Original subtitles

the people are represented

by two separate yet equally important groups:

the police, who investigate crime

and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

What's it today, Judge?

Muder? Rape?

Possession with intent.

13 pounds of heroin.

Hoo!

What's that get you?

A lethal injection.

I have a lunch today at 1:00, Rodney.

You got it, Judge.

That son of a bitch.

Are you all right, Rodney?

I got winged.

Get this man medical attention.

Right away.

Central, we need an A.M.S., one man down...

Judge, you better get inside.

Detective Hill got out of his car

this guy runs right at the Judge, shooting.

Was Hill's the one who got him?

Yeah, he took one himself.

Really? How bad?

Paramedic said he'll be fine.

Damn, talk about smoking guns.

No wallet, no I.D. on him.

And where's the Judge?

Court officers took her inside.

Who is she?

Uh, Judge Linda Karlin.

Thanks.

Karlin's the one that put away

most of the Washington Heights Cowboys

a few years back.

Now, who'd want to see her dead?

[Captioning sponsored by STUDIOS USA TELEVISION

and NBC]

Hey, how's the arm? Not bad.

You did a good job back there.

I don't know.

I think I let my guard down a little.

I've been on her six months--

nothing's ever happened.

Hey, don't sweat it.

You saved her life.

You ever see the shooter before? Never.

How long's Karlin been getting this door-to-door service?

Three years-- I pick her up, take her to work

hand her off to the court officers.

Most judges take the subway.

Not Karlin.

She's got someone on her 24-7

on account of her reputation as a high-profile hard-ass.

Where is she now?

Knowing her?

On the bench.

If I don't go right back to work

these people will think they can intimidate me.

Well, still, you might try

taking a few extra precautions, Judge.

We can get you a vest.

The man's dead, isn't he, detectives?

He might not have been working alone.

Yes, well, a lot of dangerous people

pass through my courtroom.

Well, you recognize this one?

He's about 200 pounds, six-three.

No, I don't recognize him.

What about your calendar, Judge?

Any gang members, any organized crime cases?

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Look, these people don't like me

and I don't like them.

Okay, how about somebody

other than these people.

Say, a defense attorney you pissed off?

Just about every defense attorney

who walks out of my courtroom

is angry about something.

You're not giving us much to go on, Judge.

I've been on the bench for 14 years.

I was an Assistant D.A. before that.

I've made a lot of enemies.

We got no print matches for our shooter in the system.

Any luck with the gun?

Serial number's gone

but ballistics said they might be able to recover it.

A run-and-shoot with a defaced .38?

Sounds pretty low-tech.

Hey, if it was one of the perps on her case load

his prints would have popped.

Well, if we don't know the who, how about the why?

Maybe somebody was doing a friend a favor.

I mean, in some circles knocking her off

would be like doing community service.

You sound like she deserved it.

No, I'm just saying

this woman racks up years on people

like Tiger racks up tournaments.

Well, before we go culling

through 10,000 case files

let's rule out the usual suspects.

I begged my wife to at least take the day off

but that's Linda.

How long you two been married?

22 years.

We met at a fund-raiser

when she was in the D.A.'s office.

Our first conversation

was a heated debate over the death penalty.

Sounds romantic.

Let me guess-- she was pro, you were con.

My wife's a woman of strong convictions.

Can you think of anybody

who might want to hurt your wife, Mr. Karlin?

Besides the criminals she prosecutes?

Any financial problems?

I wish we'd sold our tech portfolio a year ago.

You and me both.

Has your wife received any threats recently?

Linda doesn't like to bring that part of the job home.

It's all handled at the courthouse.

Well, the Karlins' private life sounds like a snooze.

Let's go check out some of these death threats.

Needle in a haystack time.

Threats against judges are tough to investigate.

Most aren't serious anyway.

Karlin ever get any threats?

She's our best customer.

We need to see what you got.

I was expecting you.

Anything recent?

I found this, just last Tuesday.

"Karlin, you stank-ass bitch.

I'm going to make you lick my Mac-10."

I take it the motion was denied?

We found that on the bench

in one of the bullpens on the 12th floor.

How many guys went through that lockup

the day you found it?

I'm not sure.

Cell capacity's about 100.

I can get you a list.

You ever pursue it?

Even if we found this guy

it's probably protected by the First Amendment.

