Original subtitles

[indistinct chatter]

[woman] Shut up.

Go to hell!

Put it down!

[gunshot]

[door slams]

[man grunting]

[gunshot]

She's dead, son.

Mom! Oh, no!

[theme music playing]

[thunder rumbling]

Have a seat.

Gunnery Sergeant Akers.

-Yes, sir. -I'm Commander Rabb.

I've been detailed as your defense counsel.

Yes, sir.

You admitted to...

killing your wife.

In self-defense, yes.

What's your story?

She was drunk, sir. She tried to slash me with a chef's knife.

I shot her once in the shoulder to try and stop her,

but she came at me again.

[gasping]

Caught me trying to protect myself.

The second time, I shot to kill.

Bullet through the neck. Severed her carotid artery.

Yes, sir.

You were armed at the time.

Pulled a weapon out of the drawer, sir.

Had you registered the weapon with the Provost Marshal's office?

No, sir.

You didn't try to disarm

your wife first?

No, sir.

Why not?

Well, Marie and I have been down this road before, sir.

In '99, she broke my hand with a...

with a garden trowel.

Last year, she threw boiling water at me

scalding my chest.

This... this was my last stand, sir.

Did you report these incidents?

No, sir.

Clearly a mistake, but I was taught

that you keep family business to yourself.

[thunder rumbling]

You have a ten-year-old son.

Yes, Tommy.

Did your wife ever attack him?

Yes, sir.

Did you report that?

My second mistake, Commander.

Where was he at the time of your wife's death?

In his room, sir.

Did he witness any of it?

No, just the, the aftermath.

Can he corroborate any of the other incidents?

No, sir, he wasn't there for either of them.

You're not giving me much to work with, Gunny.

Yes, sir, I know

and for that, I-I am deeply sorry.

No one should have to clean this mess up except for me.

Lieutenant Singer, your itinerary, ma'am.

Thank you, Tiner.

-Something else? -Wanted to congratulate you, ma'am.

You'll do well on the Seahawk.

Yes, I will.

Anything further I can do to expedite your departure, ma'am?

Are you being friendly or eager?

Just trying to help, ma'am.

Not at the moment, Tiner.

Well, if you think of anything, ma'am,

I'm available.

Lieutenant Singer.

You're going somewhere?

Yeah, the lieutenant has been transferred

to a carrier in the Arabian Sea.

I'm sorry to hear that.

No, it's a good thing.

For Lieutenant Singer.

It's a billet for hot runners.

Well, uh, I wish you the best.

Thank you, Sergei.

I honestly believe you do.

Why don't you like her?

Oh, I don't dislike her.

She's actually very Russian in spirit.

Her determination is hiding her feelings

which are deeper and more complicated than you think.

Well, so long as she keeps them in a place you can't get to, little brother.

Harm, you make me sound like a baby

who needs to be watched.

I am experienced enough

to choose what is best for me.

Yeah, you are, you are.

So long as you don't choose her.

-You insult me, Harm. -Sergei...

Go to your meeting.

Hey, hey, hey, little brother.

Take it easy.

I wouldn't trust her

with anybody.

I'll see you Friday.

You're not mad at me, are you?

I can get over it.

It's nice of you to join us, Commander.

[Rabb] Sorry I'm late, sir.

[Chegwidden] Have a seat.

Uh, the Colonel's reviewed the Article 32 report

on Marie Akers' homicide.

She'll be representing the government

at the gunnery sergeant's court-martial.

Anything you care to discuss?

Gunny will be pleading not guilty, sir.

Self-defense.

She's 5'2", Harm.

The gunny's 6'1", 185.

Half of all spousal abuse victims are male.

-Oh, and how many of them are Marines? -[Rabb] Irrelevant.

I'm pushing for premeditation, Harm.

What?

Outside this office, please.

Sorry, sir.

Sir. You're reaching.

-It's a potential capital case, Harm. -You wish.

NCIS determined the blood spatter from the gunny's wounds

were inconsistent with self-defense.

I read the report, Mac. The blood on the floor

is a mixture of both the gunny and his wife's.

