.
- 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.
[indistinct chatter]
[soft jazz music playing]
♪
- Mr. Mayor, evening. - Hey.
- Hey, thank you so much for the endorsement.
It means a lot to me. - I hope it helps.
- So do I. You know my wife, Julia.
- Hi. - Nice to see you.
Thanks for coming.
- This is our daughter, Carrie.
- Hey. - Hi.
- I hear you're gonna be a lawyer
just like your old man, huh?
- Yes. One more year of law school.
- So what type of law?
- Civil rights.
- Spoken like someone who has yet
to make a mortgage payment, but...
[laughter]
It should be a great night, so have a wonderful time.
- We will. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
- Thanks so much, Mr. Mayor. - All right.
- Thanks for coming.
Family unity is very important right now.
- Please, she's only here to see Merritt and Matt.
- That's true.
- Since when are you a Yankees fan?
- Since their star pitcher started dating Merritt Clark.
Do you think she'll sing at this party?
- I have no idea.
- District Attorney Baxter. - Hang on a sec.
- The election is coming up soon.
Polls are showing you're only up by three points.
Are you feeling confident?
- The only confidence that matters to me right now
is the confidence of the people in Manhattan.
And that I intend to earn by doing the job right.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
[crowd shrieking]
[indistinct chatter]
- Nicholas Baxter.
- Ah. Look who's here. - Great to see you.
- Over here! Over here!
[gunshot]
[crowd screaming]
[dramatic music]
- Go upstairs. Go inside. Now! Go!
♪
- Wow.
It's really him, huh?
- Man, he was just hitting his stride too.
- He was the guest of honor tonight.
Never thought this is how I'd meet my hero.
[tense music]
One shot to the head, right temple.
- Sniper?
- Witnesses say the shooter was 20 feet away,
somewhere in the crowd.
But we haven't found any shell casings yet or a weapon.
- Anybody get a good look at the shooter?
- More like everyone got half a look.
- You got a description?
- Male, Caucasian or Latino,
medium build.
But everyone agrees he was wearing
a gray jacket and a dark cap and a surgical mask.
- What about video from the library,
street cams, the people in the crowd?
- Techs are going through it all now.
- Fans, guests, press.
Must be 100 witnesses.
- Yeah, all too starstruck to realize
somebody's waving a damn gun.
- Power of celebrity, huh?
- Excuse us.
- Mr. Baxter.
- Detectives.
- Your wife and daughter okay?
- Well, he died right in front of us, so...
we already gave our statements.
Our backs were to the shooter.
You should talk to Merritt Clark, though.
She was with Bennett when he got shot.
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
- Matt and I are supposed to fly to Sydney
tomorrow to kick off my tour.
- Look, I know this is difficult,
but did you notice anything that might help us
figure out who did this?
- There were so many flashbulbs,
so many people yelling at us.
- Do you know of anyone who might have been targeting Matt?
Any recent threats or altercations?
- People loved Matt.
Worshipped him.
Really.
He loved it.
- Could this be about you?
Maybe a fan who was jealous that you were dating Matt?
- It's possible.
I love my fans,
but they can be a bit obsessive.
There's--there's a guy.
He's been following me for years.
He went totally off the rails
when Matt and I started dating.
- Did it ever get violent?
- No, but Matt said he was a ticking time bomb,
so I--I filed a restraining order.
- When was this?
- Two weeks ago.
[tense music]
- Do you know his name?
- T-A-G-G-E-R-T. Copy.
Run a check on Kyle Taggert.
- He's got convictions for stalking,
assault, and public lewdness.
True Casanova.
Wait, I just saw that face.
This is him, Kyle Taggert,
less than 50 yards from the library
three minutes before the shooting.
- That is a violation of the order of protection.
Jalen, I'm getting you guys a warrant.
[dramatic music]
- On the right. On the right.
Kyle Taggert.
NYPD. Open up.
Open the door, Taggert, now.
- NYPD, let me see your hands! - Go, go, go.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa.
- We have a warrant.
Are you armed? - With a gun?
