Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 14, Episode 13 - Monster's Legacy - full transcript

Male announcer:
In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses are
considered especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

Ah! It hurts, Coach.

It's just a cramp.

Hold it, let me see.

Let me work on it.



Loosen up a little bit,
come on.

Relax.

You can't perform
when you're tense.

All right?

Loosen up a little bit,
come on!

[Grunts]

Hey!

Can't that wait?

- I'll come back.
- Yeah, do that.

All right? We good?

Then back to work.
Come on!

[Car alarm beeps]

Unh!

[Screams]



[Stabbing]

[Screams]

[Moans]

[Whimpering]

Wow.

Whoa.

Olivia.

[Chuckles] It's a little early
for Valentine's day--

Look, he and I decided
that we weren't quite ready

for the whole Valentine's day
dinner thing, so--

So you went
for the casual pre-dinner thing.

I get that.
Sorry to pull you out.

This is Alexei Belyakov,

boy's gymnastics coach.

Stabbed with an ice pick.
He bled a lot.

Lucky for the vic,
EMTs got here quick,

or we'd be calling Warner.

And this is
our case because...

he was stabbed
in a bad place?

Uh, both of them.

Uh, any chance that CSU
can get prints on the weapon?

They'll have to wait till
the coach gets out of surgery.

[Dramatic music]

♪

Did you see
your attacker's face?

No.

I was putting my bag
in the trunk.

He came from behind,
slammed the hood.

He? You sure
it was a man?

I'm positive.

He had on work gloves, boots.

Some kind of olive coverall.

An attack like this,
uh, could be revenge.

Yeah, maybe something
in your personal life?

I'm happily married.

And I'm on good relations
with all of my ex-wives.

Wait. All?

Three.

I'm a romantic.

You ever been romantic
with someone you shouldn't?

I learned that lesson
four years ago.

A student's father accused me
of being involved with his wife.

And were you?

- Did he attack you?
- No.

He tried to ruin me.

In the divorce trial,

he accused me
of molesting his son.

And she accused him.
[Coughs]

I was a pawn.

Any other parents
threaten you?

[Sighs] A student
last year. Eddie.

I had to cut him.

I told his mother
I can't spin straw into gold.

And the father?

Came in,
threw furniture around.

These Russians,
they're all liars.

Maybe--
maybe I kicked a chair.

You were mad
'cause Alexei cut your son.

He played us.

And when
he wanted our money,

he said Eddie
had olympic potential.

Then he charged us a fortune
for private lessons.

I don't want to talk
about Coach Alexei.

Well, why not, Eddie?

'Cause he cut you?

You know, all that work,
private sessions.

Can you
tell me about those?

He would practice with me
on the bars

and help me
with my stretching.

Stretching.

So when he touched you,
did that ever make you feel...

uncomfortable?

Uh, what, like that?

He wasn't that way.

Not with me.

Was he that way
with other kids?

I don't know.

He had a lot
of private sessions.

- Coach Alexei's not gay.
- Maybe not.

But he's pretty hands-on.

- You saw that?
- I heard about it.

This guy at the gym,
when Eddie got cut,

said Eddie was better off
away from the coach.

- Another parent?
- No, a young guy.

Kind of lanky.

In a jumpsuit.
Probably worked maintenance.

John Dubcek.

Vandalism, possession,
disorderly conduct, bar fights.

But nothing
in the past five years.

- Straightened myself out.
- Till last night.

Alexei almost bled out.
You could have killed him.

Uh, I don't know
who you're talking about.

How long you been working
at that gym?

You see him every day.

I--
I see a lot of people.

We're gonna find your prints
on that weapon.

N-no, you won't.

Why, 'cause you
were wearing gloves?

His blood is on them.
On your boots too.

You know,
and I don't get it.

Your boss, your parole officer,
they vouch for you.

This coach, we heard
he's real arrogant, okay?

So what did he do to you?
Treat you bad?

