Original subtitles

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.

[HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]

♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

OK. You're all right.

Just hydrate, OK?

- I'm calling you a Uber. - Mm! No, no, no.

I don't want to go. I want to stay.

Don't you want to stay?

Girl, I am unbothered.

I'm tired of being eye candy for these old-ass fools.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

♪

Tiff!

Hey, I just called her Uber.

It's going to be here in five minutes,

so make sure she gets in it, please.

Mm-hmm.

♪

[METALLIC CLANGING, PERSON YELLING]

Where are you going?

Something wrong?

[TENSE MUSIC]

[INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER]

Single gunshot wound to the chest.

Found a .40-caliber casing nearby.

Canvassing or video turn anything up?

Just the neighbor who reported the body.

Called it in at 11:07 PM.

Other than that, nothing.

They see anything?

The area is pretty quiet.

I think a body on the sidewalk will get these streets talking.

They'll be doing more than that.

Whoa, is that...

Wes Morgan.

Oh, man. He's a mogul.

Had his hands in everything, right?

Entertainment, liquor, hotels, casinos.

Wallet, watch, cell phone were all still on him.

So obviously not a robbery.

Means he could have been targeted.

By who?

Everybody loved him.

Not everybody.

♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

- Synced and corrected by synk - - www.addic7ed.com -

I'm very sorry for your loss, ma'am.

Thank you.

Can you tell us what your husband was doing last night?

He was at a fundraiser uptown.

You didn't attend?

No, I was here at home with my two daughters.

Was Wes having any problems?

Was anyone threatening him or harassing him?

Not that I know of.

People loved him.

That may be so,

but, ma'am, what's also true

is that your husband made a lot of money over the years.

And with that comes jealousy.

Now, can you think of anybody

who was bitter about his success?

Somebody who might have felt left behind

or cut out of a deal?

Well, I'm sure there were hundreds,

but Wes never brought that stuff home.

What about the event he went to last night?

Can you tell us about that?

Where it was, who might have been there?

I'm afraid not.

You should probably speak with his security team.

♪ It's game time ♪

♪ I'm locking in ♪

Y'all feel that? [LAUGHS]

You got to keep it hard on that one, baby.

Kevin Mays, need to ask you some questions.

Hey, could y'all clear the room, please?

[SIGHS]

You go by Big K, yeah?

Yeah.

So what's this all about?

The security team told us you had an argument

with Wes Morgan last night.

Nah, just a business disagreement.

Ain't no thing.

And what was this disagreement about?

Wes thought he was more valuable than he really was.

Care to elaborate?

He thought he owned my ass.

I took issue with that.

What time you leave the party?

Around midnight.

OK. Right.

So you guys have your little argument.

Then what happened?

Then we kind of made up.

Agreed to meet for breakfast, hash things out

like two grown-ass men.

I mean, come on, now. I didn't kill Wes.

He was my dude.

All right, so you agree to have breakfast.

Then what?

Then he left, chasing after some woman.

Singer, I think.

You know her name?

No.

Can you tell us what she looks like?

Yeah, the same as all the rest of them women...

young, hot, and ambitious.

So this woman here exits the party.

94 seconds later, Wes Morgan exits the party

and goes in the same direction as her too.

She got a name?

Vanessa Washington.

She was on the guest list.

There's a headshot too, but we can't seem to track her down.

Popular name.

Nine, to be exact. Yeah.

Three around her age,

and exactly zero that match the description.

Maybe she gave a fake name to security, or a stage name?

Oh, guys, I got something.

I've been going through the footage

from the video canvass,

and we still don't have an angle on the crime scene.

But as for our mystery girl, there she is right there,

walking south on Columbus,

a few blocks away from the crime scene.

Three minutes after the murder.

OK. Keep on her. If we find out where she went,

maybe we can find out who she is.

All right. So what's up?

- Why are y'all following me? - That's what's up.

We need to talk to you.

About?