- Like with anything. - No, no.
Nothing.
- Get over there now. - Okay.
- Whoa. Huh.
- Don't touch that.
- You really got a thing for Merritt Clark, huh?
- She's my soulmate.
- You were at the library tonight,
which just so happens to be the place where
your soulmate's actual soulmate was killed.
- I'm not a murderer.
- Yeah, we get that a lot.
- I have proof.
- Slowly.
- It's my phone.
This is my jackpot.
One call to TMZ, and I'm rolling in it.
I got the whole thing on video, your shooter and all.
- All right. - No, no.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You are under arrest
for violating an order of protection
and just for being a creep.
- Well, Taggert wasn't lying.
He recorded the whole thing.
- There's Matt and Merritt.
- See, here on the left is our shooter raising the weapon.
Then the focus changes to the shooter.
- Gray jacket, black hat.
- That gun is not pointed at Matt Bennett.
- I don't think Bennett was the intended target.
See, he's tracking someone else,
and then just as he pulls the trigger,
this guy moves,
and Matt Bennett gets shot instead.
♪
- He was trying to kill Nick Baxter.
- Alert the district attorney's security detail now.
.
- We had a trajectory analyst
review the video of the shooting,
and it's clear he was aiming for you.
If you hadn't moved when you did,
that bullet would have struck you squarely
in the back of the head.
- This man, the shooter, he's still out there?
- We've issued a citywide manhunt.
The entire NYPD is looking for him.
- Nick, I think you should suspend your campaign.
- Can we talk about this later?
[tense music]
- So that's a no.
- I'm not backing out.
I'll double my security detail.
We'll get a separate team for you up at Mount Sinai.
Julia's chair of the pediatrics department there.
- We have two children.
Our daughter's here in New York.
She's in law school at Columbia.
Our son's in Chicago.
- It's okay, sweetie.
We can hire private security for them.
- I need to call them. Excuse me.
[sighs] Thank you.
- Of course.
Do you have any idea who could have done this?
Anyone who's holding a grudge?
- I've been a prosecutor and a defense attorney
for 30 years.
I probably have an enemy on every city block.
- Any recent threats that you know of?
- I get a lot of emails telling me what to do,
what not to do.
You're welcome to wade through that cesspool.
And everything else that I have,
any old case files, texts, emails, phone logs.
- The more information we have, the better.
- Three decades of high-profile cases
generates a lot of haters.
- Tell me about it.
Domestic terrorists, human traffickers,
arms dealers.
- Baxter convicted the Coney Island serial killer.
- The ME says Bennett was shot by a 9-millimeter.
No signs yet of the shell casing or the gun,
so we expanded the search,
and we're bringing in the K-9 unit
to do a great sweep. - All right.
- We're still going through the video and photos
from people who were at the library.
- And Forensics is still combing through
all the street cam video.
- I might have something.
A guy sent a series of emails to Baxter.
Last one was six days ago.
Told Baxter he needed to be held accountable,
wanted to meet face to face to "finally have it out."
- What's this guy's name?
- Brian Spellman.
"Your day will come, Nicholas Baxter."
That's some potent poetry, Spellman.
- He ruined my life because I sold a couple of guns.
- A couple of guns that were fully automatic
assault rifles, Brian.
- It was my first offense.
My lawyer said we'd get a plea offer,
but apparently Baxter doesn't make bargains.
Ten years.
My wife left me.
My kids still won't talk to me.
- So what, you figured
if you shot Baxter, they'd come back?
- Or were you just trying to make a name for yourself?
Is that it?
- I didn't shoot Baxter.
Somebody shot Baxter?
- Where were you last night at 7:23?
- I left work at 7:00, and then I went home.
- You stop by the New York Public Library
on your way home?
- I got a lotto ticket at a bodega.
Timestamp says 7:20.
[phone buzzing]
It's ten blocks south of the library.
- All right, I'm gonna check this out.
- It's Dixon.
They recovered a gun down a grate at 36th and 3rd.
- Nothing remarkable about the weapon itself.
It's a 9-millimeter high point.
