Law & Order (1990) s19e03 Episode Script
Lost Boys
NARRATOR: 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.
TICKET ATTENDANT: Can I help you? Give this ticket to the man inside.
And listen when he tells you where to go.
And I'll meet you back here in two hours.
Okay? You know, we could go back to the apartment.
You don't have to do this.
The apartment's not our home.
Today, I'm going to get us home.
Patrol responded to a 911 call.
Victim is a male, white.
Oh.
The kid's 16, 17 tops.
Looks like a single stab wound to the chest.
My guys are lookin' for a weapon.
A five dollar bill and some change.
No wallet, no ID.
Could be a rich kid from the neighborhood, with that preppie outfit.
Preppie maybe.
Rich, no.
Look at his cuffs.
They're all frayed, and his pants are too short.
Hand-me-downs or he shops right out of the bin at Goodwill.
Fresh haircut, nails are clean.
He's too well-groomed to be living on the street.
Even tucked his shirt in.
And buttoned his top button.
Did you ever walk around like that when you were his age? Not unless my mother made me.
MALE OPERATOR: 911.
Where's the emergency? WOMAN: Please, you have to help him.
He's hurt.
Slow down, Miss.
What's your name? I don't want to say.
He's in Central Park.
Near 77th Street West.
Police and ambulance are on their way.
Stay right there.
No, I can't stay.
Oh, God, I can't leave him, but I have to go.
And go she did.
Nobody was around by the time patrol got there.
Have we got an ID on the boy? No.
His prints aren't in the system, and no missing person report fits.
Well, our caller didn't want to leave.
Maybe she knew him.
Did you get the number from 911? Yeah.
Our good-enough Samaritan is Monica Vance.
She lives in the East Village.
All right.
I didn't make that call.
This girl came running out of the park, hysterical, and she asked if she could use my phone, so I let her.
Normally I wouldn't, but she said someone was hurt.
Can we see your phone? How did you know she wasn't going to steal your phone? That wasn't the vibe I got from her.
She was wearing this long frumpy dress, and sneakers.
She looked like she ran away from a convent.
We're gonna need to take your phone.
You see this, between the keys? That's blood.
I really need my phone.
You can keep it company and help us with a sketch of the runaway nun.
Grab your purse.
(SIGHS) The blood on the phone belonged to our John Doe.
Okay.
What kind of knife are we looking for? It wasn't a knife.
It's as sharp as a knife blade but massier.
"Massier"? What kind of word is that? It's a term of art.
The blade was wider and thicker than a knife blade.
Those his clothes? Mmm-hmm.
And what else can you tell us about our John Doe in plain English, please? Well, he was well muscled, his hands are calloused.
Probably saw his fair share of manual labor.
And he had lentil stew and milk shortly before he died.
LUPO: Yummy.
These ink markings on his undershirt, they look like they're hand-drawn.
(RATTLING NOISE) What have we got here? Aha! It's stamped.
Hudson Hardware, 648 Lenox Avenue.
I know that key.
That key pays my rent.
Hmm.
I'd like to get in on something like that.
It's a front door key for the Sherman Street Lofts.
Didn't that place used to be a barrel factory? Kids packing in like sardines over there now, moving in and out all the time.
I made eight of those keys already this week.
You, uh, remember making one for him? I don't recognize him.
Sorry.
All right, thanks.
Excuse me, does this boy live here? Hey, do you mind looking at this photo? Nice work.
Hey, can you help us out? You guys cops? Well, not the kind you have to worry about.
Have you seen this guy, and this girl? Her I don't know, but cool drawing.
We'll pass it along.
What about him? He's dead, isn't he? Yeah.
Very.
Did you know him? He hangs out with that kid who, like, helps the super.
Which one of you guys is the super's helper? I am.
I'm Patrick.
You know this guy? Yes, that's Caleb.
What's wrong with him? This Caleb's bowl? Yes.
He hasn't been home since yesterday.
What happened to him? He was found dead in Central Park.
What? You all right, son? Luke is Caleb's brother.
Could you put that picture away? We're sorry about your loss, Luke.
Would you come with us to identify the body? Can I go with him, please? Sure, why not.
Let's go.
Let me guess.
Lentils? Caleb said he was going to the movies with Luke.
I don't know why he would have been in Central Park.
Maybe it was to meet a girl, maybe her.
I don't know.
They've only been here for two weeks.
Where are they from? Arizona, a place called Boyd Canyon.
Is that where you know them from? Yes.
But you've been here longer than two weeks, right? For three years.
Okay, well, we're going to need to get in contact with Caleb's parents.
I don't know how you would do that.
(OVER SPEAKER) I don't know where Caleb went.
He just told me to wait for him after the movie.
So, you like going to the movies, huh? I don't know.
This was my first time.
You've never been to a movie back in Arizona? No.
I don't want to talk to you anymore.
It's okay.
We're almost done.
Do you recognize her? No.
Can I go be with Patrick now? First we're going to have to call your parents, so, I'm going to need a number.
I want to talk to the other policeman.
My partner? What do you want to talk to him about? He's just more like me.
So, you mean he's more slim? Or more white? Do I scare you because I'm black? Son, you can talk to my partner.
Just sit down BERNARD: Hey, hey Luke! Stop right there.
Don't fight me now.
Hey, hey! Don't fight me, boy.
You heard the Lieutenant! What's this? Huh? "The Garments of the Holy Priesthood.
" "Backward right angle over the right breast, "a "V" over the left breast, a dash at the navel.
" Same as the markings found on the dead boy.
Well, these are sacred undergarments of the Mormon Church, a kind of body armor against Satan.
These kids are Mormons.
Says here you get the garments from the church with the markings already embroidered on.
Looks like these kids might have made their own.
That kind of fits.
Luke has never been to a movie, and he's afraid of black people.
Well, that doesn't fit.
The Mormon Church has been fully open to black folks for 30 years.
And Mormons go to movies like everyone else.
Everywhere except Boyd Canyon.
That must be it.
These kids are Mormon Fundamentalists, the groups that broke from the official church live in isolated compounds out west.
So what are these boys doing thousands of miles from home? With home-made magic underwear.
Come on, Patrick, are we going to find the same markings on your undershirt? You know, I don't know about your belief system, but in our belief system, interfering with a murder investigation is a crime.
All right, suit yourself, man.
I hope that you don't mind sleeping next to rapists and murderers.
True Path.
What's that? We were in The Church of the True Path.
What about her? I don't know her.
Now can I just get Luke and go home, please? He's going into foster care until we can find his parents.
Why can't he go with me? I'm 21.
Because he needs to go with his family.
I'm his family.
I'm his brother.
You're his brother, too? Who're your parents? Our father is Hoseah Friendly.
Okay.
What about your mother? My mother is Leah Friendly.
She birthed me.
And then there's Emily, Luanne, she's Luke and Caleb's mother, Sharon and Kallie.
These women are all married to your father? Mmm.
They're polygamists.
That's what you'd call it.
Now, can Luke go home with me, please? He's 14.
So, one way or the other, he's going back to Boyd Canyon.
They don't want him back.
The Elders'll send him away again.
