by two separate yet equally important groups:
The police, who investigate crime
and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
( salsa music playing )
MAN: I'm gonna take all these teddy bears, man.
You're gonna need a lot more.
Let's see.
( groans )
Uno mas, man, uno mas.
Come on, man.
How many teddy bears you need, huh?
Come on, payaso.
Hey, let me tell you something. You play your little games.
I want my paper. You give me my money, hear?
Yo, Hector, chill out, man.
Don't worry. You're gonna get paid.
Don't worry about it. I don't want to chill.
I want my money.
( gun fires )
Ahh!
Payaso, this is fixed, man.
I was your age, I thought about two things all the time.
Women and...?
Money.
Now what do you think about?
Money...
and women.
¶ ¶
BINNS: I don't quit now, I'm working for half pay.
LOPEZ: How do you figure?
I got 20 years in. I retire, I get half my paycheck.
I work-- all I'm working for is the other half.
Retire to Hawaii.
With my pension, I live like a king.
You'll still be a fat cop.
( gunshots ) Whoa!
( indistinctshouting )
( gunshots continue )
( bystanders shouting in Spanish )
BINNS: Come on, people, move! Move!
BYSTANDER: What's going on, man? I don't know.
( indistinct murmuring )
Okay! Who saw the shooting?
You?
Nada.
Yo, no he visto nada.
Anybody seen who shot this guy?
MAN: Yo no lo vi.
( scoffs )
Captioning sponsored by NBC/UNIVERSAL
( siren wailing in distance ) ( camera shutter snapping )
( garbled dispatch transmission )
You happened to be in front, but didn't see a thing?
It was bang, bang, bang.
By the time I got there
it was just him on the ground.
It's very dark.
It's very dark out here.
( exasperated sigh )
Excuse me.
Let's go play.
We're batting a thousand.
All our witnesses are deaf, dumb and blind.
What did I tell you?
The guy didn't really get shot.
Upstairs? They take a look?
Here? A .38 going off is background music for dinner.
An imaginary killing, but a real body.
No I.D. except this.
Hell, he's a dealer. No wonder no one's talking.
Damn it. Where did that come from?
Was it in his hand
or in the waistband? STUART: I didn't see.
Terrific.
Not fired.
What do you call that?
A lesson.
Pay for your drugs, or we'll kill you.
Ah, this is personal.
And this is trouble in court.
The waist, the hand-- what's the difference?
He's shot in the back and in the crotch.
Chicken or egg-- which came first?
That's important?
Just wait.
Your victim? Lovely guy.
Urbano, Jose.
Robbery, rape at 15, year in Spofford.
Assaults, two narcotics felonies,
three stops at Attica.
What? No homicides?
GREEVEY: Get this-- no witnesses.
40-odd interviews. Nada.
Nothing?
They don't want an arrest.
The carny operator, he says a guy gave Urbano money.
About six feet tall with a moustache.
He ought to come walking in any minute.
You sure this isn't about drugs?
Doesn't play that way. Not four in the crotch.
That's sexual.
Okay, I give up. Why?
( sighs )
Urbano had six months more parole.
Find out who his business was.
You know, like an investigation.
MAN: The slugs are from a Glock.
LOGAN: Awfully expensive automatic for the barrio.
This one...
real crisp rifling on all the slugs.
Must be almost brand new.
Run a check, anyhow, huh?
find a match. See if you can
MAN: May he rest in peace,
but on the scale of living things
our friend Jose is just a couple of steps up
from the snail.
What's wrong with me?
All I see is the dark side of people.
Was Urbano still dealing?
The charming Jose.
New story every week.
This job, that job.
Somehow, they never worked out.
He swore he was going straight.
You believe him?
Oh, absolutely.
All my cons have been rehabilitated by the system.
You got an address?
Had a sister with a kid.
Lived with her sometimes.
Gave her money.
He wasn't all bad.
First time Jose went to Attica, I visited him.
Have you ever been there?
Doesn't look as bad as on TV.
$100 a week he gave me.
For her.
Night he died, he won her a teddy bear.
Where did he get the money?
You were with Jose Saturday night
when he won the teddy bear?
Anita...
he was so good to you, you don't care who whacked him?