- Basic budget gun, huh? - Mm-hmm.
- You test fire it?
- The markings match the slug
pulled out of Matt Bennett's brain.
It's definitely the murder weapon.
- That gun have a history?
- I looked at the primer pin mark
on the firing pin,
ran the images through NIBIN, and voilà.
Matches a casing recovered from the scene
of a liquor store robbery two months ago.
- And that gun was never recovered?
- No, but a guy named Eddie Aguilar
was arrested for the robbery,
and he's out on bail awaiting trial.
[siren wailing]
[dramatic music]
♪
- Hold up.
There's our boy right there.
Eddie Aguilar, gotta ask you a few questions.
- 2-7 squad, 10-85 in pursuit.
♪
I don't think so. Come on.
- Spread your legs.
What's this, huh? - Those ain't mine.
- No? - Yeah, right. Turn around.
- Look, we don't care about the dope.
What we care about is what you were doing
at the public library last night.
- Public library?
- What about Matt Bennett the pitcher, huh?
- Yeah, I know him.
- You know he was shot last night?
- So?
- So he was shot with your gun, Eddie.
- No, I had nothing to do with--
I ain't saying nothing without my lawyer.
- Good.
They can meet us down at the precinct,
'cause you're under arrest for murder, Eddie.
.
- My client was nowhere near the library last night.
He was at a court-ordered Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
- That's not working out too well, is it?
- This is the name of the group facilitator.
She'll confirm Eddie was there.
- Eddie, the gun that you used to rob a liquor store--
same gun used to kill Matt Bennett.
- That means even though you were at that NA meeting,
you could still be considered an accomplice.
- We can also charge you for the heroin,
which means that your bail will be revoked immediately.
- And you'll be on the next bus to Rikers.
- So now is your time to cooperate.
- All right.
- Look, the gun wasn't mine.
- Then whose was it?
- This gun gets passed around on an as-needed basis.
A number of people had access to it.
- Community gun? Oh, that's convenient.
- We need a name.
Now, who did you give that gun to, Eddie?
Name.
- Some dude called Mad Dog.
- Mad Dog?
- Don't know his real name.
- You're telling me that you put that gun in his hand?
- I swear on my baby girl's life.
- All right. Stay out of trouble.
Hey, according to my informant,
Mad Dog's real name: Hector Canseco.
- Says he was a suspect in a murder case last year.
He's got convictions for guns, assault, drugs,
and he is coming up on the gang database
as a longtime member of Cobra 10.
- Cobra 10, uh...
yeah, one of Baxter's last cases
with the U.S. Attorney's Office before he was appointed DA,
it was a RICO case against Cobra 10.
String of murders.
- Yeah, these guys have been terrorizing
East New York for years.
- Yeah, Baxter put Diego Molina, the gang's leader--
put him and his buddies away for life.
I mean, this case got a lot of coverage.
Baxter's face was all over the place.
- This could be payback.
- All right. Track down Hector Canseco.
Right now.
♪
- Look, I'm telling you, I haven't seen Hector in weeks.
- Don't play that game.
We know he lives here, Tina. Stop.
- Found this in the bedroom. 9-millimeter.
Same caliber as the bullet that killed Matt Bennett.
Half the rounds are missing.
- Unless you start talking right now,
we're gonna charge you with possession of ammunition
and being an accomplice to murder.
All right, have it your way.
- No, no, wait, wait, look.
I have a son.
He'll be home from school soon, and I have to be here.
- We can have someone from social services
be here when he gets in.
They'll find him a place to stay,
a nice group shelter.
- Look, if you're scared, we can help you.
We can put you into Witness Protection.
- I would need a new place to live.
- We can do that.
- A fresh start for you and your son.
That's what we're offering you.
♪
- The bullets are Hector's.
He left them here a week ago.
- Where is he now?
- I don't know.
No, I swear. - Call him.
- I can't.
He said that he lost his phone and took mine.
- All right, you know what? Get on your laptop.
Open up the Find My Phone app right now.
Come on. Let's go.
