Law & Order (1990) s16e17 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.
Off the glass Whoo! Yeah! Baby Bird! Whoo! You see the Oklahoma State game? Thirty-foot bank at the buzzer.
Over three guys.
When's that guy gonna lose that raggedy ass moustache? After he goes numero uno in the draft.
No way.
Dude's got no hops, he's got no speed You just can't give a white man his props, can you? He's a good college ballplayer, period.
What the hell? I don't wanna miss the end of this game.
Damn.
Somebody shot our TV.
A stray bullet came through the wall in the room next door.
What time was that? About 11:30.
The manager came up to check it out and found him.
Is this the guy that checked into the room? Front desk says the room's registered to Jeffrey Pope, but there's no ID.
No wallet or money? How about a cell phone? None of the above.
Did you notice any shell casings? I didn't see any.
Did he check in with anyone? Said he was alone.
- Condom wrapper.
- Ah-ha.
There's three more on the floor over here.
Looks like our DOA had a visitor.
Or two.
We should check the garbage.
Maybe he didn't flush.
Looks like he had a hell of a party.
Yeah, that's one way you can look at it.
The deceased was the same man who paid for the room, Jeffrey Pope.
Checked in at 1:15 this afternoon.
Address on the driver's license is in Camden, South Carolina.
Anyone imprint his credit card? He paid three nights cash in advance.
Did he make any calls from the room? Uh, no.
Any way of telling who visited him earlier? Six hundred rooms.
We can't keep track of everybody who comes and goes.
You got security cameras on the eighth floor? Not on the individual floors, just over here.
We're going to have to get those from you.
Did any of your employees go up there, room service, maybe? No, but I'm pretty sure I saw him using our courtesy computer around 7:30.
Where's that? It's right over here.
Lot of hits on Craigslist New York.
Looks like he went right to the Erotic Services section.
Hmm.
Escorts.
Uh-huh.
There's, like, 10 postings.
Kept going back to one of them, though.
Hold on.
A little comparison shopping.
The caption says, "Alex, 23-year-old model.
" Can you set us up in a room? Hi, there.
Wow.
You must be Alex.
You going to invite me in or what? That's why you're here, baby.
Come on in.
Make yourself comfortable.
It's business first, sweetie.
Of course.
How much we talking about here, doll face? Not a problem.
One, two, three.
Oh, you did not tell me we had company.
A threesome is extra.
Oh, son of a bitch! Nah, nah, nah.
Just take it easy.
Sit down.
It's not what you think it is.
Yeah? What then? Okay.
Just sit down.
You were in Room 823 here earlier this evening? Yes, says who? Look, if you give us straight answers, you're gonna be out making calls before the sun rises.
Okay? I had a client there.
Said his name was Jeffrey.
Right.
How long were you with him? He booked me for an hour.
Did he bring a friend? No.
Did you? What are you talking about? We found a whole pile of those condom wrappers in his room.
Yeah, all his.
Guy was a regular porn star.
He said he'd been away, hadn't had any in eight months.
Sol made him double up.
I thought I was done.
He made me stay for an encore.
And then? I left.
Something happen? Yeah.
He's dead.
Look, when I left, he was happy and healthy.
He even rang me back to see if I wanted to set something up for tomorrow.
You can check the time on my phone.
I was on my way to another appointment.
Officer Davies is gonna babysit you while we check out your story.
Well, she did get a phone call at 10:53.
But look at this area code, Oh, that's a satellite phone.
You can use those anywhere in the world.
This guy Pope was out of the country for eight months.
I'd like to know what that was all about.
Let's call his phone.
I don't know nobody named Jeffrey Pope.
So what were you doing with his phone? I found it in the garbage.
You know how many times we've heard that one? No.
I saw this guy open his trunk and throw something away.
I went there by the trashcan and this phone was down in there.
Why did you hold on to it? You know what it costs to call the Ukraine? Where were you last night at 11:25? My shift here started at 8:00.
You can check with my supervisor.
Okay, the dude that dumped this phone, what did he look like? I didn't get a good look.
