- 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.
- We're trying to carve out a middle ground--
a place where these issues can be discussed
in a civil manner. - Only if we agree with you.
If we disagree, then we're suddenly idiots or hicks.
- That's not true. - I see and hear it
every day, Derek--
liberals refusing to discuss issues that really matter:
economic issues, geopolitical issues--
as far as I can see, the only thing you guys wanna talk about
is identity politics;
gender, race, sexual identity.
I swear to God, it's like you spend
all your time and energy just inventing ways to be offended.
- But it's more complicated than that.
- No! No.
See, there you go again, pandering to us morons,
'cause we can't quite grasp the subtleties
of the complex liberal platform.
- I just think we need to talk about these issues
in a serious, honest way.
There's a middle road here, a way to bridge the gap.
We need to have more conversations--
- Do you believe the leaders of the Democratic Party
are involved in the sexual exploitation
of underage boys and girls?
[dramatic music]
- Are you really doing this? - Doing what?
- Talking about this QAnon crap.
You told me--
you promised me this would be a civil,
constructive conversation,
that we'd debate the issues.
- You still haven't answered the question, Mr. Hoyt.
[tense, dramatic music]
- Go to hell.
♪
[door clicks shut]
- People can sit in their basement apartment
surrounded by cats and pizza boxes and just spew hate.
- Yeah, 'cause there aren't any consequences.
- You can't fight back either.
You tweet back? You're a troll.
- Two weeks ago, this idiot called me a racist,
because I said Jay-Z is overrated.
Like, what?
- Back in the day, if you wanted to call out someone,
you did it in person, face-to-face.
- And you just might get your damn ass kicked too--
[tires squeal and crash, screaming]
[line ringing]
- 911. What's your emergency?
- I'm on the corner of 29th and 10th.
Someone just got hit by a bus. - And what's his condition?
- He's bleeding. It's really bad.
♪
- [groans]
♪
- [indistinct shouting] You all witnessed it.
- Why are we here, Officer Washington?
- 'Cause it wasn't an accident.
Two witnesses saw some dude
push the DOA in front of the bus.
- These witnesses get a good look at the guy?
- No.
He was wearing a facemask and a dark winter hat.
- What about the bus driver?
- She didn't wanna talk.
Said she's too upset.
- Did he seem mentally ill?
Did he say anything specific?
- No, he just rolled up on the dude
and shoved him into the street.
- You got a good look at him. Did you see his complexion?
- Uh, he was white,
maybe brown.
I couldn't really tell, 'cause he was wearing
a facemask and a dark ski hat.
- Okay. What was his body type?
Was he tall, or short, heavyset, thin?
- 5'10", but he definitely wasn't skinny.
More like beefy.
- Thank you.
What do you got?
- Downloaded the bus cam footage.
- Wow.
That's a lot of hate behind that push.
- Question is why?
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
- I have no idea why someone would wanna kill Derek.
It doesn't make sense.
- Did you and Derek have any problems?
- No. Everything was great.
- Forgive me for asking, it's just part of the process.
Were either you or your husband involved with anyone else?
- No, nothing like that.
- Did Derek gamble, drink?
- Uh,
maybe a glass of wine here and there, but...
He was a good person.
He loved being a father, a husband.
He was going to run for Congress too.
He wanted to...
give back, make a difference.
It sounds cliché, but he really meant it.
[indistinct chatter]
I'll be there in a minute.
Go play with Laura, okay?
♪
- Uh, if you can think of anything else,
would you give us a call?
- Yeah.
♪
It might be nothing, but Derek got into an argument
with another man a few weeks ago.
We were having dinner, and...
this guy started yelling at him.
It got really heated.
- Do you remember what they were arguing about?
- No, he just kept calling Derek a liar and a phony.
Then Derek pushed him away.
♪
- Yeah, Derek and I got into it pretty good that night.
Wasn't a big deal, though.
Just a couple of alpha dogs barking at each other.
- What were you two barking about?
