All language subtitles for L.A.Law.S06E02.TV.or.Not.TV.1080p.DSNP.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_track4_[eng]

Carter: Battered women come
from all social classes.

It's a myth that they're poor
and uneducated.

Some studies have shown
that there's a higher incidence

of abuse in places
like Bel Air, Beverly Hills.

Why don't these women
leave these relationships?

They think like victims
of concentration camps.

When human beings
are subjected to daily terror,

to constant punishment,

options like escape
cease to exist.

They focus on avoiding
the beatings,

and when that fails,
to surviving them.

What if they try to get out?

They're even more likely
to be attacked

by the abusive partner.

Shelters, even police
can't seem to protect them.

Dr. Carter, is it probable
that Elsa Chandler's husband

would have continued
to abuse her?

Carter: There's almost
no doubt.

The violence would have become

more frequent and more severe.

And in your opinion,

the night that he ordered her
to his office,

was it reasonable
for Elsa Chandler

to believe her husband
would kill her?

Absolutely.

With that kind
of long-term abuse,

Mrs. Chandler's life
was in danger

every time she was alone
with him.

Van Owen: Thank you, doctor.
I have nothing further.

Doctor, aren't these studies
anecdotal?

Your Honor, we reserve the right
to recall this witness.

That won't be necessary,
Your Honor.

What? We just forgot
about insanity?

I told you I'm dropping it...

Judge, I need
a ten-minute recess.

You said you were thinkin'
about it.

I did.

Now you're really
gonna do this?

Lose temporary insanity,
hang your whole case

on self-defense and hope
the jury believes her.

Killing her husband
was probably

the most rational thing
Elsa Chandler ever did.

She doesn't belong
in a psychiatric ward.

She shot him before he ever laid
a hand on her.

Grace, you know the law
as well as I do.

You gotta show immediate threat
or you don't make self-defense!

This is how
I am trying the case!

If you don't like it,
you can get out!

Anything you say.

[door opens]

[door shuts]

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

Settle down, please. We have
a full agenda. Where's Arnold?

Uh, he's getting a shot
for his allergies.

Ouch!

Brackman: First,
the Elsa Chandler trial.

Tomorrow I have one witness
to corroborate abuse,

then Chandler is up.

Tommy is no longer on the case.

Well, that'll enhance
our image.

Uh, just move along, Douglas.

Brackman: In re James Riley?

Captain Riley was shot down
over North Vietnam in 1970.

He was officially listed
as missing in action.

Three months ago his wife died

and left her entire estate
to her husband.

She believed he's still alive?

And still a POW? Come on.
It's been over 20 years.

Amazing how anyone
can still believe

those men are coming home.

Susan: How can you say that?

What about all the sightings
after the war?

Anyway, Riley's younger son,
Mike, is petitioning

to have his father
declared dead,

and he wants
to divide the estate.

Our client, Sean Riley,
is fighting it.

He wants to use the money
to find his father.

- Any chance for a settlement?
- No.

I've tried, the brothers
are barely speaking.

Next up. There are questions
about office assignments?

Just one question.

Why does Susan Bloom
get Mike Kuzak's office

before it was offered
to any of the partners?

You could've put in for it.
You didn't.

And with the kind of rent
she's paying,

we can't very well
give her your office.

No, we can't do that.

Brackman: I'm glad you
understand, we're adjourned.

Tom, can I see you
for a moment?

I'd like you to reconsider.

She'll never beat
the odds, Leland.

We both know that.

The jury could nullify.

They could come in not guilty.

Sure, and when have
you seen it happen?

I mean, in the real world,

a burning-bed defense
has to include insanity.

If Chandler was in her
right mind, they won't acquit.

But you don't know
that for sure.

Grace is damn good, Thomas.
Now, don't underestimate her.

Oh, she's the best,
but she just lost her baby,

her marriage broke up.

- Do you agree with her?
- No.

But it's a legitimate defense,
and it's her case.

She's an independent now,
I can't dictate strategy.

If she wants to take this risk,
I can't stop her.

But everything I know
says it's wrong.

I don't think I can back her.

It's up to you, of course.

I'm not gonna force you.

I'm only gonna tell you
that right now,

more than a second chair,
Grace probably needs a friend.

Mike Riley: My father
was a pilot assigned

to the 388th
Tactical Fighter Wing.

On May 2nd, 1970,
he was shot down

over the Hoa Binh Province.