About Wes Morgan's murder.

I don't know nothing about that.

Sorry. Can't help you.

No, no, no, no, no. Hey, hey, hey. No, no, no.

We're not done here.

Because this is you getting a taxi

seven blocks north of the crime scene

six minutes after he got shot.

And according to their records, they dropped you off

at this building right here.

So?

So we know you were at the party,

and you gave security a fake name.

And that Wes Morgan followed you out of there at 11:00.

All right. Arrest me.

[CHUCKLES]

I'm serious.

Put the damn cuffs on me, and escort me to the car.

You saying you killed Morgan?

No, I'm saying I'm with SSU.

I'm a cop.

You're telling me you're working undercover?

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

All right. Thanks, Sarge.

Appreciate it.

Supervisor confirmed she's NYPD,

Security Services Unit.

- All right. - [CLEARS THROAT]

If your cover's Vanessa Washington,

what's your real name?

Vanessa Washburn.

I've been under for, like, a month or so.

I was an aspiring hip-hop artist.

I did a demo with a producer last week,

and I made it seem like I would do anything to hit it big.

And so he threw me the invite for the party last night.

Who are you investigating?

Wes Morgan.

Wes Morgan? Really?

Lots of rumors about him trafficking girls, boys,

and from what I've seen and heard,

they're not just rumors.

I mean, we don't have enough to make a case yet,

but we will.

What do you mean you will? Morgan is dead.

I'm guessing the case is closed, right?

No, there are plenty of other folks involved besides him.

Famous folks too.

All right. So what happened last night?

Now, we know you left around 11:00,

Morgan followed you out.

He was getting a little familiar earlier in the night,

so soon as I saw him again, I left.

And he followed me outside

and tried to get me to come back inside.

Then this guy just started coming up at us yelling,

"Wes Morgan, we need to talk."

Morgan got distracted, so I took off.

You recognize the guy?

No.

It was dark.

There was a lot going on. It was happening really fast.

Hold on a second. So you're with Wes Morgan

minutes, if not seconds, before he's killed,

and you don't think to notify us?

I didn't see anything, so no, nothing to report.

Well, that's not true, right?

You just said you saw a guy approach him

minutes before he was shot.

OK, look, let's just go back to the basics here.

Height, skin color, build.

Black, medium height, medium build.

Very useful information. Thank you.

Are we done here?

- Is it me? - Nope.

- No. - Nope.

Unbelievable.

OK. So we have a suspect.

We don't know much about him, but it's a start.

Plus the sex trafficking thing,

which could be a connection to motive.

Yeah, that's if the rumors are true.

I mean, Morgan has a pristine reputation.

I mean, there's no allegations, no arrests.

Most guys like this... you know, like Diddy, Epstein...

there's smoke around these people for years.

Most folks just drag their feet.

But with Morgan, I don't think so.

Hey, check this out.

Video of a Black man, medium height and build,

hanging out in the parking lot across from the venue

where the party was being held around 10:30 PM.

Can you make out his face?

No, video is way too grainy, but he's got a jacket

with some kind of logo on it.

Is that an "SG"?

Maybe St. Gabriel Prep?

You can't make out the face but you can make out the logo?

Once a Catholic school kid, always a Catholic school kid.

I mean, the point is, the guy's hanging out in the parking lot

for about two hours, then at 11:03,

he heads south toward the murder scene.

Like he saw Morgan exiting the building

and then took off after him?

All right, see if anybody at the party

has any connection to St. Gabriel. It's a long shot, but...

It's something.

Yeah, I graduated from St. Gabriel in May.

What's that have to do with what happened?

Any of your high school friends

try to sneak into the party last night?

No, why?

Well, because there was someone with a St. Gabriel jacket

hanging out at the party last night.

And you're the only person at the party

that has ties to that school.

I don't know anything about that.

I was at the party all night, you know, until Wes got shot.

And I was pretty drunk, to be honest.

Your parents live here?

No, just me.

You got a job?

No.

Who picks up the tab, then?

[TENSE MUSIC]

Mm-hmm.

- [SIGHS] - Angela,

how would you describe your relationship with Wes Morgan?

[SIGHS]

Close.

Romantic?

No.

Sexual?

Yeah, sometimes.

And other than Wes,

is there anyone else you're hanging out with?

Say, a boyfriend?

Yeah, but we broke up last week.

He know about Wes?

Yeah, that's why we broke up.

He lost his mind. [CHUCKLES]

♪

We were supposed to have dinner with our parents a few days ago,

but Angela canceled last-minute,

said that she needed to meet up with some producers

or some crap like that.

And then she just disappeared,

and then didn't hear from her for two days.

Then finally, she shows up at my apartment

looking like a zombie, tells me it's over,

and then passes out in my bed.

She was obviously doing all kinds of drugs,

and I got nervous, so I went through her phone,

and I saw messages between her and Morgan.

Photos too.

It's pretty disturbing stuff.

Morgan had everyone thinking

that he was a saint and a savior.

That punk-ass bitch is more like a... like a vampire.

All right, then where were you two nights ago around 11:00 PM?

At a frat party with 200 other people,

and there's photos to verify that as well.

Look, I didn't kill Morgan.

I wish I did, but I didn't.

I wasn't going to ruin my life over him or Angela.

But if you didn't kill him,

who did?

Can you think of anybody else

who hated Wes Morgan as much as you?

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

- Lyman Ross, open up. - Hold on, hold on.

Give me a second to open the damn door.

NYPD, here to search the premises.

You can let us in or we can move you.

The police are coming in.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

[SIGHS]

Look, my family is scared.

I think it'd be best if I was able to sit with them,

if that's all right with you.

Go ahead.

[SIGHS]

♪

Hey, it's OK.

Y'all can get back to your homework, OK?

You don't have to worry about these men.

- [SIGHS] - You're welcome to sit.

Mr. Ross, I think we need to take a ride.

♪

It's OK.

It's all right.

♪

Look, I already told the other officers,

I had nothing, absolutely nothing,

to do with that man's death.

So...

we spoke to your daughter's ex,

Ahmad Willis.

He told us what he found on Angela's phone

and that he shared that information with you,

and that you said you were going to kill Wes Morgan,

and it looks like that is exactly what happened.

And I... I got to be honest with you,

if some punk was trafficking my kid,

I would put a bullet in him too.

I wouldn't think twice about it either.

[SIGHS]

That's you, 11:00 PM the night of the murder,

across the street from the venue

where Morgan was having his highfalutin soiree.

And five minutes later, he was shot.

I am not the only man in the city with a St. Gabriel jacket.

Correct.

I'm just guessing you're the only one

whose daughter was getting pimped out by the dead guy.

[SIGHS]

I'm done talking.

I think I want a lawyer now.

You recognize any of these men?

No.

I would take a good look. Are you sure?

I'm not sure. It was dark.

OK. How about this one?

I can't tell.

Well, is he the same build as the guy you saw coming at you?

I gotta say, for a cop, you're not very good

at solving crimes, are you?

Luckily, that's not my job.

Excuse me?

I'm not here to solve your crimes.

[LAUGHS]

Since that's what cops actually do,

what are you here for, then?

To collect a paycheck,

earn my pension, and, in the process,

help my community whenever I can.

- Wow, are you serious? - Very.

I appreciate your point of view,

but here, race is irrelevant.

- Nope. - Race is always relevant.

- Here we go. - What does that mean?

It means we don't have time for your political nonsense right now, OK?

You want to make a difference in the world?

Run for Congress.

But right now, you're a cop, OK?

So you do what a cop is supposed to do,

and cops help us find the bad guy, period.

And that right there

is exactly why things don't change.

[SCOFFS]

Oh... oh, really?

- [SIGHS] - What...

Vince, just... just let it go. Let it go.

