ACT OF LOVE
| Drama | 1980 |
Plot:
Old country traditions and values cause Ron Howard to honor the pleas of his brother (played by Mickey Rourke), a quadriplegic following a motorcycle accident, to end his life, and then to stand trial for first-degree murder after the mercy killing. Michael De Guzman's teleplay was inspired by Paige.
Crew:
• Directed by: Jud Taylor
• Written by: Michael De Guzman, Judith Paige Mitchell (Book)
• Starring: Ron Howard, Robert Foxworth, Mickey Rourke, David Spielberg
• Produced by: Bruce J. Sallan
• Music by: Billy Goldenberg
• Cinematography: Michael D. Margulies
• Edited by: Gregory Prange
About TRENDEST MOVIES - ENGLISH:
Welcome to TRENDEST MOVIES - ENGLISH, your ultimate destination for an expansive collection of movies across all genres. From timeless classics to modern-day blockbusters, we bring you the best of cinema. Dive into our vast library, where you’ll find everything from thrilling action movies to heartwarming dramas, iconic comedies, and unforgettable sci-fi adventures. Stay tuned as we continue to expand our collection, offering something for every movie lover.
#TrendestMovies #EnglishCinema #ClassicHits
Follow Trendest Media:
• YouTube:
1) TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: www.youtube.com/@TRENDEST_INFOTAINMENT
2) TRENDEST KIDS: www.youtube.com/@TRENDEST_KIDS
• Instagram:
TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: https://www.instagram.com/trendestinfotainment/
• Facebook:
TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: https://www.facebook.com/TrendestInfotainment/
COPYRIGHT
We hold the proper licenses for all movies published on YouTube. For any questions, please contact: mail@trendest.in
AYA Media Private Limited & TRENDEST Media Private Limited are companies registered under the laws of India and located in the state of Kerala, India.
| Drama | 1980 |
Plot:
Old country traditions and values cause Ron Howard to honor the pleas of his brother (played by Mickey Rourke), a quadriplegic following a motorcycle accident, to end his life, and then to stand trial for first-degree murder after the mercy killing. Michael De Guzman's teleplay was inspired by Paige.
Crew:
• Directed by: Jud Taylor
• Written by: Michael De Guzman, Judith Paige Mitchell (Book)
• Starring: Ron Howard, Robert Foxworth, Mickey Rourke, David Spielberg
• Produced by: Bruce J. Sallan
• Music by: Billy Goldenberg
• Cinematography: Michael D. Margulies
• Edited by: Gregory Prange
About TRENDEST MOVIES - ENGLISH:
Welcome to TRENDEST MOVIES - ENGLISH, your ultimate destination for an expansive collection of movies across all genres. From timeless classics to modern-day blockbusters, we bring you the best of cinema. Dive into our vast library, where you’ll find everything from thrilling action movies to heartwarming dramas, iconic comedies, and unforgettable sci-fi adventures. Stay tuned as we continue to expand our collection, offering something for every movie lover.
#TrendestMovies #EnglishCinema #ClassicHits
Follow Trendest Media:
• YouTube:
1) TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: www.youtube.com/@TRENDEST_INFOTAINMENT
2) TRENDEST KIDS: www.youtube.com/@TRENDEST_KIDS
• Instagram:
TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: https://www.instagram.com/trendestinfotainment/
• Facebook:
TRENDEST INFOTAINMENT: https://www.facebook.com/TrendestInfotainment/
COPYRIGHT
We hold the proper licenses for all movies published on YouTube. For any questions, please contact: mail@trendest.in
AYA Media Private Limited & TRENDEST Media Private Limited are companies registered under the laws of India and located in the state of Kerala, India.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:00You
00:00:30Good morning, see you today. Good morning, Father's Day. Good morning. Thank you. Good morning, Father's Day. Good morning. Good morning girls, how are you? Good morning. Good morning. See you. Good morning.
00:01:01Good morning, how are you? Good morning. How are you? Good morning, good to see you today.
00:01:07Yeah, it's alright, it's alright.
00:01:26Your father?
00:01:28His only son died for our sins.
00:01:31May I ask you to bless the memory of Henry Sivalkowski on this Father's Day?
00:01:37We ask you to bless this gathering.
00:01:39We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
00:01:47Uh, Leon has something to say.
00:01:54I'm gonna paint the house. Start tomorrow.
00:01:57Red.
00:01:58Barn red?
00:02:00Barn red.
00:02:07Yeah, also, uh, we're gonna start clearing off the last five acres.
00:02:13Me and Joseph decided to start that this summer.
00:02:22I want to say something.
00:02:27I want to make a toast to my sons.
00:02:31Your father would be proud of you.
00:02:48She's a grandmother.
00:02:50So I'm his mother!
00:02:52Hey, look, that's just the way she is. She means well.
00:02:56You know, sometimes he goes to her instead of to me.
00:02:59Well, he's happy, I'm happy, you should be happy.
00:03:05Come on, it's gonna be alright.
00:03:13Come here.
00:03:16Hi.
00:03:18Come here.
00:03:37Where are you going?
00:03:39I told you Mr. Gibbs said there was extra work. I can have it.
00:03:43We were gonna be alone today. You said we'd go somewhere to be together.
00:03:46Joseph's got two jobs.
00:03:48Like a truck to pay off.
00:03:50Well, he worked last night.
00:03:51It's not fair to Joseph.
00:03:55Well, I'll wait here until you get back.
00:04:02I'm gonna be late again.
00:04:05I don't want you hanging around like that.
00:04:07I'll call you.
00:04:09Alright? I'll call you.
00:04:16I'll see you.
00:04:35Second, second.
00:04:38Come on, third.
00:04:41Right turn, right turn, right turn.
00:04:47Hey, you learning good?
00:04:49You wanna drive me to work, huh?
00:04:53I'll see you at 7.30.
00:04:55Yeah, Margaret's not gonna like it.
00:04:57Oh, come on, I'm just going for beers. No big deal.
00:05:01Maybe that girl's gonna be there.
00:05:03Maybe that girl's gonna be there again, huh?
00:05:05No, Leon, just beers.
00:05:07Alright.
00:05:097.30.
00:05:10Alright.
00:05:11Promise not to bother you about women.
00:05:13Come on, Leon, get out of here.
00:05:14Unless you ask.
00:05:34Joseph!
00:05:39It's a new bike.
00:05:41I don't know how to ride it.
00:05:42I know you know how to ride it.
00:05:44It's a new bike.
00:05:46Yes, ma'am.
00:05:47Look, I don't want to scratch on it.
00:05:49I don't even know how to ride it. It's a new bike.
00:05:56I don't want to scratch on it.
00:06:19I don't want to scratch on it.
00:06:34I don't even know how to ride it.
00:07:02I don't even know how to ride it.
00:07:29I don't even know how to ride it.
00:07:58I don't even know how to ride it.
00:08:11I don't even know how to ride it.
00:08:12I don't even know how to ride it.
00:08:13I don't even know how to ride it.
00:08:32Joseph.
00:08:36Joseph.
00:08:40How you doing?
00:08:43Who's asking?
00:08:45I think I broke my shoulder.
00:08:49Oh.
00:08:52Yeah, it's stupid.
00:08:54That's all right.
00:08:56You look okay.
00:09:02I'm going to sneak that girl in here for you.
00:09:04She'll fix you up.
00:09:07Yeah.
00:09:09Yeah, I was looking forward to drinking with you.
00:09:13Okay, is there anything I can do for you?
00:09:17Yeah, would you find out when I'm getting out of here?
00:09:19Yeah, sure.
00:09:21You look okay.
00:09:23I'll be back.
00:09:34When's my daddy coming home?
