02x10 - Season 2, Episode 10

Episode transcripts for the 2015 TV show "American Crime". Aired: March 2015 to April 2017*
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American Crime centers on race, class, and gender politics as it follows a racially charged m*rder and the subsequent trial, which changes the lives of the participants forever during the legal process.
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02x10 - Season 2, Episode 10

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[Children talking indistinctly]

Dan: Eyes on each other. Let's go.

Run it, run it, run it.

Whoo!

Wait. Wait.

[Clapping]

All right.

All right.

Let's pick up the pace.

Out of the way. Out of the way. Come on.

Let's go.

Come on, boys.

[Indistinct shouting]

Hanson: Dan, we need to have a conversation, and, honestly, it's not a pleasant one.

Dan: Okay.

At the school, we have a code of conduct.

It's a code we expect all students to adhere to.

There's an issue we've had to address involving Rebecca.

Text messages of hers have been posted online.

Texts of what?

I think you know.

No, I-I don't know.

Messages in which she's arranging to sell dr*gs to other students.

Who's saying this?

Including Taylor Blaine.

I want to see what... whatever supposedly...

We're suspending...

We're suspending Rebecca from school.

Well, you can't...

Based on the nature of the texts, we're suspending her indefinitely.

Well, you can't do that.

Dan...

Who... Who... Who's putting these things online?

A flood of personal information about Leyland families has been made public.

We don't know who's doing it.

Whoever it is, people, they make things up, you know, and they put these things online all the time.

Rebecca's being suspended. We've contacted the police.

[Police radio chatter]

Anne: It's the truth. It's about the truth.

You don't have to do this. You do not have to...

Sir.

Anne: These people can't lie anymore.

They can't hide from what they've done.

Michael...

No one is gonna get off this time.

Michael!

People know the boy you sh*t, the kids on the basketball team... they assaulted you.

The coach's daughter sold you dr*gs.

How do they know?

E-mails, texts.

There's a lot of personal information about Leyland families up online.

How did it get out there?

Uh, it's just... it's just... it's just all out there.

Everyone knows the kind of people they really are, what we've been dealing with.

I don't understand what's happening.

It's a good thing. There's enough in your favor.

We take this to a judge, it's gonna help at the trial.

You may not even have to serve time.

Maybe... Maybe they put you in a psychiatric hospital.

Just hang in there a little longer.

[Beeps]

Rollins: When Taylor bought the dr*gs from you, did he tell you anything about his plans?

No.

What kinds of dr*gs did you sell to Taylor Blaine?

Uh, some weed and some OxyContin.

Where did you get the dr*gs from?

I got the Oxy from a friend and the weed...

Dan: We should have a lawyer.

We're entitled to a lawyer.

Just tell her.

No, we... we... we don't have to say anything.

She... She got it from me.

I keep marijuana in the house.

She has it in candy form. She gets migraines.

Rollins: Marijuana isn't legal for medicinal use in Indiana.

Right. I'm the reason that the dr*gs were in the house.

You should be charging me and not...

Possessing dr*gs is a misdemeanor.

Selling dr*gs is a felony.

What do you mean?

She had them from me.

What... What are you gonna do?

If I... If I...

C-Can you just tell us what happens now?

Rollins: We'll probably release your daughter on her own recognizance.

But for a Level 6 felony, she could be looking at time in a juvenile-detention facility, anywhere from 6 months to 2 1/2 years.

S-She's never gotten in trouble before.

She's never even had a speeding ticket.

Her past history will be taken into consideration, but so will the fact that she was tangentially related to a homicide.

I need to have your daughter fingerprinted, and then you can take her home.

[Door closes]

Okay, t-t-there... there are so many people that can speak to what kind of person she really is, you know?

And, like, we'll get a lawyer. That's the first thing.

But like she said, the judge will...

You know, the more people we have speaking to how good Becca is... you know, this crap that's online... that won't matter. They can't prove it.

I told Anne Blaine.

I talked to her about Becca.

I-I was so worried that... that her son would talk, and I... I th... I thought that I could reach out to her as a mother.

