[somber music starts]
Give us the money. [man 1 grunts]
-[gunshot] -[wet squelch]
[man 2] Name?
[indistinct chattering]
Steve Harmon.
Age?
Se-- Seventeen.
Gang affiliation?
I'm-- I'm not part of any gang.
None.
Have you been previously incarcerated?
No.
Any known diseases?
AIDS?
-Do you have AIDS? -No, I-- I don't have AIDS.
Empty your pockets.
Are my parents here?
Son, your parents are not here.
Do I-- Should I get an attorney?
-You have to remain quiet. -Well, can I call my--
[flashbulb popping]
[door hinges squeak]
-[door slams] -[Steve] Monsters don't cry in the dark.
That's what I should've said to him when he looked over, called us monsters.
[inmate] Yeah, fuck you up!
Without the gate. So come!
So come get some, you pussy! Come get some!
[Steve] I should have told him that since they took me from my home…
…the only thing the dark's given me
are the shakes and shivers that remind me I'm alive.
-[alarm droning in distance] -[indistinct chatter]
And that's the scariest thing in the world to me…
…knowing I'm alive.
[inmates clamoring]
Knowing I'm alive and not in some dream.
Everything is quiet and still at night,
so I can hear the bump, bump, bump of my heart against my chest.
As I stare back at myself in the mirror,
as I hear the screams from the man three cells down
who screams out every night at the exact same time…
[man] You ain't gonna do shit! Shut the fuck up!
Pull out the idiot's throat!
A monster doesn't scream back.
They can't.
I do.
I did.
[screaming]
[Steve] In the light, during the day,
it felt like a movie.
This is that movie.
My story.
Written, directed, and starring Steve Harmon.
[indistinct chatter over guard radios]
Interior, holding room, day.
Steve Harmon sits across from his public defender.
All those files, are they for people you're representing?
That's not all of 'em.
How many of them tell you they're not guilty?
Every one of them.
Can I say something? I…
I feel kind of sick.
Do you have a fever?
No, it's just-- Can I just close my eyes for a minute?
Yes.
-Do you want my jacket? -No, I'm okay.
[Steve] I'm not guilty.
That's great.
-You should've said, "I didn't do it." -I didn't do it.
Do you believe me?
It doesn't matter what I believe. I'm gonna do my job.
-[knock] -[door opens]
Got a minute?
Okay.
[door closes]
So, you ready to reconsider the offer?
[man] Don't shrug it off, Maureen.
You have an impossible load, I'm going home at 6:00,
so I'm gonna make it easy on everybody.
He's only 17.
So what? His actions led to a murder.
If you keep going, I'm gonna nail this kid.
-He didn't do it. -What are you talking about?
I got surveillance tape, I got witnesses.
-Your witnesses. -I got the old lady, okay?
She's very credible.
Take the offer. You're wasting everybody's time and money.
Twenty years? He's a good kid.
Never been in trouble before. He's got great parents.
He's not who you think he is.
[clicks tongue] He looks the part to me.
How about five to seven years?
Take the offer.
[dramatic, tense music plays]
[Steve] Interior, courtroom.
Fluorescents illuminate blacks and whites that swallow up grays.
No space for gray in law.
[dramatic music continues]
[indistinct chatter, radio squawking]
-[beep] -[alarm droning]
[door unlocking, opening]
-[Steve] Before, Harlem, night. -[man] Know what I'm saying?
[car honking]
I could've just gone up to 145th and made a right.
My house is there.
Yo, watch where the fuck you're going, my nigga!
-Sorry. -What up, nigga?
Fuck is wrong with this nigga?
-What's up with you, boy? -[Steve] Sorry, y'all.
I know you from the block.
All good, man.
What's your name? Scott, Sam, fuckin'--
Steve.
-Steve. -Yeah.
[loud buzzing]
[door unlocking]
[chair sliding]
[Maureen] Steve.
Doing okay?
Trying.
[bailiff] All rise.
The Honorable Lionel James presiding.
Morning, all.
[man 1, Maureen] Morning.
[James] Be seated.
-Prosecution ready? -[man 1] Yes, Your Honor.
-Defense? -[Maureen] Ready, Your Honor.
-[Steve] "In God we trust." -[man 2] Ready, sir.
If you've got any questions, write them down.
I'll try to answer them when I get a chance.
[James] How was everybody's weekend?
Well, mine was great. I had a little Thai takeout.
Caught up on some Downton Abbey reruns.
[man 2] My sister got married.
Remember, it's our job to make you a human being in the eyes of the jury.
-[James] Bachelor in the family? -Dying breed.
O'Brien?
I was upstate with family, Your Honor.
[James] Excellent. Let's get started.
Bring in the jury.
[Steve] Enter the jury.
[solemn music playing]
Various ages, races.
A random assortment of humans with eyes that move like animals'.
Empty.
Is that why they turn their heads when our eyes meet?
They look like the type who don't watch the news.
Am I a human being?
[wind rushing]
[bird cawing faintly]
[siren wailing in distance]
[reporter] …funding to these smaller communities.
Yeah, sure. No, no problem. I'll just meet you there.
Yeah. Okay. All right.
[Steve] Hey, looks cool, Jer. I like the teepee.
Yeah.
-Nice. When'd you finish it? -Two minutes ago.
[woman] Sign us in when you get there.
All right. Thanks, great. Okay.
Can you give me the jam?
-All right, catch you later. -Bye.
[woman] Thanks.
You ready for your test, right? You ready?
-I studied. -You studied.
When am I gonna use calculus?
-Don't play on that test, you hear? -Yeah.
You are a junior, every grade counts. College is right there, sweetheart.
Yeah, all right.
-All right? -Bye, Ma.
Okay. You watching Jerry tonight, it's curriculum night. Remind your father?
All right.
Pst, hey!
We're gonna get wild here tonight.
-[Mrs. Harmon] Stay out of the park. -Yeah.
[jazz playing faintly]
-[door closes] -Twenty dollars in the drawer.
Morning.
What you working on?
Insurance company ad.
-Yeah? -Yeah. You like it?
Yeah, I like it.
-You know how you look here and then here? -Yeah, exactly.
-You know why you do that, right? -No.
-Golden ratio? -No.
I told you. I haven't?
-I don't think so. -Oh, okay.
This is something you can use when you're shooting.
It's a… a formula that states that there's, um, a pleasing symmetry
when you create a space that includes two squares and a rectangle.
And within the rectangle are two squares and a rectangle.
And if you plot it out, it creates a spiral found in nature.
Like a seashell.
Yeah, a nautilus.
[Mr. Harmon clicking tongue] Yeah.
It's also found in pyramids, da Vinci's Last Supper…
Why go to school when I could stay and talk to you?
Because I love you,
but if you don't, you're not too old to get that beatdown.
-Yeah? Me and you? -Yeah. Boom.
-What's up? What you gonna do, huh? -What's up?
