Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 4, Episode 15 - Kids - full transcript

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.

Blast him, Angel.

No, man, he's
gone down the hole.

Well, drop down to green
level. Nuke 'em. Nuke 'em.

Yes! 827 kills. I
think that's a record.

Come on, man. I gotta
go. My mom's gonna kill me.

She can't stand it anymore.
Says they're too big.



My Joanna's always wanted
to be bigger, since high school.

She is kind of flat, dear. The
boys used to call her button-boobs.

Now, I tell her God made them
that way. She still wants them bigger.

How old's Joanna now, 34?

Here we go again.

She'll never find love, okay?

I'll see you tomorrow, Ida.

She thinks I'm talking love,
Trixie. I was talking husband.

Angel.

Help me!

Somebody call the cops.

Help me!

Oh, my God.

He knocked me down.
Animals! Don't move. Don't move.



He didn't shoot me.
It's my hip. My hip hurts.

Ida, look.

I know you're in pain, but can you tell me
anything about the man who pushed you?

How's your breathing, Mrs. Abel?

I'm fine.

My hip hurts. He ran right
at me. He didn't see me.

He was looking
over his shoulder.

Did you get a good look at him?

I think he was Puerto Rican,
but they never used to bother us.

My husband says
it's worse than Beirut.

Let's get her out of here.

I wanna go with her.
Officer Banks will take you.

You'd tell me if he
was selling drugs, right?

No way.

Honest, man, we
were just going home.

Then, bam, bam, Angel was down.

He didn't do nothing.

He was talking about going
to San Juan to visit his uncle.

Fellas, stick around. Reynolds,
let them keep warm in the car.

Sure. They didn't see anybody.

They think the shots came
from across the street...

but there's no shell casings.

Angel Ramirez, 14 years old.

Park North Junior High.

His friends say he was a good
student. No drugs, if you believe them.

Well, what is it? A
drive-by? A hit? The latter.

Right through the neck.
Hit the carotid artery.

No line, no
waiting, you're gone.

Let's get him up. Got it.

Fourteen years old.

Pretty soon we'll be passing
out vests in kindergarten.

No, it's not true. Not my Angel.

Lila, he was with Alex and Leon.

I'm calling Leon's mother
now. I'm sure it's a mistake.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Ramirez.

I'm sorry.

Angel, he doesn't
hang with no bad kids.

He didn't have no troubles.

It is possible someone
was out to get him.

Was your son a member of a gang?

Was he into drugs
at all? Please, listen.

He's Prefect of
Sodality at the church.

He gets good grades.

They say maybe he even
gets a scholarship. NYU.

He can stay at home.

He can stay.

He can stay. Oh,
God. He can stay.

Angel Ramirez was a saint.

Park North says he
never even got detention.

Some saints were sinners
first. A contract on a 14-year-old?

A shot clean through the neck.
That's a drive-by, an accident?

No, I think it's more like a thunderstorm.
You know, like an act of God.

You take a walk,
you get rained on...

but you take another walk, you
get a bullet through your skull.

Kid had no record. I met
his parents. I don't buy it.

No one put a hit on this kid.

What's with him?
It was a long night.

Aren't they all? CSU
found one of the slugs.

Nine-millimeter, but it was
smashed into the concrete.

It's untraceable. What
about this witness?

She spent the night
at Saint Theresas.

It's hard to tell what she saw.

If she can move,
get her in here.

Show her every picture we've
got. While she's looking, you pray.

Mrs. Abel is gonna pull
our man for us, aren't you?

Can I get you some
more tea? No, thank you.

Now, my eyesight's
good. It runs in the family.

But he was going very fast.

You see anybody
in there you like?

Maybe him.

It could be him.

And maybe this one, too.

You go out and arrest
those animals, right now.

Hey, Navarez is
dead, hit by the DEA.

Yeah, is he still there?

You sure? All right, next
case: Domingo, Juan.

Thanks a lot, Joey. SID 59643.

Melendez is in Greenhaven.
Murder and rape.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Abel.

Yeah?

He had what?

Right.

Right. Thank you.