White, six foot.
How old? It was dark.
He could have been 20, could have been 60.
Look, he got back into his car and drove right into the tunnel.
Okay.
Fine.
What did the car look like? Let me see, dark red, a piece of junk.
What do you mean, a piece of junk? It was old.
One of his headlights was not working.
Where's the trashcan? It's right over there.
But sanitation was by about half an hour ago.
We tracked down that garbage truck and we have got a detail from the police academy going through the bags.
How'd you swing that, Fontana? Somebody owed me a favor.
Anything from Ballistics? Yeah.
The slugs are 9mms.
An automatic.
And the shooter cleaned up after himself.
Yeah, and he took all of Pope's lD's.
I guess he's trying to slow us down.
How about next of kin? Well, according to the police department in South Carolina, he moved out of that address on his driver's license years ago.
Did they speak to the neighbors? Yeah.
They said he kept to himself, and they don't know of any family.
Hey.
Pope's satellite phone is from a network based in Dubai.
These phones are only available in southwest Asia and northern Africa.
Check all the flights that came from the Middle East.
Rivera's doing that.
Iran his prints.
He was honorably discharged from the navy two years ago.
Ex-military, overseas.
And he played football for SUNY Maritime.
Well, maybe they still have a local contact.
Jeffrey was here '88 to '92.
An average student, a better than average quarterback.
Is this is him? Oh.
He looks a little older than I remember him.
Did he join the navy right after he graduated? He qualified for the SEALS.
That's a pretty big deal around here.
Most of our students go to the Coast Guard or they choose careers at sea in the private sector.
Is there some kind of problem? He was found dead in a hotel room a few days ago.
Oh.
I'm sorry to hear that.
In New York? Yes, sir.
Our athletic director just got a postcard from him a few months ago.
He'd left the service.
He was with a private security company over there.
Um, Diamond something.
Hey, if you worked here, would you want me telling your life story to whoever walks in that door? Hey, man.
Look, here.
Pope's life story ended last night.
I don't think so.
Someone would have given me a phone call.
From where? Damn it! Can you not take a hint? Well, here's a hint for you, Johnny.
You can either answer our questions here or downtown, chained to a wall.
He was murdered in New York at the Wilton Hotel on 43rd Street.
That does not make any sense.
Yeah, that's him.
What does he do for your company? We have a security team that works in the Sunni Triangle, protecting high-risk individuals and materials.
He was a mercenary.
Diamond River is a private military firm.
One out of eight men or women that's performing mission-critical roles in Iraq works for a PMF.
And we've had about Is there anybody we can talk to, besides you, that knows what he was going through over there recently? There's a guy that he worked with in Ramadi.
- He was here a few hours ago.
- Who? Kevin Boatman.
He came in here and quit.
He wanted his back pay.
Why'd he quit? I don't know.
Maybe he needed a change of scenery.
L think he had some problems with Pope.
What do you mean problems? There was an incident a couple months ago, a roadside bomb.
Two of Pope's guys got killed.
Boatman got out of harm's way, but I have heard there were hard feelings.
Do you know where Boatman's staying? Boatman is flying back to Jordan tonight.
Said he took a job with one of our competitors.
He's on the 8:00 out of JFK.
Boatman check any bags? All he had was his carry-on.
Mr.
Boatman? Boatman? Yeah.
Can you step out of the line, please, sir? Why? We got some questions we'd like to ask you.
My plane leaves in 20 minutes.
Well, you'll have to take the next one.
Come on.
You want to let go of my arm? Yeah, sure.
Have a seat.
What were you doing in New York, Mr.
Boatman? I work private security.
In Iraq.
That's right.
I came over here to catch on with a different company.
You had to travel 7,000 miles to do that? Yeah.
Why'd you make the switch? Better pay.
Better hours.
Same reasons you guys change departments.
We heard you were having problems with your supervisor, Jeffrey Pope.
Why don't you get to the point? All right.
We also heard about the ambush you were involved in.
That's no big secret.
Then you wouldn't mind filling us in on the details.
