All language subtitles for Law.And.Order.S22E20.WEBRip.x264-ION10

.

- 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.

- Was he upset?

[scoffs]
No, more like livid.

Eh, not that I blame him.

I mean,
no one likes to get fired.

I get it.

But just to be safe,
we should beef up security

for the next few weeks.

I'm sure I'm overreacting,
but you never know.

Pride is a dangerous thing.

Okay, sounds good.

See you tomorrow,
bright and early.

[sighs]

I love this city.

[groans]

- What are we lookin' at?

- Male, white, mid-50s.

Blunt-force trauma.

Several severe blows
to the side of the head.

- Ooh.
- Still got his watch.

- Patek Philippe.

- So either the killer
doesn't know watches

or this was not a robbery.

- Uh, the latter?

Wallet's still
in his front pocket.

- Time of death?
- Around 9:30.

911 call came in at 9:37.

From her.

- She know anything?

- Uh, saw someone.

Running west.
That's about it.

- Well, unless the killer's
a fish, he didn't run east.

- [chuckles]

All right,
let's get a canvass going.

Some witnesses
and surveillance cameras, yeah?

- Jerome Elliot, CEO/founder
of Shelvern Capital.

"We find innovative ways
to sustain life."

Not innovative enough.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Jerome was a good man.

He was...

my everything.

Sorry.

- No, we're sorry
for your loss.

May I ask you,
is there anyone

who wanted
to harm your husband?

Did he have any enemies?

- Uh, not that I'm aware of.

Not on a personal level,
anyway.

- How about
a professional level?

- I'm not sure.

We didn't talk
about his business much.

- Any idea why he was walking
in East River Park last night?

- That's what he did at night.

He liked to walk

and look around
and take in the city lights.

It was one of his favorite
things in the world.

Said that's
when he did his best thinking.

- Mom?
- Hi, baby.

- You go to Cromwell Academy?

- I'm a junior.
- Good for you.

I just have to ask you,
did you notice anything unusual

these past two weeks
with your father?

Was anyone following him?

Was anyone harassing him?

- I don't know.

- Okay.
Thank you.

That should be it.

- Thank you for your time.

- It's probably nothing,
but a few days ago,

Jerome started complaining
about work.

- Was that unusual?
- Very.

He never complained,
but the other night,

he seemed, um...

really stressed.

Said he was tired of being
the bad guy all the time.

- Thank you.

Guy's got, what,
a $40 million-apartment?

Maybe more?
- Give or take.

- My point is,
if he's a billionaire,

why is he so stressed out
about work?

I don't get it.
- I don't know.

Maybe that's why
he's a billionaire.

Small world:

Lily goes to the same school
as his daughter.

Cromwell Academy.
- Ooh, fancy shmancy.

You got a side hustle
I don't know about?

- Free ride.
- Ah, must be smart.

Takes after her mama, huh?
- [chuckles]

Great school.

- But?

- But nothin'.

Okay, fine, it's a little
too progressive for me.

Vi, it's me.
Hey, listen.

Hey, I need you
to start combin'

through Elliot's emails
and texts.

Word is he was stressed out
about work.

Let's see
if we can find out why.

- So I sent some stupid texts.

- Problem is,
Elliot was killed

shortly after you sent
those stupid texts.

So they're not just stupid,
they're evidence.

And we spoke
with one of his employees.

Said he had to beef up security

because he was so concerned
about you.

- Please, I didn't kill Jerome.

I was just pissed.
- Why's that?

- Son of a bitch persuaded me
to partner up with his firm.

We were going
to change the world

and make billions doing it.

Then two months after
the deal closes, he fires me.

- That would piss me off too.

- When's the last time
you saw him?

- Yesterday morning,
around 11:00.

But like I said,
I didn't kill him.

Hell, he made me rich.

I walked away
with a $50 million-parachute.

- [whistles]
- Mm.

Just the same,
we're gonna need to know

what you were doing last night
around 9:30.

- I was in my apartment
drinking Scotch.

