All language subtitles for Law & Order s09e01 Cherished.eng

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented
by two separate yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Please, just take me
in your car.

The hospital's
only a few blocks.

Hang on,
they're almost here.

Please help the baby.
What's wrong with it?

She fell out
of the crib.

It's her head.
Please, help her.

All right. Come on.
Now let's give them some room.

It's gonna be all right.
It's gonna be all right.

All right?
Hang on one second.

What do you got?

Baby's dead.
She was dead before we got here.

How long?

Not long,
still warm, no lividity.

This baby didn't
fall out of no crib.

How do you know?

It's a three-foot drop.

You don't die from that
unless you land wrong and break your neck.

Her neck's fine.

Sure, the bruises
could be consistent with a fall,

and maybe she cut
her head on something on the way down.

So why are we here?

There's one bruise in front
and one in the back.

Did she fall twice?

Maybe she bounced.

You tell the parents
you think they beat the baby?

I didn't say anything,
and I don't think anything,

except that this
needs explaining. That's your job.

Sorry if I interrupted
your coffee break.

When's the last time
we had a coffee break?

August of '96.

I got up at 6:30,
went to check on her,

and she was on the floor
in front of the crib.

I can't believe you think
we would hurt her.

How'd she get the cut
on her head?

I don't know.

Look, either
there's something

she could've
cut her head on or there's not.

You think
we spent five years on a waiting list

just so we could beat
a baby to death

three days after
we brought her home?

Well, we can clear this up
pretty fast.

We'll take a look
at her room.

You mean come
to our apartment?

Yeah.

We didn't do
anything wrong,

and you're not coming
into our apartment. Not without a warrant.

Then you can come
to the station with us.

Are we under arrest?

Not at the moment.

Then we're not going.

You didn't see the look
on their faces, Judge.

They did a 180 so fast
we got whiplash.

I can think of
a thousand reasons

people might
not want cops in their apartment.

Yeah, illegal drugs,
unregistered guns.

That's the attitude
that makes

the Fourth Amendment
such a good idea.

Listen, the paramedic
said there was... Yes, you told me.

You don't even have
a cause of death.

If the M.E.
calls it homicide,

you know where
to find me.

Hi, Jane!

I can't
rearrange my schedule

unless Dr. Rodgers
tells me to.

So, how long?

I'm cutting as fast
as I can.

Why don't you give her
a quick look

and tell us
what you think.

Determining the cause
of death is a complex...

Yeah.
But you check them when they come in.

Listen, you don't have
to sign off on anything,

just give us
something to go on.

Two recent bruises,
one sphenoid, one temporal.

Bad enough to kill her?

Maybe. And there are four
less severe bruises that are three or four days old.

Like maybe
somebody pounded on her regularly?

It's a possibility.

You want my
off-the-record opinion,

you're looking
at a homicide.

You want
something on paper, you'll have to wait.

We can't know
if it's a homicide until the M.E.'s office...

Yes, sir.

Uh, sorry to bother you.

Captain McKinney declines
to put pressure on the M.E.

Guy really knows
how to nurse a grudge.

He's been chilly since
my lawyer deposed him.

Go figure.

Find something to
change the judge's mind.

Moved in maybe about
10-12 months ago, them and the boy.

They have another kid?

Yeah. Nicholas.
Uh, six, seven.

Must've slipped their minds.
How do they treat him?

I see 'em when they go out
and when they come in. What would I know?

I can tell you
they've been through

about half a dozen nannies
since they've been here.

Why's that?

They close with
any of their neighbors?

Don't think so.

They keep to themselves.

Anybody ever complain?

Screaming or crying coming
from the apartment?

No.
Not to me.

Children's Services
were snooping around about three months ago.

What happened?
They came, they went.

Kid's still here.

If anything was wrong,
they wouldn't have let them adopt another one, right?

I conducted
an investigation, no action was required.

You have to wait until
a kid shows up dead?

No action was required.

Who made the complaint?

I can't tell you that.

Lady, this is going
to hit the news,

and the fingers are
gonna be pointed at you.

You rather have us
on your side or not?

Who made the complaint?

You told
Children's Services, why not tell us?

No, the se�or and se�ora
have their...

Lawyer.

S�, their lawyer
said to me

that I am not to
make any trouble for them again,

or they will
send la migra

and take away
my green card and deport me.

