All language subtitles for Close.To.Home.S02E12.Road.Rage.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-squalor_track3_[eng]

[Intense music]

[No audio]

[Music continues]

[Girl crying]

[Music continues]

Why'd you call us? What
about your investigation?

We didn't know what to
do with him. Wanted some..

Guidance from the
prosecutor's office.

She was in the car?

Mother's coming to pick her up.

He got out and
fought in front of her?

- Where is this genius?
- He's in with his attorney.

A cop said his first call was
911, second was his wife.

And third was his
lawyer. So who is he?

Greg Paulson.

English professor,
central Indiana.

English professor?

(Annabeth) 'This guy
killed someone in a fight?'

road rage. Says the
other driver attacked him.

He fought back.

Looks like a lover,
not a fighter. Alcohol?

He did take a voluntary
breathalyzer at the scene.

- Not a drop.
- Who's the victim?

According to his driver's
license, Mark riggs.

Coroner's prelim, blunt
force trauma, fractured skull.

- Broken right forearm.
- Defensive wound.

- That'd be my guess.
- Weapon?

Bloody crowbar next to the body.

- Whose crowbar?
- Probably the victim's.

There were some loose
tools in his pickup, a hard hat.

A construction
worker, carpenter.

Anything else?

Passenger side window of
Paulson's minivan was smashed.

Few pieces of glass
in the kid's car seat.

We're lucky she wasn't cut up.

- Witnesses?
- It was dark, happened fast.

- In other words..
- We're working on it.

There's nobody helpful yet.

[Knocking on door]

Annabeth. So glad you're here.

My client's ready to talk.

You're letting a
client talk, Paul?

That's a novel strategy.

Well, you know the
adage, annabeth.

The truth will set you free.

Do I look like the kind
of guy who'd start a fight?

Or finish one? I teach
chaucer for god's sake.

I wanted to get home
with my daughter

and have dinner with my wife.

- Guy cut me off.
- Did you provoke him?

Flip him off, honk your horn?

Not until he swerved
in front of me.

He blocked the road,
wouldn't let me pass.

I honked. I got
out to talk to him.

And... he just went off on me.

Why didn't you back
up and drive away?

I would have. But there was
a car behind me. I got blocked.

You left your three-year-old
in the car, Mr. Paulson.

I just wanted to talk to him.

I didn't think he was going
to attack me with a crowbar.

Where did he get the crowbar?

Maybe from the
back of his truck.

Alright, walk me through
exactly what happened

when you and
riggs got into this.

- That's his name?
- 'Mark riggs.'

oh.

He pushed me.
He started yelling.

- And you pushed back.
- Just to keep him away from me.

Why not get back in your car?

Mr. Paulson wasn't the
aggressor here, miss chase.

Under Indiana law he
had no duty to retreat.

I wanted to, believe me. Then
suddenly he's holding a crowbar

slamming it at
Courtney's window.

He shattered it
into a million pieces.

I mean, thank god
for safety glass.

At that point, I had no choice.

I had to protect
her, fight back.

How did you get the
crowbar away from him?

I don't know how.
I just went berserk.

Into another zone. Managed
to wrestle it away from him.

- And then?
- I told him to back off.

He just kept coming,
so, uh... I hit him.

- How many times?
- Once.

- Just once?
- Mm-hmm, in the head.

And then he just collapsed.

I just wanted to keep
him away from Courtney.

Miss chase.

- Hi. Sarah Paulson.
- Hi, Mrs. Paulson.

- Are you releasing Greg?
- Not tonight.

It wasn't his fault. He
said that man attacked him.

We're looking into
his story, Mrs. Paulson.

There's some things
we need to clear up.

Please, just let him come
home with me. With us.

(Annabeth) 'I'll talk to
my boss in the morning'

'and we'll decide how
to handle this case.'

then you'll let him go?

We have 72 hours to decide

whether to charge
him or release him.

Come on, sweetie.

You notify riggs' family?

Yeah, we're looking
for his next of kin.

Contact number in
his wallet. Linda Miller.

Just two guys driving home, huh?

Yeah, should've
stayed in the car.

Yeah, he should've.

Alright, let me know
when you get the forensics.

An English professor with
a nice wife and a little kid.

I know. It's easier
when they're scum.

[Intense music]

[Police siren wailing]

They were pushin' and shovin'.
Using the worst language.

'Did you see either
man with a weapon?'

- no, just their hands.
- Then what happened?

I went back inside to call 911.

