Law & Order (1990) s19e10 Episode Script
Pledge
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 really great.
And if you like this video game, maybe you could come with me to my cousin's house this weekend.
Uh, my weekends are kind of full.
Oh, right.
What are you doing here? It's joy to see you, too.
Shoes off if you go in the kitchen.
We're going to go to my room.
So, could you please not tell Mom and Dad about us playing Xbox? Sorry, love.
I can't keep secrets from the boss.
I fix you milk and cookies.
I got a ping-pong table downstairs and That's okay.
I'll just see you at school.
I kept ringing the bell, and then I see this stuff seeping under the door.
Oh, my God.
I got blood on my sneakers.
All right.
Take a breath.
You told 911 you saw a man leaving the house.
I was wheeling my cart towards the house.
This guy came down those steps.
He rushed right by me.
Okay.
What did he look like? Like a businessman.
Nice coat and hat and a brown briefcase.
Brown briefcase.
Was he white, black? White.
He had the hat pulled down and he was walking real fast and I'm sorry.
I, like, noticed the guy, but I didn't see him, and It's It's okay.
Hey.
Sit down and take some deep breaths.
All right? Homeowners are a couple of doctors.
They're on their way home.
This is the cleaning lady.
No sign of forced entry.
Must have cut her after she opened the door.
That wound is deep.
Hell of a big knife.
The witness saw a man leaving the house with a briefcase.
The knife might have been inside.
The call said there were two DOAs? Looks like he was doing his homework.
Barely had a chance to get up.
Somebody cut off his hair.
Son of a bitch took a souvenir.
It doesn't make sense.
If they didn't steal anything Look, has anyone in your family been threatened? Threatened? No.
What kind of medicine do you practice? We're neurologists.
We conduct research in pain management.
Do you keep drugs in the house? Of course not.
Everything is at the lab, under lock and key.
Your lab at Hudson University.
Is that where you were this afternoon? You're asking us where we were? Joyce, they're just doing their job.
Uh, yeah.
We were in our offices all day.
What about your housekeeper, Dr.
Foley? What can you tell us about her? Grazinya was a schoolteacher in Poland.
Her husband is dead.
She lived alone in Brooklyn.
She wasn't even supposed to be there today.
Mondays she works for another family.
But she called last night and And said they wanted her to switch days.
So, normally, your son would have been home by himself.
Yes.
Well, did he ever mention anybody bothering him? On the Internet maybe? No.
We monitored his computer use very carefully.
Why would anybody do this to him? He was just He was just a sweet little boy.
We're very sorry for your loss.
Male white.
Gray fedora.
Brown briefcase.
That's it? Well, the delivery kid's with the sketch artist, but everything they come up with looks like Picasso's greatest hits.
Well, we're going on the theory that the Foley boy was the target.
So, let's check with his school and see if he got into any trouble his parents didn't know about.
I only stayed at his house, like, two minutes.
So, when you left, did you see anyone outside? No.
I What's wrong? What if I didn't leave? Listen to me.
You're safe now, okay? And you're here to help us find the person who hurt your friend.
Right? Why did you stay only two minutes? You two get into a fight? No.
We were going to play Madden 09, but his maid was there.
So, we couldn't.
Because? Well, Eric was only supposed to play video games on the weekend.
And the maid said she'd have to tell his parents.
So, Eric was going to break the rules.
He do this a lot? No.
He worried about his parents.
You know, letting them down and stuff.
Well, it sounds like he really looked up to them.
Yeah.
He said they were, like, genius mad scientists who did top-secret stuff.
Top-secret stuff? Eric say what kind? No.
Well, yeah.
He said they experimented on people's brains.
He said it was totally psycho.
There's nothing psycho about pain management studies.
Who said that? Their son.
Eric.
So tragic.
The university is putting up a $100,000 reward.
How effective are rewards? Has anybody done a study? Well, I'm sure they have.
So, what exactly did the Foleys' research consist of? Drug trials, mainly.
They once experimented with stingrays.
Stingrays.
As in the fish? Yes.
In Roman times, a live stingray was placed on your head as a treatment for migraines.
Turns out there was something to it.
No kidding.
The electrical pulses of the animal disrupted the migraine's pain aura.
Okay.
Have you had any problems with the Foleys' test subjects? Nothing that has filtered up to me.
Can you point us to the Foleys' assistant? The test subjects are students here at Hudson.
They all have chronic pain, from sports injuries or headaches.
Any unsatisfied customers? No.
I mean, either the pain medication works and they feel better, or it doesn't work and they feel the same as before.
Lasky.
There are a lot of calls here from Lasky or about Lasky.
He's a writer for Contemporary Science.
He had been bugging Joyce for an interview for the last month.
She was dodging him? Contemporary Science is like "Science for Dummies.
" Joyce and Harold are very busy.
Okay.
Lasky say what he wants to talk about? No.
Even after I went on the interview, he wouldn't say.
You went.
Joyce sent me.
She wasn't returning Lasky's calls.
So, he called Dr.
Voss, Voss put the squeeze on Joyce So, she sent me to the interview.
No offense, but sending an intern to talk to a science magazine? Yeah.
I know.
When I showed up, Lasky nearly had a fit.
An intern.
That speaks for itself.
The Foleys are stonewalling.
What do you think they're hiding? Three years ago, they got a half- a-million-dollar grant from Orsher Pharma to study a new beta-blocker.
Three years ago.
Where are the results of that study? I give up.
Where are they? Exactly.
They're nowhere.
They either diverted the money, or should I say stole it, or they buried the results because something went horribly wrong.
Horribly wrong how? One of their test subjects got hurt? I'm just speculating.
And I don't mean to pick on them with their tragedy, but Can we see your article? Well, I haven't written it, yet.
How could I when Joyce Foley sends some dingbat intern to talk to me? We weren't hiding anything.
The man was a pest.
One of those "gotcha" journalists from a third-rate publication.
Whatever happened to that $500,000 drug study? The drug didn't perform better than the placebo.
And you didn't want to advertise the results.
Orsher Pharma owns the results.
It's up to them to publish them.
We study pain management, but this pain, I don't I don't know how people go on.
You're welcome to every piece of paper in our office.
We have nothing to hide.
Oh, my God.
It's Eric's hair.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
They sent me Eric's hair! Don't move.
Let me take this.
Let me take this.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I think I got it all.
Take her over there? Oh, my This guy's a piece of work.
"In your time of loss, here's something to remember your son by.
"His pain is over.
Yours has just begun.
" Forensics confirmed the hair in the condolence card was Eric Foley's.
It wasn't enough to kill their son.
Now, he has to torture them.
And the card was addressed to Joyce Foley.
Whatever this guy's thing is, it's with her, not the husband.
The card was postmarked in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Do the Foleys have ties there? Nothing.
Well, the boy's service is today, isn't it? We're dealing with a sadist here.
Stay close to Joyce Foley.
I hate this.
Funerals.
Hey.
What's he doing here? He doesn't even know them.
That pain that grows with time that no pill can seem to soothe To lose someone, that's the hardest thing, isn't it, Joyce? Let Let go of my hand, please.
Move along, Mr.
Lasky.
Move along.
Let go of my He asked you nicely.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Let's talk about it over here.
I lost control of myself, and I'm sorry.
Now, what are you doing here in the first place, huh? You practically accused those two of being quacks.
I may not respect them as scientists, but I feel for them.
Just out of curiosity, where were you Monday when that boy was murdered? I was working.
I work every day.
At your office? Office or home.
I don't recall.
Do you think your boss would recall? Why are you interrogating me? You been to Amherst, Massachusetts, lately, Mr.
Lasky? I won't answer any more questions.
All I did was offer my condolences.
May I go now? Yeah, you can go.
Just stay away from the Foleys.
Far away.
Clear? He wasn't there in any official capacity.
I'm sorry he upset people.
Ned can be intense.
Is he like that with all the articles he writes, or is it just with the Foleys? Ned hasn't written any articles.
