August 3, 2023
Rachel Fiset, a managing partner at ZFZ Law, joined “NewsWeek” to share thoughts on the difficulties Shiver’s defense team will face.
Criminal defense attorney Rachel Fiset, managing partner of Los Angeles-based ZFZ Law, spoke to Newsweek about the difficulties Shiver’s defense team will face due to the differences between the local judiciary system and that in the U.S.
“Bahamian law allows for prosecution of the conspiracy if there is an agreement or an act in furtherance of a common criminal purpose. [This] is easier to prove than most United States jurisdictions that require both an agreement and an action in furtherance of a common criminal purpose,” Fiset said when asked how strong a case the prosecution could have in a trial.
“The standard [of] evidence gathered thus far may allow the prosecution to show that the intent to murder existed along with the agreement to do so.”
She also noted that while Shiver is an American citizen, the alleged crime took place in the Bahamas and a trial in that country is likely as investigators from the country gather more evidence.
“Lindsay Shiver is going to face a criminal justice system she is less familiar with, where she may be subject to harsher statutory schemes under which she is prosecuted and harsher penalties,” Fiset added.
“As she is not a citizen of the Bahamas—and a flight risk—she has been placed under monitoring and cannot leave the country to return to the United States in the near future.”
