Original subtitles

♪ Have a holly jolly Christmas ♪

♪ It's the best time of the year... ♪

Will they run out before we get in there?

No. We'll get him a robot, then.

A six-year-old really doesn't need a drone anyway.

I know, but I promised him.

It'll be fine, all right? They're not gonna run out.

♪ When you walk down the street ♪

And we're okay money-wise?

I already told you, I can swing it.

I'll put my half on a credit card.

Yeah, just keep walking. You'll see me.

Will you be able to pay his child support?

I really count on that.

Like I said,

- next week, soon as I get paid. - ♪ Somebody waits for you... ♪

I'm sorry.

I know you're trying.

- Here we are. - What took you so long?

Oh, we had to wait for Thanksgiving dinner to end.

I had to find a bar. Had to close a bar.

Excuse me. We've been waiting out here

- for over four hours. - Okay. So have I.

- Your friends haven't. - Okay, hey, come on.

- Everyone's gonna get in. - That's not the point.

I just told you, I've been here, saving their place.

There's no saving places. Your friends could get

to the back of the line

and wait their turn, just like everybody else!

First of all, lower your voice.

Second of all, it's three people.

And third of all, it's the holidays.

Let's keep it festive, Cruella de Vil.

Hey. That's my wife you're talking to, all right?

Oh, you have my deepest sympathies.

Oh, sorry.

Security! Help! Police? Security?

- Someone! - And take

your ugly wife with you.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, that's going on here?

Officer, I'm so glad to see you.

I-I was just standing in line, minding my business.

He's lying. He punched my husband,

and they all ganged up on him.

Which one's your husband? You okay?

- Guy hit me in the head. - Say what?!

I'm the one on the ground.

This man is a menace, and the wife...

Hey, all right. You, get up

I'm calling for a wagon.

You clowns can discuss this in court.

- Oh... - What? What?

- They came at me, man. - Hey. You're all under arrest.

Oh, come on, dude.

I'm Cassandra Bennet, your public defender.

Looks like your co-defendants hired private attorneys.

- They've been released. - They're not my co-defendants.

The prosecutor's asking for bail.

Bail? Come on, I was the one who was attacked.

I didn't do anything.

Your intake says you're from outside the jurisdiction.

Where do you live?

Philly. My wife lives here.

Separated.

You have four defaults on your record,

- all drunk and disorderlies. - Come on.

Those are from a long time ago.

Before I was married. Before I had a kid.

I'm six months sober.

D.A.'s saying you're a flight risk.

He's asking for bail. $5,000 cash.

I don't have that kind of money.

And I have to be at work Monday morning.

Can your wife help?

No, look, if I'm not at work I'm gonna lose my job.

- And if I lose my job... - So, what's it gonna be?

The D.A.'s offering a deal. Plead guilty to simple assault,

admit you pushed the guy, you'll get a $75 fine

and community service.

That's...

Wait a second, that-that's not fair.

What do you... I was surrounded.

There was four of them, there was one of me.

I didn't start it. The guy punched me in the face.

The cops said the other guy was on the ground.

He was drunk.

I gave him a shove to keep him away from me.

Don't I get to tell someone that?

- Don't I get to tell a judge? - Sure. Monday.

I have to come back Monday?

No, you don't have to come back.

You're going to be in jail until then, okay?

Or you can pay the bail, or you can take this deal.

Oh...

Sir, can I help you with this?

It's a misdemeanor. It's $75.

They'll transfer your community service to Philly.

This will have absolutely no impact on your life

going forward.

You'll be able to spend the weekend with your family

and you'll be back at work on Monday.

$75.

Deal's off the table in 60 seconds.

Okay, fine. I'll take the deal.

Plead guilty.

What can I do for you?

- Chris Coleman. - Yes.

You pled guilty to assault last week in New York?

Yeah. So? What's this about?

- The guy that you assaulted... - I didn't assault anyone.

He went into a coma two nights ago.

Result of the head injury you inflicted upon him

when you assaulted him.

He died this morning.

You're being charged with manslaughter.

Hands behind your back, sir.

♪ It's the most wonderful time ♪

♪ Of the year. ♪

Ah, look, Ms. Bennet, you've got to ease up on yourself.

