Chicago Justice (2017) s01e05 Episode Script
Friendly Fire
1 [laughter.]
Hey, look, this is to your last week as a free man.
All: Booyah! Why don't I just give you guys the bottle? - Sounds good to me.
- Works for me, Dad.
- Hey, whoa.
- Whoa.
Hey, Mr.
Nichols, Trev told us you were in 'Nam back in the day.
Smack in the middle of primetime, 1968.
- Man, that must've been rough.
- Yeah.
- Let me tell you squids a story.
- Oh, not that old chestnut.
Now, we were on recon.
It was raining so hard we couldn't see five feet in front of us.
I stepped in a bed of bamboo vipers.
One of them gets me by the leg.
I grab my K-bar and I cut the damn snake's head off.
- No way.
- Not only that.
Little bastard's been holding up my pants ever since.
- [all laugh.]
- That's nice.
Have a round with us, Dad, before we head out on the town.
All right.
To wives and sweethearts.
May they never meet.
- Never.
- [all laughing.]
I told Trevor to be outside at 0600.
Well we don't get on the road soon, we're not gonna get our blind.
[knock at door.]
[knock at door.]
Trevor? Trev? [gasps.]
[whimpering.]
Oh, God! Mike! Jake! [crying.]
Oh, my God.
My son.
He's dead.
Get him out of here.
Come on! [sobbing.]
Mr.
Nichols, come on.
We came in for Trev's bachelor party.
We're staying at an Airbnb a few blocks away from here.
We were supposed to go deer hunting today.
Trevor's dad went inside the house and he found him there.
Is his dad still here? No.
He went home to tell his wife.
Thanks.
Stay close.
Got the call about an hour ago.
I responded to the alley, saw the lock on the back door was jimmied.
Did you happen to see a murder weapon? No, but there's a knife missing from the butcher block.
- Hey, Drummond.
- Dawson.
There's a tan line.
No watch.
Find a wallet anywhere? I haven't checked his pockets yet.
Ooh.
Hmm.
We braced ourself for this day when Trevor was deployed overseas.
But we never thought that How long has your son been out of the Navy? 18 months.
He enlisted the day he graduated from high school.
He was in ten years.
[shaky breathing.]
He had an honorable discharge.
And since then? He was a personal trainer at one of those ritzy gyms down the loop.
He wasn't getting rich, but he looked forward to going to work every day.
His wedding was next Saturday.
Instead we're planning a funeral.
It's not much consolation, but I have our best people on it.
You damn well better.
I just can't believe Trev's gone, just like that.
It's so unfair.
When was the last time you saw him? We had dinner Thursday.
Things were good between you two? We were about to get married.
Trev was really looking forward to the wedding, partying with all of our friends and families.
Right before I got married, I freaked out a little.
- I almost had a fling - Trev wasn't like that, okay? I hate to bother you with this, Mia, but we found these at Trevor's house.
I just want to confirm that they're yours.
No, they're not.
I mean, they must have been there from before we met.
You're probably right.
It's unbelievable.
Four tours, and Trevor gets killed in his own place in Chicago.
What'd you guys do for your big night out? We started at Trevor's place for beers.
We had drinks with Mr.
Nichols at his bar, and after that went to some joint where all the waitresses wear bikinis.
- Big Mel's Bikini Bar? - Yeah.
That's the place.
So, what happened at Big Mel's? Trevor got hammered, and this waitress hit on him.
Angela.
Total smokeshow.
Sorry, ma'am, she was on him like honey on a hot biscuit.
- Was Trevor into her? - Yeah.
Oh, yeah, he said he was gonna hang around till Angela got off of work, so me and Mike bounced.
You left your friend that was about to get married with Miss Smokeshow? Some wingmen.
[rock music.]
We'd like to speak to Big Mel.
[laughs.]
What can I do you for? We're looking for Angela.
The girl in the yellow bikini.
The Sex on the Beach is pretty sweet.
The Climax is very popular.
But my all-time fave is the ménage à trois.
Angela, come on.
Come on.
How's it going, Angela? I'll let you know.
What's up? What did you do after work last night? - Went home.
- With him? Alone.
So, how did your underwear wind up in his pocket? Did something happen to him? You know what cops call panties? Lie detectors.
Hairs, fluids, and lots and lots of DNA.
He was getting married.
His buddies tipped me 50 bucks to slip him my thong.
And that's all? Trevor wanted to hang out after I got off of work, so I took him to a fight club.
The one in Humboldt Park on Le Moyne? That's right.
I thought he just wanted to watch, but once we got there, he said he wanted to fight, so they set up a match for him.
He kicked some dude's ass.
I wasn't planning to hook up with him, but after he took his shirt off and dominated in the ring, I was like, "Come to mama.
" Seriously? You should've seen him.
I did.
In a body bag.
That's Wow.
So, what happened when you left the fight club? We got in an Uber, started making out, and then he got all weird, said he didn't want to screw things up with his fiancée.
[sighs.]
So I dropped him off.
- And then? - I went home.
And took the edge off, lady-style.
Adele, a glass of Amaro, and the happy rabbit.
Uber driver confirms Angela's story.
- She never got out of the car.
- [cell phone vibrates.]
Stone.
Prelim autopsy's back.
We need to meet him at the morgue.
Penetrating knife wound to the left femoral artery did most of the damage.
- Most? - Bruising and edema to his face, arms, and torso.
He put up a hell of a fight.
Two, actually.
The first one for cash, the second one for his life.
Blood alcohol was 23.
I'm sure he wasn't on top of his game.
So, an intoxicated, unarmed man was overmatched by a knife-wielding assailant? There's just one anomaly.
Check out the X-ray.
What's that in his stomach? Based on my analysis, looks to me like a computer thumb drive.
[dramatic music.]
There was no corrosion from digestive agents.
The ME is sure he ingested it right before he died.
I doubt it accidentally fell into his corn flakes.
If he swallowed it at the time of the break-in, maybe he was trying to hide it from whoever killed him.
I can read the drive, but I can't get in.
- Password protected? - It's a video file, but it's encrypted up the wazoo.
Something you can handle? This is NSA-level cloaking.
We farm it out to the private sector, maybe we'll get lucky.
This was no run-of-the-mill home invasion.
Let's find out what Trevor Nichols was hiding the old-fashioned way.
Trevor was first team, All-City tight end.
That's not too shabby.
Yeah, this guy was still in great shape.
How did someone get the jump on him? Passed out from too many tequilas, intruder with a knife? I don't like his chances.
Electric bill, junk mail from Bucktown Savings Bank.
When was the last time anybody actually got a letter? Let me see the bank one.
You can't open a dead man's mail.
You're probably right.
Let's see.
Let's see.
"With your average monthly balance of $250,000, you qualify for a Bucktown Savings Personal Wealth Account.
" How does a Navy vet turned personal trainer make that kind of bank? His fiancée was rocking a pretty hefty diamond.
Trevor picked it out.
Looks expensive.
It was.
