All language subtitles for Law.And.Order.S23E10.1080p.HEVC.x265-MeGusta eng

.

- 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.

- How is everything?

- This turkey meatloaf
thing is sublime.

- I hope that means good.

- It means amazing.

- It's all about the mint.

- How long are you gonna
be here in this location?

- Another two weeks.

I hope to see you real soon.

Hey, what's up, man?
- Hey.

I've been waiting on your call.

- Sorry, I've been real busy.

- Okay, so?

Well, I'm here now.

- Now is not a good time.

- Wait. Wait, for real?

- Come on, man.

- Oh, I forgot.

You're a big shot.

- Hey, don't make a scene.

- Or what? Huh?

- Hey, whoa, whoa,
take it easy.

- Hey, man. Walk away.

- Hey, come on, Cheese.

Get out of here, now.

[tense music]

- I'll see both of y'all
real soon.

♪

[camera shutter clicking]

- One victim, male, Black,

appears to have been stabbed
in the chest.

- Vic got a name?

- Uh, Jordan Bryant.

He's the owner of the pop-up,
whatever that means.

- Have we recovered
a murder weapon?

- Not yet.

- Any sign this might
have been a burglary?

- Cell phone's there.
Wallet's on his body.

- Let's bag those knives,
have them tested

for fingerprints and DNA.

- Got it.

- Cameras?

- Yeah, but the security
system has been shut off.

- "Eat like it's your
last day on Earth."

That's a catchy slogan.

- Until it becomes true.

[dramatic music]

♪

.

- Jordan and I were, uh,
cleaning up for the night.

And, um, I felt like a smoke,
so I walked over to a bodega,

and I bought a pack
of cigarettes.

When I walked back
into the restaurant,

I saw all this blood,
and then I saw Jordan.

He was on the floor, and--

- Hey, it's okay.

Just take your time.

- So I--I started
to walk over to Jordan,

and--and I heard someone,
so I grabbed a knife

and I chased him
out to the street.

- And then what happened?

- Then he, uh--

he jumped into a car
and he drove off.

- What kind of car?

- BMW, black.

- You happen to get
a look at the plate?

- No.

Sorry, my--
my head was spinning.

- Hey. It's okay.

You're doing great.

- What about the guy?
You get eyes on him?

Tell me, uh,
skin color, height, build--

- White.

Maybe Latino.

Average height, thin.

- How about clothing?

- He had a New York Islanders
cap on.

And, uh, he was wearing
a shiny green puffer jacket,

one of those expensive ones.

Had an M on it.

- Like a logo?

- Yeah, on the left sleeve.

- All right,
this is great, Chris.

Thank you.

Now, earlier in the night,
did anything unusual happen?

- Yeah, uh,
now that you mention it.

- So the waiter's
our only eyewitness.

He said the victim
got into a heated argument

earlier in the night,
almost came to blows.

He had to break it up.

And then lo and behold, a few
hours later, the vic is dead.

- So was the guy in the
restaurant the same guy

the waiter said he saw
running from the murder scene?

- He doesn't think so,
but you never know.

I mean, it could be more than
one person involved, right?

- So does the waiter know
the first guy's name?

- He doesn't know his name,
but he kept saying that the vic

referred to him as "Cheese."

He noticed a snake tattoo
on the forearm,

so he's running the tattoo
and the alias

through the database now.

- All right, so what do we know
about the vic?

- There's not a lot
of data in the system,

which is kind of weird.

So, I mean, his credit cards,
his driver's license,

utility bills--
nothing tracks back

before 24 months or so.

- Hey.

Just confirmed our
eyewitness's statement.

He was, in fact,
out buying cigarettes.

Bodega he went to was about
10 minutes away

from the restaurant,
so theoretically,

our victim was alone
for about 20 minutes.

- But is there any chance
the waiter could have done it?

I mean, just because
he was buying cigarettes

doesn't mean he's innocent.

- I get it,
but we don't like him for it.

- No, there was no blood
on his hands or his clothes.

His story checks out.

- All right.
How about that black BMW?

- Yes, we got video of that.

It passed by
an automotive repair shop

a few blocks from the scene

about two minutes
after the 911 call.