I ordered some Chinese food
around 9:00.

Ask my doorman.

He'll verify all this.
- Yeah, we will.

You and Elliot spend
a lot of time together?

- Yeah, during
the due diligence process,

we were inseparable
for three or four months.

- Was there anything unusual
going on?

Was anyone threatening him?
Suing him?

- A guy like Jerome?

Guessing he gets threatened
and sued a lot.

But from where I sit,

it sounded like his bigger
problems were at home.

- Meaning what?

- Few days ago,
he got into a nasty argument

with his daughter.

I could hear her screaming

through the phone.

She was furious.

- He found a vape pen
in my bedroom,

started yelling at me,
and, yeah, I got upset.

He said some mean things
that...

I lost my temper
and started screaming.

- Did you two argue a lot?
- Yeah, but, um...

It was usually my fault.
I can be a nightmare.

- When's the last time
you saw your father?

- Yesterday morning
before school.

- What about last night?

Did you go out?
Stay home?

- I had dinner with my mother
at a sushi place

in the Meatpacking District.

- What time did you finish?

- Little after 8:00.

I didn't even get
to say goodbye...

[sniffles]
Or sorry.

- Sorry for what?

- We got in a fight
yesterday morning.

Another one.

He was pissed
I bought tickets

to Taylor Swift
without asking him.

And he called me
a spoiled brat.

And I-I...I got really mad.

Last thing I said to him
was, "I hate you."

[sobbing]

- [grunts]
- Hey, sweetheart.

- Whoa, whoa.
Whoa, you look good.

- Client's in town
from San Francisco.

We're doing a dinner thing.

Can't knock the hustle.

- I feel like
I should know that phrase.

- Jay-Z.
- Mm.

- Rough day?
- Yeah.

This case I'm workin'.

The vic left behind
a 16-year-old daughter.

- Mm.

- In fact,
the student goes to Cromwell.

- Really?

That's terrible.

Wonder if Lily knows her.

- Be safe.
- Mm.

- I mean, we're not,
like, friends or anything.

- She a good kid?
- I guess.

I don't know her too well.

She hangs out
with the rich kids.

- Mm.

- But we spent
a lot of time together

at the retreat.

- Retreat?

- That field trip
up in Woodstock.

She was in my share group.

- What's that?

- We broke into small groups

and talked about our problems.

Some kids got really deep too.

Like, talked about
all kinds of things.

- Yeah?

Like what?

- I'm not supposed
to talk about it.

- Lily, I'm your father.
You can tell me anything.

It'll stay between you and me,
I promise.

What did they share?

- Kids talked
about stuff like...

eating disorders,
sexual assault, drugs.

- What?

And the school wanted you
to actually talk about this

in front of other kids?

- That's the whole point. Yeah.

- W-what'd you share?

- Nothing bad.
[chuckles]

- Lily,
that wasn't the question.

- I didn't say much.

I just listened.

There's nothing to worry about.

- What about
this Sophia Elliot?

She share anything
that was concerning?

- Dad, I'm not supposed
to, like, talk about that.

- Look, if she said something

that can help me find the
person who killed her father,

I need to know.

- She said
her father was abusive

and that...

she was afraid
he might kill her someday.

.

- Sophia?

I don't mean to bother you.

I just, uh--

I just have
a few follow-up questions I'd--

would you mind
if we talked in private?

- Are you okay?

- Yeah, I'm fine.

This is my boyfriend, Aaron.

- Hey.
- Good to meet you, Aaron.

- What's going on?

You've already asked her
a bunch of questions.

- We just have a few more.

- Let's talk outside.

[door closes]

- Someone told us that, uh...

your father
may have been abusing you.

- What?

- You told
some of your classmates

that you were afraid
of your dad

and that he was abusing you.

Is that correct?

- The retreat was supposed
to be private.

Who told you that?

- We can't say.

- Your daughter?

- Sophia, I know this is hard.

We're just trying
to figure out if--

- If what?

I killed him?

I loved my father.
He was my best friend.

