The Closer (2005–2012): Season 3, Episode 7 - Four to Eight - full transcript
Still feeling unwell, Brenda finally gives in and visits a gynecologist to see why she is constantly feverish and moody. In the meantime, there's a delicate case to handle when two young Latino gang members are gunned down. The gang suspects their rivals, and police do everything they can to stop a racial gang war before it explodes. Within this emotionally charged environment, a father desperately tries to keep his teenage son - a promising young baseball player with the chance of a college athletic scholarship - from losing control and joining the Latino gang in order to avenge the duo deaths of his cousin and friend.
So, when was your last
visit to a gynecologist?
Oh, a year ago, maybe.
I'm not sure. Maybe two.
DOCTOR: Mmm-hmm.
So, what kind of symptoms
are you experiencing?
Well, I've been feverish on
and off for the past month or two.
And my heart starts racing,
my skin tingles a little bit.
It's probably just nerves.
A lot of pressure from
my job. My boyfriend and I,
we're trying to find a house.
The housing market is ridiculous.
Well, if you don't think it's physical,
why not see a psychiatrist instead of me?
Swallow.
Let's have a look
at things, shall we?
A little poke.
I'll run a full chem panel and
check your hormone levels.
Now, I've set up a tentative
appointment for you next week
in case we have to
discuss your results.
So, do you have any
questions, Brenda?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
No, no. No questions.
Thank you. Bye.
(WOMAN CHATTERING ON RADIO)
SANCHEZ: This is the younger
victim, Jesse Romero. He's a Catorce.
And so was the older kid
lying next to him, Angel Flores.
TAYLOR: No blood trail?
Nothing. They were pretty
much shot where they stand.
(PEOPLE YELLING)
(SIREN WAILING)
- Hey, Chief.
- Thank you.
We've got two teenage
victims, 17 and 19.
They're confirmed
members of the Catorce gang.
- They're the same ones we had the...
- I remember the Catorces, Sergeant.
Excuse us! Please step
aside, coming through.
- Step aside, please.
- Step aside.
Keep him back. Good job. A neighbor
reported shots fired around 4:40.
- She...
- That's my family in there, man!
The woman claims that she
saw black gang members.
Why has Priority Homicide been
called in for a local gang feud?
Commander Taylor requested
us. Is everything all right?
Oh, no. Yes. I'm fine, Sergeant. Thank
you. Let's see what's going on here.
Let go! Let me go, man!
That's my family in there, man!
- You find out who that boy is, please.
- Yes, ma'am.
- So, Commander. How can I help you?
- Chief Johnson.
As you're probably aware, there have
been 12 racially motivated gang shootings
in this neighborhood
over the past three weeks.
This black-on-brown gang
war is becoming an epidemic.
Well, I'm not sure I'm the
cure for that, Commander.
Well, I spoke to Chief Pope and he agrees.
We have to start catching these killers
or this conflict
could only get worse.
All right, Detective
Sanchez, what do we have?
It wasn't a drive-by. Three
casings from a .25 caliber.
It looks like the shooter
just walked up and fired.
Did you say walked up?
Why this house, I wonder?
The younger one over there, Jesse
Romero, 17, lived here with his mother.
We pulled a 9mm from
underneath his front waistband.
- The boy never drew his gun?
- Never even touched it.
So, at the very least,
taken by surprise.
The older boy
here, Angel Flores,
he might have been the shooter
in last weekend's double homicide.
A couple of One-Fives got
blasted away in their driveway.
We brought the little Angel in,
but we didn't get squat out of him.
One-Fives might have
decided he was their guy.
I see. All right, anyone home?
Okay, meet our potential
eyewitness, Rosalie Romero.
Mother of the younger victim,
Jesse. Right over there by the needles.
Ma'am? I'm so
sorry about your son.
Mrs. Romero, I'm Deputy
Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.
I understand how upsetting
this must be for you.
(MUMBLING INCOHERENTLY)
Chief?
Black tar heroin. Found it
in the end table over here.
There's enough for
a sales case, Chief.
Maybe her dead gangster
son was selling it to her.
You want me to hold
her overnight, or...
Yes, please,
Lieutenant. Thank you.
Chief? That kid you
told me to talk to.
His name is Miguel Torres.
He's a cousin of one of the victims.
He lives just down the street, but he is
out front and he's causing a big scene.
All right, thank you.
Kill the One-Fives!
- Buzz.
- Kill the One-Fives!
Hey. Hey, hey. Listen
to me, young man.
Young man. I need you to calm
down. Your family needs you right now.
If you don't calm down, I'm
going to take you downtown
for interfering with a criminal
investigation. Okay? Just cool it.
Miguel! That's my
son. Miguel! Miguel!
- What's your name?
- My name is Carlos Torres.
That's my son, Miguel.
Listen, he's not a gang member.
He's just upset his cousin was shot.
He's also inflaming the crowd.
You're Jesse Romero's uncle?
Yes, yes, I am.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
No! It's not okay!
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
(CROWD SHOUTING)
What did I tell you? You see what
happens to gang members? You see?
No, Dad, you see what
happens to Latinos?
The One-Fives are killing us. We
have to fight back. You're being a coward.
I'd like to find whoever murdered
these boys before the Catorces
- decide to retaliate.
- If they haven't already.
Well. Miguel here obviously cared a
lot about at least one of the victims.
Let's start with him.
Detective Sanchez?
Excuse me. Please.
Ma'am. Ma'am, ma'am.
My son, Miguel, he was very upset
today. Not because he's a gang member,
but because he and Jesse
are cousins. That's all.
He has no idea about anything that
happened today. He was home. With me.
Recovering from a knee
injury. Miguel was with me.
Well, he wasn't with you when we
were investigating your nephew's murder.
Well, talk to his school.
Miguel's never been in trouble...
Well, he's in trouble now, sir. He
interfered with a criminal investigation.
I'm telling you that...
Ma'am, I'm telling you. Miguel
is not like those gang members.
He already has a baseball
scholarship to USC.
I raised a good boy.
Well, as a good boy, I expect him to
cooperate with the police. Excuse me, sir.
So, Miguel, you play baseball?
- Yeah, I play baseball, all my life.
- But not today.
Your father tells me
that you hurt your knee?
Yeah, last month.
(CLEARS THROAT)
It'll be fine in a couple weeks.
Well, my brothers played sports
and I know when you're hurt,
watching from the bench is no fun.
Did your cousin
Jesse play baseball?
Yes. Up until the time he was
cut from the team, last June.
And that's when he joined
the East Side Catorces?
Answer the question.
All right. Yeah. That's
when he joined the Catorces.
Someone has to protect our neighborhood,
okay? You guys sure aren't doing it.
Is that why the One-Five
went after your cousin Jesse?
Or were they hunting
the other boy, Angel?
Hey, they didn't come after Angel or
Jesse. They came after all of us, man!
If they hadn't found one of
them, it could've been me.
Look, Miguel. We're just trying to find
out if the One-Fives had a specific reason
for killing either Jesse or...
Hey, you're looking for
a specific reason, lady?
Then you don't know my
world, do you? This is the reason.
Right here! The
color of our skin.
Tell her, man. You know.
