In Contempt (2018) s01e08 Episode Script
Burned Out
1 Previously on In Contempt There's obviously unfinished business between the two of you.
I want you to finish it.
I'm giving you 30 days.
Pack a bag.
That 30 days starts right now.
I wanted you to hear it from me first.
- Blackburn had it coming - I'm promoting Charlie - to supervisor.
- Seriously? - No gloating? - I'm gonna gloat.
Just later.
No need to discuss, discourse, dialogue.
Are you off your meds? This must be your fiancée, Alison.
So you think you can just - End this.
- Sugar, I just did.
Now we're getting somewhere.
So, which is it? Your place or mine? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Well, hello, spa queen! You all cleansed and karma-balanced? Nope, but I made you this.
It's a dream-catcher.
Honey, that looks more like a dream-killer.
And please tell me there was more to your romantic getaway - than arts and crafts.
- It was great.
Had its ups and downs but Bennett and I might be moving in together.
My, my! Three days of Gwen and Alison eats a TKO.
Okay, not so fast! Bennett got us an apartment together, we're more like co-relocating.
In 27 days we'll either be together or the lease will be up.
Either way, I will not leave you high and dry.
I'm not worried about that.
But one weekend away together and suddenly you're shacking up? - Girlfriend, that's not healthy.
- There's nothing else to do.
We just got to play house and hope it works.
Thanks.
Don't you have a murder trial starting? Yeah.
Have you told him about Trial-Gwen? No, but 'Cause Trial-Gwen is a challenge.
Well, well When the cat's away somebody gets laid.
Derek, Gwen.
Gwen, Derek.
- Hi, Derek.
- Good morning.
- Derek has to go.
- Um, thank you.
But do you want to get some dinner tonight? - Not really.
I'll call you.
- Okay.
Okay.
- It was very nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
So, what does Dodson think about Mr How-Did-You-Do there? I gave Dodson the old Alabama slammer.
Okay, I need to look that up in the Urban Dictionary - and never say that again.
- I mean, we're done.
For good.
Couldn't handle the commitment, huh? Okay, look.
So, let's just agree that, in the future, you'll stay away from men of married persuasion.
Says the woman moving in with someone's fiancée.
Okay, that is totally different so you can come back and get this mic you just tried to drop.
- She should be here any minute.
- It's a death card.
- I'm sorry, what? - My tag.
I saw you wondering.
Sorry I'm late.
Did Vanessa catch you up? Yeah, we was just getting' acquainted.
Okay, well here's the deal: 20 years is the lowest - the DA's office will go.
- What happened with motions? Denied.
The prosecution can bring in all your prior domestic violence.
That is why the offer is 20.
You gotta get me something better.
I'm not going to be able to do that, Justin.
They have no motive to offer you anything less.
You're sitting here on bail you can't make and Your girlfriend was burned alive.
- Plus, there's your sheet.
- The two drug sales, - the robbery, and you're on parole.
- So you saying you think I did it? No I You ever even do a murder case? How old is she? Old enough to be your lawyer, and I'm old enough to tell you - to shut the hell up.
Clear? - Look at you.
Twenty years.
Flat.
Out in about 17.
Do you want it, or not? Twenty is not an offer.
Just roll the dice.
- You can breathe now.
- Why doesn't he take the plea? He's not wrong.
They don't have much of a case.
Would you take 20 years based on the evidence you've seen so far? - I would if I did it.
- You're a responsible person, and responsible people don't light people on fire.
- So you think he did it too? - Maybe.
Probably.
Doesn't matter.
If our guy wants a trial and his decision is rational, then we fight like hell for him at trial.
You wanted more serious cases.
Here's more serious cases.
He gives me the creeps.
Well, if it isn't Uncle Ruckus himself! Thanks for stalling on the discovery, EJ.
Was that your junior varsity way of trying to irritate us? Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you.
Oh.
wait.
Are you sure? I have bigger fish to fry at the moment.
So, did your client tell you all about how he set his girlfriend on fire? In gory detail.
Right after we donned our Satan's capes and sacrificed small children.
Do you have the discovery? - What about the photos? - You sure you wanna see these? Oh, no, it might be too much to bear! - Give me that.
- Enjoy! Alright.
I need three full sets of these all collated.
And don't forget to use the yellow tabs every time you see the complainant, green for the arresting officer, and purple for any inconsistent statement.
- Right, you said it.
- Make sure you get it right.
I need something when I'm crossing the witness.
I got it.
Really.
- What? - They're not pretty.
That's for sure.
Damn.
Number 13 is super nasty.
[VOMITING.]
- Oh my God.
I'm sorry, I just - No, they're horrible.
And that's covered by co-counsel privilege.
- Thank you.
- When you make copies of the photos, make sure they're collated by exhibit number, and.
You coming? Make sure they're collated by exhibit number.
Your diet's finally getting to you.
That, or you're finally sick of Vanessa.
- Vanessa's great.
Lay off her.
- Sugar, I don't have to pretend to like people I don't like.
That's not mean.
That's honest.
- She's trying.
- No.
She's snotty, she's weak, and she's pretentious.
And you should have never taken her on a homicide.
Cut her some slack.
She'll do fine.
Tracy knows, I'm just saying, Tracy knows.
It must be nice to be so wise.
Sergeant Jacob Lockman, a 14-year veteran with the NYPD, was killed during a chance encounter - with a teenage skateboarder - Please, God, not a black man! Suspect in custody, but no additional information is being released.
Tracy! I have to go prep and Franklin's here.
- I'll take care of it.
- Thank you.
Gwen's on trial, Franklin.
She can't talk to you right now.
But I need to confer with counsel.
Have you been protesting the library again? Gwen already told you: their late-fee policy is not a form of discrimination.
Are your working for the man or are you working for the people? Man's always makin' up rules.
You can't even talk your mind.
Are you going to be silenced by the man? Honey, there's not a man alive who can silence me.
You know what I think? I think you're a legal saboteur.
I'm not a saboteur, Franklin.
I'm Gwen's office mate.
Honey, are you off your meds again? Those pills have a radio transmitter.
Okay, you know what? Why don't we take a trip downstairs - to social services? - This whole building is bugged.
- Tell Gwen I need to see her.
- Okay, sure thing.
Nutjob.
- Can I help you? - Nope, I'm done.
- Doing what? - As your new supervisor, it's my duty to prepare your performance review.
Oh, please.
No.
Tom usually just lets me write it and then he signs.
Well, new sheriff in town.
Oh.
You really need to work on your client sensitivity.
Babe, I want - Wow, Bennett! This is great.
- What do we have here? Some clothes, work, and the two essential food groups: - Flame bolts.
- Aha.
And barbecued chips.
Well, you said to make myself at home, and I'm on trial.
And I meant it.
You know I really love that you're here, right? [KISSING.]
Babe, I need - Everything okay? - Everything's fine, it's just I'm sorry, it's my case.
It's a homicide.
Say no more.
- So what do you want for dinner? - Oh, I'm good.
You know, I was thinking, how about we order something great? You know, to inaugurate the place.
