Top 5 Weakest Murder Trial Defenses That Ended with Convictions
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- Опубліковано 15 сер 2023
- Murder suspects who know they committed the crime will go to great lengths to avoid serving time behind bars. From hiring ninja assassins and providing false alibis, to shifting blame and claiming they "don't identify by that name," killers have fabricated some of the most bizarre defenses in hopes of convincing a jury of their innocence. In the case of Richard Merritt, he claimed he was framed by a ninja assassin. Darrell Brooks Jr. argued that he didn't identify by his own name. Anthony Todt shifted blame to his wife, while Robert Durst provided a slew of inconsistent explanations. Cristhian Bahena Rivera initially confessed to the crime, but later claimed he was forced to do so by masked men.
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The Law&Crime Network's Jesse Weber breaks down these top five weakest murder trial defenses that ultimately ended with convictions. Despite their outlandish attempts to evade justice, the evidence against these suspects proved overwhelming, and their far-fetched tales failed to sway the juries. From the absurd to the downright unbelievable, these cases highlight the desperate measures some killers will resort to when faced with the prospect of life behind bars. Tune in as we delve into the details of each case and explore the reasons why these defenses fell flat in the face of cold, hard facts.
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The first guy laughed on the stand while describing his mothers "horrible murder". Dude straight up giggles and says, "the knife came later". Chilling.
Jodi Ariarsehole, tried a version of that, the 2 strangers came in and killed Travis in front of her and let her go?? That was the story after the “I was not there” story!
And he called one of them "the gentleman". For God's sake
Darrell Brooks has got to be the dumbest criminal I’ve ever seen. The fact he killed numerous people and had the audacity to act all tough in the courtroom shows what a monster he is. I’m so glad society doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. 😊
Hopefully his stories about being treated horribly in prison are true
@Redbeef0 it's wisconsin, so I don't doubt that
@@Redbeef0he killed a child, I doubt he's enjoying his time.
He's still owing the victims families an explanation.
He should've gotten extra time for having the audacity to turn the courtroom into a circus 🤹♂️
3:03 - "The gentleman that pushed her down the stairs..." . Now there is a phrase you don't here very often! How gentlemanly of him to do so.
Lol, reminds me of Jennifer Pan, who referred to the guys she paid to kill her parents as "gentlemen".
I know that made me think enough for jury to know he did it 100% gentlemen is not what you call your mothers murders, what a ridiculous story
@@mreko1566That made my skin crawl!!
@@mreko1566So grateful the father survived, to tell the truth that she was not tied up, but how sad he must live without his wife.
Best comment!
The first guy: "The gentleman pushed her into the wall".
Yeah, because we all call the people who brutally murdered our loved ones, "gentleman"...
Omg this is so scary , first time I’ve heard this
Exactly.. and he doesn’t even realize how off of a thing that is to say.
I watched the Darrell Brooks trial from start to finish & it was a NIGHTMARE. Judge Jennifer Dorrow is an angel in human form.
Wasn’t she!? She was incredible.
Facts.
She was desperately trying to make the case for her run on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I'm so glad she failed. She is a Republican Christian evangelical weirdo and would have continued the disgrace of that specific court. The court was fixed by not picking her. She's a good criminal judge... but she should NOT be deciding on cases that affect millions of people.
Right? She was amazing and he was ridiculous
She was AMAZING, wow. I was extremely moved when I thought about the fact that she did everything she did, and gave all of her energy and fortitude with all of her heart, to ensure justice was served for her community. If she made one wrong move, he could go free! And she took that responsibility so seriously.
Those 2 strangers who keep murdering people...they must be the same ones Jodi Arias said murdered the man she'd been stalking for 2 years.
They really get around.
They never do anything alone, or with a third stranger.
Always the two of them.
Wtf i dont remember Jodi stalking anyone? Are you talking about her boyfriend thay she murdered or who?
hmm, she may have abandoned this lie before trial, if i remember correctly. @@sharkshady1876
@@sharkshady1876 It was referenced during the trial constantly. Indeed the murder victim even wrote to a friend a few days before being murdered that he was very frightened because of Arias' stalking.
