(male announcer) 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.
(Paul) Debbie, I don't wanna get into it with you right now.
I called for Katie.
I got a right to talk to her, Deb.
She's my daughter too.
No, I am not drunk right now.
Oh, listen. Would you--
Would you shut up for a second?
This is the last time I'm gonna talk to her, okay?
All I want to do is say good night to my kid,
all right?
I'm in hell already!
(Fire Marshal Woods) New redemption. Another church.
(Cassady) That's, what, four churches in a week?
(Woods) This makes five.
(Green) Who called it in?
Guy staying at the fleabag next door.
Says he didn't see anyone leaving the scene.
(Cassady) We're gonna need to speak to him.
He's in Bellevue for smoke inhalation.
Helped evac the hotel after he called 911.
What time was the call?
Right after 11:00.
Fire must have started just before.
Wood pews, old carpet.
With an accelerant, the place went up real fast.
Just like the other ones.
Except this time our fire bug graduated to murder.
What you got, man?
(Assistant M.E. Sharlett) Not much.
Apparent male victim. Crispy critter.
(Cassady) Looks like he put up a fight.
Well, that's called a pugilistic attitude.
The heat contracts the arm muscles.
It's typical.
Did you get an I.D.?
His wallet melted into a hockey puck.
With his hands that cooked, prints are a long shot.
Might get lucky with dental records.
Fire was the cause of death?
It's too soon to tell.
We'll know more when we get him on the table.
Thanks.
Imagine our victim saying his Hail Marys,
and the place goes up.
Or he saw somebody pouring gas on the altar and got caught.
Whoever did this is gonna burn too.
(Woods) Looks like there were
five points of origin at least,
including where the body dropped.
You can still smell the accelerant.
(Green) Do you know what the accelerant was?
Not till we run the labs.
Pretty intense blaze. Probably gasoline.
So other than our victim here,
all these church burnings had the same M.O.
Forcible entry with a gasoline fire in the sanctuary.
And this one?
Looks the same so far.
The caretaker of the church
said that when he locked up at 10:30, it was empty.
So maybe our DOA is the arsonist?
One of 'em, at least.
We're looking at multiple suspects.
We pulled this off
a pole camera near the third fire.
Trinity Lutheran in Washington Heights.
Our victim could be either one of these dudes.
We also have a witness from the first fire
who thinks she saw a black SUV fleeing the scene.
No plate, but it had a dented front left fender
and some kind of bumper sticker on the tail.
Well, the commissioner's doing a press conference at noon.
Let's put this out there and see if any tips come in.
Sure. I'll keep you apprised of any progress on our end.
Excellent.
Hey, Lieu, canvass is a bust so far.
911 caller saw nothing but flames.
And others I talked to
said the block gets pretty quiet after 10:00.
Streets are empty.
Well, let's get Rodgers to make a quick I.D.
We can start from there.
All right, in the meantime,
see if these churches have anything in common.
(Pastor Shea) Religion is under attack in this country.
The war on Christmas, gay marriage--
Look, I can understand your frustration, Pastor, but--
Don't dismiss it.
They've already removed prayer from our schools.
The Ten Commandments are gone from our courthouses.
Burning churches is the inevitable next step.
Okay, right now we need to focus
on catching the people that set this fire.
So do you recognize either of them?
No. But we had a lot of people here last night.
We weren't aware that there was a service last night.
We hosted a basketball game against Christian Path Academy.
(Cassady) What time did that end?
Everyone was gone by 9:30.
[cell phone beeps]
We're gonna need contact names for both teams.
M.E.'s got something.
One finger on his left hand didn't get the full broil,
so we were able to get a partial print.
Enough for an I.D.?
Charles Nash.
New York public schools had him on file.
Photo's a few years old.
He's a schoolteacher.
And a possible arsonist?
I doubt it.
Multiple skull fractures
consistent with blunt force trauma.
No soot in his airways.
No carbon monoxide in his blood.
So he was dead before he was burned.
Hmm.
