Original subtitles

[Melodious music]

[Indistinct radio chatter]

The victim's Mandy Monroe.

Stabbed to death in her living room

between 2 and 4 A.M., Sunday. She was with her fiance.

(Annabeth) 'Is he good for this?'

surgical intern at St. Mike's, on call midnight to 5 A.M.

Left Mandy's a little after 11, scrubbing in at the hospital.

Cops arrested the victim's uncle Sam Carter.

Witness saw him staggering out of the building around 3 A.M.

Looking quite intoxicated.

- Murder weapon? - It's a kitchen knife.

On the floor, next to the body. Prints match the suspect.

And forensics got another hit off a bottle of conditioner.

He hung around to take a shower?

- Hey, he was covered in blood. - I would, wouldn't you?

[Annabeth sighing] So far it's a routine grounder. Does he have any alibi?

Wife claims he was up all night working at home.

- Some kind of computer whiz. - Software engineer.

Sounds like the right guy. We have a motive?

Her fiance popped the question last night, she said yes.

Called the uncle's house to give the family the good news.

Her engagement has something to do with her murder?

Check out what they found on the uncle's computer.

You really jumped the gun on this one, annabeth.

Talk about a rush to judgment.

We have Mr. Carter's prints at the scene

and on the murder weapon.

And I'm sure there's an innocent explanation for both.

Is there an explanation for these?

Pictures of his niece? So what?

Five hundred and sixty-four, to be exact, on his computer.

He even customized his screensaver

with the name Amanda.

There's nothing incriminating about any of these.

He was a devoted and doting uncle.

He was obsessed with her.

Mandy announced her engagement last night.

You didn't seem to take that news well.

That's your motive?

Ugh, please.

Mr. Carter, you can keep a vow of silence

for the rest of your life.

We're gonna be charging you with Mandy's murder.

No recollection of what you're talking about.

None whatsoever.

So who all was at dinner?

Sam, me, his brother Jordan, Sam's father Cyrus.

That the whole family?

Well, Sam has an older sister sheryl

but we don't see her.

- And after dinner? - We all said goodnight.

Cyrus and Jordan left.

Sam went out to his office to work, I went to bed.

- He was up all night working? - Yes.

Witness saw him coming out of her building at 3.

They must have seen someone else.

They saw him alright, falling down drunk.

Sam has been sober for years.

When the police arrested him

he had a blood-alcohol level near the legal limit.

I-I-I don't know how that could be possible.

Your husband seemed obsessed with his niece.

You make it sound so... Unhealthy.

What would you call it?

Sam and Mandy have always been close.

Sam's mother was killed in a car accident

when he was 14.

Diane, Mandy's mother, passed when Mandy was little. Cancer.

I think that's why Sam and Mandy have always had a special bond.

Listen, I know Sam is an odd duck.

But he is not dangerous.

His prints are on the murder weapon, the kitchen knife.

He was over there a lot.

And in the bathroom, on a bottle of conditioner.

That could have happened any time.

When he's anxious, he washes his hands a lot.

He must have been real anxious. Apparently, took a shower there.

He could have. He's got a..

Cleanliness compulsion.

Washing calms him down.

I get it. Your husband and your niece talk.

They end up fighting over her engagement.

He stabs her, then he takes a shower.

Not to mention, to wash the blood.

Look, I know he didn't do this.

You should call Jordan, because I heard them leave

around 11, just after I went to bed.

So, he wasn't at his desk all night.

No.

She done lied to the police.

Imagine that.

Mm-mm-mm.

[Thrilling music]

Where'd you and your brother go so late?

An aa meeting, one at midnight over on Willow and ashby.

Not that far from here.

Yeah, it's walking distance, I guess.

I just dropped him off and went home.

Just dropped him?

That's right. He likes to walk, clears his head.

He can walk for hours.

Not this time. We have a witness, saw him coming out

of this building, a couple hours later, drunk.

I guess the aa meeting didn't work.

Fell off the wagon anyway.

'Why do you think that happened?'

I'll ask you the same question I asked your sister-in-law.

What was the deal between your brother and your niece?

Look, they were just close, alright?

Nothing creepy about it.

Your brother's being arraigned for her murder this afternoon.

Me, I'd call that creepy.

In the murder of Amanda Monroe, how do you plead, Mr. Carter?

Not guilty, by reason of insanity, your honor.

