Original subtitles

Carter: Battered women come from all social classes.

It's a myth that they're poor and uneducated.

Some studies have shown that there's a higher incidence

of abuse in places like Bel Air, Beverly Hills.

Why don't these women leave these relationships?

They think like victims of concentration camps.

When human beings are subjected to daily terror,

to constant punishment,

options like escape cease to exist.

They focus on avoiding the beatings,

and when that fails, to surviving them.

What if they try to get out?

They're even more likely to be attacked

by the abusive partner.

Shelters, even police can't seem to protect them.

Dr. Carter, is it probable that Elsa Chandler's husband

would have continued to abuse her?

Carter: There's almost no doubt.

The violence would have become

more frequent and more severe.

And in your opinion,

the night that he ordered her to his office,

was it reasonable for Elsa Chandler

to believe her husband would kill her?

Absolutely.

With that kind of long-term abuse,

Mrs. Chandler's life was in danger

every time she was alone with him.

Van Owen: Thank you, doctor. I have nothing further.

Doctor, aren't these studies anecdotal?

Your Honor, we reserve the right to recall this witness.

That won't be necessary, Your Honor.

What? We just forgot about insanity?

I told you I'm dropping it...

Judge, I need a ten-minute recess.

You said you were thinkin' about it.

I did.

Now you're really gonna do this?

Lose temporary insanity, hang your whole case

on self-defense and hope the jury believes her.

Killing her husband was probably

the most rational thing Elsa Chandler ever did.

She doesn't belong in a psychiatric ward.

She shot him before he ever laid a hand on her.

Grace, you know the law as well as I do.

You gotta show immediate threat or you don't make self-defense!

This is how I am trying the case!

If you don't like it, you can get out!

Anything you say.

[door opens]

[door shuts]

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

Settle down, please. We have a full agenda. Where's Arnold?

Uh, he's getting a shot for his allergies.

Ouch!

Brackman: First, the Elsa Chandler trial.

Tomorrow I have one witness to corroborate abuse,

then Chandler is up.

Tommy is no longer on the case.

Well, that'll enhance our image.

Uh, just move along, Douglas.

Brackman: In re James Riley?

Captain Riley was shot down over North Vietnam in 1970.

He was officially listed as missing in action.

Three months ago his wife died

and left her entire estate to her husband.

She believed he's still alive?

And still a POW? Come on. It's been over 20 years.

Amazing how anyone can still believe

those men are coming home.

Susan: How can you say that?

What about all the sightings after the war?

Anyway, Riley's younger son, Mike, is petitioning

to have his father declared dead,

and he wants to divide the estate.

Our client, Sean Riley, is fighting it.

He wants to use the money to find his father.

- Any chance for a settlement? - No.

I've tried, the brothers are barely speaking.

Next up. There are questions about office assignments?

Just one question.

Why does Susan Bloom get Mike Kuzak's office

before it was offered to any of the partners?

You could've put in for it. You didn't.

And with the kind of rent she's paying,

we can't very well give her your office.

No, we can't do that.

Brackman: I'm glad you understand, we're adjourned.

Tom, can I see you for a moment?

I'd like you to reconsider.

She'll never beat the odds, Leland.

We both know that.

The jury could nullify.

They could come in not guilty.

Sure, and when have you seen it happen?

I mean, in the real world,

a burning-bed defense has to include insanity.

If Chandler was in her right mind, they won't acquit.

But you don't know that for sure.

Grace is damn good, Thomas. Now, don't underestimate her.

Oh, she's the best, but she just lost her baby,

her marriage broke up.

- Do you agree with her? - No.

But it's a legitimate defense, and it's her case.

She's an independent now, I can't dictate strategy.

If she wants to take this risk, I can't stop her.

But everything I know says it's wrong.

I don't think I can back her.

It's up to you, of course.

I'm not gonna force you.

I'm only gonna tell you that right now,

more than a second chair, Grace probably needs a friend.

Mike Riley: My father was a pilot assigned

to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing.

On May 2nd, 1970, he was shot down

over the Hoa Binh Province.

He radioed the plane was on fire

and he was going to eject.

Was he ever heard from again?

