Law & Order (1990) s16e21 Episode Script
Hindsight
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.
Yeah? It's the crack of dawn.
I'm where I'm supposed to be, in bed.
Oh, who are you kidding? It's not 10:30 in the morning.
It's All right, I'm on my way.
Excuse me? Forgive me for forgetting your name, but Detective Nick Falco? You're sure? It's hard to forget.
He's said it about Then again, I'd probably be screaming, too.
Like I said before, I don't remember! Hey, take it easy.
Come on.
Calm down.
Joe.
Joe, I'm glad it's you.
I'm going out of my mind here.
Okay.
Nick Falco, this is Ed Green.
Last night, I went out for a drink.
I meet this girl.
Bring her back here.
Next thing I know, it's 10:30 in the morning, she's cut up on my bathroom floor.
She got a name? Sonia something Hasn't anybody checked her wallet yet? I keep telling these guys it's right in there.
Nobody wants All right, all right.
Just slow down for a minute.
Slow down.
Leave us alone for a minute, will you? Now, come on over here.
Nick.
These people are trying to do their job.
That's all.
Okay? So, just let them do it.
What happened to you? Where's your family? Boca.
My wife, uh, she took the kids and moved back in with her parents.
I had a run of bad luck, man.
You been drinking that much? That you black out? I'm drinking a little.
But, Joe Joe, I didn't do that! I'm counting three stab wounds.
None of them enough to kill her, but the three of them together did the trick.
She bled to death, and it took a while.
Not a pretty way for a pretty girl to go.
You have a time of death? She's been here awhile.
Rigor, body temp, puts it nine, Hey, Joe.
No wallet, no ID.
And Nick says this was in that sink when he found her.
It matches a set in the kitchen.
It's his apartment, his knife.
It don't look good.
Lieutenant, the girl was killed in my apartment.
Please, let me hit the street so I can do my job.
It's not going to happen and you know it.
Then charge me or spring me.
Sit down, Detective.
Start at the bar.
We left at midnight.
She came back to my place.
I opened a bottle of wine.
She flipped through my CD collection.
All that's as clear as a bell.
After the wine is a different story.
You're saying she slipped you something? I lost eight hours.
She must have put it in my drink.
Right before she went into your bathroom and stabbed herself to death? I know how it looks.
Yeah.
It looks bad.
For both of us.
A dead woman in a detective's apartment? I can already read the headlines.
So take my blood, let me piss in a cup, whatever you need.
I'm not a killer.
Well, as of this morning, what you are is a suspect, on modified assignment, with no gun or shield.
And the sooner you accept that, the better.
Yeah.
I remember her.
Wouldn't you? You seen her in here before? No.
Not before last night.
Neither had most of the regulars, so she got a lot of free drinks.
Was she here alone? Yeah.
But I got the feeling that she was waiting for someone because she didn't bite.
She, uh, wasn't rude about it, but she just didn't seem interested in the, uh, aggressive type.
I guess she's into strong and silent.
But she did hook up with someone? Yeah.
Nick.
Falco.
One of yours.
Quiet, good tipper.
If I'd known more, I would have told him when he called.
He called? When? Uh, about an hour ago.
I told him to stay the hell away! I'll reach out to him.
I'm sure he was just trying to help.
By ruining our case? Lieutenant, you know this kid.
He's a square.
If anyone knows procedure, he does.
Look, I'm hoping for the best, too, Fontana, but people do change.
I'll get in touch with his lieutenant, we'll straighten him out.
In the meantime, your DOA has a name.
Sonia Vasquez.
Her prints were in the system.
Petty larceny.
Last known address is out in Sunset Park.
Apartment's in the name of Hector Vasquez.
Could be her father, brother, husband.
Well, whatever the connection, the longer you avoid mentioning where she was found, the better.
For Falco or for us? Well, until you tell me different, they're one and the same.
Excuse me, sir.
I'm looking for Mr.
Vasquez.
Which one? You've got a room full of them.
Hector.
Why? What do you want with him? I'm Hector.
How you doing, sir? I'm Detective Green.
This is my partner, Detective Fontana.
Hi.
How do you do? Listen, we're here about Sonia Vasquez.
Oh.
She's probably at the library.
The library? Over at Briar Community College.
What's this about? Is there somewhere that we can talk privately? You say you found her in an apartment? I don't understand.
Whose apartment? Where? Well, the investigation is still ongoing, sir.
Then you could be wrong.
Maybe it's not her.
Well, we're sorry, sir, but the prints on the body match Sonia's.
She's been going to community college, you said? Yeah.
Sonia loved science.
I think it's because she read somewhere that guys were supposed to be better at it.
Who is this in the picture with her? Jared Perry.
Her lab partner.
I need to tell my family.
First place, Organic Chemistry.
She was smart.
Look at these.
Driver's licenses.
Souvenirs.
It was one night and a stupid mistake.
So, you do know Ms.
Vasquez? I do.
You do.
My wife doesn't, and I'd like it to stay that way.
How did you find me? Well, the fact that she kept your driver's license as a souvenir helped us out an awful lot.
That's not all she kept.
My Patek Phillipe, my wife's Birkin, the plasma, speakers, some computer equipment.
Truth is, I'm not even sure I sealed the deal.
You're not sure? Wasn't that the point? Look, I took Sonia back to my place, I made mimosas.
The next thing I know, it's Monday morning and my things are gone.
You didn't file a police report, did you? Why would I do that? I file a report, my wife finds out about my extracurricular activities.
Besides, it's hardly worth admitting to an affair I don't remember having.
Well, what did she take? Anything worthwhile.
Girl had good taste.
Everything was replaceable but the Basquiat.
Must be rough.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear, try involving me in this girl's murder investigation, and I'll deny everything I just told you.
One thing's for certain.
Sonia didn't carry all that merchandise by herself.
She drugged her marks, waited until they passed out, and then let the rest of the crew in.
That's what I'm thinking.
But why Falco? Sonia only targeted the cream of the crop.
White, married, and rich.
Falco was not rich.
Not to mention the fact that there was nothing taken from his apartment.
Look.
That bartender said that Sonia looked like she was waiting for somebody the night she got murdered.
What, you think she and Falco had a thing going on? Well, could be.
I mean, he took her back to his place, they got into a fight, he lost it.
I can't buy that.
Not with this kid.
Look, we both know he's got that assault in his jacket.
I mean, two years into the job, IAB is looking at him for assaulting that dope dealer.
That happens with a lot of us.
And besides, that beef was unsubstantiated.
And don't forget that Falco had a knockout drug in his system.
I've seen guys that go into spins that they can't get out of, but you know it the minute you meet them.
Not Falco.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Wow.
Okay.
Thanks.
That was the M.
E.
Sonia was three weeks pregnant.
Oh, you're kidding me.
Look, we've got Falco's blood from the tox screen.
All we got to do is get the lab to do a paternity test.
Meanwhile, we should be talking to Sonia's science buddy.
Jared Perry.
Yeah.
Maybe he can shed some light on Sonia's private life.
Let's try the school.
What's going on? Well, we just got here ourselves.
Male, 20s, DOA, Caucasian.
Took two bullets to the chest.
We know this kid.
This is Jared Perry.
Who found him? I did.
I was walking to my car.
A guy got held up last week by some kids.
There's flyers up all over campus.
They took his wallet.
Damn.
He talked to Falco.
You think it's the same kids? Well, we don't know for sure, but we know who to ask.
Thank you.
Anybody see it go down? Come over here for a second.
You want to explain this to us? We found it in the kid's pocket.
Yeah.
I met up with Sonia's dad at the morgue.
He told me that Jared and Sonia hung out together.
I went to his apartment.
We talked.
Now he's dead.
I thought he might know something about what happened to Sonia.
