Major Crimes (2012–2018): Season 1, Episode 8 - Dismissed with Prejudice - full transcript
One of Lt. Tao's old cases comes up when Will Reichman's conviction for murdering his wife is overturned on appeal, the result of newly discovered blood evidence. Reichman had been convicted largely on the testimony of his 10-year-old daughter, Lydia, who said she saw him stab her mother. The new blood evidence shows there was another person in the house, as Reichman had claimed. Sharon and the team begin looking for the man identified by the defense as the killer, Benito Zapata. When they find a connection between that Zapata and Lydia, the likelihood of guilt reverts back to the husband, Will. He can't be tried again for his wife's murder, but if he killed Zapata...... Meanwhile, Rusty and Sharon have dinner with his biological father.
Aaaaah!
911. What's
your emergency?
Please...
Please send help!
Please!
Somebody broke into my house!
He stabbed my wife!
Oh, my god!
There's blood everywhere!
I missed my flight.
When I drove home
from the airport,
I noticed that the
lights were off.
I came in through the garage.
Called out for Elaine.
I saw a man running
out of the house.
Can you describe this man?
It was dark. I
couldn't see his face.
He ran out the back door.
Must have forced
Elaine to open the safe.
Why did he have to kill her?
He had what he wanted.
Mr. Reichman, how
did you cut your hand?
Maybe when I pulled
the knife out of Elaine.
It was stuck in her chest.
I thought I could save her.
Where was your
daughter during all this?
Asleep...
I hope.
I heard mommy
and daddy fighting again.
They woke me up,
and I came downstairs.
How could you see
with the lights off?
I'm a girl scout.
I keep a flashlight under my bed
in case there's an earthquake.
Lydia...
What did you see when
you went downstairs?
I saw daddy stabbing
mommy with a knife.
There was blood.
So much blood.
And when he stopped,
he still had the
knife in his hand.
And mommy wasn't moving anymore.
Have
you reached a verdict?
We have, your honor.
Mr. Reichman, would you
please stand and face the jury?
Mrs. Kane.
We the jury in the
above-entitled action
find the defendant,
William reichman...
Guilty of first-degree
murder of Elaine reichman.
I'm innocent.
So said December 3, 2004.
No, I'm... I'm... I'm innocent!
No. No, wait. This is wrong.
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent!
Order in the court!
Wait, wait! I'm innocent! Order!
Ladies and gentlemen,
order in this court!
All rise.
Court is now in session.
The honorable judge
richwood presiding.
Please turn and face the flag.
I pledge allegiance to the
flag of the United States of America,
and to the republic
for which it stands,
one nation, under
god, indivisible,
with Liberty and
justice for all.
Judge richwood:
Please be seated.
Good morning.
All right, I have read the
witness's new statement.
I've studied your briefs.
I'm now ready to
hear final arguments
on the motion to overturn
Mr. Reichman's conviction.
D.d.a. Meeks.
Your honor, we've
only had 60 days
to follow up on this newly
discovered blood evidence.
Excuse me, your honor.
This blood is not new.
It was there the whole time.
The police just didn't
bother to process it.
We just put our
hands over our hearts
and recited the words
"with Liberty and
justice for all."
This man... this innocent man...
Has been deprived of
both Liberty and justice
for 8 1/2 years.
He lost his architectural firm
and his standing
in his profession.
Mr. Reichman has always
maintained his innocence.
He has always maintained
that there was an
intruder in the house.
After the only witness, a
10-year-old child, recanted,
the police finally agreed
to DNA-test all the blood.
Guess what.
There was someone
else in the house.
He bled, he fled,
he has a criminal record,
and is wanted by the FBI.
All right, gentlemen, approach.
Lieutenant, you, too.
Why on earth didn't you test
these blood samples in 2004?
We ran DNA on the blood
found near the victim's body.
This sample was taken from
the other side of the house,
near the kitchen sink,
where Mr. Reichman
said he washed his hands
after cutting himself
on the murder weapon.
He thought the blood was his.
When I see an area like
this, that hasn't been checked,
I assume it's either
purposeful or negligent.
All we're looking
for is 30 more days
to find the person
this DNA belongs to
and determine to what extent, if
any... My client shouldn't spend
another minute in custody.
He was involved in the murder.
That's enough. Step back.
At least give us
a chance to refile
if new information arises.
Step back.
Will the defendant please
rise and face the bench?
Mr. Reichman, I am...
Floored by what has
happened here today.
Officially, your
nightmare is over.
The state of California owes
you a profound apology, sir,
and I'm hereby dismissing
this case with prejudice.
Mr. Corbett,
a moment of your time?
Excuse me, miss reichman?
I'm Amy Sykes from "live at 5."
Would you listen
to an on-air apology
from the police officer
who arrested your father
almost nine years ago?
Detective tao?
It's lieutenant tao now.
Buzz, are we ready to roll?
We are rolling.
Lydia, I am so sorry
about what happened
to your father.
I know you were probably
trying to do your job,
and it might have
looked like he was guilty,
but you manipulated me
into testifying
against my own father.
I didn't manipulate you, Lydia.
I was only trying to
help you remember.
That's enough.
Turn off the camera.
Lydia, please, please!
Lydia...
I screwed up the case.
I'm sorry.
Maybe I didn't dig deep enough
into what you were
saying back then
because I didn't want
to traumatize you.
I was only 10.
You asked the questions
and fed me the answers.
Please.
Watch the recording
of our initial interview
and see if you still
think I acted in bad faith.
Are you still trying to
turn me against my dad?
Absolutely not.
The judge ruled
your father can't be
tried for this murder again.
He's effectively not guilty,
which means someone
else killed your mom,
and you're still a
witness to her murder.
You know I researched
what was on TV that night.
April 3, 2004.
And I remembered
watching a scary movie
about a man who
murdered his wife.
That's what made me say all
those terrible things about my dad.
I was just a kid.
Watch this recording. Please.
It may trigger a memory
that could help me,
help your mom.
Please.
She's sticking to her new story
like she did to her old story.
Lieutenant, how did this
case go so upside down?
8 1/2 years ago, it cost
about $1,000 per DNA test.
We took over 200 samples
from the crime scene.
We had a trial
budget of 50 grand.
So we chose 25 blood samples,
and the defense chose their 25.
There wasn't much
blood found in the kitchen,
and reichman thought it was his.
It's a brutal scene.
Whoever attacked
Mrs. Reichman...
And that would be Mr. Reichman.
Stabbed her in the neck
by the door to the
master bedroom.
She fought back.
Stabbed her again.
She crawled into the front room,
trying to get out the
sliding glass door.
He pulled her by the
hair, slit her throat,
stabbed her in the
chest four more times.
Overkill. Passionate. Personal.
He attacked
her with enough force
to break the tip off the knife.
Did you find the tip in
Mrs. Reichman's body?
No. The knife,
according to the suspect...
It was taken from their
kitchen, by the way...
Was already broken.
It matched up to every
wound in the victim's body.
Not to
mention reichman bought
a big roll of plastic,
some cement,
and a shiny new shovel
one week before
his wife's murder.
Which he claimed
was for the yard.
