Law & Order 1x17

1. by two separate yet equally important groups:

2. The police, who investigate crime

3. and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.

4. These are their stories.

5. No!

6. ( sobbing ): No!

7. So he missed a lay-up at the buzzer? So what?

8. Ah, it just ticks me off.

9. Some pituitary freak makes more in 40 minutes than I make all year.

10. Who told you life was fair?

11. Oh... another kid.

12. Mother of God.

13. Captioning sponsored by NBC/UNIVERSAL

14. How am I going to tell Denise?

15. How am I going to face her?

16. We'll tell her, ma'am.

17. How old is Andrew?

18. Was.

19. How old was he?

20. 11 months.

21. He never even made it to his birthday.

22. The boy's father?

23. Who knows?

24. Where does Denise work?

25. One of the offices.

26. Columbus Circle.

27. They was roughhousing over by the window.

28. I told Gregory to get away from there.

29. I said, "Put him in his jumper."

30. ( whispers ): sure she's okay

31. Excuse me... Mrs. Winters?

32. Hello?

33. Sorry.

34. Are you Denise Winters?

35. Sit down, please.

36. Mrs. Winters, there's been a shooting.

37. Gregory?

38. He's in the hospital.

39. Last we heard, serious but stable...

40. Wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me go!

41. We'll take you to him, we'll take you to him...

42. But that's not all.

43. What you talking about?

44. Andrew... he's dead.

45. You're lying. You're lying.

46. That's my baby. My baby.

47. No, not my baby.

48. No... no.

49. Not my...

50. Oh, God, no!

51. Six in one week.

52. At this clip, we're going to have

53. a worse infant mortality rate than Ethiopia.

54. Anybody see anything?

55. What do you think?

56. Slugs are from an automatic.

57. That's all we know. They go through the door, hit the wall.

58. They're too deformed for a positive make.

59. You don't have one slug to get a match from?

60. We might get one from the baby.

61. One went right through him.

62. And one is lodged in the base of his neck...

63. they think.

64. How's the older brother doing?

65. Not good.

66. He still hasn't regained consciousness.

67. Mushrooms.

68. What?

69. That's what they call them.

70. It's a video game.

71. You shoot at the centipedes.

72. The mushrooms get in the way of the bullets.

73. A video game.

74. That's hysterical.

75. Give me a break, Max.

76. I didn't make it up.

77. He's a little tired.

78. We're all tired.

79. This thing about drugs?

80. A place gets sprayed with automatic fire, you assume

81. it's not 'cause the stereo's up too loud.

82. Nobody ever has a verbal altercation anymore? You notice that?

83. Good fist fight.

84. Somebody looks at you cockeyed, you whip out a mac-10.

85. Yeah.

86. I got ten bucks says the older brother's a dealer

87. and this is just a payback.

88. Judge Haberman, please.

89. Tell him it's Cragen. Captain Donald Cragen.

90. I need a warrant.

91. Why you always come too late?

92. Excuse me?

93. I say

94. how come the police never there before somebody gets shot?

95. With all due respect, ma'am,

96. how are we supposed to know before somebody starts shooting?

97. Max?

98. Used?

99. Hasn't been cleaned lately, that's for sure.

100. That ain't Gregory's.

101. Belonged to Gregory's daddy.

102. We kept it for protection.

103. Ain't got bullets no more.

104. Yes, ma'am, I understand.

105. But you still need a permit for a handgun.

106. What happened to the bike?

107. What?

108. Had an accident.

109. You guys hang with Gregory Winters?

110. We know Gregory.

111. You see somebody in your building last night,

112. someone who doesn't live here?

113. I look like a doorman?

114. What about you?

115. People come and go.

116. Maybe they dealing.

117. I don't know.

118. Mike, did you say something about dealers?

119. Why else are you asking, then?

120. Because a boy was hurt and his brother was killed.

121. Come on.

122. What did you see?

123. He didn't see nothing.

124. Hey, who's asking you, pal, huh?

125. When I was coming in, this dude was sitting here.

126. Yeah?

127. I never saw him before.

128. What did he look like?

129. He had some tracks on the side

130. and his mouth was all sparked out.