(Cassady) Nash is the coach for the visiting team
that played at the church-- Christian Path Academy,
a parochial school on the west side.
He also taught biology there.
Well, the fire didn't start until around 11:00.
Why would he be there that late?
Well, game didn't wrap till 9:30,
and the other coach said Nash was still packing up
when he left at 10:00.
So what, you think Nash
caught the arsonists in the act
and tried to intervene?
Well, M.E. said he got hit pretty hard
on the face and head.
Suggests some kind of struggle.
(Green) Hey!
Nash rents an apartment in the East Village.
The super says he lived with a girl named Kristin Saunders.
Girlfriend? Yeah.
Guess she's wondering why
he didn't come home last night.
(Kristen) Are you saying
he burned?
Alive?
(Green) We don't think so.
It looks like he fought somebody
before the fire.
Those church arsons?
(Cassady) They could be related.
Unless Charlie was having some trouble with anyone?
No.
Any problems at work?
Charlie didn't see problems.
He was very passionate about his work.
[cell phone rings]
Did he get along with the other teachers?
Mm-hmm. Cassady.
And the kids.
He said that they were really responding to him.
Why would somebody want to burn a church?
(Green) Again, we're really sorry.
And, uh...
if you can think of anything else,
give us a call, all right?
Anything.
Uniform thinks they've located the vehicle.
(male uniform) Black, dented fender,
bumper sticker, but no plates.
And the VIN on the dash was scratched out.
Did you check on the doorjamb?
Yeah, and called it into the DMV.
Uh, registered owner is an Emily Ward,
44 years old.
Address in Poughkeepsie.
And she's into death metal?
Was it reported stolen?
Nope.
Ugh. You smell that gas?
Uh, yeah.
Well, looks like it's pretty well cleaned out.
Well, we found the getaway car.
(Green) Jason Ward.
Hey. Detective Green.
This is my partner, Detective Cassady.
Listen, you drive your mom's SUV?
Yeah. Did you find it?
Right where you left it.
No, my car was stolen like a month ago.
You didn't report it stolen.
And, uh, who are you?
Todd.
I really like that hoodie, Todd.
I think I've seen that somewhere before.
I didn't report it stolen
'cause I knew my dad would get pissed.
He didn't want me to bring it in the city in the first place.
Um, thought something bad would happen to it.
You got a parking ticket on it last week.
And you paid for it. With your credit card.
Had your name on it.
Come on.
This is crazy. You got the wrong guys.
We found tire tread marks at three of those church fires
that match your ride, bro.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Then let's start with last night.
Where were you?
In the dorm studying.
Did anyone see you?
My roommate came by with a couple of girls.
Please. We didn't do this.
Get smart one more time, I'm gonna smack the snot outta you.
Look, man-- No, you look, you little bastard!
We're trying to help you.
Now drop your attitude and show some respect.
We got five fires and a body, Jason.
You better come up with five alibis,
or we got you by the balls.
Wha--ask around campus.
There's plenty of people who'll tell you
they saw me each one of those nights.
And after we search their rooms
and find their bags of weed and throw them in jail,
you still think they'll lie for you then?
We didn't do anything.
We're not talking about some arson charge here.
A man is dead, Todd. You committed murder.
We had nothing to do with that fire.
That fire? What about the other four?
No, all of them. I-it wasn't us.
Boy, if you lie to me one more time,
I'm walking out that door,
and any hope you got walks out with me.
Last chance.
Who started the first fire?
Jason.
Were you there?
Yeah.
A church.
How could you?
We were high on a bunch of blow,
and we decided to burn one.
And it felt great,
so we decided to do another one.
Did it feel good to kill Charles Nash too?
That wasn't us. Swear to God.
And Todd saw that on the news and flipped out,
so we had to ditch our car.
Why the hell should we believe you?
'Cause there's a guy in the dorms that deals coke.
And we were partying with him all night
and about... five other people.
I want the names. All of them.
(Green) Lieu. Yeah.
Fire Marshal sent over the lab results for site five.
