Personal Effects
I collect goldfish.
I keep them in a small tank in my bedroom.
Other kids my age like dogs,
if they like animals at all,
but for me, it's goldfish.
I understand them,
living underwater in a little bowl,
hearing nothing,
just watching things through glass.
My name is Clay Pietrysk.
I'm basically your average teenager,
except for the fact
that I've been deaf since I was born,
and I can't really speak.
Your average teenager, except for the deaf part,
and the fact that my father was shot to death
outside a bar in McKees Rocks
a little over a year ago.
But all of this isn't only about me.
All of this is more about waiting for someone
you know will never come back...
about that time spent waiting...
and the people you meet in the waiting room.
See, my dad was shot once,
in the stomach.
Walter Blount's sister was raped, stabbed,
and hit over the head eight times with a brick.
After she died,
her killer tried to burn her body.
When that didn't work,
he left her by the river's edge,
half covered with a garbage bag.
You're up, Walter.
Feeling peckish? Try Megabird.
What the cluck?
No. No...
Feeling peckish? Try Megabird.
We're egg-cited to serv--
What the cluck? Try Megabird.
Chicken, you're an asshole.
Don't say that!
Don't-- don't you say that!
That was an interesting discussion
about how a grandparent feels.
So many times,
extended family gets forgotten
or neglected
in favor of spouses and sons and daughters,
and your pain is just as real,
just as profound.
Thank you for bringing that up today.
It was good stuff.
It's good stuff...
do I have to stay for this?
Hush.
Linda Pietrysk is going to share
the life reconstruction book
she made for her husband Larry.
Linda?
I really don't like talking out loud
in front of people, but...
I know Gloria is going next,
and she said if I could, she could, so...
Um...
I went through what I could find,
and so I'll just start
from when Larry and I first met,
and this is when he went away
to play A-ball out in Oregon.
Baseball didn't work out, on account of his drinking,
so...
and, uh...
this is, um, when our son Clay was born.
When he was alive,
my dad drank a lot and collected guns.
My dad also had friends
who drank a lot and collected guns.
One of those friends, Mark Jankowski,
shot my dad with one of those guns
after one of those nights drinking.
People have different versions of what happened.
No matter what the story, I don't really care.
Mark Jankowski killed my dad.
And this is the last picture I have of Larry.
It's, uh...
Mark is in it, the guy who...
but I kept it
because...
well, it's the last one I have.
So...
Thank you, Linda.
I know that was difficult.
Thank you. It was good stuff.
Gloria Blount has finished
the reconstruction book
for her daughter.
Gloria?
Well, this is, uh,
the book that I made for my daughter Annie.
Most of the pictures have my son Walter in them
because they were...
they're twins, and...
Walter came along with me today
because I asked him to.
He didn't want to come.
Anyway, um...
Annie came first,
and Walter came eight minutes later.
It was one of the few times Walter came in second,
and, um...
Annie has a little girl,
named Beth.
She's five.
She's my granddaughter.
She lives with us now.
And Annie was engaged to this man named Brice...
see, me and Walter have things in common,
not just the fact that people we loved were murdered,
but the fact that we got stuck with the things
that those people left behind.
Tell me.
No trouble.
What time will you be home?
Okay.
Love you.
There is simply no direct evidence
connecting Tom Friedinger to the murder of Annie Blount.
There's no forensic evidence.
There's no witnesses to the crime itself,
nothing,
save for Mr. Friedinger's communication with the decedent
an hour before she was abducted and killed.
Yes, he liked to walk her home at night,
particularly when she was drunk, which she was that night.
Yes, he gave her presents and wrote her letters
and sent her flowers,
but that does not mean that he attacked her that night.
Strong feelings for the victim
are not enough evidence upon which to proceed!
Uh, particularly when you take into account
Miss Blount's lifestyle,
and the number of men she's been with
in the last few years alone!
Again, your honor,
there simply is not enough evidence
upon which to proceed.
Me and Walter,
We know how it feels
when a new day begins,
and someone doesn't show up for it.
We know how it feels.
People need to have something in common
to keep them close.
Something like a job, or a hobby, or a sport...
or the wait for something to change,
for justice...
All rise.
For fairness.
Court is adjourned.
But the wait can get difficult...
Please bring the motion to my chambers.
