All language subtitles for Law and order S09E12 - Haven

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.

Rejection.

You're whack.
That was two points,
and a foul.

No way. My ball.

Where you going?

Haven. Get a real ball.
Gonna whoop your ass.

Yo, junior.
Haven ain't open.

One of the windows
got a broken latch.

Mr. Chase will
whoop your ass.

Mr. Chase showed me
the window.

You turn on the lights,
somebody's gonna see.

Relax. I get around
this place with
my eyes shut.

What the hell?

What? What happened?

Hart! Get Reverend Young.

Victim's Randall Chase.
He runs this place.

Haven Center,
it's a youth outreach program.

You I.D. him?

Reverend over there did.

He called it in, said
these two kids found Chase.

Both of you were
inside the office?

No. just me.

I never seen
a dead body before.

What were you doing in there
7:30 in the morning?

Borrowing a basketball.

So, what, you,
uh, broke through
this window, huh?

Gate was already broken.
Mr. Chase said it was okay.

And you didn't know
anybody was inside?

No. The lights were off.

You touch anything?

No way. I cut
out of there fast.

What've you got?

Beaten to death.
No other wounds we can find.

Multiple blows,
back and side of the head.

I hope
it's autographed.

Prints all over it.

Some good news.

So this guy won't
give up the cash,
gets his brains beat in.

Get somebody in here who can
tell us if anything's missing.

Well, the Reverend said
somebody named Charles Perry
worked with Chase.

We sent a car
to pick him up.

Opening's too small
for anybody bigger
than that kid.

No other signs
of forced entry.

Look at this.
"Welcome to Haven Center.

"Today is the first day of
the rest of your life. "

Yeah, for some of us.

Computer's still here,
so is the stereo.

We never keep
any serious cash
in the building.

Yeah, all right. uh...

You have any idea if
Mr. Chase was meeting
with anybody last night?

Anybody. Nobody.

Randy worked late
almost every day.

You were his
number two man?

I work data input
over in Queens,

but I help out
here all I can.

You got a lot of
volunteers here?

Lot of people
are grateful to Randy.

I used to run
with the noble boys.

Randy straightened me out.

Anybody not so grateful?

Randy was getting
a lot of kids out of
the gangster life.

Some of the bangers probably
weren't too happy about that.

Who besides you
and Mr. Chase had keys?

Just us.

But Randy'd open the door
for the grim reaper and try
to talk him into a donation.

Randy had
anti-drug programs,

work training programs,
stay-in-school programs.

Thanks to him,
we have a freshman
at Hanford University.

All those good works
cost money.

Everything was financed
with community donations.

Our church provides
some staff.

He have a beef
with anyone?

Not that I know of.

He was popular.
He had a way with people,
being from the streets.

Who got him
off the street?

You people did.

Randy spent two years
upstate for assault.

Woke him up.

So he just walked away from
the gang life, no questions
asked, no hard feelings?

That was nine years ago.

It's a long time
to hold a grudge.

Times have changed.

So had Randy.

The community is devastated.

Now, the sooner you make
an arrest, the better it's
gonna be for everybody.

When I say we're giving this
our highest priority,
councilman, I mean it.

Now, is there
anything I can do?

Anybody I need to
lean on at Police Plaza?

If there's any leaning on
to do, I'll call you.

You can be sure of it.
Thanks.

Well, M.E. puts
the time of death
between 10:00 and 11:00.

Says the first blow
did him in.
Never had a chance.

And the lab found
blue polar fleece fibers
under his nails,

probably from
the perp's jacket.

You'll never guess
what this stuff is made from.

Recycled plastic bottles.

You pull his sheet?
Yeah.

Knife fight nine years ago.

The guy he cut now
umpires softball games
for Chase every summer.

I heard that
about Randy Chase.

He made amends
with everyone.

Van Buren.

Mmm-hmm.

I'll let them know.

That was Latent.
You're not gonna like it.

Possession.
Possession with intent.

Assault with a deadly
weapon, sexual assault.

All these perps
handled the weapon?

Those are just the ones
we could make.

Tack on the partials
and anyone not in the system,

you're looking at about
a dozen more.

Come on.

Hey, it's a softball bat.

So how do you want to start?
Alphabetically or
according to time served?

Until November, I played
softball with Randy and some
other local business people.

What, users against dealers?

No, it was Randy's way of
keeping us talking to him.

Where were you
Wednesday night, Lionel?

This Wednesday?
Was at my girlfriend's,
Serena Lester.

