Justice on Trial

By Uduma Igwe kalu

The scale of justice is unjustly tipped when a young mans twin brother is wrongfully charged for murder and later executed by the justice system of the state he lived. And it is the surviving brothers quest for vengeance against the judge who presided over the murder case that sets the platform for courtroom legal battles between the prosecution and defense teams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477263792

Uduma Igwe kalu

The author, Uduma Igwe Kalu, is a Boston, Massachusetts, USA resident. He is the author of the following books: Modern Poems (196), Emotions – Poetry (2011), Till Death Do Us Part, Dad – a screenplay about a family incest (2012), and several unpublished literary words which include stage plays, short stores some of which were aired on a local radio station in Africa, on a daily basis, for several years. He’s also written short stories and poems for children, as well as lyrics. He wrote a song that was performed by a female artist, which was released by Sunrise Records, stationed in Hollywood, California in the ‘80s. Mr. Igwe Kalu is a skilled still-life artist who utilized his ability to pleasantly present to all readers of his works issues that affect our standards of living in today’s world, and why some of those issues are left to lax until resurrected by some that are most affected.

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© 2012 by Uduma Igwe kalu. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/24/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-6380-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-6379-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Preamble

The scale of justice is unjustly tipped when a young man’s twin brother is wrongfully charged for murder and later executed by the justice system of the state he lived. And it is the surviving brother’s quest for vengeance against the judge who presided over the murder case that sets the platform for courtroom legal battles between the prosecution and defense teams.

In the courtroom, the argument is based primarily upon the cause of death of the fallen judge—whether the defendant preplanned an attack with the intention to kill the judge for more reasons than the defense is willing to present in court, or the defendant’s impulsivity to violence toward the judge erupted after learning that the culprit who committed the felony for which his twin brother was wrongfully charged, convicted, and sentenced to death confessed to the crime: an undisputable episode, and profound insight of miscarriage of justice in its purest form.

During their presentations, both the defense and prosecution rely principally on testimonies by the fallen judge’s family and employees, clinicians representing both legal teams, law reinforcement professionals, the defendant, and other witnesses for their case build-ups.

While the prosecution team argues that the gunshot wounds inflicted upon the judge by the defendant cost the judge his life, the defense on the contrary contends that the fallen judge lost his life due to a massive heart attack he’d allegedly suffered before he was shot.

This screenplay is in part a revelation of judicial failure in many cultures as it dares to probe the morality, ethics, and merits of capital punishment and the affects to the wrongfully charged, the families of the wrongfully charged, the biased, and opponents of the law.

Justice Systems on the Witness Stand

While abolitionists of capital punishment continue to emerge globally citing the fundamental failure of the law as it profits no man, state, or culture to institute and maintain a law that has for centuries recorded incidents where miscarriage of justice occurred, most cultures remain relentless upholding the laws of their justice systems which, in most cases, include the death penalty law, irrespective of potentially deadly outcomes of false judgments especially where the accused end up killed by the society or state for offenses they did not commit.

While capital punishment remains, to all proponents of the law, a pleasing judicial solution slated to equate the infractions or crimes of alleged outlaws whose offenses are deemed subjects to punishments as per the law of the culture, the ultimate questions worth posing to all judicial cultures and the pleased ought to be—"who amongst any or all communal authorities are rightfully empowered and authorized to charge and prosecute the law of the land when the law commits deadly injustice against the citizens? Could we be victims to the laws we write to guide us, or are the laws of the land—ill-fated products of our temperaments? If it is illegal to commit murder, why should it be legal for any justice system or culture to kill a murderer?

If capital punishment laws worldwide have not proven effective in all efforts to eradicate crimes and infractions, then the punishment ought to be considered a judicial failure and must be effaced the law books of all cultures around the world.

Whether it is civil infractions or criminal acts of murder, treason, grand theft, adultery, etc.; abolitionists insist it is morally wrong to condemn a life as a legal punishment. And as they continue to advocate for alternative punitive measures for criminal and/or civil infractions, these measures must also be acceptable to the state and church respectively.

