Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999): Season 4, Episode 13 - Justice: Part 1 - full transcript
A murdered ex-cop's son decides to conduct his own investigation when Munch and Russert find themselves stumped in their search for the killer.
Finding a corpse in a
cemetery is kind of redundant.
- I don't like cemeteries.
- Any particular reason?
- I don't wanna talk about it.
- You picked the topic.
Well, it wasn't a topic,
it... it was a statement.
- No, you don't get how this works.
- How what works?
Stan would say
something. I'd disagree.
We could argue about
it for an hour solid.
Well, let me show
you how it's done.
Cemeteries... You ever
have sex in a cemetery?
- No.
- I did. 1963, East Point. Judy Biggs,
back seat of her
father's Chrysler.
We were parked between the Steinmetz
mausoleum and Citriniti family plots.
Now, that's conversation.
Officer Rogers, how
are you? What've we got?
The caretaker found the body.
- What's with the dog?
- Here when they found the body.
- He won't budge.
- Better call the animal shelter.
It's the victim's. He was
here when it happened.
Might be our only
witness. Here, boy.
- Be careful.
- All right. It's all right.
- Hey, whoa!
- Careful, Megan.
- You're a big help, aren't you?
- I'm a cat man.
It's... it's all
right. All right.
What's he doing here at 8:00am?
- Visiting a loved one.
- How did he get here? There's no car.
Maybe he took the bus.
- Maybe the killer took his car.
- Maybe.
- What have we got, Scheiner?
- A ligature mark on the neck.
- So he was strangled?
- Looks like some kind of a wire.
Yeah. Look. Bruises,
scratches. This guy put up a fight.
Roll him.
OK. Ah! He's
still got his wallet.
Let's see... Edgar Rodzinski.
Diners Club, American
Express, 57 bucks.
- Baltimore City Police Department ID.
- He's a cop?
- This card's stamped retired, 1985.
- Hey, Rodzinski. I was right.
He was visiting his
wife. For the last time.
- The victim was an ex-cop?
- Edgar Rodzinski, 30 years in Vice.
He was strangled
with a piece of wire.
I want that information
kept away from the press.
He still had his wallet,
cash, credit card, but no keys.
- No one saw him arrive there.
- Let's check with the DMV,
- See if he owns a car.
- Rodzinski? I know a Rodzinski.
- Was he a cop?
- I went to the Academy with him.
- Jake Rodzinski.
- That's not it. This guy's in his 60s.
- Jake's old man was a detective.
- Edgar Rodzinski?
Yeah... Oh, jeez! Does
Jake know about this?
- Where can we find him?
- In Check and Fraud.
Lewis, go with
Munch and Russert.
Notify the son. An ex-cop was
killed on my watch, I don't like this.
Candy! Want to buy
some candy? $4 a box.
- What's that? What you got?
- Thin Mints.
- Thin Mints.
- I don't know.
Why should we buy
candy from a little hustler?
- It helps kids stay off the streets.
- That's what school is for.
- It is a teachers' conference today.
- I got kids in school,
and I didn't hear about
any teachers' conference.
We'll take him down to the station,
call the school and confirm his story.
OK, OK, OK! You guys are
cops. For you, 3.50 a box.
- Two for six, you got a deal.
- OK.
- All right. Got change for a hundred?
- Well... What?
I was just kidding. All
right, big guy. Thanks.
- Oh, yeah.
- Got the thick or the thin?
- They got more goo in these.
- Hey, Jake.
Hey, Lewis, How you doing?
Megan Russert, John Munch.
They work with me in Homicide.
Hey, hiya. This is my
partner, Pez McCadden.
- Yeah, I know Pez.
- How you doing?
- Having lunch at Whitey's here?
- It's about your father.
- Yeah, what about him?
- We found his body this morning.
- Your father's dead, man, I'm sorry.
- We found him.
At Holy Redeemer Cemetery
next to your mother's grave.
What, he'd had a heart attack
or something? What happened?
Wait a second, you
guys are Homicide...
- You saying he was murdered?
- I'm afraid so.
- Carol?
- Meldrick, hi.
- Hey.
- It's good to see you.
Yeah... Jake's in there?
- I couldn't go in.
- Yeah.
Hey, Jake.
Max, hey. Come here,
boy. How you doing?
Thanks, Lewis.
After Mom died, my
dad looked out for me.
He was such a son-of-a-bitch,
always pushing me to stay in school
and join the Academy.
Come on, Max. Let's go.
So, Munch and Russert,
they got any leads?
Well, you know, we'll get his
car out there on the teletype,
and then we track it down, and
maybe it'll lead us to a suspect.
- Which means they got nothing.
- No. Not yet.
Russert was double
demoted from Captain,
and what I hear about
Munch, he's some ex-hippie.
- They're good police.
- That's not what I'm saying.
- Then what?
- I wanna find who murdered Dad
and I don't want this
investigation getting hung up.
- It's gotta be done right.
- It'll be done right.
- You'll make sure of that?
- Yeah, I'll make sure of that.
Half a sandwich with
Kellerman's name on it.
- Take it.
- All right.
Won't be in till Monday. He's best man
at his cousin's wedding up in Wisconsin.
Trust Kellerman to have
relatives in the Dairy State.
- How's the Rodzinski case coming?
- We're working the case.
- How's Jake doing?
- Lousy. How'd you be doing?
- Knew his father well?
- Yeah, see him around once in a while,
graduation, Jake's wedding.
Yeah, he'd say, "Hello, Meldrick."
I'd say, "Hello, Mr. Rodzinski."
We'd talk about the Colts
and then that'd be about it. The
guy was a good cop, simple guy.
Now he's up in cop heaven
with tens of thousands
of other slain officers, a big
post-mortem ball in the sky,
full dance band, spiked punch,
all the doughnuts you can eat.
Wanna know where Rodzinski will
go? Into the ground like everyone else.
- Thus speaks the Catholic.
- The goal is to get out
before being killed, go some
place peaceful like... Idaho.
Half the LAPD retired to
Idaho. They call it "Blue Heaven".
I'll tell you what, LAPD, no
LAPD, if Rodzinski had moved there
when he retired, he
might still be alive.
If you ask me, between Idaho
and eternity, he's better off dead.
- That's enough!
- Sorry, Gee. Were you a friend of his?
No... I never met him.
I do know that he was a member
of this department for 30 years.
That alone should be
enough for everyone here
- to treat this with dignity and respect.
- Lewis, line one.
That sandwich has been
in the fridge two weeks!
Bon appétit!
Hey, Rogers. What's going on?
I got a call from the caretaker.
Rodzinski showed up asking questions
about the investigation. I said he
should talk to Munch or Russert.
- He said you were on the case.
- Oh, yeah? You guys all done here?
- Yeah.
- OK, I'll take over from here.
- OK.
- Thanks a lot.
Sure.
Hey, Jake. What's going on?
I wanted to see
where he was killed.
Let the investigating
detectives take care of this.
This is not your case. It's not
my case either, for that matter.
Look, I can't help
it, you know. It...
I just keep thinking I
let him down somehow.
- Lab guys finished?
- Yeah. They're done.
So why is the
damn tape still up?
Come on, Jake. Let's go home.
OK, let's go.
- John!
- Your housekeeper let me in.
Wanted to bring you up to
date. You have nice things.
- Er, thanks.
- No, really. This is very tasteful.
Bolander lives in efficiency. The
man pulls out a couch to sleep.
- John, the case?
- I called the midnight-shift lieutenants.
They're gonna read the teletype
on Rodzinski's car at roll calls.
- Good.
- I also requested a computer run
on all ag assaults, robberies
and car thefts around the cemetery.
- Right.
- Plus I typed a temporary office report,
- copied it to Giardello and Barnfather.
- You did what?
- I did the office report.
- Oh, perfect... That's perfect.
Barnfather's trying
to keep me jacked up
and you send a progress
report showing no progress.
Aren't you a little
paranoid about Barnfather?
A month ago I was Captain, and
now I'm a detective, remember?
Look, would you do me a favour?
From now on, before you talk to
any of the bosses, talk to me first.
Talk to you first? I'm
the primary on this case.
Yeah, well, that may be so,
but I think when it comes to
politics, I have a better feel for it.
You're not chain of command any
more. You're partnering on this case.
It's enough that I had to
take crap from Bolander.
- At least he had 30 years on.
- What are you saying?
That I'm not as good a
detective as Bolander?
All I'm saying is 12 hours into
this investigation, we have nothing.
Fine. I didn't ask to be partnered
with you. Wanna find somebody else?
- Somebody else?
- Somebody else!
- No, I don't.
- OK then! All right.
- I gotta go.
- All right.
- See you in the morning.
- Yeah.
Partner.
Jake went to the crime scene
yesterday. What did he want?
I don't know. He's not your average
bereaved family member, you know.
- He's a cop. He wanted to see if...
- If what? If we missed something?
I don't know. I can't get
inside the guy's head.
- Well, he's your friend.
- We went to the Academy together,
hooped it up at the Y now and again.
That don't make us bosom buddies.
Whatever you call him, just tell him to
stay away from the crime scene, OK?
Am I supposed to
tell him not to care?
His father was killed and
we ain't got nothing on it.
- What's that all about?
- You know the drill,
Jake Rodzinski leans on
Meldrick, Meldrick leans on us.
Now it's my turn. Where
are we in the investigation?
I tell you, Edgar Rodzinski did
not have an enemy in the world.
According to his cop
buddies at the FOP Lodge,
- even the guys he locked up liked him.
- Have you reinterviewed the caretaker?
- Twice.
- Maybe three times is the charm.
It's bad enough there was
a murder in my cemetery.
Now I got detectives
all over the place.
Mr Prochnik, we need to know
if you remember anything else.
I don't.
You were in the gatehouse
during the murder.
I was here, but
didn't see anything.
You didn't see anybody
arrive or anybody leave?
How many different
ways can I tell you? No.
It's just odd is all. A car comes
or goes, you're in the gatehouse,
it's gotta pass by you, right?
- Hey, man. What's up?
- Hey, you got the?
No, we don't have any leads
on the Rodzinski murder.
- I wasn't asking that.
- Nice suit. Where are you going?
Jake's house. They're having
people over there after the wake.
I was gonna ask if you got the
bar key for the good liquor cabinet?
- I gotta take a bottle.
- You're goin' to Jake's house?
- Yeah.
- Is it all right if I come?
- Yeah, you wanna come with?
- Yeah, Edgar Rodzinski was one of us.
- The more the merrier.
- If you're going, I'm going.
- Don't go on my account.
- That's why I'm going.
I gotta ride with you all day.
You'll give make me feel guilty.
- You're going out of guilt?
- Yes.
Guilt is almost as
good a motivator as fear.
Besides, it's almost
dinner time, I'm very hungry
and you can always count
on cops for good cold cuts.
Honey... he won't stop barking.
- What do you want me to do?
- Put him in the backyard.
Max, cool it.
OK, boy.
Augie, meet Meldrick Lewis,
John Munch, Megan Russert.
They're the detectives
assigned to Dad's case.
Homicide, huh? The elite,
where they speak for the dead.
- You with the Department, sir?
- Used to be.
I was Edgar's partner for a while,
before I moved over to County.
I was always trying to get Edgar to
get out too, but he loved Baltimore.
Look, the FOP guys wanted to
do something for your father, so...
Wait a minute. Everybody ought to
hear this. Can I have your attention?
Ed Rodzinski was my
partner. He was also my friend.
I was there when
this one was born.
Anyway, I just thought
everybody ought to know
that the FOP has stepped forward
and is putting a $20,000 reward out
for information on the murder.
- Here, here!
- Here, here!
You talked to the
cemetery caretaker?
- He didn't see anything.
- What about my dad's car?
- We're still looking.
- So you don't have any leads?
- Well... no.
- Then what are you doing here?
We just wanted pay our respects.
You wanna pay respects,
find my father's killer.
- Jake, come on, man.
- Coming here...
brilliant idea.
The longer this takes, the less
chance there's gonna be of anything.
Evidence disappears,
witnesses forget. You know that.
Hey, Lewis, you're
a homicide cop,
maybe you and me could
investigate on our own.
Come on, Jake. We can't
go off on a rogue investigation.
I've taken heat in the past for sticking
my nose in other people's cases.
We have to do this according
to procedure, by the book.
- Follow the rules, you mean?
- Damn straight!
My old man, he followed the
rules. Look where it got him.
I just wanna apologise to you
for last night. I was out of line.
With what you're
going through, no need.
I thought of something
that might help.
My dad was stabbed once, on the
job. Of course, this was a long time ago.
- Do you remember any specifics?
- I was just a kid,
so this would be
in the late '60s.
I asked him what happened.
He said it was part of the job.
Here it is. March 1966.
Edgar Rodzinski, hospitalised
for a stab wound to the stomach.
But there's no report. You were his
partner back then. What happened?
We were working on an extortion
investigation against Simon Gandolph.
I wasn't with him when he got
stabbed. Edgar wouldn't talk about it.
Here's the file. Gandolph was
convicted. He died in prison.
Edgar interviewed Gandolph's
mistress Paula Schwenk 19 times.
He reinterviewed
her 19 times? Why?
She was the State's primary
witness against Gandolph.
- That's a lot of interviews.
- He was thorough.
I think we ought to have a
conversation with Paula Schwenk.
Miss Schwenk, do you remember a
detective named Edgar Rodzinski?
Oh, yes! Oh, he was
such a gentleman.
- Ed was murdered two days ago.
- Oh!
When he was on the Simon
Gandolph case, he got stabbed.
We were wondering
if there's a connection.
- Do you know who stabbed Edgar?
- Of course. It was my son.
- Your son?
- Alan. He was only ten years old.
- That's why Ed never filed a report.
- Do you know why he stabbed Ed?
- He didn't like him.
- He didn't like him?
Who knows why some
people like certain people,
and they don't like others.
Anyway, Ed took care of everything.
- He covered the whole thing up.
- Do you know where your son is now?
No, I don't. He's been in and out of
jail. I haven't talked to him in years.
Do you think that your son might still
have carried a grudge against Edgar?
Alan has a grudge
against the whole world.
I'm really sorry
to hear about Ed.
- That means they're all dead.
- Excuse me?
Every man I ever slept
with. They're all dead.
So old Edgar was getting some
on the side with Paula Schwenk.
I always like to believe that
people behaved better back then.
1966? Nope. People definitely
weren't behaving better then.
So you think that's why
her son stabbed Rodzinski,
- cos they were having an affair?
- Maybe.
In any case, I don't think we
need to mention that detail to Jake.
- He knows.
- How do you know that?
He may not know the details, but a son
knows if his old man's screwing around.
You don't wanna
know, but you know.
- Your father had an affair?
- Nope, never.
- Then what do you know about it?
- All I'm saying is,
if my old man did have an
affair, I would have known about it.
- But he didn't.
- Right. He didn't. End of story.
- Now, what do you wanna talk about?
- Nothing.
What do you mean nothing?
I'd like to sit and look out the window.
I would like to gather my thoughts
and concentrate on closing
this case. Is that too much to ask?
- No, that's not too much to ask.
- Thank you.
Wait here, boy. I won't be long.
Hey, Harvey. How you doing?
- Making my parole. What do you want?
