NARRATOR: In the criminal justice system
the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups,
the police who investigate crime
and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
BOUNCER: I'm sorry, ladies, you're not on the list.
We're supposed to have reservations. We're friends of Jellybean.
Yeah? You and half of Flatbush.
Listen, can't we just go in and tell him we're here?
(CHUCKLES) You disappoint me.
What's happening, C.J. How's everything?
All right.
Good to see you. Good to see you, too. Okay.
How come you didn't check to see if he was on the list?
You probably get off on fine women like us sweating you all night.
Y'all need to step back now, please.
(sun FIRING)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Hey, hey, hold on a second. What's happening?
What's going on? Some cat pulled out his piece in there!
SERGEANT: We got here at 2:45,
same time EMS was putting him in the bus.
They took him to Roosevelt. Two shots to the chest.
He gonna make it? Died on the way over.
Got a name?
Checked his ID as they were loading him up.
Jerome Cabey, black, 24 years old. Brooklyn address.
There's where we found him. ED: This money was left lying here like this?
Nobody touched a thing, Detective.
I'm surprised nobody scooped it up.
Place was pretty crowded. Four, five hundred people.
Well, I'm glad they all stuck around to do their civic duty.
Do you know what something like this is going to do to business?
First time this happened here?
Mega-Fly is an upscale club.
We have models, actors, sports figures in almost every night.
And you don't use metal detectors?
Our clientèle doesn't appreciate
being hand-scanned on the way in.
So how do you provide security?
We have a guest list. You have to be on it to get in.
Was Jerome Cabey on the list? No.
Fool-proof system, huh?
Any drugs ever sold in the club, Mr. Listen?
This isn't some bridge-and-tunnel spot, Detective.
Yeah, I know, it's real upscale.
But I'm still asking the question.
Nothing I know of, all right?
ED: And what about the guy who got shot?
What about him? BRISCOE: You never saw him before, huh?
I saw him laying there on the ground.
Well, how did he get in?
I mean, you're running this real secure spot and all.
BOUNCER: I've been up front six months now.
I worked the rope at Lotus, Sound Factory...
I mean, I got a pretty good idea of somebody's shape.
Was Cabey cool with you?
BOUNCER: I don't remember the brother.
I mean, I can't keep track of everybody.
You were just saying how good you are.
I know, but it was 800 people in and out of here last night.
And one of 'em was some nobody you let in who wound up dead.
BOUNCER: So you putting this on me? Well, if there's
a reasonable explanation for this, it's time to put it out there.
And it doesn't get back to my boss? You have my word.
(SIGHS)
I used to work with his big sister in the Bronx.
I let him in sometimes, just to see the DJs.
I mean, Bone had ambitions, you know what I'm saying?
Bone? Yeah, that's what they called him.
I mean, he had kind of an attitude.
You know, not bad, just stubborn.
ED: We ran Cabey's name through BCI. He's never been arrested.
And none of the 500 people in the place saw anything?
Well, we talked to about a half-dozen employees who stuck around.
They all heard the shots, then the rest was just mayhem.
We sent the cash we found on the floor
and the shell casings to Latent.
Cordova's breaking down the credit card receipts and the guest list.
Excuse me. You locate the next of kin?
The bouncer at the club mentioned a sister,
but he didn't have a current address.
Well, the hospital sent the body to the M.E.
Maybe there's something in the personal effects.
M.E.: He took two shots to the upper torso.
Penetrated the right lung and the left ventricle.
He was pronounced at 2:53 a.m.
Any guess on the gun?
From the size of the entry wounds, a 9mm or .357.
You run a tox screen?
No drugs, no alcohol.
Like the man said, he just came for the music.
This stuff was on the body.
ED: Funky shades, ID, keys Ah, it's a two-way.
Still holding a charge. Anything on it from last night?
The last page was at 12:40 a.m.
"Meet you at Mega-Fly."
I can run the caller ID, see who sent it.
Hey, why not kill two birds?
Let's hit this guy back, ask him to meet Bone at his apartment.
Cabey live here alone? Far as I know.
Any problems? Oh, he rides my ass about fixing
the lock on the vestibule door.
No, not your problems, his.
No, but he gives the tenants
a lot of trouble here with all this here music.
This dude was into spinning.
There's about five to six thousand dollars' worth of mixing equipment up in here.