And after a while,
you can't just watch the story go on without you.
After a while,
you take the story back.
You're not helping us in there.
The way you sit in that gallery
and glare at Friedinger
makes Friedinger seem even more sympathetic
than he already is.
Sympathetic?
Walter, he's a fat slob with a low I.Q.
Who's never caught a break in his life,
and you know as well as I do
the evidence we've got
isn't exactly going to fry him
without the jury on our side.
Come to court, just...
lighten it up, you know?
So, Mrs. Pietrysk...
Hi.
Let some steam off before you come in.
Jury selection will take
the better part of the week.
Each side will have a chance
to rule out
any potential problem jurors.
We'll get the right people up there,
and we'll start this thing.
Okay.
Okay?
Hi.
You're Gloria's son, right?
Yeah. Walter.
Walter, right.
Oh, God...
you can't smoke in this damn place.
I'm here for jury selection.
I heard it can take a while.
That's what the prosecutor was just telling me.
There's a snack machine on the second floor,
in case you get hungry.
Thanks.
'Night.
Love you.
Love you, too, Ma.
Try your cluck with daily free lunch drawings.
Suck cock, cock.
You shouldn't s--
you shouldn't--
What?
Don't be chicken, try Megabird.
Oh, please. Fuck off.
Most survivors turn to the criminal justice system
for a kind of emotional support
in their need to see their loved one's assailants
apprehended, prosecuted,
convicted, and punished.
Unfortunately,
the criminal justice system
exists for society,
not for you as an individual.
So whatever you believe
the appropriate punishment for the murder is
will probably not be doled out.
Even if the killer gets the death sentence,
it ultimately will not make you feel better.
Okay, that does it for today.
Remember, we set a date
for the charity rummage sale,
and this should be a great way
to let go of those possessions
you've struggled to get rid of,
as well as a good way to raise money
for victims' families.
Good stuff.
Judge Wettick rejected the defense's motions to dismiss
and for mistrial.
So, we're back to it.
I don't wish to speak ill of the dead,
but she drank,
a lot.
She was promiscuous.
She had sexual relations with many men.
Consequently,
it gave many men reason to react to her.
That's not true...
She was a person
who put herself into dangerous situations
with great frequency.
That's not true.
It has been established in this court of law
that Miss Blount was not even certain
who the father of her child is!
What are you saying about my sister?
Mr. Blount.
He's telling a lie!
Mr. Blount.
He's-- that's a lie!
He's lying!
This is your last warning, Mr. Blount.
But he doesn't know anything about her!
Mr. Blount...
You're just going to let him--
Mr. Blount...
You are so full of sh--
You are so f--
Walter?
What happened?
This defense attorney basically
just called my sister a wh...
Whore.
Oh, that's not right.
Basically said
she brought it on herself.
I'm sorry.
It's not enough that he represents that...
that human piece of crap,
but to call my sister's honor
into question?
I wonder what would happen
if we waited outside for him later today
and beat the living shit out of him.
I'd never even been to court
before all of this happened.
It's like a...
It's like a foreign country in there.
The words they use and how things happen,
it's-- it's...
it's like I got on the wrong plane
and got off in some fucked-up country
I'm not supposed to be in.
You don't talk much, do you?
I don't know.
Well, so, what were you doing
before all of this happened?
Wrestling.
Wrestling?
Yeah, um, I was in Iowa,
training with the national team,
and then...
it happens, and I came home,
and I stayed.
How old are you?
24.
24,
and you want to stay around here.
I just need to see this thing through.
One way or another.
So, what do you do
when you're not hanging around the courthouse?
W-what do you mean?
Well, I mean for a living.
Do you work?
I'm a chicken.
The, uh...
well, the chicken that stands outside of Megabird.
Are you the one I told to fuck off?
Sorry about that.
It's okay.
Well, you were kind of just staring at me.
I'm not very good at it.
The other guy who wears the suit,
Jose, he, like, dances...
Right.
And flaps his arms and stuff.
Right, right, right.
Oh, you're the one who sits on the...
the edge of the window.
The sad chicken.
Well, I work over at the community center.
I oversee the special events, mostly weddings.
I started doing it after Larry was killed.
I was just kind of
walking around in a haze, and...
anyway, my girlfriend,
she's head of human resources over there,
so, you know, that's...
that's how I got hired.
