AllMovie

Warren Selvey (Pat Hingle), a district attorney who has his eye on the governor's mansion, has successfully prosecuted a murder case and sentenced a man to be put to death. But on the eve of the execution, a seedy-looking oldster named Ed Barnes (Russell Collins) shows up at Selvey's home, confessing that it was he who committed the murder. Convinced that he'll be ruined if word leaks out of Barnes' confession, Selvey goes to extreme lengths to ensure the old man's silence -- only to discover at episode's end that his efforts were futile from the get-go.