Law & Order (1990) s24e15 Episode Script

1
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.
[CAR HORN BLARES]
I know it's late,
but I think it's important
that we talk tonight.
[HORN HONKS]
[SIGHS]
[DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
I need you to understand who I really am
and what I really stand for.
[HORN HONKING]
Look, I get it.
I'd rather meet in-person.
It's just easier.
And no matter what,
I want us to be friends.
♪
- [DOG WHIMPERING]
- It's OK.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
What do we got?
Caucasian male, 50s.
- Blunt force trauma to the head.
- All right.
[GROANS]
Looks like three separate wounds, huh?
We got a weapon?
That rock.
Make sure we bag that and have
it tested for fingerprints and DNA.
Cameras?
Not in this part of the park.
This guy got a name?
No wallet, no ID,
but we got his phone.
Let's get that sent off to TARU, huh?
Who called it in?
The guy with the dog.
[DOG BARKING]
- [DOG BARKING]
- Hey, Bentley.
Calm down, calm down.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
It was right around 9:00.
I was over there, walking Bentley,
and I saw the man
at the top of the stairs.
Was he with anyone?
[DOG GROWLING]
- Whoa, it's OK, boy.
- A woman.
Looked like they knew each other.
What makes you say that?
They were close together, arguing.
Could you hear what they were saying?
He called her some nasty names.
[DOG BARKING]
- Whoa.
- It's OK, boy.
Then he said, "Look,
if you ruin me, I'll ruin you."
Was there anybody else in the area?
No.
Then a few minutes later,
Bentley was doing his business,
and I heard a scuffle.
And the man yelled like he was in pain.
When I got over there, he was
at the bottom of the stairs.
It was too late.
And where was the woman?
She was running away.
Can you describe her?
White.
I mean, 30s, petite.
Good-looking too.
How about her hair color?
She was wearing a hat.
If you saw her again,
would you recognize her?
Definitely.
I found a business card
in the vic's pocket.
♪
Nicholas Baxter, DA.
♪
Sorry for stopping by so late.
Comes with the territory.
I assume this is about
the Riverside Park homicide.
Yeah.
We were hoping you could
help us identify the vic.
We found your business card
in his coat pocket.
Really?
That's James Powers.
- The senator's son?
- Yeah.
I ran into him this morning
at the Regency.
He asked for a meeting.
His father was an early supporter,
so I gave him my card
and told him to give me a call.
Do you know what he wanted
to talk about?
I think he was planning to throw his hat
in the ring for governor again.
Probably looking for my endorsement.
Hey.
Jessica Brady, this is Kate Norris.
Hi, nice to meet you.
Sorry to interrupt.
I'm just looking for my phone.
James Powers was murdered?
- Yeah.
- Wow.
Do you know him?
Uh, not personally.
I heard about his reputation with women.
I'll leave you two to it.
Is that your new friend, Kate?
That is my new friend, Kate.
Hmm. Punching above your weight.
[CHUCKLES]
Nick Baxter is all over this case.
Can you please tell me
we made some progress?
I got a video of Powers
a block from the park,
27 minutes before the murder.
He's walking solo.
Any sign of the woman
he was arguing with?
Not yet.
Well, he's carrying a phone.
Do we know who he was talking to?
He used an app that encrypted
all of his calls and texts.
We sent a subpoena to the
company, but they're not cooperating.
All right, stay on it.
And how are we doing
with the notifications?
He's divorced.
His parents are headed back
from D.C. right now.
OK. I'll handle it.
You got it.
I'm very sorry for your loss,
Senator and Mrs. Powers.
[SNIFFLES]
James had such
a bright future ahead of him.
He would have made a hell of a leader.
Do you have any idea who did this?
Someone did see your son
arguing with a woman
right before he was killed.
You think a woman killed James?
She was described
in her 30s, white, thin.
Do you know anyone in your son's life
that would fit that description?
Sounds like his most recent girlfriend.
And ten before that.
His latest ex was a dancer.
Works in a gentlemen's club.
He managed to keep
the relationship private,
thank God.
What's her name?
Rose Gregory.
