The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you. (Deuteronomy 17:7)
See ch. 13:9. This places a grave responsibility upon the witnesses. The sin of bloodguiltiness would rest upon one who bore false witness, for he would become the chief executioner. This law tended to foster truthfulness among witnesses, and care in the making of accusations.