When I came out
again, it was all over.

As I pulled up, they were
getting out of their cars.

- You know, bring it on.
- Who got out first?

The guy in the pickup, I think.
But both of them were angry.

Yelling and cursing, "what
the hell are you doing?"

- You didn't stick around?
- Didn't seem that serious.

Just two guys blowing off
steam at the end of a hard day.

I did call 911.

I was listening to radio news

and I heard a car
window being smashed.

We've had some
break-ins here recently

so I found my glasses
and I went outside.

How long did you
take to find them?

Few minutes. They were upstairs.

I don't need them for the radio.

And then? When you went outside?

One man was
laying on the ground.

Another man was standing
over him, holding a crowbar.

'The man on the
ground wasn't moving.'

[intense music]

So where are you
with the appeal?

- Which?
- Vehicular homicide.

The guy who killed
annabeth's husband.

- Trent bishop.
- Bishop.

I'm working on the reply brief.

Is it a formality or does
bishop really have a chance?

Afraid so.

Breathalyzer hadn't
been recalibrated.

You're kidding.

Plenty of precedent for
granting him a new trial.

- Does annabeth know?
- She asked to stay posted.

I'll show her the
completed draft.

Hopefully, we can
wrap this up quickly.

I don't want her to relive
this whole ugly experience

over a technicality.

The professor
versus the carpenter.

So, self-defense
or something else?

Eyewitness testimony
is inconclusive.

No one saw either man take
the crowbar from riggs' truck.

Paulson claims riggs attacked
him, smashed in his car window

'but forensics don't match.'

'riggs' fingerprints
aren't on the crowbar.'

- but Paulson's are.
- 'Yeah, what you'd expect.'

but he also struck riggs twice.

The first blow broke riggs'
arm, trying to defend himself.

Paulson didn't need
to hit him on the head.

- He was no longer in danger.
- If he had ever been.

Let's see how he defends
himself against a murder charge.

Street fights, road rage,
not great witnesses.

'Wouldn't manslaughter be
an easier charge to make?'

charge high, leave yourself
some room to negotiate.

We may need it. Our
victim, riggs, had a record.

- 'Dui, misdemeanor assault.'
- Assault?

'Yeah. Few years ago. Some
kind of scuffle at the county fair.'

he'd pled guilty, 20
hours community service.

Let me guess, professor
Paulson has no record?

Not even an unpaid
parking ticket.

Sympathetic defendant,
unsympathetic victim.

Paulson may be sympathetic
but the evidence says he's lying.

The second blow,
the fingerprints.

'Professor Paulson
claims self-defense'

against a guy who's
bigger than him

has a record of assault and dui

'who cuts him off in traffic,
confronts him on the street.'

jury might find that persuasive.

This case is going to
come down to character.

Riggs versus Paulson.

From what I just heard,
Paulson's got it hands down.

The murder of Mark riggs,
Mr. Paulson, how do you plead?

Not guilty, your honor.
The defendant was acting

in self-defense and
to protect his child.

We plead his release
on his own recognizance.

This is a murder
charge, your honor.

Not a moving violation. We
ask the defendant be remanded.

'Mr. Paulson has
no criminal record'

tenure at the university,
strong ties to the community.

Bail is set at $200,000.
Cash or bond.

(Paul) 'Thank you, your honor.'

I'll see you downstairs.

Why so adamant, annabeth?

Paulson's hardly public
enemy number one.

Paulson left a child he was
supposedly trying to protect

in the car alone while
he confronted riggs.

Is this about leaving
the kid in the car?

Forensics indicate
Paulson was the aggressor.

He also lied to the police and
this office about what happened.

Not lies, he gave contradictory
statements under stress.

The lack of prints on the
crowbar doesn't mean anything.

It will to a jury. Your client
picked up that crowbar, Paul.

He struck Mr. Riggs
twice, not once.

The second time
after disabling him.

There's no way this
was self-defense.

- Broken window in the mini-Van?
- Paulson broke it himself.

Anyone see him
do it? Didn't think so.

When you're ready to
be reasonable, call me.

You'd be open to a deal?

Well, if it involves
dropping the charges.

Have a nice day.

We need to paint a picture
of these two men for the jury.

I'll take riggs.

Let's talk to the
guy riggs assaulted.

See if his testimony
will soften the jury.

We ever reached that
emergency contact?

Linda Miller, his ex-wife.

See if she has anything
nice to say about him.

I'm sure she won't have
nice things to say about him.

