The truth of the matter

"There are two sides to every story... and then there's the truth."

-- Patti Stanger, The Millionaire Matchmaker

It's an essential truth in our line of work that no one ever really knows the truth. Thanks to rules of evidence and procedure, our Constitutional protections and the reality that memories fade over time, that jury sitting in the box will never hear the entire truth about what happened on "the night in question."

The jury will hear the prosecutor's story and then the citizen accused's story. Then they will be asked to decide among themselves what they think is the truth.

I had occasion one morning to sit down and talk to Wharton County Justice of the Peace (Precinct 4) Dennis Korenek and he told me that most folks just want to come into his court and tell their side of the story. I believe that. I also believe that can be a very dangerous attitude to have when you're up against The State of Texas.