Bother your girlfriend
or something?

Girlfriend?
I don't have time.

I work two jobs,
and I take care of my mom.

And you live
with your mom, right?

Your boss told us
that she was sick.

She's okay.
She's not gonna die.

You want to be there for her?
You gotta help yourself out.

Come on, Alexei,
what did he do to you?

He disrespected you,
he yelled at you,

he's complaining about you
to his boss--

What he does,

he wouldn't try with me.

What he does to who,
Johnny?

This janitor
said I abuse my student?

He's psycho.

Johnny Dubcek says
that he saw something wrong.

Why would he say that?

Because he's a janitor.
An idiot!

So you don't tape
your sessions?

Of course I tape sessions.
For the benefit of the student.

A kid has a problem
with dismount? Film it.

Okay, so this rubdown
that Johnny saw you taping--

who does that benefit?

Me.
I started filming everything

since I was accused.

To show I have
nothing to hide.

Anybody learn anything?

Yeah, 90 hours of tape,
and so far his only crime

is boring me to death.

Look, we talked
to a lot of his students,

both former and current.

I mean,
nobody likes the guy,

but nobody
called him a predator.

Well, it sounds like
we owe the coach an apology.

Captain, Dubcek believes
what he told us.

Look, the coach does
put his hands on these kids,

and maybe Dubcek
misconstrued.

And stabbed the guy
in the testicles?

Something set him off.

Well, he's got one last chance
to tell us what.

He's been arraigned.
He's on his way to Rikers now.

Prisoner van has arrived
at the facility.

Six male prisoners.

[Grunting]

Hey, I need help!
He's choking him!

Let him go!

Pull him off!
Pull him off!

[Indistinct chatter]

I got him.

Watch his head.
Watch his head.

Put him on the deck.

[Panting]

It's not my fault.

I told them not
to put me in with that!

- Put him in the car.
- What the hell happened?

Dubcek went nuts
on the truck,

tried to kill
the inmate next to him.

What was he saying,
"Don't put me in with that"?

When we had him at
the courthouse loading him in,

he said he didn't want to be
in the truck with this prisoner.

The prisoner threaten him?

Nah, some pedophile arraigned
for touching boy scouts.

- Pedophile?
- Uh-huh.

Is there any chance
I can talk to Johnny?

Not here.
Try arraignment.

Two violent assaults
in three days, Mr. Dubcek.

I don't know
what's going on with you,

but I better not
see you here again.

The defendant is remanded
back to Rikers.

[Gavel thumps]

I'm sorry, mom.

We're not getting
to him for a while.

Yeah, you know what?
In Johnny's mind,

he's gone off
on two pedophiles.

Think the mother
knows why?

Johnny's been
clean and sober,

no trouble, no--
no fights

since he was a teenager.

Lot of boys go through trouble
during that time.

- Mm.
- Was his father around much?

No, Johnny's father
died when he was ten.

Any other men
in Johnny's life after that?

Well, a few years later,

in our neighborhood house,
Clinton,

this coach
took an interest

in Johnny.

He even managed to get Johnny
into the open air camp upstate.

Did Johnny
like it up there?

Not so much.

Coach Schultz said that
Johnny was very homesick.

And when he got home from camp,
he just wasn't the same.

I couldn't even drag him
to Clinton house.

So we talked
to Johnny Dubcek.

He admitted all he saw
was Coach Alexei

helping a student stretch.

All right,
so he overreacted.

Does Johnny have a history
of being assaulted?

Mom says something went on
one summer with a camp coach.

Okay,
so we've seen this before.

Somebody
suffers a sexual abuse,

then they manage to function
until there's a trigger.

He sees Coach Alexei
touch a boy,

and it sets him off.

Then he's chained
to a pedophile?

You want to set off
PTSD in someone,

couldn't have
planned it better.

Well, that's all something
his defense can bring up,

and I'll make sure the DA
passes that along.

Hold on.
That's it?

