All language subtitles for Law and orer S12E08 - The Fire This Time

NARRATOR:
In the criminal justice system

the people are represented
by two separate
yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

You set the alarm?

Every night.

Doesn't hurt to ask.

Do I ever forget?

Twice.
Twice you forgot.

Oh, twice in 15 years,
and you never let me
forget it.

Hey! Maniac!

(GLASS SHATTERING)

You got your cell phone?
Call 911.

WOMAN: Oh, my God,
that new building!

FIREMAN: Fire started
near the elevator,
spread down the hall.

Place went up
like a Roman candle.

Miss Crispy Crunch,
we found in one of
the back bedrooms.

Crispy Crunch?
You think that's funny?

Excuse me, Mr. Sensitive.

Male or female?
Female.

Any idea
what was she doing
in the building?

That's not
my area of expertise.

Thought is,
she probably got trapped
back there somehow.

Well, what about
the windows?

Burglar bars,
no safety release.

Isn't that illegal?

Yeah, so is arson.
We'll write the
contractor a citation.

Yeah, but since
the building was still
under construction?

Slap on the wrist.

Well, it's good
it didn't spread to
any other buildings.

My guys got here quick.

Are you sure it's arson?

Are you sure she's dead?

Okay, thanks.
We'll be in touch.

Hey!
The accelerant,
what'd they use?

My nose tells me
good old-fashioned
regular unleaded.

Why spring for premium
when regular'll do?

Point of origin was
the ground floor hallway.

We found beads of an
orange plastic material.

What do you
make of them?

Probably the container
that held the accelerant.

ED: Any significance
to where it started?

Well, whoever set it
wasn't an expert.

Simple splash down,
but the spot was
chosen carefully.

ED: What do you mean,
"chosen"?

It's center of the building,
setting the fire there

is the best way to contain it,
prevent collateral damage.

Plus, it creates the
fastest route of escape,

easiest access
for firefighters.

Thoughtful arsonist.

Still, not exactly
covering your tracks.

Well, he certainly wasn't
trying to make it look
like an accident.

I'm thinking more like
maximum damage in
a minimum amount of time.

Why did you say "he"?

Statistically, arson is
predominantly a crime
committed by men.

But in this case,
I had another clue.

BRISCOE: What was that?

The female body they found?
She was naked.

Naked? What
are we talking about?

Twenty-five to 30-year-old
female, Caucasian.

Rape-arson?

M.E.'s preliminary
lists cause of death
as smoke inhalation.

She was alive.

Yeah, but Forensics
says her earrings
were across the room.

ED: With whatever was left
of her clothes.

So, what,
Jane Doe breaks into
a half-finished apartment,

takes off her earrings,
folds her clothes,

alone?
That's a little odd.

Any indication
of violence?

The body was
too badly burned.

Missing Persons
still working on an ID.

So if it wasn't rape-arson,
it's murder-arson.

Unless the fire bug
didn't know she was there.

Then it's just more
than he bargained for.

A list of people
who had access to
the site after hours.

Any on-site guards?
Not until midnight.

What about cameras?

Hadn't been activated yet.

We're waiting for
the tenants to move in.

Come on, Lennie,
a tape of people
coming and going.

You know that would've
been too easy.

I guess I'm getting
lazy in my old age.

So, when were the tenants
scheduled to arrive?

Not for
a couple of months.

They still had
some punch list items
that needed attending to.

ED: Like the burglar alarm?

That was already installed.

Well, who on this list
might've known the code?

Last but not least, right?

I mean, you figure
something like this happens,

you're gonna question
the master electrician
sooner or later.

So you did
all the wiring?

The way I hear it,
wiring has nothing to do
with this fire.

BRISCOE: Oh, is that
what you heard?

What I hear is that somebody
was playing with matches
without any clothes on.

Any news about
who she might have
been playing with?

No.
ED: So, how'd she get in?

I mean,
the burglar alarms were
installed properly, right?

I tested 'em myself.

When?
A week,
week and a half ago.

ED: So what happened?

Obviously, somebody
turned 'em off.

Yeah, that's exactly
what we were thinking.

Question is, "Who?"

Yeah, you could see
how your name might
come to mind.

You guys think I'd set
a fire using gasoline?

There's a lot of ways
something like this
can be done.

So, you put
some thought into this.

Let's just say somebody
setting a fire on that job,

it wasn't a big surprise.

BRISCOE: What does that mean?

Landlord lightning,
that's why God invented
insurance companies.

It strikes somewhere
every five minutes.

First time
the paychecks were late,

we made book on
when it would hit.

How many other developers
build affordable housing
for working people?

I don't know, how many?

One bedroom,
Pullman kitchen,

2,200 a month.
You call that affordable?

KELLNER: In this city.

It's a mugging
with a cappuccino.

