This is the kind of Defenders episode you'd show a friend who had never seen the show to see what it was like at it's best and how it gained such a superlative reputation.
Richard Kiley is a police officer who comes home to find that some one has 'attacked' his 5 year old daughter. It's not made explicit but it's strong implied that she's been sexually abused as well as assaulted. She says "Steve" did it and an enraged Kiley goes after Steve, a local teenage "punk". A friend of Steve's, played by Martin Sheen in his first TV credit, (this was one of many "teenage punk" roles Sheen had before he graduated to slick crooks and eventually to the White House- is this a great country or what?), ties to stop him. Kiley barges into the apartment of Steve's family, finds him in his room and shoots him as his mother watches.
The Prestons get the job of defending him. Kiley is sure everyone will understand what he did and he'll get off. Lawrence Preston is non-committal but confides to Kenneth that he thinks Kiley should be found guilty but everyone deserves the best defense he can get. Pleading temporary insanity doesn't seem like it will work: Kiley insists that he was sane and everyone who saw him agrees. Preston must play on the jury's sympathy when he himself has none for his client.
Meanwhile Kiley is unforgiving of his wife for letting their daughter leave their apartment and wind up on the roof where the assault occurred - until he finds out he's made a far greater mistake.
Richard Kiley is a police officer who comes home to find that some one has 'attacked' his 5 year old daughter. It's not made explicit but it's strong implied that she's been sexually abused as well as assaulted. She says "Steve" did it and an enraged Kiley goes after Steve, a local teenage "punk". A friend of Steve's, played by Martin Sheen in his first TV credit, (this was one of many "teenage punk" roles Sheen had before he graduated to slick crooks and eventually to the White House- is this a great country or what?), ties to stop him. Kiley barges into the apartment of Steve's family, finds him in his room and shoots him as his mother watches.
The Prestons get the job of defending him. Kiley is sure everyone will understand what he did and he'll get off. Lawrence Preston is non-committal but confides to Kenneth that he thinks Kiley should be found guilty but everyone deserves the best defense he can get. Pleading temporary insanity doesn't seem like it will work: Kiley insists that he was sane and everyone who saw him agrees. Preston must play on the jury's sympathy when he himself has none for his client.
Meanwhile Kiley is unforgiving of his wife for letting their daughter leave their apartment and wind up on the roof where the assault occurred - until he finds out he's made a far greater mistake.