Evidence #2:
The old man saw him from his window. It took him fifteen minutes.
Assumption required to be able to use that evidence:
Its assumed that the old man is, first telling the truth. It must be assumed that the old man was in well enough condition to walk the distance in fifteen seconds.
Alternative assumption that may also be true:
The old man wasn’t telling the truth because he wanted to be noticed. With his lame leg, the old man couldn’t have walked the specified distance fast enough to see the boy.
Evidence or argument (if any) to support the alternative assumption:
The old man juror, who could identify with the witness, affirmed a doubt that the testimony was overstated, for attentions sake. The jurors simulated the distance the man would have had to walk.
Alternative inference:
The witness didn’t give an honest testimony.
Evidence #3:
Movie. The boy couldn’t remember what movie he saw when interrogated the night of the murder nor three months later.
Assumption required to be able to use that evidence:
That everyone remembers a movie that they have seen when asked about it the same night, and they can certainly remember three months later.
Alternative assumption that may also be true:
Under distress, the suspect couldn’t remember the name of the film. Even after months, it’s not unusual to forget to forget a movie title.
Evidence or argument (if any) to support the alternative assumption:
It’s reasonable to be under duress when your murdered father is in the next room. The “suit” also demonstrated that it’s possible to be unable to remember a movie detail, even
