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.
Excuse me. Thanks.
Rammed my toe into a chair, and then it's sort of hanging off my foot.
I don't think that's a good sign.
How long you been here?
Is it still the '90s?
We'll get you settled in. The docs will patch you right up.
You're gonna have to move the girl.
She's not mine.
Who does this one belong to?
Okay, sweetheart, up you go.
This nice lady needs to rest, too.
Oh. Nurse!
This man carried her in, set her down, and left.
Did you see where he went?
No. I figured he went to check her in and get a cup of coffee or something.
I didn't see him after that.
Did you get a good look at him?
He was tall. Thirtyish. About 5'10", 5'12".
5'12"? That's good.
Did you notice when they got here?
The news was just ending. Tom Brokaw.
So about 7:00, huh? You remember what he was wearing?
Coat and a hood, I think.
I don't remember the color. Sorry.
It's okay. Thanks.
What can I tell you? It's busy here.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Right.
Her fault for dying too quietly.
Tell me something. This security camera work?
Yeah, they're supposed to. I'll run down the tapes.
Did anybody take a look at her?
Dr. Sugarman.
Thanks.
Dr. Sugarman?
Did you examine the girl in the waiting area?
Yeah. She was dead when I got to her.
What time was that? 9:40.
Cause of death?
Ask the M.E.
Name? Next of kin?
She wasn't checked in. No identification. We done?
Hey, she was out there for two and a half hours.
I told you everything I know. I have patients waiting for me.
Now he's in a hurry.
Girl's early to mid-teens.
Seven shattered ribs punctured lungs, and a lacerated aorta.
Caused by what?
It's consistent with a beating.
Time of death?
Between 4:00 and 7:00 p. m.
Going by the size of the laceration and the pooling of blood in the abdomen,
fatal blow around 3:00.
Rape?
The kit was negative.
No bruising in those areas.
What's with the wrists?
And the ankles.
Fresh ligature wounds.
Bruises and chafing all the way around the mid-section.
Tied up like an animal.
Tied up with what?
There's no fibers. Probably not a rope.
Could be a chain.
It wasn't the bonds of love.
The tape is time-stamped 6:55 p. m.
There's no footage of him after that.
We don't have a clear shot of his face.
But witnesses say he's white, thirtyish, about 6", 220.
A little old for varsity football.
Bulldogs. That's half the high schools in the country.
What about Jane Doe? Missing Persons have anything?
Nothin' yet.
You hear from the Board of Ed?
Yeah. They won't let you pass the girl's photo around the schools,
but they will give us an absentee list.
Emma's home sick with the flu.
Since when do you guys worry about things like this?
We're trying to ID a young girl. Maybe a homicide.
Ow! Mom!
If you kill your sister, you're gonna get a major time-out!
I'm sorry.
Three kids home with the flu for a week.
Yeah, I know how it is.
No, you don't. You get to go to work.
Right. Good luck.
Remind me to buy flowers for Debra tonight.
Okay, that takes care of PS 17. What next?
PS 89. Two girls. Kira Grayson and Alyssa Turner.
Uh, Kira's in North Carolina. She left last week.
Vacation in the middle of the semester?
She's going to school down there.
It's better for her. There are better schools.
You have a picture of her?
This is Kira.
Is that the school uniform down in North Carolina?
No. It was taken a couple of months ago.
When she was still at PS 89?
Yeah.
She's staying with friends of mine in Durham until I can get a job down there.
Why didn't you notify the school?
I sent the paperwork.
Listen, I have to go to work. Do you need anything else?
Just the, uh, phone number in North Carolina.
Nope, not Alyssa.
Okay, so where is your daughter?
We went to your apartment. She wasn't there. She isn't in school.
She's with her mother. And?
And? Well, nothin'.
Look, my wife left me three weeks ago.
She took Alyssa and the remote control. I haven't seen 'em since.
Wife's address?
I told you, that's not my kid.
And my partner just asked you where yours is.
I don't know.
Hey, Rey, this look like Mr. Turner here to you?
Yeah. Could be.
See him. See the girl. She's dead.
You have a Bulldogs varsity jacket in your locker?
No. And I'm not into cheerleaders, either.
Here. That's Alyssa.
That the best you can do?
She's about four years old here.
And she's blonde, like the dead girl.
