All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S10E12.Mothers.Milk.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

It comes furnished.
If you want it, it's yours,

as soon as I get the
legal stuff worked out.

Ah, first time I've been
up since they're gone.

I'll get it cleaned
up if you want.

You're sure the tenants
aren't coming back?

After six weeks?
They're gone for good.

At least I won't have
to hear their bundle
of joy crying all night.

You'll repaint?

Yeah. And you pick
your fabric swatches.

That's the bath, and that's
the bedroom next to it.

Sign it or lose it.

Big call for
places this sweet.

Kevin!

That I can fix.

What happened here?

It looks like blood.

My God.

Anything?

Just a bunch of
unopened bottles and
a sealed can of formula.

Bathroom?

Broken mirror, blood on
glass shards, blood trail
leading into the bedroom,

in the crib.

Bag the shards and
dust the crib. Thanks.

How long
the Beltrans
live here?

I signed the lease a couple
of months before she popped.

Maybe it was
a month or two old
when they took off.

Any idea where?

Nah, they're from
upstate somewheres.

It's on their
rental application.

How about where
they worked?

That's on the
application, too.

When'd you first
notice they were gone?

When I first noticed I hadn't
heard them screaming at each
other in a couple of days.

And when
was that?

Oh, landlord calls
me last week, right?

Says they missed two rent
payments. So I knock
on the door. Nothing.

I phone,
it's disconnected.

And when did you
last see them?

Her, I don't know.
But him, he came out
the front door a month ago.

He had a suitcase so big
you could put a desk in it.

Or a body.

They lived there four
months. The neighbors
didn't know them.

No one knew them. Who were
these people, CIA?

CIA'd be neater.

Lease gave an address
and a former employer
up in Cortland.

We called.
Jimmy Beltran lived and
worked there two years.

Nobody's heard from him.

Family?
None we can find.

What about the girl?

Super puts her at about 18.

Him, 25, 26.

Maiden name?
Not on the lease.

Well, maybe it's on the
baby's birth certificate.

Let's hope she had
it in the hospital and
not in the closet.

Maiden name Steffano.
Father's name Beltran.

Son, Kyle.
Born October 10th.
Full term.

And, uh, the baby's
blood type?
Why?

Well, there was blood
in the apartment. We need
to know whose it was.

Hospital's discretion as
to whether or not we type
the kid at birth. We don't.

You test for AIDS,
don't you?

Yes. Baby and mother.
We don't check blood
type. Sorry.

And apparently you don't check
for insurance coverage either.

Outstanding hospital
bills for over a grand.

We knew
where he worked.
Taylor Lumber.

Started mid-September,
lasted a couple of months.

I felt bad. Young guy
just starting out.
Wife, new baby.

Yeah, I remember what
that's like, but I got
a business to run.

So you let him go?

I didn't have a choice.
I couldn't depend on him.

Sometimes
he didn't show.

What was his problem?

The wife. The baby.

When's the last
you saw of him?

When I fired him.

How'd he take that?

Well, it's always touchy.
You don't know if a guy's
gonna go nuts on you.

But, uh, Jimmy just
looked at me like he
knew what was coming.

Then he just left.

Have you talked
to him since then?

A few days later I called
him about his check.

Nobody was home.
I left a message,
but I never heard back.

What'd you do
with the check?

I mailed it to his parents.

The address was
on his job app.

Can I help you?

Oh, we're looking for
a James E. Beltran.

Are you
Mrs. Helene Beltran?

Who's asking?

New York City detectives.

Jimmy owe money?

No, he and his family
left their apartment
and didn't give notice.

We just need to know
everyone's okay.

You'd leave, too, if she
tells you it's over and
takes your flesh and blood.

What, his wife's
got the kid?

Yes. Jimmy said.

Jimmy around?

He's working.

Where?

You gonna arrest him 'cause
he left his apartment?

No, ma'am. We just
want to talk to him.

He works over
at Palisade Supply.

It's a hardware store
on Fourth Street.

Jimmy's on deliveries.

You got a copy
of his route list?

Yeah, somewhere around here.

Here, take mine.
Thanks.

Uh, his mom just called, too.
Said she was gonna
call him on his cell.

Ever know a mom
who didn't call?