No, by the time the search-and-rescue team

reached the area, there was no sign of him.

The plane exploded on impact.

Maxon: And at that time the Air Force classified

your father as missing in action?

Yes, but... in '74,

my mother was notified that his classification

had been changed to KIA.

Killed in action.

And do you agree with that conclusion?

I've read the file over and over,

trying to find something...

anything that would let me believe

that he's still alive, but he's not.

He's gone.

My father died in that crash.

Maxon: Thank you, Mr. Riley.

You have no memory

of your father, do you, Mr. Riley?

Objection, Your Honor. Relevance?

His perception of his father's loss

is directly relevant, Your Honor.

I'll allow it.

I was two years old when... the plane crashed.

I remember a man who swung me over his head once, that's all.

Okay, In 1973, when 591 POWs were returned to this country,

in Operation Homecoming, you were five years old.

Do you remember that day watching it on TV?

Yes.

Do you remember what your mother did

during the broadcast as each man got off the plane

and was reunited with his family?

She kept saying my dad's name over and over again.

"Jim.

Come on, Jim. Please, Jimmy."

She knew he wasn't on any of the lists,

but she couldn't help it.

Rollins: And when he wasn't one of the men that got off

that plane, she started to cry.

Then what did you do, Mr. Riley?

I threw a picture of my dad against the wall.

[scoffs] I was five years old, Mr. Rollins.

I blamed my father for making her cry,

but I grew out of that.

But over the years, there were other family disagreements?

She and Sean couldn't stop hoping!

Rollins: But they did have information that justified hope.

The United States' Government reviewed my father's case

and determined he was dead!

As part of a blanket ruling.

A ruling that resulted in all MIAs

being declared dead.

Your Honor, is there a question here?

Get to the point, Mr. Rollins.

You stand to benefit from this proceeding, don't you?

- What do you mean? - About to be married.

Maybe have a family.

Inheriting $350,000, that's not a bad start.

Don't tell me about bad starts, Mr. Rollins!

I grew up watching my mother waste her life,

waiting for the phone to ring.

Don't tell me about bad starts!

Hi, we haven't met. I'm Susan Bloom.

Oh, hi, Arnold Becker. Nice to meet you.

- You're not what I expected. - Yeah?

Well, I left my fangs and my death ray at home.

Makes a lousy first impression.

Nice office.

Oh, thank you. I just... redecorated.

Yeah, I hear you're hell on lava lamps.

[laughs] You mind if I smoke?

- Actually, I prefer-- - Thanks.

You know, something's come up

I think you might be interested in.

You know Steve Graham?

Yeah, legal reporter, Channel three?

Well, he's going on vacation.

Station needs someone to cover

for him for a couple weeks.

Now, the exec-producer's a client of mine.

I told him I'd look around.

Well, I'm flattered, but...

- I'm no journalist. - You don't have to be.

They have reporters to do the research,

writers to write the copy.

All you have to do is read it.

Plus once a week, you take phone calls,

do a little improvisational legal advice.

- But I'm a divorce attorney. - But you went to law school.

You know the difference between a crime and a tort.

This is only a temporary thing, right?

That's what they're saying.

But my hunch is they're lookin' to dump him.

I could be wrong.

[inhales] Look, sleep on it. Let me know tomorrow.

[exhales] They're want to jump on this by week's end.

Nice to meet you.

W-- w-- what's in this for you?

- Favor for a client. - But why me?

What are my qualifications?

Are you kidding?

Every woman between 18 and 34

is simply gonna lose herself in those big blue eyes.

Hm.

[indistinct chatter]

I still think you're wrong, but I'm willing to compromise.

If Chandler still wants to play it your way,

I'll back you up.

I don't need any favors.

I'm not doin' any.

Fine, she'll be in tomorrow.

Kellogg: It is true a blanket ruling of death

was made, but the Department of Defense

continues to operate under the assumption

that some of those men might have survived.

Maxon: What exactly is the government doing, colonel?

Our defense Intelligence Agency has a special team

deployed in Southeast Asia.

Every lead about missing Americans

is pursued and tracked down.

And yet not one soldier has emerged as a result

of all of these efforts.

You think maybe you're chasing rainbows, colonel?