I gotta hound him every month about the rent.
MAN: Check it out. Bone left his door open.
Yo, Bone! Oh, uh, wrong apartment. Sorry.
ED: We've been waiting for you, fellas.
(EXHALES) Where's Bone at?
He's indisposed.
It's a setup, fool. You two at Mega-Fly last night?
Bone got shot.
Is he okay?
(MAN EXCLAIMS) Hey, if you guys saw anything,
you might be able to help find out who shot him.
We couldn't get in.
ED: You know if he had a beef with anybody?
With Bone? Why would they?
Well, we were just admiring all his fancy recording equipment.
Bone have a job to pay for all this stuff?
I don't know.
All right, tough guys. He have any relatives we can notify he's dead?
ED: We're very sorry about your brother, Mrs. Royal.
Was he in a fight or something like that?
Why do you say that?
(SIGHS) Jerome had a chip on his shoulder.
He didn't go looking for trouble,
but he just never knew when to back down.
Was he having trouble with anybody recently?
I don't know. (EXHALES)
I mean, I did the best I could for him after our mother died
but I've got a family of my own now, you know.
These last few years, Jerome was out there on his own mostly.
When was the last time you saw him?
He came by last week to play me his demo.
He was real proud of it. Said he was going to send it to the record companies.
Do you have any idea how he paid
for all that equipment he had in his apartment?
(SIGHS)
BRISCOE: What is it, Mrs. Royal?
Jerome used to bring his laundry over.
I found a bunch of those little plastic bags in one of his pockets,
like the ones they sell cocaine in.
There was nothing in them,
but I meant to talk to him about it.
I thought he went for the music.
Not a bad place to do business.
We didn't find any drugs on him.
Maybe he dumped his stash before the fun started.
Well, Latent says three of the bills from the club had Cabey's prints on them.
Nothing on the shell casings.
So, we know he handled the money.
Here are all the names and addresses on the credit card users at Mega-Fly that night.
Anybody willing to talk to us?
Nobody who'll admit to seeing anything.
But there are a few here we're already familiar with.
I ran all the names for drug arrests.
So, how many of the A-list clients have A-list records?
Uh, three for possession, two for sale.
Either one of the sales for coke?
Ernie Salerno.
Here's his description and the last known address.
(BEATBOXING)
Hey, Ernie! Yo?
Take a long walk, fellas.
We heard you were selling drugs out here.
We got probable cause to go through your pockets.
You make it sound like I got a choice.
Well, if you're straight with us, you got plenty of choices.
Unless you want us to play finders-keepers with whatever you're holding.
What do you want to know?
What happened at Mega-Fly Saturday night?
I wasn't there. So, you're not the Ernie Salerno
that was on the guest list that lives in this building?
Now, stop screwing around and tell us how a drug dealer got on that list.
Lonnie, the floor manager, he knows me.
What happened once you got in there?
I seen the dead kid doing some business.
And then, him and Lonnie was beefing about something.
I think Lonnie was trying to throw him out.
ED: You lied to us about drugs in the club, Mr. Listen.
You can't put that on me. Nobody'd be selling if nobody was buying.
So, what? You just look the other way for your high-tone clientèle?
We got a witness that said you and Bone had a problem.
What happened, Lonnie? You selective about who does business in there?
I don't have anything to do with that.
ED: But you did have an argument? Yeah.
BRISCOE: So, what was it about?
Look, Bone wanted to spin at the club.
A few weeks back, he gave me a demo to listen to.
I thought his stuff was wack, and I told him so.
You know, Lonnie, I gotta tell you,
I don't buy this for a minute.
You know, if you think business is bad now,
wait till we slap a padlock on the place.
Look, he mouthed off at me, and that was all.
Sol headed him over to the coat check, then I went back to my office.
A few minutes later, I heard the shots.
This guy's playing us, Ed. Let's call ESU.
Get a locksmith over there right away.
LONNIE: Wait.
You heard of G-Trane? The G-Trane?
Even I've heard of G-Trane.
Well, Trane was there that night with a bunch of his people.
And what I heard was, this kid Cabey threw some bills in Trane's face,
called him a sellout, and then all hell broke loose.
Why didn't you tell us this before?
(SCOFFS) You think I want to be known as the brother who dimed out Trane Collins?