Well, you have your
green card, right?

They can't do
anything to you.

She says
she can't help us.

"The devil is
in that house. "

So you go back
to the judge and tell her what?

The devil
made them do it?

She'll say you need
an exorcist, not a warrant.

Well, we thought,
coming from you...

Wait for the autopsy.

You gun-shy
all of a sudden?

LT, there's something's
wrong in that family.

Who's the riding A.D.A.?

Abbie Carmichael.

Oh, so she finally got out
of Special Narcotics.

I know her.
She can help.

You didn't sue her,
too, did you?

There's still no cause of death.
Nothing's different.

And siccing
the D.A.'s office on me doesn't help your cause.

Your Honor, I have booked time
in the Grand Jury.

I am looking to
charge the Warings with obstruction.

Give it up,
Carmichael.

Refusing police entry
into one's home is not obstruction.

Threatening a witness is.

The detectives
tried to talk to a Mrs. Angela Cruz,

who used to work
for the Warings.

Mrs. Cruz was afraid
to talk to them

because the Warings
threatened her with deportation

if she opened
her mouth.

Is Mrs. Cruz
here illegally?

She has a green card.

I want the detectives
to search the Warings' apartment to find proof

they knew their threat
was extortionate and thereby obstructed justice.

And what evidence
do you expect to find in their apartment?

If they hired
and paid her legally,

I expect to find a copy
of Mrs. Cruz's green card,

I expect to find
her Social Security number.

All right,
Ms. Carmichael.

You didn't tell us
you booked time with the Grand Jury.

What Grand Jury?

Where's the baby's room?

There.

Where's your son,
Nicholas?

He's in his room.

Where's his room?

Can you wait until
my husband gets back? What are they doing?

They're taking
this stuff down to the lab.

Now, where was she
when you found her?

I think I'd better wait
for my husband.

Fine, you can wait
with the officer right here.

Lennie.
Bring her with you.

This your son's room?

Elizabeth?

Elizabeth?

They have a warrant.

Hey, you must
be Nicholas.

My name's Rey.

Hey, can I take
a look at your arm?

How did you
get those, Nicholas?

I fell.

I'm going
to call our lawyer.

I'll get Children's Services.

And you can
call your lawyer from our station house.

The boy himself
told you he fell.

Yeah, with his parents
standing there, glaring at him.

Where's my son?

Children's Services.

They don't know him.
They don't care about him.

They're not the ones
keeping him in a dungeon.

You don't understand.

No, I don't.
Explain it to us.

I really want
to hear this.

CSU found this tape
in their apartment.

I hate you! I hate you!
Nicholas! Nicholas!

You're safe now.

You're safe now.
Get out!

Nobody's gonna
hurt you here. I'm gonna kill you!

I hate your guts.
I hate your guts!

Nicholas,
you're safe now.

There's your devil.

At least his head
didn't spin around.

Nicholas...
Hold on, sweetie!

I'm right here.
We love you, Nicholas.

I hate you! I hate you!
Nicholas! Nicholas!

You're safe now.

Get out!

So?

I see what you see.

He's disturbed
and violent,

manages anger badly
and has poor impulse control.

That explains why they
stonewalled us so hard.

They knew
he killed the baby.

This behavior is almost
certainly a reaction to severe abuse.

You know anything
about his background before he was adopted?

He's adopted, too?

Yeah.
Of course he is.

Why else would his mother
assure him he's safe now, no one can hurt him here.

Could he have
attacked the baby?

Sure.

Did he? Couldn't even
hazard a guess from the tape.

If I could talk
to him...

He's a suspect.
You can't speak to him

without his
parents' permission, and they say no.

Well, call me if
they change their mind.

Pull the state files,

find out what agency
placed the boy with the Warings.

See if he has a history.

Of what?
Punching babies?

Or torturing cats,
setting fires. Whatever.

It's our policy
not to discuss matters

related to
pending litigation.

There's
a lawsuit over the boy?

Yes.
Who's suing? The Warings?

Yes.
Because he's violent?

I really can't talk
about it.

So, he's attacked
people before?

I didn't say that.

Come on. Let's face it,
the kid's a lunatic, right?

He's a perfectly
charming little boy. I interviewed him at...

I really can't talk
about this. I'm sorry.

According to
the court records,

the agency neglected
to mention the boy had attachment disorder.

If he has it,
the kid's a sociopath.