I'm not really hungry, but You know you shouldn't be drinking too much of this stuff.
I know.
And I will quit right after my trial.
- Promise? - Yes.
I promise.
How about we agree to take 90 minutes tomorrow night for a romantic, just us in-our-cool-new-place dinner? That sounds great, but right now, got a horrible case, an inexperienced co-counsel and crime scene photos that will literally make you barf.
Did I mention that my client lit his girlfriend on fire? - Shit.
- Yeah.
The more awful a case sounds, the harder I have to work.
- You get that, right? - Loud and clear.
Just promise me that you'll get some rest.
I promise.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Vanessa, it's me again.
It's 4:15.
I really need that research.
Can you call me as soon as you can? You do know most people actually sleep, right? I've heard talk.
Can't you just come to bed for a few hours? Why don't you just let me work so I can spare my client life in prison.
Is it possible that your client might do better with a well-rested lawyer? Remember the part about âthe more awful the case, the harder we fightâ? Where is she? I've got to figure out a way to keep these horrible photos out of evidence.
Can I help? Yeah, you can go back to bed and let me think.
I'll be there when you wake up, okay? Oh, my God! I am so sorry! I didn't get your messages until this morning.
It's okay, but I really need you to be more responsive.
- You got my paperwork? - We just have some photos.
No discovery yet, but we'll get it soon.
All rise! I understand the Defense has a motion.
We do.
We move to preclude all the crime scene photos.
That's ridiculous! - The photos are evidence.
- Prejudicial evidence.
They show exactly what the defendant did to his girlfriend.
Judge, this is textbook example of how evidence is more prejudicial than probative.
They'll literally make the jury sick.
Oh, come on! How bad can they be? [MUSIC PLAYING.]
Okay.
They're nauseating.
But so was the crime, Counselor.
I'm not going to exclude them.
Then we ask that you limit the scope to 3 to 4 photos.
Anything more than that is overkill.
That's a reasonable proposal, Mr.
Dashay.
Three photos should do it.
And I'll ask that photos 10, 13 and 15 be excluded.
As much as Ms.
Sullivan would like to make our decision for us, that's not how it works.
Photos 10, 13 and 15 are the very three we intend to use.
I'll let the People choose their evidence, Ms.
Sullivan.
10, 13 and 15 are in, the rest are out.
Why are you smiling? We just got played.
No.
Photographs 10, 13 and 15 were close-ups of the body.
They don't show the front door.
So what's wrong with the front door? It's what's not wrong with it.
The lock on the doorknob is in the locked position.
- So there was no forced entry.
- Which means The killer had a key or the victim let him in.
Which means she knew the killer.
If Dashay knew you wanted those photos out - He'd fight to keep them in.
- Sweet.
We need to clean you up.
- Oh, don't let me interrupt.
- Later.
Nah, I'm good, honey, thanks.
I'll catch the next one.
Let me guess.
- Performance review? - In a way.
It's Natalie from the PR firm upstairs.
A little lunchtime lovin'.
Her performance? Stellar.
If you know what I mean.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
No.
I keep thinking about how, without the photos, the jury will never know the door was locked.
- Yeah, good for us.
- I know, it just - seems dishonest.
- Not dishonest.
Tactical.
Believe me, Dashay would have done the same thing.
But do you really need to go the extra mile - for a case like this? - Yes, we do.
Always.
How come you lied to Justin about not having the discovery? They have a witness.
A bodega owner who says he sold Justin lighter fluid the day before the murder.
Do we know who it is? They redacted the name and address.
Wouldn't Justin still know who it is? - Yeah.
- You think if he knows who the witness is, he might do something? We don't have a choice.
We have to give that to him.
You can't turn it over if he might intimidate the witness.
If Dashay was worried, he could have asked the judge for a protective order, and then we wouldn't even be able to show this to Justin.
Then tell Dashay! Maybe he just messed up.
We can't throw our client under the bus.
We can't broadcast to the prosecution they made a mistake and make the case harder for our client.
Besides, maybe the witness is wrong or biased, or maybe he made the whole thing up.
Maybe Justin could actually give us good information - that we don't know about him.
- There's got to be another way.
This guy burned his girlfriend alive - and then watched her die.
- Allegedly.
- Gwen, we know he did it.
- How? How do we know exactly? This is what you signed up for.
So are you going to be able to do the cross of the officer? Because this is a murder trial.
Yes.
Yes.
- He, uh, looks different.
- I think "great" is the word you're looking for.
We need women jurors.
- So you got my paperwork? - What we got is a problem.
- Lighter fluid.
What? - Do you know this guy? Does he have anything against you? - I don't know him.
- Are you sure? Yeah, I'm sure.
How come she never believes me? Can you think of any reason why he would say this? No.
Justin, I don't need to tell you that your calls are recorded.
Your mail is read.
So, no calls to your boys.
- No kites, no nothing.
Got it? - I hear you.
Yeah.
I mean it.
Just let me do my job.
We arrived on the scene right after the fire department.
The victim, Cecilia Duncan, was already dead.
Her body was badly charred.
Most of the flesh from her skull was burned off.
The apartment smelled strongly of lighter fluid.
Officer, did you have any previous contact with Cecilia Duncan before you found her dead body? Yes.
I previously responded to a domestic violence call at the same address.
And what happened on that occasion? I found Cecilia with a black eye, a head wound She said the defendant attacked her so I arrested Mr.
Wilson.
He was then convicted of assaulting her.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Officer, when you arrested Mr.
Wilson, did you find any evidence of lighter fluid on his clothes or his skin? No, but Mr.
Wilson evaded us for the first - Your Honor! - Sustained.
You know how to do this, Officer.
We didn't arrest the defendant until 24 hours after the fire.
He would have had time to shower and change his clothes.
Right, but I'm asking If he changed his clothes, we wouldn't find lighter fluid.
My question was did you? And my answer was maybe he showered.
That or he didn't have anything to do with it.
Objection! Who's doing the questioning? Counsel wouldn't have to if the Officer would just - answer the questions.
- Sustained.
Actually, Judge, I'll take it from here.
Officer, yes or no.
At the crime scene, did you find any evidence that anyone other than Ms.
Duncan had been in the apartment? - No.
- So the crime scene tells us only that something horrible happened.
Not who did it.
- That's right.
- No further questions.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
It feels a little like we're hitting a wall.
Just bounce on the ball.
It helps you think.
Bounce! Alright.
Justin's girlfriend is a crucial witness we have to undermine.
And we still don't have a solid theory about why she's lying.
Do you think it might be because she's just telling the truth? I really need you to focus.
Bounce.
It's midnight, Gwen.
Can't we just continue this tomorrow? The witness testifies tomorrow, Vanessa.
You know, fine, forget it.
I'll just see you tomorrow at 6 a.
m.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Where were you? We had a plan.
- I had to work.
- I know.
But you promised me 90 minutes to be together.
Just us.
To forget about work.
Bennett, I have a client who's facing life in prison.
The one who lit his girlfriend on fire.
- Don't do that.
- Do what? Make me feel bad for choosing to spend time on my work.
It's just that I shouldn't have to be a felon to get a chance to spend some time with you.
Okay, you know what? Let's just hold the feelings until my homicide trial is over.
Sure.
Good luck in court tomorrow.
I'm sure you'll do great.
When he found out I was pregnant Justin promised me he would break up with Cecilia so I could move in with him, but he never did.
And did he say why he hadn't broken up with Cecilia? - Objection, hearsay! - Goes to show state of mind.
Overruled.
He said they had a business together.
She said, if he broke up with her, - she'd take everything.
- And what kind of business? Objection! - Withdrawn.
No more questions.
- Were you promised anything in exchange for your testimony here today? I got arrested for shoplifting.
The prosecutor said, if I cooperated, they would take it into account in my case.
And if you go to jail, you lose your baby, right? - Objection! - Sustained.
Ms.
Malbon, you must have been pretty angry to find out that Justin was still with Cecilia.
- He wasn't with her.
- Oh! âShameless hoe trying to hold on to a man who doesn't love youâ.
Isn't that a text that you sent to her? - Yeah, but that's âcause - âI'm gonna F-you up if you don't get the hell out of Justin's houseâ.
Wait.
I didn't kill her.
She was a drug dealer.
She probably got high and set herself on fire.
- Objection, Your Honor! - Sustained.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will please disregard the witness' last statement.
- No more questions.
- Then Court is now in recess.
Pass me the victim's rap sheet.
I want to see which officer arrested her for the drug sales.
- I don't see why it's relevant.
- I asked you to yellow-flag any mention of her.
Do you have it? - Yes, but - Then hand it over.
I understand tactics, but are you really going - to go after the victim? - If that's what we have to do.
I'm sorry, but I am not comfortable with this.
We have a client to defend.
And, honestly, Vanessa, I'm more concerned about winning this case than I am about your comfort.
What is going on with you? You won your last case, you made supervisor, why are you doing this? - What are you talking about? - I don't know.
âMs.
Campbell displays at best a perfunctory amount of civility toward her clients, with a distinct dose of disdain toward the more recalcitrant individualsâ? What? You're trying stuff this with SAT words? Try again, sugar.
Insubordination.
Also a problem area for you.
And you're late for court.
I'll have to add that to your eval.
- I am not doing this right now.
- Use your inside voice.
Charlie! According to sources, the shooter's name is Jackson Whitmore.
Sources say that he and the officer struggled, and that the officer was shot with his own gun.
Witnesses, however, contend that the officer was choking the young man.
- This could get really ugly.
- Yeah, it sure could.
Officer Fisher, isn't it true that in 2012 you had occasion to arrest the victim for selling crack cocaine? I don't remember.
Perhaps this arrest report will refresh your recollection.
I guess I did.
And did that arrest result in a conviction? Objection! Your Honor, may we approach? We have information that Cecilia Duncan took the rap for the defendant in this case.
The drugs were really his.
That's a nice theory, Judge, but this is issue preclusion.
There's a certificate of conviction.
We're not going to re-litigate the issue of who owned the drugs in that case, Mr.
Dashay.
You may proceed, Ms.
Sullivan.
Ms.
Duncan was convicted of drug sales and served two years.
- Correct? - Yes.
You also arrested her for assault, didn't you? Ms.
Duncan beat up a woman to collect on a drug debt.
- Allegedly.
- Well, you arrested her for it.
- Yes.
- Pretty typical behavior for a drug dealer in that neighborhood, right? - Objection! - Sustained.
Fair to say that drug dealers can have a lot of enemies? - Yes.
- So Ms.
Duncan's death could be a result of her drug-dealing business, right? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
No further questions.
- That's got to feel good.
- I can't take this.
Vanessa! You need to take me off this trial.
- Rookie, say what? - I'm not ready.
- I thought I was, but - Okay.
Whoa! Easy now.
You're the one who wanted more serious cases.
I know, but Gwen calls me like five times a night, and she may be undead, because she never sleeps, and she acts like everything is World War III and she does horrible things, and that guy burned up his girlfriend! And I know I'm not supposed to care, but I can't stop thinking about it.
- And I'm freaking out.
- Freaking out is what trial is.
I can't do this.
Please.
I'm asking you as my supervisor.
Okay.
Okay.
Let me talk to Gwen.
But for now you stay on.
Understood? Say you care Sullivan.
Nothing but me - Sullivan! - What? I'm on trial, in case you didn't notice.
I can see that.
We need to talk.
Don't try on your little supervisor suit with me.
- Looks are - You know what makes a good supervisor? Being empathetic enough to know when not to talk.
- You're burning out the rookie.
- No.
She's burned out.
- The rookie's fine.
- The rookie is not fine.
The rookie is distressed because you're sucking her into your orbit of crazy.
You know I'm working on a really hard homicide, Charlie.
There's a reason we start them off with misdemeanors.
They're not supposed to just jump into murders, especially not disgusting ones like this.
- She complained? - Of course not.
- But I can see it.
- Bullshit, Charlie! You haven't been able to see past your own reflection since you were six.
Aside from the fact that you just insulted your superior, as your supervisor, I'm telling you: burning out the rookie is bad for us.
We need warm bodies around here.
Especially warm Caldwell fellow bodies.
So don't burn out the rookie.
We cool? - You sound like Tom.
- That's my job.
Oh, oh, wait! Have you heard this song? You might be a supervisor but you are still a dick Wanna burn a hole in my head Yeah.
Flag the second page for me.
Oh, God, you again.
I was hoping you were a hallucination - that I only saw the courtroom.
- And I was hoping that you'd fall in love and move far, far away.
- What do you want, EJ? - New offer.
I'll give your guy 14 years right now.
Or we could start his funeral.
You're dropping this offer in the middle of a trial? My assessment of the case has shifted.
My 98% chance of winning has dropped to 94%.
That's funny.
It sounds to me like you're finally realizing I've got your scrawny ass on the ropes.
Tell you what? Why don't you just call your next witness? Don't you want to run it by your client? My client will believe me when I tell him you're bluffing.
Then I'll send you some tissue when he gets life.
Are the People prepared to proceed? Your Honor, I've been informed this morning that our key witness, Mr.
Khan, the bodega owner who sold the lighter fluid to the defendant Yes, Counselor, what is it? He's been murdered, Your Honor.
Oh, my Gosh.
You just tried to sell me a plea? Your scumbag client had a witness murdered.
Oh, please.
If you had proof of that, you'd be arresting him now.
- Did you give him discovery? - Of course, I did.
- He's my client! - How could you be so reckless? - This is on you.
- Don't you dare pin this on me! If you had concerns about your witness' safety, you could have asked for a protective order.
- You didn't, which is your bad.
- Counselor! Did you have any specific reason to be worried about the safety - of the witness? - Of course not! Your Honor, we move to dismiss this case for lack of evidence.
That's some cold-ass shit! Without the witness, there is no evidence connecting my client to the crime.
The motion is denied, Counselor.
Mr.
Dashay, do you have anything else? - No, Your Honor.