There's nothing we could prosecute on.

There is now.

Court's in recess.

Judge Karlin's not back till 2:15.

Actually, we need to speak to you.

Any of these guys have a case here last Tuesday?

I wouldn't recognize the names.

Tuesday's the judge's calendar day.

You got a copy of the calendar?

Hey, this isn't Yankee Stadium, eh?

Hats off!

Yeah, right here.

Thanks. Is there any way

somebody could smuggle a weapon in here?

I have two guys

hand-scanning everyone who walks through here

and that's after they go through

the metal detector downstairs.

Is it standard procedure?

Standard for Judge Karlin.

We got a match.

Evan Bruce.

Kidnap Two.

I remember that case.

It was an a.m. call.

We brought the guy in from the Tombs next door.

We're looking for an inmate.

Right place-- you got a name?

Evan Bruce.

Forget to read him his rights?

No, we're here to collect on his pledge

to the Police Athletic League.

Evan Bruce.

Checked in in September.

Any problems?

Problems?

Yeah, you know, disciplinary infractions?

Nothing.

How about psych workups?

That information's confidential.

I wouldn't have access.

Well, we need to talk to him.

Too late.

He was released three days ago.

Why I got to come down here?

You realize threatening a judge is a felony?

I ain't threatened no judge.

That's crazy, man.

More like stupid.

Somebody sent Judge Karlin this little love letter.

Whoever wrote it called her a stank-ass bitch.

Wasn't me.

We want you to write it for us.

Write it: "stank-ass bitch."

Look, Lennie.

He misspelled bitch.

Again.

All right, look.

I was just letting go of my anger

for being in there so long.

Is that what you call taking three shots at a judge?

Is this guy a friend of yours?

Hey, does he look like a friend on mine?

We don't know who you keep company with.

Look, half the people that walked out of that courtroom

wanted that bitch...

I mean, that judge dead.

Yeah, but most of them

didn't write her a threatening note.

Why I'm gonna kill her?

My lawyer beat the case on a speedy trial motion.

Ain't nothing she can do to me now.

Well, maybe you'd better hang on to that lawyer

'cause we're going to send this to the D.A.

and see if they want to prosecute.

Just got this from ballistics.

They recovered the serial number from the gun.

It traced to the Lodi, New Jersey Police Department.

So, what brings you to Lodi, Detectives?

We're investigating an attempted murder in Manhattan.

You know this guy?

Mmm. You said attempted murder.

Yeah, he was killed in a shoot-out with the NYPD.

His .38 traced to your department.

Oh, we don't use .38's anymore.

We went to nine millimeter automatics two years ago.

So did most of us.

Could it be that one of your guys kept one as a backup?

Eh, we traded them all in to knock the price down on our new weapons.

You mean there are police-issue guns on the street?

This is a small department

with a tight budget.

We can't afford to melt them down.

This gun was used to shoot at a judge.

Look, if a dealer sold the gun legally

it should show up on the state's database.

Excuse me.

You Vince Ellis?

Far as I know.

We got your name off the State Handgun Registry.

You bought a .38 about a year ago?

Yeah, but I ain't got it no more.

It was stolen.

When was that?

Noticed it missing about two weeks ago.

You report it to the police?

Didn't get around to it yet.

You heard about this judge that got shot at in the city?

The one where the shooter got killed?

What about it?

We found your gun in the shooter's hand.

Uh...

Who is it?

You know, we could charge you

right now, as an accomplice, Mr. Ellis.

It's my nephew, Frankie.

Frank Morris.

Where does he live?

Over in Paterson.

He was in here a few nights last week.

Asked if he could use my .38.

And you let him.

Said he'd give me $200

just to borrow it, I told him, "No way."

Next night, I come in and it's gone.

That's a pretty convenient explanation.

It's the truth! Look, $200?

I knew something real bad was going down.

I ain't risking my place here for that kind of money.

So why'd you file down the serial number?

I didn't.

Frankie must have done it

so's it couldn't get back to me.

He couldn't even get that right.

So where's this in Paterson?

How long are you guys going to be here?

Couple more hours.

Then who's going to move out his stuff?

We'll get back to you on that.

Well, if Morris got paid, it isn't here.

Got some nice magazines.

Hot Lace. Rough and Ready.

Are you going to need those?

