Law & Order (1990) s20e07 Episode Script

In the criminal justice system, The people are represented by two separate Yet equally important groups-- The police who investigate crime And the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
- Nina.
Nina, come on.
Give me a chance - you had your chance, okay? We're done.
- Thanks.
[buzzer.]
- you can't do this to me.
- Yes, I can, lucas.
Good-bye.
- Victim's nina wilshere.
Cat lady down the hall heard the shots and called it in.
Minute later, The alarm from the fire exit downstairs went off, Probably the shooter getting away.
- Looks like the wild west in here.
I count at least a dozen - Yeah.
Some slugs hit the stereo equipment.
- Well, maybe she played her music too loud.
The rest of the place looks untouched.
- Oh - What's that? - Well, it looks like somebody missed the jackpot here.
It's a reardon.
Miss wilshere has a basquiat A couple of glenn ligons.
That's $2 million worth of artwork, easy.
- Well, I guess our guy didn't come for the art.
Got hits in the face and the upper torso.
The shooter probably let loose the second she opened the door.
Hello - And good-bye.
- [crying.]
my baby [sniffles.]
it doesn't make any sense.
- Was she seeing anyone? - I don't think there was anyone special.
Nina prized her independence.
- We understand.
Ma'am, we saw that she had a lot of expensive artwork.
- She bought pieces for her clients.
Nina had her own interior-design business.
She was very successful.
- We have to ask.
Did she have any involvement with drugs or gambling? - No, of course not.
I, um I have some photo albums.
I'd like you to see how special my daughter was.
Please.
- Two hours of looking at old pictures.
- You're complaining? - Ladies with their dogs, Children coming home from school-- No suspects here.
- Assuming the killers entered through the lobby.
- Killers? - Ballistics says two guns were used, Both 9s.
- There she is.
- Back it up a few seconds.
Freeze it there.
See if csu can get prince charming's prints Off that door.
- Nina was going to decorate my office.
- Ah, chiropractor with an interior designer-- Backaches must pay well.
- We prefer the term doctor of chiropractic.
I'm stunned that you know that I saw her yesterday.
Oh, wait--I must have touched something.
You found my fingerprints On that dwi I got a few years ago.
- What did you and nina talk about? - The $5,000 that she owed me.
- Owed you for? - I ran into nina in the hamptons last summer.
We hadn't seen each other since prep school, and we We reconnected.
She told me she was an interior designer.
Next thing, I'm coughing up a retainer.
Then she blows me off for three appointments.
- So you went looking for her.
- No, no.
No.
It's not like that.
If she didn't want the job, I wanted my money back.
She swore that she would email me some preliminary plans.
No big deal.
- Looked like a big deal on the video.
- No, guys, 5 grand wasn't gonna break me.
[bell jingles.]
Now, if you'll excuse me, um, I've got patients.
- Where are we on miss wilshere's financials? - The lady didn't like keeping her money in a bank.
Her account has the same $10,000 in it For the past two years-- No withdrawals, no deposits.
- And we know she had money to burn on artwork And a fancy apartment.
- You mind putting that away? The smell is - Sorry.
- So how much art did she have? - I'd say $3 to $4 million.
- That's a lot of money For an interior designer no one's ever heard of.
First thing tomorrow, Talk to the gallery that sold her the paintings.
Maybe her real business was money laundering Buying art with someone else's dirty money.
- Okay.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Have a good night.
[paper rustles.]
- Come on, ma.
You didn't touch your food.
- UmI had a big lunch.
- Frank says you haven't been eating Since the chemo started.
- You two been talking behind my back? - Point is, I've got this friend back in burlington-- A nurse at a cancer ward.
She gave me something that might help.
- Tell me that's not what it looks like.
- It's medical marijuana, legal in vermont.
- And still a crime in new york.
I raised you better than that.
- Fine.
Toss it.
My train leaves in an hour.
I got to finish packing.
- [sighs.]
damn.
Can you believe this? - AnitaHe cares.
- And you You knew about this.
Frank! What were you thinking? I'm--I'm a sworn police officer.
- You're a sick woman who can't keep her food down, Who spends half the day doubled over in the bathroom.