(SIGHS)
According to the floor manager,
G-Trane was there with a small entourage.
His name's not on the list.
Uh-uh. There's a secret list.
Allie Lawrence. I just saw her in a movie with Brad Pitt.
From Compton to the silver screen.
Her and G-Trane were in the VIP room together.
Now, they both came down to leave just before the shooting started.
So, you're telling me G-Trane Collins blew someone away in front of 500 people.
If he did, ain't nobody say boo about it.
BRISCOE: Hey, for what it's worth, the guy's sheet is clean.
Is the Prince of Hip-Hop in town?
Yep. At his Park Avenue townhouse.
Where's Allie Lawrence?
Her agent said she left the next morning to do a movie in Mexico.
This club manager, is he a reliable witness?
He didn't see it go down, but he heard it from one of his coat-check girls,
who didn't stick around to tell us her story.
Yeah, so let's get it straight from the horse's mouth.
You know, this whole thing could be just a rumor gone out of control.
So what? We're gonna cut the guy some slack because he won a couple of Grammys?
Nope. But we're gonna lock it down as tight as we can
so we don't embarrass anyone, including ourselves.
I was so excited when they came in.
I mean, we have famous people coming in there all the time,
but G-Trane and Allie Lawrence? Oh, my God.
Did you see what happened?
Not really.
Look, I wouldn't worry to much about your job, Ms. Reese.
I don't think there are gonna be too many coats to check at Mega-Fly for a while.
Just so you know, your boss is probably gonna do a little time for this.
I was working in the coatroom.
I saw Trane and Allie Lawrence walking down the stairs.
Then the big guy who was with Trane, I guess it was his bodyguard,
came over and got Allie's jacket.
The guy who was shot started following them.
And then what happened?
It was a little hard to see. The place was packed, you know.
He said something to Trane, and then he threw a handful of money in Trane's face,
and then I saw his bodyguard with something shiny in his hand.
I'm pretty sure it was a gun.
A few seconds later I heard the shots,
and then the people started going for the door.
Did you ever see a gun in Mr. Collins' hands?
No. I never did.
Nice to know the hip-hop business is recession-proof.
This is the corporate headquarters
for Top Dawg Records, Top Dawg Music.
Where's the top dog? Is he in his office, Shandra?
He left about a half an hour ago.
Where did he go?
He had to run out to the studio.
Is there something I can help you with?
Yeah, would you mind writing down the name of your boss' bodyguard?
(LAUGHS) You'll have to talk to Mr. Collins about any personal information.
ED: What about an address?
An address for the studio.
(HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING)
Right there, right there. Yeah.
Now run that base line in.
Right there, right there.
What can we do for you?
We're here to see G-Trane.
Hey, drop in the vocals a little bit lower, please.
He's busy. So are we.
Trane don't like visitors, especially while he's working.
We just need to see him for a few minutes.
Time is money, man. Well, we're gonna talk to him sooner or later.
It don't matter. Hey, you want to at least tell him we're here.
You guys want anything from Trane, you gotta talk to his lawyers.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, you banging now, baby.
My client has no obligation to speak to the police.
It just makes it look like he's got something to hide.
Is he a suspect?
Right now, he's just a witness.
He tells me he didn't see a thing.
Look, I don't care who your client is, Mr. Garber.
Unless we get a statement from him, we're going to the D.A.
Let's not get bent out of shape, Detective.
Maybe I can convince Daryl to make himself available.
Just how long is this convincing going to take?
How's tomorrow?
Bring him by the precinct in the morning.
Here, in my office.
Were you at Mega-Fly last Saturday night, Mr. Collins?
Yeah, I was there.
BRISCOE: Who else was there with you?
Why don't you just ask him what he saw?
We already know that Allie Lawrence was there, Mr. Garber.
She got nothing to do with this.
How can we know that unless you tell us what happened?
(SIGHS) The three of us was getting ready to leave,
when this guy comes up to me and tries to... BRISCOE: The three of you?
Allie Lawrence and Mr. Collins' bodyguard.
Like I said, the guy approached me, threw money at me.
You ever see the guy before?
Could you be a little more specific, Detective?
ED: It was a pretty basic question.
Is he a friend of his?
Were you ever introduced before?
Did you see him on the way in?
All of the above.
No, I never seen him before.
What happened then?
We walked away.