[both laughing]
All right, all right. I gotta go, all right?
All right. Come here.
-All right? -Yeah, get going.
-You got curriculum night tonight. -Ah, lucky me.
Yeah.
-Hey, do well on that test, dude. -Yeah.
[Steve] Opening statements. More like monologues.
A setup…
-to a drumroll… -Ladies and gentlemen…
…to a punch line.
…my name is Anthony Petrocelli,
I'm an Assistant DA for the state of New York,
and I represent the people of the state of New York in this matter.
In the afternoon of September 12th of last year, two men,
Richard "Bobo" Evans and James King,
entered a bodega on 115th Street in Harlem,
for the sole intention of robbing the establishment.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Asa Briggs,
and I will be defending Mr. James King.
Now, Mr. Petrocelli will present this case in very broad and grandiose terms.
I am Maureen O'Brien, defense attorney for Mr. Steve Harmon.
The State correctly contends
that the laws of a society are meant to provide protection for its citizens.
But let us remember
that this country's laws go in two directions.
They are, of course, meant to protect the victim,
but they are also meant to protect the accused.
In the process of committing this crime,
these two men murdered the store's owner.
There are many people who are brought to criminal trial who are not guilty.
And there is nothing more heinous
than imprisoning a person who has not committed a crime.
A struggle ensued, the gun discharged…
…abruptly ending Aguinaldo Nesbitt's life.
There is not only a reasonable doubt that my client, Steve Harmon,
was involved in the robbery or murder of Mr. Aguinaldo Nesbitt,
there is virtually no reason
to believe that he has ever been involved in any crime at all.
Prior to the robbery, there was a plan in which two additional participants…
volunteered to be involved.
"Volunteered"?
[Petrocelli] One of these individuals admitted guilt.
The other conspirator was to go into the store prior to the robbery
and check to make sure
there were no law enforcement officers in the establishment,
and that man…
-that man is Steven Harmon. -No.
[Petrocelli] The two defendants before you
were both willing participants in the aforementioned robbery,
making them liable for the death of Aguinaldo Nesbitt,
-via the felony murder rule. -[drum beating]
Excuse me. Sir!
-The truth of the matter is, Mr. Evans… -Your Honor!
-…Mr. Cruz, Mr. King… -Sir!
…and Mr. Harmon
are murderers. Murderers.
Most of the people in our communities are decent, hard-working individuals.
Unfortunately, there are some others in our neighborhoods who are not like us.
They're not kids.
They're young men who know the difference between right or wrong.
[drum beating faster]
He's a monster.
-He's a monster. -[drumbeat]
[silence]
[Maureen] This is no monster.
This is a 17-year-old boy.
And the American justice system requires that when you look at Steve Harmon,
you consider him innocent.
It is a saying you have heard 1,000 times.
"Innocent until proven guilty."
And if you consider him innocent, which by law you must,
we will prove to you that nothing the State produces will challenge
that presumption of innocence.
Thank you.
[struggling, clattering]
[grunting]
[gunshot]
[Steve] We see Steve before,
riding his bike on his way to school.
He looks like your son.
[hip-hop song playing faintly]
[audio warping, distorting]
[distorted singing]
[boy] We would, like, sleep two hours, party every other hour.
Drinking, gambling, you know, that shit.
You know, it was, like-- It was nice.
-[boy] I like that. -[girl] Got that.
[man] I like it. I do.
But I'm left wondering, what's the story?
-Where's the narrative, Steve? -[Steve] Um…
I guess it's just about what I see.
[man] It's gotta be more.
You need conflict, an inciting incident.
A hero.
I keep telling you guys this.
It's not enough to be beautiful or shocking.
Beautiful is something.
You have the opportunity here to move people.
You understand?
Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
Can't film and story be abstract?
Yeah, like a… like a painting?
Images can tell a story, yes, but that's not what film is.
Film is a curated series of images with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Everybody, why do artists make movies?
They do it for the fame.
That's a crap answer. Try again.
[boy] Money, power, respect.
Rarely happens. You guys are a bunch of fucking cynics.
It's because artists have a story that they have to tell, right?
You have no choice. It pains you to keep it inside.
You ache with the desire to write it, film it, share it.
I mean, but what if you don't feel that?
Then you haven't found your story.
[bell rings]
["A Sickness" by Novel plays]
♪ Sometimes life sucks, doesn't it? ♪
♪ I know God is love But what is this? ♪
♪ Down in the pit of my soul Like a ton of bricks ♪
♪ You think it's all in my head I think I'm sick ♪
♪ I know God is love But what is this? ♪
♪ No matter if the world came crashing ♪
♪ Crashing down, down ♪
♪ Even if these walls came crashing ♪
♪ Crashing down, down ♪
♪ You and me could all night ♪
♪ Would you love me if… ♪
-[skateboard rattling] -Whoo!
That was nice, yo.
[skater] Ugh! Sorry.
-Yeah, you mad. -Yeah, so what?
You mad.
Get that money.
-Let's go left! That's a layup. -Cookies!
The fuck is y'all niggas talkin' 'bout?
That was sick, yo.
Hey, nigga! Hey, what's shaking, nigga?
[boy] What's up, kid?
Yo, pull up.
-[Steve] All right, man. -[boy] Pass the ball.
Nigga, it's my son, chill. Shut the fuck up, nigga.
What's up with you taking pictures?
Take a flick of me saucing these niggas on the court.
Yeah? Saucin' 'em?
Hold up. Get my good side. Hold up. Let me flex up. Love it.
[Steve] Yeah?
Uptown shit, B.
-You got me? -I got you, yo.
Check out your beloved King one time out here in these Harlem streets.
[cymbals crashing]
You ever seen that movie, Dead Prez?
Yeah, it's my favorite. The type of shit I wanna do.
Word?
Hey, you know that one scene, when the camera's, like, ticking slowly?
Tick, tick, tick.
All 3-D slow-motion-like and shit? Trippy.
-Yeah, of… of course. -Let me ask you something.
You ever seen a real gun in life yet?
-What? -How you gonna direct Dead Prez
if you ain't even seen a gun flash go off?
That's why you need to be rolling with me, young blood.
I can show you the real shit, you know what I mean?
Yeah, is it cool if I just chill and take pictures?
It's a free country, nigga. [scoffs] I don't give a fuck.
-Hey. -Bet.
Word.
Yo, D up, nigga, let's go.
-[ball dribbling] -You're gonna pay my bills, nigga.
-Yo, pass up! -We got air ball.
Yeah, we got money on this one. Hold up.
Aw, half-court violation. Yo, pass up!
[hip-hop music playing]
Fuck these niggas, watch me take this bread.
Watch, watch! Last one!
Lay me!
That's like a honey right there.
Heat check.
[rhythmic clicking]
-[hip-hop song fades away] -[clicking continues]
-[alarm buzzes] -[doors unlocking]
[guard] Step out!