Juan Domingo...

a couple of misdemeanors, marijuana,
criminal possession weapon four.

Guess what the weapon
was? Colt Anaconda.

Hey, that's a nice snake. You
shoot down planes with that sucker.

Now, guess where he lives.
Seven blocks from the shooting...

103rd and Lex. Thank
you very much, Mrs. Abel.

Juan Domingo. Police. Open up.

♪♪

Go! Go! Go!

Go!

Clear! Hey, what the hell?

Hey, hold it! Don't
even breathe.

I'm cool. Don't shoot. Mike.

No nine-millimeter.

What did you do, Juan?
Take down some gun dealer?

Chill. I am a dealer.

Let me put my hands
down. I'll prove it.

Go ahead.

Hey, that's not a good idea.

He's not kidding.
Federal firearms license...

State of New York,
permit to possess and sell.

Good till '96.

Hold it. It says you're from
Monticello? Yeah, I got customers here.

My FFL says I
transport to sale location.

Now, what do you want?

Where were you yesterday
afternoon? Minding my own business.

Delivered a Mauser to a
customer on 91 and Lex.

Yeah, and then you went to
the antiques show at the armory.

Don't quit your day job, man.
Look, I didn't shoot that kid on 95th.

I was just walking up the 'ard,
and, wham, kid got whacked...

so I'm moving. Right
into a little old lady.

And, of course, you were alone.

Look, ask the dudes
with the homeboy.

It's too bad. He was
just a kid, you know?

It's a crazy jungle out there.

Rule number one:
scram when they jam.

You're gonna be jamming
at the precinct with us.

Look, I'm a businessman. Yeah
and your state license says...

your guns must be secured
by locks at all times. Let's go.

Get Mr. Domingo the executive
suite down at central booking.

Come on, kid.

No felony record, $30...

and a social security number
gets you a resale license.

For $75, you can sell
Howitzers to Qadhafi.

How does he get a state
license? Lives in Monticello?

A lot of Hispanics up
there. They work the resorts.

I'm sure Mr. Domingo
looks respectable.

Excuse me. This
gun dealer, Domingo...

Now, I don't know if this fits,
all right? But I talked to the 33.

Ten days ago there
was a hit. 107 and Lex.

Some sleaze who
deals in hot guns.

Domingo lives there.

The shooting took
place in an alley.

There was a witness,
Ricky Morales.

Any joy for us here?

This kid was supposed to come
in and look at a police line-up.

Then, bang, drive-by in front of
his school, Saint Matthews Prep.

Who do you think the
suspect was in the hit?

Your noted entrepreneur,
Juan Domingo.

The Morales kid is supposed
to identify Domingo...

and now he's dead? Mount Sinai.

Bullet's gone, and so
are the use of his legs.

And, big surprise,
so is his memory.

Go. Go.

I got nothing to say.

Last time I talked to badges...

look what it got me.

Hey, slow down. We're
on your side. I'm slow.

I'm going to be slow
for the rest of my life.

Listen, we know what happened.

You saw Juan Domingo
shoot another gun dealer.

Unfortunately, he shot you
so you wouldn't tell the cops.

And it looked like you were
buying a gun from Domingo.

We're not busting you for a hot gun,
Ricky, but you can put Domingo away.

Look, I never saw this
Domingo guy. I didn't buy a gun.

Well, did you ever hear of a
kid named Angel Ramirez?

It's the kid who got killed,
right? Yeah, I saw it on TV.

He didn't go to Saint
Matthews, and I don't know him.

Funny thing, the night
Angel Ramirez got killed...

Domingo was there,
too. Right next to him.

We thought maybe you
could tell us why, huh?

I told you, we didn't see
Domingo shoot anybody.

We?

I thought you said you
were the only one there.

Look, I meant we, us,
everybody on the block.

Who's "we," Ricky?

Who else saw Domingo
shoot the other dealer?

Look, I wanna go back
to the sunroom. Nurse?

Nurse?

He said, "we."

We didn't see Domingo shoot
anybody. Yeah, so who's "we"?

And how does it tie in with the
kid we saw dying on the street?

Wait a minute,
Lennie. Wait a minute.

