Close to Home (2005) s01e18 Episode Script

What is that? Hey! Take it easy.
This is touch football.
It's a fumble.
It's a friendly game, Stu.
Dial it back a little.
( laughing ) What the hell?! What? I'm going for the ball! Come on! What, huh?! What are you gonna do?! Gonna keep talking? Keep talking.
How's your wife and my kids? Get out of my face.
You know, it's the same thing every game.
Why is Stu so aggressive? Hey! Touchdown! Ya-hoo! Yeah! John?! Somebody get an ambulance! John? DRUMMER: Now, the victim's name was John Hulse.
Now, believe it or not, he was killed in a so-called touch football game.
Apparently, every Saturday he and his buddies got together to play macho man in the park.
Wait, wait a minute.
John Hulse? Oh, my God.
You knew him? Yeah.
Uh, we went to high school together.
He was the most popular kid on the planet; on the homecoming court, captain of the football team.
This is awful.
What happened? Well, he took a forearm to the back of the head in the game, and died in the hospital an hour later.
I was a sophomore when he was a senior.
He's also married.
His wife's name is Laurie.
Laurie Kennedy.
Yeah, they were high school sweethearts.
You know her, too? Well, not personally, but everybody knew who Laurie was: prom queen, head cheerleader.
Did somebody hit John on purpose? Yeah, it looks that way.
A guy named Stu Green.
Stu Green killed John? You know him, too? In high school, Stu and John used to compete over everything: girls, sports.
Stu used to date Laurie until she dumped him for John.
Everybody at school always talked about it.
You don't think this is still over the girl? Just tell me exactly what happened.
According to witnesses, Green was trying to take the victim out the whole game.
It was a blind hit from the back after the play was over.
Hitting him was one thing, but was he trying to kill him? That's the issue.
We can't go to a jury until we know Green's intent.
They hated each other in high school, I'll tell you that.
My point is, you can't charge murder every time someone dies.
Look at it this way.
If I punch someone and they fall and hit their head and die, that's not murder.
I didn't want them to die and I had no reason to think they might with one punch.
Hmm.
Involuntary manslaughter.
LAURIE: Involuntary? Stu hit John on purpose.
I understand, but You have a dozen witnesses.
Stu killed him.
This isn't a final decision.
The involuntary manslaughter charge allows us to hold him while we continue our investigation.
We want to make sure we understand Stu's intent.
Can you tell me anything, any reason why Stu might have wanted to hurt your husband? John and Stu never got along.
They were always competitive.
But no, nothing different lately.
Any chance they were fighting about you? No.
Didn't you used to go out with Stu Green? When I was a sophomore in high school.
John and I have been married for ten years.
I swear to God, I never meant to ki kill him.
What happened? I I got too caught up in the game.
I can't quite get the whole touch thing down.
We used to go all out.
I know.
I remember.
We were in the same high school.
Class of '97.
You were two years ahead of me.
I'm sorry, I don't I I didn't remember that.
But if you knew us back then, you knew how it was with John and me.
I remember there was no love lost between you.
We were rivals.
Look, I swear, this was an accident.
I lost control.
I got way too aggressive, but I never meant to hurt him.
How's John's wife? She must be devastated.
( phone ringing ) Excuse me.
Speaking of Laurie Hulse, what is your relationship with her? This is Annabeth.
It's Maureen.
I need you to meet me at the morgue.
What's going on? The M.
E.
has a late-breaking news flash.
It's still hard to believe one punch could kill a man.
M.
E.
: Well, the ultimate cause of death was a ruptured blood vessel near the base of the brain, most likely a result of the blow.
But the killer had some help.
The vessel was weakened to begin with.
Weakened how? The PH in the victim's blood was abnormally low, which usually suggests renal failure.
So, I took a sample of the kidney tissue, and it was loaded with calcium oxalate crystals.
Oxalate is a telltale sign of ethylene glycol poisoning.
John was poisoned? Do we have to ask what ethylene whatever it is, or are you going to tell us? Ethylene glycol-- an industrial compound, odorless, colorless, easily maskable and very, very lethal.
Widely available to the public as antifreeze.
Nine out of ten poisoners recommend it.
I'm assuming there's no way he could have accidentally ingested it? I wouldn't bet on it.
No, I'd say football game or no football game, this gentleman had less than 48 hours to go before his body shut down.
Which, by the by, would have looked to the untrained eye like a heart attack.
His body was a walking time bomb.
And Green's hit lit the fuse.
-??? -Yeah Apparently, the poison in John's system weakened his blood vessels.
When he got hit on the field, a vessel broke and killed him.
He'd ingested three full ounces of antifreeze.
This was no mistake.
Let me get this straight.
Someone was trying to kill your old high school quarterback, but Green beat him to the punch? Exactly.
Any chance that Green was involved in the poisoning also? It seems unlikely.
I mean, if you're already poisoning someone, why go that extra step and hit them? They did have a beef, right? We have to consider it.
But we have to look at other suspects, too.
Poisoning's a crime of intimacy.
You need trust and access, and most cases involve someone close to the victim.
Ah, like someone like his own wife.
I pulled those records you asked me for.
It turns out this prom queen stands to make a fortune from her husband's death.
There's only one catch.
John's parents made her sign a prenuptial agreement.
What was in the prenup? Well, put it like this.
She gets nothing if the marriage ends.
If she left him, she cheated on him, she walked away from the entire fortune.
But if her husband died while they were married? She got it all.
How much is all? Conservative estimate: $10 million.
That is one hell of a motive.
You still think Stu Green did it? I'm thinking a lot of things.
I'm thinking maybe Green and the wife colluded.
Well, you say they dated in high school.
Maybe they rekindled their romance, wanted Hulse out of the way? Maybe.
Look, we're allowed to hold Green for 72 hours.
I plan to avail myself of all them while don't we do our homework.
Lou, find out how Hulse was poisoned and when.
And why don't you two focus on the victim's marriage? Talk to friends, family, see if they know anything useful.
Actually, uh, John's business partner is an acquaintance of mine.
Nick Pletcher.
Don't tell me you went to school with this guy, too? Okay, I won't tell you.
How well do you know this guy? We went to the prom together.
( garbled radio transmission ) I don't understand why this is necessary.
Mrs.
Hulce, maybe you should have a seat.
There is no easy way to say this.
The medical examiner believes your husband was being poisoned.
Poisoned? I'm sorry, I don't understand.
My husband died in a football game.
I saw it happen.
We believe the poison was ingested within 24 hours of the game.
How is that possible? I mean, who would do something like that? Detective.
Annabeth.
Nick.
Hi.
Thanks for meeting me.
It's no problem.
You know, I was really glad to hear that you were in charge of the case.
So what's going on? Has there been some kind of change or? Actually, do you want to grab a cup of coffee? There's a place up the street.
Sure, yeah.
You think someone was trying to kill John? We know someone killed him.
He was poisoned.
Oh, my God.
Nick, how were John and Laurie getting along? What, you think Laurie was involved? We have to consider everything.
These people were like family to me, you know? I loved them both.
I know.
Well, for a long time, Laurie made John happy, but lately things were tough.
John said they were separating.
Do you have any idea what the problem was? No.
It wasn't something John could talk about easily.
And, frankly, neither could I.
We always just preferred talking sales figures.
John and I loved running this business together.
Honestly, I don't know if I want to run it anymore.
Not without him.
You guys started right after college, right? Yeah.
John's dad died and left him the company.
I guess with all the money, John wanted someone around from the old days, you know, somebody he could trust.
I always loved that.
I mean, you and John were so different, but you were still friends.
People would always say that.
They were like, "What's the captain of the football team doing with that geek from the debate squad?" Hey, we were both on that squad, and we were not geeks.
Oh.
Okay, we were geeks.
You know what? I just flashed a memory of you coming down the stairs in your prom dress.
Oh, God.
You were not a geek, not at all.
I think I have some pictures at home somewhere that would prove you wrong.
It's been a while, huh? I think the last time I saw you, you were at the park playing Frisbee with your dog.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I've just been so busy, you know? Come on, we've all been busy.
It can't be every two years that I get to see you.
( cell phone rings ) Sorry.
This is Annabeth.
Okay, okay.
I'm on my way.
I'm so sorry, I got to go.
It's okay.
It was so good to see you.
You, too.
Hey, I want to see those pictures.
This bottle was in the garbage recovered at the Hulce property.
Catalyzed energy drink.
