All language subtitles for The Practice s08e15 Mr Shore Goes to Town

Brenda Wilbur, who I believe you know,
she's dead.

What? The police are out there. I was
there. I had made love to her earlier,

now they're here to ask me questions.

I need money, Alan. So much so I
sometimes see it in my dreams. I

it at 10 .30 last night when I saw Paul
Stewart coming out of Brenda's house.

How are we arranging to pay her off? I
cannot bribe this witness.

I'm not letting my only child go to
prison.

Wives don't statistically leave their
husbands over infidelity.

You cannot walk out that door now.

Maybe I do think he's guilty of murder.

Did he do this?

People change.

If he only knew what I've become.

When you were 16, you slept with your
best friend's mother.

How have you changed, Alan?

I miss her.

Somebody you love has died.

You're allowed to grieve.

I'd like you to stay away from him. I'm
sorry? I fear he's becoming attached.

I think a little distance is in order
for you, Ms. Wilson.

This girl ended up in some very unlikely
places. You of all people know that.

Meaning? Was she ever with you? Are you
out of your mind? Whatever you share

with me here, it stays confidential
between two old friends.

Two old friends having a beer?

You have my word.

It happened once.

I've been subpoenaed by the prosecution.

Why? He came here the night of the
murder.

Paul? He said that he needed to confess.

I needed to speak with my priest.

I didn't go to confess murder.

But this doesn't look good, Paul.

You're seen leaving the victim's house,
then seen minutes later rushing to a

priest ostensibly to confess.

They have no witnesses to my leaving the
house. You hope. I saw Paul Stewart

leave Brenda Wilbur's house around 10
.30 the night of the murder. Paul's

paid me $600 ,000 not to come forward.
But I have no doubt he killed that

Firstly, I think it's a mistake to hire
an insurer.

People in Dedham remember him and, well,
I won't call him a liar, but let me put

it this way.

If he went out to feed the pigs, he'd
have to get somebody else to call him.

That was very funny, Kevin. I demand you
stop referring to this man as witless.

Come on.

We will present evidence of the affair.

You will hear from a witness who places
the defendant at the scene.

You will hear from scientific experts
who establish hair, body oil, semen, on

in the victim, all coming from the
defendant.

Clothing taken from the defendant's home
with blood spatterings from the victim.

Ladies and gentlemen, in short, the
evidence, all of it, eyewitnesses,

forensics, motive, every bit of it
points to one suspect and only one

Paul Stewart.

Isn't it exciting?

A murder right in our own town.

A delicious kind, too.

One of our own dead, one of our own
charged, one of our own prosecuting, and

best of all, one of our own defending.
Me.

My name is Alan Shore.

And I assure you, I'll be doing
everything I can to make this proceeding

about me.

Prosecution will no doubt take delight
in that.

Because, you see, I'm a terrible person.

Paul Stewart, on the other hand, is a
good man.

A kind one.

Innocent, too. And they make for lousy
defendants.

Justice. It works better when you get
bad guys, not the innocent ones.

And we here in Dedham... Is it time for
a break yet, Judge, or shall I keep

going?

Keep going.

We here in Dedham know all about
travesty, don't we? Dedham, this very

courtroom, in fact, is ground zero for
one of the worst miscarriages of justice

in American history.

Two innocent men, Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were convicted,

stand, for crimes they didn't commit.

Why?

Because the police needed these murders
solved.

Mr. Shore.

I'm going to instruct you to stick to
this trial.

This trial, in a way, is about a second
chance for Dedham.

In that other case, the one the judge
doesn't want me to talk about, we had

Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw,
Justice Felix Frankfurter, the Pope

the Pope, all writing letters to Dedham.

begging for justice, pleading that we
set those two innocent men free. Dedham

didn't do that.

On August 23, 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti
were put to death.

Dedham didn't get it right.

Today, we have yet again an innocent man
on trial.

This time, we need Dedham to get it
right.

Eyes were open and vacant when we got
there, and her head was like all bashed

and mushed.

We found the defendant's semen in her
vaginal area. We found strands of his

on her person, and we found his oil
secretions on her person.

