All language subtitles for Law and orer S12E02 - Armed Forces

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.

Table 10 asked
for medium rare.
These are still grazing.

And the bar's
out of wine glasses!

I get glasses.
Now!

Learn how to do your job
or you're fired!

Sorry.
Sweep it up
and get it out of here.

All right, sarge,
where's the guest of honor?

Over here.

No wallet, no ID.

ED: Uh... Stabbing.

That's a hell
of a chest wound.

Blood still hasn't
tightened up.

Can't be more than
an hour old.

Oh, this guy's hands
are filthy.

Yeah, well,
I think personal hygiene's
the least of his problems.

Let's check the dumpsters,
and the sewers.

See if we can
turn up a weapon.

Who found him?

Dishwasher.
You, come here.

I can go back to job now?

Yeah. Let me ask you
a few questions first.

Did you notice anybody
hanging around here
earlier this evening?

Sorry?

Can we get an
interpreter over here?

All right.
Wait over there.

Over there!
ED: Hey, man, take it easy.

Why can't these people
learn some English?

And you think yelling
is gonna help the situation?

All right, sarge,
do me a favor,

you want to canvass a couple
of the buildings over there.

When's this guy
gonna learn he's the
minority in this city.

The shrinking minority
at that.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

RODGERS: Your John Doe's
awhile male,

around 50, 55
on the outside,

about 75 under the hood.

Johnny didn't take
his vitamins?

Steatosis of the liver,
enlarged spleen,
black pigments on the lungs.

This guy drank, smoked,
you name it.

You can't make that
chest wound his fault.

Did he put up
any kind of a fight?

Yeah, there's bruising
around his neck and wrists.

What about his hands?
We noticed they were stained.

Shoe polish.
Found it under the nails
and on his clothes.

Guess we know
what he did for a living.

Detective Briscoe.
Shine 'em up for court?

No. We're working
a case, Ralph.

Uh-oh, what did I do?

No, we got some information
that this guy might be
in your line of work.

Figured since
he was in the area,
you'd recognize him.

This guy got no stand
around here.

You're sure?
That's probably not
his best side.

Well, I'm sure.

How about freelance?

I heard about a guy
over at Foley Square.

Takes away some
of my federal clientèle.

Well, if this is the guy,
your business is
about to pick up.

Thanks.

Yeah, that's him.
What the hell happened?

He got stabbed.
We found him last night
over in Tribeca.

So what can you
tell us about him?

He comes around here
most everyday.

He seemed a little EDP to me.

Emotionally disturbed,
like, he had enemies?

Like the type of guy
you ask how it's going

and you get
a 20-minute answer.

Some of the people that
work over in the courthouse
complained a few times.

So what'd you do?

Moved him away
from the building.

He didn't seem too dangerous
and he had a license on him.

Where'd you move him to?

Across from the deli
on the corner.

His name was Joe.
It's too bad.

You wouldn't happen to know
his last name?

Nah.

I was wondering
where he was this morning.
He usually comes in by 8:00.

Comes in?

Yeah. I let him keep
his shine box here.

Saves him the trouble of
lugging it back and forth.

Back and forth from where?

Queens, I think.

You mind if we take
a look at the box?

I got no use for it.

That was very nice of you
to let him keep it here.

I had a soft spot
for the guy.

Alcohol problems.
I know what that's like.

I tried to tell him
it's never too late.

Polish. Rags. Cigarettes.

I guess he didn't take
your advice to heart, huh?

These look new.

Pretty strong prescription.

"Morgenthal
Frederics Optical."

Folly silver,
spring loaded hinges.

I love these frames.

They were just introduced
this season.

They sound expensive.

350 for the frames,
200 for the aspheric lenses.

(SCOFFS)

Budget doesn't fit
with our guy.

Uh, is there any way
you can tell
who bought that pair?

There are
two possibilities.

My wife picked them out.
She's convinced I lost them
on purpose.

When did you lose them?

Must have been Tuesday.

I was coming back from court,
stopped off for a shine.
I must have put them down.

I saw this man
the day he died then
didn't I?

I take it
you didn't know his name.

He just shined my shoes.

But I do remember him
telling me that he'd
just been mugged.

He still had the bruises.

ED: Did he say by who?

He said a gang of
Chinese kids jumped him,

that he'd been laid up
for awhile.

Guess they thought
he should've stayed
home permanently.

Thanks.

We got an ID
on this guy yet?

Joe from Queens.
His prints aren't
in the system.

