It's pretty much an everyday part of most people's lives now to use social media in some way. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter or online dating services, the web has become many people's playground for meeting new and old friends. For a couple in Arizona, social networking has meant that the wife faces an assault charge.

This certainly isn't the first case in history to involve social media in some way. Many family law cases in Arizona and throughout the country rely on stuff such as Facebook statuses and images in order to provide evidence to sway the court in one way or the other. In this recent assault incident, information online convinced the wife that her husband was cheating.

Arizona Republic News reports that the wife found supposed evidence that her husband was using online dating profiles to meet women. He claims that the accounts were old. His story didn't stop the incident from escalating into something that the police needed to get involved in.

When Mesa authorities arrived at the house, the wife did what most people potentially facing criminal charges generally shouldn't do. She reportedly told them to handcuff her because she had stabbed her husband. Based on reports of the incident, however, it sounds like the assault suspect may have reason to defend herself due to the state she was allegedly in at the time of the fight. She claims that she blacked out due to how high her emotions were running at the time.

Any allegation related to domestic violence and assault should be taken seriously. To a suspect in a case like this, it is easy to see only the personal aspects of the situation and not look at the big picture. Jail time and an assault conviction on one's record have stigmas that can follow a person around for a lifetime. An aggressive criminal defense attorney can help mitigate the severity of the consequences that someone charged with a violent crime faces.

Source

Arizona Republic News: "Police: Woman stabbed husband for friending women on Facebook," Daniel Kemp, Dec. 1, 2011