Law & Order (1990) s16e14 Episode Script

In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Miss K.
Miss K.
Hey, Jason.
Hey, uh, can I talk to you a sec? Yeah, I've got a few minutes.
In private? Why don't we go into the music room? Is this about your Faulkner essay? Uh, I scored two tickets to see Spamalot.
I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me? You mean just the two of us? Yeah.
Fourth row orchestra.
Jason, you're my student.
I can't date my students.
What, you mean age? You're probably only a couple years older than me.
Jason, this conversation is over, okay? Oh, my God.
Alex Garcia, 18.
Strangled.
Any witnesses? No.
Teacher and another student found him here about 30 minutes ago.
Already DOA.
Music teacher? English Lit.
Did you know this kid? Seen him around school.
Good kid.
Well, it looks like there was a struggle.
Did anybody hear anything? Music room, soundproof.
Thank you.
Hey, man.
What you got? Ligature strangulation.
I also found defensive wounds on his arms.
There's tissue under the fingernails.
Any idea what he was strangled with? I'm thinking a cello bow.
Found several strands of coarse white hair and what looks like rosin on his neck.
Killer probably came up behind him and used it like a garrote.
Hey, man.
Check all the trash receptacles in the school.
We're looking for a busted cello bow, all right? Thanks.
You got a time of death on this one? when he went down.
That's an expensive watch.
Looks like he could afford it.
Found 300 bucks on him.
Well, it's not a robbery, but this poor kid should have never turned his back.
We've assembled the student body in the auditorium and the gym.
Grief counselors are already there.
We'll also need a list of all the students who went to class with him.
I'll have my assistant get on that.
So, where's the boy's parents? His father is on the way in now.
Was Alex having problems with other kids here? Not that I know of.
He was a rather quiet boy.
I got the sense he was still finding himself.
Well, we found several hundred dollars in his wallet.
Is there any chance he was selling drugs? Alex was as clean cut as you get.
He played cello in the school orchestra.
He got great grades.
In fact, he tested in with some of the highest scores we've ever seen.
Tested in? You have a magnet program here? Math and science.
Open admission for those who live in the catchment.
Students from other areas have to test in.
So, where did he transfer from? Ignatius Junior High.
Spanish Harlem.
Many of our best students come from disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Calculus, macroeconomics, Virgil.
See what I missed.
I should've paid more attention at school.
Hey.
Left his cell phone in his jacket.
One of those new, fancy ones.
No outgoing.
Got three incoming from the same guy, Freddie Colon.
When was that? They're all around 8:00 this morning.
Excuse me, Detectives.
Mr.
Garcia's here.
Mr.
Garcia, I'm Detective Fontana.
This is Detective Green.
Please accept our condolences, sir.
Will Alex's mother be joining us this morning? She died three years ago.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Have a seat.
Mr.
Garcia, we want to find out who did this to your son.
So we have to ask you some questions, okay? Was Alex having any problems here at school? He never mentioned anything.
Was he involved with gangs or drugs? Why are you asking that, because he was dominicano? No, sir.
We'd have to ask that question of any high school student.
Mr.
Garcia, Alex had $300 in cash and a very expensive watch on him.
That wasn't drugs.
Alex tutored other students here.
They paid him $85 an hour.
That watch was a present to himself.
He got a couple of calls this morning from somebody named Freddie Colon.
Does that name ring a bell? Freddie's from our neighborhood.
They both transferred here in the ninth grade.
They used to be close.
What happened? They have a falling out or something? Alex said Freddie changed when he came to this school.
That he only wanted to hang out with the white kids.
That's a load.
I didn't want to just hang out with white kids.
I made new friends.
Alex and me just drifted apart.
Why did you call him three times this morning? I just wanted to talk to him.
About what? A couple of buddies of mine gave him a hard time yesterday.
And I didn't do anything to stop them.
Define hard time.
Making fun of him because he played in the orchestra, calling him a nerd, stuff like that.
We're gonna need their names.
Okay, but they were just ribbing him, man.
It was nothing.
Well, if it was nothing, why did you call him this morning? I felt bad.
I wanted to say I was sorry.
So, where were you between 1:00 and 2:00 today? Chemistry class.