He radioed the plane
was on fire

and he was going to eject.

Was he ever heard from again?

No, by the time
the search-and-rescue team

reached the area,
there was no sign of him.

The plane exploded on impact.

Maxon: And at that time
the Air Force classified

your father
as missing in action?

Yes, but... in '74,

my mother was notified
that his classification

had been changed to KIA.

Killed in action.

And do you agree
with that conclusion?

I've read the file
over and over,

trying to find something...

anything that would
let me believe

that he's still alive,
but he's not.

He's gone.

My father died in that crash.

Maxon: Thank you, Mr. Riley.

You have no memory

of your father,
do you, Mr. Riley?

Objection, Your Honor.
Relevance?

His perception
of his father's loss

is directly relevant,
Your Honor.

I'll allow it.

I was two years old
when... the plane crashed.

I remember a man who swung me
over his head once, that's all.

Okay, In 1973, when 591 POWs
were returned to this country,

in Operation Homecoming,
you were five years old.

Do you remember that day
watching it on TV?

Yes.

Do you remember
what your mother did

during the broadcast
as each man got off the plane

and was reunited
with his family?

She kept saying my dad's name
over and over again.

"Jim.

Come on, Jim.
Please, Jimmy."

She knew he wasn't
on any of the lists,

but she couldn't help it.

Rollins: And when he wasn't
one of the men that got off

that plane, she started to cry.

Then what did you do,
Mr. Riley?

I threw a picture of my dad
against the wall.

[scoffs] I was five years old,
Mr. Rollins.

I blamed my father for making
her cry,

but I grew out of that.

But over the years, there were
other family disagreements?

She and Sean
couldn't stop hoping!

Rollins: But they did have
information that justified hope.

The United States' Government
reviewed my father's case

and determined he was dead!

As part of a blanket ruling.

A ruling that resulted
in all MIAs

being declared dead.

Your Honor,
is there a question here?

Get to the point, Mr. Rollins.

You stand to benefit
from this proceeding, don't you?

- What do you mean?
- About to be married.

Maybe have a family.

Inheriting $350,000,
that's not a bad start.

Don't tell me about
bad starts, Mr. Rollins!

I grew up watching
my mother waste her life,

waiting for the phone to ring.

Don't tell me about bad starts!

Hi, we haven't met.
I'm Susan Bloom.

Oh, hi, Arnold Becker.
Nice to meet you.

- You're not what I expected.
- Yeah?

Well, I left my fangs
and my death ray at home.

Makes a lousy first impression.

Nice office.

Oh, thank you.
I just... redecorated.

Yeah, I hear you're hell
on lava lamps.

[laughs]
You mind if I smoke?

- Actually, I prefer--
- Thanks.

You know, something's come up

I think you might
be interested in.

You know Steve Graham?

Yeah, legal reporter,
Channel three?

Well, he's going on vacation.

Station needs someone to cover

for him for a couple weeks.

Now, the exec-producer's
a client of mine.

I told him I'd look around.

Well, I'm flattered, but...

- I'm no journalist.
- You don't have to be.

They have reporters
to do the research,

writers to write the copy.

All you have to do is read it.

Plus once a week,
you take phone calls,

do a little improvisational
legal advice.

- But I'm a divorce attorney.
- But you went to law school.

You know the difference between
a crime and a tort.

This is only
a temporary thing, right?

That's what they're saying.

But my hunch is
they're lookin' to dump him.

I could be wrong.

[inhales] Look, sleep on it.
Let me know tomorrow.

[exhales] They're want to jump
on this by week's end.

Nice to meet you.

W-- w-- what's in this for you?

- Favor for a client.
- But why me?

What are my qualifications?

Are you kidding?

Every woman between 18 and 34

is simply gonna lose herself
in those big blue eyes.

Hm.

[indistinct chatter]

I still think you're wrong,
but I'm willing to compromise.

If Chandler still wants
to play it your way,

I'll back you up.

I don't need any favors.

I'm not doin' any.

Fine, she'll be in tomorrow.

Kellogg: It is true
a blanket ruling of death

was made,
but the Department of Defense

continues to operate
under the assumption

that some of those men
might have survived.

Maxon: What exactly is
the government doing, colonel?

Our defense Intelligence Agency
has a special team

deployed in Southeast Asia.

Every lead
about missing Americans

is pursued and tracked down.

And yet not one soldier
has emerged as a result

of all of these efforts.

You think maybe you're chasing
rainbows, colonel?

Kellogg: Well, maybe we are.

But even if only one serviceman
is still alive,

we owe it to him
to get him out.

Maxon: Then in your
expert opinion,

is there any evidence here
that would warrant

continued hope
on the part of this family?

I hate giving up on any man,

but in this case, I see
no evidence to support a claim

that Captain Riley
is still alive.

Thank you, colonel.

Colonel, it's a matter
of record

that over the last 18 years,

your agency received
11,933 reports

concerning Americans
in Indochina,

some as recent
as the last few weeks.

Rollins: Correct?
- Yes.

Of those 11,933 reports,
how many have been worthy

of further investigation
by your agency?

Approximately 100
are still under investigation.

Rollins: So out of over
11,000 reports,

any one of which might lead
to the rescue of their father,

you've determined
that only a 100

are worthy of further action?

You know how many
con artists are out there

peddling false hope
to MIA families, counselor?

Faking sightings for money,
bogus photographs.

Now, most of this information
is no better than rumor.

Is it true that in 1985,

after repeated petitionings
from Mrs. Riley,

you finally
permitted her to see

a partially declassified report
of one of these rumors,

which related
to her husband's capture?

Kellogg: It did not relate
to her husband.

Uh, the reported incident
pertained to the capture

of another pilot, John Harwood,

whose remains have
already been repatriated.

Major Harwood
flew an F-four jet,

the witness stated he saw
a pilot parachute from an F105,

the plane James Riley flew.

The date indicated Harwood.

But the location
of the observer was in fact

closer
to Captain Riley's position

than Major Harwood's.

The testimony was riddled
with inconsistencies.

And in the face
of inconsistencies,

isn't it your agency's policy
to dismiss those sightings?

Kellogg: Absolutely not.

Rollins: Opening cases
is counter productive.

You're more interested
in closing them.

There were 78,000 MIAs
in World War Two,

8,000 in Korea.

Not a single one
of those men came back!

We have a responsibility
to the MIAs, yes.

But we also have
a responsibility

to their families.

We're not going
to mislead them, encourage them

to wait for men
who are not coming home.

And despite the evidence
in your own files, colonel,

you insist
that Captain James Riley

is one of those men?

The so-called evidence
is not, in our judgment,

enough to support the belief
that he's still alive.

Should've Captain Riley
handing you

the file himself, colonel,

I wonder what would
make you believe it.

With self-defense alone,

there's no compromise
for the jury.

They have to acquit
or find you guilty.

And if they convict,

you could get
the death penalty.

Mullaney: Now, if we
give them a fallback,

not guilty
by reason of insanity,

they'll probably take it.

You won't go to prison,

but the judge
will have to commit you.

To a mental hospital?

Well, chances are
it wouldn't be for long.

But there are no guarantees.

Hm, Ralph used to tell me
that I was crazy

and, um, for a long time,
I believed him.

I will never
believe that again.

I want to go with self-defense.

[instrumental music]

[chuckles]

Is lunch over?

Are you still hungry?

Douglas is going to be
wondering where I am.

Just tell him
you stopped by...

for something quick and easy.

Let me out.

[sighs]
Not that we have to do this.

We both have
perfectly good beds.

I always wanted
a quickie with you.

So what are you going
to tell Susan Bloom?

Becker: God, I don't know.

I don't want to be a celebrity.

Hell, when I did the video,
I wound up getting kidnapped.

I mean, who needs the tsuris?

Roxanne: There is that.

And it's probably not the image

the firm wants to project.

Being on the news is one thing,
but a phone-in lawyer?

Leland would probably think
it was undignified.

Douglas, on the other hand,

would probably
jump at the chance.

"Are you kidding?

High profiles attract
high profile cases, Arnie."

If I took this job,
Douglas would have my baby.

Mm-hm.

And the people
in the industry, power junkies,

narcissists, what the hell
do I have in common

with people like that?

I can't imagine.

Nah, it's not for me. [sighs]

I'm just not cut out for it.
I'm a little too sensitive.

They eat guys like me
for breakfast.

Speaking of eating,
do you think we could stop

at the cafe downstairs
and grab a quick sandwich?

Yeah, sure.

I also want to stop
at the newsstand.

I think they carry a variety.

Where did you serve in Vietnam?

Byerley: I did
three tours of duty

in Saigon
with Army Intelligence.

I monitored and analyzed
enemy radio transmissions.

Basically eavesdropping.

Rollins: In that capacity,
did you have access

to information about POWs?

Yeah, our equipment
was very sophisticated.

If the VC radioed
that they had a prisoner,

more than likely
we'd pick upon it.

We were able to track hundreds
of our men this way.

Would a prisoner
like James Riley

have had value
to the North Vietnamese?

Absolutely.

They wanted live prisoners,
especially men

with technical training,
like pilots.

And after our troops pulled out
in 1973, what did you do?

Well, most of my civilian work
in Saigon is still classified.

But I served on and off
until 1975

as the translator
for the American team

discussing the return
of the MIAs

with the North Vietnamese.

Meetings that took place
for two years

after President Nixon announced

that all POWs
had been returned?

Right. It was no secret.

It was part
of the Paris Agreement.

Then it's your expert opinion
that American POWs

were held in Vietnam
after the 1973 release?

Like I said, I tracked
several hundred POWs

during the war.

They were alive when I left.

Not a single one
of those men ever came home.

But Captain Riley wasn't among

the hundreds
of men that you tracked?

No.

Maxon: In spite of your
sophisticated technology,

you have no knowledge
whether or not

he even survived
the plane crash?

No.

Mr. Byerly,
you were asked to resign

your civilian position
with Army Intelligence,

is that correct?

We had a difference of opinion.

Maxon: You were asked
to resign, yes or no?

Our government knew
there were men left behind!

I was told to shut up
and stay out of it!

Answer the question,
Mr. Byerly.

Yes, I was asked to resign.

In fact, for inadequate
job performance.

- That's a load of crap.
- Is it, Mr. Byerly?

Since 1975, you've lost
four other positions

due to poor work performance,
poor attitude and absenteeism?

Why don't we talk about the jobs
I've held successfully?

Maxon: Why don't we?
For the last eight years,

most of your income
has derived from your status

as an expert on POWs,
hasn't it?

If this issue disappeared,
so would your livelihood.

Not true.

You've made over $35,000
alone in this year,

in speaking engagements
and magazine articles?

I don't make
that much every year.

So this has been a good year
in the MIA business,

is that it, Mr. Byerly?

I have no further questions.

[indistinct chatter]

[whispering]

Ms. Novak,
what was your relationship

with Ralph Chandler?

We slept together,
for a while.

Van Owen: During his marriage?

Yes.

From 1986 to 1988.

Your Honor,
both parties stipulate

that Ralph Chandler's
engagement calendars

for those years
show appointments

with Ms. Novak
several times a week.

Ms. Novak, during those times,
did Mr. Chandler

ever exhibit abusive behavior
towards you?

At first it was... only verbal.

He liked to insult me.

It aroused him.

Then it got heavier.

One day he went too far.

He started to slap me around.

It got pretty ugly.

Ms. Novak,
exactly what happened?

Ms. Novak: Let's just say
it wasn't a game anymore.

He knocked me out cold.

When I came too...

both of my eyes
were swollen shut.

I was bruised all over,

and my... shoulder
was dislocated.

Did you ever see
Mr. Chandler after that?

He tried to force me.
He wouldn't back off.

I was so scared...

that I had to move
and change my phone

to a different number.

Thank you, ma'am.

Ms. Novak...

did you accept money
from Ralph Chandler?

Goes to the witness's
credibility.

Overruled.

Graphia: Did you accept money
from Ralph Chandler?

I'm not a call girl.

But you let him pay
your rent for a year.

He bought you
expensive clothes and jewelry.

Doesn't give him the right
to use me as a punching bag.

Well, in fact, there's no proof

that Ralph Chandler ever did
anything to you.

You never sought treatment
for your injuries.

You never told anyone.

We really only have your word

that Ralph Chandler beat you.

- It's the truth.
Graphia: Is it?

Or did you agree to testify,
so that you could sell

the film rights to your story?

Objection! That's totally
without foundation!

No, it isn't, Ms. Novak signed
a contract last week

with Creative
Talent International,

for film and television
representation.

- I'm an actress!
- She never said a word.

You're giving quite
a performance right now,

but that's not your profession.

Objection, this whole line
of questioning is irrelevant!

It's on point, Your Honor.

It establishes the witness
as a publicity-seeker

with profit motive.

