Original subtitles

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.

Hello?

Is someone there?

Are you following me?

Shh.

Be quiet

if you know what's good for you.

God damn, you're hot.

You can't do this!

What's that?

I don't know, but it doesn't matter.

- Wait. - I'm out of here.

That's good. Thank you.

What's up, partner?

Sorry.

I was asleep when the call came in.

Glad you could make it.

- Partner, huh? - Mm-hmm.

- So it's official. - If you'll have me.

What do we got?

Vic is Alexander West.

Watch, wallet, wedding ring all accounted for.

- Phone? - Haven't found it yet.

I'm thinking killer might have snagged it.

So he fell directly on his head,

snapped his neck. Probably died instantly.

At least he got that.

Hand is bagged.

MLI found skin under his fingernails.

I'm hoping it's the killer. I'll flag it for the lab.

So the witness said he heard some yelling.

He looked up, saw a guy get shoved

- off here at about 11:38 p.m. - He see who did the pushing?

He said he couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman,

but given where we are, safe bet it's a man.

So the witness, his name is Travis Nell.

He's 32.

And just so you know, he's not happy

about being on record for being here,

for obvious reasons.

- Why? - It's the Ramble.

It's a hookup spot for dudes.

I thought there were apps for that now.

Hey, man, some people like to keep it anonymous, you know?

Right.

Oh, my bad. Are you...

Me? No, I got a wife and three kids.

I learned about the Ramble from this Al Pacino movie,

"Cruising." You ever seen it?

I have not.

Looks like he had a wife too.

Ah, so much for keeping secrets.

Alex and I have been married for 32 years.

He was my whole life.

Did your husband mention where he was going

or who he was with last night?

No.

He...

he just... he said that he was gonna be home late,

that I shouldn't wait up for him,

so, uh, I went to bed.

What time was that?

Uh, around 10:30?

When I woke up this morning and I saw he wasn't there,

I knew something was wrong.

I've spent the past hour calling every hospital

in the city to... to see if...

Do you have any idea

why he would be in that area

of the park at 11:30 at night?

Uh, oh... oh, it's not what you think.

I know what happens there, but... but Alex isn't gay.

He's the executive editor

of "The New York Ledger's" news division.

What does that have to do with where his body was found?

According to Susan West, her husband learned

about the Ramble early on in his journalism career.

Same qualities that make it a good place for anonymous sex

make it good for confidential sources.

She said he's been using that spot

- for that ever since. - Well, that makes sense.

Or it's a really good cover story for your wife.

Yeah, she was able to provide us with a phone.

It wasn't missing from the crime scene,

'cause someone stole it.

He actually left it at home.

He was real Woodward and Bernstein about all this stuff.

Went out of his way to protect his sources,

never took his phone to a meeting,

didn't want to be tracked,

never took a direct route,

used burner phones for communication.

Well, that doesn't mean there won't be anything

- of note on the phone. - We sent it over to the techs.

They're working to unlock it now.

DNA.

Did you hear back from Forensics?

Yeah, uh...

ran it through the system, but no hits.

Lab says the sample's only good for comparison matching.

Not enough there to create an independent profile.

It seems like there's a good chance

that his murder had something to do with his work, so...

Hey, why don't we head over to "The Ledger"

offices right now.

We can figure out what West was up to.

- Right. - Cool.

Later.

Hey.

- Hm? - You good?

Yeah.

Just, uh, adjusting to the change.

Daniella?

I hear you're the new executive editor.

At least for the time being.

Cynthia Morrow, the paper's owner,

called me this morning

and asked me to cover in Alex's absence.

Did you know Alex West?

Not well, but we've crossed paths over the years.

He seemed like a good guy.

And he was a damn good journalist.

Well, we have reason to believe he was possibly

meeting a source last night.

We're wondering if you might know who that was?

Or what story he might have been working on?

I don't. Sorry.

I'm still getting up to speed

on the articles he was overseeing.

But you should talk to Mark Lancer.

He's our senior reporter. He reported directly to Alex.

They had their own thing. They were tight.