'Very well. I assume the issue of bail is mute?'

yes, your honor.

Then the next item on the agenda is a competency hearing.

Defense requests Dr. Wolfe..

Mr. Carter's personal psychiatrist

'to do an evaluation for the competency hearing.'

and for the people, miss Scofield?

Dr. Perrin, your honor.

So ordered.

(Annabeth) An insanity plea, good luck with that.

(Conlon) What other choice do they have? We have him red-handed.

(Annabeth) You think Porter could beat the odds?

(Conlon) Not in New York, but Indiana has a bifurcated insanity verdict.

Gives the jury a choice.

(Annabeth) Not guilty by reason of insanity

or guilty, but mentally ill.

Exactly, it's still an impossibly high bar.

All my years on the job

I've never seen a successful insanity defense.

Dr. Perrin is doing our side of the competency hearing.

The competency hearing is a formality.

That standard is set so low

he could be sticking cornflakes up his nose.

As long as the court believes

he understands what's going on around him.

He should, as long as he stays on his antidepressants.

Let's make sure he does.

His family says Carter's a recovering alcoholic.

He's been on the wagon for many years.

He went to an aa meeting that night.

Our witness says he was falling down drunk at the crime scene.

The defense may try to use intoxication

as a mitigating factor.

I'll ask ray to retrace Carter's steps.

Let's depose the family as well.

I wanna make sure the jury has a clear explanation

of why Carter did what he did.

- Crazy won't cut it? - Crazy won't cut it.

Was your son drinking at dinner, the night Mandy was killed?

He can't drink, he's on antidepressants.

- How long's he been depressed? - For years.

Has he been more depressed than usual recently?

Happens every year around the same time.

You see, Sam lost his mother when he was a teen.

So the anniversary of her death is hard on him, very hard.

Does he typically drink on the anniversary?

I thought he'd been sober for many years.

Oh, yes, he has. For 14 to 15 years.

Well, if he hadn't had a drink in years past

what was so significant about this particular anniversary?

Mandy getting married and moving away.

If you ask me, it was more than he could handle.

Mr. Carter, don't you think your son's attachment

to his niece was... Unusual?

Mandy was very special to Sam.

You see, they both lost their mother when they were young.

And when she hit her teens

Mandy started looking more and more..

Like Angela, Sam's mother.

Mandy reminded Sam of his mother?

Yeah, she had a lot of her ways.

She reminded us all more and more, the older she got.

It's like we got her back.

Despite his problems with depression and alcoholism

Mr. Carter is fully competent to stand trial.

Good.

I wanted to ask you about his obsession with his niece.

It's a classic case of transference.

According to his father, as she grew older

the niece began to seem more and more like Carter's mother.

Carter lost his mother when he was in his teens.

Even though she died in an automobile accident

he had a feeling that she had abandoned him.

'So as Mandy got older'

and began to resemble his mother more closely

his attachment to her would naturally deepen.

Then why would he kill her?

'They said Mandy was getting engaged.'

the fiance told us that they planned to move to Baltimore.

So she was leaving him.

Both physically and emotionally separating herself.

The relationship he had formed with someone who reminded him

of his mother, was being threatened.

It was about to end.

And that made him mad enough to kill her?

I don't know what other factors might've been at play.

His mother died around this time of year.

'Anniversary effect.'

it's a period of great stress and anxiety.

It could've fully triggered his fear of abandonment.

And put him in a murderous rage.

Based on the evaluations of the psychiatrist

who've examined Mr. Carter

the court finds the defendant competent to stand trial.

Your honor, may I say something?

Normally, the defendant waits

until the court addresses him, Mr. Carter.

But let's hear it.

These psychiatrists don't know what's best for me.

Your honor, we just found out this morning

that my client has stopped taking his medications

'on a regular basis.'

why is that, Mr. Carter? Why have you stopped?

It was making me feel lethargic.

I understood it was for depression.

It has the opposite effect on me.

It makes me feel... Bad. It makes me feel low.

Your honor, the people ask the court

to order Mr. Carter to resume taking his antidepressants.

Both psychiatrists base their evaluations

of competency on the assumption that you continue

taking your medications as prescribed, Mr. Carter.

- 'Do you understand?' - Yes, your honor.

If you don't comply voluntarily

the court will order that you be forcefully medicated

in order to insure that you are competent to stand trial.

