All language subtitles for Law and Order S08E03 Navy Blues.DVDRip.HI.en.UNVSL

NARRATOR: In the
criminal justice system

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.

Officer, please, please,
my Bruno ran down there.

Don't worry, ma'am.
We'll take care of it.

This should put us on
the fast track for promotion.

Yeah. Tell me about it.

Take a look over
there. I'll look down here.

Yeah. Right.

(DOG YELPING)

I think I see him.

Here, Bruno, nice doggy.
Your mommy's looking for you.

Scroungy little rat.

Oh, man!

Why do these things always
happen at the end of a shift.

BRISCOE: Look at his tan lines.

He's missing a ring and a watch.

CURTIS: Got a
wallet? BRISCOE: No.

CURTIS: What do you think? 9mm?

BRISCOE: Maybe.

Victim number five, huh?

Maybe.

You think it's that mugger
who kills his victims?

I don't think.

No exit wound.

Navy.

"Stroud, Robert J.
Blood type B negative."

Catholic.

Funny place for a mugging.

CSU says that they saw
blood up on the roadway.

Probably rolled down.

So what happened to the dog?

He's with my partner.

Where's your partner?

Lincoln Hospital.

The paramedics couldn't
pry the dog from his butt.

What kind of dog?

Chihuahua.

Let me know how they
word the commendation.

Anything from the scene?

No.

We got a time of death yet?

The same day he left the ship.

The 4th, between
9:30 and 11:00 p.m.

Five victims in six weeks.

You get a description
of the missing property?

Yeah. Black leather
wallet, monogrammed,

a Russian watch he
acquired in the Gulf

and a gold wedding
ring, engraved.

We'll add the stuff to
the pawnshop bulletins.

Or we can get on the
phones. (GRUNTS)

(CHUCKLES)

Hey, it's not rocket science.

You check the bulletin, then
you check your inventory.

If anything
matches, you call us.

CURTIS: It's a Russian watch.

Soviet? Yeah, I'll hold.

Hi. This is Detective
Briscoe, the 27th Precinct.

We need to add a few items
to your stolen property bulletin.

Well, does anybody
there speak English?

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

Who you got?

A whiny guy named Palumbo.

Palumbo?

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

Louis? Yeah, it's
Briscoe. (LAUGHS)

Yeah, I know, I know. You
never fenced anything in your life.

Do me a favor and look again.

No, you won't get back to me, you'll
do it now or I'm coming over there.

How many hock shops
in the five boroughs?

I've got Mets tickets next month.
Yeah? Yeah, what kind of an item?

Gold starburst with
sapphire and tourmalines?

Don't move. We'll be right over.

And don't lose
it, and don't sell it.

We've got a hit. Brooch
from the third victim.

Hey, I read the papers. I
hear this guy whacks people.

Which one? What?

I'm watching you, Louis. I
saw that look. Which one?

I want protection.

You got 14 cousins that look like a
moose herd when they get together.

I think they can babysit you for a
few hours while we bag the guy.

Which one?

How about after you bag the guy?

Five counts.

Murder one with special
circumstances. He ain't gonna make bail.

Which one?

Which one?

Lenny Travers. Paroled
from Attica eight weeks ago.

Armed robbery.

Guess they didn't explain the
terms of his parole real well.

Well, check with his PO to make
sure that's his current address

and move on him.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING ON RADIO)

Last chance, Travers.

(GUN FIRING)

OFFICER 1: Go! Go! Go!

Clear!

OFFICER 2: Clear in the back!

Yeah, you're a
couple of real heroes.

You hid behind ESU till the guy
was dead. (MEN CHUCKLING)

Well, next time we'll let
you take the point, Anderson.

With that gut, you could stop a
whole clip and still keep charging.

We cleared five murders.
What'd you do today?

VAN BUREN: Four.

At least try to look busy.

The Navy guy wasn't
shot with Travers' gun.

Maybe Travers had two guns.

Well, let's go on the assumption

that somebody else
killed Chief Stroud.

Here's the autopsy
and the ballistics report.

Open a new file,
start filling it up.

Healthy as a horse except
for one cracked rib, recent.

Yeah. And one bullet
to the brain. More recent.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

(DOOR OPENING)

Commander Billings?

I'm Detective Curtis,
this is Detective Briscoe.

Your captain said we should
talk to you about Stroud, Robert, J.

You find the killer yet?

BRISCOE: No. Not yet.

But we're looking.

When was he on the ship last?

He had liberty on the 4th, and he
wasn't back for quarters at 0700.