There's no way you could have known

that a run-of-the-mill plea would go sideways like that.

Yeah, but I was the one who told him to take the deal.

Now he's sitting in a cell at Rikers

staring at 20 years.

If only he'd waited and gone to trial,

he almost certainly would have been found not guilty.

Well, first of all, he couldn't make bail,

so that's not on you.

Second of all, every lawyer in your office

would have done the same thing.

Strike that. Every lawyer in your office

has done the same thing.

I did it when I was an A.D.A.

Look, I know I barely know you.

I know I'm just this young public defender

you and your boss make mincemeat out of

in the courtroom, but I could really use some help.

What are you talking about?

Well, he's got no money.

No money. He's got a wife and a kid.

And... he's already pleaded guilty.

He is going to lose.

Unless he gets some high-powered help,

he is going to lose.

Well, aren't you high-powered enough?

Mr. Colón, I've been doing this for 18 months.

I like to think I'm really smart.

Smart enough to know when I'm just not smart enough.

I know you and your firm do pro bono work. I-I-I promise

I will do all the heavy lifting.

You guys wouldn't even have to go to court.

If I could just check in about strategy,

maybe get you to make an appearance at voir dire.

Guy's facing 20 years for something he didn't do,

pled guilty for expediency's sake,

and now he's caught up in the system and he can't get out.

- Sounds like something out of Kafka. - Exactly.

So who's the public defender?

Oh, she's a kid.

I think she sat third chair against us a couple of times.

Kind of reminds me of me at that age.

Look, we won't even have to go to court.

She just wants us to weigh in on some strategy,

maybe show up for voir dire.

So what do you think?

And keep in mind it's the holiday season.

Oh, it's okay, I'm already on the naughty list.

Sure.

If we don't really have to do anything.

Oh, a-and any way that I could set up a meeting

between you and the A.D.A.?

See if maybe you could sweet talk this ambitious punk

into dropping the charges?

Mm-hmm.

What happened to "we don't even have to go to court"?

Well, w-we don't.

I figured, if you powwow with the A.D.A.

and he drops the case,

then we really don't have to go to court.

Let go of the door and let's consider it

your early Christmas present.

Ah, Bull, you shouldn't have.

You're preaching to the choir, pal.

A.D.A. Russo?

Forgive me for barging in unannounced.

My name's Dr. Jason Bull, and I'm working with Chris Coleman.

You have a minute?

Dr. Bull. I know who you are.

Uh,

welcome to misdemeanor row. I'd tell you to pull up a chair,

but that would assume you brought one with you.

You want mine?

- No, I'm good right here. - Thanks.

Wow.

It's the kind of office you work like hell to get out of.

You guys into fantasy football?

Yup.

Uh, what-what can I do for you, Dr. Bull?

I know you didn't come all this way to, uh,

check out the office, did you?

I was hoping to get you to drop the charges against my client.

Why would I do that?

Because the only thing he's guilty of is bad luck.

Well, that is your opinion,

and you're entitled to it, certainly.

But from my vantage point, from the city's vantage point,

he laid his hands on a guy

and that guy subsequently died.

Mm, not exactly.

We both know if my client had had $5,000 for bail,

he wouldn't be in this situation.

He'd still be facing manslaughter charges.

No, he wouldn't.

He wouldn't have pled guilty, he would've pled innocent,

which is what he is.

And then he would've explained to a jury that,

when he was attacked, all he did

was protect himself.

The truth is, his guilty plea

is the only piece of evidence you have against him.

Well, the good news is, if he is innocent,

as you say he is, uh, a jury will acquit him.

I'm guessing this your first felony trial.

Everybody has their first, Dr. Bull.

Absolutely. Everybody has a first.

The important thing is, once you get your shot,

you don't want to lose.

Oh, I'm not worried.

See, I have three witnesses and a dead body and a guilty plea,

so I'm feeling pretty good.

Excellent. I can't even begin to tell you

how important your feelings are to me.

See you in court, Mr. Russo.

See you in court, Dr. Bull.

*BULL (2016)* Season 03 Episode 08

*BULL (2016)* Episode Title: "But For The Grace"

Good morning, sir.

First day of court. Beginning of voir dire.

Always my favorite.

Little something we need to do first.

Oh...

We're gonna throw that poor girl under the bus?

