The client, Brian Williams, was arrested and accused of Armed Robbery and Assault with Dangerous Weapon (ADW - Gun). Mr. Williamsis 23 years old, 5'8"and 150 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes and has a medium-sized bird tattoo on his neck. Mr. Williams lives with his mother at 3914 9thStreet NE in Washington, DC. At the time of arrest, Mr. Williams was wearing black joggers, a red shirt and black sneakers.

The document given to us at the time ofclient's presentment consists of the following information:

On 9/30/19 at approximately 7:30 PM, the complainant, Julie Taylor, reported to the Metropolitan Police Department that she was robbed and assaulted as she was walking home. The complainant stated she was walking home on the 1100 Block of Michigan Ave NE after taking the Metro back from work when someone stepped in front of her. When the complainant stopped, the defendant pulled out a gun and told her to hand over her backpack. When the complainant refused, the defendant hit the complainant with the gun causing the complainant to fall to the ground. The defendant grabbed the backpack off of her and then ran across the street disappearing from view. The complainant screamed for help and a man from a nearby house came out and called the police. The police took down Ms. Taylor'sdescription of her assailant as having a slim build, medium complexion, wearing dark jeans, dark boots and a red sweatshirt. The officers canvassed the area and were told that a group of kids had been walking around nearby and one was carrying a black backpack. The police then found a group of young adults standing outside the PNC Bank, one of whom matched Ms. Taylor'sdescription. A show up identification was conducted and the complainant positively identified the defendant as the person who had assaulted her. The defendant was arrested based on the show-up identification by the complainant.

Our client, Mr. Williams, denies any knowledge of the incident. Mr. Williams claims he had been at dinner at a Mexican restaurant near the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, where he was playing basketball earlier in the day. Mr. Williams said that he was arrested while he was leaving the PNC Bank with his girlfriend after they had met up with other friends.

How can you possibly defend your client? What reasons can you find to explain why the complainant identified your client as the suspect in this case? What kinds of evidence would seem to support or contradict each one of these reasons?

What steps would you need to take to investigate the case for the defense. Who would you interview, how you would find them and what questions you would ask them. What documents, other than the police report, would you need to examine during your investigation?