Richard came to Natalie's house armed with a gun. Doesn't that matter at all to the court? And picking a gun in a supposed dispute or fight with an unarmed person doesn't matter, either? Let alone the fact Frank was called to be there because Richard had recently been violent there. He got away just like that. Could that really happen or is just one of those implausible cases they love to show in the movies?
shareThere was no evidence that Richard shot him as he claimed it was self defense thats why the dad take the justice by his hand and yes there are lot of these case in real life .
shareI think I know what you're asking. All of that evidence is not as useful as you might think. Richard was likely claiming the following:
Yes, he brought along his gun (which he often carries) and had only meant to threaten Frank into seeing his wife, but then the sight of the gun freaked out Frank - so Frank tried to grab or push it away (presumably fearing that Richard would use it against Natalie) and then the gun went off in the struggle.
Since Natalie did not actually see the willful pointing of the gun (she didn't want to lie on the stand) and she didn't even see the supposed struggle...it's at least a guaranteed manslaughter charge. Otherwise, to charge Richard with 2nd degree murder may have proved totally fruitless and he would've walked with a "not guilty" charge - there would've been too much reasonable doubt for the jury.
Even forensics could not determine that it was, or was not, a struggle (as mentioned in the dialogue). The shot, blood spatter, wound, etc. was likely proven to have been either deliberate or accidental. Had Frank been physically four or more feet away, Richard could not have claimed a struggle. And assuming forensics did not find Frank's prints on the gun (from supposedly trying to get the gun away), Richard could claim that Frank was wrestling his arms or body in such a way to have cause the inadvertent shot.
In other words, they couldn't prove that Richard specifically went to the house to kill Frank (1st degree, premeditated) or that he pulled out the gun purposely to kill Frank (2nd degree), after angrily confronting him at the home. While I'm certain that Richard is a complete a-hole, I can't be certain of the legal degree of the shooting since it was never shown to us either.
"Don't get chumpatized!" - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
If the jealous ex was black, hispanic or other minority he would've gotten the gas chamber, this spoiled white kid was the son of someone influential in the town so he was given special treatment. Even the prosecuting lawyer was on board.
Although this film has some very good acting and has excellent direction and cinematography, the story plays out like a made for TV or Lifetime movie. It pulls too hard on your emotional strings and in the end becomes too predictable.
I will say this was a very well done film and I don't wish to knock those that enjoyed it because this is the style of film making that I admire. The story line is just so sappy and predictable. It's really a credit to the cast and direction crew how they made it into a very watchable film despite the "over the top" story.
Justice is rarely fair, balanced or proportional. Drunk drivers have annihilated entire families and often got only 2-3 years in prison, if that. Assault cases see longer sentences, sometimes. Some like that doooooochey-baggy-cr@phead affluenza kid, got ONLY probation. Drug offenses (mere possession with no proof of actual intent to deliver, only inferred from quantity) often receive unreasonably lengthy sentences.
And sadly, race and gender play a huge role in the penalities imposed. Your best bet for committing most any crime (1st offense), even murder, would be white, upper middle class female. For drug offenses, being white definitely helps. At least that's what the statistics say. For DUIs (even incidents with injuries or death) gender, race, income all play major factor.
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/bcga.gif
I assume you're not familiar with the Trayvon Martin case?
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