- Bravo, Roberto, bravo.
- Louisa!
What did the guy look like?
How do you expect us to help you
if you don't know what the guy looks like?
- Hi, Lieutenant.
- Hello, Sergeant. Where are the boys?
- Oh, we have them set up for you inside.
- Come on.
When are we gonna get to
take a few shots, Lieutenant?
Yeah, when can we see them?
Now, fellows, we'll be through with this
as soon as we possibly can.
Oh, come on...
This is Hank Bell.
He'll handle the preliminary.
Captain Larsen.
- Captain.
- You know Whitey.
Sure.
- Sit over there.
- Go ahead, sit down.
Okay, Whitey, preliminary interrogation.
For the D.A.'s office,
Assistant District Attorney Bell,
and detective Lieutenant Gunderson.
- Witnesses, Captain Larsen. Officer?
- Wohlman.
Officer Wohlman.
Suspects, three members of a
street gang known as the Thunderbirds.
Named...
Arthur Reardon, Anthony Aposto and
Daniel D-I-P-A-C-E. Di Pace.
Which one of you is Di Pace?
- Your name Di Pace?
- David Copperfield.
All right, do you want me to bounce you
around the room?
- Hey, he ain't writing that.
He's Di Pace.
- Your father John Di Pace?
- I ain't got no father.
Your mother's named Mary?
So what the hell does my mother
got to do with it?
Nothing, kid.
- How old are you, Danny?
- I'm 15.
You can't hold me in this police station.
You can't even question me. I'm a juvenile.
You're a juvenile up to 16 unless
you kill somebody and you did.
- He stopped again.
- All right, shut up.
Gunderson!
The law says you can execute
a 15-year-old for murder.
But it also says you can't question
him in a police station...
Now look, I'm tired of
having to coddle these punks
because they're 15 instead of 16.
You don't have to tell me about these kids.
I was born in this neighborhood.
I went to school with some of
the worst gunsels in town.
A good swift kick would do more
to straighten out these punks
- than anything...
- Gunderson.
We're not out to kick kids this time,
we're out for first degree murder.
Putting a juvenile in the chair
is always big trouble.
Whoever prosecutes this case will need
a clear record the defense can't attack.
No technicalities getting in the way,
like interrogating a juvenile
in the police station, right?
Okay.
Let's find out the ages of the other two,
and then we'll separate the baby killers
from the adult killers.
- Okay, Whitey. You, name and age?
- Arthur Reardon, 17.
- Batman.
- What's your name?
- Anthony Aposto.
- How old are you?
Sixteen.
- Their homes been called, Captain?
- Strictly according to the book, Counselor.
Mrs. Di Pace and Reardon's old man
are outside now.
Take him out to see his mother.
So you're a big shot, now.
You didn't find them knives on us.
Found a lot of holes in the body,
we'll find the knives.
The spic started it. He pulled a knife.
So now, he's dead like he should be.
Why do you figure he pulled a knife?
- We was on his turf.
- He's on your turf, you pull a knife?
We ain't no dirty spics.
We're Thunderbirds.
Do you know the name
of the boy you killed?
No, we never seen him before.
His name was Roberto Escalante.
He was 15 years old.
So?
Now, let me get this straight.
You went for a walk on his street,
he saw you.
- He came at you with a knife, right?
Yeah, that's right.
He must've been pretty good with a knife?
He was crazy.
In fact, he must have been better with
a knife than anybody in the whole world,
because Roberto Escalante was blind.
So, in view of Tolly's switch to guilty,
I think I'll be free
to take over that teenage killing case,
if you'd like me to.
I mean, it sounds like a toughy
and I'd like something
to get my teeth into, for a change.
Something I can really identify with.
Yes, well, I've asked Hank to handle
the preliminary on that.
How about it, Hank?
Well, the facts in the case
are just about as reported.
The boys admit the killing,
but they claim self-defense.
However, the boy they killed,
the Puerto Rican boy, was blind.
Blind?
I've got a hunch the papers are gonna
play this like the Chicago Fire.
Do you think we should try
for first degree murder?
It looks like it to me.
You wanna prosecute?
That's up to you,
but before you make any decision
I think you ought to know one of the
defendants is a kid named Di Pace.
I used to go with his mother,
when I was a kid.
Oh boy, Hank, the papers would have
a field day with this one.
I hope I'm not speaking out of turn,
Mr. Cole.
But it seems to me that
politically this is a dangerous case.
Politically?
We don't care anything
about politics now, do we?
Well, sir, I think we're all aware, sir,
that there's something more
than a ground swell developing to put you
in the Governor's mansion.
I'm sure none of us would like to see
anything happen to jeopardize that.
Oh, now, the worst
the newspapers can say is,
"Honest D.A. Prosecutes
son of childhood sweetheart. "
Doesn't sound so damaging to me.
All right,
that's all for the moment, gentlemen.
- Hello, darling.
- Sweetheart.
Boy, I'm beat.
- How's that for timing?
- I earned this one today.
- Did you ever see such headlines?
- It's a hard case, all right.
Mom, where's that white bra of yours?
- Hi, Dad.
- Hi, beautiful.
Third drawer of the dresser, dear,
where it always is.
Okay.
Jenny wearing a bra?
Jenny's been wearing a bra
for almost two years now.
I guess I haven't taken
a good look at her lately.
One of those boys is only
a year older than Jenny.
- I guess that's why it bothers me so.
- He was old enough to handle a knife.
Whose idea was it anyway to go for
murder one, Dan Cole's?
- Look, Karin...
- I know why he assigned this case to you.
'Cause you're the only man smart enough
to get him a first degree conviction.
He'd frame his own mother
to get that nomination.
Karin, it wasn't Dan Cole's idea
to go for first degree murder.
It was mine.
Yours?
Yes, mine.
I don't believe it.
But you came
from that neighborhood yourself.
- Yes and I got out.
- Yes, you did.
But everybody hasn't got the
emotional equipment
to put up with the slums and the poverty.
Here we go with the passive theories
of social oppression.
Listen, Karin, those punks
have made Harlem a nightmare.
People are afraid to walk home
from the subway after dark.
Remember the old man at the newsstand,
the one who loaned me the money
to buy a suit for my bar exam?
Well, last week, four of your
underprivileged children beat him up.
They broke both his legs,
he'll never walk again.
And you're upset
because three self-confessed killers
are gonna stand trial for murder.
Good night, folks. Don't wait up for me.
Oh, Jenny, I wasn't planning to.
I'm going to bed at 12:00, after you.
Mother, you can be such
a drag sometimes. So utterly cubistic.
You know what I mean, don't you, Dad?
You heard your mother. 12:00, darling.
All right, I just hope I can explain it
to Lonnie's satisfaction. Good night.
Lonnie? Whatever happened to Greg?
He's been replaced by
a more mature man, age 16.
- I ever meet Lonnie?
- You haven't even met Greg.
Look, honey, let's not wrangle.
Come on, we'll grab our things,
go out to dinner,
have a big, thick steak
and a bottle of wine. What do you say?
Okay.
By the way, your old girlfriend,
Mary Di Pace, called today. Twice.