♪
- Pier 17, huh?
Hey Lou, we need you to put out an APB.
We're headed to Pier 17 right now.
There's a suspect in the area.
Copy that.
We'll be there as soon as we can.
Baxter's at a campaign rally at Pier 17 right now.
- Hey, watch her.
[dramatic music]
- So that's just an example.
I mean, the importance of keeping
these stunning riverfront walkways free of crime
for everyone to enjoy.
I make a vow to make this city safe for residents,
for visitors, for businesspeople,
and to do so without ever compromising
our firm commitment to fairness and integrity.
- Get him down from there.
We got a suspect in the crowd. - Copy.
- Look, I have been doing this work for a very long time,
way before I was ever in the public eye.
No, no, no. We're good. Just keep your eyes open.
I'm fine.
As I was saying, I started in the DA's office
as a young prosecutor, and I have seen crime in this city...
- I got a visual on the suspect.
- I spent over a decade as a criminal defense attorney
and then the past ten years
I've been working in the U.S. Attorney's Office--
- Police!
Put it down, Hector.
Don't move.
Hey!
♪
- Gun!
Get up. - Stop fighting.
- Get up.
Nice jacket.
I feel like I've seen that before.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- What's your beef with the DA, huh?
- I want a lawyer.
- Yeah, you're gonna need one.
♪
.
[indistinct chatter]
[camera shutters clicking]
[gavel bangs] - Order.
Order in the court.
- Calling docket ending in 43071,
People versus Hector Canseco,
charging murder in the second degree
and attempted murder.
- How do you plead?
- My client pleads not guilty.
- Question of bail.
- The defendant shot and killed
a beloved New York sports icon,
but he was actually trying to kill
the district attorney, Nicholas Baxter.
The evidence is quite strong.
We have a witness who can put the murder weapon
in the defendant's hands
and an audio recording of a phone call
made from a prison inmate and a known gang member
to the defendant ordering the hit on Nicholas Baxter.
As such, the people request remand.
- Mr. Canseco has a significant criminal history.
- Convictions for assault, drugs, guns,
and he's a member of a violent street gang, Cobra 10.
- I'll hear you.
- The District Attorney is using my client for publicity
to win an election, trying to scare the public
with fictional talk about vengeful street gangs.
- Your Honor--
- Spare me the rhetoric, Mr. Wallace.
Just stick to the facts.
- Gladly, because the facts will show that
my client is an innocent man, that even though
there were 100 people at the scene of the murder,
no one identified my client as the shooter.
No one.
He's never missed a court date in his life
and has long-standing ties to New York.
As such, I'm asking for a reasonable cash bail.
- The defendant is remanded.
[gavel bangs] Next case.
[indistinct chatter, shouting]
- Hi. - Hi.
- What are you doing here?
- I was having lunch with Mom, and I saw the news,
and they were showing photos of the killer, and I...
- You what?
- I recognize him.
- What do you mean you recognize Hector Canseco?
- I've seen him before.
- In person?
- Like a week before the murder outside our house.
[suspenseful music]
- Tell me exactly what happened.
- It was Mom's birthday, and as I was walking
up to the front door, I saw him.
We stared at each other for a few seconds.
It felt odd.
I should have said something at the time, but--
- Hey, hey, hey, hey. This is not your fault.
Did he say anything to you?
- He asked who lived there.
- What did you say? - Nothing.
I just kept walking and went inside the house.
- Okay.
So if you see anything else that feels odd,
you let your security detail know right away.
All right?
Let's get you out of here.
Hey, Christian?
Could you just walk Carrie to her car, please?
I'll call you later, all right?
- Okay.
- It's gonna be fine, I promise.
Talk to you later. - All right.
♪
- Miss Arias, was your boyfriend, Hector Canseco,
living with you on the night of the murder?
- Yes, he was.
- And police found a box of 9-millimeter ammunition
in your bedroom.
- Yes.
- When was the first time you noticed
the ammunition in your home?
- About a week before the shooting.
- And who did this ammunition, these bullets, belong to?
- Hector.