Two weeks ago, the kid
upstairs witnesses a murder.

He had to be with somebody
else. Then he gets shot.

Yeah, then the other
witness gets scared...

because he thinks
maybe he's next. Right.

So the other witness
shoots first, but he misses...

hits the kid on the street.

Right? Right.

The Morales kid, upstairs.
He goes to Saint Matthews.

Let's see who his friends are.

It's terrible about Ricky. He's
a good student. Very popular.

His father is a subway motorman.

He works two jobs
to send him here.

Could any of Ricky's
friends have guns...

maybe even bring them to school?

This is Saint
Matthews, Detective.

Charles, I was just telling the
detectives about our security.

Charles uses one of those
metal-detector wands...

on the boys as they come in.

We've never found
any guns, have we?

Just that switchblade last fall.

The boy had
detention for a month...

and we kicked him
off the swim team.

Ricky's homeroom teacher
says these are his friends.

It's just not possible any of these
boys could have anything to do...

- with a murder investigation.
- Easy gig, huh, Charles?

We got our hands full, what
with fights after school and all.

So maybe the Monsignor here is
a little bit optimistic about no guns?

I'm not saying he's wrong, but I
wouldn't be surprised at anything.

I know our boys don't carry
guns, and I know what else we'll do.

Let's take this list
of Ricky's friends...

and check their lockers.
Will that make you happy?

It's not about being happy,
Father, but since you offered.

"Number 462, Jimmy Todd."

Detective, be my guest.

"Number 447, Kevin Parker."

Detective? Nothing here.

Nothing here,
either. I told you.

Charles, "Number
441, Billy Wojak."

The boy's 16. He's never been in
trouble. This is trouble, Counselor.

Four guns, four charges, Billy.

Stop scaring him.

Suppose he just holds
guns for other kids.

I assure you, you won't
find his prints on them.

Billy doesn't have
a gun. I would know.

Aileen.

Bill, they don't
wanna arrest you.

Just tell them who
the guns belong to.

I don't know how they got
there. I never saw them before.

This is a nine-millimeter Glock.

We think this is the gun used to
kill a boy named Angel Ramirez.

How do you feel
about that Billy?

Maybe somebody did
put the guns in his locker.

I don't rat on my friends.

Explain it to your
client, Counselor.

If we find out this gun was
used to commit a crime...

you're looking at
accessory to murder.

Come on.

Without prints, it's
barely possession.

I guess we need prints.

Billy rides with us. You
know the address. Let's go.

He say anything after you
book him? Only a lot of tears.

He's covering. His mother's
covering. Ricky's covering.

Ballistics says the
Glock was fired recently.

They lifted prints...

but my hunch tells me they
won't match with a record.

Yeah, just to make it easier,
the serial number is acid-burned.

Oh, good.

A gun with no home,
prints we can't ID...

and slugs we can't
connect to a killing.

- Whose turn to play genius?
- She just said "slugs."

CSU came back with one.

The old ladies and the kids
said two shots were fired.

You have to find
that second slug.

I don't know. The
thing is, it's so open.

If the shooter was over there,
how come nobody noticed him?

Looks like a 45. Yeah, we're
looking for nine-millimeter.

Four hours overtime. What are
we doing here, the Holy Grail?

If it was your 14-year-old in the
freezer, you'd think it was worth it.

I got a 22, old.

What the hell is
this, a firing range?

Logan.

Nine-millimeter.
Clean. Not here long.

Bravo. Get it over to
ballistics right away.

Lennie, where was Angel
Ramirez? He was right there.

Now, we thought the shooter was across
the street in the middle of the block.

Follow the shots.

The shooter was at the corner.

Yeah, that's where the other
old lady was, Mrs. Sugarman.

Impossible. She's
standing right there...

and doesn't see
a kid with a gun?

No. No, she was walking away
from him. She had her back to him.

All I could think about
was getting to Ida.

Well, that was the
right thing to do.

We need to know. Did you see
anyone after you heard the shooting?

Anyone running?
Everybody was running.

All right, try this, Mrs.
Sugarman. Close your eyes.

