Under heavy police protection, gangster Joe Rico (Ted de Corsia) arrives late at night at the courthouse to testify against crime lord Albert Mendoza (Everett Sloane). There have been several attempts on Rico's life and he is a bag of nerves, but lead prosecutor ADA Martin Ferguson (Humphrey Bogart) reminds him that he himself faces plenty of charges that could "burn you a dozen times". Ferguson is bound and determined to get Mendoza "in the electric chair" and stresses to Rico that Mendoza will "die, he's got to die, and you're going to kill him."