- Indicating the defendant.
And where was Hector on the night of the shooting?
- I don't know, but he wasn't home.
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Mr. Wallace.
- Initially, detectives arrested you for this murder,
didn't they? - No.
No one ever arrested me.
- They threatened to charge you as an accomplice,
so you made up a story and accused Mr. Canseco.
- Objection, argumentative.
- Sustained.
- After you told the police that the ammunition
belonged to Mr. Canseco, the detectives found you
a nice, new apartment, didn't they?
- Yes.
- And they found your son a nice, new school.
- Yes, because we needed protection from him.
[tense music]
- You have a criminal record, don't you, Miss Arias?
- I have one conviction.
- For carrying a firearm?
- Yes.
- So you like guns, which means the ammunition
in your apartment could have easily been yours.
- Yeah, but it wasn't.
It was Hector's.
- If you say so.
No more questions.
- Members of the jury, we will reconvene tomorrow morning.
[gavel bangs]
- Tina did a good job.
She tied Hector to the ammunition.
Now we just need to tie him to the gun, and it's game over.
- Let's put Eddie on the stand first thing tomorrow morning.
- You should go get him ready.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
We're a little late.
- It's fine.
He said he's gonna be home all night.
[knocking]
Hello?
Eddie?
♪
What the hell?
Oh, God.
- Oh, my God.
Call 911.
Eddie.
- Uh, this is ADA Samantha Maroun.
I need an ambulance.
- Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, can you hear me?
♪
No need for the ambulance.
He's dead.
.
- Okay, thank you.
Forensics didn't find any useful prints
at Aguilar's apartment.
- What just happened?
Why the hell wasn't Eddie Aguilar in a safe house?
- I--I offered.
No, I begged, but he didn't want to.
He said he felt safer in his apartment.
- Are there any leads?
- Not yet, but I think it's safe to assume
Cobra 10 was involved.
- Do we have anyone else who can tie the defendant
to the murder weapon?
- No.
- So all we've got are the bullets in the apartment.
- And the video of him at the scene.
- But that's just a man wearing a black cap and a gray jacket.
- Let's not forget he was arrested at an event
where you were speaking.
Losing the gun hurts,
but the evidence is still strong.
- It's highly circumstantial.
We don't have anyone who can identify
Canseco as the shooter.
- Meaning what?
- We might wanna consider a plea.
- And reward them for killing a witness?
No way.
Now is not the time to show weakness.
Shore up the evidence of Canseco's state of mind.
That'll offset the fact that we don't
have an identifying witness.
Make it clear that this was an act of gang retaliation,
that his goal was to kill me, the district attorney,
because I convicted his fellow gang members.
- I'll call Detective Shaw.
I'll have him testify to Canseco's motive and intent.
- Hold off on Shaw for now.
I have someone else in mind.
- District Attorney Baxter, were you at
the New York Public Library when Matt Bennett was killed?
- I was.
It was the night of the mayor's annual charity dinner.
Bennett was being recognized for his volunteerism.
- Please describe what happened.
- I was walking up the steps with my wife and daughter
when a gunshot rang out.
- Was someone hit?
- Matt Bennett was shot in the head.
He died instantly.
- Where was he in relation to where you were situated?
- He was very close.
5, maybe 10 feet from where my family and I were standing.
- I'd like to ask you about your time
at the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Did you prosecute members of an association
known as Cobra 10?
- I did, yes. - Objection.
Irrelevant. Move to strike.
- If you let me proceed,
it will become relevant very soon.
- Go ahead.
- I'm gonna play you a recording
and I'm gonna ask if you recognize the voices.
- Yo, man, it's time to take care of business
tonight at that party, you feel me?
- Okay. - You got the candy, right?
- Yeah. All set.
- That's Diego Molina, the leader
of the notorious Cobra 10 gang.
He's talking to the defendant, Hector Canseco,
one of his top lieutenants.
They're speaking in code, obviously,
but Molina is ordering him to kill me.
- Objection.
All I hear are two men having a conversation,
and there's no evidence of gang membership or gang activity.