CURTIS: What did you do?

We placed him on
unauthorized absence.

What was his rank?

He was a chief aviation
mechanics mate,

in charge of one of the crews
that refuels, maintains our aircraft.

Did he say anything
about his plans for liberty?

Museums? Walking tours?

Hookers?

He was married.

Well, so? He's here in the Big
Apple, she's not, you know...

BILLINGS: But she was.

She serves on the
supply ship Lambert,

which moored the
same day that we did.

She's a quartermaster.

I didn't see my
husband on the 4th.

You're in the same port at the
same time, you don't see each other?

What is this about? I thought
Bobby was shot by a mugger.

You know anybody who
would've wanted him dead?

You didn't answer my question.

The mugger didn't do
it, so somebody else did.

Did Bobby have any enemies?

Not that I know of.

But we were usually
separated by a continent or two.

Were you separated
by anything else?

Or somebody else?

What does that mean? You don't
know or you're not gonna say?

I'm the wrong person to ask.

Well, who's the
right person to ask?

You should ask somebody who
spent more time with him than I did.

If you'll excuse me, I have
to change for the watch.

She have anybody in
particular to be jealous about?

There are 3,652
sailors on this ship.

I don't monitor
their personal lives

unless they have
problems with Navy regs.

CURTIS: Anybody bring
Stroud to your attention?

Yes. He was decorated
during the Gulf War.

Pulled a pilot from a
burning plane on deck.

BRISCOE: You got
any women on board?

Sixty-four women.

Stroud hound dog any of them?

Stroud's wife seems to
think he was fooling around,

so we just need to
follow up, you know.

BRISCOE: Could we talk
to his immediate superior?

That would be his
pilot, Lieutenant Blair.

He was the best crew
chief I've ever worked with.

There was nothing he
didn't know about the F-14.

He sleeping with
anybody on the ship?

Not that I know of.

You ever meet Stroud's wife?

Is that the direction
this is pointing?

Well, the dial's still spinning.
Did you ever meet her?

Briefly.

She seem like the jealous type?

I don't know her well
enough to have an opinion.

Did Stroud ever come on to you?

I work hard to keep my professional
relationships professional.

Well, he must've
found you attractive.

It's a non-issue.

The Navy says I can't
fraternize, so I don't.

But you would if you could?

No.

You didn't find him attractive?

I don't sleep with married men.

The Navy has a rule
about that, too, and so do I.

If there's anything specific I
can do, please let me know.

Stroud was a fine sailor.

Everyone on the ship
wants to see justice done.

No, I don't know
who these kids are.

No, I don't want you to give
him a lecture and let him go.

Put him in a holding
cell and call his father.

Problem?

My son.

Manhattan South caught
him tagging a truck.

Arrest report. Stroud, Robert J.

Assault, 11-10-96.

Bar brawl. Hampton, Virginia. It's
where the broken rib came from.

The charges were dropped.

Turned out Stroud
wasn't the attacker.

Who was? VAN BUREN: His wife.

Witnesses said that
she started the beef,

then he shoved her,
she threw a punch.

He had 60 pounds on her.
How'd he get a busted rib?

She flipped him over the
bar. Where's her arrest report?

He refused to press charges.

Bet he'd like to
change his mind now.

I had the watch that
night. I never left the ship.

Can anybody confirm that?

Lieutenant Slade, Ensign
Blackledge, Machinist's Mate Wilson.

You busted your husband's
ribs a couple of months back.

One rib.

I caught him with another woman.

Caught him, how?

I knew he was fooling
around again, so I followed him.

She met him at a bar.

What'd they do?

They were all over each other,

and she knew he was married.
She should've left him alone.

How am I supposed to compete
with the poster girl for the new Navy?

Who're we talking about?

His pilot. Lieutenant
high-and-mighty Blair.

I wrote a letter of complaint to
the Bureau of Naval Personnel.

They said they'd investigate.

All they did was
sweep it under the rug.

Why would they do that?

Please. They spent
$5,000,000 training her.

And she's who they point to when anybody
starts screaming about discrimination.

We're gonna need
to run ballistics

on whatever 9mm guns
you have access to, all right?

You're sure we're talking about
the 4th? That was a Thursday.

Okay, thanks.

She never left
the ship on the 4th.

And if she killed him, she didn't
use any 9mm in the ship's locker.

(IN SINGSONG VOICE)
Round and round we go.

The investigation was
assigned to Commander Halibert,

executive officer of the ship.

Now according to his report, both
Stroud and Blair denied the allegation.

And he just took
their word for it?

No.

