Spotting The Liar In the Courtroom and In Interrogation Tapes

by Dr. Lillian Glass

This past year we saw a lot of courtroom drama from the Casey Anthony case to countless other criminal cases. We have literally watched people lie through their teeth . We watched Cindy and George’s multiple signals of deception as they appeared on the stand. How these two have avoided going to jail for perjury is beyond me. Anyone else who did what they did would be behind bars by now.

Here are some body language, facial language, voice and speech tells you can look for the next time you look at a tape where someone is being interrogated or you watch them giving testimony in the courtroom.

Body Language

1. Watch if they shirk back or lean away from the interviewer or the attorney when crucial information is discussed.
2. They may rock back an forth a means of self soothing.
3. They may bush repeatedly brush off imaginary lint on their clothing.
4. Fiddling with their hands and wringing their hands on crucial information.
5. Repeatedly scratching themselves as though they have an itch.
6. Shuffling their feet during key questioning
7. Not moving arms or legs when speaking
8. Hands folded on lap and no movement whatsoever
9. Audible breathing or immediate changes in breathing pattern
10. Hunches over during crucial questioning or discussing significant issues

Facial Language

1. Blushing, flushing or blanching during significant questioning.
2. Pulling on their nose or ears
3. Scratching their head , nose or ears, or cheeks,
4. Puffing out their cheeks and quickly exhaling a large amount of air.
5. Upper chest breathing and taking in large amount of air.
6. Adams apple movement and swallowing during crucial questioning
7. Cotton mouth
8. Lip licking and licking of teeth
9. Pursing the lips indicating they are holding back information.
10. Tilting head to the side during key questioning
11. Rapid eye blinking
12. Breaking eye contact during crucial questioning
13. Staring
14. Not looking at questioner at all
15. Eyes can widen during key questioning indicating surprise at getting caught
16. Rubs eyes during key questioning
17. Bows head down

Voice and Speech Patterns

1. Nervous coughing
2. Constant throat clearing
3. Dying off at end of sentences
4. Mumbling or speaking inaudibly
5. Pitch of voice raises during key questioning
6. Gets defensive or overly aggressive during key questioning
7. Answers a question with a question
8. Repeats verbatim question interrogator or attorney asked
9. Stammers or hesitates over key words
10. Says like um uh a lot when explaining things
11. Goes off on tangents and doesn’t get to the point
12. Gives too much detailed information
13. Often doesn’t make sense
14. Inconsistent stories
15. Monotone or inappropriate emotion based on topic discussed

While not everyone of these tells means that a person is lying, if you see enough of them during the context of what is being discussed, there is a high likelihood that they are not being forthright or telling the truth. 

www.drlillianglass.com