When he went out with friends, she would follow him. She would stand outside his house at night and peep in. She would sneak into his house and hide in his closet.
She knifed the tires on his car twice, and of a woman he was dating.
Those, my friend, are the things that stalkers do.
@@greenman6141Yes. Same thought as you, friend! These dastardly Hanna Barbera type villains, ninjas, perhaps, who leave No trace of their villainy, also doomed Jodi Arias! 😂😂😂
Always two there are. No more, no less. A Master and an Apprentice.
Anthony Todt's verdict and sentencing is one of my favorite things to watch on a rainy day, so comforting and satisfying, like a bowl of chicken soup.
His trial was the first I watched after Johnny Depp v AH (I had never watched a trial before that)
Todt’s trial was brilliant to watch and yes, just like a bowl of hot chicken soup on a cold and rainy day! 😂
You're sick and I love it.
His name means "death" in German.
You had rain 9 days ago...lucky! Been without consistent rain since may 27th
His testimony is unbelievable beyond words.
Darrel brooks had no defense he just made the whole thing a spectacle.
He should have gotten extra time, for having the audacity!
Yeah his defense was very unclear.
@@sarahmcfadden8990because he didn’t have one. He just wanted to make a show out of it and he did.
@@nomanejane5766 Do you mean _more_ than life in prison?
@@blakekaveny Yup. He enjoyed wasting the court's time, testing the judge's patience to the max and spewing legal jargon that made no sense.
Darrell brooks did mention he doesn't know why god does the things he does. He almost literally used the 'Jesus took the wheel defense.'
I couldn’t figure out what his defense was until his closing argument when he said that, I almost died.
Darrell Brooks really is the gift that keeps on giving.
I cant believe I'm feeling sorry for a criminal and potentially a murderer but I feel absolutely horrible for whoever his cell mate is!!
If I ever go to prison I would insist on being Daryl’s cell mate if I could. 😂
... but is that lawful law? 😅
@@erinfillingame6051 I don't go by that name so it wouldn't apply to me anyway lol
@@georgejungle2255 you must be a glutton for punishment then!
@@elizabethd8147I gotta agree with him... derrell is a tiny little man, a cell mate in prison for life would gladly do the world a favor...
The man who said his mother was killed by strangers showed no emotion in his testimony. How could you talk about the murder of your own mother like that? Like, seriously?
He desensitized himself to it. He was able to convince himself that he didn't do it. He truly believes that he's innocent and this story that he created is true.
It's so...... men that come into a house to kill a random older woman whose probably done nothing worse than maybe burn the dinner. Then they do it in front of a grown man ( who is headed to prison the next day because he's swindled & cheated who knows how many people), that doesn't even try to fight for his mother's life. THEN they show him pics of his ex & kids and threaten him to stay quiet or else, and quietly leave , leaving him ALIVE! Really? They'd leave the scumbag alive & kill the innocent mom???
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. I'm estranged from my mom for a very long time, but in that situation, I would protect my mom, or die trying!
I guess when you’ve murdered the mother who is still taking care of you as an adult despite you being a crook and liar you’re the kind of person who can’t muster up a fake show of emotion over the crime you’ve committed.
@@amarirasheed6there is NO CHANCE that he believes his own lies…he’s just a very practiced liar….which is why he was going to jail that day anyway.
@@amarirasheed6that or he was relishing in his own atrocities behind a curtain of pretending it wasn’t him
Todt was such a creep. Daryl was a side show I could not turn away from
💯💯💯
Todt just reeks of smug narcissism. Pure conman energy
Anthony Todt was so disrespectful on the stand towards the jury, towards the prosecution and even towards his own defense attorney.
Amazing cross. It was like an exorcism.
He went to the school of amber heard...
Darrell Brooks Jr. is the patron saint of Law&Crime Networrk.
I'm surprised Ronnie O’Neal didn't make the list. His defense was that, while he did it, not all the prosecution's claims were entirely accurate.
Ok I seriously have to commend you for mentioning this. I’d never heard of that case before so I looked it up based on your comment. That is truly one of the most fd up things I’ve ever heard and can’t honestly believe I’d never heard of it before seeing your spmment. You’re right. That case should be here,no doubt.