Halfway to the door I hear shots,
run out with everybody else.
Did you exchange words with the guy?
Let's assume he did. Next question.
Did your bodyguard have a gun?
I'm sure he did. He has a carry license.
He's downstairs with my client's car.
So what went down?
We're going out, dude throws some money at Trane,
we walk away, somebody opens up.
BRISCOE: How far did you get before you heard the gunshots?
Halfway to the door.
Do you know the guy that dissed your boss?
Nah, I never seen him, man.
You strapped?
That's a 9mm?
That's right. I'm going in my pocket for my permit.
(EXHALES)
You mind if we take custody of the gun?
Hell, yeah. I need it for my job.
ED: We'll be in touch. Yeah, whatever.
They got their stories straight.
We gotta get a look at that 9mm.
Oh, you know what?
You're parked in a no-standing zone, big guy.
Move the car.
Write me a damn ticket.
I don't have to, 'cause I can arrest you
for refusing to obey a lawful order.
Take custody of his gun, Ed. We did ask nicely.
We've got witnesses who saw you pull a gun on the victim.
We're having it tested right now. Yeah, so test it.
So what happened? This guy disses your boss,
and you administer a little street justice?
I didn't do a damn thing.
Listen, if this guy was all up in your face,
you can always plead self-defense.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Ballistics report. Thanks.
I told you, I ain't shoot nobody.
Now I'd like someone to call me a cab.
BRISCOE: Sit down.
You 9mm's not the murder weapon,
but it's also not the gun you're licensed for.
Different serial numbers.
So, you're walking around with an unregistered weapon.
I watch Trane when he's out in Cali.
Now, I bought that gun legal in LA.
Or you tossed your New York piece
after you shot Jerome Cabey.
I told you, I ain't shoot nobody.
Look, we'd like to believe that, but...
The suit I was wearing that night's waiting to go to the cleaners.
You can test the sleeves for gunshot residue.
You been watching the Discovery Channel, James?
How do we know it's the same suit?
'Cause 20 people took pictures of me wearing it that night,
and Trane spilled some Cristal on my pants. Got a big stain.
Yeah. You and Monica Lewinsky.
It's at the bottom of my closet.
I didn't run any tests on the suit pants yet,
but there is a stain, and it sure smells like stale wine.
Is there any gunshot residue on his jacket cuffs?
I checked the right and the left. They're both clean.
So, the guy could be telling the truth.
Is he right-handed?
Uh, his holster was on the left. Yeah. Why do you ask?
I expanded the test area just for the hell of it.
There's a spray of GAR on the outer right arm, below the shoulder.
Well, he couldn't shoot his gun with his right hand
and wind up with residue on his right shoulder.
And that means he was standing to the left of the shooter.
I wonder who that was.
You think the bodyguard's protecting Collins?
According to the witness, they were standing together when the shooting broke out.
It could be that Mr. Collins grabbed the bodyguard's gun.
The one he doesn't have anymore.
Why not a gun of his own?
You think he's stupid enough to be packing?
Well, it's all about image, Lennie.
He's on one of his CDs flashing gang signs and a MAC-10.
Yeah, but a gun permit would've popped when we ran his sheet.
I mean, if he's carrying a piece, it's illegal.
In New York.
ED: This is a fax from the LAPD.
Your client bought a Glock 9mm
from a Los Angeles gun shop two years ago.
And? And we'd like him to produce the weapon
for ballistics examination.
I'm a suspect?
Well, let's just say you're on our guest list.
And you expect him to produce evidence against himself?
Well, if he wants to get off the list,
all he has to do is turn in the gun.
If he doesn't, we'll just have to turn his home
and his office inside out.
Let me have a word with my client.
(WHISPERING INAUDIBLY)
I'm sorry, Detectives, but my client is through cooperating,
and this conversation is over.
Psychologically, it could make sense.
When Jerome Cabey insulted him,
he challenged Collins' artistic integrity.
But the motive for the shooting plays right into a stereotype.
A stereotype Collins himself embraces.
Right. From what I've read, he's a middle-class kid from the suburbs.
We have to be careful not to make assumptions about Collins
based on the persona he uses to sell his records.
Well, everything we know lines up against Collins.
He had a confrontation with the victim moments before the shooting started.
Our forensics evidence exonerates the bodyguard,
and Collins won't produce his gun.