- What about this camp coach?
- It's Martin Schultz.

He worked
in a Clinton neighborhood house.

In the summers,
he ran open air camp.

He took inner-city kids
up to the Adirondacks.

Did Dubcek accuse him,
or is all of this inference?

- Dubcek was pretty shut down.
- So that's a no.

And if Schultz had a record,
you would have told me.

Like Father Geoghan
or Sandusky?

You know how it goes.

Even when people
try to come forward,

it always gets hushed up.

Or it's all just
a misunderstanding,

like Coach Alexei.

Okay, this Schultz--

let's at least see
if he's still working with kids.

We wanted to ask you
about one of your old kids,

- Johnny Dubcek.
- Dubcek?

I've been working with kids
for 50 years now.

I don't know,
I--when was this?

It was the early '90s.

Yeah, his dad died
when he was ten.

You knew him
from Clinton house.

He has blue eyes,
light brown hair.

Oh, Johnny,
big Mets fan.

He used to wear
this ratty, orange t-shirt

every day to camp.

Every single day.

The other kids teased him
something fierce.

- You're cops.
- Mm-hmm.

- Yeah, he do something wrong?
- He assaulted a couple of men.

He's going away
for a very long time.

- Anything I can do?
- Well, we're not sure.

We're trying to understand
the boy who became the man.

Oh, that's always
the tough one, isn't it?

He could have gone
either way.

Uh, the kid had
a lot of potential.

Yeah, his mom
was telling us

that he was
a straight-A student...

Till he went to camp here.

Hey, listen,
you mind going inside?

This cold makes
my joints stiff, huh?

Come on in.

Hot chocolate.

Good for the soul.

- So back to Johnny.
- Mm-hmm.

Did he ever confide in you
about somebody here at the camp

abusing him?

Stop right where you are.

Now, I know these days

everyone's gonna be
asking these questions.

But I don't tolerate
deviance.

And if I had seen
a counselor

look sideways at a kid,
I would have knocked him

on his ass
and put him on the bus

before he knew
what hit him.

Well, I get that,
Mr. Schultz.

Call me Martin.

Mr. Schultz was my father.

Do all the kids
call you Martin?

Yeah. They have
enough authority figures

in their lives.

So you're their friend.

Counselor, coach.

Surrogate father.

I try to change
these kids' lives.

I wish I could have done more
for Johnny and...

some of the other kids
I couldn't save.

Fatherless kids.

Try as you might,
you can never fill that hole.

Isn't that right,
Detective?

Excuse me?

It's all right, honey.

You've done good.

I mean, you could have gone
the other way too, hmm?

Captain,
he's a sociopath.

He's got
this avuncular manner,

and he spent the whole time
reading us.

And you got all this
from a cup of hot chocolate?

Look, everything he does
is premeditated.

Every word, every look.

So you're telling me
he didn't confess?

Well, if this guy
has worked with kids

for over 50 years
and there's not one complaint--

Because he knows
who to pick.

He finds single mothers
who are overburdened at best,

grateful that a man
has taken interest

in their lost boys.

And there may not be
any complaints,

but there is plenty
of damage in his wake.

I mean, so far I've found
a dozen of his kids

now in prison for assault,
for rape, murder.

But most survivors
don't become abusers.

They're usually
shamed into silence.

So whatever Schultz did
to those men

when they were boys...

He's ground zero
for a second generation epidemic

of assault and murder.

Okay,
this isn't gonna be easy.

We're gonna have to find victims
who will come forward.

You've got a whole bunch
right here, Captain.

Convicted felons.

They're unreliable witnesses.

Maybe individually,

but there is
a clear pattern here.

And if we can prove
that all of these violent men

have one abuser in common,
Martin Schultz,

we've got a shot
at taking him down.

Yeah, but the problem is,
prisoners don't want to admit

they were abused.

They don't want
to be labeled as victims.

It makes them targets.

We only need one to start.

Reggie Rhodes, okay?

