All language subtitles for Law & Order s12e18 Equal Rights.eng

NARRATOR:
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.

KAREN:
There we were, all the women in the kitchen cleaning up,

and all the guys
watching the game.

I always thought
it'd be different when we had families.

I don't think it
even occurs to them.

Ha. It occurs to Dave.
He just doesn't care.

What pisses me off
about it is if I bring it up,

I'm a nag.

I don't know.
Maybe it's our own fault.

We're the ones
that let it happen.

No, I think men
just do a good job of convincing us

that it's our fault.

I mean,
men can be such a pain in the ass.

Oh. my God!

Celia!

I take back everything
I just said.

Two commuters off
the 7:00 a.m. ferry,

they're the ones
who found him.

Oh, that's a nice way
to start the day.

Guy was shot twice.

Once in the stomach,
once In the chest.

We found two shell casings
on the ground near the body.

So, it was close range.
He's been here all night?

Well, the body's cold,
but with the wind chill off the river,

it's hard to say.

Wait.
You said two shots?

He got it
again here.

Ah. But there's no
matching hole on the coat.

Coat was open
when he got hit the second time.

Coat was
covering the wound when we got here.

He have a wallet?

We didn't find one.

Still got his watch, though.
Pretty fancy one, too.

So, the guy shoots him,
he opens up his coat to take his wallet,

make it look like
it's a robbery,

then he shoots him again.

I hate these
repeat offenders.

BRISCOE: The M.E. says he
checked out someplace between 6:00 p.m. and midnight.

Any witnesses?

Well, we handed a Polaroid
around among some of the commuters.

So far,
nobody recognized him.

No one called in
any shots fired?

It's a commercial area,
it's pretty deserted at night.

Well, what about
forensics?

Well, we got
two blue fibers,

and we got two
matching slugs,

one was found in a fence,
the other one in the ground underneath him.

Nine-millimeter.

The print lab lifted a partial
from one of the shell casings

but no hits.

According to the M.E.,
he was shot once in the stomach,

fell to his knees
and then got hit a second time.

So whoever it was,
took their time.

ED: But they didn't
take his watch.

Not a very
efficient robbery.

Well, he was shot up close
and there's no sign of a struggle,

so it could be personal.

Or maybe just
a nasty surprise.

We still don't know
who this man is?

Well, we know one thing.
He was a cigar smoker.

Found this in his coat.

That's a Montecristo,
series seven.

It's Dominican.
It's rare and very expensive.

So people try to
counterfeit them.

So they put a second band
underneath the first one,

it has
a registry number.

Oh, so we can
trace it.

Yeah, it's always a plus
when your vices pay off.

Take this nasty thing.

JAKE: Series seven.

They're up to 40 bucks
a pop now, Eddie.

And me without
my checkbook.

Your partner here,
used to buy them by the box.

That was back in
my high roller days.

Hey, Jake, Montecristo
tracked this registry number

to a lot that was sold
to your store.

Well, I'm one of the only
three places in Manhattan, that carries them.

Yeah, well you ever
sell any to this guy?

My only customers
are three, four guys, who really know cigars.

I mean...
Maybe a poser now and then.

Oh, and JR's ordered,
five boxes.

A month or so ago.

That's a cigar bar
on 43rd and 10th.

It's close to the ferry.

All right, thanks, Jake.
It's good to see you.

Hey, Eddie.

Cohibas, Cuban.

Cheaper than series seven,
but still,

manna from heaven.

Nah. He's on
a whole different budget now.

JAKE: (LAUGHS) I see.

VICTOR:
Sorry, I don't recognize him.

He might have bought
one of your specialty cigars,

a Montecristo series seven.

Maybe, our cigar steward
can help you.

James!

These two detectives
would like a word with you.

Hi!

Is this one of
your customers?

Maybe a series seven
kind of guy?

He was in last night

with one other man.

Bought three
series seven.

Gave me a $40 tip.

Did you get any names?

But this one paid
with a credit card.

You still got
the receipt?

Sure thing.
Haven't cashed out my tips yet.

A $40 tip for
three cigars?

If he sells five or six
a night, James, here

makes more in a week,
than we make in a month.

JAMES: Here it is.
Thanks.

John Cooper.
Corporate Amex. Dreisner Investments.

Time 8:15.

Uh, did he
hang around at all after her paid?

No, he just left.

ED: Did he leave alone
or with the other guy?

Uh, alone.

ED: We're gonna need
all your receipts from last night. Okay?

No problem.

DREISNER:
John was one of our top analysts.

Did he have any
professional problems?

I mean,
anybody that held a grudge against him?

Not here at Dreisner.

John was one of those guys
who walks into a room,

has everyone eating
out of the palm of his hand, five minutes later.

Well, what time
did he leave last night?

