Since 1990, the percentage of people living in poverty has remained relatively stable or slightly increased in the east of the Anacostia River communities, places which also experienced the biggest recent decreases in murders. The number of murders dropped by 55 percent in 2011 in the police’s 7th District, where more than one-third of people live below the poverty line, according to census estimates. In 1990, about 28 percent of residents there were impoverished.

In recent decades, many people moving out of east of the river communities settled in Prince George’s County. But those individuals who were moving weren’t the poorest people in their communities, and they didn’t leave because of gentrification, according to demographer Roderick J. Harrison. Many moved to the suburbs because they could afford to and they were getting more for their money further away from the city.

But despite Police Chief Cathy Lanier's natural desire to take credit ("We had to go out there and really build relationships with people in the neighborhood. They have to trust us."), it isn't all due to community policing either:

What does explain the drop in murders east of the river? For one, violent crime nationwide is on the decline, and the exact reasons aren’t fully known.

The correlation between U.S. murder rates and District murder rates is pretty clear. As of this year, for the first time in nearly 50 years, murder is no longer on the top 15 causes of death for Americans. Back in the early '90s—when D.C. was the "murder capital"—homicide was at its highest position on the list, at 10.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

No Taxation Without Starvation: Getting D.C. representation in Congress turns out to be physically hard work. The last remaining protester from the Occupy D.C. movement who's on a hunger strike to demand voting rights, Adrian Parsons, has lost 25 pounds in three weeks. He's consuming only vitamins and water, enhanced with electrolytes. Parsons' doctors have told him his kidneys are stressed, but he's otherwise doing fine. Which is good—since chances are Congress won't be meeting his demands any time soon. -2

Killing Is Out, School Is In: There are still a few days left in 2011, so maybe we shouldn't talk about the stats yet. But if current trends hold up through Sunday, the District will end 2011 with the lowest homicide total since 1963. Through today, the city had seen 108 murders this year (all chronicled at Homicide Watch). The murder rate is low, too, at about 5.6 per 100,000 residents. Overall, though, total crime was up 3 percent this year. +1

Occupied: Speaking of crime, the Fraternal Order of Police says more crime has occurred around the city since the Occupy D.C. camp set up in McPherson Square. That's because, the union argues, cops are being pulled there to keep an eye on protesters instead of doing their usual jobs. Seems like the number of variables involved in crime rate fluctuations is large enough that blaming any one factor in and of itself is a bit of a stretch. And besides, doesn't the FOP usually prefer to just blame Cathy Lanier? -1

Lawyers, Guns, and Money: Turns out overturning the District's gun control laws won't be quite as lucrative as it first appeared. A court ruled today that the city will have to pay lawyers for Dick Anthony Heller $1.3 million for more than 1,500 hours of work on the landmark Supreme Court case, District of Columbia v. Heller, that resulted in D.C. gun rules being thrown out. The lawyers, though, had initially asked for $3.1 million. Maybe they should just stick the District government up? -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 50 Today's score: -3 Today's Needle rating: 47

If every week had been like the last one, though, D.C. would have 416 murders under its belt by the end of the year.

Please Sir, May I Have Some More (Acorns)?: Squirrel advocates (!) disagree on how to handle the coming Squirrel Famine—and whether there's even a famine coming. One group says they've noticed fewer acorns this year, and that once squirrels gnaw through their current stash, they'll be starving—so District residents may want to buy acorns, freeze them and pass them out through the winter. BUT! Another group says there isn't really a shortage of acorns, plus, there's a larger-than-usual crop of black walnuts, and feeding starving squirrels is a bad idea. No word on whether there's a chicken bone shortage. +3

Metrobus Murder: A rider on the W4 bus at 24 Street and Alabama Ave. Southeast was shot and killed after midnight by two men who fled the scene. “To think that somebody boarded that bus and did that to my child is scary, real scary,” Talaya Thompson, the victim’s mother, told WJLA. -6

Late Night Slurps: Why the interest in late-night oyster happy hours—particularly in the District? At Old Ebbitt Grill, the popularity built slowly: "It started with restaurant waiters and cooks who were getting off work late. Then they invited their friends. At some point, the restaurant earned a reputation as a place that knew its oysters and went the extra mile to source high quality." Do oysters taste better at night? Unclear. But they're certainly cheaper, what with half-price specials going at places like Ebbitt and Hank's Oyster Bar. +2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 57 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 58

MPD spokesperson Gwendolyn Crump suggested MPD hadn't forgotten to issue the releases. There had just been a small mistake—they hadn't been put up on the website. The situation has been corrected, she says: "Thanks for bringing this to our attention." But Homicide Watch says there are still nine missing.

