[dramatic music] [siren wailing] Come on, I know you
guys are selling dope. Give it up. Give it up. where's
the dope, huh? Huh? Where's the money? Where's the money? Come on! I wanted to check
that movie with her. I think she tried to kiss me. [chuckles] Hot, buddy. Hot, buddy. I'm the epitome of malehood. I'm king of the park.
- Sure, you are. - King of the park.
- Sure, you are, buddy. King of the hill. Epitome of malehood
in your own mind. Yeah, right. Woop-woop. [chuckles] You got nothing on me, buddy. So I think she liked my eyes. Yeah, sure. Some of the part of my-- You like something [laughter] Get your head down
or I'll blow it off. OK, punk, give us your
money, whatever you got. [car approaching] Now! You heard the man. Now cough it up. I don't have nothing.
Ow! Give it to me. Give it to me. Where it at? Come on. Now get out of here. Now! What are you waiting for? So where's the stuff? Where's the dope. Where are you keeping it? Come on, this is bull--
[gunshot] [screaming] [gunshot] [sobbing] [gunshot] Put your head down. Get your head down
or I'll blow it off. Get your face in the dirt.
Come on. Come on, get out of here. Come on. POLICE MAN: I'll bag
the shell casings. [radio chatter] PARAMEDIC: All right, you ready? POLICE MAN: All right,
I call it in the county. WOMAN: It was too dark. I couldn't see their faces. Plus, they had a space
down in the ground. One of them had a shotgun. I saw the bell
right near my head. Did anybody get a good
look at their faces? No, one of them
stuffed his hand down my shirt looking
for money and stuff, but I couldn't see his face. MAN: It was too dark. I couldn't see anything. I did. I saw them. What's your name? [siren wailing] Jimmy O'Neill. POLICE MAN: Do you think
you could identify them? Yeah, maybe. Is he dead? [soft dramatic music] [grunts] [thud] Mary, somebody's in the house. Stay there. [door closes] What the hell are you doing? Hey, Dad. Bobby, it's 3
o'clock in the morning. I was ready to take
your head off here. Bobby, what happened? I-- I got a little bit drunk. I forgot where I lived. Carol go upstairs. You too, Jeff and Timmy. Mom, why don't you just
let Bobby sleep here. No way. This is the very reason he
moved out in the first place. That was a joint. This is beer and
bourbon, I think. HAROLD: You think
you're very cute, huh? How do we know what
you're messed up on? Dad, let me get dressed,
and I'll drive Bobby home. You will not. Go to bed, all yous. Jeez, lighten up, Dad. I lighten yous up. Go to bed! You sit down. And you listen to me, son. If you want to mess up your
life, we can't stop you. What kind of an example
do you think you're setting for Carol and Jeff? Even Tammy thinks you're a
big shot with your carousing and boozing.
- That right? You're sorry you ever
took me in this family-- - I never said that!
- --in the first place. I never said that.
BOBBY: I heard you say it! I never said it. Don't make me sorry! Oh, to hell with it. You want to throw
your life away? Fine.
Just don't do it in this house! I'm sorry, Mom. You can have
the couch tonight. I'll get you a blanket. [sighs] [sighs] Mom somebody,
shot Spooky Halstead tonight in Marine Park. He's dead. Oh my god! I just-- I wanted to come home. [music playing] REPORTER (ON RADIO): Another
traffic report in 20 minutes. At the top of the
news this morning is the brutal murder
of young Robert "Spooky" Halstead at
Marine Park last night, the result of what police are
calling a drug-related holdup. We'll have more details for
you as the case unfolds. A warehouse fire in
Queens yesterday claimed-- It on the radio this
morning about Spooky Halstead. My god. I just can't believe it,
right here in Marine Park. Thank you. It's late. We got to go. Say, ma, can you lend me
20 bucks till next week? Why don't you get a job? I got a job. HAROLD: I mean a real job. Delivering pizzas is no job. You were going to ask Jim's
brother about getting you into the Union. I already told you, I
don't want to be a plumber. MARY: Well, what
do you want to be? I don't know.
Just not a plumber. You know, when I was your
age, I went into the service. It straightened me right
out, and I have no doubt it would do the same for you. Don't start this again. It's not enough that
your mother catches you with drugs in this house. One joint, so I moved out. You always got to throw that in? I'm just saying, you have
no high school diploma. You spend all your
time hanging out with your friends getting high. The chances for you to do
something with your life are passing you by. Yeah, well, I
sure as hell am not going to spend the next
30 years of my life working for the phone company. Bobby. Fine. Spend the next 30 years
of your life being a bum, which is what you are. I'll wait for you. [door closes] Why does he always got to
start in on me like that? I don't want to fight. You've been out of high
school a couple of years. He just worries. Ma, I've got time. I'm 20 years old. Spooky Halstead wasn't
much older than you. Here. Don't forget, you still
owe me 10 from last week. I won't. I always pay you back. Don't I? Don't I get a
kiss for 20 bucks? Use a glass. And if you spend that
money on drinking and dope, I'm going to make you
wish you were never born. I love you too, Mom. Glass! What? You-- oh. [door closes] [indistinct chatter] What are all
these computers for? Oh, this is the Catch
unit, standing for Computer Assist Terminal Criminal Hunt. You tell the computer
what the guy looked like and it starts showing you
pictures of guy who've been arrested for the same crime. All right, you got the best
look at the guy in front of you face to face, right? Yeah. So what did he look like? About 5' 9." Maybe a 5' 10." Dark hair. Wait. He was wearing a coat. Um, 150, 160. Find him so we can nail him. [computer beeping] That's him. Are you sure? JIMMY: Yeah, this is the guy. Good. Is this the guy? JIMMY: Yeah, that's him. What about the other guy? You recognize him? Yeah. Recognize this guy? Yeah, I think so. He was arrested
with Ferro before. Yeah. Yeah, it's him. That's the guy with the shotgun. Good. You nailed them. Yeah? Good. [chatter] I've got a photo ID on
the Marine Park murder. No kidding. I talked to a dozen
people who were there. They all said it was too
dark to see anything. Well, the O'Neill
kid picked this guy, Ferro off the CATCH unit. Then he had this guy
as the accomplice. Yeah? He's only 15. You sure he's not
trying to be a hero? No, he's sure. Hey, look, it's
your first homicide. Eyewitness IDs are always shaky. Don't be too eager. If he can pick
them out of a lineup, I'm going to go with it. [knocking on door] [music playing] (SINGING) You drive me crazy. [knocking continues] Robert McLaughlin? Yeah. We're taking you in on
the Marine Park murder. Let's go. What? All right, very simple. All you got to do
is point out the guy you picked in the photo. [sighs] [door opens] OK, you can go. So how did I do, boys? Did I pass? Can I go home now? You're under arrest. You're kidding, right? No. [phone rings] Hello? Mom. Mom, I'm in trouble. I only got a minute
so you better put that on the other phone. Harold.
