Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story (1999) Movie Script

(typewriter clacking)

The above named defendant did willfully commit

a lewd and lascivious act upon the body

of a child eight years of age,

with the intent of arousing, appealing to,

and gratifying the lust, passion, and sexual desires

of the said defendant.

Mr. Driver,

do you understand the charges against you?

I do.

And to these charges, how do you plead?

Guilty, Your Honor.

With continued therapy,

the possibility of any future acting out

would be highly unlikely.

In my opinion, Mr. Driver appears

to be a more than reasonable candidate for probation.

In my psychiatric examination of Mr. Driver,

he denied sexual attraction to the child.

Only wonders if this was more like an expression of anger

towards the child's mother.

It seems that he had taken a romantic interest

in the mother,

but instead she began to take advantage of him,

using him as a babysitter

when she went on dates with other men.

From earliest childhood,

my son has shown a concern for helping others.

Neighbors, friends, anybody.

He's such a friendly boy.

In all the years I've been going to youth activities

and Bible study with Dan Driver,

I don't think I've once seen him use abusive language.

He has such a good outlook on life.

He was always early to his appointments with me.

And you cannot believe how helpful that man is

to his mother.

I see in Daniel Driver a genuine eagerness to change.

The defendant is ordered

to participate in psychiatric counseling

and to have no contact with any minor children

without the consent of the court.

Does he agree to probation for a period of three years

under those conditions?

I do, Your Honor.

(gavel bangs)

(tires squealing)

(children shouting)

Danny!

Hi, Charlie.

You can run and run as fast as you can,

but you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man.

(humming)

He went to every church on the hill.

You know how many single mothers that is?

Every last one of them wanted nothing more

than a nice man to fix her car,

marry her, help with the children, whatever.

And Dan Driver was just the perfect man for the job.

♪ There's always a friend at your side ♪

♪ You know his name, yes, you do ♪

♪ The sinner who's trapped in his sin ♪

♪ The drinker who's chained to his drink ♪

You need a little boost there, fella?

All right?

Yeah.

Say thank you to the nice man, sweetie.

Thank you, nice man.

Well, when your dad comes along, he can have my seat.

He's in Africa.

Nice.

Vacation?

I'm Danny Driver.

Oh, Ellie Nesler.

Hi.

♪ Just call his name and in time ♪

♪ Love will come take it away ♪

♪ When sadness is all you can see ♪

♪ There's a brother you'll never lose ♪

♪ You know his name, yes, you do ♪

A lot of people said he wasn't saved,

but I'll tell you what.

Sandra and I spent more time with him

than anyone else in this county.

And I believed his faith was real.

I just think he had a problem

that he was not yet ready to bring to God.

Everybody else is going.

No, I'll miss you too much.

No.

What's two measly little weeks?

You'll live.

Ellie.

What?

It is a Christian camp.

And his older cousins will be there.

Thanks, Jan.

Water can, please.

The term that we use

in the world of psychiatry is hypervigilant.

Until that time, she'd never so much as left either of them

with a babysitter that wasn't a close family member.

Please, please, please.

No, no, no, no, no.

Please, please, please,

please, please, please.

No, no, Brandon.

Please?

One letter every single day.

And I don't mean a postcard.

Yes!

Becky, I get to go to camp!

♪ I get to go to camp, I get to go to camp ♪

(dishes clattering)

You wanna go into town and raise some hell?

I think I'll stick around, help out with the kids.

Out of the way, snakes,

or I'm gonna tie you in so many knots,

you're not gonna know frontwards from backwards.

Almost in the clear.

And almost.

Run for it!

I wish I had a big brother like you when I was a kid.

Allergies.

Really kicks up something awful in the summer.

Why don't you take your shirt off?

Come on, catch some rays.

Here.

Thanks.

(children shouting)

Yeah, gotcha!

Dan, look, you gotta see this.

Gotta see what?

Wow.

Is he beautiful or what?

Look at those yellow spots.

Did you ever think about what you wanna be when you grow up?

Uh-uh.

You oughta think about being a herpetologist.

It's a scientist who studies frogs and snakes

and stuff like that.

I think you'd make a great scientist.

(children laughing)

In your mind's eye,

pick your child, pick someone else's child.

Look at the sweetness, the innocence.

As you sit in judgment on Ellie Nesler,

remember the innocence he stalked, this human garbage,

and he stalked it in the worst possible way.

As a friend.

As a protector.

Well, first, he put them on his lap

and put his hands on them.

It was like he tried to get the kids to, you know,

here, you can see mine if I can see yours,

like was all some kind of a fun thing to do.

And then he would push it a little bit further

and then a little bit further and then...

It's important for the probation report

to cover those events.

Unless it's covered in the police record.

It's there.

Then it's okay, Mrs. Nesler,

you don't have to go into details.

Good, 'cause I'm not.

Hey, Brandon, man.

You all right?

Uh-huh.

Hey, boy, you won't believe

the red tail squirrels I just found.

A whole family of them.

Come on, I'll show 'em to you.

Uh-uh.

Uh-uh?

Now what kind of an answer is that?

Whosoever resisteth authority resisteth the ordinance of God

for the Lord beareth not the sword in vain.

Now go on.

You got the whole school year to sit on your fanny.

Come on.

You are one fine camper, Brandon Nesler.

Where are they?

Just a little farther through here.

How do you know they'll still be there?

It's 'cause that's where they live.

You wouldn't believe some

of the things those red tail squirrels get up to.

(birds cawing)

Hey, go batter batter, run, run, run, run, come on.

Hey, you okay?

Fall down or something?

I'm fine.

Hey, if you tell your mother or anyone else,

I'll kill her.

Your mother and your little sister.

You know I'll do it.

What's your little sister's name?

Becky, right?

(children shouting)

(Ellie shouting)

Sweetheart, hi.

Oh, honey, honey.

Hey, Brandon, what's wrong?

Honey?

I'm fine, okay?

Just leave me alone.

Excuse me all to hell.

It can be a sailboat on the lake.

It can be a campfire with roasted marshmallows.

It can be anything you want,

just as long as I get to see the bestest,

funnest thing you did this summer.

I saw my little boy's innocence turn to meanness.

I didn't know.

I didn't understand.

I didn't know how to deal with his pain.

So what you're saying is

is that since Mom stood up to Daddy,

it was okay for him to knock her brains that way.

No, of course not.

I'm just saying that she shouldn't have tried to block him

from leaving, you know?

