Homicide: Life on the Street s05e20 Episode Script
Narcissus
- 721.
Where did he go? - He's ducked into one of the alleys.
I'm in the rear of the 900 block.
I got nothing.
- I'm on the north side of you.
Nothing.
- He's playing possum.
Jimmy, this is Burundi.
I need a favour.
No more favours? No, we're not done.
You and me, Jimmy, we been through too much.
We ain't ever gonna be done.
'He's running north out of the alley behind Arlington.
'He's making for Mulberry.
' All units, he's on Mulberry, heading for Carrollton.
Heading for Carrollton.
- Five-oh is after me.
- I see that.
Police! Open the door! Open the damn door! - You have a warrant? - Open it! I'm not gonna ask you again! We'll honour a search warrant.
You have one? If not, then you're trespassing! I know your business! I used to be a cop! I'm not taking responsibility for this nonsense.
Radio for Homicide.
The Amalgamated Food-Processing Company is recalling all models of its patented salad-shredding machine following the deaths of restaurant workers in Chattanooga and Charlotte.
In an unrelated incident last week, two men were caught in Amalgamated machines and eviscerated.
Slawed to death.
I love it.
- You're doing Munch's job now? - What? Finding bizarre news on page D12 of the paper, reading it out to the room, that's Munch's job.
Frank's apprenticing.
Good content, nice delivery, set-up was slow.
I'm working on it.
Yeah Homicide! Pembleton! With somebody else to deliver our daily weirdness, what do we need you for? - Police work.
- I heard you say police work, Munch? I am a little red, but I'm working through it.
We got one down at Saratoga and Carey.
They've already identified a suspect.
- A dunker.
Give me mine.
- Pembleton's up.
He's primary.
- Where's Bayliss? - He left on an errand over an hour ago.
An errand? On midnight shift? I'm telling you, give the call to Detective Munch.
Hand you a murder with the suspect identified? A little charity.
I need some black under my name.
You won't miss the clearance.
OK, you're the primary.
My contribution to the Save A Munch foundation.
You're a gentleman, I've always said that.
- I'm serious.
- No way.
Hey.
Hello.
- Haven't lost any appetite, huh? - What's that supposed to mean? I haven't slept in a week.
I can't keep anything down in my stomach.
Here, sit down.
Look, Terri Terri, it's over.
The State's Attorney's Office called it a good shooting.
I'm having second thoughts.
Well, then, have third thoughts.
We all turned in the same report.
We all wrote it up that Luther Mahoney raised his gun, my gun.
Do you want me to tell you what you saw? Mike, if there was a shadow of doubt in my mind, you know I would carry this, but I didn't see - I didn't see him raise that gun.
- You weren't looking in the right place.
- The gun was down.
- He was pointing a gun at my partner.
- You could've got shot.
I protected you.
- You didn't have to shoot.
- He was garbage.
- That makes it right? It was clean.
She'll be fine.
I feel somebody killed after 2:00am has no right to a quality death investigation.
In Homicide, we say our day begins when yours ends.
Our victim here is Kenya Merchant.
- Where's the suspect? - In a row house eight blocks from here.
- He's not in custody? - We haven't gone in.
Why not? It's the African Revival Movement headquarters on Carrollton.
- Where's your sergeant? - At the house waiting for you guys.
In the back of the squad car is the witness.
- A witness? - Saw the murder, waited to talk to us.
A witness in West Baltimore! OK, I'll head over to Carrollton.
- What's going on? - They've barricaded themselves inside.
We've set up a perimeter.
- You saw the suspect run inside? - Yes.
The occupant wanted our warrant.
You're in hot pursuit.
Take the door.
No, no, no.
Pull your people back.
- What? - I don't want this getting out of hand.
The African Revival Movement has a lot of support in this community.
- A warrant would be prudent.
- Take the door.
- Chain of command, Detective.
- Exactly, Colonel.
Regulations explicitly state at a crime scene the investigating detective has supremacy of rank.
Given that the suspect ran in here, in possession of evidence from a murder, this is de facto an extension of the crime scene.
Take the door, please.
Colonel what are you doing down here at 4:00 in the morning? Let's go! Name's Joseph Malawi? Other way.
Malawi Joseph.
OK, Mr Joseph, what did you see tonight? I saw Kenya shot down like a dog in the street.
I saw the boy who did it.
I know why he did it.
I'll tell you everything.
I'll do anything I have to do to make this right.
Tell me, are there any more like you at home? You recognise the suspect? I know how hard it can be, seeing as we all look alike.
Him.
Now, Sergeant, are you absolutely sure? I do not want to be wrong on this.
I'm sure.
He was wearing grey Fila sweats when we chased him, though.
- He had the gun, a semi-auto.
- OK, he goes downtown.
We're gonna conduct a plain-view search for the sweatsuit and the gun.
Stay out of the drawers and the closets.
For that we'll need a search warrant, which will be here within the hour.
OK, let's do it.
Wake up, ace detective John Munch.
This is no doubt the murder weapon.
- I'm gonna take this down to the lab.
- Good.
Hey, Gee.
What do you know about this African Revival Movement? Only what I read in the papers.
According to the eyewitness, the murder stems from some rift within the group.
- Ordered by the leader, Robinson.
- Burundi Robinson.
He says Robinson wanted the kid dead because he broke from the group.
What did the shooter say? Where is Benin Crown? Come on.
Benin Crown, the suspect in the murder of Kenya Merchant.
- Where is he? - Maybe he's in the Box.
- Why? - I need to speak with him in private.
Wait a minute.
Just a second.
- Whoa! - Let go of the door, Al.
Gaffney, this is inappropriate.
I'm in command of the Homicide Unit.
That kid in there is a homicide suspect.
If you think you can keep me out of that room, you are a bigger jackass than I think you are.
