All language subtitles for Law and order S17E14 - Church

(male announcer)
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.

Thank you for coming.

Hi. How are you?

Nice sermon today,
Reverend.

Very powerful,
especially the part

about the homosexuals
being unholy.

Ask me, they should all die.

While, uh, I concur
that God did not intend

for man to lie
with another man,

as Christians, we must
find forgiveness in our hearts.

Forgiveness?
I don't think so.

You guys are the first
to arrive.

Maybe we can get a bowl
of soup or something.

The only thing
you're gonna get here

is a dead 25-year-old
named Jeff Cantwell.

What time was he shot?

About 10:15.

No forced entry.

(Green)
A single shot...

close range...

side of the head,

looks self-inflicted.

Take a look at this.

"Thou shalt not lie
with
mankind

"as with womankind.

It is abomination."

Mm-hmm.
Leviticus.

(Green)
You think this
is his suicide note?

He's gay,
and he hates himself?

I don't know.
Maybe.

I'll take the back.

What are you thinkin'?

I'm thinkin' if this dude wanted
to shoot himself in the head,

he would've
used his left hand.

un?

It's unlicensed,

and the residue test
was negative.

Well, it doesn't mean
for
sure

Cantwell didn't
pull the trigger.

Well, the odds
just went way down.

Well, does he have
any priors?

None.

He's a struggling actor,

bit parts here and there,
nothing to speak
of.

But according to the ME,

he had alcohol and marijuana
in his bloodstream.

Wives? Girlfriends?

Boyfriends.

Just spoke
to his mother.

He's been out
a couple of years.

Did she say
if he was seeing anyone?

She lives in Dayton, Ohio.
They weren't very close.

Anything else?

On the dresser,

there was a Bible
opened to this anti-gay passage.

"A man shall not lie with a man
as with a woman."

Is it Cantwell's Bible?

We're assuming it is.

The shooter could've
put it there.

Well, now that's
a crazy thought.

We're checkin' it
for
prints.

All right,
continue your canvass.

See what you can find.

(Cassady)
How well did you know him?

I moved in ten months ago.

We became friends
right
away.

Did he have a boyfriend?

I don't think so.

Good-looking young actor
in New York.

He wasn't dating anybody?

[scoffs]

He wasn't into
the whole party scene.

He took his career
pretty seriously.

He was always taking a class,

writing a script,
working on a friend's play.

I mean, doing what
we out-of-work actors do

to keep from going crazy.

Well, did he have
any financial problems

or personal problems?

Not that I know of.

Did he go
to church a lot?

I don't know.

How about his mood?

Was he depressed,
upbeat?

Upbeat, definitely.

He had a big audition this week
for a new TV show.

Really?

Yeah, his friend Chris

is some big shot
writer/producer.

Do you know Chris'
last name?

Borrato.

Chris Borrato.

We worked together
on a movie I wrote

about five years ago
called Tragic Man.

A piece of crap, frankly,

but, uh, you know,
it got
made.

Anyways, Jeff and I
have been friendly ever since.

So you were gonna audition him
for your new TV show?

Well, yeah,
poor guy needed a break.

I mean,
he's not exactly Brando,

but he's a good guy.

I figured, why not?

When was the last time
you two talked?

On the phone,
day before he died.

He mention any problems
or arguments or anything?

No. He talked about the role
of Jake Falls,

a 26-year-old lawyer married
to his college sweetheart,

struggling with his meaningless
middle-class existence.

Did Jeff have a boyfriend?

Uh, last dude
I remember him with

is some banker
named Mike Gorman?

He worked for Goldman Sachs,
I think.

Was he religious?

Uh, last week he asked me

if I heard of something
called The New Promise Church.

The New Promise Church?
Yeah.

I just rolled my eyes.

I mean, please,
enough already

with the spiritual journey
thing.

(Green)
Wow, I guess religion

really pays off.

(Patty)
Can I help you?

Hi. We need to speak
to your minister.

Reverend Sterling,
the senior pastor,

is giving a sermon
in Tampa today.

Okay, is there someone else
we could talk to?

Mr. Jepson,
the CEO is here.

The CEO?

Mm-hmm.

What can I do for you folks?

Hi.

Listen, we believe
that a member of your church

was murdered.

Really? Uh...
I had no idea.

That's terrible.

