They thought they could out talk the judge. >> You trying to take my life? >> Shut your mouth and I'll tell you when you could talk. >> They thought the courtroom belonged to them. So they talked >> and I am not sorry for the things I did do >> and talked. >> I just want to be I just want to be treated fairly which I have not been >> tired of this [ __ ] Y'all just railroad the [ __ ] out of me here >> and yelled. >> I believe that fully. >> I don't care what you believe fully. Nobody you don't got to explain nothing to me. They thought they could get away with it. But what happened next shocked everyone in the courtroom. Franklin Williams had been convicted in connection with three armed robberies and related violent offenses. This was his sentencing hearing. But instead of sitting quietly, he kept arguing with the judge, complaining about how he was being handled. >> This attorney the other day. >> That's fine. took and I came and took my cell phones yesterday and they came and took all my property out my out my sale today. All my >> Mr. Williams, >> I'm the judge in the matter. Shut your mouth and I'll tell you when you can talk. You got it. >> It's the same rules we played by while we were here in trial every time we were here for a pre-trial. So, just follow the same rules. Fair enough. So, at this point, I'm going to hear from your lawyers, and that means zip it. >> But you not let me tell that zip it right now. >> You trying to >> Does that make sense? >> No, it doesn't. >> No. Does the Does Does the comment quit talking? Do you understand that? >> Because you trying to take my life and you not let me tell you what's going on. >> Take your life for what? What? What do you mean you >> It's not fair. You trying to take my life? >> The judge warned him to be quiet. He didn't listen. The judge told him to shut up and Williams kept arguing. >> Mr. Williams, listen. Listen to me. If we have to, I will gag you in one second. So listen to me. You will get a chance to talk. >> I'm going to gag you in one second. So just listen to me. Zip it until I give you a chance to talk. You'll get a chance to talk. >> I am going to give you a chance to talk. Here it is again. So you said to me, you understand this comment. Zip it right now. >> And don't you let it play about me getting shot on the bus for a whole week. Let that play. >> Mr. Williams will Mr. Williams >> be very simple to gag you. You'll get a chance to speak. So tell me >> black women just walked in here. >> Okay. So I have not been around. >> I'm zipping. Anything you want to add to your insanity came back law. >> That's a violation of the hippo law. Judge, >> here we go. I'm going to tape it and then I'll unzip it when I want you to talk. >> This wasn't a single outburst. It was nearly an hour of interruptions about 60 times in a 54-minute hearing. After multiple warnings, the judge ordered deputies to tape Williams mouth shut. The court moved from chaos to silence in seconds as officers followed the order. >> Now, I'd like you to >> Mr. Williams, I want to make it real clear. If you spit on, attempt to bite or injure any of my deputies. You're going to have a bad day. >> Oh, you clear the tape on me, man. We done this [ __ ] It >> is what it is. >> We'll go back on the record. Mr. Williams will have a chance to speak. Uh, >> and I'll be honored in everything I say. >> How can I speak? >> When one strip of tape didn't work, they placed another over his mouth. Days later, the video was everywhere. So, John Russo, the judge who ordered the tape, did something almost unheard of. He apologized publicly, then removed himself from the case entirely. A new judge would finish the job. Even after the hearing ended, Franklin Williams kept shouting, "Freedom of speech!" over and over at the judge. >> Freedom of speech, no duct tape. >> Freedom of speech, no duct tape. With the hashtag. During sentencing, he begged the judge for mercy and said he wasn't a monster. >> I want the world to know I am not an animal. Contrary to what people may think, I am a man. Your honor, I ask today, your honor, that I received the lightest sentence that you can give me. >> And no, you're not an animal, Mr. Williams. You're a human being. But the question the court has to determine is whether or not you've learned from those mistakes. >> The judge announced the punishment. 24 years in prison. He thought talking would save him. Instead, it sealed his fate. From the moment the trial began, Daryl Brooks made it clear he wasn't going to behave like a normal defendant. He fired his lawyers and represented himself. Not because it helped him, but because it gave him a microphone. He argued with the judge non-stop, refused to acknowledge the court, and demanded to know who had authority over him. At times, he had to be removed from the courtroom entirely. Other times he was placed in a separate room, still yelling, still banging on tables. >> It's not no game. That's what you don't seem to understand. >> I believe that fully. >> I don't care what you believe fully. >> All right. >> It's not a game. >> I don't take this as a game. That's what