Original subtitles

Andy, it got so late. I thought you

weren't coming. I'd have about given up

on you. Listen.

Did you tell her?Tell me what?

Then do it, Andy. Tell her. He doesn't

love you.

Everybody stop!

Put your hands in the air.

Lieutenant Kingsley, you have the right

to remain silent. Anything you say may be

used against you in a trial like

court-martial. You have the right to

consult an attorney prior to questioning.

You have the right to have a lawyer

present during this questioning. Do you

understand these rights?Yes, ma'am.

Do you waive the rights to remain silent

and consult with an attorney?I don't need

an attorney, ma'am. How did you meet

Misty James?

My wife was a. Dispersing officer on the

John O'Connor ma'am. Her ship was on

deployment in the Med. One night I

stopped by the mini Mart on base for ice

cream and that's where I met Misty.

I thought he was just being sweet, Sir,

bringing me ice cream.

He was having an affair. A friend

of mine saw them together. So what'd you

do then?I confronted him. I told him we

were married for keeps and we needed to

work this out. You promised you would

break it off. What was your wife's

reaction?Well, Susan went ballistic,

ma'am. She wouldn't listen to

reason. I had to restrain her.

That's why you arranged a meeting with

Miss James. Yeah. Then Susan got in the

car to go with me. She told me I had

to tell Misty in front of her.

Why did you agree to accompany your

husband?Andy made me go with him.

I didn't want to. It was degrading.

What'd you do once you got to the meeting

place?He got out of the car and they

started hugging. So

I got out of the car. I told him if he

was going to do it, he should do it.

I think I was crying. What

happened then?The girl, she

came at me with some kind of pipe.

She swung it at me.

My wife had a pipe in her hand.

She must have brought it with her.

Before I knew what was happening, she was

attacking Misty. Did your wife say

anything?No. I

tried to stop Susan.

I tried to protect Misty, and

then Susan turned on me.

I never saw her like that before.

Well, what happened then?I must have

ducked. I don't remember.

She came at me again.

I grabbed the pipe and I

swung it. Did you strike the blows that

killed Misty James?She tried to kill me,

sir. She and my

husband. He tried to

grab me to help her.

Why would your husband and and Miss James

want to try to kill you?And they were

having an affair. I was in the way. Why

not just file for divorce?

My family is rich, Sir.

Andy wanted my money.

I think that's all he ever wanted.

He never really loved me.

Hey, did you guys have a good time last

night?Well, the theater, that's that's

where you and my mom went, right?

You always get home at 5:30?

Well, now I fell asleep on a friend's

couch. You always get up at 5:30. Gives

me time for a five-mile run before work.

God. You know, I wanted to,

I wanted to say I'm sorry about messing

up your day with my mom on her birthday.

Apology accepted. You know, I didn't get

her a present yet myself. And, well, you

know, she's a gardening freak, so I

wanted to get her a couple of dogwoods,

you know, but my car's too small to pick

them up.

Well, you want to you want to use mine?

Well, you know, it's not a problem. I I

don't have any spare time today, but.

Well, you don't have to come with me. No,

I don't mind. Maybe another morning this

week. Oh, not before one of your five

mile runs. How's your afternoons?

Give me a call. We'll work something out.

Outstanding.

You should have seen her, Max. She was

breaking my heart. Her husband says she

was more into breaking heads. Well, she

says they tried to kill her. Kind of

takes. He said. She said to a whole new

level. Ma'am, Sir, I've got

the preliminary autopsy report on Misty

James and the forensics. Great. Thanks,

Gunny. Hey, Gunny, you worked homicide in

New Mexico, didn't you?Yes, Sir. Until I

got shot in the left posterior.

Stick around, will you?Have a seat. The

decedent received three blows to the head

with a heavy linear object. A short

length of pipe recovered from the scene

was found to be consistent with the

injuries sustained. Well, there's no

argument there. Both parties concur.

Ensign Kingsley swung the pipe. Yeah, but

was it murder or self-defense?Any

defensive wounds on the victim, ma'am?No

marks on the hands. No marks on the arms.

