Murder in the First (2014) s01e06 Episode Script
Punch Drunk
While the trial's going on, send out regular press releases on coming product.
I don't care what.
Work with marketing to decide.
But the world needs to see we're doing business as usual.
Got it.
Is that the nicest suit you've got? Absolutely not.
Let's roll.
Turn on the radio.
Feels like we're heading to a funeral.
From the moment a lawyer like Warren Daniels signs on, he's planting seeds of doubt about the credibility - of witnesses - Music! About the motives of the district attorney.
Christ, we're gonna be late.
Jimmy, go left.
Flank left! Watch out! God.
Take a deep breath, son.
Pull yourself together.
I just don't want to be late.
They're not gonna start without you.
It'll play to the narrative that I'm an entitled asshole.
Listen to me, Erich.
It's gonna be a very long trial.
And if you're already in this state now, you're not gonna survive, 'cause it's gonna get a whole lot harder before it gets easier.
Show some backbone.
Grow up.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Mario Siletti.
I work for the District Attorney of the County of San Francisco.
We represent the citizens of the state of California in prosecuting persons charged with criminal conduct.
And as you all know by now, Erich Blunt is accused of murdering Cindy Strauss and her unborn child.
Their unborn child.
In the course of this trial, the evidence will show that Erich Blunt lied about the true nature of his relationship with Cindy Strauss.
He lied about being at her home the night she was murdered.
He lied about having sex with her minutes before her neck was broken, and D.
N.
A.
evidence will show that Erich Blunt is the father of the child who died when he killed Cindy Strauss.
At the end of this case, I'll have another opportunity to address you regarding what we've proven, and I believe that at that time, you will agree that Erich Blunt's pattern of lies, in addition to a wealth of other physical evidence, will compel you to convict Erich Blunt of the murder of two innocent persons.
Thank you.
Mr.
Daniels.
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Warren Daniels, and my co-counsel is Tonia Pyne.
Now, to the business at hand.
You've just heard my friend Mr.
Siletti, the prosecuting attorney, promise to prove a good many allegations.
But, as we all know, there are always two sides to every story.
And you are here today because it's your job to determine what the facts are, based on the evidence presented to you through the testimony of sworn witnesses.
One thing Mr.
Siletti will not present is any direct evidence either by police officers, the expert witnesses, or even a potential eyewitness as to who committed the murder of Cindy Strauss and her unborn child, and that is because no such evidence exists.
What you will hear is testimony that the government would like you to accept as true.
But the beauty of our jury system is that those judgments lie exclusively within the province of the 12 of you.
Now, I'm pretty sure if you've ever watched a trial on television, real or fictional, you've probably heard of the term "Reasonable Doubt.
" Good.
So, if, after you've heard all the testimony, you believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Erich Blunt committed the crime of which he is accused, then it's your job to find him guilty as charged.
But if, after all the so-called evidence has been presented, you still believe that the government's case has not risen above the level of reasonable doubt, then it's your duty to acquit the accused.
At the conclusion of this trial, Mr.
Siletti and I will have the opportunity to address you again, and at that time, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions.
First Did Mr.
Siletti prove all that he said he was gonna prove? Did he prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Erich Blunt had a motive to commit murder? Did he prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Erich Blunt who committed murder? And finally, did he even prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an actual murder was committed at all? I am confident that when you have answered all of these questions, you're going to find that young man over there, Erich Blunt, not guilty.
Thank you.
You look tired, Inspector.
Are you ill? - No.
- Hung over? - I'm fine.
- Must be a rough period for you.
My condolences on the recent death of your wife.
- Objection.
Immaterial.
- Overruled.
Where were you when you heard the news of your wife's death? I was at Cindy Strauss' house.
- Investigating the crime scene? - Correct.
Okay, so, maybe I should speak to the investigator, then, that took over for you when you left.
Ah.
I never left.
- You stayed on the job? - Mm-hmm.
Despite your personal feelings? I admire that.
Okay, where you going with this, Hildy? For real.
Let's return to your first interview with Erich Blunt.
Okay.
- You claimed that he lied.
- Yes.
Did he actually say he didn't see the e-mail from Kevin Neyers, in those words? He said that he received thousands of e-mails a day.
Which he does, so he didn't lie.
Maybe he just wasn't ready to break the news that his biological father was a blackmailing junkie.
- You look like you could use a date.
- Maybe, like you, - We're good.
- he just wanted to stay focused on work - Ah.
- despite his personal feelings.
- Just leave us alone.
This is good.
- She was making eyes at me.
- I'm sorry.
No, no, I need to hear it.
Oh, don't touch me.
- Can't you just leave us alone? - I can't.
Let's just ignore them.
It's kind of hard for me to ignore this asshole.
You talking to me? I wasn't, but I am now.
- Oh.
- Why don't you guys move on - and leave this nice couple alone? - Oh, he's a thug! Show us your eyes, thug! Really? All right, let's go.
Now look what you've done.
Well, don't just stand there.
Clean up your mess, boy.
What did you call me? Terry! - You guys okay? - Yeah.
Thank you.
All right, you guys should get up out of here before they, uh, come to.
Hey, uh, looking sharp, T-Dog.
Thanks, man.
Ready for prime time? You know me.
I was born ready.
Good, good.
Let's go, Molky.
We're late.
Hey, good luck, Terry.
All right, man.
Appreciate it.
Okay.
I should get out of here.
Um Okay, you want to get something off your chest? Last night? Yeah, okay.
I just I don't really think you needed to lay those guys out, you know? Hildy, those guys were assholes, okay? They were looking for a fight, and I didn't I didn't I didn't have a choice.
Yeah, you did.
You could have shown them your badge, arrested them for drunk and disorderly.
You wanted to fight.
Hey, that's that's not true.
That's not the case.
It is true, but it's fine.
I get it.
I get it.
I mean, they were total assholes.
I'm just saying I feel like you've been kind of quick with your hands lately, you know? - I've been quick with my hands lately? - Yeah.
Okay.
Uh, give me an example.
Okay, parking-lot fight with my ex.
Oh, come on.
That was three years ago, and you can't put that on me.
That's No.
Give me something else.
All right, what about Chris Walton? You beat the shit out of him in the interrogation room.
Why did you do that? I'm just saying, you know? All right.
I've got to go.
Inspector English, on the morning of June 6, 2014, you and your partner, Inspector Hildy Mulligan, were dispatched to the home of Cindy Strauss at 1124 Brannan Street.