I saw him get in
the elevator, a little after 7:00.

I guess that was
earlier than usual for him.

BRISCOE:
What time was usual?

8:00. 8:15.

God, has anybody
told his wife and kids yet?

He was married?

Three kids.

They live up in Nyack.

LESLIE:
This is so strange.

I can't believe
he's really gone.

We're very sorry
for your loss, Mrs. Cooper.

Where did you
find him?

Near the ferry terminal.

Did your husband
normally take the ferry?

Yeah, he did.

He was probably
on his way home.

I'm gonna let the girls
get a snack.

Come on
into the kitchen.

Your sister's
been a big help.

Mrs. Cooper, did your husband
take the same ferry every day?

The 8:00 a.m. in and
the 8:30 home.

So somebody could have
known his schedule.

I thought you said
this was probably a robbery.

ED: Yeah.
We're just covering all the angles.

Well, she called
the Nyack police and they said

that there was
no reason to worry.

When was that?

LESLIE: When John
didn't come home.

They said he had to be
missing for 36 hours

before they could
investigate.

ED: What time
did you call?

This morning.
Around 4:00.

Can I ask
why you didn't call the police until then?

Well, I put the kids to bed
and fell asleep on the couch.

Woke up around 3:00
and realized, John still wasn't home.

I waited a little while,
then I called...

And then she called me.

Mrs. Cooper,
did your husband have any enemies?

I mean, anybody that
might want to hurt him.

No one I can think of.

GEORGINA: I think we should
go spend some time with the kids now.

I mean, if that's okay?

BRISCOE: Oh, sure.

We'll be in touch
if anything comes up.

Hey, you want me to see
if they'll hold the 8:30 ferry tonight?

Yeah.
If they let you bring your Dramamine.

Well, hopefully,
one of these Wall Street commuters,

saw Cooper last night.

Even better if
they saw him get killed.

CARL:
That's Coop there.

It's unbelievable.

We lost a lot of guys
on 9/11.

I kept setting up
their beers for weeks.

And now this.

I walked right past
that body this morning.

Had no idea
it was Coop.

So, you guys didn't
hear anything last night?

CARL:
I had music going, Knicks were on.

Plus we had the game.

Jeez, Hank.

What game was that?

CARL:
We got a friendly little poker game,

every Wednesday night.

Sometimes if we dock
at the last stop,

one of the crew guys
joins in, we keep playing.

Coop never made the boat.

Neither did O'Mann.

Shut him off, Carl.

ED: Who's O'Mann?

O'Mann's a jerk off.

O'Mann likes to
think of himself as the go to guy

whenever a player runs
out of cash.

Takes the game
a little seriously.

Doesn't sound like
a friendly game to me.

Not between
Cooper and O'Mann.

They nearly had
a fist fight last week.

ED: What, did Cooper
owe him money?

50K.

Uh, I'd take that
seriously, too.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

O'MANN: Who is it?

The tooth fairy.
Open up.

It's 10:30.
What's this about?

ED: You Peter O'Mann?

Yeah.

BRISCOE: Put some clothes on,
we're gonna take a little field trip to the city.

You have a warrant?

ED: We got
a better hand than that.

Five witnesses to you
being a loan shark.

Which means that
if we come back with a warrant,

it'll be to arrest you
instead of just having a conversation.

Let's go.

Yeah, he owed me 50K,
so what?

So what?
That's a lot of loot.

Coop was good for it.

Not anymore.

Look.

I didn't even know
he was dead until you guys showed up.

I was out sick today.
I have a cold.

What about last night?

I missed the boat.
I ended up on a late bus.

A lawyer on a bus?

So what happened,
you got into it on the pier?

You were pissed because
he wouldn't pony up,

you pulled out
your gun?

Never happened.

Your visa, puts you
at the same Cigar Bar as Cooper, last night.

Yeah, I met up
with him there.

I had a reason
for meeting up with John.

And what
would that be?

I can't tell you that.
It's privileged.

ED: Privileged?

As in attorney-client.

I was John's lawyer.

VAN BUREN: O'Mann
was his lawyer?

BRISCOE: Yeah, the guy
says Cooper called him.

Said he knew he
owed him a lot of money,

but he was in real trouble,
needed help.

VAN BUREN: Why?
ED: He wouldn't say.

He's claiming privilege.

VAN BUREN: Well,
his client's dead.

BRISCOE: Doesn't matter.
Whatever the issue is, it affects Cooper's estate.

VAN BUREN: Do we
have any idea, if he's telling the truth?

Well, he gave up
his prints. And?

No match on
the partial we lifted off the shell casing.

Well, where is this
lawyer now?

We released him.
Told him not to make any plane reservations.

Why would this victim
consult a lawyer?