So called because of the vitamins and minerals in each serving.
But this bottle had a little something extra.
It was spiked with antifreeze.
You're saying this is the murder weapon? Correct.
I found the victim's saliva on the lip.
Here.
Let me show you how it works.
You're looking at an untouched bottle of lemon lime refreshment.
And this is three ounces of garden variety antifreeze.
As you can see, the color is very similar.
Now if I take some of this antifreeze, pour it into the bottle Hmm, you can't see the difference.
That's right.
And antifreeze has a fairly sweet taste.
So if you chugged this down fast enough, you wouldn't even taste it.
Which brings us to the big question.
Any prints on the bottle? Right, the prints.
I always leave the best news for last.
There's two sets.
One for the victim, John Hulce, and one for his lovely, one-might- infer-to-be-murdering wife.
I think we have probable cause to arrest the wife.
You may be right, but do we have enough to go to trial with what we have? Laurie had opportunity galore.
The prenup gives us motive, the prints on the sports drink puts the murder weapon right in her hand.
I don't know.
It's all still circumstantial.
What do we do with Stu Green? He's supposed to be arraigned tomorrow.
I talked to Green's lawyer.
He's looking for two years suspended in community service.
Do we have anything to link him with the poisoning? Search of the house yielded zip.
As far as we can tell, Stu's only contact with John was limited to the football field.
And there's nothing to suggest an affair or collusion with Laurie.
I still think he was partially responsible for the death, but I can live with that plea.
Okay, hold on.
No plea, no arrests.
Just everybody calm down.
If we arrest Laurie now, she'll just lawyer up.
Why not call her in one more time d confront her with the evidence? Maybe she'll implicate herself or maybe you can get her to confess.
And if that happens, she'll be in front of a judge by the end of the day, in which case, then we make the deal with Stu Green.
LAURIE: You think I tried to kill my husband? ANNABETH: Laurie, nobody's accusing you of anything.
Right now we're just taking depositions and gathering information.
We were told that you and your husband were having problems, is that correct? Yes, but we were working it out.
We were told you were separating.
Who told you that? Maybe while you're considering all kinds of baseless rumors, you should also consider that I loved my husband.
We were married for ten years.
Mrs.
Hulce, we know that you and your husband had a prenuptial agreement.
I don't believe this.
I was right.
You think I did it.
If the marriage was over, you lost everything.
But if John died I'm leaving.
We have the bottle, Mrs.
Hulce.
The energy drink that was used to poison your husband.
And that bottle has your fingerprints on it.
Can you explain that? I I don't know.
You said an energy drink? John used them all the time.
He took them to the gym with him.
Wait.
I think, okay, maybe this.
The day before the game, I opened John's gym bag and put his clothes in the wash and there was an empty bottle.
I threw it out.
I'm telling the truth.
We need to check out her story.
Laurie Hulce lives in a million-dollar mansion.
How likely is it that she does her husband's laundry? I'm already on it.
Now I called the health club, I spoke to the manager.
They don't even sell that particular sports drink.
But get this-- about 20 minutes later, I got a phone call from the club's chief of security.
Why? He wouldn't say.
He wants to meet me in person.
SECURITY OFFICER: Now I talked to my manager.
Is it true you think John Hulce was murdered? Yes.
That sports drink you were looking for, that has something to do with his death? If you know something I can help you, but it's going to cost me my job.
And I might even get sued.
What are you talking about? In the last six months, a few members had their lockers busted into.
They lost wallets, cell phones, watches.
And these are rich guys who I'm listening.
My manager, he asked me to handle it.
So I put a security camera in the locker room.
You put a camera in an area where people are changing? I know it's illegal.
But no one was supposed to see it.
It was just to stop the break-ins.
I think this will help you.
That's Hulce.
Same kind of bottle.
Who's that? Nick Pletcher, John's business partner.
ANNABETH: He was more than just a business partner, he was John's closest friend.
Well, as of now, he's also a murder suspect.
Yeah, well, it's not exactly a smoking gun.
Yes, it's the same kind of bottle, but how do we know it's the one with the poison in it? We don't.
But it fits the timeline.
And the autopsy report said that Hulce ingested the poison This was shot the day before.
I know John was the most popular kid in high school, but a lot of people sure wanted him dead.
Wait, wait, wait.
This is crazy.