-[inmate 1] Pussy! -[inmate 2] You've been talking shit.
-Fuck you. -Yeah, was you in there?
You're the fucking pussy! You're both pussies!
You ain't gonna do shit!
Ain't gonna do shit.
No, fuck you…
[overlapping chatter, arguments]
[alarm buzzes]
How you doing?
[Steve] All right.
[Steve] You, uh… you talked to Miss O'Brien?
I did.
She's trying.
There's so much garbage coming through that courtroom,
she thinks anybody in there's got that stink on 'em.
Yeah.
She's thinking of putting me on the stand, give me a chance to tell my side.
-That's good. You need to tell that. -Yeah.
I'm just gonna tell the truth.
You know, I… I didn't do anything wrong.
You believe me, don't you?
When you were born, I thought of all the scenes of your life.
You playing football, just like I did.
You going to college, just like I did.
Dating a beautiful girl…
…someone just like your mother.
I even…
…thought of…
I even imagined being mad at you for a bunch of stupid shit.
Things any kid does.
But I never saw anything like this.
I don't know, it just never crossed my mind.
[Steve] Never crossed mine, either.
I just wanted to graduate with my friends.
Go to college.
You know, be…
Be who I am.
Now I can't even think about any of that.
I try not to feel anything.
It's hard, isn't it?
I know it's hard on you.
And there's nothing I can do about it.
I'll be okay, Dad.
[guard] Time.
[indistinct chatter]
[Steve] I don't remember him looking this old.
I don't remember his frown having so many lines,
the hair above his forehead being so gray.
His hands trembling in that way.
[guard] One, two, three…
[inmate] Where my boy at? See that?
Mr. Sawicki told me that I make sense of my humanity through aesthetics.
That's my signature, he said.
Finding something worth capturing,
remembering its shape and texture.
I've been trying that here.
Make sense of this place.
How the red and white have a disturbing prominence against the cement wall.
How I'm framed in the foreground--
You might not wanna do that.
People around here don't like being watched.
Just relax.
Get some air.
Before.
[wings flapping]
[hip-hop playing]
[Steve] Gimme something you wanna show your mom.
-Gimme the shit. There we are. -One to ten, how my butt look?
Your butt?
Ten is like Nicki Minaj.
-Don't lie. -Five. That's being generous.
-Ha! -You on my bed?
This is the only time.
-Only time? -[boy] They like each other.
[girl] Shut up! God!
[Steve] On an average teenage day,
you break some law every three hours with your friends.
On the MTA,
on the street…
Yo!
You could be ticketed for spitting, pissing, talking, walking, standing…
…or for being in the wrong place.
[girl] Let's see what I'm gonna hit him with.
You know they shot Jungle Fever on this block?
-Really? -Yeah.
I knew that. [laughs]
Yeah. They film a lot of stuff around here.
You know, I auditioned for La Guardia.
-Yeah? -Mm-hmm.
-I could be in one of your movies. Yup. -You could be in one.
You gotta audition to be in one.
-What? -So let's see what you got.
No. [laughs]
-Hold on a sec. -What?
-I'm trying to see something. -What?
[hip-hop song stops]
[Petrocelli] The State calls Detective John Karyl.
[bailiff] Left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell nothing but the whole truth, so help you God?
[Karyl] I do.
Detective Karyl…
…do you recognize these images?
[Karyl] Yeah.
They're taken by the crime scene photographer at the location.
Pretty gruesome stuff.
[Petrocelli] As you can see, ladies and gentlemen,
the victim suffered a vicious and brutal attack.
[man] I'm on until nine o'clock p.m.,
so I take a late lunch break.
And, uh… that night, I wanted Chinese.
When I left, everything was fine.
[Petrocelli] What did you discover on your return?
[man] I saw Mr. Nesbitt on the floor.
There was a pool of blood,
cash register was open, and some cigarettes missing, too.
-[Petrocelli] You call the police? -[man] Yes.
Detective Karyl,
were there signs of life in the victim when you arrived?
-No. -I do my shopping on Tuesdays.
And as I was coming up the street,
I saw a boy,
that boy there,
standing in front of the store, blocking the entrance.
The murder weapon was registered to the victim.
[Karyl] We received a tip from a person
who claimed he knew what happened to the cigarettes.
I got cigarettes from a dude who told me he robbed a bodega.
It didn't seem strange that he gave up sensitive information?
Ain't sensitive. We ain't in love.
The bullet entered on the right side
and traversed upward toward the lung.
[Karyl] We picked up Richard Evans, man known as Bobo.
Did you know Mr. Evans and Mr. King were planning to rob the bodega?
I watched him take off his hat, wipe his forehead,
then walk the other way.
The lung tore, and heavy internal bleeding commenced.
And who told you that he was involved in the robbery?
-Bobo Evans. -Let me ask.
Is this the man known as Bobo Evans?
Yeah, that's him.
-One asked where the money was. -[Karyl] It was a smash-and-grab.
What does that mean?
They showed me some photographs of different people.
-Picture of Bobo Evans. -Didn't recognize him at first.
Death by trauma to internal organs.
-The information I have is wrong, then? -No.
-No questions, Your Honor. -"No questions"?
I didn't point at King, I pointed at Bobo.
What happened to that charge?
-Objection. -Overruled.
[Petrocelli] Mr. Nesbitt literally drowned in his own blood?
Yes.
[Steve] Memory.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Court is adjourned until 9:00 in the morning.
[James bangs gavel]
Steve, come here.
-[guard] Sir. -Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy, man.
-Ma'am-- -[guard] Sir!
What are you doing? You don't have to--
If he's innocent until proven guilty, why can't I have a moment?
-[guard] I'm sorry. -Keep to yourself,
or we're gonna have a problem. Steve!
-[Maureen] They're good. -Steve!
[guard] Ma'am.
[Steve] I'll be telling myself…
-New York City. Look. -…recognize the company you keep.
Harlem. You see that man right there, for instance?
[Steve] Yeah.
I watch you walk past him every day.
You're not curious why he always out there
just, you know, sitting there doing nothing?
-You don't think he get tired there? -No, I mean, yeah.
Better yet, how about them shaky niggas
walking back and forth there?
You think they keep bumping each other by coincidence?
-No. -I'll take it even further more.
Look at the laundromat.
You ever notice, nobody ever doing no laundry, coming in or coming out?
If you walk past that motherfucker, you don't smell no fabric softener,
no laundry detergent, you don't even smell dirty clothes out that bitch.
-You know why? -Why?
'Cause this a system, man. They all gettin' money.
Look upstairs. Right up there. See the red curtain?
-Yeah. -See that chick that keep poking out?
Know what's behind them curtains?
Pussy.
They selling that shit clockwork, I'm telling you, bro.
Everybody got their story.
The laundromat owners, the hookers,
the dice rollers, the hustlers, the landlords, the neighbors.