131. That's a checkerboard cut and gold caps on his teeth.

132. Gold caps.

133. Your mom or dad around?

134. You see him, Tonel?

135. What, am I supposed to know everybody in the neighborhood?

136. to a murder. No, just a possible accomplice

137. That's enough. He's only a boy.

138. So were the victims, ma'am.

139. What about the one who ran out?

140. Whoever it was ran him over.

141. He told you that already.

142. Ain't that enough?

143. Do you know what happens to him

144. if those boys on the block think he's a snitch?

145. Let's go.

146. Wait, wait, Tonel. Just a second, all right?

147. If you were looking for a bad guy

148. in your neighborhood, where would you start?

149. You don't have to snitch.

150. We're just talking here.

151. Crack house above the bodega.

152. Which one?

153. 99th and Manhattan.

154. Raise up! Yo! Yo!

155. Raise up! Raise up! Man!

156. Police! Police!

157. Get out of the way! Get out!

158. Don't even breathe!

159. Get your butt in here!

160. Come here, come here, up against the wall!

161. Move it! I said now. Move it, now!

162. Hands behind your head. Behind your head!

163. Spread your legs. Spread your legs.

164. Come on, move it. Let's go!

165. Move towards the window! Spread your legs!

166. Face the window!

167. Mike!

168. Give me your hand.

169. Check out over there.

170. Give me your hand.

171. Max!

172. Yeah?

173. What do you got?

174. You believe this firepower?

175. You guys are so trigger-happy, why don't you join the Army?

176. Nine-millimeter.

177. Nice and clean, hardly a scratch.

178. That was in the boy's neck?

179. Sometimes bullets take a very strange route.

180. This one corkscrewed down into the right lung.

181. We're lucky we found it.

182. So which one was it?

183. Tec-9.

184. Superior spraying power

185. unsurpassed for penetrating steel doors.

186. That's terrific. How good's the match?

187. The slug you got from the Winters kid?

188. Fired from this gun, no question.

189. Prints?

190. Multiples— one set loud and clear.

191. I wasn't there.

192. Your prints were.

193. I got an alibi.

194. Who cares? That's the gun that killed the baby.

195. It's got your fingerprints all over it.

196. Maybe the gun killed him, but not me.

197. Roneld, stupid and tough is a bad combination.

198. Yeah, well, it works for you, man, right?

199. That's funny.

200. Yeah, he'll be the class clown in Spofford.

201. Yo, forget Spofford. I ain't going to no Spofford.

202. I'm calling the D.A.

203. You find who did it?

204. Maybe... maybe.

205. Listen, did Gregory know a guy

206. named Roneld Griggs?

207. I don't know. Why?

208. Well, he had the gun that...

209. We need a motive.

210. Was Gregory involved with...?

211. With what?

212. Drugs.

213. Wednesday and Thursday nights, Saturday mornings

214. Gregory plays basketball.

215. Monday and Tuesday nights

216. he got choir practice.

217. Gregory ain't perfect, but he ain't into no dope.

218. I can guarantee you that.

219. Look, Mrs. Winters, no offense,

220. but sometimes you can't tell these kind of thing.

221. Maybe you can't, but I sure as hell can.

222. Look, I know it's not easy...

223. Easy?

224. Mister, I got a dead baby, a boy who may be cripple

225. and a supervisor who tells me

226. that going to the morgue and to the hospital

227. is considered personal time.

228. And now you saying maybe Greg...

229. Gregory was on drugs?

230. Maybe he brought this on himself?

231. I'm sorry.

232. Get out of here.

233. All right?

234. I got work to do.

235. Gregory Winters was a classic point guard.

236. He ran the floor, you know what I'm saying?

237. The kid was the brains of this team.

238. Then he isn't in a gang?

239. He didn't have time for that.

240. He thought those guys were lame.

241. You ever see him hang out with a kid

242. with a checkerboard haircut, sparked-out teeth?

