Osvaldo Cruz Character Analysis

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 acquittal, since Osvaldo is so young and he claims that Bobo coerced him into helping with the robbery by threatening to hurt him. Osvaldo claims that he was afraid of all three of the other participants since they were all older than him, even though Steve can personally recall being afraid of Osvaldo since he is a member of the notorious gang The Diablos. Under Briggs and O’Brien’s cross-examination, Osvaldo is forced to admit his status as a gang member and that he is currently in jail for beating up his girlfriend, and that in the past he slashed a stranger’s face with a knife to earn his place amongst the Diablos. This basically discredits Osvaldo’s whole testimony, since such a person is unlikely to be coerced into committing a crime by fear, and it demonstrates the manner in which criminal witnesses often lie in court cases for their own personal gain.