Well, maybe in Nyack
or wherever,

but on the Upper West Side,
2,200's a pretty good deal.

And I got bills to pay.

Which, apparently,
you don't always pay.

Look, are you accusing me
of something, Detective?

Because if you are,
I will phone my attorney...
Easy.

Just trying to get
the lay of the land.

Last month,
we had a cash crunch.

It was a temporary situation.
Doesn't make me an arsonist.

Every time
I think of that girl...

Look, I build, I don't burn.

Especially not after
what I went through getting
approval for that place.

What was the problem?

Neighborhood didn't
like me building over
a community garden.

Yeah, I read about that.
Giuliani sold off
city-owned lots.

Yeah, that property paid
no real estate taxes at all,

but you know New Yorkers.

Against it,
no matter what it is.
On principle.

That's why you included
the low-income housing,

to get past the
community board?

It helped.

Couldn't have helped
your profit margin much.

Look, in the first place,

I burn this building down,
the approval process only gets
more brutal the next time.

BRISCOE: And
in the second place?

My insurance policy sucked.

The builder came up short
a couple of times,
couldn't make the payroll.

According to a broker,
he's been trying to flip
the property, unsuccessfully.

Neighborhood activists
gave him a hard time.

Yeah, they wanted to
raise carrots. He wanted
to raise money.

So, you think
the long fuse reaches
back to his office?

The guy was just trying
to make ends meet,

but the insurance money
wasn't there.

And everyone who had access
to the site after hours?

Has an alibi.

Well, the arson report says
the service entrance and
back entrance of the site

were locked and
the alarms were set.

Yeah, no sign of B and E
through any of the windows
or from the roof.

So whoever
set the torch...

Probably snuck in
during the day,

hid out in the basement
until closing time,

lit up the joint,
and then made it out
through the lobby doors.

Or beat the system.

Hey, Missing Persons.
Female Caucasian.

Right age, right height.
Parents are from out of town,

they reported
their daughter missing
a few days ago.

We're gonna have to do
dental records or DNA
for a positive ID.

Well, make sure
you've got that before
you talk to them.

The last thing I want is
to tell the wrong people

their daughter
burned to death in a fire.

But she lived here alone?

No one else on the lease.

She have a boyfriend?
I wouldn't know.

It's not a doorman building.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)
Hi. It's Mom.
It's about 7:00.

Dad and I will be up
till 10:00 or so. Love you.

Breakfast dishes
in the sink.
Oh, that's her.

Hey, Ed, remember those
earrings they found?

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)
Melanie. It's Mom.
Are you there?

I'm home.
Call us whenever.

Bed's made.
No sign of struggle.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)
Melanie, please, call me
as soon as you get this.

I tried you at the school,
but none of the other
teachers had seen you.

Dad and I are
very worried, honey.

It wasn't like Melanie
to just not show up.

She's a really
dedicated teacher.

How long
have you known her?

About two years.
Our classrooms are
next to each other.

Is there any place
she might go?

Somebody she might be
staying with?

You mean, is she
with someone?

I don't think so.
Not seriously.

What about casually?

Melanie's not like that.

There was this one guy
she had crush on.

He used to come by
sometimes after work.

I don't think
she really wanted to
advertise it, though.

BRISCOE: Why's that?

He's a student's father.
A boy in the fifth grade,
I think.

You know his name?

His first name's Eric.

I met him once.
You could probably get
the last name in the office.

How often did this Eric
come around?

Every couple of weeks,
I guess.

BRISCOE: When's the
last time you saw him?

Actually, the day
she disappeared.
About 5:00.

Thank you.

Careful. That's
a hand-inked reproduction.

First issue.
I got it off eBay.
How it all started.

How what all started?

X-Men. Hmm,
you never read these.

Afraid I'm gonna have to
sell this to put my kid
through college one day.

Uh, can we get back to
talking about Melanie Fried,
Mr. Shollar?

Uh, yeah, sure.
BRISCOE: So, you did know her?

Yeah. Just to say hi.

My kid goes to PS260,

so I'd see her at drop-off
sometimes, you know.
Stuff like that.

What about after school?

After school?
Yeah.

You know,
say around 5:00.

I don't know.
I'm usually working
around 5:00.

Can I get either of you
some coffee? Tea, maybe?

No, thanks, we're fine.

Uh, Mr. Shollar,
what kind of work do you do?

I do construction.
Dry walling, plastering.

You ever do any work
for Kellner Construction?

Eric just finished
a job for Kellner
not two weeks ago.

Is that right?

Yeah.

You didn't happen to
work on the building that
burned down, did you?

MRS. SHOLLAR: As a matter
of fact, he did.

Is that what
this is all about?

Mr. Shollar,
maybe it'd be better if
we talked to you downtown.

You know, we can show
you some pictures,
maybe jog your memory.