- Ms.
Sullivan, - are you presenting a defense? - Not anymore.
Okay, then.
Summations after lunch.
That man's blood is on your hands Tell yourself that all you want, EJ, but in the dark of night, you know this was your screw-up.
Don't start.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
- Do we have a problem? - No.
You sure? âCause I'm pretty sure you asked Charlie to take you off my case.
- I'm sorry.
It's just that - I chose you.
I took you under my wing and I chose you for a murder case.
I know.
And I'm grateful.
I really am.
But he is awful.
We fight for everyone, Vanessa.
- Everyone.
- Yeah, we say that.
But this psycho client killed someone and he might go free.
- And he's guilty! - What do you want to do exactly? You want to hold your own mini-trial before you decide who it is you're going to represent? We are supposed to be fighting for justice.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! The canons of ethics demand that prosecutors pursue justice.
But our job is to fight like hell for every single client.
Because it's not a fair fight.
It's just you and me against them, and their cops, and their labs, and their corrupt-ass judges.
We're fighting for the underdog.
And you're damned right, we fight to the death for every single one of them.
Because if we can't win when our clients are guilty, but the case against them is shitty, we can't win when they're innocent.
And if you don't like it, it is high-time you take your bougie-ass back to Caldwell.
Now get out.
I have a summation to finish.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Have you turned in my review yet? Good.
I evaluated myself.
Honestly.
Hmmm.
I'm going to stick with what I wrote.
Wow.
Is this a bribe? Actually, does it matter? - So we'll go with my eval then.
- No.
We'll go with mine.
This is better than what I wrote for myself.
Thank you, sugar.
Why the change? Something Gwen said about being empathetic.
And I realized I might have been acting like an asshole, so Is there anything else you want to talk about? Like what? She won't know unless you tell her, honey.
Natalie? She's just a girl from upstairs.
I need to go file this one.
This is really nice.
Oh, yeah, it is nice.
- I'm keeping this.
- No! - Oh, yeah - Riggs, you haven't changed! Judge, I'm sorry.
I don't know where she is.
Unless she was going to deliver the closing statement - No, that will be me.
- Then let's get to it.
You can fill her in afterwards.
Let's be clear about one thing that matters in this case.
There is no evidence that actually links Mr.
Wilson to the death of Ms.
Duncan.
None.
Mr.
Dashay will tell you all about their history of domestic violence, but while that makes Mr Wilson unlikeable, it does not make him a murderer.
Mr.
Dashay will also tell you about Linda Malbon, his ex-girlfriend, who supposedly provided a motive.
Except there are plenty of other reasons why Ms.
Duncan might have ended up dead.
She was a crack dealer who lived a life of crime and violence.
Who knows who she might have crossed? Who knows who she might have shorted? Any number of people might have had beef with her, including Linda Malbon herself.
The sad truth is this: When you live by drug violence, you often die by drug violence.
All the prosecution has in this case, are theories and conjecture.
They certainly didn't bring you any witnesses who provided any evidence directly connecting Mr.
Wilson to the crime.
You swore an oath to do a job, to follow that singular rule of holding the prosecution to their burden of proof.
They must prove Mr.
Wilson guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Ladies and gentlemen, you don't have to like Mr.
Wilson.
But you must find him not guilty.
Ms.
Sullivan says there's no evidence in this case.
Well, you heard the evidence.
You heard it from his current girlfriend, the mother of his child, tell you about his motive to kill Cecilia Duncan.
How she threatened to take everything if they broke up.
You also heard that he was violent with the victim.
He had an ongoing history of beating her up.
Now, Ms.
Sullivan would have you believe that it is a long road from assault to murder.
It's not.
And everyone sitting in here knows it.
With domestic violence, women all too often end up dead at the hand of their abuser.
This man had motive.
He had opportunity.
And that is enough to make him a murderer.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I understand you have a verdict.
- We do, Your Honor.
- How do you find? On the charge of murder in the second degree, we find the defendant, Justin Wilson, not guilty.
Nice job.
I always knew you was a winner.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
All I've been able to think about is whether or not I did the right thing.
She told me we had an ethical duty not to say anything.
But I should have said something.
- I'm sorry.
- It's not your fault.
I mean, I messed up.
I should have asked for a protective order, and I didn't.
But Gwen shouldn't have given the report to him.
I mean, she just wants to win.
She doesn't care about the greater good.
I used to think that I could do this job, but now But now you're starting to see the truth.
That there's no difference between the criminals, - and the ones who defend them.
- And where does that leave me? I don't know.
I guess you'll have to decide.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh God, give me the strength To meet my life's demands Help me to break the bonds That hold me down To things of a lesser cost Help me to climb To greater heights Bennett! Because my soul demands That I must wait for it Wait for it, wait for it Bennett! - I heard you won your case.
- Yeah.
I also heard about the witness and I I'm sorry.
I am too.
You know you didn't do anything wrong, right? I know, but Someone's dead.
Look, I know me being on trial is really hard to deal with.
You being on trial is not the hard part.
It's who you become when you're on trial.
And, I know you're under a lot of pressure and you have people's lives in your hands, but It's not an excuse to shut you out.
I know.
And I'm sorry.
- I bought us a cake.
- A cake.
I don't cook and a whole meal would have gotten cold, so I ordered us a cake.
It says âHome Sweet Homeâ.
I'm in love with the worst potential wife ever.
- Is that so bad? - Mmm-mmm.
It's just going to take a little getting used to.
Does that mean you want some cake? I want some cake.
It's good.
It's chocolate.
Hmm-mmm.
Oh! I got you these.
I wanted to give them to you during our celebration dinner.
A private tour of the National Museum of African-American history? - Haven't you been already? - Not with you.
Oh, Bennett.
Oh shit, that's the courthouse.
I I have to - Answer it.
- OK.
Gwen Sullivan.
Yes, Your Honor, of course.
I'll be right there.
I get it.
Go.
De-de-di-di-di.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
Come in.
Thank you for coming on such short notice.
Of course, it sounded urgent.
You're aware of the cop that was killed? Yes, it's been all over the news.
I want you to represent the defendant.
Me? Why? A white cop killed by a young black man.
The witnesses say he shot the officer in self-defense.
This case is going to be bigger than Ferguson.
The prosecution has been building a case since the shot was fired.
The black community no! The whole city needs to know.
This kid is going to get a fair trial.
I can't think of a better attorney than you, Ms.
Sullivan.
I don't know what to say.
Right now, you don't have to say anything.
But there is something you could do.
- What's that? - You could go home and get some sleep.
You're about to be the attorney in what could be the trial of a lifetime.
Next time, on In Contempt Jackson Alan Whitmore of Washington Heights is accused of shooting officer Jacob Lockman.
Like so many other black men in this country, Jackson was aggressively confronted by a police officer.
The prosecution is moving to preclude self-defense.
Shouldn't you be sitting at the other table, Counselor? Ms.
Hastings recently joined our office, Your Honor.
You don't eat well, you don't sleep, and youâre addicted to that shit.