But if you're gonna be a woman

who stands up to a man physically,

you gotta be ready to get knocked down.

I mean, if you're gonna be a female,

then be a female and step down.

Oh, hey, Danny, hi.

Hi, everybody.

Hi, Brandon.

Hi.

Hey, hey, hey.

Manners, hello?

Sorry.

Oh, it's okay.

Should have seen my manners when I was a kid.

When's that lemonade gonna be ready?

You stay away from them.

Danny!

Wanna come see my new science kit?

That'd be great.

(lock clicks)

Don't play with that.

Mommy!

(crying)

It's okay, sweetheart.

I wanna go back to Dad.

Oh, I'll ship you back to Africa.

I'll ship you back in a pine box!

I don't know what to do anymore.

I mean, I just, I keep asking the Lord

to give me some kind of a hint, you know, anything,

but I feel like, I don't know,

like I'm not getting through or something.

You know, whenever we think God's not hearing us,

what's really happening is we're not hearing him.

No.

No, he knows that I'm feeling like I hate my little boy

for being such a brat.

He's not gonna come into my heart until that's gone.

No.

No, no, no, Ellie, no.

Where is it, somewhere in Romans?

Oh, here it is.

8:38.

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,

"nor angels, nor things present, nor things to come,

"nor height, nor depth,

"nor any other creature shall be able to separate us

"from the love of God."

How about wanting to strangle your own son?

You know, actually, I don't see that on the list.

(laughs)

Hi, pal, how's it going?

Okay.

Hi, honey.

I'm going up to the junction

to get some stuff for my car.

You wanna come along?

I don't know, I've got a lot of homework to do.

Okay.

Hey, you know what?

If you wouldn't mind, since you're going there anyway,

would you mind getting me some paper towels?

Sure.

And Danny, thank you.

The snow's pretty.

Praise God, that it is.

Aunt Jannie?

Yes, honey?

Do they send kids to jail if they like kill someone?

Yes, I think they do.

I mean, it's not a jail like adults go to, but it's a place.

If I went to jail, would you come break me out?

Bud, what are you planning on doing

that you'd have to go to jail for?

Do you think my dad's ever really coming back?

People always think it's the battery,

but nine times outta 10, it's the alternator belt.

Pass me that ratchet, would you, Brandon?

Brandon.

Thank you.

(car honks)

Daddy, Daddy!

Any chance a guy could find a place

to crash around here?

Daddy!

Champ, how's it going?

Dad.

Hey, you sweetie.

Daddy!

How you doing, pumpkin?

(kisses)

Always be an empty patch of floor

for you to crash on here, William Nesler Jr.

(piano music)

Honey?

You taking a trip?

It's a job I might have to do in the bay area.

This guy wants an alternator rebuilt on his '56 Bel Air.

I'm not really sure about it yet though.

Danny?

Everything's all right?

Mom.

Dad?

Right here, champ.

There's something I need to talk to you about.

Oh, what's that?

Nothing.

Whatever you say.

And a couple of nights later,

it was somebody's birthday, I don't remember whose.

And we had a big sleepover at Ellie's house,

all the cousins and everybody.

Hey.

You're supposed to be asleep.

What's up?

What's the problem?

Aunt Jannie?

Yeah.

If I tell you something,

do you promise not to tell anybody?

Absolutely, of course I promise.

You have to swear.

I swear.

Come here.

What's wrong with you?

What's going on?

Huh?

I can't tell you.

Oh, yes, you can.

Come on, honey, tell me what it is.

What's happening?

What do you wanna tell me?

He said if I tell anyone, he'd kill my mama and Becky.

Who said that?

Danny Driver.

And what didn't he want you to tell?

(slow music)

Honey, honey, this is, let me tell you something.

This is a secret Aunt Jannie can't keep.

We have to tell somebody.

He'll kill my mama.

No, he won't.

We won't let him kill your mama, okay?

But we have to tell somebody.

Now we're gonna go tell your daddy, okay?

No, no.

We have to, honey, we have to.

We have to go tell him right now.

That's a tough break, man.

Oh, that's a heavy one.

Do you know, these things happen,

more often than you could ever imagine.

You can't let it hold your life.

Just gotta get on with things.

Okay there, big guy?

Of course you are.

'Cause you're a Nesler.

And that means tough.

In about a half an hour, Billy was asleep.

That boy needed that father's understanding

and help at that time.

And for some ungodly reason,

Billy just thought it was no big deal

and he took off back for Africa.

Ellie.

What's wrong?

Tell this court, Doctor,

can temporary insanity go on for years?

What is the depth of the poison in you

when the most precious thing in your life is attacked

by that poison?

Hearing what had happened to Brandon was

the most significantly traumatic event of her life,

made worse by the fact

that she too had been previously molested

and she'd never really come to grips with that.

I'm sorry, Mom.

Oh, for what, honey?

You didn't do anything wrong.

Nothing, do you hear me?

Don't ever let anyone tell you you did, okay?

Okay, honey?

Oh, my baby.

(horse neighing)

Listen, honey.

It happened to Mama too.

Mama understands, okay?

It happened to Mama when she was your age.

It did?

It did, baby, it did.

And there was nobody to tell, nobody in the whole world.

But you told your Aunt Jannie, that's really good, honey.

I have to keep acting like nobody knows.

He's got guns and knives and he can get away to Mexico.

He said if I tell anybody, he'd kill you.

He is never gonna do harm to you again,

do you understand that?

The police are gonna put him away

and they're gonna burn the key and he will never touch you

or anybody else again.

Okay, honey?

Okay.

Mommy's got you, Mommy's got you.

It's okay, it's okay, honey.

Mommy's got you now.

It's okay.

It's gonna be okay.

Oh, please, honey.

Oh.

Mrs. Nesler, I'm with the Sheriff's Department.

My name is Jack Griffin.

Right.

We received your report, thank you very much.

I wondered if I might speak with Brandon.

No, no way in hell!

Anything you need to hear, you hear from me.

I know what the boy's been through,

but the Sheriff's Department needs a direct report

to get an indictment.

Do you wanna get back in that car

and get yourself off my property

or do you want me to blow you away?

You think you're pretty tough, do you?

What I think is

I think you're at the wrong end of a hair trigger.

It's not unusual for a child

to tell a guy in my shoes what he won't tell a parent.

He told me everything.

Now, you finished?

Mrs. Nesler, Daniel Driver was convicted

of a similar charge of child molestation

in Santa Clara County in 1983.

He walked.

He did a little probation and he walked.