Beat cop thinks
he might've been an EDP.

Was there a collar?

No, relocated him.

Apparently the guy showed
him a vendor's license.

Cordova's getting a list
from Consumer Affairs,

see how many
"Joes" there are.

What about missing persons?
Nothing.

My feeling is whatever
family this guy had,

gave up on him
a long time ago.

Autopsy report looks like
he gave up on himself.

We did find
a customer who says

he mentioned being mugged
recently by some Asian kids.

So we make this
a robbery by one
of the Chinatown gangs?

Asian gangs usually
pick on their own,
on their own turf.

But it could have
been one of those
initiation things.

While Cordova's working
the vendor's license,

it might be worth checking
back in the neighborhood
on that gang theory.

The guy at the deli
told me what happened.
Any ideas who killed him?

Hey, any gang kids
ever come over here
to buy booze?

I always check ID.

Hey, we're not after
your license, pal.

We just want
some information.

Yeah, we were
just thinking that
some restless youths

from Chinatown might've
drifted over this way.

They're a pain in the ass.

What are you
talking about?
Take a look.

The Mott Street Ghost Shadows.

Couple of stores
down the block got
the same treatment.

I stopped scrubbin' it off
about a year ago.

Any other problems
besides them tagging
your gate?

They hassle the customers
once in awhile.

And this girl who used to
work register for me.

One night when she got off,
they pulled a knife on her.

Any arrest made?

Tell you the truth,
I don't think
she reported it.

Carla was pretty shaken up,
decided she couldn't
work here anymore.

There were three guys.

One of 'em pulled a knife
and took my money.

I just got on the train
and came home.

Why didn't you go
to the police?

Well, they followed me
from work.

The last thing I needed
was them coming after me.

Miss Burns, if everybody
takes that attitude,

how are we ever
gonna catch them?

We're not asking you to
file charges against them.

We just want you to help us
identify who they are.

What if I have to go to
court or something?

All you have to do
is look at a mug book.

Come on,
we'll even buy you lunch.

They're all starting
to look the same.

I didn't mean it like that.

There's just so many,
it's hard to...

Can I take a break?
Sure.

Why don't you try
and relax a little bit.

You want a soda
or something?

I'm okay.

Hey, any of these guys have
a history of rob twos?

With the Ghost Shadows,
that falls into the category
of recreational activity.

This is the one
with the knife.

He had a scar like this
through his eyebrow.

Kenny Eng.
He's a Ghost Shadow?

Two years.

Are you sure he's the one?

Positive.

ED: Wanted for robbery
and assault.

When's the last time
you went out for him?

Not for a few weeks.

But if you really like him
for this homicide,

I can cash in a chip
with one of my Cl's.

On my mother, man,
I did not do this.

Whoa! On his mother, Ed.
I guess we gotta let him go.

What about the girl in
the liquor store, Kenny?

We got a witness who says
that this guy told him

that he took a beating
from some Asian kids.

Do I look Asian to you?

If you run
in this neighborhood,

there's no way
you don't know this guy.

ED: You're going down
for something, Mr. Eng.

How big a package
is up to you.

Okay, so maybe
I've seen him.

Seen him or killed him?

I didn't mess with that guy.

Oh, 'cause you got
respect for people.

No, 'cause he was bugging.

One time he sees
some of my boys
taggin' a van,

he comes
right at them, man.

They had to give him
a beat down.

Yeah. Three or four guys
against one old drunk.

Ain't nothin', man.
That dude could throw down.

Came at them
like a crazy man.

Jury's gonna
love this, Kenny.

I'm tellin' you, man,
we didn't mess with him
after that.

Besides, I think
he was connected.

BRISCOE: Connected to what?

Couple of suits
he was talkin' to.

ED: You mean his customers.

Ain't no one getting
a shine I saw, man.

They started conversatin
and what not,

shoe shine man
got in their car.

When was this?

I'd have to check
my palm pilot.

Okay, it was Tuesday.

ED: Did you see the ride?

Phat Benz.
Four door sedan.

What color?
Dark blue.

What'd these people
look like?

One I got a good look at
was a white guy.

Old, like him.
A little fatter.

Other guy I couldn't
get a good look at

'cause he was on the
other side of the car.

You best hope
this checks out.

Cops, man.
You're always blaming
Asians for everything.

Do we believe this story
about the Mercedes?

Well, Eng refused to
name any associates,
so we can't confirm it.

It seems like if he's
gonna make up a story

he should make up something
a little bit more plausible.