How anyone could draw a definitive conclusion

from that one way or the other I'll never know.

Harm, I have reason to believe

the gunny is capable of planning and executing a murder.

Your evidence?

-To be revealed. -Mac...

I'll accept life without parole.

[chuckle] I'm not dealing

until I know what I have.

What you have is a dead man's hand.

Someone spike your cereal this morning, Colonel?

No, I'm just feeling good in general.

What's your secret?

-I had a vision last night. -Uh-oh.

Mm-hmm. I walked in the office and looked around

and there was Lieutenant Singer.

Do I really want to know this?

She was on that middle monitor

standing on the deck of the Seahawk.

[sighing]

Loren. Uh... come in.

Everything okay?

Yeah.

Good.

Thanks for coming.

You're welcome.

I assume it's to pick my brain

about the Seahawk?

I need specifics, Bud.

Well, uh, Petty Officer Coates is an excellent legalman.

She'll serve you well if you treat her well.

Are you suggesting I won't?

Well, last Christmas you accused her of stealing your jewelry.

I'll leave my jewelry at home. Anything else?

Yeah, don't take any hikes in a minefield.

So, what's new at JAG?

The President accepted SECNAV's resignation.

Oh, then maybe you should reconsider this billet

and throw your hat into that ring.

In due time, Bud.

Rehab going well?

Yeah. Uh...

I'm making a little progress each and every day.

Yeah, too little.

The lieutenant's not quite with the program yet.

Lieutenant Loren Singer this is my new roommate,

Marine Corporal Shawn Stiles.

Lieutenant.

Your roommate's enlisted?

Yeah, we've gotten crowded around here.

Back from the war, Corporal?

Oh, a few months ago.

I reinjured myself. Got a little ambitious.

Ma'am.

Ma'am.

Lieutenant Roberts is assisting me

with my lapse in protocol.

I'm helping him to get his ass back home.

That's pretty sloppy, sir.

You want to keep that baby smooth and tapered

otherwise, it will get all tore up in the prosthesis.

I'm trying, Corporal.

Why don't you call the nurse, dog?

Give yourself a break.

Did you just call him "dog"?

Oh, forgive me, ma'am.

Tell you what, if I mess up again you have my permission

to subject me to harsh and relentless discipline.

[Mikey] Bud needs you, Dad.

I've talked to him, he sounds fine.

Talking to him on the phone

isn't the same as seeing him.

I don't want to see him like that.

So, what, you're just going to avoid Bud

for the rest of your life?

No. I'll see him

when he gets his...

Prosthesis?

Oh, God.

Makes me sick just to think about it.

Come on, Dad, you were in Vietnam.

You must have seen plenty of amputees.

I was not in Vietnam.

I was off the coast on a ship.

And the only time I ever saw pants without legs in them

was when they were folded up on a supply shelf.

He needs you.

Mikey, I went to that hospital.

I got as far as the elevator doors.

And what stopped you?

I don't know.

I don't know, I-I don't know.

I don't want to talk about it.

You must be Tommy.

I'm Commander Rabb. I'm your dad's lawyer.

Nice to meet you.

Family Services told me you were staying here with your aunt.

Tommy, we're going to need to talk

about some difficult things, son.

Okay, I need you to tell me what you remember

about the night your mom died.

I-I can't talk about that.

You're going to need to try, Tommy,

okay?

[stifled sob] I can't.

My father told me not to talk to you.

[stifled sobbing]

[door shuts]

You told your son not to talk to me.

He can't help us, sir. He didn't see anything.

Let me be the judge of what he can do.

I don't want him testifying.

Gunny, you have no other witnesses.

Tommy's already traumatized, Commander.

Putting him on the stand will only make it worse.

-If he saw his mother attack you... -He didn't.

Well, if she abused him, we can...

Commander, I killed his mother.

The least I can do is protect him from reliving it.

Tommy wants to testify.

Well, wouldn't you if you know it could save your father, sir?

If Tommy doesn't take the stand...

there's a good chance he's going to grow up without you.

Is that what you want?

No, sir. Of course not.