It is imperative that all legal professionals or communal leaders understand that capital punishment cases do possess elements of uncertainties before and after courtroom deliberations are completed.

If all legal professionals, communal leaders, and clergy pull their mental energies together, apply it into place, and philosophically, all intricate pieces of legal tools available to them for assessments of some fatal legal procedures, there is no doubt capital punishment will be eradicated from all legal systems.

Justice on Trial showcases capital punishment as a judicial failure. It highlights the qualms in the process and exposes miscarriage of justice and the unfortunate costs to lives of the innocent and pain their families are forced to endure.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

EXT. Morning

It is approximately 8:00 A.M., on a cool, dry, and quiet morning of August 12, in a small town located in the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. This town is occupied, predominantly, by upper class, wealthy and in some cases, retired citizens. Also, resident in the town is a prominent Judge Rubini. Judge Rubini is in his late fifties. Likewise his mild-mannered, psychedelic-type, beautiful brunette wife named Paulina. Together, the judge and his wife have a young daughter named Celina who is in her late twenties in age. And they all reside in the family mansion built in the middle of a large land space. The family compound is secured with barbed-wire fence, approximately, three feet high. Also, surrounding the exterior of the mansion is a chain of flower hedges, beautifully tailored to a uniform height. And located to a far corner in the front of the compound, is a family-size car lot with a fleet of five cars closely parked. On scene, at this time, are gardeners seen trimming the hedges and cleaning the area.

CUT

INT. Day—Fade in

On scene, inside the elegantly furnished family mansion, is Judge John Rubini. He is seen dressed for work, and at this moment, hurrying down the stairs from the second floor of the mansion, where the bedrooms are located. As he arrives at the base of the stairs, which is by the parlor area, he impatiently begins to search around for his prescription drugs. Unable to locate the drugs, he begins to call upon his wife, Paulina, who at this time is upstairs in the bedroom.

Judge Rubini:

(Calling around as he continues to search)

Paulina . . . ! Paulina! Honey, are you up there?

Paulina:

(Responds audibly from upstairs)

Yes! . . . I’ll be right there. Give me a minute!

Approximately, fifteen seconds later, the judge impatiently proceeds to the base of the stairs. There, he looks up the staircase awaiting his wife’s appearance. Momentarily, Paulina appears on scene in a long ankle-level, pink silk bedroom gown. She then begins to walk down the stairs.

Paulina:

Yes, John. What’s wrong?

Judge Rubini:

(With an expression of frustration)

Honey, I think I misplaced my pills last night; did you locate them anywhere last night?

Paulina:

(Halts in the middle of the stairs)

As a matter of fact, no. Where did you have it last, here or at the office?

Judge Rubini:

(Grins)

Honey, if I remembered, I wouldn’t be asking you if you’d seen it.

Paulina:

(Proceeding down the stairs)

Do you have a minute . . . ? I’ll look around for it.

Judge Rubini:

(Checks the time on his wrist watch)

Ahh. I don’t think I can wait. I’m almost late for my first case. Why don’t you call me at the office if you locate it later? I just have to take it later.

Paulina:

Alright. I’ll call you later then. Hopefully, I’ll find it.

Judge Rubini kisses her on the cheek and exits.

Fade out.

Fade in

EXT. Front of the house—Day

As Judge Rubini shuts the door behind him and begins to walk toward his car lot, he exchanges greetings with his gardeners.

Judge Rubini:

(Greeting cheerfully)

Good morning . . . . Good job, guys. It looks good.

Gardener #1:

Good morning, boss.

Gardener #2:

Good morning.

Just after the greetings exchange between the judge and the gardeners, Gardener #2 sees a young man dressed in a pair of blue jean trousers, a pair of white sneakers, and black leather jacket jump over the fence, approximately, fifty yards away