And he's not gonna be worried
about being a target

because he's on death row
in Ohio.

He's sentenced
to die in ten days.

Yeah, I knew Johnny.
From the projects.

And camp.

Martin Schultz?
Can you tell us about Martin?

No, ma'am,
I'd rather not.

We understand that, Reggie,
but he's still up there

at that camp
with other boys.

Why do they care now?
They never cared before.

Because we're
just finding out now...

About what he did
to those boys.

And if that man is going
to be punished for what he did,

then we need somebody
brave enough to come forward.

I can't.

I don't want
to think about him.

I don't want
to think about any of them.

- Them?
- The man you murdered.

At trial, they said
he was a stranger.

You were just robbing him
in his house.

Is there more
to it than that?

Doesn't matter.
I did kill him.

And I can't
take that back.

I'm trying to stay
at peace.

Now get the hell
out of here now!

So how does this
cross your desk?

Because we are tracking
a career pedophile,

Martin Schultz,
and we believe that Reggie

is one of a dozen victims
who went on

to commit violent crimes
themselves.

So are we talking
about a death penalty case here

or me doing SVU's job?

A little of both.

So you're asking me
for a favor.

So... you're not angry
with me anymore?

- I was never angry.
- No?

You had a right to be.

I blew up your relationship
with David Haden.

Okay, I was angry.

But I also knew you that you
were doing right by your client.

Bayard, just take a look
at Reggie's case.

Okay?
The DA said

that this was a robbery
gone bad, but nothing was taken,

and the man that he murdered
had two prior solicitations

for young black men.

And this never
came out at trial?

And Reggie never referenced
a sexual relationship?

Probably too ashamed
to admit it.

If we don't help him,
he dies in nine days.

So if I talk to you,

Mr. Ellis will help
with my defense?

I read the transcript
of your two-day trial.

I'll help either way.

But my last last attorney,
Mr. Amiri,

- he said it was too late.
- It's not.

The governor
can grant clemency

if the parole board
recommends it.

Did Mr. Amiri
ever tell you that?

I talked to him so long ago,
I don't recall.

I'd like to talk
to the governor,

if that's possible.

It would be more like
Mr. Ellis would speak for you

to the parole board.

- About what?
- Reggie, you murdered a man.

And you may never
get out of prison.

But if something
happened to you,

something bad
when you were a kid,

the jury should
have heard about it.

Reggie,
before the trial,

did anybody ever ask you
about your childhood?

Anybody ever ask you
about that camp?

I met the lawyer
a day before.

We didn't talk much
about anything.

There's still time.
That's why we're here.

We can talk about it now,
okay?

Reggie,
we need you to tell us

what happened
at Martin's camp.

The social worker in the group
used to always try

to get me
to talk about it.

I know it's difficult,
Reggie.

But the parole board has
to know what happened to you.

It's too late.
I'm letting it go.

I forgive everyone
for everything.

I even forgive my mama.

Forgive her for what?

For sending me back
to Martin's camp.

Does he have a chance?
[Buzzer]

After the defense he had,

if Ohio executes him,
it's state-sanctioned murder.

You have any vacation days
accumulated?

Oh, I don't know.
50, 60 weeks.

Well, good,
you're in luck.

Cleveland's lovely
this time of year.

And I'm going
to need your help.

Rhodes...

Reggie Rhodes.

He's one
of your death row clients.

Found guilty of killing
Charles Danforth,

father of three.

Repeatedly smashed his head
against a stove.

Jury was out 40 minutes.
What is it I can do for you?

You've yet to go to the parole
board to ask for clemency.

Rhodes was the only witness
for the defense.

He lied on the stand,
said he wasn't at the scene.

The victim's blood
was found on his shoes.

And for what it's worth,
he told me he did it.

Did he also tell you
that he met

his original defense attorney
the day before the trial

and that lawyer
was subsequently disbarred?

A defendant is
only entitled to counsel,

not quality of counsel.