- I tried to buy his firm, but he sold it to someone else.
Offered him 50% more than I did.
- You were pissed that another company
wanted to pay more money?
- I was pissed because he didn't give me
a chance to counter.
- Pissed enough to shove him in front of a bus?
- [scoffs] Please.
I loved Derek. - I saw the video.
I didn't see a lot of love there.
- What you saw was two real men talking business--
face-to-face, no lawyers, no PR, no social media.
Just a couple of grown-ass men gettin' after it.
- Unfortunately, Derek is now dead.
- And that sucks.
Like I said, he was a good dude.
- Did you talk to or see him after the altercation
at the restaurant? - Yeah, met him for coffee
a few days ago.
- Like a real man?
- Pledged a million dollars to his campaign too.
- Hm. - And that was the last time
you saw him? - Well, technically,
the last time was in front of his building.
He shook my hand, said thanks, and that was that.
- Did he mention anything unusual,
maybe somebody harassing him?
- There was this guy following us.
Looked like he was taking photos too.
- Do you remember what he looked like?
- White, about 50,
average height.
He was wearing a Phillies hat.
[indistinct chatter, phones ringing]
[ominous music]
- Think I got something.
- What do you got?
- Look at this guy with the camera.
- Can you zoom in, get a better look at his face?
- No, that's the best I can do.
- Take a look at that jacket.
NYPD Fighting 19th Softball.
- Guy's a cop.
- Or a softball groupie.
- Send that over to the 19th. See if anyone recognizes him.
♪
- Yeah, that's me.
I was followin' the guy on the right, Derek Hoyt.
- Why?
- Got hired about a month ago to find some dirt.
But I came up empty. Guy's squeaky clean.
Then last week, they asked me to give it another whirl.
- What were they hoping to find?
- Don't know. Didn't ask.
Gotta pay the bills, bro.
- Hell of a way to do it.
- Do me a favor. Don't judge.
- During the course of your, uh, investigation,
did you happen to find anything of concern?
- No, nothing even close.
- So who hired you?
Who was looking for all this dirt on Derek Hoyt?
♪
- That's so crazy.
I just interviewed him this morning.
- Mm. - So how can I help?
- Well, you can start by, uh, telling us why you hired
a P.I. to dig up dirt on Mr. Hoyt.
- What's that got to do with him gettin' hit by a bus?
- I don't know, maybe nothin'.
- We're trying to figure out
why someone would try to kill him.
- I don't know. I know he was planning
on running for Congress,
and that the power brokers in the Democratic Party
were talking about him like he was the, uh, next big thing--
AOC with some brains. [chuckles]
Uh, that was a joke. Sorry.
Didn't mean to offend your left-wing sensibilities.
- No, you didn't offend us. It wasn't funny.
- Oh, tough crowd.
- More like impatient. We're investigating a murder.
- You're right, you're right. I'm sorry.
I'd heard some rumors about Hoyt,
so I hired a P.I. for him, to look into him.
I didn't want to publish anything without confirmation.
- Hm, because of your journalistic integrity?
- What kind of rumors?
- I'd rather not comment on that.
You know, now that he's gone,
there's no need to besmirch the deceased.
- Ha! [laughs]
- Yeah. - Now, that's funny.
You know, you pretending to have ethical standards.
Your whole mission is to cultivate hate and mistrust.
- I run a media business, all right?
I give the people what they want--
real people--
real, honest, hardworking, middle-class people
who love this country
who can't relate to the rich, coastal elites
who control the media and the political narrative.
Come on, you really think some roofer from Akron
with a mortgage and three kids
gives a rat's ass about somebody's pronoun?
- So you...don't believe liberals eat babies,
or that Black people's obsession with racism
is destroying the country?
- It doesn't matter what I believe.
It matters what sells.
- And destroying Hoyt would sell?
- Yeah, destroying him would've been a home run.
But he's gone.
So we'll just have to find
another Democratic heartthrob to lambaste.
[chuckles]
- So far, we're coming up empty.