00:09:36Soon.
00:09:37When soon?
00:09:40Pretty soon now.
00:09:41Almost any time.
00:09:43Joey, what kind of ball player are you?
00:09:46Catcher.
00:09:47You're a catcher, huh?
00:09:48Let's see if you can catch this, all right?
00:09:55Good stuff.
00:09:57We have to move your brother, Mr. Sapkowski.
00:09:59Why?
00:10:00Wait, what's wrong with this place?
00:10:01We can't treat him here.
00:10:03He's got a broken shoulder.
00:10:04We think it may be something more.
00:10:06He needs equipment they don't have here.
00:10:08Dr. Escobar, admitting desk, please.
00:10:10You said he had a broken shoulder.
00:10:12The second set of x-rays shows one of the bones in the neck is completely shattered.
00:10:15We can't deal with that here.
00:10:17But you said he had a broken shoulder.
00:10:20Dr. Escobar, admitting desk, please.
00:10:32I had to pay him for the house.
00:10:37Barn red?
00:10:38Yeah.
00:10:39Well, I took Mama with me.
00:10:41She picked it out.
00:10:45I'm glad that Pop can't see me like this.
00:10:49He'll be all right.
00:10:54How's little Joseph?
00:10:55How's he doing?
00:10:56Terrific.
00:10:58I was playing ball with him.
00:10:59He's a good ball player.
00:11:01He's a terrific ball player.
00:11:05Margaret's at the store with Mama, taking care of him.
00:11:16You know, I'm scared, Leon.
00:11:18Oh, come on.
00:11:20What for?
00:11:21You're going to be all right.
00:11:23Is that what they said?
00:11:26You know how they talk.
00:11:28They want to make you expect the worst.
00:11:31Well, what did they say?
00:11:33Myself, I don't think they know so much.
00:11:36One guy thinks one thing.
00:11:37They bring in another guy.
00:11:38He thinks something else.
00:11:42You were what, Leon?
00:11:44The first x-ray looked like a broken shoulder, like they said.
00:11:49And then they said they were wrong.
00:11:52Some other bone was broken.
00:11:53Some bone in the neck.
00:11:58What bone, Leon?
00:12:01Now, tell me what bone is.
00:12:03Some bone.
00:12:04What the hell do I know about bones?
00:12:06Huh?
00:12:08They're going to operate.
00:12:09They're going to look in there.
00:12:14They said it was my shoulder.
00:12:15I said I broke my shoulder.
00:12:18Look out for this operation.
00:12:21There might not be so much pain.
00:12:23Maybe none.
00:12:26It might be all right, Leon.
00:12:33Leon, come here.
00:12:37Will you touch my feet?
00:12:42Leon, will you touch my feet?
00:12:46Leon, will you do my legs?
00:12:48Just come here and touch me.
00:12:50I just want to make sure that I'm still here.
00:12:53Do my feet, Leon.
00:13:03Leon, my feet.
00:13:16Leon, will you do my feet?
00:13:20Now, what's the matter with you?
00:13:22Will you touch me and do my feet, Leon?
00:13:26Leon!
00:13:29Come on, Leon.
00:13:31I don't feel anything.
00:13:32Do my legs, Leon.
00:13:35No, Leon, do...
00:13:37Leon, do my feet.
00:13:38Come on, please.
00:13:39Nobody's going to do them.
00:13:41Leon, I can't...
00:13:43I can't feel anything.
00:14:10Hey!
00:14:38What's that tube doing in his throat, huh?
00:14:39What are they doing to him?
00:14:40They're going to operate.
00:14:41It's going to be a long operation.
00:14:43They have to make sure he can breathe without difficulty.
00:14:45He doesn't like that.
00:14:46He needs it, Mr. Sivalkowski.
00:14:47It's important.
00:14:50Wait, wait a minute.
00:14:53Is he going to come out all right?
00:14:54I mean, is he going to...
00:14:55Is he going to be able to use his body?
00:14:58They're going to do everything they can.
00:15:01Come here.
00:15:13That's not a nice story.
00:15:15I don't care.
00:15:16Did he ever tell you that?
00:15:18All right, I was like, uh...
00:15:20What?
00:15:21Maybe eight years old.
00:15:22And, uh, I wanted a bicycle.
00:15:24But we didn't have any money, so, uh...
00:15:26So I said to him, I said, uh...
00:15:28I want a bicycle.
00:15:32So he went out and got me one.
00:15:34He just took it from some kid.
00:15:37He was always taking care of me, you know that?
00:15:39He was always...
00:15:40Always looking out for me.
00:15:44You were always in trouble.
00:15:51I'm cold.
00:16:04He's dying.
00:16:05My brother's dying.
00:16:08You didn't hurt him.
00:16:09He's okay.
00:16:12You didn't hurt him.
00:16:20Stay with me, Leon.
00:16:24Hold my hand.
00:16:32I got it.
00:16:40If after the operation...
00:16:44If I'm still the same...
00:16:48I want you to kill me.
00:16:51Joseph, no.
00:16:53It's wrong.
00:16:55Don't interfere.
00:17:01I can't live like this.
00:17:03With no arms and no legs.
00:17:07I'm nothing this way.
00:17:11Look, I can't make love to you.
00:17:15I can't play with Joey.
00:17:22I can't work.
00:17:26Joseph, I love you.
00:17:27How can you love me?
00:17:28I love you.
00:17:30Look at me.
00:17:32I love you.
00:17:40I have a head.
00:17:42That's all I have.
00:17:43Just a head.
00:17:45That's nothing.
00:17:47Joseph, I love you.
00:17:49I'm not a man this way.
00:17:53I'm nothing.
00:18:00I want you to swear to God.
00:18:02No, no, no.
00:18:04I want your word.
00:18:05No, no.
00:18:11I want your word.
00:18:15Stay with me.
00:18:18I can't live like this.
00:18:37Leon, you have to promise me.
00:18:39I can't do this.
00:18:41Leon, please.
00:18:43Leon, please.
00:18:53I love you, Joseph.
00:18:55I love you, Leon.
00:18:57I love you.
00:19:27I love you.
00:19:49Joey, get your ball.
00:19:53I don't want to.
00:19:59Oh, come on.
00:20:01Where's your ball?
00:20:03Over there.
00:20:07Well, go get it.
00:20:09Where's the cat, huh?
00:20:11Go get it over there.
00:20:30What's the matter?
00:20:31You don't want to play catch?
00:20:32No.
00:20:35I want my daddy.
00:20:53Dr. Curtis.
00:20:55Dr. Curtis, please call 104 West.
00:21:16I didn't do the actual operation, Mr. Silikowski.
00:21:18I only assisted.
00:21:20Just saying he might have to have that tube in his throat for the rest of his life.
00:21:23Well, I don't think his chances are too good.
00:21:25He's going to be like that for the rest of his life?
00:21:29They're going to do everything they can.
00:21:31He can't stay like that.
00:21:36It's a tragedy, I know, when it happens to someone young.
00:21:39I saw a lot of that in the service.
00:21:42It's a tragedy.
00:21:43I mean, they waste away like that.
00:21:45They get bedsores.
00:21:46After a while, the sores don't heal anymore.
00:21:50Stare at the ceiling, stare at the floor.
00:21:52I mean, that's all they do all day long.
00:21:55And I'm not saying that that's what's going to happen to your brother.
00:21:58Because I don't know what's going to happen yet.
00:22:01I don't know what's going to happen.
00:22:04It's too bad.
00:22:07It's a very hard thing.
00:22:12I should go up there and shoot him and get it over with.
00:22:18That'd be the smart thing to do.
00:24:18You can't, Leon.
