H7 Investigative Services

Private Investigations in Southern California

Private Investigations in Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley . . .

. . . and the greater Los Angeles area.

Criminal Defense Investigations

When to Hire a Private Investigator for Criminal Defense

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When you’ve been wrongly accused of a criminal offense, it can feel as if the weight of the whole world is against you. The prosecutor has a very large toolbox from which to pull resources. Law enforcement, witness testimony, evidence collected by law enforcement, and the legal team backing the prosecution all work together to reach a guilty verdict. You’ll need more than just a defense attorney to win your case. A private investigator for criminal defense can be instrumental in uncovering new evidence to prove your innocence.

Private Investigator for Criminal Defense

When is the Best Time to Hire a Private Investigator for Criminal Defense?

The short answer is immediately. A private investigator should be hired as soon as possible to help with any criminal defense. An investigator can be much more effective when a case is still fresh. Witnesses’ memories are still fresh, evidence has only recently been placed in storage, and in many cases new evidence can be found at crime scenes that was overlooked by law enforcement.

But even if a case is in the post-conviction stage, a private investigator can still help with an appeal. Just as with a pre-conviction criminal trial, a private investigator can help with in the appeals process by reviewing the entire state’s case including witness statements, law enforcement reports, and all the discovery items presented by the prosecution. The best way a private investigator can help with an appeal is to discover new evidence to show who actually committed the crime. In most cases, showing the actual guilty party is more effective than simply showing the convicted person is innocent of the crime.

Private Investigator for Criminal Defense

Justice for Victims

Justice is supposed to be blind, and the law is supposed to show that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty. But human nature works a bit different. Many jurors, whether they admit it or not, believe a defendant to be guilty simply because they’ve been charged with a crime. The rationale is “well they must have done it, otherwise there would be no reason to charge them.”

Ask anyone who has worked in a jury pool and you’ll find that most people assume the accused to be guilty. Guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is supposed to be the standard for the state to secure a guilty verdict. Too often a wrongly accused person is forced to prove their innocence, which can be difficult considering all the resources at the state’s disposal.

Arresting criminal offenders and preventing crime are both primary goals of the criminal justice system. This is the only way to find justice for victims and their families. When an innocent person is convicted of a crime, there is no justice for the victims and certainly no justice for the wrongly convicted defendant. What’s more, the actual offender is likely out committing other crimes and creating new victims.

A private investigator is an essential component of any adequate criminal defense team. The sooner an investigator is brought in to help, the greater impact the investigator will have in building an effective criminal defense.

H7 Investigative Services conducts private investigations in Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley, and throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

If you want to find out how our agency can help with your case, click through to our consultation request page or call us at (661)454-7513.

Private Investigator for Criminal Defense

Why Do Lawyers Hire Private Investigators?

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It takes years of training to develop the research and litigation skill to become an attorney. Even the best attorneys may sometimes find themselves without the time or resources to find the information they need to win in the courtroom. For this reason, many lawyers hire private investigators to help with criminal defense cases and in civil litigation.  For a fraction of what a law firm might pay a new associate, a law firm can hire a private investigator to conduct much of the legal legwork.

Lawyers Hire Private Investigators

 

Criminal Defense

One of the most important reasons lawyers hire private investigators is to assist with criminal defense. While lawyers are excellent at building a court case, most lawyers don’t have the time or expertise to conduct a field investigation. A good defense investigator is skilled at analyzing data, applying statutory law and case law, and will understand the rules of preserving evidence.

A private investigator can also locate evidence that may have been overlooked or outright withheld by the prosecutor’s side.

How can there be other evidence? Don’t the police collect everything?

In a criminal case, many people mistakenly believe the prosecution will collect and present all the available evidence. In reality, law enforcement and the prosecution will collect only what evidence is necessary to secure a conviction.

By law, the prosecutor must share with the defense attorney all the evidence collected for the case. Sometimes law enforcement will recognize only evidence that confirms their theory of the crime. Anything not relevant to the goal of convicting the accused will either be ignored or simply left uncollected.

How can a defense attorney build an adequate defense when they use only the evidence gathered by law enforcement? The answer is they can’t.

A private investigator working as part of the criminal defense team can find new witnesses, find inconsistencies in the accounts of reported witnesses, and can point out discrepancies in the law enforcement reports. A PI can also re-examine a given crime scene to get a different perspective from what was reported by law enforcement.

Lawyers Hire Private Investigators

Some other reasons lawyers hire private investigators may include:

Locating Witnesses

Known witnesses can sometimes be hard to find because they have moved, changed cell phone providers, or are simply not responding to phone calls. Previously unknown witnesses might be revealed by conducting thorough and effective interviews of the known witnesses. A private investigator can do skip tracing to locate hard to find witnesses and can interview new witnesses who are revealed through the course of an investigation.