Victim is a choir boy.
No vices, no motives,
even that right-wing prick, Reed,
can't dig up any dirt on him.
- Yeah, could just be a random act of violence--
an emotionally unstable guy acting on impulse.
- Well, it's possible, but keep digging
into this Jordan Reed angle.
He said there were some rumors swirling,
so let's find out what they were.
- Mm-hmm. - Think I know!
Computer Crimes just did a deep dive
on the victim's electronic devices--
found some deleted emails
filled with veiled death threats.
"You're a gutless pig. You deserve to die."
- Know where they came from?
- No, they were sent from an untraceable app.
Good news is, if you want to call it that,
pretty sure I know why these guys are threatening him.
Found this on his deleted email folder.
This young girl Hoyt's with is definitely not his daughter.
♪
- So much for being a choir boy.
♪
.
- This doesn't make any sense. Where'd you get these photos?
- Off his computer.
- There's no way Derek would ever be involved.
- No, well, these are just photos, ma'am,
we don't have any proof of anything illegal at the moment.
- We're just trying to ID the young girls in the photos
so we can contact their parents.
Sorry, it's just the way it is.
- Do you know these two girls?
- I know her.
She goes to my daughter's school.
[somber music]
- It's a good thing this sick son of a bitch is dead.
- Mm.
So you were unaware of these pictures?
Never seen them before? - Correct.
- Mm-hmm, I'm gonna give you a mulligan on that one, Stewart.
- Excuse me?
- Bad idea to lie to the police.
- That's you, isn't it, bangin' on Hoyt's front door?
- Okay, I was...aware.
A friend called, said there were some photos circulating
on some right-wing chat room.
I flipped out. I ran over to Hoyt's building.
I wanted to talk to him-- no, you know what?
I wanted to beat his ass into the ground.
But he wasn't home.
- So you never got the chance to confront him
about these photos? - No.
I tried, trust me. But he died.
Got hit by a car. - Bus.
A bus someone pushed him in front of.
- You asking me if I-- - We are.
- No, I didn't kill him.
- You know who this girl is?
- Yeah, that's Kimberly Ryan.
She's on the same basketball team
as my daughter and Hoyt's daughter.
- That's definitely my daughter,
but she's never been alone with Hoyt, ever.
I'm not sure how he--
- Maybe at a basketball game, or a sleepover.
- No, our kids aren't really friends.
Can I look at those photos again?
Yeah.
My daughter's clothing and her facial expressions,
they match what's on my wife's social media feed.
Yeah, see?
Same smile, same clothes,
same body angle.
Someone photoshopped these.
♪
- Well, the techs just confirmed
the pictures are fake.
- So Hoyt wasn't a pedophile?
He was a victim of an online smear campaign?
- Ah, sure seems like that.
- Hey, sorry to interrupt,
but I'm scrolling through this online forum
where the photos of Hoyt were circulating,
and it is crazy.
There's lots of chatter about JFK Jr. being alive,
and high-ranking democrats sex-trafficking underage kids.
But one guy stands out as being the craziest of the crazies.
Someone named "Warri0r-p0se"
posted some pretty outrageous statements.
"Hoyt will never touch another young girl."
And he posted one this morning too at 11:12 a.m.
an hour after the murder.
"Hoyt is no longer a problem.
God bless America."
- Run down the IP address right away.
- I already did. Post was sent from a café
in Brooklyn called Coffee and Smile.
- Oh. - Mm.
- Why has it become mandatory for coffee shops
to be called stupid names?
- That's why I drink tea.
Talk to the manager. See if they have video,
and see if you can find out who sent those posts.
- All right. - You got it.
[motor running]
Hey.
Manny Lopez! - Yeah?
- Yeah, we need to talk.
- About what? - Is that you drinking coffee
at a place called Coffee and Smile?
- Is that a crime? - Uh, no, not yet.
But the way things are going, who knows?
Might be considered racist someday soon.
- It's only a matter of time, huh?
