How To Get Away With Murder (2014) s01e01 Episode Script
Pilot
It has been one tough year for our school, but that all ends this Saturday! Because that's when this team, my warriors, are gonna burn those pansy-ass OHIO players right to the ground! And stop acting like a little bitch baby.
Do not tell me how to feel right now! Hey.
Aah! Sorry it took so long.
I went back for this.
Now, you you take that back right now! No.
It's smart.
Commonwealth v.
Deloatche A case the prosecution should've won but lost because there was no murder weapon.
- So, what are you saying? - We clean it and we put it back.
Hide it in plain sight.
After we bury the body.
No, absolutely not.
Yeah, I-I-I-I'm with Michaela.
No, Connor, think.
The trophy we need, yes.
But the body stays where it is.
No, the body is what gets us caught.
You are not thinking straight.
What do you suggest?! Something that doesn't involve carrying a body across campus on the busiest night of the year! She's right, Laurel.
Even if we get it out of the house, unseen, the ground is frozen! We have all night to dig.
You don't know what you're talking about! This is murder! None of us know what we're talking about! - Please, just yell that a little louder! - Hey.
Honestly, you're all dumber than I thought if you think we should go back there.
Look, I'm agreeing with you Going back is an idiotic You two need to man up and think because we're going to jail.
Shut up! Shut up! It's two against two.
We have no other choice.
We flip a coin.
That is the dumbest thing you've ever said.
I'm not letting a freaking coin decide whether or not I go to jail tonight! We don't have time to fight! We need to make a decision and commit to it.
So if someone has a better idea, say it now! Heads, we get the body.
Tails, we leave it where it is.
Okay? I threw up four times this morning worried she's gonna call on me.
Yeah, she's a ballbuster, sure, but I spent my summer interning for chief justice Roberts, so I know how to handle a big personality.
Dershowitz has the upper hand in the academic world, but Keating's clearly the better defense attorney.
Here we go.
I'm not usually a first-row kind of guy, but I promised myself I wouldn't hide in the back of the class.
I'm engaged.
Oh.
Oh, no.
I-I wasn't hitting on Seats are assigned.
There's a chart over there.
- Nice try, player.
- No.
I wasn't trying anything You should find your seat.
You don't want to be a sitting duck - when the shooter gets here.
- What? Oh, my God.
You have no idea what you just walked into.
Good morning.
I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your karma's out of balance to get assigned to my class.
I'm Professor Annalise Keating, and this is criminal law 100.
Or, as I prefer to call it How to get away with murder.
unlike many of my colleagues, I will not be teaching you how to study the law or theorize about it, but rather how to practice it In a courtroom, like a real lawyer.
Now to our first case study, the aspirin assassin.
Tell us the facts Connor Walsh.
The Commonwealth v.
Gina Sadowski was a case of attempted murder.
The defendant, Ms.
Sadowski, worked as the second assistant to the victim, Arthur Kaufman, the CEO of an advertising agency.
Ms.
Sadowski was not only his assistant, though.
She was also his mistress.
What happened after Mr.
Kaufman's wife of 27 years, Agnes, found out about the affair? You.
He ended the relationship and transferred her to the accounting department.
That's when she allegedly switched one of his blood-pressure pills for an aspirin, which she knew he was allergic to.
What occurred when Mr.
Kaufman ingested the aspirin? Anyone? Mr.
Kaufman went into anaphylactic shock.
His throat swelled and his brain was deprived of oxygen for 7 minutes before his first assistant was able to resuscitate him.
Michaela Pratt.
So, we've established the actus reus.
What was the mens rea? Wesley gibbins? The mens rea? Right.
Day 1 and you're unprepared? No.
Well, um, yes, but I didn't know there was anything to prepare.
I e-mailed the assignment to the entire class two days ago.
Oh.
I didn't get that.
Mr.
Gibbins, as a defense attorney, I spend most of my time around professional liars, so you have to work really hard to fool me.
I only got accepted here two days ago From the wait list, so that's probably why you didn't get my e-mail address.
Let me help you out.
"Actus reus" means "guilty act" The poisoning of Mr.
Kaufman with an aspirin Whereas "mens rea" means "guilty mind.
" So what was Ms.
Sadowski's mens rea? Think, Mr.
Gibbins.
It's nothing more than common sense.
To kill.
Will the individual who just spoke please stand and repeat the answer? The mens rea, also referred to as "intent," was to kill Mr.
Kaufman.
That's right.
Your name? Laurel Castillo.
Never take a learning opportunity away from another student, no matter how smart you need everyone to think you are.
All right, before we move on, are there any other questions? Mr.
Walsh.
I noticed that the verdict wasn't listed here.
So I guess my question is, did she do it? Why don't you ask her yourself? I lied.
This isn't a past case but one I took last week after Gina fired her previous lawyer.
This one day, I walked into his office when I just screamed, real loud, 'cause Arthur was standing there behind the door.
I thought he was gonna be pissed at me, yell, but instead he just started laughin'.
So then I started laughin' and, well, um, that's when he kissed me for the first time and Yeah, I became that girl.
Something tells me she's always been "that girl.
" It was on my last day workin' for him when I came back from lunch and saw the paramedics.
When I heard that Arthur was hurt I loved him.
I know that's hard to believe, but I loved him.
Why in the hell would I want to hurt him? The trial begins in two days, so tomorrow, each of you have one minute to present the best defense for this case.
See if you can beat my current plan.
Mr.
Gibbins? Yes? You'll go last, an unenviable position seeing that no two students will be allowed to present the same idea.
Use the resources in this office Gina's discovery file, my library, the people who know me even better than myself My associates.
Name's Frank, and unlike every teacher you've had, I do believe there are stupid questions.
So if you got 'em, please see my lovely colleague Bonnie.
Or, better, you could come to us with answers.