Shit, even the police got their story.
Shit is crazy.
But I gotta go home, yo.
-Don't be no stranger out here, beloved. -Yeah.
Gonna catch up with you, slime.
-I'll see you around. -Bet.
On the block or something.
Stay up.
[Steve] But what is good company?
Who keeps it?
[indistinct chatter on TV]
Don't need this now. It's an eyeful.
-[friends chatting on phone] -[Jerry] Whoa!
-[Mr. Harmon] Who you got there, Bubba? -[Jerry] I call him Transformer Guy,
because it ain't come with a name on the box.
[Mr. Harmon] Know what I call it?
[Jerry] What?
[Mr. Harmon beatboxing]
I'm Afroman.
-[Jerry chuckles] Funny, Dad. -[Mr. Harmon laughs]
Hey, if you were a superhero, who would you be?
[Jerry] Um…
Let's see.
-I don't know. -Go around!
[Jerry] If you were a superhero, who'd you be?
Black Panther, bro.
[Jerry] How about you, Steve?
If you had to choose being a superhero, who would you be?
Why would I wanna be a superhero…
-…when I could just be your brother? -[Mr. Harmon] Hey, good.
-I like that. I like that. -[Jerry] Who would you be?
Superman? Hmm?
-Yeah? -Nice.
Yeah, with glasses and stuff,
and… if people mess with my people,
'cause trust is everything…
I'd kick their butt.
Better be careful whose butt you're kicking.
You know who I think you should be?
Who?
Batman.
Then I could be Robin.
Batman and Robin.
[indistinct chatter]
-[operator] You have a collect call from… -Steve Harmon.
[operator] …an inmate at MDC, a New York State correctional facility.
If you wish to accept and pay for this call, dial three now.
-[Mr. Harmon] Steven. -Dad?
I can't hear you. You okay? What's wrong?
No-- Nothing's wrong. Just…
Just calling just to see how you were and say hey, how are you?
Well, we're worried about you.
Yeah? Where-- Where are you?
Uh, we're just up on, uh, 158th Street.
Is… is Jerry with you?
I'm picking him up now.
He really misses you.
[clicks tongue] Yeah, just tell him I said hey.
The fuck you doing, nigga? Get off the phone.
-Get the fuck out of here. -Steven?
-Yeah, I'm sorry, man. -Steven?
-[receiver clatters] -Steven?
Who was that? Is everything okay?
-Yeah. Just work. -[engine turns over]
-Oh, sorry. -Excuse me. Sorry.
[zipping]
How do you think it's going?
Well, nothing we've seen so far speaks to your innocence.
Half that jury…
Despite what they told us when we picked them,
they decided you were guilty the moment they'd laid eyes on you.
You're young, you're Black, and you're on trial.
What else do they need to know?
I thought it was innocent until proven guilty.
Depends on how the jury sees the case.
Think of it as a contest to see who's telling the truth.
Prosecution walks around, looks very responsible, very important.
The jury says to itself, "Well, he seems pretty honest."
"Why would he lie about a thing like this?"
Our job is not to show that he's lying.
Our job is to show that he has made a mistake.
Well, we have one more witness this afternoon.
Let's talk about Osvaldo Cruz.
-[Maureen] What can you tell me? -[Steve] Before.
Cruz.
Dominican fuckboy, knockoff Supreme.
Yo, what the fuck? Watch my camera, yo.
Man, Steve Harmon.
I ain't seen your ass since the eighth grade.
But you in that bougie school downtown, right?
-[boy] You gonna let him play you? -What you gonna do, Harmon?
You trying to get lanked up?
-[boy 2] Watch that! -My shit better not be broken.
-Catch the fade then, bitch! -[boy 2] Come on, hey!
[Cruz] Go ahead.
-Come on. -[boy 2] Yo, Steve!
[sirens squawk in distance]
[boy 3] Yo, watch them pumps, yo! Keep crossing over on your left!
I'll catch you, Harmon. Make sure you have the camera ready for the show.
[boy 3] Goddamn, yo!
Yeah, we'll catch you.
WorldStar.
Punk ass…
[Petrocelli] How old are you?
Fifteen.
Did you participate in the robbery related to this murder trial?
Yes.
Can you tell us why?
Well, because I was afraid of Bobo.
He said if I didn't help, he'd cut me up.
I was afraid of him and James King,
and Steve, too.
They're all older than me.
What did Richard Evans, the man you know as Bobo, suggest?
He had a place all lined up.
All I had to do was slow anyone down trying to chase after them.
[Petrocelli] When Bobo mentioned other participants,
did he, uh, specify what part they were supposed to play in the robbery?
King was supposed to go into the store and knock the place over,
and Steve was the lookout.
[Petrocelli] Did you participate 'cause you needed the money?
No, I-- I did it 'cause I was scared of Bobo.
[Briggs] You admitted to the police
that you were an active participant in this crime, true?
Yes, that's right.
So, for all practical purposes,
it's fair to say you were up to your neck in a crime in which a… a man was killed.
Isn't that true? Isn't that how you saw it?
I guess so.
Hasn't the prosecutor given you a… a choice?
You can either go to jail or put someone else in jail.
Isn't that your choice?
Look, I wouldn't lie in court.
I'm telling the truth.
So, it's wrong to lie under oath,
but it's fine to go into a bodega,
stick it up?
That's-- That's cool?
It was a mistake.
Mr. Cruz, are you a member of a gang?
I belong to the Riders.
Now, how do you become a member of the Riders?
You have to leave your mark on someone.
What does that mean, "leave your mark on someone"?
It means you have to cut them, where it shows.
So, to become a member of the Riders, you had to cut a stranger in the face.
Yes, but they don't do that no more--
But you were only involved in this robbery because you were afraid of Bobo,
not because you wanted a piece of the action?
Yes.
[Maureen] Nothing further.
[King] I'll give you a story, man. A friend.
His name was Mega. They called him Mega Millions
'cause it was like the boy hit the lottery out of nowhere.
Rich motherfucker, right?
Hood rich, though. Young kid.
Had a best friend. Best friend named Q.
They was even godbrothers in real life, know what I mean?
You know, I guess them boys was getting too much money in Harlem.
Meg wanted to test his faith.
Make a move, man.
[man] I did. It's your turn.
-You ain't. I was watching you! -I did. No, you weren't.
Come on. Don't start cheating.
-[man] That's right. -Hold up. I didn't mean that.
-I jumped you, man. -Yeah, all right.
Now him and Q decided once they got all their money together, you know,
they'd go get a crib together as best friends, as brothers.
And once they bought a safe together,
Meg started to realize
that it looked like it was money missing off the top,
know what I'm saying?
So, he told him, "Man, listen, you my brother,
you my best friend. You've been like blood to me."
"I need to know, bro. You skimming off the top?"
Soon as Q said no, Meg just shot him in the face.
Facing, like, 100 years right now.