Why? Look, maybe Alex and I didn't hang out that much anymore, but I liked the guy.
You had a funny way of showing it, kid.
Lou wants to see us outside.
Don't go anywhere.
We'll be right back.
All right? Let me guess, cello bow.
You got it.
We just found it in the trash wrapped up in a sweatshirt.
Looks like dried blood.
Got some tissue particles, too.
Extra small.
Could be looking for a female.
You can call me a sexist, but doesn't it take an awful lot of upper body strength to strangle someone? You been to a gym lately? She could've had help.
Now, look, here's a list of the students who had access to the music room.
Start with the girls first.
Okay.
I must've left my sweatshirt in the music room during free period.
What were you doing there? I was practicing my violin solo.
And what time was that? Um, from about 12:30 to 1:00.
Did you see Alex? He came in as I was leaving.
We talked for a sec, and then I headed off to science lab.
Was anybody else hanging around there? No, just Alex.
I still can't believe Were you two friends? We'd been in orchestra together since ninth grade.
Did he ever talk about his personal life? A little.
I know he thought that some of the kids at Foster were pretty stuck up.
Was he having problems with anyone in particular? I don't know if it was a problem, but he'd been going out with this girl.
Told me her ex-boyfriend was being a real jerk.
How so? He said the guy was racist.
How long had you and Alex been seeing each other? A little over three months.
Things were going pretty well? We had this connection.
Alex was sensitive, you know? He thought about more than just himself.
We heard that your old boyfriend, Keith, was giving Alex a hard time.
Do you know what that was about? Keith's got a chip on his shoulder.
He was just ranting.
About what? When he heard Alex got a full scholarship to Princeton, he thought it was because of, you know, special treatment.
You mean affirmative action? L told Keith if he scored a 2350 on the S.
A.
T.
s, he'd get special treatment, too.
So Keith's rant was not because he was angry that you and Alex were seeing each other? No, it was way over between me and Keith.
I dumped him as soon as I realized what a loser he was.
Did you ever see him do anything violent? Even talk about hurting somebody? Alex Garcia? We didn't hang in the same crowd, but it still sucks what happened to him.
What does that mean, the same crowd? Hey, I got nothing against minorities.
I'm just not into reverse discrimination.
Let's cut to the chase here, Detectives.
Keith was with his girlfriend in the school darkroom from 1:00 until 2:00 p.
m.
Doing what? My client wants to be as helpful as he can, but before we go on, I need certain assurances.
Like what? Keith is 18.
The girl he was with is only 15.
They were having sex.
Ah, so you're worried about a statutory rape charge, huh? Look, first of all, we need to talk to the girl.
Give them her name, Keith.
Sonya Merrick.
She's a freshman.
I need to talk to you two.
We'll be back.
Colby did some data recovery on Garcia's cell phone.
Came up with some interesting stuff.
Answers to a chemistry test that was taken at Foster last month.
What, so Alex was cheating? He'd use his cell to shoot photos of his answers, email them to other kids taking the same test.
Couldn't get a photo, he'd text message the answers.
We've come a long way from writing the answers in the palm of our hands.
Any idea how many kids were involved? We found the names of 16 students on his buddy list.
He wasn't tutoring.
He was selling grades.
The whole school cheats.
Bad grades can, like, affect your whole life.
Hey, why didn't you tell us all this before? I didn't want to get anyone kicked out of school.
Come on, your boyfriend was murdered for crying out loud.
I know that.
Look, I'm sorry.
I just didn't think this had anything to do with it.
Look at this list.
Tell us who jumps out.
Greg Loomis.
He and Alex got into this thing a few weeks ago.
And what was this thing they got into? Greg wanted the answers to a biology midterm.
He told Alex he was short on cash, asked him if he could trade him his iPod instead.
How much did Alex usually charge for something like that? Around 100 bucks a test.
He also wrote term papers.
Did he take the iPod? It didn't work.
Alex gave him back the iPod.
Told him he could study for his own tests from now on.
How did Greg react? He got pretty furious over it, but Alex wouldn't back down.
Any idea why Greg didn't show up today? His parents called, said he wasn't feeling well.
Can you get us his home address? Sure.
Has he had any behavioral problems? Fights? Vandalism? No.
Nothing like that.
