In every criminal trial, one of the most critical decisions the defense makes is determining whether or not the defendant will take the stand to testify.
Under the laws laid out in the United States Constitution, every defendant in the United States charged criminally has the absolute right to remain silent and not incriminate themselves. On the flip side, the same defendants also have the absolute right to testify in their own defense if they choose to do so. It’s a decision that defense attorneys may consult with their clients on and offer suggestions, but ultimately it is the defendant’s choice alone whether they take the stand.
MORE | Defendants who avoided trial with a plea in 2025
Of the dozens of trials broadcast by Court TV in 2025, 26 defendants chose to testify in their own defense, offering memorable moments.
KY v. Jordan Henning: Military Wife Murder Trial
Jordan Henning was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife, Sgt. 1st Class Ashley Henning. Ashley was killed in the couple’s Hardin County home on June 26, 2023 — Ashley’s 37th birthday.
Jordan testified that he “broke” while fighting with Ashley after he said he endured years of abuse at her hands. Jordan told the jury he was scared for his own safety when he grabbed the gun, but prosecutors said he wanted to punish Ashley for prompting their neighbors to call 911 during a fight.
FL v. Dima Tower: Adopted Son Murder Trial
Dima Tower admitted to murdering his adoptive parents in their Florida home, describing how he attacked his sleeping father first, and then chased his mother down when she tried to run to a neighbor’s house for help.
Tower’s attorney tried to emphasize the defendant’s personal history: he had been adopted by the victims in 2015 from Ukraine, after he was abandoned by his family. Tower told the jury that he came from a “harsh environment,” and said that some people don’t know how to be parents.
Tower was sentenced to two life terms without parole, to be served consecutively.
TN v. Latoshia Daniels: ‘Broke My Heart’ Murder Trial
Latoshia Daniels said she was emotionally devastated when she pulled the trigger and shot Pastor Brodes Perry and his wife. Daniels testified that she had been in a two-year affair with Perry that began when she saw him for help following the end of her own marriage.
Daniels said that the victim told her she would be “sister wives” with his wife, who had no knowledge of her husband’s affair. Despite Daniels’ claims that she purchased the gun with the intent to kill herself, a jury convicted her of second-degree murder for the 2019 shooting.
FL v. Alicia Andrews: Murder of Julio Foolio
Alicia Andrews detailed abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Isaiah Chance, and maintained she had no idea about any plot to murder rising rap star Charles Jones, known as “Julio Foolio.”
Andrews admitted she lied to law enforcement, but said she was only along on the trip from Jacksonville to Tampa at her boyfriend’s request. Andrews was convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter.
MA v. Terence Crosbie: Irish Firefighter Rape Trial
Terence Crosbie maintained he never touched a woman who claimed that he raped her at a Boston hotel. Crosbie, a firefighter from Dublin, Ireland, was in the city to march in the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day parade. The alleged victim told the jury that she fell asleep in Crosbie’s then-empty bed after consensual sex with Crosbie’s friend, with whom he was sharing a hotel room.
Crosbie acknowledged he had a lot to drink the night of the incident, and was pressed by prosecutors about why he changed his flight to return home before the parade had even started. Crosbie was sentenced to seven to nine years in prison after the jury didn’t buy his story.
GA v. A.J. Scott: Speeding Trooper Homicide Trial
A.J. Scott was the mayor of Buchanan, Georgia, when he stood trial on charges that he was responsible for a crash that killed two teenagers and injured two others.
Scott, a Georgia state trooper at the time, admitted he was speeding in his cruiser without emergency lights or sirens and was not responding to a call when the crash occurred. Scott estimated he had been driving 90 mph in a 45 mph zone when his cruiser hit the vehicle carrying the teens, killing Isabelle Chinchilla and Kylie Lindsey.
Scott was convicted of five of the six charges he faced and was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 to serve in prison.
TX v. Billy Delgado: Shot Five Times Assault Trial
Billy Delgado said he was in a “blackout” state when he shot at his estranged wife, Erica Torres. Torres was hit five times in the abdomen and survived after spending a year in the hospital and undergoing more than 20 surgeries. He told the jury that he had been concerned that his daughter was being abused by Erica’s brother.
While Delgado expressed remorse from the stand, prosecutors played phone calls from jail where he said he didn’t regret any part of what he did. Delgado was sentenced to 50 years in prison after the jury found him guilty of aggravated assault.
MA v. Ingolf Tuerk: Surgeon Strangles Wife Trial
Dr. Ingolf Tuerk confessed to killing his wife, Katie, on the stand, saying that he “snapped” and grabbed her neck. He said he “panicked” when he made the decision to drive the victim’s body to a pond and put her in the water. Tuerk said he then tried to kill himself, and had no memory of being taken to a hospital. He described his wife’s death as “a traumatic event” and said he was “shameful” and full of guilt.
Tuerk was found guilty of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 12-16 years in prison.
CT v. Raul Valle: Preppy Party Murder Trial
Raul Valle was 20 when he stood trial on charges that he murdered 17-year-old James McGrath after a fight between rival schools broke out at multiple parties in May 2022. Valle described the chaotic night, saying he was surrounded by a mob of people who were hitting him when he took a knife and began stabbing without direction.
The jury acquitted Valle of the top charge of murder, but deadlocked on all other charges. Prosecutors have refiled charges in the case.
Emani Ellis v. Cardi B: Cardi B Assault Trial
Rapper Cardi B captured the attention of not only a jury but much of the country when she took the stand in her civil trial. Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was sued by Emani Ellis, a former security guard who accused the star of assaulting her outside of a Beverly Hills doctor’s office.
Cardi B testified over two days, saying she never touched Ellis and was in fear for her own safety because she was pregnant at the time of the alleged assault.
The jury sided with Cardi B, rejecting all of Ellis’ claims.
