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A listener note, this episode depicts racial violence and includes references to suicide.

It may not be suitable for a younger audience.

It's June 2010. In downtown Chicago, the attorney Richard Buke steps into a large courtroom.

Buke runs a hand through his straight brown hair. He adjusts his tie and he begins making his way up to the front to the defense table.

As the attorney wins his way through the gallery, he navigates through a crowd of people.

Journalists, protesters, off-duty police officers, a grab bag of Chicago residents all gathered to watch the trial that has the city on edge.

Buke ducks his head, trying to tune out the noise. There are loud arguments about policing in Chicago, about race and injustice in America.

Buke knows this trial has been divisive, has brought out people's passions, but as a defense attorney, he's less focused on theories about right and wrong in the history of America.

Only one thing matters to him, and that's winning the case, and moving on to the next one. But winning is not going to be easy, especially with a client like John Burge.

As Buke reaches the defense table, he steals a glance at Burge. He's 62 years old and a former police commander from the South Side of Chicago.

Burge is thick set with a pale and fleshy face and white hair that's brushed back. He has a hardened look, one you would expect from someone who spent a life working in law enforcement.

Normally a client like Burge would appear sympathetic to the jury. He's a lifetime public servant. He spent decades serving the public with countless commendations and awards.

But that track record has been overshadowed by a stunning series of allegations.

John Burge has been accused of torture. His alleged victims say he suffocated them with plastic bags. That Burge electrocuted them and threatened them with loaded guns.

That Burge committed unimaginable acts of violence, all in an effort to extract criminal confessions.

And some of the evidence is overwhelming. All together, more than 100 black men have come forward, claiming they were victims of torture and brutal racism.

For Buke, this has been a difficult trial. But in just a few minutes, it's finally going to come to an end. The jury is set to return a verdict.

If Burge is found innocent, he'll walk free, and Buke will feel confident that he did his job as an attorney. But if the jurors come back with a guilty verdict, Burge, the former police commander, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Buke is flipping through a series of documents when suddenly he feels his client staring at him. Buke looks up and finds Burge with a cold and menacing look.

You know they're going to hang me. John don't say that. There's no reason to think they're going to find you guilty. When you mean there's no reason, you read the papers.

You see what people are saying about cops. John, this is a court of law. It's not Facebook or some op-ed. The jury has to be impartial.

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