I don't see that we have much choice.

Well, we always have a choice.

Hey.

This is not a case I asked for. This is not a case I chased.

Nevertheless, I would like to win,

and the only argument we have,

the only one that makes any sense at all,

is that this man was given bad advice.

And that's not gonna ring terribly true to the jury

if the person who gave him that bad advice

is sitting next to him in court.

And, yes,

I know this means you and I'll be doing

the heavy lifting, but...

I wasn't thinking about that.

I was thinking about her.

All rise.

I'm sorry.

Before we begin, Your Honor,

the defense would like to make a pretrial motion

to revoke our client's guilty plea.

Ms. Bennet,

it was you that recommended that Mr. Coleman plead guilty.

- Isn't that right? - Yes.

And you did so even though he insisted he was innocent.

A-At the time, it seemed like the best course of action.

For him, given the circumstances.

Again, just to be... clear,

you advised your client to accept responsibility

for something he didn't do.

You advised him to lie.

Isn't that correct?

Uh, yes.

That's correct. That's what I did.

And I very much regret it.

Thank you.

I'll hear you,

A.D.A. Russo.

Your Honor, without the guilty plea,

the People's case would be gutted.

Yeah, but that's not reason to uphold

an otherwise invalid guilty plea.

The defendant made a knowing,

voluntary waiver, and his admission should stand.

The prosecutor took advantage of the fact

that Mr. Coleman doesn't have resources.

Enough.

I agree with Mr. Colón that this attorney's representation

was substandard.

And because of that reason,

I will be reporting her to the state bar.

That said, however, I find that the defendant

did, in fact, make

a knowing waiver of his rights, and I'm denying

the defendant's motion to revoke.

The guilty plea will stand.

The court's in recess.

What... w-what was that? What just happened?

A whole lot of nothing? What?

It was an attempt to try and ease the burden

of winning you your freedom Mr. Coleman, and it failed.

The next step is we attempt

to curate a jury that will relate to your situation.

And then, we will try and persuade them

to find you not guilty.

That's what we do.

That is how this process works.

By the way, my name is Dr. Jason Bull.

And the fellow beside you will be

your attorney of record going forward.

His name is Benjamin Colón.

Of course, you could choose another public defender,

but frankly, g... current setbacks notwithstanding...

We are great at what we do.

He's right.

They are.

You all right?

I'll keep you posted.

I am truly sorry.

Chris Coleman?

Those from the prosecutor?

The witness list?

It's from your wife.

What is it about, child support?

Uh, no. She has filed a petition for divorce.

So we're looking for people who have faced financial issues?

No. We need more than that.

You see that guy?

The jaywalker?

He made a calculated decision to cross against the light

in order to make the bus.

That's the type of juror we need.

A menace to society?

A pragmatist.

People who make decisions based on the reality in front of them.

No idealists. No dreamers.

Juror number 11.

I see you went to college at Tufts.

Can I ask what you studied?

- French literature. - Ah.

Voltaire. Flaubert. Proust.

May I ask what you do for a living?

I'm a barista.

And what about you, juror 13?

What was your major in college?

Economics.

Grace Wolford, lives on the Upper East Side,

works for one of the big four accounting firms.

Sounds like a pragmatist to me.

Juror 15,

say you win the lottery.

A million dollars.

What would you do with the money?

Well, first off, I'd buy a sports car.

He lives in a building that doesn't have parking.

Then I'd move to a building with parking.

Sold.

♪ Juntos hasta el final ♪

♪ Tanto quiero llorar ♪

♪ Basta ya, basta ya... ♪

Hey.

Oh, please.Oh.

- Young lady. - Thank you.

Oh, look at you. Oh, my goodness.

Yikes.

- Can I ask you a question? - Hmm...

Would you feel shortchanged if we just left, like, right now?

Wait, easy, tiger. Nobody's going anywhere.

No? Dinner's on me. Remember?

Yeah.

So, when I was maybe, what, eight?

And I was so excited.

I was going camping with my dad for the first time.

And we drove up to the mountains, pitched our tent,

made our dinner.

And when it got dark, we got in our sleeping bags

and we went to sleep.

And it was the middle of the night. It was so dark.

And we were in the middle of nowhere.

- That's when I heard it. - Hmm?