Hey, here's a driver's license

with the name "John Sheppard" on it.

And Morris's picture.

Standard issue for a swindler that old.

Hey, did Morris have a car?

Uh, yeah. The Camaro out front.

It's worth a look.

We're not breaking any laws here, are we, Detective?

Hey, the guy's dead.

It's not like he's going to be filing a suppression motion.

These '85s are a little tougher than the '86s.

Anything before '82's cake.

Got it.

Could have used one of these on prom night.

Ed, you want to pop the trunk?

Nothing back here, Ed.

We got nothing here, either.

So what do you want to do with it?

Can you tow it?

Sure. What was the owner's name?

Frank Morris.

Morris, Morris...

Wait a second, I think the Staties

were looking at a guy with that name.

Looking at him for what?

A murder.

Chief witness in a narcotics case got killed.

Morris was our only suspect.

Who was the defendant?

Major heroin dealer down in Camden.

We flipped one of his clockers.

He got dead three days before the trial started.

Shooting?

Middle of the day-- two pops while he's killing a brew

on the front porch-- nobody saw a thing.

What's this dealer's connection to Morris?

No prior relationship we could make out.

The best we could figure, Morris was a small-time lowlife

just trying to make his bones.

Yeah, his sheet was clean.

Yeah, kid had a great future ahead of him.

So I take it you just didn't have much evidence.

Nothing we could make stick-- but we could put him

in the informant's neighborhood the day of the murder

and he visited the defendant at Rahway Prison a week before.

A hit man who makes house calls.

Karlin's a Manhattan judge

so anybody she puts in pending trial

is either in Riker's or the Tombs.

So we pulled the visitors' log from the last three weeks.

You find Morris?

"John Sheppard."

Now, that's the name that was on the fake ID

we found in Morris's apartment.

So Sheppard visited an inmate at Riker's

named Randall Wylie on March 7?

Yeah, they spent 25 minutes together

eight days before the hit.

Well, what charge was this Wylie in for?

It's a paper case. The guy's a CPA.

Now, here's the kicker:

Wylie's case is currently before Judge Karlin.

Have you guys spoken to my lawyer?

We're not here about your current case, Mr. Wylie.

Oh. Then what's this about?

According to the prison log

a John Sheppard visited you on March 7th.

John Sheppard?

Yeah. You know him?

No.

Then why'd he come and visit you?

Uh, an officer came by and said someone was here for me

in the visiting area.

When I came out, it was this guy--

Sheppard.

I asked him who he was.

He told me my lawyer had sent him.

Sent him about what?

He said he was assisting her on my case.

Assisting her? How?

That's what I was thinking.

After a couple of minutes, it became clear

he didn't know anything about my case, either

so I left.

You didn't find this strange, Mr. Wylie?

A lot of strange things happen in here.

I figured somebody must have just written down

the wrong inmate number

or something.

But he knew who you were?

Well, look, what does this have to do with me?

A week after he visited you

John Sheppard tried to kill Judge Karlin.

You know who Judge Karlin is, don't you?

I had nothing to do with that.

So it's just a coincidence

that he comes to visit you out of the blue

and then, a week later, he takes a shot at yourjudge?

I don't think my lawyer would want me talking to you anymore.

This guy's about as menacing as Jeff Van Gundy.

And doesn't even look like he's facing much time.

Why risk killing a judge?

Hey, he lied about how much time

he spent with Morris that day.

Let's see if the Lieu can pull some strings in the Frauds Department.

Thanks.

Thanks for coming down, Detective.

Sure. So what's up with my old buddy, Randall Wylie?

We're just trying to figure out

if he's capable of more than just securities violations.

As in Judge Karlin?

That's what we're thinking.

Wylie's a CFO of a small investment bank.

Wife, two little girls

plush house in Westchester.

Got a little greedy.

He took some stock from a company he was consulting.

He unloaded the shares, racked up almost half a million dollars

in profit.

But what's your gut, though?

Was he desperate enough to hire a hit man?

Indictment turned his world upside-down

and he was fired by his firm.

We took him out of his office in handcuffs.

That had to be tough on his ego.

And his wallet.

D.A. froze most of his accounts, except for what

his family needed to pay his bills.

So your answer is yes?

My answer is, who the hell knows

what anybody is capable of, push comes to shove.