Where were you an hour ago? You can't be serious.
Don't try to turn this around.
You may have gotten this kid killed.
Look, somebody murdered Sonia, and it wasn't me.
I can't just sit around and do nothing.
That's exactly what you're going to do from now on, or I'm going to kick your ass myself.
What did Jared tell you? That he was on the robbery crew with Sonia.
Before every job, they'd get a text message telling them who, when, and where.
The night Sonia was murdered, Jared didn't get any text.
How many were on the crew? Two, in addition to Jared and Sonia.
He gave me the street names.
When were you going to give us this information? I already faxed them to Van Buren.
Iran their names through CARS.
And all three members of Sonia's crew have rap sheets and gang affiliations.
You sound surprised.
Yeah, I was when I saw this.
Turns out Jared Perry is a known member of the Aryan Brotherhood.
Then, there's Sim Var.
Cambodian, runs with TRG.
And this kid, Atomic, is part of New Black Mafia.
Wait.
Hold on a minute.
These kids should be killing each other, not working together.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Yeah, Sim lived here.
What do you mean, lived here? Haven't seen him in awhile.
You're TRG.
Sim was, too.
You don't just walk out of that life.
The bitch punked out.
He was preaching a lot of crap about putting an end to the violence.
He was reading these books, going to meetings.
What kind of meetings? Hell if I know.
Wouldn't shut up about white, yellow, and tan togetherness.
Togetherness don't pay the rent, so I kicked his ass out.
Last I heard, he was crashing on some guy's floor.
Goes by Nuclear or Atomic, maybe? Yeah.
Atomic? His name is Henry James Young.
Any idea where we can find him? I'm sorry.
I can't help you.
He lives at home because he has trouble paying the rent, not because he needs a chaperone.
Are there any other family members that would know where he is? You're looking at his family.
My younger son is a junior at Choate.
Full scholarship.
How about his father? Tyrell and I are separated.
Tyrell Young? The founder of the New Black Mafia? Henry is nothing like his father.
Isn't Tyrell doing time for murder? He just got out.
Six months ago.
Drug trafficking, conspiracy, fraud.
Tyrell really kept himself busy.
Hey, man.
Guess who the lead detective on his murder case was? Nick Falco.
Well, that can't be a coincidence.
Must have been one of his first collars as a lead detective.
This guy turned 11 years in Sing Sing into a cottage industry.
Well, can't argue with the message.
Anti-gang.
Pro-tolerance.
Sound familiar? Both Sim Var and Sonia were reading books just like that one.
That would explain the mixed crew.
Looks like Tyrell found himself a new way to recruit, The New York Times bestseller list.
Keep the peace, brother, okay? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Listen, we're investigating a homicide.
And how does that concern me, Detectives? Well, that remains to be seen.
But we'd like you to come with us to answer a few questions.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
But first, I want to talk to Nick Falco.
This is not an invitation for you to join the investigation.
Five minutes.
You get him talking, and you get out.
Do I make myself clear? All right.
Detective Falco.
It's been a long time.
You got something to say to me, Tyrell? I want you to know that I've forgiven you.
For what? Well.
We know if you hadn't put me away, I'd be dead now.
I did my job.
That's all.
You finding that murder weapon where you did, in a place I'd never been It was your drug den.
Never been there before.
Then matching ammunition miraculously winds up in my home? Because you did the murder.
What do you want? When Moses was told to part the waters, he didn't ask questions.
There are those who doubt, and those who do.
So, what is it, exactly, you do? For poor kids of color, it's a simple fact of life.
Employment opportunities aren't in the high rises.
They're on the street corners.
I'm reaching out to their minds, to save their souls.
Felons teaching felons.
That would look great on a throw pillow.
You're a criminal.
You're dirt! Hey.
Detective.
It's a rainbow crew.
His book's an effing how-to.
Go on and ask him! Out.
He makes a good point.
What do you know about a robbery crew targets rich white guys while their wives are away.
That wasn't my rap, even when I was still in the game.
It's a four-member crew, all different colors, four different gangs.
Can't save everybody.
No, but you sure as hell can coach.
Your son Henry's part of that crew.
When I got out of jail, things between Angela and I went downhill real fast.
Let's just say, we didn't see eye to eye.
I asked for a divorce.
She turned the boys against me.
I haven't spoken to Henry since.
One of the crew members is a girl.
Sonia Vasquez.
She was stabbed to death.
Three weeks pregnant.
Like I said, I don't know anything about it.
We're going to go looking for your son.
Surprise him.
If he pulls a gun and starts shooting, you can bet your ass we're going to shoot back.
Can you live with that? This is not the life.
I wanted for Henry.
Then, you know what, man? Help him out.
Otherwise, he's going to end up in jail or dead.
You remember the pickles? We'll pick some up on the way to the station.
Can I at least get my coat? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come here.
Come here.
I'll get it.
What's it about this time? The murder of Sonia Vasquez.
I got no connection to that.
You won't be upset if we don't take your word for it, will you? Hey, y'all! Get your hands off him! Hey, hey, hey! Ma'am! I can promise you nothing but grief if you don't step aside.
Keisha, calm down! Shut up! This is my house.
They can't come busting up in here like this! Baby, relax! They're just going to ask me a few questions, and I'll be back.
Yeah.
He'd better be right.
Very charming.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
How'd y'all find me, anyway? We had a little sit down with your dad.
Now, look.
This ain't none of my business, but you probably should have called him back.
You don't know nothing about it.
Why don't you enlighten us? The whole time he was in jail, my mother stood by him.
Never missed a visiting day.
Six months ago, he gets out and says he wants a divorce.
The man preaches unity.
What about the unity of his family? So, you're not buying your father's whole transformation? He just found another way to separate people from their money.
Like father, like son.
I ain't nothing like him.
Your father went away for murder, so will you.
We know that you're part of that robbery crew with Sonia.
You're wasting your time, man.
I didn't kill Sonia.
I loved her.
Oh, well.
That changes everything.
I can prove it.
She was having my baby.
How did your girlfriend feel about that? Keisha? She don't know.
I mean, you saw what she can be like.
And that was her in a good mood.
Where were you on the night that Sonia was murdered? At the Brass Monkey with my boys.
Check it out.
Henry's blood work came back.
The baby was his.
I guess he just wasn't interested in being a father.
Either way, his alibi was solid.
The guy that owns the bar said that Henry and five of his friends were there from 11:30 until after 3:00 a.
m.
the night that Sonia was killed.
So, we're right back where we started.
Hey.
I just got a call from the uniform posted outside of Falco's apartment.
Nick is there and he's asking for us.
That apartment's still a crime scene.
Okay.
I've had enough of this.
I'm coming with you.
I tried I'll take care of you in a minute.
- Nick! - In here.
Thanks for coming so quick.
What the hell is wrong with you? What are you doing in here? This is still a crime scene.
Just hear me out.
I didn't touch anything.
I grabbed a bag from the closet, some shirts from the dresser.
I came over here to get my watch.
That's when I saw.
Saw what? It's from a woman's high heel shoe.
Must have broken off.
Get out into the hallway, Detective.
Now! There was another woman in this apartment that night.
Or some other night! You know, for all we know, you've got a revolving door here! Now, get out before you're a collar! Come on.
Are you hearing this, Joe? They're going to want me to put the cuffs on you in a minute.
What the hell is wrong with you? There have been no women here, but the one, since Karen left.
That shoe piece has to be from whoever killed Sonia.
I want to believe you, but you have to let us handle this.
Everything I've found has been legit.
Yeah, and because you found it, it makes you look guilty.
Don't you understand that? Wake up! The lab confirms that the blood found on the heel tip is a match for Sonia.
