Original subtitles

NARRATOR: THe new case,

MAN 1 ION TV] : Police have arrested basketball great, Rickey Latrell,

Get me out of here.

DOCKNOVICH : We enter a plea of not guilty.

On the issue of bail, my client is eager to demonstrate his innocence.

We assure the court that he will be ready and available for trial .

Bail is denied .

NARRATOR: THe Sharon Rooney case,

Tom Van Allan was kicking your butt, wasn,t he?

-I was behind in some polls. -You were desperate, weren,t you?

Read the highlighted passage, please.

"At this point, Garfield became agitated and said :

'The only way to prevent Van Allan's election is to have him killed . ' "

Did you say that?

NARRATOR: THe millionaire,

WYLER: You,d like for this trial to go away too?

I don,t have any feelings about it one way or the other.

Then you didn,t come into my office to discuss a plea-bargain. . .

. . .offered by Mr. Garfield for my client?

I thought it might benefit everyone involved .

So much so, you attempted to blackmail me into accepting it.

-That,s ludicrous. -So if I asked you to pull that videotape. . .

. . .out of your pocket, it would show us discussing the weather.

NARRATOR: THe new governor,

MAN 2 ION TV] : In one of the closest races in California history, , ,

, , ,Los Angeles District Attorney, Roger Garfield, has won a razor-thin victory,

I look forward to working with you in the days ahead, , ,

, , , to make California the Golden State,

NARRATOR: THe victim 's boyfriend,

One day she came home, and said she was moving out.

WYLER: Two days after this, something happened to you.

There was a knock at the door, and these two guys just pushed their way in.

-What kind of guys? -Muscle.

Told me I should stay away from Marlee, she was somebody else,s now .

They broke my leg and fractured my cheek.

-What'll happen if you try to see her? -They,d kill me.

NARRATOR: THe victim 's wife,

I will never believe my sister had an affair with Tom .

You are lying, aren,t you? You knew about your husband,s affair.

You weren't only angry, you were fit to kill .

-Why are you doing this? -Because, Mrs. Van Allan. . .

. . . I can,t save your sister. But I can save her.

NARRATOR: THe accused testifies,

-But you were at the beach house? -Yes.

GRASSO: You were in the room with the bloody bodies.

-Yes. -So the only question is. . .

-. . .whether you pulled the trigger. -I didn,t.

Do you care if this jury convicts you?

SHARON : I don,t want them to convict me.

If they do, and I get executed, at least I,ll be with my baby.

GRASSO: lt,s been a long haul, ladies and gentlemen.

And I,m sure there have been times when you felt. . .

. . .as if you were running a marathon.

I know I have.

And because there,s been so much publicity and sensationalism . . .

. . .surrounding this trial . . .

. . .it,s easy to lose sight of the real reason we,re here.

We,re here because the defendant, Sharon Rooney. . .

. . .did this to two human beings on the night of August 1 9th.

Now, you can expect Mr. Wyler to make a big to-do over the fact. . .

. . .that the case against his client is circumstantial .

Now, what does that mean? lt means no one actually saw her pull the trigger.

But Officer Beiden saw her fleeing Dean Lancaster,s beach house.

Strands of her blond hair were found outside of the bedroom . . .

. . .where the murders took place.

Carpet fibers from Sharon,s apartment were found at the foot of the bed . . .

. . .where the victims died .

The murder weapon. . .

. . . belonged to Sharon,s roommate, Sally.

And she reported it missing just two days before the murders.

All circumstantial evidence.

But all of the pieces go together.

All the pieces fit. . .

. . .forming a picture of murder times two. . .

. . .committed by. . .

. . .that woman.

Now, Mr. Wyler wants you to ignore your common sense.

He wants you to ignore the fact that Sharon was a jealous woman.

That she was a spurned lover. . .

. . .who Tom Van Allan had forced to have an abortion against her will . . .

. . .then jilted her for Marlee Donovan.

He,s gonna ask you to believe somebody else committed these murders.

In fact, he,s going to tell you that there was a conspiracy against his client.

He,ll trot out Caroline Van Allan again.

But Caroline Van Allan was 400 miles away when her husband was murdered .

There,s governor-elect Roger Garfield .

Mr. Wyler would have you believe. . .

. . .that Mr. Garfield is a modern-day Macbeth.

That somehow he had the time, during a grueling political campaign. . .

. . .to conceive of and carry out a complex and Byzantine plot. . .

. . .to murder his opponent.