We got ticketed to guard a truck from Ramadi to Baghdad.
I'm in the rear SUV with our interpreter.
Jamie Cortez and Nick Howell are in the lead.
About two miles out of town, Nick hit a roadside bomb.
Next thing you know, a dozen Ali Babas are coming over the berm with AK's.
My vehicle and the client vehicle hauled ass out of there.
You left your friends behind? That or wind up dead like them.
You blame Pope for getting your pals killed? Something happen to Pope? Is that what this is about? Your passport has you and Pope leaving Amman a day apart.
Pope was screwing some guy's wife in South Carolina.
That's who I'd be looking at.
Where were you at 11:30 last night? He said this guy threatened to kill him.
So I'm going to see if I can catch my connection to Jordan.
Sit down! What are the charges? Fragging your boss.
Sit down.
Boatman flies in from Iraq on Pope's heels.
Now Pope's dead and Boatman's trying to leave town.
What's the motive? To avenge his dead friends at the Diamond River Group.
So, he's here less than one day and comes up with a car and a gun? - He must've had some help.
- Who? We got nothing on the security video.
We got a vague description of a single suspect, driving a red car with one headlight.
TSA did find a business card in Boatman's luggage.
It's some lawyer in Midtown.
That's our next stop.
Well, where's Boatman? They're holding onto him pending a background check.
So you called in another favor, Fontana? Look, if we cut him loose, he'll be on a plane before our coffee gets cold.
All this stuff is starting to add up.
Twenty-four hours.
I had no idea Boatman was in town.
You didn't see him while he was here? No.
What would he be doing with your business card? Come on, guys.
Mrs.
Rosen, what kind of work do you do here at this firm? Civil litigation, personal injury, industrial accidents The only accident we heard Boatman was involved in happened in Iraq.
Do you know a man named Jeffrey Pope? He was found murdered a few nights ago.
You're serious? Oh, we're very serious.
I contacted Boatman in Iraq because he was a potential witness.
I was looking into this on behalf of one of the families of the men who were killed, the Howell family.
Who are they going after? Pope.
And the Diamond River Group.
Because the insurgents killed their son? Not just killed.
They beheaded him.
That's awful, but can they actually sue them for that? This isn't the army.
The company sent its employees on a suicide mission.
When Nick died over there, nobody would even answer our questions.
If he would have still been in the service, it would be in the paper.
They probably would have had a parade for him in town.
But from these Diamond River people, nothing.
That's why we went to see Mrs.
Rosen.
We thought she could get to the bottom of what happened.
No disrespect intended, but weren't you looking to collect damages? We're not doing so good.
The only reason Nick took the job with that company was so he could help get us out of debt.
For your medical expenses? I have MS.
Vernon had to switch to part-time at the plant so he could look after me.
My kid is risking his life in Iraq, and they're trying to take away our house 'cause we got no health insurance.
Did Nick ever mention his supervisor, Jeffrey Pope? Pope, yeah.
I think he talked to Robbie about him.
Said he was a real idiot.
Who's Robbie? Our other boy.
Nick's little brother.
He lives two blocks from here.
Nick used to live there, too.
Do you know if Robbie's home? I'm pretty sure he's at work.
He's a stock boy at Better Foods on Route 27.
The last thing my parents need are people coming around, asking about Nick.
We're trying to get over what happened.
You don't support your parents' lawsuit against Diamond River? What lawsuit? The lawyer said we probably couldn't touch 'em 'cause it happened in Iraq.
Somebody dropped some salad dressing in aisle five.
Bob wants you to clean it up.
Hey, listen.
Your father said that you and Nick would talk about Jeffrey Pope.
Yeah, what about him? He doesn't sound like your favorite person.
Two things I know about Pope.
Nick worked for him, and Nick's head came home in a box.
We're sorry that happened.
So, yeah, I'd love to hear what Pope has to say about that.
Where were you Tuesday night? My shift ends at 8:00.
Then I went home.
Alone? Yeah.
What kind of car do you drive? Jeep Cherokee.