You looking for a transfer to Motor Pool, huh? What's going on? I had Barnfather trying to squelch the arrest, and now we got Gaffney Yeah, when's the last time we had them both show up at a midnight shift? I'm not saying anything! I don't waive my right to counsel! My lawyer's on his way down here right now! - What was Gaffney doing? - This case is lousy with bosses.
Maybe it's because of Robinson.
What do we know about him? He's West Baltimore's reigning community activist.
He's a bit messianic, but then again he's doing good for the people.
- Used to be a cop? - Narcotics, Tactical Operations.
Before my time.
I came in as a rookie in '68.
He left a few years later.
- Resigned? - Yeah.
He still have drag in the department? Could he push Gaffney around? He left without rank a quarter century ago.
Where's the drag in that? Something's making the bosses jumpy, Gee.
Something got you out of bed early this morning.
Something did.
- What the hell's going on? - I can't talk about it, Al.
- You and Gaffney both.
- Gaffney's in this? He came into our unit this morning demanding to speak to our suspect.
Now the kid's asking for a lawyer.
He must be out of his mind.
Who? Who's behind this? Look, I've done a lot of things I don't agree with.
That comes with the rank.
But this You were supposed to come down there and pull us off that arrest.
I was on the spot, Al.
I was relieved when he started quoting the general orders at a crime scene.
- You let him win that argument.
- I'm not going to jail for anyone.
George Who wants this case thrown? In this area of the Belgian Congo we can see the effects It's about credibility, not ideology.
People are tired of demagogues who don't deliver, who make speeches and then walk away.
I know West Baltimore.
I was born here.
I'll die here.
We started this movement four years ago with a few families.
- Now we number 120.
- And you all live within this commune? Some families choose to live here.
Some do not.
But all of our members acknowledge each other as family.
We exchange our given names for the names of African nations.
- You were Marvin Lee Robinson.
- Now I am Burundi Robinson.
But that isn't important.
What's important is that we are here every day and we'll be here with our soup kitchen, our shelter, our training programmes.
We are trying to do the right things for people in West Baltimore.
- Thank you.
I'm grateful for the chance.
- You did what we talked about? - Three days clean.
- Good luck, then.
Give it your best shot.
- What was that about? - He was homeless last week.
Today he has a job interview.
We provided him with shelter, food and a new suit.
- 'And if he gets that job? ' - 'Lf he gets the job, he'll keep the job.
'We'll pay for his detox, drug counselling and aftercare.
' - 'But that's expensive.
' - 'We are not about making speeches.
'We're not walking away from problems.
' This Robinson used to be a cop, huh? He doesn't sound like a cop.
You meant that as a compliment? I don't trust anybody who walks through this world claiming to be an answer.
There are no answers except for disorder, unless you work for Disney.
OK, I got Malawi Joseph primed.
' it's an idea as old as Marcus Garvey.
' Why would one Revival member shoot another one down in the street? I told them before.
This thing, it's bigger than Benin Crown.
This is about Burundi Robinson.
Why would he have his people shooting each other? Kenya found out some things going on in the movement.
Wanted to go public.
Robinson couldn't have that, especially since he'd gone high profile, getting all that airtime on "The Today Show" and "Montel".
What exactly did he find out? Robinson had been whoring sisters in the movement.
Some of the little kids you see running around Carrollton Avenue, they're his.
And you heard Robinson give the order to have Kenya Merchant killed? No.
How do you know Benin Crown wasn't acting on his own? That's not how way it happens there.
- If we can't prove he gave the order - You need more? I'll get you more.
A wire? We're going to send a wire into Burundi Robinson? How do we know the witness isn't lying? We put him on the polygraph.
He passed.
We're gonna wire Malawi Joseph and send him to a black leader to catch the man discussing his sexual improprieties on tape? Am I the only person here that sees a problem? It's not the sexual improprieties or because he's a black leader.
Thirty years ago, Hoover and the feds had the Civil Rights Movement bugged, claiming that he was serving the national interest, when J Edgar Hoover was nothing more than a low-bottom blackmailer.
This is not the same.
We're rushing to tear down Robinson's group on the basis of a single allegation.
I agree with you.
We can drop this now and still have the case against Crown.
If our witness is telling the truth, then race and altruism gives Robinson a free pass.
Robinson brought hope to West Baltimore.
Let's give him that much.
When this all shakes out, Gee it's still a murder.
Hook him up.
But we keep the name of the witness secret, we keep this thing quiet, right here in this office.
Burundi, may I speak with you? This is my day to serve the noon meal.
They came to my mother's house.
Once again, you saved lunch.
- They heard me and Kenya were close.
- I don't worry about them.
But you I thought you'd given up on the movement.
- I needed time.
- Welcome back.
Thank you.
The police wanted to know what about you and Kenya? I don't know.
But are Kenya's arrangements taken care of? - His people are on public assistance.
- Kenya left the movement.
That won't play out in the community, not burying one of our own.
You've got to stop thinking on Kenya Merchant.
Sacrifices have to be made.
Oh, and Kenya was a sacrifice? Kenya made a choice.
He chose.
What's important now is the future of this movement.
'We have to go on.
You understand that? ' 'Yes.
' It's not enough.
That business about Kenya making himself a sacrifice, it's way too cryptic.
Send a wire in again? I need Robinson talking about the murder in direct terms.
What's that? A tape recorder.
- What's on it? - My legal notes.
Oh, yeah? Interesting listening? It's property of the State's Attorney's Office.
You have a problem with that, Captain? I see we've got a co-operating witness on the Merchant shooting.
There was a witness at the crime scene, but the name's been omitted from the case folder.
I need the name.
This is a direct order.
Give me the name.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? I see a cop who knows how to follow orders.
Would you like a lesson? This is the second time you've pulled rank on me.
There won't be a third.
Give him the name.
- Give me a sound level.
- Testing.
One, two.
You need to get Robinson to talk in detail about having Kenya killed.
We want to get him to acknowledge planning and ordering the murder.
- You all right? - I'm scared.