He also claimed to give
his daughter a sleeping pill.
Sleeping pill?
For a 10-year-old?
Reichman said, whenever
he went away on business,
the daughter became hysterical.
Helping her nod off
was his wife's idea.
Mike tested the
little girl's cocoa
and found Ambien in it.
Now, the kid fell asleep
before she finished it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't
have woken up in time
to catch her father with
that knife in his hand.
The defense was right.
I never gave any credence
to the intruder theory.
I always thought the
husband did it from the get-go.
Because he's guilty as hell.
How can you be
so sure, lieutenant?
Three good reasons, Sykes...
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
Lieutenant provenza,
that is exactly what
Mr. Reichman's civil attorney
will want you to say
while he's suing this department
for millions of
dollars in damages.
What was Mr. Reichman's
alibi, lieutenant tao?
He arrived at the airport late,
got stuck in a long security
line, and missed his flight.
Here's Mr. Reichman
staring directly into an
l.A.X. Security camera
at 12:04 A.M.
Who looks directly
into a security camera?
Hey, look, I can give
him a break there.
Sometimes you can't
see those cameras.
He left airport
parking at 12:16 A.M.
And reported the murder
at 22 minutes after 1:00.
What, leaving,
like, an hour and change
to drive all the
way to silver lake?
Plus, cut the power,
stage a break-in,
kill his wife, and call 911?
I drove from l.A.X. To the
crime scene dozens of times.
Varied the route, speed.
That late at night, it took me
anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes,
which would have given reichman
a window of 21 to 31 minutes.
Plenty of time
to commit murder.
It all fits.
Except the part where
he turns out to be innocent
eight years after I
sent him to prison.
Mike, Mike, you got to
stop beating yourself up.
The guy did it.
He outfoxed the system somehow.
Tell me about our new
alternate suspect, lieutenant.
The DNA says he's
a wanted embezzler
named Benito "Benny" zapata.
He's lived and worked
in Colorado Springs.
Last-known whereabouts?
The crime scene, I guess.
Lieutenant provenza,
let's start looking for
Mr. Zapata right now
and contact our FBI liaison,
since they seem
to want him, too.
Lieutenant tao, I would like
to watch the initial interview
that you did with
Mr. Reichman's daughter.
I heard angry voices.
Mom screamed.
Someone ran out of the house.
I thought daddy was gone again.
But I could still hear noises,
like grunting and
groaning sounds.
So I got my flashlight
and I went downstairs,
and that's when I saw
my daddy with the knife.
What was he
doing with the knife?
Hurting mommy.
Hurting her how?
Can you show me?
Like this.
Lydia, your daddy said
he was pulling the knife out.
Is that possible?
Pulling it out
and putting it in.
It made noises.
Did you see anyone
else in the house?
Are you sure?
Just mommy and daddy.
Why did you give this
DVD to my daughter?
After all we've been through.
Haven't you done
enough damage already?
ReichInstead of dragging
my daughter back through this,
why don't you talk to
me? Where's Sharon?
I'll tell you anything
you want to know.
Lieutenant provenza, do
you know how to knot a tie?
You're seriously asking
this guy for advice on a tie?
Yeah. Why not? He's been
wearing 'em for a hundred years.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Give me that thing.
Can you man the ship?
Aye-aye.
Let me.
Do you want a windsor
or a half-windsor?
What's the difference?
What's the occasion?
Oh, well, my sperm donor
is taking me and
Sharon out to dinner.
I thought you didn't want to
meet your biological father.
I'm calling him "Mr. Dunn."
Uh, chin up, please.
And it shouldn't come
as a surprise to you,
but I can be bought.
The suit is a bribe.
A bribe?
Well, Sharon bought me this suit
to bribe me into having
dinner with the donor.
I've never had a
suit before... Or a tie,
and I got to pick it
out myself, so I figured,
you know, I should break it in.
Looks good.
This must be some
fancy restaurant, huh?
Yeah, it's like
"trat-o-Ria spo-leeto"
or something like
that... I don't know.
But it's not gonna
be about the meal.
They have a great marinara.
No, I mean,
Mr. Dunn is gonna be
on the hot seat tonight.
I've got, like, 47
questions to ask him.
Good god, you're not kidding.
"Number 12... which would
you pay me more to do...
Live with you or
stay away from you?"
Yeah, that one
may say number 12,
but really, it's
like number 1 or 2.
Definitely an up-front question.
"Why should I believe
you never knew about me?"
Rusty, you don't
need these questions.
The man is blood, okay?
You sit down, you
look him in the eye,
and then you give the
man the benefit of the doubt.
No, but he should be
on the defensive, not me.
Rusty, this is not chess.
No one needs to
be on the defensive.
You listen to me, young man.
You got out there tonight
and have a good time.
Hey, buzz, a little
red light just came on.
Is it flashing or is it steady?
Um, steady?
N-No, flashing.
Leaving you in
charge of the Titanic.
So...
Do I look more mature?
Yeah.
Sure you do.
Why all these questions
about my daughter
after nearly a decade?
We're just
trying to understand
why Lydia changed her statement.
How about, she
finally grew old enough
to understand right from wrong?
Anything new from the
architect of our misery?
He's suing tao, the
police department,
and the city for
wrongful imprisonment.
Shocking.
My story hasn't changed,
and my daughter's new
statement, by the way,
corroborates the blood evidence
and what I've been
saying all along.
Lydia now realizes
that she, too, saw an
intruder in the house.
Which you say is Benito zapata.
DNA doesn't lie, and
neither did I, lieutenant.
Did you know him?
Zapata.
No.
But since I found out who
he was and what he did,
I've been thinking about that.
Zapata owned an auto-body shop
that was fraudulently
billing for repair.
My wife, Elaine, was
an insurance adjustor.
It's possible that she found out
that this creep was
stealing from her company.
And you have paperwork
to document that theory?
She kept stuff like that
locked away in the safe.
You're the professionals,
but maybe zapata did take it.
I was never able to
wrap my mind around
why someone would kill Elaine
after getting everything
they wanted out of the safe.
But it's beginning
to make sense.
Would you mind if I walk
through your house one more time,
just to refamiliarize myself
with the crime scene?
I don't want you in
my house or in my life,
and I especially want you to
stay away from my daughter.
Excuse me.
You still own the house?
I am an architect, captain.
That house was my child.
And I wanted to walk
back through the front door
as a free man.
Anything else?
No. You've been most helpful.
Thank you, Mr. Reichman.
I promise you, I will do
everything in my power
to finally make this right.
Can you give me back
the time I lost
with my daughter?
Can you give me back
my reputation, my career?
My friends?
Because that's what I
need to make this right.
Sir...
I am truly sorry.
Just find the man
who murdered my wife,
and let's get this over with.
Do you have any
idea where he is?
According to Interpol,
not in Europe, South
America, or Mexico.
The bureau's had a ufap
warrant on Mr. Zapata
since late in '04.
A u-who?
A ufap...
Unlawful flight to
avoid prosecution, buzz.
Got to love a good FBI acronym.
With a proper fake passport,
zapata could be almost
anywhere in the world.
If he's still alive, the
bureau thinks he might...
Look something...
