Major Crimes s02e10 Episode Script
Backfire
Originally Aired August 12, 2013 Mr.
Page, if you think that, because our victim is a prostitute, we won't do everything possible to convict your client No, I said this crime, compared to what else is going on, is a tiny blip on the radar.
My client, Jason Goss, didn't decide to send Briana Mathis to the morgue.
That order was given to him by someone else.
Does that not imply a larger criminal enterprise? You want to go to the mat for one little cog? Or would you like the whole machine? We're ready to deal.
Mr.
Goss will name the person or persons most responsible for Briana Mathis' murder Once his manslaughter plea is accepted by the court.
And he'll provide us with information to solve past and prevent future homicides? If no further charges are brought against him.
That's our offer.
Yes.
I need something concrete to move forward.
At least one corroborative detail.
Don't hold me up, Peter.
Maybe in early June, someone was pushed out of a car into the Angeles Crest.
Maybe in the middle of July, someone else went off of Mulholland at Beverly Glen.
Hypothetically.
Sykes, enter the following in VICAP "Angeles crest, thrown from moving vehicle, June 1st through 8th.
" Sanchez, "Mulholland, Beverly Glen, middle of July," same M.
O.
And let us make bail today.
No bail.
Your client's skin was underneath the victim's fingernails.
I'll argue that Jason did everything he could to prevent an agitated woman from jumping out of the backseat of a moving car.
And despite his best efforts, she succeeded.
No judge would believe that.
Mr.
Goss pushed that girl out of the car.
And after we find the driver, and he rolls on your client Huh.
What are the odds of that? Last I checked, there were in the State of California.
Go fish.
And there's also the 911 call pointing us to the victim's body.
Reported by another phantom.
And while you chase this ghost, you'll be allowing future murders Imminent murders.
VICAP shows that on June 3rd, the body of a Glenn Randall was found at the base of the Angeles Crest.
Yeah, Randall was an accountant for Stone Quarry Industries, owner of the strip club where both our victim and our suspect worked.
And then on July 13th, the remains of an unidentified woman, early 20s, were discovered off Mulholland, sir.
Hmm.
Captain, our suspect's info checks out.
Mr.
Page, perhaps you didn't hear D.
D.
A.
Rios clearly.
We need corroborative detail on this murder Something we can verify after the judge agrees to a sentence far lighter than you deserve.
The car we were in when Briana fell out the door a brand-new silver S-Class Mercedes.
And my client will reveal who the driver was and the car's whereabouts after his conviction is confirmed.
And what is Mr.
Goss prepared to tell the judge? That on August 8th, I arrived at the Smooth Stone Gentlemen's Club at 11:30 P.
M.
And I asked around till I found Briana Mathis.
Stand up.
I took Briana out to the car, and we headed west on Mulholland Drive.
As we neared Beverly Crest, I opened the door and forced her out.
And this woman died? Yes.
And what circumstances led you to commit this heinous act? Mr.
Goss, you asked for a secure courtroom, and you have it.
And now you must answer my question.
I'll repeat it.
What circumstances led you to the depraved and violent act of shoving a 19-year-old girl out of a moving vehicle? Your Honor, the defendant agreed to give this statement as part of his plea deal.
As such, there is no provision for additional questions.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, you do not control the flow of information in this courtroom, is that clear? Yes, your Honor, but I meant the defendant has a I'll ask any questions if I think they are relevant and appropriate.
Your Honor, you might be demanding information that would place my client in potential jeopardy.
Mr.
Page, the young woman that Mr.
Goss murdered was in jeopardy, too.
And I need to establish why you and D.
D.
A.
Rios believe that the defendant's actions warrant nothing more severe than manslaughter.
Mr.
Goss, did you commit this act entirely of your own volition, or was it at someone else's direction? I was asked Wait.
I was paid to do it.
And who paid you? Again, your Honor, that information was intentionally not disclosed in the agreed-upon statement of facts and can only be made available after And again, Mr.
Page, that is the wrong answer! Captain Raydor, D.
D.
A.
Rios, Mr.
Page, will you approach? Sharon, what the hell? Your Honor, given the potential to prevent imminent murders, D.
D.
A.
Rios believes that the defendant's cooperation warrants an offer of manslaughter.
Okay, Sharon, D.
D.
A.
Rios, my chambers.
Mr.
Page, wait here.
Your girlfriend just blew it.
It's not over.
And she's not my girlfriend.
This is textbook murder for hire.
The defendant shows zero remorse, which is worse, considering the girl's age, - and now you're asking - Your Honor, the defendant has Don't interrupt me, Rios! You come in here asking for manslaughter, and 11 years reducible to 7?! With good behavior?! What the hell?! What the hell? Your Honor, we believe that Jason Goss is part of a larger criminal enterprise, - and we may be - You believe? And do you have evidence to support that belief? We aren't taking him at his word, your Honor.
If he doesn't provide us with the promised information, of course his deal goes away.
And then does that Why isn't Goss facing the death penalty? Despite having DNA that links the defendant to the crime, we may not have the material evidence to secure a murder conviction with special circumstances.
So I'm supposed to accept this plea because you guys haven't done your job? No way You want manslaughter, you come back with answers to all my questions.
And don't even think about shopping for another judge, or you'll find out what I'm like when I'm really mad.
I hope you know when other people die, it won't be on me It'll be on you.
And that Briana girl and who she turned out to be Hey.
Shut up.
If there is another deal to be made, you better hurry.
Oh, I'll keep that in mind, Mr.
Page.
And now the car's off the table? We only know about the Mercedes-S through the defendant's statement of facts, which was excluded when the judge rejected the deal.
But that car is the best lead we have.
And now we have to find out about it another way.
It's gone.
Look either the rules work or they don't.
Chief Taylor, to what do we owe the honor? Seeing how things went in court, I thought I'd try and help you guys.
Mm-hmm.
Why? Just like the judge, I'm deeply affected by the brutality of this murder.
Uh-huh.
Captain.
I have deconstructed the anonymous 911 call reporting the location of Briana Mathis' body.
Any luck tracing it? The call was made 15 minutes after Briana Mathis' death using VOIP software routed through multiple proxy servers, but listen.
I'd like to report the body of a woman 210 yards below Mulholland Drive, 35 yards west of Coldwater Canyon.
Not a very emotional report.
Now, listen again after I drop out the voice and bring up the background.
Footfalls, coughing, paper shuffling Your basic office environment.
And that tells you what? How many offices are there in L.
A.
? Look, why don't we turn our limited resources back to where they belong The victim Briana Mathis.
You already know who's responsible.
He's seated right there in the next room hoping for a deal.
Get him to cooperate with you.
Maybe you haven't noticed, but Goss' lawyer won't even let Goss talk to us.
Chief Johnson could have found a way around this.
She would have.
But then we would be back defending ourselves in court.
We don't have to convince Jason Goss to confess.