And do you have any reason
to suspect that Ms. Gregory
would want to hurt your son?
James broke it off with her last month.
She didn't take it well.
What do you mean by that?
James said that she got so angry
she threw a glass at him.
He wound up in the ER
with shards of glass in his head.
We will look into that.
Vince, I need you to track down
someone named Rose Gregory.
If Jalen is still in court,
bring Violet with you.
Hey, NYPD.
You know this girl?
Yeah.
She's on her lunch break.
There she is.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Excuse me, Rose Gregory.
NYPD.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hey!
[CAR BEEPS]
♪
[ENGINE RUMBLES] Hey! Hey!
[ENGINE REVVING]
[GRUNTS]
You got him?
- Hey!
- Are you OK?
With your left hand, open the door,
and step out of the car.
- You sure?
- I'm fine.
Please, I didn't know
you were talking to me.
- Turn around.
- [GASPS]
♪
You got a permit for this?
- I can explain.
- Yeah?
You can explain down at the precinct.
You want to tell me about the gun?
It's licensed in New Jersey,
where I live.
Well, that doesn't help you in New York.
I know, but I just got it.
Why do you need a gun?
Sometimes the men
at the club have a hard time
accepting what I do is an act.
I'm a performer.
Sometimes they follow me
out of the club.
One guy came to my house,
and it really scared me.
Well, that sounds very scary,
but possession
of an unregistered firearm
in New York City is a felony,
and you're looking at a minimum
of 3 1/2 years in prison
mandatory which I might
be able to overlook,
if you tell me about your
relationship with James Powers.
When's the last time you saw him?
- [SCOFFS]
- Oh.
So that's what this is about?
Look.
What happened to James is terrible,
but I haven't spoken with him in weeks.
Sounds like you had
a pretty volatile relationship.
You threw a glass at his head.
- He deserved it.
- [SCOFFS]
He was drunk,
and he started grabbing me,
and I wasn't in the mood, and then he
anyway, yeah, I ended up
throwing my glass at him.
Is that why he broke up with you?
No.
I broke up with him.
He was just
honest?
Truth?
He was old and boring
and kind of a dick.
[SIGHS]
OK, I have to ask,
where were you last night
around 9:00 p.m.?
At the club, working.
[DOOR CLICKS]
Where's Jalen?
Still tied up in court.
Rose Gregory's alibi check out?
Security footage puts her in the club
when Powers was killed.
OK, what about forensics?
Analysis on the murder weapon back yet?
Yeah, they pulled blood
and skin cells off the rock,
but the DNA just tied it
back to the vic.
Price is working right now
on getting us a subpoena
so we can get into
the encrypted app on his phone.
OK. Medical examiner says
Powers' blood alcohol level was 0.04,
which is the equivalent
of two cocktails.
So let's find out where
he was drinking Thursday night.
Yeah, wait, I got his credit
card statement right here.
Looks like he was at a place
called the Fisk Club.
Maybe that's another gentlemen's club.
Yeah, it is, but a different kind.
It's old money,
like cigars and senators.
I've always wanted to see
the inside of one of those places.
Sorry, women are only allowed in here
on Thursdays between 7:00 and 10:00
and only by invitation.
I've got something that opens
every door in the city
every day of the week.
Thank you.
Was James Powers here Thursday night?
I can't comment on who was
or wasn't in the club, ma'am.
- Lieutenant.
- Lieutenant.
Men come here
for privacy and discretion.
Fine.
We can do it your way.
I'll just station
a few uniformed officers
in front of your lovely lobby,
and they'll hand out
grand jury subpoenas to you
and all the other men
that pass through here
until we get what we need,
which would probably take
about a week, possibly two.
Excuse me. I have to make a phone call.
That's not necessary.
Mr. Powers was here on Thursday.
- What time?
- About 7:00.
And when did he leave?
A little after 8:00.
He was with a woman.
And what did she look like?
She was young, attractive, well-dressed.
It seemed like they were on a date?
If it was, it wasn't a good one.
He seemed really agitated.
He was so worked up,
he forgot his wallet.
