Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (2009) Movie Script

Does it have to be that tight?
Well, we have to be absolutely
sure you can't see.
Don't we?
Now don't be nervous.
I'll... I'll try not to be.
All right, here we go.
Okay, next.
This is difficult.
- Can I try the first one again?
- No problem.
Here you are.
This one.
Yes, this one.
Now are you sure?
You don't want to try any of the others?
No, I'm sure.
This is the best.
Okay, why don't you take your blindfold
off and see which one you chose?
I can't believe it.
We tested 100 people,
just like Marsha here.
Another 29 people
chose the canned coffee.
That's a total of 51% who chose
the instant or canned coffee
over the $3-a-cup gourmet brand.
So the next time
you reach for your wallet,
are you really paying
for a superior blend,
or just a very fancy name?
This is CJ Nicholas for the News 8
Shreveport investigative team.
Hey, thanks, guys.
- I really appreciate it.
- That was hard hitting.
- I have chills.
- I hear the networks calling you.
Could you give me some cutaways?
And I'd really appreciate it
if you'd both bite me.
There really isn't much more to say.
Lucinda Harris was 22 years old.
She's never gonna have a career.
- Did I miss it?
- Almost.
She's never gonna have a marriage.
She's never gonna be able
to have her own baby,
hold it in her arms.
And her parents there are never
gonna be able to kiss her again,
watch how her life unfolds.
It's over.
It's done.
And do you know why?
Because this man sitting right here,
Andre Benson, felt that she didn't
give him her purse fast enough.
Oh, she gave it to him, all right.
Just not fast enough for Mr. Benson.
So he shot her.
He shot her three times.
Only once, she might
have been wounded.
Two times,
there would have been
a spark of life left in her.
So he made sure.
He made triple sure.
Now the defense would like to tell you
that our whole case is circumstantial.
There is no eyewitness,
no ballistic match,
no alibi.
Andre Benson was home
in his apartment alone
watching TV.
Probably "Jeopardy. "
The defense can also explain
why Mr. Benson ran
from the scene of the crime
when the police came
to his back door.
He's a young black man
in a high crime area.
Naturally you hear a loud bang
on your door, you get scared.
But do you know what?
We made sure too.
We made triple sure.
There's one thing he can't explain.
This cigarette butt
with Andre Benson's DNA
all over it
was found at the scene
of the crime
lying right next
to the deceased.
Now you have heard
the expert testimony
of the crime lab.
The odds of this not being
Andre Benson's DNA
is 6 billion to one.
That's right, 6 billion,
with a B,
to one.
Hunter dribbles behind
the three-point line.
Here comes the shot.
Now if you're willing to take that bet,
then I don't want to be
your district attorney.
- I want to be your bookie.
- Swish.
With this latest victory, you have
never lost a murder case.
Are you going to announce
your candidacy for governor?
- The latest polls have you ahead.
- One at a time, please.
- Are you running for governor?
- It's Paul, right?
Paul, let me tell you something.
A beautiful young woman's life
was taken away in a moment
of incomprehensible violence.
That's what today is about.
Now why do moments like this
keep happening on our streets?
Those are the things
we have to ask ourselves.
Tonight when we all go home,
we have our nice dinners,
we have to ask
what would make a man
take an innocent human life
and treat it with such little respect?
Just snuff it out
like a match in the wind?
Now my only hope
out of this whole ordeal
is that Mr. and Mrs. Harris
will bring some closure to their life.
Today is not about keeping score.
It's not about politics.
Today was a real tragedy.
Thank you.
Could he be smoother?
I got a chubby just watching.
Listen, I'll meet you
back at the station, okay?
Hey, dude, I keep on telling you.
She's out of your league.
And I'm gonna keep on trying.
Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Hey. Hi.
CJ, you've been
at the trial a lot.
- You noticed me.
- I noticed you staring at me.
That means you were looking at me.
I was looking at you staring.
- You're staring again.
- No, this is my look.
- I'm not staring.
- Hmm.
- I came to beg a favor.
- Again?
We're doing a companion piece
on police interrogation techniques
and I was wondering whether you'd
give me the police interview tape.
Now why would I do that?
'Cause then you get to
go out to dinner with me.
I can't go out to dinner with you.
It's not meal specific.
Could be lunch, perhaps a beverage.
- CJ, I can't.
- Why not?
- You're a reporter.
- And you work for the district attorney.
- I don't hold that against you.
- You don't like Mark Hunter?
- Not much.
- Why?
Or why not?
Whichever is correct.
A lot of reasons.
Too many to mention here.
- Why is correct.
- Give me one.
Too smooth.
Way too smooth.
And I'm not sure he's honest.
You say these things about my boss and
you expect me to have dinner with you?
I don't expect.
I hope.
And I don't want to go out to dinner with
him, I want to go out to dinner with you.
Besides, there's gonna be so many things
that we disagree on over the years...
favorite colors, small dogs...
I hate the little yappers...
electric or manual toothbrush...
countless things we're gonna
have to work through.
I promise I won't look or stare.
You'd really be helping me out
if you could get me that tape.
What harm could it do?
- The trial's over.
- I'll send it to your office.
- In person would be much...
- I'll send it to your office.
- better.
- Chinese.
- What?
I like Chinese food.
Chinese.
Definitely Chinese.
But just dinner. You're not gonna
get me into bed on the first date.
- What was I thinking?
- I have principles.
Hey hey, that same lady who keeps
calling and won't leave her name,
she called twice today.
You're a very bad boy, CJ.
You're my hero.
Oh, I don't know about...
- Uh, excuse me. You can't go in.
- Don't worry about it. He's expecting us.
- You look great, by the way.
- Sir?
- Thank you, Val.
- I got it.
- This is the big one.
- Sit your ass down.
District Attorney
Mark Hunter is faking
forensic evidence to get
convictions in murder trials.
He's not sitting his ass down.
I am though.
Ass is right down.
Snug.
This is his idea.
- I've got proof.
- Sit your ass down.
Hear me out.
Three years ago
Hunter lost a string of cases.
Now that's not something
a district attorney is supposed to do.
And then badda-bing...
Now he's leading the polls
for governor.
You think maybe he's on a lucky streak?
DAs don't try cases
they don't expect to win.
Okay, take a look at this.
Oh my God.
It's the crime scene photo
from the Andre Benson case.
Why am I listening to you?
There was no footprint match,
no fiber match,
no trace that Andre Benson
was even there,
except for this cigarette butt.
So Andre Benson had the presence
of mind to pick up his shell casings
but not his cigarette butt
that he left right next to the victim's hand?
I think you used the word proof?
The interview tape.
Just bear with me here.
The detective on the left,
one Anthony Merchant.
Now before Hunter joined the DA's
office, he was a police detective
and his partner for many
of those years was none other
than Detective Lieutenant
Anthony Merchant.
Now watch.
Okay, here we go.
That's how they got the cigarette
butt with Benson's DNA.
- It's right there in front of us.
- This is your proof?
You going along with this?
All of these 17 convictions
were decided by DNA evidence.
In each case the lead detective was
none other than Anthony Merchant.
How did you get that tape?
From a source.
And I bet this source has a skirt.
Does it matter?
- Not really.
- Then what is it?
I mean, this is a story...
a monster story.
I just received the new budget.
We can't afford the investigation
team anymore.
- What?
- You've got to be kidding me.
- Come on.
- Have you looked at your ratings?
- No.
- Well, it's not a pretty sight.
It just so happens that the folks
who own this place
have this funny little obsession
about ratings.
It seems that ratings pay the rent.
No ratings, no rent.
So you guys are both
going on general assignment.
