The Practice (1997–2004): Season 8, Episode 9 - Victims' Rights - full transcript
(indistinct chatter)
ANNA: Excuse me.
I'm sorry to bother you.
Are you a lawyer?
I am.
My name is Anna Vjorka,
and I need a lawyer.
I see.
Do you have any money?
Um, some, $12.
I see.
You know $12
barely covers the time
it would take me to say,
"I can't help you."
And since I've already said it,
give me the 12 bucks.
I'm from Romania.
That's a nice country.
Beautiful castles.
ANNA: I don't want
to go back.
Can you please help me?
Anna.
What are you doing?
I'm not going back, dad.
What do you mean you're not--
I'm not going.
Can you please help me?
Anna.
What's going on here?
ANNA: If I go back
to Romania,
they'll force me
to get married.
Anna, let's go.
One second, sir.
What do you mean they're
gonna force you to get married?
They will, like they did
with my sister.
This is a family matter.
Let go of me.
Mr. Vjorka, your daughter
is represented by counsel.
Sir...
I'm sure you don't mean
to make trouble.
Oh, but I do.
You're a foreigner.
Take your hand off the girl
or I'll get you declared
a person of interest,
which means you'll be
locked up forever
without so much as a trial.
Don't think I kid you.
This is the
United States of America.
I'm about to call
for the police.
Excuse me.
I hate to interrupt,
but this one's urgent,
Your Honor.
Alan Shore representing,
uh--is it Anya?
Anna Vjorka.
Anna Vjorka.
Petition
for political asylum.
Res Ipsa Doozy.
(music playing)
Where's the girl now?
The custody of the INS.
We have a hearing
scheduled for 2:00.
Why were you even there?
I was filing an appeal
on a household matter
and stumbled across
the girl and her father.
Jamie, could you do some
political asylum
research for me?
I need it quickly.
And also dig up whatever
you can on the Roma faith.
Roma?
R-O-M-A, yes.
Jimmy, looking well.
Meaning what?
He's always meaning something
with his little comments.
Enough with the comments.
Oh, you have a walk-in.
Lawrence Gilbert.
He's in your office.
He seems in need.
Nine months ago,
my wife was murdered.
I'm sorry.
She had been stalked,
and the police
were unable to deter him,
and eventually...
she was stabbed in our home.
I've just come from
the district attorney's office.
The trial
is set to begin tomorrow.
And I've just been informed
by the district attorney that
she intends to offer 15 years.
I'm here (sighs)
wondering whether,
as the husband of the victim,
I have any rights
to enjoin this.
Actually, you don't.
Clearly,
if you were to pursue
the defendant civilly,
you'd have rights,
but in a criminal
proceeding--
What about--could we get it
removed to a federal court?
I know the federal government
sometimes claims
jurisdiction for murder cases
so they can impose
the death penalty,
which (sighs)
this man deserves.
Again, you would have
no standing
to try to influence
a criminal prosecution.
Do you think you could speak
to this district attorney?
This is what he did to her.
You can't do that to somebody
and only get 15 years.
Could you talk to this DA?
Sure.
(sighs)
Thank you.
(music playing)
So, let's talk
about your sister.
How old is she?
She was 13
when she got married.
Now she's 16.
Uh, after
she was married, um...
did she and her
new husband, uh...
Yes.
My father waved the sheets
with blood on them.
That's tradition.
To show that the marriage
was consummated.
Consummated is a big word
for a 12-year-old to use.
There are some words
I looked up.
That's one of them.
Why is your English so good?
You have no accent.
We lived with relatives
in the United States
for six years.
My mother was a visiting
professor at Amherst.
And then we moved back
two years ago.
And we've been on vacation here
for the last two weeks.
Where does your mother
stand in all this?
With my father.
You think I wanna give
him murder two?
Look at my office.
I'm obsessed
with getting this guy.
I'm just facing
the possibility that I won't.
Walk with me.
Why wouldn't you get him?
It's all circumstantial.
No witnesses or forensics
putting him in that house.
Worst-case scenario
is he walks.
I don't think Mr. Gilbert
wants that to happen.
Well, this guy
got any priors?
A ton,
but if he doesn't testify,
they don't come in, Eugene.
Look, I am not saying
that we're not gonna get him.
I'm just saying it's a risk.
I've explained
this to your client.
He's just too emotional
to hear it.
And by the way,
the defendant
turned down the 15.
What does that tell you?
I notified the attorney
general's office.
They don't oppose.
Well, I do.
Your Honor,
all I'm asking is that the girl
be questioned in chambers
instead of a big,
intimidating theater.
Come on.
The courtroom
is where we conduct
all our legal business,
openly, notoriously,
in keeping
with the constitution
and the intent
of our founding fathers.
I do all my business openly
and notoriously, Counsel.
All of it.
How about sex, Your Honor?
You've brought
before me a motion
for political asylum, Counsel.
That is a very serious piece
of legal business.
It will be tried
and adjudicated
in the courtroom.
Uh, it's not that
she won't get him.
She very well may.
On murder one?
Uh, well,
that could be tough.
More likely murder two or--
Thirty-one times
he stabbed her.
What could be more
heinous than that?
YOUNG: With that many wounds...
clearly he kept stabbing her
after she was dead.
Now, that suggests
a rage or mental state
that goes more
to murder two--
So he could get parole?
This man deserves
to get a bullet
right between his eyes.
Look, she's trying
for murder one.
She is a good DA.
You mentioned going
after him civilly.
I'd like to do that.
Mr. Gilbert--
GILBERT: I'd like to do that.
He comes from money.
I know he has a house.
Mr. Gilbert...
people sometimes
get consumed by hatred.
Don't let this man
make you more of a victim
than you already are.
I think it would empower me
to sue him civilly.
Would you represent me?
Let me monitor the criminal
trial for a day or two,
and I'll let you know.
Assuming you are going
to sue this man civilly,
let me give you some advice.
It's illegal to use
a criminal case
for the purpose
of advancing a civil one.
Now, I know
you're not doing that, but...
Ms. Alexander
tells me you've been
to the US Attorney's Office,
pressuring them.
In federal courts,
they have the death penalty.
That's what he deserves, death.
Well, if you hope to have
a civil claim at all,
you need to lay off
the prosecutors.
A Chinese girl was granted
asylum three years ago.
Forced marriage?
That's the good news,
but it's not precedent.
And Ashcroft has since
recalled for further review
all cases involving gender
as a basis for asylum,
including forced marriages.
Great.
Jimmy.
Continuing to look well.
As are you, Alan.
I'm afraid
it's against the law
for you specifically
to stand there.
Fire code. No egress.
Another fat comment, Al?
All right, Jimmy,
I must warn you
in addition
to my knowing jiu-jitsu,
I'm also a direct descendant
of Jonny Quest.
See how the lips move
while very few words come out?
Keep it up, Shore.
Keep it up.
Hey.
The next-door neighbor
had noticed a car
parked several nights
on their street
with a man sitting inside,
looking at a laptop computer.
ALEXANDER: Did she get
a look at the driver?
DETECTIVE: No.
But she took down
the plate number,
then called us
after the murder.
The car was registered
to Jake Spooner, the defendant.
We secured a search warrant
for Mr. Spooner's home
in Cambridge and executed it.
And what did you find,
Detective?
DETECTIVE:
On the defendant's computer,
we found hours
of video footage
of the Gilberts' nursery.
Did you determine
the source?
DETECTIVE: Yes.
The Gilberts
had a camera in the room.
They used it
as a baby monitor.
It was over
their daughter's crib.
Okay. But how did
these images end up
on the defendant's computer?
He's the one who
installed the cameras,
as well
as the other electronics
in the victim's house.
And he also set up a system
to intercept their videos.
ALEXANDER: And, Detective,
can you tell us
what these videos on
the defendant's computer showed?
On one file, it was mostly
the baby sleeping.
Sometimes Tracy Gilbert
came in the room
and played with her baby,
and twice she breastfed
her child.
Mr. Gilbert was on it too,
feeding her a bottle.
But there was another file
where he had edited
together scenes
and digitally
manipulated them,
giving them some special
effects that he added.
Hmm.
(music playing)
So, basically,
he made a movie.
A graphic, disturbing movie.
Detective, Tracy Gilbert
had been stabbed 30 times?
Over 30.
Would it be fair to say
whoever killed her
would likely be soaked
in her blood?
Yes.
And yet you found none
of Mrs. Gilbert's blood
on any of my client's
clothes, did you?
DETECTIVE: No.
WILLOW: What about his house?
DETECTIVE: Not blood,
but his prints
were all over
the victim's house.
But he'd been in the house
fixing some equipment
a week before, right?
That's correct.
Thank you.
No further questions,
Detective.
Ms. Alexander?
Nothing, Your Honor.
KIRKLAND:
We'll recess and resume
with our next witness
after lunch.
(gavel bangs)
I don't even like him.
Like who, Anna?
The boy that
I'm supposed to marry.
I don't think he's nice.
I don't think he's cute.
I don't think he's anything.
Now, Anna, uh, in Romania,
the legal age for marriage
is 18, am I right?
Yes. But we are Roma.
That's our religious faith.
Tradition is that they
arrange child weddings
all the time.
My sister
got married at 13,
and she had to have sex.
I don't want to have sex.
BENNETT: You say these arranged
marriages happen a lot?
Yes.
Some of your friends
get married in this way?
Yes.
BENNETT:
Are they okay with it?
Maybe they are, but I'm not.
Are you afraid of this boy?
No. I just don't wanna
marry him,
or anybody else.
Now, let's talk
about your mom and dad.
Do you love them?
I do.
But that doesn't mean
that I have to follow
all their ancient rules,
especially, the ones
that are barbaric.
Barbaric.
Did your lawyer tell you
to use that word?
Objection.
I told her to use
reprehensible,
repugnant, and criminal.
She came up with barbaric
all on her own.
Continue.
What do you think
of America, Anna?
I love it.
Tell me, excluding
this marriage business,
if you could choose
which country
you'd rather live in,
what would it be?
America.
I see.
Is it possible
this might be more
about your wanting
to stay here
than it is your fearing
going back there?
It's about me not wanting
to get married.
It's about me not wanting
to have to be raped
by some 15-year-old boy
I don't even like.
A client?
Former client.
Uh, I represented him
10, 12 years ago.
I mean, his name
didn't ring a bell,
but when I saw his face--
When you represented him,
what was he charged with?
Murder.
You got him off?
YOUNG: Look, uh, Mr. Gilbert,
I was doing my job.
Uh, it's not like
I liked the guy.
Listen, obviously,
I would have a conflict
representing you
against him.
But let me do this.
I'll monitor the trial
a little bit more.
I'll assess your case.
That much I can do.
If she's this opposed,
I won't make her go
through with it.
Well, according to Anna,
her sister was opposed.
She was crying and screaming
when they brought her
into the church.
She had to go through
with it.
The ceremony was halted
and continued
only after she agreed.
Under duress?
Mr. Shore,
my daughter is afraid
she'll miss her
friends here.
That's what this is about.
I'm sure there
are many kids coming out
of Disneyland
seeking asylum too.
You are forcing
your 12-year-old daughter
to be married, sir.
Please don't equate
that with--
MR. VJORKA:
There are Mormon families
who do that in this country.
SHORE: The Mormon Church
does not sanction--
MR. VJORKA:
But it happens. It goes on.
And the police don't always
enforce the law against it,
do they, Mr. Shore?
How about we strike
a deal then?
You leave
your daughter here.
We'll raise her in Utah.
Objection.
Our marital success rate
far surpasses
the divorce numbers
in this country.
SHORE: Just goes to show you
what a little servitude
will get you, right,
Mr. Vjorka?
STUCKY: Mr. Shore.
What happens now?
Well, tomorrow morning,
we hear from your mother.
Tell me about her.
She's very nice, smart,
a professor.
If you had trouble
with my dad,
you'll be no match for her.
You don't think
I'm any match for you, do you?
How are we doing?
Political asylum
is tough, Anna.
Though the whole world
apparently hates us right now,
we still seem to be
the destination of choice.
Do you think you could
take me away from here?
Just for an hour or two.
It's so depressing here.
I'll tell you what,
I'll try to persuade the judge
to let me take you out
for breakfast.
May I ask...
do you have children?
I'm sure I must.
I know you're going to win.
Hmm.
When I was looking around
the courtroom yesterday,
deciding what lawyer
to run up to,
I saw your face and I knew...
you would be the one
to save me.
The victim
was stabbed 31 times
over her face, neck,
torso, hands.
The blows
were of such a force,
her head was almost
separated from her body.
What can you tell us
about the weapon?
It was a knife
with a 6 1/4-inch blade,
serrated edges.
Do you know if the knife
was ever located?
It was not.
However,
we found this knife set
in the defendant's kitchen.
The set is always sold
with five knives
of varying lengths.
The defendant
had only four knives.
The one with the serrated
6 1/4-inch blade was missing.
Tests showed that the wounds
to Mrs. Gilbert's body
were consistent
with the missing knife.
And did the wounds tell you
anything about the killer?
From the angles
of penetration,
we determined
that the killer
was over six feet
and left-handed.
The knife
you're referring to,
would it surprise you
to learn that 5,000
identical knives were sold
in the last three years
in the Boston area?
No.
And to confirm...
you never found
the murder weapon.
No, we did not.
Yes, it's circumstantial,
but from where I sit,
he's going away.
GILBERT: Murder one?
Well, that I don't know.
I have here an article.