- I feel like a walking microphone.
- If you weren't scared, you'd be stupid.
Or dead.
I need the man.
- Burundi? - Malawi! Come in, have a seat.
Something to drink? Tea, water, coffee? No.
No, thank you.
Are you busy? Not at all.
I always have time for family.
I'm having trouble with what happened to Kenya.
'It's terrible.
I agree.
' 'Did we have to carry it so far? ' 'What do you mean? ' 'Killing him.
' 'You think I had anything to do with Kenya's death? 'God, no! I had no idea what was in Benin's mind when he did that.
'How can you think such a thing? ' - He knew the kid was wired.
- Damn right.
At every point, we have been betrayed by our own.
Barnfather at the arrest.
Gaffney at the interrogation.
Now this.
Gaffney is the Commander of Crimes Against Persons.
If he wants the details of a homicide case, he has an absolute right.
We're working in a fishbowl.
Our every move is being telegraphed.
Which ends this proactive investigation.
We've got all the evidence we're ever gonna get.
We take Benin Crown to trial and get him some serious time.
Down the road, he might agree to testify against Robinson.
He'll agree now.
He lawyered up.
We can't even conduct a legal interview with Crown.
We're not gonna talk to Benin Crown.
We wouldn't dream of talking to him.
What we're gonna do we're gonna talk to each other.
Why am I here? My lawyer says you can't talk to me.
- I can't say a thing to you.
- That's right.
- How long have you been in this room? - Five minutes.
- Did I say anything to you? - No.
Ask any questions? Acknowledge your existence? This is not an interview.
We are not talking.
There is absolutely nothing that you are going to say in this room that we will remember you saying.
- You understand? - Not really.
OK.
I'm gonna talk to my good friend John Munch here.
Hi.
John Munch here.
- Good work on the Merchant case.
- Thanks.
- Your investigation wrapped up nicely? - The lab matched the murder weapon.
An eyewitness has identified our suspect.
And our suspect seen fleeing the crime scene has offered nothing to me in the way of alibi.
I, being the primary detective assigned to the case, am decidedly content.
Damn shame.
- What's that, Gee? - About the suspect.
Good kid, good mother.
Good grades at City College.
Graduates, joins the African Revival, and finds himself a suspect to murder.
End of story.
There's no way around this one.
Murder, life, no parole.
Can you imagine being incarcerated for life? I mean, no woman to keep you warm, no chance of of fathering children? Children are the secret to eternal life.
Yeah, it's a marvellous feeling, to be a man.
To have the opportunity to hand your name down to your child.
Marvellous.
- Benin Crown is the last of his line, huh? - No, he has a sister.
Oh, yeah, his sister.
She's pregnant, right? What did I hear about that? - Come on, man.
- What? - You know, don't you? - Know what? They say it's Robinson's kid.
- Benin's pimping his own sister? - You got no right talking about her! Whoa! You want to speak with us, your attorney must be present and agree you waive your Miranda rights.
- That won't happen.
- Look! It's Ed Danvers, Assistant State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore.
Can I ask you a question? - You can't talk to him.
- We're not talking to him.
- We're talking to you.
- Yeah? What are we looking at? Life, no parole? Probably.
Could be straight life, which means parole in 15, if Crown's lucky.
Does Crown seem lucky to you? If he was, he'd have a Public Defender working for him, trying to get him a deal.
Instead he's got an attorney hired by the African Revival Movement.
- What's wrong with that? - Did you hear something? Not a word.
As I was saying, he's got an attorney courtesy of Burundi Robinson.
So Robinson is paying some legal eagle to keep Crown silent, and this same legal eagle will keep Crown silent even if it means sending the kid to Jessup for life.
- Wait.
- Sounds like a conflict of interest.
Not to Robinson's interests.
He gets to play prophet and, ow have his fun.
If Crown were to give up any co-conspirators in the murder, he'd be looking at 15 to 20, possible parole in seven.
Seven years? For what, co-operation? He'd still be young enough to have a life of his own.
- I'll give you what you want.
- We can't talk to you.
- Wait! - Sorry.
If you want to talk, you go back to pre-trial detention and use your first chance at the phone to call the Public Defender's Office.
Get yourself a lawyer who talks for you, not for Robinson.
Tell him you want to cut a deal.
OK OK.
Yeah, OK! OK, you fellas go round back, take the alley.
- An arrest warrant, I take it? - Let's do this the easy way.
- Can I see the probable cause? - You'll get a statement of charges.
No matter.
I know what it says already.
Benin Crown fired the attorney I provided for him.
- Sir, if you'll just come with us.
- No! - Take it easy, guys.
- Just relax.
Come on! Come on! Signal-13! Officer needs assistance! - Back off! - No, no, no! No, no! No! Get back! - Get back! Stand back! - Back! Officer needs assistance.
Signal-13.
We need an ambo.
Don't move! Everybody just stay where you are.
It's all right.
Signal-13.
Signal-13.
OK, I'm calling for backup.
Holster your weapons.
- Look out! - Holster your weapon.
- What happened? - They beat him down! - Who hit him? - We gotta get him out of here now! - Get him out of here.
- OK, we need tactical QRT.
Let's go! Let's make a move! Let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go! Let's go! Let's go! 'There's a riot.
We need tactical help right away.
' '10-4, 731.
All units, signal-13 at Carrollton and Mulberry.
'Officers in need of assistance.
QRT is on the way.
' This guy Robinson, he wants to talk to Harris.
- Deputy Commissioner Harris? - He's not on the scene.
- What do I tell Robinson? - The Deputy Commissioner's en route.
- Is that true? - How should I know? Hey.
- Hey.
Where you where you been? - Yeah.
- You disappeared last night.
- Right.
- I had something I had to do.
- All night? Yeah, Frank, I took some personal time.
What did I miss? Nothing much.
The Deputy Commissioner for you.
What's Harris saying? He gave me the go to storm the compound.