He's already done that.
Now we have to convince Jason Goss to confess again under less favorable circumstances.
And I am sure that Chief Johnson could have done that, too.
On the other hand, she never would have reported to you.
And as it so happens, I intend to begin our second investigation by following through on this 911 call.
Why? Briana Mathis was pushed out of a fast-moving car in the dark at midnight on a Friday, sir.
So, how can someone sitting in an office using VOIP know exactly where her body came to rest Jason Goss keeps referring to a larger criminal enterprise.
Who investigates those, chief? And who can watch someone disappear when they're already out of sight? Clear.
Beginning full-body scan.
This girl had considerable trauma.
She was pushed out of a moving vehicle and received multiple injuries, any of which could have caused her death.
We're not questioning your autopsy, doctor.
Aren't you? I-I don't understand the necessity of a full-body scan when there was significant internal bleeding.
Briana Mathis wasn't shot or stabbed or strangled.
Doctor, what what I'm looking for would almost certainly not present itself in the course of a normal autopsy.
On image 25, behind the left clavicle, I have a mechanical object about the size of a postage stamp.
Could you render that image, please? What in the world is that? That's a GPS locator chip.
Briana Mathis was tagged and being tracked.
Your client implied that he knows about a larger criminal enterprise.
And? We're giving Mr.
Goss a chance to provide us with mitigating factors in this homicide, but you have to talk to us right now.
I'm sorry, but I've advised my client to wait for a better offer.
From you or someone else.
And if you're not moving fast, then you probably know who that someone else might be.
Murder is a state crime.
The federal government won't be riding to your rescue.
Maybe I know the FBI better than you do.
We'll see about that.
Captain Sharon Raydor, meet special agent Scott Shaw of the FBI.
- Special Agent Shaw.
- Mm-hmm.
Does anyone have any questions for our friend here from the Bureau? Lieutenant Tao.
This GPS chip we pulled out of the victim.
Not from radio shack.
It transmits real-time GPS data and vital signs, am I correct? Your tax dollars at work, lieutenant.
Hey, special agent, lieutenant Andy Flynn.
I'd brief you on the investigation, but I imagine running our searches through a federal database like VICAP kept you up to date.
To an extent.
But I still don't know what Jason Goss told you.
Oh, you haven't already read his statement? There's more going on than you know.
So what haven't you told us? The FBI officially apologizes for keeping you all in the dark, but right now you're holding a man who's incredibly valuable to an ongoing classified operation.
And the longer he stays in your custody, the closer I come to losing over a year of hard work.
So let me get this straight You don't think that Briana Mathis was murdered because she was an FBI informant.
I can't confirm that until I interview your suspect.
You're not talking to him before we do.
Whoa.
Can we take a step back, captain? Not until we take a step forward, chief.
And in order to do that, Special Agent Shaw needs to tell us who Briana was to him.
The bureau is investigating a psychopath named Jerry Stone.
As you know, his holding company owned the strip club where Briana worked.
Jerry wants to move up from the sex trade into gambling.
So he's using Briana and some of the other girls to compromise and extort local politicians into allowing card clubs and casinos into their districts.
Look.
Let me just show you what what Briana meant to me.
Let me show you.
Remember, everything you're about to see is classified.
Nothing you hear leaves this room.
And this guy.
Jerry said his name was Mark, and that he wanted me to take him back to my apartment, like the others.
Can you turn the picture around? Okay, Briana.
Remember how we have to talk in here.
Jerry Stone, my boss, and the C.
E.
O.
of Stone Quarry Enterprises, introduced me to Mark Hull.
I had sex with Mr.
Hull.
He paid Jerry for that, and he tipped me $80.
Did Jerry video me having sex with that guy like he did the others? Yes.
Are you gonna watch that video? No.
No, I won't.
Ever.
What happened to Glenn? I mean, he used to come by the club all the time, at least twice a week, and I haven't seen him in months.
And Erin? I mean, do you know what happened to her? I mean, she she went to Vegas a few weeks ago, and she hasn't called or texted or anything.
Erin's family reported her missing on may 15th.
And her body was found by local police at the bottom of a gully in a canyon.
We believe she was pushed out of a moving vehicle.
But here's what you have to remember.
She's dead.
They killed her.
Erin wasn't working with us.
Erin didn't have the protection we're giving you.
And Glenn? Again, not working with us.
Didn't have the protection.
Briana, remember what I told you in the beginning.
Your boss, Jerry He's a very, very bad guy.
Why is Cory's picture up there? Nothing's happening to Cory, is it? Didn't he drive you here? I thought he always drives you.
Yeah, he drove me, but his picture wasn't on your board before.
Everything's good between you and Cory? You still dating him a little? - He's still driving you to appointments? - Yeah, he's fine.
And he still takes you from place to place in the silver Mercedes-S? Why is that important? Because my number-one issue here is your safety.
I need to know where you are and what you're doing and who you're with.
I can't do this anymore.
I can't go back.
Three days, Briana.
Three days, okay? And we'll arrest everyone, and you're finished.
I wouldn't ask you to go back there if I didn't know, absolutely, I can protect you.
Look.
That chip we injected you with last month? It not only shows us where you are, but how you are.
You see how your blood pressure's elevated? Your heart is racing.
That's me? And your vital signs indicate stress.
So if anything even starts to happen to you, I'll know, and I'll be there.
I've got you.
I do.
So, how are you getting to your appointments? Cory's still driving me.
And he's not asking any odd questions.
Oh, God.
Poor Erin.
God! I guess I'm pretty lucky you guys are picking me to help you, huh? Freeze it there, please.
Okay, so tell me, if your tracking device was so damn fantastic, how did you not know what was happening to this girl, huh? I think Briana was drugged before she got into the car.
Her heart rate and respiration slowed.
We thought she had just fallen asleep on the way to an appointment.
She did that sometimes.
Then abruptly, there was a spike in her pulse and blood pressure, probably as she struggled, and And what? Her vital signs went offline.
Look, give me Jason Goss, and I promise you I'll make sure he pays for what he did here.
I promise.
Just like you promised Briana? Hey, listen to me we've all had witnesses that fell for promises that we couldn't keep.
It's part of the job.
So give us a break, okay, special agent?! You guys are onto something big, and your bosses are gonna decide how to deal with Goss, not you.
Besides, Rios hasn't even seen this video yet.
And the D.
A.
's office is the only one with the authority to grant Jason Goss immunity from state prosecution.
I'll get Rios over here right now.
There is a Mercedes-S registered to Stone Quarry Enterprises, and Cory Stark got a ticket driving it two months ago.
But now that has to be the same car Goss is talking about, and this video of our victim mentioning the vehicle gives us a clear legal path back to our Mercedes outside the statement of facts.
Please say yes.
Everything we just heard is classified, so, no, not yet.
- Oh, captain, for goodness sake - Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.
Set up outside Cory Stark's house while I try and get the information another way.
From from Shaw? That kid has lost all perspective.
Just give me a minute.
Rios is on her way over right now.
Well, perhaps we should meet in your office.
Good idea.
Come on, Shaw.
Let's sort this out.
Oh um, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to scare you.
Oh, my God.
Her name was Briana.
She was 19, just two years older than me, and someone just tossed her out of a moving car like she was trash.
Why? Because she was a witness, and the FBI promised that they would protect her, and they couldn't.
How come? Maybe because she was a stripper And a hooker.
You know, lots of people look down on prostitutes.
Wait, a prostitute I thought you said she was, like, only 19.
Yeah, that's probably what guys liked about her How young she was.
That's disgusting.
Hey, you know what? Let's Let's talk about something else.
Okay, I went ahead and made a schedule, but I had some questions about some of the electives that you wanted.
Kris, I-I-I can't think about school schedules right now.
Okay.
But the deadline for filing a class plan is Friday.
So I thought maybe I could just give you some Kris, I said, "I can't think about the school schedules right now," so I can't think about them, okay? Hey, guys, maybe we should move away from the board.
These pictures can be upsetting, even for us.
Yeah, uh Sorry, Kris.
Buzz is right.
These pictures are Are very, very upsetting.
Don't look at them.
Are you okay? You know, I-I-I'm I'm just so sorry for this girl and what happened to her.
Um, that's all, so You know, let's let's go, uh, over the school schedule like you wanted to, okay? Any sign of Mr.
Stark or our Mercedes yet, lieutenant? I can hear music coming from the inside, but can't tell if he's home.
I could go knock on the door.
If he is there, I could see if this Cory guy looks funny.
No, the ground we're on is too shaky.
Captain, if Cory was driving the car when Briana Mathis was pushed out of it, he gives you everything you need to make a deal.
And not for manslaughter, but murder, which is what the judge would like me, too.
Can you truthfully say that we would have followed up on Cory Stark if we did not know about the Mercedes through Mr.
Goss' statement of facts or through the classified information revealed to us by the FBI? We can work that out later! If we knock on Stark's door without probable cause and the Mercedes is not in the garage, we may never find it.
Mike's right.
And because I know that you hate to hear me go on about the rules, I'm hanging up.
Do you always have to take her side, Mike? Would it kill you to agree with me just once? Oh, geez! Let me ask you about imminent murders.
We were told more people associated with this criminal enterprise would die.
I don't believe that.
There's no compelling argument we should roll up our operation right this second.
Agent Shaw, continuing your investigation as if no one had discovered that Briana Mathis was working for you is a mistake.
Until we confirm the reason for her death, we hold our course, which is why I'm asking you to give Goss immunity from state prosecution and allow me to deal with him on a Federal level.
I'm perfectly willing to hand the FBI anything involving racketeering, but the state will not grant Goss immunity from prosecution in a murder case.
The judge won't give you a deal.
Then I'll take Goss to trial on homicide using the DNA evidence.
It could take years.
I need him now.
Actually, we could give him to you now as part of a plea agreement to murder two.
The judge would accept that, as would Goss, if we just had a little more proof that he killed Briana.
Good point, captain.
Does the FBI have anything on Goss they could afford to give up? Okay, look that scumbag she thought was her boyfriend Hmm.
Cory? Cory something? He drove a Mercedes-S, I think.
I can tell you, on the record, that was the car Briana was pushed from.
Cory was behind the wheel of it when she left the club.
Let me see if we can bring the kid in without harming our case.
Excuse me.
Uh, I have a call.
Joe's Pizza.
Lieutenant, I've got it.
We've got information from the FBI that gives us probable cause and a straight and narrow path to the Mercedes outside Goss' statement of facts.
So we can arrest Cory Stark, and apply for a search warrant based on FBI information.
Yes, but in order to use him against Mr.
Goss, I need Cory Stark alive and talking.
Well, if he doesn't start shooting at us, it shouldn't be a problem.
- I'll call you back.
- Thank you.
Sanchez, Sykes, take the back.
Flynn, knock on the door.
Tao and I will take the side over here.
Maybe he can't hear over the music.
Maybe he doesn't want to answer.
Just knock louder.
Louder.
Anybody home? Oh, yeah.
Come on in.
Time for a public-safety check.
Tao, can you see anything? Yeah, a big puddle of probable cause on the far side of the room.
Thank you, Mike.
Knock it in.
Going in.
L.
A.
P.
D.
! Gonna be hard to question him now.
But if that's his phone, it might have lots to say.
Oh, hey, Sharon.
Hey, Kris.
I didn't even know you were here.
And now I have to go.
Sorry my mom's already downstairs circling the block.
Well, you don't want to keep her waiting, but please give her my best.
I will.
Sharon.
Hmm? I don't want to hurt her.
Just remember, though, that by not being clear you just want to be friends with Kris, you could end up making it worse for both of you.
Right.
Well, I'll tell her tomorrow Or one day this week, I promise.
Good.
Oh, uh, one more thing Uh, that girl Briana You said you were looking for her boyfriend.
Did you find him yet? Um, yeah.
But unfortunately, he was already murdered.
But why? Well, because if you hang out with criminals, you eventually are going to become a witness, a suspect, or a victim.
Did you find the Mercedes? Well, we found the keys to one in Mr.
Stark's house.
And the car is still nowhere to be found.
Whoever killed Cory left his cellphone behind, ma'am.
I already went through the texts.
I didn't see anything especially interesting.
Agent Shaw wants it.
Not yet.
This could still be useful.
Captain Raydor, I just got off the phone with Agent Shaw.
He recognizes the operation was blown, so he's rounding up Jerry Stone and his associates.
Now that Cory won't ever be able to testify, maybe we should just hand Goss over to the FBI.
No, no, no.
Cory may not be able to testify, but he still has plenty to say.
What are you gonna do, conduct a seance with his phone? More or less.
Courtesy of the FBI's GPS tracker, this was the route Briana Mathis traveled to her death.
Well, we can only try, right, Mike? - Mm-hmm.
- Let's go.
Excuse me.
Let's go.
You can't hold my client indefinitely.
We don't intend to.
As you suggested, Mr.
Page, we went fishing through driver's licenses, and look what caught our eye.
- A Mr.
Cory Stark.
- Imagine that One in 23 million, and we found the winner.
Maybe I should play the lottery.
Hmm.
We took Cory Stark into custody two hours ago.
Recognize this? I'll guess he does.
Unlike you, Mr.
Goss, Cory Stark seems ready to make a deal, and he's already started talking to us.
Here it goes.
Careful, captain.
He told us where to find the car he was driving the night Briana Mathis died, and he gave us these.
Keys to a brand-new silver S-Class Mercedes.
Of course, we haven't examined the vehicle yet, but I expect when we do, we will find traces of your blood in the backseat.
Now, Mr.
