Original subtitles

[Indistinct shouting]

(All) We're number one! We're number one!

[All cheering]

There is no "i" in team

but let me single out a young man

whose half-court shot

brought cumberland's first sectional title

in 14 years!

[All cheering]

(Rob) Colin parks!

(All) Colin! Colin! Colin! Colin! Colin!

I want to thank everyone for comin' out tonight

and all season long, but, uh, the truth is

I play for one person... My dad.

All I've ever wanted was for him to be proud of me.

Cumberland basketball rules!

[Cheering]

(All) We're number one! We're number one!

(All) We're number one!

[Instrumental music]

[Gunshot]

[Intense music]

(Drummer) 'The shooter says that it was an accident.'

(annabeth) Any eyewitnesses?

Uh, the shooter's dad saw the whole thing.

And I imagine dad backs up

the gun-went-off-by-accident story, huh?

Well, he's not the only one standing behind that.

Every single person we interviewed

parents, teachers, teammates

and even other students, they all said that

Colin parks is a kid to be proud of.

'He's a great player, good grades.'

on his way to college with a full ride next year.

I shot him. I shot Josh.

I didn't mean to, but it's my fault.

Just walk me through it

one step at a time.

We were goofin' around after the pep rally.

My dad had a gun in his truck

and we wanted to shoot it off in the air

to make some noise and celebrate.

Who got the gun out, you or Josh?

I did.

Uh, I thought it'd be fun

but, you know, then I thought, "no, it's stupid."

Was your dad's truck unlocked?

- Yeah. - With a gun in the glove box?

Look, I don't want to get my dad in trouble for this.

- It was my fault. - What happened next?

Josh took the gun from me.

He was gonna fire it into the air

but I said, "no, don't."

'I said, we'd get in trouble.'

and I-I grabbed the gun away from him.

And..

When I got a hold of it..

I don't know, it just went off.

Uh, I ran over. I saw Josh on the ground.

I tried to give him cpr

but I could..

Feel the life just bleeding out of him.

Colin just kept apologizing to me, to Josh.

He just kept saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry

I'm sorry," just over and over again.

Where were you when the shooting happened?

I was about 20 yards away.

I could see the boys horsin' around, uh, near my truck

but I didn't really think much of it

till I heard the gun go off.

- Were you and Josh fighting? - No.

Were you mad at each other about anything?

- No. - Were you drinking?

- No. - Were you doing drugs?

- No. - Was Josh doing drugs?

I-I-I don't know, I don't think so.

We've already taken a sample of your blood to be tested.

Everything you're saying right now will become

part of the official court records

so if there's anything you want to change

about your story before those blood tests come back

now would be the time to do it.

I'm telling you the truth.

You know, if anyone is at fault here, it's me.

I-I left a gun in my glove box.

I left my truck unlocked.

No, don't punish my son because of my mistake.

When are people gonna learn not to leave guns

where kids can get their hands on them?

What's it gonna take?

Over half the trucks in this state

have firearms in them.

Mr. Parks had a permit.

He was negligent, not criminal.

One kid is dead, and another kid's life has been ruined.

I sure want to charge somebody with something.

There were no inconsistencies

between what Colin told you and what his father told me.

Right now, it looks like an accident.

So what do you want to do

release him into his father's custody?

Well, he's got no priors, he's not exactly a flight risk

so, yeah.

I don't care what anybody says

you are a fair and benevolent prosecutor, Maureen.

Oh, I'm still gonna hold onto his driver's license

flag his passport, if he has one

and put a car outside his house for the next 24..

Just to be on the safe side.

That's my girl.

[Dramatic music]

I wouldn't turn in your paperwork just yet.

We got a latecomer at the front desk

'Patrick leary, I think you need to talk to him.'

i-i-i was at the bonfire, I was there.

I really should have talked to all the cops who showed up.

Well, maybe not all of them

but at least one of them, but I almost did

and then I got really scared

and I ran home and then I walked all the way here because...