He just dropped the
load and took off.

Didn't even take it inside
or give me a receipt.

How long ago did he leave?

Two minutes.
He went to his truck.

What are you
doing up there!

Mr. Beltran? James
Beltran! Police!

Move, move, move! Stop! Stop!

You got sneakers,
I got a gun.
Figure the odds.

Turn around.
Hands on the wall.

Where's your wife
and son?

I got nothing
to say.

Correction. You
got a lot to say.

There was blood in
the bathroom, in the
bedroom, in the crib.

How'd that get there?

I don't know.

Why'd you skip
out on your rent?

I lost my job.

Seems like you misplaced
your wife and your kid, too.

I'm telling you, Beltran,
I don't like baby killers.

Unless you start talking,
I'm gonna ask my partner
to leave you and me alone.

Just say
the word, Lennie.

Mr. Beltran, just got a search
warrant for your things
at your parents' house.

Anything you want
to tell me before I send
my detectives over?

She dumps him,
and he's the
one in trouble.

Where's the sense?

This is interesting.

Our Mother of Sorrows Church
activities pamphlet. And this.

Is this your
daughter-in-law
and grandson?

That's Amy and
Kyle with Jimmy.

"Kyle, three weeks old."

Mother of Sorrows is right.

Month and a half,
this man's been coming
here to morning mass.

Every morning?

Two, three times a week.
He doesn't always
take communion.

Have you spoken
to him personally?

No. He seemed upset.
Often stood near
the confessional.

I hoped he'd come in,
but you can't make
someone confess.

You wanna bet?

Uh, he ever speak to any
of the other parishioners?

I don't know.
He always sat by himself.

I hope you find
his wife and baby.

So do we. Thanks, Father.

Have you seen this young
man in this church here?

I've seen him here a lot.

You talk to him?

No.

He was quiet.

He shined his light to God.

He lit candles?

Lit them. Prayed.

Two candles.

Every time, two candles?

Every day.

A God-fearing man
showing his respect.

Thank you, very much.

He was looking for
a way out of hell.

Hmm.

What are you talking about?

Your son's been
arrested, Mr. Beltran,
and he's not talking.

All the lawyer's
willing to admit is
that Jimmy says

the last person who
saw Kyle was Amy.

That's not possible.

She told me he was fine.

Who told you?
Amy.

Not two weeks ago.

Where did you see her?

I didn't. She called
looking for Jim.
He was out.

I told her we wanted
to see our grandson.

She said, "Don't worry
about it. He's fine."

Where was she calling from?

I don't know.
She didn't
leave a number.

Do you know the exact
day the call was?

Wednesday. Tuesday, maybe.

Listen,

my son didn't hurt nobody.

Your son has a temper.

Amy had a mouth.

Yeah, why don't you
try and find her?

Do you have any
idea where she is?

Maybe her parents?

They live upstate.
We don't know exactly where.
We never met them.

They didn't show up
for the wedding?

Jimmy and Amy eloped.

Amy couldn't tell her
parents about the pregnancy.

Do you know
if she had a job?

She used to work part-time
at a video store before
Kyle was born.

Amy was
part-time help.

Have you
seen her lately?
No.

Is her address on that?

No, that's their apartment.
Anything more recent?

Nothing later, huh?
Nothing.

Why'd she quit?

Her husband didn't
want her to work once
the baby was born.

But I think she
liked it here.

What makes
you say that?

She had a friend.
She used all her breaks
to chat up this kid from

Gayley's Coffee House
next door, cop a cigarette.

A cigarette?
Wasn't she pregnant?

Yeah. Told me she
was trying to quit.

You know this kid's name?

No. But you can't miss him.

He's the only one with
earrings in more places
than you can put holes.

I don't know where she is.
Why don't you ask her husband?

They split up.
Well, no surprise there.

Oh, really?

Yeah, he'd yell at her
for being immature.

Said she couldn't handle
herself, let alone a baby.

You two sound
pretty close.

You part of the reason
why she left her husband?

No, man.

I got a girlfriend in Philly
I see every weekend.

I sure as hell don't need
Amy's husband showing up
with a baby looking for her.

Jimmy has the baby?

Yeah. That's what she told me.

He kicked her out,
took the kid.