So, the One-Fives are going after
anyone brown or just the Catorces?
They're targeting the people
who protect the rest of us!
Well, I'm one of those people,
Miguel. And so is Detective Sanchez.
So if you help us, we can use what
you know about Jesse and Angel
to find the person
who killed them.
Not if I find him first.
(SIGHS)
I'm not even sure this guy's in a
gang and look how angry he is.
Now, the last time
these two gangs clashed,
six bodies wound
up in the morgue.
We need a truce meeting tomorrow.
Leaders of the Catorces and the One-Fives,
before this thing
escalates any further.
So, Detective Sanchez,
I need you to supervise round-the-clock
surveillance for our new friend, Miguel.
Are we set up for that?
In his neighborhood?
- It's my hood, too, Chief.
- Right.
Yes, yes. Gang Intelligence set up
cameras above the streets in Catorce
and One-Five territories, and the
coverage is pretty good. I can use the van.
Track him camera to camera.
Put a few extra surveillance guys
out there where they'd be useful.
But what is it that you think
Miguel knows that we don't know?
His cousin.
And if Miguel won't
help us directly,
then maybe he can help
us find Jesse's killer instead.
(SNIFFLING)
- Chief.
- Yes?
Are you feeling all right?
Yes, I just need to go home
and lie down for a few minutes.
- Chief?
- Yes?
Get better, please?
You have a good
night, too, Detective.
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
I knew it!
- What?
- I've typed in all the symptoms
that I've been experiencing
on this medical expert site
and it's exactly what
I thought, stress.
Which explains why I was such a mess
yesterday and I'm feeling so fine today.
Okay. Let me try this.
Since I'm actually sick.
(SNIFFLING)
I made you some soup,
weren't you hungry?
No. You forgot to add water
when you stuck it in the microwave.
It's actually more like
steaming chicken paste.
Oh, kitty.
I'm sorry, do you want me
to make you some more?
No! Please. Wait. Okay,
(CLEARING THROAT)
I have fever.
Chills. Body ache.
No appetite.
So, I could have lymphoma.
Anthrax. Anthrax?
Lyme disease. Viral hepatitis.
(LAUGHING)
And stress. But we both
know I actually have the flu.
Your point being?
My point is you can make your
symptoms look like anything you want.
What did your doctor say?
About?
- How you are feeling.
- Nothing, really.
Did you ask her anything?
No. I figured, if she noticed
something, she would just...
Brenda Leigh Johnson
had no questions?
Look, Dr. Dioli took some blood, she
said she would call me with the results.
I made an appointment
for next week, if I need it,
and she didn't seem
at all concerned.
Which indicates to me,
stress. It's stress. That's it.
'Cause you want it to be
stress doesn't mean it is stress.
The doctor has to look
at your actual symptoms,
and the blood work and make a
diagnosis based on the facts as they are.
Does that sound familiar?
Snap. Snap.
So they were shot at
Jesse Romero's house,
so why do we think that the other boy,
Angel Flores, might have been the target?
The biggest contributing factor to
last year's California prison riots?
A race war between
black and Latino gangs.
Now thousands of these scumbags
are being released every month
and they're bringing their race
war back into the streets with them.
And Angel was one of them?
Let out of juvie 10 months ago.
Okay. Lieutenant Tao, do we
have a timeline on our victims?
More like a phone line, Chief.
The last call on Jesse's cell
came at 4:14 p.m. from his mother.
Right after that Jesse
rings up Angel Flores.
Twenty-three minutes
later a neighbor dials 911.
I wonder why Jesse's
mother was calling him.
She might have been
asking her son to come home.
No, she didn't seem like she was
up for visitors. Speaking of which,
is Mrs. Romero ready
in Interview Room 1?
Not quite. She'll
need another hour.
At least.
All right. Well, what
about the weapons?
Both vics were shot by a .25
caliber. Small by gangster standards.
Jesse and Angel's 9mm's
would've been a lot more efficient.
Had they been able to get to them. So
the killer was either lying in wait or...
Or they were set up. And
guess what? The killer ran away.
Did the 911 caller report
anyone running away?
Just spoke to her, Ida Martinez.
Confirmed seeing some black
gang members in a gray truck.
Wait a minute. There
was a vehicle involved?
She saw the truck two days ago.
It drives up and down
her street occasionally.
You know, with black gangsters,
guns hanging out the window.
So when she heard the gunshots
she just assumed it was them.
But she never actually saw them?
No, not yesterday. Sorry, Chief.
Anything else no one saw?
The Loch Ness monster, maybe?
(SIGHS)
Jimmy Hoffa? The Invisible Man?
For heaven's sakes, y'all ought to know
that this is the kind of information
I ought to be given immediately.
I mean, what are we doing here?
(BRENDA SIGHS)
So there are no witnesses at
all. Is that what we're saying?
What are we basing our
theory of this case on, then?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Excuse me. Yes,
Detective Sanchez?
Chief, baseball practice is starting
but I don't think Miguel Torres is going.
I've got surveillance
officers on him
and he's walking off with two
Catorce veteranos right now.
- Should I pick him up?
- For what?
Chief, these guys that
Miguel's with, they're bad news.
I mean, if is not in a gang right
now, he's going to be by tonight.
Well, he also may be doing what
he needs to do to find the killer.
Now, just follow him,
Detective Sanchez. Please.
Probation officers brought
in a couple of the leaders
from both the Catorces
and the One-Fives.
But, so far, they're just sitting across
from each other not saying a word.
I don't know if your going in
there is gonna help things or hurt.
Well, I just have a theory I'd like to
clear up. Just a few simple questions.
Which they probably won't answer.
Not to make too big a deal about this,
but these gang members generally
don't respond really well to women.
Well, they don't respond well to
white men or police officers either.
And, anyway, if they're not talking,
how much worse can I make it?
Hey. You wanna be my bitch?
(BOTH LAUGHING)
I'm so sorry. My
dance card is full.
I just have a few quick questions
regarding the shooting yesterday
of two Catorce gang members,
Jesse Romero and Angel Flores.
As hard as it is to believe, someone
walked up to those two young boys
in broad daylight, in the
middle of Catorce turf,
murdered them in cold blood, and then
got away without anyone seeing a thing.
Not a drive-by, which is
what y'all are so famous for.
No. Shooter was on foot.
You know, I can't help but wonder
how the killer just magically appeared
at the side door
of Jesse's house
at the exact minute that
Angel and Jesse were to arrive,
shot and killed both boys and
then disappeared into thin air
before the victims had a chance
to even touch their weapons.
AK-47's don't give you
time to draw no gun, Ma.
That's right.
(LAUGHING)
What's she talking about?
Right. Well, you don't sound very
knowledgeable. Actually, circumstances
lead me to believe that the Catorces
might have been trying to settle
some sort of internal dispute
and are just letting the One-Fives
take credit for Jesse and
Angel's death. Is that possible?
We didn't kill no Angel or Jesse!
It was these two fools, right here.
Punk number one
and punk number two.
- I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?
- Spider.
Well I've got news
for you, Spider.