He's a fact-checker.
The Foley story was his first assignment.
Whose idea was that? His.
He's been after me for months to give him a shot.
He'd done all the research.
All he was missing was an interview with the Foleys.
Has he been in every day this week? Uh, Monday he worked from home.
Tuesday, he popped in, in the late afternoon.
Wednesday, Thursday he was here.
Why? We're just nosy.
Any reason he might have been in Amherst this week? No.
Unless he had alumni business.
He went to college in Amherst? Yes.
He has a degree in Chemistry from U.
Mass.
You have his home address? And when he comes in, don't tell him we were here.
He's home, at the office, at the library My husband's not a 5-year-old.
I don't keep track of him.
We just need to know if he was out of town this week.
What's it to the New York City Police? Well, there was an accident report, Mrs.
Lasky.
We're just following up.
What time will you be back from work? I don't know.
You need to move the car before you go.
I know, Mom.
Stop nagging me.
They're asking questions about your father.
So, what's this about an accident? Just a little fender-bender in Amherst.
In Massachusetts.
You're going to be late for work again.
Well, that must be a mistake.
We almost never drive.
Just from one side of the street to the other, back and forth.
I have to go.
Bye-bye.
Amherst really got a rise out of them.
Uh-huh.
I wish my car was this clean inside.
Well, you've got two kids riding around with you now.
Jenny keeps letting them eat Skittles in the car.
Every time I get out of the car, I got Skittles attached to my ass.
The kids think it's hilarious.
All right.
Last inspection was three weeks ago.
Get the mileage, too.
Lasky put over 400 miles on the car since it was inspected.
Well, Amherst is about 350 miles round trip.
You get any forensics on the condolence card? No fingerprints we can match with Lasky, and no DNA on the stamp or the envelope.
But Lasky has a bug up his nose about the Foleys.
He showed up at the funeral.
He went to college in the town where the card was mailed from.
He's got a lot of strikes against him.
Well, can you find a weak spot? I think we already did.
I I can't talk to you guys.
I need this job.
I have student loans.
I live with my parents.
Now, don't worry.
We can talk to your boss.
You lied to my mom about that accident.
My dad said you guys were harassing him about some murder? Two murders.
Including a 12-year-old kid.
Now, if we get some straight answers, we can leave your dad alone.
Like that car that just gets driven from one side of the street to the other? Somebody put 400 miles on it in the last three weeks.
You're lying again.
Really? What was that look between you and your mother when we mentioned Amherst? Nothing.
That's where he went to college.
You guys are just picking on him because it's easy.
Because he never fights back.
Never? People pick on him a lot? Yeah.
That's why he sees this shrink.
Dr.
Doland.
He has depression? Yeah.
I've got to get back to work.
Molly.
Look We're not harassing your dad for fun.
A condolence card to the parents of the dead boy was mailed from Amherst.
A lock of the boy's hair was in the card.
Here's my card.
Just so you know, Molly, there is a $100,000 reward on this case.
It would be a shame if we arrested the murderer and nobody got that money.
You just offered her a bribe.
No.
That's what a reward is.
If you feel guilty about it, let's talk it over with Lasky's shrink.
I know the exception to the patient privilege, but it doesn't apply here.
No one threatened to commit a crime.
Just so we're clear on what crime we're talking about.
These are photos from the crime scene.
The killer used a big knife.
Little Eric Foley was doing his homework when he was cut.
It's so brutal.
We're confident that we'll find the killer.
There's a $100,000 reward.
I'm actually not surprised you're here.
Why's that, Doctor? I didn't see Ned this week.
We had our session over the phone.
There were circumstances that indicated a phone session would be more suitable.
Suitable? Meaning what? You didn't want to be in the same room with someone who, speaking hypothetically, just slit two people's throats? Hypothetically speaking.
I can't talk to you guys.
I have 20 minutes to get to my other job.
We just wanted to thank you for the tip about your dad's therapist.
That wasn't a tip.
I was just trying to explain about my dad.
Yeah.
Dr.
Doland explained a lot.
She did? Oh, God.
I'm already in enough trouble with my dad.
How's that? It's because of his depression.
That's why he's always criticizing me.
Oh, yeah.
That can be rough.
I bet you try hard to please him, too.
Working two jobs I'm trying to save up enough money so I can take acting lessons.
But He doesn't think I'm pretty enough.
And it was the same thing when I wanted to join this sorority in college.
He said that they would never take me because I'm plain.
Like a homemade pie.
I don't think that's depression, Molly.
Your dad just sounds mean.
Anyway, we pretty much have what we need to arrest him.
His therapist is going to claim the reward, which doesn't seem fair.
Doesn't look like she did him any good.
100 grand, Molly.
That's rent, loan payments and acting classes.
And as my partner says, we pretty much have him dead to rights already.
A father who doesn't appreciate you? He took the car Tuesday.
He left really early.
And then, I found a receipt in the car for gas in Massachusetts.
Anything else? When I looked up the murders on the web, they said there was a witness who saw a man with a briefcase.
And Last week, I saw a brown briefcase in a shopping bag in the trunk of the car and I haven't seen it since.
Taking a trip? Hey.
Hey.
I'm going to the gym.
Turn around.
Going to the gym? What a coincidence.
We just got you a new gym membership.
At Rikers.
Yeah.
You're under arrest, Mr.
Lasky.
You can't do that.
Oh, we beg to differ.
You can't open that.
You like telling people what they can't do, don't you? Driving directions to Vermont.
You couldn't find a gym that's closer? You're going to be sorry.
Bennington, Burlington, Middlebury All college towns.
Can't go to college without a fake ID.
Kip Covington, staff reporter for the New England Monthly.
It's for a story.
I'm a journalist.
I have rights.
Yeah, you have a right to an attorney, a right to remain silent.
All that good stuff.
Let's go.
Not guilty.
I'm being persecuted for exercising my freedom of the press.
The People request remand, Your Honor.
Even after the crimes were committed, Mr.
Lasky continued to harass the parents of the youngest victim.
I was writing an exposé for my magazine.
Don't speak, Mr.
Lasky.
You're trying to silence me? What is this, China? Your Honor I get the idea, Miss Rubirosa.
The defendant is remanded to custody.
Yes, my client demands the freedom to pursue his journalistic endeavors while he's incarcerated, including access to writing and research material.
He can write to his heart's content.
As long as he makes no effort to contact the victims' families.
It's horrifying to think that that angry face was the last thing that Eric saw.
You'll convict him, won't you? You have enough evidence.
Not as much as we'd like.
But we're still a long way from a trial.
I don't get it.
We never met the man.
And I find it hard to believe that he would do this just because we dodged an interview with him.
He has a daughter that went to Seldon College.
Molly Lasky.
She studied biology.
We've never heard of her.
Maybe she applied for a summer job at your lab? Oh, someone from Seldon College, I doubt they'd even make it past the pre-screening.
Well, how about Lasky's alma mater, U.
Mass? Any involvement there? No.
No, I haven't I haven't set foot in Amherst since college.
I thought I read you went to Dartmouth.
I did.
I did.
But my roommate's brother played football for Amherst College.
We used to go down there and watch them play.
You know, Lasky is two years younger than you.
He would have been in town, going to U.
Mass.
You might have met him.
I don't think so.
We didn't mix with the kids from the state school.
There must be something wrong with me.
I went to a state school.
I know.
Better not mention it until after we convict Lasky.
Without the actual briefcase his daughter saw or forensic evidence tying him to the scene We may not need it.
Once he hears his own daughter is ready to testify against him, Lasky may reach out for a plea.
Speak of the devil.
It's a pro se motion from Lasky.
Motion for what? I'll tell you soon as I can make out the handwriting.
Looks like a motion for dismissal.
Here.
He's alleging a conspiracy by Hudson University, the AMA and the District Attorney.
Look, a discovery request.
For my college transcripts and my law school application.
Do you believe this? You should really let your lawyer write your motions, Mr.
Lasky.
He wouldn't do this one.
