Original subtitles

We're outside the county courthouse

on day 14 of the murder trial of Curtis Danby.

This is Jake Baron with an update on the case

that's cut a swath of rage and fear throughout the city,

ever since that horrible night when Lisa Robins,

wife of former gold medallist Wyatt Robins,

was brutally shot and left to die

on a filthy slum street corner

in the arms of her critically wounded husband.

Another sacrifice to the rising tide of street violence

that's lit the fires of prejudice on both sides of the color line

in this racially troubled city.

Free Danby, free Danby, free Danby.

Adding fuel to the fire is the Reverend Roy Thatcher

and his committee for African-American justice.

Free Danby, free Danby, free Danby.

Reverend Thatcher. Reverend Thatcher,

Wyatt Robins has positively identified Curtis Danby

as the attacker who killed his wife and wounded him.

How can you claim he's being railroaded?

If Danby had been a white man accused of killing a black,

would there even be a trial?

You make Danby sound like a victim.

He's not only charged with killing a helpless young woman,

he is also an ex-convict with a long criminal record

of violent assault and armed robbery.

Danby paid for his past in prison.

And he's not the first one forced to commit crimes

to survive in a ghetto made for him by white society.

And that's exactly why I'm not in that kangaroo court right now.

Reverend, aren't you just taking advantage of this trial

to promote your own brand of racial hatred?

I see no reason to answer that inflammatory statement.

So, a dark cloud of bitter racism hovers over this trial,

threatening to unleash a storm such as this city has never seen.

This is Jake Baron. I'll have full details on the news at 6:00.

Okay. We're off the air. Nice job.

Nice?

Nice doesn't get ratings.

Defense, please continue.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Now Mr. Robins, prior to the night in question,

were you familiar with the infamous reputation

of the Greenwood Heights area

for its high rate of violent street crime?

Yes, sir, I was.

Well, then, would you please tell the court why you and your wife

would decide at the last minute

to drive into the Greenwood Heights area?

Especially at night.

Objection.

Your Honor, we've been through all of this on direct.

Mr. Monroe, do you plan to introduce

new information through this line of questioning?

Yes, of course, Your Honor.

Then you may answer the question, Mr. Robins.

We, uh, got a phone call from Sandra Masters.

That's my wife's best friend.

Uh, she asked us to a charity dinner at the halfway house.

That's the Masters halfway house

sponsored by Miss Masters' chain of department stores?

Uh, yeah.

I've helped them raise money in the past.

Sign autographs, shake a few hands.

Yes, yes, Mr. Robins.

We're all well aware of your fame

as an olympic swimmer and local sportscaster.

Objection, argumentative.

Sustained.

Let the witness answer in his own way, Mr. Monroe.

Go ahead, please.

Anyway, Lisa and I figured it was for a good cause.

So why not?

Even when it meant driving through

the most dangerous part of town?

Objection.

Overruled.

But I am waiting, Mr. Monroe.

Yes, Your Honor.

Now Mr. Robins, you testified that you stopped for the light

at the intersection of Main Street and Olive Boulevard.

- Is that correct? - That's right.

And that's when the man with the gun appeared

at the open window on your wife's side of the car.

That's right.

The next thing I knew, uh, Lisa screamed,

and this guy, he, uh, freaked. He started shooting.

Did you see the man run away?

No.

No, I got hit in the arm trying to help Lisa.

And I don't remember anything after that.

Now, Mr. Robins, you heard Detective Larson testify

that the street lamp on this corner was broken.

So it was dark.

That is correct.

All right. It was dark.

You saw the man for an instant from the opposite side of the car.

And yet three days later

you were able to identify him in a police line-up.

Yes. I recognized him.

Is there a chance your memory improved

when you saw my client's picture in the T.V. news?

Objection.

He's being argumentative again.

I withdraw that, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Robins. No further questions.

Redirect, Mrs. Bigalow?

Yes, sir.

Mr. Robins,

isn't it true that there was a working street light,

a short distance away?

Yes, there was.