Mine does.

I didn't know
you've been married.

Neither does she.

I'll look into Paulson and see
what kind of family man he is.

The kind who fights
in front of his kid.

(Williams) 'Why
was she with him?'

he picked her up from day care

- on his way home.
- I'll check that out.

It would be nice if one of
you could talk to Mrs. Paulson.

She and annabeth
already spoke so I'll go.

Why would she open the door?

She left her daughter's
blanket at the precinct.

I know, it's a long shot.

Well, it might work. At
least it's a reason to knock.

As fathers go, he
was pretty involved.

Picked up Courtney
almost every day after work.

That day, what kinda
mood was he in?

Foul. He was running
late. It was getting dark.

I was anxious to lock up and
go home. He seemed stressed.

Courtney was cranky,
she wanted to go home.

He yelled at me like it was
my fault she was the last here.

- Is he usually bad-tempered?
- 'A lot. With everyone.'

- huh. Seems so mild mannered.
- Used to be.

He really changed a lot
after his little boy died.

- He lost a child?
- About a year ago.

Andrew. Three.

Beautiful boy.

Hit by a car right in
front of their house.

- Man, that's tough.
- Yeah.

Ever since that happened

Mr. Paulson's just
been mad at the world.

- I would be.
- Me, too. No question.

Tell me exactly what happened
that day with this guy riggs.

- You're at the fair..
- In line to get ice cream.

My kids are goofing around.

You know, not misbehaving,
just rambunctious.

Suddenly, this guy's
going off on me.

Yelling, telling me
to control my kids.

Poking me in the
chest with his finger.

The kids start
screaming and crying.

It was a scene. Spoiled the day.

- So you pressed charges.
- I thought twice about it.

I heard he pled to a misdemeanor

so tempers stay
in the tea pot, huh?

You say you
thought twice about it.

His ex-wife called me, asked
me to cut the guy a break.

Said he'd been going
through a rough time.

- Did she say why?
- No. I didn't ask.

My husband's lawyer says I
shouldn't talk to you people.

Mr. Boscoe's right.

We can't compel
you to tell us anything

your husband might
have told you that night.

It's privileged.

But I thought you might want
to talk about Greg in general.

Why would I want to do that?

We've been told your husband's

been mad at the world
since your son died.

He's been upset. I have too.

We just... Deal
with it differently.

I thought you might wanna
soften the picture of him a little.

Why would you want to? You're
prosecuting him for murder.

We're not monsters,
Mrs. Paulson.

We wanna know what
really happened that night.

Maybe this whole tragedy
doesn't have to end with a trial.

Greg has been
depressed. Distant.

I can understand how
people think he has a temper.

He is angry, but
not at the world.

He... blames himself
for what happened.

Why? What happened?

[Instrumental music]

I wasn't home. I had taken
Courtney and gone shopping.

They were out in
the yard playing.

Andrew ran into the street.

I'm so sorry.

I can't imagine what
that must feel like.

There are mornings
you don't think

you can get out of
bed and face the day.

But... we have
Courtney, so we have to..

I mean, it's good. She gives
us both a reason to go on.

[Music continues]

'The day after he died,
I hadn't read the paper'

and no one phoned me yet.

So I phoned him to ask for
help in trimming the hedges.

You stayed close,
even after your divorce?

Closer, actually.

We'd spent years
watching Jenny die.

That's not an experience
anyone else can ever understand.

- Jenny?
- Our daughter. Leukemia.

She was five when she got
sick and nine when she died.

After she died, I went
to bed for five months

and Mark went drinking.
You gotta cope, right?

- Right.
- Anyway..

Every time I looked at
Mark I could only see Jenny.

And I'm sure it was the
same for him. So we split.

When did you two..

After the divorce,
Mark got involved

with a support group
for grieving parents.

Pulled himself together.

He called me to
see how I was doing

and we started talking again.

We heard he had some trouble.
Dui, scuffle at the county fair.

All that was the year after
Jenny died, but he'd changed.

This group had
really helped him.

That's why I was surprised
to hear he got into a fight.

- Where does this group meet?
- Over at St. Stevens.

Jesse Abrams, he's the leader.

I was sick when I heard
what happened to Mark.

You knew him pretty well?

We spoke at length
probably four times a week

for the past year and a half.

I got to know Mark
inside and out.

His ex says you
helped turn him around.

She gives me too much credit.

Mark turned himself around.

Threw himself into this
work, heart and soul.