I think Trev was trying to prove a point.
What do you mean? Well, Mike really blew his chance with me, so I think Trev was trying to convince me he was serious about getting married.
You went out with Mike Soto? For about eight months.
That was before I moved to Chicago to be near Trevor.
And Trevor had a bank account with over a quarter of a million dollars in it? Where did all that money come from? I I don't know.
His dad gave it to him? Mia, Trevor was murdered.
Now's not the time to keep secrets.
Fine.
Um Trev was writing a book, and they gave him a bunch of money up front.
He told me not to tell anyone, but I guess that doesn't really matter now.
What was his book about? Something about being in the Navy.
What do they call it? Oh, a memoir.
I'm really sorry, but I need to leave now, or I'm gonna be late for Trevor's service.
Okay.
- Mr.
Jefferies.
- I'm sorry for your loss.
I know how busy you must be.
This is quite an honor.
Or maybe you're just here looking for votes.
Vets are paid a lot of lip service these days, ma'am.
It's the least I can do.
Were you in the service? Yes, ma'am.
I was in the Corps, Vietnam.
No kidding.
Brown-water Navy.
My Tho River.
I wouldn't have made it through boot camp without Trevor.
I was terrible at ironing.
You know, seriously, they were gonna discharge me for inability to properly maintain my uniform.
One morning, I woke up, and Trev had ironed every article of clothing in my locker, even my skivvies.
I asked him why, he said "Because I got your back, bro.
" Trevor's publisher says his book advance was $400,000.
Whew.
Damn.
Maybe I should write a book.
Heh.
All of a sudden you have literary aspirations.
What can I say? I'm a renaissance man.
How much of this book did Trevor actually write? [sighs.]
Three chapters.
Don't you need approval from the Navy to publish something like that? She says their lawyer signed off on it.
Be nice to see those chapters.
They don't have anything.
Apparently Trevor was paranoid about plagiarism.
[cell phone vibrates.]
They decrypted the video.
- Left clear.
- Right clear.
Looks like it's shot with a helmet cam.
State-of-the-art night vision scopes.
M4 assault rifles.
I'm pretty sure that's a SEAL team.
- Hold.
- Contact.
Two o'clock.
[gunshots.]
Room clear.
[labored breaths.]
Oh, God.
Is she all right? Is she alive? [gunshots.]
O'Brien down.
- [gunfire.]
- [indistinct shouting.]
Ramirez down.
Contact.
East wall.
Gotta get Mike.
Get his legs! Come on! Abort! Abort! Abort! Abort! - Act calmly.
- Oh, God.
Come on, we gotta go.
Leave her.
Let's go.
Let's go! Come on! She's gone! Let's go! - [indistinct shouting.]
- Let's go! [gunshots.]
What the hell was that? Something we weren't supposed to see.
Dr.
Kathryn Carter worked with Doctors Without Borders in the Ukraine.
When things got too dangerous for humanitarian workers, they pulled their people out.
But Dr.
Carter refused to leave her patients.
One week later, she was kidnapped by a separatist faction, so the Navy sent in a SEAL team to rescue her.
It was called Operation Omega.
This was all over the news a couple years ago.
According to the Pentagon, the mission went awry.
Dr.
Carter and two of the SEALs were killed by the rebels during the rescue attempt.
But on that video, it was one of the Americans who shot her and left her body there.
Now, that's a memoir I'd want to read.
Let's find out if Trevor Nichols was one of those SEALs.
- Come in.
Come in.
- Thank you.
Are you any closer to finding out whoever killed my son? We're making some progress.
I'm sorry.
Please.
Did you and Trevor talk much about his time in the Navy? - No, not much.
- What about his book? - What book? - His publisher said Wait.
He had a publisher? She said his book was about his time in Naval Intelligence.
He wasn't Intel.
He was a SEAL.
Mm.
He was one of the SEALs who survived Operation Omega.
How'd you know that? It came up in our investigation.
Trevor's Navy buddies Mike Soto and Jake Benjamin They were in his SEAL unit? That's right.
Jake was their team leader.
Did Trevor talk to anyone about what happened over there? No.
I tried to talk to him about it once, but he just waved me off.
He did make a visit to the family of the doctor that was killed by the rebels.
He and Jake made a condolence visit to the family in Iowa.
When he got back, he was pretty shook up about it.
Trevor didn't even tell his father the truth about how Dr.
Carter died.
It would be nice to know what he told the Carter family.
Any reason to suspect them? Well, the SEAL team did get their daughter killed.
They live in Iowa.
Let's see if they'll come in for a chat.
When the charity called and told her to get out of the Ukraine, she called us and said she couldn't just abandon those poor people.
They wanted a $5 million ransom.
Can you imagine? I mean, we have a ten-year-old pickup.
Were any of you in Chicago last week? No, no.
This is our first time.
We heard the SEALs who tried to rescue Kathryn paid you a visit.
Yes, they did.
Two of them, anyway.
They felt so terrible about what happened.
The one in charge told us that they almost had Kathy safe at the helicopter when the enemy soldiers opened fire.
We tried to thank them, but we could tell they still felt bad about it.
Yeah, and the younger one What was his name? Trevor, I think.
He was so upset he had to go sit in the car.
I saw him out the window.
It looked like he was crying.
Was he the one who was murdered? Yes.
I'm afraid so.
Tell them about the check, Mom.
Oh, um yeah.
About a month ago, this came in the mail.
Cashier's check from Bucktown Savings.
$100,000.
We don't know where it came from, so we didn't feel right taking the money.
Trevor sent the Carters part of his advance.
Looks that way.
But he didn't tell them the SEALs killed their daughter.
Trevor's book.
Maybe he was about to blow the lid off Operation Omega, and he couldn't take all that money with a clear conscience.
I doubt his fellow SEALs wanted the world to know Dr.
Carter was killed by friendly fire.
They were both in Chicago the night Trevor was murdered.
Have Dawson and Nagel dig in.
Tell them to start with the Airbnb.
You know, I don't always meet the guests that stay at my properties, but these two young men were very polite.
They had to extend their stay for a funeral poor things.
And I know it was a little cramped in here for the two of them.
When they first got here, I tried to move them to the big two-bedroom upstairs, but they said they wanted the fireplace.
[laughs.]
I told them this weather is nothing.
Wait till it's ten below.
This doesn't look like wood ash.
It's a rivet from a pair of jeans.
And two zippers.
Why were they burning their clothes? Do you know when these guys left? Just before you got here.
They're headed to Midway to fly home.
I told them to walk to Wells and catch the Orange Line.
[siren wailing.]
[dramatic music.]
You do realize it's you and me against two Navy SEALs, right? Element of surprise, Nagel.
Yeah.
No problem whatsoever.
All right, go that way.
- Go ahead! - [gate buzzes.]
Move! Police! Everybody down! Move! Get back! [all screaming.]
Move! Whoa! Freeze! You're both under arrest for the murder of Trevor Nichols.
