You did a wonderful job. Wonderful!
You've listened to a long and complex case, murder in the first degree.
Premeditated murder is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts.
You've listened to the testimony. You've had the law interpreted to you.
It is now your duty to sit down and separate the facts from the fancy.
One man is dead. Another man's life is at stake.
If there's a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused...
...a reasonable doubt, then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty.
If there's no reasonable doubt, you must in good conscience...
...find the accused guilty.
However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous.
If you find the accused guilty, the bench will not consider any mercy.
The death sentence is mandatory in this case.
You are faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.
The alternate jurors are excused.
The jury will now retire.
Piece of gum?
- No, thanks. - This thing isn't moving.
Give me a hand. That's it.
You know something? I called the weather bureau.
This is going to be the hottest day of the year.
- You'd think they'd air-condition. - What is your name, sir?
- It's that one. - Thank you very much.
Okay, gentlemen. Everybody's here.
If there's anything you want, I'll be right outside the door. Just knock.
I never knew they locked the door.
Sure they lock the door. What'd you think?
I don't know. It just never occurred to me.
- What's that for? - I thought we might vote by ballot.
Great idea. Maybe we can get him elected senator.
- How'd you like it? - I don't know. It was interesting.
Yeah? I almost fell asleep.
- I've never been on a jury before. - Yeah? I've sat on many juries.
What gets me is how the lawyers talk, even when it's an open-and-shut case.
- Ever hear so much talk about nothing? - They're entitled.
They're entitled. It's the system.
I'd slap those tough kids down before they start any trouble.
It'd save us time and money.
- Let's get started. - Good idea.
Let's get going. We all have things to do.
Let's start with a five-minute break. One man's in the bathroom.
- Are we going to sit normal? - I don't know. I guess so.
You're in my seat.
- Excuse me. - That's all right.
Hey, that's not a bad view, huh?
What'd you think of the case?
It had a lot of interest for me. No real dead spots, you know what I mean?
We were lucky to get a murder case.
I figured us for an assault or burglary. They can be the dullest.
- Hey, is that the Woolworth Building? - That's right.
I've lived here all my life, and I've never been inside that.
You had to sort out that junk, like the thing with the movies.
Yeah. What about that business with the knife?
Asking grown-up people to believe that jazz.
- I expected that. Look what we've got. - Yeah, I guess so.
Well, your horn works, now try your lights. What've you got, a cold?
These hot-weather colds can kill you. I can hardly touch my nose, you know?
I sure do. I just got over one.
- Come on, Mr. Foreman, let's go here. - The guy's still in the bathroom.
What's new? I didn't get a chance to see a paper.
- I was wondering how the market closed. - You got a seat on the exchange?
I'm a broker.
I run a messenger service. The Beck and Call Company.
The name is my wife's idea. I got 37 men working, started with nothing.
Okay, men. Let's take our seats.
Yeah. We can all get out pretty quick. I have tickets to tonight's ball game.
Yanks and Cleveland.
Yeah, we got this kid, Modjelewski, in there. He's a real bull, this kid.
A real jug handle. You know?
You're a real baseball fan, aren't you?
Where do we sit?
I thought we'd sit in order. By jury numbers.
One, two, three and so on around the table, if that's okay.
- What's the difference? - It's reasonable.
- Let it be. - Twelve is to your right?
- Well, we go around clockwise. - Start with you, one, two...
What was your impression of the prosecuting attorney?
I beg pardon?
I thought he was sharp, the way he hammered all those points one by one...
...in a logical sequence. I was very impressed.
- I think he did an expert job. - A lot of drive too, real drive.
- Fellows. Can we hold it down? - Sure.
Say, we'd like to get started. Gentleman at the window.
- We'd like to get started. - I'm sorry.
Pretty tough to figure, isn't it, kid kills his father?
Listen, you see that all the time.
They let those kids run wild. Well, maybe it serves him right, you know?
- Is everyone here? - The old man is inside.
- Would you knock on the door for him? - Yeah.
- You a Yankee fan? - No. Baltimore.
Baltimore?
That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day.
What've they got? Who they got besides good groundskeepers?
We'd like to get started.
Forgive me. I didn't mean to keep you waiting.
Baltimore!
Okay, gentlemen. If I can have your attention.
You fellows can handle this any way you want. I'm not going to make any rules.
We can discuss it first and then vote on it. Of course, that's one way.
And, well, we can vote on it right now.
I think a preliminary vote is customary.
Yeah, let's vote. Who knows, maybe we can all get out of here.
Okay, then. Of course you know that we have a first-degree murder charge...
...and if we vote the accused guilty, we've got to send him to the chair.
- That's mandatory. - We know that.
- Yeah. Let's see who's where. - Anyone doesn't want to vote?
It's all right with me.
Remember that this has to be 12 to nothing, either way. That's the law.
Okay, are we ready? Now, all those voting guilty, please raise your hands.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...
...eight, nine, ten, eleven. Okay, that's eleven guilty.
Who's voting not guilty?
One. Right. Eleven, guilty. One, not guilty.
- Well, now we know where we are. - Boy, oh, boy, there's always one.
So, what do we do now?
- I guess we talk. - Boy, oh, boy.
You really think he's innocent?
- I don't know. - You sat in court with the rest of us.
You could see the kid's a dangerous killer.
- He's 18 years old. - Well, that's old enough.
He stabbed his own father in the chest.
They proved it a dozen ways in court. Would you like me to list them?
No.
- Then what do you want? - I just want to talk.
Talk about what? Eleven say, "guilty. " Nobody has to think about it but you.
I want to ask you. Do you believe his story?
- I don't know if I do. Maybe I don't. - So how come you vote not guilty?
With 11 votes for guilty, it's not easy to raise my hand...
...and send a boy to die without talking about it.
- Well, now, who says it's easy? - No one.
What, just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty.
Talking for 100 years couldn't change my mind.
I'm not trying to. It's just that we're talking about somebody's life.
Supposing we're wrong!
Supposing this building should fall. You could suppose anything.
That's right.
What's the difference how long? Suppose we do it in 5 minutes?
Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start until 8:00.
- Who's got something to say? - I'll sit for an hour.
- Great. I heard a pretty good story- - That's not why we're sitting here.
All right, then you tell me. What are we sitting here for?
I don't know, maybe no reason. This kid's been kicked around all his life.
You know, born in a slum, mother dead since he was 9.
A year and a half in an orphanage when his father was in jail for forgery.
That's not a very happy beginning. He's a wild, angry kid. And you know why?
Because he's been hit on the head by somebody every day.
He's had a pretty miserable 18 years. I think we owe him a few words.
We don't owe him a thing. He got a fair trial, didn't he?
What do you think that trial cost? He's lucky he got it, you know?
Look, we're all grownups in here. We heard the facts, didn't we?
We're not supposed to believe this kid, knowing what he is.