Do you like it?
The job?
They don't make me wear a chicken suit.
No.
Oh, wrestling.
Right.
¢Ü when we were green and young as shoots ¢Ü
¢Ü the world took off beneath our boots ¢Ü
¢Ü oh, we were picked when we were young ¢Ü
¢Ü gentle words and modesty ¢Ü
¢Ü when we turned towards the tide ¢Ü
¢Ü choirs screamed in their delight ¢Ü
¢Ü oh, I am ripe and ready now ¢Ü
¢Ü my heart is heavy it's going to fall ¢Ü
¢Ü out of my body... ¢Ü
Hey, let's go, boys, let's go!
Jesus, Walter.
What the hell are you doing?
I got it.
Jesus Christ, Walter, what the hell are you doing
pushing all that weight around alone?
Oh, uh, I made an extra key for you
for the weight room.
Lock up when you go.
Thank you.
Are you, uh...
you entering the regional tournament?
No.
What?
I'm not wrestling anymore, coach.
What the hell
are you training so hard for?
Oh, yeah!
Hey, 'tard!
"Special" my ass.
Hey, you guys better catch the other ones!
Come on, you too cool, buddy?
You can't talk to me?
We got one, boys, the biggest one!
Want to run with me, tough guy?
Want to run with me?
You too cool to talk to me, big guy?
Come on, guy, let's go!
You ride the cart into school this morning?
In the back of the yellow twinkie bus?
Come on, tough guy.
Come on, retard, do something.
Don't just stand there.
You got to talk to me first, tough guy.
What's up? Do something.
Let's go, retard.
Are you going to fight me or not?
What, you can't hear me?
What are you, deaf or something?
Let's go, buddy.
Do something.
Don't just stand there.
You hear what I'm saying to you?
I just wanted to know if you want to fight me or not--
Hey!
"Special" my ass.
Hey, leave him alone!
Take him out!
You all right, man?
You all right?
All right, take it easy.
Hey, he sucker-punched me!
Take it easy.
Hey...
Hey!
I'm Walter.
I know your mother.
Give me the gun.
I'm serious. Give it to me.
The gun.
Give me the gun.
Fucking pulled a gun on me, the freak!
Kid starts kind of shoving him and whatnot.
He put a pretty good lickin' on him.
He, uh, pulled out a gun.
Shit!
Shit...
I have to talk to him for a second.
Will you hang around?
Are you--
No, you can't have the gun back!
I know!
Look at me!
I know.
I know those kids were teasing you.
Clay, you can't--
Clay, look--
Clay...
Would you mind not doing that?
Why has he got a gun?
It was his father's.
No, what's he doing with it?
I'm not stupid, Walter.
I didn't give him bullets or anything.
Forget it. I'll take it away.
I have to now.
If he gets kicked out of another school,
Fuck!
God, and the trial is starting,
and I don't know what I'm going to do with him.
I have to deal with this now, so...
Yeah.
Your mom told me you were coming home soon,
so I just waited.
You want to go get a beer
or something?
I'm not drinking.
I could probably help you get a job
over where I'm working
if you wanted to, you know,
Do something indoors, or...
I'm okay.
I told you
about that girl I was seeing, right?
Uh, yeah.
Grace.
She's pregnant.
I'm going to ask her to marry me.
Okay.
And I wanted to know if, you know,
maybe you could talk to your mom about Annie's ring?
You know, I didn't want to just...
I just thought it might upset her, coming from me.
You know, and I can't afford to buy another one.
But, I mean, if she freaks out or something,
I understand. It's cool.
I'm going to sell Annie's record collection
in the rummage sale,
unless you want 'em.
Have you seen my yellow sweatshirt?
Check the wash.
Which-- this wash?
Great, Ma.
Oh.
I let Beth help with the laundry.
Well, now I've got to go to the store
and buy another one before work.
Why?
Because chickens are yellow, Ma,
Not pink!
Maybe it's time you thought about going back to Iowa.
Honey, Annie wouldn't want it this way.
What way?
Well, you in a chicken suit outside the Megabird, for one.
And you sitting in that courtroom all day,
staring at Peggy Friedinger's half-retarded son.
How would Annie want it, Ma?
She'd probably want you to be...
I don't know, doing what you used to do
the way you used to do it.
Am I embarrassing you?