If you boys didn't kill Angel and
Jesse, and the One-Fives here have
figured out some way to stroll down your
streets and knock off anyone they want,
and then disappear into thin air. Well,
you're probably better off just shooting
yourselves in the head right
now and getting it over with.
It makes me wonder.
Who's the bitch now?
(ALL SHOUTING)
Do something! Bring it!
"Who's the bitch now?"
Well, you wanted them
talking, Will. Now they are.
And I'm one step closer to proving
that this is not a rival gang shooting.
Yeah, and LA is one
step closer to civil war.
If we can find out who
killed Angel and Jesse,
then we can prove to these
boys that we want to protect them...
They're not interested in proof!
They are only interested in retaliation.
I'm trying to calm them down.
Does what I want matter?
Listen to me, Will.
You know, I'm
struggling real hard
to see how this murder relates to
race riots and black-on-brown killings.
And so far, nothing about it connects
to what we know about gang shootings.
Not the weapon. Not the method.
Not even the scene of the crime.
Now, are you telling me I'm not
allowed to investigate these boys' deaths
unless it fits into your
preconceived notion?
That's not what I'm saying, Brenda. Of
course I want you to find the murderer.
But is it possible for
you to collar one killer
without destroying the
entire city in the process?
Well, I don't think the
city's the issue here.
And I think it would do everyone
some good to rethink that,
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
including the Catorces
and the One-Fives.
Excuse me. This is about
surveillance. I need to take it.
Go.
(EXHALES)
Yes, Detective Sanchez?
What is it?
Chief, there's a group
of Catorce members
messing with Miguel
Torres in an alley over here.
It's a gang initiation.
Chief, do you want
me to stop this?
No, no. If we interfere, Miguel
will know we're watching him.
And he might not lead us
anywhere. Listen, I know it's hard...
Chief, if you let this happen,
his life expectancy is cut in half.
He may think he needs to go
this route to find his cousin's killer.
Listen, Detective Sanchez.
We don't have a choice here.
If Miguel wants to become a
Catorce, we're going to have to let him.
Chief, are you sure about this?
Yes, Detective
Sanchez. I'm sure.
(SIREN WAILING)
(SIGHS)
(GROANING)
(CAMERA CLICKS)
So, Mrs. Romero.
(EXHALES)
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
Does this thing even work?
She really does know the
thermostat's only a camera?
Look. She's sweating.
It's like an oven in here.
Buzz, why don't you call maintenance,
see if they can get the air up in there?
There's something wrong with
her, I'm telling you. Something.
So who here is going
to ask her about it?
(BRENDA EXHALES)
So, Mrs. Romero.
You can't remember seeing anyone
in your house yesterday afternoon
before Jesse and Angel
were killed. Is that right?
Well, I saw shadows or something.
But I wasn't afraid or anything.
Could one of those
shadows have been your son?
No.
The last time I saw
Jesse was in the morning.
Him and his cousin were
in the kitchen arguing again.
What were they arguing about?
Whether Miguel
could join the Catorces.
Miguel always wanted
to do what Jesse did.
Their whole lives. They
were more like brothers.
We was always in and out of
each other's houses, you know.
Then my husband died and...
Jesse.
He wanted Miguel to
go on playing baseball.
So Jesse was actively trying to
keep Miguel out of the Catorces?
Yes, yes.
He wished he hadn't
joined himself, but...
Okay, so you saw Jesse and Miguel
in the morning, when they argued,
- but not after?
- That's right. Yesterday morning.
That's the last time I
ever saw my little boy.
And did you call
Jesse after that?
No. Why would I?
Well, I have no idea.
But we checked Jesse's
cell phone records,
and the last call that he
received was from your house.
I don't remember.
I didn't want Jesse to be a gang
member. I didn't! I cared for my son!
But when Jesse joined the Catorces,
you thought you'd, what, make the best
- out of a bad situation, right?
- Yes.
What do you mean?
I bet Jesse got you a real
good discount on your heroin.
That is what the Catorces
do, isn't it? Deal drugs?
- I don't know. Jesse didn't sell me drugs.
- Well, these look like fresh bags to me.
- Were you using it?
- No.
- Did Jesse let you dip into his product?
- No.
Oh, well, maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe you weren't just using it.
Maybe you were dealing, too.
There was an awful lot
of heroin at your house.
And if you're not gonna help me, I
think that I should tell you, Rosalie,
that there's a big difference
between buying and selling this stuff.
It is measured in years.
No! That's not how it happened!
Jesse hated me doing drugs.
Those weren't my drugs,
those were my dealer's drugs!
- He came by yesterday, too.
- Your dealer was at your house yesterday?
Is that right, Rosalie?
Rosalie, if your drug dealer
came by your house yesterday,
then you weren't home alone.
Maybe your drug dealer
called Jesse from your house.
Did your dealer have
an argument with Jesse?
Is that what happened, Rosalie?
I can't tell you where
the drugs come from.
Rosalie, just give us a name.
There's no point in giving you his name!
And they'd kill me if I told you any...
- By "they," you mean the Catorces?
- Yes! Yes! Now just leave me alone!
Stop it, please!
I can't tell you.
(ROSALIE SNIFFLING)
Okay.
Okay, Rosalie.
Okay.
Look, I know you're scared,
but you told me yourself how
much you care about your son.
And right now you
need to think about him.
Because your drug dealer was one of
the shadows in your house yesterday.
And I need to talk to him.
My drug dealer can't
tell you anything.
There's no use in
giving you his name.
No use at all.
I'm sorry.
You in.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Spider.
I told you, leave him alone!
He made a choice, old man.
What you gonna do, huh?
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
Listen, you son of a bitch!
You guys are nothing
but a bunch of punks.
- Come on, stop.
- You know that? Criminals!
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Come on, let's go home.
Let's go.
You hand me the gun,
and we're going home.
Hand me the gun!
SANCHEZ: Don't
shoot! Hold your fire!
Miguel, listen to me! Put the
gun down! Put the gun down!
Miguel. Is that a .25
caliber, Miguel? Put it down.
Miguel, you got two choices.
You put it down now
or I'll blow your head off.
Do what he says, Miguel. Please.
- Put it down.
- Por favor, do it!
Turn around.
(GROANS)
Wait. Hey. Officer, hey.
Please, I'm begging you. Please,
don't arrest him. He's my son!
Sir, he's not your son anymore.
He's Catorce.
(SIREN WAILING)
(EXHALES)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(TAO LAUGHING)
Okay, thank you. That
was Ballistics Brian.
The .25 caliber we got off Miguel
Torres is a match for the murder weapon.
- And who's the gun registered to?
- We're still tracking that down.
For heaven's sakes.
Well, stay on them, Lieutenant.
I'm gonna need that
registration to make my case.
Chief?
Yes?
Are you okay?
You just don't seem
like yourself lately.
I'm fine, Lieutenant. I just...
I just need you to find who the gun
is registered to, please. Thank you.
GABRIEL: Maybe we're
asking for the same thing.
- No, we're not.
- So be a little patient.
- My son needs to talk to me...
- I understand that, sir.
- But what you're gonna need...
- Chief, excuse me.
This whole thing is my fault.
I should have kept
Miguel at home today.
Listen, Chief Johnson. I
promise you, I will settle him down.
- I promise you!