- The guy on the phone? - Yeah.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

If Alex was in the Ramble, then he was definitely

meeting with a source.

It's been his go-to spot as long as I've known him.

We understand you two were close?

Uh, he taught me everything I know about

what it means to be a reporter.

The man was a legend.

If democracy dies in the dark, Alex was the light.

Well, he actually did die in the dark,

and we're just trying to figure out why.

I wish I knew what he was investigating,

but I've been buried in my own workload the past few days.

Um, we're doing a profile, Tanner Hunt.

The Democrat running for Senate in South Carolina.

Yeah, not familiar.

But based upon what I do know, it sounds like a long shot.

Yeah, according to the polls, he actually has a shot.

Crazy, if you think about it.

Ivy League liberal resonating with Southern voters, huh?

Mm.

He's the new poster boy for the Democratic Party.

- Right. - I was up half the night

finishing my profile on him,

much to my wife's chagrin.

Anyone else around here who might know

- who he was meeting with? - Not likely.

Alex was vigilant about protecting

confidential sources.

Where are you guys at in your investigation?

Do you have any suspects? Persons of interest?

We ask the questions here. We don't answer them.

Sorry.

Force of habit.

That's OK.

Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt him?

Sure.

I mean, you know,

publishing the truth earns you a lot of enemies.

Anyone specific come to mind?

Something recent, maybe?

Um,

you know, we were supposed to go

to print soon on an exposé.

Uh, subject is a guy who runs a, um...

a taxi fleet out of Queens.

Ah. Yeah.

He went ballistic.

Made all kinds of threats.

This guy Zayne?

- I... I believe so. - Henry Street?

Yeah.

Yo, NYPD man, where's your boss?

Back there.

Zayne Hassim?

- You cops? - What gave it away?

Want to talk to you about Alexander West.

Not interested.

Nah, that was a statement, not a question.

Look, I'm running late to a couple meetings,

- so if you two wouldn't mind... - Got a listening problem.

That was a statement, not a question.

- Don't touch me. - Or what?

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Come on, guys.

Let's just do this the easy way.

I couldn't agree more.

Let's talk about this downtown, sir?

I didn't have anything to do with what happened to that guy.

You got two priors for aggravated assault,

and you threatened to kill a man yesterday

that was thrown off a bridge last night.

So you're gonna have to give us a little something more

- than that. - Like what?

Like what?

For starters, why'd you refuse to talk to us?

I thought you were there to talk about all the lies

that reporter was spreading about me.

You mean that you were employing unlicensed drivers

and forging official reports to cover up

- the accidents they caused. - Fake news.

I really hate when people say that.

It's true.

Alex West had documents,

videos,

and on-the-record sources.

Yeah, looks like real news to me.

All of my guys were licensed.

But some of them ran into immigration problems,

- which voided those licenses. - OK, I get that.

'Cause it's not fair.

So you just let the guys keep driving?

This is a sanctuary city.

And they're as good a driver today

as they were yesterday, so...

So you broke the law,

and Alex West was publishing an article

to expose that fact.

And that would've been very bad for you, right?

A taxi medallion used to be worth over a million dollars.

Now, a thousand, tops.

There's the Ubers and the Lyfts.

Now these self-driving cars are coming in.

Taxi business can't take any more blows.

Makes sense to me, 'cause a man's gotta do

what a man's gotta do to protect his business.

So you kill West to kill the story

and protect your business.

- I wasn't protecting anybody. - I...

Yellow cabs have been a pillar of this city

for over a hundred years.

If West was a real New Yorker, he would never publish

that trash, true or not.

Unfortunately for you, that's not how journalism works, sir.

Look, I admit I threatened the guy, OK?

But that's it.

I didn't follow through on it.

Where were you last night around 11:30 p.m.?

At the Jersey Shore with my family.

Cape May. Drove back this morning.

Would you be willing to voluntarily submit

to a DNA test?

All right, thank you.

Lou, Hassim's alibi checks out.

And his DNA wasn't a match.

So where does that leave us?

We know anyone else pissed enough at our vic to kill him?

