Your Honor (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Part Eight - full transcript
I know your car
was stolen the day after
you killed my son.
Carlo!
He's about to be arrested
for the murder of Kofi Jones.
I can make sure
that he walks out a free man.
Stay away from the hotel.
Get away from the hotel!
- Carlo Baxter,
-you're under arrest.
- For what?
You have the right
to remain silent.
They're saying
that he killed someone.
-What?
-I didn't know who else
-to come to, and I--
-No, no, no.
It's-it's okay. I've got you.
The wrong brother died.
Is he seeing anyone?
Did he tell you
that he has a girlfriend?
It's not really appropriate
for me to--
Oh, I'm sorry.
You're right.
Look, I hate it
that we have to lie.
There's no choice.
Doesn't sound like love
to me, Frannie.
I asked Molly to give you
the Carlo Baxter arraignment.
Uh, you need me.
You can't do this without me.
I didn't get it, did I?
Sarah LeBlanc will be trying
Carlo Baxter.
You been drinking?
Fuck you.
Fuck the both of you.
Hands on the fucking wheel.
Jimmy.
If you don't
come through for Carlo,
it would be the easiest thing
in the world
to cut your heart out
and feed it to the river.
slow, suspenseful music
It was a setup. I know it.
I'm sorry, Sarah.
Did you see anyone at the bar?
White cops stop
Black person driving,
get lucky.
It happens.
Funny part is, I was on
my way to your surprise party.
I was
speeding so that I'd get there
ahead of you.
Did you talk
to your professional
responsibility lawyer?
Mm-hmm. Rehab in exchange
for charges dropped
and arrest record expunged.
What do you think?
I think
I don't have a drinking problem,
and I don't want
to lose the Baxter trial.
This is your career, Sarah.
An arrest is bad.
A felony conviction--
that's your judgeship.
They want me off this trial,
Michael.
-"They"?
-Oh, come on.
-Don't-don't do that.
-Don't do what?
You think
this city isn't capable
of connecting up all the dots?
Cops in bed with crime families
in bed with politics
in bed with cops.
It's an unvirtuous circle.
You lose your job,
you're off the case anyway.
Sarah, please,
you've got to be smart now.
I don't think
that D.A.'s got the balls
to actually prosecute
a sitting judge.
So you haven't seen it, then.
Seen what?
I'm gonna need you
to take a field sobriety test,
ma'am.
You want me
to do the alphabet backwards?
Z, Y, X, W, go fuck yourself.
How's that?
-Come on. Turn around.
-You have got to be
-fucking crazy.
-Do I look like I'm crazy?
Hands behind your back.
It's gone viral.
Rehab.
Well, could be worse.
You know why I don't want
to lose the Baxter trial?
-Yes.
-You do?
Cops, crime families,
politicians.
You left out one group-- judges.
The judges in this building
cannot be trusted.
-Am I right?
-Save one.
Stubborn bastard in court 14
who insists on putting justice
above everything.
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice,
no peace!
There is
an existential threat
heading our way.
It wants in.
It wants to contaminate us.
And it is my job
to protect this courtroom
and everyone in it
the best I can.
So, lawyers, court staff
and family members
of the accused and the victim
are all allowed in the court.
Nobody else
without express permission.
We are having this courtroom
deep-cleaned every evening,
and I'm putting a man
on the door
so outsiders don't get in.
I do this with a heavy heart,
because excluding the press
and the public goes against
every principle
that I hold dear--
transparency,
open justice, accountability.
This is going to be upsetting.
I'm sorry
I have to show it to you.
I really wish I did not.
This trial is about...
what happened
in a prison cell
in the four minutes
between 9:11 and 9:15
on October 13
to turn this child...
...into this.
First rule in the rule book
of how to be a trial lawyer--
don't get emotionally involved,
maintain
a professional distance.
Bullshit.
I am 100% emotionally involved
in getting this brute
of a human being convicted
of this murder. Why?
Because I know he did it.
I have proof
of Carlo Baxter's violent,
racist nature.
I can prove
that he had a clear motive
for killing Kofi Jones
and that he orchestrated
his one-night stay
in Orleans Parish Prison,
allowing himself the opportunity
to employ that violent nature
and act on that motive.
Nature, motive, opportunity.
-Can you stand up, Carlo?
- Objection.
-She can't do that.
-Whatever.
Stand, don't stand,
doesn't matter.
Pretty soon, you guys are gonna
get a good look at Carlo Baxter,
whose defense is asking you
to believe
that he killed five-foot-seven,
40 pounds lighter, unarmed
Kofi Jones, because
he feared for his safety.
Okay, how do I know this?
Because he can't say
he wasn't there,
and he can't say it wasn't him,
because the evidence
supporting presence
and identity is
incontrovertible.
So what else can he say
about how Kofi Jones ended up
dead on a mortuary slab
after four minutes
in a cell with him?
Self-defense is all he's got.
Surprise, surprise,
that's what he's going with.
Call me a cynic.
Who is Carlo Baxter?
He's his father's son.
Who's his father?
Don't go to the hotel.
Stay away from the hotel.
-Get away from the hotel!
-No, no. No, no, no.
-Objection.
-Turn that off, please.
-Go!
-Both of you, up here.
-Are you kidding me?
-What's the matter?
You don't like it when your
puppet master does the talking?
It's irrelevant, Your Honor.
What does this evidence tell us?
That the accused's father knew
he was about to get arrested
and tried to stop it
from happening.
And how does that help the jury?
By making them ask
a second question.
-Which is?
-How?
How did he know?
Is he a police officer? No.
How would Jimmy know?
Who told him?
-And how is this relevant?
- Yeah.
Because if you kill someone
while defending yourself,
most people-- most innocent
people-- come forward
and say, "I'm really sorry
I killed someone."
Is there an argument
in there somewhere?
"I had to do it or they
would have killed me first."
Not Carlo.
Not Carlo and his daddy.
Are we going to see evidence
to support this?
I'm asking the jury
to use their common sense.
Just lay it out for me, please.
Jimmy Baxter is a gangster.
That's what she wants.
They are not gangsters.
The Baxter family are gangsters.
They were tipped off
to Carlo's imminent arrest.
Tipped off by whom?
slow, suspenseful music
We don't know... yet.
Maybe Johnny here can tell you.
Okay, I'm not gonna
take that shit from her.
All right. Enough. Enough.
This is getting
way too personal.
I will not have this
in my courtroom.
Now, both of you, go sit down.
Ladies and gentlemen,
what you just heard--
the voice mail message--
you didn't.
I want you to un-hear it.
When I tell you
to disregard something,
take it from me,
there's good reason, and very
often it's not what you think.
So please don't speculate
because
you'll probably be wrong.
Let me do the work
on what should be the evidence.
Trust me, and we'll be fine.
Home.
That's a hell of a word.
Shakespeare...
called it the most powerful word
in the English language.
It's a word I'm going to...
I'm going to ask you to think
very, very carefully about
during this trial.
Ten... by six.
That's it.
Inside OPP,
a man has ten feet by six feet
that he can call home.
Carlo Baxter was in his home
on the night of October 13th.
Home was his cell
at Orleans Parish Prison.
- Objection.
