Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 9, Episode 3 - Bait - full transcript

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.

That's what happens,
you don't go to college

you end up with a PhD in booze.

Dad, I'm just talking
about taking a year off.

Not on my nickel.

You want to work in
the store that's one thing.

Oh, look at this one.



Come on, let's move it.

People trying to
make a living here.

I said move it.

Dad, I think he's bleeding.

Don't touch him.

Dad, it's just a kid.

These two found him
when they came to open up.

One shot in the chest.

Lucky for him Hudson
General's at the end of the block.

Paramedics could've
walked him in.

Any ID?

Wallet, no cash, no plastic.

Kevin Stanton,
Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Seventeen years old.



Anybody see anything?

You be the judge.

Good morning, gentlemen.

Any of you see
anything last night?

I saw Big Sally's butt.

BRISCOE: Besides that.

Oh! Her butt's so big that
I can't see nothing else.

Anything relating to
the kid who got shot?

He walked himself
here. From where?

From down the street.

I got up to shake the snake,
you know, and I saw him.

Was he by himself?

Yes, sir. He fell
in that doorway,

looked to me like one
of them junkie club kids.

All right.

You guys find a blood trail?

Yeah, we followed it around
the corner to Second Avenue,

then it disappears.

Bodega owners hosed
down the sidewalks.

Oh, the mayor will be happy.

Kevin has a red Mazda.

We're going to need
the plate number.

What about the people
who did this to him?

We're looking for them.

Now, what time did your
son leave home last night?

Right after dinner. At 7:30.

He said he was going to
the movies in Stamford.

With his friend, Eric Pope.

When he wasn't home
this morning, we called Eric.

He told us Kevin asked
him to cover for him.

Kevin do this sort
of thing very often?

Oh, no. He's a good boy.

It doesn't make any sense.

Does he know
anybody in New York?

Not that we know of.

It isn't like
Kevin to lie to us.

DR. LESSER: Mr. and
Mrs. Stanton? Yes.

Is Kevin all right?

He will be.

He's lucky the shot just
missed his left ventricle.

Can we speak to him?

Sure, he's conscious.

I'm sorry, ma'am,
we'll have to go first.

You recover a slug?

Passed right through
him, back to front.

I figure a .38.

You figure?

Eight years in the ER.

I wanted to go
to the East Village

check out some clubs,
and meet some girls.

CURTIS: The girls in
Ridgefield aren't your type?

I guess not.

My parents out there?

Yeah, you can see
them in a minute.

So what happened to you?

I got carjacked.

CURTIS: By who?

Black guys, two of 'em.

BRISCOE: You think
you could recognize 'em?

I'm... I'm not sure.

They... They kept telling
me not to look at 'em.

Where'd this happen?

I... I just got off the
FDR at 14th street.

I stopped to get gas.

BRISCOE: What, the
station over by Avenue C?

I guess.

I... I went back to
my car after I paid

and the two guys,
they got in with me

and they had a gun and
they told me to... To drive.

Where did you go?

I don't know.

I don't... I don't really
know the city that well.

Okay, so after you drove
around, what happened then?

Why'd they shoot you?

They had me max out my ATM card.

CURTIS: Where?

I don't... I don't remember.

I thought they were going to
let me go, but they just shot me.

I just remember being... Being
put in the back of the ambulance.

And I was so scared.

God, what am I
gonna tell my parents?

(SNIFFLING)

Tape was taken at a branch

of the Republic National
Bank on West 14th

about a half an hour after
Kevin says he was carjacked.

Maybe I'm missing something,

but I don't see two black men.

The kid says they stayed
out of camera range.

He doesn't look
stressed or in a hurry.

How'd he do with the mug books?

CURTIS: Couldn't pick them out.

The gas station attendant
remembered the kid,

but didn't remember
any black guys.

And Kevin says he
wasn't familiar with the city,

but two weeks ago
his car was ticketed

on the Lower East Side
for an expired meter.

So his story has chinks.

Well, his car is missing
and he was shot.

By the all purpose two
black guys with a gun.

(DOOR OPENS)

We got a hit on the kid's Mazda.

Liquor store break-in,
Queen's Village.

Perp's enjoying the
hospitality of the 116th.

Male, black.

Wasn't no break-in.

I was just leaning against the
storefront, catching a smoke,

and the window just fell in.

And when the cops showed up 10
minutes later, you were still in there?

Hurt my shoulder.

Can I get my pants back?

The guys who arrested you
found blood on those pants.

And we're betting
it's this kid's blood

leaked out of a bullet
hole in his chest.

Any idea how it got there?

You think I shot him?

You tell us, Levon.

His car was found in front of
the liquor store that you fell into.

The keys were in your
pocket. Small world, yeah?

