As reported at the Lake Wylie Pilot:

NEWARK, N.J. — A 20-year-old man was convicted Tuesday of murder in the execution-style slayings of three college-bound friends in a Newark schoolyard in 2007, an incident that jolted New Jersey’s largest city into implementing a wave of anti-crime measures.

The defendant confessed to police that he slashed a victim with a machete before the victim and the others were shot. However, at trial the defendant denied doing it and said he was pressured by the police to change his statement.

Inconsistencies between statements made to police and trial testimony can create real challenges for a criminal defense. That is why, generally speaking, you should not discuss criminal activity with police without having a lawyer present.

The decision of whether a criminal defendant should take the stand during his/her trial is very complex. On the one hand, a defendant may have a strong desire to tell his/her side of the story. On the other hand, the defendant will be subject to examination by the prosecutor.

In this case, it appears that testifying at trial may have actually worked against the defendant in this particular case. It’s important to note that making a decision of whether or not to testify in one’s defense is a very difficult judgment call that should only be made after much consideration and with the advice and counsel of an experienced criminal defense attorney.