The rain.

I mean, it was pelting our tent.

And I thought, for sure, this thing was gonna fall down on us.

And then, the lightning.

One minute, it's like 12:00 noon,

and the next, it is completely black.

And then, the thunder.

I mean, it was like bombs dropping.

And what about your dad?

What was he doing during all of this?

My dad?

My dad was laughing.

Roaring.

"How about that God?" he said.

"Can he put on a show or what?"

I felt so safe.

I think that's the safest I've ever felt.

Help!

I think my husband's having a heart attack.

Is there a doctor? Is there a doctor in the house?

- Somebody call a doctor! - I don't want to move him.

- Is anyone here a doctor? - I can't even tell if he's breathing...

Gabriel? What are you doing?

Sir? Sir? Are you a doctor?

Okay. All right.

Yes, I need an ambulance.

I think he has a collapsed lung.

I need a bottle of vodka!

Hey, I need a clean, sharp knife.

Okay? I need something strong and hollow.

Okay? Like a metal straw.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

Here.

All right, sir, I know that you can't speak,

okay, and I don't know if you can hear me,

but you're going to feel

a little pinch, okay?

That's it. Okay.

There you go.

Yeah?

Uh, we need to get out of here.

What are you talking about?

That was amazing.

- Did you pay? - Yeah.

Okay, then we need to get out of here now.

Okay.

When I arrived on scene,

there were five men engaged in a fight.

And how many of those men positively identified

the defendant as the instigator?

Four.

And how many identified the defendant

as the man who pushed the decedent, Connor Booth?

Four, including Mr. Booth.

Thank you, Officer Spenser. Nothing further.

Officer Spenser, are you aware that my client

was waiting in the Black Friday sale line with his wife?

Yes. I'm aware of that.

That they were there to purchase a gift for their child?

That's what he said.

He wasn't there to start any trouble.

Is-is that a question?

- No, it's a fact. - Objection.

Withdrawn.

Now, this fight,

by all account, was four against one.

Yes.

Now, why would my client start a fight

when he was so outnumbered?

Well, you'll have to ask him that.

And the four men who identified him,

they were all part of the group that taunted him.

These were the same men who cut in front of him.

I'm sorry, I didn't see any of that.

Well, did you interview anyone who wasn't involved

in the dispute? Someone objective?

Look, I followed protocol.

This was a simple assault case.

If I had known it'd turn into a homicide,

I would have called the detectives.

What a coincidence.

If my client had known it was gonna turn into a homicide,

he would've pled not guilty.

Objection.

Sustained. Anything else?

Not at this time, Your Honor.

- Thank you, officer... - Well, no movement yet,

but positions are definitely softening.

Nothing like a little common sense to wake people up.

Do you see the man who assaulted your friend?

Is he here in the courtroom?

That's him right there.

That's the guy who pushed and punched Connor.

Let the record show that the witness pointed to the defendant.

- Punched? Now I punched him? - I didn't punch anybody.

Just let them tell their story, and then we will tell ours.

Can you tell me about his demeanor that night?

How was he behaving?

He was pretty intense.

Uh, I think there might have been something going on

between him and his wife.

And also, just my opinion,

I think he might have been a little drunk.

Hmm...

Drunk.

Guy said I was drunk?

I haven't had a drink in six months, man.

Like I told you in court, they will tell their story,

and then we will tell ours.

Appearances are important.

The jury's always watching, and every time they look at you,

they see an angry guy who can't control his temper.

W-Well, maybe it's 'cause I am a really angry guy.

The man said I was drunk.

I just got my six month chip.

You know, you know how hard I worked for that?

And I promise you, we'll share that with the jury

when you testify. In the meantime,

stop helping their case.

Lose the anger, lose the attitude, and start behaving

like a guy who was buying a present for his kid

and not a guy who was looking for a fight.

Don't tell me how to act!

I'm going through hell right now, man!

I'm still in hell right now!

I just lost my apartment, my job, my wife.

I'm about to lose my kid!

And I'm facing 20! 20 years!

20 years in prison!

And you two are what? What are you doing?

What are you doing? You're just sitting there!

You're just sitting there and you're just watching it happen!

Mr. Coleman, if you are at all unhappy

about the quality of your representation,

- your free representation... - Bull...