"If"?

Attachment disorder's
over-diagnosed, like hyperactivity.

Kid can't sit still,
he's hyperactive.

Kid hates his mother's guts,
bing-bang, it's A.D.

What's the story
on the birth parents?

The mother
was a drug addict,

her brother was a pedophile
who raped him repeatedly

and rented him out
to other pedophiles.

He was beaten
when he cried.

He ate out of
a garbage can

because his mother
would forget to feed him.

I need to decide
how hard to pursue this and in what direction.

If he has
attachment disorder,

he's capable
of killing a baby.

He has no empathy.

No conscience,
no remorse.

What's the best setting
for him?

You mean, where can
he do the least damage?

There's no wonder drug,
no proven therapy.

You don't know
what he's been through.

I do. And I'm sorry.

Did you see him
attack the baby?

No, and we have no reason
to think that he did.

If you think he's innocent,
then why are you covering for him?

They're not
covering for him.

They're just trying
to protect him from unfounded accusations.

According to your lease,
you paid a pet deposit for a dachshund.

The police found no dog
in your apartment.

What happened to it?

I want our psychiatrist
to talk to him.

What's the point of this?

You can't charge the boy
with a crime, he's too young.

I don't need
to charge him with a crime.

If I take this
to family court,

a judge will decide where
to institutionalize the boy.

Bluff. She has nothing
to take to family court.

The videotape proves
he's dangerous to himself and others.

Work with me to
do what is best for Nicholas.

We are doing
what's best for him.

You people look at him
and you see a little monster.

My husband and I
see a wonderful boy

who has suffered horrors
no child should go through.

You have no idea
how much progress he's made.

She doesn't care.

It's like watching
Ted Bundy

at the beginning
of his career.

I don't want this kid
let loose in society without treatment.

Yeah,
but unless the parents or the kid fess up,

that's it,
case closed.

I'm gonna
ask family court

to rescind
the Warings' adoption of the boy.

Based on what?

You saw the room
they kept him in.

Wouldn't you call that
abusive and neglectful?

What does that give us?

The court
appoints a guardian,

who gives permission
for Skoda to talk to the kid.

He's a difficult child,
so they lock him in

what amounts
to a bare cell.

Children's Services
investigated,

they found no abuse,
no neglect.

Do I have to tell you
how many fatal mistakes Children's Services has made?

They're doing what
the boy's psychiatrist recommends.

You've seen
the videotape.

When he loses control,
they don't lose their temper,

they don't strike him...

They just immobilize
and hold him firmly until the fury passes.

He's seven years old.
What will they do when he's 18?

We're doing everything
that can be done.

He's on medication,
he's in therapy, we give him love.

There's absolutely
no reason to think he can't get better.

Your Honor,
this child is violently disturbed.

He needs to be
in a setting

where he's supervised
by professionals.

Nobody can do
any more than we can for Nicholas.

Nobody else has
ever loved him.

No matter how much
they love him,

they are not equipped
to deal with him.

He's under suspicion
for killing a baby,

and I believe
he's also killed a dog.

You believe?

They had a dog,
then they didn't.

I asked Mr. and Mrs. Waring
about it, they wouldn't respond.

That was eight months ago.

He's made a lot
of progress since then.

Not if he's graduated
to killing babies.

There's no evidence he did.

Somebody did it.

If it wasn't you
or your wife...

I agree with
Ms. Carmichael.

It's in the boy's
best interest

to have round the clock,
professional attention.

Were your parents
still asleep?

Yes.

And you went
into the baby's room?

Yes.

What did you do?

I said hello to her.
She wouldn't look at me.

She was like that
sometimes.

What did you do?

I poked her, like this.

Can you show me?

Did you take her
out of the crib?

Mmm-hmm.

Did you drop her?
Uh-uh.

I put her on the floor
and I hit her like this.

With your fist?
Mmm-hmm.

How many times?

How hard
did you hit her?

Not too hard.
She just wouldn't look at me.

Did you cut her face?

I scratched her,
like this.

I wanted to
make her cry.

Because she wouldn't
look at you?

She didn't cry.
She hardly ever did cry.

Then what?

I went back
to my room

and I played
with my dump truck.

Did you mean
to hurt her?

Listen,
it wasn't my fault.

She just wouldn't
look at me!

You saw him.
He can't connect the dots.

