who was the prosecution lawyer for steve in monster

What is Steve accused of in Monster?

Asa Briggs. Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor in King and Steve ’s felony murder trial. Although Petrocelli claims to be working on behalf of truth and justice and American ideals, she immediately labels the defendants as “ monsters ,” prejudicing herself and the jury against them, and she often asks witnesses leading questions to manipulate their answers, which is …

Was Steve really involved in the crime?

Despite the prosecutor Petrocelli ’s aggressive prosecution and active dehumanization of Steve, through the efforts of Steve’s defense attorney Kathy O’Brien, the jury finds Steve not guilty. However, when he tries to hug O’Brien, she turns stiffly away, suggesting that she does not truly believe in his innocence and leaving Steve feeling like a monster.

How does the prosecutor convince the jury in Monster?

Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor during Steve's case. Throughout the trial, she contends that Steve was the lookout during the botched burglary, and thus culpable in the murder of Alguinaldo Nesbitt. She is the one who brands Steve—and all of the …

What happens to Steve at the end of Monster?

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What questions do you have about the scene where Steve is taken into custody?

We do not provide novel questions on this short-answer forum. Feel free, however, to peruse GradeSaver's Q&A section for this novel.

Explain how Steve first hears public news about the crime and the effect it has on him?

Chapter please?

monster

James King is a 22-year-old African-American man who lives in Steve's neighborhood. Allegedly, King encourages Steve to become involved in the robb...

How old is Steve Harmon?

Steve Harmon Character Analysis. Steve Harmon. Steve Harmon is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Steve is a 16-year-old black kid from Harlem charged with felony murder for his involvement in a botched robbery that ended in Mr. Nesbitt ’s death. Contrasting with the other three people implicated in the robbery, ...

When is the best time to cry?

Prologue Quotes. The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.

Who is the detective who arrested Steve?

Detective Karyl is the investigating officer who arrested Steve. He is malicious and prejudiced, automatically assuming that a young black man must be guilty and vindictively saying that he hopes Steve will be executed. Detective Karyl is complicit in the corruption of the system not only because of his racist attitude but because he has not bothered to look into the incident thoroughly or carry out his duties carefully.

Who is Steve's teacher?

Mr. Sawicki. Mr. Sawicki , Steve’s film teacher, appears as a character witness and says that Steve is a decent boy and a creative, thoughtful filmmaker. He is one of the few people who appears to believe in Steve’s innocence and understand his character.

Who is Sandra Petrocelli?

Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor, who employs coercive tactics and labels Steve a "monster.". Asa Briggs is James King's defense lawyer, who pushes back against Petrocelli's tactics. James King is a young criminal and the suspected murderer in the case.

How old is Steve Harmon?

Steve Harmon. Steve Harmon is a sixteen-year-old boy and the protagonist of the novel. He is described by the prosecutor Sandra Petrocelli as the eponymous “monster.”. This naming is profoundly ironic, because there is nothing remotely monstrous about Steve. He is thoughtful, sensitive and creative, mainly interested in making film documentaries ...

Who is Asa Briggs?

Asa Briggs is James King’s defense lawyer, a tired and cynical older man who clearly knows that his client is guilty and does not particularly care. Like the other two lawyers, he represents the inherent corruption in the justice system, though he is not personally unethical. He does his job effectively, often engaging in heated arguments with Sandra Petrocelli over her manipulative practices and leading questions. A note of clarification: Asa Briggs is the name of a famous British social historian, who was still alive and writing when Monster was published.

Why is James King silent?

He is largely silent, because his lawyer is convinced that his obvious guilt and lack of intelligence would cause him to incriminate himself if he were to speak. King is a foil to Steve, who once had a certain amount of respect for King’s tough demeanor but soon realizes that he is actually a powerless fool.

Who is Bobo Evans?

Bobo Evans. Bobo Evans is an older career criminal with a long record who testifies against Steve and James King in return for a reduced sentence. His testimony is unreliable, and he has to admit that he does not actually know Steve, and only has King’s word that he was involved in the robbery at all.

Who is Steve's defense attorney?

Particularly, Steve is bothered by his relationship with his defense attorney, Kathy O'Brien, who seems not to believe him. Steve struggles to reconcile his external versus internal lives. The conflict between exterior versus interior is a significant theme throughout the novel.

Who is the public defender in Steve Harmon?