- Oh, come on.
- I don't like this any more than you do.
Hey, I saw your documentary.
That's why I hired you. I know you're good.
- What about this story?
- What story?
You've got some stones coming
in here using the word proof.
You answer me one simple question:
How in the hell could Detective Merchant
plant that cigarette at the crime scene
when the interview took place
three days after
the crime scene photographs
were taken?
Well...
Pick up your assignments
at the front desk and get out of here.
I would just like to say
that is an excellent tie.
Out!
I've been assigned to our fearless
sportscaster and his lovely toupee.
You're doing a piece on people
over 65 who run the 10k.
Hunter's dirty.
I can feel it in my bones.
And I'm gonna prove it.
I've worked too hard to go back
to baby rhinos at the zoo.
There's baby rhinos at the zoo?
What? No, it's a metaphor.
- You know, baby rhinos, kitten in a tree.
- Right.
- So there's no baby rhinos?
- Would you shut up?
Hey, CJ, that woman
is on the line again.
Yeah, okay.
I'll take it.
- Yeah, line 7.
- Thanks.
- Do you mind?
- No, not at all. Go ahead.
- Get the hell out of here.
- Call me if you need me.
Hello?
Yeah.
Listen, now's...
this isn't really a good time.
Yes.
No, I'm not.
Things aren't going
very well for me right now.
I understand.
Okay.
I will.
I promise.
Thank you.
You should have seen
that 10k.
There should be an age limit
for wearing spandex.
Sorry I missed it.
I didn't come out here
to do stories like that.
Who does?
Right.
You're not staring at me.
You told me I wasn't allowed to.
I didn't think you'd actually listen.
I'm feeling too sorry for myself
to do any good staring.
- That's a damn shame.
- I could try.
Give it your best shot.
That's not too bad.
I could do much better.
This is my B stare.
If I ever give you my full stare...
Shut up.
Keep staring.
I felt so sorry for you.
You looked so sad
at the table.
Ah yes, the whole
end-of-my-career thing.
I was making that up.
It's not the end of your career.
- It's not exactly a promotion.
- Yeah, but it's not the end.
All you have to do
is something really good.
Really good,
and they'll have to put it on.
Well, I...
think I might have something.
Might have.
- Maybe.
- Well, what is it?
Not now.
I just can't tell you now.
I don't even have it yet.
And it's privileged.
Everything I said
when I took my clothes off,
that's privileged.
Morning.
Good morning is right.
Coffee?
Thank you.
What's in your kitchen?
A stove, a refrigerator
that makes ice cubes.
What about eggs?
Yes, eggs.
I can do eggs.
- And maybe even some toast?
- Mmm.
Holy shit.
You won an award.
Yeah, that's what brought me out here.
I was working for a little station
in Buffalo, New York.
You know, Mark Twain once said that to
commit suicide in Buffalo was redundant.
I did this piece
on a girl, Taieesha,
by her stepfather
and her mother kicked her
out of the house.
She had no home,
no place to go
in the middle
of December in Buffalo.
You can't even begin to imagine
what winters are like there.
Found her living on the streets
hooking to make money.
It's nice to know people will pay
to have sex with a pregnant teenager.
She was in a snowstorm
when she went into labor.
I'd like to see it.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Okay.
She was so little.
She wouldn't let me show her face.
Felt like she could break
if you held her wrong.
I cleaned her off as best I could.
I knew I had to keep her warm.
I wrapped her underneath my coat.
I could feel her against my breast.
After a while I felt her grow,
you know, cold
up against my skin.
I knew the church,
they'd take care of her.
They'd bury my baby girl.
When I started to walk away
I just couldn't see her wrapped
in all those newspapers
in front of the church.
I couldn't.
I knew she was with God.
Still...
I couldn't look back.
Jane Doe's mother had a...
Wow.
I, uh, don't really know
what to say.
It's... I'd like to see the rest.
Go ahead, take it.
I've got a bunch of copies.
- She, uh...
- What happened to her?
She died of an overdose
two weeks after the interview.
She never got to see the piece
or the attention it got.
So they brought me out here.
It's not much bigger,
but at least I got my own
investigative unit.
And now that's gone.
CJ, you really are
a good reporter.
Hey, no no.
You said you had an idea.
Well, go, follow it.
Look, I told you
this is not a good time.
All right, I will.
Just stay calm.
You dropped your pens.
Later.
Four, four, good.
I'm not close.
Stay on that way.
Focus here.
No seven.
I need you. I need you.
- Come on.
- Come on, I was on a roll.
- Yeah, I noticed.
- What's happening?
How far would you go
for the story of your lifetime?
I mean, you know me,
farther than far.
Would you risk everything?
Depends on what you mean
by everything.
Everything means everything,
including going to prison.
- You're kidding.
- Never been more serious in my entire life.
Jesus. I mean, I don't know.
I'm talking about the biggest story
we've ever dreamed of.
I'm talking about the Pulitzer Prize.
- You're also talking about prison.
- Just hear me out.
When I'm done, you say no
we don't do it. It's your choice.
Of course it will mean you'll spend
the rest of your numbered days
producing ticky tidbits
from a minor league infield.
And it'll also mean
you have no scrotal sack.
We gonna cut to commercial
before we do Final Jeopardy?
Right, cut to the chase.
We both know that Hunter is bringing
in fake DNA to get those convictions.
- Right.
- We don't know exactly how,
- but we know that he's doing it.
- Mm-hmm.
- You with me?
- So far, yeah.
Well, there's one way
we can prove it.
- And is this the risky part?
- Not yet.
First we have to wait
for the right murder.
What do you...
the right murder?
The murder of some
anonymous person, okay?
Some junkie or hooker
where the cops have no suspect
and they really don't give a shit.
And there's got to be some
vague physical evidence
like a tire track
or a footprint.
Not a lot.
And it's got to happen
when I have no alibi.
Who needs an ali...
why can't you have one?
I can't have an alibi 'cause that's when
we plant the circumstantial evidence.
We what?
We plant enough circumstantial
evidence that it points to me.
- You're shitting me.
- I shit you not.
We not only plant it,
you document us planting it.
You tape me doing it,
each time with the day's
newspaper in the shot.
That way we can prove that
the evidence came after the fact.
Aren't there laws
against this kind of thing?
More than one.
Anyway, enough circumstantial evidence
and District Attorney Mark S Hunter
won't be able to resist.
He'll arrest me, he'll indict me
and he'll put me on trial.
And not only will he
have a high profile case,
he will have a truly sexy, juicy,
front page lead story
that'll tie up the nomination
for governor.
And he'll have a white defendant
that he won't be able to resist.
Is there a change of seasons
on your planet?
Because he could never ever
ever afford to lose this case.
And he'll only have
circumstantial evidence.
Some trace of my DNA
will suddenly be found,
just like it was in all the other cases.
Only this time after he introduces it,
you get the video
and we show it in court.
You think there's a chance a judge
won't have much of a sense of humor
about this?
A judge will go stark raving apeshit.
The pandemonium this'll create
by graphically proving
that Hunter is crooked,
that'll overshadow everything.
Do you have any idea
how big of a story this will be?
Do you really think the DA's office
is gonna want to prosecute us
after this thing breaks?
Look, we know a wrong
is being committed
by a man that may become
our next governor.
We are investigative reporters.
This is our chance to prove it.
It's perfect.
I don't know, man.
Come on, this is our chance.
This could be our Pulitzer.
This is the diem
that we have to carpe.
This is the proverbial pot that we
have to shit or get off of.
This right here, right now,
this is it.
God help me.
I'm in.
No, God help Mark Hunter.
I don't know, Ella.