I've lived among them. You can't believe what they say. You know that.
- They're born liars. - Only an ignorant man can believe that.
- Listen. - Were you born...
...with a monopoly on the truth? Certain things must be pointed out to him.
- We don't need a sermon. - We have a job to do, let's do it.
Rice Pops. It's a product I work on at the agency.
"The breakfast with the built-in bounce. " I wrote that.
- Very catchy. - Yeah.
- Do you mind? - I'm sorry.
Doodling keeps me thinking clearly.
We have work. There's no point staying forever.
Okay. Now, perhaps if the gentleman down there who's disagreeing with us...
...perhaps you could say why. We might show you where you're mixed-up.
Maybe this is an idea. I haven't given it much thought.
It seems it's up to us to convince him that he's wrong and we're right.
Maybe if we each took a couple of minutes just to- It was just an idea.
No, no, no. That's a good one. Suppose we go once around the table.
I guess you're first.
It's hard to put into words. I just think he's guilty.
I thought it was obvious from the word go. Nobody proved otherwise.
Nobody has to. The burden of proof is on the prosecution.
The defendant doesn't have to speak. That's in the Constitution.
Sure, I know that. What I meant was-
Well, I just think he's guilty. Somebody saw him do it.
Okay. Here's what I think, and I have no personal feelings about this...
...I just want to talk about facts.
Number one:
The old man lived under the room where the killing took place.
At 12:10, on the night of the killing, he heard loud noises, like a fight.
And he heard the kid yell, "I'm gonna kill you. "
A second later, a body hit the floor.
Ran to the door and saw the kid run down the stairs and leave.
Called the police. They found the man with a knife in his chest.
The coroner fixed the time of death around midnight.
These are facts. You can't refute facts. The kid is guilty.
I'm as sentimental as the next fellow. I know he's only 18.
- He's still got to pay for it. - I'm with you.
Okay, you finished?
- Yeah. - Next.
It is obvious that the boy's entire story was flimsy.
He claimed he was at the movies...
...yet he couldn't remember the film's names or actors.
- That's right. - No one saw him going in or out.
What about the testimony of the woman across the street?
- She was the one who saw the killing. - Now, fellows. Let's go in order.
Just a minute. Here's a woman who's lying in bed. She can't sleep.
She's dying with the heat, you know?
She looks out the window and sees the kid stick the knife into his father.
The time is 12:10. Everything fits. She's known the kid all his life.
His window is across the El tracks. She saw him do it.
Through the windows of a passing El train.
This El train had no passengers. It was being moved downtown.
The lights were out.
They proved that you can look through the windows...
...when the lights are out and see the other side.
I'd like to ask you something.
You don't believe the boy's story, why the woman's? She's one of "them" too.
- You're a smart fellow, aren't you? - Gentlemen, gentlemen.
- Come on. Sit down, sit down. - What's he so wise about?
Come on, we're not going to get anywhere fighting. Whose turn is it?
His, number five.
Can I pass?
Well, that's your privilege. How about the next gentleman?
Well, I don't know. I started to be convinced very early in the case.
You see, I was looking for a motive.
It's important because if you don't have a motive, where's your case?
That testimony from the people across the hall from the kid's apartment...
...that was very powerful.
Didn't they say something about a fight, an argument...
...between the old man and his son, around 7:00? I could be wrong, but I-
- It was 8:00. - That's right.
They heard an argument, couldn't hear about what.
They heard the father hit the boy twice.
They saw the boy run angry out of the house. What's that prove?
It don't prove anything. It's part of the picture.
You said it provided a motive. I don't think it was a very strong motive.
This boy has been hit so many times that violence is normal to him.
I can't see two slaps in the face provoking him into committing murder.
It may have been two too many. Everyone has a breaking point.
Anything else?
- No. - Okay. How about you?
I don't know. It's all been said.
You can talk here forever. It's still the same thing.
This kid is 5 for 0.
Well, look at his record.
At 10, he was in children's court. He threw a rock at a teacher.
When he was 15, he was in reform school. He stole a car.
He's been arrested for mugging.
He was picked up twice for knife fighting. He's real handy with a knife.
This is a very fine boy.
Since he was 5, his father beat him up regularly with his fists.
So would I. A kid like that...
It's these kids, the way they are nowadays.
When I was a kid, I used to call my father "sir. " That's right. Sir.
- You hear a kid call his father that? - Fathers don't think it's important.
- You got any kids? - Three.
I got one.
He's 22 years old.
When he was 9 years old, he ran away from a fight.
I saw it. I was so embarrassed I almost threw up.
I said, "I'll make a man out of you if I have to break you in two trying. "
Well, I made a man out of him. When he was 16, we had a fight.
He hit me in the jaw. He was a big kid.
I haven't seen him for two years.
Kids.
Work your heart out...
- Well, let's get going. - I think we're missing the point.
He's from a broken home in a filthy neighborhood. We can't help that.
We decide if he's innocent or guilty, not to go into how he grew up.
He was born in a slum, breeding grounds for criminals. We all know it.
It's no secret. Children from slums are potential menaces to society.
- Now, I- - You can say that again.
The kids from those places are trash. I don't want any part of them.
Listen, I've lived in a slum all my life.
- Wait a minute. - Please!
I played in back yards filled with garbage.
- Maybe you can smell it on me. - Listen.
- There's nothing personal. - It was personal.
He didn't mean you. Let's not be so sensitive.
- This sensitivity I can understand. - Okay, let's stop the arguing.
We're only wasting time. It's your turn down there. Let's go.
I thought you were all trying to convince me. Wasn't that the idea?
- That was the idea. - I forgot.
He's the one who's keeping us here. Let's hear him.
We decided to do this a certain way. We ought to stick to it.
- Stop being a kid. - What do you mean, "a kid"?
What do you think I mean? K- I-D, kid.
Just because I'm trying to keep organized?
You take it. Take the responsibility. I'll keep my mouth shut.
Why are you getting hot? Calm down.
Don't tell me to calm down. Just take the chair.
Did you ever see such a thing?
- You think it's funny? - Forget it. It's unimportant.
- Unimportant? You try it. - No, nobody wants to change.
- You're doing a beautiful job. Sit down - Yeah, you're doing great.
Just stay in there and pitch.
All right, let's hear from somebody.
If you want me to say how I feel about it, it's all right with me.
Boy, I don't care what you do.
All right, I don't have anything brilliant. I know as much as you do.
According to testimony, the boy looks guilty. Maybe he is.
I sat there in court for six days listening while the evidence built up.
Everybody sounded so positive. I got a peculiar feeling about this trial.
Nothing is that positive. There are questions I'd have liked to ask.
Maybe they'd have meant nothing.
But I felt that the defense wasn't doing a thorough cross-examination.
- He let things go by, little things. - What little things?
When fellows don't ask questions, it's because they know the answers.