His way of mourning Jenny.

- Threw himself into it?
- He counseled other parents.

Did outreach work for
us at local hospitals.

- He was good at it?
- He'd been through it himself.

He could talk to a parent
who'd just been told

his or her child had died.

- That's not easy.
- What would he tell them?

He'd stay with
them, comfort them.

Contact them a few
days or weeks later.

Tell them about the group.

Ask them if they'd like
to come to a meeting.

You keep records
of those meetings?

Regular members and guests.

I can fax it to you.

What about the
people he counseled?

That list I can
give you right now.

[Intense music]

I'll be damned.

Greg Paulson?

Riggs counseled
him after his son died.

So Paulson lied
about knowing riggs.

He's been lying from the get-go.

They certainly
weren't total strangers.

After they met at the hospital
riggs invited him to the group.

June of last year, Paulson went
to two meetings at St. Stevens.

I pulled a police
report on the accident.

Paulson and his son were playing
hide-and-seek on the front lawn.

He lost sight of his son

who ran out into the
street and got hit by a car.

Sad story. Think they might
try to use it with the jury?

How is that relevant
to a self-defense claim?

State of mind.

I hope the judge doesn't
allow it. However, if he did..

They might pity him and forgive
him for his inconsistent story.

Inconsistencies?

At this point, going in front
of a jury could be dodgy.

Maybe we could use
the lie to leverage Paulson

to take a manslaughter plea.

We haven't even
scratched the surface here.

Why would Paulson kill someone

trying to help him
mourn his son's death?

If we find out what they
fought about that night

we'd have a motive to
support the murder charge.

If we could, we
might or we might not.

Offer Paulson
voluntary manslaughter

and let's put this to bed.

Your client lied to us,
Paul. He knew Mark riggs.

You keep accusing him of that.

He didn't lie, just didn't
mention it. How is it relevant?

It's still a road rage incident

whether they knew
each other or not.

I thought we were
gonna talk about a plea.

Voluntary
manslaughter, ten years.

Four suspended for
mitigating circumstances.

Voluntary man, ten
years, two suspended.

Eight years, Greg.

Make parole,
you'll be out in four.

Done.

Tell me what
happened that night.

We knew each other from
the grief group. That's true.

But I hadn't seen
Mark in months.

When he got out of the
car, he looked familiar

but I barely remembered
him. It was dark and..

It wasn't until afterwards
that I realized that it was him.

- What were you fighting about?
- Well, it happened like I said.

He cut me off. I don't know why.

You're still claiming this
was a traffic altercation?

Maybe he was irate
because I honked my horn.

He came at me with a crowbar
and smashed my window.

I had to defend myself
and my daughter.

You told us you hit him once.

The coroner's
report is irrefutable.

I don't remember hitting
him the second time.

I was in a state, I was
fighting for our lives.

- You were enraged.
- I was scared to death.

Even if that were true,
your first blow broke his arm.

You were in no danger when
you struck the lethal blow.

I didn't know that.

I don't believe
you. You're a liar.

Annabeth, that's uncalled for.

You've lied to us from the
beginning and you're lying now.

That's the story
that I've told all along

and that's the only
story that I'm going to tell.

Then we have a problem

because I'm not gonna
let you lie to the judge.

Annabeth, please,
we can make this deal.

Last chance, Mr. Paulson.

- I already told you.
- 'If that's a challenge..'

I'll take it.

And you'll be sorry I did.

I asked you to settle the case.

I thought his
proffer was a line.

I didn't think judge
lathrop would accept it.

He would've accepted
it. I accepted it.

Paulson accepted
it. Everyone but you.

I'm not comfortable
settling with no idea

of what really happened.

That isn't your job.

Your job is to accurately
assess the strength of the case.

Ambiguous evidence,
inconclusive witnesses

sympathetic defendant,
semi-sympathetic victim.

This wasn't road rage. They
were fighting about something else.

- You're not sure.
- I'm trying to find out.

We got permission from riggs'
ex-wife to search his apartment.

Ed and ray can go
over there right now.

You have two days
to show me something.

Otherwise, we go back to
boscoe, and we make the deal.

- Two days.
- Okay.

[Dramatic music]

The riggs family, they
look like they were happy.

Family pictures
always look happy.

Right, who hangs the ones
where everyone looks miserable?

His daughter dies,
his whole life changes.

The death of a child
rocks your world.

Drinking, assault,
arrest, losing his wife.

It's like a punishment.