So she was caught by surprise, ma'am.

Yeah, which matches the husband's story.

Ensign Kingsley didn't have any marks on

her body. Sounds like a one-sided fight,

Sir. Two sets of fingerprints on the

pipe, NC Kingsley and Miss James.

Supporting her story that they struggled

for it. Miss James' prints were formed in

part in cerebral fluid. She grabbed onto

the pipe after her brains were splattered

all over it.

Kind of hard to do.

Morning, Tyler. Morning, Sir. Dr. Walden

called twice, Admiral. She can't make

lunch. See if dinner will work. Aye, Sir.

Also, Rose Palermo will be here at 0945

and Colonel McKenzie and Commander Rabb

are waiting for you, Sir. Who isn't?

Morning. At ease. Thank you, Sir.

Morning, Sir. Morning. Have a seat. We're

here to give you a recommendation on the

Misty James murder, Sir. Did somebody

actually name her Misty?

Yes, Sir. Sir, we believe Ensign Kingsley

murdered her. Jealous wife kills

husband's lover. Yes, Sir. The forensic

evidence is pretty clear and the husband

is an eyewitness. Apparently, the Ensign

thought you might pick her as a killer.

She's hired a lawyer. Colonel, how do you

feel about going up against your old

professor?Juanita Ressler?Ensign

Kingsley's going first class.

I'd welcome the opportunity, Sir. Good.

Roberts will assist. Commander, you

look into the death of Petty Officer

Mateo Palermo. The suicide

investigation, Sir?Suicide

investigation aboard the USS Seahawk.

You can keep up your carrier quals while

you're there. Oh, thank you, Sir. Are you

sure you should be carrying, sweetie?He's

too small to carry me.

Hey. HeyHi. Quite a bruiser.

I'm teaching him how to eat, Sir. I

understand the Redskins are looking for a

new lineman. Excuse me, Commander. Mrs.

Palermo's waiting in your office. Oh,

thanks, man. Yes, Sir. Can I hold him?

Until the next one comes along if you

want to, ma'am. I hold you, sweetie. It's

OK. It's OK. It's OK.

It's OK. He's tired. You guys are so

lucky having a girl this time. One of

each. Ma'am, I. That is to say,

we would like to talk to you. Is

everything OK?Yes, ma'am.

It's about Sarah. Who's Sarah?Technically

you are, ma'am. Sarah. So we decided to

call our baby girl Sarah. If that's OK

with you, Colonel. I'd like that.

I brought these. Mateo wrote to me

every week. Never miss one. How

many boys do that?Well, I know I didn't,

ma'am. I want you to read this one.

Dear Grandma, good news. Everything I

wanted to happen is coming true. I

accepted the SEAL training. I go to

Coronado in November, but first I get 30

days leave, and that's enough time to see

you. And now that I got a start in life,

I'm going to ask Jacinta if she wants to.

She wants to get married. Can't wait for

her to meet you. Love, Mateo.

That was right before it happened.

Does that sound like the letter from

somebody who's going to kill himself?No,

ma'am, things aren't always the way they

seem. I want to bury Mateo next

to his mother. But if he took his own

life, I can't. But

that's what the church says.

Here.

Read the rest of these letters and you

tell me if he committed suicide.

I'll get Ensign Kingsley's Academy

records. I want you to go out to the John

O'Connor, talk to her commanding officer.

Ma'am, I have a friend of you, Pers, who

has a friend at NAVSI, that heard a rumor

that Ensign Kingsley was taken to

Captain's mast for fighting with a fellow

female officer. A captain's mast where,

Lieutenant?I don't know, ma'am. Well,

maybe your friend in Butehurst has a

friend in Surfland who can find out. I'll

ask her, ma'am. Colonel, why you

went with your husband that night to see

Misty James?It was Andy's

idea. He wanted me to know

that he'd carried through on his promise.