Time to get back on the bus.

Just give me a minute.

Hey, you don't have a minute; the bus needs to roll.

Hey, I'm talking to my lawyer! What the hell is wrong with you?

He'll be right there, Officer.

My fault, I lost track of the time.

Thanks for dinner.

It's the least I can do.

Look, if you want to quit, I'd totally understand.

I can fly solo from here.

I honestly don't think the guy did it, but...

he can't get out of his own way

and I'm not sure I can help someone like that.

Hello?

Speaking.

Oh.

Well. I-Is he okay?

Will he be able to come to court tomorrow?

I-I-I understand.

No, o-okay. All right.

W-We'll ask the judge for a one day continuance.

Thank you for letting me know.

Tha-That was, that was the prison.

Chris is in the hospital.

Someone picked a fight with him in the cafeteria.

Must've hit the guy pretty hard; he broke his wrist.

Great. Now we can't put him on the stand.

The second his ass hits the chair,

the prosecutor will want to cross-examine him

about the fact that he got into another fight

and they will argue that he has a propensity for violence.

And they'll be right.

Oh. It's nice of you to show up.

I think so.

Well, uh, you're an hour late, so let me just ask you,

when we ask you to come to court,

are you gonna be on time?

Because a judge is not gonna wait an hour.

- My sitter cancelled. - You have a cell phone.

As a matter of fact, I do.

But I ran out of minutes.

I need you to understand, when I come see you,

when I come to court, it costs me.

I get that.

No, I don't think you do.

My kid wants to know why his father isn't coming to see him.

And now that Chris is in jail, he can't pay child support.

We're trying to fix that, but that's why we need your help.

I love him.

I really do.

But if it's not the drinking, it's the temper.

- And if it's not the temper... - Everybody's lives

are gonna be better if we can get him out of jail.

Look, the truth is, I didn't see the whole fight.

I can't talk about the part when

Chris pushed that man.

I saw the beginning and the end, not the middle.

I was focused on finding help.

So you can't testify about how Connor fell?

I didn't say that.

E-Excuse me?

I could say that it looked to me like...

that guy Connor tripped.

That it had nothing to do with Chris's shove.

Wait. A-Are you talking about lying?

No.

We do not lie in a court of law.

It never helps, it only hurts.

Trust me, the last thing you want is for

both of your child's parents to be behind bars.

Gabriel?

- Oh, what the hell are you doing? - It's me. It's me, it's me, it's me.

I've been trying to get ahold of you

for the last 24 hours.

You want to tell me about last night?

Yeah, sure. I-I had the chicken.

It was good. You know what I'm talking about.

All of a sudden, you decide to impersonate McDreamy

and perform an operation in the middle of dinner,

and then it's "We got to go, we got to go,"

and as soon as we grab an Uber and I get in the car,

- you ditch me. - I did not ditch you.

You slammed the door closed and headed for the subway.

Well, you know, we-we live on different parts in the city.

Okay? It's just more efficient that way.

You know, you're really good with a bottle of vodka

and a table knife, but you are a terrible liar.

Okay.

How did you know how to do that?

How did you know how to save that man's life?

I unclog toilets for a living.

It's-it's really not that different.

What?

Thanks for the company. And the sex.

Okay, loo... Stop!

Please, d-don't be so dramatic.

It was a simple needle decompression.

Okay? Any doctor can do it.

What does that mean?

It means that before I came here,

before all of this, I was a surgeon.

A cardiothoracic surgeon.

But you say that like it's a bad thing.

Why would you keep something like that a secret from me?

Because I don't... I don't want to go to jail.

Okay?

I don't want to be sent back home.

'Cause I don't want to die.

They cut in front of us,

and then I said something

about going to the back of the line.

And how did the men react?

The man that died,

he punched my husband, right in the face.

You saw that?

Yes, I did. And then they all surrounded him,

and I went to go get help.

Did you feel threatened?

Oh, my God, yes.

That's why I called for security.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

We are batting .500.

I am feeling a little momentum.

This is the easy part.

Let's see how she holds up on cross.

Mrs. Coleman, are you aware that phone calls

at the jail are recorded?

No, I didn't know that.

Objection. Counsel's badgering the witness.

What's the point here?

