St. Charles County, MO
05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2024 23:18
Spotlight On: Prosecuting Attorney Criminal Division
When he first got started as a prosecutor, Joe McCulloch used to put a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his briefcase to get through a long murder trial.
Now leading a whole team as St. Charles County's top prosecutor, McCulloch says all the attorneys and staff are just as eager to take their cases to court.
"I like to say that if you're a 'real lawyer,' the object of going to law school is to be in a courtroom," says McCulloch.
But before they get there, prosecutors and support staff have to put a huge number of hours into prep work. Interviewing witnesses (sometimes dozens of them), organizing evidence (sometimes days of videos or hundreds of documents), and practicing presentation are all key to proving a criminal case.
"Probably 90% of the work a prosecutor does is outside the courtroom," McCulloch explains. "That preparation is what makes or breaks the case."
Just like on TV, prosecutors in real life also have to be good storytellers. They have to be able to convincingly piece together the facts of a crime for a group of people who weren't there to see it.
"Your ability to paint a picture for a jury is of great importance," McCulloch says. "So just like in a movie, the jury can follow the story as it moves along."
Good prosecutors, he adds, practice their courtroom arguments at home in front of a mirror. They also feel a sense of accomplishment at a job well done.
"You can see an end result in your case where an individual goes to jail after they victimized somebody," McCulloch comments. "There's a satisfaction in knowing they're paying the price for what they've done to society."