witness to a trial short story by john grisham

Witness to a trial short story by john grisham full#

Were the killers from the outside – the perfect crime? Standing in their way: Son Razko and Junior Mace.

Murders carefully staged by criminals hell-bent on building a casino on Tappacola land. At the time Florida had 300 men on death row and not a single one had been sent there by him. The Prosecutor: Wagner, was thrilled to be on the hunt for his first death verdict. Three college degrees, two without jobs, average age 52, conservative, middle class. The Jury: Nine whites, three blacks, no Native Americans. His criminal record was not quite as impressive as Shorts. Eighth witness, Digger Robles, another jailhouse snitch. Seventh witness Todd Short, the first of two jailhouse snitches. Sixth witness Louise Razko, wife of the murder victim. Unger pathologist from the state crime lab. The fourth witness was a ballistics expert, Montgomery, from the state crime lab. Witnesses: First, Clive Pickett, the rustic sheriff of Brunswick Country. She strongly supported the death penalty. Before becoming a judge, she had been a small-town general practitioner. The previous year she had defeated an eighteen -year incumbent by a thousand votes. The Defense Lawyer: Larry Swoboda, age thirty-one, an aspiring criminal defense lawyer from Panama City. Swoboda finally believed him after 15 months. He was making deliveries when they were killed and did not own a gun. Junior said he was being framed and loved his wife.

For fifteen months he had been in jail awaiting this trial. Until he was arrested he had driven a truck and delivered propane for a nearby company.

Witness to a trial short story by john grisham full#

The Defendant: Junior Mace, a full blooded Tappacola Indian, age thirty-seven, father of three, and husband of Eileen, the woman he was accused of killing. Shot in the head.Son Razko and Eileen Mace. Not on tribal land, but in the local county, under their jurisdiction. Two miles from the Tappacola reservation. Set in the Florida Panhandle, the book opens in the courtroom. Plus everyone knows legal thrillers are my 'top genre' and Grisham, my favorite