Previously on "L.A. Law"...
News on Victor.
It looks like the brother will have permanent brain damage.
Oh, God.
Guy who hit him registered ., drunk driver.
Okay, I'm hereby granting your petition.
The life support equipment shall be disconnected.
Well, if you were having an affair with Rosalind Shays,
would you tell anybody?
You're sleeping with her?
-Please leave, Ann.
-I don't trust that woman.
DOUGLAS: For those of you who have been skipping page one
for the last few months
Ms. Davis and her lover is charged with murdering
her year old husband.
-The Beverly Hills Hangers.
-DOUGLAS: The very ones.
My last lawyer suggested I plead out.
That means either he thinks I'm guilty,
or he doesn't think he can win.
John Friar's a pretty sharp defense attorney.
If he's telling me to admit to a crime I didn't commit, Mr. Mullaney,
he's not sharp enough.
How would you describe her spirits?
Her husband's dead, the police are blaming her,
you people are calling her the hanging bitch every day in the papers.
-She is unhappy.
-[laughter]
I want in on this case, Michael, as much a possible.
Don't worry, Tommy, I got big plans for you.
Good, because this thing here, this is serious juice.
[retching]
Maybe you got the flu.
TOMMY: It ain't the flu. It's just nerves.
Big trials make me nauseous.
You think I should open then?
No, no, Mike, I'm okay.
I'm feelin' better by the second.
This is a good thing, you know?
It means that I'm ready.
Yeah, but you look white.
Glen Hall, best goalie in the history of hockey,
used to puke before every game.
Means you're ready, that's all.
-I'm pumped.
-Okay.
We're gonna leave here at :, then.
Oh, uh, judge said that cameras are okay in the courtroom.
Great.
You coming to the staff meeting?
Uh, in a second. I just wanna go over this a couple more times.
♪♪ [theme]
♪♪
Okay, people, settle in.
First up, happy birthday, Leland McKenzie.
-Happy birthday.
-[cheers, applause]
-DOUGLAS: How old today?
-.
-You look good.
-Thank you.
-JONATHAN: Happy birthday.
-DOUGLAS: First item,
the big day is finally upon us;
People vs. Rikki Davis. Michael.
We open in an hour. We're ready to go.
Excellent. We'll have a command post
set up here in the conference room.
Any surprises come up at trial,
we'll have lawyers ready to jump.
Great. We gonna win?
KUZAK: We've got a sh*t.
I like our jury draw. I like Judge Gates.
Cook's one of the best DAs, but his case has holes.
Keep him off guard wherever you can.
Disrupt his rhythm, he's less effective.
Yeah, we held back a couple of motions
so we could spring the objections at the trial,
put him back on his heels a little.
With all the publicity, we want that acquittal.
Moving on. Leland, you're handling the Cheevers prospectus.
Ann and I go over the final draft tomorrow,
it'll go out to the client by Friday.
Very good. Victor, any other cases you want reassigned?
Uh, no, I'm
-
- I'm back.
-Fine.
-Again, let me reiterate everyone's sympathy.
If there's anything you need from us, please don't hesitate.
Uh, I just want to say that...
the support that you've all been giving me is, uh...
overwhelming and I'll always be grateful
to all of you for that.
Thanks.
As you can see, Ms. Davis is making her way to the courtroom.
-[reporters clamoring]
-KUZAK: There's no comment.
Ms. Davis has no comment. No, no, comment.
-Excuse us.
-[indistinct shouting]
Ms. Davis is also not wearing her hair back
contrary to previous reports.
COOK: It was the perfect crime.
The victim was despondent over cancer,
so he just strung himself up.
Grieving shocked widow discovers the body,
calls the police, everybody cries,
the will gets probated, and Rikki Davis
inherits $ million.
Now, I'm sure the original plan
when she married this year old man with cancer
was to just patiently wait out his death.
She had her lover on the side, it wasn't as if
she was making much of a sacrifice.
But when Harold Davis suddenly decided to divorce her,
the game plan was ruined.
She'd lose everything
by virtue of a pre
-nuptial agreement,
and she wasn't about to let that happen.
Oh, no. So she and her lover, David Schaeffer,
motivated solely by greed,
staged an apparent su1c1de,
and hanged Harold Davis to his death.
That's what the evidence will show, ladies and gentlemen.
Rikki Davis m*rder*d her husband
for his money.
It's as simple as that.
-[crowd murmuring]
-JUDGE: Quiet, please.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
my name is Tommy Mullaney,
my partner is Michael Kuzak,
and together, we represent that woman sitting right there.
Her name is Rikki Davis.