It's also possible for a lawyer to be stupid, isn't it?
- I mean, it's possible. - Sounds like you met my brother-in-law.
I kept putting myself in the kid's place.
I'd have asked for another lawyer. I mean, if I was on trial for my life...
...I'd want my lawyer to tear their witnesses to shreds, or try to.
Look, there was one alleged eyewitness to this killing.
Someone else heard the killing, saw the boy run afterwards...
...and there was circumstantial evidence.
Those two witnesses were the entire case. Supposing they're wrong?
What do you mean? What's the point of having witnesses?
Could they be wrong?
Those people sat on the stand under oath.
They're people. People make mistakes. Could they be wrong?
- Well, no. I don't think so. - Do you know so?
Nobody can know that. This isn't an exact science.
That's right, it isn't.
Let's get to the point. What about the switch knife in the old man's chest?
Wait. Some people haven't talked.
- Shouldn't we go in order? - They'll get a chance. Be quiet.
What about this knife the boy admitted buying that night? Let's talk about it.
All right, let's talk about it. Let's look at it.
- Mr. Foreman. - We saw what it looks like.
- Why do we have to see it again? - He has a right to see evidence.
- Could you bring us the knife? - All right.
The knife is strong evidence, don't you think?
- I do. - Good.
Suppose we take the facts one at a time.
One: The boy left the house at 8:00 after being slapped by his father.
No, he didn't say, "slapped. " He said, "punched. " There's a difference.
After being hit several times by his father.
Two: He went to a neighborhood junk shop and bought a...
- Switch knife. - Switchblade knife.
This wasn't an ordinary knife. It had an unusual carved handle and blade.
The storekeeper said it was the only one of its kind he'd ever had.
Three: He met some friends in front of a tavern about 8:45. Am I right?
- Yes, you are. - You bet he is.
He talked with his friends, leaving them at 9:45.
During this time, they saw the switch knife.
Four: They identified the death weapon in court as that very same knife.
Five: He arrived home at about 10:00.
This is where the stories by the state and the boy begin to diverge.
He claims he went to a movie at 11:30...
...returning at 3:10 to find his father dead and himself arrested.
He also claims the two detectives threw him down a flight of stairs.
What happened to the knife? He claims it fell through a hole in his pocket...
...sometime between 11:30 and 3:10 and that he never saw it again.
Now there's a tale. I think it's clear that the boy never went to the movies.
No one saw him go out at 11:30. No one in the theater saw him.
He couldn't remember the names of the pictures.
What happened is this. The boy stayed home.
Had a fight with his father, stabbed him and left the house at 12:10.
He even wiped the knife clean of fingerprints.
Are you saying that this knife fell through a hole in the boy's pocket?
Someone picked it up, went to the house and stabbed his father...
...to test its sharpness?
It's possible he lost it and his father was stabbed with a similar knife.
Take a look at this knife.
It's a very unusual knife.
I've never seen one like it. Neither had the storekeeper who sold it.
Isn't that a pretty incredible coincidence?
- I'm saying a coincidence is possible. - I say it's not.
- Where did that come from? - It's the same knife.
- What do you think you're doing? - Where did you get it?
I went out walking last night through the boy's neighborhood.
I bought it at a pawnshop two blocks from the boy's house. It cost $6.
It's against the law to buy a switchblade.
- I broke the law. - You pulled a real bright trick.
Tell me what it proves. Maybe there are 10 knives like that. So what?
- Maybe there are. - What does it mean?
You found a knife like it. Is that some big discovery?
We're to believe somebody else did it with a similar knife?
- The odds are a million-to-1. - It's possible.
But not very probable.
Okay. Let's take our seats. There's no point in standing around all over...
It's interesting that he'd find a knife like the boy's.
- What's interesting about it? - I don't know. I just thought it was.
There's 11 of us who think he's guilty.
What will you accomplish? You won't change our minds.
Be stubborn and hang this jury. He'll be tried again and found guilty.
- You're probably right. - So, what are you gonna do?
- We could be here all night. - It's only one night. A boy may die.
Why don't we just set up house here?
Someone send the policeman for a pinochle deck, and we'll sweat it out.
- He shouldn't joke about it. - What do you want me to do?
What's the knife got to do with it? Somebody saw the kid stab his father.
What more do we need? You guys can talk the ears off my head.
I got three garages going to pot. Let's get done and get out of here.
The knife was important to the district attorney. He spent-
- He's a 15th assistant. What's he know? - These arguments are slowing us up.
Well, what about it? You're the only one.
I have a proposition to make to you. I'm going to call for another vote.
I want you 11 men to vote by secret written ballot.
I'll abstain. If there are 11 votes for guilty, I won't stand alone.
We'll take in a guilty verdict to the judge right now.
But if anyone votes not guilty, we'll stay here and talk it out.
- If you want to try it, I'm ready. - Let's do it the hard way.
That sounds fair. Everyone agreed? Anyone doesn't agree?
- Here, pass these along. - Is that the right time?
"Guilty. "
"Not guilty. "
"Guilty. "
- Boy, how do you like that? - And another chap flips his wings.
All right, who was it? I want to know.
Excuse me. It was a secret ballot. We all agreed on that.
- If the gentleman wants it secret- - What do you mean, "secret"?
There are no secrets in a jury room. I know who it was.
You really are something.
You sit here, vote guilty, and some preacher tears your poor heart out...
...about a kid who couldn't help being a murderer, and you change your vote.
If that isn't the most-
Why don't you drop a quarter in his collection box?
Now, just wait a minute. You can't talk to me like that.
- Who do you think you are? - Calm down.
He's very excitable. Sit down.
You bet I am! We're trying to put a man in the chair where he belongs.
He tells us fairy tales, and we listen.
Hey. Come on, huh?
- What made you change your vote? - He didn't change his vote. I did.
- Fine. - I knew it.
- Would you like me to tell you why? - No, I wouldn't.
- I'd like to make it clear anyway. - Do we have to listen to this?
- The man wants to talk. - Thank you.
This gentleman has been standing alone against us.
Now he doesn't say the boy's not guilty. He just isn't sure.
It's not easy to stand alone against ridicule.
So he gambled for support, and I gave it to him. I respect his motives.
The boy on trial is probably guilty.
But I want to hear more. Right now the vote is 10 to 2.
- You have no right to leave- - He can't hear you.
He never will. Let's sit down.
Shall we continue?
I think we ought to take a break.
You know, one man's inside, and I think we ought to wait for him. Okay.
Looks like we're really hung up here.
That thing with the old man, that was unexpected.
I wish I could figure out some way we could break it up.
You know, in advertising- I told you I worked in an agency?
There are some strange people working there.
They're not strange, I guess. They just have peculiar ways of expressing themselves.
I suppose it's the same in your business too?
- What do you do? - I'm a watchmaker.
Really? I imagine the finest watchmakers come from Europe, huh?