- Then why'd you say
he abused you?

- I don't know. I--

I didn't mean it literally.
I was just venting.

I--he never hit me
or anything like that.

He wo--he would just get mad
at me for doing stupid things,

like all fathers.

So when kids were sharing
their negative experiences, I--

that's what popped
into my head.

- Okay.

I think I understand.

Thanks.

- Sophia and her mom
got home at 8:20,

but Sophia is seen sneaking out
of the building alone

at 8:50.
- Mm.

- Doesn't get back
till well after midnight.

Cameras track her stopping off
at a condo in Tribeca at 9:12.

- So she lied to us about
turning in for the evening.

- Yes, sir.

- We know who she was visiting?

- Shouldn't be too hard
to figure out.

There's only five units
in the building.

Here's a list
of the registered owners.

- Walsh.

I recognize that name.

There's a kid in Lily's class
named, uh...

Cooper Walsh.

- That's our guy.

- Cooper Walsh?

- Hey, hey!
Kid, don't run!

Yo! Hey!
[brakes screech]

[horn honks]

- Police!

- [grunts]

- Stay on the ground!
Stay on the ground!

Cooper, turn over.

- [grunting]

- Nice work, bro.

- Felt good too.
[handcuffs clicking]

- [chuckles]

- I really didn't know
you guys were the police, okay?

I heard someone yell my name,
and then I got nervous.

- Nervous?
- Yeah.

- Why's that?

- Hey.

One of my friend's fathers
just got murdered, okay?

Okay, and I might have
smoked a little bit of weed

with my buddies, so I'm
a little bit paranoid, okay?

- You're 18, right?
- Yes. Yeah, why?

- Just wanna make sure we don't
have to call Mommy and Daddy.

- Okay, well,
I didn't do anything wrong.

I swear, so...

- Cooper, you're friends
with Sophia Elliot.

Right?
- Yeah.

- She was over at your condo
two nights ago?

- Yeah. Yeah, she came over
around, like, 9:00 or 9:30,

something like that.

- What time did she leave?

- Midnight, I guess.

Maybe.
Something like--I don't know.

Why? What's going on?

- We're just trying
to understand

where Sophia was
around 9:30 that evening.

- And like I said,
she was with me, so...

- Just the two of y'all?
- Yeah.

[chuckles]
My parents were in London.

- Help us out here, Cooper,
'cause when we asked her

where she was the night
of her father's murder,

she never mentioned
that she was seeing you.

Is there a reason?
Is she hidin' something?

- No, look, I think
she feels badly about...

[clears throat]

She has a boyfriend, okay?

She's tried to break up with
him several times, but he--

he gets very emotional, and
she starts feelin' all guilty.

- And we're back to nowhere.

- Well, I wouldn't say
we're back to nowhere.

I'd say we're...
[clears throat]

Nowhere-adjacent.

- Yeah, okay.

So what do we know?

- Well,
killer is about 5'9"-ish.

Uh, thin build.
And robbery was not a motive.

- Okay, so either
it is a random act of violence

or somebody was targeting him.

- I don't believe
in randomness.

- Yeah, neither do I.

So let's assume
that this was a targeted attack

and the killer
didn't just get lucky

and bump into Elliot
at East River Park,

which means
they knew where Elliot was.

- Hey, I'm checking
the victim's cell.

Elliot was sharing GPS data
with another phone.

- Someone was tracking him?

- Question is, who?

- Yeah.

And why?

.

- I'm sorry, but I have no idea
what you are talking about.

- Jerome Elliot's phone
was sharing GPS data

with a burner phone
registered in your name.

We just want to know why.

- I don't own a burner.

And I don't know Mr. Elliot.
I've never even met him.

- Okay, Cooper.

Your number is 646-555-0144?
- No.

- Is that right?
- No, it's not.

This is my number.

- Okay.
I think we're done here.

- Excuse me?

- If you want to ask
any more questions,

I need to notify his parents.

- Man's 18.
- He's still a kid.