Kellogg: Well, maybe we are.

But even if only one serviceman is still alive,

we owe it to him to get him out.

Maxon: Then in your expert opinion,

is there any evidence here that would warrant

continued hope on the part of this family?

I hate giving up on any man,

but in this case, I see no evidence to support a claim

that Captain Riley is still alive.

Thank you, colonel.

Colonel, it's a matter of record

that over the last 18 years,

your agency received 11,933 reports

concerning Americans in Indochina,

some as recent as the last few weeks.

Rollins: Correct? - Yes.

Of those 11,933 reports, how many have been worthy

of further investigation by your agency?

Approximately 100 are still under investigation.

Rollins: So out of over 11,000 reports,

any one of which might lead to the rescue of their father,

you've determined that only a 100

are worthy of further action?

You know how many con artists are out there

peddling false hope to MIA families, counselor?

Faking sightings for money, bogus photographs.

Now, most of this information is no better than rumor.

Is it true that in 1985,

after repeated petitionings from Mrs. Riley,

you finally permitted her to see

a partially declassified report of one of these rumors,

which related to her husband's capture?

Kellogg: It did not relate to her husband.

Uh, the reported incident pertained to the capture

of another pilot, John Harwood,

whose remains have already been repatriated.

Major Harwood flew an F-four jet,

the witness stated he saw a pilot parachute from an F105,

the plane James Riley flew.

The date indicated Harwood.

But the location of the observer was in fact

closer to Captain Riley's position

than Major Harwood's.

The testimony was riddled with inconsistencies.

And in the face of inconsistencies,

isn't it your agency's policy to dismiss those sightings?

Kellogg: Absolutely not.

Rollins: Opening cases is counter productive.

You're more interested in closing them.

There were 78,000 MIAs in World War Two,

8,000 in Korea.

Not a single one of those men came back!

We have a responsibility to the MIAs, yes.

But we also have a responsibility

to their families.

We're not going to mislead them, encourage them

to wait for men who are not coming home.

And despite the evidence in your own files, colonel,

you insist that Captain James Riley

is one of those men?

The so-called evidence is not, in our judgment,

enough to support the belief that he's still alive.

Should've Captain Riley handing you

the file himself, colonel,

I wonder what would make you believe it.

With self-defense alone,

there's no compromise for the jury.

They have to acquit or find you guilty.

And if they convict,

you could get the death penalty.

Mullaney: Now, if we give them a fallback,

not guilty by reason of insanity,

they'll probably take it.

You won't go to prison,

but the judge will have to commit you.

To a mental hospital?

Well, chances are it wouldn't be for long.

But there are no guarantees.

Hm, Ralph used to tell me that I was crazy

and, um, for a long time, I believed him.

I will never believe that again.

I want to go with self-defense.

[instrumental music]

[chuckles]

Is lunch over?

Are you still hungry?

Douglas is going to be wondering where I am.

Just tell him you stopped by...

for something quick and easy.

Let me out.

[sighs] Not that we have to do this.

We both have perfectly good beds.

I always wanted a quickie with you.

So what are you going to tell Susan Bloom?

Becker: God, I don't know.

I don't want to be a celebrity.

Hell, when I did the video, I wound up getting kidnapped.

I mean, who needs the tsuris?

Roxanne: There is that.

And it's probably not the image

the firm wants to project.

Being on the news is one thing, but a phone-in lawyer?

Leland would probably think it was undignified.

Douglas, on the other hand,

would probably jump at the chance.

"Are you kidding?

High profiles attract high profile cases, Arnie."

If I took this job, Douglas would have my baby.

Mm-hm.

And the people in the industry, power junkies,

narcissists, what the hell do I have in common

with people like that?

I can't imagine.

Nah, it's not for me. [sighs]

I'm just not cut out for it. I'm a little too sensitive.

They eat guys like me for breakfast.

Speaking of eating, do you think we could stop

at the cafe downstairs and grab a quick sandwich?

Yeah, sure.

I also want to stop at the newsstand.

I think they carry a variety.

Where did you serve in Vietnam?

Byerley: I did three tours of duty

in Saigon with Army Intelligence.