HAROLD: Yeah? Pickup in the hall. It's Bobby. He says he's in trouble. What's the matter, Bobby? This is crazy. I got arrested for that
Marine Park murder thing. They think I shot
Spooky Halstead. Mom, Dad, come on, you
got to help me here. Did you do it, son? No, of course not! Then why did they arrest you?
BOBBY (ON PHONE): I don't know. They must have got me
mixed up with somebody else because I was
with Rob and David and Brad Larosa at the time. You can ask them. I was with them the whole night. OK, listen, I'm being arraigned
tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock at the courthouse. Right, so can you get
a lawyer or something? Listen, my time's
almost up, all right? So I'll see you tomo-- Eeeh! Bobby? [dropped call tone] Bobby? [handset clicks] Good Lord. How could he get involved
in something like this? He says he's not. That's what he says, but
everybody knows you only go to Marine Park at
night for one reason, buying or selling drugs. So he could have
easily have been there, and it's not the first
time he's been arrested. Honey, that was a fight
in a bar, for God's sakes. This is murder. Bobby could never kill anyone. No mother wants to believe
her child could kill anybody, but people do it all the time,
and all of them had mothers. Harold, you're talking
like he's guilty. My god, we have to at least give
him the benefit of the doubt. We've given him everything. Mary, that kid breaks my heart. He's been in trouble
all his life ever since we brought him in here. I never thought I'd say
this, and God forgive me, but at this very moment,
I am glad that he's not our real son. Oh. [tense music] [indistinct chatter] JUDGE: Bonaville, Stuckey,
Harrison, did we do these? BAILIFF: Well, not yet. [sighs] All right. Next case. McLaughlin and Ferro. JUDGE: Robert McLaughlin's
bail will be set at $75,000. Do you have your own attorney? I-- no, not yet. JUDGE: What about you, Ferro? No. JUDGE: You are free to
retain your own counsel, but in the event that
you are unable to do so, I am appointing Beverly Rosen as
your attorney, Mr. McLaughlin, and John Corbett for Mr. Ferro. Excuse me, sir. May I speak with my parents
just for a minute, please? You better talk
to your lawyer. Next case. Wait, there's been
a mistake here made. You got the wrong man. WOMAN: Oh, excuse me,
Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin. I'm Beverly Rosen, the
court appointed attorney. How do you do? We have to talk to Bobby. Oh, I'm afraid that's
not possible for a while. No, no, you don't understand. We've got to talk to him so we
can get to the bottom of this and find out what the
hell is going on here. Oh, well, I'll talk to him. Give me your phone
number and I'll call you. McLaughlin. No, no, our name
is Hohne, please. We're Bobby's foster parents. BEVERLY: Oh, I see. Have you decided whether you're
going to hire a new attorney or stay with the
court appointments? Not yet. BEVERLY: Well, call me if
you have any questions. All right, thank you. Ms. Rosen, where'd
they take Bobby? BEVERLY: Rikers Island. OFFICER ON PA SYSTEM: Sergeant
Otis to the day room, please. Sergeant Otis to the day room. GUARD: Have a nice day. INMATE: Hey, look
who just got here. It's a pretty boy. INMATE: White boy. Who's that there? INMATE: [laughs] INMATE: Yo, what's up,
what you looking at? INMATE: I wanna pull his-- [inmates heckling] INMATE: Whoo. Give me your shoes. INMATE: [laughs] No. I said, give me your shoes. Get your mitts off me. [shouting] INMATE: Yo, get your
hands of the boy. INMATE: Break it up! [shouting] All right, all right,
all right, break it up, break it up. What's the problem here? Nothin' if you Let me
fight just one of them. Oh, yeah? Which one you want? This one. You got it, kid. I'm telling everybody, nobody's
going to the infirmary. Have at it. [shouting] That's enough, that's enough,
that's enough, take it easy. Not bad, kid. The party's over. OFFICER ON PA SYSTEM:
Mr. Clyde, 7-7-9-3-2, report to the assistant warden. Mr. Clyde, 7-7-9-3-2, report
to the assistant warden. INMATE: He did better than
I thought he was gonna do. Now, what's your name? Billy Ferro. Ferro, hey, you were
in court with me, right? You got arrested for this
Marine Park murder thing? Where you from? Canarsie. Canarsie. I ain't never been to Canarsie. What the hell do
these cops think? Two people don't
know each other. They're walking
through the park, decide they're
gonna kill somebody? Hey, who knows
what cops think. Yeah, one thing's for sure,
I sure as hell hope you did this thing, because I didn't. Did that lawyer say
if he did it or what? Ms. Rosen just said
he's pleading innocent. Does she believe him? I don't know. I asked around about her. Some of the guys at
the office know her. They say that we're
lucky to get her. She's won a lot of murder cases. Well, who the hell
is this guy, Ferro? I never heard of him, have you? MARY: No. Bobby know
anybody named Ferro? MARY: Not that I know of. I've called a half
a dozen lawyers. The cheapest is $150 an hour. I don't see how
we can afford it. How did they ever put Bobby
and this Ferro guy together? MARY: I don't know. Maybe we should
use Beverly Rosen. She sounded very
optimistic when she called. She says we have a strong case. What kind of evidence
they got against Bobby? I mean, why did they arrest
him in the first place? MARY: Beverly says they
have a kid, 15 years old. HAROLD: What? One of the victims
of the robbery. He says Bobby was one of them. He says he saw him. My god, how could
he do such a thing? We don't know that he did it. You said the kid saw him. He could be wrong. It was dark. You don't know
what all Bobby could have gotten mixed up with here. I'm not gonna
listen to any more. Well, look, maybe
things got out of hand. Mary, listen to me. Maybe they didn't mean
for anybody to get hurt. They had guns. What are you talking about? Sit down, Carol. I'll get Jeff and Timmy. We need to talk to you kids. Dad, is Bobby in trouble? Yeah, sweetheart,
Bobby's in trouble. Bobby's in big trouble. [boat horn] [chatter] This is for Bobby McLaughlin. OFFICER ON PA SYSTEM:
Attention, please. There will be a general lock
up after visiting hours. There will be a general
lockup after visiting hours. Bobby, you look terrible. What happened? Where do you think
I am, Mom, college? Well, can't you
tell the guards? No, Mom. Just please get me out of here. You've got to get
me out of here. You should have
thought of that before. What are you talkin' about? How could you have
done something like this? BOBBY: I told you on the
phone, I didn't do anything. Well, the police
don't generally arrest people for nothin'. Hey, look, I'm
tellin' you, I was with Brad and David and Rob. Ask 'em. You kids have been
covering for each other since third grade. Dad, I swear to God I didn't
have anything to do with this. They got a kid
that says he saw you. Now, why would he lie? I don't know,
but it was not me. Mom, please. I want to believe you. BOBBY: Then get me
a lie detector test. We're workin' on it. BOBBY: You're workin' on it. You really think that I took a
gun, stuck it to Spooky's head and blew his brains out?
