Law & Order 13x13

1. In the criminal justice system

2. the people are represented

3. by two separate yet equally important groups:

4. the police, who investigate crime

5. and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

6. These are their stories.

7. So, what do you think?

8. Excuse me.

9. Burritos? Greek?

10. There's that Spanish place.

11. El Faro's?

12. The one on Carmine.

13. Oh, I'm not in the tapas state of mind.

14. Hey, what about that Thai joint we always go to?

15. Thisis the problem with New York:

16. too much choice.

17. You know, you should have...

18. Oh, my God, what was that?

19. Hey! Call 9-1-1.

20. Oh, my God, Robby...

21. Be careful!

22. Oh, my God!

23. Dina!

24. We need you to come down and look at some pictures.

25. Okay, but like we said...

26. Hey, you never know.

27. Something might jog your memory.

28. Did they I.D. the shooter?

29. Ah, too dark, it all happened so fast, et cetera.

30. Ah, he's about six feet, dark hair, dark complexion.

31. Black, white, Hispanic, what?

32. Italian, Greek, Armenian, who knows?

33. What about the witness?

34. He must have gotten a good look.

35. Glen Fordyce.

36. He's visiting from Chicago, and that's about all I got.

37. He's still in shock.

38. What do we know about the dead guy?

39. That's Josh Baker, 53.

40. He's the proprietor.

41. Oh, there's his daughter right there.

42. We're very sorry about your dad.

43. Thank you.

44. Listen, I'm sorry to trouble you,

45. but we're going to need a list of all the things

46. that were stolen so we can check pawn shops,

47. fences, et cetera.

48. I can do that for you in the morning.

49. He wouldn't have put up a fight.

50. He always said, "Just give it up.

51. It's not worth it."

52. So why?

53. Sometimes they worry about witnesses.

54. What about the customer?

55. He's on his way to surgery.

56. We're actually hoping that he can I.D. the shooter.

57. Would you tell him how sorry I am?

58. Yeah.

59. Two or three at chest, point blank.

60. That's nine millimeter. Any prints?

61. Not a lot.

62. It's closing time.

63. He must have just finished

64. wiping the counter down back here.

65. Who knows? He left a few pieces behind.

66. Maybe we'll get lucky.

67. Yeah, and if our witness lives through his surgery,

68. we'll all hit the lottery.

69. Captioning sponsored by UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION

70. It's a business trip, and I finished early,

71. so I figured I'd stop and pick something up for my wife.

72. How's the owner?

73. Mr. Baker didn't make it.

74. See, that's what you get for being a nice guy...

75. going out of your way.

76. What do you mean, Mr. Fordyce?

77. Well, he was closing up, and he... let me stay and browse

78. 'cause he knew I was heading to Chicago in the morning.

79. And then this punk...

80. They don't make morphine like they used to.

81. Thanks.

82. Anyway, this kid rings the buzzer,

83. and since I was already there,

84. I guess he figured what the hell,

85. he'd help out two prodigal husbands.

86. Can you describe him?

87. Early twenties.

88. Uh, skinny.

89. Had curly, dark hair.

90. He had... a dark complexion.

91. Black, white?

92. Not black.

93. Hard to tell.

94. Uh, Hispanic

95. Middle Eastern.

96. Gypsy, maybe.

97. He had some kind of accent.

98. A foreign accent?

99. I'm all for your huddled masses

100. yearning to breathe free and all,

101. but sometimes...

102. makes you wonder who's watching the door.

103. Do you think you could pick his face out of a book?

104. Whatever you need, I'm here for you.

105. Good. Thank you.

106. Thanks.

107. Now, all we need is a pawn broker

108. who's as accommodating as Mr. Baker was.

109. Pawn broker? Let's start in the Village, move north.

110. Oh, come on, man.

111. 300 for this old, beat-up, no-account guitar?

112. Hey, sorry, no discounts.

113. You sure you don't have something more... exciting?

114. Exciting? Uh, like what?

115. Oh, something... special.

116. You know, private stock?

117. Yeah. Uh...

118. I just got these babies in.

119. (whistles) Right off the boat, if you know what I mean.

120. Estate sale.

121. What, somebody died?

122. Wow, now you're talking.

123. Look, you put these earrings together,

124. I'll give you a price.

125. How about I take the whole lot?

126. You buy in bulk and save.

127. Hell, I-I... I didn't know the stuff was hot, I swear.

128. Yeah, I didn't know either.

129. Let's consult with an expert.

130. Ed, want to take a look at these?

131. Ah, crap, man, what are you guys, Starsky and Hutch?

132. Ding-ding, we got a match.

133. Looks like you're closed for the day, pal.

134. Well, what's the pawnbroker have to say for himself?

135. "I never saw him before."

