Social Media Used As Criminal Evidence

Dallas Residents may have watched news reports about a man arrested after a standoff with Grand Prairie police officers. Police say Jose Silva was upset with the a recent break up with his girlfriend and got into a car chase when police tried to pull him over. Police surrounded his vehicle and were in a standoff for hours. Silva was communicating with the police by cell phone. He would periodically hang up and then call back. After Silva was taken into custody police learned that Silva was sending out live photos and tweets during the stand off. The photos were sent with captions which ranged from threats to insults.

The case is another example of how social media is used during the course of criminal offenses. In this case the text sent by Silva could be used by prosecution and the criminal attorney. A criminal attorney might be able to use some of the text to show his client is suffering from an emotional break down. Prosecutors may be able to use some of the text to show a jury Silva is callous and lacks remorse.

As a society we find our citizens using social media to put more and more of their innermost thoughts and feelings out for anyone to see. If some one accused of a crime has been posting on social media chances are the police will try and locate the information. A Dallas criminal attorney should always ask detailed questions about any social media the client uses and determine what has been posted. The criminal lawyer should also determine if the prosecution witnesses have uses social media. The attorney may find valuable information in which he can impeach the witness and destroy his credibility.