And the list goes on. Sharon,s husband . . .

. . . Malcolm Dietrich, Officer Beiden. . .

. . .faceless Mob figures.

Mr. Wyler would have put the Cat in the Hat on the witness stand . . .

. . .if he thought it could get you to overlook the fact that Sharon Rooney. . .

. . .told us virtually the whole story.

She sat right there. . .

. . .and said that she went to Dean Lancaster,s beach house that evening .

The only part she left out was about pulling the trigger.

She lied about that.

But she told Adrienne Orduno the truth.

She told Adrienne Orduno. . .

. . .she killed Tom Van Allan and Marlee Donovan in cold blood . . .

. . .and then hid the gun behind a wall on the PCH near Big Rock.

And when the police went to find the gun. . .

. . .it was right where Sharon said it would be.

Yes, this is a circumstantial case.

Because the two people, who in all probability, witnessed the crime. . .

. . .can,t testify.

Tom Van Allan and Marlee Donovan. . .

. . . might not have heard the footsteps coming up the stairs.

And they might not have heard the door to the bedroom sliding open.

But they heard the gunshots.

And in that final moment. . .

. . .when the bullets from Sally Vaughn,s gun ripped through their bodies. . .

. . .they turned to see the face of their killer.

They turned to see the face. . .

. . .of the defendant, Sharon Rooney.

I know you got other things on your mind . . .

. . . but just so you know, you got a new paying customer if you want.

Carmine D,Nardis. He,s in custody. He wants to talk to you.

I thought Vic Fossa was the consigliere for the hooked-up guys.

You know, all the times you tried to put Carmine away. . .

. . . maybe he figures you two have a relationship.

-What,s the charge? -Homicide.

Yeah, it doesn,t surprise me.

SZYMANSKl : Whacked a numbers guy skimming from the lmperato family.

What,s weird is, someone dropped a dime on him .

Tell him I gotta get through this before I can take on new business.

That,s what I said .

Besides, being the mouthpiece for D,Nardis wasn,t exactly. . .

. . .the career path I had envisioned .

Uh-huh.

Just thought I,d pass it along .

-Thanks. -Good luck today.

I,m gonna need it.

-Good morning, everyone. ALL: Good morning .

Big day ahead . Miriam did a great job yesterday.

So we,ve got our work cut out for us.

Has everybody looked at my closing statement?

lt,s first-rate, Jimmy.

I think you covered all your points cogently and concisely. . .

. . .with both power and elegance.

-Two thumbs up, Jimmy. WYLER: Let,s hope the jury thinks so.

Where are we with the Latrell case?

We' re taking another run at bail . We,re on for next Thursday.

We,ve petitioned the court to let a physical therapist take a look at him .

He,s been having back spasms.

DOCKNOVICH : Sheriff's grumbling about preferential treatment.

Meanwhile, guards are lined up six-deep for autographs.

Well, keep me posted . Anything else we need to talk about?

Reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen.

Reasonable doubt.

Two words that compel you to acquit Sharon Rooney.

The prosecution has accused Sharon of killing two people.

Yet nobody actually saw who committed the crime.

They,ve accused her of using a handgun.

Yet the alleged murder weapon bears not one indication that she ever touched it.

They,ve accused her of committing these bloody crimes.

Yet there wasn,t a single speck of blood found on her.

Now, the government attorneys have argued . . .

. . .they,ve claimed, they,ve alleged .

But they have proven nothing .

Did anyone else stand to gain from Tom Van Allan,s death?

The prosecution never asked that question. . .

. . . because they knew the answers would further weaken an already flimsy case.

Why did they ignore Caroline Van Allan?

A woman who tolerated her husband,s chronic womanizing . . .

. . . but hated him . . .

. . .for committing adultery with her sister.

Her sister. . .

. . .who then killed herseIf because she was dumped by the governor.

Mrs. Van Allan certainly had motive.

Why did they ignore Michael Beiden. . .

. . .who was assigned to the governor,s security detail that night?

A violent and emotionally unstable man who despised the governor. . .

. . .and had his own affair with Caroline Van Allan.

He had a motive, as did Sharon,s husband . . .

. . .who still loved her. . .

. . .and had, on an earlier occasion, attempted to accost the governor.

Why did they ignore Roger Garfield, the governor,s bitter political opponent. . .

. . .who, at one point when he was trailing in the polls. . .

. . .commented the only way that he could stop Tom Van Allan. . .

. . .from being elected was to have him killed?