Blair said she was
involved with a civilian,

Halibert talked to
him, and it checked out.

How come you didn't tell us all
this stuff the last time we were here?

Look, I don't know where you
people think you're going with this,

but let me tell you something.

Lieutenant Blair was one of the
first women in US Navy history

to qualify for night
carrier landings.

You think she's gonna screw that
up for some glorified deckhand?

Who's the civilian
she was seeing?

An engineer at GE.

Yeah, I dated her.

What kind of
relationship did you have?

A dating relationship.

Was it serious?

I thought so, and
then she broke it off.

You don't seem
too torn up about it.

I'm failing to see what
makes it your business.

Well, this is the easy way.

If you'd like to
come downtown...

(SIGHS)

What is she, some kind of spy?

The Navy was on
my back for weeks,

and now you guys.

Okay, and I'm not
doing this again.

I dated her for six months. When
she was in New York, we went out.

She broke up with me last fall.

You told the Navy it was
still going hot and heavy.

She asked me to.

She asked you to lie?

Maybe stretch it a little.

So why'd she break it off?

She said she met the
man of her dreams.

She put it that way?
The "man of her dreams"?

She happen to give you a name?

No. She said it was
somebody on her ship.

I assumed it was another pilot.

BLAIR: I lied to him.

I didn't want to see him anymore.
He wouldn't leave me alone.

So I made up a story.

I wasn't seeing anybody else.

Including Stroud?

Including Stroud.

What'd you do on the 4th?
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

This is Lieutenant
Commander Mclntyre

from the Judge
Advocate General's office.

You don't have to
answer their questions.

I want to.

I had liberty on the
4th, starting at 1300.

I spent the afternoon
at the Cloisters.

I ate dinner in a cafe
on Bleecker Street.

No, I don't remember the
name of it, and I went to a movie.

CURTIS: What movie?

The Lost World.

At a multiplex in Times Square.

What time?

2100.

Opposite ends of Manhattan,
that's a lot of traveling.

You get any taxi receipts?

BLAIR: I used my car.

You keep a car in the city?

At my parents'
house. In Connecticut.

Where is it now?

At a parking garage
on West 38th. Webber's.

CURTIS: You mind
if we examine it?

MCINTYRE: Not without a warrant.

I think Lieutenant Blair
has cooperated enough.

You want to talk to her
again, go through me.

Looks like the grieving
widow was right

about the Navy
protecting their poster girl.

And about the affair.

You know, we
don't need a warrant

to look at the
outside of the car.

This is it here. She took it out last
Thursday. Yeah, here it is, the 4th.

1:36 p.m.

You remember her?

She's what I dream
about. (CHUCKLES)

When did she bring it back?

Not while I was here.

This is one clean car.

MAN: It was a little
dusty when she took it out.

Here it is. 11:48,
same day, p.m.

Hey, Lennie, the tint on this
window is different than the others.

New window?

CURTIS: "Heinrich
Muller Exotic Cars."

Müller. There's an umlaut. Heinrich's
kind of a stickler for the umlaut.

She told me somebody smashed the
window when it was parked someplace.

She didn't get
any more specific?

You want the truth,
I stopped listening,

I was picturing how
she'd look in leather.

You come to any conclusions?

There's Jerry. He
worked on the car.

What'd you do with
the broken glass?

I didn't find any
pieces in the track,

but some had
fallen in the panel.

They always do.

How do you know
those are from her car?

Custom tint job.

Now, there was
one, a corner piece,

with the DOT
number, there it is.

No blood?

You sound disappointed.

The bullet that
shattered her window

was fired from inside the car.

Forensics found powder
residue on the glass.

How do we know it was her car?

'Cause the mechanic says
so. 'Cause the lab says so.

The DOT number matches.

What does she say
about it? Nothing.

JAG won't let us near her.

Did you check her alibi yet?

CURTIS: Nobody
saw her at the Cloisters.

We canvassed every eating
place on Bleecker, no result.

None of the employees at the
movie house ever saw her before.

Yeah. And this is a woman
people tend to remember.

CURTIS: She's in the Navy.
Here today, gone tomorrow.

If we don't move on her now...

Talk to the D.A.
about a warrant.

JACK: I'm not looking for a
debate, Commander Mclntyre.

The court has issued
an arrest warrant,

and I'm giving you
the option of arranging

a time and place
for her to surrender.

Thank you for your cooperation.

You can pick her
up 2:30 p.m. Pier 88.

I've got 2:40. What've you got?

I got bandits at two o'clock.

Where's Lieutenant Blair?