It's no wonder.
Do the People need to dignify this motion with an argument? Mr.
Lasky, do you have any proof of this alleged conspiracy? The medical establishment is paying witnesses $100,000 to frame me.
Why would they do that? It's right there in my papers.
And now, they've got the D.
A.
In on it.
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I tried to explain to my client No need.
The motion to dismiss is denied.
As for your discovery request for Miss Rubirosa's college transcript I want to amend it to include you, too, Judge.
Me? I am entitled to know where you went to college.
You're entitled to know I have a law degree from Yale.
Not law school.
College.
How How is that relevant to your case? I won't reveal my legal strategy.
Do we need a 7.
30 exam here? The People are opposed to making Mr.
Lasky's mental state an issue.
There's nothing irrational about concealing his strategy.
It's litigation 101.
All right.
I'm denying these discovery applications, Mr.
Lasky.
We're adjourned.
Lasky's got a thing about colleges.
He was arrested with driving directions to college towns in Vermont.
He didn't ask for my college credentials.
Just you ladies.
Well, the cops said he gave his daughter grief about joining a sorority.
Well, why would he care? I am not answering any more of your questions.
My mom is mad at me.
She wants to kick me out of the house.
Molly, I know that this is hard for you.
But we I cannot afford to move.
Those detectives said that I would get a reward.
If your dad's convicted.
They never said that.
That isn't fair.
Molly, I hope you didn't lie to get a reward.
I didn't lie.
But she's kicking me out.
I'm going to end up on the street.
Well, we can't help you until there's a conviction.
And that's not going to happen until you help us.
Your father demanded to know where I went to college and where our female judge went to college.
And the way he acted when you wanted to join a sorority What is his deal with women and colleges? Molly, if you know anything I don't.
If you find out, let me know.
Otherwise, just leave me alone.
Whatever she knows, we're not going to hear it unless she gets a payday.
We can ask Hudson University to amend the terms of their reward.
Are you crazy? To quote one of our presidents, "You could do that, "but it would be wrong.
It's a bribe.
" What do you think reward money is, Jack? It's money to get people to do what they normally wouldn't.
Like turn in a friend or a spouse Your entire case rests on this girl's testimony.
If her only impetus to cooperate is greed, you're in trouble.
Who dangled money in front of her in the first place? The cops.
They knew she was in debt, so they pressed her pretty hard.
It's going to look like we bought her testimony.
What a mud sandwich this is turning into.
It's Lieutenant Van Buren.
Lasky sent another condolence card.
It was found in a package of writings that Lasky was about to give to his lawyer at Rikers.
It's addressed to the mother of a co-ed at Duke University who was killed in a bus crash in Spain last week.
Does this woman know Lasky? No.
I called her.
She has no idea who he is.
"Please accept my deepest sympathies "on the passing of your daughter.
"I'm sure this lovely young woman exemplified "the ideal of hearts and hands in service.
Ned Lasky.
" You know, I've heard that before.
"Hearts and hands in service.
" Do you mind if I Oh, sure.
Yep.
It's the Kappa Delta Alpha motto.
A sorority? Which also happens to be Joyce Foley's sorority at Dartmouth.
According to this article, it's also the sorority that most of the girls in the bus crash belonged to.
Can we look up Kappa Delta Alpha? See what got him interested? This is weird.
This article on Kappa Delta Alpha's been frozen by the site administrator due to vandalism.
Looks like somebody's been posting false information about them.
All of the postings are by the same ISP address.
Yeah.
Lasky's computer address.
Looks like he's been at it for at least a year.
You know, maybe longer than that.
We pulled his credit card records going back five years.
Look at these motel charges.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
College Park, Maryland.
Charlottesville, Virginia.
All college towns with Kappa sorority houses.
That's why he asked for your college records.
He wanted to see what sorority you were in.
Yeah, we didn't even have sororities in my college.
I don't know if that puts me on Lasky's hit list or not.
Somewhere in all these Greek letters is our motive.
Ned Lasky.
I shared a dorm with him for a year and never had a problem with him.
Do you recall him ever being involved with a girl from Kappa Delta Alpha? Kappa Delta Alpha.
I don't think they had a chapter at U.
Mass.
Anyway, Ned and the ladies wasn't a real happening thing.
He never had a girlfriend? He never had a date.
When he wasn't studying, he was playing hearts with the other nerds in the dorm.
I can't imagine he went through college without a single date.
Well, he went to a party once, if that counts.
It counts.
Okay.
I know it wasn't in town, because he left before dinner.
He'd gone out and bought this blue blazer.
The kind with gold buttons? He looked like he was going yachting with the Kennedys.
What did he say about this party? Oh, I was crashed out when he got back.
Next morning, I found the jacket in the trash, all ripped up.
He wouldn't talk about it.
That was it for his social life? Pretty much.
After that, the only time he left the room was for food or classes.
He didn't come back for junior year.
I think he went home to Pittsfield and stayed there.
We don't know anything.
We haven't seen Ned or Nora in over a year.
Well, we wanted to ask about the time he quit U.
Mass and came home.
Well, he had this crazy idea that he was going to transfer to a fancy school.
Like Harvard.
Even if he did get in, we couldn't afford it.
That's why he went to U.
Mass in the first place.
Why do you think he dropped out? Well, I can't be sure, but Um Mrs.
Lasky, this could help your son.
Well, I'd come home from my job at Burbank's Market, and he'd be in the room, Ned, on the phone.
Who was he talking to? Nobody in particular.
He ran up a phone bill, though.
Hundreds of calls to places in Illinois, like Springfield, Evanston, Champaign Those are all college towns.
He said he wanted to get accepted someplace, but I don't know.
What do you think, Mrs.
Lasky? Why was he making those calls? Well I listened at his door one night.
He was asking for a girl.
Susan.
Every time he called, he asked for Susan.
Susan.
This girl might have been part of your sorority, Kappa Delta Alpha, at Dartmouth.
I I don't know.
It was so long ago, and, uh, Susan was a popular name back then.
This girl might have transferred to a college in Illinois.
I'm sorry.
I can't remember.
What What does she have to do with anything? Ned Lasky was looking for her.
We believe he had a date with her at a party at Dartmouth and, uh, it didn't go well.
Oh, my God.
There was a boy that That I I made leave a mixer at our sorority.
He was wearing a blue blazer with gold buttons.
With gold buttons.
Yes.
A A sorority sister, I can't remember who, had met him at a football game at Amherst.
And she'd invited him to come to the mixer, but she never thought he'd show up.
I was the president of the sorority, and she asked if I could squash a bug for her.
That was That was our code for getting rid of somebody who didn't belong.
Was this the bug? Yes.
Uh It looks like him.
I mean, you have to understand.
He just He wasn't the kind of We were trying to meet men that we would want to marry.
And this boy didn't make the cut.
Well, wouldn't it have been worse to encourage him? Squash a bug.
It's blue collar versus cashmere sweater.
I know the territory well.
This Chicago cop's son couldn't get the time of day from the girls on Lake Shore Drive.
You'll be happy to know the class struggle is alive and well.
At least in Ned Lasky's mind.
Killing Joyce Foley's son was revenge for standing in the way of his true love.
Assuming you can corroborate Dr.
Foley's story.
Well, there were five Susans in the Dartmouth chapter of Kappa Delta Alpha.
It's going to take some time to find which one broke Lasky's heart.
Well, it better not take too much time.
Lasky's lawyer is moving to dismiss.
Of course he would.
Without this Susan, your motive theory is a bowl of steam.
And the one witness who can really help you wants a down payment on her testimony.
You might consider withdrawing the charges yourself and re-file when you get your act together.
We withdraw the charges, Lasky gets out of prison.
He's already killed a child.
We're not withdrawing anything.
I have 15 minutes to eat, and then, back to work.
Besides, my mind is made up.
So, you're not testifying because you haven't received the money? No.
I'm not like that.
It's what my mom said.
My dad didn't do it.
He's being framed.
