Judge Bolster was a respected but undistinguished judge who was known to be unapologetically fair toward the defense despite being an arch-conservative in an extremely liberal state.

Now I have a very sad duty, gentlemen, I don't know whether you have heard. Early this afternoon one or more assassins in Texas, apparently from high up in a building, fired shots at some of our officials. They hit the president, the vice president and the Governor of Texas, and the president, early this afternoon, died. I ask everyone in the room to rise. I thought fast. I am willing to take the responsibility. You have been here almost three weeks. I venture to think that if the president were here … he would do what I am doing. We are going ahead, but we are going ahead in a thoughtful sorrow about what has transpired. I have watched you gentlemen, and I think you are men of sufficient mental integrity not to let this influence you in any way in the decision of this case. This case is on its own evidence and on the arguments that have been ably presented to you, and so we are going forward. And will you please make every effort to be sure that your decision in this case is in no way tainted by the national disaster that has struck us. So you may retire, Mr. Foreman, and gentlemen, and we start at 8:30 in the morning.

Well, what I believe happened is that Judge Bolster collapsed the entire case by his remarks to -- his prejudicial remarks to the jury after the close of the -- closing argument where Dick Kelley -- the judge inappropriately informed the jury that the president had been shot, that the vice president had been shot, and that the case was going to continue. ''Defense Attorney Beryl Cohen''