- Miss Porter. - Defense has no objection.

- The people? - The people concur, your honor.

- Take your meds, Mr. Carter. - Yes, sir.

The judge declared Carter competent to stand trial.

No surprise. How's that working theory coming along?

Carter was drinking at a bar few blocks from his niece's.

Probably trying to get his nerve up to confront her.

We finish deposing the family?

Ed finally found sheryl Carter, the older sister.

He's interviewing her now.

So, you don't stay in touch with your family?

- Exchange Christmas cards? - Not at all.

Okay, well, tell me about your brother anyway.

What's to tell?

He's screwed up.

'Compulsive, depressed.'

obsesses over stuff. Won't let go.

You ever known him to be violent?

Dangerous or threatening?

A couple times I came home from work..

He'd broken into my house.

Once he was in my bathroom..

Taking a bath.

Freaked me out.

Well, he is your brother.

Yeah, but still.

Don't you think it's a little weird?

Yeah, a little.

What'd you do?

I called Lizzie to come get him.

I can't deal with Sam's problems.

I have enough trouble of my own.

Your niece seemed to get along alright with him.

'Mandy?'

Mandy was a Saint.

'It's my fault.'

what is?

I should have told her a long time ago.

Told her what?

Before I broke off all contact with my family..

I slept with the windows locked.

I wouldn't even turn the air conditioner on

in the summer time.

- Why? - 'I was afraid.'

I wouldn't be able to hear Sam if he broke into the house

when I was home.

You know what it's like to live that way?

Why were you so afraid of him?

My mother..

My mother didn't die in a car accident.

Sam killed her.

Fourteen years old.

You believe that?

Got drunk and blew her head off with a shotgun.

Why?

What would lead him to do something like that?

- They had a fight? - Not that I know.

Sam was one messed-up kid. 11, 12 years old..

He'd ditch school and go drink with his friends.

- Come home and sleep it off. - What did your parents do?

Tried all kinds of things to straighten him out.

Therapy, detention, none of it worked.

Did he act out when he got drunk?

Was he angry or violent?

No, not back then.

He'd just drink too much and act foolish

and forget the stupid stuff he did when drinking.

He had blackouts as a teenager?

He and I both had our share of lost weekends

before we cleaned up our acts.

The difference is..

I never drank a drop until mama was killed.

Tell me about that day.

I came home from school.

I remember, I was really happy for a change.

I'd gotten an a on a history exam.

I came up the street.

Cops were there.

Sam was on the front lawn, covered in my mama's blood.

Daddy told me since I was the oldest

I had to take care of Jordan and Diane.

- Mandy's mother? - Yes.

Daddy told me I couldn't ever, ever tell them

what Sam had done.

- And you were how old? - Seventeen.

Diane was 16, Jordan was the baby.

- That must've been impossible. - 'I dropped out of school.'

all the lying I had to do, I couldn't concentrate.

Jordan and Diane knew I was acting weird.

They used to ask me what was wrong, but I couldn't tell 'em.

So, Jordan and Diane never knew.

- Right. - Then Mandy never knew.

She had no reason not to trust her uncle Sam.

Daddy swore he was better.

I didn't know.

It was just easier for me to stay away from all of 'em.

But I should have told her.

I should have.

Why didn't you?

I was worried that if I made her afraid of Sam

and she pushed him away, it'd set him off.

He'd kill somebody again.

So what happened?

The very thing I worried about all my life came true after all.

I don't know about you, I got kids.

A parent's worst nightmare, a kid dies.

I personally think it'd be worse

if they did something like this, killed somebody.

- How'd it go down? - Neighbor called it in.

We found the son passed out cold, covered in blood.

Shotgun next to him.

Mom was upstairs in her bedroom dead, finito.

- Why'd he shoot her? - House was torn up.

Looked like a burglary. We thought he had an accomplice.

They ransacked the place.

You think mom came home, caught them going through her things?

That was the working theory.

- Carter a kid on drugs? - Definitely. Drugs and booze.

We'd been there before. The kid was trouble.

I had complaints, kids drunk, puking on their lawns.

Why'd you think there was another kid?

Her jewelry was missing. Husband filed an insurance claim.

- What was Carter's story? - Said he had a blackout.

Couldn't remember a thing.

Been drinking all afternoon.

Couldn't remember where or with who?

