Domestic Battery Case in Illinois Not Guilty Finding

A domestic battery conviction in Illinois should be avoided at all costs. Always engage an experienced criminal defense attorney who has handled many Illinois domestic battery cases.

In this particular situation, the client was in an unhappy marriage and decided to end it. He told his wife he was leaving her. That night, he went night fishing at Jackson Harbor with friends.

The next morning he went to work. When he returned, he was arrested because his wife claimed that he came home from fishing drunk and had bitten her on the shoulder.

As is typical when a woman makes a claim of Domestic Battery, a photograph was taken of the bruise. Prosecutors tend to be very confident if they have a photo of an injury, and this case was no exception.

However, the Chicago domestic battery attorney Steven R. Hunter conducted a thorough investigation that created the evidence needed to win the case.

First, a review of the police reports showed that the client's wife claimed he battered her when he was really fishing. The fishing buddies of the defendant were identified and prepared to be alibi witnesses.

Next, the photo was reviewed. Although a small bruise was evident, it showed no teeth marks, and did not possess the shape of a mouth. Steven R. Hunter has been trying criminal cases for over 23 years and has seen many photographs of bite marks. This did not look like a bite mark. Mr. Hunter knew the judge was a former prosecutor who had also seen many photos of bite marks. Such fake injuries are common in many domestic battery cases, and only a good domestic battery lawyer will have the experience to bring this forward successfully.

Finally, Steven R. Hunter created a cross-examination that exposed the wife's motive to lie. At the end of the trial, the judge agreed that the photo did not look like a bite mark, disbelieved the wife, and found the client not guilty. (11 DV79079)