Here are the financials you wanted.

Wylie's got more accounts than I got dollars.

Brokerage accounts, money markets

four checking accounts.

Yeah, but he ain't got nothing in them.

$300, $400, and all I'm seeing here are mortgage payments

car payments, credit card bills.

He couldn't afford to buy a gun, much less hire a killer.

And there are no

major withdrawals, even before the freeze.

Here's his tax returns:

"Gross income

246 grand."

Wow.

Maybe he put some of that money in his mattress.

Here's the Schedule A.

You know Wylie's got

a New York State College Tuition Account?

I thought his two girls were little.

The College Tuition Program's about three years old.

It helps people save for their kids' education.

Can anybody open an account here?

Yeah, if you live in New York and have a kid.

How old does the kid have to be?

Well, you can open an account the same day you give birth.

And, uh, does the money go directly to the kid's college?

You can withdraw from the account

but you incur a tax penalty if it's not used for tuition.

Does a Randall Wylie still have an account here?

Let's see...

Randall Wylie...

Yeah. The account's still active.

Any withdrawals recently?

Uh...

There was one on...

March 12th.

That's three days before the shooting.

For how much?

Practically the whole account.

$100,000.

I guess he wasn't worried about a tax penalty.

We pulled the LUDs from the phone

Wylie had access to at Rikers--

a week before the shooting

there was a call to the bar where Morris got the gun.

Can we put Morris on the call?

He was at the bar.

The next day he spent 25 minutes with Wylie in the Visitors Area.

Money change hands?

Well, there was a $100,000 withdrawal

from Wylie's daughter's tuition account.

Any evidence it went to Morris?

Nothing so far.

Wylie's not some Colombian drug lord, Anita.

We're having trouble imagining some milquetoast CPA

ordering a hit on a judge.

Yeah, we're having some problems buying into it ourselves.

Okay, well, Jack and I will talk to the ADA in our Frauds Bureau

who was handling Wylie's case.

We'll see how serious this situation was.

Okay.

You really think he went after Karlin?

You tell us.

I guess anything is possible.

You offer Wylie a plea?

Yeah, two to six.

And he wasn't interested?

Never got that far.

Karlin wouldn't agree to the deal.

She thought it was too lenient.

Was it?

It was nothing different than

what Wylie could've gotten next door.

But Karlin wanted top count

no promise on sentence.

On the next adjourn-date, she put him in Rikers.

With no priors?

She found out that Wylie's wife went to the Cayman Islands.

Offshore bank accounts.

She flew me in and out the same day.

She's not there for the snorkeling.

Karlin remanded him as a flight risk.

How did Wylie react?

He was pretty shaken up.

When the court officers came in to cuff him

they had to drag his wife out kicking and screaming.

I'm late for an arraignment.

So, if there's anything else

I'll be in my office later.

Okay, thanks.

Sounds like Wylie had a reason to want Karlin dead.

And if one reason wasn't enough, she gave him another.

You think what she did was inappropriate?

I respect her right to turn down a plea

if she thought it was too lenient.

But it forces Wylie to go to trial.

How many judges would balk at

the chance to dispose of a case?

She treats her job as more than a numbers game; more power to her.

A woman after your own heart.

The voters reelected her twice, Jack.

We know that Wylie's wife was pretty angry.

It wouldn't be the first time

that a family member went too far.

Well, I have a meeting with her in Westchester.

I'm going to drive up there this afternoon.

I'm sorry, but you wasted your time

coming up all the way up here.

Actually, I was hoping you could clarify

a few things for me, Mrs. Wylie.

If you're not clear, why are you prosecuting my husband?

At this point, we haven't made any formal decision.

No, but you've made up your mind already, haven't you?

He did meet with the man who shot at Judge Karlin.

Believe what you want.

My husand is an accountant, Ms. Carmichael, not a killer.

We found the money, Mrs. Wylie.

What money?

The money from your daughter's college tuition.

I also know about the trip to the Cayman's.

First this Judge, and now you.

I thought people were supposed to be presumed innocent.

If you assisted your husband

in procuring money to hire this man...

Are you threatening me?

I think what I'm doing is offering you a chance

to save what's left of your family.

That money was used to pay our legal fees.

Now get the hell out of my house.

Please. You expect me to help you put away my own client?

We could always subpoena your account records.