Or at least that's what he said. That's

how they lured me there. Mel, this charge

is outrageous. Ensign Kingsley is the

victim here. Susan, you had no idea what

lay in store for you that night. How was

I supposed to know my husband wanted to

murder me?I went with him

because I love him, because I wanted

to save my marriage and

and then that woman attacked me and and

he attacked me. I'm sorry, she's dead,

but I was fighting for my life, ducking

and and and trying to hold on to the pipe

and screaming. They're trying to kill me.

My own husband. He wanted me dead. Call

Judge Morimoto in the morning. I want a

gag order on Ensign Kinsley and Miss

Ressler. Forget it, Colonel. Sir, I don't

want the whole country crying with this

girl. You don't have a choice. I just got

off the phone with Secnav. Three months

ago, he agreed for the first time to

allow trial TV to broadcast to court

martial. This is the one they want.

I'm standing in front of the headquarters

of the Judge Advocate General, a building

that houses the elite cadre of military

lawyers known as Jags. With me is the

kind of lawyer they don't go up against

very often. Juanita Resler, known for her

courtroom dramatics and media savvy, is

about to make her appearance. Good

morning. Miss Resler, can you tell me

what approach you're going to take to

this case?The truth, Lynn. Just the

truth. Insane Kingsley is basically a

naive young woman who suddenly found

herself brutally attacked by her husband

and his mistress. She screamed. They're

trying to kill me. That's the message

we're going to be getting out in court.

Miss Ressler, the prosecutor, Lieutenant

Colonel Sarah McKenzie, is one of your

former students. Nice picture, ma'am.

Very tough and aggressive, despite having

had to overcome a series of personal and

professional difficulties. Apparently we

have a pile of messages. People magazine

wants an interview. The Washington Post,

60 Minutes 2. Tell them I have better

things to do. But I think she's failed to

learn one basic lesson. You don't

prosecute the victim. Thank you.

Good morning. Be seated.

As all parties are aware, and as

consented to by the accused, this

court-martial will be televised. This has

been approved so that the general public

might have a better understanding of how

military justice works. But I caution all

counsel that they are to conduct

themselves as if the cameras were not

present. I will not tolerate any

grandstanding and or theatrics. Does

counsel understand me?We do, Your Honor.

Yes, Your Honor. Good. Colonel Mackenzie,

you may begin with your opening remarks.

Thank you, Sir. Good morning.

During the course of this trial, we will

present clear and convincing evidence

that Ensign Susan Kingsley killed Misty

James. That her husband was having an

affair with Miss James, and that Ensign

Kingsley knew about it. That she arranged

for her husband to take her to Miss James

so she could confront her. That she

brought the murder weapon with her to the

scene of that confrontation. That in full

view of her husband, she struck Miss

James repeatedly with that weapon.

Those are the facts in this case. They

are simple and clear. And they indicate,

beyond any reasonable doubt, the accused

is guilty as charged of premeditated

murder. Thank you.

Ms. Ressler.

Surprises. That's what this case is

really about. Colonel McKenzie wants to

talk about facts, but there are a few

surprising facts she did not mention.

The fact that her star witness is

a man who cheated on his wife in the

first year of their marriage. The

fact that Ensign Kingsley expected

to see her husband break off an

adulterous relationship with a teenage

girl, only to find herself under

physical attack. The fact.

That Ensign Kingsley fought to

save her life, only to find herself

charged with murder.

Ensign Kingsley has been a victim

once. Don't let it happen

again. Thank you.

Joining us now are two people who know

the combustible combination of law and

media better than anyone, Gloria Allred

and Johnnie Cochran. Well, what do you

think?Did Miss Ressler outflank the

Colonel?Mel, maybe I'm partial to the

defense, but I like Miss Ressler's take

no prisoner style. It's a close one, Mel.