She's practically spitting in our faces, man.

That is one way of looking at it.

What's the other one?

That she's coming at this whole thing

from a different point of view, from a more progressive,

- more political point of view. - All right, man, I'm done.

- Whatever. - Hey, bro, bro, listen.

Listen, listen, listen.

So let's go back to the precinct,

dig through some more surveillance footage.

- How about that? - All right. Great.

So there's the suspect walking north on Amsterdam,

six blocks from the crime scene,

seven minutes after the 911 call came in.

Just stop right there.

There's something in his hand.

You can't really see what it is,

- but it could be a gun. - Mm-hmm.

Any more video?

No, the trail goes cold right there.

He lives in Washington Heights, right?

Mm-hmm.

There's a subway stop at Broadway and 96th.

I mean, maybe he was heading there.

Start looking for a video of him walking

in that direction, north and east.

And who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky.

Calling docket ending in 7824,

People versus Lyman Ross, murder in the second degree.

How does the defendant plead?

Not guilty.

- I'll hear the people on bail. - Yes, Your Honor.

The evidence against the defendant is substantial.

Police recently found a gun whose ballistics match

the bullet casing recovered at the scene.

They also found the defendant's DNA

on the weapon and his fingerprints

on five bullets inside the magazine.

We also have video evidence putting the defendant

near the crime scene and the sewer grate

where the weapon was found.

So in light of the severity of the charge,

people seek remand.

Your Honor, the defendant is

a lifelong resident of New York City,

has held the same job at New York Cellular for 17 years,

and has three children whom he loves dearly.

He is clearly not a flight risk

and, as such, should be granted a reasonable bail.

Reasonable bail is reserved for reasonable people,

not men who gun down other men in cold blood.

Defendant is remanded.

Next case.

[GAVEL BANGS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Thank you so much for meeting with me.

Of course.

My husband was a big fan.

He encouraged lots of folks in our community

to support your election efforts.

I know.

He was very helpful.

So what can I do for you?

I'm worried about the trial.

From what I hear, the evidence is quite substantial,

so I wouldn't spend too much time worrying.

I'm not worried about winning.

I'm worried about the emotional stress

that comes along with winning.

Come on, Nick, you know how this goes.

Someone like Wes dies, people want to dig up dirt.

They attack your character, your reputation.

My family and I have been through enough already.

I can't imagine what you're going through,

but we're confident we have a strong case,

and we will do everything we can to protect the process,

to make sure irrelevant facts are not introduced.

I appreciate all that,

but I was hoping you might be able to do better than that...

avoid the trial altogether.

[SIGHS]

Wes was an inspirational leader in our community,

and to see his name dragged through the mud?

[SIGHS] That would be unfortunate.

No. No. Hell no.

I'm not pleading to a damn thing,

let alone murder.

Given the evidence, this is a good deal.

You realize that?

Well, the only thing that I realize

is that that bastard Morgan got what he deserved,

and I'm not going to prison for that.

Well, you're wrong.

The jury is going to convict you of murder, no doubt.

And when they do,

we'll recommend a minimum sentence of 25 years.

You plead out now, we'll recommend 15.

Look, we're open to manslaughter, but...

No. No, no, no. Murder two.

We'll recommend the minimum, 15 to life, or we go to trial.

Give us some time to discuss it.

You have 24 hours.

[BUZZER BLARES]

OK.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Hey.

Morning.

Good morning.

How'd it go with Ross?

He is thinking about it.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Look, I know we're trying to protect Morgan's legacy,

but I'm not sure it's possible or advisable.

What are you talking about?

Just got off the phone with five women who claim

Morgan sexually assaulted them.

What?

Yeah, I was looking for more witnesses,

so I spoke with some of the other women

at Morgan's party, and...

let's just say the floodgates started to open.

And if you believe what they said,

then Wes Morgan was a monster.

He preyed on young women and men.

He raped them, drugged them, trafficked them.

So much for protecting Morgan's legacy.

