20x14 - Boy on Fire

[bunniefuu]

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented by two
separate yet equally important groups,

the police who
investigate crime,

and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Fourteen out of 20.

I suck at math.

You just need to practice more.

Fourteen out of 20.
What's the percentage?

Seventy? That's passing, right?

Don't sh**t for passing,
Moses. sh**t for 100.

Now, come on. Look
at question four again.

I know you know
how to do that one.

B?

Right on the nose, my man.

Keep it up, and you'll be coming
here to school with me next year.

But what would you do if you
were in my shoes? Invest it?

Five years working on Wall
Street and you don't know?

Look, the company I worked for
nearly destroyed the world economy.

I'm probably the
wrong guy to ask.

Hey.

What is that? A garbage fire?

Damn kids.

I got it.

24 Eddie to Central K.
Be advised we have a 59

in a vacant lot at
115th near Madison.

I think we can put it out. Just
show us 84 at this location.

What's that smell?

Damn.

Some kids ran off when
we turned the corner.

Some kids?

We didn't realize what it was.
We thought it was garbage burning.

Every available body in the 23 and
the 25 is out canvassing right now.

Yeah, well, you might
want to join them.

All right, well, get this
into evidence. Thanks.

What have you got?

They found an empty can
of paint thinner up the block.

Somebody was
painting their flower box.

Cesar Ramirez, 16.

School ID from Sunrise Academy,
it's a couple of blocks that way,

one of those new
charter schools.

Trying to help kids in
lousy neighborhoods.

Give them a better education
to break the cycle of v*olence.

Looks like they've
got a little ways to go.

Who would do this to my baby?

Who? Who?

We're very sorry, Mrs. Ramirez.

He was such a good boy.

You know, he didn't argue with
anyone, not even his own father.

I made him come right home from
school. No staying on the streets.

Never went nowhere we
didn't know where he was going.

And he was at school last night?

Yes! He was helping
other students.

He was at that school only a
year, and already he was so good

he could be a tutor.

We found him on
115th near Madison.

That's not on a
straight route home.

I called him last night
to see where he was,

but his phone went to a message.

There was no phone
when we found him.

Is that why they k*lled my boy?

For a phone?

We don't know, sir.

Can you think of anything else?

Was he having any
problems at school?

No, no, no, not there.

That was the whole point.

That school...

We waited in line all
night to sign him up.

When he got here, Cesar
was reading below grade level.

By the end of his first year,

he scored in the top 10%
on his English Regents Exam.

He was headed toward
a four-year college.

That's pretty impressive.

A lot of these kids
have the potential.

We take a holistic approach,

keep them busy after school,
coordinate with social services.

Did Cesar need help along
those lines? Social services?

No. His parents
were doing their part.

They kept him out of trouble and
were smart enough to get him in here.

Do your students have any issues
with kids from the public schools?

We're officially a
public school, too.

We just get to operate with our
own rules and private support.

One of our donors
has offered a reward,

$25,000 to find who did this.

We understand Cesar was
tutoring someone last night.

We open our library to other
children in the community

and encourage our
students to help them.

Is one of those
charts a tutoring log?

No, but I can pull one up.

Thanks.

Man... Cesar.

He was really nice to me.

Did you see anyone with him

after he finished
tutoring you last night?

He just came outside with me, like
always, while I waited for my mom.

That boy was waiting with
Moses when I got there.

He seemed like a good one.

Moses was so cut up this morning

about what happened, I let him

stay home from school.

It's not fair.

Cesar never hurt anybody.

He just helped.

I'm going to the corner for a
Dr. Pepper. You want one, Mo?

Nah. I'm good.

I'll get you one
anyway. Cheer you up.

It's hard growing up in
a neighborhood like this

and getting along
with everybody. I know.

Can you think of anyone who
may have had a beef with Cesar?

One time, this kid stepped to Cesar
while we were waiting for my mom.

A girl was with us. I
think Cesar liked her.

A girl?

Yeah.

So the kid tells Cesar
to just leave her be,

but she was just talking
to us till my mom got there.

You know this kid's name?

No, but he goes to Burr,
where my brother goes.

Aaron Burr High?
Pretty rough place.

That's where all the kids go,

except the ones that
got into that new school.

This girl, do you know her name?

Jolie.

She goes to Burr, too.

But she's always at
the library at Sunrise.

Yes, I've heard about the
m*rder. Everyone's talking about it.

Anyone talking about who did it?

Most of these kids worship
at the Church of Don't Snitch.

Has word gotten
out about the reward?

Yeah, $25,000?

Keep that where I can't
see it or lose it, Kalani.

You know you shouldn't
even have it at school.

You know what kind
of reward was offered

when one of my sophomores ran
into some g*ng crossfire last fall?

Zero.

Nobody cares about
the ones left behind.

Edison. Yeah.

Did you find Jolie
Henderson for me?

Oh, yeah. She's in there.

This way.

Jolie.

Jolie Henderson,
Officers Lupo and Bernard.

Uh, hi. You know why we're here?

About that Sunrise
kid who got k*lled.

We heard you knew him.

Enough to say hi. I saw
him at their library a lot.

It's a lot nicer than ours.
No offense, Ms. Woodside.

You were there last night.

Yeah. I saw him,
but we didn't talk.

You have any idea where
he went when he left?

Home, I guess. I don't know.

We heard a boyfriend of yours
had words with Cesar a while back.

Who, Jay? Jay is
not my boyfriend.

He thought he was my boyfriend.

Is he jealous? Possessive?

Stupid.

He saw me with Cesar one
night, just standing there,

doing nothing,
and he wants to trip.

I set him straight the next day.

I was not his to trip over.

I've got class. Can I go?

Yeah. Uh, what's
this Jay's last name?

Spivey.

Thank you.

Maybe we should talk to
Jay Spivey while we're here.

All right.

Edison, can you tell me where
Jason Spivey is right now?

Not here. Marked absent today.

Look, the only place I've
been the past three days

is this couch and that bathroom.

You sure about that?

I got the swine flu.

You don't believe me,
you can hit up my doc.

We may do that.

I mean, I don't go around f*ring
people up anyway, you know?

I mean, I didn't like
Cesar, but, damn...

And what those kids
did to him was sick.

You know, hitting him with a
stick when he's already flaming up.

How'd you know about that? Hmm?

You got a magical view of
115th Street from your couch?

No.

I heard some kids talking.

They came here to
keep me company.

They said that they saw a video going
around of what happened to Cesar.

And they saw it on
somebody's cell phone.

Yo, can I get that
remote right there, man?

Jay Spivey's friends aren't sure
whose cell phone they saw it on.

They said it was being
MMS'd from one to another.

When I was a kid, we would trade
dirty magazines, not snuff films.

Well, any sign of
that video online?

Well, not on any
of the major sites.

It might not have
been uploaded yet,

just floating around
on a bunch of phones.

Well, there's a rule against
having cell phones in school.

In theory. But at Aaron Burr,

if kids keep them out of
sight, they don't enforce it.

Well, they should.

Separating a bunch of
kids from their cell phones?

We're going to
need reinforcements.

Hey. What are you doing?

Taking your cell phone.
You'll get it back later.

Since when that's been a rule?

Maybe if you learned how
to read, you could look it up.

Yeah? Maybe you need to
learn some lesson yourself.

Aren't you going
to be late for class?

You think this is enough?

We found it on
three of the phones.

The quality leaves
something to be desired.

All right.

Tell me when you're ready.

We're ready.

Stay on the ground.

This apparently originated
on the victim's phone.

They got it away from
him and started sh**ting.

Yeah, but can you do
any better on the faces?

We already took a
sh*t at enhancing.

If it was just a little lighter.

Oh, God! Help me!
Help me! Help me!

Be careful what you wish for.

Can you stop it? That
sweatshirt. Zoom in?

ABHS Pep... Pep Band.

That old school spirit.
Keep going, but slow.

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Yeah.

Dude looks like a lady.

She doesn't want
any part of this.

She knows him.

Maybe we know her, too.

I checked with the office.
Jolie's not in the band.

Well, 15, 20 girls.

Which one you figure wore
their sweatshirt to the m*rder?

You take woodwinds,
I'll take brass?

What about percussion?

Snare drum. Front row.

Looks like the brother of
the boy Cesar was tutoring.

Wonder what happened
to his sweatshirt.

Hey, Moses' brother.

Yeah?

Hey. How y'all doing?

All right. Maybe
you can help us out.

Any of the girls in the band
had a beef with Cesar Ramirez?

Or hang with someone who did?

Nah. Probably most of
them didn't even know him.

I only knew him through Moses.

You stayed home from school
the day after he was k*lled,

just like your brother Moses
did, because he was so upset.

Were you upset, too?

I was keeping Moses
company, bucking him up.

I'm his big brother, you know.

Sure.

Big game tonight?

Morningside. We
don't have a chance.

You give up on team spirit?

You're not wearing
your sweatshirt.

I lost it last week.

Thirty bucks for a new
one. You believe that?

You sure you didn't give it to
someone? Maybe a girlfriend?

I just told you, I lost it.
What are you getting at?

Just trying to rule
something out.

Where were you last Tuesday
night, when Cesar got k*lled?

Here. After-school volunteer.

You can check with the
office if you don't believe me.

What do you think?

That I am still a dead-eye
with my half-court sh*t.

Oh! BOY 2: All right!
You got some skills!

Abel Dolan? Yeah.

Edison, can you give me that sign-in
sheet, please, for the after-school?

Uh... Tuesday, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, here. Edison and Abel.

They were painting over some
graffiti. I know, I was here late myself.

They did good work.

The taggers did good work,
had this place looking tight.

Would you get me a seat
at the game? Yeah, sure.

All right.

They're good kids.
They just don't know it.

Did you catch Abel on the snare
drum? He's really coming along.

Yeah. Those four guys,
they didn't do the graffiti,

but you had them clean it up?

Yeah. Campus beautification.

I try to get them to feel a
sense of pride for their school,

so every student gives at
least one night a semester.

Even students
that don't go here?

Check this out. Cesar Ramirez.

He signed in on the 21st,
also the 11th and the 6th.

But look who else
signed up on those nights.

Jolie Henderson. Yeah.

Who said she barely knew him.

Do you have her address?

Yeah, Jolie Henderson.

Uh, 115th Street, looks
like just west of Madison.

Uh, and the m*rder occurred on
115th Street, just east of Madison.

Yeah, between her
place and Cesar's school.

Wait, do you think that Jolie
could have been there that night?

Can you get her
exact address, please?

Thank you.

He didn't walk me home.

I don't know where
he went. I told you.

Did he ever walk you home?

No. It wasn't like that.

So, every time you
stayed after school,

he just happened to show up?

To wash windows. I
didn't even always see him.

I bet he didn't wash
windows for just any girl.

He had a nice smile.

I didn't know him. I got to go.

The reward just drew a tip.

Someone saw Edison Treadwell
with Cesar's cell phone after the m*rder.

Edison, the principal's helper?

Yeah, who was doing campus beautification
with Abel Dolan at the time of the m*rder.

Or was he?

You know, I'm beginning
to take this personally.

You're fishing again,
at my school, my kids.

That poor kid, he didn't
even go to school here.

Have you checked at
the Sunrise Academy,

or are they too busy to see you?

Simple question.

Are you sure Edison Treadwell was
here the night Cesar was m*rder*d?

Simple answer. Yes.

We have a tipster
that says otherwise.

Well, you have a tipster that wants
to make $25,000, or mess with Edison.

These kids do have
enemies, you know.

If you don't mind, can I
please get back to the game?

Because we're finally winning.

This is something we've been listening
to. It's a call to the reward tip line

about the m*rder of Cesar.

We thought you
should hear it, too.

Crime Stoppers,
how can I help you?

Hi, um. I think I know something about
Cesar Ramirez, the kid who got b*rned.

Okay. What do you know?

I saw this guy I know messing
with Cesar's cell phone yesterday.

I know it's Cesar's
because I saw Cesar with it.

His name's Edison Treadwell.

Is that good enough
for the money?

We really need the money.

That's you, isn't it, Moses?

Nah, that ain't me.

Child! It isn't.

It's one thing you want
to lie to these cops.

But you gonna sit
there and lie to me?

You think I don't
know your voice?

All the talking you do? Look
at me when I'm talking to you.

Okay. It's me. But it's
not true about Edison.

You didn't see Edison
with Cesar's phone?

No. I lied.

I wanted my mom
to have the money.

She works too
hard. I never see her.

Please, we need the
money, don't we, Mama?

And Moses wept.

Wasn't that Jesus?

Yeah, him, too.

So, what do you think? Was the
boy lying when he made the call,

or when he talked to you?

I vote for number two.

He saw Edison with Cesar's
phone and made his call,

but by the time we got
there, his brother got to him.

His brother, the one with
the missing sweatshirt

who's on the alibi
list at the high school?

Yeah. If that list was doctored, it
could be a list of the murderers,

Edison and Abel and
two of their friends.

And a high school principal
is covering for them?

No. She's covering for her school.
It's one of the worst in the city,

it's on the short list for
being taken over by the state.

While the Sunrise Academy
is everybody's darling.

So she lies for her students
when they b*at up students

from Sunrise Academy
and burn them alive?

Well, that girl would
know, Jolie Henderson.

I think Cesar was
walking her home

when he ran into trouble,
maybe some kids from Burr

who didn't like seeing a charter
school kid with one of their girls.

I say we go talk to her again.

Van Buren.

All right. I got it.

Where is she?

Okay, thanks.

I'll go talk to Jolie.
She's been r*ped.

Hello, Jolie.

My name is Lieutenant Van Buren. I
work with Detectives Lupo and Bernard.

Are they taking good
care of you here?

You know, the detective
from Special Victims Unit

says that you
don't want to talk.

She said there was
more than one boy.

And we will catch them,
all of them. I promise you.

I just need you to talk to me.

Jolie...

Did it happen because of Cesar?

Because they don't want
you to talk about that?

I didn't see them.

I don't know anything. Just...

Just leave me alone.

It was a g*ng-r*pe. A witness
saw three boys running away.

This witness happen
to see which three boys?

No. Too dark. And
there's no DNA.

The rapists wore condoms.

They planned it. We think it was
some of the boys who att*cked

Cesar Ramirez, that Jolie
was there when it happened

and they were afraid
that she might talk.

These boys, they all have an
alibi for the time of the m*rder?

The only one who
doesn't is Jolie.

Have you searched her apartment?

No probable cause.

If you can sell your theory

that the g*ng-r*pe was
committed to silence an accomplice,

which makes her an accomplice...

Probable cause.

We use what happened to her
to back our way into a warrant?

Damn lucky for us
she was g*ng-r*ped.

Nobody's saying that.

Just get the warrant.

Why are you looking here?
Nothing happened here.

My daughter was violated. Why aren't
you finding the animals who did that?

Look, we're trying to
do that, Mr. Henderson,

but your daughter
isn't able to help us...

What are you looking for here?

Ma'am.

Is this your daughter's?

No, I don't think so.

There's a tear in the
shoulder, and this...

Looks singed.

Yeah.

Help me! Help me! Help me!

There. He brushes
against her left sleeve,

exactly where the sweatshirt
we found has burn marks.

So Jolie was there.

Or the sweatshirt was.

Theoretically, Jolie could have been hiding
it for a girl who wore it that night.

Come on. We know what happened.

Yeah, but we
still can't prove it.

We could always
arrest Jolie for m*rder.

That might persuade her to talk.

Under the circumstances, Mike,
that's not exactly my favorite way to go.

Well, I'm open to other ideas.

Moses Dolan. You know,
the kid Cesar was tutoring.

He called in a tip,
and then retracted it.

Somebody pressured him.
Maybe we can pressure him back.

He's studying. You can't talk to him
unless I say so, and I don't say so.

Look, we'll only
be a few minutes.

He already told the police he
made it up about that phone.

He's sorry, and that's that.

Then, Mrs. Dolan, Mrs. Dolan...

Maybe you can help us? Uh,

have you ever seen

this sweatshirt?

A lot of kids have those.

We thought it might be Abel's.
It has a rip in the shoulder, there.

He's a big guy. Maybe
he burst a seam?

Now you're asking about Abel?

You think he's
mixed up with this?

We don't know, Mrs. Dolan.

Well, I do. He's a good boy.
He's going to go to college,

to be a businessman.

Sometimes parents don't know
their children as well as they'd hope to.

Last year, he failed a
course he needs to graduate,

but he would not give up. He's
taking it over in night school,

every Tuesday
and Thursday night.

Every Tuesday night?
Including last Tuesday?

He never misses. At a
community center up in Mott Haven,

7:00-9:00.

So, Abel Dolan couldn't have
m*rder*d Cesar on Tuesday night

because he was busy
beautifying Aaron Burr High School

and he was at a night
school class in Mott Haven.

Well, maybe he has an evil twin.

Two alibis, it's an
embarrassment of riches.

Well, if he was at night school,
that means he wasn't at Aaron Burr,

and maybe the other
boys weren't either.

We can use one alibi
to break the other.

Abel seemed like
a good kid to me,

but he doesn't come anymore.

He dropped the class last month.

It's a required course. Did
he give up on graduating?

No. He told me that he didn't
need to take it over after all,

that he'd just found out that
he'd passed the first time.

What? He thought he'd
failed, but he'd actually passed?

Did he read the
letter grade wrong?

No. He did fail.

But there are circumstances where a
failing grade can be changed to passing.

What were the
circumstances in Abel's case?

I don't know.

Was the change warranted?

Not based on anything I saw.

Who can make these
retroactive changes?

His principal. Ms. Woodside.

Here. It's Abel Dolan's
grade report from last spring.

English 3, F. But then, it's
marked "CR" for "Credit Recovery."

That means he passed.

Was any reason given?

Yeah. Home instruction.

We met Abel's
mother. I don't think so.

And check out Edison
Treadwell's transcript.

Fails sophomore math,
makes it up in summer school,

and then gets credit
for passing it twice.

Courtesy of Principal
Woodside again?

All four boys she's giving an alibi to
have benefited from altered transcripts.

Not to mention dozens of
other students at that school,

maybe even hundreds.

If Abel and his friends knew
what Woodside was doing,

maybe they asked for a little favor in
exchange for keeping their mouths shut.

Giving them a bogus alibi?

You think she'd cop to that?

Let's ask her nicely.

If that doesn't work...

One of my students
was just brutally r*ped,

and you are harassing me
about a year-old transcript?

Not just one. You've been manipulating
grades, test scores, and graduation rates

to make this school
look better than it is.

I can support any adjustment
I've made by the letter or spirit

of sound educational policies.

Do you think the
mayor would agree?

Or the Department of Education?

They'd split this school
into six charter schools

and make you assistant principal of
some middle school in Staten Island.

You know, with all due respect,

you really don't know
what you're talking about.

All we want to know is the
night Abel Dolan and his friends

were painting over graffiti,

are you sure you can vouch
they were here the whole time?

Yes, I'm sure.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Well, actually, we
won't excuse you.

Detectives?

Martha Woodside,
you're under arrest.

What for?

Grand larceny.

Grand larceny?
What did she steal?

Well, how about a decent
education for her students?

Their integrity,
their potential.

I don't think there's a law
against stealing potential.

So we'll make the
one we have fit.

Look, we need some
leverage over this woman

to make her tell us what
happened the night of the m*rder.

If this gets kicked to the
Department of Education,

it'll disappear into a
bureaucratic maze for 20 years.

So we won't let that happen.

Your Honor, this is
a matter for review

by the Department of Education,
not a criminal prosecution.

The grand larceny statute was
concerned with the theft of property.

The People don't even allege
that my client stole any property.

More than two million
dollars of educational funds

were funneled to her school on
the basis of performance records

that were effectively
forged by Ms. Woodside.

That money didn't
go into her pocket.

It went for the benefit of the
students, who, if Mr. Cutter is correct,

needed that extra help it bought
even more than anyone suspected.

A $10,000 performance bonus Ms.
Woodside received did go into her pocket.

That was for improving her school's
graduation rates from 32% to 57%,

a remarkable achievement.

Why, it's not quite so remarkable if
it's based on bogus course credits.

Excuse me, but these people don't
know anything about running a high school.

Ms. Woodside... No. It's
just some kind of tactic

to try to get me to help them
scapegoat some of my students

for a m*rder and a r*pe that they
can't be bothered to actually solve.

Ms. Woodside, let your
lawyer do the talking. Okay?

Your Honor, this is
simply the wrong forum.

I refer you to Section
3020 of Education Law

and its provision
for hearing boards.

Those boards are notoriously
lethargic and inefficient, Your Honor.

I believe some people would
say the same thing about us.

I am dismissing the
grand larceny charge

pending a review and a resolution of
the matter under the Education Law.

Nice try, Mr. Cutter.

She said we were after her
students for m*rder and r*pe,

but we never told her we
suspected them in the r*pe.

Maybe she did.

So, that principal
flunked you again.

She won't give it up. She's
sticking to her alibi for our suspects.

It doesn't even
make sense anymore.

If they were blackmailing
her by threatening to go public

with her grade tampering,
we've done that now.

The Department of
Education is investigating.

So what's she protecting?

Her ego?

Maybe her conscience.

She said her students were r*pe
suspects during the motion hearing,

but Detectives Lupo and
Bernard never told her that.

But they were in her
office when they realized

that Jolie Henderson
had lied to them.

They asked Woodside for Jolie's
address so they could talk to her.

A few hours later she was r*ped.

You think the principal
tipped the murderers

to r*pe the girl
to keep her quiet?

No, not necessarily
meaning to. I mean,

if she believed those
boys were innocent

and she told them,
you know, "Good news.

"The police have found a
witness who can clear you."

She didn't realize
what she was doing.

But now she does.

And she feels guilty, or she's
afraid she's criminally liable.

Either way, she
doesn't want to talk.

Nobody wants to talk.

The r*pe victim is
still scared silent?

Maybe you've been
asking them both too nicely.

Convene a Grand Jury.

I remind you that
you are under oath

and there are criminal
penalties for perjury.

I understand.

Then please tell us of
any conversations you had

with your students concerning
the m*rder of Cesar Ramirez.

I had many conversations,

because I opened my door for
anyone who wanted to talk about it,

who needed reassurance.

Did Abel Dolan need reassurance?

Or Edison Treadwell, or
Marvin Coyne, or Andy Mews?

Not that I recall.
Nothing stands out.

Do you recall altering the
transcripts for those four boys

to give them better grades?

Well, I'm constantly adjusting
transcripts for a variety of reasons.

That's part of my job.

And those constant adjustments of
yours are currently under investigation

by the Schools
Department, aren't they?

I expect to be fully exonerated.

So, did any of those boys, all of whom
benefited from your grade adjustments,

come to you after the
m*rder of Cesar Ramirez

and ask you to give
them a false alibi?

No. So they didn't thr*aten

to go public with your
grade manipulations?

We don't thr*aten one another
at Aaron Burr High School.

We are all working together
in a very difficult situation.

Our students have been
labeled losers, and they know it.

Right. And they get
blamed for things, don't they?

For anything bad that
happens in the neighborhood.

Yeah, all the time.

So when Cesar Ramirez
was b*rned to death,

the police automatically assumed
that some of your students did it.

As usual.

So did some of your students come to you
and say they were being scapegoated again,

as usual, and asked you to
get the police off their backs

by giving them an alibi?

I don't need to lie
for my students.

Is that a yes or a no?

It's a no.

Did you tell those boys
that the police had identified

Jolie Henderson as a
potential witness to the m*rder

and that they were
going to talk to her?

Oh, here we go.

First they're murderers,
and now they're rapists?

What you are going
to accuse them of next?

I think you would defend them
whatever I accused them of.

Because I trust them,
when no one else does?

Because I work with them,
when no one else wants to.

Charter schools, magnet schools,

they take all our best students,

and then we're blamed
for having the worst.

Kids from poverty, from broken
families, a hundred years of neglect,

and we have to get them ready for
college with just a few hours a day.

Some charter school that
gets $20 million from Bill Gates

and they get a few students into
Dartmouth, it makes front page news.

You want to know what
the real success stories are?

When a student from Aaron Burr, who
couldn't even read in the ninth grade,

manages to graduate and
get a job at an auto parts store

instead of becoming
a drug dealer.

That's a success
story, our success story.

But no one cares, no
one wants to hear about it.

Jolie, we're ready.

This isn't right.

One of us should be
able to go in there with her.

It's not allowed, sir.

Why are you people doing this?

Jolie?

Ms. Woodside.

How are you?

I'm going to be okay, Ms. Woodside.
I'm going to be back in class.

I won't let you down.

I can't believe you're dragging her in
there after what she's been through.

It was dark, and

I closed my eyes,

and somebody knocked me down.

And somebody else
got on top of me and...

Before you closed your eyes,
Jolie, you must have seen something.

Did you hear anything?

Were they the same boys
who att*cked Cesar Ramirez?

I don't know who
did that to Cesar.

Weren't you with him
when it happened?

No.

But you were friends
with him, weren't you?

A little.

I mostly saw him at the library
when he was tutoring Moses.

You must have talked to him there,
otherwise how would you know Moses' name?

I know Moses'
brother from school.

Abel Dolan.

How well did you know him?

We're in the same grade.

Did you ever go out with him?

We hung out some.

Was he jealous of you and Cesar?

No. Not Abel.

So, it wouldn't have bothered him
to see you walking home with Cesar?

He wasn't that into me.

He had tickets to see a Jay
concert at the Garden on my birthday,

and he took his brother instead.

Moses?

It was all about
being the big brother.

Moses was supposed to go to
Cesar's house for dinner once,

and Abel said no.

He didn't even like
Moses going to the tutoring.

He said Moses should
just go to Aaron Burr,

like us.

Abel was a loser kid
from a loser school.

He saw Moses going another way,

studying hard to get
into the charter school,

being mentored by a smart kid there,
getting invited to the smart kid's house.

So, maybe Abel wasn't jealous
over Jolie, he was jealous over Moses.

Yeah, I mean, he was
losing his little brother.

Maybe that's what sparked it.

Well, if Abel feels that
strongly about his brother,

there might be a
way to appeal to him.

You think Abel's going to listen
to anything we have to say?

Probably not. But we
know someone he trusts.

So, what? Did the Grand Jury
indict him, or are you arresting him?

No. The Grand Jury's in recess,

but we think we have a
sh*t at getting a confession.

Why would he confess?

Because he's guilty.

This is your opportunity
to tell us the truth.

I told you the truth. I didn't
do nothing. It's all right.

He can't see you. What
do you want from me?

Come on, man. Only
three boys r*ped Jolie, Abel.

We don't think you
were one of them.

Then why is he here?

We do think he was one of the
boys that att*cked Cesar Ramirez.

You saw him walking with Jolie,
didn't you, you and your friends?

He was wearing his foolish
little charter school uniform,

the same uniform that
your brother wants to wear,

because he wants
to be like Cesar,

not like you.

Did you say something
to Cesar about that?

Did he smart-mouth back to you?

You're making all that up.

Abel, you don't need
to respond to this.

Your little brother
was telling the truth

when he called about
the reward, wasn't he?

Leave my brother out of this.

He didn't even know
what he was talking about.

What are you saying?
Your brother's stupid?

He's not stupid, and
I'm not stupid either.

Abel, stop. Now.

If he's not under
arrest, we're leaving.

Give us a minute.

Funny. He didn't mention
that alibi you gave him this time.

Will you stop
talking about that?

One of those boys
is going to break.

They always do. It's just
best all-around if it's Abel.

Why?

There's a $25,000
reward on the table.

So?

Abel's brother claimed that
reward, and then changed his story.

If he could get that
money for his college fund,

one good thing
would come out of this.

Abel might see things that way, if we
can get someone to talk some sense to him.

Why haven't you
considered that he's innocent?

They're all innocent? What...

Maybe you're wrong.

Tell him not to
confess if he's innocent.

Tell him to do whatever's right.

Me?

You care about those kids,
all of them. We've seen that.

Just talk to him.

Hey, Abel.

Ms. Woodside? Who's she?

My principal.

How do you do?

How you doing, man? Good.

All right? Yeah.

We have to be sure everything
we're saying is totally the truth.

I don't know, Ms. Woodside.

Yeah.

Yeah, I was thinking,

too, how many times you start out
thinking you're doing just the right thing.

And then, uh, I don't know, you end
up doing something else completely.

You lose your way.

You lose perspective.

Maybe we should have this
conversation somewhere else.

Actually,

I think we're in
exactly the right place.

What about you, Abel?

What's going on in there?

Can somebody tell
me what's going on?

Principal Woodside is
just talking to your son.

No police in there?

No police. Would you
like a cup of coffee?

We can get you something.

Mrs. Dolan, would you send
Moses in here for a moment?

Ms. Woodside, what
is going on in there?

I'm sorry, Mrs. Dolan.

I'm really sorry.

Go ahead, son.

Do it.

I know who k*lled Cesar.

What are you
talking about, Moses?

Abel told me, Mama.
He told me to tell them.

Tell them what?

What is happening here?

He did it.

Him and his friends.
They did it. He told me.

No, no, no, no! No, no, no, no!

Don't take him! Abel! No, Abel!

Don't take him from me,
please! Abel, don't go! Abel!

So Moses gets the reward?

He gave us his brother, and
his brother gave us the rest.

Abel and his friends
ran into Cesar with Jolie.

They already hated the
kids from the charter schools,

and some of the boys
were jealous over Jolie.

Abel was upset over Moses.

And Cesar made the
mistake of being a smart guy,

and trying to impress the girl.

Bad mistake.

Well, with Abel talking,
Jolie will, too. It's all over.

We're negotiating pleas for
both the m*rder and the r*pe.

What about the principal?

Riding a desk in Schools
Administration until

they figure out
what to do with her.

You could prosecute her
for lying to the Grand Jury.

Well, she... She
helped us in the end.

Is that enough extra
credit to make up for an F?

Now you're grading like she did.