Original subtitles

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate

equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district

attorneys who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

We find a defendant, Carter Mill, not guilty of murder in the second degree.

He killed my sister, Nolan.

Please tell me you had nothing to do with it.

Nolan.

What the hell is going on?

Carter Mills is dead.

Someone gunned him down about two hours ago.

Any suspect?

Not at the moment.

Have you connected with Sam about this?

Yes.

She's having a hard time. She didn't say too much.

What do you mean?

She didn't want to engage.

She's obviously very upset with the verdict and with me.

I get it.

It's a hell of a thing to watch the man who killed your sister and another young

woman walk out of court a free man.

Sure, yeah.

There's no reason to think Stan had anything to do with this.

Right?

I'm not sure.

Hey, how are you doing?

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

That's it. Come on. Forgot to. I just want to say I was worried.

Worried that I shot him.

It was an emotional case. Yes, it was.

But it all turned out for the best, I suppose.

We had our chance. It just didn't work out.

I did what was required by the law. That's one way to look at it. The other?

You did what you wanted to do. And you did what made you feel good and noble.

It's obviously important to you.

No. What is important is following the law.

In case you forgot, that's our job.

I know it's our job to hunt down killers, but I kind of feel like

one a parade.

At least send them some sort of fruit basket.

The street camera picked up Carter Mills being killed at 9 .38 p .m.

Check this out.

This dude was sweeping up right across from the crime scene at the time of the

murder.

Play that back real quick.

Sweeping up out front, minding his own business.

He sees or hears the gunshot and runs back inside.

Let's track this guy down.

I just spoke to Shaw.

Something opened up over at the 8 -8, and he's gonna take it.

I knew he wanted to get back to Brooklyn.

So good for him.

Gonna miss that guy, though.

Yeah, that's me.

Sweeping the sidewalk against the law or something?

No.

Murder is.

I got nothing to do with that. I was just sweeping the sidewalk.

But you saw the shooting.

Okay, fine. I heard the gunshots, looked over, and I saw some guy on the

ground bleeding.

What about the shooter? You see him, too?

No.

But it wasn't a him. It was a her.

How do you know?

She yelled something right before the gunshots.

You remember her exact words?

Yeah.

You deserve this.

I appreciate you keeping us in the loop.

But what's all this concern based on?

Just because the shooter appears to be female.

She also appears to be thin and medium height.

Oh, well, that narrows it down to, what, three million people?

Well, we all know how upset Sam was.

We all were upset?

That doesn't mean anything.

He killed her sister, Nolan.

And she owns a .38 caliber handgun.

Same weapon used to kill Carter Mills.

So if you know anything... When I

found out that Carter had been shot, my first instinct was to check in on Sam.

So I went to her apartment and... She was there?

Yes. What did she say?

She was angry. I mean, with me, mostly. We had a disagreement about the case.

And, um... Yeah, anyway, she was angry.

Have you checked the surveillance footage?

Was Pam even on and about at the time of the shooting? We have video of her

arriving at her apartment building 28 minutes after the 911 call.

So... I have to talk to her.

I understand.

Do you own a gun, a .38 revolver?

I do.

About one, three years ago, someone was stalking me. I didn't feel safe.

Are you still in possession? Let's cut to the chase, okay?

We have reason to believe a woman of your height and body type shot and

Carter Mills. You're saying I'm a suspect?

So I'm asking your permission to check your gun.

To prove that it wasn't involved in the shooting so that we can clear you.

You don't want to test my gun.

Get a warrant.

Oh.

You're really doing this, huh? I asked for permission, but... Just want to

in the back.

Take the bedroom.

Hey, check it out.

Dark hoodie.

Okay, bag it. Get it over to the lab.

I need you to open this safe.

It's all spilled out in the warrants, Sam. You know how this works.

No gun.

Come on, Sam.

Where is the gun? No more questions.

When you're done searching my apartment, please leave.

Brady said your gun was missing.

Is there a reason for that?

Nolan, I'm not doing it.

Why not?

I'm not going to do or say anything that may incriminate me.

If you are involved.

No.

Nolan, I swear I didn't shoot him. So why not just hand over the damn gun?

Because I don't have it. What do you mean you don't have it? I saw it in the

river. I don't have it.

I was just so angry. I didn't know how to process what had happened.

The only thing that made sense to me in that moment was to confront the bastard.