So you've talked to her
in the last six weeks?

No.

Kyle and Amy Beltran
have been missing
for six or seven weeks,

so you had to have talked
to her after Jimmy took
the baby and threw her out.

She showed up one day
a while back for a coffee.

I didn't mark
it on my calendar.

She tell you where
she was staying?

No.

You haven't talked
to her since then?

No.

You know, if you're a part
of this and there's something
wrong with Amy or the baby,

you're an accessory, Mitch.
You can go to jail.

Look, I don't know
anything.

Okay?

Yeah, okay.

Find out where he lives.

And if he's got company.

How many of
these you done?

Stake-outs?

No. Dead babies.

Hey, we don't know
the baby's dead.

Right.

To answer your
question, too many.

It's my first.

That's too many.

Here.

At least we know
he has a hobby.

And a place to enjoy it.

Hey, look at this. Tampons.

Pretty big for Q-tips.

You guys are harassing me.

Not yet.

Is Amy Beltran here?

No, man. I told you.

Yeah, but we got miffed
when it wasn't true.

What are these for?
To hang on the
Christmas tree?

My sister's staying here.

Your sister?
I'd love to meet her.
Hey, you guys got a warrant?

'Cause we're done.
Did you just hear a baby cry?

Clear as day.
What baby?

There's no baby here.
Exigent circumstances.

Where's your baby?

He's with Jimmy.

Jimmy has Kyle.

He says you do.

He took my baby
I don't know where.

If you don't know where,
why'd you call his parents'
home asking for him?

I figured Jimmy
would go there.

With your baby?

The baby his parents
said you had?

Yes.

I don't know.

Why would Jimmy say
you had your son?

I don't know,
he was angry.

What happened between
you and Jimmy?

We just didn't
get along, is all.

What about the blood
in the apartment?

I don't know. I just left.

Why'd you tell Jimmy's
father Kyle was fine?

I thought he was.

I always thought he was.

She was worried.

What was
she worried about?

How her life
was gonna change.

Change how?

Her free time.
Her relationship
with Jimmy.

She said she'd feel trapped
being with a baby all day.

What about after
the baby was born?

Mr. Palichek, I really don't
have patience for this.

She left it sometimes.

Left the baby alone?

Sometimes, when
the baby was taking
a nap, she'd slip out.

Grab a cup of coffee
or a smoke with me.

It wasn't more than
a half hour, 45 minutes.

Did Amy ever tell you how
she felt about the baby?

She said it was hard.

Confusing.

Did you ever see
her with Kyle?

I went to her place once.

The baby was in the crib.
He was crying.

And what happened?

Nothing.

She turned up
the volume on the TV.

Palichek said
Amy came on to him.
He passed.

He also said the baby cried
for over an hour while he
was with her in her apartment.

Looks like we might have
two negligent parents.

But what we don't
have is a baby.

Well, the LUDs from
Palichek's apartment
confirm Amy Beltran

called Jimmy's parents' home
three times in five weeks.

So, once she talks
to the old man.

The other two times she
must have talked to Jimmy.

What was she looking for?

Get a search warrant
for the Beltran house,
inside and out.

Hey, Ed.

Dig it up.
Right.

We didn't know.

I swear on the Virgin
Mary, we didn't know.

It's never
a happy ending.

We found blood
in the apartment.

I don't
know yet whose it is.

Haven't done the autopsy.

Cause of death?

At first glance,
it looks like the baby

was more than likely put
in the bag and buried alive.

Looks like
skin and bones.

What did he die of?

Hard to tell.

Asphyxiation.

Dehydration. Exposure.

I won't know until
I do the autopsy.

How long can a baby
live like that?

The Mexican earthquake,

babies survived nine
days buried alive.

Arrest the son of a bitch.

Beltran's lawyer
is appealing.

He's lucky we didn't
charge murder one.

You think he relished
the torture of this child?

Maybe not.

But I wonder if he could hear
it screaming under the earth.

Where was
the mother
in all this?

Beltran talked her into
letting him take the baby
when they split up.

She claims she called him
at the in-laws a few times,

but that he refused
to let her see the baby.

Would you have taken
no for an answer?

You think she's lying?

Find out exactly
when the baby died.

