Murder on a Sunday Morning Essay Example

a distance, was virtually coerced by the arresting officers into identifying Butler as the guilty party and later, thanks to the strong-arm tactics of his interrogators, and without benefit of counsel, the boy confessed to a crime which he did not commit.

Brash, chain-smoking public defender Pat McGuiness, sensing that the prosecution's case stank to high heaven, proceeded to mount a courtroom defense for Butler which may well survive the decades as a textbook case of brilliant jurisprudence while the trial itself will undoubtedly forever serve as a cautionary example of the perils and pitfalls and prejudice.

Brenton Butler claimed to be in the area due to a job interview, when he was dentified as the person who shot and killed Mrs. Stephens by the only eye witness Mr. Stephens. Mr. Stephens who stated that he had once saw the assailant from a distant, was ultimately coerced by the Jacksonville police department to name Brenton Butler as the guilty party. Through an intense police interrogation, Jacksonville police department utilized severe tactics to get Brenton Butler to sign a confession that would have him facing life in prison.

The most noticeable problems dealt with racial profiling, police brutality, and false confession due to police coercion that caused a media crisis for the department. Once the details of this case were revealed in court, the lack of completing a thorough investigation and the underline prejudices by the police department were exposed.