All right, let's process him
on the old robbery warrant.

Let him sweat it while we
check out the murder.

The vendor list
from Consumer Affairs.

Sixteen "Joe"s or "Joseph"s,
none of them in Foley Square.

But there was
a permit issued

to a Joseph Eastman of
Sutter Avenue in Ozone Park.

That's in Queens,
that's near JFK.

Actually, he could've
used it anywhere in the city.

Why, he a friend of Rudy's?

Guy had an exemption.
He was a war veteran.

He was behind a month
in his rent.

Probably spent it all
on housekeepers.

Or he drank
and smoked it all away.

Does he have a whole lot
of people coming in and out?

No family, no friends,
no nothing.

The man preferred
to be lonely.

I didn't even see a phone.

Who he gonna call?

Hey, Ed. From H. Eastman,
Patchogue, New York.

That came
almost a month ago.

I put it inside
for him myself.

He never opened it.

Family photos.

Army dogtags.

Whoa.

Purple Heart.

And a Bronze Star.

Is that the real McCoy?

"For meritorious
or heroic achievement,
Joseph Eastman."

Shoe shine Joe
was a war hero.

Joey and I spoke
about twice a year.

You know, happy holidays,
things like that.

BRISCOE: You were
the only family he had?

Yes. My brother
and his wife

died in an auto accident
long time back.

But his parents
gettin' killed just about
broke his spirit.

How about lately?
Do you know if he was
in any kind of trouble?

Like I said,
we weren't that close.

What about that package
you sent him?

Yeah,
that surprised me, too.

See, Joey never liked talking
about his tour of duty.

Some guys you know,
they'll go on forever.

Not Joey.
I know the type.

And he could've,
believe you me.

My nephew was
awarded the Bronze Star.

Yeah, we saw it.

Anyway, he calls me one day
about a month ago,
out of the blue,

tells me to send him
all his stuff.

After all these years.
Did he say why?

I guess him being sick
had somethin' to do with it.

You see, last October

Joey got diagnosed
with cancer.

Said a doc at the VA
gave him a year tops.

Joseph Eastman was diagnosed
with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
October 18th.

Who was the
treating physician?

According to the computer,

Mr. Eastman never appeared
for his referral to Oncology.

And it looks like
someone from Psych Services
also tried to contact him.

Psych Services?

After you called,
I pulled his chart.

His last admit
wasn't to Oncology,
it was a psych admit.

He was with us three days,
signed himself out.

Given a prescription
for Ativan.

Antidepressant.

Looks like there were
six admissions
over the last few years.

What's this name,
Nolan Tinsdale?

An emergency contact number.

ED: Did anybody
reach this Tinsdale
about the lymphoma?

I'm not showing that.

All right.
Can you do us a favor,
and write down that number?

Once upon a time,
if Uncle Sam wanted to
find you, he found you.

I didn't realize that
Joe was still using me
as a contact.

So, the hospital never tried
to reach you then?

No, they didn't.

You say he had cancer?

Yeah. It was lymphoma.

There probably wasn't
anything you could've
done anyway.

How do you two know
each other, Mr. Tinsdale?

We served together
in the Army.

And you've kept in touch
all these years?

No, not really.

A few years ago,
I ran into Joe on the street.

I barely recognized him.
He was a wreck.

Booze, drugs, no job.

I took him to
the VA hospital

and I convinced him
to have himself admitted.

And since then?

Well, I gave him my card
and every so often he'd call.

I'd take him for coffee,
give him some money.

When was the last time
you saw him?

A few months ago, I guess.

Can you think of anything
Joe might have been involved
with that got him killed?

Well, the first thing that
comes to my mind is drugs.

Our medical examiner
says that he was clean.

Glad to hear that.

Well, we saw that he'd been
awarded the Bronze Star.

Yes. He got that
while he was in my unit
in Vietnam.

We were out
on a routine patrol.

We stumbled onto
an enemy encampment
that wasn't on our maps.

We took it out
in a firefight.

His uncle told us
that he didn't talk
about his service much.

It was a tough
adjustment for Joe.

ED: You seem to have
adjusted just fine.

Lot of work, Detective.
Lot of work.

Well, we won't take up
any more of your time,
Mr. Tinsdale.

I told my wife
I'd be home for dinner.

This way I can get
a jump on the traffic.

You drive to work?

Sometimes.

What kind of car
do you drive?

A Range Rover. Why?

Oh, it's just something
that a witness mentioned.

Well, look, if I can
be of any help
just let me know.

Thanks.

Tinsdale seemed all right.

Sometimes you can't
help people unless they're
willing to help themselves.

And we can't find anyone
else who knew him?

Not anybody
with a $100,000 Benz.

So, he knows he's dying,

refuses medical treatment,

but takes the time
to ask his uncle for
his service medals.

He was getting
his house in order.

Or revisiting his past.

You ever keep in touch
with any of your buddies
from the service?

A couple.

So, maybe Eastman
kept in touch with
someone besides Tinsdale.

Why don't you ask the Army
if they can point you
to someone local?

You say Joe Eastman's dead.

ED: His body was found in
an alley near a dumpster.

Awful sorry to hear that.

When you called though,
I wasn't quite sure
how I could be of help.

Well, the picture we got

was of a guy who'd had
a real tough time of it
after the war.

I suppose that's true.
I really don't know.

Yeah, well,
from what we've learned

right near the end there,
he wrote to an uncle

and asked him
for his service medals.

I don't understand.
I thought he was mugged.

ED: Well, it turns out
he had terminal cancer.

And the Army tells us
that you served with him.

That you received
the same commendation.

Yeah, that's right.
Service above and beyond.

ED: Did he ever reach out
to you, Mr. Fletcher?

Mayor Fletcher, and no.

I mean,
why would Joe Eastman
reach out to me?

BRISCOE: Well,
sometimes the only people
you can talk to

are the ones who were
there with you.

Your old lieutenant
had contact with Mr. Eastman
over the years.

Nolan?

Didn't know that.

BRISCOE: And you're sure
you didn't talk to
Mr. Eastman recently?

Quite sure.

I'm sorry I have to
cut this short,

there's a Town
Council meeting
I really have to attend.

No problem.
If we think of anything else,
we'll give you a call.

Mandy.

Get a card
from the detectives.

It was nice
meeting both of you.

Do you know how to get
back on the highway?
It's kind of tricky.

Oh, don't worry,
we'll find it.

Hey, Lennie.

That's the Mayor's unit
from Vietnam.

Scores big points
with his constituents
who come in here.

He ever talk about it?

The war? It's only
like his favorite subject.

There's Nolan Tinsdale.

Does Mayor Fletcher see
any of these guys ever?

Well, Mr. Tinsdale,
of course.

They're in touch a bunch.

I really don't know much
about the others.

When's the last time
Mayor Fletcher saw
Mr. Tinsdale?

They had dinner
two weeks ago.

I made the
reservations myself.

Do you know what kind of car
the Mayor drives?

One of those big Mercedes.

BRISCOE: Really?
Which model, do you know?

An S500.

Oh, I love those.
Especially that dark blue
four-door sedan.

That's what the Mayor has.

No kidding.

You want me to believe
that a mayor from a town
in Jersey

drove into New York City,
stabbed an ex-Army buddy,

and then went home
to his wife and kids?

The car matched
Eng's description.

Any theories on who
the second man was?

His secretary said
he and Tinsdale had
dinner together

about a week
before the murder.

Now, I thought Tinsdale
was in the clear with you?

That might've been
a little premature.

And what could be the motive?

An old Army grudge,
who knows.

Hey, we could put Fletcher
and Tinsdale in a line-up,
and see if Eng can ID 'em.

(CHUCKLES) You really think
I'm gonna drag a mayor
into the house

on the word of
some gang banger?

I didn't know
mayors from New Jersey
had diplomatic immunity?

Lennie, listen,
even if Eng can make an ID,
we need a motive.

Otherwise the D.A.'s gonna
laugh in your faces

when you ask him
to write this one up.

Now, if you think it had
somethin' to do with the Army,
then run it down.

You know,
I hate to admit it,
but she's right.

She does that
every now and then.

Let's see,
this guy was admitted
into the psych ward

a few weeks
before he was killed.

Maybe he told
his shrink something.

He signed himself
into our In-patient Unit
for three nights.

I was the consulting.

He presented as confused,
agitated, slightly delusional,

with some suicidal ideation.

He talked about
killing himself?
Mmm-hmm.

Did he say
what that was about?

It was an acute admission,
Detective. I wasn't looking
for any bogeymen.

Well, I'm sorry, Doc,
but we are.

(SIGHS)

He was diagnosed
with post-traumatic
stress disorder.

We were originally
told that he was
admitted several times.

PTSD's a chronic condition
that can last a lifetime.

I treated his symptoms,
and he signed himself out.

He must have talked
to you about something.

At least told you why
he wanted to off himself.

All I could get was
it had something to do
with Vietnam.

I had a sense
there was a big load
he was carrying around.

Six admissions over
the course of 25 years.

But nothing specific?

He mentioned a village
over there.

I can't remember the name.

You might want to
take a closer look
at his service record.

Sorry,
it's the best I can do.

(KEYBOARD CLACKING)
DAVIS: Joseph Eastman.

We drafted him after
he graduated from
Canarsie High School in 1968.

Trained at Fort Benning,
volunteered with
Special Forces,

one tour in Vietnam.

Served under
Lieutenant Tinsdale in
the 81st Infantry Division.

I can get you a list.

Is there anything in
Eastman's service record

about the missions
he carried out?

Not that I can access
in this database,

other than the commendation
relating to his Bronze Star.

Tinsdale said
it was a firefight.
A routine patrol.

(KEYBOARD CLACKING)

Heroic achievement on
the night of May 3rd,1969.

While on a probe
for an arms cache
in Ba Pho secret zone.

Alpha team encountered
armed Viet Cong aggressors

on the outskirts of
the village of Cai Binh.
25 enemy killed.

Alpha team extracted from
Cai Binh without casualties.

Every member of his squad
was awarded the Bronze Star
for this operation.

Doesn't sound
so routine to me.

Wait a minute. This is odd.

A new entry from
about a month ago.

It looks like
Corporal Eastman tried to
give his Bronze Star back.

Two Army buddies
meeting for dinner

doesn't sound like
much of a conspiracy.

It wasn't just
the two of them.

Stephen Morehouse.

Now, we pulled
Mayor Fletcher's IUDs,

there were several calls to
Morehouse in Somerville, Mass.

And Morehouse was in
Tinsdale's unit, too.

The waitress that served
Fletcher and Tinsdale

ID'd him as being in
the restaurant with 'em.

We ran
all their credit cards.

Morehouse checked into
a hotel, in the city,

the day before the murder,
checked out the night of.

We've left half a dozen
messages for him.
He hasn't called us back.

VAN BUREN: And we have
a witness in custody

who puts the victim
getting into a car
identical to Fletcher's.

What does the Mayor
say about it?

He told us he hadn't
spoken to Eastman recently
and he cut off the interview.

When we asked him to come in
for some follow-up questions,
he lawyered up.

You know,
I had my doubts, too,

but there are just
too many coincidences for
it to be anything else.

What about Tinsdale?

He's a little bit
more forthcoming,
but not much.

He said the last time
that he saw Eastman
was a few months ago.

Has he requested a lawyer?
Not yet.

I'm afraid I'm
a little confused about
what you're doing here,

about why you want
to talk to my husband.

My office is
investigating a homicide.

Joe Eastman.
I told you about him.

That you were interviewed
by two detectives.

So why are you here now?

Well, it seems two men
your husband commanded
in Vietnam

were both in the city
the night Mr. Eastman
was killed.

Stephen Morehouse
and Stanley Fletcher.

Why would you think Nolan
would know about that?

Because he had dinner
with Mr. Morehouse and
Mr. Fletcher the week before.

These are both good men.

No one's saying they're not.

But for some reason
Mr. Fletcher's asked
for a lawyer

and Mr. Morehouse
has refused to return
several of our calls.

What do you want
my husband to say?

Was there ever
any animosity between
them and Mr. Eastman?

Stephen Morehouse
carried me out of a jungle
with two bullets in my belly,

through enemy fire to an LZ
where I was medevaced.

He took a round himself
and we got on the chopper.

Eastman and Fletcher
were both there.

It was a long time ago,
Mr. Tinsdale.

Well, they saved my life.

I wouldn't be here
if it wasn't for them.

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

Can't or won't?

The night this happened
my husband was home
having dinner with me.

Is that true, Mr. Tinsdale?

I just told you
it was true.

Now we'd like you to leave.

Not much of an alibi.

And Fletcher invoked
his right to counsel,

but not before
he had his car detailed
at a local car wash.

What about Morehouse?

He isn't returning
any of our calls.

And your theory
is that this murder

somehow relates to their
military service together.

Mmm-hmm.
It's the only common link.

One that's 30 years old.

Eastman was diagnosed
with terminal lymphoma,
refused any treatment.

In the last few months
he contacted an uncle

he hadn't spoken to
in over a year

and asked for
his Army medals.

What was he awarded?

A Purple Heart
and a Bronze Star.

Impressive.

A few weeks before
Eastman was killed

he contacted the Army
and tried to return
his medal.

The Army produced
this letter.

"I, Joseph Eastman
hereby desire to return
a Bronze Star

"falsely awarded to me
for the events of
May 3rd, 1969."

Mmm-hmm. It goes on
to request information

about where to
return the medal

and how to expunge Eastman's
official service record.

What does the Army
say about it?

That Eastman never got
a chance to tell them why.

At least that's
the official version.

See if we can get
the unofficial version.

With the information
you gave me over the phone

I was able to do
some investigation.

Were you able to find out
anything about Cai Binh?

Some of the villages
in that province were
destroyed during the war.

But Cai Binh is still there.

Right here,
about 80 kilometers
up the Mekong River.

Then people still live
in the village?

I had our office
in Ho Chi Minh City
send an attaché there.

Did you find anybody
who was there in 1969?

We spoke with one woman
in her early 50s.

She recalls the incident
that you mentioned.

She remembers the battle?

What she remembers
was not a battle.

It was a massacre perpetrated
by the American soldiers.

The Americans
came to the village.
They killed many civilians.

Our military says
the casualties were
all Viet Cong soldiers.

Our records are quite clear.

Two men, nine women,
and 14 children.

Among the dead
were this woman's mother
and two-year-old daughter.

I doubt one can
ever be mistaken about
something like that.

According to this witness,

Tinsdale's unit
made it into the village
shortly after nightfall.

When they opened fire
with automatic weapons,

she and a few others
managed to escape
into the jungle.

When she returned,
everyone was dead.

Why didn't this ever
come out before?

Because it's not the Army's
version of what happened.

According to them,

Tinsdale and his squad
were given information

about enemy activity
inside the village.

When they approached
they took heavy fire.

For which they were awarded
the Bronze Star.

Doesn't seem like
Eastman saw it that way.

Thirty years later.

According to his
psych record,

Eastman was bothered about
something a long time
before that.

He was drafted.
19 years old.

He was doing things
that would be a nightmare
for any kid.

Don't tell me
we can draw conclusions
from a psych report.

If it wasn't the skeleton
in their closet, Jack,
why else kill Eastman?

Are we absolutely sure

this wasn't a mugging
by the Ghost Shadows?

And Eng just happened to
correctly guess the make,

model and color
of Fletcher's car?

Your witness
only puts two men
at the car, not three.

But we know Morehouse
saw Tinsdale and Fletcher
in New York.

And still, no idea what
they were talking about?

How do you feel
about a road trip
to Massachusetts?

I don't talk to anybody
about Vietnam, period.

I'm afraid you'll have to
talk to us, Mr. Morehouse,

either here, or in front of
a grand jury in New York.

Just brings back
a lot of bad memories.

About the Bronze Star
you were awarded?

We already know
Mr. Eastman wanted
to return his

and that you were in New York
the day he was killed.

You strike me as
an honest, hard-working man,
Mr. Morehouse.

If you were looking
for a chance

to set the record straight,
this is it.

Joe called me,
out of the blue,
a couple months ago.

About what?

He wanted me
to give my medal back.
He wanted all of us to.

Mr. Tinsdale
and Mr. Fletcher?

Why?

(SIGHS) Damn fool threatened
to go to the media.

So they killed him?

We tried to
figure out what to do,
how to approach Joe.

I just had a bad feeling
about the whole thing.

We met at the hotel,
and I told them,
just leave it alone.

I never even left my room.

But they wouldn't listen.

You ever serve
your country, Mr. McCoy?

I wasn't in the war, no.

It's hard to explain
to somebody who wasn't there,
what it did to you.

Especially to a black man
who didn't want to be there
in the first place.

The Army gave us
all those medals for
killing those people.

It's a tough thing
to live with.

Joey never could.

Dockets ending
in "03" and "04."

"People v.
Tinsdale and Fletcher.

"One count of Murder
in the Second Degree."

I'll enter not guilty pleas
on behalf of both defendants,

and I'll hear you on bail,
Miss Southerlyn.

Your Honor,
these defendants voluntarily
surrendered themselves.

They murdered
a former Army colleague

to conceal their actions
during the war in Vietnam.

Vietnam?

They allegedly killed
innocent civilians,
women and children.

GARDNER: My clients
strenuously dispute that.

The only question
in this courtroom

is whether or not
these defendants
pose a flight risk,

and whether you have
a case against them.

A witness places the victim
getting into a car

identical to Mr. Fletcher's
shortly before he was
knifed to death.

This witness is a teenager
with gang affiliations.

Who correctly identified
Mr. Fletcher's vehicle
and then his photograph.

GARDNER: These are
respectable men with
no criminal history, Judge.

Do you really think bail's
necessary, Miss Southerlyn?

I'd say these men
lost whatever claim
they had to respectability

the moment they chose
to end Mr. Eastman's life.

Bail's set in the amount
of$200,000.

(GAVEL BANGS)

What's the position of
the Vietnamese government
on all this?

They'll produce the witness
in New York if we give them
enough lead time

and make the appropriate
diplomatic requests.

How'd the line-ups go?

Pretty much as expected.

The kid from Chinatown
ID'd Fletcher,
but not Tinsdale.

Which still leaves
Morehouse to establish him
at the crime scene.

Yeah, I'm pretty surprised
Gardner hasn't approached us
to discuss a plea.

Maybe that's your answer.

Motion in limine.

He's seeking to
exclude any testimony
relating to Cai Binh.

Peace, with honor.

What happened in that village
30 years ago is irrelevant.

Not with evidence indicating
Mr. Eastman planned to go
public with those events.

So we're gonna sit here
and judge what happened
over three decades ago.

It's not our judgment
that matters,

it's the defendants' effort
to conceal those facts

that goes directly
to their motive.

GARDNER: Judge, testimony
of an alleged massacre

would irreparably
prejudice a jury.

Your clients were
awarded a Bronze Star
for their conduct, Counselor.

I'd think they'd be
eager for a jury to hear
what they'd done.

Their witness is
a Vietnamese National, Judge.

I doubt if a jury is
going to get an unbiased
account of the action.

What about that, Mr. McCoy?

Bias goes to weight,
not admissibility.

If you don't allow
her testimony, the jury
only gets half a truth.

I'm gonna hear
what she has to say,
Miss Gardner.

Judge...
Outside the presence
of the jury.

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

(TRANSLATING)

My name is Hon Trung.

I was born in
the village of Cai Binh.

I've lived there
all my life.

Could you tell us
what happened on
May 3rd, 1969?

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

That night I was in my house
helping my mother.

A boy who lived next door
came running in,

he said the American
soldiers were coming.

What happened
after the boy came in?

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

There was shouting.
Everyone was running.

My mom told me to go to
the main parts of the village
to find my sister.

And did there come a time
when you left your home?

(TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

Yes. I ran up a path
that led to the village.

Then there was
an explosion over me.
It turned very bright.

Then the shooting started.

JACK: Who was shooting?

The American soldiers.

They were at
the edge of the jungle
firing into our homes.

JACK: What did you do next?

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

I hid in the jungle
until the shooting stopped.

When I returned to my home,
everyone on the floor
was dead.

My little daughter
was in my mother's arms,

on the floor
covered with blood.

Nothing further.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Trung.
I just have a few questions.

(INTERPRETER TRANSLATING)

Where were
the men in the village
at the time this happened?

(TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

Fighting the Americans.

GARDNER: Where?

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

In the territory
around our province.

And you stayed in the village
helping to feed them,

supply them,
and warn them that
the enemy was coming?

(INTERPRETER TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKING VIETNAMESE)

The Americans came
and told us we must
leave our village

where my family has lived
for hundreds of years.

I helped my mother,
my husband and my father
to fight the Americans

just so we can stay
on our land.

So is it fair to say that
you hated the Americans then

and you still hate them now?

Objection.

You made your point,
Miss Gardner.

When the illumination flare
exploded over your village,
Mrs. Trung,

were you able to see
who was firing?

(TRANSLATING)

Could you see for yourself
who was firing the weapons
into your village?

(INTERPRETER TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

I did not see it for myself.

Move to strike
the witness's testimony
as hearsay.

JUDGE: Mr. McCoy.

Her testimony establishes
her state of mind,

which is an exception
to the hearsay rule.

From that the jury can infer
whether these defendants

had an incentive to
conceal their conduct.

Judge, this is
a second hand horror story

of how my clients supposedly
massacred her family.

Mrs. Trung, I thank you
for coming all this way.

(TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

What happened?

I'm sorry, but I can't admit
your testimony into evidence.

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

Why not?

Because you didn't
observe these events
with your own eyes.

(INTERPRETER TRANSLATING)

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

Do you think
it never happened?

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

Do you think that
my mother and daughter
weren't killed by these men?

I'm very sorry, Mrs. Trung.

(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE)

Thirty years and you still
can't tell the truth.

I came all the way here
for nothing.

At least we still have
Kenny Eng.

And if Tinsdale or Fletcher
take the stand,

I can always use
Trung's story to cross them.

Mr. McCoy.

General Mark Halston,
Army Office of
Strategic Affairs.

I noticed you
in the courtroom.

I'm up here
to observe the case.

If we'd known,
we would've been
happy to brief you.

Is there somewhere
we can talk?

No one's here to embarrass
the Army, General.

I understand that.

And I certainly didn't
come here to bully you.

But the Army would
like to see this case
go away quietly.

If a jury convicts based on
what happened in Cai Binh

it's going to open
a Pandora's box.

We don't let
political considerations sway
our decisions, General.

There's an international
criminal court being formed

that's a year away
from hearing cases.

Four Rwandans were recently
convicted of war crimes
in a Belgian court.

Now, I'm not
disputing the merits,

but there's precedent
for other governments

to try to make an example
of these men, and others.

What would you have us do?

Basically, I'm asking you
to cut a deal.

For the good of the nation.

There are a lot of
good soldiers out there

who don't deserve
to be put through this,

who don't deserve to have
their honor questioned.

I've already
told Miss Southerlyn
and I'm telling you,

this case is
going to verdict.

After what
we heard yesterday,

I'd reconsider
if I were you.

There are two sides
to what happened.

If that's the truth,
why were you so afraid of
what Joe Eastman had to say?

I think considering
the circumstances here,

manslaughter's a pretty
generous offer.

Well, I don't know
about Stan,

but I'm not pleading guilty.

This trial's the only chance
I may have for vindication.

I'm afraid you won't
find any vindication here,
Mr. Tinsdale.

My God.

What are you
doing here, Stephen?

I told you guys
to just leave it alone,
but you wouldn't listen.

Mr. Morehouse has agreed
to testify against you.

We've been walking around
with this thing for
far too long.

You son of a bitch.

Come on, man.
Look at where it's got us.

You've already been
divorced three times.

And me? I can't get
a night's sleep,

without washing down
a bunch of pills.

We're no heroes, Nolan.
And that's all Joe wanted,

was for us to stand up
and say so.

I never said I was a hero.

But we took
the medals anyway.

There were
women and children
in that village.

No way we could have
known that at the time.

Come on, man,
we had reports.

How many times was
our intel wrong, Stevie?

You expect us to risk
our lives on a piece of paper
that's three weeks old?

We could hear them screaming.
We could've pulled back.

Don't forget
you fired too, Stevie.
You fired, too.

You do what you think
is right, Stephen.

It's all we can do.

I had a split second
to make a decision.

I don't like the way
it turned out,

but I did the job
they sent me to do.

What about Joe Eastman?
Who sent you to do that,
Mr. Tinsdale?

You talk,
we go to prison, Nolan.
Do you realize that?

They're gonna find out
sooner or later, Stan.

Joe called us,
he said he was gonna

send back his Bronze Star,
write a letter to the papers

about what happened
at Cai Binh.

I couldn't let that happen.

Because what Mrs. Trung
testified to was true.

Because it didn't matter
if what she said was
true or not.

I'd been called
a murderer before,
when I came home.

I wasn't about to look
into my son's eyes and
explain it all over again.

So you took matters
into your own hands.

I'd tried for years to
get Joe back on his feet.

I took him to the VA.
I gave him money.

Somehow he just...

He could never
make peace with it.

Maybe he was better
than the rest of us.
I don't know.

What happened when
you went to see him?

We just wanted
to talk to him.

We thought maybe we could
get him to change his mind.

JACK: He refused.

After we got him in the car,

he just started to lose it.
So Stan pulled over.

And that's when
Joe pulled the knife.

His knife?

I managed to wrestle it
away from him,

but he just
kept coming at me,

like he didn't care
what happened anymore.

You gotta understand,
there was no chance
to walk away.

Gardner's accepted
our offer of man two.

She intends to ask
the judge for the minimum.

A mayor
and an oil executive.

I'm sure she'll make
a strong case.

I think there were
mitigating factors.

Based on what they did
or who they are?

They were kids.

Kids armed to the teeth,
put in a place

where most of the time
they couldn't tell

who was for them,
and who was against them.

We need to be careful
how we judge.

(SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING)