You did a wonderful job. Wonderful.
To continue, 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 read to you...
and interpreted as it applies in this case.
It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy.
One man is dead. Another man's life is at stake.
If there's a reasonable doubt in your mind as to the guilt of the accused--
a reasonable doubt-- then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty.
If however there's no reasonable doubt, then you must in good conscience...
find the accused guilty.
However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous.
In the event that you find the accused guilty...
the bench will not entertain a recommendation for mercy.
The death sentence is mandatory in this case.
You're faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.
The alternate jurors are excused.
The jury will now retire.
- A piece of gum? - No, thanks.
Move it.
- Give you a hand with that. - That's it.
You know something? I called the weather bureau this morning.
This is gonna be the hottest day of the year.
Boy, you'd think they'd at least air-condition these places.
- What is your name, sir? - Oh, it's that one. Yeah.
All right. Thank you. Okay, gentlemen. Everybody's here.
Now, if there's anything you want, I'll be right outside the door.
Just knock.
Good morning. 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? - It was pretty interesting.
I almost fell asleep.
I mean, I've never been on a jury before.
I've sat on many juries.
It gets me the way those lawyers talk and talk and talk...
even when it's an open and shut case like this one.
Did you ever hear so much talk about nothing?
- I guess they're entitled. - They're entitled. It's the system.
But if you ask me, I'd slap those tough kids down...
before they start any trouble.
It would save us a lot of time and money. Let's get started, huh?
- Good idea. - Yeah. We've all got things to do.
We'll start with a five-minute break. There's one gentleman in the bathroom.
- Are we gonna sit in order? - Gee, I don't know. I guess so.
- Pardon me. You're in my seat. - Oh, excuse me.
Not a bad view, huh?
What did you think of the case?
It had a lot of interest for me.
No real dead spots, you know.
We were lucky to get a murder case.
I figured us for an assault or burglary. Boy, they can be the dullest.
- Is that the Woolworth Building? - That's right.
Isn't that funny. I've lived here all my life and I've never been inside that.
You had to sort out all that junk. Like that thing with the movies.
You can say that again. What about that business with the knife?
I mean, asking grown-up people to believe that kind of jazz.
You can expect that. You know what we're dealing with.
I guess so.
Your horn works. Now try your lights. What, do you have a cold?
And how. 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, huh?
The guy's still in the bathroom.
What's new? I didn't get to see a paper this morning.
I was only 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.
Got 37 men working. Started with nothing.
Okay, men. Let's take our seats.
We can all get out of here pretty quick. I have tickets for the ball game.
Yanks and Cleveland. We got this kid Modjelewski in there.
He's a real bull, this kid. You know.
A real jug handle. You know.
You're a real baseball fan, aren't you?
- Where do we sit here? - I thought we'd sit in order.
By jury numbers. One, two, three, four, five, and so on around the table.
- If that's okay with you. - What's the difference?
- It's reasonable to sit in order. - Let it be.
Number 1 2 here?
What was your impression of the prosecuting attorney?
- I beg your pardon? - I thought he was really sharp.
The way he handled those points one by one, in sequence. I was very impressed.
I think he did an expert job.
A lot of drive too, you know.
Okay, can we hold it down a minute? Fellows?
Say, we'd like to get started. Gentleman at the window.
- We'd like to get started. - Oh, I'm sorry.
Tough to figure. Kid kills his father just like that.
- Oh, you see that all the time. - Those kids run wild up there.
Maybe it serves him right. Know what I mean?
- Is everyone here? - The old man is inside.
Would you knock on the door for him?
- Yankee fan? - No, Baltimore.
Baltimore?
That's like being hit in the head with a crow bar once a day.
What've they got? Who've they got besides good groundskeepers?
- We'd like to get started. - Forgive me, gentlemen.
I didn't mean to keep you waiting.
Baltimore.
Okay, gentlemen. If I can have your attention.
You can handle this thing any way that you want to.
I'm not gonna make any rules.
We can discuss it first and then vote on it.
That's, of course, one way.
And we can vote on it right now--
I think it's customary to take a preliminary vote.
Yeah, let's vote. Then maybe we can all get out of here.
Then I think that--
Of course, we have a first degree murder charge here...
and if we vote the accused guilty...
we've got to send him to the chair.
- That's mandatory. - I think we know that.
Let's see who's where.
- Anyone doesn't want to vote? - Fine with me.
Then remember that this has to be 1 2 to nothing, either way.
That's the law. Are we ready?
All those voting ''guilty,'' please raise your hands.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...
eight, nine, ten, eleven.
Okay, that's 1 1 ''guilty.''
Those voting ''not guilty''?
One. Right.
Eleven ''guilty,'' one ''not guilty.'' Well, now we know where we are.
Boy, oh, boy. There's always one.
- What do we do now? - I guess we talk.
- Oh, boy. - You really think he's innocent?
I don't know.
You sat in court with the rest of us.
The kid's a dangerous killer. You could see it.
- He's 1 8 years old. - That's old enough.
He stabbed his own father four inches into the chest.
They proved it a dozen different ways.
- Would you like me to list them? - No.
Then what do you want?
- I just want to talk. - What's there to talk about?
Eleven men in here think he's guilty. Nobody had to think twice except you.
I want to ask you something. Do you believe his story?
I don't know. Maybe I don't.
So how come you vote ''not guilty''?
There were 1 1 votes for ''guilty.'' It's not easy to raise my hand...
and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.
- Who says it's easy? - No one.
Just because I voted fast?
I honestly think the guy's guilty.
Couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.
I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that...
we're talking about somebody's life here.
We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong.
Supposing we're wrong. Supposing this whole building should fall on my head?
- You can suppose anything. - That's right.
What's the difference how long it takes?
Suppose we do it in five minutes. So what?
Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start till 8:00.
Who's got something to say?
- I'm willing to sit for an hour. - Great. I heard a pretty good story.
That's not why we're sitting here.
Then you tell me. What are we sitting here for?
I don't know. Maybe no reason.
Look. This kid's been kicked around all of his life.
Born in a slum.
Mother dead since he was nine. He lived a year and half in an orphanage...
when his father was serving a jail term for forgery.
That's not a very happy beginning.
He's a wild, angry kid. That's all he's ever been.
And you know why? Because he's been hit on the head once a day, every day.
