The Defense Doesn’t Rest

[phkrause]

Chaim Yankel was excited for his very first big court case. His client’s wife went missing and being that everyone knew that his client and his wife were in a big fight, the police arrested him on murder charges.

Witness after witness came to the stand testifying to all sorts of horrible threats that the accused made towards his wife and how they thought that he was guilty. Things were looking quite dim so Chaim Yankel stood up dramatically and said, “Ladies and Gentleman of the jury I have something quite exciting to tell you, if you would all please direct your attention towards the door behind me on my left you will see the supposedly dead woman walk in on her own two feet.” There was an audible gasp in the courtroom as all eyes turned towards the door.

“Ladies and Gentleman” said Chaim Yankel after a few seconds of anxious waiting, “To be honest with you, nobody is going to be walking through the door. But from the mere fact that your eyes all turned towards the door it is quite obvious that you are not sure beyond a shadow of a doubt about my client’s guilt.”

To Chaim Yankel’s great surprise, the jury decided that the man was guilty.

“But how could you say that he is guilty?” Chaim Yankel asked the jury foreman. “Didn’t I prove it to you?”

“It is true that we all turned towards the door,” the jury foreman explained, “but there was person who didn’t.”

“Who is that?” asked Chaim Yankel indignantly.

“Your client.”