Why'd they send him away in the first place? The same reason they sent us all away.
Wyatt Landon, the Prophet, he said we were sinners.
What was your sin? I told a girl in the church that I liked her.
Okay, and the Elders don't approve of that kind of thing? It's okay when they talk to the girls.
But if a boy does, they send him away.
They want the girls all for themselves.
Can I make a phone call to a lawyer, please? The ticket taker at the movies said she remembered Luke going in.
Doesn't remember him going out.
Well, that opens up a lot of possibilities.
Turns out Luke, Caleb and Patrick are all part of one big happy polygamist family back in Boyd Canyon.
Thanks.
Sounds like these Elders had a racket going.
That's Arizona's problem.
Not unless Caleb's murder makes it ours.
Patrick's lawyer call was to a home up in Sloatsburg.
Sloatsburg? Call ACS and have Luke placed, and then get yourselves up to Sloatsburg.
We aren't lawyers.
We help boys who've been expelled from True Path.
My wife's nephew was thrown out 10 years ago.
We've been taking in boys ever since.
We call them the Lost Boys.
They've grown up in an isolated church compound.
They've never even heard a radio.
Did Caleb and Luke ever stay with you? Just when they first got to New York two weeks ago.
We didn't have room for them, so we arranged for them to stay with Patrick and John.
Has this girl been here? No.
We only take in boys.
Is that so? That pink blouse on your laundry line, who does that belong to? They're police, Joan.
We have to trust them.
Michelle.
Don't be afraid.
The police officers just want to talk to you.
Michelle.
Do you know why we're here? I think so.
Did you make a 911 call about Caleb Friendly a few days ago? Yes.
Michelle, you're going to have to come with us now.
Please, you can't tell anyone you found her.
She's in great danger.
She's one of Wyatt Landon's wives.
Landon, the Prophet of True Path? Yes.
She ran away from him two months ago.
If he knew where she was, he'd come after her.
Caleb was already hurt when I found him.
BERNARD: Did he say anything? He couldn't talk.
(SIGHS) I just I went to get help.
On the call, you said you had to go.
I was afraid if I talked to the police, Wyatt would find out where I was.
The sheriff in Boyd Canyon does whatever he says.
This is not Boyd Canyon.
Why were you in the park in the first place? I was supposed to meet Caleb.
He saw that I was staying at the Weimers' house, and he knew I ran away from Wyatt.
He called me, and he said that he had a way for me to get my babies back.
You have kids? Yes.
Eric just turned three and Efraim's 18 months.
I had to leave them behind when I ran away.
And now Wyatt won't let them go.
Why did you run away? Wyatt married me when I was 16.
He was 52, and I was his sixth wife.
I was expected to make babies for him.
I didn't want to, but I love my kids.
I just didn't want to stay in that life.
How was Caleb going to help you? He said Wyatt was receiving state assistance by saying my boys were sick and they're not.
Caleb said he had papers to prove this, and if I showed them to a lawyer, they would put Wyatt in jail and I'd be able to get my babies back.
So you went to the park to meet Caleb, to get these papers? Yeah.
But I missed my bus and I was late, and Caleb was already hurt.
Did you tell anyone that you were going to meet him? No.
Caleb made me promise not to.
What happened to the papers? I didn't see them.
(SIGHS) I just I went to get help.
Thanks.
Well, Caleb didn't have any papers on him.
Whoever killed him might've taken them.
Assuming she's telling the truth.
Well, if Caleb was helping her, he was taking on the leader of his church.
It's hard to believe a 17-year-old would do that without talking it over with someone.
Last person he saw was his brother.
Yeah.
All right.
LUKE: Caleb didn't say anything about Michelle.
He just told me to wait for him after the movie.
I don't know, Luke, something this big, it's the kind of thing a guy would tell his brother.
Right, Detective? Okay, kid, pack it in.
You're done with foster care.
Where am I going? You're going home to Boyd Canyon.
No! No, I don't want to go back there.
I like it on the outside.
That's tough.
I'm sure Wyatt Landon'll be happy to see you, especially after we tell him you and Caleb were trying to put him in prison for welfare fraud.
Don't tell him that.
Caleb's the one who wanted to go home.
That's what he was doing that night, he was going to fix it so he could go home.
How? By giving the Prophet what he wanted.
Which is what? Michelle.
The Prophet was mad that she left.
Caleb was going to do something to her, I don't know what, but then the Prophet would take him back.
Did you tell anybody what Caleb was up to? I told Patrick.
Why him? Michelle's why Patrick was sent away.
Patrick wanted to marry her.
But the Prophet threw him out.
I don't know where Patrick is.
I came home from work, all his stuff was gone.
Terrific.
We've lost our lost boy.
You been on this since you got home? No.
You mind if we check the history? Patrick's been looking at buses to West Virginia.
BERNARD: What's in West Virginia? A safe house.
I wasn't running away.
Oh yeah? What were you doing? I was Going to a Lost Boy jamboree? Sit down.
We know Luke told you what Caleb was up to in the park.
No, I didn't know that.
We know it for a fact that you knew that Michelle was in danger.
No.
You still believe in the good book, Patrick? Yes.
I still believe.
Swear to us that you were not in the park that night with Caleb.
No.
Take it in your hands, and swear to us.
Swear it on the good book, Patrick.
Patrick, if you went to the park to help Michelle that was a righteous thing to do.
We know she's the reason Landon bounced you out of the church.
You thought Caleb might hurt her, so you had to do something.
I followed him into the park, just to talk to him, to make sure he didn't hurt Michelle.
He wouldn't listen to me.
He said I was ruining his one chance of going home.
He fought me.
LUPO: Now you're starting to make sense.
You probably brought a weapon with you, right? No, I did not have a weapon.
I'm pretty sure that you didn't see it as a weapon, more so like a persuader, something to use in case you had to stop Caleb from hurting Michelle.
Patrick, whatever you did, was in defense of Michelle, and a righteous thing.
All right.
Yes, I did have something.
A wood chisel from the super's toolbox.
"Docket number 08359, People v.
Patrick Friendly.
Murder in the second degree.
" My client pleads not guilty.
Am I reading this right, Ms.
Rubirosa? Two Mormon kids go at it in the Park? Fundamentalist Mormons, Your Honor.
The defendant followed the victim into the park and then stabbed him to death with a chisel.
Because the victim was intent on harming a woman who had escaped from their polygamist sect.
Even the police told my client that his actions were righteous.
CONNIE: They were working a suspect, Ms.
Ziff, you can't take them at their word.
A jury might.
We're asserting a justification defense.
JUDGE: Good luck with that, Ms.
Ziff.
Bail is set at one million dollars.
They're going to argue a justification defense.
Did Caleb have a weapon? The only things found near the body were an old Frisbee and a dog's chew-toy.
Check this out.
In the background, the object on the park wall.
It's a can of motor oil? Yeah.
Sinclair motor oil.
Sinclair's headquarters is in Salt Lake City, home of the Mormon Church.
Could be a signal.
Okay, looks like we've got something.
Looks like two male adults.
What do you figure this is about? Two guys parked in a van 50 feet from where Caleb was meeting Michelle in the park.
