All language subtitles for Law and order S10E12 - Mothers Milk

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.

It comes furnished.
If you want it, it's yours,

as soon as I get the
legal stuff worked out.

Ah, first time I've been
up since they're gone.

I'll get it cleaned
up if you want.

You're sure the tenants
aren't coming back?

After six weeks?
They're gone for good.

At least I won't have to hear their
bundle of joy crying all night.

You'll repaint?

Yeah. And you pick
your fabric swatches.

That's the bath, and that's
the bedroom next to it.

Sign it or lose it.

Big call for places this sweet.

GINA: Kevin!

JOE: That I can fix.

What happened here?

It looks like blood.

KEVIN: My God.

Anything?

Just a bunch of unopened bottles
and a sealed can of formula.

Bathroom?

Broken mirror, blood on glass shards,
blood trail leading into the bedroom,

in the crib.

Bag the shards and
dust the crib. Thanks.

How long the Beltrans live here?

I signed the lease a couple
of months before she popped.

Maybe it was a month or two
old when they took off.

Any idea where?

Nah, they're from
upstate somewheres.

It's on their
rental application.

How about where they worked?

That's on the application, too.

When'd you first
notice they were gone?

When I first noticed I hadn't heard them
screaming at each other in a couple of days.

BRISCOE: And when
was that?

Oh, landlord calls
me last week, right?

Says they missed two rent payments.
So I knock on the door. Nothing.

I phone, it's disconnected.

And when did you last see them?

Her, I don't know. But him, he came
out the front door a month ago.

He had a suitcase so big
you could put a desk in it.

Or a body.

They lived there four months.
The neighbors didn't know them.

No one knew them. Who were
these people, CIA?

CIA'd be neater.

Lease gave an address and a
former employer up in Cortland.

We called. Jimmy Beltran lived
and worked there two years.

Nobody's heard from him.

Family?
None we can find.

What about the girl?

Super puts her at about 18.

Him, 25, 26.

Maiden name?
ED: Not on the lease.

Well, maybe it's on the
baby's birth certificate.

Let's hope she had it in the
hospital and not in the closet.

Maiden name Steffano.
Father's name Beltran.

Son, Kyle. Born October 10th.
Full term.

And, uh, the baby's blood type?
Why?

Well, there was blood in the apartment.
We need to know whose it was.

Hospital's discretion as to whether or
not we type the kid at birth. We don't.

You test for AIDS, don't you?

Yes. Baby and mother. We don't
check blood type. Sorry.

And apparently you don't check
for insurance coverage either.

Outstanding hospital
bills for over a grand.

We knew where he worked.
Taylor Lumber.

Started mid-September,
lasted a couple of months.

I felt bad. Young guy just starting out.
Wife, new baby.

Yeah, I remember what that's like,
but I got a business to run.

So you let him go?

I didn't have a choice.
I couldn't depend on him.

Sometimes he didn't show.

What was his problem?

The wife. The baby.

When's the last you saw of him?

When I fired him.

How'd he take that?

Well, it's always touchy. You don't
know if a guy's gonna go nuts on you.

But, uh, Jimmy just looked at me
like he knew what was coming.

Then he just left.

Have you talked
to him since then?

A few days later I called
him about his check.

Nobody was home. I left a
message, but I never heard back.

What'd you do with the check?

I mailed it to his parents.

The address was on his job app.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Can I help you?

Oh, we're looking for
a James E. Beltran.

Are you
Mrs. Helene Beltran?

Who's asking?

New York City detectives.

Jimmy owe money?

No, he and his family left their
apartment and didn't give notice.

We just need to know
everyone's okay.

You'd leave, too, if she tells you it's
over and takes your flesh and blood.

What, his wife's got the kid?

Yes. Jimmy said.

Jimmy around?

He's working.

Where?

You gonna arrest him 'cause
he left his apartment?

No, ma'am. We just
want to talk to him.

He works over
at Palisade Supply.

It's a hardware store
on Fourth Street.

Jimmy's on deliveries.

You got a copy
of his route list?

Yeah, somewhere around here.

