All language subtitles for Law and order S15E23 - In God We Trust

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.

(PANICKED CLAMORING)

What's your location, Ladder
Seven-Two Can Man?

OVER RADIO: Search negative in
apartment six-baker. Everybody's out.

Received, six is clear.

I'm gonna go check the
stairwell to the roof.

We got flashover
in six-baker!

Time to get outta there,
Ladder Seven-Two Can Man!

I don't like this.

Pick up transmission!

Evacuate the building, Ladder
Seven-Two Can Man!

Mayday! May...

Get the fast truck
in there, now!

(SCREAMING)

That was Sean!

(SHOUTING) Paramedics!

He got trapped on top
of the main burn.

Poor guy had two choices,
jump or be incinerated.

What about his
emergency line?

The old ones were too
heavy to carry.

And the brass hasn't approved any
of the lighter-weight models.

Well, I take my hat
off to you guys.

Personally, I'd rather dodge bullets
than run into a burning building.

What was his name?

Sean Grafton from
Ladder Seventy-Two.

His old man and two brothers
in the department.

He have a family?
Yeah, a wife and two kids.

That's rough.
How'd it start?

That's why we called.

Guys who were up there said
multiple points of origin.

Arson.

Well, we'll know more when we
get back in the building,

but nine times out often,
you're right.

Which means Sean Grafton
was murdered.

The fire was started in two
separate areas of the sixth floor.

The east stairwell landing
and the hallway.

Was there any evidence
of an accelerant?

Here and here, and a gallon milk
bottle with traces of gasoline.

We're really lucky just to
have the one fatality.

We need to figure out who the
target was.

So we're thinkin' personal,
not arson for profit.

Well, it doesn't make sense to me that
someone would torch the top floor

if they wanted to burn down
the whole building.

Gas in a milk bottle, this guy
was an amateur.

Well, there's
four apartments on six.

And they're all burned out. So while
you guys run down the residents

I'll canvass the gas stations
in the area.

My smoke detector never
went off.

If one of my neighbors hadn't
pounded on the door,

we would've been
fried to a crisp.

Do you live with somebody?

My daughter, Hannah.

Uh, we went out the fire escape.
She was terrified.

How's she doin' now?
She's okay.

I sent her to school.

It's better she's with her friends than
sittin' upstairs in the hotel room.

Do you or your daughter have any
problems outside of the home?

What do you mean?

Does anyone wanna cause you harm?
No. No.

Where's Hannah's father,
Miss Wilder?

Oh, he's been out of the picture
since before she was born.

And your neighbors
on the sixth floor,

do any of them have ongoing
disputes that you're aware of?

Not really.

It's always been
a quiet building.

CLAUDE WORTHY:
That was somethin' huh?

To see that man
go off the roof?

Reminded me of the Towers.

Is there any reason why this might've
been directed at you, Mr. Worthy?

You think somebody set that
fire?

We're just covering
all the bases.

Then you should cover that
woman across the hall from me.

The one in Six-B.

Emily Wilder?

With the little girl.

If I had a dollar for every argument
she got into with some boyfriend.

Is there anything more
specific you can tell us,

anything that
happened recently?

Uh...

Last week was it?

A man pounding
on her door.

Yelling for her
to let him in.

I looked through my peephole to see
what all the commotion was about.

You get a look at the guy?

I got a look at his back.

White.

Brown hair over his collar.

Had on an MTAjacket.

Thanks.

So Emily Wilder forgot to
mention her rowdy boyfriend.

So she can be protecting him, or scared
he might finish what he started.

Maybe we should scare her.

There might be an easier way.

Well, have you contacted
the Board of Education?

We don't have time to get
jammed up in the bureaucracy.

Well, I'm sorry, Detective.

All right, let's go.
No, no, wait a second.

You heard about the fire last night,
the one where the fireman got killed?

Yes.

Well, it happened in Hannah
Wilder's building.

We think she still may be in danger, or
have some information that can help us.

A fire, then the police. This
kid's gonna be scared to death.

Well, it just so happens that my
partner here has two children,

and he really knows
how to talk to kids.

So while he's talkin' to Hannah, I'll
just go get myself a cup of Joe.

What do you say?