He doesn't grasp
that other people exist apart from his needs.

Sounds like half
the people I know.

Like I said, no empathy,
no conscience, no remorse.

Arrest him.

How about the people
who made him what he is?

Turn him
into a psychopath, then lock him up?

Better now than
after he shoots up a schoolyard.

We have
to arrest him.

No.

You want to put him
someplace with bars on the windows,

guards at the doors,
20 kids to a room?

What the hell is wrong
with you people?

Please, just let him
come home.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Waring,
that's up to the court to decide.

Nicholas, you have to
come with us. Come on.

Please!
He'll be all right.

Arresting
a seven-year-old kid for murder?

A kid with a laundry list
of psychological problems?

What was
Carmichael thinking?

Why don't you ask her?

I will.

And I don't like the way
she got the parents removed as guardians.

Sounds like you're
sorry you didn't think of it first.

Her tactics
are highhanded,

and she doesn't
have enough experience for major felonies.

Four years in
Special Narcotics is nothing.

A 95%% conviction rate
isn't nothing.

She's earned her stripes.
Work with her.

I understand you're
opening a children's wing on death row.

Jack McCoy?

Abbie Carmichael.
Thrilled to be working with you.

As for Nicholas Waring,

I gave his parents
a chance to do it the easy way.

So you do an end run
around his civil rights?

He's gone from dogs
to babies.

What's next?

Should I have waited
for him

to go after his parents
with a hammer?

You think he's better off
in children's lockup in Bellevue?

I weighed his rights
against society's.

My decision was ethical
and legal.

It's nothing for
the disciplinary committee to sweat over.

If you have something
to say, say it.

Sorry. I know
they exonerated you.

It's just that
I don't like being second-guessed, either.

I wouldn't be
second-guessing you

if you'd checked
with me first.

This is a team operation,
Ms. Carmichael.

We discuss these things.

I'll keep that in mind.

The Warings
filed their appeal on guardianship.

I started briefing
our response,

if you want
to take a look.

I'm sure it's brilliant
and on point.

Unfortunately,
it's all moot.

The boy didn't
kill the baby.

They told me the autopsy
would be ready at the end of the week.

You should get
to know the cutters in the M.E.'s office.

The cause of death
was heart failure.

The cut and bruises
were inflicted postmortem.

This says the baby was
two and a half years old.

The Warings' daughter
was 13 months.

They autopsied
the wrong kid.

Why don't you go down
to the M.E.'s office

and introduce yourself.

It's the right baby,
and she was two and a half.

Bone age doesn't lie.

But I saw her photos.

Well, she looked younger
because she was underdeveloped.

Long-term neglect.

This cause of death
doesn't mean anything.

A bullet can cause
heart failure.

Oh, this kid had
massive medical problems.

I'm sorting
through them all

to pinpoint
the exact cause of the heart failure.

In the meantime,
we have a seven-year-old suspected of murder.

So you do.

All I can tell you now
is that little girl was dead

by the time her brother
laid a hand on her.

It's a relief
to know Nicholas didn't kill her.

Thank you for telling us.

Can he come home now?

We still have
a few questions.

What kind of questions?

You told the police
you'd had the baby for only a short time.

Three days.

You have
the adoption papers?

Of course
they have the papers.

Is there
a custody issue here over a dead baby?

The issue is
who had the baby before them.

I don't understand
the relevance.

The Medical Examiner
said the baby suffered long-term neglect.

That's why she appeared
so small.

Small? My sister's baby
is the same age.

According to the M.E.,
your baby was two and a half years old.

Now, where did you
get the baby?

Gray market adoption?

An independent
adoption, yes. We had to.

A reputable agency
wouldn't put a baby near Nicholas?

The broker said the baby
was fine.

We paid him $12,000.

What was his name?

You know my files
are confidential, Ms. Carmichael.

What I do
is perfectly legal,

so don't come in here
and start threatening me, you understand?

You passed on a baby who'd
been so severely neglected

she had only days
to live.

If you think that's legal,
I've got bad news for you.

I didn't know.

Where'd the baby
come from?

We're not letting go
of this,

and if I find out
you knew anything about the baby's condition...

Look, I got a call
from a lawyer,

he represented a woman
who wanted to get rid of her baby.

What was
the lawyer's name?

Smith. John Smith.

Look, the child's papers
are in order.

Here's the birth
certificate.