Kid's in Intensive Care, Levon.

This could turn into a homicide.

I don't know nothing
about no shooting.

You got to believe me.

You stop lying,
we'll start believing.

Okay, look...

I broke into the store, for the
money, but I didn't shoot nobody.

Check my sheet, I
got no violent priors.

How'd you get ahold of the car?

I found it this morning
on Bowery, near Second.

Door open, keys in the ignition.

Christmas came
early this year, huh?

I swear, I didn't shoot nobody.

I just boosted a car.

Can I please have my pants back?

My johnson's gonna catch a cold.

Levon's telling it straight.

This sheet's nothing but burglaries,
smash, and grabs. No weapons.

So he just happens
to find the car

half a block from where
the kid got dumped?

Well, maybe the car
tells a different story.

(DRILL WHIRRING)

CATALANO: We got blood
on the driver's seat, lots of it.

No bullet hole in the seat-back?

Nope, no bullet holes
anywhere in the car.

Oh, I get it. They shot him,

then they got back in the
car with him and let him drive.

Any finger prints?

Latent came up with the
victim's and your break-in artist.

What's this?

A drugstore receipt.

We found it tucked
beside the gear box.

10:12, Saturday night.

An hour after the carjack.

I don't think I
recognize either of them.

But you were working
Saturday night?

Yeah. Marty, that's my boss,

he doesn't give me a
break from 10:00 till closing.

Can you tell what was
bought from this receipt?

Four boxes of condoms,
three to a box. Different colors.

Oh, now you remember?

We sell a lot of condoms.

Does that camera up there work?

KEVIN: Sorry, I
don't know who she is.

Her receipt was in your car.

Well, maybe she knows
the guys who jacked my car.

And maybe it's time you
told us what really happened.

I already did.

I got shot, they stole my car.

I don't know anything else.

Maybe his buddy Eric Pope does.

What does Kevin say?

Look, kid, either you
know her or you don't.

I don't know, this
is pretty fuzzy.

Oh, yeah? We got some
nice magnifying glasses

down at the station.
You wanna try 'em out?

Hey, why are you
guys banging on us?

Isn't Kevin, like,
the victim here?

Well, we're not sure about that.

And if you're covering for him,

then we're not sure about
you either. (BELL RINGING)

(SIGHS) Okay, her
name's Sarah Teasdale.

She's from Long Island,
East Meadow I think.

Some girl Kevin liked to
go clubbing with, you know.

I only met her a
couple of times.

Was Kevin clubbing
with her Saturday night?

I don't know.

But you know where
they went in the city.

You'd have to ask
Kevin about that.

We did. Any idea why
he wouldn't tell us?

I don't know. It's his life.

Look, I'm gonna be
late for class. See ya?

Go to your class.

You think any of these kids
can go 30 seconds without lying?

I hope this girl can.

(DOOR OPENS)

Mrs. Teasdale?

We're detectives from the New
York City Police Department.

Did you find out what happened?

Actually, we're here to
see your daughter, Sarah.

Excuse me?

We'd like to ask
her a few questions.

Sarah's dead.

We just got back from
the city, from the morgue.

They found her Sunday morning.

She was shot dead.

Parks Department came to pick
up the bases Sunday morning,

found the Teasdale girl.

She'd caught one in the chest.

No ID, took us till Monday

to match her to a
missing person's report.

Parents reported her?

Yeah, she'd told
them some malarkey

about going to the
movies on the Island.

What kind of weapon?

.38. The slug was still in her.

Parks and Rec says
about every two weeks

somebody breaks
in, drunks, horny kids.

Any idea which
category this girl fit into?

None of the above,
according to her folks.

And according to the M.E.?

Tox screens show
methamphetamine in the blood stream

and there were
signs of intercourse.

Bad drugs, bad guy,
bad scene all around.

Two types of blood?

Yeah, we figure she
tried to defend herself,

made the perp pay a price.

Yeah, we think we
know who that is.

You keep looking, you're
gonna find a second slug.

Thanks.

It's funny how you didn't
recognize her, but your friends did.

Come on, Kevin,
you both got shot

on Saturday night with a .38.

That's some coincidence.

Well, that's what it is.

You're making things
hard on yourself, kid.

Kevin, we're all men
of the world here,

we know how things
go with the ladies.

Yeah, sometimes they go a
little rough, things get out of hand.

No, I wasn't with her.

Look, kid, this doesn't have
to go down as a murder.

The gun was just
part of the game, right?

I mean, it went off
by accident, yeah?

I wasn't there.

Then how did your
blood get there?

We're trying to help
you out here, Kevin.

I don't want to talk
about this anymore.

Well, you have that right.

You also have the
right to an attorney,

because now you're under
arrest for Sarah's murder.

So, what's his story now?

