Case of a Lifetime pg 1-50

Summary

The story starts out with a Prologue where Abbe Smith talks about how she came to meet a woman named Pasty Kelly Jarrett in a Bedford Hills Correctional Facility visiting room in Westchester County, New York. Abbe Smith was in her second year of law school when she took the case, and her reason was because there was no other case like Pasty's and she wanted as much experience as she can. Pasty Kelly Jarreet was sentenced to life in prison for assisting the robbing and murder of a 17-year-old gas station attendant, a crime Pasty claims she did not commit. Abbe Smith goes on and talks a little about Pasty's case and how she spent 28-1/2 years in prison before she was released on parole and is still a convicted murderer today. Abbe tells the story in both 1st as well as 3rd person. As she tells Kell's story of her conviction, she also tells her own, and her procces of proving Kell'ys innocence.

In the summer of 1973, Kelly took a trip to New York with Billy Ronald, a man she met at a High Point textile mill that they were both working at. Kelly and Billy were able to take comfort in each other because of the fact that they were both gay living in the South. Two years after returning form her trip with Billy, two police officers came to her house and told her she was wannted for the murder of 17-year-old Paul David Hatch.

John Scholl was appointed to represent Kelly and dedicated himself to Kelly's case. Due to the fact that there was a chance of Kelly being convicted of assisting a murder, John Scholl sugested that she should plea guilty to take a lower sentence. In Kelly's eyes, she could not plea guilty to a crime that she did not commit. At the end of her trial she was found guilty and was sent to prison.

Quote

"I also took on other cases. I was eager for experience, and was exciting to be working for real people in need instead of sitting in class" (Smith 35).

Reaction

As I started reading the story, I found it interesting that Abbe Smith is writing a memoir of not only her, but a convicted criminal who she felt very srongly was innocent. "Kelly's case, my very first, remains the most haunting miscarage of justice I have ever encountered" (Smith 10). This quote is an example of how strongly Abbe Smith fells about her profession, and how she doesn't want wat happend to Kelly, to happen to any other person. In this story I feel that there are two protagonist characters. Abbe has a strong desire to prove Kellys innocence, and Kelly has a stong desire to clear her name. The quotation I used for my "quote" shows how even at her beinning career at law school, Abbe has the determination to win a case. Later on i am expecting to see a continuation of the desire of Abbe Smith as she works on Kelly's case.