This is a medicine with proven benefits.
Now, I didn't fall in love with a stupid woman, so - Miss wilshere always paid cash.
Many of our clients do.
Cash is king.
- How much exactly did she buy from you? - Uh, well, let me think.
There were the lorna simpsons, two basquiat, The We had the adrian pipers.
So it was about $5 million total Over the last two years.
- Oh.
More than what was in her apartment.
Do you always deliver to her place? - Do you mean the one on the 14th floor? - There's another one? - Yeah, she had a unit on the 12th floor, But I think she mainly used it for storage.
- Thanks.
- Look at all this Well, I'm guessing these aren't for her wool sweaters.
Hey, guys, open these, please.
Nice cabbage patch.
I wonder where all this came from.
- Whoa.
Whoo! [sniffs.]
skunk weed.
Forget interiors--our gal was designing drug deals.
- That's a hazardous occupation.
Puts her argument with her chiropractor In a whole new light.
- Fellow dope dealer.
He's got to be on somebody's radar.
- Had a wire up on evra's phone for the last month.
He's a small-time dealer.
Been trying to I.
D.
His supplier.
- We might be able to help you out with that.
Her name's nina wilshere.
- Figures.
We thought it was a woman.
We just couldn't trace the calls.
- You have anything from last Tuesday? - Uh We have outgoing calls at 1150 hours And one at 1538 hours.
- That's a few minutes before she was shot.
Let's hear that last one.
- Hello? - Hey, it's lucas.
Don't--don't hang up.
- Why are you calling me? I don't want to talk over the phone.
- Can we just meet for coffee? I'll have the 10 grand for you, I swear.
Just don't freeze me out.
- Okay, okay.
- Sounds like they kissed and made up.
[knocking on door.]
hold on.
There's someone at the door.
Yes? - I lost my key.
Can I call my mom? - Wait.
Lucas, I'll get back to you.
There's a kid at the door.
[line clicks.]
- A kid.
- I lost my key.
Can I call my mom? - Wait.
Lucas, I'll get back to you.
There's a kid at the door.
[line clicks.]
- A minute after this, The lady down the hall heard the shots.
- So we think the killers used this kid To get nina to open her door.
- But didn't we see a bunch of kids go in that building? - Right.
Coming back from school.
[computer chimes.]
[keys clacking.]
Okay, here we go.
- Stop it there.
[key clacks.]
What about him? You see that bulge in his waistband Under his shirt? - He's carrying a piece.
- Ah.
The killers didn't use the kids as access.
The killers were the kids.
- I remember them.
They were hanging out over there, Kicking around a soccer ball.
- Did you see them run by, maybe head into the subway? - They didn't come by here.
- Maybe they got in a car.
You see a car waiting? - The only car I noticed Was doubled-parked in that no loading zone.
Thoughtless bastard-- my delivery truck Had to park around the corner because of him.
- What kind of car? - Town car with a chauffer.
He was there all afternoon.
- You notice what livery company he was? - The sticker said riverdale limo Right under the one that said "we hire jackasses.
" - Thanks.
- We found the limo driver.
He was waiting on a fare for three hours.
He didn't see anything, But his dashboard camera had a perfect view Through the rear window Of the front of nina wilshere's building.
- I just uploaded the video.
There they go.
I can't make out the license plate number.
It's a maserati, I think.
- Yeah, 2009 maserati, quattroporte s-- In compton, you either bang, Or you watch the bangers in their tricked-out whips.
I watched.
- Well, there can't be too many maserati quattroportes Sold in the tri-state area.
Try to run it down.
[knocking on door.]
Chief.
- You fellas give us a minute? - Sure.
- Word came back to me That someone in the building smelled marijuana on you.
Are you out of your mind? You have 22 years in, a pension.
- Chief, I can explain.
- Save it.
These mints could take bark off a tree.
They'll clear your breath.
- Okay Shower and change your clothes after you smoke.
This guy sells medicinal dope.
He's careful and discreet.
We clear? - Yeah.
Sure.
Chief - Ball cancer, three years ago.
That stuff got me through it.
