All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S06E08.Angel.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

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.

It's been three years.

I haven't talked
to her since she moved.

She is your mother, Leah.

She could call me, too.

You know
that's not the point.

You obviously
feel guilty about it.

Remember, in the end,
all we have is our faith
and our family.

I'll try, I guess.

Good. Now we should pray.

Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.

Oh, God, Rachel.

Leah, what is it?
Somebody took Rachel.

Leah, Leah, what? What?

She's gone! My baby!

Priest said that
they were in confession.

The kid was
in the carriage
right outside.

And nobody
heard anything?
It's a church.

You're supposed
to keep quiet.

This is Father Carner.

It's unbelievable.
Nothing like this

has ever happened
here before.

And this is where
the carriage was?

Nobody's touched it.

Good. Take it down
to Forensics.

How long
were you in here?

Not long.
Maybe five minutes.

Leah never has much
to confess.

And you didn't see
anybody else, huh?

As far as I know,
the church was empty.

Thanks, Father.

Do you think
there's any chance...

Who would do this?

I always
leave Rachel there.

I never thought that
anything could happen.

Was anyone else
here, Leah?

Did you find her?

I'm sorry.

You're going to
find her, right?

You're not going to
let anything happen.

Father.

Kidnap a kid from a church?

How many Hail Marys
does that get you?

Somehow, I don't think
this guy was counting.

She was wearing
her navy-blue dress,

the one with the frills
around the collar
and a white hat.

Oh, God,
it's all my fault.

I never should
have left her alone.

Are we gonna
just sit here?

Some pervert's
got my kid.

We've got our guys
out canvassing

the neighborhood,
Mr. Coleman.

Well, he could be
out of state already.

Now, Leah,
you didn't see
anybody following you?

I don't think so.

Where were you
before church?

We went to the playground,
and then we went
to the market.

Now, Leah,
this is important.

When you got to the church,
was there anyone
hanging around outside?

I don't know.
I can't remember.

Oh, wait a minute.

When I got there,
I sat waiting
for Father Carner,

and then when
I went in to confess,

there was someone
in the back row.

Good. Now, did you see
what he looked like?

He was young, maybe 20,
and Puerto Rican.

Okay, Leah,
I'll tell you what
we're gonna do.

You're gonna describe
this guy to
a sketch artist, okay?

Please find Rachel.

How could someone
leave their kid alone?

Hey, she was in a church.

She actually believes in that
"Do unto others" stuff.

She says she saw
a Puerto Rican man
in the back row.

It's not in
Sluizer's report.

Well, she just remembered.

What, you think
she's lying?

I wouldn't turn my back
on my kid in this city.

There is another possibility.

Get off it.
You saw the girl.

She was hysterical.

You're not gonna find
her baby in a car at
the bottom of some lake.

Talk to the priest.
Maybe he can help with
the man in the back row.

Sure, we have
Puerto Rican members.

We also have
Cubans, Mexicans,

Venezuelans,
but none of them...

I know. They're all
good people, right?

No. But we're
a small congregation.

Leah knows them all.
She was very active.

Was?

Raising a child alone,
it takes a lot of time.

What do you mean alone?
We just met her husband.

She and Keith
are separated.

I've been
counseling them.

We're close to
getting their marriage
back on track.

Did their problems
have anything to do
with their daughter?

Oh, you don't
suspect Keith?

Look, Leah is
a good mother.

Keith knows that
and respects it.

She lets him see
Rachel as often
as he likes.

They're good kids.

They just got
married too young.

Yeah, she's a good mother,
except she lost her baby.

He's a good father,
but he can't stand to
live with his family.

All I know is my girls
aren't getting married

till they graduate
from college.

Hey, I'm too young
to get married,
and I'm a grandfather.

Before church,
she went to the market
up on 88th.

Maybe someone up there
saw something.

Puerto Ricans?
What else is new?

This morning,
I don't know,
around 11:00,

a young girl came in
with her baby.
You remember that?

Sure. Leah.
That baby of hers
is a real cutie.

Shame she's got to grow up
in this cesspool.

Do you remember
anybody paying
special attention to them?

11:00 a.m.?
Let's see.

I probably sold Ricardo
his first six-pack by then.

You got a last name?

We're not that close.

He didn't rape her,
did he?

This Ricardo,
he's trouble?

