Original subtitles

Come on, I know you guys are selling dope.

Give it up.

Give it up. where's the dope, huh?

Huh?

Where's the money?

Where's the money?

Come on!

I wanted to check that movie with her.

I think she tried to kiss me.

Hot, buddy.

Hot, buddy.

I'm the epitome of malehood.

I'm king of the park. - Sure, you are.

- King of the park. - Sure, you are, buddy.

King of the hill.

Epitome of malehood in your own mind.

Yeah, right.

Woop-woop.

You got nothing on me, buddy.

So I think she liked my eyes.

Yeah, sure.

Some of the part of my--

You like something

Get your head down or I'll blow it off.

OK, punk, give us your money, whatever you got.

Now!

You heard the man.

Now cough it up.

I don't have nothing. Ow!

Give it to me.

Give it to me.

Where it at?

Come on.

Now get out of here.

Now!

What are you waiting for?

So where's the stuff?

Where's the dope.

Where are you keeping it?

Come on, this is bull--

Put your head down.

Get your head down or I'll blow it off.

Get your face in the dirt. Come on.

Come on, get out of here.

Come on.

I'll bag the shell casings.

All right, you ready?

All right, I call it in the county.

It was too dark.

I couldn't see their faces.

Plus, they had a space down in the ground.

One of them had a shotgun.

I saw the bell right near my head.

Did anybody get a good look at their faces?

No, one of them stuffed his hand

down my shirt looking for money and stuff,

but I couldn't see his face.

It was too dark.

I couldn't see anything.

I did.

I saw them.

What's your name?

Jimmy O'Neill.

Do you think you could identify them?

Yeah, maybe.

Is he dead?

Mary, somebody's in the house.

Stay there.

What the hell are you doing?

Hey, Dad.

Bobby, it's 3 o'clock in the morning.

I was ready to take your head off here.

Bobby, what happened?

I-- I got a little bit drunk.

I forgot where I lived.

Carol go upstairs.

You too, Jeff and Timmy.

Mom, why don't you just let Bobby sleep here.

No way.

This is the very reason he moved out in the first place.

That was a joint.

This is beer and bourbon, I think.

You think you're very cute, huh?

How do we know what you're messed up on?

Dad, let me get dressed, and I'll drive Bobby home.

You will not.

Go to bed, all yous.

Jeez, lighten up, Dad.

I lighten yous up.

Go to bed!

You sit down.

And you listen to me, son.

If you want to mess up your life, we can't stop you.

What kind of an example do you think you're

setting for Carol and Jeff?

Even Tammy thinks you're a big shot with your carousing

and boozing. - That right?

You're sorry you ever took me in this family--

- I never said that! - --in the first place.

I never said that. I heard you say it!

I never said it.

Don't make me sorry!

Oh, to hell with it.

You want to throw your life away?

Fine. Just don't do it in this house!

I'm sorry, Mom.

You can have the couch tonight.

I'll get you a blanket.

Mom somebody, shot Spooky Halstead

tonight in Marine Park.

He's dead.

Oh my god!

I just--

I wanted to come home.

Another traffic report in 20 minutes.

At the top of the news this morning

is the brutal murder of young Robert

"Spooky" Halstead at Marine Park last night,

the result of what police are calling a drug-related holdup.

We'll have more details for you as the case unfolds.

A warehouse fire in Queens yesterday claimed--

It on the radio this morning about Spooky Halstead.

My god.

I just can't believe it, right here in Marine Park.

Thank you.

It's late.

We got to go.

Say, ma, can you lend me 20 bucks till next week?

Why don't you get a job?

I got a job.

I mean a real job.

Delivering pizzas is no job.

You were going to ask Jim's brother about getting you

into the Union.

I already told you, I don't want to be a plumber.

Well, what do you want to be?

I don't know. Just not a plumber.

You know, when I was your age, I went into the service.

It straightened me right out, and I have no doubt

it would do the same for you.

Don't start this again.

It's not enough that your mother catches

you with drugs in this house.

One joint, so I moved out.

You always got to throw that in?

I'm just saying, you have no high school diploma.

You spend all your time hanging out

with your friends getting high.

The chances for you to do something with your life

are passing you by.

Yeah, well, I sure as hell am not

going to spend the next 30 years of my life

working for the phone company.

Bobby.

Fine.

Spend the next 30 years of your life being

a bum, which is what you are.

I'll wait for you.

Why does he always got to start in on me like that?

I don't want to fight.

You've been out of high school a couple of years.

He just worries.

Ma, I've got time.

I'm 20 years old.

Spooky Halstead wasn't much older than you.

Here.

Don't forget, you still owe me 10 from last week.

I won't.

I always pay you back.

Don't I?

Don't I get a kiss for 20 bucks?

Use a glass.

And if you spend that money on drinking and dope,

I'm going to make you wish you were never born.

I love you too, Mom.

Glass!

What?

You-- oh.

What are all these computers for?

Oh, this is the Catch unit, standing for Computer

Assist Terminal Criminal Hunt.

You tell the computer what the guy looked like

and it starts showing you pictures of guy who've been

arrested for the same crime.

All right, you got the best look at the guy in front of you

face to face, right?

Yeah.

So what did he look like?

About 5' 9."

Maybe a 5' 10."

Dark hair.

Wait.

He was wearing a coat.

Um, 150, 160.

Find him so we can nail him.

That's him.

Are you sure?

Yeah, this is the guy.

Good.

Is this the guy?

Yeah, that's him.

What about the other guy?

You recognize him?

Yeah.

Recognize this guy?

Yeah, I think so.

He was arrested with Ferro before.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's him.

That's the guy with the shotgun.

Good.

You nailed them.

Yeah?

Good.

I've got a photo ID on the Marine Park murder.

No kidding.

I talked to a dozen people who were there.

They all said it was too dark to see anything.

Well, the O'Neill kid picked this guy,

Ferro off the CATCH unit.

Then he had this guy as the accomplice.

Yeah?

He's only 15.

You sure he's not trying to be a hero?

No, he's sure.

Hey, look, it's your first homicide.

Eyewitness IDs are always shaky.

Don't be too eager.

If he can pick them out of a lineup,

I'm going to go with it.

You drive me crazy.

Robert McLaughlin?

Yeah.

We're taking you in on the Marine Park murder.

Let's go.

What?

All right, very simple.

All you got to do is point out the guy

you picked in the photo.

OK, you can go.

So how did I do, boys?

Did I pass?

Can I go home now?

You're under arrest.

You're kidding, right?

No.

Hello?

Mom.

Mom, I'm in trouble.

I only got a minute so you better

put that on the other phone.

Harold. Yeah?

Pickup in the hall.

It's Bobby.