Yeah, but how do we know that the heel tip didn't come from Sonia's shoes? 'Cause I watched them bag her personal effects.
She was wearing flats.
There you go.
There had to be another woman in Falco's apartment that night.
But we can't ignore the fact that he was alone at the scene.
I'm sorry.
This thing stinks to high heaven.
But it does open another door.
Yeah, well, I don't like how we got here, but we're here.
Well, whoever that heel tip belonged to, we know it wasn't a member of the crew because Jared Perry said that they were all male.
What if Henry was wrong, and Keisha did know that he was sleeping with Sonia? Look, that could be motive.
Keisha could have knowledge of the crew and how it worked.
So, hold up.
You're thinking that Keisha sent the text message to Sonia, saying that there was a job that night? It would explain why no one else got a message.
But Keisha could have done this anywhere.
Why would she pick a detective's apartment? Well, because she was dating Tyrell's son, and Tyrell has a grudge against Falco that goes way back.
But Tyrell and his son haven't spoken to each other for years.
Why would she care about a grudge? Let's start with Keisha's apartment.
Get a search warrant.
You touch me like that again, and I might lose control of my bodily functions! Hey, I've had enough of you, shut it.
Kiss my Shut it! Detectives.
Those ain't even mine! It's missing the heel tip Nick found in his apartment.
And doesn't that look like dried blood? Where'd you find these? In a dumpster out back.
Truck's due to pick up in a few hours.
We got lucky.
The blood on the shoes is a match for Sonia Vasquez.
And the shoes were found outside of Keisha Sipes' apartment.
There's no question Keisha had motive.
Her boyfriend Henry Young was sleeping with the victim.
Sonia was three weeks pregnant with his baby.
Can we prove Keisha knew about the affair? By all accounts, she was extremely possessive.
If Henry so much as hiccupped, Keisha knew about it.
Add to that Ms.
Sipes' propensity for violence.
She had three assaults in her jacket.
And we've got our case.
So, what's the problem? Detective Nick Falco.
I thought he was placed on suspension the minute this investigation began.
It didn't stop him from talking to witnesses, visiting the crime scene, and uncovering the key piece of evidence that led us to Keisha.
You think he's dirty? Tyrell Young certainly does.
He claims Detective Falco planted the evidence that led to his murder conviction 11 years ago.
All of which leaves me to wonder whether we're not moving forward under false pretenses.
Was Falco assisting the investigation, or was he covering his tracks? Only one person can answer that.
For someone on suspension, you've been awfully busy.
What did you want me to do, sit on my hands? How about behave like a police officer? What do you think I've been doing the past 14 years? This job is my life.
If it wasn't, my wife would have never left me, none of this would have ever happened.
You want to question my integrity? My record should speak for itself.
I've seen your record.
My guess is, so has the defense.
They're going to bring up the fact that the IAB once investigated you for assault.
I was on the job, what, like 13 months? I've more than made up for that.
I want to believe this is a good case, Detective.
Well, what's stopping you? When you conducted your own investigation, you muddied the waters.
Some would say it wasn't for the first time.
I don't plant evidence.
Not then, not now.
My theory, if you're interested.
Keisha murdered Sonia Vasquez, then she killed Jared Perry to cover it up.
Tyrell's behind it.
This is payback for something I never did.
Good theory.
What do you have to back it up? Unless Tyrell was communicating telepathically, there is no evidence of contact between him and Keisha or any other member of the robbery crew.
So much for Falco's theory.
I also talked to the attorneys from Tyrell's murder trial.
The defense maintains Falco manipulated evidence.
The D.
A.
says the case was clean.
Got this back from the lab.
Low copy DNA ties sweat in the shoes found in the dumpster to Keisha Sipes.
So, we know the shoes were hers.
We're ready to proceed to trial.
You feel confident about Falco? No.
Which is why I'm going to put him on the stand first.
Shine a light on his behavior before the defense does.
This isn't the first time you've been suspended, is it, Detective? No.
Can you please tell the jury what happened eight years ago between you and a Mr.
Dylan Lundy? He was a suspect in a drug case I was working.
He'd been distributing rock cocaine to schoolchildren in his neighborhood.
We had a physical altercation.
Was he later found guilty? Yes.
How well did you know the victim, Sonia Vasquez? We met the night she was killed.
At a bar, isn't that right? Yes.
We were two consenting adults.
A broken piece of a woman's high heel shoe was found in your apartment.
Are you aware of it? Lam.
I'm the one who found it.
Your apartment was still a crime scene at that time? Yes.
I went back to my place to get a change of clothes.
Was that proper procedure? No, it was not.
So, you admit you shouldn't have been in the apartment? I do.
That was my mistake.
But from the minute I realized that evidence had been overlooked at the scene, every move I made was by the book.
I immediately contacted the detectives on the case.
No further questions.
Tell me, Detective.
If a woman had been found stabbed to death in my apartment, would I be allowed back inside for a few personal items? That would depend on the circumstances.
And in these circumstances, you were granted preferential treatment because you're a detective? Withdrawn.
Ms.
Vasquez's body was found on your bathroom floor, so I can only assume you were a suspect in her murder investigation? Naturally, I was a person of interest.
As was Henry Young? L wouldn't know.
I wasn't on the case.
Can you tell us why Henry's father, Tyrell Young, was brought in for questioning? We needed to locate Henry.
We? I thought you just told us you weren't involved with this case? I meant Detectives Fontana and Green.
Did Tyrell Young tell them where to find Henry? Yes.
At the defendant's apartment.
So, you were aware of the location of my client's apartment? Yes.
An apartment where detectives stumbled upon a pair of women's shoes conveniently missing a piece of heel.
They also had traces of the victim's blood on them.
You had access to the shoes.
You had access to the crime scene.
You had access to the dumpster where the shoes were found.
You planted evidence to implicate my client and cover up the fact that you killed Sonia Vasquez.
Isn't that right, Detective? That is not what happened.
I'm finished with this witness.
You have a history of drug abuse? The first step is admitting you have a problem.
I went out, found myself a program, and stuck with it.
But before you actively sought help for your addiction, you were arrested for assault? The best thing that could have happened to me.
I was letting people down.
My family, my friends.
But most importantly, myself.
And my record's been clean for almost a year now.
It takes a strong person to recognize their weaknesses and move toward a better way of life.
Your Honor? Mr.
Rowen, could you cut the proselytizing and ask a direct question? Ms.
Sipes, did you kill Sonia Vasquez? Absolutely not.
Thank you.
That is all.
Who introduced you to Sonia Vasquez? Can't say.
Wasn't it your boyfriend, Henry Young? We could have met lots of places.
But Henry and Sonia worked together, isn't that right? Henry has worked all kinds of odd jobs.
I stopped keeping track.
Then you weren't aware that your boyfriend and the victim were part of a high-end robbery ring that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from affluent Manhattan businessmen? Objection.
May we approach? What seems to be the problem? Mr.
Young and Ms.
Vasquez's alleged criminal history has no bearing on my client or the case at hand.
Sonia Vasquez thought she working a job on the night she was murdered.
We intend to show that your client used her knowledge of the robbery ring to lure Ms.
Vasquez to her death.
That's grossly prejudicial and highly argumentative.
But if you're able to provide a victim's testimony or a police report, I'll be forced to step aside.
As the defense well knows, due to the nature of these crimes, the victims are reluctant to file a report.
Let alone testify.
In that case, I'm inclined to agree with Mr.
Rowen.
The prejudicial effect outweighs the probative value.
There will be no more references to the alleged robbery ring.
Forensics verified that Ms.
Vasquez's blood was found on your shoes.
You have a history of violence and no alibi for the night she was murdered.
I had no reason to kill her.
How about the fact that she was three weeks pregnant with your boyfriend's child? Henry didn't love her.