Pull the offer. Try your case.

Better the world knows who he really was.

Right. I hear you, Nick.

But the problem is,

Morgan is our victim, not our defendant.

So the more detestable Morgan becomes,

the more likeable Ross becomes.

Hell, if Morgan was as bad as they said,

then Lyman Ross should get a medal.

Well, yeah, what I think we're saying is that

if a deal made sense yesterday, it makes even more sense today.

Except it sends the wrong message.

Meaning what?

Meaning it's OK to exact revenge

on someone you find loathsome.

If we cut a deal with Ross,

show him some leniency,

we're basically saying that killing a monster

isn't as bad as killing an angel.

So regardless of how repugnant Wes Morgan may have been

or how challenging this case may have just become,

we need to try this case.

We need to get a conviction.

♪

I was in love with Angela.

I thought that we would get married someday, to be honest.

What happened?

Why did you two break up?

I found text messages in her phone.

There were photos and videos too.

Can you be more specific?

They were... they were about sex.

Looked like Angela was unconscious

in some of the pictures.

Who was the other person involved in this exchange?

Wes Morgan.

Did you happen to tell anyone else

about what you saw in Angela's phone?

Yes, her father, Lyman.

I told him everything.

I thought he deserved to know.

And how did he react?

He lost it,

said he was going to kill Wes Morgan.

Thank you. Nothing further.

No questions, Your Honor.

Mr. Price?

The people rest.

Defense calls Angela Ross.

How did you meet Wes Morgan?

One of his music producers introduced me to him.

And what was the nature of your relationship?

At first, we just talked about the music business.

He thought I was a really talented singer,

and he was going to help me get started.

I know it's... it's cliché,

but he was going to make me a star.

Did the relationship turn romantic?

Romantic, no.

Was it a consensual relationship?

I thought so at first,

but I've been trying to process what happened

and working with a therapist.

Wes manipulated me.

He kept saying that he was going to help me,

and he was... he was paying for my condo,

so I believed him.

But then he... he told me

that I had to sleep with his friends too,

and he'd watch and videotape it.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Order!

Continue.

How did this make you feel?

Terrible,

but he kept saying that was the cost of being famous,

that if I wanted to make it in the music business,

I had to do what he wanted me to do

with the people that he wanted me to do it with.

And he was so powerful that I just...

I'm so sorry, Daddy.

I... I wish I listened to you.

Your Honor.

Ms. Ross, do not address the defendant.

Please disregard what you just heard.

While we're at it, Your Honor,

I would like to object to this entire line of questioning.

Why are we even discussing this?

How does this witness' negative experience

with Wes Morgan relate to this case?

The defendant claims he didn't kill Mr. Morgan,

so whether the victim did or didn't have

some sort of relationship with his daughter

is irrelevant.

Mr. Harris, I assume there's some point behind all of this?

There is, and I'd appreciate a little latitude here.

All right. You got it, for now.

Please proceed.

I just have one more question.

When I asked you earlier if your relationship

with Wes Morgan was consensual,

you said, "I thought so at first."

But you never finished that thought.

So if you don't mind, please tell us,

was the relationship consensual?

No. No.

It was predatory and abusive.

I was totally dependent on him for my rent,

my food, my music career.

So I did what he told me to do,

even though it was disgusting.

I just... I didn't think I had a choice.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

No questions.

You may step down.

Defense calls Lyman Ross.

Where were you

the night Wes Morgan was killed?

The Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Did you see Wes Morgan that night?

Yes, I did.

And what happened?

I confronted him, and I told him

that I knew what was going on between him and my daughter

and that he needed to stay away from her.

How did he respond?

He laughed at me.

He said that Angela was his property

and that he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Then what?

Well, then we argued.

It got real heated, and...

he had this champagne bottle in his hand.

And he raised it up like he was going to attack me with it.

Your Honor, I'd like to introduce

defense exhibit 12,

a photo of Wes Morgan exiting the venue

where the party was being held on the night he was killed.