Diane Sullivan.

It's legitimate.

The county recorder's stamp
is genuine.

And here's
the health certificate,

signed by
a Dr. Andre Kostov.

I called
Mr. and Mrs. Waring, who were thrilled.

The lawyer brought
the baby to me,

and the Warings
picked her up.

Did you speak
to the baby's birth parents?

James and
Patricia Sullivan?

Why?

I don't understand.

Diane died in a car accident
with my mother a year ago.

She was just
three months old.

Somebody has used
her birth certificate

to document
and sell another baby.

They must've just gone
to the county clerk

and pulled
the birth certificate.

The police looked
into that.

No one has requested
her birth certificate in the last 12 months.

I need to know from you
if anyone besides you had the certificate.

Only Edward Connery.

The lawyer who
represented us

in the wrongful death suit
against the other driver.

Unless you want
to add convicted felon to your resume,

I suggest you tell us
where you got that baby.

My client couldn't
keep it any longer.

I agreed to
arrange an adoption. There's no felony.

You're saying
you were unaware the baby was at risk?

That's what I'm saying.
I was given a health certificate.

Then why switch
birth certificates?

My client wanted me
to protect their privacy.

We need to talk
to your client.

You know I can't divulge
privileged information.

Your client's identity
is not privileged.

I say it is.

You want to be charged
as an accessory?

If you want to defend
a false arrest lawsuit.

Arrest him.

On what charge?

Filing a false
business document, for starters.

That should hold up
about 10 minutes, Abbie.

The man is a partner
at Peterson and Gold.

It doesn't make sense
he would dummy up

a birth certificate
for a client.

It's closer to home.
A relative.

Or himself.

Find out if he has
a wife or a girlfriend with a baby

that suddenly
isn't there anymore.

Thank you.

At this time,
we suspect you of abandoning your baby.

Before we go on,
we have to advise you of your rights.

I know my rights.

Are you waiving them
or asserting them?

I want to talk
to my husband.

After he makes bail.

Are you willing to talk
about the baby?

You don't understand.

She wasn't really ours.

We adopted her
about a month ago.

And what?

More responsibility
than you wanted, so you just dumped her?

Why didn't
you return her to the agency?

If you only had her
for a month,

the adoption isn't final.
What's the problem?

I want to
see my attorney.

Call this attorney,
tell her she's got

a client
under investigation for a homicide.

Homicide? We didn't have
anything to do with that.

She was going
to die anyway.

First, the baby
was born premature.

How do you know?

There was evidence of an old
intraventricular hemorrhage,

common in preemies.

That didn't kill her?

No.

She also had
atypical teratoid growths in the spinal region.

Even otherwise
healthy children

almost never survive
that type of cancer.

So she died of cancer?

She died
of a metabolic problem

called fatty acid
oxidation disorder.

Her liver failed,
her heart failed.

And so you know,
with proper treatment,

almost nobody dies
of this disorder.

What's proper treatment?

Diet.

Treating infections
expeditiously.

If she'd been fed right,
she would've lived?

Until the cancer
killed her.

Thank you.

If we need anything more,
we'll call you.

I can probably
get an indictment for manslaughter.

Manslaughter? They never
gave that baby a chance.

They faked
an identity for her,

they never told anyone
she needed medical attention.

I don't see
any intent here to kill this baby.

It's depraved
indifference. Murder two.

They knew the baby
was gonna die.

They didn't care
one way or the other.

Assumption.
Charge them with man one.

So, we send a message
it's sort of okay to kill a baby?

This isn't a couple
of teenagers

who killed their newborn
because they were scared.

These are two adults who
went to a lot of trouble to dump a dying child

and to cover their tracks.

I may be the new kid here,
but to me this sounds like murder.

Megan, what are you
doing here?

She's under arrest
for murder, Mr. Connery. And so are you.

Let's go.

You want a lawyer,
Counselor?

It was a spontaneous
admission, Your Honor,

there's no basis
for suppression.

Mrs. Connery had asked
to see her attorney.

Ms. Carmichael was required
to cease the questioning.

And the questioning
did cease.

Lieutenant Van Buren
made an offhand remark to a police officer.

All Mrs. Connery had to do
was keep her mouth shut.

You're splitting hairs,
Mr. McCoy.

The lieutenant made
a provocative and unnecessary remark.

