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Summary: Tuesday, July 7th 

In a short, handwritten note, Steve describes how the prisoners threaten and hurt each other. He repeats several times that he hates this place. The screenplay resumes with a courtroom shot. Wendell Bolden is on the stand. Bolden is a repeat offender most recently jailed for assault. Bolden testifies that Bobo Evans committed the drugstore robbery. Bolden knows this because he bought some of the stolen cigarettes from Evans. The screenplay cuts to an exterior stoop on 141st Street. James King, Steve, a woman named Peaches, and a man named Johnny talk about needing money. King wishes he had a crew. The best place to rob, confides Johnny, is a “getover,” somewhere too small for anyone to care about.

Back in the courtroom, Bolden recalls the date of the robbery as just before Christmas. Asa Briggs then questions Bolden. Briggs skeptically asks why Bobo Evans would confess a serious crime to a stranger. Briggs also gets Bolden to admit that he has made a deal in return for his testimony. The judge adjourns the court until the next day. The camera cuts to the Detention Center. It is night. The lights are dimmed, but there are sounds of violence. The camera moves into Steve’s cell, where his cellmate is being beaten and suffering assault. The scene ends with a CU (closeup shot) of Steve, who closes his eyes.

Summary: Wednesday, July 8th 

Steve writes that he does not feel involved in his own case. He also records that Sunset, another prisoner, has read and liked his screenplay, and he writes about a visit by a preacher. Steve feels like a good person, but he knows he looks just like the bad people around him. He feels sick to his stomach.

The screenplay resumes in the courtroom. The judge, court officers, and lawyers exchange small talk about termites during a delay in opening. The camera cuts to Detective Karyl on the witness stand and then to the interior of the drugstore, where Detective Karyl interviews José Delgado. Back in the courtroom, Detective Karyl displays crime scene photos of Mr. Nesbitt, the murder victim. Karyl testifies that few clues had been found on the scene and admits to getting the tip about the cigarettes.

The camera cuts to a shot inside the 28th precinct, where Detectives Karyl and Williams are questioning Steve. According to Karyl, King is claiming that Steve fired the deadly shot. Steve denies taking part in any stickup. Williams and Karyl talk about possible penalties for Steve. The camera cuts to a shot of Steve in the death chamber, being strapped down. The action then moves back to the courtroom, where Asa Briggs gets Karyl to admit that there was no fingerprint evidence from the scene.

The camera cuts back to the jail, where Steve listens to older prisoners idly discussing his case. The camera cuts again, to a prison waiting room, where Steve talks to O’Brien. O’Brien warns that Osvaldo Cruz, an important State witness, will testify that afternoon. The action flashes back to a stoop in the old neighborhood. Osvaldo Cruz, who is fourteen, teases Steve about being gay, using a slur. Freddy Alou, who is sixteen, warns Cruz that Steve hangs out with some questionable guys. The camera cuts to the courtroom, where Cruz is on the stand. Cruz testifies that he took part in the robbery because he was afraid to refuse. Cruz identifies the other people involved as Bobo Evans, James King, and Steve Harmon.

Analysis: Tuesday, July 7th and Wednesday, July 8th 

Tuesday, July 7 begins with Steve writing desperately in his notebook about how much he hates prison. Readers see the high levels of stress, anger, and fear that he is experiencing. Steve’s state of mind increases the suspense of the story. The second and third days of Steve’s trial build suspense even more, as witnesses start to connect Steve to the crime.

Even before Petrocelli presents any evidence against Steve, she uses guilt by association to connect him to the murder. In Steve’s handwritten note on July 8, Steve recognizes her strategy. He notes that the string of terrible people on the witness stand makes King and himself seem just as bad. Steve starts to see what Miss O’Brien meant when she said part of her job was to make him look human in the eyes of the jury. Steve is starting to confront the obstacle that racism places in his path toward justice. Miss O’Brien reminds him that just being young and Black is enough evidence of guilt for some of the jurors, building on the theme of racism and the injustice of the “justice” system.

The first witnesses called by the State are not very convincing. Asa Briggs easily casts doubt on William Bolden’s motives and testimony. Detective Karyl also makes a poor impression. Briggs gets Karyl to admit that most of his “evidence” comes from prison informants and that the police were somewhat careless in processing the crime scene. Osvaldo Cruz is clearly unreliable. Nevertheless, Cruz’s testimony does Steve’s case a great deal of harm because Cruz names Steve as one of the perpetrators of the robbery and murder.

The flashback scenes in the screenplay connect Steve to his co-defendant, James King. In one scene, King and Johnny discuss robbery in front of Steve, and King hints that he is looking for a crew. In another scene, Osvaldo Cruz taunts Steve with homophobic slurs and for going to the school downtown. The scene reveals that Steve Harmon and Osvaldo Cruz have a previous history of rivalry. When Cruz brags about his association with the Diablos, Freddy Alou warns Cruz that Steve spends time with some unsavory people. This warning adds uncertainty to the plot because it raises in readers’ minds the possibility that Steve might actually be part of King’s circle. However, the history of rivalry also casts Osvaldo Cruz’s testimony into doubt. The flashback scene in which Detectives Karyl and Williams first interview Steve adds even more uncertainty. In this scene, the detectives try to trap Steve into admitting he pulled the trigger by claiming that King has accused him. Then Williams and Karyl discuss Steve’s chances for the death penalty. They play on Steve’s fears, driving him to imagine being executed. The scene makes Steve look and feel powerless.

In his July 8 notebook entry, Steve writes about feeling uninvolved in the courtroom and only feeling involved again when he gets back to the cells. The screenplay provides reasons for Steve to feel as though the court proceedings are not really about him. Steve, who is cuffed to a bench next to King, has to listen to the judge, the court officers, and the lawyers, including his own lawyer, O’Brien, as they casually discuss termites and joke about the detective’s hemorrhoids as if Steve’s entire life were not at stake. Back at the prison, Steve discusses his court case with other inmates. His fellow prisoners, unlike the key players at court, seem to take Steve’s crisis seriously. Steve is starting to form bonds with other prisoners, to realize that he looks like them and shares their problems. In this respect, his identity is changing.

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