We checked BCI, FBI,
New York State Police.

We got nothing so far.

Well, maybe it was
a civil matter.

The guy's
a criminal lawyer.

Well, Cooper was
a stock analyst.

What about the SEC?

We opened an investigation
on Mr. Cooper about six months ago.

What about?

He was one of
the major analysts on Everson Technologies.

The one that's on
the front page of all the papers?

Mmm-hmm.
The one that just went under.

My hugest headache
right now.

So why look
into Cooper?

Do you guys know
what a stock analyst does?

Strong buy,
buy, hold, sell.

This horse is two to one,
that horse is three to one.

It's the same thing.

You're absolutely right.

Those ratings
only mean something

if the analyst
is truly independent.

Are you saying
Cooper was in bed with Everson Technologies?

Well, there were rumors
to that effect

based on his analysis
of their stock.

'Cause he rated it
a strong buy.

Yes.

And he was one of the only
ones who continued to do so,

even after questions
started to arise about their accounting practices.

So what's
your read on Cooper? Was he crooked?

Well, all I know is
we've had this Everson employee

over here for months,

screaming about how
Cooper must be on the take.

BRISCOE: Any chance
he would have taken matters into his own hands?

He was pretty irate.

ED: How irate?

Irate, irate.

I worked at Everson 32 years.

Had a pension worth
900,000, now it's worth nine.

Well, what makes you think
that John Cooper had anything to do with that?

He was fraternity brothers
with The CFO of Everson.

They played golf
together,

their kids went
to the same school.

Well, if playing golf
with somebody means they're on the take,

we'd have to arrest
all of Wall Street.

Cooper was one of the only
analysts to keep his rating

a strong buy
as the stock tanked.

He must have been taking
kickbacks the whole time.

I can't prove it,
but I know it.

Yeah, but why care?
I mean...

What effect
could Cooper have all by himself?

People look for
any reason not to sell a high-flying stock.

Dreisen's opinion matters.

Where were you
the night before last?

My sister's house.

There was a big party,
for my niece's 18th birthday.

Why, you think
I killed him?

Well, you do seem to be
worked up into a lather over the guy.

Cooper helped keep
the stock price artificially high

so company insiders
could cash out.

Leave the rest of us
holding the bag.

I can think of 20,000 people
who'd like to see him six feet under.

The guy seemed pissed,
but he didn't seem homicidal.

So what now?
20,000 background checks?

No. We narrow it down.

He went to the SEC
to complain about Cooper.

Maybe the other's went
directly to him.

Let's talk
to his secretary,

see who Cooper's
other fans were.

I took over
50 calls a day from company clients

demanding to speak with John,
once Everson's stock tanked.

So much for
narrowing it down.

Were there any unusual calls
the day he was murdered?

The SEC called
at 11:15 a.m.

Well, that's
Angela Harkin.

That's right.

He was in a meeting,
but he had me call her back about 15 minutes later.

They talked for awhile.

BRISCOE: Anything else
out of the ordinary?

Not really.

Well, right after,
he hung up with the SEC,

he had me set up
a lunch meeting with Justin Brenner.

Who's Justin Brenner?

The CFO
of Everson Technologies.

Did Mr. Cooper
make the meeting?

Yes. Left about 12:45.

He happen to mention
what it was about?

No, but it
seemed important.

He told me not to
patch any calls through to his cell.

I'm guessing they weren't
talking about golf.

BRENNER: John Cooper and I
knew each other socially. That's all.

When was
the last time you saw him?

I haven't seen him
in days.

BRISCOE:
Well, we know you took a phone call from him

the day before yesterday.

And we know
you had lunch with him.

We traced
your credit card

and your waiter
was kind enough to identify you.

This is ridiculous.

I had lunch with him,
so what?

So, you had lunch
with a guy,

right after he
talks to the SEC

about allegations
that you two were in bed together.

ED: And then he
ends up getting killed.

You know, having the SEC
breathing down your neck is one thing,

but this is a homicide
investigation.

This has gotten
so out of hand.

ED: This will get
so much more out of hand

if I gotta drag your ass
out of here in handcuffs.

I didn't have anything to do
with John Cooper's death.

Then why lie about
going to lunch with him?

Mr. Cooper's firm earns
a substantial percentage

underwriting bond offerings
for Everson technologies.

He called on Wednesday,
said the SEC had contacted him.

And that scared you?

Of course, it did.

BRISCOE: So what'd you do
to keep his mouth shut?

I didn't do anything,

except to assure him
that we appreciated his strong buy ratings

throughout the past
few months.

And I told him that Everson
would guarantee Dreisner's underwriting fees

despite any
bankruptcy filings.

The guy's license
might have been in jeopardy.

I think he might have
wanted a little more assurance than that.