The girl was shot by
Puff Daddy & the Family?

This time, he's not even
bothering to pin it on the brothers.

So these kids get high,
mix guns with condoms.

Yeah, she shoots him either
by accident or in self-defense,

then he kills her, by
accident or in anger.

Then he tries to drive
himself to the hospital.

Well, let's wrap this up
nice and neat for the D.A.s.

Find someone who saw
the two of them together.

CURTIS: LT, it's a big island.

Well, start with where
you know he's gone before,

that parking ticket he
got a couple of weeks ago.

Overdue meter on
Second and Avenue B.

The boy looks familiar. I
don't know about the girl.

CURTIS: When did you see him?

Two or three times
in the last month,

running up and down the
stairs like some maniac.

Where was he going?

Up to 6B.

You're sure?

Yeah, I'm sure.

He goes up to
where them bums live,

a real bunch of bananas.

Yeah? How so?

I used to hear them
stomping around and yelling.

Are they up there now?

They're gone, thank
God. Moved out Sunday.

I don't know what Mrs.
Kessler's complaining about.

I run a good building.

First class. (RATS SQUEAKING)

BRISCOE: The rats
aren't complaining.

Well, if I knew
they were leaving

I would've had the
place cleaned up.

You know, painted, exterminated.

Lennie.

Dime bags and I found
some powder on the sink.

Did you know your
tenants were dealing drugs?

Oh, no. I...

I do credit checks,
I got references.

Who's the tenant?

Monica Sheppard, she's from
Jersey, she's got a young baby.

That's not baby powder in there.

She pays the rent.

Well, maybe she sublet.

Latent pulled up Kevin's prints

on a door frame
in the apartment.

He wasn't there
to buy term papers.

So this Monica Sheppard
was dealing to him?

CURTIS: Well, we
asked around the building,

she hasn't been living
there for the last six weeks.

Couple of humps
took over her crib.

Yeah, they de-camped on Sunday.

Left behind a lot of goodwill.

They could be
candidates for the shooting.

Instead of Kevin?
You run this past him?

He's got a lawyer,
he's not talking to us.

Then you'd better
find Miss Sheppard.

Well, she's someplace
in New Jersey.

State Police are
tracking her down.

Latent pulled up
another set of prints

belonging to a Reginald Mathis.

Got out of Rikers
two months ago.

Ninety days
possession of narcotics.

Current address?

An SRO over on St. Marks,

but he hasn't been
seen there for a while.

Well, who made the
possession case on him?

Maybe they know his
favorite hiding places.

You want to put a
body on Reggie Mathis?

That's not the way
he does business.

The criminal element's
always full of surprises, Rivera.

So, where can we find him?

I got other fish in the fryer.

And we got a dead
high school girl.

Look, we caught the
case, we'll do the work.

Just point us in
the right direction.

Look, this isn't NORAD.

We don't have every
mope up on the radar.

CURTIS: You mind we
look at your file on him?

For what?

Known associates,
relatives, you know,

police procedure 101.

You can really
hook him up to this?

The Stanton kid's prints
are in his apartment.

Yeah, but he was
just a customer, right?

I mean, he could've
been there anytime.

Is he saying it's Mathis?

He's not saying anything,

but Mathis did a ghost a few
hours after the kids got shot.

Well, here, help yourself.

I gotta check something.

Guy protects his turf.

Yeah, he probably pees a circle
around his desk every morning.

Here we go. Reggie
Mathis, the early years.

Parents live in Binghamton.

We'll send a bulletin up there.

This creep started in grammar
school, selling airplane glue.

I know a couple of guys
sold coke in the '80s.

Now it's Cuban cigars.

And they didn't even have
to change their rolodexes.

Hey, you guys
wanna pick up Mathis?

Say what?

Where'd you
get this? It's solid.

And you can have the collar.

I just want to be
there to see his face.

I'll have Carmichael
issue a warrant.

(MOTORBIKE REVVING)

Go! Go! Go!

Police! Got him!

Put it down! Freeze!

I said put it down!

Hold up. Give it in.

Is that you, Mathis, you
worthless piece of crap?

MATHIS: Hey, I
ain't got a weapon.

BRISCOE: Put your
hands where I can see 'em!

MATHIS: Okay,
here, here they come.

OFFICER: All right, let's go.

(GROANS)

I want a lawyer.

Yeah. Me, too.

I want a lawyer.

BRISCOE: You know this kid?

No.

His fingerprints were
in your apartment.

Your neighbors saw
him in the building.

I get a lot of
company, you know.

Friends bring friends
who bring friends.

Everybody's welcome. I
don't remember this kid.

You have company
last Saturday night?

No, just me and Oscar.

You want to tell me what this
boy has to do with my client?

