Testifying

[klunderbunker]

In light of the situation with Plaxico Burress, a teammate and friend of his has been asked to testify about what happened that night. Now I'm not sure what he knows or what his testimony would mean one way or another, but it got me thinking.

Suppose you were out with your best friend, girlfriend, relative or whatever, and you see them commit what is without a doubt a crime. After a few days, the other person is arrested and charged with the crime. It is known that you were with them at the exact time and you're asked to testify, with your story being the thing that either proves the person's innocence or guilt. Knowing that they're definitely guilty, what do you do?

Do you tell the truth and turn them in, or do you lie, and face the possibility that it could come back to haunt you later?

For me, if the crime was something dangerous, the answer would be simple: say they're guilty. For something along the lines of theft, or something that doens't physically hurt someone, then I'd say innocent. Even though it could come back on me, there's the chance that it wouldn't and the person I love would be ok.

 

[Tim]

I agree with you KB. If it doesn't hurt anyone, or its some small petty crime, for example theft as you said, I wouldn't turn them in. It isn't gong to hurt anyone in the end, and this person would be spending time in jail, because you testified because of something that doesn't make much difference to anybody. If you didn't testify over something such as theft, then your loved one would be ok.

But if it was something such as murder, or some other serious offense, then I would have no choice but to testify. I couldn't bear the guilt of letting a known criminal free, even if it a loved one. And the person that did it would have known that the crime was wrong, and they would probably have no good excuse. If they commited the crime, they deserve to be punished for it.