The bag the baby was
placed in was filled
with sawdust and plaster.

Only, I didn't find anything
in either the baby's lungs
or nasal cavities.

The baby was dead before
it was placed inside the bag?

Thank God.

See here?

Fraying at the
ends of the bone.

That's a textbook indication
of severe vitamin deficiency.

How long does that take?

Not overnight.

This baby starved to death,
probably over several weeks.

Was it something the
parents could have missed?

I don't see how.

Was there any other
signs of physical abuse?
Any fractures? Bruising?

No, there's no
indication of that.

But I did find some
blood on the baby.

The blood was on the
baby's hand and forehead.

But it wasn't his.

Forensics matched
it to the blood found in the
bathroom at your apartment.

It was my blood.
I cut myself on the crib.

But the baby was okay.

The receiving blanket he was
swaddled in wasn't disturbed,

and the blood on his
face wasn't smudged.

I don't understand.

Your daughter bled
on her child after
he was already dead.

Amy?

What happened
to your baby?

Tell them what happened.

And you tell them right now.
No! She's not telling
them anything.

Our daughter wants a lawyer
before she says anything else.

We're not arresting her?

She's staying with
her parents at a hotel.

I'll have the cops make
sure no one checks out.

I want to talk
to the baby's father.

Okay.

Why would my client tell
you people anything?

You've accused him of
burying his son alive.

We now know
that's not true.

At this point, we're not
sure how your son died.

What's happening with Amy?

You wife has asked
for an attorney.

You arrested her?
Should we arrest her?

If I tell what happened,

how do I know
you'd believe me?

You can take a lie
detector test.

It's not admissible.
The results wouldn't be
any help to us at trial.

We're not
talking about a trial.

Our office uses
polygraphs to eliminate
suspects all the time.

The polygraph indicates
he's telling the truth.

A six-week-old baby starves
to death in plain view of
his parents, it's no accident.

How about
the hospital record?

Full-term pregnancy.
Birth weight within
normal range.

He was fine at the hospital.

He was fine until
he came home.

Mother and baby were
discharged 24 hours
after the birth.

One day?
That's all they paid for.

But she was already
nursing the baby?

In the beginning,
it's just colostrum.

It's like a pre-milk.
Excuse me.

It has a lot of
the mother's antibodies
that the baby needs,

but the actual breast milk
comes in a few days later.

And what if
it doesn't?
What then?

Well, nature usually
makes sure that it does.

But in any case,
she would have seen

the hospital's lactation
counselor before
her discharge.

I saw Amy Beltran
twice. The day that
she was discharged,

then three days
later as a walk-in.

A walk-in?

Her husband, I think,
had called and said

that they were having some
trouble, so I had her come in.

What sort of trouble?

Do you have any children,
Miss Carmichael?
No.

Well, breastfeeding isn't
as easy as it sounds.

It takes a lot of patience.

Let me just say that Amy
was not one of the most

receptive clients that
I've worked with.

Why do you say that?

It's not unusual for
a first-time mother
to have difficulty,

but Amy got
frustrated
pretty easily.

Plus, she didn't have
a lot of help at home.

First-time fathers know
even less than the mothers.

So why not have her just
give the baby a bottle?

No, breast milk is
what's best for the baby.

It's just a matter
of getting the mother
to put the effort into it.

Were you satisfied Amy Beltran
knew what she was doing?

Well, you'd always like
to see them come back,
so that's why I called.

You talked to her
after the visit?

Yes. And she said
that everything with
the baby was fine.

The lactation counselor
says Amy was shown the right
techniques to breastfeed,

and the baby's sucking
reflex was fine.

She just resented
putting in the effort.

Sounds like
she resented her baby.

It wasn't just her, Adam.

The police found unopened
bottles and cans of formula
in their apartment.

Either one of those parents
could have fed that kid.

Well, then we try them both.

We have no grounds
to oppose severance.

If they get separate trials,
he points the finger at her,
she points the finger at him.

Reasonable doubt.

What do we do, Counselor?

For now, nothing.
We build our case.

He's already
under indictment.

We know where to find her.
There's no statute of
limitations on murder.

Yeah.

The law has patience.
TV cameras don't.

Then let's go after her.

She's the one who
decided to have the baby.

