Bernie Page #9

from jail to her family

asking their forgiveness

for ruining Margy`s Iife

and the pain I`ve caused.

Well, if you cared for her,

even Ioved her,

why do you reckon you killed her?

I could probably describe

it Iike being in prison

to some degree.

She wouldn`t allow me

to have any friends,

and I`m a people person.

I got to have my friends.

She was very jealous and

possessive of my time.

She had become so hateful.

I don`t even remember

picking up the gun that day.

It was Iike someone else was doing it.

so why did you leave the body there?

It would seem to me that

if you didn`t want to get caught,

you`d find some way to dispose of it.

Oh no, no, no.

I could never do that.

That was never my intention.

Everyone deserves a proper burial.

And I was..

I was just waiting for

my chance to give her one.

Thank you, Bernie.

I`II pass the witness.

So help me out here, Bernie.

On this trip with Mrs.

Nugent to New York City,

did you fly first class?

Yes, I believe we did.

Tell us the difference between

like the first class seats

and the regular old seats

in the back of the plane.

I..I`ve never been up there.

I`d say the seats are

a Iittle Iarger maybe.

More comfortable.

Don`t they have people waiting`

on you and stuff too, you know?

I mean, people bringing you fancy food,

and serving you whatever you

want to drink and stuff like that?

Yes, the service is

probably a Iittle better.

Oh, so you Iike the

first class treatment.

First class Iifestyle, the

best that money can buy.

I was accompanying Mrs. Nugent

who usually preferred these

things when she traveled.

- Mm-hm.

- So.

Now, on that New York City trip,

it says here that you and Mrs. Nugent

stayed at the.. the Ritz Carlton?

That`s a fancy hotel near

Central Park, isn`t it?

Yes, I believe that is where we stayed.

It also says here that while

you were in New York City,

you saw an opera.

And a Broadway play.

I think it`s called ``Les Miserables. ``

Les Miserable.

That`s impressive.

What?

So culture is important to you.

In what way?

Well, you seem to know all

these fancy words and such.

Well, that one`s not very difficult.

Not for you.

You know all about the

high class Iife, don`t you?

I..what..Iike what?

Like, I don`t know,

say for instance what..

what kind of wine are you

supposed to have with fish?

No, I don`t.. white usually.

Mm-hm. That takes a Iot of money

to have so much culture, don`t it?

To..to enjoy the finer things in Iife

that you Iove so much.

The ritzy hotels, first class

flying off to the big cities.

I mean, it takes a Iot of money

to Iive that way, don`t it?

No, I..Ieft to my own devices,

I would not have been

traveling in such an expensive..

But Ieft to someone

else`s devices, you were!

And after you killed Mrs. Nugent,

you kept on spending

her money, didn`t you?

A Iot of it!

And if you wouldn`t a been caught,

you`d still be spending her money today.

Wouldn `t you?

Wouldn`t you?

Ladies and gentlemen,

after Iistening to all the evidence,

I`m sure that you will agree

that the defendant is a Iiar, a coward

and a backshooter.

Now, come on.

That`s got to be about the Iowest thing

a man could ever do, ain`t it?

shoot a little old lady in the back?

Four times.

There is no doubt in my mind

Bernie Tiede is a

calculating evil actor.

He fooled a whole town

for nine months.

Now if he can do that,

there ain`t no telling what he`II do

if you Iet him back on the streets.

That poor woman stayed frozen

stiff for nine whole months.

In a freezer.

It took two days to thaw her out.

Just so they could

perform a proper autopsy.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

I`m sorry.

Your honor, counsel, Iadies

and gentlemen of the jury,

all Danny Buck Davidson

wants to do in this trial

is get you to believe that

Bernie is some kind of monster.

That he is something other

than a fellow human being.

Look at him, Iadies and gentlemen.

There is not one hint of

premeditation in this case.

If there was, he`d have

done it a Iot differently.

He mighta gotten away with it.

Did he try to poison her slowly? No.

Did he burn down the house?

Say it was an accidental fire? No.

He still knew he done wrong.

He knew he was gonna get found out.

He just didn`t have the courage

to tell on himself.

But Iike a good funeral director,

he preserved the body so that

she could have a proper burial.

And in the meantime he did a

lot of good for a lot of people.

Till he finally got caught.

He just doesn`t sound Iike any

kind of monster I`ve ever heard of.

Thank you.

That doesn`t excuse

the crime that was committed.

Now Iook, everybody`s describing

Bernie Tiede as such a great guy.

``Oh, he`s so wonderful.

He`s an angel.``

Let me tell you, he`s an angel alright.

An angel of death.

Thank you.

Bernie Tiede, please rise.

Mr. Foreman, it is my understanding

that the jury has reached a verdict.

Yes, sir, we have, Your Honor.

Is it unanimous?

Yes, sir.

Would you please read the verdict?

We, the jury,

find the defendant Bernie Tiede,

guilty of murder as charged.

They gave me life.

I won`t even be up for

parole for 50 years.

I`ll be 89 years old.

Danny Buck, you gotta hand it to him.

What he did, is two groups, you know.

It was the high-falutin

` first class livin `

Bernies of the world,

and then there was the, you know,

Iet`s dig a hole in the backyard

and cook something, you know?

Put another tire on the

fire, George. I`m cold.

It was just two different

worlds he created there

and Bernie wasn`t of their world.

lt`s not as bad as you think.

I`m the choir director,

teaching four classes.

I`m in the craft shop most of the day.

I miss my freedom.

Well, sure you do, hon.

I`m making the best of it.

Got a Iot to Iive for.

You do. You do.

I wanna help people here.

Hm, well, I have to

tell you what I`ve done.

I wrote the warden a Ietter.

Yeah, I did.

I told him that he had

to give you a work release

or something Iike that

so that you could sing at my funeral.

Now, I`m not sick or

anything, but now Bernie,

you promised me that you would do that.

And I totally mean wear

those chains or whatever

if it made them feel better so..

That is awful sweet, Lenora.

And it would be an honor

but don`t count on it.

I don`t think they`re Ietting

me out of here for nothing.

Oh!

Sure they will. I told him that

you went temporarily insane.

And we`re all going

insane sooner or Iater.

I mean, that`s the way I Iook at it.

Uh-oh. He`s telling me our time is up.

I cannot tell you how

much it means to me

that I`m still in your prayers.

And that I`II always be with you.

Yes. And you know how much we Iove you.

And I will tell you, I Iook around here.

You need to take care of yourself

and be real careful because I think

this could be a dangerous place.

- You think?

- I do.

And we`II come back

in a couple of weeks.

Take care. I Iove you.

I Iove you, baby.

You take care of him.

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