01x11 - East Pasadena

[bunniefuu]

In the city of Los Angeles,

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.

You in the blue car,

open the doors
and step out of the vehicle.

- Stone cold dead.

The driver ditched.

Made it out of the structure

before we had time
to lock it down.

- Anybody put eyes on him
before that?

- Officer that clocked him
running the light

got a quick visual...
male, white, black hair.

Age 20 to 30.

Car's registered
to an Amanda Russell.

Looks like a match.

Blunt force to the head.

Strangulation bruises
on the neck.

There's no blood
on the seat or in the car.

She was probably k*lled
somewhere else

and being moved to a dump site.

TJ.

She's a marine.

Winters used to say
the streets of heaven

are guarded by the marines.

Well, she'll be
in good company.

Hell of a fight in here.

Looks like we got a boyfriend.

What do you think?

Male, white, black hair,
age 20 to 30?

That's Dave Harlan.

Amanda met him
on leave last summer.

When she got back from
Afghanistan for good

a few months ago,
he moved in with her.

Any idea where we can find him?

No.
He's a welder, he...

Fancies himself
as some kind of artist.

Did Amanda ever mention
problems with Dave?

She thought he was
a very suspicious person.

He got...Suspicious
when she worked late.

- Where did she work?
- East Pasadena.

The marines got her
a part-time job

as a bookkeeper for the city.

She didn't like it much.

It was a long commute and...

It didn't pay well.

- And that caused problems with Dave?
- Yes.

Amanda thought he was
following her at night.

You know,
when she was in Afghanistan,

the marines
had her in a village.

She was running
a construction site,

dodging ieds and...
And sn*pers.

And when she returned home,

we were just so relieved

because...
Now she was safe!

Poor girl went from
one w*r zone to another.

Coroner have a time of death?

Between 10:00 P.M.
And 2:00 A.M. last night.

Asphyxiation
by manual strangulation.

Dave has at least one friend...
fellow artist.

Now, if we enhance
the signature on the painting,

maybe the art theft detail
can help us locate the artist.

The art cops knew me?

I can't even get a gallery
to return my calls.

Your two graffiti busts
put you on our radar.

So about your friend Dave...
- I-I haven't seen him.

Not since his girl
got back from Afghanistan.

She was m*rder*d yesterday.

Wow...

Ironic, right?

- Welding tools.
- Oh...

Dave left those there
a while ago.

- Still warm.

- Ironic...Right?

- Dave.

Dave, don't do it.

Don't do it.

- Why not?

I did a terrible thing.

- We're not high enough
here, Dave.

The fall won't k*ll you.

You'll break your legs,
break your back...

Spend the rest of your life
in a wheelchair

peeing into a bag.

I loved her so much.

I loved her so much.
I loved her so much.

Amanda and me
had an argument and...

She said that I was having
somebody following her.

I told her that was crazy.

She got in my face about it
and she called me a liar.

I didn't want to have
another fight,

'cause last time,
the cops came.

So I left.

- Where'd you go?

- To Arturo's studio.

He had some Tequila.
I was doing sh*ts.

I got hammered.
- Then what happened?

- I got in Arturo's car...
Around 2:00.

Um...
He was driving me home.

After that, it all gets fuzzy.

The next thing I remember,

I woke up on the couch
in the living room.

- Are you saying
that you blacked out?

- I guess so.

- What'd you do
after you woke up?

- I went into the bedroom
and...

Amanda was on the bed.

Her head was all bloody.

She wasn't moving.

I k*lled her.

- What do you mean...

You k*lled her?

- I mean...I must have
done it when I came home.

When I was drunk.

We must have had a fight.

- So why did you move Amanda?

Why didn't you just
leave her on the bed?

- I thought I could like

take her to the hospital
or something or... or...

I just didn't know what to do!

- I kept saying
he should turn himself in,

but I'm not his life coach.

I got my own thing
to worry about.

- Did he tell you what happened
after he came home?

- He said he may have hit
Amanda over the head,

but he didn't remember.

I mean, he was so wasted,
I had to help him to the door.

He couldn't even find
his own house keys.

- You helped him
into the house?

- Pain in the ass.
It was pitch black on the porch.

I couldn't get the key
into the lock.

- The light next to the door
wasn't on?

- No. I finally figured out
the bulb was unscrewed,

so I screwed it back in
and got the door open.