And I'm still head
of the school.

- Okay, okay.

Cooper, you can go.
Thank you.

- Okay.
Thank you.

- Is there anything else
I can help you with?

- Yes.

Who is in charge
of the class retreat?

- Excuse me?

- The retreat for the juniors
up in Woodstock.

- How do you know about that?

- Oh, my daughter
goes to school here.

- Oh.
- Shocking, I know.

A cop's kid
goes to a place like this?

- I didn't mean it like that.
- Sure you did.

I get it all the time.

Anyway, who's in charge

of the retreat?

- It was
a great couple of days.

And I think
the kids really needed it.

They've been through a lot.
- What do you mean?

- They spent half their high
school career in isolation.

COVID robbed these kids
of a normal life.

They lost two years--

two very important years.

Instead of socializing
and having fun,

they were trapped at home

staring at their computers
and their phones.

- I agree.
It's been very hard on them.

I assume Lily didn't
share anything of concern.

- What the kids say
at the retreat

stays at the retreat.

- Ah, like Vegas.
[chuckles]

I respect
your desire for privacy.

I'm just trying to find out

if Cooper Walsh
said anything concerning.

- I just told you,
I can't discuss what the kids--

- Sure you can.

Cooper is a person of interest
in the murder of Jerome Elliot.

And I'm a homicide detective.

- Sorry.

I can't talk about anything

that was discussed
in confidence.

- Okay.
Let's forget about the retreat.

Let me just ask
a general question.

Is Cooper a good kid?

- He's a great kid.

Top of his class,
active in charitable programs.

In my opinion,
as a psychologist,

there's nothing that suggests
he's capable of violence.

- That's good to know.

And for the record, in
my opinion as a homicide cop,

everybody's capable.

This kid, Cooper,
seemed genuinely baffled.

I think he's tellin' the truth.

- So someone

registered the phone
in his name?

For what?
To frame him?

- Or spy on Jerome Elliot
without gettin' caught.

- Hey, Yee, how are we doing
on that address

where the prepaid phone
was delivered?

- It's 468 Madison Avenue,
apartment 7F.

It's definitely
not Cooper's address.

- Ah.
- It's an apartment owned

by the Lawrence & Cynthia Cole
Family Trust.

- They got kids?

- One.
Aaron Cole, age 16.

- Aaron?

Wasn't that the name
of Sophia's boyfriend?

- Yeah.

Pull up his social media.

- Okay.

- Show me the video we have
near the crime scene.

- Mm-hmm.

Here it is in slo-mo.

- Same size, build.

I got no idea what's going on

or why this kid, Aaron, has
been tracking Jerome Elliot,

but we need some answers.

We need to talk to him now.

- We can get you something
to drink, if you'd like.

- I'm fine.

- Hey, Frank,
Dad's on his way up.

- How about something to eat?

Granola bar? Apples?

- I'm not hungry.

- Okay.
Up to you.

Why don't you have a seat?

And we'll come back when
your dad gets here, all right?

- There you go.

- I thought
Sophia was cheating on me.

She was always busy, you know?
And every time I tried

to hang out with her,
she'd say she was having dinner

with her father,
so I hacked into his phone.

And I know that isn't right--
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

We wanna talk all about that,
but not right now.

Not before your dad gets here.

- She was terrified.
I had to protect her.

And so, I killed him, but I
didn't have any other choice.

And I know
it's not the right thing,

but I-I just didn't know
any other way to protect her.

- Stop talking.
Not another word.

Let's go, Aaron.
We're leaving.

- No, no, no.
It's too late for that.

- Step back.

- Your son just confessed
to a murder.

- Put your hands
behind your back, son.

[handcuffs click]

.

- The defendant
isn't a hardened criminal.

He's a 16-year-old kid.

- Who brutally murdered

a pillar of New York's
business community.

- I'm not arguing
for absolution, Sam.

I'm saying he's a mixed-up teen
who made a terrible mistake.

- Are you suggesting we kick
this over to juvenile court?