Now, I'm sure you have read a lot about this lady,
and if you're reading the same papers as me,
you gotta be thinking, she's guilty.
I know I thought that that day she
walked into our office for the first time.
But then we began piecing together the facts.
Then, when she passed our lie detector test
-
-
-Objection!
-Mr. Mullaney, that's out of line.
-You know better than that.
-Sorry.
JUDGE: The jury is to disregard that last remark.
A polygraph test is not deemed reliable.
You're to give that statement no weight whatsoever.
Mr. Mullaney, don't test me.
I apologize.
You see, hanging is a very tricky thing.
It's easy for it to go wrong.
Now, Rikki had access to his medication.
She could have drugged him to death.
She knew where he kept his g*n.
She had easier ways to stage a su1c1de
if that's what she wanted to do.
But hanging him?
That's tough.
Why would she choose that?
And why would she discover the body with her lover
and draw attention to her infidelity?
Does that make sense to you? No, it's too easy.
I mean, sure, we got a dead guy.
There's no doubt about that.
And we have got a defendant with a motive.
No argument there, either.
But there isn't any case.
Forget about what you've been reading.
You pay attention here.
We're gonna pull the curtain off
the prosecution's dog and pony show.
You just watch us.
My only request here is that you all pay attention.
And if you do,
we won't have to ask you for anything else.
I promise.
Oh, now, you didn't have to get me anything.
Well, at your age, birthdays are at a premium.
Demand and supply, you know?
Well, that's very touching.
Oh, my, th
-
- this is beautiful.
You like it?
Well, uh, it's superb, but it's too much,
I mean, it's way, way too much.
There's an inscription on the back.
"Just say yes." Yes to what?
Leland, will you marry me?
Yes to what?
I'm serious, Leland.
I don't want to shock you.
I mean, usually, I am the master of subtlety,
but, uh, I just don't know how to tiptoe into something like this.
I've just been so happy the last four months,
and, uh, I'm not a young gal,
and I know what I want.
You
-
- You want me?
I do.
I want to be your wife.
What about me, when do I testify?
I'm not sure I'm putting you up there.
Why not?
Well, the truth is, Rikki,
you come off unlikable.
I think the jury will read you as cold.
I also think that Cook will tear you apart on the adultery,
and no one will care two cents about you after that.
But if I don't take the stand,
it'll look like I'm hiding something.
Well, maybe, but I still think
-
-
Do you really think that it's better to hid what I am
than to let them actually see it?
Listen to me, both of you,
I
-
- I don't want to be buried away in this,
to
-
- to be shielded from the jury like I'm...
the selfish bitch that the press keeps calling me.
I'm not that person.
I don't want to be treated like that person,
not by them and not by you, you understand me?
Look, this is a m*rder trial.
Tomorrow morning, I am facing off against
a seasoned homicide detective.
The man is a pro.
Now, I got a lot of work to do here,
so let us do what we do.
Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?
TOMMY: We know you're scared, Rikki.
Everybody is a little scared.
But you gotta trust us.
You just got to.
Detective, when you arrived at the scene,
what did the defendant tell you?
She and Mr. Schaeffer returned to the house,
and found the deceased suspended from the ceiling.
She stated it was her belief that
Mr. Davis had taken his own life.
Did the evidence support her belief?
-DETECTIVE: No, it did not.
-Why not, detective?
Well, first of all, you can see by the scrape marks
around the, uh, victim's neck that he tried to free himself.
And second, we dusted the beam and cord
and found one clean print.
Belonged to the defendant.
We also found a partial print, which matched David Schaeffer.
They said these prints got there
when they attempted to cut the victim down after discovering him.
Well, if that were true, there would have been prints
all over the beam and cord.
The fact that we found just the two
suggests that somebody tried to wipe the surfaces clean
and just wasn't careful enough.
COOK: What other evidence pointed you to the defendant?
Well, the will, and also the fact
the defendant never had an alibi
except to say that she went for a drive with Mr. Schaeffer
following the brunch.
Did you confront her with your suspicions?
Yes, I did. She said she wanted to, uh, speak with her attorney.
Thank you, detective. Nothing further.
Was there any sign of a struggle in the bedroom?
-No.
-KUZAK: Wasn't that strange?
Do you think that they put the noose around his neck
and then politely asked him to stand up on a chair
while they tied the other end around the beam?
Well, we believe that he was rendered unconscious first.
Right.
According to your initial report, uh,
you say you believe the victim was
struck on the forehead with a blunt object,
which knocked him unconscious,
after which he was hanged.
Uh, we now believe he was suffocated
into a state of unconsciousness.
Oh, really?
Well, why do you believe that, detective?