That's why I need you to help me find a way out of this so...

so I don't have to use my son.

Are you all right?

So far.

There it is.

Look at it. That's your future.

No wheelchairs, no crutches.

What's next?

You put some weight on it and see how it feels

so I can tell where the fit should be adjusted.

Can we get him up on the bars?

[sighs]

Thanks. [soft groan]

Okay. Ready?

-I think so. -One small step for man.

A giant leap for one-legged attorneys.

Is it going to hurt?

Time to find out.

Just ease down slowly and if it hurts, push back up.

Nothing to prove.

Okay.

Here goes.

Ow! Damn!

A little less weight this time. It's a process.

[breathing heavily]

Okay.

Oh.

Ow! [groaning]

Oh.

[groaning]

If you drop premeditation, we'll take ten years confinement.

Forty.

Mac, I'm trying to give the boy his father back.

Give his mother back and I'll drop everything.

Life sentence translates to 20 years

without even a remote possibility of parole.

I can take that.

Under that scenario,

the boy's 30 when his dad gets out of prison.

I feel for the kid, Harm,

but his future is not my responsibility.

That's your M.O. Always working out the fatherless boy thing.

Well, I could say the same thing to you about female victims.

I deserved that.

Here.

[sighs]

So, we're going to trial?

I'm sorry.

[keys jangling]

[door opening]

At ease.

I need two things from you, Gunny.

I need the names of anyone who may have witnessed

your wife being verbally abusive while intoxicated.

Oh, I can do that, Commander. Marie was a public drunk.

Excellent. I want to try to build a pattern of behavior.

See if we can establish in her character the potential for violence.

Sounds like a plan, sir.

Next, I want to talk to friends or relatives.

Anyone who can speak to your patience and self-control.

-Especially in the presence of your wife. -Yes, sir.

We need to show that this event was an aberration.

That you were a man at the end of a long painful journey.

The Members have got to see

that given the years of spousal abuse

you had no other recourse but to act the way you did.

You want them now, sir?

-What? -The characters witnesses.

I can give you five off the top of my head.

[Rabb] Uh, bourbon straight up and a shot of your finest vodka

for this young man here.

You think I don't know what's good for you.

[Zhukov] What, expensive drinks?

Come on, I'm kidding.

Loosen the bolts a little bit, brother.

You've been this way for months.

Do you know why?

Yeah, I know why. It's the immigration thing.

-Thank you. -Mm-hmm.

[Zhukov] That's part of it.

It's a big part of it. And I know how important it is to you.

Look, the DNA tests were inconclusive.

We'll just have to find another way to establish your citizenship.

How?

Go through the process

like every other immigrant.

That would take time.

I know, you're in a hurry.

Not anymore.

I want to go back to Russia, Harm.

After what you went through over there?

That was in Chechnya.

Come on. You don't want to go back there.

It's a disaster over there.

I already looked into it.

I can fly helicopters

for a Moscow shuttle service.

I thought you liked it here.

When I'm not lonely.

Which is a lot of the time.

I'm sorry. I'll pop by more often.

I don't think it would make a difference, Harm.

Even when you do pay attention

you try to protect me too much.

That's my job. I'm the oldest.

That's what I'm supposed to do.

It's not working for me, brother.

I'm going back.

We may not be able to be friends

but we stay brothers forever, yes?

Look, I don't want to change our friendship.

I don't think you know what you want.

Come on, join me.

Nu budem!

[Corporal Stiles] Come on, Lieutenant. Give me two more.

[groaning] No, Corporal. That's it. [groaning]

Lieutenant Carpenter's looking for three times around the floor daily.

Yeah, well, today she gets one.

Come on, man. I do five.

Pardon me for not feeling humbled.

[groaning] Oh. [panting]

Losing that spleen is going to slow you down, sir.

But that doesn't mean that you should use it as an excuse.

Look, no lectures, Stiles. Come on.

I'll tell you what, sir.

You give me two more,

and I'll tell you about my night with Halle Berry.

You had a night with Halle Berry?

No, but when it happens, I'll tell you all about it.