Like this.
Unless he's had plastic surgery.
Good to have you back, Sykes.
Little ray of sunshine returns.
Zapata walked
away from his wife,
his job, his entire life.
We didn't even realize
he was embezzling
until almost a year
after he disappeared.
Does he have children?
Not that we're aware of.
How much did he embezzle?
$1.8 mill... One
million, 800 thousand.
So zapata hit the sweet
spot in terms of priority cases.
Yeah, he took
enough to be wanted
but not enough to be too wanted.
Back in '04, we were
all focused on terrorism,
to the exclusion of
almost everything else.
Are you sure zapata
left the country?
Well, we have records
of him flying to Costa Rica
one month before the murder.
Plus, he speaks
fluent Spanish, so...
But where'd he put the money?
We never found it. If
he's been taking it out
in increments of
like $90,000 a year,
that's virtually untraceable.
Me... I'd be
interested in hearing
what zapata's wife had to say.
Bureau's been keeping tabs
on her phone calls and e-mails
for the last eight years.
She's still in Colorado Springs.
Well, we ought
to fly her out here.
She might remember
something useful.
We don't have
the budget for that.
Captain, I'll pay for it
myself, out of my own pocket.
Or I'll fly to her.
I'll use my vacation days.
I have to try to
find this zapata guy.
It's the least I can do.
No, Mike, I was thinking that,
since the federal
government has an interest,
maybe the FBI could fly...
We don't want her to find out
we've been keeping
her under surveillance.
It's been almost nine years.
I think it's possible to say
that the "watchful waiting"
part of your operation
hasn't worked out.
Okay.
Let me go check with
my fearless leaders.
You must be rusty.
I'm Daniel Dunn.
It's good to finally meet you.
I'm sorry.
He's usually much
more talkative.
Maybe he's overwhelmed, like me.
Look, you've raised kids.
How do I get him to warm up?
Try something positive
about his mother.
He won't admit it, but
he really misses her.
Yeah
I knew her intimately, not well.
Think of something.
Hey, that was a pretty
great dinner, huh?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, thanks.
So, uh, tomorrow's
a school day for me,
so I should probably...
I-I'm going, I'm going.
But I-I feel like I talked so
much tonight about myself
that I really didn't get a
chance to hear much about you.
And, also...
You didn't ask me
about your mother.
I thought that you
might find it interesting
to know what she was
like when we were your age.
Oh.
Well, uh... Sure.
Well, she was, um...
She was a really,
really sweet girl.
She was beautiful.
And she had eyes
exactly like yours.
We met junior year. She
was a new kid in school.
She was really shy at
first, but she had this laugh.
People called it infectious.
I bet she still has it.
Not so much.
Well...
She wasn't at school very long.
You know, her family
moved around a lot.
Yeah, I never met
my mom's family.
I think... I think her parents
threw her out when she got...
you know...
Pregnant with you?
Yeah.
That sucks.
Yeah.
I'm sorry. I didn't know that.
Daniel, you went to high
school with rusty's mom.
Do you have a yearbook that
might have a picture of her?
Oh, my god. I do.
I do. Oh, my god. I
should have brought that.
You know, rusty, I could
come back tomorrow, if...
I mean, if you don't mind
having another dinner.
Um...
Yeah, uh...
How about hamburgers?
Rusty knows the best places
to get hamburgers all over L.A.
I love hamburgers.
Yeah, y-you know,
I might have a lot of
homework tomorrow.
I'm not sure yet.
Listen, you've... You've
been nice and all that,
but how do I know
that you're not trying
to create some kind of...
False impression?
False impression?
You're the one
wearing a suit and tie.
Is this how you always
dress for dinner?
I think I'm beginning to see
some genetic markers appearing.
Look, rusty,
there's no pressure.
I'll call you.
If you don't want me
to come back tomorrow,
we'll make our visit
for some other time.
How's that?
Perfect. Good night, Daniel.
Thank you for buying us dinner.
Yeah. Yeah, thanks.
No, no, no, thank you.
It was fantastic spending
time with you, rusty.
It's... it was fantastic.
So, we'll talk tomorrow.
Thank you. Thank you.
Well?
Why should I trust
anything that he says?
You can't.
But the DNA confirms
he is your father.
He has legal rights.
We can't stall him forever.
Rusty, you need to
get to know this man.
I know it's hard to trust him.
Trust me.
I'm on your side.
Well, you sure as hell
aren't on Mike tao's side.
I'm on the side of the victim
and of figuring out how to
properly conclude this case
so that we avoid a civil action.
By pursuing every little lead
on this disappearing
clown, zapata,
you make it seem like
Mike screwed this case
up from the beginning.
Lieutenant, the court decreed
that lieutenant tao put
the wrong man in prison,
and lieutenant
tao offered to pay
for Mr. Zapata's wife
to be flown in himself.
Look, just because he asked
Doesn't mean
you have to say yes.
You know, sometimes
it's good to say no.
Captain, all I'm asking
is that you back
tao a little more.
It's not that hard.
I need more information.
For instance, lieutenant,
maybe you could figure out
why an embezzler like zapata
left blood by the sink of
Mr. Reichman's house.
Well, I could think of a
thousand reasons for that.
I don't need a thousand reasons.
I need one.
Mrs. Zapata, do you
know why your husband
was at Mr. Reichman's
house 3rd of April, 2004?
How should I know?
Did he have a reason
to come to Los Angeles?
Probably chasing a woman.
What woman?
Any woman he could con
into hopping into bed with him.
There were a lot.
Benny never told me anything.
Even when he was
home, he wasn't home.
Know what I mean?
I do. Yes.
You didn't know
he was committing
insurance fraud, embezzling?
No. He never gave me
anything, never told me squat.
So why the FBI
keeps on watching me,
I don't know.
Ma'am, do you have any idea
where your husband has
been the last 8 1/2 years?
My guess?
While I'm working
for minimum wage
as a cashier at a drug store,
Benny's lying somewhere
on a beach in Central America
next to someone in a bikini.
You want to find my husband,
look for a woman who disappeared
around the same time he did.
I think we know someone
who fits that description.
Elaine reichman.
And how long ago
would Elaine reichman
have had an account at our bank?
At least eight years.
Mr. Valdez, did you get the scan
of the Interpol warrant
for Mr. Benito zapata?
Because we think
it might be related
to the Elaine reichman account.
Sí, sí, sí, I have it,
special agent Howard.
Can you see me? I have it here.
Yes, yes.
Are you at FBI headquarters
in Washington, D.C.?
No, I'm in the
major crimes division
of the Los Angeles
police department.
Allow me to introduce
lieutenant tao, here.
And now I'm gonna
turn you around, sir,
and show the rest of the
division and where they work.
This is Mr. Valdez
from banco nacional.
It looks like an
insurance office.
We agree.
I guess things are
always more exciting
in the movies, huh?
Um, can I have the name again
and the social security number?
Elaine reichman.
R-e-i-c-h-m-a-n.
I'm entering the social now.
Yes. Uh...
Ms. Reichman opened the
account in march of 2004.
In the amount of?!
$1.8 million U.S.
It's worth quite a bit more now.
