When questioning a suspect, paying close attention to the phrasing of answers can make a big difference when it comes to getting to the truth. One thing to watch for is the phrase “The answer to that is no.” It is difficult for most people to answer with a direct lie, so as a means of getting an untruthful answer out, they take a longer route.
An example:
Did you shoot that man? No.
Were you present when that man was shot? No.
Did you point a gun at that man? No.
Do you know who shot that man? The answer to that is no.
Why the extra words in the final answer? It could be that this question made the suspect uncomfortable and he needed a bit of a buffer to blunt the edge of a direct lie. Make sure to dig a little deeper if you hear something like that. Maybe he does know who shot that man.