Not to be too hard on the department, but the idea that a homicide might not have gotten a press release sends a chill. Though as far as we know, MPD isn't obligated to issue press releases about murders, if some show up on the site and others don't, what does that mean about the investigations those homicides undoubtedly spawned? Are they getting the attention they deserve? Or are they also missing?

Guandique originally faced another count of first-degree felony murder for allegedly sexually assaulting Levy in the trial that started Oct. 25.  The kidnapping and attempted robbery charges were also dropped due to the statute of limitations on those allegations. Guandique, an illegal immigrant, was indicted for Levy's murder in May 2009 while he was serving time for other attacks in Rock Creek Park.

Jurors faced a lack of hard evidence to base their verdict. Prosecutors were unable to provide any DNA or eyewitnesses to link Guandique to the murder. The jury heard testimony from Armondo Morales, Guandique's former cellmate, who testified that he admitted to killing Levy.

Guandique will be sentenced on Feb. 11.

According to the court documents, police were able to locate several witnesses and video footage of the scene. This led them two believe two shooters were involved and that they drove a Buick LeSabre. One witness even provided an accurate tag number. The shooting took place mid-day. Detectives found the car in well under an hour. It wasn't long before they found Miller.

According to the court documents, detectives ran the tags off the grey sedan as provided by a witness. The vehicle was a 2001 Buick registered to an address at 1211 Girard Street NW. Detectives found the car at 12:45 p.m. Detectives located video footage that showed two males get out of the car shortly after the shooting. Police go on to state:

“While Detectives were still outside of 1211 Girard Streets NW, Mr. Brandon Miller came to the scene and said the Buick was his vehicle. Detectives asked Mr. Miller if he would accompany them to the Homicide Branch and he agreed to do so.”

As Miller was being interrogated in police custody, other detectives conducted a search warrant of Miller’s home. They found: “two handguns (9mm and .40 cal) inside a backpack,” “an assault rifle (AK-47), and Tech (machine gun)” in a bedroom, and a shotgun in another bedroom. A witness in the house stated that Miller slept on the couch and did not have a bedroom.

During the interview, Miller explained just how his car came to be seen at 13^th and U Streets NW:

“He said he was at the gas station at 14^th and Euclid Street NW when he saw the two guys, who he described as wearing blue jeans and white tee shirts. Mr. Miller said the two guys asked him for a ride to Florida Avenue. Mr. Miller agreed and said he then drove the two guys to 13^th and U Streets NW, and made a left into an alley. He said he parked his car in the alley and the two guys exited and went down the street. Mr. Miller heard gunshots and then saw the two guys running back to his car. He said they got into his car and he sped down the alley. Mr. Miller said he dropped them off at his house. He said he didn’t know they were going to do what they did. Mr. Miller said the guns found in his house would not have ballistics matching to the shooting.”

According to the court record, Coates died from multiple gunshot wounds. He was shot in the back right side of his head, his right cheekbone and right bicep. When medical personnel arrived on the scene, it was determined that Coates' death "was apparent."

Judge Lynn Leibovitz on Tuesday exonerated defendants Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward in the sensational trial which captivated Washington for weeks. The three housemates were charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Price was also on trial for evidence tampering.

"It is very likely that Mr. Price pulled the murder weapon from Mr. Wone's chest," Leibovitz said. But, the judge added, she couldn't say beyond a reasonable doubt whether he did so with the intent to obstruct justice. Leibovitz further concluded that Price "very likely tampered with and altered the murder weapon," though she couldn't establish beyond a reasonable doubt what his motivations were. In short, the government simply failed to prove its case.

"We all understand and accept the judge's verdict," prosecuting U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner told reporters following the announcement. Kirschner said the investigation of Wone's murder "will remain open."

