Artis and Carter re-entered the courtroom in December 1976. Both were wary. Artis had butterflies as he made his way to his seat. Carter was composed but feeling abandoned; he believed the famous friends who had attached themselves to his cause had disappeared once he had been released. Things quickly went wrong. Bello once again changed his statement to place Carter and Artis at the scene, and the prosecution introduced a devastating racial revenge theory. Before the Lafayette shooting, a black publican - Roy Holloway - was murdered by a white man - Frank Conforti. Holloway's step-son was Eddie Rawls, a barman at the club where Carter and Artis had been on the night of the murders. The prosecution, playing on the 'angry black man' stereotype, claimed the murder of three white people in a bar that did not serve black patrons was an attempt to avenge Holloway's killing. Artis became so disheartened he stopped going to court. Those in the media who had helped Carter secure his release also turned against him.

Carter (front) and Artis (behind him) outside the courthouse

Midway through the trial, the front page of the local paper displayed a photograph of Carolyn Kelley. She had been one of Carter's most prominent black supporters. Here she was, lying in a hospital bed, claiming Carter had beaten her up in Maryland. The article documented how Carter had attacked the woman who had helped secure his release. Carter denied the claims to his lawyers, calling it "complete bullshit", but the damage, and the negative press attention, was done. Carter's refusal to take the stand would not have helped. The first time around, the jury deliberated for six hours. This time, it was for nine. The outcome was the same. Life in prison. His support had quietened, but one 15-year-old boy and a group of Canadians were about to find their voices.

Carolyn Kelley - the charges of assault against Carter were later dropped

Lesra Martin knew he had graduated with the third highest mark in his class. Yet he also knew he could not read or write. He also knew things had changed for him. He had gone from living in a New York ghetto to an Ontario mansion with a Canadian commune. He was in a warehouse on the waterfront when the book caught his eye. A huge, bald black man stared out at him from the cover, his eyes following Martin around the room. Martin thought the man looked as though he had something to say, and he wanted to hear it. As he stepped forward, another customer leaned in to the book bin and took the copy of The Sixteenth Round. Martin watched as the man walked away, Rubin Carter's face peering out from the crook of his arm. Something told him to follow. Eventually, the man put the book down and Martin, as quickly as he could, grabbed it.

Cover of Carter's 'The Sixteenth Round'