The film need not have disputed the accounts per se, but the
fact that there's no
real questioning of the
testimony of murderers who themselves were looking
to cut breaks simplifies the narrative while weakening it.
Ultimately, the application of these statutes
to the
fact patterns in question require a dozen
real human beings on a jury
to apply the
facts that hear
testimony about
to the law and there is no 100 % certain answer.