And I can always refuse to comply.

Somehow, I don't see you in prison stripes, Danielle.

Well, you're going to see me a lot more in pinstripes, Jack

because as of yesterday, I represent Randall Wylie

in the attempted murder case.

Here's my Notice of Appearance.

That's a convenient way to shield yourself

from being called as a witness at his trial.

There are ways around that, Danielle, if that's what this is.

You wouldn't do that to me, would you, Jack?

In a New York minute.

The minute Karlin blocked a plea bargain, my trial fee kicked in.

Here's the deposit slip.

$100,000, cash.

You took your money up front.

And I so wanted to sandbag you with it at trial.

It's just too bad that Janice opened her big mouth.

It's a good thing Melnick came clean.

You'd have spent your summation

wiping the shoe polish off your mouth.

Meanwhile, we have no proof Wylie actually paid Morris.

It could've been c.o.d.

His hit man trusted him more than his lawyer did.

So, without connecting him to a payment

do we even have a case?

Wylie met with Morris face-to-face

about a week before the murder attempt.

I seriously doubt it was a conversation about tax advice.

Why would a man like Randall Wylie

stoop to something like this?

'Cause he stole half a million dollars.

Well, there's a small difference

between greed and murdering a judge.

Well, how about a judge

who wouldn't cut him a deal and put him in jail?

Frauds Bureau was ready to take a plea.

Karlin put the kibosh on it.

One would think our people knew

more about the case than she did.

I've had a half-dozen cases with her.

She listens to our recommendations

but she tends to make up her own mind.

How did Wylie find Morris?

It's hard to imagine

his firm has a murder-for-hire consultant.

Maybe he started hanging out with the wrong element.

Randall Wylie was remanded without bail

by Judge Karlin on March 4.

Assigned C-17, Lower Tier 3.

Is that a dorm or a cell?

That's a single inmate unit.

He was on suicide watch.

Did he make an attempt?

Not that we know of.

In this case, the suicide watch was requested by his own lawyer.

Did Wylie have contact with any other inmates?

We have S.O.A.s patrolling the areas

making sure nobody hangs up.

S.O.A.s?

Suicide Observation Aides.

Staff or inmates?

Inmates. As long as they're not charged with murder.

To avoiding any conflict of interest.

Who was on Wylie's tier?

Randall was wound up pretty tight when he got here.

Never been in jail before.

Did he ever talk about killing himself?

Seemed okay to me.

They took his belt and shoelaces away, just in case

and we pass by every five, ten minutes.

Did you spend any time with him?

Yeah, we talked a little bit, mostly about his case.

Did Wylie ever say anything about Judge Karlin?

Oh, I probably shouldn't be talking to you guys.

What's the problem, Mr. McGowan?

Nothing.

You know, we can always notify the ADA who's prosecuting you

that you're obstructing our investigation.

They got their own set of rules in here, you know that.

Honor among thieves.

Don't snitch on nobody.

Unless it pays off.

You got do something for me?

If you have something for us.

I'm looking at 25 years on an Arson Two rap.

What exactly did you burn down?

A store, and nobody got hurt.

If you plead to C felony, we can try and get you minimum

provided you're straight with us.

And the D.A. prosecuting me

he's going to go along with this?

Our case has priority.

Then I guess we got a deal.

According to McGowan

Wylie was in a rage about Judge Karlin from day one.

He was obsessed about finding a way to get back at her

for putting "someone like him" into that "hellhole."

That's pretty tough talk from a CPA.

He was looking down the teeth of a trial and a long sentence.

He had nothing but bad choices.

And his only way out was the ultimate in judge shopping.

So you actually believed this McGowan?

We found him, Nora.

McGowan only corroborated what we already suspected.

I'm sure you two cut him a pretty good deal.

It wasn't like our pool of potential witnesses

was the Boys Tabernacle Choir.

But we still can't connect him and Morris with a payment.

Our forensic accountants have been all over the paperwork.

So far, no luck.

It's a pretty solid circumstantial case

even without the money.

So, some schlep goes to Rikers for a few months

and we manage to turn him into a cold-blooded killer.

Pick him up.

Randall Wylie, we need you to come with us.

Can't you see I'm with my wife?

Stand up, Mr. Wylie. You're under arrest.

Of course I'm under arrest.

What else would I be doing here?

