All language subtitles for Law & Order s03e20 Securitate.eng

(male 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.

(Jennifer)
Man, that toilet didn't even have a guest list.

(Paula)
Well, those other people got in.

Yeah, you come in a limo,
you get in.

So, uh,
we try the Milk Bar.

I think
I did the doorman.

Well,
that's who he said he was.

[Tires screeching]

[Girls screaming]

[Continue screaming]

(Bailey)
Whoever did it was in a hurry.

Left his wallet.
Name's Nicolas lliescu.

[Police siren wailing]
Lives on 28th St.

What'd they kill him with,
a cheese grater?

Dragged on the pavement.
High speed.

(Logan)
Hit and run?

Hit someone accidentally,

you don't need to
shoot them twice in the head.

[Police radio chattering]
We got some witnesses?

[Cars honking]
Yeah.

You girls see
what happened?

This car
just came out of nowhere

with this guy
draggir alongside.

Came from where?

There.
Wrong way up 13th.

It tore down here
and kept going.

Did you get a look
at who was driving?

White? Black?
Male? Female?

No.

How about the car?

I don't know cars.
I mean, it wasrt real new.

Was it a two-door
or a four-door?

Light? Dark?

Don't know.

I'm gonna give you
my card.

If you remember anything,
I want you to call me, okay?

What do you got?

Nada.

Could be the mob.

Could be a carjacking.

Could be a hack
who didn't like his tip.

[Phone ringing]

"Glass fragments
from the accident site inconclusive.

"Autopsy shows
two close contact entry wounds to the head.

"A 9-millimeter slug found at
the base of the skull."

Lands and grooves
make it a Beretta.92.

Any ballistics match
on the computer?

So with hot water and a shoe,
we could make soup.

Okay. D.M.V. Shows
our Mr. Iliescu owned

an '88 Pontiac Bonneville,
burgundy.

It's hardly a color
won'th dying for.

The wife is due at the morgue
in 15 minutes.

Let's see what she knows.

My family and I left
Hungary 30 years ago.

We wanted to
get away of oppression.

Nicolas and I left
Bucharest 10 years ago

[sobbing]
To get away of the violence.

You said he was working late
on the books.

Did he ever call?

Yes, around, uh, 12:30.

Leon doesn't sleep well.
He answered.

[Sobs]
I... I was too tired to talk to him.

All right, all right.

What did
your father say, Leon?

[Karen sobs]

He's not my father,
he's my uncle.

He said
he was on his way home.

[Karen sobbing]

Just take a minute,
all right?

[Karen whimpering]

[Wailing]

It's a mistake.

Sometimes
you read about mistakes.

I'm afraid it's not,
ma'am.

We found
your husband's ID on the body.

No.

I'm sorry.

[Karen sobbing]

Car's been found.
Lower East Side.

[Tool whirring]

Piranas leave more.

Piranas don't need
a daily C-note for crack.

Were you able to
I.D. The car that did this?

The paint pyrogram matched
a white acrylic enamel.

Very widely used.

The trunk was hit
pretty high, huh?

Yeah.
Probably a truck or a van.

It hits him.

Before he even has a chance to
get out and check the damage,

the bad guy comes in
the passenger side,

and Mr. Iliescu is looking at
the business end of a Beretta.

Bang bang.

[Sighs]
Autopsy says one was a clear-through.

We found the slug up here.

It was right there.
We sent it to ballistics.

Thanks.

So he pushes Nick's body
out of the car

and he drives off
with his prize.

Yeah. Problem is,

Nick gets caught
in the seatbelt

and dragged
for half a block.

That's a lot of trouble,
for what?

Blue Book, this is $2,000,
minus a fencer's discount.

Hey, people get knocked off
for subway change.

Maybe the guys
who stripped the car

know how
it got into that alley.

[Tool whirring]
Yeah.

Those seats have to be
in a chop shop somewhere.

(Briscoe)
Yeah, all right.

Well, thanks, anyway.

Auto Crimes gave us
a list

of auto parts dealers
with priors.

Must be over 400
auto body shops in New York.

Any that didn't
make the list?

(Logan)
Pontiac Bonneville, '88.

Yeah. No, no, not the 1-120s,
the 40-90s with the armrest.

No? Thank you.

(Briscoe)
Yeah, I'm looking for a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville.