You know, maybe his boss knows something.
Yeah, maybe the boss wouldn't mind
a few hours of questions about his favorite employee.
12th Street, okay?
They're living on 12th Street.
Is this the girl?
Uh, could be. Yeah. Maybe.
There you go.
Oh, man.
This look like blood to you?
Get that out of my face. That ain't my kid, and I didn't hurt my wife.
Your rap sheet tells a different story.
Three months ago, you broke your wife's arm.
Before that, you did a tap dance on her face.
Her neighbors heard a fight yesterday.
You take it out on your own kid?
I want a lawyer.
The blood in Alyssa Turner's apartment doesn't match Jane Doe's.
It doesn't prove it's not his kid.
Plus, the guy just lawyered up.
Check battered women shelters. Maybe you can find them there.
Excuse me. This your daughter, Alyssa?
Yes. Why?
She's been missing school. Uh, we thought maybe your husband...
He only hits me.
Hey, if you want to press charges, he's at the 27.
Fine. After I take Alyssa to school.
Where's your school uniform?
We don't wear uniforms.
You go to PS 89, right?
Yeah.
Did this girl go to your school?
She's dead. It looks like that girl Kira.
Kira Grayson?
I think it's her.
She's not in my class.
She's like hyperactive or something.
But I showed you Kira's picture.
In a uniform. PS 89 doesn't have uniforms.
She was wearing her cousin's.
Mrs. Grayson, this is your daughter, isn't it?
Look, it's hard. Single mother, hyperactive child.
Things pile up, you snap.
Why are you doing this to me?
Why don't you call the number I gave you?
We called. No answer, no machine.
Kira's with them.
Try again.
Please.
Mr. Jansen, either the child is living there or she isn't.
Do you understand you're in the middle of a murder case?
Fine. You can expect a visit from the Durham police.
Run around. Big surprise.
So we call Durham PD and wait for them to check it out?
Get Mrs. Grayson.
Don't make me do this.
You agreed to it.
I changed my mind.
Are you going to stand there and tell me that's not your daughter?
Oh, my God, Kira!
My God!
Oh, my God.
Why did you lie?
I didn't want to tell the police.
Tell us what?
Kira ran away.
Your daughter runs away, and you don't report it?
I was afraid you would take her away from me.
She kept running away. She always came back.
Streets are dangerous.
Obviously the child ran into someone who killed her.
You lied about the picture. You lied about North Carolina.
You arranged for someone in Durham to cover up your lie.
And now you want us to believe that
you had nothing to do with that child's death?
My officers are searching your apartment.
Whatever's there, they'll find it.
No telephone.
How many people in Manhattan you know got no telephone?
This chipped paint's about the only thing we found out of the ordinary.
Looks recent. Yeah.
Any idea what caused it?
Something dragged back and forth here.
Chain, maybe.
The bruises around the girl's waist.
Tied up like an animal.
You find a chain? No.
Neighbors? Neighbors.
The kid was a nightmare. Scratched her initials all over the building.
She pushed Eric Johnson down a flight of stairs.
You got any idea how her mother disciplined her?
Who disciplines kids today? Damn little brats with no manners.
Nobody teaching 'em any.
This is the guy that dropped Kira off at the hospital. You know him?
Kind of looks like you.
Margo Grayson have a boyfriend?
Margo swore off men after her divorce.
You can't think she killed her daughter, can you?
She swear off having a phone?
Kira ran up $2500 worth of phone calls to some psychic hotline.
Margo couldn't pay that. The phone company cut her off.
She use anybody else's phone?
Yeah, mine when she needs to. What's this got to do with anything?
Did she call North Carolina?
Not that I know of.
Hey, what do you guys do?
See how many questions you can ask before answering any?
She call anybody on Wednesday?
Look, if she didn't kill the kid, telling us isn't gonna hurt.
Some guy called her. Uh, Bill.
He left his number. She used my phone to call him back.
Recognize him? Looks like Bill Crawford.
He's big like this. He's got a Bulldogs jacket.
He have access to this phone?
Sure. He kind of works here.
Kind of? Yeah.
We let him mop the floors and stuff. Slip him a little cash.
He's slow. Hell, he's an idiot.
He here now?
Hasn't been in for a couple of days.
Is that normal?
Yeah. Shows up when he needs money.
He does a real good job. Real conscientious. I gotta give him that.
Where's he live? No idea.
Talk to Rosa Halacy. She's the one that got him the gig here.
Rosa Halacy? Who's she?
Neighborhood den mother.
No, no. Bill would never hurt a child.
Well, he brought her to the hospital. He must know what happened to her.
Sister Rosa, the cops just took my dad again.
Tell your mom to meet me at the precinct.
Sister Rosa?
I used to be a nun. If you'll excuse me.
Do you know where Bill Crawford lives?
Nowhere specific.
I mean, flophouse? Shelter? Under a bridge?
All I know is his family threw him out.
I have to get to the precinct.
Great. So all we gotta do is detect where
mentally challenged homeless guys hang out.
Well, maybe he was on disability. They'd have an address on him.
We should be so lucky.
Like I'm supposed to be Mr. Post Office for this moron?
His disability checks come to this address.
Mail doesn't get delivered on my shift.
I told you, he stays here when he's got money, leaves when he doesn't.
Where does he go?
Out that door.
He have any friends?
Donald Trump.
Maybe we can find somebody in this dump who knows more than Miss Congeniality here.
No, I don't know where Bill goes.
Anybody else who might know?
I'm his best friend.
Lennie.
Mind if we come in? No.
Ah, nice jacket.
Except for the blood on the sleeve here.
Yeah. I tried to get it out.
Who knew you're not supposed to use hot water.
Where'd you get it?
I traded with Bill.
Where'd the blood come from? Nosebleed.
His or yours? His.
What's your jacket look like?
Desert camouflage.
More blood on the front.
Hey, we're gonna have to keep this jacket. We'll give you a receipt.
You can't have my jacket.
Oh, there's a thrift shop across the street. We'll buy you another one.
Thirty bucks. I get to buy what I want.
Tell you what. We'll give you an extra five, you tell us where Bill is.
Don't know.
This your gum? Yeah.
Matches? Yeah.
Chinese ticket stub? Nope.
Must be Bill's.
I know what those are. It's a great place to stay warm.
Stop! Police!
I didn't do anything to the girl!
I didn't do anything to her!
All right, take it easy.
You sure you don't want a lawyer?
No, I'm okay with it.
Why don't you tell us about that girl you brought to the emergency room.
I found her underneath the bus stop.
On the floor there, you know.
You don't live in that neighborhood. What were you doing there?
Just walking.
Come on, Bill.
You knew that was Margo's kid.
I don't know no Margo.
Margo. You called her from the rec center.
Can I get that soda now?
That blood on your jacket, uh, was that from the girl?
I guess.
You told your buddy at the flophouse you had a nosebleed.
Right. Which is it, Bill?
From the girl or from your nosebleed?
It was both, I guess.
Why'd you run away from us?
I don't know. Because you killed Kira?
No. No, I helped her I took her to the hospital.
Then why didn't you stay with her?
I got scared. Scared of what?
We got a dead girl, and you killed her! I helped her!
We're gonna make it hard on you.
We're gonna tell the D.A. you're jerkin' us around.
D.A.? I... District Attorney.
They're gonna put you in jail for the rest of your life.
Please. Then start telling us the truth!
I did. The hell you did!
I didn't hurt her.
You broke seven of her ribs, Bill. They went into her heart.
The whole inside of her body was full of blood!
I'm sorry, you know.
I'm sorry. I didn't want her to die.
I'm sorry.
An abusive mother and a homeless janitor? What's their connection?
Mrs. Grayson called the rec center
where Bill Crawford works the day before the murder.
You have a witness that puts Crawford on the phone?
No, but I just got word from Forensics.
Most of the blood that was on his jacket is not from the girl.
It's her mother's.
How did her blood get on him?
Can you connect these people in North Carolina to Grayson or Crawford?
The police didn't find any calls to New York.
We're updating the phone records.
Let me try an easy one.
Any evidence that the girl was killed at home?
The mother had plenty of time to clean up.
I'm not saying there aren't holes.
Holes? You'll be lucky if the arraignment judge
doesn't release them on their own recognizance.
Murder of a young teenager. Pleas?
Not guilty.
Mr. Crawford?
My client pleads not guilty.
People?