He's had a miserable 1 8 years.
I just think we owe him a few words, that's all.
I don't mind telling you this, mister. 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. Do you know what I mean?
We're all grown-ups in here. We heard the facts, didn't we?
You're not gonna tell me to believe this kid, knowing what he is.
I've lived among them all my life. You can't believe a word they say.
You know that. I mean, they're born liars.
- Only an ignorant man can believe that. - Now, listen!
Do you think you were born with a monopoly on the truth?
I think certain things should be pointed out to this man.
This isn't Sunday. 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 a built-in bounce. I wrote that line.
- Very catchy. - Say, do you mind?
Oh, I'm sorry. I have this habit of doodling. Keeps me thinking clearly.
We have all this work to do. No point in staying here forever.
- Sorry. - Okay.
Perhaps if the gentleman who is disagreeing with us--
perhaps you could tell us why.
Let us know what you're thinking, and we might show you where you're mixed up.
Look, maybe this is an idea. I haven't given it much thought.
But it seems to me that it's up to the group...
to convince this gentleman that he's wrong and we're right.
Maybe if we each took a couple of minutes just to--
- Well, it was just a quick idea. - No, no. That's a good one.
Supposing we go once around the table.
I guess you're first.
Well--
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 prove otherwise. The burden of proof's on the prosecution.
The defendant doesn't even have to open his mouth. That's in the Constitution.
Oh, sure, I know that.
What I meant was--
Well, I just think he's guilty.
I mean, somebody saw him do it.
Okay. Here's what I think, and I have no personal feelings.
I just want to talk about facts.
Number one. The old man lived downstairs under the room...
where the killing took place.
At ten minutes after 1 2:00 that night, he heard loud noises.
Said it sounded like a fight.
And he heard the kid yell out, ''I'm gonna kill ya.''
A second later he heard a body hit the floor.
Ran to the door, opened it up, saw the kid running down and out of the house.
He called the police. They found the old man with a knife in his chest.
The coroner fixed the time of death around midnight.
Now, these are facts.
You can't refute facts. The kid is guilty.
I'm just as sentimental as the next fellow. I know he's only 1 8.
But he's still gotta pay for what he did.
- I'm with you. - Okay. Are you finished?
- Yeah. - Next.
It was obvious to me that the boy's entire story was flimsy.
He claimed he was at the movies at the time, yet one hour later...
he couldn't remember the names of the films he saw or who played in them.
- That's right. - No one saw him at the theater.
What about the woman across the street? Her testimony proves it.
That's right. She actually saw the killing.
- Please, let's go in order here. -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 right across the street...
she sees the kid stick the knife into his father.
The time is 1 2:1 0 on the nose. Everything fits.
She's known the kid all his life.
His window is opposite hers across the El tracks. She swore she saw him do it.
Through the windows of the passing El train.
This El train had no passengers in it. Just being moved downtown.
The lights were out, remember?
They proved in court that at night you can look through the windows...
and see what's happening on the other side.
- They proved it. - I'd like to ask you something.
You don't believe the boy's story. How come you believe the woman's?
She's one of ''them'' too, isn't she?
You're a pretty smart fellow, aren't you?
- Okay, gentlemen. - Sit down.
- What's he so wise about? - Come on.
We're not gonna get anywhere fighting.
Whose turn is it next?
His. Number five.
Well, can I pass?
Well, it's your privilege.
- How about the next gentleman? - Oh, well, I don't know.
I started to be convinced very early in the case.
I was looking for a motive.
That's very important because if you don't have a motive...
where's your case, right?
Anyway that testimony from those people in the apartment...
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...
about 7:00 that night?
- I could be wrong, but I-- - It was 8:00.
They heard an argument. They couldn't hear what it was about.
Then they heard the father hit the boy twice.
Finally they saw the boy run angry out of the house. What does that prove?
Well, it don't exactly prove anything. It's just part of the picture.
You said it provided a motive, and the prosecuting attorney said so.
I don't think that was a very strong motive.
This boy's been hit so many times...
that violence is practically a normal state of affairs with him.
I just 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.
Look at his record.
At ten he was in children's court. He threw a rock at a teacher.
When he was 1 5 he was in reform school. He stole a car.
He's been arrested for mugging.
He was picked up twice for knife fighting.
They say he's real handy with a knife.
Oh, this is a very fine boy.
Ever since he was five years old, his father beat him up regularly.
- He used his fists. - So would I.
- A kid like that? - It's the way these kids are nowadays.
When I was a kid, I used to call my father ''sir.''
That's right. Do you ever hear a kid call his father that anymore?
Fathers don't seem to think it's important anymore.
- You got any kids? - Three.
I got one.
Twenty-two years old.
When he was nine years old he ran away from a fight.
I saw it. I was so embarrassed, I almost threw up.
I said, ''I'm gonna 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 1 6 we had a fight.
He hit me in the jaw. He was a big kid.
I haven't seen him for two years.
Kids.
You work your heart out--
Let's get going.
I think we're missing the point here.
Let's say this boy is the product of a broken home and a filthy neighborhood.
We can't help that. We're here to decide whether he's innocent or guilty...
not to go into the reasons why he grew up the way he did.
He was born in a slum. Slums are breeding grounds for criminals.
We know that. It's no secret that children from slum backgrounds...
are potential menaces to society.
- Now, I think-- - Brother, you can say that again.
The kids who crawl out of these places are real trash.
- I don't want any part of them. - Listen, mister.
- I've lived in a slum all my life. - Wait a minute--
I played in backyards that were filled with garbage.
- Maybe you can still smell it on me. - Now, listen, sonny.
- There's nothing personal. - He didn't mean you.
Let's not be so sensitive.
This sensitivity I can understand.
Okay. Look. Let's stop the arguing. We're only wasting time.
Your turn down there. Let's go.
I didn't expect a turn. I thought you were all trying to convince me.
- Check. That was the idea. - I forgot about that. He's right.
What's the difference? He's the one keeping us in here. Let's hear from him.
Wait. We decided to do this a certain way. We ought to stick to that way.
Stop being a kid, will you?
- What do you mean? - What do you think I mean? K-I-D, kid.
Just because I'm trying to keep this thing organized?
Here, you take it. You take on the responsibility.
- I'll keep my mouth shut. That's all. - What are you so hot about? Calm down.