136. Of course.

137. His log book?

138. Illegible. Isn't it always?

139. And I'll bet he neglected to ask for I.D.

140. Completely slipped his mind,

141. but he did give us the same description

142. as Fordyce— dark, curly hair, skinny, six foot, accent.

143. Hey, we got a hit

144. on a print from the store off a bracelet he left behind.

145. Uh, Eddie Travandze.

146. 28, six-foot, dark hair, brown eyes.

147. BCI's sending over a photo.

148. And what's his claim to fame?

149. Oh, B and E, possession of burglary tools.

150. He did 18 months upstate.

151. Travandze? What is that?

152. Ah, it says here he's from Georgia.

153. So, his foreign accent was Southern?

154. No. Georgia, like in Russia.

155. You know, Soviet Union.

156. Is there a last known?

157. Yeah. 125 Delancy.

158. See ya.

159. When's the last time you saw your husband?

160. (heavy accent): Who knows? He left.

161. Doesn't live here no more.

162. Oh, yeah? Why are all his clothes

163. still in the closet?

164. I told you. He left.

165. Girlfriend floozy.

166. I tell him to get the hell out

167. or else I do like Mrs. Bobbit— snip, snip.

168. This floozy— you know where we can find her?

169. No ideas.

170. Officer, would you mind sitting here

171. with Ms. Travandze for a while?

172. Disgusting.

173. Worse than KGB!

174. Pigs!

175. Get the hell out!

176. Don't you love innocent bystanders?

177. Police!

178. I don't know nothing.

179. Actually, we'll be the judge of that.

180. I'm out of work as it is.

181. I don't need trouble.

182. We're here to prevent trouble, Mr., uh...

183. Yeats. Timmy Yeats.

184. I don't need this.

185. I really don't.

186. We just got a few questions about Mr. Travandze.

187. Who did he kill?

188. Now, why would you say that?

189. Them Georgians.

190. Worse than Ukes.

191. They're a crazy breed, know what I'm saying?

192. Screaming all the time like there's no tomorrow.

193. What, screaming at each other?

194. Him at her. Her at him.

195. Both of them at me.

196. You know any of his friends?

197. Me? Nah.

198. All right, man, so when we see Eddie,

199. we'll give him your regards.

200. Okay. Okay.

201. There's this bar in the East Village.

202. Eddie dragged me there on a couple of occasions

203. for some cheap vodka.

204. Called Borka's... Borzoi's... something... on St. Mark's.

205. Real dump.

206. When he's not beating the wife,

207. he's down there swapping lies with the other Cossacks.

208. I know the place.

209. Eduard Travandze?

210. Never heard of him.

211. That was a rhetorical question, smart ass.

212. Go away.

213. You're under arrest.

214. For what?

215. Armed robbery and murder.

216. Maybe he doesn't understand English, Ed.

217. You got the wrong guy.

218. Stand up.

219. Go to hell.

220. Hey, any of you guys want to join your friend,

221. there's plenty of room at Rikers.

222. I guess they understood that.

223. Yeah, Rikers is Rikers in any language.

224. You probably heard this before, too.

225. You have the right to remain silent.

226. Anything you say can and will be used against you

227. in a court of law.

228. Dasvidanya.

229. That's him.

230. Number four.

231. You're positive?

232. Yep, he's the one who sold me the stuff.

233. Definitely.

234. Thank you, Mr. Krakow.

235. Can I go, uh, home now?

236. Yeah. We're going to have an officer escort you.

237. Uh, we have a, uh, a bargain, right?

238. Now, that sounds interesting.

239. Look, I'm a stand-up guy.

240. I told you I'd come in

241. pick the guy out, so, uh...

242. And what did they promise you?

243. A hot cup of coffee.

244. Officer?

245. If that's who you're hanging your case on,

246. you're wasting everyone's time.

247. If you don't have anything better than a witness

248. with a lot to gain by perjuring himself,

249. my work here is done.

250. Sorry I'm late.

251. It's easier to get through customs

252. than check out of a hospital.

253. I'm sorry, Mr. Finnerty. It looks like you

254. might have to put in a couple more hours

255. on behalf of your client.

256. Yeah. Your client used Mr. Fordyce for target practice.

257. Detective Briscoe says you have fingerprints

258. and another witness?

259. There's no such thing as too much evidence.

260. Good. I wouldn't want this mutt to get away.

261. Hey... Save it for the courtroom, Counselor.

262. Let's get this over with.

263. Take your time, now.

264. No need. Number four.

265. I'll never forget that face as long as I live.

266. Docket number 274691.

267. People v. Eduard Travandze.

268. Charges are murder in the first degree,

269. attempted murder in the first degree,

270. robbery in the first degree.