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

O-Okay, what did you wanna tell us?

I saw the shooting.

I-I saw everything.

I saw Colin shoot Josh.

I've-I've never seen anybody get shot before.

I need you to clarify something.

What you saw, could that have been an accident?

Accident?

They were fighting.

He pointed the gun right at him.

Whatever the hell that was

it was not an accident.

[Annabeth chuckles]

Hey, babe, when did you pick this up?

Oh, don't, don't let her see that!

It's for her b-i-r-t-h-d-a-y.

Okay, I can barely spell that.

[Chuckles] It's her first birthday present.

I want it to be a surprise.

We're going with dolls, not trucks.

You can get her a truck if you want.

I remember one birthday. I wanted a ten-speed bike.

My dad got me a train set.

The kind that takes up the whole basement.

- Were you mad? - Mm.

I didn't want to hurt his feelings

so I played with it every damn day.

I mean, I know it was for him more than me but..

It was still kind of fun.

I keep thinking about that father and son from last night.

Yeah, wow.

The kid who sank the shot

shootin' his own teammate.

So remember how I told you it was an accident?

- Yeah. - I just checked my email.

We got a witness in at 2:00 in the morning

saying it was a murder.

Ouch. What's gonna happen to him now?

It doesn't look good for him.

Yeah, well, Ann, be careful.

Folks in Indiana hate forfeiting basketball games.

Colin and Josh, they-they-they were fighting by this truck

and I-I was in the woods, like

right next to the truck so I could

really kind of see everything.

What were you doing in the woods, Patrick?

I was, uh, taking a leak.

You sure they were fighting?

If by "fighting" you mean

pushing each other, shoving each other

yelling and screaming like idiots, yeah

they were fighting.

Could you hear what they were saying?

Yeah, Josh said

"you're not gonna shoot me."

Then Colin did.

- Who had the gun? - Colin did.

Could I get somethin' to drink?

Uh, some caffeine, but not coffee.

(Annabeth) What kind of condition was he in when you interviewed him?

A little odd, a little shaken

after what he'd seen after the bonfire, but sober.

Does the physical evidence support his statement?

The blood spatters don't.

The boys weren't grappling over the gun.

Spatters on Colin's jacket indicates that

he was more than a full arm's length from the victim.

And the, uh, straight angle of the entry wound supports that.

In other words, he was pointing the gun at him.

So the shooter lied to us and so did his dad.

We should have held onto him longer last night.

Well, we know where he lives.

Okay, Lou, send out your guys.

Go arrest Colin parks.

We need to figure out what these kids were fighting about

that was worth killing and dying over.

Oh, and Lou, can you get me a copy

'of Patrick's records from the high school?'

and while you're out there

check the victim's and the shooter's lockers.

See if there's anything that points to

premeditation or intent.

We gotta get this kid a haircut.

[Camera shutter clicking]

[Lock clattering]

[Dramatic music]

(Annabeth) Can you think of anything Colin and Josh

might have been fighting about?

They did date the same girl.

Oh, honey, this wasn't about her.

They were friends until Brooke came into the picture.

And she broke up with our boy

and started seeing Colin.

Yes, but Josh wasn't that upset about it.

All I know is, he stopped hanging out with Colin.

Well, he didn't talk to me about it.

He's a boy.

He was a boy.

'He didn't talk about things like that.'

how long had the boys known each other?

They just met last summer at basketball camp.

When Josh got cut from the team here at lynnhurst

Colin encouraged him to transfer to cumberland

uh, to be on their team.

He loved basketball.

It was his senior year.

[Sighs] And we figured..

'...you should be able to do what you love'

when you're a senior, so..

We, um..

Just received his acceptance letter to iu.

Josh would have loved college.

Last week, they got in a fist fight in the locker room.

Over you?

When I broke up with Josh and started dating Colin

things got really awkward, you know?

Especially since Josh and Colin were on the same team.

They saw each other every day.

Is that Colin's ring?