- He wants Robinson taken out.
- He's out of his mind.
No, he knows exactly what he wants and I'm not gonna let that happen.
Somebody take these guys around the truck and cover Giardello.
I'm not carrying.
I'm Al Giardello.
I'm a shift commander with Homicide.
I remember you.
A long time ago.
You were with Tac.
So, Lieutenant, what can I do for you under these circumstances? Talk to me.
How about them O's? Big series with Cleveland coming up.
I was hoping to get to a game.
We could go and sit in a couple of good seats.
- Good seats, huh? - I like third row.
Behind the dugout, out on first base line.
No, it's got to be along third.
I like to look into the dugout and watch the home team circulate.
You could've gotten yourself shot coming in here.
What do you want? What you want.
For everything to be all right.
How do we do that? - Give yourself up.
- I can't.
You and me, we can just walk out that door and all this will be ended.
What, I still have friends in the department? Uh-huh? They're all outside to throw me a party? Jimmy Harris, is he out there yet? - Harris owes you, doesn't he? - My boy Jimmy.
He should be here today, not you.
He's where he is today because of me.
How does he owe you? '72.
My last year with the department.
The O's that year: Buford, Baylor, Palmer, McNally, Boog and Brooks covering the corners.
Brooks Robinson, the supreme glove man, the hands of a magician.
I resigned.
Ten years in, halfway to a pension.
- I still resigned.
- Harris told you about the wire.
You actually thought you'd get me on tape saying I had Kenya murdered? Harris told you.
In '72, me and Jimmy Harris, we were working a two-man Tac car.
We'd been partnering for five years.
We owned Lexington Terrace.
Remember those projects? We kept the lid on.
Anything got nuts, we were the glove men, the magicians.
You were doing good work and then you resigned.
Jimmy and me, one night we catch a drug dealer.
He's coming up the stairwell with 15 large and heroin on him.
Not big by today's numbers, but then it was a heavy bust.
We're going to court, so Jimmy checks the dope out of Evidence Control.
The dealer pleads out.
We take the dope back to Evidence Control.
- Two weeks later - The heroin is gone.
Missing.
We swear we don't know how it comes up baking soda, but it's our names on the inventory receipt.
The only two names they got are Harris and Robinson.
I don't know what happened to that dope.
Jimmy doesn't either.
- Swears his word.
- Harris switched the dope.
He sold the heroin back to the dealer for ten grand.
- Why didn't you go to the brass? - My word against his? Jimmy Harris came on in '56.
He has a veteran's credibility.
We can both take the charge.
We can go down together as partners or we can save what we can.
- Damage control.
- Oh, yeah.
I let him drop $5,000 in my pocket, and then you know what it comes down to? Me and Jimmy flipping a coin.
Heads, he takes the weight.
Tails, I do.
He flips a quarter, and you see how it came up.
Offer to resign on the condition that you will not admit to anything on the record.
I resign, all them problems go away.
You flipped a coin, you covered him.
You covered yourself.
I don't know, I wasn't there.
But I am standing in front of you now.
Harris isn't.
Now I want you to do what's best for you and for everyone.
You think Harris is gonna let me walk into open court and speak my piece? Jimmy isn't taking prisoners today.
All that happened here today can be made right.
Where do we go, Al? Where's our place in the world as black men? We're either a Michael Jordan or an OJ Simpson, godhead or pariah.
Otherwise we're Bojangles, standing outside begging for spare change.
But if we don't go hat in hand for some white benevolence, then we're a threat.
What's new about that? But for someone who is one of us For us to be betrayed from within the family, that's the true evil.
Then we have to prove our self-reliance.
We have to take care of our problems ourselves.
- You took care of Kenya Merchant.
- My family is gone.
No one needs to get hurt here today, and we all win the day.
- I just flipped a coin.
- What? - Call it.
- What? - In my head.
Heads or tails? - Heads.
You lose.
What about the children? Coming out! Coming out! All right, come on, hurry.
Go right to the truck.
Hurry.
As fast as you can.
Where's Harris? I want to talk to the son of a bitch.
Quit while you're ahead, Lieutenant.
I know everything.
He gave up the witness we had wired.
- He did what? - Robinson told me everything.
I know about his and Robinson's history.
That madman? You think he has any sense of reality? He is wanted on a murder warrant, Lieutenant.
I'm gonna write this up.
There'll be a full report on the Mayor's desk tomorrow.
That's big of you.
Don't get writer's cramp and put in for a medical.
Gaffney, listen - Lieutenant Jasper.
- Yes, sir.
- Take Robinson out.
- What? This is a command decision from Harris.
- Lives are on the line here.
- I've got my orders.
This is a direct command? If you have to ask, you're out of the loop.
If you're out of the loop, you're not long for the job.
Any clear line of sight on Robinson, we have a go.
That was Munch.
No changes in the last hour.
- No demands.
- What's going on? Anybody's guess.
Mikes are picking up conversations within the compound.
It's been hours.
No lights have come on inside the compound.
They don't want to present themselves as a target.
Anything on the night-scopes? Robinson let the women and children go.
He's trying to find a way out of this.
Yeah, Homicide.
Lieutenant Giardello's at the scene now.
No.
Bye.
What did Robinson and you talk about? We're not picking up any sounds.
- What do you mean? - Not a sound for the last hour.
What? There are 16 men inside.
How can none of them be making a sound? Go, go, go! Lieutenant, Lieutenant! Lieutenant, you were the last man to speak to him.
Why? Why did he do it? I'm not sure.
But I can tell you one thing.
There's gonna be hell to pay.
- Lieutenant! - Just one more thing! 'The removal of the victims' bodies is under way, 'even as police detectives continue to search the compound.
'This is Dawn Daniels for WBALTV.
' ' the 16 male members of the West Baltimore cult.
'They have not yet been identified ' 'From Kittering to Kennebunk, the coast is home 'to a unique variety of marine life 'that thrives in cooler waters away from the Gulf Stream current.