Mr. Crawford was caught by an emergency room security camera
with the victim in his arms.
My client took her in for medical attention.
He left her there dead.
He has no fixed address, no roots in the community.
$100,000. The other defendant is the child's mother?
Yes, Judge. And there's evidence of abuse.
She has an alibi.
Are you filing alibi notice, or is this a bail tactic?
No, we're filing, Judge.
Till Ms. Carmichael has a chance to check out the alibi,
I'm setting bail at 200,000. March 5th.
"Docket Number 62353."
Who is this alibi witness, the Pope?
You're in the ballpark.
I'd never seen Mrs. Grayson till that evening.
But you're sure it was her?
Well, she was here a good four hours, from about 3:00.
Praying, lighting candles. She was quite upset.
Did you ask her why?
I didn't want to disturb her.
Seemed like she wanted to be left alone.
Did she come in with this man?
Oh, Bill Crawford. Mmm-mmm.
He used to come in for confession, till he met Rosa.
Rosa?
Halacy.
People call her Sister Rosa.
She organizes charity work in the neighborhood.
Counsels people with problems. People like Bill Crawford.
What's their relationship?
All I know is, once Bill met Rosa, he stopped coming here.
Mrs. Grayson's alibi checked out.
She was in church from 3:00 until 7:00.
The same time the M.E. says the girl was beaten.
So she couldn't have killed her daughter.
Well, she could have set the murder in motion
and gone to pray while Bill Crawford killed her kid.
Why would she want her child dead?
Everyone says the kid was hell on wheels.
Unless we connect Mrs. Grayson to Crawford
I can't see making the murder charge stick.
Thank you.
Update on the toll calls from North Carolina.
A recent call to New York. To Rosa Halacy.
Margo didn't want the police involved.
So you get your friends in North Carolina to lie?
She thought Kira ran away.
When a child runs away in this city, you call the police.
She was afraid she'd lose Kira to foster care.
Maybe she should have.
If it happens again,
you put two or three links in the sprocket
and then pedal forward.
You told the detectives Bill Crawford wasn't capable of hurting a child.
He's not.
You covering for him or what you did for Grayson?
I don't need to cover for anyone.
Well, then, you can tell me if you saw Bill Crawford
the night Kira Grayson was killed.
Yes, I did.
And the girl?
They were in my apartment.
I didn't know they made them this small.
For one of the girls down the street.
Promised I'd take her skating.
What are you having Tiger Woods over for dinner?
They're teaching golf at the rec center.
There's nothing in the kitchen.
It's clean like you can't believe.
Check the bathroom.
Lennie!
One set for the feet.
One for the hands.
Check out the armoire.
Saint Michael, Protector of the Innocent.
Patron Saint of Battle.
Who the hell are they battling in here?
The Devil.
Sister Rosa, where are they taking you?
You're making a mistake.
Watch your head.
Was Kira in that room when she died?
You already know the answer to that.
Then why don't you tell me what went on in there?
You wouldn't understand.
Try me.
I've been going to Mass since I was old enough to sit still.
Then you should know why I can't talk about it.
We know the girl was at Rosa's,
and we know you were there. Make it easy on yourself.
All right. Yeah.
Rosa did one of those ceremonies.
What kind of ceremony?
You know, praying and stuff,
to make the girl better.
So she wouldn't be bad all the time.
You were in the room?
Yeah.
And the mother.
Did the girl die in that room with Rosa?
I don't know.
The girl died during a religious ritual?
A do-it-yourself exorcism.
Margo Grayson brought her daughter to the Halacy woman
because she was a behavior problem.
Whatever happened to sending the kid to her room?
Well, they tried that. The mother kept her chained to a radiator.
And the man you charged?
Bill Crawford.
He took Kira to the hospital, tried to save her life.
We've offered him a misdemeanor and probation.
We've got murder indictments against the two women.
Depraved indifference.
Kira was tied to a bed during the ritual.
They fractured her ribs, punctured her lung.
To save her from the Devil.
Notice from Margo Grayson. She's raising an insanity defense.
My client was under Rosa's spell.
Pushed God on her like some kind of miracle cure.
You think a jury's going to buy a not responsible defense?
You don't know what Kira was like.
I'll paint a very sympathetic picture to the jury.
A woman overwhelmed by her rebellious teenager.