I didn't need to give it.
He was a partner at Dreisner.

He shared in the profits.

Look, why would I
kill John?

He works with
a whole team of people.

I don't know
how many of them knew what was going on.

Or how many were
benefiting from our business.

This is not something
that can be solved by killing a man.

Oh, I don't know,
I think if we shot a couple of your board members,

this kind of thing
probably wouldn't happen again.

I'll tell you
the same thing I told the SEC.

Feel free to investigate
everything I ever wrote, said, did.

I had no idea what was going
on with Everson Technologies.

Wait.
How could you not?

You were John Cooper's
second in command.

And I was the one
who kept questioning John's recommendations.

But he met with
company officials,

so I presumed he
knew things I didn't.

What about other people
on the team?

Well, if there was
anything going on,

I can't imagine
anyone else was in on it.

None of us
told friends and family to sell Everson stock,

which we would have,
if we knew the stock was worthless.

BRISCOE: And Cooper
told his family to sell?

Actually, I don't think
he told them anything.

So, what? He just
let them lose their shirts along with everybody else?

ED: Did anybody
in Cooper's family get hit really hard?

His brother-in-law,
Russell Woods.

He bought 2,500 shares
at $81 a share.

Now it's worth about
90 cents.

He lost almost
$200,000.

Now that sure
would make me want to hurt somebody.

Hey, I'd kill one of
my ex brother-in-laws for free.

Apparently when the stock
started to tank,

for whatever reason,
Cooper wouldn't return Woods' calls.

So, why didn't he
just tell him to sell?

Well, maybe he thought
that if he told his family members to sell,

would make him
look suspicious.

Or maybe he's
just a jerk.

Well, did this
brother-in-law know about the mutually

beneficial
arrangement between

Everson and
Driesner Investments?

That's what we'd
like to know.

Well, pick him up
and find out.

Hey, Lennie.

Check out what
he's wearing.

Blue coat.

BRISCOE: Russell Woods?
Yes.

NYPD.

The police.
Yeah, man.

We need to talk to you
about your brother-in-law.

What do you
wanna know?

We just have
some follow-up.

You want to come with us
down to the precinct?

Why?

Well, we can talk about it
right here, if you'd rather not.

No, no.
I guess the precinct would be better.

Cover me,
will you, Tommy? TOMMY: Sure.

And call my wife.
All right.

BRISCOE: That was a whole
lot of money you lost on Everson technologies.

ED: It could've been
your kids' college savings.

It was a lot of money.

So maybe you
wanted some payback.

I don't know
what you mean.

Oh, I don't know.

I find out
my brother-in-law set me up,

risked my kid's future,

I think I might be
a little angry.

Especially if
this brother-in-law kept recommending stock to me

even after he knew
the company was tanking.

John did that?

Oh, come on.
You know how much he made off of Everson.

I have no idea
what you're talking about.

He was paid to keep
recommending Everson stock.

I never knew that

Here's this
rich stock analyst married to my wife's sister.

Yeah, and me
just a working stiff hoping to make

a little bit off
a tip from John.

Only you find out
that he's artificially propping up

Everson's stock prices
on your back.

So you confront him.
You demand your money back.

Look, I have no idea
what you guys are talking about.

I don't,
I really don't.

Well, now,
that's really funny, Mr. Woods.

Because we just matched
your finger prints, from your job records,

to one found on
a shell casing, at the scene.

And I'm betting
we can match a fiber off your coat.

I think you just lost
a little bit more

than a 401K, buddy.

What are you doing?

Russell Woods,
you're under arrest,

for the murder
of John Cooper.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Woods lawyered up
once we placed him under arrest.

Did he make
any kind of statement before that?

Nothing but a whole
lot of acting

like he didn't know
what we were talking about.

Well, how did he act
when you told him about the fingerprint?

That's pretty much
when he stopped talking.

SERENA:
Where are we on motive?

I mean, he obviously didn't
kill his brother-in-law

because of a few
unreturned phone calls.

Well, the man lost
his life savings.

SERENA:
Yeah, but why now?

ED:
The papers just started running stories

that the company was
filing for bankruptcy.

BRISCOE:
Yeah, which means, he probably knew

he'd never be able to
recoup his losses.

Well and we figured
once he realized that,

it turned into whole
new level of rage.

Well, it sounds like
I should have a talk with the victim's wife

find out what kind of
relationship these two had.

I just think
you have the wrong man. That's all I'm saying.

I understand that it's hard
to accept that your brother-in-law could do this,

but we have
pretty hard evidence against him.

I can't believe
that's true.

We found his fingerprint,
on the shell casing.

What?

And a fiber that
matched his work coat.

Oh. my God!

So, Mrs. Cooper,
I have to ask you...

Maybe someone's
framing him.