Don't tell me to calm down. You want to take the chair, just take the chair.
- Did you ever see such a thing? - You think it's funny?
Forget it. The whole thing's unimportant.
Unimportant? You try it.
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 tell you how I feel, it's all right with me.
- Boy, I don't care what you do. - I don't have anything brilliant.
I only know as much as you do.
According to the testimony, the boy looks guilty. Maybe he is.
I sat there in court for six days while the evidence built up.
Everybody sounded so positive. I got a peculiar feeling about this trial.
I mean, nothing is that positive.
There's questions I'd have liked to ask.
Maybe they wouldn't have meant anything. But I began to get the feeling...
that the defense counsel wasn't conducting a thorough cross examination.
He let too many things go by. Little things.
What little things? When these fellows don't ask questions...
it's because they know the answers already and they figured they'd be hurt.
Maybe it's also possible for a lawyer to be just plain stupid, isn't it?
You sound like you met my brother-in-law once.
I kept putting myself in the kid's place.
I'd have asked for another lawyer, I think.
If I was on trial for my life, I'd want him...
to tear the prosecution witnesses to shreds, or at least try to.
Look. There was one alleged eyewitness to this killing.
Someone claims he heard the killing, saw the boy run out afterwards...
and there was a lot of circumstantial evidence.
But actually those two witnesses were the entire case for the prosecution.
- Supposing they're wrong. - What do you mean?
- What's the point of having witnesses? - Could they be wrong?
What are you trying to say? Those people sat on the stand under oath.
They're only people. People make mistakes. Could they be wrong?
- No, I don't think so. - Do you know so?
Nobody can know a thing like that. This isn't an exact science.
That's right. It isn't.
Okay. Let's get to the point.
What about the switch knife they found in the old man's chest?
Wait. There's some people who haven't talked yet. Shouldn't we go in order?
They'll get a chance to talk. Be quiet a second, will you?
What about this knife this fine, upright boy admitted buying that night?
- Let's talk about it. - All right.
Let's get it in here and look at it. I'd like to see it again, Mr. Foreman.
We all saw what it looks like. Why do we have to see it again?
The gentleman has a right to see exhibits in evidence.
- Say, could you bring us the knife? - Right.
The knife and the way it was bought is pretty strong evidence.
- Don't you think? - I do.
Good. Suppose we take these facts one at a time.
One. The boy admitted going out of the house at 8:00 that night...
after being slapped several times 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 directly to a neighborhood junk shop where he bought one of those--
- Switch knives. - Switchblade knives.
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 in stock.
Three. He met friends in front of the tavern about 8:45. Am I right so far?
- Yes. - You bet he is.
He talked with his friends for about an hour, 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 1 0:00.
This is where the stories offered by the State and the boy diverge slightly.
He claims that he went to a movie about 1 1 :30...
returning home at 3:1 0 to find his father dead and himself arrested.
He also claims the two detectives threw him down half a flight of stairs.
What happened to the switch knife?
He claims that it fell through a hole in his pocket on the way to the movies...
sometime between 1 1 :30 and 3:1 0, and that he never saw it again.
Now, there is a tale, gentlemen.
I think that it's quite clear that the boy never went to the movies that night.
No one in the house saw him go out. No one at the theater identified him.
He couldn't remember the names of the pictures he saw.
What actually happened is this.
The boy stayed home, had another fight with his father...
stabbed him to death and left the house at ten minutes after 1 2:00.
He even remembered to wipe the knife clean of fingerprints.
Are you trying to tell me this knife...
really fell through a hole in his pocket?
Someone picked it up, went to the boy's house...
and stabbed his father with it just to test its sharpness?
No, I'm just saying it's possible the boy lost his knife...
and somebody else stabbed his father with a similar knife.
- It's possible. - Look at this knife.
It's a very unusual knife.
I've never seen one like it. Neither had the storekeeper who sold it.
Aren't you asking us to accept a pretty incredible coincidence?
I'm just saying a coincidence is possible.
And I say it's not possible.
- Where did that come from? - It's the same knife!
- What are you doing? - Where did you get it?
I went out walking last night. I walked through the boy's neighborhood.
I bought that at a pawn shop two blocks from the boy's house. It cost $6.
It's against the law to buy or sell switchblade knives.
That's right. I broke the law.
You pulled a real bright trick. Now tell me what it proves.
- Maybe there are ten knives like that. - Maybe there are.
What does it mean?
You found a knife like it. What's that? The discovery of the age or something?
Are you asking us to believe that somebody else did the stabbing...
with exactly the same kind of knife?
- The odds are a million to one. - 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 exactly like the boy's.
What's interesting about it?
- I just thought it was interesting. - There are 1 1 who think he's guilty.
Right. What are you accomplishing? You're not gonna change anybody's mind.
If you want to be stubborn and hang this jury, go ahead.
The kid will be tried again and found guilty as sure as he's born.
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 Potsy the policeman to get a pinochle deck...
and we'll just sweat the whole thing out right here.
- I don't think he should joke about it. - What do you want me to do about it?
I don't see what all this stuff about the knife has to do with anything.
Somebody saw the kid stab his father. What more do we need?
You can talk the ears right off my head.
I got three garages going to pot while you're talking! Let's get done!
The knife was important to the district attorney. He spent one whole day.
He's a 1 5th assistant or something. What does he know about it?
Let's hold it down. These side arguments are only slowing us up.
Well, what about it? You're the only one.
I have a proposition to make to all of you.
I'm gonna call for another vote.
I want you 1 1 men to vote by secret written ballot.
I'll abstain.
If there are 1 1 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.
That's it. If you want to try it, I'm ready.
All right. Let's do it the hard way.
That sounds fair. Anyone doesn't agree? Pass these along.
Guilty.
Not guilty. Guilty.
- How do you like that! - Another chap flips his wings.
All right. Who was it? I wanna know.
Excuse me. This was a secret ballot.
We all agreed on that. If the gentleman wants it to remain secret--
Secret! There are no secrets in a jury room. I know who it was.
Brother, you really are something.
You sit here, vote ''guilty'' like the rest of us...
and some golden-voiced preacher tears your heart out...
about some underprivileged kid just couldn't help becoming a murderer!
And you change your vote. If that isn't sickening.
Why don't you drop a quarter in his collection box?
Just wait a minute.
You can't talk to me like that. Who do you think you are?