271. That's a pretty good trifecta, Mr. Travandze.

272. What have you got to say for yourself?

273. You got the wrong guy.

274. I assume that's a not guilty.

275. Not at all guilty.

276. That's a first. Counselor?

277. The defendant killed

278. one man and wounded another

279. during the course of an armed robbery...

280. You had me at "killed," Ms. Southerlyn.

281. The defendant's remanded

282. without bail.

283. Next.

284. I figure murder two, assault one, served concurrently.

285. Feeling generous this morning, are we?

286. His lawyer's bringing coffee.

287. He's been like that for 20 minutes.

288. Maybe Travandze likes vodka for breakfast.

289. Do as I say, okay?

290. I said no, okay?

291. No plea bargain!

292. Don't mind us.

293. I'm sorry to waste your time, but it seems my client

294. is hell-bent on having his day in court.

295. You explained the consequences of a guilty verdict?

296. Needle and all.

297. I go to prison one time.

298. I not go back. Never.

299. I don't think that's an issue here, Mr. Travandze.

300. Your choice is between life in prison or the death penalty.

301. Screw you! It wasn't me!

302. You were ID'ed by the pawnbroker and the other customer you shot.

303. Mistaken identity.

304. I got jewels from guy in bar.

305. He sold to me.

306. I don't know where he get from.

307. Please don't insult my intelligence

308. with a fairy tale like that.

309. Last time I do nothing wrong,

310. son of bitch lawyer says take deal.

311. Not again.

312. I know rights.

313. Most people looking at this kind of evidence

314. would take a deal and run.

315. I take chances in court instead.

316. I believe in jury system.

317. This guy was waiting outside my store

318. when I came in that morning,

319. in a real hurry to sell me some jewelry.

320. I see.

321. Did you buy it?

322. Yeah. Yeah, of course.

323. That's my business.

324. And the person who sold you this jewelry,

325. do you see him in the courtroom today?

326. Yeah, he's over there.

327. The defendant.

328. These items which have already been labeled People's Two

329. through Eleven...

330. are they the pieces that you bought from the defendant?

331. Yeah.

332. Yeah, that's them.

333. How much did you pay for the lot?

334. $550 cash.

335. Thank you.

336. You knew that these pieces were stolen?

337. Uh, I run my business like the army—

338. don't ask, don't tell.

339. In fact, the District Attorney indicted you

340. for receiving stolen property.

341. in connection with this case, didn't he?

342. I, uh, have...

343. charges pending, yeah.

344. Did they promise

345. to drop those charges

346. if you testify against my client?

347. No, they didn't.

348. But you have hopes, don't you?

349. If you cooperate...

350. Objection.

351. Withdrawn.

352. Dad— I mean my father— kept careful records

353. of every piece of inventory in the store for insurance.

354. Are any of the items labeled People's Two through Eleven

355. listed in that ledger?

356. Uh, all of them.

357. The pearl necklace,

358. the, uh... gold bracelet...

359. Do you know what all this is worth?

360. That bastard killed my father for maybe $5,000.

361. I'm very sorry for your loss, Ms. Baker.

362. (sarcastically): Thank you.

363. You said Exhibits Two through Eleven were worth

364. collectively about $5,000,

365. is that correct?

366. About.

367. So it's not what you'd call

368. top of the line jewelry?

369. Isn't it highly unlikely

370. that your father is the only jeweler in town

371. who would sell these kind of pieces?

372. I know what you're doing.

373. Ms. Baker?

374. Those pieces came from my father's store.

375. Please, Ms. Baker, answer the question.

376. No.

377. Other people sell this kind of jewelry, too.

378. Thank you.

379. Next witness, Mr. McCoy.

380. Approach, Your Honor.

381. The People request a recess, Your Honor.

382. What seems to be

383. the problem, Mr. McCoy?

384. Our final witness,

385. Mr. Glen Fordyce, is coming in from Chicago.

386. His plane must have been delayed.

387. Is he essential to your case?

388. Crucial, Your Honor.

389. Victim and eyewitness.

390. My client is entitled to a speedy trial.

391. Relax, Mr. Finnerty.

392. I'll see everybody bright-eyed

393. and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning.

394. Yes, Your Honor.

395. Jack.

396. Fordyce never got on the plane.

397. Well, get him on the red-eye.

398. We need him here tomorrow morning.

399. I can't. He's gone.

400. What do you mean gone?

401. Her called his office,

402. said he needed to take some time off.

403. That he and his wife

404. were going on a car trip.

