Bull (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 16 - Missing - full transcript

$600 for a freaking T-shirt?

Did you say $600?

Wow.

This is SoHo, Chloe.

Still.

Ladies, let me know if there's
anything I can help you with.

Thank you.

We should probably head back
to Brooklyn soon.

Oh, my God, a scarf is $400?

Should I get it?

What? No.
Your mom will kill you.



Hey.

I didn't say anything
about buying it.

Oh, come on.

Warmth is a fundamental
human right.

And I need a scarf.

Relax. You're gonna
attract attention.

Hey.

You should get those earrings.
They're your favorite color.

I don't think so.

Do you know how cute
you'd look with them?

Sorry, ladies.

I'm gonna need to see
inside those purses.

Good afternoon.
My name is Elena Smith.

I got a phone call
that my 15-year-old daughter



was arrested for shoplifting?

Wait, there must be
some mistake.

I'm supposed to meet
my daughter in here.

There's been no
mistake, Ms. Smith.

It's you we want to talk to.

I'm Agent Franks with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This is Agent Arnold.

Would you please
take a seat?

Shoplifting?

Is that something the FBI
gets involved with these days?

Uh, just for the record,
you're Chloe Smith's mom?

Yes Is she okay?
W-What did she do?

Chloe's real name
isn't Chloe at all, is it?

And her last name isn't Smith.

For that matter,
I'm guessing neither is yours.

Your daughter,
who isn't your daughter,

her real name is Sarah Cooper,
isn't it?

We ran her prints.

She's originally from
Clearwater, Florida,

and we suspect
maybe you are, too.

Your real name's
Angela Brown, isn't it?

Ms. Brown,

we've been looking for you
and that little girl

for an awfully long time.

- Go away.
- No.

Nope. I need to speak with you.

Have some mercy.

You know I have
a two-week-old at home.

I know that.

She's adorable, but confused.

Doesn't know night from day.

Ugh, come on.

I'm working
on 22 minutes' sleep here.

I beg you.

Sorry, Bull.

You know, I just, uh,

got off the phone
with my financial guy,

trying to start
a college fund

for baby Bull,
but I got to have her full name.

They won't let me
open up an account

without a last name
and a first name.

So what's it gonna be?
Asa or Ingrid?

Remember?

You told me you wanted
to name her Ingrid,

and Izzy wanted to name her Asa.

So where'd you
guys end up?

We met in the middle.

What? Inga?

Astrid.

Ah.

Astrid.

I like it.
Never heard it before,

but I like it.

Same here.

See what you started?

You two boys interested
in running up

to the Metropolitan Correctional
Center late this afternoon,

and talking to a woman accused
of kidnapping her niece

12 years ago and bringing
her up as her daughter?

12 years ago, my younger sister
Marie died in a car accident.

She had just dropped her
three-year-old daughter

off at day care.

Sarah. Sarah Cooper.

Yes.

That was the name
she was born with.

Sarah Cooper.

And what about her father?

What was going on with Sarah's
father after your sister died?

My brother-in-law had issues
with impulse control.

Struggled with his drinking,
with drugs.

He used to beat
my sister.

He used to hurt Chloe.

Sarah.

And you witnessed this?

I saw the bruises.

But your sister confided in you?

She didn't have
to confide in me.

S-She didn't have to say it.
She was my sister.

Uh, these bruises,
did you ask her about them?

I tried.

She'd tell me
she walked into a door.

Or when her hand had what looked
to me like cigarette burns,

she'd tell me she did it
to herself on the stove.

Tell me about Sarah.

After Marie died,

I noticed she started
having bruises.

And did you ask
your brother-in-law?

The girl's father?

He'd tell me Sarah fell down.

"Sarah fell off her big wheel."

There was
always a story.

So, I contacted
Florida's Department

of Children and Families.

But by the time
they came out to investigate,

the bruises were almost gone.

I think I reported him
five, six times.

And then, one day,

I went over there
to visit my niece,

and they told me she was in
the hospital with a broken arm.

Jim said she fell down
the stairs.

But when I went to the hospital

and asked Sarah what had
happened, she wouldn't tell me.

She just looked sad.

She wouldn't say anything.

So, the next morning,
I went back to the hospital.

And I told her
we were going on a trip.

That was 12 years ago.

Let's talk about the trial.
It's not gonna be easy.

There's no denying what you did.

You took a child
who wasn't yours.

A child who still had a parent.

And there's no jury

that's gonna have an easy time
looking past that,

which is why Sarah... Chloe...

Is the key to your defense.

The key?

How? She was only three
when all this happened.

She doesn't remember anything.

Of course.

But surely she has an opinion
on you as a mother.

How did she react when you
told her you'd been arrested?

I told her I'd been called away
on a business trip.

I called her friend's parents
and asked if she could stay

with them for a day or two.

Ms. Smith, Ms. Brown,

you need to explain
to your niece

what's really going on here.

That is a conversation
that has to be had.

Dr. Bull is right.

She is the most important
witness we have.

Now, we're happy
to bring Chloe here, tomorrow.

Give you two a chance to talk.

Here?

So I can tell her
her whole life's been a fiction?

She thinks
her father is dead,

that he's a war hero,
he lost his life in Afghanistan.

Be that as it may,

if that girl doesn't tell
the jury what a wonderful mother

you've been,
you will be found guilty.

And the authorities
will almost certainly return her

to the man
you're convinced hurt her.

Tell me you'll call her tonight.

Tell me you'll explain
you need to see her.

Okay.

I'll call her.

I'll tell her
about the two of you.

That you'll be
bringing her to me.

But I won't tell her where.

And I won't tell her why.

I-I just can't.

*BULL *
Season 04 Episode 16

Episode Title: "Missing"
Aired on: 03/09/2020

Here she comes.

You all right?

It's a lot.

It is.

I hate to be the naysayer...

- No, you don't.
- I-I don't know

how we're supposed
to prove abuse

that supposedly happened
over 12 years ago

in a place that's over
a thousand miles away.

I don't know.
I mean, the kid did

break her arm.

Yeah, but it was
a spiral fracture,

which is actually
pretty common.

It can happen when you yank
a toddler's arm

or when you're just
horsing around,

which is what the dad
told the doctors.

Speaking of the father...

Tell us what you know.

His name is Jim Cooper.

Went through kind of a dark
period after his wife passed

and his daughter disappeared.

Couldn't hold down a job,
got himself into a lot of debt.

Lost his house. Some minor
arrests for drunkenness.

Then about eight
years ago,

he started to pull
his life back together.

Bought a water-softening
franchise,

remarried four years ago,
has a two-and-a-half-year-old son,

has six employees.

I've dated guys whose bios
read worse than this.

Here's the thing.
Bull keeps saying the literature

is pretty clear about the fact
that abuse tends to be cyclical.

I mean, even though
this Jim Cooper remarried...

You think he's abusing
his new wife and kid?

Well, I certainly hope not,
but he probably had

other relationships
before he met his current wife.

And if we can establish
a pattern of abuse,

it would certainly bolster
Elena's credibility.

Looks like I'm on a plane
to sunny Florida.

Do you know what
the problem with this case is?

Our client did exactly what
she's being charged with.

I'm starting to think our only
choice might be to embrace that.

Why would we do that?

To gain credibility
with the judge and the jury.

Make a play
for a lenient sentence.

Our play is
to get her acquitted.

If we have to ask
for a lenient sentence,

it means we've lost, and our
client didn't hire us to lose.

Yeah, but, Bull, there is
no defense for this crime.

It's not like we can claim
that it was an accident

or self-defense
or even insanity.

I mean, she's guilty.

She did it.

She kidnapped her niece.

Well, that's where
jury nullification comes in.

We've got to convince this jury
that the kidnapping law

shouldn't apply
to Elena's situation.

She wasn't kidnapping her niece;
She was rescuing her.

Let the prosecution
call it a kidnapping.

We're gonna call it a rescue.

I need to warn you...
The first witness

to take the stand today

is going to be your
former brother-in-law.

Whatever you
may think about him,

we need you to understand
the jury will almost certainly

empathize with him.

All they're gonna see

is a young widower
who lost his only child.

Wow. The bastard
sobered up long enough

to fly three hours up the coast
so he could lie under oath?

According to the prosecutor,
he's been sober for years.

He's also remarried,
owns his own business,

has a two-year-old son,

and very much wants
his daughter back.

Angela,

the reason
we're telling you this...

We need you to be careful
not to react when he testifies.

The jury is watching you,
they're studying you.

If they see anger,
if they see contempt,

they're gonna presume
that you took this man's child

out of spite.

So...

you got to
the hospital,

walked into your
daughter's room,

and she just
wasn't there?

Exactly. And no one...
no one knew where she was.

So, of course,
I went to the police.

And how long
before you figured out

that it was probably
your sister-in-law

who had taken her?

Maybe a day.
There was hospital video.

Uh...

but the thing is,
no one realized

that she had taken her for good,

that she'd left the state.

I kept thinking that she
had taken her to the movies

or to some theme park to...

take her mind
off of her mother.

Mr. Cooper.

Did you ever hit
your first wife?

Never.

Did you ever strike
your daughter Sarah?

Never.

Mr. Cooper,

if the defendant
is found guilty,

are you prepared

to welcome your daughter
back into your home?

Prepared? I have been waiting

12 years for this.
I would do anything

to have my child back. Yes.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

Mr. Colón.

Yes, Your Honor.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Mr. Cooper...

we really appreciate
you coming all this way to...

share your recollections.

Recollections?
I-I-I'm talking about...

my family.

I'm talking about my blood,
my-my child.

Yes, yes,
of course, of course, but...

12 years is a long time.

A lot has changed.

Right?

You're remarried, you have
a two-year-old at home...

I never stopped looking.
I... I never gave up.

If you say so, sir.

Now...

you were unemployed at the time
your daughter disappeared,

- weren't you?
- Yes, I-I had a tough time

after my wife died.

Completely understandable.

Although, our records indicate

that you were having
a tough time

even before your wife
passed away,

pretty much beginning
with the birth

of your first child, Sarah.

Objection, Your Honor.

Is counsel asking a question
or testifying?

Ask a question, Mr. Colón.

Absolutely, Your Honor.
My apologies, Your Honor.

Uh...

approximately how many jobs
would you say you held

during the three-year period

starting from the birth
of your first child

to the date
that she disappeared?

I don't know,
I was still a young man,

still trying to...
find myself.

Yeah, I get it.

I'm just looking
for a number, sir.

Three, maybe.

Three.

Three jobs in three years.

That's what
you're testifying to?

Could be four.

Objection, Your Honor.
Relevance?

Your Honor,
the defense

is just trying to illustrate
to the jury

that my client has never denied
that she did what she did;

The issue in this trial
is why she did it.

And that's all
we are attempting

to illuminate, Your Honor.

Objection overruled.

You may proceed.

Yeah. Now,
I'll ask just one more time.

How many jobs did you hold
during the three-year period

after your daughter's birth?

Five.

Five. Really?

Huh.

Our records show 11, sir.

Do you care to venture

as to how many alcohol-related
arrests during that period?

I imagine you have that number as well. Oh,
I do,

I do, and it's almost as high
as the number of jobs lost.

Again, beginning with the birth
of your first child,

you were also on periods
of federal assistance,

were you not?

Yes.

I was on assistance,
but I'm not any longer.

I haven't been for years.

In fact,
you remained on assistance

for almost 18 months after your
daughter's disappearance, right?

Yeah. So?
And isn't it also true

that you never mentioned

to your caseworker that
your daughter was gone,

so that you
can continue to receive

that extra assistance
the government pays

to families with minor children?

How's the view?

Nobody is switching sides yet,

but I can see we definitely have

- their attention.
- I'm sorry,

I-I didn't hear what you said.

Like I said,
it was a difficult time.

Ah.

I made some mistakes.

I didn't attend to certain
things that needed attending to.

I won't deny that.

But I was a little busy

putting up posters
on telephone polls...

spending my days
looking for my child.

Be that as it may,

you accepted federal funds
under false pretense,

- didn't you?
- Objection.

Asked and answered.

Objection sustained.

Ask another question.

Actually, I have no further
questions, Your Honor.

I'm worried. I haven't heard
from Chloe since yesterday.

That's funny, she
missed her appointment

with Chunk this morning
to go over her testimony.

All rise
for the Honorable Judge Hopkins.

Ms. Lawson,

thank you for making the
trip up from Florida.

Now, in 2008,

you were the Florida
Child Services investigator

assigned to Sarah Cooper's case.

- Isn't that correct?
- Yes.

And apparently,
you were called to the home

a number of times.

I was.

Her aunt...

the defendant...

seemed convinced that
there was

some sort of abuse
going on in the household.

So you investigated?

I did.

And what did
you discover?

I found some minor issues
with hygiene.

How do you mean?
The kitchen sink

had dirty dishes in it.

Sarah's clothes
hadn't been washed in a while.

Pretty standard stuff.

And frankly,
to be expected in a household

where the mother had just
passed.

And wasn't there also

some concern about a bruise
or bruises on her arms and legs?

Again,
concerns from the defendant.

But when I saw the child,

it was hard to determine
exactly what we were looking at.

Now, the law requires us
to open an investigation

24 hours after someone
files a concern,

and we did that.

But it did take us a couple
of days to get out there.

And do you think that might have
accounted for your inability

to recognize these bruises
or marks as evidence of abuse?

Honestly, no.

Generally speaking,
in child welfare cases,

you're almost always talking
about injuries

that are profound enough
to still be in evidence

72, even 96 hours later.

So you saw nothing
that gave you cause

to consider removing the child

- from the home?
- Oh, gosh, no.

That is always a last resort.

My feeling was that
it would be best to continue

to monitor the case, check back
with the family bimonthly,

so that's what we did.

And when the child
was brought to the hospital

with a broken arm?

We got there
as quickly as we could.

But unfortunately,
when we arrived,

the hospital had just discovered
that she was missing.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

I'm sure I don't need

to tell you
we didn't win any friends

- with that testimony.
- Hey.

The inning's not over until
both sides have been up to bat.

Ms. Lawson,

you have a...

really difficult
job, don't you?

It's not the easiest.

In fact, even over a decade ago,

while you were in the midst
of the Sarah Cooper case,

you were carrying double
the recommended number of cases,

isn't that right?

Goes with the territory.

At least in Florida.

Now, Ms. Lawson,

after Mrs. Cooper passed away

and during the time Sarah
was living with her father,

were you aware of any children

in the state of Florida
that died as a result of abuse

while being actively monitored
by your agency?

Sadly, I'm sure some did.

I couldn't give you a number.

We are talking
about 12 years ago.

Indeed.

Would it surprise you
to learn that 12 years ago,

that number was actually 79?

79 children died

as a result of abuse
while being actively monitored

by Florida Child Service
investigators.

Now,

how long do you think
the defendant

should have waited?

Objection.
Calls for speculation.

How long should
the defendant have waited

before her sister's child
was number 80?

Mr. Colón.

You are out of order.

Now the jury
will ignore

that last question.

I apologize, Your Honor.

Actually, I have
no further questions

at this time.

Does the prosecution have

any further questions
for this witness?

Not at this time, Your Honor.

Then the witness is excused.

Please call your next witness.

The prosecution would like to
call Sarah Cooper to the stand.

What was it like to find out

your name wasn't
your name,

your mother wasn't
your mother?

It's hard to describe.

Were you surprised to
learn that your biological father

was alive,
after being told

for so many years
that he had died

in Afghanistan?

Of course.

And what were
you thinking,

when you sat here
in this courtroom

two days ago
and watched him,

very much alive,

testify about how much
he loved you and missed you?

Just that I wanted
to talk to him.

Get to know him a little bit.

Now,

let's talk about your aunt.

After years of telling you
that she was your mother,

that your father
had died overseas,

what did she tell you
about your father

once she admitted that
he was, in fact, alive?

What did she offer
as an excuse

for taking you from him?

For keeping you from him?

She said that he hurt
my real mother.

She said that he hurt me.

He broke my arm.

Did you believe her?

Objection.
Calls for speculation.

The attorney
is badgering the witness.

And I question
the relevance

of this whole line
of questioning.

I'll withdraw the question,
Your Honor.

But if I may just ask
one more thing.

Sarah,

are you open to the possibility

of a relationship
with your father

now that you know
that he is alive?

I guess so.

He seems nice.

And I'd...

kinda like to know
what it's like to have a father.

No further questions,

Your Honor.

Chloe...

Is it okay
if I call you Chloe?

Would you rather I
address you as Sarah?

Chloe's okay.

I'm kinda used to Chloe.

Chloe it is.

Now, why do you think

your mother made you believe
your father was a war hero?

I don't know.

I guess so I'd respect him,

feel good about him.

And did she ever...

say anything negative about him

prior to the police
charging her with kidnapping?

No. Never.

Actually,
she always talked about him

like he was pretty amazing.

And would you say
you've been well-cared-for

these past 12 years?

Well-clothed? Well-fed?

Did you feel loved?

I did. Yes.

And didn't your mother
put you in private school?

Encourage you to
learn the violin?

Teach you Spanish
and French?

You mean my aunt?

Yes,

she's been
a wonderful parent to me.

And you're old enough
to understand that...

private school,

tutors, music lessons...

All of that costs money.

And who was it that
was paying for it?

My aunt.

And, lastly,

have you ever known your aunt
to be violent or aggressive?

No.

Did she ever hit you?

No.

She ever curse at you?- No.

Raise her voice?

Once or twice.

But I probably deserved it.

Do you think she loves you?

Uh, yes.

I know she does.

Thank you.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

Give me a burp.

I can't put you down
till I get a burp.

Hey.

That was the wrong end.

Come on.

I need a burp.

Here we go.

That's a girl.

Give me a burp.

I...

Hello, Marissa.

Am I catching you at a bad time?

No, I'm just trying to wrap up
the 10:00 p.m. feeding here

in Astrid-land.

Intake went well.

We're just working
on some outbound action.

What's up?

Danny just called from Florida.

She's found two people
that seem to corroborate.

Elena's story about Jim.

One is a teacher

at a preschool that
Jim's two-year-old attended.

That is until she asked
questions about bruises

the little boy started showing
up to school with. Shh...

And she also found

a dermatologist
his new wife was seeing.

Apparently, she has something
to say as well.

Both are willing
to fly up to testify.

Well, why don't you e-mail me

all the pertinent details,

and Benny and I will add 'em
to the witness list

tomorrow morning.

Did Danny find the wife yet?

She thinks
she might be away on business,

- but she's still looking.
- Okay.

Ooh, I felt that.

I got to go.

Your Honor,
these new witnesses

- aren't witnesses.
- Excuse me,

but the prosecution has rested.

It is now time for the defense

to present our defense,

which is what we're trying
to do right now, Your Honor.

Your Honor, not only have
we had no time to prepare...

Oh, take all the time you need.

Your Honor...

The charges before the court

are extremely serious...
Which is why

these witnesses are so
important, Your Honor.

They directly contradict
Jim Cooper's testimony.

He said under oath

that he has never
physically abused anyone.

Well, we have records

from Jim Cooper's
two-year-old son's

former preschool teacher,

who noticed fresh bruises
on the boy.

And when she confronted him
about the bruises,

the teacher said
that he abruptly pulled the kid

from the school.

In other words,

she witnessed nothing.

And, secondly,

the current Mrs.
Cooper's dermatologist

treated her for a
burn on her forearm,

which she suspected
was from a cigarette,

less than four weeks ago.

Again, this is
circumstantial evidence

and is irrelevant
to the kidnapping charges.

AUSA Knight makes a valid point.

The real question

is did the witnesses
actually see.

Mr. Cooper inflict
these injuries.

Judge Hopkins,
we all know it's unlikely

that Mr. Cooper would beat
his two-year-old son

in front of a crowd
of onlookers

or burn his wife in public.

Your Honor,

the jury should be allowed
to hear the testimony,

review the documents,
draw their own inferences.

No, no, no, no, no, no.
I'm-I'm sorry.

I don't agree.

Mr. Cooper is not

on trial here.

And the probative value

of what sounds like speculation
and-and hearsay

is outweighed by the prejudicial
effect it's certain to have.

And none of it
is relevant

as to whether or not
your client kidnapped his child,

which is the only issue
the jury is here to resolve.

Now, I have to agree
with prosecution.

Unless these people

actually witnessed Mr. Cooper
hurt someone,

their testimony is irrelevant.

Do you have any other witnesses
you want to present?

With Your Honor's permission,

we would like to ask
for a one-day continuance.

I'd love to confer
with my client on next steps.

It's like I told you.

Bottom line is
she did it.

She took
this man's child.

Kind of impossible

to mount a defense against
something that's indisputable.

I just heard.

No court today.

They want me to change,
take me back to prison.

Is everything all right?

We need to talk.

We can

press forward.

Mr. Colón could put you
on the stand.

You're really
the only witness we have.

Unfortunately,

you're not the witness we need.

What do you mean?

We need someone

who can tell the jury under oath

that they've actually seen
Mr. Cooper be physically abusive.

Preferably
multiple times.

It's the only thing

that's gonna make the jury
second-guess

the A.D.A.'s assertion

that you're nothing more
than a kidnapper.

With your permission,
what I'd like to do

is go to the A.D.A.
and see if we can't broker

some kind of a deal.

She's not a
stupid person.

She knows
that this hearsay

and circumstantial evidence
may not hold up in court,

but I'm willing to bet she knows
there's a whiff of truth to it.

Maybe we can use that

to wrestle
some favorable terms from her.

Would I still have
to go to prison?

Yes.

I'm hoping we can keep it
to less than five years,

as opposed to the ten to 20
you're looking at now.

Oh, my God.

What about Chloe?

She'd be

returned back to her father.

She's 15.

If he starts abusing her,

it will not stay secret long.

And for what it's worth,

your ex-brother-in-law
is on notice.

He knows

we're all watching.

And would I ever get
to see her again?

Do I get to see Chloe?

You'd be
a convicted kidnapper, so...

no, I don't think

that's at all likely.

Mrs. Cooper?

My name is Danny James.
I'm an investigator

working on a court case
involving your husband

and his daughter
from a previous marriage.

I'm... kind of
on vacation with my son.

I don't really want
to get involved.

I promise,
it'll be two minutes.

Mrs. Cooper,
don't make me get a subpoena.

Can we make this fast?

I-I promised my little boy
I would take him to a water park.

Sure. And I'm sorry.

Uh, look, we have reason
to believe that your husband

may have been physically abusive
to your little boy.

And to you.

Seriously?

That's what you want
to talk to me about?

Where did you
hear that?

That's crazy.

Are you married?

You ever been married?

No. Well, I've only been at it

for a few years, but let
me tell you two things

I know for sure.

One, marriage,

like any deal, is filled
with lots of good

and also some bad.

My boy.

I love my boy.

And that's one of the
goods, one of the greats.

And I don't worry
much about...

bills anymore, and you
can't hate that, so...

if my husband comes
home sometimes

and he's not in a stellar mood,
then...

I'm not just talking
about someon

in a bad mood,
Mrs. Cooper.

And the other thing...
and you ought to know this...

Uh, you can't force me to
testify against my own husband.

You can't.

Plus, I don't have
anything to testify to.

So are we done here?

I can help you.
I can help both of you.

By how?

By-by destroying my family?

And anyway,
like I said...

isn't what happens between
a husband and a wife private?

Conversations between spouses
are privileged, but...

not when there are
allegations of abuse.

Okay, I think you
need to go now.

You wouldn't have to look
at him in court.

We could have him
sequestered.

And after the trial,
my boss and I, we would help you

and your little son
back on your feet.

And in a safe place,
I promise.

That is...

if you're willing
to testify.

That is...

if you're willing to admit

you actually have something
to testify to.

Mommy?

Oh.

Noah.

Say hello to the nice lady.

Let me call my mother.

See if she can take my baby.

Mrs. Cooper,

I know it's uncomfortable
you being here.

We've sequestered your
husband as per your request,

and, speaking for the defense,

we really appreciate you
making the trip.

- It's okay.
- Now,

when your husband told you
he needed to come to New York

for a court date,

did he explain the
nature of the trial?

Uh, no, not really.

He said it was
a business thing.

So you and your
two-year-old son

just decided to take
a little road trip?

Yes.

I just...

with Jim away...

I just needed
to do some thinking.

Well...

I'm sorry to have
interrupted your trip.

So let me get
right into it.

Here goes nothing.

Mrs. Cooper,

have you ever been
afraid of your husband?

Yes.

And can you please
explain to the jury why?

Uh, he yells at me
sometimes.

Like when
our two-year-old cries.

And he'll, uh, slam doors...

break things
when something upsets him.

And in the past,

when something upset him,
has he ever gotten physical

with you or Noah?

This was from a week ago.

Let the record reflect

that the witness is talking

about the bruising and swelling
on the right side of her face.

And can you please explain the
events surrounding the injury?

I told Jim
I wanted to go back to school,

and he started screaming
about who would care for Noah.

And then what happened?

I-I told him...
that we would figure it out.

A lot of people figure it out.

- And how did he respond?
- He...

balled up his fist and...

I lost two teeth.

Now, let's talk
about your two-year-old son.

He has his arm in a
sling, doesn't he?

He does.

And...

do you know what
happened to him?

Yes, and no.

I had to work on a Saturday,

and Jim stayed home with him.

He wasn't happy about it.

And when I got home
eight hours later,

they had already been
to the emergency room and back.

Apparently, Noah's arm
got pulled out of its socket.

Jim said they
were just horsing around.

What did Noah say?

Objection. Hearsay.

Your Honor,

the child is
two years old.

Would you really have me

call him here

- to testify?
- I'll allow it.

Witness will answer
the question.

No, he-he didn't
really say anything.

He's only two,
and he's very shy.

But every time
Jim comes near him,

- he hides behind my leg.
- Objection.

Your Honor,
this is simply speculation.

It proves nothing.

Objection sustained.
The jury will disregard

the witness's testimony
with respect

to her two-year-old child.

Isn't it true
your son had

a preschool teacher
that expressed concern

about visible bruising
on the boy's body

and brought it
to your husband's attention,

who responded by withdrawing
your child from the school?

- Way to slip one in, Benny.
- Your Honor,

objection.
This is just more hearsay

masquerading as testimony.

Objection sustained.
Counselor,

I know what you're doing.

I don't like it.

Now, I need you to ask questions

that pertain only to events

that the witness
would have seen for herself.

Yes, Your Honor.

Come on.

They got to be reacting to this.

Indeed they are.
You just flipped two.

Mrs. Cooper...

were there any other incidents
of physical violence

that either involved you
or to which...

you were a
direct witness?

He, uh...

burned me.

Here and here.

With cigarettes.

He...

bit my ear.

I had to get stitches.

Anything else?

He kicked me once.

Kicked you where,

Mrs. Cooper?

Between my legs.

And you were able

to document
each of these incidents?

In each case,

you went and sought
medical attention afterwards?

Yes.

Although, I always
made up a story

as to how I got the injury.

Thank you.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

So, you admit you lied
about the details

when you sought medical
help for these...

so-called injuries?

Yes. I was embarrassed.

So tell me,
Mrs. Cooper,

now that we've established
that you're an admitted liar,

why should we believe
anything else you say?

For instance,

how do we know these injures
aren't self-inflicted?

Well, I...

I wouldn't burn my own arm...

ma'am.

And I'm not even sure
how I would bite my own ear.

Not to mention

kick myself...

where I indicated.

Wait, where is Mr. Colón?

Well, he stayed behind

to talk to your
ex-brother-in-law's new wife.

She wanted to file charges
against him,

and Benny's offered
to put her in touch

with the D.A. in Florida.

How do I do this?

Where do I start?

Am I Elena, or do I go
back to being Angela?

What do people call me?
What do I call myself?

Mom!

Sync corrections by srjanapala