Yeah, maybe that
would be better.

Jog his memory
about who?

A woman died in the fire.
We're just trying
to get an ID.

ERIC: Yeah, I'm just
gonna take a look.

Probably never even
seen her before.

ED: We'll have him back home
in a couple of hours.

Keep him
as long as you like.

One of the teachers
in Melanie's school
saw you pick her up that day.

And Kellner confirmed
that they gave you
a key to the place.

A key you never
returned, Eric.

You sure you didn't
take her to the site
that night, Eric,

maybe show her
some of your handiwork?

How good you are
with spackle?

Come on, man.
We got a witness who saw

somebody fitting
your description
running from the building.

Her parents need to know
if it's their daughter
for sure.

Look, I don't want to
screw up my marriage.

If my wife
finds out that I...

What?
That you slept with her,
or that you killed her?

All I did
was take her there.

ED: And what happened?

We would flirt
at the school.

I'd see her in
the morning sometimes
when I dropped my kid off.

BRISCOE: And
what about that day?

I saw her that morning.

She mentioned before
how she was thinking about
getting a bigger place.

I told her about the place
I'm working at and offered
to show her around.

Anyway, we're alone,
one thing leads to the next,

and pretty soon
I got her clothes off.

Wait. What part of
the building was this?

Uh, one of the apartments.

They had just
put the carpet down.

Anyway, that's when I realized
I didn't have any condoms,

so I ran to the store
to get some.

Safe sex,
very responsible.

Look, I wasn't gone
10 minutes. I come back,
the building's on fire.

So you ran away?

I couldn't get back in.
The fire was in the hallway.

I tried to call 911.

What do you mean,
you tried to call 911?

At the pay phone
on the corner.

There was a girl on the phone.
She said she already called.

What did this girl
look like?

Uh, blonde, ponytail,
blue ski hat, jeans.

Anything else?

Height, weight, age?

Would you recognize her
if you saw her again?

I might. I don't know.

But you didn't stick around
to see how Melanie was.

I got nervous
when I heard the sirens.

I figured she'd be okay.

You figured wrong.

You gonna tell my wife?

Oh, trust me, pal.
She already knows.

The drugstore manager
ID'd Shollar.

Said he ran in and
bought a pack of condoms.

Like he had a hot date.
His words.

They see anyone
at the pay phone?

Not a soul.
No Shollar,
no ponytail.

So, we can't confirm
Shollar's story.

That he wanted to call 911?
Maybe he wanted to.

But according to the IUDs,
nobody did.

But at about the same time,

there was a three-minute call
from that phone to
a number in Inwood.

Yeah,
a Mr. Kent Quigley.

All right.
You know the drill.
Talk to this Quigley

see if we can't
find the girl.

Maybe Shollar'll get lucky
and get a little backup
for his story,

or maybe we'll get
a little lucky and come up
with a material witness

to testify against
this son of a bitch.

Last Monday?
A phone call?

Yeah, around 8:00 p.m.

I don't really remember.
I get a lot of phone calls.

Do you remember all
the phone calls you get?

ED: It was from a pay phone.

How would I know that?
You got caller ID.

Monday night,
I'm not even sure I was
home from work by then.

Look, you're a little slow
on the pick-up, man.

Somebody answered
the phone.

Maybe it was
a wrong number.

Do you remember
getting a wrong number?

Yeah. I think I do.

Who was it from?
Man, woman, young, old?

A man. Old. Older.

What'd you talk about?

Nothing, you know.

Nobody here by that name.
He misdialed.

Phone records
indicate the call lasted
almost three minutes.

Maybe I didn't hang it up
right or something.

ED: You live alone?
Yes.

You having your period,
Mr. Quigley?

I told you all I know.

I think you guys
should just leave.

Well, thanks, Mr. Quigley,
you've really been
a tremendous help.

How many blonde ponytails
call this guy, you think?

Not so often
you wouldn't remember.

Didn't hang up
right, my ass.

Excuse me.

Hey, how
you doing, man?

Do you know
the tenant in 3B?

Quigley? Yeah, sure.
Real quiet guy.
Why, what'd he do?

Well, actually,
we're trying to locate
a young lady.

Uh, blonde, ponytail...

She might've had on
a ski cap.

Recently, right?
I thought she might be
family or something.

ED: Why do you say that?
She had a key.

Came and went.
Only here a few days through.

Her and two other guys.
Visiting, it seemed to me.

What'd these two
other guys look like?

SUPER: You know, kids.
Nothing special.

When was the last time
you saw 'em?

Maybe a day or so ago.

They, uh, left real early
in the morning.

They had backpacks
and such.

Hey, do you know
where Quigley works?

Food co-op on 116th Street.

It's always
the quiet guys, huh?

Monday?
Kent was here all day.

What time did he leave?

Around 6:30.
We walked out together.

That leaves enough time.

Enough time for what?

Did you ever see him
with a blonde, ponytail,
in her 20s?

Kent?

Why, Quigley doesn't
date women?

Kent doesn't date, period.

Hey, you ever see Kent
with a date?

There's a concept.

Kent's too wrapped up
in his work.

What? Here?
Bagging barley?

His causes.

What causes
would these be?

Environment.
Kent's pretty intense.

Wait. What about
that woman last week?

They said a date.
She came here
with two other guys.

What woman is this?

Oh, they stopped by,
I don't know, around
3:00, 4:00 in the afternoon,

looking for Kent.
But that was Thursday.

BRISCOE: Friends of his?

Actually, now that
you mention it,

it didn't seem like
they even really
knew each other.

That's why I didn't
think of it right off.

Quigley, Kent.
Date of birth 3-21-76.

Cohoes, New York.
It's up near Albany.

Let me guess.
Some penny-ante priors.

Two speeding tickets,
jaywalking,

and throwing paint
on some rich lady's fur
in Chappaqua.

Close. One speeding ticket,
Columbia county.

Columbia county,
everybody gets
speeding tickets.

How else do they pay
for the roads to get
plowed in the winter?

And a disorderly beef
a year ago at, uh,

you're so good at guessing,
Dionne Warwick,
you tell me where.

Community gardens protest
against Kellner Real Estate.

Credit cards
off the subpoena,

10 bucks
at a convenience store,

20 bucks for Chinese takeout,
and ready for this?

Day of the fire,
1:55 p.m., 12 bucks from
a gas station in the Bronx.

A, I thought he was
at work all day,

and B, I'll give you odds
our Mr. Greenjeans
doesn't even own a car.

MANAGER: You said
Monday afternoon?

Yeah. Around 2:00.
How often do you
tape over these things?

Every two weeks.

We're supposed to
hold them for a month,

but I got better things
to spend money on.

Hey, credit authorization
was for 1:55 p.m.,
so this should be it.

Here's a guy that knows
what he's looking for.

You remember
anything they said?

Sorry.

How about if they had
a girl with them?

Five days ago?
Couldn't tell you who
was here five minutes ago.

Lennie, you remember
those orange plastic beads?

Melt this down,
I bet you get a match.

Wait, there she is
By the door.

ED: Ski cap, ponytail.

We get somebody
at the food co-op
to ID these jokers,

we got enough
for a warrant.

We're gonna
need this tape.

I lost my credit card.
Did you report it?

I figured
it would turn up.

Why would I be buying gas?
I don't even own a car.

You know, that's
exactly what we said.

The gas station
security camera taped
two kids using your card.

Then I suppose
I'm not responsible
for the charges, am I?

Well, look at this.
Hey, Lennie.
Lost in plain sight.

BRISCOE: "Greens builders
square off.

"West Side Garden no Eden.

"Five arrested
in garden protest."

Now, this garden
wouldn't happen
to be the lot

where they put up
that building that was
torched, would it?

I wouldn't know
anything about that.

Do you always keep
clippings of things you
don't know anything about?

And that lot wasn't empty.

It was a community garden
that had been
lovingly maintained

by the people
of that neighborhood
for over 20 years!

ED: It was bought
by Kellner Real Estate.

It was public land,
the city had
no right to sell it.

ED: Now, what would
you be doing with
a disassembled alarm system?

You want to
give me odds that
it matches the system

in that building
you don't know
anything about?

You been doing
a little homework on
how to bypass alarms?

You're under arrest,

but I guess
you wouldn't know
anything about that either.

We are losing
our wetlands,
our wilderness.

Every day,
we are paving
over nature.

Oh, you think
Manhattan's a wasteland?

Wait until you see
Rikers Island.

Three people,
two male, one female,

used Quigley's credit card
at the gas station.

We're sure it's the same girl
from the pay phone?

The victim's boyfriend
positively ID'd her
from the gas station video.

What's their connection
to Quigley?

We don't know that yet.

But a co-worker says
that the three stopped by
the food co-op last week,

and the super confirms
that they were
staying with him.

Which probably means
they're from out of town.

How close are we
to identifying them?

Quigley hasn't
given up any names.

He's prepared to take
the fall for this alone?

Well, the guy sees himself
as some kind of martyr.

Easy to do when
you're not looking through
the eyes of your victim.

Are we checking
the connection between

the fire and
the original protest
at the building site?

I'm going down
to the community board today.

When we do find them,
arson, murder two.

I'm not saying the mayor
shouldn't have unloaded
the community garden.

The city sold 30,
maybe 40 empty lots

over a four-year period.

Most of them
abandoned.

People objected, though.

Tough call.
A community garden,

or another
apartment building?
Which would you rather have?