He loves me.
We would have worked it out.
This is Fontana.
All right.
We're on our way.
There was a hit on one of Jared Perry's credit cards.
They say who? Guy's name is Jeffrey Karr and they're holding him for us.
Good things do come to those who wait.
I told my wife using that card was a bad idea.
It's my daughter's birthday.
All she wants out of life is an American Girl doll with the works.
Do you have any idea how much that costs? Where did you get the card? The Staten Island Ferry.
I work for the Department of Transportation, in Maintenance.
When was that? A few weeks ago.
I tried calling information.
I couldn't find the guy.
I feel like such an idiot.
Will you tell him I meant no harm? The guy's name was Jared Perry, and he was murdered.
Go on.
Aw, man.
I swear, all I did was find a credit card! They have video on both docks on the ferry.
Three hours after Jared Perry got murdered, look who decided to take a little ferry ride.
Angela Young.
She took the 5:15 ferry over and the next one right back.
Shooting Jared was clean-up.
That ties her to Sonia's murder.
Looks like June Cleaver might have a dark side.
Angela Young, 47, mother of two.
Runs the yearly bake sale at Zion Methodist.
Sits on the neighborhood watch committee.
So, what makes her pick up a gun and kill Jared Perry? Jared was on the robbery crew and knew something about Sonia Vasquez's murder.
We believe he was shot to keep him from talking.
It's possible she was worried we'd connect Sonia to the robbery crew and find out about her son Henry's involvement.
Could be Angela went to extreme measures to keep from losing another member of her family to prison.
So, maybe we got lucky and she held on to the gun.
I'll get a search warrant for her home.
Do you remember taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry January 15th? That was a long time ago.
I don't remember.
But then, you people don't ask questions that you don't already have the answers to.
We've got you on tape.
Coming and going.
I ride the ferry a lot.
It helps clear my head.
And seeing as that was about the time that Henry and Sonia told me I was about to become a grandmother, I had a lot on my mind.
Well, with a baby on the way, most people would consider that good news.
I've already raised two kids.
Alone.
I wasn't sure I was ready to do that again.
Joe.
We're done here, man.
I may have been married to a criminal, but I'm not one.
So, you said that the robbery crew set up their hits via text messages, right? Well, that's what Jared Perry told Detective Falco before he was killed.
Okay.
Okay.
Um, I was able to do a global search of all the SMS text messages in the tri-state area for the addresses that were hit by the crew.
Tell me it's good news.
It could be.
Now, every day the crew worked, four text messages went out with the address to be hit, all originating from the same cell phone.
That makes sense.
There were four people on the robbery crew.
Right.
But on the day that Sonia Vasquez was murdered, only one text message went out.
Falco's address? Yeah.
His name, his address, and the location of the bar.
Can you tell if it was sent to Sonia? Well, unfortunately, they were sent on prepaid cell phones.
Meaning it's untraceable.
No, not necessarily.
We can estimate the sender's location by looking at which cell tower the texts were sent through.
We traced the text messages back to their originating cell towers.
The first one came from the tower closest to Angela Young's office.
Then there's one from Zion Methodist.
Her church.
Another came from the tower closest to Choate boarding school.
Isn't that where Angela's younger son goes? And it was parents weekend.
Angela Young was running the robbery crew.
Unfortunately for us, the victims refuse to step forward.
We're chasing ghosts.
Not necessarily.
On the day that Sonia was murdered, only one text message went out.
With Falco's information.
Sonia thought it was just another job.
But it wasn't.
A few minutes after Angela sent the text message, she made a phone call.
To Keisha Sipes.
We've come across information that leads us to believe Angela Young set up your client to kill Sonia Vasquez.
Go on.
We know Angela was running the robbery crew, meaning she knew where Sonia would be on the night she was murdered because she sent her there.
I don't need to sit around and listen to this.
You said we were looking good in there, right? Phone records show Angela called you the day that Sonia was murdered.
Angela knew that Sonia was pregnant with Henry's baby.
She was aware of your violent tendencies.
She told you about the baby.
She told you where to find Sonia.
What's your offer? Depends on what your client has to say.
If I talk, she'll kill me.
She's desperate.
Angela? I don't want to die.
You have your answer.
No deal.
Has the jury come to a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
On the charge murder in the second degree, how do you find? We find the defendant, Keisha Sipes, not guilty.
Hey, Joe.
Wait up, will you? Rowen got his client off by putting the blame on you.
It worked like a charm.
Well, how do you think I feel? This is my life we're talking about.
We can still go after Angela Young.
We? Wait a minute.
Let me clarify something for you.
You don't call the shots here.
We are going after Angela Young, and we're going to do it our way.
You made a lot of mistakes on this case.
I'm fighting for my life.
You know you can trust me.
I don't know about that anymore.
But if you want to earn our trust, you do as we say, or you can get lost.
See you around.
So, I'm not under arrest? Nope.
We just need a little minute of your time.
For what, man? You got nothing on me! We can always find something.
What the hell's going on, here? Hello, Son.
Take a seat.
It's time we had ourselves a conversation.
I ain't got nothing to say to you.
What? Man, you sit your ass down.
Detective Falco didn't kill Sonia.
Keisha did.
That's not true! I want to make this right, Henry.
Your mother's manipulated you into believing something that'll get you killed or put behind bars for a good piece of your life.
Don't you dare bring her into this.
Falco killed Sonia! You believe everything your mother tells you? Why are you defending him? He's the reason you went away.
He set you up, man! Did he? I was so strung out, Son, I didn't know my own name.
When I came down that night, I was covered in another man's blood.
I couldn't justify my actions, so I made up someone to blame.
I did the murder.
I've come to accept that fact.
Why are you doing this? What have they got on you? Your father's here of his own free will.
I'll be the first to admit, I demonized Falco.
So did your mother.
And now Now she's blaming him for what happened to our marriage.
Sonia's murder was payback.
You're lying! She would never hurt Sonia.
She's innocent! Help us prove it.
I ain't got no interest in helping you.
Well, look.
We're going to bust her whether you help us or not.
She's going to sit in jail for two years waiting for atrial.
If she's innocent, you can prevent it.
What is it now? Listen.
20 minutes ago, your son broke into Detective Falco's apartment.
He's got a gun, and he's saying that Falco killed Sonia.
Oh, my God! We need you to help us talk him down.
Yeah.
Okay.
Let him know you're here.
Keep your voice calm, okay? Henry? Baby? You shouldn't be here! I can't talk to you like this.
Can I come in, please, and see you? Who said they could come in? Forget about them.
Just talk to me.
Why are you doing this? He killed Sonia! He took her away from me! That's not true.
Listen.
If you put that gun down, we can talk this out.
Shut up! All right, everybody just stop talking! Henry, baby.
Henry.
Henry! This isn't going to fix anything.
What am I supposed to do, huh? Forget it ever happened? She lay on that floor over there bleeding to death, and he didn't do anything but watch! Look, Henry.
If that's true, he will go down for it.
But there's a better way to handle this.
Yeah? Well, I think I found it! Don't do it, please! It wasn't him! It was me! You're just saying that to try to stop me from doing what Who do you think got Sonia to pick him up at the bar? No! You're lying! I told Keisha about the baby.
I told Keisha where to find Sonia.
That's crazy! You're not making any sense.
What about what happened to Jared? He was going to talk.
I didn't know what else to do.
What? What is going on? Look at that.
No bullets.
Why Sonia? Why'd she have to die? I can explain.
His father already did.
He said that you blamed everything on Detective Falco.
That you couldn't just let it go.
He set Tyrell up.
He took him away from us! Tyrell was dirty as they come.
I only agreed to do this to show them all wrong.
L told them you'd never hurt Sonia.
I defended you! I'm sorry.
Go to hell!
These are their stories.
Yeah? It's the crack of dawn.
I'm where I'm supposed to be, in bed.
Oh, who are you kidding? It's not 10:30 in the morning.
It's All right, I'm on my way.
Excuse me? Forgive me for forgetting your name, but Detective Nick Falco? You're sure? It's hard to forget.
He's said it about Then again, I'd probably be screaming, too.
Like I said before, I don't remember! Hey, take it easy.
Come on.
Calm down.
Joe.
Joe, I'm glad it's you.
I'm going out of my mind here.
Okay.
Nick Falco, this is Ed Green.
Last night, I went out for a drink.
I meet this girl.
Bring her back here.
Next thing I know, it's 10:30 in the morning, she's cut up on my bathroom floor.
She got a name? Sonia something Hasn't anybody checked her wallet yet? I keep telling these guys it's right in there.
Nobody wants All right, all right.
Just slow down for a minute.
Slow down.
Leave us alone for a minute, will you? Now, come on over here.
Nick.
These people are trying to do their job.
That's all.
Okay? So, just let them do it.
What happened to you? Where's your family? Boca.
My wife, uh, she took the kids and moved back in with her parents.
I had a run of bad luck, man.
You been drinking that much? That you black out? I'm drinking a little.
But, Joe Joe, I didn't do that! I'm counting three stab wounds.
None of them enough to kill her, but the three of them together did the trick.
She bled to death, and it took a while.
Not a pretty way for a pretty girl to go.
You have a time of death? She's been here awhile.
Rigor, body temp, puts it nine, Hey, Joe.
No wallet, no ID.
And Nick says this was in that sink when he found her.
It matches a set in the kitchen.
It's his apartment, his knife.
It don't look good.
Lieutenant, the girl was killed in my apartment.
Please, let me hit the street so I can do my job.
It's not going to happen and you know it.
Then charge me or spring me.
Sit down, Detective.
Start at the bar.
We left at midnight.
She came back to my place.
I opened a bottle of wine.
She flipped through my CD collection.
All that's as clear as a bell.
After the wine is a different story.
You're saying she slipped you something? I lost eight hours.
She must have put it in my drink.
Right before she went into your bathroom and stabbed herself to death? I know how it looks.
Yeah.
It looks bad.
For both of us.
A dead woman in a detective's apartment? I can already read the headlines.
So take my blood, let me piss in a cup, whatever you need.
I'm not a killer.
Well, as of this morning, what you are is a suspect, on modified assignment, with no gun or shield.
And the sooner you accept that, the better.
Yeah.
I remember her.
Wouldn't you? You seen her in here before? No.
Not before last night.
Neither had most of the regulars, so she got a lot of free drinks.
Was she here alone? Yeah.
But I got the feeling that she was waiting for someone because she didn't bite.
She, uh, wasn't rude about it, but she just didn't seem interested in the, uh, aggressive type.
I guess she's into strong and silent.
But she did hook up with someone? Yeah.
Nick.
Falco.
One of yours.
Quiet, good tipper.
If I'd known more, I would have told him when he called.
He called? When? Uh, about an hour ago.
I told him to stay the hell away! I'll reach out to him.
I'm sure he was just trying to help.
By ruining our case? Lieutenant, you know this kid.
He's a square.
If anyone knows procedure, he does.
Look, I'm hoping for the best, too, Fontana, but people do change.
I'll get in touch with his lieutenant, we'll straighten him out.
In the meantime, your DOA has a name.
Sonia Vasquez.
Her prints were in the system.
Petty larceny.
Last known address is out in Sunset Park.
Apartment's in the name of Hector Vasquez.
Could be her father, brother, husband.
Well, whatever the connection, the longer you avoid mentioning where she was found, the better.
For Falco or for us? Well, until you tell me different, they're one and the same.
Excuse me, sir.
I'm looking for Mr.
Vasquez.
Which one? You've got a room full of them.
Hector.
Why? What do you want with him? I'm Hector.
How you doing, sir? I'm Detective Green.
This is my partner, Detective Fontana.
Hi.
How do you do? Listen, we're here about Sonia Vasquez.
Oh.
She's probably at the library.
The library? Over at Briar Community College.
What's this about? Is there somewhere that we can talk privately? You say you found her in an apartment? I don't understand.
Whose apartment? Where? Well, the investigation is still ongoing, sir.
Then you could be wrong.
Maybe it's not her.
Well, we're sorry, sir, but the prints on the body match Sonia's.
She's been going to community college, you said? Yeah.
Sonia loved science.
I think it's because she read somewhere that guys were supposed to be better at it.
Who is this in the picture with her? Jared Perry.
Her lab partner.
I need to tell my family.
First place, Organic Chemistry.
She was smart.
Look at these.
Driver's licenses.
Souvenirs.
It was one night and a stupid mistake.
So, you do know Ms.
Vasquez? I do.
You do.
My wife doesn't, and I'd like it to stay that way.
How did you find me? Well, the fact that she kept your driver's license as a souvenir helped us out an awful lot.
That's not all she kept.
My Patek Phillipe, my wife's Birkin, the plasma, speakers, some computer equipment.
Truth is, I'm not even sure I sealed the deal.
You're not sure? Wasn't that the point? Look, I took Sonia back to my place, I made mimosas.
The next thing I know, it's Monday morning and my things are gone.
You didn't file a police report, did you? Why would I do that? I file a report, my wife finds out about my extracurricular activities.
Besides, it's hardly worth admitting to an affair I don't remember having.
Well, what did she take? Anything worthwhile.
Girl had good taste.
Everything was replaceable but the Basquiat.
Must be rough.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear, try involving me in this girl's murder investigation, and I'll deny everything I just told you.
One thing's for certain.
Sonia didn't carry all that merchandise by herself.
She drugged her marks, waited until they passed out, and then let the rest of the crew in.
That's what I'm thinking.
But why Falco? Sonia only targeted the cream of the crop.
White, married, and rich.
Falco was not rich.
Not to mention the fact that there was nothing taken from his apartment.
Look.
That bartender said that Sonia looked like she was waiting for somebody the night she got murdered.
What, you think she and Falco had a thing going on? Well, could be.
I mean, he took her back to his place, they got into a fight, he lost it.
I can't buy that.
Not with this kid.
Look, we both know he's got that assault in his jacket.
I mean, two years into the job, IAB is looking at him for assaulting that dope dealer.
That happens with a lot of us.
And besides, that beef was unsubstantiated.
And don't forget that Falco had a knockout drug in his system.
I've seen guys that go into spins that they can't get out of, but you know it the minute you meet them.
Not Falco.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Wow.
Okay.
Thanks.
That was the M.
E.
Sonia was three weeks pregnant.
Oh, you're kidding me.
Look, we've got Falco's blood from the tox screen.
All we got to do is get the lab to do a paternity test.
Meanwhile, we should be talking to Sonia's science buddy.
Jared Perry.
Yeah.
Maybe he can shed some light on Sonia's private life.
Let's try the school.
What's going on? Well, we just got here ourselves.
Male, 20s, DOA, Caucasian.
Took two bullets to the chest.
We know this kid.
This is Jared Perry.
Who found him? I did.
I was walking to my car.
A guy got held up last week by some kids.
There's flyers up all over campus.
They took his wallet.
Damn.
He talked to Falco.
You think it's the same kids? Well, we don't know for sure, but we know who to ask.
Thank you.
Anybody see it go down? Come over here for a second.
You want to explain this to us? We found it in the kid's pocket.
Yeah.
I met up with Sonia's dad at the morgue.
He told me that Jared and Sonia hung out together.
I went to his apartment.
We talked.
Now he's dead.
I thought he might know something about what happened to Sonia.
Where were you an hour ago? You can't be serious.
Don't try to turn this around.
You may have gotten this kid killed.
Look, somebody murdered Sonia, and it wasn't me.
I can't just sit around and do nothing.
That's exactly what you're going to do from now on, or I'm going to kick your ass myself.
What did Jared tell you? That he was on the robbery crew with Sonia.
Before every job, they'd get a text message telling them who, when, and where.
The night Sonia was murdered, Jared didn't get any text.
How many were on the crew? Two, in addition to Jared and Sonia.
He gave me the street names.
When were you going to give us this information? I already faxed them to Van Buren.
Iran their names through CARS.
And all three members of Sonia's crew have rap sheets and gang affiliations.
You sound surprised.
Yeah, I was when I saw this.
Turns out Jared Perry is a known member of the Aryan Brotherhood.
Then, there's Sim Var.
Cambodian, runs with TRG.
And this kid, Atomic, is part of New Black Mafia.
Wait.
Hold on a minute.
These kids should be killing each other, not working together.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Yeah, Sim lived here.
What do you mean, lived here? Haven't seen him in awhile.
You're TRG.
Sim was, too.
You don't just walk out of that life.
The bitch punked out.
He was preaching a lot of crap about putting an end to the violence.
He was reading these books, going to meetings.
What kind of meetings? Hell if I know.
Wouldn't shut up about white, yellow, and tan togetherness.
Togetherness don't pay the rent, so I kicked his ass out.
Last I heard, he was crashing on some guy's floor.
Goes by Nuclear or Atomic, maybe? Yeah.
Atomic? His name is Henry James Young.
Any idea where we can find him? I'm sorry.
I can't help you.
He lives at home because he has trouble paying the rent, not because he needs a chaperone.
Are there any other family members that would know where he is? You're looking at his family.
My younger son is a junior at Choate.
Full scholarship.
How about his father? Tyrell and I are separated.
Tyrell Young? The founder of the New Black Mafia? Henry is nothing like his father.
Isn't Tyrell doing time for murder? He just got out.
Six months ago.
Drug trafficking, conspiracy, fraud.
Tyrell really kept himself busy.
Hey, man.
Guess who the lead detective on his murder case was? Nick Falco.
Well, that can't be a coincidence.
Must have been one of his first collars as a lead detective.
This guy turned 11 years in Sing Sing into a cottage industry.
Well, can't argue with the message.
Anti-gang.
Pro-tolerance.
Sound familiar? Both Sim Var and Sonia were reading books just like that one.
That would explain the mixed crew.
Looks like Tyrell found himself a new way to recruit, The New York Times bestseller list.
Keep the peace, brother, okay? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Listen, we're investigating a homicide.
And how does that concern me, Detectives? Well, that remains to be seen.
But we'd like you to come with us to answer a few questions.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
But first, I want to talk to Nick Falco.
This is not an invitation for you to join the investigation.
Five minutes.
You get him talking, and you get out.
Do I make myself clear? All right.
Detective Falco.
It's been a long time.
You got something to say to me, Tyrell? I want you to know that I've forgiven you.
For what? Well.
We know if you hadn't put me away, I'd be dead now.
I did my job.
That's all.
You finding that murder weapon where you did, in a place I'd never been It was your drug den.
Never been there before.
Then matching ammunition miraculously winds up in my home? Because you did the murder.
What do you want? When Moses was told to part the waters, he didn't ask questions.
There are those who doubt, and those who do.
So, what is it, exactly, you do? For poor kids of color, it's a simple fact of life.
Employment opportunities aren't in the high rises.
They're on the street corners.
I'm reaching out to their minds, to save their souls.
Felons teaching felons.
That would look great on a throw pillow.
You're a criminal.
You're dirt! Hey.
Detective.
It's a rainbow crew.
His book's an effing how-to.
Go on and ask him! Out.
He makes a good point.
What do you know about a robbery crew targets rich white guys while their wives are away.
That wasn't my rap, even when I was still in the game.
It's a four-member crew, all different colors, four different gangs.
Can't save everybody.
No, but you sure as hell can coach.
Your son Henry's part of that crew.
When I got out of jail, things between Angela and I went downhill real fast.
Let's just say, we didn't see eye to eye.
I asked for a divorce.
She turned the boys against me.
I haven't spoken to Henry since.
One of the crew members is a girl.
Sonia Vasquez.
She was stabbed to death.
Three weeks pregnant.
Like I said, I don't know anything about it.
We're going to go looking for your son.
Surprise him.
If he pulls a gun and starts shooting, you can bet your ass we're going to shoot back.
Can you live with that? This is not the life.
I wanted for Henry.
Then, you know what, man? Help him out.
Otherwise, he's going to end up in jail or dead.
You remember the pickles? We'll pick some up on the way to the station.
Can I at least get my coat? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come here.
Come here.
I'll get it.
What's it about this time? The murder of Sonia Vasquez.
I got no connection to that.
You won't be upset if we don't take your word for it, will you? Hey, y'all! Get your hands off him! Hey, hey, hey! Ma'am! I can promise you nothing but grief if you don't step aside.
Keisha, calm down! Shut up! This is my house.
They can't come busting up in here like this! Baby, relax! They're just going to ask me a few questions, and I'll be back.
Yeah.
He'd better be right.
Very charming.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
How'd y'all find me, anyway? We had a little sit down with your dad.
Now, look.
This ain't none of my business, but you probably should have called him back.
You don't know nothing about it.
Why don't you enlighten us? The whole time he was in jail, my mother stood by him.
Never missed a visiting day.
Six months ago, he gets out and says he wants a divorce.
The man preaches unity.
What about the unity of his family? So, you're not buying your father's whole transformation? He just found another way to separate people from their money.
Like father, like son.
I ain't nothing like him.
Your father went away for murder, so will you.
We know that you're part of that robbery crew with Sonia.
You're wasting your time, man.
I didn't kill Sonia.
I loved her.
Oh, well.
That changes everything.
I can prove it.
She was having my baby.
How did your girlfriend feel about that? Keisha? She don't know.
I mean, you saw what she can be like.
And that was her in a good mood.
Where were you on the night that Sonia was murdered? At the Brass Monkey with my boys.
Check it out.
Henry's blood work came back.
The baby was his.
I guess he just wasn't interested in being a father.
Either way, his alibi was solid.
The guy that owns the bar said that Henry and five of his friends were there from 11:30 until after 3:00 a.
m.
the night that Sonia was killed.
So, we're right back where we started.
Hey.
I just got a call from the uniform posted outside of Falco's apartment.
Nick is there and he's asking for us.
That apartment's still a crime scene.
Okay.
I've had enough of this.
I'm coming with you.
I tried I'll take care of you in a minute.
- Nick! - In here.
Thanks for coming so quick.
What the hell is wrong with you? What are you doing in here? This is still a crime scene.
Just hear me out.
I didn't touch anything.
I grabbed a bag from the closet, some shirts from the dresser.
I came over here to get my watch.
That's when I saw.
Saw what? It's from a woman's high heel shoe.
Must have broken off.
Get out into the hallway, Detective.
Now! There was another woman in this apartment that night.
Or some other night! You know, for all we know, you've got a revolving door here! Now, get out before you're a collar! Come on.
Are you hearing this, Joe? They're going to want me to put the cuffs on you in a minute.
What the hell is wrong with you? There have been no women here, but the one, since Karen left.
That shoe piece has to be from whoever killed Sonia.
I want to believe you, but you have to let us handle this.
Everything I've found has been legit.
Yeah, and because you found it, it makes you look guilty.
Don't you understand that? Wake up! The lab confirms that the blood found on the heel tip is a match for Sonia.
Yeah, but how do we know that the heel tip didn't come from Sonia's shoes? 'Cause I watched them bag her personal effects.
She was wearing flats.
There you go.
There had to be another woman in Falco's apartment that night.
But we can't ignore the fact that he was alone at the scene.
I'm sorry.
This thing stinks to high heaven.
But it does open another door.
Yeah, well, I don't like how we got here, but we're here.
Well, whoever that heel tip belonged to, we know it wasn't a member of the crew because Jared Perry said that they were all male.
What if Henry was wrong, and Keisha did know that he was sleeping with Sonia? Look, that could be motive.
Keisha could have knowledge of the crew and how it worked.
So, hold up.
You're thinking that Keisha sent the text message to Sonia, saying that there was a job that night? It would explain why no one else got a message.
But Keisha could have done this anywhere.
Why would she pick a detective's apartment? Well, because she was dating Tyrell's son, and Tyrell has a grudge against Falco that goes way back.
But Tyrell and his son haven't spoken to each other for years.
Why would she care about a grudge? Let's start with Keisha's apartment.
Get a search warrant.
You touch me like that again, and I might lose control of my bodily functions! Hey, I've had enough of you, shut it.
Kiss my Shut it! Detectives.
Those ain't even mine! It's missing the heel tip Nick found in his apartment.
And doesn't that look like dried blood? Where'd you find these? In a dumpster out back.
Truck's due to pick up in a few hours.
We got lucky.
The blood on the shoes is a match for Sonia Vasquez.
And the shoes were found outside of Keisha Sipes' apartment.
There's no question Keisha had motive.
Her boyfriend Henry Young was sleeping with the victim.
Sonia was three weeks pregnant with his baby.
Can we prove Keisha knew about the affair? By all accounts, she was extremely possessive.
If Henry so much as hiccupped, Keisha knew about it.
Add to that Ms.
Sipes' propensity for violence.
She had three assaults in her jacket.
And we've got our case.
So, what's the problem? Detective Nick Falco.
I thought he was placed on suspension the minute this investigation began.
It didn't stop him from talking to witnesses, visiting the crime scene, and uncovering the key piece of evidence that led us to Keisha.
You think he's dirty? Tyrell Young certainly does.
He claims Detective Falco planted the evidence that led to his murder conviction 11 years ago.
All of which leaves me to wonder whether we're not moving forward under false pretenses.
Was Falco assisting the investigation, or was he covering his tracks? Only one person can answer that.
For someone on suspension, you've been awfully busy.
What did you want me to do, sit on my hands? How about behave like a police officer? What do you think I've been doing the past 14 years? This job is my life.
If it wasn't, my wife would have never left me, none of this would have ever happened.
You want to question my integrity? My record should speak for itself.
I've seen your record.
My guess is, so has the defense.
They're going to bring up the fact that the IAB once investigated you for assault.
I was on the job, what, like 13 months? I've more than made up for that.
I want to believe this is a good case, Detective.
Well, what's stopping you? When you conducted your own investigation, you muddied the waters.
Some would say it wasn't for the first time.
I don't plant evidence.
Not then, not now.
My theory, if you're interested.
Keisha murdered Sonia Vasquez, then she killed Jared Perry to cover it up.
Tyrell's behind it.
This is payback for something I never did.
Good theory.
What do you have to back it up? Unless Tyrell was communicating telepathically, there is no evidence of contact between him and Keisha or any other member of the robbery crew.
So much for Falco's theory.
I also talked to the attorneys from Tyrell's murder trial.
The defense maintains Falco manipulated evidence.
The D.
A.
says the case was clean.
Got this back from the lab.
Low copy DNA ties sweat in the shoes found in the dumpster to Keisha Sipes.
So, we know the shoes were hers.
We're ready to proceed to trial.
You feel confident about Falco? No.
Which is why I'm going to put him on the stand first.
Shine a light on his behavior before the defense does.
This isn't the first time you've been suspended, is it, Detective? No.
Can you please tell the jury what happened eight years ago between you and a Mr.
Dylan Lundy? He was a suspect in a drug case I was working.
He'd been distributing rock cocaine to schoolchildren in his neighborhood.
We had a physical altercation.
Was he later found guilty? Yes.
How well did you know the victim, Sonia Vasquez? We met the night she was killed.
At a bar, isn't that right? Yes.
We were two consenting adults.
A broken piece of a woman's high heel shoe was found in your apartment.
Are you aware of it? Lam.
I'm the one who found it.
Your apartment was still a crime scene at that time? Yes.
I went back to my place to get a change of clothes.
Was that proper procedure? No, it was not.
So, you admit you shouldn't have been in the apartment? I do.
That was my mistake.
But from the minute I realized that evidence had been overlooked at the scene, every move I made was by the book.
I immediately contacted the detectives on the case.
No further questions.
Tell me, Detective.
If a woman had been found stabbed to death in my apartment, would I be allowed back inside for a few personal items? That would depend on the circumstances.
And in these circumstances, you were granted preferential treatment because you're a detective? Withdrawn.
Ms.
Vasquez's body was found on your bathroom floor, so I can only assume you were a suspect in her murder investigation? Naturally, I was a person of interest.
As was Henry Young? L wouldn't know.
I wasn't on the case.
Can you tell us why Henry's father, Tyrell Young, was brought in for questioning? We needed to locate Henry.
We? I thought you just told us you weren't involved with this case? I meant Detectives Fontana and Green.
Did Tyrell Young tell them where to find Henry? Yes.
At the defendant's apartment.
So, you were aware of the location of my client's apartment? Yes.
An apartment where detectives stumbled upon a pair of women's shoes conveniently missing a piece of heel.
They also had traces of the victim's blood on them.
You had access to the shoes.
You had access to the crime scene.
You had access to the dumpster where the shoes were found.
You planted evidence to implicate my client and cover up the fact that you killed Sonia Vasquez.
Isn't that right, Detective? That is not what happened.
I'm finished with this witness.
You have a history of drug abuse? The first step is admitting you have a problem.
I went out, found myself a program, and stuck with it.
But before you actively sought help for your addiction, you were arrested for assault? The best thing that could have happened to me.
I was letting people down.
My family, my friends.
But most importantly, myself.
And my record's been clean for almost a year now.
It takes a strong person to recognize their weaknesses and move toward a better way of life.
Your Honor? Mr.
Rowen, could you cut the proselytizing and ask a direct question? Ms.
Sipes, did you kill Sonia Vasquez? Absolutely not.
Thank you.
That is all.
Who introduced you to Sonia Vasquez? Can't say.
Wasn't it your boyfriend, Henry Young? We could have met lots of places.
But Henry and Sonia worked together, isn't that right? Henry has worked all kinds of odd jobs.
I stopped keeping track.
Then you weren't aware that your boyfriend and the victim were part of a high-end robbery ring that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from affluent Manhattan businessmen? Objection.
May we approach? What seems to be the problem? Mr.
Young and Ms.
Vasquez's alleged criminal history has no bearing on my client or the case at hand.
Sonia Vasquez thought she working a job on the night she was murdered.
We intend to show that your client used her knowledge of the robbery ring to lure Ms.
Vasquez to her death.
That's grossly prejudicial and highly argumentative.
But if you're able to provide a victim's testimony or a police report, I'll be forced to step aside.
As the defense well knows, due to the nature of these crimes, the victims are reluctant to file a report.
Let alone testify.
In that case, I'm inclined to agree with Mr.
Rowen.
The prejudicial effect outweighs the probative value.
There will be no more references to the alleged robbery ring.
Forensics verified that Ms.
Vasquez's blood was found on your shoes.
You have a history of violence and no alibi for the night she was murdered.
I had no reason to kill her.
How about the fact that she was three weeks pregnant with your boyfriend's child? Henry didn't love her.
He loves me.
We would have worked it out.
This is Fontana.
All right.
We're on our way.
There was a hit on one of Jared Perry's credit cards.
They say who? Guy's name is Jeffrey Karr and they're holding him for us.
Good things do come to those who wait.
I told my wife using that card was a bad idea.
It's my daughter's birthday.
All she wants out of life is an American Girl doll with the works.
Do you have any idea how much that costs? Where did you get the card? The Staten Island Ferry.
I work for the Department of Transportation, in Maintenance.
When was that? A few weeks ago.
I tried calling information.
I couldn't find the guy.
I feel like such an idiot.
Will you tell him I meant no harm? The guy's name was Jared Perry, and he was murdered.
Go on.
Aw, man.
I swear, all I did was find a credit card! They have video on both docks on the ferry.
Three hours after Jared Perry got murdered, look who decided to take a little ferry ride.
Angela Young.
She took the 5:15 ferry over and the next one right back.
Shooting Jared was clean-up.
That ties her to Sonia's murder.
Looks like June Cleaver might have a dark side.
Angela Young, 47, mother of two.
Runs the yearly bake sale at Zion Methodist.
Sits on the neighborhood watch committee.
So, what makes her pick up a gun and kill Jared Perry? Jared was on the robbery crew and knew something about Sonia Vasquez's murder.
We believe he was shot to keep him from talking.
It's possible she was worried we'd connect Sonia to the robbery crew and find out about her son Henry's involvement.
Could be Angela went to extreme measures to keep from losing another member of her family to prison.
So, maybe we got lucky and she held on to the gun.
I'll get a search warrant for her home.
Do you remember taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry January 15th? That was a long time ago.
I don't remember.
But then, you people don't ask questions that you don't already have the answers to.
We've got you on tape.
Coming and going.
I ride the ferry a lot.
It helps clear my head.
And seeing as that was about the time that Henry and Sonia told me I was about to become a grandmother, I had a lot on my mind.
Well, with a baby on the way, most people would consider that good news.
I've already raised two kids.
Alone.
I wasn't sure I was ready to do that again.
Joe.
We're done here, man.
I may have been married to a criminal, but I'm not one.
So, you said that the robbery crew set up their hits via text messages, right? Well, that's what Jared Perry told Detective Falco before he was killed.
Okay.
Okay.
Um, I was able to do a global search of all the SMS text messages in the tri-state area for the addresses that were hit by the crew.
Tell me it's good news.
It could be.
Now, every day the crew worked, four text messages went out with the address to be hit, all originating from the same cell phone.
That makes sense.
There were four people on the robbery crew.
Right.
But on the day that Sonia Vasquez was murdered, only one text message went out.
Falco's address? Yeah.
His name, his address, and the location of the bar.
Can you tell if it was sent to Sonia? Well, unfortunately, they were sent on prepaid cell phones.
Meaning it's untraceable.
No, not necessarily.
We can estimate the sender's location by looking at which cell tower the texts were sent through.
We traced the text messages back to their originating cell towers.
The first one came from the tower closest to Angela Young's office.
Then there's one from Zion Methodist.
Her church.
Another came from the tower closest to Choate boarding school.
Isn't that where Angela's younger son goes? And it was parents weekend.
Angela Young was running the robbery crew.
Unfortunately for us, the victims refuse to step forward.
We're chasing ghosts.
Not necessarily.
On the day that Sonia was murdered, only one text message went out.
With Falco's information.
Sonia thought it was just another job.
But it wasn't.
A few minutes after Angela sent the text message, she made a phone call.
To Keisha Sipes.
We've come across information that leads us to believe Angela Young set up your client to kill Sonia Vasquez.
Go on.
We know Angela was running the robbery crew, meaning she knew where Sonia would be on the night she was murdered because she sent her there.
I don't need to sit around and listen to this.
You said we were looking good in there, right? Phone records show Angela called you the day that Sonia was murdered.
Angela knew that Sonia was pregnant with Henry's baby.
She was aware of your violent tendencies.
She told you about the baby.
She told you where to find Sonia.
What's your offer? Depends on what your client has to say.
If I talk, she'll kill me.
She's desperate.
Angela? I don't want to die.
You have your answer.
No deal.
Has the jury come to a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
On the charge murder in the second degree, how do you find? We find the defendant, Keisha Sipes, not guilty.
Hey, Joe.
Wait up, will you? Rowen got his client off by putting the blame on you.
It worked like a charm.
Well, how do you think I feel? This is my life we're talking about.
We can still go after Angela Young.
We? Wait a minute.
Let me clarify something for you.
You don't call the shots here.
We are going after Angela Young, and we're going to do it our way.
You made a lot of mistakes on this case.
I'm fighting for my life.
You know you can trust me.
I don't know about that anymore.
But if you want to earn our trust, you do as we say, or you can get lost.
See you around.
So, I'm not under arrest? Nope.
We just need a little minute of your time.
For what, man? You got nothing on me! We can always find something.
What the hell's going on, here? Hello, Son.
Take a seat.
It's time we had ourselves a conversation.
I ain't got nothing to say to you.
What? Man, you sit your ass down.
Detective Falco didn't kill Sonia.
Keisha did.
That's not true! I want to make this right, Henry.
Your mother's manipulated you into believing something that'll get you killed or put behind bars for a good piece of your life.
Don't you dare bring her into this.
Falco killed Sonia! You believe everything your mother tells you? Why are you defending him? He's the reason you went away.
He set you up, man! Did he? I was so strung out, Son, I didn't know my own name.
When I came down that night, I was covered in another man's blood.
I couldn't justify my actions, so I made up someone to blame.
I did the murder.
I've come to accept that fact.
Why are you doing this? What have they got on you? Your father's here of his own free will.
I'll be the first to admit, I demonized Falco.
So did your mother.
And now Now she's blaming him for what happened to our marriage.
Sonia's murder was payback.
You're lying! She would never hurt Sonia.
She's innocent! Help us prove it.
I ain't got no interest in helping you.
Well, look.
We're going to bust her whether you help us or not.
She's going to sit in jail for two years waiting for atrial.
If she's innocent, you can prevent it.
What is it now? Listen.
20 minutes ago, your son broke into Detective Falco's apartment.
He's got a gun, and he's saying that Falco killed Sonia.
Oh, my God! We need you to help us talk him down.
Yeah.
Okay.
Let him know you're here.
Keep your voice calm, okay? Henry? Baby? You shouldn't be here! I can't talk to you like this.
Can I come in, please, and see you? Who said they could come in? Forget about them.
Just talk to me.
Why are you doing this? He killed Sonia! He took her away from me! That's not true.
Listen.
If you put that gun down, we can talk this out.
Shut up! All right, everybody just stop talking! Henry, baby.
Henry.
Henry! This isn't going to fix anything.
What am I supposed to do, huh? Forget it ever happened? She lay on that floor over there bleeding to death, and he didn't do anything but watch! Look, Henry.
If that's true, he will go down for it.
But there's a better way to handle this.
Yeah? Well, I think I found it! Don't do it, please! It wasn't him! It was me! You're just saying that to try to stop me from doing what Who do you think got Sonia to pick him up at the bar? No! You're lying! I told Keisha about the baby.
I told Keisha where to find Sonia.
That's crazy! You're not making any sense.
What about what happened to Jared? He was going to talk.
I didn't know what else to do.
What? What is going on? Look at that.
No bullets.
Why Sonia? Why'd she have to die? I can explain.
His father already did.
He said that you blamed everything on Detective Falco.
That you couldn't just let it go.
He set Tyrell up.
He took him away from us! Tyrell was dirty as they come.
I only agreed to do this to show them all wrong.
L told them you'd never hurt Sonia.
I defended you! I'm sorry.
Go to hell!