I've been instructed
to tell you the Navy

is asserting
jurisdiction in this case.

We have a warrant.

We have Lieutenant Blair.
And we're keeping her.

I've got two Navy
lawyers in my office.

They want all the police and
lab reports for their investigation.

We're not thinking of
ceding jurisdiction, are we?

We're not ceding anything until
we know what we're dealing with.

Book some time
with the grand jury.

Get an indictment. Murder two.

Cover the bases.

We realize your office has
concurrent jurisdiction with the Navy.

We don't want to get
into a shooting war.

Neither do I.

How do you intend to proceed
against Lieutenant Blair?

Based on her statement, we
believe the shooting was accidental.

She's admitted shooting Stroud?

She explained the
events to our satisfaction.

Then you won't mind if
she explains them to us.

It will be off the record.

JACK: Absolutely not.

She makes it, she lives with it.

So you want a
shooting war, after all.

ADAM: We're all
in the same boat.

We don't want to look
too accommodating,

you don't want to
look too secretive.

Lieutenant Blair will repeat the
sworn statement she made to the Navy.

She will answer no questions.

Stroud told me he and his
wife were going to get a divorce.

The relationship was still
wrong under Navy regulations,

so I won't try to excuse it.

When I found out his wife
was still in the picture, I ended it.

I didn't want to wreck a
marriage or my career.

But he wouldn't stop seeing me.

I agreed to meet
him one last time.

We had dinner in
Manhattan. Marlowe's.

I told him I wasn't
willing to risk my career

to be with someone
who'd lie to me.

I drove him back to
drop him off near the ship.

He wouldn't get out of the car.

He said he wanted to keep on, I
won't use the word he used, seeing me.

Said he liked
sleeping with a pilot.

I tried to reason with him.

He drew a gun and
ordered me to drive on.

We stopped on the road
above where you found the body.

He said if I refused to have
sex with him right then and there,

he'd tell the CO we'd
lied about the affair.

I said go ahead.

He opened his door and
ordered me to get out.

I grabbed the gun.

Being forced to have sex is an
experience I don't need to have.

We struggled, the gun went off,

the bullet zinged by my head
and shattered my window.

We kept struggling. The
second shot killed him.

I've never seen someone
die right in front of me.

His eyes went dead. There
was an awareness, then nothing.

He dropped the
gun, fell out of the car

and rolled down the embankment.

And you just left him there?

No questions.

We need to clarify some points.

Talk to me.

(SIGHS)

So she climbed
down the embankment

and took his wallet
and his valuables?

The body was lying in the
bushes for quite some time.

Some bum must've
picked him clean.

Where's the weapon?

She threw it off the pier.

LOPEZ: Our divers
recovered it yesterday.

We confirmed it was Stroud's.
He bought it legally in Florida.

JACK: We're not done. We are.

Lieutenant Blair
came here voluntarily.

One step ahead
of an arrest warrant.

Thank you for
coming, Lieutenant.

In a struggle with
a guy who's 6'1",

she's the one who's left
behind to tell the story?

Lieutenant Blair committed serious
infractions of military regulations.

She will be
disciplined accordingly.

"Accordingly"? When our
investigation is complete,

we'll know better
where we stand.

Have the police trace her steps.

Oh, yes, I remember them.

I wanted to go, "Ditch the
date, honey, and come with me."

Yeah, she is a head-turner.

Not her. Him.

You got his phone
number in your little book?

They don't have
phones where he is.

Did you happen to overhear
any of their conversation?

Mmm. Not really. My
impression was that

she was upset, he
was very masterful.

Dominating.

What time did they leave?

About 9:30, 9:45.

I offered to hail him a cab, but he
said he had a car across the street.

Do they have phones
where you live?

Yeah, if you want
to talk to my wife.

Hey, he's a fun guy.
You could do worse.

People in uniform all
look the same to me.

This guy was wearing
chinos and a polo shirt, blue,

maybe a tan windbreaker.

You know how many
people I see every day?

This would be between
9:30 and 10:00 on the 4th.

How many people you see then?

Okay, hang on, that
was last Thursday, right?

I got off at 10:00 'cause I
had to go to the Port Authority,

and the last people I
saw were three drunks

that come from somewhere
they don't speak English

and don't know what a tip is.

Oh, yeah, I remember them.

Z3, right?

He was saying, "What did you
think, sex has gotta be about love?"

She say anything back?

Don't know, I
went to get the car.

Guy's a real jerk,
but he tips good.

The passenger tipped you?

Well, he snatched the keys away
from her and got behind the wheel.

