Reading blog entry 7 (Monster)

 1. Bobo Evans and James King allegedly held up a drugstore on December 22nd, at approximately 4 p.m., leading to the shooting death of the drugstore owner, Aguinaldo Nesbitt.

2. After the incident, a detective comes to the house of Steven Harmon, 16, and takes him into custody on suspicions that he assisted the men in planning the robbery.
3. Harmon, an active member in his school's film club, decides to document his experiences at trial and in jail through journaling, photos, video, and a screenplay.
4. At the start of the trial, Sandra Petrocelli, the prosecutor, makes the state's case against King and Harmon. But unfortunately, the witnesses make the two suspects look guilty and like monsters.
5. Asa Briggs and Kathy O'Brien, the defense attorneys, cross-examine witnesses to raise doubts about their accuracy and sincerity. Then, they lean heavily on the witnesses' testimony in exchange for plea bargains.
6. Harmon's father comes to visit him in jail; Harmon feels his father's distance and wonders what his family and his own attorney really think of him.
7. Petrocelli interviews Evans, who says that he understood through King that Harmon's role was to make sure the coast was clear before they went through with their plan.
8. O'Brien convinces Harmon to take the stand in his own defense to separate himself from King in the eyes of the jury. Harmon's film club teacher testifies that Harmon was a good kid based on his ability to capture the truth of humanity on film.
9. King is found guilty; Harmon is acquitted. He is so relieved that he attempts to hug his attorney; however, her resistance shows that she is still unsure of his innocence.
10. Harmon tries to return to his everyday life, filming himself and figuring out who he really is. Is he really a monster, as they say?