EVERY COP HAS ONE LASTING MEMORY . . .
EVERY JUDGE HAS ONE LASTING REGRET
Officer Dennis Patrick assumes that tonight is just like every other Friday night, as he cruises by the regular teen hang-outs, making sure the residents of Pico Rivera, California are safe. However, when he pulls into Oyster Park, he realizes that tonight is not like any he has ever experienced. What he first hears, and then sees, will change his career forever.
Hector Alvarez, a young Hispanic male, has made a series of bad decisions in his life, and in his desire to revenge the recent death of his older brother, makes his worst decision yet. As Hector sits in jail awaiting his trial, he begins to mentally prepare for a long stay in prison. Little does he know that prison would have been his safest bet.
Judge Henderson is a trusted and respected Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles County. His friends, his staff, and his family all appreciate his love of the law, and his love for his favorite lunchtime sport – basketball. Henderson is growing frustrated by the lack of rehabilitation that stems from lengthy prison sentences, and the predictability of long-term criminals. While he loves the law, and the people who fight for it, he is beginning to question the very judicial system that he has sworn to uphold.
What would happen if one person could be both “judge and jury”? Who really has the right to decide specific punishment for specific crimes? While you may be surprised by the events that take place in just 39 Days, you’ll be even more surprised to hear, that they are based on a true story.
Juan Alvarez stood by the ticket window at the local street fair and scanned the crowd. He had told his younger brother to meet him at this exact location at 10:30pm. He wasn’t surprised that Hector was a no-show. Hector was 19 years old on the outside, but still 13 or 14 on the inside. If he found a better invitation for tonight’s festivities, he wouldn’t think twice about bailing on his older brother.
Juan nervously made one last pass through the crowd, but he was certain that Hector wasn’t there. Juan silently prayed that his younger sibling wasn’t doing something stupid, as Hector had a unique way of filling his free time with law-breaking activities. Juan hadn’t noticed the band of girls watching him from the other side of the street. Typical of Juan, he always focused on Hector, and his family responsibilities, before any personal fun. As he glanced at his watch, he finally gave up on Hector and started back toward his car.
The girls giggled, as they secretly captured pictures of Juan on their tiny cell phones. Juan was not only an attractive, strong 22-year old, but he also moved like an elite athlete – confident, assured, and graceful. The girls joked about which one of them should approach the sexy stranger, but like always, it was Angelina that simply stepped away from the pack, and started walking toward Juan at a pace that left the others behind.
Juan’s car was parked on the street just a block and a half from the City Fair, and as he got close to the vehicle, he unlocked the doors with his remote key. As he slid into the driver’s seat, Angelina surprised him by quickly jumping in the passenger side.
“Where we goin?” Angelina giggled as she attached her seat belt.
“What the hell?” Juan said nervously, as his eyes darted around to see if there was anyone else with her. When he calmed himself in realizing that she was alone, he continued, “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m your date,” Angelina said with her best, most seductive smile. After a slight pause she questioned, “that is, if you’re up for a little fun?”
Juan, who wasn’t really known for his spontaneous actions, had to pause for a second to collect his thoughts. This unknown passenger was certainly beautiful; there was no question about that. Hector seemed like he’d made his own plans for the night, and as a result, Juan really didn’t have anywhere he needed to be.
So without another word, Juan started the car, and headed out, for what his mystery date had classified as “a little fun”.