On the verge of an emotional breakdown.
It's consistent with our psychiatric evaluation,
but I don't think it rises to insanity.
Well, it's not murder. What, then?
Man two?
Recklessly causing the death of her daughter.
She testifies against Rosa Halacy.
Well, how about a sentencing recommendation?
After she testifies.
Man two.
That leaves us with Rosa Halacy.
Rosa never quite fit in here.
She felt that her calling could best be served outside the convent.
Because her beliefs were unorthodox?
To the contrary. Rosa was a throwback.
She prayed in Latin, never missed Communion.
You could never accuse her of being insincere.
Overzealous?
Let's just say Rosa was a bit more faithful than most.
We usually don't have the District Attorney
investigating our former sisters.
Well, this is an unusual case.
How so?
We think Rosa performed an exorcism.
You should talk to the Archdiocese.
I'm not sure what I can tell you, Ms. Carmichael.
There's been only one authorized exorcism here in 20 years.
Well, I understand there is a priest appointed by the Archdiocese
that performs exorcisms.
We don't advertise that.
Why not?
We don't want people running to an exorcist
when they should be treated for mental illness.
But there are legitimate cases.
Extremely rare.
And contrary to what you see in the movies,
the afflicted person does not levitate
or move objects around a room.
Maybe the air of secrecy stirs up people's imaginations.
I'm not going to debate church doctrine with you, Ms. Carmichael.
An exorcism is a holy rite of solemn prayer and spiritual cleansing.
No lay person has any business conducting one.
Not even a former nun?
Any novice can recite the Rituale Romanum.
But in those rare instances when the church permits an exorcism,
the case has been thoroughly reviewed.
Psychiatrists are consulted.
And if a possession is indicated,
a team of priests attends,
with medical personnel on stand-by.
The girl was killed in Rosa's apartment.
Margo and Bill will testify.
I don't think we have a problem.
Rosa's lawyer won't return my calls.
Because he has nothing to say.
Or because he's brewing up
some kind of church and state defense.
What? That we're meddling with religious freedom?
There's no church here. Rosa Halacy was a loose cannon.
Who didn't take a dime from Margo Grayson or anybody else.
Ministered to these people out of the goodness of her heart.
Gave up worldly things to do the work of God.
Spoken like a parochial schoolboy.
Six years at Saint Ignatius.
Did they teach you how to do exorcisms, Jack?
They taught us to have a healthy respect for the Devil.
The only devil in this case is the woman we're trying for murder.
Kira was always a handful.
We tried therapy,
behavior modification.
Her psychiatrist gave her Ritalin.
He said maybe Kira was hyperactive.
It didn't help.
How did you cope with your daughter's problems?
I lost three jobs because of her.
I always had to leave work early
to take care of some disaster with Kira.
She'd do things,
get into fights.
Shoplift, sneak out at night.
I would punish her, then she'd do something worse.
I had to lock her to the radiator to keep her in her room.
Is that why you took her to Rosa Halacy?
I heard she worked miracles.
I didn't know what else to do.
Rosa said Kira wasn't normal.
That she had a spiritual problem.
What kind of spiritual problem?
There was evil inside Kira.
Rosa said she knew a ritual to drive it out.
So you let her perform this ritual?
I brought Kira to Rosa's.
We had to tie her up.
Kira hit me in the nose. There was blood all over.
Rosa started praying.
Kira was cursing, screaming to let her go.
I got upset.
Rosa said that if I doubted her
it would make the demon stronger.
She told me to go to the church.
To wait there and pray.
That was the last time I saw Kira alive.
Mrs. Grayson.
You brought your daughter to Rosa voluntarily?
Yes.
She was willing to help anyone with a problem.
And your problem was you believed that your daughter was possessed
by the Devil?
I never said it to anyone,
but even before I met Rosa,
it was the only reason I could think of why Kira was like that.
No further questions.
I met Rosa at an anti-drug workshop in my church.
My oldest son Brian was using ecstasy, crystal meth.
He was flunking school. He was 15 and out of control.
Did Rosa help you?
She met with me and my wife.
She talked to Brian a few times.
She told us that Brian was possessed and wanted to do a ritual with him.
An exorcism?
Well, yeah.
Describe for the jury what happened.
We took Brian there,
and Rosa went in a room with him.
