Originally Posted by shants
yes, the guy is a criminal and it's horrible, but it's pretty much impossible to get a conviction in a case where the prosecution's crucial witness is shown to have lied (not only about the blindness, but about even visiting that doctor at all -- he had a "psychotic" episode and couldn't go, or so he said*), especially after the defense has pointed out that he has a history of retaliation against automobiles.
Exactly. I have no axe to grind in this case. I don't know Mr. Torrin, or Mr. Arrigoni, in the real world or online. But I do know that a prosecutor, once he's discovered that the supposed victim of a crime has committed, or is likely to commit, perjury, has a very real problem. A lawyer who puts a witness on the stand knowing that that witness will perjure him/herself can be disbarred. And if that witness' testimony is shown to be false,
nothing that witness says in further testimony will be believed by a jury. Or by a judge, in a non-jury trial. If the prosecution's case was built on Mr. Torrin's testimony, and some of Mr. Torrin's testimony was shown to be false, the case is over, period.