The defense is Dmitri's legal side at the murder trial, led by the celebrated Petersburg lawyer Fetyukovitch. At first it looks overmatched, since the prosecution evidence seems overwhelming. Fetyukovitch's early work is to worry the witnesses, expose weak spots, and keep attention on what has not actually been proved.
XII-III. The Medical Experts And A Pound Of Nuts
The medical line of defense, urged partly by Katerina Ivanovna, produces a comic split among the doctors over Dmitri's state of mind.
XII-IV. Fortune Smiles On Mitya
Alyosha's testimony and Katerina's first evidence give the defense its first real help, especially around the claim that Dmitri had kept half the money in the little bag.
XII-X. The Speech For The Defense. An Argument That Cuts Both Ways
Fetyukovitch's defense speech begins by attacking the prosecution's chain of evidence piece by piece and warning that psychology can be made to cut both ways.
XII-XI. There Was No Money. There Was No Robbery
The defense argues that no robbery has been proved, because no witness except Smerdyakov ever actually saw the three thousand roubles in the envelope.
XII-XIII. A Corrupter Of Thought
The speech turns from refuting evidence to a plea for mercy, asking the jury to see Dmitri as an abandoned son rather than as a cold parricide.
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