Go ahead.

Okay, you're walking toward
Park, and you hear the shots.

Now, what happened then?

Well, I think about Ida.

I turn around to...

A boy ran into me from the
parochial school, Saint Elys.

He was wearing
one of those jackets.

He even said, "sorry,"
when he bumped into me.

You saw Saint Elys on the
jacket? No, it was the color.

All the boys wear them.
They're red and black.

Okay, yeah. That's
Saint Matthews.

Do you remember
what he looked like?

He had dark hair and the jacket.

Yeah, I'm sure he
was wearing that jacket.

Thanks, Mrs. Sugarman.

You hear what she say? Yeah.

One of those nice parochial school
boys shot an innocent 14-year-old to death.

It's not gonna make the
Monsignor very happy.

Let's check Ballistics
on that second slug.

What do you mean, "maybe"?

This slug went through
Angel Ramirez's neck.

This you found in the wall, same
alloy. They came from the same batch.

This is the Glock
from Saint Matthews.

Now, the first slug is smashed.
I can't match it to the gun.

The second slug, I can
match to the gun 85%...

and the second slug looks to
be the same alloy as the first one.

Ipso facto, the slug that killed
Angel Ramirez comes from that Glock.

That's a long-distance
call, but you get through.

What about the serial number?
The acid erase was done by a pro.

I could try and raise it, but...

Send it to Quantico by
courier. On your budget?

She said the slug that killed the
Ramirez kid came from that Glock.

I said, "probably."
I didn't hear that...

and neither did the kid
with the gun in his locker.

- We have a body on the gun.
- But not my client's prints.

A body on the gun.
What does that mean?

It means it was
used to kill somebody.

They're re-dusting the Glock,
now. With magic powder?

Amazing stuff, forensics.

They find a corner of Billy's
pinky finger on that gun...

he can be brave in
Dannemora. Stop it.

This is my son, not some
delinquent from the slums.

I don't care what they
think about you at school.

You are not going to jail.

You better come up for air,
Billy, or you're gonna drown.

Tough guys do okay at school, but
you're not tough enough for prison.

I can take it.

Can you take it for five years?

Who belongs to
that nine-millimeter?

It was Ricky's gun.
Ricky bought it.

He bought it with
somebody else...

and then they used it later.

Right?

Kevin. Kevin, who?

Parker. Kevin Parker.

You don't have to talk if
you don't want to, Kevin.

The school called your
father. He's on his way.

Listen, Kevin. This
is what we know.

Now, you stop me if I say
something that's not true, okay?

We know you used the gun. We
know Ricky Morales is your best friend.

Juan Domingo either had
him shot or did it himself.

We think you shot at Domingo
and missed. The gun's not mine.

I never shot anyone.
Even if I did...

Even if what, Kevin?

I didn't do it. I didn't shoot
anybody. I didn't do it.

We heard you did, Kevin.

Another tough guy. We
gotta get prints. Let's book him.

We can't lock the
slug to the gun.

Stone's gonna
laugh us out of office.

Not with motive.
Let me work on him.

The kid's father's here.
You're gonna love this.

Ex-cop. Detective in the 33.

Ted Parker?

Terrific.

He's pretty scared.

I'm sorry, but you know how
it is. We had to pick him up.

You know, you
aged better than me.

Well, you dress better than me.

I'm in corporate security now,
brokerage firm. Beats the street.

Well, after six years, I wish we
could've met under better circumstances.

How are the girls?

Two daughters, right?

They're fine, thanks.

Can we talk alone?

What do you got?

Maybe you want to wait for
your attorney. I didn't call him.

I was hoping we
could work this out.

I got a dead kid.

I got two slugs, and I got
a gun we can tie to Kevin.

These slugs, definite match?

I didn't think so.

Now, suppose, just suppose...

there's a kid named Ricky.

Goes to buy a gun.

His neighborhood is
lousy and he's scared.

Takes a friend
with him. Big boy.

Strong. Strong boy named Kevin.

Lennie, I didn't say that.

Now, suppose...

this Ricky...

sees the gun dealer
whack some piece of scum.