And the man who murdered your wife,

did you pick him out of a police line-up?

Yes.

And is he in this courtroom?

He is.

Would you point him out, please?

That's the man.

That's a lie! I didn't do it! The man's lying!

Order! Order in this courtroom.

Quiet!

Take it easy.

I will have order in this court, or I'll have it cleared!

Counsel, I warn you to restrain your client.

We apologize, Your Honor. It won't happen again.

Let the record reflect

that Mr. Robins has identified the defendant,

Curtis Danby.

And I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Thank you. You may step down, witness.

I guess this is as good a time as any to call it a day.

Now I remind the jury and the alternates

that you will remain sequestered in the hotel,

so that you will not be influenced in any way

by the extensive media coverage of this trial.

I also remind you

that you are not to discuss this case with anyone,

nor amongst yourselves.

Now this court stands in recess until 9:00 tomorrow morning.

Somebody's got to believe me.

Excuse me, please.

This sequester stuff, what a joke.

As if lockin' me up's gonna change my opinion of that punk, Danby.

You're not supposed to make a decision

until after all the evidence is presented, Mr. Potter.

Isn't that right, MacGyver?

We're also not supposed to be talking about the case.

Yeah?

Well, the police say Danby did it.

Even the victim's husband says he's guilty.

That's enough for me.

I just wish they'd taken us to the crime scene,

or at least shown us some photos of the intersection.

When you got a dead bang case, why bother with all that stuff?

Then the defense attorney should have asked for it.

That's a very good point.

Waste of time.

It'd only drive another nail in Danby's coffin.

Or not.

Even the victim's husband says he's guilty.

That's enough for me.

I just wish they'd taken us to the crime scene,

or at least shown us some photos of the intersection.

No chance of readin' a newspaper, I suppose, huh?

Nope.

Too many stories about the trial.

Man, that was all my change, too.

Those things are real crooks, huh?

Maybe I can keep it honest, huh?

You want one?

Sure. Sounds great.

Justice prevails, huh?

Catch.

Thanks.

Good night.

Sorry. I knocked it off by accident.

How'd my geranium take it?

Better than the pot.

Bring it up, will you, sweetie?

I'm in 2-B.

Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird.

It's open.

I got bad wheels.

Here you go.

Arlo says thanks.

This is his favorite flower.

You spend a lot of time at this window?

Should think not.

Got better things to do.

Did you see what happened

the night that lady was shot down on the corner?

Nope.

Arlo gave me all the details.

Arlo?

He's a real snoop.

He loves to gossip.

Did Arlo see the shooting?

Nope.

He only heard the shot.

But he did get a good look at what happened after.

So what happened?

He saw a man running like the devil knew his name.

Did Arlo...

Did Arlo say what the man looked like?

Arlo says he was African-American.

He saw the streetlight shine real bright on his head

when he took off his hat.

The man was bald?

Yeah.

Arlo saw that shiny head of his

when he bent over and tossed some things

down the storm drain across the street.

Did the police ask you any of this after the shooting?

Yeah.

They came bangin' on doors and kickin' up a fuss.

I tried to tell them what Arlo saw,

but they didn't want to bother to hear what he had to say.

Can you believe that?

No, ma'am.

Uh, d-do you have a flashlight I could borrow?

Yeah. Right there on the shelf.

The brutal murder of Lisa Robins

shocked and appalled every member of this community.

Black and white, rich and poor.

Yet one more victim of that crime is Sandra Masters,

heiress to the Masters department store fortune,

and lifelong friend of Lisa Robins.

Miss Masters, you asked the Robins' to attend a dinner

in the Greenwood Heights area that night.

Yes, to raise funds for the Masters halfway house.

Isn't it ironic that Curtis Danby

was living at the same facility after being released on parole?

Yes, I guess it is a bit ironic.

Tell me, Miss Masters,

has this tragedy changed your opinion of the death penalty?

I'm not sure I understand the nature of your question.

Who's there?

It's me.

MacGyver! What are you doing here?

Aren't you still under jury sequester?

I need...

a big favor.