Two powerful women slugging it out. Miss

Ressler's ahead on points. She's fiery

and passionate. You always like Flash,

Johnny. All Colonel McKenzie needs is

time to build her case. What she needs,

Gloria, is an appointment with a Beverly

Hills hairstylist. That's incredibly

sexist, Johnny. But I guess she can't do

anything about her outfit. Unlike some

lawyers, Colonel McKenzie believes in

sticking to the facts. The facts?The

husband was breaking off his affair. Why

would his wife kill the other woman?If

the motive's ruled out, there's

reasonable doubt. Yeah. Sir, Danny

Walden's on line too.

Tell him not today, Tyner. Tell him day

after tomorrow, 12 noon sharp.

Petty Officer Palermo was a good kid,

Sir. Excuse us, gents. He was a third

class ordnance man. He wasn't on duty the

day it happened. He just showed up during

flight OPS. You were there?Affirmative. I

don't like losing a man on my watch,

Commander. Tell me how it

happened. We were in the middle of a

recovery. The last F14 was

landing. It passed within 20 feet of

the island. That's when he ran out of the

hatch. He deliberately jumped in front of

the aircraft. He got hit head on by the

starboard main mount. Petty Officer

Palermo got dragged 100 feet down the

deck.

Did he say anything before he ran out?

Yes, Sir. As he came out of the hatch, he

yelled. Let's rumble. Let's rumble.

What do you mean by that?I have no idea,

Sir. Had he seemed

distracted or depressed of late?No, Sir.

He had a very positive attitude.

I still don't get it, Sir. And Matt and I

were pretty close. His grandmother said

he was excited about starting SEAL

training in his girlfriend. Yeah, well,

he had a little problem there. Wait, hey,

girlfriend trouble?You know how it goes

with women, Sir. Asanta, his girlfriend,

she kind of dumped him 2-3 days before

the accident. How was he dealing with it?

I told him she'd come back. You know,

Sir, they do sometimes.

And we hung out a lot together. We like

to shoe pull at the lounge, watch videos.

I thought he was feeling better, sir.

That one's mine. Do you know Captain

Atomic, sir?No. It's

an awesome book, sir. He has uranium

isotopes implanted into his brain that

give him superpowers. But in real life,

he's just a garage mechanic.

Matt and I trade his stuff back and forth

all the time, sir. Doctor Winston,

you're a chief medical examiner at

Norfolk Hospital. That's correct. Can you

tell us, please, ma'am, how Misty James

died?Misty James received 3 blows to the

head from a heavy linear object. She died

from blunt force trauma.

Lieutenant. Lieutenant, do you have

another question?Yes, Sir.

Oh, yes, Sir.

Dr. Winston, could you light in...

Enlighten...

Lighten us as to whether

this pipe found at the crime scene

inflicted the deadly blows?

Yes, Lieutenant, in my opinion, it did.

It has the necessary mass, and it has the

residue of blood, hair, and brain tissue

that match the decedents. Doctor Winston,

can you explain to us the significance

of small pebbles found embedded in the

victim's scalp?The assailant knocked the

victim to the ground, perhaps even with

the first blow. The Pebbles indicate the

victim's head was on the ground when at

least one of the other blows landed. And

what are defensive wounds, Doctor?They

are marks on the hands, wrists, and arms

that suggest a struggle to defend

oneself. Were any of these present on the

victim's body?No, which indicate the

victim was struck by surprise.

Thank you, Dr. Winston. No further

questions. Dr. Winston, on the

night Misty James died, were you at the

scene?No. So you don't

know what happened?Not from eyewitness

knowledge, no. If Misty James swung

the first blow and Ensign Kingsley

ducked, you would have no way of knowing

that, would you?If she dodged

every blow without injury, I would know

that that was remarkably good dodging.

Did you know that Ensign Kingsley

lettered in varsity track at Lake Forest

High School?I did not.

Could a fifth young woman

with an athletic background dodge one

or more swings of a pipe before grabbing

it away and swinging it back at her

attacker?

Yes, it is possible.

Jack Headquarters, Gunnery Sergeant

Galindez. Ohh Commander, looks like your

hunch paid off. What do you got, Connie?

The extended tox scan on Petty

Officer Palermo. His body had high levels

of lysergia. Citric acid diethylamide.

LSD. Yes, Sir. And based on the levels,

he probably didn't know where he was or

what he was doing. I'll fax you the

report. Oh, and his grandmother keeps

calling here, Sir. What should I tell her?

Not that. Gunnery Sergeant, when you

arrived at the scene, did the victim have

a pipe in her hand?Yes, ma'am. Where was

Ensign Kingsley?Standing over the body,

ma'am. So it is possible that Ensign

Kingsley was placing or had just placed

the pipe in the victim's hand. Objection,

Your Honor. Speculation. Sustained.

As the security chief for PMO, have you

been trained in homicide investigation?

Yes, ma'am. In your experience, have you

ever seen anyone club themselves to death?

No, ma'am. Then how do you account for

the fact that, given her injuries, the

victim had the pipe in her own hand?I

can't, ma'am. Unless someone had placed

it there. Objection. Speculation.

Sustained. No further questions.

Gunnery Sergeant Dandridge, was it dark

that night?Most nights are, ma'am. Yes,

they are. How was visibility that night?

Not good. It was foggy. Oh, if it

was difficult to see, then one has to

rely on other senses. Did you hear

anything?There was some shouts.

Grunts. Groans. Any shouts in particular?

I don't recall, ma'am. Gunnery

Sergeant, that night a woman was fighting

for her life. Take a

moment and think back. Did you hear

anything?

I recall hearing

Ensign Kingsley yelling. They're

trying to kill me. I interviewed him

three times, Colonel. He never said that

to me. Ensign Kingsley didn't say that at

the crime scene, but she said it on TV.

I didn't even expect Susan to get out of

the car, ma'am. But all of a sudden,

there she was. What were you doing when

she appeared, Lieutenant?Misty had put

her arms around me, ma'am. She thought I

was just there too. You know,

love her. What did your wife do next?

She said do it. Tell her.

But before I could say anything, she

swung something and hit Misty in the

head. After a second, I realized it was a

pipe. Did Anson Kingsley bring the pipe

with her?Objection. Calls for

speculation. Sustained. Did you have a

pipe in your car, Lieutenant?No,

ma'am. I cleaned it out that afternoon.

There was no pipe. Did you see Ensign

Kingsley pick a pipe up off the ground?

No, ma'am. Can you describe what happened

after Ensign Kingsley struck Misty James

the first time?I tried to stop her

and she swung at me. She hit me here.

Misty had fallen to the ground and.

Susan hit her a couple more times.

Lieutenant Kingsley, had your wife

expressed anger at Misty James for what

you had done?Objection hearsay. Accused

state of mind, Your Honor. Objection

overruled. Lieutenant, you may answer the

question. Susan said she thought that

what I did was Misty's fault, but Susan

got it mixed up in her mind. Had that

happened before, that your wife got

things mixed up in her mind?Something

would set her off. She would just lose

it. Move to strike. Irrelevant. Goes to a

pattern of impulsive, angry behavior,

Your Honor. Objection sustained.

I couldn't track down anything on Ensign

Kingsley's captain's mask. Thanks anyway.

But I did pick up some rumors that she

had some juvenile arrests. Where?When?

I don't know, ma'am. I need something

hard, Lieutenant. Do my best, ma'am.

Inside story of the trial TV

court-martial in Virginia.

Ratings have never been higher for trial

TV since they started coverage of a

military trial in Virginia. But it's not

case law male viewers are drooling over.

It's prosecutor Colonel Sarah McKenzie.

It seems this sexy, sassy lady lawyer is

1 giant Mack attack on the TV

competition. Her sizzle factor gives the

phrase body of evidence a whole new

meaning. According to what was Mackenzie

has a reputation as a straight shooter

and looks great in a bikini.

Oh, Colonel, come on in. Have a seat.

Admiral, this is getting out of control.

Never knew you led such an interesting

life. Her favorite hobby?Working

on dinosaur bones. She has a skeleton of

a nicarosaurus.