Just keep it square, lieutenant.
Don't go to pieces on me.
- I sold that cherry four months ago to this hispanic guy.
- You got a name for us? - Joe.
- Joe what? - Ah, just joe.
He had us register the car to southwestern supplies In white plains.
Turns out it's a p.
O.
Box.
- But you sold him the car anyway Because--wild guess-- he paid in cash.
- Fellas, I filled out all the required forms.
The dmv was happy, and I was happy.
- Did he show you a driver's license Before you let him drive the car off the lot? - Of course.
It looked valid.
- We're gonna need you to help us with a sketch.
You heard from him since? - Few weeks ago-- one of his cars wouldn't start, Electrical thing.
It was in the driveway of this house in scarsdale.
We sent a mechanic to it.
- Nice digs.
Joe lives well.
- Yeah, and quietly.
[cell phone beeps.]
No ins or outs.
Surprise, surprise.
The house is leased long term to southwestern supplies, The same ghost company that owns the title on the cars.
- Two hours.
We've got to rustle up some p.
C.
To go in Or get some hemorrhoid cream.
- Hey.
- Party girls.
Life is good.
- You think that girl's a good driver? My money says she's not.
[cell phone beeps.]
- Hmm.
Yeah.
I hope this guy's not packing viagra.
- You had no right to take us in Over a traffic violation, Especially since I did come to a complete stop At the corner.
- So you say.
There's also your suspended license, The joint in your ashtray, The roll of 100s in your purse.
- This is not happening.
- It doesn't have to.
A few answers, and you can go Like who you were visiting in the house.
- Friends.
- Okay.
These friends give you the money in your purse? They got names? Okay, how about you tell me if you saw drugs in the house Or guns? - Forget it.
I want a lawyer.
- The other girl wouldn't talk either.
Whoever's in that house is a lot scarier than we are.
- The lab analyzed the $100 bills Taken from the girl's purse.
They were all positive for cocaine residue.
- The girl has a pros collar.
It's conceivable that she provided sexual services For the occupant of the house.
- The occupant gave the girl money contaminated with cocaine.
Ergo, there's probable cause to believe That house has cocaine in it.
- Police! Everyone on the ground, now! Down! Get down! Down! - What are you, stupid? Or you just want to be shot, huh? What you got here? Oh.
Nice.
Where's joe? - I don't know any joe! - Stand up.
Who else is in the house? - Nobody.
- We live by ourselves.
It's our house, okay? - Yeah? Your house Your guns.
- Hey, take him.
- People v.
Rafael alvarez, Samuel molina, and carlos cabezas, Murder in the second degree.
- Esther pinn from legal aid-- I've been assigned to all three defendants.
- At this point, The people have no objection to the joint representation.
- Good.
Because I've been retained By the families of the three children.
Marcus woll, your honor.
Thanks for keeping the seat warm.
My clients plead not guilty.
I ask that they be r.
O.
R.
'd.
- Judge, I know mr.
Woll from his time in the d.
A.
's office.
These defendants come from modest backgrounds, And I am sure that mr.
Woll is not here pro bono.
I'd like to inquire as to the source of his retainer.
- Counsel knows that's not relevant.
What is relevant is that we have three juveniles, Two 14 year olds and a 16 year old without records.
- Each of them will be tried as an adult For his role in a brutal execution.
Mr.
Molina and mr.
Cabezas are from brownsville, texas.
They don't even have families here to be released to.
- Their guardians are en route, judge.
- Good.
They can visit them at bridges.
Remanded.
[taps gavel.]
- Enjoy it while it lasts, connie.
Motion to suppress all evidence found inside the building.
- Ballistics tied the guns in the house To nina wilshere's shooting And to two other murders in philly and in newark.
The victims were all major drug dealers.
The dea suspects they were targeted by the vela cartel Out of mexico.
- A mexican drug cartel Is relying on children to carry out their murders? - These children are trained assassins.
- Yeah, the police found these in the house.
- Some kind of training camp.
- Intel says it's located somewhere In the sierra madre foothills of eastern mexico.
We figure the vela cartel trained and parked these kids In the scarsdale house to use when needed.