I thought this was
an intent-to-sell rap.

This boy and his
16 year old girlfriend

were shot in Seward
Park Saturday night.

And you think
Mr. Mathis killed them?

Killed her. He's
still alive and talking.

Has he implicated my
client and Mr. Mathis?

You think we picked their
names out of the phone book?

I think if you had all
your ducks in a row

you wouldn't be wasting
your time talking to us.

They're running a
game on you, Oscar.

It's not us he should
be worried about.

You're a first time
offender, Oscar.

Mathis is a three-peat.

So if I were him, I'd be looking
to catch a break right about now.

BRISCOE: You're the only one
who can take the weight off, Mathis.

Otherwise, persistent felon like
you, you don't stand a chance.

The public's gonna be lining
up to give you the hot shot.

I don't know this kid,

I was nowhere near the
park and I'm done talking.

Okay, suit yourself.

(DOOR OPENS)

Lennie, this just
came in from Latent.

(SIGHS)

Well, Mathis, you sure picked
the wrong time to clam up.

Why? What is that?

BRISCOE: His
buddy, Oscar's prints

were on the door of the shed

where the two kids were shot.

I'm about to walk
this in to Oscar.

Would you like to bet I
come out with a confession?

BRISCOE: I think Oscar's
gonna make you the main player.

So, what's it going to be,
Mr. Mathis, you or Oscar?

All right, my guy talks,

Murder One is off the table

and he gets a sentence
recommendation.

We'll square it with the D.A.

It was Oscar.

Him and his grease-ball temper.

That and stickin' a straw up
his nose every five minutes.

That kid Stanton
was scoring off me,

for like the last
couple of months,

but I didn't want him bringing
his girlfriend to my crib,

so I told him I'll
meet him in the park.

Then Oscar decides
he has to tag along.

So we're down the park,

we're all about to go in
the shed to do business,

then Oscar pulls his piece.

Boom! Shoots the kid.

Then bang, same
story for the girl.

And I didn't know what to
do. I just booked out of there.

Why did he do it?

For the money. The
kid was holding a grand.

You know that Oscar,
he's got a bad head, man.

Reggie said that?
SELIG: Mr. Benvenidez.

VAN BUREN: I'm giving
you one last chance

to go on record with the truth.

Nothing Mr. Mathis
might have said

means anything in court
without corroboration.

That fingerprint isn't it.

And we're certainly not
gonna hand it to them.

Book him for murder
and attempted murder.

CURTIS: Come on, hump,
time to take some snapshots.

Is this true?

You were buying dope
from these people?

What were you doing? Where
did you get that kind of money?

From friends. I was
just doing them a favor.

Of all the stupid...
PATTON: Warren!

Now is not the time.

The statement says it all.

One dope dealer
implicates the other.

Don't worry, Miss Carmichael,

we won't insist on an apology.

None will be forthcoming. If Kevin
had told the truth from the beginning...

He felt responsible for
putting his friend in harm's way.

He was scared. He was confused.

Not to mention he was damn
nearly killed by these animals.

And he didn't want his parents
to know he was a speed freak.

It's very touching.

But if we're going to convict
Benvenidez and Mathis,

I need him to tell
me what happened.

I don't think Kevin has
any problem with that.

Long as you dispense with
any drug charges against him.

Fine.

It's like Mathis said.

I was gonna buy from him

and this other guy
Oscar was with him.

I went into the shed

and then nothing.

I woke up.

And Sarah was laying next to me.

And she was dead.

And somehow I got to my car.

I wanted to get help.

I... I tried to drive.

And that's... That's
all I can remember.

I'm so sorry I got
Sarah into this.

Who shot you?
Benvenidez or Mathis?

I don't know.

I walked into the shed,

and next thing I remember,
I'm face down on the floor

with a bullet in my back.

It's not the most helpful
statement ever given.

It corroborates enough
of what Mathis said

to put Benvenidez on death row.

One conviction's good.

If you believe Benvenidez
cooked up this rip-off on his own.

After four years in
Special Narcotics, Jack,

I believe you take
what you can get.

Have you seen this?

Benvenidez is moving to
suppress Mathis' statement.

His lawyer claims their arrest
was the result of an illegal search.

He's dreaming. I got
that warrant myself.

And on the application, where
it says "source of information,"

is that what you put down?

Benvenidez' lawyer
claims you found out

where they were hiding
from an illegal wiretap.

I didn't get it off a wiretap.

I got it off an informant.
A registered CI?

No, just your garden
variety street snitch.

Has he got a name?

I have to talk to him to
confirm he was your source.

I'd love to talk to him, too,

but he hasn't returned
my pages in a week.

If he shows, I'll call you.

Not good enough,
Detective Rivera.

It was a good
bust, make it stick.

