Bryan Stevenson

He'd never been in trouble before.

No prior juvenile adjudications.

He was a decent student.

He was the kind of kid...

that might have been tried as a juvenile, but for the fact that the man that he shot and killed, his mother's boyfriend, well, that man was a deputy sheriff.

And because he was a deputy sheriff, the prosecutor insisted that this child be tried as an adult, and the judge immediately placed this child in an adult facility.

I got involved three days later, and I went to the jail to see this kid, and I was struck how when he walked into the room, he seemed to be so terrified.

And he sat down and I started asking him questions, but no matter what I asked him, he wouldn't say anything.

He just stared.

And I remember getting up and going around the table and pulling my chair close to him.

I said, come on, you got to talk to me.

I can't help you if you don't talk to me.

He wouldn't make eye contact.

He was just staring straight ahead.

And I couldn't figure out what to do.

And at some point, I just leaned on him.

And when I leaned on him, he leaned back.

And when he leaned back, I put my arm around him.

I said, come on, you got to tell me what's going on.

And this little boy started to cry.