She talked to him for a while,
we heard Rosa praying,
and pretty soon Brian was crying like a baby.
I know this is gonna sound crazy,
but when my son walked out of there, he was a different person.
And did you have any further problems with Brian?
He stopped using drugs.
He graduated high school.
He went to a trade school in Atlanta.
He does maintenance down there at the airport.
I went to Catholic school all my life.
Then to a convent at Monticello.
Why did you leave?
I couldn't carry out my spiritual mission there.
Now, when you say spiritual mission...
To receive the will of God and offer it to the people.
And how do you receive the will of God?
I hear the voice of Saint Michael.
What does Saint Michael say to you?
Objection. There's been no notice of a psychiatric defense.
This is not a psychiatric defense.
Approach.
What the hell's going on, Mr. Wade?
She's charged with depraved indifference murder.
We're showing she was neither depraved nor indifferent.
Because a voice told her to torture Kira Grayson?
Her mental state is an element of the crime.
I'll give him some leeway, Mr. McCoy.
What does Saint Michael say to you, Ms. Halacy?
He tells me how to help the weak and comfort the troubled.
He's the messenger between me and God.
And did Saint Michael contact you about Kira Grayson?
It's not like a radio broadcast, Mr. Wade.
My visions come to me after meditation and prayer.
Well, how did you get involved with Kira?
Her mother came to me.
Said her child was full of hate.
Nasty, self-destructive.
Did you investigate these problems yourself?
I talked to Kira.
I could see she wasn't bad,
but there was an evil that had taken hold of her.
I looked for guidance from God.
And what guidance did you receive?
Saint Michael revealed to me that Kira had been taken by a demon.
I told Margo the only way to save her daughter
would be to drive this evil out of her.
And Margo agreed?
We prayed together. We saw it was the only hope.
What was the next step?
Kira was brought to my home.
I asked Bill Crawford to come.
The Devil can be very strong.
Continue.
I made confession to cleanse myself of sin.
I anointed Kira with Holy Water.
Then I commanded the unclean spirit to leave her.
Kira was screaming.
Cursed me when I made the sign of the cross.
Her skin was on fire.
I asked Saint Michael what to do.
He said Satan was getting stronger.
That I had to drive him out.
Drive him out with pain.
I prayed for the strength to fight Satan.
Did Margo tell you to stop?
No. But she lost faith.
The Devil was feeding off her weakness.
Describe what happened next.
I did what Saint Michael asked.
I used my fists on Kira.
Commanded the demon to leave.
It was stubborn.
I took a crucifix, put it on Kira's chest.
I was pressing it with all the force God could give me.
Squeezing the unclean spirit out of her.
I felt the demon getting weaker,
so I fought harder.
She became calm, quiet.
Was she dead?
I thought she'd been cleansed.
I asked Bill to stay with her while I washed up.
When I came back, they were gone.
No further questions.
The People request a recess, Your Honor.
I think we could all use a break.
We're alleging her conduct was so reckless as to constitute murder.
She's saying it was anything but reckless.
Saint Michael made her do it.
We've heard it before.
Not so convincingly. No guilt, no remorse.
Said voices told her to wage war against Satan.
Son of Sam again.
No. Berkowitz was a psychopathic loser
who said he received directions to kill from a Labrador Retriever.
Rosa's voices tell her to save the world.
A voice is a voice. Nobody's that naive.
To believe in the Devil?
People see the Devil as an allegory.
I'm not so sure I do.
Horns and a pitchfork, Jack?
I've been prosecuting murderers for almost 25 years.
A man rapes a 10-year-old,
sprays a can of insecticide in her mouth, leaves her to die.
There are things I can't explain away as aberrant human behavior.
You can believe evil exists without buying into demonic possession.
If your religious faith is based on miracles, why not anti-miracles?
You're saying this woman did hear the voice of Saint Michael?
I don't doubt she thinks she did.
Can we convince a jury she didn't?
They tried that with Joan of Arc.
Exactly. We turn the trial into a litmus test of Rosa's faith.
I don't feel good about challenging her religious conviction in court.
And I don't want her hurting another child.
All right, split the difference.
Prove that a saint can commit a murder.
Ms. Halacy,
who killed Kira Grayson?
Satan took her soul.
Then who killed her body?