'
Where did he go? - He's ducked into one of the alleys.
I'm in the rear of the 900 block.
I got nothing.
- I'm on the north side of you.
Nothing.
- He's playing possum.
Jimmy, this is Burundi.
I need a favour.
No more favours? No, we're not done.
You and me, Jimmy, we been through too much.
We ain't ever gonna be done.
'He's running north out of the alley behind Arlington.
'He's making for Mulberry.
' All units, he's on Mulberry, heading for Carrollton.
Heading for Carrollton.
- Five-oh is after me.
- I see that.
Police! Open the door! Open the damn door! - You have a warrant? - Open it! I'm not gonna ask you again! We'll honour a search warrant.
You have one? If not, then you're trespassing! I know your business! I used to be a cop! I'm not taking responsibility for this nonsense.
Radio for Homicide.
The Amalgamated Food-Processing Company is recalling all models of its patented salad-shredding machine following the deaths of restaurant workers in Chattanooga and Charlotte.
In an unrelated incident last week, two men were caught in Amalgamated machines and eviscerated.
Slawed to death.
I love it.
- You're doing Munch's job now? - What? Finding bizarre news on page D12 of the paper, reading it out to the room, that's Munch's job.
Frank's apprenticing.
Good content, nice delivery, set-up was slow.
I'm working on it.
Yeah Homicide! Pembleton! With somebody else to deliver our daily weirdness, what do we need you for? - Police work.
- I heard you say police work, Munch? I am a little red, but I'm working through it.
We got one down at Saratoga and Carey.
They've already identified a suspect.
- A dunker.
Give me mine.
- Pembleton's up.
He's primary.
- Where's Bayliss? - He left on an errand over an hour ago.
An errand? On midnight shift? I'm telling you, give the call to Detective Munch.
Hand you a murder with the suspect identified? A little charity.
I need some black under my name.
You won't miss the clearance.
OK, you're the primary.
My contribution to the Save A Munch foundation.
You're a gentleman, I've always said that.
- I'm serious.
- No way.
Hey.
Hello.
- Haven't lost any appetite, huh? - What's that supposed to mean? I haven't slept in a week.
I can't keep anything down in my stomach.
Here, sit down.
Look, Terri Terri, it's over.
The State's Attorney's Office called it a good shooting.
I'm having second thoughts.
Well, then, have third thoughts.
We all turned in the same report.
We all wrote it up that Luther Mahoney raised his gun, my gun.
Do you want me to tell you what you saw? Mike, if there was a shadow of doubt in my mind, you know I would carry this, but I didn't see - I didn't see him raise that gun.
- You weren't looking in the right place.
- The gun was down.
- He was pointing a gun at my partner.
- You could've got shot.
I protected you.
- You didn't have to shoot.
- He was garbage.
- That makes it right? It was clean.
She'll be fine.
I feel somebody killed after 2:00am has no right to a quality death investigation.
In Homicide, we say our day begins when yours ends.
Our victim here is Kenya Merchant.
- Where's the suspect? - In a row house eight blocks from here.
- He's not in custody? - We haven't gone in.
Why not? It's the African Revival Movement headquarters on Carrollton.
- Where's your sergeant? - At the house waiting for you guys.
In the back of the squad car is the witness.
- A witness? - Saw the murder, waited to talk to us.
A witness in West Baltimore! OK, I'll head over to Carrollton.
- What's going on? - They've barricaded themselves inside.
We've set up a perimeter.
- You saw the suspect run inside? - Yes.
The occupant wanted our warrant.
You're in hot pursuit.
Take the door.
No, no, no.
Pull your people back.
- What? - I don't want this getting out of hand.
The African Revival Movement has a lot of support in this community.
- A warrant would be prudent.
- Take the door.
- Chain of command, Detective.
- Exactly, Colonel.
Regulations explicitly state at a crime scene the investigating detective has supremacy of rank.
Given that the suspect ran in here, in possession of evidence from a murder, this is de facto an extension of the crime scene.
Take the door, please.
Colonel what are you doing down here at 4:00 in the morning? Let's go! Name's Joseph Malawi? Other way.
Malawi Joseph.
OK, Mr Joseph, what did you see tonight? I saw Kenya shot down like a dog in the street.
I saw the boy who did it.
I know why he did it.
I'll tell you everything.
I'll do anything I have to do to make this right.
Tell me, are there any more like you at home? You recognise the suspect? I know how hard it can be, seeing as we all look alike.
Him.
Now, Sergeant, are you absolutely sure? I do not want to be wrong on this.
I'm sure.
He was wearing grey Fila sweats when we chased him, though.
- He had the gun, a semi-auto.
- OK, he goes downtown.
We're gonna conduct a plain-view search for the sweatsuit and the gun.
Stay out of the drawers and the closets.
For that we'll need a search warrant, which will be here within the hour.
OK, let's do it.
Wake up, ace detective John Munch.
This is no doubt the murder weapon.
- I'm gonna take this down to the lab.
- Good.
Hey, Gee.
What do you know about this African Revival Movement? Only what I read in the papers.
According to the eyewitness, the murder stems from some rift within the group.
- Ordered by the leader, Robinson.
- Burundi Robinson.
He says Robinson wanted the kid dead because he broke from the group.
What did the shooter say? Where is Benin Crown? Come on.
Benin Crown, the suspect in the murder of Kenya Merchant.
- Where is he? - Maybe he's in the Box.
- Why? - I need to speak with him in private.
Wait a minute.
Just a second.
- Whoa! - Let go of the door, Al.
Gaffney, this is inappropriate.
I'm in command of the Homicide Unit.
That kid in there is a homicide suspect.
If you think you can keep me out of that room, you are a bigger jackass than I think you are.