Now, the friend
didn't see the killing...

but the gun dealer pops Ricky,
and the word on the street is...

the friend is
gonna get it, too...

so the friend
decides to strike first...

totally out of the belief
that his life was in danger.

And if his father's an ex-cop, he
tells his son to call the local precinct.

Suppose, at this time...

the boy's father didn't
know any of this happened.

The boy's father...

his wife split.

He works long hours...

so he puts his kid in
a parochial school...

so he stays out of trouble.

You want to destroy
that boy for one mistake?

Ted... Lennie.

There are lots of
ways of looking at this.

Right...

and if some sleaze-bag gun
dealer had taken a bullet...

maybe I wouldn't be beating my brains
out trying to put somebody away for it...

but the problem I got is the
gun dealer's still walking around...

and some kid named Angel
Ramirez took a slug in his neck.

This is my son.

Then, please, tell
me that Domingo...

pointed a gun someplace in
the general direction of your son.

Then I'll tell you
what I gotta do.

I got to take Kevin down, print
him, put his name on a yellow sheet.

And if the prints match, I gotta
put him in a line-up for our witness.

What if you don't book him?

What if he does the line-up now?

If she doesn't pick
him, he goes home.

He'll do the line-up.

Don't rush, Mrs.
Sugarman. Take your time.

The important
thing is to be sure.

Could I see Number Two again?

Number Two, step forward.

They're so young.

No, it's not him.

Let me try Number Three.

Number Two, step back.
Number Three, step forward.

Oh, yes.

Now, I'm sure.

That's the boy that
bumped into me.

Thank you, Mrs. Sugarman.
If we need you, we'll call you.

Well, hope I was helpful.

Mr. Parker, step
forward, please.

Kevin Parker
you're under arrest...

for the murder of Angel Ramirez.

You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say...

can and will be used
against you in a court of law.

Do you understand that?

"Docket number 97473.

"The People of the State
of New York v. Kevin Parker.

"The charge is
murder, second degree."

Mr. Schell? Your Honor...

the People have really
stretched this one.

In view of what the
grand jury heard...

Do you have this
speech on tape, Gordon?

I hear it every time I see you.

But this case cries out
for dismissal, Your Honor.

This case cries out for
taking every gun in the city...

and melting them down.

I'm not going to
dismiss. Let's get a plea.

Not guilty. Miss Kincaid?

Considering the seriousness
of the crime, Your Honor...

the People request
$150,000 bail.

Granted.

Cash or bond. Short date. Next?

Gordon, I'm sympathetic,
but no matter how I look at it...

- the reality is...
- Murder two...

you call that sympathy?
This was an accident.

The gun went off by itself?

Your client fired two shots, and it
doesn't matter who he aimed it at...

it's still murder
two. He's a child.

Come on, Ben, have
some mercy here.

Angel Ramirez was 14.

Now, I will consider manslaughter
one. It was self-defense.

No, Mr. Parker. Self-defense is
when someone aims a gun at you...

not threatens to aim it.

You don't know
what it's like out there.

I didn't have any choice. Kevin.

They all got guns. He shot
Ricky. He was gonna shoot me.

Kevin. I don't get it.

Juan Domingo was booked for murder
and back on the street in six hours.

Mr. Parker, your son
should've called the police.

Oh, my fellow cops.

They did a great job
protecting Ricky Morales.

Mr. Parker, please.

As an ex-cop, I assume you
understand what it means...

that your son and Mr. Morales
left the scene of a crime.

Now, if they had
gone to the line-up...

maybe Mr. Morales
might still be walking...

and maybe Angel
Ramirez might not be dead.

A lot of maybes. I've
got some better ones.

Maybe you convince
a jury he had a gun.

Maybe you convince
them he had a motive.

Manslaughter
two, juvenile facility.

It's not his fault that the
streets are a war zone, Ben.

It is his fault that
he joined the army.

Maybe it's not his fault.
Because he felt threatened?

Do we know what
these kids live with?

When I was in school, they
searched you for marijuana not a 45.

