McCall's lawyer fabricates a story claiming Wild Bill killed McCall's brother in Abilene, Kansas, framing the murder as a justified "act of revenge" under common custom. The Verdict: The jury acquits McCall after only two hours.
" The Trial of Jack McCall " (Season 1, Episode 5) is a pivotal moment in HBO’s Deadwood , marking the camp's first collective, though deeply flawed, attempt to establish a social order. Following the murder of Wild Bill Hickok, the episode explores the tension between law and "custom" in an illegal settlement. Episode Synopsis
Al Swearengen transforms The Gem saloon into a makeshift courtroom.