Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 1, Episode 19 - The Serpent's Tooth - full transcript
A businessman and his wife are killed. The couple's two sons emerge as the most likely suspects, but detectives later find business ties to the Russian mob.
Narrator: In the criminal justice
system, the people are represented
by two separate yet
equally important groups...
The police who
investigate crime,
and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Bomb threats. What a crock.
How do you figure?
In the middle of the winter?
Probably took the
first snowbird special
down to Miami,
like anybody else with
a couple of brain-cells
to rub together.
I happen to like winter.
You happen to be nuts.
Enjoy it all you want, pal.
I'll go roast these pecans.
(alarm ringing)
Help!
Oh my God, help them!
My parents, they've been shot!
First thought was,
it was a diversion.
You know, because
of the bomb threats.
The name's Greg Jarmon.
We called his brother.
Stay with him. Write
down anything he says.
(camera clicking)
All right, Max, Mike.
Evelyn Jarmon... Two
shots from right here.
There's more.
Karl Jarmon...
Three at close range.
(sighs)
Let me guess.
No signs of burglary.
Alarm's still on. Kid
tripped it when he came in.
No shells, but
check out the study.
Italian, Czech, English.
The best money can buy.
This one...
has been fired.
Run it through the lab.
You never figure you're
gonna get it from your own gun.
Detective.
Double-ought buck.
Five missing.
Jarmon and sons, last fall.
The family that
kills together...
(sighs)
(theme music playing)
I don't know, I just...
I came home and...
found them.
Max: Where were
you? At the Garden.
A Rangers Game. By yourself?
No, my brother
Nick picked me up.
And when I came home,
I walked in and...
I saw Mom.
Man: Greg?!
(sobbing)
Where's Mom?
I'm Nick Jarmon.
Where's my mother?
No...
she wasn't supposed to be home.
Do you know where she
was supposed to be, Nick?
A benefit at the Met.
She wasn't supposed to be home.
(sobbing)
What did your
father do for a living?
Printing. He owns...
Owned a printing company.
Greg said you guys went
to the Rangers game?
Dad... the company
has season tickets.
Just so I get it straight,
Greg picked you
up to go the game?
No, I went up to the
house around 7:00.
We took a cab to the game.
Did you see your parents?
I didn't go in.
Oh?
You had dinner at the game?
Later.
At Chelsea Central.
Then I went home.
We went to Chelsea Central.
I think I left my scarf there.
Don't worry about it. What
time did you get home?
I'm not sure.
Uh...
11:30?
So, you met Nick
at the Garden, right?
No, I told you, he
came over to the house.
Okay.
Listen...
did your father
have any enemies?
Did he ever talk about
troubles he might have had?
We didn't really pay attention.
Mom... everybody loved her.
One last thing before you go,
we'd like you to
take a paraffin test.
What's that?
Just a test to see whether there's
gunpowder residue on your hands.
Wait a minute.
You don't think...
It's standard procedure.
You might as well know.
There may be powder on my hands.
This afternoon on the
island I went skeet-shooting.
Okay. Do you mind
taking the test anyway?
Shouldn't he talk to a lawyer?
Why... do you think
you need a lawyer?
No.
No, I don't.
Of course, I'll take the test.
You talked to the neighbors?
Place on the right...
People working on their
melanomas in Barbados;
place on the left...
Some old gummer
with her hearing aid turned off.
Any further away,
most people can't tell
gunshots from belches.
What about the kids?
They're either innocent
or well-rehearsed.
So... (clears throat)
put them through the wringer.
Logan: Don't you think we're
jumping to conclusions here?
I hated my mother,
but I didn't aerate her
with double-ought buck.
That case in La-La Land,
nine months the Beverly
Hills cops jerked around.
It came right back to the kids.
We all know, nine
times out of ten,
in the house
husbands kills wives,
wives kill husbands,
and kids kill parents.
M.E. says they were killed
between 7:00 and 9:00.
So...
they could have left
their house just after 7:00.
Game starts at 7:35,
cab to the Garden...
what, 20 minutes?
You're saying Nick comes over,
they grease Mom and Dad,
catch a cab, go
cheer the Rangers?
Pretty cold.
Ah, yeah. Just the two tickets?
Thanks.
Jarmon's secretary
checked the sign-up sheet
for last night's game.
The company has six seats.
The Rangers played Quebec.
That's like playing
against an empty net.
Maybe that's why the only one
who signed up was Greg Jarmon.
I'm telling you, Max,
we should keep looking.
We're going to...
For season ticket-holders
around the Jarmon box.
So were they there for
the face-off? I didn't notice.
Did they stay for
the whole game?
Might have been other
kids in the third period.
People move around a
lot. Cheapos to ringside.
The first two kids...
How old? 19, 20?
Give me a break, will you?
What is it with you
hockey fans anyway?
You got no short-term memory?
Hey, ask me how many
penalties the Rangers killed.
Or how many shots Leetch made.
That I remember. I
keep my eye on the puck.
(sighs)
The powder in the barrel
has similar characteristics
to the trace residue
found on the victims...
Smokeless, dense.
The same is found
in shells from Jarmon's desk.
Come on, Hurley,
this ain't court.
Are we looking at
the murder weapon?
An attorney
opinion... Inconclusive.
My opinion... yes.
Prints?
We got a couple of good
lifts from the shotgun.
I sent them up to Latent
and they matched Karl
Jarmon's and one of the kids...
Gregory.
(phone rings)
So Nick watched while
Greg did all the shooting?
Maybe he wasn't
in the hunting party.
Oh, I get it...
Greg shot the folks
before Nick came over
and Nick's covering for him?
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
Even if the kid just
offed Mom and Dad?
What do you want from me, huh?
The alibi is nothing.
Nobody at the game
ever saw them leave.
Wait a minute, Chelsea
Central checked out.
The waitress said they
were there till 11:00.
There's still a lot of
hours unaccounted for.
Let's talk to the housekeeper.
Have you worked for the
family long, Mrs. Langdon?
22 years.
Ever since Nicholas was born.
Mrs. Jarmon too busy
to bring up her own kids?
You're way off
target, Detective.
She was devoted to
them. Maybe too much so.
She picked them up
every day after school.
Everyone else
sent their nannies.
How about Mr. Jarmon?
He wasn't at home
as much as he wanted.
He and his partner
were always at the plant.
Partner? Nick told us his
father owned the company.
He owned most of it.
He made Mr. Petrovich a
partner a couple of years ago.
How about when he was home?
He did the best he
could as a father.
You got to love it.
College student, young
Turk on Wall Street,
couldn't cast the
part much better.
C'mon, Max, I know you
don't like trust-fund babies,
but we got no
evidence on these guys.
Right. Just Greg's fingerprints
on the murder weapon,
and powder residue on his hands.
He could have
used the gun hunting.
The Gun Club confirms he was
out skeet-shooting that afternoon.
Yep.
And according to
the housekeeper,
they were one happy family...
Ozzie and Harriet on East 68th.
Which leaves us
what for a motive?
Papers say Jarmon was
worth, what, 10 million?
Maybe the kids wanted to
hurry up on their inheritance.
Now, look I don't care if
he was worth 50 million.
If you love your parents you
don't blow them away over money.
Yeah? You ask me, I don't
think things were that great
between the old
man and the kids.
All I keep hearing
is what the housekeeper
wasn't saying.
What is this? Siskel and Ebert?
Do me a favor, come up
with a motive for the boy
and go talk to
what's-his-name, the partner.
Karl and me ran this
business together.
We were like you...
Good cop/bad cop.
Which was which?
Karl knew how to get
a nickel out of a penny.
Drove suppliers
crazy, customers too.
It was up to me to make
everybody happy again.
What about the employees?
He drive them crazy too?
Karl wasn't a hand holder.
A man can make enemies that way.
Maybe the kind that'll kill you.
Okay, Karl was a bastard.
So find me a boss who isn't.
He liked to kick a
little ass, and yell a lot.
Except when his jaw was broke.
Oh, yeah? When that happen?
About a year and a half ago.
Logan: How?
I don't know. He showed
up at work with his jaw wired.
Said he slipped in
the bath or something.
I'll tell you, Karl
never had a grudge.
Everybody here...
Bonuses at Christmas.
The customer was
always satisfied.
You handle his
public relations too?
I never had a problem with Karl.
He hired me when
I was a little kalyaka
right off the plane,
hardly spoke English.
He gave me a place to sleep
and a place to work.
Did this lovefest
extend to his kids?
Karl and his boys... He
was very proud of them.
Had a terrific family.
Was he the sole
owner of the business?
Why?
It's a normal question.
Must be worth,
what, 10, 15 million?
What's gonna happen to it?
I have a small piece.
How small?
10%.
And the rest?
I know what you're
thinking, that's crazy.
Greg and Nick...
They're good sons.
The sons? They inherit.
Yeah!
They get the business.
Oh, by the way,
if you don't mind,
what were you
doing Saturday night?
I had dinner.
Little Kiev, Brighton Beach.
Blini, herring, Russian food.
Russians, we need
reminders of home...
Of the food, anyway.
Rostov's the owner. He knows me.
You eat alone?
Sasha Osinski.
He's from Kiev too.
You and your husband
were with Mr. Petrovich
at Little Kiev?
(speaking Russian)
He says, "Yes,
we ate with Alex."
What time did Alex arrive?
Why don't you tell us?
6:30, 7:00.
We were there until after 11:00.
That's a long party.
Not for Russians.
My husband says tell you...
America is great country.
Anybody can get rich.
Except cops.
Thank you.
Max has got these kids
tried and convicted already.
Give me another suspect,
any other suspect with
means, motive, opportunity.
And don't say the mob
because they don't whack wives.
Max ain't wrong,
Petrovich doesn't benefit.
10% is not enough motive.
And no means... he's got an alibi.
There are no loose
ends... Prints on the gun,
powder on the kid's hands,
and they inherit 10 mill plus.
You know what I'd like to know?
How Jarmon really broke his jaw.
You got the
housekeeper's number?
Yeah. We might as well ask her
Jarmon's bedroom
secrets while we're at it.
She just might give
you the family doctor
if you're polite.
I'm sorry, I just can't
tell you fellas anything.
It's patient confidentiality.
Your patient is dead.
We can assume he'd
want you to cooperate.
(huffs)
It was not a big deal.
Then why was his
whole jaw wired shut?
Come on, Doc,
Jarmon's face didn't
run into a bathtub,
isn't that right?
He told me Nick broke it.
I don't know the circumstances.
P.A.: Dr. Levinson
to CCU, code blue.
I've gone to 23
games this season.
Sometimes we stay till the
end, and sometimes we don't.
We didn't stay till the end...
This is crap I
don't believe this.
Then help us help you, Nick.
Last time I saw my
parents, they were both alive.
Okay, let's move on.
How about your dad?
Did you get along with him?
He had his own point of view,
a code he wanted
me to live up to.
And when you didn't?
Look... maybe I
didn't like my father.
Maybe some days I
didn't even love him.
Do you love your parents
every day of the week?
Breaking his jaw?
Is that your way of
showing affection?
I went out with some buddies,
I came home drunk.
My father didn't
want to let me in
till I sobered up.
You broke his jaw over that?
It was a stupid mistake.
I told you I was drunk.
Haven't you ever hurt
anybody you loved?
Never put them in
the emergency room.
I loved my parents.
My mom... I never, ever
would've done anything to hurt her.
He was drunk.
Dad tried to push
him out of the house,
Nick took a swing.
The next day he wasn't
real happy with himself.
It hurt him more
than it hurt your dad?
We have "stupid" written
on our faces or what?
Greg, help yourself
out a little, all right?
Give us some truth here.
You guys seriously think
we'd kill our own mother?
You don't get anything.
They sure don't sound like
they wanted their mother dead.
She was supposed to
be out that night, right...
at some benefit?
Maybe they never
expected to kill her.
She came home
early or she never left.
It was a mistake.
You think they just
planned to kill the old man?
That wouldn't put any
money in their pockets.
What is this?
You got anybody
who looks better?
Petrovich is out.
Ask me... the housekeeper
ain't a murderess.
But who knows,
we rubber hose her,
maybe she confesses.
Mr. Jarmon was very
demanding of the boys
when he thought
they'd failed him.
What did he do?
He had a short fuse.
Mrs. Jarmon kept reminding him
they were only children.
Nick get the worst of it?
Well, you must understand
he was the first child.
Mrs. Langdon, please, you're
not speaking ill of the dead.
We have to know. Did
he beat his kid or not?
Almost every day.
He'd use whatever
was at hand... a belt,
a tennis racket.
One time he used a
wooden coat-hanger.
Nobody ever stopped him?
Mrs. Jarmon was
terrified of him.
It went on for years.
Finally, when Nick was 16,
he hit him back.
Mr. Jarmon never raised
a hand to him after that.
Except when Nick broke his jaw?
No, that was because of Gregory.
Greg punched his father?
No...
Mr. Jarmon was beating
Gregory with a cane.
Nick had to put a stop to it.
And so he hit him.
(vacuum whirring)
Max: Anybody home?
(vacuum continues)
Excuse me.
(vacuum stops)
Greg Jarmon around?
He went out about an hour ago.
Who's idea is this?
His. I think they're putting
the place up for sale.
Max: Excuse me.
The brothers Jarmon
are real sentimental
about their old homestead.
Bad memories.
Or bad consciences.
I guess Jarmon shot
more than birds, huh?
I bet no one ever accused him
of being a "Friend
of the Earth."
What's the story these days
with dead people's mail?
If it's useful, it's admissible.
Or maybe it's not.
Jarmon's Rolls...
Leased, $2300 a month.
That's twice my rent.
Roomier too.
A bill from Bergdorf's...
$1200 for three pairs of shoes.
Spend it or lose it.
This seem weird to you?
"Dean of Communication Arts,
personal progress report
on Gregory Jarmon."
"Greg has shown
significant improvement.
I'm confident he will soon
be working up to his potential."
Since when do college deans
write parents about
their kids' grades?
No, we don't routinely
send personal
evaluations to parents.
Except...
(sighs)
Mr. Jarmon is an
involved alumnus,
a significant contributor
to the university.
That rates a plaque and a tax
deduction, not surveillance reports.
In plain English?
You're the communications whiz.
He was out of control.
He dragged Greg in
here last November,
ranting at the top of his
lungs about his grades.
He even slapped
him in front of me.
How did Greg take it?
He took it.
He was too terrified not to.
I thought the evaluations
would calm Jarmon down,
get him to ease off.
Poor kid.
He was humiliated.
Nobody cares
if Karl Jarmon is a
saint or Simon Legree.
You've spoken to so many people
that tomorrow the papers
will say the kids are suspects.
You're asking us to give the public
an arrest because they want one?
I'm asking if they're guilty.
In my book, top
of the hit parade.
Let me tell you something,
if you gave me a shotgun
when my mother slammed
me against the wall
I'd have blown her head off.
But my dad?
Not even if he caught
me killing the old lady.
Except we have their
fingerprints on the gun.
The paraffin test...
Their buddy corroborated
they were out skeet-shooting.
That's not exculpatory.
They only have
each other as alibis.
Motive? Physical
abuse, the broken jaw,
emotional manipulation,
not to mention $10 million.
Means? They're both
experienced hunters.
One's prints are on
the gun. I'm convinced.
He's convinced.
Go get them.
(phone rings)
If your parents were
getting fitted for a casket,
would you unwind by
playing a little squash?
Gregory Jarmon,
Nicholas Jarmon...
You're under arrest
for the murder of
Evelyn and Karl Jarmon.
You have the right
to remain silent
and refuse to answer
questions. Do you understand?
Anything you do say may be
used against you in a court of law.
Do you understand?
You have the right
to consult an attorney
and to have one present...
And the paraffin test
on the younger kid?
No conclusive match on
the powder that killed them.
Lab says it can't be done.
So we put our
shoulder into the motive.
They hated the father.
We called your secretary.
She said you'd be here.
Mike's running me around
the block on this one.
In which direction?
All right, the old
man, he's a bastard.
But the mother,
there's nothing there.
Greg lettin' loose on her while
she's coming down the stairs?
Come on. I just don't see that.