- Sir, your son pulled out a gun
and all but
threatened you with it.
He's obviously not responding
well to parental authority.
Releasing him right
now is out of the question.
Come on, sir. I'm gonna
have to ask you to take a seat.
I just want to be very clear, that if
you accuse this Miguel Torres with
a double homicide against the
Catorces and the charges don't stick,
the gangs are gonna think that
we're siding with the One-Fives.
Could turn LAPD
officers into targets, too.
So no pressure, Commander,
is that what you're saying?
Thought you just might
wanna know the stakes, Chief.
I am questioning a
boy who was found
holding the murder weapon
from a double homicide.
To me, that sounds like a
perfectly reasonable thing to do.
If you have a better plan, Commander,
now is the time to suggest it.
Excuse me.
So I hear congratulations are in order
for the newest member of the Catorces.
Your father, however,
isn't too happy about it.
My father refuses to
admit what's going on.
He ignores what he
doesn't want to believe.
He pretends that gangs are the
problem because he's a coward
and he won't face the truth.
He's not proud of me? Good.
I'm not very proud of him either.
What about your cousin, Jesse?
Would he have been proud?
I know you argued with Jesse in
the morning before he was murdered.
Because he lied to me.
About what?
Jesse told me the Catorces
said I was too old to join.
But that wasn't true.
I spoke to another gang
member who was around a lot,
and he said the
Catorces did want me.
Which member? And
when did you ask him?
Was it your aunt's drug dealer?
He was over at Rosalie's
house yesterday.
Is he the one that told
you that Jesse was lying?
Did you call Jesse from his house?
Did you wait for him by the side door?
Did you kill Jesse because
he was lying to you?
Or was it your
aunt's drug dealer?
My aunt's drug dealer's
name is Angel Flores, okay?
And he's lying next to
my cousin in your morgue.
I told you, lady, you
do not know my world.
Listen to me.
Angel was killed by the One-Fives.
Jesse was killed by the One-Fives.
I don't think so.
Because while I
don't know your world,
I do know something
about weapons and casings.
So, tell me, Miguel.
How could the One-Fives have
shot those boys with your gun?
Maybe she's got him after all.
No, she still has to
get him to say, "I do."
Your father said
that you were at home with
him when Jesse was killed.
But that was a lie, wasn't it?
He was just giving you an alibi.
(MIGUEL SNIFFLING)
I want a lawyer,
man. I want a lawyer!
(SIGHING)
- I can hold him on a weapons charge.
- Till he makes bail.
Unless you can convince the
father to leave him here with us.
- Per your request.
- Thank you, Lieutenant.
- Sir.
- Lieutenant.
Just one second.
I think I know exactly how to
prevent Mr. Torres from bailing him out.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
- Mr. Torres.
- Chief. You can't do this.
I mean, putting Miguel in jail, it's
gonna put his scholarship at risk.
- And a weapon's charge, I mean...
- Sir, it's not just a weapons charge.
Miguel was holding the gun that
killed your nephew and Angel Flores.
Oh, God.
Mr. Torres, no one
is blaming you for this.
We know you did the best
you could to supervise your son.
And his baseball
scholarship to USC?
I know he owes that, in part, to
the way that you cared for him.
I know.
In our neighborhood, parents have
to look after their kids every minute.
Especially from 4:00 to 8:00.
I mean, that's why after-school sports
programs are so important to them.
Tried to get my nephew,
Jesse, to practice harder.
'Cause I knew if he got cut
from the team, he could be lost.
And my sister, Rosalie?
- She didn't know how to care for him.
- Because she took drugs every afternoon?
After 2:00 or 3:00
p.m. she was useless.
I tried to fill in where I could, but
children need full-time supervision.
Which my son had.
He was with me during
the time of the murders.
Really? Well, if that's true,
why didn't Miguel say so?
If you're his alibi?
Unless, of course, Miguel
didn't know where you were
on the day of the
murder from 4:00 to 8:00.
Rosalie told me that
Jesse and Miguel
were always in and out
of each other's houses.
If I conduct a search
warrant of your home,
will I find that you have
keys to your sister's house?
Or are they on your person?
Someone called Jesse from
his mother's house at 4:14 p.m.
But it couldn't have
been his mother
because, as you said,
she's useless after 2:00.
Probably didn't even
notice her visitors.
But you weren't
concerned about Rosalie.
You were more concerned
about your nephew
and the example he set for your
son by joining the East Side Catorces.
I was the one that took
Jesse to baseball practice!
I'm the one that paid
for his summer camp!
I'm the one that stood by him
and helped him with his homework.
And what does he do?
He goes and joins a gang
and he does everything that he
can to take my son along with him!
- He betrayed me!
- No. Jesse didn't betray you.
He was preventing Miguel from
becoming an East Side Catorce.
What are you talking about?
Jesse did everything he could to
keep Miguel from joining the Catorces.
But you couldn't accept the fact
that your son wanted to be in a gang.
Easier to think that it was a
problem created by your nephew.
A problem that you
could fix with this gun,
registered to your
deceased brother-in-law.
A gun Rosalie probably
didn't even remember she had.
Now,
besides your sister,
there are only two surviving
people who had access to her house.
And so, to this gun. One of
them was your son, Miguel.
And the other one,
sir, would be you.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.
You have the
right to an attorney.
If you cannot
afford an attorney,
an attorney will be
appointed for you by the state.
I understand, I understand. I
don't want an attorney. I just...
Please, just...
Let me explain.
Did you go to your sister's house
and call your nephew Jesse?
And ask him to come over?
I need to make
an arrest here, sir.
And I need you to tell
me who it's gonna be.
You or your son?
Yesterday,
Miguel skipped practice.
I waited, but he
didn't come home.
I was worried.
So I went to go look to see if maybe
he was with Jesse over at Rosalie's.
He wasn't.
And Rosalie, she was passed out.
And I thought,
"Maybe this is my chance
to end this madness."
So,
I called Jesse,
and told him his mom
had a bad batch of heroin.
I knew that he'd
come right away.
I didn't know he was gonna call his
mom's dealer and have him come over, too.
They walked up to the side door.
The moment I saw them, I...
I stepped outside,
pulled out the gun
and I shot them both.
For my son.
After everything
that I did for Jesse,
do you think that was easy?
After everything
that I did for him?
- After everything that you did for him?
- Yes!
You shot your nephew twice in the
chest at close range without warning!
Yes! Because he was
screwing with my son's future.
- Every sacrifice that I made, every...
- Why didn't you move?
Why?
Because Miguel is a baseball
star here. We had to stay here.
Don't you get it?
I was...
I was just looking
out for my son.
Who's gonna look out for your son now,
between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00? Huh?
- Who's gonna do that?
- All right.
That's enough,
Detective Sanchez.
Lieutenant Flynn,
would you please take
Mr. Torres to booking
and arrest him on two counts
of murder in the first degree?
Sure thing, Chief.
Is that really necessary?
Okay.
Yes. Thank you.
Dr. Dioli wants me to
come in for some more tests.
She'll discuss potential
diagnoses at my next appointment.
I'll go with you.
Okay.
Look, I don't think
this is life-threatening.