I referred her to your office.
Did you talk to her?
I don't know what to say to her.
Why don't you just tell her
that you're gonna burn her son.
For old times' sake.
Russell, come on, will you?
Grab those crates
and bring them over here.
- Papa, what did you do?
- Never mind what I done.
- You told the police about the knives.
- Mr. Rugiello?
That's right.
I hope nobody see you come here?
This your daughter?
I don't have 'em,
I know nothing about 'em.
All right, come on, come on.
All right, Mr. Rugiello. Let's go.
What are you going to do
with girls like this?
Some father.
- Calls the cops on his own daughter.
- He did the right thing.
Your name is Angela, isn't it?
They call you Angy.
What did you do with the knives, Angy?
You're so smart, find them.
You can get into a lot of trouble by
concealing evidence.
- You know that, don't you?
- I know.
All right then, what did you do
with the knives?
I hid them in some newspaper.
Then I got scared and threw them
- in the back of a car.
- What car?
- I don't know.
- Where was the car?
I told you I don't know. It was just parked.
- Where?
- On the street.
- What street?
- I don't know, I don't know.
Angy, I want you to listen to me.
Nothing's going to happen to you,
if you try to help us.
Now, please think. Where were you
when you got rid of the knives? Tell me.
The cops were all around. I just ran.
I turned the corner, no more cops.
I don't know which corner.
- I don't know, I don't know.
- All right, now about the car.
What kind of a car was it?
I'm not sure, it could have been
a Ford or a Chevy.
- It was old, I think.
- Do you remember the color?
I think it was dark, black,
or maybe it was blue.
I was just so scared.
I didn't know what to do.
All right, Angy.
Let's talk about the boys for a minute.
Why did you take the knives
in the first place?
I don't know. I don't know.
- Did you do it for Reardon?
- That creep.
- Aposto?
- The Batman?
No, it's on account of Danny.
He's different, he's sweet.
- He's a darling.
- What do you know about him?
- I know he killed a boy in cold blood.
- No, he didn't, he just fought back.
- How do you know that?
- I told you,
because I saw it with my own eyes.
- What were you doing there?
- I just followed them.
- Why?
- I don't know.
For kicks.
What did you see?
I was a ways behind them.
The boy on the stoop pulled a knife.
- HANK... The boy on the stoop couldn't see.
- He still pulled a knife,
it glittered, I saw it shining.
- Anybody else see it?
- I was alone,
but there were lot of other people around,
they must have seen it.
I talked to a lot of other people.
Nobody saw it.
You talked to a lot of Puerto Ricans.
I think you're making this up, Angy,
for Danny's sake.
I'm not making it up and you're not
going to scare me into saying I am.
I still can't get the blood off my skirt.
Hey, these Puerto Ricans put on
a pretty good show, don't they?
Yeah, great.
This interest you, Barton?
I thought your newspaper believed
the only good Puerto Rican
was a dead Puerto Rican.
You haven't been
reading our paper, Mr. Bell.
Not lately.
This is oppressed minority season with us.
You ought to read it, Hank.
Big expos on Park Avenue call houses.
- We perform a public service.
- Yes, I know.
You tell the citizens
how to get their asses hauled.
We got the word that they concocted
a story about the blind boy
flashing a knife. Anything to that?
Not a thing.
Good, because our readers are expecting
the chair for the killers
of this gentle and poetic blind boy.
We'll do our best.
Who tips them off
to these things, anyway?
Thousand-to-one the girl is lying.
But suppose he did have a knife?
He would have been using it
in self-defense.
If he had a knife, we'll never make
murder one stick with the jury.
- It's what you really want, isn't it?
- That's what I want.
There's Cole, come on.
Hey, come on, you guys.
Give him room, guys.
- Anything to give us today, Dan?
- Certainly.
The city of New York will not rest
until justice has been done.
I've come to the funeral myself
to make sure that is perfectly clear.
The boys are right on the job, Dan.
- Good morning, boys.
- Dan.
Who are the boys in costume?
The Horsemen,
a Puerto Rican gang.
- Like to meet their leader?
- Yeah.
Hey, Zorro, come on over here
a moment, will you?
This is Mr. Cole, a district attorney. Zorro.
You gonna burn the Thunderbirds
that killed Roberto?
- We're gonna try.
- That'll be the day.
- What do you mean by that, son?
- You're kidding? Try.
When your people come from Puerto Rico
or Cuba, they just ain't human to cops.
It'll be the same old story this time.
- Mrs. Escalante.
- Mother of the dead boy.
Mrs. Escalante.
Mrs. Escalante, I am the district attorney.
- Please accept my condolences.
- Gracias.
And this is Mr. Bell, the prosecutor.
He'll help your son's case.
You cannot help Roberto,
it is too late to help Roberto.
- Mrs. Escalante, please believe me we...
- Perdoname, Seor.
When I am a little girl,
in my family they teach me love.
They teach me this in Puerto Rico,
where I am born.
The people there, they say to you,
"Hello. " Here,
is different.
Here, so many people.
But is no one here say to you, "Hello. "
In this city, and on these streets,
is no time for love.
There is only...
Hatred.
Hatred.
And it is hatred is killed my son.
Your son will have justice, Mrs. Escalante.
Ah, Seor,
is only one justice.
You want to do something?
All right, you can do something for me,
and for my son.
One thing.
Kill them.
Kill the murderers.
The same way they kill my son.
You put out their eyes,
and you come at them with knives,
the same way they came at my son
in his darkness.
You kill them like the animals they are.
You kill them and you rid the streets
of the animals.
This, you can do for me, Seor.
And for my son,
who is dead.
Is that what you're gonna do, Hank?
Hello, Mary.
You're gonna kill my kid?
You're gonna put his eyes out and
come at him with knives in the darkness?
You're gonna kill him like an animal, huh?
This is Lieutenant Gunderson.
Miss... Mrs. Di Pace.
Danny didn't have
anything to do with this.
- I'm afraid he did.
- No, no.
He's protecting somebody or something.
I know him.
I know, he's my child. You don't know.
He swore to me
he's not even a member of this gang.
It still happened, Mary.
Is that what my child is to you?
Just another case, another conviction?
He's mine, Hank.
Danny will have a fair trial,
same as the other two.
You know this neighborhood.
- You're guilty before you're arrested.
- Mary.
You look everywhere for evidence
to prove that he's guilty.
Are you looking for evidence
to prove he's innocent?
No, that wouldn't help you, would it?
You wouldn't get a gold star,
would you, Hank?
They're all alike.
They all say the same thing.
"My son didn't do it. "
"My son couldn't do it. "
"My son is a good boy. "
They all believe it, too.
- Can I come in a minute?
- Please.
Please, Hank.
Come in.
I'm calling a Puerto Rican boy.
I want him to tell you something.
He came to see Danny last summer,
to thank him.
Sit down, Hank.
Jos?
Could you come to my house right away?
It's Danny's mother.
I went to look for him yesterday. Sit down.
How does he...
How does he get through no man's land?
Well, he comes through the cellars
and then through that old area way...
Over the roof?
Yeah, I remember.