Calm down. It doesn't matter. He's very excitable.
Excitable! You bet I'm excitable!
We're trying to put a guilty man in the chair, where he belongs!
Someone starts telling fairy tales, and we're listening!
- Come on. - What made you change your vote?
He didn't change his vote. I did.
- Oh, fine. - I knew it.
Would you like me to tell you why?
No, I wouldn't like you to tell me why.
I'd like to make it clear anyway, if you don't mind.
- Do we have to listen to this? - The man wants to talk.
Thank you. This gentleman has been standing alone against us.
He doesn't say the boy is not guilty. He just isn't sure.
It's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others...
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 ten to two. I'm talking here!
- You have no right to leave this room. - He can't hear you. He never will.
Let's sit down.
Shall we continue?
Well, I think we ought to take a break.
One man's inside, and I think we ought to wait for him.
Looks like we're really hung up here.
That thing with the old man, that was pretty unexpected.
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's some pretty strange people there. Well, not strange, really.
They just have peculiar ways of expressing themselves.
I suppose it's the same in your business too, huh?
- What do you do? - I'm a watchmaker.
Really? I imagine the finest watchmakers in the world come from Europe.
Anyway, in an agency, when we reach a point like this--
I'm telling about in an ad agency when we reach a point like this in a meeting.
There's always some character ready with an idea. And it kills me.
It's the weirdest thing how they precede their idea with a phrase.
Like, some account executive 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.
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 you.
I don't know what's the matter with that fan. Can't get it started.
Are 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 2 7 grand last year selling marmalade.
That's not bad, considering marmalade.
What are you getting out of this? Kicks?
Or did somebody bump you on the head one time and you haven't gotten over it.
Maybe.
You do-gooders are all alike.
You're always blowing your stacks over some guy who fanned.
What're you wasting our time for?
Why don't you donate five dollars to the cause, and maybe you'll 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 here?
We'll all get sore throats.
What difference does it make 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 we'll be much longer? - I don't know.
He's guilty for sure. Not a doubt in the world.
We should have been done already.
Oh, I don't mind, you know.
Beats working.
You think he's not guilty?
I don't know. It's possible.
I don't know you, but I bet you've never been wronger in your life.
You're wasting your time. You ought to wrap it up.
Supposing you were the one 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.
Sorry, blue eyes. Well, where else?
Let's take our seats.
Looks like we'll be here for dinner, huh?
Okay. Let's get down to business. Who wants to start it off?
- I will. - Okay. Go.
You, down there. The old man who lived downstairs...
says he heard the kid yell out, ''I'm going to kill ya.''
A second later he heard the body hit the floor.
He ran to the door, and he saw the kid running down the stairs and out.
- What does that mean? - I was wondering how clearly...
the old man could have heard the boy through the ceiling.
The window was open. So was the one upstairs. It was a hot night.
It was another apartment. It's not that easy to identify a shouting voice.
- He identified it in court. - Remember the lady across the street.
She looked right in the open window and saw the boy stab his father.
- Isn't that enough for you? - No, it isn't.
Boy, how do you like this guy? It's like talking into a dead phone.
She said she saw the killing through the windows of a moving elevated train.
There were six cars. She saw the killing through the last two cars.
She remembered the most insignificant details. You can't argue with that.
Has anybody here any idea how long it would take an el--
This isn't a game.
Did you see him?
- The nerve. - All right. Listen.
- The absolute nerve! - Forget it. It's not important.
This isn't a game! Who does he think he is?
Has anybody any idea how long it takes an elevated train...
going at medium speed to pass a given point?
- What has that to do with anything? - How long? Take a guess.
- I haven't the slightest idea. - What do you think?
Maybe ten, twelve seconds.
I think that's a good guess. Anyone else?
- That sounds right. - What's the guessing game for?
- You? - Ten seconds is about right.
Ten seconds. What are you getting at?
This. It takes a six-car El train ten seconds to pass a given point.
Let's say the point is the open window where the killing took place.
You can reach out of that window and almost touch the El tracks, right?
Let me ask you this. Has anyone here ever lived near the El tracks?
I just finished painting an apartment that overlooked an El line.
- I was there for three days. - What was it like? Noisy?
Oh, brother. No matter, though. We were all punchy.
I lived in a second-floor apartment near the El line once.
When the window is open and the train goes by, the noise is almost unbearable.
- You can hardly hear yourself think. - Will you get to the point?
Just a minute. Let's take two pieces of testimony and put them together.
First, the old man in the apartment downstairs.
He says he heard the boy say, ''I'm gonna kill you...''
and a split second later heard a body hit the floor.
One second later, right? Second. The woman across the street...
swore positively she looked out of the window...
and saw the killing through the last two cars of the passing train.
- What are you giving us here? -Just a minute.
We've agreed that it takes ten seconds for a train to pass a point.
Since the woman 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 ten seconds before the body hit the floor.
The old man, according to his own testimony, ''I'm gonna kill you...''
body hitting the floor a split second later--
would have had to hear the boy make this statement with the El roaring past.
He couldn't have heard it.
- That's idiotic. - Do you think he could have heard it?
He said he yelled at the top of his voice. That's good enough for me.
Even if he heard, he couldn't have identified the voice with the roaring.
You're talking about seconds. Nobody can be that accurate.
Testimony that could put a boy into the electric chair should be that accurate.
- I don't think he could have heard it. - Maybe he didn't, with that El noise.
What are you people talking about?
It stands to reason he couldn't have heard it.
Why should he lie? What's he got to gain?
Attention, maybe.
You keep coming in with these bright sayings! Send them in to a paper!
They pay three dollars apiece.
What are you talking to him like that for?
A guy talks like that to an old man really ought to get stepped on.
You ought to have more respect, mister.
If 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.
Seam of his jacket was split under the shoulder.
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...
because 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 of his life--
who has never had recognition or his name in the newspapers.
Nobody knows him.
Nobody quotes him.
Nobody seeks his advice after 7 5 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 the background.
Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell us he'd lie just to be important once?
No. He wouldn't really lie.
But perhaps he made himself believe he heard those words...
and recognized the boy's face.
That's the most fantastic story I've ever heard.
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.
Say what you like, I don't see how anybody can think he's not guilty.
There's something else I'd like to talk about for a minute. Thanks.
I think we've proved that the old man couldn't have heard the boy say it.