The accelerant was turpentine, not gasoline.
The last arson was a copycat.
So we've got our firebugs,
but if they're telling the truth,
we're still looking for a murderer.
(Principal Hill) The whole school's in shock.
Mr. Nash was a terrific teacher and a great guy.
I still can't believe this.
So this is a Catholic school?
We're a nondenominational Christian academy.
Students of all beliefs are welcome here.
Nash's girlfriend said
that he wasn't much of a churchgoer.
Was that an issue with him?
Not for teaching science.
Did he have any problems here?
Nothing out of the ordinary.
A minor argument with a teacher here,
an angry parent there.
Who's Jacob Reese?
Uh, Mary Reese's father.
She's a sophomore.
One of Nash's students?
Yes.
Well, it looks like he left about four messages last week.
Any idea why he was in such a hurry to talk to Nash?
Yeah, my daughter told me what happened.
I'm praying for his family.
(Cassady) You and Nash knew each other, Mr. Reese?
Not really. He was my kid's biology teacher.
Did you talk to him recently?
A couple days ago about him flunking Mary on a term paper.
Well, I imagine you were pretty upset.
Well, yeah, Mary's smart.
I mean, tested off the charts in middle school.
And I didn't want to see him
ruin her chances at a scholarship.
Did you meet Nash in person?
Uh, yeah, at the school.
Yeah, how'd that go?
Oh, good.
He agreed to let Mary do extra credit
to make up the grade.
We shook hands, and that was that.
Any of the other parents have a problem with Nash?
Not that I heard of.
Everyone's pretty nice.
You might want to take a look at his personal life, though.
Now why would you say that?
Yeah, just rumors. Booze, women.
I don't think he was as straight-laced
as he wanted people to believe.
[cell phone ringing] Excuse me.
All right, thanks, man.
Hey--thanks.
Looks like Reese might have been right about Nash's wild side.
You got a hit on the LUDS? Yep, Allison Dale.
She called him three times a day before he was murdered.
And? She got two priors.
One for possession, the other for solicitation.
Nice.
I wasn't screwing Mr. Nash.
Then why were you calling him, Allison?
Could you please not say my real name?
My kid goes to Christian Path, all right?
So you're just a concerned parent?
I don't hook or get high anymore.
I'm only doing this to make tuition.
(Cassady) That doesn't explain
why you have Nash's cell phone.
It's on the contact sheet for the basketball team.
My son Chris plays point guard,
and he's really great too.
But Nash kept benching him
to give the weaker kids a chance.
That's why you were calling him,
to get your son more playing time? Yes.
Were you at your son's basketball game
the night of the murder?
I wish. I was here.
Ask the bouncers if you don't believe me.
Okay; can you think of any reason
anybody would want to hurt Mr. Nash?
You mean aside from that whole intelligent design thing?
What are you talking about?
There was this big brouhaha about three months back.
This parents' group
wanted creation science taught in the classroom.
They wanted stickers questioning evolution
added to the textbooks.
And Nash was against it.
Big time.
I hear he got into a shouting match with a bunch of 'em
at a school board meeting.
Do you know how we can get a hold of this group?
Yeah, Parents for Honest Education.
Leader's name is Claudia Murphy.
Look, i-if you talk to her,
please don't tell her what I do.
Evolution is a theory, not a fact.
All we're asking is that our children be exposed
to all points of view.
Yeah, we heard that some of your members
were "asking" Charles Nash at the top of their lungs.
A few spirited debates, nothing more.
Still, we're gonna need a list
of all the parents in your group.
If you want to find Nash's killer,
try looking into his personal life.
There were rumors. (Green) We did.
We need the list.
Well, I'm not going to give it to you.
This is a religious organization,
and I believe our members have the right to privacy.
[school bell rings]
This is an intellectual debate about school policy.
It's hardly grounds for murder.
I don't think I need to tell you this,
but people get a little crazy about religion.
Not these people.
They're just parents
who are trying to do right by their kids.
Please--
I don't want this in the papers.
Claudia Murphy.