Look, Jose was with Hector Cartagena.
Hector and Jose had been together in Attica.
They argued.
I came home.
Argued? About what?
A deal.
Hector said Jose shorted him.
And Hector said Jose was no good to his friends.
He was mad. He wanted to kill him.
Business.
Cartagena's got narcotics, arson, larceny
armed robbery, aggravated assault.
Hey, listen, thanks a lot, okay?
Paroled from Attica two months ago.
Lives on 108th Street. Let's go get a warrant.
I don't want to see this guy without back-up.
Backup? I don't want to see him without nuclear weapons.
( babycrying )
This isn't going to give easy.
HECTOR: Yeah. Who is it?
Con Ed-- gas leak.
Police!
Get over there! Get your hands up.
HECTOR: I'm cool. All right.
You're under arrest for the murder of Jose Urbano.
I don't kill nobody.
You have the right to remain silent and refuse
to answer any questions. Do you understand that?
Anita says you wanted to kill Jose.
You believe that...?
Look, use your head.
Why would I do it, huh?
I kill him, I don't get the paper he owe me.
All right? Mucho dinero, okay?
You visit anyone besides Jose last night?
That's right, Hector. Come up with an alibi.
That's what you're supposed to do now.
I went home.
Solo.
You understand?
Yeah. Did you lose the Glock on the way?
Look, no my style, okay?
Never like automatic weapons.
Can openers.
Jamming on you all the time, you know?
You better hope we don't find that can opener on the street.
Oh, yeah?
And what you going to do?
You and your compadre, huh, yougoing to prove it's mine?
Come on. You're wasting my time.
Can I go now, all right?
You can go home, sure.
Right back to Attica.
Attica, my ass, man.
Your ass is grass, hombre.
You're on parole.
You can't hang with felons.
Even dead ones.
Yeah, right.
Get this--
good old Hector swears we didn't Mirandize him.
Not so dumb, this Hector, huh?
Smart enough to know we couldn't tie him to the gun, but stupid enough
to say he was gonna waste Jose in front of Jose's sister?
He crawled out of the same sewer as the late Jose.
No way the neighborhood's going to protect him.
He didn't do it.
No.
You got the file?
The carny operator--
what's his name, Harmon? The one that described Hector...
Let's walk him down memory lane again.
What do you want from me, huh? I'm watching the till.
The drug dealer's done shooting, I'm on to the next.
Oh! How do you know he's a drug dealer?
2,000 bucks in clothes on his back,
a couple gold rings.
You really care who killed this guy?
I mean, come on, he's scum.
Wait a minute. You think he's scum, I think he's scum
but he had a sister who needed him
and a six-year-old niece who thinks he's Mister Rogers.
This probably has nothing to do with it,
but the kid from the church, the girl...
Which girl is this?
The one I paid my fee to. Pretty kid-- Alicia.
She comes by, checks, makes sure everything's okay
then she's talking to the drug dealer.
What's his name-- Jose?
About what?
You think I listened?
She was hanging on the guy
like she was trying to pick him up.
GREEVEY: says you talked to Urbanor
at the fair.
At a fair, I talk to a lot of people.
Way we heard it is you dragged him off into the crowd
and he never came back. You know, just like a Roach Motel--
he checked in, but he didn't check out.
And it's a good thing.
Cockroaches should be dead.
Innocent people get hurt, you don't come up here so quick.
Innocent people?
What was Urbano guilty of?
Look, enough.
I've heard of Urbano.
Drug dealer.
They kill each other, fine.
We're better off.
Strange thing for a priest to say.
Strange times to be a priest.
Send in a couple of Puerto Rican cops.
Maybe they can open this up.
You been reading a different duty roster, Max?
I got Puerto Rican detectives I haven't noticed?
The priest-- he knows where Alicia was.
Rivers, Alicia.
One misdemeanor-- smoking weed.
You know, when I was a kid
I put a baseball through a windshield.
I was shakingbefore they started asking me questions.
This chick, she did Urbano? I'd like to know what she takes for her nerves.
A kid with no record.
She didn't get a ..9mm and shoot a drug dealer, that's for sure.
( phone rings )
Cragen.
Uh-huh.
Thank you.
Hurley in Ballistics.
Your Glock?