Colin gave it to me after we won sectionals.

'God, this is so weird.'

I can't believe my boyfriend is in jail

for shooting my ex-boyfriend.

They're athletes. Competitive.

'They've got hormones comin' out of their ears.'

they'd scuffle.

But first and foremost, they were teammates.

Can you open, uh, Josh's locker, too?

Yeah, it's right down here.

You know, everybody including me, makes a big deal

'out of the miracle shot that got us in the playoffs.'

Colin never would have been able to make that shot without Josh.

Clock had run down.

The ball was sailing out of bounds, Josh hustled.

Made a picture-perfect pass back to Colin.

And the rest is history.

Hmm.

Well, I'm sorry you had to forfeit

the rest of the playoffs, coach.

Yeah, some things in life are more important

than basketball.

Handwriting analysis proves Colin wrote the note.

Alright, because guess what just happened

when I shared a copy of said note with Colin's attorney.

He immediately requested a formal meeting.

You think he wants a deal?

Oh, he wants a deal.

And what do we want?

Well, Steve, we got all the cards.

We don't need to deal.

This note sticks a fork in

"it was just an accident."

Josh and Colin fought over a girl.

The girlfriend confirms it, and the note seals it.

And the eyewitness can attest to the fact

that there was a fight that led to the intentional shooting.

Yeah, well..

- Maybe we do want to deal. - Why?

Because our witness is vulnerable if we go to trial.

Patrick has been diagnosed

with some pretty serious learning disabilities

including dyslexia and auditory processing disorder.

Which means he mixes up what he sees

and what he hears, that's great.

Wait, I'm assuming he's on some fairly serious meds.

- Right? - Oh, yeah.

And those are geared to make him more focused, not less.

But limon's a good lawyer, he'll twist this six ways from Sunday

and make Patrick's testimony seem completely unreliable.

Yeah, he's eminently impeachable.

Okay, then, let's dangle the eyewitness over his head

and press for a deal.

A boy is dead.

'Colin parks needs to go to jail.'

what are the parameters?

It's his first offense

and he freely admits to doing it.

Ask for 12 and settle for eight.

How about we ask for 12 and settle for 12?

Get what you can, but whatever you do, Maureen

don't let it go to trial.

- Twelve years? - That's our best offer.

My son does not belong in jail.

Now nobody's going to jail.

Just tell them, tell them the truth.

(Maureen) 'At this point, we have no use'

for an amended version of the truth.

Just stick to the facts.

Okay, well, stick this in the facts.

The victim was using anabolic steroids.

What?

Josh was on steroids, tell them.

I knew everybody would make a big deal out of it.

'I never should have said anything.'

guys, come on, this is a baseless allegation.

But my client had no choice.

The victim went into a roid rage and attacked him

and Colin shot him in self-defense.

- Roid rage? - 'Right.'

'and the only reason we haven't come forward sooner'

is that he was trying to protect the victim's reputation

'and spare his family any unnecessary pain.'

oh, I'm deeply moved.

Self-defense.

And every single piece of circumstantial evidence

supports that, juries love self-defense

and it's stronger than accidental shooting.

Self-defense will get him off.

So now you're not only impugning the victim

you're changing your story from "accidental shooting"

to "the sob had it coming."

The deal in front of you is beyond fair.

And now you're making up some cockamamie story to try...

You don't believe it?

We've seen the autopsy reports.

Nothing about steroids.

Nobody wants a trial.

We'll take reckless homicide two years suspended.

Yeah? Well, take this.

You're going to trial.

And we're not giving you reckless or involuntary.

'We're gonna prove he's guilty'

and put him away for 20 years.

Miss chase, are you on board

with your colleague's strong-arm tactic?

Fully.

(Steve) 'I thought it was crystal clear'

about not going to trial, not with this witness.

Steve, it was clear to me that

the steroid thing was such a fabrication

I just couldn't allow them to use it

as leverage in making a deal.