It's the same make and caliber as the murder weapon.
Can we prove he was carrying it that night?
SERENA: His bodyguard's still stonewalling us.
How about Allie Lawrence?
Nobody's been able to interview her.
She flew off to Mexico the morning after the shooting.
Now she's in Los Angeles.
Be nice to know what she has to say before we stick our necks out.
Why don't you fly to LA and talk to her, Jack? Sorry.
Serena, you might want to take another shot at the bodyguard.
You're wasting your time here.
My client's got nothing more to say.
I noticed that Top Dawg Records
posted $25,000 bail for him on the weapons charge.
And they're paying my fee as well.
There's nothing wrong with a company taking care of an employee.
Unless it's hush money.
I wouldn't point fingers with a gun charge that's tantamount to blackmail.
If he's buying your allegiance, Mr. Wilson,
maybe we can make you a better offer.
Testify about what happened, and my boss guarantees a walk on the gun.
Not a chance.
You're looking at seven years. I don't care.
I'll go down for the gun and whatever else you got on me,
but I'm not testifying.
LAWYER: Is this thing against G-Trane really going to happen?
Let's see what your client has to say about that night.
I want you to understand that as her agent,
I do my best to steer her away from that element.
Dennis. Sonya. Allie.
Allie, this is, uh... This is Mr. McCoy from the Manhattan D.A.'s office.
Oh, sorry I'm late. The freeways are crazy today.
Can we get you some coffee? Some spring water? Oh, no, no, no, I'm cool.
I'm here to ask you some questions about your visit
to Mega-Fly with Mr. Collins about three weeks ago.
Yes, I understand.
Could you tell me what happened as you were leaving the club?
Well, I didn't see the shooting,
if that's what you're asking.
Daryl told me later on that somebody had been shot in there, but...
Is that why you left New York in such a hurry?
SONYA: Allie had a commitment to shoot a feature in Mexico.
Her flight was set for weeks.
We know Mr. Collins had an argument with a patron. Did you see that?
No, I didn't.
Do you know if he was carrying a gun that night, Ms. Lawrence?
Can't you ask him?
We have.
Well, I think he remembers everything better than me.
I'd like to hear what you remember.
Suppose she doesn't have anything more to say?
If she's evading our investigation,
we can serve her with a subpoena.
If she refuses to comply, she can be arrested
as a material witness here in Los Angeles,
or anywhere else, for that matter.
Dennis, I really don't need this right now.
Can't we work something out here Mr. McCoy?
There are contractual penalties
if she doesn't fulfill her obligations.
We can accommodate her if she's more forthcoming with us.
You know, I don't like to have my arm twisted.
I think the best thing is for me to say what I have to say in court.
(SIGHS) Good morning.
Red-eye?
You could've taken the day off, Jack.
And waste some more time.
Mmm. Sounds like your meeting went about as well as mine.
LEWIN: The bodyguard was loyal to a fault.
Maybe we have to get these people inside a courtroom
before they realize we're serious.
What about this sinking feeling that we're stepping into quicksand?
Well, if a jury is looking for an excuse to acquit a celebrity,
I'm not saying they can't find one.
But in my opinion, it's a good circumstantial case.
No matter how strong the evidence is,
the media's going to have a field day.
So what are our options?
SERENA: Well, this case is not going to improve with age.
The cops can't find a witness who saw Collins pull the trigger.
In almost every murder we prosecute,
the only eyewitness is the victim.
So if we stand still, it looks like we're indecisive.
JACK: And if we run scared, we're complicit
in condoning the culture of violence Collins glorifies to turn a buck.
Which all militates in favor of an arrest. So what's our downside?
Well, win or lose, some people are going to make Collins into a martyr.
And we're his persecutors.
LEWIN: So, in other words, this is an eight-alarm migraine.
What if we give Collins the chance to come clean?
Like I told the cops, I did not shoot this man.
SERENA: Then why won't you produce your gun?
Because it's an unreasonable request.
We're asking you to set the record straight
in the shooting death of a young man.
I don't see anything unreasonable about that at all.
Maybe you should be concentrating your efforts on finding out who did it.
There's no other theory of the crime that makes any sense.
Mr. Collins had motive, opportunity,
and all his stonewalling makes him look guilty as sin.