Not used in any other shooting.
Hey, I went back a year.
You want to go back two, three, all right?
I'd love the overtime, but who's going to pay?
Listen, go back two years and while you're at it,
see if you can access the license division files
on your computer.
Why?
Because let's see if anybody connected to this thing
has a gun license, okay?
Right, then we'll check lottery winners.
Well, I'm just a cockeyed optimist.
( chuckles )
Max? Hmm?
Torres, the priest-- what's his first name?
A priest?
Uh-huh.
Roberto.
Nope.
Put up Rivers.
See if you got one within 20 blocks of East 113th Street.
Rivers, Anna.
55 years old.
642 East 117th Street.
Registered owner of a .9mm Glock semi-automatic.
Yes!
( salsa music playing )
My gun?
They stole it.
Is that right? When?
Couple of weeks ago. They broke in.
Law says, if a gun is stolen, you have to report it.
Did you?
Why bother?
Would you have investigated
or written a piece of paper on it?
Look, the gun was licensed, and it was stolen.
You want me to prove it wasn't?
She goes to all the trouble of getting a license
but when her gun's stolen, she doesn't replace it.
I don't understand it.
Next time she goes to the bank deposit
what's she going to do?
Look, somebody killed a man with a .9mm Glock
just like yours.
We find out it was the same gun
we're gonna wonder why you didn't report a burglary.
Your granddaughter, Alicia--
was she here the night of the burglary?
The night your gun got stolen?
No, she wasn't.
( knocking at door )
( footsteps )
Hey, hey, folks.
Folks, you know the Rivers family?
Nope.
Seen Alicia tonight?
Now you come?
Three days later
you want to know where she is?
She's at Central Harlem Hospital.
What? Alicia's hurt?
No, not Alicia, her sister.
What are you guys doing here?
Hey, we're looking for Alicia.
Lucy got beat up, not Alicia.
Six gunshots, four stabbings,
baby who almost starved to death-- slow night.
You got a patient named Rivers?
Lucy Rivers?
What the hell's the matter with you cops?
Just 'cause she couldn't talk the first night
you never come back?
Somebody turned that girl into mashed potatoes.
Was she raped?
She said she was mugged.
Family honor.
You didn't administer a rape kit?
I told you, she said she wasn't raped.
I told the grandmother, the boyfriend.
I told the damn priest.
The girl's gonna need help to get over this.
They say patch her up and get her home.
The priest who was with her-- his name Torres?
Is this nursery school? I took roll call?
612. The boyfriend's there.
You fight with him.
Lucy can't remember anything.
That's why we told the cops not to come back.
We're sorry about your girlfriend,
but we have to talk to her sister, Alicia.
Alicia? Why?
She around, Nicky? Yeah, she's, um...
She's downstairs.
She's coming back.
You go to the church fair on Saturday night?
No, no.
I was here all night with Lucy.
You're a little late to help my sister.
You didn't mention that she was hurt.
You were worried about a drug dealer.
the nurses if you So, Nicky, we ask
were around Saturday night, they're gonna say yes, right?
He came to the fair for an hour.
No, I was going to go. I stayed here.
You never heard of Jose Urbano, right?
Somebody shot him-- that's all I've heard.
All I've heard is that you have been
in two places at the same time Saturday night.
Come on, Nicky. Let's sit with Lucy.
your beeper. Dr. Wise, please check WOMAN ( over P.A. ):
Dr. Wise, please check your beeper.
You know what we have here?
Exactly what we had two weeks ago-- squat.
It's like the Bible.
Oh? The Gospels.
Four guys that are all telling the same story,
except each one of them's different.
Nicky was at the church; no, he was at the hospital.
The gun was stolen; no, it wasn't.
The sister was raped; no, she was just beat up.
Alicia lured Urbano away; Alicia didn't kill Urbano.
The only thing that makes sense is that Urbano raped Lucy
and Guzman shot him-- pure revenge.
Guzman, Nicky.
Couple of juveniles, shoplifting.
No guns, no felonies.
GREEVEY: Even if the kid did it, we got a hole here the size of Tulsa.
Like why did Urbano rape Nicky's girlfriend?
What, a guy like Urbano needs a motive for rape?
What about the vic? You talk to her yet?