- But-- - You didn't prove it at all!
Supposing he really did hear it.
This phrase, how many times have all of us used it?
Probably thousands.
''I could kill you for that, darling.''
''Junior, you do that once more, and I'm gonna kill you.''
We say it every day. That doesn't mean we're really gonna kill anybody.
What are you trying to give us here? The phrase was, ''I'm going to kill you.''
The kid yelled it at the top of his lungs. Don't tell me he didn't mean it.
- Anybody says it like that, means it. - Gee, I don't know.
I was arguing with a guy I work with at the bank a couple of weeks ago.
He called me an idiot, so I yelled at him.
This guy's trying to make you believe things that aren't so!
The kid said it, and he killed him.
Do you think the boy would shout that so the whole neighborhood could hear?
I don't think so. 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.
The vote is nine to three in favor of guilty.
Well, if this isn't the living end.
What are you basing it on? Stories this guy made up?
You ought to 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. You could see it.
Boy, oh, boy, this guy here is really something.
The kid had a lawyer, didn't he? He presented his case, not you.
- How come you've got so much to say? - Lawyers aren't infallible.
- Baltimore, please. - He was court appointed.
- What's that supposed to mean? - It could mean a lot of things.
Maybe he didn't want the case or he resented being appointed.
No money, no glory, not even much chance of winning.
That's not a promising situation for a young lawyer.
He'd really have to believe in his client...
to put up a good case, and you pointed out that he didn't.
Of course he didn't.
Who the heck could?
Except maybe some guy's mother or somebody.
Look. Will you look at the time? For crying out loud.
- Pardon me. I have some notes here. - Notes.
I would like, please, to say something.
I have been listening very carefully.
It seems to me 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 ya?
There's a question I would like to ask.
Let us assume that the boy really did commit the murder.
This happened at ten minutes after 1 2:00.
How was he caught by the police?
He came home at 3:00 or so...
and he was captured by two detectives in the hallway of his house.
My question is, if he really had killed his father...
why would he come back home three hours later?
Wouldn't he be afraid of being caught?
He came home to get his knife. It's not nice to leave knives in people's chests.
Yeah, especially relatives.
I don't see anything funny about it.
The boy knew the knife could be identified as the one he just bought.
He had to get it before the police did.
But if the knife could be identified, why did he leave it in the first place?
I think we can assume the boy ran out in a state of panic...
after having just killed his father.
When he finally calmed down, he realized he left his knife there.
This then depends on your definition of ''panic.''
He was calm enough to see that there were no fingerprints left 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 believe I have to be loyal to one side.
I am simply asking questions.
This is just off the top of my head, but...
if I were the boy and I'd done the stabbing...
I'd take a chance and go back for the knife.
I'll bet he figured that nobody'd seen him running out...
and that the body wouldn't be discovered till the next day.
It was the middle of the night.
I'll bet he figured nobody would find the body till the next day.
Pardon. This is my whole point.
The woman testified that the moment after she saw the killing--
that is, a moment after the train went by--
she screamed and then went to telephone the police.
Now, the boy certainly must have heard the scream...
so he knew that somebody saw something.
I just don't think that he would have gone back.
Two things. One. In his state of panic, he may not have heard the scream.
Perhaps it wasn't very loud. Two. If he did hear it...
he may not have connected it with his own act.
Remember, he lived in a neighborhood where screams were fairly commonplace.
There's your answer.
Maybe. Maybe the boy did kill his father.
Didn't hear the scream, did run out in a panic...
did calm down and come back for the knife, risking being caught.
Maybe all those things happened, but maybe they didn't!
There's enough doubt that we can wonder whether he was there during the killing.
What are you talking about? Didn't the old man see him running out?
He's twisting the facts!
Did or didn't the old man see the kid running out of the house at 1 2:1 0?
Did or didn't he?
- He says he did. - Says? How do you like that!
- Witnesses can make mistakes. - Sure, when you want them to, they do.
- Keep the yelling down! - Maybe we need a little yelling.
These guys are going off every which way. Didn't hear the scream!
What difference does it make? You're talking about the little details.
- You're forgetting the important stuff. - I'd like to call for another vote.
- I'm talking here! - 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.
Okay. I guess the fastest way is to find out who's voting ''not guilty.''
All those voting ''not guilty,'' please raise your hands.
Still the same. One, two, three ''not guilty.'' Nine ''guilty.''
Where are we? We can yakety-yak till next Tuesday. Where's it getting us?
Pardon. I vote ''not guilty.''
We're all going crazy in here or something.
The kid is guilty. Why don't you listen to the facts!
Tell him, will ya? This is getting to be a joke.
The vote is eight to four in favor of ''guilty.''
What is this, love your underprivileged brother week or something?
I want you to get up and tell me why you changed your vote. Give me reasons.
I don't have to defend my decision to you. I have a reasonable doubt.
What reasonable doubt? That's nothing but words. Look at this.
The kid you decided isn't guilty was seen ramming this into his father!
Now, what about this, Mr. Reasonable Doubt?
That's not the knife. Don't you remember?
Oh, brilliant.
This is the craziest. What're we supposed to believe?
You're sitting here. You're pulling stories out of thin air.
A guy like this, if he's sitting ringside at the Dempsey fight...
he'd be trying to tell you that--
Look. What about the old man?
Are we supposed to believe that he didn't get up and run to his door...
and see the kid 1 5 seconds after the killing?
He's just saying so to be important? Right?
- What's the point of the whole thing? - Hold it.
And the Baltimore rooter is heard from again.
Pop-ups are falling for base hits--
Now, look. Did the old man say he ran to the door?
Ran, walked, what's the difference? He got there, didn't he?
- Wait-- - He said he ran. I think he did.
I don't remember. But I don't see how he could have run to the door.
He said he went from his bedroom to the front door. Isn't that enough?
- Where was the bedroom? - Down the hall.
I thought you remembered everything. Don't you remember that?
No. Mr. Foreman, I'd like to see a diagram of the apartment.
Why don't we run the trial over again?
How come you're the only one that wants to see exhibits?
- I want to see this one too. - I'd like to stop wasting time.
If we're gonna start wading through where the body was--
Not unless somebody else wants to. But I'd like to know if an old man...
who drags one foot because of a stroke last year...
can get from his bedroom to his front door in 1 5 seconds.