No, Honey.
You know what Annie would want?
Annie would want it to be made right.
She'd want it to be fair.
I can fix you some eggs or something.
By the way, Brice stopped by.
He wants Annie's ring back.
Oh?
Yeah, he got some girl pregnant,
and now he wants to give her Annie's ring.
Oh.
It's up in Beth's room, in the dresser drawer.
What are you doing?
Nothing.
What are you doing?
Grammy says I can stay home from school today.
What are you going to do instead?
Is that you, Walter?
Yeah.
Hi.
Listen...
I just wanted to come by, and...
Can you...
can you take off that damn mask, please?
Yeah.
Thanks.
You know it's raining out.
Yeah.
And they make you stand out here in the rain?
Yeah.
Want to get a coffee?
I don't drink coffee.
I'll watch you drink coffee.
Okay.
Just, I need one second.
I just want to thank you for helping Clay.
I'm afraid I...
I was bitchy.
So, anyway, thanks.
What's going to happen with him?
Oh, the city put him in this program.
What program?
Some genius in the Mayor's office thinks
if you send a kid to the coroner's office
and watch autopsies on gunshot deaths
it'll change his life.
Autopsies?
And this is a kid--
I mean, his father was shot to death.
Listen,
I'm doing this wedding Saturday night,
and I'm allowed to bring someone...
Okay.
And it's not like a date or anything,
I just need someone to come with me.
Because I cr...
I cry too much at the weddings,
and I...
I just can't seem to stop it,
and I just-- I think about Larry,
and I-- and I lose it, and...
anyway, so my friend is saying
maybe I shouldn't do it anymore if I can't control my emotions,
so I was thinking, well,
maybe if I had someone with me...
I wouldn't feel so sorry for myself.
You know, if you want to come.
¢Ü you would be nothing without me ¢Ü
¢Ü I could be nothing ¢Ü
¢Ü said the waves to the sand ¢Ü
¢Ü I could be nothing without you ¢Ü
¢Ü without you I would be nothing ¢Ü
¢Ü without me you could be nothing ¢Ü
¢Ü said the waves... ¢Ü
Mom!
Oh...
Out.
I have to get dressed.
Out.
Hi, Walter.
Hey.
You look nice.
Thank you.
That's... You...
Oh.
Is this weird?
Going to a wedding
where you don't know anybody?
I guess.
I...
I just feel kind of stupid
asking for your help now.
It's okay.
I was just going to watch TV,
so...
Okay.
So...
Okay.
Thank you.
So, this wedding we're going to...
Yeah?
It's a beautiful story, really.
Um, they met in their church choir,
and, um, well, her father is dead,
but was military,
and her uncle is walking her
down the aisle,
and the flag
that was over her father's coffin
is going to be placed in an empty seat
in the front row.
Oh, and then the bride and groom
are going to sing to each other, and...
Oh, and she's pregnant.
¢Ü I thought my prayers... ¢Ü
¢Ü would never be answered ¢Ü
¢Ü but I kept the faith... ¢Ü
I'm sorry.
I know this is so stupid.
¢Ü out of nothing you made my life anew ¢Ü
¢Ü I found all these things when I found you ¢Ü
Will you take this man...
You said you didn't want to cry.
...for better for worse,
in good times and in bad, for richer, for poorer...
in sickness, and in health,
so long as you both shall live?
I do.
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
Ow!
You may kiss your bride.
You're having a terrible time.
Nope.
I'm just watching.
Yeah.
They're all so happy, aren't they?
Have you ever been married?
No.
Close?
No, I've just been...
Wrestling, you know?
Mm.
Wrestling.
No kids?
Sometimes I help watch my sister's daughter.
She's five, and a half.
So I help with her.
Oh.
Hey, pretty lady.
Hey!
Hey, come dance with me.
Oh, no.
That's cool with you, right?
Come on, now.
Okay.
You arranged all this, right?
Okay.
...so open,
and he was so gentle with her.
Yeah. He was nice.
Wasn't he?
He seems like a really nice guy.
He's the greatest guy.
Yeah.
I'm sorry I got drunk.
Oh, that's okay.
That's...
I'm sorry I looked at your drawings.
Oh...
I don't know why I did that.
No, it's all right.
I'm sorry I got weird about it.
I liked them, though. They're good.