Judge, an anonymous
tip led me to a wiretap

on a phone in the garage

where my client was arrested.

A request pursuant to the
Freedom of Information Act

revealed no
warrant for that tap.

It doesn't matter the
police got their information

from an informant.

I'd like to meet this informant.

He's not available.

Make him available.

I can make available the detective
who received the information.

So he can
corroborate his own lie?

That's no protection
for my client.

I'll gauge his credibility
for myself, Miss Selig.

Mr. McCoy, have him in my
chambers tomorrow morning.

I told Mr. McCoy.

I called one of my snitches

and he gave me the goods
on Mathis and Benvenidez.

And this alleged snitch just
disappeared into thin air?

Miss Selig, I am
conducting this examination.

Detective Rivera, I'm
gonna look into this wiretap,

and if you've lied to me, you
better pray I never find out.

So I'm asking you once more,

where did you get
your information?

Wiretap.

Did you have a
warrant for this wiretap?

No, no, the garage owner is a
known drug figure, Your Honor.

I'm not impressed, Detective.

Thank you for your candor.

You can leave us now.

Your Honor, the
illegality of the wiretap

taints this arrest
and any evidence,

including statements
by either defendant,

arising out of that arrest
must be suppressed.

Even if her client had
standing to object to the wiretap

of a third party,
which he doesn't...

Mr. McCoy, I'll decide
who has standing.

Regardless, Your Honor,
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis

obtained their
warrant in good faith.

They had no knowledge of where
Detective Rivera got his information.

It's their obligation to ask.

They had no reason to
doubt Detective Rivera.

Just because he's a cop?

Willful ignorance can't excuse
a gross abuse of civil rights.

JUDGE: No, it can't, Miss Selig.

This is an egregious example of
the police overstepping their authority.

A cop placed the wiretap,
a cop made the arrest.

That's enough for me.

Mr. Mathis' statement is out.

What kind of a case do you
have without his statement?

We can probably sustain
the indictment, but at trial?

There's no weapon,
no direct evidence.

The boy doesn't even
remember being shot.

So Mathis and Benvenidez can
say the man in the moon did it

and we can't refute it.

That's about right.

Bite the bullet,
make them an offer.

That won't satisfy Sarah
Teasdale's parents.

I'd love to have Rivera along

when I break the news to them.

All the times I've seen
Narcotics detectives

shade the truth on the stand.

How'd this defense lawyer
know about the wiretap?

Detective Rivera didn't
put up any flyers, did he?

Well, the way it
works in Narcotics,

a detective will
install a tap himself

and maybe his partner
will know about it, that's it.

What kind of history did Rivera
have with Mathis and Benvenidez?

Rivera arrested Mathis
for possession last year.

Wouldn't be any more to
their relationship, would there?

Rivera's been in Narcotics
the last eight years.

He hasn't broken any records.

Decent number of arrests
leading to convictions,

but it's all penny ante.

We can't all be Mark McGwire.

Mathis' name come up?

Only in connection
with last year's arrest.

Standard buy and bust
in Tompkins Square.

I checked to see if
Rivera turned him,

but Mathis isn't one
of his registered CIs.

We already know he keeps some
of his informants off the books.

I pulled all of his grand jury
testimonies from last year,

nothing about Mathis.

I'm about half way through Rivera's
activity reports for the same period.

Would you mind giving me a hand?

I'm looking for a
DD-5 for last May 12th.

Any particular reason?

I found a copy of a
search warrant application,

to be executed the
night of May 12th

in expectation of finding a
half kilo of methamphetamine.

Except I can't seem to
find a report on the raid.

Maybe Rivera blew it off.

Mmm, he put in nearly 50 hours
of surveillance on the location,

and requisitioned
a back-up unit.

And then nothing.

No arrest report, no
evidence voucher.

May 10, 11. No May 12th.

He made it disappear.

Who shared the
surveillance duties with him?

Rivera's always looking
to make the big bust,

tries to turn every nickel bag
collar into the French Connection.

So this May 12th thing was
supposed to be a career boost?

Could've, should've.

Rivera was hoping
for major weight.

Ended up with three juveniles

with 20 grams of
crystal between them.

Rivera too embarrassed
to write it up?

I don't know that he didn't.

Rivera took one collar,
and gave me the other two.

Then why didn't he
file an arrest report?

Hey, I filed reports on my two.

His probably got lost in the
department's space-age filing system.

Do you know what
happened to his collar?

No, mine are doing a
bullet apiece at Crossroads.

Thanks.

EDDIE: Whole thing
was a hook, man.

I wasn't doing
nothing but holding

and they get me
for intent to sell?

It's a total hook.

Detective Rivera framed you?

Yeah, he singled me out
because I wouldn't work for him.