- And I don't suppose
the video captured the plates.

- Did not.
- [knocks]

Hey.

So that snake tattoo comes
back to the Brooklyn Vipers.

There's one dude
in the gang database

who goes by the alias "Cheese."

His name is Nick Perez, and he
has a pretty good rap sheet.

[suspenseful music]

♪

- This look our guy?

- Nick Perez.

- Yeah?

- Need to talk to you
about last night.

- [sighs] Last night?
What you mean?

- Word is you got into
a beef with the chef.

- What, you're here
about an argument?

- Nah,
we're here about a murder.

- Murder?
- Yeah.

The guy that you were
arguing with last night

ended up getting stabbed.

We're trying to figure out
what happened.

- Maybe you were involved?
Maybe you know who was?

- I don't know nothing
about that.

- Where were you last night
from 10:00 to 12:00?

- Nah, nah.
I ain't playing this game.

I want a lawyer.

I've been wrongly accused
of too many things.

- I bet you have. Come on.
- Then we'll make that happen.

Let's go. Come on.

- [speaking Spanish]

- First off, my client
didn't kill anyone.

- Okay, if you say so.

But we're gonna need
a lot more than that.

- I liked Jordan.

We grew up in the same
apartment complex,

Hamilton Gardens.

They always give, uh,
housing projects

such nice names, you know?

- So you and Jordan
were friends, then.

- Yeah, you could say that.

- And you could also say
you guys got in a fight

last night
at his place of business.

- We did not get into a fight.

We got into an argument.
We argued.

Then some pretty boy waiter
tried to get in the middle,

and that's it.

That's all that happened.

- Where were you last night

between 11:00 p.m.
and midnight?

- My apartment.

Uh, I got home at, like, 10:30.

Check the security cameras
on my apartment complex.

- All right.
We're gonna do that.

- Help me out here.

So why did you go see
Jordan in the first place?

- To talk business.

I'm trying to expand
my operation.

I'm trying to buy
a few food trucks,

so I thought my boy Walker
would be the perfect fit.

But then he changed his mind,
so we got into it.

- Hold on a second.
Who's Walker?

I had the ME run
Jordan's fingerprints.

Turns out his birth name
was Jordan Walker,

not Jordan Bryant.

- Court records show he
changed his name two years ago,

a few weeks after he was
released from prison.

- Prison? What was he in for?

- Served 12 years for the rape
and murder of a little girl.

- What?

- But he was exonerated
based on DNA evidence.

- [sighs]
Damn.

Guy finally gets
a taste of freedom

only to wind up
with a knife in his chest.

.

- Jordan Walker was released
26 months ago.

Changed his surname
to Bryant shortly thereafter.

- Was Jordan actually innocent?

- We finally tested the DNA
on the victim's body.

Wasn't his.

- So how was he convicted
in the first place?

- Same way most people are.

Bad ID.

It's more common
than you think.

Once that mighty ball
of justice gets rolling,

it's hard to stop.

- Sounds like a cop-out.
- More like a fact.

And in this particular case,
there was a lot of pressure.

Victim was a young,
affluent white girl.

You know how it is.

- I sure do.

- How's it going, gentlemen?

- Hey, DA Baxter.

- Good to see you.

- How are you?
- Good.

- Kim was telling me about
what happened to Mr. Bryant.

I want you to know
we're here to help,

anything you guys need.

- Thank you.
We appreciate that.

- Any leads so far?

- At the moment,
we're just trying

to unravel what happened.

How did he end up in prison
in the first place

and how he spent his time
after he was released.

- Right.

Well, like I said,
we'll do whatever you need.

You know, I worked a couple
wrongful conviction cases

when I was in private practice,
pro bono.

I loved it.

Probably the most exhilarating
cases I've ever tried.

- I bet.

- Yeah, it's gotta be
an amazing feeling,

getting someone exonerated.

- I wouldn't know.

I was 0 for 2.
[scoffs]

The only two trials
I've ever lost.

- He's right.

It's really hard to actually
get someone exonerated,

innocent or not.
- Yeah.

- Powerful people hate
admitting they screwed up.

