The Onion Field Page #5

there was no way to go back for my girl...

and get a running start.

I walked around the back of the car,

raised my gun and shot the officer.

- And Jimmy?

- He shot him when he was down...

at the same time

I was shooting at Hettinger.

Surely, he saw it that way.

One thing, Greg.

Would you object to talking to me

from time to time, to clarify details?

I really like

to talk to you, Mr. Brooks.

You've been very fair.

- And I do feel a certain friendship...

- Greg...

- It's part of my job.

- More than a policeman doing his job.

You show me consideration.

And I appreciate it.

I wish my father had...

- You must be a good father.

- One thing, Greg.

Yes, Mr. Brooks?

Did someone mention the little

Lindbergh Law just prior to the shooting?

Little Lindbergh Law...

No. Can't say as I heard that.

- Do you know what the Lindbergh Law is?

- I have a general idea.

What is your general idea?

That kidnapping carries

capital punishment.

You're wrong.

The Lindbergh Law applies to

kidnapping for ransom with bodily harm.

Up until the first shot was fired,

the little Lindbergh Law didn't apply.

It wasn't a capital crime until then.

I never shot nobody!

- I've gotta take Jimmy back to his cell...

- I never shot nobody!

I'll go to the gas chamber,

but I never shot nobody!

Powell, you lying maniac!

I screwed your old lady, you hear me?

I f***ed the fat dog, you hear me?

You lying maniac!

"For all watches, citywide.

Memorandum Number 11.

The brutal execution

of Officer Ian Campbell...

proves that you cannot make deals

with vicious criminals.

The individual officer enters a sacred trust

to protect his community...

to lay down his life, if necessary.

All men return to dust.

The manner of a man's living and dying

is of paramount importance."

All right. Come on, guys. That's enough.

I say, "Balls."

Sometimes I think there ain't...

two hairy balls left

in this whole police department.

Who wrote that one? Billy Graham?

- Just a minute, now. If you disagree...

- I've been walking a beat...

longer than some of these babies

have been on this earth.

And there was one thing

you might say was always kind of sacred.

Police work is the kind of business...

where only you know

what you should or shouldn't have did.

Nobody else had a right

to question a judgment call.

- Just one minute about all this...

- I come up against...

some a**hole one time.

He had a .45 pointed at my belly.

What I did was,

I looked in his mean little eyes...

and I knew, as sure

as there's sh*t in a goat...

if I didn't do what he said...

the coroner would be putting in

a special order for sawdust...

to fill this here slop bucket.

So I give him my gun real careful.

And I would've given him

my Sam Browne and my pants...

and my sh*t-stained skivvies,

if he'd asked me.

- Look, men. The point of this training...

- The point is, Lieutenant...

that total authority belongs

with the cop on the street...

when it comes to his life...

and the life of his partner,

which is the same goddamn thing.

This is a panicky order you're reading.

And no matter how you read it...

it's still criticizing these kids

Campbell and Hettinger...

for doing what they had to do.

And what I did, too.

Good afternoon, Captain.

Anybody who gives up his gun

to some punk is a coward.

Anybody who does it can kiss

his badge good-bye, if I can help it.

You're policemen.

You put your trust in God.

And when I returned to the...

scene of the shooting...

I found Ian lying face down in a ditch.

There was a great deal of blood

on the ground.

- Your Honor, may I approach the witness?

- You may.

Officer Hettinger?

Would you identify the party

in this picture?

That is my partner,

Officer Ian Campbell.

And you saw him in life.

- ls that correct?

- Yes, sir.

And you saw him like this in death?

Yes, sir.

Karl, wake up! Karl! Stop!

Wake up!

- Wake up.

- Oh, God!

Are you all right?

You were having a dream.

Honey. Every night...

They're just nerves. They'll go away.

They'll go away.

When they stop making me tell it

over and over and over and over.

I'm not those men. I know, but...

Karl, you have to tell someone

when things bother you.

Moms...

it'll go away.

I had a bad time.

It'll go away when the trial's over.

Don't worry.

Your Honor, there is no meeting of the

minds between the defender and myself.

I desire and insist and demand

that I be allowed to defend myself for...

the duration of this trial, and I am

prepared to go forward immediately.

If he can do it, why ain't I allowed?

I would like to have the use

of the law library just like him.

And there's something else

I wish to complain about.

There's vermin in my cell. And the food

ain't nothing to scream about neither.

Your Honor.

This trial will drag on

all summer long...

if they are allowed to continue

with their frivolous motions.

Next thing you know,

they'll move for a mistrial...

because the air conditioning went out.

Your Honor, I will cite the district attorney

for misconduct...

and again move for a mistrial.

Your Honor, this is turning

into a carnival and I...

Counsel will be seated!

I'm going to grant Mr. Powell's motion

to act as his own counsel.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I've decided to grant the defense a trip

to the onion field to reenact the crime.

Will the bailiff

please turn off the light?

We have now seen

what the onion field looked like...

on the night of March 9.

Your Honor.

I believe, in this trial, we have done

everything humanly possible...

to accede to the requests

of the defense.

Let the record show it's now about

six minutes after 10:00.

We're going to take our adjournment

at this time until 9:30 a.m...

when we'll reconvene in Department 104

of the Superior Court.

I would ask your relationship

to anyone in this case.

- I am your mother.

- Mrs. Powell.

Could you tell us what your health

has been like in the past 20 years?

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to

object to that as immaterial to the issues.

This testimony will prove that during

the formative years of my life...

the responsibilities

of raising children were placed on me.

I am sorry, but I am going

to have to object to this.

Why should I be placed at a disadvantage

because he chose to defend himself?

You're not being placed

at a disadvantage.

It is not up to you to feel

one way or the other.

Your Honor,

if Mr. Powell has anything to say...

he should direct it to the court.

If he wants to play lawyer,

he should act like one.

I would cite the district attorney

for that remark.

Just proceed, Mr. Powell. Just proceed.

Thank you.

- Was I engaged in sports and so forth?

- Yes.

We had a wonderful track event

in which you did very well.

- Did you go to this track meet?

- Yes, I did.

You participated in two things.

You would've won

top honors in both of them...

if you'd followed my advice,

which you didn't do.

- One of them was a throwing thing.

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