Show me one who's not.

They want to break off
from the US of A,
I say let them.

Besides Roberto Clemente,
what the hell good
are they, anyhow?

Yeah, well I guess your boy,
Newt's gonna take care
of them, huh?

Damn right.

So where can
we find Ricardo?

Around the corner. OTB.

He's the one
with the 12 earrings.

Thank you
for coming in, Mrs. Coleman.

You caught the man?

We'd like you to take a look
and see if you recognize
anybody, all right?

I don't know.

I'm not sure.

It was kind of dark
inside the church.

Take your time.

I'm sorry.
It's okay.

Rey, why don't you see
Mrs. Coleman out?

Well, it's been fun
as always, Lieutenant.

I assume
you have no further use
for me or my client?

The canvass is
coming up goose eggs.

Why don't you
give the husband
another look?

Do you think
Rachel's okay?

It's hard to say.

I mean,
she could be dead, right?

We shouldn't talk
like that, Leah.

Do you have
any children?

Three girls.

Then you do understand.

Listen, if I were
in your position
right now,

I don't know
what I'd be doing.

Praying.
You'd be praying.

Yeah, you're right.

Look, Leah's not perfect,
but she was always
a good mom.

I mean, she was patient,
she never lost her temper,

and she spent every
second with Rachel.

Didn't leave
much time for you, huh?

Are you trying
to say something?

You're a young guy,

maybe you'd rather be
out hitting the clubs

instead of home
changing diapers, huh?

So I take my own kid?

Does that make sense?

Some people would
pay a lot of money
for a healthy little girl.

You know what?
You're sick, man.

I mean, maybe I wasn't
the best husband or father,

but I'd never do anything
to hurt either one of them.

The kid's pretty worked up.

I don't think he had
anything to do with it.

What about the mother?

She can barely talk.

You know,
everybody says
they saw the carriage,

but I don't remember
anybody saying

that they saw the baby
in the carriage.

A stranger lifts up
a sleeping eight-month-old,

you're gonna hear
some wailing.

Not if he
covers her mouth.

So we're nowhere.

So we start over.
Go back to the scene.

What the hell?

Oh, wonderful.

I'm so glad
they're finally done
with O.J.

So, I'm begging
whoever it was
who took Rachel

to bring her
back home to us.

And I'm begging
everyone else,
please pray with us.

Please light
your candles
and pray with us.

Mrs. Coleman,
is it true the police

are looking for
a Puerto Rican male?

A man resembling
this picture is wanted
for questioning.

Please, I want
my daughter home.

This isn't
a good idea, Father.

I thought
the publicity would...

It's the last thing
we want.

I've been advised
we'll have to end now.

Mrs. Coleman,
one more question.

How did I look, Rey?

Where is that?

Got it. Thanks.

Mass hysteria time.

Anything worthwhile?

Since the Coleman's
town meeting,
every nutjob in the city

who ever got a bad taco
is pointing the finger.

Lieutenant?

Listen, I've been thinking,

what if I took Leah
on a walk-through

of her morning
before the kidnapping?

Not so confident anymore
in the grieving mother?

Well, maybe something
will spark her memory.

All right, Mrs. Dichter.

Yeah, we'll get somebody
there right away.

Now, this could
be something.

Landlady says
her Hispanic tenant
suddenly became a daddy.

No wife, no girlfriend.

Check it out.
Take Profaci.

Remind the girl
to stay away
from the press.

Albert's a good tenant.

Clean, quiet,
rent on time.

Couple of cats,
but I can
live with that.

And you're sure
he's single?

Oh, Albert's
definitely single.

An artiste,
if you get my drift.

But who am I to judge?

And you saw the baby,
Mrs. Dichter?

Well, I saw him
carrying a box of Pampers.

I don't know much
about those people,
but you tell me.

Now, you're gonna tell me
what a single guy's
doing with all this stuff?

Alternative lifestyle
or no.

Do you know where
Mr. Martinez works?

Well, what the hell
do you want us to do?

I mean,
it's the second day.

You guys don't
even have a suspect.

And now you may
have scared off
the guy who did this.

Oh, my God.
It was Father Carner's idea.

He thought getting
the whole community

working together
would be good.

Look, Leah,
I have an idea.

It could be helpful.

Anything.