- You believe him? - He was drinking, alright.

He was stink-o. The blackout?

Just a kid's lame alibi.

He couldn't come up with better at the moment.

He never gave up his accomplice.

There you go. You got to give him that.

For a fallen down drunk, he was a standup guy.

Where was the rest of the family?

We called Mr. Carter at work.

He didn't say a word the whole ride. I think he already knew.

He wasn't surprised to see his 14-year old kid in handcuffs

covered in blood, charged with his mother's murder?

It was like he'd been expecting it.

[Dramatic music]

Sheryl told us your son killed his mother.

Thank you.

Sam was not in his right mind when he did that.

Because of his age, he was never charged with her murder.

They sent him to a psychiatric facility for a year.

Twenty five years ago, kids weren't tried as adults.

Sam had no idea what he had done.

It's a-a terrible thing to have the kind of problem Sam had.

Major depression.

I did everything I could to try and make him better.

I quit a good job.

Moved the family to Michigan when he was released.

You even changed your name.

We picked that up on the background check.

All so Sam would have a fresh start.

That's what you call a fresh start?

Twenty five years of lies?

My sister called out of the blue

with some crazy story about Sam and mom.

Sheryl's not exactly a reliable source.

- So, I thought I'd come to you. - I'm so sorry, Jordan.

It's true.

This is a copy of the police report.

My god.

My god.

How could they have kept this from me?

My father has been lying to me my entire life.

No, I had a right to know about this.

- Yeah, you did. - I barely remember my mother.

I hardly had a picture of her, even.

'After she died, one day daddy just'

gave all her stuff away.

The girls got her clothes.

The girls got her jewelry.

I didn't get anything to remember her by.

Not one damn thing.

What's your angle?

One was a shooting, the other, a stabbing, 25 years apart.

It's unlikely we can get a murder

he committed as a juvenile into evidence.

We use it out of court, rattle their cage with it.

They might want to avoid making the murder public.

- You want to offer them a deal? - Let me take a run at them.

Your client pleads to manslaughter.

Twelve years, it's a gift.

Some gift.

Well, he hasn't exactly been candid with you

about his past problems with alcohol and violence.

What past problems?

He's done this sort of thing before.

What are you talking about?

Tell your attorney about your mother.

- My mother? - When you were a teenager.

My mother died in a car accident.

'How do you think a jury's gonna feel when they find out'

that he shot his mother when he was 14 during a blackout.

They won't. Even if this is true.

It has no bearing on the current case.

'Oh, it parallels the murder of his niece exactly.'

he murders a female family member

under the influence, and then claims insanity.

You'll never get it into evidence.

- Bound to come out. - Are you threatening us?

I'm urging your client to consider

what he's putting his family through.

Take the deal, Mr. Carter. Let's put this to rest.

I'm doing what they want me to do.

Let's see what judge crenshaw has to say.

The people's motion to admit the prior homicide as evidence

in the current trial is denied.

At this time, the defense would like

the motion to include mr. Carter's prior homicide.

Your honor, you just ruled to exclude it.

What's the defense up to?

If you would reconsider, your honor?

What's on your mind? Why the change of heart?

The prosecution wanted to include the homicide

Mr. Carter committed as a juvenile

as a prior bad act.

The defense's position is that the homicide

demonstrates the length and severity

'of Mr. Carter's illness.'

Mr. Carter is, and has been since an early age

subject to psychotic depression.

I grasp the distinction. The first is prejudicial.

'This forms the basis of his plea.'

the defense would like to motion to include his medical records

from the corin psychiatric institute for juveniles.

Mr. Conlon, anything you'd like to add?

The people have no objection to its inclusion.

It was our idea.

Then I'll allow the prior homicide and juvenile records.

The defense has the burden of proof.

Porter's just trying to bolster the insanity plea any way.

They wanna use his year in a psych ward

as evidence of insanity.

We can as easily argue

he benefited from being institutionalized.

I think in the end, it'll come down to how

Carter does on the stand.

You're taking a risk.

It's odd, the defense going first.

Sort of like opposite day.

You guys never did opposite day?

Have dinner for breakfast and end the day

with pancakes and maple syrup?

My wife did that once with our daughter.

At my house, every day was "stay-on-track

no-matter-what, Maureen" day.

Speaking of staying on track, get with Dr. Peron.

Review the interview she did with Sam Carter

for his competency hearing.