00:24:48You can't.
00:24:52Leon, you can't do it.
00:25:07Does it show?
00:25:10Margaret!
00:25:13Is something on?
00:25:22What?
00:25:24I don't want it to show.
00:25:26What are you doing?
00:25:28Stay out of it.
00:25:37We should call the police.
00:25:42You gave your word.
00:25:55Fuck.
00:26:25Fuck.
00:26:50Fuck.
00:27:20Fuck.
00:27:51Joseph.
00:28:01Joseph.
00:28:09You in pain?
00:28:18You still want me to do it?
00:28:22Yes.
00:28:28Close your eyes.
00:28:34Joseph.
00:28:35Please.
00:29:05I love you, Joseph.
00:29:14I love you, Leon.
00:29:29God bless you.
00:29:50I love you.
00:30:14I love you.
00:30:24Mr. Rose.
00:30:25Mr. Sibulkowski's here.
00:30:28Come in, Leon.
00:30:37You like plants?
00:30:39Yeah, sure.
00:30:43How are you, Leon?
00:30:44Glad you could come down this morning.
00:30:45Your employer, Mr. Gibbs, asked me to take your case.
00:30:48My brother does his taxes.
00:30:51How do you feel about my being a lawyer?
00:30:55I don't have any money.
00:30:58Come on, sit down.
00:31:01I know about the money.
00:31:03I understand your mother put the house up to cover bond.
00:31:06She did.
00:31:07You're fortunate she could do that.
00:31:10You don't have to get out of jail so quickly.
00:31:15Did you shoot your brother, Leon?
00:31:18Yeah.
00:31:19Why?
00:31:23He asked me to.
00:31:24Did you always do what your brother asked?
00:31:27I keep my word.
00:31:29Joseph asked you to shoot him, and you did.
00:31:35What condition was he in when he asked you?
00:31:39He hurt.
00:31:41He couldn't move anything.
00:31:43He had nothing from the neck down.
00:31:46Did they have him on drugs at the hospital?
00:31:49Sure.
00:31:51Sure, I guess so.
00:31:54If he was under the influence of drugs, how do you know he knew what he was saying?
00:32:00He asked me.
00:32:01Didn't it occur to you not to honor this one request?
00:32:04No.
00:32:06Did it occur to you to wait to see if he was going to get better?
00:32:09He was never getting better.
00:32:12So you took his life?
00:32:14His life was gone.
00:32:16You killed your brother.
00:32:20I love my brother.
00:32:32Mr. Rose?
00:32:33Mr. Rose, I'd like to work on the Sibylkowski case.
00:32:36What the Sibylkowski case?
00:32:38Leon Sibylkowski.
00:32:40I haven't announced whether or not I'm taking the case yet.
00:32:43He's taking it.
00:32:44Miss Wiggins, our interns do not eavesdrop, they do not spy, and they definitely do not choose their own assignments.
00:32:50Murder is more interesting than real estate.
00:32:52Well, there happens to be more real estate than murder in this world.
00:32:55Certainly we deal with more of it at this firm.
00:32:57After three years in law school and a month in your library, I really feel I deserve this case.
00:33:03I'm giving it to one of the associates.
00:33:05Well, Mr. Rose, I come from the same kind of background as Leon Sibylkowski.
00:33:08I was raised in the country.
00:33:09I understand these people.
00:33:11I've got a good mind and a strong disposition and a very minimal social life.
00:33:15You'd have my undivided attention.
00:33:18Well, I'll think about it.
00:33:32Nice color.
00:33:58Barn red.
00:34:01I like to paint.
00:34:03Yeah, I like the smell.
00:34:06I like the satisfaction that comes from seeing the result of your work so quickly.
00:34:10Yeah.
00:34:20Tell me about the gun.
00:34:24Enough guns.
00:34:26Then, uh...
00:34:29Tell me about Leon.
00:34:34Leon is like his father.
00:34:37A promise is a promise.
00:34:42Could you have stopped him, Mrs. Sibylkowski?
00:34:49Couldn't you have stopped him?
00:34:57You see, your indictment came through.
00:35:00First-degree murder.
00:35:02What I expected.
00:35:05You only have two months to prepare, Leon.
00:35:06There's not much time.
00:35:09Me and Joseph are going to start clearing in here.
00:35:12You see that over there?
00:35:13Oh, yeah.
00:35:14In there.
00:35:15I didn't want to do it.
00:35:18Something we started with my father, you know.
00:35:21My father died last winter.
00:35:25Joseph had other things to do, like, uh...
00:35:28Pay off the truck, you know.
00:35:29Get another one.
00:35:31We were going into business.
00:35:33Joseph was special, huh?
00:35:36Yeah.
00:35:38You loved him?
00:35:42I told you that.
00:35:46Did he love you?
00:35:49We were brothers.
00:35:52And your father?
00:35:55We were all like brothers.
00:35:57Like this.
00:36:00I take it you know a lot about guns.
00:36:03Sure.
00:36:04Why is that?
00:36:08I hunt.
00:36:11Oh, you're a good shot?
00:36:14Good enough to hunt.
00:36:17You're a good hunter.
00:36:20I take time.
00:36:21I plan what I'm going to do, and then I do it.
00:36:23I'm careful.
00:36:26Joseph never had much fun.
00:36:28Why'd you shoot him, Leon?
00:36:29Why not just pull the plug?
00:36:31I thought about that.
00:36:33I thought about just unplugging the machine that he was on,
00:36:35but then I thought maybe it's rigged somehow.
00:36:38You know, maybe there's some kind of warning that goes off,
00:36:40and then the people come back and they plug him back in,
00:36:43and I couldn't take that chance.
00:36:47I thought it over.
00:36:49I had one chance to do this.
00:36:52Gave it a lot of thought.
00:36:55Wanted to make sure he would definitely die.
00:37:00Do you understand the difference between what you did
00:37:02and going to the court to ask permission?
00:37:06No court would understand.
00:37:08You could have waited.
00:37:09He might have gotten better.
00:37:11And if he hadn't gotten better, you could have gone to court.
00:37:13There are procedures.
00:37:14For you, maybe.
00:37:15There's no procedure for us.
00:37:19The state is saying that you planned Joseph's killing,
00:37:23that you thought about it,
00:37:24that you weighed the pros and cons of it,
00:37:27and that you willfully carried it out.
00:37:28I wish he'd had more fun.
00:37:30You appear to have done all that, Leon.
00:37:31You didn't see what he was like.
00:37:33You didn't see the pain.
00:37:34You weren't there.
00:37:35The state makes no provision for that.
00:37:38Look, in the paper they call what I did a mercy killing.
00:37:41There's no category of crime for it.
00:37:42If you kill someone, it's murder, it's manslaughter, or it's nothing.
00:37:45Our society hasn't come to terms with the idea of euthanasia.
00:37:47Maybe it can't.
00:37:49Maybe it shouldn't.
00:37:51What's going to happen to me?
00:37:54Do you think what you did was right?
00:37:56He was dead from the neck down.
00:37:59But was it right?
00:38:02Would you have done it if he hadn't asked?
00:38:05The pain was unbearable.
00:38:10What if he hadn't been able to talk from the beginning?
00:38:13What if he'd just been lying there in pain without being able to talk?
00:38:18I know what he was feeling.
00:38:21And I know what he wanted.
00:38:24Would you do it again?
00:38:27Yeah.
00:38:33Oh, if you'd like to earn some of the small fortune we pay you,
00:38:37this is the autopsy report on Joseph Sibulkowski.
00:38:40I read it.
00:38:42Oh.
00:38:44That's interesting.
00:38:46Joseph lingered for 27 hours after Leon shot him.