I-I like how there aren't any people in them.
You don't have to say that.
No, I did. They...
I...
There's something about an empty room.
I don't... there's something about...
something interesting about
what might happen next,
because you don't know. It could...
Yeah, I guess.
You just hope it's going to be good,
though, you know?
For whoever steps inside.
At least I do.
That's really nice, Walter.
Oh, my God!
Jesus, that's Clay.
What?
Can you stop the bus?
Clay!
Damn it, Clay!
What the hell are you doing?
Go home!
No, just go the fuck home!
This is where the guy who killed my husband
used to live.
Thank you.
I'm sorry about my son.
Linda?
What?
Could you ask Clay
to meet me in the gym
first thing Monday morning,
Before school?
Why?
Just ask him.
7:30 in the gym?
Okay.
'Night.
Thank you for the wedding.
You're welcome.
Good night.
Oh, use a plate, huh?
You were on a date last night.
Kind of. Not really.
You were with Linda, huh?
Yeah.
Nice.
That's nice.
I guess.
I need your help with the rummage sale.
I'm not hanging out with you and your support group friends.
I'm not asking you to come, Walter.
I need help cleaning out the garage.
I can't lift half that stuff, okay?
Fine.
Thank you.
It's nice you have a new friend.
I went to a wedding that she was working at.
That's it.
Okay, let's go!
Good, good!
Explode!
Hey...
One more, up you go!
I don't know how to talk to you,
so I just wrote some stuff down.
This is about the team, okay? Hey...
Ah, good one!
That's what I like to see.
This is a permission slip
you've got to get your ma to sign, all right?
Just...
Okay, watch it!
I think you'd be good at it.
Keep those feet together.
At least it'll help you work off some of that stuff.
And again.
Come on, pick it up!
Wrestling helped me a lot when I was your age.
All right, take five.
That's the coach.
He's going to talk to you now.
Tommy was home by 11:00.
How do you know that?
The news just started.
We watched it together.
The 11:00 news?
That's right.
We always watch the news together,
and then the late show after.
So at 11:00,
at least an hour before the coroner said
the murder took place,
your son Thomas was home with you?
That's what I said.
No more questions.
You may step down, Mrs. Friedinger.
Walter, hey.
Hey.
So, uh...
Grace said yes when I proposed.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
Can I get in here for a second?
Yeah, sorry.
She's not going to tell her parents she's pregnant
until after the wedding,
so we're moving pretty fast here.
Okay.
So we want you to be in the wedding party.
I mean, you and your mom
should be part of this, you know?
It just wouldn't be right
if you all weren't part of this.
Great.
Hey...
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks, man.
Yeah.
How's he doing?
Wrestling's a lot different
than fist-fighting.
Yeah.
But he stuck it through the whole practice,
and he's still at it.
I'll help him.
All right, you guys!
No conditioning tomorrow morning,
light workout tomorrow after school.
Okay, good.
You did good.
Come on, off you go!
All right, good!
Are you sure this is going to be all right?
Yeah, deaf kids can wrestle. He's...
Okay.
You just, uh...
You might want to get him
some Ben-Gay or something.
And tell him to take a hot shower
Before he goes to bed,
just so he doesn't cramp up too much.
Thanks.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
you have heard all the evidence.
Now it is my duty to instruct you
on the law that applies to this case.
You must base your decision on the facts and the law,
and you must determine these facts
from the evidence received in this trial,
and not from any other sources.
Hey...
Hey.
The jury's deliberating.
Oh.
Hi.
They're breaking until Monday.
Sometimes it takes a few hours,
sometimes it takes a few days.
Friday's not a great day to start deliberating, so...
they'll bring something back next week.
I'm sure of it.
So, what are you going to do with yourself
this weekend?
I don't know.
I have another wedding on Saturday night.
You know, if you want to kill some time.
They met on the internet.
He's in a wheelchair.
She's works at a gym in South Hills
teaching some exercise classes.
He's a professor at, uh, CMU, in computers.
She's never even been to college.
It's crazy.
So, you know, something to do.
Are you going to say anything or not?
Uh, sure.
I-I'd...
I'll come.
I'll come with you.
Okay.
I'd like that.
Okay.
Oh.
They're starting up, so...
I'll see you later.
Okay, tomorrow at, uh, 5:00.