But you, in fact, suspected Paul Stewart
even before the blood and hair

analysis. Yes, because the witness
placed him at the scene.

In fact, the witness placed him at the
scene on many occasions.

We suspected the affair, and when we
first went to question, Mr. Stewart, his

lawyer, just so happened to be there. I
believe Mr.

Stewart has a constitutional right to
counsel, and I'd remind the court this

the United States of America.

Forgive me.

I'm sorry. I was thinking about the old
America. Sorry. Mr. Shore, the court

does not intend to tolerate your
distractions.

I have nothing further, Judge.

All right, Mr. Shore.

Now it's your turn.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Hello, Detective.

So how are we today?

Fine.

Tell me, would you regard yourself as a
good detective?

Yes. You would.

So all the evidence that exists against
my client, we should figure you to have

it.

Well, you say a witness placed Mr.
Stewart at the scene. That witness would

Catherine Piper?

Yes. Would you stand, Catherine?

Is this witness the heart of your
detectiving?

No, she merely supports my findings.

The heart would be the physical evidence
linking the defendant to the cave.

Ah, the physical evidence. You mean like
the murder weapon.

Where is the murder weapon, by the way?

We didn't find it.

You didn't find it?

He obviously ditched it.

Ditched it?

Where? You claim you've been able to
plot out the exact route and timeline.

My client went from Brenda's house to
church, to his mother's house, to his

house, where he stayed till morning, at
which point he went to his office and

from there the police station. So where
did he ditch it?

We don't know.

You don't know?

That's disturbing.

Let's turn to the victim then. Brenda
Wilbur.

Where is she?

The body was inadvertently destroyed,
but the autopsy had been completed.

Gee, no body, no murder weapon.

Well, lucky for us, we have a good
detective.

Objection. So let me get this straight.
By physical evidence, you mean... For

starters, his semen. I see.

And his semen would explain, A, making
love to her, or B, killing her, or C,

loading zone for passengers only? It
means that he was there.

But he could have been there hours
earlier, couldn't he?

His hairs were on her and his oil
secretions. Tell me, detective,

You actually found his hair samples and
body oil secretions right on the victim?

Yes. As she lay there dead? Yes. You're
sure? Yes. Well, then, I can see why you

suspected him.

Nothing further.

Oh, I'm curious. Did you find anybody
else's hair or body oil secretions on

victim? Say, for example, mine.

Did you find my hair and oil secretions
on the corpse, detective?

Yes, because you fainted on it. Well,
why didn't you question me? I certainly

had motive. I'm the one person in town
she didn't sleep with. Maybe I killed

her. Objection. You think you're funny?
Any of your hair and fibers on her,

detective? Because I helped you up after
you fainted. So there was evidence of

you on the victim.

Detective, you led this jury to believe
there was evidence of Paul Stewart...

and only Paul Stewart on the body.

That wasn't honest.

I won't call you a liar, but who feeds
your pigs?

Objection. Sustained.

So, let's see.

I could be a suspect.

How about Catherine Piper? She hated
Brenda.

Stand up, Catherine.

Did you investigate her?

No. You can sit down, Catherine. Wendy,
hi.

Would you stand up, please?

Scorned wife?

She certainly had a motive. No alibi,
I'm told. Did you check her out?

I'm sure you didn't. You can sit down.
Thank you, Wendy.

So many suspects.

Let's not forget you, Kev. Stand up,
Judge.

Never mind.

But you get my point, don't you,
Detective?

You really only looked at one person,
didn't you?

Three years of fifth grade. We expected
better. Shoddy work, Detective.

Objection. Sustained.

I'm very disappointed.

Then why do you want to be in the room
so you can point to me as a possible

suspect? I wanted you in the room to
help secure an acquittal for your

We do want that, don't we, Wendy?

Hello.

I want you to know I don't mind being a
suspect at all.

It gives me edge.

Catherine, I'm having a private
conversation here.

Well, don't dilly -dally, dear.

My testimony's up next.

You certainly don't want to miss that.

He would come to her house at least
three times a week.