Where do you get off being so upbeat, huh? [panting]

I was the only survivor of a helicopter crash. I owe myself.

And if you want to see me dragging my ass around here

just so that you can feel better about giving up on your rehab,

it ain't going to happen.

Sir.

Whatever, Lieutenant.

You lost a leg. Doesn't that get to you?

And I'll give up the other if it means you never ask me that question again.

So, you're just not dealing with it. Is that it?

I'm just not putting it in my brain, sir.

I don't know if that's even possible.

And that, sir, is why you can only go around once.

[Roberts] Hey, Stiles.

Does your father support you?

Yes, sir...

but he's 3,000 miles away.

Then, don't talk about my attitude

because our experiences are different.

[MacKenzie] Major Satalino, you were Gunnery Sergeant Akers' Company Commander?

[Satalino] It was in the fall of '97.

Do you remember an incident involving the Gunnery Sergeant?

[Satalino] Gunnery Sergeant Akers

had just made Sergeant.

He was assigned to my company.

Did he fit in well?

He was on the serious side, ma'am.

He caught the interest of Sergeant Gerard our company wiseacre.

He liked to mess with the men.

Mess with them how?

Practical jokes, pranks.

Did he play pranks on the Sergeant?

Put a garter snake in his gear bag.

Had everyone there when he opened it.

How did the Sergeant react?

Well, he said little at the time, ma'am.

But that Saturday night, he laid in wait

outside the NCO Club for the Sergeant. They scuffled.

Sergeant Akers broke Sergeant Gerard's collarbone.

I object, Your Honor. Gunnery Sergeant Akers is not on trial for this incident.

Goes to pattern, Your Honor.

Charges weren't even filed at the time, sir.

I think it's relevant, Commander. Overruled.

[MacKenzie] Major, did you have further occasion

to discipline Sergeant Akers in 1998?

I did, ma'am.

Would you please tell us for what?

The Sergeant was charged with assaulting his wife.

[Rabb] Why in the hell didn't I know you'd been charged

with hitting your wife?

It was handled in-house, sir.

It's not even in my service record book.

Well, it's a matter of public record now, Gunny.

-I'm sorry, sir. -I don't want your apologies!

I want your cooperation. Do you have any idea

what Colonel MacKenzie's trying to do in there?

She's trying to establish that you, not your wife,

is the one prone to violence.

Sir, it was a one-time thing.

Well, what about the fight with Sergeant Gerard?

I told you about that.

Yeah, but you didn't tell me

it happened three days after the initial incident.

It suggests premeditation.

It tells the members you're capable of holding a grudge

and plotting revenge.

So, what does this mean, sir?

It means the death penalty just came into play.

It's unlikely...

but there's not a lot of sympathy out there for wife-beaters.

I didn't beat Marie, sir.

I want you to level with me, Gunny.

Tell me everything.

You can start by telling me why there was no punishment.

Mitigating circumstances, Commander.

[Rabb] Elaborate, please, Major.

An onlooker testified

that Sergeant Aker's wife was drunk

and resisting his efforts to take her to the car.

Did the, then sergeant, strike her with a fist or an open hand?

[Satalino] Open hand, sir.

[Rabb] A slap?

-Correct, sir. -Major,

why was there no judicial action taken?

I don't condone a Marine slapping his wife, Commander,

but the couple had a six-year-old boy,

no prior record of domestic violence,

and given the circumstances, I felt that counseling

was the most appropriate response.

And did they engage in counseling?

[Satalino] For a time, sir.

Please tell us, Major, why did they stop?

That was Mrs. Aker's choice.

Apparently, she dropped out of AA.

She started drinking again.

Thank you, Major. Nothing further.

So raise your beverages in honor of Lieutenant Loren Singer

henceforth known as the Belle of the Arabian Sea.

-[all] Here, here. -It's been a great sendoff.

Thank you. You've all been...

Lieutenant.

-What's this, sir? -That is a going-away gift.

-Thank you, sir. -You're welcome.

I have two for you, actually.

You asked me before to conceal the fact

that you lied about being a Jew during the Mars case

and I've decided to do so.

You have nothing to worry about.