405. A car trip? Unbelievable.

406. Well, they got to eat, sleep.

407. Run their credit cards.

408. I did. So far they haven't used them.

409. There's something else.

410. Travandz's uncle's doing life in Otisville.

411. The Russian mob.

412. What do you mean, disappeared?

413. Ask defense counsel.

414. Are you implying I had something to do with this?

415. I'm not implying anything.

416. I'm saying it outright.

417. You, your client, somebody got to my witness.

418. No wonder Mr. Travandze has such faith

419. in the jury system.

420. You have proof of this, Counselor?

421. If something's happened

422. to Mr. Fordyce,

423. if you had anything to do with it,

424. you'll be looking at conspiracy to commit murder charges,

425. in addition to witness tampering.

426. You just better hope

427. that Mr. Fordyce is still alive and well.

428. I need two weeks, Your Honor.

429. So do I. In Vermont.

430. Do you have any more witnesses.

431. No, Your Honor.

432. Fine.

433. Then let's see if we can put an end

434. to this proceeding ASAP.

435. This is ridiculous!

436. Your witness, you job

437. to put him on the stand.

438. Go ahead, Mr. McCoy, charge me with conspiracy, too.

439. Have you reached a verdict?

440. We have.

441. On the first count of the indictment,

442. murder in the first degree,

443. how do you find?

444. We find the defendant... not guilty.

445. On the second count of the indictment,

446. attempt to commit murder in the first degree,

447. how do you find?

448. We find the defendant not guilty.

449. On the third count of the indictment,

450. robbery in the first degree,

451. how do you find?

452. We find the defendant not guilty.

453. You don't seriously suspect the Russian mob?

454. A key witness doesn't just conveniently

455. disappear, Arthur.

456. Especially one who has chance

457. to put the man who shot him behind bars.

458. What'd you find out?

459. The Chicago Police pulled Fordyce's LUDs

460. searched his apartment.

461. His clothes, his wife's clothes— all gone.

462. Maybe your boy just got a bad case of stage fright.

463. I don't think so.

464. His prints in his apartment

465. matched someone named Levi March.

466. He has a record.

467. For killing Abby Sherman.

468. You know who he is?

469. Think that's possible after all these years?

470. Why not?

471. Everybody's got to be somewhere.

472. What are we talking about?

473. Glen Fordyce is the Griffin.

474. Well, if he is the Griffin, he sure as hell doesn't want

475. his kisser in a courtroom.

476. Why are you calling him the Griffin?

477. That's what he called himself.

478. The Griffin.

479. A mythical beast, half dragon, half lion.

480. Levi March.

481. Gadfly, media maven

482. ladies man extraordinaire.

483. Who skipped bail after murdering his girlfriend 20 years ago.

484. In 1983, the Griffin was front-page news.

485. Every era has its gurus.

486. So this is all that we have.

487. He killed his girlfriend Abby Sherman.

488. Beat her to death with a blunt object.

489. Allegedly.

490. No, he did it.

491. The jury said so.

492. I thought he skipped bail.

493. He did.

494. He was tried in absentia.

495. That doesn't happen often, does it?

496. Well, the Sherman family had connections.

497. They knew a sympathetic judge

498. that they thought would give them some closure.

499. Well, shouldn't you be turning this over to Cold Cases?

500. Well, Branch figured since he actually met the man...

501. Always thinking of others, your boss.

502. The original detective on the case was Will Ashman.

503. He retired in '94.

504. Will Ashman?

505. Oh, you're going to love this one.

506. March, supposed to be a real lady-killer right?

507. What the broads saw

508. in the pudgy little son of a bitch I'll never know.

509. That's what makes them broads, right, Lennie?

510. I'm with you, Will.

511. So did this girl that March killed...

512. Nice kid.

513. Kind of your girl next door.

514. Cuter than a bug's ear.

515. Lennie knows the type.

516. I used to.

517. I don't know what she was doing

518. with a creep like March.

519. Finally, she gets fed up.

520. Tells him she's dumping him, blah, blah...

521. He flips.

522. Bashes her head in with a champagne bottle,

523. bricks up her bod

524. behind the fireplace in his apartment.

525. Place smells worse than a Cambodian kitchen.

526. Finally, the landlord calls the cops.

527. So why would a judge let a man like that

528. out on bail?

529. It's hard to say no

530. when you ask for a cool mill up front,

531. and they write you out a check on the spot.

532. I didn't know March had that kind of money.

533. His old man.

534. Levi never worked a day in his life.

535. That's the last we hear of him until about ten years ago.

536. We get this anonymous tip that he's shacked up

537. with some local talent up in Montreal.

538. So... we strap on our snowshoes,

539. go up there, make nice with the Mounties,

540. raid the place.