Is this about
evidence or instinct?
With what we have now,
80 to 20 we put them away.
Is there something
personal here?
Yeah, I personally
don't like to see
two innocent kids
getting 20-to-life.
You agree?
Play it for him.
It's a copy of
Greg's call to 911.
Greg's voice: Oh, God,
they're dead. They're dead!
Operator: Who's dead, sir?
My mom's been shot.
My father too. There's
blood. Help me.
Okay, can you give
me your address?
Just send somebody.
(phone clatters)
(recorder clicks off)
You ask me... Nobody's
that good an actor.
Great.
So according to you two,
we now have no suspects.
Oh brother.
I've heard of playing
both sides of the fence,
but this is ridiculous.
They were sure enough a
week ago to make an arrest.
They were probably right then
and probably wrong now.
But...
But if I convince a
jury and we're wrong...
Cui bono? Who benefits?
Look at the rank
of hand. He's killed.
Number one is the
wife, she's dead.
Go to two, the kids.
Number three, the
business partner.
The kids inherit
everything but 10%.
Even this... what's
his name? Petrovich.
Petrovich, yeah.
Even if he's clean,
you know what Dwight
Anderson's going to do.
Yeah, confuse the jury.
Hands them another suspect
and they acquit on
reasonable doubt.
Don't get outflanked.
Clear Petrovich so they
can't use him against you.
We know Petrovich
has two alibi witnesses.
He was in Brighton
Beach at 7:00.
Driving in rush hour, had
to take him at least an hour.
You checked out everybody at the
table that night? We don't clear everybody.
We didn't clear the housekeeper
or Nick's girlfriend, either.
What are you saying, that
there's a conspiracy here?
With alibis, it's
not unheard of.
With who?
The discount store
owner, Osinski?
What, he smuggles blinis
and caviar on the side?
Robinette: The way
Jarmon's corporation is set up,
Petrovich takes nothing,
just keeps his 10%.
But there are the
inheritance laws.
Right, if the kids
are convicted,
they can't profit
from their crime.
Which means Petrovich ends
up with control of the company.
Jarmon's 90% goes
into a non-voting trust.
Subpoena Petrovich's
financial records.
Jarmon's, too.
People's Bank of
Brooklyn, Brighton Beach.
Petrovich wrote a check
reimbursing the company.
Travel allowance.
He lives on upper
Madison Avenue,
but he has a checking
account in Brooklyn.
I grew up in Harlem, but my
checking account's across the street.
What's he doing
banking out there?
Bar Association dinner, I
sat with the Brooklyn DAs.
What's their biggest problem?
Russian immigrant gangsters.
Young assistant
there, Epstein...
Jim...
Jerry... Jack. Jack Epstein.
Go talk to him.
Here we are.
106 active cases with Russians.
Credit card fraud,
protection rackets,
15, 20 homicides.
You put anybody inside?
These guys, they
make the mafia's omertà
look like an open phone line.
I guess when you've
been in prison in Leningrad,
New York cops look
like Mickey Mouse.
The name Petrovich ring a bell?
30,000 Russian immigrants here.
I got Petrovichs, Petrovskys...
I had a Petrovarich who
took the banks for half a million
on fake credit cards.
How do they clean their money?
They're gangsters.
They take over
legitimate businesses.
You got it.
Come on, let me
show you something.
See that?
Second floor on the corner?
People's Bank of Brighton Beach.
That check you found?
Comes from that bank, right?
Yeah. Four rooms.
Six guards with a
combined IQ of 38.
Like the immigrants that came
before them... Chinese, Italian.
They set up banks
to wash their money.
Checking accounts are not
a large part of their business?
If you don't have other
business with them? No.
Killing their parents.
How do you explain it?
I was Karl's bookkeeper
before he could
afford a shoeshine.
God Bless America. You
know what he started with?
Business cards.
He had these two old machines
the blew powder into the ink.
Cheap raised lettering.
Was Jarmon Printing in debt?
Who isn't?
Right.
Tell me about it.
Karl was always expanding...
but the the last couple of
months he borrowed a lot of cash,
dropped it into CDs. Why?
He never told me
anything but the figures.
Company's debt was
six million and change.
Now, Karl wanted
to consolidate it.
Who holds the paper?
Try this. The past six years,
Jarmon borrowed six million
bucks from First Mercantile.
I thought that went under.
It did, three months ago.
Federal bank regulators
sold off their loans.
Guess who bought Jarmon's?
The Russians.
People's Bank of Brighton Beach.
A classic squeeze.
They call in his debt,
he can't pay, they
take the company.
And he knew. That's why he was
out borrowing, trying to pay them off.
What did Petrovich
say to the cops?
"He gave me a place
to sleep, a place to work.
And he wanted the
bed all to himself."
You think Jarmon knew...
That it was Petrovich?
He had to know something.
And either way Petrovich loses.
If Jarmon find out,
he gets rid of him.
If Jarmon stops the Russians,
they're not going to be
too pleased with
Petrovich, either.
(sighs)
A prosecution based
on debt re-financing.
That's going to get
you real far with the jury.
I'll lay it out for them. I'll
draw them a Monopoly board.
Yeah, I'd like to see them
get from "Park Place" to "Go."
Juries aren't stupid. I show
them Petrovich was angry,
he was jealous.
He bridled at Jarmon's abuse.
He kills the parents,
implicates the kids,
takes over Jarmon Printing
when the kids are convicted.
So Petrovich
inherits the company?
Better. The company
accountant tells me
that Petrovich takes control.
Jarmon's share goes
into a non-voting trust.
The company is sold.
The cash is distributed
among various family members.
But there wouldn't be
any cash for the family.
Exactly. It all goes
to pay off notes
held by the Russians' bank.
That's a great theory,
but you cannot prove
that he hated Jarmon.
And you cannot prove he
tried to steal the company.
Are you sure the
kids didn't do this?
Sure enough to drop the charges.
And the Russian mafia?
You think you're going to
win when the Brooklyn DA
has been losing for
the past five years?
I'm going to tell you this...
If Petrovich did kill them,
you'll never get
him. He'll walk.
Take my word for it. We've tried 10,
12 cases. You can't turn a Russian.
Yeah? I'd like to turn
this one till he's dizzy.
We don't break
Petrovich's alibi,
shaky's not the word for it.
Try instant acquittal.
There were five people
at that table that night.
What if one of them didn't
come in on clean papers?
Illegal alien? Plane
ticket back to Moscow.
I got a guy at Immigration.
Dead end. Everybody there
had at least a green card.
Another way into his life?
Not through the front door.
His wife died two
years ago. No girlfriends.
What about the secretary?
Stone: Worth a shot.
And the Jarmon boys?
After being arrested you
think they want to help us?
If Petrovich killed
their parents,
they'll help no matter
how they feel about us.
You know what it's like?
People stare on the street.
Far as a lot of
people are concerned,
we'll always be guilty.
The system makes mistakes.
Is this some kind of end play?
I want your
assurance right now...
They don't say word one
until you tell me you're
not going to re-indict.
We are not going to re-indict.
We're up against a wall.
From what we've discovered,
we believe that Petrovich...
killed your parents.
But we can't prove it.
We thought you could help us.
Dad treated him like dirt,
but he treated
everybody that way.
Stone: How does this sound?
You leave the house,
Petrovich shows up,
your father lets him in.
Maybe he knows your
mother's home, maybe not.
He goes into the study,
apparently to get a drink.
Alex would've poured two
scotches, he always did.
He gets the gun from the rack,
he goes for the
ammunition in the desk...
No. The basement.
In a locked cabinet. Dad
never kept ammo near the guns.
12-gauge National shells?
National? He didn't
use them anymore.
Nick: He won a trap-shoot
last spring with Remingtons.
He didn't use
anything else after that.
But like a month
before the match
Dad dragged Alex out to watch.
He would've thought
Dad used Nationals.
Call Greevey and Logan.
Tracing ammunition, simple...
and not so simple.
Not simple with 100 gun
shops in the five boroughs.
But simple, because you need
a gun permit to buy ammunition.
If Petrovich bought the
shells, he had to sign for them.
Not simple... he doesn't
own a gun. No permit.
We're talking the
whole state of New York,
it's like a twig in a haystack.
Let's call National.
Maybe we get a trace on
the lot number from the shells.
I got another million
to one shot. Go.
Petrovich drove to Brooklyn,
right? Robinette: Right.
Means he probably
drove to Jarmon's house.
He wouldn't want
the car to be seen.
He'd go to a garage.
Within walking distance.
Two mighty-big ifs, gentlemen.
Simple.
Petrovich parked
two blocks away.
In, 6:35. Out, 7:08.
Very impressive.
That's the good news.
Yeah, those shells.
They were shipped to
49 different gun shops.
If it wasn't Petrovich, we don't
even know who we're looking for.
You know gun dealers. They're
not going to remember every guy
in a duck-bill hat that buys
double-ought 12-gauge shot.
Where's Hicks Street?
Brooklyn Heights.
Avenue J?
Flatbush. Flatbush.
Coney Island Avenue?
Brighton Beach.
Let's go.
Not much deer
hunting out here, huh?
Out here? (laughs)
Plenty of shooting,
but not at animals.
We do a good business
in carry weapons.
You sell any National
double-ought 12-gauge shot?
Talk about inventory.
I got a case of it.
I sold one box.
There.
You want to get your log?
Some Russian.
Myself, I'm Polish.
We don't like the Russians.
They kept invading.
A Russian well-dressed?
In Odessa, maybe.
He must've rolled some
bum to get that suit.
Let's see... there.
Two months ago. Osinski, Sasha.
He runs a discount
store six blocks away.
What's Russian for,
"You're under arrest"?
The charge is murder
in the second degree.
How does the defendant plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
Your Honor, as you know,
charges in this case were
previously filed and dismissed.
Now, because of
the public attention,
perhaps the People
are a little overzealous.
Mr. Schwab, I don't need a
map to see where you're going.
But based on the prosecutor's
information, there is a case here.
Why don't we hear
from the People on bail?
Your Honor, as our
information states,
aside from the risk of flight,
we feel there's a question
of the defendant's safety.
We request he be
held without bail.
Your Honor, the defendant is
not concerned for his own safety,
and he runs a complex business.
Judge: I have to
tell you, Counselor,
that aside from the
seriousness of the charge,
I'm concerned that the
defendant be alive at trial.
The defendant will
be held without bail.
(gavel bangs)
You think they're
that trigger-happy?
Would they get rid of
Petrovich? Maybe not.
The store owner,
Osinski, no question.
Who'd you draw for
trial? Robinette: Callahan.
Callahan. He doesn't
like locking up witnesses.
Anybody in that
neighborhood finds out we have
one interview with
Osinski, he's dead meat.
All right, Robinette. I
want you to see Callahan
and I want you to
take Epstein with you.
Let's just hope and
pray that it works.
You don't break Osinski,
forget about a conviction.
We've still got
the garage ticket.
That's circumstantial.
Guy gets to Brooklyn
7:20 instead of 7:00,
that makes him guilty of
murder? Prove the motive.
You want me to incarcerate a
material witness without bail?
Your Honor, these gentlemen,
they like their secrets kept.
Mr. Epstein here can
vouch for their predilections.
Immigrant Russian gangsters.
I thought they
opened dry cleaners.
Judge, from our experience
these guys don't
bother asking questions,
they just shoot.
All right, I'll sign a material
witness order with no bail.
Thank you, sir. Mr. Stone,
I hope this plays out in court.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Osinski has a
wife and three children.
Offer him my congratulations.
He says he was
with Mr. Petrovich.
Your client bought
the ammunition.
Accessory before the fact.
If he lies, accessory after.
If he thinks he had a
hard time in Russia,
10 years in Attica will
make the KGB look good.
I shoot rabbits with
shotgun. Shut up.
You louse this up, I'm
going to break your teeth!
(arguing in Russian)
Mr. Osinski,
when you get out of
prison, if you survive,
odds are you'll be deported.
We have a law about
naturalized citizens
committing felonies.
If you put him on the
stand, he will testify
he was with Petrovich.
Your lawyer is not
giving you good advice.
The People will prove
that the defendant
conspired to take over
Karl Jarmon's business
and when that plan went awry,
he turned to a
violent solution...
Murder in cold blood. Thank you.
What a wonderful theory
Mr. Stone offers you.
One problem... it's a theory.
What Mr. Stone did not tell you
is there's a difference
between theory
and proof.
The defense will show
that Alex Petrovich
had nothing to gain
from Karl Jarmon's death,
which might make you wonder,
who did?
Do you recall the time
of day Greg Jarmon
came to you and asked
for the company's tickets?
It was just after
lunch, around 2:00.
Do you recall when the
defendant came to you
and asked you to make
a reservation for him
at Little Kiev?
It was about five minutes later.
What time did he ask you
to make the reservations for?
7:00, on the same night
as the hockey game.
Had you previously made
reservations for him at that restaurant?
Yes. Were they ever
for dinner at 7:00?
It was Mr. Petrovich's
habit to eat late...
Around 9:00.
Stone: Thank you. Your witness.
Did Mr. Petrovich
often eat at Little Kiev?
Yes.
Did he always make
reservations in advance?
Yes, but...
Because the place was
always booked. Isn't that correct?
Yes, that's right.
Fine.
How long have you
worked for Mr. Petrovich?
11 years.
And during that time,
Mr. Petrovich and Mr. Jarmon
worked closely together
as friends, isn't that correct?
As friends?
Didn't they work
closely together?
Yes, they did.
Thank you. No further questions.
The People call
Alexander Osinski.
Conference, Your Honor,
we have a problem here.
They threatened my client.
No, sir, we read him the law.
He said he would
get him deported.
I said he had good
odds of being deported.
Judge, with this
prosecutorial abuse,
I think you should question
the credibility of the witness.
Would you now? Mr. Osinski tells
the police he was with the defendant.
Why can't he say
that on the stand?
Counselor, I'm going to
remind you of something
you should already know.
In this country, you
tell a client to lie,
it's subornation of perjury.
If Mr. Stone
happens to prove that,
you're in a hell
of a lot of trouble.
You still want
him not to testify?
Stone! Stone.
Make me a deal.
So your client
will tell the truth?
He has to tell the truth anyway.
No deal?
I suspect you won't get
the testimony you want.
Okay, any crime
arising from this case,
New York County won't prosecute.
Very good.
Full immunity
on anything he testifies to.
In New York County.
Deal.
Osinski: Alex... Mr. Petrovich,
he comes to restaurant, 9:00.
Did he tell you
to lie to the police,
to say he arrived earlier?
Objection. Hearsay.
Your Honor, exception.
Covering flight from a crime.
People v. Deitch.
Overruled. The
witness will answer.
Alex tells me to lie.
He says police come,
I say he there 7:00.
Do you have deposits in the
People's Bank of Brighton Beach?
Objection. Relevance.
Your Honor, relevance
will soon become apparent.
Overruled.
Some of my money
in bank, yeah. Some?
The bank records show
that there was, last month,
$6,011,301.26
If you say so.
And the month
before that $9,615.
Sounds right.
A $6 million difference.
Good month at the
discount store, sir?
Didn't you receive that
money from members
of a criminal organization
composed of Russian immigrants?
Da. Yes.
Weren't you ordered
to instruct the bank
to use that money to buy up
the debts of Jarmon Printing?
Objection! Mr. Schwab,
we've been there and back.
I'm allowing this testimony.
Judge: The witness
will continue.
Osinski: Yeah, I tell bank
we take printing company.
Alex say we put
Mr. Jarmon in gutter.
Did Mr. Petrovich tell
you he was worried
about Karl Jarmon
discovering the plan?
I worried. He tell
me no problem,
he take care of Mr. Jarmon...
for good.
Man: Oh wait, there they are.
Alexander Osinski,
you're under arrest
for conspiracy to commit
murder and enterprise corruption.
What the hell?
There's a deal in place.
No prosecution in New York City.
In New York County.
That's Manhattan.
I never gave your client immunity
in Brooklyn. That's King's County.
He gave you Petrovich!
And you gave me Mr. Osinski.
Next time, get yourself
a better lawyer, sir.
On the sole count
of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,
how does the jury find?
We find the defendant guilty.
This makes up
for arresting them.
I wish it could make
up for being orphans.
(theme music playing)
system, the people are represented
by two separate yet
equally important groups...
The police who
investigate crime,
and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Bomb threats. What a crock.
How do you figure?
In the middle of the winter?
Probably took the
first snowbird special
down to Miami,
like anybody else with
a couple of brain-cells
to rub together.
I happen to like winter.
You happen to be nuts.
Enjoy it all you want, pal.
I'll go roast these pecans.
(alarm ringing)
Help!
Oh my God, help them!
My parents, they've been shot!
First thought was,
it was a diversion.
You know, because
of the bomb threats.
The name's Greg Jarmon.
We called his brother.
Stay with him. Write
down anything he says.
(camera clicking)
All right, Max, Mike.
Evelyn Jarmon... Two
shots from right here.
There's more.
Karl Jarmon...
Three at close range.
(sighs)
Let me guess.
No signs of burglary.
Alarm's still on. Kid
tripped it when he came in.
No shells, but
check out the study.
Italian, Czech, English.
The best money can buy.
This one...
has been fired.
Run it through the lab.
You never figure you're
gonna get it from your own gun.
Detective.
Double-ought buck.
Five missing.
Jarmon and sons, last fall.
The family that
kills together...
(sighs)
(theme music playing)
I don't know, I just...
I came home and...
found them.
Max: Where were
you? At the Garden.
A Rangers Game. By yourself?
No, my brother
Nick picked me up.
And when I came home,
I walked in and...
I saw Mom.
Man: Greg?!
(sobbing)
Where's Mom?
I'm Nick Jarmon.
Where's my mother?
No...
she wasn't supposed to be home.
Do you know where she
was supposed to be, Nick?
A benefit at the Met.
She wasn't supposed to be home.
(sobbing)
What did your
father do for a living?
Printing. He owns...
Owned a printing company.
Greg said you guys went
to the Rangers game?
Dad... the company
has season tickets.
Just so I get it straight,
Greg picked you
up to go the game?
No, I went up to the
house around 7:00.
We took a cab to the game.
Did you see your parents?
I didn't go in.
Oh?
You had dinner at the game?
Later.
At Chelsea Central.
Then I went home.
We went to Chelsea Central.
I think I left my scarf there.
Don't worry about it. What
time did you get home?
I'm not sure.
Uh...
11:30?
So, you met Nick
at the Garden, right?
No, I told you, he
came over to the house.
Okay.
Listen...
did your father
have any enemies?
Did he ever talk about
troubles he might have had?
We didn't really pay attention.
Mom... everybody loved her.
One last thing before you go,
we'd like you to
take a paraffin test.
What's that?
Just a test to see whether there's
gunpowder residue on your hands.
Wait a minute.
You don't think...
It's standard procedure.
You might as well know.
There may be powder on my hands.
This afternoon on the
island I went skeet-shooting.
Okay. Do you mind
taking the test anyway?
Shouldn't he talk to a lawyer?
Why... do you think
you need a lawyer?
No.
No, I don't.
Of course, I'll take the test.
You talked to the neighbors?
Place on the right...
People working on their
melanomas in Barbados;
place on the left...
Some old gummer
with her hearing aid turned off.
Any further away,
most people can't tell
gunshots from belches.
What about the kids?
They're either innocent
or well-rehearsed.
So... (clears throat)
put them through the wringer.
Logan: Don't you think we're
jumping to conclusions here?
I hated my mother,
but I didn't aerate her
with double-ought buck.
That case in La-La Land,
nine months the Beverly
Hills cops jerked around.
It came right back to the kids.
We all know, nine
times out of ten,
in the house
husbands kills wives,
wives kill husbands,
and kids kill parents.
M.E. says they were killed
between 7:00 and 9:00.
So...
they could have left
their house just after 7:00.
Game starts at 7:35,
cab to the Garden...
what, 20 minutes?
You're saying Nick comes over,
they grease Mom and Dad,
catch a cab, go
cheer the Rangers?
Pretty cold.
Ah, yeah. Just the two tickets?
Thanks.
Jarmon's secretary
checked the sign-up sheet
for last night's game.
The company has six seats.
The Rangers played Quebec.
That's like playing
against an empty net.
Maybe that's why the only one
who signed up was Greg Jarmon.
I'm telling you, Max,
we should keep looking.
We're going to...
For season ticket-holders
around the Jarmon box.
So were they there for
the face-off? I didn't notice.
Did they stay for
the whole game?
Might have been other
kids in the third period.
People move around a
lot. Cheapos to ringside.
The first two kids...
How old? 19, 20?
Give me a break, will you?
What is it with you
hockey fans anyway?
You got no short-term memory?
Hey, ask me how many
penalties the Rangers killed.
Or how many shots Leetch made.
That I remember. I
keep my eye on the puck.
(sighs)
The powder in the barrel
has similar characteristics
to the trace residue
found on the victims...
Smokeless, dense.
The same is found
in shells from Jarmon's desk.
Come on, Hurley,
this ain't court.
Are we looking at
the murder weapon?
An attorney
opinion... Inconclusive.
My opinion... yes.
Prints?
We got a couple of good
lifts from the shotgun.
I sent them up to Latent
and they matched Karl
Jarmon's and one of the kids...
Gregory.
(phone rings)
So Nick watched while
Greg did all the shooting?
Maybe he wasn't
in the hunting party.
Oh, I get it...
Greg shot the folks
before Nick came over
and Nick's covering for him?
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
Even if the kid just
offed Mom and Dad?
What do you want from me, huh?
The alibi is nothing.
Nobody at the game
ever saw them leave.
Wait a minute, Chelsea
Central checked out.
The waitress said they
were there till 11:00.
There's still a lot of
hours unaccounted for.
Let's talk to the housekeeper.
Have you worked for the
family long, Mrs. Langdon?
22 years.
Ever since Nicholas was born.
Mrs. Jarmon too busy
to bring up her own kids?
You're way off
target, Detective.
She was devoted to
them. Maybe too much so.
She picked them up
every day after school.
Everyone else
sent their nannies.
How about Mr. Jarmon?
He wasn't at home
as much as he wanted.
He and his partner
were always at the plant.
Partner? Nick told us his
father owned the company.
He owned most of it.
He made Mr. Petrovich a
partner a couple of years ago.
How about when he was home?
He did the best he
could as a father.
You got to love it.
College student, young
Turk on Wall Street,
couldn't cast the
part much better.
C'mon, Max, I know you
don't like trust-fund babies,
but we got no
evidence on these guys.
Right. Just Greg's fingerprints
on the murder weapon,
and powder residue on his hands.
He could have
used the gun hunting.
The Gun Club confirms he was
out skeet-shooting that afternoon.
Yep.
And according to
the housekeeper,
they were one happy family...
Ozzie and Harriet on East 68th.
Which leaves us
what for a motive?
Papers say Jarmon was
worth, what, 10 million?
Maybe the kids wanted to
hurry up on their inheritance.
Now, look I don't care if
he was worth 50 million.
If you love your parents you
don't blow them away over money.
Yeah? You ask me, I don't
think things were that great
between the old
man and the kids.
All I keep hearing
is what the housekeeper
wasn't saying.
What is this? Siskel and Ebert?
Do me a favor, come up
with a motive for the boy
and go talk to
what's-his-name, the partner.
Karl and me ran this
business together.
We were like you...
Good cop/bad cop.
Which was which?
Karl knew how to get
a nickel out of a penny.
Drove suppliers
crazy, customers too.
It was up to me to make
everybody happy again.
What about the employees?
He drive them crazy too?
Karl wasn't a hand holder.
A man can make enemies that way.
Maybe the kind that'll kill you.
Okay, Karl was a bastard.
So find me a boss who isn't.
He liked to kick a
little ass, and yell a lot.
Except when his jaw was broke.
Oh, yeah? When that happen?
About a year and a half ago.
Logan: How?
I don't know. He showed
up at work with his jaw wired.
Said he slipped in
the bath or something.
I'll tell you, Karl
never had a grudge.
Everybody here...
Bonuses at Christmas.
The customer was
always satisfied.
You handle his
public relations too?
I never had a problem with Karl.
He hired me when
I was a little kalyaka
right off the plane,
hardly spoke English.
He gave me a place to sleep
and a place to work.
Did this lovefest
extend to his kids?
Karl and his boys... He
was very proud of them.
Had a terrific family.
Was he the sole
owner of the business?
Why?
It's a normal question.
Must be worth,
what, 10, 15 million?
What's gonna happen to it?
I have a small piece.
How small?
10%.
And the rest?
I know what you're
thinking, that's crazy.
Greg and Nick...
They're good sons.
The sons? They inherit.
Yeah!
They get the business.
Oh, by the way,
if you don't mind,
what were you
doing Saturday night?
I had dinner.
Little Kiev, Brighton Beach.
Blini, herring, Russian food.
Russians, we need
reminders of home...
Of the food, anyway.
Rostov's the owner. He knows me.
You eat alone?
Sasha Osinski.
He's from Kiev too.
You and your husband
were with Mr. Petrovich
at Little Kiev?
(speaking Russian)
He says, "Yes,
we ate with Alex."
What time did Alex arrive?
Why don't you tell us?
6:30, 7:00.
We were there until after 11:00.
That's a long party.
Not for Russians.
My husband says tell you...
America is great country.
Anybody can get rich.
Except cops.
Thank you.
Max has got these kids
tried and convicted already.
Give me another suspect,
any other suspect with
means, motive, opportunity.
And don't say the mob
because they don't whack wives.
Max ain't wrong,
Petrovich doesn't benefit.
10% is not enough motive.
And no means... he's got an alibi.
There are no loose
ends... Prints on the gun,
powder on the kid's hands,
and they inherit 10 mill plus.
You know what I'd like to know?
How Jarmon really broke his jaw.
You got the
housekeeper's number?
Yeah. We might as well ask her
Jarmon's bedroom
secrets while we're at it.
She just might give
you the family doctor
if you're polite.
I'm sorry, I just can't
tell you fellas anything.
It's patient confidentiality.
Your patient is dead.
We can assume he'd
want you to cooperate.
(huffs)
It was not a big deal.
Then why was his
whole jaw wired shut?
Come on, Doc,
Jarmon's face didn't
run into a bathtub,
isn't that right?
He told me Nick broke it.
I don't know the circumstances.
P.A.: Dr. Levinson
to CCU, code blue.
I've gone to 23
games this season.
Sometimes we stay till the
end, and sometimes we don't.
We didn't stay till the end...
This is crap I
don't believe this.
Then help us help you, Nick.
Last time I saw my
parents, they were both alive.
Okay, let's move on.
How about your dad?
Did you get along with him?
He had his own point of view,
a code he wanted
me to live up to.
And when you didn't?
Look... maybe I
didn't like my father.
Maybe some days I
didn't even love him.
Do you love your parents
every day of the week?
Breaking his jaw?
Is that your way of
showing affection?
I went out with some buddies,
I came home drunk.
My father didn't
want to let me in
till I sobered up.
You broke his jaw over that?
It was a stupid mistake.
I told you I was drunk.
Haven't you ever hurt
anybody you loved?
Never put them in
the emergency room.
I loved my parents.
My mom... I never, ever
would've done anything to hurt her.
He was drunk.
Dad tried to push
him out of the house,
Nick took a swing.
The next day he wasn't
real happy with himself.
It hurt him more
than it hurt your dad?
We have "stupid" written
on our faces or what?
Greg, help yourself
out a little, all right?
Give us some truth here.
You guys seriously think
we'd kill our own mother?
You don't get anything.
They sure don't sound like
they wanted their mother dead.
She was supposed to
be out that night, right...
at some benefit?
Maybe they never
expected to kill her.
She came home
early or she never left.
It was a mistake.
You think they just
planned to kill the old man?
That wouldn't put any
money in their pockets.
What is this?
You got anybody
who looks better?
Petrovich is out.
Ask me... the housekeeper
ain't a murderess.
But who knows,
we rubber hose her,
maybe she confesses.
Mr. Jarmon was very
demanding of the boys
when he thought
they'd failed him.
What did he do?
He had a short fuse.
Mrs. Jarmon kept reminding him
they were only children.
Nick get the worst of it?
Well, you must understand
he was the first child.
Mrs. Langdon, please, you're
not speaking ill of the dead.
We have to know. Did
he beat his kid or not?
Almost every day.
He'd use whatever
was at hand... a belt,
a tennis racket.
One time he used a
wooden coat-hanger.
Nobody ever stopped him?
Mrs. Jarmon was
terrified of him.
It went on for years.
Finally, when Nick was 16,
he hit him back.
Mr. Jarmon never raised
a hand to him after that.
Except when Nick broke his jaw?
No, that was because of Gregory.
Greg punched his father?
No...
Mr. Jarmon was beating
Gregory with a cane.
Nick had to put a stop to it.
And so he hit him.
(vacuum whirring)
Max: Anybody home?
(vacuum continues)
Excuse me.
(vacuum stops)
Greg Jarmon around?
He went out about an hour ago.
Who's idea is this?
His. I think they're putting
the place up for sale.
Max: Excuse me.
The brothers Jarmon
are real sentimental
about their old homestead.
Bad memories.
Or bad consciences.
I guess Jarmon shot
more than birds, huh?
I bet no one ever accused him
of being a "Friend
of the Earth."
What's the story these days
with dead people's mail?
If it's useful, it's admissible.
Or maybe it's not.
Jarmon's Rolls...
Leased, $2300 a month.
That's twice my rent.
Roomier too.
A bill from Bergdorf's...
$1200 for three pairs of shoes.
Spend it or lose it.
This seem weird to you?
"Dean of Communication Arts,
personal progress report
on Gregory Jarmon."
"Greg has shown
significant improvement.
I'm confident he will soon
be working up to his potential."
Since when do college deans
write parents about
their kids' grades?
No, we don't routinely
send personal
evaluations to parents.
Except...
(sighs)
Mr. Jarmon is an
involved alumnus,
a significant contributor
to the university.
That rates a plaque and a tax
deduction, not surveillance reports.
In plain English?
You're the communications whiz.
He was out of control.
He dragged Greg in
here last November,
ranting at the top of his
lungs about his grades.
He even slapped
him in front of me.
How did Greg take it?
He took it.
He was too terrified not to.
I thought the evaluations
would calm Jarmon down,
get him to ease off.
Poor kid.
He was humiliated.
Nobody cares
if Karl Jarmon is a
saint or Simon Legree.
You've spoken to so many people
that tomorrow the papers
will say the kids are suspects.
You're asking us to give the public
an arrest because they want one?
I'm asking if they're guilty.
In my book, top
of the hit parade.
Let me tell you something,
if you gave me a shotgun
when my mother slammed
me against the wall
I'd have blown her head off.
But my dad?
Not even if he caught
me killing the old lady.
Except we have their
fingerprints on the gun.
The paraffin test...
Their buddy corroborated
they were out skeet-shooting.
That's not exculpatory.
They only have
each other as alibis.
Motive? Physical
abuse, the broken jaw,
emotional manipulation,
not to mention $10 million.
Means? They're both
experienced hunters.
One's prints are on
the gun. I'm convinced.
He's convinced.
Go get them.
(phone rings)
If your parents were
getting fitted for a casket,
would you unwind by
playing a little squash?
Gregory Jarmon,
Nicholas Jarmon...
You're under arrest
for the murder of
Evelyn and Karl Jarmon.
You have the right
to remain silent
and refuse to answer
questions. Do you understand?
Anything you do say may be
used against you in a court of law.
Do you understand?
You have the right
to consult an attorney
and to have one present...
And the paraffin test
on the younger kid?
No conclusive match on
the powder that killed them.
Lab says it can't be done.
So we put our
shoulder into the motive.
They hated the father.
We called your secretary.
She said you'd be here.
Mike's running me around
the block on this one.
In which direction?
All right, the old
man, he's a bastard.
But the mother,
there's nothing there.
Greg lettin' loose on her while
she's coming down the stairs?
Come on. I just don't see that.
Is this about
evidence or instinct?
With what we have now,
80 to 20 we put them away.
Is there something
personal here?
Yeah, I personally
don't like to see
two innocent kids
getting 20-to-life.
You agree?
Play it for him.
It's a copy of
Greg's call to 911.
Greg's voice: Oh, God,
they're dead. They're dead!
Operator: Who's dead, sir?
My mom's been shot.
My father too. There's
blood. Help me.
Okay, can you give
me your address?
Just send somebody.
(phone clatters)
(recorder clicks off)
You ask me... Nobody's
that good an actor.
Great.
So according to you two,
we now have no suspects.
Oh brother.
I've heard of playing
both sides of the fence,
but this is ridiculous.
They were sure enough a
week ago to make an arrest.
They were probably right then
and probably wrong now.
But...
But if I convince a
jury and we're wrong...
Cui bono? Who benefits?
Look at the rank
of hand. He's killed.
Number one is the
wife, she's dead.
Go to two, the kids.
Number three, the
business partner.
The kids inherit
everything but 10%.
Even this... what's
his name? Petrovich.
Petrovich, yeah.
Even if he's clean,
you know what Dwight
Anderson's going to do.
Yeah, confuse the jury.
Hands them another suspect
and they acquit on
reasonable doubt.
Don't get outflanked.
Clear Petrovich so they
can't use him against you.
We know Petrovich
has two alibi witnesses.
He was in Brighton
Beach at 7:00.
Driving in rush hour, had
to take him at least an hour.
You checked out everybody at the
table that night? We don't clear everybody.
We didn't clear the housekeeper
or Nick's girlfriend, either.
What are you saying, that
there's a conspiracy here?
With alibis, it's
not unheard of.
With who?
The discount store
owner, Osinski?
What, he smuggles blinis
and caviar on the side?
Robinette: The way
Jarmon's corporation is set up,
Petrovich takes nothing,
just keeps his 10%.
But there are the
inheritance laws.
Right, if the kids
are convicted,
they can't profit
from their crime.
Which means Petrovich ends
up with control of the company.
Jarmon's 90% goes
into a non-voting trust.
Subpoena Petrovich's
financial records.
Jarmon's, too.
People's Bank of
Brooklyn, Brighton Beach.
Petrovich wrote a check
reimbursing the company.
Travel allowance.
He lives on upper
Madison Avenue,
but he has a checking
account in Brooklyn.
I grew up in Harlem, but my
checking account's across the street.
What's he doing
banking out there?
Bar Association dinner, I
sat with the Brooklyn DAs.
What's their biggest problem?
Russian immigrant gangsters.
Young assistant
there, Epstein...
Jim...
Jerry... Jack. Jack Epstein.
Go talk to him.
Here we are.
106 active cases with Russians.
Credit card fraud,
protection rackets,
15, 20 homicides.
You put anybody inside?
These guys, they
make the mafia's omertà
look like an open phone line.
I guess when you've
been in prison in Leningrad,
New York cops look
like Mickey Mouse.
The name Petrovich ring a bell?
30,000 Russian immigrants here.
I got Petrovichs, Petrovskys...
I had a Petrovarich who
took the banks for half a million
on fake credit cards.
How do they clean their money?
They're gangsters.
They take over
legitimate businesses.
You got it.
Come on, let me
show you something.
See that?
Second floor on the corner?
People's Bank of Brighton Beach.
That check you found?
Comes from that bank, right?
Yeah. Four rooms.
Six guards with a
combined IQ of 38.
Like the immigrants that came
before them... Chinese, Italian.
They set up banks
to wash their money.
Checking accounts are not
a large part of their business?
If you don't have other
business with them? No.
Killing their parents.
How do you explain it?
I was Karl's bookkeeper
before he could
afford a shoeshine.
God Bless America. You
know what he started with?
Business cards.
He had these two old machines
the blew powder into the ink.
Cheap raised lettering.
Was Jarmon Printing in debt?
Who isn't?
Right.
Tell me about it.
Karl was always expanding...
but the the last couple of
months he borrowed a lot of cash,
dropped it into CDs. Why?
He never told me
anything but the figures.
Company's debt was
six million and change.
Now, Karl wanted
to consolidate it.
Who holds the paper?
Try this. The past six years,
Jarmon borrowed six million
bucks from First Mercantile.
I thought that went under.
It did, three months ago.
Federal bank regulators
sold off their loans.
Guess who bought Jarmon's?
The Russians.
People's Bank of Brighton Beach.
A classic squeeze.
They call in his debt,
he can't pay, they
take the company.
And he knew. That's why he was
out borrowing, trying to pay them off.
What did Petrovich
say to the cops?
"He gave me a place
to sleep, a place to work.
And he wanted the
bed all to himself."
You think Jarmon knew...
That it was Petrovich?
He had to know something.
And either way Petrovich loses.
If Jarmon find out,
he gets rid of him.
If Jarmon stops the Russians,
they're not going to be
too pleased with
Petrovich, either.
(sighs)
A prosecution based
on debt re-financing.
That's going to get
you real far with the jury.
I'll lay it out for them. I'll
draw them a Monopoly board.
Yeah, I'd like to see them
get from "Park Place" to "Go."
Juries aren't stupid. I show
them Petrovich was angry,
he was jealous.
He bridled at Jarmon's abuse.
He kills the parents,
implicates the kids,
takes over Jarmon Printing
when the kids are convicted.
So Petrovich
inherits the company?
Better. The company
accountant tells me
that Petrovich takes control.
Jarmon's share goes
into a non-voting trust.
The company is sold.
The cash is distributed
among various family members.
But there wouldn't be
any cash for the family.
Exactly. It all goes
to pay off notes
held by the Russians' bank.
That's a great theory,
but you cannot prove
that he hated Jarmon.
And you cannot prove he
tried to steal the company.
Are you sure the
kids didn't do this?
Sure enough to drop the charges.
And the Russian mafia?
You think you're going to
win when the Brooklyn DA
has been losing for
the past five years?
I'm going to tell you this...
If Petrovich did kill them,
you'll never get
him. He'll walk.
Take my word for it. We've tried 10,
12 cases. You can't turn a Russian.
Yeah? I'd like to turn
this one till he's dizzy.
We don't break
Petrovich's alibi,
shaky's not the word for it.
Try instant acquittal.
There were five people
at that table that night.
What if one of them didn't
come in on clean papers?
Illegal alien? Plane
ticket back to Moscow.
I got a guy at Immigration.
Dead end. Everybody there
had at least a green card.
Another way into his life?
Not through the front door.
His wife died two
years ago. No girlfriends.
What about the secretary?
Stone: Worth a shot.
And the Jarmon boys?
After being arrested you
think they want to help us?
If Petrovich killed
their parents,
they'll help no matter
how they feel about us.
You know what it's like?
People stare on the street.
Far as a lot of
people are concerned,
we'll always be guilty.
The system makes mistakes.
Is this some kind of end play?
I want your
assurance right now...
They don't say word one
until you tell me you're
not going to re-indict.
We are not going to re-indict.
We're up against a wall.
From what we've discovered,
we believe that Petrovich...
killed your parents.
But we can't prove it.
We thought you could help us.
Dad treated him like dirt,
but he treated
everybody that way.
Stone: How does this sound?
You leave the house,
Petrovich shows up,
your father lets him in.
Maybe he knows your
mother's home, maybe not.
He goes into the study,
apparently to get a drink.
Alex would've poured two
scotches, he always did.
He gets the gun from the rack,
he goes for the
ammunition in the desk...
No. The basement.
In a locked cabinet. Dad
never kept ammo near the guns.
12-gauge National shells?
National? He didn't
use them anymore.
Nick: He won a trap-shoot
last spring with Remingtons.
He didn't use
anything else after that.
But like a month
before the match
Dad dragged Alex out to watch.
He would've thought
Dad used Nationals.
Call Greevey and Logan.
Tracing ammunition, simple...
and not so simple.
Not simple with 100 gun
shops in the five boroughs.
But simple, because you need
a gun permit to buy ammunition.
If Petrovich bought the
shells, he had to sign for them.
Not simple... he doesn't
own a gun. No permit.
We're talking the
whole state of New York,
it's like a twig in a haystack.
Let's call National.
Maybe we get a trace on
the lot number from the shells.
I got another million
to one shot. Go.
Petrovich drove to Brooklyn,
right? Robinette: Right.
Means he probably
drove to Jarmon's house.
He wouldn't want
the car to be seen.
He'd go to a garage.
Within walking distance.
Two mighty-big ifs, gentlemen.
Simple.
Petrovich parked
two blocks away.
In, 6:35. Out, 7:08.
Very impressive.
That's the good news.
Yeah, those shells.
They were shipped to
49 different gun shops.
If it wasn't Petrovich, we don't
even know who we're looking for.
You know gun dealers. They're
not going to remember every guy
in a duck-bill hat that buys
double-ought 12-gauge shot.
Where's Hicks Street?
Brooklyn Heights.
Avenue J?
Flatbush. Flatbush.
Coney Island Avenue?
Brighton Beach.
Let's go.
Not much deer
hunting out here, huh?
Out here? (laughs)
Plenty of shooting,
but not at animals.
We do a good business
in carry weapons.
You sell any National
double-ought 12-gauge shot?
Talk about inventory.
I got a case of it.
I sold one box.
There.
You want to get your log?
Some Russian.
Myself, I'm Polish.
We don't like the Russians.
They kept invading.
A Russian well-dressed?
In Odessa, maybe.
He must've rolled some
bum to get that suit.
Let's see... there.
Two months ago. Osinski, Sasha.
He runs a discount
store six blocks away.
What's Russian for,
"You're under arrest"?
The charge is murder
in the second degree.
How does the defendant plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
Your Honor, as you know,
charges in this case were
previously filed and dismissed.
Now, because of
the public attention,
perhaps the People
are a little overzealous.
Mr. Schwab, I don't need a
map to see where you're going.
But based on the prosecutor's
information, there is a case here.
Why don't we hear
from the People on bail?
Your Honor, as our
information states,
aside from the risk of flight,
we feel there's a question
of the defendant's safety.
We request he be
held without bail.
Your Honor, the defendant is
not concerned for his own safety,
and he runs a complex business.
Judge: I have to
tell you, Counselor,
that aside from the
seriousness of the charge,
I'm concerned that the
defendant be alive at trial.
The defendant will
be held without bail.
(gavel bangs)
You think they're
that trigger-happy?
Would they get rid of
Petrovich? Maybe not.
The store owner,
Osinski, no question.
Who'd you draw for
trial? Robinette: Callahan.
Callahan. He doesn't
like locking up witnesses.
Anybody in that
neighborhood finds out we have
one interview with
Osinski, he's dead meat.
All right, Robinette. I
want you to see Callahan
and I want you to
take Epstein with you.
Let's just hope and
pray that it works.
You don't break Osinski,
forget about a conviction.
We've still got
the garage ticket.
That's circumstantial.
Guy gets to Brooklyn
7:20 instead of 7:00,
that makes him guilty of
murder? Prove the motive.
You want me to incarcerate a
material witness without bail?
Your Honor, these gentlemen,
they like their secrets kept.
Mr. Epstein here can
vouch for their predilections.
Immigrant Russian gangsters.
I thought they
opened dry cleaners.
Judge, from our experience
these guys don't
bother asking questions,
they just shoot.
All right, I'll sign a material
witness order with no bail.
Thank you, sir. Mr. Stone,
I hope this plays out in court.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Osinski has a
wife and three children.
Offer him my congratulations.
He says he was
with Mr. Petrovich.
Your client bought
the ammunition.
Accessory before the fact.
If he lies, accessory after.
If he thinks he had a
hard time in Russia,
10 years in Attica will
make the KGB look good.
I shoot rabbits with
shotgun. Shut up.
You louse this up, I'm
going to break your teeth!
(arguing in Russian)
Mr. Osinski,
when you get out of
prison, if you survive,
odds are you'll be deported.
We have a law about
naturalized citizens
committing felonies.
If you put him on the
stand, he will testify
he was with Petrovich.
Your lawyer is not
giving you good advice.
The People will prove
that the defendant
conspired to take over
Karl Jarmon's business
and when that plan went awry,
he turned to a
violent solution...
Murder in cold blood. Thank you.
What a wonderful theory
Mr. Stone offers you.
One problem... it's a theory.
What Mr. Stone did not tell you
is there's a difference
between theory
and proof.
The defense will show
that Alex Petrovich
had nothing to gain
from Karl Jarmon's death,
which might make you wonder,
who did?
Do you recall the time
of day Greg Jarmon
came to you and asked
for the company's tickets?
It was just after
lunch, around 2:00.
Do you recall when the
defendant came to you
and asked you to make
a reservation for him
at Little Kiev?
It was about five minutes later.
What time did he ask you
to make the reservations for?
7:00, on the same night
as the hockey game.
Had you previously made
reservations for him at that restaurant?
Yes. Were they ever
for dinner at 7:00?
It was Mr. Petrovich's
habit to eat late...
Around 9:00.
Stone: Thank you. Your witness.
Did Mr. Petrovich
often eat at Little Kiev?
Yes.
Did he always make
reservations in advance?
Yes, but...
Because the place was
always booked. Isn't that correct?
Yes, that's right.
Fine.
How long have you
worked for Mr. Petrovich?
11 years.
And during that time,
Mr. Petrovich and Mr. Jarmon
worked closely together
as friends, isn't that correct?
As friends?
Didn't they work
closely together?
Yes, they did.
Thank you. No further questions.
The People call
Alexander Osinski.
Conference, Your Honor,
we have a problem here.
They threatened my client.
No, sir, we read him the law.
He said he would
get him deported.
I said he had good
odds of being deported.
Judge, with this
prosecutorial abuse,
I think you should question
the credibility of the witness.
Would you now? Mr. Osinski tells
the police he was with the defendant.
Why can't he say
that on the stand?
Counselor, I'm going to
remind you of something
you should already know.
In this country, you
tell a client to lie,
it's subornation of perjury.
If Mr. Stone
happens to prove that,
you're in a hell
of a lot of trouble.
You still want
him not to testify?
Stone! Stone.
Make me a deal.
So your client
will tell the truth?
He has to tell the truth anyway.
No deal?
I suspect you won't get
the testimony you want.
Okay, any crime
arising from this case,
New York County won't prosecute.
Very good.
Full immunity
on anything he testifies to.
In New York County.
Deal.
Osinski: Alex... Mr. Petrovich,
he comes to restaurant, 9:00.
Did he tell you
to lie to the police,
to say he arrived earlier?
Objection. Hearsay.
Your Honor, exception.
Covering flight from a crime.
People v. Deitch.
Overruled. The
witness will answer.
Alex tells me to lie.
He says police come,
I say he there 7:00.
Do you have deposits in the
People's Bank of Brighton Beach?
Objection. Relevance.
Your Honor, relevance
will soon become apparent.
Overruled.
Some of my money
in bank, yeah. Some?
The bank records show
that there was, last month,
$6,011,301.26
If you say so.
And the month
before that $9,615.
Sounds right.
A $6 million difference.
Good month at the
discount store, sir?
Didn't you receive that
money from members
of a criminal organization
composed of Russian immigrants?
Da. Yes.
Weren't you ordered
to instruct the bank
to use that money to buy up
the debts of Jarmon Printing?
Objection! Mr. Schwab,
we've been there and back.
I'm allowing this testimony.
Judge: The witness
will continue.
Osinski: Yeah, I tell bank
we take printing company.
Alex say we put
Mr. Jarmon in gutter.
Did Mr. Petrovich tell
you he was worried
about Karl Jarmon
discovering the plan?
I worried. He tell
me no problem,
he take care of Mr. Jarmon...
for good.
Man: Oh wait, there they are.
Alexander Osinski,
you're under arrest
for conspiracy to commit
murder and enterprise corruption.
What the hell?
There's a deal in place.
No prosecution in New York City.
In New York County.
That's Manhattan.
I never gave your client immunity
in Brooklyn. That's King's County.
He gave you Petrovich!
And you gave me Mr. Osinski.
Next time, get yourself
a better lawyer, sir.
On the sole count
of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,
how does the jury find?
We find the defendant guilty.
This makes up
for arresting them.
I wish it could make
up for being orphans.
(theme music playing)