Because the symptoms of suffocation and hanging are the same,
so there'd be no evidence of it.
So, in other words, there is no evidence of it.
And, detective, if, in fact,
he was suffocated into unconsciousness before he was hanged,
then how do you explain the scratch marks on his face and neck
that he got while he was supposedly trying to free himself?
He probably regained consciousness right before the hanging.
Ah...
Well, is there any evidence of that?
Yeah, the scratch marks. They clearly show this wasn't
something that he wanted to do.
KUZAK: Well, maybe he changed his mind.
I mean, hanging is a very brutal, horrible way to go, isn't it?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
In fact, you yourself investigated
another hanging su1c1de three years ago
in which the victim also tried to claw himself free,
isn't that right, detective?
There was one such incidence, yes.
Thank you.
Okay, onto the fingerprints.
Now, there were a lot of smudged unusable prints
all over the cord and the beam, right?
-Yeah.
-KUZAK: Now, isn't it possible that in their panic,
in their frantic attempts to free Mr. Davis from the noose,
that they smudged a lot of their own prints
and left only a few clean ones?
-It's not impossible.
-Thank you, detective.
And, in fact, from all the physical evidence,
Harold Davis could have committed su1c1de, right?
Yes, but I don't think so.
Thank you, detective.
That's all.
I still think we have a problem with the profit definition.
It's ambiguous at best, and that's gonna be
construed against us if anything goes wrong.
Are you listening to me?
-Oh, yes, uh
-
-
-What's the matter, Leland?
Come on, this stuff is tough enough
without you drifting off into outer space.
-I'm sorry, Ann.
-Okay.
So, um...
Ann.
Last night, Rosalind Shays proposed to me.
Proposed what?
Marriage.
She gave me a beautiful Cartier watch, and...
asked me to be her husband.
How exciting.
You think
-
- Well, what do you think about the two of us,
you know, as a couple?
You seem... very cute.
Could you see yourself standing at our wedding ceremony?
I'm sure it would be lovely.
The truth, Ann.
I would sooner dive head first into my own vomit.
-Ann.
-Dating her is one thing.
Sleeping with her is another, but to exchange wedding vows
with the person who can shed her skin and swallow large rats whole
-is something
-
-
-I don't need that much truth.
Leland, how can you even think of marrying that woman?
I'm lonely, Ann.
Rosalind and I, we laugh together.
We have a wonderful intellectual relationship, and, uh
-
-
See, I'm years old.
And loneliness, uh
-uh. It's everything they say it is.
Do you love her?
I'm very fond of her.
You're very fond of her.
Mm
-hm.
I'm sorry, Leland.
Hey, I am certainly no authority on marriage.
My first one ended in divorce, and Stuart and I
-
-
Well, we still have our problems,
but at the core of it all, I love him and trust him
more than anybody I've ever known,
or ever will know.
Can you say that about Rosalind?
Well, I'm not asking myself those kinds of questions.
It's a much simpler test.
I know my life without her.
And I've seen my life with her.
I'm happier with her.
Your honor, People call Marion Davis to the stand.
Your honor, the defense objects to this witness being called.
No relevance, your honor.
She's the victim's daughter, judge.
Mr. Davis made certain statements to her
-regarding the defendant
-
-
-TOMMY: That's hearsay,
-inadmissible.
-Dead man's statute
-
-
-What, are you nuts?
-It does not apply.
Gentlemen, quiet.
We're not gonna discuss this in here. Let's go.
Offer of proof.
The victim told her that the defendant had been acting strangely,
that she seemed up to something.
Now, this was one week before the m*rder
-
-
That is prejudicial hearsay.
-We can get an
-
-
-Oh, come on,
the daughter hates Rikki Davis, the father knew it.
He could be sayin' this crap to appease her.
We got no means of assuring reliability here.
He's right, I'm not gonna put her up there to say that stuff.
-It'd be a reversible error.
-COOK: Come on.
-Next witness.
-Your honor
-
-
Next witness.
Mark Chelios, the victim's lawyer.
-TOMMY: Objection.
-We object to him, too.
-It's also hearsay.
-Plus attorney/client.
COOK: Privilege doesn't extend beyond the client's life.
It's still hearsay.
Your honor, I need this witness to establish motive.
He is the only person who can testify
as to the victim's intent to divorce the defendant.
That's why they want to shut him down.
It is an out of court declaration
being admitted for the truth.
It's black letter hearsay.
-I'm gonna allow it.
-TOMMY: What?
-KUZAK: Your honor.
-You can't.
Yes, I can.
Then I want Mr. Chelios's files for discovery.
-Work product, privilege.
-JUDGE: Oh, no, no, no, no.
You can't have it both ways, Mr. Cook.
If you want the lawyer to testify, fine,
but first, you give all his files to the defense by : this afternoon.
Not :, not :, :. He'll be on the stand tomorrow.
MAN: All rise.
Attorney Michael Kuzak staggered the prosecution badly
with his cross examination of Detective Foley.
-[cheering]
-Shh. Listen to this.
Rikki's lawyers blocked the victim's daughter, Marion Davis,
from even taking the stand.
The daughter was also considered to be
a key prosecution witness.
And right now, John, the District Attorney's office
-is reportedly scrambling
-
-
-[cheers, applause]
Okay, okay, okay.
We've still got serious work to do here.
JONATHAN: You bet your ass, we do.
-Tommy.
-JONATHAN: Hit it.
Tomorrow's witness, attorney Mark Chelios,
victim's lawyer.
He's produced six boxes of files on Harold Davis.
I've been through four already,
they're very well organized, nothing unusual.
Yeah, he'll testify about the will and who takes what,
no surprises there.
Stuart, you checked off on that?
Yeah. It's very simple, no codicils.
He left everything to the, uh, American Cancer Society,
unless survived by Rikki, in which case she takes everything.
Nothing ambiguous about it. Only thing is, he
-
-
he may not have been witnessed properly.
-Meaning what?
-Probably nothing.
If he dies intestate, she gets everything anyway.
CJ, you got any dirt on this guy?
CJ: Not yet. Single man,
date various women, clean living.
Basically, pretty dull.
Uh, Rick Stevens, a PI I signed,
so if there's anything under this guy's nails, we will know.
Okay, Jonathan,
give Abby a hand with the rest of those files.
Now, the prosecution should rest tomorrow
with strong motive and shaky physical evidence.
I'll move for the directed verdict,
but it probably won't go.
That means we start off with our forensic expert, and move on to the shrink.
Now, are you gonna put Rikki on the stand?
-We don't know yet.
-Oh, do it. They'll suspect if you don't.
-She's gotta testify.
-Hey, hey, we don't know yet. All right?
Jonathan, Abby, get to work on those files.
Tommy, you and I should get some sleep.
Who can sleep?
♪♪
COOK: You had been Mr. Davis's lawyer for how long, sir?
Since .
And under the terms of his most recent will,
how much money did the defendant, Rikki Davis,
stand to inherit?
As a lone beneficiary, she stood to inherit the entire estate,
valued at about $ million.
COOK: And, sir, if they were divorced?
CHELIOS: Pre
-nuptial agreement limited her to ,.
Mr. Chelios, when was the last time
you spoke with the deceased, Harold Davis?
Five days before his death.
Could you tell us what was said?
-KUZAK: Objection.
-TOMMY: Objection, hearsay.
Overruled.
COOK: Mr. Chelios, what did Mr. Davis tell you?
He told me he wanted to file for divorce from his wife, Rikki.
She was being unfaithful,
and he wanted to terminate the marital relationship.
And five days later, he was found hanged to death.
CHELIOS: Yes.
And, sir, who besides the defendant
stood to gain from Mr. Davis's death?
Nobody.
At least, no individual.
If she survived him, she took all.
If she didn't, it went to the American Cancer Society.
And, sir, do you have any reason to believe
Harold Davis was suicidal?
-BOTH: Objection.
-Overruled. Answer the question.
He was not suicidal.
-He was upbeat, he wanted
-
-
-Oh, you gotta be kidding!
-No foundation
-
-
-Sit down, Mr. Kuzak, or I'll hold you in contempt.
Continue, Mr. Chelios.
CHELIOS: His spirits were up.
In fact, on the day he called me about the divorce,
he asked me to establish contact with
the oncology departments
at both the Sloane
-Kettering Hospital
and the Johns
-Hopkins Hospital.
-What for?
-To determine whether
they had any experimental treatments for liver cancer.
-This man wanted to live.
-TOMMY: Move to strike.
-Narrative.
-KUZAK: Opinion
-
-
Both of you, don't make me warn you again.
The testimony is allowed.
I have nothing further.
Do you have any psychiatric training, Mr. Chelios?
-No, I do not.
-You got any clinical or education training
which would allow you to determine whether or not
a person is suicidal?
-I knew Mr. Davis
-
-
-Answer my question, sir.
I have no formal training.
One second, please.
[indistinct whispering]
I have nothing further, your honor.
Thank you, Mr. Chelios.
-Mr. Cook.
-People call as its last witness
-Mr. David Schaeffer.
-Move for continuance,
-your honor, this is a surprise.
-TOMMY: Objection.
-He's on our witness list.
-KUZAK: Well, they put
more than people on their witness list, your honor,
the chances of this man being called were almost nil.
-He's up on the same charge
-
-
-But he's on their list, Mr. Kuzak.
He can call the witness.
I'll give you an hour recess.
[reporters clamoring]
-Son of a bitch.
-What's going on?
He cut a deal if he's testifying.
He had to cut something.
Rikki, if you've been holding anything back,
now is the time to come clean.
What can Schaeffer say?
Nothing, he's innocent. We're both innocent.
What about when you broke up, this Schaeffer guy got an a* to grind?
He was hurt, yes, but so what?
He can't testify to anything except to the fact that
I was an unfaithful wife.
Listen, if we are not prepped for him,
we could get k*lled out there.
Think hard.
Does he have any information that could be of use to them?
There isn't any information for him to have, Michael.
[sighs]
-[knocking]
-Knock
-knock.
Rosalind. What a surprise.
I just dropped Leland off from lunch.
Do you have a second?
Um, sure.
Can we sit?
Of course.
How have you been?
Fine, fine. You?
Fine.
I know we're not very close,
so what I'm about to say may hit you like a depth charge.
Two nights ago, I asked Leland to marry me.
-Wow.
-Yeah, wow.
He said he needed some time to think about it,
and it's my feeling that he will probably come to you.
Why me?
Because nobody else here is married except Stuart,
and you, no doubt, will have the strongest opinions.
Knowing Leland, he will want to confront
the thickest part of the wall.
What do you want from me, Rosalind?
An open mind. I love him very much.
I didn't think I'd ever fall in love again,
but I did.
He's on the fence, Ann.
I'd just like for you
not to impulsively push him to the other side.
The truth is, Rosalind, uh...
Leland did come to me on this.
I might have nudged him a little.
Nudged?
Actually, I was kicking him with both feet.
I
-
- I don't think he should marry you.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Rosalind.
Nobody has done a bigger about face on you than I have.
A year ago, I probably considered you to be
the most unredeemable person I had ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Now, I not only admire you, I actually like you.
But with you and Leland...
I just don't see it.
Well...
as always, you're honest.
Thank you for that.
I really do love him.
-[door opens]
-Rosalind.
I didn't change his mind.
COOK: Would you state your name for the record, please?
David Alan Schaeffer.
Mr. Schaeffer, could you state
your relationship with the defendant, Ms. Rikki Davis.
Between the period of September of ,
and October of , we were lovers.
Sir, I call your attention to the date August , .
Were you with the defendant on that day?
SCHAEFFER: Yes, I was.
We had brunch at Mirabella Restaurant on Sunset,
and then we went to her Beverly Hills home
That's where we discovered the body.
-Mr. Davis's body.
-SCHAEFFER: Yes, sir.
He was, uh...
hanging from the ceiling in his bedroom.
COOK: What did you do?
SCHAEFFER: Well, we tried briefly to get him down.
He was clearly dead.
So, we called the police, they came,
three days later, Rikki and I were arrested
and charged with a crime.
Did you have anything to do with
-this man's death, Mr. Schaeffer?
-No, I did not.
COOK: To your knowledge, did Rikki Davis
have anything to do with his death?
Well, I certainly didn't think so at the time, but...
now I think she did.
[crowd murmuring]
-JUDGE: Order.
-[indistinct whispering]
-I want you to tell us why
-
-
-Objection.
-This man's opinion is
-
-
-JUDGE: Overruled.
Every time we get to the good parts, you start objecting.
-[laughter]
-I object to that.
Go ahead, sir.
SCHAEFFER: Well, first off,
Rikki had been acting strangely all week.
The second thing is,
she would never take me back to her house in Beverly Hills.
Never. But on this day,
it seemed very important that I go with her.
I think it was to establish an alibi.
-KUZAK: Objection.
-Objection.
Again, sir, just tell us what you know.
Keep your opinions to yourself.
Anything else, Mr. Schaeffer?
Yes. About a week before that day,
I was riding with her in her car.
That's when I noticed the book in the back seat
-with a bookmark in it.
-Did you open this book?
SCHAEFFER: Yes, I did. It was a book on knots.
-COOK: Excuse me?
-SCHAEFFER: All kinds of rope knots.
And the page that was marked
was a chapter on buntline knots.
-COOK: Buntline knots.
-SCHAEFFER: Which meant nothing to me at the time.
But about three weeks ago, my lawyer asked me to
go through all the reports on my arrest,
and that's where I saw it;
that the knot on the cord that was used to hang Mr. Davis
was a buntline knot.
[crowd murmuring]
Mr. Schaeffer, you're giving this testimony
in exchange for charges against you being dropped.
-Isn't that right?
-But I'm telling the truth.
I
-
- I didn't want to believe this.
I loved her very much.
But I can't ignore the facts.
COOK: Thank you, Mr. Schaeffer.
That's all.
Let me see now, Mr. Schaeffer.
According to your testimony here,
you had all the pieces to this puzzle three weeks ago.
Why didn't you speak up then?
I did. The District Attorney
didn't want to make a deal until yesterday.
TOMMY: Let's cut to the bone, Mr. Schaeffer.
Yesterday, you're up on m*rder charges,
and today you're a free man
in exchange for this ridiculous story.
-I am telling the truth.
-TOMMY: Of course, you are.
Why would you lie
just to avoid ending up in the gas chamber? No.
-COOK: Move to strike that.
-Withdrawn.
No further use for this witness.
Uh, I have a couple more questions.
Mr. Schaeffer, was this Rikki Davis's car,
or was this the family car?
It was the one she used to drive most of the time.
KUZAK: To your knowledge, did Mr. Davis ever drive this car?
-SCHAEFFER: Yes.
-KUZAK: Mr. Schaeffer,
did you ever have occasion to go sailing with Harold Davis?
-Yes.
-KUZAK: Now, the book that you found
in the back seat of the car,
the title of that book was "Nautical Knots,"
-isn't that right?
-Yes.
It's possible that that book belonged to Mr. Davis, isn't it sir?
It was the car that she used to drive most of the time.
Yeah, but it's possible that the book belonged to him.
-Right?
-Yes, I suppose it's possible.
[crowd murmuring]
[indistinct whispering]
[traffic noise]
I don't know. I don't think he really nailed us.
I mean, the jury saw him for what he was, don't you think?
I don't know.
I mean, at this point, it's hard to know nothin'.
-Okay, our witnesses.
-TOMMY: Witnesses.
Chris Harris, forensics, going first, he's yours.
Psychiatrist, Dr. John Busick, second,
also yours.
I'm taking all the character witnesses
-
-
CJ: Wake up call, gentlemen.
One of the women attorney Mark Chelios has been dating
is Marion Davis,
daughter of the victim.
-What?
-Mm
-hm.
This was taken two nights ago,
even though you can't make her out.
This was taken last night, that's definitely her,
and note the shoes, the same.
Also, Rick showed her picture around
the various eating establishments
frequented by Mr. Chelios,
and people there remember seeing her
as far back as six months ago.
Tommy, get Stuart on the phone, get him in here.
Uh, it's quarter of .
I don't care, wake him up.
CJ, Mark Chelios's office building
video tape records everybody who goes in and comes out.
-You told me that, right?
-Yeah. Paltech Security.
I got a buddy who works there.
They're supposed to keep the tapes for days before they erase.
All right. Take Ann, Abby, Jonathan,
even Douglas and Leland if you have to,
-but go through those tapes.
-Okay.
Tommy, call your friend at Paltech,
have him clear the brush for CJ, then call Stuart.
Tomorrow, we are going to put Mark Chelios
back on the stand.
Let me take him, Michael,
I'll pop the pus right out of him.
Uh
-uh. This one's mine. I'm gonna get him.
Mr. Chelios, you previously stated that
you drafted Harold Davis's most recent will.
That's correct.
I show you this, sir, and ask you if you recognize it.
It's a memo dictated by me after we ex*cuted the will.
Would you please read paragraph three for the record, sir?
CHELIOS: "Mr. Davis indicating his accord
"with provisions contained therein
"ex*cuted his signature as testator.
"I then affixed my signature as witness to the a foregoing.
"Mr. Davis then confirmed to Julia Delaney
"that the testator's signature was, in fact, his,
and Ms. Delaney then affixed her signature as a second witness."
You say that Mr. Davis then confirmed to Julia Delaney
that the signature was, in fact, his.
-Didn't she see him sign the will?
-Well, I'm sure she did.
Well, then, why did he have to tell her what she already saw?
Well, I'm not really sure. I mean, this took place many months ago.
Mr. Chelios, I have here
a signed declaration of Ms. Delaney
obtained from her this morning,
which I offer the court.
She states that she was not in the room when he signed.
That's why he had to tell her that the signature was his.
There's no question he signed the will.
-Are you trying to say
-
-
-Well, the actual signing of this will
was not witnessed by two people, was it, Mr. Chelios?
I guess maybe it wasn't.
KUZAK: And what does that fact do to the validity of this will?
Technically, it makes it invalid.
In other words, Mr. Davis d*ed with no will at all.
CHELIOS: It doesn't matter.
If a spouse dies intestate, California law states that
the bulk of the estate goes to the surviving spouse.
Rikki Davis would still be the main beneficiary.
If Rikki Davis is convicted of m*rder,
she would be disqualified,
and with no valid will, the Cancer Society is out.
Who then gets all the money under California law, Mr. Chelios?
CHELIOS: Surviving children.
KUZAK: And who would that be in this case?
CHELIOS: His only child is a daughter,
Marion Davis.
So Marion Davis...
that woman right there, stands to inherit everything
if my client is convicted,
isn't that right, Mr. Chelios?
I doubt very much that she would be well versed
in the validity of wills.
Well, she would be if she had a clever lawyer
with lots of inside information advising her.
Do you have a personal relationship with Marion Davis?
-Objection.
-Getting to the good part, judge.
-Overruled.
-KUZAK: Do you have a personal relationship
with Marion Davis?
We've had dinner together.
Mr. Chelios, I show you a photograph
taken two nights ago.
Mr. Chelios, would that be you and Marion?
Yes.
And would you please describe for the court
what it is you're doing in the picture?
We're kissing.
[crowd murmuring]
How long have you been seeing Marion?
-Your honor, a brief recess, please.
-JUDGE: Sit down.
How long?
-About eight months.
-KUZAK: And, Mr. Chelios,
she knew that will would be declared invalid didn't she?
All she had to do was challenge it.
Marion Davis could never have k*lled her father.
KUZAK: You purposely saw to it that that will would be invalid
so that he would die intestate, didn't you, Mr. Chelios?
I'm asserting my fifth amendment rights,
I refuse to answer any more questions.
That's okay.
I don't have any more.
[crowd murmuring]
Mr. Cook.
Nothing, your honor.
You may step down, sir.
-Let's stop right here.
-Why?
JUDGE: The defense will call it's next witness.
Michael, I don't care who we put up there,
we will never have more momentum
-than we got right now.
-Mr. Kuzak.
Uh, one second, your honor.
You're serious.
TOMMY: Michael, you just dropped a b*mb here.
Let's get the jury back in there deliberating
while the room's still shaking.
-Are you ready to close?
-Are you kidding?
Your honor,
the defense rests.
[crowd murmuring]
Closing arguments, :. We're adjourned.
[indistinct whispering]
[sighs] We're not going out to lunch?
Well, I thought we'd talk here first.
Oh...
Rosalind, I'm very happy being with you, you
-
-
You don't have to preface anything, Leland.
You're answer is no.
I
-
-
I realize I may never meet anyone again whom I'll come to love,
but it would be wrong to marry you out of default.
Do you think in time you might love me?
Did you ever think I could be so ridiculous?
Oh, you're not ridiculous.
You have no idea how scared I was in that restaurant.
You don't know how close I was to saying yes.
So what do we do now?
I don't want to stop seeing you.
Well, I guess it would be stupid for us not to,
I mean, at our age.
We enjoy each other's company.
And... love is for the young, right?
Listen.
Let's skip lunch, huh?
I've got some errands,
and we're still on for dinner, right?
Oh, sure, sure. Yeah.
Good. Maybe Italian tonight, huh?
-Feel like pasta.
-All right. Fine.
You're right, Leland.
This is the right thing.
See you later on.
-TOMMY: I don't know about you people
-
-
-[whispers] Mike.
TOMMY: But I am more confused now than when we first started.
Let's just start with what we do know for sure.
First, all the physical evidence,
all of it could be consistent with su1c1de.
Their star homicide detective told you that under oath.
So, the main thing against Rikki Davis was motive.
She was supposedly the only one with motive.
Now, the witness who was selling that
was the attorney Mark Chelios.
Then, suddenly, turns out that's wrong.
The will was invalid.
The daughter stands to get everything
if
-
-
if she can get Rikki disqualified
with a m*rder conviction.
And she knew this.
She knew because she was sleepin' with
-
- Guess who?
Mr. Chelios, the attorney,
who carefully arranged for the will to be invalid.
What a scheme, huh?
Wow.
Well, people, right now,
I don't know, maybe Marion Davis
k*lled her father for the money.
Maybe the guy really did commit su1c1de.
I can't know.
The prosecution, they definitely do not know.
They're over there suddenly dropping charges
against the boyfriend, David Schaeffer.
One day, he's up on first degree,
next day he's not.
They don't have a clue what's goin' on.
What a mess.
I mean, reasonable doubt all over.
What a terrible mess.
COOK: The defendant's a wealthy woman
who hired the best lawyers money could buy,
and they've done everything possible to confuse you.
And they're good.
These lawyers are very good.
But let's reduce this thing to the basic facts.
Rikki Davis had a $ million motive.
Rikki Davis's fingerprints were found on the cord
that was used to hang the victim.
Rikki Davis doesn't have an alibi.
Her own lover concluded she had to have done it.
There was a book describing how to make the knot
that was found tied around the victim's head.
That book was found in her car.
Common sense, ladies and gentlemen.
Rikki Davis k*lled her husband.
Mr. Mullaney may be confused, but I'm not.
Nor should you be.
-ANN: What's going on?
-Jury's in, it's on TV.
-What?
-They're covering it live.
[indistinct chatter]
-Deliberating less than an hour
-
-
-What's happening?
A very short deliberation. We expected to at least go
-
-
-What'd they say?
-Nothing, they're just filing in.
REPORTER:They're here now, Joyce.
-GRACE: They don't look happy.
-ABBY: There's Mike and Tommy.
ANN: They're acquitting.
They come back this fast, they are definitely acquitting.
-That's doesn't mean anything.
-Shh, shh, now listen.
JUDGE: Has the jury reached a verdict?
-Yes, your honor.
-And how do you find?
WOMAN: We, the jury, in the matter of
the People vs. Rikki Davis,
on the charge of first degree m*rder,
find the defendant not guilty.
[crowd clamoring]
[indistinct chatter]
Nice job.
We'll answer all questions in the back.
We have a press room, we'll answer all questions in there.
[indistinct shouting]
We got a press room set up.
Oh, I need a few minutes.
You start with them, Tommy, we'll be in in a minute.
WOMAN: Mr. Mullaney!
I'm absolutely numb.
Yeah, well, you should be.
You pulled it off.
What do you mean, I pulled it off?
It was too easy, Rikki.
The whole thing just fell together too neatly.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about you and Mark Chelios.
We got a hold of the video tape security recordings
from his office building.
You've been in there twice in the last month.
-So?
-So you two k*lled your husband,
not you and David Schaeffer.
You and Mark Chelios either did it,
or had it done.
-That's absurd.
-Oh, I don't think so.
Mark Chelios is a brilliant attorney.
That screw up on the will is a mistake
even a rookie wouldn't make.
He did it to give the daughter a motive.
He romanced Marion Davis to set her up.
And to set himself up to be impeached on the witness stand.
I've completely lost you now.
Mm
-mm. You follow me exactly.
You both knew there was no way
Harold Davis could possibly be m*rder*d
without suspicion falling directly on you.
You could try to stage a su1c1de, sure,
but that would be / at best.
The only way to guarantee your getting away with it
was double jeopardy;
to be tried and acquitted.
So, Mark Chelios sets himself up as
the big witness against you,
the guy who's gonna provide motive.
He puts his memo into his files,
then he gives the files to us.
He kisses Marion Davis
when he's gotta know we're having her followed.
You insisted that we tail the daughter.
You insisted that we tail Mark Chelios.
Perfect.
Why would he take the stand and make himself a suspect?
Probably because he has an airtight alibi.
Maybe because he knows that
since you made all the arrangements,
there'd be no way for anybody to trace anything to him,
even if he was investigated.
It's a nice story, counselor.
Too bad you can't repeat it.
Yeah, well, sometimes I forget my ethical obligations.
You'd risk disbarment, and, like you said,
double jeopardy applies.
I'm free no matter what you do.
Yeah, well, I can sure as hell screw up your inheritance.
I doubt it. I was found not guilty.
And anything you say at probate will be inadmissible
because I'll assert attorney
-client privilege.
Not to mention the fact that I could
stick your firm with a $ million law suit.
You want to expose your partners?
You got two choices here.
There's a big press conference going on.
You can walk in there with a long face
and claim you were completely duped by your client,
or you can say nothing,
and just be the brilliant star defense attorney
the whole country now knows you to be.
A winner or a loser.
It's up to you, Michael.
I believe I'm free to go.
[door opens, closes]
Well, I knew they were dead
the second that they made the deal with Schaeffer.
That showed the jury right then
the prosecutor had no rudder on his boat.
-MAN: Mr. Kuzak, could you, uh
-
-
-Where's Rikki?
-Where's your client?
-Uh, Ms. Davis is
a little too emotionally spent to join us right now.
Obviously, she's delighted with the verdict as we all are.
Well, Mr. Kuzak, then how does it feel to win
the biggest case in the country?
-It feels great.
-Great.
-Great.
-Can we get a picture of the two of you?
[reporters clamoring]
MAN: Did you feel like you had the case won all along?
♪♪ [theme]
05x15 - The Beverly Hills Hangers
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High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.
High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.