I monitored and analyzed enemy radio transmissions.

Basically eavesdropping.

Rollins: In that capacity, did you have access

to information about POWs?

Yeah, our equipment was very sophisticated.

If the VC radioed that they had a prisoner,

more than likely we'd pick upon it.

We were able to track hundreds of our men this way.

Would a prisoner like James Riley

have had value to the North Vietnamese?

Absolutely.

They wanted live prisoners, especially men

with technical training, like pilots.

And after our troops pulled out in 1973, what did you do?

Well, most of my civilian work in Saigon is still classified.

But I served on and off until 1975

as the translator for the American team

discussing the return of the MIAs

with the North Vietnamese.

Meetings that took place for two years

after President Nixon announced

that all POWs had been returned?

Right. It was no secret.

It was part of the Paris Agreement.

Then it's your expert opinion that American POWs

were held in Vietnam after the 1973 release?

Like I said, I tracked several hundred POWs

during the war.

They were alive when I left.

Not a single one of those men ever came home.

But Captain Riley wasn't among

the hundreds of men that you tracked?

No.

Maxon: In spite of your sophisticated technology,

you have no knowledge whether or not

he even survived the plane crash?

No.

Mr. Byerly, you were asked to resign

your civilian position with Army Intelligence,

is that correct?

We had a difference of opinion.

Maxon: You were asked to resign, yes or no?

Our government knew there were men left behind!

I was told to shut up and stay out of it!

Answer the question, Mr. Byerly.

Yes, I was asked to resign.

In fact, for inadequate job performance.

- That's a load of crap. - Is it, Mr. Byerly?

Since 1975, you've lost four other positions

due to poor work performance, poor attitude and absenteeism?

Why don't we talk about the jobs I've held successfully?

Maxon: Why don't we? For the last eight years,

most of your income has derived from your status

as an expert on POWs, hasn't it?

If this issue disappeared, so would your livelihood.

Not true.

You've made over $35,000 alone in this year,

in speaking engagements and magazine articles?

I don't make that much every year.

So this has been a good year in the MIA business,

is that it, Mr. Byerly?

I have no further questions.

[indistinct chatter]

[whispering]

Ms. Novak, what was your relationship

with Ralph Chandler?

We slept together, for a while.

Van Owen: During his marriage?

Yes.

From 1986 to 1988.

Your Honor, both parties stipulate

that Ralph Chandler's engagement calendars

for those years show appointments

with Ms. Novak several times a week.

Ms. Novak, during those times, did Mr. Chandler

ever exhibit abusive behavior towards you?

At first it was... only verbal.

He liked to insult me.

It aroused him.

Then it got heavier.

One day he went too far.

He started to slap me around.

It got pretty ugly.

Ms. Novak, exactly what happened?

Ms. Novak: Let's just say it wasn't a game anymore.

He knocked me out cold.

When I came too...

both of my eyes were swollen shut.

I was bruised all over,

and my... shoulder was dislocated.

Did you ever see Mr. Chandler after that?

He tried to force me. He wouldn't back off.

I was so scared...

that I had to move and change my phone

to a different number.

Thank you, ma'am.

Ms. Novak...

did you accept money from Ralph Chandler?

Goes to the witness's credibility.

Overruled.

Graphia: Did you accept money from Ralph Chandler?

I'm not a call girl.

But you let him pay your rent for a year.

He bought you expensive clothes and jewelry.

Doesn't give him the right to use me as a punching bag.

Well, in fact, there's no proof

that Ralph Chandler ever did anything to you.

You never sought treatment for your injuries.

You never told anyone.

We really only have your word

that Ralph Chandler beat you.

- It's the truth. Graphia: Is it?

Or did you agree to testify, so that you could sell

the film rights to your story?

Objection! That's totally without foundation!

No, it isn't, Ms. Novak signed a contract last week

with Creative Talent International,

for film and television representation.

- I'm an actress! - She never said a word.

You're giving quite a performance right now,

but that's not your profession.

Objection, this whole line of questioning is irrelevant!

It's on point, Your Honor.

It establishes the witness as a publicity-seeker

with profit motive.

- I'll allow it. Graphia: I repeat.