-Jesus.
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I can't let this go.
This is my opening, Your Honor.
He knows
there's case law
specifically excluding
prison and jail cells
from the definition of "home"
-in self-defense cases.
-I'm not using the term
in a technical legal sense.
I'm appealing
to their common sense,
-Your Honor.
-It's misleading in law.
But not in English.
So, continue, Mr. Zander.
Thank you.
A killer walked into his home.
Lawyers have to be very careful
about every word we use
in court.
So when I say "killer,"
I mean...
"killer."
And we know this,
because, only days before,
he pleaded guilty
to causing the death
of Carlo's younger brother,
his baby brother,
Rocco...
...by hitting him with a car
and leaving him to die
by the side of the road.
What would you think
if you were Carlo?
Hmm?
You just arrived at OPP,
sat all alone in your cell,
minding your own business,
and suddenly,
out of nowhere--
without a guard in sight,
mind you--
there's the killer
of your baby brother
just standing there,
looking right at you.
That's all you need.
Right there.
Who's the aggressor here?
Hmm?
Kofi Jones walked 300 yards
from his own cell block
and bribed a guard
to get to Carlo.
You know, every person has a
right to be safe in their home.
Everyone.
I'd like you
to think about that tonight
as you go to bed.
And God forbid
you ever wake up
to a known killer
standing in the room
you sleep in.
But if you do,
if you do,
I promise you this:
you won't need a law book
to spell out your rights.
We'll take five minutes.
slow, gentle music
-Oh. Thank you.
-Here you go. Mm-hmm.
Note from the jury.
Who wrote this?
I found it in this envelope
lying on the table
in the jury room.
So it could have been
from any one of the 12?
Mm-hmm.
Tell them I'll answer
it at the end of evidence.
It's a done deal.
Carlo's going down.
All right.
Lieutenant Cusack.
What about him?
Interviewed Kofi
right after Nash and Maxwell
did what they did to him.
Huh.
They've been busy.
"They"?
Cusack's crew.
Nash and Maxwell
run with Cusack?
Cusack's Baxter-owned.
Are you saying that Jimmy Baxter
had LeBlanc removed?
Well, Judge LeBlanc hates
the Baxter family.
I mean, she's never tried
to hide it.
I mean, there's no judge
that they would want less
presiding over their case.
In the middle of the trial?
But how would it look
if something happened to me?
I mean, uh,
they-they-they wouldn't do that.
Ask Judge LeBlanc if she agrees.
Well, what evidence
have you got?
Lieutenant Cusack.
-His crew--
Lieutenant Cusack
is a prosecution witness.
He's going to be testifying
against Carlo Baxter.
So...
what you're saying about him,
uh, it just doesn't make
any sense.
Nancy...
...there's no public scrutiny
of what is going on in there.
So it's very important that
we don't stoop to speculation.
I mean,
we've got to be rigorous.
We've-we've got to be tough
on ourselves, right?
Evidence, evidence, evidence.
Right?
Yeah.
Have you...
been to Fiona McKee with this?
No.
Okay.
tense music
Place your left hand
on the Bible.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
I do.
You may be seated.
It's easier for me to stand.
That's fine.
You know this man?
Yeah.
He, uh, jumped me on the street.
January, three years ago.
Why'd he do that?
For being there
and being Black.
He broke my spine.
Jesus.
They fused it, but, uh...
it didn't take.
At least not all the way.
That's why
I got no balance left.
-That's why this.
Anything else he do to you?
He curb-checked me.
Can you explain
to the jury what that means?
He made me, uh...
Sorry, I can't.
It's okay.
You don't have to.
Your Honor has
the agreed definition?
Yes.
Yes.
"A form
of assault
in which the victim's mouth--
jaw wide open--
is forcefully placed on a curb
and the victim's head..."
"...is stomped from behind,
causing severe injury or death."
How did that affect you?
I wake up screaming
in the middle of the night.
I go to bed getting ready
to wake up screaming.
Thank you, Justin.
Uh, we'll take five minutes
before cross.
slow, somber music
Mr. James,
thank you for your testimony.
I don't want to keep you
on the stand
any longer than is necessary,
and I'm sure Mr. Zander
feels exactly the same way.
I can't imagine what it
must be like for you to relive
your experience.
Jesus. This judge.
Talk about pro-prosecution.
I do have a question.
You have...
scarring from the attack.
-Is that true?
-Yes.
And from the surgeries?
Yes.
And they're on your back?
-Is that right?
-Yeah.
And the scar
on the side of your neck--
is-is that also from the attack
or the surgeries?
Um, no, it's a...
it's a tattoo.
Oh.
Sorry.
I couldn't make it out
from here.
My apologies.
Mr. Zander, are you ready?
Yes, Your Honor.
May I?
The letter "D."
Are you a member of a gang?
Objection. Justin James
is not the one on trial here.
I will allow this question.
"D" for...?
Desire.
Desire.
Your Honor, may I have
the witness turn toward the jury
-so they can see the tattoo?
-Objection.
I think,
under the circumstance,
it is a legitimate request.
I'll grant it.
Desire.
Is that the same gang
that Kofi Jones was a member of?
Yeah.
I'm guessing that
Carlo Baxter's not very popular
with the Desire crew
that you run with
and are loyal to.
Right?
No further questions,
Your Honor.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Carlo Baxter went to jail
for this vicious assault on you.
Right?
Yes, ma'am.
Did he plead guilty?
Uh, no.
There was a trial.
Who represented him?
That guy.
Oh.
Did you take the stand?
Yes.
Did Carlo take the stand?
Yes.
What did he say?
He said that I attacked him
and that he was defending
himself.
Did he call any other witnesses?
Yeah.
His mother.
He was convicted
of the assault, correct?
Yes.
By a jury?
Yes.
So they believed you?
Yeah.
They did.
So it follows
that Carlo and his mother
-were lying under oath.
-Objection.
Speculation about what was
in the mind of the jury.
Mr. Baxter, you are a racist,
-a liar and a thug.
-Objection!
Ms. McKee.
Her Honor Judge LeBlanc's words
on sentencing Carlo Baxter.
Objection overruled.
Thank you, Mr. James.
low, ominous music
Did you forget where you parked?
No.
That's what I thought.
-Who are you?
-Detective Costello.
C-O-S-T-E-L-L-O.
C-U-S-A-C-K.
Cusack.
What was Kofi Jones arrested for
on the night of October 10th?
Possession of a stolen vehicle.
And were those charges
later upgraded?
They were.
Vehicular homicide
for the hit-and-run death
of Rocco Baxter.
Carlo's brother.
That's right.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
You saw Kofi Jones
on the day of his arrest?
At the station house, yeah.
-Describe his demeanor.
-Uh, objection.
-It calls for speculation.
-He's a police officer.
Don't you read people
for a living?
Facial expressions,
body language and so forth?
Every cop does.
It's a crucial part of the job.
Overruled.
I'm asking you
what you remember of Kofi Jones
on the day of his arrest.
We know he'd just run over
a 17-year-old boy, causing
-catastrophic brain injury.
- We-we don't need
to hear the detail.
What, so we get
chapter and verse
on the curb stomp,
and you don't allow this?
Will you please get
to your point?
Did he seem torn up about it?
I'm not up here
to speak ill of the dead.
You're up there
to tell the truth.
Okay. You really want to know?
He looked like
nothing had happened,
like it was
just another Tuesday.
I mean, when I saw him,
he'd just finished eating
a bacon sandwich.
You'd think, you just killed
a man, then...
suspenseful music
No further questions.
I am so... so sorry
what's happening in there.
-It's not right.
-All that they're saying
about him ain't true.
I can drive you home.
For what? So you can bullshit me
some more on the way?
I-I could offer you
a place to stay.
-I mean, just-just until--
-I don't need that.
I don't need you.
I'm staying with Little Mo.
He making you feel like a man?
Like you have something?
He got my back.
You know, I used to plead out
corner boys all the time.
That was my job.
And every time
they'd sing the same song:
"My crew's got my back."
Then I'd tell them how many
years they were gonna do,
and I'd see it land.
Then they'd come back at me
and say, "I'm a good soldier.
I'm gonna take the years."
For what?
For feeling like a man?
You got something better for me?
I know the system.
I can navigate it for you.
With you.
Little Mo hand me cash
every week.
Every week.
And you want to hand me
the system?
Fuck you!
Fuck me?
Fuck me? Really?
What, fuck me up the ass?
Is that you?
Are you the same as him?
Or are you better
than that, Eugene?
One thing before
you go home for the night.
When you are outside
of this courtroom,
you do not talk to anyone
about this trial
or any testimony you hear
during it.
You do not watch,
read or listen to any coverage
on this case.
I want you clean.
I want you free
of outside interference.
And let me be clear.
Anyone breaking these rules is
committing a criminal offense,
and I will hold you in contempt
of court if you do it.
Why am I being so fierce
about this?
The answer is beside you.
Now...
I didn't put the Constitution
up on the wall.
It was there when I got here.
And it'll be here
long after I'm gone.
You know, sometimes I come in
early in the morning,
and I reread the words...
and remind myself
of the simple beauty
of our system of justice.
The accused has
the right to be tried
by a jury of his peers.
Now, notice it-it doesn't say
anything about judges...
or lawyers.
Our Founding Fathers knew
where to put their trust.
Now, I will tell you
what the law is.
But as for the facts--
who's telling the truth,
who isn't--
it's all yours.
So despite me
being up here in...
all my...
Dumbledore gear, I am
far less important than you.
Because of this virus,
we're alone in here.
Nobody is watching you.
The responsibility
and the power is yours.
Not me. Not God.
You, the people.
I can't live
on the kind of love
That you give...
D-Don't do that
with the stitching.
Why? What's it worth?
What's the story with that?
Where did Kofi get it?
What's it worth?
He didn't tell you
where he got it?
Nah. He didn't get the chance.
When was the last time
you saw him?
Hmm.
Last time I saw him was
the night before the cops came
and got him.
Guess he didn't have it then--
the baseball.
Yeah, I guess not.
Sell it for me?
-Sure.
-Best closer
in the history
of the game right there.
Hmm.
suspenseful music
Adam, do you have a minute?
Uh, yeah.
It's the first picture you
showed me after your mom died.
You should have it.
I, um...
I gave my notice this morning.
What?
I'm gonna teach out the rest
of the semester,
and then I'm gone.
-I-I'm sorry.
-Why?
There are a hundred high schools
within an hour
of the NYU campus.
High schools?
I've put out some feelers
already.
Wait. Uh, are you--?
Adam, you'll be 18.
We won't have
to hide from anybody
or explain ourselves
to anyone, you know?
We can just... we can just be.
I didn't get in.
NYU. They said no.
Hey, buddy.
Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Look at this. Hey.
Adam?
All right.
Look at that. Huh?
You don't care.
Ah.
Charlie, cancel whatever plans
you've got for tonight.
We are celebrating.
Elizabeth?
Listen, uh...
The Desiato men
would love to see you tonight.
I didn't know.
Oh, it's not a big deal.
Kind of suits you.
Before I go to sleep
I listen long
to the bustling streets...
You know, Rocco never had
a girlfriend.
I mean, nobody he was
all in on.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm living two lives,
his and mine.
So, um, I hope you don't mind
having an annoying,
smiley, dead brother
hanging out with us
all the time.
They raised me up
on brick and bread...
Are you okay?
Hey.
-Are you sure?
-Yeah.
How long
I'm gonna settle
Yeah, I want
to show you something.
I'm gonna settle...
So, my mom used to give people
pictures of themselves
they didn't know she'd taken.
I mean, all over the city,
there are people
with Polaroid pictures
of themselves taken by Mom.
And, you know,
people would get pissed
sometimes,
and so Mom would talk to them
or sometimes even go for coffee
with them
to try to persuade them
she wasn't after their souls.
And, I mean,
they would open up to her.
And I'd be there listening.
It was how I learned everything
that I know and love
about this city.
I mean, obviously
back then I hated it.
Thought she was, like,
embarrassing or...
And she knew that, so, um,
one day she explained it to me.
"Go deep, not wide."
She said people
make that mistake too often,
thinking that going deep
is going wide.
"Stay where you are,
stand still,
dig."
-Good?
-Perfect.
How much would you pay for this?
-Where'd you get that?
-Eugene.
Wants me to sell it for him.
So, he's talking
to you now, huh?
It's a process, but yes.
That's good. That's good.
-So, make me an offer.
-All right.
I'll make you an offer.
Here.
-Uh, Desiato. We're early.
-Come this way, please.
-Thank you.
- Am I allowed
-to say something?
- Sure.
You're the judge, right?
-Yeah.
-The Baxter boy.
So guilty. Tell me I'm wrong.
Well, I'm the last person
you should talk to about this.
-You can ask me.
- So,
am I right?
We'll be leaving you
a very big tip.
Thank you, Mrs. Desiato.
Mrs. Desiato. Oh.
slow, sinister music
Right this way.
Here, Lee.
Well, I should wash up.
-I'll be right back.
-Okay.
Justin James.
Justin fucking James.
You didn't have to allow that.
You could have told her
she couldn't call him.
But now my boy's a racist.
She's tearing him apart
in there.
You don't know
what you're talking about.
And you're letting it
fucking happen!
I'm watching my son
-heading for death row.
-Do you have any idea
-what a jury is looking for
-Oh, don't--
in a judge on a case like this?
-Do you have any idea?
-Don't-don't...
-don't fuck with me.
-They want me to be their dad.
I am giving them that.
I am Gregory fucking Peck
in there.
They watch me
stand up
to Johnny Zander's showboating,
and they trust me more.
They watch me allow in evidence
that they really want to hear,
and they love me for that.
And all the while,
I am making them feel secure.
I'm making them feel safe
by telling them that I love them
and that I am not frightened
by anyone.
I get them to look up to me,
to take their cues from me.
And then later-- not now,
not yet, but when it matters--
I tell them what to think.
They won't know
what's happening.
They won't ever
see it happening.
But it will happen.
Twelve of our peers
will do exactly what
I want them to do.
Tomorrow or the next day,
I am making a move.
Now, are we done here?
Only number in here is mine.
I want to know what you've done
and when you've done it,
and I want it by 10 a.m.
the day after tomorrow.
Let's call that a deadline.
And let's give that word
its literal meaning.
ominous, dramatic music
Thank you.
And then she grabbed my head,
-and she said...
-She said, "It's in your heart."
-Ah.
-Hello.
- Hey! There she is!
-Ah, how are you?
-Hello, hello, hello.
The woman of my dreams.
-And the man of mine. Hi.
-Ah. Mmm.
-Mmm.
Hey, baby.
-How you doing?
-Good.
- Here you are.
-Thank you. Thank you.
-Sorry I'm a bit late.
-Oh, that's all right.
So, what's going on?
I mean,
is there something I don't know?
Hmm, maybe.
Here.
Open this.
You're going to NYU.
- He got in?
- He got in.
Six hundred applicants
for only five places. Wow.
Like mother, like son.
Huh? New York.
New life, huh?
Your mom would've been so proud.
Ah.
To New York and Adam.
Ah, to New York and Adam.
-Hear, hear.
- To Adam.
Yeah, um...
I-I don't know.
Don't know what?
I'm just... not sure.
About?
Actually, I've been...
thinking
about taking a gap year.
Really?
Wow. Okay.
Um, s-so, you have a plan?
You're gonna travel abroad
or...?
I think that I should stay here.
And-and do...
do what?
What do you mean?
I think I should stay
in New Orleans.
Like Mom used to say,
go deep, not wide.
Adam, want a ride home
in a real car?
Yeah.
- Okay.
-They, they were here.
Who?
Jimmy Baxter
and his Celtic goon.
When?
As I arrived.
Well...
-It was a coincidence.
-Really?
How do you know that?
This is what happens, Elizabeth.
Paranoia sets in.
Irrational fear takes hold.
We can't have that.
That's the fight.
We have to stay normal.
We have to stay strong.
Okay?
Yeah.
Come on.
Push...
I love your father,
and I love you.
I'd do anything to protect you.
So that's why I-I don't like it
when I see something or someone
come between the two of you.
Push it
Pull it...
Girlfriend leaning on you
to stay, Adam? Is that it?
Girlfriend?
I'm your godfather,
not your father.
Well, godfathers get to talk
about girlfriends.
You're gonna get left...
-Okay.
-Come on.
Now go for yourself
It's easier taking candy
from a baby
Don't hand me no bull
Now you got it, baby
Ms. Latimer?
Frannie?
-Hi.
- Oh, Judge Desiato.
-Hi.
-Yeah, hi.
I'm sorry to sneak up on you,
but I-I did want to catch you
before school started.
It's about Adam.
Oh, yeah? Is he okay?
Yes. Yeah, he's... Well, he's...
He's waffling on NYU.
Waffling?
Yeah, he's saying
that he might not want to go.
But he-he got the letter
and everything?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, and the T-shirt, too.
Did he confide in you?
Did he say anything at all?
No. No.
Well, I know he trusts you,
doesn't he?
And you're not his parent,
so maybe you can get through
to him.
I mean, it's like you said,
he's got something.
I mean, he's only 17,
but he should know better.
And I'm worried that he's gonna
throw it all away.
I hate to ask, but...
would you talk to him?
Please?
slow, dramatic music
-Sure.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-I...
Thank you.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-I should, um--
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Have a good day.
-Okay.
pulsing, dramatic music
Massive trauma
causing multiple
brain contusions,
the result of blood
entering the brain tissue.
Can you tell the jury
what that looks like?
Okay.
Um,
the deceased was, um--
You can call him Kofi.
Ms. McKee, please.
He's Kofi his whole life,
and then he gets killed
and suddenly
he's "the deceased"?
How did Kofi die?
Kofi's skull couldn't expand,
so his brain swelled up.
The pressure inside his skull
reached an intolerable level.
That pressure wasn't relieved.
It's a terrible way to go.
Exhibit B.
Now, Counselor,
we don't need to go here.
I just have
a few more photographs.
I think the jury
has seen all
that they need to see.
Uh... may I approach?
Your Honor.
Right. Please turn this off.
I appreciate your concern
for the jury's feelings.
You've seen the photos?
Look, they're easy
for us to look at
because we're used to them.
But a jury? It's harrowing.
And we don't know how sensitive
they might be to these.
Do these injuries look
like they were caused
by someone defending themself?
I mean, even if the jury buys
that Carlo wasn't the aggressor,
they still have to decide
if the force he used to defend
himself was proportionate.
These pictures go directly
to the heart of that question.
They need to see them
to do their job.
-Come on, Fiona. It's overkill.
-Shut up.
And I need to protect my jury.
Let's continue.
Okay.
We don't have any pictures of
what happened to Kofi's brain.
So we're going to have
to use words.
His head was bashed
repeatedly against the wall.
How do you know?
Small particles
I picked out of the wound,
some of which were embedded
in Kofi's skull--
they match the wall material
in the cell.
Stone from the wall
was in his skull?
That's right.
Well, a skull is hard, right?
- Very.
-So it would
-have required--
-A tremendous amount
of force to do
what was done here.
How many bashings?
Six.
And what can you tell us
about the force that was used?
Well, the, uh,
wall of the cell is flat.
There are no significant bumps
or ridges.
So, in order for particles
from the wall
to be embedded in Kofi's skull,
the force must
have been enough to...
to loosen the material
of the cell wall.
Which was?
Concrete.
He almost certainly had him
by the hair
-when he was--
-So, wait. Like... like that?
Like this? Like this?
Yes.
slow, suspenseful music
I found Carlo Baxter's skin
under his fingernails.
What does that tell you?
Kofi fought for his life
and lost.
Thank you, Doctor.
Mr. Zander?
No questions, Your Honor.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you,
and we'll see you
in the morning.
No. No way.
Who reported me?
That's confidential.
I'm not allowed
to know who accused me?
That's a habeas corpus suit
right there.
Was it juror eight?
I need to see your phone.
This is ridiculous.
Let's clear it up.
Fine.
Here you go.
Oh, my God.
That... that-that wasn't me.
Somebody did this to me.
Why would they do that?
Ms. Long, I don't doubt
that you had good intentions,
but I gave
very clear instructions.
You're not listening.
I didn't do this.
Someone did this to me.
What are you gonna do?
Replace you with an alternate.
This isn't right.
I could go out that door
right now
and tell the press
what happened here.
Sit down.
The trial would collapse
if you did that.
We'd have to start over
with a new jury.
Justin James would have
to come back
and relive the horror of being
curb-stomped all over again.
I think we both know
what's going on here.
I won't be intimidated
by anyone.
Do you have children?
A daughter.
And you love her more
than anything in the world?
What-what does she have
to do with--?
Nothing is
more precious than her.
Not principle, not courage,
not conscience.
My guess is that you were
leaning toward
convicting the accused.
Hmm?
Let me tell you something.
I have sat through
hundreds and hundreds
of jury trials,
and I can always call them
by the end of day one.
I'm never wrong.
Justice won't miss you,
Ms. Long.
You can walk away,
and I would bet my life
that we will still get
the result you want.
Carlo Baxter is going down.
plaintive music
Go home.
Be with your daughter.