Well, if it's not a fabrication

you just gave him self-defense.

Hey, I got some good news.

(Maureen) See?

Your Vic's liver doesn't show any signs of long-term abuse

so I'm thinking it was a new

or even experimental thing for him.

Experimental?

Are you saying he was using steroids?

(Schmidt) 'Well, yeah, but roid rage'

on the other hand is highly unlikely.

But I read the tox screen report, I know I did.

There was nothing in here about steroids.

Because this particular steroid is an androgen

and androgens aren't on the list.

You know, the list, Maureen.

The list?

Standard tox screen tests for 29 substances

most likely to kill you.

If it's not on the list, we don't test for it.

Well, if you're going to trial, and it looks like you are

you better find a way to repair your victim's reputation

in the eyes of a jury.

Why do you need me to testify?

Mrs. Cooper, the defense is gonna try to portray Josh

as a violent, out-of-control kid

with an ax to grind.

Josh never attacked anyone, least of all Colin.

I mean, look at these pictures.

Look at these two at basketball camp last summer.

'Josh never hurt anyone.'

'least of all Colin.'

it wasn't in his nature.

So Josh never had any unexplained mood swings

or lashed out in any way?

He was a teenager.

What?

They're gonna try to make this my son's fault

that he got shot?

That's exactly what they'll do.

Well, the hell with that.

You told miss chase you had no idea

your son was using illegal anabolic steroids.

Steroids intended for farm animals.

Josh loved basketball so much.

I think he was just trying to stay on

the team any way he could.

So you had no idea.

None.

(Limon) 'Well, miss Cooper'

what time do you get home from work?

5:00, 5:30.

What about your husband?

It varies, almost always by 8:00.

So, what you're saying is

you left your son home unsupervised

and you had no idea what he was doing after school, did you?

He was playing basketball.

Year-round?

When he wasn't practicing

he was at home babysitting his little brother and sisters.

You left them alone with him?

Yes.

Isn't it possible that your son

was acting out aggressively when you weren't looking?

Do you know what a tattletale is?

Excuse me?

A tattletale, you've heard of it?

Yes, but I'm the one asking the questions here.

I'm answering your question.

- Your honor? - I want to hear this.

If they gave awards for the best tattletale

my five-year-old would win, no question.

He has eyes in the back of his head

so trust me.

If Josh was going into some kind of roid rage

or pitching some kind of fit

I would have heard about it.

Thank you.

(Maureen) 'The state calls Patrick leary to the stand.'

(Patrick) Okay, this was the truck

they were fighting next to.

I was here.

And what side of the truck were they fighting on?

Mm, this side, I had a clear view

'and I heard Josh say, "you're not gonna shoot me."'

and then I saw Colin shoot him.

Have you been diagnosed

with auditory dyslexia and dysgraphia?

Objection, your honor, relevance.

Overruled, but I'd advise you

to make your point and move on.

You may answer the question.

Yeah, yes.

But I take medications for both those things.

That means you have trouble

differentiating certain sounds

and distinguishing sentences.

Yeah, but not anymore.

That's, you see, what the meds are for.

So, then, if I read this simple recipe for baking a cake

'you would have no trouble'

repeating the instructions back to me.

Relevance?

My client is on trial for his life.

This witness claims he heard the victim say

"you're not going to shoot me"

in the dark, behind a row of trees.

This young man has auditory processing issues, your honor.

'May I continue?'

I'll allow it.

"To bake a cake

"first preheat the oven to 350 degrees

and then grease a nine-inch cake pan."

Now please repeat those instructions in the same order.

To, to-to bake a cake..

To bake a cake..

Here, let me simplify it for you.

"To bake a cake, first pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees."

Just repeat that.

I can't. Alright? I can't.

But that doesn't mean I didn't see Colin shoot...

Thank you. Now let's move on to the question of what you saw.

What are the objects represented here on the monitor?

Those are trees, sir.

And you were standing here

when you allegedly witnessed the shooting.