What-- What did he achieve, even though he didn't trust?
[King] I guess he found out you can't trust nobody out there, you know?
Oh, that's… that's part of life.
[King] Man, old-time man,
can you stop dropping jewels on us and play the game already?
Do you know that if you wanted to get to the top…
and let's say you found a tiger,
and he says, "I'm gonna ride that tiger up to the top, nobody's gonna bother me."
He mounted this tiger.
When they got to the top… he wasn't there.
Where was the fucking people?
[man] The dude was inside the tiger.
Mistrust.
How was he inside the tiger?
[man] The tiger ate his ass.
You can't ride a tiger.
[laughter]
[man] He trusted the tiger, didn't he?
[King laughing] What the fuck are you talking about? Oh, hey, listen.
A'ight, old timer. Make a play, man. God damn it.
-[man] I did. It's your turn. -Tigers and lions and bears.
[laughs] King me.
[Steve] The American idea of what a son should be.
What a son should be.
I feel like I'm pushing that idea away.
-[video rewinding] -[King] I see my nigga Steve.
Steve, go get Mama some basil and garlic.
I'm in the middle of something now.
Boy, if you don't get out that chair and get to that store…
Can I get ice cream?
And cookie dough?
For real.
[Mrs. Harmon] Whatever. Just get it done. Come on.
-All right. One second. -[reporter] Thank you, Bruce.
-After weeks of investigation… -Turn it up, please.
…police have begun to make arrests
in the fatal shooting and robbery at Nesbitt's Bodega.
The DA's office has issued arrest warrants
for four men involved in the slaying of the owner, Aguinaldo Nesbitt.
Right now, police aren't saying too much more, pending all of the arrests.
Reporting live, I'm Katie Greenbaum.
Where's the money, Ma?
-Ma? -What?
The money?
Up front in my purse. Go.
Pull up those pants, please.
[siren wailing]
[somber music plays]
[Nesbitt speaking Spanish]
-No, I don't. -You don't?
Never did. What?
It's there. See? You're looking at the paint…
instead of looking at the…
the space.
[knocking at door]
-Can I help you? -Good evening. Mrs. Harmon?
Um, I'm Detective Karyl. This is Officer Williams.
How are you doing?
What's this about?
[boy] How? Like that? Like how?
-[Steve] To look less ugly. -[boy] So don't look up at his ass.
-[girl] Don't look. -[boy] Put my hand behind my head?
Steve.
-Put it like… -[friends laughing]
-[girl] Okay, so… Steve. -There's a…
Put your head up.
-Come out here, dude. -[boy] Steve, what up? Quick question.
[Karyl] Steve Harmon?
Yes.
You're under arrest for the murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt.
You said you're gonna ask questions.
…say can and will be used against you in court.
[Mr. Harmon] Don't touch him.
-Why are you handcuffing my son? -…the right to an attorney.
Where are you taking my child?
-If you cannot afford an attorney… -Steve, Mama is right here.
[Mr. Harmon] Where's your warrant? Hey!
[Mrs. Harmon] Where are you taking him? He did nothing.
-Where are you going? -Sir!
-Where? -Tell us something!
-[Mr. Harmon] Got the wrong-- -Don't handle him like that.
-Right behind you. -What's going on?
-Where you going? What precinct? -[Mrs. Harmon] Where are you taking him?
-Where you going? -Steve, Steve.
You don't hear me? Where you going?
-We're right here. -Huh?
-Where you going? Yeah. Okay. -[siren squawks]
[mournful soul music playing]
[Mrs. Harmon] Steve!
What's going on? What's going on?
You, uh… you go.
Go get-- Go get Jerry.
[Steve] The light is hitting you beautifully now.
-[girl] Is it really? -I see you.
-That's all you got? -[girl] What you mean?
Give me a little more than that.
-It's that audition we were talking about. -All right.
-[Steve narrating] Renee. -[Steve] Okay. Thug. Thug life.
-Taste of first kisses. Fourth kisses. -[Renee] I'm thinking.
[Steve] What about? Hold it.
-The sound of her laugh. -[Steve] I'm the director.
-I'm the director. -The smell of dusk uptown.
[Renee] Says who?
-I have an image. -A vision? I have a vision in mind, too.
-You do? -Yeah.
[Steve] I see a beautiful chocolate girl.
-[Renee] I'm a Black woman! -Yeah. Beautiful, luscious.
Sounds of her body touching mine.
[Steve] #BlackGirlMagic.
Bronx girl turned Harlem. I see it.
-[Renee] It was always Harlem. -Always. Stay right there.
-["Charcoal Baby" by Blood Orange plays] -[laughing]
♪ No one wants to be The odd one out at times ♪
♪ No one, baby ♪
♪ No one wants to be the Negro swan ♪
[man] This nigga's face. This motherfucker, I was like…
[King] Hey, yo! Hey, yo, yo, Steve!
Come here, yo.
[man] Get the fuck out the street. After-school special.
Why you fucking with this yellow-hat-ass nigga?
[King] I know what I'm doing. Chill out.
The fuck you coming from this time of the night?
At a friend's house studying.
Word. Studying.
All right.
This is my cousin Bobo.
Hey, what up, B?
Me and Bobo was just sitting here, talking about some things.
[sirens in distance]
Think about all the folks we came up with and that we know from these neighborhoods.
They stuck in the same hood their whole life.
No prosperity, no nothing.
You ever wonder why?
Trust. You can't trust nobody.
No honor, no nothing.
That's the thing. Can't trust these niggas.
Bro. [Bobo whispering quietly]
Yo, Steve.
Trust, bro, is everything.
In these streets, you know I got you.
You ain't gotta worry. You know I got your back.
You know, I need to know that that trust thing is mutual.
It go both ways, you feel me?
You hear me, slime? I could trust you to have my back, right?
[King] That's the fuck I'm talking about.
That's all I needed to hear. Say less, bro-se.
All right, beloved. You're ready.
Let's slide out, man.
[Steve] Memory is funny.
You'd think I remember why I felt the need to talk to him…
-[King] Go to Jersey. -…entertain any of it at all.
I can't remember.
[door buzzes, unlocks]
[Mrs. Harmon] Brought you books.
Don't wanna get behind in your studies.
You've already missed a lot.
I know.
People come back from these type of situations.
They make it through it and they don't look back.
This doesn't change who you are, Steve.
You understand me?
Yeah.
You can still go to film school.
You can still do great things.
Yeah.
Yeah, I can.
I didn't take you to church the way I should have, but…
I marked a few passages, and I want you to read it out loud.
[guard] Sorry, you can't pass that book.
Just repeat after me, okay?
Here?
-Yes. -Wait, right now, right here?
"The Lord is my strength."
-"And my shield." -"And my shield."
"My heart trusts in Him."
[Steve] "My heart trusts in Him."
"And He helps me."
-"My heart leaps for joy." -"My heart leaps for joy."