Oh, your friend, um, Brice,
came in here with his fiancee
the other day.
Guess they're using the community center
for the wedding.
Anyway, I told them I'd help them out.
You know, save some money.
That's nice.
Come on, Linda.
I want you to dance.
We'll show you, come on.
You want to dance?
No, I don't dance.
No, neither did my husband.
Well, I'm going to.
You don't have to, but I'm going to.
I want everybody to dance.
I want everybody to have fun.
Come on, Linda.
I'm sorry.
You're working.
Yeah, but I left you sitting in here
for, like, an hour.
It's fine. You're working.
It's-- it's okay.
I just had to make sure all the unused bottles
weren't billed
and the rose petals were put away.
You going to close up, Linda?
Oh, yeah, go on. I'll-- I'll do it.
Thank you for helping.
Oh, uh, yeah. No problem.
You know, you don't have to keep coming
to these things
if it's boring for you.
No, it's-- it's okay. It's--
You sure?
Yeah, I had fun, so...
Yeah, in your way.
In my way?
Yeah, your...
I know I'm a lot older than you,
and I know I'm all...
fucked up.
No, please don't stop.
Please keep going.
No, just, please, before I think too much.
Hi.
I...
I want you to hold onto this for me.
If I tell Clay
you're keeping it for him--
I don't want it.
He won't argue with me.
I can't have it around here.
I don't want it.
To Clay...
this is what he has left of his dad.
I can't just throw it away.
I haven't, since Larry died,
even been able to talk to someone,
let alone be with someone.
Yeah, I just, um...
I think I'd better get going.
Good night.
¢Ü when you finally scaled the wall ¢Ü
¢Ü thinkin' you had heard the siren singing ¢Ü
¢Ü what you really heard was a broken bird ¢Ü
¢Ü making out like it's a dove... ¢Ü
Okay? You do it.
No, no--
Hook.
Hook that. Hook that. Feel that?
Two.
¢Ü everybody knew what you were thinking ¢Ü
¢Ü ivory towers lover's flowers ¢Ü
¢Ü but no one thought you were a fool ¢Ü
¢Ü you never stopped to notice all ¢Ü
¢Ü the stolen clothes stacked in the hall... ¢Ü
You know how.
Do it.
Come on.
¢Ü from the others who scaled the wall just to... ¢Ü
Watch me.
Hey, watch me!
You're going to do what I do.
Fuck you!
Come on!
I'm sorry about throwing you like that.
It's part of the sport.
I didn't mean anything by it.
Around this time about a year ago
I was a couple tournaments away
from making the national team.
There was this guy, Packer,
and this other guy from Northeast Pennsylvania.
Said he'd give me a run for it, but...
man, I was close.
Then one day I'm...
in the middle of a workout.
One of the trainers comes in.
I could just tell by the way she was looking at me
that something... really horrible had happened.
So I take the first bus home.
I get there, and everything is just a mess.
My little niece is asking where her mommy is,
Annie's fiance, he's just...
he's in shock.
He's in no position to take her,
and my mom just starts talking,
just non-stop,
just to anybody that'll listen.
It's, like, nobody's thinking about anything
except for themselves.
Not about Annie,
not about the guy that killed her.
I mean, am I so screwed up
to be constantly thinking about this guy?
I got no idea what you're talking about.
Just tell your mom,
and she'll tell me.
In the matter of the people of the Commonwealth
versus Mark Henry Jankowski,
case number T-O 21554.
We, the jury in the above-entitled action,
find the defendant, Mark Henry Jankowski,
guilty of the crime of murder
in violation of Penal Code 187-A, a felony,
upon Lawrence James Pietrysk,
a human being.
Hey...
You okay?
Clay's asleep.
Do you want to help me?
Mm-hm.
Turn the light out.
What?
I don't... Do you want this?
Write it down?
What?
Mom...
What are you doing?
Cleaning up for the rummage sale.
I see that.
Thanks for getting all that crap out of here.
Mom, the verdict.
The verdict's in an hour.
You're not coming?
I'm going to church.
Whatever Tom Friedinger gets
isn't going to change anything for me.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
I am going to ask
that you carefully listen to the verdicts
as they are being read by the clerk.
After they have been read,
you will be asked if these are your verdicts.
I caution the audience to remain calm
during the reading of these verdicts.