In an agency when we reach a point like this-
In an ad agency, when a point like this is reached...
...always some character ready with an idea, see? And it kills me...
It's the weirdest thing, the way they precede their idea with a phrase.
Some account exec will get up and he'll say, "Okay, here's an idea.
Let's run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it. "
It's idiotic, but it's funny.
Hey...
...I got a little excited back there.
I didn't mean to get nasty.
Glad you're not one of those that lets these emotional appeals influence him.
I don't know what's the matter with that fan.
- Hey, you a salesman? - I'm an architect.
You know what the "soft sell" is?
Well, you got it, believe me.
I got a different technique.
Laughs, drinks, jokes, tricks, you know?
Yeah.
Hit 'em where they live, that's my motto.
I made 27 grand last year selling marmalade. That's not bad.
I mean, you know, considering marmalade.
What are you getting out of this? Kicks?
Did somebody bump your head, and you haven't gotten over it?
- Maybe. - You do-gooders are all alike.
You're always blowing your stacks over some guy that fanned.
Well, what are you wasting our time for?
Donate 5 dollars to the cause, and maybe it'll make you feel better.
This kid is guilty, pal. It's as plain as the nose on your face.
So why don't we stop wasting our time?
We're gonna all get sore throats.
What difference is it if you get it here or at the ball game?
No difference, pal. No difference at all.
- Nice bunch of guys, huh? - They're about the same as anyone else.
Boy, what a murderous day. You think it'll be much longer?
I don't know.
He's guilty for sure. Not a doubt in the whole world.
We should've been done already.
I don't mind, you know. Beats working.
- You think he's not guilty, huh? - I don't know. It's possible.
I don't know you, but I'm betting you've never been wronger.
You're wasting your time.
Supposing you were the one that was on trial?
Well, I'm not used to supposing.
I'm just a working man. My boss does the supposing...
...but I'll try one.
Supposing you talk us all out of this...
...and the kid really did knife his father, huh?
Ready?
Sorry, blue eyes.
- One of those. - Okay, let's take our seats.
Looks like we'll be here for dinner.
Okay, let's get down to business. Who wants to start?
- I will. - Okay, go.
You. The old man who lived downstairs says he heard the kid yell:
"I'm gonna kill you. " A second later he heard the body fall.
He ran to the door, and he saw the kid running out.
What does that mean to you?
How clearly could he have heard through the ceiling?
He didn't hear it through the ceiling. The window was open.
- It's not that easy to identify a voice. - He identified it in court.
Don't forget the lady across the street. She saw the boy stab his father.
- Isn't that enough for you? - No, it isn't.
It's like talking into a dead phone.
She saw the killing through the windows of a train.
There are six cars. She saw the killing through the last two.
She remembered insignificant details. How can you argue?
Has anybody here any idea how long it would take an El-?
This isn't a game.
Did you see him? The nerve!
- Listen- - The absolute nerve.
- All right, forget it. - This isn't a game?
- Calm down. - Who does he think he is?
Forget it now.
Has anybody any idea how long it takes an elevated train to pass a given point?
- I wouldn't have the slightest idea. - What do you think?
I don't know. Maybe 10, 12 seconds?
That's good. Anyone else?
- Sounds right. - Why the guessing game?
- And you? -10 seconds.
All right, say 10 seconds. What are you getting at?
It takes a six-car El train 10 seconds to pass a point.
Say the point is the window of the room where the killing took place.
You can reach out and almost touch the tracks.
Let me ask you this: Has anyone ever lived near the tracks?
I just painted an apartment that overlooked an El line.
- What's it like? - What do you mean?
- Noisy? - Oh, brother!
- Don't matter, we're all punchy. - I lived near the El line once.
When a train passes, the noise is unbearable.
- You can hardly hear yourself think. - Get to the point.
I will. Just a minute.
Let's take two testimonies and put them together.
First, the old man in the apartment downstairs.
He heard the boy say, "I'm going to kill you"...
...and a second later heard a body hit the floor.
- That's right. - Second...
...the woman swore positively she looked out of the window...
...and saw the killing through the last two cars of the train.
- What are you giving us? - Just a minute.
We've agreed that it takes 10 seconds for a train to pass a given point.
Since she saw the killing through the last two cars...
...we can assume that the body hit the floor just as the train went by.
Therefore the train had been roaring by the old man's window...
...a full 10 seconds before the body hit the floor.
According to his testimony, "I'm gonna kill you"...
...body hits the floor a second later...
...he would have had to hear the boy with the El roaring past.
- He couldn't have heard it. - Of course he did.
- You think so? - He yelled at the top of his voice.
He couldn't have identified the voice with the El passing.
You're talking about seconds. Nobody's that accurate.
I think testimony that could put a boy in the chair should be that accurate.
- I don't think he heard it. - Maybe he didn't, with all that noise.
What are you talking about?
- It stands to reason he couldn't hear. - Why should he lie?
Attention, maybe.
You come up with these bright sayings. Send them to a paper.
- They pay $3 apiece. - What are you talking to him like that for?
A guy talks like that to an old man ought to get stepped on.
You ought to have more respect, mister.
You say stuff like that to him again, I'm gonna lay you out.
Now, you go ahead. You say anything you like.
Why do you think the old man might lie?
It was just that I looked at him for a very long time.
Seemed the jacket was split under the shoulder.
Or did you notice that? I mean, to come to court like that.
He was a very old man in a torn jacket.
And he walked very slowly to the stand.
He was dragging his left leg and trying to hide it...
...'cause he was ashamed.
I think I know this man better than anyone here.
This is a quiet, frightened, insignificant old man...
...who has been nothing all his life.
Who's never had recognition or his name in the newspapers.
Nobody knows him. Nobody quotes him.
Nobody seeks his advice after 75 years.
Gentlemen, that's a very sad thing, to mean nothing.
A man like this needs to be quoted.
To be listened to. To be quoted just once, very important to him.
It would be so hard for him to recede into-
You're telling us he'd lie just so he could be important once?
No. He wouldn't really lie.
Maybe he made himself believe he heard those words and recognized the boy.
That's a fantastic story.
How can you make up a thing like that? What do you know about it?
Does anybody want a cough drop?
- No, thanks. - I'll take one.
I still don't see how anybody can think he's not guilty.
There's something else I'd like to talk about for a minute.
We proved he couldn't hear the boy say, "I'm gonna kill you. "
- You didn't prove it at all. - Supposing he really did hear it.
This phrase, how many times have all of us used it? Thousands.
"I could kill you for that. " "Get in there, Rocky, and kill him. "
- It doesn't mean we're gonna- - What are you trying to do?
The phrase was, "I'm gonna kill you. " Don't tell me he didn't mean it.
Anybody says that the way he did, they mean it.
Gee, now, I don't know.
I was arguing with a guy I work with a few weeks ago.