I appreciate it, sir.

You are now Jewish as far as I'm concerned

as long as you act accordingly.

What, you're going to hold me to it, sir?

Every chance I get.

Whatever turns you on, sir.

[Turner] Go ahead, open it.

It's called a mezuzah.

It goes on the outside of your quarters.

You're serious about this, Commander?

Wait until Hanukkah.

I think you will make a great carrier JAG, Loren.

Thank you.

Got to head out. Have to go see my husband.

Don't forget to stop and smell the jet fuel.

Your bags are all packed, Lieutenant?

I'm not leaving till Tuesday, ma'am.

Right.

-Lieutenant. -Yes?

I, uh, I have a meeting to attend.

I'm sorry I can't stay for the party.

[MacKenzie] Yeah, me, too.

I just wanted to say good luck

and knock 'em dead out there, Loren.

I know you will.

He means that figuratively.

I know what he means, ma'am.

Thank you for the sentiment.

Oy, you forget how busy this place can be.

There's no more cake?

Your stuff, Lieutenant.

Tiner, where's the Admiral?

On the phone in his office, ma'am.

Can I take this to your car?

I'm capable of taking it myself. Thank you.

Good luck, Lieutenant.

Sergei.

Leaving already, Lieutenant?

Party's over.

Then I'm glad I caught you.

I came to say goodbye.

That was nice. Thank you.

Where are you going?

Home.

Can I help you with that?

Would you, please?

-[bell dings] -[Rabb] Did you speak to Tommy, Commander?

As requested, I visited him at his aunt's house.

Was he cooperative?

No, he smelled shrink

the moment I introduced myself.

This is a smart ten-year-old.

Did he talk to you at all?

Enough for me to make an analysis, Commander.

The boy is in conflict.

He isn't saying, but I suspect

that it's related to the death of his mother.

Did he tell you his father refuses to allow him to testify?

Yes. And that goes back to my suspicions.

Tommy's behavior concerning his father

suggests a submissive relationship.

Well, he's dependent on his father.

Seemingly.

Are you sure that he is not just worried

about losing the only parent he has left?

He's afraid of something a lot more terrifying than that, sir.

What, his father's wrath?

A strong possibility.

So you're suggesting that Tommy may have information

that could be damaging to the gunny's case?

Infer what you will, sir.

But why would Tommy tell me he wanted to testify, then?

It gets him off the hook.

The boy's able to satisfy his father's demands

without drawing undue suspicion.

[Sims] Of course, you're getting a prosthesis.

[Roberts] Not everyone can handle it.

[Sims] Well, you're not everyone.

No, I'm missing a spleen as well.

Why push it?

I'll just use the crutches.

Not at JAG you won't.

How are you going to sell that to the Navy?

I probably can't.

Well, then you have no choice but to just stick it out.

I could become a civilian.

Look, there's no medical boards.

There's no physical readiness test outside.

I could be what I am, a man without a leg.

In the Navy, I'm the man who has to pretend he has a leg.

It's ridiculous.

Sweetheart, you're just frustrated.

Do you want me to feel good about myself?

Of course.

Then stop pushing me to do something

that's beyond my abilities.

You've always been this way and it's time for you to stop.

I'm sorry. This isn't very discreet of us.

It's nothing I haven't heard before, ma'am.

So, this goes on a lot?

Stiles...

Yes, sir.

Silence it is.

Why are you ordering him not to talk?

This is his room, too. Why are you acting this way?

What has happened to you?

Wow, look at that! That's got to be 270 if it's a yard.

Here, try to beat that one.

You have time to drive golf balls

but you don't have time to visit Bud.

What, are you afraid your old man can still outdrive you?

No, I'm afraid my father cares more about his golf game

than about his own son.

Hey, watch your mouth

or I'll tee you up.

Dad, Bud's been home for over a month

and he needs your support.

What's the matter? He doesn't have a crutch?

I can't believe you just said that.

Yeah, well, that's why I won't go see him

'cause I'll say something like that or something worse.

Now lay off.

Nice slice.

That's no slice.

That's a swooping fade.

