Víctim Gets Deáth Penalty

October 30, 1969, two young kids are riding their bicycles in the woods of North Carolina when they come across a dead body. Terrified, they immediately call for help. Shortly after, two cops arrive and start investigating the crime scene.

One of them notes that the deceased is Chase Andrews, the son of a wealthy businessman. Surprisingly, there are no footprints around the area. The cops then notice a nearby tower and start climbing it, suspecting that Chase fell from there.

Once they reach the top, they find a broken grate. This divides both of them. The first cop believes that Chase was pushed and killed, while the other thinks it was an accident. In the next scene, the autopsy report of the corpse is out. It reveals that Chase indeed died of the fall impact, but something didn’t quite add up.

Based on his injuries, he should have been found facing downwards, but it was upwards. Hearing this, the cops immediately deduce that it’s a murder. However, they don’t have any evidence, not even fingerprints. Luckily, the doctor knows where to start.

He gives them a tiny red fabric which he found on Chase’s corpse. Later, as the cops are hanging out in a bar, they hear some people discussing the recent murder case. All of them think that a local girl named Kya Clark is the murderer, as she had a bad history with Chase.

With this information, the cops head towards Kya’s house. It is a small house located near a swamp. They look around and find a collection of shells and books. They also get their hands on a red cap, possibly the same cloth whose fiber was found on Chase’s corpse.

Meanwhile, Kya can be seen hiding from them in the woods. At an opportune time, she tries running away, but the cops eventually catch up to her. They question her why she was running, but Kya doesn’t speak a word. Hence, she is taken into custody.

Later, we see her locked up in a cell. A local lawyer, Tom Milton shows up and inquires if she would be interested in his services. However, Kya remains silent. It’s almost as if she is hiding something very deep. Tom tries to persuade her by revealing that she is going to be tried for murder.

A court hearing is going to take place soon, and it is certain that she will be found guilty. Hearing this, Kya becomes scared and finally opens up about her life. At first, she describes her childhood and the movie goes into a flashback.

It is 1953, and Kya lives with her 4 siblings and parents. At first glance, it appears as if they are a happy family, but the truth is exactly the opposite. Her drunkard father always punishes her mother for no reason. So one day, having had enough, she abruptly leaves.

Following this, all her 4 siblings also left the house one by one. Now, Kya is left in the care of her drunkard father. The latter raids the nearby swamp for mussels, a type of seafood. Kya also tries her best to assist her father in work.

Once they’re done collecting for the day, they head to a local shop to sell it. The shop owner; Mrs. Mabel, is a kind woman who often provides Kya with food and clothes. She even admits her into a school, but the little girl instantly becomes a target for the bullies.

Hence, she runs away, never to come back again. As the days pass, she becomes more connected to her father, and he, too, starts being nice. One day, Kya receives a letter from her mother, but since she cannot read, she asks her dad to read it.

Unfortunately, as soon as he goes through it, he becomes enraged and yells at the little girl ‘Your mom is not coming back’. After this, the drunkard gathers all of her mom’s belongings from the house and burns it. Little Kya is deeply affected by the incident but little did she know that this was just the start of her problems.

The next morning, when she wakes up, she finds that her father has also wandered off. Now, there is no one to care for her. Still, Kya does not give up. She collects mussels from the swamp and sells them to buy things in return.

Mrs. Mabel also helps her with groceries from time to time. Back in the present, Kya gets a lovely dress from Mrs. Mabel, which she decides to wear for her first court hearing. The lawyer; Tom, suggests that she confess to the crime but pretend that it was an accident.

With this, she would get a maximum of 8-10 years in prison. However, Kya asserts that she is not a murderer, so she wants to get out of prison as soon as possible. When the hearing starts, Chase’s family lawyer does his best to prove that Kya is guilty.

He points out that no one else would have a better agenda to kill Chase. Kya loved him a lot and wanted to marry him, but he always refused. This is probably why she called him to the tower and chucked him off of there. Hearing all this, the crowd also starts turning on Kya.

They are sure that she is the murderer. Fortunately, Tom also turns out to be a good lawyer. He states that no footprints were found on the crime scene, so accusing Kya without any evidence is unfair. Meanwhile, she goes into another flashback.

It is the year 1963; Kya has grown up to become a beautiful young woman. She still lives alone in her house, and does everything by herself. Kya has also developed a keen interest in nature, so whenever she’s free, she simply roams around the woods and enjoys the tranquility.

One day, however, someone leaves a beautiful feather for her. The next day, she receives another one. By the end of the week, Kya has received several of these feathers and also letters. Then, one evening, a guy named Tate Walker approaches her and reveals that he is the one who has been sending those presents.

He inquires if she read the letters, and in a sad voice, Kya replies ‘ I can’t read’. Thankfully, Tate is a nice guy who is always ready to help. He starts giving Kya lessons on how to read and write. For the first few days, they meet in the woods and practice writing.

Then, when Kya becomes comfortable enough, she takes Tate home and asks him to teach whatever he can. Slowly but steadily, the smile on Kya’s face returns, and the bond between the two deepens.

In the next scene, we get to know that Tate is an ambitious student who wants to get admitted to a top university. He has applied to a few and is awaiting results. One day, he asks Kya if she would like to go to the city with him, but she declines.

Kya, who has spent all her life in the swamp, thinks that she doesn’t belong in the city. Tate knows that she is not going to change her mind, so he gives up. Some months pass by and the two have now become a couple. They often make out in the woods or go for a walk.

One day, things get so romantic between them, that they almost end up having intercourse. However, at the last second, Tate backs out, saying he doesn’t want to harm her in any way. He fears impregnating her. The following day, Tate finally hears the news that he had been longing for. He is accepted into Dartmouth, his dream college.

