Social Media Becoming a Key Form of Evidence
By: Danielle Woods
Updated: March 19, 2013
March 18, 2013 - 17 year old Trent Mays and 16 year old Ma'lik Richmond of Steubenville, Ohio have been found guilty of raping a drunk teenage girl.
Prosecutors were able to find the two guilty because of an overwhelming amount of social media evidence.
After speaking with local experts to find out just how important social media is in winning cases, and they say, it is extremely helpful.
"Social media is changing everything. I think the case in Steubenville was a perfect example of a new age in crime fighting," Erie defense attorney Jeff Vietch said.
Vietch said without the social media evidence, Mays and Richmond would not have been found guilty.
"These cases are very difficult to prosecute even in the best of circumstances because historically it's been one person's word against the other person's word,"
Social media expert AJ Miceli said attorneys are now more prepared to lock away criminals because of social media.
"Social media provides evidence and when it comes to the legal system, evidence is key," Miceli said.
