Monster Monday, July 13th Summary & Analysis

Summary: Monday, July 13th

Steve’s screenplay resumes with an interior shot of the courtroom. There is a feeling of expectation. The judge exchanges small talk with the three lawyers, and O’Brien laughs. The lawyers return to their tables. The State calls Lorelle Henry to the witness stand. She testifies that on December 22 she was in the drugstore, looking for some cough medicine for her granddaughter, when she heard two young men arguing with Mr. Nesbitt, the storeowner. One of the men grabbed Nesbitt by the collar. Henry left the store, hoping to avoid trouble. Henry identifies James King as one of the young men who was arguing. When Briggs cross-examines Lorelle Henry, she testifies that the police showed her twenty or thirty photographs and that, at first, she did not recognize King in the photos. Henry admits that she also had trouble with the idea of testifying against a Black man. But after looking at the photos, she identified King in a lineup.

Richard “Bobo” Evans takes the stand. He is a big, ugly man dressed in a prison jumpsuit. Bobo testifies that he knows King and Steve. He also testifies that he is currently doing time for dealing drugs and that he has numerous previous convictions. Bobo admits that he and King had a plan to hit the drugstore. The plan included using Steve as a lookout. Bobo identifies Steve. Then he tells the court that King tried to take the gun from Mr. Nesbitt while he, Bobo, went for the money. King was holding the gun when it went off. After that Bobo and King took some cigarettes and left. They ate some fried chicken at a nearby chicken joint and split the money from the robbery. Bobo testifies that the plan called for Osvaldo Cruz and Steve to get some of the robbery money. Bobo also recalls selling some of the cigarettes to Wendell Bolden. Bobo admits he has cut a deal of reduced time in return for his testimony.

Briggs cross-examines Bobo Evans and calls his truthfulness into question. Then O’Brien challenges Bobo’s statements about Steve. Bobo admits that he did not talk to Steve before the robbery. Bobo also admits that he did not know how Steve was supposed to signal that the coast was clear. He states that Steve gave no signal after leaving the drugstore, and he denies any knowledge about whether Steve was paid off. Bobo claims all contact with Steve was through King. O’Brien also establishes that Bobo’s account of the robbery came mostly from King and that Bobo had to admit to the crime to get a deal from the State. Petrocelli rests the people’s case. The judge adjourns the court and gives the jury the rest of the afternoon off. At the end of the scene, Mrs. Harmon talks to O’Brien while a court officer stands near Steve.

Analysis: Monday, July 13th

The section of the book for Monday, July 13, consists only of Steve’s screenplay, which covers the testimony of the two strongest witnesses for the prosecution. The fact that the first witness, Lorelle Henry, testifies that she saw two men—one of whom she identifies as King—arguing with Mr. Nesbitt should suggest to the jury and the reader that the subsequent killing was not premeditated. It resulted from a planned robbery that spiraled out of control. If so, that would also suggest that Steve was never part of a planned homicide. Asa Briggs casts some doubt on Henry’s identification from photos and a lineup, suggesting she may have been subconsciously guided toward identifying King by the police. However, Henry remains firm in identifying King in person, in court. Her testimony is very bad news for King, but she does not place Steve at the scene of the crime. Henry’s admission that she feels uncomfortable testifying against a Black man reflects that many in society acknowledge that the legal system is often unjust in its treatment of Black people.

The next witness, Bobo Evans, is a career criminal who admits that he and King planned the robbery and identifies Steve as the lookout for the crime, the strongest testimony against Steve so far. Both Briggs and O’Brien cast serious doubts on Bobo’s testimony. Bobo’s answers to Briggs’s questions suggest that he might not be intelligent enough to plan a crime. In fact, much of Bobo’s evidence is based on hearsay from King. By getting Bobo to admit that he did not speak to Steve either before or after the robbery, did not know what Steve’s signal was supposed to be, and did not know of any payment to Steve Harmon, O’Brien is even more effective at discrediting Bobo as a credible witness.

Nevertheless, Bobo’s testimony does damage Steve’s case because it places Steve at the crime scene. Bobo’s stupidity, carelessness, and lack of conscience about the murder also make Steve look guilty by association. Petrocelli has been using this strategy throughout the trial. The jury can see that Bobo is bumbling, lying, and self-serving. In spite of Bobo’s character, however, the jury might not be able to see a reason that Bobo would place Steve at the crime scene if Steve were not really there.

The testimony of Bobo Evans increases the suspense of the trial by making it more likely that Steve will be found guilty. In his screenplay, Steve draws a cartoon of people all falling asleep in response to the prosecution resting its case, a lame and juvenile joke that keeps Steve from writing about his own dim prospects. After the people rest, the jury gets the remainder of the day off. The reader is aware that Steve will be heading back to jail, where he might have to remain for twenty to twenty-five years. The day ends on an ominous note for Steve.

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