State of Florida v. Ronald Bender

Who are our Key Players?  Who is the defendant?  What is the charge?  Who are the witnesses for the State?  Who are the witnesses for the defense?

What was found at the scene?  8 fingerprints- on window sill and on dresser.  Ring never found.  Samantha was home alone.

Relevant Timeline  February 1 st Judas asks Samantha to marry him.  February 2 nd The first night Bender claims to see ring  February 3 rd the night of the burglary.  February 4 th Twitter post  February 14 th date Judas wants to get married.

Defendant- Ronald Bender  Extensive knowledge and experience working at jewelry store.

Samantha Strong- Defense Witness Defense

Detective Diane Singleton  Prosecution Witness

Richard Judas- prosecution witness

F.S & Burglary  mode=Display_Statute&URL= /0810/Sections/ html

Opening Statement  The opening statement at the beginning of the trial is limited to outlining facts.  This is each party's opportunity to set the basic scene for the jurors, introduce them to the core disputes in the case, and provide a general road map of how the trial is expected to unfold.  Absent strategic reasons not to do so, parties should lay out for the jurors who their witnesses are, how they are related to the parties and to each other, and what each is expected to say on the witness stand.  Opening statements include such phrases as, “Ms. Smith will testify under oath that she saw Mr. Johnson do X,” and “The evidence will show that Defendant did not do Y.”  Although opening statements should be as persuasive as possible, they should not include arguments. They come at the end of the trial.