Mr. Amiri,
we've also become aware

that Mr. Rhodes
was a victim

of sexual abuse
as a child.

I'm sure it's true
for half of my cases.

But the governor
doesn't pardon murderers

'cause they had
a bad childhood.

Look, it took me 15 minutes
to find out that the deceased

had a record for solicitation
of young men.

I need to prove
that the original defense lawyer

neglected to tell the jury
about mitigating circumstances,

period.

Mr. Ellis,
what we do is triage.

I've got people on death row
for crimes they didn't commit.

You think you can come in
and do a better job,

have at it.

Thank you.

That's all
I wanted to hear.

Reggie, we need to talk to you
about what happened

that night
at Charles Danforth's house.

I can't go back
to that place, man.

The jury was told that you
had never met Danforth before.

And that night,

he just happened to hire you
for an odd job?

Reggie, we know
that he hired other young men,

and it wasn't
for odd jobs.

How did you end up
in his home?

Reggie, you've got
to help yourself here.

Why are we doing this?
It's over.

There's nothing
you can tell this woman

that she hasn't heard.

There's nothing you could say
that would make you

any less of a man
in my eyes.

Why don't I give you and
Ms. Benson some time together?

You need a break?
How about some water?

No, thank you, ma'am.

Reggie, you said before
that you didn't want to talk

about any of them.

Martin...

He wasn't the first.

How old were you
when it started?

Well, the first time
I can remember...

Five, maybe six.

See, my uncle...

My uncle
put his mouth on me.

And he said, um,

"Now you're a big boy,

and this is what big boys
do with men."

After his uncle, it was
his mother's boyfriend, or pimp.

And at ten,
it was a teacher in school.

I mean,
predators have radar.

- And Schultz?
- Three summers.

And by the end, Schultz was
passing him around to other men.

So Reggie drops
out of school,

he hitchhikes,
and ends up here in Cleveland.

- Where he meets Danforth?
- Through a mutual friend.

Danforth pays him for sex
for over a year.

The "odd jobs."

Until one night,
Reggie comes over.

After Danforth
is finished with him,

the door opens,
and three other men

walk into the garage.

They work him over
all night.

The next day,
Reggie comes back

and kills Danforth.

Did he ever tell
his original lawyer that story?

He says
that the lawyer told him

that the jury
didn't need to hear that.

He said it was better to say
that he wasn't there at all.

That lawyer's deceased.

But the parole board's
gonna want confirmation,

so we're
on two tracks now.

Reggie's relationship
with Danforth--

And what happened to him
growing up.

My uncle abused me first.

Until I--you know...

Yeah, I know.

After you matured,
he moved on to Reggie.

I was just glad
it wasn't me anymore.

I would stay at the library
until close

and just bury
my head in my books.

But you're lucky you got out.
Your brother's on death row.

I pray for him
every day.

'Cause you know
what he went through...

That it was more
than just your uncle.

I know.

Kassandra, you couldn't
protect him growing up.

Help him now.

Reggie...
Reggie Rhodes?

Good God almighty.

When he showed up
at this camp,

he didn't even
have a toothbrush.

A pair of shorts,

a pair of old,
high-top, dirty sneakers.

His mother
was a crack addict, or worse.

Anything else
you remember about him?

A 12-year-old kid
with a rap sheet

as long as your arm.

But underneath,
he's a sweet kid.

Sweet kid.

Until he found me,
nobody ever looked out for him.

Anything more, Martin?

No, Pablo, you got homework
for tomorrow, right?

Well, get upstairs
and get going.

I thought you guys were working
on the Johnny Dubcek case.

Yeah, the boys, they both
went to settlement house

and your camp.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What's that got to do
with the price of coffee?

Are you trying to say
this camp had something to do

with those boys' behavior?

Reggie Rhodes told detectives
that he was raped

here at this camp,
three summers in a row.

Yeah, the guy bashes
someone's head in.

He's about to get
the needle for it.