You know, when I was a little kid,

you'd get away with telling me something like that,

but now, I see that for what it is.

A hacker's slice.

Damn you! You see what you're making me do?

You've always been a hacker, haven't you, Dad?

And not just at golf.

You know, I never talked to my father that way and neither will you.

What would he do, slap you upside the head?

You're damn right. And that's going to happen to you

if you don't shut up.

-When's it end? -What?

Slapping sons instead of loving them.

Mrs. Akers, I'm Commander Rabb. I'm your brother's attorney.

Are you the one that spoke to Tommy the other day?

Yes, ma'am, I did.

Do you realize how much you upset him?

Well, it wasn't my intention to upset him, ma'am.

I'm trying to help your brother.

Is Tommy afraid of his father?

No.

They have a great relationship.

Close?

What does this have to do with Joe's defense?

He won't let me talk to Tommy.

He's trying to protect him.

Joe loves that boy.

Calls every day and asks about his mood, school, his wound.

Tommy has an injury?

Did your son recently have stitches, Gunny?

Sir?

Tommy was treated for a wound on his back

at Saint Stephens Hospital two hours after you were arrested.

Yeah, when he saw his mother dead, he fell back

and he cut himself on the corner of the counter.

Yeah, that's what he told them at the ER.

So, then what's the problem, sir?

Well, the problem is we rechecked the blood analysis on the knife.

We found not only yours and Maria's but we also found Tommy's

which means that Tommy didn't fall back

against the corner of the counter and cut himself, did he?

He was cut with the knife.

So now the only question

is why you and he are both lying about it.

I didn't stab Tommy with the knife.

Don't even try to tell me his mother did it,

because if she had, it would be a more justifiable reason

to kill her than self-defense.

Commander, you got this all wrong.

-Show me where. -I can't, sir.

Tommy can, though, can't he?

I told you to leave him out of this, sir.

Explain the knife wound to me.

I already did, sir.

He got slashed defending his mother, didn't he?

No, sir.

-Did you beat your wife? -No, sir.

-Tommy? -Never.

I don't believe you, Sergeant.

I don't believe a word you've said to me.

I don't believe it was self-defense,

I don't believe you didn't stab your son.

I would never hurt Tommy. Never.

Everyone has their breaking point. That night was yours, wasn't it?

Tommy tried to protect his mother.

You slashed him. He ran out of the kitchen.

She came at you. You shot her in the shoulder.

She came at you again. This time you put a bullet in her neck.

And then you slashed your own arm to support your story.

Sounds like you just made the prosecution's case... sir.

[man] Yeah, yeah.

Hey, Bud.

Hey. I figured you'd be in rehab.

I went there first. I've been looking everywhere.

-Good to see you, sir. -You, too.

Uh, rehab's not really happening, sir.

You had a setback?

I don't wan to talk about it, sir.

How are things with you?

I'm a little confused, Bud.

To be honest with you, this isn't just a hospital visit.

I was... I was hoping you'd feel like doing a little brainstorming.

Uh...

What's going on?

Well...

I'm defending a Marine accused of killing his wife.

He claims it was self-defense and I don't believe him.

If you don't believe him, how do you convince a jury?

The whole case troubles me, Bud.

I just can't fit this guy out of the crime.

His account, sir?

Claims his wife came at him with a chef's knife.

He shot her in the shoulder. She came at him again.

He fatally shot her through the neck.

I guess I'd have to ask if he really wanted to kill her,

why would he shoot her in the shoulder first?

Well, maybe he was nervous.

He's a Marine, sir.

Well, if you reverse the scenario,

when he shot her in the neck first,

why would he shoot her in the shoulder?

Maybe to make it appear

as though he'd shot her in the shoulder first?

That would support the claim of self-defense.

But you don't think it was.

I don't know what I'm thinking, Bud. There's so many... so many things.

Is there anybody else that could be involved in this, sir?

-There is a God, Bud. You know how I know? -How, sir?

'Cause he only took your leg,

he didn't take your head.

Get well quick.

I got one question for you, Tommy.

Did your dad fire both shots at your mother?

No, sir.