What is a jury going to think about your client
when we call his bodyguard to the stand to take the Fifth?
The point is, Mr. Garber, we're left with no choice but to run with it.
You won't get very far without a witness.
SERENA: We've got a decent circumstantial case.
And we think the jury will understand your client's popularity
makes it difficult for people to come forward.
I got nothing to say.
You can't spend your millions when you're doing 25 years in prison, Mr. Collins.
You have 24 hours to surrender on a murder charge.
Come on. Come on.
Docket ending 989, People v. Daryl Collins, Murder in the Second Degree.
How's he plead, Mr. Garber? Not guilty.
(AUDIENCE PROTESTING) We don't need that.
You asking for bail, Ms. Southerlyn? It's a murder, Your Honor.
GARBER: Where does she think my client's going to hide?
I'm more concerned about approaching this differently because of his celebrity.
We're concerned about the same thing, Your Honor.
All right, you both made your points.
Bail is set at $1,000,000.
He'll post that now.
(JUDGE BANGS GAVEL)
CROWD: (CHANTING) Trane, Trane, Trane, Trane.
(CROWD CHEERING)
They're acting like he just got acquitted.
Everybody except Collins.
Do they really believe he's innocent?
I don't think they care.
There's nothing we can do to shore up our case?
It is what it is.
What about Allie Lawrence?
Under subpoena.
I can't believe she'll incriminate her boyfriend.
Her representatives are pushing her to separate herself from Collins.
How far she'll be willing to go is an open question.
The only alternative is to dismiss for lack of evidence.
How would that sit with Cabey's family?
So, we take our shot.
Um...
What do you think about Ron Carver second-seating on this?
'Cause he's black?
Yes. Well, and because he's an excellent attorney.
It's a mistake, Nora. Serena knows the case.
Carver has more trial experience.
Serena can bring him up to speed.
JACK: This is exactly what we should not be doing.
We all know race will be a factor in this case.
We should make this case about the facts.
Having Carver second-chair undercuts that from the start.
Well, ego aside, I'm with Jack on that.
All right.
Don't let the defense derail you.
REESE: I was working in the coat room.
That's when I saw G-Trane... I mean, Mr. Collins
and Allie Lawrence walking up the stairs.
Was there anyone else with them at the time?
His bodyguard.
What happened then, Ms. Reese?
Well, it was like people coming out of the woodwork.
Uh, Allie stopped to talk to somebody,
and the bodyguard came over with Trane to get her jacket.
And as they walked away, this man came up to them
and got up in G... Mr. Collins', um, face.
I show you what has been previously identified as a photograph of Jerome Cabey.
That's him.
JACK: When did you first notice him?
REESE: He was waiting for his coat when Mr. Collins came over.
But you helped Mr. Collins first?
Well, yes.
What happened next?
Uh, Trane and his bodyguard walked away,
and then Cabey went after them and stopped them from leaving.
And how far away were you
at the time Mr. Cabey confronted Mr. Collins?
(EXHALES) I'd say, like, 25 or 30 feet.
JACK: Did you hear what Mr. Cabey said?
Well, I didn't hear all of it because of the commotion,
but he cursed at Mr. Collins and called him a sellout,
and then he threw a bunch of money in his face.
JACK: What happened next?
There was some more back and forth, and then the shooting started.
Did you see the defendant with a gun?
I can't say I did.
Just his bodyguard holding something metal.
JACK: Where was Mr. Collins when the shots were fired?
You know, right there.
And his bodyguard?
Standing next to Mr. Collins, on his left.
At the time of this incident, Ms. Reese, the club was dark.
Well, it was light enough for people to see each other.
Only there was a crush of people between you and my client, wasn't there?
I could still see what was happening.
GARBER: So if Mr. Collins had pulled a gun on Mr. Cabey,
you would have seen that, wouldn't you?
Well, maybe.
And if he had fired it in a darkened room, you would have seen that.
Like you said, there were a lot of people there.
Two days ago, Ms. Reese, you were paid $20,000
by a television entertainment magazine
for an interview, were you not?
Yes.
And they wouldn't have been interested in paying you that kind of money
if you weren't willing to dish dirt on my client, would they?
JACK: Objection. JUDGE: Sustained.
Nothing further.
When I ran the test, there was no GAR on either of Mr. Wilson's jacket cuffs.