From behind a bunch of trees.

They didn't block the view.

I have a picture here

of the trees taken in the broad daylight.

Can you see through them?

No. No. But I wasn't there in broad daylight.

Oh, so you see better at night than you do in the daytime.

No. That-that.. That's not exactly what I meant.

No more questions.

All yours.

Patrick, those baking instructions were read

but you need to both see and hear things

to accurately process information, is that right?

Yes, that's, that's right.

Your honor, given the defense's claim

that the witness could not accurately

see and hear the crime

the prosecution petitions the court to allow the jury

to go to the crime scene and judge for themselves.

Is this really necessary?

You opened the door. Let the jury decide.

(Patrick) I was standing... Right here.

Did you ever look away?

(Patrick) 'No. No, I didn't move.'

I was standing right here and I saw the whole fight.

And Josh said

"you're not gonna shoot me," and then Colin did.

Okay, you can step right over here.

Go ahead.

[Dramatic music]

[Gunshot]

(Maureen) 'As you can see, Patrick had a clear view'

through the trees to Colin and Josh at the truck.

Nothing further, your honor.

Anything, counselor?

No, thank you, your honor.

Then I think we're done here.

Ladies and gentlemen.

How come they get to hear his version

but they don't get to hear mine?

Calm down, Mr. Parks.

We'll repair the damage in court.

(Limon) Would you tell the jury exactly what happened?

Uh, I saw the two boys near my truck fighting.

Josh was utterly blind with rage.

Your honor, the witness is not only characterizing

the crime scene, he's contradicting his own

previous sworn statement.

Overruled. Take it up on cross.

Did it occur to you in that moment

that Josh could kill your son?

Absolutely. It was like a-a fuse had been lit.

Now we know it was the steroids he was taking.

(Limon) 'What happened next?'

I ran over and I-I pulled Josh away from my son.

I-I'm sorry, are you saying you physically intervened?

Yes, that's right, I tried to break up the fight.

(Annabeth) 'Your honor, we request a sidebar.'

(Russell) 'No, no, let me finish.'

I-I could, I could see

from the way they were fighting that I had to do something.

So I-I wrestled the gun away from Josh and I shot him.

[Dramatic music]

What in god's name are you trying to do?

He's dropping a bomb on our trial, that's what he's doing.

We understand you want to get your son off but you could

go to prison for the rest of your life. Do you get that?

- Do you understand? - I do now.

(Annabeth) First of all, nobody believes you, okay?

Nobody. We know your son pulled the trigger.

You know how we know? Because he told us he pulled the trigger

under oath and then you told us under oath

and an eyewitness told us.

If you advised him to do this

you'll be lucky to keep your bar card.

Ladies, I'm as curious to hear what Mr. Parks

has to say as you are.

I shot Josh.

How? How is that even physically possible?

Every single statement you've given

has said the exact same thing, you were 20 yards away

from the boys, clear on the other side

of the truck when the gun went off.

I was lying then.

I'm telling the truth now.

If you shot Josh, how did you let your son

sit in jail all this time and rot and go through hell

for a crime you committed?

Why didn't you speak up before?

Because he's lying.

I'm not proud of the way I behaved.

And you're right, I have put my child through hell.

I'm guilty.

Uh, Mr. Parks, I don't represent you.

But as an attorney in good standing

I have to advise you to stop talking now.

(Annabeth) 'I don't think so.'

let's put him on the record right now

and take his damn confession.

Are you arresting him? Because if you're arresting him

for Josh's murder I want the charges dropped

against my client, his son.

[Chuckles] You can't have it both ways, ladies.

What the hell is going on here?

Give us a second.

(Annabeth) These two are in this together.

Limon is supporting perjury with this guy.

I don't think it was anybody's plan, I think Mr. Parks

saw an opportunity to save his son

and he confessed out of the blue.

Well, that may be, but he's going to ride this train

all the way to an acquittal, two people confessing

to the same crime, jury tainted

reasonable doubt almost guaranteed, Maureen.