I'll cut to the chase, Your Honor.

Did you meet with the lawyers?

Is that your husband's voice?

Yes.

Yeah. I talked to them.

I told them I'd do anything to get you out of there.

I even told them I'd lie.

And that's you, isn't it?

Objection.

Move to strike.

Overruled. The jury may consider the recording,

as it pertains to the credibility

of the witness.

Anything else?

Just-just one more question.

How do we know you're not lying now?

Because I'm not.

I have no more questions for this witness.

Remember those six greens?

Well, two of them just turned red.

Terrific.

The case isn't even over.

He's already celebrating.

Ah, that guy oozes ambition.

An ugly ooze.

Probably keeps a running tally of his cases on the wall.

A running tally?

Like a scorecard? Like a fantasy football grid?

Oh, yeah. I've seen all different kinds.

It's the A.D.A.s on misdemeanor row.

They're itching to get off of there.

Itching to work felony cases.

They have a scoring system. No kidding.

And the person with the most points at the end of the week

wins a pot of money.

But more importantly, they're one step closer to a promotion.

I guarantee you our client is up there.

And I'll bet it pays off big.

I suddenly remembered I have an errand to run.

You go on in and I will join you as soon as I can.

Whatever you say.

Can I help you?

Frank's not here.

Really? You sure?

He told me to meet him here for a conference.

Actually, he's in court.

Really? How is that possible?

I thought we were getting a late start today.

I must have missed a text. Uh, must have.

Senior moment.

Hmm.

Mr. Colón, call your next witness.

The defense would like to call A.D.A. Russo to the stand.

The defense wants to call

the prosecutor to the stand?

If it pleases the court.

Objection, Your Honor.

I am not a witness. I wasn't there.

These guys are playing some kind of game.

Both of you, get up here.

You want to tell me what's going on, Mr. Colón?

Nothing's going on, your Honor.

I know he's new at this, but hopefully the prosecutor knows

that there is nothing in the rules

that precludes us from calling him to testify.

Respectfully, Judge...

Just go sit in the witness box, Mr. Russo.

A.D.A. Russo,

you've been out of law school, what,

a year? 18 months.

And I'm guessing this is your first big case?

Can I object? Is this relevant?

Mr. Colón?

I'd submit that it's very relevant, Your Honor,

but I'd be happy to move on if Your Honor prefers.

Move along.

You recognize this?

Yes, I recognize it. It's, um,

well, it's a photograph of, uh, something we use in the office

to track, uh, cases.

Kind of a scorecard, right?

Your Honor, I have to object.

Answer the question.

Kind of. Um, it's common practice.

It's a performance incentive chart.

Really?

Why are my client's initials on it?

In the win column?

Next to a jackpot?

Um, I'm not sure that's referring to

- your client. - Let me remind you that

you are still under oath,

Mr. Assistant District Attorney.

Now, in keeping with the holidays,

let's talk turkey.

This is your first big case, which means if you win it,

my client will be your ticket

out of what young A.D.A.s like to call "misdemeanor row."

Isn't that right? I mean,

if you win this case, in all likelihood,

you'll be promoted to felonies, won't you?

You'd have to ask my boss.

I'm asking you what you think.

You believe this case will help you

move you up the ladder, don't you?

I suppose so, yes.

You suppose so?

Well, isn't this supposed to be about justice?

Isn't this supposed to be about innocence and guilt?

I never said it wasn't.

Look at this card and tell me,

tell the jury, tell the man

that you're prosecuting, that this is about the law,

that this is about faith, honor and fairness,

and not about naked ambition,

that-that these... these dollar signs

mean that you are here to fight the good fight.

Tell them, A.D.A. Russo.

Never mind.

I withdraw the question.

Go ahead, cross-examine yourself if you'd like.

I love when he gets righteous like that.

Makes the hairs on the back of my neck

stand up and do a happy dance.

So all that's left

is closing arguments, and once that's done,

- we wait. - Uh, for what?

The jury.

Okay, and, um, how long does that usually take?

Varies. Could be a couple of days.

Could be a couple of weeks.

Juries in murder trials

want to come back with unanimous verdicts.

Guilty. Not guilty.

Most of the time, they feel they've failed

if they can't come to a decision.