243. That kind of crap's out there.

244. But like I say,

245. my boys don't have time for stuff like that.

246. Thanks.

247. Gregory Winters is a good kid.

248. He plays ball, that's it.

249. No link to Roneld whatsoever.

250. A lot of partial prints.

251. Only Roneld's for sure.

252. And does that make a case against him?

253. No, it does not.

254. But if he didn't fire the gun, at least he knows who did.

255. Hey, look, I would like to have another crack at him.

256. Fine. Great.

257. Only this time, make sure a parent is in the room.

258. Otherwise, legally, the kid's flapping his lips for nothing.

259. Be gentle, Mike.

260. Don't break the little creep's trigger finger.

261. Ronnie never killed nobody.

262. Right.

263. He's a good boy.

264. Just two prior gun possessions and a dope misdemeanor.

265. What about yesterday?

266. Let's make that three guns, two drugs.

267. Sounds to me like a year minimum.

268. Ain't nothing to it.

269. Oh? Why's that?

270. You like it in prison, punk?

271. Maybe if we knew exactly what you was looking...

272. We want to know who pulled the damn trigger.

273. Because it sure as hell looks like your boy did it.

274. Tell them, Ronnie.

275. No.

276. You think you can play

277. this fool game with me?

278. Tell them.

279. I lent the gun to Dizz.

280. Who's Dizz?

281. His cousin.

282. What's he look like?

283. He's got some design cut in his head

284. like a checkerboard.

285. I don't suppose he's sporting a lot of gold teeth.

286. Fort Knox.

287. Yo! Yo!

288. Which one of you guys is Dizz Williams?

289. Well, look at them gold teeth.

290. Hello, Dizz.

291. The tec-9 you got from your cousin Ronnie

292. who used it when you were on the stoop?

293. I want a lawyer.

294. Give him a lawyer.

295. Who used the gun?

296. I want to know the name.

297. I got no name.

298. Wrong. You got a name.

299. And pretty soon, you're going to have a number.

300. You're under arrest for the murder of Andrew Winter.

301. You have the right to remain silent

302. and refuse to answer questions.

303. Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law.

304. So you're saying you've never been

305. in that building before, huh?

306. What'd I say? I said I was in south Carolina till last night.

307. That's right. With family.

308. How could you shoot the hell out of the Winters family

309. if you were down south with your family?

310. I don't you before, I don't know nothing about no shooting.

311. Oh, well, the gun that was used in the shooting

312. the one that you know nothing about—

313. your cousin Roneld said he gave it to you.

314. Roneld a punk.

315. You're dissin' me.

316. Roneld would never say that.

317. I'm dissin' you?

318. Huh?

319. Oh, I forgot.

320. You're such a big man.

321. It takes a real big man to ice a baby.

322. I didn't ice nobody.

323. Yeah? Well, then you're going down for someone else's bummer

324. 'cause right now we've got a witness that puts you there.

325. And you had the gun.

326. My boy's 13.

327. You can't do nothing like this.

328. You got to go to juvie you got to go...

329. We can do plenty when it comes

330. to felony homicide, Mr. Williams.

331. And if you don't want to blow parole, just shut up!

332. You're dissin' me.

333. nothing about no shooting. Like I said, I don't know

334. It's not enough that he had the gun.

335. His prints could have been from any time.

336. You got a witness who saw him at the shooting.

337. Tonel Oden?

338. A 12-year-old.

339. As we all know, not terrific on the stand.

340. Roneld gave Dizz the gun.

341. Says Roneld.

342. Let's be realistic here.

343. Juvenile court judges may not like kids with guns

344. but they like a clean case and they want a motive.