But I found GAR on the right arm of his suit,
between his shoulder and elbow.
And in your expert opinion, where did the shots come from?
Well, the shots were fired by someone on Mr. Wilson's right.
Based on the amount of GAR, the muzzle had to be one or two feet from his jacket.
Which means the shooter was standing behind Mr. Wilson,
not to the side.
TECH: That's one interpretation.
Mr. Wilson's arm could have been extended,
or the shooter stepped back from Mr. Wilson before firing.
We can put in the evidence of the missing gun. End on a high note.
The jury'll wonder why we didn't call Allie Lawrence.
I thought a lawyer's first commandment was, "Don't call a witness
"if you're not sure what she'll say."
Except this one isn't on the defense's witness list.
Oh, and if she's not willing to stand by her man,
maybe the jury won't either.
Notify her for tomorrow.
JACK: How long have you dated the defendant, Ms. Lawrence?
ALLIE: We're not seeing each other anymore.
Why not?
Well, it's just I'm trying to keep my head more focused on my career.
Do you still love him, Ms. Lawrence?
I'll always love him, yes.
JACK: Move to have Ms. Lawrence declared a hostile witness.
Her answers have been totally responsive up to this point, Your Honor.
Hostility is not a requirement,
given the romantic nature of the relationship.
I see no harm in giving Mr. McCoy
a little latitude with this witness.
Would it be fair to say that your agents
don't want you dating Mr. Collins because of his image?
Objection. Now it's character assassination.
JUDGE: (SIGHS) The question is stricken. Move on, Mr. McCoy.
Were you with Mr. Collins
at Mega-Fly on the night of April 14?
Yes, I was.
And was the defendant carrying a gun that night?
I don't know.
Well, does he usually carry a gun?
Well, I can't say I've never seen Daryl with a gun before.
He carries a 9mm Glock semi-automatic,
the same as the murder weapon, doesn't he?
Look, it's not like he's some kind of criminal, okay?
There are a lot of crazies out there.
So he would protect himself if provoked?
GARBER: Objection.
Sustained.
Do you remember a man provoking him in the club?
No, I only saw some of what happened.
I came down from the VIP room.
Daryl was getting my jacket.
A witness testified that you were present at the time of the incident.
Yes. I was behind Daryl and James,
but there were a bunch of people between us.
JACK: And what did you see?
I just heard the gunshots and ran out to the car.
Did Mr. Collins say anything about a shooting?
He just said that we should get away from there,
but nothing about him shooting anyone.
JACK: And where did you go?
We drove straight out to his house in the Berkshires.
A hundred miles outside the city?
GARBER: Objection. Asked and answered.
JUDGE: Sustained.
Have no further questions of this witness.
JUDGE: The witness may step down.
The People rest.
Allie and I got to the club around 12:30.
We met some friends upstairs,
listened to the DJ, danced a little,
had a few drinks.
How many drinks did you have?
Two glasses of champagne.
Were you drunk?
Not in the least.
Were you carrying a gun that night, Mr. Collins?
No, I wasn't.
Where is the 9mm handgun you purchased in Los Angeles two years ago?
It was stolen from a hotel room in Detroit
when I did a show there last year.
I didn't report it because
I knew I wasn't supposed to take it out of California.
Please, tell the jury what happened at the club that night.
James and me came down from the VIP room to get Allie's jacket.
She was behind us, talking to somebody, I think.
As we walked away from the coat room, this man approached us.
GARBER: Jerome Cabey, the deceased?
Yeah. He stepped in front of us.
And what did he say?
First, he was angry about his coat.
Then he told me he ain't really care for my music.
Not those words.
It was like a diatribe.
Then what happened?
I have to admit, I came back at him.
Asked him when his latest CD went platinum.
You know, sarcastically.
In hindsight, that was a mistake.
Why is that?
He reached into his pocket, pulled out some money, and threw it in my face.
And then what did you do at that time?
Nothing.
Then I saw James pull out his gun,
so I grabbed him and said, "Let's go."
We turned around and started to walk away,
and this guy Cabey's still talking trash.
Yelling "sellout" and whatnot.
A few seconds later, I heard the shots.
GARBER: From where?
From behind us, where we left Cabey.
Then what did you do?
I thought the dude was shooting at me.
So, the three of us just ran out of there.
We got into the car and drove away.