Doing what?

Informing, right?

I told him he could stick it

and then he passed
me off to his partner

and now here I sit.

And Rivera runs the same
game on my cuz Ricky.

And here he sits, Eddie.
Framed just like you.

That's right. It's an injustice.

What about the other kid
who was arrested with you?

Mr. Weekend? He ain't here.

Mr. Weekend?

Yeah.

He only comes to the
city on the weekends.

He's from some
suburb in Connecticut.

Kev.

We hooked up at a rave.

He's a big speed fiend.

You know where he's at?

Eddie ID'd Kevin
Stanton from a photo.

I checked the records again.

There is no report of Kevin
being picked up, let alone arrested.

There can only be one reason

Rivera kept him off the books.

He turned him, he used
him as an informant.

How old is he?

Don't the police have rules
about underage informants?

Yeah, they have to get
the okay from the parents,

the Narcotics Bureau,
the kid's lawyer.

None of which Rivera did.

Didn't he just torpedo your case

against the people who
tried to kill his informant?

Now, why would he do that?

We don't know exactly
what Rivera is up to.

But he's protecting the
people who tried to kill you.

Happen to know why?

We know he
arrested you last May.

You and two other boys.

They went to juvenile
hall, you went home.

What deal did you make with him?

I don't care what
Rivera told you,

you have to talk to me.

Ask your lawyer.

When he busted me,

he told me I was gonna
go to jail for five years.

And not at some juvie hall,

I was gonna be
tried as an adult.

First offense?

That just isn't true.

Well, what did I know?

He... He told me if
I became his snitch,

my parents would never
even know I got busted.

He'd keep me out of
trouble, he'd protect me.

So you went to work for him?

I gave him names,

did some small buys,
gave him locations.

He kept pushing me to
move up the food chain.

He said that I should get to
know this dealer named Mathis.

And he had some connection

with a speed lab baking
10 kilos of crystal a week.

I thought Mathis was
just a lot of hot air.

Detective Rivera forced me
to work a relationship with him.

What about the
night you were shot?

I was supposed to meet Mathis

at his apartment for a buy.

But last minute, he
changes it to the park.

He said his apartment
was compromised.

He was real paranoid.

And I wasn't gonna leave Sarah
sitting in the car in that neighborhood,

so I had her come with me.

And Oscar and Mathis were there.

And I went into the shed first

and I heard Mathis
call me a rat bastard.

And then I heard the shot.

Then it's like I told you.

Kevin, why didn't you tell the
police this after you were shot?

Detective Rivera
called me at the hospital.

He said if I opened my
mouth, he couldn't protect me.

Mathis' buddies would
finish the job he started.

(DOOR BUZZES)

SELIG: Am I hearing this right?

All of a sudden you don't think

Mr. Benvenidez
was the trigger man?

We think it more
likely it was Mathis.

He's the one with the motive.

The motive. Mmm-hmm.

You have a whole new
theory about that, too?

He was getting rid
of a police informant.

What informant?

CARMICHAEL: Kevin Stanton.

The girl was just
an innocent witness.

We're prepared to take the
death penalty off the table.

Death penalty? I
didn't shoot nobody.

JACK: You were an
accomplice to a murder

in furtherance of an
attempted murder.

Your lawyer can
read you the statute.

But I wasn't in for
no murder, man!

Oscar.

I... I tried to stop it.

I swear.

Looks like your
client is ready to deal.

He'll plead to Criminal
Possession Three.

He won't plead to anything
relating to the shootings.

That's not in the cards.

If I were him, I'd
ask for a medal.

Hear what he has to say first.

Off the record.

Mathis said the police
had a snitch on him.

Wouldn't tell me who.

Just that somebody got seen
coming out of the 8th Precinct.

Said we were gonna have
to make the guy disappear.

Well, hell, I'm just
trying to make a living.

I ain't about killing nobody.

I called up the Narc
squad at the precinct.

Who did you talk to?

I don't know.

I told 'em I had
information on Mathis.

They passed me to
some detective there.

I told him the clock was
running on one of their snitches.

That's it?

That's all I knew.

Where did you call from?

Payphone.

On Houston or Broadway, I think.

Look, I swear I didn't know
who or how it was goin' down.

Mathis just up and
blasted those kids.

It's still accomplice testimony

until we can corroborate it,

his medal will have to wait.

I'll be sitting by the phone.

(DOOR BUZZES)

Have Briscoe and Curtis
track down the Benvenidez call.

From some payphone
on Houston or Broadway?

Benvenidez isn't even sure
which day he made the phone call?

I say it was going to be easy?

I got to tell you, I'm real sorry
about that wiretap business.

Department come down on you?

Slap on the wrist and my
promise that I won't do it again.