- Well, there is a crime
against pushing someone in front of a bus.
That's why we're really here.
Come on.
Let's take a ride down to the precinct.
[door shuts]
- Manny, we, uh-- we analyzed your emails
and your chat history.
You weren't the biggest fan of Derek Hoyt.
- Don't worry, bro. There's more.
We found video of you near the intersection of 29th and 10th
right around the time Hoyt was murdered.
Look at you, plain as day,
one block from the crime scene
about 65 seconds before Hoyt was killed.
[gasps sarcastically]
There you are again, walking east on 29th Street
right behind Hoyt about 35 seconds before he was pushed.
- You want to get ahead of this,
tell us your side of the story?
♪
- Derek Hoyt was a senior member of the liberal,
sex-crazed cabal that is destroying our country.
He planned to kidnap a young kid!
♪
- So you killed him?
- Damn right!
I love this country.
So I did what I had to do.
- Yeah, you sure did. Now you gotta pay the tab, bro.
- What does that mean?
- It means you're under arrest for murder.
- Hold on, big fella! Hold on.
.
- The People ask for remand, Your Honor.
We believe the defendant is a flight risk,
given the potential penalty he's facing.
- Mr. Lopez has no priors,
has substantial ties to New York.
- Bail is set at $2 million.
- That's prohibitive.
Mr. Lopez doesn't have access to that kind of money.
- I'm not so sure about that. - Excuse me?
- My clerk informed me that apparently
some self-proclaimed patriot
started a GoFundMe page for Mr. Lopez.
Already raised $900,000.
Bail is set at $2 million.
[gavel knocks] Next case.
[knocks on door]
- Been reviewing the most recent posts
in Manny's favorite chat room, Rogue Wave.
There's lots of crazy chatter
about Hoyt trafficking young kids,
straight out of the QAnon playbook.
"Credible intel says Hoyt is abducting young children,
"selling them to sex-traffickers
in Washington, DC."
The next day, which is the actual day of the murder,
the same person sent this:
"FBI contact says Hoyt is carrying out
"a kidnapping plot tonight.
Unfortunately, feds don't have enough evidence to arrest."
Right after that, the same person sent this:
"Who out there is brave enough to take action and protect
our great country from the corrupt liberal cabal?"
- So this poster is just inventing inflammatory lies,
hoping to rile up the masses?
- It was even more targeted than that.
He knew his audience.
He was looking to rile up the specific people
who already believe these ridiculous lies.
- We know who this person is?
- No, email address is encrypted,
but he's definitely the ringleader.
He's the one who posted the phony pedophile photos too.
- So if Manny actually believed what this poster was saying,
killing Hoyt to thwart the alleged kidnapping
actually makes some sense.
I mean, even though it's crazy.
- Good chance Manny's going to claim justification--
thought Hoyt was going to kidnap a young girl,
so he kills Hoyt to save the young girl.
- Even though there really wasn't a young girl
in harm's way. - Exactly.
- That's obviously a stretch, but
it'll give Manny's lawyer a chance
to talk about the liberal lunatics,
the alleged sex trafficking ring--
- Make it about politics, not law.
- Which means anything is possible.
Call Cosgrove and Bernard.
Have them talk to HTAU and track down the IP address
of this ringleader.
We need to figure out
why he was so invested in destroying Hoyt,
and if he's connected to this murder.
- On it.
♪
- Sorry, guys. We're recording.
- Kennel of troglodytes. The U.S. government has...
- Reed. - Literally--
- We need to talk.
- What is goin' on? Wha--
♪
Ladies and gentlemen,
two policemen have just entered my studio.
My guess is, the liberal mafia gave 'em a call,
told 'em to come on down here,
and stomp on my First Amendment rights,
and that's how it is these days, right?
You don't like what a true patriot is saying,
you take away their voice. You stomp on their rights
to say what they believe, or better yet,
you send the police after 'em.
- Get off the damn mic, man. We have business to discuss.