Well, maybe the, uh, techs finally got done

unlocking West's phone.

Got 26 missed calls from the same number oven seven days.

Got a name?

Peter Glazer.

- The op-ed guy? - Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I'm more of a sports guy than editorials, so.

He just writes all of these contrarian articles

like he's trying to rile up as many people as possible.

Well, the day of the murder,

West finally picked up his phone call.

They talked for two minutes, and then he blocked his number.

So do we know what was going on with these guys?

Not exactly, but I'm guessing

it has something to do with the fact

that Glazer just got fired.

But West ran the news division.

That wouldn't have been his call.

Oh, you tell that to Peter Glazer.

Posted this last week.

"That man stabbed me in the back.

I plan to do the same to him one day."

I really will never understand

people's urge to tell on themselves in public.

Go talk to the guy.

I didn't kill him.

We've seen your posts.

I stand by every negative thing I said about that man.

- So you didn't like him? - Correct.

And why is that?

Because he was a little baby.

Didn't want anyone to speak their mind,

unless, of course, it confirmed his point of view.

Ah, so you blame him for getting you fired?

Is that what you're saying?

I criticized a few articles

Alex published for being liberally biased,

and he threw a temper tantrum.

Demanded I be fired. And he got his wish.

And that pissed you off.

Of course, it did.

I was just doing what I was supposed to do,

what I was getting paid to do... speak my mind.

But, you know, that scares people like Alex West.

The point is, I refused to conform

to his liberal politics, and he got me fired.

- So you returned the favor? - Oh, please.

I didn't kill Alex.

Truth is, I owe the man a debt of gratitude.

For what, getting you fired?

I have a lot of fans,

and one of them is a guy named Mason Croft.

You just name-drop a billionaire to me?

Yeah.

He loved that I was an independent thinker.

So he made me editor-in-chief of "The Nation Tonight."

That's why I was calling Alex.

That's why you called him 26 times.

I wanted him to know that I landed on my feet,

that I was now in charge of one of the highest rated

news shows in the country.

- You called him to gloat? - Damn right.

Would you be willing to submit to a DNA test?

Not without a warrant.

I know better than to trust the NYPD with my personal data.

But there's no way I could've murdered Alex.

The night he was killed, I was flying back to New York

on Mason Croft's GV.

You can check.

We will.

Uh, I do think that I can be of some assistance to you,

though, now that I'm on the news side of the business.

Um, according to my sources, the night Alex was killed,

he had dinner with "The Ledger's" owner,

Cynthia Morrow.

How does that qualify as news?

Glazer's alibi checks out.

On the night of the murder,

he was on Mason Croft's private jet

as they returned from a weekend in Macau.

Billionaire's a nice friend to have, I guess.

He was also telling the truth about Morrow and West

getting into a nasty argument the night of the murder.

Check this out.

Do we know what they were arguing about?

The audio is too cluttered to pick up the conversation.

And this later.

Just watch.

She got pushy.

My client had nothing to do with

what happened to Alex West.

What were you and West arguing about

the day he was murdered?

It was nothing serious.

Sure looked serious.

Ms. Morrow has said all she has to say on the matter,

so unless you're gonna charge her with something,

we're done here.

OK.

If that's what you want, we'll go.

And we are going to call a press conference stating

that Ms. Morrow here is a person of interest

in the murder of one of her top employees,

and she's refusing to cooperate in our investigation.

I think that's something your competitors are

gonna have a lot of fun with.

Are you attempting to blackmail

my client with bad press?

I told Alex that he had to reduce

newsroom personnel by 40%.

We need to cut costs.

In case you haven't noticed,

news isn't very profitable these days.

I'm not sure it should be.

I'm not sure my investors would agree.

OK, so you told Alex you had to cut costs,

and then what happened?

I told him the new plan was to double down on AI,

have it originate most of our articles,

and then he and the other staffers

would edit what it wrote.

And I'm assuming that made him upset.

More like furious.

Said it would be the death of real journalism.

I don't necessarily disagree,

but I'm not running a charity.