The victim's widow, Kathy Wone, bolted the courtroom immediately following the verdict. She plans on pursuing a $20 million wrongful death civil suit against the men.

Robert Wone was found stabbed to death in the home of the exonerated defendants at 1509 Swann Street NW on the night of Aug. 2, 2006. Authorities believed the three men who lived in the house were in some way connected to the slaying. The trio, all gay men involved in a "polyamorous" domestic relationship, had claimed they weren't culpable in the murder of their visitor or any subsequent cover-up. They said they were all sleeping when Wone, who was staying the night as a guest in their million-dollar townhouse following a late night at work, was murdered by some unseen intruder wielding one of their kitchen knives. The defendants theorized the intruder entered through an unlocked back door.

But there was circumstantial evidence that suggested otherwise. There were no signs that anything in the house had been disturbed, or rifled through, for instance. Authorities believe that, if there had truly been an intruder that night, he or she would have likely been a burglar–yet no items of value, including Wone's wallet and BlackBerry, went missing the night of his slaughter. Also, some of Wone's blood was unaccounted for: while there were two blood spots on a pull-out couch he was found atop, and a little blood on a towel Price claimed to have used to apply pressure to the victim's wounds, Wone likely bled a lot more as he was stabbed three times: twice in the chest and once in the abdomen. That implies the housemates cleaned up some of his blood. Another thing that casts suspicion on the trio was Wone's perfect wounds. They showed no sign that he had moved as a kitchen knife plunged into him over and over.

Throughout the case, the prosecution has come up with various scenarios regarding what happened to Wone the night he died, everything from the defendants sexually assaulting Wone to the defendants paralyzing Wone with a toxin to Price's sometimes drug-addled brother allegedly killing Wone. But the proesecution wasn't able to back up the narratives with enough evidence to convict. Though the prosecution aptly conveyed that something mysterious happened to Wone on a muggy August evening in Dupont Circle, Leibovitz was only interested in what could be proved.

"A trier of fact must be convinced," the judge said.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: An excerpt from the judge's final order explains exactly why she didn't find the defendants guilty of a cover up:

"Despite the many suspicious and even damning circumstances, despite the implausibility of the intruder story, and despite the discordant and inappropriate demeanor and conduct of the defendants, I am constrained to conclude that the government has not eliminated, beyond a reasonable doubt, the real possibility created by what I have termed the “math problem” in this case. It is very probable that the government’s theory is correct, that even if the defendants did not participate in the murder some or all of them knew enough about the circumstances of it to provide helpful information to law enforcement and have chosen to withhold that information for reasons of their own. Nevertheless, after lengthy analysis of the evidence I conclude that the government has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the essential elements of obstruction of justice as to Mr. Price, Mr. Zaborsky or Mr. Ward. I further find that, for the same reasons,that the government has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt as to each defendant that he joined a conspiracy to obstruct justice. I find also, for all of the reasons I have stated, that the government has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Price committed the offense of tampering with evidence.

My verdicts represent my effort to fairly and impartially follow the rule of law. My focus on the difference between “moral certainty” and “evidentiary certainty” in this case is probably cold comfort to those who loved Robert Wone and wish for some measure of peace or justice, and I am extremely sorry for this. I believe, however, that the reasonable doubt standard is essential to maintaining our criminal justice system as the fair and just system we wish it to be."

UPDATE, 4:05 p.m: The defense team for Ward–David Schertler, Robert Spagnoletti and Veronica Jennigns–have issued the following statement regarding the verdict.

 

"On behalf of Dylan Ward we are extremely gratified by judge Leibovitz's verdicts of not guilty on all counts as to all three defendants. As we have said since the murder of Mr. Wone, Mr. Ward is completely innocent of any wrongdoing in this matter. Mr. Ward also continues to express his deepest sympathies to the family of Robert Wone for their tragic loss and hopes that the person who committed this crime will some day be brought to justice."

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Just six weeks before the grisly murder of D.C. lawyer Robert Wone in their guest room, the housemates at 1509 Swann Street NW may have been struggling to keep their romantic threesome intact.