Pretend this never happened.
was stolen the day after
you killed my son.
Carlo!
He's about to be arrested
for the murder of Kofi Jones.
I can make sure
that he walks out a free man.
Stay away from the hotel.
Get away from the hotel!
- Carlo Baxter,
-you're under arrest.
- For what?
You have the right
to remain silent.
They're saying
that he killed someone.
-What?
-I didn't know who else
-to come to, and I--
-No, no, no.
It's-it's okay. I've got you.
The wrong brother died.
Is he seeing anyone?
Did he tell you
that he has a girlfriend?
It's not really appropriate
for me to--
Oh, I'm sorry.
You're right.
Look, I hate it
that we have to lie.
There's no choice.
Doesn't sound like love
to me, Frannie.
I asked Molly to give you
the Carlo Baxter arraignment.
Uh, you need me.
You can't do this without me.
I didn't get it, did I?
Sarah LeBlanc will be trying
Carlo Baxter.
You been drinking?
Fuck you.
Fuck the both of you.
Hands on the fucking wheel.
Jimmy.
If you don't
come through for Carlo,
it would be the easiest thing
in the world
to cut your heart out
and feed it to the river.
slow, suspenseful music
It was a setup. I know it.
I'm sorry, Sarah.
Did you see anyone at the bar?
White cops stop
Black person driving,
get lucky.
It happens.
Funny part is, I was on
my way to your surprise party.
I was
speeding so that I'd get there
ahead of you.
Did you talk
to your professional
responsibility lawyer?
Mm-hmm. Rehab in exchange
for charges dropped
and arrest record expunged.
What do you think?
I think
I don't have a drinking problem,
and I don't want
to lose the Baxter trial.
This is your career, Sarah.
An arrest is bad.
A felony conviction--
that's your judgeship.
They want me off this trial,
Michael.
-"They"?
-Oh, come on.
-Don't-don't do that.
-Don't do what?
You think
this city isn't capable
of connecting up all the dots?
Cops in bed with crime families
in bed with politics
in bed with cops.
It's an unvirtuous circle.
You lose your job,
you're off the case anyway.
Sarah, please,
you've got to be smart now.
I don't think
that D.A.'s got the balls
to actually prosecute
a sitting judge.
So you haven't seen it, then.
Seen what?
I'm gonna need you
to take a field sobriety test,
ma'am.
You want me
to do the alphabet backwards?
Z, Y, X, W, go fuck yourself.
How's that?
-Come on. Turn around.
-You have got to be
-fucking crazy.
-Do I look like I'm crazy?
Hands behind your back.
It's gone viral.
Rehab.
Well, could be worse.
You know why I don't want
to lose the Baxter trial?
-Yes.
-You do?
Cops, crime families,
politicians.
You left out one group-- judges.
The judges in this building
cannot be trusted.
-Am I right?
-Save one.
Stubborn bastard in court 14
who insists on putting justice
above everything.
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
No justice,
no peace!
There is
an existential threat
heading our way.
It wants in.
It wants to contaminate us.
And it is my job
to protect this courtroom
and everyone in it
the best I can.
So, lawyers, court staff
and family members
of the accused and the victim
are all allowed in the court.
Nobody else
without express permission.
We are having this courtroom
deep-cleaned every evening,
and I'm putting a man
on the door
so outsiders don't get in.
I do this with a heavy heart,
because excluding the press
and the public goes against
every principle
that I hold dear--
transparency,
open justice, accountability.
This is going to be upsetting.
I'm sorry
I have to show it to you.
I really wish I did not.
This trial is about...
what happened
in a prison cell
in the four minutes
between 9:11 and 9:15
on October 13
to turn this child...
...into this.
First rule in the rule book
of how to be a trial lawyer--
don't get emotionally involved,
maintain
a professional distance.
Bullshit.
I am 100% emotionally involved
in getting this brute
of a human being convicted
of this murder. Why?
Because I know he did it.
I have proof
of Carlo Baxter's violent,
racist nature.
I can prove
that he had a clear motive
for killing Kofi Jones
and that he orchestrated
his one-night stay
in Orleans Parish Prison,
allowing himself the opportunity
to employ that violent nature
and act on that motive.
Nature, motive, opportunity.
-Can you stand up, Carlo?
- Objection.
-She can't do that.
-Whatever.
Stand, don't stand,
doesn't matter.
Pretty soon, you guys are gonna
get a good look at Carlo Baxter,
whose defense is asking you
to believe
that he killed five-foot-seven,
40 pounds lighter, unarmed
Kofi Jones, because
he feared for his safety.
Okay, how do I know this?
Because he can't say
he wasn't there,
and he can't say it wasn't him,
because the evidence
supporting presence
and identity is
incontrovertible.
So what else can he say
about how Kofi Jones ended up
dead on a mortuary slab
after four minutes
in a cell with him?
Self-defense is all he's got.
Surprise, surprise,
that's what he's going with.
Call me a cynic.
Who is Carlo Baxter?
He's his father's son.
Who's his father?
Don't go to the hotel.
Stay away from the hotel.
-Get away from the hotel!
-No, no. No, no, no.
-Objection.
-Turn that off, please.
-Go!
-Both of you, up here.
-Are you kidding me?
-What's the matter?
You don't like it when your
puppet master does the talking?
It's irrelevant, Your Honor.
What does this evidence tell us?
That the accused's father knew
he was about to get arrested
and tried to stop it
from happening.
And how does that help the jury?
By making them ask
a second question.
-Which is?
-How?
How did he know?
Is he a police officer? No.
How would Jimmy know?
Who told him?
-And how is this relevant?
- Yeah.
Because if you kill someone
while defending yourself,
most people-- most innocent
people-- come forward
and say, "I'm really sorry
I killed someone."
Is there an argument
in there somewhere?
"I had to do it or they
would have killed me first."
Not Carlo.
Not Carlo and his daddy.
Are we going to see evidence
to support this?
I'm asking the jury
to use their common sense.
Just lay it out for me, please.
Jimmy Baxter is a gangster.
That's what she wants.
They are not gangsters.
The Baxter family are gangsters.
They were tipped off
to Carlo's imminent arrest.
Tipped off by whom?
slow, suspenseful music
We don't know... yet.
Maybe Johnny here can tell you.
Okay, I'm not gonna
take that shit from her.
All right. Enough. Enough.
This is getting
way too personal.
I will not have this
in my courtroom.
Now, both of you, go sit down.
Ladies and gentlemen,
what you just heard--
the voice mail message--
you didn't.
I want you to un-hear it.
When I tell you
to disregard something,
take it from me,
there's good reason, and very
often it's not what you think.
So please don't speculate
because
you'll probably be wrong.
Let me do the work
on what should be the evidence.
Trust me, and we'll be fine.
Home.
That's a hell of a word.
Shakespeare...
called it the most powerful word
in the English language.
It's a word I'm going to...
I'm going to ask you to think
very, very carefully about
during this trial.
Ten... by six.
That's it.
Inside OPP,
a man has ten feet by six feet
that he can call home.
Carlo Baxter was in his home
on the night of October 13th.
Home was his cell
at Orleans Parish Prison.
- Objection.
-Jesus.
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I can't let this go.
This is my opening, Your Honor.
He knows
there's case law
specifically excluding
prison and jail cells
from the definition of "home"
-in self-defense cases.
-I'm not using the term
in a technical legal sense.
I'm appealing
to their common sense,
-Your Honor.
-It's misleading in law.
But not in English.
So, continue, Mr. Zander.
Thank you.
A killer walked into his home.
Lawyers have to be very careful
about every word we use
in court.
So when I say "killer,"
I mean...
"killer."
And we know this,
because, only days before,
he pleaded guilty
to causing the death
of Carlo's younger brother,
his baby brother,
Rocco...
...by hitting him with a car
and leaving him to die
by the side of the road.
What would you think
if you were Carlo?
Hmm?
You just arrived at OPP,
sat all alone in your cell,
minding your own business,
and suddenly,
out of nowhere--
without a guard in sight,
mind you--
there's the killer
of your baby brother
just standing there,
looking right at you.
That's all you need.
Right there.
Who's the aggressor here?
Hmm?
Kofi Jones walked 300 yards
from his own cell block
and bribed a guard
to get to Carlo.
You know, every person has a
right to be safe in their home.
Everyone.
I'd like you
to think about that tonight
as you go to bed.
And God forbid
you ever wake up
to a known killer
standing in the room
you sleep in.
But if you do,
if you do,
I promise you this:
you won't need a law book
to spell out your rights.
We'll take five minutes.
slow, gentle music
-Oh. Thank you.
-Here you go. Mm-hmm.
Note from the jury.
Who wrote this?
I found it in this envelope
lying on the table
in the jury room.
So it could have been
from any one of the 12?
Mm-hmm.
Tell them I'll answer
it at the end of evidence.
It's a done deal.
Carlo's going down.
All right.
Lieutenant Cusack.
What about him?
Interviewed Kofi
right after Nash and Maxwell
did what they did to him.
Huh.
They've been busy.
"They"?
Cusack's crew.
Nash and Maxwell
run with Cusack?
Cusack's Baxter-owned.
Are you saying that Jimmy Baxter
had LeBlanc removed?
Well, Judge LeBlanc hates
the Baxter family.
I mean, she's never tried
to hide it.
I mean, there's no judge
that they would want less
presiding over their case.
In the middle of the trial?
But how would it look
if something happened to me?
I mean, uh,
they-they-they wouldn't do that.
Ask Judge LeBlanc if she agrees.
Well, what evidence
have you got?
Lieutenant Cusack.
-His crew--
Lieutenant Cusack
is a prosecution witness.
He's going to be testifying
against Carlo Baxter.
So...
what you're saying about him,
uh, it just doesn't make
any sense.
Nancy...
...there's no public scrutiny
of what is going on in there.
So it's very important that
we don't stoop to speculation.
I mean,
we've got to be rigorous.
We've-we've got to be tough
on ourselves, right?
Evidence, evidence, evidence.
Right?
Yeah.
Have you...
been to Fiona McKee with this?
No.
Okay.
tense music
Place your left hand
on the Bible.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
I do.
You may be seated.
It's easier for me to stand.
That's fine.
You know this man?
Yeah.
He, uh, jumped me on the street.
January, three years ago.
Why'd he do that?
For being there
and being Black.
He broke my spine.
Jesus.
They fused it, but, uh...
it didn't take.
At least not all the way.
That's why
I got no balance left.
-That's why this.
Anything else he do to you?
He curb-checked me.
Can you explain
to the jury what that means?
He made me, uh...
Sorry, I can't.
It's okay.
You don't have to.
Your Honor has
the agreed definition?
Yes.
Yes.
"A form
of assault
in which the victim's mouth--
jaw wide open--
is forcefully placed on a curb
and the victim's head..."
"...is stomped from behind,
causing severe injury or death."
How did that affect you?
I wake up screaming
in the middle of the night.
I go to bed getting ready
to wake up screaming.
Thank you, Justin.
Uh, we'll take five minutes
before cross.
slow, somber music
Mr. James,
thank you for your testimony.
I don't want to keep you
on the stand
any longer than is necessary,
and I'm sure Mr. Zander
feels exactly the same way.
I can't imagine what it
must be like for you to relive
your experience.
Jesus. This judge.
Talk about pro-prosecution.
I do have a question.
You have...
scarring from the attack.
-Is that true?
-Yes.
And from the surgeries?
Yes.
And they're on your back?
-Is that right?
-Yeah.
And the scar
on the side of your neck--
is-is that also from the attack
or the surgeries?
Um, no, it's a...
it's a tattoo.
Oh.
Sorry.
I couldn't make it out
from here.
My apologies.
Mr. Zander, are you ready?
Yes, Your Honor.
May I?
The letter "D."
Are you a member of a gang?
Objection. Justin James
is not the one on trial here.
I will allow this question.
"D" for...?
Desire.
Desire.
Your Honor, may I have
the witness turn toward the jury
-so they can see the tattoo?
-Objection.
I think,
under the circumstance,
it is a legitimate request.
I'll grant it.
Desire.
Is that the same gang
that Kofi Jones was a member of?
Yeah.
I'm guessing that
Carlo Baxter's not very popular
with the Desire crew
that you run with
and are loyal to.
Right?
No further questions,
Your Honor.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Carlo Baxter went to jail
for this vicious assault on you.
Right?
Yes, ma'am.
Did he plead guilty?
Uh, no.
There was a trial.
Who represented him?
That guy.
Oh.
Did you take the stand?
Yes.
Did Carlo take the stand?
Yes.
What did he say?
He said that I attacked him
and that he was defending
himself.
Did he call any other witnesses?
Yeah.
His mother.
He was convicted
of the assault, correct?
Yes.
By a jury?
Yes.
So they believed you?
Yeah.
They did.
So it follows
that Carlo and his mother
-were lying under oath.
-Objection.
Speculation about what was
in the mind of the jury.
Mr. Baxter, you are a racist,
-a liar and a thug.
-Objection!
Ms. McKee.
Her Honor Judge LeBlanc's words
on sentencing Carlo Baxter.
Objection overruled.
Thank you, Mr. James.
low, ominous music
Did you forget where you parked?
No.
That's what I thought.
-Who are you?
-Detective Costello.
C-O-S-T-E-L-L-O.
C-U-S-A-C-K.
Cusack.
What was Kofi Jones arrested for
on the night of October 10th?
Possession of a stolen vehicle.
And were those charges
later upgraded?
They were.
Vehicular homicide
for the hit-and-run death
of Rocco Baxter.
Carlo's brother.
That's right.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
You saw Kofi Jones
on the day of his arrest?
At the station house, yeah.
-Describe his demeanor.
-Uh, objection.
-It calls for speculation.
-He's a police officer.
Don't you read people
for a living?
Facial expressions,
body language and so forth?
Every cop does.
It's a crucial part of the job.
Overruled.
I'm asking you
what you remember of Kofi Jones
on the day of his arrest.
We know he'd just run over
a 17-year-old boy, causing
-catastrophic brain injury.
- We-we don't need
to hear the detail.
What, so we get
chapter and verse
on the curb stomp,
and you don't allow this?
Will you please get
to your point?
Did he seem torn up about it?
I'm not up here
to speak ill of the dead.
You're up there
to tell the truth.
Okay. You really want to know?
He looked like
nothing had happened,
like it was
just another Tuesday.
I mean, when I saw him,
he'd just finished eating
a bacon sandwich.
You'd think, you just killed
a man, then...
suspenseful music
No further questions.
I am so... so sorry
what's happening in there.
-It's not right.
-All that they're saying
about him ain't true.
I can drive you home.
For what? So you can bullshit me
some more on the way?
I-I could offer you
a place to stay.
-I mean, just-just until--
-I don't need that.
I don't need you.
I'm staying with Little Mo.
He making you feel like a man?
Like you have something?
He got my back.
You know, I used to plead out
corner boys all the time.
That was my job.
And every time
they'd sing the same song:
"My crew's got my back."
Then I'd tell them how many
years they were gonna do,
and I'd see it land.
Then they'd come back at me
and say, "I'm a good soldier.
I'm gonna take the years."
For what?
For feeling like a man?
You got something better for me?
I know the system.
I can navigate it for you.
With you.
Little Mo hand me cash
every week.
Every week.
And you want to hand me
the system?
Fuck you!
Fuck me?
Fuck me? Really?
What, fuck me up the ass?
Is that you?
Are you the same as him?
Or are you better
than that, Eugene?
One thing before
you go home for the night.
When you are outside
of this courtroom,
you do not talk to anyone
about this trial
or any testimony you hear
during it.
You do not watch,
read or listen to any coverage
on this case.
I want you clean.
I want you free
of outside interference.
And let me be clear.
Anyone breaking these rules is
committing a criminal offense,
and I will hold you in contempt
of court if you do it.
Why am I being so fierce
about this?
The answer is beside you.
Now...
I didn't put the Constitution
up on the wall.
It was there when I got here.
And it'll be here
long after I'm gone.
You know, sometimes I come in
early in the morning,
and I reread the words...
and remind myself
of the simple beauty
of our system of justice.
The accused has
the right to be tried
by a jury of his peers.
Now, notice it-it doesn't say
anything about judges...
or lawyers.
Our Founding Fathers knew
where to put their trust.
Now, I will tell you
what the law is.
But as for the facts--
who's telling the truth,
who isn't--
it's all yours.
So despite me
being up here in...
all my...
Dumbledore gear, I am
far less important than you.
Because of this virus,
we're alone in here.
Nobody is watching you.
The responsibility
and the power is yours.
Not me. Not God.
You, the people.
I can't live
on the kind of love
That you give...
D-Don't do that
with the stitching.
Why? What's it worth?
What's the story with that?
Where did Kofi get it?
What's it worth?
He didn't tell you
where he got it?
Nah. He didn't get the chance.
When was the last time
you saw him?
Hmm.
Last time I saw him was
the night before the cops came
and got him.
Guess he didn't have it then--
the baseball.
Yeah, I guess not.
Sell it for me?
-Sure.
-Best closer
in the history
of the game right there.
Hmm.
suspenseful music
Adam, do you have a minute?
Uh, yeah.
It's the first picture you
showed me after your mom died.
You should have it.
I, um...
I gave my notice this morning.
What?
I'm gonna teach out the rest
of the semester,
and then I'm gone.
-I-I'm sorry.
-Why?
There are a hundred high schools
within an hour
of the NYU campus.
High schools?
I've put out some feelers
already.
Wait. Uh, are you--?
Adam, you'll be 18.
We won't have
to hide from anybody
or explain ourselves
to anyone, you know?
We can just... we can just be.
I didn't get in.
NYU. They said no.
Hey, buddy.
Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Look at this. Hey.
Adam?
All right.
Look at that. Huh?
You don't care.
Ah.
Charlie, cancel whatever plans
you've got for tonight.
We are celebrating.
Elizabeth?
Listen, uh...
The Desiato men
would love to see you tonight.
I didn't know.
Oh, it's not a big deal.
Kind of suits you.
Before I go to sleep
I listen long
to the bustling streets...
You know, Rocco never had
a girlfriend.
I mean, nobody he was
all in on.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm living two lives,
his and mine.
So, um, I hope you don't mind
having an annoying,
smiley, dead brother
hanging out with us
all the time.
They raised me up
on brick and bread...
Are you okay?
Hey.
-Are you sure?
-Yeah.
How long
I'm gonna settle
Yeah, I want
to show you something.
I'm gonna settle...
So, my mom used to give people
pictures of themselves
they didn't know she'd taken.
I mean, all over the city,
there are people
with Polaroid pictures
of themselves taken by Mom.
And, you know,
people would get pissed
sometimes,
and so Mom would talk to them
or sometimes even go for coffee
with them
to try to persuade them
she wasn't after their souls.
And, I mean,
they would open up to her.
And I'd be there listening.
It was how I learned everything
that I know and love
about this city.
I mean, obviously
back then I hated it.
Thought she was, like,
embarrassing or...
And she knew that, so, um,
one day she explained it to me.
"Go deep, not wide."
She said people
make that mistake too often,
thinking that going deep
is going wide.
"Stay where you are,
stand still,
dig."
-Good?
-Perfect.
How much would you pay for this?
-Where'd you get that?
-Eugene.
Wants me to sell it for him.
So, he's talking
to you now, huh?
It's a process, but yes.
That's good. That's good.
-So, make me an offer.
-All right.
I'll make you an offer.
Here.
-Uh, Desiato. We're early.
-Come this way, please.
-Thank you.
- Am I allowed
-to say something?
- Sure.
You're the judge, right?
-Yeah.
-The Baxter boy.
So guilty. Tell me I'm wrong.
Well, I'm the last person
you should talk to about this.
-You can ask me.
- So,
am I right?
We'll be leaving you
a very big tip.
Thank you, Mrs. Desiato.
Mrs. Desiato. Oh.
slow, sinister music
Right this way.
Here, Lee.
Well, I should wash up.
-I'll be right back.
-Okay.
Justin James.
Justin fucking James.
You didn't have to allow that.
You could have told her
she couldn't call him.
But now my boy's a racist.
She's tearing him apart
in there.
You don't know
what you're talking about.
And you're letting it
fucking happen!
I'm watching my son
-heading for death row.
-Do you have any idea
-what a jury is looking for
-Oh, don't--
in a judge on a case like this?
-Do you have any idea?
-Don't-don't...
-don't fuck with me.
-They want me to be their dad.
I am giving them that.
I am Gregory fucking Peck
in there.
They watch me
stand up
to Johnny Zander's showboating,
and they trust me more.
They watch me allow in evidence
that they really want to hear,
and they love me for that.
And all the while,
I am making them feel secure.
I'm making them feel safe
by telling them that I love them
and that I am not frightened
by anyone.
I get them to look up to me,
to take their cues from me.
And then later-- not now,
not yet, but when it matters--
I tell them what to think.
They won't know
what's happening.
They won't ever
see it happening.
But it will happen.
Twelve of our peers
will do exactly what
I want them to do.
Tomorrow or the next day,
I am making a move.
Now, are we done here?
Only number in here is mine.
I want to know what you've done
and when you've done it,
and I want it by 10 a.m.
the day after tomorrow.
Let's call that a deadline.
And let's give that word
its literal meaning.
ominous, dramatic music
Thank you.
And then she grabbed my head,
-and she said...
-She said, "It's in your heart."
-Ah.
-Hello.
- Hey! There she is!
-Ah, how are you?
-Hello, hello, hello.
The woman of my dreams.
-And the man of mine. Hi.
-Ah. Mmm.
-Mmm.
Hey, baby.
-How you doing?
-Good.
- Here you are.
-Thank you. Thank you.
-Sorry I'm a bit late.
-Oh, that's all right.
So, what's going on?
I mean,
is there something I don't know?
Hmm, maybe.
Here.
Open this.
You're going to NYU.
- He got in?
- He got in.
Six hundred applicants
for only five places. Wow.
Like mother, like son.
Huh? New York.
New life, huh?
Your mom would've been so proud.
Ah.
To New York and Adam.
Ah, to New York and Adam.
-Hear, hear.
- To Adam.
Yeah, um...
I-I don't know.
Don't know what?
I'm just... not sure.
About?
Actually, I've been...
thinking
about taking a gap year.
Really?
Wow. Okay.
Um, s-so, you have a plan?
You're gonna travel abroad
or...?
I think that I should stay here.
And-and do...
do what?
What do you mean?
I think I should stay
in New Orleans.
Like Mom used to say,
go deep, not wide.
Adam, want a ride home
in a real car?
Yeah.
- Okay.
-They, they were here.
Who?
Jimmy Baxter
and his Celtic goon.
When?
As I arrived.
Well...
-It was a coincidence.
-Really?
How do you know that?
This is what happens, Elizabeth.
Paranoia sets in.
Irrational fear takes hold.
We can't have that.
That's the fight.
We have to stay normal.
We have to stay strong.
Okay?
Yeah.
Come on.
Push...
I love your father,
and I love you.
I'd do anything to protect you.
So that's why I-I don't like it
when I see something or someone
come between the two of you.
Push it
Pull it...
Girlfriend leaning on you
to stay, Adam? Is that it?
Girlfriend?
I'm your godfather,
not your father.
Well, godfathers get to talk
about girlfriends.
You're gonna get left...
-Okay.
-Come on.
Now go for yourself
It's easier taking candy
from a baby
Don't hand me no bull
Now you got it, baby
Ms. Latimer?
Frannie?
-Hi.
- Oh, Judge Desiato.
-Hi.
-Yeah, hi.
I'm sorry to sneak up on you,
but I-I did want to catch you
before school started.
It's about Adam.
Oh, yeah? Is he okay?
Yes. Yeah, he's... Well, he's...
He's waffling on NYU.
Waffling?
Yeah, he's saying
that he might not want to go.
But he-he got the letter
and everything?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, and the T-shirt, too.
Did he confide in you?
Did he say anything at all?
No. No.
Well, I know he trusts you,
doesn't he?
And you're not his parent,
so maybe you can get through
to him.
I mean, it's like you said,
he's got something.
I mean, he's only 17,
but he should know better.
And I'm worried that he's gonna
throw it all away.
I hate to ask, but...
would you talk to him?
Please?
slow, dramatic music
-Sure.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-I...
Thank you.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-I should, um--
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Have a good day.
-Okay.
pulsing, dramatic music
Massive trauma
causing multiple
brain contusions,
the result of blood
entering the brain tissue.
Can you tell the jury
what that looks like?
Okay.
Um,
the deceased was, um--
You can call him Kofi.
Ms. McKee, please.
He's Kofi his whole life,
and then he gets killed
and suddenly
he's "the deceased"?
How did Kofi die?
Kofi's skull couldn't expand,
so his brain swelled up.
The pressure inside his skull
reached an intolerable level.
That pressure wasn't relieved.
It's a terrible way to go.
Exhibit B.
Now, Counselor,
we don't need to go here.
I just have
a few more photographs.
I think the jury
has seen all
that they need to see.
Uh... may I approach?
Your Honor.
Right. Please turn this off.
I appreciate your concern
for the jury's feelings.
You've seen the photos?
Look, they're easy
for us to look at
because we're used to them.
But a jury? It's harrowing.
And we don't know how sensitive
they might be to these.
Do these injuries look
like they were caused
by someone defending themself?
I mean, even if the jury buys
that Carlo wasn't the aggressor,
they still have to decide
if the force he used to defend
himself was proportionate.
These pictures go directly
to the heart of that question.
They need to see them
to do their job.
-Come on, Fiona. It's overkill.
-Shut up.
And I need to protect my jury.
Let's continue.
Okay.
We don't have any pictures of
what happened to Kofi's brain.
So we're going to have
to use words.
His head was bashed
repeatedly against the wall.
How do you know?
Small particles
I picked out of the wound,
some of which were embedded
in Kofi's skull--
they match the wall material
in the cell.
Stone from the wall
was in his skull?
That's right.
Well, a skull is hard, right?
- Very.
-So it would
-have required--
-A tremendous amount
of force to do
what was done here.
How many bashings?
Six.
And what can you tell us
about the force that was used?
Well, the, uh,
wall of the cell is flat.
There are no significant bumps
or ridges.
So, in order for particles
from the wall
to be embedded in Kofi's skull,
the force must
have been enough to...
to loosen the material
of the cell wall.
Which was?
Concrete.
He almost certainly had him
by the hair
-when he was--
-So, wait. Like... like that?
Like this? Like this?
Yes.
slow, suspenseful music
I found Carlo Baxter's skin
under his fingernails.
What does that tell you?
Kofi fought for his life
and lost.
Thank you, Doctor.
Mr. Zander?
No questions, Your Honor.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you,
and we'll see you
in the morning.
No. No way.
Who reported me?
That's confidential.
I'm not allowed
to know who accused me?
That's a habeas corpus suit
right there.
Was it juror eight?
I need to see your phone.
This is ridiculous.
Let's clear it up.
Fine.
Here you go.
Oh, my God.
That... that-that wasn't me.
Somebody did this to me.
Why would they do that?
Ms. Long, I don't doubt
that you had good intentions,
but I gave
very clear instructions.
You're not listening.
I didn't do this.
Someone did this to me.
What are you gonna do?
Replace you with an alternate.
This isn't right.
I could go out that door
right now
and tell the press
what happened here.
Sit down.
The trial would collapse
if you did that.
We'd have to start over
with a new jury.
Justin James would have
to come back
and relive the horror of being
curb-stomped all over again.
I think we both know
what's going on here.
I won't be intimidated
by anyone.
Do you have children?
A daughter.
And you love her more
than anything in the world?
What-what does she have
to do with--?
Nothing is
more precious than her.
Not principle, not courage,
not conscience.
My guess is that you were
leaning toward
convicting the accused.
Hmm?
Let me tell you something.
I have sat through
hundreds and hundreds
of jury trials,
and I can always call them
by the end of day one.
I'm never wrong.
Justice won't miss you,
Ms. Long.
You can walk away,
and I would bet my life
that we will still get
the result you want.
Carlo Baxter is going down.
plaintive music
Go home.
Be with your daughter.
Pretend this never happened.