Is that correct? - Yes, sir.
- Why were you called? Miss Strauss had failed to show at work, so one of her co-workers, Bill Wilkerson, went to her house.
They were let in by the landlady.
When they entered, they found a nude Miss Strauss sprawled on the foot of the stairs that opened up into her bedroom.
Based on her position, she had either fallen or was pushed down the stairs.
Were you able to ascertain the cause of death? According to the medical examiner, the cause of death was a broken neck.
Tell the court, what initially made you suspect that Erich Blunt might be Cindy Strauss' killer? We usually look at a victim's best friends, spouse, or family members.
In this case, one of our clues was the presence, in plain view, of multiple photographs of Miss Strauss and Erich Blunt that indicated a very close and personal relationship.
What kind of pictures did you see? Pictures of them smiling, their arms around each other, lying in bed together.
Is that the only reason you suspected Erich Blunt? No.
Several days earlier, I was investigating a murder of a 50-year-old pusher, Kevin Neyers, in the Tenderloin district.
Now, in the course of this investigation, my partner and I had the occasion of interviewing Mr.
Blunt several times.
How did the death of a 50-year-old pusher lead you to Erich Blunt? On Kevin Neyers' iPad, there was an e-mail addressed to Mr.
Blunt.
What did this e-mail say? It asked for $50,000, or he would, "Go public.
" And did you infer from this that Kevin Neyers was trying to blackmail Erich Blunt? - I did, sir.
- And when you asked Erich Blunt, what did he say about this e-mail? Mr.
Blunt said he never received the e-mail and that he didn't know who Kevin Neyers was.
- That was a lie, wasn't it? - It was.
My partner and I had interviewed Kevin Neyers' in-laws, James and Betty Harbach.
Now, they had a deceased daughter who had a son with Kevin Neyers.
This son was Erich Blunt.
The Harbachs confirmed that Blunt did, in fact, know that Kevin Neyers was his biological father.
So, when Erich Blunt denied knowing who Kevin Neyers was, that was a lie.
It was a lie.
And then, upon asking him again, he later admitted that he did know Kevin Neyers was his biological father and that he had given him money.
Inspector, to recap.
You first interviewed Erich Blunt in the murder of his biological father, and then again in the death of Cindy Strauss, correct? Yes, sir.
Didn't you find that an odd coincidence? No, I do not believe in coincidence, sir.
Did Erich Blunt lie to you when you questioned him - about Cindy Strauss' death? - He did.
He said he had never slept with her and that he hadn't seen her the night she was the night she died.
Excuse me.
And both those statements were proved false by subsequent investigation? Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
Your witness, Mr.
Daniels.
- Inspector English, good morning.
- Good morning.
Inspector, did you ever consider the possibility that Erich Blunt didn't admit he knew Kevin Neyers because he was embarrassed or even ashamed at his father, a drug addict who was always asking him for money? Objection.
It calls for speculation.
Overruled.
I never gave any thought to what Blunt was thinking about Kevin Neyers.
Is it correct that you didn't pursue Mr.
Blunt as a suspect in the death of Kevin Neyers? Yes, sir.
Is that because you didn't think he committed the murder? He had an alibi.
He was in Los Angeles the night of the murder.
So, you knew he couldn't have killed Mr.
Neyers.
And, as it turns out, a drug dealer named Chris Walton confessed to the murder and is now serving his sentence in San Quentin.
Isn't that right? That is right.
Now, in your earlier testimony, you stated that you don't believe in coincidence.
Is that correct? That is correct.
So, wouldn't you think it was a coincidence that Mr.
Blunt was a person of interest in two homicide investigations, but had nothing to do with either death? I suppose so.
You suppose so.
Do you think Mr.
Blunt had something to do with both deaths? I didn't say that.
Well, what are you saying, Inspector? I'm saying that the common denominator in both deaths is Erich Blunt.
So, let me get this straight.
You suspected Erich Blunt in the murder of his biological father, and because someone else confessed to the murder, you were predisposed to the biased belief that he murdered Cindy Strauss.
Objection.
He's badgering the witness.
No further questions.
In this scenario, she trips at the top of the stairs.
She stumbles, falls to the landing here, where she crashes into the vase set into the wall niche.
The vase shatters on impact.
She falls down the lower set of stairs, landing head first, with her upper body on the ground and her lower body sprawled awkwardly on the bottom four stairs.
Based on this simulation, in your expert opinion, was it possible for this fall to have caused Cindy Strauss' broken neck? No.
We simulated every trajectory that a body of her height and weight might possibly travel when falling down the stairs, and in no scenario does she ever break her own neck in the specific manner in which it was broken.
Which was? The violent protrusion of the cervical vertebrae column into the cranial vault.
Someone had to have broken her neck.
Doctor, could you tell us what time her death occurred? Assessing many factors, analyzing the partially digested food in her stomach, comparing the room temperature with the lividity of the corpse, and the fact that the victim wasn't in full rigor mortis when the body was found, we put the time of death between 8:30 and 9:00 P.
M.
the night before the body was found.
Thank you, Dr.
Burnside.
No further questions.
Mr.
Daniels.
Okay, then.
In your toxicology report, you state there was alcohol, Xanax, and MDMA in Cindy Strauss' body.
Is that correct? Yes.
In combination, what would be the likely side effects of these drugs? Dizziness, disorientation, loss of impulse control, lack of motor coordination, impaired reaction time.
So, would it be safe to say, Doctor, that, simply put, Cindy Strauss was loaded? Sadly, yes.
In other words, an accident waiting to happen? Objection.
Withdrawn.
Moving on, Doctor.
You estimated the time of death based, in part, on the amount of partially digested food in Miss Strauss' stomach.
- Is that right? - Yes.
Can't one woman digest at a different rate than another woman? Yes, of course, based on age, size, weight, level of fitness, general health.
And would a woman simultaneously under the influence of alcohol, Xanax, and ecstasy, say, digest at a different rate than a woman not similarly medicated? I took all those factors into account.
Really? Isn't that just a fancy way of saying you took an educated guess? With an emphasis on "Educated.
" Ah, and would it also be fair to say that the time of death you pegged at between 8:30 and 9:00 P.
M.
is also an educated guess? Yes.
With the emphasis on "Guess.
" Could the time of death have been, say 8:28? Certainly.
It's possible.
Because 8:30 isn't really an exact number here, is it, doctor? - It's an approximation.
- Ah.
So, you've given us an approximate half-hour window of death, but it could be that she died somewhere between 8:18 and 9:07, couldn't it? - Yes, it could.
- So, really, your half-hour window might actually be much closer to an hour.
Now, let's go back to your computer-generated scenarios for a minute.
Let's imagine that Cindy Strauss, under the influence of alcohol, Xanax, and ecstasy, has sex with a man on the night of her death, and in the aftermath, she reveals to this man that she is pregnant with his child.
Shocked, he demands to know how she could put the health of the fetus at risk by drinking and doing drugs.
They argue over whether she should have an abortion.
She refuses.
Furious, he turns to go.
Naked, she follows him out into the hall, grabbing at him.
He pulls away from her and starts down the stairs.
She runs after him, and in her drug and alcohol-addled condition, she trips and tumbles head over heels down the stairs, landing on her head and breaking her neck, when her cervical vertebrae column violently protrudes into her cranial vault.
You wouldn't happen to have that particular computer-generated scenario handy, would you? It's obviously impossible for us to imagine every conceivable scenario.
Aha.
Aha.
Thank you, Doctor.
No further questions.
Hey.
Hey.
What's up? Oh, nothing's up.
Walk with me for a second? Sure.
I, uh I earned something today.
I wanted to celebrate with someone.
Two years.
Clean.
That's amazing.
I just wanted some applause.
I didn't know who to call.
Anyway I thought of you.
Well, I'm glad you did.
Seems like Louise is doing great.
Yeah.
She loves her teacher this year, Mrs.
I-can-never-remember-her-name.
Stauffenberger.
Yeah, she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, just like Ms.
"S.
" At least she doesn't want to be a cop.
Yeah, you got that right.
How's Terry holding up? Good.
He's been on my mind lately.
I'm on step 9, and, well, I owe him an amends.
I got to say I'm very proud of you.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
That means more to me than you will ever know.
We were so good together before I screwed things up.
I'll We'll always have those memories, right? And we'll always have Louise.
Yeah.
Well, congratulations again.
Thank you.
- I'm gonna go.
- Go.
We identified Mr.
Blunt's genetic material in two locations on the body.
Not only was he the father of Cindy Strauss' child, his D.
N.
A.
also matches that of the seminal fluid left in the victim's mouth.
Is it possible, with any degree of certainty, to pinpoint how long before Miss Strauss' death she engaged in oral sex with the defendant? Mm-hmm.
The sex act occurred roughly Just to be clear, it is your expert opinion that Erich Blunt ejaculated into the victim's mouth 15 minutes before her death? Unless he'd like to tell us it arrived there via turkey baster, that is indisputable.
Objection.
Non-responsive and obnoxious.
Sustained as non-responsive.
Obnoxious is not a legal objection.
Thank you, Doctor.
Your witness.
How are you today, Dr.
Gibbs? Dandy, Counselor.
Yourself? Oh, not too bad for an old geezer.
Thanks.
Dr.
Gibbs, you are testifying today for the prosecution because you are generally recognized as a leading authority in forensic pathology, with a specialty in semen analysis.
- Is that correct? - Yes.
Tell us how you developed your particular interest in semen.
I am a biologist by training, and in the course of my career, I have become something of a D.
N.
A.
expert.
To me, semen is just another bodily fluid.
You testified earlier that Ms.
Strauss performed oral sex on Mr.
Blunt about 15 minutes before she died.
Mm-hmm.
That's correct.
How can you be sure it wasn't Because for this analysis, I look at one simple question.
How long could seminal fluid have remained detectable without being washed away by the natural process of saliva glands? The answer tells us that Mr.
Blunt had oral sex with Cindy Strauss no more than 15 minutes before she died.
Thank you, Doctor.
Nothing further, your honor.
Hey.
How you doing? - Good.
- All right.
- Good.
Good.
Sorry I'm late.
- No.
No sweat.
I saw you on the news.
- Yeah.
- You did good.
Do you want a coffee, a sandwich? No, no.
I'm good.
- I've only got a few minutes, so - Oh.
Well, then, uh, why don't I just get down to it? I owe you an amends.
Okay.
For what? For that fight we got into outside Dexter's.
It was ages ago.
That's that's water under the bridge.
You don't have to Yeah, well, I'm, uh I'm doing my 9th step, and this is part of the process.
Oh, okay.
Right.
Well, that was a that was a crazy night.
You know, we were all drunk off that, uh, moonshine Teddy made.
I get a headache just thinking about that rat poison.
Yeah, I mean, you know, I appreciate I appreciate what you're doing, you know, you reaching out to me and whatnot, but we're good.
You don't have to apologize to me.
We're cool.
I hear you, man.
Um, but an amends is a little different than an apology.
It's it's about honestly cleaning up my side of the street.
And, so, I just have a couple things I need to say to you, and then then we're done.
Cool? Yeah, of course, sure.
You know, I hated you for a long time, ever since you and Hildy became partners.
I saw what you guys had, how close you were from the get-go, and I saw how she saw you, and it was different than how she saw me.
And I was envious, and I, uh I resented you, and I thought I hated you, but I was just afraid afraid you were gonna steal my wife.
Hmm.
For real? That's I mean, that's crazy.
Well, I was drinking daily, and it didn't seem so crazy at the time.
- Mm.
- Anyway, that's, uh that's what was underneath my behavior that night at Dexter's.
That's that's why I punched you in the face.
Sucker-punched me, technically.
Absolutely.
Anyway, that's it.
That's what I needed to say.
Uh, it's impressive, you know, and it takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing right now, so Yeah, well, it's the steps.
When I take the next indicated action, like, you know, making this amends I feel better.
I try to keep it as simple as that.
And you feel better right now? Yeah.
I do.
- Barbara, we can work this out.
- Can we? Really? What are the odds? I admit everything.
Yes, because I saw it on your filthy sex tape! I'll give you everything you want.
Oh, clearly not, because she wants this over.
- Look, I'm no divorce lawyer.
- And I very much am.
And I'm very much aware of your reputation, Miss Vasilikos.
- Then what are you doing here? - I'm here as a favor.
He's Erich Blunt's cleaner.
Well, I guess this qualifies as a mess, wouldn't you say? Mr.
Wilkerson will happily line up an attorney down the road, if necessary.
Right now, my goal is to see if we can work things out.
Work things out? I-I never want to see you again.
You make me want to vomit.
I could literally I could puke my guts out right now all over this table.
