Donald Wilson

Donald Wilson is an eighteen-year-old gang member accused of stealing cash and jewelry from the Littletons' safe. He admits breaking into the house as an initiation but insists he never touched the safe. Eleven jurors are ready to convict him until Eugene Meltsner studies the evidence carefully. A photograph shows that the heavy commercial safe would require six to eight hours to open, far longer than Donald had inside. That discovery supports his account even though his admitted crime makes him an easy target for suspicion. The trial ends in a mistrial after a juror reveals hidden knowledge of Donald, giving him another chance at a fair hearing. Donald's case shows why guilt in one wrongdoing cannot replace proof of a different charge.