She was barely in the car

before he squealed out of here
like he was late for his last meal.

She lied again.

JACK: She had to say he
was in the passenger seat.

That's the only way he could've
rolled down the embankment.

ADAM: So he didn't.

She dragged him to the
edge, pushed him over.

This also means both shots
were fired in his direction.

The one that
shattered the window,

and the one that
stayed in his head.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Got our indictment.

ADAM: Good.

Now go arm wrestle
the Navy for jurisdiction.

WAXMAN: You're saying
that the United States Navy,

in order to protect a valuable
officer, would overlook murder.

I'm saying if I chose to, I could
charge Lieutenant Blair with perjury.

If Mr. McCoy has some
facts to share with us,

we'd be more than happy to
consider them in our investigation.

Their investigation amounts to
taking dictation from Lieutenant Blair.

(SCOFFS) That's ridiculous.

In any event, according
to Solorio v. the US,

the Navy can assert jurisdiction

over cases involving
its personnel.

We're contending our concurrent
jurisdiction takes precedence.

We're ready to proceed
against Lieutenant Blair

while the Navy's
been dragging its feet.

That's completely inaccurate.
We've recovered Stroud's weapon.

And we've indicted
Lieutenant Blair for murder two.

This is dated four days ago.

Your Honor, this is bad faith.

While Mr. McCoy and
Mr. Schiff were stringing us along,

Ms. Ross was tap
dancing for the grand jury.

They must've liked
what they heard.

I'm afraid Lieutenant Blair is going
to have to have a civilian attorney.

"Docket number 77134,
People v. Kirstin Blair.

"Charge is murder
in the second degree."

I see a defendant,
I see a prosecutor,

why don't I see the
defense counsel?

MILLER: I'm right
here, Your Honor.

Though why I'm here and why
my client is here is a mystery to me.

TISDALE: Can we get a plea?

Not guilty, ma'am.

The People request
bail of $250,000.

My client has a spotless record.

She is a commissioned officer
in the United States Navy.

Her word of honor
should suffice.

We ask that she be ROR'ed.

Her ship is about to
sail for Newport News.

COLEMAN: With your
permission, Your Honor,

I'm Lieutenant Commander Coleman

of the Judge Advocate
General's office,

and I state for the record

that the Navy will not
remove Lieutenant Blair

from the jurisdiction
of this court.

These are the same
people who don't seem to feel

the Lieutenant's criminal
actions warrant prosecution.

This is a federal writ of
prohibition which bars the Navy

from transporting
or transferring

the defendant
outside the jurisdiction.

Has the D.A. declared war
on the US Navy, Ms. Ross?

Just making sure, Your Honor.

So noted.

The defendant is ROR'ed

and will not leave
the jurisdiction

without permission
from the court.

(POUNDS GAVEL)

Jamie, that writ of prohibition
was a little over the top.

We're finding we need a big
stick to get the Navy's attention.

Careful where you step.

I'm a Lieutenant
in the Reserves.

I was in the JAG
office in the '70s.

Then you know how
ridiculous the Navy's rules are.

I can see why she tried
to cover up the affair.

If she'll come clean now, we can discuss
dropping the charges to manslaughter.

She's not guilty.

(SCOFFS) Come on, Ruthie,
every time she opens her mouth,

another lie pops out.

Look at her
statement to the Navy.

What statement?

The statement is inadmissible.

My client wasn't
properly Mirandized.

The spirit of Miranda
was adhered to,

the essence of the protection
is embodied in JAG rules.

Under the Uniform
Code of Military Justice,

there is no right
to remain silent,

there is no protection
against self-incrimination.

This is the spirit of Miranda?

If she'd been arrested and
Mirandized by the NYPD,

she'd still have given the same
self-serving, untruthful statement.

If, if, if. Since that didn't
happen, we'll never know.

No matter how you
slice it, Mr. McCoy,

she was not properly Mirandized.

The statement is inadmissible.

Statement or not, the
facts are on our side.

Facts don't win
cases. Make a deal.

I'm not handing Blair
the keys to the city.

I'll give on sentencing, but
she has to plead to murder two.

Why play tough?
At most it's man one.

She acted under extreme
emotional distress.

That's a very charitable spin.

The fact is, we don't know
what really happened in that car.

She really killed
him. She really lied.

If you weren't so starry-eyed
over the great Kirstin Blair...

What, because I think she committed
manslaughter instead of murder? Come on!

Adam, you want this plea, so
tell me, murder two or man one?