I know Nick Pletcher.
You knew him in high school.
Look, he didn't do it.
I'm sorry, I just don't think he's capable.
Maybe not, but we have to find out.
Let's start with the business that John and Nick shared.
Maybe something went sour there.
Call a judge and get a subpoena for all the company records and send them all down to the forensic accountant.
And, Lou, search Nick Pletcher's house and find me a link between him and the antifreeze.
Hey.
Are you okay on this? I'm fine.
Steve, I'm fine.
If Nick was involved, you know I'll do whatever it takes to make a case.
Oh, come on, not the machines.
Look, I can understand why you'd have to take the files, but you can't take our computers.
How am I supposed to run a business? We'll return the computers just as soon as we copy the hard drives.
ACCOUNTANT: I uncovered Nick Pletcher's signatures all over these files.
He kept a tight grip on the company books.
It's a partnership.
John focused on sales, Nick managed the accounts.
I'm not surprised.
Most cases of embezzlement happen when one partner has control of the money.
Nick was stealing from the company.
Yes.
At first I didn't see it.
The surface numbers make sense, but when I really got into it How'd he do it? He was creating phantom vendors.
Wrote paychecks to subcontractors that don't exist and then pocketed the money for a total of almost 200 grand.
I also found this.
The IRS scheduled an appointment with John Hulce.
Do we know why? They flagged some of Nick's illegal transfers.
John knew Nick was embezzling from the company? We don't know.
He was killed two days before he was supposed to meet with the IRS.
ANNABETH: What if Nick heard the IRS was coming and killed John to keep him from turning him in? And we should also talk to Laurie again.
See if her husband knew that his partner was stealing from the business.
While we're at it, we can apologize for accusing her of the murder.
Hey, it's our job to make judgments about people.
So you and this Nick Pletcher are really friends, huh? I've only seen him a couple times since high school.
I went to his senior prom.
With him? As his date? It wasn't a date-date.
It was a friend's date.
But I always cared about him.
LAURIE: It just doesn't seem possible.
John loved Nick.
Did your husband ever mention a problem with the money? Did he ever say he suspected No! John did everything for Nick.
He brought him into the company.
He made him partner.
He always said that Nick was the only one he could trust.
If it's true, if Nick did this My computer techs tell me that Nick Pletcher never searched any Web sites or Googled any info on poisoning.
Well, maybe not from home or work, but I've been tracking Nick's movements around the time of the murder, trying to link him to the antifreeze.
Why, he got a parking ticket two weeks before his business partner was poisoned.
Where do you think he was parked? Right in front of the public library.
All right.
Excuse me.
Greetings, gentle reader.
You work here? Uh yes.
Um Well, not here-- the reference desk, per se.
I I help out with those computers.
You ever see this guy before? Oh, man.
I'm I'm fired, right? Am I fired? Take it easy.
You're a cop? I said relax.
You want to answer my question? Um Yeah, that guy.
He came in last week, right? He wanted to use the Internet, and he didn't have any ID on him.
Look, I know the rules-- you know, Homeland Security, and we're all supposed to be on high alert and all that.
And I told him.
I'm all, look, bro, no ID, no Internet, right? And but he just wouldn't quit.
So you let him use the computer? Yeah.
Uh number three.
Um right over there.
I brought the library's computer into the crime lab.
And you're sure Nick Pletcher used that machine? Oh, no doubt.
The attendant made an ID.
We had the lab guy try to figure out exactly what Pletcher was looking at on the computer.
He didn't erase his tracks? He tried.
But we recovered a few images from the cache, and he did a search.
Keywords: "toxic chemicals," "antifreeze.
" He also visited a medical site.
The impact of calcium oxalate crystals on the renal system.
Good enough for me.
Good work, Lou.
Bring him in.
Call Stu Green's attorney, accept the plea, and cut him loose.
Annabeth, what's going on? The detectives won't tell me anything.
I have no idea how to ask you this, Nick, so I'm going to come right out and say it.
Did you try to kill John Hulse? Annabeth, that's crazy.
I loved John.
We were partners.
We know about the embezzlement.
We know you wrote checks to phantom vendors.
We know you stole almost $200,000.
Annabeth Nick, don't lie to me.
Look, I don't know what it is that you think you know.