Are you trying to sell the story of your relationship

with Ralph Chandler to Hollywood?

Yes.

Graphia: No more questions.

[indistinct chatter]

[instrumental music]

There were four Americans at Quyet Tien.

They were kept at their own place,

away from the rest of us.

Rollins: You were also a prisoner there, Mr. Pham?

It was one of the camps that I was sent

to for re-education.

How did you know these four men were Americans?

The guards called them "GI Number ten,"

an insulting term for Americans.

Could you describe the appearance of these men?

Pham: They were very thin.

Their uniforms were torn and dirty.

Rollins: And how were they treated?

Life in the camp is very harsh, Mr. Rollins.

But for Americans, it was particularly cruel.

Some mornings they were marched down to the yard,

and the guards made them stand there for many hours.

No talking. No shade. No sitting.

And did you ever have

any direct contact with any of these men?

Several times. I brought them water.

One time I saw on the earth,

next to a tall man,

the letters, uh, R-I-L-E-Y.

The man has written them with his foot.

Then a guard moved closer.

And when I looked down again, the letters were gone.

When did this happen?

Five years ago, in April, 1986.

Was this the man you saw?

- Yes. - That's a lie!

Judge Swaybill: Mr. Riley. - That's the man.

The picture is 20 years old! How could you possibly tell!

- Why can't you believe him? - Both of you! This is enough!

Would you tell him he's under oath here?

- Mr. Riley! - He's telling the truth.

My mother sponsored his entire family!

She paid for them to come over here,

- what do you expect him to say? - I will not tolerate this!

Judge Swaybill: Counselors, you have 20 minutes.

Don't bring you clients back into my courtroom

till they're under control.

[sighs]

Alright, listen.

We'd like to make peace here.

My client wants to propose a settlement.

I don't know if the court'll approve it, but let's hear it.

Fifty thousand dollars.

And the rest goes to guys like Pham?

- Forget it, Sean. - How do you do it?

How do you hear a story like that

and not feel anything?

I gave up on the stories.

After that commando with the phony dog tags,

you let mom get taken in by that nut.

We have to move on, Sean.

- We have to forget. - No!

He's my father, if it takes the rest

of my life, Mike, I'm going to find him.

Well, then the judge can declare us all dead.

We died the day he crashed in the jungle.

[door opens]

[door shuts]

We've gone over this a million times.

Mrs. Chandler: I know we've rehearsed.

I know that we've gone over all of this, but...

I-- I-- I can't do it.

I-- I just can't get up there.

Maybe there's a plea bargain, or...

Well, I am guilty.

I-- I-- I'll just go to prison, and...

We have no case without you.

The prosecutor has no reason to make a deal.

Mullaney: A lot of people get scared.

It goes away once you're up there.

I let my husband humiliate me.

I let him take away all of my dignity.

How can I explain that to those people?

You don't have to explain it.

You just have to tell them.

If you don't...

he hurts you all over again, even though he's dead.

I don't know if the words will come out of my mouth.

Mullaney: They will. You can do this.

We're gonna help ya.

You gotta trust us.

Madelyn Riley spent 20 years

tenderly keeping a memory alive.

We're all moved by the loyalty that she felt for James Riley.

She never stopped loving him.

But she never remarried either.

She never even considered it.

Madelyn Riley gave up her life for her husband.

And now Sean Riley wants to chase the same false hope.

Would James Riley have wanted this?

Or would he have wanted his family

to get on with their lives?

Your Honor, there is no credible evidence

that James Riley is still alive.

There's only the testimony of one Vietnamese refugee,

who owes his family's relocation

to Madelyn Riley.

That's not proof.

That's a shred of hope that Sean Riley

has convinced himself is a fact.

But Mike Riley doesn't want to live on hope any longer.

He wants a life of his own.

In Vietnam, they say the spirits of the dead

can't rest until their bodies are given a proper burial.

Please give James Riley

a proper burial here, Your honor.

It's time to let his spirit rest.

Your Honor, in 1969, the U.S. Government

told Madelyn Riley that her husband was needed

to stop communism in Vietnam,

and she believed them.

In 1970, the government told her

Jim had been shot down, but that everything possible

was being done to secure his release,

and she believed them.