I want you to walk me
through your morning

before you went
to the church.

You might see something
or remember something.

What the hell.

I mean, I'll go nuts
just sitting here.

No, I think it's better
if it's just me and Leah.

She's my daughter,
too, you know.

Well, that's why
you should stay here.

Maybe somebody'll call.

This is where we sat.

My mom used to
bring me here.

Was there anything
out of the ordinary
here that day?

Just the kids playing,
like always.

I can't wait for Rachel
to grow up.

I'm going to teach her
how to ride a bike,
like my dad taught me.

I just taught my oldest.

What's her name?

Olivia.

That's pretty.

Take a look.

Oh, she's beautiful.

Second grade
spelling champ.

You're so lucky.

Well, she can be
a handful.

Sometimes I feel like...

Oh, you don't mean that.

I love her,

but my wife's the one
with all the patience
in my family.

Next stop,
the market, right?

Right, and what time
was that, ma'am?

Okay, thank you.

Here, this looks iffy,
but give it a shot.

Albert Martinez
is a negative.

It was his sister's kid.

She won
an all-expense-paid trip

to Atlantic City
for the week.

He's watching the kid.
You took his word for it?

It was a boy, Lennie.
You sure?

I walked in,
he's changing the kid
right in front of me.

I think I can
tell the difference.

I bought some cereal.

Mr. Cox was up front.

Do you remember
any other customers?

No, it was pretty empty.

There was a black man
over there,
near the dairy case.

I bought some milk.

I remember one time,
when I was a kid,

I pulled everything
out of the refrigerator,

and I dumped it
onto the floor.

What'd your mom do?

Not a lot.

I did, however,
get a smack in the head
from my dad.

You're kidding.

It was nothing.

I always got
a little smack on the head
when I was out of line.

That's wrong, Rey.

What your father did
is very wrong.

"Spare the rod,
spoil the child."
That's what the Bible says.

Besides, I know
my dad loved me,

and I turned out okay,
didn't I?

My baby screams,
and I never hit her.

Keith never hits her.

My parents never hit me.

Well, we were just
brought up different,
that's all.

I should
get back to Keith.

He must be
out of his mind.

Okay. Okay,
we're almost done.

And this is important.

Where did you go next?

The coffee shop
up the street.

When I was 10,
my mom used to drag me
to church every Sunday.

It's not punishment,
you know.

Hey, my buddies
were all out playing ball.

Believe me,
it was torture.

I like the singing.

Yeah?

I got kicked off
the choir.

Couldn't carry a tune.

The part I hated the most,
confession.

It's the only road
to absolution.

Yeah.

You know,
it's kind of funny.

What I did was
I'd make up stories.

You know,
I cheated in school,
I stole money from my pops.

Father Mike
actually fell for it.

You lied
to your confessor?

Well, don't tell me
you never left anything out.

No. I'd feel too guilty.

Yeah. Yeah,
I guess I'm the same way.

Every week,
I'd go back, and I'd tell
Father Mike the truth.

Was he mad?

I think he was disappointed
more than anything else.

That's where
he was sitting.

Are you sure?

Can we go?

Why don't...

Why don't we sit down
for a minute, okay?

Hmm.

I like it when
it's quiet like this.

Really helps you
think better.

I made my
first communion here.

My dad invited
the whole neighborhood.

And I cried
at Rachel's baptism.

Do you think
there's any chance?

The more time that passes,
the less likely it is.

I'm sorry.

I don't blame you.

Do you think she's dead?

You know what bothers me?

If she is, you know,

poor Rachel, she...

She should have
a Christian burial.

We should pray.

You take your time.

I'll wait
for you outside.

Oh, no.
Please stay with me.

My baby's in heaven.

Tell me.

I made sure
she'd be all right
for heaven.

How did she die?

A pillow.

She couldn't breathe.

Where is she, Leah?

Oh, my little angel.

She deserved
the best, you know.

Smothering your own baby
and then cremating her?

Makes me wish
I went to art school.

Never underestimate
the depravity
of American society.

The good news about this one
is it should be over
nice and quick.

You're not thinking
of dealing this down?

A dead baby,
a solid confession,

any lawyer with
an ounce of lucidity
will take 25-to-life and run.

Who do we have?

Ross Fineman,
Legal Aid.

Never heard of him.
That's good.