He called me an idiot, so I yelled at him.
He's trying to make you believe things that aren't so.
Kid said he'd kill him and did.
You think the boy would shout that so the whole neighborhood could hear?
He's much too bright.
Bright? He's a common, ignorant slob. He don't even speak good English.
He doesn't even speak good English.
Mr. Foreman, I'd like to change my vote to not guilty.
- You what? - You heard me.
- Are you sure? - Yeah, I'm sure.
9 to 3, favor of guilty.
Well, if this isn't the living end, huh?
What are you basing it on, stories this guy made up?
You should write for a detective magazine, you'd make a fortune.
The kid's own lawyer knew he didn't stand a chance.
Right from the beginning, his own lawyer knew.
Boy, oh, boy. I'm telling you, this guy here is really something.
The kid had a lawyer. He presented his case.
- How come you got so much to say? - Lawyers aren't infallible.
- He was court appointed. - What's that supposed to mean?
It could mean he didn't want the case...
...or he resented it. The case brings him nothing.
No money, no glory, not even much chance of winning.
Not a very promising situation for a young lawyer.
He'd really have to believe in his client to put up a case. He didn't.
Of course he didn't. Who the heck could?
Maybe some guy's mother or somebody...
Aw, look, will you look at the time? Come on.
Pardon me. I have made some notes here...
...and I would like, please, to say something.
I have been listening very carefully...
...and it seems that this man has some very good points to make.
From what was presented at the trial, the boy looks guilty on the surface.
- But maybe if we go deeper-? - Come on, will you?
There's a question I'd like to ask.
Let us assume that the boy did commit the murder.
Now this happened at 10 minutes after 12.
Now, how was he caught by the police?
He came back home at 3:00 or so...
...and he was captured by two detectives in his house.
Now, my question is, if he really had killed his father...
...why did he come back home three hours later?
Wouldn't he be afraid of being caught?
He came for his knife. It's not nice to leave knives sticking in chests.
Yeah, especially relatives'.
I don't see anything funny. He knew the knife could be...
...identified as his. He had to get it before the police did.
If he knew it could be identified, why did he leave it in the first place?
We can assume the boy ran out in a panic after having killed his father.
When he calmed down, he realized he'd left his knife.
This depends on your definition of panic.
He'd have had to be calm enough to leave no fingerprints on the knife.
Now, where did this panic start and where did it end?
You voted guilty. What side are you on?
I don't have to be loyal to one side or the other. I'm just asking questions.
This is just off the top of my head, but...
If I were him and I'd done the stabbing, I'd go back for the knife.
He figured nobody saw him leave and the body wouldn't be found till the next day.
It was the middle of the night.
- He figured nobody would find the body. - Pardon. This is my whole point.
The woman testified that the moment after the killing-
A moment after the train passed...
...she screamed and went to telephone the police.
Now, the boy certainly must have heard the scream.
So he knew that somebody saw something.
I don't think he would have gone back.
In his panic, he may not have heard the scream. Perhaps it wasn't loud.
Or he may not have connected the scream with his act.
Screams were commonplace in his neighborhood.
- There's your answer. - Maybe.
Maybe he did kill his father, didn't hear the scream...
...ran out in a panic, calmed down later...
...and came to get the knife, risking capture.
Maybe that happened, but maybe it didn't.
There's enough doubt that we can wonder whether he was there.
What are you talking about? The old man saw him run.
He's twisting the facts.
Did or didn't the old man see the kid at 12:10?
- Well, did or didn't he? - He says he did.
- Says he did? - Look, witnesses can make mistakes.
Sure, when you want them to, and when he wants them to.
- Keep the yelling down. - Maybe what we need is yelling.
These guys keep going off. Did hear the scream, didn't.
You people are talking only about the little details.
You're forgetting the important stuff.
- I want another vote. - I'm talking.
There's another vote called for. Now let's take our seats.
I never saw so much time spent on nothing.
It only takes a second.
The fastest way is to find out who's voting not guilty.
All those voting not guilty, raise your hands.
Still the same. One, two, three, not guilty. Nine, guilties.
I tell you, we can yackety-yak till next Tuesday.
Where's it all getting us?
Pardon. I vote not guilty.
What's he talking about? We're all going crazy in here.
The kid is guilty. Why don't you listen to the facts?
This is getting to be a joke.
The vote is 8 to 4, favor of guilty.
What is this, "Love Your Underprivileged Brother Week"?
Tell me why you changed your vote. Give me reasons.
I don't have to defend my decision. There's reasonable doubt in my mind.
What doubt? That's just words. Look at this.
The kid you decided isn't guilty was seen ramming this into his father.
- What about it, Mr. Reasonable Doubt? - That's not the knife. Remember?
Brilliant.
I tell you, this is the craziest.
What are we supposed to believe? You're pulling stories out of thin air.
This guy, if he's ringside at the Dempsey-Firpo fight...
...he'd be trying to tell you that...
What about the old man? We're to believe he didn't run to his door...
...and see the kid leave 15 seconds after the killing?
He's just saying so to be important, right?
- What's the point? - Hold it.
The Baltimore rooter is heard from. And pop-ups are falling for base hits.
Now, did the old man say he ran to the door?
Ran, walked, what's the difference? He got there.
- Wait a sec- - He said he ran. I think he did.
I don't see how he could have run.
He said he went from his bedroom to the door.
- Where was the bedroom? - Down the hall.
You remember everything, don't you remember that?
No. I'd like to see a diagram of the apartment.
Why don't we have them run the trial again?
You're the only one wants to see exhibits.
- I wanna see it too. - And I wanna stop wasting time.
If we're gonna wade through the nonsense about the body-
We're not, but I'd like to find out if an old man whose foot drags...
...could get from his bed to his front door in 15 seconds.
- Twenty. - He said 15.
He said 20. What are you trying to distort?
He said 15.
How does he know how long 15 seconds is?
He said 15 seconds. He was positive.
He was old. Half the time, he was confused.
How could he be positive about anything?
I don't see what you're going to prove. The man saw the boy.
Let's see if the details bear him out.
He said he heard footsteps, upstairs, running toward the front door.
Heard the door open, the footsteps start down.
He got to his door and swore it couldn't be more than 15 seconds.
- The killer began running- - He didn't.
The old man said he did.
You ought to be at that hairsplitter's convention.
Why don't you stop making smart remarks?
My friend, for your $3 a day-
Now that you've got that, what about it?
Here's where the killing took place.
The old man's apartment was beneath it and exactly the same.
Here are the tracks, living room, bathroom.
Here's the hall. Here's the stairs. The old man was in this bedroom.
He crossed to the door, walked down the hall...
...opened the door in time to see the boy running down the stairs.
That's the story for the 19th time.
15 seconds after the body hit the floor.
- Correct. - Now, let's see, it was...
It's 12 feet from the bed to the door. The hall is 43 feet.
