Crown Heights Page #4

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in which the trial lawyer,

appropriately, uh,

called for a mistrial. Um...

Mr. Logan,

would you please proceed?

Sorry.

I think, uh...

I think I might have it.

I'm sorry.

I don't... think we'll get

any traction with this judge.

How do you expect him to listen

when you don't have

the facts of the case down?

This is a man's life

you're dealing with.

We presented the strongest

grounds for appeal.

If you don't agree, feel free

to seek other counsel.

With what money?

I'll let you know

when I receive a formal ruling.

Hello?

Hey. How'd it go?

They ain't hearing it.

I'm sorry, dread.

We're gonna keep fighting

for you.

Whatever it takes.

I should get going.

Thank you, brethren.

I will be putting before

the legislature measures

to eliminate work release

and abolish parole

for violent felons.

Violent felons belong in jail.

Let me also note,

I will ask

the legislature to pass

and I will sign and enforce

the death penalty.

Hey, kc!

Let me get a ride downtown.

My car broke down.

- Yeah, sure.

- All right.

All right.

Got to go to the courthouse

by cadman Plaza.

Got a case?

Nah, man. Not for me.

I'm a process server.

I serve legal documents.

You meet a lot of lawyers

doing that?

Sure.

That's all I meet.

Hi, I'd like to take

the process server exam.

Fill out these forms and bring

'em back when you're done.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Next.

Process server.

- Process server.

- Thank you.

Process server. Fair prices.

You know south Brooklyn well?

I know all of Brooklyn well.

Great.

Why don't you come by tomorrow?

- Hey. Come on in.

- Hey.

I'm kc.

Oh, nice to meet you, kc.

I'm Shirley.

Where are you from?

Ireland. How 'bout yourself?

Trinidad.

Oh. Fellow islander.

That's right.

These are going

to Brooklyn superior.

We'll be finding a real office

- once we're a little more up

and running. -

got it. Thanks.

Thank you.

It's over now.

As soon as you go

before that parole board,

you're gonna be a free man.

And I'm gonna take you home.

It's just a matter of time.

Do you take this man

to be your husband, to have and

to hold from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

until death do you part?

I do.

By virtue of the authority

vested in me

under the laws

of the state of New York,

I now pronounce you

husband and wife.

It's time.

Morning. You're Colin Warner?

Yes, sir.

You were found guilty

of murder, second degree,

by a jury verdict,

is that right?

Yes, sir.

You've now done 15 years?

Yes.

Why the shooting, Mr. Warner?

Mr. rafello,

i didn't commit this crime.

I've been wrongfully

incarcerated for 15 years,

and all I want is my freedom...

But- I'm sorry

to interrupt you-

your criminal record

goes back to 1979.

And in your disciplinary

record,

you've been written up

for assaults

on both inmates and staff,

possession of weapons,

and a host of other charges,

all of which would indicate

that you are, in fact,

a very violent person.

I was arrested

when I was 18 years old.

And being that I was innocent,

it was just very difficult

for me to adjust to...

Prison life.

But I've since addressed

that issue.

I got my ged. I got two years

of community college.

I'm helping guys get

their geds down.

I'm a teacher's aide.

You've addressed a problem

by accumulating

1,284 days

in solitary confinement,

where it was recommended

that you lose

two years of good time.

Sir, I didn't ask to be here.

I didn't even commit a crime

to put me here.

Mr. Warner,

a jury in a court

of competent jurisdiction

says you did,

and that's what we follow.

You want to continue

to fight this issue,

by all means,

get yourself an attorney,

take it to the court

of appeals,

take it

to the U.S. supreme court,

take it to wherever you will.

But until a court

of higher jurisdiction says

that you are innocent,

as far as we're concerned,

you are guilty of murder.

So I need you to be aware that

your protestations of innocence

fall on deaf ears.

Now, can you explain

your violent behavior

while you were in prison?

You don't accept my reasons?

That's quite right.

I don't accept those reasons.

They may be excuses-

damn poor ones, at that-

but they're

certainly not reasons.

And if you don't know

the difference between a reason

and an excuse, then, sir,

i suggest you look it up

in a dictionary.

For this panel

to Grant parole now would

so diminish the gravity

of the crime

as to undermine respect

for the law.

Mr. Warner is denied parole.

- You know, we can

find another way. - No.

- We can. We're gonna...

- They're not gonna let me out.

I won't accept it.

You have to accept it.

You got to stop coming up here.

You asked me to be your wife.

You don't just give up on that.

What do I have to give up on?

They took everything from me!

Everything!

And they gonna keep me in here

until I say I killed that man.

You know I will die

before I do that!

Hello?

Brethren,

you have to stop all of this.

You got to stop trying

to get me out.

- You need to just forget

about this. -Listen...

We got to stop it, all right?

I cannot keep stringing

antoinette along

in this either.

Just stop coming up here.

You're never gonna get me out.

All right?

- Brethren...

- Do you understand me?!

I said stop! Just stop this!

Brethren, listen...

I'm gonna do

the next appeal myself.

Brethren,

i know what to do now.

If we keep reaching

for legal technicalities,

we ain't gonna get no rhythm.

There's not a judge in Brooklyn

who's gonna let you out

on murder charges

unless he thinks

you're innocent.

But we have to do

our own investigation

and show them

what really happened.

Brethren,

you didn't kill that man.

We should be able to prove it.

Why you still at this, man?

You got your family,

you got your job,

you got your life.

You know? Why you... why you

keep wasting your time on me?

It's not just about you.

It's bigger than that.

It could be me in here.

Sometimes I feel like it is me.

I need to talk to you.

I have a friend who's in jail

for a murder he didn't commit.

He's been locked up

for more than 15 years now,

and we can't get no justice

for him.

Everything we do

comes up short.

And he's got no fight left

in him.

I'll work for free

if you take a look at his case.

Do you have his court records?

Yeah.

Okay.

Bring everything you have

next time you come.

I got it all in my car

right now.

Look here.

The witness mentioned Anthony

again.

Anthony actually told people

he was going to kill Marvin.

There's no murder weapon,

no forensics.

The autopsy report

doesn't make any sense.

How could the bullet have

a downward trajectory

if it was a drive-by shooting?

If this is all they had, the

prosecution's work is sloppy

to the point

of being unethical.

I found a release record

for Anthony Gibson.

First time he was up

for parole, they let him out.

The eyewitness,

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