Not Guilty In Twelve Angry Men By Reginald Rose

The jury’s final decision of not guilty in the case of murder in the first degree in Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose was just and a good reflection of our justice system. In act 2 page 28 Juror 8 questions if the old man that has had 2 strokes and said that heard the murder take place and the kid running down the stairs just a few seconds after he heard the body drop, could get to the door on time to see the kid running down the stairs. He argues against the validity of the old man’s testimony when he says, “His bed was at the window. It's (looking closer) twelve feet from his bed to the bedroom door. The length of the hall is forty-three feet, six inches. He had to get up out of bed, get his canes, walk twelve feet, open the bedroom door,

Furthermore, when juror 4 points out that the kid bought the knife, took it home and killed his father then wiped off the fingerprints as he notes in act 1, “The boy took the knife home and a few hours later stabbed his father with it and even remembered to wipe off the fingerprints.”, Also in act 3 Juror 5 notes that because this was premeditated murder and the kid is a skilled knife fighter he would have stabbed downward with a switch knife as he notes in page 40 of act 3 “Anyone who's ever used a switch knife would never have stabbed downward. You don't handle a switch knife that way. You use it underhanded.” These two pieces of evidence raise reasonable doubt because if it was premeditated murder and the kid was a skilled knife fighter, he would have never stabbed his father the wrong way, he would have used the switchblade and stabbed the way a “skilled knife fighter” would stab. Because the evidence that was shown failed to meet the burden of proof and raise reasonable doubt the defendant must be found not