Hard to get her alone.
Go after visiting hours.
Can you tell us what happened?
A man...
he took my purse.
I didn't see him.
Where did this happen, Lucy?
109th Street and Lexington.
That's a bright corner.
You didn't get a look at his face?
No.
Lucy, do you know
who Jose Urbano was?
He's from around the neighborhood, I guess.
Was it Jose Urbano who attacked you?
( whispers ): No.
When Mr. Urbano takes a purse
he does a lot of damage.
You find anybody who heard what was going on?
Mm-hmm. Julie Reyes.
She was born here, but she knows the language.
Julia, honey, in case you don't
recognize these suits, these men are cops.
Sergeant Greevey, Detective Logan.
You were on duty when Lucy Rivers was brought in?
That night, the next day.
What was all the yelling about?
I didn't hear all of it.
The sister and the boyfriend-- they were so upset.
The boyfriend kept yelling, "How could he do it?"
What about the priest, Torres?
You know him?
Yeah, well, we, uh...
we pray at his church sometimes.
Down at the soda machine
he took the boyfriend aside.
He was yelling at him,
saying God would not forgive them.
TORRES: This isn't Nazi Germany.
You can't act like storm troopers
terrorizing my parishioners, accusing them of crimes!
You're not playing it straight with us, Father.
A nurse overheard your conversation with Nicky.
Knowing the streets the way you do,
Father, you probably know the law, right?
Cover up a crime?
That's a crime, too.
Oh, you care so much about crime? They left a body
in my church last year, dead on the altar!
They do that in your church?
In my church two kids don't plan a murder
in front of their priest.
The law considers that accessory and conspiracy.
You have something to tell us?
They say confession's good
for the soul.
Look, why don't you just forget about this?
How many murders do you have never get solved?
Why don't you just let this be one of them?
I'm waiting for offers.
Two weeks, all expenses paid in downtown Altoona.
What do you got? The Glock? Mrs. Rivers?
18 months ago, in a fight in her club
she winged a guy.
And it matches the slugs in Urbano.
Ha!
A lot of maybes.
You got motive, the gun, the priest
the girl leading Urbano out of the church.
What did Torres say?
Loosely translated? Go to hell.
Tough to sell.
CRAGEN: You don't arrest somebody now then kiss it good-bye.
The memory lapses these guys are getting,
two weeks-- nobody's gonna remember Urbano's name.
And the Guzman kid?
He's got my vote, but enough for an arrest? No.
The girl's an adult.
Get her a legal aid lawyer.
Scare the hell out of her. She'll roll.
Pick her up.
( knocking )
Are you here to apologize this time?
Alicia Rivers, you're under arrest
for the murder of Jose Urbano. What?!
You have the right to remain silent and refuse
to answer questions... This is ridiculous. This is wrong!
Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law.
Do you understand? You're entitled to an attorney...
The charges are murder in the second degree
and conspiracy in the first degree.
Are the defendants ready to enter a plea?
Not guilty.
Your Honor, the district attorney has outdone himself.
We respectfully submit
that the charges are so inflated...
I get the message, Ms. Greene.
Do you want to address the bail issues?
They're simple.
No record, no resources, no risk of flight.
Ms. Green. Thank you. We don't get much alliteration,
Mr. Robinette?
Your Honor, the murder charged here is particularly vicious.
In addition, the defendant has relatives
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
And the risk of flight is not negligible.
The people request substantial bail.
Your Honor, you know what bail means.
It means Alicia Rivers stays in jail because she is poor.
If you don't see...
Please, Ms. Green,
Society dinner speech. I have heard your Legal Aid
I'm sympathetic.
in a homicide? I'm sorry. But one's own recognizance
Bail is set for the defendant at $100,000.
A three-legged table would stand up better in court than your case.
Not to mention the fact that if she lived on Park Avenue
you wouldn't have filed.
Wait a minute. What do minorities complain about?
They kill whites, they get prosecuted.
They kill each other, the system doesn't care.
I never realized
that passions about minorities
ran so high in this office.
Next time you care so much
pick a case you can win.
We always care when we have a criminal conspiracy.
Who said that when the links rattle
they're probably in a chain?
Ah! The light dawns.
You're after the boy.