She refused to give us a list of the members.
You know any of the names of the people in the group?
I don't have that information.
But I do have the petition that they sent.
[opens drawer]
Look at the third name.
Jacob Reese.
He told us that he was working on something with Nash
so that his daughter Mary would get a passing grade.
Can you verify that?
[typing]
As of right now,
she still has a failing grade.
Okay.
We need to talk to Mary.
Now.
The paper was supposed to be about evolution,
and I wrote mine on the evidence
for intelligent design.
Mr. Nash gave me an F.
How did your dad feel about that?
He was worried that it would
keep me out of college.
He tried to talk to Mr. Nash,
but Nash wouldn't change the grade.
It was no big deal.
(Cassady) See, it actually is now,
because your dad said
that Mr. Nash was gonna let you do extra credit.
Right.
I mean, he wouldn't change the grade
until I did the extra credit.
He died before I got the assignment.
So...
Where was your dad the night Mr. Nash was killed?
He was home all night.
With me. We were watching TV.
[cell phone rings]
(Green) What were you watching?
Just, um, flipping through channels.
Your dad said you were watching a movie.
Oh, yeah. That's right.
You lied twice.
I don't recommend you do it a third time.
Now, what's going on?
Uh, I wanna see my dad.
Can you hold her in your office,
and don't let her use the phone?
Come on, Mary.
[school bell rings]
Reese's cell phone records show
two calls the night of the murder.
Both hit off towers near the crime scene.
Let's hope that's enough to get a warrant.
Detectives.
We have a warrant to search your apartment. For what?
Why didn't you tell us
you called Charles Nash the night he was killed?
I didn't, I must have dialed a wrong number.
Can you explain why you dialed the wrong number
all the way across town,
a block away from where he was murdered?
I don't have to explain anything.
(Cassady) Yeah, you do. Check this out, Ed.
Turpentine.
I use it for my business. I restore furniture.
And to burn the occasional church?
I would never do that.
Didn't anyone tell you it's a sin to lie?
You're under arrest for the murder of Charles Nash.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law.
(clerk) Docket number 61509,
People v. Jacob Matthew Reese.
Charges are murder in the second degree
and arson, third degree.
How does the defendant please?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
Bail, Ms. Rubirosa?
People seek remand, Your Honor.
Mr. Reese beat Charles Nash to death
and tried to cover up the crime by burning a church.
(Rowen) My client is the sole supporter of his teenaged daughter.
He's not a flight risk, Your Honor.
And the only evidence against him
is some turpentine he uses in his work as a carpenter.
We also have proof of animus.
The victim was teaching evolution
to Mr. Reese's daughter against his wishes.
(Rowen) That doesn't make him a religious zealot.
(Rubirosa) This flyer was created
on the defendant's computer.
"Those who teach evolution to our children
shall burn for their sins."
That's a reference to God's judgment.
Or, more likely, a threat.
Copies were sent anonymously to the victim
at his home and at his classroom.
Mr. Reese can't take care of his daughter from Rikers Island.
Bail set at 500,000.
[bangs gavel]
Do we really think this man killed over a school curriculum?
Reese became a born-again Christian
after his wife died last year.
And he founded a parents' group
that was in conflict with Nash.
That doesn't make him a murderer.
Yeah, but there have been extremists
that targeted abortion providers.
Well, why not evolution teachers?
I'm not saying it's impossible,
but the person you're describing
doesn't sound like the same person
who'd set fire to a church.
Is there any other reason
Reese would go after his daughter's teacher?
I'm meeting with Mary's guidance counselor
this afternoon.
It's so sad about Mr. Nash.
I understand you were close with the Reese family.
Well, when Mary transferred here,
it was just after they'd lost Mrs. Reese.
Mary and her father were having a pretty tough go of it.
You know, Jacob's a good man.
I can't believe he did this.
So you think he's guilty.
No, I mean, I think that's for a jury to decide.
Did Mary ever say anything to you
about her father and Mr. Nash having problems?