Any disruption will mean being removed from the courtroom.
Mr. Friedinger,
please stand and face the jury.
Miss Nedved?
Superior Court of the Commonwealth
in the matter of People of the Commonwealth
versus Thomas Robert Friedinger,
case number SA-21423.
We, the jury, in the above-entitled action,
find the defendant, Thomas Robert Friedinger,
not guilty of the crime of murder
in violation of the Penal Code 187-A,
a felony,
Upon Anne Lynn Blount, a human being...
as charged in count two of the information.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
is this your verdict,
so say you one, so say you all?
Walter?
Are you okay?
Is there anything I can do?
Want to be left alone?
Sir!
Sir...
Yes?
I've changed my mind.
Excuse me?
The records.
Here's your money back.
I-I don't want to sell them anymore.
We agreed on a price.
I think I paid you fairly.
No, but it's not about the money.
I want my daughter's records back.
Sir, you should probably give her her records back.
What's your problem, man--
Give her her records back.
Gloria...
Remember why we're doing this.
Just take your damn money.
Please? Please?
Gloria? Gloria, just take a breath--
Fuck you, Hank.
I want my daughter's records back.
Gloria, remember why
we're doing this.
We're trying to get--
Jesus, lady.
Take the records. I'm sorry.
Take them.
I'm sorry.
Take 'em.
Just g-give me...
give me the Alan Parsons Project.
I gave that to her.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Hank.
You hit me with a goddamn umbrella!
I'm sorry.
What, this is funny?
This is funny?
Yeah, okay.
Okay, good stuff.
Oh yeah.
Good stuff.
It's okay.
It's okay...
What happened?
He was...
They found him not guilty.
They're letting him out today.
Hmm.
We could use some help with the refreshments, Walter,
if it's not too much trouble.
Walter...
Clay made varsity.
He's wrestling against Peabody.
Good.
He-- he wants you to come to the meet--
Walter, please, the mask.
You want to come over later,
maybe?
Okay.
What the cluck? Try Megabird.
What the cluck?
Try Megabird.
Hello, Tom.
What?
What the cluck? Try Megabird.
Try Megabird, Tom.
You okay?
Yeah.
No, I just, I...
I got him into this.
No, he'll be fine.
Wrestlers...
Shake hands.
Wrestle!
Red!
Out!
Come on, buddy!
Green, you're down.
Man on...
One, two...
Again!
Let's go again.
Ready?
Wrestle!
That's it, come on, get him!
Underhook over and under!
Hit it, hit it!
Yeah!
One, two, three...
Way to go, Clay, you did it!
Yeah!
You won.
You won!
Get going.
I haven't seen Clay that happy in years.
He was so happy.
He was so proud of himself.
The way he looked at you afterward...
so was this anything more for you
than just...
waiting?
It is for me.
It has been...
more.
So you're not going to just disappear on us, then?
Linda...
'Cause me and Clay, you know, we...
we really like you.
Well, we love you
is what I mean.
¢Ü every tale you tell ¢Ü
¢Ü every sinking wishing well ¢Ü
¢Ü I can see your face in the deep blue sea ¢Ü
¢Ü every holding hand ¢Ü
¢Ü every piece of major land ¢Ü
¢Ü I can feel... ¢Ü
¢Ü on the deep blue sea ¢Ü
¢Ü and your ship, love is moored ¢Ü
¢Ü head and stern ¢Ü
¢Ü and the dead weight of your loss ¢Ü
¢Ü drags me down ¢Ü
¢Ü I will stay with you my love ¢Ü
¢Ü I just need to feel you near ¢Ü
¢Ü and you beckon me each time ¢Ü
¢Ü I close my eyes... ¢Ü
How many times did you hit her?
How many times?
How many fucking times did you...
hit her?
It wasn't me!
It wasn't...
It wasn't me.
You used a knife,
and a brick!
And you burnt her body!
No, no, no!
I was the other guy from the bar!
I was the only one that was nice to her!
You killed her!
No, I tried to walk her home that night,
and she wouldn't let me!
And she wouldn't let me...
and she wouldn't let me...
I was her friend.
I tried!
I was her friend.
I'm not going to tell anybody what happened, okay?
Can I go now, please?
Can I please go now?
Clay.
What are you doing?
Go home.