I'm fine.
Officer, isn't
I want you to finish it.
I'm giving you 30 days.
Pack a bag.
That 30 days starts right now.
I wanted you to hear it from me first.
- Blackburn had it coming - I'm promoting Charlie - to supervisor.
- Seriously? - No gloating? - I'm gonna gloat.
Just later.
No need to discuss, discourse, dialogue.
Are you off your meds? This must be your fiancée, Alison.
So you think you can just - End this.
- Sugar, I just did.
Now we're getting somewhere.
So, which is it? Your place or mine? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Well, hello, spa queen! You all cleansed and karma-balanced? Nope, but I made you this.
It's a dream-catcher.
Honey, that looks more like a dream-killer.
And please tell me there was more to your romantic getaway - than arts and crafts.
- It was great.
Had its ups and downs but Bennett and I might be moving in together.
My, my! Three days of Gwen and Alison eats a TKO.
Okay, not so fast! Bennett got us an apartment together, we're more like co-relocating.
In 27 days we'll either be together or the lease will be up.
Either way, I will not leave you high and dry.
I'm not worried about that.
But one weekend away together and suddenly you're shacking up? - Girlfriend, that's not healthy.
- There's nothing else to do.
We just got to play house and hope it works.
Thanks.
Don't you have a murder trial starting? Yeah.
Have you told him about Trial-Gwen? No, but 'Cause Trial-Gwen is a challenge.
Well, well When the cat's away somebody gets laid.
Derek, Gwen.
Gwen, Derek.
- Hi, Derek.
- Good morning.
- Derek has to go.
- Um, thank you.
But do you want to get some dinner tonight? - Not really.
I'll call you.
- Okay.
Okay.
- It was very nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
So, what does Dodson think about Mr How-Did-You-Do there? I gave Dodson the old Alabama slammer.
Okay, I need to look that up in the Urban Dictionary - and never say that again.
- I mean, we're done.
For good.
Couldn't handle the commitment, huh? Okay, look.
So, let's just agree that, in the future, you'll stay away from men of married persuasion.
Says the woman moving in with someone's fiancée.
Okay, that is totally different so you can come back and get this mic you just tried to drop.
- She should be here any minute.
- It's a death card.
- I'm sorry, what? - My tag.
I saw you wondering.
Sorry I'm late.
Did Vanessa catch you up? Yeah, we was just getting' acquainted.
Okay, well here's the deal: 20 years is the lowest - the DA's office will go.
- What happened with motions? Denied.
The prosecution can bring in all your prior domestic violence.
That is why the offer is 20.
You gotta get me something better.
I'm not going to be able to do that, Justin.
They have no motive to offer you anything less.
You're sitting here on bail you can't make and Your girlfriend was burned alive.
- Plus, there's your sheet.
- The two drug sales, - the robbery, and you're on parole.
- So you saying you think I did it? No I You ever even do a murder case? How old is she? Old enough to be your lawyer, and I'm old enough to tell you - to shut the hell up.
Clear? - Look at you.
Twenty years.
Flat.
Out in about 17.
Do you want it, or not? Twenty is not an offer.
Just roll the dice.
- You can breathe now.
- Why doesn't he take the plea? He's not wrong.
They don't have much of a case.
Would you take 20 years based on the evidence you've seen so far? - I would if I did it.
- You're a responsible person, and responsible people don't light people on fire.
- So you think he did it too? - Maybe.
Probably.
Doesn't matter.
If our guy wants a trial and his decision is rational, then we fight like hell for him at trial.
You wanted more serious cases.
Here's more serious cases.
He gives me the creeps.
Well, if it isn't Uncle Ruckus himself! Thanks for stalling on the discovery, EJ.
Was that your junior varsity way of trying to irritate us? Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you.
Oh.
wait.
Are you sure? I have bigger fish to fry at the moment.
So, did your client tell you all about how he set his girlfriend on fire? In gory detail.
Right after we donned our Satan's capes and sacrificed small children.
Do you have the discovery? - What about the photos? - You sure you wanna see these? Oh, no, it might be too much to bear! - Give me that.
- Enjoy! Alright.
I need three full sets of these all collated.
And don't forget to use the yellow tabs every time you see the complainant, green for the arresting officer, and purple for any inconsistent statement.
- Right, you said it.
- Make sure you get it right.
I need something when I'm crossing the witness.
I got it.
Really.
- What? - They're not pretty.
That's for sure.
Damn.
Number 13 is super nasty.
[VOMITING.]
- Oh my God.
I'm sorry, I just - No, they're horrible.
And that's covered by co-counsel privilege.
- Thank you.
- When you make copies of the photos, make sure they're collated by exhibit number, and.
You coming? Make sure they're collated by exhibit number.
Your diet's finally getting to you.
That, or you're finally sick of Vanessa.
- Vanessa's great.
Lay off her.
- Sugar, I don't have to pretend to like people I don't like.
That's not mean.
That's honest.
- She's trying.
- No.
She's snotty, she's weak, and she's pretentious.
And you should have never taken her on a homicide.
Cut her some slack.
She'll do fine.
Tracy knows, I'm just saying, Tracy knows.
It must be nice to be so wise.
Sergeant Jacob Lockman, a 14-year veteran with the NYPD, was killed during a chance encounter - with a teenage skateboarder - Please, God, not a black man! Suspect in custody, but no additional information is being released.
Tracy! I have to go prep and Franklin's here.
- I'll take care of it.
- Thank you.
Gwen's on trial, Franklin.
She can't talk to you right now.
But I need to confer with counsel.
Have you been protesting the library again? Gwen already told you: their late-fee policy is not a form of discrimination.
Are your working for the man or are you working for the people? Man's always makin' up rules.
You can't even talk your mind.
Are you going to be silenced by the man? Honey, there's not a man alive who can silence me.
You know what I think? I think you're a legal saboteur.
I'm not a saboteur, Franklin.
I'm Gwen's office mate.
Honey, are you off your meds again? Those pills have a radio transmitter.
Okay, you know what? Why don't we take a trip downstairs - to social services? - This whole building is bugged.
- Tell Gwen I need to see her.
- Okay, sure thing.
Nutjob.
- Can I help you? - Nope, I'm done.
- Doing what? - As your new supervisor, it's my duty to prepare your performance review.
Oh, please.
No.
Tom usually just lets me write it and then he signs.
Well, new sheriff in town.
Oh.
You really need to work on your client sensitivity.
Babe, I want - Wow, Bennett! This is great.
- What do we have here? Some clothes, work, and the two essential food groups: - Flame bolts.
- Aha.
And barbecued chips.
Well, you said to make myself at home, and I'm on trial.
And I meant it.
You know I really love that you're here, right? [KISSING.]
Babe, I need - Everything okay? - Everything's fine, it's just I'm sorry, it's my case.
It's a homicide.
Say no more.
- So what do you want for dinner? - Oh, I'm good.
You know, I was thinking, how about we order something great? You know, to inaugurate the place.
I'm not really hungry, but You know you shouldn't be drinking too much of this stuff.
I know.