Documents recently filed by prosecutors suggest that defendant Dylan Ward may have been losing interest in lover Joseph Price. Both Ward and co-defendant Victor Zaborsky were domestic partners with Price. All three lived together in the house on Swann Street. Now, all three face more than 30 years in prison if convicted of conspiring to cover up Wone's murder. Judge Lynn Leibovitz is expected to announce verdicts Tuesday.

The dynamics of the Swann Street trio's three-way relationship has played a pivotal role in the prosecution's case. (WhoMurderedRobertWone.com offers a thoughtful breakdown here.)

The prosecution offers that in an email, dated June 20, 2006, "Price expressed to Ward that he was 'scared and upset' by Ward's apparent disinterest in him, noting that 'it is nevertheless nerve racking and [he had] spent the past couple of days obsessing about why this happened and how, hunting for some clue or understanding but finding none...Guess we wait and see what happens and hope for the best.'"

But Price soon scrapped the wait-and-see approach for the up-the-ante method, according to court papers:

"Seemingly in an effort to draw Ward back into the relationship, a few weeks later Price suggested that he and Ward invite a third — not Zaborsky — for a sexual encounter: 'Hey love-of-my-life, I’m happy to give a third a try but only if you would like to try it.' Ward replied: 'yes, intimidating, but we can try, can't know what it's like without trying.'"

Zaborsky wasn't to participate in the adventure. "If  'scary’ means you are interested but that it is a little intimidating (I think it is),"  Price allegedly emails, "then we can give it a try, and I would think that while Vic is gone, maybe next Thursday evening?"

Adding another layer to the proposed tryst, an Alt.com profile, which prosecutors earlier claimed was connected to Price, suggests the men weren't hoping for any old third, but one who might be open to sadomasochistic sex play.

The prosecution, which presented its closing arguments Thursday, says the proposed second threesome is evidence that Price was the "fulcrum of the family" and that all three men were willing to make sacrifices (Zaborsky by being tolerant of the new activities) to keep that family together. Prosecutors say this illustrates the defendants' motive to facilitate a murder cover-up when someone within (or close to) that family brutally knifed Wone.

On August 2, 2006, Wone was stabbed to death while spending the night at the million-dollar Dupont Circle home of the defendants. The defendants say they had nothing to do with it, that an unidentified intruder entered the house and slaughtered their visitor. Prosecutors believe the three men know who killed Wone and are covering up to protect him.

William Thomas

Thomas seems a linchpin to the prosecution's case, as defendants Joseph Price, Dylan Ward and Victor Zaborsky didn't place a 911 call about the overnight guest who'd been stabbed at their house at 1509 Swann Street NW until about 11:49 p.m., leaving plenty of time between the scream to the 911 call to concoct the alleged coverup plot they're accused of.

Entering an episode of the ABC program Nightline as evidence this week, Thomas Connolly, a lawyer for the defense, claims "dear old Mr. Thomas" is mistaken. He didn't hear Bunyan that night, Connolly said, he heard Nightline presenter Vicki Mabrey, who was on the same channel a bit later.

Starting at 11:45 p.m., on August 2, 2006, the night of Wone's slaying, the female journalist was broadcasting a segment about record summer temperatures.  Thomas' wife admits she left the TV on past 11:30 p.m.

Connolly wanted to play segments of Bunyan's voice and Mabrey's voice in court to see if Thomas could tell the difference. But Judge Lynn Leibovitz called the proposal a "stunt" and didn't permit it.

Herewith, video of both Mabrey and Bunyan. Close your eyes and see if you can tell the difference:

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

The gay threesome maintain that an unknown intruder broke into their home at 1509 Swann Street NW and killed Wone. Prosecutors believe the men know the killer and are covering up to protect him.

Grimm, whose client is Price, protested that the prosecution had "not one single piece of evidence" pointing to the guilt of his client. Grimm then attempted to dismantle the government's case piece by piece. For instance, Grimm pointed out that although prosecutors are suspicious of the two small spots of blood left on the bed where Wone was knifed, those blood spots weren't smeared, as they undoubtedly would have been if the defendants had moved the body to the bed from somewhere else.

Grimm also reiterated an assertion the defense had previously made through expert testimony. "He would have been unconscious almost immediately," Grimm said of a stabbed Wone. The defense believes instant unconsciousness kept Wone from moving during the killing. Prosecutors have said that, according to the evidence, Wone didn't move when he was gored with a kitchen knife three times–and that that's evidence he was drugged, likely by the defendants or someone close to them.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Grimm played parts of Price's police interrogation video in hopes of showcasing his client's honesty.

