Original subtitles

Previously, on The Practice.

Dad! The principal says you got a phone tip from a parent.

Something about you dealing?

Wasn't dealing, that's a lie.

Were they your drugs?

No. Then why were they in your locker? I don't know, maybe I was set up.

Do you like my clock?

It has a tiny camera in it. A nanny cam.

Two nights ago I come home, and I find this.

I'll meet him at 4 .30. He's going to give me eight bags.

But what if I get busted?

My dad says if you get caught, never admit to anything, even to your lawyer,

because they'll be stuck with whatever you tell them. I hope you know the

you dodged.

You also better know, you get arrested again, this case comes alive again.

Oh!

Oh!

McBain's ready to stand and get her into two. Hold on!

Hold on! She went through a lot of punishment.

It's amazing that she even made it here.

I'm okay, Bobby.

No.

You were almost killed.

It's gonna take a long time before that trauma goes away.

Okay, Lucy, break out the straws.

No! I don't like it either.

What's the case?

Some Dunn's mere mental patient.

Petitioning for release.

Rebecca, good experience.

I have moved beyond experience, thank you very much.

And I gotta recuse myself.

Some of my relations are mental.

Oh, forget it. Lucy!

All right, you guys, pick them.

Oh, damn it. Oh, look, mine's long.

I always get the wackos. You don't get them. I get them. No, you date them. Oh,

that's amusing.

Eugene, it's your ex -wife.

Eugene, are they questioning her? Take it easy, Eugene. Are they asking her

questions?

Eugene.

Where's Kendall?

He's in his bedroom. He's okay.

Eleanor? I'm going.

I came out of the shower.

I just, I just came out of the shower.

I'm going to go check

on Kendall.

Can you wait right here? Yeah.

Come back, okay?

I will. Come back. You wait right here.

Boomerang. Dad.

You okay?

I'm okay. Is Mom okay?

She's fine.

Show me.

Murder weapon appears to be a baseball bat.

Your ex -wife says she got off to take a shower when she came out of the

bathroom.

This is what she found.

I'm going to take care of everything.

We're going to stick with each other, and we're going to get through it.

Eugene.

The police want to take him down, get some statements. I don't think it's

Why? Mike's giving me short answers. I think they're both suspects.

What? They're not finding any signs of forced entry. The bat, I guess, belongs

to Kendall.

You've got to be kidding.

I don't think we should let them talk.

In which case, they'll definitely be suspects.

If they cooperate, then that'll be that.

I don't think we should let them talk.

Are they taking them into custody?

Eleanor, don't let them say anything until you interview them first.

You want me to come down there?

Okay. Call me.

I'll wait here.

The guy was dead?

Sharon's boyfriend.

Eleanor's gonna stay with him. I may need you to go down to the police

My mental patient. He killed five people.

Excuse me? 20 years ago. He's been at Dunsmuir ever since.

Walter Ahrens. Grace, just what I need. What'd you say?

Walter Ahrens?

You know him?

Do I know him?

Lindsay, that's the Hummer.

The Hummer?

Don't you remember? We were probably in junior high. He didn't just kill people.

He tortured five girls.

And supposedly he would hum while he did it. I remember that guy.

The Hummer?

You can't be springing him.

Where's Kendall?

They want to keep you two in different rooms.

Eleanor's with him.

Why? Why do they want to separate?

Sharon, tell me exactly what happened.

I went into the shower.

I came out, and he was like you saw him.

This man spent the night in your bed?

Yes. What's his name?

Scott Turnbull.

He was a boyfriend?

Somebody I was dating.

Somebody you were dating?

Eugene, don't go there. You had a son, and this is... I said don't. Well, the

police are going to be going there, Sharon. You're a suspect.

I'm a suspect.

You didn't hear anybody come into your bedroom?

No.

No.

Okay.

Let me see if I can find out what's going on.

Eugene.

We overslept.

I planned on having him gone before you dropped Kendall off.

All of a sudden, I heard my mother screaming, and I ran into a room, and I

it. What about before she was screaming?

I didn't hear much.

When I dropped you off, what'd you do then?

I just went to my room.

Put in the TV and started getting ready for school.

You didn't check on your mother?