To me, it looks like the plan was for Caleb to walk her out of the park, spot the signal, then walk her past the van, these guys snatch her.
And take her back home to the Prophet.
New York.
Alpha-Yankee-Quebec-3711.
Okay.
The van is registered to a car rental company in Palmyra, New York.
Greentree County's where Boyd Canyon is.
Can I help you? You guys are a long way from Arizona.
What brings you to Palmyra? Yeah, that's right, we're New York City detectives.
We're here on a pilgrimage.
Palmyra is the birthplace of the Mormon Church.
It's where Joseph Smith had his first vision.
But you're not mainline Mormons, right? You're with the Church of the True Path.
BERNARD: Well, enough of the small talk.
The rental company in town said that you guys rented a white van yesterday.
That's right.
Where did you go with it? We went to New York City, to visit the Mormon Temple there.
We didn't want to take the camper, burns too much gas.
You went to the Temple, you came straight back here.
No.
We parked next to the park there and took a nap before the long drive back.
Is there a problem? I'm afraid there is.
You see, the van was rented to someone named Wyatt Landon.
There were no other drivers authorized on the contract.
I'm Wyatt Landon.
What's the problem? You're Wyatt Landon, the Prophet? You know a Caleb Friendly? He's a young man who grew up in our church, until he was asked to leave.
When was the last time that you talked to him? Three weeks ago, when I asked him to leave.
LUPO: You sure about that? You didn't talk to him about getting your wife Michelle back? No.
I say your wife, but, uh, what is it, number six, seven? She's awfully cute And young.
I can see why you would do anything to get her back.
Henry, Levi, go back inside.
BERNARD: Not so fast.
These men are being arrested for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
That's ridiculous.
There's no Levi or Henry on the rental contract.
Now, did you drive these men to New York City yesterday? I didn't think so.
Now, Mr.
Landon, I'd advise you not to leave Palmyra.
The sheriff, he'll be keeping an eye on you.
Persecution and harassment are nothing new to me.
Have a blessed day.
CUTTER: Palmyra's holding them until we can charge them with attempted kidnapping.
The worst of it is, the more you invest in this kidnapping theory, the more you help Caleb's killer with his justification defense.
You have to decide who you want more.
Or another way to look at it If Landon put this kidnapping scheme in motion, it's the reason Caleb was murdered.
We could charge Landon with felony murder.
Landon's fingerprints need to be all over this.
The police found a 16-minute phone call two days before the murder from the public phone at the RV park to the public phone two blocks from the lofts where Caleb was staying.
That's not evidence.
Landon has to be the mastermind.
His followers don't even sneeze without his permission.
That's not evidence.
We have a kidnapping conspiracy.
We need an overt act by Landon.
Hell, I'd settle for a threat to his wife that he'd have her kidnapped.
That can't be.
He thought you were in danger.
We think Caleb was conspiring with Wyatt to kidnap you.
Is Wyatt here? No.
He's upstate, in Palmyra.
The police are watching him.
He can't hurt you.
Have you talked to him since you ran away? Twice, to beg him to let me have my kids.
Did he threaten you in any way? He said I would suffer celestial punishment if I didn't come back.
(SIGHS) He had a revelation that I was on fire in the desert.
What'll happen to Patrick? He'll have a trial.
Chances aren't good.
But it's my fault.
I mean, I let Caleb fool me.
No, you wanted to believe that he could help you get your sons back.
What he said about Wyatt stealing state money, it just sounded so right.
Why? What did Caleb say exactly? He said Wyatt had told the state that my eldest son Eric has asthma, and he doesn't.
He just has an allergy to feathers, and that Caleb said that before the state nurse was able to examine Eric, Wyatt put him on a feather pillow to make his allergies kick in.
Who knows that your son is allergic to feathers? Just me and Wyatt.
We got him.
These defendants came into our jurisdiction to kidnap a woman who ran away from their sect.
My clients are religious men, church leaders.
They're polygamists.
Mr.
Landon has six wives ranging in age from 19 to 43.
JUDGE: We're not here for that, Ms.
Rubirosa.
These men have no ties to the community, their lifestyle demonstrates their utter indifference to our laws These are not men who dodge their responsibilities.
With six wives, I should hope not.
Your Honor Yes, yes, Ms.
Rubirosa.
The defendants are remanded till trial.
Your Honor, we believe the mother of my client's children is a flight risk.
We request you order the People to produce Michelle Landon for trial.
On what basis? My client's right to confront the witnesses against him.
JUDGE: Sixth Amendment, Mr.
Cutter.
She is the intended victim.
The People are ordered to guarantee Ms.
Landon's appearance at trial.
Next case.
(GAVEL BANGS) We just delivered the lamb to the lion.
You charged Wyatt Landon with attempted kidnapping and felony murder.
I guess you concede that Michelle was in danger and that my client saved her life.
Can a plea offer be far behind? If Patrick can help us make our case.
Testify against the Prophet? He threw you out like garbage.
You don't owe him anything.
We know you have feelings for Michelle.
If you help us, you'll get out while you're still young.
When I got to the park, Caleb said, "We won't hurt her.
"They just want her back in her rightful place.
" He said "we"? You're certain? I'm sure.
To be dragged back to Boyd Canyon, for Michelle, that would have been worse than death.
Mr.
Landon was in Palmyra.
He had no knowledge of his friends' activities.
How confident are you, Mr.
Landon, that your friends will keep lying for you? Their faith gives them a strength you can't imagine.
Michelle Landon abandoned her kids.
No jury will believe my client crossed the country to kidnap an unfit mother.
Oh, they will once I've educated them about what goes on in True Path.
Motion to exclude testimony based on my client's religious practices.
Hope you have a Plan B.
Mr.
Cutter intends to make this trial about polygamy.
He knows that will inflame a New York jury.
Polygamy is the reason Mr.
Landon planned this kidnapping.
His wife's escape shamed him before his sect.
He had to bring her back.
Armchair psychology.
He just wants to put my client's beliefs on trial.
Those beliefs are evidence of motive.
Those beliefs are protected under the First Amendment, Mr.
Cutter.
I won't allow this trial to become a referendum on a group's religious practices.
The defense motion is granted.
There'll be no mention of polygamy in my courtroom.
That judge did you a favor.
This is a straight-up kidnap-murder case.
Sounds like he did you the favor.
He sucked the controversy right out of this case.
Did he? It never occurred to me.
Polygamy is a legitimate issue in this case.
Never mind it's criminal and abominable.
But that crime was committed in Arizona.
Far as abominable, some anthropologists would argue that it's monogamy that's unnatural, that men are genetically hard-wired to seek multiple partners.
Maybe polygamists are just steering into the skid.
You must be kidding.
I'm pointing out that it's a hornet's nest.
You don't need to drag in religion.
Make the case without it.
We're not allowed to bring up Landon's religious beliefs.
We can't even talk about why you ran away.
Are you okay? Yeah, I'm just not sleeping well.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) I hate being cooped up in this hotel.
It's for your safety, until the trial next month.
Greentree County just issued an arrest warrant for Michelle, for Child Abandonment.