That's what nobody That's what nobody You don't got to explain NOTHING TO ME. YOUR LIFE IS NOT ON THE LINE. Mine is. >> And you think that I think this is funny? >> I don't think it's funny whatsoever. So, so I think your honor, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I THINK YOU SHOULD SHOW SOME RESPECT. >> Please sit down. >> I don't care about the inevitable. It was already written from day one what was going to happen. That it doesn't make me lose any sleep. Honor, >> I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you refuse to sit down, then you are in direct disobedience of a court order. >> Brooks treated the trial like a game. And through it all, the judge stayed calm. Six people killed, dozens injured, and suddenly there was nothing left to argue. At sentencing, Brooks tried one last move. He claimed he wasn't a monster. Said he had a difficult life. Said he still had love in his heart. He talked about redemption, about pain, about being misunderstood. But the judge wasn't moved. He received six life sentences back to back. No chance of release. Just when he thought courtroom chaos couldn't get any more outrageous. Yan, an Illinois man with a long criminal history, was accused in 2021 of breaking into the home of 77year-old Christine Schmidt. The crime was shocking. Prosecutors said Yan tied her up, threatened her, and sexually assaulted her during the home invasion. The case quickly gained attention not only for the disturbing nature of the crime, but for Yan's behavior once he stepped into court. Yan fired his lawyers and decided he could handle his own defense. But what followed was less of a defense and more of a spectacle. Yan constantly interrupted proceedings with angry outbursts, shouting over judges and prosecutors, claiming conspiracies and accusing the legal system of being rigged against him. He frequently cursed in court, sometimes so aggressively that deputies had to restrain him. At one point, his tirades became so disruptive that the judge had him removed from the courtroom altogether. >> I'm here. He's done. I'm tired of this [ __ ] Y'all just railroad the [ __ ] out of me here. >> But his so-called defense strategy did nothing to counter the evidence. In the end, after all the shouting, cursing, and wild accusations, Yan was found guilty of home invasion, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and aggravated kidnapping. The judge sentenced him to 135 years in prison, ensuring he'll likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. Ronnie O'Neal III, a man whose trial became one of the most unforgettable courtroom spectacles in recent history. In 2018, Ronnie O'Neal committed a crime so brutal it shook his Riverview, Florida community. Prosecutors said O'Neal murdered his girlfriend with a shotgun, brutally killed his 9-year-old daughter, who had special needs, and attempted to kill his 8-year-old son by stabbing and setting him on fire. Miraculously, the boy survived and later became the star witness against his own father. When it came time for trial in 2021, O'Neal shocked everyone by choosing to represent himself. But instead of carefully building a defense, O'Neal turned the courtroom into a stage. He spent much of the trial shouting at prosecutors, raising his voice at jurors, and even screaming during his opening statement. At times, he appeared more interested in putting on a performance than addressing the evidence. The most chilling moment came when O'Neal cross-examined his surviving son, the very child he was accused of trying to kill. >> Did I hurt you that night of this incident? >> Yes, >> I did. And how did I hurt you? >> You stabbed me. >> In a heartbreaking scene, the boy calmly pointed to his father and told the jury what he had done. While O'Neal tried to cast doubt with raised voice and aggressive questioning, despite his theatrics, the evidence was overwhelming eyewitness testimony, forensic proof, and the survivors powerful words. After a brief deliberation, the jury found him guilty of murder and attempted murder. During sentencing, O'Neal once again took the stage, shouting about conspiracies and insisting he was the real victim. But the jury and judge word swayed. >> I am not sorry for something I didn't do and I am not sorry for the things I did do. >> Mr. O'Neal, listen. Stop. Right. Stop. Listen to me. I'm not You're not going to raise your voice again. >> I'm not going to raise my voice again. >> I'm not. >> I will have you removed from this courtroom. I can sentence you without you being present. >> Yes, ma'am. >> You don't conduct. >> I understand. Y >> Thank you. >> While the jury recommended life in prison instead of the death penalty, the judge sentenced him to three consecutive life sentences plus 60 years, ensuring he would never walk free again. Five very different criminals, but all sharing the same fatal mistake, rejecting trained defense and believing they could beat the system alone. Instead, the courtroom swallowed them whole. So, here's the question. Do you think these defendants would have gotten lesser time in prison if they had kept their mouths shut?