It says where
the federal government
can also bring
civil rights charges,
and it doesn't amount
to double jeopardy.
Does the death penalty
ever apply
to these civil rights cases?
Mr. Gilbert...
I would never presume to know
what you're going through,
but, um...
are you getting counseling?
See, uh, I took
the liberty of looking
at some of those videos,
and there was one
in particular.
You were sitting in a chair,
feeding your daughter.
And what I saw was a father,
a man full of love,
somebody tender.
What I see sitting across
from me now
is a man dominated by hate.
Now, while your rage
is certainly understandable,
I would think that
what your wife would want
for your daughter is for you
to try to be the man
that I saw in that video.
I, um...
I don't really know how to do
anything else right now,
besides hate him.
Uh, and to be honest,
I hate you a little,
as well
for getting him off
10 years ago,
for putting--
I'm sorry.
Well, my testimony
is first up.
I suppose
I should get some rest.
(music playing)
Should I give you the big
defense-attorney speech?
I gave that speech to my wife
at the time.
I gave her the line, you know.
Uh, "We represent the guilty,
thus ultimately protecting
the innocent."
This...
was one of the innocents
I was protecting.
GILBERT: After he had worked
for us, he kept coming around,
presumably to check
the equipment he installed.
ALEXANDER: Did this
strike you as strange?
Perhaps a little.
But we weren't alarmed,
until Tracy started
to notice him at the market,
the gym, her art class.
He was everywhere
she went.
We soon realized
he was stalking her.
Did you go to the police?
We did.
They said since these were
all public places,
there was nothing
they could really do.
And, Mr. Gilbert,
at some point,
you confronted the defendant,
did you not?
GILBERT: Yes. Two days
before the murder,
I asked him to refrain
from following my wife.
I told him he was scaring her
and my family.
I stated I was afraid
for her safety.
And how did he respond?
He said if he wanted
to harm her,
he wouldn't just
follow her around.
WILLOW: My client had been
in your house many times.
Yes, doing
electrical work.
Even as recent as a week
before the murder,
he was in your house.
Yes.
So you didn't regard him
as a threat.
We were getting nervous,
but we attributed it
to our own paranoia.
Then about a week before,
he entered the house
without knocking,
and it jolted my wife.
That's when
I went to the police.
Two days after that,
I confronted him.
I assume you loved your wife
very much.
You assumed correctly.
Love anyone else, as well?
I beg your pardon?
Were you having an affair
at the time
of your wife's death?
Did you kill your wife,
Mr. Gilbert?
Objection!
KIRKLAND: Ms. Willow,
you'd better have
a good-faith basis
for that question.
Sidebar, Your Honor.
ALEXANDER: What's this about?
Your Honor, last night
I received an anonymous message.
I submit a copy
for your review.
It may be completely bogus,
but since it alleges that
Mr. Gilbert was having an affair
and that he is the killer
of his wife, Tracy,
bogus or not, it's enough
to give me good faith
for asking the question.
I'll allow it.
Your Honor, I really...
But you're on a short leash.
Now step back.
WILLOW: Let's start
with the affair, Mr. Gilbert.
Were you in love
with another woman
at the time
of your wife's murder?
I'd like to exercise
my Fifth Amendment right
not to answer.
(indistinct chatter)
It had nothing to do
with this case.
YOUNG: Mr. Gilbert,
it may be irrelevant,
but we need...
She's married.
She has a family.
I can't--
I can't do this to them.
(door opens and closes)
What the hell is going on?
Uh, am I free to say
what you have told me?
No.
Let me tell you something,
if you plead the Fifth,
you giftwrap reasonable doubt
with a big, red bow.
Do you understand me?
The fact of the matter is,
Mr. Gilbert,
you have no alibi
for the night
of the murder.
Nobody can verify
they saw you working late.
The reason we dismissed you
as a suspect
is we had no motive.
Now we do.
Hold on a second.
I'm not trying
to threaten you.
I'm just making you aware.
This is what
the defense attorney
will play like a trombone.
Our only chance now
is to explore this affair,
rule you out as a suspect.
I'm not talking
about the affair.
Well, then we're done,
Mr. Gilbert.
I'll certainly
keep prosecuting,
but we're done.
(door opens and closes)
(music playing)
MRS. VJORKA:
I was married when I was 12.
My mother was married
when she was 14.
My grandmother was married
when she was 13.
All arranged marriages?
Yes.
All successful, as well,
I might add.
BENNETT: But, Mrs. Vjorka,
you do appreciate
that the idea
is a little offensive
to Americans.
I do.
But Americans
have trouble comprehending
non-romantic unions.
Well, marriage
without love...
Marriage is about family,
partnerships for parenting.
In our faith,
it's also about preserving
ethnic identity.
And, by the way,
arranged marriages
still go on
in the United States,
however, quietly,
for this very reason.
BENNETT: In the United States?
Yes.
And I don't mean simply
in the Mormon faith.
It happens with
Orthodox Jews,
the Greeks, Muslims, Hindus.
There are thousands
of such marriages
every year in this country.
You see nothing wrong
with forcing Anna
to be married
or to be raped?
If she doesn't consent
to consummating the marriage,
Mr. Shore,
then sex shouldn't happen.
SHORE:
But, Mrs. Vjorka, come on.
If her 15-year-old husband
overpowers her in the name
of religious consummation,
he's not going
to be prosecuted, is he?
MRS. VJORKA:
First of all, how dare you
presume Roma boys
to be rapists?
Because consummating
the marriage
is part of Roma tradition.
Consummation is traditional
in America, as well.
But if the bride says no,
we don't assume rape.
We assume capacity
to give consent.
We can't do that
with a 12-year-old.
You don't know
our culture.
I know this is
an archaic practice
that has no place
in this child's life today.
I know persecution,
Mrs. Vjorka.
I know crime...
MRS. VJORKA: In this country,
you take newborn babies
and snip off the ends
of their penises.
I imagine some other cultures
would object to that.
The United States
believes in
executing human beings
while every other westernized
country finds that barbaric.
Yes.
I'm sure we could exchange
cultural barbs ad nauseam.
It wouldn't change the fact
you're this girl's
mother, uh...
And I love her deeply.
And perhaps you would
entertain the radical idea
that a mother might know
what's best for her daughter.
And perhaps
you could allow
for the not-so-radical
reality,
this girl is a child.
MRS. VJORKA:
Whose parents deserve the right
to raise her
according to their culture,
even should it have
the audacity
to vary from
the United States of America.
Told you
she would be tough.
Yes, you did.
Anna, should we win here,
are you going to be happy
being raised
by your relatives?
Maybe I'll marry you.
Got you.
(chuckles)
My relatives understand.
They'll look after me.
Won't you miss
your parents?
Of course, I will.
I'll probably cry forever.
But it's not right
that I should be forced
to marry somebody
I do not love
or even like.