You gotta call Danby's lawyer.

Danby's lawyer?

Tell him to search the storm drain across from 500 Olive Boulevard,

just east of Main.

Well, why? What's there?

A gun.

Same caliber as the one that killed Lisa Robins.

And a witness who saw a man put it there

lives in the building, Apartment 2-B.

Now wait a minute. Hold it.

Would you mind telling me how you know all this?

I was just there.

Are you telling me that you broke jury sequester

to go out and dig up evidence?

- No, no. - This sounds an awful lot like it.

No! I just wanted to see the area for myself.

I didn't know I was gonna find anything.

I did. Now I've got to deal with it, okay?

Yeah.

MacGyver, you can't do this kind of thing!

Jurors are put under sequester for a reason.

It's against the rules.

Pete,

the spirit of the law is to find the truth.

The system and all those rules are working against that.

Well, what makes you so sure that Danby's not guilty?

I'm not!

But I don't think Robins could have identified him.

Well, what do you mean?

Grab your coat. I'll show you.

Come on.

Yeah, just stop here.

All right.

You stay in the car. I want to try somethin'.

Robins said the man approached the passenger side of the car

where his wife was sitting.

Now say I'm the guy with the gun.

I come toward the car.

What do you see?

Nothing. I can't make you out at all.

That's because the only working streetlight

was behind the killer.

So how could Wyatt Robins pick Curtis Danby out of a police line-up?

That's what you're saying.

You think he was lying?

Or confused.

The lady in that apartment said the man was black.

But he was also bald.

Danby's not bald.

No, sir, he's not.

Pete,

you got to get Danby's lawyer to talk to that lady.

Let her lead him to the storm drain.

Then see where the gun leads him.

Oh, boy.

You're the only one who can do it, Pete.

All right.

Thank you for your patience, Your Honor.

I asked for this delay because of some important new evidence

which I received last night.

Mrs. Bigalow, are you aware of this?

My office knows nothing about this, Your Honor.

What evidence, counsel?

A new witness.

Who I believe will exonerate my client of all guilt in this matter.

Objection. This is unconscionable.

Counsel's testifying.

Sustained.

Jury will disregard that.

Well, bring your witness up, Mr. Monroe.

Raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth?

I never lie.

Put her answer down as yes.

And what's that you have on your lap?

My friend Arlo.

He's the one you want to talk to.

Excuse me, Your Honor.

Does counsel intend to introduce the bird's testimony as evidence?

Will both counsel please approach the bench?

Would you mind explaining all this, Mr. Monroe?

Yes, Your Honor.

This is an elderly woman living on welfare in an area

with one of the highest crime rates in the country.

Naturally, she's afraid to step forward and admit what she knows

and for some reason, feels safer

communicating her knowledge through the bird.

The bird?

I know this is irregular, Your Honor,

but let's humor her.

It's her way of protecting herself.

Well, this is a first in my 30 years on the bench.

But I'll allow it.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Would you please state your name?

Belinda Jones.

Most folks call me the bird lady.

I don't mind.

Now you and Arlo reside

At 500 Olive Boulevard, Apartment 2-B.

- Is that correct? - Yeah.

Been there 40 years.

And does the window of your apartment

look down over the corner where Lisa Robins was killed?

Yeah, but, uh, like we told the police,

Arlo didn't see that happen.

Did Arlo tell the police what he did see the night of the shooting?

They never asked.

What did Arlo see that night?

He saw a man at the corner.

This man, did Arlo see him clearly?

Clear enough.

And what did Arlo see him do?

Arlo said he stopped,

bent over

and threw some things down the storm drain.

At this time, Your Honor,

I would like to mark as defense exhibit 6,

a police report which reflects

what was found in that storm drain.

Ms. Bigalow, will you stipulate to its admission?

Yes, Your Honor.

It states that pursuant to a tip,

the police recovered from the storm drain in question,

a woolen cap, gloves, and a gun.

A .25 caliber Regency special.

The same caliber gun

that was used to shoot Lisa and Wyatt Robins.