- No. HAROLD: Who knows? Harold, stop it. We saw you then. He was fallin' down drunk. He couldn't even find his
own bed, for God's sake's. I don't know what kind
of drugs you're on or what happens when
you mix them with booze. I still don't hurt my friends. All right, maybe I like
to party a little bit, but I'm not a criminal. Using drugs is a crime, son. Carrying drugs on your
person is a crime. Fine, then I am a criminal. Once stupid joint and you're
gonna let me rot in this place. No. You chose this place. You put yourself here. [dramatic music] OFFICER ON PA SYSTEM: Attention,
visiting hours are now over. All visitors, please leave
through the main security gate. Visiting hours are now over. All visitors, please leave
through the main security gate. But this was for Bobby. It doesn't conform
to regulations. You're only allowed to bring
in what's on that list. [somber music] Harold, it's 4
o'clock in the morning. What are you doing? I'm going through
some of Bobby's stuff from his apartment
and from his room. He always writes down phone
numbers on little bits of paper, like this. What are you looking for? I'm looking for
Ferro's phone number. You're looking for
proof that he's guilty. I have to be sure. I have to know. Bobby needs us on his side. That kid has had bad breaks
from the very beginning. He needs us to
believe in him now. Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I
want to believe him? Mary, this makes me sick. I can't sleep. I keep thinking about
him in that awful place. The lie detector test
is in just a few days. I know. I don't need a
machine to tell me. I know Bobby didn't do it. I know Bobby. I believe him. I wish I could. I wish I could just
believe him like that. I swear to God, I do, Mary. But I can't. And I can't live with
myself thinking what I'm thinking about my own kid. Have you ever
used a gun before? No. Have you ever hurt
anyone seriously before? No. Did you sleep well last night? No. INVESTIGATOR: Were
you in the Marine Park on the night of December 29? No. INVESTIGATOR: Were you
involved in the shooting of Robert Halstead? No. INVESTIGATOR: Had
you ever met William Ferro before you were arrested? BOBBY: No. INVESTIGATOR: Do you own a gun? BOBBY: No. Are you 100% sure? Well, polygraph lie detector
tests are never 100% accurate. But I've personally
tested hundreds and hundreds of
people, and I believe your son is telling the truth. I knew it. You see? It's all right. He didn't do it. [soft dramatic music] You saw the lie detector test? Yeah. Yeah, right. The courts don't accept
them, so why should you? Would you sit
down, please, Bobby? What do you want from me? Do you want the truth about
every lie I ever told? Fine. I dropped out of high
school because they were going to kick me out anyway. That fight at Waylon's
Bar I got arrested for, I wasn't just there, I
threw the first punch. I've been having sex
since I was 14 years old, but I never got nobody pregnant. I have bought drugs before,
but I've never sold any. I stole stuff when I was a kid,
you know, candy, cigarettes, but I never robbed nobody. I never touched a gun. And I sure as hell
never killed nobody. Look, I know that you
think that I'm a loser. And maybe I am. But I did not do this. I know you didn't. I should have known all along. What the hell kind of man is
it that needs a lie detector test to believe in his own kid? God, I was wrong and I am sorry. I don't know what else to say. We're gonna to get you
out of there, you hear? I promise you. We're gonna get you out of
there as soon as possible and bring you home
where you belong. Can you forgive me? [somber music] The pretrial hearing was
really a victory for us. The judge threw out the lineup. Apparently, O'Neill was told
to pick the guy he identified in the photo instead of the guy
from that night in Marine Park. It's a small slip,
but it might help us. Does that mean
Bobby can come home? BEVERLY: No, there's
still gonna be a trial. It's not as simple as that. Only O'Neill will
have to testify based only on his memory of
the night in Marine Park. But I don't understand,
how is that a victory? Look, you people have
nothing to worry about. The Assistant DA, Lynn
Panza, never tried a murder case in her life. The word is she's annoyed at
getting assigned to this case because everyone over
there knows it's a loser. So how can you be
so sure about that? Because they have one
kid who says he saw Bobby. We have a dozen who say it was
too dark to see a gun in front of your face and
another half dozen who swear Bobby was
with them that night. I've won a lot of murder
acquittals with a lot less to go on than this. Just relax, sit back and
let justice take its course. This will all be
over in a few weeks. So what do you think,
can we make bail? I don't see how. He'll be out in just a
few weeks, Beverly said. Yeah, but I promised
him we'd get him out now. I gave him my word, honey. We don't have
that much savings. We stake the house. It's all we have. Good god. How do we tell him he has
to stay in that awful place? [soft dramatic music] MARY: I bought you a new
suit to wear to court. Yeah? I bet it's really
preppy too, huh, ma? You finally get to dress
me the way you want. Well, it wouldn't
hurt for you to look a little preppy in court. Ma, I can't wait
until the trial. It's going to be in weeks. You have to get me
out of here now. You're innocent son, you'll
be home before you know it. Dad, I'm scared all the time. I can't sleep at night. When can you get
the bail together? Well, we've been tryin' to
figure this out for days now, son. And, you know, your
mother and I haven't gotten much sleep either. Uh, you know, we've-- we've worked two
jobs for 25 years, but the fact is that we just
don't have enough savings. All's we got the house. You won't lose it. I promise you, I'm
not gonna skip. We have four children. We have to think about
what's best for all of you. It won't be that much longer. You know, the trial starts
in a couple of weeks and then you'll be coming home. You don't know what two
weeks means in this place. HAROLD: I know it's tough,
but you're a tough kid. You can get through it. BOBBY: You're
talkin' like this is some sort of
character-building experience. This is not the army here. Bobby, this is
not easy for us. BOBBY: No? Well, at least you
can sleep at night without being afraid that
somebody's gonna knife you because they like your shoes. You got to get me out of here. Mom, please. I'm sorry. You don't trust me. Oh, come on. BOBBY: If was Tim or Jeff,
they'd be out of here already. Hey, take me away. This visit's over. Oh, wait a sec. hey,
Bobby, you know that's not-- wait a sec.
Bobby. Bobby. Hey, you know that's
not true, son. Come on. [grunting] Ferro: See you in
court, McLaughlin. Hey, wait a minute. Where you going, Ferro? I made bail. BOBBY: What? Ferro, wait a minute. Tell 'em I didn't do it. Ferro! Ferro! Ferro! Ferro! Ferro! [sirens] Sit right over
here, Mrs. Halstead. MARY: Harold, Mrs. Halstead's
sitting over there. - Who?
