would be“ transferred by me to a safe spot even before his body had reached the grave”( 16). And after his last interview with the“ jailed killer” was forced to leave New Wye because of the secrets Mr. Shades death had brought up( 17). The urgency to post this and leave town by Mr. Kinbote seems a tad suspicious for a man in his position, especially after he had“ forced him to confess his heinous crime”( 299). These facts together seem to lead towards some type of conspiracy that the defendant worked up in order to not get in trouble himself. To further the argument that this man is insane, and completely capable of this crime, his notion that claims he is some type of exiled King shows more into his thinking. He describes how much he“ resembled that unfortunate monarch” claiming the resemblance was“ absolutely unheard of”( 265). This is completely possible, for there are many people in the world that look like one another, but to claim he is actually the king dips into his craziness. As stated in the end that there is“ a lunatic who imagines himself to be that king” showing that there is no real king( 301). Finally, it is concluded with the statement from Mr. Kinbote reading“ I may huddle and groan in a madhouse”( 301). The evidence that shows how crazy this neighbor has been throughout his living next to the Shade’ s should definitely raise questions and uncertainties about not only his mental health, but also his motive and ability to have harmed and even killed Mr. Shade.
The case presented here before you today isn’ t one that can be tied down to DNA testing or a simple bullet match, but is one that the jury must decide the fate of the defendant based on evidence provided. With that being said, it was my job to try cast a shadow on this case and to raise eyebrows. John Shade may have been a person with heart problems, but the description of his death seems to raise more questions than answers. With the evidence presented, I think it can be observed that Mr. Kinbote was an unwanted presence in the Shades’ life and his obsession with the poet led him not only to stalk the husband and wife but also to murder Mr. Shade for whatever reason that may be. This man is mentally unstable and a danger to other people around him. Even with the slight moments between these two that would seemingly describe a friendship, I believe from what can be observed that this“ friendliness” expressed by Mr. Shade was out of sympathy for this deranged fan. And at the end of the day, the poet couldn’ t give the defendant the attention he craved which drove the man insane, insane enough to commit murder. However, the decision of whether or not this man should be charged with this crime is not mine to decide, and I just hope that the evidence brought before the jury today will help them make the decision they deem necessary and correct for this defendant.
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