A Trout In The Milk

Profiles In Prosecution

by Mel Harmon


Formats

Softcover
£9.69
£6.60
Hardcover
£16.42
£9.79
Softcover
£6.60

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 20/05/2011

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 288
ISBN : 9781456767457
Format : Hardcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 288
ISBN : 9781456767440

About the Book

"Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk." (Henry David Thoreau) There are two great branches of evidence in a Criminal Case. They are direct evidence and circumstantial evidence. The meaning of direct evidence is as plain as the nose on your face. A first grader can easily grasp the concept. Whatever a person perceives with any of his physical senses is direct evidence. If you see a crime happen that is direct evidence. And if you smell it or touch it or taste it or hear it as it happens -- that is also direct evidence. Everything else is circumstantial. Therefore, the meaning of circumstantial evidence is easily comprehended and just as easily categorized. If it isn't direct evidence it's circumstantial evidence. And if there's a trout in a can of milk, we know the farmer has dipped his can into a stream of water. We didn't see him do it, but we know the squiggly rainbow didn't come from a cow's udder. The finned scrapper getting his first taste of milk is irrefutable circumstantial evidence of dairy farmer duplicity!


About the Author

Mel Harmon is a retired Trial Lawyer. Employed by the Clark County District Attorney's Office in Las Vegas, Nevada for twenty nine years. Serving as Chief Deputy in charge of the Major Violator's Unit for sixteen years. During his career he handled nearly 300 felony trials, which includes 136 Murder Trials. Probably, no Prosecutor in the United States has exceeded this number. He is uniquely qualified to discuss the prosecution of murder cases. He is well known in the State of Nevada, particularly in the Las Vegas area. He has participated over the years in many high-profile cases that received extensive news coverage. The Governor proclaimed both March 1, 1989 and October 26, 1996 as Mel Harmon Days in recognition of his professional stature. He also recived the State Bar of Nevada Distinguished Public Lawyer Award for "expertise, dedication and extraordinary service to the people of Nevada as a Public Lawyer" in November, 1992. Moreover, he was awarded the William J. Raggio outstanding Prosecutor in the State Award on September 23, 2004. He has been married to his wife for 48 years, and they are the parents of four children and six grandchildren.