Maybe it was designed to
elicit an unguarded response

from Mrs. Connery,
maybe not.

No, sir, it wasn't.

Now, I've seen enough
of these charades

to know the likelihood
is there.

I'm suppressing
her statement

they knew the child
was in poor health.

Mrs. Connery's statement
is the only evidence the D.A. has

that they knew
about the baby's medical condition.

There's no longer any basis
for the charges against them.

Your Honor, these people
callously and deliberately

abandoned
a sick little girl,

who died because
of their actions.

And I wish you luck
in proving that, Mr. McCoy,

but until you have
admissible evidence to that effect,

the charges are dismissed.

The Connerys
found out somehow about the child's condition.

What about the doctor
who signed the health certificate, Kostov?

Was he part
of the collusion?

He's not listed
in the state medical association.

The cops are trying
to track him down.

The Connerys must've
had a pediatrician.

I'll check with their
medical insurance company.

I've been
her gynecologist for 15 years.

All I can say is
that I counseled them to consider adoption.

You thought they'd
be good parents?

No reason
to consider otherwise.

Would it surprise you to know
that they kept the baby

for three weeks
and then got rid of it?

The Connerys?
No, there must be some mistake.

They were so desperate
to adopt

they went halfway
around the world.

Where's halfway
around the world?

Russia.

I checked
with U.S. Immigration and the Russian consulate.

The Connerys have been
to Vologda, Russia, twice in the last three months.

The second time they
brought back a baby girl, Mariana Petrova.

Still doesn't prove
they knew the child was sick.

No, but I've located
Dr. Kostov.

I am a diplomat.

I am attached to
the World Health Organization.

Nice try. I checked.

You're a temporary consultant
without immunity.

Why did you sign
a health certificate for a baby

with serious
medical problems?

To my knowledge,
I have done no such thing.

If you excuse me.

I checked
with immigration.

Dr. Kostov signed numerous
health certificates

for Russian children
adopted by Americans.

Where does he
get the children?

He has an exclusive deal
with three orphanages in Vologda

who offer the children
for adoption to foreign couples.

How many couples
did you find?

Eight.

They were given
sick children, too?

Two of the families have
had no problems as yet.

The others do,
to varying degrees.

And he told them
the children were healthy?

Yes.

One family adopted
a little boy with a club foot.

Easily correctable.

Dr. Kostov said that
was the only thing wrong with him.

So far they've spent $80,000
in fixing other problems,

and that's on top
of the 20 grand they paid Dr. Kostov

for the placement.

He's peddling
defective children

without regard
for their welfare.

Or the welfare
of the adoptive parents.

A fine summation.
What's the charge?

Same as the Connerys.
Murder two.

Depraved indifference.

It's a stretch.

He's one step removed
from the child's death.

Morally,
he's just as culpable.

You need one
to convict the other.

See who blinks first.

The only way my clients
will plead to anything

is you agree to
a fine and a walk.

A fine?

For filing
a false document.

How much for
killing a baby?

Please. We didn't
mean for her to die.

If Dr. Kostov
hadn't lied to us,

none of this
would've happened.

The offer is man one,
minimum sentence

and you testify
against Dr. Kostov.

You gave Mariana Petrova
a clean bill of health.

She died of a diagnosable
and treatable disease.

I told the Connerys
to make sure she ate regularly

and got plenty
of Vitamin A.

Did you tell them
about the spinal tumors?

I knew nothing
of spinal tumors.

You can try
and sell that.

I'm asking the Grand Jury
for a murder two indictment.

You can't be serious.

My client is a distinguished
representative...

Your client is a ghoul who
traffics in dying children.

Whatever actions
Dr. Kostov took occurred on Russian soil.

You have no jurisdiction.

The baby died here.
It's a result offense.

CPL-2010, Sub Three.

I have all
the jurisdiction I need.

What are you angling for,
Mr. McCoy?

Whatever
your client can tell us

about his dealings
with the Connerys.

Man one,
minimum sentence.

Three-to-six.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

I am not responsible
for any of this.

If that's your position,
you can take your chances with a jury.

So, who do you want
to put on trial?

All of them.

I was
the physician in charge

the night the Connery's
brought their child into the E.R.

What was wrong
with her?

They said
she wouldn't eat.

She was vomiting.
We stabilized her,

and I suggested
to the parents

that she be admitted
for tests.

Why?