345. Who says the little son of a bitch needs a motive?

346. Max...

347. What the hell's a motive anyway?

348. He took my seat— bam!

349. He's looking at my girlfriend— bam!

350. I need them shoes— bam!

351. Max has been busting his chops on this case.

352. I understand.

353. Whoa, I can apologize for myself.

354. Only I don't feel apologetic.

355. I'm fed up!

356. You put together a strong case, we'll put him away, Sergeant.

357. I know, I know.

358. Why am I picking a fight with you?

359. You know what it is, Paul?

360. Dizz is 13.

361. The boy in the hospital— he's 12.

362. The baby's in the ground

363. and our emergency rooms are up to their ears

364. with kids on the wrong end of stray bullets

365. and this little scuz is laughing at us

366. 'cause he knows he's a juvenile and we can't get him.

367. That's not necessarily true.

368. People versus Williams.

369. Counsel waive reading of the rights and charges

370. Your Honor, this is a joke.

371. You can't try this boy as an adult.

372. We should be in family court.

373. Mr. Williams may be only 13, Your Honor,

374. but the statute is clear—

375. he's here on a felony complaint

376. charging intentional Murder Two.

377. Mr. Robinette, can I get in a word here?

378. This boy have any priors?

379. Two, Your Honor, both involving guns.

380. We believe these show a real propensity to violence.

381. If the court remands to Supreme Criminal

382. you'll indict on intentional Murder Two?

383. Absolutely.

384. Your Honor, with all due respect,

385. isn't this kind of overkill?

386. Kill?

387. I wouldn't use that word in here

388. if the accused were my client.

389. Mr. Williams knew exactly what he was doing.

390. It is just and appropriate that he be tried

391. as an adult.

392. Your Honor, I intend to submit written motions...

393. Be my guest.

394. Anything further, Mr. Robinette?

395. The people ask that Mr. Williams

396. be remanded without bail to an appropriate

397. juvenile facility pending trial. So ordered.

398. Case transferred to Supreme Court.

399. This is jive!

400. I didn't burn nobody!

401. This is a setup!

402. Get off me, man!

403. You going to stand there?

404. This is a setup.

405. Get off me.

406. Listen, Stone, this kid didn't do it.

407. Now, I understand you're getting a lot of heat.

408. Knock off the sermon, Alex.

409. Your client had the gun.

410. The judge's decision is totally unwarranted.

411. Mr. Williams was out in front

412. at the time of the murder.

413. An eyewitness who can see in the dark?

414. Very compelling.

415. The stoop is well lit.

416. Tonel saw somebody else.

417. He won't be testifying against me.

418. For your sake, young man, I hope you didn't threaten him.

419. What are we talking about?

420. He pleads as an accessory to manslaughter two.

421. He gives us the shooter.

422. I was at my aunt Cecile's in Carolina.

423. Wasn't nowhere near New York City.

424. Cut the crap, Dizz.

425. The police in Charleston talked to a guy named Summers.

426. Who?

427. The guy who put you on the train

428. to New York City, four days before the murder.

429. Who shot the baby?

430. A dude named T-Ball.

431. T-Ball Howard.

432. Real name?

433. Franklin.

434. He come to me and said he needed a burner.

435. For what?

436. A job, man.

437. He says this job was worth $500.

438. I borrowed the burner from Roneld.

439. Roneld let you borrow a gun worth $1,500?

440. Who hired your friend to do the job?

441. He didn't tell me.

442. He just said he needed the gun.

443. And then what?

444. I rented it from Roneld for $100.

445. Charged T-Ball $200.

446. I didn't shoot that baby, man.

447. T-Ball did.

448. That T-Ball?

449. Five minutes, counselor, then I want him alone.

450. I told you, I never been on Jacob's place.

451. And I'll bet you never rented a tec-nine.

452. Tec-nine?

453. What's that? Mouthwash?

454. Who ordered the hit, T-Ball?

455. That's right, genius.

456. Your buddy Dizz told us the whole story.

457. And he's going to repeat it in court.

458. Why don't you let me talk to my client.

459. The Howard kid will roll. He's got no choice.

460. You'd better hope you're right,

461. 'cause we still ain't got idea one

462. why he shot the Winters boys.

463. Anything else on T-Ball?

464. He's 14 years old

465. lives with his mother and 2-year-old brother.

466. No gang affiliation.

467. He even know Gregory Winters?

468. There's no indications.

469. The Winters kid been upgraded yet?

470. Yeah, he regained consciousness last night.

471. Franklin Howard, tall guy, thin?

472. Sure you don't know him?

473. I don't know him.

474. Sorry.

475. These things have to be asked.

476. How do you feel?

477. Okay.

478. Thanks, Gregory.

479. Excuse me.

480. Why do you people insist on blaming my boy?

481. I'm sorry.

482. He doesn't know these boys.

483. He didn't do anything to cause them

484. to shoot up the apartment.

485. I know.

486. Ben.

487. Mr. Howard understands that you can convict him.

488. He's ready to deal.

489. I thought he might be.

490. He names the buyer of the hit,

491. but he gets tried as a juvenile.

492. Not a prayer.

493. We're in an epidemic, Brian.

494. He killed a baby.

495. The older brother's a paraplegic.

496. It was a mistake.

497. You want to explain that?

498. Just make me an offer.

499. Why?

500. Trust me, Ben.

501. You make a deal you'll want the result.

502. As in?

503. As in you get a major dealer off the streets.

504. T-Ball's just a soldier.

505. He can give you the general.

506. Manslaughter one, he gets sentenced in Supreme Court

507. and he does the youthful offender maximum.

508. Deal. I do this plea and you're throwing curves.

509. Believe me, you won't regret it.

510. I know they're screaming for this kid's head, Adam,

511. but they're better off if we put away the dealer.

512. I want them both.

513. I want everyone.

514. I want he kid who gave him the gun

515. I want the kid who pulled the trigger and this pusher.

516. So do I, but if we don't get the guy who gave the order

517. we have more crack,

518. more contract killings, more dead kids.

519. What are they asking for?

520. Man one.

521. T-Ball gets three and a third to ten.

522. He does the whole ten.

523. And he's not going to boarding school, Adam.

524. You and I wouldn't last ten minutes in there.

525. You sure this pays off?

526. I think I can trust Doxsee.

527. You think?

528. I can't afford not to.

529. He said he needed to get rid of a business problem.

530. Somebody burn him on a drug deal?

531. It was real estate.

532. Said it was 300 large.

533. Had you ever met Ingrams before?

534. I've done some little jobs for him.

535. No hits.

536. When I heard about this one, I thought, if I had a gun...

537. But you didn't know a baby was behind the door.

538. That's why I'm talking to you, man.

539. I didn't know.

540. Ingrams gives me the address of this guy he wants me to do—

541. Mr. Kay.

542. I'm supposed to go air out his crib.

543. So I go over there.

544. I hear some voices inside, but...

545. just must have gone to the wrong place.

546. You thought a real estate tycoon lived in the Winters' building?

547. Like I told you,

548. a mistake.

549. What'd you do with the address?

550. I threw it away after the thing went down.

551. "This guy he wants me to do"--

552. it's not enough.

553. It would be if we could connect Ingrams

554. with the mythical Mr. Kay.

555. You want me to have Ingrams brought in?

556. Why? Have him go through the motions of deny it?

557. Do you think it's K, like Murray the K

558. or K-A-Y?

559. Or with an E.

560. There couldn't be more than 1,000 variations

561. in New York City.

562. That's K-A-Y-E, five boroughs.

563. This must be 500 more names.

564. Well, what do you want me to do?

565. Start with Manhattan.

566. Someone was hired to kill a Mr. Kay.

567. The hit man went to 315 Jacobs Place.

568. You live at 315 Jameson Place.

569. So?

570. My husband and I are active

571. in the reform democrats, Mr. Robinette.