I don't clean up vomit.
Look, it's over, Bill, okay? Get a clue.
- You realize this will bankrupt me.
- Oh, oh, here.
Well, there it is the real reason he wants to work things out.
- It's the money.
- People, people, do you have any idea what the value of this estate is right now? Essentially nonexistent.
Bill has been spending against his Applsn stock options, which, considering the current trial, is profoundly devalued.
You are arguing literally over nothing.
And, Adele, have you considered, if Warren Daniels calls Barbara as a witness, what you will look like by the end of questioning? W-why would Barbara be called to testify? Really, you haven't thought about this? That sex video gives you as much motive to kill Cindy as anyone.
- What? - Excuse me? Now, look.
I'm just looking to dial things back.
This is not the time to discuss this.
Put a pin in it for another day.
I don't want him back in the house.
- I know.
I know.
- That's fine.
That's fine.
He's gonna stay with Erich Blunt, okay? I'll lock him in in my closet, if that's what it takes, okay? Are we good? Are we good? Hmm? - Huh? Is that what you want, Bill? - Oh, yeah! - Is that it? Look.
Look at this.
- Stop.
- Stop it! - Barbara! Hey! Stop! Stop it! Stop! - Stop it! - Oh! Barbara.
Are you all right? Thanks.
You didn't have to do that.
Yeah, well, you didn't have to come and meet me, so Just glad they put us in here so people don't think I'm informing.
Am I informing? - No.
No.
- So, what? You just come here to blow off some steam, maybe kick my ass again for shits and giggles? That's actually why I, uh I just wanted to apologize for that.
It was way out of line, and I'm sorry.
That's why I came.
Hell.
That's kind of a risk, telling me that.
What if I sue the city? You could do that.
You have every right to file a complaint with the city.
Like anyone would listen to me, huh? Don't sweat it.
Apology accepted.
Okay.
Cool.
I don't get a whole lot of folks showing me respect, Inspector.
Good for you.
- Can I ask you a question? - Shoot.
Why'd you take the rap on that murder charge? What do you mean, "Why?" Don't you think I done it? I didn't until you confessed.
Did you kill Kevin Neyers? Hell, I have trouble killing a damn spider.
So, you took the fall.
You made a false confession.
What else was I gonna do? I didn't have no alibi.
I had been there earlier, so I knew my prints were all over the scene.
Look at me.
What jury's gonna believe me? I'm the kind of guy the system lives on, Inspector.
Got to fill the prison somehow, right? You really want to atone? Find out who really killed that son of a bitch Kevin Neyers, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't me.
All right.
Thanks.
For the record, state your full name.
Could you repeat the question? Please state your full name.
Right.
Mark Strauss.
And your relationship to the deceased? - She was my wife.
- To be candid, the two of you had a pretty bumpy relationship, didn't you? Yes.
We were separated.
And she had a temporary restraining order against you.
Isn't that also correct? Yes.
Why? Because I hit her a time or two.
She hit me, too.
We've both got fiery tempers, but I'm a changed man.
I loved her very much.
When was the last time you saw your wife? The night before he killed her.
Objection.
Move to strike.
Non-responsive, assumes facts not in evidence, and is a lie! Sustained.
The jury will disregard that answer.
Let me warn you, Mr.
Strauss, you may not state opinions based on assumptions of facts that are not in evidence.
I'm sorry, your honor.
So, you went to see your wife in violation of a standing T.
R.
O.
the night before she died.
Why? She called me.
She asked me to come over.
She she was hysterical.
She said Erich had yelled at her, thrown his shirt in her face, and fired her.
I went over there to calm her down.
She she was very pretty shaken up.
Did she say she was afraid of Erich Blunt? Yes.
Objection.
Hearsay.
Move to strike.
Sustained.
That answer is stricken, and the jury is ordered to disregard it.
Did you call Erich Blunt the next day? Yes.
What did you say to him? He said to let him know anytime I wanted a piece of him and that he'd break my neck.
He said that exactly, that he would "Break your neck"? Yes, sir.
Thank you.
I have no more questions.
Besides beating your wife and threatening Mr.
Blunt, you've been arrested twice in the past for violent conduct, correct? Only a couple times.
It's nothing serious.
Assault reduced to drunk and disorderly at a Giants game in 2009 and battery on a person, also reduced to drunk and disorderly, in 2011.
Sounds like you've got anger-management issues, Mr.
Strauss.
That was a very long time ago.
Mr.
Strauss, would you tell the jury where you were on the night of your wife's death? Yeah, I met a woman at a bar, and we went out to her car for a couple hours.
We talked for a while, smoked a "J," and had sex a couple times.
What was the name of the bar? It was downtown somewhere.
Um How long were you in this bar before you went out to this woman's car? I don't know.
A couple hours, maybe.
What kind of car was it? I don't remember.
How much had you had to drink? It's hard to say, exactly.
And what was this lady's name you claim you were with? I don't I don't remember.
So, let me see if I understand what you've just told us.
On the evening after Cindy told you that she was pregnant with Mr.
Blunt's child and you threatened to tear Mr.
Blunt apart, you can't tell us where you were, who you were with, or how much you had to drink, but you do admit that you were a little drunk, and you had sex a couple of times.
Correct? Yeah, something like that.
Do you also remember going back to Cindy's after that, getting into another argument, and pushing her down the stairs? - Objection! - Strike that! The jury will disregard that question.
We are adjourned for today.
I want to see both attorneys in my chambers.
Do I need a lawyer? I would really consider it if I were you, Mr.
Strauss.
The people call Dr.
Sally Smoot.
Your honor, may we approach? This person is not on the witness list.
Mr.
Daniels just questioned Mark Strauss' alibi.
We need a chance to respond.
You opened that door yesterday, Mr.
Daniels.
Oh, Jesus.
Mr.
Siletti, Mr.
Daniels, my chambers now.
This court is in recess.
All rise! Thanks.
- Crazy shit, huh? - What have we got? What? You don't know? Radio died after we got the code and address.
No shit.
Cheap-ass com units.
Fill us in.
Dead Caucasian male.
Looks like an overdose.
- A lot of units for an O.
D.
- Not when you see who it is.
Hey, thanks, bro.
This way.
Hey.
Well, this job is never dull.
Oh.
Mark Strauss.
Mm-hmm.
Dude wanted serious shut-eye.
What do you say? No words.
Okay, watch your back.
Coming through.
We got some words here.
Oh, shit.
It's a suicide note.
It says he killed Cindy Strauss.
I don't care what.
Work with marketing to decide.
But the world needs to see we're doing business as usual.
Got it.
Is that the nicest suit you've got? Absolutely not.
Let's roll.
Turn on the radio.
Feels like we're heading to a funeral.
From the moment a lawyer like Warren Daniels signs on, he's planting seeds of doubt about the credibility - of witnesses - Music! About the motives of the district attorney.
Christ, we're gonna be late.
Jimmy, go left.
Flank left! Watch out! God.
Take a deep breath, son.
Pull yourself together.
I just don't want to be late.
They're not gonna start without you.
It'll play to the narrative that I'm an entitled asshole.
Listen to me, Erich.
It's gonna be a very long trial.
And if you're already in this state now, you're not gonna survive, 'cause it's gonna get a whole lot harder before it gets easier.
Show some backbone.
Grow up.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Mario Siletti.
I work for the District Attorney of the County of San Francisco.
We represent the citizens of the state of California in prosecuting persons charged with criminal conduct.
And as you all know by now, Erich Blunt is accused of murdering Cindy Strauss and her unborn child.
Their unborn child.
In the course of this trial, the evidence will show that Erich Blunt lied about the true nature of his relationship with Cindy Strauss.
He lied about being at her home the night she was murdered.
He lied about having sex with her minutes before her neck was broken, and D.
N.
A.
evidence will show that Erich Blunt is the father of the child who died when he killed Cindy Strauss.
At the end of this case, I'll have another opportunity to address you regarding what we've proven, and I believe that at that time, you will agree that Erich Blunt's pattern of lies, in addition to a wealth of other physical evidence, will compel you to convict Erich Blunt of the murder of two innocent persons.
Thank you.
Mr.
Daniels.
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Warren Daniels, and my co-counsel is Tonia Pyne.
Now, to the business at hand.
You've just heard my friend Mr.
Siletti, the prosecuting attorney, promise to prove a good many allegations.
But, as we all know, there are always two sides to every story.
And you are here today because it's your job to determine what the facts are, based on the evidence presented to you through the testimony of sworn witnesses.
One thing Mr.
Siletti will not present is any direct evidence either by police officers, the expert witnesses, or even a potential eyewitness as to who committed the murder of Cindy Strauss and her unborn child, and that is because no such evidence exists.
What you will hear is testimony that the government would like you to accept as true.
But the beauty of our jury system is that those judgments lie exclusively within the province of the 12 of you.
Now, I'm pretty sure if you've ever watched a trial on television, real or fictional, you've probably heard of the term "Reasonable Doubt.
" Good.
So, if, after you've heard all the testimony, you believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Erich Blunt committed the crime of which he is accused, then it's your job to find him guilty as charged.
But if, after all the so-called evidence has been presented, you still believe that the government's case has not risen above the level of reasonable doubt, then it's your duty to acquit the accused.
At the conclusion of this trial, Mr.
Siletti and I will have the opportunity to address you again, and at that time, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions.
First Did Mr.
Siletti prove all that he said he was gonna prove? Did he prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Erich Blunt had a motive to commit murder? Did he prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Erich Blunt who committed murder? And finally, did he even prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an actual murder was committed at all? I am confident that when you have answered all of these questions, you're going to find that young man over there, Erich Blunt, not guilty.
Thank you.
You look tired, Inspector.
Are you ill? - No.
- Hung over? - I'm fine.
- Must be a rough period for you.
My condolences on the recent death of your wife.
- Objection.
Immaterial.
- Overruled.
Where were you when you heard the news of your wife's death? I was at Cindy Strauss' house.
- Investigating the crime scene? - Correct.
Okay, so, maybe I should speak to the investigator, then, that took over for you when you left.
Ah.
I never left.
- You stayed on the job? - Mm-hmm.
Despite your personal feelings? I admire that.
Okay, where you going with this, Hildy? For real.
Let's return to your first interview with Erich Blunt.
Okay.
- You claimed that he lied.
- Yes.
Did he actually say he didn't see the e-mail from Kevin Neyers, in those words? He said that he received thousands of e-mails a day.
Which he does, so he didn't lie.
Maybe he just wasn't ready to break the news that his biological father was a blackmailing junkie.
- You look like you could use a date.
- Maybe, like you, - We're good.
- he just wanted to stay focused on work - Ah.
- despite his personal feelings.
- Just leave us alone.
This is good.
- She was making eyes at me.
- I'm sorry.
No, no, I need to hear it.
Oh, don't touch me.
- Can't you just leave us alone? - I can't.
Let's just ignore them.
It's kind of hard for me to ignore this asshole.
You talking to me? I wasn't, but I am now.
- Oh.
- Why don't you guys move on - and leave this nice couple alone? - Oh, he's a thug! Show us your eyes, thug! Really? All right, let's go.
Now look what you've done.
Well, don't just stand there.
Clean up your mess, boy.
What did you call me? Terry! - You guys okay? - Yeah.
Thank you.
All right, you guys should get up out of here before they, uh, come to.
Hey, uh, looking sharp, T-Dog.
Thanks, man.
Ready for prime time? You know me.
I was born ready.
Good, good.
Let's go, Molky.
We're late.
Hey, good luck, Terry.
All right, man.
Appreciate it.
Okay.
I should get out of here.
Um Okay, you want to get something off your chest? Last night? Yeah, okay.
I just I don't really think you needed to lay those guys out, you know? Hildy, those guys were assholes, okay? They were looking for a fight, and I didn't I didn't I didn't have a choice.
Yeah, you did.
You could have shown them your badge, arrested them for drunk and disorderly.
You wanted to fight.
Hey, that's that's not true.
That's not the case.
It is true, but it's fine.
I get it.
I get it.
I mean, they were total assholes.
I'm just saying I feel like you've been kind of quick with your hands lately, you know? - I've been quick with my hands lately? - Yeah.
Okay.
Uh, give me an example.
Okay, parking-lot fight with my ex.
Oh, come on.
That was three years ago, and you can't put that on me.
That's No.
Give me something else.
All right, what about Chris Walton? You beat the shit out of him in the interrogation room.
Why did you do that? I'm just saying, you know? All right.
I've got to go.
Inspector English, on the morning of June 6, 2014, you and your partner, Inspector Hildy Mulligan, were dispatched to the home of Cindy Strauss at 1124 Brannan Street.
Is that correct? - Yes, sir.
- Why were you called? Miss Strauss had failed to show at work, so one of her co-workers, Bill Wilkerson, went to her house.
They were let in by the landlady.
When they entered, they found a nude Miss Strauss sprawled on the foot of the stairs that opened up into her bedroom.
Based on her position, she had either fallen or was pushed down the stairs.
Were you able to ascertain the cause of death? According to the medical examiner, the cause of death was a broken neck.
Tell the court, what initially made you suspect that Erich Blunt might be Cindy Strauss' killer? We usually look at a victim's best friends, spouse, or family members.
In this case, one of our clues was the presence, in plain view, of multiple photographs of Miss Strauss and Erich Blunt that indicated a very close and personal relationship.
What kind of pictures did you see? Pictures of them smiling, their arms around each other, lying in bed together.
Is that the only reason you suspected Erich Blunt? No.
Several days earlier, I was investigating a murder of a 50-year-old pusher, Kevin Neyers, in the Tenderloin district.
Now, in the course of this investigation, my partner and I had the occasion of interviewing Mr.
Blunt several times.
How did the death of a 50-year-old pusher lead you to Erich Blunt? On Kevin Neyers' iPad, there was an e-mail addressed to Mr.
Blunt.
What did this e-mail say? It asked for $50,000, or he would, "Go public.
" And did you infer from this that Kevin Neyers was trying to blackmail Erich Blunt? - I did, sir.
- And when you asked Erich Blunt, what did he say about this e-mail? Mr.
Blunt said he never received the e-mail and that he didn't know who Kevin Neyers was.
- That was a lie, wasn't it? - It was.
My partner and I had interviewed Kevin Neyers' in-laws, James and Betty Harbach.
Now, they had a deceased daughter who had a son with Kevin Neyers.
This son was Erich Blunt.
The Harbachs confirmed that Blunt did, in fact, know that Kevin Neyers was his biological father.
So, when Erich Blunt denied knowing who Kevin Neyers was, that was a lie.
It was a lie.
And then, upon asking him again, he later admitted that he did know Kevin Neyers was his biological father and that he had given him money.
Inspector, to recap.
You first interviewed Erich Blunt in the murder of his biological father, and then again in the death of Cindy Strauss, correct? Yes, sir.
Didn't you find that an odd coincidence? No, I do not believe in coincidence, sir.
Did Erich Blunt lie to you when you questioned him - about Cindy Strauss' death? - He did.
He said he had never slept with her and that he hadn't seen her the night she was the night she died.
Excuse me.
And both those statements were proved false by subsequent investigation? Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
Your witness, Mr.
Daniels.
- Inspector English, good morning.
- Good morning.
Inspector, did you ever consider the possibility that Erich Blunt didn't admit he knew Kevin Neyers because he was embarrassed or even ashamed at his father, a drug addict who was always asking him for money? Objection.
It calls for speculation.
Overruled.
I never gave any thought to what Blunt was thinking about Kevin Neyers.
Is it correct that you didn't pursue Mr.
Blunt as a suspect in the death of Kevin Neyers? Yes, sir.
Is that because you didn't think he committed the murder? He had an alibi.
He was in Los Angeles the night of the murder.
So, you knew he couldn't have killed Mr.
Neyers.
And, as it turns out, a drug dealer named Chris Walton confessed to the murder and is now serving his sentence in San Quentin.
Isn't that right? That is right.
Now, in your earlier testimony, you stated that you don't believe in coincidence.
Is that correct? That is correct.
So, wouldn't you think it was a coincidence that Mr.
Blunt was a person of interest in two homicide investigations, but had nothing to do with either death? I suppose so.
You suppose so.
Do you think Mr.
Blunt had something to do with both deaths? I didn't say that.
Well, what are you saying, Inspector? I'm saying that the common denominator in both deaths is Erich Blunt.
So, let me get this straight.
You suspected Erich Blunt in the murder of his biological father, and because someone else confessed to the murder, you were predisposed to the biased belief that he murdered Cindy Strauss.
Objection.
He's badgering the witness.
No further questions.
In this scenario, she trips at the top of the stairs.
She stumbles, falls to the landing here, where she crashes into the vase set into the wall niche.
The vase shatters on impact.
She falls down the lower set of stairs, landing head first, with her upper body on the ground and her lower body sprawled awkwardly on the bottom four stairs.
Based on this simulation, in your expert opinion, was it possible for this fall to have caused Cindy Strauss' broken neck? No.
We simulated every trajectory that a body of her height and weight might possibly travel when falling down the stairs, and in no scenario does she ever break her own neck in the specific manner in which it was broken.
Which was? The violent protrusion of the cervical vertebrae column into the cranial vault.
Someone had to have broken her neck.
Doctor, could you tell us what time her death occurred? Assessing many factors, analyzing the partially digested food in her stomach, comparing the room temperature with the lividity of the corpse, and the fact that the victim wasn't in full rigor mortis when the body was found, we put the time of death between 8:30 and 9:00 P.
M.
the night before the body was found.
Thank you, Dr.
Burnside.
No further questions.
Mr.
Daniels.
Okay, then.
In your toxicology report, you state there was alcohol, Xanax, and MDMA in Cindy Strauss' body.
Is that correct? Yes.
In combination, what would be the likely side effects of these drugs? Dizziness, disorientation, loss of impulse control, lack of motor coordination, impaired reaction time.
So, would it be safe to say, Doctor, that, simply put, Cindy Strauss was loaded? Sadly, yes.
In other words, an accident waiting to happen? Objection.
Withdrawn.
Moving on, Doctor.
You estimated the time of death based, in part, on the amount of partially digested food in Miss Strauss' stomach.
- Is that right? - Yes.
Can't one woman digest at a different rate than another woman? Yes, of course, based on age, size, weight, level of fitness, general health.
And would a woman simultaneously under the influence of alcohol, Xanax, and ecstasy, say, digest at a different rate than a woman not similarly medicated? I took all those factors into account.
Really? Isn't that just a fancy way of saying you took an educated guess? With an emphasis on "Educated.
" Ah, and would it also be fair to say that the time of death you pegged at between 8:30 and 9:00 P.
M.
is also an educated guess? Yes.
With the emphasis on "Guess.
" Could the time of death have been, say 8:28? Certainly.
It's possible.
Because 8:30 isn't really an exact number here, is it, doctor? - It's an approximation.
- Ah.
So, you've given us an approximate half-hour window of death, but it could be that she died somewhere between 8:18 and 9:07, couldn't it? - Yes, it could.
- So, really, your half-hour window might actually be much closer to an hour.
Now, let's go back to your computer-generated scenarios for a minute.
Let's imagine that Cindy Strauss, under the influence of alcohol, Xanax, and ecstasy, has sex with a man on the night of her death, and in the aftermath, she reveals to this man that she is pregnant with his child.
Shocked, he demands to know how she could put the health of the fetus at risk by drinking and doing drugs.
They argue over whether she should have an abortion.
She refuses.
Furious, he turns to go.
Naked, she follows him out into the hall, grabbing at him.
He pulls away from her and starts down the stairs.
She runs after him, and in her drug and alcohol-addled condition, she trips and tumbles head over heels down the stairs, landing on her head and breaking her neck, when her cervical vertebrae column violently protrudes into her cranial vault.
You wouldn't happen to have that particular computer-generated scenario handy, would you? It's obviously impossible for us to imagine every conceivable scenario.
Aha.
Aha.
Thank you, Doctor.
No further questions.
Hey.
Hey.
What's up? Oh, nothing's up.
Walk with me for a second? Sure.
I, uh I earned something today.
I wanted to celebrate with someone.
Two years.
Clean.
That's amazing.
I just wanted some applause.
I didn't know who to call.
Anyway I thought of you.
Well, I'm glad you did.
Seems like Louise is doing great.
Yeah.
She loves her teacher this year, Mrs.
I-can-never-remember-her-name.
Stauffenberger.
Yeah, she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, just like Ms.
"S.
" At least she doesn't want to be a cop.
Yeah, you got that right.
How's Terry holding up? Good.
He's been on my mind lately.
I'm on step 9, and, well, I owe him an amends.
I got to say I'm very proud of you.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
That means more to me than you will ever know.
We were so good together before I screwed things up.
I'll We'll always have those memories, right? And we'll always have Louise.
Yeah.
Well, congratulations again.
Thank you.
- I'm gonna go.
- Go.
We identified Mr.
Blunt's genetic material in two locations on the body.
Not only was he the father of Cindy Strauss' child, his D.
N.
A.
also matches that of the seminal fluid left in the victim's mouth.
Is it possible, with any degree of certainty, to pinpoint how long before Miss Strauss' death she engaged in oral sex with the defendant? Mm-hmm.
The sex act occurred roughly Just to be clear, it is your expert opinion that Erich Blunt ejaculated into the victim's mouth 15 minutes before her death? Unless he'd like to tell us it arrived there via turkey baster, that is indisputable.
Objection.
Non-responsive and obnoxious.
Sustained as non-responsive.
Obnoxious is not a legal objection.
Thank you, Doctor.
Your witness.
How are you today, Dr.
Gibbs? Dandy, Counselor.
Yourself? Oh, not too bad for an old geezer.
Thanks.
Dr.
Gibbs, you are testifying today for the prosecution because you are generally recognized as a leading authority in forensic pathology, with a specialty in semen analysis.
- Is that correct? - Yes.
Tell us how you developed your particular interest in semen.
I am a biologist by training, and in the course of my career, I have become something of a D.
N.
A.
expert.
To me, semen is just another bodily fluid.
You testified earlier that Ms.
Strauss performed oral sex on Mr.
Blunt about 15 minutes before she died.
Mm-hmm.
That's correct.
How can you be sure it wasn't Because for this analysis, I look at one simple question.
How long could seminal fluid have remained detectable without being washed away by the natural process of saliva glands? The answer tells us that Mr.
Blunt had oral sex with Cindy Strauss no more than 15 minutes before she died.
Thank you, Doctor.
Nothing further, your honor.
Hey.
How you doing? - Good.
- All right.
- Good.
Good.
Sorry I'm late.
- No.
No sweat.
I saw you on the news.
- Yeah.
- You did good.
Do you want a coffee, a sandwich? No, no.
I'm good.
- I've only got a few minutes, so - Oh.
Well, then, uh, why don't I just get down to it? I owe you an amends.
Okay.
For what? For that fight we got into outside Dexter's.
It was ages ago.
That's that's water under the bridge.
You don't have to Yeah, well, I'm, uh I'm doing my 9th step, and this is part of the process.
Oh, okay.
Right.
Well, that was a that was a crazy night.
You know, we were all drunk off that, uh, moonshine Teddy made.
I get a headache just thinking about that rat poison.
Yeah, I mean, you know, I appreciate I appreciate what you're doing, you know, you reaching out to me and whatnot, but we're good.
You don't have to apologize to me.
We're cool.
I hear you, man.
Um, but an amends is a little different than an apology.
It's it's about honestly cleaning up my side of the street.
And, so, I just have a couple things I need to say to you, and then then we're done.
Cool? Yeah, of course, sure.
You know, I hated you for a long time, ever since you and Hildy became partners.
I saw what you guys had, how close you were from the get-go, and I saw how she saw you, and it was different than how she saw me.
And I was envious, and I, uh I resented you, and I thought I hated you, but I was just afraid afraid you were gonna steal my wife.
Hmm.
For real? That's I mean, that's crazy.
Well, I was drinking daily, and it didn't seem so crazy at the time.
- Mm.
- Anyway, that's, uh that's what was underneath my behavior that night at Dexter's.
That's that's why I punched you in the face.
Sucker-punched me, technically.
Absolutely.
Anyway, that's it.
That's what I needed to say.
Uh, it's impressive, you know, and it takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing right now, so Yeah, well, it's the steps.
When I take the next indicated action, like, you know, making this amends I feel better.
I try to keep it as simple as that.
And you feel better right now? Yeah.
I do.
- Barbara, we can work this out.
- Can we? Really? What are the odds? I admit everything.
Yes, because I saw it on your filthy sex tape! I'll give you everything you want.
Oh, clearly not, because she wants this over.
- Look, I'm no divorce lawyer.
- And I very much am.
And I'm very much aware of your reputation, Miss Vasilikos.
- Then what are you doing here? - I'm here as a favor.
He's Erich Blunt's cleaner.
Well, I guess this qualifies as a mess, wouldn't you say? Mr.
Wilkerson will happily line up an attorney down the road, if necessary.
Right now, my goal is to see if we can work things out.
Work things out? I-I never want to see you again.
You make me want to vomit.
I could literally I could puke my guts out right now all over this table.
I don't clean up vomit.
Look, it's over, Bill, okay? Get a clue.