He'd park on the corner of Milton and
Toby, and then he'd walk a block.

Three times a week?

Yes, to have lascivious sex with her.

Miss Piper, on the day Brenda Wilbur was
murdered... He was there.

When? Well, he came in the afternoon,
and then I saw him return that

night before ten.

Objection. On what grounds?

From my interview with the witness. I
believe she's misspoken.

No, I haven't. Could I be allowed to
finish?

Set, Mr.

Shore.

You saw him return at 10 p .m.? Yes. On
the night Brenda Wilber was murdered?

Yes. And when did he leave?

Just after 10 .30.

And he was running like there was
something terribly wrong.

Now, Miss Piper...

When the police first questioned you,
you said nothing about the defendant

there that night.

Because Victoria Stewart, Paul's mother,
paid me $600 ,000 not to.

We're dead.

The mother of the defendant paid you
$600 ,000.

And I'm so ashamed to say I took it.

I think that's why Mr. Shore was
expecting me to lie just now.

But my conscience simply got the better
of me. That's why I came to you.

I'm not the noblest of people.

I'm obviously not above extortion or
even lying.

But I just couldn't lie to help somebody
get away with murder.

No, I can't do that.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Hello, Catherine.

Hello.

Tell me, Catherine, how do you feel
about Victoria Stewart?

Well, I loathe her, of course, as does
everyone else in this town. Yes, and in

fact, I bet it occurred to you you could
get the extortion money and still bring

her down by going to the police.

Well, yes, that was exactly my thinking.

Just for fun, could you tell us your
opinion of Brenda Wilbur?

She was a godless whore.

In fact, you complained to the police
about all the men she entertained.

Tell me, did you ever recognize any of
these men?

I don't associate with those kinds of
people.

I see. So, in reviewing your testimony,
you hated Brenda, you hate Victoria,

and in fact extorted her. You saw a lot
of men enter and leave what eventually

turned out to be the murder scene.

But the only one you seem to remember...

Is my client.

I guess that's pretty much it, right?

You didn't see anybody commit any crime,
did you?

No, but I'm sure he did it. I see.

By the way, when you and I said hello a
few weeks ago, we shook hands.

You had something on your glove.

Do you remember what that was?

Dog crap.

Yes. Do you remember why you reached for
my hand with dog stool on yours?

Because.

You put dog stool in a bag and left it
on my doorstep. And you ruined my fleece

slippers. This happened when?

In 1971.

So you were getting even for a Halloween
prank I pulled when I was nine.

Yes. You hate godless whores.

And you're a fan of vengeance.

I am a Christian, dear.

I'm not.

breaking any seal. I'm not asking you
to.

But you could verify that Brenda Wilburn
was a sexually aggressive woman who got

herself into situations.

How would I know that?

Tom, we're desperate. I may have to ask
you. I'll lie.

No, you won't.

It's not in your character.

You gave me your word.

I realize that. If I had something to
say that would help Paul. You do.

I don't.

The only thing that will come from my
little admission is the destruction of

church, my parish, and me, and I won't
do it.

I will lie, and I'll be believed, and
your case will just look all the more

desperate. I may have to take that
chance.

You'll regret it.

I promise you.

There's no reason to panic. No reason?
The jury just heard that my mother tried

to bribe a witness.

Your mother did, you didn't. I am dead,
Tara.

We still have a witness who thought that
he saw a woman. We still have your

testimony. My testimony. Not to forget.

Don't handle me, Tara.

You know, I realize that your assignment
here to handhold the client, but don't.

My assignment isn't to handhold the
client.

Let me ask you something, Tara.

Do you think I'm innocent?

Yes.

Yes.

Paul?

Could I have a moment with Miss Wilson,
please?

Why? I'd like a moment.

You and I had a certain discussion.

My son has a family, Miss Wilson.

Despite this temporary setback, Paul
Stewart is a respected doctor and family

man in this community.

That is the reputation he once had and
will have again, Miss Wilson.

I am confident you don't mean to
interfere with that.

I was actually getting ready to go home
when he came in.

This was around... Eleven or so.

Maybe a little bit earlier.

Father, can you describe the defendant
as he entered your church that night?

He seemed agitated.

Agitated.

Did he say anything?

He asked if he could go into the
confessional.

Did something seem wrong?

Yes. Did he go into the confessional?

No.

He saw a member of the cleaning crew.

He seemed to panic, and he ran out of
the church.

And this was on or around 11 p .m. the
night that Brenda Wilbur was murdered?

Yes.

Thank you, Father.

This agitation, in your opinion, could
it be consistent with Paul seeing

Brenda's murdered body, a woman he
loved?

Being emotionally traumatized by what he
saw. Something that made him run to his

clergy. Yes, it could be consistent with
all of that.

Father, Brenda Wilbur led a rather
promiscuous life, didn't she?

She was involved with various men, any
number of whom could have come to her

house that night.

I wouldn't know.

You wouldn't know.

You were her priest, were you not? I
was.

Did she not indicate her propensity to
seduce men?

I cannot break the confessional seal.

I'm bound by canon law.

Were you ever able to observe her
outside the confession?

Something you could talk about?

No.

Father. May I ask, were you ever
romantically intimate

with Brenda Wilbur?

Father, I asked you a question.

I'll need to insist on an answer.

Did you have sex with Brenda Wilbur?

Father, we need a response.

Yes, I did.

Was it she who seduced you?

Yes.

Did she ever threaten to expose this, to
bring shame upon you and your parish?

No, she did not.

The other night I came up here to sit.

I was pretending we were ten years old
again.

With everything ahead of us.

I've always believed life should come
with one free do -over.

Are we gonna win?

Listen, our defense has shifted a
little.

After I call Paul, I'm calling you.

Me? You need to explain why you bribed
Catherine Piper.

You need to convince the jury Paul had
nothing to do with that.

I thought the idea was to distance me
from the defense.

Well, you've made that impossible.

We had made love that day.

Evening, really.

Around 6.

I left, returned around 10, after I
couldn't get her on the phone.

And then I found her.

Dead?

Yes.

Then what did you do?

I was experiencing panic.

Panic? I'm... I was a married man, a
family man.

I had a lot riding in this community
that stemmed from leading a life of

integrity.

I think I felt my life imploding.

Why didn't you call the police?

Clearly, I should have.

There was nothing I could do to help
Brenda.

As I said, I panicked and I ran to Tom.

Father Dugan.

Yes. I went to the church, I think, I
guess, to seek counsel or support.

And then when I got to the church, I saw
somebody from the cleaning crew and I

panicked once again.

I ran to my mother's.

What did you do there?

There's a treehouse in the woods out
back that I built.

I was a child with you, actually.

It's a hideout from the world.

I think I went there to seek refuge, I
guess.

Paul, how long had you been having an
affair with Brenda?

It was two years.

Do you know if there were other men in
her life?

I believe there were, yes.

But she would never tell me because...
Because why?

Because she knew I loved her.

No.

I was there that night, but I didn't
kill her, and I didn't see who did.

You find a loved one lying in a pool of
blood.

You don't call an ambulance.

You don't call the police.

You just leave.

I knew she was dead.

And as for the police, my family name in
this town... Oh, yes, the family name.

Tell me about this treehouse you built.

You're into carpentry, doctor?

It's a hobby.

Hobby.

Funny, we confiscated a toolbox in the
trunk of your car.

Couldn't find the hammer.

The toolbox was missing more than just a
hammer. It was also missing several

tools. But notably, the hammer.

I believe you see several hammers from
my house. None that match that bet.

Look, you traced my moves that night. If
I had tossed or ditched a weapon...

Where's the hammer, Dr. Stewart?

Your Honor, I must object to this. It's
one thing not to have evidence. It's

quite another to try to prosecute with
that which you do not have.

Well, I tell you, I have a hammer.

It's a hammer of justice.

It's a hammer of freedom.

It's a song about love between my
brothers and my sisters all over this

Except perhaps out of Massachusetts.

What?

I have good news and bad news.

Bad news first.

My focus group thinks Paul is guilty.