And honestly,
your skin is tingling,
you're having night sweats,
mood swings, hot flashes.
I think we both already
know what this is, don't we?
No.
Probably.
But I don't want to
talk about it right now.
Why?
If there's one thing
my job has taught me,
everything changes
when you say it out loud.
(SIGHS)
English -SDH
visit to a gynecologist?
Oh, a year ago, maybe.
I'm not sure. Maybe two.
DOCTOR: Mmm-hmm.
So, what kind of symptoms
are you experiencing?
Well, I've been feverish on
and off for the past month or two.
And my heart starts racing,
my skin tingles a little bit.
It's probably just nerves.
A lot of pressure from
my job. My boyfriend and I,
we're trying to find a house.
The housing market is ridiculous.
Well, if you don't think it's physical,
why not see a psychiatrist instead of me?
Swallow.
Let's have a look
at things, shall we?
A little poke.
I'll run a full chem panel and
check your hormone levels.
Now, I've set up a tentative
appointment for you next week
in case we have to
discuss your results.
So, do you have any
questions, Brenda?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
No, no. No questions.
Thank you. Bye.
(WOMAN CHATTERING ON RADIO)
SANCHEZ: This is the younger
victim, Jesse Romero. He's a Catorce.
And so was the older kid
lying next to him, Angel Flores.
TAYLOR: No blood trail?
Nothing. They were pretty
much shot where they stand.
(PEOPLE YELLING)
(SIREN WAILING)
- Hey, Chief.
- Thank you.
We've got two teenage
victims, 17 and 19.
They're confirmed
members of the Catorce gang.
- They're the same ones we had the...
- I remember the Catorces, Sergeant.
Excuse us! Please step
aside, coming through.
- Step aside, please.
- Step aside.
Keep him back. Good job. A neighbor
reported shots fired around 4:40.
- She...
- That's my family in there, man!
The woman claims that she
saw black gang members.
Why has Priority Homicide been
called in for a local gang feud?
Commander Taylor requested
us. Is everything all right?
Oh, no. Yes. I'm fine, Sergeant. Thank
you. Let's see what's going on here.
Let go! Let me go, man!
That's my family in there, man!
- You find out who that boy is, please.
- Yes, ma'am.
- So, Commander. How can I help you?
- Chief Johnson.
As you're probably aware, there have
been 12 racially motivated gang shootings
in this neighborhood
over the past three weeks.
This black-on-brown gang
war is becoming an epidemic.
Well, I'm not sure I'm the
cure for that, Commander.
Well, I spoke to Chief Pope and he agrees.
We have to start catching these killers
or this conflict
could only get worse.
All right, Detective
Sanchez, what do we have?
It wasn't a drive-by. Three
casings from a .25 caliber.
It looks like the shooter
just walked up and fired.
Did you say walked up?
Why this house, I wonder?
The younger one over there, Jesse
Romero, 17, lived here with his mother.
We pulled a 9mm from
underneath his front waistband.
- The boy never drew his gun?
- Never even touched it.
So, at the very least,
taken by surprise.
The older boy
here, Angel Flores,
he might have been the shooter
in last weekend's double homicide.
A couple of One-Fives got
blasted away in their driveway.
We brought the little Angel in,
but we didn't get squat out of him.
One-Fives might have
decided he was their guy.
I see. All right, anyone home?
Okay, meet our potential
eyewitness, Rosalie Romero.
Mother of the younger victim,
Jesse. Right over there by the needles.
Ma'am? I'm so
sorry about your son.
Mrs. Romero, I'm Deputy
Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.
I understand how upsetting
this must be for you.
(MUMBLING INCOHERENTLY)
Chief?
Black tar heroin. Found it
in the end table over here.
There's enough for
a sales case, Chief.
Maybe her dead gangster
son was selling it to her.
You want me to hold
her overnight, or...
Yes, please,
Lieutenant. Thank you.
Chief? That kid you
told me to talk to.
His name is Miguel Torres.
He's a cousin of one of the victims.
He lives just down the street, but he is
out front and he's causing a big scene.
All right, thank you.
Kill the One-Fives!
- Buzz.
- Kill the One-Fives!
Hey. Hey, hey. Listen
to me, young man.
Young man. I need you to calm
down. Your family needs you right now.
If you don't calm down, I'm
going to take you downtown
for interfering with a criminal
investigation. Okay? Just cool it.
Miguel! That's my
son. Miguel! Miguel!
- What's your name?
- My name is Carlos Torres.
That's my son, Miguel.
Listen, he's not a gang member.
He's just upset his cousin was shot.
He's also inflaming the crowd.
You're Jesse Romero's uncle?
Yes, yes, I am.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
No! It's not okay!
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
(CROWD SHOUTING)
What did I tell you? You see what
happens to gang members? You see?
No, Dad, you see what
happens to Latinos?
The One-Fives are killing us. We
have to fight back. You're being a coward.
I'd like to find whoever murdered
these boys before the Catorces
- decide to retaliate.
- If they haven't already.
Well. Miguel here obviously cared a
lot about at least one of the victims.
Let's start with him.
Detective Sanchez?
Excuse me. Please.
Ma'am. Ma'am, ma'am.
My son, Miguel, he was very upset
today. Not because he's a gang member,
but because he and Jesse
are cousins. That's all.
He has no idea about anything that
happened today. He was home. With me.
Recovering from a knee
injury. Miguel was with me.
Well, he wasn't with you when we
were investigating your nephew's murder.
Well, talk to his school.
Miguel's never been in trouble...
Well, he's in trouble now, sir. He
interfered with a criminal investigation.
I'm telling you that...
Ma'am, I'm telling you. Miguel
is not like those gang members.
He already has a baseball
scholarship to USC.
I raised a good boy.
Well, as a good boy, I expect him to
cooperate with the police. Excuse me, sir.
So, Miguel, you play baseball?
- Yeah, I play baseball, all my life.
- But not today.
Your father tells me
that you hurt your knee?
Yeah, last month.
(CLEARS THROAT)
It'll be fine in a couple weeks.
Well, my brothers played sports
and I know when you're hurt,
watching from the bench is no fun.
Did your cousin
Jesse play baseball?
Yes. Up until the time he was
cut from the team, last June.
And that's when he joined
the East Side Catorces?
Answer the question.
All right. Yeah. That's
when he joined the Catorces.
Someone has to protect our neighborhood,
okay? You guys sure aren't doing it.
Is that why the One-Five
went after your cousin Jesse?
Or were they hunting
the other boy, Angel?
Hey, they didn't come after Angel or
Jesse. They came after all of us, man!
If they hadn't found one of
them, it could've been me.
Look, Miguel. We're just trying to find
out if the One-Fives had a specific reason
for killing either Jesse or...
Hey, you're looking for
a specific reason, lady?
Then you don't know my
world, do you? This is the reason.
Right here! The
color of our skin.
Tell her, man. You know.
So, the One-Fives are going after
anyone brown or just the Catorces?
They're targeting the people
who protect the rest of us!
Well, I'm one of those people,
Miguel. And so is Detective Sanchez.
So if you help us, we can use what
you know about Jesse and Angel
to find the person
who killed them.
Not if I find him first.
