Chicago Justice (2017): Season 1, Episode 3 - See Something - full transcript

Danny was a scholar, you know?

He was studying for his PhD in physics.

He had a big future, Mr. Stone.

I know how painful this must be.

He had dinner with
us every Sunday night.

The night that he was killed...

They know all this, honey.

We usually walked him to the bus stop.

That night...

I was too tired, and you
had to watch your game.

Mr. and Mrs. Nasiri,



I'm so sorry about Danny.

Get him away from us.

Damn, dude. I just wanted
to tell you I didn't kill him.

Byron, come on. Let's go.

Danny didn't do anything to that boy.

Except look different.

Most Americans will not tolerate

the murder of an innocent boy.

We should go.

Monday morning, around 1:45 a.m.,

we found the body in
an abandoned building

on South Kimbark.

He was already deceased when we arrived.

You didn't just happen
by the building, I assume.



It isn't counsel's place to
assume facts not in evidence.

Did you merely happen by

the building on South...

Counsel is leading the witness.

And counsel forgets this
is a preliminary hearing,

not a trial.

What brought you
to that abandoned building

on South Kimbark, Sergeant?

An anonymous call from
what we later learned was

a tweaker who was
squatting in the building.

What condition was Danny Nasiri in

when you found him?

He was dead.

He had been beaten to
death with a tire iron

that we found in an adjacent dumpster.

Is this how you found Danny Nasiri?

It is.

- And this?
- Yep.

What initially led you
to suspect the defendant,

Byron Welch?

We learned from campus police

there had been a prior altercation

between him and Danny Nasiri.

And why did you eventually
arrest Byron Welch?

We found a sweatshirt that was stained

with what turned out to
be Danny Nasiri's blood.

It had been shoved into
the back of Byron's closet

under his dirty underwear.

Dude, knock it off.

You think this is some kind of joke?

Stop.

How dare you?

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

- No! Mrs. Nasiri!
- Order!

Byron Welch, a sophomore
lacrosse player over at CCU,

brutalized a physics grad student

named Danny Nasiri.

He left him to die in
an abandoned building

on South Kimbark.

Jealousy, money, or revenge?

Danny was Muslim.

Byron must have wiped the tire iron.

There were no prints on it.

But we did find traces of Danny's blood.

It gets better.

This wasn't Byron's
only run-in with Danny.

Six weeks ago, he left
Danny with a bloody nose,

black eyes, and broken ribs.

Danny reported it to campus police,

but for some reason
withdrew the complaint.

Aside from that, any motive?

CPD checked both their
computers, phone records,

and class schedules.

There wasn't any obvious connection.

What can I say? It looks
like a garden-variety

hate crime to me,

but Stone wants us to dot all the Is.

Last time I was at a frat house...

Never mind.

Come on. You know you're
gonna tell me eventually.

You do know there's free
porn on the Internet now.

Whoa, Nagel, I didn't
say anything about porn.

Stale beer and something nasty.

That's called hormones.

We're investigators from
the State Attorney's Office.

What's that? Like, better than cops?

It's, like, different.

You're here about Byron, right?

Look, there's no way he killed
that guy. He's a good dude.

As in he's a good beer pong partner?

Yeah. That, too.

All right, so, what was
his problem with Danny Nasiri?

Yeah, why don't we
all just get along?

Are you saying Byron didn't like Muslims?

You know what the school does

- for the towel heads.
- Not now.

They know what I'm talking about.

I mean, they're part of the
soon-to-be white minority.

Take another look, pal.

All Joey's trying to say is

that the school bends over backwards

for a small group of students...

They play the damn call to prayer

during Islam Awareness Week.

It's like... who's not
aware of Muslims, you know?

- Damn it, Joey.
- So Byron was just

doing the majority a favor?

Byron didn't even know the guy.

Look, his brother was killed in Kabul.

When he beat up Danny, he was drunk,

and, I don't know, morose about Bobby.

So it could've been any Muslim?

Yeah. Wrong time, wrong place.

Maybe we can see Byron's room.

His brother
getting killed in Afghanistan.

- Yeah, you've seen one Muslim...
- That's not what I meant.

Look, I'm not saying what
those assholes said was right,

but we do seem to go out of our way

to make them feel comfortable.

When I was in uniform, me and McKay,

we would drive past a mosque every day.

And every day when they saw
us, the people would scatter.

One day, McKay buys an extra coffee...

He gives the extra cup
to this old dude, Ameer,

before he can get away.

Next day, we drive by... Ameer's
there with a box of donuts.

The day after that, Ameer
brings his wife, Fadi,

and his cousin Saad.

Donut diplomacy.

Why does Byron have a Koran?

Maybe he wants to get to know the enemy.

"From Addie." Who is Addie?

You knew Danny?

He was a good friend.

Actually, I'm the one who convinced him

to drop his complaint against Byron.

Why would you do that?

Just doing my part in showing

that Islam is a religion of peace.

Um, I'm a member of Come Together.

We promote understanding between Muslims

and students of other religions.

Byron felt really bad
after he beat up Danny.

He came to a meeting.
That's when I met him.

- And you gave him the Koran?
- I wanted him to see

there's nothing in there
about blowing up Westerners.

The truth is I'm sure
Byron didn't kill Danny.

Because he read the Koran?

Because he was with me...

all night.

He's about to go on
trial for murder, Addie.

You didn't maybe think to tell someone?

I wanted to, but...

my dad...

He doesn't know about me and Byron.

He wouldn't approve?

My real name is Adara.

It means "virgin."

If he found out...

Byron was only thinking of me.

He made me promise to keep my mouth shut

unless things turned really bad for him.

They have.

Is there anything else, Addie?

We made it the night Danny was killed.

It doesn't prove anything.

Proves Byron didn't hate all Muslims.

It's time stamped 12:30 a.m.
the night Danny was killed.

Before that, he was with his buddies

from about 9:30 to 11:00.

And that still leaves
a gap in the timeline.

So, he commits a brutal hate crime,

and then makes a sex tape
with his Muslim girlfriend?

I once convicted a bookie
who cut off his client's arm

and then went to his
daughter's bat mitzvah.

That's different. That's about money.

This is about...

I don't really know what this is about.

So find out.

When I was in school,
I would have six roomies

in a place like this.

Saturday nights must have been fun.

"The Schrodinger Equation."

Who writes a whole book on one equation?

Same filing system I used.

It's a
receipt to a local dry cleaner.

Dated three months ago,
addressed to Jafar Boustani.

Maybe Danny did have a roomie.

Maybe he knows something.

Danny and I were
roommates for six years.

Admissions put us together
when we were freshmen.

One Muslim's got to get
along with another, right?

Did you and Danny get along?

We lived in the dorms for four years.

And then we got an
apartment off Ellis Street

when we started grad school.

You didn't really answer the question.

Yes. We were great friends.

We're both studying theoretical physics.

Like the Schrodinger equation?

Yeah.

Danny never quite got the hang of that.

So, why'd you move out?

A girl. I moved in with
her. Then we broke up.

I wanted to move back in with Danny,

but he decided he liked to live alone.

Now I wish I would've insisted.

Sorry, but we have to
ask: Where were you...

The night Danny was killed?

Studying. In the
stacks. Like every night.

You're gonna convict Byron, right?

You know Byron Welch?

I was there the first
time he attacked Danny.

It would've been a lot
worse if I hadn't stopped it.

Your name wasn't on the police report.

I didn't want any trouble.

I mean, you don't know
what it's like on campus.

I don't need enemies.

Thank you, Jafar.

Of course. Anything I can do to help.

Hey. Your old girlfriend...
What was her name?

Melanie Burke.

- Have a nice day.
- Yeah.

- You don't believe him?
- No.

There's no way that guy
stops a lacrosse player

like Byron Welch.

Jafar and I lived together
for maybe a month.

He wasn't a bad guy.

Not exactly a rave review.

What do you want me
to say? It didn't last.

We'd like to know why.

Why? Jafar was handsome
and he treated me okay,

but... I don't know
the exact word for it...

Insecure, maybe.

Maybe paranoid.

He always felt like the
outsider of the group, you know?

Like everyone hated him.

Yeah. We met a couple of guys like that.

So, you didn't like
the guilt by association?

I'm dating a guy from Egypt now.

Did Jafar ever mention Danny Nasiri?

Does all the time count?

He was convinced that Danny
was plagiarizing his research...

Some science stuff nobody cares about.

Anyway, he said that
if Danny did it again,

he'd hurt him bad.

You do know that Danny was murdered?

- Yeah, sure.
- And you never thought

to say something?

What, and be labeled an Islamaphobe?

Look, I got to get to class.

Yeah. Thanks.

A fight between a couple of eggheads?

As good a motive as any.

That's your guy Jafar
leaving his building

at 7:37 on the night Danny was murdered.

He doesn't return until 12:24.

Put 'em side by side, Ty.

I never took theoretical physics,

but I doubt it requires a
complete change of clothes.

But whacking someone
with a tire iron might.

Damn. Ty, zoom in.

Lower.

The Flu Game. Jafar changed
everything but his shoes.

Doesn't prove anything.

Thanks, Ty.

All right, are you kidding me?

Don't look at me.

You guys eliminated
plagiarism as a motive.

Yeah, Jafar lied to us.

And Danny's blood is
on Byron's sweatshirt.

In a case against Jafar,
that is reasonable doubt.

That blood could've come
from their first fight.

No way to prove it either way.

I'm not trying to be difficult here,

but we'll need more
if we're gonna try...

Because Jafar's Muslim?

Because we already
indicted someone else.

You didn't happen to find Danny's phone

in his apartment, did you?

It wasn't logged into Evidence.

I mean, there might be
something on his phone

that's not on his computer.

He probably dropped
it when he was attacked,

and we don't know where that was.

- Find My Phone.
- Okay?

That's the thing on the
computer that tells you

where your phone is.

Ty? We still have Danny's
computer, don't we?

Yeah.

It should be right here.

Let me see that.

He's right. We should be standing on it.

Maybe we are.

Bingo.

Now all we have to do is get it.

That is why everybody loves a fireman.

- It's dead.
- Yeah, not my department.

I'll take it to the communications lab.

Let's separate and canvass.

Somebody might have seen something.

- Sorry.
- Maybe you heard something

- outside.
- Look, I'm sorry.

Hey, guys,

have you ever seen this man?

No.

I heard people shouting,
so I looked out this window,

and there were two boys fighting.

- Was this one of them?
- Yes. He's handsome.

You're sure? It was dark.

And right under the street light.

It's so bright it keeps me up at night.

Was this the other boy?

No. I think he was Muslim too.

So, you got a good look at him?

Yes. He was shorter, thinner.

He was wearing a red T-shirt.

He had his hands around
the other one's throat,

shoved him into a car, and drove off.

Yes. That's him.

Antiquarks have the same mass and spin

as their respective quarks. Excuse me.

This will just take a minute.

Stop! Police!

Hey!

Jafar!

Jafar, what are you doing?

What the hell, dude?

Hey.

Jafar Boustani, you're under arrest

for the murder of Danny Nasiri.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and
will be used against you

in a court of law.

Danny was the star
student, Jafar the also ran.

We think Jafar killed
Danny out of jealousy.

And Danny's DNA was on Jafar's shoes.

"Finally, someone
putting those Muslim..."

I'll skip the next two words,

but they begin with M and F...

"In their place."

Why do you read that crap, Mark?

Don't kid yourself. As goes
the Twitter-verse,

so goes the jury.

Truth be told, Jafar is a
better defendant than Byron.

A Muslim? If you get the right jury.

All due respect, but I
can't believe what I'm hearing.

Well, with a jury, there's a lot
more than the law and facts

that have to be considered.

As long as you know that
what you're both saying is...

Well, it starts with an R.

Republican?

Racist.

If you don't need me anymore...

What happened to the due respect?

I thought it was a mistake
from the get-go.

No way they had WMD. I
mean, was any of it worth it?

Thank you. I'll use a
peremptory, Your Honor.

You're excused.

Every Sunday. Christ Chapel of Bucktown.

It was my parents' church.

- Do you have children?
- I have a son, Lucas.

He's in college.

That's great. May I ask where?

He's a junior at Liberty
University in Virginia.

Thank you. She's fine.

Do you live in a house or an apartment?

- An apartment.
- Do you own or rent?

- Rent.
- Good for me, Your Honor.

Yes, I have two. A boy and a girl.

Did they go to college?

Jennifer went to
Northwestern for two years.

She didn't like it?

No... she liked it okay.

She just wanted to do
something important.

- Good for her. What did she do?
- She joined the Army.

- And your son?
- He's in the Marines.

Thank you.

- Where'd your boy deploy to?
- He's in the UAE.

It would be an honor to
have you on the jury, sir.

Everybody seems to be in on this but me.

O'Boyle let you stack the deck with...

- Patriots, Anna.
- I still don't understand

why he'd want jurors who might be biased

against a Muslim defendant.

You're forgetting the
victim was Muslim, too.

I'm good. Mr. Stone!

Honor to be in the courtroom

- with you today.
- Thank you, Mr. O'Boyle.

Call me Billy. Hell
of a case we got?

Between me and you,

I'd just as soon settle this
sucker and call it a day,

but my client... well, you know.

Everybody's innocent.

Well, good luck to you. And you, miss.

Thank you.

That eyewitness
of yours. The Miss...

Kalila Rafiq.

The names in this
thing are just killing me.

I noticed she did not
testify at the Grand Jury.

She was out of town.

And yet you still got an indictment?

Be gentle, Mr. Stone.

Be gentle.

Tell me about Kalila Rafiq.

We couldn't ask for a better witness.

She's attractive, articulate,

and she saw the whole thing go down.

From the fractures
of the thyroid cartilage

and the hyoid bone,

as well as the lack
of blood in his lungs,

I determined that the cause
of death was cerebral anoxia.

Strangulation.

The beating was definitely postmortem.

- Were there ligature marks?
- No.

No. The victim was strangled manually,

and that caused him
to empty his bladder.

And that's what's
caused his DNA to end up

on the soles of the defendant's shoes?

That's correct.

Thank you.

Dr. Fletcher, are you aware

that Mr. Boustani and the
deceased were roommates?

No.

- Six long years.
- Objection.

Withdrawn.

- Do you live with a guy?
- Irrelevant.

Well, there is a point.

And Dr. Fletcher, I'm sure
you have heard of this:

Sometimes a guy... How do I put this?

A guy will miss the pot
he's trying to pee in.

And when that happens,
and one roommate steps

in the other guy's miscue,

isn't it possible that
Roommate B would end up

with DNA from Roommate A
on the bottom of his shoes?

It is possible.

Was there any blood
on Mr. Boustani's shoes?

No.

Well, isn't that odd?

DNA from pee, but no blood.

Nothing further.

Call your next witness, Mr. Stone.

The State calls Kalila Rafiq.

Your Honor, I move that the witness

remove her face covering
before she testifies.

Please approach.

The Sixth Amendment
guarantees the defendant's right

to confront all witnesses against him.

How is Mr. Boustani supposed
to confront Ms. Rafiq

if he can't see her face?

The First Amendment.

It guarantees everyone...
Even the witness...

The right to practice
his or her religion.

The court cannot force Ms. Rafiq

to do something her religion forbids.

- She's necessary to your case?
- She's an eyewitness, Judge.

Rock and a hard place.

You can appeal if you like, Mr. O'Boyle,

but I'm going to allow her
to testify, niqab and all.

I was reading in my bedroom
when I thought I heard a scream.

- And what happened then?
- I went to my window.

- And what did you see?
- Two men... boys, really.

They were fighting.

One had his hands around
the other one's neck.

I show you what has been
marked as People's Exhibit 11.

Do you recognize the man in this photo?

- I do.
- And how do you recognize him?

He was the man being strangled.

And who was strangling him?

The man sitting there.

Let the record show
that the witness indicates

the defendant, Jafar Boustani.

What happened then, Ms. Rafiq?

The man in the photo... He went limp.

- How limp?
- Like a dead weight.

- Objection as to "dead."
- Sustained.

What happened after
Danny's body went limp?

The other man, the defendant...

He pushed him into a car.

Did Danny resist at all?

- No, sir.
- What happened then?

The defendant got into
the driver's side of the car.

Did Danny do anything?

I could see him through the car window.

His head fell forward
against the dashboard.

Thank you, Ms. Rafiq.

I have nothing further.

Good afternoon, Ms. Rafiq.

Pardon me. Is that the
proper way to address you?

I'm... I am unfamiliar
with your culture.

I was born in London.

I've lived in this
country for over 20 years.

- Legally, I presume.
- Yes, I am a citizen.

And I'm married. You
can call me Mrs. Rafiq.

Well, you'll have to pardon me.

I couldn't see the ring.

- Is there a question?
- Yes, there is.

As I was saying, I
couldn't see your hands

because your... your...
What... what do you call that?

That's a... a... hijab?

It's a niqab, sir.

And your husband
makes you wear that, does he?

It's required by custom.

Well, that's what I meant.

I mean, if you were
to go to the beach...

- Objection.
- What's the point

you're trying to make, Mr. O'Boyle?

I'm getting there, Judge. I promise.

Do it quickly.

So, walking to the market
or to the post office...

- Yes.
- Ms. Rafiq, you...

You don't get a lot of sun, do you?

I ask the court to admonish
Mr. O'Boyle for making light

of the witness's religious customs.

"Making light." That's
very funny, Mr. Stone.

Ms. Rafiq, are you aware

that almost the entire
body's intake of vitamin D

- comes from direct sunlight?
- No.

Did you know that women
who wear the full niqab are

chronically deficient in vitamin D?

The witness is not
a medical professional.

- I'll allow it.
- Did you know that a chronic

deficiency in vitamin D leads
to devastating disorders:

Cardiovascular disease, MS,

rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes?

Do you have diabetes, Ms. Rafiq?

Yes.

And one of the
consequences of diabetes is

the gradual loss of one's eyesight.

Isn't that true?

Yes.

When did you see the two men struggling?

- It was around 11:45.
- At night.

Yes. But there was a streetlight.

I saw everything that happened, sir.

How do you know?

Nothing further.

- Redirect, Your Honor?
- Go ahead.

Ms. Rafiq, do you have
Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes?

- Type 1.
- That's also called

juvenile diabetes, isn't it?

- Yes.
- When were you first diagnosed?

When I was three.

And when did you start wearing a niqab?

When I was 16.

Deputy Corcoran, could you
please raise some fingers?

Can you see how many fingers
the deputy has raised?

Yes. Three.

And are you wearing contacts right now?

No.

Nothing more.

You killed it today.

That was the best
redirect I have ever seen.

In your three years of practice?

Seriously. It was Atticus Finch,

Tom Cruise kicking the
crap out of Nicholson.

What if Kalila had adult onset diabetes?

What if she said the deputy
had two fingers raised?

Never ask a question you don't
already know the answer to.

I was naked out there.

I know I screwed up, Peter; I
should've asked if she wore a...

Forget it. Forget it.

You know I played baseball, right?

I pitched.

It was Cubs, Sox, 2007.
Bottom of the ninth.

We're up one.

I throw the sinker, and it's
an easy grounder to third...

A sure double-play until
my third baseman boots it,

and just like that, we lose.

Now, the entire north side of Chicago...

They blamed the third baseman.

But the only person I blamed was myself.

See, if I'd have thrown the splitter,

the batter would've
popped it up to right,

and we would've won.

Stone.

You're kidding.

Okay.

- What?
- O'Boyle.

He's putting Jafar on the stand.

Good. He'll hang himself.

Yeah, maybe.

Six years... we were together
since we were freshmen.

- You were friendly?
- We were.

And then something
happened to change that?

- Yes.
- And that's why you moved out?

Yes.

And why did you move out, Jafar?

Danny started watching videos
of Anwar al-Awlaki.

I'm unfamiliar.

He recruits Americans to jihad.

Order.

Whoa, whoa. So you're saying
that Danny was a terrorist?

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Well, are you saying that
you actually witnessed him

watching these videos on his computer?

No. It was on his cell phone.

- This is ridiculous!
- Order.

- Did you see...
- Tell the truth!

Order!

Well, that's the cell phone.

It's already marked "People's 23."

Perhaps we should look at it.

Our technicians weren't able
to access the phone, Your Honor.

- I know Danny's code.
- Thank you, Jafar.

Then there is no reason we
shouldn't see what's there.

This is a good time to
break. We'll have a look.

My brothers and sisters...

Come to jihad and feel the honor

and happiness we are feeling.

What prevents you from
attaining martyrdom

and the pleasure of our Lord?

That's the video you saw Danny watching?

One of them.

And how did you react to those videos?

I told Danny he was being crazy.

He wouldn't listen.

He said that Christians
have been oppressing Muslims

for 1,000 years,

and that jihad was the
only weapon the weak had

to conquer the powerful.

Well, I thought Islam
was a religion of peace.

Not to Danny. He
quoted the Koran to me.

Sura 47:4. "So when you meet those"

who disbelieve, strike their necks

"until you have inflicted
slaughter on them."

- Well, that's harsh.
- He took it all out of context.

So then what happened
when you decided to move out?

There was something
different about Danny.

One day, he asks me for money.

What did he want money for?

He went to the gardening store.

He bought a 100-pound bag of fertilizer.

He lives in an apartment.

What then?

He went to several electronics stores.

He bought cell phones, wires,
timers, things like that.

You thought he was making an explosive?

I knew it.

I tried to talk him out of it.

He wouldn't listen.

That's why I killed him.

Jafar, you... you
could've called the police.

You could've called the FBI.

And then what?

Americans always complain

why moderate Muslims don't
do anything to stop terrorism.

But when we try, nobody
takes us seriously.

Like the Orlando club.

The FBI knew the shooter was dangerous.

They knew it.

His first wife told them as much.

But they did nothing.

They didn't want to be called bigots.

I did something.

I'm a good American.

I'm a hero.

I am not a criminal.

Thank you, Jafar.

Now it looks like we're
prosecuting a damn hero.

We don't know that.

I don't have videos like that
on my cell phone. Do you?

Danny Nasiri had a good
life, a loving family.

I don't believe a kid like
that would self-radicalize.

Why do people from Ferguson,
Baltimore, and Milwaukee

burn down their own neighborhoods?

I honestly don't know.

And you never will.

What I want to know is

how Nasiri slipped
under everybody's radar.

That's the funny thing about freedom.

It gives our enemies the
freedom to destroy us.

Cut a deal.

O'Boyle said Jafar is
not interested in a deal.

Of course he did. He suckered you

into picking his damn jury for him.

- So, you're a good American?
- Yes, sir.

- And a hero?
- That's right.

Correct me if I'm wrong,
but wouldn't killing Danny

have been sufficient?

I don't understand.

Well, you strangled
Danny until he was dead.

That's what the ME testified.

And then you dragged him
into an abandoned building

where you beat him...
Well, no, you brutalized him

with a tire iron.

Now tell me, Mr. Boustani:
Would a hero do all that

and then try to pin
it on another student?

Well, the answer is no. Withdrawn.

Does Danny... does he
have a storage locker?

- Not that I know of.
- Did he have a car?

- No.
- Well, that's interesting,

because my investigators
have been to his apartment,

and they, they didn't
find any... any fertilizer,

any cell phones, or any timers.

I don't hear a question, Your Honor.

What's the Fleishman
Prize, Mr. Boustani?

It's an award given out
by the physics department.

- To the best student?
- Yes.

How many times have you won it?

None.

How many times did Danny Nasiri win it?

Four or five.

Ooh, that must have pissed you off.

- Objection.
- Withdrawn.

You didn't kill Danny because
of his politics, did you?

You killed him out of
jealousy. Isn't that right?

- No.
- It's difficult, isn't it,

Mr. Boustani, to work, to study,

to dream of being Albert Einstein,

and then realize it's
never going to happen?

I've accepted my limitations.

Yes. But Danny Nasiri,
your friend, your roommate...

He didn't have to.

That would piss me off.

Dan... Danny...

Danny might've been a
better scientist than me.

He might've done great things someday

that no one in this
room can even imagine.

I admit that.

But what I did, Mr. Stone,

when I killed him...

That was the one... Probably the only...

Great thing that I will ever do.

I usually love writing a closing argument.

Did you ever play the "Would You" game?

"If you could, would you marry
your high school prom date?"

"Would you have stolen
the formula for Coke?"

Things like that.

The one sure "yes" is always,

"If you met the baby Hitler,
would you have killed him?"

It sounds like you
approve of what Jafar did.

Whatever motivated Jafar,

Danny may well have been a terrorist.

Yes, but we'll never
know for sure, will we?

Besides, Jafar's the
one on trial, not Danny.

Somehow I doubt a jury of
patriots will see it that way.

What?

Me, I never fought in a war,

but my nephew, Eddie,
he's overseas right now.

Now, we keep in touch
with that Skype thing.

Last month, he gets in touch
with me and he lets me know

that his best buddy over
there... he stepped on an IED,

and he... blew his legs off.

I started to tell him
just how sorry I was,

but he cut me off.

"No, no, Uncle Billy," he says, "No.

We do it so you don't have to."

Now, this case, there's no issue.

He did it.

Jafar... he admitted
he killed Danny Nasiri.

He killed. He killed
to prevent the deaths

of God knows how many other
innocent fellow citizens.

Now, we all hear them tell us,

"If you see something, say something."

Well, Jafar... He saw something.

But he took it one step further.

He did something about it.

He did it so you don't have to.

So you don't have to.

When I selected this jury,
I was being a clever lawyer.

Perhaps too clever by half.

I selected you, ma'am,
because you went to church.

Christ Chapel of Bucktown.

And your son... he's matriculated
at Liberty University.

That's Evangelical, if I'm not mistaken.

You, sir. You have a son in the Marines

and a daughter in the Army.

I selected each one of you
for a very specific reason.

You're patriots. You believe in God.

You have law enforcement in the family.

You voted for the right politician.

At the end of the day,
you're all great Americans.

And I expected you to
convict Jafar Boustani

because of who he is, not
because of what he did.

Now, my mistake at the time was

I forgot that that's not
what great Americans do.

Great Americans look to the law

that binds us together as a people.

They ignore what their
gut tells them is right,

choosing instead what
we as a civilized society

have collectively determined
is the right thing to do.

Why?

Because that's the only way
a great country stays great.

"Someone had to do
something about Danny Nasiri

before he did something unspeakable,"

says our guts.

"Someone had to murder
him in cold blood,"

without a trial, without a verdict,

without the Constitutional guarantees

that Mr. O'Boyle's nephew is
risking his life for every day.

"That's the right thing
to do," says our hearts.

But our heads...

All I'm asking of you
is that you continue

to be great Americans...

Continue to be patriots,

continue to fear
whatever God you worship

when you discuss this
case among yourselves,

and you think of Mr. O'Boyle's nephew

and his buddies and
what they're fighting for

when you discuss this case,

when you determine the
guilt or the innocence

of Jafar Boustani.

- Have you reached a verdict?
- We have.

In the People of the State of Illinois

versus Jafar Boustani,

the jury finds the defendant guilty

of Murder in the First Degree.

I had a trial tricks professor who said,

"All good trial lawyers drink,

but the great ones drink Scotch."

You are a damn good
trial lawyer, Mr. O'Boyle.

That "Danny's a
terrorist" thing, you know,

that was my plan B.

Would never have come up if
the niqab lady hadn't testified.

You know what?

The law should be pure, like physics.

It should be better
than media and politics.

It should exist outside of race.

Well, if it's any consolation,

when it comes to Muslims,
we're all a tad racist.

Hell, we bend over backwards
trying to avoid confronting it.

That's a pretty broad brushstroke.

It's our nature.

Everybody wants to be tolerant.

A white guy goes into
a church in Charleston,

blows away a black Bible study class.

What do we do about it? We
ban the Confederate flag.

A Muslim murders 49 kids at a nightclub,

and we admonish each other

not to blame the entire religion.

We are naturally racist.

But at the same time,
we feel guilty about it.

Was Danny really a terrorist?

Well, you mean: Do I believe my client?

Well, I'm supposed to, right?

I hated physics.