I wanted to see him. I wanted to scare him.

So I grabbed my gun and I started walking towards his apartment, which is

insane. It's crazy.

I know that.

But after a few blocks, I realized it was a bad idea, a terrible idea.

So I went on a walk instead.

I ended up on the promenade.

Who? My damn gun and the East River.

Why?

Because I was afraid of what I might do with it.

So, our 38 is at the bottom of the East River, and you think this somehow

suggests that she's innocent?

I do.

As a person, I hope you're right. As a cop, I'm not buying it.

I mean, from that one conversation with you, she admitted to practically

everything but the actual shooting. I understand.

I mean, she admitted to leaving her apartment with the intent of confronting

victim. She admitted to carrying a .38 caliber and throwing that weapon into

river. I know I look suspicious.

I do. But I've known Sam for six years, and she has never lied to me. Not once.

That's very sweet, but it doesn't mean anything.

Hey, I just got off the phone with a potential witness. Ron, would you mind?

Damn, it's like that, huh?

What's up?

The guy I just spoke with says that he literally bumped into a young woman

wearing a dark hoodie just after the shooting about a block from the scene.

Did he get a look at her?

Said she was about 30 to 35, brunette, and pretty.

Okay, bring him in and see if he can pick Maroon out of a photo lineup.

You really think it's possible that Sam shot this guy? He raped and killed her

sister. Yeah, I know, but... If someone did that to my sister, and then walked

out of court a free man, I don't know.

It's hard to tell, but...

Uh, I'm not sure I see the woman from the other night.

Well, you said she was about 30, 35 and pretty, right?

Yeah.

None of those faces ring a bell?

I mean, they're all attractive, but I don't recognize any of them.

Well, do you remember anything else about her besides being young and

I mean, she was tall.

For a woman, anyway.

Is that a guess?

No, she bumped into me.

It was a minute or so after I heard the gunshots.

What do you mean?

She ran into me.

Almost knocked me over.

And we were standing face to face.

I was looking right at her, you know?

And we were pretty much the same height.

I don't see her in these photos.

And how tall are you?

5 '9". Okay.

Thank you for your time.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

No, it's great. Thank you.

Maroon is 5 '3".

This woman is 5 '9". Maroon is not our gal.

Which is good news.

I like Sam.

So do I.

I was just talking to Brady.

They have found new evidence that seems to exclude you as a suspect. For now,

they are.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the lab about the hoodie they found in your

apartment. Oh.

Well, they're wasting their time.

I know.

Look, Nolan, if I actually had the ability to take someone's life, I'd be

handcuffs right now.

I really, really wanted to kill that son of a bitch.

But I couldn't.

that we spend so much time together.

Well, there's definitely no shortage of people who hated this guy, that's for

sure. And a few who seem to be in love with him.

Carter, you're far too handsome to be evil. If I'm being honest, you're so

I don't even care if you did it.

Possibly love. Such a disgusting man.

Good looks and a toothy smile get you far.

Spoke to a doorman at Carter's building who claims to have known him pretty

well. Also said what a great guy he was. Said the only woman he saw him with in

the last few months was his girlfriend.

What do we know about her?

Not much, except that she's a lawyer and that she slept with him throughout the

trial. Even gave a few emotional interviews about what a wonderful man he

So she's an idiot?

You said it.

Well, talk to her anyway. Maybe she can tell us something.

There was definitely a lot of online hate, but we weren't really out in

too often. We'd go to court, back to his apartment, order in.

We just wanted to get through this horrible ordeal, and

we did.

But everyone forgets that he was acquitted.

Just to be clear, you aren't aware of any recent arguments or confrontations?

No.

Only person he argued with lately was his sister.

You know what they fought about?

Carter wanted her to come to court.

Show some support.

But she wasn't into it.

Said she didn't believe he was innocent.

That she hoped the jury was going to convict him.

It was awful.

And hypocritical.

Why's that?

Carter was really good to her.

Paid her rent, invested in her art gallery, and she's the sole beneficiary

his will.

I wanted to support him, but in my bones, I knew he was guilty, and I...

I didn't want to help him get away with it.

So after he was acquitted, how did that make you feel?

I was upset, but not surprised.

What do you mean by that?

Carter always gets away with everything.

Since he was five years old, no one ever held him accountable. Truly

accountable.

Is that what you did?