Greg's only problem is his sense of entitlement.
Rubs people the wrong way sometimes.
Couldn't get that silver spoon out of his mouth, huh? We heard he transferred here from a private school? Uh, Sinclair Hall.
Before that, he was at Crestpoint.
Here's his locker.
Those are pretty prestigious schools.
Well, his parents said they were looking for a more well-rounded academic education.
In other words, he got kicked out? Basically.
They live in this catchment, so Foster was the natural choice.
Why would I cheat? I've got 3.
7 GPA.
We believe that Alex Garcia deserves most of the credit for that average.
What is that supposed to mean? Alex has been selling your son, Greg, here test answers and term papers since he got to Foster's.
That's not true, Dad.
I barely even knew Alex Garcia.
You're in all of his classes.
What does that have to do with the Garcia boy's death? We don't know if it has anything to do with it, but we're following leads.
Leads? Are you saying my son is a suspect? We're talking to dozens of suspects.
Your son is one of them.
And we're asking them all the same question.
Where were you when Alex Garcia was killed? I was in PE.
Oh, yeah.
Ls that how you got those scratches on your face, Greg? I was playing hockey.
If you have any further questions, you can contact my attorney.
Sure we will.
Gregory Loomis was a student here last year, that's true.
But as for his conduct, I don't recall.
His records from here hint at some behavior problems.
We were hoping to get that a little more defined.
I don't recall his behavior.
Why did he leave? I'd have to check my records.
So let's go check them.
They're confidential.
This isn't a hospital, Mr.
Englander.
I have an obligation to protect the privacy of my students.
Listen, we just need some indication that we're dealing with the right kid so we don't go wasting a whole lot of time, all right? Or we can have a subpoena here in two hours.
There'll be 10 more of us hauling out file boxes past all the soccer mommies waiting to pick up the kiddies.
Yeah, so you can answer one of our questions or two hundred of theirs.
You'll have to get a subpoena.
I could get fired or sued if you don't.
But I can tell you this, what's in Greg Loomis' records are the kinds of offenses that money couldn't buy him out of.
All right? I just got off the phone with the Greg Loomis' gym teacher.
He was a no-show on the day of the murder.
So, he has no alibi and a history with the victim.
It's hard to believe anyone would kill over a test score.
It gets deeper than that.
He got kicked out of two other private schools for poor academic achievement.
Foster was his last shot.
Yeah, and I guess Alex pulled the plug on that.
The lab just matched Greg Loomis' thumbprint to the one found on the cello bow.
Wait.
I thought you said he wasn't in the system.
We got a print off a comb from his locker.
Go pick him up.
Greg left a little while ago with his parents.
How long is a little while ago? About an hour, hour and a half.
They happen to say where they were going? Took the car.
You know these people pretty good.
You have any idea where they went? Not really.
Mr.
Loomis gave you a big Christmas bonus this year? Yes, sir, he did.
But I still don't know where they went.
What kind of car does he have? Mercedes G-Class.
Black.
Those cars have GPS.
Tom? Tom, what's going on here? We could ask you the same thing.
We have a warrant for your son's arrest.
Oh, no.
No.
Sherman.
Sherman.
They've come for Greg.
They want to arrest him.
I'm calling my attorney.
While you've got him on the phone, have him explain the aiding and abetting laws to you.
We came out here for a long weekend.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Loomis, please.
He's upstairs in his bedroom.
Let's go.
Greg.
Greg! Son, open up.
The police are here.
Come on.
Open up.
Oh, God.
ELLEN: Oh, God.
He's bleeding.
He's bleeding.
Stay back.
Stay back.
Greg.
Greg.
Get us an ambulance! - Take it easy.
- Please, calm down.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Docket number 101672.
People v, Greg Loomis on a charge oi Murder 'm the Second Degree.
How does your client plead, Counselor? Not guilty, Your Honor.
- JUDGE McNEIL: People on bail.
- People seek remand.
We're concerned about a flight risk.
When apprehended, the defendant had fled the jurisdiction.
He was with his parents at their vacation home in Long Island.
Kind of nippy on the Island this time of year, isn't it, Counselor? Where he attempted suicide.
Now, Your Honor, we have taken the liberty of securing a room at the Green Haven Psychiatric Facility, where he could stay as a condition of recognizance.