Is this the bottle of champagne you saw in his right hand?

Yes. Yes, it is.

What happened next?

I shot him.

I had to.

I felt like my life was in danger,

and I thought he was going to kill me.

So you shot him

because you thought the man

who was exploiting your 18-year-old daughter

was going to kill you?

That is correct.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

The defendant is now claiming self-defense.

He testified that Wes Morgan had

a champagne bottle in his hand

and tried to attack him with it.

So any evidence you can find to suggest he's lying

would be terrific.

We'll try to grab more video, but there's not

a lot of cameras in that part of town.

Well, what about the photographs

from the crime scene?

I mean, there's no evidence of a bottle

or any broken glass or anything.

Yeah, that's helpful, but it might not be enough.

The defense can easily counteract that argument.

The bottle didn't break, or it rolled along the street...

- Yes, you need more. Got it. - Thank you.

OK, let's do another deep dive, see what we get.

See you back at the precinct.

- You OK? - Yeah.

Hey, what's going on?

Well... [CHUCKLES]

Lyman Ross is now claiming

that Wes Morgan threatened to kill him.

Said he came at him and tried to attack him

- with a champagne bottle. - Mm.

Well, look, I, um... like I said before,

I took off the moment I heard that dude calling Morgan's name.

Yeah, but you also told me that you were there with Morgan

when Ross approached, right?

Yeah, but I didn't see anything in his hand.

OK. Well, that's good news.

- We're getting somewhere. - OK.

So what I need from you is to...

Uh, oh, wait.

No, I'm not getting involved.

What do you mean you're not getting involved?

It means I'm not testifying.

Well, that's your job,

so you don't really have a choice in the matter.

Well, that's if you tell the DA what I said.

I'm going to tell them, because what you just told me,

that he had nothing in his hand,

we need that to disprove Ross' self-defense claim.

Jalen, why would I help the DA's office bury Lyman Ross

for shooting some billionaire sex trafficker

who was pimping out the dude's daughter?

That's not how it works, Vanessa.

How what works?

The system?

The system created by white men

to keep the Black community in its place?

This case is a lot more complicated than that.

[SIGHS] See, that's what old heads say

when they afraid of change.

No, that's what old heads say

when they see a young sister about to make a stupid mistake.

From where I stand, putting a good brother

in prison for 20 years to get justice for a piece of garbage

does not add up to me.

- I hear that... - Do you?

Yes, I hear you, because I became a cop

to make a difference.

But we don't get to run around and just do whatever we want.

We have to follow the law.

- Follow the law? - Yeah.

And where has that gotten us as a people?

We have to do more.

We have to take the victories wherever we can find them,

regardless of what the law says.

Because if we don't,

nothing's going to change,

and that's just the truth.

♪

I get where she's coming from, but...

we get paid to investigate crimes,

not change the world.

Yeah, but maybe that's the old way

of looking at the job.

You calling me old?

No, no, I'm calling us old.

You got gray hair. I got no hair. We're both old. Get over it.

- All right. - Live with it, all right?

Look, Vanessa, she's 25, 26?

She sees this as it is

through the lens of a young Black woman.

I'm not sure I know what you mean.

I mean maybe it's not so bad if, once in a while,

we color outside of the lines to help our community.

But you don't get to pick and choose

when to be a real cop,

you know, in the name of some higher calling.

I mean, come on.

You start doing that, you could justify pretty much anything.

And then... then where are we?

Look, she's got a good heart, and she's fighting

really hard to make a difference.

But, I mean, there's no carve-out

in the police handbook for a cop, Black or white,

whose heart's in the right spot, just trying to make a difference.

[BLUESY MUSIC PLAYING]

♪

Call Price.

Put her ass on the stand.

She wants to perjure herself?

You know, that's her call.

I got to go.

Do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony

you shall give here today will be the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?

- I do. - You may be seated.

Mr. Price, you may proceed.

Detective Washburn,

when was the last time you saw Wes Morgan?

The night that he was killed.

I was at his party working undercover.

What time did you leave the party?

Around 11:00 PM.

Did anyone follow you out of the door?

Yes. Wes Morgan.

How come? What did he want?

He wanted me to come back inside.

He said if I stayed, it would good for my career.

But I told him I was tired and I wanted to get some sleep.

Then what happened?

Someone started walking toward us.

Did this person say anything?

Yes.

He said, "Yo, Wes, we need to talk."

And did you see what this man looked like?

No, not really.

It was dark, but he was Black,

had an average height, average build.

Did Wes Morgan have anything in his hand?

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

Yes.

A bottle.

♪

He was holding a bottle?

Yes, champagne bottle.

When you spoke to Detective Shaw yesterday,

you didn't mention a champagne bottle.

In fact, you said his hands were empty, correct?

Objection, Your Honor. Argumentative.

I'll allow it.

You may answer.

No.

Detective Shaw must have misunderstood me.

Wes Morgan was holding a champagne bottle.

Nothing further.

♪

Hey, I told you, she did not want to get involved.

Well, she got involved. She lied.

She gave the defense everything they wanted.

I'm not surprised. She's got some really strong opinions.

So do I, especially when it comes to perjury.

I need you to impeach her testimony.

You're putting me in a really tough position, Nolan.

How is that?

You're asking me to go on the stand

and call another cop a liar.

I'm asking you to tell the truth.

It sounds pretty easy to me.

You're due in court in one hour.

When I talked to Detective Washburn,

she made it clear that Wes Morgan was not holding

anything in his hands,

that he didn't have a champagne bottle.

Did Detective Washburn give you any indication

that she would not be forthcoming

if asked to testify?

Yes.

She said she didn't want to get involved in the case.

Did she say why?

Yes.

♪

She said that...

she didn't want a good Black man going down

for killing Wes Morgan,

someone who she believed to be a sexual predator.

She thought... no,

I believe she thought

it would serve the community better,

the Black community,

if Lyman Ross did not go to prison,

and he was able to continue working

and raising his children.

Thank you. Nothing further.

♪

You weren't with Detective Washburn

that evening, correct?

No, sir, I was not.

So you don't know if Wes Morgan was carrying

a champagne bottle.

Correct.

I'm simply telling you what Detective Washburn told me.

Sounds to me that Detective Washburn told you

what every person in this courtroom already knows,

certainly every Black person.

I mean, putting Lyman Ross in prison

for killing Wes Morgan

makes no sense for the Black community.

- Objection. - Sustained.

Nothing further.

♪

[SIGHS]

Whether Wes Morgan was a predator

or not,

it doesn't matter.

You don't get to kill someone

because he is vile.

That's...

that's not the way our legal process is designed.

Your job as jurors

is to follow the law,

to determine if I have established

beyond a reasonable doubt

that the defendant was not legally justified

in killing Wes Morgan.

That is where your duties begin and end.

The idea of what might be just

or right

is irrelevant to this analysis.

In other words, you're not here to follow your hearts

or to help effectuate the result

that you think might be fair or for the benefit of society.

No, you are here to follow the law,

to administer legal justice,

not street justice.

And if you do that, you will come to the conclusion

that the defendant shot and killed Wes Morgan

because he believed Mr. Morgan was involved

in an abusive sexual relationship with his daughter,

not because he was in fear for his life.

So please do your job

and find the defendant guilty.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

[SIGHS]

Hey!

Just heard the news.

Congratulations on the conviction. You must be thrilled.

I'm not doing this today.

Hey, wait, wait, hold on.

You don't get to walk away.

Look, I tried to warn you.

You just blew up my whole career.

You do realize that?

Remember when you told me you wanted to become a cop

because you wanted to make a difference?

Damn straight.

So what happened?

You just gave up?

♪

- Synced and corrected by synk - - www.addic7ed.com -