Why did they ignore Malcolm Dietrich, a wealthy manipulator. . .

. . .who had a grudge against Tom Van Allan. . .

. . .and who is the power behind Garfield?

The prosecution chose to ignore the testimony. . .

. . .of Donny McKee, who swore. . .

. . .that Marlee Donovan was the property of jealous Mob figures. . .

. . .who would do anything to control her, including murder.

But the prosecution didn,t ignore Sharon Rooney.

Why?

Because she was an easy mark.

A vulnerable young woman whose affair with the governor was known. . .

. . .to a campaign staff riddled with spies.

Someone whose mistreatment by the governor. . .

. . . rendered her susceptible to a frame-up.

Now, Ms. Grasso claims that Sharon confessed to Adrienne Orduno.

But Adrienne Orduno had every reason to fabricate a confession.

Help is always on the way from a district attorney. . .

. . .grateful to a prisoner for favors done.

I know .

I was a district attorney.

And what about the so-called other confession?

A plaintive cry heard in court from a young woman in despair.

Sharon said, "l,m the one who,s guilty. "

Guilty of what?

The abortion of her unborn child .

That guilt that Sharon felt. . .

. . .the violation of her deeply felt religious conviction. . .

. . .and what she saw as the betrayal of her husband . . .

. . .were what caused that outburst.

She was blaming herself for what she,d done to them .

Not for what somebody else had done to Tom Van Allan and Marlee Donovan.

Reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen.

That is the standard of proof that you must apply to the government,s case.

And if you do, you will conclude. . .

. . .the prosecution has flunked the test.

The prosecution had said nothing and done nothing to erase your doubt.

Your very reasonable doubt. . .

. . .that Sharon Rooney is on trial for a crime that she did not commit.

And when you consider those doubts. . .

. . .as you must, you will come back with a verdict of not guilty. . .

SHARON : Jimmy.

I can,t stand this. This wait is driving me crazy.

Sharon, you,ve got to try and stay calm .

ls there any chance at all of me getting acquitted?

APPLETON : An excellent chance.

Jimmy did a terrific job in there yesterday.

I wanna let myself think about walking out that door. . .

. . .going back to a normal life. I don,t think that can ever happen.

-Of course it can. -How?

Especially-- I,m getting letters like this in the mail . . .

. . .from my landlord .

Tenants in the building signed a petition. They say. . .

. . .if I,m acquitted, they don,t want me back.

They don,t want someone like me around .

Then we,ll find you somewhere else to live.

lt,s a big world, Sharon.

I don,t know if it,s big enough.

REPORTER 1 : How do you think you did?

REPORTER 2: Any predictions? -I leave predictions to astrologers.

REPORTER 3: How,s Sharon doing? -She,s cautiously optimistic.

Sharon trusts that the jury will be able to discern the truth.

You,ve gotten 43 convictions as a prosecutor.

How does it feel to be on the other side?

Jimmy, Carmine D,Nardis called . He needs to see you.

-lt,s gonna have to wait. -He said it,s urgent.

He,s got information you want to hear.

But he,s afraid he might not live long enough to tell it.

I wanna give you some information.

And I want you to get me out of here.

lt was my understanding that Vic Fossa is representing you.

Vic doesn,t know me anymore.

You,re a lawyer I can trust.

Even the lmperatos cut me loose. I,m in here with the yoms.

-lt,s open season. -There,s an open contract out on you?

Yeah.

-Why? -I don,t know where it,s coming from .

Take out 40 or 50 people in a career. . .

. . .you make enemies.

-What kind of facts you gonna give me? -What do you need?

I do work for a lot of OC guys. I can give up a dozen hits in L.A. alone.

lncluding that one you tried to get me on a couple years back.

I need specifics.

How about we start with the jobs I did for Lou lmperato?

What,s in it for me, Carmine?

You get me immunity and relocation. . .

Do you have a minute to see Lee Michaelson?

Oh, of course. Send him in.

Thanks for seeing me.

Sit down.

Maybe I,m getting too far out in front of things.

But I was lying in bed at 4:30 this morning thinking . . .

. . .if I was Rickey,s lawyer how would I get him off?

And what I came up with was generating alternate suspects.

You know who the front-runner was? Me.

You are getting too far out in front of things.

You and I both know that your best shot here. . .

. . .is to find another donkey to pin this murder on.

There was no shortage of people who were happy. . .

-. . .to attend Sandy Fortas, funeral . -lt,s no secret. I hated the man,s guts.