The DA just flew in to take her into custody.
They're gonna take me back to Boyd Canyon? Only to Greentree County.
And they'd have to send you back here to testify against Landon.
You don't understand.
The police back home do whatever Wyatt says.
If you hand me over, they're never going to let me go.
Mr.
McCalister has had months to issue his warrant, but he waited until Ms.
Landon had been subpoenaed to testify against her husband.
This crime was just brought to my attention by the father of the abandoned children, Mr.
Landon.
Your Honor, if you grant this extradition, we believe Ms.
Landon will be returned to Mr.
Landon's religious compound.
If she ends up back in the family home caring for her children, that would be an acceptable remedy.
And we would never see her again.
That's the real purpose of this warrant, to make Ms.
Landon unavailable to testify against her husband.
Are you alleging my office is corrupt? Mr.
Landon has six wives and 27 children.
He has one legal spouse, and five celestial marriages with consenting adult women.
Consent? Michelle Landon fled True Path in the dead of night and has been in hiding ever since.
She would be in danger if she was returned.
Mr.
Cutter, I find your allegations hard to take at face value.
Your Honor, we're ready to present evidence about conditions inside Mr.
Landon's compound.
The Court ruled that testimony regarding my client's religious practices is prejudicial.
Before a jury.
There's no jury here.
Mr.
Landon's practices go to the heart of our motion to quash this warrant.
I agree.
I'll hear your witnesses before I rule on the motion.
You're doing exactly what Jack told you not to, putting polygamy on trial.
You bet.
Any objections? Nope, none that I can think of.
The day I turned 16 my mother woke me up in the middle of the night.
She said the Prophet had a revelation that I was to marry him.
And I had to get up and help make my wedding dress.
In the middle of the night? The wedding was that day.
They don't give you much time to run.
Did you want to run? I wanted to stay with my family and go to school.
I was 16-years-old.
He was over 50.
I'd never even kissed a boy.
Why didn't you try to leave? I was scared.
Some girls had escaped.
Wyatt said that they were all prostitutes now.
And what was your life like being married to Mr.
Landon? It was hard until I made my peace that, you know, there was no way out.
The first time he tried to have sex with me Take your time.
He got on top of me and I pushed away from him and ran into the bathroom.
I couldn't breathe.
And what do you mean when you say you made your peace? Life stops hurting as much when you give up thinking it could be different.
You just sort of stare at the ceiling and try to think of something else.
Do you love your children? Oh, my God, yes.
When you fled your abuse you left your boys behind.
How did you justify that? I knew my sister-wives would take good care of them until I could get them away.
Now Mr.
McCalister here says that if you go back with him, you'll be safe, that he won't send you back to True Path.
No one says no to Wyatt.
If you send me away, you'll never see me again.
They're watching me all the time.
And Wyatt God only knows what he'll make me do in his bedroom.
The danger you face in True Path is an unhappy marriage.
Is that correct? It's more than that.
I didn't want to marry him.
It's like rape.
I see.
A community that condones rape.
This would be a community of people with extremely poor judgment, right? I think so.
You left your children in the care of rapists.
I never would have left them if they were girls.
With boys it was okay? Objection.
I'm going to get them back.
I want to be a good mother.
That's all Greentree County is asking, that you be a good mother.
Thank you.
I filed this complaint against Michelle because her children need her.
Little Eric cries for you every night, Michelle.
CUTTER: Objection.
Don't address anyone in the gallery, Mr.
Landon.
What about her fears of retribution? She left in a moment of weakness.
She'll be forgiven.
She says her marriage was forced upon her, that you in effect raped her? That's a lie.
A lie to justify her abandonment of our boys.
On our wedding night, she hid because she thought she wasn't good enough to be the Prophet's wife.
Michelle was 16 when you married her, correct? Yes.
She was younger than my other wives, but, uh, Michelle was emotionally mature.
You're saying you don't have a predilection for young girls? No.
My wives just have to be healthy enough to bear children.
Bearing children is God's plan, correct? Yes.
So if and when Michelle returns to True Path, she'll be expected to bear you more children? She will be expected to live according to God's plan.
And if she refuses, one way or the other, you'll find a way to impregnate her, correct? Objection.
Withdrawn.
You banished Patrick Friendly from True Path three years ago.
Because he violated our rules.
He was a 17-year-old boy who smiled at the 16-year-old girl you had designs on.
I had a revelation.
To have sex with a 16-year-old girl? Our prisons are filled with men who've had such revelations.
Objection.
Sustained.
Anything else, Mr.
Cutter? I'm done with this witness.
If Michelle Landon is extradited to Greentree County, she'll face an impossible choice.
Prosecution for child abandonment, or a return to a polygamist compound and in this court's opinion, forced sex and forced breeding.
Either choice violates human rights and the laws of New York State.
I also have serious doubts that Greentree County would make Ms.
Landon available to testify at her husband's trial.
The arrest warrant from Greentree County is quashed.
(GAVEL BANGS) We won.
You can stay.
What's wrong? I'm happy.
It's just my stomach.
You were sick the other night, too.
It's not your nerves, is it? I'm sorry.
I just told Patrick yesterday.
If Landon really has a gift for prophesy, he'll have his lawyer call me for a deal.
You won a motion.
The trial is another matter.
Michelle is pregnant by Patrick Friendly.
Landon's lawyer will use it to impugn Michelle's credibility, that she lied to help the father of her child.
Mr.
Cutter? Yeah? Thanks.
Bad news travels fast.
Landon's demanding an ultrasound to determine the age of Michelle's fetus.
From bad news to worse.
My client last had relations with his wife weeks before she left the compound.
If the ultrasound shows the fetus is older than two months, it's his baby, not Patrick Friendly's.
It's unthinkable to force a pregnant woman to undergo a medical procedure of this kind I have a right to know if that's my child.
GODWIN: Ultrasound is safe.
And the results may have a material impact on the credibility of witnesses in this trial.
It's an invasion of her privacy.
I agree with Mr.
Godwin.
There's no downside to the test.
I'm ordering Ms.
Landon to have it.
The doctor just told us.
I'm so sorry.
I really wanted it to be Patrick's baby.
What are you going to do? I'm going to go home to have the baby.
Home? To True Path.
I want to raise all my kids together.
Michelle, if Wyatt's convicted, you'll get custody of your other children.
And raise three kids, with no home, no money, no father? Michelle, what are you saying? I can't help you put Wyatt in jail.
I need him.
Maybe this is God's plan.
I'm sorry I let you down.
Let us down? What about the other young girls in True Path who'll be married off like you.
You think Mike.
Don't.
Maybe it won't be so bad.
Maybe it is my place.
I'm sure she's done the math.
Landon is the devil she knows.
He'll annihilate her.
She's doing this for her kids.
We can't let her.
Yes, we can.
This may be the last decision she makes of her own free will and we'll honor it.
We have Caleb Friendly's murderer.
Dismiss the charges against Wyatt Landon and his co-defendants.
It's over.
Pursuant to the People's request the charges against Wyatt Landon, Levi Ingle and Henry Winters are hereby dismissed.
We're adjourned.
(GAVEL BANGS) Michelle.