We'll like you much better that way.
And one more thing.
Every year I choose four students to come work for me.
This assignment is used to help me decide who that is.
The top student gets this.
Consider this your immunity idol.
You you take that back right now! The winner can turn this in at any point to get out of an exam.
Now go.
Find a defense that will free our client.
The first assistant saw Gina with an aspirin that morning.
Forensics found aspirin residue on the plate.
She was warned about the allergy first day on the job, which means we should argue We should argue Which means we should argue We should argue means we should argue She's guilty.
Hi.
Wes.
I just moved in next door.
- What do you want? - Uh, your music I normally wouldn't ask to turn it down but today was my first day of law school and I have - No.
- What? The last guy who lived in your apartment was a law student.
I put up with his crazy-loud rabbit sex, his nervous breakdown.
You can deal with this.
Uh, uh Michaela.
I never agreed to this! The coin did, so I'm gonna stand here and not see anything so when I'm called to testify, I can say just that.
I just want you to move your feet.
What? Here.
I wiped the sink down with bleach after I washed it.
Now what? We put it back.
Let's just get the hell out of here.
Now.
I'll help.
Fine.
Whoa.
Aah! Come out here.
This car one of yours? - It's my car, sir.
- You're blocking the sidewalk.
Oh.
Uh, right.
I can I can move it right now.
This that law Professor's office? Yes.
Professor Keating.
We're her law students, but she's out of town and told us to take this old rug to the bonfire.
She asked you to go into her house and burn a rug for her? It sounds weird, I know.
Why don't I give her a call so she can explain to you herself? Uh it's a little late to call her, don't you think? The nice officer here thinks we're burgling our Professor's house.
- Let's just clear this whole thing up.
- Right.
I mean, it is a little late.
Oh, God, and she had to go to her mother's funeral today.
But maybe she's not asleep yet.
This'll burn good! It's fine.
Just Damn it.
Be safe, okay? There's a ton of crazies out tonight.
Where the hell has that girl been all night? We should offer the jury another suspect altogether Mr.
Kaufman's wife, Agnes.
She was angry about the affair, had access to his office, and knew what aspirin looked like his blood-pressure pill.
So what better way to get revenge than to kill your cheating husband and pin it on his mistress? Thank you.
Take a seat, Ms.
Pratt.
You've moved on to the next round.
Who's next? It all comes down to a simple piece of evidence That the doctor "claims" he ran Mr.
Kaufman's blood work too late to find any aspirin in his blood.
A statistical breakdown of the jury pool shows 80% of them come from a low socioeconomic class.
Yes, Gina put the pill on his desk, but did she have the intent to kill? Our client mistook the aspirin as his blood-pressure medication The issues at play are complicated and in need of more extensive research So without a witness to assure that, um Do we really trust this doctor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury? Or did she simply want to give him a scare? Ipso facto, this is a classic case of Diminished capacity a class struggle An accident automatism - Um, where's Gina? - Gina's one of them while Mr.
Kaufman represents the wealthy and out of touch.
Attempted murder, therefore, is a bogus, inaccurate charge.
We d we don't know where Gina was.
I think not! I think not, indeed! Mr.
Gibbins? Right.
So, the way I see it is We say it was self-defense.
And we do that because, well, Gina was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, which is actually quite common in assistants with demanding bosses.
The affair was just one example of how far Mr.
Kaufman's brainwashing of Gina went.
He made her fall in love with him.
So in this way, her poisoning him was an act of self-defense.
And I'll just go stand over there.
No.
Sit.
Congratulations to those who managed to keep your seat.
That said, none of you beat my approach, which goes as follows.
Step 1 discredit the witnesses.
Step 2, introduce a new suspect.
That person is Mr.
Kaufman's jealous business partner, Lionel Bryant.
Step 3, we bury the evidence.
We throw so much information at the jury that they walk into the deliberation room with one overwhelming feeling doubt.
That's how you get away with murder.
See you in the courthouse at 9:00.
Oh, um, Professor Keating! We have torts at 9:00 tomorrow, then property at 11:00, - so I'm not sure - The way you're whining right now makes me believe you think I'm your mother, Ms.
Pratt.
Show up tomorrow or drop out of the competition.
It's that simple.
I was his first assistant for 21 years, so to see him on his office floor like that, it was so awful.
He wasn't breathing.
And his skin kept getting more and more blue.
I'm sorry, Agnes.
I tried everything.
You did everything you could, Ms.
Tanner.
We just got screwed.
Not in a good way.
You don't like Gina, do you? You would yell at her, calling her "Incompetent," "stupid," "podunk trailer trash"? No.
That's a Can I have a moment, Your Honor? What the hell are you doing? Well, now we know who's the first to flame out.
Hurry it along, Ms.
Keating.
What was that? Something they taught you in torts? You should really pay attention.
You might learn something.
Ms.
Tanner, you testified that you saw a pill on my client's desk on the day of the accident, correct? Yes.
And you said it was a yellow pill, similar to prosecutor Williams' shirt? Yes.
Prosecutor Williams' shirt is blue, Ms.
Tanner.
Are you color-blind? Yes.
- But I know what I saw that morning.
- I see.
So whether the pill that you saw on my client's desk was blue, like her anxiety medication she used to endure working under you, or yellow, like the aspirin used to poison Mr.
Kaufman, is not something you can tell us? I told you Gina was acting nervous, like It's a simple question.
Is it possible that the pill that you saw on Gina's desk was her anxiety medication? I guess so.
Thank you for your candor.
I saw she was wearing glasses in one of her Facebook photos, which got me wondering about her eyesight, so I called every optometrist covered under her insurance, found hers, then pretended to be a claims provider to get the receptionist to admit she has a condition called achromatopsia.
It causes color blindness.
Step 1 discredit the witness.
I might as well hand you the trophy right now, Ms.