He says he's in trouble.

What's the matter, Bobby?

This is crazy.

I got arrested for that Marine Park murder thing.

They think I shot Spooky Halstead.

Mom, Dad, come on, you got to help me here.

Did you do it, son?

No, of course not!

Then why did they arrest you? I don't know.

They must have got me mixed up with somebody

else because I was with Rob and David

and Brad Larosa at the time.

You can ask them.

I was with them the whole night.

OK, listen, I'm being arraigned tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock

at the courthouse.

Right, so can you get a lawyer or something?

Listen, my time's almost up, all right?

So I'll see you tomo--

Eeeh!

Bobby?

Bobby?

Good Lord.

How could he get involved in something like this?

He says he's not.

That's what he says, but everybody knows you only go

to Marine Park at night for one reason,

buying or selling drugs.

So he could have easily have been there,

and it's not the first time he's been arrested.

Honey, that was a fight in a bar, for God's sakes.

This is murder.

Bobby could never kill anyone.

No mother wants to believe her child could kill anybody,

but people do it all the time, and all of them had mothers.

Harold, you're talking like he's guilty.

My god, we have to at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

We've given him everything.

Mary, that kid breaks my heart.

He's been in trouble all his life ever

since we brought him in here.

I never thought I'd say this, and God forgive me,

but at this very moment, I am glad that he's

not our real son.

Oh.

Bonaville, Stuckey, Harrison, did we do these?

Well, not yet.

All right.

Next case.

McLaughlin and Ferro.

Robert McLaughlin's bail will be set at $75,000.

Do you have your own attorney?

I-- no, not yet.

What about you, Ferro?

No.

You are free to retain your own counsel,

but in the event that you are unable to do so,

I am appointing Beverly Rosen as your attorney, Mr. McLaughlin,

and John Corbett for Mr. Ferro.

Excuse me, sir.

May I speak with my parents just for a minute, please?

You better talk to your lawyer.

Next case.

Wait, there's been a mistake here made.

You got the wrong man.

Oh, excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin.

I'm Beverly Rosen, the court appointed attorney.

How do you do?

We have to talk to Bobby.

Oh, I'm afraid that's not possible for a while.

No, no, you don't understand.

We've got to talk to him so we can get to the bottom of this

and find out what the hell is going on here.

Oh, well, I'll talk to him.

Give me your phone number and I'll call you.

McLaughlin.

No, no, our name is Hohne, please.

We're Bobby's foster parents.

Oh, I see.

Have you decided whether you're going to hire a new attorney

or stay with the court appointments?

Not yet.

Well, call me if you have any questions.

All right, thank you.

Ms. Rosen, where'd they take Bobby?

Rikers Island.

Sergeant Otis to the day room, please.

Sergeant Otis to the day room.

Have a nice day.

Hey, look who just got here.

It's a pretty boy.

White boy.

Who's that there?

Yo, what's up, what you looking at?

I wanna pull his--

Whoo.

Give me your shoes.

No.

I said, give me your shoes.

Get your mitts off me.

Yo, get your hands of the boy.

Break it up!

All right, all right, all right, break it up,

break it up.

What's the problem here?

Nothin' if you Let me fight just one of them.

Oh, yeah?

Which one you want?

This one.

You got it, kid.

I'm telling everybody, nobody's going to the infirmary.

Have at it.

That's enough, that's enough, that's enough, take it easy.

Not bad, kid.

The party's over.

Mr. Clyde, 7-7-9-3-2,

report to the assistant warden.

Mr. Clyde, 7-7-9-3-2, report to the assistant warden.

He did better than I thought he was gonna do.

Now, what's your name?

Billy Ferro.

Ferro, hey, you were in court with me, right?

You got arrested for this Marine Park murder thing?

Where you from?

Canarsie.

Canarsie.

I ain't never been to Canarsie.

What the hell do these cops think?

Two people don't know each other.

They're walking through the park,

decide they're gonna kill somebody?

Hey, who knows what cops think.

Yeah, one thing's for sure, I sure as hell hope you did

this thing, because I didn't.

Did that lawyer say if he did it or what?

Ms. Rosen just said he's pleading innocent.

Does she believe him?

I don't know.

I asked around about her.

Some of the guys at the office know her.

They say that we're lucky to get her.

She's won a lot of murder cases.

Well, who the hell is this guy, Ferro?

I never heard of him, have you?

No.

Bobby know anybody named Ferro?

Not that I know of.

I've called a half a dozen lawyers.

The cheapest is $150 an hour.

I don't see how we can afford it.

How did they ever put Bobby and this Ferro guy together?

I don't know.

Maybe we should use Beverly Rosen.

She sounded very optimistic when she called.

She says we have a strong case.

What kind of evidence they got against Bobby?

I mean, why did they arrest him in the first place?

Beverly says they have a kid, 15 years old.

What?

One of the victims of the robbery.

He says Bobby was one of them.

He says he saw him.

My god, how could he do such a thing?

We don't know that he did it.

You said the kid saw him.

He could be wrong.

It was dark.

You don't know what all Bobby could

have gotten mixed up with here.

I'm not gonna listen to any more.

Well, look, maybe things got out of hand.

Mary, listen to me.

Maybe they didn't mean for anybody to get hurt.

They had guns.

What are you talking about?

Sit down, Carol.

I'll get Jeff and Timmy.

We need to talk to you kids.

Dad, is Bobby in trouble?

Yeah, sweetheart, Bobby's in trouble.

Bobby's in big trouble.

This is for Bobby McLaughlin.

Attention, please.

There will be a general lock up after visiting hours.

There will be a general lockup after visiting hours.

Bobby, you look terrible.

What happened?

Where do you think I am, Mom, college?

Well, can't you tell the guards?

No, Mom.

Just please get me out of here.

You've got to get me out of here.

You should have thought of that before.

What are you talkin' about?

How could you have done something like this?

I told you on the phone, I didn't do anything.

Well, the police don't generally

arrest people for nothin'.

Hey, look, I'm tellin' you, I was

with Brad and David and Rob.

Ask 'em.

You kids have been covering for each other

since third grade.

Dad, I swear to God I didn't have anything to do with this.

They got a kid that says he saw you.

Now, why would he lie?

I don't know, but it was not me.

Mom, please.

I want to believe you.

Then get me a lie detector test.

We're workin' on it.

You're workin' on it.

You really think that I took a gun, stuck it to Spooky's head

and blew his brains out? - No.

Who knows?

Harold, stop it.

We saw you then.

He was fallin' down drunk.

He couldn't even find his own bed, for God's sake's.

I don't know what kind of drugs you're on

or what happens when you mix them with booze.

I still don't hurt my friends.

All right, maybe I like to party a little bit,

but I'm not a criminal.