No. Call out to tell her you were home?

I figured she might still be asleep.

You know she was in there with a man?

I figured she might be.

How'd you figure that?

I knew some guy comes over when I'm not there.

Weekends when I'm with you, I come home Mondays and I see stuff in the

refrigerator that I know she doesn't even eat.

She's cheap.

Don't you ever talk about your mother like that?

How we doing?

Ready?

No.

We're not giving you any statement.

Egg on the belt.

All jewelry and metal objects in the bin, then through there.

Welcome to Dunsmuir.

Please don't feed the animals.

Don't mind him.

They all like to flex their muscles. It's a prison thing.

But this is a psychiatric hospital.

Oh, right. I forgot.

Maria Hernandez, supervising psychiatrist.

Lindsay Dahl.

I certainly give you credit for taking this one. The court ordered to sign it.

I'm going to give you credit anyway.

I was going over Mr. Aaron's file. He's still on the antipsychotic medication?

Close up him. No recent history of violence?

Not in the ten years I've been here.

He's been very cooperative.

He's actually a model patient.

And sleep.

So you support his release to a group home in the community?

I will and have the last three petitions.

But... It's probably an exercise in futility in his soul.

20 years. If this were a real prison, he'd be up for parole by now.

Yes. But let's not forget who he is.

The Hummer.

Ready?

Let's go.

Walter, this is Lindsay Dole, your court -appointed attorney.

She'll be handling your petition.

Hello.

Hi.

Thank you for taking my case.

Sure.

I just need to ask you a few questions.

Certainly.

I understand that you've been stabbed yourself.

Is that going to be a problem?

Would you like me to stay?

Three sets of prints on the murder weapon. The mother's, the son's, and the

father's. Eugene.

Baseball bat. It was kept in the front hall closet. I'm sure they all had

opportunity to pick it up.

What else?

Uh, physical evidence, none. No sign of entry, forced or otherwise.

Am I right?

Coroner marks a time of death between six and nine. That's consistent with the

woman's statement.

I see the boy has a drug history.

He comes home, finds his mom in bed with a man not his father.

Wouldn't give you a statement?

On the advice of counsel.

My money? He's the killer.

Look, I know these people. They're my friends. Which makes you biased.

Don't be your little Napoleonic self on this one. I'm calling in a favor. Put

your best team on it. I already have.

I don't want to be leaving things to his conclusions.

That's nice from a co -worker.

This proceeding, as I'm sure you know, will be in front of a jury. This is

Since no judge wants to be the one accused of letting the Hummer back out

public... I never really hummed, you know.

That was just silly folklore.

I'll be calling Dr. Hernandez first, and then I'll be calling you. Okay. This is

an open proceeding.

We can expect some family members of the victims to show up, though they're not

allowed to testify. The only issue that we really need... He knows, Lindsay.

This is our third petition.

Well, I don't...

I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy. I understand.

It's dull.

I'm really not the person who did those horrible things.

Okay.

Tell me.

What do you think of that person?

I'm glad he doesn't exist anymore.

Mr. Turnbull was going through an ugly separation with the business partner, so

they're checking.

Michael Kasner.

He claimed Scott stole from him. He did threaten him once and came to his house.

Have you ever seen him near your house?

No. Well, the police are running him down, but...

I have to tell you, right now the investigation is focusing on Kendall.

What?

And he's not making a statement. It only fuels the suspicion.

Absolutely not. I agree with Eleanor. If we can put this to rest. Eugene. The

fact that he's not talking is making him a suspect.

He was there. Prince on the back. That's what's making him a suspect. We're not

cooperating. We're fueling their suspicions. Have you ever talked to him,

Eugene? What?

Have you really talked to Kendall? What the hell do you mean by that? You know

what she means. Have you really talked to him? I don't need to talk to my son.

You sure as hell do.

Certainly before we can ever, ever let him give a statement to the police.

Look, Helen tells me that they're checking into somebody who had some bad

history with the victim.

But Eugene, come on.

The chances of somebody else going into your house, committing murder with a

baseball bat, and neither Sharon or Kendall hearing anything... I'm not

listen to this. You may not want to hear this, Eugene, but you need to hear it.

Talk to Kendall, and then we'll make some decisions.