He didn't put up
much of a fight on bail.

Good sign.

Or else he saw the mob
outside the courthouse,

and he figured
that Coleman would
be safer in Rikers.

Yes? Send him in.

Five minutes, tops.

Hello.
Hi.

Mr. McCoy, it's an honor.

The pleasure is mine,
Mr. Fineman.

Ross.
Two years in misdemeanors,
and now this.

It's unbelievable.

Hell of a way
to cut your teeth.

I guess Bernstein figured
I couldn't screw up too bad.

So, what do you say, Jack?

How does man one sound?

Not very good.

A few more homicides,
you'll find some cases
are not dealable.

Well, I thought
I'd give it a shot.

You know,
if you're gonna lose,

might as well be
on the front page.

Make my mom proud.

My motion to exclude
Leah Coleman's confession.

You're kidding.

Hey, I got to
at least look like
I'm doing something, no?

An affidavit
from Detective Curtis,
Your Honor.

The defendant
offered her confession
of her own volition.

Granted,
this is all new to me,

but as I understand it,

Detective Curtis
never read
my client her rights.

I seem to remember
that failure to do so

constitutes an
irrebuttable presumption

that a confession
was involuntary.

Only if it's the result
of an interrogation.

Detective Curtis
never asked the defendant
if she killed her child.

Now, I'm no expert,
but I think in Innis,

the Supreme Court
requires Miranda warnings

whenever
a person is subjected
to direct questions

or its subjective
equivalent.

Blanche Gelfant
down at Brooklyn Law
taught us

that includes
any words or actions that
the police should know

are reasonably
likely to elicit
an incriminating response.

Blanche taught you well,
Mr. Fineman,

but tell me,
what did the arresting officer
here do?

He took my client,
an extremely
religious woman,

to her church and said,
and I quote,

"Your daughter is entitled
to a Christian burial."

Now, that sounds to me
like it was intended

to provoke
an incriminating response.

Mrs. Coleman confessed
in her own church.

No reasonable person
could think

that she wasn't free
to walk away.

After four hours
of continuous dialogue,

who knows
what a reasonable person
might think?

Well, I consider myself
fairly reasonable.

I will hear testimony
on the custody issue
Thursday morning.

He came to my apartment.

He told me we were going
to retrace my steps.

Was your husband there?

Yes.
But Detective Curtis said
he should stay behind.

And did he?

Yes.

And then
where did you go?

First we went
to the park.

We sat on the bench
and talked.

Did he ask you questions?

Yes.

Did you ever say
you wanted to go home?

Yes, I said I should be
with Keith, my husband.

And what did
Detective Curtis say?

He said
this was important.

He said that we
should go to the church.

Now, Leah,
this is very important.

Did you feel free
to leave Detective Curtis
at any time?

No. He was a policeman.

He said it was important
that I go with him.

Thank you.

Did Detective Curtis
tell you why
he wanted you with him?

He said
that maybe I would
remember something

to help find Rachel.

So you never thought
he considered you a suspect.

I didn't think about it.

In all the time
that you spent
with Detective Curtis,

did he ever ask you
if you killed Rachel?

No.

You testified that
you were with him
for nearly four hours.

In all that time,
did he ever leave you alone?

He wanted to,
but I asked him to stay,

so that
we could pray together.

So had you not stopped him,

you would have been free
to go on your way.

Yes.

Now, who is Ross Fineman?

Legal Aid. This is
his first homicide case.

Hate to be here
when he actually learns
what he's doing.

We won the motion, Adam.

Coleman's confession
is admissible.

Yep. Now we get to hear
all about how
the girl was abused

by some drunken lesbian
who's watching
too much television.

Mr. Fineman
hasn't indicated

that there would be
any sort of diminished
capacity testimony.

In this case,
I doubt if an abuse excuse
would fly anyway.

Considering we got
a bunch of Einsteins
on our jury.

No. But the Oprah-fication
of America ended

when the Menendez brothers
weren't convicted.

The pendulum has swung, Adam.

People don't care
about why anymore,
they just care about what.

Just get this over with
before the pendulum
swings back.

On Tuesday, October 3rd,

Leah Coleman woke up
at about 7:30 in the morning.

Like any other day,
she showered,

dressed,
ate a bowl of cereal.

And just as
she would on any other day,
she fed her baby, Rachel,

put her in her carriage
and went downstairs
to run her daily errands.

But, ladies and gentlemen,
this wasn't
just any other day

because on this
particular Tuesday,
in October,

Leah Coleman went down
to the basement
of her building.

She held a pillow

over the face of her
eight-month-old daughter

until she could
no longer breathe.

She opened the door
to the furnace
and placed Rachel inside.

Then she locked the door

and went on her way.

How do I know this?

She told us,
in her own words,
that's how.

Your opening, Mr. Fineman?

The Defense reserves
its opening statement

until the State
finishes its case
in chief, Your Honor.

Objection.
It's my discretion

to set the order
of trial, Counselor.

You do have good cause,
Mr. Fineman?

Well,
it's a bit embarrassing,
Your Honor,

but it seems
that I'm not...

I'm not quite prepared.

Call your first witness,
Mr. McCoy.

The Crime Scene Unit
found ashes

and a baby's wool cap
in the furnace.

It wasn't burned?

No.

It must have fallen off
when the baby
was put into the chamber.

What did you find
in the hat?

We found several
strands of hair.

What did you do
with the hair,
Dr. Hayashi?

We compared them with
several strands of hair
we took from her crib.

And what did you find?

They were an exact match.

Thank you.

Cross-examination,
Mr. Fineman?

Uh...
The Defense has no questions
for this witness, Your Honor.

She took me to
the basement, told me
she smothered her baby.

I asked her where
the victim was,
she opened the furnace door.

Did you ask her
how her baby ended up
in the furnace?

I did.

She told me
she put her there.

What did you do
then, Detective?

I informed her
she was under arrest,
I read her her rights,

and I took her
back to the 27.

Did she ever say
why she had killed her baby?

I asked her
several times,

and all she said was
that her baby
deserved the best.

Thank you.

Cross, Mr. Fineman?

No, Judge.

The People rest, Your Honor.

Fine. We are in recess
until tomorrow morning,

at which time
I assume the Defense
will begin its case.

Five witnesses,
no cross examination.

Hell, he didn't
even object.

Somehow, I don't
attribute that
to your fine lawyering.

Maybe he knows
he has no case, Adam.

Maybe he didn't want
to waste the court's time.

A fiscally responsible
defense attorney.

I heard Johnnie Cochran
waived his fee.

I wouldn't put Mr. Fineman
in that league.

He sat there scribbling
on his legal pad.

He looked bored.

Probably writing
his first screenplay.

Yes.

On Tuesday morning,
October the 3rd,
at approximately 10:20 a.m.,

Leah Coleman
killed and cremated
her eight-month-old baby.

A mother killing her baby.

It makes you wonder.

What kind of a woman
could do such a thing?

She's never been involved
in any sort of
criminal activities before.

I checked.

She wasn't brought up
by abusive parents.

I checked that, too.

You'll hear witness
after witness tell you

what a good person she is
and how much
she loved her baby.

She loved little Rachel
more than she loved herself.

She has no reason whatsoever
for wanting her baby dead.

So why did this
terrible thing happen?

What kind of God
would sit by

and let such
a horrendous thing

happen to
one of his children?

Believe me,
I've thought about this
long and hard,

and as far as I can see,
there is only one reason.

There is one reason only
why a tragedy
this outrageous

could have happened,
ladies and gentlemen.

God wanted it to.

Objection.

So I want you not to look
at what my client did,

but at what God did.

And remember,
if you convict
Leah Coleman,

you are questioning
the will of God.

Your Honor.

In my chambers.

His opening was irrelevant,
inflammatory

and prejudicial,
not to mention comical.

The law allows me
to offer any defense
that I see fit.

Any relevant defense.

Oh, I see.
God isn't relevant?

Not in a courtroom,
it's not.

Begging your pardon,
but I think
you should all listen

to the oath
before a witness
takes the stand.

Your Honor,
the canons require me

to represent my client
with zealousness.

Within the bounds
of the law.

You can't raise something
in opening argument

you can't possibly prove
during your case.

Or did you miss that day
in Blanche's class?

Nice try, Mr. Fineman.

Artful but inadmissible.

I assume
you'll declare
a mistrial.

I think that's
a bit extravagant.

I will instruct
the jury to disregard

the Defense's opening
in its entirety.