541. Missed the little nudnick by a nose hair.

542. Will's what you'd call old school.

543. You mean prehistoric?

544. Hello.

545. But entertaining in a Neanderthal sort of way.

546. Hey, Fordyce has a '91 Chevy Camaro.

547. A little extra horsepower helps when you're on the run.

548. Yeah, spell it out.

549. All right, cool.

550. It was registered under Mr. and Mrs. Fordyce,

551. but the wife's driver's license

552. has the name Anne-Marie Gautreaux.

553. And you're thinking she's the local talent from Montreal?

554. Mm-hmm.

555. Montreal faxed us the driver's license photos

556. of all 145 Anne-Marie Gautreauxs in the province.

557. A Chicago neighbor picked one as Mrs. Fordyce.

558. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean

559. they've gone back to Canada.

560. On the other hand,

561. they left in a hurry without any time to make plans.

562. They might have looked up her family.

563. And all the cash they had

564. was the couple hundred they got from the ATM.

565. I know where my kid comes

566. when she's running on empty.

567. Au revoir.

568. I take it you still haven't located Monsieur March.

569. Well, until a few days ago

570. they were living in Chicago

571. under the name Fordyce.

572. And he disappeared?

573. We're thinking maybe he paid a visit to his in-laws.

574. That'd be difficult.

575. They were killed six months ago

576. in an automobile accident.

577. Well, living under an assumed identity

578. and not able to get in touch,

579. there's a chance Anne-Marie didn't hear about her folks.

580. She have any other family?

581. Sister.

582. She was here the day before yesterday.

583. Was she alone?

584. Yeah, all alone.

585. Did she say where her husband is?

586. We don't talk about him.

587. He's not welcome in this house.

588. You know where she is now?

589. No!

590. No. I swear.

591. Did she say where she was going?

592. When she left,

593. she was very upset.

594. About what?

595. Our parents.

596. She didn't know.

597. I had no way to reach her.

598. She was...

599. She still in Montreal?

600. I think so.

601. We... As far as I know.

602. If you should hear from Anne-Marie,

603. if she gets tired of running,

604. ask her to give us a call.

605. We can call New York and make a deal.

606. Uh, she won't be prosecuted.

607. Mademoiselle Gautreaux?

608. Oui.

609. Gabrielle Simone, Anne-Marie's attorney.

610. I might have known.

611. A lawyer's a lawyer anywhere in the world.

612. And so's a cop. Let's cut to the chase.

613. Since Anne-Marie is totally innocent

614. of any crimes.

615. Let's not forget harboring a fugitive.

616. Oh, I get it, you're the straight man.

617. My sister said that I

618. wouldn't be charged with anything.

619. And you won't if you tell us

620. where your husband is.

621. I don't know if I can do this.

622. He's not getting away

623. this time, Mrs. Fordyce.

624. It's a lot harder to cross borders

625. than it used to be.

626. It would be better for him

627. if you tell us where he is.

628. Otherwise, some other cops get to him...

629. You never know what could happen.

630. He could wind up dead.

631. Anne-Marie will tell you

632. where her husband is

633. if you give her immunity, plus

634. she won't testify against him,

635. not under any circumstances.

636. It's not a problem.

637. We want it in writing

638. from the district attorney.

639. You can get that.

640. So when are you due?

641. Three months.

642. Is that why you decided

643. to give it up after all these years?

644. It's too hard.

645. I love Glen, but... I'm tired.

646. This is no way to live.

647. My sister got married.

648. I missed the wedding.

649. She's got two kids I've never met.

650. My parents died...

651. and I didn't even know.

652. I missed their funeral.

653. I'm not a criminal.

654. I shouldn't have to live like one.

655. How do you say

656. "We're screwed" in French?

657. I guess that's how.

658. He's on the fire escape.

659. Aw... I thought griffins could fly.

660. You want to do the honors?

661. Avec plaisir.

662. March is on a plane back to New York as we speak.

663. They've already picked out a room for him in Attica.

664. Wait a minute. Aren't we skipping a step?

665. March was tried and convicted, Serena.

666. I just assumed there'd be a new trial.

667. Yup.

668. I thought this office was serious

669. about due process, Jack.

670. And we are.

671. He was represented by very able counsel.

672. Who is sitting in the conference room

673. as we speak.

674. Two words— kangaroo court.

675. Evidence was presented.

676. Witnesses testified.

677. You represented him

678. if memory serves.

679. I was young. I was naive.

680. And now?

681. I'm old enough to realize just how naive I was

682. for letting the state proceed with that farce.

683. This is a municipal building, Marvin.

684. Heil, McCoy.

685. So what do you say?

686. We call it... man two?

687. Time served?

688. What time?

689. 20 years

690. Levi had to deny his own existence.

691. He could have turned himself in.

692. For something he didn't do.

693. Heil to you, too.

694. Murder two, 25.

695. He's 55 years old.

696. That's a life sentence.

697. And Abby Sherman

698. would be 45 if she'd lived

699. if Levi March hadn't killed her.

700. You know, I was hoping you'd take this position.

701. Now I get to correct the mistake I made 20 years ago.

702. What's done cannot be undone, Marvin.

703. Oh, yes, it can.

704. That's what appellate courts are for.

705. It is well established

706. that in all criminal proceedings the accused has the right,

707. guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment,

708. to be, and I quote, "confronted with the witnesses against him."

709. Similarly, the Due Process Clause

710. of the 14th Amendment implicitly guarantees a defendant the right

711. to a fair and impartial trial.

712. That's all very interesting,

713. but you're appealing a decision rendered over 20 years ago.

714. The last I looked, this state required

715. notice of appeal within 60 days of a verdict.

716. With all due respect, Your Honor,

717. cart before the horse.

718. If the original trial was unconstitutional,

719. there was no verdict.

720. Always the clever one, Mr. Silverman.

721. Thank you, Your Honors.

722. InDavis v. Alaska, the Supreme Court held

723. that the essence of the right of confrontation

724. was the right to cross-examine.

725. That right was certainly not denied the defendant,

726. in that he was represented

727. more than competently by present counsel.

728. Within limits.

729. He can't very well advise counsel

730. on his own defense when he's not in the courtroom.

731. Mr. March waived his right

732. to advise counsel when he failed to turn up for his trial.

733. Doesn'tCrosby v. United Statespreclude

734. trial in absentia when the defendant flees

735. before proceedings commence?

736. Mr. March was in custody under indictment at the time

737. he fled the jurisdiction.

738. It was his choice not to participate

739. in subsequent legal proceedings.

740. Nobody at the time,

741. including counsel, objected.

742. The People should not be penalized now, 20 years later.

743. How could you have lost?

744. He killed my sister.

745. We already proved it in court.

746. Appellate courts look at the law, Mrs. Carmody,

747. not the people it affects.

748. This has been going on for 20 years.

749. It's ruined my family.

750. It killed my parents, literally.

751. We convicted him once.

752. I'm confident we'll convict him again.

753. I hope so.

754. Good night.

755. Night.

756. You that sanguine?

757. 'Course not.

758. A 20-year-old case?

759. Evidence goes astray, witnesses die.

760. You wouldn't want it to be too easy, would you?

761. Detective Ashman.

762. Remembers it like it was yesterday.

763. Mr. and Mrs. Sherman, both dead.

764. Thomas Styner?

765. A neighbor. He died last year.

766. Trish Tippens?

767. Abby Sherman's best friend.

768. She moved to Europe after the first trial.

769. You know, it's a shame, too, because Mrs. Sherman

770. testified that Abby told her

771. that she was going to leave Levi because she came home

772. and found him in bed with her friend Trish.

773. There's a quote: "I'm leaving him

774. although I'm afraid he might kill me if I do."

775. There's your motive.

776. We'll read Mrs. Sherman's testimony into evidence

777. and between that, the detective's testimony

778. and forensics, Levi March will go to prison

779. for the rest of his life.

780. I was just a kid

781. when Abby moved in with Levi.

782. What did your family think of Mr. March?

783. He was okay.

784. He and my dad

785. would talk politics.

786. Levi was always on the news

787. so it was like we had a celebrity in the family.

788. Was your sister happy with Mr. March?

789. At first,

790. but then I started to notice

791. how he'd boss her around.

792. At a restaurant, he would tell her what to order.

793. He made her wear certain clothes.

794. Things like that.

795. He was a control freak.

796. Did she ever complain?

797. It was a family tradition to go skating

798. in Central park every New Year's Day

799. until Abby met Levi, that is.

800. That year, Levi wouldn't let Abby go.

801. He didn't know how to skate,

802. so that was it— Abby couldn't go.

803. So, after we were done, we dropped by

804. their apartment.

805. Abby was alone.

806. She was crying.

807. Did she tell you why?

808. My dad took me for a walk while Abby talked to Mom.

809. I found out afterwards— he'd hit her.

810. A couple of months later, she was dead.

811. Did you see Levi March hit your sister?

812. No.

813. Did she ever tell you

814. he'd hit her?

815. No.

816. Tell me, Mrs. Carmody, was there ever a time

817. when you saw your mother cry?

818. Of course.

819. Did your father kill her?

820. Do you know

821. what that man did to our family?

822. A crying girlfriend.

823. A disagreement about a family outing.

824. A hearsay story

825. about someone hitting someone else.

826. Not exactly evidence of murder, is it?

827. That bastard

828. killed Abby!

829. Your Honor.

830. We get your point, Mr. Silverman.

831. At this time, Your Honor,

832. the People would like to read into evidence

833. the testimony of Mrs. Vera Sherman.

834. Chambers, Judge.

835. Hearsay, best evidence, take your pick.

836. The witness is deceased, Your Honor.

837. Who's your witness?

838. The victim's mother.

839. She testified at the first trial

840. that Abby Sherman had told her

841. that she was scared

842. the defendant would kill her

843. if she tried to leave.

844. Sworn testimony is admissible

845. if the witness is

846. unavailable for trial.

847. You're forgetting, Jack.

848. According to the Appellate Division, that trial

849. was an unconstitutional violation of my client's rights.

850. Ergo the verdict was void.

851. Ergo, the trial never took place.

852. Ergo, Mrs. Sherman

853. never testified.

854. That is absurd.

855. Defense counsel's welcome to read

856. his own cross- examination

857. of the witness from the first trial

858. into evidence if he likes.

859. What witness?

860. I don't see a witness.

861. I don't either.

862. As far as I'm concerned, that transcript doesn't exist.

863. The neighbors complained

864. about a stink.

865. What did you do?

866. We searched the place.

867. It stunk, all right.

868. Could you describe the smell?

869. Sure.

870. Smelled like death and peppermint.

871. Objection.

872. Is the witness an expert in the olfactory sciences?

873. I'm an expert in dead bodies and the people who try to hide them.

874. I'll let it go.

875. Thank you, Judge.

876. It turns out, the smell was

877. a combination of air fresheners

878. and decomposing flesh.

879. And this odor was emanating

880. from the Defendant's apartment?

881. His fireplace, to be exact.

882. What did you do?

883. I waited there while my partner got a warrant,

884. and we tore down the wall.

885. What did you find?

886. Human remains.

887. Are these photographs

888. of those human remains?

889. Yes, yes, they are.

890. Could you describe the condition of those remains?

891. Badly decomposed.

892. The body had been dismembered,

893. the skull crushed.

894. Were you subsequently able

895. to identify those remains?

896. Yes.

897. Yes, those of Abby Sherman.

898. Sure, Abby and I had problems.

899. I'm sure all couples do from time to time.

900. Did you ever hit her?

901. Let-let me tell you something.

902. I believe— I truly believe—

903. that each person on this planet has only one true soul mate.

904. Abby and I were born for each other.

905. No, I didn't hit her.

906. And I certainly didn't kill her.

907. When was the last time you saw her?

908. March 12, 1982.

909. We made love on the couch,

910. and I got on a plane for Detroit.

911. Do you remember? There was an autoworkers' strike.

912. I just flew out to lend support for the working man.

913. How long were you out of town?

914. Maybe six weeks.

915. Did you talk to Abby while you were in Detroit?

916. No.

917. She was going the next day to the Navajo reservation

918. where she was doing work at the tribal hospital.

919. And you couldn't reach her?

920. No. In those days, there were no cell phones,

921. and she didn't have

922. an answering machine where she was staying.

923. So, what happened when you got home?

924. I called her parents.

925. They hadn't heard from her.

926. They didn't know where she was, either.

927. Did the apartment smell?

928. I called the super. I complained.

929. He said we had rats. He put out poison.

930. I just assumed that they crawled off

931. and died in the walls.

932. A few days later, Detective Ashman showed up.

933. He took the fireplace apart, and he found her body.

934. And you were shocked?

935. Devastated.

936. I wanted to die.

937. Do you haveanyidea who could have done such a thing?

938. Of course, I do.

939. That's why I ran.

940. I knew I couldn't get a fair trial.

941. They were trying to frame me.

942. Why don't you tell us who did it?

943. Who killed Abby Sherman?

944. Well, what you have to know

945. is that at that time,

946. I was a very high-profile person.

947. I spoke truths a lot of people didn't want to hear.

948. Like what?

949. Like the marriage of corporate America

950. and the American government.

951. Like the conspiracy of greed and power

952. that controls each and every human being on this planet.

953. I spoke the truth back then.

954. People werestartingto listen.

955. Are you saying

956. the American government killed Abby Sherman?

957. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

958. But ifyouwere the problem,

959. ifyouwere such a threat,

960. why didn't they just kill you?

961. They wanted to discredit me.

962. Shut me up.

963. Not make me a martyr.

964. Mr. McCoy?

965. I'm sorry, Your Honor.

966. I just don't know what to say.

967. I've... heard some whoppers on the stand,

968. but this beggars the imagination.

969. Objection.

970. Do you have any questions

971. for this witness, Counselor?

972. The government murdered Abby Sherman?

973. Who was it?

974. The CIA?

975. The FBI?

976. Go ahead.

977. Just mock me, Mr. McCoy.

978. It is the truth.

979. You've got to admit,

980. this is all pretty hard to believe.

981. Why? Why's it so hard

982. to believe?