Page could argue that's consistent with a suicide attempt, but Cory Stark's testimony will be extremely credible with a jury.
Uh well, then why are you even here? Because the FBI is anxious to have your client for themselves.
Out of courtesy to the Federal Government, we'll give you one more opportunity to deal before we see what Cory wants to do.
Of course, the terms have changed.
Manslaughter's off the table.
Best case now is second-degree murder.
I mean, this morning I could have been out at seven years.
This morning you wouldn't give us Cory Stark.
Personally, I believe that Judge Grove would be much happier if we made a deal with Mr.
Stark and we charged you with first-degree murder, special circumstances.
And if it concentrates your mind any, Mr.
Stark seems dead set on putting you away.
Maybe it's because you killed the woman he loved.
Loved? Bullshit.
Okay, if my client were to take this deal Oh uh, hold on.
Before I can turn your client over to the D.
A.
, I would have to establish his credibility.
I mean, I-I could do it if I compared what he tells us with what we've already learned from his accomplice.
No discrepancies.
One single lie, and we go back to make our deal with Cory Stark.
Let's start with some easy questions, and then we will work our way up.
Where was the Mercedes kept? A garage.
Hmm.
The corner of Pico and Normandie.
Let's go.
Keys are in there.
Is that all the time? Was there ever anywhere else? Yes, all the time, damn it.
You don't need to explain your entire operation, but in order for us to prevent these future murders, we do need to know the names of the persons slated to be killed.
And you must identify who ordered the hits, particularly the one on Briana Mathis.
Yes? Excuse me.
I need to move this car to the print shed now.
Thank you, detective.
Mr.
Goss? Mr.
Goss? Who ordered the hit on Briana Mathis? Jerry called me that night, maybe two hours before we went for our drive.
What gave Briana Mathis away? How did Jerry Stone know that she was working with the FBI? I-I don't I don't understand that part.
Oh.
Cory didn't tell you that, did he? No.
Briana told him about the FBI so he can avoid getting arrested.
And then your boy, Cory, he went and told Stone.
Briana Mathis told Cory.
You are sure about that? Mm-hmm well, she said he had three days to disappear before they grabbed him.
She was protecting the asshole.
So the organization was more important to him than his girlfriend's life? Look, the bitch put Cory in a hard place.
What if she was testing him on orders from Stone? If Cory didn't go to Jerry immediately He'd be dead.
He seems to be reconsidering his actions.
- Damn it.
- Yeah, that was a no-win for him.
Damn it! In fact, I was sure Jerry was gonna get all paranoid and want to off him, too, but I guess I read it wrong.
Well, let's get the district attorney in here and start the process.
It's pretty much the same as before, except now I can fill in the blanks.
Jerry Stone was the one who gave me my orders to abduct Briana Mathis.
And, with the cooperation of Cory Stark, who was driving, I pushed her out of the car.
Is there physical evidence to support the defendant's confession? Yes, your Honor, we located the vehicle in which the crime was committed, and we identified blood belonging to Mr.
Goss in the backseat, along with hair belonging to the victim.
We've also recovered text messages from Mr.
Goss' cellphone, which are consistent with the timeline he outlined and tracking data from an FBI GPS locator, which matches the route Mr.
Goss says he traveled to commit the murder.
The deal which Mr.
Goss agreed to includes revealing those targeted for murder along with the workings of the larger criminal enterprise.
Yes, it does.
Mr.
Goss, given the issue of public safety, I will accept this plea.
You are hereby remanded into state custody.
Uh, now, D.
D.
A.
Rios, will I be seeing the driver of the car, this Cory Stark, in my courtroom, as well? No, your Honor we regret to inform the court that Cory Stark was shot to death before we could take him into custody.
Wait.
What? Mr.
Stark was murdered yesterday afternoon.
The FBI's holding several suspects as part of their ongoing investigation.
We've agreed to let them sort it out.
You people lied to me! All right, take it easy.
What do you mean, "ta" You lied to me! No, you lied! Take take Take it easy! Hey! Hey! Get off! Yeah, you lied! Get him out of here now.
All right, let's go.
It's nice to confirm that I was right, and manslaughter was not the proper plea.
I disagree, your Honor.
Because you held up our original deal, a man lost his life.
You're referring to this Cory Stark guy, who drove the car from which his own girlfriend was pushed? Hold on.
I'll get you a hanky.
Your Honor, may I speak frankly, off the record? Knock yourself out.
As far as I'm concerned, the failure to give Mr.
Goss a deal led directly to the execution of another person.
And that is not how the justice system is supposed to work.
It is in my courtroom.
And anyway, we're adjourned.
Let's go.
Buy you a cup of coffee.
Oh.
Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore? No.
It means I'm gonna buy you some coffee.
Come on.
So, what's all this secrecy about? All right.
Hold on.
Uh I'll show you, uh, but you have to swear not to tell anyone, 'cause I-I'm I'm trusting you with my whole life here, okay? You swear? Sure.
Okay.
Um These are all letters sent to me from some freak who's threatening me because I'm a witness against Phillip Stroh.
And they say things like, "I'm coming for you," and, "I'm going to hurt you and everyone you love.
" Who sends them? I-I-I don't know.
Uh, they're not signed.
How many are there? Well, I-I'm up to 11.
And you haven't told anyone.
N-not since the first one, no.
Well, uh, because that one wasn't even so bad, and it made that Emma want to dump me into the witness protection program.
And I cannot let that happen.
I mean, aside from the fact that I would lose everything I have, if my mom ever came looking for me, I I mean, we'd be separated forever.
Kris, I-I-I would never see my mom again.
But you can't just ignore these letters.
I know.
I know I can't.
I know.
Especially after seeing what happened to that girl, Briana.
It made me realize What? That, um She was a witness, Kris.
And not only was she murdered, but they offed her boyfriend, too.
Look, I can I can take care of myself, but I can't involve you.
I mean, we We can stay friends, but I shouldn't see you outside of school anymore.
And even there, we have to watch it.
And And and I should give this back to you, because we shouldn't be seen as more than friends anymore.
No, no, no, I I want you to keep it.
No, no, no.
Kris, Kris, it would be wrong of me to keep this.
No, I-I-it's home, and I-it's what you're fighting for.
No, Kris, Kris, don't cry.
Kris, Kris, don't cry.
I'm so sorry.
Kris, someone will hear you.
Okay, you can't you can't - I'm so sorry.
- Kris, Kris, Kris.
- Kris, come back.
- I'm sorry.
Kris, you can't tell anybody.
I guess you're right.
I guess I forgot she was a witness and not a professional, and that She wasn't on your side.
No.
Briana was on her own side.
She was fighting for what she wanted.
Guess I was so focused on guarding her from the bad guys that it just never even occurred to me she would need protection from herself.
And remember, Briana didn't become an informant by hanging out with all the right people.
Her judgment it was off from the beginning.
Oh, well.
We live and learn, right? Thank you, captain.
Page, if you think that, because our victim is a prostitute, we won't do everything possible to convict your client No, I said this crime, compared to what else is going on, is a tiny blip on the radar.
My client, Jason Goss, didn't decide to send Briana Mathis to the morgue.
That order was given to him by someone else.
Does that not imply a larger criminal enterprise? You want to go to the mat for one little cog? Or would you like the whole machine? We're ready to deal.
Mr.
Goss will name the person or persons most responsible for Briana Mathis' murder Once his manslaughter plea is accepted by the court.
And he'll provide us with information to solve past and prevent future homicides? If no further charges are brought against him.
That's our offer.
Yes.
I need something concrete to move forward.
At least one corroborative detail.
Don't hold me up, Peter.
Maybe in early June, someone was pushed out of a car into the Angeles Crest.
Maybe in the middle of July, someone else went off of Mulholland at Beverly Glen.
Hypothetically.
Sykes, enter the following in VICAP "Angeles crest, thrown from moving vehicle, June 1st through 8th.
" Sanchez, "Mulholland, Beverly Glen, middle of July," same M.
O.
And let us make bail today.
No bail.
Your client's skin was underneath the victim's fingernails.
I'll argue that Jason did everything he could to prevent an agitated woman from jumping out of the backseat of a moving car.
And despite his best efforts, she succeeded.
No judge would believe that.
Mr.
Goss pushed that girl out of the car.
And after we find the driver, and he rolls on your client Huh.
What are the odds of that? Last I checked, there were in the State of California.
Go fish.
And there's also the 911 call pointing us to the victim's body.
Reported by another phantom.
And while you chase this ghost, you'll be allowing future murders Imminent murders.
VICAP shows that on June 3rd, the body of a Glenn Randall was found at the base of the Angeles Crest.
Yeah, Randall was an accountant for Stone Quarry Industries, owner of the strip club where both our victim and our suspect worked.
And then on July 13th, the remains of an unidentified woman, early 20s, were discovered off Mulholland, sir.
Hmm.
Captain, our suspect's info checks out.
Mr.
Page, perhaps you didn't hear D.
D.
A.
Rios clearly.
We need corroborative detail on this murder Something we can verify after the judge agrees to a sentence far lighter than you deserve.
The car we were in when Briana fell out the door a brand-new silver S-Class Mercedes.
And my client will reveal who the driver was and the car's whereabouts after his conviction is confirmed.
And what is Mr.
Goss prepared to tell the judge? That on August 8th, I arrived at the Smooth Stone Gentlemen's Club at 11:30 P.
M.
And I asked around till I found Briana Mathis.
Stand up.
I took Briana out to the car, and we headed west on Mulholland Drive.
As we neared Beverly Crest, I opened the door and forced her out.
And this woman died? Yes.
And what circumstances led you to commit this heinous act? Mr.
Goss, you asked for a secure courtroom, and you have it.
And now you must answer my question.
I'll repeat it.
What circumstances led you to the depraved and violent act of shoving a 19-year-old girl out of a moving vehicle? Your Honor, the defendant agreed to give this statement as part of his plea deal.
As such, there is no provision for additional questions.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, you do not control the flow of information in this courtroom, is that clear? Yes, your Honor, but I meant the defendant has a I'll ask any questions if I think they are relevant and appropriate.
Your Honor, you might be demanding information that would place my client in potential jeopardy.
Mr.
Page, the young woman that Mr.
Goss murdered was in jeopardy, too.
And I need to establish why you and D.
D.
A.
Rios believe that the defendant's actions warrant nothing more severe than manslaughter.
Mr.
Goss, did you commit this act entirely of your own volition, or was it at someone else's direction? I was asked Wait.
I was paid to do it.
And who paid you? Again, your Honor, that information was intentionally not disclosed in the agreed-upon statement of facts and can only be made available after And again, Mr.
Page, that is the wrong answer! Captain Raydor, D.
D.
A.
Rios, Mr.
Page, will you approach? Sharon, what the hell? Your Honor, given the potential to prevent imminent murders, D.
D.
A.
Rios believes that the defendant's cooperation warrants an offer of manslaughter.
Okay, Sharon, D.
D.
A.
Rios, my chambers.
Mr.
Page, wait here.
Your girlfriend just blew it.
It's not over.
And she's not my girlfriend.
This is textbook murder for hire.
The defendant shows zero remorse, which is worse, considering the girl's age, - and now you're asking - Your Honor, the defendant has Don't interrupt me, Rios! You come in here asking for manslaughter, and 11 years reducible to 7?! With good behavior?! What the hell?! What the hell? Your Honor, we believe that Jason Goss is part of a larger criminal enterprise, - and we may be - You believe? And do you have evidence to support that belief? We aren't taking him at his word, your Honor.
If he doesn't provide us with the promised information, of course his deal goes away.
And then does that Why isn't Goss facing the death penalty? Despite having DNA that links the defendant to the crime, we may not have the material evidence to secure a murder conviction with special circumstances.
So I'm supposed to accept this plea because you guys haven't done your job? No way You want manslaughter, you come back with answers to all my questions.
And don't even think about shopping for another judge, or you'll find out what I'm like when I'm really mad.
I hope you know when other people die, it won't be on me It'll be on you.
And that Briana girl and who she turned out to be Hey.
Shut up.
If there is another deal to be made, you better hurry.
Oh, I'll keep that in mind, Mr.
Page.
And now the car's off the table? We only know about the Mercedes-S through the defendant's statement of facts, which was excluded when the judge rejected the deal.
But that car is the best lead we have.
And now we have to find out about it another way.
It's gone.
Look either the rules work or they don't.
Chief Taylor, to what do we owe the honor? Seeing how things went in court, I thought I'd try and help you guys.
Mm-hmm.
Why? Just like the judge, I'm deeply affected by the brutality of this murder.
Uh-huh.
Captain.
I have deconstructed the anonymous 911 call reporting the location of Briana Mathis' body.
Any luck tracing it? The call was made 15 minutes after Briana Mathis' death using VOIP software routed through multiple proxy servers, but listen.
I'd like to report the body of a woman 210 yards below Mulholland Drive, 35 yards west of Coldwater Canyon.
Not a very emotional report.
Now, listen again after I drop out the voice and bring up the background.
Footfalls, coughing, paper shuffling Your basic office environment.
And that tells you what? How many offices are there in L.
A.
? Look, why don't we turn our limited resources back to where they belong The victim Briana Mathis.
You already know who's responsible.
He's seated right there in the next room hoping for a deal.
Get him to cooperate with you.
Maybe you haven't noticed, but Goss' lawyer won't even let Goss talk to us.
Chief Johnson could have found a way around this.
She would have.
But then we would be back defending ourselves in court.
We don't have to convince Jason Goss to confess.
He's already done that.
Now we have to convince Jason Goss to confess again under less favorable circumstances.
And I am sure that Chief Johnson could have done that, too.
On the other hand, she never would have reported to you.
And as it so happens, I intend to begin our second investigation by following through on this 911 call.
Why? Briana Mathis was pushed out of a fast-moving car in the dark at midnight on a Friday, sir.
So, how can someone sitting in an office using VOIP know exactly where her body came to rest Jason Goss keeps referring to a larger criminal enterprise.
Who investigates those, chief? And who can watch someone disappear when they're already out of sight? Clear.
Beginning full-body scan.
This girl had considerable trauma.
She was pushed out of a moving vehicle and received multiple injuries, any of which could have caused her death.
We're not questioning your autopsy, doctor.
Aren't you? I-I don't understand the necessity of a full-body scan when there was significant internal bleeding.
Briana Mathis wasn't shot or stabbed or strangled.
Doctor, what what I'm looking for would almost certainly not present itself in the course of a normal autopsy.
On image 25, behind the left clavicle, I have a mechanical object about the size of a postage stamp.
Could you render that image, please? What in the world is that? That's a GPS locator chip.
Briana Mathis was tagged and being tracked.
Your client implied that he knows about a larger criminal enterprise.
And? We're giving Mr.
Goss a chance to provide us with mitigating factors in this homicide, but you have to talk to us right now.
I'm sorry, but I've advised my client to wait for a better offer.
From you or someone else.
And if you're not moving fast, then you probably know who that someone else might be.
Murder is a state crime.
The federal government won't be riding to your rescue.
Maybe I know the FBI better than you do.
We'll see about that.
Captain Sharon Raydor, meet special agent Scott Shaw of the FBI.
- Special Agent Shaw.
- Mm-hmm.
Does anyone have any questions for our friend here from the Bureau? Lieutenant Tao.
This GPS chip we pulled out of the victim.
Not from radio shack.
It transmits real-time GPS data and vital signs, am I correct? Your tax dollars at work, lieutenant.
Hey, special agent, lieutenant Andy Flynn.
I'd brief you on the investigation, but I imagine running our searches through a federal database like VICAP kept you up to date.
To an extent.
But I still don't know what Jason Goss told you.
Oh, you haven't already read his statement? There's more going on than you know.
So what haven't you told us? The FBI officially apologizes for keeping you all in the dark, but right now you're holding a man who's incredibly valuable to an ongoing classified operation.
And the longer he stays in your custody, the closer I come to losing over a year of hard work.
So let me get this straight You don't think that Briana Mathis was murdered because she was an FBI informant.
I can't confirm that until I interview your suspect.
You're not talking to him before we do.
Whoa.
Can we take a step back, captain? Not until we take a step forward, chief.
And in order to do that, Special Agent Shaw needs to tell us who Briana was to him.
The bureau is investigating a psychopath named Jerry Stone.
As you know, his holding company owned the strip club where Briana worked.
Jerry wants to move up from the sex trade into gambling.
So he's using Briana and some of the other girls to compromise and extort local politicians into allowing card clubs and casinos into their districts.
Look.
Let me just show you what what Briana meant to me.
Let me show you.
Remember, everything you're about to see is classified.
Nothing you hear leaves this room.
And this guy.
Jerry said his name was Mark, and that he wanted me to take him back to my apartment, like the others.
Can you turn the picture around? Okay, Briana.
Remember how we have to talk in here.
Jerry Stone, my boss, and the C.
E.
O.
of Stone Quarry Enterprises, introduced me to Mark Hull.
I had sex with Mr.
Hull.
He paid Jerry for that, and he tipped me $80.
Did Jerry video me having sex with that guy like he did the others? Yes.
Are you gonna watch that video? No.
No, I won't.
Ever.
What happened to Glenn? I mean, he used to come by the club all the time, at least twice a week, and I haven't seen him in months.
And Erin? I mean, do you know what happened to her? I mean, she she went to Vegas a few weeks ago, and she hasn't called or texted or anything.
Erin's family reported her missing on may 15th.
And her body was found by local police at the bottom of a gully in a canyon.
We believe she was pushed out of a moving vehicle.
But here's what you have to remember.
She's dead.
They killed her.
Erin wasn't working with us.
Erin didn't have the protection we're giving you.
And Glenn? Again, not working with us.
Didn't have the protection.
Briana, remember what I told you in the beginning.
Your boss, Jerry He's a very, very bad guy.
Why is Cory's picture up there? Nothing's happening to Cory, is it? Didn't he drive you here? I thought he always drives you.
Yeah, he drove me, but his picture wasn't on your board before.
Everything's good between you and Cory? You still dating him a little? - He's still driving you to appointments? - Yeah, he's fine.
And he still takes you from place to place in the silver Mercedes-S? Why is that important? Because my number-one issue here is your safety.
I need to know where you are and what you're doing and who you're with.
I can't do this anymore.
I can't go back.
Three days, Briana.
Three days, okay? And we'll arrest everyone, and you're finished.
I wouldn't ask you to go back there if I didn't know, absolutely, I can protect you.
Look.
That chip we injected you with last month? It not only shows us where you are, but how you are.
You see how your blood pressure's elevated? Your heart is racing.
That's me? And your vital signs indicate stress.
So if anything even starts to happen to you, I'll know, and I'll be there.
I've got you.
I do.
So, how are you getting to your appointments? Cory's still driving me.
And he's not asking any odd questions.
Oh, God.
Poor Erin.
God! I guess I'm pretty lucky you guys are picking me to help you, huh? Freeze it there, please.
Okay, so tell me, if your tracking device was so damn fantastic, how did you not know what was happening to this girl, huh? I think Briana was drugged before she got into the car.
Her heart rate and respiration slowed.
We thought she had just fallen asleep on the way to an appointment.
She did that sometimes.
Then abruptly, there was a spike in her pulse and blood pressure, probably as she struggled, and And what? Her vital signs went offline.
Look, give me Jason Goss, and I promise you I'll make sure he pays for what he did here.
I promise.
Just like you promised Briana? Hey, listen to me we've all had witnesses that fell for promises that we couldn't keep.
It's part of the job.
So give us a break, okay, special agent?! You guys are onto something big, and your bosses are gonna decide how to deal with Goss, not you.
Besides, Rios hasn't even seen this video yet.
And the D.
A.
's office is the only one with the authority to grant Jason Goss immunity from state prosecution.
I'll get Rios over here right now.
There is a Mercedes-S registered to Stone Quarry Enterprises, and Cory Stark got a ticket driving it two months ago.
But now that has to be the same car Goss is talking about, and this video of our victim mentioning the vehicle gives us a clear legal path back to our Mercedes outside the statement of facts.
Please say yes.
Everything we just heard is classified, so, no, not yet.
- Oh, captain, for goodness sake - Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.
Set up outside Cory Stark's house while I try and get the information another way.
From from Shaw? That kid has lost all perspective.
Just give me a minute.
Rios is on her way over right now.
Well, perhaps we should meet in your office.
Good idea.
Come on, Shaw.
Let's sort this out.
Oh um, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to scare you.
Oh, my God.
Her name was Briana.
She was 19, just two years older than me, and someone just tossed her out of a moving car like she was trash.
Why? Because she was a witness, and the FBI promised that they would protect her, and they couldn't.
How come? Maybe because she was a stripper And a hooker.
You know, lots of people look down on prostitutes.
Wait, a prostitute I thought you said she was, like, only 19.
Yeah, that's probably what guys liked about her How young she was.
That's disgusting.
Hey, you know what? Let's Let's talk about something else.
Okay, I went ahead and made a schedule, but I had some questions about some of the electives that you wanted.
Kris, I-I-I can't think about school schedules right now.
Okay.
But the deadline for filing a class plan is Friday.
So I thought maybe I could just give you some Kris, I said, "I can't think about the school schedules right now," so I can't think about them, okay? Hey, guys, maybe we should move away from the board.
These pictures can be upsetting, even for us.
Yeah, uh Sorry, Kris.
Buzz is right.
These pictures are Are very, very upsetting.
Don't look at them.
Are you okay? You know, I-I-I'm I'm just so sorry for this girl and what happened to her.
Um, that's all, so You know, let's let's go, uh, over the school schedule like you wanted to, okay? Any sign of Mr.
Stark or our Mercedes yet, lieutenant? I can hear music coming from the inside, but can't tell if he's home.
I could go knock on the door.
If he is there, I could see if this Cory guy looks funny.
No, the ground we're on is too shaky.
Captain, if Cory was driving the car when Briana Mathis was pushed out of it, he gives you everything you need to make a deal.
And not for manslaughter, but murder, which is what the judge would like me, too.
Can you truthfully say that we would have followed up on Cory Stark if we did not know about the Mercedes through Mr.
Goss' statement of facts or through the classified information revealed to us by the FBI? We can work that out later! If we knock on Stark's door without probable cause and the Mercedes is not in the garage, we may never find it.
Mike's right.
And because I know that you hate to hear me go on about the rules, I'm hanging up.
Do you always have to take her side, Mike? Would it kill you to agree with me just once? Oh, geez! Let me ask you about imminent murders.
We were told more people associated with this criminal enterprise would die.
I don't believe that.
There's no compelling argument we should roll up our operation right this second.
Agent Shaw, continuing your investigation as if no one had discovered that Briana Mathis was working for you is a mistake.
Until we confirm the reason for her death, we hold our course, which is why I'm asking you to give Goss immunity from state prosecution and allow me to deal with him on a Federal level.
I'm perfectly willing to hand the FBI anything involving racketeering, but the state will not grant Goss immunity from prosecution in a murder case.
The judge won't give you a deal.
Then I'll take Goss to trial on homicide using the DNA evidence.
It could take years.
I need him now.
Actually, we could give him to you now as part of a plea agreement to murder two.
The judge would accept that, as would Goss, if we just had a little more proof that he killed Briana.
Good point, captain.
Does the FBI have anything on Goss they could afford to give up? Okay, look that scumbag she thought was her boyfriend Hmm.
Cory? Cory something? He drove a Mercedes-S, I think.
I can tell you, on the record, that was the car Briana was pushed from.
Cory was behind the wheel of it when she left the club.
Let me see if we can bring the kid in without harming our case.
Excuse me.
Uh, I have a call.
Joe's Pizza.
Lieutenant, I've got it.
We've got information from the FBI that gives us probable cause and a straight and narrow path to the Mercedes outside Goss' statement of facts.
So we can arrest Cory Stark, and apply for a search warrant based on FBI information.
Yes, but in order to use him against Mr.
Goss, I need Cory Stark alive and talking.
Well, if he doesn't start shooting at us, it shouldn't be a problem.
- I'll call you back.
- Thank you.
Sanchez, Sykes, take the back.
Flynn, knock on the door.
Tao and I will take the side over here.
Maybe he can't hear over the music.
Maybe he doesn't want to answer.
Just knock louder.
Louder.
Anybody home? Oh, yeah.
Come on in.
Time for a public-safety check.
Tao, can you see anything? Yeah, a big puddle of probable cause on the far side of the room.
Thank you, Mike.
Knock it in.
Going in.
L.
A.
P.
D.
! Gonna be hard to question him now.
But if that's his phone, it might have lots to say.
Oh, hey, Sharon.
Hey, Kris.
I didn't even know you were here.
And now I have to go.
Sorry my mom's already downstairs circling the block.
Well, you don't want to keep her waiting, but please give her my best.
I will.
Sharon.
Hmm? I don't want to hurt her.
Just remember, though, that by not being clear you just want to be friends with Kris, you could end up making it worse for both of you.
Right.
Well, I'll tell her tomorrow Or one day this week, I promise.
Good.
Oh, uh, one more thing Uh, that girl Briana You said you were looking for her boyfriend.
Did you find him yet? Um, yeah.
But unfortunately, he was already murdered.
But why? Well, because if you hang out with criminals, you eventually are going to become a witness, a suspect, or a victim.
Did you find the Mercedes? Well, we found the keys to one in Mr.
Stark's house.
And the car is still nowhere to be found.
Whoever killed Cory left his cellphone behind, ma'am.
I already went through the texts.
I didn't see anything especially interesting.
Agent Shaw wants it.
Not yet.
This could still be useful.
Captain Raydor, I just got off the phone with Agent Shaw.
He recognizes the operation was blown, so he's rounding up Jerry Stone and his associates.
Now that Cory won't ever be able to testify, maybe we should just hand Goss over to the FBI.
No, no, no.
Cory may not be able to testify, but he still has plenty to say.
What are you gonna do, conduct a seance with his phone? More or less.
Courtesy of the FBI's GPS tracker, this was the route Briana Mathis traveled to her death.
Well, we can only try, right, Mike? - Mm-hmm.
- Let's go.
Excuse me.
Let's go.
You can't hold my client indefinitely.
We don't intend to.
As you suggested, Mr.
Page, we went fishing through driver's licenses, and look what caught our eye.
- A Mr.
Cory Stark.
- Imagine that One in 23 million, and we found the winner.
Maybe I should play the lottery.
Hmm.
We took Cory Stark into custody two hours ago.
Recognize this? I'll guess he does.
Unlike you, Mr.
Goss, Cory Stark seems ready to make a deal, and he's already started talking to us.
Here it goes.
Careful, captain.
He told us where to find the car he was driving the night Briana Mathis died, and he gave us these.
Keys to a brand-new silver S-Class Mercedes.
Of course, we haven't examined the vehicle yet, but I expect when we do, we will find traces of your blood in the backseat.
Now, Mr.
Page could argue that's consistent with a suicide attempt, but Cory Stark's testimony will be extremely credible with a jury.
Uh well, then why are you even here? Because the FBI is anxious to have your client for themselves.
Out of courtesy to the Federal Government, we'll give you one more opportunity to deal before we see what Cory wants to do.
Of course, the terms have changed.
Manslaughter's off the table.
Best case now is second-degree murder.
I mean, this morning I could have been out at seven years.
This morning you wouldn't give us Cory Stark.
Personally, I believe that Judge Grove would be much happier if we made a deal with Mr.
Stark and we charged you with first-degree murder, special circumstances.
And if it concentrates your mind any, Mr.
Stark seems dead set on putting you away.
Maybe it's because you killed the woman he loved.
Loved? Bullshit.
Okay, if my client were to take this deal Oh uh, hold on.
Before I can turn your client over to the D.
A.
, I would have to establish his credibility.
I mean, I-I could do it if I compared what he tells us with what we've already learned from his accomplice.
No discrepancies.
One single lie, and we go back to make our deal with Cory Stark.
Let's start with some easy questions, and then we will work our way up.
Where was the Mercedes kept? A garage.
Hmm.
The corner of Pico and Normandie.
Let's go.
Keys are in there.
Is that all the time? Was there ever anywhere else? Yes, all the time, damn it.
You don't need to explain your entire operation, but in order for us to prevent these future murders, we do need to know the names of the persons slated to be killed.
And you must identify who ordered the hits, particularly the one on Briana Mathis.
Yes? Excuse me.
I need to move this car to the print shed now.
Thank you, detective.
Mr.
Goss? Mr.
Goss? Who ordered the hit on Briana Mathis? Jerry called me that night, maybe two hours before we went for our drive.
What gave Briana Mathis away? How did Jerry Stone know that she was working with the FBI? I-I don't I don't understand that part.
Oh.
Cory didn't tell you that, did he? No.
Briana told him about the FBI so he can avoid getting arrested.
And then your boy, Cory, he went and told Stone.
Briana Mathis told Cory.
You are sure about that? Mm-hmm well, she said he had three days to disappear before they grabbed him.
She was protecting the asshole.
So the organization was more important to him than his girlfriend's life? Look, the bitch put Cory in a hard place.
What if she was testing him on orders from Stone? If Cory didn't go to Jerry immediately He'd be dead.
He seems to be reconsidering his actions.
- Damn it.
- Yeah, that was a no-win for him.
Damn it! In fact, I was sure Jerry was gonna get all paranoid and want to off him, too, but I guess I read it wrong.
Well, let's get the district attorney in here and start the process.
It's pretty much the same as before, except now I can fill in the blanks.
Jerry Stone was the one who gave me my orders to abduct Briana Mathis.
And, with the cooperation of Cory Stark, who was driving, I pushed her out of the car.
Is there physical evidence to support the defendant's confession? Yes, your Honor, we located the vehicle in which the crime was committed, and we identified blood belonging to Mr.
Goss in the backseat, along with hair belonging to the victim.
We've also recovered text messages from Mr.
Goss' cellphone, which are consistent with the timeline he outlined and tracking data from an FBI GPS locator, which matches the route Mr.
Goss says he traveled to commit the murder.
The deal which Mr.
Goss agreed to includes revealing those targeted for murder along with the workings of the larger criminal enterprise.
Yes, it does.
Mr.
Goss, given the issue of public safety, I will accept this plea.
You are hereby remanded into state custody.
Uh, now, D.
D.
A.
Rios, will I be seeing the driver of the car, this Cory Stark, in my courtroom, as well? No, your Honor we regret to inform the court that Cory Stark was shot to death before we could take him into custody.
Wait.
What? Mr.
Stark was murdered yesterday afternoon.
The FBI's holding several suspects as part of their ongoing investigation.
We've agreed to let them sort it out.
You people lied to me! All right, take it easy.
What do you mean, "ta" You lied to me! No, you lied! Take take Take it easy! Hey! Hey! Get off! Yeah, you lied! Get him out of here now.
All right, let's go.
It's nice to confirm that I was right, and manslaughter was not the proper plea.
I disagree, your Honor.
Because you held up our original deal, a man lost his life.
You're referring to this Cory Stark guy, who drove the car from which his own girlfriend was pushed? Hold on.
I'll get you a hanky.
Your Honor, may I speak frankly, off the record? Knock yourself out.
As far as I'm concerned, the failure to give Mr.
Goss a deal led directly to the execution of another person.
And that is not how the justice system is supposed to work.
It is in my courtroom.
And anyway, we're adjourned.
Let's go.
Buy you a cup of coffee.
Oh.
Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore? No.
It means I'm gonna buy you some coffee.
Come on.
So, what's all this secrecy about? All right.
Hold on.
Uh I'll show you, uh, but you have to swear not to tell anyone, 'cause I-I'm I'm trusting you with my whole life here, okay? You swear? Sure.
Okay.
Um These are all letters sent to me from some freak who's threatening me because I'm a witness against Phillip Stroh.
And they say things like, "I'm coming for you," and, "I'm going to hurt you and everyone you love.
" Who sends them? I-I-I don't know.
Uh, they're not signed.
How many are there? Well, I-I'm up to 11.
And you haven't told anyone.
N-not since the first one, no.
Well, uh, because that one wasn't even so bad, and it made that Emma want to dump me into the witness protection program.
And I cannot let that happen.
I mean, aside from the fact that I would lose everything I have, if my mom ever came looking for me, I I mean, we'd be separated forever.
Kris, I-I-I would never see my mom again.
But you can't just ignore these letters.
I know.
I know I can't.
I know.
Especially after seeing what happened to that girl, Briana.
It made me realize What? That, um She was a witness, Kris.
And not only was she murdered, but they offed her boyfriend, too.
Look, I can I can take care of myself, but I can't involve you.
I mean, we We can stay friends, but I shouldn't see you outside of school anymore.
And even there, we have to watch it.
And And and I should give this back to you, because we shouldn't be seen as more than friends anymore.
No, no, no, I I want you to keep it.
No, no, no.
Kris, Kris, it would be wrong of me to keep this.
No, I-I-it's home, and I-it's what you're fighting for.
No, Kris, Kris, don't cry.
Kris, Kris, don't cry.
I'm so sorry.
Kris, someone will hear you.
Okay, you can't you can't - I'm so sorry.
- Kris, Kris, Kris.
- Kris, come back.
- I'm sorry.
Kris, you can't tell anybody.
I guess you're right.
I guess I forgot she was a witness and not a professional, and that She wasn't on your side.
No.
Briana was on her own side.
She was fighting for what she wanted.
Guess I was so focused on guarding her from the bad guys that it just never even occurred to me she would need protection from herself.
And remember, Briana didn't become an informant by hanging out with all the right people.
Her judgment it was off from the beginning.
Oh, well.
We live and learn, right? Thank you, captain.