22x01 - Guardians and Gladiators

[bunniefuu]

- In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

- You need to leave now!

- I have a right to be here.

Okay, ma'am?

- Not near my child you don't.

- Mommy, let's go.

- Okay.

I am calling the police.

- Don't do that.

I'm not bothering you.

- Yes, there is a black man threatening me and my son.

- There she goes, y'all.

What?

I am just working out!

- We're Central Park in the Ramble.

Please hurry.

- This is America.

2020.

Let's see what we got.

- Okay, folks, what's going on?

- Officers, nothing's going on.

- This is him.

This is the man.

- Officers, listen, I've done nothing to her.

- Yo, big guy, back it up.

- Me?

I'm not doing anything.

- Mom, I need to go get my ball.

- Dylan, stay here.

He is scaring my son.

- How?

Because I'm black?

Listen, officers, I'm out here minding my own business.

She comes...

- Sir, do you have your ID on you?

- I don't have to show you anything.

I know my rights.

- Mommy, mommy, come look.

There's a man.

- Dylan, get back here.

- He's not moving.

- Everyone stay where you are.

We got a vic.

- Honey, move away from there.

- Semi-conscious male bleeding from the head.

I need a bus.

- Oh, my God, that's why he was acting so crazy.

He just att*cked someone.

- What?

No, I don't know anything about that.

- Sir, put the phone down and put your hands behind back.

- Why?

- Hands behind your back, now!

- Listen...

- Stop resisting!

- I'm not resisting!

- Stop resisting!

Stop resisting!

- I'm not resisting!

Stop resisting, stop!

- We found him bleeding, pants down.

- Captain Benson.

Hi, I'm a police officer.

Can you tell me your name?

- Eric.

- Hey, Eric.

- I need you to step back.

- It's legal, blondie.

- Okay.

- Eric, what happened?

- He went nuts.

He r*ped me.

- Who?

You know him?

- I have a right to film.

- I just need you to move back.

Now.

- Eric. Eric, stay with me.

- We need to move him now.

- Okay.

Officer Tamin will ride with you.

- Sorry, COVID.

- I'll meet them there.

- Woman's kid found the vic.

- Said the suspect was on the scene menacing her and her kid.

- Rollins, take her statement.

- Copy that.

- And how did you make him as a suspect?

- He was combative, aggressive.

- You arrested him for being aggressive?

- No, sir, I ran his ID.

Two outstanding warrants.

- Ow.

You?

I know you, don't I?

- How 'bout I ask the questions?

What were you doing in the park?

- I'm not answering any of your questions.

Why am I even under arrest?

- You have outstanding warrants.

- For protesting.

- I knew he was up to no good.

- How'd you know that?

- His body language, the way he raised his voice.

He was scaring my son.

Hey, I-I'm not one of those Karens.

- Do we have to do it this way?

We're profiling this guy.

- I know.

Listen, he's got warrants.

He's not helping himself here.

Plus, this is only gonna get worse.

- Put him in the car!

- Yo, for what, man?

Come on!

- Stop resisting!

- Get your hands off me, man!

- Stop resisting.

Duck your head.

- Hey, come on!

- I got you covering your cam.

- Get off me, man, come on!

- This is livestreaming!

- Get in there.

- Yes, there is a black man threatening me and my son.

- There she goes, y'all.

Ma'am, I am just working out.

- We're in Central Park in the Ramble.

- I'm just...

- Please hurry!

- Hold up, the mom called the cops on Jayvon before anyone found the body?

The unis didn't tell us that.

- But you did have probable cause to arrest, right?

- We didn't arrest him.

He was cuffed when we got there.

- And you think he's good for the as*ault?

- We don't know.

He was in the vicinity, he refused to talk, he has warrants.

- For what?

- BLM curfew arrest.

He missed his desk appearance.

- We're not prosecuting those.

- He also had a sealed juvie for a public disturbance, noise complaint.

- So no sexual as*ault?

Nothing violent?

Did the vic ID him, or was it just the mom?

- The vic, Eric Aquino, 26, lost consciousness before we could get a full statement.

- So no?

Has Jayvon lawyered up yet?

- He's handling himself pretty well without one.

- If he's good for this, I need an airtight case.

With that video going viral and the way half the city thinks about the cops right now...

- Understood.

- I told the cops at the scene.

That's where I work out every morning.

Had nothing to do with that guy being hurt.

- At 7:00 A.M.?

Where were you coming from?

- Night shift.

I sort for Empire Parcel.

- Okay, what time do you get off of work?

- Are y'all even asking that white woman questions?

Look, I expect this nonsense from her, but doesn't this get old for you, man?

- Eric's one of the good guys.

Who the hell would do this?

- You know him?

- Yeah, he was a resident.

They bumped him up during COVID to work ER.

I'm sorry.

- It's okay.

Were you able to do a r*pe kit?

- Not yet.

He's still unconscious.

But there was some a**l trauma.

I can get you his clothes to run DNA.

- That'd be great.

And as soon as we can talk to him...

- We're waiting on a scan.

I told his family that you were here.

They're Filipino Catholics, so they may not be aware of his orientation.

- Okay.

- Every time he works a night shift, I worry.

I wait up for him to come home.

I called.

No answer.

- How does he usually get home from work?

- He walks.

- Through the park?

- I tell him not to.

It's dangerous.

She wants to know if it was the guy in the video.

- The black guy.

- We are talking to him.

I'm gonna ask you if you know anything about...

Eric's social life, his friends and relationships.

- No.

No time for that.

All work and family.

He's a good boy.

- He's a good guy, the doctor, but walking through the Ramble at night...

Can they really not know?

- When I told my family, they had absolutely no idea.

If you ask them now, they still don't know.

- Wow.

Maybe you should tell them again.

- Not right now.

We still have relatives in Beirut.

Between that and COVID, they got a lot on their plate.

- Detectives.

I didn't want to say this in front of my mother.

Eric texted me last night, told me not to wait up.

- Do you know where he went?

- Eric likes to unwind after a shift.

Those outdoor bars on Ninth Avenue, it's a party scene now.

- Thanks.

- Thank you.

- Start checking traffic cams?

- Yeah, run his credit cards, see if we get lucky.

- Just please, listen, that's not necessary.

- How bad is it?

- Jayvon's video's got five million hits, and you don't wanna know how many calls I've been getting.

Please tell me that he is good for this.

- Well, he hasn't confessed, but I checked his alibi.

There's a problem with the timeline.

- Good, good, that gives me some leverage.

Let's get to the bottom of this.

- Jayvon, this is ADA Carisi.

- The ADA?

That supposed to make me nervous?

- Not at all, Mr. Brown.

We all want the same thing...

To get to the truth.

- You already have the truth.

- No, not all of it.

You got to the park at 7:00, but we found out that you punched out at 5:00.

- And there's a gap in your timeline, Mr. Brown, the same time Eric Aquino was att*cked in the Ramble.

- I had nothing to do with that.

- Okay, if you didn't, just tell us where you were.

Help yourself out, Jayvon.

I was having coffee with my sponsor before our 6:00 A.M. meeting.

- 6:00 A.M. meeting?

What program?

- NA.

Last spring, I hurt my back.

I got hooked on oxy.

I'm clean now.

- So why didn't you just tell us that?

- I wanna advance.

Drivers get better benefits, better pay.

I didn't want you telling my boss I was at a meeting.

- There's no way your boss will ever hear that from us, but I'm gonna need your sponsor's number.

- That the kid who was att*cked in the park?

It's all over the news.

- Do you recognize him from last night?

Because he was here charging drinks at closing.

- That right?

I don't remember him.

- How 'bout this guy?

- Him?

Yeah, I think so.

But it was busy.

Everyone was outside.

Nobody at the bar.

When I'm slammed, I only got eyes for the green.

- All right, well, we'll need to take a look at your security cam footage.

- Sorry, no can do.

It's busted.

- Mr. Donovan, we don't care if you black out your windows, stay open past last call.

- I run a reputable place.

- Okay, so you won't mind a couple of my tech guys come down and see if they can find anything?

- Not without a warrant.

- Rollins.

We might not need him.

Just got the traffic cam footage.

- Well, it's definitely not Jayvon.

Hold on.

That guy was at the park.

- Are you sure?

- Yeah, he was mouthing off, filming us at the arrest.

Son of a bitch.

- This guy was in the park?

Any chance you got an ID?

- He was just filming, which, as we've been told repeatedly, is not illegal.

- He was brazen enough to go back to his own crime scene, so maybe he posted it.

- Okay, text me those photos.

See if TARU can track down the video.

Aquino's still unconscious?

- Mm-hmm.

- See if the brother can ID this guy.

- Liv...

I got Jayvon's sponsor on the line.

He's a corporate lawyer.

He says he'll only talk to us if Jayvon gives him permission.

- Okay.

- Corey, it's okay to talk to them.

- That's all I need to hear.

- This is Captain Benson.

Can you tell us when you last saw Jayvon?

- This morning.

We met at 5:30 for coffee and a walk.

At 6:00, we went to our NA meeting in the garden at St. Clair's.

At 7:00, we said goodbye.

He was his way to the park to work out, Captain.

- That's what I been telling her.

- Jayvon has been diligently working his program.

I don't see him doing anything that would jeopardize his recovery or his job, and I could get a dozen others to vouch for him as well.

- Thank you very much.

- Jayvon, do you need a lawyer?

I can send someone from my firm.

- That's up to them.

Am I free to go?

- Yes, we just have to call the DA and get him to drop the charges.

- Yeah.

I would do that.

- As soon as possible, Captain.

Jayvon, call if you need anything.

- Fin.

- Start the paperwork?

On it.

Jayvon, can we ask you another question?

- Do I have a choice?

- There may be another suspect, and we were hoping that you could help us.

- You want my help now?

- He was in the park this morning at the scene.

Did you notice him?

- Before or after the cops threw me in the squad car?

Even if I did notice him, why would I help you?

- I get it.

You have the right to be angry.

- Don't tell me I have a right to my anger.

I already know that.

- All those machines...

All the tests...

The doctors have no idea when or if Eric is going to wake up.

- I am so sorry.

- He is in God's hands now.

How could that man in the park just leave him there?

- We don't think it was him.

Do you recognize this man?

- No.

I know Eric's friends from high school, but...

That was a long time ago.

- He is Eric's type.

Straight-looking, preppy.

Calls him his "Chino Boys." - You ever meet him?

- It's not like he ever brought these guys home for Sunday chicken adobo.

- Hmm.

Anyone in Eric's life who might know?

- My brother compartmentalized.

Med school in one box, family another.

- Hookups in a third.

- Kat?

- One sec.

- TARU may have something.

- "Hottie Cop Telling Me to Move"?

Seriously?

- I have a right to film.

- Guys, move back, thank you.

- NYPD, man, protecting and serving themselves.

Defund the police.

Defund the police!

- We have an ID on this guy?

- Just a handle.

ThirstTrap94.

- "Thirst trap"?

Wow, this dude's feeling himself.

- Yeah.

I checked his other posts, and I found this.

Danielle and Hana.

Start there?

- Find the one that he didn't tag.

She may have a more interesting story to tell.

- Always.

- Captain.

- Chief.

- I know it's late, but I need a word with you and Sergeant Tutuola..

Jayvon Brown has filed a lawsuit against NYPD.

You've both been named.

- Jayvon Brown had outstanding warrants.

He wouldn't answer questions...

- There was a crowd.

You know how fast they turn now...

- Stop.

You both sound defensive.

These days, that's not a good look.

- Chief, we were by the book.

- That's the book that got us here!

After George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, this city, this country, are on boil.

Business as usual will not work.

- We hear you.

- Good.

1PP has launched an investigation, and IAB wants to start with you.

- When?

- Tomorrow.

Keep in mind, we're under a microscope.

When you go in there, short answers.

Don't overexplain.

- Okay.

- And bring a lawyer.

- Sergeant, walk me out.

- Captain did nothing wrong.

- I know you two are close, but I have to ask.

Would things have played out differently if Jayvon were white?

- Yeah, I mean, the woman, Colleen, she would've never called the police in the first place, and if she did, the precinct cop wouldn't have cuffed him.

- I concur.

And when SVU got there, do you think racial bias played any part in how things were handled?

- Not consciously.

I've worked with Captain Benson for over 20 years.

Her only bias is for the victim.

- All right.

Thank you.

Sergeant...

I know I'm not someone you relate to, but we have one thing in common.

We're both Black and blue.

We've been on this job a long time.

Did you know my father joined the force in the '70s?

- No, I didn't know that.

- Made Sergeant.

Those days, that was about as far as they'd let us go.

Those days are over.

Things are changing.

Know how many times I've heard that?

The one thing I do know is this country will always break your heart.

- Ah, this time's different.

This is a true inflection point.

- If you say so, Chief.

- We are.

I know it.

I also know the old guard won't go down without a fight.

There's gonna be a purge.

- Hold up.

So what are you saying?

- I appreciate your loyalty, but you need to watch out for yourself.

This is your second lawsuit this year.

You sh*t a black man in his home.

- Who was trying to k*ll his son.

- It was a good sh**ting, but that doesn't matter.

None of us are safe.

Not me, not you, not Captain Benson.

- What did Joe do now?

- Joe?

You got a last name?

- Joe Murphy.

- How do you know him?

- We used to have a thing for, like, a minute.

He needs to be canceled.

- We noticed he untagged you.

- Yeah, he couldn't take it that I broke up with him.

He can be a real charmer, but he's a different person once he hits the tequila turnpike.

- How so?

- When he couldn't get it up, he'd go off on me.

He'd come back the next day with flowers, but that got old fast.

What was I thinking?

Twenty-five, and he still lives with his mother.

- Mrs. Murphy?

- Yeah?

- We're here to see your son, Joe.

- I don't think he's home.

- I'm right here, Ma.

Hey, blondie cop.

I hope you're not upset about my video.

- No, it was very helpful.

- Look, I know I was all "BLM" in the park.

But really, you cops didn't do anything wrong.

I heard that thug's filing a lawsuit.

Do you need me to back you up?

- Actually, yes.

Yeah, it would be great if you could come down to the station and just give us a statement.

- Sure.

Whatever you guys need.

- Joe.

- It's all right, Ma.

If I can help...

- Joe, Joe.

You need a mask.

- He came in willingly?

- Yeah, he made a big show of wanting to help.

For what it's worth, Eric Aquino's brother did say he's Eric's type.

- The lab found DNA on Aquino's underwear.

You think Murphy's cooperative enough to give us a sample?

- We don't have to ask him.

He's wearing a mask.

- Hmm.

- Why don't I get him a fresh one?

- Keep me posted.

I gotta head to IAB.

Hey, by the way, Garland say anything about me?

- Yeah.

Watch your back.

- Hey, you mind swapping out for a mask with a filter?

NYPD protocol.

- Sure.

Can't be too careful, right?

- No.

- So did you see Jayvon Brown do anything suspicious?

- No, when I got there, he was cuffed.

- Hmm, okay, and the vic?

You ever seen him before?

- No, sorry.

- Really?

So this isn't you?

- Oh, wait.

That's the guy?

Wow, I didn't put two and two together.

- So you don't remember having drinks with him at Owney Madden's?

Leaving after last call?

- Whoa, whoa.

No.

It's not like that.

He followed me out of the bar.

He was kinda hitting on me.

I didn't want to be rude, so I let him walk with me.

- All the way to the park?

- Dude, do I look gay?

I'm engaged.

I went right to my fiancée's place.

- This was when?

4:30?

5:00?

- So how did you end up back in the park?

- Well, Ashley lives by the park.

- Oh.

- I heard all the sirens outside and went down to check it out.

- So I'll need to talk to Ashley.

- Sure, I'll call her.

- We'll do that.

- Captain Benson?

- Yes.

- Captain Curry.

- Hi.

Nice to meet you.

- Actually, we've met...

Briefly, at Ed Tucker's funeral.

- Oh, yes, of course.

I'm sorry, I wasn't myself that day.

- Neither was I.

Ed was my rabbi.

His poor wife.

- Yes.

Are you recording this?

- Once we start the interview.

We can wait for your lawyer.

- I'm not bringing one.

I know that that video went viral, but our conduct was...

Was by the book.

- Then this shouldn't take long.

- He's sleeping.

Good.

Means he's guilty.

How's his alibi?

- Bogus.

- What about the DNA?

- Not back yet.

- He doesn't need to know that.

- Joe. Joe!

- Ashley back me up?

- And then some.

She told us that you got to her place around 10:00 P.M.

- What can I say?

She's loyal.

- And she's a liar.

How 'bout you?

- What are you talking about?

- Oh, we're taking your DNA from your mask.

Now is there any reason it might be a match to the DNA that we found on Aquino?

- Uh...

Okay, I might've left this out.

The guy asked me to come into the park, smoke a joint.

I'm drunk, I say yes, then he gets persuasive.

- Meaning?

- He says, "Close your eyes.

Pretend I'm a girl.

I'm gonna give you the greatest blow..." Forgive me.

He offers to service me.

- And then what happened?

- He starts to unzip me.

Like I say, I'm not gay, so I freak out.

I push him off of me and run.

- How hard you push him?

- Not hard.

I look back, he's running after me.

He was a lot more drunk than I was.

He must've taken a fall.

- Did you see him take a fall?

- Mr. Murphy's attorney's here.

- Thanks, Sonny.

Tell your sister, Teresa, I say hi.

- They'll need the room.

- Hold up, he's lawyering up?

Why don't we just arraign his ass?

- Wait, I didn't ask for a lawyer.

- Zito, Joe.

Mr. Donovan hired me.

He's looking out for you and your mother.

- The owner of the bar and your mom.

That's why he covered for you.

- He did?

He's loyal too.

Good people.

I drink for free every night.

- The victim, Eric Aquino, couldn't describe his assailant because he was unconscious.

- So other than the park mother, Colleen Reynold's false accusation, you had no reason to suspect Jayvon Brown?

- As I said, Mr. Brown was already under arrest for outstanding warrants when we got there.

- So you're saying you had no choice?

- A crowd was gathering.

He wasn't cooperating.

I didn't wanna release him before ruling him out as a suspect.

- Okay.

Captain Benson, had you ever encountered Mr. Brown before?

- No, not to my knowledge.

- Do you recall a stop and frisk of a black male on August 6, 2013 outside the Wagner Houses?

- Can you give me a little bit more context?

- Detective Nick Amaro filed the 2-50.

He was your partner then?

The Jolene Castille case?

- The chef.

Right, right, right.

- Ms. Castille, a white woman, sh*t Mehcad Carter, an innocent Black teen, falsely claiming he was a r*pist.

- That was a tragedy, and we tried to remedy that situation, but...

- Captain, one of the Black males you and your partner stopped and frisked that day was Jayvon Brown.

- He must have fit the profile.

We were pursuing a black male serial r*pist.

- And what profile did he fit yesterday?

- Again, the arresting officers had run his name, and they found outstanding warrants.

- Did you ask the officers to run Colleen Reynolds' name?

- No, I did not.

- She has a history of false accusations and her ex has a restraining order against her.

- I should have run her name too.

That... that was my mistake.

- Have you given any thought as to why you made that mistake?

- If you're suggesting that I'm biased, I'm not.

And I am well aware of false accusations, especially with men of color.

- I'm gonna stop you here before you tell me you're an ally.

- Excuse me?

- Since George Floyd, I've taken statement after statement from two kinds of cops: the baton swinging gladiators who take one look at me and can barely hide their disdain...

- And I'm sorry that you had to experience that.

- And the well-intentioned, guardian cops who never see themselves as r*cist, but are in denial about their complicity in the systemic racism within the NYPD...

Cops like you, Captain Benson.

- I'm well aware there's racism in NYPD.

- And what about your own bias?

- I'm not r*cist.

- I'm sure you're not, explicitly.

But implicitly?

If you grew up in this country, it's in you and me.

I struggle every day with my own biases.

For too many people, law enforcement has lost all credibility, and until every one of us takes a serious self-inventory, we can't begin to get it back.

- Ah. After speaking to Joe, I found a way out of this unfortunate situation.

- Have you?

- Yeah, as my client stated, he was lured to the park by Mr. Aquino, who gave him dr*gs and became sexually aggressive.

- Really, so why is Mr. Aquino in the ICU, unconscious, a victim of r*pe?

- That's how things sometimes go wrong when dr*gs, alcohol, and misplaced passion are involved.