Well, that's not why we're here.

The D.A. knows the
Stanton kid was your snitch.

Benvenidez says
that Mathis found out.

He says he sent up a flare,

put in a call to your precinct.

Yeah, so some mope facing a
capital charge says that, so what?

So we found a record of a call
from a payphone on West Broadway.

The phone logs downstairs
show a corresponding call

being forwarded
to the Narcotics unit.

And the duty roster shows
you catching calls at your desk.

Maybe I was in the john.

But I did not get a
call from Benvenidez.

Are you for real, Rivera?

You're gonna deny it?

You're gonna take the word
of a dope dealer over a cop?

Wearing a badge
doesn't make you a cop.

You let your snitch
catch a bullet.

BRISCOE: Rey. Rey.

(SIGHS)

My partner tends to see
things in black and white.

Yeah? How do you see them?

Me?

I try to put myself in
the other guy's shoes.

I mean, you get
an anonymous tip,

about some vague threat
to some unnamed informant

and weigh that against
putting a speed lab

and a whole bunch of
bad guys out of business.

You gotta go with your gut.

Right or wrong.

That's part of the
job description, yeah.

That's right.

And no matter how it comes down,

you got to stand
by your decision.

You can't run away from it.

I mean, people
have to respect that.

You know what I'm saying?

This D.A., McCoy, I hear
he's got cops in his family.

His old man was on
the job in Chicago.

I thought it was worth a shot.

I feel bad about
the girl, you know,

I got two daughters myself.

CARMICHAEL: His testimony is
crucial to our case against Mathis.

He can corroborate
Benvenidez' story,

he can account for Kevin
Stanton's lies to the police

and rehabilitate
him as a witness.

In other words, you
want him to admit

that he improperly used
an underage informant,

he threatened that informant,
and placed him at risk,

and that he obstructed justice.

Anything else you
want him to admit to?

Like maybe the
Lindbergh kidnapping?

Is your client on
board, yes or no?

What does he get in return?

He stays out of jail.

And his job? He's two years
away from vesting in his pension.

There's nothing I can do there.

If it was just a
matter of months...

Forget it.

You'd rather have a felony
conviction for obstruction?

Based on the testimony of a high
school dope dealer and a murder suspect?

One, I never made
a deal with the kid.

I let him go because
I felt sorry for him.

He's the one that called me every
week trying to sell me information.

Two, I never got a
call from Benvenidez.

You won't dig yourself out of
this hole by lying, Detective.

You think I'm lying?

Prove it.

You got your witnesses,
I got my record.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

Arrogant bastard thinks
he can get away with it.

It's not arrogance, he just doesn't
see that he's done anything wrong.

I can make it real
simple for him.

Nothing's simple
over in Narcotics.

You spend eight
years like Rivera

trying to empty an ocean
of dope with a teaspoon.

You start to look for shortcuts.

And it doesn't just
happen to cops,

it happens to the D.A.'s, too.

Anybody I know?

Lucky for me, I bailed before
the quicksand got past my knees.

Rivera is a grown-up,
he knew the rules

and he knew what
he was getting into.

Maybe, but, Jack,
without him on our side,

Benvenidez' testimony is
worthless against Mathis.

Against Mathis,
not against Rivera.

Let's convene a grand jury.

For obstruction of justice?
That hardly seems worth it.

For Manslaughter, Second Degree.

He put his brilliant career
above the lives of two kids.

If you can prove he
got the warning call.

It's still Rivera's word
against Benvenidez.

You told me he practically
admitted getting the call.

Is there a problem here, Lennie?

Yeah, I didn't get
this cop to open up

so you could pin
a homicide on him.

He coerced a minor into
becoming an informant.

He made a bad decision. I
got no argument with you there.

And he terrorized him into lying

in a murder investigation.

That's obstruction
not manslaughter.

And he let two kids
walk into a death trap.

That's reckless endangerment,
Lennie. That's manslaughter.

He made a judgment call, Jack.

You and I make 'em every day.

Sometimes people get hurt.
That doesn't make us killers.

His judgment was impaired
by career considerations.

Hey, not everybody's in it for
truth, justice and the American way.

I mean, the taxpayers want
the drug problem to go away,

so they lean on the politicians.

The politicians want
to keep their jobs,

so they lean on you guys.

The D.A.s lean on the cops,

the cops lean on their snitches.

And sometimes somebody leans a
little too hard and somebody gets hurt.

And then it's time to hold
somebody accountable.

Well, hold Reggie
Mathis accountable.

I'll be happy to
testify at his trial.

Against him, your
testimony is hearsay

against Rivera, it's evidence.

Once he's indicted for
manslaughter, Rivera will deal.

Then we can get to Mathis.

That's how the dominoes line up.

