Hi everyone, by the time you reached the end of this chapter it was obvious that the legal system has  been very wil

Hi everyone, by the time you reached the end of this chapter it was obvious that the legal system has 

been very willing to make exceptions to the Hearsay Rule. Some have argued that the pendulum has 

swung too far for exceptions. 

Some definitions:  

Hearsay  Hearsay is: (1) a statement, (2) other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the 

trial or hearing, (3) offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.

Hearsay Rule  The Hearsay Rule makes hearsay declarations inadmissible at trial. There are many 

exceptions to the Hearsay Rule. An attorney who wishes to introduce hearsay at trial must be able to 

state which exception to the Hearsay Rule is applicable to the statement.

Double hearsay  Double hearsay refers to a hearsay statement that is embedded in another hearsay statement. Example: In the statement D said that E told her what F said, what F originally said to E is 

hearsay; when D attempts to repeat what E said, it is double hearsay.

Assignment: 

Watch recorded Zoom lecture:

Read the Drew Peterson case study in your book and watch carefully (take notes along the way) the Drew Peterson video that is attached. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ufw1FZh_6c&t=2s

Also, read the attached newspaper article about the jurors and there trouble with the hearsay 

exceptions.   

Using the book and video, make an itemized list of the statements that were obtained during the investigation.  Evaluate the information in each statement (hint- if you see or hear comments 

like, “she/he told me or she/he said” they could be hearsay:

PLEASE SEPARATE THE ANSWER FOR QUESTION 1 AND 2. EX) 1) —– 2)—–

1. 1. 1. Is it hearsay? If so, who is the declarant?
      2. Is the statement double hearsay? If so, is it admissible?