Connolly, who's representing Zaborsky, was up next. Speaking in theatrical tones that sometimes softened to near-whispers, Connolly addressed the judge: "There is no direct evidence, circumstantial evidence, or any other kind of evidence that Mr. Zaborsky knows what happened to Mr. Wone."  Connolly pointed out that his client, who says he was up in his bedroom watching Project Runway when Wone arrived at the house that night, didn't even cross paths with Wone until after the stabbing. Connolly contended that nothing about the way Zaborsky behaved the night of the murder was suspicious. He brought up the recording of the 911 call that Zaborsky made to report Wone's murder as " chilling evidence" indicating Zaborsky's innocence. "It's the chilling call of a man who's frightened and confused,"Connolly said. Connolly added that when emergency workers arrived, Zaborsky had a human reaction: "He implores, he begs the EMTs to help," Connolly said, adding, "It's what I would do."

After about an hour of oration, Connolly decided to characterize his client: "The truth is, he is a kind and gentle soul. The truth is, he wouldn't cover up any murder, no matter who caused it."

Next up was Schertler for Ward. Schertler called the prosecution's case "assumptions, speculation, and innuendo." He went on, "We don't know who did what in that house in respect to the murder of Robert Wone. If you can't prove the true circumstances of the murder of Robert Wone, then you can't prove these three men lied to the police."

The government had simply "cobbled together a patchwork of suspicious circumstances," he said. "It borders on the Kafka-esque. It's nothing but the government's imagination run wild." Shertler brought up the defendants' police interviews. "These are not tough guys going down to the station," Schertler said, explaining that the three defendants were interviewed for hours. "They would not, could not stand up under police interrogation unless they were telling the truth."

Rachel Lieber rebutted for the prosecution. "Kathy Wone doesn't know what happened to her husband," Lieber said, "They did," she said, referring to the defendants. "They lied." Lieber said the defendants could have invoked the Fifth Amendment when police asked what happened to Wone, but chose to deceive cops instead. "You can't do that," she said. "That 's obstruction of justice." Then, riffing off Schertlers' contention that the prosecution was speculating: "Let's talk about speculation, some opportunistic ninja assassin intruder ran into the house and stabbed Mr. Wone?"

Judge Leibovitz plans to deliver her decision Tuesday at 11 a.m.

"They lied to the police, they orchestrated, they tampered," Kirschner said of Price and fellow defendants Dylan Ward and Victor Zaborsky. The trio stands accused of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection to the 2006 death of D.C. attorney Robert Wone, who was fatally stabbed while staying the night in their guest room. The gay threesome maintain that an unknown intruder broke into their home at 1509 Swann Street NW and killed their friend Wone. Prosecutors believe the men know the killer and are covering up to protect him.

Kirschner said Thursday that investigators may never learn the true identity of Wone's murderer, "or who came along for the conspiracy ride." But he said the evidence presented in the case proves that the trio had engaged in a coverup.

"A stabbing homicide is a noisy, messy thing," Kirschner said. Yet, according to the defendants' story, they didn't hear much that night, and investigators didn't find a lot of blood at the scene, he said.

Kirschner also pointed to an apparent discrepancy in the defendants' story–which City Desk had earlier noted: After finding Wone's body, neither Price or Zaborsky apparently bothered to check on their fellow housemate Ward, who was supposedly sleeping just down the hall, despite the fact that the killer would have needed to pass Ward's room twice in order to commit the crime and flee the scene.

"What is the first thing you do?" Kirschner posited. "You make a beeline for your loved one's room."

Prosecutors have portrayed Price, who faces additional charges of tampering with evidence, as the leader of the alleged conspiracy effort. On Thursday, Kirschner played a segment of police interrogation video to bolster that claim. "You can't help but notice that Mr. Price couldn't be more dismissive, couldn't be more detached. He's plainly in control. He's in control of this interview."

