Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia
II. Final Instructions Scope
B. Evaluation of Testimony

Instruction 2.210 FALSE OR INCONSISTENT STATEMENT BY DEFENDANT

You have heard evidence that [name of defendant] made statements in explanation of his/her actions that may have been false or inconsistent. It is up to you to decide whether s/he made the statements, and whether they were, in fact, false or inconsistent. If you find s/he did make such statements and that they were false or inconsistent, you may consider such evidence as tending to show his/her feelings of guilt, which you may, in turn, consider as tending to show actual guilt. On the other hand, you may also consider that s/he may have given such statements for reasons [unrelated to this case or] consistent with his/her innocence.

If you find that [name of defendant] made a false or inconsistent statement in explanation of his/her actions, you should give the testimony as much weight as in your judgment it deserves.

 

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