This is such a disaster.

And if they did collude, if this boy's father

and his attorney planned to do this there's almost

no way to prove it, and if the father and the son

planned it separately, there's absolutely no way to prove it.

So we can kiss any thoughts of a mistrial goodbye.

Maureen, we are one day away from closing arguments.

If we ask for a continuance of any more than 24 hours

this jury's gonna hate us for keeping them impaneled.

Besides, they just heard the dad confess to the murder.

They want to know what happens next.

Okay, here's what we do

we take a new statement from Mr. Parks

we break it down and hold it up against

every other statement he's made since the shooting.

We compare every detail and highlight the inconsistencies.

Then we cross check his ever changing story

with the physical evidence.

Right. Then we swear him back in for cross-exam.

And we pick him apart piece by piece.

(Maureen on video) You said before you didn't see the gun until it went off.

But I'm saying now..

That I saw the gun in Josh's hand.

I got the gun away from him

then he came after me, and I shot him.

Look, he was a bad kid.

He-he was attacking my son. He was on drugs.

Couldn't be clearer, he wrestles the gun away from Josh

then shoots him, then hands the gun to Colin

and then starts giving the boy he just shot cpr.

Russell's initial statement reads

"I saw the two boys horsing around by my truck.

I didn't think that much of it."

Let's put that up on the board.

'No, no, use a blue card.'

orange cards for inconsistencies about the victim

blue cards for inconsistencies about the shooting.

Now Russell calls Josh a "bad kid" here.

What do we have on that from his prior statements?

Uh... page 26 in the incident report.

Okay, question to Russell.

"Had your son been fighting with Josh Cooper?"

Russell's answer.

"No, they were teammates, they were friends.

Josh had been over to our house for dinner."

(Steve) 'Good. Perfect. Let's put that up against'

Russell's thing about, uh

him being a bad kid, on drugs, blah, blah, blah.

(Steve) Alright, let's proceed.

He was a discipline problem at his old school.

'They kicked him off the basketball team.'

if it wasn't for my son he never would've made it onto ours.

Is that true? Was the kid a discipline problem?

Not according to his school. His record is clean.

Josh's parents told us that he'd transferred

'after he was cut from the team.'

his girlfriend says the same thing.

Yeah, nobody mentioned anything about him being kicked off.

Then what is Russell talking about?

I'm a coach, but I'm also a guidance counselor.

I tried to handle the situation as delicately

as possible and protect all parties involved.

Uh, I just don't want to lose my job.

Why would your job be in jeopardy?

Listen, when Josh was at our school

I got into a situation where I had to let him go from the team.

I had my reasons.

But in the current climate, my reasons leave me

wide open for a possible suit for a sexual harassment.

You're going to have to be more specific.

I had reason to believe Josh was gay..

Or experimenting.

After a game last year, I saw him fooling around

with a player from the opposing team..

Out in the parking lot i-in a vehicle.

Did you see who the other boy was?

Not really, no.

The windows were.. I-I took Josh off the team

for his own protection.

Oh. His protection.

I'm not prejudiced, but a thing like that

in the context of high school athletics, it's tricky.

Who-who were you playing that night?

Cumberland.

Now when you say "involved.."

I mean, involved, involved.

This puts a whole new spin on things.

(Annabeth) 'We assumed Josh was trying'

to get back together with his girlfriend.

Colin didn't want that, and that's why he shot him.

(Annabeth) 'What if Josh was trying to get back'

together with his boyfriend?

Or out his boyfriend to his boyfriend's girlfriend?

Which used to be his girlfriend.

Oh, that poor girl doesn't have a clue.

This is making my head hurt, but, yes, it does explain

many, many things including this.

(Annabeth) 'This potentially gives us a rock-solid motive.'

Colin shot Josh to keep their affair a secret.

(Steve) It also gives his father another reason

to confess beyond keeping his son out of jail if it's true.