572. We helped found

573. the Carnegie hill alternative school.

574. We were once mentioned in passing on Page Six

575. but I doubt any of that qualifies us for assassination.

576. What kind of work does your husband do, Mrs. Kay?

577. Real estate.

578. What?

579. He's guilty of gentrification?

580. I'm afraid it's going to be much worse than that.

581. A month ago Edward M. Kay deposited 300,000

582. into his corporate checking account

583. but he hasn't made a sale since August.

584. And the kid who did the hit said he mentioned 300,000.

585. Kay fronted as a buyer of an apartment for Ingrams.

586. 300,000 cash.

587. It comes to closing.

588. Kay doesn't show up with the money.

589. He stiffed him, Adam. He stiffed a drug dealer.

590. There's your motive.

591. And the kid shot up the wrong apartment.

592. Unbelievable.

593. The Winters baby is dead

594. because a 14-year-old hit man went into the wrong place.

595. Do you understand these people?

596. They live better than 99% of humanity

597. and they have to steal from drug dealers.

598. Ingrams will go up for murder, one way or the other.

599. If Mr. Kay decides to testify.

600. Real estate fraud— not much to work with.

601. Maybe Kay has a conscience.

602. Yeah, maybe he houses the homeless in his basement

603. but I wouldn't count on it.

604. I sold a nice two-bedroom on West End Avenue

605. to a young black man.

606. That's a crime?

607. When you steal his money, it is.

608. What stealing?

609. We had a little problem with the closing papers.

610. This chamber of commerce routine is getting on my nerves.

611. In 1986 you were arrested for cocaine possession.

612. Ingrams your dealer?

613. An arrest with no conviction is not relevant here.

614. It isn't?

615. You do a little coke, you figure, what the hell

616. it's a victimless crime.

617. You used drug money

618. to buy real estate.

619. You think that makes it clean?

620. An 11-month-old baby died

621. because of your sins, Mr. Kay.

622. If you want to talk about his testimony...

623. What did you do

624. with the $300,000?

625. You didn't cheat some yuppie banker.

626. Mr. Ingrams— he doesn't sue, he hires a hit man.

627. You haven't mentioned any incentives for cooperation.

628. No?

629. Well, how's this?

630. If your client doesn't start talking now

631. I'll tear his life apart.

632. Real estate boards, clients

633. skeletons in the closet...

634. light of day.

635. Guaranteed.

636. Ingrams came to me with 300,000 he wanted cleaned.

637. I was in the middle of a redevelopment project

638. that is dying for an infusion of cash.

639. So you used Ingrams' money.

640. I thought I could turn it around.

641. Get his money in and out quickly.

642. The market went soft.

643. Lenders foreclosed on the project.

644. And the $300,000 went to them.

645. Did Ingrams threaten you?

646. Oh, no.

647. No, no.

648. I point my finger at him, I'm dead.

649. You help us out, we'll put him away.

650. And if you don't?

651. And if you don't testify, he'll get you sooner or later.

652. I'd rather it was later.

653. Well, you made your pitch, Mr. Stone.

654. And it didn't get through?

655. I'd rather go to a loan shark for the 300 grand

656. than take on Mikeal Ingrams.

657. Pick Ingrams up. We have enough to charge him.

658. Without Kay's testimony? Come on, Paul.

659. Ingrams is a maggot. We can crush him.

660. He doesn't know Kay won't testify.

661. We get him to plead manslaughter

662. he's off the street.

663. At least Kay lives long enough to change his mind.

664. Sold.

665. People versus Mikeal Ingrams.

666. The charges are murder in the second degree

667. manslaughter in the first degree

668. attempted murder in the second degree

669. and assault in the first degree.

670. How does the defendant plead?

671. Not guilty.

672. On all counts, Your Honor.

673. I'm serving grand jury notice

674. upon defense counsel, Your Honor.