What did he do other than
have a kid who got sick? Nothing.

He made something
out of it in the end.

The support group.

Look at these.

Recognize the names?

Recognize this one. Paulson.

Must be the people he counseled.

This is all about
the Paulson's son.

Name, birthday,
anniversary of death

favorite food, toys.

Pictures.

(Ed) Sarah Paulson.

Maybe riggs counseled her, too.

Maybe.

He must have.

'They went to calvary
cemetery together'

where Andrew Paulson's buried.

Almost every Tuesday
for the past year.

Almost every week. Regulars.

What was their routine?
What would they do?

Go to the gravesite for a while

sit, hold hands, maybe
walk around, talk.

Sometimes they'd
even pack a picnic lunch

spend the afternoon.

What was your impression
of their relationship?

Really good. Better than
most couples grieving a child.

You thought they were a couple?

The parents? Yeah. Definitely.

- They told you that?
- You can tell.

They'd touch, console each other

and they always came together.

- Together?
- A lot of parents come alone.

Grieve separately.

It's too painful for
them to be together.

They blame each
other or whatever.

These two were definitely
helping the other one

get through this.

Weekly visits to a
cemetery hardly prove

Mark riggs and Sarah
Paulson were having an affair.

They talked on the phone
several times a day for months.

And according to
Mark riggs' calendar

they also met in
restaurants, coffee shops

'even his apartment
occasionally.'

he was counseling her.

Oh, is that what it's
called nowadays?

Greg Paulson was so
distraught over his son's death

he temporarily checked
out of the marriage

and Sarah needed
someone to confide in.

- Riggs.
- They fell in love.

I'm still not making the leap.

Look at the timeline
of the phone calls.

'Riggs meets
Paulson at the hospital'

'Andrew dies, a few weeks
later, riggs brings Paulson'

'to two grief group
meetings at St. Stevens.'

that's where their
relationship ends.

No more meetings,
no more phone calls

between riggs' and
Paulson's office.

But for the first time
a few weeks later

riggs calls up Paulson's home
and talks for almost an hour.

And you think he talked
to Sarah Paulson, why?

Riggs never calls up
Paulson's home number again

only Sarah's cell phone,
which he calls all the time.

Until this day, shortly
before the murder

'when the connection
between Sarah and riggs ends.'

one of them broke it
off. Or Paulson found out.

- An affair?
- What else?

They obviously
were trying to keep

their relationship
secret from her husband.

And that's what riggs and
Paulson fought about that night?

I think so. I wanna ask
Sarah about it under oath.

Alright. Depose her.

I lied because I didn't want to
cause Greg any more trouble.

You were having
an affair with the man

your husband killed, and
you knew how that would look.

Could you not
call it that, please?

- 'What would you call it?'
- A friendship.

We have phone records,
photos of the two of you together

notes of the times you met at
the cemetery, his apartment.

I know that it looks like
an affair, but it wasn't.

Well, whatever it
was, how did it start?

Mark called the
house, looking for Greg.

I told him Greg didn't want
to continue going to group.

He said he understood that.

And then he asked
how I was doing.

And that just opened
the floodgates.

We talked about Andrew.

Greg and I weren't
talking about Andrew

or anything else
for that matter.

And Mark riggs understood?

He had lost a daughter
and a marriage.

He knew exactly what
I was going through.

That was the beginning.

Did your husband know about
this relationship with Mark?

He knew we were spending
a lot of time together.

He knew Mark and I were close.

He asked me to
break it off with him.

Is that why you stopped
seeing each other?

My relationship with
Mark was so intense.

At a certain point, I felt
I was betraying Greg.

So I told Mark I wanted to
try and get my marriage back.

What did he say?

He said he was in love with me.

But for Courtney's
sake and for mine..

He hoped that Greg and I
could work things through.

I really thought
he was okay with it.

Do you believe
Mark riggs confronted

your husband that night?

I think when I rejected
him, Mark sought Greg out

and attacked him and
put our daughter in danger

and I feel responsible.

If I hadn't spent so
much time with Mark

Mark never touched
that crowbar, Sarah.

Your husband is lying to you.

We know what your client
and Mark riggs were really

fighting about that
night. Sarah Paulson.

Ah, yes, Mark riggs, Sarah
Paulson's spurned suitor.

Spurned suitor?

Did you pick up a
few new phrases

from one of professor
Paulson's classes?

Mark riggs was in love
with Sarah but she wasn't.

I beg to differ, I talked to
her, it's obvious how she felt.