But in 1974, when the government

issued its blanket death certificate for all MIAs,

she stopped believing them.

These are the facts.

A witness near where Captain Riley

was shot down, saw a pilot parachute

from the same kind of plane as his.

In 1986, a Vietnamese prisoner

saw a man write the name Riley in the dirt,

and later identified him from a picture of James Riley.

In 1986.

Your Honor, there is credible evidence

that Captain Riley is still alive.

The government has abandoned him.

Please...

don't force his family to do the same.

[indistinct chatter]

It would always start the same way.

Um... something would make him angry.

He didn't like what I cooked.

The house wasn't clean enough.

He would start by yelling at me and then he would slap me.

I'd try to calm him down,

but I could always feel it coming.

He would...

lose control.

Last Christmas things got so bad

that I thought perhaps he would let me leave.

And, so...

I asked him for a divorce.

- How did he respond? Mrs. Chandler: He threw me out.

He said that he was going to teach me

a lesson in survival.

I slept in the yard that night.

Did things get worse after that?

The beatings got worse.

They became more frequent.

And he wouldn't let me go any place without him.

He cut me off from any contact.

It was, um, like I was a prisoner.

Mrs. Chandler, can you tell us what happened

in the... 24 hours prior to your husband's death?

The night before Ralph was drinking,

and he called me into his study,

and he told me to sit down.

He grabbed me by the throat...

and he put, um... a gun to my head.

He told me to, uh...

look at the clock.

He said that there was one bullet in the gun

and six chambers,

and that he would pull the trigger...

whenever the clock would strike the hour.

And then I would either die...

or I would live another 60 minutes.

- Did he pull the trigger? - Yes.

- How many times? - Four times.

In four hours, until he passed out.

And then he continued to abuse you

the next morning, didn't he?

I woke up to...

pain that was shooting through my body.

It was like I was being torn apart.

What was he doing?

I know...

how hard this is.

But we need to know.

What was he doing?

He was sodomizing you, wasn't he?

Objection. Leading the witness.

[clears throat] Sustained.

Elsa... what was he doing?

He was sodomizing me.

And when he left, I tried to get up.

The bed was covered with blood.

And when was the next time you heard from your husband?

That night at 7 o'clock. He called me from his office.

He ordered me to get over there right away,

and to bring him his gun.

And what happened when you got

to your husband's office?

He screamed at me that I was late.

He told me to give him the gun.

So I took the gun out of my purse.

And he stood up.

And then what happened?

I shot him.

I didn't mean to, but he was going to kill me.

I know that he was going to kill me.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

How did you know, Mrs. Chandler?

How did you know he was going to kill you

at that moment?

Did he say so?

No.

Did he move toward you?

No, but he would've.

- But he never did. - No.

Now you claim that you were a prisoner...

for 12 years.

But you never told a friend.

You never told a family member.

You never called the police.

Ralph told me he would kill me if I did.

Mrs. Chandler, you're still living

in that prison, aren't you?

I don't know what you mean.

The five-point-three-million dollar house

your husband bought in 1989.

Now he's been dead almost a year.

- But you still live there. - Yes.

Aren't the memories too painful?

- Argumentative, Your Honor. - Sustained.

Watch yourself, Mr. Graphia.

Graphia: And what about your husband's money, Mrs. Chandler?

You gave $20,000 to your lover, Steven Waering.

- Objection! - No, he was not my lover.

- Sustained. - We never slept together.

He was the only person who understood me.

Mrs. Chandler, if it really was that terrible,

why didn't you leave the night your husband locked you out?

Well, I couldn't, I was too ashamed.

You could have gone to a neighbor's house.

You could have called Steven Waering.

Now why didn't you?

Why didn't you, Mrs. Chandler?

Can you understand?

He tore off my nightgown and threw me out.

I couldn't go anywhere.

I was naked.

Bailiff: Please be seated.

After reviewing the records of this trial,

as well as the government files,

I've concluded that the evidence is sufficient

to overcome the presumption of death

and to justify the conclusion

that Captain Riley may still be alive.

Therefore, Mr. Riley, I'm refusing

to declare your father dead.