That is not right.
(knocks on door)
Jury's out?
Who knows for how long
with your friend
taking the Fifth?
Who are we kidding?
Do you think it's possible
he could have done it?
I don't know.
You know, we always go
to the spouse first,
because he had no alibi.
We interviewed every person
in this guy's life.
All of them said
he was devoted
to his wife and family.
"Hopelessly
in love with her"
were the words
most often used.
I don't see him
stabbing her 31 times.
No,
I don't think
he could have done it,
to answer your question.
BENNETT: I'm not here
representing
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka.
I'm here representing
the United States,
a country being condemned
worldwide, at the moment,
for imposing its views
beyond its own borders.
Do I favor
arranged marriages?
Absolutely not.
When children
are involved,
I find it abhorrent,
as I'm sure you do,
Your Honor.
But it is simply
not our right
to dictate our notion
of morality
to foreign countries.
Anna Vjorka is a wonderful,
little girl
but by her own testimony,
she's not really afraid
of getting married.
She just doesn't
want to do it.
That simply
fails to rise
to the legal threshold
of persecution
that warrants asylum.
This girl
has a loving family,
eager to safeguard
her future
according to their culture
and their tradition.
As much as we might reject
that tradition,
it is not our right
to substitute our own.
Your Honor,
these are not particularly
proud times
for Americans.
Around the world,
we're increasingly
perceived
as imperialists.
Where they get that,
I haven't a clue.
But I think
we can all agree,
the last thing
we need to do right now
is to continue to police
more foreign cultures.
The truth is I agree
with almost everything
Mr. Bennett just said.
But this is a child
facing an enforced marriage
she does not want,
facing enforced sex
she does not want.
This isn't tantamount
to rape,
it is rape.
Rape.
It may surprise you,
but I happen to be
a very proud American,
and where I remain most proud
of our nation
is in the belief
that its people
remain strongly committed
to human rights.
At our noblest,
the United States
serves to protect the weak,
the oppressed.
A 12-year-old child
is asking you today
to spare her
from an unimaginable
atrocity.
I fully understand we can't
be policemen for the world,
but...
how about for one innocent,
vulnerable child?
You sure you wanna be here?
They know he killed her.
They have to know it.
KIRKLAND: Mr. Foreman,
have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
The defendant
will please rise.
What say you?
In the matter of Commonwealth
versus Jake Spooner,
on the charge of murder
in the first degree,
we find the defendant,
Jake Spooner,
not guilty.
(indistinct chatter)
KIRKLAND: Thank you.
This completes your service.
Mr. Spooner, you are free to go.
We are adjourned.
(gavel bangs)
(indistinct chatter)
You okay?
Mr. Gilbert?
I can still pursue him
civilly, right?
Well, uh,
that affair business
would come up
in a civil trial too.
Mr. Gilbert,
uh, I don't mean to sound
like a broken
record here, but...
you really need
to let it go now.
I mean,
you have a little girl.
You have your entire life
ahead of you.
Uh, otherwise...
WOMAN: There he is.
(indistinct chatter)
I keep saying
I got nothing to say
other than, uh,
this was justice.
I'm innocent.
I didn't stab anybody.
And I'm grateful
that the jury saw it my way.
And now I'm just to try
to get back on with my life...
(grunts)
MAN: Oh, shots fired!
Get down!
(indistinct chatter)
MAN: Stay where you are.
(indistinct chatter)
Witnesses reported
a blue pickup
fleeing the scene.
There has been no description
of any of the occupants.
Did he order it?
Gilbert?
I don't know.
Well, who else
would have done it?
I don't know.
Where is he?
Police got him
for questioning.
Is there a reason
you're not with him?
I'm done with the man.
People from all over the world
appear before me every day
begging,
"Please let me stay
in this country."
Some facing
unimaginable poverty,
oppression,
or cultural hatred.
We typically,
uniformly,
say no.
Here we have a young girl who,
quite justifiably,
doesn't want to have her hand
forced in marriage
at the age of 12.
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka,
I find this Roma tradition
to be repugnant,
even sick.
But I realize that could be
my own cultural bias talking.
And I am mindful that
the legal test
for persecution
is not how I feel
or even what Anna feels,
but what the reasonable person
in Anna's predicament,
in Anna's country would feel.
The testimony in evidence
seemed to clearly establish
that these forced marriages
typically happen
in the Roma faith.
That it's a cultural norm.
And that the reasonable
Roma 12-year-old girl
does not feel
persecuted by them.
Looking at this
through their lens,
which I am required
by law to do,
I cannot find
the level of persecution
that would authorize me
to grant asylum.
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka,
I would love nothing more than
to impose my American culture
and my American values upon you,
but I can't.
All I can do is hope,
even pray, that you abide
by your daughter's wishes.
The plaintiff's petition
is denied.
The minor should be immediately
released to her parents.
(gavel bangs)
(sighs)
Can we appeal?
No.
What do you mean?
There's always appeals.
Not on this.
That's not right.
Why...
MR. VJORKA: Anna?
You need to come
with us now.
I can't.
I won't.
MRS. VJORKA: Anna.
You need to come with us.
I'm sorry.
Thank you very much.
Goodbye, Mr. Shore.
Goodbye, Anna.
(music playing)
What do I do with this
wrongful-death research?
Put it in the file.
We may send off an opinion
letter if he ever asks.
And make sure
we bill him.
Well, well, well,
what have we here?
A grieving husband?
Murderer?
Devil?
All of the above?
The police just questioned me
for five hours
and released me.
Yes. Well, I'm sure
there was no evidence.
I'm sure the job
was immaculate.
You stood beside me,
Mr. Young.
You of all people know
I didn't kill Mr. Spooner.
I don't know
you didn't order the hit.
But I'll tell you this,
standing beside you,
I had the opportunity
to see your face
when your wife's
killer went down.
You didn't look surprised,
Mr. Gilbert.
One could almost conclude
you expected him
to get shot.
Is that what you think?
Here's what I know,
you were desperate
for the death penalty,
you said to me,
"He deserves a bullet
right between the eyes."
Those were your exact words,
Mr. Gilbert.
Quite a coincidence,
don't you think?
I mean, considering
where he got shot.
You never had any affair.
You sent that anonymous note
to the defense counsel.
You set yourself up
with the question,
then you pled the Fifth,
knowing full well
your wife's killer
would be set free.
Then you had him executed,
because that's what
he deserved.
Mr. Young,
I'm sure Mr. Spooner
had many enemies
who wanted him dead.
After all,
we know he killed
before, right?
He was only free
on a technicality
because you were able
to suppress
most of the evidence.
That's why you chose me.
You knew all the time
I gotten him off.
I wish you well, Mr. Young.
(music playing)
(music playing)
BOY: Score, score.
WOMAN: You stinker!
