SEQ CHAPTER \h
\r 1CR05-102 05/10/04
TESTIMONY OF ACCOMPLICES
You have also heard witnesses who
testified that they were accomplices, that is, they said they participated with
(Def)_______________ in committing a crime. You should examine the testimony
of accomplices with greater care than the testimony of a witness who did not
claim to have participated in the commission of that crime. The reason is that
when an accomplice testifies, he or she has usually made an agreement with the
government that, in exchange for the testimony, he or she will not be punished
for committing a crime, or will receive a lighter sentence. A witness who has
made such an agreement has a motive to testify falsely.
You must therefore evaluate the
testimony of [an accomplice] [(accomplice)_______________] with great care.
Consider whether the testimony of the accomplice has been affected by
self-interest, or by an agreement he or she may have with the government, or by
his or her own interest in the outcome of this case, or by any prejudice he or
she may have against (Def)_______________. Whether to believe the testimony of
accomplices, and how much weight to give it, is up to you.