Your Honor, it's a country club.
Rolling lawns, minimal security.
He could be well guarded and receive counseling.
His parents are concerned that there could be a second suicide attempt.
And they're willing to put up their $5 million penthouse as collateral.
I'm sold.
Five million bail.
Condition of recognizance is commitment to Green Haven.
Come.
It's nice, like you said, the place he's going? Well, it's not like a country club.
I played that up.
But it's not jail.
No.
I met his parents at the school.
They are wealthy people, and that lawyer, I've seen her on Court TV.
We don't got a shot against them.
We absolutely do, Mr.
Garcia.
Uh, Ms.
Borgia.
I thought I'd save a messenger fee.
Notification of our defense.
Involuntary intoxication.
Greg Loomis was taking Centinall for Attention Deficit Disorder.
Shane's claiming the drug caused him to snap and kill Alex Garcia.
Designer defense for a designer attorney.
And a successful one, who's won some cases on some pretty thin ice.
So don't ever underestimate Rebecca Shane.
I've heard of her.
But the pills made me do it is a hard sell, even for her.
I guarantee you that she has bought an expert or three to back her up.
I'll find an expert to destroy her.
A battle between the experts generally goes to the defense, Jack.
Especially when there's a kid involved.
A malingerer.
This Greg Loomis got a criminal record? Nothing, but he bounced around a lot of fancy private high schools.
Records only indicate that he was asked to leave.
Kind way to avoid the word expulsion.
He was a bad student.
Alex Garcia was the only thing keeping him in school.
He committed murder over a biology grade.
You seem to be hell-bent against this kid, Jack.
You sure taking on a TV lawyer is not playing in to this at all? It's the abdication of personal responsibility to a medication that's got me hell-bent.
What's next, my inhaler made me do it? And I've never met Rebecca Shane.
Well, you're going to.
She wants to sit down.
Good.
But unless she's willing to take murder two, we're going to trial.
When Gregory was put on Centinall, his doctor was not aware of the dangerous side effects.
It's an FDA approved drug that's prescribed for millions of kids every year.
Just because it's FDA approved doesn't mean it's safe.
I mean, look at Vioxx, thalidomide.
Centinall is directly associated with suicidal and homicidal behavior.
But as a coincidence or an inciting factor? Oh.
In 1997, there was a 14-year-old boy who killed three students and wounded five others at a high school prayer meeting.
in Huntsville, Alabama chopped up his parents with an ax.
Both were on Centinall.
Maybe they both had brown hair, too.
I didn't mean to kill Alex.
I didn't know what I was doing.
Quiet, Gregory, please.
We're willing to concede to a man two charge.
Ten years probation with counseling.
I was thinking more along the lines of 20 to life.
My God.
What Our psychiatrist wants to see your client tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.
m.
I never liked being on the pills.
The pills themselves, or the idea of being on them in the first place? Both, I guess.
I never thought I was crazy.
How did having to take them make you feel? I knew it was for the best.
Why? Well, it made my parents feel better.
But there were times where I just felt like hell.
Physically, I mean.
HOW? Well, sometimes, I could get really paranoid, you know.
Just thinking everyone was looking at me.
Did that ever happen before you started taking the Centinall? No.
And then other times, I wouldn't sleep for days, you know? Just walk around like a zombie.
Like I was actually outside my body, you know? Floating above myself, watching myself talk to people, ride the subway, just totally apart.
Was there a trigger to these feelings? Out of the blue.
Did you ever tell anyone about them? My dad, sometimes, but he didn't believe me.
He just said it was normal.
Dr.
Olivet, look, if I'd had any clue that something like this was going to happen, I'd have stopped taking the pills.
But I did what I was told.
Maybe I shouldn't have.
It did sound like he'd memorized the warning label.
He probably had more coaching than my neighborhood Little League.
I also reviewed Greg's medical file.
He was taking a standard dosage, and he never reported any adverse reactions to his physician.
Sounds like he clearly had the ability to form intent.
And Greg's suicide attempt, real or staged, indicates consciousness of guilt.
Defense's expert will say it indicates he wasn't of sound mind.
But we'll have you to say he was.
I believe he was, yes.