"And with my song…"
"I praise Him."
Good.
You know, I named you after my father.
He was the finest man I ever knew.
[voice grows emotional] We come from very special people. Do you hear me?
Don't you ever forget that.
[emotional music swells]
You're not this.
[ominous music plays]
[Steve] Memory.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Who would you have to become to survive 25 to life in here?
At night, I'd hear grown men freaking out, yelling,
-cursing, panic attacks. -Lemme out, nigga!
-Guards abusing prisoners. -…any one of you!
-Prisoners abusing guards. -I'm here!
I used to be really hungry,
but I've trained my stomach to not want to eat much.
That way, I'm not affected when someone steals my food.
Everything I do here is processed through a lens of guilty versus guilty.
It's lose-lose.
I wanna scream right now.
-Steve! -Hurry up, little nigga. It's your time.
Let's go.
[Steve breathing heavily]
[Petrocelli] The State calls "Bobo" Evans.
-[Briggs] Objection. Objection! -Nah!
What is your objection? No one said anything.
-Why's he imprisoned here? -Nah.
-[Briggs] Hey! -Bitch-ass fucker! Rat!
[James] Order! Order! [banging gavel]
-[James] Mr. King! -[Briggs] Sorry, sorry.
[King] Sorry. My bad.
[James] I will not stand for an outburst like that in my courtroom.
Do it again and I'll have you removed.
My apologies, my apologies, Your Honor.
[Petrocelli] He refused to put on a suit. We made the offer.
Let's go.
Come on. Step up.
Left hand.
Right hand in the air.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?
-Yeah. -Have a seat.
Mr. Evans, you're wearing a prison uniform.
-What's your current status? -[sniffs]
I'm doing seven and a half to ten up in Green Haven.
-[Petrocelli] What are you doing time for? -[Bobo] Selling drugs.
Okay.
Mr. Evans, please tell me what happened on the 12th of September of last year.
Me and King hit a bodega.
We went to the place, sat outside.
Then we got a sign from him.
Sorry, who?
The guy sitting at the table next to the redhead.
The record show Mr. Evans is identifying Mr. Harmon.
Uh, please continue.
-[door swinging open] -[Bobo] We went in,
and the guy behind the counter got heated, came up with a chrome.
-Can I help? -[Petrocelli] Chrome?
-Run the money. -[Bobo] A gun.
-Give us the money-- -[struggling]
-[gunshot] -[objects clatter]
Get his gun!
-[all struggling] -[clattering]
Grab him!
-[gunshot] -[wet squelch]
[Bobo] Oh!
[Bobo] Come on, come on!
[King] Let's go!
-[King] Look at this. Come on! -[Bobo] I told you!
Come on! Get cigarettes. Let's go. Come on. Go!
[Bobo] Shit. Go, nigga! Go!
[Bobo] We took what we wanted and we split.
What else did you take besides money?
Some cigarettes.
[Petrocelli] Then what?
Went down to a chicken spot on Lenox, got wings, fries, and a orange soda.
Mr. Evans, what happened to the rest of the money from the robbery?
Me and King split that.
Okay. Was anyone else supposed to get a part of the money?
Yeah.
The Dominican kid was supposed to get a take. So was King's boy.
[Petrocelli] You were promised a deal for your testimony today.
Can you tell us what that deal is?
[silently] Fucking rat.
If I tell what happened,
I could cop a plea to a lesser charge and only pull another ten.
-[quietly] Fucking rat. -[Petrocelli] You telling the truth today?
Yes.
Nothing further.
Mr. Evans, when did you have a conversation with Mr. Harmon
about the robbery?
I ain't had no conversation about the robbery. That's King's man.
What was Mr. Harmon wearing on the day of the robbery?
I dunno. Jeans or something.
Do you have any other details about his attire?
I don't look at dudes' outfits like that.
Very well, Mr. Evans.
What exactly was Mr. Harmon supposed to do
if there was someone in the bodega?
-Give us a signal. -[Maureen] What was that supposed to be?
Something to let us know there was cops.
Was he supposed to wink? Wave? Touch his sleeve?
I don't know.
You said you put together the robbery with King. Didn't he tell you?
I thought King had it all worked out. He told me everything was set.
Did you ever talk to Osvaldo Cruz about the robbery?
I said a few words to him.
Did you tell him if he did not help with the robbery, you would hurt him?
No, he wanted in.
He testified that he was only involved because he was afraid of you.
I won't bring nobody in like that unless they wanted to be there.
Can't rely on nobody that ain't with it.
Did you talk to Mr. Harmon after the robbery?
[Bobo] Nah.
Did he ever get any money?
No. We had to lay low when we found out the guy was dead.
[Maureen] Who is "we"?
Me and this nigga. Me and King.
[silently] Fuck you.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Evans, what were you doing before you entered to commit the robbery?
Waited on him to come out.
[Petrocelli] Who? Steve Harmon?
Yeah, him.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
But, Mr. Evans, you said you didn't speak to Mr. Harmon before the robbery.
You say King told you he was to be involved,
but you don't even know how Mr. Harmon was supposed to signal to you all
if there was someone in the bodega.
And to your knowledge,
Mr. Harmon never received any money for his alleged involvement.
That's King's man.
It wasn't on me.
Thank you, Mr. Evans.
Get your head up. Do you want them to give up on you?
The people rest.
[low, dramatic music plays]
[film reel turning]
[Sawicki] All right.
Sadly, that is all the time we have today for Rashomon.
[boy] I loved it. Yeah.
[Sawicki] Yeah, I bet you did, Casper.
You know, I took my wife to that movie on our first date.
I wooed her with Akira Kurosawa.
I just wanna know who's telling the truth.
Think there's only one truth, Alexandra?
[Sawicki] Okay.
Let's try a little experiment.
If you were to ask me, and then Mrs. Sawicki, about that first date,
and then you were to ask the guy who sat behind us at the movie,
you would get completely different answers, wouldn't you?
-Wh-- Why did she marry you? -That, Casper, remains a mystery.
But why would you get different versions of the same event?
Everyone sees differently.
Exactly.
Mrs. Sawicki would tell you about how my hands were sweaty.
I kept trying to hold hers.
Or how I whispered incessantly about what was on the screen.
I would tell you what?
That I had never been happier.
My point is that each of us has his or her own point of view,
and every choice you make, every line of dialogue you write,
every shot you edit, reflects that point of view.
You embrace your point of view and you tell your truth…
[Sawicki] …as you know it.
-[James] Ms. O'Brien. -[Maureen] Yes, Your Honor.
Uh, the defense would like to call Leroy Sawicki.
What?
Surprise.
[Maureen] Can you state your name?
-Leroy Robert Sawicki. -[Maureen] Thank you, Mr. Sawicki.
Can I ask what your place of employment is?
I'm a teacher at Stuyvesant High School.