Kathy O'Brien is the public defender assigned to Steve. O'Brien is a "flat character"—she does not change over the course of the novel, and she lacks emotional depth. There is no information revealed about her personal life, her career, or her feelings about the trial. Rather, her actions demonstrate that she is a thorough and experienced pubic defender. She advises Steve Harmon to present himself in an approachable manner to the jury, and she even enlists a character witness to prove her defendant's innocence. Although she is cordial to Steve, O'Brien seems ambivalent about Steve's character. Her callous reaction to the result of the trial leads Steve to believe that O'Brien truly sees him as a "monster."

Where is Steve Harmon?

Steve Harmon. Steve Harmon is the novel's main character. He is sixteen years old, lives in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City , and he is a student at Stuyvesant High School in downtown Manhattan. In the opening pages, we learn that Steve is currently in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Where does Steve live?

He is sixteen years old, lives in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City , and he is a student at Stuyvesant High School in downtown Manhattan. In the opening pages, we learn that Steve is currently in prison awaiting trial for murder. As a means of coping with jail life, Steve draws upon his interests in film and storytelling ...

How old is James King?

James King. James King is a 22-year-old African-American man who lives in Steve's neighborhood. Allegedly, King encourages Steve to become involved in the robbery, offering a cut of whatever money they receive. He is accused of being at the scene of the crime.

Who is Bobo in the movie?

Richard Evans, also known as "Bobo," was also at the scene of the crime and is portrayed as the leader of the group. Bobo has a long criminal record. He has been arrested for breaking and entering, grand theft auto, and "one time taking a radio and fighting a guy that died.".

Why was Bobo arrested?

He has been arrested for breaking and entering, grand theft auto, and "one time taking a radio and fighting a guy that died.". Currently serving time for selling drugs, Bobo makes a deal with the prosecution to testify against James King and Steve Harmon in order to get a lighter sentence for his involvement.

Monster Summary

M onster by Walter Dean Myers is a 1999 novel about Steve Harmon, a sixteen-year-old boy on trial for his alleged complicity in a robbery-turned-murder.

Summary

Last Updated on February 25, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 1126

Who is Steven Cuffari?

About The Author. Steven Cuffari (107 Articles Published) Steven Cuffari, aka "Steve," is a fiction writer who mostly works in the horror genre, but also in other forms of speculative fiction. As a movie and TV features writer for Screen Rant, he translates his passion for fiction into commentary and analysis.

What is the message of Monster?

The main message of Monster is that everyone must judge these things for themselves, with the caveat that they must be prepared to face the consequences of doing so.

Is guilt subjective or objective?

Guilt, innocence, and justice can be both subjective and objective at the same time. In a court of law, despite the proclamation that defendants are innocent until proven guilty, both sides of any trial attempt to convince the jury by using not only facts and evidence, but emotion as well.

Kathy O'Brien (the defense attorney)

In Steve's screenplay, Kathy is "the defense attorney with doubts" (2.16). She's "all business as she talks to Steve" (2.32), and sees no need to believe her clients, or even to believe in them—her job is only to prove their innocence to a jury.

Sandra Petrocelli (the prosecuting attorney)

Steve isn't a person to Sandra. He is what she calls him: a monster. In her words, monsters are "people who are willing to steal and to kill, people who disregard the rights of others" (2.80).

How old is Steve Harmon in Monster?

Dehumanization and Racism. Monster depicts the murder trial of Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old black kid from Harlem. Steve is accused of being an accomplice to the murder of an immigrant shopkeeper named Mr. Nesbitt, the result of a botched robbery.

Why is Steve Harmon on trial?

Steve is on trial for allegedly being the lookout in a serious crime that involved robbery and murder. The first reason leading to the belief in Steve Harmon’s guilt is where Steve says that the moment the murder was committed he was walking down the street, trying to make his mind a blank screen (Myers 128).

Is Steve Harmon guilty of murder?

Is Steve guilty in the book monster? In the novel Monster, the jury finds James King guilty of felony murder, but the narrator and protagonist, Steve Harmon, not guilty.

Is Steve Harmon innocent?

During a robbery of a drug store, the owner was shot and killed, and Harmon is under suspicion. However, he is innocent because the state’s witnesses can’t be trusted, there was no proof he was there, and he never completed his supposed task. All of this proves that Steve Harmon is innocent.

Who wrestled the gun off of Nesbitt?

When Richard “Bobo” Evans testifies in order to receive a plea deal from the State, he says that James King wrestled the gun off of Nesbitt and shot him.

Who is Steve Harmon?

Monster depicts the murder trial of Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old black kid from Harlem. Steve is accused of being an accomplice to the murder of an immigrant shopkeeper named Mr. Nesbitt, the result of a botched robbery.