- Well, I'm suggesting
we at least consider it.

- [scoffs]
If he were a Black gangbanger,

would we be having
this conversation?

- No, this has nothing
to do with race.

- But it does.

The last three homicide cases

involving
similar-aged defendants

have all been tried as adults.

And they have all been Black.

- All right, if you're
saying that this office

has been
systematically overcharging

young Black defendants,
I agree.

But how does trying Aaron Cole
as an adult

solve that problem?

- It doesn't.

But it keeps the city
from rioting

and accusing us
of being racist.

- You wanna sacrifice
this kid's future

in the name of politics?

- What I want
is to treat everyone equally.

And right now, that means
trying him as an adult.

He's six weeks shy
of his 17th birthday

and he beat a man to death.

[sighs]

Forgive me
for not shedding a tear.

- We're seeking remand,
Your Honor.

The defendant confessed
to the murder.

And the evidence
we've collected so far

supports that confession.

- Aaron Cole
has no criminal record

and poses no flight risk.

His father's
a respected surgeon.

His mom runs
a charitable foundation.

- The defendant's parents
aren't on trial here.

- We're talking
about an honor roll student

who's never been
in trouble before, Judge.

He's a kid.

This case should be tried
in a juvenile court.

- Kid, adult,
sultan of Brunei,

a man's skull was caved in.

Remanded.

[gavel bangs]
Next case.

- Mom.

- We're going to get you
out of here, Aaron.

Don't worry.

- Why are you doing this?

Why are you pretending
he's an adult?

He's just a boy,
for God's sake.

- We're moving
to suppress the confession.

- The confession is valid.

The detectives
invited Aaron Cole

to have a conversation
at the 27th Precinct.

He agreed.

En route,
they called his parents,

let them know
what was going on.

Once they arrived
at the precinct,

they escorted Aaron
to a safe space.

They didn't ask him
a single question.

And then, totally unprovoked,

he blurted out his confession.

There's nothing
the detectives could have done.

- Sure there is.

They could have waited
for his parents to show up

before taking him
to the precinct.

They could have brought him
to a safer location.

A break room
in a busy police precinct?

That's hardly an appropriate
place to question a child.

- The detectives did
the best they could

under the circumstances.

- The statute doesn't care
about best efforts.

It cares about preventing
abuse and manipulation.

- There is no evidence
suggesting

their actions were abusive
or manipulative.

- It is not their fault
that he confessed.

What'd you expect them to do,
block their ears?

- The defendant
was 16 years old

at the time of the homicide,
Judge.

16.

He should have been accorded
more protection.

And don't give me this nonsense

about a break room
being a safe space.

I promise you, that's not what
the legislature had in mind.

- He was never questioned
in the break room

or anywhere else.

So it really doesn't matter
where they escorted him.

He would have confessed anyway.

- But he's 16.

- He will be 17 in two days.

- The confession is suppressed.

- Hey.
How's it looking?

- Without the confession,

more like a three-point shot
than a lay-up.

- I don't know.

The evidence
is still pretty strong.

We have proof Aaron was
tracking Sophia and her dad

on a burner phone he purchased

using another student's name,
right?

Plus, the video of him a few
blocks from the crime scene

minutes before the murder

wearing the same hoodie
as the killer.

There was blood on it too,
so that should--

- That DNA report
just came back.

The blood sample is too small.

The lab
can't definitively prove

that the blood
is a match to Elliot's.

- Blood is blood.
The jury can do the math.

- Not unless
we paint the right picture.

The jury needs to understand
why Aaron killed Elliot,

which means we have to prove

that Aaron knew what
Sophia said at the retreat.

- And the problem is,
Aaron wasn't there.

He was home,
recovering from COVID.

- Exactly.

- But there were 78 other kids
at the retreat.

It's hard to imagine they all
kept their mouths shut.

- Uh-huh.

- I'll have Cosgrove and Shaw
dig back in.

[phone chimes, buzzes]

Good news.

- Good enough to make me forget

that we just lost
Aaron's confession?