He'll be here right away. You wait, Hank.
I have to go to work in a minute.
- I work in an appliance store down...
- I'll wait.
Cigarette?
I'll get you some coffee.
No, don't...
Jos?
Jos, this is Mr. Bell.
He's a friend of mine.
Is amigo. You can talk to him.
The Thunderbirds will kill me
if they know I am here,
and the Horsemen worse.
Jos, so you tell him, please.
Go ahead, son.
You know the swimming pool, mister?
- On 124th Street?
- Yes.
Well, there's a cool in there. No fighting.
I was there with some of the Horsemen.
I don't swim so good, see?
What's the matter, Reardon?
Look in the water.
I don't see nothing in the water.
Spics.
Well, what are they doing?
You like swimming with them?
Hey, Danny!
Hey, Danny! Come here.
Yeah, what's up, Doc?
Take a look.
San Juan's polluting the water.
So, you never saw a spic before?
They swim here every day.
Today, I don't like it.
What are you, head of the
immigration department or something?
I'm me.
I don't like it and I say we kick 'em out.
Danny, don't get into trouble.
So, that's your problem.
You let a broad boss you, huh?
All right, all right. Big deal.
Let's go get it over with.
What are you wearing a necklace for?
I thought only girls wore necklaces.
That's no necklace.
That's Jess Cristo.
You got no religion?
You got religion.
He's got religion, boys.
We wanna see how religious you are, spic.
Don't you call me a spic!
We wanna see
if you can walk on water, spic.
Hey, I don't swim so good.
I told you! I told you I don't swim so good!
He's trying to drown you, stupid!
Okay, let him go. That's enough.
Neck, keep him under!
Damn it. You're gonna kill him!
Watch out, watch out.
Thank you, Jos.
Gracias, Jos.
Can you believe
that the same boy who did this,
would stab to death a helpless blind boy?
If he didn't do it,
we'll find out he didn't do it.
Believe me, Mary.
You know, Hank,
I made a terrible mistake
when I walked out on you.
I knew it the day after I married Johnny.
He turned out to be a petty racketeer.
I never told Danny
what kind of man his father was.
But he's a pretty sharp kid.
And sometimes,
I would see him looking at me,
thinking, "What kind of a woman is that?
She marries a guy like that. "
And so,
you know, just to make him
think more of me,
I would tell him about you.
You know, when we read your name
in the papers,
or I kind of heard about
what you were doing.
And then, I would think,
"Well, you can't be a total mess.
A man like that wanted to marry you. "
Don't give yourself the worst of it, Mary.
You will try to see Danny
as he really is, huh?
I'll talk to him.
He could have been our son.
That was a long time ago, Mary.
We've grown up.
Maybe it's too bad, but we've grown up.
Will Danny grow up?
- Goodbye, Mary.
- Goodbye, Hank.
235 calling. Over.
Hardy speaking. Over.
This is Bell, Hardy.
What about the knives
in the Escalante killing? Over.
HARD Y... What about them?
- Well, did you find them?
- Not yet.
- How many men did you put on it?
- All we can spare.
- How many is that?
- Two.
That's not enough, Lieutenant.
You'll have to put more men on it.
And you'd better put out
an all points bulletin about that car.
It could be anywhere by now.
And I want daily progress
reports from your office.
In which order do you want these
requests turned down? Over.
Who is this character?
I don't have all day, Bell. Over.
Let me talk to the head
of your department.
He went on vacation this morning,
and he's the only one who can give
priority authorization for
additional manpower.
Well, doesn't he deputize
anyone to do it for him?
No, he doesn't.
Well, does your whole department
go to pieces
because one man goes on a vacation?
We'll find your knives as
soon as we can, Mr. Bell.
Of course, we only have to find
an undescribed automobile which
may be anywhere in the state
of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey,
Arizona or Texas.
Not that we can't do it, you understand,
in spite of being understaffed,
overworked and underpaid.
But I'm sure you're not interested
in our internal problems. Over.
Look, Hardy, I hate to have to go
to the D.A. On this. Over.
Me, too. Nice talking to you. Over and out.
- Now, where to, Hank?
- What?
Where to?
Raymond Street Jail.
All right. Come on now, knock it off.
Keep it quiet.
Pipe down.
My folks didn't understand me.
I just wanted to go to the country
and see the cows.
Instead, they sent me out on this
crummy street to play with bad boys.
Some parents, huh?
But it really wasn't their fault.
They were poor.
Okay, Batman. It's your turn.
Me, I'm stupid. You know.
I'm pazzo, we call it.
I can't even read right, you know.
The doctor, he says to me, he says,
that my brain is a little mixed up,
you know like, I don't know,
scrambled eggs. I mean...
Show him how stupid you are, stupid.
Now, tell him how stupid you are.
Well, I've been in the sixth grade,
I think five times now, that's right.
My old man's a drunk.
My mother takes in boarders
and goes out with them, too.
I got a sister.
I don't know if she's my sister.
That's why I'm so disturbed.
- He's got a song about it.
- Yeah.
Go ahead, sing it, stupid.
Yeah, yeah.
My mother throws snow to the snowbirds
My father makes barbershop gin
My sister sells jazz for a living
And that's when money rolls in
Where's Dr. Walsh's office?
- Down at the end of that corridor.
- They're all yours.
Hey, look, ain't you going to ask
us no regular questions?
On your feet.
I don't want you to run another Rorschach.
I don't care if he's faking.
I don't care.
What he's faking reveals just as much
as his real reactions.
That's right. Yes, yes.
Yeah, I gotta go. Bye.
My name is Bell, D.A.'s office.
Oh, yes.
I understand they're building
a kid-sized electric chair upstate
for you people.
Now, Doctor,
that's a nice friendly approach.
Indictment is first degree, isn't it?
Usually is, in premeditated murder.
Bully and gung ho.
I'm delighted you haven't fallen for any
of that modern nonsense
about emotional problems or environment,
or broken homes.
A little mass execution now and then,
- that'll stop them.
- Nothing else has.
Look, Doctor, I came here to ask
a couple of questions about these boys.
I've already talked with
Reardon and Aposto.
They're old pros.
Those two have been through the mill here
regularly since they were 10 or 11.
- Di Pace been in here before?
- No. This is his first.
Tell me something about him.
He's bright.
IQ 135.
Likes to read.
Of course, the psychological tests show
aggression and fear, just like the others.
What about Reardon?
Delusions of grandeur.
Deep feeling of inferiority.
Hates anybody whose skin or religion
is different.
Underneath, scared of course.
But scared more than the others.
Is Aposto as stupid as he seems?
Retarded.
Very.
As a psychiatrist,
would you say he's legally sane?
Now you know that the words sane and
insane have no meaning in medicine?
- They have in law.
- I deal in people, Mr. Bell.
Not in legal technicalities.
Where is Di Pace?
- In the juvenile section.
- Thank you.
And, by the way,
I hope you'll forgive my bad manners.
It's a conditioned reflex
with public officials, I'm afraid.
Think nothing of it, Doctor.
We all have our emotional problems.
Sit down.
- Cigarette?