And she told you what?

- They were just friends.
- Exactly.

Riggs fell in love with
her. It was unrequited.

He attacked my client in a rage.

My client knew nothing
of riggs' obsession

until riggs attacked him.

He knew they were having
some kind of relationship.

He asked Sarah
not to continue it.

That would convince a jury
he was aware of their affair.

You don't believe that.

It doesn't matter
what I believe.

It matters what Greg
Paulson believed

and if he believed
about his wife's affair

with riggs, it explains
why he killed him that night.

What really matters is
what the jury believes.

We think they'll
believe us, not you.

Mr. Paulson told the
police he was attacked

by a stranger with a crowbar.

This is a lie.

In fact, he knew the victim
Mark riggs quite intimately.

Mr. Riggs had counseled
him over the death of his son

and then Mr. Riggs
counseled Sarah Paulson.

The evidence will show
that Greg Paulson believed

Mark riggs was having
an affair with his wife.

Mark riggs did not attack
Greg Paulson with that crowbar.

It was the other way around.

What Greg Paulson did to riggs
that night was not self-defense.

It was murder.

This case is about one
thing whether Greg Paulson

was legally justified
in defending himself

and his daughter
from Mr. Riggs' attack.

Mr. Paulson wasn't jealous of
a love affair between Mark riggs

and Sarah Paulson
because there wasn't one.

Mark riggs loved Sarah Paulson

but she did not love
him back, not in that way.

This isn't about a
jealous husband.

It was Mark riggs
who was jealous

jealous of the paulsons'
marriage, resentful

that a woman he had
cared about and had helped

and had fallen in love
with was not gonna leave

her husband for him.

You will hear from Sarah Paulson

who'll tell you about
the exact nature

of her relationship
with Mark riggs.

You'll hear from
an expert witness

who will shed light on
Greg Paulson's state of mind

the night Mark
riggs attacked him.

And you'll hear
from the one person

who knows exactly
what happened that night.

Greg Paulson
will tell you himself

the fear he felt when
Mark riggs took that crowbar

and smashed that window.

Spraying glass on his
three-year-old daughter.

The question in this case
is not why Greg Paulson

responded as he did that night.

It is how we would judge
a father who did not?

(Bosco) 'What did your husband
tell you when he called you'

- 'the night of the incident?'
- He said Mark had attacked him.

- Did he say why?
- He wanted me..

To leave my husband.
That's what Greg said.

When did you end your
friendship with Mr. Riggs?

A few days before
he attacked Greg.

So you broke off
your relationship

with Mr. Riggs,
and a few days later

he attacked your husband?

Objection.

Sustained.

After your son died, Mark
riggs counseled your husband.

Briefly.

He went to a few meetings

but, um, he wasn't
interested in Mark's help.

But you were.

Mark helped me a lot.

Did the two of you fall in love?

Yes.

Did you have an affair?

It wasn't an affair.

We became very close friends.

Very close friends.

Which meant you spent
a lot of time together?

Um, I don't know.

'How many times a week
did you see Mr. Riggs?'

three or four.

How often did you speak
to him on the phone?

- Every day.
- Every day?

Yes.

Did you ever visit your son's
gravesite with Mr. Riggs?

Yes.

Every week, in fact.

You met him in coffee
shops, bars, at his apartment

and all behind your
husband's back.

(Sarah) 'I needed a friend.'

Mark helped me grieve,
but that's all it was.

It wasn't an affair.

Do you think it may have
been construed as an affair?

That's what you
seem to have done.

What about your husband?

'Wouldn't it have looked
like an affair to him?'

no.

Well, then, why
keep it a secret?

And when your husband
did find out you'd been

spending so much
time with Mr. Riggs?

When he found out, he
said he'd rather I didn't.

He specifically asked you
not to see Mark riggs anymore?

Yes.

- And did you do as he asked?
- Yes.

And when you ended
the relationship with

Mark riggs, what
was his reaction?

He was disappointed.

He said he was in love with me.

Sarah, did he seem angry?

- No.
- What did he say?

He said he hoped I
could save my marriage.

No further questions.

Dr. Eaton, what did
you hope to glean

from your interview
with professor Paulson?

An understanding of
his cognitive abilities

and of his personal
history as they might relate

to the night of his
conflict with Mr. Riggs.

And what did you conclude?

That there was an aspect

of his personal history that
very well may have induced

in him a reasonable
fear for his life

'and for the life of his child.'

and what aspect of his
past are you referring to?

