The Witness brings a new dimension to the genre of true crime literature, piecing together shards of personal circumstances and critical life events, so often swept under the rug of family shame or neglect, revealing how the past casts a grave shadow over one's future.
CSI has long since rolled up the tape but the investigation isn't over. Detectives cool their heels from pounding the pavement, but the interviews have just started. The suspects - charged and booked - are left to contemplate their fate. The key to their future lies in their past; while the crime is solved, one question remains:
What is justice?
The most fascinating and interesting thread to be untangled from the horrid mess of humanity starts with the jury's verdict - guilty.
In the second stage of the trial, the jury is charged with the task of deciding a just and adequate penalty. Instructed to put aside their own experiences and put on the defendant's shoes, they must arrive at an impartial decision based on the facts. Draper leads them through the defendant's lifepath, from his birth to this murderous act.
The newly convicted murderer's motives are balanced against humanity. The DA argues that such an atrocious act warrants death. The defense and prosecution push and press the circumstances, mounting the evidence to a landslide verdict. In the midst of the overwhelming accusations and suppositions, one obstacle keeps the rising tide at bay.
Unfolding the key circumstances of childhood that lead to adult criminal behavior reveals the unique role of the expert witness, determined to leave no stone unturned in her search for unravelling the human mystery of each case. Will her discoveries uncover mitigation evidence adequate for the jury to determine just punishment - death or life in prison without parole?
The Witness follows Wanda Draper as she explores how each convicted killer was sculpted during his malleable childhood and adolescence. Draper pieces together the shards of family circumstances and critical life events, so often swept under the rug of family shame or neglect. The Witness explores this unfamiliar dimension of the justice system, taking the audience on a journey to discover: What creates a killer?