- Spooky's mother. Oh. BAILIFF: All rise. Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. All those with business
before the Court of the Honorable Judge
Sybil Cooper draw near and you shall be heard. Court is in session. Be seated. DA PANZER: Now
ladies and gentlemen, you're not going to see a lot
of witnesses point fingers at Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Ferro,
because the witnesses were told to keep their heads down and
stay on the ground or something would happen. And something did happen. Because Mr. Halstead said, I'm
not going to take this anymore. He jumped up. He ran after them. And Mr. Ferro shot
him in the head. Shortly thereafter,
Robert Halstead died. The evidence will leave very
little doubt in your minds that Mr. McLaughlin
and Mr. Ferro robbed and killed Robert Halstead. JUDGE COOPER: Mrs. Rosen. Ladies and
gentlemen of the jury, my client, Robert McLaughlin,
says he wasn't there. He is going to
have friends of his who are going to testify that
he was with them at the time. I ask you to keep an open mind. Is that all? DA PANZER: Did you have
occasion to be in Marine Park on the night of December 29? Yes. About what time was that? About quarter to 9. My friend, Tom D'alessio and
me were going to Rockaway to see the Led Zeppelin movie. But it was getting too
late to make the movie, so we decided to go to my
house, cut through the park. How dark was it in
the park that night? It was pretty bright. There were spotlights
all around. The moon was out. What happened as you
cut through the park? Uh, two guys
approached us with guns and told us to
empty our pockets. Could you describe these men? Yeah, one was about
5' 9", 160 pounds. He was, uh, wearin' an army
jacket and-- and dark hair. I ask you at this
time, Mr. O'Neill, to look around the courtroom
and see if you recognize anybody that you saw in that night. Yeah, the man sitting over
there with the beige tweed jacket on. Indicating the
defendant, Ferro. DA PANZER: Could you
describe the other person that approached you? Yeah, about 6 feet. He weighed about 185-90 pounds. He had on a denim
jacket and jeans. Could you look
around the courtroom and see if you recognize the
man that you just described? Yeah, the man
sitting to his right. JUDGE COOPER: Indicating
the defendant, McLaughlin. Can you tell us what happened? Mr. Ferro and Mr. McLaughlin
approached us and told us to empty our pockets. Mr. Ferro emptied
my pocket and then Mr. McLaughlin
went over to Tommy, and threw him down,
and took his money. DA PANZER: And while
this was happening, what did you see in Mr. Ferro's
hand and Mr. McLaughlin's hand? Mr. Ferro had a pistol and
Mr. McLaughlin had a shotgun. Thank you. No further questions. Ms. Rosen. Ms. Rosen. Excuse me, listen, why can't
Bobby have his own trial, separate from this Ferro guy? Just sitting next to him is
makin' Bobby look guilty. It's one crime, one witness. The state doesn't want the
added expense of two trials. But don't worry, like I
told you, it's a shoo-in. An acquittal is
practically in the bag. I hope so. I sure hope so. DA PANZER: And you were living
at home with your mother at this time? Yeah. Did you work at
any kind of job? No, I don't think so. What did you do for money? I don't need that much money. I'm living at home. And when you did need
money, where did you get it? Sometimes my old lady
would give me some. And other times? I don't know. Bum a few bucks off my friends. [laughter] [dramatic music] Honey, are you all right? Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe we made a mistake. What do you mean? Maybe we should look
for another lawyer. No, no. It would delay things for months
while they prepared the case. And Bobby would be sitting
in prison all that time. That's true. Oh, come on, what
are we worried about? This is America, right? The kid is innocent. He'll be acquitted. Oh, please, God. You know the thing I
still can't figure out is how they got Bobby
involved in the first place. I mean, why him? It doesn't make sense. BEVERLY: Mr. Larosa, do you
recognize that young man in the gray suit? Yes, that's Bobby McLaughlin. And how long
have you known him? Since the eighth grade. I guess that's seven years now. And you were with him on
the night of December 29? Yes. At approximately what time? LAROSA: We picked
him up at about 8:30. BEVERLY: And for how long
was he with you that night? About two and a half hours. You indicated that you
were sitting in the car. What were you doing in the car? WITNESS: We were drinking. Were you smoking pot? We might have been. I don't remember. DA PANZER: Would you
say you were high? WITNESS: Fairly high, yes. DA PANZER: Do you
use pot regularly? Yeah. Did you smoke pot that night? WITNESS: A little bit. In the car, and then
drinking later in the bar. Is that the regular Saturday
night practice you kids have? WITNESS: It used to be, yeah. [dramatic music] BOBBY: Don't I have to testify? No. Doesn't that make
me look guilty? I mean, like those guys that
take the Fifth Amendment, you always figure
that they'd done it. You saw how she made
your friends look. Yeah, like a bunch of losers. Exactly, like alcoholics
and drug addicts. They all testified that
you were with them. You don't really have
anything to add, do you? No, except that
I didn't do it. You testified to that
when you pleaded not guilty. Look, I've got
to do something. Everybody thinks
that I'm guilty. They all think that I'm
Billy Ferro's partner, and I have never seen this
guy before in my life. Even that judge thinks
I'm guilty, I know it. Look, you're just
gonna have to trust me. I know this is very
frustrating, but I promise you, everything's going to work out. I still have a card
or two up my sleeve. It is very strange
that for O'Neill there is a different world than
for the other 15 people who were robbed in
the park that night. The others say, we can't
see, it was too dark. The moon didn't shine for them. The spotlights didn't
shine for them. But for O'Neill, the lights
are coming in all directions. Then I put my witnesses on. I don't choose my witnesses. So if they are people
who drink and take pot, who like to go
out on a Saturday night to the local bar,
well, they're just the people who happen to be
in the right place that night. Let me ask you this. This whole case is based
solely on O'Neill's testimony, the only eyewitness. Why is it that
O'Neill was permitted to get a look at
the perpetrators when other people are getting
killed for looking at them? He is allowed to
stand up when everyone else is forced to lie down. Why? Was O'Neill,
perhaps, one of them? Maybe the smart, young O'Neill
says to his associates, I'll fix it. I'll give them a
phony description. Don't worry, fellas,
I'll fix everything. What the hell is
she trying to do, make them think O'Neill did it? Someone is lying,
ladies and gentlemen. And it is your
job to decide who. Who has a reason to lie? It is not easy to be robbed
with a shotgun in your face. Well, it is even harder to
get on that witness stand and point a finger
at two murderers. It is not easy for a kid
of 15 to walk in here and face the people who did it. There is no reason
for him to point a finger at Mr. Ferro
and Mr. McLaughlin, except that they did it. This one witness is the most
reliable and credible witness that you are going to
see in a very long time. He has no ax to grind. Ask yourselves, why
