Alibis do sometimes work.
A successful alibi is one that is strong enough to entirely rule out the defendant as the perpetrator.
Sadly, alibis are difficult to prove.
One person's testimony is often not enough.
An alibi defense is recognized as a valid defense in all jurisdictions in the U.S., and if successful, the defense can result in an acquittal of all criminal charges.
Alibi in law refers to and is a defense to a criminal charge alleging that the accused was somewhere other than at the scene of the crime at the time it occurred.
The word "alibi" comes from Latin and its literal translation means "elsewhere".
The Black's Law Dictionary (8th ed. 2004) defines Alibi as "A defense based on the physical impossibility of a defendant's guilt by placing the defendant in a location other than the scene of the crime at the relevant time.
The definition of alibi is the act of saying that someone was with you instead of where someone is accused of being, either as a defense for an accusation or as a way to avoid getting into trouble.
When a wife says her husband was at home when the murder occurred, it is an example of alibi.
During a criminal trial, an alibi is a defense raised by the accused as proof that they could not have committed the crime because they were in some other place at the time the alleged offense was committed.
An alibi witness is a witness that a criminal defendant calls upon to establish that they were somewhere other than at the scene of the crime at the time it occurred.
In many cases, the alibi a person relies on when defending themselves in court will involve their direct family members, including their spouse, parents, siblings or children.
Other times, their alibis may be close friends or other people they spend a significant amount of time with.
An alibi defense is recognized as a valid defense in all jurisdictions in the U.S., and if successful, the defense can result in an acquittal of all criminal charges.