But the truth is we don't really know for certain what effects these drugs have on developing brains.
I'd prefer that you kept that to yourself.
Dr.
Smith, would you tell us a little about your field of expertise? I study the effects of drugs on children eight to 20 with.
Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
What does the drug Centinall do? It's a central nervous system stimulant, which affects key neurotransmitters in the brain to enhance focus and attentiveness.
And its effect? It chemically alters that part of the brain that controls spontaneity, impulse control and aggression.
It also reduces overall blood flow and can possibly cause shrinkage or atrophy.
And does this lead to psychotic or violent behavior? Those conditions have been reported, yes.
Centinall is classified as a Schedule ll drug, in the same category as morphine, PCP, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Has it been associated with homicide? There are dozens of documented cases worldwide.
Thank you.
No more questions.
How many children take psychoactive drugs like Centinall every year? The figure has exploded in recent years.
I believe it presently stands at around eight million.
But not every child that takes a psychotropic drug commits suicide or homicide.
Of course not.
How many do, Doctor? No, no.
It's hard to get accurate statistics.
Perhaps 8,000.
Out of eight million.
That's one tenth of one percent.
And is there any proof that the violence committed by that one tenth of one percent was solely caused by Centinall alone? That would be impossible to determine.
Because there are co-factors.
There's never a single cause.
There are biological, environmental and psychological factors, which have to be considered as well.
Thank you, Doctor.
That's all.
I had read about this miracle drug, so I made an appointment with a psychiatrist.
Why did you feel it was necessary to put your son on medication? Well, Greg had been having some trouble at school.
And he's He's such a smart kid.
He's so sharp, but he was struggling.
After he started the drug, did you notice any change in his behavior? Did he ever complain about how he felt? Oh, he He did not like the side effects.
And yet you continued to keep him on Centinall? L wanted him to go to a good college.
I wanted him to be successful.
So I forced him to stay on the medication.
In spite of his complaints? I ignored them.
Even when I could tell that he was agitated, because he was finally doing so well in school.
It was the worst decision I have ever made.
The rewards for success are high in your household, aren't they, Mr.
Loomis? Well, we reward achievement.
Your Honor, prosecution exhibits 19 through 25.
Emails to your son that promise him a Porsche if he gets into an Ivy League college.
I did promise that.
And an allowance of $60,000.
Those were merely incentives.
Big money incentives for big achievement.
But the consequences for failure in your family are conversely dire.
You lose your home.
"Either you get into college" "or when you turn 18, you're out of the house.
" My son was spending all of his time smoking marijuana and playing video games.
"You will have failed me as a son," "and failed your whole family.
" Success is about working hard.
I was just trying to motivate him.
By withholding affection and threatening to kick him out.
That's an enormous amount of pressure on a child.
Greg did not kill Alex Garcia because of the pressure of getting into college.
That is exactly why he killed him, and why he was buying his grades.
Objection.
Argumentative.
Sustained.
Greg would never kill anyone.
It was this drug.
Or the car, the money, the apartment and your affection for him.
He has always had my affection.
Maybe Maybe I work too much.
Maybe I have pushed him in the wrong way, but he has always had my love and affection.
I remember being in the music room with Alex Garcia.
And I remember his mouth moving, but it was like I couldn't hear what he was saying.
What happened next? Well, I see it all in these weird flashes.
He's talking to me and then And then I push him.
And then I see the cello bow in my hand.
And then I go blank.
What do you remember next? Waking up in the hospital with cuts on my wrists.
How did you feel that day before school? Everything was in these flashes, and I was feeling real aggressive.
Were you feeling aggressive specifically against Alex Garcia? Only after he told me he wouldn't give me the test answers.
It's like all that anger just went toward him.
How did you feel about Alex Garcia in general? I liked Alex.
A lot.
He was my friend.
So what reason would you have to do him harm? None at all.
Why would I hurt him? He was helping me.
That's right.
He was helping you.
Thanks, Greg.
You raised your grade point average considerably due to Alex Garcia's test answers, didn't you? And because I was studying.
Isn't it correct that failing your biology midterm would have put your GPA average below consideration for Ivy League schools? Objection.
Speculative.
Sustained.
Prosecution exhibits Your text message communications with other students stating that you knew this fact.