Which means what?
The father bears no
responsibility for the child?

I'm not saying that.

But women have
fought to control their
reproductive rights,

and with those rights comes
a greater responsibility.

Politically correct or not,
the mother was this child's
primary caregiver.

Forget whether
or not we can convict
her alone. Should we?

And I'm not asking
you as a lawyer.

Yes.

I think it's the
right thing to do.

Even if it means we
have to make a deal
with the husband?

Yes.

Then you should try the case.

I can see the feminist
fusillade in the op-eds.

Why? The case was assigned
to Judge Rebecca Steinman.

A woman will be presiding
over Amy Beltran's trial,

a woman will be prosecuting
her, and you can bet a woman
will be defending her.

Well, I guess there's
nothing left for us to do,

but to take our cigars
and brandy and retire
to the smoking room.

I won't testify against Amy.

Criminal negligence.
He serves a year.

Ask your lawyer if
that's a good deal on
a homicide, Mr. Beltran.

It wasn't like that.
How was it, then?

Off the record?

She was too young
to have a kid.

People younger than your wife
have babies all the time,

but they don't
starve them to death.

You don't know Amy...
But you do.

I admire your devotion
to your wife, Mr. Beltran.

But your son is dead because
of a lack of any to him.

Don't you think that you
owe it to Kyle to stand
up for him now?

Amy Beltran, you're
under arrest for the
murder of your son.

No!
It wasn't her
fault. Please.

I didn't kill my
baby! I didn't!

Please, don't make this
any harder than it has to be.

You have the
right to remain silent.
Anything you say can...

her child with
starving it to death?

Judge, this is ridiculous.
Haven't these people ever
heard of the word "intent"?

There was nothing
unintentional about
this baby's death.

She was a loving
mother who had trouble
nursing her child.

Your client neglected
advice. She ignored all
the warning signs.

Given her conduct,
this baby's death
was a certainty.

And this comes
from who? Dad?

I'm sorry, Miss Tyrell,
but whether or not

your client's conduct
was an accident,
is a matter for trial.

Your motion to dismiss
is denied. We pick
a jury tomorrow.

How many of you are parents?

So, most of you have
changed a diaper,

woken up in the middle
of the night at the sound
of a cry or a cough.

Is that right, Mrs. Chazin?

Many times.

Because it was
important to you,

as part of your
role as a parent,

to be aware of your child,
especially when they're young.

Yes, of course.

You're going to hear testimony
that a baby starved to death,

starved to death in
the arms of his mother.

Mrs. Chazin, can I have your
promise that you will remember
your experience as a parent

when you consider whether
or not this could have
been an accident?

Yes.

May I have that promise
from all of you?

Thank you.

We want you to remember,
too, Mrs. Chazin.

We want you to remember
that first night, when you
brought your baby home.

Were you nervous?

Very.

Why?

Because I didn't
know what to do.

Or what to expect?

I guess. That, too.

What about you, Mr. Carouso?
I saw your hand go up before.

Were you scared, sir?

Oh... With our first, uh,
my wife wouldn't even put

the baby down long
enough to get dressed.

We want you to remember
that, Mr. Carouso,
as you sit in judgment

of these autopsy photographs.

Objection.

Overruled.

We want you to remember
that as you sit in judgment
of Amy Beltran.

Can you all promise
to do that as well?

My God.

Sidebar, Your Honor?

Step up.

Obviously, I'm going
to have to challenge
everyone in that box.

The People oppose.

Did you see their
faces, Counselor?

Judge, if defense counsel
intends to continue showing
the autopsy photos,

can we at least conduct
the questioning individually

in chambers so we don't
poison the whole panel?

Sorry, I just
think she did it.

You understand you haven't
heard any testimony yet.

Come on, Judge,
look at this.
She had to know.

Challenge, Your Honor.

You're excused, sir.

How many more jurors
do we have left?

That's the last
of them, Judge.

Your Honor, it is not my
fault defense counsel chose

to show those photographs
during voir dire.

What did you
expect me to do?

Wait until your
closing argument?

Miss Tyrell is right.
She can't spend the trial

running from
these photographs.

But there is another option.

A bench trial?

She waived a jury.

Now we have a judge deciding
the guilt of this defendant?