Who is it?

His name was Jeff Cantwell.

I'll have
to check our database.

We have
over 150,000 members.

No, I'm sorry,

but I don't see the name
"Cantwell" in our files.

How many churches
do you have?

In the tri-state area, 15.
Nationwide, 125.

That's a lot of churches.

If you sell a quality product,
people will buy it.

(Cassady)
"If you are lost,

"confused, homosexual,

we can help you find salvation
through God's loving spirit."

[phone beeps]

Maybe Cantwell was trying
to cure himself.

Well, maybe.

Cantwell's ex-boyfriend
just got back from London.

(Gorman)
I haven't seen Jeff
in about six months.

We've talked a few times,
but that's about it.

How long did you two date?

About six months,
maybe less.

It wasn't very serious.

Was Jeff born-again,
by any chance?

Not that I know of, no.

What about you?
Are you into religion?

Uh, reformed Jew:

Passover dinner,
temple on Yom Kippur.

Was he uncomfortable
with his sexuality?

Uncomfortable?

No, he was the gayest man
I've ever
met.

He was proud, strong,
active in gay causes.

So he wouldn't be the type

to try to cure himself
through religion?

[chuckles]
God, no. No.

No pun intended.

Did Jeff have any enemies?

Enemies. Uh...

The only one I can think of
is his ex-agent.

They hated each other.

(Cassady)
Why?

Well, Jeff claims
that he stole an idea

from a screenplay
he'd written.

Agent denies it, of course,
but Jeff sued him anyway.

He sued over that?

Well, turns out the idea
he claims was stolen

is about to be made
into a $100-million movie.

(Bryce)
Look, I'm sorry Jeff's dead,
I am,

but I gotta be honest
with ya,

he was a pain in the ass.

Were you concerned
that his
lawsuit

was gonna screw up
that $100-million movie?

Oh, please.
Jeff's script was a joke, okay?

A gay romantic comedy
about three actors from Queens?

The movie in pre-production

is a Wall Street
murder/thriller.

The only thing the same

is they're both written
on paper.

When was the last time
you saw him?

A few months ago
when I let him go.

You let him go?
He wasn't bookin' jobs.

I had no choice.

Do you read the Bible?

I read the Daily Variety
and the NY Post.

Where were you the night
Cantwell was killed?

At the Knicks game
with a client,

on the floor,
three seats away from Spike.

(Green)
The agent's alibi checks out.

So what now?

We start all over again.

We check his phone calls,
his emails,

see if we missed anything.

Just got off the phone
with TARU.

Turns out Cantwell has five
different email addresses.

(Van Buren)
And?

Well, on the night
of the murder, at 9:30 p.m.,

there was an email sent
to jlove@toomail.net--

one of Cantwell's addresses--

"Can I see you tonight,
sweetie?"

Who sent it?

Uh, Steevo@gbc.bz.

(Van Buren)
Well, let's find out

who Steevo is
and pay him a visit.

I--I--I don't normally--
I'm not the kind of guy that--

Look--look,
I work 20 hours a day.

I'm old, tired, fat.

I mean,
what am I supposed to do,

hit all the clubs in Chelsea
with all the beautiful people?

Oh, I'd really
clean up down there, huh?

"Hi, I'm Steve,
the fat accountant,

want to drop some X,
maybe dance all night?"

Please.

What are you trying to say,
Mr. Franklin?

Well, I found his photo

on this website...

[typing]

BootyBoys.bz.

I figured, what the hell?
Have some fun, right?

So I emailed him,
but he didn't respond.

BootyBoys?
Yeah.

Check it out
for yourself.

You mean "J-Love."

Well, are we sure J-Love
and the chubby accountant

never hooked up that night?

Positive. He got off work
at 10:00, and he went

to the Silver Spoon Diner
on Second Avenue.

He have a receipt?

No. But he
used his corporate AMEX.

Time of payment was 10:36 p.m.

All right, look through
Cantwell's email correspondence,

see if he had any connection
to a religious organization.

That open Bible
wasn't a coincidence.

Well, the incoming emails
aren't that interesting:

"You're hot, wanna hookup?",

"You bring the meth,
I'll bring my ass. Deal?"

[chuckles]
"How much to lick your knee?"

Well, the outgoing ones
are a whole lot better,

I can promise you that.
Oh, yeah?

Yeah, listen to this.

This is from Jeff Cantwell
to a
NormS.

"I know who you are,
and your name's not Norm.

"You're a hypocritical pig
who deserves to be outed,

"to be exposed for the fraud
that you are.

"You make me sick.
Never call me again, faggot.

"That's right, dude,
you're gay--G-A-Y.

Deal with it."

We know who this NormS is?
Get this.

The Reverend James Sterling,
The New Promise Church.

Can I help you?

We need to speak
with Reverend Sterling.

About what?

Is he home?

I'm his wife.
Perhaps I can help.

You can help
by answering the question:

is your husband home?

(Reverend Sterling)
Hi there.

I'm Reverend Sterling.
How can I help you?

Detective Green,
Detective Cassady.

We need to speak with you
for a few moments.

All right,
um, darlin',

would you
give us a few minutes?

All right.
Thank you.

Come on in.

Do you know someone
named Jeff Cantwell?

Uh, coffee?

Uh, I can't say
that the name rings a bell,

but in my line of work,

I meet lots of wonderful people
all the time.

Do you ever
exchange emails

with someone called
"J-Love"?

It's possible,

but I get hundreds
of emails every day.

Please.

From "wonderful people"?

Yes.

(Green)
And you don't recall

an email address,
"J-Love"?

I'm afraid I don't, no.

Have you ever used
the services of a gay escort?

That's preposterous.

Where were you
last Tuesday night?

If you would be kind enough

to let me know what
this is all about, um,

I might be able
to be more helpful.

Someone killed Jeff Cantwell
last Tuesday.

We're trying
to figure out who.

Clear enough?

[exhales]

How is the family coping
with the tragedy?

Where were you Tuesday night,
Reverend?

I'd love
to continue this discussion,

um, but I feel I may need
to consult an attorney.

You almost sounded innocent.

Yeah, all right.

You all have a nice day.

And may the Lord be with you.

(Cassady)
Well, so now what?

Let's go talk
to Mr. CEO again.

You think he's involved?

He stands to lose a lot
if this church disappears.

(Green)
So where were you
last Tuesday?

During the day,
I was in Erie, Pennsylvania,

talking to various members
of our congregation.

That night, I had dinner

with our Board of Directors
in Pittsburgh.

Can you provide proof?

I'll have my secretary
pull the receipts.

Was Reverend Sterling
with you?

No.

Do you know where he was?

No. I don't monitor
his schedule.

(Cassady)
What do you think

Sterling would do

if someone threatened
to tell the world he was gay?

Excuse me?

Hypothetical question.

(Jepson)
Reverend Sterling
is a wonderful man.

He and his wife Dawn
have created a church

that embraces the forgotten,

the disadvantaged,
the disgraced--

Everyone except the gays.

Excuse me?

Well, you don't seem

to exactly
embrace homosexuality.

It's not
that we don't embrace it.

We just don't believe

that God intended for a man
to be with another man.

What about Sterling?

He ever enjoy the company
of another man

every once in a while?

He's happily
and faithfully married

to a terrific woman.

Thank you for your time,
Mr. Jepson.

I'm no Bible thumper,

just a mother of two
looking to make a living.

And these religious folks
pay well.

What I'm saying is,
I don't want to get fired.

We understand.

It's just between us.

Good.

A year ago, there was
a rumor going
around

that Reverend Sterling
was
involved

with a male member
of the congregation,

a young kid,
about 18 or 19.

Do you know the kid's name?

I can find out.

(Nick)
Yeah, I know Reverend Sterling.

Were you ever involved
with him?

What's that supposed to mean?

Did you date?
No.

Why are you
protecting him?

I'm not.

Look, we think
that Reverend Sterling

may have been involved
in the murder

of a young gay male.

I'm just trying to get an idea
of what he might be
like

when he's not standing
at the altar, preaching.

You know what I'm saying?

He's a fraud.

That's what he's like.

He spends his days yapping
about Jesus

and purity
and family values,

And then his nights,

he's snorting meth
and screwing gay boys.

He's a poser.

He's a self-righteous,
self-hating poser.

Okay, let's try this again.

Did you two date?

Yeah, for about
three months.

Was he ever violent?

Once.
He hit me in the face.

Why?

I said I loved him.

