All language subtitles for Law and order S15E01 - Paradigm

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.

Smell of it makes me gag.

Did you see how much ketchup
she slathered onto that thing?

Wilson should
put out a memo.

If you're going to bring
take-out back to the office,

it should cost more than
a buck ninety-nine.

What time is it?

1:40.
We'd better get busy.

We had better!

Oh, red! Oh, that is what I
am talking about! (LAUGHS)

I thought you'd like...
(GASPS)

Son of a bitch.

We're babysitting
the two lovebirds upstairs.

How'd they get in here?

They walked right in.

Building management said the law
firm that rented this floor

went bust about
six months ago.

The last lawyer out should have
locked the door behind him.

You working this solo?

No. My new partner
didn't show up.

Must be some glitch
at One PP.

They say who it is?

Some dude named Fontana.
Bronx Homicide.

Don't know him.

Sweet move for him, though.

Yeah, the dude must have
had some kind of hook.

They left her like this?

Nice and peaceful
looking, huh?

Yeah, except for the blood.
Any ID?

Nothing on the body. Nothing
in the office, either.

Where are her shoes?

Soles of her feet are clean, so she
didn't walk in here without them.

Barefoot. Cross painted
on her chest in blood.

Looks like we're dealing
with some religious nut.

We canvassed every office
in the high-rise.

I couldn't make her
as an employee, or a client.

A big office building like
55 Morris must have video.

They do, in the lobby.
I have the tapes.

But there's hundreds of people
walking in and out of there.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Can I help you?

I'm Fontana.

Oh, hey! Anita Van Buren.
This is your new partner.

Hey, man. Ed Green.

It's about time they gave me a
partner with a little smooth.

I was just filling the Lieutenant in.
I caught a body.

Oh, great. Give me a copy of the
DD5 so I can get up to speed.

Missing Persons is still waiting on
her prints, but her autopsy is ready.

It's good having
you here, Fontana.

I wasn't sure if he was
a cop or a wise guy.

Make it work, Ed.

There's blunt-force trauma on
the left side of her head,

but that didn't kill her.

Lacerations inside
of her lower lip.

You know your way
around a body.

Yeah,
so I've been told.

She was smothered, manually.

Time of death between 10:00 and
noon this morning, give or take.

Lividity indicates she
wasn't moved post-mortem.

This girl's built pretty solid.
She fight back?

No, there's no
defensive wounds.

This is why I'm sure that she was
smothered after she lost consciousness.

So where'd the blood
on her clothes come from?

It's not hers.
DNA lab says it's porcine.

Pig's blood?

So we're looking for a guy
with a pink complexion.

Yeah.
And a flat nose.

Help me roll her.

"713."

Did you run her
blood titers yet?

Yeah.

Hepatitis, yellow fever?

Smallpox, cholera.

Standard immunization cocktail
for forward serving personnel.

Even money?
713 is a military outfit.

She enlisted
a couple of years ago.

Good kid,
decent family background.

Pretty tough, too. I mean, she could
handle herself if she had to.

Did she have a beef with
somebody in your unit?

No. We were in Iraq
for ayear.

The 713th is
a Military Police Unit.

We rotated out
four months ago.

Your unit see any action?

Nothing major. We were
stationed in Baghdad.

What a head game
that was.

Tell me about it.
I was in Saigon.

Shiites, Sunnis,
Baathists, Kurds...

You couldn't tell the good
guys from the bad guys.

Everybody was just
glad to be home.

Worst thing that happened
in my company,

a couple of guys
flipped a Humvee.

Now this.

Mr. and Mrs. Starr, we're
very sorry for your loss.

After all your daughter
did for her country,

we think she
deserved much better.

We'll find out
who did this.

Did Lindsay
live here with you?

She was trying to save money
for her own apartment.

That's why she
joined the Reserves.

So what was Lindsay doing
in Manhattan yesterday?

When she left the house, she
was on her way to Brooklyn

to meet her boyfriend.

They were going into the city
to, uh, pick up tickets...

Uh, Kath?

Yeah,
for a moonlight cruise.

She went to get the tickets
at the cruise line office.

We just assumed she stayed
at Donnie's last night.

What is it, Mrs. Starr?

Something was different
when she came back.

I asked her if
everything was all right,

but she wouldn't talk to me.

She's been in a war, Kath.

You know,
I'm sure Lindsay saw things.

Yeah. Maybe that's it.

This is gonna seem
like a strange question,

but do you remember what kind of
shoes she was wearing when she left?

Why? Was...

No, no, there's no worries
that way.

She was completely dressed. Blue
jeans, white blouse, but no shoes.

White blouse?

Lindsay had on a black T-shirt
when she left the house.

I made a list of all
the tenants at 55 Morris.

There ain't no cruise line
company in that building.

Obviously she puts on the blouse over
her T-shirt between here and downtown.

Her boyfriend's.

Uh, Lindsay came over here yesterday,
first thing in the morning.

For what?

Uh, I was supposed to
take the train with her

into Manhattan to pick up
these booze cruise tickets,

but then the cable guy
showed up.

Is she okay?

Can you tell us
about the cruise tickets?

Lindsay, uh, got a letter. Some company
was throwing a party on a boat

to honor the troops
who served in Iraq.

They were giving away tickets.

Did Lindsay change clothes
at your place yesterday?

No. Why?

Lindsay was killed
in Manhattan yesterday.

What?

We're sorry to have to break
it to you like this, but...

Oh, my God.

All right, Donnie? Donnie?

I want you to
listen to me, okay?

Right now, you have to
pull yourself together,

because we have questions
we have to ask you.

Was everything okay
with Lindsay?

She have any problems?
Was anybody bothering her?

I don't know.

She was acting
a little weird, lately.

What do you mean, "weird"?

Like, stressed.

Her boss was a real jerk.

I figured it was
something at work.

She didn't show up to work today.
Not even a phone call.

Any reason she might
not want to come in?

No.

I give her herjob back
after she's away for a year,

and this is how
she repays me.

That's big of you, after she went to
Iraq and put her ass on the line.

It wasn't for me.

You live here, don't you?

Look, I just gave her
a raise to $9.50 an hour,

as much as
my full-time girls.

Hey, man, do your employees
have lockers back there?

This is Lindsay's.
You sure this is legit?

Oh, yeah.
We're authorized.

Ain't that much in here.

Got some magazines.

Apron. Change of clothes.

Nothing in the pockets.

Hold on a second, would you?

Miss Starr has a checking
account at this branch.

She came in a few months ago
and rented a box.

Just the envelope.

ED: Damn!
FONTANA: Oh, baby.

That looks like
Abu Ghraib prison.

My God.

I don't remember seeing these
photos in the newspaper.

This must be Corporal
Starr's own private stash.

We should get these dusted
and show them to the Lou.

The cell block in these photos looks
exactly like the ones in the media.

I say we show these
to the Feds right away

and get confirmation
that it is Abu Ghraib.

I'm not so sure
we want to do that yet.

Really? Why not?

There aren't just grunts
in these pictures.

Two bars?
This woman's a captain.

And one of these guys is in civilian
clothes. Who knows who he is?

Are you suggesting that the military
has something to do with our body?

I'm not ruling it out.

I didn't realize
I got transferred into

the local chapter of
Amnesty International.

A murdered soldier
put these pictures

in a safe deposit box,
now what does that tell you?

That she was waiting for the
right buyer to come along?

More likely she was worried
she'd get the same treatment

as the other guards
at Abu Ghraib.

Like the girl with the leash?

And the general
the Army scapegoated.

A female officer in charge of
hundreds of Muslim prisoners.

Well, I happen to think that the whole
thing is blown way out of proportion.

A few snapshots
show up on the Internet,

and everybody is oh-so-surprised
that these things go on!

Just business as usual?

For your information,
Lieutenant,

Muslims and Christians have been
going at it for a thousand years.

Look, we could sit here and
argue politics all day long,

but there's still gonna be
a dead girl in the morgue.

So, the Lieutenant,
is she always that way?

What way?

Do you know that I worked
for the first female captain

on the Chicago
Police Department?

That couldn't have been easy.

It wasn't that bad.

(CHUCKLES)

No, I mean for her.
(CHUCKLING)

But, uh, Van Buren,
she does have a good rep?

Mmm-hmm.
That's why you transferred?

Well, let's just say that
my last boss and me, we...

We had some problems.

Anything I should know about?

No. Nothing that
would affect you.

Look,

all I want is for the three of
us to get off on the right foot.

That's all I want.

Can't think of any reason
why we wouldn't.

So how long
were you in Vietnam?

I wasn't.

So this booze cruise letter lures
the girl into the building.

Right. You know, a lot of these Reserve
companies have their own websites.

You know, families sending
messages to their kids overseas,

reaching out to
other military families.

So any Tom, Dick, or Abdullah
can come up with her address.

All right, look,
I gotta meet somebody.

See you tomorrow.

You should've
seen this dude.

I mean, he had a knot
the size of my fist.

Yeah, with an attitude
to match.

So what's the 411 on him?

Works hard, plays hard.

Sound familiar?

Yeah.

Yeah, but they didn't
give me a choice, Ed.

I'd like you to see this.

The Middle Ages.

Yeah, it's nice,
isn't it?

You know the History Channel's
running a special on this?

And this is the burial pose
of a knight

from the 13th century crusade
of Frederick ll.

White tunic, red cross.

These knights were considered
soldiers of the Church.

Once they pledged to join the
crusade and fight the infidels,

they were exempt from civil jurisdiction
and their property couldn't be taxed.

Membership had
its privileges.

Damn, you seem to know
a lot about this.

There were a lot
of Italian knights.

So, who would pose a dead
corporal to look like a crusader?

Somebody who wasn't so happy about
what she had in those pictures.

AMuslim.

Or someone who wanted to
make it look that way.

Come on, Lieutenant.
You still can't believe

that this is
a government conspiracy?

Look, I'm not saying
the CIA killed Kennedy.

Maybe just a soldier
from her Military Police Unit

who wanted to keep
a lid on this.

Starr's commanding officer was really
vague about their tour in Iraq.

And he didn't mention
one word about Abu Ghraib.

Any progress
in your investigation?

FONTANA: Yeah,
quite a bit, actually.

Look, it would help us to know more
about what the 713th did in Iraq.

I have to say,
that's none of your business.

Colonel, we know your unit
was in Abu Ghraib.

Is that what this is about? I'm a retired
Suffolk County Corrections Captain.

We were transferred from Gitmo because I
have experience with Muslim prisoners.

This kind of experience? Your corporal
brought these war souvenirs home.

I don't have to defend my company
to a couple of local cops.

You're not in charge here.

This was combat.
Stuff happens.

This stuff
ain't supposed to happen.

Don't tell me you guys
never crossed the line.

Look, Colonel, the reason why
we have rules of interrogation

is so that when our guys get
captured, this don't happen to them.

You seen any burnt corpses
hanging from bridges?

Any heads being hacked off?

Like they did to Nicholas
Berg and Daniel Pearl?

98% of these detainees
are High Value Targets.

What about the other 2%?

If they're innocent,
they get released.

Now maybe you can tell me what this has
to do with Corporal Starr's murder?

What if one of your ex-prisoners came
out looking for a little revenge?

Fair enough.

I'll get you a list.

Tuesday morning,
I was here.

I work the day,
my partner works the night.

Is there anybody here
that can verify that?

Many customers.

Why do you
want to know this?

Do you have
any family in Iraq?

My mother, my father,
and my three brothers.

Any of your brothers
ever in Abu Ghraib?

Yes. Kamel.
And I was there, also.

Since the war?

Saddam put me there.
Four years.

Bring him to me, and I'll
show you whatjustice is.

I'm sure your brother
feels the same way

about the Americans
who locked him up.

(CHUCKLES) Any Iraqi would rather
be in ajail run by the Americans

than ajail
run by Saddam.

The only mistake you made was not
burning Abu Ghraib to the ground.

So how'd your
brother get out?

He and his neighbor
were arrested together.

Lucky for Kamel, his neighbor had a
relative who works for Safwan Oil.

Big U.S. company in Iraq.

What's this
neighbor's name?

Mohammed.

Well, that should
narrow things down.

Safwan Oil ain't no big U.S.
company I ever heard of.

Your point?

Drexel Oil's corporate
headquarters are in 55 Morris.

Drexel has a substantial
equity interest in Safwan Oil.

And we have several
directors on their board.

Did your company intervene on behalf
of a prisoner at Abu Ghraib recently?

Well, I'm aware of
one such situation.

An employee here had a relative in
detention whom he insisted was innocent.

And who might that be?

I think I might want to run
this past our lawyers.

Oh, absolutely.
Go right ahead.

(sums)

Jeff Harrington. He's one
of our project engineers.

The floor below this one.

My brother-in-law was arrested by
an American patrol in Baghdad.

Took two months before
we knew he was in Abu Ghraib.

"We" meaning?

My wife's from Iraq.

Oh. So, what happened
with your brother-in-law?

Well, Nadira's family
insisted it was a mistake,

and I started making calls
to our contacts in Baghdad.

They finally got to the right
people in military command

and Mohammed was released.

You don't sound
too thrilled about it.

He was killed by a car bomb
about three months ago.

Was he a target?
No, no.

He was waiting in line, you
know, minding his own business.

Did he have any problems
while he was in Abu Ghraib?

You mean was he abused?

You can't help but hear about
what was going on over there.

No. He would have said
something to Nadira if he was.

I met Jeff when our
companies collaborated

on a drilling project
in Kuwait.

So not much oil exploration
here on Long Island.

I'm a housewife now.

You have relatives here?

No, my family's
in Baghdad.

Must be tough.

With telephones and e-mail, it's not
so bad. I can still talk to them.

Your husband told us about
your brother, Mohammed.

Please accept
our condolences.

Thank you.

He also told us that
he was in Abu Ghraib.

Yes.

Did they
abuse him there?

"Abuse."
You mean torture.

Well, I read about it. It
didn't sound too bad to me.

No, they didn't
"abuse" him, as you say.

So there were no hard
feelings on that score?

My brother was killed.

By insurgents.

You invade our country
and you don't give us safety.

You protect our oil fields, but
people are dying on the street.

So, Mrs. Harrington,

where were you
Tuesday morning?

In Brooklyn.
To shop for food.

On Atlantic Avenue?

Yes.
Which stores?

I don't know.
I walk from one to the next,

I don't write down
their names.

Excuse me, sir, were you
working Tuesday morning?

I am the owner.

I'll take that as a "yes."

Are these pork chops?

This is not a store
for Muslims.

Any other store
on the block.

Did you see this woman
in here Tuesday morning?

Yes. She was here.

I sold her a pint
of pig's blood.

For an old Assyrian recipe.

Thank you, sir.

VAN BUREN: We've got a serious
situation here, Mrs. Harrington.

We have videotape of you entering
and exiting the building

where Corporal Starr
was murdered.

She was a soldier who was guarding
your brother while he was in prison.

She was found dead, with a cross on
her chest painted in pig's blood.

And we have a shopkeeper who
said you purchased pig's blood

on the day of the murder.

And what's a nice Muslim woman
doing with pig's blood?

You don't have to talk to us, Mrs.
Harrington.

It's okay.

My name is
Nadira Latif Harrington.

I was born on
April 14th, 1975,

and I demand to be treated
as a prisoner of war.

"Docket number
43876,

”People of the State
of New York

”against Nadira Harrington.

"Charge is murder
in the second degree."

JUDGE: How does she
plead, Ms. Marino?

I'm not sure, Judge.

What do you mean,
you're not sure?

All she'll tell me is that
she's a prisoner of war.

What war
is she talking about?

MARINO: She's Iraqi, Judge.

I'm a mujahidin.
A soldier of Islam.

JUDGE: And I'm Thurgood Marshall.
I'll take that as a not guilty.

People on bail?

The victim in this case
was an Army Reservist

who was found manually suffocated
and posed in a ritualistic manner.

We're charging this as a
hate crime, YourHonoL

I didn't realize Army Reserves
was a protected class.

Her own statements
here in court indicate

this incident had
religious motivations.

If she sincerely believes she's a
soldier of God, she might kill again.

Remand the defendant.

And I'm ordering a 730
exam to cover my back.

She came back
fit on the 730.

We can put her
in the building

with the pig's blood
and a white shirt,

and her brother was in Abu Ghraib
guarded by Lindsay Starr's unit.

It's a very strong
circumstantial case.

So, this "prisoner of war"
gimmick is a Hail Mary.

I don't think
it's a gimmick.

There is a war going on.

Look, maybe discretion's
the better part of valor.

We could just turn her over
to the Department of Defense.

Get ajury trial in New York City
under the U.S. Constitution.

Do we want captured
American soldiers

being tried in Islamic
civilian courts, Jack?

I don't do politics, Serena.

Yeah, well, we started this
mess by invading her country.

I thought this
was her country.

Iraq really doesn't
have anything to do

with the case we're prosecuting.
(PHONE RINGING)

Jack McCoy.

Sure.

Thanks for the heads up.

Clerk's office. Nadira
Harrington's got new counsel.

Yeah, well, if they're
smart, they'll want a deal.

Bernie Adler.

You expect me to drop to my knees
and beg you to deal this out?

The show of submission
won't be necessary.

I know you've just
been retained,

but I can assure you, we've
got a very strong case.

Pig's blood and videotape
notwithstanding,

what you have, Jack,
is a very short case.

SERENA: We have at least
a dozen witnesses.

Short, because there
is no jurisdiction.

This was the murder of one New
Yorker by another New Yorker

in a Morris Street
office building.

Assuming everything you think
you can prove is true,

that situation's covered
by the Geneva Conventions.

What does your client
want, Bernie?

A one-way ticket
to Guantanamo Bay?

A stockade at Fort Dix
is better than 25-to-life,

and she'll be free to go
once we're out of Iraq.

You will be
getting my motion.

A soldier who kills
an enemy soldier in a war

cannot be prosecuted.

Article 87 of the Third
Geneva Convention holds

that captured soldiers cannot
be punished for acts of war.

Therefore, this court has no
jurisdiction over this homicide.

Neither the victim nor the
defendant were soldiers.

The victim
was a Reservist.

Who was inactive.

But likely to be called back to
duty in my client's homeland.

The one this country
invaded and occupies.

Are you seriously expecting me to rule
that she is a combatant, Mr. Adler?

In April of this year, Imam Saddoun
in Fallujah issued a fatwa

calling upon Muslims to
resist the occupation of Iraq

by killing foreign invaders.

That Imam is one man in a
mosque, not a sovereign nation.

But his followers believe they're
engaged in jihad, a holy war.

Article Two
of the Convention, Judge.

A captured member of a resistance
movement, even a volunteer,

merits the protections
afforded to prisoners of war.

Yes, but the Article goes on to state
that the fighter must have a commander,

some kind of uniform,
carry arms openly.

Jose Padilla, Judge,
the alleged dirty bomber?

A citizen of the United States who
we're holding as an enemy combatant.

Where's his weapon?

What army
is he affiliated with?

What's good for the goose.

Granted, the face of war has
changed since these conventions

were ratified 50-odd
years ago, Mr. Adler,

but I am having
a hard time buying this.

On the day
she was killed,

Lindsay Starr could not have perceived
that she was engaged in a war.

Under the Geneva Convention,
there must be a perception

by not one but two adversaries
that they are engaged in conflict.

It takes two
to tango, Mr. Adler.

I applaud you
for your creativity,

but I am not giving
upjurisdiction over this case.

The defendant will
stand trial for murder.

Closer than
you thought, Jack?

More like the Yankees
and the Red Sox.

It's inevitable the Red Sox
won't be there when it counts,

but they still have to
play all the games.

Jack!

A rousing day in court,
don't you think?

I'd hate to see
you when you win.

Any second thoughts
about a plea?

Plea?

We might be willing to
withdraw the hate enhancement.

No, I don't think so. I'm
having way too much fun.

You get to try my client,

but now I get
to try the war.

What's Adler got
up his sleeve?

He lost his
jurisdictional motion.

Now he'll frame
it for a jury.

Corporal Starr's
murder was justified

because Nadira Harrington
was defending her country.

Add in the emotional
component that her brother

was tortured
by Starr's unit,

and you've got a pretty
potent one-two punch.

It's an appeal forjury
nullification is what it is.

Which could work. Most people
I know aren't that happy

about what happened
at Abu Ghraib.

Well, neither am I.
But I'm also not happy

about American kids
in flag-draped coffins.

Muslims sit on
juries, too, Arthur.

Nobody condones the actions of
these overzealous soldiers.

But Abu Ghraib is a distraction
from the real problem.

I mean, radical fundamentalists
are waging a world war.

They've attacked
innocent civilians

in the four corners
of the globe.

Africa, Bali, Madrid,
New York City.

You make it
sound so hopeless.

This all started
long before 9/11.

JACK: The lslamists have
their longstanding grudges.

They can't accept our presence
in the Arab Peninsula,

our Middle East Policy, our
pre-emptive offensive in Iraq.

I think that's a cover. They hate
our way of life and our freedoms.

Now this is their war on modernism
and Western civilization.

So the strategy is to
scare the jury to death?

Trust me, the fear
is already there.

We can't have
Iraqi assassins

roaming the streets of New
York executing Americans.

I still think we should have
handed her over to the military.

We could have just
ducked the whole issue

instead of trying
to set policy.

And I can't believe I have
pusillanimous pussy-footers

on my own staff!

I don't think Spiro Agnew is the
person to be quoting here, Arthur.

If the shoe fits.

But, if we're both still
talking about Iraqi assassins,

it means it's time
for a press conference.

Tomorrow at 9:00.

Now, you're free to stand behind
me on the stage with Jack,

or you're free to
stay in your office.

As you all know,

we are in the midst of one of the
most important criminal trials

of the last 50 years.

Unfortunately, there has
been much speculation

and misinformation
about this case.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Arthur Branch.

BRANCH: Thank you, Mayor.

I'll have a brief statement and
then I'll take a few questions.

The People
of the State of New York

are prosecuting
Nadira Harrington,

a United States citizen and
resident of the State of New York,

for the murder
of Lindsay Starr,

a United States citizen and
resident of the State of New York.

Ail U.S. citizens and all
residents of New York State

are bound by the same laws,

regardless of race, religion,
or national origin.

Racial, religious, and sectarian
violence are an unfortunate fact

of daily life in this country
and around the world.

Now, the law cannot control
people's hearts and minds,

but it can and must hold people
accountable for their actions.

For this is one nation, under God,
with liberty and justice for all.

Any questions?

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

Steve?

Are you saying you're doing
God's work in this case?

Well, I fully expect God to deal with Mrs.
Harrington at some future date.

But, uh, we're dealing
with man's work here.

(CLAMORING CONTINUES)

Kathy?

You can quote the pledge,
but everyone here knows

we're involved in
a religious war.

That there's ajihad
against the United States.

BRANCH: Irrelevant and immaterial
to the matter at hand.

I think it's important to
keep in mind as Americans

that, at some point, our
parents, grandparents,

or great-grandparents
came here,

raised their right hand,
just as Nadira Harrington did

and pledged allegiance
to this flag. End of story.

Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen.

(ALL CLAMORING)

The 713th went active in the
run-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

We were then assigned a cell block
in Abu Ghraib prison, Baghdad.

I show you what's been
previously introduced

as People's Exhibit 14,
"A" through

What's happening
in these pictures?

Detainees are being prepped for
their interrogation with M.l.,

that's Military
Intelligence,

by soldiers
under my command.

Was the defendant's
brother, Mohammed Latif,

one of your detainees?

Yes.

Did Lindsay Starr participate in
the prepping of these detainees?

Absolutely. If she hadn't, she would
have been in dereliction of duty.

Nothing further.

Why is this prisoner
naked, Colonel?

This was a method of softening
detainees before their interrogation.

Women's panties on their heads
to, uh, humiliate them?

It's a non-invasive
technique.

Let's talk about
the invasive ones.

How long was this man in a hood
attached to his cell in that position?

Our orders from M.l.

were to set physical
and mental conditions

favorable to the interrogation
of these detainees.

ADLER: A euphemism
for torture.

DANBURY: We humiliated them.

But we didn't cut their heads
off while they were alive.

You're excusing
this conduct, Colonel?

It's textbook interrogation technique
to find the enemy's hot button.

I will grant you, a handful of my
soldiers went a little too far,

but they were under
enormous stress.

ADLER: Like my client.

How would he know
that, Your Honor?

These prisoners were arrested because
they were trying to kill people.

This was a war.
Don't we have rules of war?

Rules of engagement?

Yeah, we do!

But in case
you haven't noticed,

the enemy doesn't
follow those rules.

And that makes
this acceptable?

Have you ever seen the
carnage from a car bomb?

A child with his
arms sheared off?

A soldier's face split
open like awatermelon?

These are the people
who plan when and where

the next one
is gonna happen.

So the ends justify
the means, Colonel?

You wanna go home, you
wanna tuck your kids in,

not have to
think about the fact

that there's some
guy in Riyadh,

or Jersey City,
that's right,

a Muslim guy.
To hell with this PC crap.

Some Muslim who's trying to figure
out a way to blow up the subway

little Johnnie rides
on every morning.

You want security,

but you don't want to know
about what it takes to get it.

I'd put panties on every
head in Abu Ghraib prison

if I thought it would
save one innocent life.

I met my wife when Drexel Oil sent
me on a drilling project in Kuwait.

JACK: Did you marry her
here or there?

Here.

Because her family
didn't approve?

Objection. Leading.

I request permission to treat the
defendant's husband as a hostile witness.

Granted.

No. As far as I know, her
family was fine about it.

Is it fair to say your wife wasn't
happy with her life in the suburbs?

No, she was very content.

You don't have children. What
did your wife do all day?

Nadira likes to cook,

she reads
several newspapers,

she's very interested
in current events.

Like the situation in Iraq?

Her younger brother
was in Abu Ghraib prison.

Turning your attention to the day
in question, Mr. Harrington,

did Nadira visit you in your
office at 55 Morris Street?

Yes, as she had
many times.

Enough times to know
about the vacant office?

Objection.

Did your wife wear
this blouse that day?

I don't remember.

Nothing further.

Now, Jeff, Nadira chose to come
here voluntarily five years ago?

JEFF: Yes, that's correct.

Did she ever say it was a mistake,
that she wanted to go back?

No, absolutely not.
She loves this country.

Still?

Well, Nadira was
never very political,

but she was very upset about
what was happening back home.

She started going
to a mosque.

I remember I came
home one day

and she had CNN on and she was
just sitting there, crying.

One of our planes
had dropped a bomb

on the neighborhood
she grew up in

and the building she lived
in was a pile of rubble.

And then her brother
Mohammed was arrested

and sent to
Abu Ghraib prison?

My company managed
to get him out.

Three months later,
he was dead.

Was theirs
a close relationship?

Nadira and I
can't have children.

When she found out that
Mohammed had been killed,

she said she felt like they'd
taken away her only son.

By "they," did she mean the
Americans or the insurgents, Jeff?

I was afraid to ask.

How'd your
hostile witness go?

We needed him to put the defendant
in the building and he did.

The only thing missing
was a solo violin.

Well, remind the jury there's
a grieving family in Queens

and a dead girl who went
to Iraq for a noble cause.

Not everyone
feels that way.

We deposed a mini-Stalin

who tortured and slaughtered hundreds
of thousands of his own people.

Who attacked Kuwait
and gassed the Kurds.

So why didn't we
go in years ago?

And what about the genocides
in Rwanda and the Sudan?

How many oil wells
does Rwanda have?

There's no oil
in Bosnia or Kosovo.

We intervened to keep Muslims
from being massacred.

We go in,
we get criticized,

we don't go in,
we get criticized.

And it usually backfires.

We helped the Afghans fight the
Russians and they became the Taliban.

We went into Iraq against the wishes
of the international community

and it turns
into a quagmire.

When was the last time
the international community

did anything other
than hold our coats?

I mean, we're the poster
kids for schadenfreude

until they need us.

I'm just giving you the heads up
that your poster girl for patriotism

is about to be portrayed
as a torturer.

Which establishes motive.
This wasn't political.

It was payback.

After my brother was
released from Abu Ghraib,

I spoke to him four
times on the telephone.

Did he tell you
what happened to him?

He said he was with a
friend in Sadr City.

Their taxi was stopped.

The soldiers accused them of being
informants for the insurgents.

And then they were
taken to Abu Ghraib.

Did Mohammed describe
the conditions there?

Yes. When he arrived,

they asked him to remove
all of his clothing.

He said he couldn't do this,
because he was a Muslim.

So a female soldier
took a knife

and cut off his clothing.

Then...

She touched his penis
and laughed.

One time one of the guards

made him lie
on the floor, naked.

They ordered him to sing
the Iraqi national song,

and as he was singing, they
put a stick into his rectum.

If he stopped, they said they
would push it in further.

Uh, Nadira? Nadira?

Do you need to, uh,
take a moment?

It is hard for me to say these
things because of my faith.

Three months after
he was released,

Mohammed was
waiting in line,

and a man blew up a car
and he was killed.

Can you, uh, tell us
how you met Corporal Starr?

My brother said that the
soldiers in Abu Ghraib

wore tape
over their names,

but one name
he heard was Starr.

And he knew that these
soldiers came from New York,

so I found Starr's
address on the Internet.

I thought I wanted
to meet this woman.

I needed to look
into her eyes

and ask her why she did
what she did to my brother.

So what did you do?

I wrote her a letter to go
to my husband's building,

to pick up
some tickets.

ADLER: Which was a trick?

Yes, to get her to come.

And you brought
pig's blood?

To throw on her.

To shame her, like she shamed
my brother and my family.

What happened after
Corporal Starr arrived?

She came in and saw me.

I told her who I was,
but she tried to leave.

Then we were
grabbing at each other,

and she threw me
on the floor.

There was
a pipe next to me.

I picked it up
and hit her with it.

Then she was dead.
Like my brother.

No further questions.

I, too, am sorry for your loss, Mrs.
Harrington.

I'm sure what happened to
your brother was devastating.

Yes, it was.

Do you feel guilty because
you weren't there with him?

No.

I'm sure you're angry
about how he was treated?

Yes, I was very angry.

Wouldn't you be if it happened
to someone you loved?

Did you do anything
about your anger?

Like what?

Talk to a therapist, get involved
in the anti-war movement?

No.

You just decided to track
down one of the soldiers

that tortured your brother?

Yes.

You sent her an invitation to a phony
party honoring American veterans?

I wanted to make
sure she would come.

And on the day
you killed her,

you bought a pint
of pig's blood.

To shame her.

You also brought
with you a white blouse

to use as a funeral tunic,

because you planned
to kill her.

Isn't it a fact that after you
struck Lindsay Starr with a pipe,

after she was unconscious, you
put your hands over her nose

and mouth until her heart
stopped beating?

Because she...

Because of what
she did to my country!

Which is it,
Mrs. Harrington,

your brother
or your country?

You said you came
to help us.

But to help us,
you need to respect us,

and all Americans
do is bring shame.

You break down our doors.

You throw us on the ground and
you put your feet on our necks.

You search our women.

You humiliate our men.

And you say to the world that you
are the guardians of freedom?

But we see what you do.

Look at what you do.

And what did you do,
Mrs. Harrington?

Close your eyes and
imagine this picture...

Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard
controls the streets of New York.

They break into your house.

They grab your son, or your
husband, or your brother.

They take him
to Rikers Island,

where they accuse him
of opposing the occupation

of his own country.

And then, after months

of systematically
humiliating,

abusing, and torturing him,

they shove a broomstick
up his rectum.

Your religious leaders tell
you to resist the occupation,

to kill the invaders
if you have the chance.

And then...

And then you find out
that one of the guards

who mistreated
your loved one

is living right
around the corner,

and is gonna go back

and do it again,
and again, and again.

Shouldn't you do whatever
you can to stop him?

Lindsay Starr didn't
deserve to die.

She was no longer a soldier.

She worked in a supermarket.

She was lured into a deserted
office and ambushed.

And while Nadira
Harrington's misfortunes

might explain her actions,

they can't excuse
coldblooded retribution

for the abuse
of her brother.

If Corporal Starr's
conduct at Abu Ghraib

exceeded military or
international standards,

we have,
in our civil society,

procedures to redress those
wrongs, if wrongs they be.

Yes, the processes
are slow, messy, uneven,

but Nadira Harrington
had choices

to vote, to sue,

to advocate for justice.

Instead, she opted
for blood feud,

and the end product
of blood feud is chaos.

Our history books
are rife with examples

of religious zealots
of all stripes,

Christians, Muslims, Jews,

twisting their faith's
fundamental morality

to accommodate a personal

or political agenda.

Neither rationale
justifies killing.

A highest moral law in our culture
is, "Thou shalt not kill."

And where we live,

killing in the name of God,

country, or brother,

is still called murder.

JUDGE: I have a note from the jury
that you've reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.
How do you find?

We find the defendant,

Nadira Latif Harrington,

guilty of murder
in the second degree.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

We'll take one.

Alex, what does The New
York Times want to know?

Whether the verdict's a win for
the war against terrorism.

No, this only qualifies as a
meaningless skirmish in that war.

But it was a huge win for truth,
justice, and the American way of life.

Thank you.

(CLAMORING CONTINUES)