Hold him accountable for what he did to that model?

No. I didn't kill him.

I was in Brooklyn with my girlfriend that night.

They were back at dinner.

You know anyone else who felt the same as you?

Might have wanted to see Carter punished?

No. No one specific anyway, but I'm sure the list is long.

The pattern was always the same. People would meet him, fall in love with him,

and then eventually end up hating him.

Except his girlfriend, right?

Or things stuck with him to the bitter end?

I'm not so sure about that.

Thanks for coming by.

Uh, we're just trying to understand why you failed to mention that you broke up

with Carter three days prior to the verdict.

Excuse me?

His sister told us.

Oh. You broke up with him three days before the trial. That's not true. So

she's making it up?

I don't know.

She and Carter don't really talk too much.

Well, that might be true, but he reached out to her after the breakup and he

told her he was very upset.

I find that hard to believe. Well, it happened.

What's your point? My point is, did you break up with Carter, yes or no?

What difference does it make? Well, it means next to nothing if you didn't lie

about it and then double down on it. I mean, why would you lie about something

so insignificant? I didn't lie.

I just... I didn't mention it.

So, you did break up with him?

Yes. How come?

I was... Tired of all the negative attention and publicity.

I just couldn't handle it anymore.

But you believed in his innocence.

I did.

Until the bitter end?

Yes. And how did you feel when you found out he was acquitted?

I was happy and relieved.

Everyone thought I was crazy, that I was blind. So when the jury voted to

acquit, I felt vindicated.

Okay.

This is a recent ATM withdrawal from a bank in Pennsylvania three hours after

the verdict for $600.

So? It turns out that bank was located in the same mall as a store called Ike's

Gun Shop.

And it turns out Ike's Gun Shop?

Has a lot of cameras

That's

you buying a 38 revolver the day your ex -boyfriend was acquitted of

murder I

want a lawyer

I hope you get a good one.

I really do.

Police just arrested Carter's ex -girlfriend.

Julia Keaton? What?

She was his biggest supporter.

I know.

Do we know what happened? What provoked the shooting? No, not yet.

How are you feeling?

About what?

The case.

Do you want to be involved?

Yes.

Are you sure?

I'm positive.

All right, as long as you can separate your personal feelings from the case.

I think I can.

Sam, you need to be honest.

With me, with yourself. Are you capable of thinking like a prosecutor on this

case?

Because you said it already. Part of you wishes that you had the guts to kill

this bastard yourself.

I'm good, Nolan. I can do it.

I need to do it.

I hope the evidence is pretty damn compelling.

Because there's not a person in this city shedding a tear over this guy's

Nor should they. But here we are.

We don't get to pick our victims.

Or our defendants.

We're just here to present the evidence.

So, what do we know?

We know she bought a gun, a .38 revolver in Pennsylvania, six hours before the

murder. That's a good start.

Police will cover it?

No, but there's more. We also have two pieces of video footage.

The first is the actual murder. The only helpful thing here is that you can see

the shooter's wearing a dark hoodie.

The second video shows Julia entering her apartment 12 minutes after the 911

call, wearing the same hoodie as the shooter. And it's definitely her. OK,

So what about motive?

Unclear. I mean, we know Julia and Carter were dating, that Julia supported

And that she broke up with him three days prior to the conclusion of the

OK. But you're comfortable moving forward with what we have?

Yeah, I am.

Charge murder, too.

Three days after the defendant broke up with Carter Mills and six hours after

she purchased the .38 revolver from Ike's gun shop, she shot and killed him.

Why she committed this crime is unclear.

But as you will see, the evidence will show that she did. We will present video

of the shooting in which you will see a person with a thin build in a dark

-colored hoodie.

shooting Carter Mills.

We will also present a second piece of video from outside the defendant's

apartment building on the night of the murder. It will show the defendant,

as day, wearing the same hoodie as the person who shot Carter Mills. And

finally, we will present two witnesses.

One who heard her yell, you deserve this, prior to opening fire. And

another who will testify that he not only saw the defendant, near the crime

scene moments after the murder, but that she literally ran into him in her haste

to escape.

Like I said, we may not know what provoked the defendant to kill Carter

but we know that she did.

We agree with everything Mr. Price just said, including the fact that Julia

Keaton shot and killed Carter Mills.

But there's a reason, a good reason.

Carter Mills was going to kill her that night, in that moment.