And this death is going to happen no matter what.

OK, then why are you the one getting in his face?

Why are you grabbing him?

Because he was making a scene,

and I didn't want anyone to overhear what

we were discussing.

I'm sure it would be embarrassing if people

found out that your newspaper was using robots

to give them their daily news.

We live in strange times.

- Are we done here now? - No.

Where'd you go after the dinner?

I got into a car and went home.

She was telling the truth.

So I got this from a street cam across from the restaurant.

Cynthia Morrow got in a car headed south.

Alex West walked north on foot.

Spoke to the car service.

Driver said he took her all the way to a country house

in Connecticut.

There's no way she made it back into the city in time

to commit the murder.

Can you run that back a little bit?

Sure.

There.

Do you think that person could have been following our guy?

Let me pull up some other cams from the area.

OK, that's a block and a half later.

That's five blocks north.

OK, well, someone's definitely tailing West.

Can you run that through facial rec?

No need.

That's Tanner Hunt,

the guy running for Senate in South Carolina.

That's the guy "The Ledger" was

gonna publish a profile on?

Mr. Hunt?

Oh, sorry, gentlemen.

No time for press questions this morning.

We're on a tight schedule.

We're not reporters.

Detective Calvino, Detective Walker, NYPD.

Love to ask you some questions about Alexander West.

You got a sec?

Why don't you load in the bags.

I can handle this.

What can I do for you, detectives?

Why don't you start off by explaining

what you were doing stalking Alexander West

- the night of his murder? - Oh.

I wasn't stalking him.

I just wanted to speak to him, that's all.

And why didn't you just speak to him?

Well, I was waiting till we were somewhere more private.

I caught up to him a little while after that,

just outside Central Park.

We chatted.

- I went back to my hotel. - Right.

What'd you guys chat about?

"The Ledger" was doing a profile on me.

West kept delaying it.

I wanted to see why, make sure there were no surprises coming.

Worried about skeletons in your closet?

Yeah, well, we all have them.

Really?

- Yeah, just being honest. - Wow.

That's an honest politician. Got my vote, Tanner.

I just wanted reassurance that "The Ledger"

wasn't looking to bury me.

And what did West say?

Oh. He was great.

He said I had nothing to worry about.

Said that the article was gonna be complementary.

Actually, he used the word "glowing."

He said he was literally on his way

to meet with the reporter who interviewed me,

go over a couple of things, and then send him to print.

He was meeting with the reporter?

- Mm-hmm. - That night?

Mm-hmm.

Do you have a name for this reporter?

Come on, Tanner.

I told you.

I was home that night writing.

- You can ask my wife. - Oh, we did.

Sometimes wives lie to protect their husbands.

Yeah, we have a witness who says West was on his way

to the park to meet up with you.

That's weird.

I don't know why Alex would say that.

I-I mean,

I-I really don't know why he would say that.

I think you do.

- I think you do. - Ah.

- Damn it. - Let me help you out here.

- You need that? - Thank you.

Yeah.

You always wear makeup on your hands?

Let me see that.

Or is it just when you push someone off a bridge?

That's not...

I scratched it the other day replacing,

um, an ink cartridge in one of our printers.

OK, right.

Yeah, 'cause that happens a lot.

Would you submit to a DNA test?

I think I need a lawyer.

I think you do too. Come on.

Well, Mark Lancer's DNA was a match to the skin

found under West's fingernails.

Police also found video that shows Lancer leaving

his apartment building through a back exit

about an hour before West was killed

which, not only shows that he had opportunity

to commit the murder, but that he lied to detectives.

Motive?

From what I understand, Lancer and Alex West

weren't just colleagues, they were close friends.

West had just come back from dinner with

"The Ledger's" owner, where he was ordered

to fire 40% of his staff.

So we're assuming West told Lancer he was on his way out.

Lancer got upset.

They argued, and he pushed him off the bridge.

I know journalists are fighting for their lives, but

why were they meeting in a remote section of the park?

West could've told Lancer he was getting fired anywhere.

They worked together, saw each other every day at the office.