00:38:48That's a long time.
00:38:50He could have died from something else.
00:38:52Pneumonia.
00:38:53He had developed pneumonia.
00:38:55A man is shot in the head and you want to tell a jury he died of pneumonia?
00:38:58Well, look at it this way.
00:39:00That day, after the accident,
00:39:03Joseph could shrug his shoulders.
00:39:04The next day he couldn't.
00:39:06Two days after the accident, he could breathe on his own.
00:39:09After that, he needed a tracheotomy.
00:39:11He was deteriorating very rapidly.
00:39:13And so he just deteriorated until he died?
00:39:15Well, it's a definite possibility.
00:39:18Death could have been inevitable, gunshot or no.
00:39:22Curious.
00:39:24Leon says he loved his brother.
00:39:26Says he did it for love.
00:39:28Not grounds for defense, no basis in law.
00:39:31He said Joseph wanted to die, that he begged Leon to do it.
00:39:34He had the victim's consent.
00:39:36Still not grounds for defense.
00:39:40There was a wad in Joseph's brain tissue.
00:39:45What do you think that was?
00:39:47I don't know, something from the shell, maybe?
00:39:49Well, there were only 24 pellets found.
00:39:53A 20-gauge shotgun shell has more than 100 pellets in it.
00:39:55What happened to the rest of them?
00:39:57I don't know.
00:39:59We'll find out.
00:40:01All right.
00:40:21I went back in and I said to Leon, what are you going to do?
00:40:24And he said, do you want to see Joseph like this for the rest of your life?
00:40:28And I said, we can hope, we can pray.
00:40:39Ruth came over.
00:40:41Ruth was laying gone.
00:40:45She and Joseph went to high school together.
00:40:50She introduced us.
00:40:52Yeah.
00:40:55Ruth couldn't stop him.
00:40:57I couldn't stop him.
00:40:59His mother couldn't stop him.
00:41:01Did anyone try?
00:41:07I'll show you what my Joseph did.
00:41:17Just flowers.
00:41:19Not worth anything.
00:41:23He did it to look at.
00:41:26Just to look at.
00:41:31Why won't you help me, Mrs. Sibulkowski?
00:41:33Why are you making it so difficult?
00:41:38Too many questions.
00:41:41The police, the people from the press.
00:41:45Too many.
00:41:48You ask me about things that have nothing to do with what Leon did.
00:41:54Mrs. Sibulkowski, I ask what I think I have to.
00:42:06In the war, I was forced to work in a factory.
00:42:13I was forced to work in a factory.
00:42:17For the Nazis.
00:42:20I kept my mouth shut.
00:42:23I worked hard.
00:42:26I survived.
00:42:31You understand.
00:42:34To survive.
00:42:38You understand every day to have to survive.
00:42:46This is for Leon.
00:42:48It's not for me.
00:43:07It's not for me.
00:43:24Leon says he thinks carefully before doing something.
00:43:27Says he plans it out.
00:43:30What did you think out killing your brother?
00:43:33I have a brother.
00:43:35I couldn't do that.
00:43:36What are you suggesting? There was no premeditation?
00:43:39That a man who saws off a shotgun, prepares a shell, drives 20 miles,
00:43:43concealed a weapon, put it three inches from another man's head,
00:43:46and pulled the trigger, didn't think about what he was doing?
00:43:49I'm just saying I don't understand it.
00:43:51You know what I don't understand is why someone didn't try to stop him.
00:43:54Why did he shoot his brother?
00:43:57How can you take a life, especially when it's someone you love?
00:44:02We're taught to value life, to preserve it.
00:44:08I couldn't do it.
00:44:10I don't think there's any way I could do what Leon did.
00:44:17You know, I think there are a lot of other accomplices too.
00:44:19Goes all the way back to the night of the accident.
00:44:21Why didn't they operate on Joseph right away?
00:44:23Time sequence is very important in administering medical aid.
00:44:26Why did they risk moving him in that condition?
00:44:28I think they should have brought the treatment right to him.
00:44:31I'm not going to take on the medical community of America.
00:44:33I'm just trying to save one man.
00:44:36Warren, you're a psychiatrist.
00:44:39Could you do it, what Leon did?
00:44:42I think so.
00:44:44Really?
00:44:45Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't think anybody knows that about themselves.
00:44:48I don't think Leon knew he could do it until he was actually faced with it.
00:44:52You know, it is possible that Leon was unable to separate his pain from his brother's.
00:44:57It's possible that Leon hurt so badly that he killed his brother
00:45:00in order to relieve what he was feeling.
00:45:04I'm not sure I know how to convince a jury of that.
00:45:07You're not going to attempt a euthanasia defense?
00:45:09No.
00:45:12Someone has to.
00:45:13Not me.
00:45:14It would be a landmark case.
00:45:15I'm not interested in a landmark case.
00:45:18All I care about is giving the jury a legal excuse to set Leon free.
00:45:24Let someone else change the world.
00:45:26Well, I'll tell you something.
00:45:27Psychiatric defense is the weakest approach you have.
00:45:30It's the only approach I have.
00:45:33There have been a lot of studies done on intolerable stress.
00:45:36Everyone has a stress limit.
00:45:39There were, what was it, three days between the accident and the shooting?
00:45:42Yeah.
00:45:43How much sleep did Leon get during those three days?
00:45:48I'm not sure. Not much, I imagine.
00:45:50I think you should find out.
00:45:51Enough sleeplessness might be grounds for a psychotic episode.
00:45:54Hypothetically, the idea of intolerable stress caused by lack of sleep is worth looking into.
00:46:13Tell me about your sleeping habits.
00:46:17You mean with girls?
00:46:19Well, I'm sure that would be worth my while.
00:46:22What I mean is, when you put the light out, close your eyes and go to sleep.
00:46:28I sleep fine.
00:46:30Nothing on your conscience?
00:46:31Nothing.
00:46:34How did you sleep the night before Joseph's accident?
00:46:40I didn't. That was the night I was with that girl I was telling you about.
00:46:45Oh, yeah, and you didn't get home until the next morning?
00:46:47Yeah.
00:46:48And then you went to church?
00:46:50Yeah.
00:46:51Yeah.
00:46:52Did you sleep at all that day?
00:46:54Nah.
00:46:55What about that night after the accident? Did you sleep then?
00:47:00Not much. How could I?
00:47:02And the next day?
00:47:06I was at the hospital during the day and that night...
00:47:11What's all this about sleep? Who cares about my sleeping?
00:47:13Did you feel like you were losing control of yourself after going so long without sleep?
00:47:18I never lose control of myself.
00:47:20I never did my whole life.
00:47:33Okay.
00:47:37Did you play sports in high school?
00:47:39Nah, no time.
00:47:44I bet you wanted to.
00:47:46Nah, I had more important things to do.
00:47:50I like baseball though.
00:47:52Yeah, I used to play a lot of baseball.
00:47:55Over at this lot.
00:47:59You know this lot near where we live?
00:48:01Yeah.
00:48:02Before we moved to the farm.
00:48:03Yeah, I was a hell of a hitter.
00:48:05How'd you do in school?
00:48:06Great.
00:48:07I graduated.
00:48:08How about Joseph?
00:48:10He graduated.
00:48:13He was pretty smart though, you know.
00:48:15And so was I. We could have done better.
00:48:17But we had more important things to do.
00:48:22Was Joseph your friend?
00:48:25Sure he was my friend.
00:48:30Did you ever argue?
00:48:34Yeah, sure. Sometimes.
00:48:37Yeah, sure. Sometimes.
00:48:41What about?
00:48:43What about?
00:48:44Yeah.
00:48:47Working around the place, like who would cut the grass.