How about your brother? Did he keep a car around? I gotta go clean up that mess.
Hey, look.
We can always do a DMV check if you're not gonna give us a straight answer.
Nick used my mom's old Honda.
What color? Maroon.
Where's it at? My parents' garage.
Thank you.
You know, I don't understand what this has to do with Diamond River.
We just wanna take a quick look at your wife's car.
Well, there it is.
Hey, do you mind if I turn it on? I guess it's all right.
Who has access to this car, Mr.
Howell? Robbie uses it sometimes.
Why? Thank you, Mr.
Howell.
Hold on.
It's a 9mm shell casing.
From a gun? We're going to have to have a talk with your son.
I don't know where that shell came from.
Yeah, well, you're screwed, because it matches the slugs we found in Jeffrey Pope's chest.
Look, Robbie.
I was in Vietnam, okay? I lost a lot of good buddies over there because some prep boy captain didn't know his Johnson bar from his elbow.
So for you to lose a brother like that, man, that's gotta be rough.
Come on, man.
Don't baby his ass.
He killed Pope because he wanted revenge.
Now, he's gonna sit here like a little coward? Now, wait a minute.
You don't think he deserved revenge? Pope got this kid's brother's head chopped off, for crying out loud.
And there isn't a jury in the world that would convict him.
Yeah, he's noble.
He's not even standing up and taking responsibility for it, like a man.
Look, Robbie, you gotta get out in front of this thing right now.
I'm telling you, it's your only shot.
I don't know.
Come on, man.
Let's just give this to the D.
A.
We already know that he got that headlight fixed the next morning at the Route 27 Exxon.
And we have a witness that saw you dump Pope's cell phone near the Midtown Tunnel.
He couldn't have seen me.
Why not? 'Cause I wasn't there.
See what I'm saying, man? Kevin took the Honda that night.
Wait a second.
Kevin.
Kevin who? Kevin.
Boatman.
I picked him up at the airport.
He stayed in Nick's room that night.
He wanted a car to drive to the city.
Did you go with him? No, I swear I didn't.
Where'd he get the gun? It was Nick's.
Did you give it to him? Yeah.
So you knew that that was gonna lead to trouble, didn't you? I don't know.
I guess.
Why did you go along with it? Well, I told Kevin the lawyer didn't think she could help my mom and dad, and Kevin said that wasn't right, that somebody should pay for what happened to Nick.
Pay? Pay how? Well, if Pope wouldn't help us with our lawsuit, Kevin was gonna get justice, one way or the other.
Wait a minute.
How did you come to blame Pope for what happened to your brother, anyway? Kevin said they told Pope the road was too hot that day, that they were gonna get hit.
Pope didn't care.
He said they had a contract, that the reason they got a fat paycheck was to take risks.
And my brother After they blew up my brother's truck, Kevin radioed Pope for help.
But Pope wouldn't send the rest of the team.
He left Nick out there for those animals.
Danielle Melnick for Mr.
Howell and Mr.
Boatman.
You gentlemen are aware that you're entitled to separate counsel? Yes.
Yes.
I'll make further inquiry on this after they're arraigned.
How do they plead, Ms.
Melnick? Not guilty, Judge.
People on bail? Mr.
Boatman, the gunman, was apprehended attempting to board an international flight.
He had a job to get to, Your Honor.
We obtained admissions implicating both defendants from Robbie Howell.
What were their motives, Ms.
Borgia? They held the victim responsible for Nick Howell's death in Iraq.
He was fighting over there? Not exactly.
He was killed during an ambush while he worked for a private militia called the Diamond River Group.
They're the real criminals! They got my son killed! Who is that? My client's father, Your Honor.
Another outburst like that, and he'll be on this side of the bar.
He's upset that his son died due to this company's incompetence.
Save it for trial, Ms.
Melnick.
I'm remanding Boatman.
Bail for Robbie Howell will be set at $1 million, cash or bond.
Melnick must have an agenda.
She seemed all worked up about the Diamond River Group.
One of the defendants and the victim both worked for the same company.