- Ram it.
I'd like to hear your side
of the story, Danny.
So you can help fry me?
Do I look like a kook?
Did my lawyers give you an okay
to talk to me?
They know I'm here.
They must have told you
you're in serious trouble.
They told me I'm innocent
till proven guilty.
You'll get a fair trial,
if that's what you mean.
But not in a children's court,
a grown-up murder trial.
You better tell me your story.
Okay.
In two words, self-defense.
Danny, that's stupid and you know it.
And you're stupid to stick to it.
Tough and a half. So, I'm stupid.
And a little scared, too?
Nobody scares me,
especially a bum like you.
Don't get fresh with me, Danny.
I'm here because
I'm a friend of your mother's.
Don't con me, Mr. Bell.
Bell. Your name's Bellini,
and you're a wop just like me.
What's the matter, Mr. Bellini?
You ashamed of being a wop?
Let me tell you something,
Mr. Bellini.
Don't walk down any dark streets alone.
You haven't got the guts to handle a
skinny broad, much less the Thunderbirds.
You look kind of fruity to me anyway.
And, stay away from my mother,
you fake wop!
Excuse me. I'm looking for Zorro.
Go away, don't bother me. Vamos, Seor.
Mr. Bell, what brings you to my turf?
- I'd like to talk with Louisa Escalante.
- Why?
She was there the day it happened.
I'd like to talk with her.
A few minutes.
Come on, I'll buy you a beer.
- They think I'm a C-man, huh?
- Why do you think so?
You know, this white shirt, the suit.
You know Harlem, huh?
I used to live here.
They think I'm a cop and they
don't wanna be around
if there's gonna be a pinch.
You know, this place is all right.
A guy gets pinched, he like throws
stuff away. Might land at your feet.
Next thing you know,
you're arrested for holding.
Or maybe even for intent to sell.
Let's have two beers, Miguel.
Good beer here. You'll like it.
So, you're working for Roberto?
Well, that's one way of putting it.
The birds ain't got a chance,
or have they?
I think we've got a very good case.
Yeah? My man, you give it to them good.
The others are bad, but they are the worst.
You don't like them, do you, any of them?
Well, man, put yourself in my shoes.
The niggers look down on us.
The wops look down on us.
The Irish were here before the Indians.
Man, my people are a proud race.
Puerto Rico ain't no African jungle.
And the wops,
what the hell did they ever have?
Mussolini, a big stink.
Michelangelo, so what?
You ever heard of a guy named Picasso?
- Yes.
- Now Pablo Picasso, man,
I went all the way down to the
museum to look at his paintings.
Now, that cat is great.
He's the greatest artist that
ever lived, man. He sings.
And you know...
That's the delivery kid
that don't wanna pay.
You know, Picasso, he's got the same
blood in his veins that I got in mine.
And you know the first
fiddle at the Minsk hall?
Puerto Rican. Come on.
That a contribution to your war chest?
Look, we got three square blocks here.
Like this is our island, little Puerto Rico.
You know what I mean, Mr. Bell?
And we are busting to get out.
But while we here,
we gotta protect our turf.
People gotta respect it.
And, you know what people respect.
Force.
Here, our contribution
to your favorite charity.
You know that that ain't the point.
It ain't the money.
We just can't let people come in and out
of here without knowing whose place it is.
- Like the Thunderbirds?
- Yeah, like the Thunderbirds.
Look what happened to poor Roberto.
Poor, innocent, blind kid
who never did anyone no wrong.
Tell me something.
Thunderbirds know you protect your turf.
How do you explain three of them
coming down here and invading it?
The Thunderbirds are all on junk,
that's why.
They're dope addicts, you know.
That's right.
Those boys weren't on junk.
You're right.
They weren't on junk, not then anyway.
But it's that Reardon.
- What about the other two?
- Aposto?
Man, that cat does anything
anybody tells him.
And Di Pace?
He's a wild one.
You know, he helped one of our guys
out of trouble once.
Now why would a wop wanna help a spic?
No. It's that Reardon.
He's got holes in his head.
I put one of them there.
When I smacked that chump, he went
down and I stomp him in the head.
- You know why?
- So he wouldn't get up again.
If he did, you might go down
and he'd stomp you.
You sound like you've
been stomped before.
A touch here and there.
Man, this popping is for no one, man.
It's for writing on toilet walls.
It stinks, man, it stinks.
That's what this popping is.
Well, the old lady won't let her
baby come down to this place.
So, you can talk to her at her house. Okay?
What do I owe you, bartender?
- The beer's on me.
- Let me.
I said the beer's on me.
Thanks.
Mrs. Escalante.
I'd like to talk with your daughter.
You can talk to her right here.
Louisa, I'd like to ask you,
just what happened the
night Roberto was killed?
I told the cops many times.
I know, but I...
I'd like you to tell me.
I was sitting here.
Maria was there.
We saw them coming.
They jumped for Roberto and
started killing him, that's all.
Did Roberto have a knife?
A knife?
Your policeman keep asking for this knife.
And why? It is not true.
Roberto never have a knife.
Three boys said he pulled a knife.
This is a lie.
A girl saw it, too.
That is not so. Who is this girl?
Louisa, can you tell me something?
This girl said she saw
something that glittered.
What was it that glittered?
- Glitter?
- Shine.
His harmonica.
The harmonica on which
he plays his music.
This is what shined.
This is what you mean.
Ladies and gentlemen,
meet our next governor,
Mr. Dan Cole.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Friends, forgive me.
I apologize for being late.
Something about doing a profile on me.
Man, that's great. Just great.
Albany first
and then the White House.
Congratulations, sir.
Wonderful, Dan.
Food.
- Not too rare for Mr. Cole.
- Make mine rare, please.
Make Mr. Bell's rare.
Hank, do you realize that a conviction
in the Escalante case
is worth a 50,000 plurality
right in this district alone?
50,000?
Well, that's an electrical figure.
I should say you can count
on that plurality, Dan.
Case going that well?
As of now, I see no reason why we
can't get first degree convictions.
You ought to be a shoo-in.
Say, Hank, I got a great idea for publicity.
Why don't you get your picture taken
pulling the switch on the electric chair?
You have a definite
political potential, Hank.
But you must have co-operation,
right straight down the line.
You don't have to worry
about me, Mr. Cole.
I'm a great believer in electricity.
My wife majored in sarcasm at Vassar.
Yes. Excuse me, please.
Now hear this.
Order, everyone.
Before Dan Cole tells us what he thinks,
I shall like to tell you all what I think.
I think that Dan Cole is riding
on the crest of a wave.
And I'm mighty proud.
I'm proud of our party,
and I'm proud of Dan Cole.
And I'm proud of old Hank Bellini.
- Goodbye, Mr. Supreme Court justice.
- We've got a hard campaign coming up
and it's going to mean
shoulder to the wheel work for all of us.
A few thousand more votes, all you
gotta do is electrocute a few kids.
You third-generation progressive.
Sitting up at Vassar getting
your fat checks from daddy.
When was the last time you
had to scrounge for a buck?
You think I can afford this
phony idealism of yours?