Using drugs is a crime, son.

Carrying drugs on your person is a crime.

Fine, then I am a criminal.

Once stupid joint and you're gonna let me rot in this place.

No.

You chose this place.

You put yourself here.

Attention, visiting hours are now over.

All visitors, please leave through the main security gate.

Visiting hours are now over.

All visitors, please leave through the main security gate.

But this was for Bobby.

It doesn't conform to regulations.

You're only allowed to bring in what's on that list.

Harold, it's 4 o'clock in the morning.

What are you doing?

I'm going through some of Bobby's stuff

from his apartment and from his room.

He always writes down phone numbers on little bits

of paper, like this.

What are you looking for?

I'm looking for Ferro's phone number.

You're looking for proof that he's guilty.

I have to be sure.

I have to know.

Bobby needs us on his side.

That kid has had bad breaks from the very beginning.

He needs us to believe in him now.

Don't you think I know that?

Don't you think I want to believe him?

Mary, this makes me sick.

I can't sleep.

I keep thinking about him in that awful place.

The lie detector test is in just a few days.

I know.

I don't need a machine to tell me.

I know Bobby didn't do it.

I know Bobby.

I believe him.

I wish I could.

I wish I could just believe him like that.

I swear to God, I do, Mary.

But I can't.

And I can't live with myself thinking what

I'm thinking about my own kid.

Have you ever used a gun before?

No.

Have you ever hurt anyone seriously before?

No.

Did you sleep well last night?

No.

Were you in the Marine Park

on the night of December 29?

No.

Were you involved in the shooting

of Robert Halstead?

No.

Had you ever met William

Ferro before you were arrested?

No.

Do you own a gun?

No.

Are you 100% sure?

Well, polygraph lie detector tests are never 100% accurate.

But I've personally tested hundreds

and hundreds of people, and I believe

your son is telling the truth.

I knew it.

You see?

It's all right.

He didn't do it.

You saw the lie detector test?

Yeah.

Yeah, right.

The courts don't accept them, so why should you?

Would you sit down, please, Bobby?

What do you want from me?

Do you want the truth about every lie I ever told?

Fine.

I dropped out of high school because they were

going to kick me out anyway.

That fight at Waylon's Bar I got arrested for,

I wasn't just there, I threw the first punch.

I've been having sex since I was 14 years old,

but I never got nobody pregnant.

I have bought drugs before, but I've never sold any.

I stole stuff when I was a kid, you know, candy, cigarettes,

but I never robbed nobody.

I never touched a gun.

And I sure as hell never killed nobody.

Look, I know that you think that I'm a loser.

And maybe I am.

But I did not do this.

I know you didn't.

I should have known all along.

What the hell kind of man is it that needs a lie detector

test to believe in his own kid?

God, I was wrong and I am sorry.

I don't know what else to say.

We're gonna to get you out of there, you hear?

I promise you.

We're gonna get you out of there as soon as possible

and bring you home where you belong.

Can you forgive me?

The pretrial hearing was really a victory for us.

The judge threw out the lineup.

Apparently, O'Neill was told to pick the guy he identified

in the photo instead of the guy from that night in Marine Park.

It's a small slip, but it might help us.

Does that mean Bobby can come home?

No, there's still gonna be a trial.

It's not as simple as that.

Only O'Neill will have to testify

based only on his memory of the night in Marine Park.

But I don't understand, how is that a victory?

Look, you people have nothing to worry about.

The Assistant DA, Lynn Panza, never tried

a murder case in her life.

The word is she's annoyed at getting assigned to this case

because everyone over there knows it's a loser.

So how can you be so sure about that?

Because they have one kid who says he saw Bobby.

We have a dozen who say it was too dark to see a gun in front

of your face and another half dozen

who swear Bobby was with them that night.

I've won a lot of murder acquittals with a lot

less to go on than this.

Just relax, sit back and let justice take its course.

This will all be over in a few weeks.

So what do you think, can we make bail?

I don't see how.

He'll be out in just a few weeks, Beverly said.

Yeah, but I promised him we'd get him out now.

I gave him my word, honey.

We don't have that much savings.

We stake the house.

It's all we have.

Good god.

How do we tell him he has to stay in that awful place?

I bought you a new suit to wear to court.

Yeah?

I bet it's really preppy too, huh, ma?

You finally get to dress me the way you want.

Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to look

a little preppy in court.

Ma, I can't wait until the trial.

It's going to be in weeks.

You have to get me out of here now.

You're innocent son, you'll be home before you know it.

Dad, I'm scared all the time.

I can't sleep at night.

When can you get the bail together?

What ?

Well, we've been tryin' to figure this out for days now, son

And, you know, your mother and I haven't

gotten much sleep either.

Uh, you know, we've--

we've worked two jobs for 25 years,

but the fact is that we just don't have enough savings.

All's we got the house.

You won't lose it.

I promise you, I'm not gonna skip.

We have four children.

We have to think about what's best for all of you.

It won't be that much longer.

You know, the trial starts in a couple of weeks

and then you'll be coming home.

You don't know what two weeks means in this place.

I know it's tough, but you're a tough kid.

You can get through it.

You're talkin' like this is

some sort of character-building experience.

This is not the army here.

Bobby, this is not easy for us.

No?

Well, at least you can sleep at night

without being afraid that somebody's gonna knife you

because they like your shoes.

You got to get me out of here.

Mom, please.

I'm sorry.

You don't trust me.

Oh, come on.

If was Tim or Jeff, they'd be out of here already.

Hey, take me away.

This visit's over.

Oh, wait a sec. hey, Bobby, you know that's not--

wait a sec. Bobby.

Bobby.

Hey, you know that's not true, son.

Come on.

Ferro: See you in court, McLaughlin.

Hey, wait a minute.

Where you going, Ferro?

I made bail.

What?

Ferro, wait a minute.

Tell 'em I didn't do it.

Ferro!

Ferro!

Ferro!

Ferro!

Sit right over here, Mrs. Halstead.

Harold, Mrs. Halstead's sitting over there.

- Who? - Spooky's mother.

Oh.

All rise.

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.

All those with business before the Court

of the Honorable Judge Sybil Cooper draw near

and you shall be heard.

Court is in session.

Be seated.

Now ladies and gentlemen,

you're not going to see a lot of witnesses point fingers

at Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Ferro, because the witnesses were told

to keep their heads down and stay on the ground or something

would happen.

And something did happen.

Because Mr. Halstead said, I'm not going to take this anymore.

He jumped up.

He ran after them.

And Mr. Ferro shot him in the head.

Shortly thereafter, Robert Halstead died.

The evidence will leave very little doubt in your minds

that Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Ferro robbed

and killed Robert Halstead.