- That is true.

Now, turning back
to Jordan for a second,

are you aware of any problems

he was having
since his release?

Anyone harassing him,
threatening him?

- Not to my knowledge.

- How about family?

Was he married, any kids?

We still have to make
a notification.

- He died last night?

- He did.

Around midnight.

- We're very sorry
for your loss.

- Ms. Walker, we do have a
few questions, if that's okay.

Do you know if your father
was involved in any fights

or altercations recently?

- Not that I'm aware of.

- Did he have any enemies?

- Well, there are the fellas
from the old neighborhood,

the ones who never
visited him in prison,

the ones who couldn't care less
that he was suffering

in some concrete hole.

The second he collected
that $10 million settlement,

they acted like he had
some sort of obligation

to share it with them.

- Your dad actually got paid?
He won 10 million?

- I'm not sure he won anything.

But yes, he reached
a settlement with the city.

But the truth is,
we weren't that close.

I tried.

But it was really hard
to connect with him.

Just because somebody
gets exonerated

doesn't mean you
snap your fingers

and the world is
suddenly perfect

and the past 12 years
didn't actually happen.

[pensive music]

He tried, though.

Gave me $100,000.

I was able to pay off
my student loans.

- We just have a few
more questions, okay?

We're almost done.

Can you tell us the last time
that you spoke to your father?

The last time you saw him?

- A couple of days ago.

- And did he mention
anything unusual then?

- He was upset.

He'd just split up
with his business partner.

It got pretty ugly too.

- Jordan was a great chef
and a terrible businessman.

He just--he didn't seem
to understand that the goal

was to actually make money.
- All right, look.

This is a video
of you and Jordan

arguing outside his apartment
two days ago.

- So?

- So you wanna tell us
what you were fighting about?

- Money.

Or to be more precise,
the lack of money.

He was overspending
on everything.

He blew five grand on cutlery,
another ten on artwork.

And then, just when things
couldn't get any worse,

he and his buddies decided
to throw an after-hours party

and drink ten bottles
of our most expensive wine.

So yeah, I was pissed.

And sad, too, you know?

I--I really wanted it
to work out.

- You mind telling us
where you were last night

between 10:00 and 12:00?

- At a charity event
in Harlem for at-risk youth.

I'm on the board.

- All right, Charles,
if there's anything else

that you know,
or if you have any idea

who might have done this...

- The father of that girl
who was raped and killed

14 years ago,
he wasn't too happy

about Jordan getting released.

He refused to believe
he was actually innocent.

- How do you know?

- He showed up at one of our
pop-ups a few months back,

and he went after Jordan hard.

He told everyone
in the damn place

that Jordan was a rapist
and a murderer.

[suspenseful music]

He threatened to kill him too.

♪

.

- I can't believe
Jordan's dead.

It's crazy.

It's like the punch line
to the worst joke ever.

I mean, Jordan never
should have been arrested,

let alone convicted.

But that's on me.

I'm the one who ID'd him,
in court, under oath.

- So you recognize that
Jordan was innocent?

- Yeah, I do now.

- Even though
you were harassing him?

You chased him down
to a restaurant.

You called him a murderer.

- I'm not proud of the way
I acted, trust me.

I just--I didn't wanna
believe he was innocent.

Then I talked to the woman

at the post-conviction
justice unit.

I asked her
to go over the case,

show me the actual DNA results.

I realized I was wrong.

- We noticed that you made
ten phone calls to him

the week prior to his murder.

What were you two
talking about?

- I was trying to help him.

- With what?

- Life.

Even though Jordan was free,
he was struggling.

He didn't seem to have
much money, either--

or access to money, anyway.

So I helped him out.

I loaned him $20,000.

- What are you talking about?

The guy just won
a $10 million settlement.

- So we did a deep dive
into Jordan's finances.

Turns out he was almost broke.

Had about 15 grand
in his various accounts.

- Well, where'd all
the money go?

He had a $10 million
settlement.

- I know, but somehow, he only
ended up getting about 1.1.

And he blew through that
pretty quick too.

Nothing crazy,
but typical stuff--rent,

clothes, business expenses.