You're either awfully late
for your trial or really early.
You okay?
Uh, yeah, I'm okay.
It's just tomorrow
is my first day as lead so I'm trying to...
Thought maybe the best way to prepare
is sit here in the courtroom alone, huh?
That's what I did at my first trial.
You know, worked for me.
You see that judge's bench,
that big old fancy seal, the flag,
the jury box and you go, "Whoa.
This is big.
This is really big stuff. "
And it is.
We put bad guys away.
That's what we do.
And if you're sure...
I mean down to your marrow sure...
that defendant is guilty,
that jury is going
to follow you anywhere.
But if you've got
even an inkling of a doubt,
you'll lose them like sand
right through your fingers.
It's amazing. They can smell doubt.
I don't know how they do it.
So I guess the most important
thing is to be sure.
- Are you?
- Yes.
- No doubts?
- No.
You make them feel that,
you're not gonna have any
problem at all.
That, you know, and maybe work
the room a little bit, okay?
Okay.
- Ella, good night.
- Good night.
- And good luck.
- Thank you, sir.
- CJ, wake up!
- Jesus Christ.
Ow! Shit!
- CJ!
- Coming. Take it easy.
Is she here? I was hoping to
barge in on the two of you.
I'm dying to see her naked.
No, she's got a trial in the morning.
- What's going on?
- Why are you limping?
I came down on my ankle
funny when I got out of bed
because some asshole woke me
up at 4:00 in the morning.
What?
What is it?
Get dressed.
Gentlemen.
And I use that term loosely
with the fourth estate.
How'd you get here so fast?
We do have police scanners
in the newsroom, you know.
Really? Next thing you're gonna
tell me is you have a color TV.
- Who is she?
- Dead black junkie hooker.
Her purse was full of condoms.
Most of her customers must be white
'cause the condoms
are regular size.
Cute. Homicide?
Four stab wounds
to the chest and neck.
I'm gonna go way out
on a limb and say yes.
Got any leads?
Got a witness.
Fella over there saw the whole thing.
Or at least his dog did.
It bit the perp.
- Any physical evidence?
- Got a pretty good footprint.
What about the knife?
Did you find the knife?
Why are you so interested?
The victim doesn't have to be famous
for us to be interested.
Whatever you say.
- I'm gonna check him out.
- Yeah, all right.
Listen, think maybe I could take a look
at the crime scene report and photos?
- Now why the hell would I do that?
- I got two primo Springsteen tickets.
Springsteen?
Bruce Springsteen?
- No, his cousin Ralph.
- Do I look white to you?
What?
Do I look white to you?
Well, in certain angles.
Your Mr. Springsteen does not
do it for me. I am unmoved.
We're talking about The Boss here.
No, he's your Boss.
He ain't mine.
Did I mention backstage passes?
I mean, do you have any idea
what women will do
for backstage passes to Springsteen?
Take a good look at me.
This is exactly
what unmoved looks like.
I'll think of something.
You always do, my brother.
You always do.
Goody bag from Nickerson...
all the reports and crime scene photos.
I knew he couldn't pass up
Springsteen tickets.
All right, let's see
what we've got here.
Ooh, wow. Ha.
Shoeprint came in from some loopy
Italian sneaker called Montalvo.
They don't make it anymore.
Size 10-12. What are you?
for the Springsteen tickets.
They also found a can
of pepper spray at the scene.
Probably the victim's.
What did he go for?
The witness heard an argument
between a man and a woman.
He heard the man cry out in pain.
She probably sprayed him.
Then the woman screamed,
the dog took off,
bit the perp and the guy ran away.
- Got him Saint's tickets.
- Perfect. What kind of dog?
Jack Russell terrier.
Jim Carrey, "The Mask"...
love that film.
That's like my seats. What row?
The witness didn't see the perp but said
he was wearing a dark jogging suit.
Looked like Reebok because it had
two stripes down the side.
He was positive it had two stripes,
sneakers and a dark ski mask.
And he was holding a knife
with a dark handle.
Row 22.
Stab wounds are consistent
with a switchblade, around four inches.
That's the same row as...
Dude, tell me you didn't
give him my tickets.
- You're not telling me.
- It's for one season.
You said one reason, right?
Not one season.
What does it say about the victim?
You are beyond a prick.
I am a prick that is going to win
us a Pulitzer Prize, my friend.
- Now have they ID'd the victim yet?
- Doris Ruth Owens.
Shit.
She was just 22 years old.
Lots of arrests for solicitation,
some for drugs.
A coulpe here in Shreveport.
Nice.
Others in Virginia, Maryland,
New Jersey, New York.
One way to see America...
on your back.
So let's make our shopping list.
We really gonna do this?
You boys lost?
Crate & Barrel is about
four blocks that way.
Actually, we're...
we're looking for a switchblade,
about four inches.
Some bully picking on you during recess?
Taking your lunch money?
- It's got to have a white handle.
- Switchblades are illegal.
- I know that.
- You a cop?
- No.
- What about your sister over there?
Who, me? Cop? No.
Do I look like a cop?
You know?
- It's a prop.
- A what?
We're making an independent film.
One of the characters
has to use it in the scene.
You've got to be joking.
Do I look like the type of man
that tells a joke?
No, you don't.
Come on.
I mean, it's way too much.
Well, why don't you try Walmart?
Maybe they'll have one.
Wait.
and throw in a can of pepper spray.
Sounds like a pretty violent
movie you two are making.
- Yeah.
- That's what sells.
Cash only.
You got 150?
How's it going?
All right.
- Can I get a receipt?
- No.
- Why not?
- 'Cause I never sold you that.
Can I ask you a personal question?
Go right ahead.
What happens with that nose ring
when you sneeze?
It gets snot on it.
Okay, let's...
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Are you looking for
a specific type of dog?
A Jack Russell terrier.
Like the kind in "Mask"
or "Frasier. "
I think I know what a Jack Russell is.
Thank you.
We have one
that's mostly Jack Russell.
He's out there.
He's not a purebred.
If you're looking for a pedigree,
this is not the right place for you.
- Is he the same size?
- Yes.
Could we see his teeth?
You can tell he's not too old.
These little fellas
can be a real handful.
You might want to think
about getting him fixed.
- He's completely housebroken.
- That makes one of you.
- We'll take him.
- That's a wonderful thing you're doing.
Would you mind holding this up?
For posterity.
I know what it's like.
My wife has to document every occasion
like it's a presidential inauguration.
Well, I hope he brings
lots of happiness
to you both.
- Thanks.
- Appreciate it.
- Come on.
- Here you go.
These doggy treats actually
smell kind of good.
I think I might try one.
- I'm gonna name him Woodward.
- Nice.
All right, Woodward.
That's it, get it.
Bite the pants.
Come on.
There you go, buddy. Bite it.
Yeah, get 'em.
All right, grab a beer.
- I'm gonna throw these things on.
- All right.
Ow! Not yet, you moron.
Finley, get in here.
- What happened?
- Look at this.
- God damn, this hurts.
- Damn! From that little dog?
- Shit.
- Give me the newspaper.
- Put it in the shot.
- All right.
Grab that.
Little bastard wouldn't even wait
for me to get everything ready.
- You got it?
- Got it.
Who the hell wears a Montalvo?
Never heard of it.
We searched every
retailer in Shreveport.
None of them have ever
carried a Montalvo.
They stopped making it in 1999.
That tells you how popular they were.
Maybe the guy is from Italy.
Right, this has all the earmarks
of a mafia hit.
What about a tourist, you know,
looking for some late-night action?
Maybe.
- I don't know.
- This smells like an evidence box
stored next to all those other evidence
boxes of unsolved homicides.
I hate that smell.
I really do.
All right, let's do this.
Okay.
Yeah, there you go.
Okay.
- Got that?
- Yup. Sure you want to do this?
I'm sure I don't want to do it.
It's just the pattern may be different
- if we just sprayed the mask.
- Okay.
Think Katie Couric would do this
for a story?
She had a colonoscopy on national
television for God's sake.
Huh.
Okay, here goes.
God! Shit!
Oh shit. Put your head up.
Grab the newspaper.
- I can't see.
- Grab it. It's right...
Oh God, I'm tasting it.
- Christ, that burns.
- Just hold it up.
You're all heart, you know that?
You got it?
- Yeah, I got it.
- Okay, the water. Give me the water.
Tomorrow night's the night.
We could go to jail for this,
couldn't we?
- It's possible.
- Just checking.
All right, I'm gonna make
a backup disc
and I'm gonna keep the original
locked in my desk.
You can back out now
if you really want to.
Just give me the tape
and the backup DVD
and I'll never reveal
you were behind the camera.
What if they threaten you with jail?
I'll already be in jail,
so what the hell's the difference?
Okay, what if they go all Guantanamo
on you and start doing torture shit?
- Then I'd definitely crack.
- Exactly.
But I couldn't bear the thought of you
winning the Pulitzer all by yourself.
Just remember, we can't breathe
a word of this to anyone.
Not even my own lawyer can know.
Nothing, or he'll be disbarred.
- All right.
- Nobody can know.
Absolutely nobody.
No exceptions.
What about the lady with the fantastic
tits that works at that bar on Piedmont?
- Okay, just her.
- And what about the one with the tattoo?
Shut up.
- I'm just as scared as you are.
- No you're not.
This way.
Come on.
- You lied to me.
- What?
- You said you hated small dogs.
- Oh.
- Hey.
- Hi.
I was at the animal shelter
doing a story.
He was pretty hard to resist.
He promised he wouldn't yap.
- Hello. What's your name?
- You're asking him?
Probably gonna have
a bit of a wait there.
- It's Woodward.
- Hello, Woody.
Your eyes are red.
Have you been crying?
Just allergies from the dog.
- Hello. Oh.
- Would you stop that?
- Oh my.
- I would like to kiss you, you know.
- What's stopping you?
- He is. It'd be like kissing him.
No, there's a difference.
Try it.
Come on.
Don't be a chicken.
Ugh!
See? Now me.
Mmm.
No thanks. I prefer sugar
with my coffee, not salt.
Oh, sorry.
It's understandable,
they're both white.
- Where are you?
- What?
Where are you?
I'm, uh...
I'm just a little distracted.
It's nothing.
I'm sorry.
It's because I said the L word
last night, isn't it?
- You said you're a lesbian?
- Don't bullshit me now.
I'm sorry.
I was an idiot.
I didn't mean to pressure you.
I just got kind of carried away
in the heat of passion.
No. No, that's not it.
I was glad you said it.
I was thrilled.
Actually, I feel the same way.
Was it just the heat of passion
that made you say it?
No. You do?
What? I'm confused now.
No, it wasn't the heat
of passion that made me say it.
You do feel the same way?
You know I do.
- I...
- You don't have to say it.
No, I think I do.
I love you.
Listen to me.
Listen to me very carefully.
- You might hear some things.
- What kind of things?
Things...
not necessarily good things.
- What are you talking about?
- I'm asking you to trust me.
Are you married?
No.
Do you have a brood of illegitimate
children in ports around the world?
- Not a one.
- Do you have a disease
where body parts I like
are gonna start falling off?
- No.
- Then we'll be fine.
Come on.
Here we go.
Oh, man.
I had to see this for myself.
Well, my brother,
you really have done it.
Go ahead, have your fun.
Give it your best shot.
You couldn't take my intermediate
much less my best shot.
So I will remember this sight as one
of those Kodak moments,
which unfortunately was all too brief.
Good news is you made bail.
Your friend Finley
is on his way upstairs.
Last name Nicholas,
first name Christopher,
middle name John;
Driving while shitfaced.
Sign here.
The lesser good news is
your brethren in the press
are gathered outside with
their lights and their cameras
and their need for blood.
They are a hungry bunch.
I arranged for your friend to park
in the department garage
which would allow you
to avoid your colleagues
and sneak out the back.
I owe you.
I really do.
I'll think of something.
I'm sure you will.
Hey, guys.
- You ready?
- Yup.
Thanks again.
No problem.
No problem at all.
No problem at all.
Ella.
Something happened tonight.
No no no, no accident.
I'm fine.
I am, really.
It's just I sort of got arrested...
more like actually arrested
for DUl.
No, don't come over,
I feel shitty enough as it is.
Wait a minute.
Someone's at the door.
Yeah, hold on.
I'm coming.
Ella, I'm gonna have to call you back.
Remember what I said the other morning?
You know, the I-love-you thing.
Well, it's still happening.
I love you.
Shreveport Police Department.
Open up now.
All right, I'm coming.
Just give me a second, for Christ's sake.
Open the door
or we will break it down.
This is a warrant to search your home.
I need you to read it
and then sign it.
Lift your trouser leg, please.
You mind telling me
what this is all about?
The pant leg, CJ.
Let's try the other leg.
Well well,
what do we have here?
- It's nothing.
- No, it most definitely is something.
Lift the bandage and let me see.
- And how'd you get that?
- It's from him.
Hey, Lieutenant.
- Turn around, please.
- What?
Turn around now.
CJ Nicholas, you are under arrest
for the murder
of Doris Ruth Owens.
- Are you crazy?
- Anything you say
can and will be used against you
in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one...
I'm sure Mr. Nicholas understands
his Miranda rights.
- Isn't that right, Mr. Nicholas?
- I understand my rights.
What I don't understand is why
I'm being arrested for murder.
Thank you very much, Detective Nickerson.
I'll take it from here.
- What?
- I said I'll take it from here.
- Are you taking my collar?
- He remains your collar.
No one is taking anything
away from you.
You'll get all the credit for your work.
I'm taking over the investigation
by request of the DA.
I don't get this.
But I also realize when it ain't mine to get.
The best seats to any event
ain't gonna get you out of this.
I called you every day.
I know you have.
I don't understand.
Why haven't you called me back?
- You shouldn't be here.
- What are you talking about?
- I don't want you getting hurt.
- It's too late for that.
No, listen to me.
It's your boss who's prosecuting me.
Your boss, for God's sake.
You can't have anything
to do with me.
I have everything to do with you.
I have no choice.
Have you thought about what would
happened to your career if Hunter
- found out about the two of us?
- My career?
Are you kidding me?
My career?
This is about your life here.
I'm gonna resign from the DA's office
and join your defense.
No. No, you can't do that.
You can't.
I'm gonna be okay.
- You sound like a Martian.
- I'm telling you I'm gonna be okay.
You're in a lot of trouble.
Promise me you're not gonna
do something stupid.
- What are you doing?
- What do you mean?
This has something to do
with Hunter, doesn't it?
- Why would you ask that?
- You have some kind of fixation with him.
This has something to do
with him, doesn't it?
I'm asking you to trust me.
There's something
you're not telling me.
Here's what you need to know:
I love you.
And I'm innocent.
I can't have you mixed up in this.
Please help me by understanding
what I'm saying.
Love me enough to trust me.
Can you do that?
Thank you.
After two days of jury selection,
the murder trial of Channel 8's
CJ Nicholas begins this morning
in what promises to be the most...
District Attorney Mark Hunter will
deliver his opening arguments
in what is expected...
...the most anticipated murder trials
in a long time,
television reporter CJ Nicholas
is scheduled to be here in just a moment.
- Hey, how you doing?
- No touching.
Don't worry.
Just remember, don't get
the DVD until I tell you.
We have to wait for Hunter
to introduce the fake evidence.
Otherwise we have nothing.
It's the whole ballgame.
- What's that about?
- Nothing.
He was just wishing me luck.
We could use some.
All rise.
Oyez oyez oyez.
Section 4 of the Honorable
First Judicial District Court
in and for the State of Louisiana,
Parish of Caddo,
is open and pursuant
to adjournment,
God save the state
and this honorable court.
Order and silence are commanded
under penalty of the law.
Please be seated.
- Are the people ready?
- We are, Your Honor.
- Is the defense ready?
- Defense is ready, Your Honor.
Then we'll begin with our
opening statements. Mr. Hunter.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Jane Doe's mother had a name,
which I can't reveal.
She had hopes
which can never be realized.
She had love
which has never returned.
And she had kindness
which was never given back to her.
Two weeks after that interview
Jane Doe's mother died of an overdose.
We can only hope for two things:
One, that she's reunited
with her baby daughter;
And two, that her death
was not totally in vain.
That can only be accomplished
if we realize
that the only difference
between Jane Doe and us
is the accident of where
we were born.
We had no control over it.
Therefore we are no better
nor more deserving than anyone else.
I'm CJ Nicholas.
Good night.
And after you saw the man with
the knife, what did you do?
Oh, I didn't have time to do anything.
Oliver just...
- Excuse me. Oliver?
- My dog.
He's a Jack Russell terrier
just like the one from "Frasier. "
They don't know they're small.
They are absolutely fearless.
It's amazing really.
Mr. Tarlow, what happened after
you saw the man with the knife?
Oliver just ran up and bit him.
- Where?
- On the calf of his left leg.
And Jack Russells
have very sharp teeth.
There were four stab wounds.
One severed the left carotid artery.
Another just beneath the sternum
punctured the aorta.
The remaining two
punctured the abdomen
and opened the small intestines.
Dr. Romans, I'd like you
to take a look at this knife
previously entered
as People's Exhibit C.
This was taken from
the defendant's apartment.
Could that be the murder weapon?
Yes, the blade's length and width
are the same as the stab wound.
And when you examined this knife
did you find any traces of blood on it?
No, it had recently been cleaned
with a strong industrial-strength
cleaning solution.
And deformities on the handle indicate
that it had been boiled.
Plus striations on the blade indicate
the blade had
recently been reground.
I have no more questions.
Thank you, Dr. Romans.
- Your witness.
- So just to be clear,
what you're saying
is you don't know
if this is the actual
murder weapon or not.
No.
Thank you.
No further questions.
The dog bite on Mr. Nicholas's left calf
was consistent with a dog bite
from a dog of that size and breed.
Now you found a shoeprint at the scene.
What kind of shoe was that?
They belonged to a Montalvo sneaker.
Similar to the shoes
owned by the defendant
marked for evidence
as People's Exhibit D?
Yes.
Now is that a popular brand sneaker?
No, they're extremely rare.
In fact, there isn't a single store
in Shreveport that carries them.
And did you compare the defendant's
sneaker with the print at the scene?
Yes. They were a match
for both size and weight.
Now the mask,
the ski mask
that was found
at the defendant's apartment
marked as People's Exhibit E.
What can you tell me about this?
We found pepper spray
around the eyeholes
on the outside.
Someone had sprayed it.
It was consistent with the pepper
spray belonging to the victim.
Thank you.
I have no more questions, Your Honor.
Now you can't actually tell us
that the bite on my client's calf
- came from Mr. Tarlow's dog?
- No.
So it could have come from any dog
of similar size and breed,
- like the one owned by my client in fact?
- Yes, that's right.
The crime scene photos show
that there was considerable blood
spatter caused by the attack.
- Is that correct?
- Yes.
And yet when you examined
the defendant's clothing,
entered into evidence
as People's Exhibit E,
you found no traces of blood at all.
No, but the client had time...
Just a yes or no will be sufficient.
So in fact, would it be fair to say
that there is no direct
forensic evidence whatsoever
connecting my client to this crime?
Yes.
No further questions.
So sorry.
Yeah?
You'll excuse me for one minute.
- Sorry, honey.
- It's okay.
This better be good.
So what the hell kind
of emergency is this?
- We checked Nicholas's financials again.
- Yeah.
He bought a video camera at Wright's
Audio two days after the murder.
There's a point to this, right?
He also bought a black Reebok
jogging suit and a ski mask
at the sporting goods store.
He bought a dog
at the animal shelter.
All this within a day of buying
the video camera.
Something doesn't smell right.
So when he went on this shopping spree,
was he alone?
People at the sporting goods
store can't remember.
Salesclerk at Wright's Audio said he
might have been with someone.
The man at the animal shelter,
for sure
remembers he was with another man.
- Do you know who this man is?
- I'm pretty sure.
Well, if someone did a video,
then this man's got it.
You think we're being set up?
We can't have that, can we?
Now would you please tell the court what
you found on the defendant's pants?
On request of the DA's office,
we retested the defendant's clothing.
And what did you find on it?
We found small traces of blood
on the seams of his sweatpants.
We missed it the first time.
It happens.
You Honor, we were given no
prior notice of this testimony.
Judge, we only discovered
this evidence yesterday.
I'll allow it.
Don't worry, Counselor.
I'll give you time
to examine this evidence.
Did you do a DNA analysis
of the blood
that you found
on the defendant's pants?
- Yes I did.
- And what did that analysis show you?
The blood belonged to the victim.
I have no more questions,
Your Honor.
Excuse me.
Stop.
Oh shit.
Your Honor, the prosecution rests.
Are you ready to call
your first witness, Counselor?
Yes, Your Honor. The defense would
like to call Dr. Aaron Wakefield.
Go.
Stop stop.
Stop stop.
Stop!
Excuse me. Sorry.
Hi, I need to open
my safety deposit box.
My name's Corey Finley.
Here's my ID.
Certainly, Mr. Findley.
Oh, it's actually Finley.
No D.
Oh. That would explain why
I cannot find your record.
Probably, yeah.
You know, I have a cousin
named Findley.
- You do?
- With a D.
Second cousin really.
Or is it first cousin once removed?
I can never figure that out.
You see, she's married
to my first cousin.
Do you know how
that removed thing works?
No, I don't really...
you know, if we could possibly...
Here it is.
Corey Finley no D.
Do you have your key
with you, Mr. Finley no D?
Yes, I do. I have my key.
There it is.
- Oh, good.
- Okay.
Hey.
Okay.
It's right in here.
It's right here. It's right there.
Well, of course.
There it is.
Okay, here's my key.
Do you think that we
could speed this up?
- I'm in a bit of a rush.
- No.
Okay.
- Care for a private booth?
- No thank you.
Mr. Finley!
Oh!
Ow.
Excuse me.
Excuse me, stop.
Sorry.
And in your opinion, Dr. Wakefield,
could those wounds have been
caused by a knife other than the one
- belonging to the defendant?
- Absolutely.
Any blade of that
approximate length
or width could have
caused those wounds.
There are hundreds
of knives with blades that size.
Call your next witness, Mr. Spota.
I can't keep stalling.
Where is this surprise witness
you keep telling me about?
He'll be here any second.
You've been saying that
for the past four hours.
- He should have been here by now.
- Counselor?
Uh, Your Honor,
we're expecting the appearance
of a rebuttal witness.
Well, do you know where he is?
Uh...
no, Your Honor.
Your Honor, the defense requests
a continuance at this time
so we can examine the prosecution's
new forensic evidence.
Motion granted.
We'll meet back here at 9:00 AM
Monday morning.
Court adjourned.
Counselor, is the defense
ready to continue?
We are, Your Honor.
The defense calls CJ Nicholas.
Raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
- so help you God?
- I do.
Be seated.
- Did you murder Doris Ruth Owens?
- I did not.
So why are you on trial here today?
'Cause I wanted to be.
What do you mean?
I deliberately implicated
myself in the crime.
- Why would you do such a thing?
- I was working on a story
about the DA's office planting
forensic evidence
in murder trials
in order to obtain guilty verdicts.
Your Honor, that is
an outrageous statement.
I felt the only way that I could uncover
evidence of corruption in the DA's office
was to implicate myself
in the crime,
to see if the DA would fabricate DNA
evidence which he now has done.
Silence.
Did you know about this?
Not until my client told me
yesterday, Your Honor.
- Is this true?
- Yes, Your Honor.
- And you have evidence to support this?
- We do.
Your Honor, I am not
even gonna begin to deal
with how insulting
and defamatory this is.
However, it is obvious that
the defense is desperate.
They're trying to create a jury nullification
so you'll call for a mistrial
because they know
they're going to lose.
You cannot allow them to present
this ridiculous defense.
The prosecution opened
the door, Your Honor,
by introducing last-minute
forensic evidence.
My client is on trial for his life.
He should be given every latitude.
You say you have evidence.
I'll give you a chance to present it.
I will not... I repeat, will not
let you simply make wild
and damaging accusations.
Understand me, Mr. Nicholas?
Oh, there will be no mistrial.
There will be a contempt of court
citation for you, Mr. Spota,
if your proof turns out
to be not proof.
- We understand, Your Honor.
- You may continue,
- although you are on a very short leash.
- Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, CJ, please tell the court
why you have done this.
I had been investigating
the DA for some time.
There had been a series of cases
in which last-minute forensic evidence,
always DNA, was introduced.
So I investigated further
and I became convinced that
the DA was planting evidence.
But why go to such
extraordinary lengths?
It was my last resort.
My editor told me to back off it.
I couldn't make my suspicions
public without proof.
- So what did you do?
- I found out the details of the case
from Detective Nickerson. Then I went out
and bought a Jack Russell terrier
and got him to bite me
on the left calf.
Then I bought the switchblade,
the pants and the sneakers.
This is a receipt for the sneakers
I'd like to mark
as Defense Exhibit A.
You can see that it is clearly dated
three days
after the murder took place.
This is a receipt for the sweatpants,
Defense Exhibit B.
Again, dated after the murder.
So if you bought the sweatpants
after the murder took place,
how did the victim's blood get on it?
The only answer
is the DA put it there.
So you're saying because the DA's case
was purely circumstantial,
he planted the evidence to tie
you to the murder scene?
Yes.
No further questions,
Your Honor.
That's it?
That's the proof
that I'm a calculating
dishonest man?
Not to mention a felon?
A couple receipts
for a pair of sweatpants?
My office and myself
is a bastion of corruption
because you bought
a pair of sweatpants
a few days after the murder.
I've got to hand it to you,
you're something else.
- And the sneakers.
- Oh, the sneakers.
I forgot about the sneakers.
Well, that seals the deal right there.
Judge, you've got to put
the cuffs on me right now.
I agree.
Do you...
and I use this word very loosely...
do you have any proof?
I made a DVD
documenting the purchases.
- Everything.
- And where is that DVD?
My colleague who shot it...
was killed in an accident
on his way to the courthouse.
And the disc was destroyed.
Well, I'm very sorry
about your colleague.
But other than you saying
that you have a DVD
that backs up your claims,
is there...
and I use this word
again lightly...
is there any proof
that that DVD exists?
I'm sorry,
I didn't hear your answer.
Answer the question,
Mr. Nicholas.
- No.
- No, you will not answer the question
or no you have no proof it exists?
No, all you have is my word.
Well, that's kind of on
shaky ground right now, isn't it?
That's not for me to say.
You know what, Mr. Nicholas?
That's the first thing
that you've said
that I agree with.
It's for the jury to decide, isn't it?
Now I have just one more question,
one little pesky question.
The fact that you bought
a pair of sneakers
and sweatpants sometime
after the murder,
the fact that you bought anything
after the murder,
does that mean that you couldn't
have owned a pair of sneakers
or sweatpants or bought
anything else for that matter
before the murder?
I'm sorry, I did not hear
your answer.
I guess not.
Thank you.
Despite the sensational claims
made by the defense,
CJ Nicholas was found guilty
today of first-degree murder.
It took the jury less than five hours
to return a verdict of guilty
in the murder trial of Channel 8's
CJ Nicholas.
Sentencing is next week.
DA Hunter said that the state
will seek the death penalty
due to the viciousness of the crime.
Thanks.
Thanks for coming.
What's wrong with you?
Of course I'd come.
I have a speech.
I've been rehearsing it
over and over.
God knows I've had the time.
I kinda thought I had it down,
you know?
But now my mouth's all cotton.
Okay, here it goes.
The last time I saw you,
you said that you believed in me.
You said you knew
I couldn't have done this.
Then you saw the evidence at the trial
and you said to yourself,
"I want to believe him.
I have to. "
There's all this evidence.
So much.
And then the DNA evidence.
That was the last straw, wasn't it?
It was the clincher.
That's why you now think I'm a murderer.
- I don't.
- Yes you do.
And it's all right.
You don't have to lie.
I don't blame you.
I just want you to listen.
If there was ever a time
that you loved me,
if there was ever a time you thought
I was a good person,
then I want you to hear this.
What I said at the trial was true.
The DNA was planted by your boss,
just like he planted the DNA evidence
on that cigarette in the Andre Benson case.
Now I know you've never met a defendant
that didn't protest his innocence,
but I swear it's true.
Finley had the disc that proved it all.
And I think that Hunter had him killed
because the disc that Finley had
locked in his desk went missing.
I know that sounds crazy.
- I believe you.
- Listen to me.
I'm asking you not to believe me.
I'm begging you to go
and find out for yourself.
Be skeptical.
Be suspicious.
Do some digging on your own.
I know how good you are.
Please, you're my last hope.
Why would I ask you to do
any of this if I'm guilty?
Why would I ask you to find out
the truth if the truth was bad for me?
Because you have nothing left to lose.
Oh, Ella.
You're so so wrong.
I have you to lose.
Death by lethal injection...
that was the sentence
handed down by the jury
in the CJ Nicholas murder trial,
the verdict
in the penalty phase of the trial.
Nicholas, when asked
if he had anything to say,
maintained his innocence
and said that the real facts
would someday be revealed.
Nicholas was driven from the court
directly to death row
at the Louisiana State Prison
where he will live in complete
isolation for up to 20 hours a day
until his appeal process is exhausted.
This is not a happy day
for anyone.
No life is more precious than another.
Doris Ruth Owens's life
was taken from her.
We cannot bring that back.
And the young man CJ Nicholas
has forfeited his life.
There's nothing to celebrate.
Two lives are going to be lost,
one cut short, the other wasted.
And the only thing that I can say
is that the jury's verdict serves justice.
And in that way
it does serve us all.
When I started to walk away,
I couldn't look back.
I just couldn't see her wrapped
in all those newspapers
in front of the church.
I couldn't.
I knew she was safe
and warm,
that she was with God.
Still...
I couldn't look back.
Jane Doe's mother had a name,
which I can't reveal.
She had hopes
which can never be realized.
