All language subtitles for Murder_One_Case2_-_2x06_-_Chapter_Six_(dvdrip)_Riot

NARRATOR:
THe new case,

We were in Sandy's office
before he got killed .

I left around 2.
Rickey stayed until, what?

-Four, maybe?
LEE: I came back to see. . .

-. . . how things went. Fortas was dead .
-Rickey, do you own a gun?

We recovered the murder weapon,
and it's registered to you.

NARRATOR:
Sharon Rooney, the accused,

I let myseIf fall in love with Tom .
I got myseIf pregnant.

I've just made such a mess of my life.

Whatever mess you've made,
we both know you didn't kill anyone.

Now I' m in this with you.
And I' m in this to win.

NARRATOR:
THe victim 's boyfriend,

Can't you handle my case without putting
me in the middle of another jackpot?

What jackpot would that be?

I got my leg broke
over Marlee Donovan.

NARRATOR:
THe governor's wife,

You've thoroughly examined
me on the stand .

My testimony has helped your case.

Am I missing something basic here?
A wife or a girlfriend?

WYLER:
None of the above.

Then you'lI have to tell me where
the conflict is, Mr. Wyler.

NARRATOR:
Rivals,

You screwed me, buddy boy.
I wanted you to know how it feels.

I become governor,
you won't have to put up with me.

You get elected,
I'll kiss your ass in Macy's window .

NARRATOR:
Dirty politics,

You set Laura Crimmins up.

If the news media was to get ahold
of a videotape showing Garfield's. . .

. . . principal backer committing extortion. . .

. . .on Roger's behalf
a week before election. . . .

-You' re playing a dangerous game.
WYLER: I want Laura Crimmins cleared .

Otherwise, I' m taking you down.

GRASSO: Your Honor, I mourn
Mr. White's untimely passing . . .

. . .as much as anybody.

But sentiment aside. . .

. . . I can't cross-examine a dead man.

His direct examination can still be
admitted as prior sworn testimony.

GRASSO:
You know as well as I do. . .

. . .that prior sworn testimony almost
always includes cross-examination.

The key word being "almost" .

Larry White's testimony is vital
to my client's defense.

Sharon Rooney shouldn't suffer for a
tragedy that was beyond her control .

Neither should the people.

Except the people aren't facing
the death penalty. Sharon is.

I am not unsympathetic.

But in the absence of the ability of
Ms. Grasso to cross-examine Mr. White. . .

. . . I have no choice
but to strike his testimony. . .

. . .and instruct the jury to disregard .

Approach?

Your Honor, I urge you to reconsider.

I've ruled, counsel .

The people further move that you quash
Mr. Wyler's subpoena of Roger Garfield .

-On what basis?
-Violation of work product privilege.

As DA, Roger's involved
in the preparation of this case.

He was also running for office
against one of the victims.

That gives him motive to want him dead .

This isn't about motive.

This is about you wanting to embarrass
a former employer. . .

. . . by linking him to a murder
that he had nothing to do with.

I' m glad you' re sure
about that. I' m not.

lt would seem, Mr. Wyler, that what you
want here is a license to go fishing .

If you grant the people this motion,
Your Honor, I intend to file. . .

. . .a writ with the Court of Appeal .

Are you threatening me?

No.

But with all due respect,
this isn't about you.

CRIMMINS:
How on earth did you do it, Jimmy?

How did I do what?

The bank just called .

They've dropped their investigation and
they've reinstated me with back pay.

I, uh. . . .

I had a conversation
with Malcolm Dietrich.

But I'll spare you the details.

Well, I hope it goes without
saying, I' m very grateful .

So when do you go back?

I' m on my way in right now .

And first order of business will be
submitting my resignation.

Everything you said about
Dietrich is true.

Still, it wasn't your fight.

I' m sorry that it spilled over onto you.

Be careful .

I'll be okay.

The greatest basketball player
of all time is Magic Johnson.

Three MVPs, five titles.

-I have to go with Jordan.
-My old man swears by Elgin Baylor.

Says he practically invented hang time.

Baylor was great.
But Jordan's on another level .

ls this what I' m in for with the Latrell
case? Jock talk from you wannabes?

Excuse me. Discussion of sports. . .

. . .is an important male ritual .

-Like seeing who can spit the furthest?
-Yeah.

Besides, everybody knows the greatest
basketball player of all time is Larry Bird .

'87 Eastern Finals. Steals the inbound
pass, falls on his back. .

. . . hits Dennis Johnson for the
lay-up to win the game.

-Morning, everyone.
ALL: Good morning .

Jimmy. How is the judge going to rule
on quashing Garfield's subpoena?