We're not entirely sure.

We do know that it was West's preferred spot

for covert communication.

Maybe he wanted to deliver the message somewhere private?

He was under a strict order from his boss

to keep the papers planned use of AI confidential.

The fact that he lied about his alibi

shows consciousness of guilt and proves he wasn't

at home when West was killed.

But it doesn't prove he was in the park.

Make sure you can place him at the scene

at the time of the murder.

We appreciate you coming in.

I know you have a lot going on right now.

We just need to go over your testimony.

Yeah, so, uh, in the statement you gave to police,

you said that West told you that he was

on his way to meet Mark Lancer

- and then headed into the park. - That's right.

It's important that we make it crystal clear for the jury

that West specifically said Lancer's name

and that this conversation was roughly

15 minutes before he was killed.

- Well, he did, and it was. - All right, perfect.

So when I ask about your conversation with Alex West...

Mr. Price, I'm gonna stop you right there.

I won't be testifying.

Tanner Hunt is refusing to testify.

He's worried that any association

with the murder trial could derail his Senate campaign.

He's a witness, not a defendant.

And a witness for the prosecution, no less.

He'd be helping us get justice.

We said the same thing, but he's convinced

that conservative media will somehow find a way

to use it to smear him.

Well, "The Nation Tonight" has already aired a piece

about his connection to the case,

claiming that Hunt's team was paying "The Ledger"

- for favorable coverage. - Yeah, I saw that.

They cited "unsubstantiated rumors."

Somehow those qualify as news now.

Unfortunately, Hunt's testimony

is our best shot at placing Lancer in the park that night.

Then we have to call him.

I sympathize with his situation.

Obviously, I'm no stranger to the campaign trail.

I know how brutal it is out there.

But we're talking about a murder here.

Well, I can issue a subpoena, but I'm not sure how effective

it'll be if he is hostile.

I'll reach out to his campaign manager,

make it clear that going to prison for contempt of court

and obstruction of justice will do a hell of a lot more damage

than any lies the conservative press can come up with.

Mr. Hunt, where exactly did your meeting with

Mr. West take place that night?

Just outside Central Park.

The 77th Street entrance.

And to be clear, he told you that

he was going at that very moment

- to meet up with someone? - Yes.

Not just someone.

He told me the person's name.

- Mark Lancer. - What time was this?

Around 11:15.

23 minutes later, Alex West was dead.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. Hunt, did you actually see Mr. Lancer at the park

that evening?

No.

So you can't say with any certainty that he was there?

- No. - But you were.

Excuse me?

Did you push Alex West off that bridge?

Objection, Your Honor.

It's a perfectly reasonable question.

Detectives initially spoke to Mr. Hunt as a suspect.

Overruled. Witness will answer.

For God's sake, no. I didn't push him.

But you did follow him that night.

I just wanted to speak to him.

In private.

Because he was about to publish an exposé on you,

and you were scared.

You knew that he could destroy your career.

That certainly sounds like motive to me.

It wasn't an exposé.

It was a profile.

And Mr. West assured me it was going to be positive.

Oh.

Well, I guess we'll just take your word for it.

And we all know how trustworthy politicians are.

Nothing further.

Redirect, Your Honor.

Where were you at 11:38 p.m. when Alex West was killed?

In an Uber on my way back to my hotel.

- And police verified this? - Yes.

The driver had a dash cam.

All right. Thank you.

So on the night of Alex West's murder,

you instructed him to fire 40%

of "The Ledger's" newsroom staff.

It broke my heart and Alex's, but yes.

Mark Lancer on the chopping block?

Mark was our most senior reporter

and therefore the highest paid.

Unfortunately, that put him at the top of the list.

So after that dinner,

Alex West had to deliver the news to the defendant

that he was being fired.

Yes.

How long have you known the defendant?

I don't know. At least 15 years.

Would you describe him as having a temper?

He's a hothead.

A lot of reporters are.

I guess the job requires a certain kind of temperament.

So it's reasonable to say that he would react poorly

- to finding out that he... - Objection.

Calls for speculation.

Withdrawn. Nothing further.

Ms. Morrow, did Alex West tell you

he was going to fire Mark Lancer that evening?

No.

But I made it clear to him that he had to be fired, and soon.

Were you aware that five days prior to your dinner,

Mark Lancer informed Mr. West that he had accepted

a job offer at a nonprofit dedicated

to protecting the First Amendment?

No.

So you were unaware that he'd already

submitted his resignation.

He was planning to leave at the end of the month.

Yes, I...

this is the first I'm hearing of it.

So to be clear, Alex West couldn't

have fired him that evening,

because he'd already quit.

Nothing further.

So we now know that West wasn't meeting Lancer

that night to fire him, so we think

that there's a chance that they were

meeting a source that night.

So that person could potentially be a key witness.

Or might've have even seen the murder.

I went through Alex's electronic devices

after I got your call. And you're correct.

I can confirm that he and Lancer were,

in fact, meeting a source.

We need that person's name.

Unfortunately, I have spoken to them,

and they don't wish to come forward.

Do they have information that might be helpful to our case?

I can't confirm or deny.

Then we need to speak to them.

I tried to convince them, out of respect for Alex,

but they want to remain confidential.

And as a news organization, I have to honor that.

New York's shield laws protecting journalists

in this matter are ironclad.

You can't legally compel us to disclose this person's name.

We are trying to get justice for someone you knew,

someone you respected.

You know who would support this decision more than anyone?

Alex West.

The moment a source believes we are going

to hand their privileged information

to police or prosecutors, they will stop talking.

I'm not giving you the name.

Have you tried figuring out who this source is

a different way?

We went through West's texts, emails, phone logs.

Nothing. West was a pro.

He was very careful about the way

he communicated with sources.

You just need the name of this person, right?

We just need to know who to serve with this subpoena.

Why?

Well, the shield laws in question

here don't apply if the news organization

is the one suspected of committing the crime.

Which would be helpful if "The Ledger" was responsible

for murdering Alex West.

Or, potentially,

if they're guilty of committing

a different crime.

"The Nation Tonight" ran another piece yesterday

insinuating that "The Ledger" was accepting bribes

from Tanner Hunt's campaign in exchange

for favorable coverage.

Are you suggesting...

what do we accuse them of, fraud?

I'm suggesting we investigate

"The Nation Tonight's" allegation.

Knowing that it is almost certainly untrue,

that, in reality, it's just Peter Glazer

abusing his new position to exact revenge

from his former employer.

It's a credible basis to secure a search warrant

and the name we need.

I'm not so sure about this.

This is a perfectly legal approach.

Legal?

Maybe.

But...

it is definitely not ethical.

You're using fake news as a pretext to circumvent

the First Amendment.

To get justice for a good man,

a good journalist.

A man who cared deeply about protecting his sources.

It's not a perfect solution.

But it is good.

And right now,

I am willing to live with good.

- What is going on? - Listen up.

We're here to collect any and all files

and devices with any work product

relating to Tanner Hunt.

We're also gonna need all your laptops,

your tablets, and your burner phones.

What? We just talked about this.

We are not required to disclose.

The judge says you are, ma'am.

Call our lawyers.

- We're going to fight this. - Oh, you do what you gotta do.

We're still gonna need your laptops, tablets,

and your burner phones.

You realize you are participating

in the end of independent journalism, right?

You do realize Alex West was murdered, right?

All right, let's move.

Mr. Rex, you currently work for Tanner Hunt.

- Is that correct? - Yes.

I help run his Senate campaign.

And on the night of August 24th,

did you meet with Alexander West

and the defendant in Central Park?

Yes.

What was the purpose of that meeting?

It was a private matter.

Your Honor?

The witness will answer the question, please.

I was there to tell them something about my boss.

And what was that?

10 years ago, when he was in college,

a classmate accused him of sexual assault.

How is this not already public knowledge?

No charges were ever filed,

and the campaign has worked hard to bury it.

I can imagine, if that were to get out,

it would almost certainly tank his political future.

Exactly.

But I guess my conscience got the best of me.

I thought it was something the public should know

before deciding whether or not to vote for him.

And "The Ledger" was already doing a profile,

so I contacted Lancer.

And how did he and Alex West

react when you told them?

West didn't think it was relevant,

given how long ago it happened.

And without the woman coming forward, it wasn't newsworthy.

I gave them her name.

I thought they should at least reach out to her,

but he didn't seem interested.

And what about the defendant?

He agreed with me.

He thought it was extremely relevant.

He and West started to argue. It got intense.

That's when I took off.

I didn't see what happened after that.

But when you left, Mark Lancer was with Alex West,

and they were fighting?

- Just verbally, but yeah. - What time was this?

- Around 11:30. - Thank you.

Nothing further.

If what you're saying is true,

why didn't you come forward sooner?

I was supposed to be an off-the-record,

confidential source.

Do you know what this is going to do to my career?

You didn't come forward about a murder

because you worried about yourself?

I was protecting myself.

I know that sounds selfish,

but I don't know why I should be the one to suffer

because other people did bad things.

If you were a... a confidential source,

how did the prosecution know to call you here today?

- I have no idea. - OK.

Well, this sounds awfully convenient.

I mean, the perfect witness, the perfect time.

If I didn't have more respect for the DA's office,

I'd be convinced your testimony

was a complete and utter fabrication.

- Objection. - Sustained.

No more questions for this witness.

The prosecution rests, Your Honor.

Ms. Grassley, you may call your first witness.

Yeah.

The defense calls Mark Lancer to the stand.

You lied about being in the park that night.

I did.

And I know how it looks, but I was just

trying to protect my source.

That source claims you and Alex West were fighting.

We had a disagreement about what to do with the information

that he gave us.

But I didn't kill Alex.

He was alive and well when I left him.

I don't know what happened after that,

so admitting that I was there wouldn't have helped anything.

But now you look guilty of your friend's murder.

If that's the price I have to pay, then so be it.

But I'm only guilty

of trying to preserve

a sacred institution.

One that keeps us all safe.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Uh, I'm curious about the argument

you were in with Alex West that night.

It was a professional disagreement, and they happen.

But why would the executive editor of "The New York Ledger"

not want to investigate a credible accusation of rape

against a prominent political figure like Tanner Hunt?

He felt the need to protect Hunt.

Why?

Because he's liberal.

The news is supposed to be unbiased.

The reporting of the news is supposed to be unbiased,

but people aren't.

That must have infuriated you.

To see your mentor compromise his values like that?

Like I said, we argued,

but at the end of the day, he's in charge.

Oh, so... so you're willing to fall on your sword

and potentially go to prison for life to protect

the journalistic integrity of confidential sources,

but when your boss decided to set fire

to the foundational tenet of unbiased reporting,

you just shrugged and walked away?

Objection, Your Honor, asked and answered.

Overruled.

Answer the question.

It was Alex's call to make.

So on some level, you must've agreed with him.

- No, no, absolutely not. - I mean, he has a point.

An accusation of sexual assault could ruin Hunt's life,

whether it turned out to be true or not.

As a journalist, it is our job

to determine whether something is true or not.

Because the public deserves the truth?

Yes. The unbiased, unfiltered truth.

Even if it doesn't net the outcome

that you desire in the long run?

It is not for us to decide.

You make a commitment to report the facts.

It is the guiding light that we stake everything on.

Without the truth, all is lost.

Then admit the truth in this case,

that you pushed Alexander West off of that bridge.

You couldn't stomach that he was gonna compromise

"The Ledger's" integrity.

And in that moment, you took action,

and you did what you needed to do

to protect the truth.

I didn't mean to.

I lost my temper, and...

Yes,

I killed him.

I'm sorry.

Congratulations.

On what?

I know.

Tough case.

It turns out Mark Lancer might just be

the last noble journalist out there,

and we just sent him away for life.

Noble or not, he killed someone.

He did.

But at least he believed in something bigger than himself,

something sacred.

Unlike us, I suppose.

Good night, Nolan.