675. Do the people wish to be heard on bail, Mr. Robinette?

676. Your Honor, as a multiple prior felony offender

677. and a convicted

678. narcotics trafficker

679. Mr. Ingrams faces mandatory life.

680. The people request he be held without bail.

681. No, counselor.

682. I believe a high bail is appropriate in this case.

683. Name a figure.

684. The people ask one million dollars, Your Honor.

685. So ordered.

686. You wanted the whole package, Adam

687. we delivered.

688. So far.

689. If this Ingrams hood walks on a technicality

690. all your good works is bupkes.

691. Offer him man two.

692. He engineered the death of an infant, for heaven sake.

693. People will be outraged.

694. People will forget this outrage as soon as

695. the next outrage hits the front page.

696. The Winters boy isn't the only innocent victim

697. in New York City.

698. Man two

699. and then go for the max on sentencing.

700. Forget it, Stone.

701. You don't come running with your hat in your hand

702. from a position of strength.

703. You call this a position of strength, counselor?

704. We're offering a deal so we can wrap this up.

705. but if you want to play games...

706. What games?

707. You've got the unsubstantiated testimony of a little psycho

708. who can't shoot straight.

709. Let's get something straight here, Mr. Stone.

710. I'm not in short pants.

711. T-Ball's testimony isn't enough to convict me.

712. Probably not.

713. But Ned Kay's will.

714. Ned Kay?

715. He won't mess with my thing.

716. I'm going back to my cell.

717. Okay, so it's not an even bet.

718. Even? I wouldn't give you 20 to one.

719. So Kay stole his money.

720. But does a jury believe he'd kill him?

721. Ingrams is a drug dealer.

722. Doesn't look like a drug dealer.

723. You want me not to go to trial?

724. Mr. Kay is still a question mark.

725. What have you got on his finances?

726. Is there a federal tax charge?

727. The I.R.S.

728. We do not let tax evaders walk.

729. If it's major fraud, he goes to jail.

730. Come on, Sam, you can still make an example of him.

731. No, never. Forget about it. Go away.

732. Take his money.

733. Put him in the poorhouse

734. but don't send him to jail.

735. And what do you get?

736. A dealer and a killer off the street.

737. Okay.

738. But I want it in writing

739. in letters eight feet high.

740. When they go for my neck

741. I want yours in the noose with me.

742. Tax fraud, Mr. Morton.

743. Your client goes away for ten years.

744. Ten years in a federal country club.

745. I can work on my tennis game.

746. It's better than being dead.

747. Suppose I convince the I.R.S. Not to prosecute.

748. I'll bite.

749. Suppose you do?

750. They take every dime.

751. You don't even keep the dishwasher.

752. But if you testify

753. you can move to Nebraska the day the trial is over.

754. You son of a bitch.

755. You set this up.

756. The deal is good for 15 seconds.

757. I keep the house in Sag Harbor.

758. No, you don't.

759. Ten seconds.

760. The Mercedes.

761. They take the Mercedes.

762. Five seconds.

763. When you told Mr. Ingrams

764. that you were unable to return his money

765. how did he respond?

766. He indicated he would kill me.

767. Objection. Indicated?

768. When Mr. Kay continues, I think you'll find it admissible, Your Honor.

769. I'll allow it. Go ahead, Mr. Stone.

770. How did he indicate it, Mr. Kay?

771. He said he would have my place aired out.

772. No further questions.

773. Mr. Kay, you testified Mr. Ingrams said

774. he'd air your place out.

775. Could he have meant he'd break all your windows?

776. Don't be ridiculous.

777. Please just stick to yes or no.

778. This cash you allege came from the defendant—

779. you said you used it to bail out

780. one of your own projects, is that right?

781. Yes.

782. Well, did you?

783. Yes.

784. At least, I tried, but...

785. But what?

786. Did your habit interfere with business, Mr. Kay?

787. Objection, Your Honor.

788. Sidebar, Your Honor?

789. What's this about?

790. I'm going to impeach his credibility, Judge.

791. He's a cocaine user.

792. Your Honor, the people are aware

793. of Mr. Kay's '86 arrest

794. but he was not convicted.