Pratt.
But I won't.
Not until I see how the rest of you step up your game.
And in other news, the search continues for Lila Stangard.
Ms.
Stangard, a 21-year-old student of the Philadelphia university, has not been seen since friends saw her leaving a fraternity party earlier this week.
Oh, my God.
Hello? Professor Keating? Don't even try.
Professor? Oh, my God.
Get the hell out! Hey! I'm so sorry.
- Th-the door was open.
- Oh, I'll kill him.
- Why are you here? - It can wait.
Frank, you didn't lock up again.
Speak.
I-I-I came across this case Commonwealth v.
Mcginnis Which says we can move for a faster verdict if we think the prosecution's evidence is insufficient.
What you're suggesting is called a "Directed verdict.
" If we ask for it and get denied, all the public will hear is there's enough evidence to convict.
But you discredited the first assistant today and You had an idea.
I'm telling you it's a bad one.
Good night, Seth.
Wes.
Right.
Connor, please stop.
No.
I like it, especially that it annoys you.
What's all this for? I figured I should buy other stuff in case I'm on the surveillance video.
Why? We can just kill the store owner if we need to, right? Hey! Maker's Manhattan, two cherries.
So, you know, your co-workers seem to want a show.
So just say the word and we can start making out.
Ignore them.
I-I just I don't talk to guys at bars that often.
So, let me guess.
You guys all work in the advertising agency upstairs? Is it that obvious? I work in the bank across the street, and the only hot guys that ever come in here are from your agency.
Hot? Wow.
Uh I don't work in the cool part of the company, if that's what you're thinking.
I'm in I.
T.
I.
T.
? No, I-I think I.
T.
's very cool.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
Did you know that secretary that tried to kill her boss with an aspirin? The legal department warned us not to talk about that.
Oh.
Right.
Sorry I asked.
Uh, okay, but no one can know I told you this.
How'd you get this? I thought I thought all you wanted from me were those e-mails.
I did.
But I want this, too.
Turn over.
It wasn't exactly legal, is the point.
Then we just have to get creative.
Bonnie! Mr.
Bryant, you and your business partner, Mr.
Kaufman, had a meeting in his office on the morning of the accident, correct? Yes.
To discuss moving Gina to accounting.
So to avoid any possible sexual-harassment lawsuit? That's correct.
Will you please read this e-mail that you wrote to Mr.
Kaufman? "Dear Arthur, consider this my official request "that you step down as CEO "I've warned you about having sexual relations with employees of this company" Your honor, this e-mail was not part of the discovery file.
- Is this true? - I thought it was.
Although my associate is more familiar with the paperwork on this case.
Bonnie? - Oh, my God.
- What? I found the e-mail in the files given to us by our client's previous attorney, Your Honor.
I just assumed it was part of the discovery file.
It wasn't, which means it was obviously obtained illegally.
Enough.
Did you write this e-mail, Mr.
Bryant? Yes.
Then I have to side with the defense here.
- The e-mail's admissible.
- Your Honor! I've made my decision, Mr.
Williams.
Mr.
Bryant, as stated in the e-mail, you were angry at Mr.
Kaufman for taking part in a sexual relationship with an employee.
I was frustrated, yes.
So frustrated that perhaps you swapped his blood-pressure pill for an aspirin in order to gain sole ownership of the company? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
No further questions.
We did well today, no doubt due to Mr.
Walsh's hard work last night.
I'll be at the Dean's cocktail party if you find anything before tomorrow.
How'd you get that e-mail? Yeah, bro, for reals.
I don't kiss and tell.
What the hell does that mean? Where are you going? Where are you going? Arthur.
- Don't don't go! - It's just the restroom, sweetie.
- Don't go.
Don't go.
- It's just the restroom, sweetie.
Shh, shh, shh.
I'll be right back.
It's about the both of us.
Don't you get that? Griffin, stop! This happened, so get your head out of your ass! Stop yelling! Do you need help? It's fine.
It's not a big deal.
Get out of my apartment! First year is the worst, no doubt.
Just put your head down, do the work, and try not to take it so seriously.
Okay, no offense, man, but, obviously, you never went to law school.
This place is a dogfight 24/7.
And only the big dog get the bone.
Fine.
You're on to me.
I'm a psychology Professor.
But before you lose all respect for me, you should know that I work with the firm sometimes.
And you? You are? Wes.
He's in your wife's class, too.
Ah.
Sam.
How's it going so far? Has she gone full terrorist on you yet or no? I'm sorry.
Who's your wife? Professor Keating.
There she is.
Let me guess your ears were burning? - Should they be? - Don't worry.
I didn't spill any secrets.
Well, not yet, at least.
To first year.
They're totally wondering where we went right now.
No way.
Over here.
Flashlight.
Hey, hey.
Jen cannot find out about this, okay? - Deal.
- Okay.
What was that? Hey! Who's there? Can we go? - Why is Frank calling you? - What? I saw your phone, Laurel.
What the hell's going on? I only saw them together for a second, I know, but well, it makes sense.
A wife gets so tired of her husband cheating that she teams up with his mistress for revenge.
Fine.
Say you're right.
What do you expect us to do about it? Put you on the stand so the jury definitely has enough evidence - to convict Gina? - No.
Obviously not.
I-I just You already knew.
I didn't say that.
Right.
Because then you'd actually be admitting, out loud, to defending a guilty client.
And who really has time to deal with the moral repercussions of that? Brown, right? Or was it Smith? Berkeley? Brown.
What? You read my application or something? Just a guess.
We get a lot of you around here.
Smart, idealistic girls who come to law school to help the less fortunate, only to take a corporate job after graduation, which they then quit the second they get pregnant 'cause they'd rather stay home.
For the child, of course.
You're a misogynistic ass.
Stop screwing the students.
I'm not going to say anything.