Gave his daughter 100 grand.

- All right.

So where did the
other $8.9 million go?

- Well, according
to the city comptroller,

a lump sum
of $10 million was paid

directly to Jordan's lawyer.

- [scoffs]

- I hate to break
the news, fellas,

but getting justice for someone
isn't cheap,

whether or not
they're innocent.

- I never said it was cheap,
but still,

I mean,
he was awarded 10 million

and he only deposited 1.

- Yeah, well, it is what it is.

- Can you be any more specific?

- We worked on his criminal
appeal for free, pro bono.

Didn't charge him a penny.

But it costs over a million
in hard costs--

private investigators,
paralegals, forensic examiners.

This is money he has
to pay back with interest.

- What else was deducted?

- My fee, 55%.

- That's pretty high.

- I take a lot of risk,
spend a lot of my own money.

- Still pretty high.

- Maybe, but I'm worth it.

But why are you guys
really here?

What does any of this have
to do with Jordan's murder?

- Well, that's a
very good question.

We were kind of hoping
you might be able to tell us.

- I'm sorry.
I--I don't have a clue.

- Were you aware
of any problems or issues

he was having
with anybody harassing him

or threatening him?

- I'm not sure.

I'm guessing the answer
is a resounding yes.

- Now, why would you say that?

- The man spent
12 years in prison.

I bet he made a lot of enemies.

- This article says Keith
Palmer has the highest number

of exonerations in the state.

- Great. He gets results.

Doesn't mean he's not a crook.

Two things can be true at once.

- Looks like Jordan
wasn't too happy

with his attorney's
fee structure, either.

He filed a complaint
with the New York Bar

two weeks ago,
claims Keith Palmer

conned him out of $3 million.

And it looks like he was about
to go public with it too.

- Good for him.

- The question is,
is that enough of a motive

for someone like Palmer?

I mean, would he
really kill over that?

- It's possible.
- Why, you got something?

- Well, I've been
looking into Palmer, too,

and it looks like he's about
to be appointed a judge.

- So yeah, now would be
a really bad time

to have your pants
pulled down by a client,

especially one as sympathetic
as Jordan Bryant.

- All right, go back and talk
to the waiter again.

Let's see if he can ID Palmer.

- Mm-hmm.

- It all happened pretty fast.

I'm not sure that
I'll be able to remember

what he looked like.

- It's okay.

Let's take a look at these.

If any of them jump out,
go ahead and point, all right?

No pressure.

- I've definitely
seen this guy before.

- How do you know him?

- He used to come to Jordan's
pop-ups with his wife.

They were nice.

Good tippers too.

- How about the guy
that you saw running out

of the restaurant that night?

If he's there, let us know.

- He was wearing
a shiny green jacket,

and he had
a New York Islanders hat on.

- Yeah, um, you already told us

about the hat and the jacket,
so.

- We're gonna focus
on the faces for now.

The man that you saw running
out of the restaurant,

if you see him there, point.

If not, don't.

[tense music]

♪

- I'm happy to help you
figure this out,

but this is actually
not a great time for me.

So if you don't mind--

- Look, we can talk about this
here or the precinct.

It's up to you.

- What's going on?

- I'm good.

Don't--don't worry
about it, sweetie.

- Ma'am, you need
to step back, all right?

We're gonna talk
to your husband for a minute.

- Step back?

This is my house.

- Mandy, it's fine.

Just give us five minutes,
okay?

- I'll be upstairs.

- Mr. Palmer,
where were you the night

that Jordan was murdered?

- Are you serious right now?

- Please just
answer the question.

- This is preposterous.

- You have a black BMW
registered

to your business, correct?

- Thanks for coming by.
I'm done talking.

I want a lawyer.

- Well, if you're
officially done talking,

there's only one thing
left for us to do.

- And what's that?

- Arrest you for the murder
of Jordan Bryant.

- Hands behind your back,
please.

- You're making a mistake.

- You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can
and will be held against you.

.

- Calling docket ending in
9009, People v. Keith Palmer,

charging murder
in the second degree.

- Where's the defendant?

- My client is in custody.