[LIGHT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
You got a name for this woman?
Powers left the club at 8:17 p.m.
That's the woman that he was with.
Can you punch in?
Did you run facial rec?
Ashley Davenport, 43, lives downtown.
Was she in the system?
Yeah, she's got an active
restraining order against her.
Apparently, some guy said that Davenport
and her employees were threatening him.
Employees?
What kind of business does she run?
Crisis management firm.
She's a fixer.
Let's see how she handles
this situation.
You were with James Powers
at the Fisk Club
last night, less than one hour
before the murder.
And we have an eyewitness who says
they saw the two of you arguing.
I'm sorry.
Hold on.
I didn't kill James,
if that's what you're suggesting.
What were you two arguing about?
I got an advance copy
of a hit piece about James.
It was supposed to run in next month's
issue of the "New York Tribune."
And that's what
he was all worked up about?
He was planning to run for governor,
and the article chronicled
some of his shortcomings.
Like what?
Well, he dates young women,
and he drinks too much.
He's got an unusual relationship
to the environment.
Meaning?
Well, he's an outspoken
pro-conservation candidate.
He hunts.
And for some reason, last month,
he went on this big game hunting trip.
Killed an endangered wolf.
Took lots of pictures of it too.
Yeah, I heard about that.
Yeah, and you're not
answering the question.
What were you arguing about?
Well, he wanted me to kill the article
by any means necessary.
Well, I told him it wasn't a good idea,
that that would actually just
draw more attention
to his various misdeeds.
And also, nobody cares.
I mean, we forgive powerful men
for these sorts of shortcomings.
But he was hell-bent on revenge.
- Against the reporter?
- Mm.
If you ask me,
I think he had a thing for her.
- Like romantically?
- Mm-hmm.
And he thought it was mutual,
so when he saw the piece,
huge blow to his ego.
He said he was gonna call her,
and if that didn't work,
he was going to destroy her.
What is the name of this reporter?
Julia Gallo.
Why do I know that name?
Works for the "New York Trib."
Pulitzer finalist with a bit of a past.
In her 20s, she was married
and had an affair with a pop star.
Oh, there was a sex tape.
Yep, yep. She got canceled.
Face was plastered
all over the internet.
She became the punchline
of every joke on every podcast.
Let me guess the guy she was
with came out unscathed.
- Oh, that guy went platinum.
- Hey.
Computer Crimes finally got
into Powers' encrypted phone app.
It turns out he called
Julia Gallo less than an hour
before he was killed.
Corroborates the fixer's story.
Before we accuse a reporter of murder,
let's make sure the witness
can make a positive ID.
I was sorry to learn about James,
but I barely knew him.
You were the last person
he called before he died.
I was writing an article about him.
He was just answering
a few follow-up questions.
We only we only talked for a minute.
Actually, you spoke
for 6 minutes and 11 seconds.
OK, six minutes.
We have a witness who picked
you out of a photo lineup.
He also positively identified you
as arguing with Mr. Powers
in Riverside Park
immediately before the killing.
And he saw you flee the scene.
OK, look, I don't know
what's going on here,
but there's got to be
some kind of mistake.
Really?
Then how did you get
blood on your jacket?
[TENSE MUSIC]
Ms. Gallo, you are under arrest
for the murder of James Powers.
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
- You want coffee?
- I got it.
I gotta go.
Julia Gallo was arrested last night.
It's all over the news.
The arraignment's going to be a circus.
Before you say anything else,
she just reached out.
She wants to retain you?
- Yeah.
- What'd you say?
She was nominated for a Pulitzer,
and all people can say is
"murderous femme fatale." Why?
Because she's a woman
who has the audacity
to be both successful and attractive.
- Yeah, it's yours.
- Thank you.
Well, she was
in the middle of a sex scandal
a few years back.
Press has a long memory.
Yeah, when it comes to women.
I'm not saying it's right.
Yeah, it's maddening.
[SIGHS]
As you may have guessed, I said yes.
I'm actually feeling
really excited about it.
Then I'm feeling really excited.
- See ya.
- Bye.
- Hey.
- Thanks for coming.