So Julia did what she had to do and killed him first.

Julia Keaton acted in self -defense. She shot Carter Mills because it was

necessary to prevent her own death.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is not against the law.

Credible or not, arguing self -defense is the right move. The video evidence is

too strong.

The question is, can they prove it?

Not sure.

What about the video of the shooting?

Did that sync up with a self -defense claim? Does Carter appear to threaten

in any way?

It's hard to say.

He takes a few steps towards her, and then she shoots him, but there is no

physical contact.

She is at least 15 feet away from him when she starts shooting, but it doesn't

matter.

What do you mean?

She's lying.

She didn't just happen to cross paths with Carter that night. She was waiting

for him, and she was carrying a gun, a gun that she bought six hours prior to

the shooting. No, this was an execution.

Can you prove it?

Yeah, I think so.

The evidence is mostly circumstantial, but when you add it all up, I think it's

clear this was not a random encounter.

Julia set out to kill Carter Mills that evening, and she succeeded.

The defense will obviously portray Carter as a violent predator, someone

been charged with rape and murder, someone capable of killing an ex

in the blink of an eye.

If they're successful, they'll win, regardless of the facts.

Problem is, it's not easy to hide the truth about who Carter was.

Him being on trial for murder, that's public information.

Doesn't mean it's admissible.

File a motion trying to limit the scope and detail surrounding the prior murder

trial.

Already did.

You want to preclude the defense from discussing the defendant's prior murder

trial? Evidence of a murder victim's prior bad act.

is not admissible as proof of the victim's propensity to act in a certain

manner, such as being the initial aggressor in a confrontation.

But there are exceptions in self -defense cases if the defendant was

the prior bad acts. And in this case, the defendant clearly was. She sat

Carter Mills' murder trial. She heard all of the horrific allegations.

She was even aware he was the prime suspect in a second murder case. That

true, but, Your Honor, the mere mention of this prior trial is on its face

prejudicial. Carter Mills' reputation and prior acts are essential to

establishing my client's state of mind on the night of the shooting. She had

heard all of the disturbing evidence that Mr. Price himself presented.

She didn't suddenly unhear it just because Carter was acquitted.

I agree with Ms. Paymore.

The defense can discuss the prior trial, the allegation, his general reputation

for violence.

General reputation for violence?

With all due respect, that is...

Ridiculous. One, it's not.

Two, never preface a statement with all due respect, then say something

disrespectful. You tried and lost that murder case, Mr. Price.

And the mere fact you brought that case meant you believed Carter Mills was

guilty of murder.

And now what?

You want to pretend he wasn't?

That the prior trial didn't happen?

No. The defense has a right to let the jury know who Carter Mills really was.

I don't really know why, but I believed him. The idea of Carter raping

someone or killing someone didn't seem possible.

I'd never seen Carter act violently.

So I stayed with him.

Did you and Carter remain romantically involved for the duration of the trial?

No. I broke it off toward the end.

Can you explain why?

I knew that even if he were acquitted,

the stigma would remain.

Plus, I thought that the jury was going to convict him.

That he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

And I couldn't handle that either.

So, I broke it off.

What happened when you told Carter you wanted to move on?

He got angry.

Started calling me all...

Kinds of horrible names.

Can you please be more specific?

He called me a liar, a bitch,

a whore.

Then what?

Then he pushed me.

Against the wall.

And he started choking me.

And then he threw me onto the floor and...

He raped me.

Objection. This is an unfair surprise.

Statement against self -interest.

Overruled. Your Honor. Sit down, Mr. Price.

Please continue.

He threatened to kill me if I told the police.

How'd that make you feel?

Awful.

I'm terrified.

I was a threat to his freedom.

Can you tell the jury what happened on the night of the shooting?

I took a walk to clear my head, trying to figure out what to do,

whether to call the police or move to a different city.

Then I saw him, and I...

I froze.

And we just sort of looked at each other.

Then he said, I told you they wouldn't convict me.

And he started laughing.

And he walked toward me and said, you're done.

And how did you interpret?

That statement?

I interpret it to mean that he was going to kill me.

In that moment, were you in fear for your life?

Yes. I was convinced he was going to kill me.

So... I shot him.

He was evil.

I don't know why it took me so long to realize it, but he was going to kill me.

I... Where?

I know it.

I think that's enough for today.

We're adjourned until tomorrow, 9 a .m.