- You realize this will bankrupt me.
- Oh, oh, here.
Well, there it is the real reason he wants to work things out.
- It's the money.
- People, people, do you have any idea what the value of this estate is right now? Essentially nonexistent.
Bill has been spending against his Applsn stock options, which, considering the current trial, is profoundly devalued.
You are arguing literally over nothing.
And, Adele, have you considered, if Warren Daniels calls Barbara as a witness, what you will look like by the end of questioning? W-why would Barbara be called to testify? Really, you haven't thought about this? That sex video gives you as much motive to kill Cindy as anyone.
- What? - Excuse me? Now, look.
I'm just looking to dial things back.
This is not the time to discuss this.
Put a pin in it for another day.
I don't want him back in the house.
- I know.
I know.
- That's fine.
That's fine.
He's gonna stay with Erich Blunt, okay? I'll lock him in in my closet, if that's what it takes, okay? Are we good? Are we good? Hmm? - Huh? Is that what you want, Bill? - Oh, yeah! - Is that it? Look.
Look at this.
- Stop.
- Stop it! - Barbara! Hey! Stop! Stop it! Stop! - Stop it! - Oh! Barbara.
Are you all right? Thanks.
You didn't have to do that.
Yeah, well, you didn't have to come and meet me, so Just glad they put us in here so people don't think I'm informing.
Am I informing? - No.
No.
- So, what? You just come here to blow off some steam, maybe kick my ass again for shits and giggles? That's actually why I, uh I just wanted to apologize for that.
It was way out of line, and I'm sorry.
That's why I came.
Hell.
That's kind of a risk, telling me that.
What if I sue the city? You could do that.
You have every right to file a complaint with the city.
Like anyone would listen to me, huh? Don't sweat it.
Apology accepted.
Okay.
Cool.
I don't get a whole lot of folks showing me respect, Inspector.
Good for you.
- Can I ask you a question? - Shoot.
Why'd you take the rap on that murder charge? What do you mean, "Why?" Don't you think I done it? I didn't until you confessed.
Did you kill Kevin Neyers? Hell, I have trouble killing a damn spider.
So, you took the fall.
You made a false confession.
What else was I gonna do? I didn't have no alibi.
I had been there earlier, so I knew my prints were all over the scene.
Look at me.
What jury's gonna believe me? I'm the kind of guy the system lives on, Inspector.
Got to fill the prison somehow, right? You really want to atone? Find out who really killed that son of a bitch Kevin Neyers, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't me.
All right.
Thanks.
For the record, state your full name.
Could you repeat the question? Please state your full name.
Right.
Mark Strauss.
And your relationship to the deceased? - She was my wife.
- To be candid, the two of you had a pretty bumpy relationship, didn't you? Yes.
We were separated.
And she had a temporary restraining order against you.
Isn't that also correct? Yes.
Why? Because I hit her a time or two.
She hit me, too.
We've both got fiery tempers, but I'm a changed man.
I loved her very much.
When was the last time you saw your wife? The night before he killed her.
Objection.
Move to strike.
Non-responsive, assumes facts not in evidence, and is a lie! Sustained.
The jury will disregard that answer.
Let me warn you, Mr.
Strauss, you may not state opinions based on assumptions of facts that are not in evidence.
I'm sorry, your honor.
So, you went to see your wife in violation of a standing T.
R.
O.
the night before she died.
Why? She called me.
She asked me to come over.
She she was hysterical.
She said Erich had yelled at her, thrown his shirt in her face, and fired her.
I went over there to calm her down.
She she was very pretty shaken up.
Did she say she was afraid of Erich Blunt? Yes.
Objection.
Hearsay.
Move to strike.
Sustained.
That answer is stricken, and the jury is ordered to disregard it.
Did you call Erich Blunt the next day? Yes.
What did you say to him? He said to let him know anytime I wanted a piece of him and that he'd break my neck.
He said that exactly, that he would "Break your neck"? Yes, sir.
Thank you.
I have no more questions.
Besides beating your wife and threatening Mr.
Blunt, you've been arrested twice in the past for violent conduct, correct? Only a couple times.
It's nothing serious.
Assault reduced to drunk and disorderly at a Giants game in 2009 and battery on a person, also reduced to drunk and disorderly, in 2011.
Sounds like you've got anger-management issues, Mr.
Strauss.
That was a very long time ago.
Mr.
Strauss, would you tell the jury where you were on the night of your wife's death? Yeah, I met a woman at a bar, and we went out to her car for a couple hours.
We talked for a while, smoked a "J," and had sex a couple times.
What was the name of the bar? It was downtown somewhere.
Um How long were you in this bar before you went out to this woman's car? I don't know.
A couple hours, maybe.
What kind of car was it? I don't remember.
How much had you had to drink? It's hard to say, exactly.
And what was this lady's name you claim you were with? I don't I don't remember.
So, let me see if I understand what you've just told us.
On the evening after Cindy told you that she was pregnant with Mr.
Blunt's child and you threatened to tear Mr.
Blunt apart, you can't tell us where you were, who you were with, or how much you had to drink, but you do admit that you were a little drunk, and you had sex a couple of times.
Correct? Yeah, something like that.
Do you also remember going back to Cindy's after that, getting into another argument, and pushing her down the stairs? - Objection! - Strike that! The jury will disregard that question.
We are adjourned for today.
I want to see both attorneys in my chambers.
Do I need a lawyer? I would really consider it if I were you, Mr.
Strauss.
The people call Dr.
Sally Smoot.
Your honor, may we approach? This person is not on the witness list.
Mr.
Daniels just questioned Mark Strauss' alibi.
We need a chance to respond.
You opened that door yesterday, Mr.
Daniels.
Oh, Jesus.
Mr.
Siletti, Mr.
Daniels, my chambers now.
This court is in recess.
All rise! Thanks.
- Crazy shit, huh? - What have we got? What? You don't know? Radio died after we got the code and address.
No shit.
Cheap-ass com units.
Fill us in.
Dead Caucasian male.
Looks like an overdose.
- A lot of units for an O.
D.
- Not when you see who it is.
Hey, thanks, bro.
This way.
Hey.
Well, this job is never dull.
Oh.
Mark Strauss.
Mm-hmm.
Dude wanted serious shut-eye.
What do you say? No words.
Okay, watch your back.
Coming through.
We got some words here.
Oh, shit.
It's a suicide note.
It says he killed Cindy Strauss.