Molly, the sorority you wanted to join, was it Kappa Delta Alpha? How did you know that? The mother of the boy who was murdered, she was Kappa Delta Alpha.
She threw your father out of a party at her sorority when they were in college.
Even if that's true, so what? I'm sure he got over it.
He didn't.
He's been obsessed with Kappa Delta Alpha ever since.
You want to hear what he wrote about them on their Wikipedia entry six months ago? "Beauty and sophistication are minimum requirements to pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
"If your family isn't filthy rich or you have a face like a homemade pie, "don't waste your time.
" Isn't that what he told you when he said you weren't good enough? Your father is a disturbed man.
Please help us make sure that he doesn't hurt anybody else.
When I was little, my father made me take ballet and French lessons after school.
And one summer, he even paid for riding lessons in Central Park.
He would make me do stuff, volunteer, like collect, uh, clothes for the homeless.
Did he tell you why he made you do all this? He said I would need it in college.
So I could pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
He said that their motto was "Hearts and hands in service" and I'd better learn it.
And what happened? I wasn't good at being sophisticated.
I would have rather gone skateboarding.
I was a B minus student in a public school.
I didn't grow up and look like a model.
I wasn't tall or graceful.
I had acne.
And how did your father react? He was disappointed.
I told him that I still wanted to pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
And he got angry and told me that I was too plain.
Like a homemade pie.
He said Kappa Delta Alpha girls were the best.
And that's who he wanted to marry, but he had to settle for my mom.
He called her a second-rate person who gave him a third-rate daughter.
That really hurt.
Thank you, Molly.
Molly? You testified you saw a brown briefcase in the trunk of the car.
And a gas receipt from Amherst.
Did you give that receipt to the police? Uh, no.
I only saw it in the car that one time.
And how about the briefcase? It wasn't in the trunk after I saw it.
I don't know where it is.
So, it just disappeared, along with the gas receipt? I don't know.
Isn't it true that you'll get a $100,000 reward from Hudson University if your father is convicted of these crimes? That's what they say, but I am telling the truth.
Telling the truth about your father? Hey, you don't like your father very much, do you? It's complicated.
He said some very mean things to me.
What? As mean as you lying to implicate him in two murders? I'm I'm not lying.
As mean as you sending him to prison so you can get a big reward? I'm telling the truth.
Your Honor, this witness has no evidence to offer.
Just her greed and spite for the defendant.
Your Honor, the People Mr.
Olson.
You can argue your motion once Mr.
Cutter finishes presenting his evidence.
Miss Lasky, you're excused.
During the mixer, one of the girls, her name might have been Susan, approached me about a boy who'd come up from U.
Mass.
She asked me to get rid of him.
What exactly did she say to you? She asked me to squash a bug.
Liar! Be quiet, Mr.
Lasky.
Go on, Dr.
Foley.
I I can't remember if she told me his name.
Uh, I went up to him and I asked him to leave our house.
I'm sure I was polite.
How did he react? He turned red.
He sputtered.
But he just stood there, playing with the The buttons on his blazer.
I told him that if he didn't leave, I'd call campus police.
And how did he react to that? I thought he was going to cry.
But he just called me some name, and then he ran out.
And this young man, do you recognize now who he is? Yes, I I recognized him from a photo taken when he was in college.
It was Ned Lasky.
The same man who tried to interview you.
The man who frightened you at your son's funeral.
Yes.
The same person.
Didn't you tell the police on several occasions that you'd never met my client? Yes.
But he looked very different.
And just a few days ago, when the prosecutors showed you an old photo of my client, you had your epiphany, didn't you? Suddenly, you recognized him as the boy you ran out of your sorority house.
And how long did that encounter last, by the way? I don't know.
Uh, maybe a minute.
Sixty seconds.
Thirty years ago, at a party where the liquor I beg your pardon The cocktails were flowing.
We served sangria.
And I know it must all sound very snobby.
And I'm sorry if anybody's feelings were hurt.
But these girls were from good families.
You didn't stand a chance.
That's not true.
You I'm sorry, Your Honor.
My client finds this witness's testimony very upsetting.
I have no more questions.
Mr.
Cutter, unless you have any more evidence to present here, I'm ready to hear arguments on the motion.
Uh, we have no more evidence at this time, Your Honor.
But the People request an adjournment until the morning to prepare our arguments.
If you think it will make a difference, we're adjourned.
The judge isn't buying our evidence.
Testimony with no corroboration.
What do you expect? I want to keep Lasky locked up until I can convict him at trial.
Then, play hardball.
If the judge dismisses, appeal and refuse to release Lasky.
Force him to file a habeas corpus.
He'll win, but you can defy it and keep appealing.
It will be months before he sees the light of day.
Of course, when all is said and done, I'll have to fire you for prosecutorial misconduct.
The police found our Susan.
Susan Walden.
Kappa Delta Alpha at Dartmouth until she transferred to Northwestern.
Where is she now? What do you want to do? There's only one thing to do.
Put Susan on the stand.
Judge, he told you yesterday he had no more evidence.
Mr.
Cutter, who is the witness? Uh, the witness is Mrs.
Susan Grayson.
She attended Dartmouth College and was a member of the Kappa Delta Alpha sorority 30 years ago.
What? Your Honor, we've already heard testimony about this sorority.
I want to hear what she has to say.
Ned? Let me handle this.
Judge? I'm instructing my lawyer to withdraw his objection.
You got it, Mr.
Lasky.
Bring in the witness.
Susan Grayson is my married name.
I was a Kappa Delta Alpha for two years at Dartmouth.
Do you recognize the defendant, Ned Lasky? No.
I'm sorry.
Do you remember going to Amherst to see football games? Yes.
We went on a lot of road trips.
Do you remember inviting Mr.
Lasky to a mixer at your sorority? I'm sorry.
I don't.
There were a lot of parties, and we invited a lot of boys.
It was kind of a thing to see who could invite the most.
Were any of those boys ever asked to leave the party because they weren't from an elite school? Yes.
Sometimes, the snobby girls would do that.
Weren't all Kappa Delta Alpha girls snobby and elitist? Most of them, sure.
Well, what about you? You joined Kappa Delta Alpha.
Didn't that make you elitist? I joined because my mother was a Kappa Delta Alpha and I knew it would make her happy.
But I wasn't hung up on money and all that Junior League nonsense.
So, you would have dated someone like Mr.
Lasky? His father was a factory worker in Pittsfield.
His mother worked in a market.
He was so broke, he had to hitchhike up to Dartmouth to go to your mixer.
I would have thought that was sweet.
So, you would have dated a blue-collar boy? Yes, absolutely.
Well, how can you be so sure? Because I married one.
My husband is a truck driver.
We've been happily married for 23 years.
We have three beautiful kids who go to public school.
We live in a little house with a big yard in Maine.
We have a great life.
I knew it! Mr.
Lasky, sit down! It was you! Not Susan! You! Counselor! Control your client! You're the one who wanted me thrown out.
You bitch.
I could have had her.
You got in the way! You ruined everything! I could have been happy! I hate you! Order! I showed you what it's like to lose somebody you love.
Order! I showed you! How does that feel? Mr.
Lasky, please! Your Honor, I submit the People have sufficient evidence to sustain the charges and proceed to trial.
I have to agree, Mr.
Cutter.
Mr.
Olson, your motion to dismiss is denied.
Mrs.
Grayson, you're excused.
Susan? I love you, Susan.
I I never blamed you.
I still love you, Susan.
For the record, Mr.
Lasky, her maiden name is Susan Laramie.
She was at Dartmouth two years after that party.
Your Susan was Susan Walden.
She was murdered eight years ago in The Bahamas by her trust-fund husband during a drug-fueled argument on their yacht.
If you want to talk plea, call us.
Thirty-to-life, concurrent sentences.
I read the transcript.
Very elegant, the way you kept Susan Grayson just this side of perjury.
That was the easy part.
The hard part was finding a Kappa Delta Alpha who married a bug instead of squashing it.