Well, if that's the case,

I'd like to change
the plea to not guilty
by reason of mental defect.

Out of the question.

The statute
requires 60 days notice
for an insanity plea.

I didn't know that.

Look, Your Honor,
it's my first homicide trial.

I screwed up.
You can't hold that
against my client.

Legal incompetence
as a defense at trial?

You're kidding.

What can I say?
I'm out of my league.

Look, Your Honor,
if you don't
allow the change,

my client will have an appeal
on Sixth Amendment grounds.

She'll win, too,
because I'll sign affidavits

enumerating
the 12 grievous errors
I've already made.

Either you are
a brilliant strategist,
Mr. Fineman,

or you are
the biggest jackass

ever to set foot
in my courtroom.

I will allow
the change of plea,

but, please,
no more surprises.

Don't worry, Jack,
your expert can
examine the defendant

and testify on rebuttal.

Okay, Mr. Fineman,
the party's over.

She's depressed.
She's suicidal.

She should have
done us all a favor.

Are you kidding?
That would be too cruel,

leaving her child
without a mommy.

She actually said that?

Did the girl know
what she did
was wrong, Liz?

In some sort of
abstract way, yeah.

So you'll testify
that she was legally sane
at the time of the murder?

Yes.

But?

You've been in front
of enough juries, Jack.

I've got to tell you,
a mother killing
her own baby

without any motive
whatsoever,
it makes you wonder.

Do I have to explain
the law to you, Claire?

Crazy is not the same
as legally insane.

Jack, I'm just saying

that what Leah Coleman did
is incomprehensible to me.

The jury's got to
feel the same way.

If she isn't sick,
who is?

Then what are we doing here?

Jack...
No, Claire,

substitute psychology
for morality, and our jobs
become obsolete.

But, Jack, this is
an extreme case.

A jury is going
to want to know why
she did what she did.

Maybe she was
just downright bad.

You actually
believe that?

With all due respect
for your profession, Liz,

I think it's been overplayed
in the courtroom.

So people are just
good or bad, period.

It's better than
healthy or sick.

Deny evil,
you deny responsibility.

Open up the jails.

Send everyone to a shrink.

We got married
when we finished
high school,

and we were together
until maybe
four months ago.

And what happened?

I don't know.
Maybe we were too young.

She spent all her time
with Rachel.

I needed a wife.

Was Leah
a good mother?

She was the best.

She quit her job
to stay home.

She'd sit up
all night with Rachel

if she was sick,
or crying, or something.

That's why
I can't believe...

Thank you, Mr. Coleman.

During the years
that you lived together,

did Leah ever seek
psychiatric help?

No.

Did you ever suggest
that she should?

I never...

What? You never thought
she needed it?

I'm not a doctor.
How would I know?

When was
the last time you saw her

before the death
of your daughter?

The day before.

We took Rachel
to the zoo.

And you didn't notice
anything wrong

with your wife
at that time, did you?

Well, maybe.

I didn't really,
I mean, she was...

If you thought
she was sick, Mr. Coleman,

why would
you have left her alone
with your daughter?

She loved Rachel so much.

Look,

I hate her
for what she did.

She had to be crazy.

Leah was a regular member
of our congregation.

She attended mass
every Sunday.

She always appeared
to be a good mother.

In recent months,
did you notice

any strange behavior
on her part?

In retrospect, yes.

It was during
the Susan Smith episode.

She overreacted.

Broke down in tears
in my office.

"How could
she kill her own babies?"

And how did
you console her?

I told her
that everything that happens
is for the best,

that Susan Smith's babies
were now in heaven with God.

She found
enormous comfort in that.

You've known Leah
for how long, Father?

Nearly 15 years.

And would you say, basically,
that she is a good person?

Without a doubt.

That's why this
is all so shocking.

"Susan Smith's babies
are now in heaven with God."

Was that a license
to do whatever you want?

That's not what I meant,
for the life of me.

I was trying to rationalize
a horrendous event.

In other words,

you were searching
for some kind of good

coming out of this
terrible tragedy?

It's a bit simplistic,
but yes.

For a lot of us,
it's the only
conceivable way

to go on in the face
of such misfortune.

The only way to reconcile
a benevolent God

with all the evil
in the world.

Yes.

So, what,
in some way, everything
is a part of God's plan?

We're not
that fatalistic, Mr. McCoy.

You should know that.

God gave man free will.

That's right.

Man is free to choose
between good and evil.

That's why
there's a heaven
and a hell, right?

That's correct.

So tell me, Father,
is everyone in hell
psychologically disturbed?

Beating up on a priest,
hell of a way
to win a case.

I was trying
to make a point.

That God is impotent,
sitting on the sidelines

with his fingers crossed,
hoping that man
will do the right thing?

And as Leah Coleman proved,
sometimes he doesn't.

For a reason,
not because
she's innately bad.

Evil is learned.
Look at a newborn.

Babies are not born good,
they're born innocent.

This is a murder trial,
not a theodicy seminar.

You got sandbagged
by a rookie.

Excuse me.

Did you ever think
that Mr. Fineman

had all this planned
from the start?

His ridiculous opening,
late insanity plea...

And after Fineman's
shenanigans,

the jury might believe
that she's better off
in a hospital.

I believe she knew
what she was doing
when she killed her daughter.

I also believe
she knew it was wrong,

and therefore I believe
she deserves to rot.

Good.
Now go and prove it.

What were you thinking
when you smothered Rachel?

Nothing.

I mean,
I don't remember.

It was like
I was in a trance.

You said that
you were feeling badly

in the weeks
before the murder.

What exactly did you mean?

I was all by myself.

It was just me and Rachel,
and I couldn't work
or go to school.

We didn't have much money.

Your husband supported you,
didn't he?

Keith worked
in a tire store.

We didn't have enough.

This depressed you?

I wanted the best
for my baby.

It wasn't just the money,
you know.

What was it, Leah?

It's just this city.

This world.

I look around...

Tell us, Leah.

I go to the store,
and somebody tries
to steal my pocketbook.

My neighbor, Mrs. Gorfitz
on the third floor,

they killed her for her
Social Security check.

She was 76 years old,
and they raped her,
and they killed her.

And the police
caught the men,

and they couldn't even
put them in jail.

I once saw a boy,
he was no more than 14,

slash another boy's throat
for an ounce of dope.

Terrorists
are trying to blow up
the World Trade Center.

Schools have
metal detectors.

Families are stocking
their own weapons and
forming their own armies.

What kind of a world
do we live in?

There's so much hate
and suffering and distrust.

It's not gonna go away.

Is that what you meant

when you told
Detective Curtis

that Rachel
deserves the best?

Why should
she have to see this?

Now she's in heaven
with God.

Thank you, Leah.

Doesn't the Bible
tell us not to kill,
Mrs. Coleman?

I am already suffering
for what I did.

So now you know
what you did was wrong?

Yes.

Did you know it was wrong
when you woke up
that morning?

Yes.

Did you know it was wrong
when you ate your cereal?

Yes.

He's badgering, Your Honor.

Sit down and shut up,
Mr. Fineman.

Overruled. And you
will address the court
from now on, Mr. McCoy.

Let me ask you this,
Mrs. Coleman.

Is God happy
about what you did?

He has my Rachel.
That's what He wanted.

That's what
Father Carner said.

He wanted it?

I see.

Mr. Fineman was right.

This was all
God's will, after all.

I'd say that was
pretty selfish of Him,
wouldn't you?

No.

Why not?

The God you describe
sounds like He's sitting
around heaven,

He gets bored,
so He arranges for you
to kill your child.

No. God is not like that.

God is good
and benevolent.

Benevolent?
He makes you murder

your eight-month-old
daughter...

That was me!

Rachel was screaming,
but I did it anyway.

So you do remember
what you did.

And you knew
it was wrong.

You know what that means,
Mrs. Coleman.

That means
you're guilty as sin.

Objection.

Withdrawn.

Madam Forewoman,
have you reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

On the
sole count of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,

how do you find?

We find the defendant,
Leah Coleman, guilty.

To tell you the truth,
I didn't think
you'd pull that one off.

What can I say?
Freud's out,
the devil's in.

Admit it, Jack,
you were a little tough
on that priest.

When you're raised
by the Jesuits,

you end up obedient
or impertinent.

I didn't order this.

It's on the gentleman
at the bar.

Take it back.

Can't forgive anyone, huh?

No, I can't.

Besides, that was bourbon.

I'm drinking Scotch.