'The death of his son a
little more than a year ago.'

objection. Relevance.

This experience is
absolutely relevant

to Mr. Paulson's
claim of self-defense.

It framed his
perception of the event

and what was happening.

Sidebar, your honor.

I think chambers instead.

What're you pulling, Mr. Bosco?

Marching a dead
child in front of my jury.

That's not my
intention, your honor.

'What is your intention?'

to establish Mr. Paulson's
state of mind.

How does the
child's death do that?

Mr. Paulson witnessed
his son's death.

When Mr. Riggs drove
that crowbar into the window

spraying glass on Mr. Paulson's
three-year-old daughter

his experience shaped
his perception of that act

as a threat to
his daughter's life.

The details of Andrew
Paulson's death are irrelevant.

Allowing Mr. Bosco to
garnish his defense with them

would be improper, naked
appeal for jury sympathy.

Brand vs. State of Indiana.

A self-defense case where
the court ruled admissible

testimony about prior
events that formed the basis

of the defendant's fear.

In brand, those events
were things the defendant

knew about the victim's
past, not events completely

unconnected to the victim.

They were admitted to establish
the defendant's perception.

That's all that matters here.

If Mr. Paulson is
still taking the stand

Mr. Bosco, I agree with you

but I will not allow
the jury to hear

theoretical testimony
without hearing about

those experiences directly.

He still intends to
testify, your honor.

Then I will allow the jury to
hear about his son's death

solely as it relates
to his state of mind

at the time of the fight.

Lathrop bought that?

Guess he figures it's better
than being reversed on appeal.

It's clearly a bid
for jury sympathy.

The question is,
how to counter it?

I'm not sure we do.
Maybe we ignore it.

Let the jury see it for
the cynical tactic that it is

and hammer Paulson
with the fingerprints

the witnesses, the
affair, his own admissions

and inconsistencies.

We have to go right
at him. Who knows how

'he'll twist the story
to convince the jury?'

Maureen, he's lied
about everything else.

He's probably going
to lie about that.

I've read the police report.
I'm unsure of relevance.

I'm going to show
it to ed and ray.

Have them go
over to the paulsons

and walk through the
accident, talk to the witnesses.

I'm not letting Paulson
use his son's death like this.

[Dog barking]

You sure?

Never forget it.
That poor little boy.

And Mr. Paulson?

I didn't see him.

- He wasn't there?
- Not then.

A few minutes
later, out in the street

we were all there.

Driver of the car was crying.

Everybody was calling 911.
Just waiting on an ambulance.

Alright. Thanks, ma'am.

'If she was standing
there didn't see him'

on the front lawn, where was he?

Next door neighbor also
says she didn't see him

out in the yard.

It's not much, but it
could be somethin'.

Paulson told the patrol
officer on the scene

he was on the front lawn.

Saw Andrew
running into the street.

But neither of the witnesses
saw Paulson on the lawn

and both had a clear
view of the accident.

So he's lying?

- Of course he's lying.
- Then where was he?

Let's assume that
Paulson made a mistake

that day and then
lied to the police.

'If he did, it's perceivable '

he couldn't tell
his wife the truth.

So how do we prove it unless
he told someone the truth?

Maybe he told
riggs at the hospital

immediately after
Andrew's death.

Would riggs have told
anyone? His ex-wife, maybe?

Jesse Abrams, the grief
counselor at St. Stevens.

But he didn't remember Paulson.
He didn't recognize his picture.

He wouldn't have
to remember Paulson

he just has to
remember the story.

I can't reveal names.

But, tell me what you know.
I'll see what I remember.

Fair enough. About a year ago,
a man's playing hide-and-seek

on his front lawn with his son.

Boy runs into the street,
father says he watched him

get hit by the car.

Happened out in
shadyside, right?

Yeah.

I remember Mark
telling me that story.

Do you remember the details?

Of the hide-and-seek story? No.

'Cause that wasn't the story.

What do you mean,
"that wasn't the story"?

That was the lie the
father told people.

He told Mark the truth, that's
why he talked to me about it.

People lie to each other about
a lot things when a child dies.

'You grabbed the
crowbar from Mark riggs.'

I struck him.

- 'How many times?'
- Twice.

I hit him the first
time, he kept coming.

I hit him again, he went down.

Why did Mark riggs
attack you that night?

He said he was in
love with my wife.

(Bosco) 'So, he blocked
the road and confronted you.'

yes.