- You have a warrant?
- We'd just like to ask you a few questions.
- I'm not saying a damn word. Get the hell out of my studio.
- Watch yourself, Reed.
- Oh, the, uh, Black detective is now threatening me.
- Why did you post those crazy lies about Derek Hoyt?
- Get out! - Hmm?
- Now! - Why did you post--
- Detective, I'm not saying it again.
You heard me, Detective! Get out!
- Kev, it's not worth it.
♪
- [chuckles]
♪
- You think Jordan Reed was an accomplice?
- Oh, he stirred him up, that's for sure.
He posted all kind of outrageous lies
and made Hoyt into a pedophile, but there's more.
Reed began to communicate directly with the defendant.
- We found lots of phone calls between the two of them
on the day prior to and on the day of the murder.
- Any legitimate reason for these two to be communicating?
- Reed is an Ivy League elitist who grew up on 5th Avenue,
Manny's a day laborer from Staten Island.
- You think they were discussing
Hoyt's imminent demise?
Wanna trade up,
hold Reed accountable?
Okay.
Talk to the defendant.
See if he'll cooperate.
- We know you pushed Derek Hoyt in front of that bus.
Good news, for you, is we think Jordan Reed
is really the one responsible.
- We're happy to cooperate
if you can reduce the charge to Man One.
- No promises.
We'll listen to what he has to say.
Come back with a deal in writing.
- Just answer their questions, Manny, and nothing you say
can be used against you.
- You and Reed talked on the phone several times
before and after the murder.
What did you two discuss?
- We talked about a lot of things.
The country,
the left-wing fascists trying to take over the country.
- Did Reed talk to you about killing Derek Hoyt?
- Reed's a good guy.
He's a straight shooter.
- No, he's a liar and a fraud.
He was playing you, Manny.
Hoyt wasn't a pedophile.
He was a law-abiding family man who wanted to run for Congress.
- Sure, that's what the liberal media says.
- No, that's what the facts say.
- Reed is using you and your chat room friends
to become a billionaire.
- For God sakes, Manny.
You worry about you, not Reed.
Now, you tell them what you two talked about.
- He said Hoyt was very dangerous,
a threat to the country,
that the wave was coming, and that he needed people
to neutralize that left-wing threat,
people willing to take bold and decisive action.
- Did he ask you to kill him?
- He kept using the word "neutralize,"
but I knew what he meant.
- Did you expect anything in return for killing Hoyt--
money, a car?
- He said that his company rewards true patriots,
those willing to take action, that kind of thing, you know?
♪
.
- Docket number CR 54378-22,
People versus Jordan Reed, Murder in the First Degree.
- How does the defendant plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.
- People on bail? - Remand.
The defendant is a flight risk.
He has access to private jets,
foreign political leaders--
- This is preposterous, Your Honor.
My client has done nothing wrong.
He's committed no crime.
Not his fault some lunatic
pushed Derek Hoyt in front of a bus.
- Bail is set at $1 million.
Next case. [gavel knocks]
all chanting: Free Jordan Reed!
Free Jordan Reed!
- So much for the home field advantage.
- Reed definitely has a hardcore following.
- That's why we're here in the first place.
all chanting: Free Jordan Reed!
♪
- Derek Hoyt was a kind, decent husband and father.
He was also an aspiring politician
with a bright future.
So in search of salacious headlines,
the defendant created a false narrative
that Derek Hoyt was a pedophile--
that he was part of a depraved sex-trafficking ring
that preyed on underage children.
To help perpetuate this disgraceful fiction,
he disseminated fake photos of Derek Hoyt
and young girls on the internet.
You see,
inventing mythical enemies
is a part of the defendant's business model.
He creates clickbait.
He provides exciting liberal enemies
for his followers to hate.
He then posts about these dangerous fascists
and anti-Americans on his websites,
talks about them on his streaming platforms
and podcasts, but the only thing
he really cares about is money.
Monetizing the outrage and venom.
