22x21 - Appraisal

[bunniefuu]

In the criminal justice system,

the people are represented

by two separate,

yet equally important groups:

the police, who investigate crime,

and the district attorneys,

who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[UPBEAT POP MUSIC PLAYING]

I just sold the green lobster,

and some hedge funder named Kemper

or something or other

is interested in the eel.

Oh, my God, that is amazing.

I'm gonna ask 50 grand for it.

- Are you serious?

- Yes.

I still can't believe

that people pay money

- for the things that I make.

- You deserve every penny.

- Thank you.

- Excuse me.

- Love that.

- Mm.

- How much?

- 6,000.

Do you think it's worth $6,000?

I can't say what something is worth,

- but that's what I'm charging.

- I'll take it.

- Great choice.

- Thank you.

- [LAUGHS]

- Oh, my God.

- 6,000.

- 6,000.

- BOTH: $6,000.

- We are k*lling it!

Come on, I just live

in the next building.

I'm sorry, but you gotta go around.

Hey, get your hands off him!

- Hey, hey, hey, hey!

- Move, move, move, hey!

Officer, take it easy.

I got it. I got it.

Take it easy.

Hey, sorry, pal, but this

is an active crime scene.

Look, we let you walk through there,

you'll compromise the integrity

of the crime scene.

Do you understand?

I know it's a pain in the ass,

but we're investigating a m*rder.

I appreciate your cooperation,

all right?

Defund the police.

ALL: Yeah! That's right!

Better yet, abolish the police!

That's right!

[CROWD SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

It's so nice to feel loved

and admired in this city.

[LAUGHS]

Workers came in this morning,

saw some things

were turned over, blood on the floor,

and the gallery owner, Madison Platt,

was supposed to be here,

but apparently, she's gone missing.

When's the last time

anybody had eyes on her?

There was a big party here last night,

about 80 people.

We're gonna need to see that guest list.

- Is that art or evidence?

- Hard to tell.

Detectives, this is definitely blood,

probably from these.

Found three spent shell casings.

Got some kind of residue on them.

Get 'em to Ballistics.

Let me ask you a question.

Why was Homicide called in?

How are you so sure

this wasn't a sexual as*ault

or a kidnapping?

There's that.

[OMINOUS MUSIC]

♪

That ain't art.

♪

That is a piece of someone's brain.

Good enough for me.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

The spent shell casings

are all 9-millimeter.

No DNA, no prints,

but here's what's strange.

Take a look.

No etchings.

Just a faint impression

on the primer cup

from the f*ring pin.

So you're saying the sh**t

used a ghost g*n.

Homemade, unserialized, untraceable.

- Something like this.

- Wow.

I've never actually seen one.

They're becoming the new normal.

So the residue on the casing

is from a ghost g*n?

The g*n was made

out of a lightweight polymer,

came out of a 3-D printer.

Who has access

to these kinds of printers?

Companies mostly.

Pay a lot of money for them.

Price tag can range anywhere

from 10 grand to $1/2 million.

My kids sent it over. Want a slice?

I'm good. Happy birthday, Frank.

The big 5-0.

Yeah, it doesn't feel great,

but it's better than the alternative.

I hope you planned something fun.

When I turned 50, I went to Vegas.

I saw Motley Crue,

and I won my plane fare

at the Texas Hold'em table,

so good times.

That's cool.

So we are looking for

a tech savvy sh**t, right?

Yeah, probably someone

with deep pockets,

'cause those 3-D printers,

they cost more than my house.

Do we know if he or she

was at the gallery event?

We're still interviewing guests,

but so far, no one has reported

anything suspicious.

And everybody who saw her

said that Madison was alive

and well when they left.

And no one has seen

or heard from her since.

There's no credit card activities

or cell phone activity.

Anything suspicious

on the security cameras

at the gallery?

Uh, one small detail to note,

the cameras stopped working

at 10:07 p.m.

- What do you mean?

- Means they went dead.

But we do have this.

Last known photograph of Madison.

Is she carrying a purse or a radio?

Mm-mmm.

So what happened with

the security surveillance?

They were jammed.

It appears that somebody

was able to hack the system.

So obviously, this was planned.

- Looking that way.

- Any unusual texts, emails?

Actually, yeah.

A few hours before the party,

she got a message

from someone named Brett Greyson.

"I've been patient,

but it's time to pay.

Otherwise, it isn't going to end well."

The email address

is from Futuristic Creations.

Any chance those guys make 3-D printers?

They do virtual reality.

We need to find this Brett Greyson,

give him a little piece of our reality.

Madison is missing,

and you think

I had something to do with it?

We read the email you sent to her.

Came off like a thr*at.

- She owes me 500 grand.

- Oh, yeah? For what?

She sold me a phony NFT.

- NF what's that?

- NFT?

Non-fungible token?

- It's a digital collectible.

- Of course.

I'm glad we cleared that up.

It's like a one of a kind baseball card,

except it has to be real.

I'm in the wrong line of business.

You paid $1/2 million for that?

Damn right.

That's the future right there.

But it has to be real.

So I get it, so Madison sold you

some counterfeit "art,"

and you're pissed off.

You want your money back.

She told you to go to hell.

No, she said fine.

She had no idea it wasn't legit.

Promised me

she'd pay me back every penny.

I waited a couple of days,

but she never wired the money.

So you went over to

the gallery to shake her down?

I didn't buy it because I'm rich.

I was trying to trade it,

sell it to someone else.

All right, so you're at the gallery.

- Did you talk?

- Yeah.

We spoke for a couple minutes.

I even recorded

the conversation, you know?

In case I had to sue her,

I wanted proof.

I understand. I feel terrible.

I'm so sorry.

I will get you the money

this week, I promise.

I just I just need

to sell a few things

to raise the cash,

but you need to leave, okay?

Right now. This is an important night.

Timestamp is 9:49 p.m.

There were at least 50 people

still there when I left.

Okay.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Greyson's alibi checks out.

Security video from down the street

shows that he left

the neighborhood at 9:51,

but look at this. Do you see that SUV?

It shows up at 10:02 p.m.,

which is right before

the gallery security camera

stopped recording.

The guy waits in the car

for a couple of hours,

and then at 12:24 a.m., he gets out

- and heads into the gallery.

- Any hits off of facial rec?

I tried, but his hat and scarf

- are covering his face.

- License plate?

It's covered in some kind of plastic.

Okay, so what time

did our boy leave the gallery?

Seven minutes later.

[EXHALES SHARPLY] That's efficient.

And resourceful.

He goes inside, takes care of business,

and then wheels her out in a crate.

Check all the surveillance

cameras in the area

and see if we can't track down that SUV.

On it.

♪

Who needs a lanai in Boca

when you got views like this.

Oh, hey, Frank.

I think I got something over here.

It's that purse thingy that Madison had

- at the event, right?

- Looks it.

Okay, come on.

Yep, it's her ID.

- Credit card still there.

- She's gotta be here.

Hey. Hold onto this.

- Hey, guys, check it out.

- Bag this.

What do you got?

Yeah, open that up.

♪

[OFFICERS GROANING]

- Ah.

- [COUGHS]

That's definitely not Madison Platt.

♪

- So what do you know?

- DOA is Sarah Baker.

She was one of the artists

at the gallery event.

And we just talked to the crime lab.

The brain matter

on the painting is a match.

Okay, what about Madison Platt?

Where the hell is she?

Do you think she's got something

to do with the sh**ting?

Maybe that's why she disappeared.

It's possible,

but we found her blood on

the gallery floor, too, so

So you think she's a victim too.

Looks that way.

Okay.

We need to find her, dead or alive,

and then we have to contact

these two women's families

and tell them what's going on,

see if they can help us.

Done.

SO this is good news, right?

The body you found wasn't Madison,

so she could still be alive.

It's possible.

But not probable.

Unfortunately, we don't have

an answer for you.

We're considering all possibilities.

Officers are out canvassing,

collecting evidence.

We want to be straight with you.

Your sister's blood

was found at the crime scene,

and she hasn't been seen

or heard from in over 24 hours.

Just prepare yourself.

Okay. Okay.

The att*ck happened

at Madison's gallery,

and it appeared to be premeditated.

Do you have any idea

who might want to hurt her?

No, no, everybody loves Maddy.

She doesn't just sell paintings.

She nurtures artists.

She's the kind of rep

that believes in you

before you believe in yourself.

Do you know an artist named Sarah Baker?

Yeah, of course I know Sarah.

Did her and Maddy have any problems?

No, Madison discovered Sarah,

for God's sake.

They were very good friends.

I saw them at the show.

You should've seen 'em.

They were both so excited.

You saw them? You were there?

I was, but I was tired,

and I left early.

I left around 11:00. I should've stayed.

No, I should've helped Maddy lock up

- No, no, don't even go there.

- No, it's true.

If I had stayed, if I'd made sure

that Maddy got to a cab

You could've ended up dead or missing.

Trust me, I've seen

this kind of thing before.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

I'm sorry, you know

that Maddy's not just

another missing person,

she's my sister, right?

Of course. That's not what I meant.

Okay, look, I'm, um, I'm sorry.

I know that you guys deal with

these kind of cases every day.

But for me

it's the worst thing

that could possibly happen.

I need to find out

what happened to my sister.

And we're gonna do

everything in our power

to bring Maddy home. I give you my word.

We flew in from Colorado

just to see Sarah's exhibit.

Her first big show

in a Manhattan art gallery.

It was going to be

the most exciting night of her life.

Did you have plans to see her again?

We were gonna have dinner

with her tonight.

I left a few messages.

Figured she got busy

and we'd see her at the restaurant.

Did your daughter ever mention

having any issues with anyone?

She talked about her art, mostly.

Didn't share a lot

about her personal life,

and we didn't like to pry.

It might be nothing, but she did mention

she was having some problems

with her landlord.

What do you mean

she was having problems?

Once, when I was on the phone with her,

landlord showed up at her apartment,

used the passkey to let himself in.

Wait, he entered

her apartment unannounced?

She sounded really startled.

He said he was there

to fix a clogged drain,

but she said there was

nothing wrong with her sink.

I told her she should move

to a new place,

but she said it was probably nothing.

Told me not to worry.

I should've insisted.

Do you happen to know

the name of the landlord?

♪

Sarah payed her rent on time.

Never threw loud parties.

Stellar tenant.

So you never had a problem with her?

- Nope.

- That's funny.

'Cause when we checked,

we found out that Sarah filed

a formal housing complaint

against you last week.

[CHUCKLES] That's news to me.

Wait, what am I looking at here?

Do you have cameras inside the units?

Did your tenants consent to this?

No comment.

It seems like this is something

you should comment on, buddy.

I don't gotta tell you a damn thing.

- Now leave.

- No, we're staying.

We're gonna ask again.

Why are you spying on young women

- in their apartment?

- I'm gonna call my lawyer.

Well, you can, and tell 'em

to meet you down at our precinct

'cause you're under arrest.

♪

My client vehemently denies

any involvement

in the disappearance of Sarah Baker

or Madison Platt.

Then you need to tell us why

you were spying on Sarah Baker.

Tell them about

the surveillance cameras.

I own the building where

Sarah Baker was living.

The building has a few

rent controlled tenants,

people paying 700 bucks a month

for units

- that could rent for five grand.

- I don't think you understand.

We don't care what your take is

on the fair market value

- of Manhattan real estate.

- Hear us out.

Some of the tenants

are illegally subletting

their apartments.

There's no evidence that Sarah Baker

was doing that, yes or no?

So you just put cameras

in people's apartments,

spy on young women,

watch them get undressed

and God knows what else.

Sarah discovered it,

found out that you were spying on her.

She files a complaint against you

in the housing court.

That sounds like a pretty strong motive

- for m*rder.

- Sure does.

What were you doing two nights ago?

I was at home watching TV.

For most of the night, anyway.

What's that mean, most of the night?

I went out for 30 minutes

or so to buy groceries

at the store on the corner.

You can check

all the surveillance cameras

in the building.

I got something.

So Marquette only left

the building for 25 minutes,

not even long enough to get

across town to the gallery,

but I found something else,

something more interesting.

So at 4:12 p.m.

on the day of the m*rder,

this man bangs on Sarah's door,

waits a few minutes,

gets no response, and then leaves.

Who the hell is that jerk?

I don't know, but he's pretty angry.

He also happens to own a black SUV.

Did you run the plates?

It's registered to Matthew Nelson,

date of birth July 11th, 1996.

- He have a rap sheet?

- No.

Matthew Nelson. Ooh.

Billionaire hedge fund manager.

"Wall Street Journal" calls him

a pioneer in cryptocurrency.

Get a warrant and find out

where Mr. Crypto parks his SUV.

Done.

This crypto stuff might be fake,

but the things it buys sure ain't.

My first partner's

driving one of these now.

- On a cop's salary?

- Oh, no, he's off the job.

Started his own private security firm

down in Florida.

He's been begging me to join ever since.

Ah. Tempted?

Well, this job isn't getting any easier,

and I'm not getting any younger.

- Is that a yes?

- Well

- Hey, hey!

- Sir.

- Sir, you can't go down there.

- Excuse me.

- Sir!

- The hell is this?

NYPD. Are you Matthew Nelson?

Yeah, this is This is my car.

And this is a warrant

to search your car.

For what exactly?

We're investigating

the m*rder of Sarah Baker

and the disappearance of Madison Platt.

- Those names ring a bell?

- Sarah's dead?

Someone sh*t her two nights ago,

and the vehicle the k*ller used

is identical to this one,

so you can see

where we're going with this?

- How'd you know Sarah?

- We used to date.

We broke up a couple months ago.

And two days ago,

you went to her apartment.

You banged on her door. Why's that?

[LAUGHS]

Because I had some stuff

to pick up, all right?

I mean, it wasn't a big deal.

She wound up with a b*llet

in her head seven hours later,

so it's kind of a big deal.

What were you doing

two nights ago around midnight?

I was on a Zoom call.

- At midnight?

- Yeah.

It was with investors in Asia.

Look, hey, if you don't believe me,

you can check in with my assistant,

the 25 other people in attendance.

We will.

In the meantime,

we're impounding your car.

Struck out with the car.

Nothing from Forensics.

But something interesting.

We found a car wash receipt,

timestamp 9:00 a.m.

- the morning after the murders.

- It's better than nothing.

- Does he have an alibi?

- Yeah.

Problem is, he was

on a Zoom call for work.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

I just went through

the entire Zoom recording

frame by frame.

The Zoom meeting is real,

but Nelson found a way

to splice himself in.

How can you tell that?

It's a prerecorded video on loop.

He's on mute for the entire meeting,

and every six minutes,

the video repeats itself.

He touches his chin,

blinks, and looks down.

So we have a false alibi,

an SUV that matches the car

at the m*rder scene,

and a car wash receipt.

And a video of Nelson

banging on Sarah Baker's door

seven hours before she was k*lled.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Arrest him.

The reason I'm confused

is because those numbers

- should be the same ones up

- Matthew Nelson.

Stay where you are. Show us your hands.

- I said stay where you are.

- Don't even think about it.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here?

- Why you guys here, huh?

- We're arresting you.

Arresting me? That's ridiculous.

- I refuse.

- Uh, yeah.

You don't have the right to refuse.

You do have the right to remain silent,

though, dumbass.

♪

The evidence is strong.

It would be a lot better if we

actually had the m*rder w*apon.

- It is what it is.

- I understand.

We will arraign him tomorrow

for the m*rder of Sarah Baker.

What about Madison Platt?

Not sure about that.

Well, she's been missing

for almost a week.

We don't have her body.

Her blood was at the m*rder scene.

Her purse was at the landfill.

There's no activity on her credit cards

or cell phone.

Assuming someone is dead and proving it

beyond a reasonable doubt

are two very different propositions.

Come on, Nolan, we both know

this billionaire crypto prick

k*lled her.

You know, every time I've walked

into your courtroom, you go on about

how victims deserve justice.

Well, Bruce Platt deserves

justice for his sister,

and I hope you do right by her.

Charge this guy with the two murders

and just call it a day.

And if you need more evidence,

you let us know.

We'll find it.

What the hell was that?

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪

Next case. [GAVEL BANGS]

Your Honor, the defendant stands charged

with two counts of m*rder.

- People request remand.

- Ms. Gates.

This case is a prime example

of a rush to judgement.

The people have no evidence,

no m*rder w*apon,

no eyewitness, and no motive.

My client runs a $50 billion hedge fund,

he has no criminal record,

and he is certain

to be acquitted after trial.

What are the facts, Ms. Maroun?

We have a strong circumstantial case.

The defendant used to date

one of the victims, Sarah Baker.

In fact, he was at Ms. Baker's apartment

on the day of the m*rder, clearly angry,

on a mission to find her.

Hours later, a man was captured on video

leaving the m*rder scene.

That man got into a car

similar to the one

registered to the defendant,

and when questioned,

he gave a false alibi.

Like I said,

they have no concrete evidence

to tie my client to this crime.

Defense asks the court to impose

a reasonable bail

in the amount of 20 million.

Okay, Your Honor,

the defendant has infinite resources.

20 million is nothing to him.

Might as well be 20,000.

I'm setting the bail

in the amount of 20 million.

Will the court consider

an electronic monitor?

I think that's reasonable.

The defendant shall be ordered

to wear an ankle monitor.

[GAVEL BANGS] Next case.

Nelson posted bail. 20 million.

- Who said money doesn't matter?

- Not me, that's for sure.

I just got off the phone with

the state attorney general.

Nelson is the subject

of a grand jury probe.

- What's the allegation?

- Fraud.

He's like another Bernie Madoff

or Sam Bankman-Fried,

except here he's raising money

from pension funds

and retirement accounts

and then funneling it overseas.

That's just what we need,

a Wall Street sociopath

ripping off city workers.

Were Sarah Baker or Madison Platt

somehow involved in the fraud?

No, in fact, Sarah was

the government's star witness.

She was scheduled to appear

in the grand jury

- the day after she was m*rder*d.

- To say what?

She's the only person who can help prove

Nelson intentionally diverted

the fund's capital

into a, uh, cold crypto wallet.

It's like a secure flash drive,

impossible to penetrate.

It protects digital assets.

Whatever it is, it gives you the piece

you were missing: motive.

Nelson k*lled Sarah

in order to silence her.

And Madison Platt got in the way.

[PHONE CHIMES]

Defense just filed a motion to exclude

any mention of the fraud case.

♪

The fraud allegations are relevant

to establish the defendant's motive,

that he m*rder*d Sarah Baker

because she was gonna testify

against him in the grand jury.

What about the other victim?

Was Madison Platt involved

in the fraud case?

No, sadly, she was just

in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ms. Gates, why isn't

the information relevant

and admissible

under the Molineux doctrine?

The evidence is only relevant

if they can prove

my client had actual knowledge

that Sarah Baker

planned to testify against him.

We have evidence that the defendant

was banging on Ms. Baker's door

a few hours prior to the m*rder.

He was there to thr*aten her,

to tell her not to testify,

and when she didn't open the door,

he tracked her down

to the gallery and k*lled her.

That argument requires

huge leaps of logic

- and mental gymnastics.

- I agree.

It's too speculative for me.

Mr. Price, unless you have

something concrete

that shows Mr. Nelson knew

that Sarah Baker

was going to testify against him,

the evidence is out.

♪

Price just called.

He needs something to prove

that Nelson knew Sarah Baker

was planning

to testify against him

in the fraud case.

We've been looking through

Nelson's emails, his texts.

We haven't found anything relevant.

- Yet.

- Okay, we'll keep digging.

- But you gotta understand

- Hey, sorry.

I have been going over

Nelson's search history.

It's what you might expect

for the most part

Mansions, yachts, p*rn

But the thing that stood out was,

the day before we arrested him,

he logged into the email account

of some random furniture gallery.

Madison Platt's brother

works at a furniture gallery.

Hmm.

Wait, you think that Nelson was hacking

into her brother's emails? Why?

- No clue.

- Only one way to find out.

We think Matthew Nelson

hacked into your email account.

Bruce, help us out.

Why would he do that?

I'm thinking he was looking

for something, yeah?

- I I guys, I can

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What are you doing? Give me that phone.

What? I'm sorry, no.

I think you'll need a warrant.

Oh, you want to do it that way?

- No.

- Give him your phone.

Okay, what are you doing?

What the hell are you doing?

I'm arresting you for obstruction.

Okay, that is ridiculous.

Look, there's two ways it can go.

We arrest you and we get

a warrant for your phone,

or you just tell us

what the hell is going on.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, Maddy

Maddy has been emailing me.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

What? Your sister is alive?

Yes, and I was shocked, too,

but after Nelson got arrested,

she contacted me

from a new email address.

And why would you withhold

this information from us?

Because she was begging me

not to say anything.

She was gonna come forward herself,

but then Nelson posted bail,

and she freaked out.

Did she tell you that she saw Nelson

k*ll Sarah Baker? Yes or no?

Yes. Yes, well, sort of.

She said that she was in the other room.

She heard the g*nsh*t, so she ran over

to see what was going on,

and she saw Nelson

standing there holding the g*n.

And then he sh*t at her,

- grazed her arm.

- And then what?

She ran out the back door,

and he went after her.

- So where is she?

- I can't. I I

What do you mean you can't?

Maddy gets very, very anxious.

She was assaulted a few years ago,

and she gets these panic att*cks.

Yeah, I get that, but we need

to know where she is right now.

You don't get it.

Nelson is monitoring your emails,

which means he knows

that your sister's alive.

Which means, if he finds her,

he's gonna finish the job,

and if she emailed you, then he knows!

- I understand!

- No, you don't understand!

And if you did, you would

tell us where your sister's at.

Where is your sister?

She emailed me 40 minutes ago.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Backup's four minutes away, Frank.

Eyes on the south side. All clear.

Nelson's ankle monitor

hasn't registered movement

in hours, which means

he had to have cut it off.

Jalen, we just can't wait any longer.

Frank, backup is four minutes away.

Just hang tight, Frank. Just hang tight.

- No, I'm going in.

- [SIGHS]

♪

[METAL CLANGS]

[WHIMPERING]

Madison. Madison, it's okay.

I'm the police.

- I'm here to help you.

- He's still in here.

I saw him k*ll Sarah,

and he tried to k*ll me too.

I'm gonna get you out of here.

[DOOR LATCH CLICKS]

[GRUNTS]

♪

[GROANS]

- Come on, get up! Get up!

- No, no, no!

- [SOBBING]

- [GROANS]

Shut up!

Let her go. Let her go!

We're getting out of here, or I sh**t.

Let her go.

[CHUCKLES]

Drop the w*apon, or I drop you.

Put the w*apon down!

[g*n THUDS]

Down on the ground! Down on the ground!

- Don't you move!

- [SCREAMS]

Frank, Frank, you're bleeding.

Huh?

Yeah, b*ll*ts will do that

to you, I guess.

10-13, officer down! 10-13, come quick!

Hey, hey, come on, stay with me, buddy.

Stay with me, come on, come on.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

♪

Hey, Frank.

Bet that job in Boca's

looking pretty good

right about now, huh? [CHUCKLES]

- How you feeling?

- Never better.

This is a flesh wound.

Uh, not according to your doctor.

She said you got a b*llet

lodged in your shoulder,

- and there's some tissue damage.

- Nope.

- How's Madison?

- [CHUCKLES]

She's pretty shaken up, but she's safe.

You had us worried there, Frank.

Please.

So I guess now's not the time

to reprimand you

for rushing into a building

without backup?

- Mm, nope.

- [CHUCKLES]

She's right, though.

You did a hell of a thing in there, man.

You saved her damn life.

Don't you two have some cases

to investigate or something?

Nothing that can't wait.

You know what the worst part

of this whole thing is?

Price, he was right.

We should've waited.

Instead of charging Nelson

with Madison's m*rder,

we should've waited.

♪

Sarah Baker was an artist,

a woman who was creative,

joyful, full of life,

until her ex-boyfriend Matthew Nelson

decided to hunt her down and k*ll her.

The defendant followed

Sarah Baker to an art exhibit

and blasted two b*ll*ts

into the back of her head.

He is a cold and calculating k*ller.

We will present a series of witnesses,

but none more important

than Madison Platt.

This ordeal has taken

a devastating toll on her,

and yet, she will bravely come

into this courtroom

and tell you what she saw,

that Matthew Nelson

m*rder*d Sarah Baker.

What Mr. Price didn't tell you

is that this case started out

as a double homicide.

People charged my client with the m*rder

of Madison Platt, too, when, guess what,

Madison Platt was very much alive.

Still is.

This case is the result

of a flawed investigation

led by an overzealous prosecutor

who will do anything

to convict my client,

no matter the cost.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

You can't trust him.

You can't accept his statements

as the truth.

And you certainly can't send

my client to prison for life

based on his presentation.

And do you know who else

you can't believe?

Madison Platt.

She's an unstable woman.

Since her friend Sarah's m*rder,

she's been hiding out in a warehouse

for several weeks.

For all we know, she k*lled Sarah Baker.

♪

Ms. Platt, can you please tell us

- what you do for a living?

- I own an art gallery.

Did, anyway, before this all happened.

I haven't been able to bring

myself to go back there.

And was Sarah Baker one of the artists

- who you showed in your gallery?

- Yes.

She was really talented.

She worked mostly in mixed media.

Did she have a relationship

with the defendant, Matthew Nelson?

Yes, for a little while,

but it

Could you explain what happened?

Well, she was enamored

with him at first.

He was always sending her gifts

and taking her on amazing vacations.

Did something change?

She realized that

that he didn't have a soul,

that he was cold and calculating,

and he was devoid

of any real human emotion.

Did you have an event

at your gallery space

- on March 1st?

- I did.

Was Sarah there?

♪

Do you need me to repeat the question?

Um, yes, yes, she was there.

Do you recall spending time alone

with Sarah the night

that she was k*lled?

- Uh-huh.

- Yes.

I'm sorry, but you have to

answer the questions out loud.

I can't. I can't.

I'm sorry, I can't I can't do this.

Do you need to take a break?

No, no, I would like to go home.

Uh, okay, Your Honor,

the People request a continuance.

Objection. The jury's been sworn in.

Jeopardy has attached.

Let's take a recess for the day.

[GAVEL BANGS]

I'll see everyone in the morning.

[SOBBING]

Did you see did you see

what he did in there?

He threatened me.

He pretended like

he was pointing a g*n at me.

No, I didn't see that,

but I can bring it

to the court's attention.

No, no, no.

Madison, if he threatened you

No. Forget it. Forget it.

I want to get out of here.

We need you to identify him

as the man who sh*t

and k*lled Sarah Baker.

Otherwise, he'll walk free,

and I know you don't want that.

I don't, I don't, but you don't need me.

- You have enough evidence.

- You saw the sh**ting.

All you need to do

is tell the jury what you saw,

and there is no chance in hell

he will ever walk free.

He's rich, and he is crazy,

and he will pay someone

to find me and hunt me down.

I I can't do this.

I can't I can't go back in there.

- I'm sorry.

- [SIGHS]

Looks like your star witness

is having a hard time.

She is, because your client

m*rder*d her good friend

right in front of her.

Hold on.

Are you open to discussing

a reasonable plea offer?