Now just how interested are you in that happening again?

And damn if that fool dog didn't bring back an old boot

every time my pa shot down a bird.

Didn't know there could be that many boots in one forest.

Must have been one under every tree.

My mom said I can get a dog

when I'm old enough to take care of it.

Oh, when's that gonna be?

Yesterday.

(laughs)

You know, I understand that there's a problem

that you told your mom about.

You think you might wanna tell me about that?

Well, it all started-

This is an end...

You know what, honey?

I'm gonna fix the Lieutenant some coffee.

I'll just be in the kitchen, okay?

I'll be right back.

Okay.

So what was the name of this camp that you went to?

Camp Pine Ridge.

Is that a nice one?

Yeah.

There with all my cousins.

(children shouting)

So?

Tell me.

Mrs. Nesler-

He just touched him, right?

That's what we've got here?

A fondling situation.

Sodomy, repeated.

Over the course of a year.

I'm gonna kill him.

Did the defendant make any statements at that time

regarding Mr. Driver?

Objection!

Irrelevant.

We're talking about the time of the molestation,

as opposed to the time of the killing.

If premeditation lasts 100 years,

it's still premeditation.

Objection overruled.

Lieutenant.

Can you tell us what statement the defendant made

at that time regarding her feelings toward Mr. Driver?

She said that Daniel Driver should be shot or killed

for what he did to her son.

And did she ever say

that she should be the one to kill Mr. Driver?

Objection!

Leading.

Overruled.

You may answer the question.

Yes, several times.

Several times?

Yes, ma'am.

I know that's the only way you can feel right now.

I'm gonna put him down.

But that's not what Brandon needs to be hearing.

You and Brandon are both eligible for benefits

under the victim witness program.

Oh really?

You think they'll take over my car payments?

I'm talking about counseling.

What happened to my little boy is no stranger's business.

He's got his family, okay?

Mrs. Nesler, he's going to need-

All he needs is to hear that Danny Driver is someplace

where he can never, ever hurt him again.

That's all the therapy my little boy needs.

Almost.

I can't do it.

Oh, don't eat the whole spoon.

Okay, put it on.

After you get it all set and ready-

Hey, Becky, can you gimme a couple minutes?

I just wanna talk to Brandon about something, okay?

Thanks, honey.

You can play with the fire truck.

Sweetie.

Listen, you know what Danny Driver did with you?

Well, when you're with a woman someday

who likes to play around, you know, that's fine.

Mama likes it that way, but it's in the Bible, honey.

A man does not lie with a man, that is wrong.

Did she describe conversations she had with Brandon

that you thought were inappropriate?

Well, I thought that when she talked

about her own sexual preferences

that that wasn't a particularly appropriate comment to make.

Oh, oh, oh!

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

So close.

(doorbell rings)

Mommy, just don't go.

Honey, I'll be right back, okay?

Right back, two seconds.

What are you telling me?

I'm telling you he won't go far,

but for right now we don't have him.

Are you saying he's just out there?

Brandon's not the only report we've gotten on this guy.

We have officers in three counties looking for him.

Brandon!

Brandon, Brandon, they'll get him.

Leave me alone!

Honey, they'll get him.

Go away!

This is where the snap begins,

the unraveling, the madness, the end.

You can't make me go to school.

Wanna bet?

Please don't make me go to school.

Did you notice any changes,

any development in Brandon during this time period?

He became a basic recluse,

just any kind of public activity.

You know, constantly looking over his shoulder,

everywhere we went.

He was like, there he is, you know, watch the kids.

Where's Ellie?

He's gonna kill her.

And there came a time

that you thought you knew Driver's address.

Oh, we had it.

The place where he was getting his food stamps.

We had family that worked at welfare

and they started to know their way pretty good

around the computers.

Ellie took off and told Jack Griffin

so fast it made my head spin.

(indistinct)

San Jose is barely three hours away.

If there was one whit of premeditation,

let's drive down there, two o'clock in the morning,

and blow this snake off the face of the earth.

Who's to know, who's to care?

There was nothing like that.

She gave the address to the police!

This is not the mindset of premeditated murder.

(knocking)

Look, I told them on the phone

I'd make a partial payment next week.

We're not creditors, ma'am.

Is there a Daniel Driver residing at this address?

Uh-uh, not anymore.

Do you have any idea where we might find him?

Man, if I had any idea.

If you had any idea, what?

Is there something you want to tell us?

No, look, he took off.

I don't know where he is.

I'm real busy right now.

Becky!

Look, Mom, it's Dad!

Hey, you're getting pretty good at that.

Think you can teach me to do some of that?

It's a girl tradition.

(laughs)

What do you do?

You go on.

And after a while, you think maybe, you know,

maybe this is really gone.

But every time we almost got our lives back together,

he would show up again.

Like one time, at the aggregate plant next door,

kids were playing and Danny came up in his car

and tried to get Brandon to get in his car.

But Brandon got away and ran home.

He tried to kidnap him?

Three or four times during that period.

You know, if he had just molested him,

I wouldn't have done it.

It was the stalking and the taunting.

And I think he wanted to kill Brandon

so that he couldn't testify against him.

Really?

Yeah, really.

Ask Jan's kids, they were there too.

This is in the police record?

No, of course not.

The police didn't believe us.

They thought Brandon was crazy or paranoid.

Trust and believe Brandon is not crazy, okay?

Okay, and then...

And it was what?

Christmas.

December 1992.

(woman moaning)

People are gonna say that word.

People are gonna say the word Julie,

gonna say the word Paul.

There is no Paul, there is no Julie.

If you say that, we won't have to run.

(children shouting)

(phone ringing)

Hello?

I can't hear you, who is it?

Oh, hi, honey.

If someone kills-

It's a madhouse, I can't hear a thing!

If someone kills themselves, do they still go to heaven?

(Jan shushes)

Hey, everybody, come on!

Listen.

Sweetie, Frank has got the car,

but I'm gonna come right over there, okay?

I gotta go now.

Please, shut up!

Go over there, go over there.

Why can't we just go away?

(phone ringing)

Sweetie, please, no more talking, no more talking.

I can't wait, I just can't wait anymore.

Sweetie.

Sweetie, please, please, go outside!

(phone ringing)

Office.

You gotta go home right away.

(solemn music)

(car honking)

Come on!

(gun clicks)

(Ellie screams)

Hurt yourself, is that what you wanna do?

Huh?

You wanna play some games, huh?

Let's play some games.

Let go of me!

No, listen to me.