BOY: Oh. (groans)
(music playing)
ANNA: Excuse me.
I'm sorry to bother you.
Are you a lawyer?
I am.
My name is Anna Vjorka,
and I need a lawyer.
I see.
Do you have any money?
Um, some, $12.
I see.
You know $12
barely covers the time
it would take me to say,
"I can't help you."
And since I've already said it,
give me the 12 bucks.
I'm from Romania.
That's a nice country.
Beautiful castles.
ANNA: I don't want
to go back.
Can you please help me?
Anna.
What are you doing?
I'm not going back, dad.
What do you mean you're not--
I'm not going.
Can you please help me?
Anna.
What's going on here?
ANNA: If I go back
to Romania,
they'll force me
to get married.
Anna, let's go.
One second, sir.
What do you mean they're
gonna force you to get married?
They will, like they did
with my sister.
This is a family matter.
Let go of me.
Mr. Vjorka, your daughter
is represented by counsel.
Sir...
I'm sure you don't mean
to make trouble.
Oh, but I do.
You're a foreigner.
Take your hand off the girl
or I'll get you declared
a person of interest,
which means you'll be
locked up forever
without so much as a trial.
Don't think I kid you.
This is the
United States of America.
I'm about to call
for the police.
Excuse me.
I hate to interrupt,
but this one's urgent,
Your Honor.
Alan Shore representing,
uh--is it Anya?
Anna Vjorka.
Anna Vjorka.
Petition
for political asylum.
Res Ipsa Doozy.
(music playing)
Where's the girl now?
The custody of the INS.
We have a hearing
scheduled for 2:00.
Why were you even there?
I was filing an appeal
on a household matter
and stumbled across
the girl and her father.
Jamie, could you do some
political asylum
research for me?
I need it quickly.
And also dig up whatever
you can on the Roma faith.
Roma?
R-O-M-A, yes.
Jimmy, looking well.
Meaning what?
He's always meaning something
with his little comments.
Enough with the comments.
Oh, you have a walk-in.
Lawrence Gilbert.
He's in your office.
He seems in need.
Nine months ago,
my wife was murdered.
I'm sorry.
She had been stalked,
and the police
were unable to deter him,
and eventually...
she was stabbed in our home.
I've just come from
the district attorney's office.
The trial
is set to begin tomorrow.
And I've just been informed
by the district attorney that
she intends to offer 15 years.
I'm here (sighs)
wondering whether,
as the husband of the victim,
I have any rights
to enjoin this.
Actually, you don't.
Clearly,
if you were to pursue
the defendant civilly,
you'd have rights,
but in a criminal
proceeding--
What about--could we get it
removed to a federal court?
I know the federal government
sometimes claims
jurisdiction for murder cases
so they can impose
the death penalty,
which (sighs)
this man deserves.
Again, you would have
no standing
to try to influence
a criminal prosecution.
Do you think you could speak
to this district attorney?
This is what he did to her.
You can't do that to somebody
and only get 15 years.
Could you talk to this DA?
Sure.
(sighs)
Thank you.
(music playing)
So, let's talk
about your sister.
How old is she?
She was 13
when she got married.
Now she's 16.
Uh, after
she was married, um...
did she and her
new husband, uh...
Yes.
My father waved the sheets
with blood on them.
That's tradition.
To show that the marriage
was consummated.
Consummated is a big word
for a 12-year-old to use.
There are some words
I looked up.
That's one of them.
Why is your English so good?
You have no accent.
We lived with relatives
in the United States
for six years.
My mother was a visiting
professor at Amherst.
And then we moved back
two years ago.
And we've been on vacation here
for the last two weeks.
Where does your mother
stand in all this?
With my father.
You think I wanna give
him murder two?
Look at my office.
I'm obsessed
with getting this guy.
I'm just facing
the possibility that I won't.
Walk with me.
Why wouldn't you get him?
It's all circumstantial.
No witnesses or forensics
putting him in that house.
Worst-case scenario
is he walks.
I don't think Mr. Gilbert
wants that to happen.
Well, this guy
got any priors?
A ton,
but if he doesn't testify,
they don't come in, Eugene.
Look, I am not saying
that we're not gonna get him.
I'm just saying it's a risk.
I've explained
this to your client.
He's just too emotional
to hear it.
And by the way,
the defendant
turned down the 15.
What does that tell you?
I notified the attorney
general's office.
They don't oppose.
Well, I do.
Your Honor,
all I'm asking is that the girl
be questioned in chambers
instead of a big,
intimidating theater.
Come on.
The courtroom
is where we conduct
all our legal business,
openly, notoriously,
in keeping
with the constitution
and the intent
of our founding fathers.
I do all my business openly
and notoriously, Counsel.
All of it.
How about sex, Your Honor?
You've brought
before me a motion
for political asylum, Counsel.
That is a very serious piece
of legal business.
It will be tried
and adjudicated
in the courtroom.
Uh, it's not that
she won't get him.
She very well may.
On murder one?
Uh, well,
that could be tough.
More likely murder two or--
Thirty-one times
he stabbed her.
What could be more
heinous than that?
YOUNG: With that many wounds...
clearly he kept stabbing her
after she was dead.
Now, that suggests
a rage or mental state
that goes more
to murder two--
So he could get parole?
This man deserves
to get a bullet
right between his eyes.
Look, she's trying
for murder one.
She is a good DA.
You mentioned going
after him civilly.
I'd like to do that.
Mr. Gilbert--
GILBERT: I'd like to do that.
He comes from money.
I know he has a house.
Mr. Gilbert...
people sometimes
get consumed by hatred.
Don't let this man
make you more of a victim
than you already are.
I think it would empower me
to sue him civilly.
Would you represent me?
Let me monitor the criminal
trial for a day or two,
and I'll let you know.
Assuming you are going
to sue this man civilly,
let me give you some advice.
It's illegal to use
a criminal case
for the purpose
of advancing a civil one.
Now, I know
you're not doing that, but...
Ms. Alexander
tells me you've been
to the US Attorney's Office,
pressuring them.
In federal courts,
they have the death penalty.
That's what he deserves, death.
Well, if you hope to have
a civil claim at all,
you need to lay off
the prosecutors.
A Chinese girl was granted
asylum three years ago.
Forced marriage?
That's the good news,
but it's not precedent.
And Ashcroft has since
recalled for further review
all cases involving gender
as a basis for asylum,
including forced marriages.
Great.
Jimmy.
Continuing to look well.
As are you, Alan.
I'm afraid
it's against the law
for you specifically
to stand there.
Fire code. No egress.
Another fat comment, Al?
All right, Jimmy,
I must warn you
in addition
to my knowing jiu-jitsu,
I'm also a direct descendant
of Jonny Quest.
See how the lips move
while very few words come out?
Keep it up, Shore.
Keep it up.
Hey.