I've got a job to do. Now get in that car.
I'll park the car. Be back in a minute.
Don't hurry.
Help. Hank!
Hank!
Hank!
Karin! Karin!
Karin.
What's the matter, Karin? What happened?
Those boys. Those boys.
How's the little lady feeling this morning?
How do you think she feels?
We've assigned Kirk and Bronski
to stay with her until this is over.
- How do you do?
- Go on and make yourself at home.
There's lots of coffee on the stove.
Where's that candy store where
the Thunderbirds hang out?
Why? Are you thinking of going
up to Italian Harlem?
Well, it wasn't Puerto Ricans that
paid us a visit last night.
- All right. I'll go with you.
- No, I wanna return this visit personally.
Now why don't we have the T-birds
picked up and brought in?
What's the address?
117th and 1st, Moretti's Candy Store.
Pretty Boy Savoricci. He's your man.
Help you, man?
I understand
the Thunderbirds hang out here?
Look, mister, I only sell sodas here.
That's all.
I'm from the D.A.'s office.
I have a list of all the names and
addresses of the Thunderbirds.
Now, I can have them picked up
and brought down for questioning,
or you can tell me where I can
find Pretty Boy Savoricci.
Hey. Hey.
Come on over.
Hey, we were just reading about
some character from the D.A.'s office.
His wife got scared by some
crazy cats last...
Pancho, get the District Attorney a chair.
- No, thanks.
- That ain't polite.
Where's Pretty Boy Savoricci?
You know you got a lot of courage,
Mr. District Attorney.
Coming in here, without no escort.
Are you gonna tell me
where I can find Pretty Boy Savoricci,
or do I have to run you in?
Well now, what exactly was it
you wanted to see him about,
Mr. District Attorney?
- Where's your telephone?
- Hey, Mr. District Attorney,
what's the matter?
Can't you take a little joke?
Don't get excited.
We clown around like this all the time.
Makes life interesting, you know.
Never mind, I'll tell him myself.
This imbecile from the D.A.'s office
wants to see him.
Don't you knock?
Don't you got no manners?
You Pretty Boy Savoricci?
You know why they call
me Pretty Boy, Mr. Bell?
I can guess.
'Cause I'm ugly.
Anybody calls me ugly, they're dead.
Dead.
The table's crooked. Floor's on a bias.
You're a mighty tough character,
aren't you?
You've heard of me?
Sixteen times I got my name
in the papers.
Most of the time
they give the wrong address
or they don't spell the name right.
Savoricci!
You're a...
Are you Italian, too?
Right, Mr. Bell.
Put that back.
Listen, you bum.
Two of your punks came down
to my apartment house last night,
and terrorized my wife.
Yeah, I was sorry to hear about that.
Hotheaded kids, you know how it is.
Can't keep an eye on all of your troops.
They're members of your gang
and you're their leader.
If it ever happens again,
I'll hold you responsible, personally.
Mr. Bell, I said I apologize.
Now, please tell your wife I'm sorry.
Remember what I said.
Mr. Bell.
Cue ball, please.
Thanks, Mr. Bell.
Mr. Bell,
it's kind of hard keeping your boys
in line when they hear you
spent an evening drinking with the spics.
We know all about you palling around
with the Horsemen over at the Tres Putas.
They're all on the stuff,
you know that, don't you?
That's where they got their
name, Horseman.
Big H for heroin.
If any of our boys get on the junk,
I break their arm.
Cue's warped.
Another thing, Mr. Bell,
you've been approaching
their star witness.
Hated to hear that. Those are
three nice guys you're trying to frame.
Those three nice guys committed murder.
Lots of nice guys, all through history,
kill people.
In a war, the more people you kill,
the more medals you get.
Well, that won't make them
any less nice, does it?
What about the guy
who invented the H-bomb?
And he got the biggest medal of all.
Some honor.
Like you went around saying,
"What a great guy, he invented cancer. "
No, sir, Mr. Bell.
You're making a big mistake trying to
frame those three guys.
They're okay. Every one of them.
They got heart.
Heart to chop down a blind boy,
playing a harmonica.
Maybe that blind kid needed
chopping down.
Did you ever think of that, Mr. Bell?
You think being blind made that
kid an angel or something?
Being blind got him killed.
All right. You wanna know the truth
about Escalante?
It'll rock you.
I thought he was just a blind kid, too.
So, nobody notices.
So, he's blind, so what?
When I heard the Horseman
were busting out,
popping the gang on the next block.
Had myself a look.
It was a rumble for real, zip guns,
jackhammers, the works.
Then I saw something phony.
Something that didn't fit.
Blind angel.
But why?
Cops got the word and I found out why.
The little creep was their cover-up,
their arson.
They ditched their guns on him.
Hey, you!
SA VORICCI... Every one
of those Horsemen was clean.
Man, the cops couldn't hold a one.
Smart man.
He was a top warlord in that gang.
That nice little blind boy.
Hey, Diavolo.
I just called you fellows in to ask
you to be nice enough
to escort the district attorney
to the edge of our turf.
Where does Zorro live, honey?
Thank you.
Hello, Mr. Bell.
Come on in.
Come into my office.
Sit down.
Make yourself comfortable.
I can't offer you any beer,
but I gladly accept one of your cigarettes.
Why did you lie to me?
Did I lie to you, Mr. Bell?
Roberto Escalante was
a leader in your gang.
So, you really been playing detective?
Listen, punk.
You may run these three square blocks,
but when I talk to you, I want the truth.
Well, it's a cruel world, Mr. Bell.
And blind kids can't sit around doing
nothing just because they're blind.
And, since you so interested,
I'll tell you something else.
Roberto wasn't just Louisa's brother.
He was her pickup man.
Louisa, a prostitute?
Louisa's a hooker.
And Roberto was a blind pickup man
for his own sister.
How does that grab you, Mr. Bell?
And now, I'll tell you something else.
I don't care.
I don't care if he beat his
mother or sold pot.
Roberto was killed in cold blood
by three guys who hated him
because he had darker skin.
Reardon came here like those
Japs during the war, kamikaze.
Is it right to stick someone Spanish
on home ground?
He found Roberto and killed him.
Now, the law says that you
die for that, Mr. Bell.
And it's your job to see that
those three guys die for it.
Look, we ain't got much, but this we want.
I don't care whether you're making out
with Di Pace's old lady or not.
Just don't cop out on us.
Give me a cigarette.
Hello, Dan? This is Hank. I'm up in Harlem.
Listen to this.
It turns out our poor defenseless blind
boy was a top leader in the Horsemen.
And a procurer for our star witness,
who at the age of 16...
Can you hold it a minute, Hank?
Jack, that press release on
Louisa Escalante, kill it.
And you'd better call that columnist,
the one who was gonna do
the poem about the little blind boy.
Tell him to forget it. Never mind why.
Okay, now, what does that do to us?
Well, I haven't had time to figure
out all the details.
But I'd like to go back and take
another crack at that Danny Di Pace.
Hank, you can't do it.
You're too close to trial
to interrogate those boys now.
The defense would raise the roof.
We've gotta take the chance, Dan.
I want to try to break that boy down.