All right.

Do you have a gun? No, no, no.
I left that in the car.

Those are cool sneakers.
Thanks.

You know, my daughter says she wants to get
Skechers for her birthday, what do you think?

Those are cool, too.

My mom said I might get a
canopy bed for my birthday, but

now, 'cause of the fire,

we don't have
any place to live.

I'm sorry you had to go
through that, Hannah.

So,

you and your mom, you're gonna
stay in the hotel?

I don't know. We can't
stay with my dad,

'cause my mom says his
apartment isn't big enough.

Where does he live?
In the Bronx.

I never get to go there, 'cause
Mom says it's too far away.

But he likes it 'cause
it's close to his work.

Oh yeah, what does he do?
He drives the city bus.

Is his last name Wilder like
yours?

Uh-uh. Gruner.

Al Gruner?
No, John Gruner.

Okay, so you're gonna
open the door.

I can't just let you
in his apartment.

Sure you can,
we're authorized.

(KEYS CLINKING)

Hey! Come here.

Smell this jacket.

Yeah, what?
You don't smell gasoline?

No. And I don't
like this.

And, he has matches
in his pocket.

Well, the guy's a smoker.

Pretty Woman?

I didn't see a
DVD player in here.

"Wizard Video,
Astoria, Queens."

You know what I think?

I think we should find out who John
Gruner is watchin' chick flicks with.

(KNOCKING)

NYPD, Miss Tarantino.
You mind if we come in?

(NERVOUSLY) Well, the house is
kind of a mess right now.

(SCOFFS) Don't worry about
that, we're used to that.

What is this about?

Well, you see, John Gruner's apartment
got burglarized last night.

We're tryin' to find him so he
could secure his belongings.

I don't know a John Gruner.

See, I told ya, there must be
some screw-up on our end.

You mind if we come in and
straighten this out?

Can you come back a little later?
(BOTTLE CLINKING)

(SHUFFLING)

ls someone home with you?
My brother.

Listen, why don't
we cut to the chase.

If Gruner's in here, you're
harboring a fugitive.

Now are you gonna let
us look around or not?

Police, don't move!

Nowhere to go, Gruner.
It's up to you now.

Get down. Down!

Cuff him.

I wanna know what kind of a guy
tries to burn his own daughter out.

I don't know what
you're talkin' about.

I mean, I wanna understand
your side of it, I really do,

but I have to have an answer
to that question!

What if I don't?

Detective Falco, can I have a few
minutes with Mr. Gruner, please?

You sure?

You see, Detective
Falco's in law school,

and I don't wanna get him jammed
up by anything that I might say.

Or do.

Y cu had your
chance, Brunet.

(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

So you and Emily Wilder were
havin' problems, huh?

Hannah told us.

You talked to her?
Oh, yeah.

I don't like you
talkin' to my daughter!

And I don't like you tryin'
to burn her alive!

And if you mouth off to me
one more time,

I'm gonna put your head
through this table!

I love that kid! And Emily
wouldn't let her anywhere near me!

But I didn't start
that fire!

(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

Results of the spectrograph analysis of
the jacket we recovered from your closet.

Positive for gasoline.

I work on a bus.

Yeah, well, last time I
checked, buses ran on diesel.

So you know what we're gonna do now?
We're gonna go get Hannah,

and we're gonna bring her here, and
you can explain it all to her.

Right here in this room,
just the four of us.

You can't do that!

Well, how 'bout it,
Mr. Lawyer-man, can I do it?

I read the case
US v. Pennington.

There you go. I'll go get her.
No!

FALCO: It's too bad.

She'll always remember her
Daddy cuffed to a table.

Trying to explain how he torched
her home and nearly killed her.

Hannah wasn't supposed
to be there!

And you hated her
mother that much?

That you tried
to burn her alive?

Is that what
you did?

We're gonna need it
all in writing, all right?

I want every detail
of how you set that fire.

Yeah.
(KNOCKING)

M.E. wants you. I'll
babysit him.

We just now got a
confession on the fire.

Well, I hope
you can still use it.

A slug?

Looks like a .38.

Yeah, it dropped out when I cut
off the fireman's bunker gear.

There's a bullet hole
in his pants

and a graze wound
on his left thigh.

Somebody shot him
at the fire.

So, is it possible
he didn'tjump?

So there's no way anybody could've
been up here with Grafton, right?

Somebody would've seen him.

Anybody in one of these
buildings could've taken

a potshot at him
with a handgun.

Take a look at this air vent.

See, one of the shutters has a
nick in it.

Oh. Whatever made it
came from the inside.

Could you pry this housing off, please?
Yeah, sure.

(CLANKING)

Feel around in there,
would you?

Is somethin' wrong
with your hand?

(LAUGHING)
Luciano Barbera. Please.

You're high maintenance, man.

Hey, hey. hey-

A .38.

Five spent shells.

And I'm bettin' that one of them wound
up in the leg of Sean Grafton's pants.

Ballistics says the fire
made the gun go off.

Two rounds in the cylinder exploded in the
heat that was raging up the air vent,

one of them
through the barrel.

And it matches the slug they found
in Sean Grafton's bunker gear?

Yes, ma'am. And guess what?

There are firing pin strikes on
the other three shell casings,

the ones that didn't
explode.

Meaning that gun was fired long
before someone hid it on the roof.

Ballistics is running the gun now, see
if it matches up with any old shootings.

D.A. says he'll charge Gruner
with arson and felony murder,

which means he'll do
at least 25-to-life.

Well, how about we give this
collar to the Fire Marshals?

No problem with us.

Here's a match on your mystery bullet.
To what?

An open homicide.

Check it out.

Nine years ago.
on this block,

a male black named Justin
Leonard was shot three times.

What was it about?
We never really knew.

Leonard worked part-fume
at Nukes,

someone lit him up when he
was leavin' for the night.

Nothin' like a cold case.

All right. This is where
we found the body.

In this store entrance.

There was a struggle
at first.

This window
was shattered,

CSU found blood in the broken glass
which wasn't from the victim.

Which means
DNA's in play.

Anybody in the store
see anything?

It was closed.

But the manager from Kinkos
said that Leonard was arguing

with three black men
when he was lockin' up.

Arguing about what?

She wasn't sure.

She picked a local trouble maker out
of one of the books, a Leshawn Muncie.

My guys picked him up, but we
couldn't get anything to stick.

I got enough problems without y'all tryin'
to put a body on me from nine years ago.

Maybe we can package this up
with the case you're in on now.

Two for the
price of one.

But I didn't do no murder.

Ah, come on, man, we have the murder
weapon with your prints on it.

Don't even try to
play me like that.

Okay, if you're not involved and you help us
out, we'll put in a good word with the D.A.

If I remember correctly,

I went to Kinkos that night.

What were you doing,
copying your thesis?

Nah. I was helpin' a couple
of dudes make some IDs.

It's all very fascinating,
tell us more.

The brother locked the door
as we was rollin' in.

We had a few words,
but that's it.

This is Justin Leonard.

Yeah, that's him.
That's good.

So if you had nothin'
to do with this,

you'll give us the names and addresses of
the friends that you were with that night.

I don't think so.

FALCO: Or a DNA swab.
Hell no.

You never know what loose ends
I might have out in the world.

You asked the white dude who was
out there that night for his DNA?

What white dude?

Guy waitin' outside of Kinkos
for his friend to get off work.

Give us a description.

White, 'bout 30.

FONTANA: Oh, man. Man,
it's nine years ago, man!

If you're jerkin'
us around, Leshawn,

you haven't seen the
last of us. Open up.

Then I got nothin'
to worry about!

Justin was my only child.

It was just me and him after my wife
died, when Justin was in grade school.

We're terribly sorry
for your loss, sir.

I'm sure Detective O'Brien
asked you this nine years ago,

but was Justin havin' problems
with anyone at the time?

Oh, no, no. He was a good boy.

He had this way of talkin' to people, make
'em laugh, put them at ease, you know?

We were told he
was in school.

Yeah, he was goin' to Pratt Institute,
goin' for a master's degree,

graphic arts,
doin' real good, too.

Look, the only explanation I
have is no explanation at all.

Wrong place, wrong time.

To lose him like that
almost killed me, too.

Did he ever mention any kind
of romantic problems?

