89. BROTHER'S KEEPER

did delbert ward kill his brother william ward?  4 simple-minded brothers, living in a shack of a house, dairy farming all to their lives.  william is found dead in his bed one morning, june of '90, and assumed to have died in his sleep.  until the next day, when the medical examiner raises suspicion of foul play.  delbert and brothers are hauled into the police station where they sign statements saying delbert did it as a mercy killing.  the problem?........none of the brothers are literate; they don't hear well; delbert can't see if he doesn't have his glasses and even then, not well.  the authorities apparently didn't offer any lawyer to be present.  the brothers certainly didn't understand the language of the law to know what anything meant.  it's obvious that these are all simple men; some more than others.  most would say they live in squalor.  the community has known them only as "the boys", has generally shunned them all their life.  they are incredibly dirty men, but gentle.  most townspeople have never had a relationship with them.  however, in the face of a 2nd degree murder charge, the community rallies around delbert to raise bail and defense attorney funds--no one believes delbert would have committed this crime on his brother who he was with every day of his life.  we are taken through the months after the death and through the entire trial to the verdict.  it's scary what can happen to simple people when the law is involved!