She was lethargic,
undersized, had poor muscle tone.

What was the result
of the tests?

The carnitine level
led us to suspect

fatty acid
oxidation disorder.

Tests also uncovered
several cancerous spinal tumors.

Were the cancers
treatable?

Well, surgery
wasn't an option.

I told them they could
try chemotherapy,

but that any course
of treatment

would be very expensive
and the outcome

was unlikely
to be positive.

This is a cancer
that kills.

Always?
Virtually.

How long could the child
have lived?

A year, maybe two.

Doctor, what is fatty acid
oxidation disorder?

Well, as the name implies,
the system is unable to oxidize fatty acids,

so the deposits
build up in the liver.

Fatal?

If it goes untreated, yes.

Possibly in a matter
of days.

Is there a scientifically
recognized treatment?

Well, the factors that
stimulate the disorder,

infection
and improper diet,

control these and
the patient can live a normal life span.

Did you give
all this information to Mr. and Mrs. Connery?

Yes.

No more questions.

If that was a little
rough, Mrs. Waring,

we can call you
after the trial, give you the verdict.

Now you worry about
being rough on us?

You don't have to put
yourselves through this.

It's so...

I still can't believe
anybody would do what they did.

All they had to do
was tell us.

We would have
taken her anyway.

I had no reason
to suppose

the child would not
respond to affection and a proper diet.

Did you know
she had a specific metabolic disorder?

No, I did not.

Did you know
she had cancer?

No, I did not.

So when the Connerys
told you, it came as a surprise to you?

Yes. They wanted me
to take the child back.

A child is not a defective
washing machine.

I told them
they cannot return it to the manufacturer.

Thank you.

So, it's your testimony
you didn't know

that Mariana was
gravely ill?

Yes.

People's 17, Your Honor.
A translation of a report

prepared by the director
of the orphanage

Mariana Connery
came from.

Could you read
the highlighted section, Doctor?

"Every effort should be made
to find American and European families

"for orphans
with medical problems

"that cannot be
successfully treated in this country.

"We can place most
of the healthy children with Russian families. "

So, your mission is to
palm off sick children

on unsuspecting Americans,
Dr. Kostov?

You people have
the resources to help them. We don't.

Oh, I see, your motives
are altruistic, is that right?

Yes.

And to accomplish
this laudable goal,

you sign false
health certificates, is that right?

If I must.

And in exchange for this,
you put $20,000 per child

into your altruistic pocket,
is that right?

$20,000 can save
a lot of children in Russia.

There is an epidemic
of child abandonment.

Every year the spring thaw
uncovers hundreds of dead babies

who were pushed
down into the snow and left there to die.

I am saving
as many as I can.

People's 18.

A translation
of a financial statement from the same orphanage.

You'll note
the highlighted section, Doctor.

Does it indicate
that the orphanage receives $2,000

for each
foreign placement?

Where does
the other $18,000 go?

Your Jaguar?

Your expensive home
in Odessa?

Objection.

The $1,500 Italian suit
you're wearing?

Enough, Mr. McCoy.
You've made your point.

Why accuse me?

Why don't you accuse them?

To them,
children are like fashion accessories.

Something to fill out
their empty lives.

Objection.

They wanted
a perfect child.

Even God cannot
guarantee that.

That will do, Dr. Kostov.
The jury will disregard.

Mr. McCoy?

I have nothing further.

When Edward and I
found out we couldn't conceive a child,

we were devastated.

Like everybody,
we wanted a family.

We saw
infertility experts,

underwent dozens
of procedures, but nothing worked.

After a while,
we decided to adopt.

How did you
meet Dr. Kostov?

Through an agency
that specializes in Eastern European adoptions.

What were you told
about her background?

Dr. Kostov told us
that Mariana had been in the orphanage

for only a few weeks.

That her mother had
given her up

because she wanted her
to have a better life.

Did he tell you
she was sick?

He told us
that she was healthy,

but she would get sick
if she stayed in the orphanage.

The conditions
were deplorable.

It was just a warehouse
for children.

Dr. Kostov pleaded
with us to save her,

to take her
to the United States and give her a good home.

Later, you found out
how sick she was.

What was your reaction?

We were upset.
We felt so bad for her.

What did you do?

Edward and I talked
about it for days.

We thought at first
that we'd be able to deal with it.

But we couldn't.

We tried to return her
to Dr. Kostov.