Yeah, only this time it's for attempted murder.

Randall, what's going on?

I'm already in jail, for God's sake!

Tell it to the judge.

I knew I was right about Wylie.

Right about him in what way, Judge?

You sit on the bench long enough

you get a feel for guys like that.

He's a businessman with no priors.

Are you saying you knew he was dangerous?

I thought you came here to prep me for the trial.

I did.

You're going to be cross- examined

on the appearance of bias.

And I'm sure you'll be able

to lay that misconception to rest.

They'll say

you threw Wylie in jail

because of what his wife did.

That was hardly bias.

And when our office proposed

a plea bargain, you refused to go along with it.

I wasn't satisfied your office was sending the right message

to white collar defendants.

Are you second-guessing me?

The defense will paint all this as being draconian.

Wylie was going to run.

I stopped him.

Danielle Melnick made nice to some young ADA

who'll probably end up

working at her law firm some day.

Only you didn't propose any alternative.

The Constitution does that, Jack.

It's called a trial.

I've given you your motive evidence wrapped in a ribbon.

And that's why we're calling you, Judge.

Only, don't underestimate a jury's sympathy.

I don't.

That's why I prefer bench trials.

Randall Wylie was before me

on a fraud indictment.

I was assigned to preside over all pre-trial proceedings

then the trial.

How much time was the defendant facing

if convicted of all charges against him?

There were three separate frauds

for which he could be sentenced consecutively.

45 years was the aggregate.

I turn your attention to January 17.

What if anything happened

with regard to Mr. Wylie's case?

The defense motion was

on my calendar.

When the case was called

Ms. Benedict, the ADA from your Frauds Bureau

told the court that Mrs. Wylie

took a flight to the Cayman Islands

and returned the same evening.

What did you do upon learning this information?

Mrs. Wylie was in the courtroom that day

so I asked her if it was true.

What did she say?

That it was none of my business.

What happened next?

I remanded the defendant as a flight risk.

And what transpired in the courtroom?

My court officers

placed handcuffs on Mr. Wylie and led him into the pens.

At that point

Mrs. Wylie began throwing a tantrum.

She said her husband didn't belong in Rikers Island

that I was out to get him.

Now, in the days preceding this incident

did you take any other action with regard to Mr. Wylie's case?

A plea bargain was brought to me.

I rejected it.

How much time was involved?

Two years.

Not the 45-year aggregate?

Far from it.

And when this plea bargain was refused

how did Mr. Wylie react?

He was incensed.

Nothing further.

What's your reputation on the bench, Judge Karlin?

I like to think it's tough but fair.

But, you routinely mete out prison sentences

in the hundreds of years?

I wouldn't say routinely.

But, you do impose three-digit sentences

when you know that the absolute maximum

a defendant can serve for a non-capital case is

50 years to life. Is that right?

I do it to make a point.

What's that?

To enrage the people you sentence?

That predators who are brought to justice in my courtroom

will not be coddled.

So I take it you've remanded

hundreds of defendants the way you remanded Mr. Wylie?

Yes.

And I'm sure that Mrs. Wylie is

not the first relative of a defendant

to express disapproval with you?

Most people behave

in my courtroom.

Why is that?

Because they're scared to death of you?

A healthy respect for authority goes a long way, Ms. Melnick

especially these days.

Judge, I'd like you to take a look

at Defense Exhibit Four.

Is this your likeness on a glassine envelope

used to package heroin

with the brand name "Judge Dread?"

I've seen this before.

I don't like it

but I'm not sure it's such a bad thing.

At least the dealers will know what's in store for them

when they're caught selling this poison to our children.

Before you were appointed to the bench

you prosecuted thousands of defendants

as an Assistant D.A.

is that right?

Yes.

And you probably sent an equal number of defendants

to state prison

as a Supreme Court judge, am I right?

Close to it, yes.

So would it be fair to say

that you were hated by virtually everyone

over whom you've presided?

Objection.

No. I want to answer that.

This isn't a popularity contest.

If these defendants like me, Ms. Melnick

I wouldn't be doing my job.

Right.

I met Randall Wylie his first night at Rikers.

I was on duty on his tier

as a Suicide Observation Aide.

Was he suicidal?

He was mad.

Mad at whom?

The judge who put him in there.

What specifically did he say?

