Free-agent receiver Stefon Diggs currently stands trial on a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor charge of assault. He decided not to take the witness stand to rebut the allegations of the alleged victim, Mila Adams.
Under the American system of justice, criminal defendants have a constitutional right to not testify, with the burden resting on the prosecution to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with other evidence.
Although Adams told an objectively compelling story regarding the alleged assault, the rest of the evidence arguably undermined her claim.
For starters, there was no physical evidence of any injury. No photos taken at the time of the alleged incident, no apparent injuries when she reported the incident to police.
Also, her behavior after the alleged incident, as explained by other witnesses who interacted with her, was inconsistent with the reasonable aftermath of an assault.
Diggs’s lawyers attempted during closing argument to show that her contention regarding an alleged assault was simply not credible.
As of this posting, the judge is instructing the jury on the law that applies to the case. The jury will then begin to deliberate on a verdict.
