Crown Heights Page #2

---

Where are the attorneys

for the defense?

They're never here, your honor.

What's going on with this case?

We're preparing for trial.

We've been unable

to locate the witness.

You're referring

to Clarence Lewis?

Yes, your honor.

When was the last contact

with Mr. Lewis?

18 months ago.

18 months?

Well, you have two weeks

to be ready for trial,

or I'm giving the defendants

a drastically low bail.

Yes, your honor.

Get the f*** down.

Get the f*** down.

Open the f***ing cash register!

Open the f***ing register!

Open...

Colin?

Bruce regenstreich.

The court appointed me

to represent you at trial.

So they have the, uh,

the eyewitness in custody,

and they want to move quickly

'cause of this judge.

So the first hearing

is gonna be set for next week.

They found our witness?

Yeah. Yeah,

he was, uh, picked up

on a robbery charge last night.

Any idea why

he's implicating you?

Nah. I don't even know him.

And they got

the guy who did it.

- Oh, you mean Anthony?

- Yeah.

- And you didn't know him?

- No.

I don't know any of these guys.

I'm telling you,

i had nothing to do with this.

All right, look, um...

These guys, they're stuck with

an impossible number of cases,

and they just want convictions.

And they'll throw

whatever they can at you.

But right now they don't have

a lot to work with.

Other than the eyewitness,

there's nothing.

There's no motive, no weapon,

there's no physical evidence.

So this is a case

we can actually win.

You've done

murder cases before?

I used to be a homicide d. A.

That's all I did,

just for the other side.

How old are you, Clarence?

- How old do you want to be

when you get sent back

to Haiti?

You understand what he means?

You're getting deported

when you get out of prison.

You're not going back

to Brooklyn.

Want to start your life over

when you're 18

or when you're 40?

We can make either of those

happen, but you got to pick.

Your honor,

the people call Clarence Lewis

to the stand.

Clarence,

who was driving the car?

- Colin.

- And who else was in the car?

Anthony was

in the passenger seat.

And what happened

when they stopped the car?

Anthony shot him.

You mean Colin?

No.

Anthony.

Are you sure about that?

Yes.

No further questions.

Uh, presently, Mr. Lewis,

you're being charged with

armed robbery, is that correct?

Yes.

And did you know

you can receive

up to 25 years in prison

if you're convicted?

- Yes.

- And, Mr. Lewis,

did anybody from

the district attorney's office

advise you that

if you testified in this case,

that you'd receive

only two years?

Were you ever advised of that?

- Yes.

- Objection!

So, by testifying

against Mr. Warner,

you're receiving a dramatically

lower jail sentence.

- Objection, your honor!

- Sustained.

Mr. Lewis, when you first

spoke to detective cassel,

did you tell him that

Colin Warner shot Marvin Grant?

Yes.

But that wasn't true, was it?

- No.

- You lied to detective cassel?

- Yes. -And when you

went before the grand jury,

you knew in your mind,

did you not, that Colin Warner

never shot Marvin Grant?

Is that right?

Yes.

So you lied to the grand jury?

Yes.

No further questions.

They're willing

to offer you two to five years.

If you take this deal,

they'll drop all the charges

against Colin.

You understand?

You can't possibly get

a lighter sentence

for second-degree murder.

And Colin will walk free

right now.

You want time

to think about it?

Yeah.

Counsel,

have you made a decision?

Your honor, my client

has refused the offer

and maintains his plea

of not guilty before the court.

- I should be

going home right now!

That kid didn't see nothing.

He don't know sh*t!

If you have the guts

to take a man's life,

have the guts

to pay the penalty for it!

What's your relationship

to the victim?

He was my brother.

And were you close?

Very. Yes.

So it's safe to say you knew

who your brother

was hanging around with?

- Yes.

- Did you know Colin Warner

and Anthony Gibson

before your brother was killed?

Yes.

Did you ever see them

with your brother Marvin?

Yes, yes,

i had seen them around.

And do you have reason

to believe

they wanted to kill

your brother?

Yes.

Colin Warner

and Anthony Gibson set out,

on April 10, 1980,

to kill Marvin Grant.

It doesn't matter

who was driving the car.

This was not

a random act of violence,

this was premeditated murder.

The defendants

were out for revenge,

and when they gunned down

Marvin Grant in broad daylight,

people saw them do it.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes, your honor.

The parties will please rise.

And what is your finding?

We find the defendant,

Anthony Gibson,

guilty of murder

in the second degree.

We find the defendant,

Colin Warner,

guilty of murder

in the second degree.

Is this verdict true?

I don't pretend to know.

I don't have the capacity

to actually know.

A life has been taken.

The jury has spoken.

In the case of Anthony Gibson,

the court will give

the maximum juvenile sentence

of nine years to life.

In the case of Colin Warner,

the court will give

the minimum allowable sentence

of 15 years to life.

You are hereby sentenced.

Stop.

Next!

Arms out.

Turn around.

Next!

Arms out.

Arms out!

Turn around!

Next!

Please don't let it be a cell.

Ah, sh*t.

Who's down? Who's down?

Need a medic up here. E-block.

E- block. Get a stretcher

up here, please.

You never know

how sacred your freedom is

until it's jeopardized.

It feels like

I wasn't even a person.

You feel unloved.

You want it to stop,

but my life

was not in my hands anymore.

Kc dropped off some money

for your commissary.

I'll make sure

you don't run out.

You okay?

I just thought

they would be fair.

I never thought they would do

this if you didn't do anything.

I don't know you the way

a mother should know her son.

I wanted to know you better,

i really wanted that.

It's not your fault.

It's okay.

Come on, come on, come on.

Listen.

You and I are friends,

but if something happens,

i can't protect you.

Understand?

You got to be with the other

west Indians for that.

They eat out in the courts.

You from Brooklyn?

Yeah, from crown heights.

We from brownsville.

You ain't taste anything

like that in a while?

Mm-mm.

Not since my grandmother

cook it.

She come over with you?

She never flew on a airplane.

She never ride a bike.

She never even wore pants.

But she raised me like her son.

Thank you.

Uh, Colin, I, uh,

I filed the initial appeal.

I just, uh, wanted to let

you know that it went in.

When will they notify us?

Unfortunately,

it-it could take years.

Let's pick up the pace, guys.

Come on, man, keep it going.

Come on.

Hey, I told you, keep moving.

Come on.

I said f***ing go!

Hey, hey, hey!

Hey, I got it,

i got it, I got it.

Stay the f*** off me!

- Calm down!

- You understand me?

I'm not one

of your prisoners, man!

You got to go back

to your cell right now.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes