22x06 - Vicious Cycle

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Law & Order". Aired: September 1990 to May 2010.*
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Detectives and prosecutors work to solve crimes and convict perpetrators.
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22x06 - Vicious Cycle

Post by 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.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]

[LIVELY MUSIC]

♪ Hey, hey ♪

That is just gorgeous.

Beautiful!

♪ ♪

♪ And set me free ♪

♪ ♪

Love it!

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

- You're up.
- Yes, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the fabulous fall collection
from Perry Sutton.


Hello, everyone.

Thank you all for coming out tonight.

I just wanted to say
that I am so incredibly proud

of our new flagship boutique.

Huh? [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

I truly hope that this store
will encourage other designers

to invest in this community in
spite of the recent crime wave.

You know, as someone who was
born and raised in this city,

it's heartbreaking to me to see
what's happening all around...

All the anger, all the v*olence.

But I believe in New York.

And more importantly,
I believe in New Yorkers.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

We don't give up.

And we sure as hell
don't let punks push us around.

The DOA, Perry Sutton,
took two to the chest.

- The fashion designer?
- Yeah.

From what I'm told, he's a big deal.

Never heard of him.

- Robbery?
- Doesn't look that way.

Phone and wallet were
still in his possession.

- Casings?
- No, nothing.

Perp either policed his brass
or used a revolver.

Witnesses?

One.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Oh.

I guess that makes you
the fashion police.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

No, not much to work with
at the moment, lieu.

Got one witness. Heard more than he saw.

Yeah, he was walking down
East th Street, : p.m.

Saw two men from a distance.

He didn't know how old they were,

what they were wearing,
or even what they look like.

But he heard one of them
yell, "Give it back!"

And then, he heard g*nshots.
Two or three. He wasn't sure.

So did you recover
any surveillance video yet?

No, nothing in the immediate
vicinity of the crime scene.

Jalen's right.
Nothing near the actual scene.

But I found a video of Perry Sutton

near the corner
of Avenue C and th Street

approximately seven minutes
before the call.

Well, that gives us some place to start.

Question is, where was he coming from?

I'm guessing his new boutique
on East th Street.

He threw a big soirée last night.

"A grand opening."

Let's check it out.

Mm.

I can't believe he's gone.

It just doesn't feel real.

I've been working for Perry
since college. He was a great boss.

I'm sorry for your loss,

but we do have some questions
for you if you don't mind.

There was a party here
last night, right?

Yeah, it was the grand opening.

Sutton spent two years
building this place.

Did anything unusual happen
at the party?

Were there any arguments, altercations?

Perry and a woman got into
an argument around : or so.

- About what?
- I don't know.

She just sort of showed up,
started yelling at Perry.

I tried to break it up, but he
left before I could get there.

- He left his own party?
- Party was winding down.

And what about this woman
he was arguing with?

Followed him out the door.

I feel like he's the reason
my business failed...

All the construction,
the noise, the dust.

It's hard enough to keep
a small business going

these days, especially
in this neighborhood.

People just steal stuff,
and we're supposed

to just stand there and do nothing,

pretend they're actually
not committing a crime.

That must have been really frustrating.

Yeah, it's a joke, and you
people just sit back and watch.

Uh, no, we make the arrests.

And then, the judges,
politicians, and DAs,

they don't want
to incarcerate anyone anymore.

So let me get this straight.

You just decided to give Perry
Sutton a piece of your mind.

- Is that right?
- Yeah, I...

I told him he had no regard
for local shop owners.

He just looked at me.

- Sort of apologized.
- What'd you do?

I told him he needed to compensate me.

- And?
- He agreed with me.

And he offered me a job
at his new store.

grand a year.

- And then what?
- Then we came back here.

I showed him around,
made him a cup of tea,

and we started talking.

And what did you two talk about?

He spent most of the time talking about
his ex-girlfriend, some model.

Said they had a bad breakup.

- Was he upset about that?
- Very.

She was calling him, saying
all kinds of crazy stuff.

Like what?

Like she wanted to k*ll him.

Hmm.

♪ ♪

Looks like a model to me.

Excuse me, Sofia.

If you don't mind,
we have a few questions for...

- No, no. Don't do that.
- Hey, hey!

Don't do that. We're police.

We're police. Do not raise that g*n.

You see that shiny, gold thing?
It's a badge.

You keep that g*n down,
or we will sh**t you.

- Keep that g*n where it is.
- OK.

- Keep it where it is.
- Yes, okay.

What the hell are you doing?

We're going for a ride.

For what?

For starters, pulling a g*n on a cop.

Not just a g*n, a revolver.

Same kind of w*apon used
to k*ll your ex-boyfriend,

Perry Sutton.

I brought the g*n last year

after some fan started stalking me.

He showed up to my yoga class last week,

and you guys refused
to do anything about it.

So I carry a g*n, but it's registered.

I have a carry permit, too,
so it's all totally legit.

That doesn't mean you get
to flash it whenever you want.

You're lucky to be alive right now.

I've been on edge lately.

This stalker thing is hard.

Anything else bothering you lately?

Like what?

Like Perry Sutton.

No.

I never would have hurt him.

Where were you last night, around : ?

In my apartment, crying.

Because of the breakup?

Yeah, I was devastated.

He was a really good guy.

So you weren't angry with him?

No.

Truth is, he's a hard guy to hate.

He's so upbeat and generous.

In fact, he just hired me to be
the face of his new campaign.

Biggest contract of my life. grand.

And when was this?

Three days ago.

The day before he broke it off with you?

It's a hell of a going-away present.

[DOOR OPENS]

I just got off the phone
with Sofia's doorman.

He confirmed
that she was in her apartment

from : p.m.
to : a.m. the next day.

- She's not our sh**t.
- No.

And ballistics came back, too.

Her g*n is not the m*rder w*apon,

so let's go easy on her, Frank.

She you pulled a g*n on us, lieu.

I get it, but she's a single woman.

She's got somebody stalking her,
so I think we should give her a break.

[DOOR OPENS]

Sofia gave Sutton a watch for
his birthday, an expensive one.

Said he always had it on.

So?

So it was not on his wrist
when we found him at the crime scene.

These two photos were taken
at the grand opening event at : p.m.

He's definitely wearing the watch.

But in the crime scene photos...

Can you zoom in?

minutes later, no watch.

So maybe it really was
just a regular armed robbery.

You know, the k*ller sees
this fancy piece of jewelry.

He pulls out a g*n.
He tells the victim to hand it over.

The victim resists, winds up dead.

And it's such a good score,
the sh**t doesn't even bother

to grab Sutton's wallet or phone?

Right.

The watch Sutton was wearing
has a GPS chip inside of it.

Means we can track it.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

NYPD! Open up!

[DOORKNOB RATTLES]

[WHISTLES]

♪ ♪

NYPD! Open up!

- [PANTING]
- Breach!

Hey, hey, hey! Police!

Stop! Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Nowhere to go, bro. Put your hands up.

Put your hands up nice and slow!

Open them up.

[KEYS CLATTER]

The hell are you doing here?
- I work here.

What the hell are you doing here?

Investigating a homicide.

Gum, paper towels,
detergent, toothpaste.

[FAINT BEEPING]

What the hell?

- All this stuff yours?
- Yeah, it's mine.

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

You hear that?

Then you got a lot of explaining to do.

I don't know nothing about no watch.

But we found it in your warehouse.

I got lots of stuff in that warehouse.

Can't pay attention
to every single item.

Come on, Eddie. We're talking about
a really expensive watch,

not a couple of tubes
of toothpaste over here.

I buy in bulk.

- I'm a legitimate businessman.
- A legitimate businessman?

So you're trying to tell me
you have receipts

for all those items in your warehouse?

Like I keep saying, I buy in bulk.

The people in the neighborhood
know that,

so they bring me inventory.

Who brought you this watch?

Don't know, like I said.

If you say "I buy in bulk"
one more time,

- I swear to God...
- Fine, I won't say it.

But I still don't know anything
about that watch.

How about a m*rder?
Do you know anything about that?

Hell no.

Where were you last night around : ?

In Queens, watching TV with my wife.

You could check it out for yourself.

But that's it.