would he come in here and say those two did it? Because they did,
ladies and gentlemen. Because they did. I wish she were on our side. [somber music] We should've hired our own
lawyer at the very beginning. You know what I
keep thinking about? All the times Bobby went
back to his real parents. Each time I was afraid
they'd decide to keep him and we'd lose them. It was such a hard thing for
a little boy to go through, thinking his own
parents didn't love him. Oh, they're taking so long. They've got to have some doubts. Probably. You know, I sit there, and
I look at that Ferro kid with that smug look on his
face, and then I look at Bobby, and I wonder, how
could I have ever thought of him as a bad kid? MAN: McLaughlin-Ferro case,
the jury is coming in. MAN: Has the jury
reached a verdict? Yes. MAN: And is your
verdict unanimous? Yes. Under the first
count, charging William Ferro with murder in
the second degree of Robert Halstead. Guilty. MAN: As for the defendant
Robert McLaughlin, under the first count, charging
Robert McLaughlin with murder in the second degree,
what is your verdict? JURY FOREMAN: Guilty. JUDGE COOPER: I want
to thank the jury for fulfilling its obligations. You are dismissed. This trial is adjourned until
the date of the sentencing. [gavel bangs] Can I say just one thing? Your, Honor, I did not do this. Someday, everybody will
know that I did not do this! I did not do this! Mom, Dad, I'll be all right. Bobby, we're not through yet. We're gonna fight this thing. You hear me, son? We're gonna fight this thing. [dramatic music] What happened here? What the hell happened here? JUDGE COOPER:
Defendant William Ferro is hereby sentenced to a minimum
of 25 years, maximum life. The defendant
Robert McLaughlin is hereby sentenced to a minimum of
15 years and a maximum of life. Sentences to begin forthwith
at the state penitentiary at Sing Sing. [dramatic music] All right, come on. Let's go. All right. [pa chatter] [inmates heckling] [whistling] [inmates heckling] INMATE: Look at that. [crying] I just
can't believe it. HAROLD: Come on, kid, you
can't let them beat you down. It's not over yet. He's in the penitentiary. HAROLD: That just
means we have to fight all that much harder now. [sobbing] How? What can we do? They said they won't
grant us an appeal unless we can come up with new evidence. So we just have to
come up with it. OK? OK. That's my girl. We got a hold on, kid. We're all he's got left. If we fall apart, he's
gonna be all alone in there. All right? Yes. That's my girl. I can't believe it. All I hear for months is,
trust me, it's a shoo-in. You got nothin' to worry about. They ain't got no evidence. Now we're here. One kid testifies
and the next thing you know, I'm pulling
15 years minimum. I'll be 35-- unbelievable. How could I be so stupid? I just sat there. I just let it all go down. INMATE: Who's the
kid who testified? I know some people in Brooklyn. They can make them real sorry. No. No, don't do that. He could be my
chance out of here. MAN: [speaking spanish] [rap music] MAN: Hey, hey, wait, wait,
I thought you said we'd-- Hey. MAN: Uh, uh, nah, nah, nah. Awe, I knew I should
have stayed home tonight. Can I talk to you
for a second, please? Look, man, it's
my birthday, right? You let me off this one,
I promise, I'll stay out of your precinct from now on. Hey, relax, will you? I'm not a cop. What the hell you sayin'? I'm sayin' I'm not a cop. I just want to talk to
you for a second, please. You get your kicks scaring
the hairs off of people? Wait a second, fella. Look, I just wanna ask you a
couple of questions, all right? No luck, man. I don't know nothin'
about nothin'. Well, how do you know?
I haven't even asked you. I just wanna know if you
know anything about the night that the robbery took
place over there, the night that Spooky Halstead got shot. I ain't even here now. Yeah, well, maybe
you were one of them. Maybe they should have
arrested you instead of my kid. What's your name? Look, man, I told you, I don't
know nothin' about nothin'. [rap music] [chatter] INMATE: [screams] Help! Help! This guy's been stabbed. [shouting] Help! Shut up and walk
away or you'll be next. [radio chatter] [soft dramatic music] [radio chatter] WOMAN: I don't know. OFFICER: All right,
just sit down. Have a seat. Just-- just have a seat and
we'll take your statement in a minute, all right? Excuse me. Where's the detective's room? Upstairs, second floor. All right, thanks. [chatter] OFFICER: Just shut
up and turn around. [computer beeps] Excuse me, can you show
me how to work this thing? Yeah, sure. Now just type in
the description. Can I go backwards, like put
a name in and pull a photo up. Yeah, just type it in. All right, thanks. [dramatic music] All right, this is the
guy I'm looking for. What do I do now?
- Pull his card. Huh? His card. Oh, all right, thanks. Who are you? I'm Harold Hohne. Joe, what are you doing
letting this guy in here? What?
He's not a cop? Get him out of here now. I was just leaving, thanks. I catch you in here again,
I'll nail your butt to a wall. Yes, sir. MAN: Can you give me
a dime, man, for a-- a cup of coffee, man? [sirens] Harold. Mary. I got your message. This whole thing
stinks to high heaven. Sit down. What did you find out? Plenty. I found this guy,
Billy Ferro's card. And on the back it said
he was previously arrested with a Robert I. McLoughlin. He was arrested
before with Bobby? No, no, not our Bobby. Look, Robert I. McLoughlin--
a different middle initial, a different spelling
of the last name-- M-C-L-O-U-G-H-L-I-N,
which gives it a slightly different pronunciation. And look it, this
Robert McLoughlin has a totally different ID number. See, obviously, there are
two Robert McLaughlin's. And it's got something
to do with how Bobby's mixed up in this thing. If I could figure out how to
get back into that precinct without getting caught, I
might be able to straighten everything out. Yeah, you might get locked
up too, so never mind that. Why don't you
contact Gerry Duffy. No, no. This is too far out
of his jurisdiction. Harold, don't go any
farther on your own. Go to Manhattan
and talk to Gerry. MAN: He'll be back. [sirens] [chatter] WOMAN: Oh, yeah. MAN: Yeah, I've seen him once. OFFICER: Do you live
in the neighborhood? I don't see anything. Hey, excuse me, Gerry. - Harold?
- Yeah, it's me. What the hell are you doin'
here this time of night? I got to talk to
you about Bobby. I'm sorry about Bobby, but
there's nothin' I can do. The case is closed.
- No, no, wait a second. Now, get those
people out of here. Gerry, I found out some stuff
over at the Brooklyn precinct that doesn't make any sense. You're walking around
on my evidence here. Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry. Gerry, look, I know I'm on to
somethin' that can get him out. Just give me a few
minutes, will you? All right.
OK. Wait for me, huh? Behind the tape. Yeah, all right. I'll wait all
night if I have to. Two coffees, please. How did you get
this ID number? I copied it from the back
of Ferro's arrest card. How the hell did you
ever get your hands on Ferro's arrest card? I just walked into
the Brooklyn Precinct and asked for the
detective's room. They thought I was a cop. I always told you
you look like a cop. Every Irishman
looks like a cop. Hey I resemble that remark. So what do you think? Well, I'm going to
look into it, I guess. Look, Harold, I'll
nose around out there. I'll see what the word is.