In the matter of your mother's estate,

I have no choice.

I direct that a trust be established,

and that Sean Riley be named trustee.

He may use the money under court supervision

to look for your father.

My ruling, not withstanding,

it saddens me that the Vietnam War

continues to claim your family,

and I sincerely hope that you can find a way

to be brothers again.

This case is adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

- Good luck to you. - Thank you.

Thank you for everything, really.

I'm sorry, Michael.

Hey, if you change your mind, I could use your help.

- I don't think so. - Mike.

M-- Mike, I never wanted to cut you off.

I'll talk to the judge, I'll try to get you something.

You still don't get it, do you?

It wasn't about the money.

It was never about the money.

[indistinct chatter]

Elsa Chandler shot her husband.

No one disputes that.

She went to his office, pulled out a gun,

and she shot him in cold blood.

She claims that it was self-defense,

that she was a battered wife,

that she had been abused and degraded

by Ralph Chandler for 12 years.

But strangely, she told no one, ladies and gentlemen.

Not a friend, not a family member,

not the police.

The only person to corroborate her story

is Steven Waering.

The man she was seeing behind her husband's back.

The man to whom she gave twenty thousand dollars.

Was Elsa Chandler abused by her husband?

I doubt it.

But even if you think she was,

even if you believe Ralph Chandler deserved to die,

there is no law that justifies what Mrs. Chandler did.

There is no law that allows a wife

to kill her husband in revenge for past abuse,

or to protect herself from future abuse.

It's self-defense

if and only if Elsa Chandler's life

was in immediate danger that night.

And it wasn't, ladies and gentlemen.

Ralph Chandler was more than 20 feet away from her,

behind a desk, he hadn't hit her.

He hadn't even moved towards her,

but Elsa Chandler shot him anyway.

Now, she could've gone to the police.

She could've run away.

She could've called a friend.

But she didn't make any of those choices.

She chose to kill another human being.

The law says...

Elsa Chandler is guilty of murder.

[indistinct chatter]

Is there a difference between a man's perception

of immediate danger and a woman's?

Ralph Chandler first beat his wife

on her 28th birthday.

She knew that he was particular about the way that she looked,

and she wanted to please him,

so she spent the whole day getting ready.

She picked out the perfect dress.

She decided to try a new hairstyle.

Ralph Chandler walked in that night

and called his wife a whore.

He ordered her never to change her appearance again

without his permission, and then he hit her.

Over and over...

until Elsa lost consciousness.

She woke up in agony,

to find that her husband had cut off all her hair.

For 12 years...

Elsa Chandler endured that kind of abuse.

She was trapped in an endless cycle

of violence and apologies,

of terror... and apologies,

of rape.

Now when these things happen in our society,

we want to turn away.

We want somehow to believe

that it's the victim's fault.

Why didn't she leave? Why didn't she?

Why didn't she tell someone?

Elsa Chandler didn't because she knew

her husband would kill her if she did.

It wasn't just a threat.

He forced her...

to rehearse her own death.

Elsa knew what her husband planned that night.

He'd been promising to do it for 12 years.

She was gonna die.

He was going to finally kill her.

Yes, she did have a choice, ladies and gentlemen.

Rather than let her husband murder her,

Elsa Chandler chose to live.

She is not a criminal!

She is a human being who was tortured,

nearly to death, and in that one moment,

found the will to survive.

Please, don't punish her for it.

[instrumental music]

[indistinct chatter]

- Thirty seconds to floor. - Hey, buddy!

Jake, listen. This earpiece thing, it's a little snug.

That's okay, you can take it out when we go to tape,

everybody does. Listen, small change in plans.

We couldn't get clearance on Chris Parker's piece, so we had

to yank it and bump up the dating service feature.

- Excuse me? - Look...

I know it's short notice, and nobody expects you to be

letter perfect on a cold read, okay?

So, you got copy in front of you, you got the rest

- on the teleprompter. - Are we ready, Arnie?

- Ten seconds to floor. - Break a leg, babe!

Jake: Settle down, people! - And three, two...

- Break a leg, Arnie. Floor manager: One.

Dating services. Sometimes it seems like there's more of them

than there are single people in L.A.