I'm not entirely comfortable with this.
These students come to me in confidence.
I'm sure that you're aware there is no privilege
protecting what she told you.
You'd subpoena me?
I don't want to, Mr. Thornton,
but one of your colleagues was murdered.
If you know something,
it's your responsibility to come forward.
I promised her I wouldn't say anything, but...
a few months before this happened,
Mary told me that Nash was hitting on her.
And you didn't report it?
Mary begged me not to.
She said it was her fault, that she'd flirted with him.
Considering the rumors about Nash and women,
he could have manipulated her into thinking that.
Did anything actually happen between them?
She wouldn't tell me.
But that was the last time she came in to see me.
Nothing happened with Mr. Nash.
(Rubirosa) You told Mr. Thornton
that he had made advances towards you.
I never said that.
Or maybe you're not telling us the truth
to protect your father.
My father didn't kill him.
But he was angry at Mr. Nash.
Because of the evolution stuff that he taught us.
Or was it because you told him
that you were having sex with Mr. Nash?
No!
Mind if I crash your little arm-twisting party?
What are you doing here, Danielle?
I'm now the counsel of record for Jacob Reese.
And I don't want you talking to the people
who are trying to put your father in jail.
I can ask her the same questions
in the grand jury.
You do that.
Time to go back to class now, honey.
(Reese) Trying to turn a child against her father.
This is how you seek justice.
(McCoy) You're in no position
to lecture on morality, Mr. Reese.
Boys, boys.
What are we doing here, Jack?
You tell me.
He'll plead to the arson to cover all charges.
Not a chance.
I feel terrible about what happened to that church.
I'm trying to do the right thing.
Then take responsibility for murdering Charles Nash.
Our case against your client
is getting stronger.
We have reason to believe
that the victim was having sex with Mr. Reese's daughter.
That is a lie. That is a--
[whispering] Jacob.
(McCoy) So all this talk about Charles Darwin
and the school curriculum is entirely beside the point.
(Melnick) Not exactly.
We're asserting a justification defense.
He's admitting to the murder.
It's not murder if you're trying
to save the life of a third party.
In this case, his daughter.
Nash was attacking Mary. Mm-hmm.
We have two witnesses who put Mary at home
while Reese was out killing him.
(Melnick) She doesn't have to be physically present
to be in jeopardy.
So how could her life possibly be in danger?
What was the threat?
Divine retribution.
Excuse me?
Like many Americans,
Jacob Reese believes in an all-powerful God
who punishes nonbelievers.
(Reese) He didn't hesitate
to turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt.
Are you serious?
In my client's eyes,
Nash was placing his daughter in mortal danger
by teaching her evolution.
So you're claiming that Jacob Reese
had to kill Charles Nash...
to protect his daughter from the wrath of God?
That's what he believes.
(Rubirosa) The law requires
that he perceive a physical threat,
not just imagine one.
My faith is not imaginary.
This is preposterous, Danielle.
This will never see the light of day.
(Judge Glover) Divine retribution?
You can't be serious, Ms. Melnick.
Your Honor, the justification statute
permits the use of deadly force
in the defense of another person.
From the threat of deadly physical force
that's both real and immediate.
(Melnick) Jacob Reese perceived exactly that.
By threatening his daughter's faith,
Nash was placing her in imminent danger
of serious bodily injury.
From what, a bolt of lightning?
Your Honor, my client believes
that an act of God could have struck his daughter down
at any moment if Nash wasn't stopped.
Stopped from teaching her about evolution
or stopped from having sex with her?
If Mr. McCoy has any proof that they were intimate,
let's see it.
Even if you bought their twisted logic,
it's only an argument for justification of killing God,
not Charles Nash.
(Melnick) In my client's eyes,
Nash was the driving force
pushing Mary towards God's reproach
as surely as if he were pushing her off a cliff.
What about the fact that the defendant
burned down a church to cover up his righteous act?
The People v. Flores.
"An attempt to conceal a crime
does not prohibit the assertion of a justification defense."