Have you looked
into that?

Did you ever hear
your brother-in-law talk to your husband

about Everson
Technologies?

Everson Technologies?

What has that got to do
with anything?

Russell lost his
entire Investment.

And you think
that's why he killed John?

He lost his savings,
his future, his retirement.

No. You don't know Russell.
He's a gentle person.

Well, everybody has
their limits, Mrs. Cooper. It was a lot of money.

I never heard Russell
ever say anything about money to John.

It just wasn't like him.

In fact,
Russell and Georgina have offered to help me.

Mom?

LESLIE:
Everything's okay, honey.

This lady's just asking me
some questions about Uncle Russell.

Why don't you go
start your homework.

I'll be there in a minute.

He's had
a pretty rough time.

I understand.

You know,
I should probably start dinner.

I don't know, it was just
something about the way she was acting.

Like she was
more upset about her brother-in-law's arrest

than she was about
her own husband.

She could be in shock.

Maybe you're right.

How strongly
do you feel about this?

It's just
my instinct tells me there's more going on here.

Then go with it.

Have Briscoe and Green
follow-up with the neighbors.

Thanks, Jack.
Yeah.

How well did you
know them?

Mostly through our kids.
I have a boy their son's age.

We talk at school
and things like that.

What about
the husband?

He never came
to those things.

Not much worse than
the other Dads, though. If you know what I mean.

Maybe they're
just working.

Maybe.

What about the
Cooper's relationship?

What do you mean?

I mean, how would you
describe their marriage. Was it stable?

(SIGHS) Now and again
we heard them fighting.

What?
From across the street?

It's a small neighborhood.

Sometimes it was
pretty hard to ignore.

In fact, I heard it through
the grapevine that they were headed for divorce.

ED:
When did you hear that?

Couple of years ago.

I guess kids have a way
of making you work things out.

She filed for divorce
three years ago.

On what grounds?

Emotional distress.

That's the catchall.

She withdrew her petition,
a few months later.

People change their
minds all the time.

Especially if murdering
her husband might be an easier option

than divorcing him.

We still have a few
more days before we go to grand jury.

Stay on it.

Look at this.
Calls from the Cooper house

to Russell Woods over
the past two weeks.

Well, it could
just be two sisters gabbing on the phone.

The calls are
to his work phone.

Well, maybe it's
family business.

Thirty calls?

Hey, check this out.

Call from Russell Woods'
cell phone to Leslie Cooper the night of the murder.

Yeah, but how do we
know it's Russell, not his wife?

He's got one
of those phones with GPS technology.

Whoever called,
called from three blocks away

from where
Cooper was shot.

Confirmation call.

There's only
one good reason

for the two of them
to get together to kill her husband.

Mmm-hmm.

So the wife of
a wealthy analyst

takes up with her
broke brother-in-law?

Only they wouldn't have
been broke for long.

John Cooper
had a million dollar life insurance policy.

She told me she
hadn't got much money, but I did some checking.

His estate was worth
close to $3 million.

Even with the money,
phone calls and a suspicious demeanor

won't be enough
to prove a conspiracy.

It's a start.

Briscoe and Green's
arrest report indicated

the sister was
pretty supportive in the initial interview.

Because she didn't
know about the affair.

Let's get them in
the same room together,

see if one
of them cracks.

I still have no idea
why you asked us to come here.

We have information
that pertains to the both of you.

What information?

SERENA: Mrs. Cooper?

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

We're talking about
your relationship with Russell Woods.

What relationship?

SERENA: According
to the phone company,

your sister placed over
30 calls to your husband in the last week.

I call my husband
from my sister's house all the time, so what?

While you're at work?

Look, what are
you implying?

JACK: We're not
implying anything.

We're just looking
for an explanation for these calls.

Were you having an affair
with your brother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper?

That is ridiculous.
You don't know what you're talking about.

JACK: We also have records
showing that your husband called your sister

from his cell phone
immediately after he shot Mr. Cooper.

That is my cell phone.
I called my sister.

Not according to
the cell phone company.

They place the phone
less than three blocks from the ferry terminal

where Mr. Cooper was shot.

They can pinpoint
the exact location.

You've already
arrested Russell. Isn't that enough?

SERENA: I know this
can't be easy for you.

If you have a reason
for protecting them,

it can only do
more harm than good.

Your husband is facing
a charge that carries the death penalty.

Oh, my God!
This is getting out of hand, Georgina.

GEORGINA:
No, no, no, no, wait.

LESLIE: No. I can't
let you do this.

I can't let Russell
take responsibility for this alone.

Well, maybe Russell
will be okay.

No. It's enough.

(SIGHS)
This is all my fault.

If you're going
to blame anyone, blame me.

Leslie!

Blame you because
you put Mr. Woods up to killing your husband.