The body died when her soul was lost to God.
Didn't you beat the life out of her?
This was a battle, Mr. McCoy.
A battle,
where you pummeled the evil out of Kira so hard
that you shattered her ribcage.
Saint Michael told me to do that.
Did Saint Michael tell you not to call for medical attention?
This was not a medical case.
Didn't it become a medical case when the child was screaming in pain?
That's not unusual during an exorcism.
Why didn't you tell the police what happened?
Don't you understand, Mr. McCoy? There was no crime.
What about when you tried to cover up what happened
with your friends in North Carolina?
I did that for Margo.
So she wouldn't get caught!
So people who can't understand
wouldn't put her in jail for something that was a spiritual matter.
The girl's mother admitted manslaughter.
Because you took God away from her.
Margo didn't commit a crime.
God absolves her of responsibility.
Does God absolve you?
Objection.
He opened the door, Judge.
Overruled.
Does God absolve you?
No.
I have to answer to God.
So you admit that in God's eyes,
you're responsible for what happened to Kira Grayson.
Saint Michael told me to take the evil out of her.
You have to answer to God for what happened to Kira?
Yes, Mr. McCoy.
Kira was lost because I wasn't strong enough to defeat Satan.
Do you acknowledge your responsibility for the child's death?
I can only try and do what Saint Michael asks.
Don't you think I know what this sounds like to people?
You think I wanted to harm that little girl?
I had no choice, Mr. McCoy.
I didn't ask for this gift.
I can't explain why he chose me.
It's hard for me sometimes.
God forgive me,
sometimes I just wish it would go away.
I can only take comfort this thing,
this terrible thing, was God's will.
The prosecution says
my client's indifference to Kira Grayson
was an act so depraved as to constitute murder.
Rosa Halacy was so reckless she deserves a life sentence.
Is this the same Rosa Halacy you learned about during the trial?
She's devoted her life to alleviating the suffering of others.
Was she indifferent when she intervened
and saved Brian Rienzi?
She tried to do the same for Kira
because Saint Michael asked her.
Some of you may not accept that explanation of what motivated her.
We're not asking you to.
But what the law asks you to do
is to judge my client's actions by her state of mind
when this tragedy occurred.
Did she so disdain the life of Kira Grayson
that she should be held responsible for her death?
Whatever you think makes Rosa Halacy tick,
you cannot believe she didn't value Kira's life.
You cannot believe she acted with anything other than
the desire to preserve and protect that child.
That was no crime. And I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen,
in Ms. Halacy's mind, it was...
It was holy.
It wasn't murder.
The Crusades,
Islamic jihad,
holy wars.
There is an oxymoron if ever there was one.
Are these slaughters excused because they were perpetrated in the name of God?
And those are the easy cases.
Rosa Halacy isn't some bloodthirsty crusader bent on wiping out the infidel.
She's a woman who heard the voice of God
tell her to save a child from the Devil.
What do you make of Rosa Halacy and her calling?
I can't answer it myself.
Mr. Wade says
you can't convict her because she's a good person,
maybe even a holy person.
I'm not sure I disagree with his characterization,
but it brings you right back to the contradiction.
Can a righteous person commit a wrongful act?
What I do know
is that Rosa Halacy
is flesh and blood,
like you and me.
We can't let Rosa Halacy assert for herself
the power we vest in our Supreme Being.
She may hear God,
but she may not play God.
Just because she has a divine mission,
it doesn't exempt her from the code of human behavior.
When she squeezed the life out of Kira Grayson
in the back room of her apartment, she violated that code.
Her passion for God, however tangible and heartfelt,
rendered her oblivious
to the mortality of Kira Grayson.
She's responsible
for the consequences of her convictions.
And just as her God holds her accountable,
so should we.
I have a note from the jury that you have reached a verdict.
We have, Your Honor.
On the count of Murder in the Second Degree, how do you find?
We find the defendant, Rosa Halacy, guilty.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you are excused
with the thanks of this court for your time and effort
in making a very difficult decision.
Judge Denham wants our sentencing memorandum by Tuesday.
Letters from Rosa's neighbors.
Minimum's 15-to-life. If there's anybody that can handle it.
That supposed to make these people feel better?
We put a child murderer away, Jack.
I'm not sure who we put away.