(SIGHS)
I'm not even sure this guy's in a
gang and look how angry he is.
Now, the last time
these two gangs clashed,
six bodies wound
up in the morgue.
We need a truce meeting tomorrow.
Leaders of the Catorces and the One-Fives,
before this thing
escalates any further.
So, Detective Sanchez,
I need you to supervise round-the-clock
surveillance for our new friend, Miguel.
Are we set up for that?
In his neighborhood?
- It's my hood, too, Chief.
- Right.
Yes, yes. Gang Intelligence set up
cameras above the streets in Catorce
and One-Five territories, and the
coverage is pretty good. I can use the van.
Track him camera to camera.
Put a few extra surveillance guys
out there where they'd be useful.
But what is it that you think
Miguel knows that we don't know?
His cousin.
And if Miguel won't
help us directly,
then maybe he can help
us find Jesse's killer instead.
(SNIFFLING)
- Chief.
- Yes?
Are you feeling all right?
Yes, I just need to go home
and lie down for a few minutes.
- Chief?
- Yes?
Get better, please?
You have a good
night, too, Detective.
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
I knew it!
- What?
- I've typed in all the symptoms
that I've been experiencing
on this medical expert site
and it's exactly what
I thought, stress.
Which explains why I was such a mess
yesterday and I'm feeling so fine today.
Okay. Let me try this.
Since I'm actually sick.
(SNIFFLING)
I made you some soup,
weren't you hungry?
No. You forgot to add water
when you stuck it in the microwave.
It's actually more like
steaming chicken paste.
Oh, kitty.
I'm sorry, do you want me
to make you some more?
No! Please. Wait. Okay,
(CLEARING THROAT)
I have fever.
Chills. Body ache.
No appetite.
So, I could have lymphoma.
Anthrax. Anthrax?
Lyme disease. Viral hepatitis.
(LAUGHING)
And stress. But we both
know I actually have the flu.
Your point being?
My point is you can make your
symptoms look like anything you want.
What did your doctor say?
About?
- How you are feeling.
- Nothing, really.
Did you ask her anything?
No. I figured, if she noticed
something, she would just...
Brenda Leigh Johnson
had no questions?
Look, Dr. Dioli took some blood, she
said she would call me with the results.
I made an appointment
for next week, if I need it,
and she didn't seem
at all concerned.
Which indicates to me,
stress. It's stress. That's it.
'Cause you want it to be
stress doesn't mean it is stress.
The doctor has to look
at your actual symptoms,
and the blood work and make a
diagnosis based on the facts as they are.
Does that sound familiar?
Snap. Snap.
So they were shot at
Jesse Romero's house,
so why do we think that the other boy,
Angel Flores, might have been the target?
The biggest contributing factor to
last year's California prison riots?
A race war between
black and Latino gangs.
Now thousands of these scumbags
are being released every month
and they're bringing their race
war back into the streets with them.
And Angel was one of them?
Let out of juvie 10 months ago.
Okay. Lieutenant Tao, do we
have a timeline on our victims?
More like a phone line, Chief.
The last call on Jesse's cell
came at 4:14 p.m. from his mother.
Right after that Jesse
rings up Angel Flores.
Twenty-three minutes
later a neighbor dials 911.
I wonder why Jesse's
mother was calling him.
She might have been
asking her son to come home.
No, she didn't seem like she was
up for visitors. Speaking of which,
is Mrs. Romero ready
in Interview Room 1?
Not quite. She'll
need another hour.
At least.
All right. Well, what
about the weapons?
Both vics were shot by a .25
caliber. Small by gangster standards.
Jesse and Angel's 9mm's
would've been a lot more efficient.
Had they been able to get to them. So
the killer was either lying in wait or...
Or they were set up. And
guess what? The killer ran away.
Did the 911 caller report
anyone running away?
Just spoke to her, Ida Martinez.
Confirmed seeing some black
gang members in a gray truck.
Wait a minute. There
was a vehicle involved?
She saw the truck two days ago.
It drives up and down
her street occasionally.
You know, with black gangsters,
guns hanging out the window.
So when she heard the gunshots
she just assumed it was them.
But she never actually saw them?
No, not yesterday. Sorry, Chief.
Anything else no one saw?
The Loch Ness monster, maybe?
(SIGHS)
Jimmy Hoffa? The Invisible Man?
For heaven's sakes, y'all ought to know
that this is the kind of information
I ought to be given immediately.
I mean, what are we doing here?
(BRENDA SIGHS)
So there are no witnesses at
all. Is that what we're saying?
What are we basing our
theory of this case on, then?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Excuse me. Yes,
Detective Sanchez?
Chief, baseball practice is starting
but I don't think Miguel Torres is going.
I've got surveillance
officers on him
and he's walking off with two
Catorce veteranos right now.
- Should I pick him up?
- For what?
Chief, these guys that
Miguel's with, they're bad news.
I mean, if is not in a gang right
now, he's going to be by tonight.
Well, he also may be doing what
he needs to do to find the killer.
Now, just follow him,
Detective Sanchez. Please.
Probation officers brought
in a couple of the leaders
from both the Catorces
and the One-Fives.
But, so far, they're just sitting across
from each other not saying a word.
I don't know if your going in
there is gonna help things or hurt.
Well, I just have a theory I'd like to
clear up. Just a few simple questions.
Which they probably won't answer.
Not to make too big a deal about this,
but these gang members generally
don't respond really well to women.
Well, they don't respond well to
white men or police officers either.
And, anyway, if they're not talking,
how much worse can I make it?
Hey. You wanna be my bitch?
(BOTH LAUGHING)
I'm so sorry. My
dance card is full.
I just have a few quick questions
regarding the shooting yesterday
of two Catorce gang members,
Jesse Romero and Angel Flores.
As hard as it is to believe, someone
walked up to those two young boys
in broad daylight, in the
middle of Catorce turf,
murdered them in cold blood, and then
got away without anyone seeing a thing.
Not a drive-by, which is
what y'all are so famous for.
No. Shooter was on foot.
You know, I can't help but wonder
how the killer just magically appeared
at the side door
of Jesse's house
at the exact minute that
Angel and Jesse were to arrive,
shot and killed both boys and
then disappeared into thin air
before the victims had a chance
to even touch their weapons.
AK-47's don't give you
time to draw no gun, Ma.
That's right.
(LAUGHING)
What's she talking about?
Right. Well, you don't sound very
knowledgeable. Actually, circumstances
lead me to believe that the Catorces
might have been trying to settle
some sort of internal dispute
and are just letting the One-Fives
take credit for Jesse and
Angel's death. Is that possible?
We didn't kill no Angel or Jesse!
It was these two fools, right here.
Punk number one
and punk number two.
- I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?
- Spider.
Well I've got news
for you, Spider.
If you boys didn't kill Angel and
Jesse, and the One-Fives here have
figured out some way to stroll down your
streets and knock off anyone they want,
and then disappear into thin air. Well,
you're probably better off just shooting
yourselves in the head right
now and getting it over with.
It makes me wonder.
Who's the bitch now?
(ALL SHOUTING)
Do something! Bring it!
"Who's the bitch now?"
Well, you wanted them
talking, Will. Now they are.