- All right. Thanks, Gerry. I appreciate it. I would have come
to you before, but I didn't want to put you
in a bad light, you know, with the department. Now, of course, I didn't
know where else I could turn. Harold, I don't want to mess
up a 20-year friendship here, but are you sure there's no
way Bobby could have done it? No way. I'm positive. Can't you just
talk to O'Neill. Tell him about the
lie detector test. Tell him he was wrong. I can't do that, son. They'd say I was
harassing the witness. Then if he decided to
change his testimony, they'd never believe him. I can't stay in
here any longer. You have to get me out now. Hey. Your dad's doing
everything he can. The nights are bad, Mom. Can't sleep. I start thinking. Then I get the sweats. It feels like I can't breathe. And then I keep thinking. I keep thinking I'm
gonna die in this place. Bobby, if we had any idea. They kept saying,
two more weeks. The dates kept changing. Forget about it. If we had know it
take nine months of jail before you even went to court or
how will it all turn out after, we'd have put up the house. Sure. We'd have posted
bail and got you out. The way things were
going, I probably would have skipped anyway. HAROLD: Come on, son. It won't be much longer,
a few weeks, a month. You've got to hold on. I ain't got no choice. [chatter] [dramatic music] INMATE: You hear about the
guy you was busted with? What about him? What's his name? Billy Ferro. Yeah, he ODed. What? Yeah, walked
around the yard stone blind for a couple of hours. Died in his cell. God, I can't
believe he's dead. What are you moaning about? You should be glad. He's the reason
you're in here, right? Yeah, maybe. He could have been my
ticket out of here. Yeah. He ain't likely to
say nothin' now. I need somethin', man. Can I have a cigarette? [buzzer] GUARD: Lights out. [chatter] [uneasy music] [guard footsteps] [gasping] Guard, help! Help, guard! [coughs] GUARD: This better be good. I can't breathe. Get a doctor. You'll see him in the morning. I can't wait till the morning.
I might be dead in the morning. I think I'm having a
heart attack or somethin'. What you'd take? Nothing. Manana, baby. No, wait! Wait! Wait! [coughing] KID: Give it up. KID: Hurry up. [chatter] GERRY: Harold. Gerry. I just came from
the Brooklyn Precinct. So what'd you find out? I tell you, I just can't-- I'm stunned. I didn't believe this could
happen in this day and age, not in this country. You didn't believe
what could happen? Every time I brought
up Bobby's case, they'd say things like,
oh, that was a shaky ID. The kid got a bum rap. You mean the cops
think he's innocent? Yeah, all of them. So why the hell is
he still in prison? Things go wrong. First of all, I found
out that O'Neill, the kid who testified against Bobby--
- Yeah. --well, he's not the
Boy Scout the prosecutor made him out to be.
- What do you mean? A couple of weeks
after the trial, he was arrested
for stealing a car. What? Yeah. You know, the guys
in the 4th, they started to realize that maybe
this wasn't a good conviction. And they're starting
to talk about it. D'Angelo, the cop who
arrested Bobby, that was his first homicide case. The same thing for
Lynn Panza, the DA. It was her first murder case. GERRY: A conviction
wouldn't have hurt either of their careers. What about the
name on Ferro's card? I think that you stumbled
onto the key in this whole mess Yeah? GERRY: D'Angelo was
probably in a hurry. He grabbed the first Robert
McLaughlin photo he came to. He showed it to O'Neill and
said, was this the other guy? So why don't we go after
this other McLoughlin? If he's the real perpetrator,
then they got to let Bobby go? Except it wasn't him either. All the witnesses said
the guy with the shotgun was maybe 5-11, 6 feet. This guy's 5-4. So who knows about
this other guy? Only Ferro and he's dead. Where does that
leave us, Gerry? I think we should
go talk to D'Angelo. [chatter]
- Yeah. No, I don't know. We're gonna go, or
I have to cancel. [phone ringing] OFFICER: Just fill out
these forms, please. Last name first, first
name, and middle initial. Hey, you-- you. You look familiar.
Don't I know you from somewhere. It's OK.
Captain, he's with me. This is official. Come in.
Yeah, OK. Let me get back
to you, all right? Yeah, somebody's here. Detective D'Angelo? Yeah. I'm Gerry Duffy,
Manhattan 17th Precinct. This is Harold Hohne. How you doing? Yeah, I know who Mr. Hohne is. We want to talk
about how Jimmy O'Neill happened to pick Bobby. Simple, I showed him
a spread, he picked him. How big was the spread? I don't know. You don't know? I know how big it was. It was one picture. Yeah, you don't
know anything, pal. Maybe you picked Bobby because
Billy Ferro was previously arrested with a
Robert I. McLoughlin-- different spelling, different
ID number, different guy. Ahh. HAROLD: There were two
Bobby McLaughlin's. You picked the wrong one. Look, O'Neill said
he recognized Bobby. He was sure, so
we went with that. Did you let
O'Neill think they'd been arrested together before? I don't know. He might have thought that. He might have seen the name
on the back of the card. I don't know. [chatter] Hi, excuse me, Mrs. Panzer,
can I talk to you, please? It's not appropriate for us to
talk to each other, Mr. Hohne. - I know.
- The appeal is still pending. I know that. I just got to ask you
one question, please. Did you ever tell Jimmy O'Neill
that they showed him a picture of the wrong Bobby McLaughlin? I can't talk to
you, Mr. Hohne. Did you? Did you let him go through
the whole trial thinking that Bobby and Ferro had been
arrested together before? It is not my job to inform
or influence a witness. It is my job to
ask him questions. Oh, what are you talking about? Your job is supposed to
be about winning justice, not about just winning. Look, if some key
witness is stuck with this colossal
misconception of the truth, do you just let him keep
it so he can win the case, even if it means throwing
some innocent kid in the penitentiary for
the best years of his life? Mr Hohne, if they did
arrest the wrong man, I didn't know it. Yeah, but you know
about it now, Mrs. Panzer. What about Bobby McLaughlin,
you ever think about him? It was your first case
and you've gone on from case to case since then. But Bobby's still sitting
right there in that cell where you helped to put him. [footsteps receding] [inmates yelling] HAROLD: Dear Bobby, we got
him by the short hairs now. Everybody we've been talking
to believes you're innocent. Hold on to these for me. Fifth row, right behind
home plate, all the hot dogs you can eat. Next month, kiddo, we're going
to see the New York Yankees. [buzzer] GUARD Lights out. TEEN: Hey, Carol,
how many candles did you put on this thing? CAROL: How many were in the box. MARY: I don't think
there's enough, honey. HAROLD: Who's counting here? CAROL: Now make a wish. Yeah, make a wish, Mom. Go ahead, hon. Yay, terrific. Congratulations, hon. Ma, Bobby sent this. He wanted me to
give it to you right after you blew out the candles. What is it, hon? It's his-- it's his
high school diploma. CAROL: He swore us to secrecy. He really wanted
to surprise you. [sobbing] Come on, honey, don't
start the waterworks. Now, come on. He's coming home. We're all gonna be
here by Christmas. Mom, we're going to
have this Christmas ever. That's right. I've already talked to personnel
about the possibility of Bobby working with me at
the phone company. Oh, honey. Come on, ma. You're getting salt
water all over the cake. Yeah. I'm crying because I'm happy. And whose party is it anyway? Let me see this. Oh, honey. [horns honk] JUDGE: Counsel, as
you know, we are not here to decide
whether or not Robert McLaughlin is guilty. We are only here to
decide whether or not he got a fair trial. In order to reverse
his conviction or give him a new
trial, you must provide new evidence that
could not have been discovered during the trial. After both sides have argued,
the court will deliberate. The decision will be
forthcoming in a few days, or as in some
cases, a few weeks, in the Office of
the Court Clerk. Good morning. WOMAN: Good morning. You're up early today. Yeah, I took the morning off. I got a feeling-- knock wood. Well, the decision came in. All right. Thank you. Oh, no, no. No, this-- this can't be. It's not possible. I didn't read it. - What?