We have one boy dead,
another paralyzed...

and a 16-year-old who
thinks he's Wyatt Earp...

and you wanna deal him
because he's a nice kid...

and his father's a cop. It
has nothing to do with that.

I'm just not sure we convict.

She's right, Adam. We
can put Kevin Parker there.

We just can't put a gun with
the right bullets in his hand.

Only way to get Kevin
Parker is with Juan Domingo.

He saw Parker shoot at him.

I love cases where a homicidal
gun dealer is our best witness.

If we could get his testimony.

If he tells the truth,
he puts himself away.

Yeah, but that's not a bad idea.

Domingo lied on his
firearms application, right?

He said he didn't do drugs,
and he had a pot bust...

and he transported firearms. He
sold the Glock to Ricky Morales.

If, God willing...

we can raise that serial
number, trace it back to him...

Domingo does three years on
federal charges, four on state...

and I don't know
why he wouldn't roll.

We're making a deal
with the wrong side.

This gun dealer shot two
people and paralyzed a kid.

But we can't get
Domingo for murder.

Ricky Morales would
have to testify against him...

and implicate his friend Kevin
Parker. He's not gonna do that.

Let's get what we
can out of Domingo.

Oh, this whole case.

God bless the FBI.

That number was almost burned
flat. We have the gun back?

Tomorrow by courier. I'm taking
no chances with your evidence.

"Nine-millimeter
Glock, semi-automatic.

"Purchased from Casey
Distributors, Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Sold to Juan Domingo,
Monticello, New York."

I don't know nobody
named Parker.

Easy, Juan. Put a lid on
it. What do I pay you for?

Get me bail, man. I don't like
the food here. Mush and beans.

Please tell my
client about the gun.

Mr. Domingo, we traced the
Glock you sold to Ricky Morales.

You couldn't trace
that gun to Mars.

You bought it from a
dealer in North Carolina.

It was used to
kill Angel Ramirez.

Add it up, young man. You're
looking at seven years, minimum.

And I'd start enjoying the food
because with your attitude...

I don't think you're
gonna see parole.

What I see is two district
attorneys who want something.

Well, that's right.

What we'd like
you to do is testify...

that Kevin Parker shot at you.

You set up every gun dealer
you ever knew for the Feds...

and you make the Feds happy,
you do four years in Ossining.

I set up anybody, I'm
lucky I survive four minutes.

That doesn't break
my heart, young man.

I'll make sure you get solitary.
You'll get out in one piece.

All right, you want some
dealers? I gotta make some calls.

Of course, I don't like it.

Juan Domingo shot Ricky
Morales. We just handed him a gift.

If Ricky Morales...

doesn't want to identify
his shooter, I can't help him.

Besides... Thanks. If
Domingo doesn't testify...

Kevin Parker goes free.

Oh, no.

Since when do cops
break into school lockers?

No one broke in. The
principal had a key.

Don't have a stroke, Gordon.

The Fourth Amendment doesn't
always apply to school children.

His cops didn't have a search
warrant. They didn't need one.

School security does not require strict
adherence to the Fourth Amendment.

Supreme Court New Jersey v. TLO.

Ben, in that case, there were no
cops. A principal opened the locker.

There were no cops in this case.

Excuse me? I seem to recall,
two detectives were in the hallway.

They didn't ask for a
search. The principal...

he searches lockers all
the time. He offered to do it.

It's also a juggling act.

Would he have opened
it without the cops?

Unfortunately, the Supreme
Court didn't address that.

Maybe kids should have
the same rights as adults.

The law says no.

It makes me uncomfortable,
but I'm admitting the gun.

The technique is
well established.

Matching lands and grooves on
a bullet with a gun isn't difficult.

I understand, Miss
Schrier, but how closely...

do the two bullets that
you're talking about...

How closely do they match
this Glock semi-automatic?

The slug found in the wall
matched with 85% certainty...

and the slug that went
through Angel Ramirez...

was consistent with the
same gun. Thank you.

Your witness.

"Consistent," what
exactly does that mean?

It means that there's a good probability
that it was fired from the Glock.

Oh, I see.

So, then, we have some
certainty and some probability.

Isn't that a fairly long way
from absolute certainty?

