False Accusation Investigation Proves Innocence in Assault Case
net synergies realized above the initial target in the first year
Client Background
The client was a young man with no criminal history who found himself in county jail, unable to afford bail. He admitted to a verbal argument and a shoving match at a downtown Houston bar, but he maintained that he walked away before the victim was injured. His mother, convinced of his innocence but terrified by the overwhelming “evidence” against him, called us. The justice system had already moved toward a conviction, and his public defender lacked the resources to canvass the scene for additional evidence.
Challenge
our client was the only person involved.
Faulty Eyewitness Testimony: Two individuals had given sworn statements claiming they saw our client throw the punch, creating a high hurdle for the defense.
Severe Injury: The victim’s jaw was fractured in two places, ensuring the state would pursue the highest possible felony charges.
Police Tunnel Vision: Law enforcement had stopped investigating the moment they had a suspect and a victim statement, ignoring alternative theories.
Investigations
We moved beyond the standard police report to conduct a deep-dive forensic investigation:
Multi-Angle Video Recovery: We returned to the bar and secured footage from secondary cameras that the police had never requested. This new angle revealed a “third man”—a friend of the victim—who stepped in from the side and delivered the blow while our client was turning to walk away.
Witness Re-Interviews: We tracked down the original witnesses. Under detailed questioning, both admitted they did not actually see the punch connect. They had seen the aftermath and assumed our client was responsible because he was the one arguing with the victim.
Motive and Background Check: We uncovered that the victim and our client were romantic rivals. The victim had a history of harassing the defendant over a shared ex-girlfriend, giving the victim a clear motive to falsely identify our client as his attacker.
Medical Mechanics Review: We consulted a medical expert who analyzed the fracture pattern. The expert concluded that the injury was inconsistent with our client’s stance but matched the momentum and angle of the “third man” caught on the secondary video.
Digital Forensics: We identified the actual assailant via social media, where he had posted about “handling disrespect” at the bar that night, effectively confirming his involvement.
Results
The results of our investigation completely dismantled the prosecution’s case:
Charges Dismissed: Once presented with the secondary video and the recorded witness retractions, the District Attorney’s office dismissed all charges against our client.
Immediate Release: The 22-year-old was released from county jail within two weeks of our findings, and the threat of a five-year prison sentence was removed.
Exoneration: The investigation successfully shifted the blame to the actual assailant and exposed the victim’s attempt to use the legal system for personal revenge.
The Bottom Line: In the criminal justice system, “eyewitnesses” can be wrong and video can be taken out of context. This case proves that a dedicated false accusation investigator can find the “missing pieces” that save an innocent person from a lifetime of consequences.
The Results
Customer orders remained steady during the sales transition, and financial performance in the impacted business units exceeded internal forecasts.
Sales representatives were shifted toward the future-state, guided by the new organization structure, territories, product coverage, and compensation design in both North America and Europe.
The combined company was also on track toward full integration of sales enablement tools, including revised training programs, rationalized sales IT systems and updated sales dashboards and performance metrics.
Identified net synergies for the third year expected to exceed expectations at 1.5 times the initial target.
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A weekly, executive-level decision mechanism to guide the process and solve problems as they arise.
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