What's her angle? She'll say Nick Howell's a victim, too.
And Pope's death is collateral damage from private armies fighfing in an undermanned, unpopular war.
A run at jury nullification, and a pretty weak one, if you ask me.
Melnick's got a press conference scheduled today at 3:00.
The beginning of her campaign to work the media and the jury pool.
Blue city.
Blue state.
It could have some traction.
Well, let's don't go paws up because some self-serving defense lawyer wants to hop on a soapbox.
You just couldn't lay off this one, could you, Danielle? How could I, Jack? They've outsourced an ill-advised, mismanaged war.
And now, it's spilled over into New York City.
We're looking at a much smaller picture.
The Howell family's been through a lot.
We're prepared to offer Mr.
Howell some consideration.
Really? Becoming a softie in your old age, Jack? I could be convinced that he wasn't fully aware of Mr.
Boatman's intentions.
You want his testimony.
That's right.
Does he want to deal or not? No can do.
Don't you think there's a problem representing both defendants? No.
They waived the conflict.
That wasn't a problem for you.
Jack, if I thought for a minute that Mr.
Howell wanted any plea bargain, I would withdraw as his counsel.
We're offering you a plea to manslaughter.
Ten years.
Because I tried to help my parents? You were looking for revenge, Mr.
Howell.
When they hear about my brother at the trial, they're gonna let me go.
I trust Ms.
Melnick has told you that what happened in Iraq has no bearing on this murder case.
It may not even come into evidence.
And there's where we part company, Jack.
My motion to enter video evidence.
Video of what? Of Nick Howell's ambush and beheading in Ramadi, Iraq.
First problem with this video, Your Honor, is that it lacks proper authentication.
We have no reason to believe that it is what it purports to be.
Where'd you get it, Ms.
Melnick? It was first posted on a jihadist website, Your Honor.
Exactly.
For all we know, it was staged.
It was then delivered to the al-Jazeera television network, which confirmed the details through eyewitness accounts and found it trustworthy enough to broadcast.
Al-Jazeera.
In any case, what happened to Nick Howell in Iraq is irrelevant to Mr.
Pope's murder.
Irrelevant? It provides the context for this case! So Ms.
Melnick is conceding her clients' culpability? No.
In which case, the only rationale for this brutal piece of footage is to manipulate the jury into an acquittal.
Judge Fischer, this ambush demonstrates that Jeffrey Pope was an incompetent cowboy.
He cultivated a long list of enemies who may have committed this crime.
You can establish that through the testimony of your clients without the video.
That's Fifth Amendment blackmail, Counselor.
This video is the fullest, most objective rendition of what occurred, Your Honor.
Hard to argue with that, Mr.
McCoy.
I cannot believe you would even contemplate screening a beheading for a jury.
It's off-the-charts inflammatory.
Yes, it is.
So here's what we're going to do.
The defense may introduce the video of the ambush, subject to a proper foundation, up to the point of the beheading.
In fact, Ms.
Melnick, I want the video clip pre-edited so there'll be no slipups in the courtroom.
Mr.
Howell, you testified that your older son, Nick, returned to Iraq to work for a private military company? Right.
The Diamond River Group.
And does he still work for this company? Nick was killed over there this past September.
Do you know how he was killed, sir? On a job for Diamond River.
They hit a bomb that was buried in the road.
I know this may be difficult, Mr.
Howell, but I'm going to show you a video and ask you to indicate if and when you see your son Nick.
Okay? Nick! That's Nick.
Sir? Let him go.
Look, I know the video was disturbing, but we've gotta make sure that this case doesn't turn into a colloquy on Iraq.
Easier said than done, Arthur.
Danielle put up a very effective smoke screen.
The jury saw young Americans dying in combat.
Private contractors who knowingly took on a dangerous job.
Trust me.
The jurors weren't making those kind of distinctions.
These are images of American soldiers the public isn't used to seeing.
Images that have little if anything to do with the crime you're prosecuting.
- It was a cheap shot.
- Agreed.