But he didn't do it
for the reason you think.

She was a battered wife?

She claims her husband
had been beating her on and off for 15 years.

So she stayed home
with her kids and...

Had her brother-in-law
pull the trigger for her.

Well, why would
he agree to do that in the first place?

Well, according to her,
because of the abuse.

Except she admits
she offered him part of the proceeds

of a million dollar
life insurance policy once it was done.

A battered spouse
who hires a hit man.

That's one for the books.

What about her sister?

We might have
accessory after the fact.

But if she was
involved beforehand, we can't prove it.

Not unless
they all roll over.

Is it true,
about the abuse?

SERENA: So far,
I haven't been able to find

a shred of evidence
to support it.

No police records
and I also checked her local hospital.

A play for sympathy.

LEWIN: Well, let's stop her
before she even tries it.

Move to preclude
the defense.

I'd rather find out
what they have now than in front of a jury.

JACK: This defendant
hired her brother-in-law

to shoot a man
in the street.

If that's self-defense,
maybe I've been confused all these years.

No. Battered wife
syndrome, Judge.

A psychiatrist will
testify and explain

why she thought
her husband was about to kill her,

why she didn't leave
the relationship.

SERENA: Except there's
one thing missing here. She wasn't abused.

What about it,
Mr. Weaver?

Was your client
abused or not?

You tell me.

Mrs. Cooper has been seen
in four different hospitals on eight different occasions

during the course
of her marriage.

She's had
a ruptured spleen,

a bruised liver,
a broken arm and a sprained knee.

Judge, I checked
with her local area hospital.

She was never
treated there.

That's because
she was too embarrassed.

She went to different ERs
so she wouldn't have to deal with the same people.

We've got all the records.

Her sister took
those pictures.

I've seen enough.

I'm inclined to
allow the defense to be presented.

The People request
the opportunity to have the defendant

examined by
our psychiatrist.

Judge, we're not asserting
diminished capacity or mental disease or defect.

But you want
a psychiatrist to explain the effects,

battering can have on
a woman's perceptions.

The People should be allowed
to determine for themselves what those effects were.

LEWIN: If the jury gets
one look at these photos

they're gonna think
they would have killed him, too.

What we're talking
about is revenge, not self-defense.

Well, maybe.

But every woman,
every person on the jury,

who sees these photos
are gonna think he got what he deserved.

Well, we don't pick
our victims, Nora.

No. But sometimes
we cut a deal.

JACK: Which we already have.

Russell Woods
pled to murder two this morning

and Georgina pled to
an accessory charge.

No. I'm talking
about Leslie Cooper.

How much of a discount
do you want to give her?

I was thinking to man one.

JACK: What kind of
a message does that send?

When things get bad,
hire a hit man,

you get a bargain
at indictment time.

He wasn't a hit man.
He was her brother-in-law.

She still arranged
for someone to jump her husband

and pump two
bullets into him.

Well, I'm not talking
about giving her a medal.

But they'll have
an expert witness who'll testify that

everything she did
was reasonable.

And we'll have one
who says it wasn't.

LEWIN: Jack, that
guarantees us nothing.

I just don't think
this is a case

we should go
to verdict on.

If she gets
herself acquitted,

the next case
these defense lawyers will push,

might actually
be a hit man.

I don't think
she will win.

And I think she could.

Make this one go away.

You gotta be kidding me.
Fifteen to life?

Did we see
the same photos?

Your client should
be aware that if she turns this plea down,

we will present
murder one to the grand jury.

Capital charges?

Hiring a hit man
fits squarely within the murder one statute.

We've got a woman here
who was severely battered on an almost daily basis.

The jury is gonna
hate your victim

and wanna jump up
and hug her.

SERENA: She planned it out,
she took her time.

I can't go to jail
for 15 years.

JACK: You owe it to your
client to explain to her

how unrealistic
she's being.

We could go to trial,
get an acquittal, at worst, man two.

More likely, your client
will spend the rest of her life in prison.

I just can't
take a plea.

I won't do that
to my children.

They need a mother.

Up until now, they've
been taking care of me.

I won't just leave them
Not now.

Hey, Jack.

Jack, I just checked
the trial calendar.

Leslie Cooper's name
is still on it.

She turned down
our offer.

What was it?

Fifteen to life.

Well, what was
the counter?

It never
got that far.

Jack, I thought
I made it pretty clear,

I wanted this
one to go away.

I didn't think that meant
you wanted me to give away the courthouse.

Well, it's better
that we give away the courthouse

than some defense
attorney takes it.

If we lose this
case at trial,

we're gonna
see this defense

over and over
and over again.

All I can do
is try the case in front of me.

Yeah, unfortunately,
I have to look a little further down the road.

Has Skoda met
with her yet?