You looking for a transfer to Motor Pool, huh? What's going on? I had Barnfather trying to squelch the arrest, and now we got Gaffney Yeah, when's the last time we had them both show up at a midnight shift? I'm not saying anything! I don't waive my right to counsel! My lawyer's on his way down here right now! - What was Gaffney doing? - This case is lousy with bosses.
Maybe it's because of Robinson.
What do we know about him? He's West Baltimore's reigning community activist.
He's a bit messianic, but then again he's doing good for the people.
- Used to be a cop? - Narcotics, Tactical Operations.
Before my time.
I came in as a rookie in '68.
He left a few years later.
- Resigned? - Yeah.
He still have drag in the department? Could he push Gaffney around? He left without rank a quarter century ago.
Where's the drag in that? Something's making the bosses jumpy, Gee.
Something got you out of bed early this morning.
Something did.
- What the hell's going on? - I can't talk about it, Al.
- You and Gaffney both.
- Gaffney's in this? He came into our unit this morning demanding to speak to our suspect.
Now the kid's asking for a lawyer.
He must be out of his mind.
Who? Who's behind this? Look, I've done a lot of things I don't agree with.
That comes with the rank.
But this You were supposed to come down there and pull us off that arrest.
I was on the spot, Al.
I was relieved when he started quoting the general orders at a crime scene.
- You let him win that argument.
- I'm not going to jail for anyone.
George Who wants this case thrown? In this area of the Belgian Congo we can see the effects It's about credibility, not ideology.
People are tired of demagogues who don't deliver, who make speeches and then walk away.
I know West Baltimore.
I was born here.
I'll die here.
We started this movement four years ago with a few families.
- Now we number 120.
- And you all live within this commune? Some families choose to live here.
Some do not.
But all of our members acknowledge each other as family.
We exchange our given names for the names of African nations.
- You were Marvin Lee Robinson.
- Now I am Burundi Robinson.
But that isn't important.
What's important is that we are here every day and we'll be here with our soup kitchen, our shelter, our training programmes.
We are trying to do the right things for people in West Baltimore.
- Thank you.
I'm grateful for the chance.
- You did what we talked about? - Three days clean.
- Good luck, then.
Give it your best shot.
- What was that about? - He was homeless last week.
Today he has a job interview.
We provided him with shelter, food and a new suit.
- 'And if he gets that job? ' - 'Lf he gets the job, he'll keep the job.
'We'll pay for his detox, drug counselling and aftercare.
' - 'But that's expensive.
' - 'We are not about making speeches.
'We're not walking away from problems.
' This Robinson used to be a cop, huh? He doesn't sound like a cop.
You meant that as a compliment? I don't trust anybody who walks through this world claiming to be an answer.
There are no answers except for disorder, unless you work for Disney.
OK, I got Malawi Joseph primed.
' it's an idea as old as Marcus Garvey.
' Why would one Revival member shoot another one down in the street? I told them before.
This thing, it's bigger than Benin Crown.
This is about Burundi Robinson.
Why would he have his people shooting each other? Kenya found out some things going on in the movement.
Wanted to go public.
Robinson couldn't have that, especially since he'd gone high profile, getting all that airtime on "The Today Show" and "Montel".
What exactly did he find out? Robinson had been whoring sisters in the movement.
Some of the little kids you see running around Carrollton Avenue, they're his.
And you heard Robinson give the order to have Kenya Merchant killed? No.
How do you know Benin Crown wasn't acting on his own? That's not how way it happens there.
- If we can't prove he gave the order - You need more? I'll get you more.
A wire? We're going to send a wire into Burundi Robinson? How do we know the witness isn't lying? We put him on the polygraph.
He passed.
We're gonna wire Malawi Joseph and send him to a black leader to catch the man discussing his sexual improprieties on tape? Am I the only person here that sees a problem? It's not the sexual improprieties or because he's a black leader.
Thirty years ago, Hoover and the feds had the Civil Rights Movement bugged, claiming that he was serving the national interest, when J Edgar Hoover was nothing more than a low-bottom blackmailer.
This is not the same.
We're rushing to tear down Robinson's group on the basis of a single allegation.
I agree with you.
We can drop this now and still have the case against Crown.
If our witness is telling the truth, then race and altruism gives Robinson a free pass.
Robinson brought hope to West Baltimore.
Let's give him that much.
When this all shakes out, Gee it's still a murder.
Hook him up.
But we keep the name of the witness secret, we keep this thing quiet, right here in this office.
Burundi, may I speak with you? This is my day to serve the noon meal.
They came to my mother's house.
Once again, you saved lunch.
- They heard me and Kenya were close.
- I don't worry about them.
But you I thought you'd given up on the movement.
- I needed time.
- Welcome back.
Thank you.
The police wanted to know what about you and Kenya? I don't know.
But are Kenya's arrangements taken care of? - His people are on public assistance.
- Kenya left the movement.
That won't play out in the community, not burying one of our own.
You've got to stop thinking on Kenya Merchant.
Sacrifices have to be made.
Oh, and Kenya was a sacrifice? Kenya made a choice.
He chose.
What's important now is the future of this movement.
'We have to go on.
You understand that? ' 'Yes.
' It's not enough.
That business about Kenya making himself a sacrifice, it's way too cryptic.
Send a wire in again? I need Robinson talking about the murder in direct terms.
What's that? A tape recorder.
- What's on it? - My legal notes.
Oh, yeah? Interesting listening? It's property of the State's Attorney's Office.
You have a problem with that, Captain? I see we've got a co-operating witness on the Merchant shooting.
There was a witness at the crime scene, but the name's been omitted from the case folder.
I need the name.
This is a direct order.
Give me the name.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? I see a cop who knows how to follow orders.
Would you like a lesson? This is the second time you've pulled rank on me.
There won't be a third.
Give him the name.
- Give me a sound level.
- Testing.
One, two.
You need to get Robinson to talk in detail about having Kenya killed.
We want to get him to acknowledge planning and ordering the murder.
- You all right? - I'm scared.
- I feel like a walking microphone.