- No, but close.

Detective Yee
just found footage

of Aaron walking in and out
of a vacant lot

near his place
30 minutes after the murder.

[dumpster lid creaks, thuds]

- Oh.

Whoa.

I got something here.

And that ain't ketchup.

- I just heard back
from the lab.

The blood on the tennis racket
matches the victim's.

- Fingerprints?
- No luck.

- Ah, doesn't matter.

The video we have
of Aaron coming and going

out of the vacant lot
should be good enough.

Plus, all the additional
evidence we have.

Strong case.
- Well, not according to Price.

He still wants proof that Aaron
knew about the alleged abuse.

- Hey, I think
I found something.

This was sent to Aaron's phone
the day after the retreat.

"Crazy that Sophia had to live

with this threat
hanging over her."

- Do you know who sent it?

- The name didn't pop up
on Aaron's phone,

but I can track this number.

- That's okay.

I'll take care of it.

Hey, Lil.

Uh, we need to talk.

- Okay.

- We found...

the text you sent to Aaron.

- What do you mean?

- About Sophia's father?

- I knew Aaron was dating her.

And we're in the same
history class, so I-I just--

- Why didn't you tell me?

- Well, I didn't think
it was a big deal.

- It is.

- This--this is my fault?

This is my fault, isn't it?

[stammering]
If I hadn't told Aaron, then--

- No, that's not what I meant.

- I was so freaked out
about what Sophia said.

And I needed to talk--
to talk about what I'd heard,

so I told Aaron.
- Come here. Come here.

Come here, sweetie.

- I'm sorry.

[sobbing]

Don't tell anybody, okay?

Can you keep this
a secret, please?

.

- Your daughter goes to school
with the defendant?

- Yeah,
and she told the defendant

what Sophia said
about her father at the retreat

and texted him too.

- Well, that's obviously
helpful information.

- I know, but...

if there's anything you can do

to keep my daughter
off the witness stand,

I'd appreciate that.

- [sighs]

Look, I get it, but...

I need to do
what's best for the case.

Your daughter's conversations

with the defendant
are important.

They help establish motive.

They prove he knew
of Sophia's abuse allegations.

- There has to be other kids

that talked to Aaron
about this.

- Maybe, but we haven't
been able to find any

and neither have you.

- She's my kid, Nolan.

- I'm sorry, Frank.
I really am.

But I have no choice.

- The teacher said
they wanted us

to divulge our secrets
to the group--

our feelings, hardships.

- And did the victim's daughter

disclose allegations of abuse
at her father's hand?

- Yes, they were
really disturbing.

- And did you have occasion

to convey to the defendant
those allegations

the day after the retreat?

- Yeah.

I told him what Sophia said.

- And what did Aaron do
after you told him

about those allegations?

- He was upset.

He said
Sophia's father was a monster.

I swear to God

I thought
he was just gonna make sure

that Sophia was okay,
not kill her father.

- Thank you, Miss Cosgrove.

- Miss Cosgrove,

you're on scholarship
at Cromwell, correct?

- That's right.

- No chance
you're lying here today

to make yourself
the center of attention?

Maybe impress all those rich
kids that look down on you?

- Objection.
Argumentative and absurd.

- Sustained.

- Your father is a detective.

He was involved in this case,
correct?

- Yes.

- Well,
that's one more reason to lie.

- Your Honor?
- Sustained.

Watch it, Ms. Whitmer.

- I'm telling the truth.

I told Aaron what Sophia said
at the retreat.

- Hmm.

You shared your own secrets at
that retreat too, didn't you?

- Yes, all the students did.

- Did you tell
your fellow students

that you had suicidal thoughts?

- Objection.
Relevance?

- Goes to impeachment.

The witness's admission
of emotional instability

at the retreat
undermines her credibility.

- My daughter
is not on trial here.

- Sit down, Detective.

Interrupt again,
I'll hold you in contempt.

- Judge, may we approach?