Well, at first he was just trash-talking

about how, you know, she was trying

to screw him over.

And then?

And then after a while he started talking

about how he was going to take her out.

Killing her?

Yeah.

When exactly did this happen?

I remember one day he said that

he was, uh, he was getting out

and I probably wouldn't see him again.

Anyway, later that night he was right back on the Rock.

But, that's when he started talking about it seriously.

What do you mean?

Well, he said nobody could screw him

and get away with it

and he was going to find someone on the outside

who would take care of the situation once and for all.

Did you have any further conversations with him

of this nature?

I remember about a week before the judge was shot at

I came by, Randall was downstairs for a visit.

Later I asked him if it was his wife.

And he said it was someone

he was doing business with.

Nothing further.

Let's see, Mr. McGowan.

You were previously convicted of Grand Larceny?

Yeah.

And then you set a fire in a store?

I plead guilty to that, yeah.

Well, did you do it, Mr. McGowan?

Yes, I did.

Why?

Was it an accident?

I had a problem with somebody who worked there.

I made a mistake and I'm serving my time for it.

Well, you made a deal

for the minimal allowable sentence

in exchange for this testimony, right?

Pretty much.

And you testified

that you spoke with Mr. Wylie

on several occasions about Judge Karlin?

Yes, I did.

Did you also speak

to my client on other occasions

when Judge Karlin's name did not come up?

Sure.

So would it be fair to say that

over the course of several months you developed

a personal relationship with Mr. Wylie?

Yeah, I guess you could say that.

Right. You befriended him

because, why, you're just a hell of a nice guy?

Objection.

Sustained.

Nothing further.

When Judge Karlin remanded me that day, I was stunned.

I couldn't believe she would put me in jail

for something my wife did.

What happened

when you got to Rikers?

Well, even before I got there

something happened.

This inmate on the bus punched me in the face

and made me give him my wristwatch.

So what was your emotional condition when you arrived?

Scared out of my mind.

It was the worst day of my life.

Mr. Wylie

When did you first meet Jimmy McGowan?

I think it was the next day.

He asked me what a guy like me was doing there

and basically, I told him what happened with Judge Karlin.

And were you angry about that?

Of course.

So what did Mr. McGowan say?

Jimmy seemed to know

all about Judge Karlin.

A lot more than I did.

He told me these stories

that scared the hell out of me.

What kind of stories, Mr. Wylie?

About how she put away guys for hundreds of years

for selling a few bags of coke

that in her eyes, you were guilty

before you were proven innocent

and if the prosecutor couldn't make a case

she would do it for them.

How many times

did Mr. McGowan talk to you about Judge Karlin?

Just about every time he had the chance.

He said that if I didn't figure out some way

to get out from under her, my case was hopeless.

She'd send me upstate and my wife would divorce me.

I'd never see my kids again.

So what happened next?

Jimmy offered to help.

Really?

What was his offer?

He said he can put me in touch

with someone who could take care

of the situation for me.

I asked him what he meant.

He said, "What do you think I mean?"

And what did you think he meant, Mr. Wylie?

A professional killer.

What happened next?

Well, he mentioned this three or four times

and I would say "No, no."

And then one day out of the blue

he said there was a guy coming to the visiting room

to meet me.

I should at least hear what he had to say.

So you actually had

a face-to-face meeting with Frank Morris?

I know how it sounds

but I just needed to get Jimmy

off my back.

So I went down for the meeting.

Where Frank Morris was waiting for you?

And I started to tell him

that I didn't want to go through with it.

And then he mentioned that he knew where my house was

where my kids went to school.

So what did you do?

I went back to my cell

and I thought to myself

"This is absolutely insane.

I can't believe I got myself involved with these people."

So the next time I saw Jimmy I told him

that I was just going to take my chances with Judge Karlin.

And how did Mr. McGowan react?

He said, "Hey, it's your life going down the drain."

And that was the last time we talked about it.

About a week later I found out what happened.

I couldn't believe it.

Mr. Wylie, did you ever hire Frank Morris

to kill Judge Karlin?

Absolutely not.

Did you ever pay him

or anyone else any money to do that?

Not a cent.

Thank you.

Did we get duped?

Either that or Wylie gave

an award-winning performance.

Jack?

Hard to say. But Wylie's a scam artist.