Icarosaurus?Icarosaurus in her apartment.

What the hell is an Icarosaurus?It's the

oldest airborne vertebrates are a lizard

with wings. Its wingspan exceeds its...

Never mind. Most fascinating fact can

feel-stripping M16 blindfolded in 16

seconds. Where are they getting all this?

I didn't even talk to them. That just

whets their appetite, Colonel. Anytime a

public figure says no comment, they

wonder what's she really like?What's she

hiding?You cooperate with them.

You can help your case. I'm trying a

murder case, Sir. So is Juanita Resler,

and she gave him a tour of her office. If

she wants to try her case in the press,

let her, Sir. Court martial members are

different than civilian jurors. They take

seriously their order to listen only to

what they hear in the courtroom. Well,

like the testimony of the gunnery

sergeant who said he heard Ensign

Kingsley yelling that they were trying to

kill her.

Well, I guess congratulations are in

order. Sir?On

your engagement.

All attempts to interview Colonel

McKenzie were rebuffed, as were attempts

to interview Australian attorney Mick

Brumby who said he would not violate his

fiancee's privacy. If you're

respecting my privacy, you don't tell a

magazine that we're engaged when we're

not. And at this rate, we're not damn

well likely to be. Call me

before I attack you with a lead pipe.

You know, officially, she's a colonel in

the Marines, but to me, she's a major

babe. I

think we now know why the Marines are

first on the beach. Zoinks, huh

Well, here I am, as promised, even if it

is before noon. I'm sorry, I left you a

message. I've got another full day. Oh,

really?I didn't get it. All right, I

guess I can call my mother and have her

come pick me

up. Have it back by 6, huhGot it.

So what's going on over here?Justice.

Yeah, I've heard of that. Was

there ever any evidence of drug use in

Petty Officer Palermo's physicals, Doc?

No, Sir. And I gave him a rigorous

physical prior to SEAL training. You

don't test for LSD, though. It's not part

of the standard physical. Is it possible

he was using and just never got caught?

Commander, I see drug uses all the time.

This kid didn't have any of the signs.

Except having LSD in the system and

running in front of an F14.

Dear Grandma, good news. Everything I

wanted to happen is coming true. I got

accepted to SEAL training. I go to

Coronado in November, but first I get 30

days leave and that's enough time to see

you. And now that I got a start in life,

I'm going to ask Jacinta if she wants to

get married. I can't wait for you to meet

her. All my love, Mateo.

Yeah. Excuse me, Admiral, but were you

expecting a Detective Grady, Loudoun

County Police?

No. Cinnamon.

Admiral Tegwidden. I hear you.

Admiral, do you own a blue SUV,

a license plate 291

IPL?Yes. Can you tell

me why it was abandoned, mired in a mud

pith on a dirt road in West County Park?

no. Can you explain why we found 8 ounces

of street-grade marijuana in your locked

vehicle?

Admiral, I parked your car at the

nursery. I went inside to pay for the

dogwoods. I came out and the car was

gone. It was stolen. And you just kept

this your secret. You didn't file a

police report. Well, I was embarrassed.

I only left the keys in the car. I was

trying to get up my nerve. Mr. Walden,

did you leave anything else in the car?

Maybe a jacket. Not a quantity of

marijuana?No. NoThat must have belonged

to whoever stole the car. Danny, Are you

sure you didn't put off calling me or the

police because you got too stoned?

No. Thank you, Mr. Walden.

We'll talk again. Admiral.

I can't believe this happened.

What are you going to tell my mother?

Nothing. Good. GoodBecause she'd

freak. You're going to tell her.

Lieutenant Kingsley, don't you find it

strange for a husband to meet with his

mistress in front of his wife?Yes.

Not his answer at last. Objection. She's

commenting on the testimony. Sorry, Your

Honor. Yep, you did it, Lieutenant. You

drove your wife to your private lover's

lane to meet your schoolgirl mistress.

Because that's what Susan wanted. Not

what you wanted. No, ma'am. Lieutenant

Kingsley, didn't you lure your wife to a

deserted Rd. in order to kill her?