(McCoy) In this case,
it demonstrates that the defense
is a complete fraud.
That's for the jury to decide.
(McCoy) How does the defense
expect to prove this fairy tale?
By establishing Jacob Reese's profound religious faith.
So we're just supposed to take his word for it.
(Melnick) The United States Supreme Court has held
that the First Amendment prohibits the courts
from determining the validity of religious beliefs.
Men may believe what they cannot prove.
U.S. v. Ballard.
It's a subjective standard, Mr. McCoy.
You and I may not believe it's reasonable,
but if the defense can establish Mr. Reese does--
Then it's the basis for an insanity defense,
not justification.
Perhaps, but unfortunately,
you can't dictate strategy to Ms. Melnick.
You're going to allow this, Your Honor?
Well, who am I to say that the defendant's
literal belief in biblical retribution
is not reasonable?
You're a judge in a court of law.
And you're out of line, Counselor.
If Mr. Reese can convince a jury
that this was truly his state of mind
at the time of the homicide,
then let them decide if this justifies what he did.
In that case, I move for a 730 exam.
Fine.
What does that mean?
He's claiming that you're not mentally fit to stand trial.
That I'm crazy?
Because I believe in God
and his power to punish sinners and heretics?
Because the defendant is so deluded
with religious mythology that he can't mount
a responsible defense for himself.
Your Honor, that is straight out of Karl Marx.
You can't possibly grant that application.
Your unconventional defense opened the door, Ms. Melnick.
I want a psych workup on the defendant.
And I'll hold a hearing on his competency.
[bangs gavel]
Who's winning, the Christians or the lions?
Who are you,
and what have you done with Danielle Melnick?
The First Amendment isn't just about free speech, Jack.
It also protects religious practice.
And on that pretext,
you'd turn a courtroom into Alice in Wonderland?
Oh, come on, Jack.
Don't you think that I realize what this sounds like?
Then why sign on?
I suggested ten other options.
This was the only defense he would endorse.
And I believe he believes it.
Then maybe you need a 730 exam.
Look, a jury may laugh this out of the courtroom,
but you have to allow the argument.
The minute you start challenging its veracity,
you're--you're making dangerous value judgments.
If faith is an excuse for murder,
then let's just give a free pass
to Osama Bin Laden.
It is not the government's place
to tell people what they can and cannot believe.
But you're not protecting Jacob Reese's religious choice.
You're helping him hide behind it.
Maybe it's self-delusion on his part.
Or maybe it's faith.
Or maybe it doesn't have anything to do
with religious principle at all,
and the man just snapped.
So let's call it what it is--
a Hail Mary.
You know,
not everybody thinks this is such a joke.
Tomorrow's Daily News just hit the stands.
(McCoy) Hmm.
Good night and God bless, Jack.
"Melnick's forcing us
to argue faith instead of the facts."
Got to admit, it's pretty savvy.
And Judge Glover should be removed
from the bench for allowing it.
But she didn't, and it's up to us to stop it.
Well, why don't we just attack it in front of the jury
instead of challenging Reese's competency?
Because if Reese sincerely thinks
that God was gonna strike his daughter dead,
I'm not sure he is actually fit to stand trial.
Yeah, but we come off saying that he's crazy
because he literally believes in biblical retribution--
that plays right into Melnick's hands.
(Branch) Does it?
I'd think people of faith would resent the fact
that this guy's trying to hide behind religion.
(McCoy) And as far as we know,
Reese really killed Charles Nash
because he was having sex with his daughter.
I haven't found anything to support that.
As far as I can tell, the rumors about Nash
were started by Reese and this parents' group.
Well, even if they were true, Reese can still claim
he's protecting the girl from God's vengeance.
(McCoy) That's why I'm not backing down.
If we win on the 730 issue,
Danielle will be forced to withdraw the defense.
(Reese) After my wife died,
I was born again through Christ.
I had a religious awakening, not a psychotic break.
But tell me-- you did kill Charles Nash.
I had no choice.
He was leading my daughter astray,
destroying her faith.