This deal of Rickey,s, we weren,t negotiating .

-We were at war. -Well, that,s your job.

lt,s gonna be your job to put a smoking gun in my hand if it means Rickey walks.

I think it,s too early to tell how this thing is gonna go down.

Yeah.

Well . . . .

lt,s taken me 20 years to get where I am .

-And if you play this card-- -Lee, we've been friends for a long time.

Not for a minute do I think you murdered Sandy Fortas.

Since when does a lawyer have to believe his case to make it?

Our game plan is not to destroy the lives of innocent people.

Especially friends.

But if it,s what you gotta do. . . .

Look, I learned a long time ago that in a murder trial . . .

. . .you can never say never.

But at this point in time. . .

. . . I wouldn,t lose any sleep over it.

Okay.

But if you change your mind . . . .

You,ll be the first to know .

We,re getting requests for interviews. What,s the policy?

Talk to everybody. Jury comes back with a not-guilty verdict. . .

. . .and we,re gonna get an avalanche of free publicity.

If the verdict goes against us, then we start the spade work on the appeal .

-How's Sharon holding up? -Pretty well .

Justine,s down at Sybil Brand babysitting .

ls this a good time to talk about Carmine D,Nardis?

Because I got a problem with us representing this kind of specimen.

DOCKNOVICH : I' m with Aaron. We,re solvent.

We worked hard to get a good rep off Rooney and Latrell .

No reason to work with organized crime.

WYLER: Except for one. In exchange for blanket immunity. . .

. . . D,Nardis has agreed to give us the name. . .

-. . .of Van Allan,s killer. -Whoa.

Jimmy, you really think this guy,s on the level?

WYLER: If he isn,t, we,ll know soon enough.

But if he is, depending on the verdict, it,s something that we have to play out.

They want you in court.

The jury has asked to review some evidence.

BELL: We,re back on the record in the Rooney matter.

As indicated, the jury has submitted a question to me.

Copies have been distributed to counsel, which reads as follows:

"We, the members of the jury, want to hear all of Officer Beiden,s answers. . .

. . .to Ms. Grasso,s questions when she called him as a witness. "

Your Honor, in order to review such direct testimony. . .

. . .in a fair and reasoned manner. . .

. . .we insist that Officer Beiden,s cross-examination also be read back.

That,s not what the jury asked for, and that,s not what the law requires.

Out of fairness to Ms. Rooney. . .

. . .justice requires that the testimony be read in its proper context.

GRASSO: Justice isn,t the issue here.

Mr. Wyler,s scared because the jury wants to hear the eyewitness account. . .

. . .of his client fleeing the scene.

lt,s a ploy, the sole purpose of which is to obfuscate Officer Beiden,s testimony.

Which didn't hold up under cross-examination.

This is a straightforward issue.

The jury has the right to request the testimony they wanna hear.

Now, I wanna save a lot of shoe leather and ask both sides to stipulate. . .

. . .to the court reporter, going back there and reading what was asked for.

And only that.

SHARON : All of those witnesses and all of that testimony. . .

. . .and all these people want to hear about is me running down the beach?

-I,m gonna get convicted . -Let,s not read the tea leaves.

-They,re not gonna tell us anything . -Why? Everybody else is.

The guards, the girls in my cell block, the people on TV.

WYLER: If I had a dollar for every pundit that called a case wrong, I,d be rich.

The jurors won,t even look at me.

What could that mean? They,re gonna find me guilty.

We don,t know that. Look, there are 1 2 people on a jury.

lt takes one dissenting voice to hang the vote.

Even if the verdict goes against us, we can appeal it. We can still win.

What you need to know, Sharon, is that we will not abandon you.

Not now, not down the road .

You,ve got to believe that.

I just don,t want to talk about it anymore. I just want it to end .

GARFIELD: Jimmy.

Good closing argument.

Day late and a dollar short, if you want my opinion.

As usual, you,re good on your feet. What can I do for you?

-I have a proposal . -Regarding?

Carmine D,Nardis.

Guys, give us a minute.

You must not be confident about winning the Rooney case. . .

. . .if you feel the need to take on D,Nardis.

I have a business to run. I,m covering my downside.

You want to be careful . That type of client has a lot of friends in low places.

Sit.

D,Nardis knows that he,s facing death row .

-He can count on it. -And in an effort to preclude. . .

. . .that eventuality, he,s willing to talk.

Why would I want to listen?