Kirstin Blair is the best thing
to happen to military aviation

since Eddie Rickenbacker.

Her picture is on every
little girl's bedroom wall

right next to Sally Ride.

Your case.

Murder two, 15-to-life.

MILLER: Please.

She defends herself
against an armed attacker,

a gun, his gun,
accidentally discharges.

We might go to man one.

You're gonna have to
go all the way down to,

"Oops, sorry, we made a mistake,
we're dropping the charges."

Don't hold your breath.

MILLER: Have you looked
at Stroud's service record?

We've subpoenaed
it. We're still waiting.

The man was a pig.
Come on, Kirstin.

I see. We're going to try the
defendant, you're gonna try the victim.

The victim here
is Lieutenant Blair.

You don't just jump in with an
offer that we haven't discussed.

Excuse me, now I need
permission to join the conversation?

And besides, we did
discuss it, with Adam,

who doesn't seem to feel
we have much of a case.

We can support murder
two on the evidence.

The worst thing the woman did
was get pushed over the edge

by the Navy and
that bastard Stroud.

Every single piece
of evidence we have

contradicts her
version of events.

Damn it!

Here's Stroud's record.

And this is a
summary of Blair's.

Draft a new subpoena. I want
her entire record, warts and all.

Now you're getting paranoid.
Maybe they just believe her story.

Sure, it's a classic
she-said, he-said

except she made sure he
wasn't around to do the he-said.

So now it's a
she-said, you-said.

Lying does not
help her credibility.

If the Navy's rules
about adultery

and fraternization
weren't so medieval,

she wouldn't have to lie.

Blair knew the rules! She
didn't have to join the Navy!

Don't you people have a
murder trial starting in 11 hours?

And remember,
it is a murder trial,

not a debate between Gloria
Steinem and George Patton.

JACK: You will hear a
fingerprint expert testify

that the defendant was
in control of the gun.

You will hear
ballistics evidence

that the shooting
was not accidental.

You will hear from witnesses
who overheard conversations

between Mr. Stroud and Ms. Blair

on the night that
he was murdered.

At the conclusion of the People's
case, you will be convinced

that Lieutenant Blair is guilty
of murder in the second degree.

Lieutenant Blair made two
mistakes. She fell in love with a cad,

and she broke the
Navy's antediluvian rules

regarding romantic involvements.

She knew the Navy applies
those rules capriciously,

different spanks
for different ranks.

A slap on the wrist
for adulterous admirals,

imprisonment for
philandering lieutenants.

She and Mr. Stroud tried
to cover up their affair.

And when Lieutenant Blair
tried to end the deception,

Mr. Stroud showed
his true colors.

He had a gun. He
threatened her with it.

Far from losing control,
she kept her cool

and was able to
withstand his attack.

Mr. Stroud's death
was an accident

for which he himself
bears the responsibility.

You will hear two
versions of this story.

The truth lies in
Kirstin Blair's character.

My parents taught me the essence of
good character isn't about perfection,

it's about owning your
mistakes and learning from them.

She's good.

Special media training.

MAN ON TV: Let
me ask you, Kirstin,

what's it like landing an F-14
on a carrier deck at night?

I mean, that
sounds really scary.

A good pilot doesn't
even break a sweat.

If you're going to just
sit there and worry about

what all could go wrong,
you shouldn't be there.

CHUCK ON TV: Why did
you want to be a Navy pilot?

Where else could I
do what I love doing

while at the same
time defending liberty.

MILLER: This is the kind
of patriotism and dedication

the Navy is willing
to sacrifice, Chuck.

Well, they say they need their
rules about sexual conduct.

This is not about
military necessity.

This is about big government
trying to legislate morality.

Not just in sexual matters,
but in every area of our lives,

including what you can
and can't watch on television.

MAN: We'll continue
our... (TURNS OFF TV)

Get a gag order.

McNElL: I take it you saw
the Chuck Baxter show.

Ms. Miller seems to favor
the court of public opinion.

MILLER: The jury
is sequestered, Jack.

They're allowed conjugal
visits. You think they don't talk?

They're forbidden
to discuss the case.

I'm going to issue the
gag order, Ms. Miller.

You and your client are
forbidden to discuss this case

with any non-party or
non-witness outside the courtroom.

Bailiff, let's
bring in the jury.

She broke it off last fall,
she said she'd found real love,

"everlasting" was the word she
used, with someone on her ship.

No further questions.

Isn't it true you tried to break
off the relationship last summer?

Yes. MILLER: Why?

She started getting
kind of possessive.

And it wasn't that
serious for me.

