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.
Here we go again.
Yesterday, there were 15 tents.
Now there are double the amount.
I'm more worried about the fact
that these kids aren't going to class.
My journalism seminar this morning was half empty.
That's because they believe that the rules
don't apply to them.
Making poor choices is all part of the college experience.
Sure, but there have to be consequences.
President Redd should be calling in the cops.
Look, I don't agree with these protesters.
Far from it.
But we can't arrest our own students.
Why not?
Our own students are being harassed.
You're not going this way.
Go back the other way! - Let me through!
Hey. Hey! Leave him alone.
- Man, I don't have time. - Hey, hey, Hey.
Hey. Hey. Come on.
I'm cool. I'm cool.
What do we got?
Charles Bennett, 43 years old.
Blunt force trauma to the head.
Okay.
You guys done? - Yeah. Go ahead.
Oh.
Oh, rigor hasn't even set in yet.
MLI says he died sometime within the past hour.
Any signs of forced entry?
Door locks are intact.
How about video street cam?
Canvassers are out looking.
Who else lives her?
His wife.
Housekeeper says she's in the Berkshires.
I'm guessing she's the one who found the body.
- Mm-hmm. - We recover a weapon?
Not yet.
Well, could be a golf club.
This belongs to a putter.
Well, the killer had one hell of a stroke, that's for sure.
I got here a few minutes after 9:00,
and he was laying on the floor.
And when you were outside, did you notice
anyone in the immediate area?
A man, a couple of doors down,
was walking away from the house.
He was carrying a golf club.
Can you describe this man?
I didn't really see his face, but he was white.
Okay.
How about age or hair color?
Dark hair.
Young, in his 20s.
And he was, like, your height?
Do you recall what he was wearing?
A gray sweatshirt with some kind of emblem
on the sleeve, maybe a strawberry or a cherry.
Can you tell me what happened over here?
A few days ago, someone broke the window.
Was anyone hurt?
No one was home.
Was there anything taken?
Just the flag.
A flag?
It was in the window, blue and white with a star.
You mean the Israeli flag.
Is Professor Bennett's wife a judge?
This morning, Charles Bennett, a journalism professor
at Hudson University, was found bludgeoned
to death in his home.
Professor Bennett was married
to the Honorable Judge Madeline Bennett,
who sits on New York's Supreme Court.
This investigation is ongoing, and we are doing everything
in our power to identify and apprehend
the person responsible.
Now Mayor Payne would like to say a few words.
Thank you.
First of all, I'd like to express my condolences
to Judge Bennett.
She's a dedicated jurist who's ruled on
some of the toughest cases this city has ever seen.
I promise you, the NYPD will find out
who committed this senseless act of violence,
and the perpetrator will be punished.
Do you believe the attack was personal?
Right now, it's too early to speculate,
but everything is on the table.
And is it possible that the murder is tied to one
of Judge Bennett's cases?
Again, we're following every lead.
We'll keep you posted. - Thank you all for coming.
- Nick. - Wendy.
Hey, I'm so sorry.
I know you and Judge Bennett are close.
She's on her way back to the city now.
I wanted to see if there were any updates.
Wendy Carris, this is Jessica Brady.
Hi.
Wendy's second chaired a few of my cases back in the day.
Lieutenant Brady's overseeing the investigation.
This case is in good hands.
We're gonna get the bastard who did this.
This thing is turning into a circus.
My phone is exploding.
Blowing up.
The commissioner, the chief justice, the governor.
It's not every day a judge's husband is killed.
Too bad they don't pay this much attention when it's
a kid from the projects, huh?
Find anything?
Yeah, I got some doorbell cam footage
from one of the neighbors,
corroborates the housekeeper's story.
Looks like she crossed paths with this guy
right around the time of the murder.
Is that the golf club in his hand?
Yeah, looks like it.
There's the logo on his sweatshirt too.
A watermelon?
Means you support the Palestinian people.
Israeli flag, Palestinian supporter,
is there a connection here?
How are you doing on the broken window?
Bennett's filed a police report.
Suspect?
Fits the description too.
27 years old, 6 feet, brown hair.
Male, white, lives across the street from the Bennetts.
Was he pinched?
Arrested, arraigned, and released yesterday.
Rap sheet?