- Your Honor, counsel is testifying.
- I wanna see you both in chambers.
Now.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Mr. Price is making this a case of guilt by association.
I'm moving to exclude any mention of gangs.
- Why is gang affiliation relevant?
- Because DA Baxter prosecuted several members of Cobra 10,
including the defendant's friend Diego Molina.
And based on the facts in this case,
one can draw a reasonable inference
that DA Baxter was the intended target
and this murder was an act of gang retaliation.
- That's not reasonable.
That's pure speculation,
which is expressly prohibited by People v Pagan.
- Do you have any specific evidence
to support your theory that the defendant is in a gang?
- The defendant is in the NYPD's gang database.
He's a known member of Cobra 10.
- That database is outdated and inaccurate.
Moreover, it's racist.
If a Black or brown man so much as nods hello to a gang member,
a cop can hit him with a gang card.
- But that is not the case here.
Canseco is a known and proud gang member.
He has Cobra 10 tattooed on his back, for God's sake.
- He got that tattoo 15 years ago.
It's irrelevant.
It's too remote in time.
- I agree with Mr. Wallace.
There is to be no mention of the defendant's alleged
gang affiliation or that the murder
was an act of revenge for Baxter's prosecution
of various Cobra 10 members.
So if you wanna prove Canseco's intended target
was Baxter, not Matt Bennett,
you'll have to do it another way.
♪
- How'd it go?
- We lost.
We cannot mention his gang affiliation.
- So how do you intend to prove Canseco's motive?
That he was actually trying to kill me?
- I'm not sure.
At the moment, we don't have any witnesses
or evidence that can help establish that.
- But I didn't see anything.
I just saw him standing outside your house.
- I know.
But your testimony could prove Canseco's motive
and intent that I was his intended target.
I really didn't want it to come to this,
but you saw the shooter lurking outside our house.
He asked you who lived there.
- How can that help?
- We don't have an eyewitness who can identify
Canseco as the shooter.
But if we can show his state of mind,
that he was looking for me a week before the murder,
we'll have a much stronger case.
- Dad, I wanna help. I do.
- I don't want you to worry, okay?
We're gonna make sure that you're safe.
We're gonna increase your security detail.
- No, no. It's not that. It's, um...
I know what happens on cross-examination.
I know what defense lawyers do.
And I'm worried that...
- I'm worried about that too.
Believe me.
♪
- It would be really bad, especially for you.
- Yeah.
But if we let this cold-blooded killer walk
and we could have done something to prevent it,
we'll never forgive ourselves,
regardless of the consequences.
♪
.
- I can't believe you're making her do this.
- We need her testimony.
We don't have a choice.
- I told you this job was a bad idea.
- Don't do this.
- Do what? Tell the truth?
We're talking about our daughter, Nick.
Our daughter.
- She saw the killer outside our house
a week prior to the murder, stalking me.
We can't pretend that didn't happen.
- Sure, we can.
- I have an obligation to this city.
- No, you have an obligation to this family.
That is more important than this case
or this damn election.
- Let me be very clear.
Nothing is more important than our family.
Nothing.
And the fact that I have to say that out loud to you
really pisses me off.
But I guess that's a different issue we can talk about later.
[tense music]
95% of the men and women we require to take the stand
don't wanna do it.
They're afraid.
They're worried they're gonna get humiliated on cross,
but we make them do it anyway in the name of justice.
So I have to treat Carrie like anyone else,
like she's just another witness.
I have to.
It's the right thing to do.
♪
Jules.
What are you--
- And your daughter is okay?
She's willing to testify?
- She is.
- But you were hoping we wouldn't need her?
That's why you didn't bring it up earlier?
- Correct.
- I think we can win this case without her.
We still have ample evidence indicating
that Canseco was the shooter.
- You know about Carrie's history.
- I do.
And it's only logical to assume the defense knows, too,
which means they will bury her on cross.
And they'll bury you too.
- I appreciate what you're trying to do, Nolan.
I really do.
But I'm good.
I'm prepared to accept the consequences.