Let's go.
We're leaving.
These are their stories.
TICKET ATTENDANT: Can I help you? Give this ticket to the man inside.
And listen when he tells you where to go.
And I'll meet you back here in two hours.
Okay? You know, we could go back to the apartment.
You don't have to do this.
The apartment's not our home.
Today, I'm going to get us home.
Patrol responded to a 911 call.
Victim is a male, white.
Oh.
The kid's 16, 17 tops.
Looks like a single stab wound to the chest.
My guys are lookin' for a weapon.
A five dollar bill and some change.
No wallet, no ID.
Could be a rich kid from the neighborhood, with that preppie outfit.
Preppie maybe.
Rich, no.
Look at his cuffs.
They're all frayed, and his pants are too short.
Hand-me-downs or he shops right out of the bin at Goodwill.
Fresh haircut, nails are clean.
He's too well-groomed to be living on the street.
Even tucked his shirt in.
And buttoned his top button.
Did you ever walk around like that when you were his age? Not unless my mother made me.
MALE OPERATOR: 911.
Where's the emergency? WOMAN: Please, you have to help him.
He's hurt.
Slow down, Miss.
What's your name? I don't want to say.
He's in Central Park.
Near 77th Street West.
Police and ambulance are on their way.
Stay right there.
No, I can't stay.
Oh, God, I can't leave him, but I have to go.
And go she did.
Nobody was around by the time patrol got there.
Have we got an ID on the boy? No.
His prints aren't in the system, and no missing person report fits.
Well, our caller didn't want to leave.
Maybe she knew him.
Did you get the number from 911? Yeah.
Our good-enough Samaritan is Monica Vance.
She lives in the East Village.
All right.
I didn't make that call.
This girl came running out of the park, hysterical, and she asked if she could use my phone, so I let her.
Normally I wouldn't, but she said someone was hurt.
Can we see your phone? How did you know she wasn't going to steal your phone? That wasn't the vibe I got from her.
She was wearing this long frumpy dress, and sneakers.
She looked like she ran away from a convent.
We're gonna need to take your phone.
You see this, between the keys? That's blood.
I really need my phone.
You can keep it company and help us with a sketch of the runaway nun.
Grab your purse.
(SIGHS) The blood on the phone belonged to our John Doe.
Okay.
What kind of knife are we looking for? It wasn't a knife.
It's as sharp as a knife blade but massier.
"Massier"? What kind of word is that? It's a term of art.
The blade was wider and thicker than a knife blade.
Those his clothes? Mmm-hmm.
And what else can you tell us about our John Doe in plain English, please? Well, he was well muscled, his hands are calloused.
Probably saw his fair share of manual labor.
And he had lentil stew and milk shortly before he died.
LUPO: Yummy.
These ink markings on his undershirt, they look like they're hand-drawn.
(RATTLING NOISE) What have we got here? Aha! It's stamped.
Hudson Hardware, 648 Lenox Avenue.
I know that key.
That key pays my rent.
Hmm.
I'd like to get in on something like that.
It's a front door key for the Sherman Street Lofts.
Didn't that place used to be a barrel factory? Kids packing in like sardines over there now, moving in and out all the time.
I made eight of those keys already this week.
You, uh, remember making one for him? I don't recognize him.
Sorry.
All right, thanks.
Excuse me, does this boy live here? Hey, do you mind looking at this photo? Nice work.
Hey, can you help us out? You guys cops? Well, not the kind you have to worry about.
Have you seen this guy, and this girl? Her I don't know, but cool drawing.
We'll pass it along.
What about him? He's dead, isn't he? Yeah.
Very.
Did you know him? He hangs out with that kid who, like, helps the super.
Which one of you guys is the super's helper? I am.
I'm Patrick.
You know this guy? Yes, that's Caleb.
What's wrong with him? This Caleb's bowl? Yes.
He hasn't been home since yesterday.
What happened to him? He was found dead in Central Park.
What? You all right, son? Luke is Caleb's brother.
Could you put that picture away? We're sorry about your loss, Luke.
Would you come with us to identify the body? Can I go with him, please? Sure, why not.
Let's go.
Let me guess.
Lentils? Caleb said he was going to the movies with Luke.
I don't know why he would have been in Central Park.
Maybe it was to meet a girl, maybe her.
I don't know.
They've only been here for two weeks.
Where are they from? Arizona, a place called Boyd Canyon.
Is that where you know them from? Yes.
But you've been here longer than two weeks, right? For three years.
Okay, well, we're going to need to get in contact with Caleb's parents.
I don't know how you would do that.
(OVER SPEAKER) I don't know where Caleb went.
He just told me to wait for him after the movie.
So, you like going to the movies, huh? I don't know.
This was my first time.
You've never been to a movie back in Arizona? No.
I don't want to talk to you anymore.
It's okay.
We're almost done.
Do you recognize her? No.
Can I go be with Patrick now? First we're going to have to call your parents, so, I'm going to need a number.
I want to talk to the other policeman.
My partner? What do you want to talk to him about? He's just more like me.
So, you mean he's more slim? Or more white? Do I scare you because I'm black? Son, you can talk to my partner.
Just sit down BERNARD: Hey, hey Luke! Stop right there.
Don't fight me now.
Hey, hey! Don't fight me, boy.
You heard the Lieutenant! What's this? Huh? "The Garments of the Holy Priesthood.
" "Backward right angle over the right breast, "a "V" over the left breast, a dash at the navel.
" Same as the markings found on the dead boy.
Well, these are sacred undergarments of the Mormon Church, a kind of body armor against Satan.
These kids are Mormons.
Says here you get the garments from the church with the markings already embroidered on.
Looks like these kids might have made their own.
That kind of fits.
Luke has never been to a movie, and he's afraid of black people.
Well, that doesn't fit.
The Mormon Church has been fully open to black folks for 30 years.
And Mormons go to movies like everyone else.
Everywhere except Boyd Canyon.
That must be it.
These kids are Mormon Fundamentalists, the groups that broke from the official church live in isolated compounds out west.
So what are these boys doing thousands of miles from home? With home-made magic underwear.
Come on, Patrick, are we going to find the same markings on your undershirt? You know, I don't know about your belief system, but in our belief system, interfering with a murder investigation is a crime.
All right, suit yourself, man.
I hope that you don't mind sleeping next to rapists and murderers.
True Path.
What's that? We were in The Church of the True Path.
What about her? I don't know her.
Now can I just get Luke and go home, please? He's going into foster care until we can find his parents.
Why can't he go with me? I'm 21.
Because he needs to go with his family.
I'm his family.
I'm his brother.
You're his brother, too? Who're your parents? Our father is Hoseah Friendly.
Okay.
What about your mother? My mother is Leah Friendly.
She birthed me.
And then there's Emily, Luanne, she's Luke and Caleb's mother, Sharon and Kallie.
These women are all married to your father? Mmm.
They're polygamists.
That's what you'd call it.
Now, can Luke go home with me, please? He's 14.
So, one way or the other, he's going back to Boyd Canyon.
They don't want him back.
The Elders'll send him away again.
Why'd they send him away in the first place? The same reason they sent us all away.