Is your aunt home?

Yes, sir.

Let's go talk to her.

[Roberts] Hey, Stiles.

Stiles, wake up.

Lieutenant, your face just replaced Halle Berry's.

Sorry.

Are you here to offer me a cold one, sir?

No.

Then can I please get back to the hot tub?

No.

Sir...

Look, you were right.

I am a dawg.

A bad dog.

Say again, sir?

My attitude stinks.

I owe you an apology.

That's cool, sir.

Look, if anyone visits, I'll be down in rehab.

Without the corpsmen?

What are you planning to do there, sir?

Obedience training.

Now, Lieutenant...

[groans]

Mikey?

Dad.

Come on, son. Try again.

[groaning]

Are you okay, Tommy?

[Tommy] Yes, sir.

We're going to talk about the night your mother was killed, Tommy.

I need you to tell us what you remember about that night.

Well, I finished up my homework

and then I went into the kitchen to see if dinner was ready.

[Rabb] Was it?

[Tommy] No, sir.

Mom was drinking.

Mom, when's dinner going to be ready?

We're going to eat when I'm ready.

But, Mom, I'm hungry.

Shut up!

Mom, please, stop drinking.

-Go to your room. -No.

Go to hell!

How did you respond to that?

I told her to go to hell.

You go to hell.

-[screams] -[groans]

You want to really feel some pain, huh?

Put that down.

-Mom, please. No. Mom, please. -Put it down.

-Do you really want to feel some pain? -No. Stop.

[Marie] Put it down!

-[gunshot] -[gasps]

[Rabb] Thank you, Tommy.

You can wait outside with your aunt now.

[Akers] I had just come home.

[Rabb] You saw your son shoot his mother?

Yes, sir. I saw him pull the trigger.

How did you react, Gunny?

I immediately put him in his room.

He wanted me to call 911

but... I told him that wasn't necessary

that his mother only had been grazed

and he should stay in his room while I calmed her down.

Was it true? Had he only grazed her?

No, sir.

Her carotid artery had been severed.

She died instantly.

Take us through what happened next, Gunny?

I wiped...

Tommy's fingerprints off the handle of my pistol

and then I slashed my forearm with the chef's knife.

To make it appear as though your wife had attacked you?

Yes, sir.

I cried out in pain, so that Tommy would hear it

and then I lifted Marie to a sitting position

and shot her in the right shoulder.

Tommy heard the shot

he came out

and I told him

that she had come at me with the knife

and that I had to shoot her.

Why did you do all this?

Why?

To protect my son, sir. Isn't that obvious?

So he wouldn't have to go through his entire life

knowing he'd killed his mother.

Will the accused and counsel please rise.

You may publish your findings.

Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Akers, United State Marine Corps.

This court-martial finds you on the charge and specification of premeditated murder

not guilty.

[judge] May I say before we adjourn,

this verdict may exonerate you from punishment, Gunnery Sergeant

but you have not, in the opinion of this court,

behaved in a manner worthy of United States Marine.

In that regard, I'm recommending that the convening authority

take appropriate action in connection

with your unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Further, I'm directing that you return to counseling

through the Navy's family advocacy program.

I trust, with their assistance, you can provide the support

Tommy needs to overcome this tragedy.

Court's adjourned.

How can I thank you, sir?

Take good care of your son.

That's all I ever wanted to do, sir.

Thank you.

Tommy.

You okay?

-[Tommy] Yeah. -Let's go home.

[MacKenzie] Nice work, counselor.

Fathers and sons, Mac.

Yeah, that's life.

Mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters.

Brothers?

I'm supposed to take Sergei to the airport.

Hey, brother, I'm sorry I'm late.

Look, if we leave now we can make it.

Throw it in the back.

It's fine, Harm.

I found another ride.

Oh, come on, Sergei.

It's fine.

We'll say good-bye here.

Look, don't go.

Please? I feel responsible.

[car horn honking]

Hello, sir.

Lieutenant.

[Zhukov] Hi, Loren.

Harm.

I'll miss you, my brother.

And that is all you need to know.

[CLOSING theme music playing]