And I will quit right after my trial.
- Promise? - Yes.
I promise.
How about we agree to take 90 minutes tomorrow night for a romantic, just us in-our-cool-new-place dinner? That sounds great, but right now, got a horrible case, an inexperienced co-counsel and crime scene photos that will literally make you barf.
Did I mention that my client lit his girlfriend on fire? - Shit.
- Yeah.
The more awful a case sounds, the harder I have to work.
- You get that, right? - Loud and clear.
Just promise me that you'll get some rest.
I promise.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Vanessa, it's me again.
It's 4:15.
I really need that research.
Can you call me as soon as you can? You do know most people actually sleep, right? I've heard talk.
Can't you just come to bed for a few hours? Why don't you just let me work so I can spare my client life in prison.
Is it possible that your client might do better with a well-rested lawyer? Remember the part about âthe more awful the case, the harder we fightâ? Where is she? I've got to figure out a way to keep these horrible photos out of evidence.
Can I help? Yeah, you can go back to bed and let me think.
I'll be there when you wake up, okay? Oh, my God! I am so sorry! I didn't get your messages until this morning.
It's okay, but I really need you to be more responsive.
- You got my paperwork? - We just have some photos.
No discovery yet, but we'll get it soon.
All rise! I understand the Defense has a motion.
We do.
We move to preclude all the crime scene photos.
That's ridiculous! - The photos are evidence.
- Prejudicial evidence.
They show exactly what the defendant did to his girlfriend.
Judge, this is textbook example of how evidence is more prejudicial than probative.
They'll literally make the jury sick.
Oh, come on! How bad can they be? [MUSIC PLAYING.]
Okay.
They're nauseating.
But so was the crime, Counselor.
I'm not going to exclude them.
Then we ask that you limit the scope to 3 to 4 photos.
Anything more than that is overkill.
That's a reasonable proposal, Mr.
Dashay.
Three photos should do it.
And I'll ask that photos 10, 13 and 15 be excluded.
As much as Ms.
Sullivan would like to make our decision for us, that's not how it works.
Photos 10, 13 and 15 are the very three we intend to use.
I'll let the People choose their evidence, Ms.
Sullivan.
10, 13 and 15 are in, the rest are out.
Why are you smiling? We just got played.
No.
Photographs 10, 13 and 15 were close-ups of the body.
They don't show the front door.
So what's wrong with the front door? It's what's not wrong with it.
The lock on the doorknob is in the locked position.
- So there was no forced entry.
- Which means The killer had a key or the victim let him in.
Which means she knew the killer.
If Dashay knew you wanted those photos out - He'd fight to keep them in.
- Sweet.
We need to clean you up.
- Oh, don't let me interrupt.
- Later.
Nah, I'm good, honey, thanks.
I'll catch the next one.
Let me guess.
- Performance review? - In a way.
It's Natalie from the PR firm upstairs.
A little lunchtime lovin'.
Her performance? Stellar.
If you know what I mean.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
No.
I keep thinking about how, without the photos, the jury will never know the door was locked.
- Yeah, good for us.
- I know, it just - seems dishonest.
- Not dishonest.
Tactical.
Believe me, Dashay would have done the same thing.
But do you really need to go the extra mile - for a case like this? - Yes, we do.
Always.
How come you lied to Justin about not having the discovery? They have a witness.
A bodega owner who says he sold Justin lighter fluid the day before the murder.
Do we know who it is? They redacted the name and address.
Wouldn't Justin still know who it is? - Yeah.
- You think if he knows who the witness is, he might do something? We don't have a choice.
We have to give that to him.
You can't turn it over if he might intimidate the witness.
If Dashay was worried, he could have asked the judge for a protective order, and then we wouldn't even be able to show this to Justin.
Then tell Dashay! Maybe he just messed up.
We can't throw our client under the bus.
We can't broadcast to the prosecution they made a mistake and make the case harder for our client.
Besides, maybe the witness is wrong or biased, or maybe he made the whole thing up.
Maybe Justin could actually give us good information - that we don't know about him.
- There's got to be another way.
This guy burned his girlfriend alive - and then watched her die.
- Allegedly.
- Gwen, we know he did it.
- How? How do we know exactly? This is what you signed up for.
So are you going to be able to do the cross of the officer? Because this is a murder trial.
Yes.
Yes.
- He, uh, looks different.
- I think "great" is the word you're looking for.
We need women jurors.
- So you got my paperwork? - What we got is a problem.
- Lighter fluid.
What? - Do you know this guy? Does he have anything against you? - I don't know him.
- Are you sure? Yeah, I'm sure.
How come she never believes me? Can you think of any reason why he would say this? No.
Justin, I don't need to tell you that your calls are recorded.
Your mail is read.
So, no calls to your boys.
- No kites, no nothing.
Got it? - I hear you.
Yeah.
I mean it.
Just let me do my job.
We arrived on the scene right after the fire department.
The victim, Cecilia Duncan, was already dead.
Her body was badly charred.
Most of the flesh from her skull was burned off.
The apartment smelled strongly of lighter fluid.
Officer, did you have any previous contact with Cecilia Duncan before you found her dead body? Yes.
I previously responded to a domestic violence call at the same address.
And what happened on that occasion? I found Cecilia with a black eye, a head wound She said the defendant attacked her so I arrested Mr.
Wilson.
He was then convicted of assaulting her.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Officer, when you arrested Mr.
Wilson, did you find any evidence of lighter fluid on his clothes or his skin? No, but Mr.
Wilson evaded us for the first - Your Honor! - Sustained.
You know how to do this, Officer.
We didn't arrest the defendant until 24 hours after the fire.
He would have had time to shower and change his clothes.
Right, but I'm asking If he changed his clothes, we wouldn't find lighter fluid.
My question was did you? And my answer was maybe he showered.
That or he didn't have anything to do with it.
Objection! Who's doing the questioning? Counsel wouldn't have to if the Officer would just - answer the questions.
- Sustained.
Actually, Judge, I'll take it from here.
Officer, yes or no.
At the crime scene, did you find any evidence that anyone other than Ms.
Duncan had been in the apartment? - No.
- So the crime scene tells us only that something horrible happened.
Not who did it.
- That's right.
- No further questions.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
It feels a little like we're hitting a wall.
Just bounce on the ball.
It helps you think.
Bounce! Alright.
Justin's girlfriend is a crucial witness we have to undermine.
And we still don't have a solid theory about why she's lying.
Do you think it might be because she's just telling the truth? I really need you to focus.
Bounce.
It's midnight, Gwen.
Can't we just continue this tomorrow? The witness testifies tomorrow, Vanessa.
You know, fine, forget it.
I'll just see you tomorrow at 6 a.
m.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Where were you? We had a plan.
- I had to work.
- I know.
But you promised me 90 minutes to be together.
Just us.
To forget about work.
Bennett, I have a client who's facing life in prison.
The one who lit his girlfriend on fire.
- Don't do that.
- Do what? Make me feel bad for choosing to spend time on my work.
It's just that I shouldn't have to be a felon to get a chance to spend some time with you.