He immediately goes to share the good news with Kya, but instead of being happy, she becomes upset. It turns out she doesn’t want him to leave. Tate mentions that he wants to do something with his life, and that going to Dartmouth is a once in lifetime opportunity for him.

However, Kya, who has never studied at school, thinks that it is a waste of time and money. She then runs away, saying ‘All boys are the same’. For some days, they remain distant from one another. But on the final night before he leaves, Tate visits Kya at her home and spends some quality time.

The next morning, he explains that she knows literally everything that there is to know about the fauna and flora of the place. So, Tate provides her a list of publishers, saying she should write a book and send it to them. Kya thanks him for it, and asks if their relationship is over.

In response, Tate promises that he will meet her on the 4th of July. With him gone, Kya returns back to her monotonous life. However, now, she has something to keep her occupied.

As suggested by Tate, she has started writing books about the animals and plants of the region. A few months pass by and it’s finally the 4th of July. Kya arrives at the beach early in the morning to welcome Tate back.

Unfortunately, even after hours of waiting, he doesn’t show up. Kya breaks down in tears, thinking he has left her for someone else. Back in the present, the cop who initially investigated the case is called up to the court.

Without further ado, he starts taking Chase’s side, and explains that there were no fingerprints or foot marks on or near the corpse. He believes someone erased them cleverly.

Tom counters by mentioning that the prints might have been erased to high tides, which is very frequent in the area. He then whips out a petition, dating a year back, which writes that the tower is severely damaged. Anyone climbing it is risking their own lives.

Hearing this, the entire crowd gets confused and the case swings in Kya’s favor. Following this, the movie again cuts back to the past, to the year 1968. It has been several years since Tate left, so Kya has already gotten over her. One day, she finds some government officials checking out her house.

When she inquires with Mrs. Mabel about it, the latter replies that they are developers, who are acquiring land to build hotels. This shocks Kya as she cannot even think of leaving the house. Hence, she gathers all the necessary paperwork of her house, and submits them to the developer.

It reveals that she is indeed the owner, but there is one problem. Kya will have to pay off the pending tax, which amounts around $800. Since she cannot earn them by selling shells, Kya reverts to writing.

After weeks of hard work, she finally finishes a book, and sends it to all the publishers from Tate’s lift. One day, while at the beach, Kya meets a handsome young man; Chase.

They clearly notice each other but don’t talk. However the next day, when they meet again, Chase confidently asks her out on a date. Kya, who hasn’t been in a relationship for years, says ‘yes’ immediately. In this way, the two kick start a relationship, and begin spending most of their days together.

The smile on Kya's face also starts to reappear. One day, she gets a reply from one of the publishers, saying they are ready to print some copies of her book. The news elates Kya, and when she shares it with Chase, he suddenly asks her to marry him.

Kya stares at him for a few seconds, then accepts. As a symbol of approval, she puts a seashell necklace around his neck. In the present, Chase’s mother has arrived in court to give her testament. She reveals that the necklace was not found around her son’s body at the time of his death. So, she suspects that Kya eliminated him, took his necklace, and then removed all the evidence.

However, Tom mentions that they shouldn’t come to a conclusion just because of a missing necklace. Back in 1968, Tate finally arrives home after graduating from Dartmouth. Unfortunately, the very first sight he sees Kya spending time with another guy.

The next day, while he is working at the dock, he overhears Chase talking bad about Kya. He immediately confronts Chase, and the two get into a fight. Fortunately, they are soon separated by some other workers.

That night, he goes to Kya’s house and explains that he couldn’t come back because he was too focused on his studies. But now that he knows her value, he will never leave her. Tate also asserts that Chase is a bad person who likes playing with other girls’ feelings.

Sadly, Kya does not believe in any of it, so she asks him to go away. Now, she just wants to be with Chase. Unfortunately, one day, Kya learns that Chase is actually engaged to another girl. This breaks her heart, so she ends her relationship promptly.

Everything is not bad for her though. The next morning, Kya gets the book that she had published, along with a check of $5000. She will also have to attend an important press conference in Greenville.

Kya is over the moon to have earned such a large amount, so she quickly clears the house tax. With the remaining money, she renovates her house. Just when it seems like Kya has forgotten about Chase, he shows up in her life. He tries to lie that he only loves her, but Kya is not having any of that BS. She asks him to go away from her life, but Chase instead tries to force himself on her.

When nothing works, she smashes him in the head with a rock. Before leaving, Kya warns Chase not to bother her again, or else she will kill him. In the following days, she mostly stays hidden, so as to not get seen by Chase. Finally, after a week, she heads to Greenville and attends the press conference.

Back in the present, Tom tries to prove that Chase wasn’t in the city when the murder took place. In fact, she was in Greenville, attending a press conference. Tom asserts that it is nearly impossible to board a bus home, kill a guy, wipe out all the evidence, and then return back. At last, before concluding his speech, he just mentions that justice should be served.

After a few hours, the judge finally comes to a decision. He says ‘not guilty’. He also apologizes to Kya for all the accusations and the time she spent in jail. In the next scene, Kya reconciles with Tate, and the two get married.

They start living happily in the swamp, doing the same work they used to. After more than 50 years, Kya passes away in her favorite boat. In the final scene, as Tate is going through his late wife’s belongings, he comes across one of her older books.

In it, a chapter reads ‘ Sometimes for the prey to live, the predator must die’ After this, Tate finds a drawing of Chase, and the same locket Kya had presented to him. It is covered in blood, indicating that she did actually kill him.