He waived his presence
and asked

that a plea of "not guilty"
be entered on his behalf.

- The People object.

We ask that he be brought into
the courtroom for arraignment.

- Why should I allow
his absence, Mr. Delahunt?

- This case relies
on a questionable

eyewitness identification.

I plan to file
a motion to suppress.

My client's face
in this courtroom

would defeat the purpose.

- Are you seeking bail?

- The People seek remand.

The defendant is alleged
to have murdered

his own client, Jordan Bryant.

Mr. Bryant had accused
the defendant of stealing

his settlement money.

He filed a complaint
with the State Bar Association,

and he was also
considering filing

civil and criminal complaints.

On the night of the murder,
the defendant went

to Mr. Bryant's restaurant
to confront him.

They got into an argument.

The defendant grabbed
a knife and plunged it

into Mr. Bryant's chest.

- What is the defense
asking for?

- A reasonable cash bail.

My client is not a flight risk,
and he has every reason

to fight this case in court.

He is an esteemed member
of the New York State Bar

and a valued member
of the community.

His wife Amanda is prepared
to post $1 million.

- Let's set a short trial date.

I don't wanna see him sitting
in Rikers unnecessarily.

Until then,
the defendant is remanded.

[gavel bangs]

- Eyewitness identifications
are the leading cause

of wrongful convictions.

In fact, 70% of all
DNA exonerations

involve eyewitness testimonies.

And the numbers are even worse

when you factor in
cross-racial identification.

- What were
the circumstances surrounding

the identification
in this case?

- It was late at night,
the lighting was dim,

and the killer
was wearing a hat,

running away from the witness.

- Mr. Price?

- The defendant
was known to the witness.

He'd seen him
around the victim's

restaurant several times.

Research has proven
that familiarity

increases the likelihood
of an accurate identification.

- On the night of the murder,
Mr. Wu made no indication

that he knew or even recognized
my client as the person

that killed Mr. Bryant.

- That's true,
but there's a difference

between describing
and recognizing.

- Your point?

- This whole argument
goes to the weight,

not the admissibility,
of the evidence.

The jury can hear
the witness's testimony

and decide for themselves

if his identification
was credible.

- I agree with Mr. Price.

The defendant's motion
to suppress is denied.

- I knew Keith Palmer.

When I was U.S. attorney,
he was a federal defender.

He's a good lawyer.

I heard he was about
to be appointed to the bench.

It's hard to imagine he could--

- I know,
but the facts are the facts.

- You're confident
in the evidence?

- It's not perfect,
but I think we have

enough to get a conviction.

- I mean, we have
Chris Wu's identification,

plus the corroborating
evidence.

The witness
said he saw the killer

wearing a shiny green jacket

with the letter M
on the sleeve.

- We never actually found that
jacket or the murder weapon,

but we do have
credit card receipts showing

that Mr. Palmer purchased
a jacket matching

that description
five months ago.

- What else?

- The witness also saw the
killer jump into a black BMW.

- Keith Palmer has two BMWs
registered to his business.

One of them is black,
and we can

place the car near
the crime scene

at the time of the murder.

- So what's the motive
for stabbing the guy

he just helped get out of jail?

- Palmer was worried
about his reputation,

about his plans
for a judgeship.

Bryant claimed that Palmer
stole his settlement money.

- Did he?

- Technically, no,
he didn't steal it,

but he took over half the total
award in contingency fees,

and then he charged
exorbitant amounts

for paralegals,
private investigators,

expert witnesses.

Bryant felt like he'd
been taken advantage of,

and he wanted
the world to know about it.

- Okay.

Let's bury the bastard.

[reporters clamoring]

- Mr. Baxter, did Keith Palmer
actually kill the man

he helped exonerate?

- Your office convicted
an innocent man.

- Listen, sending
an innocent man to prison

is anathema to the
criminal justice system

and to the human spirit.

Unfortunately,
no matter how hard we try,

mistakes like this occur
from time to time,

and good people are convicted
of crimes they did not commit.

That's why our post-conviction
review unit is so vital.

In fact, I've just
authorized the hiring

of ten additional lawyers.

