A Black And White Killing: The Case That Shook America

Episode 2 (1x2)

Date de diffusion: Août 26, 2019

As the trial of Russel Courtier continues, Mobeen seeks to understand the complications surrounding the lives and behaviour of the perpetrator and the victim. Back in court, Mobeen sees first-hand the possible threat of gang intimidation, when a reluctant eye-witness struggles to remember the events of the night. The threat of gang violence takes him deep into the racially-segregated American prison system which gave birth to European Kindred. Here Mobeen confronts members of the racist gang and comes to terms with the brainwashing effect that gang membership can have on young men. At this point, the courtroom drama takes another twist when Russell Courtier’s girlfriend, who was in the car at the time of the incident and encouraged him to run Larnell Bruce over, makes a surprising decision. Back on the street, Mobeen meets with a European Kindred member who is willing to break ranks with the gang and explain how they operate. Just before the lawyers give their closing statements in court, Mobeen has a breakthrough by meeting the defendant’s parents and brother, and discovering if they think their son could be racist. Eventually Mobeen watches as the jury deliver its verdict. For Courtier to be guilty of intentionally killing Larnell Bruce, all 12 members of the jury must agree. And separately, they must also decide if it was a hate crime. The state of Oregon - and America as a whole - awaits a verdict that is now as much about decades of racial injustice as it is the death of one young man.