Objection. Lieutenant Kingsley is not on

trial here. He should be. Your Honor.

It's legitimate cross-examination, Your

Honor. Yes, it is. Just watch the

grandstanding. Lieutenant Kingsley, is

your wife rich?Her family has

considerable means. She has a trust fund

and a generous allowance. Yes.

Lieutenant Kingsley, have you ever

withdrawn a sum of money from your wife's

account without asking for her permission?

Yes. Did you use that money to buy a gift

for your teenage mistress?Yes.

Lieutenant Kingsley, did you love Misty

James?

Yes.

No further questions.

Why did you go with him?Because I wanted

closure. What happened when you got there?

That woman, Miss James, was waiting.

Andy got out of the car and they

embraced. What did you do then?I made a

mistake. I got out of the car to see what

was going on. Susan,

what happened then?Miss James

attacked me with a pipe. I tried to get

it away from her. Did you succeed?Yes.

That's when the worst thing happened.

Andy grabbed me.

I remember yelling. They're trying to

kill me. And then I guess I hit him

by reflex. Things happened so fast.

I just know he stopped coming at me. And

then Miss James attacked me again.

I swung the pipe to keep her away from

me. Were you afraid for your life?

Yes, Vincent Kingsley. That

night, was it your intention to kill

Misty James?No, ma'am.

I regret very much what happened.

Ma'am, the polls are running four to one

against you. Were you able to find out

anything about those rumors about Ensign

Kingsley?Somebody thinks they heard about

her assaulting A classmate at Annapolis.

Somebody heard. Well, her juvenile arrest

would probably be found in Illinois.

That's where she went to high school.

Juvenile records are sealed. There could

be some way to use them. We have sealed

records, rumors, unconfirmed reports, the

name of a state. There's nothing that we

can get into testimony. Except the

forensic evidence. Ma'am, we could track

down this other stuff if we had enough

people looking.

You've turned us down so many times

before we'd given a Pope girl. Well, Mel,

I've just been a little busy. Tell me,

how does it feel to go up against one of

your old law professors in that courtroom?

Juanita's a great teacher, Mel. In fact,

I'm still learning and profiting from her

example. Is it true?She once said that

you would do better as a a lap dancer

than as a lawyer. You'd have to ask

Juanita Ressler. She's the one who told

me, Colonel.

Juanita is a tough opponent. When you go

up against her, she makes you better.

Well, that's a very generous thing for

you to say. But you do seem to have your

own style. You're straight ahead. You let

the facts speak for themselves. I believe

in facts. That's why I'm a little

frustrated by all the rumors flying

around this case. Yes, there are all

kinds of rumors about Lieutenant

Kingsley. No, I'm talking about the

defendant. I'm hearing stories about

juvenile arrests, assaults on fellow

naval officers, you name it. Really.

Yeah. Assaults on fellow naval officers.

They're just rumors, Mel. Until and

unless they are proven to be facts, I

don't deal in them. I can't deal in them.

Only people who have known Ensign

Kingsley through the years can tell if

they're true. They might be out there

somewhere.

Thanks for coming. Have a seat. Yes, Sir.

Just a few loose ends we need to tie up.

Like why Petty Officer Palermo would yell

let's rumble before he ran out of flight

office?Did he really, Sir?

That's what the guy said he did.

It's a familiar phrase, isn't it?It's

Captain Atomic's battle cry, Sir.

So why would your friend yell Captain

Atomic's battle cry in?

Jump in front of an F14. I don't know,

Sir. I guess he was upset

about his girlfriend. So he yells, let's

rumble.

It doesn't make sense, Sir. Your friend

was hallucinating. He was

high on LSD when he died. You didn't know

that?No, Sir.

You said that Petty Officer Palermo was

fine an hour before the incident that.

He was writing this letter to his

grandmother. Where would he get

LSD from?I don't

know, sir.

I had stamps different from the other

ones. Maybe

Petty Officer Palermo ran out of

stamps, and he

borrowed one from your stash.

