We will prove in this courtroom beyond all reasonable doubt that the defendant Ronald Riff committed the crime in question at the mentioned date at Marquette’s Marquette store. Indeed, your honor and members of the jury, the evidence that we are going to present before this court is beyond circumstantial and completely ties the accused to the burglary incident that took place at Marquette’s store at that time.
In addition, we shall show it to you that the accused had premeditated this particular crime driven by ardent motives that were more than one. Certainly, as we shall see later in the case it was within the accused ability to commit the crime since he had the means, knowledge, opportunity, and motive.
More importantly, we shall present six key witnesses who will place the accused in the vicinity of the crime at various timelines during that night of the crime up to the time that the accused retired to his house after a laborious night of the burglary. However, if there should be any doubt about the involvement of the accused by this time ladies and gentlemen, then the exhibit that we shall table before this court shall certainly prove that the accused did indeed obtain plaintiff cash from the register after illegal breaking and entry with the intention to steal.
Your honor and members of the jury you shall also note like in all other crimes where the defendant is rightly accused, the defendant will have no alibi that can be independently corroborated simply because at the mentioned date and time Mr. Riff was busy reaping where he had not sowed very much like his nature of habitual gambling.
This crime was committed three weeks before the accused services were terminated by Speedy Marquette, who is also the plaintiff in this case for being routinely late; this ladies and gentlemen is our first motive since the accused was in his mind avenging his job dismissal by his former employer by committing the crime. In fact, at that material day when he was being dismissed from work, Mr. Riff who is here before this courtroom in his moment of irrationality exactly made it plainly known to the plaintiff that he intended to avenge his dismissal by saying, and I quote “I’ll get you for this and put your lousy store out of business too”. This was a threat that he carried out three weeks later after he found the right opportunity.
However, my Lord, ladies, and gentlemen this was not the only reason Mr. Riff was so much inclined to rob Marquette’s store at the mentioned date. Incidentally shortly before the time of the crime after a night of gambling and perhaps of major losses. The accused passed by an Auto garage which was close by where he was recognized by one of the witnesses and in the cause of the conversation has mentioned something to the effect that he wanted to obtain more money to hopefully win more at Reds Pleasure Palace, a gambling establishment which he was a frequent patron. But perhaps it was his pressing need for a new guitar that finally made him want to steal the money.
By this point ladies and gentlemen, all the accused needed was the means to commit the crime now that he had all the motive he needed.
In order to obtain a hammer that he come across while at Rusty’s Auto body garage which he conveniently knew would serve his purpose, the accused had to trick the owner so that he can steal it. After he obtained this hammer from the Auto garage, he went straight to the Marquette store and used it to break the door and gain entry, he was later seen disposing of it by Otis Ripple who is one of the witnesses.
My Lord, ladies, and gentlemen, since the accused had previously worked at the store he knew the perfect time to commit the crime would be once the owner had closed and left home. What is more, he knew where exactly the plaintiff stored the money after balancing the days’ account, indeed it only took him less than 15minute from the time of breaking, entering, and locating the money, and fleeing the crime of scene.
This important fact will be collaborated by one of the witnesses, Mr. Waters, who he almost knocked over in his hurry of leaving the crime scene while dropping dollar bills in his trail at about 12:15 which was only about 15 minutes since Mr. Marquette closed the store.
Once the accused had safely obtained the stolen money from his former place of work he went straight to his house, but before he could enter the house to stash the newfound illegal wealth he had to dispose of the legal tender wrapping that Speedy Marquette had used to wrap the bills. It is those wrapping that the accused was disposing of at that time that left no doubt as to what the accused was carrying on his bag.
But not only do we have the motive and the accused being placed at the scene of the crime, but we have also established what the accused later did with the money the following day. Very early in the morning, Mr. Riff went to Sharp’s music store to pay the $875 installment on a guitar that he had made a deposit sometime back.
Members of the jury, the witnesses, and exhibits that we will therefore present before this court will attest to all these facts and would collaborate the accused movement before and after the crime and would leave no doubt that the accused indeed deliberately committed the crime for two reasons: to revenge his dismissal and pay for a new guitar and probably finance his gambling vice.