Honestly, the fact that I even saw that was my Stop.
I need to apologize.
My husband and I have been talking about having a baby for a long time now.
And I hate making excuses, but it's put a lot of pressure on us and our marriage.
Oh, my God.
Oh, God, I just I'm totally making making it worse.
Forgive me.
Thank you for keeping this between us.
Hmm? Of course.
I'll just Go.
If Lila were here, I know she'd want to thank everyone for their support.
That was star middleton quarterback Griffin O'Reilly speaking tonight at a vigil held for his girlfriend, Lila stangard.
Sam! - Hey, guys.
- Hey.
Hey.
How was Yale? Let me guess they loved you, right? Offered you the whole department? They're just early talks.
No one's moving anywhere yet.
All right.
I'm heading to bed.
You coming? I've missed you.
I'll be up soon.
Hey.
Oh.
Hey.
Uh, that's just to say sorry for tonight and then the night before that.
I stole it from the bar I work at, so don't actually think I'm that nice.
I've heard the music you listen to.
I never thought you were nice.
Rebecca.
Should we open it, maybe? I kind of had a weird night.
Could use a drink or ten.
I can't tonight.
Sorry.
So, you got the footage from the convenience store when, Detective Gill? It was two nights ago.
Uh, th-the store owner had seen the defendant's picture on the news, so he went through his old surveillance tapes and just found this footage.
Footage that I will now play for everyone.
There.
The night before the murder attempt, Ms.
Sadowski bought What does it say on that label, Detective Gill? Uh, uh, soloxacore.
It's a brand of aspirin.
You had one job! To let us know what bodies we needed to bury! Texts, calls, anything we needed to destroy.
And you didn't.
So guess what! Guess what! You go to jail, and I'm the shoddy lawyer who put you there! - I had a headache! It isn't - Stop lying! Get out.
I can't think with you here.
She's not wrong, Annalise.
- It's aspirin.
We all buy it.
- What about you, Frank? What slutty undergrad spread her legs and made you forget your job this time?! Hey, I grilled Gina the minute we got this case.
She chose not to tell me this because, well, that's obvious, isn't it? I'm sorry.
It won't happen again.
But don't worry.
We can fix this.
"We"? No, I'll fix it.
You stay here, collect a paycheck.
I'd like to call our first witness to the stand.
Detective Nate Lahey.
Who's that? No idea.
Professor.
Get the hell out! What the hell is this? Where were you two nights ago, Detective? What? Two nights ago, when Detective Gill acquired the video that supposedly incriminates my client Weren't you supposed to be working at the precinct as his direct supervisor? I was.
And were you there? Please answer the question, detective.
No.
I was not.
Where were you, then? Home, perhaps? Taking care of your wife? I hear she's recently been diagnosed with cancer.
I was at a friend's.
Okay.
I only ask because there's something I find strange about the chain of custody on this video.
Detective Gill testified that he received the video from the store owner at 8:00 P.
M.
But the logs say he didn't log it into custody until 2:09 A.
M.
Don't you find that time gap odd? Sometimes it takes us a while to log evidence into the computer.
Because you're all so busy? Visiting friends and such? Detective, in your 12 years working for the City of Philadelphia, have you ever known them to alter video footage to help the prosecution get a conviction? Objection! Digitally altering aspirin labels, for example? - Your honor! - I'm simply asking Detective Lahey about his personal experience within his department.
This is the last question I'll allow.
Are you personally aware of any instances of doctored surveillance footage within your department? Yes.
I am.
The good people of Philadelphia saw justice prevail today.
Ms.
Sadowski was a victim here, scapegoated by a desperate, overworked DA's office.
And as much as we hope the police find the real perpetrator of this act against Mr.
Kaufman, Ms.
Sadowski is and always has been innocent, and I am so happy the jury agreed.
I want to be her.
Now it's time to find out who will be joining us in our firm.
First, the standout in the class and the one you should all make it your mission to destroy Come get your prize, Mr.
Walsh.
The other ones joining us will be Asher Millstone.
Yeah! Yes! Michaela Pratt.
Oh, thank God.
Laurel Castillo.
And because our workload has grown, I decided to hire one more of you.
And that one will be Wes Gibbins.
Professor Keating! Wes.
How can I help you? So, that detective? Is my boyfriend.
Yes.
I don't want the job.
- Not if you picked me because of that.
- "That"? - You got him to lie on the stand.
- Is that why I picked you? Because I thought I picked you because your self-defense argument showed you think well on your feet.
But now that you exposed what you really think of yourself and that you really don't believe you deserve this job That's not what I said.
That's exactly what you said, right before you accused me of illegal acts to win this case.
We won because I did my job.
You think carefully.
Everything after this moment will not only determine your career but life.
You can spend it in a corporate office drafting contracts and hitting on chubby paralegals before finally putting a gun in your mouth, or you can join my firm and become someone you actually like.
So decide.
Do you want the job or not? Someone call about low water pressure? Guys! Did anybody call maintenance? I think the water thingy's upstairs.
Breaking news live here in Philadelphia Police are confirming a woman's body was found inside the kappa kappa theta house on middleton's campus.
Griffin! Look! Whether that woman is Lila Stangard, long-term girlfriend to middleton football star Griffin O'Reilly, has not been confirmed.
It was just days ago the star student stangard was reported missing by one of her friends at the sorority.
She was last seen attending a party at a campus fraternity.
No witnesses saw her leave, and she was not in her room the next morning.
The fact that she might not have been missing this entire time But rather deceased in her own home What happened? Is certainly going to raise many questions My student.
They found her in one of those water tanks.
Parked outside the home of her parents, Stuart and Miranda stangard, owners of billion-dollar tech company stangard industries.
I'm sorry.
No, it's just Those poor parents.
I bet you the boyfriend did it.
I guess we'll see.
Okay.
Last chance.
Either we all agree, or we stop right now.
Just do it.
Before the bonfire ends.
Michaela? It's the only way to destroy the DNA.
Do not tell me how to feel right now! Hey.
Aah! Sorry it took so long.
I went back for this.
Now, you you take that back right now! No.
It's smart.
Commonwealth v.
Deloatche A case the prosecution should've won but lost because there was no murder weapon.
- So, what are you saying? - We clean it and we put it back.
Hide it in plain sight.
After we bury the body.
No, absolutely not.
Yeah, I-I-I-I'm with Michaela.
No, Connor, think.
The trophy we need, yes.
But the body stays where it is.
No, the body is what gets us caught.
You are not thinking straight.
What do you suggest?! Something that doesn't involve carrying a body across campus on the busiest night of the year! She's right, Laurel.
Even if we get it out of the house, unseen, the ground is frozen! We have all night to dig.
You don't know what you're talking about! This is murder! None of us know what we're talking about! - Please, just yell that a little louder! - Hey.
Honestly, you're all dumber than I thought if you think we should go back there.
Look, I'm agreeing with you Going back is an idiotic You two need to man up and think because we're going to jail.
Shut up! Shut up! It's two against two.
We have no other choice.
We flip a coin.
That is the dumbest thing you've ever said.
I'm not letting a freaking coin decide whether or not I go to jail tonight! We don't have time to fight! We need to make a decision and commit to it.
So if someone has a better idea, say it now! Heads, we get the body.
Tails, we leave it where it is.
Okay? I threw up four times this morning worried she's gonna call on me.
Yeah, she's a ballbuster, sure, but I spent my summer interning for chief justice Roberts, so I know how to handle a big personality.
Dershowitz has the upper hand in the academic world, but Keating's clearly the better defense attorney.
Here we go.
I'm not usually a first-row kind of guy, but I promised myself I wouldn't hide in the back of the class.
I'm engaged.
Oh.
Oh, no.
I-I wasn't hitting on Seats are assigned.
There's a chart over there.
- Nice try, player.
- No.
I wasn't trying anything You should find your seat.
You don't want to be a sitting duck - when the shooter gets here.
- What? Oh, my God.
You have no idea what you just walked into.
Good morning.
I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your karma's out of balance to get assigned to my class.
I'm Professor Annalise Keating, and this is criminal law 100.
Or, as I prefer to call it How to get away with murder.
unlike many of my colleagues, I will not be teaching you how to study the law or theorize about it, but rather how to practice it In a courtroom, like a real lawyer.
Now to our first case study, the aspirin assassin.
Tell us the facts Connor Walsh.
The Commonwealth v.
Gina Sadowski was a case of attempted murder.
The defendant, Ms.
Sadowski, worked as the second assistant to the victim, Arthur Kaufman, the CEO of an advertising agency.
Ms.
Sadowski was not only his assistant, though.
She was also his mistress.
What happened after Mr.
Kaufman's wife of 27 years, Agnes, found out about the affair? You.
He ended the relationship and transferred her to the accounting department.
That's when she allegedly switched one of his blood-pressure pills for an aspirin, which she knew he was allergic to.
What occurred when Mr.
Kaufman ingested the aspirin? Anyone? Mr.
Kaufman went into anaphylactic shock.
His throat swelled and his brain was deprived of oxygen for 7 minutes before his first assistant was able to resuscitate him.
Michaela Pratt.
So, we've established the actus reus.
What was the mens rea? Wesley gibbins? The mens rea? Right.
Day 1 and you're unprepared? No.
Well, um, yes, but I didn't know there was anything to prepare.
I e-mailed the assignment to the entire class two days ago.
Oh.
I didn't get that.
Mr.
Gibbins, as a defense attorney, I spend most of my time around professional liars, so you have to work really hard to fool me.
I only got accepted here two days ago From the wait list, so that's probably why you didn't get my e-mail address.
Let me help you out.
"Actus reus" means "guilty act" The poisoning of Mr.
Kaufman with an aspirin Whereas "mens rea" means "guilty mind.
" So what was Ms.
Sadowski's mens rea? Think, Mr.
Gibbins.
It's nothing more than common sense.
To kill.
Will the individual who just spoke please stand and repeat the answer? The mens rea, also referred to as "intent," was to kill Mr.
Kaufman.
That's right.
Your name? Laurel Castillo.
Never take a learning opportunity away from another student, no matter how smart you need everyone to think you are.
All right, before we move on, are there any other questions? Mr.
Walsh.
I noticed that the verdict wasn't listed here.
So I guess my question is, did she do it? Why don't you ask her yourself? I lied.
This isn't a past case but one I took last week after Gina fired her previous lawyer.
This one day, I walked into his office when I just screamed, real loud, 'cause Arthur was standing there behind the door.
I thought he was gonna be pissed at me, yell, but instead he just started laughin'.
So then I started laughin' and, well, um, that's when he kissed me for the first time and Yeah, I became that girl.
Something tells me she's always been "that girl.
" It was on my last day workin' for him when I came back from lunch and saw the paramedics.
When I heard that Arthur was hurt I loved him.
I know that's hard to believe, but I loved him.
Why in the hell would I want to hurt him? The trial begins in two days, so tomorrow, each of you have one minute to present the best defense for this case.
See if you can beat my current plan.
Mr.
Gibbins? Yes? You'll go last, an unenviable position seeing that no two students will be allowed to present the same idea.
Use the resources in this office Gina's discovery file, my library, the people who know me even better than myself My associates.
Name's Frank, and unlike every teacher you've had, I do believe there are stupid questions.
So if you got 'em, please see my lovely colleague Bonnie.
Or, better, you could come to us with answers.
We'll like you much better that way.
And one more thing.
Every year I choose four students to come work for me.
This assignment is used to help me decide who that is.
The top student gets this.
Consider this your immunity idol.
You you take that back right now! The winner can turn this in at any point to get out of an exam.
Now go.
Find a defense that will free our client.
The first assistant saw Gina with an aspirin that morning.
Forensics found aspirin residue on the plate.
She was warned about the allergy first day on the job, which means we should argue We should argue Which means we should argue We should argue means we should argue She's guilty.
Hi.
Wes.
I just moved in next door.
- What do you want? - Uh, your music I normally wouldn't ask to turn it down but today was my first day of law school and I have - No.
- What? The last guy who lived in your apartment was a law student.
I put up with his crazy-loud rabbit sex, his nervous breakdown.
You can deal with this.
Uh, uh Michaela.
I never agreed to this! The coin did, so I'm gonna stand here and not see anything so when I'm called to testify, I can say just that.
I just want you to move your feet.
What? Here.
I wiped the sink down with bleach after I washed it.
Now what? We put it back.
Let's just get the hell out of here.
Now.
I'll help.
Fine.
Whoa.
Aah! Come out here.
This car one of yours? - It's my car, sir.
- You're blocking the sidewalk.
Oh.
Uh, right.
I can I can move it right now.
This that law Professor's office? Yes.
Professor Keating.
We're her law students, but she's out of town and told us to take this old rug to the bonfire.
She asked you to go into her house and burn a rug for her? It sounds weird, I know.
Why don't I give her a call so she can explain to you herself? Uh it's a little late to call her, don't you think? The nice officer here thinks we're burgling our Professor's house.
- Let's just clear this whole thing up.
- Right.
I mean, it is a little late.
Oh, God, and she had to go to her mother's funeral today.
But maybe she's not asleep yet.
This'll burn good! It's fine.
Just Damn it.
Be safe, okay? There's a ton of crazies out tonight.
Where the hell has that girl been all night? We should offer the jury another suspect altogether Mr.
Kaufman's wife, Agnes.
She was angry about the affair, had access to his office, and knew what aspirin looked like his blood-pressure pill.
So what better way to get revenge than to kill your cheating husband and pin it on his mistress? Thank you.
Take a seat, Ms.
Pratt.
You've moved on to the next round.
Who's next? It all comes down to a simple piece of evidence That the doctor "claims" he ran Mr.
Kaufman's blood work too late to find any aspirin in his blood.
A statistical breakdown of the jury pool shows 80% of them come from a low socioeconomic class.
Yes, Gina put the pill on his desk, but did she have the intent to kill? Our client mistook the aspirin as his blood-pressure medication The issues at play are complicated and in need of more extensive research So without a witness to assure that, um Do we really trust this doctor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury? Or did she simply want to give him a scare? Ipso facto, this is a classic case of Diminished capacity a class struggle An accident automatism - Um, where's Gina? - Gina's one of them while Mr.
Kaufman represents the wealthy and out of touch.
Attempted murder, therefore, is a bogus, inaccurate charge.
We d we don't know where Gina was.
I think not! I think not, indeed! Mr.
Gibbins? Right.
So, the way I see it is We say it was self-defense.
And we do that because, well, Gina was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, which is actually quite common in assistants with demanding bosses.
The affair was just one example of how far Mr.
Kaufman's brainwashing of Gina went.
He made her fall in love with him.
So in this way, her poisoning him was an act of self-defense.
And I'll just go stand over there.
No.
Sit.
Congratulations to those who managed to keep your seat.
That said, none of you beat my approach, which goes as follows.
Step 1 discredit the witnesses.
Step 2, introduce a new suspect.
That person is Mr.
Kaufman's jealous business partner, Lionel Bryant.
Step 3, we bury the evidence.
We throw so much information at the jury that they walk into the deliberation room with one overwhelming feeling doubt.
That's how you get away with murder.
See you in the courthouse at 9:00.
Oh, um, Professor Keating! We have torts at 9:00 tomorrow, then property at 11:00, - so I'm not sure - The way you're whining right now makes me believe you think I'm your mother, Ms.
Pratt.
Show up tomorrow or drop out of the competition.
It's that simple.
I was his first assistant for 21 years, so to see him on his office floor like that, it was so awful.
He wasn't breathing.
And his skin kept getting more and more blue.
I'm sorry, Agnes.
I tried everything.
You did everything you could, Ms.
Tanner.
We just got screwed.
Not in a good way.
You don't like Gina, do you? You would yell at her, calling her "Incompetent," "stupid," "podunk trailer trash"? No.
That's a Can I have a moment, Your Honor? What the hell are you doing? Well, now we know who's the first to flame out.
Hurry it along, Ms.
Keating.
What was that? Something they taught you in torts? You should really pay attention.
You might learn something.
Ms.
Tanner, you testified that you saw a pill on my client's desk on the day of the accident, correct? Yes.
And you said it was a yellow pill, similar to prosecutor Williams' shirt? Yes.
Prosecutor Williams' shirt is blue, Ms.
Tanner.
Are you color-blind? Yes.
- But I know what I saw that morning.
- I see.
So whether the pill that you saw on my client's desk was blue, like her anxiety medication she used to endure working under you, or yellow, like the aspirin used to poison Mr.
Kaufman, is not something you can tell us? I told you Gina was acting nervous, like It's a simple question.
Is it possible that the pill that you saw on Gina's desk was her anxiety medication? I guess so.
Thank you for your candor.
I saw she was wearing glasses in one of her Facebook photos, which got me wondering about her eyesight, so I called every optometrist covered under her insurance, found hers, then pretended to be a claims provider to get the receptionist to admit she has a condition called achromatopsia.
It causes color blindness.
Step 1 discredit the witness.
I might as well hand you the trophy right now, Ms.
Pratt.
But I won't.
Not until I see how the rest of you step up your game.
And in other news, the search continues for Lila Stangard.
Ms.