- Okay, you wanna sell that to a jury?

Go ahead. Book him.

Attempted m*rder, as*ault one, and criminal sexual act.

- Hold up, Counselor.

Given the unfortunate turn of events, Joe would be willing to consider mis-d as*ault.

- Mr. Aquino has bruising, trauma, and your client's DNA in his underwear.

- Which can happen with consensual sex.

- Consensual?

He tried to force himself on me.

- All right, Joe, if I may...

- All right, get him out of here.

- Stand up, Joe. You're under arrest.

- All right, good luck getting an indictment.

Aside from that viral video of cops arresting an innocent black man, you don't even have a "he said, he said" here, Counselor.

Your vic's in a coma.

- Let's go.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Thanks for meeting me.

- Of course.

- I know it's been a long day.

- Yeah.

- Where are we?

- We arrested Joe Murphy.

He admitted to sex with Aquino but denies having assaulted him.

- And Aquino's still unconscious?

- Yes.

- It may be better if Sergeant Tutuola testifies at the grand jury.

Rather than a white woman, Captain?

- How'd it go at IAB?

- What have you heard?

- Not a word, which worries me.

- Chief, I didn't sleep last night.

Been going over and over and over in my head about what happened in that park, and trying to figure out what I could've done differently, and...

And what I missed.

- And what do you think?

- I think that I have been so focused on the victims that my own bias didn't even occur to me.

- And now?

- I don't know.

How much did that bias affect my choices, affect my decisions as a cop?

I'm reeling.

- We all are.

The level of community outrage...

There's a freight train coming.

1PP senses it too.

My worry is, they're more interested in the optics than actual change.

- Is that why you had Fin tell me to watch my back?

- When an organization feels threatened, if they believe they can protect themselves by sacrificing a few pawns, they will not hesitate.

- You worked with Eric Aquino.

- He's selfless.

A gentle soul.

- Can you describe his injuries?

- A head wound so severe that he still hasn't regained consciousness and a**l trauma consistent with sexual as*ault.

- Was there DNA?

- Joe Murphy's DNA was a match for the semen found in Aquino's underwear.

- Mr. Aquino is unable to testify here today.

Can you tell us what happened when the police discovered him?

- He was bleeding from the head.

His pants were down and bloody.

He was able to make a brief statement which led us to proceed with the sexual as*ault investigation.

- Thank you, Sergeant.

- Can I ask a question?

- You can ask me, and I'll...

- That's okay, I'll ask.

Did the victim say who had assaulted him?

- No.

- But isn't this the case where you arrested Jayvon Brown first?

- The police were called.

He had outstanding warrants.

- So you all assume it was a black man just because he was there?

- We didn't know what we were looking at.

- So why should we believe you now?

- Miss, there's a process here, and if you have questions, you need to...

- I have a lot of questions.

The only reason Jayvon was arrested was because of that Karen saying she was threatened, right?

- That is not relevant to these proceedings, and the Sergeant does not have to answer that.

- Jayvon Brown was arrested according to standard police procedure.

"Police procedure"?

The same procedure you used when you sh*t that boy's father, another black man in the projects?

- That was a train wreck.

You know I'm losing control of the grand jury?

- Was not my idea to testify.

- Because you didn't agree with the way Jayvon's arrest went down?

- I didn't say that.

- No, but the grand jury all heard it.

- Well, even if they did, Joe Murphy is guilty.

That has nothing to do with Jayvon.

- Try saying that in there.

Don't you see they're looking for reasons not to trust the cops right now, and when you...

When you get on the stand, and you testify like you're being held hostage, that doesn't help me get the indictment!

- Is that what this is about?

'Cause I'm sorry, Counselor, if we didn't give this case to you wrapped up in a nice little bow.

- Fin.

If you had second thoughts about arresting Jayvon, you should've told me before you went up there.

- Maybe you should know.

After all your years of being a cop, you've never seen black cops stand back during stop and frisk?

- Oh, what does this have to do with me?

- I'm just saying.

You can take a cop out of Staten Island...

- What, are you calling me r*cist?

What the hell is that, huh?

- No, no, no, no.

No one is saying that!

- Folks, calm down.

You're making a scene.

- I'm in the middle of a grand jury, Mr. Freddo.

What are you doing here?

My client decided to testify.

- Oh, really?

Does he understand that he has to waive immunity?

- He knows.

Buckle up, Sonny.

- Perp walking in to a grand jury?

Something's up.

- Well, whatever lies Murphy tells, he's locked into a trial.

- If this goes to trial.

They're rolling the dice that I won't get an indictment.

- Yes.

Okay.

I lied to the police.

I had met Mr. Aquino in a bar, and he and I did walk into the park together.

- And didn't you also lie about what happened once you got to the park?

- Yes.

And this is not easy for me.

The truth is we were drunk, high.

He unzipped me, initiated a sexual encounter.

- And so you lied to the cops about that too, right?

- I was ashamed.

My fiancée, my mom, I didn't want them to know...

I'm bi.

- I appreciate your bravery in outing yourself here today, but can you tell us truthfully what happened after your sexual encounter?

- Nothing.

Nothing happened after that.

- I'm sorry, what?

- Eric and I had a brief sexual moment.

I'm not proud of it, but like I said, I was drunk.

I zipped up.

I went home to my fiancée.

I have no idea what happened to Eric after that.

- Mr. Murphy, didn't you tell the detectives that Eric had gotten aggressive with you, and you pushed him off?

- Yeah, well, I was just telling them what they wanted to hear.

- You mean you lied again?

Okay, so basically, today, you have admitted to every detail of your encounter until the point that Eric Aquino was assaulted.

I'm sorry, but this sounds like you're admitting what you can't deny and denying what you can't admit, so why... why should we believe you now?

- The confession was coerced.

One of the cops told me they were mad at me for filming Jayvon's arrest.

They got a lot of flack for arresting him, and I was going to have to take the fall.

- So even though Eric Aquino was r*ped, and is still in a coma, you're the victim here?

That is your testimony?

- No.

We're all victims here.

Eric, Jayvon, and me.

- Mr. Murphy, we've heard enough.

Thank you.

- Excuse me.

Let the man finish.

- I'm horrified about what happened to Eric, but that has nothing to do with me.

I did not hurt him.

That's why I came in today even though my lawyer advised me not to.

The cops are lying to you.

I'm not.

- This your new office?

- Take a seat.

- How you doing?

- Not good.

- It's only been a few hours.

- For a grand jury, that is a lifetime.

He lied through his teeth.

He knew exactly what cards to play.

The more I went after him, the more the grand jurors sympathized with him.

- Juries are smart, Dominick.

- Usually.

But they're so mad at the NYPD right now, they wanna punish us.

- Hey, Sonny.

Well, win some, lose some.

Warden just told me they voted No Bill.

Joey walks.

You should've taken the mis-d, kiddo.

- It's not over.

- No, it's not.

Somebody still needs to tell Eric Aquino's family what just happened.

- This man leaves my son to die, and he goes free?

How could this happen?

- He told the grand jury we framed him.

- And they believed him over the police.

- It's a complicated time.

- I don't understand.

- What she means, Mom, is NYPD screwed up.

- Mark Peter, be polite.

- This is all on you!

If you hadn't arrested Jayvon Brown, none of this would've happened, would it?

- Hey, Noah.

Time for bed, honey.

What are you watching?

- The video of you arresting the wrong guy.

Everybody at school's seen it.

- Okay.

You wanna talk about it?

- Why did you arrest him?

Are you r*cist?

- Noah...

Come on.

Noah, you know that I'm not.

- Did you tell him you're sorry?

- There's a lawsuit, and my bosses told me that I...

That I shouldn't talk to him.

- Why?

You always tell me to apologize when I do something wrong.

- Mr. Brown...

Can I talk to you?

Don't you have anything better to do than pressure me into dropping my complaint?

- That's not why I'm here.

- So you know I got laid off.

Somehow it was all in the papers that I'm in NA.

- I'm sorry, and I can call your boss...

- Don't.

You've done enough.

- I wanted to let you know that the DA is pursuing charges against Colleen Reynolds for filing a false report.

- Okay, so... so I lose my job, Murphy walks, and now you think you can just distract everyone and claim some moral high ground by charging that woman?

- The NYPD has...

I have a lot of work to do.

- Yeah.

You do.