Ah, God knows,
the city can
use the revenue.

And no one's objecting
to more rental units.

Especially since
the developer negotiated

a set-aside for
low-income families.

Were there any hearings,
any kind of forum?

Where you can get
a transcript?

Find out who objected
to the development?

This isn't a First Amendment
issue, it's a murder case.

No. There was
nothing official.

Newspapers...
I've gone through
the press coverage.

If I have to come back
with a subpoena, I will,
Ms. Malone.

There was no transcript.

But I saved the flyers.

Just in case we ever
have to reach out to
some of the protest groups.

Which we do,
on a regular basis.

Always something
to get up in arms about, huh?

Two dozen different flyers.
Three dozen different groups.

Ah, the Left.
Two people,
three opinions.

(CHUCKLES)
Most of the groups
were pretty ad-hoc.

Phones have been
disconnected.

What about the websites?

Two are still online,
one's a local democratic club.

Well, I've been burned
by them, but arsonists?

The other group
calls itself "Coyote."

Usual villains, NAFTA,
the World Bank.

NAFTA? How do you
get from that

to burning down
a building in Manhattan?

"Save the community gardens.

"Stop the rape
of our environment."

Well, I guess a garden
is as close as we come
to nature around here, huh?

"Come up with your own plan."

You know, I have a friend
on a special task force
at the Bureau,

see what he can
tell you about them.

Coyote first
surfaced in Seattle
at these WTO protests.

Until recently, they were
pretty much a Pacific
Northwest operation.

Most of them
look like kids.

Yeah. We're not talking
FBI's most wanted.

Still, they have done
a substantial amount
of property damage.

$14 million arson
at a Utah ski resort.

Two million dollars' worth
at an Idaho lumber mill.

So far, we've attributed
over $50 million damage
to them nationally.

What's their record
on violence?

They've been
very careful about that.

You set fires,
there's gonna be
a fatality sooner or later.

I'm surprised the FBI
hasn't done more
to prosecute them.

You understand
the people I work for,

they're used to a certain
leadership structure.

FBI likes to see
a group like this

on a nice, little flow chart.

That way,
we line our ducks up.

Only these people
aren't organized that way.

TROST: These people are
not organized at all.

Basically, these kids
jump in a car,
hop on a bus, a train,

burn something down
and leave.

Says here they've been quick
to claim responsibility.

A lack of any statement
would seem to be
at odds with their MO.

Well, maybe the girl's
death explains why
they haven't taken credit.

Well, the profile's
young, affluent.

Dead girl
could hurt recruitment.

How do they claim credit?

On a website.
Run by who?

An organic farmer
in upstate New York.

Paul Rochet.

He's been
subpoenaed before.

Oh, we've dragged
Mr. Rochet in front of
a dozen Grand Juries.

Claims he doesn't know
anyone in the movement.

Simply posts information
on a website.

And lets the Internet
do the rest.

TROST: Certainly
provides distance.

What about the faces
from the gas station video?

The local database
came up empty.

We're running them national
as we speak.

TECH: The photo recognition
system's the same one used at
airports and on the Chunnel.

You know, between
London and Paris.

And at the Superbowl.
I read about it in Newsweek.

What's your database?

Right now, it's mostly
criminal records and DMV.

Eventually, we'll get
the ATM cameras,
department stores...

You know how many hotels
have surveillance?
How many malls?

Makes me want
to wear a mask.

Wouldn't do any good.

Infrared, thermo...
Masks, clothes,
we see right through.

You'd think more
people would object,
but nobody bats an eye.

Here we go. See?
She's in the databank.

Just like the rest
of America pretty soon.

Emily Hoyt, 18.
Pullman, Washington.

Freshman at
Washington State University.

Not anymore.
She dropped out.

Arrested protesting
the WTO in Seattle.

Do we know
where she is?

I spoke with her parents
in Washington.

They say she was traveling
to New York with friends.

Did she tell them with who?

She didn't give any names
Just a number where
she could be reached.

I never heard of
any Emily Hoyt.

She gave her parents
your phone number,
Mr. Quigley.

Her father is very sick.

She wanted to keep in touch.
They haven't heard from her.

These are serious
charges.

Arson,
second-degree murder.

Fifteen years, minimum.
15 years?

If you won't help us
find the people
who set this fire,

I'll have no choice
but to hold you
responsible.

What are we talking about?

If we make an arrest
pursuant to your client's
information,

I'd be willing to reduce
the top charge from
murder two to man one.

He'd serve five years.

Five years?

You entered a conspiracy,
Mr. Quigley.

A conspiracy that cost
a young woman's life.

We were just trying
to make a statement.

Nobody was
supposed to get hurt.

Yes or no, Mr. Geary?

I met Emily online.

We wrote back and forth
about a lot of things.
Mostly politics.

Environmental justice,
things like that.

Did you ever mention
the community garden
protests?

I grew vegetables
in that garden. I had
a real connection to it.

I live in this city,
and I wanted her to know
how active I was.

That I wasn't, you know,
a dilettante.

Who are the two people
who came with her?

They only used first names,

Clark and Noah.

They said it was better
if I didn't know
who they were.

I agreed to give them
a place to stay.

I lent them a credit card.
But that is all I did.

You lent them a credit card
to buy gasoline.

I'd say you did plenty.

Where are they,
Mr. Quigley?

I'm not sure.
I'm telling you all I know.

They were gonna stay
somewhere else
once the fire was set.

Stick around a couple of days
to put out some stuff
on Coyote's website.

How are they traveling?

By bus.

We downloaded e-mails
from Quigley's computer.

Yeah, we were able
to locate a number of them

through a variety
of internet service providers.

JACK: The e-mails were sent
from dial-up numbers
in Washington state.

Emily Hoyt.

And a week before the fire,
there was another e-mail.

This time from a motel
in Dayton, Ohio.

We have the motel's records?
Yeah.

Three people.
Two men and a woman.

They paid cash.
Registered under
assumed names.

One of them made
a collect call to Oregon.

The Mohrs of Bend, Oregon.

The Mohrs have
one son, Clark, 19.
Attends Washington State.

JACK: Same as Hoyt.

We have terrorists
who are phoning their
parents from the road?

Generation next.

So, do we know where Hoyt
and Mohr are now?

Well, Quigley doesn't think
they've left the city yet.

Thinks they're
traveling by bus.

Airlines require
a photo ID.

I put the Port Authority
on full alert.

And there is sort of
a spokesman for them.

LEWIN: Well, he's local.

Mmm-hmm.
He runs a farm
in upstate New York.

Can we connect him
to this fire?

Not with anything that
would hold up in court.

Well, he sells
produce to Quigley's
food co-op.

And when I called the Mohrs,

they said their son
was coming east

for a conference
on the environment.

The keynote speaker
was Rochet.

And the topic?

The destruction of
greenery in our cities.

LEWIN: And where is
Mr. Rochet now?

He comes to the city
every other Tuesday.

Well, the next time
he does,

why don't we ask him over
for a conversation,

and let's see
how he takes the heat.

I'm not under arrest?

JACK: What for?
Just checking.

Do you run a website
for a group known
as Coyote, Mr. Rochet?

To anticipate, yes,
I run the Coyote website.

Yes, Coyote,
a very amorphous group

has taken direct action to
defend the environment.

Yes, I support
those actions.

But, no,
I do not instigate them,

I do not incite them,
I do not facilitate them
in any way.

I merely disseminate
information and promote
the free exchange

of ideas, neither
of which is illegal.

I did some checking,
Mr. Rochet.

You post information
about oil drilling
in the Alaskan wilderness.

Three weeks later,
the drilling company's
bulldozers

are destroyed by vandals.

The same thing with
the ski resort in Utah.

I post the truth.
I fail to see
the harm in that.

This last speech
you gave at a conference
in New Paltz,

you targeted
community gardens.

Targeted?
Uh-huh.

You saying you don't intend
these kids to take their
lead from your information?

I'll comment on just about
anything but my intent.

But I will say this,
fires have been set

and fires will continue
to be set because
it is the right thing

that they be set.

Emily Hoyt, Clark Mohr.

Do you know them, Mr. Rochet?

I make it a point not
to familiarize myself
with anyone.

Well, you must have
at least read about the
woman killed in this fire.

If you're asking
if I regret

the loss of a life, I do.

Just as I regret
the loss of open space,

and the degradation
of urban life
for the enrichment of

the few at
the expense of many.

That the best you can do,
Mr. Rochet? Rhetoric?

Is that the best you can do,
Mr. McCoy? Sanctimony?

I'm free to go, right?

I don't regret anything
I've done, Mr. McCoy.

I hope you never
have cause to regret
anything you do.

Letting that guy walk out
the door's a start.

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah? When?

Thank you.

Emily Hoyt was just spotted
at the Port Authority
bus station.

Clerk says
three individuals
matching our descriptions

just bought tickets
for a bus to Chicago.

Where?
Platform 64.
They're holding the bus.

Hey, trail mix.
Keep your hands
where I can see 'em.

Up against the bus.

Now that's disappointing.
Don't you know
smoking's bad for you?

Come here.

You know, other than
some protests,
disorderly conduct,

all political stuff,
they really don't
have records.

Which doesn't mean
they haven't set
other fires.

Say we prosecute
them for murder.

You really think
some other kid's
gonna blow out his match

because of what we did?

Deterrence is one goal.
Punishment's another.

So you'd draw no distinction
between arson for profit
and arson for an ideal?

I doubt Melanie Fried would,
and the law clearly doesn't.

Have you talked
to any of them yet?

They're being arraigned.

Good. Maybe a night
at Rikers will
loosen their tongues.

About Rochet?

It's common sense.
I mean, someone put Quigley
in touch with those kids.

If you're so hell bent
on handing out punishment,

let's mete it out
to somebody old enough
to appreciate it.

If Rochet was involved,
it was in cyberspace.

Common sense
doesn't apply there.

The fire was started
in his neighborhood,

not clear
across the country.

Maybe he wanted to
do something more
than type this time.

I always tell my clients,
"Beware D.A.'s
bearing gifts.

"They generally demand
more than they offer."

What I'm offering is
a decade of their lives.

Out of the goodness
of your heart.

My boss has no interest
in punishing your clients

and letting others
responsible for
this fire go free.

I suspect your primary
interest is winning
a high-profile media case.

We're not the ones
who've spent
the last 30 years

using radical causes
to grandstand
with the press.

Well, my record
speaks for itself.

A record which includes
defending cop killers.

I love it when young D.A.'s
claim the system's rigged.

This isn't about
ideology, counselor.

This is about
three young lives
and what we, in this room,

are going to do
to see that
they aren't wasted.

What is it you want?

Your clients attended
a conference in New Paltz

a couple of weeks
before the fire was set.

One of the speakers
there was Paul Rochet.

Rochet? Uh, what does
he have to do with this?

We know
about the website,
Mr. Stadler.

And the speech.

How he encouraged you
to burn down that building.

That's not what he said.

I assume
we're off the record?

You think Rochet
tells us what to do?

"Come up with your own plan."

I think Rochet
identifies targets

and avoids criminal liability
by hiding behind this website.

Dude, you are so
far out of touch.

The last six areas
mentioned on Rochet's website
fell victim to arson.

Do you expect me to believe
that's a coincidence?

They're poisoning
our water, our food.

I mean, Rochet just
wants people to know
what's happening.

He's up on that farm
pulling the strings,

and you three are too young
or too stupid to realize it.

I'm not sure insulting
them's the best way
to gain their confidence.

JACK: This time a woman died.

McCoy.

It's time they
grew up, counselor.

You call it growing up.
We call it giving up.

You can't answer that
with slogans, Mr. Stadler.

EMILY: Oh, my God.

She was a school teacher.
Devoted to children.

That's the end
of this conversation.
Let's go.

JACK: She was 24 years old.

Only a year or so
older than you, Ms. Hoyt.

I said, that's enough.

Think they allow organic
produce in prison?

They fell on their swords.

I'm not sure they ever
had Rochet to give us.

So we make
examples of them?

They've made examples
of themselves.

You can't protest and demand
accountability of others,
and then not accept your own.

No movement was ever stopped
by making martyrs
of the foot soldiers, Jack.

I don't intend to
let them go down
that nobly.

What makes us
so stupid
when we're 20.

KENT: I knew Emily...
Uh, Ms. Hoyt,
from the Internet.

Uh, Mr. Mohr and Mr. Stadler,
I didn't know their names.

They came to New York
with Emily.

They crashed with me

when they came to New York to
burn down that building.

Objection.

Sustained.

Did they discuss with you
the purpose of their visit
to New York?

Objection.

JUDGE: Overruled.

They said they were here
to commit an action.

To burn down
the building that

had been built over
the community garden.

That's the word
they used? An action?

That's what
they called it.

And to your knowledge,
did the defendants
carry out this action?

They bought
a jug of gas and

two alarm systems.

People's "A" and "B",
Your Honor.

And on the night in question,
did you see the defendants?

They left my apartment
about 6:30...

They came back, maybe,
9:00-9:30. I'm not sure.

There was a lot going on.

JACK: A lot going on?

They had heard
on the news
that some woman

had been killed in the fire,
and they were pretty upset.

Everyone talking at once.

What were they saying?

Noah was yelling at Clark.

Saying Clark
was supposed to
check the building.

Uh, Clark said no one
was supposed to be there.

Things like that.

And Emily...

Emily was crying.

She kept saying,
over and over,

"Nobody was supposed to die."

Nothing further.

Mr. Quigley,
the evening in question,

when they left
your apartment,

were you with the defendants?

No, sir.

So you don't really know
who did what that night,
do you?

No.

WHITTEN: And when
they came back,

it was your impression
my clients were upset

about the death
of Ms. Fried?

They were very upset.

WHITTEN: Because
the taking of human life

wasn't at all the purpose
of this fire, was it?

Objection.

Defendants are charged
with an intentional crime,
Your Honor.

They're lives hang
in the balance.

I'll allow it. And watch
your step, counselor.

Mr. Quigley?

There was a beautiful
garden on that lot.

People grew things.

Kids had a chance
to put their hands
in the dirt.

Then... Then this
developer comes,

bulldozes the whole thing,
paves it over like it had
never been there at all.

That was the purpose.

To tell the world we cared.

SERENA: Kids
playing in the sun.

At the end there,
it felt more like
an Earth Day celebration

than a murder trial.

Whitten doesn't
get cop killers off
by accident.

Well, at least
we still have Shollar.

He can put Hoyt
at the scene.

Whitten will
portray Shollar
as a cheating spouse,

who abandoned his lover
in her time of need.

Won't help
his credibility much.

What about flipping
one of them?

Divide and conquer?
Over Whitten's dead body.

Motion to sever?

I don't feel like
losing three trials.

So, the law lets
these kids try
and bury the truth

about this case
in a little garden?

Eventually, you reap
what you sow.

This was
a gasoline-based fire.

It burned very quickly
and produced an intense heat.

Your arson report
indicates four firemen
were overcome by smoke.

LEY: Yes,
there was a tremendous
amount of smoke.

Apparently, they were
laying the carpets
in the common areas,

so the padding was in rolls.

And once that went up...

Looking at
People's exhibit "C,"

the apartment
where Melanie Fried's
body was found,

what was her chance
of surviving?

Objection.

Judge, a great deal
has been made of
the precision of this fire,

how it was intended
to avoid injury.

I think it's only fair
for the jury,

to be afforded some insight
into what chance Melanie
Fried had to escape.

You did open the door
to intent, Mr. Whitten.

You can answer
the question.

In my opinion,
Melanie Fried had
no chance of escape.

Why not?

Well, within
a matter of seconds,

the room would have
been filled with smoke.

Her last moments
would have been
in total blackness,

struggling for air.

If you can imagine
a person drowning in smoke.

What about the fact

that the fire
was set in the center
of the hallway?

LEY: Very good
for letting firemen in.

Not so good for letting
other people out.

What about the heat?

Searing.

As the fire spread,
the room would have
been like an oven.

So before Melanie Fried
mercifully passed out,

she would have been
cooking to death.

WHITTEN: Your Honor...

JUDGE: Mr. McCoy.

Nothing further.

You understand
the consequences
of pleading guilty?

I just want
this to be over.

Emily is prepared
to implicate
her co-defendants.

What's she expecting
in return?

I can't be a party
to those negotiations,
Mr. McCoy.

At this point,
I'm recusing myself
as her counsel.

Nonetheless, I thought
I had an obligation

as an officer of the court
to advise you
of my client's wishes.

We appreciate your position,
Mr. Whitten.

SERENA: What
about the other two?

They understand
once she testifies,

a plea won't
be re-offered?

My clients are at
an age when ideals
still mean something.

So what happens now?

New counsel will be appointed
to discuss a plea bargain.

Jail time will be involved.

I understand.

You're asking me
to get on my website
and tell everybody to stop.

Not protests, Mr. Rochet.
Just the violence.

And in return you'll make
a reasonable sentencing

recommendations
for Stadler and Mohr?

I'm no lawyer, Mr. McCoy,
but that doesn't sound kosher.

Yes or no?

What makes you think
they would listen?

Right or wrong,
these kids
read your website.

They read about Coyote
burning down resorts
and attacking laboratories.

They want to
emulate your actions.

If you were to
denounce them...

They'd call me a turncoat,
and they'd go somewhere else.

You support terrorism.

I have blood on my hands?
Is that what you're saying?

Why not prosecute me then?

There's legal
and moral guilt.

And all those people
with emphysema who suffocate
because of pollution

the same way that woman
suffocated in that fire?

Or drink toxic water
because of the chemicals
leeching into the watershed?

Spare me.
I know the speech.

Young people believe
the world can change.

I won't tell them it can't.

So teach them how
to really change it.

They're kids, Mr. Rochet.

Every war has its casualties.

When Kent...
JACK: Mr. Quigley.

Told me about the fight
over the community gardens,

that's when we...

Clark and Noah,
Mr. Mohr
and Mr. Stadler...

That's when
we decided to do it.

To do what?

Set the fire.

To burn down
the apartment building.

But as a protest.

Cities are so crowded,
so messed up,

and they keep building
big skyscrapers
that block out the sun.

People don't have any access
to green, to the earth.

They don't even know
what they're missing.

We're destroying this planet.

It gets worse every year,
and nobody does
anything about it.

And we just thought,
"Shouldn't somebody
put a stop to it?"

Shouldn't we do everything
we can to stop that?

We didn't know
there was anyone inside.

Top count conviction.

Emily Hoyt's testimony.

What's she getting?

Five years.
Same as Quigley.

And the other defendants?

They were given
every chance.

Two coyotes turned into
sacrificial lambs.

(SIGHS)