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alibi witness
noun
law
: a witness upon whom a criminal defendant relies in establishing or providing an alibi
Examples of alibi witness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Skakel’s appellate lawyers later argued that Skakel’s trial attorney, Mickey Sherman, made poor decisions, including not focusing on Tommy as a possible suspect and failing to attempt to contact an alibi witness.
—Dave Collins, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2024
Norwood soon realized that Simmons’s initial defense lawyer had not called all alibi witnesses to testify.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2023
Carr said his concerns included a key witness being paid a reward, as well as alibi witnesses who placed Johnson in another part of town at the time of the shooting.
—Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al, 15 Apr. 2023
As in Soto’s case, the petition Spolin filed for Demond Spikes referenced the existence of an alibi witness, but did not include the man’s name, details of his account or a declaration.
—Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023
In November 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Syed's appeal for a new trial, upholding a Maryland appeals court's decision that rejected claims his trial lawyer failed to interview an alibi witness, and therefore Syed's constitutional right to effective legal representation was violated.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2022
In 2016, a lower court ordered a retrial for Syed on grounds that his attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, who died in 2004, didn’t contact an alibi witness and provided ineffective counsel.
—Brian Witte, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2022
Devoted listeners will recall that’s when Asia McClain, the alibi witness, who Syed’s original lawyer never reached out to, finally spoke in court.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2022
In November of that year, a Baltimore judge issued an order that would allow Syed to present new evidence, including the testimony of McClain, Syed's alibi witness.
—Greg Hanlon, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alibi witness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1774, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near alibi witness
Cite this Entry
“Alibi witness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alibi%20witness. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Legal Definition
alibi witness
see witness
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