- If it's true. - 'Exactly.'

uh, coach braddock wasn't able to identify

who was in the truck with Josh.

There were 15 players on the cumberland squad.

Well, statistically speaking

two or three of them could be gay.

And I think we know the answer here.

But we have to be sure. So let's go right at it.

Let's talk to both sets of parents, see what they know.

And what about talking to Colin?

"A," he's in jail, "b," he'll just lie to us.

Honestly..

I can't say if I ever knew or even suspected.

But after you called and told me

what his old coach said about Josh

suddenly a lot of things about the past year fell into place.

Like what things?

Like when Brooke broke up with Josh

he seemed much more hurt about the way

that Colin pushed him away than about losing Brooke.

Basically, when Colin was around

my son was happy.

I see that now.

I was in his room, and I came across this.

This is his very favorite shirt.

If I close my eyes, and think of Josh

over the past year, I see him in this shirt.

I've seen him wear it hundreds of times.

I always thought it was his Jersey from basketball camp

but it isn't his.

It's Colin's.

(Maureen) We strongly suspect your son is gay

and I have an obligation to share this with the jury.

And when I do, they're gonna know

that you're confessing to protect your son's reputation..

If not your own.

But it's better for you and your son

if you recant your confession.

Stop telling a lie to cover another lie.

Tell the truth and truly support your son.

I know what you're trying to do.

And I promise you, if you bring that up in court

their relationship..

I will take the stand..

And I will tell the jury that I loaded that gun

and that I took it with me to the bonfire that night.

And when I saw Josh and Colin messing around by my truck

I went and I got the gun..

And I shot Josh.

I don't see why you don't just put me in jail right now.

[Dramatic music]

This case should never have gone to trial.

Well, they'll never settle now.

And we can't leave the father's confession hanging

over the jury's heads without a cross-exam.

No, you can't, you got to put him on the stand

no matter what he says.

Steve, he's like one of those toys with a string

and every time you pull it, he confesses and confesses

'and now he's using his son's affair'

to give himself a stronger motive.

Well, you still got to put him on the stand.

If you don't, it looks like you're scared of him

'which just gives him credence.'

you've got to take him apart

impugn him with the inconsistencies

of his statement, and hope the jury sees that he's just

confessing to protect his son.

But it's risky, if Mr. Parks keeps confessing

eventually someone's gonna believe him

'at least to the point of reasonable doubt.'

the only person who can truly discredit

the father's confession is the son

and that's not gonna happen.

So either put the dad back on the stand and mess him up

or drop the damn case.

He's right. Let's drop the case.

Oh, he's kidding about that part, believe me.

No, Maureen, I'm serious.

We drop the charges against Colin

and arrest his dad for murder.

We got to call their gambit.

Look, this kid is not going to let his dad

go to prison for a crime he committed.

How are you so sure about that?

- What if he hates his dad? - He doesn't.

You remember the night of the shooting?

Colin didn't even want to see his dad getting into trouble

for leaving his gun in the glove box.

Okay, if we drop the charges against Colin

we can't try him again. Double jeopardy comes into play.

What's the worst that can happen?

We send an innocent man to prison and a killer goes free.

We're here to inform you that we're dropping

the charges against Colin.

(Maureen) Your dad has given us a full confession

and has agreed to plead guilty

for the murder of Josh Cooper.

Under the terms of your father's settlement

he's waived his right to a trial

and he will serve the rest of his life in prison.

A-A judge will never sign off on this.

Here is a copy of Mr. Parks' signed confession

admitting to the murder of Josh Cooper

and this would be a copy of his pending settlement agreement.

If you turn to the last page, you'll see that your dad

signed that as well, and agreed to life without parole.

I thought you said he wouldn't go to jail.

Colin, did you know he was going to confess?

- No. - There was no conspiracy here.

How did your attorney advise you

regarding your father's confession?

I advised my client in the same manner

I advise all my clients.

I told him, for the love of god to keep his mouth shut

don't incriminate himself, and be quiet

and that's the extent of it.