Stangard, a 21-year-old student of the Philadelphia university, has not been seen since friends saw her leaving a fraternity party earlier this week.
Oh, my God.
Hello? Professor Keating? Don't even try.
Professor? Oh, my God.
Get the hell out! Hey! I'm so sorry.
- Th-the door was open.
- Oh, I'll kill him.
- Why are you here? - It can wait.
Frank, you didn't lock up again.
Speak.
I-I-I came across this case Commonwealth v.
Mcginnis Which says we can move for a faster verdict if we think the prosecution's evidence is insufficient.
What you're suggesting is called a "Directed verdict.
" If we ask for it and get denied, all the public will hear is there's enough evidence to convict.
But you discredited the first assistant today and You had an idea.
I'm telling you it's a bad one.
Good night, Seth.
Wes.
Right.
Connor, please stop.
No.
I like it, especially that it annoys you.
What's all this for? I figured I should buy other stuff in case I'm on the surveillance video.
Why? We can just kill the store owner if we need to, right? Hey! Maker's Manhattan, two cherries.
So, you know, your co-workers seem to want a show.
So just say the word and we can start making out.
Ignore them.
I-I just I don't talk to guys at bars that often.
So, let me guess.
You guys all work in the advertising agency upstairs? Is it that obvious? I work in the bank across the street, and the only hot guys that ever come in here are from your agency.
Hot? Wow.
Uh I don't work in the cool part of the company, if that's what you're thinking.
I'm in I.
T.
I.
T.
? No, I-I think I.
T.
's very cool.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
Did you know that secretary that tried to kill her boss with an aspirin? The legal department warned us not to talk about that.
Oh.
Right.
Sorry I asked.
Uh, okay, but no one can know I told you this.
How'd you get this? I thought I thought all you wanted from me were those e-mails.
I did.
But I want this, too.
Turn over.
It wasn't exactly legal, is the point.
Then we just have to get creative.
Bonnie! Mr.
Bryant, you and your business partner, Mr.
Kaufman, had a meeting in his office on the morning of the accident, correct? Yes.
To discuss moving Gina to accounting.
So to avoid any possible sexual-harassment lawsuit? That's correct.
Will you please read this e-mail that you wrote to Mr.
Kaufman? "Dear Arthur, consider this my official request "that you step down as CEO "I've warned you about having sexual relations with employees of this company" Your honor, this e-mail was not part of the discovery file.
- Is this true? - I thought it was.
Although my associate is more familiar with the paperwork on this case.
Bonnie? - Oh, my God.
- What? I found the e-mail in the files given to us by our client's previous attorney, Your Honor.
I just assumed it was part of the discovery file.
It wasn't, which means it was obviously obtained illegally.
Enough.
Did you write this e-mail, Mr.
Bryant? Yes.
Then I have to side with the defense here.
- The e-mail's admissible.
- Your Honor! I've made my decision, Mr.
Williams.
Mr.
Bryant, as stated in the e-mail, you were angry at Mr.
Kaufman for taking part in a sexual relationship with an employee.
I was frustrated, yes.
So frustrated that perhaps you swapped his blood-pressure pill for an aspirin in order to gain sole ownership of the company? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
No further questions.
We did well today, no doubt due to Mr.
Walsh's hard work last night.
I'll be at the Dean's cocktail party if you find anything before tomorrow.
How'd you get that e-mail? Yeah, bro, for reals.
I don't kiss and tell.
What the hell does that mean? Where are you going? Where are you going? Arthur.
- Don't don't go! - It's just the restroom, sweetie.
- Don't go.
Don't go.
- It's just the restroom, sweetie.
Shh, shh, shh.
I'll be right back.
It's about the both of us.
Don't you get that? Griffin, stop! This happened, so get your head out of your ass! Stop yelling! Do you need help? It's fine.
It's not a big deal.
Get out of my apartment! First year is the worst, no doubt.
Just put your head down, do the work, and try not to take it so seriously.
Okay, no offense, man, but, obviously, you never went to law school.
This place is a dogfight 24/7.
And only the big dog get the bone.
Fine.
You're on to me.
I'm a psychology Professor.
But before you lose all respect for me, you should know that I work with the firm sometimes.
And you? You are? Wes.
He's in your wife's class, too.
Ah.
Sam.
How's it going so far? Has she gone full terrorist on you yet or no? I'm sorry.
Who's your wife? Professor Keating.
There she is.
Let me guess your ears were burning? - Should they be? - Don't worry.
I didn't spill any secrets.
Well, not yet, at least.
To first year.
They're totally wondering where we went right now.
No way.
Over here.
Flashlight.
Hey, hey.
Jen cannot find out about this, okay? - Deal.
- Okay.
What was that? Hey! Who's there? Can we go? - Why is Frank calling you? - What? I saw your phone, Laurel.
What the hell's going on? I only saw them together for a second, I know, but well, it makes sense.
A wife gets so tired of her husband cheating that she teams up with his mistress for revenge.
Fine.
Say you're right.
What do you expect us to do about it? Put you on the stand so the jury definitely has enough evidence - to convict Gina? - No.
Obviously not.
I-I just You already knew.
I didn't say that.
Right.
Because then you'd actually be admitting, out loud, to defending a guilty client.
And who really has time to deal with the moral repercussions of that? Brown, right? Or was it Smith? Berkeley? Brown.
What? You read my application or something? Just a guess.
We get a lot of you around here.
Smart, idealistic girls who come to law school to help the less fortunate, only to take a corporate job after graduation, which they then quit the second they get pregnant 'cause they'd rather stay home.
For the child, of course.
You're a misogynistic ass.
Stop screwing the students.
I'm not going to say anything.
Honestly, the fact that I even saw that was my Stop.
I need to apologize.
My husband and I have been talking about having a baby for a long time now.