I'm sorry, Jack. I'm not
gonna help you make 'em fall.

I'm putting you
before the grand jury.

You know somethin', I haven't
been eating my Wheaties lately.

My memory's getting hazy.

I'm starting to forget
what Rivera told me.

Lennie, please. I don't want to
have to cite you for contempt.

You do what you got to do.

I'm not helping you pin a body
on a cop just for doing his job.

I felt scared all the time.

I felt guys like Mathis
could see right through me.

But Detective Rivera'd
say that it was okay

because no one would
think I was a snitch

because of my age.

What else did
Detective Rivera tell you?

All kinds of things.

Like I was paying
off my debt to society.

Or I was doing a
valuable service.

I was the best snitch he had.

Did he ever use threats
to keep you in line?

Yeah.

He'd say if I didn't
do what he said,

then I'd go to prison.

My whole life would be ruined.

But if I did what he told me,

he wouldn't let anything
bad happen to me.

He'd watch over me.

Like your guardian angel,
isn't that the phrase he used?

Yeah.

And you came to trust him?

He... He'd ask how
things were with school,

with my parents.

This one time I wanted to take
this girl to a Foo Fighters concert.

And he... He got me
tickets in the 14th row.

Tell us about the
last time you saw him,

before you and Sarah were shot.

It was the night before.

He gave me $1,000 to
make a buy off Mathis

and I told him I was getting
this weird vibe off Mathis,

but he told me, you
know, don't worry about it.

That everything
was gonna be okay

as long as I did what
I was supposed to.

He would watch over you.

Yeah.

Like your guardian angel.

Yeah.

(CHATTERING)

He did fine. I'll be
in touch with you.

Hey, Kev.

If I'm not out in an
hour, call for back-up.

Did your review of the
duty roster for that day

indicate that Detective Rivera

was in the squad at
the time of the call?

Yes, it indicated that.

And when questioned
about that call,

what did Detective
Rivera tell you?

He said that he had received
no call from Mr. Benvenidez,

that he may have been
in the restroom at the time.

This is before your
partner left you alone

with Detective
Rivera, is that right?

Yes.

And after your
partner left the room,

you continued to question
Detective Rivera about the call?

Yes.

And you reminded
Detective Rivera

of his responsibilities
as a police officer?

In a manner of speaking, yes.

Thank you, Detective. I
have no more questions.

I remind you that you are not to
discuss your testimony with anyone.

Wait for me outside.

Thank you, Detective.
You did the right thing.

Hey, what did you say in there?

He can't discuss his testimony.

You rat me out,
you son-of-a-bitch?

Lay off, Mark.

I wanna talk to the grand jury.

It's too late for that.

I've given them the
case, they're deliberating.

I have a right to testify.

He does, Mr. McCoy.

Your Honor, pursuant
to CPL 190.50.

My client has an absolute right

to tell his story
to the grand jury.

Mr. Golding never filed notice.

If he wants to rely on the
CPL, he should comply with it.

With all due respect, Mr. McCoy,

what's the harm in letting
Detective Rivera testify?

Your Honor, the jury began
its deliberations an hour ago.

I'd have to withdraw the
charges from this panel

and re-submit to
another grand jury.

GOLDING: People v. Evans,

"A defendant's right to
testify before the grand jury

"must be afforded
every consideration."

JACK: In that case, the
grand jury was convened

without the
defendant's knowledge.

Detective Rivera
had ample warning

and every opportunity
to file notice to appear.

What are you afraid of, McCoy?

Your Honor, you got to
give me a chance here.

The grand jury indicts me for
manslaughter, my career's over.

My career is my life.

Your Honor, you bend
the rules for a defendant

who happens to
be a police officer,

what message does that send?

GOLDING: Your Honor...

Your client had his
chance, Mr. Golding,

you could've filed earlier.

I'm not going to make
an exception here.

I'm sorry, Detective.

Request denied.

If you'll excuse me.

Criminal negligence with a
sentence recommendation

of one to three years
to cover all counts

after he's testified
against Mathis.

A felony conviction
and jail time?

Minimum time.

It's a better deal
than he'll get

once the grand jury indicts
him for manslaughter.

GOLDING: We'll take it.

You'll stop the grand
jury's deliberations?

I'll suspend them
until after he testifies.

You know, McCoy,

you want to put the
bad guys behind bars,

sometimes you got
to get your hands dirty.

The problem is, Detective,
sometimes it doesn't stop at the hands.

(DOOR SLAMS)

That jury seemed
happy the trial was over.

That makes 13 of us.

It took them just half an hour

to vote the death
penalty for Mathis.

That's got to be
some kind of record.

Some decisions are
more obvious than others.

Have you heard from Briscoe?

No, I don't expect to.

He has other cases, so do we.