- I'll allow it.
Graphia: I repeat.

Are you trying to sell
the story of your relationship

with Ralph Chandler
to Hollywood?

Yes.

Graphia: No more questions.

[indistinct chatter]

[instrumental music]

There were four Americans
at Quyet Tien.

They were kept
at their own place,

away from the rest of us.

Rollins: You were also
a prisoner there, Mr. Pham?

It was one of the camps
that I was sent

to for re-education.

How did you know
these four men were Americans?

The guards called them
"GI Number ten,"

an insulting term
for Americans.

Could you describe
the appearance of these men?

Pham: They were very thin.

Their uniforms
were torn and dirty.

Rollins: And how
were they treated?

Life in the camp
is very harsh, Mr. Rollins.

But for Americans,
it was particularly cruel.

Some mornings they were
marched down to the yard,

and the guards made them
stand there for many hours.

No talking. No shade.
No sitting.

And did you ever have

any direct contact
with any of these men?

Several times.
I brought them water.

One time I saw on the earth,

next to a tall man,

the letters, uh, R-I-L-E-Y.

The man has written them
with his foot.

Then a guard moved closer.

And when I looked down again,
the letters were gone.

When did this happen?

Five years ago, in April, 1986.

Was this the man you saw?

- Yes.
- That's a lie!

Judge Swaybill: Mr. Riley.
- That's the man.

The picture is 20 years old!
How could you possibly tell!

- Why can't you believe him?
- Both of you! This is enough!

Would you tell him
he's under oath here?

- Mr. Riley!
- He's telling the truth.

My mother sponsored
his entire family!

She paid for them
to come over here,

- what do you expect him to say?
- I will not tolerate this!

Judge Swaybill: Counselors,
you have 20 minutes.

Don't bring you clients
back into my courtroom

till they're under control.

[sighs]

Alright, listen.

We'd like to make peace here.

My client wants
to propose a settlement.

I don't know if the court'll
approve it, but let's hear it.

Fifty thousand dollars.

And the rest goes
to guys like Pham?

- Forget it, Sean.
- How do you do it?

How do you hear
a story like that

and not feel anything?

I gave up on the stories.

After that commando
with the phony dog tags,

you let mom get
taken in by that nut.

We have to move on, Sean.

- We have to forget.
- No!

He's my father,
if it takes the rest

of my life, Mike,
I'm going to find him.

Well, then the judge
can declare us all dead.

We died the day
he crashed in the jungle.

[door opens]

[door shuts]

We've gone over this
a million times.

Mrs. Chandler: I know
we've rehearsed.

I know that we've gone
over all of this, but...

I-- I-- I can't do it.

I-- I just can't get up there.

Maybe there's
a plea bargain, or...

Well, I am guilty.

I-- I-- I'll just
go to prison, and...

We have no case without you.

The prosecutor has no reason
to make a deal.

Mullaney: A lot of people
get scared.

It goes away
once you're up there.

I let my husband humiliate me.

I let him take away
all of my dignity.

How can I explain that
to those people?

You don't have to explain it.

You just have to tell them.

If you don't...

he hurts you all over again,
even though he's dead.

I don't know if the words
will come out of my mouth.

Mullaney: They will.
You can do this.

We're gonna help ya.

You gotta trust us.

Madelyn Riley spent 20 years

tenderly keeping
a memory alive.

We're all moved by the loyalty
that she felt for James Riley.

She never stopped loving him.

But she never
remarried either.

She never even considered it.

Madelyn Riley gave up
her life for her husband.

And now Sean Riley wants
to chase the same false hope.

Would James Riley
have wanted this?

Or would he have
wanted his family

to get on with their lives?

Your Honor, there is
no credible evidence

that James Riley
is still alive.

There's only the testimony
of one Vietnamese refugee,

who owes
his family's relocation

to Madelyn Riley.

That's not proof.

That's a shred of hope
that Sean Riley

has convinced himself
is a fact.

But Mike Riley doesn't want
to live on hope any longer.

He wants a life of his own.

In Vietnam, they say
the spirits of the dead

can't rest until their bodies
are given a proper burial.

Please give James Riley

a proper burial here,
Your honor.

It's time
to let his spirit rest.

Your Honor, in 1969,
the U.S. Government

told Madelyn Riley
that her husband was needed

to stop communism in Vietnam,

and she believed them.

In 1970,
the government told her

Jim had been shot down,
but that everything possible

was being done
to secure his release,

and she believed them.

But in 1974,
when the government

issued its blanket
death certificate for all MIAs,

she stopped believing them.

These are the facts.

A witness near
where Captain Riley

was shot down,
saw a pilot parachute

from the same kind
of plane as his.

In 1986, a Vietnamese prisoner

saw a man write the name
Riley in the dirt,

and later identified him
from a picture of James Riley.

In 1986.

Your Honor,
there is credible evidence

that Captain Riley
is still alive.

The government
has abandoned him.

Please...

don't force his family
to do the same.

[indistinct chatter]

It would always start
the same way.

Um... something
would make him angry.

He didn't like what I cooked.

The house wasn't clean enough.

He would start by yelling at me
and then he would slap me.

I'd try to calm him down,

but I could always
feel it coming.

He would...

lose control.

Last Christmas
things got so bad

that I thought perhaps
he would let me leave.

And, so...

I asked him for a divorce.

- How did he respond?
Mrs. Chandler: He threw me out.

He said that he was
going to teach me

a lesson in survival.

I slept in the yard that night.

Did things get worse
after that?

The beatings got worse.

They became more frequent.

And he wouldn't let me go
any place without him.

He cut me off from any contact.

It was, um,
like I was a prisoner.

Mrs. Chandler, can you
tell us what happened

in the... 24 hours prior
to your husband's death?

The night before Ralph
was drinking,

and he called me
into his study,

and he told me to sit down.

He grabbed me by the throat...

and he put, um... a gun
to my head.

He told me to, uh...

look at the clock.

He said that there was
one bullet in the gun

and six chambers,

and that he would
pull the trigger...

whenever the clock
would strike the hour.

And then I would either die...

or I would live
another 60 minutes.

- Did he pull the trigger?
- Yes.

- How many times?
- Four times.

In four hours,
until he passed out.

And then he continued
to abuse you

the next morning, didn't he?

I woke up to...

pain that was shooting
through my body.

It was like
I was being torn apart.

What was he doing?

I know...

how hard this is.

But we need to know.

What was he doing?

He was sodomizing you,
wasn't he?

Objection. Leading the witness.

[clears throat] Sustained.

Elsa... what was he doing?

He was sodomizing me.

And when he left,
I tried to get up.

The bed was covered with blood.

And when was the next time
you heard from your husband?

That night at 7 o'clock.
He called me from his office.

He ordered me
to get over there right away,

and to bring him his gun.

And what happened when you got

to your husband's office?

He screamed at me
that I was late.

He told me to give him the gun.

So I took the gun
out of my purse.

And he stood up.

And then what happened?

I shot him.

I didn't mean to,
but he was going to kill me.

I know that
he was going to kill me.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

How did you know,
Mrs. Chandler?

How did you know
he was going to kill you

at that moment?

Did he say so?

No.

Did he move toward you?

No, but he would've.

- But he never did.
- No.

Now you claim
that you were a prisoner...

for 12 years.

But you never told a friend.

You never told a family member.

You never called the police.

Ralph told me
he would kill me if I did.

Mrs. Chandler,
you're still living

in that prison, aren't you?

I don't know what you mean.

The five-point-three-million
dollar house

your husband bought in 1989.

Now he's been dead
almost a year.

- But you still live there.
- Yes.

Aren't the memories
too painful?

- Argumentative, Your Honor.
- Sustained.

Watch yourself, Mr. Graphia.

Graphia: And what about your
husband's money, Mrs. Chandler?

You gave $20,000 to your lover,
Steven Waering.

- Objection!
- No, he was not my lover.

- Sustained.
- We never slept together.

He was the only person
who understood me.

Mrs. Chandler, if it really
was that terrible,

why didn't you leave the night
your husband locked you out?

Well, I couldn't,
I was too ashamed.

You could have gone
to a neighbor's house.

You could have called
Steven Waering.

Now why didn't you?

Why didn't you, Mrs. Chandler?

Can you understand?

He tore off my nightgown
and threw me out.

I couldn't go anywhere.

I was naked.

Bailiff: Please be seated.

After reviewing
the records of this trial,

as well as
the government files,

I've concluded that
the evidence is sufficient

to overcome
the presumption of death

and to justify the conclusion

that Captain Riley
may still be alive.

Therefore, Mr. Riley,
I'm refusing

to declare your father dead.

In the matter
of your mother's estate,

I have no choice.

I direct that a trust
be established,

and that Sean Riley
be named trustee.

He may use the money
under court supervision

to look for your father.

My ruling, not withstanding,

it saddens me
that the Vietnam War

continues to claim your family,

and I sincerely hope
that you can find a way

to be brothers again.

This case is adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

- Good luck to you.
- Thank you.

Thank you for everything, really.

I'm sorry, Michael.

Hey, if you change your mind,
I could use your help.

- I don't think so.
- Mike.

M-- Mike, I never wanted
to cut you off.

I'll talk to the judge,
I'll try to get you something.

You still don't get it, do you?

It wasn't about the money.

It was never about the money.

[indistinct chatter]

Elsa Chandler shot her husband.

No one disputes that.

She went to his office,
pulled out a gun,

and she shot him
in cold blood.

She claims
that it was self-defense,

that she was a battered wife,

that she had been abused
and degraded

by Ralph Chandler for 12 years.

But strangely, she told no one,
ladies and gentlemen.

Not a friend,
not a family member,

not the police.

The only person
to corroborate her story

is Steven Waering.

The man she was seeing
behind her husband's back.

The man to whom she gave
twenty thousand dollars.

Was Elsa Chandler abused
by her husband?

I doubt it.

But even if you think she was,

even if you believe
Ralph Chandler deserved to die,

there is no law that justifies
what Mrs. Chandler did.

There is no law
that allows a wife

to kill her husband in revenge
for past abuse,

or to protect herself
from future abuse.

It's self-defense

if and only
if Elsa Chandler's life

was in immediate danger
that night.

And it wasn't,
ladies and gentlemen.

Ralph Chandler was more
than 20 feet away from her,

behind a desk,
he hadn't hit her.

He hadn't even moved
towards her,

but Elsa Chandler
shot him anyway.

Now, she could've gone
to the police.

She could've run away.

She could've called a friend.

But she didn't make
any of those choices.

She chose to kill
another human being.

The law says...

Elsa Chandler
is guilty of murder.

[indistinct chatter]

Is there a difference between
a man's perception

of immediate danger
and a woman's?

Ralph Chandler
first beat his wife

on her 28th birthday.

She knew that he was particular
about the way that she looked,

and she wanted to please him,

so she spent the whole day
getting ready.

She picked out
the perfect dress.

She decided to try
a new hairstyle.

Ralph Chandler
walked in that night

and called his wife a whore.

He ordered her never to change
her appearance again

without his permission,
and then he hit her.

Over and over...

until Elsa lost consciousness.

She woke up in agony,

to find that her husband
had cut off all her hair.

For 12 years...

Elsa Chandler endured
that kind of abuse.

She was trapped
in an endless cycle

of violence and apologies,

of terror... and apologies,

of rape.

Now when these things happen
in our society,

we want to turn away.

We want somehow to believe

that it's the victim's fault.

Why didn't she leave?
Why didn't she?

Why didn't she tell someone?

Elsa Chandler didn't
because she knew

her husband
would kill her if she did.

It wasn't just a threat.

He forced her...

to rehearse her own death.

Elsa knew what her husband
planned that night.

He'd been promising
to do it for 12 years.

She was gonna die.

He was going
to finally kill her.

Yes, she did have a choice,
ladies and gentlemen.

Rather than let her husband
murder her,

Elsa Chandler chose to live.

She is not a criminal!

She is a human being
who was tortured,

nearly to death,
and in that one moment,

found the will to survive.

Please,
don't punish her for it.

[instrumental music]

[indistinct chatter]

- Thirty seconds to floor.
- Hey, buddy!

Jake, listen. This earpiece
thing, it's a little snug.

That's okay, you can
take it out when we go to tape,

everybody does.
Listen, small change in plans.

We couldn't get clearance on
Chris Parker's piece, so we had

to yank it and bump up
the dating service feature.

- Excuse me?
- Look...

I know it's short notice, and
nobody expects you to be

letter perfect
on a cold read, okay?

So, you got copy in front of
you, you got the rest

- on the teleprompter.
- Are we ready, Arnie?

- Ten seconds to floor.
- Break a leg, babe!

Jake: Settle down, people!
- And three, two...

- Break a leg, Arnie.
Floor manager: One.

Dating services. Sometimes it
seems like there's more of them

than there are
single people in L.A.

They promise romance,
but do they deliver?

For the story, sitting in
for vacationing Steve Graham

is prominent Los Angeles
attorney, Arnold Becker.

- Arnie.
- Thanks, Julie.

[cheer and applaud]

Becker: What exactly
are you buying

when you go
to a dating service?

If the ads are to be believed,
you're buying happiness,

romance, love.

[mouthing]
Slower, slower.

That's how it was sold
to Dianna Dorian,

a secretary from San Dimas.

She signed a contract,
spent hours on end

looking at videotapes.

No. Slower, slower.

Over a period of six months
at New Horizons.

She selected
over two dozen men

and got only three responses.

We're clear!

Diana: One was
from a 75-year old plumber.

Another, a guy who'd done time
in San Quentin.

Number three
didn't quite speak English,

I think he was from Mars.

Arnie! Arnie! You're on!

Oh, God, I hope
his mother isn't watching.

Rayburn: Arnie, why don't we
open up the phones

and take some calls, shall we?

Right, we're going
to the phones. I knew that.

Okay, first caller wants to know
about insurance premiums.

Okay, our first caller
wants to know

about insurance premium...

Hi, caller number one,
you're on the air.

What, what can I do for you?

Male caller: I forgot to pay
my car insurance premium

for a month, I just
didn't have the money.

Uh, it expired
on September the 30th,

and I had an accident
on October the third.

Uh, would I be covered?

No. Thank you for calling.

[laughing]

Arnold Becker for News at Noon.

Julie. [clear throat] Michael.

[mouthing]

Food for thought.

Tell me, Arnie,
is there any chance

of some lucky girl
pulling your tape?

Uh, no.

[clears throat] Not, uh...

Not unless she's
into candlelight dinners,

long walks
on the beach, and, uh...

midnight swims.

Don't tell me that
under that lawyerly suit,

you're really a romantic?

Well, if by that
you mean I believe

every woman
has one special light in her eye

that can only be
seen by one special man,

then I'm guilty as charged.

Nolo contendre, lock me up
and throw away the key.

Oh, good save, Arnie!

Yeah, good save.

Rayburn: But first this message.

Be seated.

Judge Green: Has the jury
reached its verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

Judge Green: The defendant
will please rise.

In the matter of the People
versus Elsa Chandler,

on the charge
of first-degree murder,

we find the defendant
not guilty.

[indistinct chatter]

Judge Green: Members
of the jury, thank you

for your service,
we're now adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

Reporter 1: Ms. Van Owen!
Ms. Van Owen!

Reporter 2: Mrs. Chandler!
Mrs. Chandler!

I kept hoping
for an earthquake.

There was this
huge spotlight overhead.

And I thought one good jolt...

and it's over.

Arnie, they switched copy
on you at the last minute.

Now anybody could have missed
a couple of cue's.

I felt like my mouth
was filled with cotton.

I mean, the words, they just
totally lost their meaning,

like I was reading
Esperanto or something.

I don't even know
what the hell I was saying, oh!

You managed to do okay
with Julie.

- Oh, Rox, shoot me now.
- Arnie.

It was a reflex action.

I-- I just went on autopilot.

I-- I was coughing up blood.
I had to do something.

Well...

Don't be so hard on yourself.
It was your first time.

You don't suppose my mother
was watching, do you?

Arnie, Tony Berkman,
a producer from KCYB.

- Tell him I died.
- He knows, he was there.

You see what I have
to put up with here?

Tony, hi, listen man,
I am so...

You did?

They did?

She did?

They got calls
from almost 200 women

asking if I was coming back.

- Who's she?
- Julie Rayburn.

She thinks I might have
a huge TVQ.

I'm sure she does.

No. No, no, no, I'm here.
This is terrific.

Listen, but what
about, uh, Steven Graham?

[indistinct chatter]

Uh-huh.

Well, I...

No, I suppose
I could make the time, but...

how much money
are we talking about?

[knocking on door]

Yeah.

[door shuts]

I want to thank you.

It wasn't me.

It was you.

I was lucky.

That, too. [chuckles]

[Van Owen sighs]

[sighs]

[instrumental music]

You risked her life, Grace.

So you could have something
to hold on to,

so you could prove that
you were a hell of a lawyer.

And you did it.

You won.

It's not enough.

I know.

[instrumental music]

[theme music]