Judge Steinman was the
one who suggested it.

I need to go
rewrite my opening.

Did the judge wink?

I don't think Steinman
would go through a whole
day of jury selection

if she's already
made up her mind.

Makes me nervous.

Steinman held 34
bench trials last year.

Twenty-six acquittals.

So much for the power of
an autopsy photograph.

Read these lately?
We're catching flak for
going after this woman.

Abbie knows what she's doing.

What I keep telling myself.

It's called
failure to thrive.

It refers to a baby's failure
to achieve certain physical

milestones on
a predetermined
timeline.

And upon autopsy,
did Kyle Beltran exhibit
any indications that he'd

suffered from
failure to thrive?

Yes. There was virtually
no fatty tissue anywhere
on the child.

His bones were clubbed
and frayed, indicating
a severe vitamin deficiency.

He also tested
positive for osteoid.

There's no question
Kyle Beltran's death
resulted from starvation?

None.

The baby's length was
within normal parameters
wasn't it, Doctor?

In fact, it was in
the 85th percentile
for length at six weeks,

isn't that correct?

Yes.

And a long baby can
sometimes seem bigger
than it really is?

It might.

Babies also often lose weight
when they come home from
the hospital, don't they?

It's not unusual.

But those mothers aren't
starving their children
to death, are they, Doctor?

No. But one would expect
a weight gain to commence
within a short time.

How short a time?

It depends on the baby.

What you're saying then,
Doctor, is that the when
part isn't so definite?

Yes.

So my client, being
a new mother, might
simply have made a mistake.

Objection.

Sustained.

Doctor, have you ever come
across a death attributed
to failure to thrive

where the infant was under
the care of a pediatrician?

I have.

Nothing further.

Any redirect?

Doctor Rodgers,

in the last days of
Kyle Beltran's life,

what would the defendant have
seen with respect to her baby?

Your Honor, is this necessary?

I think it is for me.

The child's skin
would have sagged,

and he would have
developed a yellowish tint
from the vitamin deficiency.

His eyes would have
a sunken effect,

and he would also have
an aged appearance.

What about urine
and stool output?

Non-existent. His
diapers would be dry.

Crying?

Constant, I'd imagine.

But without tears.

We just weren't
ready for a baby,

for how difficult it is.

Kyle was always crying.

Amy wasn't getting any sleep.

She didn't have
anyone to talk to,

any help.

What about the
lactation counselor?

She went once.
She wouldn't go back.

Why?

She said
she didn't have to.

She said she took Kyle
to a clinic, and they told
her everything was fine.

What eventually happened
to your baby, Mr. Beltran?

I came home one night,
and I didn't hear
anything, you know?

Not crying or anything.

And where was Amy?

She was sitting
on the couch,

smoking a cigarette.

What did you do?

I asked her if
Kyle was asleep.

She didn't answer,
so I went inside to look.

Kyle was in his crib...

Dead.

Then what happened?

I guess she must have
followed me into the room,

so I just asked her
again what happened.

When she didn't answer again,

I slapped her.

She started bleeding.

And then?

Then,

she went into the bathroom,
and that's when I heard
the glass break.

She slammed
the medicine
cabinet door.

Did she say why?

Mr. Beltran,

did your wife tell you why
she smashed that mirror?

She said she
killed our baby.

Nothing further.

Amy never wanted
that baby, did she?

You were the one who insisted
that she have it, weren't you?

Yes.
Only, once she did,

you were never around.

Amy was the one getting
up in the middle of
the night, right?

I was working.
Working?

You mean you were too
busy to feed your own child?

That's not what I said.

When you came home
and found your baby dead,

did you call the police?

No.
No.

Instead, you wrapped
your child in a blanket,

and then you stuck
it in your tool bag.

Is that right?

I didn't want anything
to happen to Amy.

Oh, is that why
you're here testifying?

Objection.

Sustained.

The medical examiner
has said that anyone
looking at your baby,

could see that
it was in trouble.

Could you?

I called that counselor.

And did you follow up?

Amy said
everything was fine.

But you knew
that it wasn't,

didn't you?

There was formula
in that apartment,
there were bottles.

Ever think to feed
your son, Mr. Beltran?

Amy said
we weren't supposed to.