And everybody has their own theories

on what's a good sign and what's a bad sign.

What does it mean if they're out for a long time?

What does it mean if they come back quickly?

And, uh, what's yours? Uh, h-how do you think it works?

You think if-if they take a long time, that that's, um,

it's good for us, it's bad for us?

Look...

there is no science to this at all,

but I tend to believe that it is harder for a jury

to convict a man, send a man to prison,

than it is to acquit

a man, so once they've been out

for a couple of days, I get nervous, but like I said,

that's not science.

Have you ever had it where,

right after you give your closing arguments,

the jury right there goes, "Boom, not guilty"?

No, that doesn't happen.

'Cause I mean, I didn't do anything.

I know, but that doesn't happen.

Y'all have been

sitting here for almost a week now,

and here's what we know:

The only piece of evidence they have against my client

is his guilty plea.

Hmm? So w-what informed that guilty plea?

Was it a, uh, thorough investigation of the facts?

Was that plea arrived at after, uh,

hours of thought and deliberation?

Was my client even allowed to get a second opinion?

None of the above, ladies and gentlemen.

That is because this plea is not about justice.

It's not about the truth.

It's about allowing everybody to go home

the day after Thanksgiving, so that they could enjoy

what little they had left

of what should've been a four-day weekend.

That's it.

So my client did what he was told

because he wanted to get out of there, too.

But keep in mind,

my client didn't actually do anything wrong.

He defended himself.

He defended his wife, and that's not against the law.

He pushed a man that was coming at him.

A man that had already punched him in the head.

A man that was bigger than him.

A man that was clearly under the influence of alcohol.

I...

I'm sorry. I-I was just...

listening for a second.

I wanted to see if I could hear it.

The-the thing that my client did

that was against the law.

Nope. Not yet.

B-But wait, wait, wait.

A week later, the man that my client

was defending himself against died.

And now, suddenly,

I-I guess because they had his guilty plea,

the prosecutor decides, let's call it

manslaughter and let's charge Chris Coleman with it.

A-Are they saying that-that-that the victim

was-was shoved to death?

No. He died of a brain injury.

What-what, do they know?

Are-are they certain that the, that the brain injury

was a result of the fall he took that night?

I haven't seen any evidence of that,

but-but let's give them the benefit of a doubt.

My client didn't-didn't trip him.

My client didn't push him to the ground.

So why did he fall?

Was it perhaps because, uh, he drank too much?

Was it perhaps because the sidewalk was uneven?

Did he have a trick ankle?

Of course, none of these things

have anything to do with my client.

So why is my client here?

Well, because he-he decided to plead guilty

to make it easy for everyone, including himself, to get home?

Because an ambitious prosecutor

thinks that convicting somebody, anybody,

will be good for his career?

Wha...

Because, uh-uh, the world

needs to be saved from, uh, dads

trying to find good deals on Christmas gifts for their kids?

Well, the point is,

any one of us could've been

standing in that line that night.

Any one of us here.

Now staring at 20 years in prison.

Still nothing.

I don't hear a thing.

I guess it's because I have no idea

what this man is actually guilty of.

Thank you.

So now we wait.

So now we wait.

Thank you for those words.

And, uh,

thank you for saying it that way.

How'd you feel if I came out to the prison next week?

Just to visit.

Sure. Yeah.

And with the holidays coming up,

I'll arrange for your wife and son to come see you.

You're okay with that, right?

Yeah, that'd be great.

The bus is here.

Oh, good, everybody's still here.

Jury's back.

Excuse me?

Jury's back. They have a verdict.

Mr. Foreman,

in the matter of The State v. Chris Coleman,

what do you find?

We the jury find the defendant...

not guilty.

Members of the jury, thank you for your service.

Court is dismissed.

All rise.

Must be nice to breathe free air again.

Yeah.

Look, um, look, I just, I just want to apologize

for... taking my anger out on everyone back there.

No, it's you who's owed an apology.

On behalf of the entire criminal justice system, I apologize.

I think our work here is done.

Mr. Colón, may I offer you a ride back to the office?

- I'm in. - Lady.

Gentleman.

I know a little boy who's dying to see you.

Yeah?

I think his mom would love to have you for dinner.

- I mean, if you want to. - Yeah.

Yeah, I'd like that.

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