Lucky for her,
she stayed away
from the stock market.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
De nada.
Thank you, Mr. Valdez.
Bye-bye. We'll get back to you.
I just got off the phone
with the state department.
Mrs. Reichman
renewed her passport
one week before
she was murdered.
She didn't catch
zapata committing fraud
in her capacity as
an insurance adjuster.
She was helping him.
The couple that feels
together steals together.
They were planning to
run off to sunny Costa Rica.
And Mr. Reichman
found that out somehow.
Well, what have I
been saying all along?
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
And that's why zapata's
blood was at the scene.
Reichman didn't
just kill his wife.
He also killed her lover.
Zapata isn't a suspect.
He's another victim.
I know we can't go
after reichman again
for killing his wife,
but, hypothetically, what if he
killed two people on
the night of April 3, 2004?
Two people?
His wife, her boyfriend.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You think he stabbed
zapata to death, too?
Why didn't we know this before?
Because we had a dead
body right in front of us
and his daughter was an
eye-witness to the murder.
Okay. We didn't think to
look for a second victim.
I understand that.
But, hypothetically,
how did reichman manage
to pull off two murders
and dispose of one
body in just 20 minutes?
Architects are good planners.
Maybe his original design
was to get rid of both bodies.
The one thing he didn't plan
on was his daughter waking up.
And how do you propose
to find this second victim?
Lydia.
Where's dad?
I thought he was
gonna meet us here.
Tying up some loose
ends with his lawyer.
Would you mind walking
us through without him?
Everything's
exactly like it was.
Where have you been
living these past eight years?
With my mom's parents.
They hated my father.
But when I turned 16,
dad sent me the
most... Beautiful letter.
And so I went behind
my grandparents' back
and started driving
to prison to visit him.
When I got to know what
a good person he really is...
I started remembering
more and more
about what happened that night.
I just...
I can't
believe what I did to him.
It's just horrible.
But now we know the
blood evidence we found
proves your father
was telling the truth
about another man
being in the house.
And thank you
for admitting that.
Lydia, I want to find this
man in the worst way.
I know it's painful,
but I need you
to walk us through
every single thing
you can remember
from the moment
you woke up that night.
I was in bed.
I heard angry voices.
Aah! Mom screamed.
Someone ran out of the house.
How do you know?
Because I heard the door.
What door?
The back door, downstairs.
It's always been squeaky.
I got up, and I looked
out the window.
I saw him.
The intruder... zapata.
You saw him out back?
Yes.
Yes, he was
carrying something...
A sack or a duffel bag, maybe.
My dad must have gone after him.
Are you sure?
I clearly remember seeing
dad look around the yard.
I wanted to see if mom was okay,
so I got my flashlight
out from under my bed...
And...
I came down the stairs.
And that's when I saw dad
pulling the knife out of mom.
He was trying to save her.
I know that now.
Mr. Reichman?
Mr. Reichman?
Mr. Corbett, Mr. Reichman,
this is special agent
Howard from the FBI.
You people aren't gonna
question my client again
without me being present.
Great news, gentlemen.
We finally found the money
that Mr. Zapata embezzled.
It's in a bank in Costa Rica,
and we are guardedly optimistic
that it will lead us
to your wife's killer.
That would be a miracle.
Obviously, if we manage
to catch her murderers,
your settlement from
any potential civil suits
would skyrocket.
I'm listening.
There's one little hitch.
The, uh... the money
isn't in Mr. Zapata's name.
It's in your wife's
name, Mr. Reichman.
Why would it be
in Elaine's name?
Is it possible Elaine
was romantically
involved with Mr. Zapata?
Don't answer that.
Are you insane?
There's one thing I bump on.
You heard your mother scream,
you heard the door open...
Oh. There's that creak.
You looked out the window,
and you clearly saw
Mr. Zapata, and then your dad?
From that very window.
But how could you when
all the lights were off?
Your dad told the
first responders
that the intruder
cut off the power.
I know that because I flipped
the main breakers on myself.
I'm not making
this up. I could see.
Lydia, you needed a flashlight
to come down the stairs?
God, you're doing it again.
You're... You're
trying to confuse me.
No.
I believe you.
I have always believed you.
You were telling the truth
from the very beginning.
No. There was an intruder.
He stopped at the sink to
wash the blood off his hands.
The DNA proves that.
Or else your father
killed him here.
What are you saying?
I think your dad came
home from the airport
and he snuck in the
house, expecting to surprise
your mother and
Mr. Zapata in bed.
In bed?
But Mr. Zapata was right here.
Thanks
to the patriot act,
servers hang on to
everything, forever.
The FBI was able to
access your wife's e-mail
from 8 1/2 years ago.
It appears she was very
involved with Mr. Zapata,
both criminally
and romantically.
So your dad killed him.
Then he went to go kill
your mother in the bedroom.
But he made two mistakes.
One, you woke up.
And worse, your mother was
wounded, but she wasn't dead.
She was trying to crawl away.
And you came downstairs
and found him
finishing what he started.
He had no choice
but to stage a break-in,
cut off the power,
and hoped everyone
would treat you like
a mixed-up little kid.
That's always the problem.
You plan the perfect murder,
then people don't
play their parts.
I don't believe you.
It's yourself you don't believe.
These are records
of you running a
password-capture program
on your wife's
laptop, Mr. Reichman.
If your client found
his wife's correspondence
with Mr. Zapata,
that would be
motive for killing her.
This is ridiculous.
He cannot be tried
for her murder again,
even if you could prove it.
It's not just her murder
we're interested in.
Mr. Zapata, I presume.
Tweezers.
Please.
What's this in the sternum?
It's a knife tip found at
your house, Mr. Reichman,
and it fits perfectly on the
blade of the murder weapon.
You can't try him
again for killing his wife.
That's double jeopardy.
Try double homicide, counselor.
Mr. Reichman, you remember
Mr. Zapata, don't you?
We found his body, sir.
And while you're right...
We can't charge you again
for the murder of your wife...
We can use her as evidence.
Lieutenant.
Will reichman,
you're under arrest... again...
For extremely
premeditated homicide...
Or, as we like to
call it around here,
murder in the first degree.
Your dad has
agreed to take a deal.
He'll be spending the
rest of his life in prison.
Give him credit for this...
He didn't want to put
you through another trial,
force you to
testify against him.
But why don't I hate him?
After... What he
did to my mom...
When spouses
cheat, people go crazy.
Maybe taking this deal
and sparing you from
taking the stand again
was his way of
saying he's sorry.
For everything.
Thank you for
looking out for me.
Would you like to say
goodbye to your dad
before he goes to prison?
Daddy, why did you do it?
Why?
I'll tell you what I'm
really sorry about, Lydia.
I'm sorry I didn't
kill you, too.
Get him out of here.
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
My god.
My god.
Will you at least try
talking to your
father this time?
Please, please, call him Daniel.
He had nothing to
do with raising me,
and I don't think
we're gonna hit it off.
I feel like I'm being tested.
Look, I completely
agree with you.
Not all fathers
are created equal.
But Daniel doesn't seem to be
reaching out
because he needs you,
but because he wants to.
That's got to count
for something.