00:48:51Never about.
00:48:52Other things?
00:48:53No.
00:48:56You like your sister-in-law?
00:48:58Sure.
00:49:03I heard you had your eye on Margaret.
00:49:05You heard wrong.
00:49:06No, I heard you and Margaret were playing around behind Joseph's back.
00:49:09You heard wrong.
00:49:10Did I?
00:49:11You're damn right you did.
00:49:12I don't think you loved your brother. I think you hated him.
00:49:14I think you hated him because he got all the attention.
00:49:16He was the man, the head of the family, the one your mother always turned to.
00:49:21Where are you going, Leon? You can't run away.
00:49:23I don't run.
00:49:24Your brother was selfish. Don't you understand that?
00:49:26He asked you to kill him, and then he left you holding the bag.
00:49:29He left you to suffer the consequences.
00:49:31Don't you hate him for that?
00:49:32I did it for him.
00:49:34I did it for him.
00:49:35You did it for him?
00:49:37You took his life. Everyone has a right to live. No one has a right to take that away.
00:49:40What the hell are you representing me for?
00:49:42Huh? You don't care about me.
00:49:45You hate what I did just as much as everybody else.
00:49:47Didn't you hate him?
00:49:50I love my brother.
00:49:52Then why did you do it, Leon?
00:49:54Why?
00:49:58I did it because it's the right thing to do.
00:50:04Leon.
00:50:18Leon's doing a good job on the house.
00:50:23He wants to please you.
00:50:29Tell me what happened that night when he went upstairs to get the gun.
00:50:32What was he like?
00:50:35I don't want to see Leon spend the rest of his life in jail.
00:50:42The only way I can keep him out is to prove that he wasn't right that night. Do you understand?
00:50:54If I can prove that he wasn't responsible...
00:50:57He says you took the gun from him and put it on your bureau.
00:51:01He says he took it back from you later.
00:51:04I never saw any gun.
00:51:07Okay, you see...
00:51:08Now if I can prove that he wasn't right in the head that night...
00:51:12If he says you took the gun from him and you didn't...
00:51:15It would indicate that he was behaving under a delusion. You understand that?
00:51:21Margaret said to me...
00:51:25To take a pill and go to bed.
00:51:29She said for me...
00:51:32Not to worry.
00:51:36To go to bed.
00:51:40I took some pills.
00:51:43Did you take the gun from Leon?
00:51:46I never saw this gun.
00:51:50Never.
00:51:54Okay.
00:52:01My father used to tell me and Joseph about Poland.
00:52:06How his family had 65 hectares of land.
00:52:09It's over a hundred acres.
00:52:11Two houses.
00:52:13How we all would have lived on that land forever like important people except they lost it.
00:52:19He used to tell us about when he was a boy.
00:52:24They were very poor.
00:52:27One time this Cossack came to their house.
00:52:29On a horse in the winter time, you know. Ice all over him.
00:52:34And his father split the Cossack's head open with an axe.
00:52:38Took his horse and his clothes and buried him.
00:52:41They had nothing. They were starving.
00:52:45How does that experience make you feel about your father, Leon?
00:52:50He's a great man.
00:52:59Come on.
00:53:20Come on.
00:53:22Come on.
00:53:27You know, Leon talks about his father as though he was still alive.
00:53:31He sees his father as a deeply moral man whose sense of loyalty...
00:53:36Loyalty, fairness were innate.
00:53:39He wants to be like his father in some very fundamental ways.
00:53:43You know, when I asked him how his father would have reacted to the shooting, he said he would have done the same thing.
00:53:48Except he said his father would have shot himself afterwards.
00:53:54Leon says he thought about that, but he didn't quite have the courage.
00:54:00I think the family collaborated with the shooting.
00:54:03At least, they were passive participants.
00:54:06They did things for him. They...
00:54:09They could have stopped him.
00:54:11The Sibylkowskis operate out of a very basic set of motivations.
00:54:15Their values are very different from yours and mine.
00:54:17At least to the extent of their view of life and death.
00:54:20Life for a man exists within very narrow parameters.
00:54:24Joseph's value as a man was gone.
00:54:27They knew it. He knew it.
00:54:29Being paralyzed was a humiliation he just could not stand.
00:54:34If he'd injured his mind, if he still was able to work to father with an impaired mind, then I don't think the same thing would have happened.
00:54:41By the way, this is all my personal opinion.
00:54:47Come on back.
00:54:50You have any trouble finding the place?
00:54:52No, half a little.
00:54:55How about a beer?
00:54:57Yeah, sure.
00:55:10I've decided on a psychiatric defense for you.
00:55:14I'm not crazy.
00:55:15No, no. I just have to establish that you weren't responsible for what you did.
00:55:20In 1843, an Englishman named MacNaughton set out to kill someone.
00:55:25Suffering a delusion, he ended up killing someone else.
00:55:28He was tried and found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.
00:55:32That's the basis for the defense I'm talking about.
00:55:35I'm not crazy.
00:55:37That's not the point.
00:55:39Your brother was alive, Leon.
00:55:41He could think.
00:55:43He could see and smell the flowers he loved.
00:55:45He could watch his son grow up. He could read.
00:55:48You killed him, a living man.
00:55:50You don't know what you're talking about.
00:55:52That stuff, that's nothing if you're just laying there.
00:55:56It's not alive.
00:55:58No work, no sex, not being able to do anything.
00:56:02That's no man you just described. That's nothing.
00:56:05I can't go in with the facts.
00:56:07There aren't any that help us. Do you understand that?
00:56:09Yeah. Yeah, I understand.
00:56:10I can try to get you off completely with the kind of psychiatric defense I've just described.
00:56:15Or I can go for diminished capacity.
00:56:19That means that you were only partially responsible for what you did.
00:56:24Jury's like it, takes them off the hook.
00:56:26What happens to me?
00:56:29You'll be found guilty.
00:56:31But the judge has discretion with the sentence.
00:56:33You'll get ten years, maybe less.
00:56:35But I go to jail for sure that way.
00:56:36If you're convicted of first degree murder, the judge has to hand down a life sentence.
00:56:40It's a law in this state. It's automatic.
00:56:44I don't want to go to jail for one day.
00:56:51That's a big gamble, Leon. The odds are against us.
00:56:54I'd rather take that chance.
00:56:56Everything or nothing.
00:56:58Because ten years from now, I'll be thirty-three.
00:57:01I'll be thirty-three.
00:57:03Because ten years from now, I'll be thirty-three.
00:57:06I won't have my young years ahead of me.
00:57:08Thirty-three isn't so old.
00:57:10You know, I'm older than that.
00:57:12You got everything. I got nothing.
00:57:14Everything I get, I'll have to get with my hands.
00:57:16And they don't last so long.
00:57:18If I work hard now, maybe I still got a chance to get something for myself.
00:57:24Life is more than having things.
00:57:27Sure. Sure it is.
00:57:29That's how come it's always the guys who got everything who tell you life is something else.
00:57:36I'd rather take the chance you can get them to set me free.
00:57:39Because they take ten years away from me.
00:57:42I'll never catch up.
00:57:52Mr. Carney, we don't know how long this trial could take. Is that a problem for you?
00:57:56No problem.
00:57:57Murder is a terrible thing, isn't it?
00:58:00Terrible. It's the worst thing a person can do.
00:58:03Do you think killing your brother is a more serious thing than, say, killing somebody you don't know?
00:58:08I think all killing is terrible.
00:58:10If someone doesn't want to live, and they believe they have no reason to live,
00:58:15do they have the right to ask that they be killed?
00:58:17I believe no one has such a right.
00:58:19Life is everything.