I wanna do everything
that I can to make sure

that wrongfully convicted
men and women

are released
as soon as possible.

Now, as for Keith Palmer,
on the one hand,

he's done some good things.

He helped exonerate
several innocent men.

On the other hand,
he is a cold-blooded predator

who exploits the very people
he sets out to free.

And in the case
of Jordan Bryant,

he not only took
the lion's share of his money,

he murdered him.

That's all for now. Thank you.

- DA Baxter, what evidence do
you have that Keith Palmer--

- I was ten years old when they
took my father away from me.

Had to grow up without
really knowing him.

We all knew he was innocent,
but the police,

the prosecutors,
they wronged him.

They wronged our whole family.

- Tell the members
of the jury what happened.

- My dad was arrested
for raping and killing a girl.

He told us he didn't do it,

that he'd never
seen that girl before.

But the DA's office
prosecuted him

and sent him to prison for life

because that girl's father
said he saw my father

near the crime scene.

No one thought, wait a minute.

Maybe he's wrong.

Maybe it was someone else.

They just believed him.

- DNA ultimately
exonerated your father?

- Yes.

- After he was released,
did he seek compensation

for this tragic mistake?
- Yes.

His lawyer, the one who
helped him get out of prison,

filed a lawsuit
against the city.

- You're referring
to the defendant.

- Yes.

- Did the defendant negotiate
a settlement with the city?

- For $10 million.

I found out my father only
ended up with about 1 million.

Palmer stole the rest.

- Objection. Hearsay.

- Sustained.

The jury shall disregard
that last comment.

- Nothing further.

Thank you, Ms. Walker.

- While your father
was in prison,

he built quite
a reputation for himself.

He was involved
in several altercations.

- Objection.
Facts not in evidence.

- Ask a question, sir.

- Are you aware
that your father

committed a total
of 11 infractions

while he was in prison?

- Objection. Relevance?

- What are you trying to do?
- Your Honor--

- Who cares what he did?

He was just trying to survive.

- May the witness be
instructed to please answer--

- Your Honor--

- My father
has been through enough.

How dare you drag him
through the mud?

- Enough, Ms. Walker.

I want to see counsel
in chambers, now.

[tense music]

- This line of questioning
is completely out of bounds.

The defense has no legitimate
reason to vilify the victim.

- I'm just inquiring about the
12 years he spent in prison.

- How is that even
remotely relevant?

He shouldn't have been in that
prison in the first place.

- Don't blame us.

You guys are the ones
that put him in there.

- Why is any of this
admissible, Mr. Delahunt?

- Jordan Bryant made
a lot of enemies

while incarcerated, Your Honor.

Some of them are now free
or have gang affiliations.

You have fights
with other inmates,

threatening guards,
possession of illicit drugs.

- I'm going to allow it.

- Your Honor, how many times
do we need to destroy this man?

- Stand down, Mr. Price.
I've made my ruling.

♪

.

- My name is Adam Paxton.

I'm the warden
at Elmira State Prison.

- Did Jordan Bryant,
the victim in this case,

serve time
under your supervision?

- Yes, he served
12 years and 3 months.

- He went in when he was 28.

He was released 2 years ago
when he was 40 years old?

- Yes.

- Could you describe Mr.
Bryant's time in your prison?

- I'd say he made
the best of it.

- Can you be more specific?

- He took cooking classes,
he worked in the kitchen,

and he earned his associate's
degree in business.

- That sounds like he remained
optimistic about his future.

- Yes, he did as well
as he could for someone

in his predicament.

Jordan remained
upbeat and productive.

- Thank you.

- Jordan Bryant almost killed
another inmate, didn't he?

Stabbed him with a razor blade
attached to a toothbrush.

- He was attacked
by a known gang member.

- And this gang member
was serving time

for a triple homicide.
- Yes.

- And this gang member has
hundreds of known associates

outside the prison gates?

- That's my understanding, yes.

- So it's entirely possible--
in fact, it's likely that

Mr. Jordan Bryant's death was a
retaliation for that incident.

- Objection.

There is no evidence
to support that claim.

- Sustained.

- Nothing further.

- Redirect, Mr. Price.

