This was such a frustrating movie. They had their own lawyer yet they allowed a horrible public defender to represent him. He kept telling people he feel down the stairs instead. However, he picked and choose who to tell her was beaten by the police but wouldn't tell anyone who could actually do anything about it. The actions by Stephano, his parents, the doctors, the lawyers, nurses and judge were horrible. For whatever reason, everyone in the movie allowed Steph to go through incredible suffering. But the most frustrating part is their willingness to allow the public defender to be his lawyer.