- If you weren't scared, you'd be stupid.
Or dead.
I need the man.
- Burundi? - Malawi! Come in, have a seat.
Something to drink? Tea, water, coffee? No.
No, thank you.
Are you busy? Not at all.
I always have time for family.
I'm having trouble with what happened to Kenya.
'It's terrible.
I agree.
' 'Did we have to carry it so far? ' 'What do you mean? ' 'Killing him.
' 'You think I had anything to do with Kenya's death? 'God, no! I had no idea what was in Benin's mind when he did that.
'How can you think such a thing? ' - He knew the kid was wired.
- Damn right.
At every point, we have been betrayed by our own.
Barnfather at the arrest.
Gaffney at the interrogation.
Now this.
Gaffney is the Commander of Crimes Against Persons.
If he wants the details of a homicide case, he has an absolute right.
We're working in a fishbowl.
Our every move is being telegraphed.
Which ends this proactive investigation.
We've got all the evidence we're ever gonna get.
We take Benin Crown to trial and get him some serious time.
Down the road, he might agree to testify against Robinson.
He'll agree now.
He lawyered up.
We can't even conduct a legal interview with Crown.
We're not gonna talk to Benin Crown.
We wouldn't dream of talking to him.
What we're gonna do we're gonna talk to each other.
Why am I here? My lawyer says you can't talk to me.
- I can't say a thing to you.
- That's right.
- How long have you been in this room? - Five minutes.
- Did I say anything to you? - No.
Ask any questions? Acknowledge your existence? This is not an interview.
We are not talking.
There is absolutely nothing that you are going to say in this room that we will remember you saying.
- You understand? - Not really.
OK.
I'm gonna talk to my good friend John Munch here.
Hi.
John Munch here.
- Good work on the Merchant case.
- Thanks.
- Your investigation wrapped up nicely? - The lab matched the murder weapon.
An eyewitness has identified our suspect.
And our suspect seen fleeing the crime scene has offered nothing to me in the way of alibi.
I, being the primary detective assigned to the case, am decidedly content.
Damn shame.
- What's that, Gee? - About the suspect.
Good kid, good mother.
Good grades at City College.
Graduates, joins the African Revival, and finds himself a suspect to murder.
End of story.
There's no way around this one.
Murder, life, no parole.
Can you imagine being incarcerated for life? I mean, no woman to keep you warm, no chance of of fathering children? Children are the secret to eternal life.
Yeah, it's a marvellous feeling, to be a man.
To have the opportunity to hand your name down to your child.
Marvellous.
- Benin Crown is the last of his line, huh? - No, he has a sister.
Oh, yeah, his sister.
She's pregnant, right? What did I hear about that? - Come on, man.
- What? - You know, don't you? - Know what? They say it's Robinson's kid.
- Benin's pimping his own sister? - You got no right talking about her! Whoa! You want to speak with us, your attorney must be present and agree you waive your Miranda rights.
- That won't happen.
- Look! It's Ed Danvers, Assistant State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore.
Can I ask you a question? - You can't talk to him.
- We're not talking to him.
- We're talking to you.
- Yeah? What are we looking at? Life, no parole? Probably.
Could be straight life, which means parole in 15, if Crown's lucky.
Does Crown seem lucky to you? If he was, he'd have a Public Defender working for him, trying to get him a deal.
Instead he's got an attorney hired by the African Revival Movement.
- What's wrong with that? - Did you hear something? Not a word.
As I was saying, he's got an attorney courtesy of Burundi Robinson.
So Robinson is paying some legal eagle to keep Crown silent, and this same legal eagle will keep Crown silent even if it means sending the kid to Jessup for life.
- Wait.
- Sounds like a conflict of interest.
Not to Robinson's interests.
He gets to play prophet and, ow have his fun.
If Crown were to give up any co-conspirators in the murder, he'd be looking at 15 to 20, possible parole in seven.
Seven years? For what, co-operation? He'd still be young enough to have a life of his own.
- I'll give you what you want.
- We can't talk to you.
- Wait! - Sorry.
If you want to talk, you go back to pre-trial detention and use your first chance at the phone to call the Public Defender's Office.
Get yourself a lawyer who talks for you, not for Robinson.
Tell him you want to cut a deal.
OK OK.
Yeah, OK! OK, you fellas go round back, take the alley.
- An arrest warrant, I take it? - Let's do this the easy way.
- Can I see the probable cause? - You'll get a statement of charges.
No matter.
I know what it says already.
Benin Crown fired the attorney I provided for him.
- Sir, if you'll just come with us.
- No! - Take it easy, guys.
- Just relax.
Come on! Come on! Signal-13! Officer needs assistance! - Back off! - No, no, no! No, no! No! Get back! - Get back! Stand back! - Back! Officer needs assistance.
Signal-13.
We need an ambo.
Don't move! Everybody just stay where you are.
It's all right.
Signal-13.
Signal-13.
OK, I'm calling for backup.
Holster your weapons.
- Look out! - Holster your weapon.
- What happened? - They beat him down! - Who hit him? - We gotta get him out of here now! - Get him out of here.
- OK, we need tactical QRT.
Let's go! Let's make a move! Let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go! Let's go! Let's go! 'There's a riot.
We need tactical help right away.
' '10-4, 731.
All units, signal-13 at Carrollton and Mulberry.
'Officers in need of assistance.
QRT is on the way.
' This guy Robinson, he wants to talk to Harris.
- Deputy Commissioner Harris? - He's not on the scene.
- What do I tell Robinson? - The Deputy Commissioner's en route.
- Is that true? - How should I know? Hey.
- Hey.
Where you where you been? - Yeah.
- You disappeared last night.
- Right.
- I had something I had to do.
- All night? Yeah, Frank, I took some personal time.
What did I miss? Nothing much.
The Deputy Commissioner for you.
What's Harris saying? He gave me the go to storm the compound.
- He wants Robinson taken out.
- He's out of his mind.
No, he knows exactly what he wants and I'm not gonna let that happen.
Somebody take these guys around the truck and cover Giardello.
I'm not carrying.
I'm Al Giardello.
I'm a shift commander with Homicide.
I remember you.
A long time ago.
You were with Tac.
So, Lieutenant, what can I do for you under these circumstances? Talk to me.
How about them O's? Big series with Cleveland coming up.
I was hoping to get to a game.
We could go and sit in a couple of good seats.
- Good seats, huh? - I like third row.
Behind the dugout, out on first base line.
No, it's got to be along third.
I like to look into the dugout and watch the home team circulate.
You could've gotten yourself shot coming in here.
What do you want? What you want.
For everything to be all right.
How do we do that? - Give yourself up.
- I can't.
You and me, we can just walk out that door and all this will be ended.
What, I still have friends in the department? Uh-huh? They're all outside to throw me a party? Jimmy Harris, is he out there yet? - Harris owes you, doesn't he? - My boy Jimmy.
He should be here today, not you.
He's where he is today because of me.
How does he owe you? '72.
My last year with the department.
The O's that year: Buford, Baylor, Palmer, McNally, Boog and Brooks covering the corners.
Brooks Robinson, the supreme glove man, the hands of a magician.
I resigned.
Ten years in, halfway to a pension.
- I still resigned.
- Harris told you about the wire.
You actually thought you'd get me on tape saying I had Kenya murdered? Harris told you.
In '72, me and Jimmy Harris, we were working a two-man Tac car.
We'd been partnering for five years.
We owned Lexington Terrace.
Remember those projects? We kept the lid on.
Anything got nuts, we were the glove men, the magicians.
You were doing good work and then you resigned.
Jimmy and me, one night we catch a drug dealer.
He's coming up the stairwell with 15 large and heroin on him.
Not big by today's numbers, but then it was a heavy bust.
We're going to court, so Jimmy checks the dope out of Evidence Control.
The dealer pleads out.
We take the dope back to Evidence Control.
- Two weeks later - The heroin is gone.
Missing.
We swear we don't know how it comes up baking soda, but it's our names on the inventory receipt.
The only two names they got are Harris and Robinson.
I don't know what happened to that dope.
Jimmy doesn't either.
- Swears his word.
- Harris switched the dope.
He sold the heroin back to the dealer for ten grand.
- Why didn't you go to the brass? - My word against his? Jimmy Harris came on in '56.
He has a veteran's credibility.
We can both take the charge.
We can go down together as partners or we can save what we can.
- Damage control.
- Oh, yeah.
I let him drop $5,000 in my pocket, and then you know what it comes down to? Me and Jimmy flipping a coin.
Heads, he takes the weight.
Tails, I do.
He flips a quarter, and you see how it came up.
Offer to resign on the condition that you will not admit to anything on the record.
I resign, all them problems go away.
You flipped a coin, you covered him.
You covered yourself.
I don't know, I wasn't there.
But I am standing in front of you now.
Harris isn't.
Now I want you to do what's best for you and for everyone.
You think Harris is gonna let me walk into open court and speak my piece? Jimmy isn't taking prisoners today.
All that happened here today can be made right.
Where do we go, Al? Where's our place in the world as black men? We're either a Michael Jordan or an OJ Simpson, godhead or pariah.
Otherwise we're Bojangles, standing outside begging for spare change.
But if we don't go hat in hand for some white benevolence, then we're a threat.
What's new about that? But for someone who is one of us For us to be betrayed from within the family, that's the true evil.
Then we have to prove our self-reliance.
We have to take care of our problems ourselves.
- You took care of Kenya Merchant.
- My family is gone.
No one needs to get hurt here today, and we all win the day.
- I just flipped a coin.
- What? - Call it.
- What? - In my head.
Heads or tails? - Heads.
You lose.
What about the children? Coming out! Coming out! All right, come on, hurry.
Go right to the truck.
Hurry.
As fast as you can.
Where's Harris? I want to talk to the son of a bitch.
Quit while you're ahead, Lieutenant.
I know everything.
He gave up the witness we had wired.
- He did what? - Robinson told me everything.
I know about his and Robinson's history.
That madman? You think he has any sense of reality? He is wanted on a murder warrant, Lieutenant.
I'm gonna write this up.
There'll be a full report on the Mayor's desk tomorrow.
That's big of you.
Don't get writer's cramp and put in for a medical.
Gaffney, listen - Lieutenant Jasper.
- Yes, sir.
- Take Robinson out.
- What? This is a command decision from Harris.
- Lives are on the line here.
- I've got my orders.
This is a direct command? If you have to ask, you're out of the loop.
If you're out of the loop, you're not long for the job.
Any clear line of sight on Robinson, we have a go.
That was Munch.
No changes in the last hour.
- No demands.
- What's going on? Anybody's guess.
Mikes are picking up conversations within the compound.
It's been hours.
No lights have come on inside the compound.
They don't want to present themselves as a target.
Anything on the night-scopes? Robinson let the women and children go.
He's trying to find a way out of this.
Yeah, Homicide.
Lieutenant Giardello's at the scene now.
No.
Bye.
What did Robinson and you talk about? We're not picking up any sounds.
- What do you mean? - Not a sound for the last hour.
What? There are 16 men inside.
How can none of them be making a sound? Go, go, go! Lieutenant, Lieutenant! Lieutenant, you were the last man to speak to him.
Why? Why did he do it? I'm not sure.
But I can tell you one thing.
There's gonna be hell to pay.
- Lieutenant! - Just one more thing! 'The removal of the victims' bodies is under way, 'even as police detectives continue to search the compound.
'This is Dawn Daniels for WBALTV.
' ' the 16 male members of the West Baltimore cult.
'They have not yet been identified ' 'From Kittering to Kennebunk, the coast is home 'to a unique variety of marine life 'that thrives in cooler waters away from the Gulf Stream current.
'