You want me to jump in on this?

No, I'll handle it. I think too many lawyers will just make it worse.

What do you think, Guy?

I don't know.

So you basically have a jury trial to determine whether he's sane.

Pretty much.

Is he sane?

The medical opinion is yes.

Since he's been on the medication... Well, what's he like?

He actually seems kind of gentle.

Hey, Lindsay. I'm Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. I'm here to see you.

Who are they?

You wouldn't tell what it's in regard to. They just said it was important.

I'm Lindsay Dole. Can I help you?

My name is George Rapson. This is my wife, Ellen.

We understand you're representing Walter Ahrens at the hearing tomorrow.

My daughter was murdered by your client.

It may have been 20 years ago. I'm sorry. We really shouldn't be having

conversation. We're not allowed to speak at the hearing, but I thought if I

could just talk... Mr. Rapson, this conversation is inappropriate.

I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave.

How can you fight to put this monster back on the street? Mrs. Rapson, we're

very sorry for your loss, but as Ms. Dole said, this is not an appropriate

discussion.

I don't know.

We wouldn't want to be inappropriate.

Ask me, I don't blame him. I didn't ask.

So what? The guy's on medication.

That just makes him a murderer on drugs.

Invent a pill that brings those teenagers back, then we can talk about

them out.

Hey, Jimmy, how is it last week you developed a crush on a client after she

emptied her gun into somebody, but for my client... I didn't have a crush. It

was a stimulating circumstance. And there are here. He was mentally ill. All

right.

Lindsay, are you sure you're okay to do this one?

Why wouldn't I be?

You want to ask our son if he committed murder.

I have to find out what his answers will be to certain questions.

Before I let him speak with the police.

What was he doing in your bed?

I said, don't. School day, Sharon. School day. I told you, I overslept. Oh,

sure you were up half the night. You were tired.

Eugene! What do you think it's like for him to come home and discover his mama?

Don't you start judging me! He's judging you! He told you, Chief!

That's what he said, Sheriff.

He was angry about that man being there.

I pray to God that he didn't.

Are you serious?

Kendall, we're your parents.

The main thing here is that we have to be totally honest with each other. You

think I did it?

No, we don't. Then why are you even asking me?

The police are focusing on you.

And I'm going to help you. I promise you that.

But for me, you have to come clean with me.

You understand?

Kendall. Your father asked you a question.

Do you understand?

I understand.

I understand my parents are sitting here asking me if I'm a murderer.

The answer to your question is no.

What, Lindsay? What?

In a bad dream.

What is it?

A nun with a knife.

Lindsay, I really think you should get off this case. It doesn't affect...

You're representing a guy who stabbed girls. I can do the case. I can take

Rebecca. I can do it. No, you're determined to do it.

What are you trying to prove?

You're the one who accused me of pretending you didn't get stabbed.

Bobby, I can do the damn case, all right?

I'm not sure you can.

Why? I suddenly can't be a lawyer anymore?

Nobody's saying. Yes, that's what's being said. Listen, why did you take

one? I was assigned it. I think under the circumstances, you could have

it.

I'm not going to let those circumstances control the rest of my life.

How about just a year?

I talked to Bay this morning. I tried to get him to submit written questions to

us. He wouldn't go for it. I didn't expect he would.

So Kendall basically has to field all... I want to be in the room.

Well, that's a given, Eugene. We'll both be in the room.

If we don't like the way it's going, we'll cut it off right there.

There is one possible piece of good news.

They found a blonde hair, a single strand in the bedroom. And this Michael

Kasner, the guy who had the run -in with the victim, he's got blonde hair.

So did Sharon's housekeeper. Yeah, but Sharon said she hadn't been there since

Monday.

The hair was on the bed?

Floor.

So it could have come off Sharon's clothes and it's somebody she brushed up

at work. Yeah, maybe, Eugene, but it's something.

You know, maybe we can prove that somebody came into that room.

Mr. Ahrens had suffered from chronic paranoid schizophrenia.

In his case, it was characterized by auditory hallucinations, if you will.

Auditory hallucinations? Basically, he heard voices.

And these voices, they were connected to his crimes?

Yes. He felt he was instructed to commit the killings. Does he still hear these

voices today?

No. Since going on close opinion 11 years ago, he's had no symptoms of

psychosis. The paranoid disorder?

It's under control.

He is now mentally healthy, in your medical opinion.

Well, I would certainly recommend ongoing therapy.

20 years of institutional life can certainly leave some emotional and

psychological scars.

But I would most certainly recommend his release from Dunsmuir. And I have been

recommending this for three years.

This man tortured and murdered five teenage girls.

While suffering from a mental disorder he no longer suffers from. That isn't

really true, doctor, is it?

If he were to go off these pills, he could once again fall victim to this

paranoid schizophrenia. Isn't that true?

It's possible.

He could become psychotic all over again.

Also possible.

Possible?

Well, if Mr. Ahrens were to tell you he was going to stop taking this

medication, would you recommend his release?

No. So we would have to trust him to take his pills, wouldn't we?

Yes. And you can't guarantee us that he wouldn't forget... I don't think his...

You can't guarantee that he won't forget to take his pills, can you, Doctor? In

my opinion, if he has not forgotten... Can you guarantee this court that he

not forget to take his pills? Of course not. And you can't guarantee us that he

might not simply choose one day to stop taking his medication?

No.

And since the failure to take this medication could cause the psychosis to

return... You cannot sit in that chair and guarantee us that he will not kill

again, can you, Doctor?

I cannot guarantee you won't kill anybody either.

Except I'm not psychotic.

He is.

Now, you said a minute ago you suspected she was in her room with a man.

I heard talking, yeah. That's kind of why I want those kids to put music on.

I don't want to hear anything.

And when you heard your mother screaming?

I went downstairs, I came to her room, and there was a dead guy on her bed.

Did you see anybody else in the house?

No, I told you, there was nobody else around at all.

Okay.

Now, when your father dropped you off, you said he stayed in the car.

Yeah. Did you actually see him drive off?

I don't know. He usually waits for me.

But after you got inside the door, he would have then left.

Yeah.

How did it make you feel, Kendall, knowing that your mother was in her room

another man?

I didn't like it.

Did it make you angry?

All right, I don't think it did. Excuse me?

We're here to collect information.

We're here so I can ask him some questions. Okay, look, I think we need

some ground rules. What ground rules? This is a homicide. We don't set ground

rules for interviews with suspects.

This is over.

Let's just say the lawyer's in a room for a second. If I'm in a room with him,

he might get hurt. Be quiet!

We're all going to take a minute, then the lawyers will meet. I'm not meeting

anyone with him. Eugene, we don't owe you this. Let's just do it.

Mr. Ahrens, you've been listening to the doctors discuss your current condition.

What do you think? Are you mentally ill?

Yes, I am. Do you suffer from the same disease today that you did in 1979?

Yes, but I'm not sick.

Not anymore.

I used to have hallucinations.

I was afraid that people who tried to help me or be nice to me were really out

to hurt me.

Women, mostly.

And that I had to hurt them first.

Is that what happened to those girls?

Yes.

There was so much noise in my head then.

I couldn't think clearly.

But I can now.

I know that what I did was horrible and unforgivable.

I know that.

And I don't ever want to be ill like that again.

But why should the jury have any sympathy for you at all?

They shouldn't.

I don't deserve sympathy.

I'm not the victim.

Those people, they're victims.

I murdered their daughter.

But I did so when suffering from a condition.

Mr. Aaron.

Tell us about this condition from your perspective.

Well, as the doctors explain it, there's a part of my brain called the amygdala

that was overstimulated with brain chemicals, making me hear and see things

didn't exist.

Objection. Foundation. He's giving a medical opinion.

Sustained. Just tell us what you felt, Mr. Ahrens, in your work.

I would get these impulses, these...

overriding urges to... to hurt people.

I can't explain it any better than that. I wish I could. All I can say, I

couldn't control them.

But with the medication, I can.

And I have.

You say you want them to cooperate, then you ask them questions designed to

elicit incriminating response. That's not what I... No, no, give me that! Hey,

look, we don't have to continue this.

In which case... In which case, nothing.

Go ahead and arrest him. That will only guarantee his silence. Look, here's the

problem here.

You need to make an arrest.

You need to get a conviction.

Going after Kendall is the easiest way to accomplish that. So that's how he

becomes the focus.

Is that right? Damn right. Pick the easy target. It was his bat. He was there.

How dare you?

I know you. If I were picking easy targets, Eugene, I'd have gone after

What? Come on. Your prints were on that bat. You were there, too.

Come on, jealous husband. Ex -wife's in bed with another man. Hey, let's not

forget about the temper. You've beaten up your own clients. You just threatened

to hurt me three minutes ago. Richard!

You talk about easy targets. I could try this thing in dead and put the big,

black, jealous husband on trial, and I'd probably get my conviction.

Don't be accusing me of going after easy targets, Eugene.

You'd be it.

Opportunity, motive, black, prince on the weapon.

You'd be it, and I'd get you.

Then come and get me.

But leave my boy out of it.

Mr. Ernst, you once said to a fellow patient, I hope they never let me out,

because I'll probably kill again.

That was before I started with the medication.

Before you murdered Lori Rapson, you first cut off both her hands. Objection.

client played insanity and was found insane at the time. Move to strike back.

She can give her conclusion during final arguments. This is a cross

-examination. All right, quiet.

Mr. Bullock, the purpose of this hearing is to determine the defendant's current

mental state. And actions speak to that, Your Honor, even if they're past acts.

You're talking about 20 years ago.

Ms. Dole, your objection is sustained.

Mr. Bullock, do not revisit the horrors of Mr. Aaron's crimes.

Mr. Aaron's, do these pills you take, your medication, do they affect your

conscience?

My conscience?

Yes.

Does this clozapine affect it?

I can't say that it does. I don't think it would.

And the psychosis that you had?

Was this a permanent thing or would it hit you in stages?

The latter.

Most of the time I was fine.

And then suddenly I would get the paranoid impulses. So in between these

killings, you would go back to your normal self, the self that you resemble

today, is that right?

I don't know.

I guess so.

Well, then why?

During these periods of normalcy.

After you had killed somebody, cut off hands, committed torture, why didn't you

turn yourself in to the police before the next bout of paranoia hit you? He's

asking a medical question. I am not.

I'll allow it.

You said yourself that these pills probably don't affect conscience.

We're dealing with the same conscience now as we were then.

And then, in between these stages of psychosis... You didn't turn yourself

Mr. Aaron, knowing there might be another victim.

It was racist. It was not racist.

I was just telling you. You're talking about going after him because he's a big

black man. That isn't racist. I was speaking statistically. Come on.

He accused me of going after the easy targets. I was telling him statistically

he would be the easiest target. Yes, because he's big and black. Yes, but

makes me pragmatic, Helen, not a racist.

Well, then you're a dangerous, twisted pragmatist. By the way, are you sure he

didn't do it? I mean, did you even take one half of one half of a second to ask

yourself? No. Why?

Because he's your friend?

Or because you're just afraid of being called a racist?

If you weren't so little, I'd beat the crap out of you right now.

Get out.

It's my office.

Son of a bitch!

Sorry.

We just got preliminary results back from the lab.

We're ready to make an arrest.

A few months ago, I was stabbed.

I almost died.

And for a while, the person who did it was out there at large.

And I can't even begin to tell you the... I

can't begin to tell you.

The man who stabbed me, he's dead now.

And I'm glad.

Those people, perhaps they wish for my client's death.

It's natural.

But today's trial, it's not about vengeance, and it's not about

and it's not about forgiveness either.

Like every trial, it's about the rule of law.

Walter Ahrens was found not guilty by reason of insanity and accordingly

institutionalized for the duration of his mental illness. The uncontroverted

medical opinion before you today is that the insanity is over.

Through medication, Mr. Ahrens is well again.

And under the rule of law, that means he must be released.

You don't have to like that. You don't have to agree with the law.

But you did assume an obligation when you were sworn in as jurors that you

uphold it.

He is not cured.

He is just not symptomatic as long as he takes his pills, just like an alcoholic

isn't drunk so long as he doesn't drink.

But who's to say? What if he falls off that wagon?

What if he doesn't take his pills?

Or what if after years and years of use, he builds up an immunity to the

medication and it is no longer effective?

There are questions here.

And in answering them, who do you give the benefit of the doubt to?

Him? The man who gutted five teenage girls?

Oh, yes.

In the controlled environment of Dunsmuir, he is behaved, gentle, civil.

Does that guarantee us that when we put him back out there

with chain stimuli, with the pressures of having to work for a living, does any

of us really know what will happen?

Oh, yes.

Let's trade on fear.

Let's be safe. Let's give the benefit of the doubt to the people. That makes

sense, doesn't it?

But following that, we shouldn't let epileptics drive cars, should we? So

medication can control seizures?

Let's play it safe.

Better safe than sorry.

While we're at it, why don't we round up all of the HIV -positive kids and get

them out of the schools?

Once we start going down the better safe than sorry road... But that's not the

issue.

And you're not congressman deciding what should be the law. You're jurors

obligated to uphold it. And the law, once again, says if he is now sane,

he should be released.

And I maintain, anybody who can torture, who murders,

he's not sane.

Whatever thing inside him that made him do those things, it's still in there.

However controlled it's been by drugs.

We are talking about a depraved killer.

And when you go back into that room, you had better ask yourselves,

how are you going to feel if he kills again?

Where's Kendall?

In my office with Sharon. What?

The blonde hair.

DNA drew a consistent match with the guy. What guy?

Kasner, the one who's been having the beef with Turnbull. The victim?

He was in the bedroom, Eugene.

Kasner went into that bedroom.

Wait a minute. If he was in the bedroom... They also found splatterings

Turnbull's blood in Kasner's car. The police just arrested him. He went in

Sharon was in the shower?

That's what they think. He went into the front door, he saw the bat, he grabbed

it, and he went right into the room.

It was Kasner.

It was his hair in the bedroom.

They found blood in his car. The police just arrested him, and it's over. Oh, my

God. It's over.

Oh, my God.

I told you.

I told you. Yes, you did.

I told you. I told you. I told you. I told you.

Ready? They were not five minutes.

Three minutes and 55 seconds.

Can you even call that a deliberation?

Well, I'm sorry.

Hey, maybe they'll surprise us.

Yeah.

Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?

Yes, Your Honor.

How so?

In Ray Aaron, we, the jury, find in favor of the petitioner.

We won, so be

released.

You're going to be free.

I'm okay.

Where's Kendall? He's upstairs.

I think he's okay.

I thought maybe you guys ought to get out of the house for a few days.

Stay with me or friends, whatever.

I think we're okay here.

Okay.

Thank you.

We never would have gone through this without... Yeah.

So... Call me if you need anything, okay? I will.

I will. Okay.

You okay?

No.

I had to look my son in the eye and ask him if... Sharon, I

couldn't know.

He didn't do it.

I... I'm just not as connected to him as much as I used to be.

Eugene, we both had to ask.

Not because we doubted him so much as the circumstances.

We both had to at least ask.

I just wish I were here more often.

I do too.

So, he's on the street. Free to home again.

He gets transferred to a non -secure facility.

Non -secure, that means he's free. Hey, don't attack me.

Why not? You put him out there. Are you serious? Rebecca.

If somebody brutally kills, they should go to prison.

If they're not, they go to a mental prison. Either way, they should stay

You should be a DA.

Don't think I haven't thought of that.

Why do I get all the terrible phone calls?

Lindsay.

Hello?

He's over there.

What happened?

Filled up a gas station attendant.

Knife points.

Walter?

I want to go back.

What do you mean you want to go back?

The things the DA said.

They just keep ringing in my head.

You mean like voices?

No, not voices, Lindsay. The things he said.

What if changed circumstances do make a difference?

What if I build up an immunity to clozapine? What if, God forbid, what if

pharmacist should screw up and not give me the right medication or dosage? And

what he said about my conscience?

Why didn't I turn myself in between my bouts of paranoia? I don't want to be

on the street like some loose cannon.

Okay, slow down. They won't take me back unless I do something. Now I have.

What if the chemicals change in my brain again, Lindsay?

I shouldn't be out here.

Walter, one of the reasons I took this case,

I wanted to prove to myself that I was stronger than my

fear.

Now you have to prove it to yourself.

I murdered five people.

Send me back.