Juror #2 (2024)

Journalist and alcoholic in recovery Justin Kemp is summoned to serve on a jury in a case involving the death of Kendall Carter in Savannah, Georgia. Kendall was discovered dead beneath a bridge after a fight with her boyfriend James Sythe at a nearby bar a year earlier. Sythe is accused of killing her.

Prosecutor Faith Killebrew hopes to draw voters to her campaign for district attorney (DA) by highlighting her high-profile domestic violence conviction. Witnesses attest that Sythe was intoxicated and unruly on the particular evening, and that he pursued Kendall after she hurried away. The coroner also stated in his testimony that her injuries were consistent with being struck by a blunt object, and an eyewitness says they saw Sythe at the scene of Kendall's death. When Justin hit something with his car the night before Kendall died, after almost relapsing at the bar where Sythe and Kendall were, he comes to the realization that he may have killed her. Driving home, Justin assumed he had struck a deer but could not find it.

Terrified that an innocent man could be found guilty, Justin turns to Larry, his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and a defense lawyer, for guidance. He tells Justin that he would be imprisoned because no one will think he was sober because of his previous DUIs. Larry goes on to say that the jury must render a decision because Sythe cannot be saved by holding out and requesting a mistrial because Killebrew has linked the case to her election campaign and will try it as many times as needed. Justin decides to make the case for a not-guilty verdict, demonstrating Sythe is capacity for change with his own sobering tale. Eric Resnick, Sythe is overworked public defender, makes a number of mistakes, including not bringing up the issue of poor nighttime visibility and failing to present an opposing medical opinion.

The majority of jurors support a conviction; retired detective Harold argues that confirmation bias may have distorted the eyewitness testimony at Justin's suggestion that the case be carefully examined. A medical student notes that Kendall's injuries might have been from a hit-and-run, a theory that many start to accept, and another juror affirms that there would have been little visibility. This makes Justin worry that he might be named as the murderer. After breaking the jury rules by gathering information on body shop visits after Kendall's death, Harold claims the following day that he has reduced the search to fifteen cars, including Justin's. In light of this, Justin purposefully tells the judge about Harold's research, and Harold is removed from the jury.

After learning that the police had prepared the eyewitness to identify Sythe during the trial, Killebrew becomes conflicted about the case. In spite of her obligation to be truthful, she declines to drop the accusation. After visiting each vehicle's owner, she collects the repair records. Although Justin's car is listed, it is registered to his wife Ally, who tells Killebrew his cover story. Later, when Ally confronts Justin, he acknowledges that he was in the bar that evening without drinking and reiterates that he struck a deer, but on a different road. She is skeptic, pregnant, and has miscarried before, but she does not say anything to keep their family safe.

Although he is not present when the verdict is announced, Justin persuades the other jurors to vote in favor of conviction after one of them declines to change his vote. Killebrew learns that Justin is Ally's husband, and Sythe receives a life sentence without the possibility of release. Following the sentencing, Killebrew meets with Justin, who argues that if someone else killed Kendall by accident, they should not be subject to severe punishment. It is no longer an accident, she contends, since an innocent man was found guilty.

Justin notes that Killebrew would lose her job as DA and a "good man" would have his life and family destroyed if she pursued another murderer after working so hard to get Sythe convicted. He begs her to drop the case, pointing out that Sythe had a violent past. Justin sells his car to cut off his link to the crime, Ally gives birth safely, and Killebrew is elected DA. However, while he and Ally are playing with their daughter, Killebrew knocks on their door.