Only these stamps here were not meant to

be licked for postage, were they?

They were dosed with LSD.

Oh, God.

It was a mistake, wasn't it?

Killed him, Sir. He

was my best friend.

Well, that's the hell of it. Henson

Kingsley, you've testified that you

struck Miss James several times. It was

self-defense, ma'am. Were you enraged

when you struck her?I wasn't anything,

ma'am. It all happened so fast. You

weren't enraged. Even though she'd been

sleeping with your husband. Even though

she embraced your husband right in front

of you. I wasn't enraged. I was sad.

That's why you got out of your car.

Because you were sad. I wasn't thinking

straight, ma'am. I was emotional. You

have trouble controlling your emotions,

don't you?Objection. Relevance overruled.

Do you have trouble controlling your

emotions, Ensign Kingsley?No, ma'am.

Didn't you lose control over your

emotions as soon as you heard of your

husband's affair?No, ma'am. Did you

resolve to seek vengeance for what had

happened?No, ma'am, I didn't. So you made

your husband take you to meet his

girlfriend. That was his idea, ma'am. And

you hid this pipe in your husband's car.

I didn't do that, ma'am. And you swung it

at the woman who had stolen your husband.

She attacked me. She did attack you by

stealing your husband, and you wanted to

teach her a lesson. So you hit her once,

and you hit her again. No. And you hit

her again after she was helpless on the

ground. No, I wouldn't. Time and again,

breaking her skull, beating her to death

with no remorse and no pity. No, that

isn't me. I wouldn't do that.

You wouldn't?Isn't it a fact, Ensign

Kingsley, that in 1996, you punched an

ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend in front of

a movie theater?Objection. Alleged prior

misconduct is not admissible. MRE Rule

404, Your Honor. The witnesses claim that

she wouldn't commit an assault is subject

to rebuttal. Indeed it is. She

opened the door, Miss Ressler. Overruled.

Anson Kingsley, I'm sorry to upset you,

but please answer the question. It was an

accident. I didn't mean to hit her. A

juvenile court judge assigned you to

anger counseling. My lawyer told me I had

to do that to avoid a conviction.

Yes. During the summer program before

your first year at the Naval Academy,

didn't you assault a woman named Karen

Starling?No charges were filed, ma'am.

That's not what I asked. Did you assault

Karen Starling for flirting with your

boyfriend?We had words. You hit her with

a 5 LB weight. I told her I was sorry.

An apology's not good enough for Misty

James, Ensign. She can't hear you.

She's dead.

This morning was jam-packed with

excitement and surprises. After a fiery

cross-examination, closing arguments

followed. I said this trial was about

surprises, and in an effort to defame the

defendant and obscure the issues,

Colonel McKenzie has engaged in a

mudslinging contest. But the

oath you swore demands that you

ignore the slander

and considerOnly the facts.

But Colonel McKenzie fought back in her

closing. In addition to the forensic

evidence, the prior acts of the defendant

are at the heart of this case. Ensign

Kingsley has a history of violent attacks

on those who, in her mind, have sinned

against her. In this instance, her

desire for revenge cost a young woman her

life.

I'm bad.

Less you for believing me. Well, you

didn't really give me much choice, ma'am.

It was a

lovely service, Commander.

Who shall I thank for Mateo's receiving

the military honors?

The men he served with, ma'am. Will the

defense please rise?

You may publish your findings. Ensign

Susan Kingsley, on the charge and

specification of violating Article

118 of the Uniform Code of Military

Justice, premeditated murder, this

court finds you guilty.

This court is dismissed.

Only the beginning. We have a half dozen

grounds for appeal.

Colonel McKenzie, this is a great victory

for you. How would you critique the

performance of the attorneys on both

sides?I would fault Miss Ressler for

trying to obscure the truth. I would

fault myself for using trickery to reveal

it. I would often respect Colonel. Isn't

that what lawyers do?

Unfortunately, Ms. Kennedy, it is.