Legal Definitions - acquittal

An acquittal is a formal legal judgment in a criminal case where a person accused of a crime is found not guilty. This decision can be made by a jury or a judge after considering all the evidence presented during a trial. When a person is acquitted, it means the prosecution did not successfully prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This legally discharges the individual from the accusation, and generally, they cannot be tried again for the same offense due to the principle of double jeopardy.

There are a few ways an acquittal can occur:

• An acquittal in fact happens when a jury or judge directly issues a verdict of "not guilty."
• An acquittal in law occurs when a person is legally discharged from a charge due to a legal technicality or a related outcome. For instance, if someone is accused of helping a principal offender after a crime, and the principal offender is later acquitted, the accessory might also be acquitted by operation of law.
• An implied acquittal happens when a jury convicts a defendant of a lesser crime but remains silent on a more serious charge. In such cases, the defendant is considered acquitted of the more serious charge and cannot be retried for it.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of an acquittal:

• Example 1: Acquittal by Jury Verdict

  A woman named Clara is accused of grand theft auto. During her trial, the prosecution presents surveillance footage that is grainy and inconclusive, and the key eyewitness's testimony is inconsistent. The defense presents strong alibi evidence, including time-stamped receipts and witness statements, showing Clara was in a different city at the time of the alleged theft.

  How this illustrates acquittal: After hearing all the evidence and arguments, the jury deliberates and concludes that the prosecution has not proven Clara's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They return a verdict of "not guilty." This is an acquittal, specifically an acquittal in fact, meaning Clara is legally cleared of the charge and cannot be tried again for that specific incident of grand theft auto.

• Example 2: Acquittal by Operation of Law

  Michael is charged with being an accessory after the fact to a burglary, meaning he allegedly helped the primary burglar, Robert, hide the stolen goods. Robert is tried first for the burglary. During Robert's trial, the prosecution fails to convince the jury that Robert actually committed the burglary, and Robert is acquitted.

  How this illustrates acquittal: Since Robert, the principal offender, was found not guilty of the burglary, Michael cannot logically be guilty of helping him *after* a burglary that legally did not occur. Therefore, Michael is granted an acquittal for the accessory charge, often referred to as an acquittal in law, because his guilt was dependent on Robert's guilt, which was not established.

• Example 3: Implied Acquittal

  A defendant, David, is charged with both attempted murder (a serious felony) and aggravated assault (a lesser included offense). The jury hears evidence related to both charges during the trial.

  How this illustrates acquittal: After deliberations, the jury finds David guilty of aggravated assault but does not return a verdict on the attempted murder charge. By convicting David of the lesser offense and remaining silent on the greater, the jury has implicitly acquitted David of attempted murder. This is an implied acquittal, meaning David cannot be retried for attempted murder for that same incident, even if new evidence were to surface later, due to double jeopardy protections.