This afternoon.

Well, we better hope
he gives us what we need to convict this woman.

This case is gonna be
a lot harder to win than you seem to think it is.

Did she have the crap
beaten out of her?

Medical records
say yes.

Did she fear
for her life

when she hired
her brother-in-law to whack her husband.

Who knows.

In other words,
she didn't suffer from battered woman's syndrome.

It's a subjective
standard.

I need something
more solid than that

if I'm gonna put you
in front of a jury.

She describes some
of the characteristics.

Feeling panicky
all the time,

heightened awareness
of changes in his mood,

feeling like
he could control her.

But she also planned
this out and hired someone to do it.

Which seems pretty
calculating and inconsistent with the syndrome.

She definitely doesn't
fit the textbook definition.

SERENA: Yeah. She had
a college education.

She had a career
before she had kids.

I think she could
have figured out how to call the police.

Battered women
can appear competent and functional,

yet they still
feel powerless on a day-to-day basis.

But there has to be
a difference between

defending yourself
against an imminent threat

and launching
a preemptive strike.

Look, whether what she did
was reasonable or not is your department.

What I can say is,
from a psychological standpoint,

there are aspects
of her behavior

that just don't
fit the syndrome.

Like enlisting the help
of someone else.

I mean, if this woman
can claim she had battered woman's syndrome,

I don't know who can't.

Her psychiatrist claims
she feared for her life.

She paid for
that opinion.

Well, the opinion
we're paying for has told you that

there's no way to determine
whether or not her actions are reasonable.

What Skoda said is that
it would be irresponsible to call them reasonable.

Well, why should
a jury believe his opinion is right?

How do you make
a determination about any person's conduct?

You look at
the circumstances.

Except these circumstances
have pictures

which a jury
is likely to see.

JACK: What I'm gonna show
them is a woman

who knew she had friends
she could go to for safety,

and instead, used them
to kill her husband.

Or they'll see
a battered woman without any other options.

That sounds an awful
lot like a special standard for women.

If she were a man,
she could never claim self-defense.

If she were a man,
she wouldn't have been beaten by her husband.

A good defense attorney's not
gonna let a jury forget that.

Still, there have
to be limits, Nora, for men and women.

Juries have already
acquitted wives

who've shot their husbands
while they've slept.

If hiring a hit man's next,
where do you draw the line?

JACK: We've let these groups
chip away with these special circumstances.

If we don't stop it,

when people feel threatened,
they won't call the police,

they'll call a hit man.

I hope a jury
sees it your way.

JACK: What was the cause
of death of John Cooper?

Primary cause of death
was asphyxiation.

He choked on
his own blood.

Secondary cause of death
was exsanguination.

He bled to death.

How did he
bleed to death?

From two gunshot wounds
one to the chest, the other to the stomach.

Judge, we're willing to
stipulate to the manner of Mr. Coopers death.

The People have the right
to put this evidence before the jury.

It goes directly to
the defendant's claim of self-defense.

Door's wide open, Counselor.

The People may proceed.

JACK: How long
would it have taken Mr. Cooper to die?

RODGERS: Several minutes.

Is it your opinion
that Mr. Cooper was in pain?

Given that he actually
choked on his own blood

before bleeding to death,
I'd say yes.

He was in severe pain
and died slowly.

Dr. Rodgers, your testimony
relates solely to the manner in which Mr. Cooper died.

Is that correct?
Yes.

It says nothing
about whether that death was justified.

No.

No further questions.

Just tell the truth.
That's all you have to do, okay?

ANTHONY: I guess.

You don't like
having to tell us about your dad,

do you, Anthony?

No.

Why not?

You're not
hurting your father.

It's okay to
tell the truth.

My dad hit my mom.

A lot.

WEAVER: And what
else did he do?

He yelled at her.

Said mean things.

Mean things?

Stuff. You know,
like, I can't say.

Did he ever
hit you, Anthony, or your sisters?

Sometimes.

WEAVER: How did
that make you feel?

ANTHONY: Afraid.

But I guess maybe
we kind of deserved it.

I mean, I don't know,
sort of.

WEAVER: Thank you, Anthony.

No questions.

The beatings had gotten
especially bad lately.

He was coming home
from work really stressed out a lot.

He was angry all
the time, and when he was angry, he hit.

Did you report him
to the police?

I did once
back in Pennsylvania where we used to live.

The police came,
made him leave the house.

But he was back
home the next day and even more angry.

What about
just leaving?

I tried,
many times.

I went to my mother's house.
He showed up in her kitchen.

If I went to my sister's,
he'd bang on the doors, scare her kids.

I started feeling
like I was making their lives miserable.

What happened
the week before

you asked
your brother-in-law to kill him?