That's known to be a very prestigious public high school.
Yes, it's one of the best schools in the city.
How do you know Steve?
[Sawicki] I've known Steve for two years.
He's been a standout member of my film club since he was a freshman.
What do the students do in the film club?
We talk about film language,
film aesthetics, and effectiveness in storytelling.
They also create their own projects.
Could you give us your opinion of Steve's work?
I think Steve is an outstanding young man.
He's bright, talented, and extremely hard-working.
Would you consider him an honest young man?
Absolutely honest.
He goes for truth in everything he does.
So if he were to say he was at the bodega by coincidence…
I would believe him without question.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Sawicki, you say you're a teacher at Mr. Harmon's school, correct?
That's correct.
Do you live in his neighborhood?
No, I don't.
So although you wanna vouch for his character,
isn't it fair to say you don't know what he does
when he goes to his neighborhood?
-Yes or no? -No.
You have no idea what kinds of pressures he might be dealing with
that might lead him down a wayward path, do you?
Well, let's be honest here.
You can never really know what it is to be somebody else.
Right. Have you ever been to his house--
I'm sorry, I wasn't quite finished.
I'm sorry. It was a yes-or-no question.
Well, okay.
No.
While it's true that I don't know what Steve's life is like
at home or in his neighborhood,
in no way do I believe that the Steve I do know
would be capable of any of this.
Steve is just coming into his own,
and the fact that he's here, that all of this is happening to him,
it's unbelievable.
Do you know what he does after 10:00 p.m.?
-Yes or no? -No.
-Are you with him after midnight? -I'm not.
No. Were you there with him
on the afternoon of September 12th last year?
-Obviously, I wasn't. -You know what he was doing?
No further questions.
[James] You may be excused.
I'm gonna lose, aren't I?
I'm gonna lose. Just… just tell me.
I don't know.
Yes, you do.
Yes, yes, you do. Just say it.
They don't even have any idea who I am.
No one in that courtroom has any idea who I am.
What should they know?
It doesn't matter.
They can't hear it.
I can't spend 25 years in there.
-Listen to me. -I mean…
We have to figure something out.
What else? Can we file a motion?
Motion? For what?
Something that'd give us some time. Ask that the case be dismissed.
-There are no grounds for dismissal. -Then expert witnesses. I mean--
-Let them know I don't belong there. -Steve!
-I don't belong there. -Listen.
No! You don't know because you haven't been in there.
Look at me.
I am doing all that I know to do, and we have a shot here.
We have a shot here, okay?
And whatever the verdict is, we will keep trying.
We will keep trying.
You know, we do have an expert witness.
You.
You're gonna have to take the stand.
I need for the jury to look at you, and for you to look at the jury,
and say you didn't do it.
Can you do that?
[Steve sniffles]
Okay.
The good news is Bobo admitted his role in the robbery.
He's identified King as the triggerman.
The tough news is the surveillance footage puts you at the bodega,
and the woman testified she saw you pause at the door.
And you've told me you know King. If we don't manage to get some distance
between you and he in the eyes of the jury,
we're gonna have problems.
What if King says-- And testifies and says I did what they said I did?
He's not going to. He made a statement that he didn't know Bobo,
and the prosecution can prove that's a lie.
Steve…
the way you spend the rest of your youth
might well depend on how much the jury believes you.
[man] Harmon.
You gonna get up today or what?
You almost missed out.
I got you something to eat, man.
So, I get a "thank you"?
Thank you.
Trial ain't about what's real.
It's not about what's true.
It's about you knowing you.
'Cause them folks, man, the lawyers, the jury…
All they see is another Black man with a rap sheet down the block.
That ain't you though, man.
You don't deserve this, man.
I'm gonna ask questions.
When I like the answer, I'll leave the cup up.
When I don't, I'll turn it upside down.
If I turn it over,
you figure out what's wrong with the answer. Got it?
[Steve] Mm-hmm.
Were you acquainted with James King before these proceedings?
No.
I mean, uh, yeah. Casually.
When was the last time you spoke to him before the robbery?
Um…
Last summer, I think.
I mean, I don't know.
He's not the type of guy that I talk to often.
Mr. Harmon,
did you act as a lookout for the robbery,
or did you check out the bodega so a robbery could be committed?
[man] Look, man.
When you walk in that courtroom today,
everything they says mean nothing. They're not gonna say nothing right.
[door closing]
[man] You ain't this.
All these creeps, these suckers in here, man,
they all say they innocent,
but the system say everybody's guilty.
So you wanna know the difference between innocent and guilty?
Standing on your own truth.
Remember, always look a man in the eye--
[man] Lock up.
[Maureen] The defense calls Steve Harmon.
[bailiff] Left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth, and nothing but, so help you God?
I do.
Have a seat.
Steve,
can you tell me about where you were on the afternoon of September 12th
as it relates to the bodega owned by Aguinaldo Nesbitt?
I was on my way home.
It was hot, so I stopped by the bodega to get a drink,
and I ran into Mr. King as I was going into the store.
Um, we said hello,
and I went in and got my drink, and then went home.
Did you know Mr. Evans and Mr. King were planning to rob that bodega?
No. No, I had no idea.
So, they had never approached you
about serving as a lookout for the robbery?
No, they did not.
Would you have even known
what the lookout for a robbery would be expected to do?
No.
Honestly, I… I wouldn't.
[Maureen] Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Harmon, do you know Mr. James King?
-From the neighborhood. -Talk to him much?
-Every once in a while. -"Every once in a while."
When was the last time you spoke with him before the robbery?
I don't… I don't remember exactly, but it was a long time ago.
Maybe, uh… Maybe early last summer?
Right. What did you talk about?
I mean, I don't know.
It's hard to remember every conversation you have.
-Right. -Yeah.
-Nervous, Mr. Harmon? Wanna take a break? -No, I'm fine.
-You sure? -Yes.
Okay. Did you talk to Bobo much?
I may have said hello to him,
but I hadn't had a conversation. I don't know him like that.
Do you remember Mr. Evans' testimony, that he saw you coming out of the bodega?
Just before the robbery. Remember?
I heard.
-Is that what happened? -I was at the store.
Take me through that again. You went into the store because…
Because I had come from school, and it was-- I was hot, and I was thirsty,
so I went into the bodega and I got a drink.
Right. So, you were thirsty,
-you wanted something to drink? -Yes.
-Did you get something? -Yes.
-What was that? What'd you get? -I… I got a cream soda.
Mrs. Henry said she saw you standing in the door of the store.
She testified that you were signaling, taking off your hat and wiping your brow.
I didn't wipe my brow. I didn't do that.
I was just trying to get closer to see the light on the streets.
That's it.
Standing in the doorway, do you do that often?
Stand in the doorway and watch the light?
As a filmmaker, that's what I do.
-Really? -Yes.
Nothing about a signal? Took off your hat, wiped your brow…
-That's not a signal? -No.