You're looking for a deal.
You put a young girl
through the indignity of jail for no other reason
but to force her to talk?
If she's protecting somebody, it is not in her interest to refuse.
How could I refuse when you didn't offer?
But don't bother.
The way I read the penal law
conspiracy means
people have to agree to commit a crime.
You can't prove
that Nicky and Alicia agreed on the time of day.
This case is about revenge. and the last time I looked,
that is not a valid criminal defense.
We have evidence that will prove
that your client conspired to commit murder.
Really?
You have so much evidence, you're accusing her
of conspiring with someone who isn't even charged.
Want some advice on this one gentlemen?
Cut your losses.
You're going to end up feasting on crow.
Ms. Green has a point.
No, Alicia walked him out.
The grandmother's gun killed Urbano.
If I had to win on conspiracy, I would
but I want the Guzman kid for murder.
You moved on the girl too soon.
Would you like to ramrod this case?
Your ability to forget people's skin color
is admirable.
Unfortunately, if we lose, white people think
that Puerto Ricans get away with murder
and if you don't get the Guzman boy
it looks like selective prosecution.
And if we drop it
we have a clear-cut case of revenge
and there's daily obstruction.
The girl raped, her sister on trial.
Shambala Green with a jury.
She'll milk them till they moo.
You see a winner?
The girl's tied to the victim and the gun.
If Judge Markham doesn't dismiss.
The whole thing is circumstantial.
The girl works for a priest, no less.
To a jury, she's practically got a halo.
Do you have any helpful suggestions?
Get the priest to talk.
And try the grandmother, too.
Thank you.
Cops-- a lot of good they do us
in this neighborhood.
Is that why you didn't call them
when your gun was stolen?
Your gun, your granddaughter, and no report of a break-in.
Ms. Rivers,
do you know what women's prisons are like?
It's not going to happen.
Everybody says so.
Everybody?
You mean Father Torres?
I talked to Shambala, the lawyer.
Ms. Green
is a legal aid lawyer.
Legal aid loses two-thirds of its cases.
The district attorney wins two-thirds.
Do you want to gamble with Ms. Green?
Your granddaughter, Lucy, is in the hospital.
Alicia is in jail.
Witnesses will place Alicia with the victim.
Ballistics experts will testify your gun was used.
A nurse will testify she heard
Father Torres warning Alicia and Nicky.
15 or 20 years from now, when Alicia gets out of jail
I hope Father Torres and Ms. Green
are waiting for her.
Look, you're trying to push me around.
No. I'm trying to help you, and your granddaughter.
And she doesn't go to prison?
I can't promise that.
But if there is any time, it will be minimal.
Time for the truth
to come out.
You got a car?
GREEN: Anna, you have to listen to me.
I told you about this.
They will try any trick in the book.
This is my trick.
GUARD: Green for Alicia Rivers.
Alicia, how are you?
I'm all right.
Your grandmother wants me to tell them.
Shut up, you!
What is this?
Grandma, no! ( indistinct shouting )
NICKY: Alicia, you want me to tell?
Are you going to let her die in jail?
Urbano raped Lucy.
Nicky killed him.
BAILIFF: in the second degree.
Your Honor, may we approach?
Now what's the problem?
We haven't even gotten to bail yet.
Ms. Green represents the defendant
to be tried jointly with Mr. Guzman.
Clear conflict of interest.
Hmm, now I get why this was assigned to me.
It's the same case as the girl. Yes, it is, Your Honor,
but I don't see any conflict...
Please.
Ms. Green, of course there's conflict.
If he wants to roll the girl against Mr. Guzman here
you can't defend both of them.
My clerk read the grand jury minutes.
I was going to do the girl's trial
but I was considering dismissal sua sponte.
We feel there's a case.
It's a judgment call, Mr. Robinette.
If you want to go back to the grand jury
and get better evidence, I'll let you re-present.
In the interest of justice, I'm dismissing on the girl.
I'll let her represent the boy.
Now, let's see if we can get some bail here.
About bail, Your Honor...
Please,
Ms. Green, spare me your usual sanctimonies.
I'm not in the mood. Okay?
to enter a plea? Uh, now, does the defendant wish
Not guilty, Your Honor.