You wanna play some games?

How about I kill me and you kill you, huh?

Come on, come on, let's play some games.

Don't!

Stupid idiot.

What are you thinking?

What were you doing?

Mom, I wasn't gonna do it!

But you could.

If you kill yourself, you won't go to heaven, okay?

You won't go to heaven.

Right there, something broke inside of me.

I called God out.

I said, "You son of a bitch, what can you do to me?

"You can't hurt me.

"My pain is greater than yours.

"You gave your only son, but I would die for mine.

"If your pain for your son is so great,

"why don't you let me feel it?

"You let me feel it, you son of a bitch, you hear me?

"You let me feel it."

And I felt this, this terrible pain going up my legs,

traveling all the way up my body.

But it stopped before it got to my heart.

I told God, "You go to hell."

And I went to the devil.

Doctor, what is methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine or crank is a stimulant drug.

In many ways, it's more powerful than cocaine

and its effects are longer lasting than cocaine.

Can you associate the specific level of dosage

found in Mrs. Nesler's blood

with any particular previous behavior?

When you encounter 0.14 grams per liter,

that suggests that rather substantial doses

of methamphetamine have been taken some time in the past.

Jack!

Hi.

Hey, listen.

Long time ago, you said there was some kind

of a therapy place that Brandon could go for free.

Is that still...

Victim witness?

Yeah.

I'll call 'em as soon as I get to the office.

Oh, that'd be great, thanks.

Hey, how you been?

Oh, you don't wanna be around me, Jack.

You'll never get elected Sheriff

if people know you hang out with people who take drugs.

You're better than that, Ellie.

Yeah, maybe.

(slow music)

You get one molecule of dope out of that cut

and I'm headfirst.

Shut up.

(smacks)

(slow music)

Sir, could you open your jacket, please?

All right, Mr. Encyclopedia,

who defeated Athens in the Polynesian War?

Um...

Come on, come on.

I don't know.

Okay, all right.

Sounds like...

Yeah.

Punching.

So I got him to let me do home study

because I didn't want him killing himself.

So you know, why should I send him to school

when his little head's all screwed up?

You know, so I quit my job and took welfare

and they all said that I was a lousy mother,

but I was just protecting my little boy.

(phone ringing)

(grunting)

Hello?

Sparta, it was Sparta!

Yeah?

What's wrong?

What was your sister's reaction?

Thank God they got the bastard.

Any threats to his life now?

Let's go down to the jail and blow him away!

Nothing like that?

No.

I don't wanna see him.

There's going to be a hearing

to determine if the case goes on to trial.

The DA needs you to testify at that hearing.

You don't have to do it in person, honey.

They have video.

I mean, you can do it on video.

They do it that way all the time.

Right?

San Francisco, maybe.

Sacramento, possibly.

But a video hookup in Tuolumne County?

See the hoops I have to jump through

just to get donuts at my staff meetings.

How the hell much does it cost

to rent a video camera for an hour?

It's not just recording Brandon's testimony.

The defendant has to face his accuser

and that's a whole two way closed circuit hookup.

And frankly, budgetary concerns aside,

in my experience, confrontation's a necessary part of the-

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

No, he is not, he's not gonna do that, okay?

Mom.

Look.

I don't want all the perverts in this town

to know what happened in my little boy, you know,

and have 'em go, oh, come here, little boy.

No.

If he's got the guts to get up there,

then you show him the decency of closing the court.

That's standard.

But if it goes to jury trial,

which I very much expect it will,

it'll be open to everybody.

Okay.

You tell that bastard he better cop a plea

because if he doesn't cop a plea, I'm gonna blow him away.

Those are the words she used?

To the best of my recollection.

(stomps)

I don't think you should be saying that, Mrs. Nesler.

Well, I'm saying it.

I'm telling you, that son of a bitch better cop a plea

and go to jail because I am not making my little boy

tell everyone in this county that he was sodomized.

He has rights too, you know.

No, he does not.

This is not a crime against your son.

It's a crime against the state of California.

You go get yourself done up the rear

by someone twice your size.

Then you tell me who it's a crime against, okay?

If he doesn't testify, I can hold you in contempt,

which could mean jail and he'd still have to testify.

I'm not doing it.

Everybody's gonna know what happened to me,

everybody at school.

I know, but it's up to you to keep other little boys

from getting hurt, Brandon, do you understand?

Now I know you can do this.

Come on, come on.

You're my little tiger, come on.

My stomach hurts.

Ah, I know, baby.

Where?

Just all over.

(horn honking)

Hey, lady, you want a ride?

Oh my gosh.

Girl, what have you gone and done?

Government auction, you won't believe how cheap.

Come on.

Why in the world did you bid on it, Jan?

My fiance thought he probably had somebody

that would buy it for time and a half again.

Did anything peculiar happen as a result

of your buying the Rolls Royce?

Well, when we came out of the auction,

this cop ran out and said, "Watch your back."

Cuz the car had been confiscated

from these big drug dealers or something.

And there were some guys hanging around

that were, you know, asking who bought it.

(clattering)

And then on the way home, well, the brakes froze up

and then all of a sudden,

all this black smoke started coming out everywhere.

Trust and believe, girl.

That's cocaine.

That's a stash.

Oh man.

Hey, do you think they can get your address?

Oh, shit, it's in the auction records.

Oh, I want this stuff outta here.

Oh, Jannie.

Oh, where's the hose?

Jannie, Jannie.

Do you know how many tickets to Rio de Janeiro

this stuff could have got me and my kids?

I know, I know.

It's just, you know, all the money in the world

to hire lawyers for perverts and child molesters

and they just can't afford to put a video camera

in a court room.

I'm getting a hose.

This is dangerous.

Shit.

Did you arm yourself?

I know Daddy had a 22 in here somewhere.

There was a gun Daddy didn't have, I never saw it.

That's too big.

(horse neighs)

Here it is.

Daddy, what are you gonna do?

About what?

That man, Cowboy.

Ah, come on, you know Cowboy.

Sees a pretty girl, he just...

That's just the way fellas are.

Now you gonna gimme trouble, you gonna shoot?

(gun fires)

(Danny laughs)

El.

El?

Yeah, that's good, that's good.

Yeah, that's light.

Break my back.

Come on, let's go.

The complaint charges you with seven counts

of violation of section 288, lewd acts upon a child.

To these charges, how do you plead?

Not guilty, Your Honor.

You the 288?

(fist slams)

(grunting)

There a problem here?

That's what I wanna hear.

The morning of the hearing,

I prayed for Jesus to take away my anger,

but he wasn't there.

Where the hell are the black ones?

I don't know!

Well, then wear your new tennis shoes.

I just bought you new tennis shoes.

They're wet, I went walking in the swamp!

Then where are the old ones?

Mom, I don't know!

Then wear the damn wet ones!

(Brandon vomiting)

I can't do it, Mom.

Yes, you can, yes, you can.

Listen, listen.

You go into that courtroom and you think,

before he the power, but this time it's me.

I've got it this time, I've got the power.

Okay?

Look at him.

He wants to do it.

Yes, Mom, I'll do it.

I'll be your little hero.

Yes, everybody in the world.

He raped me for over a year.

He stuck his penis inside me, but his guts are coming out.

The apple of Ellie's eye, her reason for living.

Oh, sweetie.

Oh, honey, oh my God.

Brandon honey, take a deep breath.

We gotta go, sweetie, we gotta go.

Come on, come on.

Brandon, honey.

All right there, son?

You be able to do this?

Yeah.

I'll get you fixed up with a 7-Up.

You'll do great.

Just wait in front of the courthouse outside,

we'll let you know when it's time.

Did she say my son is too ill to go on?

Can we get a continuance?

Did she ever ask for anything of that sort?

No.

Okay, no, just sit down.

I know you can do it, honey, I know you can.

Come on, sit down, come on, that's it.

Oh, baby, baby.

Does anybody have a Tums or a Rolaids or anything?

Yeah, let me look here.

It's okay, now take a deep breath, honey.

It's okay.

I don't have anything.

To your knowledge, all of your knowledge,

did your sister know you had that gun in your purse

when you went into that courthouse?

No.

Mom, I can't do it.

Yes, yes, you can.

Now look at me.

Now listen, you look at him straight in the eye, okay,

and you think about what he did to you

and you think about all the other little children

he's gonna do it to, okay, and you put the bars on him.

You hear me?

You put the bars on him.

You can do it, you can do it, honey.

It was a cat eating grin kind of smile

was my impression of it.

It was victorious.

Saw a man who looked very uncomfortable and nervous.

I saw no sign of arrogance or rudeness on his face.

It was a look that said,

I'll be free and I'll get your boy again.

And you be damned and the law be damned.

No, Mom, stop.

No!

Mom, stop.

Ellie, Ellie.

If I had a gun, I'd kill you!

No, let me go!

Stop it!

Would you describe what happened

on that occasion, Mrs. Nelson?

I was in the kitchen cleaning up.

He had a tendency to hold Brian on his lap.

When I came in, he was like agitated.

Like...

He was kind of like excited.

Sexually excited.

He was rubbing-

Objection, Your Honor.

Speculation.

Sustained.

Motion to strike.

It will be stricken.

Just take it easy.

Say what's in your heart.

It'll be over before you know it.

Did you ever have occasions

where the defendant touched you

in a way that made you uncomfortable?

Mm-hm.

I think it would be better if you say yes or no

instead of saying "Mm-hm."

Because the court reporter has to put that

in the machine, okay?

Okay.

And that time that he touched you

in a way that made you uncomfortable,

where did he touch you?

On my crotch.

Where did he touch you on your crotch exactly?

Can you show me, Brian?

Look at me, Brian.

Where on your crotch did he touch you?

Indicating approximately four inches above the knee

on the right leg.

Thank you, Brian.

Defense?

No questions, Your Honor.

Lynn, how did it go, huh?

We've lost.

He's gonna walk.

Anything you get wrong, they jump.

If you get the date wrong, it doesn't count.

If you point to the wrong place, it doesn't count.

(Brandon vomiting)

I hate him.

I wish I could kill him.

He needs to be dead.

This is the snap right here.

This is the insanity.

Stop it.

The other kids can't remember the date.

Let go of me!

They can't.

Brandon, listen to me.

You're the only one, honey, listen to me.

I'm sick, let go!

You hear me?

You put that son of a bitch away.

Let go of me!

Brandon.

(Brandon vomiting)

Oh.

And suddenly I thought, what am I doing?

You know?

Why should my little boy be the one to have all this pain?

Where's the gun?

Do you have it here?

No.

Jan.

I don't have it.

At that point, my imagination put that gun

between Daniel Driver's legs and told him to tell the truth.

And then I'm going, oh my God, what am I thinking?

So I took my purse and I hung my purse between two officers

in protection for myself.

Did he take his flat hand and rub it against your penis

or did he put his hand around it and rub it?

He put his hand around it and rubbed it.

Oh, sweetie.

Hey.

How's it going?

Good.

So your sister get into Cal State?

Yeah.

Cool.

Thanks.

Did he say anything to you

while he was rubbing your penis?

Yes.

What did he say?

He asked if it felt good.

And you said?

No.

Jack, Jack, come here.

Jack.

Love to love, friend to friend.

Does anybody care if something happens to this man?

That's what she asked him.

No, babe.

Is delusion the centerpiece of psychosis?

Yes.

And did you find Ellie Nesler delusional

relevant to the events of April 2nd?

She felt that she had somehow been selected

to kill Daniel Driver,

that the authorities and everybody around her

had somehow conspired to make that killing possible.

If a cop left the room,

it was to tell the DA that the plan was going ahead.

If someone looked at their watch,

it was to make sure that everything was on schedule.

She believed that there was a conspiracy,

that everybody in that room wanted her

to kill Daniel Driver.

Then why did she have to conceal the gun?

James, did you ever see the man

in the room that night before the night?

I don't know.

Uh-uh.

Did you ever see him again after the night, till today?

No.

Now, were you told today

that the man who had done this thing to you

was gonna be here in court?

No, yes.

And do you...

Did you actually recognize the man in court today

or did you just believe that he was gonna be here?

I believed he was going to be here.

No further questions, Your Honor.

How you doing?

It's in God's hands now.

Mrs. Nesler, you'll be up next.

Taking a recess.

Wanna go ahead and take your seat.

Okay.

She saw great significance, didn't she,

in the fact that the DA opened the door for her?

Great significance.

She saw it as additional evidence of the conspiracy

that she believed existed at that time.

Whatever happens, you know Mama loves you, okay?

(kisses)

I love you, okay?

I love you.

Will they come over and pat me down?

She asks herself.

No.

No, they want me to do it.

I'd like to go inside with my sister if that's all right.

(Danny laughs)

I wish I could have saw tears, you know.

If I had saw tears in this man,

if I had saw hurt in this man, if I had saw any compassion,

I would've left it in God's hands.

And as a consequence of this psychotic deluded state,

did you find that she lost the capacity,

the ability to tell moral right from moral wrong?

Yes, I believe that she did.

No further questions.

(dramatic music)

(gun firing)

(screaming)

Did Dan Driver shoot my mom?

Hey!

Drop the gun!

You don't understand, this is a mother!

Hit the floor!

You don't understand, it's a mother!

Hit the floor!

Hit the floor, hit the floor!

Hands behind your back.

Behind your back.

Don't handcuff me.

I had nothing to do with it.

Oh my God.

Mom, Mom!

Hey!

Please, please let me hug my boy, please!

Brandon, Brandon!

Mom.

Mom!

Brandon!

Mom!

This murder was premeditated and deliberated.

It was committed after the defendant had waited

and watched for her opportunity to act.

And that's consistent with first degree murder,

and that's the verdict I will ask you to return.

(solemn music)

Where's Mommy?

Hey, Mike.

Does this mean I won't be getting that job

at the front desk?

How did the gun get to the courthouse today, El?

Um...

I had it in my car.

I was just hoping to God I wouldn't have to use it.

I went to the car and just put this little 22 in my pocket

and I just kept thinking that if it was meant to be,

it'll happen.

When did you decide

you were gonna bring the pistol to court?

Oh, probably about 2 1/2 years ago.

No, I put it in the car this morning.

Like I said, I didn't plan it,

but I also planned, don't intimidate me.

Had you been drinking or taking any medication today?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I was in, no, I mean,

I can't say I was in my right frame of mind,

but no, no, no, I definitely, no.

The only narcotic I was on was pain.

How do you feel, Ellie?

Scared.

I feel really scared.

See, I don't know if I did the right thing,

I don't know if I did the wrong thing.

I mean, how the hell can you kill somebody

and not know if you did the right thing?

Look, I know the 10 Commandments aren't multiple choice.

I'll be excommunicated, I won't go to heaven.

No, no, but I just feel if Danny, you know,

I just hope that he made it right with God.

'Cause if he didn't, you know, that would've been,

well, that would be a crime.

What he did, he hasn't a right.

Because are these little boys gonna be bisexual?

I mean, what is this man creating?

He doesn't have the right to play with their manhood.

Hope I didn't create more pain for my children, you know?

Like 'cause now they don't have a mama.

Maybe I'm not God, but I'll tell you what,

I'm the closest thing to it

for all the other little boys he would've hurt.

He finally paid and I'm not sorry.

I'd do it again.

What's gonna happen if my son sees someone he doesn't like

and he kills him because that's what Mama did?

And I just kept thinking,

Ellie, you've got the guts to end the pain.

You've got the guts to do it.

And that's what I, that's what I feel I did.

I wanna be home.

(recorder clicks)

Could I get a copy of this?

Cuz you know, it's not...

It's not every day that you kill someone.

When people die,

I believe that's when they'll have their business with God.

If he truly knew the Lord

and knew that what he did was not right in the sight of God,

I believe in my heart that though he was lying there,

dying like he was, if right then and there he repented

and asked God to forgive him for what he did,

then he's clear.

Danny Driver's mom.

Can you tell me where he is, please?

Right over there.

(solemn music)

(reporters shouting)

So many local law enforcers were witnesses to the crime,

the case may have to be prosecuted

by the State Attorney General's office.

If convicted of first degree murder,

Nesler could be looking at life in prison.

Four to the head, one to the neck.

Good shooting, babe.

Five bullets in the head was too good

for that son of a bitch.

She should have aimed a little lower.

The only cure for a person like him is

a death certificate

and they ought to give 'em out more often.

I don't believe it's right to kill people, but-

Hey, Nesler, you gotta hear this!

She should be found guilty for discharging a firearm

in city limits.

I believe the fine is $60.

At the family's home,

Nesler's son insisted on speaking directly to reporters.

If my mom's watching out there,

I just want her to know that Becky and me are okay

and that I love her and I'm not afraid anymore.

Local authorities say they were not prepared

for the crowds that have gathered in front of the courthouse

in support of Nesler.

Her arraignment on murder charges is scheduled for Tuesday.

Mom, over here.

Mommy, Mommy, we're over here!

Mommy, hi Mommy!

We love you, Mom.

Mommy!

(gavel banging)

Mrs. Nesler, people have filed an open charge

of one count of murder.

To that charge, how do you plead?

Not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.

The parents have the right!

All the children in the world!

Only the perpetrators have the right!

♪ Jesus loves the little children ♪

In an extraordinary gesture of support,

the bondsman who posted the $500,000 bail has not asked

the family for the customary 10% payment.

I was having an ice cream with Ellie's son

and he looked at me and asked me if I was the person

that was gonna be bailing out his mommy.

And I mean, what would you do?

This rose is love, love for my children.

I love you, Ellie, I love you so much.

You people out there are helping to keep me strong.

I mean, it wasn't easy, what I did.

But out of this tragedy, I think some good came out of it.

Like I said, I don't like what I did.

I don't think you should take the law into your own hands.

But I feel that the judicial system should be standing

right up next to me when I get tried for murder.

Cards and letters from across the world.

Okay guys, listen to this one, listen to this.

"Dear Ellie, I wish I could be sending you more money,

"but my husband is recovering from surgery

"and things are hard for us at this time.

"We send our blessings

"and wish there were more people in the world like you."

Wow.

Here's the check.

Oh, hold the check up.

$3!

Oh, wait, wait, wait, listen to this one.

Here's $1.50 in case you need more bullets.

(laughs)

Okay.

"Dear Ellie, I am 13 years old."

Oh wait, guys, listen.

"I'm 13 years old and I have been molested

"by my father and my uncle since I was four.

"They had big fights over whose turn it is

"and I'm proud of you and I love you."

So what I think is there should be like,

you know, there's all this energy,

there should be like an organization, like a foundation,

you know, like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers,

only for the children.

With an 800 number that they could call

and the kids would answer the phones

and lobby for harder sentences for molesters

and, well, Jannie has this.

We would call it Caring Hearts United

and, well, Jan's made this beautiful thing.

You gotta see it.

Child Abuse Refuge Involving Nesler's Grief,

Healing Emotion And Reforming The System.

United Nonprofit Institution Treating Emotional Distress.

But I don't know.

I mean, now it's the 800 number's $1,000 a month

and the nonprofit license is...

You know, now I don't know.

I mean, if I go to prison, I...

I hope it goes okay for your mom.

Thanks.

I have to ask you something.

Yeah?

Did it feel good?

(grunting)

Fight, fight, fight, fight!

I'm sorry, it's just gonna hurt a little bit.

Just, just a little bit.

Here we go, I got it.

I got it, honey.

Mom?

Yeah.

You can't go to jail.

Honey.

I'll kill myself if you go to jail.

I swear I will.

I'm not gonna leave you, okay?

I'm not gonna leave you.

That's just a standard personality test, Ellie.

You just answer the questions true or false

and remember there's no right or wrong answer, okay?

Okay.

I have little or no trouble with my muscles jumping.

I'm sorry, what?

I have little or no trouble with my muscles jumping.

True.

Wait, wait, is that no trouble?

That would be false, I think.

Okay, yeah.

My soul sometimes leaves my body.

Ellie, true or false?

My soul sometimes leaves my body.

I can't be taken away from my kids right now.

Please, please, Doctor, please.

Just, I need a verdict of temporary insanity, please.

Without that, I am lost.

I'm lost.

I just, I need that, please, please.

Were those her words?

Without that, I'm lost?

Yes.

Was she on her knees with you,

pleading when she said that?

Yes.

In the last weeks,

you have heard entirely conflicting scenarios

of how that gun got to the Jamestown courthouse

on April 2nd.

But as we close, let me say that no matter how that gun got

to the courthouse that day,

there is no time requirement built

into the concept of premeditation,

except that it precede the murder.

All I have to show for you

to acquit Ellie Nesler right now is the heat of passion.

The heat of passion, the hottest passion imaginable.

Her child vomiting, the fiend about to get away.

The district attorney had no intention

of plea bargaining a repeat child molester.

There's no question that Daniel Driver's case would've gone

to trial and that, if convicted,

he was looking at 40 years in state penitentiary.

For Ellie to have believed

when she walked into that courtroom that the cops knew,

approved, and had greenlighted her shooting

of Daniel Driver, that was delusion.

On that basis, the only verdict you can return is

that she was legally insane on April 2nd of this year.

She may have been angry, she may have been in pain,

but ultimately the decision is that she was legally sane

when she shot Daniel Driver.

The she-bear, the lioness, the wolverine.

Come near her child and she will bite.

God bless her for that!

God bless her for all of us.

Because if that instinct is ever weaned out of us,

like it is in the novels "1984" and "Brave New World,"

we will perish.

We will perish!

People are not she-bears.

People think, they reason, they make judgments.

When you think of him lying there in blood, shackled,

I want you to remember what he did.

Because as surely as God's hand is in all human activities,

this too was watched by God.

A good parent puts her hand on her child's shoulder

and says, "Look, we are here to set things right.

"This may be a little stressful, but you'll get through it.

"And if you can't, it doesn't matter because I love you.

"And tonight you can stay up late

"and watch TV and have pizza."

And...

Ellie Nesler is not a hero.

She committed a murder.

And I ask that you recognize that fact

and return a proper verdict.

Thank you.

What's 30 years?

I'll only be as old as you are now.

No kidding.

I can't wait to go to jail.

Finally get a rest from you two snickerboos.

I'm just worried they'll gimme manslaughter.

I'll only get eight to 15.

Hey.

(Ellie laughs)

Blow it out, blow it out!

(slow music)

(cheering)

Hey, here we go.

I want the drumstick, I want the drumstick.

Mr. Vera, I have a note from you

that indicates that the jury has reached a verdict.

Is that correct?

Yes, we have.

Will the clerk please read the verdict?

We, the jury in the above entitled action,

find the defendant, Elena Starr Nesler,

guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

We further find that the defendant, Elena Starr Nesler,

was legally sane at the time she committed the crime.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

is the verdict as read your verdict,

say you one, say you all?

Yes, Your Honor.

This matter is continued then

to the imposition of sentence on October 29th at 1:00 p.m.

That's eight weeks from today.

Your Honor, we do have a motion for remand at this time

based on the possible severity of sentence

and based on the fact that this was a violent-

A motion for what?

Remand.

Remand?

To jail.

To custody.

To jail at this time.

Motion is denied.

The best thing for me and the kids is

getting the hell out of town and going out into the woods,

into God's country.

We were out there for about a month

and you wouldn't believe the change,

the sweetness that came back into my little boy.

That's what he needs, you know, his mama.

His mama and no cameras and no reporters.

And if he's in school, he's just not gonna heal.

Not like that.

Okay, now let's put the other way.

I'll get this one.

Okay.

♪ Here is my handle, here is my spout ♪

♪ When I get ♪

Seven, eight, nine, 10.

(humming)

♪ All of the children of the world ♪

Get him, get him, get him, get him!

(laughs) Here we go.

Pass.

Okay.

I got it, I got it, I got it.

(shouting)

(fire crackling)

I know I told you to go to hell.

I saw my little boy with a 357 to his heart,

but I'm here now if you are.

I need there to be a way for the judge

to see my little baby's pain and give me probation.

Please, God, please.

Find a way to bring compassion into his heart.

Please, please.

Please.

♪ This old man, he played one ♪

♪ He played knick-knack on my thumb ♪

♪ With a knick-knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone ♪

♪ This old man came rolling home ♪

♪ This old man, he played two ♪

♪ He played knick-knack on my shoe ♪

♪ With a knick-knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone ♪

♪ This old man came rolling home ♪

Thank you.

Ellie, I've gone over the MRI

and I've gone over the biopsy

and there's no question we're talking about a malignancy.

Uh huh.

When was your last checkup?

About four months ago.

Listen, do you think it'll make the judge go easier on me?

Ellie.

What?

With this type of breast cancer,

a survival rate of five years would be extremely fortunate.

(slow music)

(glass smashes)

According to sources close to the President.

In Sonora, California,

convicted murderer Ellie Nesler has been found

to be suffering from breast cancer.

Doctors have given Nesler five years to survive,

assuming a full course...

It's my remorse, Jannie.

For killing Danny Driver.

It's how I'm paying.

Therefore, Your Honor,

we request a continuance of the sentencing hearing

until my client's condition can be assessed

and we determine what treatment is necessary.

Very sorry you're sick.

Thank you.

Medical report, the most recent.

All California correctional facilities have

excellent onsite staff who can provide medical care,

including radiation and chemotherapy for any illness.

Medical care in California state prisons is

substandard at best.