Amanda called that night.

And said that she was moving away.

It made me feel so bad inside.

I wanted a drink so badly.

So I could stop thinking about it.

I kept coming back to the same thought.

I gotta stop Mandy from leaving.

So, I went over to her place, just to talk.

There's nothing Mr. Carter said that indicates

he experienced disassociation when he killed his niece.

Did he lose touch with reality?

Blacking out doesn't involve losing contact with reality.

'The person experiences amnesia, yes.'

but he's still in contact with his surroundings.

So, he's not halucinating or hearing voices?

No, that's something different. A psychotic break.

The defense is arguing just that.

Could alcohol have triggered a psychotic break?

I see no evidence of that.

They're trying to use his mother's murder to argue

that he's been psychotic since he was a teenager.

There are many cases of teenagers killing their parents.

They're angry, they're impulsive.

It doesn't mean they're psychotic.

'What we do know about Carter'

is that alcohol abuse was involved in his mother's murder.

And alcohol abuse led to the stabbing of his niece.

When he's had a few drinks, Sam Carter

becomes a loaded weapon.

Mrs. Carter, in the last several months

has your husband's behavior changed in any way?

I knew what to expect from Sam around that time of year.

It's the anniversary of his mother's death.

And so I would make sure he was taking his anti-depressants.

But this time, it was really bad.

- In what way? - He hardly ate anything.

He'd be in his pajamas all day

'sitting on the couch, wringing his hands'

'and listening to the same cd'

over and over, until I thought I'd scream.

Did you know what he had done to his mother?

No, he never told me what he did.

'The night your niece was murdered'

she called your house.

To tell us that she was engaged.

That she and her fiance would be leaving town.

How did your husband react?

He was upset.

I was worried that he would fall off the wagon.

What happens when your husband drinks?

'He has blackouts.'

(annabeth) 'Mrs. Carter, of the 15 years you've been married'

has your husband been depressed often?

Often. Around the anniversary of his mother's death.

'And during those depressions'

especially the worst ones, around those anniversaries

has your husband ever been ejected

from a movie theater or a restaurant

because he couldn't conform his conduct

to socially acceptable standards?

- No. - Has he ever been arrested?

- No. - Traffic tickets?

- Moving violations? D.W.I.'S? - 'No.'

have you ever called the police to your house?

- No. - Ever afraid for your safety?

No.

That's all, thank you.

Mr. Carter is suffering with major depression

with psychotic features.

What symptoms are we talking about?

Sadness, thoughts of extreme guilt, insomnia.

Agitated behavior, uh, pacing.

Compulsive and frequent hand washing.

And the psychotic part of the depression?

A loss of contact with reality

manifested by delusions or hallucinations

that are consistent with the theme of a depression.

When you asked Mr. Carter to describe

the night he killed his niece

how would you characterize his mental state?

He was delusional. He had lost contact with reality.

Did his mental state rise to the condition of legal insanity

as defined by Indiana statute?

In my opinion, yes.

Is the murder of Mr. Carter's niece

connected to the murder of his mother?

Mr. Carter suffers from psychotic depression.

The night of his niece's murder, his psychotic break

was triggered by heavy alcohol consumption.

Something similar happened when he killed his mother.

Did he know what he was doing during that killing?

- In my estimation, no. - And when he killed his niece?

I believe he had no consciousness

of what he was doing and no memory of its aftermath.

Thank you.

Dr. Wolfe, what percentage of homicides in this country

are connected to alcohol abuse on the part of the offender?

The number's quite high, between 80 and 85 percent.

So, would it be accurate to say, based on multiple studies

that violence, homicide and alcohol consumption are linked?

That is correct.

Isn't it possible, likely, Mr. Carter wasn't delusional

when he killed his niece?

'That because he'd been drinking'

he acted on his violent impulses?

That would be one interpretation, but not mine.

According to you, he was delusional?

Correct.

We've only Carter's word for what he was thinking

when he went to his niece's apartment.

He's been totally consistent with all

the mental health experts he's dealt with.

He's told the same story to them.

- His story's been consistent? - Yes.

As consistent as the lie he's been telling for 25 years

about the death of his mother?

That she died in a car accident?

'Your brother killed your mother when he was 14.'

yes.

A fact of which you were unaware until he murdered your niece.

My family kept it from me.