And I'm one step closer to proving
that this is not a rival gang shooting.
Yeah, and LA is one
step closer to civil war.
If we can find out who
killed Angel and Jesse,
then we can prove to these
boys that we want to protect them...
They're not interested in proof!
They are only interested in retaliation.
I'm trying to calm them down.
Does what I want matter?
Listen to me, Will.
You know, I'm
struggling real hard
to see how this murder relates to
race riots and black-on-brown killings.
And so far, nothing about it connects
to what we know about gang shootings.
Not the weapon. Not the method.
Not even the scene of the crime.
Now, are you telling me I'm not
allowed to investigate these boys' deaths
unless it fits into your
preconceived notion?
That's not what I'm saying, Brenda. Of
course I want you to find the murderer.
But is it possible for
you to collar one killer
without destroying the
entire city in the process?
Well, I don't think the
city's the issue here.
And I think it would do everyone
some good to rethink that,
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
including the Catorces
and the One-Fives.
Excuse me. This is about
surveillance. I need to take it.
Go.
(EXHALES)
Yes, Detective Sanchez?
What is it?
Chief, there's a group
of Catorce members
messing with Miguel
Torres in an alley over here.
It's a gang initiation.
Chief, do you want
me to stop this?
No, no. If we interfere, Miguel
will know we're watching him.
And he might not lead us
anywhere. Listen, I know it's hard...
Chief, if you let this happen,
his life expectancy is cut in half.
He may think he needs to go
this route to find his cousin's killer.
Listen, Detective Sanchez.
We don't have a choice here.
If Miguel wants to become a
Catorce, we're going to have to let him.
Chief, are you sure about this?
Yes, Detective
Sanchez. I'm sure.
(SIREN WAILING)
(SIGHS)
(GROANING)
(CAMERA CLICKS)
So, Mrs. Romero.
(EXHALES)
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
Does this thing even work?
She really does know the
thermostat's only a camera?
Look. She's sweating.
It's like an oven in here.
Buzz, why don't you call maintenance,
see if they can get the air up in there?
There's something wrong with
her, I'm telling you. Something.
So who here is going
to ask her about it?
(BRENDA EXHALES)
So, Mrs. Romero.
You can't remember seeing anyone
in your house yesterday afternoon
before Jesse and Angel
were killed. Is that right?
Well, I saw shadows or something.
But I wasn't afraid or anything.
Could one of those
shadows have been your son?
No.
The last time I saw
Jesse was in the morning.
Him and his cousin were
in the kitchen arguing again.
What were they arguing about?
Whether Miguel
could join the Catorces.
Miguel always wanted
to do what Jesse did.
Their whole lives. They
were more like brothers.
We was always in and out of
each other's houses, you know.
Then my husband died and...
Jesse.
He wanted Miguel to
go on playing baseball.
So Jesse was actively trying to
keep Miguel out of the Catorces?
Yes, yes.
He wished he hadn't
joined himself, but...
Okay, so you saw Jesse and Miguel
in the morning, when they argued,
- but not after?
- That's right. Yesterday morning.
That's the last time I
ever saw my little boy.
And did you call
Jesse after that?
No. Why would I?
Well, I have no idea.
But we checked Jesse's
cell phone records,
and the last call that he
received was from your house.
I don't remember.
I didn't want Jesse to be a gang
member. I didn't! I cared for my son!
But when Jesse joined the Catorces,
you thought you'd, what, make the best
- out of a bad situation, right?
- Yes.
What do you mean?
I bet Jesse got you a real
good discount on your heroin.
That is what the Catorces
do, isn't it? Deal drugs?
- I don't know. Jesse didn't sell me drugs.
- Well, these look like fresh bags to me.
- Were you using it?
- No.
- Did Jesse let you dip into his product?
- No.
Oh, well, maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe you weren't just using it.
Maybe you were dealing, too.
There was an awful lot
of heroin at your house.
And if you're not gonna help me, I
think that I should tell you, Rosalie,
that there's a big difference
between buying and selling this stuff.
It is measured in years.
No! That's not how it happened!
Jesse hated me doing drugs.
Those weren't my drugs,
those were my dealer's drugs!
- He came by yesterday, too.
- Your dealer was at your house yesterday?
Is that right, Rosalie?
Rosalie, if your drug dealer
came by your house yesterday,
then you weren't home alone.
Maybe your drug dealer
called Jesse from your house.
Did your dealer have
an argument with Jesse?
Is that what happened, Rosalie?
I can't tell you where
the drugs come from.
Rosalie, just give us a name.
There's no point in giving you his name!
And they'd kill me if I told you any...
- By "they," you mean the Catorces?
- Yes! Yes! Now just leave me alone!
Stop it, please!
I can't tell you.
(ROSALIE SNIFFLING)
Okay.
Okay, Rosalie.
Okay.
Look, I know you're scared,
but you told me yourself how
much you care about your son.
And right now you
need to think about him.
Because your drug dealer was one of
the shadows in your house yesterday.
And I need to talk to him.
My drug dealer can't
tell you anything.
There's no use in
giving you his name.
No use at all.
I'm sorry.
You in.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Spider.
I told you, leave him alone!
He made a choice, old man.
What you gonna do, huh?
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
Listen, you son of a bitch!
You guys are nothing
but a bunch of punks.
- Come on, stop.
- You know that? Criminals!
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Come on, let's go home.
Let's go.
You hand me the gun,
and we're going home.
Hand me the gun!
SANCHEZ: Don't
shoot! Hold your fire!
Miguel, listen to me! Put the
gun down! Put the gun down!
Miguel. Is that a .25
caliber, Miguel? Put it down.
Miguel, you got two choices.
You put it down now
or I'll blow your head off.
Do what he says, Miguel. Please.
- Put it down.
- Por favor, do it!
Turn around.
(GROANS)
Wait. Hey. Officer, hey.
Please, I'm begging you. Please,
don't arrest him. He's my son!
Sir, he's not your son anymore.
He's Catorce.
(SIREN WAILING)
(EXHALES)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(TAO LAUGHING)
Okay, thank you. That
was Ballistics Brian.
The .25 caliber we got off Miguel
Torres is a match for the murder weapon.
- And who's the gun registered to?
- We're still tracking that down.
For heaven's sakes.
Well, stay on them, Lieutenant.
I'm gonna need that
registration to make my case.
Chief?
Yes?
Are you okay?
You just don't seem
like yourself lately.
I'm fine, Lieutenant. I just...
I just need you to find who the gun
is registered to, please. Thank you.
GABRIEL: Maybe we're
asking for the same thing.
- No, we're not.
- So be a little patient.
- My son needs to talk to me...
- I understand that, sir.
- But what you're gonna need...
- Chief, excuse me.
This whole thing is my fault.
I should have kept
Miguel at home today.
Listen, Chief Johnson. I
promise you, I will settle him down.
- I promise you!
- Sir, your son pulled out a gun
and all but
threatened you with it.
He's obviously not responding
well to parental authority.
Releasing him right
now is out of the question.
Come on, sir. I'm gonna
have to ask you to take a seat.