Kirschner also pointed to the testimony of the defendants' neighbor, William Thomas, who claimed to hear a scream sometime during the local eleven o'clock newscast that night–a claim that conflicts time-wise with the defendants' own version of events. "Mr. Thomas, he has no dog in this fight," Kirschner said, "came in here and said, 'I heard a single scream of desperation.' That's a time stamp. No two ways about it."

Summing up, Kirschner paid the defendants a backhanded compliment. "This has been a very, very successful conspiracy and coverup," he said–albeit one that would end in conviction, he added.

"I hate to sound like a b-movie," Kirschner said, "but three people are there, there's no forced entry, who did it?"

Judge Lynn Leibovitz asked Kirschner several of questions pertaining to whether the defendants' actions described during witness testimony technically fits the legal definition of obstruction of justice.

Kirschner simply stated that the three men clearly knew that they were deceiving police. "It might not be the most egregious obstruction in the world," he said, "but that's obstruction."

The defense says that's bullshit, and suggests that when Third District and homicide cops showed up at 1509 Swann Street NW sometime around 12 a.m that night, they began jumping to conclusions, perhaps as a result of prejudice. Defense lawyers say that cops had accused the trio of trying "to gay Wone up." In an interrogation room video, Detective David Wagner can be heard laying out what he thinks inevitably happens when gay men and hetero men spend time together: “I’ve got three homosexuals in a house. And I’ve got one straight guy. What’s he doing over there? I think we were all drinking wine. You know what’s going to happen tonight, you’re coming to Jesus tonight. That’s what’s going on.” Defense attorneys say Wagner and other cops pursued their innocent clients as murder suspects instead of finding the real killer.

Today, after some five weeks of testimony from family members, cops, and experts, attorneys on both sides will present their closing arguments. The orations, which have been limited to about an hour for each party, will likely talk about bloody knives, missing blood, needle marks, pork loin, cardiac tamponade, oddly uniform stab wounds, a sandbox, a wayward brother prone to crack binges, the alleged shifty behavior of Price,  the alleged neatness of the murder victim, TV newscater Maureen Bunyan, TV shows Nightline and Project Runway,  and a lot more.

Check back with City Desk later today for full coverage of today's closing arguments.

"If there's another voice that sounds like Maureen Bunyan, that's relevant," argued Connolly. Weeks ago, a neighbor to the defendants, witness William Thomas, testified that he heard a scream coming from his neighbors' home at 1509 Swann Street NW on the night Robert Wone was stabbed to death in the defendants' guest room.

Based on the fact that the other thing Thomas heard at that time was his wife watching WJLA-TV newscaster Maureen Bunyan–"I know her voice after all these years," said Thomas, who added that he's been watching Bunyan since back when the anchorwoman was on Channel 9–Thomas estimated that the scream happened sometime during Bunyan's regular nightly newscast, between 11 and 11:30 p.m.  That creates a problem for the defense, as the defendants didn't place a 911 call about the incident until 11:49 p.m., giving them ample time to concoct the alleged murder/cover-up plot of which they're accused.

But Connolly hopes a DVD of the Nightline broadcast for that evening will prove that at 11:45 p.m., for seven minutes, a female voice was broadcasted on Nightline. Connolly hopes to suggest that Thomas mistook that voice for Bunyan's. If the judge buys that notion, the 11:49 p.m. call to 911 better lines up with the defendants' narrative of events that fateful night.

The judge ruled that a portion of the Nightline broadcast would be included as evidence.

Defendants Joseph Price, Dylan Ward and Victor Zaborsky are charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection to Wone's death. Price also faces charges of tampering with evidence. The trio insist that an unknown intruder broke into their home and killed their friend Wone. Investigators believe the three men know the killer and are covering up to protect him.

The judge also apprised the defendants that the right to testify "is you right to give up." Questioned by the judge, the defendants confirmed over and over that they wanted to give up their right to testify. Price, Zaborsky, and Ward, could barely be heard as they let loose answers "Yes, your honor" and "That's correct your honor."

The striking moment brings us ever closer to the final day of the hugely hyped trial. The defense will rest soon, and though the prosecution has a short rebuttal case to get through today, closing arguments should start tomorrow morning. That means the defendants, accused of covering up the murder of Wone–who was stabbed to death in their guest room–are edging ever closer to the moment when they will either head off to prison or be exonerated.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery