Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 2, Episode 9 - Renunciation - full transcript

A high school student who was having an affair with one of his teachers is accused of killing the teacher's husband. Did the woman use him and set him up, or was the boy obsessed and act on his own?

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.

Come on, OJ, heel.

OJ, heel!

Heel!

Come on.

All right, sit.

You, you, you.



You want a dog to do
tricks, you gotta hit him.

You want to teach him
to bite, then you hit him.

- You like
the Jets Sunday?
- Yeah.

If Thomas gets his carries.

I give you 10 points, take 'em.

That's what you said last week.

Well, this week
I'm probably right.

Come on, OJ, let's go home.

Come on.

Come on, OJ, we got TV to watch.

Looks like the pooch
got off scot-free.

Bet that's the last he's
heard of his master's voice.

- No skid marks.
- Any ID on the body?

Lawrence Kealey, 325 West
82nd Street. Just around the corner.



You want us to take him home?

Why don't you wait until we break
the news, then you bring him up.

We've got about 20
more minutes here.

The street's nice and
quiet. No traffic, no nothing.

Then this big black car just
comes along and hits him.

Whoop!

Big black... what kind of car?

- Mercedes. Black, maybe dark blue.
- You're not sure?

Those streetlights make everything
funny. But definitely a Mercedes.

All right, good. That
narrows it down.

Did you happen to see the
license plate, maybe the driver?

No, but here's
the weird thing...

I see the same car before this
happened, parked across the street.

It's just sitting there. First
with the parking lights on,

- then later with them off.
- Slow down, slow down.

- Where was this?
- All the way down
the block.

Guy starts to
cross, car pulls out,

guy crosses, car hits him.

- He made no attempt
to swerve?
- Swerve?

The only thing the
car did was accelerate.

Boom, lights came
on... Action, camera.

Oh, he was gunning
for the guy all right.

I knew something was wrong.

I knew it.

He'd always walk
OJ after "Carson."

Mrs. Kealey, can
we call someone?

He wanted ice cream.

- Where is OJ?
- He's fine.

One of the officers
will be bringing him up.

Did you talk to him?

He was already...

The paramedics said he
died from head wounds.

He was gone
before they got there.

What do I do?

I mean, now.

What am I supposed to do now?

Shame. Good people.
Makes you think.

- You see Larry every night?
- Clockwork.

We talk sports, whatever.

Guy still liked the Jets.

He invited me to First
Base, said he'd set me up.

Sports bar down in
Chelsea, 23rd Street.

- Larry tended bar.
- A bartender affords
a place like this?

A miracle of rent control.

The Kealeys were here
before the building converted.

- Squatters rights.
- So they're still renting?

540 per. Some people
have all the luck.

Yeah, some luck.

Where I come from, you use
a shot glass to pour a drink.

He liked to pour
from the bottle,

give the customers
an extra ounce.

Not exactly a character flaw.

No great trick being a big
shot with someone else's booze.

How well did you know him?

We'd talk. Our
shifts overlapped.

See, I start at 4:00,
he quits at 6:00.

Except when we
switched on Monday nights.

Why the switch?

He wanted to be working
when his buddies came in

and watched
Monday night football.

Kid played ball.

Quarterback, Syracuse.

Drafted by Cincinnati.

What happened? He
didn't make the cut?

He was six weeks
before training camp,

two-on-two at the
"Y," knee goes out.

That's all she wrote.

I seen a million like
him. Never get over it.

Always trying to
score the big one.

- Any women?
- Nah.

Larry's married. Nice girl.

Teaches at some
fancy prep school.

No, his only vice
was point spreads.

Friendly bets, or real action?

One bookie comes
in here named Fine...

I wouldn't call him a friend.

Man: Larry the loser.

You name it...
Jai alai, trotters,

high school football.

What about recently?

Stopped taking his
action months ago.

What happened, he
get in over his head?

Up to his follicles. Bets
the Donald couldn't cover.

That tick you off, Harry?

Come on. What do I look, stupid?

If I kill the guy, I'm never
gonna see any cash.

So you just sell the debt
to someone a little tougher.

Hey, Detective, I
don't look for trouble.

He was a loss, that's all.

I cut him off, end of story.

So maybe he pays
a visit to a loan shark,

- figures he's going
to get out of debt.
- Dead guys never pay.

That's why sharks
don't murder, they maim.

Maybe Larry wasn't
supposed to get dead.

Hit 50 miles an hour,
head on, come on.

They're loan sharks, they
ain't Fulbright scholars.

It doesn't play.

Okay, option two.
He's in a hole, right?

Figures he's going
to make a quick buck.

So, what, he puts
together a drug deal?

How many times have we seen it?

Some idiot thinks he's
gonna cash out quickly, right?

Gets in over his head,
floats the supplier for a while.

And it's bam... see ya.

Well, we have to find out
how deep that hole was.

That's right. Let's
rock 'n' roll, Big Daddy.

We are beginning to believe...

that this may not
have been an accident.

How long had he
been gambling for?

I thought he
stopped. He promised.

Was this recently?

Six months, I guess.

He always needed a thrill.

After football, he was lost.

I hated it.

But I understood it.

Did you ever have any visitors,

any calls come to
the house by people...

He kept it out of
the house. I insisted.

Logan: Did he mention any names?

What about money?

Larry owed everyone
at one time or another.

We paid it all off, I thought.

With what?

Savings.

Friends, ex-friends.

His parents.

Did he ever borrow from
anybody less... respectable?

Mrs. Kealey,
anything might help.

Larry did a lot
of stupid things.

When it started to
get bad, we got scared.

He swore he'd stopped.

How bad did it get?

He got pushed around a little.

About a year ago.

No...

I don't know who did it.

Cerreta: They have
a lot of visitors?

Sure. People come and people go.

What is that,
against the law now?

Sit.

Actually, we're
interested in Larry Kealey.

- Did you ever see anyone...
- What?

What am I, a snoop?

Well, some things
you just can't avoid.

Such as?

This building was built
before you were born.

And through walls like these,
you're not supposed to hear.

Are you saying that you
actually heard something?

I heard plenty, let me tell you.

Sometimes they fought
like cats and dogs.

Who? Larry and a friend?

He and the missus.

And that music of theirs... ugh!

Now one night a
couple of weeks ago,

I knocked on their
door and I said,

"I can't take it anymore.
I just can't take it."

What, the fighting or the music?

That time it was a fight.

And then she came out
of the bedroom half-naked.

"Sorry, we didn't
know you were home."

They didn't know. Come
on! Where would I go?

Do you remember
what night that was?

No, but the next day I
complained to the manager.

Talk to him if
you want the date.

Logan: What, is all
that just for complaints?

Complaints, repairs,

requests for the
painter, the exterminator.

The only thing
missing is the praise.

That's for the
next life, my friend.

You got it.

Okay, here we are.

Mr. Isaacson.

October 1st...

and the 8th, and the 15th.

He said he just complained once.

Mr. Isaacson was obsessed.

He told me he wouldn't rest

until the Kealeys were evicted.

Fat chance then, no chance now.

- How come?
- Jenna Kealey just bought
her apartment.

After her husband died?

Very next day she came
in and signed the contract.

I wasn't hiding anything.

You didn't ask.

Why should I start talking about real
estate two days after my husband died?

Well, you start buying real
estate a day after he died?

Most people would say a
little mourning was in order.

I was mourning in private.

You must admit, it
seems a little odd.

The building went co-op
almost three months ago.

Everyone had 90 days to
buy at the insider's price.

30% below market value.

And suddenly you've got a life
insurance policy about to pay off.

Exactly.

It made sense for
me to do it right away.

The DMV says there are
24,000 Mercedes' in the city.

Did we miss something
in the go-go '80s?

Speak for yourself.
I had a great time.

Hello? Yeah.

Uh-huh.

Thank you very much.

150,000 on his policy.

- Is that enough to kill for?
- Maybe not.

But 300,000 is. In
case of accident.

Double indemnity. Huh?

What?

Let's go see Cragen.

My son's birthday's
on October 8.

This year it's on a Tuesday.

Just like all three of the
days that Mr. Isaacson,

the next door
neighbor, complained.

- Which is the day after
Monday night football.
- Exactly.

Which Larry always watched
with his buddies in the bar.

Looks like the missus
didn't like to be alone.

Go ask her who her playmate was.

Charity usually begins at home,

adultery usually
begins on the job.

Let's see what we can
do without asking her.

I'm the principal,
not the social director.

I don't keep tabs.

Mrs. Branson, we
just want to know.

Is she a suspect in this?

- If I have to be concerned
for people's safety here...
- Excuse me.

We're not sure yet what
happened in this case.

This is standard
background. Nothing else.

Syracuse, '89. Math major.

Students seem to like her.

Does she have any
friends among the teachers?

I've seen her lunch with Caroll
Woodward, the science teacher.

And where might we
find Ms. Woodward?

Mr. Woodward... He's in 203.

The day I realized
I wasn't Einstein,

I went home and downed a
bottle of good Mexican tequila.

Great expectations.

All teachers start
out with them.

What about Jenna?

Hasn't got over them yet.

What does she think,
she's some kind of scholar?

Jenna's expectations
are not so cerebral.

Jenna expects five acres,

preferably in
Greenwich, Connecticut.

On a teacher's salary.
She thinks that's possible?

What mattered to her was
whether we thought it was possible.

She's a real
product of the '80s.

All done with mirrors.

For Jenna, appearance
equals reality.

You sound like you
were pretty close.

We ate lunch, a
couple of committees.

Any extra-curricular activity?

I'm single, I thought about it.

- Just thought, huh?
- Hey.

The size of her husband?

I decided look, no touch.

- You knew Lawrence Kealey?
- Saw him once.

Talk about a temper.
Came here looking for Jen.

- Flipped when she wasn't here.
- What kind of flipped?

Called her a whore.

Said, "If she's with that
Pack kid again, I'll kill her."

- What Pack kid?
- Roy Pack.

A junior she's been
tutoring for the SATs.

Yeah, in subjects
other than math.

They spend a lot
of time together.

That's all I know.

Doesn't prove there was
anything more than teacher-student.

Yeah, and the
husband blew his stack.

- Come on.
- Maybe he's old fashioned.

Maybe he doesn't
like his wife to work.

Tell me you never dreamed
about your teachers.

- Never.
- Everybody's got
a Ms. Conway.

- Who?
- Eighth grade
English teacher.

A thing of beauty
is a joy forever.

- And?
- Too old.

- Washed up at 23, huh?
- That's right, my friend.

SATs... verbal 650, math 540.

That's pretty good.

Not for Yale.

My dad's got this Ivy thing.

That's why Mrs.
Kealey's been helping me.

Got to pick up the math.

How often do you see her?

Fourth period.

Calculus... Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.

And tutoring... Tuesdays
and Thursdays during lunch.

- Ever at night?
- I don't like Ivy
that much.

You ever have any
social contact with her?

What do you mean social?

It means you ever go to
the soda fountain for a malt?

She's my teacher.

You saying you wouldn't?

I'm no Rob Lowe, Detective.

I have enough trouble
getting dates with juniors.

Did you have a date on the 22nd?

How about, do you remember
where you were on the 22nd?

Yeah, I remember where I
was when the Mets traded Darryl.

I don't know October 22nd.

Okay, let's try last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday, sure.

My dad drags me to the opera.

Since I was a kid.
Eight shows a season.

Your dad have a car?

No, he's a book editor. He
takes the subway to work.

Last Tuesday "La Boheme."

Not a wonderful production.

But, yes, Roy was with me.

The Tuesday night series,
pretty expensive, huh?

Oh, don't let all this
glamour fool you.

In the divorce, I got the
season tickets and the boy.

It seems like you feel
you were short-changed.

You two get along pretty well?

He's a teenager.

That school can't be cheap.

That's his mother.

She pays for it,
she picks it out.

Cerreta: You don't approve?

I'd prefer he'd socialize
with kids who were

more concerned with the
classics than their lacrosse games.

Does Mrs. Pack have a Mercedes?

Could be.

Has every other outrageously
expensive toy known to man.

It cost more, must be better.

It's the price of owning
your own company.

Twice a month to Hong Kong.
Sales meetings, lawyers, accountants.

- Sometimes I forget
what it's all about.
- What's that?

Designing clothes.
It's a tough business.

24 hours a day and then some.

- So you don't spend
much time with Roy?
- We're divorced.

- Oh, you mean my son?
- Yeah.

Biggest regret of my life.

I didn't even fight for custody.

Best interest of the
child... Definitely his father.

I guess you're too busy.

I work. Is that a crime?

Or are you the barefoot-
in-the-kitchen kind of guy?

Do you own a
Mercedes, Mrs. Pack?

Brand new. I bought
it six months ago.

- Black?
- It's midnight blue.

I use it when
clients come to town.

Now, what is this all about?

In the best
interest of the child,

let's just hope it
looks brand new.

Yeah, last year, man,
she picked up a new one.

A Jag. Now a 560.

I'm trying to convince
her to go Italian.

I could do with like, a Ferrari.

This is it right here.

Must run you, what,
like 65 minimum, right?

Logan: Bingo.

Is this recent?

He asked me not to say anything.

He?

Yeah, the kid. Her son.

He uses the car
when she's out of town.

- What about his alibi?
- "La Boheme."

- In by 8:00, out by 11:00.
- Plenty of time after
the fat lady sings.

- The guy was hit
at a quarter to 1:00?
- Yeah.

Still doesn't prove he's
involved with Jenna Kealey.

Enough for her husband
to get bent out of shape.

We got a witness
who ID'd the car,

a garage attendant
who says he saw

the Pack kid driving
his mother's car...

Of same description...
That night.

Now it has a broken headlight.

Forensics come up
with blood or fibers?

Logan: Tomorrow, earliest.

Okay, so why didn't
he get the car fixed?

Who's to say he didn't try?

Maybe Mom got back from
Hong Kong earlier than expected.

If we subpoena the
father's phone records,

I guarantee we find
calls to body shops.

Come on, he's just a kid.

Odds are we slap
the cuffs on him,

he's going to be scared
enough to sing his own opera.

Pick him up.

Roy Pack Jr.,
you're under arrest

for the murder of
Lawrence Kealey.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you do say will be
used against you in a court of law.

Do you understand?
Step outside, please.

Your Honor, my
client is 16 years old.

He has never been
charged with any crime...

This is a homicide, Ms. Rydell.

Nevertheless, the Family Court

has concurrent jurisdiction

and the defendant is entitled

to be tried as a juvenile,

pursuant to Penal
Law Section 210.43.

I move that this
case be remanded.

I'm well aware of the
statute, Counselor.

I'm also aware that when
the charge is murder two,

the District Attorney must
consent to any removal.

The People believe that justice

will be best
served if this Court

retains jurisdiction,
Your Honor.

So ordered. Your
motion is denied.

Applications, Mr. Robinette?

The People request bail
in the amount of $500,000.

We're talking about a teenager.

- His father has no access
to that kind of...
- Yes, Ms. Rydell.

And I'm sure your firm is
working pro-bono on this one.

Bail is set at $200,000.

For 62-plus a car, it should
be able to run into a wall.

So the glass is from a Mercedes?

It could be.

Could also be from a
BMW, a VW, an Audi.

- Any blood or fibers?
- Nada.

What, you think it
was hosed down?

Yeah, or it rains,
a broken hydrant.

Case last week... A
dog with a weak bladder.

Great.

In couple of hours I'll
send you a written report.

Stone: We have a witness
who saw your client driving

a car that matches the one
that killed Lawrence Kealey.

Your client's car has
a broken headlight.

Just like several
thousand others.

Some kid has trouble
ripping off a radio, gets ticked,

kicks in the headlight...
Proves nothing.

Fibers from the victim's coat,
that's a pretty good case, isn't it?

The forensics report
arrives here this afternoon.

Hits my desk,
clock stops ticking.

I don't believe you
planned this yourself, Roy.

25 years in jail is a
long time for a little lust.

It wasn't lust.

I love her.

Maybe you do.

The question is,
does she love you?

I don't see her
running to your side.

She will.

She bought her apartment the
day after her husband was killed.

Do you really think she cares
about anybody but herself?

Man two and he's sentenced
as a youthful offender.

If we get Jenna Kealey in court.

Her husband treated the dog
better than he treated Jenna.

He was never there for her.

He's the one who
failed at everything.

And everything was
always Jenna's fault.

He made her feel like dirt.

She started to believe it.

So you killed him?

He was suing her for divorce.

She'd be left with
all of his debts.

And in this way she
gets the insurance.

And we'd be together.

No blood. No fibers.

Good for us the kid confessed.

Bluffing's one thing. I told you
there was no blood, no fiber.

And I said the forensics
report would arrive

this afternoon and
here it is. No lie.

Right.

I did the kid a favor
and you know it.

Youthful offender status beats

the hell out of
hard time at Attica.

Now we've got a
shot at the teacher.

Accomplice testimony. No help.

Okay, we need
corroboration to charge Jenna.

Larry's divorce lawyer.

Now, you're talking.

New York still
requires its parties

to state grounds
with specificity.

"I hate your guts"
isn't good enough.

But it makes for
creative lawyering.

On nine out of 10, I go
for cruel and inhuman.

You know, it's easier to fudge.

"He kicks my dog,
she burns my toast."

Barbaric, but it's very
good for business.

Ah, here.

Kealey, Lawrence K.

Did Jenna burn his toast?

That's privileged,
Counselor. You know that.

You already served
the complaint on Jenna.

It's lost its privilege.

You want everything,
or just the juicy parts?

He's my student,
Mr. Robinette, period.

And you always conduct
class in your bathtub?

I just came from your
husband's attorney.

Who's lying, Mrs. Kealey?

I was spending a
lot of time with Roy.

It just happened.

I ended it right after
Larry caught us together.

A divorce would have
ruined you financially.

Larry agreed to
call off the divorce.

We were planning
a trip to Miami.

We honeymooned
there. Like starting over.

We had our problems,
but I loved Larry.

I could never kill him.

And Roy Pack?

Roy wouldn't let go.

He always thought
we could be together

if Larry was out of the picture.

Why didn't you tell the
police about your affair?

I am not proud of what I did.

She called you an
obsessed puppy dog.

She tried but she
couldn't get rid of you.

Stone: According to Mrs.
Kealey, you did it all alone.

Robinette: And without any
real evidence to contradict that,

we can't even touch her.

I can't believe this!

We tried to pay
somebody to do it.

- Who?
- Some guy.

Some guy who beat up her
husband last year. A bookie.

- You got a name?
- Yeah, David Kaufer.

He said he'd take care
of everything for $2,000.

We paid him in cash.

He said it'd be
over in two days.

She gave him $2,000 in cash,

and her husband Larry
didn't know about that?

I had these bonds.

They were supposed
to be for college.

- You gave her $2,000?
- I gave her 10.

She said her husband
had run up her credit cards

and that these people
were calling her.

She said she'd
pay me back after.

Mr. Kaufer corroborates,
we have a deal?

A week after we
paid him, nothing.

Jenna went crazy.

Mr. Kaufer just
laughed in our faces.

He said, "Well,
thanks for the money.

But I'm no killer."

So you did it yourselves.

She said a hit and run...

nobody would ever find us.

The boy has a
vivid fantasy life.

If the police find Mr. Kaufer

and he as much knows your name,

the fantasy's over.
Reality is murder.

- Penalty is 25-to-life.
- Larry was gonna leave me.

I'd be left with nothing.

Less than nothing.

He earned half what I did.

He divorces me, I'd
have to pay him alimony.

- So it was all about money?
- Larry buried us.

He falsified loan applications
and forced me to sign them.

I have a real job. The
banks came after me, not him.

Larry may have been a
bottom feeder, but not me.

He owed me.

Do you have a
lawyer, Mrs. Kealey?

I did go to David Kaufer.

It was a moment of
madness born out of necessity.

But I woke up.

I stopped him before
anything happened.

I figured I'd
survive. I always did.

And Roy?

I told him I couldn't
see him anymore.

I learned a long time ago
to come in out of the rain.

You've lied to us
every step of the way.

Why should we believe you now?

Talk to that slime Kaufer.

He'll tell you I am
telling you the truth.

And where do we find Mr. Kaufer?

Hey, I'm a lover, not a killer.

I'm happy for you, Romeo.

You know I bet there's a
couple of guys up in Attica

- that would love your company.
- I didn't do nothing.

- He have a record?
- Numbers. Book.

Nothing violent.

- Never heard of her.
- How about Roy Pack?

Him neither.

You know, Dave,
that's kind of strange,

because they've
both heard of you.

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna put you in a line-up,

and if either one of them
picks you out, you're toast.

That's one out of five.
You like those odds?

Yeah, all right, I know them.

But I didn't kill nobody.

I want immunity.

I thought you didn't do nothing?

Look, she and the
kid came to see me.

Talked about
popping her old man.

Yeah, I heard it
was more than talk.

I heard she gave you two Gs.

Her hubby owed me four.

King of the welchers.
Real cantaloupe.

Couldn't pick a winner
in a one-horse race.

So you took her money?

What, you want I should sue him?

Hey, I'm not gonna kill
nobody for no amount.

- Not my nature.
- I bet you're a real saint.

I'm being straight.

This one's bonzo anyhow.
Comes back the next day,

wants her money back,
says she changed her mind.

She's telling the truth.

Was the kid with her?

Madder than hell.

Broads.

Can I go now or what?

- She changed her mind.
- And you believe her?

We've got to. Kaufer
corroborated her story.

He did time. Rydell will
have a field day with him.

With the boy you can bet that

she'll play up the
obsession angle.

She'll make him look
like he's only a victim

of his teacher's manipulation.

You think she'll put
him on the stand?

She has to. He
already confessed.

Bring your crying towels.

We should have
included manslaughter.

That's why we didn't
give the jury an option.

Without the manslaughter charge,

they cry hard enough, he walks.

- What about the girl?
- Nothing.

She slept with the kid.
Put murder in his head.

She's as responsible as he is.

Of course she is, but we can't
prosecute for evil thoughts.

Your Mrs. Kealey did
more than think bad.

She paid someone
to kill her husband.

She also stopped.

Asking for the money
back was the overt act

necessary to prove renunciation.

The moment that
Kaufer took her money,

it's conspiracy.

She cannot
renounce after the fact.

For conspiracy you
need agreement.

Jenna and Kaufer
never agreed on anything.

He was ripping her off,

collecting on her
husband's marker.

- She conspired with the boy...
- To hire a hit man to kill
her husband.

She aborted the plan.
Roy was left on his own.

What about his deal?

It went down the
toilet with his story.

We have a deal, Stone.

Stone: Wrong tense, Counselor.

In my office two half-truths
do not equal a whole.

And you'd better pray
that your client here

is snowing you too.

- Are you threatening me?
- As a matter of fact, yes I am.

I told the truth.

Two witnesses disagree.

Jenna Kealey told us
about her renunciation.

David Kaufer
confirmed her story.

She put on the brakes,
so you went driving solo.

You believe her?

You shouldn't worry about me,

it's the jury you ought
to be worried about.

Oh God.

I can't believe this.

She told me she loved me.

Kaufer: They were looking
for someone to kill Larry.

She thought maybe
I knew someone.

And she offered to pay you?

Yeah. She and the kid both.

She was scared,
jumpy, I don't know.

I told her it would
cost two grand.

- And they paid you?
- Came back that afternoon
with the cash.

- To kill Lawrence Kealey?
- I never planned on killing
anybody.

Her husband owed me the money.

Last year's playoffs.

I figured it was my
only shot at getting paid.

Stone: Was this the
last you saw of them?

They came back the next day.

This time she
did all the talking.

Wanted to call
the whole thing off.

Said she changed her mind.

Stone: So you
returned the money?

I told you, Larry owed me.

Did the defendant, Roy Pack,

change his mind as well?

Kaufer: The kid was fuming.

I'll tell you what, he
was out for blood.

Yelling he'd do it himself.

- How did Mrs. Kealey react?
- She told him to grow up.

Thank you. No further
questions, Your Honor.

Where do you work, Mr. Kaufer?

I'm self-employed.

So you work out of your home?

Yeah.

Last year at this time, were
you working out of your home?

I was in prison.

Upstate in Ossining.

What were the
charges against you?

Selling stolen credit cards.

And fraud?

Jenna: I wasn't
running toward Roy,

I was running away from Larry.

I wasn't looking for
it, it just happened.

What happened?

We became lovers.

It lasted for several
months, but I ended it.

- When did you end it?
- Right af...

Going to David Kaufer
was the low point in my life.

It woke me up
to a lot of things.

So you admit to hiring David
Kaufer to kill your husband?

Was I supposed to
spend the rest of my life

paying for Larry's mistakes?

I panicked. I thought the
insurance was the only way out.

But I couldn't go
through with it.

I called off David Kaufer
and I ended it with Roy.

How did the defendant react
when you called your affair off?

Jenna: He wouldn't accept it.

He called me at home constantly.

If Larry answered, he hung up.

He left letters in my
mailbox at school.

I'd get up in the morning,

he'd be outside my
apartment waiting.

Roy thought it was Larry
who was standing between us.

And it wasn't?

He's just a boy.

Did you ever tell
Roy you loved him?

No.

But he told you, didn't he?

- He didn't know what love was.
- Because he was only 16.

And he thought that sex
was love, isn't that right?

Your Honor, the witness is
not an expert in psychology.

Sustained.

The behavior exhibited by Roy

that you described on direct,

would you call that obsessive?

Not in the clinical sense,

in the everyday use of the word.

I suppose.

So you take away sex,
which to an obsessed teenager

translates to taking away love.

Isn't it natural that he
would fight to get it back?

Objection! Counsel
is testifying.

He was 16, for God's sake.

- What do you expect...
- Ms. Rydell!

- Redirect, Your Honor?
- Go ahead.

Who first suggested killing
your husband, Mrs. Kealey?

It was Roy.

You saw where Rydell was going.

You should have stopped
her cross completely.

The more I object, the more
it reinforces her strategy.

The more Roy
looks like a victim.

But still, letting her play
the jury's heartstrings...

We knew it was coming.
She's got nothing else.

If they buy it, he walks.

No manslaughter
charges, no safety net.

Last I looked, you were
very adamant about this.

You knew that if we had
included anything less than murder,

she'd pull out the sympathy,

and the jury would
opt for manslaughter.

I agreed I didn't want to
give the jury that option.

- Only...
- Only you looked over
the edge,

and you didn't like the view.

I looked at the box,

I didn't like the jurors' faces.

Mr. Pack: It's all
he'd talk about.

Mrs. Kealey said this,
Mrs. Kealey did that.

He'd do anything for
her, like he was a puppet.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

In the week before the murder,

did you observe any
change in Roy's behavior?

One day, he came
home in a rage...

Screaming, throwing his books.

I tried to talk to him,

but he slammed
his door in my face.

