All language subtitles for Law and order S14E13 - Married with Children

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.

I thought you were
buying the paper.

Just checking the ponies.
Yeah?

How did Johnnie Walker make out in the fifth?
Cut me some slack, Gretch.

You know how much stress
I'm under right now.

It is 8:00 in the damn morning.
I'll go to a meeting.

Right.
[Sighs ]Jeffrey.

I really mean it this time,
I swear.

Oh, my God.

[ Officer]
White female, late 30s.

People who live in the garden apartment
found her first thing this morning.

Guy's half in the bag.
The early bird catches the hangover.

Looks like she took a header
from one of the hotel balconies.

Get the crime techs up there.
Check out all the rooms
with balconies facing this backyard

Will do.
Victim have any I.D. on her?

No pockets. She was wearin' a skirt.
All right. Thanks.

- Brody, what you got for us, man?
- Quick drive-by, blunt trauma smorgasbord.

Broken pelvis,
shattered lower extremities,
lots of lacerations,

rib cage like a bag full
of broken china.

Jumpin' off a balcony
will do that.

If she jumped,
she would have hit that lower roof.

[Green] You saying she was pushed?
I'll know more when I get her on the table.

But judging from the trajectory,
I'd say, yeah, she had help.

Can you put a time on it?

Based on body temperature
and lividity, I'd ballpark it somewhere
between 10:00 and 11:00 last night.

Detectives,
this is Mr. Wrightsman,
the manager of the hotel.

How can I help you?
What can you tell us about the upper floors,
the ones with the balconies?

Those are our executive suites.
So much for the golden parachute.

It's a nice view.
I prefer a southern exposure.

Hey, Reed. You got anything?
Usable prints? I doubt it.

But I did find this
lying out here on the terrace.

Contact lens.
Cutting-edge R.G.P.
Rigid Gas Permeable.

- Could've popped out during a struggle.
- Don't get your hopes up.
It's extremely durable.

It could've been lying out here
for days, weeks, months.

I know it's hopeless,
but get it to the lab anyway.

What a novel idea.
I was gonna auction it off on eBay.
You want another idea?

Detectives?

Lisa Winslow checked in
yesterday afternoon around 4:00.

Reception gave her one room key.
She certainly didn't mess up the room.

Concierge said she just used it
to freshen up before her speech...

at the Hoop-la International
Convention last night.

- Hoop-la?
- Licensees for various pro basketball
products and spin-offs.

We have some of the top players here.
Julius West, Jimmy Neal.

- What'd she talk about?
- I gather she was some kind
of motivational speaker.

Fire up the reps
to sell more sneakers.
That sort of thing.

Five-hundred-dollar-a-day
dressing room?

I guess she could afford it,
unless this purse is some kind
of Canal Street knockoff.

Well, she's our high diver,
all right. “Lisa Winslow."

No wonder she could afford
to use the place
just to powder her nose.

She's a local.
Blackstone Avenue, the Bronx.

It's Riverdale.
Trust me, this purse is real.

I'm sorry. Miss Winslow is not here.
I don't know where.

[Briscoe] Who are you, ma'am?
I'm the nanny.

Uh, if we could just come in?

We need to talk to somebody
about Miss Winslow.

Do you know if there's any family
we can call?

Miss Lisa's sister is here.
Why don't you go get her? Thanks.

You can wait in here.

I hate it when they have kids.
You kidding? It's the worst.

- Can I help you?
- Uh, this is Detective Green.
I'm Detective Briscoe.

Renee Bishop.
ls there a problem?

You're Lisa Winslow's sister?
What is it? What's wrong?

I'm afraid that we have
some bad news.

About Lisa?

She was found dead early this morning
at the Park Terrace Hotel.

Oh, my God!
She fell from a balcony

Sophie.
Sophie?

My niece, Lisa's daughter.
What am I going to tell her?

Is her father around?

Lisa's a single parent.

What's his name?
Where can we get in touch with him?

There's no one to get in touch with.
Sophie was adopted.

Mommy?
Oh, Mommy's not home yet.
I'll be there in a minute.

I can't find my princess doll.

I'm going to be with you
in one minute, all right?

Lorena, will you help her
look for her doll, please?

Of course. Come, mi hija.