795. It's not relevant, it's not admissible.

796. Do you have an offer of proof, counselor?

797. Why don't we just go to the record.

798. Mr. Stone.

799. Go ahead, Mr. Anson.

800. Mr. Kay...

801. under the name

802. Edward M. Kayman, you were convicted

803. of possession of a controlled substance

804. in the state of Connecticut in 1984?

805. In fact,

806. it was cocaine, was it not?

807. Answer the question, Mr. Kay.

808. Yes.

809. And later you legally changed your name

810. to Ned Kay, didn't you?

811. Yes.

812. Do you still use cocaine, Mr. Kay?

813. I respectfully

814. refuse to answer, on the, uh...

815. Are you invoking the Fifth Amendment

816. against self-incrimination?

817. Yes, sir.

818. Did you pay for cocaine

819. out of any of the $300,000

820. that you stole from Mr. Ingrams?

821. I respectfully refuse to answer for the same reason.

822. You refuse to answer

823. but you expect us to believe

824. that Mr. Ingrams threatened to kill you.

825. Objection, Your Honor.

826. Sustained.

827. The jury will disregard that remark.

828. No further questions.

829. So after Mr. Ingrams told you to air out the dude's crib

830. what did you do?

831. I went up on the roof and smoked some weed.

832. Then I got the gun from my stash.

833. Which was where?

834. In my locker in school.

835. In school?

836. And you rented this gun from Dizz Williams, right?

837. Then what did you do?

838. I smoked a little more weed

839. then I went over to do the do.

840. Which was supposed to be 315 Jameson Place.

841. Now you knew that

842. because Mikeal Ingrams wrote it out for you

843. is that true?

844. Yes.

845. Then why did you go to 315 Jacobs Place?

846. Answer the question, Mr. Howard.

847. It was a mistake.

848. This is the correct address.

849. Would you read that out to the court, please?

850. "315 Jameson Place."

851. Right.

852. Now would you read this?

853. Objection. Relevance, Your Honor.

854. It goes to the factual elements

855. of the crime charged, Your Honor.

856. I'll allow it.

857. Just read the police report.

858. You don't have to read the big legal words.

859. Just give us the easy ones.

860. Mr. Howard?

861. You can't read, can you?

862. You can't read anything?

863. No.

864. No further questions.

865. Gregory Winters is a victim.

866. His mother, Denise Winters, is a victim, as well.

867. And to a lesser extent

868. Franklin "T-Ball" Howard is a victim, too—

869. a victim of circumstance,

870. in which he learned how to fire a deadly weapon

871. before he learned to read.

872. And then, of course, there is Andrew Winters

873. who would have celebrated his first birthday not long ago.

874. Now, maybe we've all become so accustomed

875. to slaughter in our streets, in our subways, in our homes

876. that it takes the killing of a baby

877. to snap us out of it.

878. I don't know.

879. What I do know

880. is that when Mikeal Ingrams

881. ordered the contract killing of Ned Kay

882. he was ordering the killing of Andrew Winters.

883. It doesn't matter that the wrong person was hit.

884. Mikeal Ingrams' intent was to kill.

885. And legally, intent follows the bullet.

886. In the eyes of the law

887. Mikeal Ingrams is guilty of murder.

888. In the eyes of society

889. he is guilty of the slaughter of an innocent.

890. Mr. Stone, do you think the murder conviction

891. will stand on appeal?

892. Absolutely— there's no reversible error here.

893. Mikeal Ingrams is as guilty of killing that little boy

894. as if he'd pulled the trigger himself.

895. Mrs. Winters...

896. were you satisfied with today's verdict?

897. I'm thinking...

898. what about the boy who did pull the trigger?

899. He'll be back out in seven years.

900. My baby would have been eight years old then.

901. Would you be satisfied?