@@Burlykim13 Thanks for coming back and commenting. Yeah, it's absolutely bonkers!
I will agree, it's such a hard case because he is truly out of his mind, but his blatantly manipulative tendencies make it hard to see him as not aware of what he was doing (this is purely a comparison to the legal definition of 'insanity' and seeing the cross examination of his son who was a witness), I do not believe he was acting or hyping up his mental health as a defense (he didn't even CONSIDER that as an option) but I think there were multiple things at play; psychosis but he has a narcissistic or anti-social overlap that just combines and morphs into this vile, evil and delusional mindset. I found DBJ for example, to be completely aware just too narcissistic to actually recognize how he's coming off and how caught he was.
Also the pos guy who robbed and assaulted and elderly woman when her car broke in the middle of the road
@@echidnaspikes8563 Yes!! I watched his trial and his sentencing yesterday! He still says he was NOT there and he is innocent!
Wow, that first case. Imagine being the defense attorney and having to go along with this crazy story your client has came up with. Haha..
Plus watching him laugh and smirk. He can’t help himself.
Hilarious
At that point, I would encourage him to plead not guilty due to insanity.
His story was sounding believable until I remembered this dude moved across the country and changed his name to avoid capture.
@@Careless-sv6cf idk how you think that was believable. He is describing his mother being brutally murdered in front of him and he's completely unbothered about it and even laughs right before he describes her head getting bashed in.
Anthony Todt's crying face is pure gold 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hilarious....for all the wrong reasons.
Totally! 😂
I’d say “I don’t understand the true nature and cause of the charges” and “You still have yet to prove subject matter jurisdiction”, are the most genius defenses I’ve ever heard.😂
"I can't face my accuser, if you don't call _the state of Wisconsin_ ..."
@@QemeH I know, I realized I forgot about that one but I didn’t feel like going back to edit.😂 I figured someone else would make that comment, and here you are!😂
As much as I hate to admit it, Brooks does have a valid point. The problem with his point is that, although he’s a legal genius, that’s not how our justice system works. Must have been out sick that day when he was in law school.
@@DeeRodriguez_BallerinaFaLifefor the record, he is not a person, he's a human being
Wisconsin is very rude and never answers when called.
@@lola-sophiedanton5801 My bad, I forgot about that. That was very rude of me.😂
If we could catch "those two dudes" crime would stop. As a Deputy, everyone was robbed, beaten etc, was attacked by two dudes
Did he just call the state of wisconsin to the stand?😂
The utter gall of these murderers is unbelievable when they retell their story infront of a jury.
Really gets me that the one guy kept calling the people who supposedly killed his mom “gentleman.”
Except for Brooks, I'm astounded that these tools actually thought their ridiculous stories were even a little bit believable 😂!
Thank you for once again sharing the idiocracy of Darrell Brooks.
*idiocy
Lol it's ironic you don't know what Idiocracy even means 😂
Anthony Todt on the stand should be a meme about how not to be a loser in life. All of these defenses are not only unbelievable, but completely ridiculous as well.
That man killed his family. That fake cry, i couldn't see one tear fall from that mans eyes, his face isn't red at all
Blaming victims, especially deceased victims, is the most vile thing to do and proves the lack of remorse from the defendant. Sometimes the victims are alive but are too afraid to confront the defendant. Sometimes the victims are brave enough to come forward and are scrutinized on the witness stand. Sometimes the defendant gets aquitted and then commit more violent crimes.
Darrel Brooks the defenDANT 😂
I think Robert Durst is responsible for the murder of his wife Kathleen Durst too. He was the last person to see her. Before she went missing, she told her friends that if anything happened to her, the police needed to look at her husband.
Wish he would have told the family where she was, my heart hurts for family. He was an evil human, I guess there was no hope for him to have one piece of dignity
@@CrystalKat He was a cretin of the worst sort. Just killing because it served him
It's accepted that he killed Kathy. We will probably never know the details but it was definitely him.
@@ellemarr7234
He was a lot of wretched things, but cretin wasn't one of them
Her breath was cold😮
OK sooooo they had guns.... but used knives and a dumbbell, and left you alive....
