12 Angry Men Essay, Research Paper

Vinny Menichetti 12/12/99

English10RS/Mrs.Krause Period 2

Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen for all your time and service. I believe my client is innocent of these charges and you must keep in mind that if you have a reasonable doubt in your mind that this boy is innocent then u must vote not guilty and save his life. Keep in mind if you are doubtful and you vote ?guilty? this boy?s life will be taken away from him and you will always wonder. Ladies and gentlemen how can you be so sure this kid is a killer? The eyewitness couldn?t have seen the murderer perfectly. Think about it; she didn?t have her glasses on and it was through the windows of a passing El-train. How could she have been so sure it was the boy under those conditions? She could?ve seen anybody and just fit the boy into the picture. No evidence was so clear that there cant b a reasonable doubt in your mind. Ladies and Gentlemen shall we go over each piece of evidence.

Lets exam the knife and the stabbing. It was said before the knife is unique, meaning its one of a kind, but down the block at a local store u can buy the same knife. It is the same exact knife as the one the boy owns, which means the store owner was wrong when he pointed out there was only one of its kind. Now, lets talk about how the father died. The knife was left in him in a downward position. This explains two ways it couldn?t have been my client. One way is the father is taller then his son, how would my client stab the father in a downward position if he was shorter then him. It would?ve been in a upward due to the position of the knife, my client would?ve had to reach all the way up in the air and he still wouldn?t have a chance to stab downward on such the angle it was. Another way it proves it was not my client was because my client is an experienced knife fighter, unfortunately. An experienced knife fighter holds a switchblade with a upward position and if the knife was left in the father with a downward position then it was obviously by an inexperienced knife fighter and as you all know he has his share of knife fights. With all the event?s my client has gone through he has only learned from, therefore we come to the conclusion that he is street smart. If my client is street smart then why would he yell I?m going to kill you and then stab him in a downward position. Another way I can prove the killer was no street smart was because why would a person who is street smart yell ?I?m going to kill you? and then whip the fingerprints off the knife. The killer couldn?t have been street smart if he would do something like that. Ladies and Gentlemen it doesn?t make sense; my client does not fit into the mold the prosecution has made.

Now there were other witnesses that work at the Movie Theater where my client was on the night of the murder. There are a lot of faces at a Movie Theater, would you remember one face after seeing hundreds of different faces all day? My client could?ve sneaked into the movies and been too embarrassed to say it. He also doesn?t remember the movie he saw but you must remember he just got into a huge fight with his dad; his mind probably was not on the movie at the time. He could?ve been so distracted with the argument that he didn?t bother paying attention to little things like the title of the movie. Also, it was a late night so he might?ve just went to the movies to get away from his father and end up falling asleep in the Movie Theater for a while and not remember the movie. There are many possibilities, which should leave reasonable doubt in your mind that means you must vote not guilty

Ok lets go over the old man that claims he heard my client yell and claimed he saw my client run out of the apartment. People this man heard my client yell, ?I?m going to kill you? with an El-train passing by his window? When a El-train is passing you can?t even hear yourself think, there is no way this man heard my client clearly say ?I?m going to kill you?, and distinguish it was definitely my client. Ladies and Gentlemen if he did hear a voice it would sound like a muffle and he would not know it was my client who said it. If this doesn?t leave reasonable doubt in your mind then I don?t know what will.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is no way you can possibly have no reasonable doubt in your mind. Do you honestly think that all of these pieces of evidence is that strong enough to leave no reasonable doubt in your mind? Keep in mind if you vote guilty you are taking this young boy?s life away from him, and if u vote guilty with reasonable doubt in your mind then you should be on trial for murder. Thank your for your time.

Bibliography

12 angry men, Author Rhodes, 1975