Wyatt Landon, the Prophet, he said we were sinners.
What was your sin? I told a girl in the church that I liked her.
Okay, and the Elders don't approve of that kind of thing? It's okay when they talk to the girls.
But if a boy does, they send him away.
They want the girls all for themselves.
Can I make a phone call to a lawyer, please? The ticket taker at the movies said she remembered Luke going in.
Doesn't remember him going out.
Well, that opens up a lot of possibilities.
Turns out Luke, Caleb and Patrick are all part of one big happy polygamist family back in Boyd Canyon.
Thanks.
Sounds like these Elders had a racket going.
That's Arizona's problem.
Not unless Caleb's murder makes it ours.
Patrick's lawyer call was to a home up in Sloatsburg.
Sloatsburg? Call ACS and have Luke placed, and then get yourselves up to Sloatsburg.
We aren't lawyers.
We help boys who've been expelled from True Path.
My wife's nephew was thrown out 10 years ago.
We've been taking in boys ever since.
We call them the Lost Boys.
They've grown up in an isolated church compound.
They've never even heard a radio.
Did Caleb and Luke ever stay with you? Just when they first got to New York two weeks ago.
We didn't have room for them, so we arranged for them to stay with Patrick and John.
Has this girl been here? No.
We only take in boys.
Is that so? That pink blouse on your laundry line, who does that belong to? They're police, Joan.
We have to trust them.
Michelle.
Don't be afraid.
The police officers just want to talk to you.
Michelle.
Do you know why we're here? I think so.
Did you make a 911 call about Caleb Friendly a few days ago? Yes.
Michelle, you're going to have to come with us now.
Please, you can't tell anyone you found her.
She's in great danger.
She's one of Wyatt Landon's wives.
Landon, the Prophet of True Path? Yes.
She ran away from him two months ago.
If he knew where she was, he'd come after her.
Caleb was already hurt when I found him.
BERNARD: Did he say anything? He couldn't talk.
(SIGHS) I just I went to get help.
On the call, you said you had to go.
I was afraid if I talked to the police, Wyatt would find out where I was.
The sheriff in Boyd Canyon does whatever he says.
This is not Boyd Canyon.
Why were you in the park in the first place? I was supposed to meet Caleb.
He saw that I was staying at the Weimers' house, and he knew I ran away from Wyatt.
He called me, and he said that he had a way for me to get my babies back.
You have kids? Yes.
Eric just turned three and Efraim's 18 months.
I had to leave them behind when I ran away.
And now Wyatt won't let them go.
Why did you run away? Wyatt married me when I was 16.
He was 52, and I was his sixth wife.
I was expected to make babies for him.
I didn't want to, but I love my kids.
I just didn't want to stay in that life.
How was Caleb going to help you? He said Wyatt was receiving state assistance by saying my boys were sick and they're not.
Caleb said he had papers to prove this, and if I showed them to a lawyer, they would put Wyatt in jail and I'd be able to get my babies back.
So you went to the park to meet Caleb, to get these papers? Yeah.
But I missed my bus and I was late, and Caleb was already hurt.
Did you tell anyone that you were going to meet him? No.
Caleb made me promise not to.
What happened to the papers? I didn't see them.
(SIGHS) I just I went to get help.
Thanks.
Well, Caleb didn't have any papers on him.
Whoever killed him might've taken them.
Assuming she's telling the truth.
Well, if Caleb was helping her, he was taking on the leader of his church.
It's hard to believe a 17-year-old would do that without talking it over with someone.
Last person he saw was his brother.
Yeah.
All right.
LUKE: Caleb didn't say anything about Michelle.
He just told me to wait for him after the movie.
I don't know, Luke, something this big, it's the kind of thing a guy would tell his brother.
Right, Detective? Okay, kid, pack it in.
You're done with foster care.
Where am I going? You're going home to Boyd Canyon.
No! No, I don't want to go back there.
I like it on the outside.
That's tough.
I'm sure Wyatt Landon'll be happy to see you, especially after we tell him you and Caleb were trying to put him in prison for welfare fraud.
Don't tell him that.
Caleb's the one who wanted to go home.
That's what he was doing that night, he was going to fix it so he could go home.
How? By giving the Prophet what he wanted.
Which is what? Michelle.
The Prophet was mad that she left.
Caleb was going to do something to her, I don't know what, but then the Prophet would take him back.
Did you tell anybody what Caleb was up to? I told Patrick.
Why him? Michelle's why Patrick was sent away.
Patrick wanted to marry her.
But the Prophet threw him out.
I don't know where Patrick is.
I came home from work, all his stuff was gone.
Terrific.
We've lost our lost boy.
You been on this since you got home? No.
You mind if we check the history? Patrick's been looking at buses to West Virginia.
BERNARD: What's in West Virginia? A safe house.
I wasn't running away.
Oh yeah? What were you doing? I was Going to a Lost Boy jamboree? Sit down.
We know Luke told you what Caleb was up to in the park.
No, I didn't know that.
We know it for a fact that you knew that Michelle was in danger.
No.
You still believe in the good book, Patrick? Yes.
I still believe.
Swear to us that you were not in the park that night with Caleb.
No.
Take it in your hands, and swear to us.
Swear it on the good book, Patrick.
Patrick, if you went to the park to help Michelle that was a righteous thing to do.
We know she's the reason Landon bounced you out of the church.
You thought Caleb might hurt her, so you had to do something.
I followed him into the park, just to talk to him, to make sure he didn't hurt Michelle.
He wouldn't listen to me.
He said I was ruining his one chance of going home.
He fought me.
LUPO: Now you're starting to make sense.
You probably brought a weapon with you, right? No, I did not have a weapon.
I'm pretty sure that you didn't see it as a weapon, more so like a persuader, something to use in case you had to stop Caleb from hurting Michelle.
Patrick, whatever you did, was in defense of Michelle, and a righteous thing.
All right.
Yes, I did have something.
A wood chisel from the super's toolbox.
"Docket number 08359, People v.
Patrick Friendly.
Murder in the second degree.
" My client pleads not guilty.
Am I reading this right, Ms.
Rubirosa? Two Mormon kids go at it in the Park? Fundamentalist Mormons, Your Honor.
The defendant followed the victim into the park and then stabbed him to death with a chisel.
Because the victim was intent on harming a woman who had escaped from their polygamist sect.
Even the police told my client that his actions were righteous.
CONNIE: They were working a suspect, Ms.
Ziff, you can't take them at their word.
A jury might.
We're asserting a justification defense.
JUDGE: Good luck with that, Ms.
Ziff.
Bail is set at one million dollars.
They're going to argue a justification defense.
Did Caleb have a weapon? The only things found near the body were an old Frisbee and a dog's chew-toy.
Check this out.
In the background, the object on the park wall.
It's a can of motor oil? Yeah.
Sinclair motor oil.
Sinclair's headquarters is in Salt Lake City, home of the Mormon Church.
Could be a signal.
Okay, looks like we've got something.
Looks like two male adults.
What do you figure this is about? Two guys parked in a van 50 feet from where Caleb was meeting Michelle in the park.