Good evening, and Thank You for this!
Loved this. You should do more videos like this!!!
He went from "gentleman" to "monster" lol
Even real lawyers don’t represent themselves.
I think Darrell Brooks has mental issues. Not where he would be found not guilty by reason of insanity, but some sort of delusions influencing his decisions. Like I feel like only a dangerously manic person would think representing themselves in a high stakes case would be a good idea.
Nah he has he's invincible syndrome
No, that's just a narcissist symptom. He's been doing things like this his entire life just thinking he could get away with it. He wasn't tricked or deluded into anything. I'll say what judge Dorow said : sometimes bad people do evil things.
He was examined by THREE expert psychologists.
Nah, calling the murderers of your elderly mother "gentlemen" is crazy to me.
I love this channel. Weber and Levy r the best
Incredible ! This is absolutely incredible !!!
If anyone tried to kill my Mum, they would have to kill me first. What a pathetic excuse 😠
Anthony Todt MIGHT be a worse actor than Amber Heard 😯
😂
My heart is with all of the Innocent Victims.🥀🥀🥀🥀💔💔💔💔🙏🙏🙏🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️ Prayers for the Families 🙏🙏🙏🙏
The reporting here is phenomenal, the crimes abhorrent, and the entertainment is quite interesting and fun to watch if I must say so myself.
I do not understand why Merritt would kill his mother just because he was about to go to jail. He just made things worse.
Good show,stay healthy Jesse.
10:45 that is the best paradoy of "my dog step on a bee face" i have ever seen.
Not even four minutes in & I’m already creeped out & aghast by the defendant calling the “other man/men” who killed his mother, “gentleman/men” then “monsters” & speaking so emotionlessly.
The lawyer holding in her laughter as he called the state of Wisconsin to the stand.
This is so sad,that they really thought that these defenses were going to work
Did you kill her?
No!
But if you did you’d lie about it correct?
Correct.
😂💀
"This was blindsided by a mac truck with dynamite..." okay dude 👌
The thought of him in jail rehearsing this line, then actually going for it in front of a jury, genuinely makes my stomach hurt.
Lookin good Jesse!
11:00
Worst attempt at fake crying...
The swivel chair was ridiculous
It amazes me that they think Anyone is believing them!!! Absurd, pathetic excuses!
you’re telling me the dude who needs english to be translated to spanish through headphones in court understood 2 strangers in america whispering in his car? that would have been the first thing i questioned about his story
Unfortunately, "Sorry I don't speak English" is a common ploy a LOT of guilty people use because in their mind, they think if they "don't understand", it makes them completely innocent of everything
That first one would have made more sense if he argued that they came to look for him, stumbled upon his mother and took what they could get revenge wise
Grounds!!!!
I still sometimes yell that out in the morning when I'm preparing the coffee 🫠
Subject matter jurisdiction!!
Is that a tacK - it agreement? 😂
Is that lawful law?
GROUNDS!
great video
The old dude had me cracking up... He's committed to lying till he gets to the grave
Whoever is coming up with these countdown themes deserves a raise. "And... I opened it." Sir, this is a courtroom.
You are so good! 😃👍
Dude not only told detectives matter of factly how he killed his own family but he had to be the worst actor on the stand pretending to cry. Made Amber Heard's testimony in Depps case look like it was award worthy.
Probably the best acting she ever did, followed by pretending she's a great mom and not a malignant narcissist
4:29 His lawyers have a sick sense of humor! 😂 I like it though! Wish more defense lawyers were like that, with their guilty clients.
These types of psycho's should be kept in isolation and away from the general inmates, to refrain from others having bright ideas to commit similar crimes
That’s awful, how could you murder your wife and 3 kids ??? People now a days are just disgusting and disturbing
Families being murdered has been happening since the dawn of time, it's not exclusive to today.
People attributing familicides to ‘nowadays’ is a misunderstanding of a deeply tragic issue. Familicides are indeed heartbreaking and devastating. We must recognize that these horrors are not solely a product of our times, even though that fact doesn’t diminish their tragedy. A historical example is George Forster, who on December 5, 1802, in London, England, allegedly killed his wife and child by drowning them in the Paddington Canal.