(Melnick) Why didn't you just put her
in a different school?
I'd already spent my entire life savings
to get Mary into this Christian school
where she'd be safe from Godless theories.
When I found out what Nash was teaching her,
I joined a parents' group,
we complained.
But the administration wouldn't even consider firing him.
And when that didn't work?
I met with Nash, and I begged him to stop.
He said he wouldn't.
That he'd keep trying to convince Mary
that Darwin was right and the Bible was wrong.
(Melnick) And what did you think would happen
if Mary lost her faith?
She'd be hurt somehow.
Maybe even die.
Why did you believe that?
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life.
"But he who does not obey the Son
"will not see life;
but the wrath of God abides on him."
John 3:36.
God could have punished Mary's lack of faith
at any moment.
And you do understand what you're doing here,
why you're going to be put on trial?
I took a life, and for that, I'll always be sorry.
But I believe it was the only way
to protect my daughter.
I'm a lapsed Catholic, Mr. Reese.
Care to explain why I haven't burst into flames?
Objection, Your Honor.
Goes to competency, Judge.
Logical inconsistencies
are evidence of the magical thinking
associated with many forms of schizophrenia.
Fine, Counselor.
Let's try it without the sarcasm.
Since God has allowed millions of nonbelievers to live,
Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs,
what made you so certain
that he was going to hurt your daughter?
He wrote warnings in the Bible
for everyone to read.
But you, personally--
did you ever hear a voice,
have a vision?
No.
Not even on the night
that you killed Mr. Nash?
I don't hallucinate.
Then how did you know Mary would be hurt?
Because I'd seen it before.
My wife...
committed adultery.
One week later,
she was diagnosed with leukemia
and given six months to live.
She was dead in two.
And you see these two unconnected events
as a sign from God.
[sighs]
AIDS doesn't target homosexuals and fornicators
by sheer dumb luck.
Hurricane Katrina didn't wipe out New Orleans
by chance.
(McCoy) You feared that a hurricane
might strike your daughter, Mr. Reese.
Of course not.
But she could fall ill, get hit by a stray bullet.
Get run over by a car.
These things happen every day, Mr. McCoy.
I believe they happen for a reason.
And despite the million ways
you could have dealt with this situation,
you believed bashing in Charles Nash's skull
was the only way to stop a stray bullet
from striking your daughter.
Can you prove that it wasn't?
The fact that I believe this
doesn't make me crazy, Mr. McCoy.
It makes me a Christian.
I had a really hard time
after my mom died last year.
But my dad made sure I went to school,
and he got us both counseling through our church.
And how did your father deal with his grief?
Well, he cried a lot.
And prayed.
I guess that's when he got more religious.
And how did that affect his life, Mary?
Well, he became a better dad.
He went into business for himself
so he could spend more time with me.
And how about recently?
Does your dad ever say or do anything
that you might consider strange?
Does he seem like he doesn't know where he is?
Never.
Has he ever given any indication
that he doesn't understand what's going on?
No.
Thank you.
How many times a day does your father pray,
Miss Reese?
Before or after my mom died?
Both.
Well...
before, we just went to church on Sundays.
But after, he would read from the Bible every night.
And he made me do it too.
You didn't want to join him?
No, I did.
You testified that your father never said anything strange.
This is an email that he sent you
two weeks before the murder.
Please read the highlighted portion.
"Demons surround you at all times, Mary,
"waiting to drag you into sin.
"A single misstep could send you
into the same hellfire that burned your mother."
Demons and hellfire--
none of that sounds strange to you?
He's really religious, okay?
But he's not insane.
(McCoy) How about the night
that he killed Mr. Nash?
Did your father seem normal then?
Yeah.
He just got upset.
About what?
Well, when I got home from my appointment
with my guidance counselor,
I told him what Mr. Nash said in school that day,
and that because of Mr. Nash,
I was starting to question my faith.
How upset did your father get,
Miss Reese?
Well, he got pretty mad.
But it's not like he lost his mind.
