Defending Jacob

Andy and Duffy begin to question the students, but quickly realize they are being “stonewalled” (48) because the students are bad liars. This leads Andy to conclude that “these kids knew something” (49). When they question Sarah, whom Andy helped that morning, she is initially reluctant. However, after Duffy leaves the room to make a call, she asks if anyone is talking to Jacob, and then asks if she can make an anonymous tip via email. She takes Andy’s card. Soon, Andy receives an email link to a Facebook group, “Friends of Ben Rifkin,” where the students are discussing the case. Although Andy has access to Jacob’s Facebook account, he has not paid much attention to it. Now, though, he finds a post from Jacob’s best friend Derek Yoo: “Jake, everyone knows you did it. You have a knife. I’ve seen it” (59). Andy finds a folding knife in Jacob’s drawer.

The chapter opens with the transcript of the grand jury investigation. Logiudice asks if Andy reported Jacob’s knife immediately; Andy replies that he did not report it because he “did not believe it was the murder weapon” (61) and did not suspect his son. Logiudice asserts that violence runs in the family, and that Jacob could have inherited violent tendencies.