Thank you. Nothing further.
Collins and Allie Lawrence both put themselves apart at the time of the shooting.
So neither can contradict the other.
But Collins testified that they left together.
How did they manage to find each other in all that chaos?
What are you saying?
If they're walking out,
the bodyguard's back was to Amanda Reese during the argument.
How'd she see a gun?
Well, he must have turned back towards the coat room.
But why would he go back
if Collins was pulling him away from Cabey and toward the door?
He didn't shoot Cabey.
But he was standing there next to who...
Whoever did.
Think about it.
I was trying to figure out why an intelligent, talented man with everything to lose
would walk into a crowded nightclub with a loaded gun.
Save your summation for the courtroom.
You gave her the gun at some point, didn't you, Mr. Collins?
GARBER: That's ridiculous. My ex used to give me his cell phone
to put in my purse all the time.
GARBER: Where are you going with this?
In all that confusion, you still managed to leave the club together.
So what?
JACK: I'm impressed by your chivalry.
Even though it defies logic,
you're doing everything you can to keep her out of this.
You think he's covering for Allie?
Aren't you, Mr. Collins?
Are you willing to go back into court and face 25-to-life?
That's right.
(SIGHS)
If he's right, Daryl, you'd be crazy not to tell him.
It's one thing to play a thug on the cover of a CD, Mr. Collins.
It's quite another to do it in Sing Sing.
Yeah, well, they tell me I have to be hard to sell records.
If I hadn't listened to that, maybe...
Maybe none of this would've happened.
I don't want to sacrifice an innocent man to perpetuate a myth.
(EXHALES)
Let's go.
I'm ready for court.
We're going to get a continuance.
I have one other stop to make.
FOSTER: This is highly irregular, Mr. McCoy.
My client's already testified.
I might need to call her in rebuttal.
What's she going to rebut? She didn't see anything.
You said you still love Mr. Collins.
Do you realize what's going to happen now?
I've been doing this for a long time, Ms. Lawrence.
I'm about to go into court and take him apart.
Maybe he'll get lucky and the jury will believe his story.
Daryl says he's going to beat the case.
He'll spend the next 25 years
in a six-by-nine cell before he's eligible for parole.
What do you want from her?
I want the truth.
FOSTER: She's come this far. She's not going to incriminate him now.
Then, it's about time she exonerated him.
What're you talking about?
Why don't you ask your client?
Allie?
I saw Mr. Collins this morning.
He was this close to giving you up.
But he held his ground.
He's going to risk the rest of his life in prison, and for what?
Because some marketing consultant has him believing
that a real man takes the weight for the woman?
This conversation's over.
Anything she wants to say in this room is off the record.
I'm still advising you not to continue.
I don't think I can let Daryl go through with it.
Then, it's time we put an end to this.
If there was provocation, Ms. Lawrence,
it could mitigate your responsibility.
There was.
What did this man, Cabey, say to you?
He threw some money at Daryl,
and Daryl started to go at him.
And I said, "It's not worth it, baby, let's just go."
Allie.
He touched me.
(CRYING) When I turned to leave,
he slid his hand between my legs and he touched me.
And I looked back at him like...
(STAMMERS) I don't know, I just... I couldn't believe it.
And he said, "What are you looking at, bitch?
"You think you're better than me?"
And I said, "Nobody touches me like that. Nobody!"
And he said he'd touch me any way he liked
'cause I'm just another ho from the 'hood.
Why not just walk away, then?
Because I have walked away from guys like that my whole damn life!
And this time, I had Daryl's gun in my purse.
Where's the gun now, Ms. Lawrence?
Daryl threw it off a bridge.
What now, Mr. McCoy?
That's an explanation, not a defense, counselor.
Wait, I'm going to jail?
Without your statement, they don't have much of a case.
Have we set a Grand Jury date for Ms. Lawrence?
JACK: And call what witnesses?
The only ones we can find are two men
who'd rather go to jail than tell the truth.
LEWIN: So, we indict Collins for perjury.
We can't prove he lied.
Lawrence and Collins both walk?
We got dissed.
Apparently, two careers are worth more than a person's life.
In a weird way, the dismissal hurt Collins more than the indictment.
When his fans found out he wasn't the killer,
his CD dropped 10 places on the charts.
At this rate, he might have to go out and actually shoot somebody.