I know you don't understand this,
but I'm telling you, he's not crazy.
(McCoy) Did we hear back
on Reese's psych evaluation yet?
Dr. Olivet hasn't written her report,
but she thinks that he is a fervently religious man
who is clearly competent to stand trial.
I don't doubt his fervor.
You know, Mary Reese may have given us a gift in there.
She testified that she went to see her guidance counselor
the day of the murder.
But the counselor told me
she stopped going months before that.
Thornton got his dates confused.
We'll check him out.
I'm sorry, I've already told you everything I know.
I'm not so sure that's true, Mr. Thornton.
What was the nature of your relationship with Mary Reese?
I'm her guidance counselor.
Really?
Because the doorman at your building
said Mary was getting a lot of guidance in your apartment.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Statutory rape.
Nash was the one having sex with Mary.
She came to me for counseling.
(Rubirosa) We did some checking.
Three days before the murder,
you shelled out $200 to the Westside Women's Center.
We're guessing you weren't the one who needed a gynecologist.
Mary was there because of Nash.
I was just helping her.
I'm sure you were.
You were both taking
identical doses of antibiotics.
Please...
I swear I never did anything like this before.
Tell us what happened.
Mary's father was really messing her up
with all the religion.
After she lost her mom, Mary needed a father,
but Jacob just withdrew into his Bible.
I was the only person who really listened
to how Mary was feeling.
And then you took advantage of her trust.
I made a mistake.
One day, I let it go to a place
that I shouldn't have.
I'm sorry.
Mary, can we have a word with you?
I'm not supposed to talk to you.
Walk away if you want to,
or maybe you just want to stop and listen.
The day Charles Nash was murdered,
you were diagnosed with chlamydia.
Luke Thornton has agreed to testify
at your father's trial
if we agree not to prosecute him
for having sex with you.
We can prove that you lied under oath, Mary.
You could go to juvenile detention.
Good.
I'll need somewhere to live after you lock my dad up.
This isn't a joke.
There are serious consequences to your actions.
You think I don't know that?
A year of fire and brimstone.
You guys think I don't wake up every morning
knowing that I'm going to hell?
What is my daughter doing here?
Maybe you should ask her.
Do you really want your father
to spend the rest of his life in prison
without knowing the truth?
Okay.
Enough games.
What do you got, Jack?
Your client won't believe it coming from me.
He needs to hear it from his daughter.
What are they talking about?
Nothing. I don't know.
Don't lie to me!
(McCoy) If your daughter
refuses to tell the truth,
we'll have no choice but to prosecute her for perjury
and as an accessory for murder.
Accessory? Based on what?
Mary had nothing to do with this.
I went after Nash because he was teaching her evolution.
She wasn't only learning about evolution.
Jacob, you'd better tell me what's going on,
or you're looking for a new lawyer.
This doesn't change anything.
Her disease was just the beginning of God's wrath.
(McCoy) You can make that transparent argument
in court, Mr. Reese.
But the only thing the jury will see
is that you killed a man
because he was having sex with your daughter.
Nash. Nash led her into sin.
Charles Nash never had sex with your daughter, Mr. Reese.
Did he, Mary?
Mary.
When you found the pills,
you just go so mad.
And you kept screaming at me
that I was gonna burn in hell
and asking who desecrated me.
I just said the first name that I could think of.
And I didn't want to get Mr. Thornton in trouble.
You told me it was Nash.
I was...
I was just trying to protect my daughter.
So you broke the fifth commandment.
You not only killed,
you killed the wrong man.
Please...
I don't want Mary to be punished for this.
Then plead to all the charges.
So what kind of sentence are you looking for, Jack?
Murder, burning down a church to cover it up--
25 to life.
Well, that's a long time.
You were manipulated, Danielle.
It was the right principle, Jack, just the wrong client.
I'll take that as a confession of error.
How long has it been since your last confession?
I won't be doing any penance for Jacob Reese.
"Happy is the man who brings justice to the oppressed."
Isaiah.
See you around, Jack.