He would have had to walk 12 feet, open the door...
...walk 43 feet down and open the front door in 15 seconds.
- Do you think he could have done it? - Sure.
He can walk only slowly. They had to help him.
You make it sound like a long walk.
For an old man who had a stroke, it is a long walk.
- What are you doing? - I'm gonna try it.
What? Why didn't his lawyer bring it up?
- Maybe he didn't think of it. - What do you mean?
- It's obvious. - Did you think of it?
He didn't bring it up, because it would hurt his case.
What do you think of that?
He didn't bring it up, because it would have meant bullying an old man.
That doesn't sit well with a jury. Lawyers avoid it.
- What kind of bum is he? - That's what I've been asking.
Pass me that chair.
Those chairs are the bed. I paced off 12 feet.
- This will be the bedroom door. - You can't re-create a thing like that.
- I'd like to see it. - I'll pace to that wall and back again.
What are you wasting everybody's time in here for?
Look, according to you, it'll only take 15 seconds. Now, we can spare that.
Come on, knock it off.
Okay. Okay, Killer. Yeah.
Stand there and mark the door.
It was chain-locked, remember?
- Got a watch with a second hand? - I have.
You want me to start, stamp your foot. You can time me from there.
- What are we gonna do, play charades? - What are we waiting for?
I want to wait until the second hand reaches 60.
Come on.
Come on. Speed it up. He could walk twice as fast as that.
You want me to walk faster than that? I will.
- Lock. Door. Stop. - Right.
- What's the time? - Exactly 41 seconds.
-41? - Here's what I think happened.
The old man heard the fight hours earlier.
Then in bed, he heard a body hit the floor...
...heard the scream. Got to his door as fast as he could...
...heard somebody and assumed it was the boy.
- I think that's possible. - Assumed?
I've seen all kinds of dishonesty, but this little display takes the cake.
You come in here with your hearts bleeding about slum kids and injustice.
You listen to some fairy tales. You get through to these old ladies.
You're not getting through me. I've had enough.
What's the matter with you? You know he's guilty!
You're letting him slip through our fingers.
- Are you his executioner? - I'm one of them.
- And you'd like to pull the switch. - For this kid, you bet I would.
I feel sorry for you. What it must feel like to want to pull the switch.
Since you walked in, you've been acting like a public avenger.
You want to see this boy die because you personally want it.
You're a sadist.
Let me go! I'll kill him. I'll kill him!
You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?
Anything wrong? I heard some noise.
No. Everything's all right. Just a friendly little argument.
We're through with that diagram. You can take it if you want.
Here you are. Thank you.
What are you looking at?
- I suppose somebody has to start. - I beg pardon.
"I beg pardon"? What are you so polite about?
For the same reason you're not. It's the way I was brought up.
This fighting, that's not why we are here, to fight.
We have a responsibility.
This, I have always thought, is a remarkable thing about democracy.
That we are-
What is the word? Notified.
That we are notified by mail to come down to this place...
...to decide on the guilt or innocence of a man we have never heard of before.
We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict.
This is one of the reasons why we are strong.
We should not make it a personal thing.
Thank you.
If nobody has an idea, I might.
Let's throw it out on the stoop and see if the cat licks it up.
- "The cat licks it up"? - Yeah.
Look how dark it's getting.
I bet we're gonna have a storm now.
Boy, oh, boy, it's really hot.
Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat?
No, I don't.
Listen, I was wondering if...
...maybe we should take another vote.
Great. Maybe we can follow this one up with a little dancing and refreshments.
- Mr. Foreman? - Well, that's okay with me.
Anyone doesn't want to vote?
- Hey, come on. - What? I'm sorry.
We ought to have an open ballot. Call out our votes.
- Let's see who stands where. - That sounds fair to me.
Anyone object?
Okay, I'll call off your jury numbers. One?
That's me. I vote guilty. Two?
Not guilty.
Number three?
Guilty.
Number four?
Guilty.
Number five?
Not guilty.
Number six?
Not guilty.
Number seven?
Guilty.
Number eight?
Not guilty.
Number nine?
Not guilty.
Number 10?
Guilty.
Number 11?
Not guilty.
Number 12?
Guilty.
The vote is now 6 to 6.
Yeah, and we go into extra innings here, huh?
Six to six.
Some of you people in here must be out of your minds.
A kid like that.
I don't think the kind of boy he is has anything to do with it.
- The facts determine the case. - Don't give me that.
I'm tired of facts. You can twist them any way.
That's the point this gentleman has been making.
I mean, you keep shouting at the top of your lungs!
I'd like to be a few years younger. That man gets on my...
- It's hot in here. - Want a drink of water?
No. No, thanks. Thanks.
It's gonna rain.
Well, how did you figure that out, Killer?
How come you changed your vote?
It seemed to me there was room for doubt.
- You haven't got a leg to stand on. - I don't feel that way.
- A lot of details never came out. - Well, good luck.
Come on. You're like everybody else. You think too much, you get mixed-up.
- You know what I mean? - I don't think you have any right-
Loudmouth.
Look at that come down, will you?
You know, this reminds me of a storm we had last...
Was that November? I don't know, something.
It was quite a storm we had. It was in the middle of a game.
We were behind, 7 to 6, but we'd started to move the ball.
Made a real tackle there. Started to cut right, slash right in and cut.
We had this kid, Slattery.
He was a real ox, a real ox.
I wish I had another one just like him.
I'm the assistant head coach at the Andrew J. McCorkle High School.
Yeah, that's out in Queens.
And anyway, we're starting to move along real nice.
And, you know, their whole line is just coming apart.
It starts to come down cats and dogs, just like this.
Just, whoosh, right down.
Well, that was murder, you know?
I swear, I nearly bawled. You just couldn't go nowhere.
Yeah.
Hey, what is it with this fan here? How come...?
Hey, huh?
Must have been on the switch with the lights.
Well, things are looking up here, huh?
Yeah.
Boy, it's better.
Hey, two points.
Any of you guys ever go to the Garden?
That's a damned stupid thing to do.
I'm sorry, I...
You know?
Pardon me.
Well, how do you like it? Even-steven. Pretty surprising, isn't it?
Yes.
Say, that business when that tall guy, what's his name...
...was trying to bait me, now, that doesn't prove anything.
Where does he come off calling me a public avenger, sadist and everything?
Anyone in his right mind would blow his stack.
He was just trying to bait me.
He did an excellent job.
I tell you, we're going nowhere here. I'm ready to declare a hung jury.
- There's no point in going on. - I go for that too.
Let the kid take his chances with 12 other guys.
I don't think the judge will accept a hung jury.
- Well, let's find out. - I'm not in favor of that.
This kid wouldn't stand a chance with another jury.
We're hung. Nobody's gonna change his vote.
- You still don't think there's doubt? - No, I don't.