I just want to be very clear, that if
you accuse this Miguel Torres with
a double homicide against the
Catorces and the charges don't stick,
the gangs are gonna think that
we're siding with the One-Fives.
Could turn LAPD
officers into targets, too.
So no pressure, Commander,
is that what you're saying?
Thought you just might
wanna know the stakes, Chief.
I am questioning a
boy who was found
holding the murder weapon
from a double homicide.
To me, that sounds like a
perfectly reasonable thing to do.
If you have a better plan, Commander,
now is the time to suggest it.
Excuse me.
So I hear congratulations are in order
for the newest member of the Catorces.
Your father, however,
isn't too happy about it.
My father refuses to
admit what's going on.
He ignores what he
doesn't want to believe.
He pretends that gangs are the
problem because he's a coward
and he won't face the truth.
He's not proud of me? Good.
I'm not very proud of him either.
What about your cousin, Jesse?
Would he have been proud?
I know you argued with Jesse in
the morning before he was murdered.
Because he lied to me.
About what?
Jesse told me the Catorces
said I was too old to join.
But that wasn't true.
I spoke to another gang
member who was around a lot,
and he said the
Catorces did want me.
Which member? And
when did you ask him?
Was it your aunt's drug dealer?
He was over at Rosalie's
house yesterday.
Is he the one that told
you that Jesse was lying?
Did you call Jesse from his house?
Did you wait for him by the side door?
Did you kill Jesse because
he was lying to you?
Or was it your
aunt's drug dealer?
My aunt's drug dealer's
name is Angel Flores, okay?
And he's lying next to
my cousin in your morgue.
I told you, lady, you
do not know my world.
Listen to me.
Angel was killed by the One-Fives.
Jesse was killed by the One-Fives.
I don't think so.
Because while I
don't know your world,
I do know something
about weapons and casings.
So, tell me, Miguel.
How could the One-Fives have
shot those boys with your gun?
Maybe she's got him after all.
No, she still has to
get him to say, "I do."
Your father said
that you were at home with
him when Jesse was killed.
But that was a lie, wasn't it?
He was just giving you an alibi.
(MIGUEL SNIFFLING)
I want a lawyer,
man. I want a lawyer!
(SIGHING)
- I can hold him on a weapons charge.
- Till he makes bail.
Unless you can convince the
father to leave him here with us.
- Per your request.
- Thank you, Lieutenant.
- Sir.
- Lieutenant.
Just one second.
I think I know exactly how to
prevent Mr. Torres from bailing him out.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
- Mr. Torres.
- Chief. You can't do this.
I mean, putting Miguel in jail, it's
gonna put his scholarship at risk.
- And a weapon's charge, I mean...
- Sir, it's not just a weapons charge.
Miguel was holding the gun that
killed your nephew and Angel Flores.
Oh, God.
Mr. Torres, no one
is blaming you for this.
We know you did the best
you could to supervise your son.
And his baseball
scholarship to USC?
I know he owes that, in part, to
the way that you cared for him.
I know.
In our neighborhood, parents have
to look after their kids every minute.
Especially from 4:00 to 8:00.
I mean, that's why after-school sports
programs are so important to them.
Tried to get my nephew,
Jesse, to practice harder.
'Cause I knew if he got cut
from the team, he could be lost.
And my sister, Rosalie?
- She didn't know how to care for him.
- Because she took drugs every afternoon?
After 2:00 or 3:00
p.m. she was useless.
I tried to fill in where I could, but
children need full-time supervision.
Which my son had.
He was with me during
the time of the murders.
Really? Well, if that's true,
why didn't Miguel say so?
If you're his alibi?
Unless, of course, Miguel
didn't know where you were
on the day of the
murder from 4:00 to 8:00.
Rosalie told me that
Jesse and Miguel
were always in and out
of each other's houses.
If I conduct a search
warrant of your home,
will I find that you have
keys to your sister's house?
Or are they on your person?
Someone called Jesse from
his mother's house at 4:14 p.m.
But it couldn't have
been his mother
because, as you said,
she's useless after 2:00.
Probably didn't even
notice her visitors.
But you weren't
concerned about Rosalie.
You were more concerned
about your nephew
and the example he set for your
son by joining the East Side Catorces.
I was the one that took
Jesse to baseball practice!
I'm the one that paid
for his summer camp!
I'm the one that stood by him
and helped him with his homework.
And what does he do?
He goes and joins a gang
and he does everything that he
can to take my son along with him!
- He betrayed me!
- No. Jesse didn't betray you.
He was preventing Miguel from
becoming an East Side Catorce.
What are you talking about?
Jesse did everything he could to
keep Miguel from joining the Catorces.
But you couldn't accept the fact
that your son wanted to be in a gang.
Easier to think that it was a
problem created by your nephew.
A problem that you
could fix with this gun,
registered to your
deceased brother-in-law.
A gun Rosalie probably
didn't even remember she had.
Now,
besides your sister,
there are only two surviving
people who had access to her house.
And so, to this gun. One of
them was your son, Miguel.
And the other one,
sir, would be you.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.
You have the
right to an attorney.
If you cannot
afford an attorney,
an attorney will be
appointed for you by the state.
I understand, I understand. I
don't want an attorney. I just...
Please, just...
Let me explain.
Did you go to your sister's house
and call your nephew Jesse?
And ask him to come over?
I need to make
an arrest here, sir.
And I need you to tell
me who it's gonna be.
You or your son?
Yesterday,
Miguel skipped practice.
I waited, but he
didn't come home.
I was worried.
So I went to go look to see if maybe
he was with Jesse over at Rosalie's.
He wasn't.
And Rosalie, she was passed out.
And I thought,
"Maybe this is my chance
to end this madness."
So,
I called Jesse,
and told him his mom
had a bad batch of heroin.
I knew that he'd
come right away.
I didn't know he was gonna call his
mom's dealer and have him come over, too.
They walked up to the side door.
The moment I saw them, I...
I stepped outside,
pulled out the gun
and I shot them both.
For my son.
After everything
that I did for Jesse,
do you think that was easy?
After everything
that I did for him?
- After everything that you did for him?
- Yes!
You shot your nephew twice in the
chest at close range without warning!
Yes! Because he was
screwing with my son's future.
- Every sacrifice that I made, every...
- Why didn't you move?
Why?
Because Miguel is a baseball
star here. We had to stay here.
Don't you get it?
I was...
I was just looking
out for my son.
Who's gonna look out for your son now,
between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00? Huh?
- Who's gonna do that?
- All right.
That's enough,
Detective Sanchez.
Lieutenant Flynn,
would you please take
Mr. Torres to booking
and arrest him on two counts
of murder in the first degree?
Sure thing, Chief.
Is that really necessary?
Okay.
Yes. Thank you.
Dr. Dioli wants me to
come in for some more tests.
She'll discuss potential
diagnoses at my next appointment.
I'll go with you.
Okay.
Look, I don't think
this is life-threatening.
And honestly,
your skin is tingling,
you're having night sweats,
mood swings, hot flashes.
I think we both already
know what this is, don't we?
No.
Probably.
But I don't want to
talk about it right now.
Why?
If there's one thing
my job has taught me,
everything changes
when you say it out loud.
(SIGHS)
English -SDH