Within the limits of ballistics...
Really, Miss Schrier...

the defendant's
on trial for murder.

I mean, the degree of
certainty is fairly important.

Can you conclude absolutely...

that bullets from the gun
found in the school locker...

were fired at Angel Ramirez?

With absolute certainty? Yes.

No.

He made her look foolish.

I understand, Mrs. Ramirez, but
this is the beginning of the trial.

There are a lot of setbacks
ahead of us. You're a policeman.

Tell your son to
do right, to confess.

- My son is dead.
- Come on.

I'm sorry. I wish I could
change it. I wish I could go back.

Nice try with the gun. Let's
move on to your line-up witness.

Based on new information, I'm filing
a motion to exclude her testimony.

New information from where?
What's wrong with the line-up?

See you in chambers.

This better be good, Gordon.

I'm sorry, Your Honor, but this
afternoon my client's father...

saw the line-up
report for the first time.

Your client's father
was at the line-up.

What the hell are
you talking about?

The police report
jogged his memory.

Jogged his memory? Yes.

The witness told the cops...

that a boy went past her,
wearing a black and red jacket.

Kevin wore his at the line-up.
I say that that taints her ID.

Read the reports again.
All the kids wore jackets.

All red and black. No, no.

According to my client, all of the
jackets did not have leather on the arms...

and some of the reds
were not the same.

Ben, they shouldn't have used
jackets if they weren't identical.

Three of them were, and two
of them were virtually the same.

So, at the worst,
it's a minor mistake.

No, at the worst,
it's prejudicial.

Your witness doesn't testify.

Dumb, stupid, and idiotic.

I think of her as generally
fair. Judge Sally Norton?

You seen the latest figures
on her reversal rate, Ben?

Shows you what reading Bar Association
reports will do to your judgment.

She gets overturned any more,
she'll be walking upside-down.

This is terrific.

We still have the
gun dealer. Yeah.

A picture of delight and charm.

Without our sweet old lady
to back him up, good luck.

I knew Ted Parker when he was
a New York City police detective.

Did Det. Parker ever ask
to speak to you privately?

Yes. What did he say?

He asked if I could do
something to help his son.

I said no. Yes, but, how
did you respond to that?

Well, he asked
me to think about...

how some kid might have shot somebody when
he thought that his life was in danger.

And he asked me to
think about a kid like that...

how one mistake
could ruin his whole life.

And what did you say?

I said, I supposed he
was talking about his son.

Objection, Your
Honor. Conclusory.

Sustained.

The jury will disregard
the witness's answer.

Thank you, Detective.
Your witness.

Det. Briscoe, you say Ted
Parker spoke in hypotheticals.

Did he ever, in any way...

directly tell you that his
son was involved in a crime?

No, Mr. Parker never told me directly
that his son was involved in a crime.

Thank you. No further
questions, Your Honor.

The gun was Ricky's.
Ricky Morales.

I was holding it
when he got shot.

Kevin told me I had to keep it a
while. Why was that, Mr. Wojak?

Kevin couldn't bring it home.

He didn't want his dad to know
that he had helped Ricky buy it.

But why did you have to hold
the guns for the other students?

I... I guess it kind of made
me feel important, you know?

They have these, you
know, searches, you know?

They run the wand over
you, and I never got checked.

Everyone said it's 'cause I
was kind of a nerd, you know?

This weapon of Ricky Morales...

did there ever come a
time when Kevin Parker...

asked you to give it to him?

Yeah...

a couple days
after Ricky got shot.

Now, did Kevin Parker ever tell
you why he had to have the gun?

Well, he said that this guy who
shot Ricky was gonna shoot him, too...

and he had to strap some power.

A lot of my friends do, you
know? You gotta carry or else.

Did Kevin give the
gun back to you? Yes.

When?

About a week later.

You know, just after the
kid got shot. Right. Thanks.

It has to be substantial time.
It can't be a slap on a wrist.

Is this about public relations?

It's about a dead 14-year-old.

Maybe we shouldn't
be here. No, Ted.

Be reasonable, Ben.

Any judge takes
circumstances into account.