- Twenty. - He said fifteen.
- He said 20 seconds. - He said 1 5.
How does he know how long 1 5 seconds is? You can't judge a thing like that!
- He said 1 5. He was very positive. - He was an old man.
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 said he saw the boy running out.
Let's see if the details bear him out.
As soon as the body hit the floor, he said he heard footsteps upstairs...
running toward the front door.
Heard the upstairs door open, the footsteps start down the stairs.
He said he got to his own front door as fast as he could...
and he swore it couldn't have been more than 1 5 seconds.
If the killer began running immediately--
- Maybe he didn't. - The old man said he did.
You ought to be in Atlantic City at that hairsplitters' convention.
Why don't you stop making smart remarks all the time?
For your three dollars a day, you have to listen to everything.
- What about it? - All right. Here's the apartment.
The old man's apartment was directly beneath and exactly the same.
Here are the El tracks, the bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom.
Here's the hall. Here are the stairs.
The old man was in this bedroom right here.
He says he crossed to the door and walked down the hall...
opened the front door just in time to see the boy running down the stairs.
- Am I right so far? - That's the story, for the 1 9th time.
Fifteen seconds after the body hit the floor.
- Correct. - Now, let's see.
It's 1 2 feet from the bed to the door. The hall is 43 feet.
He would've had to walk 1 2 feet, open the bedroom door...
walk 43 feet down and open the front door, all in 1 5 seconds.
- Do you think he could've done it? - Sure, he could've done it.
He can walk only very slowly. They had to help him into the witness chair.
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 going to try it. - What do you mean, try it?
- Why didn't his lawyer bring it up? - Maybe he just didn't think about it.
Didn't think of it? Do you think the man's an idiot? It's obvious.
- Did you think of it? - It don't matter.
He didn't bring it up because he knew it would hurt his case.
- What do you think of that? - Maybe he didn't bring it up...
'cause it would've meant bullying and badgering a helpless old man.
You know that doesn't sit well with a jury. Most lawyers avoid it.
- So what kind of bum is he, then? - That's what I've been asking.
Pass me that chair, will you? Those two chairs are the old man's bed.
I just paced off 1 2 feet across the room. This'll be the bedroom door.
That's crazy. You can't recreate a thing like that.
The hall was 43 feet. I'll pace to that wall and back again.
Look. This is absolutely insane. What do you waste everybody's time for?
According to you, it will only take 1 5 seconds. We can spare that.
Come on. Knock it off.
Okay, killer. Yeah.
Will you stand right there and mark the front door?
It was chain-locked according to the testimony, remember?
-Anybody got a watch with a second hand? -I have.
You want me to start, stamp your foot. That'll be the body falling.
You can time me from there.
What are we going to do, play Charades now?
What are we waiting for?
I want to wait till the second hand reaches 60.
Come on.
Come on. Speed it up. He walked 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.
Here's what I think happened: The old man heard the fight...
between the boy and his father a few hours earlier.
When lying in bed, he heard a body hit the floor in the boy's apartment...
heard the scream across the street, got to his front door as fast as he could...
heard somebody racing down the stairs and assumed it was the boy.
- I think that's possible. - ''Assumed''?
Brother, I've seen all kinds of dishonesty in my day...
but this little display takes the cake.
You all come in here with your hearts bleeding all over the floor...
about slum kids and injustice.
You listen to some fairy tales, start getting through to these old ladies.
Well, you're not getting through to me. I've had enough.
What's the matter with you guys? You all know he's guilty! He's got to burn!
You're letting him slip through our fingers!
''Slip through our fingers''? Are you his executioner?
I'm one of'em!
- Perhaps 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.
Ever since you walked in, you've been acting like a self-appointed avenger.
You want to see this boy die because you want it, not because of the facts.
You're a sadist.
Let go. I'll kill him. I'll kill him!
You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?
Is there anything wrong, gentlemen? I heard some noise.
Oh, no. Everything's all right. Friendly little argument.
We're through with that diagram. You can take it if you want.
What are you looking at?
- I suppose somebody has to start off. - 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--
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 else has an idea, I might have a cutie.
I haven't given it much thought, but let's throw it out on the stoop...
see if the cat licks it up.
- ''The cat licks it up''? - Yeah.
Look how dark it's gettin' out there.
I bet we're going to have a storm now.
Boy, oh, boy. It's really hot, huh?
Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat?
No, I don't.
Listen, I--
I was wondering if maybe we should take another vote.
Oh, great. Maybe we can follow this up with a little dancing and refreshments.
- Mr. Foreman? - That's okay with me.
Anyone doesn't want to vote?
- Come on. - I'm sorry.
I think we ought to have an open ballot, call out our votes.
Let's see who stands where.
That sounds fair to me. Anyone object?
I'll call off your jury numbers. One.
Oh, 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 ten? - Guilty.
- Number 1 1 ? - Not guilty.
Number 1 2?
Guilty.
The vote is now six to six.
And we go into extra innings here, huh?
Six to six. I'm telling you.
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 are supposed to determine the case.
I'm sick and tired of facts. You can twist them any way you like.
That's exactly the point this gentleman has been making.
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, isn't it? - Want a drink of water?
No, thanks.
- It's going to rain. - How'd you figure that out, killer?
- And how come you changed your vote? - It seemed there was room for doubt.
- You haven't got a leg to stand on. - I don't feel that way.
There were a lot of details that never came out.
- Good luck. - Come on. You're like everybody else.
You think too much. You get mixed up.
- Know what I mean? - I don't think you have any right to--
Loudmouth.
Look at that come down, will ya?
You know, this reminds me of a storm we had last--
What was that? November? I don't know. Something.
It was quite a storm we had there. It was right in the middle of a game.
We were behind seven to six...
but we just started to move the ball, a real tackle.
A cut here. Slash here. A slash right there. And cut it there.
And...
we had this kid, Slattery.
He was an ox, a real ox.
I wish I had another one just like him.
I forgot to tell you. I'm the assistant head coach...
at the Andrew J. McCorkle High School.
That's out in Queens.
And anyway...
we were starting to move along real nice.
That whole line is just coming apart.
And it starts to come down cats and dogs just like this.
Just-- whoosh-- right down.
Well, it was murder, you know?
I swear, I nearly bawled.
Just, you couldn't go nowhere.