Now every class action lawsuit based upon medical negligence

brought against the Department of Corrections

in the past 10 years has been won or settled

in favor of the plaintiff inmates.

(laughs)

Isn't he doing great?

Isn't he turning into a little man?

(knocking)

Hi, honey!

Oh.

So what happens now?

Well, now I file my report with the judge.

What are you gonna say?

Well, it'll be...

It'll be quite a lengthy report.

Stripped of media hype, hysteria, horn honking,

and bumper sticker judgements, this simply is a case

of one individual unlawfully killing another.

It's tragic and ironic that the young son,

allegedly victimized by the victim in this case,

is now again being victimized,

this time by the defendant's own actions.

This officer cannot help but observe

that there has been little or no expression of remorse,

or at the very least a reaching out

to the surviving members of the victim's family.

No thinking person would care to view a society

in which the courtroom becomes yet another arena

for lawlessness.

This officer respectfully recommends

the probation be denied.

And the defendant imprisoned in the state prison

for a term of 15 years.

Do judges do what the probation department says to do?

Some do.

Okay, keep 'em closed, keep 'em closed.

Don't open, don't open.

And open!

Wow!

A dog!

Let's see, what am I gonna name you?

How about...

Back with morning dose time, KCBJ.

What else do we got in the news here?

Oh, oh, judgment day up in Sonora, California.

The months of waiting come to an end.

Ah, what's the suspense?

She's gonna walk.

The guy was pond scum.

You know, the guy was something you find

on the bottom of your shoe.

She's gotta go down, man.

She blew the guy away, you gotta go down for that.

Oh no, look, the judge doesn't give her probation,

he'd better not go into any dark alleys without a bodyguard.

How do you get Ellie Nesler into court?

You crank her up.

Your Honor, in a whole lot of ways,

I know that we are a long way from what happened

in Jamestown on April 2nd of last year,

but today of all days,

we remember what happened in that room.

We remember that there were victims

of the defendant's crime.

We remember the terror and chaos that this defendant caused.

We remember that this defendant took out a gun,

pointed it at a human being, and pulled the trigger.

Again and again and again and again and again.

We are asking here today

that the court recognize that act for what it was

and that it impose the maximum sentence provided by law.

Thank you.

Justice is always blind and justice holds the scale

and that scale is always tipped.

It's tipped to the side of mercy.

I say this because I ask for justice

for my client, Ellie Nesler,

a woman whose child was subjectively and brutally savaged.

Yes, we can let her die in a steel cage,

watching television and eating bad food.

That would be the easy way.

The difficult thing would be to allow the role

that history has designed for her to play to unfurl.

I argue, Your Honor, for mercy.

I argue that this court should give her probation.

I thank you.

Counsel, we're going to take a recess

and I'll come back and we'll proceed with sentencing.

Jannie.

It's okay.

(slow music)

So?

That about says it.

Sentencing code volume 12.

No, eight, please.

Thanks.

Hey, boy.

You won't believe the red tail squirrels I just found.

(children laughing)

(bird cawing)

Your Honor, I am writing this letter to you

in the hope that you will be merciful when you sentence me.

My son needs the opportunity to heal.

Please, Judge, you are holding my life

and my children's lives in the palm of your hands.

The events of April 2nd amounted to nothing more or less

than an execution of Daniel Driver.

What if Daniel Driver's mother decides

to blow Ellie Nesler away?

The woman must have loved her son too.

Then where are we?

The prospects of my client's recovery

from her illness are magnified immensely

by the support she would receive

from her children and her sisters.

What do we know about Ellie Nesler's mothering skills?

We know that on the day of the hearing,

she yelled at her sick and vomiting son

about what tennis shoes to wear to court.

Women with serious illness at California state prisons

do not receive adequate care.

I still see the blood.

I still hear the gunshots echoing through the courtroom.

The nausea hasn't stopped.

The nightmares, the flashbacks.

It's time.

Oh God.

It's so beautiful.

Oh, can I just give you a hug?

Ellie.

Court is now in session.

Your Honor, may we stand for sentencing?

It's not necessary.

It's ordered that probation be denied

and that the defendant be imprisoned in the state prison

for a total of 10 years.

The defendant will be remanded at this time

to the custody of the sheriff, the delivery by him,

to the director of the Department of Corrections

in execution of this sentence.

Ask him if I can see my children.

The doctors gave her five, the judge gave her 10.

For KNSC Sacramento,

this is Terry Rawlings in Sonora, California.

(phone ringing)

Hello?

Is it Mommy?

Better get your shoes on.

I'll come break you out.

No, honey.

They have 15 men out there.

We can escape through that window right now.

God will take care of us, okay?

God will take care of us.

Trust that, okay?

Okay?

Promise me you will not die in prison.

I promise, honey.

Promise me you won't die until I have children.

I can't promise that, honey.

Honey, Becky, Becky, sweetie.

Let me, let me hold Brandon, okay?

Come here, sweetie, come here.

Oh my babies, my babies, my babies.

What about the puppies?

Oh honey, don't worry about the puppies.

Oh my gosh.

Someone's gonna pay for those puppies.

Nobody's gonna take 'em away from you, okay?

Nobody.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Don't you start crying cuz then I will.

And nobody, you hear me, nobody's gonna see me cry, okay?

You either, okay?

It's gonna be alright.

It's gonna be okay.

God will take care of us, okay?

God will.

Okay, okay, we gotta go, we gotta go, okay?

Okay, come on sweetie, it's gonna be alright.

It's gonna be alright.

Come on, sweetie, it's okay, it's okay.

Come on.

Here you go, come on.

It's okay, it's okay.

Come on, go to Aunt Jan.

Go, go, go, go.

Oh, I love you.

Go, go, go, come on, it's okay, it's okay.

I love you, Mom.

I love you too.

Goodbye, I love you, I love you.

If you tell anybody that I said this,

I'm gonna say you're a liar.

But you're my hero.

Ellie!

Ellie, over here!

Ellie!

Ellie, how do you feel about the sentence?

It was fair.

Remember the shock we all felt

when a California mother walked into a small town courtroom

and shot Daniel Driver,

the man accused of molesting her young son?

Now to some, she's a coldblooded murderer.

In Sarajevo, another day, another broken mind.

Arson is suspected in-

(children crying)

(gun fires)

(slow music)

Avenge not yourselves, for it is written:

Vengeance is mine.

I will repay, sayeth the Lord.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

(dramatic music)

(rocks clattering)

(calm music)

(dramatic music)

Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story (1999) - full transcript