Okay, you know what? Let's just hold the feelings until my homicide trial is over.
Sure.
Good luck in court tomorrow.
I'm sure you'll do great.
When he found out I was pregnant Justin promised me he would break up with Cecilia so I could move in with him, but he never did.
And did he say why he hadn't broken up with Cecilia? - Objection, hearsay! - Goes to show state of mind.
Overruled.
He said they had a business together.
She said, if he broke up with her, - she'd take everything.
- And what kind of business? Objection! - Withdrawn.
No more questions.
- Were you promised anything in exchange for your testimony here today? I got arrested for shoplifting.
The prosecutor said, if I cooperated, they would take it into account in my case.
And if you go to jail, you lose your baby, right? - Objection! - Sustained.
Ms.
Malbon, you must have been pretty angry to find out that Justin was still with Cecilia.
- He wasn't with her.
- Oh! âShameless hoe trying to hold on to a man who doesn't love youâ.
Isn't that a text that you sent to her? - Yeah, but that's âcause - âI'm gonna F-you up if you don't get the hell out of Justin's houseâ.
Wait.
I didn't kill her.
She was a drug dealer.
She probably got high and set herself on fire.
- Objection, Your Honor! - Sustained.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will please disregard the witness' last statement.
- No more questions.
- Then Court is now in recess.
Pass me the victim's rap sheet.
I want to see which officer arrested her for the drug sales.
- I don't see why it's relevant.
- I asked you to yellow-flag any mention of her.
Do you have it? - Yes, but - Then hand it over.
I understand tactics, but are you really going - to go after the victim? - If that's what we have to do.
I'm sorry, but I am not comfortable with this.
We have a client to defend.
And, honestly, Vanessa, I'm more concerned about winning this case than I am about your comfort.
What is going on with you? You won your last case, you made supervisor, why are you doing this? - What are you talking about? - I don't know.
âMs.
Campbell displays at best a perfunctory amount of civility toward her clients, with a distinct dose of disdain toward the more recalcitrant individualsâ? What? You're trying stuff this with SAT words? Try again, sugar.
Insubordination.
Also a problem area for you.
And you're late for court.
I'll have to add that to your eval.
- I am not doing this right now.
- Use your inside voice.
Charlie! According to sources, the shooter's name is Jackson Whitmore.
Sources say that he and the officer struggled, and that the officer was shot with his own gun.
Witnesses, however, contend that the officer was choking the young man.
- This could get really ugly.
- Yeah, it sure could.
Officer Fisher, isn't it true that in 2012 you had occasion to arrest the victim for selling crack cocaine? I don't remember.
Perhaps this arrest report will refresh your recollection.
I guess I did.
And did that arrest result in a conviction? Objection! Your Honor, may we approach? We have information that Cecilia Duncan took the rap for the defendant in this case.
The drugs were really his.
That's a nice theory, Judge, but this is issue preclusion.
There's a certificate of conviction.
We're not going to re-litigate the issue of who owned the drugs in that case, Mr.
Dashay.
You may proceed, Ms.
Sullivan.
Ms.
Duncan was convicted of drug sales and served two years.
- Correct? - Yes.
You also arrested her for assault, didn't you? Ms.
Duncan beat up a woman to collect on a drug debt.
- Allegedly.
- Well, you arrested her for it.
- Yes.
- Pretty typical behavior for a drug dealer in that neighborhood, right? - Objection! - Sustained.
Fair to say that drug dealers can have a lot of enemies? - Yes.
- So Ms.
Duncan's death could be a result of her drug-dealing business, right? - Objection! - Withdrawn.
No further questions.
- That's got to feel good.
- I can't take this.
Vanessa! You need to take me off this trial.
- Rookie, say what? - I'm not ready.
- I thought I was, but - Okay.
Whoa! Easy now.
You're the one who wanted more serious cases.
I know, but Gwen calls me like five times a night, and she may be undead, because she never sleeps, and she acts like everything is World War III and she does horrible things, and that guy burned up his girlfriend! And I know I'm not supposed to care, but I can't stop thinking about it.
- And I'm freaking out.
- Freaking out is what trial is.
I can't do this.
Please.
I'm asking you as my supervisor.
Okay.
Okay.
Let me talk to Gwen.
But for now you stay on.
Understood? Say you care Sullivan.
Nothing but me - Sullivan! - What? I'm on trial, in case you didn't notice.
I can see that.
We need to talk.
Don't try on your little supervisor suit with me.
- Looks are - You know what makes a good supervisor? Being empathetic enough to know when not to talk.
- You're burning out the rookie.
- No.
She's burned out.
- The rookie's fine.
- The rookie is not fine.
The rookie is distressed because you're sucking her into your orbit of crazy.
You know I'm working on a really hard homicide, Charlie.
There's a reason we start them off with misdemeanors.
They're not supposed to just jump into murders, especially not disgusting ones like this.
- She complained? - Of course not.
- But I can see it.
- Bullshit, Charlie! You haven't been able to see past your own reflection since you were six.
Aside from the fact that you just insulted your superior, as your supervisor, I'm telling you: burning out the rookie is bad for us.
We need warm bodies around here.
Especially warm Caldwell fellow bodies.
So don't burn out the rookie.
We cool? - You sound like Tom.
- That's my job.
Oh, oh, wait! Have you heard this song? You might be a supervisor but you are still a dick Wanna burn a hole in my head Yeah.
Flag the second page for me.
Oh, God, you again.
I was hoping you were a hallucination - that I only saw the courtroom.
- And I was hoping that you'd fall in love and move far, far away.
- What do you want, EJ? - New offer.
I'll give your guy 14 years right now.
Or we could start his funeral.
You're dropping this offer in the middle of a trial? My assessment of the case has shifted.
My 98% chance of winning has dropped to 94%.
That's funny.
It sounds to me like you're finally realizing I've got your scrawny ass on the ropes.
Tell you what? Why don't you just call your next witness? Don't you want to run it by your client? My client will believe me when I tell him you're bluffing.
Then I'll send you some tissue when he gets life.
Are the People prepared to proceed? Your Honor, I've been informed this morning that our key witness, Mr.
Khan, the bodega owner who sold the lighter fluid to the defendant Yes, Counselor, what is it? He's been murdered, Your Honor.
Oh, my Gosh.
You just tried to sell me a plea? Your scumbag client had a witness murdered.
Oh, please.
If you had proof of that, you'd be arresting him now.
- Did you give him discovery? - Of course, I did.
- He's my client! - How could you be so reckless? - This is on you.
- Don't you dare pin this on me! If you had concerns about your witness' safety, you could have asked for a protective order.
- You didn't, which is your bad.
- Counselor! Did you have any specific reason to be worried about the safety - of the witness? - Of course not! Your Honor, we move to dismiss this case for lack of evidence.
That's some cold-ass shit! Without the witness, there is no evidence connecting my client to the crime.
The motion is denied, Counselor.
Mr.
Dashay, do you have anything else? - No, Your Honor.
- Ms.
Sullivan, - are you presenting a defense? - Not anymore.
Okay, then.
Summations after lunch.
That man's blood is on your hands Tell yourself that all you want, EJ, but in the dark of night, you know this was your screw-up.
Don't start.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
- Do we have a problem? - No.
You sure? âCause I'm pretty sure you asked Charlie to take you off my case.
- I'm sorry.
It's just that - I chose you.
I took you under my wing and I chose you for a murder case.
I know.
And I'm grateful.
I really am.
But he is awful.
We fight for everyone, Vanessa.
- Everyone.
- Yeah, we say that.
But this psycho client killed someone and he might go free.
- And he's guilty! - What do you want to do exactly? You want to hold your own mini-trial before you decide who it is you're going to represent? We are supposed to be fighting for justice.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! The canons of ethics demand that prosecutors pursue justice.
But our job is to fight like hell for every single client.
Because it's not a fair fight.
It's just you and me against them, and their cops, and their labs, and their corrupt-ass judges.
We're fighting for the underdog.
And you're damned right, we fight to the death for every single one of them.
Because if we can't win when our clients are guilty, but the case against them is shitty, we can't win when they're innocent.
And if you don't like it, it is high-time you take your bougie-ass back to Caldwell.
Now get out.
I have a summation to finish.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Have you turned in my review yet? Good.
I evaluated myself.
Honestly.
Hmmm.
I'm going to stick with what I wrote.
Wow.
Is this a bribe? Actually, does it matter? - So we'll go with my eval then.
- No.
We'll go with mine.
This is better than what I wrote for myself.
Thank you, sugar.
Why the change? Something Gwen said about being empathetic.
And I realized I might have been acting like an asshole, so Is there anything else you want to talk about? Like what? She won't know unless you tell her, honey.
Natalie? She's just a girl from upstairs.
I need to go file this one.
This is really nice.
Oh, yeah, it is nice.
- I'm keeping this.
- No! - Oh, yeah - Riggs, you haven't changed! Judge, I'm sorry.
I don't know where she is.
Unless she was going to deliver the closing statement - No, that will be me.
- Then let's get to it.
You can fill her in afterwards.
Let's be clear about one thing that matters in this case.
There is no evidence that actually links Mr.
Wilson to the death of Ms.
Duncan.
None.
Mr.
Dashay will tell you all about their history of domestic violence, but while that makes Mr Wilson unlikeable, it does not make him a murderer.
Mr.
Dashay will also tell you about Linda Malbon, his ex-girlfriend, who supposedly provided a motive.
Except there are plenty of other reasons why Ms.
Duncan might have ended up dead.
She was a crack dealer who lived a life of crime and violence.
Who knows who she might have crossed? Who knows who she might have shorted? Any number of people might have had beef with her, including Linda Malbon herself.
The sad truth is this: When you live by drug violence, you often die by drug violence.
All the prosecution has in this case, are theories and conjecture.
They certainly didn't bring you any witnesses who provided any evidence directly connecting Mr.
Wilson to the crime.
You swore an oath to do a job, to follow that singular rule of holding the prosecution to their burden of proof.
They must prove Mr.
Wilson guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Ladies and gentlemen, you don't have to like Mr.
Wilson.
But you must find him not guilty.
Ms.
Sullivan says there's no evidence in this case.
Well, you heard the evidence.
You heard it from his current girlfriend, the mother of his child, tell you about his motive to kill Cecilia Duncan.
How she threatened to take everything if they broke up.
You also heard that he was violent with the victim.
He had an ongoing history of beating her up.
Now, Ms.
Sullivan would have you believe that it is a long road from assault to murder.
It's not.
And everyone sitting in here knows it.
With domestic violence, women all too often end up dead at the hand of their abuser.
This man had motive.
He had opportunity.
And that is enough to make him a murderer.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I understand you have a verdict.
- We do, Your Honor.
- How do you find? On the charge of murder in the second degree, we find the defendant, Justin Wilson, not guilty.
Nice job.
I always knew you was a winner.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
All I've been able to think about is whether or not I did the right thing.
She told me we had an ethical duty not to say anything.
But I should have said something.
- I'm sorry.
- It's not your fault.
I mean, I messed up.
I should have asked for a protective order, and I didn't.
But Gwen shouldn't have given the report to him.
I mean, she just wants to win.
She doesn't care about the greater good.
I used to think that I could do this job, but now But now you're starting to see the truth.
That there's no difference between the criminals, - and the ones who defend them.
- And where does that leave me? I don't know.
I guess you'll have to decide.
[MUSIC PLAYING.]
Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh God, give me the strength To meet my life's demands Help me to break the bonds That hold me down To things of a lesser cost Help me to climb To greater heights Bennett! Because my soul demands That I must wait for it Wait for it, wait for it Bennett! - I heard you won your case.
- Yeah.
I also heard about the witness and I I'm sorry.
I am too.
You know you didn't do anything wrong, right? I know, but Someone's dead.
Look, I know me being on trial is really hard to deal with.
You being on trial is not the hard part.
It's who you become when you're on trial.
And, I know you're under a lot of pressure and you have people's lives in your hands, but It's not an excuse to shut you out.
I know.
And I'm sorry.
- I bought us a cake.
- A cake.
I don't cook and a whole meal would have gotten cold, so I ordered us a cake.
It says âHome Sweet Homeâ.
I'm in love with the worst potential wife ever.
- Is that so bad? - Mmm-mmm.
It's just going to take a little getting used to.
Does that mean you want some cake? I want some cake.
It's good.
It's chocolate.
Hmm-mmm.
Oh! I got you these.
I wanted to give them to you during our celebration dinner.
A private tour of the National Museum of African-American history? - Haven't you been already? - Not with you.
Oh, Bennett.
Oh shit, that's the courthouse.
I I have to - Answer it.
- OK.
Gwen Sullivan.
Yes, Your Honor, of course.
I'll be right there.
I get it.
Go.
De-de-di-di-di.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
Come in.
Thank you for coming on such short notice.
Of course, it sounded urgent.
You're aware of the cop that was killed? Yes, it's been all over the news.
I want you to represent the defendant.
Me? Why? A white cop killed by a young black man.
The witnesses say he shot the officer in self-defense.
This case is going to be bigger than Ferguson.
The prosecution has been building a case since the shot was fired.
The black community no! The whole city needs to know.
This kid is going to get a fair trial.
I can't think of a better attorney than you, Ms.
Sullivan.
I don't know what to say.
Right now, you don't have to say anything.
But there is something you could do.
- What's that? - You could go home and get some sleep.
You're about to be the attorney in what could be the trial of a lifetime.
Next time, on In Contempt Jackson Alan Whitmore of Washington Heights is accused of shooting officer Jacob Lockman.
Like so many other black men in this country, Jackson was aggressively confronted by a police officer.
The prosecution is moving to preclude self-defense.
Shouldn't you be sitting at the other table, Counselor? Ms.
Hastings recently joined our office, Your Honor.
You don't eat well, you don't sleep, and youâre addicted to that shit.
I'm fine.
Officer, isn't