Yeah.
What's going on?
- Um
- [CLEARS THROAT]
I wanted to let you know,
I'm dating Kate Norris.
Julia Gallo's defense attorney?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
We've known each other since our days
at the U.S. Attorney's Office.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
She's informed her client,
who's signed a conflict waiver.
She'll be filing that
with the courts this morning.
OK. Thank you for letting me know.
And I plan to recuse myself
for obvious reasons.
Yeah.
Do you want to recuse the entire office?
Ask the attorney general to
appoint a special prosecutor
No.
The son of a U.S. senator
was brutally murdered.
I'm not handing this off
to another office
or another prosecutor.
[LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
I recognize this puts you
in an awkward position,
so I don't want you and Sam
to feel any added pressure.
Just treat this like any other case,
and treat Kate like
any other defense attorney.
- Yeah.
- [LAUGHS]
Easier said than done.
[CHUCKLES]
- Hey.
- Hey.
How'd the meeting go with Baxter?
It was it was interesting.
Kate, is it true you're dating
District Attorney Baxter?
I'll refer you to the court filing.
It's important that you all
reserve judgment
until all the facts have been presented.
It's our position
that the government's version
of events is false.
Is Julia dating anyone at the moment?
Did you really just ask that question?
I know she and Elliot Zayne
broke up six months ago.
No comment.
And I'm done answering questions.
Thank you.
They'd never be asking these
type of questions about men.
I hear you, but
Is there someplace
we could talk in private?
- Sure.
- Yeah.
Great.
Let's be honest here.
There's no way
my client can get a fair trial.
My relationship with Nick
and Julia's romantic life
are all people care about.
Yeah, we don't plan to talk
to the jury about any of that.
Still, it's all over the Internet.
That sex tape is recirculating.
The jury pool is already tainted.
Oh, I'm happy to agree
to a change of venue.
Moving this to Brooklyn
or Albany won't help.
What exactly are you asking for?
A plea.
Man two, five years.
Uh, she pushed him down the stairs,
and she hit him on the head
with a rock three times.
That's murder.
That's your version
of the truth, not ours.
Your case isn't as strong
as you think it is.
We'll take our chances.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Julia Gallo, a well-known journalist,
was writing an unflattering article
about the victim in this case,
James Powers.
Mr. Powers was upset.
He thought it might derail
his political future,
so he reacted by threatening
to ruin Julia's life
if she didn't kill the article.
This is despicable,
but it is also motive.
It's the reason
that the defendant murdered Mr. Powers.
It is why she pushed him
down a staircase.
It's why she then walked
down that stairway,
picked up a rock, and bashed him
in the face and head,
not once, not twice,
but three times.
We have an eyewitness who will tell you
that he heard Mr. Powers say,
"If you ruin me, I'll ruin you."
He heard the scuffle.
He saw Mr. Powers down on the ground,
and he saw the defendant flee the scene.
At this point, I just want you
to listen to the evidence,
because once you hear all the facts,
I am certain that you will
find the defendant
guilty as charged.
Thank you.
Mr. Price got one thing right.
Julia Gallo killed James Powers.
But she did it in self-defense.
So here's what really happened.
Earlier in the night,
Mr. Powers was at the Fisk Club.
That's a private men's club,
a place you and I aren't welcome.
He met with a crisis manager, a fixer.
Together, they hatched a plan
to take down Julia Gallo
because she had the nerve
to expose a wealthy,
entitled political hypocrite.
[TENSE MUSIC]
After he left the club, he phoned Julia,
told her it was important,
they needed to talk.
She agreed to meet with him
in a public place,
Riverside Park.
When she got there, he told her
if she didn't kill the article,
he would ruin her.
She explained her editor was in charge.
She couldn't stop its publication
even if she wanted to.
Mr. Powers then called her a whore.
Then he grabbed her,
and he tried to sexually assault her.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
She was terrified.
She told him to stop,
but he only got more aggressive,
more violent
♪
So she picked up a rock,
and she hit him with it.
♪
Julia Gallo acted in self-defense.
She was trying to protect
herself from being raped.
