“The idea is to make the witness lose her cool and start to hurt her own case,” said former federal prosecutor Kevin O’Brien.
If the alleged victim comes across as “sympathetic, candid and reflective,” then “the lawyer loses the jury almost from the opening bell,” and the judge’s reactions reinforce the problem, he added. “There is a good chance that is what happened to Tacopina here,” O’Brien said. “Carroll was a remarkable witness.”
May 2, 2023