What is it with this fan here? How come--
Must have been on the same switch with the lights.
Things are looking up here, huh?
Yeah.
Boy. Better.
Two points.
You guys ever go to the Garden?
That's a damn stupid thing to do.
I'm sorry. I-- You know?
Pardon me.
How do you like it? Even Steven.
Pretty surprising, isn't it?
Yes.
Say, that business before, when that tall guy--
what's his name-- was trying to bait me.
That doesn't prove anything. I'm a pretty excitable person.
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'll tell you what I think. We're going nowhere here.
I'm ready to walk into court right now and declare a hung jury.
- No point in this going on anymore. - I go for that too.
Let's take it into the judge and let the kid take his chance with 1 2 other guys.
I don't think the judge will accept a hung jury.
- We haven't been in here very long. - Well, let's find out.
- I am not in favor of that. - Listen.
This kid wouldn't stand a chance with another jury, and you know it.
Come on. We're hung. Nobody's going to change his vote. Let's take it inside.
You still don't think there's room for reasonable doubt?
- No, I don't. - Pardon.
Maybe you don't fully understand the term ''reasonable doubt.''
What do you mean, I don't understand?
Well, how do you like this guy?
I'm telling you. They're all alike. They come here running for their life...
and before they can take a deep breath, they're tellin' us how to run the show.
Boy, the arrogance of this guy.
All right. Let's stop the arguing for about two minutes in here.
Who's got something constructive to say?
I'd like to go over something, if you gentlemen don't mind.
An important point for the prosecution was that after the boy claimed...
he'd been at the movies during the hours the killing took place--
couldn't remember the names of the movies or the stars in them--
This gentleman here has brought that point in here several times.
That's correct. It was the only alibi the boy offered.
He himself couldn't back it up with any details at all.
Putting yourself in the boy's place, do you think you could remember details...
after an experience such as being slapped in the face by your father?
I think so, if there were any special details to remember.
The boy couldn't remember the names of the movies because he wasn't there.
According to the police testimony in court, the boy was questioned...
by the detectives in the kitchen of his apartment...
while the body of his father was lying on the floor in the bedroom.
Do you think you could remember details under those circumstances?
- I do. - Under great emotional stress?
- Under great emotional stress. - He remembered them correctly in court.
He named the pictures and the stars who played in them.
Yes. His lawyer took great pains to bring that out.
He had three months from the night of the murder to the day of the trial...
in which to memorize them.
It's not difficult for a lawyer to find out what played...
at a particular theater on a particular night.
I'll take the testimony of the policeman who interrogated the boy...
right after the murder, when he couldn't remember a thing about the movies...
great emotional stress or not.
I'd like to ask you a personal question.
- Go ahead. - Where were you last night?
- I was home. - How about the night before that?
- Come on. What is this? - It's all right.
I left the office at 8:30, went straight home and to bed.
- And the night before that? - Tuesday night bridge tournament.
- I played bridge. - Monday night?
When you get down to New Year's Eve, 1 954, let me know, huh?
Monday night?
Monday night. My wife and I went to the movies.
- What did you see? - The Scarlet Circle. Clever whodunit.
- What was the second feature? - The--
I'll tell you in a minute. The Remarkable Mrs.--
something--
Mrs. Bainbridge. The Remarkable Mrs. Bainbridge.
I saw that. It's called The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge.
Yes. The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge. I think that's right.
Who was in The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge?
Barbara Long, I think it was.
Dark. Very pretty girl.
- ''Ling'' or ''Long.'' Something like that. - Who else?
I'd never heard of them before. It was a second feature...
with unknown--
And you weren't under an emotional stress, were you?
I wasn't.
- I think the point is made. - Big point.
You can talk till your tongue is draggin' on the floor.
The boy is guilty, period. Know what I mean, my friend?
- Who's 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 six to six.
Who's got a suggestion?
It's five after 6:00. Let's get some dinner.
Why don't we wait until 7:00, give it another hour?
Okay with me.
There's something I'd like to say.
I mean, it's been bothering me a little, and as long as we're stuck--
Well, there was this whole business about the stab wound...
and how it was made, the downward angle of it, you know?
Don't tell me we're going to start with that again.
They've been over it and over it.
I know they did, but I don't go along with it.
Now, the boy was 5'7'' tall.
His father was 6'2''. That's a difference of 7 inches.
It's very awkward to stab down into the chest of someone taller than you.
Give me that.
I'll give you a demonstration. Somebody get up.
I want you to watch this 'cause I don't want to have to do it again.
I'll make myself about six or seven inches shorter, okay?
- It's about right. Maybe a little more. - Okay. A little more.
Nobody's hurt, right?
Right. Nobody hurt.
This is the way I'd stab a man who was taller than I was.
Look at the angle. Down and in.
This is the way it was done. Tell me I'm wrong.
- I guess there's no argument. - Hold it a minute. Give me that.
Boy, I hate these things. Did you ever see a knife fight?
- You? - No.
Anybody here ever see a knife fight?
Well, I have. You know, my back stoop.
Lot across the street. Backyard.
Switchblades came with the neighborhood where I lived.
Funny. I never thought of it before. I guess you try to forget those things.
- How do you use a switchblade? - Well, you'd never use it like this.
See? You'd lose too much time switchin' hands.
Here's how: underhanded.
Anyone who's ever used a switch knife wouldn't handle it any other way.
- Are you sure? - I'm sure.
That's why they're made to open like that.
- The boy was handy with a knife? - Mm-hmm.
You think he could've made the kind of wound that killed his father?
Not with the experience he'd had all his life handling these things.
I feel he'd have gone for him underhanded.
How do you know? Were you in the room when the father was killed?
No. Neither was anybody else.
What are you giving us all this mumbo jumbo for? I don't believe it.
I don't think you can determine what type of wound the boy might...
or might not have made simply because he knew how to handle a knife.
- What do you think? - I don't know.
- What do you mean, you don't know? - I don't know.
How about you?
I don't know about the rest of them, but I'm getting tired of yakety-yakking.
It's getting us nowhere. So I guess I'll have to break it up.
- I change my vote to ''not guilty.'' - You what?
You heard me. I've had enough.
What do you mean, you've had enough? That's no answer.
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 have sat here and voted ''guilty'' with everyone else...
because there are some baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket.
And now you have changed your vote because you're sick of all the talking?
