12. A Sleepwalking Acquittal
After Choate delivered a six-hour closing argument, the jury retired to deliberate. They returned two hours later with a not guilty verdict, on grounds that Tirrell was unaware of his actions at the time of the killing, and was thus not legally responsible.
In subsequent years, other defendants were acquitted based on a sleepwalking defense. Ironically, however, America’s first successful sleepwalking defense was probably a sham.