Presumed Guilty. Defenders. Maas

In the Office at the Midnight Hour

When he is working on a trial, Will Maas -- a chronic insomniac -- often comes into the office at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning to prepare. During the filming of Presumed Guilty, all alone in the wee hours, he poured his soul into a video diary that the filmmakers had set up for him on top of his computer. These video diaries were created so that the viewer and Web visitor would understand how Maas's past influenced his trial strategy in the Marcos Ranjel case, as well as detail the very personal experiences that shape his character. Watch the intimate videos below.

"I came from an atheist background to a believer in 'milagros,' miracles. I tell Marcos to please keep believing in miracles." For the Marcos Ranjel trial, Maas bought a milagro stone, which he rubs and has Ranjel rub in the holding cell before going into court.

"All of us have been mad enough to murder." Maas believes that any of us could kill if angry and intoxicated enough, or mentally ill, and given the means, motive and opportunity.

"My clients often ask me, 'What do you think is going to happen, Mr. Maas?' I ask them, 'Can you see the future? No, I can't either. I can tell you this, though, finding freedom is what this case is about, whichever way the verdict goes.' "

Maas tells his defendant Marcos Ranjel that he has to seek freedom from within, regardless of the verdict in the case. To express his point, he plays a recording of Richie Havens singing "Freedom" at Woodstock.

Maas dedicates the song "In the Jailhouse Now" to two actors in O Brother, Where Art Thou and dances for the camera.

"Today I'm going to try to be like Mao Tse Tung and one of my heroes, Muhammad Ali."

Maas fools around and shadowboxes for the camera, in homage to his hero Muhammad Ali.

"I don't have any idea how this case is going to come out."

Maas muses on the fact that he can't predict the outcome of the Marcos Ranjel case, and, no matter what arguments he makes, if the jury believes the district attorney, it will find Ranjel guilty.

"Eventually, I started having nightmares about Vietnam. I knew how rotten it was to take a human life and treat it like it was a trophy. I knew how despicable I was."

For Will Maas, combat in Vietnam changed his life forever.