But we knew it was gonna bring the war home to that courtroom like a ton of bricks.
And after being rocked by that, the jury would be hard pressed not to feel something for Boatman and Robbie Howell.
If you can't fight the message, go against the messenger.
You can expose Danielle Melnick for the opportunist that she is.
Or do you have a problem with that? Of course not.
We're getting a little ahead of ourselves.
The defense still has another witness, Kevin Boatman.
Why put on one of the defendants? To dish more dirt on the Diamond River Group? Or Danielle's got something else up her sleeve.
Pope's escort job was bad enough, and then he told us what was in the truck.
And what was that, Mr.
Boatman? Files from the Republican Guard.
They were sending them to the tribunal in Baghdad to be used in the war crimes trials.
And why did Diamond River get this assignment instead of the military? Well, the private providers are superior to the reserve troops we have stationed over there.
That's why the Defense Department hires them to protect key installations and individuals.
And what, if anything, did you say to Mr.
Pope about this escort that we saw today on the video? Me and Nick went into his trailer and told him he was crazy to send us out.
We needed to scout and sweep the route first, send a decoy through, with five times the personnel supporting the job.
And how did he respond to that? He started screaming.
Don't tell him how to do his job.
Which, in effect, you were.
He wasn't the one going out there with us.
When your boss tries to send you on a suicide mission, you gotta speak up.
And was this the first time that Mr.
Pope did anything like this? No, he was always cutting corners.
He put every man who worked for him at risk at one point or another.
Everybody hated his guts.
So what happened when you complained about this particular assignment? Pope said that we made more money than Bush and Cheney.
Told us to shut up and do our effin' jobs.
And did you? I was in the trailing SUV in the video.
Mr.
Boatman, can you describe to us what happened to your colleagues as a result of this attack? Jamie Cortez died in the explosion.
Nick, well you saw him get captured.
We went back there the same day, and all we found was Nick's head.
And were there any consequences to Mr.
Pope for sending you into this ambush? From who? He's not in the military, so he can't be court-martialed.
He can't be tried in a court of law anywhere.
The private companies can do anything to anyone.
There's no accountability.
Thank you.
So you decided to be judge and jury and execute him? It wasn't me.
So you deny that you followed Mr.
Pope here from Iraq? I came here to see Robbie, my dead friend's brother.
And you deny borrowing Nick Howell's car and gun? That's right.
Didn't you just testify to a litany of reasons you had to kill Jeffrey Pope? Reasons he screwed up.
Motives for murder, Mr.
Boatman? For revenge? Those are your words.
So you're asking this jury to believe that all these events you so meticulously recounted, all this evidence that lines up against you is just pure happenstance? Objection.
Argumentative.
Sustained.
If you didn't trust your supervisor, why didn't you just quit? Because I wanted to serve my country.
I wanted to finish what we started over there.
But you left the military for a hefty salary and benefits package? I still put my ass on the line every day.
For you.
For all of you.
So, was killing Jeffrey Pope part of the mission? How dare you stand there in your safe little job and judge me.
You'll be judged because you tracked down Pope and murdered him.
Objection! You want to know why I followed Pope here? You wanted to avenge your friend's death? He was selling an Iraqi prisoner for ransom! That's what Pope was doing here in New York.
Him and his friends caught some high-level insurgent terrorist, and they weren't giving him over to our guys.
They were offering him to the Israelis for $15 million.
Boatman claims DRG's hostage is a man named Abu Zayeed.
He's a Jordanian terrorist who's been working with the insurgency for the last two years.
Any chance he's telling the truth? Well, he's mentioned in various news reports as a high-value coalition target.
Why did Melnick wait so long to spring this on you? For maximum impact in a courtroom? Maybe Boatman never told her.
Call the FBI, I want them to check this out.
Because we believe Boatman? Because if this information turns out to be accurate, we can't afford not to.
Zayeed's a Palestinian who grew up in the Baqa'a refugee camps north of Amman.
He wrangled a handful of suicide operations on the West Bank during the Second Intifada.