These are their stories.
Yeah, it's really great.
And if you like this video game, maybe you could come with me to my cousin's house this weekend.
Uh, my weekends are kind of full.
Oh, right.
What are you doing here? It's joy to see you, too.
Shoes off if you go in the kitchen.
We're going to go to my room.
So, could you please not tell Mom and Dad about us playing Xbox? Sorry, love.
I can't keep secrets from the boss.
I fix you milk and cookies.
I got a ping-pong table downstairs and That's okay.
I'll just see you at school.
I kept ringing the bell, and then I see this stuff seeping under the door.
Oh, my God.
I got blood on my sneakers.
All right.
Take a breath.
You told 911 you saw a man leaving the house.
I was wheeling my cart towards the house.
This guy came down those steps.
He rushed right by me.
Okay.
What did he look like? Like a businessman.
Nice coat and hat and a brown briefcase.
Brown briefcase.
Was he white, black? White.
He had the hat pulled down and he was walking real fast and I'm sorry.
I, like, noticed the guy, but I didn't see him, and It's It's okay.
Hey.
Sit down and take some deep breaths.
All right? Homeowners are a couple of doctors.
They're on their way home.
This is the cleaning lady.
No sign of forced entry.
Must have cut her after she opened the door.
That wound is deep.
Hell of a big knife.
The witness saw a man leaving the house with a briefcase.
The knife might have been inside.
The call said there were two DOAs? Looks like he was doing his homework.
Barely had a chance to get up.
Somebody cut off his hair.
Son of a bitch took a souvenir.
It doesn't make sense.
If they didn't steal anything Look, has anyone in your family been threatened? Threatened? No.
What kind of medicine do you practice? We're neurologists.
We conduct research in pain management.
Do you keep drugs in the house? Of course not.
Everything is at the lab, under lock and key.
Your lab at Hudson University.
Is that where you were this afternoon? You're asking us where we were? Joyce, they're just doing their job.
Uh, yeah.
We were in our offices all day.
What about your housekeeper, Dr.
Foley? What can you tell us about her? Grazinya was a schoolteacher in Poland.
Her husband is dead.
She lived alone in Brooklyn.
She wasn't even supposed to be there today.
Mondays she works for another family.
But she called last night and And said they wanted her to switch days.
So, normally, your son would have been home by himself.
Yes.
Well, did he ever mention anybody bothering him? On the Internet maybe? No.
We monitored his computer use very carefully.
Why would anybody do this to him? He was just He was just a sweet little boy.
We're very sorry for your loss.
Male white.
Gray fedora.
Brown briefcase.
That's it? Well, the delivery kid's with the sketch artist, but everything they come up with looks like Picasso's greatest hits.
Well, we're going on the theory that the Foley boy was the target.
So, let's check with his school and see if he got into any trouble his parents didn't know about.
I only stayed at his house, like, two minutes.
So, when you left, did you see anyone outside? No.
I What's wrong? What if I didn't leave? Listen to me.
You're safe now, okay? And you're here to help us find the person who hurt your friend.
Right? Why did you stay only two minutes? You two get into a fight? No.
We were going to play Madden 09, but his maid was there.
So, we couldn't.
Because? Well, Eric was only supposed to play video games on the weekend.
And the maid said she'd have to tell his parents.
So, Eric was going to break the rules.
He do this a lot? No.
He worried about his parents.
You know, letting them down and stuff.
Well, it sounds like he really looked up to them.
Yeah.
He said they were, like, genius mad scientists who did top-secret stuff.
Top-secret stuff? Eric say what kind? No.
Well, yeah.
He said they experimented on people's brains.
He said it was totally psycho.
There's nothing psycho about pain management studies.
Who said that? Their son.
Eric.
So tragic.
The university is putting up a $100,000 reward.
How effective are rewards? Has anybody done a study? Well, I'm sure they have.
So, what exactly did the Foleys' research consist of? Drug trials, mainly.
They once experimented with stingrays.
Stingrays.
As in the fish? Yes.
In Roman times, a live stingray was placed on your head as a treatment for migraines.
Turns out there was something to it.
No kidding.
The electrical pulses of the animal disrupted the migraine's pain aura.
Okay.
Have you had any problems with the Foleys' test subjects? Nothing that has filtered up to me.
Can you point us to the Foleys' assistant? The test subjects are students here at Hudson.
They all have chronic pain, from sports injuries or headaches.
Any unsatisfied customers? No.
I mean, either the pain medication works and they feel better, or it doesn't work and they feel the same as before.
Lasky.
There are a lot of calls here from Lasky or about Lasky.
He's a writer for Contemporary Science.
He had been bugging Joyce for an interview for the last month.
She was dodging him? Contemporary Science is like "Science for Dummies.
" Joyce and Harold are very busy.
Okay.
Lasky say what he wants to talk about? No.
Even after I went on the interview, he wouldn't say.
You went.
Joyce sent me.
She wasn't returning Lasky's calls.
So, he called Dr.
Voss, Voss put the squeeze on Joyce So, she sent me to the interview.
No offense, but sending an intern to talk to a science magazine? Yeah.
I know.
When I showed up, Lasky nearly had a fit.
An intern.
That speaks for itself.
The Foleys are stonewalling.
What do you think they're hiding? Three years ago, they got a half- a-million-dollar grant from Orsher Pharma to study a new beta-blocker.
Three years ago.
Where are the results of that study? I give up.
Where are they? Exactly.
They're nowhere.
They either diverted the money, or should I say stole it, or they buried the results because something went horribly wrong.
Horribly wrong how? One of their test subjects got hurt? I'm just speculating.
And I don't mean to pick on them with their tragedy, but Can we see your article? Well, I haven't written it, yet.
How could I when Joyce Foley sends some dingbat intern to talk to me? We weren't hiding anything.
The man was a pest.
One of those "gotcha" journalists from a third-rate publication.
Whatever happened to that $500,000 drug study? The drug didn't perform better than the placebo.
And you didn't want to advertise the results.
Orsher Pharma owns the results.
It's up to them to publish them.
We study pain management, but this pain, I don't I don't know how people go on.
You're welcome to every piece of paper in our office.
We have nothing to hide.
Oh, my God.
It's Eric's hair.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
They sent me Eric's hair! Don't move.
Let me take this.
Let me take this.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I think I got it all.
Take her over there? Oh, my This guy's a piece of work.
"In your time of loss, here's something to remember your son by.
"His pain is over.
Yours has just begun.
" Forensics confirmed the hair in the condolence card was Eric Foley's.
It wasn't enough to kill their son.
Now, he has to torture them.
And the card was addressed to Joyce Foley.
Whatever this guy's thing is, it's with her, not the husband.
The card was postmarked in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Do the Foleys have ties there? Nothing.
Well, the boy's service is today, isn't it? We're dealing with a sadist here.
Stay close to Joyce Foley.
I hate this.
Funerals.
Hey.
What's he doing here? He doesn't even know them.
That pain that grows with time that no pill can seem to soothe To lose someone, that's the hardest thing, isn't it, Joyce? Let Let go of my hand, please.
Move along, Mr.
Lasky.
Move along.
Let go of my He asked you nicely.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Let's talk about it over here.
I lost control of myself, and I'm sorry.
Now, what are you doing here in the first place, huh? You practically accused those two of being quacks.
I may not respect them as scientists, but I feel for them.
Just out of curiosity, where were you Monday when that boy was murdered? I was working.
I work every day.
At your office? Office or home.
I don't recall.
Do you think your boss would recall? Why are you interrogating me? You been to Amherst, Massachusetts, lately, Mr.
Lasky? I won't answer any more questions.
All I did was offer my condolences.
May I go now? Yeah, you can go.
Just stay away from the Foleys.
Far away.
Clear? He wasn't there in any official capacity.
I'm sorry he upset people.
Ned can be intense.
Is he like that with all the articles he writes, or is it just with the Foleys? Ned hasn't written any articles.
He's a fact-checker.
The Foley story was his first assignment.