Well, in our favor, I hope.

But with this guy on the bench,
it's hard to say.

Brief on exceptions to Hickman
in case you have to appeal .

-Good work, Arnold .
CHRIS: Assuming we win. . .

. . .get to beat up Garfield,
we still calling Sharon?

She's the only one who can explain why
she was on the PCH that night.

The jury needs to hear it.

Given her outburst, I worry
what else they'll hear.

Dr. Boros put her on antidepressants.
I think she can handle it now .

-When's her next prep session?
WYLER: There isn't one.

Excuse me?

I've been through her testimony
with her.

I don't want it to sound
like we fed her some story.

I want the jury to see
her real emotions.

What if she loses it
and breaks down on the stand?

Then Miriam is left with a poor, young,
defenseless girl to beat up.

She looks like a bully.

CHRIS:
Still, it's a big risk.

Agreed, but if we want
any shot at getting her off. . .

-. . .Sharon's got to tell her story.
-Speaking of stories.

Any luck confirming the one
about Caroline Van Allan's sister?

Her psychiatrist is coming up
from La Jolla tomorrow .

I hope to get something out of her.

lnasmuch as tomorrow
is Election Day. . .

. . .there will be no morning session
so that everyone can get out and vote.

Now, regarding the people's motion. . .

. . .to quash the subpoena
for District Attorney Garfield .

I have considered the defense's
contention that this testimony. . .

. . .could be relevant to their case.

I am skeptical .

But in the interest of fully carrying out
the intent of the Sixth Amendment. . .

. . . I' m going to deny the motion. . .

. . .and allow Mr. Wyler
to call this witness.

My name is Roger Garfield . I' m the
district attorney for Los Angeles.

And you' re also running
for governor against Dan Stewart?

-Yes.
WYLER: And before that. . .

. . .you were running against Tom Van
Allan, one of the victims in this case?

-That's correct.
-Now, politics. . .

. . .can be a pretty dirty game, can't it?

lt can be rough-and-tumble, but it
needn't be dirty. Not if the candidates. . .

. . .stick to the issues
and face the voters squarely.

WYLER: In your experience,
do opposing campaigns. . .

. . . use spies to gain
political advantage?

There are those campaigns that do.

-Mine isn't one of them .
-Larry White wasn't your mole. . .

-. . .in Van Allan's campaign?
-No, Mr. Wyler. He was not.

But you were aware
that Mr. Van Allan. . .

. . .was conducting extramarital affairs,
weren't you?

I heard rumors of that, yes.

Did you approve of the behavior?

On the contrary,
I found it repugnant.

Emblematic of the decline
in moral values which has occurred . . .

under the Van Allan-Stewart
administration.

Then let me ask you, sir:

How did it make you feel
when you saw Mr. Van Allan. . .

. . .a man engaged in these
morally repugnant acts. . .

. . .lead you in the polls by 1 2 points?

I place my faith in the people,
not in the polls.

Your Honor, request that the witness
stop campaigning . . .

. . .and answer the question.

-Mr. Garfield?
-Sorry, Your Honor.

I'll try to be more succinct.

WYLER:
Let me be more succinct, Mr. Garfield .

Tom Van Allan was kicking
your butt, wasn't he?

I was behind in some polls.

-You were desperate, weren't you?
ROGER: No.

I had every confidence that once we
got our message out there. . .

. . .we'd get the votes we needed .

Do you know Terry Philbrick?

Yes. He was Tom Van Allan's
mole in my campaign.

And how do you know that?

I' m not really sure.
Perhaps one of my staff informed me.

ls it because you had my office bugged
and heard Mr. Philbrick tell me?

Your Honor, could Mr. Wyler be
admonished on his continued attempts. . .

. . .to try to introduce evidence
through questions?

-Rephrase, Mr. Wyler.
-I withdraw the question.

May I approach the witness?

Mr. Garfield, I' m going to show
you Defense Exhibit S. . .

. . .which is a memo
from Terry Philbrick.

Would you read
the highlighted passage, please?

"At this point,
Garfield became agitated and said :

'The only way to prevent Van
Allan's election is to have him killed . ' "

-Did you say that?
-If I did, I' m sure it was gallows humor.

Let's be clear.
Did you, or did you not say it?

The more likely explanation is that
Mr. Philbrick had a vivid imagination.

Had . Past tense. Because
Mr. Philbrick is dead too. lsn't he?

After overdosing on cocaine,
as I understand it.

Tom Van Allan, Larry White,
Terry Philbrick.

ls there some reason that all these
people show up dead around you?

Perhaps you should ask an actuary.

Nothing further.