[chuckles]

(Reverend Sterling)
In fact, the Bible demands

that we be fruitful
and multiply.

"But from the beginning,
God made them male and female.

"For this cause shall a man
leave his mother and his father

"and cleave to his wife.

"And they twain
shall be one flesh.

So they are no more twain,
but one flesh."

So how can we,

as the descendants of God
and his teachings,

bless the union of two men?

The answer, my friends is,
we cannot.

It is degrading,
it is unholy,

and most importantly,
it is against God's will.

Leviticus 18:22 states,

"Thou shalt not lie

"with mankind
as with womankind.

It is an abomination."

Nice to hear it
from our pal Leviticus again.

What date did this piece
run on CNBC?

November 17th.

And when did Cantwell
send Sterling the email?

November 18th.

Cantwell sees Norm,
his lover of a year or so,

on TV dogging gay marriage.

He gets pissed,

fires off a email
threatening to out him.

Sterling freaks out.

And shoots Cantwell
in the head

before he has a chance
to out him.

Hey, good news.

The Reverend
owns three licensed handguns,

so we had his fingerprints
on file.

CSU found a positive match
in Cantwell's bedroom.

What about the gun?

Nothin'.

(Van Buren)
And the Bible?
No, nothin'.

It's still enough
for a search warrant.

My husband is a minister,
a man of God.

I mean, do you really think
he'd be involved in the murder

of a homosexual prostitute?

Look, why do you hate us
so much?

Why, is it because
we have the courage

to worship the Lord,

because we believe
in the sanctity of marriage,

because we renounce
homosexuality?

Lieu, there you are.

We found trace evidence
of the victim's blood

in the front seat
of Sterling's car.

Are you sure
it's a match?
Positive.

Arrest him.

Hey, Ed?

Make this one public.

I want that hypocritical
preacher to feel some pain.

(Reverend Sterling)
Thank you very much.
No problem.

Thank you very much.
Come again, all right?

Thank you.
Absolutely. No problem.

James Sterling,
you're under arrest

for the murder
of Jeff Cantwell.

[Congregationalists gasp]

It's all right, everyone.

Nothin' to worry about.

"So shall they fear the name
of the Lord from the west...

(Green)
You have the right
to remain silent...

"And His glory
from the rising of the sun...

Anything you say

can be used against you
in a court of
law...

"When his enemy
shall come in like a flood,

the Spirit of the Lord shall
lift up a standard against him!"

Do you understand
these
rights...

Brothers and sisters,
I'm innocent!

Innocent!

r 0241575:

People v. James Sterling.

Charge is murder
in the Second Degree.

How does the defendant plead?

Not guilty.

Bail?

People request $1 million.

Due to the gravity
of the crime

and the defendant's
financial means,

we believe
he's a flight risk.

(Meyers)
Your Honor,
Reverend Sterling

has informed me
that he will not post bail.

He is the Senior Pastor

of The New Promise Church
and wants to be
remanded

so that he may
provide fellow inmates

with much-needed
spiritual

and religious guidance.

Is that true,
Mr. Sterling?

You want to go to jail?

Yes, Your Honor.
I'm looking forward to it.

You want it,
you got it, baby.

The defendant
is hereby remanded.

Next case.

(Clerk)
Docket number 0385726...

Asking to go to prison

so he could save
thou fellow man?

He sure knows how
to generate press.
What?

You're not buying the reverend's
altruistic motives?

He's a businessman,

not a preacher.

He and his wife
have created a religious empire,

an evangelical Starbucks.

It wouldn't surprise me

if they went public
sometime soon.

Probably be a hell
of an offering too.

125 churches,

150,000 members,

not to mention merchandising
and licensing division.

$50 million
in sales last year alone.

Sounds to me like motive.

Super-conservative,
anti-gay-preacher

kills the man
looking to out him

to save profitable
conglomerate.

What kind of evidence
do we have?

Victim's blood
in the defendant's car,

threatening email from
the victim to the defendant,

a phone call to the victim
on the night of the murder

from a pay phone one mile
from Sterling's home,

his fingerprint
at the crime scene.

What's Sterling's defense?

Your guess
is as good as mine.

[knock on door]

Sterling's attorney
just
called,

and they want
to meet today.

(Reverend Sterling)
I knew Jeff Cantwell,

not well, but I knew him.

But our relationship
wasn't sexual, as you suggest.

It was spiritual.

I was trying to help Jeff
cure his demons.

(Rubirosa)
You were trying to fix him?

I was trying
to save him.

What happened the night
of the murder, Mr. Sterling?

Reverend Sterling.

What happened on the night
of the murder?

We spent a few hours

together,
talking about God,

life, family...

but Jeff
wasn't doing too well.

He was distraught,
frustrated.

He wanted to embrace the Lord

and give up his life
of indulgence and immorality,

but he couldn't.

And it was destroying him.

I could see it in his eyes.

See what?

Defeat.

When I left that night,
he said, "I would rather be dead

than to live a life
of impurity and degradation."

I told him to stay strong,

to maintain his faith
in Jesus.

Are you saying
that he killed himself

because he couldn't cope
with being gay?

Yes.

I don't believe you.

I did not kill that man,

I swear
to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please, save your hollow
invocations for the jury.

Last night,
I watched some of Sterling's

inspirational videos.

Only cost 19.99.

And?
Meyers was right.

Sterling knows
how to talk. And sell.

I didn't agree
with anything he said,

and still I wanted to donate
half my salary.

That's why we need
to limit his ability

to preach
from the witness box.

[buzzer]
What do you mean?

The less he gets to talk

about trying
to save Cantwell,

the better.

(McCoy)
Unless the person confessing
waives the privilege,

a clergyman shall not disclose
communications made to him

in his capacity
as a spiritual advisor.

You're trying
to prevent the defendant

from discussing the content
of his conversations

with the deceased?

The defendant
is a clergyman.

His defense says
that he knew the victim,

but not in a sexual capacity,
only spiritual.

If that's the case,
he shouldn't be allowed

to disclose the content

of those spiritual
communications.

First, Mr. McCoy
has no standing

to invoke
the deceased's privilege.

Unfortunately,
Mr. Cantwell is dead,

so he can't invoke it himself.

Second, the priest-penitent
privilege is statutory,

and there's nothing
in the statute

suggesting the privilege
survives death.

Nor does it state
that it doesn't.

(Meyers)
Third, my client
has a constitutional right

to a fair trial.

If he can't talk about

his conversations
with Cantwell,

we can't present our case.

I agree with Ms. Meyers.

This is a murder trial.

The defendant

should have the ability
to present his defense.

And if he needs
to disclose the content

of certain conversations
with the deceased, so be it.

(Reverend Sterling)
I first met Jeff a year ago.

He came to one of my sermons.

Afterwards, he approached me
and asked for my help.

Help with what?

To conquer the wanton
and malignant spirits

devouring his soul.

Could you be more specific?

Mr. Cantwell wanted
to denounce his homosexuality

and live out the life
that God intended.

I was determined

that I was going to help him
achieve that objective.

(Meyers)
How many times
did you meet him?

(Reverend Sterling)
Twice a month.
Sometimes more.

Why'd you spend so much time
with him?

Why?

Because he needed it.

He was depressed,
confused, suicidal.

Suicidal?

Yes. About five months ago,
we were in my car

when he tried
to slit his own wrists.

Luckily, I managed
to get the blade from him

and stop the bleeding.

(Meyers)
Did you take him
to a hospital?

No. The wounds
weren't that deep,

And I was able
to bandage it myself.

Were you with Mr. Cantwell
the night he was died?

Yes.

In the afternoon.

He'd been drinking
and doing drugs.

He said he wanted
to kill himself.

(Meyers)
What did you do?

Read the Bible with him,

and I tried my best to talk him
out of his depression.

What time did you leave?
Around 6:00.

Was he alive?
Yes.

Where did you go
after that?

To my office in Peekskill
to prepare a sermon.

I worked until about 9:30,
and then I drove home.

Make any phone calls
that night?

I called my wife

on her cell phone, I believe,

to tell her
that I was running late.

Defense Exhibit 22:

phone records relating

to Reverend Sterling's
Peekskill office.

As you will see,

a call was made
to his wife's cell phone

at 8:20 p.m. that night.

What time did you get home
that night, Reverend Sterling?

Around 10:00.

I watched a little TV
with my wife,

and then we went to bed.

(Meyers)
Reverend...

did you kill Jeff Cantwell?

Absolutely not.

Nothing further.

When you talked with Detectives
Cassady and Green,

how come you didn't tell them
that you were in Peekskill,

working, on the night
of the murder?

I thought
it was a waste of time.

They were clearly only
interested in only one thing.

That was humiliation.

When people don't want
to hear the truth, Mr. McCoy,

there's no point
in speaking it.

Did anyone see you
in the church in Peekskill?

I don't believe so, no.

And you didn't
make any phone calls

or send any emails
from your
office

after 8:20 that night,
correct?

Like I say, I was busy
preparing an important sermon.

And yet you were willing

to drive into Manhattan
earlier that
day

to meet with Jeff Cantwell?

Well, helping other people
is so much more important

than writing a sermon.

Is that what you were doing
with Jeff Cantwell...

helping?

Yes.

Not having sex?

No.

I am not a homosexual.

People's 32, Your Honor.

This is an email

sent by Jeff Cantwell
to a NormS@pqmail.net.

That's an email account

that's charged
to your personal credit card.

Would you please read it?

"I know who you are,
and you're name's not Norm.

"You're a hypocritical pig
who deserves to be outed,

"to be exposed for the fraud

"that you are.

"You make me sick.

"Never call me again, faggot.

"That's right, dude,
you're gay--G-A-Y.

Deal with it."

But you've never had sex
with a man, correct?

No.

Never.

Nothing further.

Did you have sexual relations
with Mr.
Sterling?

Yes.

How many times?

20, 30 times.

You're positive that's
the man you had sex with?

Yes.

Nothing further.

You don't have
any pictures or video

of this so-called
sexual relationship?

No.

So you expect the jury
to just take your word for it?

Yes.

You're an honest man?

Yes.

Is that why you were arrested
for larceny last
year,

'cause you're an honest man?

Uh, I--I was working
at a restaurant

and the manager was screwing me
out of some money, so I--

So you stole.

[scoffs]

Yes.

(Meyers)
Are you a member of the ACLU?

Yes.

Do you believe that men should
be able to marry other men?

I do.

Is that why you're lying
about having sex

with Reverend Sterling,

to make
a political statement,

to humiliate him

because he's against
gay marriage?

That has nothing
to do with it.

Nothing further.

(Rubirosa)
Just because you steal
50 bucks from a register

and vote Democratic
doesn't mean

you can't ID a guy
you had sex with.

I'm more concerned

about that call he made
to his wife at 8:20.

Peekskill to Chelsea,
if there's no traffic,

takes about an hour
and 40 minutes.

So if he left immediately
after that call,

he's in the city
around 10:00.

Yeah, and it gives him
15 minutes to park the car,

walk to Cantwell's apartment,
and kill him.

Still plenty of time,

but definitely
cutting it close.

If Sterling
actually made that call.

Well, I'm on my way
to Peekskill.

Yeah, I was working
that night.

Did you see
Reverend Sterling?

Yeah.

You're sure?

Sure I'm sure.

It was around 9:30.

I was vacuuming the hallway,
and he walked right by me.

Only the sixth time
I've ever seen him.

Did he say anything?

He said hi.
Even knew my name.

Called me Gino.

Did he say anything else?

He asked me how
to get to Bedford.

Bedford?

Right.

Bedford.

Said he had to visit someone
in the hospital.

Be careful what
you wish for, Jack.

What are you talking about?

Sterling has the perfect alibi
for the night of the
murder.

What are you talking about?

The church janitor
is
positive

he saw Sterling at the church
around
9:30.

9:30 in Peekskill?

Yep, and it
gets even better.

At 9:30, he drove

to St. Ann's Hospital
in Bedford.

He was there from 10:00 to 11:00
on the night of the murder.

Signed in at 10:06,
left at 11:02.

He was visiting
a Mary Billings,

age 75.

Breast cancer.

Call Meyers right away,
tell her what you found.

Set up a meeting
for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Maybe Sterling will tell us why
he's burying his own alibi.

[buzzer]

Your client ready to tell us
what the hell's going on?

only hope that
the Lord will
find

"understanding
in His Almighty heart

and forgive me for taking
the life of another man."

I don't get it.

We find proof
that Sterling's innocent,

tell his attorney,

and he kills himself?

It just doesn't
make any sense.

Sure it does.

What am I missing here, Jack?

Sterling was covering...
for the person

who really did kill Cantwell.

His wife.

His wife?

If you take Sterling
out of the equation,

the evidence points
to only one person--her.

Blood in the car.
No credible alibi.

Desire to save the church.

And a phone call
on the night of the murder

from a pay phone
near her home.

So why does Reverend Sterling
commit
suicide?

He knows
that we know the truth,

did the only noble thing
he can think of:

kills himself,
takes the blame for the murder.

Go ahead and arrest her.

What's your objective,
Mr. McCoy?

To destroy my church,

to further humiliate me
and my congregation?

The truth.

The truth is: My husband
killed that man, Cantwell.

He even said so
in his damn suicide note!

I don't believe him or you.

What are you looking for,
Mr. Jeffers?

Well, for starters,

a little respect,
Mr.
McCoy.

My client
just lost her husband

and the very day
that he is pronounced dead,

you arrest her for a murder
that he's already confessed to.

We don't believe
his confession.

A preacher doesn't lie
in a suicide note.

Unless he's trying
to protect his wife.

[Jeffers scoffs]

Okay, and you think

you can get a jury
to believe
that?

They won't even consider it.

Motion to exclude
his suicide note.

A suicide note
is inadmissible hearsay.

Correct, but this
is a dying declaration.

The dying declaration
exception

applies only
to homicide victims.

The law
does not address suicide.

It should.

I'm not too interested
in "shoulds," Mr. Jeffers.

(Jeffers)
What I'm saying,
Your
Honor,

is the note should fit

within the residual
hearsay exception.

People don't write lies

moments before they die.

(McCoy)
I can't cross-examine
a suicide note, Your Honor.

I agree.
Your Honor, there--

The suicide note is out,
Mr. Jeffers.

The good news is,
the suicide note's out.

The bad news is, they have
three jailhouse witnesses

who claim Sterling admitted
to murdering Cantwell

at a prayer meeting the night
before he hanged himself.

Which means you're gonna
have to convince a jury

that a preacher's
final sermon--

his final confession--
was a lie.

Not an easy task.

The evidence is pretty solid.

What about this cancer patient
at St. Ann's?

Did, uh, she see Sterling?

No.
She's pretty heavily medicated--

morphine and fentanyl.

She's been in and out
of consciousness

the last couple months.

Does anybody
remember seeing Sterling

at the hospital that night?

No.

So the only evidence
that you have

that he was there
is from the sign-in log?

Right.

We'll be okay, Arthur.

Yeah, well,
maybe it's my southern roots,

but I tend to think

a lot of people
are probably gonna believe

Reverend Sterling's
deathbed confession,

whether or not
it was a bunch a crap.

And that'll make them
wonder what we're doing,

trying the killer's wife

for a crime that
he's already confessed to.

I get it, Arthur.
We need more evidence.

Like I explained
to your associate,

I have nothing to say
on this matter.

(McCoy)
"This matter"
is a murder trial.

Which means your involvement
isn't optional,

it's mandatory.

It's not that
I don't want to cooperate,

I just don't know anything.

I'm sorry.

So?

That's a pretty political
"sermon," don't you think,

especially in light of
the fact that it was given

three days before
the general election?

All that talk
about electing a leader

who understands
traditional values,

asking the congregation
to vote for two

ultra-conservative
congressmen?

What is that rule again, Jack?

Once a church is considered
a political organization,

it loses
its non-profit status?

I believe that's right.

You brought in 35 million
in donations last
year.

Plus another 50
in merchandising.

That would be one hell
of a tax bill.

Dawn's dedicated her entire life
to this church.

She was terrified that Cantwell
was gonna destroy it.

She wasn't going
to allow him to do that.

Did she tell you
she was going to kill him?

No.
She didn't get specific.

Only thing she said was,

"I'm not gonna let
that deviant ruin my church."

(McCoy)
The People call Scott Jepson.

May I approach, Your Honor.

Mr. Jepson is my client's
spiritual advisor.

Any conversations between them
pertaining to the alleged murder

are protected
under New York Law.

Mr. Jepson is a former

marketing executive,
not a clergyman.

He's the CEO
of a 150,000-person church.

(Jeffers)
Clearly, he is a religious man
and someone

who a congregant might seek out
for spiritual guidance.

Your Honor,
Mr. Jeffers is trying to hide

behind the cloak
of spirituality

to avoid
incriminating testimony.

There is no requirement
that a spiritual advisor

be an ordained minister
or a priest.

I agree with Mr. Jeffers.

Your Honor--
I'm not gonna sit here

and attempt to parse
who's a minister

and who's not, Mr. McCoy.

End of discussion.

Religion tends to make
judges nervous nowadays.

Religion?

Is that what you think
this New Promise Church is?

I don't judge
what others believe.

These guys are frauds,
Arthur.

CEOs, licenses,

convention centers,
video tapes...

This is a business,
not a church.

Got your Irish up, huh?

So tell me.

Can we win the case
without this CEO Jepson?

It won't be easy.

Dawn Sterling's
a terrific liar.

Yeah.

Too bad she's not
our
witness.

that Cantwell's lies
My husand accusations

would undercut all
of our hard work.

But most of all,
he was worried

about the members
of our congregation.

What do you mean?

He was concerned

about where
they'd turn for guidance

if our church was destroyed.
Hmm.

Did your husband ever discuss
killing Mr. Cantwell?

(McCoy)
Objection.

Marital privilege.

Overruled.

(McCoy)
The defendant is attempting

to disclose confidential
communications.

Overruled.

Continue, Mrs. Sterling.

[sighs]

James told me

that the only way
he could save our church

was to kill the man
threatening to ruin it.

He felt that by killing one
to save 150,000 was worth it.

(Jeffers)
What time did your husband
come home that night?

11:45.

And what was his mood like?

Nervous, scared...

And what about
his appearance?

He was disheveled.

And there was blood
on his pants.

"The blood
of human sacrifice,"

he said.

How come you
didn't tell the police?

Because...

I loved my husband...

more than anything
in the world.

(Jeffers)
Nothing further.

(Roth)
That's all for today.

[pounds gavel]

Review every document
we have one more time.

We need to find some dirt.

According to my friend
at the FBI,

Dawn Sterling
from Rye, New York,

used to be Maryann White
from Atlanta, Georgia.

She changed her name
in 1991.

Hmm.

With good reason, I hope?

Yeah, well,
she was arrested

for cocaine possession
in 1990

and solicitation
in 1991.

Dawn Sterling
was a prostitute?

According
to Georgia's state records.

I think my cross-examination
just got a little stronger.

Yeah, why bother?

What do you mean?

Oh, why not use it

to push her
into a guilty plea?

Based on this?

Sterling's whole life
is this church, right?

If the congregation
found out

that she used
to be a hooker,

that they've been praying
with a
whore

the past ten years,
it's no way it'll survive.

Look, I know that you want
to use this
information

and cross the hell out of her
and blow up the
church,

but it's not gonna ensure
we get a guilty
verdict.

I couldn't care less

about her damn church.

That why you refused

to refer to Reverend Sterling
as "Reverend"?

We don't have
a very strong case, Jack.

Doesn't mean we can't win.
Okay, fine.

Let's give Sterling a choice:

Plead guilty, and we will
keep the hooker thing a secret

or finish the trial,
tell the world the truth,

church goes bye-bye.

Or it gets even stronger.

The darker the past,
the brighter the redemption.

If she thought being a hooker
would help her church,

she would have told the
congregation a long time ago.

(McCoy)
It's up to you,
Mrs. Sterling.

Murder two, 15 years.

[scoffs]
Forget it.

I wasn't talking to you.

We're destroying them, okay?

There's no way that a jury
can convict
you.

A jury might not,
but her congregation will.

You underestimate
the human capacity to forgive.

Killing a gay man

your "enlightened membership"
might forgive you
for.

Turning tricks?
I don't think so.

People make mistakes.

True Christians
understand that.

Then tell us
to go to hell.

Excuse me?

I'm happy
to resume the trial

and cross-examine you.

I'm a good person,
Mr. McCoy.

Maybe not then.

But now.

Because of this church.

Is that why you killed
Jeff Cantwell?

Yes.

Murder two, 15 years.

Yes or no, Mrs. Sterling?

Yes.

You don't mean that.

I am not gonna let Mr. McCoy

or anyone else
for that matter,

to destroy my church.

We can win this trial.

The church
and my congregation,

that's all I care about.

[exhales]

I want to plead guilty.

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