Trespassing and aggravated assault on a police officer.
How about that? - How about that?
I mean, you gotta love bail reform.
A guy with a history of violence
breaks into a man's home, steals his private property,
and what happens? Nothing.
Can you get with his PO and find out where he's at?
Put an Israeli flag in your window,
you have to expect people are gonna react.
What is that supposed to mean?
It's a symbol of hate.
Or it's a sign that you recognize Israel's right
to exist and that you support the innocent people that
were slaughtered on October 7th.
- Here we go. - What?
There's only one way to look at something like this?
Sometimes, yes.
This is one of those times.
Put that down.
If you think I actually killed Charlie Bennett,
you're crazy.
Really? With your rap sheet?
Assault, trespassing.
I had no beef with Charlie.
But his wife, that judge?
She couldn't go ten minutes without spouting
her pro-Israel propaganda.
Where were you this morning at 9:00 a.m.?
In Soho.
I was having breakfast with an art dealer.
We're gonna need the name of that restaurant.
Sadelle's.
All right. We'll be in touch.
Bennett's wife's back in town.
I came as fast as I could.
You were in the Berkshires?
Mm.
Uh, yeah. Canyon Ranch.
Um, my-- my husband insisted that I just
take some time for myself.
This is a nightmare.
I--who would do something like this?
There was no sign of forced entry,
so it appears that your husband may have known his killer.
Was your husband having any issues?
Legal, professional, financial?
He's a journalism professor.
He did--he did say that he and his students,
they're working on this big story for the school paper.
And he said that, uh,
it was gonna make a lot of people very upset.
What happened to Charlie Bennett was tragic.
I was just about to release a statement
to the Hudson community.
We know there's no love lost between you
and Professor Bennett.
We read your email exchanges.
"Ruin me, and I'll ruin you."
That is a quote.
We were trying to iron out some issues.
Things got heated.
That's one way to describe it.
Another would be that you threatened him.
How the hell would you feel if someone tried
to sink your entire career over something that happened
over three decades ago?
I'd like to speak to a lawyer.
Good.
They can meet you down at the precinct.
You're gonna regret this.
Does the police commissioner know
you've dragged the president of Hudson University down
into an interrogation room,
treated him like a common criminal?
Not sure, but you're more than
welcome to give him a call.
He'll probably just recommend that you answer our questions.
Look, we already know that you met with Professor Bennett
one hour before he was killed.
Charlie and I had breakfast this morning.
To discuss the plagiarism investigation, am I right?
I tried to reason with him.
After everything I've done for the school.
I raised over a billion dollars,
cut the acceptance rate in half.
So you asked him to kill the story.
I asked him to consider whether his article
was in the best interests of the university.
How did he take that?
He said his only objective was to expose the truth,
didn't care about the consequences.
I made that bastard.
He was working at a dying newspaper in Hartford
when I brought him on board.
So, yeah, I was angry.
But I didn't murder him.
All right, then where did you go
after the two of you had breakfast?
Townhouse on 73rd and Madison.
Had to meet with a donor.
Any idea where Bennett was headed?
Saw him jump in a taxi.
Verified Redd's alibi, spoke to the donor
and checked the surveillance cameras at her office.
Okay, so we know what Redd did after the breakfast.
What about Bennett?
He took a cab to the university athletic complex.
He had a squash game scheduled for 9:00.
Isn't that right around the time he was killed?
Yeah, he obviously never made it there.
Well, let's try to find out who
he was supposed to play with.
I had to cancel at the last minute.
Our nanny got sick, and my wife had a client meeting.
Look, we think your brother may have known his killer.
Was there anyone he was having problems with?
Friends?
Colleagues, family?
The only person he was having problems with was Madeline.
Can you elaborate?
He kept saying things were getting complicated.
Look, I'm sure that this is nothing.
But he said that she had gotten violent with him a few times.
Violent?
Did he explain what he meant by that?
No.
When I asked, he said he didn't wanna talk
about his wife anymore.
Will you excuse me?
I just have to talk to the, uh...
Hi.
Quite a crowd.
Yeah, well, you gotta kiss a lot of rings
to make it to the bench.
What's up?
Um, her alibi didn't check out.
She wasn't in the Berkshires?
Well, we have a receipt and video that puts her
at a gas station in Great Barrington.
Then what's the problem?
Well, we checked with the spa she claimed she was staying at,
and they have no record of her, so.
Do you think there's any chance that she--
I don't know her that well, Jess.
But my guess is, that is highly unlikely.
We still need to talk to her.
Well, let's wait until tomorrow.
She just gave her husband's eulogy, for God's sake.
I get it, but she lied.
She wasn't at the spa.
You have definitive proof
she was 150 miles away when he was killed.
That doesn't mean she wasn't involved.
I mean, there's gotta be a reason why
a judge would lie to the detectives investigating
her husband's murder.
All I'm saying is, let's wait until tomorrow.
Mayor's gone all in on this.
The sooner we find out if she's hiding something, the better.
All right.
Let's see what she has to say.
Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on?
Did you find who killed Charlie?
We've got a few follow-up questions.
Oh.
- Would you like a seat? - No.
Do you recognize this man?
I can't see his face.
Does anything about him seem familiar?
His build, his gait, his hair?
I don't know. I don't know.
Well, he was seen outside your home
moments after your husband was killed.
So, Judge, we have to ask.
Were you and Charlie having any problems?
That's why you dragged me down here, hmm?
So that you could show me some indecipherable video,
and suggest that I had something
to do with my husband's death.
Oh, I'm not suggesting that at all.
I'm simply asking--
No, I know what you're asking.
Okay, well, if you know what I'm asking, then tell us.
Were there any problems?
If you are asking me if I am having an affair,
the answer is no.
So then why did you lie about where you were
when your husband was killed?
She's being evasive.
Or she's exhausted because her damn husband
was just murdered.
I told you, I was in the Berkshires.
No.
No, you told us that you were at Canyon Ranch.
But we checked, and that's not true.
Let's try this again, Judge.
Where were you when your husband was killed?
I'm not answering any more questions.
Do you understand?
Am I free to leave?
Give us a minute.
I wanna keep her for a while.
Based on what?
Based on, we're allowed to hold her for 72 hours.
Only if you plan to make an arrest,
but you don't have any--
I can charge her with obstruction.
Oh, come on, Jess.
Look, I know she's a judge, that she has important friends.
There is nothing political about this.
We're under the microscope.
Every move we make is gonna be scrutinized.
And you're not the one who has to defend
these decisions in court.
But a good man was killed.
It doesn't appear to be a home invasion or a robbery.
His finances are clean.
He has no real haters.
He has no known enemies.
And his wife is lying to the police.
So, I would be laughed out of town
if I didn't take a hard look at her.
If it turns out she's involved,
you get her back in here and charge her then.
In the meantime, let her go.
Okay.
I wanna hold the judge until her lawyer gets here.
Copy that.
I've been going through her devices.
Nothing that points to an affair so far.
Yeah, her phone records are interesting, though.
Check this out-- she's got four missed calls,
all from the same number,
all on the morning of the murder.
And it looks like the caller left a voicemail.
I know you don't wanna talk to me,
but I wanna talk to you.
You owe me that.
I have student loans.
I just rented a new apartment.
You know what? I'm coming to talk to you.
Call came in 30 minutes
before her husband was found dead.
Maybe Judge Bennett was the target
because of her position on Israel or one of her cases?
Did she ever call the guy back?
Looks like she didn't even check the voicemail.
Well, run his number.
Comes back to a Thomas Norton, 24 years old,
6'1", brown hair.
Fits the description.
My client demands to be released now.
I got a couple more questions.
Forget it. She's not cooperating.
Judge Bennett, do you recognize this man?
Lieutenant.
Yeah, that's, uh, that's Thomas Norton.
Why?
What does he have to do with any of this?
He called you several times the day of the murder.
Wait. You--you got into my phone?
You lie to the police,
there's going to be consequences.
Hold on. Who signed off on that warrant?
Look, Tom Norton left you a voicemail
30 minutes before your husband was killed,
saying he was going over to your house.
Now, how do you know him?
He's a third-year law school student at Hudson University.
He was supposed to clerk for me next year.
Supposed to?
- Yeah, I withdrew the offer. - Why?
Because he's involved in the anti-Israel protests on campus.
So you fired him because of his political beliefs?
I sure did.