What about these guys?

Any of them have
a beef with Chase?

Marcel Hoyt, second base.

Reggie, what the hell
is his last name?

Left field.
Good bat, no arm.

Yeah, you're all
a bunch of choir boys,

and Chase hit himself
in the head with the bat.

Way we heard it,
he was getting in
the way of business.

Look, Randy would come by
here all the time, you know,

try and get me to go back
to school or get a real job.

So I offered him a donation.

Couple hundred dollars
to step off.

He take it?

He told me to take the money
and go buy kids' books
and bring them to the center.

Next thing I know,
I'm spending Saturdays
painting over graffiti.

Randy, man,
he's something else.

Yeah, dead.

So where do we find
your girlfriend, Serena?

Is Lionel in trouble?

I told him he's got
three months to get off
that street corner,

or I'm through with him.

No, we just need to know
where he was Wednesday night.

He was with me.

I got home from work
a little after 10:00.
He was already there.

Anybody else see him there?

No, why?

He ever talk about
Randy Chase?

Lionel had nothing
to do with that.

He liked Randy.

Well, somebody killed him.

The guy Lionel touts for,

Ricky Carter.

Lionel said he wasn't
too happy with Randy
cutting into his trade.

Carter hassled Lionel
about it all the time.

I had no problem
with Randy Chase.

Word on the street,
he was hassling your people.

He was.
Everything's okay now.

You mean since he's dead?

Since we worked out
an arrangement.

What kind
of arrangement?

I went to him a few
months ago, told him to
lay off my people.

He said those people
belonged to the community
and he was taking them back.

Fighting words.

I wasn't gonna fight him.
I offered him five grand

to take his crusade
off my street.

He take the money?
Not that time.

When he came back last month
with his hand out.

I haven't been
bothered since.

Cost of doing business.

$5,000?
No, I'd remember that.

Maybe he made
the deposit himself.

He would have given me
the bank receipt.

Is it possible
he spent it on something
without telling you?

No.

Haven's a 501
non-profit.

Every expense, every donation
gets documented.
Randy knew that.

Did Haven have any
sudden money problems
in December?

The center has
money problems every month.

December wasn't that special.

Maybe Randy had
the sudden money problem.

Have you been through
any of his stuff yet?

No. Nobody's been in here
since he was killed.

This is how my brother lived.

I don't understand.

Everybody loved Randy.

He had quite
a sweet tooth, huh?

It was for my kids.

I told him
they got enough sugar.

He never listened.

Six of everything.

Six shirts. Six tees.

He liked to keep
things simple.

TV set's
about 10 years old.

Look, we're not trying to
bring down your brother's
good name,

but if he had any kind
of a bad habit
that got him killed,

we need to know about it.

He was never into drugs.

He got angry with me
if I bought lottery tickets.

Can you think why
he might've needed money?

Any personal reasons,
maybe to help out a friend?

No.

I'm sorry. I can't help you.

What do you want from me?
A receipt?

I gave him the money!

So where did it go?

Maybe it went up his nose.

The lab says Chase was clean.

All I know is he said
he needed it fast.
I didn't ask why.

Long as he left
my crew alone, I didn't care.

He hasn't wavered
and he hasn't lawyered up.

He might be giving it
to us straight.

We checked out Chase.
There's no trace of the money.

I can't believe he'd make
a deal with this hump.

Well, talk to the local unis.
If Chase and Carter
were getting cozy,

maybe they know
something about it.

We haven't targeted
Ricky Carter for any
special attention.

We just respond to
complaints from the neighbors.

They call us,
we clean the corner.

When I drove a patrol car,
we chose the corners.

Well, I don't know what
the policy was before
power steering, detective,

but nowadays,
we don't do nothing
until we get complaints.

Randy Chase ever organize
those complaints?

If Chase wanted to clean up
a corner, he'd get
a parade permit from us

and just occupy the corner
with a few dozen citizens.

Take back the streets.
That's right.

Tough to sell dope when
half the neighborhood's

standing on the same corner
yelling at your clients.

How often would he do this?

Once a month, maybe more.

Since December?

Uh...

Chase applied for

two permits.

One for a Christmas day march,

one for a week
before his demise.

And?

Those marches never came off.

So the best guy in
the neighborhood

made a deal with the worst guy
in the neighborhood.

He must've been desperate.

Takes Carter off the hook.

And puts who on it?

Van Buren.

Uh, hello Councilman Clayton.

That money went somewhere.
Find it.

Yes, I was just
about to call you.

This call here
to Larry Johnson.
What's that?

He owns a couple of
supermarkets here.

Donates milk for our
daycare program
for teenage mothers.

Are we gonna go through
every phone call?

Well, make it easy on us.
Just pick out the ones
that don't belong.

Like, uh, maybe somebody
Randy had a problem with
or an old girlfriend.

He used to go with Rochelle
somebody, but she moved to
Seattle last year.

Nobody serious since then.

What about these calls
here to the city Buildings
Department?

You own the building?

The space was donated.

Randy ever talk about
fixing the place up?

Maybe he had some
code violations?

He never said anything.

But Randy liked to protect
people from bad news.

I don't expect him back
this afternoon.

Maybe if you come back
in the morning.

Mr. Mills got
a lot of calls from
someone named Randy Chase.

Did they have
any business together?

Doesn't ring a bell,
and I'm good with names.

Chase is from Haven Center
up in Harlem. 138th Street?

Sorry. I can tell you
there have been no
building permits

issued to a Haven Center.

No site visits either.

I process all of
Professor Mills' papers.

Professor?

He teaches at
Hanford University,

Tuesday to Friday,
urban science.

Today's Monday.
He's not here.

Mondays he sits on their
board of admissions.

Randy chase contacted me
sometime last spring.

He have a student
applying to Hanford?

Yes.
Kid named Jerome Warren.

Chase really talked him up.

How smart he was,
how motivated,

his extra-curricular
activities.

The kid need the PR?

Kid was an A student.

So-so S.A.T.s,
but it didn't matter.

His background, Jerome was
a lock for admission
and a scholarship.

Was he having
problems lately?

Well, none that I'm aware of.

So why was Chase
still calling you?

He, uh...

He had a few more kids
filling out applications
for next year.

School is always
on the lookout for
quality minority applicants.

Anything you need
to know, give me a call.

You, uh... You catch
a vibe off of this guy?

I caught the dilated pupils.
Guy's a junkie.

I figure it took Chase
about 10 seconds
to read this professor.

Mills has a habit to feed,
Chase had kids
to get into Hanford.

Davis Mills is one of my
department's best lecturers.

He consistently gets top
reviews from the students.

Is Jerome Warren
one of his students?

Jerome...

He was, last semester.

How did he do?

I'm not sure
I can give you his grades.

I'm sure if you call
your president's office,
he'll tell you you can.

Jerome Warren got
an A minus on his finals.

How about
the rest of the semester?

We only enter final grades
in the transcripts.

F on his midterm.

The come-back kid.

Mr. Chase told me he called
professor Mills last April
about my application.

You know why they'd
still be talking?

Mr. Chase didn't
say anything.

Professor Mills, well,

I don't have any of his
classes this semester.

You see him on campus
last Wednesday night?

The night Mr. Chase
was killed?

Uh, I was stuck in chem lab
till past 10:00.

Why?

Well, we know you flunked
your midterms, Jerome.

And Mr. Chase got in touch
with Professor Mills
right after that.

So? I don't understand
what you're saying.

Well, you aced
your finals Jerome,

so we're thinking maybe
Mr. Chase got professor Mills
to give you a little boost.

Oh! Oh, yeah.

Black student in
an Ivy League school,

somebody must be
carrying him, huh?

I had the flu
for that midterm.

I felt a lot better
in December.

Urban science is
a prerequisite.

If you fail that class,
you might lose
your scholarship, right?

I wasn't going to fail.

Still, Mr. Chase
would have been worried.

Me and Mr. Chase hadn't
talked in a couple of weeks.

Since he sent me to
speak to some eighth graders
at PS 82, okay?

Can I go study now?

Last Wednesday night?

I was here.
So was Professor Mills.

Coffee?
No, thanks.

Was he here all night?

That I couldn't say.

I had a 9:30 reading.

Professor Mills was here
when I left.

Who else was here?

Professor Wine was,
he lives out on the island,

probably won't be in
for a couple of hours.

Cameron should
be able to help you.

She got here
about 8:30 that night.

Had a late chem lab.

A chemistry professor
was here?

She teach freshman classes?

Yes, why?

Mills was in the faculty
lounge till a little
after 11:00.

We were told you had
a chem lab that night.

Yes. But it got out
around 9:00.

Jerome Warren in your class?
Uh-huh.

He got some odd lab results
neither one of us
could figure out.

I told him to rerun
the sequence and then
I went into the lounge.

As far as you know,
was Jerome here all night?