Now, Miss Jones, was the man black?

Arlo prefers African-American.

Do you see the man in this courtroom?

Nope.

Is this the man?

Not by a long shot.

Too much hair.

Arlo says he was bald.

Order, order.

I will have order here.

Your Honor, in light of this new testimony,

I move for the immediate dismissal of all charges against Curtis Danby.

Opposed.

The people seek a continuance

to allow a proper investigation of counsel's assertions.

And to evaluate the credibility of these assertions, Your Honor,

we ask counsel to explain how he came upon this witness.

Mr. Monroe?

Your Honor, I learned about the whereabouts of Miss Jones

and the gun from Mr. Peter Thornton of the Phoenix Foundation.

Peter Thornton?

Phoenix? What?

This gentleman, Your Honor.

Mr. Thornton, will you tell the court

how you knew about Miss Jones

and the storm drain where the evidence was found?

Mr. Thornton?

I'm sorry, Your Honor, I can't divulge my source.

Oh, yes, you can, Mr. Thornton.

Or I will hold you in contempt.

Your Honor, you have a witness

who has led you to the gun and other evidence.

How that happened is not what's important.

I will decide what's important in this court.

Now I'm giving you one more chance to answer my question.

I can't.

Then you give me no choice but to hold you in contempt, sir.

Bailiff, will you take Mr. Thornton into custody?

No, no, hold it. Wait a minute.

What is this?

Your Honor.

What's going on here?

I showed him where to get the evidence and the witness.

Mr., uh, uh, MacGyver.

You went out to the crime scene?

Yes, sir.

In so doing you went directly against the mandate of this court.

Do you understand that?

Yes, sir, I do.

Well, I'll try to avoid a mistrial here if I can.

Mr. MacGyver,

did you relate any of this to the other jurors?

No, sir, I didn't.

Very well.

One of the alternates can take your place on the jury.

Yes, sir.

And you, Mr. MacGyver,

you are remanded to the custody of the marshal,

pending a contempt hearing to take place in three days.

Bail is set at $2500.

Bailiff, take custody of Mr. MacGyver.

This court is adjourned.

Just yesterday,

the case against Curtis Danby appeared solid as a rock.

But that rock crumbled

when Danby's lawyer produced a surprise witness

whose testimony virtually cleared Danby of all guilt.

And then led police to a gun that ballistics tests

have proved is the murder weapon.

This reporter has also learned

that the police have traced the serial number of that gun

to the sporting goods counter

of the Sandra Masters department store.

Hey, MacGyver.

If they got no case against me like this guy says,

how come I'm still in here?

I guess the D.A.'s office needed time to review the case.

They sure didn't waste no time layin' charges against me.

After seeing last night's broadcast.

Can you tell us why?

Yeah, well, like I said, I... I saw this Sandra Masters on T.V.

And you recognized her, but not as Sandra Masters?

Yeah. She's been checking in here a lot,

but using another name. Uh, Sue Edwards.

And was she alone?

She always checked into the motel with her husband.

Uh, at least they said they were married.

I don't ask any questions.

And when did you realize who this husband really was?

Uh, when I saw Wyatt Robins on T.V.

The same Wyatt Robins?

The former gold medallist?

The man who claimed his marriage couldn't have been happier?

Yeah, I only know what I saw.

And so, there you have it.

A motive for murder? That's for you to decide.

But when I went to school, two and two added up to four.

So what does the murder weapon that was traced

to the Masters department store,

and an ongoing affair with the victim add up to?

And what's the D.A.'s office doing about it?

I told 'em he was lyin'.

Maybe they'll believe this guy.

I don't know, Curtis.

Yesterday this guy wanted to put you in the gas chamber.

MacGyver.

Yeah?

Your bail's been met.

The deputy D.A. wants to see you pronto.

Hey, man.

Whichever way it goes,

thanks for doin' what you did.

Nuh-huh, don't thank me, Curtis.

I was just looking for the truth.

It could still lead back to you.

If anybody ever does get to the truth, MacGyver,

it won't lead to me.