Hank, absolutely no!
Dan. I'll call you when I get back.
You look pretty good, Danny.
Danny, Mr. Bell has some
questions to ask you.
Something very important has come up.
You can trust him.
Danny, maybe it'll help us.
I told you to stay away from her.
Danny, are you
a member of the Thunderbirds?
- Who cares?
- Well, your mother cares for one.
I understand you swore.
You swore that you'd never join a gang.
What if I did?
Did you break that promise to her?
Did you, Danny?
Why?
Why, Danny?
The Thunderbirds are my friends.
Danny, you put Reardon down once
to save a Puerto Rican boy.
Now, what happened in between
to make you go along and kill one?
In between I found out
who my friends really are.
- Your friends got you in here.
- What are you trying to do?
Split me from the rest?
Get me to turn state's evidence?
- You're not like those boys.
- Trust him, you tell me,
and he sneaks up on me
and tries to get me to rat on my friends.
I shouldn't even be talking to you,
coming here with him.
Yeah, you are pretty cozy together.
What are you doing?
Shacking up with him?
Well, now I know.
Hank, maybe you
shouldn't have walked me home.
Maybe it would've been smarter
if you'd dropped me...
Get in.
- Thank you, Hank.
- It's all right.
I guess I haven't been much
of a mother, huh?
Well, maybe if he had a father,
he would have...
Yeah, some father.
I don't know. I always heard
that a boy got in trouble
because he didn't have love.
I love Danny more than anything
in the world.
You just thank God, Hank. You didn't
have to raise your kid on these streets.
Good night.
Doctor, is it all right if I smoke?
- Lf you have to.
- Gunderson.
How do you feel?
- Oh, man.
Man, I feel sick.
That's a surprise.
I was this far.
This far from killing him.
Hello, Karin. I'm all right, honey.
- Hello, gorgeous.
- Daddy.
I was spiked trying to steal third base.
Gunderson told us.
It's not as bad as it looks.
Just a couple of ribs.
I'll be all right. I'll live.
I've got to. I gotta get ready
for that trial a week from Monday.
Or am I confused?
No, not for a minute.
I protected my face so I wouldn't put in
too bad an appearance. Vanity.
That's the difference between the
police department and the D.A.'s office.
You boys protect your pretty faces,
our boys protect their kidneys.
Stop making jokes, Gunderson.
Which gang was it, Daddy?
I don't know, gorgeous.
T- birds or Horsemen,
may have been either one or both.
Karin,
I was choking him and I couldn't stop.
And I wish to hell you hadn't.
Hadn't stopped.
All right, now let's turn him over
on his left side, please.
Gently, easy. Gently.
- Karin?
Yes, love.
He was 15 or 16 years old
and I was trying with all my heart
to kill him.
You know?
I know.
- Yes.
- HARD Y... Hello, Bell. We found the knives.
What? Who is this?
- This is Lieutenant Hardy.
- Lieutenant Hardy? Oh, hang on a second.
- What's the matter, Hardy?
- HARD Y... I said we found the knives.
You found the knives?
Is that what you called me for,
to tell me you found those damn knives?
What's the matter, Bell,
you said these knives were important.
Well, what could I possibly do with them,
at this hour of the night?
- Want a suggestion?
- You're not very funny, Hardy.
- What condition are they in?
- Bloody.
Well, send them over to the lab.
I want blood type and finger prints.
- After sunrise.
- Aren't you interested
in how we found them?
Not very. Anything else?
A lady in Kew Gardens found her
three-year-old daughter chewing on the
handle of one of them in the back seat
of a light green Plymouth.
You helped a lot with the description
of the car, Bell.
- Dark Ford or Chevy.
- Hardy, don't ever call me
- at this hour of the night again.
- Nighty-night.
Hank?
Hank, are you all right?
Does anything hurt you?
I'm all right. Ribs are a little sore,
that's all.
You still got that lump on your jaw.
We may have to put a little makeup
on that before you go to trial.
That's all I need.
What do you think of your little victims
of social oppression now?
I don't know what you mean.
You were pretty sure of yourself
the other night at Cole's party.
I'm sorry about that, Hank.
I made a fool out of myself.
Only for Escalante, you said.
"Darling, I've got a marvelous idea
for a publicity stunt.
"Get a picture of you
pulling a switch on the electric chair. "
It's not a very funny joke.
Voice of the martini.
You weren't that drunk.
You knew what you were saying.
It's late, let's go to bed,
we can talk about this in the morning.
Those hoodlums scared you half to death,
and they almost killed me.
You still think they need
special consideration, special attention?
You don't think
I condone that kind of violence, do you?
I've gone a hundred miles out of my way
to find out what makes
these monsters tick.
I've been to Harlem time and again.
To their homes.
They spit in my face. What more can
anyone do? What would you do?
- I don't know.
- Don't you?
All right, I made a mistake.
Was it a mistake?
Don't you believe what you said?
All right, Hank, I meant every word
I said the other night.
Something else you said.
Old Hank Bellini.
Danny Di Pace said it, too.
"What's the matter, Mr. Bellini?
You ashamed of being a wop?"
My old man was ignorant.
He thought the way to be a good American
was to change your name.
It was always easy for me to explain,
"My father did it. "
Now I realize I not only went along with it,
I was glad.
I was secretly glad my name
was Bell instead of Bellini.
It was part of getting out of Harlem.
- Like marrying you.
- You married me because you loved me.
Hank, I know what you're
going through now.
Somehow you'll find the answer.
"Grand jury of the county of New York
by this indictment
"accuses Arthur Reardon, Daniel Di Pace
and Anthony Aposto
"of premeditated murder
in the first degree
"on the 25th day of July 1960,
"in the county of New York,
by feloniously stabbing Roberto Escalante.
"And at the stated time and place causing
the death of said Roberto Escalante,
"without excuse or justification.
"Signed, foreman of the Grand Jury,
William Henry Baines. "
- Bell?
Does the Defense wish to open?
This is the lab report on these knives.
- Your Honor.
- Thanks, Hardy.
- Aren't you gonna read it?
- When I get ready.
- Didn't think we'd find them, did you?
- You didn't, they just turned up.
It's quite interesting, you better read it.
...it is not fact but a mere accusation.
I'm sure you will keep your minds open
until you have heard all the evidence
from both sides,
and that your verdict will be a just one.
Thank you for your attention.
State your name, address and age.
Louisa Maria Philippa Garcia Escalante,
Forty-nine and a half, West 110th Street,
16 years old.
Louisa, are you the sister
of the murdered boy?
Objection.
Rephrase your question, Mr. Bell.
Are you the sister of Roberto Escalante?
I was.
On the afternoon of July 25, 1960,
were you seated on the front steps
of the apartment house
where you live at 49 and a half,
West 110th Street?
- Yes, sir.
Who was there with you?
- My brother, Roberto.
Anyone else?
Yes, sir. My friend Maria Creva.
- What were you doing there?
- I was talking.
And your brother?
He was making music on the harmonica.
The three of you were seated on
the front steps minding your own business,
watching the world go by. Is that correct?
Roberto was not
watching the world go by.