Listen, buddy--
Who tells you you have the right to play like this with a man's life?
- Don't you care-- - Wait a minute.
- You can't talk like that to me. - I can talk like that to you.
If you want to vote ''not guilty,'' then do it because you are convinced...
the man is not guilty, not because you've had enough.
And if you think he is guilty, then vote that way.
But don't you have the guts to do what you think 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?
I don't think he's guilty.
- I want another vote. - That's another vote called for.
I guess the quickest way is a show of hands. Anyone object?
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 nine to three in favor of acquittal.
I don't understand you people.
All these picky little points you keep bringing up. They don't mean nothing.
You saw this kid just like I did.
You're not going to tell me you believe that phony story...
about losing the knife and that business about being at the movies.
You know how these people lie. It's born in them.
What the heck! 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 big reason to kill someone either.
No, sir. They get drunk.
They're real big drinkers, all of them. You know that.
And, bang, someone's lying in the gutter.
Nobody's blaming them for it. 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 lushing it up and fighting all the time...
and if somebody gets killed, so somebody gets killed.
They don't care. Sure, there's some good things about 'em too.
I'm the first one to say that. I've known a couple who were okay...
but that's the exception, know what I mean?
Most of them, it's like they have no feelings. They can do anything.
What's going on here?
I'm trying to tell you. You're making a big mistake, you people.
This kid is a liar. I know it. I know all about them.
Listen to me. They're no good.
There's not a one of them who's 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--
don't you know about them?
There's a danger here.
These people are dangerous.
They're wild.
Listen to me.
I have. Now sit down and don't open your mouth again.
I'm telling 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.
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 excellent points, but I still believe the boy is guilty.
I have two reasons. One: the evidence given by the woman across the street...
who actually saw the murder committed.
As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important testimony.
And two: the fact 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 for a moment.
She said she went to bed about 1 1 :00 that night.
Her bed was next to the window, and she could look out while lying down...
and see directly into the boy's room across the street.
She tossed and turned for over an hour, unable to sleep.
Finally, she turned toward the window at about ten minutes after 1 2:00...
and as she looked out, she saw the killing through the windows...
of a passing El train.
She said the lights went out immediately 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.
- That's the whole case. - What do you think?
How about you?
I don't know.
So much evidence to sift. This is pretty complicated business.
Frankly, I don't see how you can vote for acquittal.
It's not so easy to arrange all the evidence in order--
You can throw out all the other evidence!
The woman saw him do it. What else do you want?
- Maybe-- - Let's vote on it.
There's another vote called for. Anyone object?
All right. I'm changing my vote. He's guilty.
Anybody else? The vote is eight to four.
Why is this such a personal trial for you? It's one vote.
I say we're a hung jury. I say we take it into the judge.
How about it? I want to hear arguments.
You're the leader of the cause. What about it?
- Let's go over it again. - We've been over it again.
The boy here is bouncing backwards and forwards like a tennis ball.
No point in getting nasty. You keep trying to turn this into a contest.
Maybe we can talk about setting some kind of time limit.
Yeah. Once around for the dealer, huh?
It's a quarter after 6:00.
Someone before mentioned 7:00.
I think that's a point at which we might begin to discuss the question...
of whether we're 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 time--
The reason I asked about that was you were rubbing your nose like--
Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting...
but you made a gesture that reminded me of something.
I'm trying to settle something here. Do you mind?
I think this is important.
Thank you. Now, then, I'm sure you'll pardon me for this...
but I was wondering why you rub your nose like that.
Come on.
At this point, I happen to be talking to the gentleman next to you.
Now, why were you rubbing your nose like that?
Well, if it's any of your business, I was rubbing it because it bothers me.
Oh, I'm sorry. Is it because of your eyeglasses?
It is. Now, can we get on to something else?
Your eyeglasses made those two deep impressions on the sides of your nose.
I hadn't noticed that before. That must be annoying.
It is very annoying.
I wouldn't know about that. I've never worn eyeglasses. Twenty-twenty.
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.
Please just give me a minute...
and I'll be finished.
I don't know if anyone else knows that about her.
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 first public appearance.
Heavy makeup. Dyed hair.
Brand-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 her.
What do you mean, ''no glasses''? How do you know whether she wore glasses?
-Just 'cause she was rubbin' her nose? - She had those marks. I saw 'em.
So what? What do you think that means?
- I'm getting sick of your yelling-- - Forget it.
Listen. He's right. I saw them too. I was the closest one to her.
She had these things on the side of her nose. What do you call those?
What point are you making here?
She had dyed hair, marks on her nose. What does that mean?
Could those 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 1 2 people in here concentrating on this case.
Eleven of us didn't think of it either.
What about the district attorney? You think he'd pull a trick like that?
- Have her testify without her glasses? - Did you ever see a woman...
who had to wear glasses and didn't want to because they spoil her looks?
She had marks on her nose. I'm giving you that.
From glasses, right?
She didn't wear them out of the house so people'd think she's gorgeous.
But when she saw this kid killing his father...
she was in the house, 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 she wasn't wearing them when she was in bed...
tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep.
- How do you know? - I don't know. I'm guessing.
I'm also guessing she didn't put her glasses on when she turned...
to look casually out of the window.
And she herself testified the killing took place just as she looked out.
Lights off a split second later. She couldn't have had time to put them on.
- Wait a second. - Here's another guess.
Maybe she honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father.
I say she only 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 they were sunglasses.
Maybe she was farsighted. What do you know about it?
I only know the woman's eyesight is in question now.
She had to be able to identify a person 60 feet away at night without glasses.
You can't send someone off to die on evidence like that.
Don't give me that.
Don't you think the woman might have made a mistake?
- 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?
I'm convinced. Not guilty.
- What's the matter with you? - I have a reasonable doubt now.
Eleven to one.
What about all the other evidence? What about all that stuff?
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.
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--
but I mean everything-- 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--
the old man who lived there and heard everything.
Or this business about the knife. What, 'cause they found another like it?
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 all the time, hobble around the room.
But you can't prove it!
And what about this business of the El and the movies?
There's a phony deal if I ever heard one.
I'll bet you $5,000 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, huh?
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 kids. You work your life out!
Not guilty.
We're ready now.
- What's your name? - Davis.
My name's McCardle.
- Well, so long. - So long.