Grey velour, driver's side
front bucket seats.

Yeah,
model 40-90 with armrests.

Is that too much to ask?

[Sighs]
Well, how about the seats?

You do?

(Logan)
Wait a second, are you sure?

Because I called you
the day before yesterday,

and you didn't have any.

Just came in? I'm interested.

I'm gonna be right down.
Thank you.

What have you got?

Morrie's Auto Wreckers,
107 East Fourth St.

(Morrie)
They also fit the '86 and '87 models.

(Morrie)
Here, they're right over here.

Came in this morning.

Bring the vehicle in,
I'll install them cheap.

(Briscoe)
How much to wipe off the blood?

Blood? Come on.

That's, uh, ice cream
or ketchup, uh.

They had kids.

Those kids
would be orphans.

Hey, the car was stripped
last night

eight blocks from here.
The owner's dead.

I knew you were blue
the minute you walked in.

Be my guest. Take them.

I'm gonna want some names.
Who'd you buy it from?

I don't send these guys
Christmas cards.

The deal's strictly
cash for parts.

Listen,
you start poking around here

or your deal's gonna be

making license plates
for cigarette money.

I don't know their names.

They only come in
a couple of times.

I worked on one guy's van.
Long hair.

All right,
come on, what else?

You know,
scars, tattoos, what?

The other guy, uh,

leather jacket with, uh,
safety pins and studs.

On the back,
says "No Bozo Jam."

♪ Any situation ♪

♪ Jump,
you know what I'm saying, boys ♪

♪ Don't tell me
what you call your foursome ♪

♪ That's your label,
you know what I mean ♪

♪ You're emotionally unstable,
all you do is watch cable ♪

♪ Your papa was a loser,
a stone-cold loser ♪

♪ At least he
never kissed ass ♪♪

I can hear it
in my fillings.

Doesrt anybody
jitterbug anymore?

Hey, what's a guy do
to get served around here?

Put a hole in his nose?

Miss,
you ever hear of No Bozo Jam?

This is
the Dog and Razor Club.

You like loser groups,

try Tuesday amateur night
at Shriek.

Uh, maybe from some,
uh, earlier gig?

Here's their flier.

Great.
Where do we find them?

Oh, yeah.

You know, Ronda used to
play sets with them.

Where's Ronda?

On percussion at The Hole.

??[music playing]

You know,
I don't want it around

that I played with No Bozo,

because things
are happenir for me.

We'll try to keep it
out of Rolling Stone.

Two super dysfunctionals.

They, uh, give a new meaning
to the word clueless.

We want names.

What about the guy
who wears the leather jacket?

Skank. Wayne Jeffers,
the lead singer.

Then there was, um...

l... I don't... I don't remember.
He played bass.

Any idea
where we can find them?

Uh, if they haven't
won the lotto,

they're squattir in
the Belmont Building

over on Avenue D and Sixth.

That's the same block
as where we found the car.

[Bottles clinking]

[Police siren wailing]

[Car honks]

(Briscoe)
Get your hands behind your head!

(Briscoe)
Lace the fingers together! Spread your legs apart!

Don't even think about it.

Wayne Jeffers,
you're under arrest.

What about the equipment?

You're travelir light.

No, he's not.
9-millimeter Beretta.

(Karl)
Look, I told you. The car was just there.

We took what we could.
End of story.

After you killed
Nicolas lliescu.

I found the gun on
the front seat, passenger side.

You found the gun
on the front seat

and you didn't see
his brains splattered all over the dashboard?

Yeah, yeah,
I saw the blood and the meat.

It's a tough neighborhood.

Someone ditched the car.
What do you want from me?

We stripped the car seats
and the cassette decks for money,

but we didn't kill anyone.

Oh, sure.
And where did you get this?

Come on, Skank,
you can't be as dumb as your haircut!

We found this
in your pants pocket!

It was under the seat.

I thought
it might be good for something.

Yeah, like grand larceny,

which we're gonna add to
the theft and murder charge.

How many times
I gotta tell you?

We didn't kill anybody.
We just needed some cash.

[Door opening]

Slugs in the vic's skull
match the Beretta.

His are
the only prints on it.

If I was gonna kill a guy,

you think I'd do it
for a Bonneville?

I think you'd do it
for a shoelace.