And the good?

They love you.

Splendid.

Alan, we might want to think about a
plea.

Okay.

I think not.

This focus group is obviously trying to
tell us something. Jamie, try to

understand this. If we plead out, I
don't get to give my closing.

And I've practiced it, so... You need to
take this seriously.

Everybody out now.

Except Alan.

I'm the client. I get to call the
occasional shot. Everybody out.

Now.

Seems like the old days.

You and I getting in all kinds of
trouble.

And you having the time of your life.

I'm facing prison.

I'm doing the very best I can.

Is there a good deal to be made here?

For a guilty man, I'm sure there's a
terrific deal to be had.

For the innocent, it would be despicably
unfair.

Which would you like, Paul?

Good or bad?

I didn't kill Brenda.

I know you didn't. So let's not quit.

I know it was a stupid thing to do. So
why did you do it?

I suppose I was afraid that...

My son wouldn't get a fair trial.

I know how people think of me.

But, Victoria, if you knew your son was
innocent, why bribe a witness?

Catherine Piper's so biased. I was
concerned that she'd paint the worst

picture, and I... It was a bad idea.

One that... I was probably blinded a
little by

my love for Paul.

Your love for Paul.

The perception is Paul is the most
precious thing in your life.

Yes.

As Paul's oldest friend, I've known you
a very long time, haven't I?

Yes, you have.

When I was 16 years old, you and I made
love.

Several times, in fact.

Mr. Shore, as riveted as I am, and I am,
I'm not sure this has anything to do

with this trial. I'm afraid it does,
Your Honor.

Sleeping with me caused you a great deal
of distress, didn't it, Victoria?

As I recall, you saw a therapist, and he
opined you were perhaps, on some

unconscious level, not so much making
love to me, but rather to Paul.

Victoria, are you in love with your son?

It's ridiculous.

Is it?

I once asked you why you never remarried
after your husband died. And your

response was, you know full well why.

Was that an admission to me you were in
love with your son?

I love my son.

The way a mother loves a child.

It was never romantic love.

Did you kill Brenda Wilbur?

Brenda Wilbur was not only compromising
your son.

With a sordid affair, she was not only
destroying his family, his reputation,

she was sleeping with the man you wanted
to sleep with. That is sick.

If I'm going to be accused of such
depravity, I should like to consult an

attorney.

That's all right, Victoria.

I won't accuse you of anything.

Well, that was wonderful.

I guess since paying off the witness
didn't work out, why not a little

performance?

And that was just wonderful.

I guess we'll leave it at you really,
really love your son.

Mr. Shore.

Defense rests, Your Honor.

Whenever a crime is committed, leading
to a conclusion.

In the best case scenario, the truth.

But that presumes having unlimited
resources, which clearly we don't.

So what often happens...

We pick the most likely guy and exhaust
what we've got trying to nail him.

That happened 80 -plus years ago with
Sacco and Vanzetti. It's happening here

with Paul Stewart.

Every year, 10 ,000 innocent people are
convicted in this country.

That's according to one study. Others
say that figure is low. That's

It's disgraceful.

10 ,000 wrongful convictions.

Every year.

Why?

Mainly because juries don't insist on
finding guilt beyond all reasonable

doubt.

When a person is killed, we want
somebody convicted.

It's human nature.

There's closure in saying a crime has
been solved. There's also safety in it.

We like to go to bed at night thinking
the bad guy's been captured, especially

in small towns where we're desperate to
feel safe.

Please. Let Paul Stewart be the guy.

He must be the guy.

He's not the guy.

So who is?

Catherine Piper is a lunatic who not
only derives glee in making the Stewart

family suffer, she hated the victim as
well.

And she just so happened to live right
across the street from her.

Wendy Stewart.

Had motive.

She was angry and hurt.

Betrayed wives have certainly been known
to react with violence.

And she has no alibi.

Father Tom Dugan.

He had illicit sex with the victim.

She had a history of committing
extortion. He had everything to lose.

And let's not forget Victoria.

Obsessed with her son's life. His
reputation.

His legacy.

Or simply...

obsessed with her son.

The point is, people, there are many
potential suspects in this case, and

would include all the strangers in
Brenda Wilber's life. We know nothing of

nature and disposition of those
relationships, of the possible

betrayals, precisely because they were
never investigated.

Paul Stewart represented only a small
fraction of this woman's life.

If this jury is going to insist on
finding guilt beyond all reasonable

Paul Stewart must be acquitted.

Nobody witnessed this crime being
committed.

The murder weapon was never found.

Despite the police tracing my client's
every step, prosecution inadvertently

destroyed the victim's body before we
could properly examine it. Of course

there's reasonable doubt.

Reasonable doubt.

I love Paul Stewart as I would a
brother.

I grew up with him.

It's one of the reasons I know he's
innocent.

He's not infallible.

He had an affair.

It may cost him his marriage, perhaps a
respect of his children, but he did not,

Paul could not take the life of another
human being.

He simply could not.

This may surprise you.

I loved Ed in Massachusetts.

I grew up here.

I'm offended by its legacy of convicting
innocent people because I know that's

not who we are.

This time, let's set the innocent man
free.

Rarely do we actually see somebody
commit the crime.

Typically, criminal cases are
circumstantial.

Now, the circumstances here are that the
defendant had an affair with the

victim.

There was evidence that she tried to
extort him.

He had incentive to protect his family
name and his community status.

His hair, fibers, body oils were found
all over the victim.

His semen was found in the victim.

Blood all over his clothes.

He was spotted leaving the scene.

That is overwhelming circumstantial
evidence, ladies and gentlemen, and it

certainly allows you to find guilt
beyond reasonable doubt.

Now, I suspect the defense counsel
already knows that, which is why he

finger -pointing elsewhere everywhere.

Oh, hey, maybe an eyewitness did it.

Oh, perhaps the priest.

Hey, how about the defendant's own
mother?

And to compound this blatant attack on
your intelligence, Mr. Shore buttons his

eloquent closing by appealing to your
sense of justice.

This lawyer deliberately fell on the
body to contaminate evidence.

The mother of the defendant tried to buy
a witness.

They staged a performance by mom to make
you think that she killed the victim

out of jealousy. Now, this would be
funny if it weren't a murder trial, but

is.

That man picked up a hammer and
bludgeoned a woman to death. He's asking

ignore that because it's Sacco and
Vanzetti. The police didn't explore any

suspects, ladies and gentlemen, because
there are no other suspects.

Paul Stewart is the man who killed
Brenda Wilbur, which is why he dashed

his priest to confess.

At some point, will they send us home?

Nine o 'clock.

He was really compelling.

The DA.

How many times are you going to say
that?

Well, I said you were good, too.

If the news is bad, do I go into custody
right away?

The news isn't going to be bad.

We're winning.

Well, that's an acquittal. No.

Yes.

I'm going to call on the foreperson to
read the verdict.

And I want decorum maintained by
everyone, especially the media.

Metaphor person, do you have a verdict?

Yes, Your Honor.

Mr. Stewart.

You may stand up for the reading.

Would you please announce your verdict?

On the matter of the Commonwealth v.
Paul Stewart, on the charge of murder in

the first degree, we the jury find the
defendant, Paul Stewart,

not guilty.

The jury is dismissed.

We're adjourned.

Boo!

Boo!

You owe me a lot of beer.

Just have two questions for you.

Okay.

Who do you think killed her, really?

In God's name, I know.

Wasn't me.

Did you really love my mother?

I did.

That stuff about her being romantically
in love with me, is any of that... Trial

strategy.

Thank you.

When's the last time you smoked pot?

Wow.

Depending on the integrity of the
container. What are you doing?

Our secret panel to the tree trunk.

I put some good Colombian down there
years ago.

It's nailed.

When did it get nailed?

I don't know. It looks like an old nail.

How the hell can he see in this light,
brother?

Paul, if I were to shine a light down
the tree trunk, what might I see?

I don't want to look down the tree
trunk, do I, Paul?

No, you don't.

I really loved her, you know.

She didn't.