Yeah.
Are you saying that Thomas--
Oh, my God.
Oh, God.
No.
protestors: No more war! No more war!
Excuse me.
Looking for Tom Norton.
Cops aren't welcome here.
Excuse me.
You ever seen this guy?
Never seen him.
I bet you haven't.
There he is.
Yeah.
Oh, no, no, no.
Doesn't work that way, buddy.
Thomas.
Thomas!
Come out of there. We wanna talk to you.
Hands!
- Out. - You have no right.
- See that? The sweatshirt? - Sure do.
Hey, hey! Come on!
Come out of there right now.
- Okay. - Out.
All right. Hey, hey.
Whoa. - Don't move.
You are under arrest for the murder of Charles Bennett.
- Let him go. - Let him go.
Move!
The motive seems pretty clear,
but can we actually place Norton at the crime scene?
The housekeeper saw someone fitting his description
in front of the house around the time of the killings,
and the video backs that up.
And the sweatshirt in the video was in Norton's tent
when he was arrested.
We booked him on murder two.
You think that's the appropriate charge?
I don't.
Evidence shows Norton went to the house to talk to the judge,
not to kill anyone.
And when he realized she wasn't home,
he got into some kind of argument with her husband,
and he grabbed a golf club and hit him.
You're saying this was a heat-of-the-moment killing?
An idealistic student who let his emotions
get the better of him. Legally, that's manslaughter.
Murderous intent doesn't require a lot
of deliberation or planning.
That's why it's murder two.
I disagree.
A New York Supreme Court judge was
the target of Norton's anger.
He went to her home.
He was unwanted and uninvited.
I wanna send a message that going
after a judge or a judge's family member
has extreme consequences.
Charge murder one.
Calling docket ending in 6701,
People v. Thomas Norton,
charging murder in the first degree.
How do you plead?
Not guilty.
Order. Order.
If you shout out again, I'll have you removed.
Just let him go. He didn't do anything.
Court officer, remove that woman.
This isn't justice.
Order! Order!
Anyone else wanna test me?
I'll hear the people on bail.
Yes, Your Honor, this was a brutal assault
on an esteemed member of the Hudson community.
And we have a strong circumstantial case.
The defendant is from North Carolina.
He has no roots to this community.
The people seek remand.
My client is a third-year law student,
qualified to represent clients
under the Student Practice Order.
He'd like to say a few words on his own behalf.
I just wanna say, I didn't murder anyone.
The police never found a weapon.
No one ever identified me as the killer.
I believe I'm being targeted because I'm an activist
who has spoken out on behalf of the Palestinian people.
Order, order!
Mr. Norton, this is not the time or place
for a political speech.
Do you have an eyewitness, Ms. Maroun?
We have something better.
We have a video showing the defendant leaving
the crime scene wearing an identifiable sweatshirt,
the same sweatshirt that was recovered by police
when they arrested him.
I've never been in trouble with the law before.
I'm not a flight risk.
My parents are here, and they can post $100,000 bail.
That won't be necessary.
You're hereby remanded. Next case.
Ms. Maroun?
The People's entire case rises and falls
on my client's sweatshirt.
And this sweatshirt was the product
of an illegal search and seizure.
It should be excluded on Fourth Amendment grounds.
The Fourth Amendment doesn't apply.
The sweatshirt was taken from a tent on the Hudson campus.
The defendant has no reasonable expectation
of privacy in the encampment.
- But I was living there. - Control your client.
The fact is, the tent was not the defendant's residence.
He has a dorm room.
He had been sleeping in the tent
for the last couple of weeks. - Illegally.
And the court, in Morillo v. City of New York,
ruled that a trespasser has no legitimate
expectation of privacy.
He has not been charged with trespassing.
The police should have sought a search warrant.
This was a chaotic situation.
Sealing off the tent and getting a warrant
would have been impossible.
I find the defendant had a reasonable expectation
of privacy in his tent.
Motion is granted.
That sweatshirt was our only way to tie Norton to the scene.
Can't the housekeeper put him there?
She didn't see his face.
What about the video?
I looked over all the video from near the crime scene,
and Norton isn't identifiable in any of it.
Where was he before he got to Bennett's house?
Right here, the encampment.
When was this taken?
Time stamp says 8:22 a.m.
Which means he left the campus about a half an hour
before the murder.
Who's that? Have we talked to her?
Did you see him that day?
We walked together for a few blocks.
What did you guys talk about?
The plight of the Palestinians.
Where'd you leave him?
Around 136th and Saint Nicholas.
That's--that's one block from the Bennetts' house.
Do you remember what he was wearing?
A sweatshirt with a watermelon logo on the sleeve.
I'm gonna need you to testify.
I'm from Venezuela.
It's okay if you're undocumented.
We don't report--
I'm here on a student visa.
The school warned us, if we take part in the encampments,
we could lose our scholarship, get suspended,
or even be expelled.
And if that happens, I'll be deported.
Please, don't make me testify.
Thank you.
I don't understand where you're coming from, Sam.
Daniela Rojas is the only person
who can put Norton near the crime scene.
We have the doorbell video
and the housekeeper's testimony.
That's good, but it's only useful
to corroborate Daniela's testimony.
Plus, she can identify the sweatshirt.
So she needs to testify.
No, she's here on a student visa, Nolan.
Look, if she testifies, she's gonna have to admit
that she was part of the encampment.
And she-- she could get expelled,
and that means she could get deported.
I know you have sympathy for the protesters.
Yeah, I do.
But this has nothing to do with that.
I'm just trying to be reasonable.
Look, why ruin a kid's life if we don't have to?
I will do my best to protect her on cross.
But she is the one who chose to protest
and to camp out after her school prohibited it.
Are you serious?
She chose to violate her school's code of conduct.
That's on her, not us.
Miss Rojas, is this a photograph
of you and the defendant leaving the campus together?
Yes, I was going to my job at the library.
And you parted ways a block from the Bennetts' home?
- Yes. - At what time?
About 8:30, 8:35.
That is a few minutes before the murder.
Could you describe what the defendant was wearing?
A gray sweatshirt with a watermelon logo.
Thank you. Nothing further.
You participated in the protest, didn't you?
Objection, relevance.
Overruled.
Yes, I was a part of the protest.
And as a result, you're facing
expulsion from school and deportation from this country?
I am.
Ms. Maroun showed up at the 11th hour and asked you
to testify, didn't she,
after she realized the people were losing their case?
Objection, inflammatory. Misleading, no foundation.
Overruled, it's fair game.
Ms. Maroun offered to help you with your visa,
and in exchange, you agreed to make up a story
and place my client near the crime scene.
Isn't that what happened?
Objection, Miss Rojas's issues with immigration
are the consequence of her participation in this trial,
not the other way around.
Overruled.
Are you or are you not hoping
that these prosecutors will help you stay in school
and remain in this country?
I mean, that would be great if they could help.
That's all I have.
Thank you.
Brief redirect.
Miss Rojas, has any member of the prosecution team
offered you any promises, inducements, or rewards
in exchange for your testimony here today?
No.
In fact, I'm pretty sure you just screwed me.
Miss Rojas.
I'm just telling the truth.
Nothing further.
Let's talk to Bennett again.
I wanna go over her testimony one more time.
The most important thing is to tell the jury
about your conversation with Norton.
Um, well, it was short and sweet.
I told him I was withdrawing my offer
because I disagreed with his anti-Israeli activism.
And how did he respond?
He was very confused. He was angry.
He said he had the right to express any opinions he wanted.
He cited the First Amendment and all.
And I agreed, of course, and said,
that doesn't mean that I don't have the right
to withdraw his offer.
We're also gonna be playing his voicemail,
the one stating that he was planning
to come to your house.
So we'll need you to authenticate his voice.
As for cross, the defense attorney is pretty aggressive,
so if there's anything--
You don't really need me to testify.
Excuse me?
You can introduce most of the evidence without me.
No.
You're the only one who knows that you revoked
his job offer, which was the basis for his anger,
for his rage.
So without your testimony, none of this will make sense.
Sorry, I'm confused.
I'm not going to testify.
We are counting on you.
Like I just said, we will have a hard time
winning this without you.
I'm not going to testify.
Now, please leave.
We got a problem.
Bennett is refusing to testify.
What?
Why?
She didn't explain, but she's serious.
She kicked us out of her damn house.
You wanna subpoena her?
The defense will have a field day.
They'll make a huge deal out of the fact that we--
we had to compel the victim's own wife to testify?
Can you win without her?
I'm not sure.
Let me look into it.
Thanks for meeting me, Wendy.
Sounded urgent.
Have you spoken with Madeline recently?
Well, I talk with her every day.
We had dinner last night.
I need to know what the hell's going on,
why she's refusing to testify.
I know I'm asking you to betray her confidence.
But we need her.
We can't win this case without her.
I can't imagine you wanna see
Charlie Bennett's killer walk free.
One way or another, we are gonna put her on the stand.
And it'll be better for everyone, including Madeline,
if we're prepared.
But we can't prepare if we don't know
what the hell she's gonna say.
She had a ski accident a few years ago.
People will understand, Madeline.
Millions of people are battling an opioid addiction--
bankers, doctors, judges.
If I testify, I lose my job.
I lose my reputation.
And if you don't, the man who murdered your husband
could walk free.
And I can't let that happen.
I know that I'm the reason
that Charlie is dead.
I have to live with that every single day, every single day.
Nothing I do is gonna change that.
Nick, nothing.
But my career, well, that's all I have left.
It's the only good thing in my life.
Please don't take that away from me.
I was hoping this wouldn't be necessary.
You've been served.
Hey, Nick.
Nick, can I have a word?
Morning, Mr. Mayor.
Hop in.
You've been thrown a lot of curveballs the past few months.
But, uh, doing a great job.
I appreciate that, Mr. Mayor. That means a lot.
Let me give you a piece of advice.
Okay.
Always keep the big picture in mind.
Madeline Bennett has been a good judge.
She's done great things for this city.
She is a dedicated, competent jurist,
and her decisions have always held up on appeal.
She told you about her situation?
She knows we all share a common interest,
the good of the city.
We need her to testify.
Nick, this is bigger than any one case.
If her addiction is revealed, her cases will be overturned
and hundreds of dangerous felons will be released--
terrorists, drug traffickers, child pornography--
That is not relevant to this case.
Well, of course it is.
Put her on the stand,
you'll win the battle but lose the war.
Sorry, guys.
There's been a change of plans.
What do you mean?
Call defense counsel and offer a plea.
Man one.
Well, wait.
You just served her with a subpoena.
Nick, we can win this.
We just need Madeline to testify.
That's not a realistic alternative at the moment.
With all due respect, what the hell is going on, Nick?
Things have changed.
Since last night?
- I did some more thinking-- - And what? You--
You're trying to protect Bennett?
You're trying to keep her from getting destroyed in the press?
This has nothing to do with me protecting Bennett.
You know, one of our witnesses, Daniela Rojas,
didn't wanna testify, either, but we compelled her
to take the stand, and because of that,
she has been thrown out of school,
and she may very well be kicked out of the damn country.
But we did what we had to do for the good of the case.
But when a judge refuses to testify, we...
we what, what?
We--we look the other way?
We give her a free pass?
I'm doing what I think is best
for the people of this city, the people I serve.
Make the deal.
Everyone settle, please. Settle.
You may proceed with the allocution.
Mr. Norton, is it true that on September 10, 2024,
you beat Charles Bennett with a golf club, causing his death?
Yes.
Please tell the court what happened.
I went to see Judge Bennett to talk about why
she revoked my job offer.
- You were upset? - Yes.
I feel really strongly about Gaza,
and I thought I was being punished for my beliefs.
And when you arrived at the Bennetts' home,
Professor Bennett wouldn't let you in.
He said his wife wasn't home.
I didn't believe him.
So I pushed my way in, and he punched me.
So I grabbed a golf club and started swinging it at him.
Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty
and for no other reason?
Yes.
I realize what I did was wrong.
And I'm willing to accept the consequences.
I wish to God I never did this.
I'm so sorry.
I really am.
What's the joint sentencing recommendation?
That the sentence be reduced to manslaughter
and the defendant serve 12 years in state prison.
I'll accept that.
Mr. Norton, you will be sentenced
to 12 years in state prison in six weeks,
when we reconvene for sentencing.
This court is adjourned.
You're a sellout, Price.
Thank you, Nick.
I really appreciate what you did for me.
I didn't do it for you.