That's why they threw him in prison in the first place.

He was in jail

because Judge Karlin threw him in there.

We throw people in jail every day.

How many of them end up discussing payback

with a hired killer?

Only if McGowan were a cop, they'd be arguing entrapment

that Wylie was induced to commit a crime

he never would have committed otherwise.

He'd probably walk away from this.

Only McGowan wasn't a cop.

No. I know exactly who he was.

He was an arsonist who got the minimum.

It'd mean he planned

this from the start.

That he knew we were going to come looking for him.

He set himself up to be a hero.

Who's playing us, Nora?

A guy who sets fires or a guy who mined the loopholes

in the Security Act of 1934?

We bet on the wrong horse, that's all.

Desperate people

do desperate things.

It doesn't matter what company they keep.

Why do you always believe the worst in people?

Who, me?

Spend a few more years in this place

you'll be right there with us.

I like to think I can do this job

without becoming a cynic.

I'm not a cynic.

I get up every morning hoping to find an honest man.

Then let's make sure

the punishment fits the crime.

If McGowan got three to six

and there's the least chance he pushed Wylie into this

then Wylie shouldn't do 25 to life.

You're the boss.

Asking to meet with the defendant

the night before you cross-examine him...

this is a first even for you, Jack.

We have an offer.

Like I said, this is a first.

What is it?

121/////2 to 25.

Y-years?

You tried to kill a judge.

Don't you understand how it happened?

We heard what you tried to sell to the jury.

After everything McGowan

supposedly said to you, there's no way

you expected him to call it off.

Whatever pressures you were under, Mr. Wylie

they don't excuse your actions.

I'm assuming we have blanket immunity in here?

Queen for a day.

Go ahead.

They were threatening me.

I didn't know what else to do.

How about reporting it to the authorities?

The authorities can't protect you in here.

You could have told someone

you had a change of heart.

Or you could have tried to stop it.

I was scared.

Too scared to tell your own lawyer?

If he testifies

he told you, Danielle

we'll call you to corroborate it.

You made no effort to openly repudiate the crime, Mr. Wylie.

The law's clear on renunciation.

You can't make it out.

I think my lawyer's doing pretty well.

All she's done is create some sympathy.

Once I cross-examine you

the jury won't have much of it left.

You'll spend the rest of your life in prison.

If you're so confident, Jack, why the offer?

In our minds there's a sliver of doubt

that if Jimmy McGowan hadn't been assigned

to your client's tier, we wouldn't be here today.

You made some

foolish decisions, Mr. Wylie.

Don't make another one.

I heard you're cutting a deal with Wylie.

That's right.

What's he getting?

121/////2 to 25.

That's outrageous.

I have given out more time for narcotics possession.

That's well known.

When Wylie took a shot at me

he took a shot at every judge in the courthouse.

He'll be coming after prosecutors next.

No matter how much time Wylie gets

I don't think it's going to deter the next maniac

and I also don't think it's appropriate

for you to be here putting in your two cents.

I am the victim in this case.

I should have been consulted.

Your feelings

toward this defendant have been duly noted.

Are you questioning my impartiality, Nora?

Everyone here respects your courage

all the sacrifices that you and your family have made.

We just come from two different places.

I try to enforce the law.

You try to compromise it.

It's called prosecutorial discretion.

So you make a bargain

with Jimmy McGowan, then it backfires

and you have to cut a deal with Wylie?

I'm not happy about McGowan.

But any judge who reflexively imposes

the maximum in every case

just forces the hard decisions on the rest of us.

I changed this city!

In case you hadn't noticed it

you can walk down the streets these days

without having to kick a crack vial out of your way

to the sound of gunfire in the background!

It'll make a great sound bite one day.

I'm still not changing my decision about Wylie.

Do whatever you want.

I still have him in front of me on securities fraud.

That indictment was covered by the plea bargain.

How can you possibly think that's appropriate?!

It's my job.

Until someone else is sitting in this chair

I'll continue to do what I think is right.

Judge Karlin called.

She wants to make a victim impact statement

at Wylie's sentencing.

That's her right.

So all things being equal

is Wylie a killer?

It's a tough question.

Does the man make Rikers

or does Rikers make the man?

I think Judge Karlin

had something to do with it.

Funny thing is

Wylie got away from her.

It's what he's been trying to do all along.

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