Are you saying that the relationship
meant more to her than to you?

Yes, it seemed that way.

Was she obsessed with you?

I don't know about obsessed.

Was she upset when you tried to
break off the relationship with her?

Yes.

She didn't try to
kill you, did she?

No.

Thank you. No further questions.

MRS. STROUD: He
always came back to me.

I guess he was just
one of those men

who needed more than
one woman could give him.

At any time, did he talk to
you about Lieutenant Blair?

After I caught them in the bar,

he told me that she was
the one who had it bad.

He said for him it was
just a fling like the others.

It wasn't serious.

Did you believe him? Yes.

Did you ask him to stop
seeing Lieutenant Blair?

Yes.

Did he stop?

No.

Did he tell you why?

Answer the
question, Mrs. Stroud.

He said that she was better in bed
than me, that she made him hotter.

And you didn't take this as a
serious threat to your marriage?

That's right. Then why did
you file a formal complaint?

Why did you risk publicly
humiliating yourself

and ruining his career
in order to stop the affair?

I don't know. I
was angry at him.

But he loved me. Not her.

I investigated the
alleged relationship

between Lieutenant
Blair and Chief Stroud.

They denied the allegations.

I reminded them both

that the Uniform
Code of Military Justice

prohibits adultery
and fraternization.

And what's the punishment for these
kinds of violations, Commander Halibert?

HALIBERT: The maximum?

Court-martial, dishonorable
discharge, possible prison term.

As a naval officer,

would Lieutenant
Blair have been aware

of these sanctions
prior to her affair?

The Uniform Code
of Military Justice

is required learning
for all naval officers.

And she had the affair anyway.

Mr. Stroud must've
meant a great deal to her.

Objection. Withdrawn.

No further questions.

You put people in prison
for adultery, is that right?

Yes. Outside of the Middle East,

can you name
any civilized society

that puts adulterers
behind bars?

HALIBERT: I'm not
qualified to answer that.

Our rules exist to maintain good
order and discipline within the ranks.

You can't apply civilian
morality to military culture.

What about sexual harassment,
is that an infraction of the rules?

Yes. The punishment depends
on the severity of the offense.

Defense's eight, Chief
Stroud's service record.

Commander Halibert,

how many sexual harassment
complaints do you see in his file?

Eleven.

Does the file indicate

what punishment Stroud
received for his behavior?

I was the one who
imposed the penalty.

He was confined to his ship and ordered
to undergo gender-sensitivity training.

Touchy-feely classes?

Commander, isn't it true

that you were so busy
stamping out adultery,

you let a sexual predator like
Stroud fall between the cracks?

We're in a politically
mandated situation, ma'am.

It's new to us,

but we're making every effort to meet the
expectations of the civilian authorities.

You're doing the best you can?

Yes.

Thank you, Commander.

I'm just swatting at an image.

Swat harder.

I don't have enough ammunition.

Blair's service record, finally.

Have a pleasant
evening. And good luck.

I love the Navy's idea of
unabridged. Most of it's classified.

Now I'm getting paranoid.

What seems to be missing
are her training records.

She trained at Miramar
Naval Air Station.

I called them, but all I
got was the run-around.

What are they hiding?

Beats me.

But I did get the names
of the training personnel

on the carrier where
she got qualified.

This one, Ottenberg, left
the service a few months ago.

He might talk. I'm
tracking him down.

I want him in my office.

OTTENBERG: I was landing
signal officer on the Minnesota.

I was there when Blair
trained for night landings.

If they'd left it up to me, I
wouldn't have qualified her.

Why not? She had five downs.

Downs?

Major mistakes. Everybody
else, it's two downs, you're out.

Two? They don't give
you much leeway, do they?

No, sir. You don't want a pilot
that can't land the damn plane.

Why'd they make an
exception for Blair?

They were under orders to
qualify some female pilots ASAP.

This stuff burns me up.

What? Qualifying female pilots?

No, ma'am.
Qualifying bad pilots.

She's that bad?

She got better,

but she's never
gonna be an F-14 pilot.

You think I'm
wrong, listen to this.

I kept it to cover my
ass, and I'm glad I did.

I felt I could no longer wear the
uniform while lying to my superiors.

MILLER: How did
Mr. Stroud take the rejection?

BLAIR: He got very angry.

He told me to take the
wheel and drive. I did.

Were you afraid of him? No.

I can take care of myself. I just
didn't want to pour salt in the wound.

MILLER: What happened next?

He pulled a gun and
had me stop on the road.

He told me to
get out of the car.