Hey.
Do you want to come with us?
It's better I don't.
Hello, Daniel. Good
to see you again.
You, too, Sharon. Hey, bud.
Hey.
What? No suit tonight?
Uh... the suit was her idea.
I see. You hungry?
Sure.
Let's go.
We won't be gone long.
Oh, take your time.
But tomorrow's a school day,
so try and have
him back by 11:00.
911. What's
your emergency?
Please...
Please send help!
Please!
Somebody broke into my house!
He stabbed my wife!
Oh, my god!
There's blood everywhere!
I missed my flight.
When I drove home
from the airport,
I noticed that the
lights were off.
I came in through the garage.
Called out for Elaine.
I saw a man running
out of the house.
Can you describe this man?
It was dark. I
couldn't see his face.
He ran out the back door.
Must have forced
Elaine to open the safe.
Why did he have to kill her?
He had what he wanted.
Mr. Reichman, how
did you cut your hand?
Maybe when I pulled
the knife out of Elaine.
It was stuck in her chest.
I thought I could save her.
Where was your
daughter during all this?
Asleep...
I hope.
I heard mommy
and daddy fighting again.
They woke me up,
and I came downstairs.
How could you see
with the lights off?
I'm a girl scout.
I keep a flashlight under my bed
in case there's an earthquake.
Lydia...
What did you see when
you went downstairs?
I saw daddy stabbing
mommy with a knife.
There was blood.
So much blood.
And when he stopped,
he still had the
knife in his hand.
And mommy wasn't moving anymore.
Have
you reached a verdict?
We have, your honor.
Mr. Reichman, would you
please stand and face the jury?
Mrs. Kane.
We the jury in the
above-entitled action
find the defendant,
William reichman...
Guilty of first-degree
murder of Elaine reichman.
I'm innocent.
So said December 3, 2004.
No, I'm... I'm... I'm innocent!
No. No, wait. This is wrong.
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent!
Order in the court!
Wait, wait! I'm innocent! Order!
Ladies and gentlemen,
order in this court!
All rise.
Court is now in session.
The honorable judge
richwood presiding.
Please turn and face the flag.
I pledge allegiance to the
flag of the United States of America,
and to the republic
for which it stands,
one nation, under
god, indivisible,
with Liberty and
justice for all.
Judge richwood:
Please be seated.
Good morning.
All right, I have read the
witness's new statement.
I've studied your briefs.
I'm now ready to
hear final arguments
on the motion to overturn
Mr. Reichman's conviction.
D.d.a. Meeks.
Your honor, we've
only had 60 days
to follow up on this newly
discovered blood evidence.
Excuse me, your honor.
This blood is not new.
It was there the whole time.
The police just didn't
bother to process it.
We just put our
hands over our hearts
and recited the words
"with Liberty and
justice for all."
This man... this innocent man...
Has been deprived of
both Liberty and justice
for 8 1/2 years.
He lost his architectural firm
and his standing
in his profession.
Mr. Reichman has always
maintained his innocence.
He has always maintained
that there was an
intruder in the house.
After the only witness, a
10-year-old child, recanted,
the police finally agreed
to DNA-test all the blood.
Guess what.
There was someone
else in the house.
He bled, he fled,
he has a criminal record,
and is wanted by the FBI.
All right, gentlemen, approach.
Lieutenant, you, too.
Why on earth didn't you test
these blood samples in 2004?
We ran DNA on the blood
found near the victim's body.
This sample was taken from
the other side of the house,
near the kitchen sink,
where Mr. Reichman
said he washed his hands
after cutting himself
on the murder weapon.
He thought the blood was his.
When I see an area like
this, that hasn't been checked,
I assume it's either
purposeful or negligent.
All we're looking
for is 30 more days
to find the person
this DNA belongs to
and determine to what extent, if
any... My client shouldn't spend
another minute in custody.
He was involved in the murder.
That's enough. Step back.
At least give us
a chance to refile
if new information arises.
Step back.
Will the defendant please
rise and face the bench?
Mr. Reichman, I am...
Floored by what has
happened here today.
Officially, your
nightmare is over.
The state of California owes
you a profound apology, sir,
and I'm hereby dismissing
this case with prejudice.
Mr. Corbett,
a moment of your time?
Excuse me, miss reichman?
I'm Amy Sykes from "live at 5."
Would you listen
to an on-air apology
from the police officer
who arrested your father
almost nine years ago?
Detective tao?
It's lieutenant tao now.
Buzz, are we ready to roll?
We are rolling.
Lydia, I am so sorry
about what happened
to your father.
I know you were probably
trying to do your job,
and it might have
looked like he was guilty,
but you manipulated me
into testifying
against my own father.
I didn't manipulate you, Lydia.
I was only trying to
help you remember.
That's enough.
Turn off the camera.
Lydia, please, please!
Lydia...
I screwed up the case.
I'm sorry.
Maybe I didn't dig deep enough
into what you were
saying back then
because I didn't want
to traumatize you.
I was only 10.
You asked the questions
and fed me the answers.
Please.
Watch the recording
of our initial interview
and see if you still
think I acted in bad faith.
Are you still trying to
turn me against my dad?
Absolutely not.
The judge ruled
your father can't be
tried for this murder again.
He's effectively not guilty,
which means someone
else killed your mom,
and you're still a
witness to her murder.
You know I researched
what was on TV that night.
April 3, 2004.
And I remembered
watching a scary movie
about a man who
murdered his wife.
That's what made me say all
those terrible things about my dad.
I was just a kid.
Watch this recording. Please.
It may trigger a memory
that could help me,
help your mom.
Please.
She's sticking to her new story
like she did to her old story.
Lieutenant, how did this
case go so upside down?
8 1/2 years ago, it cost
about $1,000 per DNA test.
We took over 200 samples
from the crime scene.
We had a trial
budget of 50 grand.
So we chose 25 blood samples,
and the defense chose their 25.
There wasn't much
blood found in the kitchen,
and reichman thought it was his.
It's a brutal scene.
Whoever attacked
Mrs. Reichman...
And that would be Mr. Reichman.
Stabbed her in the neck
by the door to the
master bedroom.
She fought back.
Stabbed her again.
She crawled into the front room,
trying to get out the
sliding glass door.
He pulled her by the
hair, slit her throat,
stabbed her in the
chest four more times.
Overkill. Passionate. Personal.
He attacked
her with enough force
to break the tip off the knife.
Did you find the tip in
Mrs. Reichman's body?
No. The knife,
according to the suspect...
It was taken from their
kitchen, by the way...
Was already broken.
It matched up to every
wound in the victim's body.
Not to
mention reichman bought
a big roll of plastic,
some cement,
and a shiny new shovel
one week before
his wife's murder.
Which he claimed
was for the yard.
He also claimed to give
his daughter a sleeping pill.
Sleeping pill?
For a 10-year-old?
Reichman said, whenever
he went away on business,
the daughter became hysterical.
Helping her nod off
was his wife's idea.
Mike tested the
little girl's cocoa
and found Ambien in it.
Now, the kid fell asleep
before she finished it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't
have woken up in time
to catch her father with
that knife in his hand.
The defense was right.