Go home, Clay.
Go home!
Go! Go!
The Judge ruled these inadmissible,
but we interviewed every one of these guys,
and they all substantiated that...
well...
you know.
There wasn't much of a case against my client.
I'm sorry, Mr. Blount.
Walter?
What?
He didn't do it.
What?
He didn't do it.
He was trying to help her.
I'm sorry.
He was doing
what I should have been doing.
I should have been there, but I left her...
No.
And so all she had to rely on
was someone like that, that's what she...
Shh... No, no.
Shh...
That's what she had...
It's okay, it's okay. It's okay.
Let me take care of you.
Let me help you.
Okay?
Let me love you.
What are we, really?
What?
What are we?
To each other?
We're just sad reminders of--
Walter, stop.
You have your conviction.
What do I have?
I have nothing.
I have this.
I'm a fucking chicken!
You don't have to be afraid.
I'm not going to ask you to save me.
And I'm not going to disappear on you--
I'm not-- I'm not afraid!
I'm going back to Iowa.
I can't...
I can't be here anymore.
I'm sorry.
Hey...
You know, when I was eight,
I asked Grammy
if I could have the basement.
Because I didn't want to share my room
with a girl anymore.
Your mom was pretty mad about that.
She used to sneak down into my room
and crawl into my bed after I fell asleep.
Just like you.
So that's why Grammy bought her this,
to keep her company at night.
It would make her feel better.
So...
I think it's time for you to have this.
Hey...
It's for you.
I don't know what you're saying.
I can't...
"Man?"
Is this about that man?
I don't know.
I don't know anymore.
It's the key to the weight room.
Coach Partenheimer says
he thinks you'll do well next year.
If you keep at it,
he thinks you might make sectionals, so...
you'll be all right.
I have to work tonight.
Please...
Stay home.
Please.
Love you.
Hey...
Hey.
I've spent my entire life...
waiting.
Thinking...
I didn't deserve any better than I got--
my husband and his drinking,
my son,
my life on the South Side.
You know what?
I like it here.
I love the grey sky,
and the old buildings,
and the smells
coming from the houses
and the stores, and...
I love raising my son here,
And I love being with you.
I'm sorry I'm so sad.
It's just that I know,
if you would let me, I...
I could take good care of you.
And I know if you wanted to,
you'd be good to me and Clay.
I know you would because you already are.
I just had to...
before you leave...
tell you how I felt.
Nothing more.
¢Ü oh, the beauty of things ¢Ü
¢Ü you never consider ¢Ü
¢Ü like walking at night with a can of beer... ¢Ü
¢Ü a dark stormy night ¢Ü
¢Ü the lack of light ¢Ü
¢Ü consumes me sipping ¢Ü
¢Ü a dribble runs down my chin... ¢Ü
I guess
this is all about the things that were left behind.
The gun,
the music box,
the key to the weight room.
They keep us all holding on.
and maybe, in their own way,
these souvenirs keep us wondering
what to do with them...
¢Ü I want to hear you for the first time ¢Ü
¢Ü again ¢Ü
¢Ü oh, the beauty of things ¢Ü
¢Ü you never consider like... ¢Ü
But the wait can become difficult.
And after a while,
you can't just watch the story just go on without you.
After a while,
you take the story back.
Linda...
Linda.
I made a mistake.
Clay's not here.
He took his gun.
I have no idea where to look.
It's okay. It's okay.
I got it.
¢Ü and if you take the oldest works ¢Ü
¢Ü and if you take the newest works ¢Ü
¢Ü you find love ¢Ü
¢Ü and if you take the oldest songs ¢Ü
¢Ü and if you take the newest songs ¢Ü
¢Ü you find love... ¢Ü
Hello.
Can I help you?
Clay!
Go, Mom!
Go!
Clay!
You shot him.
You shot him!
Walter!
Walter...
I collect goldfish.
I understand them,
living underwater in a little bowl...
"hearing nothing.
Just watching through the glass..."
My name is Clay Pietrysk.
I'm basically your average teenager.
Except for the fact
that I've been deaf since I was born,
and I can't really speak.
Good job.
Love you.
I love you, Mom.
But all of this isn't only about me...
all of this is more about waiting for someone
you know will never come back...
About that time spent waiting...
and the people you meet
in the waiting room.
sync by daejang