Rusty Sabich falls from grace when he becomes the prime suspect in Carolyn’s murder case. In Presumed Innocent, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty.
At the start of the story, Rusty is a chief deputy prosecutor in Chicago. He is also the best friend and most trusted prosecutor of Raymond Horgan, the state attorney.
Rusty’s life changes when he discovers that his colleague, Carolyn Polhemus, has been brutally murdered at her home.
Raymond assigns Rusty to handle her murder case, only to later realize that Rusty has been keeping secrets, making Raymond question how well he truly knows his best friend.
The prime suspect
Rusty has been in therapy and confides in his therapist about how his father cheated on his mother and how he vowed never to do the same.
However, Rusty ended up following in his father’s footsteps by cheating on his wife, Barbara, with Carolyn, whom he had fallen in love with.
Barbara is the only person who knows about Rusty and Carolyn’s affair. She chose to stay with Rusty for the sake of their children, Jaden and Kyle.
Rusty had assured Barbara that he had ended the affair. Barbara does not know that it had started again and that Rusty was with Carolyn even on the night of her murder.
In fact, Rusty was desperate to get back together with Carolyn, continuously calling and texting her to the point where it was almost obsessive.
The truth about the affair comes out when Nico wins the election for state attorney, resulting in him making his right-hand man, Tommy, the chief deputy prosecutor.
Tommy takes over Carolyn’s case and questions Rusty about his DNA being found at Carolyn’s house, revealing the affair to everyone.
It is further disclosed that Carolyn was pregnant with Rusty’s child, making Rusty the lead suspect in her murder.
Additionally, Tommy charges Rusty with obstruction of justice for taking on the case when he should not have, due to his personal connection.
Rusty’s fight to prove his innocence
Apart from Barbara, Raymond and his wife are also upset and angry that Rusty did not disclose the affair when he was assigned to the case.
Jaden and Kyle also find out about their father’s affair and struggle to forgive him. Rusty, already grieving Carolyn’s death, finds himself alone with no support.
Eventually, Rusty’s family and Raymond come around. Rusty is granted bail, and Raymond agrees to represent him in court.
Although there is only circumstantial evidence against Rusty, including pictures taken by Carolyn’s son on the night of the murder, it could still be damning.
If Rusty accepts a plea bargain, he would be sentenced to only eight years in prison instead of life, but Rusty refuses to even think about taking a plea bargain.
He insists that he is innocent. Rusty must now prove his innocence in Carolyn’s murder while the public and media closely follow the case proceedings.
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