- You mean he was blind?
Yes.
- And he was playing the harmonica?
- Yes.
Did anything happen to
disturb that moment?
- Them! Those boys were...
Louisa. Louisa.
Try to control yourself.
Sit right down.
Try to tell me as clearly and as calmly
as you can just what happened.
Three boys came down the street.
When they got by our stoop,
they pulled knives out of their pockets
and stabbed Roberto.
They stabbed him many times.
They killed him.
Did he draw a knife?
He did not have no knife.
Did he act in any way as though
he were going to attack them?
Why would he attack those boys?
He did not know they was there.
He was blind.
Why would he attack those three boys?
What did the boys do then, Louisa?
They run away.
Did you get a good look at them
before they ran away?
Yes, sir.
If you saw them again,
would you recognize them?
- Yes, sir.
- Are they in this courtroom?
Right over there.
Louisa, just so there can be
no possibility of a mistake.
Just so the court will know exactly
who you are talking about,
I want you to leave the witness stand, go
to the three boys who killed your brother,
and place your hand on the
shoulder of each one to identify them.
Miss Escalante, now the court realizes the
extent of your emotional involvement
- in this case.
- Nice work, Hank.
Here, read this.
Quite interesting.
I'm not through with her yet.
- Now, if you'd like a short recess...
No, I'm all right.
I'll be all right.
I want to answer the questions.
Louisa, what is your occupation?
- Occupation?
- What do you do for a living?
You're under oath, Louisa, remember that.
What do you do for a living?
I am a hooker.
You mean you're a prostitute?
- Yes.
- When did you become a prostitute?
I was 14.
You became a prostitute
when you were 14?
- Yes.
- Were you coerced into it?
Objection, Your Honor. I see no purpose
to this line of questioning.
Bell, do you have a point here,
which applies to the case?
I do, Your Honor.
- Proceed.
Were you coerced into this profession?
Coerced?
Did someone, an older man for instance,
cause you to become a prostitute?
No, sir. I thought of it myself.
Thought of it yourself, why?
We had no money
and my mother was sick.
Couldn't you get a job?
I was 14.
I tried to get a job, they do not
give me a working permit.
- What about your brother?
- He was blind.
Did you make some money this way?
I did.
Did your mother ask you
where you got the money?
- Yes.
- What did you tell her?
I told her I was on the street.
You told your mother
you were a prostitute?
- Yes.
- What did she say?
She said,
"Why didn't we let her die?"
Mr. Bell, why are you pursuing this line?
Your Honor, I'm trying to get at the truth.
Thank you, Louisa.
No more questions.
- Your witness, Mr. Randolph.
No questions.
Is the Defense ready?
Your Honor, the Defense requests
a short recess.
Court will recess for 10 minutes.
That was a masterful presentation, Hank.
Come on out to the hall.
Have your picture taken with me.
You go ahead, Dan.
I want to look this over.
We're ready, Dan.
That was nice.
State your name, age and address.
Anthony Aposto,
16, and what was that?
Your address.
The court has Anthony Aposto's address.
Anthony, sit down.
Anthony Aposto,
are you also known as Batman?
- Yeah.
- Well, why do they call you Batman?
I don't know, everybody calls me Batman.
Where did you get the name?
- Batman, he's in the comics.
- I see.
Do you like reading comic books, Anthony?
- Yeah, sure I like the pictures, you know?
- What about the words, Anthony?
Well, they're okay too, I guess, yeah.
Well then, perhaps you have
a little trouble with the words.
You know, I'm not such a hot reader.
Anthony, what do you like about Batman?
Batman. Well, he ain't afraid of nothing,
you know.
And, well, he wears this
cool black suit all the time.
And he's always fighting, you know.
Do you like to fight, Batman?
- Sure.
- Are you a good fighter, Batman?
Oh, boy. My old man will tell you. You
know something, I pack a hell of a wallop.
- That's right.
- Why?
- Has he watched you?
- No, I walloped him once.
Why do you like to fight, Batman?
I don't know why.
Try to think why.
Why what?
Just try to think why you like to fight.
Because it makes me feel good.
You really got your work
cut out for you here.
He's even got me convinced
this kid is a nut.
Anthony, if this court frees you,
what will you do with your life?
Am I going to get sprung?
Just answer the question, Anthony.
- The question?
- The question.
If this court frees you,
what will you do with your life?
I don't know.
If you were released this afternoon,
what would you do for the rest of the day?
- I'd go back to the block.
- And tomorrow?
- Tomorrow?
- Yes. Tomorrow.
I don't know. I mean, I gotta
know what I do tomorrow? You know.
Anthony, please try to answer
the question.
I don't know.
Dr. Walsh, you heard
Anthony Aposto testify
that he likes to fight,
because it makes him feel good.
Could you explain
this testimony to the jury?
In laymen's terms, please.
Aposto's gratification from fighting
stems from two sources.
One, fighting gives him status.
And two, in laymen's terms,
Aposto enjoys pain.
Dr. Walsh, do you believe Anthony Aposto
to be capable of an act,
say an act of extreme violence,
which requires premeditation?
Premeditation would not be consistent
with Aposto's pattern.
- The state of New York... May I?
- By all means.
...is your employer, is it not, Dr. Walsh?
I work for the state, yes.
You realize you are testifying
against the state of New York.
I realize that.
Doesn't it frighten you to be testifying
in opposition to your employer?
The truth is the truth.
We've gotta
get our own man up there
and demolish that testimony and do it now.
Later, it won't have any impact.
Dr. Andrade,
as a qualified psychiatrist,
I'd like to talk to you for a moment
about Arthur Reardon.
In your report to our office,
you indicated that he had
more than normal aggression,
I believe you said.
- Along with delusions of grandeur.
- Yes, those are parts of my findings.
He had fantasies about becoming
a very important man in his neighborhood.
He dreamed about growing up to be a
bigger man in his field than Al Capone.
Yes, he did.
Doctor, you are a very
experienced psychiatrist.
In your opinion, your professional opinion,
what is the cause of these
unmanageable aggressions and delusions?
- Fear.
- Fear?
Arthur Reardon is a
very frightened young man.
Would you say as a generalization he's
insecure or as a specific,
that he is a coward?
Well, a layman might so describe him. Yes.
A coward and a bully.
I don't know what the word
bully means to you, Mr. Bell.
A bully is a person so cowardly
that he attacks only those
who cannot defend themselves.
Like a blind boy.
I would call him a bully and a coward.
It's a lie, you stinking pig!
Order. Order!
Arthur, sit down!
Order, let there be order in this court.
Father, he's making me sick.
I instruct the court attendants
that in the event of another outburst
from this defendant,
they are to bind him and gag him,
so that this trial
will not be interrupted again.
Nobody's gagging me!
This country has free speech, doesn't it?
Why are they trying to tell
me what I can say and do?
Gag the defendant.
Why are you trying to gag me?
I got my rights.
Hank, this is gonna work against us.
This makes him look like a hotheaded
maniac, instead of a cold-blooded killer.
We're going to have a terrible time
proving premeditation now.