The zippers recovered from the defendants' fireplace were from Navy-issued tactical fleeces.
The only logical conclusion is that the defendants burned their bloody clothing after stabbing Trevor Nichols to death.
The people request no bail.
My clients are decorated Navy vets who have served our nation with valor.
They have the utmost respect for its laws.
I only ask as they face these dubious charges they enjoy the same freedom they've risked their lives to protect.
I almost heard a fife and drum there, Mr.
Olson.
First time in Cook County? Yes, sir, but I've represented men in uniform across this great country.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but men in uniform are men who've been trained to kill.
In war, sir.
One can only hope.
Bail is set at $1 million D bond That's an insult to these patriots.
Let me finish.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your service, gentleman.
Bail's still a million smackers.
- Call the next case.
- [gavel pounds.]
Hang tight, guys.
Nothing to worry about.
You seem rather confident about a case that's purely circumstantial.
Where's your motive? Ask your clients.
What did you make of Olson? His flag-waving will play a lot better with the jury than Judge Emerson.
I don't know, Peter.
That "God and country" routine Sometimes my eyes glaze over.
Careful.
We have a vet upstairs.
Do you think Soto and Benjamin will tell their lawyer about Operation Omega? We'll see.
If Olson comes in begging for a plea deal, he knows.
If he wets his khakis when we screen the video for him, he Peter Stone? - That's right.
- We're seeking to enforce a writ of replevin against you and your office.
Nice to meet you, too.
Mary Graziano.
U.
S.
Department of Justice, National Security Division.
I haven't heard the words "writ of replevin" since law school.
What's this all about? You have classified material that belongs to the United States government.
We want it back.
See you in federal court tomorrow, Mr.
Stone, bright and early.
How did the DOJ find out you had this video? My money's on an employee in the tech company that did the decryption for us.
Not that it matters at this point.
It matters to me.
Maybe you should've been the one to tell them.
Is the government aware that this footage is from Operation Omega? It seems that way.
What's unclear is whether they know the SEAL team botched the mission.
So, this could come as a shock to the powers that be.
Or a leak.
And a cover-up that began two years ago.
You think the Navy spun the story that went public? As opposed to an honest mistake? That sounds pretty cynical, Peter.
Weapons of mass destruction, Iran-Contra, the Gulf of Tonkin.
Those names should be a warning to you.
You've stepped into something way bigger than your pay grade.
I do like to hear the truth from my public officials, but I don't have an Axe to grind here.
Really? Because I see sparks flying.
I just want to be able to prove my murder case.
You're litigating against the Justice Department in federal court.
If your murder case hangs on this video, lots of luck.
Thanks for the pep talk, Boss.
The video in question was recorded by an active duty sailor.
It's property of the Navy.
Neither Mr.
Stone nor his co-council have the necessary security clearance to watch this video, much less possess it.
We can't put the rain back in the sky.
We didn't have any inkling of its contents before we watched it.
For all we knew, it could've been a "Three Stooges" clip.
Oh, well, that would be amusing, but for the fact this video contradicts the official statements about Operation Omega.
It could embarrass the executive branch and have repercussions on our foreign policy.
So, let me propose a simple remedy: Mr.
Stone, hand over the video, destroy all copies, and keep your mouth shut.
But this video is a critical piece of evidence - in a homicide case.
- How so? The victim was a former Navy SEAL from the Omega mission.
He was murdered to prevent him writing a tell-all book about the operation.
Once I introduce the video into evidence, it's all yours.
And by the following morning, the story will be click-bait for every media outlet from here to Vladivostok.
Would you concede, Mr.
Stone, there are more important national concerns at stake here than one local murder case? Here's one: the government shouldn't deceive us about what our military does in foreign lands.
Transparency breeds trust in our institutions.
And this federal judiciary has courageously upheld these values in turbulent times Watergate, the Pentagon Papers With all due respect to Mr.
Stone, if we start allowing local officials to become the arbiters of whether classified items are made public, that's a national security nightmare I can't begin to imagine.
I see your point, Ms.
Graziano.
Thank you both for your thoughtful arguments.
You'll have my decision tomorrow.
So, you think we have a shot? Oh, I'm not that optimistic.
The DOJ has home court advantage.
Peter killed it in court, though.
I was ready to bust out into "Masters of War.
" Don't recruit me for The Weather Underground just yet.
I said what I had to say to try and get justice for Trevor Nichols and his family.
You know, if we lose the video, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Talk to me.
Mike Soto went out with Mia until Trevor stole her away.
Soto arrives at the bachelor party.
He's jealous.
He tries to use bikini girl to blow up the engagement.
And when that doesn't work, Soto confronts Trevor, things get out of hand.
It's not the best hand at the table, but I'll play it if I have to.
The government asserts a broad principle: national security should always carry the day.
Mr.
Stone has also made a lofty claim: honesty and transparency are paramount.
So, let's look at the fine print.
Should the truth about Operation Omega come to light, the Government can point to no individual who will be harmed, no American soldier or sailor who will be endangered.
On the other hand, the People of Illinois will likely see two murderers elude justice simply because the Navy wants to perpetuate a lie.
The Government's application for a writ of replevin is denied.
[dramatic music.]
[laughter.]
I got to say I did not see that coming.
Chalk one up for the underdogs.
Good news.
The writ was denied.
The video is in.
Except you're not going to use it.
What? You heard me.
Why? Personal experience has taught me military secrets should stay secret.
With all due respect, just because you served in Vietnam doesn't give you a monopoly on national security protocol.
In my office, it does.
When I walked into the jungle, I knew that as long as I stayed on mission, the folks up the chain of command had my back, and if there was something that they wanted to keep out of the public eye, there was a damn good reason for it.
There's never a good reason to veil the truth.
Then why not open your case files to every defense lawyer you face? I'll tell you why not: because it's war.
You do not give aid and comfort to the enemy, unless you're a misguided fool like Edward Snowden.
I do not accept your analogy.
Then maybe you can accept this: if you value your rights and your freedoms, sometimes you have to ask men and women to go to far-away battlefields to die for them.
And if you ask your fellow Americans to risk their lives for your liberties, then you don't get to second-guess it all after the fact.
You realize this would probably cost us our case.
I don't give a damn.
I do.
I didn't come here to cling to tired bromides that allow killers to go free.
Then you have a choice, don't you? Do what I'm telling you, or find a new job.
Mr.
Stone? Peter.
Thanks for coming.
What's on your mind? Came to pay my respects.
Could've done that at the house.
There's also something I thought you should know about Trevor.
If it's something I'd rather not hear The Navy didn't tell you the truth about Omega.
Trevor didn't either.
I'm sure there are things he wanted to tell me but couldn't.
He was about to go public.
He was gonna embarrass a lot of people, including his friends, destroy careers, maybe.
[sighs.]
So, that's why you arrested Mike and Jake? This secret the Navy kept from you From everybody, we can't reveal it at their trial, so there's a strong likelihood they won't be convicted.
I understand.