- And for some reason, They needed to kill nina wilshere.
- Which is odd, because she wasn't a major player.
- We might get the answer when we find this joe character.
Most likely he ran the assassination team.
We lean on the kids hard enough, one of them might roll on him.
- Assuming you survive this motion To throw out the evidence.
Marcus woll was a formidable attorney When he worked in this office.
No reason to think he's slacked off now.
- Miss vazquez is a convicted prostitute.
It was reasonable to assume she received that money From the occupants of the house in return for sex.
Since the money tested positive for cocaine, It was reasonable to suspect that cocaine Was present in the house.
- Mr.
Woll, do you dispute the test results on the money? - I don't, your honor, Provided the court takes notice of a study That shows that 90% of all banknotes in circulation Contain cocaine residue.
If you can get a search warrant Because a bill tests positive for drugs, Then no home is safe from unreasonable searches.
- The home in question Had independent ties to a drug murder-- - You're reaching, counselor.
I'm suppressing everything seized in the house Pursuant to that warrant.
- In light of the court's ruling, I move to dismiss all charges against my clients For lack of evidence.
- We have video placing alvarez and molina at the crime scene.
- I'll sustain the indictments against alvarez and molina, But I'm dismissing all charges against mr.
Cabezas.
[taps gavel.]
- Okay, we lost the driver to the getaway car, But we still have the shooters.
- Without the murder weapons, We don't have much leverage on them.
Maybe we can try talking to rafa alvarez's parents.
- I know they live in washington heights.
They got here early this morning.
- They're concerned.
It's a start.
- Rafa was hanging out with older boys at a pool hall.
Then one day six months ago, he don't come home, so - He was taken to mexico.
He was turned into a trained killer.
- We tried to find him, but no one would help us.
We heard he was in a gang, but-- - Ricardo, don't talk about those people.
- Any idea who recruited him? Maybe Maybe it was this man.
- No.
- Are you making birria? It smells delicious.
Do you use pork or beef? - Pork.
- Mrs.
Alvarez, we know you're scared, But we can help rafa.
We want the people who told him to kill this girl.
- You think we can change rafa's mind? We went to see him yesterday.
He laughed about that girl.
- What did he say? - He sing this song La gringa brava no tiene ningun miedo.
Ella tiene corazon de un leon.
- La gringa brava has no fear.
She has a lion's heart.
- Isabel, we should just listen, See how they can help us with rafa.
- No.
I will not ask him to speak against those people.
We have other children to worry about.
- I, uh I am sorry.
- This kid's never gonna cooperate.
He murders a woman, then he sings about it? - The boys shot up nina wilshere's stereo When they killed her.
Maybe there's more to this song than just boasting.
[latin music plays.]
The police found it on wilshere's ipod And on a laptop in the scarsdale house.
It's about a mexican drug family.
- The song says the family is so bad That they have hot yankee blondes Selling their dope for them.
- It's a tribute.
- It's a narcocorrido-- A drug ballad.
They're very popular in mexico And in the latin communities in the u.
S.
These guys are folk heroes.
- Not to mention pushers and murderers.
- Well, you'd have to know mexico's colonial history.
Banditos fought the power, banditos like my ancestor, Juan cortina.
People revered them.
- Your ancestor? Maybe I should keep a closer eye on you.
So the vela cartel targeted nina wilshere Because she was in a song That extolled the virtues of a rival cartel.
- Yeah, well, it's called talking smack With a semiautomatic.
- It'd be helpful to know which cartel nina worked for.
- The song doesn't mention them by name.
- I might be able to help.
- Another outlaw relative? - Worse-- my old high-school boyfriend.
[la gringa brava playing.]
- Tune's been on the internet for a couple of months now, A band called los vagabundos.
- Do they have any affiliation with the drug cartels? - The ramon family From zacatecas, So I hear.
[chuckles.]
Baby, I-I just can't get over how respectable you look.
- Jonny, please, um This is my boss.
- Sorry.
Hey.
You hear the latest song about la gringa brava? [latin music plays.]
- It says the ramon family are cowards, That they let a woman do a man's work.
- And later in the song it says, "but now she's dead, And she isn't so pretty anymore.
" - And who did this song? - Los guerreros One of the house bands for the vela cartel, So I hear.
- The song also says that she took four bullets to the face.
That detail wasn't released to the press.
When exactly did this song come out-- The exact day? - It got put on the internet on the, uh, 15th.
- That's the Tuesday nina was shot.
Somebody fed the information to the band.
- And I'm guessing someone With an intimate knowledge of the murder.
If, uh, we want to find this band, Los guer--guerreros.
.
- [chuckles.]
Just for you, baby.
Los guerreros are touring the tri-state area, And their next gig is tonight in new jersey.
- Thanks.
- Excuse me.
Uh, manhattan d.
A.
What happened? - Band called los guerreros.
They were unloading for their gig.
Witness saw two black suvs pull up.
Occupants started shooting.
- Anybody get a plate number? - Not from this crowd.
- Nina's people are probably behind this.
Paying back los guerreros for their song About la gringa brava's murder.
- I want to know who told them about the bullets in her face.
The full lyrics to the song about nina's murder Were in the band's songbook, But this page was in a knapsack in the van.
It just has the verse about the four bullets.
- It's different handwriting.
- Yeah, well, the song had a ghostwriter.
We're hoping the ghost left fingerprints.
- A firefight over a couple of songs-- Unbelievable.
- As if these cartels need a pretext to kill.
The higher the body count, the higher their standing.
- Got a hit on those prints off the lyrics.
His name is eddy blanco.
Narcotics division says he's a lieutenant For the vela cartel.
A little birdie tells me He bought those fancy cars for the kids Probably gave them their marching orders too.
- Let's pick him up.
- On it.
[siren wailing.]
- Nypd! Put your hands on the car.
Don't turn around.
- We're coming for you, eddy.
- About what? - You're under arrest For filing a false registration with the dmv.
- Don't bother reading my rights.
I want marcus woll.
- Great.
Now woll represents blanco And the kids we need to roll on blanco.
- Rafa alvarez is a minor.
His parents have final say on who represents him.
His name is eddy blanco.
Did rafa ever mention him? - No.
Who is he? - He's the man who turned your son into a killer.
Your son is gonna die in prison unless he cooperates.
- We told you.
He don't listen to us.
- It is true.
We go see rafa, and mr.
Woll's always there.
What do we say? - Well, for starters, you can fire mr.
Woll.
You're rafa's parents.
You have the right to choose his lawyer.
Mr.
Woll cares only about the big bosses.
He doesn't care about your son.
- Enough.
- Mrs.
Alvarez-- - If rafa talks, they will kill him.
They will kill all my children.
Ricardo, let's go.
- No.
- Ricardo.
- No.
I can protect my own family.
Rafa will not die in jail.
He will have a life.
What do you need us to do? - Your honor, mr.
Cutter is boldly interfering With my representation of my client.
- The defendant's parents conveyed to me Their intent to change attorneys.
- My client has a right to the counsel of his own choosing.
He's an emancipated minor Whose parents effectively abandoned him months ago.
- He was spirited away to mexico To learn the trade of an assassin.
He was kept in a house and plied with drugs-- - Allegations, your honor.
The d.
A.
Is charging him as an adult, So the court should treat him as such.
- Rafa, are you happy with your lawyer? - Yes.
I don't want anyone else.
Only mr.
Woll, okay? - Your honor, mr.
Woll is hopelessly conflicted By virtue of representing three codefendants In the same murder case.
- Given the circumstances, I don't think mr.
And mrs.
Alvarez Have relinquished their parental rights.
- Judge, this is a constitutional outrage.
- Defense counsel is recused.
Court-appointed counsel will be assigned to mr.
Alvarez.
[taps gavel.]
- Well, at least now we have a fighting chance.
- Well, let's hope rafa alvarez still does.
- In return for your testimony, You'd be sentenced as a juvenile.
That means you'd be free in four years.
- I'm not a rat.
- It's not about that.
It's about your future.
- You think I'm scared of jail? I'm not.
- Rafa, mira al señor en los ojos Cuando el te hablando.
- Don't tell me what to do.
I don't take orders from you.
- But you do from-- from those animals? - Nosotros somos tu familia.
No esa gente.
Nosotros te criamos, no ellos! - I want to go now, okay? - Rafa, listen to your parents.
They've put themselves in great danger to help you.
[pounds table.]
- I want to go! - I think we're done here.
- I'm so sorry.
We'll keep trying.
- [sighs.]
Six months with the mexican mob's Done a number on this kid.
- Well, they programmed him to be a killer.
Maybe we can find someone to deprogram him.
- I see a lot of parallels Between this boy and the child soldiers I met in africa.
It's not hard to desensitize boys to violence.
You throw in a system of rewards-- Video games, drugs, sex.
- So how do we reach him? - Well, in africa, We reintroduced the child soldiers Back into their old villages, into their old lives To help them rediscover their humanity.
- We don't have a lot of time.
- It's not as daunting as it sounds.
Breakthroughs can be triggered by the smallest thing.
- For example? - You shoot for something that Taps into the side of the boy that's still a kid That loves his family.
Do that, and chances are The walls will come tumbling down.
- My client has already stated That he has no interest in cooperating.
- Understood.
Dr.
Burkardt just wants an opportunity To talk with him.
- I don't want to talk to anybody.
- All right, then let's talk about rafa's pretrial detention.
- We'll be working through lunch, rafa, If you want to order something.
- I just want to get out of here.
- His current facility has a poor safety record.
We've approached the dojj, And they've agreed to relocate him.
- Rafa's parents have also said they want him in a facility Closer to their home.
- Well, if there's an opportunity To improve the conditions of my client's incarceration, We'll listen.
- It's birria.
Your mom sent it over for helping you.
- Okay, so there's a facility - Rafa, what do you think? Rafa? - There's plenty here.
Here.
- We also have reciprocity With facilities in northern new jersey.
Now, till we can move him, he'll continue to Be housed in the segregated unit.
- [sobbing.]
They took me to this ranch in mexico.
They gave us guns, showed us how to shoot them.
They made us feel important.
They brought us back, put us in this big house, and - Rafa, I understand You just finished two weeks of therapy With dr.
Burkardt.
I understand some things might still be hard For you to talk about.
- It's like I woke up from a bad dream.
- Did it always feel like a bad dream? - No.
At first, it was like being in a video game.
It was exciting.
- Then it Stopped being exciting.
- Yes.
- When was that? - They made us take cocaine.
I didn't want to, but they said it would relax us, you know? But I'd never done it before.
I threw up.
It was scary.
- What else happened that was scary? - They would send these older girls over.
I'd never even kissed a girl, But they said a man did more than kiss.
- Rafa, after you got to the house, Who was the person who told you what to do? - Eddy blanco.
He'd give us our missions.
- And what was the mission? - Y-you know To kill someone, A person.
- Did mr.
Blanco tell you to kill a woman Named nina wilshere? - Yes.
He showed us her picture and where she lived.
He told us how to get into her place.
- And did you kill her? - Yes.
- And how'd that make you feel? - I never thought about it, you know? Eddy said not to.
Like always, we'd come back when we were done And have pizza and tequila and watch movies and.
[sobbing.]
- Okay.
- [continues sobbing.]
- So the grand jury came back With a murder indictment against blanco.
- There's been a development.
- My detectives found this on the internet.
[singing in spanish.]
- What are they saying? - Um, it's--it's about the, um-- The female lawyer in new york who took on the vela cartel.
The dead female lawyer.
They're threatening me.
- And they follow through on their threats.
Connie, I'd like you off this case.
- No, I-I want to see this through, jack.
- You and mr.
Cutter are getting security details.
And I'll see to it that the detectives assigned Are handpicked.
- And do you recognize these two boys? - I do.
Sammy molina and rafa alvarez.
- The same two boys we just saw Entering miss wilshere's building ten minutes prior.
Now, the timestamp on the video reads 3:42 p.
M.
When was miss wilshere shot to death? - About three minutes earlier.
- Thank you.
- No questions, your honor.
- Your next witness, mr.
Cutter.