00:58:21It comes from God and only God can take it away.
00:58:24No one else has that right.
00:58:25That's what I believe.
00:58:41Hi.
00:58:43Hey.
00:58:44The guy downstairs said it was okay for me to come up.
00:58:47Sure, come on in.
00:58:55How about that front page?
00:59:02You work a lot Sundays?
00:59:04A lot.
00:59:08So how am I going to do?
00:59:11How did it go at the state psychiatrist?
00:59:14He didn't ask much, in and out.
00:59:18You nervous about the trial?
00:59:22How do you think it's going to go?
00:59:24Well, you never know for sure.
00:59:28What's that?
00:59:30This is going to be a chart to mark down exactly when you slept and when you didn't.
00:59:34I want the jury to see how little you slept.
00:59:36It's important that they understand that.
00:59:39They going to let you use a thing like that in court?
00:59:42I don't know. I hope so.
00:59:44A lot depends on how the judge feels that day.
00:59:51I'm a little nervous about it.
00:59:54I don't have to worry, though.
00:59:57Do I? Because they're going to let me off.
01:00:08You know, we worked very hard to seat a jury that would be sympathetic.
01:00:12I told you, psychiatric defense is weak.
01:00:14Mostly we have people who are past middle age.
01:00:18Mostly conservative, mostly Catholic.
01:00:20Victor Brown.
01:00:21Victor Burton, the DA, is an experienced, thorough, aggressive attorney.
01:00:25He'll present the case based on evidence.
01:00:27That evidence will seem awfully clear cut.
01:00:37All rise.
01:00:42The Honorable Judge Trevera presiding.
01:00:45You may be seated.
01:00:47Good morning, Your Honor.
01:00:49Good morning.
01:00:51I'd like to have Joseph Sipolkowski's medical records entered into evidence.
01:00:55Your Honor, I'd like to know what that is on the easel.
01:00:58Yes, Mr. Rose.
01:01:00It's just a blank chart. It's got names and dates on it.
01:01:03I intend to use it as witnesses take the stand.
01:01:06All right.
01:01:08The state maintains that this case consists of a willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder.
01:01:17It is murder in the first degree, and based on the facts of this case,
01:01:21it can really be nothing else.
01:01:24Now, the state will prove to you that the three necessary elements exist in abundance.
01:01:30Mr. Sipolkowski had the premeditation, which is the plan to kill.
01:01:35He announced that intention the day before.
01:01:38He certainly had more than ample opportunity to weigh the pros and cons,
01:01:42which is the deliberation in this case.
01:01:45He had to get the gun, saw it down, prepare the shells,
01:01:51drive to the hospital, hide the gun, take it to his brother's room,
01:01:57hold it a few inches from his brother's head, and pull the trigger.
01:02:03You've described in great detail, and we appreciate the professionalism, your arrest of Leon.
01:02:07Now, Sergeant, you're familiar with shotguns, are you not?
01:02:10Yes, sir.
01:02:12What is this one?
01:02:14That's 20 gauge. Used more or less for birdshot.
01:02:18You fired shotguns?
01:02:19Yes, sir, I have.
01:02:21Would it be dangerous firing this one, sawed off as it is?
01:02:25Yes, sir.
01:02:27Why?
01:02:29Well, it's not meant to be fired like that.
01:02:31You can't tell what'll happen.
01:02:33Might get yourself hurt.
01:02:35Would it also be dangerous to fire a shotgun around oxygen,
01:02:39say in a hospital room like the one Joseph was in?
01:02:42Oh, sure. Whole place might go up.
01:02:45That'll be all.
01:02:58On the day of the accident,
01:03:00from two in the afternoon till two in the following morning,
01:03:03you were with Leon most of the time?
01:03:05Yes.
01:03:07Please, speak up, Miss Gruber.
01:03:09Yes, except when he went to work.
01:03:11And did Leon sleep at all?
01:03:13No.
01:03:20Now, what about that next night?
01:03:22What time did you see Leon?
01:03:24About 10.30.
01:03:26And what time did you leave him?
01:03:29Between 2 and 2.30 in the morning.
01:03:32And did Leon sleep at all?
01:03:35No.
01:03:50And what about the day of the shooting?
01:03:56Leon called me about 5.30.
01:04:00He was screaming and yelling.
01:04:05He said,
01:04:07you don't know what they've done to my brother.
01:04:10He said he was talking to this doctor
01:04:12in the patio coffee shop.
01:04:15And he said,
01:04:16and the doctor told him
01:04:18that Joseph would never come home again.
01:04:21I'm sorry.
01:04:24He said the doctor told him
01:04:26that his body would waste away.
01:04:36No more questions.
01:04:42Your Honor,
01:04:44I object to this
01:04:46third grade coloring chart
01:04:48that the defense is using.
01:04:50It's not been marked into evidence
01:04:52yet it's been on display to the jury.
01:04:54Now, I object to its presence here.
01:04:56It's at least a fifth grade coloring chart,
01:04:58Your Honor.
01:05:00You gentlemen approach the bench.
01:05:05I think the time has come
01:05:07for explanation, Mr. Rose.
01:05:09It's a diagram.
01:05:11I intend to offer it into evidence
01:05:14Mr. Rose,
01:05:16you don't mark a diagram
01:05:18and then at some later time
01:05:20see how it's worked out
01:05:22then offer it in evidence.
01:05:24Now, what is it?
01:05:26I would represent to the court
01:05:28and its accuracy can be checked
01:05:30against a transcript.
01:05:32That marked in red
01:05:34are the time periods
01:05:36when witnesses observed the defendant awake.
01:05:38Marked in blue,
01:05:40time periods when he was asleep.
01:05:41True, but its accuracy can't be verified.
01:05:43Everything on it can be checked
01:05:45against the transcript.
01:05:47We can do that, Mr. Burton.
01:05:49We'll wait until the end
01:05:51and then we'll decide.
01:05:53We'll check it against the transcript
01:05:55and then decide.
01:05:57Thank you both.
01:06:01You participated in the surgery
01:06:03on Joseph Cybulkowski?
01:06:05I assisted.
01:06:07Did you talk to the defendant
01:06:09after the operation?
01:06:11After the surgery I was downstairs
01:06:13in the patio coffee shop.
01:06:15I talked with him then.
01:06:17Would you relate that conversation
01:06:19to us, please?
01:06:21He asked me if it was true
01:06:23that his brother's spinal cord
01:06:25had been found bruised.
01:06:27I said yes, that's what they found.
01:06:29He asked me if I'd seen injuries like it
01:06:31and I said yes.
01:06:33Did you tell him to have hope?
01:06:35I said that in medicine
01:06:37there's always hope.
01:06:39We have to have that.
01:06:41Did you talk to Leon?
01:06:43Yeah, he said the smart thing to do
01:06:45would be to shoot him and get it over with.
01:06:49No further questions, Your Honor.
01:06:55Doctor, did you discuss with Leon
01:06:57what happens to someone
01:06:59when they're paralyzed from the neck down?
01:07:01Yes.
01:07:03He asked me what the long-term outlook was.
01:07:05I said it was impossible to be sure
01:07:07that every case was different
01:07:09and that it would take time to know.
01:07:11Did you tell Leon that what happened
01:07:13to his brother was a tragedy?
01:07:15Did you talk to Leon about his brother
01:07:17spending a life of looking at the ceiling
01:07:19part of the time and the floor part of the time?
01:07:21Did you talk about bed sores?
01:07:23Well, if I did, it was
01:07:25in describing cases I'd seen like it.
01:07:27It took you two days after the shooting
01:07:29to tell the police about your conversation
01:07:31with Leon, didn't it?
01:07:33Object.