The boy was afraid.
Manslaughter one, three-to-nine.

Listen to his story, Ben.

Maybe you'll
make a better offer.

When Ricky was shot...

I went to the hospital.
He didn't see who did it.

He just felt it in his back.

I knew if we'd
gone to the cops...

We couldn't do it.

Ricky would have to say he was
with me when he bought the gun.

If my dad found out...

When Ricky went down...

he heard somebody say,
"I'll get your friend, too."

I had to do something.
I was scared.

Stone. Yeah.

Yes?

When?

Thank you, Sally. I'll be
in the office in an hour.

The statement is over.
We'll take this case to the jury.

Your eyewitness, Mr. Domingo,
was shot an hour ago...

doing an undercover
buy for the Feds.

He died on the
table at Bellevue.

Let's go, Ted. Kevin.
Hey, Gordon, wait a minute.

We have an agreement. Oh?

You made an offer. Did
you hear us accept it?

Oh.

By the way, Ben,
the Defense rests.

I don't have to put on a case.

Sometimes, tragedy
brings out the best in people.

We cope.

We deal with our sadness
somehow. We move on.

For the prosecution,
unfortunately...

tragedy brings out the worst...

and in the face of this senseless
death of Angel Ramirez...

Mr. Stone finds a scapegoat...

to convince you...

that he is going
to do something...

about the war zones in
which our children are living.

But he can't.

He can't, so he finds...

circumstantial connections.

A bullet that might
have come from that gun.

A young boy who might
have wanted revenge.

But, ladies and gentlemen, did that
prove beyond a reasonable doubt...

that Kevin Parker shot
Angel Ramirez? No.

All they prove is
what we already know.

Too many children have guns.

We allowed this
to happen. All of us.

Don't make an innocent
boy pay for our mistakes.

And, yes, Mr. Schell,
you're right.

There are too many guns
in the hands of children.

Kids in a big hurry to
say, "I got the power now...

"look what I'm packing."

So, yes, sir, our streets
have become a war zone...

but does that mean that we must
excuse anyone who picks up a gun?

Does that mean that we have
to particularly excuse him...

if he's a good kid...

and if he's the son of a cop...

a kid who just tried
to do the right thing?

But what Kevin Parker
did do was shoot...

a 14-year-old who was just
out for a walk with his friends.

Now, did he mean to
do it? Of course not.

And though justice must
be tempered with mercy...

it can never lose a
sense of retribution...

or it is no longer justice.

Kevin Parker shot and
killed Angel Ramirez.

However sad you feel for the
defendant or for the accidents...

that brought him here,
you must still find him guilty.

Nine hours. What are they
debating? Not debating.

They're worrying about how
guilty they'll feel if they convict him.

Yes?

They're still out? Yeah.

You know, I was thinking,
how did Gordon Schell's office...

find out Juan Domingo
was shot before we did?

What? I talked to
Schell's secretary.

The call came from
the 33rd Precinct.

They were helping the Feds
set up Domingo's undercover buy.

Oh, no.

Domingo was shot before
the Feds even got there.

The gun dealer they were
supposed to bust got away.

Or he was never there.

It's possible the cops from Ted
Parker's old precinct did him a favor.

Not that you'll ever prove it.

Yes?

Tomorrow?

Thanks.

The verdict? Not quite.

Your Honor, I
respectfully suggest...

It's hopeless. We're deadlocked.

We have a hung jury.

We have a mistrial.

The People will have
to retry Mr. Parker.

The court thanks
the jury for its service.

Move to continue bail, Your
Honor. Granted. Court is adjourned.

It's not worth it. We'd
never get a conviction.

So they win?

If anyone won anything,
I'm not quite sure of what it is.

Mr. Parker, are you teaching your son
what is right by getting a witness shot?

Dad? Come on.

Some night.

Lucky break, that
dealer getting shot.

You sleeping all
right? I'm sleeping fine.

And your friends in the 33?
They're sleeping fine, too.

Lennie, it's over.

What if it was one of your kids?

I don't know...

but there's no statute
of limitations on murder.

Sweet dreams, pal.