This is getting out of hand, Sandra.

Well, what can they do, darling? We haven't broken any laws.

I knew it was a mistake.

We should never have gotten involved.

We fell in love.

Is that a crime?

Haven't you been watching the news?

Ever since that gun was traced to your store,

they've been making us look like monsters.

Hundreds of people come in this store.

Any one of them could have stolen that gun.

It's not just that.

What that bird lady said on the stand

made it look like I was lying about Danby.

As if I had something to hide.

We know the truth, Wyatt.

Why should we care what anyone else thinks?

I'd like to see you tonight.

Sandra, when I said we were through,

I meant it.

But don't you see, darling?

All of this will be over soon.

We can be together and... and forget it ever happened.

I can't forget about what happened to Lisa.

I'm sorry, Sandra. Goodbye.

That bird lady?

She's gonna put us both on death row.

No, she won't.

This time, make it look like an accident.

I'll see to it she flies like a bird.

Mr. MacGyver.

You made bail, I see.

Yes, sir.

You know what you did undermines the very fabric of our legal system.

The right to trial by an impartial jury.

Yes, sir.

I must admit that you did uncover vital evidence

that might possibly keep an innocent man from being convicted.

I cannot condone what you did,

but, uh, off the record,

I am grateful for the results.

Yes, sir.

This is the true test of our legal system.

Now that the suspects are two white, wealthy, respectable people,

will the D.A. be so quick to press charges?

Or is there a different kind of law for Curtis Danby

and all others who are guilty of only one crime,

being born with the wrong color skin?

Yes, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, sir.

I've been watching it.

Well, the district attorney's instructed me to move as fast as we can.

So I'll be asking the court this afternoon

to issue a warrant for the arrest of Wyatt Robins.

No, sir, we don't have enough evidence yet to implicate the woman.

But we're working on it.

Yes, sir. I'll keep you posted.

You're welcome. Goodbye.

They, uh, said you wanted to see me?

Yes.

I wanted you to know that I filed for a restraining order.

And when I get it,

if you come even within a mile of this case,

I'll make sure you stay behind bars.

What is it with you people?

Why are you so afraid of going after the truth, huh?

Oh, we do, Mr. MacGyver.

We just don't do it your way.

We have a legal system with rules that people have to obey.

What about Danby?

Don't you think he has a right to be judged

based on the facts

instead of what shows up on the evening news?

Now, come on, admit it.

You let public opinion force you into bringing Danby up on murder charges.

And now you're about to do the same thing to Robins.

We go where the evidence leads.

No, that...

You're goin' in the wrong direction.

You heard what Belinda Jones said.

She saw a bald black man

put the evidence into a storm drain.

The woman talks through a bird.

Now how much credibility do you think that a jury is going to give to her?

Well, why don't you let the jury decide that?

Now come on, I believed her.

And now you've got the murder weapon.

Bigalow.

When? How did it happen?

I'm on my way now.

The bird lady is no longer a witness.

She's dead.

5, 4, 3, 2, go.

Until yesterday, Belinda Jones

was an old lady struggling just to get by in the world.

Then overnight, she became famous.

The only eyewitness to the murder of Lisa Robins.

Now she's dead as the result of a two story fall

from her apartment window.

A tragic accident?

Or a sinister attempt to conceal the truth?

Just a minute. Here comes the D.A. Over here.

Deputy D.A. Bigalow, is it true that the police are questioning Wyatt Robins

in connection with his wife's murder?

No comment.

Was the bird lady killed just to keep her quiet?

No comment. Excuse me.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.

Our district attorney has no comment whatsoever on this terrible crime.

Anybody see what happened?

No witnesses.

So what else is new?

Hopefully, we'll learn more when the police arrest Robins.

Still with Robins.

You really think Wyatt Robins did this?

He had a motive.

All right, if not Wyatt Robins, who?

Well, the bald man the bird lady saw, of course.

Yeah, it may be.

But how did he manage to get the gun

from Masters department store without buying it?