People are disconnected. We are so connected that there's a disconnected if that makes sense. Mix that with financial ruin for a majority of the population and the amount of people there is and you have a nightmare to watch for another desensitizing show.
And the poor doggo 😢
Anthony tried to pull a Ronnie Defeo and also failed miserably.
Interestingly..... ' Todt ' means ' Dead ' in Old German.
"Nowadays"? You really ought to pick up a history book sometime
Darrell Brooks had a box fort tho
"GROUNDS, GROUNDS... Jurisdiction, not my name..." Idiocy+arrogance/inhumanity=D. Brooks.
Anthony Todt …. I can’t roll my eyes harder….
I used to lie a lot as a kid and i never knew why i got such heavy beatings from my mom but after going thru this video i now understand why !
Most entertaining courtroom drama I’ve ever watched he tried it all almost funny 😁
Killing your family shows you’re a psychopath and killing the dog just proves that point
Dude doesnt even shed a tear on the stand
Who cares about the bloomin’ dog when innocent young children are murdered by the very person who is supposed to love and protect them?!
Him and Chris Watts are probably bffs
11:15 not a single tear was seen
I imagine that "i was alone, driving on snow covered winter roads all night" is going to go down with these defenses as complete failures.
Ahh Now after watching some of your video's and then the Sidebar pun hit me!!! Side-BAR like you and your co-host is a/was licenced lawyer's.. Or could just be my mind messing with me..
I love when killers try to represent themselves.
3:26 If he really witnessed his mother being brutally murdered why tf would he laugh like that??? Just so evil and cold
He was even charged with killing the family dog 😂
And the worst that WILL lead to conviction is Alexee Traviso trial 🤣🤣🤣
Brooks was so entertaining! A monster. My 💔for victims
Next time show us 5 successful defense that get aquitals
The first one gave so much detail about what the killers did cause I thought it was put downstairs? He also literally chuckled slightly when he said the knife came later.
0:51 you were pretty stoked for the opportunity to use that word, weren't you? lol
11:52 while watching this i felt just a _hint_ of unbridled *rage* conjuring up from the depths of my soul...
He is one of THE biggest a-holes that I have ever seen/heard. 😑
I know when I commit murder, I always like to have a living witness around. 🤦🏻♂️
When they cry but there are no tears, it is a lie.
16:02 I like how he goes from angry and shouting to sounding like Winnie the Pooh
I don't believe Darrel any had a defense. He kept trying to act like the charges where not valid because the state of Wisconsin was not a human.
And then every day it was a different "defense."
One day it was "I honked my horn! I tried to alarm people!"
The next day it was "That car was recalled!"
The next day after it was "SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION!" 😂
just saying any and everything with no real ground. It was pathetic.
We don't know that, Mr.Wisconsin never showed up at the trial !
@@Proserpira and subject matter jurisdiction was never proved on the record?
Even though it was but we keep saying it hasn't
Idk that todt guy is so cringy and awful monster
Not to mention the worse actor too lol he even TRIED to cry on the stand
They kill the little old lady but let’s him live? Not reasonable
“The knife came later” HE LAUGJEDD😭 are you kidding me??? Glad he’s locked up
Yay we’ve missed you Jesse. Hope the honeymoon was great (:
Focus on the content please
FYI... Todt was sentenced less time than Brooks.
At least Brooks open it up to fair game over the latter. Todt's family trusted him and he pilaged that virtue.
18:55 Well that was very quick sentence
I had a teacher named Mr. Durst and I called him “Durst the worst.”
I could not stop laughing at the mother killer story 😂😂😂😂
Neither could the killer!
@8:42 physical therapist?!?!? LOLOL
I love watching people think that fake crying will get them off clean.. when not a single real tear drips down their face 😂
Howard Hamlin + Dennis Reynolds = this guy
People ask "What could be worse than killing your own kids?..Answer,...killing their mother too and blaming her.
The Durst case is actually made into a movie! "All Good Things”.
I don’t know about the other four cases. But the Brooks case? It was not a weak defense. He had NO defense.