Before the trial defense attorney Edward Jones '69 and his wife and co-counsel, Jenny Cooke '71, had urged Bletson to plea bargain, explaining if he's found guilty, the jury could sentence him to death. Bletson refused to make a deal. Now Bletson is pensive as he watches Jones select the jury, having ranked each potential juror on their compassion, experience with family crime, and most important, their feelings on the death penalty.

Cooke interviews witnesses as the details unfold. The air hangs heavy with the weight of the evidence. The jury learns that on bad days, when Harrison Bletson is feeding his crack habit, his mother locked him out of her house.