A promising young writer confesses to the murder and robbery of a cabbie and demands that he receive the death penalty.A promising young writer confesses to the murder and robbery of a cabbie and demands that he receive the death penalty.A promising young writer confesses to the murder and robbery of a cabbie and demands that he receive the death penalty.
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Fred Thompson
- DA Arthur Branch
- (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on two separate cases:
- The 1981 Jack Abbott case. Abbott wrote the acclaimed book In the "Belly of the Beast" while in prison. He was granted parole in 1981 then moved to New York City and became a star of the literary scene until he killed a waiter at a restaurant 6 weeks later. He returned to prison and committed suicide in 2002.
- The 1976 Gary Gilmore case.
- GoofsIn several scenes, Detective Ed Green is seen conversing with author Nelson Lambert and they allude to the fact that they are both drinking Lambert's Scotch. In fact, Lambert is seen pouring their drinks from a Maker's Mark bottle which is Kentucky Bourbon, not Scotch.
- Quotes
[after Ed had an informal discussion with a suspect that led to a partial confession]
Lt. Anita Van Buren: Five hours? I hope the hell he called you in the morning.
Det. Ed Green: Hey, the best way to get a drunk to open his mouth is to let him drink, isn't that right, Lennie?
Det. Lennie Briscoe: [looking up from his desk] Hear, hear!
Featured review
When they want to die
A cabbie is stabbed to death and it looks like a robbery of which we had a flurry
of New York City back then. But it's hardly that and the arrest is made of David
Wike, a budding author who did some time in the joint and did kill a man there.
The joker in this deck for Sam Waterston is that Wike eventually says he'll plead guilty if he's promised an execution. All kinds of a fuss is raised by anti-death penalty activists. Among them is Saul Rubinek a Lawrence Tribe like law professor who Elisabeth Rohm has history with.
Stanley Anderson plays a Norman Mailer like author who leads his own campagn to save Wike. Anderson and Jesse Martin have a long extended scene when Anderson was on the police radar as a suspect. A most informal interrogation.
Thr right of the state to impose capitak punishmwnt versus the right to die. It don't get clearer than that.
The joker in this deck for Sam Waterston is that Wike eventually says he'll plead guilty if he's promised an execution. All kinds of a fuss is raised by anti-death penalty activists. Among them is Saul Rubinek a Lawrence Tribe like law professor who Elisabeth Rohm has history with.
Stanley Anderson plays a Norman Mailer like author who leads his own campagn to save Wike. Anderson and Jesse Martin have a long extended scene when Anderson was on the police radar as a suspect. A most informal interrogation.
Thr right of the state to impose capitak punishmwnt versus the right to die. It don't get clearer than that.
- bkoganbing
- Sep 2, 2020
- Permalink
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