- Jordan Bryant didn't initiate
any violence while in prison.

He was simply
protecting himself?

- Correct.

- The gang member Jordan fought
with is still incarcerated.

- Yes, he is.

- And there's no evidence
that he ever reached out

to another gang member
in order to exact revenge

on Jordan Bryant?

- There is no evidence of that.

- Thank you. Nothing further.

- Thank you.

You are dismissed.

- The People call Chris Wu.

- A few days after the murder,
detectives came to my work

and asked me
to look at some photos.

- These are the pictures
they showed you?

- Yes.

- Did you tell the detectives
that you recognized someone?

- Yes, Keith Palmer.

I told them
he was the guy I saw

running out of the restaurant
the night Jordan was killed.

- Showing you a photograph
from a store catalog.

Is this the jacket
he was wearing?

- Yes.

- Your Honor, I would
offer a credit card receipt

showing that the
defendant purchased

this jacket
from Bergdorf Goodman

approximately five months ago.

- I'll allow it.

- Finally,
did you see the defendant

flee the scene in this car?

- I did.

- Thank you.

- You waited on my client
and his wife

several times before, correct?

- Yes, two or three times.

- And yet, when you first spoke
with the police,

you didn't identify him
by name.

You just described his physical
appearance in a general way.

- That's correct.

- How come?

- Well, I--

I didn't immediately
put it all together.

And I didn't know his name.
I just knew him by face.

- You knew him by face,
yet you didn't

tell the police that you knew
the man fleeing the scene?

[tense music]

♪

- Like I said, I didn't
realize it was him at the time,

and my friend
had just been murdered.

- Did you consume
any alcohol that night?

- No.

- Okay.
Did you smoke any marijuana?

- Do I have to answer that?

- [scoffs]
Well, I think you just did.

- Answer the question.

- I smoked a little, about an
hour before all this happened.

But I still saw what I saw.

- And what you saw was a man
in a shiny green jacket

and a New York Islanders hat.

Nothing you said
was specific to Keith Palmer.

You didn't mention his hair
or his eye color

or his approximate age.

You just saw a white man
in a shiny green jacket

and a New York Islanders hat.

- Yeah, I guess.

- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- Mr. Wu,
do you see in this courtroom

the man who was running
from Jordan Bryant's dead body

on the night of the murder?

- Yeah, right there.

- Indicating the defendant.

The People rest.

♪

- I liked Jordan Bryant, a lot.

I believed in him, and I
tried my best to help him.

- And what did you do to help?

- Well, for starters,
I got him out of prison.

Then I got him a lot of money.

When he told me he wanted
to open a restaurant,

I gave him advice.

I helped him secure permits,
licenses.

- Did you ever go to this
restaurant, Mr. Palmer?

- I was there all the time.

My wife loved the food.

Jordan used to joke
he was gonna name something

on the menu after us,
the Heart of Palmer salad.

- Mr. Palmer,
did you kill Jordan Bryant?

- Of course not.
- Okay.

Where were you
the night he was murdered?

- I had dinner with a client.

- Let me be more specific.

Where were you when the
911 call came in at 11:44 p.m.?

- I was driving
to our country house.

- And can you prove that?

- As a matter of fact, I can.

- Is that you?
- Yes.

That was taken
by a traffic camera.

Apparently I had run
a red light on the corner

of 42nd and 8th at 11:47 p.m.

- And is that the ticket?
- Yes.

It shows I was six blocks away
from the murder scene

at the time
the 911 call came in.

- Your Honor,
we had no notice of this.

- This just happened.

Mr. Palmer had no idea he'd
been photographed or cited.

Ticket came into his office
by mail just yesterday.

Please, have a look
at the postage stamp.

♪

- I'll allow it.

- So, Mr. Palmer,
there's no way you could have

committed this murder?

- Absolutely.

Like I said, I was
six blocks away, in my car.

- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- Okay, let's break
for the day.

Members of the jury,
we will reconvene

tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

[gavel bangs]

.

- Hey.

I checked with the
Department of Transportation.

- [sighs] Their records
confirm Palmer's story?