♪
How dare that woman call
my son a sexual predator?
Kate Norris is just doing
her job defending her client.
- Whose side are you on?
- I'm just pointing out
Let's see how cocky she is
after I sue her for defamation.
I understand that this is,
obviously, very difficult.
ADA Maroun is correct.
Ms. Norris was just doing her job.
Good news is that we have a strong case
with a clean narrative.
I'm not so sure of that.
I'd prefer that you not dwell
on this idea
that my son threatened
to destroy her career.
But that is what happened.
It's also the only way
we can prove motive.
And the jury is gonna want to know why
a respected journalist killed your son.
I have been good
to your office and your boss,
so if I were you,
I would tread lightly here.
[TENSE MUSIC]
That little whore killed my son.
Doesn't mean that she gets
to kill our family name too.
♪
- [SIGHS]
- They lost a child.
This means you're gonna back off?
The only way to win this case
is to focus on the facts.
Call Ashley Davenport.
See how quickly we can
get her on the stand.
♪
Ms. Davenport,
were you with James Powers
in the hours before he was murdered?
Yes. We met at the Fisk Club.
He wanted to discuss the article
that Julia Gallo had written about him.
Was he angry about that article?
Yes, very.
And what, if anything,
did he plan to do about it?
Well, he wanted to kill the article,
and if he couldn't do that,
then he wanted to launch
a smear campaign against her.
And frankly, there was lots
to work with, given her past.
Objection! Relevance.
Sustained. Next question.
Did Mr. Powers plan
to confront the defendant
on the night he was killed?
Yes, he wanted
to speak to her personally,
give her an opportunity
to withdraw the piece
before anything got messy.
That's all I have. Thank you.
Of course.
Mr. Powers' plan was to make up
a lie about Julia, wasn't it?
He wanted to devise a plan
that would protect his reputation.
You mean he was gonna tell the
world a boatload of salacious lies,
that he and Julia were having sex
while she was researching the article,
that she was sending
naked photos of herself to him,
that she violated journalistic
ethics and standards
while researching the article?
That was part of the plan, yes.
And he knew this would be
humiliating to her personally?
Yes.
And devastating to her professionally?
Yes.
The idea
that a female reporter
would sleep with a subject
would kill her career,
and it would detract from
the substance of the article
she'd written about him?
That was the point, yes.
You weren't in the park
the night Mr. Powers assaulted
my client, were you?
I was not.
But you knew he was
extremely angry with her
and wanted to control the situation.
Yes.
Would you agree
that rape is often considered
an expression of anger against women,
an act of dehumanization and control?
Objection.
Defense counsel is testifying.
Sustained.
The jury shall disregard that question.
That's all I have. Thank you.
Call our eyewitness.
Make sure he's ready
to take the stand tomorrow.
[SOFT JAZZ MUSIC]
Tell me your day was better than mine.
Well, let's see.
Senator Powers called me, told me
I should be ashamed of myself for dating
an unscrupulous defense attorney.
Said if my father were alive,
he'd be mortified.
He then strongly suggested
I fire Nolan Price
and suggested I rethink
my political future.
Other than that [CHUCKLES]
Well, at least we're both miserable.
Makes it better somehow.
I never thought I'd say this,
but I really miss being a prosecutor.
I don't know if that's an insult or
Well, you guys get to call the shots.
You get to decide who to charge,
what you're going to charge them with.
All I get to do is react.
From what I've been reading,
looks like you're putting up
a hell of a fight.
Julia is a good woman.
She doesn't deserve to spend the rest
of her life in a prison cell.
Kate, it's not a good idea for
we shouldn't be talking
about any of this.
But it's happening in your office.
Your prosecutors are
criminalizing her victimhood.
I know you believe in your client,
and I respect that,
but we agreed
not to talk about the case.
Come on, Nick.
Let her plead guilty to man two.
She'll agree to serve five years.
You're gonna have
to take it up with Nolan.
I tried. He's not willing to negotiate.
Don't do that.
Don't go over Nolan's head,
and don't try to play me against him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[PHONE RINGING]
♪
Hello?