What I think I know? I think you put antifreeze in a sports drink and gave it to John at the gym.
I think you researched how to do it at the public library.
Annabeth, you know the kind of person I am.
I knew a 17-year-old kid, Nick.
I have no idea who you are.
Please.
I can't change the facts.
Facts? You're the prosecutor.
Facts are whatever you say they are.
Look, I'm asking you as a friend.
Wait.
Wait, okay? Wait.
Just at least tell me what I should do.
Get a good lawyer.
He's all yours.
You okay? yes the people are ready for trial.
We can't start until we resolve the charges, and I object to my client being charged with murder.
He poisoned the victim.
The M.
E.
said he had less than I believe that would be attempted murder.
The truth is, Your Honor, the poison didn't kill him.
He died on a football field of a broken blood vessel.
Yes.
A blood vessel weakened by the effects of the poison.
I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways.
They charged the man who hit him with manslaughter, and you cannot charge my client for causing the same death.
Yes, we can.
As long as the poison made a critical contribution to the way the victim died.
Okay, enough.
I admit this is all interesting, but it's also academic.
Mr.
Wright, if your client poisoned the victim, that's attempted murder, and it's more than enough to send him away for life.
Your Honor Let me finish.
The murder charge can stand.
The State can argue the poison made a critical contribution to death.
You want to save your client, Mr.
Wright? Stop arguing the law and start arguing the facts.
So, you ready for this? Did Maureen send you to check up on me? I'm not checking up.
I'm checking in.
I just can't stop thinking about Nick in high school.
We were friends from the minute he moved into our school district in the ninth grade.
I guess, until then, I'd been the only kid whose parents were divorced, and he understood how I felt.
In a million years, I couldn't have seen this coming.
I met my wife in high school.
Really? You never told me that.
Yeah, well, I actually didn't know it for a while.
I didn't remember her.
She was two years behind me.
You're kidding.
No.
And she waited until our third date to tell me.
We were in a play together.
Can you believe that? I actually stood onstage with my future wife, and I didn't know it.
The point is, you see what you want to see in high school.
Not what's really there.
Thanks, Steve.
So walk me through your strategy.
Well, we know there are reasons to suspect Laurie.
She had a prenup, her prints were on the poison bottle The real question is, do you put her on the stand? If we don't call her, Wright can put her up himself, and then it looks like we were trying to hide those things from the jury.
I agree.
It's better they hear it from us.
We dismiss the circumstantial evidence against Laurie.
At the same time, we convince the jury our case against Nick isn't just circumstantial.
The defense will suggest that the bottle in the locker room video isn't the murder weapon.
But Nick's embezzlement, the fact that he researched the poisoning, tips the scales our way.
Any chance in linking the defendant to antifreeze? Maybe.
The police found some glasses and mixing bowls when they searched his garage.
They're being tested right now.
ANNABETH: March 16, Hulse is contacted by the IRS.
March 18, Pletcher researches the toxic chemicals on the library computer.
And, finally, between the time frames of March 31 and April 1, Hulse ingests a lethal dose of antifreeze.
And were you able to determine how the victim came to ingest that antifreeze? Yes.
We found an empty bottle of the Catalyst Energy Drink in the trash of the victim's home.
It was positive for ethylene glycol.
Detective Drummer, can you please tell us what we're watching here? This is a video shot at the victim's health club You see the defendant, Nick Pletcher, handing the victim the exact same brand drink.
And you see the victim drinking it.
And, the next day, John Hulse was dead.
WRIGHT: Detective, can you prove that the bottle depicted in this video is the same bottle recovered from the victim's trash? No.
No.
In fact, do you have any direct proof that that drink is poisoned at all? Not direct, but circumstantial.
So that would be a no? Objection.
Sustained.
You made your point, Counsel.
Next question.
My next question is this.
Do you know where the drink in the video came from? By that, I mean do you know who purchased it? No.
No.
So it's possible the victim bought that drink, and my client is simply holding on to it for him.
Well, I don't believe that's true.
It's also possible that the victim drank from another bottle altogether at some different point in this 24-hour window of time.
Let's say on his way home, or the next morning.
I don't know.
You pick.
Yeah, the guy told me he didn't have any ID.
And I'm all, "Look, nobody gets online without a driver's license.
' You let him use the computer anyway? Eventually, yeah.
I mean, the guy was not taking no for an answer.
Your Honor, these are the screen captures recovered from the library computer, and previously admitted as People's Exhibit C.
May the record reflect they include keyword searches for "antifreeze" and "toxic chemicals," as well as a medical article on poisons.
The record will so reflect.
How old are you, Mr.
Reed? Uh 18.
And, uh are you nervous today? You're looking a little nervous.
I'm doing fine, bro.
Yeah.
I'm glad.
Could you describe for me, please, the gentlemen whom you allowed to use the library's computer without proper identification? I don't have to describe him.
He's sitting right there.
So, um medium height, about five-ten, average build? Yeah.
You just described about half the men in this county.
Look, I saw the man.
I'm not lying.
Where's the question, Counsel? Do you smoke marijuana, Mr.
Reed? Objection.
Mr.
Reed's drug use is directly relevant to his ability to proceed, Your Honor.
Overruled.
The witness will answer.
Hey, man, I'm trying to help out here, all right? I mean, yeah, maybe I smoke a little weed from time to time.
So what? A little? And how often, sir? Once a day? More than once a day? How about that day, Mr.
Reed? Were you high that day? No.
No? May I remind you, sir, you are under oath, and perjury is a crime.
I don't know.
I mean, yeah, probably.
Yeah, probably.
I mean, so what? That means I can't recognize someone 'cause I'm stoned? ( chuckling ) Oh No further questions, Your Honor.
Listen to me! I write codes for computer programs, all right? I got accepted into Northwestern, early admission, and I got a 1400 on my SATs.
It was him.
Okay? I know what I saw.
Yes.
A brown-haired man of average height who asked to use a computer.
Very helpful.
It was him.
He did okay, right? Assuming the jury liked Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
What's next? Forensic accountant.
Now, look, this could get ugly.
Wright's whole strategy is confusion.
He's going to bury the jury in numbers, columns and accounting theory.
It's critical the jury believes that Nick Pletcher was stealing, and that he killed his business partner to avoid being caught.
I'm ready.
Good.
This particular form of embezzlement is quite sophisticated.
MAUREEN: In what way? In almost every way.
Nick Pletcher did more than just create phantom companies.
He sent fake invoices.
He designed a letterhead.
He listed records of his conversations with executives who don't exist.
And none of this was detected? The IRS was scheduled to meet with John Hulse.
They probably would have found out then, but Mr.
Hulse was killed two days before that meeting.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Mr.
Meeks, you seem to think that my client embezzled money from his business partner.
Yes.
But can you prove that he murdered him? No.
Of course not.
Nothing further.
ANNABETH What the hell was that? MAUREEN: I can't believe it.
Nick's admitting the embezzlement.
Wright knew we had all that proof.
If he lied to the jury and they didn't buy it, he'd lose all credibility.
So instead Wright says my client is a thief, but he's not a killer.
In a weird way, it makes Nick look honest.
It still doesn't negate what we have.
No, but in the jury's eyes, it tips the scales away from Nick.
Just in time for Laurie to take the stand.
Why do I want a cigarette? Well, maybe this will help.
It's the lab reports from the glass and bowls we found in Nick Pletcher's garage.
One of them, laced with antifreeze.
Great.
But the weird thing is, it says here that it wasn't just antifreeze.
It was mixed together with dog food.
Dog food? Did Nick have a dog? Yeah, a terrier.
I've seen it.
We didn't find an animal in the house or on the property.
Does this mean what I think it means? I don't believe it.
The police have checked every single animal hospital and shelter in Marion County.
If the defendant's dog died, he never brought it in.
That makes sense.
If he was testing the poison, he couldn't risk someone finding out.
Exactly.
Lou's got his guys checking Pletcher's yard as well as the land behind his office.
Our guess is, Nick buried the dog.
Good, but it's still a long shot.
The issue now is what to do about Laurie the prom queen.
Are we still planning on putting her on the stand? We have to call her.
Just make sure Annabeth preps her, okay? I do not want her fighting up there.
( cell phone rings ) The more defensive she acts, the more guilty she looks.
Maureen Scofield.
We found the dog.
You're kidding.
Where? A wooded area behind Pletcher's house.
The techs are taking the body to the lab now.
They found the dog.
ANNABETH: Laurie, I have to be honest.
In most case, I can't wait to put the victim's wife on the stand.
It's usually some of the most powerful testimony we have.
But I'm concerned this defense attorney may tear you apart.
But I didn't do anything.
You know that.
That doesn't matter.
We have the burden of proof.
They'll do whatever it takes to raise reasonable doubt.
Ever since we started dating, people questioned my motives for being with John.
I'm used to it.
That doesn't change the fact that I loved him.
Okay.
You show that to the jury.
Be calm and be composed.
I did love him.
We we fell in love in high school.
We got married way, way too fast and way too young.
Lately ( sighs ) we had a rough patch.
It was nobody's fault.
The love was still there.
Marriage is hard sometimes.
Did you and John sign a prenuptial agreement? Yes.
John was to take over the family business, and his father wanted to know that it would be protected should the marriage dissolve.
We signed it out of respect for him.
You said your marriage had hit a rough patch.
Truth is, your marriage was over.
You were getting a divorce.
No.
We talked about a trial separation.
I didn't want to lose him.
Him or the money? The fact is, you stood to lose a fortune if you got divorced.
The prenup that you signed made that abundantly clear, isn't that right, Mrs.
Holse? Yes.
I would get nothing.
$10 million signed away when you were just 22.
I didn't care about the money.
You knew if your husband left you, you got nothing.
But if he died, while you were still married, you got it all.
Correct? Yes, but he wasn't going to leave me.
The prenup was there for a reason.
So John could get away.
John didn't want to get away.
He want You just testified that you were separating.
Yes or no? Yes.
Your fingers were on the bottle that poisoned him.
Yes or no? Yes.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
How did it go? We got him.
You sure about this? Absolutely.
The People call Medical Examiner Albert Schmidt to the stand.
Your Honor, Mr.
Schmidt has already testified.
He's been through direct, cross-exam and redirect.
This is new information.
We just learned about it ourselves.
I object.
Take it easy, Mr.
Wright.
If you need it, I'll give you plenty of time to prepare for cross.
The witness will step up and be sworn.
The dog's body was found about 200 yards behind the defendant's house.
What kind of dog was it? A terrier, approximately three years old.
It had a name tag with Max written on it.
Was an examination done on the body? Yes.
This dog was poisoned.
I found an extremely high concentration of ethylene glycol in the remaining tissue.
Ethylene glycol? Yes.
The same type of antifreeze used to poison John Holse.
This was no accident.
I found enough poison in the remains to kill a dog three times this size.
MAUREEN: Thank you.
No further questions.
In the case of Indiana v.
Nicholas Pletcher, we the jury find the defendant guilty of murder.
( handcuffs clicking ) Thank you.
You're welcome, Laurie.
And again, I'm so sorry for your loss.
It'll be hard trusting anyone from now on.
( knocking ) Annabeth, there's somebody here to see you.
Now? She's an agent with the IRS.
She says it's about John Holse; it's important.
Okay, bring her in.
Can I help you? Agent Vale, IRS.
I heard you convicted Mr.
Pletcher.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Sorry for not coming sooner.
I really don't follow state criminal trials.
Our agency detected some of Mr.
Pletcher's illegal activities.
We know, you had a meeting set with John Holse.
We did, but that meeting was canceled, Miss Chase, and we thought you might like to know why.
I didn't expect to see you again.
I didn't either.
But I had to come.
I had to hear it from you.
Why would you do this? Just go away, Annabeth.
Look at me.
The person I knew can't be gone completely.
You don't get it.
We had so much in common except for one thing.
The money.
It was just money, money, money, money.
So, one day I wrote a check to myself.
Then I wrote a bigger check to a company that didn't exist.
It was easy.
I don't believe it was easy.
John was loyal as a dog.
He was so stupid.
And then I found out that the IRS was coming.
I knew it had to be about me.
I knew John would find out.
I couldn't face him when he realized what I did.
Look, I know how it sounds, but somehow it was easier for me to kill him than to let him find out the truth.
That's the saddest part about this, Nick.
He already knew.
( sighs ) He paid the taxes, Nick.
As soon as the IRS called, he gave them the money.
He convinced them not to file charges against you.
You betrayed the friendship, but John never did.
He loved you.
You think about that for the next 30 years.
You said you wanted to see this.
I don't need it anymore.