- I'm sorry. No, that's-- Judge Mullen, Judge
Mullen, wait, please. Your Honor, how could your
people turn down our appeal? I'm sorry, Mr. Hohne, the
conviction was brought about based solely on O'Neill's memory
of the night of the incident and he hasn't changed
his testimony. And there was no
new evidence brought forward that your
attorney could not have found during the trial. We really had no choice. Wait a minute. For Gods sake's, you're a judge. How can you tell me
you have no choice? Bobby is innocent. Everybody that's ever had
anything to do with the case knows he's innocent. Are you going to throw his life
away based on a technicality? He may be innocent,
but you haven't brought us anything we can use
to overturn the conviction. They got the wrong picture. The cops all know they picked
up the wrong Bobby McLaughlin. Mistaken identity, it
happens all the time. Mr. Hohne, the identification
was not based on photographs, but solely on the
witness's memory of the events of that night. You have to work
within the system here. Well, I've tried to work
within the system, Your Honor. I sat there through the whole
trial trusting that the system would somehow
accomplish justice, only to see my son sent
to prison for something he did not do. And I have spent every waking
hour of the past five years gathering new
information, Your Honor. And my son has spent every
hour of the past five years in prison because of
one kid's testimony. And that one kid turns
out to be a car thief. Now, what kind of system
is that, Your Honor? You tell me. Your son is in
prison not because one kid says he's guilty,
but because a jury says he's guilty. I'm sorry. [dramatic music] HAROLD: It's not
over yet, Bobby. Yeah. Dad, listen, you did
everything you could. I just got to do the time. MARY: Bobby, you
can't give up hope. Mom, I don't want hope. Hope only makes
it time go harder. Hey, come on, kid, I know
this was a hard one to lose, but you can't stop fighting. No more. I'll be OK. I'll stay alive. I'll do the time. I'll get out. I'll be 35. I'll still be able to
have some kind of life. You know one good
thing came out of this. I wasn't such a
good kid, and you took me on without
knowing how much trouble that it'd turn out to be. In all the time that
I was growing up, you always gave me
birthday presents. And you told me that-- that you loved me and stuff. I guess, I never
really believed it until all this happened
I just want you to know nobody could have done
better by their kid than you've done by me. I just never thought
anything like this could happen to my kid. The truth is, it could
happen to anybody's kid. We have to hold on, Harold. Isn't that what you told me? For Bobby's sake. We're all he's got. I used to believe
in something. I used to think that no matter
what, things would come out right in the end, that the
system of justice worked, that somehow the
guilty get punished. Now, I don't know what I-- Harold, are you all right? Oh, honey. Honey. I think I'm having a heart
attack or somethin' here. Just hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Come here. That's it, just keep breathing. That's it. That's it. It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. Just keep breathing. [tense music] Hang on, honey. Just keep breathing. Oh, god. It's gonna be all right. [panting] PA ANNOUNCER:
Inhalation therapist to third floor nurse's station. Inhalation therapist to
third floor nurse's station. Harold. Hey, doc, how I am doing? - You're a lucky man.
- Oh, yeah. Yeah. It wasn't a heart attack. But it was a warning. Your blood pressure's as high
as the Chrysler Building. You got to change a few things. You mean like my diet? No more salt, fat,
stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, that too. What I'm tryin'
to tell you is you got to quit beating your
head against the wall and trying to free Bobby. You keep fighting like
this, it's gonna kill you. It would kill me to
stop fighting, doc. You got no choice, Harold. You've got to make
some kind of peace. You've got to find a
way to accept things. All right? I'll stop back in
this afternoon. INMATE: Push. INMATE: I mean it, baby, push. Push, baby. [chatter] INMATE: That's it, Bobby. [chatter] INMATE: Hey, tell them to
put the weight on the ball. HAROLD: Five years ago, a
boy was killed in Marine Park during a robbery. My foster son,
Robert McLaughlin, was wrongfully
convicted of a crime. Bobby's in prison. My son passed a lie detector
test in May of 1980. Somehow, somewhere, there
has to be a person who has-- I have made a vow never to
rest until Bobby is free. Please, I'm praying for help. Sincerely, Harold Hohne. So what do you think? Send it. All right. I hope to God this works. You spelled out all the
evidence and all the mistakes very clearly. Someone has got to respond. If this don't do it, I
don't know what will. We followed every
lead to a dead end. How many does this make? 80. Of them has got to be heard. I want to get these to the
post office before they closed. Let me have those too. I'll be right back. You holding up? I'm all right. I just worry about him. How's he doin'? He tries to stay busy and
that helps, but I still worry. How's Bobby? I tried to call him. He got into a fight
in the dining hall. They won't let me talk to him. Our office does not have
the authority to interfere. We sincerely regret your--
ah, et cetera, et cetera. They're all the same. This one's from the
Governor's office. Unfortunately, it does not
appear that there is anything the Governor is empowered
to do under the law which may be of assistance
to your foster son. I've been turned down by just
about every politician, judge, lawyer, radio, and television,
magazine, newspaper in the state of New York. We just have to keep
writing, keep calling, keep pounding on doors, make
as much noise as possible. You know, Duff, I'll
never stop fighting. It's just getting harder and
harder to believe we can win. Excuse me, are
you Richard Emery? Yeah. A friend of mine sent you
a letter about his foster son in prison, Bobby McLaughlin. Did you get it?