01:07:35Sustained.
01:07:37You were aware
01:07:39when you talked to the police
01:07:41that Leon was paralyzed.
01:07:43Object.
01:07:45Sustained.
01:07:47Be careful, Mr. Rose.
01:07:49Did Leon seem nervous to you?
01:07:51Extremely nervous.
01:07:53He was upset.
01:07:55Yes.
01:07:57He said he couldn't stand the pressure anymore.
01:07:59Something like that.
01:08:01He told you the smart thing to do
01:08:03would be to go up and shoot his brother.
01:08:05Shoot him and get it over with.
01:08:07I was very upset about it.
01:08:09You were so upset
01:08:11that you didn't try to help him?
01:08:13Did you try to help him?
01:08:15Improper question, Mr. Rose.
01:08:17The doctor's not on trial.
01:08:19Don't ask that kind of question again.
01:08:41Hello?
01:08:43Oh, no, no.
01:08:45That's all right, Leon.
01:08:47I don't care what time it is.
01:08:49I don't mind.
01:08:51It's just starting to get to me.
01:08:53I didn't think it would,
01:08:55but sitting in that courtroom
01:08:57and, you know,
01:08:59just listening to everybody
01:09:02talking about me,
01:09:04I don't like it.
01:09:06It'll be over soon.
01:09:08You'll be fine.
01:09:09Yeah, you really think so?
01:09:11That's not a promise, Leon.
01:09:13I can't promise that.
01:09:15We could think everything was fine
01:09:17and the jury could come back with guilty.
01:09:19There's no way to know.
01:09:21I was...
01:09:23I was thinking about Joseph.
01:09:27I was thinking about him tonight.
01:09:31I missed my brother.
01:09:33Leon grew up in an old-fashioned European family.
01:09:37The concept of right and wrong
01:09:39was clearly depicted from the time he was born.
01:09:42It was a family that had a need
01:09:45to fight off passivity,
01:09:47not to be at the mercy of fate,
01:09:49to take matters in hand.
01:09:51Leon was taught to solve problems
01:09:53in an active way.
01:09:55Yes.
01:09:57And when Leon gave his word,
01:09:59he was honor-bound to keep it.
01:10:00Yes.
01:10:02What effect would Joseph Cybulkowski's condition
01:10:05after the accident have on Leon
01:10:07coming from such a family?
01:10:09In my opinion, Leon suffered a gross stress reaction
01:10:12brought on by exposure to overwhelming conditions.
01:10:16It was a psychotic reaction of a temporary nature.
01:10:19A psychotic reaction includes
01:10:21mental aberrations such as memory loss,
01:10:24distortion of reality.
01:10:26He could be absolutely certain something happened
01:10:28when in fact it didn't.
01:10:30Dr. Oliver,
01:10:32did you examine the defendant
01:10:34on behalf of the state?
01:10:36I did.
01:10:38I gave him a standard psychiatric examination.
01:10:40Did you reach a conclusion
01:10:42based on your examination?
01:10:44I could find nothing basically wrong with this man.
01:10:46I could find no indication of psychosis.
01:10:49Well, do you have an opinion
01:10:51as to whether Mr. Cybulkowski
01:10:53knew the nature and quality of his act?
01:10:55Did he know right from wrong?
01:10:56I feel he definitely did.
01:10:58He carried out the purposeful act
01:11:01of terminating his brother's life
01:11:03which was something he indicated
01:11:05he very much wanted to do
01:11:07in light of his brother's predicament.
01:11:09Do you know when the shot
01:11:11that killed Joseph Cybulkowski was fired?
01:11:13When?
01:11:15When?
01:11:17In time, I don't know.
01:11:19Do you know what date the shot was fired?
01:11:21The date? I don't know.
01:11:23Did you inquire during your examination
01:11:24what effect Leon's father's death had on him?
01:11:27As to the effect in detail, no.
01:11:31Are there circumstances
01:11:33under which an abnormal response
01:11:35to a parent's death
01:11:37can be important to your work as a psychiatrist?
01:11:40Oh, there are always possibilities of that type.
01:11:44Do you know how much sleep Leon got
01:11:46between the time of the accident
01:11:48and the time of the shooting?
01:11:50No, I assumed very little.
01:11:52Didn't you ask him how much sleep he'd had?
01:11:55No, it wasn't pertinent to my examination.
01:11:58Sleep deprivation does have an effect
01:12:00on mental condition, does it not?
01:12:02Yes.
01:12:04Sleep deprivation hurts us all.
01:12:16Mrs. Cybulkowski, I only have
01:12:18two questions to ask you.
01:12:19Did you take the gun away from Leon
01:12:21on the night of the shooting?
01:12:25No.
01:12:27Did you see the gun?
01:12:29At all?
01:12:33No.
01:12:45Did Joseph ask Leon to swear to God
01:12:46not to let him live the way he was
01:12:48in the hospital?
01:12:50Yes.
01:12:52And did Leon swear to God?
01:12:54Yes.
01:12:57On the day before the shooting,
01:12:59did Leon try to save his brother's life?
01:13:02Yes.
01:13:04How?
01:13:07Leon knocked against a tube
01:13:09that was in Joseph's throat accidentally
01:13:11when he was putting a blanket up on him
01:13:13and the tube came loose.
01:13:14Leon went crazy.
01:13:16He went screaming down the hall
01:13:18that his brother was dying
01:13:20and that someone should come save him.
01:13:23He was scared that he might die.
01:13:30Thank you, Margaret.
01:13:32May I ask a question?
01:13:34No, you're excused.
01:13:36What about my husband?
01:13:38My husband is dead.
01:13:40He's the one who's dead.
01:13:41He's the one who's dead.
01:13:44He's dead.
01:13:50Why did she say that?
01:13:52It was bad.
01:13:54I saw the jury, they didn't like that.
01:13:56The judge told the jury to disregard it.
01:13:58How could you forget something once you hear it?
01:14:06I've got to go to the bathroom.
01:14:12I don't care so much for myself.
01:14:14I've lost cases before.
01:14:16Not that I like it.
01:14:18The risk is always there.
01:14:21It's him.
01:14:24I don't want him to go to jail.
01:14:27It serves no purpose.
01:14:31In Leon's mind,
01:14:33he's committed no crime.
01:14:36I understand that.
01:14:38I understand that.
01:14:40I understand that now.
01:14:45I'm just not sure I can make it clear to the jury.
01:14:55Is this the gun?
01:14:57Please answer out loud, Leon.
01:14:59Yes.
01:15:01You have other guns at home?
01:15:03Yes.
01:15:05Are the others more powerful than this gun?
01:15:09Yes.
01:15:11Why did you put wax into the shotgun shells, Leon?
01:15:17I don't know why.
01:15:19I guess I thought it was the right thing to do.
01:15:22Makes the impact more powerful?
01:15:25It does that.
01:15:27If you'd used a more powerful gun, would you have had to wax the shell?
01:15:30No.
01:15:32Why didn't you use a more powerful gun?
01:15:36Wouldn't it have been easier just to use a more powerful gun?
01:15:40I guess so.
01:15:42You sought off your least powerful gun,
01:15:45poured wax into two shotgun shells,
01:15:47went to all that trouble,
01:15:49when all you had to do was use a more powerful gun that you already had.
01:15:52I guess so.
01:15:54Why did you do all that, Leon?
01:15:57I don't know.
01:16:03After you prepared the shells,
01:16:05did your mother take the gun away from you?
01:16:07Yeah.
01:16:09Yes.
01:16:11What did she do with it?
01:16:13She put it on her bureau in her room.
01:16:16Did you hear your mother say that she never saw the gun?
