who is the procesecution lawyer in murder on a sunday morning

Who are the actors in Murder on a Sunday morning?

Apr 02, 2002 · Some months later, the actual perpetrator was identified by a fingerprint found on the victim's purse. Butler has since received an apology from the Sheriff's Office and State's Attorney. "'Murder on a Sunday Morning' is a 'must see' for everyone, no matter where they live," said Tom Becker, State Public Defender for Iowa. According to Becker, the movie carries two …

What does murder on a Sunday morning stand for?

Murder on a Sunday Morning (French: Un coupable idéal, lit. An Ideal Culprit) is a French-American documentary film directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.Its subject is the Brenton Butler case, a criminal case in which a fifteen-year-old African-American boy was wrongfully accused of murder.The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 74th Academy …

Is'Murder on a Sunday morning'a'must see'?

Jan 01, 2015 · A public defender, Pat McGuinness, however, takes up the case and defends Brendon Butler in a case that is extraordinarily riveting. The courtroom scenes enacted by McGuinness could probably be counted among the top classics of this genre.

Was a 15-year-old accused of murder in Jacksonville Florida?

Jan 03, 2022 · This case study, Murder on a Sunday Morning, involves Brenton Butler, a 15-year-old black boy who is arrested for allegedly killing Mary Stephens while walking along the streets of Jacksonville Florida in May 2000. Butler’s case will be explored to illustrate what is expected of a forensic psychologist while addressing and safeguarding the rights of a juvenile.

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Sarabia 1 "Murder on a Sunday Morning," directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, exposes some of corruption inside the American justice system. It emphasizes the possibility of prosecution errors, such as racial profiling and informal investigations, resulting in injustice. Butler was falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to six months in jail. However, an aggressive defense …

What is the movie Murder on a Sunday Morning about?

Its subject is the Brenton Butler case, a criminal case in which a fifteen-year-old boy was wrongfully accused of murder.

What happened to Brenton Butler?

Brenton Butler was arrested and tried for the murder of a tourist in Jacksonville, Florida. The prosecution's case relied heavily upon a positive eyewitness identification made by the victim's husband, and on Butler's confession, which the teen testified was the result of physical coercion by police. The film follows Butler's defense team building ...

What is the Brenton Butler case?

Its subject is the Brenton Butler case, a criminal case in which a fifteen-year-old boy was wrongfully accused of murder. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002.

A Terrible Eye-Witness

The film doesn’t go into it much, but this is a terrible set-up. If you show someone in the back of a police car, you are priming them to think that the person is a criminal. And why would the police be asking the husband if they didn’t have some indication that Butler was the guy?

The Real Killer

A couple of months after the state had embarrassed itself and lost in court, the defense team alerted the police to a young man named Juan Curtis. He not only fit the initial eye-witness’ description, his fingerprints were found on the victim’s purse. The police had not checked for fingerprints on the purse during their investigation of Butler.

Building the Case

Once the police decided they had their man (The first person they questioned!) they set about proving it. That mostly meant interrogating a 15-year-old boy without representation or even telling his parents that he had been arrested.

A Bad Prosecution

According to one of the defense lawyers, he contacted the state attorney — basically to say, “You need to drop this case; it’s garbage.” But the state attorney said that they had to prosecute the case to defend the honor of the cops. As is clear in this film, these cops didn’t have any honor. They ranged from lazy to selfish to evil.

A Great Film

I highly recommend watching this film. Many of the courtroom moments are right out of a Hollywood movie. When the cops aren’t talking about what a terrible job they did, they are lying. And it’s good to see the lawyers tear them apart.

About Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is a freelance writer and editor online and in print. He is educated as a scientist with a PhD in Atmospheric Physics. He has worked in climate science, remote sensing, throughout the computer industry, and as a college physics instructor. Find out more at About Frank Moraes .