Bail $200,000.
Short date.
I'm going for temporary insanity.
Yours or your client's?
Murder two.
He was not going to kill the guy.
He just wanted to talk.
Seven shots from a semiautomatic?
What language is that?
I'll interpret for the jury. He was enraged.
He didn't know what the hell he was doing.
The sister was in the hospital on Wednesday.
The shooting happened on Saturday.
He was insane for three whole days?
In a moment of normal, excusable, and acceptable rage
after his fiance was raped.
This is a nice-looking kid, very appealing.
I believe the jury will identify with him
and the press will crucify you.
Let's discuss reckless endangerment.
Oh, please.
He endangered a man's life with seven shots?
My dictionary calls that more than endangering.
Manslaughter one.
He does three years.
Manslaughter two-- he does a year on the farm. He sees a shrink.
No deal. You're really gonna push this, aren't you?
All the way.
This is a good kid!
A role model for minority youth.
You got a problem, put seven shots into him.
A drug dealer and a rapist?
What are you telling me?
The proper compensation for a human life is one year?
What's next?
A retarded petty thief-- you do a year and a half.
Unarmed burglar-- two years.
A white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant-- 25 to life.
The commandment says "thou shalt not kill."
It does not say
"thou shalt not kill nice people."
The boy's girlfriend raped, beaten to a pulp.
You won't find 12 people who will convict him
of criminal possession of a weapon.
Fine, you take the plea and the press conference, too.
You got a suit of armor and a white charger waiting outside?
The boy is not a cold-blooded killer.
That's fine, but where does it stop?
Do we write a revenge exception in the penal law?
Now listen, why don't you...? First Green, now you.
I must be way behind the curve of judicial thinking.
I'm not saying let him go.
Plead him.
Have him do a couple of years.
And let's get it off our plate.
We take a plea.
It's an order.
Forget it. What?
I was just coming to tell you.
We're getting visitors from another planet.
Green resigned. There's a new counsel.
Resigned? In favor of who?
A showboat from Dallas-- Chet Burton.
Flew in this morning. He's taking it, no fee.
And, yes, I checked--
he's admitted to the New York Bar.
You're a fine lawyer, Mr. Stone.
I've heard a whole lot about you.
Thanks, sir. I've read a great deal about you.
I'm afraid you severely misunderstand this case.
How so?
According to his culture
Nicky Guzman did the right thing.
See, most first-generation immigrant neighborhoods
somebody rapes your woman, you go get a gun.
Up here in New York, you go get a warrant for arrest.
I'd like to remind you that we have a witness
who heard the boy plan the murder.
My motion, Mr. Stone.
Start with People v. Gates, New York Court of Appeals
on priest-penitent privilege.
I don't think Father Torres
will ever spend any time on the witness stand.
You know
my whole life as a lawyer--
27 years in court--
you know how many criminal cases I've lost?
Zero. Zip. Not a one.
Oh, really?
Well, this is not Texas, sir.
If I were you, I wouldn't be too sure of that.
BURTON: Howdy, Mr. Stone.
A new day, a new voice-- what will tomorrow bring?
Oh, I get up some mornings I just naturally hear
my pappy's twang in my head.
What are you dressed for, a rodeo?
Yup.
Legal bull riding.
Excuse me, one question.
Shoot. How did you find out about this case?
It was only on page seven in the New York papers.
I hadn't heard a word about it
until Nicky's lawyer called me-- a Ms. Green.
Oh, I see.
Said you needed to be taught a lesson.
What's in it for you?
Well, I have saved many rich folks
from unjust incarceration.
As much as I'm able
I plan to give the poor the same consideration.
STONE: Mrs. Rivers, you told police
that your gun was stolen in a burglary.
Is that true?
No.
When did you first notice the gun was missing?
On Saturday night.
The night Mr. Urbano was killed.
Yes.
Was Nicky Guzman at your club that night?
Yes.
Had you ever shown him where you kept your gun?
He knew it was in the cash drawer
under the register.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Nicky said he wanted to fight Urbano,
to teach him a lesson.
Did he show you the gun he was carrying?
Yes.
But he said he only wanted a fist fight.
Objection.
Asked and answered.
Sustained.
Your witness.