Mrs. Rosen.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

my client, Robert McLaughlin, says he wasn't there.

He is going to have friends of his

who are going to testify that he was with them at the time.

I ask you to keep an open mind.

Is that all?

Did you have occasion to be in Marine Park

on the night of December 29?

Yes.

About what time was that?

About quarter to 9.

My friend, Tom D'alessio and me were going to Rockaway

to see the Led Zeppelin movie.

But it was getting too late to make the movie,

so we decided to go to my house, cut through the park.

How dark was it in the park that night?

It was pretty bright.

There were spotlights all around.

The moon was out.

What happened as you cut through the park?

Uh, two guys approached us with guns

and told us to empty our pockets.

Could you describe these men?

Yeah, one was about 5' 9", 160 pounds.

He was, uh, wearin' an army jacket and-- and dark hair.

I ask you at this time, Mr. O'Neill,

to look around the courtroom and see if you recognize anybody

that you saw in that night.

Yeah, the man sitting over there with the beige tweed

jacket on.

Indicating the defendant, Ferro.

Could you describe the other person

that approached you?

Yeah, about 6 feet.

He weighed about 185-90 pounds.

He had on a denim jacket and jeans.

Could you look around the courtroom

and see if you recognize the man that you just described?

Yeah, the man sitting to his right.

Indicating the defendant, McLaughlin.

Can you tell us what happened?

Mr. Ferro and Mr. McLaughlin approached us and told

us to empty our pockets.

Mr. Ferro emptied my pocket and then

Mr. McLaughlin went over to Tommy,

and threw him down, and took his money.

And while this was happening,

what did you see in Mr. Ferro's hand and Mr. McLaughlin's hand?

Mr. Ferro had a pistol and Mr. McLaughlin had a shotgun.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Ms. Rosen.

Ms. Rosen.

Excuse me, listen, why can't Bobby have his own trial,

separate from this Ferro guy?

Just sitting next to him is makin' Bobby look guilty.

It's one crime, one witness.

The state doesn't want the added expense of two trials.

But don't worry, like I told you, it's a shoo-in.

An acquittal is practically in the bag.

I hope so.

I sure hope so.

And you were living at home with your mother

at this time?

Yeah.

Did you work at any kind of job?

No, I don't think so.

What did you do for money?

I don't need that much money.

I'm living at home.

And when you did need money, where did you get it?

Sometimes my old lady would give me some.

And other times?

I don't know.

Bum a few bucks off my friends.

Honey, are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Maybe we made a mistake.

What do you mean?

Maybe we should look for another lawyer.

No, no.

It would delay things for months while they prepared the case.

And Bobby would be sitting in prison all that time.

That's true.

Oh, come on, what are we worried about?

This is America, right?

The kid is innocent.

He'll be acquitted.

Oh, please, God.

You know the thing I still can't figure out

is how they got Bobby involved in the first place.

I mean, why him?

It doesn't make sense.

Mr. Larosa, do you recognize that young man

in the gray suit?

Yes, that's Bobby McLaughlin.

And how long have you known him?

Since the eighth grade.

I guess that's seven years now.

And you were with him on the night of December 29?

Yes.

At approximately what time?

We picked him up at about 8:30.

And for how long was he with you that night?

About two and a half hours.

You indicated that you were sitting in the car.

What were you doing in the car?

We were drinking.

Were you smoking pot?

We might have been.

I don't remember.

Would you say you were high?

Fairly high, yes.

Do you use pot regularly?

Yeah.

Did you smoke pot that night?

A little bit.

In the car, and then drinking later in the bar.

Is that the regular Saturday night practice you kids have?

It used to be, yeah.

Don't I have to testify?

No.

Doesn't that make me look guilty?

I mean, like those guys that take the Fifth Amendment,

you always figure that they'd done it.

You saw how she made your friends look.

Yeah, like a bunch of losers.

Exactly, like alcoholics and drug addicts.

They all testified that you were with them.

You don't really have anything to add, do you?

No, except that I didn't do it.

You testified to that when you pleaded not guilty.

Look, I've got to do something.

Everybody thinks that I'm guilty.

They all think that I'm Billy Ferro's partner,

and I have never seen this guy before in my life.

Even that judge thinks I'm guilty, I know it.

Look, you're just gonna have to trust me.

I know this is very frustrating, but I promise you,

everything's going to work out.

I still have a card or two up my sleeve.

It is very strange that for O'Neill there

is a different world than for the other 15 people

who were robbed in the park that night.

The others say, we can't see, it was too dark.

The moon didn't shine for them.

The spotlights didn't shine for them.

But for O'Neill, the lights are coming in all directions.

Then I put my witnesses on.

I don't choose my witnesses.

So if they are people who drink and take

pot, who like to go out on a Saturday night

to the local bar, well, they're just

the people who happen to be in the right place that night.

Let me ask you this.

This whole case is based solely on O'Neill's

testimony, the only eyewitness.

Why is it that O'Neill was permitted

to get a look at the perpetrators

when other people are getting killed for looking at them?

He is allowed to stand up when everyone

else is forced to lie down.

Why?

Was O'Neill, perhaps, one of them?

Maybe the smart, young O'Neill says to his associates,

I'll fix it.

I'll give them a phony description.

Don't worry, fellas, I'll fix everything.

What the hell is she trying to do,

make them think O'Neill did it?

Someone is lying, ladies and gentlemen.

And it is your job to decide who.

Who has a reason to lie?

It is not easy to be robbed with a shotgun in your face.

Well, it is even harder to get on that witness stand

and point a finger at two murderers.

It is not easy for a kid of 15 to walk in here

and face the people who did it.

There is no reason for him to point

a finger at Mr. Ferro and Mr. McLaughlin,

except that they did it.

This one witness is the most reliable and credible witness

that you are going to see in a very long time.

He has no ax to grind.

Ask yourselves, why would he come in here

and say those two did it?

Because they did, ladies and gentlemen.

Because they did.

I wish she were on our side.

We should've hired our own lawyer at the very beginning.

You know what I keep thinking about?

All the times Bobby went back to his real parents.

Each time I was afraid they'd decide to keep him

and we'd lose them.

It was such a hard thing for a little boy to go through,

thinking his own parents didn't love him.

Oh, they're taking so long.

They've got to have some doubts.

Probably.

You know, I sit there, and I look at that Ferro kid

with that smug look on his face, and then I look at Bobby,

and I wonder, how could I have ever

thought of him as a bad kid?

McLaughlin-Ferro case, the jury is coming in.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes.

And is your verdict unanimous?

Yes.

Under the first count, charging

William Ferro with murder in the second degree of Robert

Halstead.

Guilty.

As for the defendant Robert McLaughlin,

under the first count, charging Robert McLaughlin with murder

in the second degree, what is your verdict?

Guilty.

I want to thank the jury

for fulfilling its obligations.

You are dismissed.

This trial is adjourned until the date of the sentencing.

Can I say just one thing?

Your, Honor, I did not do this.

Someday, everybody will know that I did not do this!

I did not do this!

Mom, Dad, I'll be all right.

Bobby, we're not through yet.

We're gonna fight this thing.

You hear me, son?

We're gonna fight this thing.

What happened here?

What the hell happened here?

Defendant William Ferro

is hereby sentenced to a minimum of 25 years, maximum life.

The defendant Robert McLaughlin is

hereby sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life.

Sentences to begin forthwith at the state penitentiary

at Sing Sing.

All right, come on.

Let's go.

All right.

Look at that.

I just can't believe it.

Come on, kid, you can't let them beat you down.

It's not over yet.

He's in the penitentiary.

That just means we have to fight

all that much harder now.

How?

What can we do?

They said they won't grant us an appeal unless we

can come up with new evidence.

So we just have to come up with it.

OK?

OK.

That's my girl.

We got a hold on, kid.

We're all he's got left.

If we fall apart, he's gonna be all alone in there.

All right?

Yes.

That's my girl.

I can't believe it.

All I hear for months is, trust me, it's a shoo-in.

You got nothin' to worry about.

They ain't got no evidence.

Now we're here.

One kid testifies and the next thing

you know, I'm pulling 15 years minimum.

I'll be 35-- unbelievable.

How could I be so stupid?

I just sat there.

I just let it all go down.

Who's the kid who testified?

I know some people in Brooklyn.

They can make them real sorry.

No.

No, don't do that.

He could be my chance out of here.

Hey, hey, wait, wait, I thought you said we'd--

Hey.

Uh, uh, nah, nah, nah.

Awe, I knew I should have stayed home tonight.

Can I talk to you for a second, please?

Look, man, it's my birthday, right?

You let me off this one, I promise, I'll stay out

of your precinct from now on.

Hey, relax, will you?

I'm not a cop.

What the hell you sayin'?

I'm sayin' I'm not a cop.

I just want to talk to you for a second, please.

You get your kicks scaring the hairs off of people?

Wait a second, fella.

Look, I just wanna ask you a couple of questions, all right?

No luck, man.

I don't know nothin' about nothin'.

Well, how do you know? I haven't even asked you.

I just wanna know if you know anything about the night

that the robbery took place over there, the night

that Spooky Halstead got shot.

I ain't even here now.

Yeah, well, maybe you were one of them.

Maybe they should have arrested you instead of my kid.

What's your name?

Look, man, I told you, I don't know nothin' about nothin'.

Help!

Help!

This guy's been stabbed.

Help!

Shut up and walk away or you'll be next.

I don't know.

All right, just sit down.

Have a seat.

Just-- just have a seat and we'll take your statement

in a minute, all right?

Excuse me.

Where's the detective's room?

Upstairs, second floor.

All right, thanks.

Just shut up and turn around.

Excuse me, can you show me how to work this thing?

Yeah, sure.

Now just type in the description.

Can I go backwards, like put a name in and pull a photo up.

Yeah, just type it in.

All right, thanks.

All right, this is the guy I'm looking for.

What do I do now? - Pull his card.

Huh?

His card.

Oh, all right, thanks.

Who are you?

I'm Harold Hohne.

Joe, what are you doing letting this guy in here?

What? He's not a cop?

Get him out of here now.

I was just leaving, thanks.

I catch you in here again, I'll nail your butt to a wall.

Yes, sir.

Can you give me a dime, man, for a--

a cup of coffee, man?

Harold.

Mary.

I got your message.

This whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Sit down.

What did you find out?

Plenty.

I found this guy, Billy Ferro's card.

And on the back it said he was previously arrested

with a Robert I. McLoughlin.

He was arrested before with Bobby?

No, no, not our Bobby.

Look, Robert I. McLoughlin-- a different middle initial,

a different spelling of the last name--

which gives it a slightly

different pronunciation.

And look it, this Robert McLoughlin has

a totally different ID number.

See, obviously, there are two Robert McLaughlin's.

And it's got something to do with how

Bobby's mixed up in this thing.

If I could figure out how to get back into that precinct

without getting caught, I might be able to straighten

everything out.

Yeah, you might get locked up too, so never mind that.

Why don't you contact Gerry Duffy.

No, no.

This is too far out of his jurisdiction.

Harold, don't go any farther on your own.

Go to Manhattan and talk to Gerry.

He'll be back.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I've seen him once.

Do you live in the neighborhood?

I don't see anything.

Hey, excuse me, Gerry.

- Harold? - Yeah, it's me.

What the hell are you doin' here this time of night?

I got to talk to you about Bobby.

I'm sorry about Bobby, but there's nothin' I can do.

The case is closed. - No, no, wait a second.

Now, get those people out of here.

Gerry, I found out some stuff over at the Brooklyn precinct

that doesn't make any sense.

You're walking around on my evidence here.

Oh, excuse me.

I'm sorry.

Gerry, look, I know I'm on to somethin' that can get him out.

Just give me a few minutes, will you?

All right. OK.

Wait for me, huh?

Behind the tape.

Yeah, all right.

I'll wait all night if I have to.

Two coffees, please.

How did you get this ID number?

I copied it from the back of Ferro's arrest card.

How the hell did you ever get your hands

on Ferro's arrest card?

I just walked into the Brooklyn Precinct

and asked for the detective's room.

They thought I was a cop.

I always told you you look like a cop.

Every Irishman looks like a cop.

Hey I resemble that remark.

So what do you think?

Well, I'm going to look into it, I guess.

Look, Harold, I'll nose around out there.

I'll see what the word is. - All right.

Thanks, Gerry.

I appreciate it.

I would have come to you before, but I

didn't want to put you in a bad light, you know,

with the department.

Now, of course, I didn't know where else I could turn.

Harold, I don't want to mess up a 20-year friendship here,

but are you sure there's no way Bobby could have done it?

No way.

I'm positive.

Can't you just talk to O'Neill.

Tell him about the lie detector test.

Tell him he was wrong.

I can't do that, son.

They'd say I was harassing the witness.

Then if he decided to change his testimony,

they'd never believe him.

I can't stay in here any longer.

You have to get me out now.

Hey.

Your dad's doing everything he can.

The nights are bad, Mom.

Can't sleep.

I start thinking.

Then I get the sweats.

It feels like I can't breathe.

And then I keep thinking.

I keep thinking I'm gonna die in this place.

Bobby, if we had any idea.

They kept saying, two more weeks.

The dates kept changing.

Forget about it.

If we had know it take nine months of jail

before you even went to court or how will it all turn out after,

we'd have put up the house.

Sure.

We'd have posted bail and got you out.

The way things were going, I probably

would have skipped anyway.

Come on, son.

It won't be much longer, a few weeks, a month.

You've got to hold on.

I ain't got no choice.

You hear about the guy you was busted with?

What about him?

What's his name?

Billy Ferro.

Yeah, he ODed.

What?

Yeah, walked around the yard stone

blind for a couple of hours.

Died in his cell.

God, I can't believe he's dead.

What are you moaning about?

You should be glad.

He's the reason you're in here, right?

Yeah, maybe.

He could have been my ticket out of here.

Yeah.

He ain't likely to say nothin' now.

I need somethin', man.

Can I have a cigarette?

Lights out.

Guard, help!

Help, guard!

This better be good.

I can't breathe.

Get a doctor.

You'll see him in the morning.

I can't wait till the morning. I might be dead in the morning.

I think I'm having a heart attack or somethin'.

What you'd take?

Nothing.

Manana, baby.

No, wait!

Wait!

Give it up.

Hurry up.

Harold.

Gerry.

I just came from the Brooklyn Precinct.

So what'd you find out?

I tell you, I just can't--

I'm stunned.

I didn't believe this could happen in this day and age,

not in this country.

You didn't believe what could happen?

Every time I brought up Bobby's case,

they'd say things like, oh, that was a shaky ID.

The kid got a bum rap.

You mean the cops think he's innocent?

Yeah, all of them.

So why the hell is he still in prison?

Things go wrong.

First of all, I found out that O'Neill, the kid

who testified against Bobby-- - Yeah.

--well, he's not the Boy Scout the prosecutor

made him out to be. - What do you mean?

A couple of weeks after the trial,

he was arrested for stealing a car.

What?

Yeah.

You know, the guys in the 4th, they

started to realize that maybe this wasn't a good conviction.

And they're starting to talk about it.

D'Angelo, the cop who arrested Bobby, that

was his first homicide case.

The same thing for Lynn Panza, the DA.

It was her first murder case.

A conviction wouldn't have

hurt either of their careers.

What about the name on Ferro's card?

I think that you stumbled onto the key in this whole mess

Yeah?

D'Angelo was probably in a hurry.

He grabbed the first Robert McLaughlin photo he came to.

He showed it to O'Neill and said, was this the other guy?

So why don't we go after this other McLoughlin?

If he's the real perpetrator, then they got to let Bobby go?

Except it wasn't him either.

All the witnesses said the guy with the shotgun

was maybe 5-11, 6 feet.

This guy's 5-4.

So who knows about this other guy?

Only Ferro and he's dead.

Where does that leave us, Gerry?

I think we should go talk to D'Angelo.

- Yeah.

No, I don't know.

We're gonna go, or I have to cancel.

Just fill out these forms, please.

Last name first, first name, and middle initial.

Hey, you-- you.

You look familiar. Don't I know you from somewhere.

It's OK. Captain, he's with me.

This is official.

Come in. Yeah, OK.

Let me get back to you, all right?

Yeah, somebody's here.

Detective D'Angelo?

Yeah.

I'm Gerry Duffy, Manhattan 17th Precinct.

This is Harold Hohne.

How you doing?

Yeah, I know who Mr. Hohne is.

We want to talk about how Jimmy

O'Neill happened to pick Bobby.

Simple, I showed him a spread, he picked him.

How big was the spread?

I don't know.

You don't know?

I know how big it was.

It was one picture.

Yeah, you don't know anything, pal.

Maybe you picked Bobby because Billy Ferro was previously

arrested with a Robert I. McLoughlin--

different spelling, different ID number, different guy.

Ahh.

There were two Bobby McLaughlin's.

You picked the wrong one.

Look, O'Neill said he recognized Bobby.

He was sure, so we went with that.

Did you let O'Neill think they'd

been arrested together before?

I don't know.

He might have thought that.

He might have seen the name on the back of the card.

I don't know.

Hi, excuse me, Mrs. Panzer, can I talk to you, please?

It's not appropriate for us to talk to each other, Mr. Hohne.

- I know. - The appeal is still pending.

I know that.

I just got to ask you one question, please.

Did you ever tell Jimmy O'Neill that they showed him a picture

of the wrong Bobby McLaughlin?

I can't talk to you, Mr. Hohne.

Did you?

Did you let him go through the whole trial thinking

that Bobby and Ferro had been arrested together before?

It is not my job to inform or influence a witness.

It is my job to ask him questions.

Oh, what are you talking about?

Your job is supposed to be about winning justice,

not about just winning.

Look, if some key witness is stuck

with this colossal misconception of the truth,

do you just let him keep it so he can win the case,

even if it means throwing some innocent kid

in the penitentiary for the best years of his life?

Mr Hohne, if they did arrest the wrong man,

I didn't know it.

Yeah, but you know about it now, Mrs. Panzer.

What about Bobby McLaughlin, you ever think about him?

It was your first case and you've gone on

from case to case since then.

But Bobby's still sitting right there in that cell

where you helped to put him.

Dear Bobby, we got him by the short hairs now.

Everybody we've been talking to believes you're innocent.

Hold on to these for me.

Fifth row, right behind home plate, all the hot dogs

you can eat.

Next month, kiddo, we're going to see the New York Yankees.

GUARD Lights out.

Hey, Carol, how many candles

did you put on this thing?

How many were in the box.

I don't think there's enough, honey.

Who's counting here?

Now make a wish.

Yeah, make a wish, Mom.

Go ahead, hon.

Yay, terrific.

Congratulations, hon.

Ma, Bobby sent this.

He wanted me to give it to you right

after you blew out the candles.

What is it, hon?

It's his-- it's his high school diploma.

He swore us to secrecy.

He really wanted to surprise you.

Come on, honey, don't start the waterworks.

Now, come on.

He's coming home.

We're all gonna be here by Christmas.

Mom, we're going to have this Christmas ever.

That's right.

I've already talked to personnel about the possibility of Bobby

working with me at the phone company.

Oh, honey.

Come on, ma.

You're getting salt water all over the cake.

Yeah.

I'm crying because I'm happy.

And whose party is it anyway?

Let me see this.

Oh, honey.

Counsel, as you know, we are

not here to decide whether or not

Robert McLaughlin is guilty.

We are only here to decide whether or not

he got a fair trial.

In order to reverse his conviction

or give him a new trial, you must provide

new evidence that could not have been

discovered during the trial.

After both sides have argued, the court will deliberate.

The decision will be forthcoming in a few days,

or as in some cases, a few weeks,

in the Office of the Court Clerk.

Good morning.

Good morning.

You're up early today.

Yeah, I took the morning off.

I got a feeling--

knock wood.

Well, the decision came in.

All right.

Thank you.

Oh, no, no.

No, this-- this can't be.

It's not possible.

I didn't read it.

- What? - I'm sorry.

No, that's--

Judge Mullen, Judge Mullen, wait, please.

Your Honor, how could your people turn down our appeal?

I'm sorry, Mr. Hohne, the conviction was brought about

based solely on O'Neill's memory of the night of the incident

and he hasn't changed his testimony.

And there was no new evidence brought

forward that your attorney could not

have found during the trial.

We really had no choice.

Wait a minute.

For Gods sake's, you're a judge.

How can you tell me you have no choice?

Bobby is innocent.

Everybody that's ever had anything to do with the case

knows he's innocent.

Are you going to throw his life away based on a technicality?

He may be innocent, but you haven't

brought us anything we can use to overturn the conviction.

They got the wrong picture.

The cops all know they picked up the wrong Bobby McLaughlin.

Mistaken identity, it happens all the time.

Mr. Hohne, the identification was not based on photographs,

but solely on the witness's memory

of the events of that night.

You have to work within the system here.

Well, I've tried to work within the system, Your Honor.

I sat there through the whole trial trusting that the system

would somehow accomplish justice,

only to see my son sent to prison for something

he did not do.

And I have spent every waking hour of the past five years

gathering new information, Your Honor.

And my son has spent every hour of the past five years

in prison because of one kid's testimony.

And that one kid turns out to be a car thief.

Now, what kind of system is that, Your Honor?

You tell me.

Your son is in prison not because one

kid says he's guilty, but because a jury

says he's guilty.

I'm sorry.

It's not over yet, Bobby.

Yeah.

Dad, listen, you did everything you could.

I just got to do the time.

Bobby, you can't give up hope.

Mom, I don't want hope.

Hope only makes it time go harder.

Hey, come on, kid, I know this was a hard one to lose,

but you can't stop fighting.

No more.

I'll be OK.

I'll stay alive.

I'll do the time.

I'll get out.

I'll be 35.

I'll still be able to have some kind of life.

You know one good thing came out of this.

I wasn't such a good kid, and you

took me on without knowing how much trouble

that it'd turn out to be.

In all the time that I was growing up,

you always gave me birthday presents.

And you told me that--

that you loved me and stuff.

I guess, I never really believed it

until all this happened I just want you to know

nobody could have done better by their kid

than you've done by me.

I just never thought anything like this

could happen to my kid.

The truth is, it could happen to anybody's kid.

We have to hold on, Harold.

Isn't that what you told me?

For Bobby's sake.

We're all he's got.

I used to believe in something.

I used to think that no matter what, things would come out

right in the end, that the system of justice worked,

that somehow the guilty get punished.

Now, I don't know what I--

Harold, are you all right?

Oh, honey.

Honey.

I think I'm having a heart attack or somethin' here.

Just hang on.

Hang on.

Hang on.

Hang on.

Come here.

That's it, just keep breathing.

That's it.

That's it.

It's all right.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Just keep breathing.

Hang on, honey.

Just keep breathing.

Oh, god.

It's gonna be all right.

Inhalation therapist

to third floor nurse's station.

Inhalation therapist to third floor nurse's station.

Harold.

Hey, doc, how I am doing?

- You're a lucky man. - Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

It wasn't a heart attack.

But it was a warning.

Your blood pressure's as high as the Chrysler Building.

You got to change a few things.

You mean like my diet?

No more salt, fat, stuff like that.

Yeah, yeah, that too.

What I'm tryin' to tell you is you

got to quit beating your head against the wall

and trying to free Bobby.

You keep fighting like this, it's gonna kill you.

It would kill me to stop fighting, doc.

You got no choice, Harold.

You've got to make some kind of peace.

You've got to find a way to accept things.

All right?

I'll stop back in this afternoon.

Push.

I mean it, baby, push.

Push, baby.

That's it, Bobby.

Hey, tell them to put the weight on the ball.

Five years ago, a boy was killed in Marine Park

during a robbery.

My foster son, Robert McLaughlin,

was wrongfully convicted of a crime.

Bobby's in prison.

My son passed a lie detector test in May of 1980.

Somehow, somewhere, there has to be a person who has--

I have made a vow never to rest until Bobby is free.

Please, I'm praying for help.

Sincerely, Harold Hohne.

So what do you think?

Send it.

All right.

I hope to God this works.

You spelled out all the evidence and all the mistakes

very clearly.

Someone has got to respond.

If this don't do it, I don't know what will.

We followed every lead to a dead end.

How many does this make?

80.

Of them has got to be heard.

I want to get these to the post office before they closed.

Let me have those too.

I'll be right back.

You holding up?

I'm all right.

I just worry about him.

How's he doin'?

He tries to stay busy and that helps, but I still worry.

How's Bobby?

I tried to call him.

He got into a fight in the dining hall.

They won't let me talk to him.

Our office does not have the authority to interfere.

We sincerely regret your-- ah, et cetera, et cetera.

They're all the same.

This one's from the Governor's office.

Unfortunately, it does not appear that there is anything

the Governor is empowered to do under the law which

may be of assistance to your foster son.

I've been turned down by just about every politician, judge,

lawyer, radio, and television, magazine, newspaper

in the state of New York.

We just have to keep writing, keep calling,

keep pounding on doors, make as much noise as possible.

You know, Duff, I'll never stop fighting.

It's just getting harder and harder to believe we can win.

Excuse me, are you Richard Emery?

Yeah.

A friend of mine sent you a letter about his foster son

in prison, Bobby McLaughlin.

Did you get it? - Yeah, I think I did.

I haven't read it carefully, but it's on a stack

that I'll get to eventually.

I think you should pull it out and look into it.

Look, I get these kind of requests

from parents of convicted prisoners every day.

My son's innocent, my brother didn't do it.

For the most part, there's nothing we can do.

And probably nine times out of 10,

they're really guilty anyway.

Not this time.

What makes you so sure?

I'm a homicide detective.

Look, ask anybody down at the precinct,

they'll tell you it was a shaky ID.

The kid never should have been arrested, let alone convicted.

Well, you've got my attention, Detective--

Duffy, Sergeant Gerry Duffy.

Sergeant Duffy, in New York City most cops

think the Civil Liberties Union is dedicated to making

their lives miserable.

So when a cop comes to me and tells me the police have got

the wrong man, I'm interested.

Come in.

Could I have a moment of your time, Judge Mullen?

What can I do for you, Mr. Emery.

I had a very unusual conversation with a New

York homicide detective.

What was unusual about it?

Well, he was disturbed about an innocent boy

he felt was wrongly convicted, Bobby McLaughlin.

I remember it.

We couldn't grant an appeal because there were no grounds.

I really had my doubts, but we had no legal recourse.

Do you think he might have been innocent?

I'll tell you the truth, counselor,

there's some concern as to whether or not

there was a miscarriage of justice in this case.

It may be that the wrong man is in jail.

Judge, would you be willing to go

on record with that statement?

Now that the appeal is over and I'm

not connected to the case, yes, I'd go on record with that.

I know how much courage it takes for someone

in your position to do this.

Thank you.

just hope it helps.

Bobby McLaughlin may have been victimized by the law,

but so were we in this case.

Our hands were tied.

Right.

Dear Carla, I guess you already

know how sorry I am that I couldn't be

there to give the bride away.

The pictures look good.

You look beautiful.

Joe's a lucky guy.

You've done a tremendous job gathering

the facts, Harold, really.

If anything's gonna get this case opened up again,

it's cool, logical facts.

But we could also use some heat.

Yeah, well, you know we're down to our last straw here.

So we'll do whatever you say. - Great.

I've asked a friend of mine to meet with you.

Who's that?

His name's Jack Newfield.

He's a reporter for "The Village Voice."

- Yeah. - Didn't you send him a letter?

Yeah, but we never heard from him.

Well, I think Jack is going to be very interested in what

you have to tell him.

I'm also talking to John Miller.

- Of the television news? - Yeah.

We're gonna see if we can't launch

a real campaign for Bobby.

They'll all be coming in here in a minute.

You OK?

Yeah, I'm OK.

So what am I supposed to say?

I don't know.

Just-- just talk.

OK.

You know, before they get started,

I just want you to know I'm proud of you.

Now, you're proud of me?

Yeah.

Now that I'm in a penitentiary for murder, you're proud of me.

Yeah, I'm sorry that that's what it took.

If I hadn't been such a stubborn bastard,

I'd have been proud of you all along.

But I'm proud of you. now.

I'm proud of the person that you've grown into.

You've done terrific, Bobby.

Bobby, how do you feel about everything

that's happening to you?

Sometimes I think that who are these people

to tell me that I did this thing and they keep me here.

It's-- it's like a bad dream.

I guess you're glad they don't have the death penalty anymore.

Yeah.

If they did, I would be a bunch of ashes in a vase

on my mother's mantelpiece.

Taxi!

That's my boy.

Hey, that's my son.

Here, I'll take a dozen of them.

Keep the change.

I guess you're glad they don't

have the death penalty anymore.

If they did, I would be a bunch of ashes in a vase

on my mother's mantel.

It's hard enough doing time for something that you did,

but it's twice as hard doing time for something

that you didn't do.

Right on, man.

Hey, McLaughlin, can I borrow your old man

to get me out of here?

I was--

I was always a knock-around guy.

I had my fights with my father.

He was always by the book, you know.

Straighten up, don't drink.

But when it came to this problem here,

my dad was behind me 100%.

And I realized how much he loved me.

Can you shut this thing off.

The only evidence against McLaughlin

was the eyewitness testimony of one 15-year-old boy,

named Jimmy O'Neill.

The Assistant DA convinced the jury

they should put their complete faith in his testimony.

She painted him a courageous and honest young man.

But three weeks after the McLaughlin trial,

the same Jimmy O'Neill was arrested for stealing a car.

So much for courage and honesty.

They're making it look like I'm

a criminal, like I set him up.

I didn't do anything.

If the wrong guy was convicted, it wasn't my fault.

What do you want to do?

I want to sue them for libel.

Everybody's talking about me, like I'm

a murderer or something.

I don't think you have a case for libel.

The report didn't say anything that wasn't true.

This is a nightmare.

I just wish the whole thing would go away.

Well, it probably won't do that.

I know Richard Emery.

I think this is just beginning.

Richard Emery.

Richard, Garrett Adams.

Hello, Garrett, what can I do for you?

I have somebody in my office

I think you might want to talk to.

Oh, who?

Jimmy O'Neill.

I'll be there in 10 minutes.

Jimmy, this thing is not gonna go

away until you tell the truth.

You've had to live under a terrible burden

these last few years.

I'm glad you finally came forward.

They're making it sound like I set him up.

It wasn't my fault. - I know that.

You were 15 years old.

You'd never been in a police station before in your life.

Cops were people you respected.

You know what the truth is.

The cops showed you pictures of Ferro

and of Bobby McLaughlin, who they said had been

arrested with Ferro before.

That's why you picked Bobby's picture.

You know it and I know it.

He's not prepared to make a statement to you here today.

That's fine.

That's fine, Jimmy.

Just-- just go home and think about it.

And then tell the DA what really happened in the police station

that morning.

Just tell them the truth.

What about the other guy?

You recognize this guy?

Yeah, I think so.

He was arrested with Ferro before.

Just tell them the truth.

Hello, Yes, operator, I'll accept.

Dad.

Listen, Richard says we're going to court next week

and a new judge is going to decide

if we can get a new trial.

How about that?

It's always next week, next week, next week, next week.

Something's always going to happen next week.

I hate those words,

I know that, Bobby.

But just hang in there a few more days.

If this works, we're gonna get you a new trial, son.

And then we'll get you out.

Who's he?

The Assistant DA, Mark Freedman.

Where's O'Neill?

I don't know.

Well, how's he supposed to change

his testimony if he's not here?

Maybe he'll still show up.

Just hold on, pray for a miracle.

All rise.

The court is now in session.

Judge Ann Feldman presiding.

Be seated.

All right.

Is the witness here?

No, Your Honor.

He promised to be here at 10 o'clock,

but we can't locate him.

No miracles today.

Your Honor, in view of the fact that James O'Neill has now

made statements to the District Attorney's Office that cast

grave doubts on the accuracy of his original testimony,

the District Attorney would not oppose a motion

to set aside the conviction.

I so move, Your Honor.

I have read all the material on this case

and there's been a lengthy and detailed re-investigation

An enormouse amount of evidence was gathered by Mr. McLaughlin's

foster father. It seems to me that Bobby McLaughlin has been

given more dark nights in the course of his 26 years than

anyone should have to be bear in a lifetime.

But on the day when he placed in the home of Harold and Mary Hohne..

the sun shone on him.

I hereby set aside the conviction, and I overturn

the indictment.

Take about five minutes or so to clear up the paperwork

and then you can go home.

- Bobby did you think this day would ever come?

I'm just glad that the nightmare is over now I can get on with my life

- How about you Harold? I got my boy back. I got my family back.

- How you feeling now Bobby? Great. I owe it all to my Dad. He never stopped fighting for me

And now I'm Free!