♪
[SIREN BLARING DISTANTLY]
- Hey.
- Hey.
I know it's late.
That's fine.
Just tell me what's going on.
It has to do with our case.
I told you I don't want
to talk about it.
I know.
Um, I think you are gonna
want to know about this.
Kate threatened our eyewitness,
Doug Keller,
and she got him to recant.
What exactly is he alleging Kate did?
She warned him
that some embarrassing things
could come up on cross,
like his OnlyFans page
and his daughter's
past addiction to opioids.
She said millions of people
are following this case.
It would be humiliating.
It would likely cost Mr. Keller his job.
It sounds like Kate's just
giving him a reality check.
Nothing wrong with that.
She lied.
None of the information she threatened
to cross him with
is even remotely admissible.
[SIGHS]
She intentionally misled the witness
in order to keep him off the stand.
That is a clear violation
of the code of conduct.
So what does this mean for the case?
The witness is now refusing to testify.
He's the only person who actually
heard Powers threaten Julia.
He can also confirm that Powers
did not try to rape or assault her.
Who cares if he doesn't want to testify?
Subpoena him.
Put him on the stand anyway.
Yeah, but it's too late.
He already recanted twice
once to Kate, once to me.
We'd have to disclose that to the jury,
so his credibility is shot.
♪
So you're saying we're screwed?
[SIGHS]
♪
[DOOR CLICKS]
[ELEVATOR CHIMES]
Kate?
[SIGHS]
Everything OK?
That was Nolan.
I don't want to get into it.
[TENSE MUSIC]
What the hell's going on, Nick? Come on.
Talk to me.
Just tell me what's going on.
Did you threaten our witness?
Tell him you're going to expose
his OnlyFans page
and that his daughter is an addict?
What are you talking about?
What am I talking about?
These are some pretty serious
allegations, Kate.
You could be sanctioned,
disbarred even
I'm worried about my client,
no one else.
Powers tried to defame her,
then tried to sexually assault her.
And all anyone can see
is a caricature of a man-eating whore
getting what she deserves.
The jury doesn't care
that Julia came from nothing
and became a successful,
award-winning journalist,
despite multiple men
trying to destroy her.
No, no, they're judging her
based on what
these entitled misogynists
have said about her
after she exposed them.
They're judging her for being beautiful.
They're judging her for being sexual.
♪
So you're damn right
I talked to that witness
and encouraged him to step down.
It was either that or see
a good woman go to prison.
♪
But like you said [LAUGHS]
It's probably not a good idea
for us to discuss the case.
We're still gonna win, Kate,
despite what you did.
♪
Hmm.
♪
Detective Shaw,
did you talk to the eyewitness
in this case, Doug Keller?
Yes, my partner and I interviewed him
the night of the murder.
And did he tell you what he saw
and what he heard in the park?
Objection, hearsay.
May we be heard at sidebar?
[SIGHS]
The witness's statement is an exception
to the hearsay rule.
Ms. Norris is the reason
for the witness's absence.
Your Honor, that is not
I refer you to People v. Smart.
Are you saying
she threatened your witness?
- I am.
- That's preposterous.
I interviewed him, of course.
- I didn't threaten him.
- She went to his home.
She told him that he might lose
his job if he took the stand.
She told him his child's
opioid addiction would be
I've heard enough.
I'm going to allow the testimony.
Step back.
You may answer the question, Detective.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Mr. Keller told me the victim said,
"If you ruin me, I'll ruin you."
Did the witness mention
anything about hearing
or seeing an attempted rape?
No, he did not.
Did you interview the defendant?
We did.
Did she say anything
about an attempted rape?
No, in fact, she denied
ever seeing Mr. Powers that night.
Thank you. Nothing further.
You think it's incriminating
that Julia didn't report
the attempted rape to you?
It's certainly noteworthy.
You expected her to tell you about this
deeply personal, horrific experience.
We gave her the opportunity
to tell her side of the story.
Right after your partner
barged into her apartment,
accused her of murder,
put her in handcuffs,
and then threw her
in the back of your cruiser?
Objection compound,
argumentative, inflammatory
You made your point.