Every year, he's severely depressed

on the anniversary of your mother's death.

Sam always managed to do okay with his medication.

Did you witness any unusual behavior on your brother's part

prior to his murdering your niece?

None that I can recall.

Was there alcohol at the family dinner

the night your niece was murdered?

My father enjoys a good bottle of wine.

We all do.

Did your brother drink any?

No, Sam knows he can't mix alcohol with his medication.

- He knows better. - Yes.

But he was upset about Mandy's engagement.

I talked to him, I told him he oughta go to a meeting.

So I drove him to one, about midnight.

Did you pick him up?

He said he'd catch a ride home with someone, or walk.

But instead, he went drinking and then went to see his niece.

Yes.

In the last several months

did you ever stay over at your brother's house?

No.

So, you were not aware of his deteriorating mental state?

- Objection. - Sustained.

So, you were not aware of how long it took

your brother's wife to convince him to eat a meal

or comb his hair, or sleep for a couple of hours

instead of staring endlessly at his computer screen

and listening to the same cd over and over?

Objection. Facts not in evidence.

Sustained.

- 'Counselor.' - Mr. Conlon.

You set yourself a hell of challenge.

Regretting it?

I could hardly do otherwise. My client's the real deal.

Just depressed like the rest of us.

According to Dr. Wolfe, he's delusional.

Well, our expert witness beg to differ.

I don't think your Dr. Perrin turned the jury around.

- I still have the edge. - Now who's delusional?

You're putting him on the stand.

Carter is genuinely unstable.

I think the jury will find him very sympathetic.

The jury expects to see someone talking to themselves

and fighting imaginary dragons,

anything less, he knew what he was doing.

And so do I.

When your niece called to say she was getting married

how did you react?

'It made me angry.'

I didn't wanna think about it.

- What did you do? - I went to a meeting, but left.

'I was restless.'

- I went to a bar. - You went to a bar.

- Did you have a drink? - Three or four shots, yes.

We heard testimony from the bartender that night

who said you had six or seven.

That you were, in his words, "sloppy drunk."

'It could've happened.'

I don't remember.

You'd been sober for 14 years.

Why did you take a drink that night?

So, I could stop the thoughts.

- What kind of thoughts? - About my mother.

Thinking about how she died.

'What they said I did to her.'

sometimes the thoughts... Keep coming

and no matter what I do, the thoughts keep coming back to me.

And-and Mandy made me feel better like..

My mother.

And... like a little part of her was still here.

I... didn't want her to go. I had to go and see her.

- So, you went to Mandy's place? - Yes.

Was she glad to see you?

She seemed confused.

- I think I woke her up. - Then what happened?

I started talking to her

and... i told her I didn't want her to leave.

'How did she react?'

she started acting like she was afraid of me

like I was crazy

and-and not making any sense..

She wasn't listening to me anymore.

And then what happened?

I don't remember.

What is the next thing

you do remember about that night?

I was waking up at my desk

and the police were arresting me for Mandy's murder.

Thank you.

Mr. Carter, when you were at the bar

with these thoughts of your mother

and Mandy racing through your brain

why didn't you call your wife to come pick you up

instead of having yet one more drink?

I wish that I had.

You have no memory of taking a kitchen knife

and stabbing your niece to death that night?

Oh, no, ma'am.

Well, that's convenient, isn't it?

- Objection, your honor. - Sustained.

No memory of taking a shower

after killing her to wash off the blood?

No, ma'am.

- That's hard to believe. - Your honor.

(Judge) 'Do you have a question for the witness?'

(annabeth) 'You remember going there that night'

and talking to your niece. You even remember what you said.

Yes, ma'am.

You don't remember the crucial event of that night.

- Killing your niece. - No, ma'am, I don't.

No more questions, your honor.

Sam Carter was a depressed teenager

who had been self-medicating with alcohol and drugs

when he killed his mother.

'Every year on the anniversary of her death'

he suffers from depression.

This year... His depression

was more severe than ever before

'and he had a psychotic break.'

the same kind of psychotic break

he suffered just before he killed his mother.

He was legally insane

at the time he killed his niece.

(Maureen) 'The people acknowledge'

that the defendant suffers from depression.

But so do many millions of people

who never commit a crime.

'Mr. Carter's marriage of 15 years'

'as well as his long-term employment'

testify to his overall stability.

You heard Dr. Perrin's testimony.