The next-door neighbor
had noticed a car
parked several nights
on their street
with a man sitting inside,
looking at a laptop computer.
ALEXANDER: Did she get
a look at the driver?
DETECTIVE: No.
But she took down
the plate number,
then called us
after the murder.
The car was registered
to Jake Spooner, the defendant.
We secured a search warrant
for Mr. Spooner's home
in Cambridge and executed it.
And what did you find,
Detective?
DETECTIVE:
On the defendant's computer,
we found hours
of video footage
of the Gilberts' nursery.
Did you determine
the source?
DETECTIVE: Yes.
The Gilberts
had a camera in the room.
They used it
as a baby monitor.
It was over
their daughter's crib.
Okay. But how did
these images end up
on the defendant's computer?
He's the one who
installed the cameras,
as well
as the other electronics
in the victim's house.
And he also set up a system
to intercept their videos.
ALEXANDER: And, Detective,
can you tell us
what these videos on
the defendant's computer showed?
On one file, it was mostly
the baby sleeping.
Sometimes Tracy Gilbert
came in the room
and played with her baby,
and twice she breastfed
her child.
Mr. Gilbert was on it too,
feeding her a bottle.
But there was another file
where he had edited
together scenes
and digitally
manipulated them,
giving them some special
effects that he added.
Hmm.
(music playing)
So, basically,
he made a movie.
A graphic, disturbing movie.
Detective, Tracy Gilbert
had been stabbed 30 times?
Over 30.
Would it be fair to say
whoever killed her
would likely be soaked
in her blood?
Yes.
And yet you found none
of Mrs. Gilbert's blood
on any of my client's
clothes, did you?
DETECTIVE: No.
WILLOW: What about his house?
DETECTIVE: Not blood,
but his prints
were all over
the victim's house.
But he'd been in the house
fixing some equipment
a week before, right?
That's correct.
Thank you.
No further questions,
Detective.
Ms. Alexander?
Nothing, Your Honor.
KIRKLAND:
We'll recess and resume
with our next witness
after lunch.
(gavel bangs)
I don't even like him.
Like who, Anna?
The boy that
I'm supposed to marry.
I don't think he's nice.
I don't think he's cute.
I don't think he's anything.
Now, Anna, uh, in Romania,
the legal age for marriage
is 18, am I right?
Yes. But we are Roma.
That's our religious faith.
Tradition is that they
arrange child weddings
all the time.
My sister
got married at 13,
and she had to have sex.
I don't want to have sex.
BENNETT: You say these arranged
marriages happen a lot?
Yes.
Some of your friends
get married in this way?
Yes.
BENNETT:
Are they okay with it?
Maybe they are, but I'm not.
Are you afraid of this boy?
No. I just don't wanna
marry him,
or anybody else.
Now, let's talk
about your mom and dad.
Do you love them?
I do.
But that doesn't mean
that I have to follow
all their ancient rules,
especially, the ones
that are barbaric.
Barbaric.
Did your lawyer tell you
to use that word?
Objection.
I told her to use
reprehensible,
repugnant, and criminal.
She came up with barbaric
all on her own.
Continue.
What do you think
of America, Anna?
I love it.
Tell me, excluding
this marriage business,
if you could choose
which country
you'd rather live in,
what would it be?
America.
I see.
Is it possible
this might be more
about your wanting
to stay here
than it is your fearing
going back there?
It's about me not wanting
to get married.
It's about me not wanting
to have to be raped
by some 15-year-old boy
I don't even like.
A client?
Former client.
Uh, I represented him
10, 12 years ago.
I mean, his name
didn't ring a bell,
but when I saw his face--
When you represented him,
what was he charged with?
Murder.
You got him off?
YOUNG: Look, uh, Mr. Gilbert,
I was doing my job.
Uh, it's not like
I liked the guy.
Listen, obviously,
I would have a conflict
representing you
against him.
But let me do this.
I'll monitor the trial
a little bit more.
I'll assess your case.
That much I can do.
If she's this opposed,
I won't make her go
through with it.
Well, according to Anna,
her sister was opposed.
She was crying and screaming
when they brought her
into the church.
She had to go through
with it.
The ceremony was halted
and continued
only after she agreed.
Under duress?
Mr. Shore,
my daughter is afraid
she'll miss her
friends here.
That's what this is about.
I'm sure there
are many kids coming out
of Disneyland
seeking asylum too.
You are forcing
your 12-year-old daughter
to be married, sir.
Please don't equate
that with--
MR. VJORKA:
There are Mormon families
who do that in this country.
SHORE: The Mormon Church
does not sanction--
MR. VJORKA:
But it happens. It goes on.
And the police don't always
enforce the law against it,
do they, Mr. Shore?
How about we strike
a deal then?
You leave
your daughter here.
We'll raise her in Utah.
Objection.
Our marital success rate
far surpasses
the divorce numbers
in this country.
SHORE: Just goes to show you
what a little servitude
will get you, right,
Mr. Vjorka?
STUCKY: Mr. Shore.
What happens now?
Well, tomorrow morning,
we hear from your mother.
Tell me about her.
She's very nice, smart,
a professor.
If you had trouble
with my dad,
you'll be no match for her.
You don't think
I'm any match for you, do you?
How are we doing?
Political asylum
is tough, Anna.
Though the whole world
apparently hates us right now,
we still seem to be
the destination of choice.
Do you think you could
take me away from here?
Just for an hour or two.
It's so depressing here.
I'll tell you what,
I'll try to persuade the judge
to let me take you out
for breakfast.
May I ask...
do you have children?
I'm sure I must.
I know you're going to win.
Hmm.
When I was looking around
the courtroom yesterday,
deciding what lawyer
to run up to,
I saw your face and I knew...
you would be the one
to save me.
The victim
was stabbed 31 times
over her face, neck,
torso, hands.
The blows
were of such a force,
her head was almost
separated from her body.
What can you tell us
about the weapon?
It was a knife
with a 6 1/4-inch blade,
serrated edges.
Do you know if the knife
was ever located?
It was not.
However,
we found this knife set
in the defendant's kitchen.
The set is always sold
with five knives
of varying lengths.
The defendant
had only four knives.
The one with the serrated
6 1/4-inch blade was missing.
Tests showed that the wounds
to Mrs. Gilbert's body
were consistent
with the missing knife.
And did the wounds tell you
anything about the killer?
From the angles
of penetration,
we determined
that the killer
was over six feet
and left-handed.
The knife
you're referring to,
would it surprise you
to learn that 5,000
identical knives were sold
in the last three years
in the Boston area?
No.
And to confirm...
you never found
the murder weapon.
No, we did not.
Yes, it's circumstantial,
but from where I sit,
he's going away.
GILBERT: Murder one?
Well, that I don't know.
I have here an article.
It says where
the federal government
can also bring
civil rights charges,
and it doesn't amount
to double jeopardy.
Does the death penalty
ever apply
to these civil rights cases?
Mr. Gilbert...
I would never presume to know
what you're going through,
but, um...
are you getting counseling?
See, uh, I took
the liberty of looking
at some of those videos,
and there was one
in particular.
You were sitting in a chair,
feeding your daughter.
And what I saw was a father,
a man full of love,
somebody tender.
What I see sitting across
from me now
is a man dominated by hate.
Now, while your rage
is certainly understandable,
I would think that
what your wife would want
for your daughter is for you
to try to be the man
that I saw in that video.
I, um...
I don't really know how to do
anything else right now,
besides hate him.
Uh, and to be honest,
I hate you a little,
as well
for getting him off
10 years ago,
for putting--
I'm sorry.
Well, my testimony
is first up.
I suppose
I should get some rest.
(music playing)
Should I give you the big
defense-attorney speech?
I gave that speech to my wife
at the time.
I gave her the line, you know.
Uh, "We represent the guilty,
thus ultimately protecting
the innocent."
This...
was one of the innocents
I was protecting.
GILBERT: After he had worked
for us, he kept coming around,
presumably to check
the equipment he installed.
ALEXANDER: Did this
strike you as strange?
Perhaps a little.
But we weren't alarmed,
until Tracy started
to notice him at the market,
the gym, her art class.
He was everywhere
she went.
We soon realized
he was stalking her.
Did you go to the police?
We did.
They said since these were
all public places,
there was nothing
they could really do.
And, Mr. Gilbert,
at some point,
you confronted the defendant,
did you not?
GILBERT: Yes. Two days
before the murder,
I asked him to refrain
from following my wife.
I told him he was scaring her
and my family.
I stated I was afraid
for her safety.
And how did he respond?
He said if he wanted
to harm her,
he wouldn't just
follow her around.
WILLOW: My client had been
in your house many times.
Yes, doing
electrical work.
Even as recent as a week
before the murder,
he was in your house.
Yes.
So you didn't regard him
as a threat.
We were getting nervous,
but we attributed it
to our own paranoia.
Then about a week before,
he entered the house
without knocking,
and it jolted my wife.
That's when
I went to the police.
Two days after that,
I confronted him.
I assume you loved your wife
very much.
You assumed correctly.
Love anyone else, as well?
I beg your pardon?
Were you having an affair
at the time
of your wife's death?
Did you kill your wife,
Mr. Gilbert?
Objection!
KIRKLAND: Ms. Willow,
you'd better have
a good-faith basis
for that question.
Sidebar, Your Honor.
ALEXANDER: What's this about?
Your Honor, last night
I received an anonymous message.
I submit a copy
for your review.
It may be completely bogus,
but since it alleges that
Mr. Gilbert was having an affair
and that he is the killer
of his wife, Tracy,
bogus or not, it's enough
to give me good faith
for asking the question.
I'll allow it.
Your Honor, I really...
But you're on a short leash.
Now step back.
WILLOW: Let's start
with the affair, Mr. Gilbert.
Were you in love
with another woman
at the time
of your wife's murder?
I'd like to exercise
my Fifth Amendment right
not to answer.
(indistinct chatter)
It had nothing to do
with this case.
YOUNG: Mr. Gilbert,
it may be irrelevant,
but we need...
She's married.
She has a family.
I can't--
I can't do this to them.
(door opens and closes)
What the hell is going on?
Uh, am I free to say
what you have told me?
No.
Let me tell you something,
if you plead the Fifth,
you giftwrap reasonable doubt
with a big, red bow.
Do you understand me?
The fact of the matter is,
Mr. Gilbert,
you have no alibi
for the night
of the murder.
Nobody can verify
they saw you working late.
The reason we dismissed you
as a suspect
is we had no motive.
Now we do.
Hold on a second.
I'm not trying
to threaten you.
I'm just making you aware.
This is what
the defense attorney
will play like a trombone.
Our only chance now
is to explore this affair,
rule you out as a suspect.
I'm not talking
about the affair.
Well, then we're done,
Mr. Gilbert.
I'll certainly
keep prosecuting,
but we're done.
(door opens and closes)
(music playing)
MRS. VJORKA:
I was married when I was 12.
My mother was married
when she was 14.
My grandmother was married
when she was 13.
All arranged marriages?
Yes.
All successful, as well,
I might add.
BENNETT: But, Mrs. Vjorka,
you do appreciate
that the idea
is a little offensive
to Americans.
I do.
But Americans
have trouble comprehending
non-romantic unions.
Well, marriage
without love...
Marriage is about family,
partnerships for parenting.
In our faith,
it's also about preserving
ethnic identity.
And, by the way,
arranged marriages
still go on
in the United States,
however, quietly,
for this very reason.
BENNETT: In the United States?
Yes.
And I don't mean simply
in the Mormon faith.
It happens with
Orthodox Jews,
the Greeks, Muslims, Hindus.
There are thousands
of such marriages
every year in this country.
You see nothing wrong
with forcing Anna
to be married
or to be raped?
If she doesn't consent
to consummating the marriage,
Mr. Shore,
then sex shouldn't happen.
SHORE:
But, Mrs. Vjorka, come on.
If her 15-year-old husband
overpowers her in the name
of religious consummation,
he's not going
to be prosecuted, is he?
MRS. VJORKA:
First of all, how dare you
presume Roma boys
to be rapists?
Because consummating
the marriage
is part of Roma tradition.
Consummation is traditional
in America, as well.
But if the bride says no,
we don't assume rape.
We assume capacity
to give consent.
We can't do that
with a 12-year-old.
You don't know
our culture.
I know this is
an archaic practice
that has no place
in this child's life today.
I know persecution,
Mrs. Vjorka.
I know crime...
MRS. VJORKA: In this country,
you take newborn babies
and snip off the ends
of their penises.
I imagine some other cultures
would object to that.
The United States
believes in
executing human beings
while every other westernized
country finds that barbaric.
Yes.
I'm sure we could exchange
cultural barbs ad nauseam.
It wouldn't change the fact
you're this girl's
mother, uh...
And I love her deeply.
And perhaps you would
entertain the radical idea
that a mother might know
what's best for her daughter.
And perhaps
you could allow
for the not-so-radical
reality,
this girl is a child.
MRS. VJORKA:
Whose parents deserve the right
to raise her
according to their culture,
even should it have
the audacity
to vary from
the United States of America.
Told you
she would be tough.
Yes, you did.
Anna, should we win here,
are you going to be happy
being raised
by your relatives?
Maybe I'll marry you.
Got you.
(chuckles)
My relatives understand.
They'll look after me.
Won't you miss
your parents?
Of course, I will.
I'll probably cry forever.
But it's not right
that I should be forced
to marry somebody
I do not love
or even like.
That is not right.
(knocks on door)
Jury's out?
Who knows for how long
with your friend
taking the Fifth?
Who are we kidding?
Do you think it's possible
he could have done it?
I don't know.
You know, we always go
to the spouse first,
because he had no alibi.
We interviewed every person
in this guy's life.
All of them said
he was devoted
to his wife and family.
"Hopelessly
in love with her"
were the words
most often used.
I don't see him
stabbing her 31 times.
No,
I don't think
he could have done it,
to answer your question.
BENNETT: I'm not here
representing
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka.
I'm here representing
the United States,
a country being condemned
worldwide, at the moment,
for imposing its views
beyond its own borders.
Do I favor
arranged marriages?
Absolutely not.
When children
are involved,
I find it abhorrent,
as I'm sure you do,
Your Honor.
But it is simply
not our right
to dictate our notion
of morality
to foreign countries.
Anna Vjorka is a wonderful,
little girl
but by her own testimony,
she's not really afraid
of getting married.
She just doesn't
want to do it.
That simply
fails to rise
to the legal threshold
of persecution
that warrants asylum.
This girl
has a loving family,
eager to safeguard
her future
according to their culture
and their tradition.
As much as we might reject
that tradition,
it is not our right
to substitute our own.
Your Honor,
these are not particularly
proud times
for Americans.
Around the world,
we're increasingly
perceived
as imperialists.
Where they get that,
I haven't a clue.
But I think
we can all agree,
the last thing
we need to do right now
is to continue to police
more foreign cultures.
The truth is I agree
with almost everything
Mr. Bennett just said.
But this is a child
facing an enforced marriage
she does not want,
facing enforced sex
she does not want.
This isn't tantamount
to rape,
it is rape.
Rape.
It may surprise you,
but I happen to be
a very proud American,
and where I remain most proud
of our nation
is in the belief
that its people
remain strongly committed
to human rights.
At our noblest,
the United States
serves to protect the weak,
the oppressed.
A 12-year-old child
is asking you today
to spare her
from an unimaginable
atrocity.
I fully understand we can't
be policemen for the world,
but...
how about for one innocent,
vulnerable child?
You sure you wanna be here?
They know he killed her.
They have to know it.
KIRKLAND: Mr. Foreman,
have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
The defendant
will please rise.
What say you?
In the matter of Commonwealth
versus Jake Spooner,
on the charge of murder
in the first degree,
we find the defendant,
Jake Spooner,
not guilty.
(indistinct chatter)
KIRKLAND: Thank you.
This completes your service.
Mr. Spooner, you are free to go.
We are adjourned.
(gavel bangs)
(indistinct chatter)
You okay?
Mr. Gilbert?
I can still pursue him
civilly, right?
Well, uh,
that affair business
would come up
in a civil trial too.
Mr. Gilbert,
uh, I don't mean to sound
like a broken
record here, but...
you really need
to let it go now.
I mean,
you have a little girl.
You have your entire life
ahead of you.
Uh, otherwise...
WOMAN: There he is.
(indistinct chatter)
I keep saying
I got nothing to say
other than, uh,
this was justice.
I'm innocent.
I didn't stab anybody.
And I'm grateful
that the jury saw it my way.
And now I'm just to try
to get back on with my life...
(grunts)
MAN: Oh, shots fired!
Get down!
(indistinct chatter)
MAN: Stay where you are.
(indistinct chatter)
Witnesses reported
a blue pickup
fleeing the scene.
There has been no description
of any of the occupants.
Did he order it?
Gilbert?
I don't know.
Well, who else
would have done it?
I don't know.
Where is he?
Police got him
for questioning.
Is there a reason
you're not with him?
I'm done with the man.
People from all over the world
appear before me every day
begging,
"Please let me stay
in this country."
Some facing
unimaginable poverty,
oppression,
or cultural hatred.
We typically,
uniformly,
say no.
Here we have a young girl who,
quite justifiably,
doesn't want to have her hand
forced in marriage
at the age of 12.
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka,
I find this Roma tradition
to be repugnant,
even sick.
But I realize that could be
my own cultural bias talking.
And I am mindful that
the legal test
for persecution
is not how I feel
or even what Anna feels,
but what the reasonable person
in Anna's predicament,
in Anna's country would feel.
The testimony in evidence
seemed to clearly establish
that these forced marriages
typically happen
in the Roma faith.
That it's a cultural norm.
And that the reasonable
Roma 12-year-old girl
does not feel
persecuted by them.
Looking at this
through their lens,
which I am required
by law to do,
I cannot find
the level of persecution
that would authorize me
to grant asylum.
Mr. and Mrs. Vjorka,
I would love nothing more than
to impose my American culture
and my American values upon you,
but I can't.
All I can do is hope,
even pray, that you abide
by your daughter's wishes.
The plaintiff's petition
is denied.
The minor should be immediately
released to her parents.
(gavel bangs)
(sighs)
Can we appeal?
No.
What do you mean?
There's always appeals.
Not on this.
That's not right.
Why...
MR. VJORKA: Anna?
You need to come
with us now.
I can't.
I won't.
MRS. VJORKA: Anna.
You need to come with us.
I'm sorry.
Thank you very much.
Goodbye, Mr. Shore.
Goodbye, Anna.
(music playing)
What do I do with this
wrongful-death research?
Put it in the file.
We may send off an opinion
letter if he ever asks.
And make sure
we bill him.
Well, well, well,
what have we here?
A grieving husband?
Murderer?
Devil?
All of the above?
The police just questioned me
for five hours
and released me.
Yes. Well, I'm sure
there was no evidence.
I'm sure the job
was immaculate.
You stood beside me,
Mr. Young.
You of all people know
I didn't kill Mr. Spooner.
I don't know
you didn't order the hit.
But I'll tell you this,
standing beside you,
I had the opportunity
to see your face
when your wife's
killer went down.
You didn't look surprised,
Mr. Gilbert.
One could almost conclude
you expected him
to get shot.
Is that what you think?
Here's what I know,
you were desperate
for the death penalty,
you said to me,
"He deserves a bullet
right between the eyes."
Those were your exact words,
Mr. Gilbert.
Quite a coincidence,
don't you think?
I mean, considering
where he got shot.
You never had any affair.
You sent that anonymous note
to the defense counsel.
You set yourself up
with the question,
then you pled the Fifth,
knowing full well
your wife's killer
would be set free.
Then you had him executed,
because that's what
he deserved.
Mr. Young,
I'm sure Mr. Spooner
had many enemies
who wanted him dead.
After all,
we know he killed
before, right?
He was only free
on a technicality
because you were able
to suppress
most of the evidence.
That's why you chose me.
You knew all the time
I gotten him off.
I wish you well, Mr. Young.
(music playing)
(music playing)
BOY: Score, score.
WOMAN: You stinker!
BOY: Oh. (groans)
(music playing)