Forced to appear as witness in out of state criminal trial

[helpmehelper]

I have a friend who has been contacted by a district attorney in Illinois. She was the victim of many terrible crimes as a young girl and they want her to testify as a witness in a criminal trial. She does not want to relive any of this in a courtroom and has told them that she is not willing to appear in court. We Live in New Hampshire, can she be forced to appear as a witness and can she be charged with contempt of court if she does not appear?

 

[Zigner]

I have a friend who has been contacted by a district attorney in Illinois. She was the victim of many terrible crimes as a young girl and they want her to testify as a witness in a criminal trial. She does not want to relive any of this in a courtroom and has told them that she is not willing to appear in court. We Live in New Hampshire, can she be forced to appear as a witness and can she be charged with contempt of court if she does not appear?

Please have your friend log on. Alternatively, you can help your friend by referring her to a local attorney.

 

[LdiJ]

I have a friend who has been contacted by a district attorney in Illinois. She was the victim of many terrible crimes as a young girl and they want her to testify as a witness in a criminal trial. She does not want to relive any of this in a courtroom and has told them that she is not willing to appear in court. We Live in New Hampshire, can she be forced to appear as a witness and can she be charged with contempt of court if she does not appear?

Because she is not a resident of IL, she really cannot be forced to appear in a court in IL as a witness. However, if they need her testimony badly enough there are ways that they can make it happen...and there are also ways that she can fight it. If she actually receives a subpoena, she should contact an attorney.

 

[single317dad]

I have a friend who has been contacted by a district attorney in Illinois. She was the victim of many terrible crimes as a young girl and they want her to testify as a witness in a criminal trial. She does not want to relive any of this in a courtroom and has told them that she is not willing to appear in court. We Live in New Hampshire, can she be forced to appear as a witness and can she be charged with contempt of court if she does not appear?

The list of crimes with no or lengthy statutes of limitations in IL is pretty short. Assuming she was a victim or witness to one of this short list of crimes, I urge you to encourage your friend to reconsider testifying. It would be a shame if another young girl was harmed because no one testified to the crimes already committed.