Objection.
Argumentative.
Sustained.
You've led a privileged life.
Ever not gotten what you wanted? I didn't hurt Alex because of grades.
You didn't hurt him.
You killed him, over his refusal to give you what you wanted.
I had no idea what was going on in the music room that day.
Did you know what was going on on November 14th of last year in the science room of the Crestpoint school, when you ignited a class project with an alcohol burner after receiving what you thought was an unfair grade? That was a complete accident.
And six months later, in March, in the Sinclair Hall Academy, were you aware of your actions when you stabbed holes in the school's supply of basketballs after you were cut from the junior varsity team? That was a prank.
And it wasn't my idea.
Two other guys were with me.
There's always an excuse, isn't there? An accident, someone else, the medication.
But you're never at fault, are you? I didn't I didn't mean to do it.
No? Or is that just another excuse? Nothing further.
Redirect, Your Honor.
How did you feel about what happened to Alex Garcia? Awful.
Like I want to cry all the time about it.
If you could take back what happened that day, would you? Objection, relevance.
Overruled.
Would you? I'd do anything to take it back.
I stayed on that medication and dealt with being a zombie because I wanted to make my dad proud.
So I could be who he wanted for a son.
But that's not why I hurt Alex.
Mr.
Garcia, I'm sorry.
But it was like someone else did it.
I don't know how to explain it any better.
I'm so sorry.
Mr.
Garcia.
Greg addressing you in court was a cheap ploy.
And no doubt Shane planned it.
We got to talk about something.
I just got a call from an old friend of my son's.
He heard about Greg Loomis' defense for killing Alex, and said it doesn't make sense.
That Greg Loomis wasn't taking those pills.
He was selling them.
It guts his defense.
A month before Greg killed Alex, I traded him for his whole bottle of Centinall.
To sell to kids to help study for midterms.
Did he ever sell pills to you before? Just that one time.
How'd he approach you? He heard I had my teeth pulled and said we can make a trade.
For your painkillers? And I saw him stash the pills I traded him for.
There's a secret hole under a floorboard in his room.
He had lots of pill bottles there.
Do you know if Greg sold pills to other kids? I don't know, maybe.
I'll write up a search warrant for his room.
And talk to kids in the school.
I want another buyer.
Sorry, I don't know anything about Greg Loomis selling his Centinall.
Do you know anyone who might? Not really.
Have you ever heard of kids selling their prescriptions before? Sure.
Can you tell me who they might be? It's not any one person, you know? Kids just go to pharming parties.
Pharming, like Pharmaceuticals? To trade their pills or their parents' pills.
So it's more like a general thing.
Did Greg Loomis go to these parties? I don't know.
Scott.
You know something you're not telling me.
I want to help, but I also want to go to college, okay? I'm not looking to get you into trouble.
That's what you say.
As opposed to whom? There were some men here earlier, talking to kids.
Shane's private investigators? Four of them.
Telling kids anything said to the DA's office about illegal activities would go on their transcript and we'd prosecute.
Deep pocket dirty trick.
We could ask for a continuance, have the cops blanket the school for at least one more kid they didn't get to.
You won't get the continuance, and besides, the well's poisoned.
Those kids looked at me like I was there to ruin their lives.
Shane spent that money well.
How was Freddie Colon in prep? Solid.
Put him on.
How were you approached to make this trade? Greg came up to me in the lunch area.
He asked how bad my mouth was hurting from getting my wisdom teeth pulled out.
What did you say? It didn't hurt.
I was fine.
Then what did he ask? If I knew how much I could sell Centinall for.
Did you? I'd bought it before for seven bucks a pill.
Did you make this trade? The next day after school, he gave me his bottle of pills, I gave him mine.
How many pills were in Greg's bottle of Centinall? Thirty.
Did you notice if that was every pill in the prescription? That's what it said on the bottle.
Where did this trade happen? In his room.
After we made the trade, he hid what I gave him under a loose board in the floor.
Nothing further.
So, Mr.
Colon, you made this supposed trade on October 17th? Around then, yeah.
In his room? At his apartment on East 86th Street? That's right.
Video surveillance tapes from the Loomis' apartment building.
They contain the entire months of September, October and November.
And you don't appear in any of it.
