Chapter 17, Verdict Summary and Analysis

The closing arguments began with the prosecution. Bill Peterson hit all the important dates in the case, especially the days in which Ward was interrogated by police and changed his story. Peterson also attacked Kerner's testimony, claiming he had wasted his time taking pictures of people and trucks that had nothing to do with the case. After the dinner break, Butner made his closing arguments, underscoring the fact that none of the eyewitnesses had ever placed Fontenot at J.P.'s or McAnally's. Don Wyatt made his statements, emphasizing the inconsistencies in the confession tapes and the long hours before the confession during which the police interrogated Ward. Wyatt outright accused the police of pressure tactics. Finally Chris Ross, an assistant D.A., made the prosecution's rebuttal closing arguments. Ross focused on the pictures Jannette Roberts had provided, claiming...