The Israelis say he's responsible for at least two dozen fatalities before he turned his attention to Iraq.
How do we know Boatman's talking about the same man? Or that Pope's colleagues even have him? That's why I asked Ms.
Melnick to join us.
I take it your client mentioned this when he retained you? That's none of your business.
Well, your résumé speaks for itself.
Meaning? This wouldn't the first time you've crossed paths with an individual who's of interest to the Bureau.
That's my job, Agent Guardino.
Now I came here in good faith.
You want to hear more or not? Good.
Boatman says this DRG team was sent to escort an Iraqi politician to a routine meeting.
They were given the wrong address.
And that's when they stumbled on Zayeed.
They recognized him, took him into custody.
Where is he now? Boatman claims DRG has a secret detention facility in a remote location.
Is that possible? It wouldn't be the first PMF to have a private jail over there.
How'd they plan to ransom Zayeed? They put out feelers to a Mossad contact here in New York.
Was the home office of Diamond River involved? No.
Just these renegades in Ramadi.
They thought they could make this one deal and cash out.
Pope was sent here to get a down payment.
My client thought this was an outrage, so he came here to stop it.
Instead of informing someone in authority? I'm not vouching for his methodology, Jack.
You want Zayeed or not? We'll check this out.
If they have him, we want him.
What's on your mind that couldn't wait till tomorrow, Jack? I thought we could at least exchange some pleasantries first.
Scotch on the rocks, please.
Okay.
Let's start with whether you engineered this Zayeed revelation.
After everything we've been through together, you think I'd do this to you, Jack? Well, I didn't.
Even if you're telling me the truth, I still think you're playing with fire.
What's my alternative? Sit around and bitch about things? We all need to take a stand, Jack.
By putting your political agenda before your clients? I took on a dead case pro bone.
I can make my point, and possibly get an acquittal in the bargain.
You've got your priorities reversed.
Robbie Howell doesn't strike me as a political activist.
Well, burying your brother's head can change your perspective.
And for all we know, Boatman was after his part of $15 million.
If he were, which I highly doubt, maybe it's because he's as big a cynic as you are.
How so? The war, Jack.
Who wins, who loses.
It's all about a payday for somebody.
The Diamond River Group, Halliburton.
At the end of the day, Zayeed, he's just a commodity.
He's a means to an end for whomever's got him.
So this is your mission statement? You're the one who makes this all about the money.
And if you're questioning Boatman's motivation, why aren't you questioning this country's? Do you think Melnick set us up from the beginning? She's being coy.
We'll never know.
Well, if this Abu Zayeed thing pans out, it plays right into her hands.
Out of control private soldiers undermining our troops.
If the jury gets lost in politics instead of listening to facts.
Boatman's denials were about as transparent as they come.
Maybe that's why he panicked and threw a Hail Mary.
I hope that's all it was.
Mr.
McCoy, Mr.
Branch wants to see you in his office.
Jack, this is General Clark Ronson.
Jack McCoy.
Pleasure.
I'm the DOD's point man on this Abu Zayeed situation.
Defense thinks Boatman's story is credible, Jack.
Our eyes and ears in Iraq have confirmed most of his allegations.
Can I ask about the specifics? Well, we've corroborated a firefight at one of Zayeed's reputed safe houses in Ramadi.
Witnesses then saw DRG personnel leaving town with a prisoner.
And the Israelis? We've got a bigger problem than the Israelis.
We have three Marines in the Sunni Triangle who haven't returned from a work detail.
We decoded Internet chatter that indicates Zayeed's group has them.
We need Boatman's full cooperation to help us find Zayeed.
Who presumably has no idea where these three Marines are, nor any reason to tell us if he did.
Well, that's what interrogations are for.
Which means you need to make a deal with Boatman, today.
Not all of this is under my control.
Well, do what you have to do.
There are American lives at stake.
We need this guy to spill his guts.
You dismiss the indictment, my client cooperates with the Pentagon.
He doesn't get a walk on a murder.
I'll offer man one.
You have no leverage, Jack.
My leverage is saying no.