And that's what i'm trying to tell him now.

I didn't know my dad was going to do this.

Colin, if you'd like to make a statement..

Miss Scofield, please don't address my client any further.

Your client is no longer being accused of anything.

'He has no need of representation.'

(limon) And yet, here I am.

I want you to shut up, alright?

Oh, dear god.

'How long will this charade go on?'

- dad, what are you doing? - It's okay, Colin.

You can just walk out of here.

No, it's not okay. Why are you doing this?

You're not going to prison for something

that never should have happened.

But you didn't do it.

Colin, I'm advising you for the last time

do not say another word.

- Shut up! - It's my fault.

Why? Because you caught us?

You have got your whole life ahead of you.

Don't be afraid of them. Just get up and go.

I want to tell you exactly what happened.

- Colin, don't. - Don't tell me what to do.

- This isn't about you, dad. - It's okay.

No, it's not okay

and it never will be if I just walk out of here

and never say anything.

I'm not going to live my entire life telling a lie.

I did it. I killed him.

Colin, just tell us what happened.

The day of the bonfire..

My dad walked in on Josh and me.

We were in my bedroom, and he came in

and saw what was going on.

The same day you killed Josh?

Yeah.

Dad flipped out.

Screaming, yelling.

Josh wouldn't leave. He was afraid dad would hurt me.

But dad finally threw him out of the house.

(Annabeth) Did your father hurt you?

(Colin) No. But... He wouldn't talk to me.

He wouldn't even look at me.

You went to the bonfire that night and Josh was there.

- Did you plan to kill him? - No.

It just happened.

The same way everything between us just happened.

We just couldn't stop it.

(Judge Myers) You've known the victim since last summer?

We met at basketball camp.

That's where everything started between us.

'I thought when camp was over'

we'd be over, too, but, uh..

You know, then he transferred to my school

'which was partly my idea.'

'but I got paranoid.'

I hated wondering if people suspected us.

I didn't want to be gay.

What happened the night you killed him?

When I got to the bonfire, Josh told me

he was going to leave town.

He was planning to run away?

It wasn't much of a plan. He was just gonna do it.

He wanted me to come with him.

Let's go. We could leave right now.

Okay, it's right here. Let's go.

Let's get out of here for good.

(Colin) Josh was so much braver than I was.

He wasn't afraid.

He wasn't afraid, and he just couldn't understand

why I'd still want to live with my dad

after he caught us together.

It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good.

No.

Colin, who cares about what your dad thinks?

So you killed Josh because you were ashamed?

No.

No..

I killed Josh..

Because I knew if I didn't

I would have gone with him.

Maybe not that night

but eventually I would have.

I loved him.

It was the only way I could stop it.

You're not gonna shoot me.

[Gunshot]

Do the people have a sentencing recommendation?

In light of this confession

the people recommend that Colin receive

twelve to 20 for voluntary manslaughter

'with opportunity for parole.'

your honor, the defense has accepted this offer.

Very well.

The defendant is hereby remanded to state's custody.

[Gavel pounding]

Colin..

If I could have those moments back

when I came home and I saw you I would give anything..

Anything.

I love you.

I love you, too.

[Mellow music]

Think Haley had a good birthday?

Yeah, the part she was awake for.

Aww..

Don't worry, she'll play with your present tomorrow.

She likes your present better.

Well, girls like trucks, face it.

Who doesn't like a truck? That's how I got you.

[Chuckles]

A little something for daddy.

- What is it? - Just open it.

- Where'd you get this? - Your dad had it.

I went over there last week and made a copy.

- Look how happy dad looks. - So do you.

Well, boys like to please their dads.

It really was a cool train set.

I worked my butt off on that thing.

You were a cutie.

- Hmm. - We should have a boy.

You have any idea where we could get one?

I have no clue.

Hey.

I-I have a headache.

- Splitting headache... - Shut up. Ow!

(Annabeth) Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.

[Theme music]