And Justice for All

There were some things that weren't in dispute. Before Tony Hance assumed another man's identity and went on the run, he did indeed shoot and kill two people. The evidence was irrefutable. In his mind, he had no choice. It was him or them, and he shot and killed him to survive. To others, it wasn't quite so cut and dry. Tony said he shot in self defense. So why, then, did he shoot each of them twice? The first shot to each of them was fatal. The second shot was overkill. In the words of the veteran police detective on Tony's trail, "a self-defense excuse ends when the threat no longer exists. Shooting people who are already dying is nothing but murder." But even the detective felt there was more to the story. Something about it gnawed at him. Tony was a good kid, with a bright future. It made no sense for him to throw it away. If there was a side of the story that remained untold, only Tony Hance himself could tell it. And would the jury believe it? Tony successfully evaded capture for the better part of two years, first by joining the Air Force and then by disappearing into the Alaska wilderness. But now, captured and jailed, he was on his way back to Texas to stand trial. Would telling his version of the story make a difference and save him from the gas chamber? Would it fix the damage he'd done to the women he loved, the family he destroyed, and the dying father who wanted nothing more in the world than to vindicate his son? Every accused has his day in court. This was Tony's...