Miss Cosgrove's personal
disclosures at that retreat

are irrelevant and should
be stricken from the record.

- Her mental state
informs her credibility.

- I agree with Ms. Whitmer.
It goes to impeachment.

- Thank you, Your Honor.
- But you've made your point.

I'm not allowing a trial

about Miss Cosgrove's
emotional well-being.

- Understood. I have no more
questions for this witness.

- Mr. Price, you can redirect,
if you wish.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

Miss Cosgrove, your father
is a detective, correct?

- Yes.

- So growing up,

you have been exposed
to the legal system.

You know how critical it is

to tell the truth
in a court of law, right?

- Yes.

- Are you
currently experiencing

any emotional instability

that might impact
your truthfulness here today?

- Objection.

If the witness
is emotionally unstable,

she is not competent
to assess how that instability

affects the truthfulness of
her testimony.

- Overruled.
The witness can answer.

- No.

I'm fine.

And I told the truth.

I told the truth.

- Lily. Lily.

- Lily, wait.
- Lily, stop.

- Lily, Lily.
Hey, hey, hey.

Hey.
- I never talked about suicide.

I never said
I had those thoughts.

- But even if you did, you can
always talk to us about it.

You know that, right?

- All I said was that
when I get really stressed,

I can--I can understand
how kids can do crazy things.

Like, I-I was just trying
to bear my soul and be open

like the school told us to do,
but I swear I'm fine.

- We understand.
It's gotta be stressful.

- You know you can always
come to us with anything.

- I know, but...

you said you wouldn't
tell anybody about this,

and you lied.

- I got her.

She just needs
to blow off some steam.

.

- Ms. Whitmer.

- The Defense
calls Alan Meyerson.

- Uh, Judge, may we approach?

The People object
to this witness.

- Excuse me?
- Cromwell Academy's

potential liability
for the victim's death

is a civil matter.

Has nothing to do
with this case.

- We intend to argue
that Aaron Cole

is not guilty
by reason of insanity.

- What? Insanity?
- And that the reckless

disclosures of the victim's
daughter at the retreat

helped to insight
Mr. Cole's mental breakdown.

- So now he did it

but only because
the retreat drove him insane?

That--that is insane.

The defendant
wasn't even there.

She's blaming the school
for the murder.

- They can call
whomever they want, Mr. Price.

Your objection is overruled.

- Your Honor--
- Now, step back.

- The retreat is integral

to fostering a spirit of
community amongst our students.

It's an aid
to their emotional growth.

- Dr. Meyerson,
do you have a degree

in developmental psychology?

- No, my doctorate
is in education.

- But surely you vetted
the retreat's agenda

with developmental
psychologists, right?

- Well, the creation
of a safe space

for our students
doesn't require a form--

- Meaning you didn't.
- Objection.

The witness
is entitled to answer.

- Dr. Meyerson?

- [clears throat]

No, we didn't vet the retreat
with anybody,

nor do we need to.

- Meaning you don't have
the slightest idea

whether your retreats damage
your students or not, do you?

- They most certainly do not.

- Are you aware
of any emotional trauma

suffered by students
stemming from your retreats?

- No, our retreat is designed
to prevent emotional trauma,

not trigger it.

- Well, I think
there's a design flaw,

because your retreat
triggered my client

to commit
a regrettable act of violence.

But even more regrettable

is he was a 16-year-old student
at your school.

Your job was to help
your students, protect them,

not fill their heads
with complicated stories

of abuse and violence.

- Objection.
She's making a speech.

- Withdrawn.

- Dr. Meyerson,
how many retreats

has your school sponsored?
- Eight.

- Prior to this,
has any student

ever behaved
in a violent manner

in the wake
of one of those retreats?

- No.

- Because the retreat is
a positive, constructive event

that helps students, correct?
- Yes.

- It doesn't...

turn them into killers.

- Of course not.

- Yeah.
Nothing further.

- You're excused.

- The Defense calls Aaron Cole.

When your friend, Lily,
told you

what Sophia said
about her father,

how did that make you feel?