Miss Rivers, on the morning after Mr. Urbano was shot
did you go to church with Nicky Guzman?
Yes.
And did Mr. Guzman take confession that morning?
Yes.
Now about this cocaine dealer who was shot...
Objection.
Characterization.
Sustained.
Miss Rivers,
did you have a personal relationship
with Jose Urbano?
Objection. Relevance.
Overruled.
I'll let it go, Mr. Burton, but watch your step.
The witness will answer.
Jose tried to sell me crack.
Objection.
The victim is not on trial here.
Sustained.
The jury will disregard the answer.
Mr. Burton, you will confine yourself to events.
Miss Rivers, were you aware
that Jose Urbano was known to carry a gun at all times?
STONE: Your Honor?
You are straining my good will, Mr. Burton.
Since I cannot ask any questions about the sainted Señor Urbano
I have no further questions of this witness.
Manslaughter two.
In this state, Mr. Stone, what can you get for that?
Mr. Guzman does two years.
He doesn't do two seconds.
Criminally negligent homicide.
And you put him in a program where he gets his head candled.
It was an accident. The gun went off by itself seven times?
You know what a "bubba" is?
Up here, you call them "rednecks."
Where I come from
all the men got shotguns in their pickups
and a can of beer in their hand.
My shotgun stays in the house, and I drink California cabernet
but in my heart, I'm still a bubba.
That's why there's no plea unless the boy does no time.
The "boy" put seven holes in somebody.
Somebody.
Drug-dealing rapist scum.
Most towns in Texas, the kid would get a medal.
You may not like my style, Mr. Stone, but this I believe--
you don't put people in prison for defending their loved ones.
Defending or avenging?
I'll let the jury split that hair.
You're due in chambers at 2:00.
Markham wants to talk about the priest.
BURTON: You can't allow it!
If he testifies,
you destroy the sanctity
of the priest/penitent relationship.
If he's not acting as his spiritual advisor,
if it's not confession there's no privilege.
For God's sake, he was at the hospital as a priest.
Did he wear a collar? Yes.
Did he minister to his flock? Yes.
Unfortunately, Alicia Rivers called the priest,
not your client.
Personally, I have a very hard time believing
that he fell to his knees in the I.C.U.
and mistook it for a confessional.
I have made a decision.
Torres will testify.
And while I'm about it
it will do you good to remember this is New York, not Texas.
Permission to treat this witness as hostile, Your Honor.
Granted.
Did Lucy Rivers tell you that she had been raped?
Counselor?
I have no problem with the question, Your Honor.
Yes, she told me she had been raped.
Did she tell you she had been raped
by Jose Urbano?
Yes.
And did the defendant tell you
that he was planning on killing Jose Urbano
because he had raped Lucy Rivers?
He said he was going to get a gun.
When you left the hospital with Nicky that night,
what did he do on the way out?
He put his fist through a plate glass window--
a phone booth.
But he was very angry.
Thank you. No further questions, Your Honor.
Father Torres,
please tell the court about your relationship
with Nicky Guzman and Lucy Rivers.
They're engaged to be married,
and they're in my counseling class for new couples.
Now, in your experience with members of your parish
how serious is the crime of rape?
There's a sense of...
terrible shame.
It's like, you're a lawyer and your son is a thief.
The woman is shamed, the husband is shamed,
the whole family.
In a way, they've taken more than her own life.
Let's get back to the window.
You ever put your fist through a plate glass window?
Objection, Your Honor. Relevance.
We're talking about plate glass windows.
I'd like to know a little more on the subject.
I'll allow it.
You may answer the question.
When I was in the Marines, before I became a priest,
I got drunk on leave
and I busted a couple of windows, yes.
Ever kill anybody?
Your Honor? Mr. Burton...
No, I haven't.
You think most people that break plate glass windows
end up killing someone, Father?
Objection.
Sustained. Mr. Burton,
you will not ask for conclusions in this court room.
The jury will disregard that last remark.
And you will play by the rules here, or you'll be in trouble.
The gun was on the ground, not near his hand?
That's correct.
It was directly under his waist.
It probably fell...
Objection.
The detective is supposin' and concludin'.
Sustained.
Had the gun
been fired?
No.
Was there any evidence
that the victim attempted to fire the gun?