He wouldn't
take her back.

He said that she was
our responsibility now.

Then what did you do?

We tried to find someone
who would take her.

Adoption agencies,
baby brokers.

One broker told us that
she had a snowball's chance in hell

of being placed
anywhere else.

So we called
another broker,

and we lied.

He said he knew a couple
who would take her.

Did you think you were
doing the right thing?

We honestly thought that
she'd be better off.

When I was six,

my older brother
got cancer.

He died three years later.

My parents were drained,
financially and emotionally.

The ordeal
destroyed their marriage.

I'm not Mother Teresa.

I just don't have
the emotional resources to go through that.

Thank you,
Mrs. Connery.

Mrs. Connery,
was Mariana covered under your medical insurance?

No. We couldn't
get coverage

because of her preexisting
medical conditions.

So, the cost of treating her
would've been borne entirely by you?

Yes.

You knew she required
a specific diet

to keep her alive,
is that right?

Yes.

You knew from experience
how difficult it was to feed her?

Yes.

But when you
abandoned Mariana to the broker,

you decided to keep
that tidbit of information to yourself, correct?

I...

Yes.

Did it occur to you
to call the broker

and tell him
after she was in her new home?

I assumed that
whoever got the baby

would take her
to the doctor,

and they would find out
what was wrong with her.

Doesn't it bother you
that your assumption cost Mariana her life?

- Objection!
- Your Honor,

they raised the defendant's
state of mind on direct.

I'm entitled
to cross on it.

Overruled.
Answer the question, Mrs. Connery.

We were trying to do
what was best for her.

Then why falsify documents?

Why hide where
she came from?

I...
In fact,

as long as you could make her
somebody else's problem,

you just didn't
give a damn, did you?

It's easy for you
to sit in judgment,

but what would
you have done?

Please, tell me.
What should we have done?

Did you call
Children's Services?

Did you talk to
your own doctor?

Did you talk
to other families

who were in
similar situations?

Did you, Mrs. Connery?

No.

I have nothing further,
Your Honor.

Why should I make
a deal with you now?

No room for mercy,
Mr. McCoy?

What can you offer?

Our remorse.

We feel terrible
about what we did.

Did you feel terrible
before you were caught?

You accept
your responsibility for Mariana's death?

Dr. Kos...

Yes, we do.

Is the man one offer
still on the table?

We'll get back to you.

They'll be pariahs
for the rest of their lives.

They lose a few friends.

That's your idea
ofjustice?

Three-to-six years
in a state prison is not a cakewalk.

How many drug dealers
got a free pass from you?

The ones who could
give me someone bigger in return.

All the Connerys have
to offer is their plea-bargained remorse.

She's still trying to
blame it off on Kostov.

Did you see
her husband cut her off?

She's the least culpable
of the three.

Oh, gentlemen, please.

That sorry excuse for a woman
has a hole in her soul.

That's enough.

I can take care
of myself, Adam.

Then remain objective.

It was Edward Connery's
actions that directly caused a little girl's death.

And he's an attorney.
He knew what he was doing.

The Connerys will
never do this again.

Kostov has and will,
over and over again.

Kostov's children better off
in their new homes?

All but Mariana.

I have a solution that
will make us all happy.

What's that?

No deals for anybody.
Let's hang them all.

As to the defendant,
Andre Kostov,

on the first count of
the indictment.

Murder in the Second Degree,
how do you find?

Not guilty.

As to the second count,

Manslaughter in
the First Degree, how do you find?

Guilty.

As to the defendant,
Edward Connery,

on the first count of
the indictment,

Murder in the Second Degree,
how do you find?

Not guilty.

On the Second Count,
Manslaughter in the First Degree,

how do you find?
Guilty.

As to the defendant,
Megan Connery,

on the first count of
the indictment,

Murder in the Second Degree,
how do you find?

Not guilty.

On the second count,
Manslaughter in the First Degree,

how do you find?

Guilty, Your Honor.

Man one all around.

I'll start working on
the pre-sentence reports.

Any suggestions?

You mean, who should spend
more time in prison? Kostov or the Connerys?

Don't get me started.

We can always
skip the report and take no position.

Leave it to the judge.

Let's do that,
for the sake of world peace.

The Warings filed
a petition to get their son back.

We have till
the end of the week to file our objections.

Can you and I agree
we're too busy?

Deal.

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