- Did you see Amanda?

- No. Her bedroom door
was closed.

Maybe I shoulda let Dave
sleep it off at my place,

but this guy,
he snores like a 747.

- "I don't remember."

That's what my kid says
when I bust him.

- Well, there might be
something to it this time.

This guy fought hand-to-hand
with a trained marine.

There's not a mark on him.

- And there's
the unscrewed porch light.

It's consistent
with a break-in.

We had S.I.D. examine
Amanda's front door,

and there were
pick marks on the lock.

- Amanda felt
somebody following her, right?

- I didn't take it seriously.

I thought she was just
being paranoid.

- Amanda have bad blood
with anyone?

Old boyfriends, marine buddies?

- No, her old boyfriend's
fat and happy with three kids.

I met her marine brothers too.
They're all good guys.

- What about her job
in East Pasadena?

Any pRoblems there?

She couldn't wait
to get out of her contract.

Said they had a weird way
of doing things around there.

- Give us an example.

Well, like she asked me

if welders and plumbers
need a special license

from East Pasadena
to work there.

I told her you just need
a license from the state.

- A special license
from East Pasadena.

- Yep. She said I'd have
to pay the city a fine

if I worked there without one.

I never heard of that.

- I hired Amanda through
the marines' tap program.

She was whip-smart.
Very motivated.

A real inspiration
to the whole office.

Please give our condolences
to her family.

- We'll do that.
Can we see her desk?

- Oh, sure.
This way.

- What were her duties here?
- Bookkeeping.

Data entry, filing.

- She was happy in her work?
- I think so.

We talked about
moving her to full-time.

She was thrilled.

- We heard she was involved
with trade licenses

for plumbers, welders.

- Doesn't sound right.
- Licenses to work in the city.

- She must have confused them
with building permits.

- Confused, Mr. Wheeler?

You just told us
how whip-smart she was.

- Didn't say she was perfect.

This is her desk.

We put all of her personal items
in the box for her family.

- Drawer's empty.
- It's all in the box.

- What, no notepads, files?

- There's only
what's in the box.

- What's that smell, bleach?

- Our custodian
must have cleaned the desk.

- Do you think you could find
out if there was anything else

besides what's in the box?

- I'll ask.

- They didn't just wipe
the hard drive.

They took out
the whole damn thing.

- She was thrilled
to be promoted

in a job
she couldn't wait to quit.

We don't serve
East Pasadena anymore.

Your trucks says serving
altadena, East Pasadena,

- and Sierra Madre.
- I know what it says.

But I stay out of
East Pasadena.

- That's an interesting
business strategy.

- You care to explain?
- I can't talk about it.

Does it have to do with
licenses for tradespeople?

I don't want
any more trouble, okay?

I already tangled
with their cops.

I signed a legal paper,
and it's done.

What legal paper?
Can we see it?

Civil compromise.
That's what they called it.

And they wouldn't let me leave
until I signed it.

"A civil compromised issued
by the superior court

of the southeast
north judicial district."

There is no such court.

It's a cover-up
for a shakedown.

- Amanda was suspicious
of those licenses.

It could be
what got her k*lled.

- First we need to confirm
it's a scam.

- We were thinking of a sting.

- Come on, old man.

Pick up the pace.
- Who you calling old?

I can still kick your punk ass
all day long.

- Morning, officer.

Is it okay to park here?

- I need to see
your contracting license.

- Oh, the number's right there
on the side of the truck.

- Not your state license.

Your license to work
in East Pasadena.

- I didn't know we needed one.

We've never worked
in East Pasadena before.

- East Pasadena business code

requires all tradesmen
to be licensed

to work within city limits.

Can I see some I.D.?

- Well, what if we just
get in the truck and leave?

- Too late for that.
Wrecker's on the way.

I'm impounding your vehicle
till you pay the fine.

- Impounding?

Why don't we just...
Take care of this right now?

- Put that away, sir.

You pay the citation
at East Pasadena city hall.

You have 30 days.

- I promise...I don't ever
come back to East Pasadena.

Just give me back my mangoes.

- You get your merchandise back

after you pay the fine
and buy a license.

- But my mangoes,
they gonna go bad.

- Would you like me
to call the police, sir?

The station's right across
the street.

- Okay, okay.
I'll get the money.

Don't throw away my mangoes.

- Next in line!

That's $300 for the fine,
$125 for the towing.

- Cash or check?
- 425 bucks.

How many trucks does your
painting business have?

What difference does it make?

- You need a license
for each truck... $500 each.

- That's a nice racket.

We'd like to see the law
that says you can do that,

- Mrs. foreman.
- We'll mail it to you.

- And you need to sign
a civil compromise

before we can
release your vehicle.

If they're shaking down
every tradesperson

who sets foot in East Pasadena,

- we're talking serious money.
- Serious as m*rder.

- Mrs. foreman.
L.A.P.D.

You're under arrest.
Put your hands

- behind your back.
- Oh, my God... what? Mike!

- What's going on?
- Sir, stand back, please.

- What are you doing to my wife?
- Please stand back. She's under arrest.

She'll be at the L.A.P.D.
Robbery/homicide division.

- But she didn't do anything.
- That's where she'll be, sir.

- Mike!
- This isn't right.

She didn't do anything!

- Extortion?

My heavens, I never stole
money from anybody.

- We looked at the East
Pasadena city charter.

We didn't see anything about
license requirements

or code violations.

- I don't know anything
about that.

I just do what they tell me.
- Who tells you?

- My boss, the city comptroller,
Mr. Wheeler.

- Don Wheeler.
- Also Amanda Russell's boss.

- Did you ever have
any contact with Amanda?

- I think I spoke to her
only once a few weeks ago.

When don's regular girl
was out,

she was processing
code enforcement fines.

- Like the ones we paid?
- Yes.

Don's girl usually does them.

Miss Russell asked me
what they were for

and why there were so many.

She got very testy.

So I called don and told him.

- What did he have to say
about that?

- He said not to worry,
that he'd have a talk with her.

That was the end of it.

- I don't make a dime
on those code citations.

I got stats to keep up.
- Stats?

You mean quotas?

- I mean stats.
Like singles, doubles.

- What's a single?

- Single's like citing
a Mexican

for selling fruit
at a stoplight

without a license.

Impounding a vehicle,
like with you guys...

that was a triple.
- What's a home run,

knocking over an old lady
for her bingo money?

- Not funny.

I don't keep up my stats,
I get laid off.

- Who makes up the rules
to this game?

- Our boss.
Lieutenant petracelli.

Told us what codes to enforce,

what the fines were.

I just follow my orders.

- These two
are just the bag men.

We learned this
lieutenant petracelli

must be running the scam.

- And using the East Pasadena
city treasury

to launder the take.

- I'll call dekker,
start issuing subpoenas.

- Ms. rubirosa, they're pRobably
already shredding papers

and wiping the hard drives.

I'd take 'em down now.
- Let's warrant up.

- We have an arrest warrant
for comptroller Wheeler.

We were told he was in there.

- Sorry, there's a city council
meeting going on right now.

Can't go in there
until they're done.

- Oh, hurry!
Hurry! He has a g*n.

There's a man in there
with a g*n.

He told the women to get out.
- How many people in there now?

- The mayor, the councilmen.
Maybe ten.

- Call for backup.

- This door's locked.
Is there another way in?

- There's a door from
the left side hallway,

and there's a fire exit
at the front of the room,

far right corner.
- I'll take the side door.

You take the fire exit.

- Officer cortina
at the council room post.

I need backup immediately.

- I'm at the fire exit.

Damn you!
Damn you, you sons of b*tches!

- I can get inside the room.

- I'm at the side door.

It's not locked.

- No, you hold.

I'm going in.

- You think it doesn't matter?
Nobody else has a family?

Who the hell
do you think you are?

You're a bunch of crooks!

- Male. White. With a.45
20 feet from your door.

It's the husband
of the woman we arrested.

You wanna distract him?
I'll take him.

- Check.

- You...Wheeler!

Susan told you
about that girl...

And now you got Susan
involved in a m*rder.

- No, no, Mike.

The boyfriend k*lled that girl.

He was drunk.

- TJ, where are you?
- Listen to don.

That girl was strangled
in her bed by her boyfriend.

- You're the biggest thug
in this whole damn place.

- Come on!

- You're gonna be
the first to go.

- TJ, now!

- Let's get civilians
out of here.

- Lieutenant petracelli,
there's another man down.

- It's don Wheeler, lieutenant.

- I guess you won't be needing
that arrest warrant anymore.

Detective Jaruszalski
came throught this side door,

he distracted the suspect and this
allowed me to fire off three rounds.

Was the bystander,
Mr. Wheeler, in line of fire?

- Not in my line of fire.

I had a clear sh*t
at the suspect.

- You doing okay?
- Yeah.

- We're gonna need your w*apon.

- What's your take
on the bystander?

- Could be a round
from the gunman.

Could be ricochet, but...

We'll let you know.

- Or it could be convenient
collateral damage.

- Everything squared away?

- Yeah.

Before Susan's husband
was sh*t,

he had a lot to say about
the city council,

the mayor especially.

- I'm a very lucky man.

Very lucky.

Mike Foreman just went crazy.

- What did he say
before he was sh*t?

- He was upset about his wife.

He wasn't coherent.

- Did it have to do
with her arrest?

- Honestly...I was just
staring at the g*n in his hand

and thinking about my kids.

- Did he say anything
directly to you?

- Me?
No.

- Nothing about you
being a thug.

- No.

Mike Foreman
used to work for the city.

He was fired for cause.

He was angry then.

He stayed angry.

- Mike wasn't fired.
He quit.

- Why would the mayor lie?

- We realize you may be afraid.

But these people are making
your husband out to be

some kind of crazy person.

- He wasn't like that.

He was decent.

He worked 22 years
for the parks department.

He quit because...

He didn't like
how everything changed.

- Changed how?

- It started after velman
became mayor.

They told Mike he had to hire
the mayor's friends.

But the worst was the money
they stole from the children.

- How did they do that?

- The state told the city
they had to fix the playgrounds.

Mike found out
that the construction company

gave half the money to velman.

He told me

they used cheap materials
in the new playgrounds.

- A kickback.

Did your husband
tell anyone about this?

- He went to the city council.

They told him he had to
keep his mouth shut

or they'd fire him
and take away his pension.

And they said
they'd do the same to me.

So Mike quit.

He said it would be
hard to prove,

because the money was paid
to the city treasury.

You ask eva ruiz.

She knows.
She's the city treasurer.

- I got held up once
in my real job.

But I wasn't half as scared
as I was the other day.

Mike Foreman looked like
he was gonna k*ll someone.

- You said your real job?

- The big box store
down the street?

I'm senior cashier.

City treasurer's
my part-time job.

- I wanted to ask you
about the playground project

two years ago.

- Yes. We had
good feedback on that.

- Yeah. The construction
company

made a payment
to the city treasury...

$500,000.

Do you know what
that payment was for?

- For the construction permit.

- It was 40% of the entire
budget for their job.

- Is that unusual?

I don't know anything
about construction.

- It is unusual.
It looks like a kickback.

- I'm sorry, uh...
I have to run some errands

before my break ends.

- Do you have any idea
where the money went?

- To the city treasury
to pay to run the city.

Nice talking to you.

- We'll talk again,
Ms. ruiz.

Nice car.
A gift from your husband?

- I'm divorced.

It was my gift to me.

- No offense, but...
On a cashier's salary?

- No, sweetie,
on my city treasury salary.

I made 240,000 a year.

The city council make as much.

The mayor
makes four times that.

City council voted on it.

It's all legal.

- I tried to get the minutes
of the council meetings.

They said
they'd mail them to me.

- Don't hold your breath.

- I can't see why the treasurer
would lie about the numbers.

These people voted themselves
huge salaries.

- It's not a city government.
It's a crime syndicate.

- Using their own cops
as enforcers.

The ois team report came in.

"Mike Foreman was k*lled
by the three sh*ts fired

"by detective morales.

"Don Wheeler was k*lled
by a round

fired by
lieutenant petracelli."

- And what does petracelli say?

- Wheeler
got in his line of fire.

- He's either a liar

or he's the worst sh*t
west of the Mississippi.

- He sh*t Wheeler intentionally.
- To shut him up.

Wheeler was involved
in Amanda's m*rder.

Before the sh**ting,
the mayor and Wheeler both said

that Amanda was found
strangled in her bed.

That was not in the papers.

Only the k*ller
and his accomplices

would have known that.

- The k*ller, petracelli.

- Do we know where he was
the night of the m*rder?

- He was off duty.
But at 1:55 A.M.,

he made a call
from his cell phone.

The relay towers

put him traveling away
from Amanda's home.

The call was to the main number

of the East Pasadena city hall.

- So we need the exact extension
that phone call went to.

Hey, Rick.

You should know...

If it wasn't
for you and your partner,

a lot more lives
would have been lost

in the council chamber.

Everybody's proud of you.

Even hardin.

- Thanks, Joe.

- I just need the date, time,
and incoming number,

then I can track the call
from the main number

to a specific extension.

- It's right here
on the warrant.

- Is it true the mayor's
making almost a million a year

from the city?

- That's what we're told.
- Why? How much do you make?

- 12.85 an hour plus benefits.

I do more work in a day
than that fat ass does all year.

- I got it.
1:55 A.M.,

that call went to extension 33.

- That's the city council room.

- Was there a council meeting
that late?

- No. But I remember them
being in there late.

Uh...Don Wheeler.

Mayor velman, the deputy mayor,

and councilman jalanek.

- They were probably
waiting for petracelli to call

and tell them that their Amanda
Russell problem was solved.

- Now their problems
are just beginning.

- You're going to prison, baby!

- Look at this.
You had to drag me out here?

- Yeah, well, enjoy
that tomato, Mr. mayor.

It's the last fresh fruit
you're gonna see for a while.

Mike Foreman pointed his g*n

at velman and Wheeler
and accused them both

of being involved
in Amanda's m*rder.

Wheeler said she was
k*lled by her boyfriend,

and velman said
she was strangled in her bed.

- Who else was in the room when
they made these statements?

- The other councilmen.
- All of whom

have refused to cooperate.

- Where was TJ during this?

- TJ?

In the hallway.

I was waiting for him
to come through the side door.

- Bottom line is you're
our only viable witness.

We have the lock-picking tools
found in petracelli's car,

but these statements
are the guts of our m*rder case.

The defense will go after them.

- Yeah, I know
all their tricks, Joe.

- Then they'll go after you.

Anything
we need to worry about?

- Well, I saw the police
department shrink,

but that's standard
ois protocol.

- No red flags.

- I mentioned that I sh*t
a suspect in the line of duty

20 years ago
when I was still a patrolman.

- They'll paint you
as a cowboy...

Old-school LAPD.

- No, I can handle
whatever they throw at me.

- It's on.

- Any statement
made by Mr. Wheeler

or mayor velman is hearsay
and should be precluded.

- The statements are admissible

under the excited
utterance exception

to the hearsay rule.

- They were being threatened
by a madman with a g*n.

They would have said the moon
was made out of cheese

if it would have
saved their lives.

- Because they were
under immediate thr*at,

it is unlikely
they would have uttered

premeditated lies.

Let the jury decide
their pRobative value.

- I agree.
I'm not gonna preclude

detective morales's testimony
about the statements.

- In that case, your honor,
we move for disclosure

of detective morales's
psychiatric evaluation

following his sh**ting
of Mike Foreman.

- That report's privileged.

The point of the evaluation
is to help officers

cope with the stress
of a line of duty sh**ting.

They should be able to speak
freely to a therapist

without the fear
of a defense attorney

looking over their shoulder.

- Mr. Byron, as I see it,

the report is subject
to doctor/patient privilege.

You're not getting it.

- Unless the patient consents.

If Mr. dekker and the LAPD
truly have nothing to hide here,

they'll prevail on morales
to release the report.

If...They truly
have nothing to hide.

- Mr. Byron,
address your comments to me.

To make it perfectly clear,

lacking detective morales's
consent,

the report is out.

I'll see you all at trial.

- That's one motion
you're gonna wish you'd lost.

- I'm not asking him.

We'll set a bad precedent
for every cop in the city.

- They're saying
this case is a joke,

that detective morales
is some psycho.

- It's just a lawyer
spinning facts.

- It's not just a lawyer.
It's the news, on the radio.

They all say the police
are hiding something.

- Mr. and Mrs. Russell,

you shouldn't be worrying
about all of this.

- Look,
Amanda served her country.

She risked her life
while these...

Scumbag politicians
lined their pockets.

- I assure you,

the district attorney
is doing what he needs to do

to get justice
for your daughter.

I know this is difficult.

But all this...

Noise...

You're just gonna have to
shut it out.

- The department's
catching a lot of flack

over this psychiatric report.

The police commission's
asking questions,

and I don't know
what to say to them.

They're pushing
for a fitness review.

- Chief, didn't the psychiatrist
say that detective morales

was fit for duty?
- That might not satisfy them.

Detective, is there
anything in this report

we should be concerned about?

Anything detrimental
to the case?

- Absolutely not.

- Well, then stop
the speculation.

Give them the report.
- Can anybody here guarantee

that once I sign
the consent form

my report won't be
all over the Internet?

Well, then, I'm sorry.
I'm not signing.

- Detective, regardless
of what happens to the case,

there'll always be a question
mark over your name.

He's stubborn.

Whoever talked me
into taking him back?

- That would be me.

- Everything okay?

- A-one-a.

- So the big powwow
about your shrink report?

The jungle drums were b*ating.

- Chief wants me to waive
confidentiality.

- And?

- What, did you tell the shrink

you were a late bed-wetter?

- No.

It's not about me.

- Take a walk with me.

- The conversation
I had with the shrink

covered a lot of bases.

Anything to do with me
I can handle, but...

One of the bases was you.

- I'm listening.

- We explored why you balked
coming through the doors

in the council room.

- It went through my head

that you'd just lost a partner
to v*olence.

- You think
I don't have your back.

- Look...

You've become like an Uncle
to Rex's kids,

maybe more than that now.

Casey's leaned on you
to help her through this.

You've been there for them.

I commend you for it.

It's what you had to do.

But it occurred to me that...

They were on your mind that day

outside the council room
and that maybe...

You didn't want to put them
through that again.

Anyway, it's all here.

Buried in a bunch
of psychobabble.

I'm not signing anything
unless you're okay with it.

- I didn't see anything here
that wasn't true.

Sign the damn waiver.

- This isn't gonna
help matters.

Never mind the material
about your partner.

The things you say

about your line of duty sh**ting
20 years ago...

That's gonna be a pRoblem.

- I can handle
the cross-examination.

- I'm glad you're so confident.

But if your credibility
takes a hit...

- you will fix it
in your summation.

- Thanks.

- Not to put pressure
on you, Joe.

- I just wish
you had talked to me

before signing that consent.

- I talked to who I had to.

- Don Wheeler
told Mr. foreman,

"no, Mike.
The boyfriend k*lled that girl.

He was drunk."

When Mr. foreman
pointed his g*n at Mr. velman,

Mr. velman said,
"listen to don.

The girl was strangled
in her bed by her boyfriend."

- And what happened then?
- Well, my partner

came through the side door,
creating a diversion,

which allowed me to sh**t
and k*ll Mr. foreman.

- Following the sh**ting,
what did you make of

Mr. Wheeler
and Mr. velman's statements?

- That they had information
on the manner of death...

the strangulation of the victim
in her own bed...

which could only have been
known by the k*ller.

- But what facts
did you uncover

to explain how they came
to this information?

- Cell phone records showed
that soon after the m*rder

when he was a mile away
from the victim's house,

Mr. petracelli made a call
to the council room

of East Pasadena city hall.

- As a detective,

what conclusion
did you draw from these facts?

- That Mr. petracelli
had m*rder*d Amanda Russell

and was calling his accomplices
to give them the full report.

- Thank you.
No more questions.

- Beside my clients,

who else
was in the council room

when Mr. velman
and Mr. Wheeler

allegedly
made these statements?

- Besides your clients,
Mr. Wheeler.

- Who's now dead.

- Mike Foreman.
- Also dead.

- And four other
city councilmen.

- None of whom, I point out,

have corRoborated
your testimony.

What about your partner?

- No, he wasn't in the room.
He couldn't hear.

- Of course.
So all the possible witnesses

to these alleged statements

are either dead, silent,
or deaf.

All except you.
- I have no reason to lie.

- Well, we'll see about that.

You didn't mention
these alleged statements

to the psychiatrist
who evaluated you

after you sh*t Mike Foreman,
did you?

- I was there to discuss
my state of mind,

not a m*rder case.

- But you did talk about
another line of duty sh**ting

20 years ago.

- Yes. I sh*t and k*lled
a drug dealer.

- A 17-year-old cr*ck dealer

who got the drop
on your partner.

You saved your partner's life.
You were a hero.

- If you say so.

- In fact, according to
the psychiatrist,

that sh**ting was a big factor

in your promotion to detective.

- I don't know that
for a fact, but I suspected it.

- How'd you feel about that?

- You read the psych report.
You know.

I had mixed feelings about it.

- You told the psychiatrist

that you still felt guilt
about it...

Even shame...
That your success was built

on the shoulders of a dead man.

- Well, I wouldn't be human

if I didn't feel guilt
about k*lling a man.

- Like Mike Foreman.

Even though
it saved many lives,

you feel some guilt
about k*lling him.

- Yes.

- You told the psychiatrist,

"Mike Foreman was just
a poor sap who cracked

"because he couldn't
protect his family

"from the corruption
around him.

"In fact, if we hadn't
arrested his wife,

"I doubt he would have
ended up in city hall

waving a g*n."

Your words, detective?

- Yes.

- Not only do you feel guilt
about sh**ting him,

you feel responsible
for pushing him over the edge

in the first place.

That's a lot of baggage
to carry.

Isn't that what
the psychiatrist said?

- Words to that effect, yes.

- Didn't the psychiatrist
warn you

that your guilt
might manifest itself

in inappropriate behavior
like drinking?

- Yes, he said that.
- Sudden rages.

Sleeplessness.
- Yes. All that.

- What about creating false
and self-serving memories

to make yourself feel better
about what happened?

He mentioned that, didn't he?
- Okay, I know where

you're going with this.
- Isn't it possible

that in trying to ease
your guilt over this sh**ting,

to give Mike Foreman's
death some meaning,

you created a memory
where he provoked Mr. velman

and Mr. Wheeler into
making incriminating statements?

- No.
- Statements that would

allow you to cr*ck the case
and punish the bad guys?

- Objection.
Asked and answered.

- And allow you
to sleep better at night,

knowing that you didn't sh**t
this poor sap in vain?

Isn't that possible?
- Your honor.

There's an objection
waiting for your ruling.

- Your honor,
I'd like to change my answer.

Then the objection
is overruled.

Go ahead, detective.

In his report,
the psychiatrist said

I was fit to return to duty.

One of his reasons was
that I did not resort

to the behaviors you mentioned.

- Detective...
- But beyond that,

as a police officer
and a former prosecutor,

committing perjury
would violate

every single oath
I have ever taken

and would make me feel worse
than you could even imagine.

The idea that I would
make myself feel better

about a justifiable sh**ting
by lying is absurd.

Oh, and the short answer
to your question?

Yes, it's possible
that I created a false memory.

But no, I did not.

- There's lying...

And then there's
convincing yourself

that a false memory is so real

that you stop recognizing it
as a lie.

You heard detective morales.

He admitted that it's possible

that the alleged statements
are pure invention,

possible that the evidence

at the heart
of the prosecution's m*rder case

is a complete fabrication
of his guilt-ridden mind.

When a witness says that
about his own testimony,

you pay attention.

You pay attention, because
that is reasonable doubt.

- Amanda Russell

represented
the best of America.

She served with honor
under harsh conditions.

But when she came home,

she found herself surrounded
by the worst of America...

These men,
corrupt civil servants

who gorged themselves
on the public trough.

Who, like cancer,
feasted on the nation

Amanda risked her life
defending.

And when this good soldier,
this good marine

began to
unravel their corruption,

they sent this man,
petracelli, to k*ll her.

Now they seek to destroy
another good soldier...

someone, who like thousands
of his fellow officers,

risks his life every day

to protect and serve
this community,

who even put his own life
on the line

for these defendants.

They now seek to destroy it

by turning his own
brutal honesty against him.

We ask our police officers
to protect us,

to sacrifice for us,

to k*ll in our name.

And the grim truth is,

the truth that we don't
like to admit

is that every k*lling,
no matter how justified,

takes its toll on that officer.

And what detective morales
spoke of

when he confided
in a police psychiatrist...

his guilt and his shame...

were only the emotional
manifestations

of a good conscience.

But that's what these men
want you to hold against him...

his conscience.

Because in their corrupt world,

a conscience
is a sign of weakness.

A conscience is something
that you turn off

while you Rob
your fellow citizens

and you k*ll
good, young soldiers.

On the count of m*rder,
how do you find?

We find Stanley petracelli
guilty.

On the count of conspiracy
to commit m*rder,

how do you find?

We find each of
the defendants guilty.

Lieutenant.

The death penalty
for petracelli.

25 to life
for the rest of the g*ng.

Good.

That consent form.

What if I'd told you
not to sign it?

I never considered that option.