- The people call rafael alvarez.
- Uh, sidebar, your honor.
Judge, I move to exclude this witness.
He's a minor who was kept in coercive environment For two weeks and subjected to psychological manipulation.
- Mr.
Alvarez underwent routine counseling After six months in the thrall of a drug cartel.
- Your case does rest largely On the boy's testimony, mr.
Cutter.
Mr.
Woll's allegation is a serious one.
I'm obliged to hear the motion.
- I request 48 hours to fully brief the matter, your honor.
- Our witness is prepped and ready.
The motion should be heard right now.
- You have 24 hours, mr.
Woll.
We're adjourned till 1:00 p.
M.
Tomorrow.
[taps gavel.]
- What's happening? - It's nothing to worry about.
You'll, uh-- you'll testify tomorrow.
- But I'm ready now.
- It'll be over soon, okay? Officers, please give him a moment with his parents.
They're stalling.
I want security where rafa's being kept doubled.
- Got it.
[man humming the narcocorrido.]
I found a half a dozen cases on point, mike.
Woll has zero basis for precluding rafa's testimony.
All right.
I'll see you there.
[ball bouncing closer.]
[gasps.]
- Counselor? I got here early.
I brought you coffee.
You're supposed to wait inside.
Everything okay? - Yeah, I'm good.
Um, we can go.
- Courthouse, right? [cell phone beeps.]
- No.
Uh, bronxville juvenile facility.
- He was brushing his teeth in the bathroom.
His throat was slashed.
He bled out before he was found.
We have no suspects, And of course, we have no cameras in the bathroom.
- Thank you, warden.
What happened to sammy can't happen to you, okay? You're protected.
- Your family has been moved To a secure location-- they're safe.
- After the motion, you'll testify, Then you can begin a new life.
- You think I'm stupid? That I don't know What they'll do to me if I talk, to my family? They'll send ten guys like me after us.
- Rafa, I promise we'll protect you.
- You can't! Look what they did to sammy.
And he wasn't even a snitch.
I'm not testifying, get it? I'm not! - I think we need a little time.
- How'd he take it? - He shut down.
- The vela cartel sent rafa a message.
- Yeah, message received.
Now what do we do? - What any good lawyer does--bluff.
- The motion's this afternoon, mr.
Blanco, And here's the reality.
It will be denied.
- And when it is, rafa will take the stand, And you will be convicted of murder.
- You seem very confident Which makes me wonder why you wanted a sit-down.
- Because we're in the business of minimizing risk Second-degree murder-- - Win the motion, lose the motion, My client wants his day in court.
Your witness, mike.
- I've read the affidavits on the psychiatric report, And I see no evidence of psychological manipulation.
Appropriate standards of witness preparation Were followed, mr.
Woll.
Defense motion is denied.
The people may call mr.
Alvarez as their next witness.
Let's bring in the jury.
- Uh, your honor, The people request a brief continuance.
Since mr.
Blanco's codefendant was murdered, We need to adjust our case accordingly.
- Uh, mr.
Molina's unfortunate death Doesn't change their theory of the case.
- I agree, mr.
Cutter.
It doesn't.
- There is another issue.
Our witness is a 14-year-old boy Who's understandably distressed by his friend's death.
- Please.
Until recently, mr.
Cutter was calling him a brutal killer.
What, now the kid's overcome by sentiment? - It's a simple humanitarian request.
- My client has a right to a speedy trial.
If the people aren't ready to proceed, I move to dismiss.
- No delay is warranted, mr.
Cutter.
You have two hours to produce your witness Or I am kicking this.
[ball thumping.]
- I know this is hard And really scary.
But you can't give up, rafa.
[thumping continues.]
You have the rest of your life to think about here.
- You testify, then it's done.
We'll relocate your family, And you can join them in a few years.
You can start over.
- Or you can keep quiet.
The judge will dismiss the case.
Eddy blanco will be out.
You'll be in prison.
And you won't be able to protect your family.
- Rafa, please.
Your family loves you.
You can't do this to them.
[cutter knocks on door.]
We have to buy more time.
I know we can reach him.
- He's already been reached.