Pardon. Maybe you don't fully understand the term "reasonable doubt. "
What do you mean I don't understand?
Boy, how do you like this guy? They're all alike.
They come here, and before they take a breath...
...they're telling us how to run the show.
The arrogance of this guy.
Hey, all right. Let's stop the arguing for about two minutes in here.
Who's got something to say?
I'd like to go over something if you don't mind.
An important point for the prosecution was that after the boy claimed...
...he'd been at the movies during the killing...
...he couldn't remember the movies or the stars in them.
This gentleman has put up that point.
Correct. It was the only alibi the boy offered.
And he couldn't back it up with details.
Do you think you could remember details...
...after being slapped in the face by your father?
I think so. If there were any special details.
The boy couldn't remember, because he wasn't there.
The boy was questioned by detectives in the kitchen of his apartment...
...while the body of his father was on the floor.
Could you remember under those circumstances?
- Under great stress? - Under great stress.
He remembered in court. He named the pictures and stars.
Yes. His lawyer took great pains to bring that out.
He had months from the murder to the trial to memorize them.
It's not difficult to find out what played at a particular theater.
I'll take the testimony of the boy right after the murder...
...when he couldn't remember the movies, great stress or not.
- I'd like to ask you a question. - Go ahead.
- Where were you last night? - I was home.
- How about the night before? - What is this?
No, it's all right.
I left the office at 8:30 and went home.
- The night before that? - That was Tuesday night.
- The night of the bridge tournament. - Monday?
When you get down to New Year's Eve, 1954, let me know, huh?
Monday night?
Monday night my wife and I went to the movies.
- What did you see? - The Scarlet Circle.
- What was the second feature? - The...
I'll tell you in a minute.
The Remarkable Mrs... Something...
The Remarkable Mrs. Bainbridge.
I saw that. It's called The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge.
Yes, that's right.
Who was in The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge?
Barbara Long, I think it was. A dark, very pretty girl.
Lind or Long, something like that.
- Who else? - I'd never heard of them before.
It was a very inexpensive second feature with unknown...
And you weren't under an emotional stress, were you?
No, I wasn't.
- I think the point is made. - Big point.
Talk till your tongue is on the floor. The boy is guilty.
You know what I mean, my friend?
- You got those cough drops? - They're all gone, my friend.
Boy, look at that rain. There goes your ball game.
It's only a shower.
Besides, they got the infield covered.
Say, could I see that knife a second, please?
We're still tied up, 6 to 6. Who's got a suggestion?
- It's after 6, let's get dinner. - Wait until 7:00. Give it an hour.
Okay with me.
There's something I'd like to say.
It's been bothering me, and as long as we're stuck...
This business about the stab wound and how it was made.
- The downward angle of it. - Don't start that again.
- They've been over it. - I know, but I don't go along with it.
The boy is 5'7" tall. His father was 6'2".
A difference of 7 inches.
It's awkward to stab down into someone who's a half-foot taller.
Give me that.
I'll give you a demonstration. Somebody get up.
Watch this because I don't want to do it again.
I'll make myself 7 inches shorter. Okay?
- It's about right. Maybe a little more. - Okay. A little more.
Now... Nobody's hurt.
- Right? - Right. Nobody hurt.
Now, this is the way I'd stab a man who was taller than I was.
Look at the angle, down and in.
And this is the way it was done. Now tell me I'm wrong.
- Down and in. There's no argument. - Hold it, will you?
Will you give me that?
Boy, I hate these things.
- Ever see a knife fight? - No.
- You? - No.
Anybody here ever see a knife fight?
Well, I have.
You know, my back stoop, the lot across the street, back yard.
Switchblades came with the neighborhood.
I never thought of it. You try to forget.
- How do you use a switchblade? - Well, you'd never use it like this.
See, you lose too much time switching hands.
Here's how, underhanded.
Anyone who's used a switch knife wouldn't handle it any other way.
- Are you sure? - I'm sure.
- That's why they open like that. - The boy was handy with the knife?
You think he could have made the wound?
No. Not with the experience he'd had handling these things.
- He'd have gone for him underhanded. - How do you know?
- Were you there in the room? - No. Neither was anybody else.
What are you giving us all this mumbo jumbo for?
I don't think you can determine what wound the boy made...
...because he knew how to handle a knife.
What do you think?
- I don't know. - What do you mean?
I don't know.
How about you?
I don't know about the rest, but I'm tired of this.
It's getting us nowhere, so I guess I'll break it up.
I change my vote to not guilty.
- You what? - You heard me. I've had enough.
What? That's no answer.
Hey, listen, you just take care of yourself, huh? You know?
He's right. That's not an answer.
What kind of a man are you?
You sat here and voted guilty with everyone else...
...because there are baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket.
And now you've changed your vote because you're sick of all the talking.
Now listen, buddy.
Who tells you you have the right to play like this with a man's life?
- Don't you care? - Now wait a minute.
- You can't talk like that to me. - I can talk like that to you.
If you vote not guilty, do it because you're convinced...
...the man is not guilty, not because you've had enough.
If you think he is guilty, vote that way.
Don't you have the guts to do what is right?
- Now listen- - Guilty or not guilty?
- I told you. Not guilty. - Why?
Look, I don't have to-
You do have to! Say it! Why?
All right, I don't think he's guilty.
- I want another vote. - Okay. Another vote is called for.
The quickest way is a show of hands.
Okay. All those voting not guilty, raise your hands.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...
...eight.
Nine.
All those voting guilty, raise your hands.
One, two, three.
The vote's 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal.
I don't understand you people.
All these picky points you bring up don't mean nothing.
You saw this kid like I did.
You believe that story about losing the knife...
...and that business about the movies?
These people lie. It's born in them.
I don't have to tell you. They don't know what the truth is.
And let me tell you, they don't need any real big reason to kill someone.
They get drunk. They're real big drinkers, all of them.
Bang, someone's in the gutter. Nobody's blaming them.
That's the way they are, by nature. You know what I mean? Violent.
Where are you going?
Human life don't mean as much to them as it does to us.
They're fighting all the time, and if somebody gets killed, they don't care.
There's good things about them. I'm the first one to say that.
I've known a couple who were okay, but that's the exception.
Most of them have no feelings. They can do anything.
What's going on here?
I'm trying to tell you you're making a big mistake. This kid is a liar.
I know it. I know all about them.
Listen to me, they're no good. There's not one of them who is any good.
I mean, what's happening in here?
I'm speaking my piece, and you-
Listen to me.
This kid on trial here, his type. Well, don't you know about them?
There's a danger here.
These people are dangerous.
They're wild.
Listen to me.
- Listen. - I have.
Now sit down and don't open your mouth again.
Sometimes... I tell you...
It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this.
Wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth.
I don't really know what the truth is.
I don't suppose anybody will ever really know.
Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent...
...but we're just gambling on probabilities. We may be wrong.