What did you think
was happening?

I was scared. I
knew he was angry.

I-I thought he was stalking me.

'You felt threatened.'

very. We argued.

He smashed the window of my car.

My daughter was inches away.

- 'How did you react to that?'
- 'She was terrified.'

'i needed to protect her.'

I kept having an image of Andrew

running into the street.

Right before he was..

Struck by a car.

And how is Andrew relevant
to what we're discussing today?

He was killed by a car last year

when he was three years old.

How did that happen?

We were playing
hide-and-seek in the front yard.

His turn to hide.

I closed my eyes
not ten seconds.

And then when I opened them,
he was running into the street.

And a car was
coming right at him.

I saw it hit him.

I watched my son die.

(Bosco) 'Why did you
think of this tragedy'

'when Mark riggs smashed
the window of your car?'

simple.

I thought I was about
to lose another child.

Mr. Paulson, you saw the
car hit your son. Is that right?

Yes.

Are you familiar
with the police report?

I know there is
one. I haven't seen it.

"We were playing hide-and-seek."

"I had my eyes
closed when I heard

"the screech of
the car's brakes.

"I opened my eyes and
saw the car hit Andrew."

He wrote it down.
Guess I said it.

Where were you
playing hide-and-seek?

The front lawn.

Is your front lawn visible
from your neighbor's property?

Yes.

Two of your neighbors
witnessed the accident

that killed your son.

They both told the
police, they didn't see you

on your lawn that day.

I'm not sure I get your point.

Mr. Paulson, where were
you when Andrew was hit?

- On the front lawn.
- No, you weren't.

And Mark riggs knew
it. He knew your secret.

Isn't that why he
confronted you that night?

'Objection, your honor,
facts not in evidence'

badgering the witness,
I could go on and on.

No need, Mr. Bosco, sustained.

Mr. Paulson, where were
you when your son was killed?

- 'Asked and answered.'
- Sustained.

You told Mark riggs,
you were on the phone.

I never told riggs that.

Jesse Abrams will
testify that you did.

We went back and pulled your
phone records from that day.

You were on the phone
at the exact moment

your son was hit by that car.

I..

I thought it might be Sarah.

So I ran inside
to grab the phone.

I-I wasn't gone a minute.

Is that when you heard
the screech of the brakes?

From inside your house?

Yes.

You couldn't tell your
wife the truth, could you?

But Mark riggs was going to.

Voluntary
manslaughter, ten years.

- Mitigation?
- That deal disappeared.

Paul, he does all ten.

Do you have kids?

One, daughter.

We have three.

You ever get distracted,
maybe lose sight of her

for a few seconds?

Of course.

What happened to him
could happen to any of us.

Yeah. But how he reacted to it..

That was a choice.

Yeah.

Riggs asked me to
tell Sarah the truth

about Andrew's death.

He said he loved Sarah

and she deserved to know.

So she could go
forward with her life

knowing the truth.

That's why he
confronted me that night.

To give me an ultimatum.

Either I tell
Sarah the truth or..

He would.

I knew I couldn't.

I was afraid that she
would never forgive me.

I was afraid that she
would leave me for him.

I grabbed the crowbar
from his truck and hit him.

I took Courtney out of the
car and broke the window.

To make it look like
he had attacked us.

I'm so sorry.

[Dramatic music]

My reply to the bishop brief.

You still want to read it?

That was our deal,
right? Every painful detail.

The gist of his appeal he's
claiming the breathalyzer

hadn't be calibrated
in over six months

which violates the statute.

Do we know if that's true?

Police department's having
a hard time tracking down

the certificate to
prove otherwise.

If they can't find it,
is bishop's conviction

automatically overturned?

Not automatic, but, likely.

Ed's still chasing
the certificate.

You mind if I read
this like a lawyer?

Just keep in mind
I wrote it like one.

It may be hard to see Jack's
death reduced to legalese.

I'll try.

'How'd the sentencing go?'

lathrop ignored
our recommendation

and gave him six
years instead of ten.

Lathrop doesn't do that.

Sarah Paulson asked
him to show mercy

convinced him her
husband was a good person

before their son died.

You're unhappy
with the sentencing.

Mark riggs was a
good person, too.

Before his child died
and when he was killed.

Like Jack.

It's hard for judges and juries.

They see the living
defendant in front of them

and somebody like Paulson
who's a good man, basically.

Wife, family.

They have a hard time
remembering the victim

who's dead and buried.

I remember.

I know.