[Sighs, Sobbing]

When you're up to it,
we're gonna need you
to come down and identify her.

Of course I will.
We also need to know
where your sister worked.

She owned her own business.

I think I have her card
in my purse.

I'll get it.

Lisa was one of the top
motivational speakers
in the country.

Her competitive background
in athletics dovetailed nicely
with contemporary corporate culture.

"1996 Olympic Swim Team."

“First place, Big Island
Iron Woman Triathlon."

She won three triathlons.

Do you know how hard that is?
What an accomplishment?

My idea of a triathlon
was junior high
punt, pass and kick.

So she did well.
Oh, very well

Business was booming. She was in great demand.
[Briscoe] What about her personal life?

Lisa was much too busy
to have a personal life.

No boyfriends,
ex-boyfriends, husbands?

She was gay.

Oh, any girlfriends,
ex-girlfriends?

She never mentioned
anyone to me.

What can you tell us
about this speaking engagement
she had last night?

She rocked the house.
They absolutely ate it up.

Finished the Q&A
a little after 9:00.

What'd she do after that?
There was a reception.

When I left,
she was heading to the bar
with a couple of players.

- Schmoozing was Lisa's forte.
- Which players was she schmoozing with?

I'm sorry. I'm not in to basketball.

They were tall,
African American.

She was in here last night.
Had a few Cosmos.
Actually, more than a few.

Who was she drinking with?
A couple of black guys,
looked like basketball players.

We got this Hoop-la-la
Convention here all week.

So they had a couple of drinks--
A few laughs, then paid the tab and left.

- Together?
- Yeah, I guess. Around 10:00.

How'd they pay the tab?
One of the guys charged it to his room.

Yeah, we tossed back a couple with her.
Honey said she was writing some sort
of motivational book for athletes.

She wanted a few quotes,
like what makes a winner,
stuff like that.

Uh, why?
We'll ask the questions.

After the bar, what'd you do?
I went upstairs, hit the sack.

Alone?
Yeah.

What about you?
Me, I caught a ride downtown
to this new hip-hop spot, TR Caesars.

How long were you there?
Uh, maybe till, like,
3:00 in the morning.

Did you happen to get
a taxi receipt?
A taxi?

Call the limo company
and they'll straighten you out.
All right. We will

So, uh, am I off the hook?
I mean, I gotta split.

Don't tell me I can't leave town.
I got a big game in K.C. tonight.

You can go for now.

See you in Philly, bro.
No doubt.

So you're on your way
to your room. Did you ride
the elevator with Ms. Winslow?

Yeah. She got off at her floor,
I went on up to mine.

So as far as we know,
you were the last person
to see her alive.

This is messed up.
I told you. I went to my room, man.
My wheels are here.

That's gonna have to wait.

You were in the elevator with her.
Y'all got this connection going.
You end up in her room?

No. I told you.
I did not go to the lady's room.

Only she's not interested
in what you have to offer,
and you can't figure out why.

This is so wrong.
“No” is not a word you're
used to hearing, is it, Shawn?

[Sighs]

Look, I hooked up
with a shortie, okay?
A shortie?

A female.
She was hangin' in the lobby,
sweatin' me all night.

Finally gave her my room number,
told her to holler at me around 10:00.

You got a name for this shortie?
Alicia. I think.

So, Alicia. You didn't happen
to notice her last name, did you?
No, I didn't.

It was just a one-hitter quitter.
She was sportin' team color.

Like a varsity jacket?
Yeah.

What school?
Marlboro. Yeah, Marlboro.

My mom's, like, in the Dark Ages.

If she finds out about this,
she'll, like, totally freak.

Why don't you tell us what happened,
and we'll try to make sure
that she don't totally freak.

Shawn's Web site said
he'd be in New York.

I thought it'd be cool to meet him.
He's always been my favorite player.

He's so cute.

So you went up to his room?
He's famous.

I've never been
with a famous person before.

So how long were you two kickin' it?

I hooked up with him about 10:00,
went home about 2:00.

He even paid
for my cab fare home.

Gee, a real gentleman, huh?

All right. Thanks.

I'm glad I don't have kids.

It's a mixed bag.
They're not all like Alicia.
Some of them are worse.

Ed. These came in while you were out.
Thanks, man.

M.E. says the D.N.A. on the contact
wasn't Lisa Winslow.

Could be it belonged
to the killer after all.

Also found circumferential bruises
on her upper arms,
contusion on her left hip.

That's consistent with being grabbed
and pushed off that balcony.

I have a problem.
Join the club. Shawn Beatty's
alibi just got corroborated.

Lisa Winslow's parents
are on their way here
from New Hope.

They want to know
why they had to find out
about their daughter's death...

from a news item on the radio.

We told the sister.
She didn't tell the family?

According to the parents,
Lisa Winslow doesn't have a sister.
What?

Then who was the woman
we met at Winslow's house?

We sent a patrol car by
to have a word with her.

Whoever she is, she's gone,
and she took the girl with her.

Damn.

[Briscoe]
So you have no idea
who this woman might be?

I'm afraid you're asking
the wrong people.

Lisa kept us
out of her private life.

Mr. and Mrs. Winslow, we need to
find your granddaughter now.

She's really not our granddaughter.
We've never even met her.

She is precious.

We got a lot of people working on this.
There's a statewide Amber Alert.

If you know anything
that can help, great.

If not, we're wasting valuable time
when we should be out looking for her.

Um...

about eight years ago,

Lisa told us she'd met
a woman in Florida,

and they were gonna
adopt a child down there.

Said they were gonna get married.

You know, shack up together.

Said they were in love.
Broke her mother's heart.

After that
we didn't talk very much.

- Maybe a card at Christmas.
- They were living in Florida?

After they split up,
Lisa moved to New York.
That was two years ago.

Do you know if she had any friends
in New York we could talk to?

Anybody she might have
confided in?

Who was that Susan girl
at NYU, Paul?

Um, Susan Roberts, was it?

I think they kept in touch
over the years.

Lisa wasn't the type to
pour out her heart over cocktails.

Do you know
if she was seeing somebody?

As far as I know, uh,
a few dates here and there.
No one special.

What about past relationships?

She had an ex in Florida.
Renee something. I never met her.

[Briscoe] I think we have.
They were living in Miami.
That's where they adopted Sophie.

Do you have any idea
why they broke up?

Lisa said they'd just grown apart.

Been together something like seven years,
didn't have anything in common anymore.

Except for Sophie.
Yeah, except Sophie.

What I understand,
Renee was devastated by the split,
and so was Sophie.

I told Lisa I thought
she was wrong to separate them.
Renee was Sophie's mother too.

What did Lisa do?

Moved to New York,
got a lawyer.

Do you know how we can find this lawyer?
Yeah, I used her for my divorce.

Nancy Shapiro.

Madison and 53rd.

Where is Sophie, by the way?

Who's taking care of her?
We're looking for her.

Renee has her?

Renee Bishop, still in Miami,
far as I know.

Here's her contact info.
I'm gonna call the squad, get 'em on it.

Why don't you tell me
about the custody battle?
There was none.

Custody battles occur
when both parties have
legal custodial rights,

which was not the case here.

It's our understanding
that these two women
raised the child together.

Heather Has Two Mommies.

Florida law prohibits
homosexuals from adopting.
Lisa filed as a single woman.

Which gave her legal custody.
Sole legal custody.

So why hire you?

To protect her interests.
Lisa didn't want Renee Bishop
in Sophie's life.

Sophie was adjusting nicely,

and any further contact would have
prolonged the agony of the divorce.

Renee Bishop took
a whole lot of legal avenues
to get some kind of visitation,

but under Florida law,
she didn't have a leg to stand on.

Woman raises a kid for five years,
then gets cut out of her life.

Sounds like motive to me.

It makes me a little less worried about the girl.
At least we know her other mother
isn't gonna harm her.

I just got off the phone
with Bishop's roommate in Miami.

According to him,
she left for New York City
last week.

Did he say where she was staying?
No.

What about her cell phone?
Trace her through that?

Doesn't have one,
but I did get the LUDS
from her home phone in Miami.

Renee Bishop made over 50 calls
to Lisa Winslow in the last six months.

That's a lot of calls to your ex.
Not if you're fighting over a kid.

Lieutenant?
Yeah,. Thanks.

Renee Bishop's credit card charges.