- Miss Baxter, did you have occasion
about a week before the murder to see the defendant?
- Yes.
I went to my parents' for dinner,
and he was standing in front of their house.
- Your parents being Julia and Nicholas Baxter?
- Yes.
- What was the defendant doing?
- Just standing there outside their house.
- Did he say anything?
- He asked who lived there.
- Thank you. Nothing further.
- This is the first we're hearing about my client
being anywhere near your parents' house.
When did you notify the police or the DA's office
of this alleged sighting?
- The day of the arraignment, his picture was in the news.
I told my father.
- And your father, District Attorney Baxter,
waited until now, the 11th hour,
to report that to us.
Convenient.
- Objection. - Sustained.
[tense music]
- Your sophomore year at Princeton,
you were in a car accident, correct?
- Objection. Relevance.
- It's relevant for purposes of impeachment.
- Please answer the question.
- Yes, I, uh--I was driving.
I had been drinking, and I struck a pedestrian.
♪
- That man you struck was seriously injured,
wasn't he?
- He lost the use of his left arm.
- And you were charged with a serious crime.
- Yes, I pled guilty, admitted to what I had done.
- Well, that's not exactly true, is it?
I mean, you were originally charged
with aggravated assault, which is a felony,
yet you were convicted of simple assault,
which is a misdemeanor.
But even that was expunged.
Can you explain how the charges were reduced so dramatically?
- Objection.
Relevance. Argumentative.
- Overruled.
- Uh, all I know is, my lawyers worked it out.
- "My lawyers"?
You mean your father?
You mean your father called in some favors
to have the charges reduced?
- I'm not aware of the specifics.
- You and your father make quite a team.
He covers for you. You cover for him.
- Your Honor--
- Sustained.
Anything else, Mr. Wallace?
- No.
Nothing further.
- Redirect.
♪
Miss Baxter, is it fair to say that
you knew what would happen
if you came in this courtroom today?
- Yeah, I knew it could hurt me.
- Or hurt you and hurt your father.
- Yes.
- And yet you came in here anyway
to seek justice for Matt Bennett.
- I came in here to tell the truth about what I knew.
- Thank you.
♪
- Sir, do you think your daughter's testimony
will impact the outcome of the election?
- I have no idea.
- Mr. Baxter, how can someone who manipulates
the legal system to benefit a family member
hold the office of district attorney?
- Isn't this the very definition of white privilege?
How can you possibly expect the people of New York
to trust and respect you?
- As district attorney, I have an obligation
to enforce the law with compassion and integrity.
As a father, I have an obligation
to help and support my daughter.
So if you're asking me to apologize
for trying to protect her future,
it's not gonna happen.
Excuse me.
- Has the jury reached a verdict?
- Yes, we have, Your Honor.
- Will the defendant please rise?
[suspenseful music]
♪
Mr. Foreperson, how do you find?
- We find the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree
and guilty of attempted murder.
- Members of the jury, thank you for your service.
We are adjourned.
[gavel bangs]
♪
- Thank you.
- So we were hoping for a little bit better news
at this point, but the votes are still being counted.
The jury is still out.
And I wanted to take a minute now
just to thank each and every one of you for your support
and your incredibly hard work on this campaign.
I would not be standing here without you.
Seriously.
So, hopefully, I'll be standing up here again
and we can all celebrate together,
but for now, I just wanted to say,
from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Okay. Here's to you.
[cheers and applause]
How are we looking? - They love you.
They love you. - All right. We'll see.
- Ah, Mr. Baxter. You did a wonderful job.
- I guess we're not partying yet.
- Not yet.
It's too close to call.
Either way, I need a cocktail.
- All right. Thank you.
Hey. - Hi.
- You made it.
- How are you feeling?
- I'm glad you're here.
I could the moral support.
We probably won't know anything until after midnight.
Where's Mom?
- I don't know.
- I thought she was coming with you.
- No.
- She's not coming, is she?
- Nick, MSNBC would like a comment.
- Okay.
I'll be back in a sec. - Okay.
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]