When he turned away to open
his door, I grabbed the gun.

We struggled. The
gun went off twice.

One bullet shattered the driver's
window and the other killed him.

Did you intend to shoot him?

No.

It was an accident.

The impact of the bullet had
knocked him out of the car.

I went to see if
he was badly hurt.

He was dead.

MILLER: What did you do then?

BLAIR: I drove off.

Why did you do that?

I left the scene to
report the accident.

I headed back towards the
ship but by the time I got there,

I started to see how
unlikely it was I'd be believed.

I've seen what happens to
women who try to fight back.

The system is stacked against
us, especially in the military.

That seems cold.

BLAIR: I've been trained to
make quick, calculated decisions.

In this case, I made
a very bad decision,

one I'll be sorry for
for the rest of my life.

I can't excuse it, but I truly
thought I would not be believed.

And, in fact, you were
right, weren't you?

Well, I'm here.

Thank you.

It is your contention,

on the night of
Mr. Stroud's death,

you were breaking up with him?

The man you described
as your everlasting love?

The man of your dreams?

Yes, I broke up with him.

We've heard
testimony from a waiter

and a parking lot attendant that
contradicts your story. Were they wrong?

They didn't hear
the whole discussion.

Mr. Stroud humiliated you.
You must've been angry.

I have been trained
to control my emotions.

Under all circumstances?
They never break free?

No, they don't.

You never lose control?

You want to know
how I conduct myself,

take a look at
my service record.

When you do what I do,
losing control is not an option.

You lose control, you die.

People's 17.

This is a recording

of US Navy training
flight number 001954,

the carrier Minnesota.

Do you recall that
flight, Ms. Blair?

Your Honor, I renew my
objection to this so-called evidence.

So noted. Go on, Mr. McCoy.

Do you know what's on this tape?

I'll refresh your memory.

The voices you'll hear belong
to Lieutenant William Ottenberg,

landing signal officer
on the carrier Minnesota,

and to Lieutenant Blair

in an F-14 on approach
for a night landing

on the carrier off of San Diego.

OTTENBERG: Blair,
you're next in line.

BLAIR: Negative, I'm not.

OTTENBERG: Check your
lineup, Blair. Watch the meatball.

BLAIR: I can't do this! I can
barely see the deck lights.

OTTENBERG: Keep
your scan moving.

BLAIR: (HYSTERICALLY)
I can't! I'm gonna crash!

OTTENBERG: Right for lineup.

BLAIR: I can't do it!

OTTENBERG: Wave
off. Wave off. Wave off.

BLAIR: Oh, my God! OTTENBERG:
Raise your gear, raise your gear.

BLAIR: I'm trying. Oh, God!

OTTENBERG:
Burner, burner, burner.

OTTENBERG: Fifty-four,
what's your status? Fifty-four?

BLAIR: I can't do
this, Ottenberg.

Hand me off to Miramar.

OTTENBERG: Bring her
back around. You can do it.

BLAIR: No. Hand me off.
Let me make a ground landing.

OTTENBERG: This is a
training flight, Lieutenant.

You already know how
to make ground landings.

BLAIR: Yeah, because I had
good trainers, not morons, like you.

OTTENBERG: Cool it, Lieutenant.

BLAIR: You screw me over,

I'm gonna rip you a new one.

Did you rip him a new one?

I filed a report.

Was this your first
attempt at a night landing?

No, it was my third.

How many years have you
been in the Navy, Ms. Blair?

Five-and-a-half.

This recording was
made six months ago.

At what point did you learn

the steely control of your
emotions you alluded to earlier?

McNElL: Ms. Blair?

She doesn't have to
answer, Your Honor.

No more questions.

This morning
Kirstin Blair allocuted

and pled guilty to the charge of
manslaughter in the first degree.

Judge McNeil imposed sentence
of twelve-and-a-half-to-25,

as agreed to by the district
attorney's office and Ms. Blair.

Did she admit she
killed him deliberately?

I think the guilty
plea speaks for itself.

Not necessarily.

Ms. Blair! Ms.
Blair! Kirstin! Kirstin!

Kirstin, why'd you cop a plea?

When you have the US Navy

and the authorities of the
New York State government

aligned against you in
pressing an unjust charge,

well, sometimes concession
is the better part of valor.

Our training methods
undergo constant evaluation,

but in any large organizations,

things sometimes
fall through the cracks.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

So, it's man one.
You were right.

If you're trying to make
me feel better, thanks.

It's like finding Amelia
Earhart flew to Bakersfield

and hid out for 50 years.

I got over Pete Rose.