And you'd compromise what we've been doing in Iraq for the past three years.
Don't wave the flag in my face, Mr.
Boatman.
If you were the patriot you claim to be, Abu Zayeed would be in an American stockade right now.
And Jeffrey Pope would still be alive.
So let's put our cards on the table.
I think you went after Pope because you wanted a piece for yourself.
You're dead wrong.
Then prove it.
How am I gonna do that? Give the Department of Defense whatever they need to get Zayeed.
That way, I'll know that your real concerns are for the safety and welfare of your country and for the people of Iraq.
Then we make a deal.
No, no, no.
What's the problem? You're in checkmate, Jack.
We're not going back three moves for a do-over.
This is the only way this is going to fly.
Really? Ls that your position? Then this meeting is over.
Come on, Mr.
Boatman.
Why don't we have a deal? I tried, Arthur.
They wanted a dismissal.
I'm not sure we have any other options.
You know, there's another way of looking at this, Arthur.
We represent the people of New York, not the Pentagon.
This would mean that a murderer walks out our front door.
A New Yorker has just as much at stake in three Marines who might be saved as any other American.
Maybe.
Boatman's value is premised on a handful of rosy suppositions.
We know he committed a cold-blooded murder.
And this office will, on occasion, deal with a murderer if he has critical information.
Yeah.
But we always get the milk before we hand over the cow.
I know that.
Your call.
I don't think I have any choice.
Your Honor, at this time, the People move to dismiss the murder indictment against Kevin Boatman.
Mr.
Boatman is discharged.
And as to Robbie Howell, Mr.
McCoy? We're prepared to proceed to verdict.
Summation and charge tomorrow, 10:00 a.
m.
Hey.
Let me get this straight.
Boatman gets a pass, and Robbie still goes up for murder.
I'm not happy about it either, Mr.
Howell.
But some things are beyond my control.
What, like justice? Please, you're an important man.
You gotta help me understand this.
They offered Boatman a deal because he could help our war effort.
But my son Nick, he fought over there, too.
What do I have to show for it? One dead son, one in jail.
Both my boys, all they ever wanted was to be hardworking Americans.
It doesn't make any sense.
I don't even know what country I'm living in anymore.
Let me see what I can do, Mr.
Howell.
Well, why can't you just dismiss the case against me, too? You don't deserve a walk, Mr.
Howell.
But Boatman gets one.
That was due to extraordinary circumstances.
Yeah, he had a terrorist to trade.
And what do I got? We wanna help you.
We can make you a good deal.
Attempted manslaughter.
Jail time? Five years.
Oh, please.
Boatman shot him, not me.
With your invaluable assistance and your blessing.
My mom isn't gonna make it five years.
I'm sorry, that's as low as we can go.
Well, it's five years too high.
Your case has fallen apart, Jack.
He'd be foolish to assume that.
Do you remember the way the jury reacted to that video? Robbie, jury's are unpredictable.
It's a huge risk.
They're just trying to save face here, Robbie.
Salvage one guilty plea out of this travesty.
Enough grandstanding, Danielle.
It's time to stop using your clients to play provocateur.
This man should have had his own lawyer from day one.
Don't tell me how to do my job, Jack! Then gamble on your own dime! Who gives a damn what you think anyway? Robbie, listen to me.
Robbie, look at me.
Thisjury, in this political climate, is not going to convict you after what Pope did to your brother.
That is the most irresponsible statement you have ever made.
Who's going to do the 15-to-life if she's wrong, Mr.
Howell? And how could you ever look his parents in the eyes if a jury finds him guilty? Five years the best you can do? That's right, Mr.
Howell.
I'll take it.
They got Zayeed.
Where? The ex-employees of the Diamond River Group were holed up with him in a warehouse about 30 miles from where Boatman said they'd be.
What about the three Marines? They got lost in the desert.
Showed up tired and hungry a few hours ago.
So much for intelligence.
Well, you gotta do the best you can with what you got at the time, Jack.
There was a greater good here.
And we bought into it lock, stock and barrel.