Your buddy's prints
are on the gun.

My guess is

right now
he's in the other room rollir on you.

That's a lie!

I told you,
we was performing.

Let's try
a little remedial math, Skank.

There's two of you,
but there's only one deal.

Now, who's gonna get the deal,
you or him?

(Cragen)
Their alibi sings, even if they can't.

Uh, from midnight
to 6:00 a.m.,

Moe and Larry
were poppir eardrums

at a club called Dreck.
150 witnesses.

Who would've thought
these clowns were tellir the truth?

Hey,
you're lookir for a patsy,

what could be better than
dumpir the car and weapon

in the middle of Junkieville?

Yeah. The first vulture
that comes along gets booked for murder.

The first vulture
without an alibi

gets locked in a cage
for a very long time.

These guys are smart.

Well, but maybe
they werert so tidy.

Righteous brother number one
claims

he found this
in the car.

[Phone ringing]

Mr. Brian Hollingswon'th.

What, you think
he was in a hurry to get out and dropped it?

So much for
leaving home without it.

Check him out.

[Phone ringing]

(Hollingswon'th)
Last week we came in low bid

on office space
for a midtown law firm.

Architect's dream.

Bought a round of Stoli
at P.J.'s to celebrate

and I paid for it
with this.

Yeah, well,
your name is also on this.

That's my old number.
I had to cancel that card.

Someone charged
$7,000 in merchandise.

They said someone
had gotten my number

and made a phony card.

Have you ever heard of lliescu
Antique Furniture Store?

Yes. My wife and I
bought a credenza,

a French provincial,

only our decorator said
it was actually Hungarian.

And you bought it
with a credit card?

No,
they wouldn't take cards.

I had to pay by check.

I don't... I don't see
the connection.

Nicolas lliescu, the owner,
was murdered

and this card
was found in his car.

Well, I'm not in
any kind of danger, am I?

So he bought the credenza
from the guy who fakes his card?

[Sighs]
Yeah.

But how did he fake the card
without seeir it?

[Elevator bell dings]

You know,
I bought a jacket two weeks ago,

but my card was loaded,
so I wrote him a check.

And you know what else?

You had to give
two forms of I.D.

Your driver's license
and your credit card.

So we checked the bank
that issued Hollingswon'th's credit card.

In the last six months,

they had a dozen customers
complain of fraudulent charges.

And of those 12,

four of them bought furniture
from lliescu's store.

(Logan)
All by check,

and they all gave him
two forms of I.D.,

one of which
was a credit card.

So lliescu copies the number,
prints up a phony card,

and runs up a tab
all over town.

What, you figure
the murder's related?

Successful at one felony,
why not branch out?

Could be he had a partner
and one of them got greedy.

Okay, talk to his wife.

(Karen)
Five years ago,

we went back to Europe
for eight weeks.

We sublet the apartment.

Nickie wanted to declare
the income on our taxes.

I said, "Who is gonna know?"

He says, "I will."

So there is no way
Nickie was involved in this.

I know...

[clock chiming]

[Sighs]

I knew him.

Did he gamble,

or did he have
any other hobbies?

He worked. He came home.
That's all.

Ma'am, we do know

the crime originated
in your store.

Well, it was Nickie's store,
but other people worked there.

Mrs. Iliescu,

[cup clinking]

If you'd give us
your permission,

uh,
we can look around the store.

Nickie's brother, Alex,
should be there.

Just tell him
I said it was okay.

(Alex)
It was much easier for the police in my country.

Here, the police need things
like warrants.

Well, we don't need one
when the owner consents.

Ah, Karen.

She's doing very well now,
under the circumstances.

You worked for Nick
for a long time, didn't you?

Mmm-hmm.

You know,
I was like you in my country.

A policeman.

Now I fix chairs
for my baby brother.

Detective,
there's a safe back here.

Sometimes
we are paid in cash.

You mind?

Tommy, open the safe
for these gentlemen.

[Speaking Romanian]

Tommy's a hard worker,
an honest man,

something else you don't find
many of back home.

Yeah,
there's not many here either.

You really think
Nick was involved

with this, uh,
credit card thing?

Do you?

Well, sometimes
business wasrt so great.

See what I mean?

What are these,
corporate ledgers?

You're the cop.

(Pappas)
We checked the signatures

on the time cards
in lliescu's store.

(Briscoe)
And?

(Pappas)
That Jerry down the hall?

He'll tell you
a mars fingerprint will divulge his entire personality

You ask me,
that's a bunch of crap.

Signature, that's
a horse of a different color.

We just want to know
if any of these match.

Well, look for yourself.

See the "y" at
the end of Tommy?

The angle of the upstroke
and how it's cut short?

Now look at
the "y" in O'Malley.

Close.

You get that
close at the track,

you retire early.

So you're saying that
Tommy Zanescu forged these?

Looks like it.

Give me a full exemplar,
I'll know for sure.

Thanks.

Hey, we can pick him up now
on grand theft.

And what, squeeze him
till he confesses to murder?

Forensics says

that lliescu's car
was rammed by a truck.

Furniture stores
make deliveries.

[Horn honking]

(Hector)
Are you kidding me?

These guys are slave drivers.

Me and Julio, sometimes
up to 10 deliveries a day.

That's why I eat
so healthy, guys.

A slice with some sausage
is one of your three basic food groups.

Hey, you and Julio,
they don't make you

lug pianos
uptown on your backs.

Do me a favor.
Don't give them any ideas, all right?

To save a buck,
these guys'll probably ditch the truck.

What kind of truck, Hector?

Ford. White.

Anybody, uh, fix
the bumper lately?

Hey, I haven't even seen
it in a couple of days.

Tommy took it, um,
last Tuesday.

And he never brought it back?

Hey, do me a favor.
You find it,

I'm in no rush, all right.
Know what I mean?

[Traffic humming]

(Tommy)
O'Malley, Hollingswon'th, Ford, Cohen.

I don't know these people.

(Logan)
That's funny,

'cause you ran up
over $80,000 on their cards.

I don't see my
client's name anywhere.

(Briscoe)
Our handwriting expert tells us

that he signed
every one of those.

(Forrelli)
Handwriting expert? What's next?

Maybe you want
to read his palm?

Or how about
some tea leaves?

I hear they're very good
for telling the future.

Hey, you want to know
the future?

Try 25 years in Attica.

Hey, I don't know what
F. Lee Yahoo here told you, Tommy,

but we got you for forgery
and grand larceny

and that adds up to
a lot of years all by itself.

And then when
you add murder two...

You cannot tie me
to any murder.

The delivery man told
us you took the truck.

It's only a matter of
time until we find it

and if we find any paint

from Nick's car
on the bumper...

Oh, wait a minute,
wait a minute, Lennie.

Let Mr. Forrelli
here explain it to him.

That's what you're
paying him for, right?

We know there were two.

Just tell us who
the other person was.

Maybe we can work
something out here.

[Briscoe sighs]

(Briscoe)
I don't know if they give out gold stars

for loyalty in your country,

but over here, all you get
is a set of striped pajamas

and the word "schmo"
stamped on your forehead.

The world's not as big
as you think it is, Tommy.

We're gonna find your partner.

[Siren wailing]

The question you
have to ask yourself,

will he be this loyal to you?

You have authority
to deal?

We have the D.A.'s ear.

Alex.

Nick's brother?

Nick found out.

He searched the store,
found the forged cards...

And you killed Nick

to keep him from
going to the police?

I thought we were just going
to get the cards back.

I never thought
he'd kill his own brother.

Where's the truck?

In a rent-a-garage
on Corona, 108th St.

[Engines humming]

(Albers)
You sure this is okay?

The guy gave us the key,
didn't he?

You know, I thought
something was wrong.

Guy has a business
in Manattan.

Why does he want
a garage in Queens?

White Ford van!

Those two guys,
a guy could tell.

You know what I mean.

Yeah, thanks.

Lennie!

I wonder if he reported that
to his insurance agent.

Burgundy paint.

Just like
his brother's Bonneville.

What's Romanian for
"You're under arrest"?

This is a mistake.

Sounds just like
English.

Alex lliescu,
you're under arrest

for the murder of
Nicolas lliescu.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say
can be used

against you
in a court of law...

"Docket number 651328.

"People v. Alexei Iliescu
on the charge

"of murder in
the second degree,

"robbery in the first degree,

and scheme to defraud
in the first degree."

How does
the defendant plead?

I plead not
guilty to all counts.

And the State's
response to Mr. Iliescu's

sweeping
declaration of innocence?

As a Romanian national,
we feel

Mr. Iliescu represents
a strong risk of flight.

We ask he be held
without bail.

That's the message you send
to the emerging democracies?

Bail is set at $500,000.

Your Honor,
Mr. Iliescu struggles

to earn a living in
a small furniture store.

I appreciate his efforts

in pursuit
of the American dream,

but murder simply is
the wrong approach.

[Bell ringing]

I begged Nick not to let
Alex into the business.

He could not
refuse his brother.

This is how he repays Nick.

I assure you, Alex will pay
for what he did.

(Karen)
I read the papers, Mr. Stone.

I see how difficult it is
to convict a criminal.

I will help you.

I will testify
on behalf of the State.

But unless you have
specific evidence

relating to the crime...

My Nickie wasrt
the first he killed!

You have knowledge
of other crimes?

In Romania, Alex was
an officer in the Securitate,

the secret police.

He killed hundreds.

I understand,

but the court
may rule that inadmissible.

Now, if Leon...

Leon has nothing
to do with this.

Nickie and I kept him away.

[Knocking on door]

We taught him
that here in America,

the laws mean something.

I hope we didn't taught him
wrong, Mr. Stone.

Mrs. Iliescu,
please listen to me.

In my opinion,

we have sufficient
evidence to convict Alex.

Hope you're not
making hollow promises.

Kaplan just brought
this motion to suppress

all the evidence
found in the garage.

I'm a little surprised,
Mr. Stone. No warrant.

It wasrt necessary,
Your Honor.

They had consent.

From the wrong person.
You'll see on the lease

Alex lliescu is
the sole renter

of the storage garage.

Tommy Zanescu didn't have
authority to consent.

They had joint authority,
Your Honor.

I don't see any reference
to joint authority

in this lease.

Mr. Zanescu gave
the officers the keys.

So what?
The janitor probably has keys

to this office.
He can't consent to a search.

Well, even if the officers
had made a technical mistake,

under Illinois v. Rodriguez
they still could search

with a good faith belief
that Mr. Zanescu

had the apparent
authority to consent.

If Justice Rehnquist conducted
the search instead of

the New York Police,
you'd be right.

But this state
requires some inquiry

as to whether
the consenting party

controls the property.

So what should
the police have done?

Reasonable inquiry
was easily available

in a file cabinet
in the rental office

just 100 feet away.

Your Honor...

Mr. Stone, I don't
much fancy the thought

of the police
searching my home

because a suspected felon

may give out
keys and a say-so.

I'm declaring the truck
and all of the other evidence

found in the garage
inadmissible.

Thank you, Your Honor.
Considering

the paucity of
evidence against my client...

I'm one step ahead of you,
Mr. Kaplan.

The case against
Mr. Iliescu is dismissed.

I don't get it, Ben.
Don't you talk

to our cops?
Apprise them of the law?

They acted well

within the boundaries
of normal procedure.

They can't anticipate
the call of every judge.

We still have Tommy Zanescu's
statement.

The uncorroborated
testimony of a felon?

Feeling masochistic
this week?

Judge Kleinfeldt is
not the only judge

that likes
evidence in her courtroom.

The manager of the garage
can ID Alex.

[Phone rings]

Yes?

When?

Yes,
they're in my office.

Well, we're
off the hook, boys.

Alex lliescu
has been called

to answer before
a higher court.

These three deep wounds
to the upper back

should have been fatal.

And the rest
were just for fun?

Man likes work, hard to get
him out of the office.

This guy really
got into it.

Broken tip of the blade
was protruding

from where it hit his rib.

Looks like a boning knife
was the weapon of choice.

You know, he might have took
a few swings with this.

I want you to check
all the shards for prints,

blood, whatever.

It's obvious the man was
security conscious.

Whoever got in
was let in.

Probably
someone he knew.

Kitchen knife.
Sounds domestic.

[Police radio chattering]

[Door creaks]

(Logan)
Mrs. Iliescu,

we'd like to ask
you some questions.

It's about
Alex lliescu's death.

You promised us justice.
You released him.

Aunt Karen.

Leon, call the lawyer.
He's expecting it.

Come on, Ben,

let's share a little
responsibility here.

(Stone)
Responsibility, Jonathan?

I didn't stab anyone.

Your life wasrt in danger

from a stone-cold killer
that you released.

He was killed
in his apartment,

not breaking into her house.

(Shapiro)
Texas, Ben. The Burning Bed.

The law has held that

self-defense
can be pre-emptive.

The danger doesn't
have to be imminent.

For a battered wife killing
an abusive husband.

Alex lliescu never
laid a hand on her.

(Shapiro)
He made her a widow.

They will also
hear how this woman

pleaded with this
prosecutor for protection.

Mrs. Iliescu,
if you were so afraid,

why didn't you call us?

You let him go.

Why should I believe
you would have helped us?

If you were so
anxious to help her then,

help her now.

Man two with
a suspended sentence.

Man two,
she serves the maximum.

She'll never
serve a day, Ben.

I'll see you in court.

Unless they
rewrite the statute,

self-defense
requires imminent danger.

Juries deal in equities,
not statutes.

This guy killed thousands.

Shapiro will talk
the jury into thinking

the killing was
a public service.

We have a problem.
Karen lliescu's confession

doesn't match the evidence.

What evidence?

The blood on the bottle
Alex used to defend himself

doesn't match his or Karers.

So she confessed to a crime
she didn't commit.

She's protecting someone.

Who's left? The boy.

Call Briscoe and Logan.

When we brought Leon
back from Romania,

he lived with us like a son.

I wanted him to have
a normal life.

He deserved it.

He murdered his father,
Mrs. Iliescu.

In terms of a normal life,
he's off to a bad start.

Take into account
what his father was,

the fear his father
inspired in him.

I'm going to
plead Leon not guilty

by reason of mental defect.

Insanity?
Come on, Jonathan.

Based on what?

His family,
specifically Leon.

He's been haunted,

severely damaged by
a very terrifying past.

[Sighs]

Back to Romania.

You were not there.

You haven't seen
what I've seen.

And what he saw,
the jury will see.

And they'll know
that Leon did

what his life in Romania
conditioned him to do.

It's cultural insanity.

No judge is gonna buy that.

Well, look, you're so sure,
make a motion to preclude.

You think
he actually has a chance

with this cultural
insanity defense?

I think he has a knack
for creating things.

There's nothing
he likes better

than making new law.

But taken to the extreme,

this defense would mean

that nobody's
responsible for anything.

Yeah, and that's exactly
where the law's heading.

Something wrong,
someone to sue.

That's civil law,
not criminal.

You think anyone knows
the difference or cares?

Shapiro's raising the defense.

Translation,
we take it seriously.

Now, what about Liz?
She talk to the boy?

No. This afternoon.

Well, if she has any doubts,
cut a deal.

I remember my mother.

She take me to
the State Building.

She, uh, has to see
the physician,

so she, uh, leave me
with my father.

He worked
for the State.

How old were you,
Leon?

Um, maybe 11, 10.

The sergeant, he, uh,
take me to my father.

He was in the quadrangle
outside the cell block.

The prisoners,
they were

chained together
at the ankles

and they had to watch,

or the guards
would beat them.

What did they
have to watch?

Another prisoner
on the ground.

He, uh...

The guards stand on his arms

so he cannot move.

His feet are tied to a post.

A big man,

he is beating on the soles

of the prisoner's
feet with a club.

[Sighs]

The big man turn around.

It was my father.

How did you feel about that?

I was proud.

Proud of his brutality?

We got respect.

We live well because of
what my father did.

Every time
Ceausescu give an address,

there is my father,

the fourth man on his right.

He said when I am grown,
that would be me.

He was raised
with violence and brutality

as a fact of life.

It had to have an effect.

I wasrt exactly invited
to the Queers tea

when I was a kid.

I didn't kill anybody,
and I don't think I'm insane.

But figuratively,

Leon was invited
to the palace ball.

He saw
his father's cruelty,

and he also saw him
get rewarded for it.

He became what his
culture prescribed.

He couldn't reject
his father's life.

So Shapiro's theory
is valid?

In theory, yes.

What bothers me
is not so much what Leon says,

but the way
in which he says it.

He's reciting
a litany of horrors

he experienced
as a youth,

but there's
a weird enthusiasm

as if he's describing
the actualization

of some fantasy.

Does he have
a mental defect?

I'd be able to
testify that

although he may have been
traumatized as a youth,

he knew exactly
what he was doing

when he killed his father.

(Stone)
You will hear a taped confession

in which Leon
lliescu describes

plunging a knife repeatedly
into his father's back.

And he doesn't say
that his act is justified.

What he does say

is that because of his youth
in a violent police state

he cannot be held
legally responsible

for his acts.

He is legally insane.

In short, Leon is saying,

"I'm not guilty.
Society made me do it."

I only ask that

when you are confronted
with this mountain

of psychoanalytic verbiage

that you keep in mind
the real victim of this crime

found on the floor
of his own apartment

with the blade
of a boning knife

broken in his back,

murdered by his own son.

Only then can you determine

whether Leon
is the victim of society

or society
is the victim of Leon.

My father, God bless him,

had a little tailor shop
right down here on Church St.

When I was 5 years old,

he made me sit
behind a counter

and talk to the customers.

When I was 10, he taught me
to use the press.

At 12, the sewing machine.

To him, there would be
nothing greater in this world

than to hang a sign,
"Shapiro and Son."

You will see that it was
the same for Leon lliescu.

Only his father made him watch
public executions.

He taught him how to use
a pistol and a whip.

The only path to
success for Leon

was
State-sanctioned brutality.

Then suddenly, he was brought
to this country.

His aunt and uncle tried
to salvage

the human being in him.

They taught him that

his father's way of life
was wrong.

But then his uncle
was murdered by his father,

and the State said
it was okay.

And something
inside of Leon went snap.

He lived with us
the last seven years.

(Stone)
Please describe anything in Leors behavior

that would lead you to believe
that he had a mental problem.

He did not sleep well.

And that's all?

I don't want to
talk about Leon.

I don't want to be here!

Did any of his teachers...

Did they complain
about his behavior?

He had trouble in school.

But I helped him.

Mrs. Iliescu, that is not
an answer to my question.

Did his teachers complain
about his behavior?

Answer the question.

No.

And did he ever
get into any fights

in the neighborhood?

No.

Was there anything
in his behavior

that would lead
you to believe

that he needed
psychiatric treatment?

No.

Thank you.

At what point
in the seven years

that he lived with you

did Leon begin to need help
with his schoolwork?

He was a good student

until his father
came over from Romania.

Was that about the time

he started having
trouble sleeping?

(Karen)
Yes. He had nightmares.

His friends would call,

and he would not
speak to them.

Mrs. Iliescu,
you never consulted

a psychiatrist
about Leors condition.

Did you consult anyone?

Yes, I spoke to
Father Popescu.

I begged Leon

to come with me to church,
but he refused.

He said he was cursed.

God didn't want him.

I would have done...

anything for him.

[Sniffles]

He lived with us
like our own son.

But when Alex came,
I just felt him

to... to slip away.

He speaks of

being almost constantly
at his father's side,

of witnessing interrogations

in which prisoners
were severely beaten.

He saw executions.

He also saw his father
rewarded for his actions.

Unconsciously,
he equated cruelty

with success,
achievement, and power.

And in your expert opinion,
were these acts of violence,

which he described vividly,

were they the result
of his upbringing?

His childhood
probably was traumatic,

but it did not compel
him to kill his father.

And does the defendant suffer
from any mental defect?

No.

So in your opinion
he is not legally insane?

No, he's not.

Thank you.

Dr. Olivet.

Would you, uh, consider
psychology an exact science?

Psychological evaluation
offers a certain accuracy

within certain parameters,
yes.

You described the effect
of Leors youth

as traumatic, didn't you?

I said it was
probably traumatic.

Probably.

In other words, it could be
as little or as much

as anyone in your profession
cares to make it.

No. We're not talking about
black magic, Mr. Shapiro.

The evaluation process

is based on
very specific criteria.

I see.

How many Romanians have you
evaluated in your career?

None.

How many sons
of mass murderers?

Objection, Your Honor.

We have already established

Dr. Olivet's credentials
as an expert.

I am not
challenging her expertise.

I am questioning
the basis for her opinion.

I'll allow it.
Answer the question.

None.

So tell us, Doctor,

what in your past qualifies
you to form an opinion

about the effect
of these horrors

when you admittedly
have no experience?

Objection.

Withdrawn.

It wasrt easy, Adam,
but I thought Liz

held her ground
as best she could.

Yeah. The problem is
juries go with the expert

with the most letters
after his name.

And Shapiro's putting
Dr. Melvin Diener

on the stand.

A curriculum vitae like
B.F. Skinner.

The man coined
the term "cultural insanity"

in his 500-page
treatise on the subject.

[Chuckles]

And Jonathan Shapiro's
slick enough

to beat you
through a revolving door.

You actually think
a jury'll buy that?

Well, if it does, we'll have
to triple the budget

to prosecute
all the culturally-insane defendants.

But if I cut
a deal with the boy now,

it'll open
the same floodgates.

The boy says he's a product
of a screwed-up culture.

Since when do we take

the statement
of a known felon as gospel?

The only way to get
a witness to discredit him

is to fly one
over from Romania.

I doubt the State
will spring for that.

It may cost us only cab fare.

Tommy Zanescu
hasn't been transferred

out of Rikers yet.

In my country,

a can'ton of cigarettes
would get you a wool sweater.

The problem is,
I don't smoke,

and I'm not cold.

We are willing to
reduce the sentence.

How much?

(Stone)
That depends on what you tell us.

What do you want to hear?

Enjoy the next 15 years
in jail, sir.

Hold it.
I'll tell you what I know.

Yeah, I knew Alex
back in Bucharest.

I worked with him
in Securitate.

I was what you people call
his right-hand man.

Then you saw him
around Leon?

Hardly ever.
Alex had no use for Leon.

He called him a mouse.

How did Leon react

when his father
brought him to the prison?

The prison?
Is that what the boy told you?

Alex wouldn't
bring him anywhere.

When he was 5 years old,

he sent him to the country
to live with servants.

When Leon asked him to come
live with him in Bucharest,

Alex shipped him off
to New York to his brother.

So Leon always
hated his father?

No. He was weak
and stupid and desperate.

He'd do anything
to please Alex.

What could he do?

Alex didn't want to know him.

But Leon still tried.

You know, it was him
who told us that Nicolas

was going to turn Alex in
to the police.

Alex laughed and said,

"See? You even
squeal like a mouse."

By telling Alex that Nick was
onto the credit card scam,

he was trying to buy his way
into his father's life.

He knew Alex would do
something to stop his uncle.

Which means the death of his
uncle wasrt traumatic.

It was expected.

This whole insanity
defense is a hoax.

So call Shapiro
and set up a meeting.

(Leon)
Zanescu is lying.

He's lying.

(Stone)
Um, Leon, did you know Tommy Zanescu

when you were
both in Romania?

He says he was your father's
right-hand man

in the Securitate.

(Leon)
He was just a chauffeur.

My father had many chauffeurs.
Others who could tell you

he wanted me to be with him,

and none of them
would betray me

or my father like
this Tommy Zanescu.

Your father was not
an easy man to betray, was he?

That's right.

But your uncle?

You found it easy to
betray him, didn't you?

You went to your father,
and you told him

that your uncle was
going to turn him in.

No. Leon,
tell them you didn't.

And you knew

that your father killed
betrayers, didn't you?

I didn't know
he would kill Uncle Nickie.

You knew, Leon.
How could you?

He was my father!

But you loved Nickie!

[Karen sobbing]

Yes. I loved him.

(Stone)
If you had come to us,

your uncle would
be alive today.

After Uncle Nickie died,

my father...

he put his arm
on my shoulder.

He talked to me
like a son.

Until the charges
were dismissed against him.

I went to his apartment.

He was drinking,
celebrating. He...

We talked about me
moving in with him.

But he didn't want you,
did he?

He loved me.

He didn't love you,
he used you.

You don't know anything.

I know
he called you mouse.

Is that because
you're a coward?

I wasrt afraid of him.

He was

eating sausage like

a pig.

There was a knife.

I pick it up.

He just look at me

and laugh.

He call me a snitch

and then he turn away,

like I'm nothing!

But I just keep stabbing

until he doesn't move

anymore.

[Sniffles]

I'm not a coward.

(Shapiro)
Extreme emotional disturbance, Ben.

Man one.

Leon went a long way

trying to win
his father's love.

From the sound of it,
it wasrt won'th winning.

They say a boy
doesn't become a man

until his father passes away.

Leon took care of it
in one fell swoop.

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