He can close the books on 1 2 hits.

And give up his employers, whose names you may recognize.

And the price of Mr. D,Nardis, cooperation?

lmmunity.

And protective custody.

What,s my incentive to deal?

Well, let,s say that you lose the Rooney case.

-For the sake of argument. -Or you get a hung jury.

Do you want that to be the legacy of your tenure as DA?

I can protect your downside.

lmmunity is a tall order for a stone-cold killer.

And there is a significant political upside for you.

IINTERCOM BEEPS]

ICLEARS THROAT]

Yeah?

Tell her I,ll be right there.

I gotta take this.

The wife,s picking out a new china pattern for the governor,s mansion.

On this D,Nardis thing . . . .

I,m not there yet. I have to think about it.

Yeah, well, don,t think about it too long .

D,Nardis, health could suddenly deteriorate.

ISOFT KNOCKING]

-Hey, Jimmy. -Hey.

-What a pleasant surprise. -How are you doing?

I,d feel better if I knew what the jury was thinking .

I saw your closing .

If it were up to me, Sharon Rooney would be home now .

Thanks for your vote of confidence.

I,ve been offered a job at First Bay Bank in San Francisco.

-Executive VP. -Good for you.

I think I' m gonna take it.

lt,s not that I don,t stilI have feelings for you, Jimmy. I do.

-But. -I,m not sure what the "but" is.

Maybe it,s the job.

Or maybe this time we,ve had apart has given me a chance to think.

I,ve seen you go from a rookie defense attorney. . .

. . .examining your insecurities in the mirror. . .

. . .to this guy standing up there yesterday.

What, you,d prefer that I was insecure?

Maybe I prefer you needing me a little more.

What makes you think that I don,t?

Caroline Van Allan, for one.

That,s over.

So are we.

As much as I,ve resisted saying it, it,s the truth.

And I,m more than a little sad that it is.

Me too.

SPIVAK: Another cup of joe?

Like I,m not a bundle of nerves already.

-Never gets any easier, does it? SPIVAK: lt,s like roulette.

You,re frantic, but there,s nothing to do except sit there. . .

. . .and wait for the wheel to stop spinning .

My mother called . They did a straw poll at her bridge club.

-And? DOCKNOVICH : You don,t want to know .

Jury,s been out three days. Tell me that,s not good .

lt,s not a good sign. lt,s not a bad sign.

lt,s three days.

They,ve reached a verdict.

BELL: We are back on the record in the People v, Rooney.

Madam Foreperson, have you reached a verdict?

Yes, we have, Your Honor.

Please hand the verdict forms to the bailiff.

ls this a true and correct verdict?

Yes, Your Honor.

Will the defendant please rise.

-How say you? -On count one. . .

. . .a violation of section 1 87-A of the penal code. . .

. . .of the state of California. . .

. . .to wit the charge of murder in the first degree. . .

. . .for the premeditated and deliberate taking of the life of Thomas Van Allan. . .

. . .we, the jury, in the above-entitled action. . .

. . .find the defendant, Sharon Rooney, not guilty.

ICHATTER]

On count two, a violation of section 1 87-A. . .

. . .of the penal code of the state of California. . .

. . .to wit the charge of murder in the first degree. . .

. . .for the premeditated and deliberate taking of the life. . .

. . .of Marlee Alice Donovan. . .

. . .we, the jury, in the above-entitled action. . .

. . .find the defendant, Sharon Rooney, not guilty.

ICHATTER]

BELL: Ms. Grasso, Mr. Wyler, do you wish to have the jury polled?

WYLER: No, thank you.

No, thank you, Your Honor.

Ms. Rooney, you will be out-processed with the utmost dispatch.

I wish you well .

Members of the jury, I thank you for your time and your patience.

REPORTER 1 : How do you feel? REPORTER 2: You got away scot-free.

APPLETON : Get out of our way. WYLER: Ms. Rooney did not get away. . .

. . .with anything . The murderers of Governor Van Allan. . .

. . .and Marlee Donovan got away.

How will you deal with mental problems? You gonna get treatment?

A jury of my client,s peers has examined the case against her. . .

. . .and have found it without merit.

Sharon Rooney is innocent. I hope you remember that. . .

. . .when you write your stories. Thank you.

Rot in hell, you murdering bitch!

Why did she just spit in my face?

-I don,t know that woman. APPLETON : The world,s full of nuts.

-Try not to let it bother you. -I'll let people spit in my face.

There are people out there that think Charles Manson is a political prisoner.

The Night Stalker is a good catch. Don,t let them rent a room in your head, okay?

Good evening . I,m Felicia Norell, and my guests tonight. . .

. . .are Sharon Rooney and trial attorney James Wyler.

What were you feeling when you heard the words, "Not guilty" ?

Well, relief.

Surprise. But most of all, I was--

I was feeling much gratitude to God .

Did you think you were going to win this case?

Well, you can never tell what a jury,s gonna do.

Because each one is different.

We presented a good case. But truthfully speaking . . .

. . . I don,t think the jury bought the prosecution,s theory.

Which is not a reflection on Miriam Grasso, who did a credible job. . .

. . .with a shaky case that was based on circumstantial evidence.

NORELL: Sharon, did you ever ask yourseIf why this was happening to you?

SHARON : Yes. Every day.

I,d wake up in my cell . . .

. . .and see those bars. . .

. . .and remember where I was.

And it really started to scare me.

But then I would remind myself that this was all happening for a reason.

That this was God,s plan for me.

That he needed me to have this experience.

As some kind of punishment?

And to redeem me.

Which I didn,t understand at first. But now I do.

NORELL: Though you convinced a jury of Sharon,s innocence. . .

. . .you failed to convince a majority of Americans. . .

. . .who, according to a telephone survey we conducted . . .

. . . believe by a margin of two to one. . .

. . .that your client got away with murder.

Was there ever any doubt on your part that Sharon committed these crimes?

No. I always believed in Sharon,s innocence.

I,m just glad now that it,s a matter of public record .

NORELL: Does it make you angry that there,s the feeling out there. . .

. . .that you got away with something?

That justice hasn,t been served?

Well, no.

I think people are gonna think what they wilI think.

And I just have to try to learn to accept that.

But in the meantime, I have to pray. . .

. . .for God,s love because his judgment is really all that matters.

WYLER: That,s another thing your poll indicates.

That people think Sharon was on trial for something other than murder.

The abortion, an adulterous affair with a prominent public official?

Even if she wasn,t guilty. . .

. . .she,d done a lot of things that had offended a lot of people.

And consequently, they just wanted to see her punished for something .

How are you going to deal with those people on a daily basis?

I don,t know .

NORELL: Well, a jury said Sharon didn,t pull the trigger. Then who?

Michael Beiden? Caroline Van Allan? The Mob?

I really can,t speculate on that. That,s not my job.

That,s the responsibility of the L.A. P. D. . .

. . .and the prosecutor,s office.

Who I hope will vigorously pursue this investigation. . .

. . .and bring whoever committed this heinous crime to justice.

What,s next for you?

You must be ready for a vacation.

Well, I am going to sleep in, which I haven,t been able to do for a while.

A well-deserved rest.

James Wyler, thank you for joining us.

Sharon, good luck.

THank you,

We'll be back in a moment,

ICORK POPPING]

ICHEERING]

APPLETON : That,s great.

WOMAN 1 : Oh, look who's here. WOMAN 2: Hey.

-Hi . MOSELY : Hey, congratulations.

MOSELY : Good job, James.

-You having a good time? WOMAN 3: Great time.

BOUNCER: This is a private party. -Jimmy.

-We gotta talk, man. -About what?

About our deal .

He,s okay.

Thanks.

Hey, congratulations, you know, on a job very well done.

What deal are we talking about?

My paper,s exclusive with your client, Jimmy. That deal .

Felicia Norell may have been first with electronic media.

I want first crack on the print side like you promised me.

I,m a man of my word . You,ll get your interview .

Great.

-But not tonight. -Come on, Jimmy.

Call my office, we,ll set something up.

-One quote from Sharon. Just one. -No. No.

-There,s somebody I want you to meet. -No.

ISPEAKING lNDISTINCTLY]

Sharon? Les Bostic, National Inquisitor. May I?

And don,t worry, Jimmy,s given me strict instructions.

I,m not supposed to ask you any questions.

But I do have a proposition I,d like for you to think about.

You see, my paper also has a tape division.

We are interested in putting together a tape of you telling your side of the story.

She,s not interested .

Before you start jumping to conclusions and saying no, just let me finish.

-See, I see this as-- -Okay, that,s it.

Very tasteful .

See, we can start out by shooting you at the actual crime scene.

Then, the women's clinic where you can talk to us. . .

. . .about what was going through your head during that abortion.

WYLER: I told you not to talk to her.

-Good night, Les. -No questions--?

