Which outcome signifies the defendant is legally considered not guilty?

• A. Cost
• B. Non-Guilty Verdict
• C. Jury Decision-Making
• D. Courtroom Evidence Rules

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that a defendant is legally not guilty when the court issues an acquittal. In criminal trials the prosecution must prove the defendant committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence doesn’t meet that standard, the jury (or judge in a bench trial) returns a not guilty verdict, which means the defendant is not found guilty and cannot be convicted on that charge based on this trial. It’s important to note that not guilty does not always mean proven innocence; it simply means the legal threshold for a conviction wasn’t met.

The other options don’t determine guilt or innocence: costs relate to who pays legal fees, jury decision-making is the process by which a verdict is reached, and courtroom evidence rules govern what evidence can be considered.