And I hate making excuses, but it's put a lot of pressure on us and our marriage.
Oh, my God.
Oh, God, I just I'm totally making making it worse.
Forgive me.
Thank you for keeping this between us.
Hmm? Of course.
I'll just Go.
If Lila were here, I know she'd want to thank everyone for their support.
That was star middleton quarterback Griffin O'Reilly speaking tonight at a vigil held for his girlfriend, Lila stangard.
Sam! - Hey, guys.
- Hey.
Hey.
How was Yale? Let me guess they loved you, right? Offered you the whole department? They're just early talks.
No one's moving anywhere yet.
All right.
I'm heading to bed.
You coming? I've missed you.
I'll be up soon.
Hey.
Oh.
Hey.
Uh, that's just to say sorry for tonight and then the night before that.
I stole it from the bar I work at, so don't actually think I'm that nice.
I've heard the music you listen to.
I never thought you were nice.
Rebecca.
Should we open it, maybe? I kind of had a weird night.
Could use a drink or ten.
I can't tonight.
Sorry.
So, you got the footage from the convenience store when, Detective Gill? It was two nights ago.
Uh, th-the store owner had seen the defendant's picture on the news, so he went through his old surveillance tapes and just found this footage.
Footage that I will now play for everyone.
There.
The night before the murder attempt, Ms.
Sadowski bought What does it say on that label, Detective Gill? Uh, uh, soloxacore.
It's a brand of aspirin.
You had one job! To let us know what bodies we needed to bury! Texts, calls, anything we needed to destroy.
And you didn't.
So guess what! Guess what! You go to jail, and I'm the shoddy lawyer who put you there! - I had a headache! It isn't - Stop lying! Get out.
I can't think with you here.
She's not wrong, Annalise.
- It's aspirin.
We all buy it.
- What about you, Frank? What slutty undergrad spread her legs and made you forget your job this time?! Hey, I grilled Gina the minute we got this case.
She chose not to tell me this because, well, that's obvious, isn't it? I'm sorry.
It won't happen again.
But don't worry.
We can fix this.
"We"? No, I'll fix it.
You stay here, collect a paycheck.
I'd like to call our first witness to the stand.
Detective Nate Lahey.
Who's that? No idea.
Professor.
Get the hell out! What the hell is this? Where were you two nights ago, Detective? What? Two nights ago, when Detective Gill acquired the video that supposedly incriminates my client Weren't you supposed to be working at the precinct as his direct supervisor? I was.
And were you there? Please answer the question, detective.
No.
I was not.
Where were you, then? Home, perhaps? Taking care of your wife? I hear she's recently been diagnosed with cancer.
I was at a friend's.
Okay.
I only ask because there's something I find strange about the chain of custody on this video.
Detective Gill testified that he received the video from the store owner at 8:00 P.
M.
But the logs say he didn't log it into custody until 2:09 A.
M.
Don't you find that time gap odd? Sometimes it takes us a while to log evidence into the computer.
Because you're all so busy? Visiting friends and such? Detective, in your 12 years working for the City of Philadelphia, have you ever known them to alter video footage to help the prosecution get a conviction? Objection! Digitally altering aspirin labels, for example? - Your honor! - I'm simply asking Detective Lahey about his personal experience within his department.
This is the last question I'll allow.
Are you personally aware of any instances of doctored surveillance footage within your department? Yes.
I am.
The good people of Philadelphia saw justice prevail today.
Ms.
Sadowski was a victim here, scapegoated by a desperate, overworked DA's office.
And as much as we hope the police find the real perpetrator of this act against Mr.
Kaufman, Ms.
Sadowski is and always has been innocent, and I am so happy the jury agreed.
I want to be her.
Now it's time to find out who will be joining us in our firm.
First, the standout in the class and the one you should all make it your mission to destroy Come get your prize, Mr.
Walsh.
The other ones joining us will be Asher Millstone.
Yeah! Yes! Michaela Pratt.
Oh, thank God.
Laurel Castillo.
And because our workload has grown, I decided to hire one more of you.
And that one will be Wes Gibbins.
Professor Keating! Wes.
How can I help you? So, that detective? Is my boyfriend.
Yes.
I don't want the job.
- Not if you picked me because of that.
- "That"? - You got him to lie on the stand.
- Is that why I picked you? Because I thought I picked you because your self-defense argument showed you think well on your feet.
But now that you exposed what you really think of yourself and that you really don't believe you deserve this job That's not what I said.
That's exactly what you said, right before you accused me of illegal acts to win this case.
We won because I did my job.
You think carefully.
Everything after this moment will not only determine your career but life.
You can spend it in a corporate office drafting contracts and hitting on chubby paralegals before finally putting a gun in your mouth, or you can join my firm and become someone you actually like.
So decide.
Do you want the job or not? Someone call about low water pressure? Guys! Did anybody call maintenance? I think the water thingy's upstairs.
Breaking news live here in Philadelphia Police are confirming a woman's body was found inside the kappa kappa theta house on middleton's campus.
Griffin! Look! Whether that woman is Lila Stangard, long-term girlfriend to middleton football star Griffin O'Reilly, has not been confirmed.
It was just days ago the star student stangard was reported missing by one of her friends at the sorority.
She was last seen attending a party at a campus fraternity.
No witnesses saw her leave, and she was not in her room the next morning.
The fact that she might not have been missing this entire time But rather deceased in her own home What happened? Is certainly going to raise many questions My student.
They found her in one of those water tanks.
Parked outside the home of her parents, Stuart and Miranda stangard, owners of billion-dollar tech company stangard industries.
I'm sorry.
No, it's just Those poor parents.
I bet you the boyfriend did it.
I guess we'll see.
Okay.
Last chance.
Either we all agree, or we stop right now.
Just do it.
Before the bonfire ends.
Michaela? It's the only way to destroy the DNA.