Following a robbery arrest, you may have many questions about Virginia robbery trials. The way robbery cases are tried in Virginia depends on the case. A lot of the cases in Fairfax end up going to trial. The prosecutors are not as zealous about the jury trials as they are in some other jurisdictions. If it is violent or a particularly egregious robbery allegation, they put it in front of a jury because they know it takes more time. If you have been charged with a robbery offense, consult a skilled robbery attorney that could help you navigate the trial process.
There are many important aspects to keep in mind during Virginia robbery trials. One of these aspects is politeness. The defendant needs to be polite in front of the judge and in front of a jury. Appearance is everything. A jury should be convinced by the person’s presence that they are not the person that they are accusing them of being. An individual also needs to take the proceedings seriously when they are in court. They should do so by listening, taking notes, and not yelling or disturbing the trial.
Most importantly, a person should be on time. Even though the person is going to sit and wait, they should do this because if they call the case and the person is not there, they may issue a bench warrant for the person. They may give the person a failure to appear on a felony offense, even if they are ten minutes late. It could potentially be problematic for the person.
Depending on how the case is brought forward, Virginia robbery trials are going to be in either general district court or circuit court. If it is in general district court, it is going to be heard on the second floor. If it is in circuit court, it is going to be heard on the fourth or fifth floor.
People need to know that the trial process is a long process. Courthouses are busy, so people are not going to be in and out, even if they have a brief hearing. It is going to take the majority of a person’s day sitting and waiting for the case to be called. This is through no fault of an attorney. The court process takes a long time. Also, robbery cases are open to the public unless there is a juvenile victim or some other reason to close the courtroom or seal the proceedings, which is rare.
Virginia robbery trials could take a long time. Depending on how many witnesses there are and what the evidence is, they could take up to a week or more. Others could be as little as one day. It depends on the circumstances.
Under no circumstances might a case be resolved on the first court date. The first court date is going to be an arraignment or the first hearing. It could be resolved because they are dropping the charge, but that rarely happens. The charge could be dropped at the preliminary hearing where someone enters into something, but that is a court date down the line.
The process of a robbery case differs from the process of other criminal trials in Virginia, in that they are often continued. For a robbery charge, a preliminary hearing, which is the hearing in front of a general district court judge, there is not always enough evidence to go forward with a case. In Fairfax, an individual gets what they need at the first preliminary hearing case and it is continued.
It is rare that the person gets preliminary hearing evidence the first day. In other jurisdictions, a person gets this in advance. Another way Virginia robbery trials differ from other trials is the amount of time that an individual is going to have to be in court. It may be multiple times, especially if an individual has difficulty getting information about the witnesses. Once it goes to trial in circuit court, the trial date might be moved a couple of times. It is a situation that it is going to take longer than one thinks and an individual is going to be frustrated by the slowness with which the evidence is provided to the defense attorney.
Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group