I found Mr. Wyler's attempts
to link me to this case. . .

. . .were as pathetic
as they were insulting .

The voters now know their next
governor has nothing to hide.

Mr. Wyler? Are you disappointed you
didn't deliver a knockout punch?

WYLER:
I wasn't trying to knock out anyone.

My job is to establish reasonable doubt
about the guilt of Sharon Rooney.

REPORTER: Do you feel you did that?
-Ask the jury.

Who are you voting for governor?

Hey, I've got an update for you
on Marlee Donovan's ex.

Donny McKee?

Justine's been prepping him for trial .

Make that "was. "

After Larry White went out the
back door on us, I put a tail on McKee.

Caught him at LAX trying to
board the redeye for Miami .

-Where is he now?
-The library.

Thought you'd want to talk with him
before he went on vacation.

What's going on, Mr. McKee?

That goon of yours. Where's
he get off manhandling me?

He was under the impression we had
a deal you were trying to back out of.

Well, yeah, he's right. I've changed
my mind about testifying .

I went to bat for you with the DA.

And to express my gratitude,
I'll send you a crate of oranges. . .

. . .and a Hurricanes cap
when I get to Miami .

I wouldn't be in such a hurry
to hobble out of here, Mr. McKee.

I stilI have to meet the DA
to finalize the deal .

I forget to show . . .

. . .and they'll issue a warrant
for your arrest on the original charges.

You' re threatening me now?

I' m just telling you that if you
don't testify as we agreed . . .

. . .you' re looking at 1 5 years
for possession for sale.

Plus, I subpoena you and suggest
to the jury that you had good reasons. . .

. . .to whack Marlee yourself.

You' re a real bastard .

You can count on it.

-Mr. Wyler?
-Oh, Dr. Hearn.

-Thanks a lot for coming .
-Sorry I' m late, I always. . .

-. . .get lost downtown.
-Oh, that's fine. Sit down.

As I told you on the phone. . .

. . . I' m not terribly eager to get dragged
into the Rooney case.

That's not my intention.

My other concern is protecting
Samantha's privacy.

Well, as I understand it,
the psychiatrist-patient privilege. . .

. . .was pierced by the malpractice suit.

lt was.

I would still prefer not to testify.

I don't think that's going
to be necessary.

I just need some information
to work with.

ls there anything that you can tell me
about Caroline Van Allan's sister?

Well, in many ways, she was the
mirror image of your client.

Pretty, fragile, prone to depression.

And when did you start treating her?

Her last year of college.
Right after her first suicide attempt.

And when did you learn about
the affair with Tom Van Allan?

Samantha told me
during one of our sessions.

I advised her against continuing it.

Suggested it was her way of expressing
rage towards Caroline.

And how did Van Allan
break off the affair?

One of his aides handled it.

Which hurt Samantha
more than the breakup.

That he'd choose to end it
in such an impersonal way.

Few days later she drowned
off St. Vincent.

The family pretended
it was an accidental death.

But it was a suicide.

The note she sent me
before she died made that pretty clear.

Did Caroline know about her husband's
affair with her sister Samantha?

I really couldn't say.

When my lawyers advised me
to release my case notes. . .

. . .they went to Mrs. Benedict's
lawyer, Louis Blaustein.

Shortly after that,
the family dropped the suit.

I suppose it's possible Caroline's mother
never shared this information.

Or, that if she did, Caroline is in
a state of denial about it.

Call Frank, tell him to find out
everything about this lawsuit.

And the subpoena on
Caroline Van Allan?

Serve it. We can release her
if we come up empty.

Assuming we do call her, you want
me to handle her on the stand?

-You' re losing faith in me already?
-No.

It's just given your romantic
involvement with her--

That's a mistake
I've backed away from .

But thanks for your concern.

I hope you remembered
to vote today, Mr. Wyler.

8:00 this morning, Mr. Dietrich.
I pulled the lever for Dan Stewart.

That's all right. I seriously doubt Roger
was counting on your support.

Actually I' m glad
we ran into each other.

There's something I've been
meaning to give you.

The videotape of our
conversation the other night?

In exchange for getting the charges
dropped against Laura Crimmins.

-That was our deal .
-Huh.

A rare breed in this modern world .
A man of his word .

Sir, would it be fair to say that you have
accumulated a vast fortune. . .

. . .through your various
business enterprises?

Hard work has its dividends, yes.

And in order to protect
this fortune, you. . .

. . .support some politicaI candidates
and oppose others, correct?

It's called democracy, sir.

It's common knowledge that you are
a Roger Garfield supporter.

How much money do you think
you put into his campaign?