That's how the defendant built
his billion dollar media empire.
In simplest terms, the defendant made Derek Hoyt
an enemy of the far-right,
then offered Manny Lopez
a misguided, but intelligent patriotic ex-marine
a financial reward to kill that enemy,
and Manny Lopez did.
He pushed him in front of a bus.
♪
Tomorrow, you'll hear from Mr. Lopez himself.
He will describe this murder-for-hire arrangement
in more detail and make it clear
the defendant should be held accountable
for Mr. Hoyt's death.
♪
- [sighs]
Sometimes,
murder trials can be complicated.
Now, sometimes, there's-- there's lots of science,
blood evidence, contradictory testimony.
But sometimes, they're easy.
The answer is sittin' there right in front of you.
It's so simple and clear, it's almost confusing.
This is one of those cases.
Manny Lopez pushed Derek Hoyt in front of a bus.
Jordan Reed didn't.
To hold him guilty for another man's act of violence
is contrary to the intent of the law,
and a dangerous attempt to criminalize
the expression of free speech.
If I say the coach of the New York Jets is terrible--
[chuckling] Right? I mean he's an idiot--
he deserves to die.
And the next day, some lunatic kills him,
pushes him in front of a bus, for example.
Am I responsible for what this deranged football fan did?
No, of course not.
Manny Lopez killed Derek Hoyt.
Jordan Reed did not.
Like I said,
sometimes, cases are easy.
- Okay, we're adjourned.
[gavel knocks]
[cell phones vibrating]
♪
- Notify the judge.
I'll--I'll head down to the hospital.
♪
[indistinct PA announcement]
♪
Excuse me, I'm looking for Manuel Lopez.
I was told he was just rushed to the ER.
- And you are? - Assistant District Attorney
Nolan Price. Manny's supposed to be
testifying in a murder trial tomorrow morning.
- Well, I'm afraid that's not possible.
He's dead.
- He's dead?
- He hanged himself earlier this morning in his cell.
We tried to revive him, but there was nothing we could do.
♪
.
- Your Honor, the People's case was predicated
on Manny Lopez's testimony.
He was, in effect, the only piece of evidence
that could establish that Mr. Reed hired him
to kill the victim.
So without Manny,
it's literally impossible to prove murder-for-hire.
No Manny, no case. Simple as that.
- Mr. Price, that true?
Is Mr. Lopez the only ace up your sleeve?
Do you have anything else that gives you a puncher's chance
to prove your case? - Not at the moment.
- Then I'm going to grant the motion to dismiss.
- I have no objection to dismissing
the murder-for-hire charge.
But we'd still like to proceed
with the lesser-included offense, Murder Two.
- Under what theory?
- Your client showed a depraved indifference
to human life. - Oh, this is ridiculous.
- Reed's lies, his posts, and photos incited Manny Lopez
to commit murder.
He knew, or should have known,
that his repeated fabrications would likely cause
one of his ardent followers to kill Derek Hoyt.
- Is this a joke? You wanna try Reed for murder
based on a series of stupid chat room posts?
- That's exactly what I wanna do.
- Chat room posts,
social media rants, they're protected
under the First Amendment.
Jordan Reed can say whatever the hell he wants.
He could talk about liberal cannibals
and underage sex trafficking rings all day long.
- Your client yelled "fire" in a crowded movie theater,
and Derek Hoyt got trampled to death.
We have every right to move forward on Murder Two.
- I agree with Mr. Price. There's a case here.
I'm not sure if it's winnable, but it's certainly triable.
So let's do it.
♪
- When the photos were enlarged,
significant pixelation and discoloring were evident--
two telltale signs of alteration.
- So they're fake? They were photoshopped?
- Yes, the images from the young girls'
legitimate social accounts were copied and then transposed
onto photos with Derek Hoyt and vice-versa.
- These fake photos were posted to a virtual community
called Rogue Wave, a place where believers
in the so-called QAnon conspiracy theory
gather to share ideas.