Whose idea was that? His.
He's been after me for months to give him a shot.
He'd done all the research.
All he was missing was an interview with the Foleys.
Has he been in every day this week? Uh, Monday he worked from home.
Tuesday, he popped in, in the late afternoon.
Wednesday, Thursday he was here.
Why? We're just nosy.
Any reason he might have been in Amherst this week? No.
Unless he had alumni business.
He went to college in Amherst? Yes.
He has a degree in Chemistry from U.
Mass.
You have his home address? And when he comes in, don't tell him we were here.
He's home, at the office, at the library My husband's not a 5-year-old.
I don't keep track of him.
We just need to know if he was out of town this week.
What's it to the New York City Police? Well, there was an accident report, Mrs.
Lasky.
We're just following up.
What time will you be back from work? I don't know.
You need to move the car before you go.
I know, Mom.
Stop nagging me.
They're asking questions about your father.
So, what's this about an accident? Just a little fender-bender in Amherst.
In Massachusetts.
You're going to be late for work again.
Well, that must be a mistake.
We almost never drive.
Just from one side of the street to the other, back and forth.
I have to go.
Bye-bye.
Amherst really got a rise out of them.
Uh-huh.
I wish my car was this clean inside.
Well, you've got two kids riding around with you now.
Jenny keeps letting them eat Skittles in the car.
Every time I get out of the car, I got Skittles attached to my ass.
The kids think it's hilarious.
All right.
Last inspection was three weeks ago.
Get the mileage, too.
Lasky put over 400 miles on the car since it was inspected.
Well, Amherst is about 350 miles round trip.
You get any forensics on the condolence card? No fingerprints we can match with Lasky, and no DNA on the stamp or the envelope.
But Lasky has a bug up his nose about the Foleys.
He showed up at the funeral.
He went to college in the town where the card was mailed from.
He's got a lot of strikes against him.
Well, can you find a weak spot? I think we already did.
I I can't talk to you guys.
I need this job.
I have student loans.
I live with my parents.
Now, don't worry.
We can talk to your boss.
You lied to my mom about that accident.
My dad said you guys were harassing him about some murder? Two murders.
Including a 12-year-old kid.
Now, if we get some straight answers, we can leave your dad alone.
Like that car that just gets driven from one side of the street to the other? Somebody put 400 miles on it in the last three weeks.
You're lying again.
Really? What was that look between you and your mother when we mentioned Amherst? Nothing.
That's where he went to college.
You guys are just picking on him because it's easy.
Because he never fights back.
Never? People pick on him a lot? Yeah.
That's why he sees this shrink.
Dr.
Doland.
He has depression? Yeah.
I've got to get back to work.
Molly.
Look We're not harassing your dad for fun.
A condolence card to the parents of the dead boy was mailed from Amherst.
A lock of the boy's hair was in the card.
Here's my card.
Just so you know, Molly, there is a $100,000 reward on this case.
It would be a shame if we arrested the murderer and nobody got that money.
You just offered her a bribe.
No.
That's what a reward is.
If you feel guilty about it, let's talk it over with Lasky's shrink.
I know the exception to the patient privilege, but it doesn't apply here.
No one threatened to commit a crime.
Just so we're clear on what crime we're talking about.
These are photos from the crime scene.
The killer used a big knife.
Little Eric Foley was doing his homework when he was cut.
It's so brutal.
We're confident that we'll find the killer.
There's a $100,000 reward.
I'm actually not surprised you're here.
Why's that, Doctor? I didn't see Ned this week.
We had our session over the phone.
There were circumstances that indicated a phone session would be more suitable.
Suitable? Meaning what? You didn't want to be in the same room with someone who, speaking hypothetically, just slit two people's throats? Hypothetically speaking.
I can't talk to you guys.
I have 20 minutes to get to my other job.
We just wanted to thank you for the tip about your dad's therapist.
That wasn't a tip.
I was just trying to explain about my dad.
Yeah.
Dr.
Doland explained a lot.
She did? Oh, God.
I'm already in enough trouble with my dad.
How's that? It's because of his depression.
That's why he's always criticizing me.
Oh, yeah.
That can be rough.
I bet you try hard to please him, too.
Working two jobs I'm trying to save up enough money so I can take acting lessons.
But He doesn't think I'm pretty enough.
And it was the same thing when I wanted to join this sorority in college.
He said that they would never take me because I'm plain.
Like a homemade pie.
I don't think that's depression, Molly.
Your dad just sounds mean.
Anyway, we pretty much have what we need to arrest him.
His therapist is going to claim the reward, which doesn't seem fair.
Doesn't look like she did him any good.
100 grand, Molly.
That's rent, loan payments and acting classes.
And as my partner says, we pretty much have him dead to rights already.
A father who doesn't appreciate you? He took the car Tuesday.
He left really early.
And then, I found a receipt in the car for gas in Massachusetts.
Anything else? When I looked up the murders on the web, they said there was a witness who saw a man with a briefcase.
And Last week, I saw a brown briefcase in a shopping bag in the trunk of the car and I haven't seen it since.
Taking a trip? Hey.
Hey.
I'm going to the gym.
Turn around.
Going to the gym? What a coincidence.
We just got you a new gym membership.
At Rikers.
Yeah.
You're under arrest, Mr.
Lasky.
You can't do that.
Oh, we beg to differ.
You can't open that.
You like telling people what they can't do, don't you? Driving directions to Vermont.
You couldn't find a gym that's closer? You're going to be sorry.
Bennington, Burlington, Middlebury All college towns.
Can't go to college without a fake ID.
Kip Covington, staff reporter for the New England Monthly.
It's for a story.
I'm a journalist.
I have rights.
Yeah, you have a right to an attorney, a right to remain silent.
All that good stuff.
Let's go.
Not guilty.
I'm being persecuted for exercising my freedom of the press.
The People request remand, Your Honor.
Even after the crimes were committed, Mr.
Lasky continued to harass the parents of the youngest victim.
I was writing an exposé for my magazine.
Don't speak, Mr.
Lasky.
You're trying to silence me? What is this, China? Your Honor I get the idea, Miss Rubirosa.
The defendant is remanded to custody.
Yes, my client demands the freedom to pursue his journalistic endeavors while he's incarcerated, including access to writing and research material.
He can write to his heart's content.
As long as he makes no effort to contact the victims' families.
It's horrifying to think that that angry face was the last thing that Eric saw.
You'll convict him, won't you? You have enough evidence.
Not as much as we'd like.
But we're still a long way from a trial.
I don't get it.
We never met the man.
And I find it hard to believe that he would do this just because we dodged an interview with him.
He has a daughter that went to Seldon College.
Molly Lasky.
She studied biology.
We've never heard of her.
Maybe she applied for a summer job at your lab? Oh, someone from Seldon College, I doubt they'd even make it past the pre-screening.
Well, how about Lasky's alma mater, U.
Mass? Any involvement there? No.
No, I haven't I haven't set foot in Amherst since college.
I thought I read you went to Dartmouth.
I did.
I did.
But my roommate's brother played football for Amherst College.
We used to go down there and watch them play.
You know, Lasky is two years younger than you.
He would have been in town, going to U.
Mass.
You might have met him.
I don't think so.
We didn't mix with the kids from the state school.
There must be something wrong with me.
I went to a state school.
I know.
Better not mention it until after we convict Lasky.
Without the actual briefcase his daughter saw or forensic evidence tying him to the scene We may not need it.
Once he hears his own daughter is ready to testify against him, Lasky may reach out for a plea.
Speak of the devil.
It's a pro se motion from Lasky.
Motion for what? I'll tell you soon as I can make out the handwriting.
Looks like a motion for dismissal.
Here.
He's alleging a conspiracy by Hudson University, the AMA and the District Attorney.
Look, a discovery request.
For my college transcripts and my law school application.
Do you believe this? You should really let your lawyer write your motions, Mr.
Lasky.
He wouldn't do this one.
It's no wonder.