They promise romance, but do they deliver?

For the story, sitting in for vacationing Steve Graham

is prominent Los Angeles attorney, Arnold Becker.

- Arnie. - Thanks, Julie.

[cheer and applaud]

Becker: What exactly are you buying

when you go to a dating service?

If the ads are to be believed, you're buying happiness,

romance, love.

[mouthing] Slower, slower.

That's how it was sold to Dianna Dorian,

a secretary from San Dimas.

She signed a contract, spent hours on end

looking at videotapes.

No. Slower, slower.

Over a period of six months at New Horizons.

She selected over two dozen men

and got only three responses.

We're clear!

Diana: One was from a 75-year old plumber.

Another, a guy who'd done time in San Quentin.

Number three didn't quite speak English,

I think he was from Mars.

Arnie! Arnie! You're on!

Oh, God, I hope his mother isn't watching.

Rayburn: Arnie, why don't we open up the phones

and take some calls, shall we?

Right, we're going to the phones. I knew that.

Okay, first caller wants to know about insurance premiums.

Okay, our first caller wants to know

about insurance premium...

Hi, caller number one, you're on the air.

What, what can I do for you?

Male caller: I forgot to pay my car insurance premium

for a month, I just didn't have the money.

Uh, it expired on September the 30th,

and I had an accident on October the third.

Uh, would I be covered?

No. Thank you for calling.

[laughing]

Arnold Becker for News at Noon.

Julie. [clear throat] Michael.

[mouthing]

Food for thought.

Tell me, Arnie, is there any chance

of some lucky girl pulling your tape?

Uh, no.

[clears throat] Not, uh...

Not unless she's into candlelight dinners,

long walks on the beach, and, uh...

midnight swims.

Don't tell me that under that lawyerly suit,

you're really a romantic?

Well, if by that you mean I believe

every woman has one special light in her eye

that can only be seen by one special man,

then I'm guilty as charged.

Nolo contendre, lock me up and throw away the key.

Oh, good save, Arnie!

Yeah, good save.

Rayburn: But first this message.

Be seated.

Judge Green: Has the jury reached its verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

Judge Green: The defendant will please rise.

In the matter of the People versus Elsa Chandler,

on the charge of first-degree murder,

we find the defendant not guilty.

[indistinct chatter]

Judge Green: Members of the jury, thank you

for your service, we're now adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

Reporter 1: Ms. Van Owen! Ms. Van Owen!

Reporter 2: Mrs. Chandler! Mrs. Chandler!

I kept hoping for an earthquake.

There was this huge spotlight overhead.

And I thought one good jolt...

and it's over.

Arnie, they switched copy on you at the last minute.

Now anybody could have missed a couple of cue's.

I felt like my mouth was filled with cotton.

I mean, the words, they just totally lost their meaning,

like I was reading Esperanto or something.

I don't even know what the hell I was saying, oh!

You managed to do okay with Julie.

- Oh, Rox, shoot me now. - Arnie.

It was a reflex action.

I-- I just went on autopilot.

I-- I was coughing up blood. I had to do something.

Well...

Don't be so hard on yourself. It was your first time.

You don't suppose my mother was watching, do you?

Arnie, Tony Berkman, a producer from KCYB.

- Tell him I died. - He knows, he was there.

You see what I have to put up with here?

Tony, hi, listen man, I am so...

You did?

They did?

She did?

They got calls from almost 200 women

asking if I was coming back.

- Who's she? - Julie Rayburn.

She thinks I might have a huge TVQ.

I'm sure she does.

No. No, no, no, I'm here. This is terrific.

Listen, but what about, uh, Steven Graham?

[indistinct chatter]

Uh-huh.

Well, I...

No, I suppose I could make the time, but...

how much money are we talking about?

[knocking on door]

Yeah.

[door shuts]

I want to thank you.

It wasn't me.

It was you.

I was lucky.

That, too. [chuckles]

[Van Owen sighs]

[sighs]

[instrumental music]

You risked her life, Grace.

So you could have something to hold on to,

so you could prove that you were a hell of a lawyer.

And you did it.

You won.

It's not enough.

I know.

[instrumental music]

[theme music]