Steve Harmon
Steve Harmon is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Steve is a 16-year-old black kid from Harlem charged with felony murder for his involvement in a botched robbery that ended in Mr. Nesbitt’s…
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James King
James King is man in his mid-20s, charged with the same felony murder as Steve over the death of Mr. Nesbitt. King’s attorney Asa Briggs knows that if King is allowed to testify in…
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Richard “Bobo” Evans
Bobo Evans is a criminal witness in Steve and King’s court case and an accomplice to Mr. Nesbitt’s felony murder. Bobo has a long and violent criminal history—even so, he testifies against King…
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Osvaldo Cruz
Osvaldo is a 14-year-old kid from Harlem and an admitted accomplice in the robbery that resulted in Mr. Nesbitt’s felony murder. Osvaldo testifies in King and Steve’s trial in exchange for a full…
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Kathy O’Brien
Kathy O’Brien is Steve’s defense attorney. O’Brien is fairly humorless, but Steve feels as if she is the only person involved in the trial who actually wants to understand who Steve is as a…
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Sandra Petrocelli
Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor in King and Steve’s felony murder trial. Although Petrocelli claims to be working on behalf of truth and justice and American ideals, she immediately labels the defendants as “…
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Asa Briggs
Asa Briggs is James King’s defense attorney. Briggs is an older man who often looks tired and seems to know that he is in a doomed position—King is obviously a criminal figure and nearly…
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The Judge
The judge presiding over Steve’s case is given little characterization beyond being a man in his mid-60s. The judge rules fairly impartially throughout the case, reining in Petrocelli when she overreaches, but he appears…
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Alguinaldo Nesbitt
Alguinaldo Nesbitt was the owner of a Harlem drugstore who was murdered during an attempted robbery, allegedly by Bobo Evans and James King. Mr. Nesbitt was an immigrant from St. Kitts who was respected…
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Salvatore Zinzi
Zinzi is a current convict who testifies in Steve and King’s trial. Zinzi wants to get out of prison because he is afraid of being gang-raped, so he steals his cell-mate Bolden’s information…
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Wendell Bolden
Bolden is a current convict who testifies in Steve and King’s trial. Bolden reportedly bought stolen cigarettes from Bobo Evans, who let slip that he stole them from a drugstore. Bolden knows that…
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Lorelle Henry
Ms. Henry is a retired school librarian who testifies that she was in the drugstore when Bobo and King entered and began fighting with Mr. Nesbitt. However, Ms. Henry struggled to identify King and…
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Mr. Harmon
Mr. Harmon is Steve’s father. Mr. Harmon states that he never imagined his own son would be involved in a murder or wind up in jail, and he tells Steve that when Steve was…
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Mrs. Harmon
Mrs. Harmon is Steve’s mother. Although she believes he is innocent—even when Steve doubts it himself—Mrs. Harmon rarely visits Steve in prison because it is too emotionally painful to see her own son in…
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Jerry Harmon
Jerry is Steve’s younger brother. Steve loves Jerry very much and misses him while he is in jail, but Jerry is not allowed to visit the jail since he is not an adult. This…
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Detective Karyl
Detective Karyl investigates the crime scene with his partner Detective Williams and arrests Steve after King claims that Steve shot the handgun that killed Mr. Nesbitt. Although Williams claims they don’t need to bother…
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Minor Characters
José Delgado
José is Mr. Nesbitt’s former employee who found his body in the drugstore after he was murdered. The murder took place while José was away on his lunch break, likely because José is known in his community as a competitive martial artist.
Detective Williams
Detective Williams is Detective Karyl’s partner, who tries to convince Karyl to let Steve go and leave him alone after they arrest him, since Steve is obviously not a career criminal and they’ve already caught King and Bobo.
Tony
A childhood friend of Steve.
Mr. Sawicki
Steve's film teacher. Steve particularly admires Mr. Sawicki.