01:16:24Yes.
01:16:26What do you make of that, Leon?
01:16:29I don't know.
01:16:31I have a picture of what happened in my mind,
01:16:34and in that picture,
01:16:36she took the gun.
01:16:37I... I saw that.
01:16:40What did you do?
01:16:42What did I do?
01:16:45I don't know.
01:16:48I got it back, I guess.
01:16:51Did you go to the hospital alone?
01:16:53Yes.
01:16:55And you hid the gun under your coat
01:16:58in front of Margaret and Ruth, right?
01:17:01Yes.
01:17:02Why did you do that?
01:17:04I knew the hospital nurses
01:17:05wouldn't let me into my brother's room with a gun.
01:17:08Was the gun loaded?
01:17:10I don't remember.
01:17:15What did you do when you got to your brother's room?
01:17:25I asked him
01:17:27if he was still in pain.
01:17:30He nodded that he was.
01:17:33Then I said,
01:17:35I'm here to end your pain.
01:17:38Is that all right with you?
01:17:41He nodded that it was.
01:17:45The next thing I remember, I shot him.
01:17:48Did you do anything with the tube in his throat?
01:17:51I pulled it out.
01:17:53Why did you do that?
01:17:55My brother didn't like that tube.
01:18:03Your witness.
01:18:06Your witness.
01:18:14Now, you've said
01:18:16you hid the gun under your coat.
01:18:21You hid the gun under your coat?
01:18:23That's right.
01:18:25Because you knew the nurses
01:18:26wouldn't let you into your brother's room with a gun?
01:18:28That's right.
01:18:30Why do you think the nurses
01:18:31wouldn't let you walk into your brother's room with a gun?
01:18:36I knew that they would
01:18:39never let me relieve my brother from his pain.
01:18:42Oh, so you knew it was wrong then
01:18:43to walk in with a gun?
01:18:47I knew they would never let me
01:18:48walk into my brother's room with a gun.
01:18:50Because it was wrong to walk in there with a gun.
01:18:53Because it was wrong to walk in there with a gun?
01:18:55Right.
01:19:00I don't know.
01:19:01I wasn't thinking about that at that time.
01:19:03Are you telling us you didn't know
01:19:04whether it was right at the time?
01:19:08I'm telling you that right now
01:19:09I don't know what I was thinking at that time.
01:19:12But you knew it was wrong to shoot your brother.
01:19:15Did I know it was wrong to shoot my brother?
01:19:17Right.
01:19:26At that time,
01:19:28the only thing that I had on my mind
01:19:29was relieving my brother's pain.
01:19:31I didn't think about anything else.
01:19:33Except that.
01:19:42Mr. Sibulkowski, if you had to do it again,
01:19:44would you shoot your brother?
01:19:45If the circumstances were the same,
01:19:46would you do it again?
01:19:47I object.
01:19:48Sustained.
01:19:51No, I want to answer the question.
01:19:52Your Honor.
01:19:53I want to.
01:19:59I want to.
01:20:01I want to.
01:20:12I think about it a lot.
01:20:19My brother
01:20:21was the most important thing in my life.
01:20:24Sometimes,
01:20:26sometimes I think that I would.
01:20:27That I definitely would.
01:20:33Sometimes I'm not
01:20:35sure.
01:20:43I don't know.
01:20:46That's what the answer is.
01:20:48I don't know.
01:20:50I don't know.
01:20:53I don't know.
01:21:00I don't know.
01:21:23I don't know.
01:21:25I don't know.
01:21:27I don't know.
01:21:29I don't know.
01:21:49The state psychiatrist
01:21:50sees nothing odd in Leon's behavior.
01:21:53He sees nothing unusual when informed that Leon had approximately six hours of sleep, marked in blue, in four days.
01:22:03The rest of that time, he was awake.
01:22:06The prosecutor sees nothing odd in Leon's preparing two shotgun shells with wax,
01:22:11and using one of them in a sawed-off gun, which endangered Leon's own life when he used it,
01:22:16when he had a more powerful gun sitting right next to the one he selected.
01:22:22There's no question Joseph Cybulkowski had some severe injuries and was under heavy sedation and medication.
01:22:30I'd like you to give that a lot of thought.
01:22:34Are someone really in a position to say, I want to die?
01:22:39Is that rational? Is that reasonable?
01:22:42Ask yourself about Joseph.
01:22:44What was going through his mind?
01:22:46What kind of medication did he have?
01:22:49What kind of pain was he going through?
01:22:53Was Joseph Cybulkowski in a position to make a rational request of that nature?
01:23:00The chart graphically depicts Leon's lack of sleep.
01:23:05The testimony clearly establishes the effect sleep deprivation has on a person's mind, on their behavior.
01:23:14All of us understand that a leg breaks when exposed to too much stress.
01:23:20What about the mind?
01:23:22Every one of us has a limit.
01:23:25Every one of us can be pushed just so far before...
01:23:30As I told you in the beginning, this is a very difficult case.
01:23:36It's a case full of sympathy.
01:23:39I have sympathy for Joseph's widow, for Joseph's mother, even for Joseph's brother.
01:23:47But that does not alter the law.
01:23:51Joseph is dead.
01:23:54Sympathy does not make the taking of his life less serious.
01:23:58The law deals with facts, and the facts in this case are clear.
01:24:03The law states that life is sacred, and that the thoughtful, deliberate, willful taking of a life is murder.
01:24:14There's something else involved here.
01:24:17Something not found often in a criminal courtroom.
01:24:22The element of love.
01:24:25Love belongs with us.
01:24:28It's been with us since the afternoon of Joseph's accident.
01:24:33Love.
01:24:35It's been a major force in the Cybulkowski family.
01:24:39And we all understand how hate moves men.
01:24:43We must understand that love moves us even more.
01:24:47Love is a greater corrupter of man.
01:24:50Not of his soul, but of his reason.
01:24:55When love attacks our reason,
01:25:00are we not then helpless to defend ourselves?
01:25:06We are taught to reject hate.
01:25:10We're taught to defend ourselves against it.
01:25:13But love is an emotion for which we are taught no defense.
01:25:18It appears as a friend. We welcome it. We embrace it.
01:25:22Even while it robs us of our senses.
01:25:28Leon loved his brother.
01:25:33Is that not Leon's only true crime?
01:25:38That his reason was overwhelmed by his love.
01:25:47When this is over, when you're home again,
01:25:51when you look at yourself in the mirror,
01:25:54I want you to be able to say,
01:25:57I decided this case on the evidence.
01:26:01I decided this case on the law.
01:26:04When I put my hand on that Bible
01:26:07and swore to God that I would return a verdict,
01:26:10that is exactly what I did.
01:26:13I returned a true verdict according to the evidence
01:26:17and nothing else.
01:26:35The jury deliberated for two hours and forty minutes.
01:26:38Then they set Leon free.
01:26:44From the time I first met Leon, I started asking myself,
01:26:48how is it possible for someone to take the life of a person he loves?
01:26:54I tried to put myself in his place.
01:26:56I tried to imagine if what happened to Joseph happened to my brother,
01:27:00what I would do.
01:27:02I asked myself, is it possible to love someone that much?
01:27:06So much that you feel their pain as acutely as they do?
01:27:11I asked myself still,
01:27:13could I ever love anyone enough to do a thing like that?
01:27:17So many questions.
01:27:20When the trial was over, Leon turned to me and said,
01:27:24you know what you did for me?
01:27:27You did for me what I did for my brother.
01:27:42A film by
01:27:46A film by
01:27:51A film by
01:27:56A film by
01:28:01A film by
01:28:06A film by
01:28:11A film by
01:28:16A film by
01:28:21A film by