To me, it looks like the plan was for Caleb to walk her out of the park, spot the signal, then walk her past the van, these guys snatch her.
And take her back home to the Prophet.
New York.
Alpha-Yankee-Quebec-3711.
Okay.
The van is registered to a car rental company in Palmyra, New York.
Greentree County's where Boyd Canyon is.
Can I help you? You guys are a long way from Arizona.
What brings you to Palmyra? Yeah, that's right, we're New York City detectives.
We're here on a pilgrimage.
Palmyra is the birthplace of the Mormon Church.
It's where Joseph Smith had his first vision.
But you're not mainline Mormons, right? You're with the Church of the True Path.
BERNARD: Well, enough of the small talk.
The rental company in town said that you guys rented a white van yesterday.
That's right.
Where did you go with it? We went to New York City, to visit the Mormon Temple there.
We didn't want to take the camper, burns too much gas.
You went to the Temple, you came straight back here.
No.
We parked next to the park there and took a nap before the long drive back.
Is there a problem? I'm afraid there is.
You see, the van was rented to someone named Wyatt Landon.
There were no other drivers authorized on the contract.
I'm Wyatt Landon.
What's the problem? You're Wyatt Landon, the Prophet? You know a Caleb Friendly? He's a young man who grew up in our church, until he was asked to leave.
When was the last time that you talked to him? Three weeks ago, when I asked him to leave.
LUPO: You sure about that? You didn't talk to him about getting your wife Michelle back? No.
I say your wife, but, uh, what is it, number six, seven? She's awfully cute And young.
I can see why you would do anything to get her back.
Henry, Levi, go back inside.
BERNARD: Not so fast.
These men are being arrested for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
That's ridiculous.
There's no Levi or Henry on the rental contract.
Now, did you drive these men to New York City yesterday? I didn't think so.
Now, Mr.
Landon, I'd advise you not to leave Palmyra.
The sheriff, he'll be keeping an eye on you.
Persecution and harassment are nothing new to me.
Have a blessed day.
CUTTER: Palmyra's holding them until we can charge them with attempted kidnapping.
The worst of it is, the more you invest in this kidnapping theory, the more you help Caleb's killer with his justification defense.
You have to decide who you want more.
Or another way to look at it If Landon put this kidnapping scheme in motion, it's the reason Caleb was murdered.
We could charge Landon with felony murder.
Landon's fingerprints need to be all over this.
The police found a 16-minute phone call two days before the murder from the public phone at the RV park to the public phone two blocks from the lofts where Caleb was staying.
That's not evidence.
Landon has to be the mastermind.
His followers don't even sneeze without his permission.
That's not evidence.
We have a kidnapping conspiracy.
We need an overt act by Landon.
Hell, I'd settle for a threat to his wife that he'd have her kidnapped.
That can't be.
He thought you were in danger.
We think Caleb was conspiring with Wyatt to kidnap you.
Is Wyatt here? No.
He's upstate, in Palmyra.
The police are watching him.
He can't hurt you.
Have you talked to him since you ran away? Twice, to beg him to let me have my kids.
Did he threaten you in any way? He said I would suffer celestial punishment if I didn't come back.
(SIGHS) He had a revelation that I was on fire in the desert.
What'll happen to Patrick? He'll have a trial.
Chances aren't good.
But it's my fault.
I mean, I let Caleb fool me.
No, you wanted to believe that he could help you get your sons back.
What he said about Wyatt stealing state money, it just sounded so right.
Why? What did Caleb say exactly? He said Wyatt had told the state that my eldest son Eric has asthma, and he doesn't.
He just has an allergy to feathers, and that Caleb said that before the state nurse was able to examine Eric, Wyatt put him on a feather pillow to make his allergies kick in.
Who knows that your son is allergic to feathers? Just me and Wyatt.
We got him.
These defendants came into our jurisdiction to kidnap a woman who ran away from their sect.
My clients are religious men, church leaders.
They're polygamists.
Mr.
Landon has six wives ranging in age from 19 to 43.
JUDGE: We're not here for that, Ms.
Rubirosa.
These men have no ties to the community, their lifestyle demonstrates their utter indifference to our laws These are not men who dodge their responsibilities.
With six wives, I should hope not.
Your Honor Yes, yes, Ms.
Rubirosa.
The defendants are remanded till trial.
Your Honor, we believe the mother of my client's children is a flight risk.
We request you order the People to produce Michelle Landon for trial.
On what basis? My client's right to confront the witnesses against him.
JUDGE: Sixth Amendment, Mr.
Cutter.
She is the intended victim.
The People are ordered to guarantee Ms.
Landon's appearance at trial.
Next case.
(GAVEL BANGS) We just delivered the lamb to the lion.
You charged Wyatt Landon with attempted kidnapping and felony murder.
I guess you concede that Michelle was in danger and that my client saved her life.
Can a plea offer be far behind? If Patrick can help us make our case.
Testify against the Prophet? He threw you out like garbage.
You don't owe him anything.
We know you have feelings for Michelle.
If you help us, you'll get out while you're still young.
When I got to the park, Caleb said, "We won't hurt her.
"They just want her back in her rightful place.
" He said "we"? You're certain? I'm sure.
To be dragged back to Boyd Canyon, for Michelle, that would have been worse than death.
Mr.
Landon was in Palmyra.
He had no knowledge of his friends' activities.
How confident are you, Mr.
Landon, that your friends will keep lying for you? Their faith gives them a strength you can't imagine.
Michelle Landon abandoned her kids.
No jury will believe my client crossed the country to kidnap an unfit mother.
Oh, they will once I've educated them about what goes on in True Path.
Motion to exclude testimony based on my client's religious practices.
Hope you have a Plan B.
Mr.
Cutter intends to make this trial about polygamy.
He knows that will inflame a New York jury.
Polygamy is the reason Mr.
Landon planned this kidnapping.
His wife's escape shamed him before his sect.
He had to bring her back.
Armchair psychology.
He just wants to put my client's beliefs on trial.
Those beliefs are evidence of motive.
Those beliefs are protected under the First Amendment, Mr.
Cutter.
I won't allow this trial to become a referendum on a group's religious practices.
The defense motion is granted.
There'll be no mention of polygamy in my courtroom.
That judge did you a favor.
This is a straight-up kidnap-murder case.
Sounds like he did you the favor.
He sucked the controversy right out of this case.
Did he? It never occurred to me.
Polygamy is a legitimate issue in this case.
Never mind it's criminal and abominable.
But that crime was committed in Arizona.
Far as abominable, some anthropologists would argue that it's monogamy that's unnatural, that men are genetically hard-wired to seek multiple partners.
Maybe polygamists are just steering into the skid.
You must be kidding.
I'm pointing out that it's a hornet's nest.
You don't need to drag in religion.
Make the case without it.
We're not allowed to bring up Landon's religious beliefs.
We can't even talk about why you ran away.
Are you okay? Yeah, I'm just not sleeping well.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) I hate being cooped up in this hotel.
It's for your safety, until the trial next month.
Greentree County just issued an arrest warrant for Michelle, for Child Abandonment.
The DA just flew in to take her into custody.