Do the People need to dignify this motion with an argument? Mr.
Lasky, do you have any proof of this alleged conspiracy? The medical establishment is paying witnesses $100,000 to frame me.
Why would they do that? It's right there in my papers.
And now, they've got the D.
A.
In on it.
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I tried to explain to my client No need.
The motion to dismiss is denied.
As for your discovery request for Miss Rubirosa's college transcript I want to amend it to include you, too, Judge.
Me? I am entitled to know where you went to college.
You're entitled to know I have a law degree from Yale.
Not law school.
College.
How How is that relevant to your case? I won't reveal my legal strategy.
Do we need a 7.
30 exam here? The People are opposed to making Mr.
Lasky's mental state an issue.
There's nothing irrational about concealing his strategy.
It's litigation 101.
All right.
I'm denying these discovery applications, Mr.
Lasky.
We're adjourned.
Lasky's got a thing about colleges.
He was arrested with driving directions to college towns in Vermont.
He didn't ask for my college credentials.
Just you ladies.
Well, the cops said he gave his daughter grief about joining a sorority.
Well, why would he care? I am not answering any more of your questions.
My mom is mad at me.
She wants to kick me out of the house.
Molly, I know that this is hard for you.
But we I cannot afford to move.
Those detectives said that I would get a reward.
If your dad's convicted.
They never said that.
That isn't fair.
Molly, I hope you didn't lie to get a reward.
I didn't lie.
But she's kicking me out.
I'm going to end up on the street.
Well, we can't help you until there's a conviction.
And that's not going to happen until you help us.
Your father demanded to know where I went to college and where our female judge went to college.
And the way he acted when you wanted to join a sorority What is his deal with women and colleges? Molly, if you know anything I don't.
If you find out, let me know.
Otherwise, just leave me alone.
Whatever she knows, we're not going to hear it unless she gets a payday.
We can ask Hudson University to amend the terms of their reward.
Are you crazy? To quote one of our presidents, "You could do that, "but it would be wrong.
It's a bribe.
" What do you think reward money is, Jack? It's money to get people to do what they normally wouldn't.
Like turn in a friend or a spouse Your entire case rests on this girl's testimony.
If her only impetus to cooperate is greed, you're in trouble.
Who dangled money in front of her in the first place? The cops.
They knew she was in debt, so they pressed her pretty hard.
It's going to look like we bought her testimony.
What a mud sandwich this is turning into.
It's Lieutenant Van Buren.
Lasky sent another condolence card.
It was found in a package of writings that Lasky was about to give to his lawyer at Rikers.
It's addressed to the mother of a co-ed at Duke University who was killed in a bus crash in Spain last week.
Does this woman know Lasky? No.
I called her.
She has no idea who he is.
"Please accept my deepest sympathies "on the passing of your daughter.
"I'm sure this lovely young woman exemplified "the ideal of hearts and hands in service.
Ned Lasky.
" You know, I've heard that before.
"Hearts and hands in service.
" Do you mind if I Oh, sure.
Yep.
It's the Kappa Delta Alpha motto.
A sorority? Which also happens to be Joyce Foley's sorority at Dartmouth.
According to this article, it's also the sorority that most of the girls in the bus crash belonged to.
Can we look up Kappa Delta Alpha? See what got him interested? This is weird.
This article on Kappa Delta Alpha's been frozen by the site administrator due to vandalism.
Looks like somebody's been posting false information about them.
All of the postings are by the same ISP address.
Yeah.
Lasky's computer address.
Looks like he's been at it for at least a year.
You know, maybe longer than that.
We pulled his credit card records going back five years.
Look at these motel charges.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
College Park, Maryland.
Charlottesville, Virginia.
All college towns with Kappa sorority houses.
That's why he asked for your college records.
He wanted to see what sorority you were in.
Yeah, we didn't even have sororities in my college.
I don't know if that puts me on Lasky's hit list or not.
Somewhere in all these Greek letters is our motive.
Ned Lasky.
I shared a dorm with him for a year and never had a problem with him.
Do you recall him ever being involved with a girl from Kappa Delta Alpha? Kappa Delta Alpha.
I don't think they had a chapter at U.
Mass.
Anyway, Ned and the ladies wasn't a real happening thing.
He never had a girlfriend? He never had a date.
When he wasn't studying, he was playing hearts with the other nerds in the dorm.
I can't imagine he went through college without a single date.
Well, he went to a party once, if that counts.
It counts.
Okay.
I know it wasn't in town, because he left before dinner.
He'd gone out and bought this blue blazer.
The kind with gold buttons? He looked like he was going yachting with the Kennedys.
What did he say about this party? Oh, I was crashed out when he got back.
Next morning, I found the jacket in the trash, all ripped up.
He wouldn't talk about it.
That was it for his social life? Pretty much.
After that, the only time he left the room was for food or classes.
He didn't come back for junior year.
I think he went home to Pittsfield and stayed there.
We don't know anything.
We haven't seen Ned or Nora in over a year.
Well, we wanted to ask about the time he quit U.
Mass and came home.
Well, he had this crazy idea that he was going to transfer to a fancy school.
Like Harvard.
Even if he did get in, we couldn't afford it.
That's why he went to U.
Mass in the first place.
Why do you think he dropped out? Well, I can't be sure, but Um Mrs.
Lasky, this could help your son.
Well, I'd come home from my job at Burbank's Market, and he'd be in the room, Ned, on the phone.
Who was he talking to? Nobody in particular.
He ran up a phone bill, though.
Hundreds of calls to places in Illinois, like Springfield, Evanston, Champaign Those are all college towns.
He said he wanted to get accepted someplace, but I don't know.
What do you think, Mrs.
Lasky? Why was he making those calls? Well I listened at his door one night.
He was asking for a girl.
Susan.
Every time he called, he asked for Susan.
Susan.
This girl might have been part of your sorority, Kappa Delta Alpha, at Dartmouth.
I I don't know.
It was so long ago, and, uh, Susan was a popular name back then.
This girl might have transferred to a college in Illinois.
I'm sorry.
I can't remember.
What What does she have to do with anything? Ned Lasky was looking for her.
We believe he had a date with her at a party at Dartmouth and, uh, it didn't go well.
Oh, my God.
There was a boy that That I I made leave a mixer at our sorority.
He was wearing a blue blazer with gold buttons.
With gold buttons.
Yes.
A A sorority sister, I can't remember who, had met him at a football game at Amherst.
And she'd invited him to come to the mixer, but she never thought he'd show up.
I was the president of the sorority, and she asked if I could squash a bug for her.
That was That was our code for getting rid of somebody who didn't belong.
Was this the bug? Yes.
Uh It looks like him.
I mean, you have to understand.
He just He wasn't the kind of We were trying to meet men that we would want to marry.
And this boy didn't make the cut.
Well, wouldn't it have been worse to encourage him? Squash a bug.
It's blue collar versus cashmere sweater.
I know the territory well.
This Chicago cop's son couldn't get the time of day from the girls on Lake Shore Drive.
You'll be happy to know the class struggle is alive and well.
At least in Ned Lasky's mind.
Killing Joyce Foley's son was revenge for standing in the way of his true love.
Assuming you can corroborate Dr.
Foley's story.
Well, there were five Susans in the Dartmouth chapter of Kappa Delta Alpha.
It's going to take some time to find which one broke Lasky's heart.
Well, it better not take too much time.
Lasky's lawyer is moving to dismiss.
Of course he would.
Without this Susan, your motive theory is a bowl of steam.
And the one witness who can really help you wants a down payment on her testimony.
You might consider withdrawing the charges yourself and re-file when you get your act together.
We withdraw the charges, Lasky gets out of prison.
He's already killed a child.
We're not withdrawing anything.
I have 15 minutes to eat, and then, back to work.
Besides, my mind is made up.
So, you're not testifying because you haven't received the money? No.
I'm not like that.
It's what my mom said.
My dad didn't do it.
He's being framed.