Obtaining Video or Photo Evidence

Surveillance is one of the “bread and butter” activities of any private investigator. Video surveillance is often very instrumental in child custody and infidelity cases, insurance fraud, and employee theft or workers compensation. Video and photographs are compelling evidence that can both be nearly impossible to refute. Private investigators have the skill and patience to capture relevant video and photo evidence, all while remaining undetected.

Finding Hidden Assets

Unfortunately, marriages and business partnerships sometimes end in bitter disputes. In either situation, one party might attempt to gain advantage by hiding assets. One party may sell assets for ridiculously low prices or put other family members on the titles of various assets, all to prevent the other party from winning a large judgement. A private investigator can help to locate missing or undeclared property, hidden financial accounts, and track the movement of property from one supposed owner to another. Locating these assets can greatly affect the final ruling in a civil case.

Background Checks

Lawyers hire private investigators to conduct background checks on potential clients, witnesses, and the opposition in civil and criminal cases. A background check may delve into criminal records, employment history, civil records, personal references and education records. Contrary to popular belief, attorneys will not simply work for any person that comes through their door. A lawyer will want to know if they can really help the potential client and if the lawyer’s time is worthwhile investment for the client. A thorough background check can reveal valuable information to negotiate a quick settlement or information that is critical to win a given case. PI’s use private databases that are only available to the licensed investigators.  PI’s can also use open source data such as social media and public records searches to dig into a person’s background.

A private investigator should be a valued member of any legal team. Because of their specialized analytical and investigative skills, private investigators can help a lawyer more quickly and effectively build their client’s case.

H7 Investigative Services conducts private investigations in Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley, and throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

If you want to find out how our agency can help with your criminal defense case, click through to our consultation request page or call us at (661)454-7513.

Criminal Defense Investigation

Do Defense Attorneys Hire Private Investigators?

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The job of a defense attorney, also known as a criminal defense lawyer, is to represent their client against accusations of criminal misconduct. A defense attorney is paid to win the best possible outcome for their client. Defense attorneys are excellent at analyzing criminal cases, including all evidence turned over by the prosecution. But sometimes an attorney may not have the time, resources, or expertise to complete a more in-depth investigation. Defense attorneys hire private investigators to uncover new evidence or provide expertise that will help to exonerate the accused.

Defense Attorneys Hire Private Investigators

Do Defense Attorneys Hire Private Investigators?

A defense attorney is obligated to work just as diligently in building a legal defense for their client as the prosecution team is at putting together the case against the accused. In most cases, a thorough defense requires more than just the evidence provided by the state. After all, the state’s evidence is what will be used to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A defense team often will require outside assistance from a private investigator who can help to find new witnesses and evidence to uncover reasonable doubt.

How Does a Private Investigator Help a Defense Attorney?

A private investigator can review all the discovery items from the prosecution for any inconsistencies or unanswered questions in police reports, collected evidence, photographs and videos, and recorded statements. A private investigator can go to the actual crime scene and recreate what was described by law enforcement, often uncovering new facts and details.

While an attorney reviews their client’s case, researches case law, and prepares their client for court, a private investigator can interview witnesses the police have overlooked and uncover new evidence to help exonerate the accused. Private investigators are skilled at locating hard to find people, such as witnesses who have moved or are otherwise unable to be located.

Defense Attorneys Hire Private Investigators

The Police Have Already Collected All the Evidence, Right?

Not everything that occurred involving a criminal accusation may have been recorded in the law enforcement report. Law enforcement officers are human beings with natural biases, just like anyone else. While training and experience can limit the effects, bias can sometimes creep into a law enforcement investigation. The police will often only collect evidence that shows their suspect to be guilty and ignore evidence that may contradict their theory of the crime.

To make an arrest, law enforcement only needs to prove probable cause that a crime was committed and the person to be arrested committed the offense. In many cases, once the threshold of probable cause has been reached, law enforcement will not investigate further. Information that runs contrary to what law enforcement investigators believe to be true may sometimes be outright ignored. This leaves a huge opportunity for a private investigator to uncover information that was overlooked by the police.

By law, the prosecutor is required to share with the defense all evidence and materials collected by the police. But a defense attorney can only work with whatever evidence was given over by the prosecution. A skilled private investigator can review a case and discover clues as to what evidence is missing and likely to be discovered. Even witnesses who were interviewed by the police can be re-interviewed to develop new leads.

The prosecution team is in the business of winning convictions, not necessarily a search for the truth. The most skilled defense attorney cannot win a case for their client without evidence to demonstrate reasonable doubt. This is why a private investigator is a critical component of a winning criminal defense team.

H7 Investigative Services conducts private investigations in Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley, and throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

If you want to find out how our agency can help with your criminal defense case, click through to our consultation request page or call us at (661)454-7513.