She's been staying
at the Melrose Hotel all week.

Sure. I remember this little girl.
Cute as a button. Here with her mom.

Renee Bishop.
Bishop? Just a minute.

Here she is. Renee Bishop.
They checked out an hour ago.

Damn. We're gonna need
a record of her phone calls.

I'll print one out.

John, come here a minute.
Doorman might know
which way they went.

N.Y.P.D.
They're looking for this kid
and her mom.

Yeah, I remember them.
I put 'em on a hotel shuttle
to Port Authority.

Thanks. Great.
By now they're on a bus
to God knows where.

518. I know that area code.
It's upstate someplace, right?

There were a couple of 518 calls
on her Florida LUDS.

Same number.
Bloomington, New York.

That's not that far.
That's, like, two hours on the thruway,
near Kingston.

Call the Port Authority,
the phone company
and the state police.

I'll drive.

[Police Radio: Woman Speaking, indistinct]

Sir?

Have you seen this little girl
on the bus?

They got off last stop,
Rosendale.

They're not here, Ed.
I know. Let's go.

Detective?
They were sitting behind me.
The little girl said she was hungry.

The mother said
they would get something to eat
after they got off the bus.

Thank you, ma'am.
I appreciate that.

There's a pizza joint
behind the depot.
We're all over it.

Thank you.

[Whispering]

Renee Bishop?

Please. Not here.
Not in front of my little girl.
Come on, ma'am.

Let's make this easy on everybody
Grandma, what's happening?

Don't worry, baby.
It's okay honey

Everything's going to be okay.
[Green] You can come too, sweetie.

No!

- Leave her here with me. I'll take her home.
- Sorry, ma'am. We can't do that.

I'm her grandmother!
Ma'am, I'm sorry.

When we get to the city,
Social Services will take
very good care of Sophie.

Will I be able to see her?
Sorry ma'am. That's not up to us.

We're gonna take a little ride.
Mommy's coming too.
What about Grandma?

Grandma's gonna have to
stay here for now.

You go along with those men.
I'll see you later, baby.
Bye, Grandma.

Bye, baby.
Bye, Mom.

Bye.

Bye, Grandma.

Docket 2206,
People v. Renee Bishop.

Charge is one count kidnapping
in the second degree.

Mr. Hobart, can we get a plea
before Valentine's Day is history?

Not guilty.
People on bail?

The People seek remand.
The defendant was fleeing with
the minor victim of the kidnapping.

Ms. Bishop was taking her daughter
for a family visit.

The defendant bears no legal
or familial relationship to this child.

The People are being disingenuous.

Wouldn't be the first time, counselor.
Defendant is remanded.
[Gavel Raps]

Mr. McCoy, opposing bail?
Was that really necessary?

Your client is charged
with kidnapping,

implicated in Lisa Winslow's homicide.

Do you expect us
to offer her a cup of tea?

I was taking my daughter
to see her grandparents.
Renee, please.

Mr. McCoy, your so-called kidnap
is a custodial disagreement.

Parents run off with their kids
every day in divorce cases.

There's no legally recognized
relation between your client
and Sophie Winslow.

- She's my child.
- Not under Florida or New York statute.

Okay, what do you say we parse
the finerpoints of family law
another day?

We all know you would've
brought homicide charges
if you had a case.

Since you didn't, you don't.
Not yet.

So what are you saying?
You're leveraging a trumped-up
kidnap charge to investigate a murder?

For better or worse,
Florida law gives us that authority.

The law? The law wasn't there
when I was on the phone
with Sophie every day,

and she was crying,
telling me how much she missed me.

My client was going to be in New York
to visit her parents.

She spoke to Ms. Winslow
a couple of weeks ago to see if something
couldn't be worked out, for Sophie's sake.

Ms. Winslow agreed
my client could see Sophie.

Sophie didn't have school that day,

so we decided to have lunch
at their house.

When Ms. Bishop got to the house
that morning, per agreement,
she had no idea what had happened.

But after she talked to the police,
she grabbed Sophie and ran off.

An understandable panic response.

When the police told her what had happened
to Lisa, she was terrified she'd never
get to see Sophie again.

You can imagine, Mr. McCoy,
how I felt.

I can also imagine that you
were so angry at Lisa Winslow.

for taking Sophie away from you...

that you threw her off a balcony
in a rage.

Renee Bishop just happens to be in town
the day Lisa Winslow's murdered?

Never been a big fan
of coincidence.

And given Renee Bishop's
account of the facts,

I don't even know if a jury
will see this as a kidnapping.

And I don't care,
given the fact that Ms. Bishop
is probably also a murderer...

and the kidnap charge
lets us hold her.

Besides, Serena, the Florida statute
is not some technicality.

It's the law.
Florida's in the minority, sir.

- Is it?
- Most states permit some form
of gay adoption, including New York.

They don't specifically
prohibit it, you mean.

Pusillanimous
“don't ask, don't tell" policies.

Hardly a ringing endorsement
of the underlying question,

which makes a lot of folks queasy.

Now, tell me, how are we gonna
go about making out a homicide case
against this Bishop woman?

Everything about Lisa Winslow
screams type-A-plus personality.

Olympic athlete,
Phi Beta at Brown.

Well, New York's full of ambitious women.
What are you thinking?

Renee Bishop said that she arranged
to meet Lisa and Sophie at their home.

You think she's lying?

I think that Lisa Winslow
would sooner cut off her little finger...

than take time out of her busy schedule
in the middle of a business day.

The 25th?
Oh, you mean the day after.

All I see here are
back-to-back-to-back meetings.

No mention
of going home for lunch?

At 11:45, she was going
to pitch her services
to the GenTech Corporation.

Is there any possibility
she canceled?

Blow off a potential
Fortune 500 account?

Do you have any idea how long
it took her to get that contact?

I'm gonna need the number
for GenTech.

The C.E.O. of GenTech
told me that Lisa Winslow
never canceled her appointment

She even confirmed it the day before.
Strike one on Bishop.

Lisa never made plans
with Renee for lunch
or for anything else.

Tell Jack, but you better count to 10 first.

I've already told you, Mrs. Bishop.
I can't discuss the case with you.

I'm terrified of losing my daughter.
Please don't take my granddaughter too.

Ultimately, it's not up to me.
Whatever's deemed best
for the child.

What's best for Sophie
is to be with her mother, or us.

My husband and I,
we're her family, Mr. McCoy.

If Renee has to go to jail,
we'd adopt her.

We love her.
It took a while with Frank.
He's old-fashioned.

But when he saw
those blue eyes--

Mrs. Bishop.

You can't send her
to the Winslows, Mr. McCoy

They've never even
seen Sophie.

They've never sent her
so much as a birthday card.

And now she's with Social Services,
and they won't let me see her.

I can't make any promises.

Anything you can do for us,
Mr. McCoy, please.

All of the calls originated
from Renee's phone in Florida.

There wasn't one
returned phone call
from Lisa Winslow.

She's harassing her.
But look at the time frame, Jack.

All of the calls were
between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.

After school, but before
the end of the work day.

Renee talked to Sophie,
never to Lisa.

The calls stopped two months ago.

Lisa finds out that Renee's
talking to Sophie, puts an end to it
and cuts off all contact between them.

And that pushes Renee
over the edge.

She comes to New York
and returns the favor, literally.

If you can confirm that,
we're looking at a homicide charge.

I'll talk to the nanny.
Go straight to the source.

Sophie.

[Southerlyn]
Where'd you get your bunny?

Mommy Renee gave it to me.

She's a cutie-pie.

Did you and Mommy Renee ever talk
after you and Mommy Lisa
moved to New York?

I'm not supposed to say.

I have a secret too. You want to hear it?
Yeah.

When I was seven,

I put soap
on my little brother's toothbrush.

Gross!

Did you get a time-out?

I sure did.
Me too.

When Mommy Lisa found out
that you were talking to Mommy Renee?

She got mad.

What did Mommy Renee say, honey?

She said not to tell anyone.

You're not going to tell, right?

No, darling, I won't tell.

Grandma?

Grandma! Grandma!

Hey, baby!
[Sniffles]

Tell Mr. McCoy--

Tell him thank you.

Grandma?

Can you take me home now?

I'd rather observe an autopsy
than go through that again.

And Sophie Winslow kept the calls
secret from her mother?
[Phone Ringing]

I have assistants in this office
that don't show that kind
of self-restraint.

Mr. Branch's office.
Your theory's right, Jack, it's murder two.

Felony homicide.
Renee Bishop intentionally
killed Lisa Winslow...

in furtherance of the kidnapping.

The theory's beginning
to look a lot more like fact.

M.E. just confirmed
that Renee Bishop's D.N.A.
was on the contact lens.

She was there.
Game, set, match.

Before you go jumpin' the net,
we've got the child to consider.

See if Mr. Hobart grasps the wisdom of a plea
under the present circumstances.

The D.N.A. evidence
is incontrovertible.

Not a word.

We'll be amending the indictment
to include murder in the second degree.

That's absurd. It was self-defense.
Ms. Winslow was drunk.

She attacked my client.
They struggled.

Save it, Mr. Hobart.
The facts say otherwise.

She pleads to the top count,
we won't oppose the minimum sentence.

How long is that?

Sophie will be in college
before you're eligible for parole.

I can't do that.
Who'll take care of her?
The Winslows?

They don't even want her.
Some foster home?

She won't grow up without me.

Win, lose or draw, Ms. Bishop,
you'll never have custodial rights.

Not necessarily.
We've retained local counsel in Florida.

He filed suit this morning
on Ms. Bishop's behalf,

challenging the constitutionality
of the Florida law barring gays
from adopting.

The Florida statute has nothing to do
with the charges against your client.

It has everything to do with them.
If Ms. Bishop is acquitted
and if we prevail in Florida--

You win the criminal case
and overturn the Florida statute.
Ms. Bishop can sue for custody of Sophie.

[Hobart] At least she has a chance.
If she takes a plea, she's a convicted felon,
an unfit parent.

Any decision in Florida is years away.
Things are moving fast.

Look at the Massachusetts case
on gay marriage.
It's only a matter of time.

You're being given dangerous advice,
Ms. Bishop.

You'll lose both cases.
You'll lose everything.
Take the plea.

No.

I can't.

I have no choice.

Renee Bishop doesn't stand
a snowflake's chance in hades
of winning in the Florida courts.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court
ruled that the law against gay marriage
is unconstitutional.

That's Massachusetts.
We're talkin' about Florida--
why we have states.

Different states will draw the line
at different places on this issue.

Just where
we were going with abortion
before Roe v. Wade.

Old states' rights proponent like you,
I'm surprised you oppose gay marriage.

But I don't.
Don't necessarily approve of it either.

As far as I'm concerned,
it's none of my business,
or the federal government's.

I can't believe we're on
the same side of this.

I may have to reconsider my position.
[Knocking]

Hobart's moving to dismiss
the kidnapping charge
against Renee Bishop.

“The Florida law barring gay adoption
being unconstitutional,

“there is a parent-child relationship
between Renee Bishop and Sophie Winslow.

Therefore, the New York
kidnap charge is invalid."

A mother can't kidnap
her own child.

Kidnap charge goes,
proof of Renee's intent to kill
goes with it.

The murder count is undermined.

We still have motive.
One spouse kills another
over a child.

It happens every day

On the other hand,
if Hobart wins the motion--

He argues they
just had a heated discussion
that got out of hand.

It becomes “she said she said ”
The odds of a conviction
drop to 50-50.

Good luck to him
sailing that past Judge Bradley.

Judge, the probability
that the defendant will prevail
in Florida is infinitesimal

New York law controls here.
Ms. Bishop had no authority
to take the child.

Ethnically, morally,
Renee Bishop had every right
to take Sophie.

The fact that she is a gay woman
should not have been dispositive
of her rights in Florida or New York.

I don't give a damn
who sleeps with who, counselor.

I sure as hell don't care about
some backward, redneck statute.

I see this more along the lines
of a family dispute.

Renee Bishop is emphatically not family.
Catch-22.

Florida law won't allow gays to marry,
and then it says they can't adopt
because they're not a family.

He's bootstrapping, Judge.

The defendant is the mother
because she might overturn a law...

that bars her from being the mother.

You're putting the mule
before the cart's even built, Mr. Hobart.

That's an issue for the Florida courts
to decide some day,

Till then, the parties have
a trial to prepare for.

- Motion to dismiss is denied.
- Judge, if I may?

Make it quick, Mr. Hobart.

Sophie Winslow--
I've decided to call her as a witness.

At what cost to Sophie?

I am disinclined to allow it, Mr. Hobart.

In her own mind, Renee Bishop
was acting to protect her family.

The child can establish
the familial relationship,
at least in Renee's mind, existed.

Novel theory.
[McCoy] Judge, it's an unnecessary
burden for the child...

and a naked attempt
to appeal to the jury's emotions.

Of which you are never guilty,
Mr. McCoy.

The child can testify
for the defense,

but I will cut you off in a heartbeat
if I see her in trouble, Mr. Hobart.

The deceased weighed 137 pounds.

Had she simply fallen,
her trajectory would have put her here,

on this lower rooftop.

How do you account for where
the body was actually found?

To reach this point
where her body was recovered,
she had to have been pushed, hard.

Additionally, there were bruises
to her arms and hip...

consistent with being grabbed
and hurled with some force...

over the balcony guardrail

Nothing further.

What was Ms. Winslow's
blood alcohol again?

1.2.

That's intoxicated, isn't it?
Yes.

Well over the legal limit,
in fact?

It affects different individuals
differently.

There are a lot of factors:
body weight, stomach content,
uh, tolerance to alcohol.

Are you familiar with the term,
"falling down drunk"?

- Objection.
- Sustained. Rephrase or move on, counselor.

Hypothetically, had Ms. Winslow,
intoxicated as she was,

come at Renee Bishop,

isn't it possible that Renee Bishop,

in an act of self-defense,
adrenaline pumping,

could have deflected
Lisa Winslow's attack,

propelling her to the point
where her body was found?

Not the way I read the evidence.

But is it possible, hypothetically?

Anything's possible.

[Judge Bradley]
Redirect, Mr. McCoy?

Nothing, Your Honor.
The People rest.

I'm in first grade.

Last year I was in kindergarten.

When you were in preschool in Florida,
who got you ready in the morning
and who took you to school?

Mommy Renee.

And who picked you up from school?
Mommy Renee.

And Mommy Lisa,
did she ever take you to school?

She had to work.

What about when you
got home from school?
What did you do?

Sometimes we went to the park,

or we had a tickle fight,
or we played dress-up.

- We? Who do you mean, honey?
- Me and Mommy Renee.

Your Honor, we get the picture.

Ms. Bishop was the primary caregiver,
Ms. Winslow the breadwinner.

A rather traditional arrangement
we're all familiar with.
Wrap it up, counselor

Thank you, Sophie. You did great.
Thanks.

Hi, Sophie
Hi.

You love Mommy Renee, don't you?
Yes.

- How 'bout Mommy Lisa?
- I love her too.

- You miss her?
- A lot. She's on a trip.

When Mommy Renee called you
just before she came to visit--
Do you remember that?

Yes.
Did she ask you
where Mommy Lisa was?

I told her she was at the hotel
giving a speech.

It's her work.

Thank you, Sophie.
Mommy Lisa's going to come home soon.

She's going to come and get me.

When I came out in high school,

my father told me that
there was nothing I could do that would
ever make him stop loving me.

But even with my parents'
love and support,
I felt completely alienated.

I knew that I would
never get married,

have children...

or all the things
that straight people
take for granted.

Continuing objection
to this line of questioning.

Get to the heart of the matter, counselor.

- What happened
when you met Lisa Winslow?
- We fell in love.

I wanted to make a life with her.

And when we adopted Sophie,
it seemed complete.

[Hobart] We?
I mean Lisa.

In Florida, gay people can't adopt,

so to get around the law,

Lisa adopted Sophie
as a single parent.

She made a lot more money
than I did.

She was a stronger applicant,
and it just--

it just made sense.

- She said it was a formality.
- Because of the Florida law.

- Tell us about your family life.
- Your Honor, Sophie Winslow
has already testified about this.

[judge Bradley]
Sustained. Move on, Mr. Hobart.

- Why did your marriage break up?
- Your Honor!

Withdrawn.
Why did you and Lisa split up?

Lisa left me.

She met someone else.

I got a lawyer, but he told me
there was nothing I could do.

I lost everything.

Renee, why did you go
to the hotel?

I went to the hotel to talk to Lisa,
to find some way to reach her,

to do what was best for Sophie.

But Lisa was drunk and abusive.

She told me that she would never
let me back into Sophie's life.

She said that Sophie
was starting to forget me.

[Hobart]
What happened then after she told you
that you could never see Sophie again?

I felt sick!

I just went out onto the balcony
to get some air.

I guess she followed me out there.
She was yelling.

She was slurring her words,
the way she always did
when she got drunk.

She was pushing at me,
and she's a lot stronger than I am,

and she's bigger,
and I was just scared.

I guess I just must have
pushed her back...

because then she just lost her balance
and she-she fell.

Did Ms. Winslow invite you
to her hotel?

No.
Did she even know
you were in New York?

I don't know.

In actuality, you went to her hotel
and ambushed her.

No, I went to her hotel
to talk to her, period.

When you got to her hotel,
you attacked her
and pushed her to her death.

I didn't. She attacked me.

She fell.
It was an accident.

You didn't call 911
for an ambulance or the police.

You abducted her child
and got on a bus!

My child.

Our child.

I just did
what any parent would do.

You took Sophie and ran!
Yes or no?

How could I abduct my own child?

If anybody is guilty
of kidnapping, it was Lisa.

Can I get a pint, please, Marty?

You got any kids, McCoy?
What difference does that make?

If somebody tried to take them,
what would you do?

Fight like hell, within the strictures
of the law.

That's easy for you to say.
The laws are all on your side.

Even divorced, you don't lose
your status as a father.

A crackhead who sells his daughter for $10
has a chance of getting her back.

Renee had nothing.

Should Renee Bishop be able
to adopt a child with her lover,
get married, raise a family?

Questions for other courts
on other days, Mr. Hobart.

That day is coming... soon.

Offer stands.
She can shave 10 years
off her sentence.

She won't go for it.

She'll try anything
to stay in her daughter's life.

You're banking on the hope
there's a gay person on that jury.

I'm banking there's a parent.

This isn't about gay or straight.
This isn't even about murder.

There was no murder here.

This is about a tragic accident...

arising from a tragic situation...

created by an unfeeling partner
and an unfair law.

Most of all,
this is about a parent, a mother...

whose child was taken from her.

Renee Bishop didn't come to New York
to kill Lisa Winslow.

She came to talk to her,
to reason with her,

to plead with her.

She came to see her daughter,
their daughter

But Lisa Winslow
didn't want to talk or listen.

She was drunk and angry.

She attacked Renee Bishop.

Renee Bishop did not act
except in defense...

of herself and of her child.

Make no mistake.

There was no crime.

No murder on the balcony
that night.

Only a tragedy

Of course, Renee Bishop
is Sophie Winslow's mother...

in every sense of the word
that matters,

but so was Lisa Winslow.

And what kind of parent kills
her child's other parent?

Mr. Hobart reminds you
of the bond...

between Renee Bishop
and Sophie Winslow,

but he wants you
to forget the bond.

Between Sophie and Lisa,

the woman who adopted her
and loved her...

as much as Renee Bishop does.

This case is not about
who's the better mother...

or about a law.

which may well be antiquated
and unfair.

It's not about
what Renee Bishop suffered,

but about what Renee Bishop did.

And what she did
was kill Lisa Winslow,

and that law which she violated...

is as sure and certain...

as the evidence...

is conclusive!

As much as you might
empathize with her plight,

you must return a verdict of guilty
against Renee Bishop.

As to the first count
of the indictment,

murder in the second degree,
how do you find?

We find the defendant, Renee Bishop,
guilty as charged.

[Gasping]
As to the second count,

kidnapping
in the second degree?

We find the defendant
guilty as charged.

The jury is dismissed
with the thanks of the court.
Short date for sentence.

[Gavel Raps]

Come on, ma'am.
Let's go.

You win some, you win some.
I'm comfortable with the outcome.

Which would have been the same
if they'd been heterosexual.

But would any of this have happened
if they'd been allowed to adopt
as a married couple?

They knew the law in Florida.
If they didn't like it, they could have
moved to another state.

I knew we weren't
on the same side of this.

I say, let them marry.

Why shouldn't they be
as miserable as the rest of us?

[Howling]