Dr. Andrade,
you testified that in
your professional opinion
Anthony Aposto was aware of the quality
and nature of his act
when he stabbed Roberto Escalante.
Objection!
When and if he stabbed Roberto Escalante.
- That is correct.
- Doctor,
how can you say what was definitely
in the mind of Anthony Aposto
when and if he stabbed another boy?
So far science has found
no means of determining
what definitely goes on
in the mind of a man.
If Anthony Aposto did not know
what he was doing,
then he'd be innocent in the eyes
of the law, wouldn't he?
I'm afraid I can't answer questions
about the law.
Let me put it this way, Doctor.
Is there in your mind
the slightest shadow of a doubt
that Anthony Aposto
knew what he was doing
when he stabbed Roberto Escalante?
But I have no psychic powers.
I can't answer your question.
You are aware that under the laws
of the United States,
a man is presumed innocent till
proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Oh yes, I am.
Thank you, Doctor. No more questions.
That's all, Doctor. Call the next witness.
We call Daniel Di Pace.
What are you doing?
- I'm looking for the truth.
- There's a proper procedure
for arriving at the truth.
I didn't put you on this case to lose it.
I'm looking for justice.
The jury decides justice.
I'm taking you off this case, Hank.
Do that, Dan.
I'd like to hear you
explain it to the newspapers.
Would you have stabbed him
if he hadn't drawn his knife?
No, sir.
So you only stabbed him
to defend yourself.
Thank you, Danny.
Your witness, Mr. Bell.
Your Honor, I have here three knives
I'd like to place in evidence.
Also, a sworn statement by one
Angela Rugiello,
to the effect that these are the knives
handed her by the defendants,
on July 25.
Her statement goes on
to say that Angela Rugiello
wrapped the knives in a newspaper,
and threw them in the backseat
of an automobile that same afternoon,
in the same condition in which
they were given to her.
And finally, I have a police lab report,
on the condition of the knives
when they were found.
I would like to place this in evidence,
but at the proper time.
May I have the knives, please?
Mark this statement.
- You recognize these knives, Danny?
- No.
You're under oath, Danny.
Don't add perjury to the
charge against you.
Is that any worse than going
to the chair, huh?
I don't recognize them!
- This your knife?
- I don't remember.
This one?
I don't remember.
What about this one?
I don't remember.
Don't you recognize any of these knives?
Any one of them at all?
Objection! Badgering the witness.
Witness has already
answered the question.
Objection sustained.
Danny, are you afraid to admit
which knife is yours?
No, I'm not afraid!
Then why can't you recognize
your knife when you see it?
Objection! Counsel
is assuming a fact not in evidence.
There is no testimony linking any
of the knives with the witness.
I'll sustain that.
Danny, you're a very bright young man,
with a very high IQ.
You think the jury is going to believe
that you can't recognize your knife
when you see it?
I don't care whether they believe it or not.
Who spotted Roberto Escalante first?
- I don't remember.
- Who stabbed him first?
We all stabbed him
at the same time.
How many times did you stab him?
- I don't remember!
- I saw you at Welfare Island,
you told me you stabbed
Roberto Escalante four times!
I must object!
I'll rephrase the question, Your Honor.
Danny,
did you or did you not confess
that you stabbed Roberto Escalante?
Yeah. In self-defense.
Did you also not confess that
you stabbed him four times?
- Answer yes or no!
Objection.
Witness can always explain his answer.
The witness will please
answer the last question.
Yeah! I guess I said that.
- And you stabbed him with this knife?
I object!
- Answer yes or no!
I object!
Counsel has still failed
to identify the knife.
I cannot question this witness properly,
if my every word is going to be examined!
You're bullying the witness!
Damn it, you put him
on the witness stand, didn't you?
Mr. Bell, I must caution you
about profanity in this courtroom.
Your Honor, I'm sorry.
But I think I'm on the verge
of establishing which knife is his.
If I may proceed, please.
Witness will answer the last question.
Read back the last question.
"And you
stabbed him with this knife. "
Well, Danny?
- Look, what if it is my?
- Answer the question, yes or no!
- Is this your knife?
- Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
- And how many times did you stab him?
- Four! Four!
- Why, Danny?
- I told you he came at me...
- Why Danny?
- I don't know!
- Why? Why?
- Because the others,
because the others, they...
- Because the others stabbed him.
- Yes! Yes! And they...
- So you stabbed him?
- Yes, I stabbed him four times!
Look, what do you want from me?
I stabbed him!
I stabbed him! I stabbed him!
You're lying, Danny.
You never stabbed him.
Your Honor.
I want this report placed in evidence.
It's an official report from
the criminal identification laboratory.
It states that the switchblade knife,
the one with the black and white handle,
the one you identified as your knife,
did not have a single trace of blood on it.
Your knife, Danny.
And not a single trace of blood.
- No! No! I wiped it clean.
- Nobody can wipe it that clean.
Nobody can wipe it so clean
that the police lab
wouldn't find a single trace of blood on it.
No, Danny. You never stabbed him at all.
- You only pretended to stab him!
- No! No!
You turned the handle of the blade around
and you stabbed him here on the shoulder!
No! No! I stabbed him! I stabbed him!
You're lying, Danny.
Danny, what are you afraid of?
Danny. Did you kill Roberto Escalante?
I never killed anybody in my life.
Never, never. Oh, God! Never.
All right, Danny. All right.
I hate crying.
Crying is for babies.
Crying is for men, too.
Who killed Roberto Escalante?
Anthony Aposto, a mental defective
that an efficient society would
have taken off the streets long ago?
Arthur Reardon? A young man
so crippled by the pressures and poverty
of slum life that...
That his rage makes him
even more dangerous than Aposto,
and less capable
of controlling his emotions?
Or Danny Di Pace.
Whose values are so twisted
by the strange social order
that he's afraid to admit he didn't kill.
Mr. Bell, you're out of order.
Sorry, Your Honor.
No further questions.
Mr. Randolph?
Your Honor, the Defense rests.
This court will recess.
Mr. Bell, my newspaper is very
disappointed in your performance.
Tell me, did your friendship
with Mary Di Pace...
Go out and write anything you want.
No comments!
Mr. Cole, are you expecting
to be sent to the Governor's mansion
on the prestige you're
going to get from this case?
- Any statements?
- Just one.
Keep out of my sight.
Arthur Reardon,
the sentence of this court is
that you be confined in the
Elmira Reception Center,
for a period of not less than 20 years
and no more than your natural life.
Anthony Aposto,
this court commits you to the Matteawan
State Hospital for the criminally insane,
until such a time as you may be judged
ready to again take your place in society.
Daniel Di Pace,
you've acted in concert
with the other two defendants,
and as such, you became an accomplice.
However, the court has seen fit
to be lenient in your case,
finds you guilty of third degree assault.
We're gonna send you
to the boy's prison at Elmira, New York,
for a period of one year.
For classification, treatment
and rehabilitation.
This court is adjourned.
Hank?
Hank. Hank.
And what about my son?
Is this your justice for a dead blind boy?
What about the animals
who killed my son?
A lot of people killed
your son, Mrs. Escalante.