Molly, the sorority you wanted to join, was it Kappa Delta Alpha? How did you know that? The mother of the boy who was murdered, she was Kappa Delta Alpha.
She threw your father out of a party at her sorority when they were in college.
Even if that's true, so what? I'm sure he got over it.
He didn't.
He's been obsessed with Kappa Delta Alpha ever since.
You want to hear what he wrote about them on their Wikipedia entry six months ago? "Beauty and sophistication are minimum requirements to pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
"If your family isn't filthy rich or you have a face like a homemade pie, "don't waste your time.
" Isn't that what he told you when he said you weren't good enough? Your father is a disturbed man.
Please help us make sure that he doesn't hurt anybody else.
When I was little, my father made me take ballet and French lessons after school.
And one summer, he even paid for riding lessons in Central Park.
He would make me do stuff, volunteer, like collect, uh, clothes for the homeless.
Did he tell you why he made you do all this? He said I would need it in college.
So I could pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
He said that their motto was "Hearts and hands in service" and I'd better learn it.
And what happened? I wasn't good at being sophisticated.
I would have rather gone skateboarding.
I was a B minus student in a public school.
I didn't grow up and look like a model.
I wasn't tall or graceful.
I had acne.
And how did your father react? He was disappointed.
I told him that I still wanted to pledge Kappa Delta Alpha.
And he got angry and told me that I was too plain.
Like a homemade pie.
He said Kappa Delta Alpha girls were the best.
And that's who he wanted to marry, but he had to settle for my mom.
He called her a second-rate person who gave him a third-rate daughter.
That really hurt.
Thank you, Molly.
Molly? You testified you saw a brown briefcase in the trunk of the car.
And a gas receipt from Amherst.
Did you give that receipt to the police? Uh, no.
I only saw it in the car that one time.
And how about the briefcase? It wasn't in the trunk after I saw it.
I don't know where it is.
So, it just disappeared, along with the gas receipt? I don't know.
Isn't it true that you'll get a $100,000 reward from Hudson University if your father is convicted of these crimes? That's what they say, but I am telling the truth.
Telling the truth about your father? Hey, you don't like your father very much, do you? It's complicated.
He said some very mean things to me.
What? As mean as you lying to implicate him in two murders? I'm I'm not lying.
As mean as you sending him to prison so you can get a big reward? I'm telling the truth.
Your Honor, this witness has no evidence to offer.
Just her greed and spite for the defendant.
Your Honor, the People Mr.
Olson.
You can argue your motion once Mr.
Cutter finishes presenting his evidence.
Miss Lasky, you're excused.
During the mixer, one of the girls, her name might have been Susan, approached me about a boy who'd come up from U.
Mass.
She asked me to get rid of him.
What exactly did she say to you? She asked me to squash a bug.
Liar! Be quiet, Mr.
Lasky.
Go on, Dr.
Foley.
I I can't remember if she told me his name.
Uh, I went up to him and I asked him to leave our house.
I'm sure I was polite.
How did he react? He turned red.
He sputtered.
But he just stood there, playing with the The buttons on his blazer.
I told him that if he didn't leave, I'd call campus police.
And how did he react to that? I thought he was going to cry.
But he just called me some name, and then he ran out.
And this young man, do you recognize now who he is? Yes, I I recognized him from a photo taken when he was in college.
It was Ned Lasky.
The same man who tried to interview you.
The man who frightened you at your son's funeral.
Yes.
The same person.
Didn't you tell the police on several occasions that you'd never met my client? Yes.
But he looked very different.
And just a few days ago, when the prosecutors showed you an old photo of my client, you had your epiphany, didn't you? Suddenly, you recognized him as the boy you ran out of your sorority house.
And how long did that encounter last, by the way? I don't know.
Uh, maybe a minute.
Sixty seconds.
Thirty years ago, at a party where the liquor I beg your pardon The cocktails were flowing.
We served sangria.
And I know it must all sound very snobby.
And I'm sorry if anybody's feelings were hurt.
But these girls were from good families.
You didn't stand a chance.
That's not true.
You I'm sorry, Your Honor.
My client finds this witness's testimony very upsetting.
I have no more questions.
Mr.
Cutter, unless you have any more evidence to present here, I'm ready to hear arguments on the motion.
Uh, we have no more evidence at this time, Your Honor.
But the People request an adjournment until the morning to prepare our arguments.
If you think it will make a difference, we're adjourned.
The judge isn't buying our evidence.
Testimony with no corroboration.
What do you expect? I want to keep Lasky locked up until I can convict him at trial.
Then, play hardball.
If the judge dismisses, appeal and refuse to release Lasky.
Force him to file a habeas corpus.
He'll win, but you can defy it and keep appealing.
It will be months before he sees the light of day.
Of course, when all is said and done, I'll have to fire you for prosecutorial misconduct.
The police found our Susan.
Susan Walden.
Kappa Delta Alpha at Dartmouth until she transferred to Northwestern.
Where is she now? What do you want to do? There's only one thing to do.
Put Susan on the stand.
Judge, he told you yesterday he had no more evidence.
Mr.
Cutter, who is the witness? Uh, the witness is Mrs.
Susan Grayson.
She attended Dartmouth College and was a member of the Kappa Delta Alpha sorority 30 years ago.
What? Your Honor, we've already heard testimony about this sorority.
I want to hear what she has to say.
Ned? Let me handle this.
Judge? I'm instructing my lawyer to withdraw his objection.
You got it, Mr.
Lasky.
Bring in the witness.
Susan Grayson is my married name.
I was a Kappa Delta Alpha for two years at Dartmouth.
Do you recognize the defendant, Ned Lasky? No.
I'm sorry.
Do you remember going to Amherst to see football games? Yes.
We went on a lot of road trips.
Do you remember inviting Mr.
Lasky to a mixer at your sorority? I'm sorry.
I don't.
There were a lot of parties, and we invited a lot of boys.
It was kind of a thing to see who could invite the most.
Were any of those boys ever asked to leave the party because they weren't from an elite school? Yes.
Sometimes, the snobby girls would do that.
Weren't all Kappa Delta Alpha girls snobby and elitist? Most of them, sure.
Well, what about you? You joined Kappa Delta Alpha.
Didn't that make you elitist? I joined because my mother was a Kappa Delta Alpha and I knew it would make her happy.
But I wasn't hung up on money and all that Junior League nonsense.
So, you would have dated someone like Mr.
Lasky? His father was a factory worker in Pittsfield.
His mother worked in a market.
He was so broke, he had to hitchhike up to Dartmouth to go to your mixer.
I would have thought that was sweet.
So, you would have dated a blue-collar boy? Yes, absolutely.
Well, how can you be so sure? Because I married one.
My husband is a truck driver.
We've been happily married for 23 years.
We have three beautiful kids who go to public school.
We live in a little house with a big yard in Maine.
We have a great life.
I knew it! Mr.
Lasky, sit down! It was you! Not Susan! You! Counselor! Control your client! You're the one who wanted me thrown out.
You bitch.
I could have had her.
You got in the way! You ruined everything! I could have been happy! I hate you! Order! I showed you what it's like to lose somebody you love.
Order! I showed you! How does that feel? Mr.
Lasky, please! Your Honor, I submit the People have sufficient evidence to sustain the charges and proceed to trial.
I have to agree, Mr.
Cutter.
Mr.
Olson, your motion to dismiss is denied.
Mrs.
Grayson, you're excused.
Susan? I love you, Susan.
I I never blamed you.
I still love you, Susan.
For the record, Mr.
Lasky, her maiden name is Susan Laramie.
She was at Dartmouth two years after that party.
Your Susan was Susan Walden.
She was murdered eight years ago in The Bahamas by her trust-fund husband during a drug-fueled argument on their yacht.
If you want to talk plea, call us.
Thirty-to-life, concurrent sentences.
I read the transcript.
Very elegant, the way you kept Susan Grayson just this side of perjury.
That was the easy part.
The hard part was finding a Kappa Delta Alpha who married a bug instead of squashing it.