Ever think to bring
your son to a doctor?

Amy did.

But did you?

No.

But she's the one on trial.

No more questions.

You saw Amy Beltran
twice, is that right?

Yes. Once
at the hospital and once
as a walk-in to our clinic.

And you demonstrated
the proper techniques
to breastfeed?

Absolutely.

And she was able
to breastfeed in
your presence?

Yes. Her milk
production
seemed fine.

And you spoke
with her a third time?

She was supposed
to come into the clinic
for another appointment.

When she didn't,
I called her.

She told me
everything
was all right.

And this was about three weeks
after her visit with you?

Maybe a week before
the baby died?
Yes.

Thank you.

Amy Beltran came to you
because she was having
problems, isn't that right?

She seemed
unsure of herself.

But you told her that
women had been doing
this for generations.

That it was a normal
process. Correct?

Of course.

So if she was failing,
it was her fault.

If she was putting
in the effort,

there's no question she
would have been successful.

You told Amy not to give
her baby any bottles or
formula, didn't you?

A bottle is easier
for a baby to suck.

Once it has the bottle,
it may refuse to latch
onto the mother's breast.

Because breast milk
is best for the baby,

we encourage women to stick
with the breast only.

Yes, but you do more
than encourage, don't you?

I don't know
what you mean.

You told Amy Beltran that
bottle feeding her baby could
cause nipple confusion.

That her baby might not then
ever take to her breast.

Isn't that what
you said to her?

I use whatever methods
I can to insure that
the baby gets breast milk.

Yeah, and those methods
often include threats and
intimidation, don't they?

That's your interpretation.
No, ma'am.

That was my client's
interpretation.

Objection.

Sustained.

Breastfeeding is almost
a crusade with you, Miss
Strickland, isn't it?

That's not true.

You lecture on the
benefits of breast milk.

You have written articles
on the subject, haven't you?

That's far from a crusade.

Not that far, when you insist
that a mother breastfeed
her child exclusively,

when it's obvious that
a baby is in trouble.

You make it sound
like breastfeeding is
an unnatural process.

Formula is what's unnatural.

Children have difficulty
digesting it,

and it doesn't
contain the same
antibodies or immunities.

But babies don't starve
to death on it, do they?

The judge hated her.

If Tyrell hasn't made
out reasonable doubt,
she's coming pretty close.

Strickland's testimony
doesn't relieve Amy
of her responsibility.

Maybe not, but it helps
explain her conduct.

You thinking of
making her an offer?

If I do that, it'll
look like I'm worried.

You already look worried.

I don't know
what the next move is.

What if I make the offer?

That way, you can
keep the hard line.

Besides, it's been a while
since I played good cop.

Man one. She serves the max.
Eight-and-a-third to 25.

You're joking.

Do you see anyone
around here smiling?

There was a father here, too.

And a lactation counselor.

Any number of people
were responsible for
the death of that child.

Why is it just the
mother you want your
pound of flesh from?

Because, ultimately, she is
the one that failed that baby.

Criminal negligence.

She serves a year,
same as Jimmy.

Like you said, Jimmy's
not the one on trial here.

Man one.

I don't think so.

Come on.

Well,

we gave her a chance.

Yeah.

Only one thing to do now.
Stick the dagger in.

From the very beginning,
Kyle was having problems.

He wasn't doing like they
showed me at the hospital.

And there's, like, no way
to tell if he's getting
anything, you know?

Why not give him the formula?

I signed a contract.

A contract?

At the hospital, I promised
I would only breastfeed.

Miss Strickland said that
breast milk was best for Kyle.

She made it sound like
giving him a bottle
might be dangerous.

Well, what did you do?

I took Kyle
to a Medicaid clinic.

The nurse said that he was
normal size and everything.

But she told me
I couldn't see a doctor.

I didn't have my
Medicaid card yet.

She told me that I should come
back in about three weeks.

But by then...

Miss Strickland says that
you came to see her, too.

Yes.

And what happened
at that visit?

She started in again
about breast milk
being best for Kyle,

and that if there was a
problem, it was because
I wasn't trying hard enough.

Miss Strickland has also
testified that, sometime
afterward, she called you,

and you told her
everything was fine.