Naturally, he's going to look
for some way to save his hide.

Martin, no one's
saying it was you,

but you told us,
any whiff of trouble,

and you'd kick
the counselor out.

So anything happen
while Reggie was here?

You want me to lie?

It's past the statute
of limitations.

So this camp, you...

You know, we could ensure
there'd be no liability.

Get the hell
out of here!

I don't want that boy upstairs
to hear any of this!

Go on!

Get out!

Ms. Lathrop, you were
the assistant prosecutor

in the case
against Reggie Rhodes?

It was my first murder trial
as lead counsel.

So you had a lot
riding on this case.

Frankly, it was a good one
to cut my teeth on.

And I was supervised

by the lead prosecutor,
Jim Harrison.

You're preparing
Rhodes's clemency hearing?

Mm-hmm. And we found
mitigating circumstances

that we think the jury
should have heard.

Like what?
It was open and shut.

Well, for one,
that Danforth

may have been paying Rhodes
for sex.

Is that what
he's telling you now?

Everybody has a story.

Well, we think Reggie
might have been abused

the night
before he killed Danforth.

If you have any way
to corroborate that--

- I don't.
- Well, you do know

that Danforth had a record
for solicitation.

- That was public information.
- So the defense knew about it?

Of course.
I was prepared

for him to bring it up.
He never did.

There are people on death row
that deserve clemency,

but Reggie Rhodes--
he deserves to die.

She seem
a bit defensive to you?

I think
she was helpful.

She told us that Reggie's lawyer
knew Danforth had a record

and didn't use it.

That speaks of negligence.

Is that enough?

The first summer
Reggie came home from camp,

I was helping
with his laundry,

and his...

[Sighs]

His underwear
was stained with blood.

Mama saw it,
and she didn't even say a word.

She just put it
in the wash.

- And when was this?
- Reggie was 13.

I was 17,
home visiting.

And you weren't living
with your mother?

Not at that time.
I felt sorry for Reggie.

But mama was using,

and I couldn't fight her
and her boyfriend.

Did you tell Reggie's
defense lawyer about this?

Yeah, I called him
outside the courthouse.

And before I could
get ten words in,

he told me
to shut the "f" up,

that the jury
did not need to know

that Reggie was a homo.

Thank you, Ms. Smith.

Mr. Ellis, this history
of abuse is horrible.

And the fact that
Mr. Rhodes's original counselor

never brought it
to the attention of the jury

only compounds
the negligence.

Well, thank you,
Ms. Brooks.

Here are
our sworn affidavits

from seven
of the original jurors,

stating that,
had they known this history,

they would not have sentenced
Reggie Rhodes to death.

Even though your client
now admits to the murder

he previously denied?

Oh, yes, they all agreed that,
given this level

of defense negligence,
it would be

a grave miscarriage
of justice

for the state
to execute Reggie Rhodes.

Thank you, Counselor.
We will rule within 24 hours.

This concludes
the hearing.

Good job, Ellis.

You brought up enough
to get the case retried.

Well, one step at a time.

Let's just focus
on the stay of execution.

What do we do now?

We wait, Reggie.

Hey, you're both here.
That must mean good news.

They voted five to four
against us.

I'm sorry, Reggie.

But I thought--
how did this happen?

I don't know, Reggie,

but we're gonna try
and find out.

Mm.

The parole board
says in their own decision

that Reggie's defense was
unconstitutionally deficient.

- This doesn't make sense.
- Keep reading.

And then they vote
five to four,

"That the negligent defense
doesn't rise to the level

of invalidating the sanctity
of a jury's decision."

What am I missing?

Four votes.
No offense, ex-cops. COs.

I saw them rolling their eyes
when the sister was testifying.

But the fifth vote,
the chair.

She was asking
all the right questions.

Oh, yes, she did,

which makes it harder
to accuse her of bias.

Bias?

She's the former head
of social services.

She also should
have recused herself.

I got an off-the-record call
this morning.

Ms. Brooks is married
to Jim Harrison.

The lead prosecutor

who supervised
DA Lathrop

as she "cut her teeth"
on Reggie's trial.

Oh, my God.

This was rigged.

It's been rigged
against Reggie from the get.

So that's it?

No, there may be
just one last shot.

Prosecutorial misconduct?

Prosecutors make mistakes,
can be negligent.

But in this case,
you're alleging

that they intentionally
withheld evidence?

Yes, if the prosecutors
knew about Reggie's abuse

and hid that
from the defense,

that's exactly
what we're talking about here.

20 years,
and it's never come out?

Rhodes is sentenced
to die in five days.

Forgive me, Counselor,

but isn't this the definition
of a hail Mary?

And as the parole board
just affirmed,

the defense was
unconstitutionally incompetent.

I won't grant
a stay of execution.

You can have the files...

till noon tomorrow.

Your Honor, it's 5:00 PM.
that's less than 24 hours.

Your client
has had 20 years.

Take it or leave it.

Yes.
Thank you, Your Honor.

Bayard, look at this.

Look at this.

These are the crime scene photos
that were shown to the jury.

These I just found.
They're wider shots.

Look at the bloody footprints,
and look at the bare spot.

It's missing
evidence shadows.

They sanitized
the crime scene.

I'll keep going,
you go see if Reggie remembers

what was on the floor.

Yeah,
Danforth took pictures.

That's why I went back
the next day to tell him

to give them back.

So the men took polaroids
the night they worked you over?

You know,
I heard clicks.

I seen flashes.

I said, "Stop it."

I said,
"No more pictures."

Then I went back to Danforth.
I tried to grab them from him.

They fell
all over the floor.

I looked at the pictures,
and I got so mad.

I don't want anybody
taking pictures of me.

Not anymore.

Reggie, did somebody else
take pictures of you?

[Scoffs]
Pictures and movies.

They said they'd show everybody
if I told.

It was humiliating.

Coach Schultz...

videotaped me and him
in his basement.

[Sniffs] He said if I told,
he'd show everybody.

What?

Well, it might explain
why you went off on Coach Alexei

when you saw him
videotaping those boys.

I don't--
I don't want anyone to know.

I don't want
anyone to know.

If Schultz taped Johnny,
even if he lets us use it,

the statute's run out.

But not on possession
of child porn.

Look, Schultz
remembered details,

I mean,
what the boys wore.

It's like he's been replaying
a highlight reel.

I bet he still has
those tapes.

Let's call the DA and get
a warrant before he starts

taping the kid
he's got up there now.

With just three days to go
before the execution,

activist attorney Bayard Ellis
has filed a motion

alleging
prosecutorial misconduct.

Damn, looks like
he got rid of everything.

Do you know what happened
to the videos that were in here?

Coach told me
not to say.

Pablo, can I talk
to you for a second?

Come on.

Ms. Lathrop, Reggie Rhodes
was the first homicide

you tried
as a lead prosecutor,

and it was
a death penalty case.

Sounds like
a lot of pressure.

It was a particularly
brutal murder.

It was my duty to see
that justice was done

for the victim
and for his family.

And given that the defendant's
life was at stake,

you of course
familiarized yourself

with all aspects
of this case?

Well,
I had a supervisor,

but I lived with it
every day

until I got
that conviction.

So...[Chuckles]
Yes, Counselor,

I would say that I know
the facts as well as anyone.

And the law.

Please don't tell him
I showed you this.

Martin asked you
to burn these?

The day
after you guys were here.

He had boxes of them.

You know,
old sports tapes.

Boxes.

Well, that would
have taken a long time.

The fire went out.
I didn't get to them all.

And I'm sure you
thoroughly investigated

both the victim and the
defendant's personal histories.

I'm a prosecutor,
not a social worker.

But I did my job.

So you were aware that,
as a young boy,

Reggie Rhodes was serially
abused by a number of adult men.

Neither he nor his defense
attorney brought that up.

Well, Ms. Lathrop,
at the trial, you told the jury

that this was a murder
between strangers.

A robbery gone bad,
correct?

And the jury agreed
with me.

They handed down
the appropriate sentence.

Were you aware
of a prior relationship

between Mr. Rhodes
and the victim?

I don't recall
ever hearing that.

And yet detectives were able
to track Reggie Rhodes down

because the victim's wife
ID'd him as someone

the husband often hired
as a handyman.

It's been 20 years,
but my memory

is that forensic evidence
led to his being apprehended.

Forensic evidence.
That would include footprints?

Hey. Hey!

What the hell are you people
doing here, huh?

Get off my property!

Got a warrant
to search your crib, Coach.

This is for my house!
You got no business in my shed!

This is an illegal search!

Anything you find in there
will be inadmissible.

You need your reading glasses.
It says property, not house.

I give you one thing to do,
and you can't even finish that.

Martin, I'm sorry.
I tried.

You sold me out,
you little bastard.

Hey, hey.

You can't talk
to him unless I'm present.

He's 13.
It would be inadmissible.

It won't stand up!
I'm his legal guardian!

Not for long. You're
under arrest, Mr. Schultz.

You think you're protecting
these kids by arresting me?

You idiots.

I'm the only father
they ever had!

Yes, I see the bare patch
and the bloody footprint.

I have no idea
what might have caused it.

Did any detectives
ever tell you

about polaroids
found on the kitchen floor?

Incriminating photographs
of Mr. Danforth

and other men
having sex with Reggie?

The police
never told me that.

Because if he had,
you would have turned that

- over to the defense.
- Of course.

So just to recap,

you didn't investigate
Mr. Danforth's criminal history

of soliciting young men.

You knew nothing
about Mr. Rhodes's history

of sexual abuse,
and you knew nothing

about Mr. Danforth
paying Mr. Rhodes for sex?

To the best
of my recollection.

And you did not
intentionally hide

any of this information
from the defense?

Absolutely not.

Is it possible that
there was some negligence

due to my inexperience?

In hindsight, yes.

But I would never
purposefully withhold evidence

to put a man
on death row.

Ms. Lathrop,
are these your notes?

I don't immediately
recognize them.

- Is this your handwriting?
- Yes.

Can you read what's
on the outside of the envelope?

"To Mr. Harrison
from ML."

ML.
Marnie Lathrop.

And the next line?

"FYEO."

For your eyes only.

In other words, not to
be shared with the defense.

And now...

on this page.

Still your handwriting?

Can you read what it says
for the court?

Your Honor, I'm not
comfortable using this language.

You wrote it,

and now you're not
comfortable reading it?

Read it, Ms. Lathrop.

"Further notes
on the faggot squad."

Go on.

"Reggie Rhodes's
'odd jobs' for Danforth

may refer to sexual favors."

And at the bottom?

"Enclosed envelope contains
photos found at scene.

Sexually explicit images
of victim and defendant."

Does this jog your memory
about whether or not

the lead detective mentioned
polaroids at the scene?

I have no idea
how these--

Would you open this and show
these photos to the court?

No. No, I couldn't--

Just like you couldn't
show them to the defense.

No. That's not
what I was saying.

Even when this became
a death penalty case!

You didn't share
ese with anyone

but your supervisor,
did you?

No.

Thank you.
No further questions.

Never in 30 years
on the bench have I seen

a more blatant example
of prosecutorial misconduct.

I am going to grant a stay
of execution for Mr. Rhodes.

His death warrant is due
to expire in two days.

I strongly advise
the county prosecutors

to allow that warrant
to lapse.

[Buzzer]

- So this time we won?
- A stay of execution.

We won, Reggie.

And the state will be
looking at your case.

And we may even
get you a new trial.

In the meantime,
we're gonna get you transferred

to a different prison.

Thank you!

[Chuckles]

[Laughs]