I'm done talking. Lawyer.

Why on Earth would Eddie
agree to cooperate?

Because he leases a warehouse
filled with stolen goods...

That he sells out
of a discount store in Queens.

Yeah, but if he tells us
where he got the watch,

we'll reduce the criminal charges.

What criminal charges?

Possession of stolen
property, among others.

[SCOFFS] Chile, please.

One, I'm not a child.

Two, Eddie's staring down real time.

[CHUCKLES] For buying stolen toothpaste?

Criminal possession of stolen
property in the second degree.

Maximum sentence: years.

You can rattle those sabers
all you want,

but it ain't gonna happen.

Now, kindly let the man go.

Yeah, that ain't gonna happen either.

See, that right there is the attitude

that the people are rebelling against...

White cops punishing Black men...

- Okay, okay.
- For nothing.

Get the hell out of my precinct,

or I'll arrest your ass, too.

Yee, any luck with the video
near the warehouse?

Found some footage a block away.

All these guys bringing in
stolen goods and making money.

And another.

Confirms our theory
that Eddie is an active buyer

of stolen merchandise.

Yeah, of low-end merchandise.

Bubblegum, shaving cream,
mouthwash, not Rolexes,

which begs the question:

how did Sutton's watch
get into the warehouse?

Well, we know Eddie didn't steal it.

His alibi is clean.

Cell phone tracking
has him at home in Queens.

Well, then, the only thing
that makes any sense

is one of Eddie's "associates" stole it.

- That sounds about right.
- So, Frank,

you found the watch
in a large, red duffel bag

with a bunch of other stolen items.

What are you saying?

That the k*ller stole Sutton's watch

before he stole all that other stuff?

Or after.

Check the tags
on that stolen merchandise

in the duffel bags. And let's go set up

on the warehouse
and find another associate.

♪ ♪

I got a potential suspect
carrying two large shopping bags

heading for the main entrance now.

How you doing?

I got a couple questions for you.

Damn!

♪ ♪

[TIRES SQUEAL]

- No... hey! Okay!
- Come on!

- Okay!
- There you go!

Okay, okay!

- Have a seat, buddy!
- Okay!

Whew! Nice haul, buddy.

You got soap, toothpaste, chocolate.

You ever steal
any shaving cream or batteries?

I don't know, probably.

Recently?

No, this was my
first delivery in a few weeks.

I was out of town for a while.

Visiting my mother on Rhode Island.

Oh, I bet she's real proud of you.

That's out of line.

Why's that?

'Cause I ain't doing anything illegal.

Oh, I hate to break it to you, pal,
but stealing, it's still illegal.

Even though there is no bail
doesn't mean it's not a crime.

I don't know about all that,

but I do know I can walk
into any store I want,

fill my bags up with whatever I want,

and every employee in the damn place

will just look the other way.

Last month, the manager
opened the door for me

'cause my hands was too full
from all the stuff I was taking.

[LAUGHS] It's a true story.

[SIGHS]

You ever steal a watch?

They lock those up.

No, I mean from a person.

You ever steal a watch
from a human being?

I don't steal from people.

How about your friends?
Do they steal from people?

Who then sell it to Eddie Wells here?

No, not that I know about anyway.

Anybody you know ever use a
red duffel bag to put their stuff in?

No.

- Can I go?
- No.

We're arresting you for larceny

and unlawful fleeing
from a police officer.

But don't worry, you'll
be out on bail real soon.

That guy, Gwynn, literally
thinks stealing is legal now.

Was surprised we actually arrested him.

Yeah, I mean, criminals
pay attention to society.

They act accordingly, they
adjust their business plans.

Yeah, and right now,
it's a good time to be a thief,

which is a problem,
because people aren't

gonna stand for that forever.
They're gonna fight back, and that's...

That's a real problem for us.

- I mean, I suppose so, but...
- Don't tell me

- it's more complicated.
- It's more complicated.

Yeah, I think I've heard that before.

'Cause it is! [CHUCKLES]

All right. One more block up.
That's the pharmacy.

Now, Yee is sure
that the stuff from the red duffel bag

was taken from this place?

Everything but the watch.
She scanned all the stolen items,

traced it back to King's Pharmacy,
right up here.

I'm gonna need more details
than that, fellas.

I got people stealing things
all day, every day.

Two nights ago.

: p.m., give or take an hour.

Oh, that dude.

He was hardcore, man.

Putting all these items
in a big duffel bag.

A red duffel bag?

Yeah, bright red.

So listen, I walk up to the guy and say,

"Look, you got to pay for these items."

He laughs at me,
tells me to kiss his ass,

and keeps stealing right in front of me.

So I get angry
and I grab him by the arm.

And he hits me, the side of the head.

Kind of knocks me off balance.

Then a bunch of customers start yelling.

This one guy runs up,
and he starts to help, too.

Gets right in the dude's face.

Then, he pushes the guy off of him
and runs right out of the store.

- These cameras work?
- Yeah.

- We got to see the video.
- That's not a problem.

Look, you guys got
to arrest these punks.

We're losing money here,

and it's not just the stolen goods.
Customers are scared to come here.

People are scared to go shopping.

What are you doing, man?
You got to pay for this.


- Back up!
- That looks like

the same red bag
where we found the watch.

Get off of me! Don't touch me!

Damn, that is a legit right cross.

All right, hold up.
Freeze it right there.

Well, look at that. Our good Samaritan.

- That's Perry Sutton.
- Good man.

- Get off me, man!
- Hey, you all right?


Then he goes after him.

All right. What about our shoplifter?

Can you get a better angle on him?

- Yeah.
- Yeah, right there.

Right there. That's good.

Running facial rec now.

Got a hit.

Name is Nick Castillo.

Does he have any priors?

Uh, yeah, I think
this dude just broke a record.

I have never seen anything like this.

You got to be kidding me.

pages, literally.

All right, let's get
his last known address

and get a search warrant.

- [KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- NYPD!


Open up!

NYPD! Anybody home?

- [LOCK UNLOCKS]
- What's going on?

- Nick Castillo live here?
- Yeah. Why?

- Is he home?
- No.

- What's this?
- This is a search warrant.

NYPD!

All clear.

- What's going on?
- Nothing to worry about.

We're just having a look around.

What are you looking for?

I got nothing in here.

Yeah, just some half-smoked joints
and beer bottles over here.

Where's Nick? We need to talk to him.

Okay, but he's not doing too well.

What do you mean?

He's in the hospital.

How come?

He got sh*t.

♪ ♪

What's going on?

Nick Castillo, you're under arrest
for the m*rder of Perry Sutton.

I'm in the hospital.

I got an infection. You can't arrest me.

Yeah, we can.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can
and will be used against you

in a court of law.

Mr. Castillo, are you able

to understand the nature
of these proceedings?

My client pleads not guilty

to the charge of m*rder
in the second degree.

We ask that he remain in the
hospital to receive treatment

and then be allowed
to return home to recover.

Ms. Maroun?

He can convalesce in Rikers.
People seek remand.

The people's case is built on sand.

No eyewitnesses, no forensics, no g*n,

no stolen property... Nothing.

The b*llet taken out
of Mr. Castillo's leg

puts him at the scene of the crime.

The defendant is a career criminal.

arrests.

Started at age ,

swiping packages
off his neighbor's stoop.

Graduated to shoplifting,

then larceny and receiving
stolen property. The list goes on.

All misdemeanors.

Most ended up getting dismissed.
My client has no felony convictions

and has never done time.

He failed to appear in court times.

Clearly, he's a flight risk.

I'm adopting
the prosecutor's recommendation

and holding you without bail.

[GAVEL SLAMS]

Ms. Maroun.

What's this?

Pre-trial motion.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

The people have no case.

Their plan is, obviously,
to prejudice the jury

with evidence of my client's
past transgressions,

convict him of m*rder
over a series of trivial misdemeanors.

arrests is more than a series.

This guy should get
the lifetime achievement award.

You just made my point.

The jury has a right
to know who the defendant is,

that he is quite literally
a career criminal.

Demonstrates a pattern of increasingly
aggressive and criminal conduct.

This is revolting,

but I find the probative value
of Mr. Castillo's prior criminal actions

to be outweighed

by the prejudicial effect
it'll have on the jury.

So I'm granting the defendant's
application to exclude.

No mention of his record
in your opening statement.

Want me to draft an appeal?

Judge didn't abuse his discretion.
And our case is still solid.

Well, I'm not so sure about that.

No eyewitnesses, no video

that can explain
how the crime was committed,

and no m*rder w*apon.

And now, we can't even let the jury know

that Castillo is a career criminal.

Maybe we should offer a deal

to the discount store guy, Eddie Wells?

We have what we have, Sam.

We just need to lay out the evidence
in a simple, logical way.

The pharmacy manager, the
pharmacy surveillance video,

the witness who heard the two
men arguing in the street, ballistics.

The case isn't perfect, but it's clear.

Nick Castillo k*lled Perry Sutton.

The defendant went into the pharmacy

and emptied a shelf
of toothpaste and mouthwash

into a duffel bag.

When confronted,
he struck the store manager.

A concerned citizen, Perry Sutton,

witnessed the theft and as*ault
and decided to get involved.

He followed the defendant out
of the store.

Once outside,
Mr. Sutton told the defendant

to return what he stole.

A witness heard him yell,
"Give it back!"

The defendant responded
by pulling out a g*n.

Objection.

It's hearsay, and he's
mischaracterizing the facts.

An objection to my opening?

What the hell is going on?

Ms. Vega, hold your objections
until the people have finished.

Um, Mr. Sutton tried to protect himself,

grabbed the g*n.

A struggle ensued,

during which the defendant
was sh*t in the leg.

He then regained control of the g*n

and sh*t and k*lled Perry Sutton.

Objection.

Move for a mistrial.

I told you to save your objections
until Mr. Price was finished.

I have to protect my client, Your Honor.

The people's theory is
based on pure fiction.

And by spinning this tale
based on pure speculation

and racial innuendo,

Mr. Price is doing
irreparable harm to our case.

I am simply telling the jury
what we will prove during trial.

Perry Sutton was the one carrying a g*n,

not Mr. Castillo.

He att*cked Mr. Castillo,
not the other way around.

That is for the jury
to decide based on the facts.

I agree.

Your objection is overruled, and
your motion for a mistrial is denied.

And if you interrupt Mr. Price's opening

one more time,
I will hold you in contempt.

Understood?

♪ ♪

I have never experienced
anything like that in my entire career.

Is there anything
to what the defense lawyer was saying?

- Did Perry Sutton own a g*n?
- No.

He's never applied
for a firearms license.

And everyone we've spoken to...
People who know him well...

Say that they've never seen him
with a w*apon of any kind.

And on top of all of that,

he's donated hundreds
of thousands of dollars

to local charities
that support g*n control.

Well, it doesn't mean
he didn't have a g*n

the night he was k*lled.

We represent the people, Ms. Maroun.

All I'm saying is, we weren't there.

We don't know what really happened.

Same as most m*rder cases we try.

So we piece together the story
based on the facts we do know.

And in this case, the facts lead us

to one, and only one,
logical conclusion:

Nick Castillo was the person
carrying a g*n that night.

I agree.

But will the jury see it that way?

I think so, and they're
gonna like Perry Sutton.

Despite his wealth and fame,
he's relatable.

He was a real New Yorker.

He loved this city.
He invested in this city.

And like most of us,
he was sick and tired of all the crime,

so he did something about it.

As long as we don't paint him
as a vigilante.

That'll just feed
into the defense's assertion

that Sutton was carrying the g*n.

But like I said, we still don't know.

It's our word against theirs.

There's nothing
we can do about that, Sam.

- We could offer a plea.
- No.

Castillo needs to go down.

Even though the jury won't know
Castillo was a career criminal,

the people of this city do.

So we need to send a message,

let people know we won't stand

for this level of recidivism
and v*olence.

Dig through Castillo's past cases.

Find someone who can testify
to a history of v*olence.

arrests, consequences.

- Unbelievable.
- Yeah.

We're frustrated, too. Trust me.

But let's face it. It not like this
just happened for no reason.

I agree.

It wasn't too long ago
we were locking up people

for not being able to scrape together
bucks' worth of bail.

They were sitting in Rikers
for months... some, years...

While their dumbass misdemeanor cases
would just drag on and on.

That may be true,
but I'm not sure the cure

is any better than the disease.

I hear you, Frank. We overcorrected.

And it's driving people crazy.

They're starting to take
matters into their own hands.

Like Perry Sutton.

Mm-hmm.

Maroun.

Yeah?

Your name's on this jacket.

- What?
- Yeah.

It looks like you arraigned Castillo
ten months ago for theft.

He's been released
on his own recognizance,

and the case is still pending.

This is my case?

Yeah, larceny.

Victim was from Africa
and had a hard time speaking English.

Castillo didn't qualify for
bail under the new bail laws.

Nothing I could do.

Come on, Sam.

Guy has a -page rap sheet?

Had to be something you could have done.

I mean, you had a witness.

Hello, Jasmine. ADA Maroun.

We met before.

You never call me back.

Oh, I'm... I'm sorry.

I remember that we were
trying to find a translator.

And then, I...

I apologize for the confusion.

I'm ADA Price.
Nice to meet you, Jasmine.

We have a translator coming today.

He should be here in ten minutes or so.

Do you want us to wait?

No, that's okay.
My... my English is better now.

Okay. I will text him. Let him know.

Yeah, I just have a few questions.

First, the police report says
that a man stole your wallet.

Yes, at the supermarket.

I leave it in the cart,
and he took it from my purse.

Do you think
you could identify this man?

Yes.

Did the man hurt you? Was he violent?

No, but I scared.

What do you mean?

He had a g*n.

A g*n?

This... this wasn't
in the police report.

I tried to tell you,
but you never call me back.

[DOOR OPENS]

I called her a few times.
I... I tried to get a translator.

But then, you know,
I got promoted to homicide,

handed off the case
to another prosecutor,

- and that was that.
- It happens, Sam.

You did what you could,
given your workload.

He had a g*n, Nolan.

If I'd been paying
closer attention, I...

I could have upped the charges
to armed robbery and got bail.

Castillo would have been locked up,

and none of this would have happened.

How many misdemeanor arraignments
did you do that week?

- That's not the point.
- It's exactly the point.

It's a mistake
any of us could have made.

Too many cases, too much crime.

Impossible to keep up.

But the good news is
that we have a new witness,

and she's gonna help us
convict Castillo.

Ms. Omari, do you see the man

who stole your purse
and pointed a g*n at you?

I renew my objection on the
grounds of relevance, unfair surprise,

and discovery violations.

Your objection is overruled.

Do you see your assailant
in this courtroom?

- Yes.
- Could you indicate

where he's seated, what he's wearing?

He's there, with a blue shirt.

May the record reflect that the
witness has identified the defendant.

It shall so reflect.

Did you notice anything about the g*n

the defendant was holding?

Gray color and had a long thing on it.

A barrel?

Yes, a barrel.

Thank you.

I have nothing further.

I have no questions for this witness.

No cross on Jasmine?
What was that all about?

Vega chooses her spots carefully.

Well, she could have
challenged her identification,

her ability to perceive
or even communicate.

- Samantha Maroun?
- Yes?

What's this?
- You've been served.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

"People v. Nick Castillo."

A discovery request?

Why would she hire
a process server to request a...

It's not a request. It's a subpoena.

They want me to testify for the defense.

♪ ♪

ADA Maroun should not
be compelled to testify

in a case that she is prosecuting.

She should when she has relevant
and exculpatory evidence to offer.

What do you expect Ms. Maroun to say?

That the prosecution's
witness never told anyone

until two days ago that my
client robbed her at gunpoint.

Ms. Omari tried to tell people,

but she was unable
because of a language barrier.

Oh, she communicated just fine
when she was on the witness stand.

Her English has improved.

We'll stipulate to the fact
that Ms. Maroun

never heard the witness
mention anything about a g*n.

That sounds reasonable.

Would you agree to a stipulation?

Not in a million years.

The defense counsel is trying
to distract from the fact

that the defendant
m*rder*d an unarmed man,

and she is also trying to humiliate
my colleague in the process.

The entire DA's office should be ashamed

of the way they handled this case.

Your Honor, I implore you

not to let defense turn this
into a sideshow.

I don't appreciate the tactics,

but the defense has a right
to bring in witnesses

on their own behalf.

Your application to quash
the subpoena is denied.

ADA Maroun, yesterday,

we heard from a witness
who came into this courtroom

and accused my client
of robbing her at gunpoint.

Yes, I recall.

And you had previously spoken
with this woman.

Um, briefly.

And she never mentioned
a word about a g*n.

Well, she tried.

English is not her first language.

Can you please answer my question?

Did she or did she not
mention anything about a g*n?

It is not a yes or no question.

May the witness be instructed
to answer the question?

Ms. Maroun, can you answer
the council's question?

She did not mention anything
about a g*n.

And that's because there was no g*n.

- Isn't that true?
- No, that is not true.

Isn't it a fact that your
witness came into this court

- and committed perjury?
- No.

You suborned perjury

in order to bolster evidence
in this trial.

Isn't that true?

Your Honor, this is inflammatory,
argumentative, badgering...

Sustained.

I am telling the truth
about what happened.

I see.

So what is this jury supposed to infer?

That you are incompetent?

Unprofessional? Derelict in your duties?

Objection.

Sustained.

Anything else?

No.

I have nothing further.

On the day that this case came in,
you were assigned to ECAB...

The Early Case Assessment Bureau?

Yes.

How many cases did you handle that week?

Hundreds.

How many times did you appear in court?

Several times a day.

Interview witnesses?

I spoke with police officers,
detectives, firefighters,

EMTs, doctors, victims, and witnesses.

Too many to count.

How many times do you get it right?

Excuse me?

We know you made a single mistake,
but can you tell us

how many times
you didn't make a mistake?

How many people you've helped?

How many cases you've resolved?

Objection.

Sustained.

Nothing further.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I am so sorry for what happened.

I don't know where to begin.

Are you here to fire me?

I know who you are, Ms. Maroun.

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

I feel terrible, yeah.

I screwed up.

Like everyone else.

If you don't screw up,
you're not trying hard enough.

There's no time for self-pity.

Get back to work

and figure out how to put
the g*n in Castillo's hands.

♪ ♪

One, two, three, four, five.

[DIALING KEYPAD]

Detective Shaw. ADA Samantha Maroun.

Sorry to call you so late,

but I need to talk to you
about the Castillo case.

Mr. Gwynn, you're here
under a cooperation agreement?

Yes.

You worked for Eddie Wells?

I stole stuff.

Sold it to Eddie.

Did Mr. Wells supply you with a w*apon

to help you carry out your thefts?

Objection. Leading.

You may answer.

He gave me a g*n.

Objection. Relevance.

Overruled.

Let's see where this goes.

Why did he give you a g*n?

Objection. Calls for speculation.

Well, let me rephrase.

Did Eddie Wells tell you
why he gave you a g*n?

- Yes.
- What did he say?

Calls for a hearsay.

Statement against penal interest.

Overruled.

Things were getting more intense lately.

People in the stores,
the security guards,

and the customers started to push back,
so we needed protection.

So Eddie gave us g*ns.

Told us to flash them
when people got aggressive.

Mr. Gwynn, do you know
the defendant, Nick Castillo?

Yeah.

Do you know if Mr. Wells
ever gave a g*n to him?

I do. He gave one to him

the same day he gave one to me
and to all the other guys.

We were all in the warehouse together.

Were they all the same caliber?

Yes, all revolvers.

Ruger GP s.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

♪ ♪

Has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes, Your Honor.

In the matter
of People v. Nick Castillo,

as to count one

of the indictment m*rder
in the second degree,

what say you?

We find the defendant guilty.

Members of the jury,
thank you for your service.

You're dismissed. [GAVEL SLAMS]

I will be in touch.

Don't.

Still at it?

Conveyor belt of justice.

[CHUCKLES]

Thank you.

For what?

Winning the trial.

If it weren't for you,

Castillo would have walked out
of here a free man yet again.

If it weren't for me...

Perry Sutton would still be alive.
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