I never gave any credence
to the intruder theory.
I always thought the
husband did it from the get-go.
Because he's guilty as hell.
How can you be
so sure, lieutenant?
Three good reasons, Sykes...
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
Lieutenant provenza,
that is exactly what
Mr. Reichman's civil attorney
will want you to say
while he's suing this department
for millions of
dollars in damages.
What was Mr. Reichman's
alibi, lieutenant tao?
He arrived at the airport late,
got stuck in a long security
line, and missed his flight.
Here's Mr. Reichman
staring directly into an
l.A.X. Security camera
at 12:04 A.M.
Who looks directly
into a security camera?
Hey, look, I can give
him a break there.
Sometimes you can't
see those cameras.
He left airport
parking at 12:16 A.M.
And reported the murder
at 22 minutes after 1:00.
What, leaving,
like, an hour and change
to drive all the
way to silver lake?
Plus, cut the power,
stage a break-in,
kill his wife, and call 911?
I drove from l.A.X. To the
crime scene dozens of times.
Varied the route, speed.
That late at night, it took me
anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes,
which would have given reichman
a window of 21 to 31 minutes.
Plenty of time
to commit murder.
It all fits.
Except the part where
he turns out to be innocent
eight years after I
sent him to prison.
Mike, Mike, you got to
stop beating yourself up.
The guy did it.
He outfoxed the system somehow.
Tell me about our new
alternate suspect, lieutenant.
The DNA says he's
a wanted embezzler
named Benito "Benny" zapata.
He's lived and worked
in Colorado Springs.
Last-known whereabouts?
The crime scene, I guess.
Lieutenant provenza,
let's start looking for
Mr. Zapata right now
and contact our FBI liaison,
since they seem
to want him, too.
Lieutenant tao, I would like
to watch the initial interview
that you did with
Mr. Reichman's daughter.
I heard angry voices.
Mom screamed.
Someone ran out of the house.
I thought daddy was gone again.
But I could still hear noises,
like grunting and
groaning sounds.
So I got my flashlight
and I went downstairs,
and that's when I saw
my daddy with the knife.
What was he
doing with the knife?
Hurting mommy.
Hurting her how?
Can you show me?
Like this.
Lydia, your daddy said
he was pulling the knife out.
Is that possible?
Pulling it out
and putting it in.
It made noises.
Did you see anyone
else in the house?
Are you sure?
Just mommy and daddy.
Why did you give this
DVD to my daughter?
After all we've been through.
Haven't you done
enough damage already?
ReichInstead of dragging
my daughter back through this,
why don't you talk to
me? Where's Sharon?
I'll tell you anything
you want to know.
Lieutenant provenza, do
you know how to knot a tie?
You're seriously asking
this guy for advice on a tie?
Yeah. Why not? He's been
wearing 'em for a hundred years.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Give me that thing.
Can you man the ship?
Aye-aye.
Let me.
Do you want a windsor
or a half-windsor?
What's the difference?
What's the occasion?
Oh, well, my sperm donor
is taking me and
Sharon out to dinner.
I thought you didn't want to
meet your biological father.
I'm calling him "Mr. Dunn."
Uh, chin up, please.
And it shouldn't come
as a surprise to you,
but I can be bought.
The suit is a bribe.
A bribe?
Well, Sharon bought me this suit
to bribe me into having
dinner with the donor.
I've never had a
suit before... Or a tie,
and I got to pick it
out myself, so I figured,
you know, I should break it in.
Looks good.
This must be some
fancy restaurant, huh?
Yeah, it's like
"trat-o-Ria spo-leeto"
or something like
that... I don't know.
But it's not gonna
be about the meal.
They have a great marinara.
No, I mean,
Mr. Dunn is gonna be
on the hot seat tonight.
I've got, like, 47
questions to ask him.
Good god, you're not kidding.
"Number 12... which would
you pay me more to do...
Live with you or
stay away from you?"
Yeah, that one
may say number 12,
but really, it's
like number 1 or 2.
Definitely an up-front question.
"Why should I believe
you never knew about me?"
Rusty, you don't
need these questions.
The man is blood, okay?
You sit down, you
look him in the eye,
and then you give the
man the benefit of the doubt.
No, but he should be
on the defensive, not me.
Rusty, this is not chess.
No one needs to
be on the defensive.
You listen to me, young man.
You got out there tonight
and have a good time.
Hey, buzz, a little
red light just came on.
Is it flashing or is it steady?
Um, steady?
N-No, flashing.
Leaving you in
charge of the Titanic.
So...
Do I look more mature?
Yeah.
Sure you do.
Why all these questions
about my daughter
after nearly a decade?
We're just
trying to understand
why Lydia changed her statement.
How about, she
finally grew old enough
to understand right from wrong?
Anything new from the
architect of our misery?
He's suing tao, the
police department,
and the city for
wrongful imprisonment.
Shocking.
My story hasn't changed,
and my daughter's new
statement, by the way,
corroborates the blood evidence
and what I've been
saying all along.
Lydia now realizes
that she, too, saw an
intruder in the house.
Which you say is Benito zapata.
DNA doesn't lie, and
neither did I, lieutenant.
Did you know him?
Zapata.
No.
But since I found out who
he was and what he did,
I've been thinking about that.
Zapata owned an auto-body shop
that was fraudulently
billing for repair.
My wife, Elaine, was
an insurance adjustor.
It's possible that she found out
that this creep was
stealing from her company.
And you have paperwork
to document that theory?
She kept stuff like that
locked away in the safe.
You're the professionals,
but maybe zapata did take it.
I was never able to
wrap my mind around
why someone would kill Elaine
after getting everything
they wanted out of the safe.
But it's beginning
to make sense.
Would you mind if I walk
through your house one more time,
just to refamiliarize myself
with the crime scene?
I don't want you in
my house or in my life,
and I especially want you to
stay away from my daughter.
Excuse me.
You still own the house?
I am an architect, captain.
That house was my child.
And I wanted to walk
back through the front door
as a free man.
Anything else?
No. You've been most helpful.
Thank you, Mr. Reichman.
I promise you, I will do
everything in my power
to finally make this right.
Can you give me back
the time I lost
with my daughter?
Can you give me back
my reputation, my career?
My friends?
Because that's what I
need to make this right.
Sir...
I am truly sorry.
Just find the man
who murdered my wife,
and let's get this over with.
Do you have any
idea where he is?
According to Interpol,
not in Europe, South
America, or Mexico.
The bureau's had a ufap
warrant on Mr. Zapata
since late in '04.
A u-who?
A ufap...
Unlawful flight to
avoid prosecution, buzz.
Got to love a good FBI acronym.
With a proper fake passport,
zapata could be almost
anywhere in the world.
If he's still alive, the
bureau thinks he might...
Look something...
Like this.
Unless he's had plastic surgery.
Good to have you back, Sykes.
Little ray of sunshine returns.
Zapata walked
away from his wife,
his job, his entire life.
We didn't even realize
he was embezzling
until almost a year
after he disappeared.
Does he have children?
Not that we're aware of.
How much did he embezzle?
$1.8 mill... One
million, 800 thousand.