But why... why... why would you say anything?!

I-I had to do something.

Somebody... Somebody had to do something.

[Sighs]

[Police radio chatter]



[Door closes]

Ken: I need you all to listen, because things are gonna happen very quickly.

Detectives are gonna come in and talk about Taylor Blaine getting b*at up.

Okay.

You all talked to me.

Kevin gave me a statement.

He did that.

I'm the one who withheld a statement. I did that on my own.

No.

What are you talking about?

And they're going to try to connect our e-mails about going after Anne Blaine and her medical records getting put online.

Don't say anything about that.

Keep quiet. Nothing's gonna happen.

I'm taking the blame for this.

All you have to do... take care of your son.

[Door opens, closes]

Michael, what did you do?

I couldn't let Kevin take the hit. I'm sorry.

Tell me what you did.

I told him to get rid of Kevin's confession.

Did you know about this?

No.

We brought Kevin in here to tell the truth!

What's the truth get us?

It makes Kevin and his friends look like thugs, Taylor Blaine look like a victim.

The boy is a m*rder*r, and I wasn't gonna help him walk and make Kevin look guilty.

Kevin didn't know about the b*ating!

Who's gonna believe that?

Everything that boy's mother has said about us.

You gonna trust other people to know, like, lies from the truth?

Well, now Kevin looks like the liar, and our friend is gonna admit to something just to keep us out of trouble.

So now you want to get religion. It's not time for religion.

No, it's not about religion. You're digging Kevin in deeper!

It should have never even been about him!

Two boys at a party having sex, and he gets caught up?

Whatever we've done for our son, it's nothing compared to what that woman has done.

Did you have anything to do with that woman's medical records coming out online?

You know what?

I wish I did.

When you talk to the detectives, you're gonna tell them everything you know... everything!

You understand?

Yeah.

So...

I resign, and I get...

$75,000.

[Sighs]

That's a hell of a settlement.

That's hush-up money.

That's "be quiet and go away" money.

You've become a problem, and the board wants you to stop.

[Sighs]

Look, I was never a problem until I started being your soldier.

You weren't a problem before because, honest to God, Chris, you never took a stand before.

The district gave me hell for things that happened at some other school... a private school...

You had a chance to defend yourself.

You wasted it.

I sat through your review.

I saw you get crushed by the whites on one side and the Hispanics on the other.

A kid got b*at.

A girl got harassed.

It's not all about race.

A black student got b*at.

The Hispanics rallied around their own.

And the minute a black administrator tries to say something about it, they find a way to move you out the door.

What do you think it's all about?

I'm not getting pushed out because I was trying to do right.

Do you understand what's going on here?

You litigate to keep your job. That costs the district money.

You sign that paper and take a settlement, it costs the district, too.

All those things you wanted to do for the school, either way, right now you're just costing the district money.

What do I do?

I really don't know that it matters anymore.

And everything that's going on now, it's not right.

You know, the only thing I was trying to do was hold The Leyland School accountable for the damage they did to Taylor Blaine.

You know, the people who are putting all this personal information online now... they're just going after anybody.

That's not how it works.

Since when are there rules?

You went after people. You put up e-mails.

My... My thing got h*jacked.

I'm not trying to shame people for no reason.

You... You... You need to do something about this.

You don't like what's happening, you need to stop it.

I-I mean, it's not that easy.

I don't even know who these people are.

That's a problem, isn't it, when people who aren't accountable start taking control?

[Door closes]

It was after a basketball game.

We lost bad, and everything was just feeling wrong, you know?

And, uh, we went to eat after, me and some of the guys, and I just started jawing on them, you know...

Taylor Blaine, how I don't like him, how I think he lied about getting r*ped, and...

Rollings: You know he was lying?

You know he was telling the truth?

Anyways, I was going on about him, talking the talk, right, and they took it for real.

Some of the guys showed up at my place, told me to call Taylor, tell him to meet me at the 5th Street Rec Center.

And what they say, you do?

They were looking to mess somebody up.

It was Taylor or it was me.

As far as they cared, any f*g will do.

What led you to believe that?

I don't believe it.

Wes said it.

Wes Baxter... the same boy Taylor Blaine sh*t?

Yeah.

Who else?

LeSean Young.

You and Wes were the ringleaders.

You pressured Eric into calling Taylor, and then you led a little g*ng to go b*at him.

Really?

I ain't saying nothing to you.

You targeted Taylor Blaine because of his sexual orientation.

You know what that is?

That's a hate crime.

You know what? Man, go... yourself.

Is there anything else you want to add?

No.

What's going to happen?

Are... Are you going to arrest him?

We're still investigating, but if your son wants to help himself, he needs to be ready to repeat all of this in court.

[Papers rustle]

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

They're gonna put me in jail.

You heard what she said.

If you testify...

I got to go in court and say that I'm a thug and that I got the guy who says I r*ped him b*at up?

Curt: No. You got to help yourself.

That is helping him.

That's doing for him.

No, you're doing this for you.

He lied about me.

He... He k*lled Wes.

But he gets to be the victim.

I told the truth.

From the jump, I told the truth.

But the rest of my life, they're gonna think I att*cked him.

Curt: Look, you're 17, all right?

This isn't the rest of your life.

Things can change.

Somebody screams r*pe, and nobody cares what really happened.

How does he get to own that night?

How does he get to own me?

[Keyboard keys clacking]

Evans: Barnsdall Tech Services.

Sebastian: Um, y-yeah, yeah. I-I-I'm looking for Evans.

This is Evans.

Hello?

I-I-I know who you are.

I'm sorry. I don't...

Listen, I know who you are, and... and I know all the crap you're posting online.

This Leyland thing is my project, and going after everybody, you're making it dirty.

I'm handling it my way. You need to back off.

You hear me?

Nobody controls the digital space.

Leave it alone. You understand?

I can make things...

[Beeping]

Chris: I wanted to apologize for how I handled your situation.

I was more focused on what happened between the two boys than what happened to you.

You know, people are saying maybe I didn't do this or that because I favor black students over Hispanic students.

If you'd come to me, I would have done everything I could.

I didn't want to talk about it.

You have a right to speak up.

You know what?

This whole thing, nobody's cared about me.

Tre didn't care about me when he was grabbing at me.

All I was to Mateo was something to fight over.

And to all those kids outside protesting, I was just something to get mad about.

And Taylor... all I was to him was a way of fooling people into thinking he's straight.

I thought Taylor was a liar 'cause he didn't tell anybody about Eric raping him.

All I got was grabbed.

I don't want to say anything to anybody.

You know what's messed up?

The only people in all this who did right by me and my family, The Leyland School.

Leyland? How?

You got to think about yourself sometimes, you know?

You got to take what's in front of you.

[Sighs]

[Sighs]

[Sighs]

Dan.

Hmm?

Just so you know, she's only going to give you 10 minutes.

Can we talk privately?

Leslie: I'm doing this as a courtesy.

If you've got something to say, say it.

Uh, my... my daughter... you know what's going on with her?

Yes.

You... You know everything around the whole Taylor Blaine case.

I mean, it's just... it's toxic.

And what people think, what they believe... it's a whole lot different than the truth.

The truth is that Becca's a good girl.

You know, if there's anything... Maybe she's...

Look, every kid makes mistakes.

But you are so skilled at teaching right from wrong and connecting with students as people, not just as names on a ledger.

Isn't that what you told me?

[Sighs]

My daughter needs help.

I-I need people to speak to what kind of person she really is.

You know, I mean... you're in a good position.

You were in a good position not long ago.

Someone asked you to speak to what you know.

What did you say about me?

You said you understood why someone would want to k*ll me.

[Sighs]

Your daughter is a drug dealer.

Your team behaved like a g*ng.

But you want me to waste what capital I have attempting to...

Look, I-I helped you get to where you are.

That means nothing?

What you think you did for me means absolutely nothing.

You have about five minutes.

What means something is being in a position to accomplish the things I need to accomplish here.

You won, Leslie.

I... I-I-I know what it's like to... to win.

I-I-I know how good it feels.

And, you know, a lot of times, it gets in the way of everything else.

You got in your own way. You lied.

No, there's a difference between lying and... and hiding the truth.

One will get you caught, the other one won't?

It's time to wrap this up.

Shut up!

I'm tr... I'm trying to save my girl.

I can't help you.
[Door opens]

[Sighs]

[Ringing]

Cammy: Hello. This is Cammy Ross.

Uh, Cammy, this is Dan Sullivan.

We spoke a couple of weeks ago.

Uh, you interviewed me about Anne Blaine.

Mm-hmm. What can I do for you, Mr. Sullivan?

Yeah. I-I've been, uh... I've been reading these, uh... these articles that you wrote about this, uh... this hacker, the one who's going after Leyland, and I wanted to know if you could, um...

Well, I need to contact him.

I can't really do that.

He spoke to me in confidence.

No. I-I just need to talk to him.

That's all. That's it. It's, um...

Look, uh, you know what's going on.

You know what's happening with all our families.

I really... I-I just need to talk to him.

Um, what I can do, I can give him your contact info, and he can reach out to you if he wants.

Yeah, do that. Yeah, please.

Sebastian: The stuff that's coming out now, personal stuff about your family and others, I got nothing to do with that.

Dan: Sure.

I'm serious. I got a code.

I go after institutions.

And, see, I-I-I don't mess with people that are messing with my project.

Sebastian, I-I got to be straight with you.

I'm a little tired of, uh, people talking about their morals.

Everybody's got their principles, and their principles are dragging my daughter closer to jail.

So, you want to take your project back?

You want to go after the people in power?

These are Anne Blaine's original medical records.

Where did you get these?

Eh, you know, when they first went online, Leslie Graham had me do some interviews.

She basically walked me through what to say.

And I found it really odd that she knew so much about something that had just gone up online.

And I asked her about these documents, and she acted like she didn't know what I was talking about.

Now... Now, I'm, um... I'm trusting.

I-I really am. Very trusting.

But I'm not stupid.

So [chuckles] you know, Leslie... she's very careful.

Any documents that might be in her office end of the day, she'll shred them.

It's an obsession.

But I got my habits, too.

What's that?

I'm patient.

I'm really damn patient.

Peter: What did the cops say?

Nothing.

Are you gonna go to jail?

I don't know.

If I do for him, maybe not.

If I... I help him, they'll probably let me off.

So... what now?

I don't know.

Police are gonna do what they're gonna do.

I don't mean with them.

What about... you and me and Dad?

I don't want us to be like how we are.

Well, there's not much you can do.

Dad's clueless. Mom's crazy.

You... You get on everybody else, but you're not perfect.

You call me an ass... 'cause I'm gay.

You write stuff about me on the walls at your school, but you want what? Want to hug me now?

When I was with Mom, when I was scared, you came for me.

You want to tell me how much you love me and miss me?

You want every day to be like Christmas?

You and Dad, you came.

It can be different.

Remember...

Remember when you and me were gonna ride our bikes all the way to Chicago?

Stop it.

Grabbed a box of cereal, bottle of water, threw them in a backpack?

We got about a mile...

Shut up. Shut up.

We got about a mile, and then it got too dark for us to see anything, and you told me to turn around.

And we did.

[Spoon clanks]

[Door closes]

Eric Tanner's in a position to testify that Wes and those other players assaulted you.

All you have to do is confirm it in court.

If I do, what happens?

Anne: Well, a jury hears that, they're gonna see things different.

They're gonna let me off?

It'll have more effect in the sentencing phase.

They're gonna convict me.

You committed involuntary manslaughter.

But there are clear, mitigating circumstances that could reduce your sentence, maybe remove it.

Eric's testimony is compelling.

What he tells a jury will matter.

How much time would I get if I took a plea deal?

Why? Why would you do...

How much time?

You don't need a deal.

I'm talking to my lawyer.

What's the best deal you could get?

The best.

Maybe 10 years, five served, less with supervision.

That's a guess.

Maybe five years.

Served in prison.

They're trying you as an adult.

Can I talk to my mother, please?

[Door buzzes]

[Door opens, closes]

I don't want a trial. I want to plead guilty.

Taylor, listen to me.

You're... You're... You're almost there.

All you have to do is you go into court...

Tell them I got att*cked, that I got b*at up?

You were.

I go into that room one more time and act like a victim.

You were victimized. That doesn't mean...

How do you think it makes me feel to have my future depend on the guy who r*ped me?

He r*ped me, and he...

He gets to be my savior?

He gets to put on a suit and go into court and talk about how he's gonna do right?

Well, he's... he's... he's gonna help you.

The same guy who held me down and assaulted me gets to act like he give a...

[Sighs]

He's just trying to save himself.

Why don't you want him in court with you?

I mean, are you...

Are you trying to punish yourself?

The posters in your room, the e-mails you sent around, being violent, being destructive...

Is that really what you want?

You know, when that g*n went off, for the first time since that party, I stopped feeling like a victim.

Did you mean to sh**t that boy?

Doesn't matter.

Yes, it matters.

No, I'm not talking about what I was trying to do.

I'm talking about how I felt after.

I'm standing up, somebody else is on the ground, I'm walking away, not feeling like a victim, not being the one getting b*at, getting r*ped.

It felt good.

So not putting this on a jury or my r*pist and not making it about you, that feels good.

Serving 10 years so you can feel good?

I can't let you do that.

None of this is your fault, Mom.

I don't feel guilty.

I'm taking responsibility.

Everyone else is taking theirs.

I know you want to own up to what is yours, but you can't go into court and take the guilt.

[Door buzzes]

Leslie: It's a lie. This is a lie.

I didn't post that woman's medical records online.

Dan is saying they came from your office.

[Scoffs] That's not possible.

Dan is being petty. He's being vindictive.

He's going public. He's willing to testify.

Well, that means what?

A liar's willing to lie on the record?

He gives those to some faceless hacker to post online, that makes any of it true?

He's just... He's lashing out.

He doesn't care who he hurts.

We'll investigate that.

Well, you're damn right we'll investigate it.

If that's how he wants to play things, boy, he doesn't know what hurt is.

Leslie, we'll investigate, and when we make a determination about the authenticity of the material...

W-W-W-W-Wait. Hold on.

The interim trustee's decided the best thing for the school would be for you to step down until we can determine if Dan's allegations hold merit.

If...

You mean you believe him?

We're concerned about how this can impact Anne Blaine's suit against the school.

Do you really think I would do anything like this?

I'm careful. I am very careful.

Are you saying you wouldn't have done this, or are you saying you wouldn't have gotten caught?

[Doorbell rings]

May I speak to Dan?

No.

Just for a minute.

If you don't leave right now, I'll call the police.

Steph.

Let me talk to her.

Not in the house. She's not coming in the house.

The lawyer thinks Becca will get 12 months in detention, probation after that.

Could've been better if we had more people speaking up for her.

Becca's going to be all right.

She is.

So, what you're doing, trying to hurt people indiscriminately...

Oh, I've been very focused on who I want to hurt.

It's not just me.

You've given that woman amm*nit*on against Leyland.

It's made it harder for the whole school to recover, for every family there to...

Yeah, they'll all be looking at themselves a whole lot harder.

Maybe if you and me had done that, we wouldn't be standing here now.

You didn't do the right thing.

All you care about is winning.

The story plays really well, though.

Heartbroken father who builds ships in a bottle reconstructs incriminating evidence so he may speak truth to power.

But sooner or later, people are gonna put together his wife manipulates images for a living.

So they create some documents, shred them, then put them back together.

That is a good story.

That doesn't make it the truth.

Take the blame, Leslie.

Take it with you when you go.

Give the school a fresh start.

Here. Let me see.

All right.

All right, you got it right.

You just got to show me how you got that, all right?

Okay.

[Laptop beeps]

[Mouse clicks]

All right, you got it right.

You just got to show me how you got that, all right?

Okay.


Hey, wait.

Come on, girls. Let's go.

Get your stuff. Get your boots, and let's go.

Mia, Mercy, hurry up!

Hurry up, now! Get your bags!

[Door closes]

[Indistinct conversations]

Anderson: This isn't a comfortable conversation.

We've known each other a long time.

I want you to know what's happening now, it's a business decision.

Your family's gone through a lot, but there are things that have come out online...

Okay, let me stop you.

My son has ben exonerated in connection with this as*ault.

Terri...

Hold on.

Kevin has been cleared, and as far as we know, those medical records, they came from The Leyland School.

So anything anybody's saying about Michael...

This isn't about your son or your husband.

There are any number of e-mails out there where you say some pretty...

They're ugly things about people, particularly... particularly whites.

My family has been through an ordeal, and you want to talk to me about personal e-mails?

Okay.

There are...

[Sighs]

For people of color, there's a world that we live in that's different than yours.

One you'll never, ever experience.

Terri...

And the way we express those experiences, out of context, can be taken to mean something that they don't.

I wouldn't want anyone going through my e-mails...

...but you talk about white trash, y-you talk about white entitlement.

That's nothing compared to what my family and families like ours deal with daily...

Money or not, status or not, we deal.

And it may not sound correct, but I have a right to my privacy.

You do, but this is a publicly held company.

We told the truth.

You're gonna punish us for that?

[Sighs]

No one's talking "punish."

All we're taking about is giving you and your family an opportunity to reset.

Where?

St. Louis.

It would be a lateral move in pay but with a reduced title.

Well...

I don't know if that's going to work.

It's what's being offered.

The only other thing on the table is a severance package.

I'm sorry.

Michael: Not happening.

It's not... not going down like this. No.

Take Kevin out of school senior year?

No, we're gonna get our lawyer on it, and we're gonna fight this.

If these people just think they can just run us off...

Michael: And for what? E-mails?

E-mails.

Senior year.

Supposed to be his best one.

[Sighs]

Well, what it was isn't how it is.

Kevin: You okay?

You and Dad okay?

We're going to be okay.

[Sighs]

You know, I'm really, uh...

I'm... I'm really sorry... about everything... that night, the things I did, things that happened.

Now everybody's coming after you.

Mm. Not coming after.

Things are catching up to us.

Well... Well, I'm not afraid.

You know, if we got to go to St. Louis or...

I don't know what's going to happen.

Dad was telling me one time why he designs the way he does.

It's... You got to make the most out of what you have, right?

So I just feel like whatever we got, we can handle it.

What?

I love you.

I love you, too.

Butler: There are few people who possess the traits necessary to be a leader in private education.

This is one such person.

I'm proud to say he's our new Head of School.

Welcome, please, Dominic Calderon.

[Applause]

[Both speaking indistinctly]

Dominic: Thank you, Senator.

I am very thrilled to be standing here in front of you all.

The Leyland School is one that I have admired for years.

So to have been chosen now as your new Head of School is truly an honor.

And you all have had to weather some very difficult times recently, but I believe that the character of The Leyland School has persevered.

There's a tradition of excellence here.

A tradition that can only be enhanced as the school continues to grow.

The future of The Leyland School is the future of education, a future that we can all arrive at together.

Judge Isaac: Now is the time, and this is the place, for you to be held accountable for your actions.

Taylor Blaine, you are charged with m*rder by means of involuntary manslaughter.

This is a Level 1 felony, punishable up to 30 years in prison.

Do you understand the charges you are facing?

I do.

Has your counsel explained to you that by accepting a plea agreement, you will waive your right to a jury trial?

She did.

And do you understand that if you accept this agreement, you will be sentenced to a term of no less than 10 years in a state-mandated facility?

I understand.

[Vehicle approaching]



I ask that you carefully consider your decision.

Once made, it cannot be rescinded.

At this time, Taylor, do you accept or reject that which has been presented to you?

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