Were you able to determine
which IP address they were sent from?
- Yes. IP address 198.51.100.0/24.
- These statements were also posted to Rogue Wave.
Do you know which IP address they came from?
- Yes, same one.
- And were you able to trace that IP address
to a particular office? - Yes.
It was located in a large corner office
in a company called Audix, LLC.
The nameplate on the door said, "Jordan Reed."
- Nothing further.
- You have no proof Mr. Reed
actually created those photos, correct?
- No, but they were sent from his computer.
- You also have no proof Mr. Reed wrote or posted
those statements to Rogue Wave?
- I don't, but they were sent from his computer.
- Nothing further.
- We have the posts and the photos.
It's not perfect, but it'll show that Reed
wanted to incite action--
no, that his objective
was to prompt his most zealous followers
to commit an act of violence against Derek Hoyt.
- It's a good start, but we need more
to bolster our theory of depraved indifference.
We need to show Reed knew there was a strong likelihood
Manny would kill Hoyt based on his outrageous posts
and only those outrageous posts.
- We have what we have. I mean, it'd be great
if I had a beach house in South Hampton,
but I don't, so I make do
with my cousin's cottage on the Jersey Shore
for three days in August.
- We're asking the jury to convict someone for murder,
for spreading lies on the internet.
This could be ground-breaking,
like convicting Trump for the murders
that took place on January 6th.
We need to give the jury more.
- We know Manny attended three recent rallies
where Reed was the featured speaker.
So let's start there.
♪
- Is that you standing beside Jordan Reed?
- Yeah, that's me.
- What'd you two talk about?
- Nothing too specific.
- Did he ever mention a guy named Derek Hoyt?
- No, Who's he?
- He got murdered a while ago.
The guy you're standing next to, Manny Lopez, pushed him
in front of a bus. - Damn.
That's crazy. - Did Manny say anything
to Reed that might suggest he'd do something violent?
- No, he barely talked.
- Did you guys talk about anything
other than how screwed up the country is?
- Yeah, lots of stuff.
- Like what?
- Uh, the Knicks.
Me and Reed were pissed about Kemba Walker being benched.
- They didn't talk about Derek Hoyt
or committing acts of violence?
It was just a pleasant chat
about life in America, circa 2022?
- According to Pond, they talked about
everything but Hoyt or committing acts of violence.
- This is bad.
- It's exculpatory too.
- I'm not so sure.
- It contradicts our entire thesis that Reed was baiting
his followers to attack Hoyt.
- This is just one conversation,
one simple sound bite-- - A simple sound bite
that favors the defendant.
- [sighs] You're right.
♪
We need to notify defense. Let them know what we found,
and then we need to get back to work,
and figure out how to win this damn case.
♪
.
- Did you attend a political rally
at a restaurant called The Grey Lion on March 10th?
- Yes. - At this event,
did you happen to have a conversation with Jordan Reed
and Manny Lopez? - I did.
- What did you three discuss?
- We talked about how screwed up our country is.
- Can you be more specific?
- We talked about how much the liberals hate us,
how stupid they think we are.
If I dare to express a view contrary to theirs,
I'm an idiot, a racist, homophobic...
I mean, this is America.
We should be able to express our views
without being attacked.
- Did you discuss anything else?
- Yes.
The New York Knicks.
- Ha. [chuckles]
Did Jordan Reed ask you or Manny Lopez
to commit an act of violence,
to help protect the country against the liberal cabal?
- No, sir.
- Nothing further.
- You weren't standing next to Manny Lopez
the whole night, correct?
- Correct. - You weren't standing
next to Jordan Reed the whole night either?
- Correct. - So it's possible
Manny Lopez and Jordan Reed may have discussed something else
including committing acts of violence, correct?
- It's possible, but-- - This wasn't the only
political event Mr. Reed ever sponsored, correct?
- No. He puts on lots of rallies.
Once a week, actually.
[dramatic music]
- How'd you find out about these rallies?
- Word of mouth, mostly.