- Come on, Harvey. You have to ask?
- Detective, please.
- Is that what my father said, "Please?"
- What? Your father?
- No, he wouldn't have.
My old man, he never asked
anybody for anything his whole life.
- I don't know what you mean.
- Let me in.
I just wanna talk to you.
- Alan Schwenk?
- I'm Detective Munch.
This is Detective
Russert. Homicide.
Stop! Damn it!
Police!
Alan? We need to talk to you.
Put that down now! Drop
it! Drop it! Put it down now!
Put your hands on your head!
On your knees! Cross your legs!
- It's not what you think.
- What isn't?
- Munch.
- I didn't mean to do it.
- I didn't mean to stab him.
- Stab who?
- Sal Fischback.
- Who the hell is Sal Fischback?
He's a cabbie. I needed the
money. Cabbie's carry a lot of cash.
It is why you're here, isn't it?
Schwenk's being processed for stabbing
Fischback. He didn't murder Rodzinski.
- Did his other cases lead anywhere?
- No, Chief.
- What about the $20,000 reward?
- An excuse for every nut case
- to claim they know something.
- What about the car?
Every officer knows it's high
priority. We're still looking.
- What the hell's taking so long?
- There a lot of chop shops.
Besides, the car might
be out of state by now.
- Jake Rodzinski's just been arrested.
- What?
He beat up a suspect
he claims killed his father,
a guy named Harvey Otto. Otto's
lawyer took photos of the injuries
and the Court Commissioner
issued a warrant.
- Where's Jake?
- Lock-up.
I gotta go to Central
Booking and bail him.
Thanks, Lewis. How'd you get
me out? You talk to my lieutenant?
- I posted your bail.
- Bail? Are you serious?
- The guy was resisting arrest.
- Arrest? Arrest for what?
I get a line on a suspect, go to arrest
him, he pops me. I gotta subdue him.
- Subdue him? You put him in hospital.
- Like I was saying, he resisted arrest.
Not that it was your arrest to make.
What did you think you were doing?
- They're pressing charges.
- So what?
So what is it to you?
Your career maybe?
I'm won't get convicted.
The only thing that'll happen
is IID's will start a folder on
me. It's not gonna go beyond that.
Look, the guy is stone
guilty. He killed my dad.
If you thought Otto was a suspect,
why didn't you say this morning?
I didn't think about it until after
you left. I busted Otto years ago,
and he always swore
that after I'd forgotten him,
- he'd make me remember.
- You should've told us about him.
- I wanted to deal with it myself.
- So you sent us on a wild goose chase
- looking for Paula Schwenk?
- Otto didn't kill your father.
- What? No, he had to.
- Did you check his alibi first?
I did. I went by his factory and the
day my dad died, he wasn't there.
Somebody signed out
his time card for him.
You're right, he
wasn't at his job.
But apparently Otto is a recent convert
to AA, and he was having a rough day,
so he cut work to go to a
meeting. Now, he didn't tell anyone,
cos he's got a bad absentee
rate, so a buddy signed him out
and there are at least 15 people
at AA willing to vouch for him.
Rodzinski is suspended
until this matter is resolved.
Come on! The guy's father's been
killed. This ain't right. You know it.
Whether it's right or
wrong, it's not my call.
Munch and Russert got no leads
and the case gets colder by the minute.
- No wonder Jake is jacked up.
- Lewis...
- Lewis, you wanna help Jake?
- Yeah.
Take him home.
Tell him to stay home.
I'll pay you back. What
was the bail, five grand?
- Ten per cent to the bail bondsman.
- I'll pay you back.
You sure as hell will. Why
didn't you come to me, man?
Now you're on suspension. You'll
be pressing licence plates next.
I'm not like you. I don't
like to talk. I got a problem,
- I deal with it on my own.
- Yeah, I remember.
Like when we were playing basketball,
man. You had a decent jump shot,
but when it comes time to
passing the ball, you had no dish.
Cos if I ever gave it to you,
I'd never get it back again.
We were pretty good. We pushed
that ball as hard as we could.
Yeah, but without
fouling out, though.
- You still playing ball now and again?
- No, not in years.
- Yeah, me neither. Why is that?
- Too much has changed.
You know, these kids today,
it's not just a game, it's...
take no prisoners.
Last man standing wins.
It's war.
- I gotta talk to you.
- Mr Prochnik. Megan, look who's here.
I remembered something.
- What jogged your memory?
- Want my information or not?
Oh, have a seat, Mr Prochnik.
My daughter's been dating this louse,
a real creep. He goes by Kenny D.
I think his real last
name is Damon.
We should be interested
in this information because?
You know the kind, the
drugs, stealing cars, worthless.
I've been telling her to
dump him, but she don't listen.
The night before the cop got
murdered, he comes to the cemetery
- and tells me to stop hassling Becky.
- And?
Well, we argued. All of a
sudden he attacked me.
- Attacked you how?
- He tried to strangle me.
Strangle you?
Strangle you with what?
A piece of wire. Had
it around my throat.
Thought I'd have to make use of
my own services for a cemetery plot,
- but Becky came and he ran off.
- Why didn't you tell us this before?
- We interviewed you three times.
- You didn't think we'd wanna know?
Can I have the 20,000 now?
The reward is for information
leading to a conviction.
- Now, would you be willing to testify?
- I didn't know about that.
Hey, do you want
the 20,000 or not?
- Yeah.
- Well, we'll be in touch.
- Damon?
- Damon.
Kenneth Damon, aka
Kenny Damon, aka Kenny D.
Two convictions for
narcotics as a juvenile,
busted twice for auto theft. Eight
months in DOC, released last spring.
Arrested two years ago for
assault. He tried to strangle someone.
Never went to trial. The victim
couldn't make a positive ID.
I hate to say it, but I think we
made Mr Prochnik $20,000 richer.
- What've we got?
- Finally a break in the case.
We just got another. The Auto
Squad located Rodzinski's Ford,
at least what's left of it,
at a chop shop in Dundalk.
- They found the car?
- Russert and Munch, go.
- I should go, Gee?
- We're OK on our own.
We've stalled on this long
enough. Lewis wants to help, let him.
- Howard.
- Sir.
Have the dumpsters
been searched?
- I don't know.
- There was carpet from that car.
- We need that.
- You got it.
Process the vehicle for prints, leuco
for blood, and vacuum the interior.
I want every hair, every fibre,
every scrap of physical evidence.
- Gotcha.
- Thanks.
We've gotta find that carpet.
Would you settle for
the murder weapon?
Hairs in the car match hairs found on
Rodzinski. DNA is doing final analysis.
They found Kenny Damon's
fingerprint on the door handle.
- Get a warrant, make an arrest.
- I'll call Ed Danvers.
Wanna call your buddy Rodzinski?
- Wait till we get Damon in custody.
- He deserves to know.
Make an arrest first, then
we'll give him the full story.
Kenny Damon! Baltimore Police!
We have a warrant for your arrest
for the murder of Edgar Rodzinski.
Don't do anything stupid, Kenny.
Edgar Rodzinski was a retired cop.
We have back-up
around this whole building.
All right. I'm coming
out. Hands on your head!
Atta boy.
Hands behind your back.
What's he doing here?
- I don't know.
- We heard about the warrant.
- I just wanna see him.
- Take it easy now, Jake.
- You got a problem?
- Yeah, it was my dad.
Who, the dead guy? I don't
know what anybody's talking about.
- You laughing at me?
- Yeah. You're hilarious.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Back off!
- Come on!
- Is that police brutality? Can I sue?
- No.
You want this lowlife convicted,
you keep your friend away from him!
Our strongest evidence is DNA
matching hairs
found on Edgar's body
and the scrapings under his
fingernails to Kenny Damon.
- What about his prior for assault?
- Inadmissible.
- Motion to show pattern was denied.
- Can we win this?
- If the jury believes the DNA, yes.
- And if not?
Damon's lawyer'll hammer
away at the victim being an ex-cop.
- They'll claim prejudice.
- We still got the caretaker.
If the jury thinks he's
credible, which they might not.
- You got anything optimistic to say?
- I'm a lawyer.
- It's not my job to be optimistic.
- Can we get Damon convicted?
- I'll do my best. That's all I can do.
- I'll have to live with that.
Yeah, but can Jake?
The defendant Kenneth
Damon got into an argument
with his girlfriend's father Dale
Prochnik, the cemetery caretaker,
and as you'll hear from Mr
Prochnik, Damon tried to strangle him.
When Prochnik's daughter
showed up, Damon, in a rage, left.
But Damon returned the next
morning to finish the job on Mr Prochnik,
but when he couldn't find him,
he vented his frustration and
anger on the first person he saw,
the victim, Edgar Rodzinski,
a retired police officer.
Damon strangled Edgar
Rodzinski with a wire coat hanger
and then stole his car.
DNA evidence will prove
the defendant's skin cells were
under Mr Rodzinski's fingernails.
DNA will prove the defendant's
hairs were on Mr Rodzinski's clothing
and also in his car. Fingerprints prove
the defendant was in Mr Rodzinski's car.
The chain of physical
evidence is overwhelming.
Kenneth Damon is guilty of
the murder of Edgar Rodzinski.
Detective Russert, how long
was the victim's car missing
- before you were able to examine it?
- About 48 hours.
So you have no idea who else
might have touched that car?
- No.
- Mr Prochnik, you testified
that the defendant tried to choke
you the night before the murder?
- Yes.
- You didn't report that to the police.
No.
And then, when the detectives
investigating Edgar Rodzinski's death
first interviewed you,
you also said nothing.
- I didn't think it important at the time.
- Oh.
The victim's son Jake
Rodzinski is a policeman, correct?
- Yes - You were at
the Academy together.
- That's right.
- Did you or did you not
- recently post bail for Jake Rodzinski?
- That's correct, sir.
So someone other than my client
could've put the hanger in that car?
It's possible, yes, but Kenny Damon's
fingerprint was found on the car,
- so we believe that Kenny...
- Did you find any fingerprints
- on the car other than my client's?
- Of course.
Mr Prochnik, how much will
you earn if my client is convicted?
- Excuse me?
- Well, you turned him in.
You are aware there is a
reward to catch the killer?
- Yes.
- How much?
It's 20,000.
What would it cost to have you
say that Kenneth Damon is innocent?
- Objection!
- Withdrawn.
Nothing in our investigation led to
a suspect other than Kenny Damon.
Oh. Did you decide that before or
after you had my client in custody?
- Objection.
- Overruled. Witness may answer.
At no point in the investigation
was there any reason to believe
there was another suspect.
All of our evidence pointed to
Kenneth Damon as the killer.
You posted bail for Mr Rodzinski
because he'd beaten up a man
who he thought to be his father's killer.
A police officer attempted to
arrest the wrong man for the murder,
but this time we're supposed
to believe you guys got it right!
- Objection.
- Sustained.
- They're nothing to do with each other.
- You found the murder weapon?
Because Mr Rodzinski and I
have a personal relationship,
it doesn't mean I'd compromise
the investigation for him.
You said it, Detective, not me.
- Objection. Move to strike.
- So ordered.
- I have nothing further.
- Redirect, Your Honour.
Detective Lewis, Edgar Rodzinski
was strangled with a wire coat hanger?
- Yes.
- You found one in the victim's car.
- Yes, I did.
- Damon's fingerprints were in that car.
- Yes.
- The Police Department's decision
to arrest Kenneth Damon was
based solely on scientific evidence.
- Is that also correct?
- That's also correct, sir.
Thank you, Detective Lewis.
It's been three hours.
I can hear them arguing.
What are they arguing about?
Three hours is a good sign.
If they were gonna acquit,
they wouldn't be
taking this long.
I always thought it was
the other way around.
I'm starving. Anybody
want to order Chinese?
- Yeah, maybe that would help. Jake?
- I'm not hungry.
They'll tell us when there's a
verdict. We don't have to wait.
- You wanna get a drink or something?
- No, I think I wanna stay,
- but you, why don't you go ahead?
- And leave you alone?
You're bad enough with two-way
conversations, let alone a monologue.
You know, when
my husband got sick,
he refused to talk about death,
about the funeral, about
where he wanted to be...
I had to take care of
everything. And I did.
I did. But once he was gone,
I couldn't decide
on a headstone,
granite, quartz,
square, rounded,
which was silly because I was the
one who had to look at it, not him,
but I wanted it to be
right. I wanted him to like it.
So... now I never go.
I picked the wrong headstone.
That's why I don't
like cemeteries.
You want to get a hot chocolate
or something? Warm us up?
OK. OK.
You're buying.
This Kung Pao is great, Jake.
Why don't you have some?
- You should eat something.
- No.
- How about a fortune cookie?
- I said no.
What part of that do
you not understand?
The jury sent a
question to the judge
for a description on the difference
in first- and second-degree murder.
- They're talking guilty.
- Second degree?
How can they talk
about second degree?
Never mind that.
They turned the corner
They're talking
guilt in there. Guilty.
Damon's lawyer
approached me with a plea.
A plea to what?
Second-degree murder.
He'll get 25 years.
But he'll be out
on parole in ten.
- That's not enough.
- Anything more than that,
they might as well take
their chances with the jury.
Jake, maybe we
should consider it.
No.
Five hours. Five hours,
what the hell does that mean?
Someone's holding out. I
can hear her voice. There it is.
We're still left with the
fingerprints, the DNA...
- Do you think it could be a hung jury?
- Who is that?
- It's that blonde woman.
- Jake...
Bitch! Everybody else is talking
guilty, and she's the one holding out!
The jury's back.
Members of the jury, have
you agreed on a verdict?
We have, Your Honour.
Will the defendant please
rise and face the jury?
- How say you?
- In the case of the State
versus Kenneth Damon, we find
the defendant not guilty of all charges.
They asked for the difference
between first and second degree.
How could they
find him not guilty?
Excuse me, ma'am!
I'm sorry, I have to ask.
- It was my father murdered.
- I know. I'm sorry.
What happened? We heard
the yelling from the jury room.
- I'd rather not say.
- You asked for clarification
on first- and
second-degree murder.
- How does that end up not guilty?
- It... it didn't. I was...
There was this man. Right from
the beginning he insisted not guilty.
He kept talking about
reasonable doubt and...
Wait, so are you saying that
11 people thought he was guilty?
Only the two of us and the one of
him. No one else really seemed to care.
- So what happened?
- We... we kept voting.
- Each time I voted guilty, except...
- Except what?
I voted guilty 11 times, and
then... just for a second...
Everyone was tired. We wanted
to go home for the weekend.
That man was never
going to change his mind.
You wanted to go
home... for the weekend?
I'm so sorry.
Jake... I'm sorry. Let
me give you a lift home.
She wanted to go home for...
Someone gets off on a technicality,
you mess up on a search warrant,
you screw up on a lab test, I
understand that, you know?
I don't like it, but there are
rules and you gotta follow them.
We followed the rules.
We did it right, didn't we?
I mean... and... er...
They just didn't care.
Come on, man. My
car is down by the curb.
- Take Carol home for me, will you?
- Jake...
Just do this for
me, will you, OK?
All right, man.
Hey, Lewis...
maybe sometime you and me can
catch a pick-up game of hoops, huh?
- Yeah.
- We had great times playing ball, huh?
I always could kick
your ass, though.
Hey, Kenny.
Oh, one thing...
What?
Sleep with one eye open.
cemetery is kind of redundant.
- I don't like cemeteries.
- Any particular reason?
- I don't wanna talk about it.
- You picked the topic.
Well, it wasn't a topic,
it... it was a statement.
- No, you don't get how this works.
- How what works?
Stan would say
something. I'd disagree.
We could argue about
it for an hour solid.
Well, let me show
you how it's done.
Cemeteries... You ever
have sex in a cemetery?
- No.
- I did. 1963, East Point. Judy Biggs,
back seat of her
father's Chrysler.
We were parked between the Steinmetz
mausoleum and Citriniti family plots.
Now, that's conversation.
Officer Rogers, how
are you? What've we got?
The caretaker found the body.
- What's with the dog?
- Here when they found the body.
- He won't budge.
- Better call the animal shelter.
It's the victim's. He was
here when it happened.
Might be our only
witness. Here, boy.
- Be careful.
- All right. It's all right.
- Hey, whoa!
- Careful, Megan.
- You're a big help, aren't you?
- I'm a cat man.
It's... it's all
right. All right.
What's he doing here at 8:00am?
- Visiting a loved one.
- How did he get here? There's no car.
Maybe he took the bus.
- Maybe the killer took his car.
- Maybe.
- What have we got, Scheiner?
- A ligature mark on the neck.
- So he was strangled?
- Looks like some kind of a wire.
Yeah. Look. Bruises,
scratches. This guy put up a fight.
Roll him.
OK. Ah! He's
still got his wallet.
Let's see... Edgar Rodzinski.
Diners Club, American
Express, 57 bucks.
- Baltimore City Police Department ID.
- He's a cop?
- This card's stamped retired, 1985.
- Hey, Rodzinski. I was right.
He was visiting his
wife. For the last time.
- The victim was an ex-cop?
- Edgar Rodzinski, 30 years in Vice.
He was strangled
with a piece of wire.
I want that information
kept away from the press.
He still had his wallet,
cash, credit card, but no keys.
- No one saw him arrive there.
- Let's check with the DMV,
- See if he owns a car.
- Rodzinski? I know a Rodzinski.
- Was he a cop?
- I went to the Academy with him.
- Jake Rodzinski.
- That's not it. This guy's in his 60s.
- Jake's old man was a detective.
- Edgar Rodzinski?
Yeah... Oh, jeez! Does
Jake know about this?
- Where can we find him?
- In Check and Fraud.
Lewis, go with
Munch and Russert.
Notify the son. An ex-cop was
killed on my watch, I don't like this.
Candy! Want to buy
some candy? $4 a box.
- What's that? What you got?
- Thin Mints.
- Thin Mints.
- I don't know.
Why should we buy
candy from a little hustler?
- It helps kids stay off the streets.
- That's what school is for.
- It is a teachers' conference today.
- I got kids in school,
and I didn't hear about
any teachers' conference.
We'll take him down to the station,
call the school and confirm his story.
OK, OK, OK! You guys are
cops. For you, 3.50 a box.
- Two for six, you got a deal.
- OK.
- All right. Got change for a hundred?
- Well... What?
I was just kidding. All
right, big guy. Thanks.
- Oh, yeah.
- Got the thick or the thin?
- They got more goo in these.
- Hey, Jake.
Hey, Lewis, How you doing?
Megan Russert, John Munch.
They work with me in Homicide.
Hey, hiya. This is my
partner, Pez McCadden.
- Yeah, I know Pez.
- How you doing?
- Having lunch at Whitey's here?
- It's about your father.
- Yeah, what about him?
- We found his body this morning.
- Your father's dead, man, I'm sorry.
- We found him.
At Holy Redeemer Cemetery
next to your mother's grave.
What, he'd had a heart attack
or something? What happened?
Wait a second, you
guys are Homicide...
- You saying he was murdered?
- I'm afraid so.
- Carol?
- Meldrick, hi.
- Hey.
- It's good to see you.
Yeah... Jake's in there?
- I couldn't go in.
- Yeah.
Hey, Jake.
Max, hey. Come here,
boy. How you doing?
Thanks, Lewis.
After Mom died, my
dad looked out for me.
He was such a son-of-a-bitch,
always pushing me to stay in school
and join the Academy.
Come on, Max. Let's go.
So, Munch and Russert,
they got any leads?
Well, you know, we'll get his
car out there on the teletype,
and then we track it down, and
maybe it'll lead us to a suspect.
- Which means they got nothing.
- No. Not yet.
Russert was double
demoted from Captain,
and what I hear about
Munch, he's some ex-hippie.
- They're good police.
- That's not what I'm saying.
- Then what?
- I wanna find who murdered Dad
and I don't want this
investigation getting hung up.
- It's gotta be done right.
- It'll be done right.
- You'll make sure of that?
- Yeah, I'll make sure of that.
Half a sandwich with
Kellerman's name on it.
- Take it.
- All right.
Won't be in till Monday. He's best man
at his cousin's wedding up in Wisconsin.
Trust Kellerman to have
relatives in the Dairy State.
- How's the Rodzinski case coming?
- We're working the case.
- How's Jake doing?
- Lousy. How'd you be doing?
- Knew his father well?
- Yeah, see him around once in a while,
graduation, Jake's wedding.
Yeah, he'd say, "Hello, Meldrick."
I'd say, "Hello, Mr. Rodzinski."
We'd talk about the Colts
and then that'd be about it. The
guy was a good cop, simple guy.
Now he's up in cop heaven
with tens of thousands
of other slain officers, a big
post-mortem ball in the sky,
full dance band, spiked punch,
all the doughnuts you can eat.
Wanna know where Rodzinski will
go? Into the ground like everyone else.
- Thus speaks the Catholic.
- The goal is to get out
before being killed, go some
place peaceful like... Idaho.
Half the LAPD retired to
Idaho. They call it "Blue Heaven".
I'll tell you what, LAPD, no
LAPD, if Rodzinski had moved there
when he retired, he
might still be alive.
If you ask me, between Idaho
and eternity, he's better off dead.
- That's enough!
- Sorry, Gee. Were you a friend of his?
No... I never met him.
I do know that he was a member
of this department for 30 years.
That alone should be
enough for everyone here
- to treat this with dignity and respect.
- Lewis, line one.
That sandwich has been
in the fridge two weeks!
Bon appétit!
Hey, Rogers. What's going on?
I got a call from the caretaker.
Rodzinski showed up asking questions
about the investigation. I said he
should talk to Munch or Russert.
- He said you were on the case.
- Oh, yeah? You guys all done here?
- Yeah.
- OK, I'll take over from here.
- OK.
- Thanks a lot.
Sure.
Hey, Jake. What's going on?
I wanted to see
where he was killed.
Let the investigating
detectives take care of this.
This is not your case. It's not
my case either, for that matter.
Look, I can't help
it, you know. It...
I just keep thinking I
let him down somehow.
- Lab guys finished?
- Yeah. They're done.
So why is the
damn tape still up?
Come on, Jake. Let's go home.
OK, let's go.
- John!
- Your housekeeper let me in.
Wanted to bring you up to
date. You have nice things.
- Er, thanks.
- No, really. This is very tasteful.
Bolander lives in efficiency. The
man pulls out a couch to sleep.
- John, the case?
- I called the midnight-shift lieutenants.
They're gonna read the teletype
on Rodzinski's car at roll calls.
- Good.
- I also requested a computer run
on all ag assaults, robberies
and car thefts around the cemetery.
- Right.
- Plus I typed a temporary office report,
- copied it to Giardello and Barnfather.
- You did what?
- I did the office report.
- Oh, perfect... That's perfect.
Barnfather's trying
to keep me jacked up
and you send a progress
report showing no progress.
Aren't you a little
paranoid about Barnfather?
A month ago I was Captain, and
now I'm a detective, remember?
Look, would you do me a favour?
From now on, before you talk to
any of the bosses, talk to me first.
Talk to you first? I'm
the primary on this case.
Yeah, well, that may be so,
but I think when it comes to
politics, I have a better feel for it.
You're not chain of command any
more. You're partnering on this case.
It's enough that I had to
take crap from Bolander.
- At least he had 30 years on.
- What are you saying?
That I'm not as good a
detective as Bolander?
All I'm saying is 12 hours into
this investigation, we have nothing.
Fine. I didn't ask to be partnered
with you. Wanna find somebody else?
- Somebody else?
- Somebody else!
- No, I don't.
- OK then! All right.
- I gotta go.
- All right.
- See you in the morning.
- Yeah.
Partner.
Jake went to the crime scene
yesterday. What did he want?
I don't know. He's not your average
bereaved family member, you know.
- He's a cop. He wanted to see if...
- If what? If we missed something?
I don't know. I can't get
inside the guy's head.
- Well, he's your friend.
- We went to the Academy together,
hooped it up at the Y now and again.
That don't make us bosom buddies.
Whatever you call him, just tell him to
stay away from the crime scene, OK?
Am I supposed to
tell him not to care?
His father was killed and
we ain't got nothing on it.
- What's that all about?
- You know the drill,
Jake Rodzinski leans on
Meldrick, Meldrick leans on us.
Now it's my turn. Where
are we in the investigation?
I tell you, Edgar Rodzinski did
not have an enemy in the world.
According to his cop
buddies at the FOP Lodge,
- even the guys he locked up liked him.
- Have you reinterviewed the caretaker?
- Twice.
- Maybe three times is the charm.
It's bad enough there was
a murder in my cemetery.
Now I got detectives
all over the place.
Mr Prochnik, we need to know
if you remember anything else.
I don't.
You were in the gatehouse
during the murder.
I was here, but
didn't see anything.
You didn't see anybody
arrive or anybody leave?
How many different
ways can I tell you? No.
It's just odd is all. A car comes
or goes, you're in the gatehouse,
it's gotta pass by you, right?
- Hey, man. What's up?
- Hey, you got the?
No, we don't have any leads
on the Rodzinski murder.
- I wasn't asking that.
- Nice suit. Where are you going?
Jake's house. They're having
people over there after the wake.
I was gonna ask if you got the
bar key for the good liquor cabinet?
- I gotta take a bottle.
- You're goin' to Jake's house?
- Yeah.
- Is it all right if I come?
- Yeah, you wanna come with?
- Yeah, Edgar Rodzinski was one of us.
- The more the merrier.
- If you're going, I'm going.
- Don't go on my account.
- That's why I'm going.
I gotta ride with you all day.
You'll give make me feel guilty.
- You're going out of guilt?
- Yes.
Guilt is almost as
good a motivator as fear.
Besides, it's almost
dinner time, I'm very hungry
and you can always count
on cops for good cold cuts.
Honey... he won't stop barking.
- What do you want me to do?
- Put him in the backyard.
Max, cool it.
OK, boy.
Augie, meet Meldrick Lewis,
John Munch, Megan Russert.
They're the detectives
assigned to Dad's case.
Homicide, huh? The elite,
where they speak for the dead.
- You with the Department, sir?
- Used to be.
I was Edgar's partner for a while,
before I moved over to County.
I was always trying to get Edgar to
get out too, but he loved Baltimore.
Look, the FOP guys wanted to
do something for your father, so...
Wait a minute. Everybody ought to
hear this. Can I have your attention?
Ed Rodzinski was my
partner. He was also my friend.
I was there when
this one was born.
Anyway, I just thought
everybody ought to know
that the FOP has stepped forward
and is putting a $20,000 reward out
for information on the murder.
- Here, here!
- Here, here!
You talked to the
cemetery caretaker?
- He didn't see anything.
- What about my dad's car?
- We're still looking.
- So you don't have any leads?
- Well... no.
- Then what are you doing here?
We just wanted pay our respects.
You wanna pay respects,
find my father's killer.
- Jake, come on, man.
- Coming here...
brilliant idea.
The longer this takes, the less
chance there's gonna be of anything.
Evidence disappears,
witnesses forget. You know that.
Hey, Lewis, you're
a homicide cop,
maybe you and me could
investigate on our own.
Come on, Jake. We can't
go off on a rogue investigation.
I've taken heat in the past for sticking
my nose in other people's cases.
We have to do this according
to procedure, by the book.
- Follow the rules, you mean?
- Damn straight!
My old man, he followed the
rules. Look where it got him.
I just wanna apologise to you
for last night. I was out of line.
With what you're
going through, no need.
I thought of something
that might help.
My dad was stabbed once, on the
job. Of course, this was a long time ago.
- Do you remember any specifics?
- I was just a kid,
so this would be
in the late '60s.
I asked him what happened.
He said it was part of the job.
Here it is. March 1966.
Edgar Rodzinski, hospitalised
for a stab wound to the stomach.
But there's no report. You were his
partner back then. What happened?
We were working on an extortion
investigation against Simon Gandolph.
I wasn't with him when he got
stabbed. Edgar wouldn't talk about it.
Here's the file. Gandolph was
convicted. He died in prison.
Edgar interviewed Gandolph's
mistress Paula Schwenk 19 times.
He reinterviewed
her 19 times? Why?
She was the State's primary
witness against Gandolph.
- That's a lot of interviews.
- He was thorough.
I think we ought to have a
conversation with Paula Schwenk.
Miss Schwenk, do you remember a
detective named Edgar Rodzinski?
Oh, yes! Oh, he was
such a gentleman.
- Ed was murdered two days ago.
- Oh!
When he was on the Simon
Gandolph case, he got stabbed.
We were wondering
if there's a connection.
- Do you know who stabbed Edgar?
- Of course. It was my son.
- Your son?
- Alan. He was only ten years old.
- That's why Ed never filed a report.
- Do you know why he stabbed Ed?
- He didn't like him.
- He didn't like him?
Who knows why some
people like certain people,
and they don't like others.
Anyway, Ed took care of everything.
- He covered the whole thing up.
- Do you know where your son is now?
No, I don't. He's been in and out of
jail. I haven't talked to him in years.
Do you think that your son might still
have carried a grudge against Edgar?
Alan has a grudge
against the whole world.
I'm really sorry
to hear about Ed.
- That means they're all dead.
- Excuse me?
Every man I ever slept
with. They're all dead.
So old Edgar was getting some
on the side with Paula Schwenk.
I always like to believe that
people behaved better back then.
1966? Nope. People definitely
weren't behaving better then.
So you think that's why
her son stabbed Rodzinski,
- cos they were having an affair?
- Maybe.
In any case, I don't think we
need to mention that detail to Jake.
- He knows.
- How do you know that?
He may not know the details, but a son
knows if his old man's screwing around.
You don't wanna
know, but you know.
- Your father had an affair?
- Nope, never.
- Then what do you know about it?
- All I'm saying is,
if my old man did have an
affair, I would have known about it.
- But he didn't.
- Right. He didn't. End of story.
- Now, what do you wanna talk about?
- Nothing.
What do you mean nothing?
I'd like to sit and look out the window.
I would like to gather my thoughts
and concentrate on closing
this case. Is that too much to ask?
- No, that's not too much to ask.
- Thank you.
Wait here, boy. I won't be long.
Hey, Harvey. How you doing?
- Making my parole. What do you want?
- Come on, Harvey. You have to ask?
- Detective, please.
- Is that what my father said, "Please?"
- What? Your father?
- No, he wouldn't have.
My old man, he never asked
anybody for anything his whole life.
- I don't know what you mean.
- Let me in.
I just wanna talk to you.
- Alan Schwenk?
- I'm Detective Munch.
This is Detective
Russert. Homicide.
Stop! Damn it!
Police!
Alan? We need to talk to you.
Put that down now! Drop
it! Drop it! Put it down now!
Put your hands on your head!
On your knees! Cross your legs!
- It's not what you think.
- What isn't?
- Munch.
- I didn't mean to do it.
- I didn't mean to stab him.
- Stab who?
- Sal Fischback.
- Who the hell is Sal Fischback?
He's a cabbie. I needed the
money. Cabbie's carry a lot of cash.
It is why you're here, isn't it?
Schwenk's being processed for stabbing
Fischback. He didn't murder Rodzinski.
- Did his other cases lead anywhere?
- No, Chief.
- What about the $20,000 reward?
- An excuse for every nut case
- to claim they know something.
- What about the car?
Every officer knows it's high
priority. We're still looking.
- What the hell's taking so long?
- There a lot of chop shops.
Besides, the car might
be out of state by now.
- Jake Rodzinski's just been arrested.
- What?
He beat up a suspect
he claims killed his father,
a guy named Harvey Otto. Otto's
lawyer took photos of the injuries
and the Court Commissioner
issued a warrant.
- Where's Jake?
- Lock-up.
I gotta go to Central
Booking and bail him.
Thanks, Lewis. How'd you get
me out? You talk to my lieutenant?
- I posted your bail.
- Bail? Are you serious?
- The guy was resisting arrest.
- Arrest? Arrest for what?
I get a line on a suspect, go to arrest
him, he pops me. I gotta subdue him.
- Subdue him? You put him in hospital.
- Like I was saying, he resisted arrest.
Not that it was your arrest to make.
What did you think you were doing?
- They're pressing charges.
- So what?
So what is it to you?
Your career maybe?
I'm won't get convicted.
The only thing that'll happen
is IID's will start a folder on
me. It's not gonna go beyond that.
Look, the guy is stone
guilty. He killed my dad.
If you thought Otto was a suspect,
why didn't you say this morning?
I didn't think about it until after
you left. I busted Otto years ago,
and he always swore
that after I'd forgotten him,
- he'd make me remember.
- You should've told us about him.
- I wanted to deal with it myself.
- So you sent us on a wild goose chase
- looking for Paula Schwenk?
- Otto didn't kill your father.
- What? No, he had to.
- Did you check his alibi first?
I did. I went by his factory and the
day my dad died, he wasn't there.
Somebody signed out
his time card for him.
You're right, he
wasn't at his job.
But apparently Otto is a recent convert
to AA, and he was having a rough day,
so he cut work to go to a
meeting. Now, he didn't tell anyone,
cos he's got a bad absentee
rate, so a buddy signed him out
and there are at least 15 people
at AA willing to vouch for him.
Rodzinski is suspended
until this matter is resolved.
Come on! The guy's father's been
killed. This ain't right. You know it.
Whether it's right or
wrong, it's not my call.
Munch and Russert got no leads
and the case gets colder by the minute.
- No wonder Jake is jacked up.
- Lewis...
- Lewis, you wanna help Jake?
- Yeah.
Take him home.
Tell him to stay home.
I'll pay you back. What
was the bail, five grand?
- Ten per cent to the bail bondsman.
- I'll pay you back.
You sure as hell will. Why
didn't you come to me, man?
Now you're on suspension. You'll
be pressing licence plates next.
I'm not like you. I don't
like to talk. I got a problem,
- I deal with it on my own.
- Yeah, I remember.
Like when we were playing basketball,
man. You had a decent jump shot,
but when it comes time to
passing the ball, you had no dish.
Cos if I ever gave it to you,
I'd never get it back again.
We were pretty good. We pushed
that ball as hard as we could.
Yeah, but without
fouling out, though.
- You still playing ball now and again?
- No, not in years.
- Yeah, me neither. Why is that?
- Too much has changed.
You know, these kids today,
it's not just a game, it's...
take no prisoners.
Last man standing wins.
It's war.
- I gotta talk to you.
- Mr Prochnik. Megan, look who's here.
I remembered something.
- What jogged your memory?
- Want my information or not?
Oh, have a seat, Mr Prochnik.
My daughter's been dating this louse,
a real creep. He goes by Kenny D.
I think his real last
name is Damon.
We should be interested
in this information because?
You know the kind, the
drugs, stealing cars, worthless.
I've been telling her to
dump him, but she don't listen.
The night before the cop got
murdered, he comes to the cemetery
- and tells me to stop hassling Becky.
- And?
Well, we argued. All of a
sudden he attacked me.
- Attacked you how?
- He tried to strangle me.
Strangle you?
Strangle you with what?
A piece of wire. Had
it around my throat.
Thought I'd have to make use of
my own services for a cemetery plot,
- but Becky came and he ran off.
- Why didn't you tell us this before?
- We interviewed you three times.
- You didn't think we'd wanna know?
Can I have the 20,000 now?
The reward is for information
leading to a conviction.
- Now, would you be willing to testify?
- I didn't know about that.
Hey, do you want
the 20,000 or not?
- Yeah.
- Well, we'll be in touch.
- Damon?
- Damon.
Kenneth Damon, aka
Kenny Damon, aka Kenny D.
Two convictions for
narcotics as a juvenile,
busted twice for auto theft. Eight
months in DOC, released last spring.
Arrested two years ago for
assault. He tried to strangle someone.
Never went to trial. The victim
couldn't make a positive ID.
I hate to say it, but I think we
made Mr Prochnik $20,000 richer.
- What've we got?
- Finally a break in the case.
We just got another. The Auto
Squad located Rodzinski's Ford,
at least what's left of it,
at a chop shop in Dundalk.
- They found the car?
- Russert and Munch, go.
- I should go, Gee?
- We're OK on our own.
We've stalled on this long
enough. Lewis wants to help, let him.
- Howard.
- Sir.
Have the dumpsters
been searched?
- I don't know.
- There was carpet from that car.
- We need that.
- You got it.
Process the vehicle for prints, leuco
for blood, and vacuum the interior.
I want every hair, every fibre,
every scrap of physical evidence.
- Gotcha.
- Thanks.
We've gotta find that carpet.
Would you settle for
the murder weapon?
Hairs in the car match hairs found on
Rodzinski. DNA is doing final analysis.
They found Kenny Damon's
fingerprint on the door handle.
- Get a warrant, make an arrest.
- I'll call Ed Danvers.
Wanna call your buddy Rodzinski?
- Wait till we get Damon in custody.
- He deserves to know.
Make an arrest first, then
we'll give him the full story.
Kenny Damon! Baltimore Police!
We have a warrant for your arrest
for the murder of Edgar Rodzinski.
Don't do anything stupid, Kenny.
Edgar Rodzinski was a retired cop.
We have back-up
around this whole building.
All right. I'm coming
out. Hands on your head!
Atta boy.
Hands behind your back.
What's he doing here?
- I don't know.
- We heard about the warrant.
- I just wanna see him.
- Take it easy now, Jake.
- You got a problem?
- Yeah, it was my dad.
Who, the dead guy? I don't
know what anybody's talking about.
- You laughing at me?
- Yeah. You're hilarious.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Back off!
- Come on!
- Is that police brutality? Can I sue?
- No.
You want this lowlife convicted,
you keep your friend away from him!
Our strongest evidence is DNA
matching hairs
found on Edgar's body
and the scrapings under his
fingernails to Kenny Damon.
- What about his prior for assault?
- Inadmissible.
- Motion to show pattern was denied.
- Can we win this?
- If the jury believes the DNA, yes.
- And if not?
Damon's lawyer'll hammer
away at the victim being an ex-cop.
- They'll claim prejudice.
- We still got the caretaker.
If the jury thinks he's
credible, which they might not.
- You got anything optimistic to say?
- I'm a lawyer.
- It's not my job to be optimistic.
- Can we get Damon convicted?
- I'll do my best. That's all I can do.
- I'll have to live with that.
Yeah, but can Jake?
The defendant Kenneth
Damon got into an argument
with his girlfriend's father Dale
Prochnik, the cemetery caretaker,
and as you'll hear from Mr
Prochnik, Damon tried to strangle him.
When Prochnik's daughter
showed up, Damon, in a rage, left.
But Damon returned the next
morning to finish the job on Mr Prochnik,
but when he couldn't find him,
he vented his frustration and
anger on the first person he saw,
the victim, Edgar Rodzinski,
a retired police officer.
Damon strangled Edgar
Rodzinski with a wire coat hanger
and then stole his car.
DNA evidence will prove
the defendant's skin cells were
under Mr Rodzinski's fingernails.
DNA will prove the defendant's
hairs were on Mr Rodzinski's clothing
and also in his car. Fingerprints prove
the defendant was in Mr Rodzinski's car.
The chain of physical
evidence is overwhelming.
Kenneth Damon is guilty of
the murder of Edgar Rodzinski.
Detective Russert, how long
was the victim's car missing
- before you were able to examine it?
- About 48 hours.
So you have no idea who else
might have touched that car?
- No.
- Mr Prochnik, you testified
that the defendant tried to choke
you the night before the murder?
- Yes.
- You didn't report that to the police.
No.
And then, when the detectives
investigating Edgar Rodzinski's death
first interviewed you,
you also said nothing.
- I didn't think it important at the time.
- Oh.
The victim's son Jake
Rodzinski is a policeman, correct?
- Yes - You were at
the Academy together.
- That's right.
- Did you or did you not
- recently post bail for Jake Rodzinski?
- That's correct, sir.
So someone other than my client
could've put the hanger in that car?
It's possible, yes, but Kenny Damon's
fingerprint was found on the car,
- so we believe that Kenny...
- Did you find any fingerprints
- on the car other than my client's?
- Of course.
Mr Prochnik, how much will
you earn if my client is convicted?
- Excuse me?
- Well, you turned him in.
You are aware there is a
reward to catch the killer?
- Yes.
- How much?
It's 20,000.
What would it cost to have you
say that Kenneth Damon is innocent?
- Objection!
- Withdrawn.
Nothing in our investigation led to
a suspect other than Kenny Damon.
Oh. Did you decide that before or
after you had my client in custody?
- Objection.
- Overruled. Witness may answer.
At no point in the investigation
was there any reason to believe
there was another suspect.
All of our evidence pointed to
Kenneth Damon as the killer.
You posted bail for Mr Rodzinski
because he'd beaten up a man
who he thought to be his father's killer.
A police officer attempted to
arrest the wrong man for the murder,
but this time we're supposed
to believe you guys got it right!
- Objection.
- Sustained.
- They're nothing to do with each other.
- You found the murder weapon?
Because Mr Rodzinski and I
have a personal relationship,
it doesn't mean I'd compromise
the investigation for him.
You said it, Detective, not me.
- Objection. Move to strike.
- So ordered.
- I have nothing further.
- Redirect, Your Honour.
Detective Lewis, Edgar Rodzinski
was strangled with a wire coat hanger?
- Yes.
- You found one in the victim's car.
- Yes, I did.
- Damon's fingerprints were in that car.
- Yes.
- The Police Department's decision
to arrest Kenneth Damon was
based solely on scientific evidence.
- Is that also correct?
- That's also correct, sir.
Thank you, Detective Lewis.
It's been three hours.
I can hear them arguing.
What are they arguing about?
Three hours is a good sign.
If they were gonna acquit,
they wouldn't be
taking this long.
I always thought it was
the other way around.
I'm starving. Anybody
want to order Chinese?
- Yeah, maybe that would help. Jake?
- I'm not hungry.
They'll tell us when there's a
verdict. We don't have to wait.
- You wanna get a drink or something?
- No, I think I wanna stay,
- but you, why don't you go ahead?
- And leave you alone?
You're bad enough with two-way
conversations, let alone a monologue.
You know, when
my husband got sick,
he refused to talk about death,
about the funeral, about
where he wanted to be...
I had to take care of
everything. And I did.
I did. But once he was gone,
I couldn't decide
on a headstone,
granite, quartz,
square, rounded,
which was silly because I was the
one who had to look at it, not him,
but I wanted it to be
right. I wanted him to like it.
So... now I never go.
I picked the wrong headstone.
That's why I don't
like cemeteries.
You want to get a hot chocolate
or something? Warm us up?
OK. OK.
You're buying.
This Kung Pao is great, Jake.
Why don't you have some?
- You should eat something.
- No.
- How about a fortune cookie?
- I said no.
What part of that do
you not understand?
The jury sent a
question to the judge
for a description on the difference
in first- and second-degree murder.
- They're talking guilty.
- Second degree?
How can they talk
about second degree?
Never mind that.
They turned the corner
They're talking
guilt in there. Guilty.
Damon's lawyer
approached me with a plea.
A plea to what?
Second-degree murder.
He'll get 25 years.
But he'll be out
on parole in ten.
- That's not enough.
- Anything more than that,
they might as well take
their chances with the jury.
Jake, maybe we
should consider it.
No.
Five hours. Five hours,
what the hell does that mean?
Someone's holding out. I
can hear her voice. There it is.
We're still left with the
fingerprints, the DNA...
- Do you think it could be a hung jury?
- Who is that?
- It's that blonde woman.
- Jake...
Bitch! Everybody else is talking
guilty, and she's the one holding out!
The jury's back.
Members of the jury, have
you agreed on a verdict?
We have, Your Honour.
Will the defendant please
rise and face the jury?
- How say you?
- In the case of the State
versus Kenneth Damon, we find
the defendant not guilty of all charges.
They asked for the difference
between first and second degree.
How could they
find him not guilty?
Excuse me, ma'am!
I'm sorry, I have to ask.
- It was my father murdered.
- I know. I'm sorry.
What happened? We heard
the yelling from the jury room.
- I'd rather not say.
- You asked for clarification
on first- and
second-degree murder.
- How does that end up not guilty?
- It... it didn't. I was...
There was this man. Right from
the beginning he insisted not guilty.
He kept talking about
reasonable doubt and...
Wait, so are you saying that
11 people thought he was guilty?
Only the two of us and the one of
him. No one else really seemed to care.
- So what happened?
- We... we kept voting.
- Each time I voted guilty, except...
- Except what?
I voted guilty 11 times, and
then... just for a second...
Everyone was tired. We wanted
to go home for the weekend.
That man was never
going to change his mind.
You wanted to go
home... for the weekend?
I'm so sorry.
Jake... I'm sorry. Let
me give you a lift home.
She wanted to go home for...
Someone gets off on a technicality,
you mess up on a search warrant,
you screw up on a lab test, I
understand that, you know?
I don't like it, but there are
rules and you gotta follow them.
We followed the rules.
We did it right, didn't we?
I mean... and... er...
They just didn't care.
Come on, man. My
car is down by the curb.
- Take Carol home for me, will you?
- Jake...
Just do this for
me, will you, OK?
All right, man.
Hey, Lewis...
maybe sometime you and me can
catch a pick-up game of hoops, huh?
- Yeah.
- We had great times playing ball, huh?
I always could kick
your ass, though.
Hey, Kenny.
Oh, one thing...
What?
Sleep with one eye open.