You do? You never served, did you? My son joined up because he felt there was a cause more important than his own life.
Those ideals He came to realize they weren't all they were cracked up to be.
That's not how I see it.
He was writing a book that defied his chain of command.
Every soldier needs a way to let go of the weight he carries.
[sighs.]
Trevor found his way.
Doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
Do you even want to know what it was gonna say? No.
I don't.
- Peter? - Bought you a coffee.
Tall Americano.
Thanks.
Tell me what you think of this: there's no reason this video has to go to the DOJ right this minute.
Why torture yourself? The defendants were present when the video was shot, so there's no national security issue when they watch it.
When? Jefferies won't let you put it into evidence.
Mike Soto doesn't know that.
I don't know.
Peter maybe it's better just to let it go.
And let these two killers walk away Scot-free? Olson has a huge conflict of interest.
Let's divide and conquer.
[gunfire.]
Where'd you get that? Let's not get hung up on details.
We know you and Jake Benjamin killed Trevor Nichols.
That explains why.
If his book came out, you'd be exposed as the screw-ups who killed Dr.
Carter and left her body to God-knows-what indignity, and when a jury sees this, they'll realize you had every reason to kill your best friend and destroy his manuscript.
The reason you're sitting here instead of Mr.
Benjamin is I'm pretty sure he was calling the shots that night, like he did in the Ukraine.
15 years if you testify against him instead of the 60 to life you'll get if you're convicted.
Mia Skyped me a few months before the bachelor weekend.
She showed me the engagement ring that Trevor bought her.
I asked where Trevor got money for a rock like that.
She said he was being paid to write a book about his time in the Navy.
What, if anything, did you do with that information? I called Jake.
[sighs.]
He and I both got so angry about it, we just couldn't let it go.
Why not, Mr.
Soto? We take a solemn pledge.
It's called the SEAL Code: "I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.
" And what did you decide to do about Trevor's book? Jake said that we had to talk him out of it.
What if he wouldn't listen to you? Jake said that wasn't an option.
What did you take that to mean? I wasn't sure.
[louder.]
What did you take that to mean, Mr.
Soto? That if Trevor wouldn't follow the code, we would have to take matters into our own hands.
By killing him? As a last resort, yes, sir.
We both thought it best to talk to him in person, so we waited till we got here in Chicago.
And what happened when you got here? We all went out partying.
At the end of the night, we all went our separate ways, but later on, Jake and I went back to Trevor's house.
Did Trevor know you were coming? Negative.
We both left our cell phones behind, we jogged over to his place, and we broke in.
- And then what happened? - We woke Trev up, told him he needed to kill the book, that it went against the SEAL Code and everything that we stood for.
He said that he wouldn't back down now, that the book was the right thing to do, and that he'd already given away some of the money.
And that's when Trevor grabbed a kitchen knife, and That's when things got out of hand.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Nichols, I am so sorry.
I loved Trevor like he was my brother.
I Please tell the jury exactly what occurred next.
Jake and I disarmed him.
I held Trevor back as Jake picked up the knife off the floor, and all of a sudden, Jake spun around and landed a kill strike to Trevor's thigh, to his femoral artery, just like they trained us to do.
Then we took the knife, Trevor's laptop, the book pages, a couple other things to make it look like a robbery, and we we just left Trevor there on the floor, and we got the hell out of there.
You made a plea bargain with Mr.
Stone for a lighter sentence, didn't you? That's right.
Did you inform him that you had a personal motive to kill your friend Trevor? What do you mean? Well, he was marrying your ex-girlfriend, Mia Jones, correct? Yes, but- - Did you tell Mr.
Stone that you're still in love with Mia before he offered you the deal of the century? Objection to that characterization.
Rephrase, Mr.
Olson.
You're still in love with her, aren't you? No, that's not true.
Mia and Trev, they're perfect for one another.
Isn't it a fact that you told my client that you hated Trevor for stealing Mia? - No, sir, it's not.
- And that you would do everything in your power to stop their impending marriage? Jake's lying.
How could you talk all this crap, man? Just answer the question, Mr.
Soto.
In fact, you went there alone and stabbed him to death because the thought of Trevor and Mia together enraged you.
It wasn't about Mia.
It was about the Ukraine.
Ukraine? The simple fact is that you got a sweetheart deal for killing your friend in a jealous rage.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
Tell us what you meant by the Ukraine, Mr.
Soto.
Objection to this distraction, Your Honor.
- Mr.
Olson opened the door.
- Overruled.
The witness may answer.
I can't.
I'm not supposed to.
We have heard all about your SEAL Code, but you swore an oath when you took that witness stand.
Jake, Trevor, and I were on Operation Omega in Ukraine two years ago.
We were part of a Navy SEAL team sent there to rescue a doctor who'd been kidnapped by some rebels there.
And what happened on the operation? The mission went all wrong.
Dr.
Carter and two of our guys were killed.
By the rebels? The SEALs were, yes, but it was Trevor that shot and killed Dr.
Carter.
Trevor mistook her for an enemy fighter, ripped off half a dozen rounds or so And that's when the ambush went down and all hell broke loose.
The Navy covered it all up.
They told some story about how we were all heroes when the truth was Omega was a total train wreck.
You swore on direct that Trevor was writing a book? He was gonna tell how the Navy lied to cover up the operation.
Is that why you and Jake killed Trevor? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
Can I please answer that, Your Honor? Overruled.
Jake and I both agreed that it wasn't right that Trevor was gonna get rich off the backs of our dead brothers and piss all over the code.
After everyone pumps you up and thanks you for your service and tells you what a big hero you are, you're supposed to keep quiet and try to forget what really happened, but Trevor couldn't do that.
He couldn't live with the shame.
Maybe it wasn't about the money.
Maybe he just wanted to set the record straight so he could make peace with what he did.
[somber music.]
On the count of first-degree murder, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
On the count of home invasion, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
On the count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
[knock at door.]
I hope you realize I didn't have a choice.
The choice was, "No redirect, Your Honor.
" Our case was slipping away.
Whether that's true is debatable.
Either way, you made an end run around my wishes.
If you want my letter of resignation, I have one ready.
Tear it up.
I'm not vindictive.
Thank you.
Congratulations on being right but you're wrong.
Old Town, Gold Coast, they plow so good you don't even know it snowed.
My damn street looks like a hockey rink.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time you drove a car, The Fridge played for the Bears and an actor was president.
Heh.
Back to the future, right? What do you have to take the chill off? You didn't have to drop by to check on me, Mr.
Jefferies.
Mark.
Join me? Why the hell not? [exhales sharply.]
To better days.
Better days.
I had a visitor on Sunday.
Buffed-up Rear Admiral from Annapolis.
For your son? He presented me with Trevor's medals in a black leather box.
Kid sent 'em back.
You still have yours? I threw them away years ago.
I hated the damn things.
Couldn't look at them without thinking about some of the things I saw and did.
50 years, and I still can't talk about it.
Maybe it's time, Grant.
Maybe it's time.
[sighs.]
Hey, look, this is to your last week as a free man.
All: Booyah! Why don't I just give you guys the bottle? - Sounds good to me.
- Works for me, Dad.
- Hey, whoa.
- Whoa.
Hey, Mr.
Nichols, Trev told us you were in 'Nam back in the day.
Smack in the middle of primetime, 1968.
- Man, that must've been rough.
- Yeah.
- Let me tell you squids a story.
- Oh, not that old chestnut.
Now, we were on recon.
It was raining so hard we couldn't see five feet in front of us.
I stepped in a bed of bamboo vipers.
One of them gets me by the leg.
I grab my K-bar and I cut the damn snake's head off.
- No way.
- Not only that.
Little bastard's been holding up my pants ever since.
- [all laugh.]
- That's nice.
Have a round with us, Dad, before we head out on the town.
All right.
To wives and sweethearts.
May they never meet.
- Never.
- [all laughing.]
I told Trevor to be outside at 0600.
Well we don't get on the road soon, we're not gonna get our blind.
[knock at door.]
[knock at door.]
Trevor? Trev? [gasps.]
[whimpering.]
Oh, God! Mike! Jake! [crying.]
Oh, my God.
My son.
He's dead.
Get him out of here.
Come on! [sobbing.]
Mr.
Nichols, come on.
We came in for Trev's bachelor party.
We're staying at an Airbnb a few blocks away from here.
We were supposed to go deer hunting today.
Trevor's dad went inside the house and he found him there.
Is his dad still here? No.
He went home to tell his wife.
Thanks.
Stay close.
Got the call about an hour ago.
I responded to the alley, saw the lock on the back door was jimmied.
Did you happen to see a murder weapon? No, but there's a knife missing from the butcher block.
- Hey, Drummond.
- Dawson.
There's a tan line.
No watch.
Find a wallet anywhere? I haven't checked his pockets yet.
Ooh.
Hmm.
We braced ourself for this day when Trevor was deployed overseas.
But we never thought that How long has your son been out of the Navy? 18 months.
He enlisted the day he graduated from high school.
He was in ten years.
[shaky breathing.]
He had an honorable discharge.
And since then? He was a personal trainer at one of those ritzy gyms down the loop.
He wasn't getting rich, but he looked forward to going to work every day.
His wedding was next Saturday.
Instead we're planning a funeral.
It's not much consolation, but I have our best people on it.
You damn well better.
I just can't believe Trev's gone, just like that.
It's so unfair.
When was the last time you saw him? We had dinner Thursday.
Things were good between you two? We were about to get married.
Trev was really looking forward to the wedding, partying with all of our friends and families.
Right before I got married, I freaked out a little.
- I almost had a fling - Trev wasn't like that, okay? I hate to bother you with this, Mia, but we found these at Trevor's house.
I just want to confirm that they're yours.
No, they're not.
I mean, they must have been there from before we met.
You're probably right.
It's unbelievable.
Four tours, and Trevor gets killed in his own place in Chicago.
What'd you guys do for your big night out? We started at Trevor's place for beers.
We had drinks with Mr.
Nichols at his bar, and after that went to some joint where all the waitresses wear bikinis.
- Big Mel's Bikini Bar? - Yeah.
That's the place.
So, what happened at Big Mel's? Trevor got hammered, and this waitress hit on him.
Angela.
Total smokeshow.
Sorry, ma'am, she was on him like honey on a hot biscuit.
- Was Trevor into her? - Yeah.
Oh, yeah, he said he was gonna hang around till Angela got off of work, so me and Mike bounced.
You left your friend that was about to get married with Miss Smokeshow? Some wingmen.
[rock music.]
We'd like to speak to Big Mel.
[laughs.]
What can I do you for? We're looking for Angela.
The girl in the yellow bikini.
The Sex on the Beach is pretty sweet.
The Climax is very popular.
But my all-time fave is the ménage à trois.
Angela, come on.
Come on.
How's it going, Angela? I'll let you know.
What's up? What did you do after work last night? - Went home.
- With him? Alone.
So, how did your underwear wind up in his pocket? Did something happen to him? You know what cops call panties? Lie detectors.
Hairs, fluids, and lots and lots of DNA.
He was getting married.
His buddies tipped me 50 bucks to slip him my thong.
And that's all? Trevor wanted to hang out after I got off of work, so I took him to a fight club.
The one in Humboldt Park on Le Moyne? That's right.
I thought he just wanted to watch, but once we got there, he said he wanted to fight, so they set up a match for him.
He kicked some dude's ass.
I wasn't planning to hook up with him, but after he took his shirt off and dominated in the ring, I was like, "Come to mama.
" Seriously? You should've seen him.
I did.
In a body bag.
That's Wow.
So, what happened when you left the fight club? We got in an Uber, started making out, and then he got all weird, said he didn't want to screw things up with his fiancée.
[sighs.]
So I dropped him off.
- And then? - I went home.
And took the edge off, lady-style.
Adele, a glass of Amaro, and the happy rabbit.
Uber driver confirms Angela's story.
- She never got out of the car.
- [cell phone vibrates.]
Stone.
Prelim autopsy's back.
We need to meet him at the morgue.
Penetrating knife wound to the left femoral artery did most of the damage.
- Most? - Bruising and edema to his face, arms, and torso.
He put up a hell of a fight.
Two, actually.
The first one for cash, the second one for his life.
Blood alcohol was 23.
I'm sure he wasn't on top of his game.
So, an intoxicated, unarmed man was overmatched by a knife-wielding assailant? There's just one anomaly.
Check out the X-ray.
What's that in his stomach? Based on my analysis, looks to me like a computer thumb drive.
[dramatic music.]
There was no corrosion from digestive agents.
The ME is sure he ingested it right before he died.
I doubt it accidentally fell into his corn flakes.
If he swallowed it at the time of the break-in, maybe he was trying to hide it from whoever killed him.
I can read the drive, but I can't get in.
- Password protected? - It's a video file, but it's encrypted up the wazoo.
Something you can handle? This is NSA-level cloaking.
We farm it out to the private sector, maybe we'll get lucky.
This was no run-of-the-mill home invasion.
Let's find out what Trevor Nichols was hiding the old-fashioned way.
Trevor was first team, All-City tight end.
That's not too shabby.
Yeah, this guy was still in great shape.
How did someone get the jump on him? Passed out from too many tequilas, intruder with a knife? I don't like his chances.
Electric bill, junk mail from Bucktown Savings Bank.
When was the last time anybody actually got a letter? Let me see the bank one.
You can't open a dead man's mail.
You're probably right.
Let's see.
Let's see.
"With your average monthly balance of $250,000, you qualify for a Bucktown Savings Personal Wealth Account.
" How does a Navy vet turned personal trainer make that kind of bank? His fiancée was rocking a pretty hefty diamond.
Trevor picked it out.
Looks expensive.
It was.
I think Trev was trying to prove a point.
What do you mean? Well, Mike really blew his chance with me, so I think Trev was trying to convince me he was serious about getting married.
You went out with Mike Soto? For about eight months.
That was before I moved to Chicago to be near Trevor.
And Trevor had a bank account with over a quarter of a million dollars in it? Where did all that money come from? I I don't know.
His dad gave it to him? Mia, Trevor was murdered.
Now's not the time to keep secrets.
Fine.
Um Trev was writing a book, and they gave him a bunch of money up front.
He told me not to tell anyone, but I guess that doesn't really matter now.
What was his book about? Something about being in the Navy.
What do they call it? Oh, a memoir.
I'm really sorry, but I need to leave now, or I'm gonna be late for Trevor's service.
Okay.
- Mr.
Jefferies.
- I'm sorry for your loss.
I know how busy you must be.
This is quite an honor.
Or maybe you're just here looking for votes.
Vets are paid a lot of lip service these days, ma'am.
It's the least I can do.
Were you in the service? Yes, ma'am.
I was in the Corps, Vietnam.
No kidding.
Brown-water Navy.
My Tho River.
I wouldn't have made it through boot camp without Trevor.
I was terrible at ironing.
You know, seriously, they were gonna discharge me for inability to properly maintain my uniform.
One morning, I woke up, and Trev had ironed every article of clothing in my locker, even my skivvies.
I asked him why, he said "Because I got your back, bro.
" Trevor's publisher says his book advance was $400,000.
Whew.
Damn.
Maybe I should write a book.
Heh.
All of a sudden you have literary aspirations.
What can I say? I'm a renaissance man.
How much of this book did Trevor actually write? [sighs.]
Three chapters.
Don't you need approval from the Navy to publish something like that? She says their lawyer signed off on it.
Be nice to see those chapters.
They don't have anything.
Apparently Trevor was paranoid about plagiarism.
[cell phone vibrates.]
They decrypted the video.
- Left clear.
- Right clear.
Looks like it's shot with a helmet cam.
State-of-the-art night vision scopes.
M4 assault rifles.
I'm pretty sure that's a SEAL team.
- Hold.
- Contact.
Two o'clock.
[gunshots.]
Room clear.
[labored breaths.]
Oh, God.
Is she all right? Is she alive? [gunshots.]
O'Brien down.
- [gunfire.]
- [indistinct shouting.]
Ramirez down.
Contact.
East wall.
Gotta get Mike.
Get his legs! Come on! Abort! Abort! Abort! Abort! - Act calmly.
- Oh, God.
Come on, we gotta go.
Leave her.
Let's go.
Let's go! Come on! She's gone! Let's go! - [indistinct shouting.]
- Let's go! [gunshots.]
What the hell was that? Something we weren't supposed to see.
Dr.
Kathryn Carter worked with Doctors Without Borders in the Ukraine.
When things got too dangerous for humanitarian workers, they pulled their people out.
But Dr.
Carter refused to leave her patients.
One week later, she was kidnapped by a separatist faction, so the Navy sent in a SEAL team to rescue her.
It was called Operation Omega.
This was all over the news a couple years ago.
According to the Pentagon, the mission went awry.
Dr.
Carter and two of the SEALs were killed by the rebels during the rescue attempt.
But on that video, it was one of the Americans who shot her and left her body there.
Now, that's a memoir I'd want to read.
Let's find out if Trevor Nichols was one of those SEALs.
- Come in.
Come in.
- Thank you.
Are you any closer to finding out whoever killed my son? We're making some progress.
I'm sorry.
Please.
Did you and Trevor talk much about his time in the Navy? - No, not much.
- What about his book? - What book? - His publisher said Wait.
He had a publisher? She said his book was about his time in Naval Intelligence.
He wasn't Intel.
He was a SEAL.
Mm.
He was one of the SEALs who survived Operation Omega.
How'd you know that? It came up in our investigation.
Trevor's Navy buddies Mike Soto and Jake Benjamin They were in his SEAL unit? That's right.
Jake was their team leader.
Did Trevor talk to anyone about what happened over there? No.
I tried to talk to him about it once, but he just waved me off.
He did make a visit to the family of the doctor that was killed by the rebels.
He and Jake made a condolence visit to the family in Iowa.
When he got back, he was pretty shook up about it.
Trevor didn't even tell his father the truth about how Dr.
Carter died.
It would be nice to know what he told the Carter family.
Any reason to suspect them? Well, the SEAL team did get their daughter killed.
They live in Iowa.
Let's see if they'll come in for a chat.
When the charity called and told her to get out of the Ukraine, she called us and said she couldn't just abandon those poor people.
They wanted a $5 million ransom.
Can you imagine? I mean, we have a ten-year-old pickup.
Were any of you in Chicago last week? No, no.
This is our first time.
We heard the SEALs who tried to rescue Kathryn paid you a visit.
Yes, they did.
Two of them, anyway.
They felt so terrible about what happened.
The one in charge told us that they almost had Kathy safe at the helicopter when the enemy soldiers opened fire.
We tried to thank them, but we could tell they still felt bad about it.
Yeah, and the younger one What was his name? Trevor, I think.
He was so upset he had to go sit in the car.
I saw him out the window.
It looked like he was crying.
Was he the one who was murdered? Yes.
I'm afraid so.
Tell them about the check, Mom.
Oh, um yeah.
About a month ago, this came in the mail.
Cashier's check from Bucktown Savings.
$100,000.
We don't know where it came from, so we didn't feel right taking the money.
Trevor sent the Carters part of his advance.
Looks that way.
But he didn't tell them the SEALs killed their daughter.
Trevor's book.
Maybe he was about to blow the lid off Operation Omega, and he couldn't take all that money with a clear conscience.
I doubt his fellow SEALs wanted the world to know Dr.
Carter was killed by friendly fire.
They were both in Chicago the night Trevor was murdered.
Have Dawson and Nagel dig in.
Tell them to start with the Airbnb.
You know, I don't always meet the guests that stay at my properties, but these two young men were very polite.
They had to extend their stay for a funeral poor things.
And I know it was a little cramped in here for the two of them.
When they first got here, I tried to move them to the big two-bedroom upstairs, but they said they wanted the fireplace.
[laughs.]
I told them this weather is nothing.
Wait till it's ten below.
This doesn't look like wood ash.
It's a rivet from a pair of jeans.
And two zippers.
Why were they burning their clothes? Do you know when these guys left? Just before you got here.
They're headed to Midway to fly home.
I told them to walk to Wells and catch the Orange Line.
[siren wailing.]
[dramatic music.]
You do realize it's you and me against two Navy SEALs, right? Element of surprise, Nagel.
Yeah.
No problem whatsoever.
All right, go that way.
- Go ahead! - [gate buzzes.]
Move! Police! Everybody down! Move! Get back! [all screaming.]
Move! Whoa! Freeze! You're both under arrest for the murder of Trevor Nichols.
The zippers recovered from the defendants' fireplace were from Navy-issued tactical fleeces.
The only logical conclusion is that the defendants burned their bloody clothing after stabbing Trevor Nichols to death.
The people request no bail.
My clients are decorated Navy vets who have served our nation with valor.
They have the utmost respect for its laws.
I only ask as they face these dubious charges they enjoy the same freedom they've risked their lives to protect.
I almost heard a fife and drum there, Mr.
Olson.
First time in Cook County? Yes, sir, but I've represented men in uniform across this great country.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but men in uniform are men who've been trained to kill.
In war, sir.
One can only hope.
Bail is set at $1 million D bond That's an insult to these patriots.
Let me finish.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your service, gentleman.
Bail's still a million smackers.
- Call the next case.
- [gavel pounds.]
Hang tight, guys.
Nothing to worry about.
You seem rather confident about a case that's purely circumstantial.
Where's your motive? Ask your clients.
What did you make of Olson? His flag-waving will play a lot better with the jury than Judge Emerson.
I don't know, Peter.
That "God and country" routine Sometimes my eyes glaze over.
Careful.
We have a vet upstairs.
Do you think Soto and Benjamin will tell their lawyer about Operation Omega? We'll see.
If Olson comes in begging for a plea deal, he knows.
If he wets his khakis when we screen the video for him, he Peter Stone? - That's right.
- We're seeking to enforce a writ of replevin against you and your office.
Nice to meet you, too.
Mary Graziano.
U.
S.
Department of Justice, National Security Division.
I haven't heard the words "writ of replevin" since law school.
What's this all about? You have classified material that belongs to the United States government.
We want it back.
See you in federal court tomorrow, Mr.
Stone, bright and early.
How did the DOJ find out you had this video? My money's on an employee in the tech company that did the decryption for us.
Not that it matters at this point.
It matters to me.
Maybe you should've been the one to tell them.
Is the government aware that this footage is from Operation Omega? It seems that way.
What's unclear is whether they know the SEAL team botched the mission.
So, this could come as a shock to the powers that be.
Or a leak.
And a cover-up that began two years ago.
You think the Navy spun the story that went public? As opposed to an honest mistake? That sounds pretty cynical, Peter.
Weapons of mass destruction, Iran-Contra, the Gulf of Tonkin.
Those names should be a warning to you.
You've stepped into something way bigger than your pay grade.
I do like to hear the truth from my public officials, but I don't have an Axe to grind here.
Really? Because I see sparks flying.
I just want to be able to prove my murder case.
You're litigating against the Justice Department in federal court.
If your murder case hangs on this video, lots of luck.
Thanks for the pep talk, Boss.
The video in question was recorded by an active duty sailor.
It's property of the Navy.
Neither Mr.
Stone nor his co-council have the necessary security clearance to watch this video, much less possess it.
We can't put the rain back in the sky.
We didn't have any inkling of its contents before we watched it.
For all we knew, it could've been a "Three Stooges" clip.
Oh, well, that would be amusing, but for the fact this video contradicts the official statements about Operation Omega.
It could embarrass the executive branch and have repercussions on our foreign policy.
So, let me propose a simple remedy: Mr.
Stone, hand over the video, destroy all copies, and keep your mouth shut.
But this video is a critical piece of evidence - in a homicide case.
- How so? The victim was a former Navy SEAL from the Omega mission.
He was murdered to prevent him writing a tell-all book about the operation.
Once I introduce the video into evidence, it's all yours.
And by the following morning, the story will be click-bait for every media outlet from here to Vladivostok.
Would you concede, Mr.
Stone, there are more important national concerns at stake here than one local murder case? Here's one: the government shouldn't deceive us about what our military does in foreign lands.
Transparency breeds trust in our institutions.
And this federal judiciary has courageously upheld these values in turbulent times Watergate, the Pentagon Papers With all due respect to Mr.
Stone, if we start allowing local officials to become the arbiters of whether classified items are made public, that's a national security nightmare I can't begin to imagine.
I see your point, Ms.
Graziano.
Thank you both for your thoughtful arguments.
You'll have my decision tomorrow.
So, you think we have a shot? Oh, I'm not that optimistic.
The DOJ has home court advantage.
Peter killed it in court, though.
I was ready to bust out into "Masters of War.
" Don't recruit me for The Weather Underground just yet.
I said what I had to say to try and get justice for Trevor Nichols and his family.
You know, if we lose the video, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Talk to me.
Mike Soto went out with Mia until Trevor stole her away.
Soto arrives at the bachelor party.
He's jealous.
He tries to use bikini girl to blow up the engagement.
And when that doesn't work, Soto confronts Trevor, things get out of hand.
It's not the best hand at the table, but I'll play it if I have to.
The government asserts a broad principle: national security should always carry the day.
Mr.
Stone has also made a lofty claim: honesty and transparency are paramount.
So, let's look at the fine print.
Should the truth about Operation Omega come to light, the Government can point to no individual who will be harmed, no American soldier or sailor who will be endangered.
On the other hand, the People of Illinois will likely see two murderers elude justice simply because the Navy wants to perpetuate a lie.
The Government's application for a writ of replevin is denied.
[dramatic music.]
[laughter.]
I got to say I did not see that coming.
Chalk one up for the underdogs.
Good news.
The writ was denied.
The video is in.
Except you're not going to use it.
What? You heard me.
Why? Personal experience has taught me military secrets should stay secret.
With all due respect, just because you served in Vietnam doesn't give you a monopoly on national security protocol.
In my office, it does.
When I walked into the jungle, I knew that as long as I stayed on mission, the folks up the chain of command had my back, and if there was something that they wanted to keep out of the public eye, there was a damn good reason for it.
There's never a good reason to veil the truth.
Then why not open your case files to every defense lawyer you face? I'll tell you why not: because it's war.
You do not give aid and comfort to the enemy, unless you're a misguided fool like Edward Snowden.
I do not accept your analogy.
Then maybe you can accept this: if you value your rights and your freedoms, sometimes you have to ask men and women to go to far-away battlefields to die for them.
And if you ask your fellow Americans to risk their lives for your liberties, then you don't get to second-guess it all after the fact.
You realize this would probably cost us our case.
I don't give a damn.
I do.
I didn't come here to cling to tired bromides that allow killers to go free.
Then you have a choice, don't you? Do what I'm telling you, or find a new job.
Mr.
Stone? Peter.
Thanks for coming.
What's on your mind? Came to pay my respects.
Could've done that at the house.
There's also something I thought you should know about Trevor.
If it's something I'd rather not hear The Navy didn't tell you the truth about Omega.
Trevor didn't either.
I'm sure there are things he wanted to tell me but couldn't.
He was about to go public.
He was gonna embarrass a lot of people, including his friends, destroy careers, maybe.
[sighs.]
So, that's why you arrested Mike and Jake? This secret the Navy kept from you From everybody, we can't reveal it at their trial, so there's a strong likelihood they won't be convicted.
I understand.
You do? You never served, did you? My son joined up because he felt there was a cause more important than his own life.
Those ideals He came to realize they weren't all they were cracked up to be.
That's not how I see it.
He was writing a book that defied his chain of command.
Every soldier needs a way to let go of the weight he carries.
[sighs.]
Trevor found his way.
Doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
Do you even want to know what it was gonna say? No.
I don't.
- Peter? - Bought you a coffee.
Tall Americano.
Thanks.
Tell me what you think of this: there's no reason this video has to go to the DOJ right this minute.
Why torture yourself? The defendants were present when the video was shot, so there's no national security issue when they watch it.
When? Jefferies won't let you put it into evidence.
Mike Soto doesn't know that.
I don't know.
Peter maybe it's better just to let it go.
And let these two killers walk away Scot-free? Olson has a huge conflict of interest.
Let's divide and conquer.
[gunfire.]
Where'd you get that? Let's not get hung up on details.
We know you and Jake Benjamin killed Trevor Nichols.
That explains why.
If his book came out, you'd be exposed as the screw-ups who killed Dr.
Carter and left her body to God-knows-what indignity, and when a jury sees this, they'll realize you had every reason to kill your best friend and destroy his manuscript.
The reason you're sitting here instead of Mr.
Benjamin is I'm pretty sure he was calling the shots that night, like he did in the Ukraine.
15 years if you testify against him instead of the 60 to life you'll get if you're convicted.
Mia Skyped me a few months before the bachelor weekend.
She showed me the engagement ring that Trevor bought her.
I asked where Trevor got money for a rock like that.
She said he was being paid to write a book about his time in the Navy.
What, if anything, did you do with that information? I called Jake.
[sighs.]
He and I both got so angry about it, we just couldn't let it go.
Why not, Mr.
Soto? We take a solemn pledge.
It's called the SEAL Code: "I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.
" And what did you decide to do about Trevor's book? Jake said that we had to talk him out of it.
What if he wouldn't listen to you? Jake said that wasn't an option.
What did you take that to mean? I wasn't sure.
[louder.]
What did you take that to mean, Mr.
Soto? That if Trevor wouldn't follow the code, we would have to take matters into our own hands.
By killing him? As a last resort, yes, sir.
We both thought it best to talk to him in person, so we waited till we got here in Chicago.
And what happened when you got here? We all went out partying.
At the end of the night, we all went our separate ways, but later on, Jake and I went back to Trevor's house.
Did Trevor know you were coming? Negative.
We both left our cell phones behind, we jogged over to his place, and we broke in.
- And then what happened? - We woke Trev up, told him he needed to kill the book, that it went against the SEAL Code and everything that we stood for.
He said that he wouldn't back down now, that the book was the right thing to do, and that he'd already given away some of the money.
And that's when Trevor grabbed a kitchen knife, and That's when things got out of hand.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Nichols, I am so sorry.
I loved Trevor like he was my brother.
I Please tell the jury exactly what occurred next.
Jake and I disarmed him.
I held Trevor back as Jake picked up the knife off the floor, and all of a sudden, Jake spun around and landed a kill strike to Trevor's thigh, to his femoral artery, just like they trained us to do.
Then we took the knife, Trevor's laptop, the book pages, a couple other things to make it look like a robbery, and we we just left Trevor there on the floor, and we got the hell out of there.
You made a plea bargain with Mr.
Stone for a lighter sentence, didn't you? That's right.
Did you inform him that you had a personal motive to kill your friend Trevor? What do you mean? Well, he was marrying your ex-girlfriend, Mia Jones, correct? Yes, but- - Did you tell Mr.
Stone that you're still in love with Mia before he offered you the deal of the century? Objection to that characterization.
Rephrase, Mr.
Olson.
You're still in love with her, aren't you? No, that's not true.
Mia and Trev, they're perfect for one another.
Isn't it a fact that you told my client that you hated Trevor for stealing Mia? - No, sir, it's not.
- And that you would do everything in your power to stop their impending marriage? Jake's lying.
How could you talk all this crap, man? Just answer the question, Mr.
Soto.
In fact, you went there alone and stabbed him to death because the thought of Trevor and Mia together enraged you.
It wasn't about Mia.
It was about the Ukraine.
Ukraine? The simple fact is that you got a sweetheart deal for killing your friend in a jealous rage.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
Tell us what you meant by the Ukraine, Mr.
Soto.
Objection to this distraction, Your Honor.
- Mr.
Olson opened the door.
- Overruled.
The witness may answer.
I can't.
I'm not supposed to.
We have heard all about your SEAL Code, but you swore an oath when you took that witness stand.
Jake, Trevor, and I were on Operation Omega in Ukraine two years ago.
We were part of a Navy SEAL team sent there to rescue a doctor who'd been kidnapped by some rebels there.
And what happened on the operation? The mission went all wrong.
Dr.
Carter and two of our guys were killed.
By the rebels? The SEALs were, yes, but it was Trevor that shot and killed Dr.
Carter.
Trevor mistook her for an enemy fighter, ripped off half a dozen rounds or so And that's when the ambush went down and all hell broke loose.
The Navy covered it all up.
They told some story about how we were all heroes when the truth was Omega was a total train wreck.
You swore on direct that Trevor was writing a book? He was gonna tell how the Navy lied to cover up the operation.
Is that why you and Jake killed Trevor? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
Can I please answer that, Your Honor? Overruled.
Jake and I both agreed that it wasn't right that Trevor was gonna get rich off the backs of our dead brothers and piss all over the code.
After everyone pumps you up and thanks you for your service and tells you what a big hero you are, you're supposed to keep quiet and try to forget what really happened, but Trevor couldn't do that.
He couldn't live with the shame.
Maybe it wasn't about the money.
Maybe he just wanted to set the record straight so he could make peace with what he did.
[somber music.]
On the count of first-degree murder, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
On the count of home invasion, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
On the count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
[knock at door.]
I hope you realize I didn't have a choice.
The choice was, "No redirect, Your Honor.
" Our case was slipping away.
Whether that's true is debatable.
Either way, you made an end run around my wishes.
If you want my letter of resignation, I have one ready.
Tear it up.
I'm not vindictive.
Thank you.
Congratulations on being right but you're wrong.
Old Town, Gold Coast, they plow so good you don't even know it snowed.
My damn street looks like a hockey rink.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time you drove a car, The Fridge played for the Bears and an actor was president.
Heh.
Back to the future, right? What do you have to take the chill off? You didn't have to drop by to check on me, Mr.
Jefferies.
Mark.
Join me? Why the hell not? [exhales sharply.]
To better days.
Better days.
I had a visitor on Sunday.
Buffed-up Rear Admiral from Annapolis.
For your son? He presented me with Trevor's medals in a black leather box.
Kid sent 'em back.
You still have yours? I threw them away years ago.
I hated the damn things.
Couldn't look at them without thinking about some of the things I saw and did.
50 years, and I still can't talk about it.
Maybe it's time, Grant.
Maybe it's time.
[sighs.]