14 Utterly Absurd Legal Defenses That Were Actually Used In Court
![14 Utterly Absurd Legal Defenses That Were Actually Used In Court](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/9/879839_320x180.jpg)
Did you f* up in a major way? Well buddy, you've come to the right piece of internet content. For the next few minutes, I'm your lawyer: a nameless, faceless editor of a comedy website. Sounds like I'm not qualified to defend you in court, right? Well, hear me out:
What's your biggest flaw?
Seriously. I'm talking physical attributes, mental and emotional scars. What was your home life like growing up? Terrible? Great? Doesn't matter, I'm sure I've got some kind of excuse for your sh*tty behavior as an adult.
If you're a perfectly healthy rich kid? I hereby diagnose you with “affluenza.” A buxom model? Well, there's certainly no way you were able to squeeze through that tiny hole you're accused of trespassing via, what with all that boob you're hauling. And if you're just some guy? With nothing really going for ya? You can always fake a heart attack during closing arguments.
I'm not saying any of that will work. But I am saying: somebody, somewhere, thought it was worth a shot.
Big Boobs
![My breasts are too big to fit through that hole. Japanese model Serena Kozakura was cleared of charges after the court agreed her breasts were too big to fit through a hole that she had been accused of crawling through. The presiding judge agreed with the defense lawyer holding up a plate showing the size of Ms. Kozakura's bosom in comparison to the hole. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/9/2/880192.jpg)
"Gay Panic"
![The panic defense is how homophobes try to get away with murder. This legal strategy tries to get a jury to agree that a person's sexual orientation or gender identity/expression made someone else so mad they reacted violently. The idea is that by making the victim seem less than human, their life isn't worth as much and the attacker shouldn't be held liable. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/1/879851.jpg)
"Roid Rage"
![A killer's lawyers blamed his actions on steroids. Steroids may have been to blame for a Keith Dukes' murderous rage, according to his defense team. They claimed that the defendant was on a triple dose of testosterone medication and this roid rage drove him over the edge. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/9/1/880191.jpg)
The Matrix
![- - - OPEUR The Matrix is used as a legal defense. Since the movie's release, an increasing number of defendants have claimed they believed they were living in a virtual reality. While some judges have found this to be enough for reason of insanity, experts agree that most copycat defenses would not hold up in court. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/0/879850.jpg)
Warner Bros.
"Urban Fear Syndrome"
![A man attributed his shooting of a 13-year-old to urban fear syndrome. Nathaniel Hurt went on trial for killing a teenager after the child threw garbage on his property. His lawyer argued that he should be excused because of urban fear syndrome, a (made-up) condition he described as caused by 40 days of threats against his client's life. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/5/879855.jpg)
Twins
![Having a twin can let you get away with crimes. In Malaysia, identical twins were arrested for drug trafficking. Even though large amounts of opium and marijuana were found in a house one of the brothers had the key to, the judge ruled that police could not prove which man committed the crime. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/4/879854.jpg)
Sleepwalking
![The sleepwalking defense lets you to get away with crimes you commit in your sleep. People who do unexpected things in their sleep have a sometimes successful defense called the sleepwalking defense, where they say they weren't conscious or didn't mean to commit a crime. A man in Texas killed his mistress while sleepwalking and was successfully defended with this method. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/2/879852.jpg)
Polygamy
![A lawyer argued his polygamist client needed his driver's license to see both of his wives. Mohammed Anwar pleaded guilty to speeding. His lawyer argued that, having two wives under Islamic law, Anwar needs his license to be able to regularly see both of them. The sheriff allowed him to keep it. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/8/879848.jpg)
PMS
![PMS is used as a defense against murder charges. Since the 19th century, premenstrual issues have been used as defenses in crimes such as shoplifting and arson-and even murder sometimes. The Rajasthan High Court in India acquitted a woman of pushing three children into a well, killing one, due to doctors testifying that she suffered from severe PMS prior to the event. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/9/879849.jpg)
John Hinckley
![John Hinckley tried to kill Reagan and was found insane, which caused a public uproar. Hinckley became obsessed with the movie Taxi Driver and its young star Jodie Foster. Не tried to assassinate President Reagan in order to impress her, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The public was outraged, and laws were passed restricting the use of the defense. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/7/879847.jpg)
Heart Attack Faker
![A dude tried to fake a heart attack to get out of his trial. In 2008, Keison Wilkins faked a heart attack during his closing argument in hopes of getting a mistrial, but no one in the courtroom bought it. Не continued is act even after returning to the defense table. Не ended up being sentenced to 42 years in prison. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/5/879845.jpg)
Too Fat
![2 3 4 5 9 7 8 9 DE 10 127 128 11 129 130 12 131 13 132 133 14 134 5 135 16 136 17 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 24 145 25 146 26 147 too fat to be guilty. The defendant is 27 A jury in New Jersey found Edward Ates guilty of killing his former son-in-law Paul Duncsak in 2006, despite the defense's claim that Ates was too overweight to have committed the crime. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/6/879846.jpg)
Insane Cop
![LE ROVENT YORK MAY A cop shot a ninth-grader and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. In 1976, Robert Torsney shot a kid in the head, claiming the victim had reached for a silver object. After being found not guilty by reason of insanity, he was released from psychiatric care and denied a disability pension. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/4/879844.jpg)
Affluenza
![A kid got off easy for being a spoiled rich brat. 100 In 2013, 16-year-old Ethan Couch plowed his truck into a group of people, killing four and injuring nine. His father's defense team argued that he had affluenza, that is, he was too rich to know any better. Judge Jean Boyd agreed, and sent him to rehab instead of prison. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/2/879842.jpg)