Miss Keaton, your excuse.

Paymore just sent over an amended witness list.

One of Julia's friends is going to testify that Julia called her the night

the alleged rape and told her what happened.

We should try to exclude her. Not admissible is a prompt outcry.

It goes to her subjective state of mind and whether or not she was in reasonable

fear for her life.

So they're trying to shift the focus.

They want to barrage the jury with all the horrific details of Julia's sexual

assault allegation.

But they don't need to hear even more evidence about what a monster he was,

especially because it has no bearing on what happened immediately prior to the

shooting. Did Carter threaten to kill her in that moment? If so, was his

credible? Did it justify lethal force?

What are we really trying to accomplish here?

We're trying to get justice.

For the victim.

Who happens to be a really, really horrible man.

We're past all that.

Oh, trust me, Nolan.

I'm really trying my best to think like a prosecutor, to ignore my personal

feelings, I swear.

But this isn't a murder case.

She left her apartment with a gun in her purse.

A gun she had just bought with the intent of killing Carter Mills. That's

practically the definition of murder. Yeah, but why? Why did she do it?

Because he had just raped her and threatened to kill her if she told

And the guy gets acquitted and is a free man. Free to rape, free to kill. So she

assassinated him.

She yelled, you deserve this, just before she opened fire. She was acting

the influence of extreme emotional disturbance.

That's manslaughter, Nolan, all day long. Pam, we talked about this.

About staying focused on the law. I am making a legal argument.

You want the emotional one?

Julia should have never been in that position to begin with.

If we had won the damn case, if we actually convicted Carter Mills, this

have never happened.

We let a monster walk free.

And you let a monster walk free.

If you ask me, we practically forced Julia to shoot the bastard.

That is not fair. You and I both... What's not fair is watching the man who

killed your little sister and another young innocent woman walk free.

Because the guy trying the case didn't have the guts to do what was necessary

get a conviction.

That's what's not fair.

You want to offer a man one?

If we take Julia at her word on the rape allegation, I think it is reasonable to

conclude that she was acting under the influence of extreme emotional

disturbance.

Not to mention, there's a really good chance the jury's going to buy her self

-defense story and that she walks.

Are you doing this because you think it's the right legal move?

Or to placate Sam to make amends for the Carter Mills trial?

It's the right move, Nick.

You didn't answer my question.

It is the right legal move.

If you say so.

We appreciate the offer.

But let's be honest, there isn't a juror alive that wants to punish Julia for

what she did. We're not here to debate whether Carter Mills was a good man. We

know he wasn't.

But murder is still murder.

Having said that, in light of the highly emotional circumstances surrounding

this event, we are willing to accept a guilty plea to man one.

We'll discuss and get back to you. You have 24 hours. Okay.

I need to take this real quick. Be right back.

I want to say I feel terrible about everything.

He should have never walked out of that damn courtroom.

I know what Carter did to your sister.

I can't believe how stupid I was.

I feel like such a fool.

He thought he could do whatever he wanted.

He thought that he was above the law. That's why I did what I did. That's why

waited outside his damn condo.

I didn't mean to say that.

Stop talking.

Hey. I've got a text from Paymore.

Julia wants to accept a play.

But there's something you should know.

After the meeting this afternoon, Julia and I talked for a minute.

I told her I felt awful about what had happened to her.

She got very emotional.

She said, uh...

She said that she felt like a fool for believing in his innocence.

And then she said something she didn't mean to say.

And she was just so emotional that... Well, she accidentally confessed

to waiting outside Carter's building prior to killing him.

Which means she lied on the stand.

Yeah.

And she and Carter didn't just happen to cross paths, did they? No. No, you were

right.

This was premeditated. This was an assassination.

On paper, anyway.

On paper?

Based on the letter of the law.

All right. So, how do you want to proceed?

Are you asking what I would do, or what I think you want to do? No, I'm asking

for your opinion.

Okay. Well,

we have two choices.

I mean, I can testify as a rebuttal witness and tell the jury what Julia

out, or we can both pretend that I didn't hear what Julia said,

except the damn plea move on.

I didn't ask for choices, Sam. I asked for an opinion, for your opinion.

Yeah.

Well, my opinion is we accept the damn plea.

Just because we can win the case based on the letter is a lot.

I mean, we need to.

You're Sam?

Yeah Thanks

for being so honest