Monster

In the courtroom, Steve feels overwhelmed and puts his head on the table. Kathy tells him to raise his head, saying, “If you give up, they’ll give up on you” (99).

The testimony of Osvaldo continues. In her cross examination, Kathy catches him in a lie and demonstrates his cruel, criminal behavior.

The scene shifts to a visit between Steve and Mr. Harmon, his father. During the conversation, Mr. Harmon breaks down crying. He confesses the great hopes he had for his son that have been dashed. He says, “It just never came to me that you’d ever be in any kind of trouble” (112). Both Steve and his dad begin to cry. A guard comes to them and makes Mr. Harmon stop patting Steve’s hand.

In his next journal entry, Steve comments at length on how startled he was at his father’s tears. He implicitly admits to having been in the drugstore the day of the robbery (which he will later deny on the witness stand) though he stresses he did nothing illegal and hurt no one.

A flashback begins with Steve overhearing a conversion between two women in his neighborhood discussing the robbery at the drugstore in which Mr. Nesbitt was shot and killed. The scene shifts to a TV news report of the shooting, then to another neighborhood conversation about the robbery and killing.

Several brief scenes show Steve is keeping up with the developments in the robbery case, including one in which his mother comes home one afternoon and announce that the perpetrators of the robbery have been arrested. Steve sees newscasts about the case, including a video of Bobo under arrest.

Lying on his bed, Steve hears the doorbell ring. Detectives Karyl and Williams arrest him in an extremely casual manner, handcuffing him without reading him his rights and whisking him away while his mother tries unsuccessfully to gather her things and go along.

Steve describes a clever ploy by the prosecutor to paint the defendants in the worst possible light. Kathy reiterates that her job is to make Steve appear to be different from those involved in the crime. Steve continues to think about the photos of Mr. Nesbitt after he was shot.

A montage of prosecution witnesses gives perfunctory but damaging testimony. Interspersed with images of their testimony are shots of the defendants.

Steve writes that Kathy warned him the prosecution could take his journal into evidence. Steve has come to rely on her, though he thinks she believes he is guilty. Steve recounts that he tells Kathy he isn’t guilty. She responds: “You should have said, ‘I didn’t do it” (138).

Steve writes that his fear has shifted from being assaulted in prison receiving a long sentence. He acknowledges again that he was at the crime scene, but he minimizes his responsibility: “What did I do? I walked into a drugstore to look for some mints, and then I walked out. What was wrong with that? I didn’t kill Mr. Nesbitt” (140). Describing the ongoing violence in the jail, Steve proclaims he cannot serve 20 years in prison. He says he would consider suicide.

He describes his mother, sobbing and trying to speak privately in a room with 50 other people, coming to see him. When his mother gives him a Bible, the guards search it. To Steve, this is ironic. He wonders if they found any “salvation, grace, maybe compassion” in it (146). His mother assures him she knows he did nothing wrong. Steve wishes he could convince himself of that.

A flashback scene reveals King propositioning Steve about the robbery. They discuss the basics of the plan. King wants Steve to go into the drugstore to make sure only Mr. Nesbitt is inside, then give a sign to King and Bobo. King asks Steve repeatedly if he is willing to participate. Steve never answers.

Over a weekend during the trial, Steve describes two fights. He writes:

I think I finally understand why there are so many fights. In here all you have going for you is the little surface stuff, how people look at you and what they say. And if that’s all you have, then you have to protect that. Maybe that’s right (154-55).

Looking out the tiny window before visiting time, Steve sees his little brother, Jerry. His parents visit at alternate times. Steve feels as if his mother is already mourning him. He knows the importance of the week ahead since his lawyer has warned him that the prosecution will be calling its most important witnesses.

The prosecutor calls Miss Lorelle Henry, a grandmother who was in the store when the robbery began to buy some medicine for her granddaughter. She testifies that two men in the store got in an argument and Mr. Nesbitt came toward the disturbance. One of the men, whom she identified as King, grabbed Nesbitt by the collar. Fearful of trouble, Miss Henry says she left the store. She is cross-examined extensively by Asa, who works to demonstrate the minimal investigative work of the police.

Following Miss Henry on the stand is Bobo, who causes a stir because he is wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, which Asa argues will prejudice the jury. The prosecutor walks Bobo through his history and then the planning of the drugstore robbery.

Bobo says he and King waited outside the store for a sign from Steve. Bobo admits that he and King split the money they got from the robbery. Though he testifies that Osvaldo and Steve were to receive a share of the money, neither received any. On closer questioning, Bobo says that Steve did not show a sign or speak: “He was supposed to tell us if there was anybody in the drugstore. He didn’t say nothing so we figured it was all right” (182).

Asa cross examines Bobo first, focusing on what an untrustworthy person he is. In her cross-examination, Kathy focuses on the fact that Bobo never discussed the robbery with Steve. Her questions cause Bobo to reveal that he had no idea what sort of sign, if any, Steve was supposed to give.

After Bobo’s testimony, the prosecution rests its case.