983. They killed John, didn't they?

984. John Kennedy?

985. John Lennon.

986. So, Mark David Chapman was working for the government?

987. He spent time

988. in a CIA training camp in Beirut

989. where he was blooded.

990. Blooded?

991. Brainwashed.

992. Trained to be a skilled, covertassassin.

993. Are you saying

994. the CIA assassinated John Lennon?

995. He was as dangerous

996. to them as I was.

997. It's so sad.

998. You-you're a part of the conspiracy,

999. and you don't even know it.

1000. You're a dupe, Mr. McCoy.

1001. And you're not?

1002. You know the truth?

1003. That's right. I do.

1004. How, in this world of uncertainty,

1005. can you be so damn sure?

1006. They told me.

1007. Told you? Who told you?

1008. A retired black ops agent.

1009. Black ops?

1010. Illegal, covert operations.

1011. Wet works, assassinations.

1012. The Phoenix Program

1013. in Vietnam.

1014. You remember— "Terminate

1015. withextremeprejudice."

1016. You remember that one, don't you, Mr. McCoy?

1017. And what did this

1018. retired, secret, covert,

1019. black ops assassin tell you?

1020. He called me in Chicago last year

1021. and apologized for killing Abby.

1022. I see.

1023. And for the record,

1024. what was this man's name?

1025. He couldn't tell me.

1026. Classified...

1027. on pain of death.

1028. Oh, please!

1029. Objection.

1030. Withdrawn.

1031. There's a word for people like March.

1032. Let's hope it's "guilty."

1033. Paranoid. Wild theories

1034. without a wisp of fact.

1035. The '97 NBA Conference Finals.

1036. The refs threw out half the Knicks team.

1037. So they'd lose to Miami,

1038. and Miami would lose to the Bulls,

1039. and Michael Jordan would end up in the Finals.

1040. The payday everyone wanted.

1041. You don't believe that, Arthur.

1042. (chuckling): Me? No.

1043. But the fella I get my paper from every morning

1044. is still yapping about it.

1045. It only takes one out of 12, Jack.

1046. Don't I know it.

1047. I just went over the LUDs pulled from March's Chicago phone.

1048. Please don't tell me there was a call from Langley.

1049. No, but there were quite a few to and from

1050. a P. Tippens.

1051. Tippens?

1052. Trish Tippens.

1053. Patricia, the one Abby Sherman caught March in bed with.

1054. I'll tell you what.

1055. It's March's girlfriends who ought to be paranoid.

1056. Actually, I was thinking

1057. more about hiswife.

1058. "Mrs.

1059. 'She told me Levi was cheating on her all the time.'

1060. 'Did she say with whom?'

1061. 'Well, the straw that broke the camel's back

1062. 'was her friend, Trish, Trish Tippens.

1063. 'Abby came home and found Trish and Levi in bed.'"

1064. Judge already said none of this can be used in court.

1065. We're notincourt, Marvin.

1066. I don't-I don't understand.

1067. Who cares about an affair I had 20 years ago?

1068. This is a list of phone calls between your husband

1069. and Patricia Tippens over the past two years.

1070. There are hundreds of them.

1071. If you look closely, you'll see that the area code is 312.

1072. Chicago, isn't it, where you've been living the past two years?

1073. They're all local calls.

1074. Do you really think they were just staying in touch?

1075. Bastard.

1076. You are a pig.

1077. Cochon.

1078. Don't you see, sweetie?

1079. They're setting us up.

1080. I gave up my life for you.

1081. My family. Ten years.

1082. I trusted you.

1083. You never even stopped seeing her, did you?

1084. Even while I'm pregnant,

1085. you were still screwingher.

1086. They're lying, Anne-Marie.

1087. We will talk

1088. about it later.

1089. That's right.

1090. They'realways lying.

1091. Everyone else is always lying.

1092. You're the only one who tells the truth.

1093. Do you know what he told me?

1094. He told me that he killed

1095. that girl, Abby.

1096. That he killed her,

1097. and he put her body in the fireplace.

1098. Anne-Marie...

1099. What are you saying?

1100. I never told you that.

1101. They're married. It's privileged.

1102. No, guess again.

1103. We were never married.

1104. Our marriage is a sham,

1105. a lie...

1106. just like him.

1107. Give us a minute, Jack.

1108. He took Murder Two, the max.

1109. 25 to life?

1110. I would have rolled the dice with the Jury.

1111. You didn't have a Felony Escape charge

1112. hanging over your head,

1113. with sentences to run consecutively.

1114. This way, he has at least

1115. a theoretical chance at parole.

1116. Do you really think he told Anne-Marie

1117. he committed the murder?

1118. I think she proved his point.

1119. This time, finally,

1120. someonewasout to get him.

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