Natural Born Killers Page #13

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WAYNE (V.O.)

We spoke with retired Judge

Steinsma at his home in Baltimore,

Maryland.

BACK TO SCENE:

The interview:

WAYNE:

Was there any vengeance on your

part with your unique sentence?

JUDGE STEINSMA:

Yes, unquestionably. After they

did what they did in my court, any

judge worth his robe will tell you

the same thing.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

72.

CONTINUED:

JUDGE STEINSMA (CONT'D)

It couldn't help but affect my

decision. That's why they have

judges. We're supposed to be fair

to a fault, but when it's

showtime, we have to make a

decision. That's why we don't

just input all the facts into a

computer for the appropriate

punishment. I couldn't give them

the death penalty. See,

California hops back and forth

on that issue. Mickey and Mallory

went to court when it was out of

favor, which is actually good

because it leaves more room for

the imagination. Anybody can

give somebody the chair. When

you have someone who deserves to

die and you can't kill them, you

have to be creative. And if the

bastards had let it stand, it

would've been the perfect

sentence. It hit 'em right where

they lived. Far more punishing

than the death sentence.

WAYNE:

Would you please describe for our

viewers what your sentence was?

JUDGE STEINSMA:

Well, in a rogue's gallery of

killers, Mickey and Mallory are

very unique. I've seen a lot of

killers in my day, and they're a

cold lot. They have no more

feelings about taking a person's

life than squashing a tiny bug.

It's all the same to them. Well,

Mickey and Mallory were that 'kill

'em to watch their expression

change' attitude personified.

Except with each other. And,

since they lived only for each

other, I wanted to attack that,

at its very root. So, in a

nutshell, my sentence was double

life for each without any

possibility for parole. That

would be fairly standard in their

case.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

73.

CONTINUED:

JUDGE STEINSMA (CONT'D)

The twist I added was that

the husband and wife would have no

contact or correspondence with

each other for the rest of their

lives. And they would never

receive any word or information

about the other. So, basically,

once the cell door slams shut,

Mickey and Mallory will completely

disappear from each other's life.

They'll never even know when the

other dies. But alas, the best

laid plans of mice and men...

CUT TO:

EXT. COURTHOUSE REAR -DAY

Mallory, in tears, hysterical actually, is cuffed hand

to foot, and being dragged by sheriff's deputies into the

prison bus. Reporters throw out questions, photographers

shoot photos, TV news people capture the moment on video.

The bus pulls out onto the street.

CUT TO:

INSERT -PHOTO

Mickey in prison uniform being led by guards.

INSERT -PHOTO

Shot through bars of Mallory in her cell. Her back is to

the camera.

WAYNE (V.O.)

The sentence was never to reach

that point. Because after only a

year, Mickey and Mallory created

so much mayhem that it was

decided...

INSERT -FRONT PAGE OF NEWSPAPER

"MICKEY AND MALLORY TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ASYLUM."

(CONTINUED)

74.

CONTINUED:

WAYNE (V.O.)

... that they were mentally ill

and needed to be transferred to a

state mental hospital.

CAMERA MOVES INTO the picture of Mickey and Mallory on

the front page of the newspaper.

CUT TO:

INSERT -PHOTO

of Dewight McClusky.

WAYNE (V.O.)

We talked with Dewight McClusky,

chairman of the California State

Prison Board, about this curious

turn of events in the Mickey and

Mallory case.

INT. MCCLUSKY'S OFFICE -DAY

Wayne's interviewing McClusky.

WAYNE:

Why are Mickey and Mallory being

moved to an asylum? And who made

the decision?

MCCLUSKY:

The prison board made the

decision. A board to which I

belong. We're the who. The why

is simple. Mickey and Mallory are

mentally ill and need to be under

a doctor's care, where hopefully

they'll receive the help they

need.

WAYNE:

Mickey and Mallory were deemed

competent in a mental examination

before their trial. I'm confused.

What's changed?

MCCLUSKY:

Well, since that time, they've

killed one person during their

trial.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

75.

CONTINUED:

MCCLUSKY (CONT'D)

And since their incarceration,

they've killed one psychologist

along with several guards and

inmates.

WAYNE:

When they were found competent

before, they had already killed

fifty people. Other than the fact

they're a disciplinary problem,

which frankly shouldn't surprise

anyone, I still don't see where

the situation is any different

then it was before. So, I ask

you again, Mr. McClusky, what's

changed?

MCCLUSKY:

What's changed, Mr. Gayle, is our

minds. We felt they were

competent a year ago. A year has

passed, sir, a year where they

were under close observation, day

in and day out, and their behavior

has led us to believe we were

wrong.

WAYNE:

Who is we?

MCCLUSKY:

The prison board and the doctors

who examined them.

WAYNE:

Were any of the doctors who made

the first evaluation on the Knoxes

mental state asked to re-examine

them?

MCCLUSKY:

Using the same doctors is not

common practice.

WAYNE:

I take it by your answer it was a

whole new team?

MCCLUSKY:

Now that you bring it up, yes.

They were different men. I hadn't

really thought that much about it.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

76.

CONTINUED:

MCCLUSKY (CONT'D)

Since many psychiatric opinions

are, by a rule, sought out for

this kind of situation. What do

you think normally happens? The

Knoxes are assigned a family

psychologist that takes care of

them throughout the rest of their

lives? The state doesn't work

like that.

INSERT -PHOTO

of Dr. Albert Rodriquez.

WAYNE (V.O.)

The two psychiatric opinions the

board sought were those of Albert

Rodriguez...

INSERT -PHOTO

of Dr. Felix Vargus.

WAYNE (V.O.)

... and Dr. Felix Vargus. Both of

the good doctors, for whatever

reason, refused to be interviewed.

INT. DR. RHEINGOLD'S OFFICE -DAY

Back with Dr. Rheingold. He's laughing.

DR. RHEINGOLD

It's a funny situation actually.

If anyone besides Mickey and

Mallory give a damn, what the

prison board is doing would be

considered an outrage. The prison

board is basically saying, 'We

can't handle these guys.' They've

moved 'em around twice since their

sentence started. They were a

handful everywhere they went.

Now the prisons they're at now

want them out of there. But no

other prison's gonna be stupid

enough to take 'em.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

77.

CONTINUED:

DR. REINGHOLD (CONT'D)

So the prison board is left

scratching their heads wondering

what they're gonna do. Well,

what they decided to do was to set

up a kangaroo medical court that

found them crazy. Then they get

them transferred to Nystrom

Medical Asylum or Lobotomy Bay as

it's referred to in the

psychiatric circle. Put 'em on a

strict dope and electro shock

diet, and Mickey and Mallory cease

to be a problem to anybody except

the orderlies who clean out the

bedpans, which, if you want to

see them get theirs, that's all

well and good. But there's

something being said here. Forget

the immorality for a second.

Forget the corruption and the

skullduggery involved. What the

board is saying is 'we give up.'

Mickey and Mallory ran amuck

there, too. All the powers that

be can't deal with these two kids.

And whatever can't be assimilated

has to be terminated.

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