She made it seem like
it was my fault, you know?

Like I was a bad mother.

I just...

I wasn't going to go
through that again.

Tell us about the
night that Kyle died.

That last day,
he got real quiet.

I thought maybe he
was getting better.

I went in
to check on him,

and his little hands,
they were so cold.

I... I got a blanket
to wrap him, and, uh,

that's when I realized
he wasn't breathing.

What did you do?

There was
nothing I could do.

I was just so scared,
and Jimmy was so angry.

He told me he never
wanted to see me again.

He slapped me.

And he said that we
had to get rid of him,

rid of Kyle.

Why?

Because we didn't have
money for lawyers.

He said that we'd get
in a lot of trouble.

He said he'd take Kyle
to his parents' house.

Amy,

did you intend for
your baby to die?

No. No, I swear.

Okay.

You moved in with Mitch
Palichek the night Jimmy
left, didn't you?

I couldn't stay
in the apartment.

We heard testimony
from Mitch Palichek that

when you woke up
the next morning,

it was the first night's
sleep you had in several
months. Is that true?

It was.

So you were pretty happy
about not having a baby
to take care of anymore.

That isn't true.

Because now you
could smoke and sleep

and do all the things
you couldn't when
you were a mother.

It wasn't like that.

Mitch Palichek testified
that you told him you

wished you hadn't
ever gotten pregnant.

That's the way I...
I felt before he was born.

But you continued to feel
that way even after you
had him, didn't you?

No.
That's the way you felt

even as you watched
him starve to death.

Objection.
No.

Even as you watched
your husband

put his tiny, lifeless
body into that bag.

Your Honor?
Overruled.

I tried!

Is that why you turned up
the volume on the television
when you heard your baby cry?

Because you were trying?

I needed help.

You had help!
I didn't!

The hospital gave you formula,
but you didn't use it.

I told you why.

Even when you were turned
away from the clinic,

you didn't seek any other
medical help, did you?

The nurse said he was okay.

But you were his mother.

They said he was okay.

But you knew he wasn't,

didn't you?

You just wanted
your baby dead.

I didn't know what to do.
I swear, I didn't know!

Hand pumps,
electric pumps,

bottles, formula,

nipple confusion.

Imagine how frightening
it must have been for
a young woman

to have that kind
of responsibility,
Your Honor.

Her husband at
work all the time.

No family around
to help her,
to teach her.

She was isolated.

And the few people
she did reach out to,

only made her feel more
inadequate as a mother
than she already did.

Amy Beltran failed her child.

She doesn't need this
court to tell her that.

Only a woman can know
the social pressure
to breastfeed today.

And only a woman can suffer
the stigma of that failure.

Amy Beltran will live with it
for the rest of her life.

But her failure as a mother,

as tragic as it is,

is not criminal.

There is nothing
confusing about those
autopsy photographs.

They're a picture of
what this defendant
says she could not see,

and they are not the
picture of an accident.

It's hard to fathom a woman
letting her child starve
to death before her eyes.

But that is exactly
what Amy Beltran did.

Her lawyer suggests
that others are to blame.

But are we really at a point
where even feeding our babies

has become someone
else's responsibility?

Whether she was or wasn't
too young to be a mother,

the same law that protects
her right to make that choice,

demands that she be ready
to be one once it's born.

Instead, this mother,

who gave her child life,

chose to take it.

And that was not
her choice to make.

In a way, I think more than
one person should be standing
before this court today.

Certainly a father

and advocates who
dispense advice
in the form of intimidation.

Even medical personnel
who are more interested
in payment than patients.

But ultimately,

the responsibility for
a child must be placed
on the primary caregiver.

And even today, that
still means its mother.

Miss Beltran,

your depraved indifference
to the warning signs you had
to have seen in your child,

is only vitiated by your
attempts to seek help.
It is not excused.

I therefore find you
guilty of manslaughter
in the second degree

for recklessly causing
the death of your baby.

Judge Steinman
gave Amy Beltran

one and a half to four
and a half years in prison.

With one year
for Jimmy Beltran.

That's less than three years
between the both of them.

Talk about
a throwaway child.

I'm not happy about this.

You tried the case you had.

But I chose the case.

Tomorrow is
another day, Abbie.