Now, why do you think that is, Mr.
Colon? Objection.
Not yet in evidence.
I'll allow it.
De bene.
Please answer.
Uh, maybe I got the day wrong.
Or maybe you just were never there at all.
I knew people were trading pills with him.
But not you.
I just heard about it.
Alex used to be my best friend, but he struggled to fit into Foster.
I I just wanted to help him.
Mr.
Garcia said that it would.
He put you up to this? I sit in that courtroom all day and watch them lie.
Loomis doesn't take his meds.
Freddie Colon lying on the stand destroys our credibility with the jury.
But what he said was the truth.
But he never bought drugs.
That's perjury, and it seriously undermines our case.
Your case was a lot of words, a lot of talk.
Maybe you don't see it, but all those displays Ms.
Shane's got, and her clothes, and the diamonds in her ears, the jury can't look away.
I can't look away.
This was no way to get justice for your son! How then? Because I don't have the money to buy it like Loomis.
So I assume the kid lying was a lousy break, not intentional misconduct.
We had no idea.
We'll see you at closings.
I have a proposal.
Three years probation with counseling.
No deal.
You'd rather an acquittal? Because that's what he's going to get.
Ten years in a maximum security psychiatric facility.
That's worse than penitentiary.
He deserves 20 to life.
But he's going to walk.
So why offer the three? Why are we talking? I just had a very pragmatic moment.
Doesn't happen very often.
How much did it cost to review three months of the Loomis apartment surveillance tapes? 15,000? Yeah, about that.
Got the truth though, didn't it? Is that what you're in this for? Three years probation with counseling.
Offer expires in two hours.
Consider it.
Should we? That's a lot of pills, isn't it? Precisely the amount that Gregory Loomis took over his two years on Centinall.
It was supposed to help him study and achieve his full potential.
But what he didn't know, and what his parents didn't know, and what the doctor didn't know was that every one of these pills could be as lethal as a bullet.
No one knew because the manufacturing drug company never told anyone about possible side effects of suicide or murder.
Tragically, one of these bullets went off, and killed Alex Garcia.
Now, Gregory is not a criminal.
He didn't volunteer to take these pills.
It was not his choice.
He is a child.
And he did as his parents told him.
And his parents did what the doctor told them.
And the doctor prescribed this medication because he had been assured by the manufacturer that it was safe.
Now, follow that line and you'll find where the blame lies.
But it does not stop at Gregory.
He is not responsible for this tragedy.
No doubt about it, Rebecca Shane and her team have put on a dazzling defense.
To hear her tell it, you could almost think that no one is responsible for what happened to Alex Garcia.
We're counting on your good sense to remember that behind the impressive display, the facts remain the facts.
Greg Loomis is an uncommonly privileged young man with a history of violent reactions to not getting his way.
His family's wealth has allowed him to escape all the more unpleasant consequences of his past explosions.
They placed him in new schools, and gave him money to avoid hard work, and to buy his way out of tough spots.
So based on past experience, he expects to evade responsibility for Alex Garcia's murder, and to get another free pass, this time from you.
Who did this, Centinall or Greg Loomis? And how did Centinall give Greg Loomis his pattern of violent behavior, his motive and the sense of entitlement that made him think he could wrap a garrote around Alex Garcia's throat and get away with it? How do we survive as a society if no one is accountable for their actions? We don't.
No one here is willing to take responsibility.
So the task falls on you.
The law says he must be held accountable for his actions.
Uphold the law.
There isn't an excuse for everything.
In the matter of The People v.
Gregory Loomis, on the count of Murder in the Second Degree, how do you find? We find the defendant, Gregory Loomis, guilty.
Jury is dismissed with the thanks of the Court.
You know, it isn't very often I have the displeasure of having to say to the opposing counsel, congratulations.
We're threadbare, but we get the job done.
Impressively.
You know, our firm is thinking of expanding.
Have you ever considered private practice? Considered it and dismissed it.
A long time ago, I accepted my place in the world.
I suppose that's a virtue.
Although, I personally can't see it.
You or the Loomis family.
Do you think if there had been less parental pressure, that Greg might've turned out to be a perfectly content plumber? You can never find a good one.
My limo.
Good night, Mr.
McCoy.
It's been a pleasure.