Let's move on, Ms. Norris.
In your experience, it's not uncommon
for victims to wait before
they report a sexual assault.
Some wait weeks, even years, true?
That's true.
And in my experience, it's not uncommon
for a clever defense attorney
to concoct stories at the 11th hour
Move to strike as nonresponsive.
- Overruled.
- You asked, Counselor.
I have no more questions
for this witness.
The People rest.
The defense calls
Julia Gallo to the stand.
Why did you decide to meet with
James Powers on January 9th?
He said he wanted
to talk about the article.
I agreed to meet him.
And whose idea was it
to meet in Riverside Park?
Well, he wanted me
to go to his apartment.
He didn't want to be recognized.
I wanted to meet in a public place,
so that's what we agreed on.
And what happened when you got there?
He wanted me to pull the article.
I told him that wasn't possible.
He got really angry.
And how did he express his anger?
He told me he was going to ruin me.
And then he got physical.
What did he do?
He grabbed my arm,
and he started to pull at my clothes.
And what did you do?
I told him to stop, but he didn't.
He called me a whore,
told me he knew what I really wanted.
His hands were all over me.
He was grabbing at my breasts,
my vagina.
So I pushed him away,
and I grabbed a rock, and I hit him.
Did you intend to kill him?
No.
I was just trying to protect myself.
I swear.
Thank you.
No further questions.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Um, it's fair to say you were involved
in a contentious divorce proceeding
a few years back.
Objection. Relevance.
What's the relevance?
It goes to credibility.
May we be heard in chambers?
We'll be taking a brief recess.
♪
This is outrageous.
Mr. Price is trying to backdoor
irrelevant and inflammatory information.
What's going on here, Mr. Price?
Eight years ago,
the defendant was involved
in an extramarital affair,
which garnered a lot of attention.
Why is this pertinent to this case?
It goes to impeachment.
Ms. Gallo lied about the affair,
just like she is lying
about the attempted rape.
And she allegedly lied
about the affair under oath.
Yes, during the divorce proceedings,
she signed an affidavit
stating that she did not
engage in extramarital affairs.
Which was proven to be a lie.
And it happened almost a decade ago.
At what point can we remove
the scarlet letter from her forehead?
OK, enough.
Your objection is overruled, Ms. Norris.
The evidence is coming in.
Sure you want to do this?
Why wouldn't I?
We have evidence
the defendant lied under oath
in another legal hearing.
We both know the jury isn't gonna care
about the damn affidavit.
They're just gonna focus on the fact
that she cheated on her husband.
- It's legal.
- But is it fair?
- Maybe we should offer a plea.
- What?
Come on, Nolan, we
Julia didn't go there that night
intending to kill anyone.
She acted out in the heat of the moment.
She pushed him down the stairs,
then hit him three separate times,
and then fled.
She didn't call 911.
She just left him there to die.
I appreciate your perspective,
but we can't give this
defendant special treatment
because she's a woman.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
What are you talking about?
Come on, Sam, if Julia were a man,
we wouldn't even be having
this discussion.
I'm showing you an affidavit.
Is that your signature?
It is.
You signed it under the pains
and penalties of perjury?
My lawyer at the time told me
to sign it, so I did.
And in that affidavit, you lied
about being faithful to your husband
in order to collect
on a multi-million dollar
prenuptial agreement.
My husband cheated on me too.
Your husband's not on trial. You are.
- Objection. Badgering.
- Sustained.
You lied to the family court
in order to get what you wanted,
just like in this case, correct?
- Objection.
- Overruled.
Please answer.
No, I
I am telling the truth this time.
OK, so this time, you're not lying,
yet you just admitted
you did lie under oath
in your previous case.
OK. Got it. Nothing further.
♪
Members of the jury,
have you agreed upon a verdict?
Yes, Your Honor.
How do you find?
Is the defendant guilty or not guilty
of murder in the second degree?
We find the defendant guilty.
- [GASPS]
- Thank you for your service.
We are adjourned.
[GAVEL BANGS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
That was a tough case.
You did what you could.
You're right. I did.
♪