Have you ever seen
him act this way before?

When he was eight years old,

he had a fight with his mother.

She told him that she
was through with him,

that he was no longer her son.

What did Roy do?

Roy had a tantrum.
He destroyed his room.

He followed her around

everywhere she
went, crying, yelling.

My wife thought she was
teaching him a lesson.

So Roy's reaction to rejection

is violent behavior?

- Your Honor,
this is totally irrelevant.
- I'll withdraw it.

Nothing further.

Sir, has your son ever been
treated by a psychiatrist?

- No.
- Why not?

I never thought he was sick.

Thank you.

Roy: Motels sometimes.

Mostly her apartment
during the day.

A lot of Monday nights.

We would...

rent videos and copy
what they did on the screen.

And this went on for how long?

Six weeks, maybe.

It's true, isn't it Roy,

that prior to this six
week sexual interlude,

- you were a virgin?
- Your Honor!

There's no way this is relevant.

Objection sustained.

Please tell us why your affair

with your teacher ended.

Her husband came home
once when I was there.

He said he was
going to divorce her.

Was it your idea to kill Larry?

No, I said she should
just divorce him.

I don't know why
she's lying now.

When David Kaufer said he
couldn't take care of things for us,

she said I was her last hope.

- Objection.
- I didn't want to do it.

Sustained. Jury will disregard.

Rydell: So why did
you listen to her?

She told me we
could be together.

She told me to be a man.

No further questions.

When I was in school,
they taught the ABCs.

Now they've added
a "D" for depravity.

And the fourth
"R" is renunciation.

- She's guilty as sin.
- But she didn't break
the law.

Maybe she did.

David Kaufer testified
he kept Jenna's money

because her husband
welshed on a bet

on last year's playoffs.

If he was talking about
football or baseball,

he was in jail during both.

- Kaufer might be lying.
- What's in it for him?

Wrong question.

- Who's in it with him?
- Jenna.

So it wasn't the playoffs,
it was the Stanley Cup.

What can I say? My
memory's not so good.

I remember perjury, and I'm
thinking conspiracy to commit murder.

I had nothing to do
with popping the guy.

I want a deal.

We're not in the market.

You want the woman?

You help me get her into court.

No conspiracy charges?

Fine.

The two grand wasn't for a hit.

I was just supposed to
pretend to be a hit man.

She never hired you?

I was just playing
a role for the kid.

First you kill the
hubby, then you don't.

Robinette: So Roy's
story is the truth.

She squeezed the kid real bad,

called him all kinds of names.

She said she was
just trying to scare him.

It was all a con.

I really didn't want to
know what was going down.

So she never renounced?

Kaufer: Nothing to call off.

When the cops
started getting close,

she comes back to me with this
crazy story and another five Gs.

Jenna and Kaufer...
It was all an act,

perfectly staged
to manipulate Roy

- into committing murder.
- Are you sure about this?

He was seduced twice, and
the renunciation was a scam,

a safety net in
case she got caught.

Truth is, she did
conspire with Roy.

Two witnesses
perjuring themselves?

It's an outrage.
I want sanctions.

Calm down, Ms. Rydell.
You'll get your mistrial.

No, I want a dismissal of the
charges against Roy, with prejudice.

Now wait a minute, I don't
see any harps or halos here.

Your client drove
the car, remember?

We cooperated with
you all the way, Ben.

Roy didn't tell you
to believe the bitch.

Nobody's disagreeing
with you, Janis.

You've got your original deal.

Man two. Sentenced
as a youthful offender.

- Fine.
- And the woman?

I'm all for expedience,
Your Honor.

This is a first.

Jenna Kealey,
you are under arrest

for the murder of
Lawrence Kealey.

You have the right
to remain silent.

If you choose to
waive that right,

anything you do say can be
used against you in a court of law.

Education... It's
a wonderful thing.

Anything worth knowing
cannot be taught in a classroom.

- Oscar Wilde?
- Sister Mary Frances.

She wielded a hell of a paddle.