Mr. Carter had the ability to discern right from wrong.

He made the wrong choice.

That night, the defendant

knowing that he had a substance abuse problem

and a history of violent behavior

and alcoholic blackouts

and knowing that during one such blackout

he shot and killed his own mother

went to a bar and started drinking.

'He became enraged at the idea'

that his niece was abandoning him

getting married and leaving him.

And he went to her apartment and stabbed her to death.

Sam Carter has never been legally held responsible

for the murder of his mother.

If he had been, this whole tragedy never would've occurred.

I beg you... Hold Mr. Carter responsible

for the murder of his niece.

- Great closing. - Thanks. You too.

Jury's taking a long time.

- Thanks. - Thank you.

Trying to sort through the three possible verdicts

under Indiana law. Guilty.

Guilty but mentally insane at the time.

Not guilty by reason of mental defect or disease.

- That's a lot to sort through. - Yeah.

[Phone ringing]

Annabeth chase.

Thank you.

- The jury's back. - Okay.

[Dramatic music]

The jury finds the defendant guilty

of the murder of Amanda Monroe

'but mentally ill at the time of the crime.'

Mr. Carter, you'll be transferred

'to a psychiatric facility.'

the duration and terms to be determined at your sentencing.

[Bangs gavel]

Congratulations, I guess.

Who said a tie game is like kissing your sister?

Vince lombardi.

We have to prepare for our sentencing.

Make sure he doesn't end up in outpatient care in 5 years.

Jury found him sympathetic.

The guy's only a bender away from killing again.

I want him put away for the rest of his life.

There's nothing in his gov files we can use

to influence the sentencing.

Carter was a model patient in the juvenile psych ward.

No run-ins with other inmates. No problems with the staff.

Prior to his incarceration, he had some curfew violations.

A couple of drunk and disorderly charges.

Ticket for loitering near a liquor store

the day of the murder.

Nothing that indicates he was prone to violence?

'No, nothing.'

'according to the police report'

the house was ransacked, jewelry and cash stolen.

Wait, Jordan told me

his father gave all his mother's jewelry to his sisters.

Mr. Carter reported it stolen and filed an insurance claim.

Just an opportunist?

Saw his chance to commit a little insurance fraud?

His son kills his wife and he's thinking how to make money

defrauding the insurance company?

(Jordan) 'Cops made a mistake.'

found the jewelry in my room a few days after my mom died

in a bag in the closet.

When I looked inside, I thought..

Well, it sounds dumb, but I thought

maybe she's left it for me somehow.

'So I put it away in my toy chest.'

few days later, daddy came looking for it.

- What'd you say? - Told him what I thought.

That mama must've wanted me to have it.

He told me she didn't put it there.

It wasn't for me. It was for my sisters.

Your father filed a claim on that jewelry.

'Collected a rather large payment.'

doesn't surprise me.

That's daddy for you.

Rules were always meant for somebody else.

Cheats on his taxes too. Don't tell him I told you.

This is all I have left of my mama.

You believe it all fits in this little box?

- My mama's wedding ring. - Mm.

- A boy's class ring. - Mm.

"K.g.?"

Kevin grover.

Mama would always tell this story how he took her

to the senior prom and his car caught on fire.

She'd laugh and say it was the hottest date she'd ever had.

[Chuckles]

She had some kinda crush on him.

She held on to it forever. He must've had one on her too.

Sent the most beautiful spray of flowers when she died.

- 'What do you want from me?' - Tell me about Angela Carter.

Angela and me..

We were on again off again for a lotta years.

- When she died? - We were on again.

- And she was married then. - Yeah, but not for long.

Did her husband know?

She said she was gonna tell him, I don't think she ever did.

That's something you put off for as long as you can.

It wasn't easy but we kept it quiet.

Angela would come by most days. We'd have lunch.

Did you have lunch with her the day she died?

We did. Always the same time.

We'd go to this little diner.

Other side of town.

Early.

We'd beat the lunch crowd

so we wouldn't run into anybody that we knew.

Angela would be on her way home by noon.

- What? - Are you sure about the time?

Yeah.

Something about Angela Carter's murder doesn't add up.

Her husband reported her jewelry stolen

but later he gave it to his daughters.

Minor league insurance fraud.

I'm sure the statute of limitations has run out on that.

