A criminial case with relevant, reliable, and competent evidence Essay

A criminial case with relevant, reliable, and competent evidence - Essay Example This was emphasized in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Holbrook v Hymn. The Court held that in accordance with the provisions of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution, the guilt of the accused was to be determined exclusively on the basis of the evidence presented during trial. Furthermore, guilt could not be established on the basis of official suspicion, indictment, continued custody or other circumstances (Gardner & Anderson , 2009, p. 31). Evidence that is relevant, reliable and not otherwise inadmissible at trial is deemed to be competent evidence. The defendant in Holmes v South Carolina, endeavored to introduce evidence that the murder had been committed by a third party. In this effort the defendant offered witnesses who exhibited willingness to testify that the third party had committed the crime. This testimony was excluded by the trial court on the grounds that the case against the defendant was strong and that the evidence against the third party merely generated a bare suspicion. The defendant was convicted of murder, and this sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of South Carolina (Gardner & Anderson , 2009, p. 32). In this case, the Supreme Court of South Carolina affirmed that any evidence of third party guilt had to generate a reasonable implication of innocence. In addition, such evidence had to be restricted to the facts that were not in conformity with the guilt of the defendant. The Court further clarified that the forensic evidence was almost conclusive in indicating the guilt of the defendant, and that the evidence against the third party was effective only to the extent of creating a bare suspicion. In such cases, the evidence against the third party was inadequate for producing a reasonable implication of innocence regarding the defendant (Holmes v. South Carolina). Thereafter, this case was put up for direct review in the US Supreme Court. In its unanimous decision this Court