People usually text each other.
♪
- Thank you. Nothing further.
♪
Get a subpoena for Pond's phone.
We need to review his texts then do a deep dive
into every rally Reed's attended
for the past few months.
Then have detectives scrub the surveillance footage.
We need a clip, a quote, a sound bite,
something that reveals who Jordan Reed really is.
- Happy to do it, but why?
- Excuse me?
- We rested our case two days ago.
Even if we find something interesting,
we can't introduce it.
- But we can use it on cross.
- Once again, happy to do it,
but there is no indication
that Reed is actually going to testify.
- You really think the biggest media whore in America
is gonna pass up the opportunity to wrap himself
in the First Amendment,
and provide free content
for his media company?
Not a chance.
Get the subpoena, and start scrubbing.
♪
- Have you spent any time in a chat room called Rogue Wave?
- I'm aware of it,
but I've actually never participated
in any online discussions.
Like I said, we have over 500 employees at the company,
and most of them are very patriotic too.
So it's possible one of them might have used my computer.
- Mm-hmm.
Nothing further.
- You ready?
Highly unusual for an employee
to use the CEO's office without his knowledge
or permission, correct?
- Not at my company.
We have an open and inclusive culture.
Doors are never closed.
In fact, most offices
don't even have doors.
- Your office has a door. - Yes.
But I never close it or lock it.
- Your computer has a password, correct?
- It does, yes, but it's written
on one of those yellow sticky things
stuck to the computer.
It's... it's low-tech, I know,
but I'm always forgetting my damn passwords.
You know, too many devices and subscriptions...
- You said it earlier a lot of your employees are patriotic.
You consider yourself a patriot too?
- Yes, of course.
- I imagine you also consider yourself
a proud proponent of the First Amendment.
- I do.
Freedom of speech is
the cornerstone of our democracy.
It's the defining feature of our country.
People have the right to express
their religious and political beliefs
even if they're unpopular,
even if the people in power find them abhorrent,
and that open exchange right there,
that is what makes America the greatest country on Earth.
- So your goal was to foster
the open exchange of opinions and ideas?
- Yes, I just wanna give patriotic Americans a forum
to express their thoughts.
You know, contrary to popular opinion, Mr. Price,
most conservatives don't enjoy the didactic rhetoric
of the far-left.
- So despite the outrageous and inflammatory posts
sent from your office computer,
your goal was simply
to cultivate a peaceful exchange of ideas?
- Yes. - You didn't want
your followers to commit acts of violence?
- No, no, no.
No, that would be the last thing I'd ever want.
- I'd like to show you a video clip of you talking
to one of your employees at a recent rally--
- Objection. We haven't had a chance
to review this material.
- There was no reason to share it until now.
We couldn't anticipate the defendant would testify,
and open the door with his statements about cultivating
the peaceful exchange of ideas.
- And this video clip will rebut those statements?
- It will directly contradict what the defendant just said
regarding his goals and objectives.
- I'll allow it.
- Look at these idiots,
drinkin', gettin' all riled up.
If we could just find a way to activate these morons
to actually attack
or even kill
some trans-bathroom-loving liberal,
we--
we'd be the number one media company in the world.
[dramatic music]
[chuckles]
♪
- A waiter took that video at a recent rally.
It shows you saying you'd like to see one of "these morons"
attack or kill someone.
- I was kidding. Come on, that--I was joking.
- That's a hell of a thing to joke about.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
- Defense?
- Nothing at this time.
♪
- Has the jury reached a verdict?
- We have, Your Honor.
On the count of Murder in the Second Degree,
we find the defendant...
guilty. - [laughs]
You've got to be--
get off of me.
This isn't over. This isn't over!
The true patriots will have the last say.
They will not stand for this act of tyranny!
♪
- Hell of a verdict, Nolan.
Will make people think twice before tweeting venom.
- I'm not so sure.
Someone called "garrett-from-the-country"
just tweeted me a particularly venomous death threat.
♪
.
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]