He wasn't. I got back here
around midnight.

The equipment was
just sitting here.

He hadn't done
anything with it.

He probably left
two minutes after I did.

You have any of his
papers here?

Yeah.

Maybe Latent can match up
something to the bat.

Why you gotta bother me here?
You're embarrassing me.

Maybe that's because
you lied to us.

Nice jacket, Jerome.

You know what this
polar fleece is made out of?

Terephthalic acid.
What's going on?

Is It yours?

I don't have to answer
any of your questions.

That's right. You have
the right to remain silent.

You also have the right
to an attorney.

Because you're under arrest
for the murder of
Randall Chase.

If you cannot afford
an attorney,
one will be provided for you.

You understand these rights?

This thing's a hand grenade
with the pin pulled.

Councilman Clayton
is rolling it our way.

Post ran an interview
with the kid's mother.

She's got my sympathy,
and I know he's guilty.

Either strengthen
your case or drop it.

Fibers and prints
don't lie, Adam.

Prints on a softball bat?

Fibers from a mass-marketed
winter jacket?

Jerome was seen coming home
the night of the murder

at 1:00 in the morning,
agitated and wearing
that jacket.

Jerome Warren killed the man
who gave him a future.

Unless you can tell me why,

you can have all the forensic
evidence in the world,
you'll never get a conviction.

Next case.

Jerome was smart,
hard-working,

never in any trouble.
Everybody was proud of him.

Did he have much to do
with Mr. Chase after
he started Hanford?

Randy'd have him come
uptown every few weeks,

speak to junior high students
or some other group.

How did they get along?

They were a great team.
They really could work a room.

Inspire the kids
to stay in school.

Inspire the parents
to donate their time.

And everything was okay
between them?

No animosity,
no difficulties?

No.

Look, Jerome's the first kid
from this neighborhood to go
to an Ivy League school.

Now I've got to shepherd along
the next group.

Gonna be hard enough
without Randy.

But if Jerome goes down
for his murder...

You've got this all wrong.

I didn't know a lot of people
like Jerome growing up.

I thought he was pretty cool,

coming from that environment,
getting admitted here.

You become friends?

We hung around
at the beginning.

It didn't last?

We didn't have much in common.

Plus, his mood sort of
changed midterm.

Changed how?

Well, he shut down.

He pretty much
stopped talking to me,
threw himself into school.

All he did was study or...
Or surf the web
on my computer.

Did he ever mention
Randy Chase?

No.

Uh, the guy called here
sometimes, but I never
actually met him.

Anyone he might
have opened up to,

a student counselor,
maybe a girlfriend?

He didn't seem to have
any friends around here.

Like I said, all he did
was study, especially
after midterms.

He bombed out on every course
except chemistry.

Every course?

But he got straight As
on his finals.

I know he got a tutor.
Check with student services.

He needed four tutors,
one for every course.

But he was too proud to admit
that he needed the help.

What was his problem?

Jerome wasn't ready
for university, period.

He didn't know the basics.

He couldn't find
Europe on a map.

He didn't know what
the stock exchange was.

That high school of his
might've graduated him,

but they certainly
did not educate him.

So it's his school's fault?

He told me about Du Bois High.

Half the library shelves
are empty.

Said they have
an Encyclopedia Britannica
from 1986

with the letters
D, P and R missing.

Even if a kid wants to learn,
how's he supposed to?

Well, he did ace
his finals last month.

I don't know how.

Hard work,
a brilliant tutor?

Right.

Jerome came in
at least four years
behind everyone else.

There is no way he could've
earned those grades.

That leaves cheating.

I don't see
any other explanation.

If the tutor's right,
this kid had to cheat

on almost every course,
every test.

Chase couldn't have bribed
all the professors.

Maybe Jerome bought
the term papers
and test results.

If Chase was tired of paying,
it could be why
Jerome killed him.

We need to prove
he was buying tests.

Well, maybe he shops
where I shop.

His roommate says
he surfed the web.

You're wrong.
I don't have anything to do
with selling exams.

This your web page?

Oh, anybody can print this
off the net.

I found this in the cache
of the computer
Jerome Warren was using.

I can use it to prove
a direct contact between
you and him.

Oh, you can't do that.

I'm here, aren't I?

Well, you're asking me
to admit to a crime?

I'm going to find out
about all of this
one way or another.

You make it easy on me,
I'll make it easy on you.

Hypothetically?

Test Q&A all go through
the university print shop.

And you have a friend
that works there?
Maybe a girlfriend?

Yeah, maybe.

Here's the best part.

They only let you take
pencils into the tests.

You know, hard to
sneak in a crib sheet.

Take a look.

D- B-A-B.

Yeah. Second year
organic chemistry test
up at Columbia.

I got the idea last summer
writing tourists' names

on a grain of rice
at the seaport.

You know, six bucks a pop.

What's this sell for?

Um, just about
100 grains of rice.

Hypothetically.

And hypothetically, did you

sell any pencils
to Jerome Warren?

Uh, never seen him before.

The only black guy
I might have sold to,

way too old to be a student.
Came in December.
Haggled over price.

He haggled?

Yeah. he wanted four sets of
answers and three term papers
for five thousand bucks.

This guy?

Oh, yeah. There you go.

Hypothetically.

Jerome's grades.

His early tests were dismal,
except in chemistry.

Apparently, he was actually
earning that A.

And then in December,
he aces everything,
including three term papers.

So why kill the hand
that feeds you?

His last history paper,
he got an incomplete.

Chase must've
turned off the tap.

No more magic pencils.

So Jerome, in anger,
murdered him.

Carmichael.

Thanks, we'll be right up.

Good news. They just arrested
Randy Chase's murderer.

I thought we already had.

It's not every day
I get the big collar.

You know, we already have
a suspect, Jerome Warren.

I also know you haven't
indicted him yet.

Has Kendry made
any admission?

If he's smart,
he will.

Eyewitness saw somebody
sneaking out of Haven
the night of the murder.

He picked out Kendry's mug.

Where is this witness?

You've been sitting
on this information for
three weeks, Mr. Lamaine?

I don't like
dealing with cops.

What
changed your mind?

Councilman Clayton
was speaking at
the community center.

He said you were trying to
put this on a college student
from the neighborhood.

He said if people
knew anything,
they have to step up.

So you decided to put it on
the local drug dealer?

Wasn't like that.

I saw Kendry sneaking
out of Haven.

What time?

10:44.
I checked my watch.

You just happened
to be walking by?

I was going home
from the subway.

You saw him
from across the street?

That's right.
At night?

It was Kendry.

There's a street lamp
practically on top of
Haven Center.

That lamp was reported broken
two nights before the murder.

It took Con Ed
five days to replace it.

I could see Kendry because
the lights were on
in the center.

They're real bright.

The kids who found
Chase's body said Haven
Center's lights were off.

Mr. Lamaine
did not see Lionel Kendry.

Jerome Warren couldn't
have committed this crime,
Mr. McCoy.

He's a bright, young
college student, not a thug.

I'm sure Mr. Lamaine thinks
he was doing the right thing,
but he's mistaken.

Maybe Mr. Lamaine
made a mistake.

Maybe the officers
made a mistake.

Your faith in Jerome Warren
is misplaced, sir.

He's not a role model.

He killed the man
who tried to help him.

Mr. McCoy,

how many of your brothers
and sisters and friends
attended college before you?

Jerome had none.

His brothers and sisters
now have a role model.

I'm sure he's innocent.

And Randy Chase's
good works will go on.

Just got off the phone
with Councilman Clayton.

They're holding a rally
for Jerome Warren
in Marcus Garvey Park.

How can Clayton
really believe
Jerome's innocent?

Because he's concerned
with the welfare
of his constituents.

That's his job.

Is it ours
to base prosecutions
on political whim?

We go forward and lose,

it's the worst
of both worlds.

Make a deal
or dismiss the charges.

Randy Chase was
murdered

because he stopped financing
Jerome's cheating.

I don't care how big
a hero this kid is,

we can't blink.

Jerome's lawyer is
gonna have a field day.

It doesn't matter
how strong your cross,

this eyewitness hands
the jury reasonable doubt.

Consider yourself lucky
to get a hung jury.

If you do, we are not
about to retry this case!

Then Mr. Lamaine
never takes the stand.

Because you don't
believe him?

Because he's lying.

Good luck.

He didn't stop, he just
turned down the avenue
and walked off.

And you're
absolutely certain it was
Lionel Kendry?

Yes, Judge.

Thank you, Mr. Lamaine.

You may leave now.

One of the two boys who found
Randy Chase's body
tripped over it in the dark.

Children who had
no compunction about
breaking and entering.

They'd never have risked it
if the lights had been on.

I have a right to call
this witness, Judge.

If Mr. McCoy thinks
he's less than truthful,
he's got a cross examination.

We all know he's lying.

If he takes the stand,
Mr. Winter will be
suborning perjury.

I have no direct
knowledge of a lie.

A lawyer's answer.

Mr. Winter,
do you have anything else
that implicates Mr. Kendry?

Not at this time,
Your Honor.

Well, until you do,
I'm going to have to find
as a matter of law

that Mr. Lamaine is
not a credible witness.

You have your exception,
Counselor.

Uh, given
Your Honor's ruling,

I ask leave to argue
mitigating circumstances.

What mitigating
circumstances?

Extreme
emotional disturbance.

Given my client's
state of mind,

this just isn't murder two.

You're admitting
he killed Randy Chase?

Will he take a plea
on man one?

Assault one, minimum jail.

Forget it.

Unless Mr. Warren takes
the stand, there's no proof
of emotional disturbance.

You can't tell me
how to try my case.

Then allow me.

Mr. Winter, you can make
a stab at the defense of
extreme emotional disturbance.

Your Honor.

But I warn you, Counselor,

unless I see proof of
your client's mental state,

I will not submit the charge
of manslaughter to the jury.

My client takes the stand,
admits the killing

on the chance that
you'll charge manslaughter?

Your call, Counselor.

What choice do I have?

Randy chase believed
in his work at Haven Center.

He believed Jerome represented
everything the center could do
for the community,

for the kids.

What, if anything, did he
expect in return from Jerome?

To succeed.

To graduate with
a top-notch education.

Thank you.

Mr. Perry,

did you ever hear Randy Chase
refer to Jerome Warren
as "The Show"?

I did.

Can you explain
what he meant by that?

Randy would have Jerome
talk at functions,

social events, schools.

Jerome was a good speaker.

People were impressed.

When you say social events
and functions,

you mean fund-raising
opportunities, don't you?

Not necessarily.

But mostly.

Randy Chase used Jerome Warren
as a fund-raising tool,
didn't he?

That's not all he got.

Some of these fund-raising
events took place at night,
didn't they?

Yes.
When Jerome
should've been studying.

Objection.
Sustained.

To the best
of your knowledge,

did my client ever complain
to Randy Chase about
attending these events?

A couple of times.

But Randy explained to him
if they wanted more kids
like Jerome,

they couldn't do it
without the money.

I see.

You attended night classes
at a state school, didn't you?

Yes.

You got a good paying job?

Yes.

Were you admitted to the state
university or hired for your
job under any kind of program?

Program?

Affirmative action program,
set-asides, quotas,
preferences.

Whatever you like
to call it.

No.

You succeeded
on your own merits?

Objection.
Withdrawn.

No more questions.

Jerome used to run home

to show me his report cards.

Excellents.

He just loved to learn.

What happened after
he met Randy Chase?

He helped fill
the hole left when

Jerome's father died
five years ago.

He helped Jerome
see the possibilities
in his life.

He told him he could get him
into an Ivy League school.

Did you think
this was a realistic plan?

Well...

Mr. Chase explained that

Jerome had a good chance
of being accepted

under affirmative action,
and of getting
a scholarship.

And, with a little bit of
hard work, he could do well.

Jerome was
very excited about it.

Did things change
after Jerome started
at Hanford?

Jerome changed.

He grew distant.

I wanted to come visit him
at his school, but he
kept putting me off.

You know what
the problem was?

I know he failed
some midterms.

He had never had
trouble before,
and I told him that

college was supposed
to be tough, he just
had to keep plugging.

Did Randy Chase speak to you
about your son's troubles?

Yes, he...

He knew Jerome's
spirits were down,

but he told me we couldn't
let him drop out.

We had to do everything
we could to keep
Jerome in school.

Did you say anything
to Jerome?

Yes. I told him
all he could do was his best.

And when he got As
at Christmas, I thought
everything was better.

Was it?
No.

No. Things got worse.

He stopped coming home
on weekends.

Said he was ashamed of us.

He was ashamed of
where he came from.

I didn't know what was
happening with my son.

I was just watching him
fall apart.

All his dreams
just falling apart.

We still haven't turned up
any witnesses to any arguments
between Chase and Jerome.

Looks like Winter's off
on a whole new tack anyway.

What's he peddling,
that because of
affirmative action,

the kid was in
over his head at Hanford?

That seems to be
where he's going.

It's smart tactics.

If the jury's at all
representative of
the general public,

Winter can count on at least
three or four people who
don't like affirmative action.

Just be glad Winter didn't
question you about
affirmative action

when you testified.

He wouldn't have gotten
any complaints from me.

It started after I came in,
it'll still be there
when I get out.

And you wouldn't have
liked my answers.

When I applied
to the department,

when the questionnaire
asked for my race,
I put none of the above.

Well, I'd like to think
I got where I am
based on merit.

So would I.

But I've got 2,000
pages of legal documents
that prove the contrary.

If this kid walks
because of this defense,
it's gonna have repercussions.

Can't you plead him out,
stop his lawyer
from playing this card?

They want assault one,
minimum time.

It's unacceptable.

Rock and a hard place.

As a member of
Hanford University's
board of admissions,

Jerome Warren's application
came under my review.

He was an ideal candidate,
under Hanford's
current guidelines.

Despite his low
S.A.T. scores?

Yes, under Hanford's
current guidelines

and commitment to
affirmative action.

Did you yourself

form any opinion about
my client's suitability
as a Hanford student?

Yes.

I felt he was completely
unsuited for the academic
rigors of Hanford.

Why?

Objection, relevance.
Overruled.

You may answer,
Professor Howard.

He lacked the basic
general knowledge
and experience

that most of our students
come equipped with.

His high school and his
environment simply
did not prepare him

for the demands of an
Ivy League institution.
It's tragic.

As a tenured professor
of sociology, you've studied

affirmative action programs
at Ivy League schools.

Yes, I've written several
papers on the subject.

Have you formed an opinion
as to the performance

of inner-city
minority students admitted
under such programs?

Affirmative action sets up
unrealistic expectations
that can never be met.

These students face
immense pressure to succeed

and almost impossible
odds of doing so.

As a result,
they often suffer depression,

loss of self-esteem,
substance abuse.

Doesn't Hanford University
offer mentoring programs
to help these students?

These are token remedies.

Hanford is primarily concerned
with how many minority
students it can admit,

not how many graduate.

Thank you.

Professor Howard,
you're on record as being

opposed to affirmative action,
isn't that right?

Yes.

It's outlived its usefulness.
After 30 years of it,

I believe the
playing field is level.

People's 42.
This study by

the California state
university system shows

that after voters banned
affirmative action there,

minority enrollment dropped
by 40 to 60%%.

Everyone was given
equal opportunity.

I'm not finished, Professor.

U.C. Berkeley turned away
800 African American students

with 4.0 grade
point averages
and S.A.T. scores

of 1,200 or better.

And you're telling us that
the playing field is level?

I'm not familiar
with this study.

People's 43.

This is the Bowen-Bok study
on affirmative action.

Are you familiar with
this one, Professor?

Yes.

Would you mind reading
the highlighted passage?

"After graduation,
black students earn
advanced degrees

"at rates identical
to white students.

"Blacks graduating from
elite schools earned
70 to 85%%

"more than did
black graduates generally. "

Isn't that a good thing,
Professor?

That study also showed

that blacks at
elite universities
received lower grades

and graduated at a lower rate
than their white classmates.

But don't they
deserve that chance,
to fail or succeed?

Well, yes.

Do you know if these students

suffer depression,
loss of self-esteem,

substance abuse
to a greater extent

than black teenagers
who don't attend
Ivy League schools?

I didn't study
those students.

Do you know if Jerome Warren

felt more discouraged
about his academic failure

than any other driven,
ambitious student?

No. Again, mine was
a statistical analysis...

Do you know if he would've
felt more or less stress

if he had enrolled in
a community college,
or dropped out

and taken a minimum wage job?

No.

Do you think he would've been
happier if he'd settled for

flipping burgers at the local
fast food restaurant?

I don't know.

Professor Howard, how much
time have you spent
talking with Jerome Warren?

Well, I've never
actually met him.

So apart from statistical
generalities about
affirmative action,

you don't really have
anything specific

to tell us about Jerome Warren
as an individual, do you?

No.

Your Honor, I move to strike
this witness's
entire testimony

as irrelevant
and inflammatory.

Affirmative action is what
put my client in harm's way.

Counsel is trying to exploit
what he perceives as a bias
against affirmative action.

I agree, Mr. McCoy.

Mr. Winter,

this is a murder trial,
not a political debate.

The testimony is out.

Back to basics.
A kid with a bat.

Not quite. All the jury
instructions in the world
can't un-ring the bell.

Well, you get one last chance.
Jerome's up next.

He thought he was
under pressure before...

I'm not so sure
this is worse.

I'd been to
the Statue of Liberty
on a school trip once.

I'd been to the Museum
of Natural History,

the movie theater
in Times Square.

Other than that, I've
never been out of Harlem.

The kids at Hanford,
they'd traveled to places
I never even heard of.

They just...

They knew stuff,
and I felt like a little kid.

How'd you
do in class?

In American lit Professor
Veysey told us we're going
after the great white whale.

I didn't... I didn't know
what he was talking about.

I had to explain how
I hadn't read Moby Dick.

Hadn't even heard of it.

Professor Veysey
gave me this look, like...

Like he felt sorry for me.

At what point did you
decide to cheat?

That was Mr. Chase's idea.

I told him I was worried
that I might flunk out.

But you went along with him,
didn't you?

I didn't want to.

I told him that I...
I would just try harder.

But he said
that wasn't good enough.

He said he needed me
acing everything.

That... That it looked
good for fund-raising

Mr. Chase kept telling me
I was a role model.

"For what?" I kept thinking.

Lying and cheating?

You could have dropped out.

Could've transferred
to another school.

I wanted to.
I'd been telling
Mr. Chase for months.

I got a transfer application
to city college.

Mr. Chase told me,
"Quit bitching. "

I was getting
an Ivy League degree.

I didn't want the degree.
I wanted an education.

What happened
that Wednesday night?

Mr. Chase wanted me
to speak with some kids
at the boys and girls club.

I went to tell him no,
I'd decided to drop out.

He told me don't be stupid,

that he could get some
more money to buy some more
tests and papers.

I told him I couldn't
face myself if I
cheated again.

What did Mr. Chase do?

He grabbed me,

he got in my face.

He told me I had no choice.

That I owed it
to my community.

He told me I was
nothing to him if I quit.

But I couldn't go back.

I just couldn't.

So I grabbed
a baseball bat.

And I don't
remember what happened.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I loved Mr. Chase.
I did! But...

But I wasn't good enough,
I just... I couldn't
carry the weight.

Is it your testimony,
Mr. Warren,

that the cheating
was Mr. Chase's idea?

Yes.

And that it was you
who wanted it to stop?

Yes.
Why?

Weren't you the one who
would reap the benefits
of a Hanford degree?

It wouldn't mean anything
if I stole it.

You couldn't make Mr. Chase
understand that, could you?

No.

He was using you,
you wanted it to stop.

They were all using me.
Hanford, everybody!

But you didn't
kill everybody.

You killed Randy Chase.

But I didn't mean to.
I just snapped.

The medical examiner
testified that you
struck him three times.

She testified that the
last two blows were delivered
while he was lying face down.

I don't remember.

You meant to kill him,
didn't you?
No!

Thanks to him.

You'd been
humiliated at Hanford,

you'd been made to feel
stupid and inadequate.

I just wasn't ready.

Thanks to him, you found out
you didn't have the
guts to tough it out!

No, you don't understand!

That's why you were
angry at him. That's why
you wanted him dead.

He wouldn't leave me alone.

So you killed him!

I wanted him
off my back, okay?

I wanted them all
off my back!

No more questions.

Jerome Warren's lawyer
wants to talk about a plea.

Why should we
offer them anything?

Jerome as good as said it,
he wanted to kill Randy Chase.

It's murder two.

The jury may have seen
what you saw,

but they might
choose to ignore it

and give him
assault one or less.

I'm offering him
a plea on man one.

Why?

Wait, what is this,
affirmative action
for murderers?

It was murder two when
I thought Chase wouldn't pay
for any more exams.

And now you believe
Jerome Warren?

Yes.

Man one,
he serves six to 12.

Assault one,
three years.

You're pushing your luck.

Maybe.

But the jury likes this kid.
How lucky do you feel?

I'm not going to overlook
what he did to Randy Chase.

Then I guess
I wasted a phone call.
If you'll excuse us.

I have a summation to make.

Six years?

Six to 12.

Jerome, you don't
have to take it.

No. I have to.

I know what I did.

I'll take the deal.

Jerome Warren.

You have pled guilty to
a charge of manslaughter
in the first degree.

Pursuant to the negotiated
plea agreement,

this court hereby
sentences you to a term
no less than six years

and not more than
12 years imprisonment

in a facility to be
determined by the
Department of Correction.

We're adjourned.

Admit it.

You just didn't
trust that jury.

I wanted closure.
This case is an open wound.

Two good people
doing the wrong thing
for the right reasons.

Well, I hope
this wasn't another
one of those times.