The criminal trial of the People of the State of New York v. Bernhard Goetz debuted on July 8, 1986. It was a media circus. For the first time, the jury viewed an angry Goetz explaining to police why he shot 4 teenagers in a subway car.
Part 1: A Vigilante is Born
Three days before Christmas, in December of 1984, Bernhard Hugo Goetz, a 37-year-old New Yorker, shot four black teenagers in a subway car, with an unregistered gun. As a result of this polarizing event, two grand jury panels were convened.