None.
Your witness.
This gun, Detective--
were Mr. Urbano's fingerprints on it?
It was his gun, so...
Any other prints on it?
No.
So this gun was not in his pants.
It was out. Is that correct?
Yes.
So Mr. Urbano could have drawn his weapon and been shot
by somebody defending himself, isn't that possible?
Objection.
That's ridiculous.
Sustained.
But isn't it possible?
Mr. Burton!
Excuse me, Your Honor.
No more questions.
ROBINETTE: Seed of doubt.
Sounds like self-defense.
Mr. Stone, the Spanish loverboy shooting,
detective named Greevey called.
He wants to see you at Rikers.
GREEVEY: Nuñez, Ramon, 21.
Picked up in a sweep.
College student and a crack addict.
D.A. to see Nuñez.
Had crack on him when they picked him up.
Asked to see a homicide detective.
DEFENDER: No information without a deal.
I have to get out of this. I have a conviction.
I'll lose my scholarship.
If he has something we can use, criminal possession five.
Six. I want a misdemeanor.
Depends on what he has to say.
Nicky Guzman sold me crack.
Nicky's a dealer?
I haven't seen him for four, five months
but I bought from him
all the time last spring.
Urbano's his supplier.
He came with him to school one day.
We have a deal, Stone?
Yeah.
Urbano and Nicky being drug dealers
explains everything.
Bull!
Nicky hadn't seen Urbano in four months.
He stopped having anything to do with drugs
when he got engaged. Now, Your Honor,
even arguing that this was intentional murder--
and I'm not saying it was--
it's about revenge.
Call that boy a drug dealer
they'll convict him on that alone.
Doesn't prove anything, Ben.
Even I find it prejudicial.
I don't see why.
It's relevant as to motive.
People v. Malino. Urbano raped Lucy Rivers
because her boyfriend quit working for him.
This is ridiculous.
It's like pimps with their prostitutes.
It's not a job they allow
the street dealers to walk away from.
Drug dealing is the underlying cause of this murder.
That's your opinion, Ben.
The defendant has no record
of drug offense.
Plus, your witness is suspect.
You made a deal for his testimony.
Let the jury decide.
Allow the testimony, then instruct them to disregard?
Now you know as well as I do...
Put some ice on it, Mr. Burton.
I don't like you.
I don't like your theatrics in my courtroom.
I may be old-fashioned,
but I find them
undignified and maybe unethical.
Remember the Watson murder?
Killed his wife?
I let some D.A. sweet-talk me
into allowing some improper testimony.
The court of appeals reversed it
and Mr. Watson is walking the streets.
Now, if I allow this and your boy gets convicted
Mr. Burton here will be in appellate court
before I hit the bed.
Ben, Burton's junked his list.
His only witness
is the dealer who was with Urbano
just before he was killed.
Cartagena?
He wasn't even there.
I know.
Now, you told police
you left the church before the shooting.
Why did you lie?
I had to.
You know, being on parole, being with a guy like Jose,
him being a dealer and all, bad for me.
When Mr. Urbano left with the girl, did you follow?
No.
I told him not to go,
but he put his hand on his pistol
and he said he could take care of himself.
Was Mr. Urbano a violent man?
Objection. Calls for a conclusion.
Sustained.
I'll rephrase.
Did you ever personally see Jose Urbano
fire his gun at anybody?
New Year's Eve, 1989.
He shot a dealer.
Jesus Costelo.
Thank you.
Three days.
The verdict should have been in yesterday at the latest.
I hope you're not here to say you warned me.
You did what you had to do.
You wish I hadn't.
The jury just asked for the statutes
on justification for deadly force.
Not gonna say it.
What?
He told me so.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
On the sole count of the indictment
the charge of murder
in the second degree,
how does the jury find?
Not guilty.
( gasps )
We felt he was a good kid, putting himself through school.
Uh... maybe he meant to kill Urbano, but...
How many times have you given me the "you don't win every time" speech?
I don't mind losing, Paul. Could've fooled me.
What I do mind is that 12 honest citizens
knew he was guilty and acquitted him.
They were flimflammed on the self-defense.
They knew they were being flimflammed
and they still acquitted him.
And that's frightening.