- Yeah, I think I did. I haven't read it carefully,
but it's on a stack that I'll get to eventually. I think you should pull
it out and look into it. Look, I get these
kind of requests from parents of convicted
prisoners every day. My son's innocent, my
brother didn't do it. For the most part,
there's nothing we can do. And probably nine
times out of 10, they're really guilty anyway. Not this time. What makes you so sure? I'm a homicide detective. Look, ask anybody
down at the precinct, they'll tell you
it was a shaky ID. The kid never should have been
arrested, let alone convicted. Well, you've got my
attention, Detective-- Duffy, Sergeant Gerry Duffy. Sergeant Duffy, in
New York City most cops think the Civil Liberties
Union is dedicated to making their lives miserable. So when a cop comes to me and
tells me the police have got the wrong man, I'm interested. JUDGE MULLEN: Come in. RICHARD: Could I have a moment
of your time, Judge Mullen? What can I do
for you, Mr. Emery. I had a very unusual
conversation with a New York homicide detective. What was unusual about it? Well, he was disturbed
about an innocent boy he felt was wrongly
convicted, Bobby McLaughlin. I remember it. We couldn't grant an appeal
because there were no grounds. I really had my doubts, but
we had no legal recourse. Do you think he might
have been innocent? I'll tell you the
truth, counselor, there's some concern
as to whether or not there was a miscarriage
of justice in this case. It may be that the
wrong man is in jail. Judge, would you
be willing to go on record with that statement? Now that the appeal
is over and I'm not connected to the case, yes,
I'd go on record with that. I know how much courage
it takes for someone in your position to do this. Thank you. JUDGE MULLEN: I
just hope it helps. Bobby McLaughlin may have
been victimized by the law, but so were we in this case. Our hands were tied. Right. [dramatic music] Dear Carla, I
guess you already know how sorry I am
that I couldn't be there to give the bride away. The pictures look good. You look beautiful. Joe's a lucky guy. RICHARD: You've done a
tremendous job gathering the facts, Harold, really. If anything's gonna get
this case opened up again, it's cool, logical facts. But we could also use some heat. Yeah, well, you know we're
down to our last straw here. So we'll do whatever you say.
- Great. I've asked a friend of
mine to meet with you. Who's that? His name's Jack Newfield. He's a reporter for
"The Village Voice." - Yeah.
- Didn't you send him a letter? Yeah, but we never
heard from him. Well, I think Jack is going
to be very interested in what you have to tell him. I'm also talking to John Miller. - Of the television news?
- Yeah. We're gonna see
if we can't launch a real campaign for Bobby. HAROLD: They'll all be
coming in here in a minute. You OK? Yeah, I'm OK. So what am I supposed to say? I don't know. Just-- just talk. OK. You know, before
they get started, I just want you to
know I'm proud of you. Now, you're proud of me? Yeah. Now that I'm in a penitentiary
for murder, you're proud of me. Yeah, I'm sorry that
that's what it took. If I hadn't been such
a stubborn bastard, I'd have been proud
of you all along. But I'm proud of you. now. I'm proud of the person
that you've grown into. You've done terrific, Bobby. Bobby, how do you
feel about everything that's happening to you? Sometimes I think that
who are these people to tell me that I did this
thing and they keep me here. It's-- it's like a bad dream. I guess you're glad they don't
have the death penalty anymore. Yeah. If they did, I would be a
bunch of ashes in a vase on my mother's mantelpiece. [indistinct conversation] MAN: Taxi! [engine starts] That's my boy. Hey, that's my son. Here, I'll take a dozen of them. Keep the change. REPORTER: I guess
you're glad they don't have the death penalty anymore. If they did, I would be
a bunch of ashes in a vase on my mother's mantel. It's hard enough doing time
for something that you did, but it's twice as hard
doing time for something that you didn't do. INMATES: Right on, man. INMATE: Hey, McLaughlin,
can I borrow your old man to get me out of here? INMATES: [laughter] I was-- I was always a knock-around guy. I had my fights with my father. He was always by
the book, you know. Straighten up, don't drink. But when it came to
this problem here, my dad was behind me 100%. And I realized how
much he loved me. Can you shut this thing off. [somber music] REPORTER: The only
evidence against McLaughlin was the eyewitness testimony
of one 15-year-old boy, named Jimmy O'Neill. The Assistant DA
convinced the jury they should put their complete
faith in his testimony. She painted him a courageous
and honest young man. But three weeks after
the McLaughlin trial, the same Jimmy O'Neill was
arrested for stealing a car. So much for courage and honesty. They're making
it look like I'm a criminal, like I set him up. I didn't do anything. If the wrong guy was
convicted, it wasn't my fault. What do you want to do? I want to sue them for libel. Everybody's talking
about me, like I'm a murderer or something. I don't think you
have a case for libel. The report didn't say
anything that wasn't true. This is a nightmare. I just wish the whole
thing would go away. Well, it probably
won't do that. I know Richard Emery. I think this is just beginning. [phone rings] Richard Emery. GARRETT: Richard, Garrett Adams. Hello, Garrett,
what can I do for you? GARRETT: I have
somebody in my office I think you might
want to talk to. Oh, who? GARRET: Jimmy O'Neill. I'll be there in 10 minutes. RICHARD: Jimmy, this
thing is not gonna go away until you tell the truth. You've had to live
under a terrible burden these last few years. I'm glad you finally
came forward. They're making it
sound like I set him up. It wasn't my fault.
- I know that. You were 15 years old. You'd never been in a police
station before in your life. Cops were people you respected. You know what the truth is. The cops showed you
pictures of Ferro and of Bobby McLaughlin,
who they said had been arrested with Ferro before. That's why you picked
Bobby's picture. You know it and I know it. He's not prepared to make a
statement to you here today. That's fine. That's fine, Jimmy. Just-- just go home
and think about it. And then tell the DA what really
happened in the police station that morning. Just tell them the truth. D'ANGELO: What
about the other guy? You recognize this guy? JIMMY: Yeah, I think so. He was arrested
with Ferro before. RICHARD: Just tell
them the truth. [phone rings] Hello, Yes,
operator, I'll accept. Dad. Listen, Richard says we're
going to court next week and a new judge
is going to decide if we can get a new trial. How about that? It's always next week, next
week, next week, next week. Something's always going
to happen next week. I hate those words, HAROLD: I know that, Bobby. But just hang in
there a few more days. If this works, we're gonna
get you a new trial, son. And then we'll get you out. BOBBY: Who's he? The Assistant
DA, Mark Freedman. Where's O'Neill? I don't know. Well, how's he
supposed to change his testimony if he's not here? Maybe he'll still show up. Just hold on, pray
for a miracle. BAILIFF: All rise. The court is now in session. Judge Ann Feldman presiding. Be seated. JUDGE FELDMAN: All right. Is the witness here? No, Your Honor. He promised to be
here at 10 o'clock, but we can't locate him. No miracles today. Your Honor, in view of the
fact that James O'Neill has now made statements to the District
Attorney's Office that cast grave doubts on the accuracy
of his original testimony, the District Attorney
would not oppose a motion to set aside the conviction. I so move, Your Honor. [gavel bangs] I have read all the material on
this case and there's been a lengthy and
detailed re-investigation An enormouse amount of evidence
was gathered by Mr. McLaughlin's foster father. It seems to me
that Bobby McLaughlin has been given more dark nights in the
course of his 26 years than anyone should have to be bear in
a lifetime. But on the day when he placed in
the home of Harold and Mary
Hohne.. the sun shone on him. I hereby set aside the
conviction, and I overturn the indictment. (applause) Take about five minutes or so to
clear up the paperwork and then
you can go home. (more applause) - Bobby did you think this day
would ever come? I'm just glad that the nightmare
is over now I can get on with
my life - How about you Harold?
I got my boy back.
I got my family back. - How you feeling now Bobby?
Great. I owe it all to my Dad.
He never stopped fighting for me And now I'm Free!