So zapata hit the sweet
spot in terms of priority cases.
Yeah, he took
enough to be wanted
but not enough to be too wanted.
Back in '04, we were
all focused on terrorism,
to the exclusion of
almost everything else.
Are you sure zapata
left the country?
Well, we have records
of him flying to Costa Rica
one month before the murder.
Plus, he speaks
fluent Spanish, so...
But where'd he put the money?
We never found it. If
he's been taking it out
in increments of
like $90,000 a year,
that's virtually untraceable.
Me... I'd be
interested in hearing
what zapata's wife had to say.
Bureau's been keeping tabs
on her phone calls and e-mails
for the last eight years.
She's still in Colorado Springs.
Well, we ought
to fly her out here.
She might remember
something useful.
We don't have
the budget for that.
Captain, I'll pay for it
myself, out of my own pocket.
Or I'll fly to her.
I'll use my vacation days.
I have to try to
find this zapata guy.
It's the least I can do.
No, Mike, I was thinking that,
since the federal
government has an interest,
maybe the FBI could fly...
We don't want her to find out
we've been keeping
her under surveillance.
It's been almost nine years.
I think it's possible to say
that the "watchful waiting"
part of your operation
hasn't worked out.
Okay.
Let me go check with
my fearless leaders.
You must be rusty.
I'm Daniel Dunn.
It's good to finally meet you.
I'm sorry.
He's usually much
more talkative.
Maybe he's overwhelmed, like me.
Look, you've raised kids.
How do I get him to warm up?
Try something positive
about his mother.
He won't admit it, but
he really misses her.
Yeah
I knew her intimately, not well.
Think of something.
Hey, that was a pretty
great dinner, huh?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, thanks.
So, uh, tomorrow's
a school day for me,
so I should probably...
I-I'm going, I'm going.
But I-I feel like I talked so
much tonight about myself
that I really didn't get a
chance to hear much about you.
And, also...
You didn't ask me
about your mother.
I thought that you
might find it interesting
to know what she was
like when we were your age.
Oh.
Well, uh... Sure.
Well, she was, um...
She was a really,
really sweet girl.
She was beautiful.
And she had eyes
exactly like yours.
We met junior year. She
was a new kid in school.
She was really shy at
first, but she had this laugh.
People called it infectious.
I bet she still has it.
Not so much.
Well...
She wasn't at school very long.
You know, her family
moved around a lot.
Yeah, I never met
my mom's family.
I think... I think her parents
threw her out when she got...
you know...
Pregnant with you?
Yeah.
That sucks.
Yeah.
I'm sorry. I didn't know that.
Daniel, you went to high
school with rusty's mom.
Do you have a yearbook that
might have a picture of her?
Oh, my god. I do.
I do. Oh, my god. I
should have brought that.
You know, rusty, I could
come back tomorrow, if...
I mean, if you don't mind
having another dinner.
Um...
Yeah, uh...
How about hamburgers?
Rusty knows the best places
to get hamburgers all over L.A.
I love hamburgers.
Yeah, y-you know,
I might have a lot of
homework tomorrow.
I'm not sure yet.
Listen, you've... You've
been nice and all that,
but how do I know
that you're not trying
to create some kind of...
False impression?
False impression?
You're the one
wearing a suit and tie.
Is this how you always
dress for dinner?
I think I'm beginning to see
some genetic markers appearing.
Look, rusty,
there's no pressure.
I'll call you.
If you don't want me
to come back tomorrow,
we'll make our visit
for some other time.
How's that?
Perfect. Good night, Daniel.
Thank you for buying us dinner.
Yeah. Yeah, thanks.
No, no, no, thank you.
It was fantastic spending
time with you, rusty.
It's... it was fantastic.
So, we'll talk tomorrow.
Thank you. Thank you.
Well?
Why should I trust
anything that he says?
You can't.
But the DNA confirms
he is your father.
He has legal rights.
We can't stall him forever.
Rusty, you need to
get to know this man.
I know it's hard to trust him.
Trust me.
I'm on your side.
Well, you sure as hell
aren't on Mike tao's side.
I'm on the side of the victim
and of figuring out how to
properly conclude this case
so that we avoid a civil action.
By pursuing every little lead
on this disappearing
clown, zapata,
you make it seem like
Mike screwed this case
up from the beginning.
Lieutenant, the court decreed
that lieutenant tao put
the wrong man in prison,
and lieutenant
tao offered to pay
for Mr. Zapata's wife
to be flown in himself.
Look, just because he asked
Doesn't mean
you have to say yes.
You know, sometimes
it's good to say no.
Captain, all I'm asking
is that you back
tao a little more.
It's not that hard.
I need more information.
For instance, lieutenant,
maybe you could figure out
why an embezzler like zapata
left blood by the sink of
Mr. Reichman's house.
Well, I could think of a
thousand reasons for that.
I don't need a thousand reasons.
I need one.
Mrs. Zapata, do you
know why your husband
was at Mr. Reichman's
house 3rd of April, 2004?
How should I know?
Did he have a reason
to come to Los Angeles?
Probably chasing a woman.
What woman?
Any woman he could con
into hopping into bed with him.
There were a lot.
Benny never told me anything.
Even when he was
home, he wasn't home.
Know what I mean?
I do. Yes.
You didn't know
he was committing
insurance fraud, embezzling?
No. He never gave me
anything, never told me squat.
So why the FBI
keeps on watching me,
I don't know.
Ma'am, do you have any idea
where your husband has
been the last 8 1/2 years?
My guess?
While I'm working
for minimum wage
as a cashier at a drug store,
Benny's lying somewhere
on a beach in Central America
next to someone in a bikini.
You want to find my husband,
look for a woman who disappeared
around the same time he did.
I think we know someone
who fits that description.
Elaine reichman.
And how long ago
would Elaine reichman
have had an account at our bank?
At least eight years.
Mr. Valdez, did you get the scan
of the Interpol warrant
for Mr. Benito zapata?
Because we think
it might be related
to the Elaine reichman account.
Sí, sí, sí, I have it,
special agent Howard.
Can you see me? I have it here.
Yes, yes.
Are you at FBI headquarters
in Washington, D.C.?
No, I'm in the
major crimes division
of the Los Angeles
police department.
Allow me to introduce
lieutenant tao, here.
And now I'm gonna
turn you around, sir,
and show the rest of the
division and where they work.
This is Mr. Valdez
from banco nacional.
It looks like an
insurance office.
We agree.
I guess things are
always more exciting
in the movies, huh?
Um, can I have the name again
and the social security number?
Elaine reichman.
R-e-i-c-h-m-a-n.
I'm entering the social now.
Yes. Uh...
Ms. Reichman opened the
account in march of 2004.
In the amount of?!
$1.8 million U.S.
It's worth quite a bit more now.
Lucky for her,
she stayed away
from the stock market.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
De nada.
Thank you, Mr. Valdez.
Bye-bye. We'll get back to you.
I just got off the phone
with the state department.
Mrs. Reichman
renewed her passport
one week before
she was murdered.
She didn't catch
zapata committing fraud
in her capacity as
an insurance adjuster.
She was helping him.
The couple that feels
together steals together.
They were planning to
run off to sunny Costa Rica.
And Mr. Reichman
found that out somehow.
Well, what have I
been saying all along?
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
It's always the husband.
And that's why zapata's
blood was at the scene.
Reichman didn't
just kill his wife.
He also killed her lover.
Zapata isn't a suspect.
He's another victim.
I know we can't go
after reichman again
for killing his wife,
but, hypothetically, what if he
killed two people on
the night of April 3, 2004?
Two people?
His wife, her boyfriend.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You think he stabbed
zapata to death, too?
Why didn't we know this before?
Because we had a dead
body right in front of us
and his daughter was an
eye-witness to the murder.
Okay. We didn't think to
look for a second victim.
I understand that.
But, hypothetically,
how did reichman manage
to pull off two murders
and dispose of one
body in just 20 minutes?
Architects are good planners.
Maybe his original design
was to get rid of both bodies.
The one thing he didn't plan
on was his daughter waking up.
And how do you propose
to find this second victim?
Lydia.
Where's dad?
I thought he was
gonna meet us here.
Tying up some loose
ends with his lawyer.
Would you mind walking
us through without him?
Everything's
exactly like it was.
Where have you been
living these past eight years?
With my mom's parents.
They hated my father.
But when I turned 16,
dad sent me the
most... Beautiful letter.
And so I went behind
my grandparents' back
and started driving
to prison to visit him.
When I got to know what
a good person he really is...
I started remembering
more and more
about what happened that night.
I just...
I can't
believe what I did to him.
It's just horrible.
But now we know the
blood evidence we found
proves your father
was telling the truth
about another man
being in the house.
And thank you
for admitting that.
Lydia, I want to find this
man in the worst way.
I know it's painful,
but I need you
to walk us through
every single thing
you can remember
from the moment
you woke up that night.
I was in bed.
I heard angry voices.
Aah! Mom screamed.
Someone ran out of the house.
How do you know?
Because I heard the door.
What door?
The back door, downstairs.
It's always been squeaky.
I got up, and I looked
out the window.
I saw him.
The intruder... zapata.
You saw him out back?
Yes.
Yes, he was
carrying something...
A sack or a duffel bag, maybe.
My dad must have gone after him.
Are you sure?
I clearly remember seeing
dad look around the yard.
I wanted to see if mom was okay,
so I got my flashlight
out from under my bed...
And...
I came down the stairs.
And that's when I saw dad
pulling the knife out of mom.
He was trying to save her.
I know that now.
Mr. Reichman?
Mr. Reichman?
Mr. Corbett, Mr. Reichman,
this is special agent
Howard from the FBI.
You people aren't gonna
question my client again
without me being present.
Great news, gentlemen.
We finally found the money
that Mr. Zapata embezzled.
It's in a bank in Costa Rica,
and we are guardedly optimistic
that it will lead us
to your wife's killer.
That would be a miracle.
Obviously, if we manage
to catch her murderers,
your settlement from
any potential civil suits
would skyrocket.
I'm listening.
There's one little hitch.
The, uh... the money
isn't in Mr. Zapata's name.
It's in your wife's
name, Mr. Reichman.
Why would it be
in Elaine's name?
Is it possible Elaine
was romantically
involved with Mr. Zapata?
Don't answer that.
Are you insane?
There's one thing I bump on.
You heard your mother scream,
you heard the door open...
Oh. There's that creak.
You looked out the window,
and you clearly saw
Mr. Zapata, and then your dad?
From that very window.
But how could you when
all the lights were off?
Your dad told the
first responders
that the intruder
cut off the power.
I know that because I flipped
the main breakers on myself.
I'm not making
this up. I could see.
Lydia, you needed a flashlight
to come down the stairs?
God, you're doing it again.
You're... You're
trying to confuse me.
No.
I believe you.
I have always believed you.
You were telling the truth
from the very beginning.
No. There was an intruder.
He stopped at the sink to
wash the blood off his hands.
The DNA proves that.
Or else your father
killed him here.
What are you saying?
I think your dad came
home from the airport
and he snuck in the
house, expecting to surprise
your mother and
Mr. Zapata in bed.
In bed?
But Mr. Zapata was right here.
Thanks
to the patriot act,
servers hang on to
everything, forever.
The FBI was able to
access your wife's e-mail
from 8 1/2 years ago.
It appears she was very
involved with Mr. Zapata,
both criminally
and romantically.
So your dad killed him.
Then he went to go kill
your mother in the bedroom.
But he made two mistakes.
One, you woke up.
And worse, your mother was
wounded, but she wasn't dead.
She was trying to crawl away.
And you came downstairs
and found him
finishing what he started.
He had no choice
but to stage a break-in,
cut off the power,
and hoped everyone
would treat you like
a mixed-up little kid.
That's always the problem.
You plan the perfect murder,
then people don't
play their parts.
I don't believe you.
It's yourself you don't believe.
These are records
of you running a
password-capture program
on your wife's
laptop, Mr. Reichman.
If your client found
his wife's correspondence
with Mr. Zapata,
that would be
motive for killing her.
This is ridiculous.
He cannot be tried
for her murder again,
even if you could prove it.
It's not just her murder
we're interested in.
Mr. Zapata, I presume.
Tweezers.
Please.
What's this in the sternum?
It's a knife tip found at
your house, Mr. Reichman,
and it fits perfectly on the
blade of the murder weapon.
You can't try him
again for killing his wife.
That's double jeopardy.
Try double homicide, counselor.
Mr. Reichman, you remember
Mr. Zapata, don't you?
We found his body, sir.
And while you're right...
We can't charge you again
for the murder of your wife...
We can use her as evidence.
Lieutenant.
Will reichman,
you're under arrest... again...
For extremely
premeditated homicide...
Or, as we like to
call it around here,
murder in the first degree.
Your dad has
agreed to take a deal.
He'll be spending the
rest of his life in prison.
Give him credit for this...
He didn't want to put
you through another trial,
force you to
testify against him.
But why don't I hate him?
After... What he
did to my mom...
When spouses
cheat, people go crazy.
Maybe taking this deal
and sparing you from
taking the stand again
was his way of
saying he's sorry.
For everything.
Thank you for
looking out for me.
Would you like to say
goodbye to your dad
before he goes to prison?
Daddy, why did you do it?
Why?
I'll tell you what I'm
really sorry about, Lydia.
I'm sorry I didn't
kill you, too.
Get him out of here.
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
My god.
My god.
Will you at least try
talking to your
father this time?
Please, please, call him Daniel.
He had nothing to
do with raising me,
and I don't think
we're gonna hit it off.
I feel like I'm being tested.
Look, I completely
agree with you.
Not all fathers
are created equal.
But Daniel doesn't seem to be
reaching out
because he needs you,
but because he wants to.
That's got to count
for something.
Hey.
Do you want to come with us?
It's better I don't.
Hello, Daniel. Good
to see you again.
You, too, Sharon. Hey, bud.
Hey.
What? No suit tonight?
Uh... the suit was her idea.
I see. You hungry?
Sure.
Let's go.
We won't be gone long.
Oh, take your time.
But tomorrow's a school day,
so try and have
him back by 11:00.