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Defense Attorney Bob Motta On Destroying The Star Witness | Banfield Trial Cross-Examination Strategy
Description
We're going LIVE with defense attorney Bob Motta for Part 2 of our deep dive into the Brendan Banfield case. This time: how do you destroy a star witness whose freedom depends on conviction?
Juliana Peres Magalhaes is the prosecution's entire case. She spent a year in jail telling police the same story Brendan did — then flipped when she got a deal that sends her home to Brazil. Her sentencing is scheduled after Banfield's trial to make sure she keeps cooperating. From jail, she wrote that she was "heartbroken" for what she was doing to Brendan and that she still loved him.
Motta explains exactly how the defense should attack. How do you frame a year-long lie for the jury? How do you weaponize the jailhouse letter on cross? How do you make jurors understand that Juliana traded her testimony for a plane ticket home?
The prosecution claims Juliana was reluctant and was told it was "too late to back out." Motta dismantles that framing in real time.
What are the biggest mistakes defense attorneys make when cross-examining cooperating witnesses? What should Banfield's team avoid? And if Juliana falls apart on the stand, what does the prosecution have left?
Drop your questions in the chat. We're taking them live. If you want to understand how a defense attorney approaches the most important witness in this trial, this is the interview.
#BrendanBanfield #JulianaPeresMagalhaes #HiddenKillersLive #LIVE #BobMotta #DefenseAttorney #StarWitness #CrossExamination #TrueCrimeLive #MurderTrial
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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.