- Awful.

I was scared for her.

Scared he might hurt her again.

Or worse, kill her.

- Did you and Lily
have additional conversations

about Sophia and her father
after that text?

- Yeah.

We talked about it at school,

texted about it more.

Just made me angrier.

- What do you remember
about the evening

you killed Jerome Elliot?

- I remember feeling...

this incredible anger.

And my heart
started racing like--

like I was in danger.

It's--it's hard to describe.

- Because you were
worried about Sophia?

- Yeah.

I kept thinking...

he was gonna kill her.

And then...

I blacked out.

I don't even remember
walking to East River Park.

I...

I just remember
standing there...

over Mr. Elliot's body
with my tennis racket.

And...

And...

he was...

He was dead.

I'm so sorry.

[sighs]

I'm so sorry.
[sniffles]

- Nothing further.

- Mr. Price.

- Mr. Cole, do you recall

secretly manipulating
the GPS data

on Jerome
and Sophia Elliot's phones

three weeks prior
to the retreat?

- Yes, I'm ashamed of that.

- Oh,
but you did it anyway, right?

So you could stalk Sophia

and make sure she wasn't
cheating on you, right?

- Yes.

- The day after the retreat,

do you remember
picking out your tennis racket,

then tracking down Mr. Elliot
in East River Park,

and striking him
repeatedly in the head

until he was dead?
- No.

- You then hid
that tennis racket

in a vacant lot
near your apartment

so no one could find it.

- I don't remember any of that.
I swear.

- The truth is, you executed
a careful and methodical plan

to kill the father of a girl
you loved to impress her.

- Objection.
Counsel's testifying.

- Sustained.

- You set out
to kill Jerome Elliot

and you succeeded, correct?

- I don't--

I don't remember any of that.

I swear.

Sophia, I love you.

I thought
your dad was going to kill you.

I was just trying
to do the right thing.

- That's enough.
We're adjourned.

[gavel bangs]

- Thought you said
you were gonna tread lightly?

- Well, he's a better liar
than I thought.

Why, was I--
was I too aggressive?

- Definitely weren't timid.
- [chuckles]

I needed to establish
his state of mind,

that he knew right from wrong

and that he made
all kinds of logical choices

and decisions that evening.

- Hey.
Got a second?

I wanna discuss a plea.

Something that's fair
to all parties concerned.

- If it were only that easy.

- How's man one sound?
Ten years.

Come on, Nolan.
You know that's fair.

Whether or not
my client is actually insane,

it is clear
that he's emotionally

and psychologically unstable.

And he is incredibly immature.

- And he killed a 53-year-old
man with a tennis racket.

- What he did was horrific,
I get it.

But he's just a boy.

And there's no way
he deserves to rot in prison.

I will wait for your call.

- The evidence is strong,
right?

Hell, the Defense admits
Aaron killed Jerome Elliot.

The only question is,

does the jury buy this
ridiculous insanity defense?

- No, the only question is,

will they blame
Cromwell Academy

more than young,
lovesick Aaron Cole?

- They might.

Like I said before, he is
a screwed up, sympathetic kid.

- What's your point?
[sighs]

- Maybe it's time
we acknowledge he's just 17.

- We're trying him
as an adult, Nolan.

We made that decision already.

- You mean,
you made that decision.

- I damn well did.

- For what it's worth,
I agree with Jack.

The kid who killed my sister
was just 17 too.

Didn't make it
any less horrible

and didn't make her
any less dead.

Now, you always say
that we can't rewrite the law

every time we have empathy
for a defendant.

- I'll call Whitmer.

- On the sole charge of murder
in the second degree,

how do you find?

- We find the defendant...

guilty.

- No!

- We thank you
for your service.

We're adjourned.
[gavel bangs]

- No, I--

Please, no.

[sobbing] No!

No, please.

No!

Mom? Dad?

[tense music]

♪

- How's she doing?

- [sighs]

♪

- I love you, kid.

.

[dramatic music]

♪