Pete, I'll bet if we check the records

of the Masters halfway house

against the state employment records for the department store,

we might just come up with something.

Well.

According to this,

only one ex-convict from the halfway house

works at Masters department store.

Lawrence Groden.

Well, matches the description.

Yeah. And that's not all.

According to his M.O.,

Groden always changed his appearance.

And ditched his weapon near the scene of the crime.

So he'd be clean if he was picked up later on.

Sounds like our guy.

Yeah.

How do we prove it?

Well, if Groden did kill the bird lady,

it's because he was afraid of being identified.

What if somebody else could identify him?

Who?

Wyatt Robins.

I need to talk to you.

Look, mister, I may have one arm in a sling,

but I got another one that's plenty strong enough to punch you out.

So I'd get out of here if I were you.

All right, settle down, settle down, will you?

Did you know Belinda Jones is dead?

The bird lady? How?

Murdered.

Oh, my God. Do they know who did it?

Well, the D.A.'s getting a warrant for your arrest.

They think I did it?

Look, I'm no killer, MacGyver.

I believe you.

Yeah, you and no one else.

This is a nightmare.

I wish I'd never seen that police line-up.

Yeah, but why did you pick out Danby if you weren't sure?

I was sure.

His picture was all over the news when he was arrested.

Don't you think there's a chance that you might have been influenced?

Okay, maybe I saw him on T.V. Maybe I was influenced.

But the police seemed so sure it was him.

He was in the area.

He has a record as long as your arm.

Even the D.A. said it was him.

And now the D.A.'s accusing me of setting him up.

Well, I think you were set up.

Yeah, by who?

Sandra.

Sandra? No way, it can't be.

Wyatt?

Today when I talked to her, she acted as if Lisa's murder

was the perfect way for us to get back together.

Maybe that was her plan all along.

Robins, I'm sorry,

but I think she hired somebody from the store to kill your wife

and make it look like a robbery.

I want you to help me prove that.

How? I didn't see him, remember?

He doesn't know that.

This is crazy, MacGyver.

You've got me looking for somebody you've already proven I can't identify.

Yeah, I know.

But if we find him, I want you to act like you've seen him before.

Let's try the loading area.

I think we got a nibble here.

Let's call the police.

Don't bother.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this, darling.

Sandra.

I loved you, Wyatt.

So you hired Groden to kill his wife, is that it?

I wanted him for myself.

And it would have worked if you hadn't stuck your nose in.

Come on, it's over, Sandra.

Lose the gun, okay?

Don't listen to him.

Go! Get 'em!

Give me your coat, quick.

Get 'em!

Get 'em!

It's over.

Yeah. It's over.

I'm just happy to be a free man, that's all.

Mr. Danby, do you plan on suing the state for malicious prosecution?

Okay, people, that's enough for now.

Let's give these men a chance to get their lives back to normal, all right?

Excuse me.

Mr. Danby, Mr. Danby.

Despite all the smiles and the handshakes,

the questions remain.

How did our legal system go so wrong?

And what were the mistakes that nearly led

to the conviction, and indeed,

almost the execution of an innocent man for murder?

One man who might be able to answer that question

Is MacGyver, the rogue juror who helped solve the case.

MacGyver, how does it feel to be a hero?

Well, I wouldn't know.

Well, it was your evidence that cleared Danby.

Isn't it ironic that the killer turned out

to be a black man after all?

And a white woman.

A very rich white woman, I might add.

One who tried to buy the death of her best friend

for pieces of silver.

Tell me, MacGyver, is she responsible

for the gross miscarriage of justice that occurred here today?

Or does the D.A. deserve to share some of the blame?

Man.

No, actually, I think you're to blame.

I beg your pardon?

People like you who rush to judgment

or make snap accusations before you get all the facts.

Who gets hurt doesn't seem to matter to you people

as long as you get a few more rating points.

Sounds like you're against a free and democratic press.

No, sir.

Just people who abuse it.

Like you, Mr. Baron.

Well, all I can say is I'm glad the rest of America doesn't think like you.

You never know.