Depends on what you consider

to be reasonable.

- Man 1, 20 years.

- Not even close.

Plus he'll plea to the

attorney general's fraud case.

That means nothing to me.

I work for the city of New York.

All right.

What if, hypothetically speaking,

I were able to recover the lost assets.

And then I would distribute that money

to the various stakeholders.

That's the police, firefighters,

teachers, sanitation workers

prosecutors.

[CHUCKLES]

Are you trying to bribe us?

I'm trying to do what's right.

I'm afraid that ship sailed long ago.

This would change the lives

of hundreds of thousands

of government employees,

make their retirement accounts whole.

You can't just ignore that, Nolan.

What?

You think we should consider the deal?

I've been fielding hundreds of calls.

EMTs, day care providers,

utility workers,

people who have worked in public service

their entire lives and will be

left with practically nothing.

But if we cave to Nelson's demands,

what kind of message will we be sending?

That justice is for sale?

- 20 years is a long time.

- He's only 26.

From what I understand,

your key witness is faltering,

refusing to testify.

I'm not gonna let Nelson

buy his way out of this.

Fine, reject the deal,

but you better find a way

to convict him.

Send him away for life.

♪

Wanted to check on how you're doing.

Better.

How did Madison do in court today?

I thought she would hold up

better than she did.

She just got in there and froze.

But she ID'd the guy.

No.

You ever wonder what the hell

we're doing, Nolan?

What do you mean?

Back when I became a cop,

it was something you were very proud of.

Now half the city wants to defund us.

- I understand.

- Do you?

'Cause the other night,

I almost made my wife a widow,

and for what?

After everything,

this prick's just gonna walk.

[CHUCKLES]

I wish there was something I could do,

but she's the only person

who can identify him

as the man who sh*t

and k*lled Sarah Baker.

I might know somebody who can help.

♪

Detective Cosgrove, were you present

when Madison Platt

identified the defendant,

Matthew Nelson, as the man who

sh*t and k*lled Sarah Baker?

Objection, calls for hearsay.

The People submit

it's an excited utterance, Your Honor.

It's an exception to the hearsay rule.

If I may be allowed to lay a foundation?

You may proceed.

Where were you when Ms. Platt

made this statement?

In a warehouse upstate.

The defendant was holding her hostage.

What did she say?

Madison Platt said

she saw Nelson k*ll Sarah

- and he tried to k*ll her too.

- I renew my objection.

Objection overruled.

The answer shall stand.

Thank you. Nothing further.

You never told anyone that Madison Platt

made an excited utterance, did you?

Never put it in any police report?

No, I was sh*t,

so I was in the hospital.

Exactly.

ADA Price came to your hospital room

and told you he needed a witness.

That he did.

And suddenly, you remembered

this excited utterance.

If you're implying that I'm

making this up, you'd be wrong.

You'd have to agree

it's awfully convenient.

- Objection.

- Sustained.

- I'm telling the truth.

- Sure you are.

I have nothing further.

Redirect, Your Honor?

You exercised tremendous restraint

during the course of

this investigation, didn't you?

The defendant pointed a g*n at you,

sh*t you, and you didn't return fire.

- Objection.

- The defense opened the door.

Overruled. You may answer.

I did my job.

Took a b*llet to the chest.

I was sh*t.

You're not a liar,

as the defense claims.

You are a hero

And you should be commended

for your actions.

That's all I have. Thank you.

♪

Madam Foreperson, have you

agreed upon a verdict?

We have.

♪

We find the defendant guilty

of m*rder in the second degree.

Members of the jury,

we thank you for your service.

We are adjourned. [GAVEL BANGS]

♪

We did it, Jalen. We got him.

You did a hell of a job, Frank.

Without you, we don't make this case.

Turns out we actually do make

a difference once in a while.

Does that mean you're putting

the private security job on hold?

Means I'm exactly

where I'm supposed to be.

[GROANS]

Sometimes it takes getting sh*t

in the chest

to realize we got

the greatest job on Earth.

♪