical system influenced your decision? Explain thoroughly.
3. Based on what you have read about the rules governing legal professionals, was what you did ethical? Explain.