- Palmer ran the red light
on 42nd and 8th at 11:47 p.m.

- We know the 911 call
from the restaurant

came in three minutes earlier.

Did Riley and Shaw
do a test drive,

see if it's possible
to get from point A

to point B in three minutes?

- Mm-hmm.
And they drove it four times.

Took anywhere between
2 minutes 45 seconds

and 9 minutes,
depending on traffic.

- They drive at 11:47 p.m.?

- Mm-hmm.
Took 3 minutes and 35 seconds.

- [sighs]
So it's possible.

Sort of.

You were standing here?

- Yeah, more or less.

- What about the lighting?

- It was darker, probably.

It was late at night.

- All right,
where was the killer

when you first laid eyes
on him?

- Over there,
about 10 feet from the door.

- And you were high?

- No, I wasn't like high, high.

Maybe just a little buzzed.

You know?

[tense music]

♪

- Oh, God, I need to know
how certain you really are

about this ID.

- What do you mean,
like on a scale of 1 to 10?

- Yeah, sure--
on a scale of 1 to 10,

10 being the most certain.

♪

- [whispering]
10 being the most certain...

- [sighs]
I am worried about our case.

- In what regard?

- I'm not sure
we're trying the right person.

- Excuse me?

- I'm beginning to think that
Keith Palmer might be innocent.

- Innocent?

What are you talking about?

- [sighs]
It's been gnawing at me

for the past few days, and I--

I can't point to one thing
in particular.

It just doesn't seem to add up.

- You mean the evidence?
- Yes.

There's nothing glaring.

There's no smoking gun,
so to speak.

But it's more like,
everything we have is gray.

It could go either way,
and you start wondering if--

- I get it.

- You do?
- Mm-hmm.

Having said that,

I've been following this case
pretty closely.

I don't necessarily
agree with your analysis.

I understand
it's a complicated case--

for all of us.

I mean, we wouldn't be here
if it weren't for the fact

that we screwed up.

We're the ones that set this
horrible tragedy in motion.

Maybe that's affecting
your mindset,

the possibility
of history repeating itself?

- I'm sure it is, but it--

- We're not gods, Nolan.

We don't have some sort of
magic window into the truth,

into what actually transpired.

It is an imperfect process.

It really is.

But it's also
the best one there is,

and we have to trust it.

♪

Look, you are a lot closer
to this than I am.

So all I can say to you
is do what you think is right.

[door buzzer blares]

- Why are we here, Nolan?

- I wanted
to tell you in person.

I'm going to be filing
a motion to dismiss

as soon as I get back
to the office.

- You're dismissing the case?

- Correct.
- So you finally believe me?

You realize I'm innocent?

- We no longer think
you killed Jordan Bryant.

- Well, does that mean
you know who did?

- It means
we're dismissing the case.

♪

[door buzzer blares]

Detective Shaw?

I just notified Palmer that
we're dismissing his case,

but something occurred to me.

- [chuckles]
Good ol' Nolan Price.

His plan worked like a charm.

- Got the confession
right here on tape.

- Grab your gun, partner.

- Where are we going?

- To arrest
Jordan Bryant's real killer.

- Earlier today,
this office dismissed

the murder charge
against Keith Palmer.

I think it's important to
point out that prosecutors play

a critical role
in protecting the innocent

from wrongful conviction.

We are, I suppose,
their final defense.

If all else fails,
we are the ones

who must stand tall and admit
that a mistake has been made.

I commend prosecutors Price
and Maroun for their integrity

and for their dedication
to seeking the truth

irrespective
of the consequences.

It is now evident
that this was a case

of mistaken identity.

To put it simply,
our eyewitness

identified the wrong person.

The good news is,
we found additional evidence,

and we now believe that the
killer is Mr. Palmer's wife.

We have a recording
of a phone call

between Mr. and Mrs. Palmer
where she confessed

to killing Jordan Bryant.

- Amanda Palmer.

You're under arrest.

- She was trying to protect
her husband's misdeeds

from becoming public,

but Amanda Palmer
has been apprehended

by the detectives of the NYPD.

We have charged her
with second-degree murder.

And I assure you,
justice will be served.

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]