I'd have to check, but I'd say in the
order of several million dollars.

WYLER: Even more with soft money
through your companies. . .

. . .and your political action committee?

-All legal .
WYLER: Then I' m curious.

Do you like Roger Garfield that much?

Or do you just hate
Tom Van Allan more?

I never hated Tom .

I did, however, come to view him
as a morally compromised man.

Because, as attorney general,
he prosecuted several top executives. . .

. . .at one of your chemical companies
for environmental violations?

Minor violations at best.

Which resulted in several millions of
dollars' worth of fines, if memory serves.

You also tangled with the governor
in his first term .

Once again,
over Merced Chemical, correct?

Merced became something of a
crusade for Tom at this point.

A trophy for him to hang on his wall .

What was the result of that action?

I was personally fined $3 million. . .

. . .and a subsidiary division
of Merced went bankrupt.

So your personal animus towards
the governor was pretty deep, wasn't it?

Well, we had our disagreements.

Didn't you hire Larry White to spy
on Tom Van Allan's campaign. . .

. . .and his personal life?

White approached me with information
he thought would be of interest.

But you could have turned
Larry White down?

If a man wants to betray
his long-time friend to my benefit, sir. . .

. . . he's the scoundrel, not me.

Did White tell you about the
governor's affair with Sharon Rooney?

-Yes.
WYLER: Did he tell you. . .

. . .Van Allan would be at
Lancaster's beach house. . .

. . .on the night of August 1 9th?

I don't believe so.

ls that what your politician friends
call a nondenial denial?

Objection. Argumentative.

Sustained .

Did Larry White tell you about a . 22
caliber pistol he gave to his girlfriend . . .

. . .who also was Sharon
Rooney's roommate?

I don't recall .

Because, if you did, you would be
admitting that you had the means. . .

. . .opportunity and motive
to kill the governor?

GRASSO: Objection!
BELL: Sustained .

The jury will disregard
Mr. Wyler's last statement.

If Mr. Garfield gets elected . . .

. . .that would ease your problems
with Merced Chemical, wouldn't it?

I' m optimistic it will, yes.

And you'd like for this trial
to go away too?

I don't have any feelings
about it one way or the other.

You didn't come into my office
to discuss a plea bargain. . .

-. . .offered by Mr. Garfield for my client?
-Objection. lrrelevant.

-Goes to motive, Your Honor.
BELL: Overruled .

We did discuss the plea bargain, yes.

I thought it might
benefit everyone involved .

So much so, you attempted to blackmail
me into accepting it, didn't you?

-That's ludicrous.
WYLER: Really?

So if I asked you to pull that
videotape out of your pocket. . .

. . .and play it for us, it would
show us discussing the weather.

ls that your testimony?

Your silence speaks volumes, sir.

CAROLINE: Jimmy.
WYLER: Good evening, Caroline.

Working late, counselor?

A man knocked on my door tonight with
a delivery from Wyler and Associates.

I must admit, I was hoping for roses.

Roses aren't usually sent
with a subpoena.

-You want to tell me what's going on?
-I don't think so.

You know, I occasionally read
those women's magazines.

They have these articles
about how couples. . .

. . .shouldn't keep secrets
from one another.

After you testify,
I think our decks will be clear.

I'll know why you've
been avoiding me?

-I haven't been avoiding you.
-Don't try and con me.

I was married to Tom Van Allan.

I have perfect pitch when it comes
to detecting the half-truths men tell .

And more than a little experience
at telling your own.

Am I in trouble here?
Should I have a lawyer?

Might not be a bad idea.
Who handles that for you?

Louis Blaustein.

He's a good lawyer.

I' m sure he'll give you
excellent advice on your subpoena.

I don't know what you' re up to.

But I have the impression we' re not
going to be friends when this is over.

-Well, I hope that isn't the case.
-Me too.

NEWSCASTER ION TV] :
In one of the closest races, , ,

, , ,in modern California history
Los Angeles District Attorney, , ,

, , ,Roger Garfield has won
a razor-thin victory, , ,

, , , over incumbent governor,
Dan Stewart,

Victory came at 1,,00 this morning
when all three major networks

, , , declared Garfield the winner, THis was
the scene at Garfield headquarters, , ,

, , ,at the Century Plaza Hotel as the
governor-elect addressed his supporters,

ROGER ION TV] :
THank you very much!

-I want to read a telegram Ijust received,
-Governor Garfield .

Why does that stick in my throat?

We' re all gagging .

ROGER: Congratulations on your
hard-fought victory,

I look forward to working with you
in the days ahead, , ,

, , , to make California truly
the Golden State,

THank you, Governor Stewart,
for your, , , ,

-Have you heard about Rickey Latrell?
WYLER: Yeah.

Anybody spoken with Docknovich?

He's still down at Parker Center.

Oh, a telegram came for you.

"See you in Macy's window . Bring
your ChapStick. Governor Garfield . "

In other news, police have arrested
basketball great, Rickey Latrell, , ,

, , , for the murder of Las Vegas
Storm owner Sandy Fortas,

THe arrest came at 2,,00 this morning
outside the House of Blues, , ,

, , , on the Sunset Strip,

You should have called me
to arrange a surrender.

lnstead, you grab Rickey at 2 in the
morning and slap handcuffs on him .

Talk to the cops.
I had nothing to do with that.

That's crap. You wanted
to embarrass him and us.

There's no love lost between
this office and your firm .

The word came down.
We had him arrested .

That's more courtesy than your boy gave
Fortas when he emptied his .38 into him .

-" Boy" ?
-Figure of speech.

You could take lessons
in racial sensitivity from your boss.

Garfield waited so he wouldn't
alienate the black vote. . .

. . . by arresting an African-American
superstar.

-Your interpretation.
-An arraignment, as soon as possible.

Yeah, I'lI see what I can do.

But I wouldn't count on Mr. Latrell
walking out of jail anytime soon.

Get me out of here.

CHRIS: That wilI have to wait
for the arraignment, Rickey.

Well, when is that?

Probably tomorrow morning .

Wait a minute.

-I have to stay in here until tomorrow?
-That's assuming we get bail .

This arraignment. . . .

It's going to be on TV?

-Probably.
-Mm-hm .

That means my mother's
going to see it.

I've called you in before court today
because Mrs. Van Allan. . .

. . . has filed a complaint of witness
tampering against Mr. Wyler.

WYLER:
What?

She says you seduced her, then urged
her to change her testimony.

-That is ridiculous.
BELL: Please, Mr. Wyler.

Don't insult me by denying
you had a relationship with her.

WYLER: It's been acknowledged in court
that we had relations, Your Honor.

I' m not going to deny it,
or defend it.

Was I guilty of bad judgment? Yes.

But it was after her testimony,
with her full consent.

And now you've recalled her.

Well, I've received some new evidence
that I hadn't anticipated .

Maybe you should have thought a little
more than six inches into your future.

I've looked the other way far too many
times with you already, Mr. Wyler.

Your antics in the courtroom,
the loan from Mrs. Van Allan.

I've returned that.

And your consistent lack
of respect for this court.

Respect is a two-way street,
Your Honor.

And with all due respect, I didn't suborn
perjury or seduce Caroline Van Allan.

She knows why we want to call her, and
doesn't want to answer our questions.

That's the reason for this.

Your Honor, the only
appropriate measure here. . .

. . .is to have Mr. Wyler
removed from this case.

I am tempted, Ms. Grasso.

But the removal of Mr. Wyler
at this point would cause undue harm . . .

. . .to Ms. Rooney's defense.

So you'll continue as the attorney
of record, Mr. Wyler.

But at the conclusion of this trial . . .

MCKEE: I met Marlee right after
she came out here from Minneapolis.

My band was playing at this club off
the Strip, and she showed up one night.

We talked between sets.

She was a major hottie,
so I asked her out.

A month later, we were living together.

How was Marlee supporting
herseIf at that time?

She was a model .
Or trying to be.

She'd done some print work,
some little runway.

And then she got hired for
one of those underwear catalogues.

A big shoot down in Baja.
She was stoked .

And how did her new job
affect your relationship?

Well, I didn't have to
support her anymore.

And then she started working
a lot, making decent money.

And then one day she came home,
and she said she was moving out.

Did she say why?

She had met someone else.

Wouldn't say who, but made it
sound like he was some big shot.

What did you do?

MCKEE:
I made a fool out of myself, basically.

I mean, I was in love with this girl .

You know, I begged her to stay.

Told her if she needed space, I'd
give it to her. Whatever she wanted .

And then how did she respond?

She walked out. I had--

I'd had a couple of drinks
and I guess I . . . .

I slapped her around a little.

WYLER: Well, two days after this,
Mr. McKee, something happened to you.

What was that?

Yeah.

This.

lt was maybe 1 0 at night.

I was practicing .
There was a knock at the door.

I went to open it, and these two guys
just pushed their way in.

What kind of guys?

You know, muscle.

One of them had a New York accent.

He told me I should stay away
from Marlee. . .

. . .that she was somebody else's now .

And then they just--
They just started whaling on me.

They broke my leg
and fractured my cheek.

They say what would
happen if you tried to see her?

Oh, yeah. They'd kill me.

WYLER: They would kill anyone
who got involved with Marlee.

lncluding the governor
of California, right?

Objection. Calls for speculation.

-Sustained .
WYLER: No more questions, Your Honor.

Sir, were you recently charged
with possessing methamphetamine?

-Yes, I was.
GRASSO: Has Mr. Wyler. . .

. . . been assisting you in getting
that charge reduced?

He's been talking to someone
in the DA's office.

So, since he's been helping you,
you've been helping him here today. . .

. . . by saying the things
he wants you to say?

No, I've been telling the truth.

The truth as told by a long-time abuser
of methamphetamine, correct?

I've had my problems in that area.

lsn't it possible that this attack
that you described . . .

. . .was related to your drug dealing?
And had nothing to do with Marlee?

No, this was about Marlee.

GRASSO: This case has been
on the news for months, Mr. McKee.

Why is it that you' re
just coming forward now?

Because I was scared .

lt couldn't be that you needed time to
get your story straight with Mr. Wyler?

-Objection.
GRASSO: Withdrawn.

Thank you, Mr. McKee.

Your Honor.

The defense calls Caroline Van Allan.

Mrs. Van Allan, did your late
husband, Tom Van Allan. . .

. . . have a sexual relationship with your
sister in the year prior to her death?

-No.
WYLER: No?

Then could you tell us
who Dr. Gretchen Hearn is?

She was my sister's therapist.

Who your mother,
Helen Benedict. . .

. . .sued for wrongful death
after your sister's death, correct?

-Yes.
WYLER: I' m going to show you. . .

. . . Dr. Hearn's notes on your
sister's treatment. . .

. . . released in the wake
of the lawsuit.

-I'd like you to read a portion of them .
-Objection, Your Honor.

If Mr. Wyler's purpose here is to cause
Mrs. Van Allan further pain. . .

-. . . he's more than accomplished that.
-Overruled . I want to hear this.

Would you read the highlighted portions,
please, Mrs. Van Allan?

" Patient reports she's begun an affair
with her sister's husband .

She displays little remorse or insight. "

I don't know why my sister
told the doctor that. . .

. . . but I can assure you,
she never told me.

WYLER: Have you ever read those
notes prior to today?

CAROLINE:
No, of course not.

They weren't released
to your family during the lawsuit?

To my mother and her lawyer, Louis.

I' m sorry, I didn't quite
catch the whole name.

Louis Blaustein.

-And who's your lawyer?
-You already know .

WYLER:
For the court.

Louis Blaustein.

WYLER: Can you tell us when
these notes were released?

How? I've never seen them before.

Well, there is a date stamped on there
from Mr. Blaustein's law firm .

Would you read it, please?

"July 1 4th, 1 996. "

WYLER: Two weeks before your family
dropped the lawsuit. . .

. . .and a month before your
husband was murdered .

I don't see the connection.

Didn't you tell me that you moved out
of your husband's bedroom in July?

-I told you that in privacy.
-Nevertheless, it is true, isn't it?

And that you stopped traveling
with your husband in July?

-Yes.
WYLER: Yet you expect us to believe. . .

. . .that you've never seen these notes
before? That you had no idea. . .

. . .that your husband
had begun a reckless affair. . .

. . .with your emotionally fragile sister. . .

. . .who jumped off a boat and killed
herseIf when he tried to end the affair?

I' m sorry. I just--

I will never believe that my sister
had an affair with Tom .

Mrs. Van Allan, I have no desire to
make you relive this painful episode.

But you are lying, aren't you?
You knew about your husband's affair.

-No. I did not.
WYLER: And when you found out. . .

. . .you weren't only angry,
you were fit to kill?

Your Honor, how much more of this
is Mrs. Van Allan supposed to take?

As long as it takes
to get to the truth, Ms. Grasso.

Why are you doing this?

Because, Mrs. Van Allan,
I can't save your sister. . .

. . . but I can save her.

Richard Hayes Latrell .

You are charged with murder
in the first degree.

A violation of California Penal Code
section 1 87. How do you plead?

Christopher Docknovich on behaIf of
Mr. Latrell . We enter a plea of not guilty.

-On the issue of bail--
-Brian Geller for the people.

We strongly oppose bail .

We believe the defendant
represents a flight risk.

Where does Mr. Geller think
he's gonna go?

He still charters his own jet,
Your Honor.

Putting him within reach of the one or
two countries that don't follow the NBA.

Your Honor, my client is eager
to demonstrate his innocence.

We assure the court that he will
be ready and available for trial .

Was he ready and available
on December 1 6th, 1 992. . .

. . .when he was to appear
in Santa Monica Municipal Court?

Mr. Docknovich?

Mr. Geller is referring to an infraction of
the California Vehicle Code 4000A.

The nonregistration of one of
Mr. Latrell's many vehicles.

His reasons for failing to appear
are documented .

He was in his rookie season
and assumed . . .

. . .that his manager would take care
of the matter. He regrets. . .

. . .inconveniencing the court and is well
aware of the gravity of the situation.

So am I, Mr. Docknovich.

Dr. Boros, did you recently perform a
psychiatric evaluation of Sharon Rooney?

-Yes, I did .
JUSTINE: And what was your diagnosis?

That Sharon suffers from
borderline personality disorder.

Would you define that, doctor?

Yes. Borderline personalities tend to
form relationships in which. . .

. . .their identities become merged
with that of the significant other.

They fear abandonment.

They become severely depressed
when that abandonment occurs.

Did this happen
with Governor Van Allan?

BOROS:
Yes.

JUSTINE: Would this predispose her
to harm the governor?

No. High-functioning borderlines with no
history of violence or substance abuse. . .

. . .are much more likely to direct
that anger toward themselves.

Which, in fact, she did when she
attempted to hang herseIf in her cell .

That's correct.

Doctor, the jury saw Sharon stand here
several weeks ago and declare:

" I' m the one who's guilty.
I should be punished . "

-Was this a confession to murder?
-In my professional opinion, no.

That declaration came during
her husband's testimony.

Sharon feels a great deal of guilt
over what she sees. . .

. . .as her betrayal of her husband .

By coming to his defense,
she was attempting to remerge. . .

. . . her identity with his.

Acutely depressed borderlines will
often say or do anything they think. . .

. . .will win their significant other back.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Lot of fancy words there, doctor.

Any of them make it impossible
for Sharon Rooney to be a murderer?

Unlikely, but not impossible.

So then, it's possible, doctor,
that the defendant. . .

. . .in the wake of this abandonment
depression you described . . .

. . . might commit an act of violence
without any previous history. Correct?

I'd be very surprised .

Now you stated that
borderline personalities. . .

. . .will do or say anything to win
back their significant others.

-Does that include telling the truth?
-lt can.

So when Miss Rooney stood up in court
and said, " I am the one who's guilty" . . .

. . .she may have been confessing
to two brutal murders.

Just as common sense would tell
you that she was, correct?

I don't think that's what she was doing .
But I can't preclude the possibility.

Because you weren't at that beach
house the night these murders occurred .

-No.
MARK: Hm .

Thank you, doctor.

Your Honor.

The defense calls Sharon Rooney.

Well, I grew up in Bellflower.

My dad died when I was 4.

My mom, she was a strict Catholic. She
made sure we went to Mass every week.

I never minded it.
lt always gave me a lot of comfort.

WYLER:
Do you still go to Mass?

Yeah, I go. I go to the chapel in jail
now a couple times a week.

WYLER:
Do you pray?

Yes.

WYLER:
For what?

For forgiveness.

And what do you ask God
to forgive you for?

For aborting my baby.

For cheating on my husband .

WYLER: Now, your husband
is a medical student, right?

SHARON : Yes.
-Tell us about that.

What it's like being
married to a medical student.

Well, you never see your husband much.

They' re either working
at the hospital . . .

. . .or sleeping so they can go back.

Was that the only reason
that you never saw your husband?

No. I found out he was having an
affair with one of his nurses, later.

WYLER: So you were pretty vulnerable
when you met Tom Van Allan.

Now, when did you meet the governor?

My roommate, Sally,
she worked in his campaign.

I met Tom at a fundraiser
that she took me to.

And what was that like?

lt was like a fairy tale.

Tom was so charming .
lt had been a long time since I'd . . . .

Since I'd had that kind
of attention from a man.

WYLER:
And he swept you off your feet?

The next weekend . . .

. . .Tom asked me. . .

. . .to meet him
at Dean Lancaster's beach house.

And I spent the night.

And I am so sorry, Kyle.

How often did you see Tom after that?

Just whenever he was in town.

Usually at Dean's house.

WYLER: Did there come a time
when one of the governor's aides. . .

. . .called you to talk
about your relationship with him?

Larry White.

He told me that
Mrs. Van Allan had . . .

. . .found out about us
and that Tom couldn't see me anymore.

After you stopped, did something
happen to cause you. . .

-. . .to contact the governor again?
-Yes. I found out I was pregnant.

Since Kyle and I hadn't been sleeping
together, I knew the baby was Tom's.

And when I told him, he said
that I had to get an abortion.

WYLER:
And did you?

Yes.

WYLER:
Will you tell us about that?

Well, it was terrible.

lt was terrible. The room
that they do it in is so cold .

And all these people
are standing over you.

All these strangers
with masks on their faces.

And when it's over,
you just feel really empty inside.

Now, Sharon, you' re a Catholic.

How could you have an abortion? lsn't
it against the teaching of the Church?

I did it for Tom . He promised
to marry me after the election.

What happened after you
had the abortion?

Well, he stopped taking
my phone calls.

We never spoke again.

Let's go back to the night
of August 1 9th.

-Now, did you receive a phone call?
-Yes.

From a man who told me
that he was one of Tom's aides.

And he told me that Tom wanted
to see me out at the beach house.

Had you ever talked to this,
this aide before?

SHARON : No. He just said he
worked with Larry.

WYLER: Did you go out to the house?
-Yes.

And what happened
when you got there?

Well, I did what I usually did .

I parked . . .

. . .on Pacific Coast Highway. . .

. . .and I walked down
the beach to the house.

And I walked up the back stairs. . .

. . .to the bedroom .

And there was Tom and some girl .

And blood everywhere.

lt was horrible.

WYLER:
They were dead .

-And then what did you do?
SHARON : I ran out of the house.

I got back into my car and . . . .

I started to drive down PCH .
I' m not even sure where I was going .

All I can remember. . .

. . .was hitting a car and being arrested .

Now, did you have your roommate's
gun with you on that night?

-No.
-And later did you tell Adrienne Orduno. . .

. . .you killed the governor and tossed
the gun over a wall near Big Rock?

No, I did not.

And when you got up in this court. . .

. . .and you said " I' m the guilty one.
I' m the one who should be punished " . . .

-. . .what were you referring to?
-To the abortion.

WYLER: You still feel pretty guilty
about that, don't you?

It's the worst thing I've ever done.

Your witness.

Do you need a moment, Ms. Rooney?

No, it's okay. I' m all right.

This is the first time you've told this
story to anyone but your lawyers?

Yes.

Why didn't you tell it
to the police that night?

Well, I was in shock.

Seeing Tom . . .

. . .look like that, I just kept
thinking God must be. . .

. . .trying to show me something .
He must be trying to punish me.

-But you were at the beach house?
-Yes.

GRASSO: You were in the room
with the bloody bodies. . .

. . .of Governor Van Allan
and Marlee Donovan?

Yes.

So the only question
is whether you pulled the trigger.

I didn't.

Did you know your roommate
had a gun?

Yes.

GRASSO:
Do you know where she kept it?

She kept it in her dresser drawer.

GRASSO: So you were at the beach
house at the time of the murders.

You had access
to your roommate's gun.

Weren't you also angry
at the governor?

No.

Well, I don't understand .

Didn't you say that the abortion
was the worst thing you'd ever done?

-Yes.
GRASSO: And yet you weren't angry. . .

. . .at the person who made you
do this terrible thing?

I don't know . I don't know . Maybe I was.
Maybe secretly I' m glad he's dead .

Because he deserves to be dead
for what he did to you and your baby.

Mm-hm .

Ms. Rooney, this story about one
of the governor's aides calling you.

-You made that up, didn't you?
-No, I didn't.

When you stood up and declared,
" I' m the one who's guilty. . .

. . . I' m the one
who should be punished " . . .

. . .you were confessing to murder,
weren't you?

Of my baby, not Tom .

Redirect, Mr. Wyler?

Sharon. . .

. . .if you were making up a story,
you wouldn't admit you were. . .

-. . .at the beach house that night.
-No.

Now, wouldn't it just be easier to say
that you were driving on the PCH?

Yeah.

WYLER:
Sharon.

Do you care if this jury convicts you?

I don't want them to convict me.

But if they do. . . .

If they do, and I get executed,
at least I'll be with my baby.

I didn't look at the jury like you said .
Do you think they believed me?

Yeah, I think they did .

lt was hard .

Going through all that again.

You did great, Sharon.

You' re a lot stronger than you think.

Would you mind saying
a rosary with me?

A rosary?

Oh, you aren't Catholic?

More of the lapsed variety.

Would you just kneel with me, please?

Uh. . . .

Please?

In the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth. . .

. . .and in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord . . .

. . .who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. . .

. . .suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried .

He descended into hell .

On the third day, he arose again. . .

. . .and is seated at the right hand
of God, the Father Almighty.

From thence he shall come
to judge the living and the dead .

And his kingdom wilI have no end .

ISPEAKING lNDISTINCTLY]

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