Burden of proof is on prosecution

Burden of proof is

on prosecution

In his Aug. 1 letter “Jury Bungled Zimmerman Case,” letter writer Bill Sarto makes assumptions and draws conclusions not supported by the evidence presented at the trial. But the worst part was when he wrote, “Zimmerman’s story was not able to be confirmed as true, and therefore should not have been taken as true.”

Mr. Sarto has clearly forgotten that in the United States, a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. The defendant doesn’t have to prove or “confirm” anything; the prosecution does. A jury is required to assume that the defendant is innocent, unless and until the prosecution proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A “not guilty” verdict does not mean the jury thinks the defendant smells like roses. It simply means the prosecution didn’t prove the elements of the offense.

Tyler Benjamin

West Chicago