One night, John
looked at me and said,

"You know what
I'm gonna do?

"I'm gonna kill you
and then I'm going to Hawaii."

WEAVER: What did
that make you think?

LESLIE: That he was
going to do it.

There was just
something in his eyes,

the way he said it.

I thought,
"If I don't kill him, I won't live."

And what did you do?

I borrowed a gun
from a friend.

One night, while
he was sleeping, I tried to shoot him.

I stood there and
pointed the gun,

but I just couldn't fire.

So, the next week,
I asked Russell if he could do it.

He said yes.

WEAVER: Mrs. Cooper,
do you regret what you did?

I regret that
it had to happen.

But to tell you the truth,
I feel relieved.

For the first time
in my life, I feel safe.

WEAVER: Your Honor,
at this time,

I'd ask that the photos
previously admitted into evidence

be published to the jury.

She's selling the fact
that she didn't have any other options.

She's not
selling it to me.

She had choices before
she decided to have her husband killed.

She shouldn't be able
to rely on the law now, not after the fact.

What choices does
a woman in that situation really have?

(SIGHS)

If someone hit me,
I would leave.

And if I couldn't,
I'd hit them back.

Well, not everyone
takes Tae Bo.

Yes, saying there's no
differences between us doesn't make it true.

But women are cops,
firefighters, combat pilots.

We cannot assert
our physical equality in the workplace

and then claim
to be overpowered in our homes.

The fact is I don't have
to answer the question

whether a battered woman
can leave or not.

Just whether she can
hire her brother-in-law to kill her husband.

Okay. If you want
to convict her,

you're gonna have to
do better than argue

whether or not
he beat her doesn't matter.

You're gonna have
to convict her

for an entirely
different reason.

He's already pled
to the top count.

If we find anything
he says here to be helpful,

I have no problem
making a favorable sentencing recommendation.

Okay.

I did what I did.

I'm not gonna drag
Leslie down with me.

Only it seems she's
the one that dragged you down, Mr. Woods.

I did what
I thought was right.

JACK: Then why the money?

He was taking kickbacks.
Did you know that?

Papers can call it
commissions or whatever.

But it was a pay-off.
Plain and simple.

People like me
lost whatever future we had.

JACK: You were angry.
Damn right I was angry.

Is that why you
agreed to kill him?

RUSSELL: He was beating
her up all the time.

She'd come over, go back.
Over and over.

It wasn't gonna stop.

JACK: These beatings
were going on for years.

Why would she ask you
to kill him now?

I don't know.

Maybe Leslie
just couldn't take it anymore.

Or maybe she was
waiting for you

to hate him
as much as she did.

JACK: Earlier in
your testimony,

you said that your husband
threatened your life.

Threatened to kill you
and go to Hawaii.

Yes.

Only, he didn't
do that, did he?

Instead, a week went by.

Yes.

A week in which you
lived in the same house?

Slept in the same bed?

I told you,
I couldn't leave.

Couldn't or wouldn't?

Three years ago,
you filed for divorce.

LESLIE: Yes.

So, you were aware that
divorce was an option.

I guess.

Did you ever report
your husband's threat to the police?

LESLIE: I didn't
think they'd help.

Never told a neighbor.

I was too embarrassed.

But not too embarrassed
to ask your brother-in-law to kill your husband.

Russell saw what went on.

JACK: But he only
agreed to kill him

once you promised him
part of that life insurance money. Isn't that right?

John was stealing
his money.

You knew that?

LESLIE: I found it out.

But you never warned
your brother-in-law it was happening.

Did you?

Instead, you waited
until it was the right time to tell him.

No.

Because you needed him
to be as angry as you were.

I was afraid.

Doesn't sound like fear.

It sounds more
like revenge.

You have no idea
what he put me through.

You were tired of being
his punching bag.

Yes, anybody would be.

And the way to get
all that to stop,

was to stay.

To stay there
and get him.

Only that's not
self-defense, is it?

JUDGE: Has the jury
reached a verdict?

We have,
Your Honor.

JUDGE: What is your verdict?

"In the matter of
the People against Leslie Cooper,

"we the jury
find the defendant not guilty."

Oh!

ANTHONY: Mom.

Leslie Cooper's
lawyer just gave a press conference.

He declared
today's verdict

a victory for all
battered women.

Just the encouragement
abused women need.

Don't seek help,
don't leave,

hire a hit man instead.

The jury obviously
didn't believe she had any other options.

They ignored the facts.

The woman was
beaten, Jack. Repeatedly.

Maybe they just
didn't ignore the facts you wanted them to.

SERENA: In the end,
I'm not sure a verdict like this

doesn't just sell
women short.

It reinforces the notion
of a helpless female

forced to enlist a man
to solve her problems.

Not that helpless.

She got away
with murder.

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