WYLER: You' re done for the evening . Deposit this gentleman at his car.

BOSTIC: Just having a conversation. -Or underneath it.

ISIGHS]

I,m sorry about that. You okay?

I guess I,ll just be a magnet for creeps from now on, huh?

No, all this is gonna blow over.

Can I get you something? A drink of wine?

SHARON : No, thanks. But, Jimmy. . .

. . . I really did want to tell you. . .

. . . how grateful I am .

I don,t know how I can ever thank you enough.

Sure you can.

By putting this all behind you and living the great life that you deserve.

I hope you won,t forget me.

Come here.

Thank you.

-Aaron? -No, thanks, man. I,m driving .

I,m not.

Thank you.

ISPEAKING lNDISTINCTLY]

Mrs. Wyler, champagne?

No, thanks. I,ll stick to Scotch.

My age, I have enough gas in my system .

You,re gonna like it.

-lt,s a great vintage, trust me. -Trust you?

-I don,t even know you. -Arnold Spivak. Nice to meet you.

-You have a light? -Yep.

My son has spoken of you.

You,re supposed to be good at something .

Research and legal brief preparation is probably how he. . .

. . .characterized my contribution.

I also handle complex litigation motions, both civil and criminal .

Uh-huh.

As a well-schooled jurist who understands. . .

. . .common-law origins of the concept, I,m not adverse. . . .

To victory.

IIN lTALIAN] Cin cin.

-You did a great job. -Thanks.

Say, you wanna--? You wanna get some dinner?

You know, someplace quiet.

And maybe catch a late movie or whatever?

-Chris, are you hitting on me? -I don,t know .

Am I?

Monday morning we wouldn,t be able to look at each other.

ILAUGHING]

Right.

You,re right.

That Arnold Spivak is a horse,s ass.

Well, actually, I find him kind of endearing .

And he,s a damn fine lawyer.

Well, I,d think about cutting him loose, if I were you.

Well, you,re not.

Don,t I get a pat on the head or an "attaboy" for winning the case?

You only did haIf your job.

Mom, I hate Malcolm Dietrich as much as you do.

But I,m not gonna dignify the man by making him my life,s work.

And neither should you.

The only thing that keeps me going is to bring him down.

And what kind of life is that?

Sitting around plotting your revenge and nursing your anger?

He took my husband from me.

My anger is the only thing that keeps me warm at night.

Excuse me. Jimmy, we,ve got a problem . You,ve gotta come.

APPLETON : Sharon, open up.

She told me she was going to the ladies, room a half-hour ago.

WYLER: Sharon?

Sharon!

Call 91 1 .

Sorry, Jimmy.

I turned on the news when I got home from the party and heard .

I didn,t want to bother you at home.

How are we. . .

. . .coming along with the opening statement for the Latrell case?

Okay.

Job one is to get the jury thinking about alternative scenarios.

WYLER: Which would be what? -That Lee Michaelson did the murder.

Based on what evidence?

MOSELY : He was the only person, besides Rickey. . .

. . .who was in Sandy Fortas, office.

Plus, he found the body.

Yeah, I figure if we can hammer on the animus between Fortas and Michaelson. . .

-. . .we could have a shot. -At what?

Ruining an innocent man,s life?

No, at getting our client off.

Which was my job description the last time I looked .

-How about you knock off the remarks? -How about you let me run my case?

Come on. Why don,t we just table this conversation for a day or two.

Until things settle down.

Whether we talk about this in a day or two, I am not. . .

. . . hanging Lee Michaelson out to dry.

You two go a long way back. But isn,t there some precedence here?

You and Justine ripped your criminalist friend apart. . .

. . .for having attention deficit disorder. lt helped your case.

-How is this different? -We were raising questions. . .

. . .about his credibility as an expert witness. . .

. . .which is a far cry from accusing him of murder.

DOCKNOVICH : Point taken. But Caroline Van Allan. . .

. . . Beiden, Kyle Rooney.

I mean, we went after them, and they pulled through.

But this is not a shotgun defense we,re talking about.

Where we line up different suspects and create reasonable doubt.

You,re talking about using a rifle.

You,re talking about putting Michaelson in the cross hairs and pulling the trigger.

And what I,m asking you guys, which I think I,m entitled to ask. . .

. . .is do you think he,s guilty?

I don,t have to.

Then that,s where you and I part ways.

Are you sure you,re not letting personal feelings affect how we represent a client?

This is not about personal feelings.