We may be trying to let a guilty man go free. I don't know.
Nobody really can, but we have a reasonable doubt...
...and that's something that's very valuable in our system.
No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's sure.
We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure.
- Maybe you can tell us. - I'll try.
You've made some points, but I believe the boy is guilty...
...and I have two reasons.
One: The evidence given by the woman who actually saw the murder committed.
That's the most important testimony.
Two: The fact that she described the stabbing by saying she saw the boy...
...raise his arm over his head and stab down into the father's chest
- She saw him do it, the wrong way. - That's absolutely right.
Let's talk about this woman.
She said she went to bed about 11:00 that night.
Her bed was next to the window, and she could look out...
...and see directly into the boy's room across the street.
She tossed and turned for over an hour.
Finally, she turned toward the window at about 12:10...
...and as she looked out...
...she saw the killing through the windows of a train.
She said the lights went out after the killing...
...but that she got a good look at the boy in the act of stabbing his father.
As far as I can see it, this is unshakable testimony.
- Well, that's the whole case. - What do you think?
How about you?
I don't know.
So much evidence to sift. This is a complicated business.
Frankly, I don't see how you can vote for acquittal.
It's not easy to arrange the evidence.
Throw out the other evidence. The woman saw him.
What else do you want?
- Maybe- - Let's vote on it.
Okay. There's another vote called for. Anyone object?
All right. I'm changing my vote. He's guilty.
Anybody else? The vote is 8 to 4.
Why is this such a personal triumph? It's one vote.
I say we're a hung jury. I say we take it to the judge.
How about it? I want to hear arguments.
You, you're the leader of the cause, what about it?
- Let's go over it again. - We've been over it again.
The boy in the suit here is bouncing backwards and forwards like a ball.
No point in getting nasty. You keep trying to turn this into a contest.
Okay.
Maybe we can talk about setting a time limit?
Yeah, once around for the deal, huh?
It's a quarter after 6. Someone before mentioned 7:00.
That's a point at which we can discuss whether it's a hung jury or not.
- Don't you feel well? - I feel perfectly well, thank you.
I was saying that 7:00 would be a reasonable-
The reason I asked about that was because you rub your nose like-
I'm sorry, but you made a gesture that reminded me of something.
- I'm trying to settle something here. - Well, I think this is important.
Thank you.
Now, I'm sure you'll pardon me for this...
...but I was wondering why you rub your nose like that.
Come on!
I happen to be talking to the gentleman sitting next to you!
Now, why were you rubbing your nose like that?
Well, I was rubbing it because it bothers me a little.
I'm sorry. Is it because of your eyeglasses?
It is. Now can we get on to something else?
Your eyeglasses made those deep impressions on the sides of your nose.
I hadn't noticed that before. That must be annoying.
It is very annoying.
Well, I wouldn't know about that. I've never worn eyeglasses. 20/20.
Will you come on already with the optometrist bit?
The woman who testified that she saw the killing...
...had those same marks on the sides of her nose.
- Holy smokes. You know, he's right. - Quiet, please.
Just give me a minute, and I'll be finished.
I don't know if anyone else noticed that.
I didn't think of it then, but I've been going over her face in my mind.
She had those same marks. She kept rubbing them in court.
He's right. She did do that a lot.
This woman was about 45 years old.
She was making a tremendous effort to look 35 for her public appearance.
Heavy makeup, dyed hair...
...new clothes that should have been worn by a younger woman.
No glasses. Women do that. See if you can get the mental picture of it.
What do you mean, no glasses? How do you know?
- Because she was rubbing her nose? - She had those marks.
- What do you think that means? - I'm sick of your yelling-
Come on, forget it.
Listen. He's right. I saw them too. I was the closest one to her.
She had these things on her nose. What do you call those?
What point are you making? She had dyed hair and marks on her nose.
What does that mean?
Could these marks be made by anything other than eyeglasses?
No, they couldn't.
I didn't see any marks.
I did. Strange, but I didn't think about it before.
What about the lawyer? Why didn't he say something?
There are 12 people in here. Eleven of us didn't think of it either.
What about the D.A.?
Do you think he'd have her testify without glasses?
Ever see a woman who didn't want glasses, because they spoil her looks?
Okay. She had marks on her nose.
I'm giving you that. From glasses, right?
She didn't want to wear them so people would think she's gorgeous.
But when she saw this kid killing his father, she was alone.
That's all.
Do you wear glasses to bed?
No, I don't. No one wears eyeglasses to bed.
It's logical to assume that she wasn't wearing them when she was in bed.
- How do you know? - I'm guessing.
I'm guessing she didn't put her glasses on when she looked out the window.
She testified the killing took place just as she looked.
She couldn't have had time to put them on.
- Wait- - Here's another guess.
She honestly thought she saw the boy. I say she saw a blur.
How do you know what she saw? How does he know all that?
How do you know what kind of glasses she wore? Maybe she was farsighted.
- What do you know about it? - The woman's sight is in question now.
She had to identify a person 60 feet away, at night, without glasses.
You can't send someone to die on evidence like that.
Don't give me that.
- You think she might've made a mistake? - No.
- It's not possible? - No, it's not possible.
Is it possible?
Not guilty.
Do you think he's guilty?
I think he's guilty.
Do you?
No.
I'm convinced. Not guilty.
- What's the matter with you? - I have a reasonable doubt now.
It's 11 to 1.
What about all the other evidence? The knife, the whole business?
You said we could throw out all the other evidence.
Well, what do we do now?
You're alone.
I don't care whether I'm alone or not. It's my right.
It's your right.
Well, what do you want? I say he's guilty.
- We want to hear your arguments. - I gave you my arguments.
We're not convinced. We want to hear them again.
We have as much time as it takes.
Everything.
Every single thing that took place in that courtroom says he's guilty.
What do you think, I'm an idiot or something?
Why don't you take that stuff about the old man...
...who lived there and heard everything?
This business about the knife. Because we found another one?
The old man saw him right there, on the stairs.
What's the difference how many seconds it was?
Every single thing.
The knife falling through a hole in his pocket.
You can't prove he didn't get to the door.
Sure you can take time, hobble around the room, but you can't prove it.
What about this business of the El and the movies?
There's a phony deal if I ever heard one.
I'll bet you $5000 I'd remember the movies I saw.
I'm telling you, everything that's gone on has been twisted and turned.
This business with the glasses.
How do you know she didn't have them on? This woman testified in open court.
And what about hearing the kid yell?
I'm telling you, I've got all the facts here.
Here.
That's it, that's the whole case.
Well?
Say something!
You lousy bunch of bleeding hearts.
You're not going to intimidate me. I'm entitled to my opinion.
Rotten kid. You work your life out!
No...
Not guilty.
We're ready now.
Hey!
- What's your name? - Davis.
My name's McCardle.
- Well, so long. - So long.