She had love...
May I ask you why you are questioning
me about Nicholas and Finley?
I'm not representing
the district attorney's office.
There's nothing official about this,
I promise.
Why are you here?
Please, it's strictly personal.
I'm asking for your help.
If anyone finds out that I was here talking
to you I could get in a lot of trouble.
Now if... and this is a big if...
if there is a story here,
you have my word it will be yours.
But again, I don't think
there's anything here at all.
What do you want to know?
Did CJ come to you about the story
of the DA planting evidence?
Yeah, he claimed that Hunter planted DNA
evidence in the Andre Benson case.
He said there were a lot
of other cases too.
But you've got to understand,
with a guy like CJ,
he always had some big story
that was just one phone call away,
one source away.
The problem was
he had hunches and very little else.
What was he basing
these hunches on?
He had a copy of the Andre Benson
interview tape.
He claimed that the cigarette
that he was smoking
on the tape turned up
at the crime scene.
Now I asked him how could you
plant evidence at a crime scene
after the crime scene photos
were taken?
- Was he doing this alone?
- No.
He dragged poor Finley into it.
- Ella.
- Bruce.
- Hi.
- Hi, how are you?
- I'm good.
- Did you bring the information?
Is that the only reason
you asked me here?
Oh, stop it.
Honestly.
- Thank you.
- What's this all about anyway?
It's about us getting in a lot
of trouble if anyone finds out.
So your lab did the DNA testing
for all 17 of these cases?
- Yes.
- Was there anything unusual about them?
- No, not really.
- Nothing?
- Well...
- Well what?
It's not something
I can put my finger on.
Put another body part on it.
What is it?
It's just that some of
the DNA samples,
they came in at the last minute.
- And that's unusual?
- Kind of. Sometimes.
How many of the 17 cases?
Most.
Oh yeah, I remember them.
How could I ever forget?
They seemed like such a nice couple.
The one with the beard
always wanted to take pictures.
And it turns out the nicer looking one
was a murderer.
And I was standing this close to him.
It gives me shivers.
I guess you can never tell, can you?
No, I guess you can't.
Hello?
Operator, I'll accept.
Ella, listen.
When Finley went home and found
the disc was missing,
he would have gone for backup.
Now think.
What's the absolutely safest place
you could keep something?
Um, maybe with somebody else.
Where does his mother live?
Both of his parents are dead.
- What about a friend?
- I was his closest friend.
Um, a bank.
A safety deposit box.
Yes.
Yes, that makes sense.
Okay, his bank was
the Pelican Bank & Trust.
Oh yes, I remember him vividly.
He was in a terrible hurry.
No D in his name,
unlike my second
cousin or whatever he is.
Rush rush rush.
He simply took something
out of his safe deposit box
and literally ran out of here.
No private cubicle,
nothing.
He didn't even take his key.
I've never seen anything
quite like it.
Did you see what he removed
from the box?
Oh, we're not allowed to do that.
Our customers are guaranteed
complete privacy.
I appreciate that, Ms. Urlanger.
Miss Urlanger.
Never quite liked Ms.
Sounds like a beehive.
Um, you said he reached for
the box right in front of you.
It's possible that you saw
what he removed
because you couldn't avoid it,
isn't it?
Well, now that you mention it,
maybe I kind of saw something.
A plastic thingy
with something shiny inside.
- A computer disc maybe?
- Maybe.
The till is directly linked
to my inventory.
When I scan the barcode
it logs the product
and the manufacturer's number.
Right, so you can match any receipt
with an item that's been purchased?
Yup, as long as it has
the manufacturer's label.
But I already told you guys this.
You spoke to someone
from my office?
- Yeah.
- Do you remember who?
Yes, he said he was the DA.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I called about seeing the Nicholas
case evidence box.
Right, you're from the DA's office.
- Yeah, I have a case number.
- That's okay. I already pulled it for you.
- Oh, thank you.
- Uh-huh.
Great, thanks.
Ella?
What are you doing here so late?
I was just looking at the...
the original police file
on the Belmont case.
I'm not familiar with that case.
It's a carjacking.
We brought him in two days ago.
- You know Lieutenant Merchant.
- Yes, hi.
- You keep late hours.
- So do you.
I hope you're not letting your personal
life interfere with your work.
What?
You look tired.
You should get some rest.
Yeah, I was actually
just on my way home.
If you don't get any rest,
you can come down with something.
And health is the most
important thing we have.
Absolutely.
- Good night, Ella.
- Good night, sir.
Let me ask you something.
If you had to run back to
your safety deposit box
to get your backup disc,
wouldn't that mean that there's
an original disc missing?
And would it be missing?
I mean, that's just not the kind
of thing that disappears, right?
Maybe you lose your cell phone
or your keys or something,
but definitely not
the single most important piece
of evidence in your entire life.
Are you listening to me?
Look, I've been thinking
over and over.
When I showed the tape to Weldon
of Merchant giving that
cigarette to Andre Benson,
Weldon said,
"How could that mean anything
since the tape was made three days after
the crime scene photographs were taken?"
But what if the crime photos
were doctored?
What if they altered
the photo somehow?
What if they put the cigarette
butt in after the photo was taken?
Shit.
I am not good at this.
Look, it's okay.
I understand.
I'm your intern,
you're an assistant DA.
You don't ask interns to lunch
unless you want something.
So just ask me.
Listen, you know your partner?
Roberta?
You remember her?
Yeah, I remember
she's getting her PhD
in computer science
from the university, right?
- You do remember.
- Well, it's kind of delicate,
but I need to speak
to an expert in digital imagery.
- You mean digital forensics?
- Yes, exactly.
Well, she can help you.
If she doesn't have the answers for you
she knows the people who do.
Great. Can you arrange a meeting
between the two of us?
- Of course. When?
- Tonight?
- Tonight?
- It's kind of a secret.
A secret is good.
I like secrets.
I mean, absolutely no one at the DA's
office can know about this.
Absolutely no one.
It cannot go through the regular channels.
I'll set it up for tonight.
Danielle, there could
be danger here.
Danger?
Hi.
What can I do for you this
evening, Miss Crystal?
I'm really sorry
to bother you, Sergeant,
especially after hours.
It's just I am overwhelmed
with casework and...
I haven't even been able
to start my report for DA Hunter.
He's gonna have my ass tomorrow if...
Am I supposed to be following you
on all of this?
Oh, sorry.
I get kind of wound up
when I'm nervous.
We're doing an in-house study
on how crime scene evidence,
specifically photos,
are archived
by both the state
and local police departments...
if there's anything we can do
to improve that system,
you know, keep the bad guys in prison.
Which brings me back
to my first question:
Is there anything I can do for you
this evening, Miss Crystal?
Yes. Would you please show me
how and where the digital images
are downloaded from
the photographers' CF cards?
How safe are they? Oh, and also,
are they JPEG compressed files
or are they uncompressed? I want to
compare that to the sheriff's office.
If you look down there, there's a big old
double-bolted metal door.
Now all the physical
evidence is stored in there
along with the hard drives.
And only the evidence sergeant
has the combination to the lock.
As far as images go,
I don't know if they're J-whatever-
you-said or not.
They're all stored on a server.
And you can't access to it without
somebody with a passcode.
And there ain't too many somebodies
with a passcode.
And you might be one
of those somebodies?
No doubt.
Can you show them to me?
Please?
You got a case number?
Me? No.
Anything is fine.
Let's see.
How about 11151?
That's from...
May 21, 2006.
Sure, that's fine.
Evidence Sergeant Gilbert.
This is Colletti from Major Crime.
We need the skirt and blouse
from case 18446.
We need to do a DNA match
with the perp we've got in custody.
We might have just caught ourselves
a serial rapist.
I need to know if you have it.
You want me to go
get it right now?
No, I want you tell my captain
he'll get it tomorrow instead.
All right, hang on.
Goddamn son of a bitch.
It's like goddamn
rush hour around here.
Goddamn son of a bitch.
I'm on a circus train
that's full of midgets.
Goddamn son of a bitch.
Everything has got to be right now.
I've got your goddamn
right now right here.
Okay.
Okay, come on, come on,
come on, come on, come on.
Damn it.
Son of a bitch clown crap.
Everything's right now.
God damn it.
If I wanted to talk to people
I would have stayed in vice.
Right now, right now, right now.
Goddamn everything's got to be
goddamn right now.
Son of a bitch.
No, we ain't got it down here.
Are you sure?
Case 18446, you don't have it?
I'm sure 'cause ain't nobody
logged it in neither.
They must have
got the number wrong.
I'm in some major shit here.
I'll call you back.
Yeah, you do that.
Ow!
So how you doing, ace?
What's this all about?
- Guard!
- Easy easy.
Just want to see how you're getting on.
Is the food okay?
They taking care of you?
You know, sometimes it gets kinda
lonely in here.
Why don't you just cut the bullshit?
You want something. What is it?
Can't a guy even come by
and see how you're doing?
- What the hell do you want?
- World peace. What do you want?
I want everyone to know
what a scumbag you really are.
- Oh, me?
- Yeah, you.
No.
No, I put away the bad guys.
You planted the evidence.
You do know they monitor
the phones here, don't you?
You take care, ace.
You son of a bitch!
Hi. Come on in here.
Ella?
- You must be Roberta.
- Yeah.
You and Danielle may
turn out to be lifesavers.
I mean literal lifesavers.
I can't thank you enough.
Do you have it? I want to see it.
She has it, right?
Ella, this is Dell and Allen.
They're both post-doctorates here.
Sociability is not their strong suit.
- Say hello to Ella.
- Hello.
- Do you have it?
- Here you go, fellas.
They're not used to actually speaking
to other vertebrates,
- so be patient.
- Right.
Uh, the second one there.
- Are these real dead people?
- I'm afraid so.
These are great.
Can I make a copy?
No, Allen.
That would be against the law.
I'm Dell.
He's Allen.
Sorry, Dell.
Can you open this photograph right here?
All right,
here's what I'm looking for.
You see this cigarette right here?
I need to know if you think it's possible
that this cigarette was added after the fact.
They're uncompressed.
- Why's that good?
- The more resolution the more metadata.
- Metadata?
- She doesn't know what metadata is.
She knows lots of stuff
that you don't know.
Metadata is literally
data about data.
Digital images are comprised of pixels.
That's the data.
If you look closer you find
that there's metadata
around the pixels.
Watch. Look over here.
- See the patterns?
- Uh-huh.
Tell her about what Lukas and Fridrich
and Goljan found.
Tell her about the statistic
characteristics of imaging sensors.
Shut up.
Three researchers at Binghamton
found that cameras
have a pattern noise
and if you look closely enough
you can find that there is a difference
in the pattern noise
of the algorithm of each camera
even though they're mass manufactured.
There's a subtle difference
in each one.
It's actually like
a digital fingerprint.
So let's look at the pattern
on this part of the image.
- See it?
- Uh-huh.
Now let's move over to the cigarette
and see that pattern.
It's different.
Can you see it?
That cigarette was definitely not
part of the original photograph.
Oh my God.
Shit.
What was it?
Two, three, four.
Four orange.
Orange orange.
Where is it?
Ah.
Oh!
You all right?
- How'd you know?
- I was following him following you.
Never liked that son of a bitch.
I knew he was up to something
so I followed him.
I don't know what else
to say but thank you.
It's what I do.
We ain't all like him.
I know.
I know.
I've got to call this in.
It's gonna be a shitstorm.
He's not the only part.
This storm's bigger than you think.
We could be talking Katrina here.
In an incredible turn of events,
District Attorney Mark Hunter
was arrested
and charged with the falsifying
of evidence
in the murder trial of Andre Benson
causing a mistrial in that case
and 17 others,
including the trial of Channel 8 reporter
CJ Nicholas.
Hunter was taken to the county jail
and booked this afternoon.
Bail is pending.
Harold Rice, who is now
the acting district attorney,
said that his office has to
review the Nicholas trial
along with the others
because all DNA evidence
in these trials is now suspect.
Rice said that he has serious doubts
that there was enough
evidence to retry Nicholas
as the case was circumstantial
and not that strong
without the DNA evidence.
As a result, he saw no reason
to keep him in prison.
News 8's Kelly Gertner reports.
The scene was a madhouse today
outside Louisiana State Prison
as CJ Nicholas went from death row
to freedom
in a matter of hours.
As his taxi sped away
from the prison
one could not escape being
struck by three things...
the rise and spectacular fall
of Mark Hunter
who before this afternoon
was destined
to be our next governor
and is now in jail;
the fall and now
possibly spectacular rise
of CJ Nicholas who before this
afternoon was facing execution
and is now free and about
to become a national celebrity;
Doris Ruth Owens...
the young woman
found dead in the park
shown here when she was arrested
for prostitution...
her case is now open again
and will likely remain unsolved.
She will become one
of those statistics,
an unsolved case involving
a relatively unknown young woman.
She was so little.
...felt her grow
you know, cold.
Hey.
You don't have to watch
that thing again.
Turn it off and come back
to bed with me.
I'm so dumb.
I didn't believe you about Hunter.
You were right all along.
I'm so dumb.
Don't torture yourself.
You were the greatest.
You saved me.
Why are you dressed?
She was blackmailing you,
wasn't she?
What?
You know, sometimes you hear
an alarm bell go off in your head.
You don't know what it is
or why it's there.
It's like a radio station
you just can't quite get.
What are you talking about?
I've got to hand it to you.
This was a brilliant plan.
And then I saw this photo.
Bingo, there it is.
That hand.
I mean, who could
really forget that hand?
That's Taieesha's hand.
Taieesha didn't die of an overdose.
There was no Taieesha.
Doris Ruth Owens
was the girl you hired
from Buffalo to be Taieesha.
Your award-winning documentary
was a complete phony.
- Ella...
- She was blackmailing you, wasn't she?
She followed you up here from Buffalo
and she was blackmailing you.
She was going to expose the fact that
your precious career was a total lie.
So you had to stop her.
I love you and you love me.
Everything was a lie.
Your entire career was a lie.
You killed Doris Ruth Owens
because she was threatening
to expose your lie.
You are a lie.
How can I love a lie?
What was I supposed to do?
Just let her bleed me to death?
Ruin my whole life?
What choice did I have?
You tell me.
You're worth more than her?
Just like that?
No. No, it's not like that.
You don't have to do this.
Look, Hunter put 17 people in prison
for crimes they may not have committed.
Are you telling me that she's worth
more than all those people?
She's worth more
than the whole system?
It was a brilliant plan.
You commit the perfect murder,
you expose Hunter,
you win whatever awards you want to,
you get to become a star.
And after you're acquitted they can't try
you again because of double jeopardy.
We can go so far together.
There's just one
little glitch in your plan.
You weren't acquitted.
They declared a mistrial.
So once they make the connection
between you and Owens
they'll have enough
evidence to convict you.
- This doesn't have to happen.
- Oh, yes it does.
Why?
Because it's too late.
Ella, what have you done?
What have you done!?
I really don't have anything more
to say to you.
You know, I just thought
of one more thing:
Fuck you.