This is about vigorously representing our client. . .

. . .in a fair, responsible and ethical way.

Now, if that,s asking too much of you guys. . .

IWYLER CLEARS THROAT]

I,m gonna make a statement to the press.

You wanna come with me?

Can I pass?

Not a problem .

I was with that girl every day for months.

I could have done something .

I should have been able to stop this from happening .

-Coulda, woulda, shoulda, right? -Well, don,t be too hard on yourself.

We got this girl out from under a murder rap.

I mean, conventional wisdom says. . .

. . .that this is a good thing .

So that lets us off the hook?

That,s what I,ve been saying to convince myself.

But without much success.

The irony is, if we,d lost, at least she,d still be alive.

So do you think we should have thrown the case?

No.

lt,s just that this really sucks.

Yeah, it does.

This will be my only statement.

And I won,t be taking any questions.

In the last few months. . .

. . .Sharon had been struggling valiantly to overcome loss.

The loss of her child, the loss of her husband . . .

. . .and the loss of her reputation.

But even in her darkest moments. . .

. . .Sharon never lost her courage or her dignity.

Now that Sharon has lost her life, we would all do well to remember Sharon. . .

. . .for the person that she really was.

A sweet, caring young woman. . .

. . .who became the third victim in a terrible crime. . .

. . .that took the lives of Tom Van Allan and Marlee Donovan.

Sharon Rooney will be deeply missed .

God rest her soul .

My sympathies on your client.

Though I,m convinced of her guilt, I get no satisfaction from this conclusion.

You are nothing if not a great humanitarian.

I,ve been thinking about your offer.

As much as it pains me to provide comfort for a man. . .

. . .of Carmine D,Nardis, character. . .

. . . I,m prepared to deal .

We,re not dealing . Blanket immunity or nothing .

-Out of the question. -You need this, Roger.

You ran for office on an anticrime platform, but you lost the Rooney case.

Here,s an opportunity to catch up on lost ground .

You,re overlooking one thing . I won the election.

I don,t see that I have incentive to give you what you want.

You started running for re-election the minute you were elected .

Now, D,Nardis can give us lmperato, plus 1 1 other hits in this town.

He did jobs in San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno.

And your face will be on the cover of every newspaper in this state. . .

. . .for the next three years.

By which time, you,ll be announcing your candidacy for the U .S. Senate.

Limited immunity for crimes D,Nardis gives up.

-Unacceptable. -How do I know this guy,s on the level?

Pull up the Ray Bascom file.

D,Nardis did him with a . 22. Second shot was to the temple.

First shot was to his manhood .

Only the shot to the head was given to the paper.

He can tie Lou lmperato to the Bascom murder?

With a pretty little bow .

-Okay. -Okay, what, Roger?

-The train is leaving the station. -Blanket immunity.

Provided his information checks and he delivers Lou lmperato.

Put that in writing, we,ve got a deal .

He,ll do a contract-killing on a handshake, but wants a written agreement with me?

Go figure.

D' NARDIS: Ray Bascom . Guy gets loaded one night. . .

. . . bangs Frankie lmperato,s daughter.

Frankie finds out, gets Ed Bello to put out the hit.

-What,d Bello pay you? -Five up front, 20 on the back.

BIGGIO: In cash?

What do you think, I take Green Stamps?

And the shot to the groin. That was a message?

Frankie believed his daughter was a virgin.

My instructions were to give Ray something . . .

. . .to think about before I finished him off.

I think he understood he made a mistake.

-I was promised Lou lmperato. D' NARDIS: I gave you Bello.

I wouldn,t fix a parking ticket for Ed Bello.

I want Lou and I want Frankie, or I,m going back to the DA,s.

Come on, Carmine, it was part of our deal .

I picked up the 20 in the back end of some steak joint in Santa Monica.

Ed was there with Lou and Frankie.

They thanked me personally.

-And you,ll testify to that? -Yeah.

BIGGIO: Okay.

A moment, counselor?

Just make sure that your client here understands there's no backing out.

He understands, Vince.

I,ll be back with a video guy to get his statement.

Giving up Lou. I hated to do that.

Yeah, I can appreciate your moral dilemma.

Now, tell me who killed Governor Van Allan and Marlee Donovan.

What,s the difference anyway?

You got your girl off.

Yeah, and she went and killed herself.

The least I can do is clear her name.

Come on, Carmine.

Who killed them?

You,re looking at him, counselor.

lt was me.

I did .

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