-Not a signal? -No.
Maybe that's the truth,
that you were signaling these two men for the robbery. Is that correct?
No.
Let's go back to Mr. Cruz for a minute, okay?
He testified that you were supposed to go into the store and check for cops.
Objection.
Your Honor, I believe the testimony was he heard that was the case.
I'll withdraw the question as phrased.
Mr. Harmon, do you remember Osvaldo saying
he understood you to be the lookout?
I heard what he said.
According to you, Mr. Cruz is lying, correct?
Somebody could have told him something about me being involved,
but I know I wasn't.
To be honest, I don't think Osvaldo likes me.
Why?
He called me a faggot for using my camera to film the neighborhood.
Well, let's focus here, Mr. Harmon, okay?
Would you consider Mr. King a friend or an acquaintance?
Acquaintance.
What about Mr. Osvaldo Cruz?
-Friend or acquaintance? -Acquaintance.
How about Mr. Evans? You consider him a friend or acquaintance?
Acquaintance, if that.
"If that." But you're acquainted with everybody involved in the robbery.
-Objection! -Objection, Your Honor.
-He knows better. -[James] Sustained.
The jury will disregard that last statement.
There is no one who was involved in this affair
until the jury makes that decision.
And yes, Mr. Petrocelli, you do know better than that.
He needs to sit down.
Apologies to the court, Your Honor. No further questions.
[Maureen] Steve, do you know
where Mr. Cruz, Mr. King, or Mr. Evans live?
No.
-You been to their homes? -No.
-They been to yours? Met your parents? -No.
-Met your friends? -No.
Nothing further.
[wind rushing]
[Petrocelli] Ladies and gentlemen,
an innocent man was murdered. Brutally, savagely murdered.
I won't ask anybody illiterate. I'm talking to everybody else here.
[Petrocelli] Now, Mr. Harmon wants to make movies.
His own teacher, Mr. Sawicki, is teaching him the essence of storytelling.
His words, not mine.
He doesn't want to be a journalist,
or an investigative historian that tells the facts.
He wants to make stuff up.
Well, this is about facts and evidence,
and you're here to judge without emotion, without sympathy.
Do not…
Do not let these people play on your sympathies.
-[man] Shut the fuck up! -Watch your back! You scared?
[Briggs] The State has produced a bunch of admitted criminals.
If you met any one of these people on the street, would you believe them?
[Maureen] I think it speaks to who Mr. Evans is.
Would you trust them?
He had no problem watching an innocent man get shot.
He had no problem eating a chicken dinner
while an innocent man died, suffocating in his own blood.
At the beginning of this, the prosecution referred to my client as a monster.
Steve Harmon is no monster.
But the people who have been brought here to testify against him,
they… are the monsters.
My client, Steve Harmon,
had nothing to gain by being involved with this robbery.
And he had everything to lose.
So, I ask you, why would he do it?
Why would Steve ever be in that bodega to commit any sort of crime?
[tense music playing]
[Steve] You are not a friend.
You're a nobody to me.
A dude from the block, an acquaintance.
[train horn blaring]
Any minute now, bro.
[Steve] Before.
-Day. -[King] Here he come, right here.
See, what I'd tell you?
[Steve] The day.
[King] Beloved. Yo, yo!
-Figured I'd catch you around these parts. -Harlem.
-What's shaking? -You know, I'm just headed home.
-Word. -[Steve] Yeah.
Check this out, right?
Go in that bodega and let me know if you see anybody in there, B.
Why?
Fuck is you asking why? I'm telling you.
Check if the coast is clear,
come out and give us a signal or something. I don't know, man.
I gotta go home.
My man, stop fucking playing with me, B.
Deadass, man.
Go in. It ain't gonna take no time, nigga.
I got your bike. We're good. Go ahead, nigga.
We'll be right here.
What you waiting for? It's easy.
[Steve] Okay.
-[train rumbling] -[cars honking]
[ambient sounds fade away]
[Steve] I've thought about this moment before.
A lot.
I took 93 steps away from that corner at Madison.
I didn't…
I didn't run away.
[dramatic music plays]
[speaking in Spanish]
[Nesbitt speaking Spanish in distance]
[Nesbitt continues in Spanish]
A dollar twenty-five. [Nesbitt speaking Spanish]
You new around here?
No.
-No? -No.
I know most of my customers.
-Yeah? -I'll see you around, man.
Have a nice day.
[music increases in intensity]
[train rumbling loudly]
[James] All right.
I believe everyone is here.
[Maureen] No matter what happens,
we can keep on with your case.
It's not over.
We can appeal.
Okay.
-[James] Prosecution ready? -[Petrocelli] Yes.
-[James] Defense? -[Briggs] Ready, Your Honor.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
Yes, Your Honor.
[no audible dialogue]
[James] Will the defendant, Steve Harmon, please rise?
We, the jury, find the defendant Steve Harmon…
[tense music swells, stops]
[jury forewoman] …not guilty of all charges.
[woman] What?
[James] Good luck, young man.
[indistinct chatter]
[James bangs gavel] This court is adjourned.
[Mr. Harmon] It's over.
Come here, come.
[muffled sobbing]
[emotional music plays]
[Harmons breathing heavily]
[Mr. Harmon murmurs]
Let's go home.
[music stops]
[Steve] I still hear people screaming four cells down.
Still feel the eyes of the guards on me as I sleep.
I grab a hold of the air around me sometimes
to remind myself that I'm not going back.
But then I think about the blood on that body…
…and I feel guilt.
I remember those 93 steps,
not telling no one,
hoping it would all go away.
Boy…
man…
human…
monster.
That feels great.
What do you see when you look at me?
["Fall From Grace" by John Legend plays]
♪ All this time ♪
♪ All this pain ♪
♪ All this focus, all this hope ♪
♪ Could go to waste ♪
♪ All this love ♪
♪ Was meant to stay ♪
♪ But it seems so many things ♪
♪ Have faded away ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ And I don't know if I could go ♪
♪ Fast enough to keep the pace ♪
♪ If I stumble, pick me up ♪
♪ Or just watch me fall from grace ♪
♪ Fall from grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Fall from grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Every dream ♪
♪ Every song ♪
♪ Every story that I've told ♪
♪ Could end so wrong ♪
♪ Do you recall ♪
♪ Before the fall ♪
♪ Or does it mean that since we've lost ♪
♪ We've lost it all ♪
♪ I don't know if I could go ♪
♪ Fast enough to keep the pace ♪
♪ If I stumble, pick me up ♪
♪ Or just watch me fall from grace ♪
♪ Fall from grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Fall from grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ There's a light through the tunnel ♪
♪ There's a place that we don't know ♪
♪ There's a story still not finished ♪
♪ Of your faith ♪
♪ And it says ♪
♪ Grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Grace ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ There is grace ♪
[vocalizing]
[instrumental closing theme plays]