The afternoon of the murder, Carter was ticketed

for loitering outside a liquor store around 3 o'clock.

Time enough to go home and shoot his mother.

Here's the thing, she'd had lunch that day with her lover.

- Her lover? - Ed spoke to him.

I went back and looked at the autopsy report.

She was killed within an hour of eating that meal.

What's the official time of death?

Uh, between 3 and 4.

- When did she have lunch? - Before noon.

Doesn't completely clear the kid.

No, but it makes him more unlikely

and it moves the time of death to about 1 o'clock.

Did the police check the father's alibi?

The case was so cut-and-dried. Only a cursory check.

Let's see what ed and ray can find out.

Here's Cyrus's file, January, 1981.

A letter to his co-workers

telling them where to send flowers.

Donation to the spca.

Fax and report for a company vehicle.

Check out the date.

Same day his wife was killed.

Checked out a company truck on his lunch hour between 12:32.

Dented a Fender. Company files a claim for the bodywork.

Question is, where was Cyrus Carter between 12:30 and 2?

Right around the time his wife was killed?

- We got a solid motive. - A jealous husband.

If we can place him near the crime scene, blow up his alibi..

Thinkin' there's a good chance the Indiana public employees

insurance union might have a record

of the specific location of his little Fender bender.

[Dramatic music]

We're charging you for the murder of your wife

'Angela Carter.'

[scoffs] That's just a crazy idea.

You checked out a company vehicle over your lunch hour

went home, killed your wife, staged a robbery to cover it up

and then went back to work.

(Janet) 'I completely agree with Mr. Carter.'

a truly crazy idea and sheer conjecture

without a shred of evidence.

We have the records from Indiana electric.

In your haste to get back to work, you hit a utility pole

two blocks from your house at 1:10 P.M.

(Annabeth) 'What happened, Mr. Carter?'

you were in such a state after killing your wife

that you got into an accident?

It's not like that.

I was driving through on my way back from lunch.

In a company truck? Why didn't you take your own car to lunch?

Why would I kill Angela? I had no reason.

(Janet) 'Mr. Carter, don't say anything else.'

'this is fantasy, Ms. Chase.'

you had all the reasons in the world, Mr. Carter.

And his name was Kevin grover.

'Your wife's high school sweetheart.'

we know they were having an affair. Apparently, so did you.

But you didn't know that they'd had lunch together

'that day, early.'

which means the autopsy results, based on the contents

of her stomach place her death during your lunch hour.

If they got the time of death wrong, that's their problem.

You knew your wife was leaving you, didn't you?

Your son didn't kill his mother. You did.

'We have enough evidence to take you to trial'

and convict you. I'm offering you a choice, Mr. Carter.

Are you offering us a plea?

We'll discuss that if he tells us the truth.

They were my kids. Our kids.

I wasn't gonna let her take them away..

Call that man "daddy."

They're my kids.

You let the police arrest your son.

I knew nothing much was gonna happen to him

because of his age. Besides, he's troubled.

I thought they would give him the help he needed.

You let him believe he killed his mother.

I have other children to raise.

If I went to prison, who was gonna provide for them?

I gave my children a good life.

You keep telling yourself that.

I think about it all every day.

I don't know why I did it.

Or why I did what I did to Mandy, either.

You think there's a day, that goes by

I don't beg her for forgiveness? Or my mother?

You don't need to do that anymore.

Not for your mother anyway.

How come? Why not?

You didn't kill her.

Ms. Chase, there was blood all over me.

My prints were on the gun.

You were very drunk that day.

You came home, the house had been ransacked.

You saw your mother lying in a pool of blood.

The shock of seeing her body must've been tremendous.

The shotgun was lying next to her

and you picked it up.

The stress of what you'd just seen, you had a blackout.

And when you came to, the police were arresting you

but you didn't do it.

- She was already dead? - She was already dead.

And, all these years, I thought..

If I didn't kill her..

Your father.

He shot her and let you take the blame.

Daddy wouldn't have done that.

We confronted him with the evidence and he confessed.

No.

No, no, no.

My daddy loves me.

And he wouldn't let me suffer like that.

He wouldn't let me think that I had done..

Something like that.

He wouldn't throw my life away like that.

I'm sorry, Mr. Carter.

You're gonna have to wrestle with that one.

And Mandy.

You can lay your mother to rest now, at least.

(Female narrator) Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.

[Theme music]