They're gonna take me back to Boyd Canyon? Only to Greentree County.
And they'd have to send you back here to testify against Landon.
You don't understand.
The police back home do whatever Wyatt says.
If you hand me over, they're never going to let me go.
Mr.
McCalister has had months to issue his warrant, but he waited until Ms.
Landon had been subpoenaed to testify against her husband.
This crime was just brought to my attention by the father of the abandoned children, Mr.
Landon.
Your Honor, if you grant this extradition, we believe Ms.
Landon will be returned to Mr.
Landon's religious compound.
If she ends up back in the family home caring for her children, that would be an acceptable remedy.
And we would never see her again.
That's the real purpose of this warrant, to make Ms.
Landon unavailable to testify against her husband.
Are you alleging my office is corrupt? Mr.
Landon has six wives and 27 children.
He has one legal spouse, and five celestial marriages with consenting adult women.
Consent? Michelle Landon fled True Path in the dead of night and has been in hiding ever since.
She would be in danger if she was returned.
Mr.
Cutter, I find your allegations hard to take at face value.
Your Honor, we're ready to present evidence about conditions inside Mr.
Landon's compound.
The Court ruled that testimony regarding my client's religious practices is prejudicial.
Before a jury.
There's no jury here.
Mr.
Landon's practices go to the heart of our motion to quash this warrant.
I agree.
I'll hear your witnesses before I rule on the motion.
You're doing exactly what Jack told you not to, putting polygamy on trial.
You bet.
Any objections? Nope, none that I can think of.
The day I turned 16 my mother woke me up in the middle of the night.
She said the Prophet had a revelation that I was to marry him.
And I had to get up and help make my wedding dress.
In the middle of the night? The wedding was that day.
They don't give you much time to run.
Did you want to run? I wanted to stay with my family and go to school.
I was 16-years-old.
He was over 50.
I'd never even kissed a boy.
Why didn't you try to leave? I was scared.
Some girls had escaped.
Wyatt said that they were all prostitutes now.
And what was your life like being married to Mr.
Landon? It was hard until I made my peace that, you know, there was no way out.
The first time he tried to have sex with me Take your time.
He got on top of me and I pushed away from him and ran into the bathroom.
I couldn't breathe.
And what do you mean when you say you made your peace? Life stops hurting as much when you give up thinking it could be different.
You just sort of stare at the ceiling and try to think of something else.
Do you love your children? Oh, my God, yes.
When you fled your abuse you left your boys behind.
How did you justify that? I knew my sister-wives would take good care of them until I could get them away.
Now Mr.
McCalister here says that if you go back with him, you'll be safe, that he won't send you back to True Path.
No one says no to Wyatt.
If you send me away, you'll never see me again.
They're watching me all the time.
And Wyatt God only knows what he'll make me do in his bedroom.
The danger you face in True Path is an unhappy marriage.
Is that correct? It's more than that.
I didn't want to marry him.
It's like rape.
I see.
A community that condones rape.
This would be a community of people with extremely poor judgment, right? I think so.
You left your children in the care of rapists.
I never would have left them if they were girls.
With boys it was okay? Objection.
I'm going to get them back.
I want to be a good mother.
That's all Greentree County is asking, that you be a good mother.
Thank you.
I filed this complaint against Michelle because her children need her.
Little Eric cries for you every night, Michelle.
CUTTER: Objection.
Don't address anyone in the gallery, Mr.
Landon.
What about her fears of retribution? She left in a moment of weakness.
She'll be forgiven.
She says her marriage was forced upon her, that you in effect raped her? That's a lie.
A lie to justify her abandonment of our boys.
On our wedding night, she hid because she thought she wasn't good enough to be the Prophet's wife.
Michelle was 16 when you married her, correct? Yes.
She was younger than my other wives, but, uh, Michelle was emotionally mature.
You're saying you don't have a predilection for young girls? No.
My wives just have to be healthy enough to bear children.
Bearing children is God's plan, correct? Yes.
So if and when Michelle returns to True Path, she'll be expected to bear you more children? She will be expected to live according to God's plan.
And if she refuses, one way or the other, you'll find a way to impregnate her, correct? Objection.
Withdrawn.
You banished Patrick Friendly from True Path three years ago.
Because he violated our rules.
He was a 17-year-old boy who smiled at the 16-year-old girl you had designs on.
I had a revelation.
To have sex with a 16-year-old girl? Our prisons are filled with men who've had such revelations.
Objection.
Sustained.
Anything else, Mr.
Cutter? I'm done with this witness.
If Michelle Landon is extradited to Greentree County, she'll face an impossible choice.
Prosecution for child abandonment, or a return to a polygamist compound and in this court's opinion, forced sex and forced breeding.
Either choice violates human rights and the laws of New York State.
I also have serious doubts that Greentree County would make Ms.
Landon available to testify at her husband's trial.
The arrest warrant from Greentree County is quashed.
(GAVEL BANGS) We won.
You can stay.
What's wrong? I'm happy.
It's just my stomach.
You were sick the other night, too.
It's not your nerves, is it? I'm sorry.
I just told Patrick yesterday.
If Landon really has a gift for prophesy, he'll have his lawyer call me for a deal.
You won a motion.
The trial is another matter.
Michelle is pregnant by Patrick Friendly.
Landon's lawyer will use it to impugn Michelle's credibility, that she lied to help the father of her child.
Mr.
Cutter? Yeah? Thanks.
Bad news travels fast.
Landon's demanding an ultrasound to determine the age of Michelle's fetus.
From bad news to worse.
My client last had relations with his wife weeks before she left the compound.
If the ultrasound shows the fetus is older than two months, it's his baby, not Patrick Friendly's.
It's unthinkable to force a pregnant woman to undergo a medical procedure of this kind I have a right to know if that's my child.
GODWIN: Ultrasound is safe.
And the results may have a material impact on the credibility of witnesses in this trial.
It's an invasion of her privacy.
I agree with Mr.
Godwin.
There's no downside to the test.
I'm ordering Ms.
Landon to have it.
The doctor just told us.
I'm so sorry.
I really wanted it to be Patrick's baby.
What are you going to do? I'm going to go home to have the baby.
Home? To True Path.
I want to raise all my kids together.
Michelle, if Wyatt's convicted, you'll get custody of your other children.
And raise three kids, with no home, no money, no father? Michelle, what are you saying? I can't help you put Wyatt in jail.
I need him.
Maybe this is God's plan.
I'm sorry I let you down.
Let us down? What about the other young girls in True Path who'll be married off like you.
You think Mike.
Don't.
Maybe it won't be so bad.
Maybe it is my place.
I'm sure she's done the math.
Landon is the devil she knows.
He'll annihilate her.
She's doing this for her kids.
We can't let her.
Yes, we can.
This may be the last decision she makes of her own free will and we'll honor it.
We have Caleb Friendly's murderer.
Dismiss the charges against Wyatt Landon and his co-defendants.
It's over.
Pursuant to the People's request the charges against Wyatt Landon, Levi Ingle and Henry Winters are hereby dismissed.
We're adjourned.
(GAVEL BANGS) Michelle.
Let's go.
We're leaving.