He had a nice girlfriend, uh,

a girl he met who worked
at the college, uh...

Nancy was her name.
She was at the funeral.

They were just starting
to get serious, too.

I met Justin when he came into the Placement
Office looking for a part-time job.

The two of you hit it off?
We did.

How long were you seeing each
other when... Six months.

Are we bothering you,
Miss Harvard?

Mrs.

It's just that,
I don't know...

That was a lifetime ago.

I'm married now.

Brings back a lot
of hard memories.

Well, I'm sure you'd like to see whoever
killed Justin be brought tojustice.

Yes, I would.

I'm sorry.

Was there anyone else
in your life back then?

Who would kill Justin?
Well?

(SCOFFS)

No. No, not at all.

When was this
picture taken?

About nine years ago.
Not long after Justin died.

It's in New Hampshire.
My parents' 30th anniversary.

April 13.

And the man in the picture with you,
the one with the bandage on his hand?

That's my brother, Bruce.

Did he live in New
Hampshire back then?

No, on the West
Side, actually.

On 49th Street?

How did you know that?

I met Justin once or twice.

What a tragedy for his family.

And it was hard on my sister.

How did you and
Justin get along?

Like I said, I never
knew him very well.

You had a hand injury
back then, Mr. Elwin.

Did I?

We saw it in the anniversary
picture, in your sister's office.

You're right. I had a bandage
on at my parents' party.

You know,
I still have a scar from that.

How'd you hurt yourself?

Fell.

Cut my hand on
some broken glass.

Did you go to a hospital and
get it looked at? No, I...

I believe I took
care of it myself.

Is there anything else I can
help you with, Detectives?

Not right now, Mr. Elwin.

Thanks.

You like the brother?
Too many coincidences.

The hand injury, the murder weapon
in the building next to him.

He could access the roof there?
Easily.

Perfect stash spot.

We went back and showed
Elwin's photo to the mutt

who had an argument with the victim that
night, and he was pretty sure it was Elwin who

was standin' outside the copy
place.

But it's been too long for him
to be certain.

What about a motive? The
victim was dating his sister.

And he didn't approve because?
Black guy, white girl.

Well, bring the sister in,
rattle her cage,

see if you can get her
to consent to a DNA swab.

It could eliminate
her brother.

Or put a nail in his coffin.

Bruce was never crazy about
any of my boyfriends.

You know how big brothers are.

We'll take that to mean that
he didn't like him.

If you knew my brother, you would
know he could never hurt anybody.

If you're so sure he had
nothin' to do with this,

you'll have no problem
giving us a DNA sample.

I don't know.
What's the problem, Nancy?

No! Are you beginning
to doubt your brother?

It's just... Well, I think that we
should talk to a lawyer about this!

So can I go now?
Yeah, sure.

If you don't wanna cooperate, it's
gonna go on our report, you know?

I don't care.

My brother
didn't kill anybody!

Detectives!

This guy says
his sister's up here.

Bruce, what are
you doing here?

I killed Justin, Nancy.

I killed Justin Leonard.

Before agreeing to speak to us on video,
Mr. Elwin, did you read, understand,

and sign a copy of your
Miranda warnings? Yes.

You wanna waive your rights and
proceed with this statement?

Yes.

FONTANA: Nine years ago, did you
know a man named Justin Leonard?

He was my sister's boyfriend.

Did you see him on the
night of April 17, 1996?

Yes, on Broadway and
108th Street.

FONTANA: Tell us
what happened.

I waited for Justin
to leave work.

When he came out, I followed
him for halfa block.

FALCO: Why?

I had a gun
in my pocket.

To scare him.

But he grabbed
my arm and

tried to wrestle
the gun away from me.

We broke a store window
when we were struggling,

and I cut my hand.

Somehow I had managed
to pull free.

I stepped away,

and I shot him.

I shot him three times.

What did you do then?

I left him there on the
sidewalk, and I went home.

I hid the gun in a vent on the
roof of the building next to mine.

Were you intoxicated or using
drugs the night you shot Leonard?

No. I was stone sober.

So, if you just
wanted to scare him,

why did you end up
shooting him?

'Cause he said

he and Nancy were in love.

And I didn't want my sister
to marry a black man.

"Docket number 05943.

"People v. Bruce Elwin,
murder in the second degree."

How do you plead, Mr. Elwin?

I'd rather not choose,
Your Honor.

Talk to your client,
Mr. Clemens.

(WHISPERING) What's the matter?
I don't want to choose.

(WHISPERING CONTINUES)

He refuses to enter a plea.
He's adamant.

Then I'll do it for him.
Not guilty.

People on bail?

Your Honor, the defendant freely confessed
to a murder motivated by racial animus.

We plan a hate
crime enhancement.

We're asking that
Mr. Elwin be remanded.

So I suppose you're going to tell
me that he deserves some bail

because he turned himself in?

Actually, no. Mr. Elwin
consents to remand.

I wish they
were all that easy.

The defendant is remanded.

Send it to a Trial Part.

(GAVEL FALLS)

I'm as competitive
as the next guy.

Do you think it was fun sitting
on my hands at arraignment?

So what's it about, Kevin? Look,
there's no hidden agenda here.

Elwin's genuinely remorseful.

The first thing he said to me is he wants
to throw himself on the mercy of the court

and do his time.

All 30 years of it?
He knows the deal.

And you're just gonna stand back and
assist him in committing legal suicide.

He's the client.

I advise him of his options,
and he makes the calls.

If it walks like a duck,
talks like a duck...

When was the last time you had a case where
the defendant surrendered, confessed,

and, I quote, "threw himself on
the mercy of the court"? Neven

There's your duck.

So calendar an allocution on a guilty plea.
We'll see if Elwin balks.

Your client intends to enter a plea of
guilty to second degree murder, Mr. Clemens?

That's correct, Judge.

Does he wish to challenge the hate
enhancement filed by the District Attorney?

No.

Mr. Elwin, do you understand that I can
sentence you to 30- years-to-life on this plea?

Yes, sir, I do.

Very well.

Will you take his
allocution, Mr. McCoy?

On the night of April 7, 1996,

did you shoot Justin Leonard
with the intent to kill him?

Yes.

Can you tell us in your own
words how this happened?

I went to the store
where Justin worked.

Then I waited outside for him.

May I be heard, Judge? I've been
retained to represent Bruce Elwin.

You're a little late, Miss Weiss.
He's just about to allocute.

Not anymore.
His guilty plea is withdrawn.

Sorry for the histrionics, but I was retained
an hour before this case was calendared.

If you were proceeding with the
guilty plea, you wouldn't be here.

You always could read the
handwriting on the wall, Jack.

Maybe you should do the same.

We have a rock-solid confession, and
a murder weapon stashed 50 feet

from your client's front door.

I know you have a strong case on the evidence,
but I have a strong case on the equities.

This is a hate crime.

For the past nine years, my
client has led an exemplary life.

Meaning he hasn't murdered
any other black men?

Meaning he shouldn't
be prosecuted at all.

He is a different person than
the one who committed,

what even he agrees,
is a despicable crime.

What's the punchline?

I'm filing a Clayton motion

asking that his case be dismissed
in the interest of justice.

Ever since he committed this crime, Mr.
Elwin's been a born-again Christian.

I don't see a way
out of this, Jack.

If Judge Taylor grants the Clayton
motion, it's a dismissal on the merits.

The defendant walks.

A successful Clayton motion is

rare enough. I don't think this one
has a snowball's chance in hell.

There are more people who believe in
angels in this country than in evolution.

I doubt if Judge Taylor
is one of them.

Then we lucked out.

There's ajudge or three who
could be sympathetic to this.

For instance?

Justice Scalia said our laws
derive their authority from God.

William O. Douglas wrote that we're a religious
people whose institutions presuppose

a supreme being.

How does that translate into a
free pass for murder?

The defense is arguing that since
Elwin has redeemed himself

in the eyes of the Lord,
the law should recognize that.

It will, after he admits his
responsibility!

He tried that,
Weiss pulled the plug.

The stratagem is just an
excuse for Wendy Weiss

to put on a little guerilla
theater in the courtroom.

No better time than now, Jack.

She's dreaming if she thinks
she can cash in on that.

Would you have ever dreamed
that Congress and the President

would intervene in
the Terry Schiavo situation?

Or that the Colorado Supreme Court
would split three to two on whether

the jury could consult the
Bible on the death sentence?

Trust me. Wendy Weiss
is not a true believer.

What does she have to lose?

If her Clayton motion
is denied, she's no worse off.

If Judge Taylor doesn't bite, this
could work as jury nullification.

In New York City?
I'll take my chances.

Maybe it's a good thing
I'm not on your jury.

Really?
I go to church, Jack.

I believe in spiritual
redemption.

The born-again Christians that I know
have had a genuine moral awakening.

And people facing life in prison,
often "awake" to find religion.

So why don't I find out just how
genuine Elwin's transformation was?

Bruce moved in here
over 10 years ago.

He had a stereo system on this wall,
a big TV, tons of video games.

He had a real nice leather
sofa set over here.

What happened to it all?

One day the Salvation Army
truck pulled up, took it all.

He gave away his BMW, too.
When was this?

About nine years ago, that's
when he drank the Kool-Aid.

He found religion?
Yeah.

One day I call him up, and he says
he's not hangin' out anymore.

Says he's changin'
his life. Next thing I know,

it's Jesus this and the Lord
that.

Oh man, I went to
Catholic school, all right?

So we didn't hang out anymore.

And he quit his job, too, started to
work for one of them do-gooder outfits.

Bruce was a Senior
Systems Analyst at a bank.

He said he wanted to give
notice and work here.

Did he say why?
He didn't need to.

It was obvious he wanted
to change his life

and give something
back to the community.

How could you tell?

There are many people
like Bruce,

people who wake up one morning and are
unhappy with what they see in the mirror.

He was making $200,000.

I told him the Westside Family Center
could only pay him eight or nine.

And he said he'd take it
on one condition.

That I'd tithe ten percent of his salary and
earmark it for one of our children's funds.

I talked to friends,
co-workers, family.

Bruce Elwin is the real deal.

Within weeks after he murdered
Justin Leonard,

he renounced his lifestyle and
most of its worldly accoutrements.

Means you're gonna have to
oppose his motion on the merits.

That's fine,
because it has no merit.

You may think that, but the
facts indicate that Elwin spent

the last nine years
atoning for what he did.

I don't care if he comes to court
with a hair shirt and a scourge.

Murder is murder!

And the defense will argue that if rehabilitation
is the reason that we put murderers

in jail, Elwin's well on his way
to accomplishing that on his own.

There are other reasons for
incarceration,

deterrence, denunciation,

and there's a catharsis for everyone
in seeing the guilty punished.

But we stopped holding
executions in the town square.

And they're not called
penitentiaries anymore,

they're correctional
facilities.

Anyone who's ever been in one
knows that that's a bad joke.

You can't dispute the fact
that Elwin is doing more for

society now, than if
he spent his life in jail.

So we'll forgive you if you
kill someone, so long as you

demonstrate you're
really sorry.

Forgiveness is a Christian
ideal.

And if you don't believe in Christ, well,
then you just have to do your time?

The logical outgrowth
of this insanity.

The defense is asking Judge
Taylor to recuse himself.

Why? He has an
anti-Christian bias.

You sent my blood pressure off the
charts with this one, Ms. Weiss.

Nothing personal, Judge, but when you consider
the subject matter of our Clayton motion.

Of course it's personal. It's
blatant judge shopping, YourHonoL

And you better convince me
otherwise, Counselor.

When you sat in Civil Term,

you demonstrated an anti-Christian
bias in several of your decisions.

In Cohen v. Tenants Association,
you ordered a creche

removed from Gramercy Park,

in Waverly v. Board of Ed, you prohibited
funding for an after-school Bible club.

Those decisions were mandated
by the First Amendment.

You joined in a memo forbidding
the singing of carols at the

courthouse Christmas party.

You were supported for your
re-election by the Libertarian Party

and the ACLU.

Do you have a list of the books Judge
Taylor borrowed from the library?

You know what, Ms. Weiss?

As deeply offended
by this as I am,

I'm going to recuse myself.

I can't believe you're
acquiescing to this, Judge!

I don't need you riding me,
Mr. McCoy!

If you entertain
this application,

you will only encourage more
disqualification motions!

Black defendants demanding
blackjudges,

gay defendants, seeking...
I get the point.

But I need the resolution of
this matter to be bulletproof.

To avoid the appearance of any
impropriety

or retaliation
against the defendant,

I refer this matter for a
hearing in the Motion Part.

That would be...

Judge Proctor,

who I'm sure is
on all the right lists!

When did Bruce Elwin join
your congregation, Pastor?

Nine years ago.

And is he an active member of
the Second Church of the Lamb?

Oh, yes. Bruce is a regular
worshipper.

And a frequent volunteer.

He's on our
Steering Committee,

and he works two nights a week in our Church
Pantry serving meals to the indigent.

Did Mr. Elwin ever consult you
on personal matters, Pastor?

From time to time.

Did he ever tell you what prompted him
to become a born-again Christian?

Only in a roundabout way,
Mr. McCoy.

He talked about his faith,

and how grateful he was to find
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He never admitted to you that
he murdered Justin Leonard?

No.

So you didn't know that he killed him
because he was an African-American?

Even so, if Bruce now accepts the Lord
Jesus Christ as his personal Savior,

I'd still
embrace him.

Did you kill Justin Leonard?

Yes, I did.

Can you tell us what happened
after you shot him, Bruce?

I went back to my apartment.

I had a bottle of bourbon, and I
started drinking until I passed out.

I woke up the next
day in a pool of my own vomit.

And then I remembered
what I'd done.

Luh...

I went outside, and I walked to one
of the piers on the Hudson River.

Why, Bruce?

To decide whether to throw
myself into the river,

or turn myself in.

I sat there and

stared at the water,

and I decided.

The river was my only way out.

That's when I heard church
bells off in the distance.

I stopped.

And I listened.

It was Jesus calling me back
from the edge of that pier.

And at that moment, I

turned toward Him
and never looked back.

May I ask a question?

As you sit here today,
Mr. Elwin,

how do you feel about what
you did to Justin Leonard?

What I did and what I felt

was evil.

The hate that
was inside me,

that was because I kept
Jesus out of my soul.

After you had this epiphany,
Mr. Elwin,

why didn't you
turn yourself in?

I thought the police would
come for me.

I... I called in sick,

and I just sat in my
apartment, day after day.

I prayed.

And I waited for that knock on
the door, but it never came.

Then I realized,

the Lord had
other plans for me.

That's when I quit my job,

and dedicated my life to
serving Christ.

A righteous man would have
admitted his crime.

Why'd you wait nine years?

I just put myself into
Christ's hands,

and He sends me
where He sends me.

You read the Bible?
Most days.

Do you adhere to what it teaches
about murder and retribution?

Thou shalt not kill,

an eye for an eye. Yes,
those are part of my beliefs.

So you believe you should be
punished for the sin you committed?

That's not for me to say.

All I can tell you is I let Jesus Christ
into my heart, and asked Him for salvation.

Did Jesus direct you to file a motion to
dismiss the murder charge against you?

I'm not some kind
of nut, Mr. McCoy.

The Calvary Hill Foundation hired Ms.
Weiss to represent me.

Once she knew all the facts,
she had this idea.

To change!

Your plea of guilty to murder,

into a motion,

to excuse you from all the
consequences?

I know it doesn't sound
logical to you.

"When the Lord closes
the door, he opens a window."

God works in mysterious
ways, Mr. Elwin.

You don't need to convince
me, Mr. McCoy.

It's not easy to cross examine
a true believer, Jack.

Religion's one thing.

But to invoke it as a mantra to
avoid personal responsibility...

Mantra or not, Judge
Proctor seemed riveted.

Excuse me.

Is he gonna get
away with killin' my son?

Not if I can help it, sir.

I believe in God
too, Mr. McCoy.

I try to forgive, I just
don't have it in me.

I wish there was something I
could say besides I'm sorry.

No offense, but I've been
hearing "sorry" all morning.

How about "don't do
it in the first place"?

Elwin's the last of the
defense witnesses.

I wonder why they're not
calling his sister?

She didn't give the
cops a DNA sample.

Maybe she isn't atrue
believer in her brother.

Let's hit her with
a subpoena.

Bruce and I didn't know any African-Americans
growing up in New Hampshire.

So how did he react when you
started dating Justin Leonard?

He asked how serious it was.

I told Bruce that
I was in love with him.

How did your brother respond?

I don't remember.

He's admitted to killing Justin
because he was black, Mrs. Harvard,

he must have
said something?

I guess maybe he did.
Well, what did he say?

He said that...

He said that he didn't
want me to waste my life.

Waste it how?

Waste it how, Mrs. Harvard?

To waste it on...

To waste it on a black guy.

Was that the language he used?

No. He...

He used another word.

Do I have to say it?

So after saying what he said,

and doing what he did,

do you honestly believe your
brother is different now?

Yes.

Imean, I...

I---

He called me from jail
to say how sorry he was.

And you accepted his apology?

I did.

I really want to.

But how can you know what's in
another person's heart?

No one could argue
with a straight face

that Bruce's faith and
rehabilitation aren't sincere.

So here's the
$64,000 question, Judge.

Will the law recognize his
rebirth in Jesus Christ?

Or is it too scary to acknowledge that
there's a higher moral authority than

what's written in a lawbook
somewhere?

Bruce Elwin rendered himself
unto the very power we openly

acknowledge is the inspiration, even
the source, of our legal institutions.

God is woven into the fabric
of our laws.

Our legislative and our
judicial bodies

open their sessions
with prayer.

Witnesses who come into this courtroom
are asked to swear on a Bible.

Over your head, Judge,

higher than the law itself,

is a simple statement,

"In God We Trust".

Is that just lip service?

Let's put our money
where our mouth is.

Look at what God's done
for Bruce Elwin.

Can the justice of men
do better?

Is Ms. Weiss serious?

If you really, really,
really turn to God,

you can murder someone and
walk away with a clean slate?

That doesn't put Mr. Elwin in line with
any higher moral authority I'm aware of.

It places him above the law.

We can all acknowledge

the existence of a
higher moral authority!

We see it in action,

when our collective conscience

compels us to reject
unjust or immoral laws!

But while our actions may
be guided by our faith,

we deliberately don't conduct
them under the guise of religion.

Our founders left "God" out of the Constitution,
not for lack of faith among them,

but because of what they knew

about the toxic combination
of state and religious power.

So,

if Mr. Elwin,

regards his prosecution
for a hate murder

as unjust or immoral,

let him present his arguments
without the cloak of religion.

To that, the People
say the defendant's

virtuous conduct
after Justin Leonard's murder

should be a
factor in his sentencing.

But to dismiss
this case outright,

would be a miscarriage of
justice that contradicts

more than 200 years
of American jurisprudence.

If you kill someone,
Mr. Elwin,

you have to answer
to the State first.

And to Justin Leonard,

and his family.

And then, hopefully,
some day, to your Maker.

I commend the defendant for
using his religion and remorse

for his heinous conduct as a
fulcrum to change his life.

I believe his transformation
is heartfelt and sincere.

Nevertheless, for the reasons
stated by Mr. McCoy,

I'm denying the defendant's motion
to dismiss the murder charge

in the interests of justice.

Let's set a trial date.
(GAVEL FALLS)

Unless the defendant wants to "put
his money where his mouth is".

No, this is going to ajury.

Don't you wanna hear my offer?

I know you, Jack, I know it's not
gonna be anywhere in the ballpark.

Then you know I'll do everything in my
power to keep you from jamming this

defense in through jury
nullification.

Well, you can't stop me from calling
lots of character witnesses.

Back door's as
good as the front.

No.

No.

This is a sign.
Bruce, please.

I murdered him,

and I'll plead guilty.

Do that and you'll spend the rest
of your life in jail, Bruce.

If that's what the Lord wants.

There's only one way for me to
be at peace with Jesus now.

And it's to pay for
what I've done.

I'll, uh, I'll call the Judge,
I'll let her know.

Too bad.

Way things are goin' in this
country, I could've hung the jury.

Next time, Wendy.

I'm just curious, Jack.

What were you going to offer?

I was considering going
as low as man one,

praise the Lord.