Here, take mine.
Thanks.

Uh, his mom just called, too. Said
she was gonna call him on his cell.

Ever know a mom
who didn't call?

He just dropped the
load and took off.

Didn't even take it inside
or give me a receipt.

How long ago did he leave?

Two minutes.
He went to his truck.

(HORNS HONKING)
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)

MAN: What are you
doing up there!

Mr. Beltran? James Beltran!
Police! (TIRES SQUEALING)

Move, move, move! Stop! Stop!

You got sneakers, I got a gun.
Figure the odds.

Turn around.
Hands on the wall.

Where's your wife and son?

I got nothing to say.

Correction. You
got a lot to say.

There was blood in the bathroom,
in the bedroom, in the crib.

How'd that get there?

I don't know.

Why'd you skip
out on your rent?

I lost my job.

Seems like you misplaced
your wife and your kid, too.

I'm telling you, Beltran,
I don't like baby killers.

Unless you start talking, I'm gonna ask
my partner to leave you and me alone.

Just say the word, Lennie.

(DOOR OPENING)

Mr. Beltran, just got a search warrant
for your things at your parents' house.

Anything you want to tell me
before I send my detectives over?

She dumps him, and he's
the one in trouble.

Where's the sense?

This is interesting.

Our Mother of Sorrows Church
activities pamphlet. And this.

Is this your daughter-in-law
and grandson?

That's Amy and Kyle with Jimmy.

"Kyle, three weeks old."

Mother of Sorrows is right.

Month and a half, this man's been
coming here to morning mass.

Every morning?

Two, three times a week. He
doesn't always take communion.

Have you spoken
to him personally?

No. He seemed upset. Often
stood near the confessional.

I hoped he'd come in, but you
can't make someone confess.

You wanna bet?

Uh, he ever speak to any
of the other parishioners?

I don't know.
He always sat by himself.

I hope you find
his wife and baby.

So do we. Thanks, Father.

Have you seen this young
man in this church here?

I've seen him here a lot.

You talk to him?

No.

He was quiet.

He shined his light to God.

He lit candles?

Lit them. Prayed.

Two candles.

Every time, two candles?

Every day.

A God-fearing man
showing his respect.

Thank you, very much.

He was looking for
away out of hell.

Hmm.

What are you talking about?

Your son's been arrested,
Mr. Beltran, and he's not talking.

All the lawyer's willing to
admit is that Jimmy says

the last person who
saw Kyle was Amy.

That's not possible.

She told me he was fine.

Who told you?
Amy.

Not two weeks ago.

Where did you see her?

I didn't. She called looking for Jim.
He was out.

I told her we wanted
to see our grandson.

She said, "Don't worry
about it. He's fine."

Where was she calling from?

I don't know. She
didn't leave a number.

Do you know the exact
day the call was?

Wednesday. Tuesday, maybe.

Listen.

My son didn't hurt nobody.

Your son has a temper.

Amy had a mouth.

Yeah, why don't you
try and find her?

Do you have any
idea where she is?

Maybe her parents?

They live upstate. We don't know exactly where.
We never met them.

They didn't show up
for the wedding?

Jimmy and Amy eloped.

Amy couldn't tell her
parents about the pregnancy.

ED: Do you know
if she had a job?

She used to work part-time at a
video store before Kyle was born.

DAUBER: Amy was
part-time help.

BRISCOE: Have you seen her lately?
No.

Is her address on that?

No, that's their apartment.
Anything more recent?

Nothing later, huh?
Nothing.

Why'd she quit?

Her husband didn't want her to
work once the baby was born.

But I think she liked it here.

ED: What makes
you say that?

She had a friend. She used all her
breaks to chat up this kid from

Gayley's Coffee House
next door, cop a cigarette.

A cigarette?
Wasn't she pregnant?

Yeah. Told me she
was trying to quit.

You know this kid's name?

No. But you can't miss him.

He's the only one with earrings in
more places than you can put holes.

I don't know where she is.
Why don't you ask her husband?

They split up.
Well, no surprise there.

Oh, really?

Yeah, he'd yell at her
for being immature.

Said she couldn't handle
herself, let alone a baby.

You two sound pretty close.

You part of the reason
why she left her husband?

No, man.

I got a girlfriend in Philly
I see every weekend.

I sure as hell don't need Amy's husband
showing up with a baby looking for her.

Jimmy has the baby?

Yeah. That's what she told me.

He kicked her out,
took the kid.

So you've talked to her
in the last six weeks?

No.

Kyle and Amy Beltran have been
missing for six or seven weeks,

so you had to have talked to her after
Jimmy took the baby and threw her out.

She showed up one day
a while back for a coffee.

I didn't mark
it on my calendar.

She tell you where
she was staying?

No.

You haven't talked
to her since then?

No.

You know, if you're a part of this and there's
something wrong with Amy or the baby,

you're an accessory, Mitch.
You can go to jail.

Look, I don't know anything.

Okay?

Yeah, okay.

Find out where he lives.

And if he's got company.

ED: How many of
these you done?

Stake-outs?

No. Dead babies.

Hey, we don't know
the baby's dead.

Right.

To answer your
question, too many.

It's my first.

That's too many.

Here.

At least we know
he has a hobby.

And a place to enjoy it.

Hey, look at this. Tampons.

Pretty big for Q-tips.

You guys are harassing me.

(CHUCKLES) Not yet.

Is Amy Beltran here?

No, man. I told you.

Yeah, but we got miffed
when it wasn't true.

What are these for? To hang
on the Christmas tree?

My sister's staying here.

Your sister? I'd love to meet her.
Hey, you guys got a warrant?

'Cause we're done.
Did you just hear a baby cry?

Clear as day.
What baby?

There's no baby here.
Exigent circumstances.

Where's your baby?

He's with Jimmy.

AMY: Jimmy has Kyle.

He says you do.

He took my baby
I don't know where.

If you don't know where, why'd you
call his parents' home asking for him?

I figured Jimmy would go there.

With your baby?

The baby his parents
said you had?

Yes.

I don't know.

Why would Jimmy say
you had your son?

I don't know, he was angry.

What happened between
you and Jimmy?

We just didn't
get along, is all.

What about the blood
in the apartment?

I don't know. I just left.

Why'd you tell Jimmy's
father Kyle was fine?

I thought he was.

I always thought he was.

She was worried.

VAN BUREN: What was
she worried about?

How her life was gonna change.

Change how?

Her free time. Her
relationship with Jimmy.

She said she'd feel trapped
being with a baby all day.

What about after
the baby was born?

Mr. Palichek, I really don't
have patience for this.

She left it sometimes.

Left the baby alone?

Sometimes, when the baby was
taking a nap, she'd slip out.

Grab a cup of coffee
or a smoke with me.

It wasn't more than
a half hour, 45 minutes.

Did Amy ever tell you how
she felt about the baby?

She said it was hard.

Confusing.

Did you ever see her with Kyle?

I went to her place once.

The baby was in the crib.
He was crying.

And what happened?

Nothing.

She turned up
the volume on the TV.

VAN BUREN: Palichek said Amy
came on to him. He passed.

He also said the baby cried for over an hour
while he was with her in her apartment.

Looks like we might have
two negligent parents.

But what we don't
have is a baby.

Well, the IUDs from Palichek's
apartment confirm Amy Beltran

called Jimmy's parents' home
three times in five weeks.

So, once she talks
to the old man.

The other two times she
must have talked to Jimmy.

What was she looking for?

Get a search warrant for the
Beltran house, inside and out.

Hey, Ed.

Dig it up.
OFFICER: Right.

We didn't know.

I swear on the Virgin
Mary, we didn't know.

BRISCOE: It's never
a happy ending.

ED: We found blood
in the apartment.

RODGERS: I don't
know yet whose it is.

Haven't done the autopsy.

BRISCOE: Cause of death?

At first glance,
it looks like the baby

was more than likely put
in the bag and buried alive.

Looks like skin and bones.

(SIGHS) What did he die of?

Hard to tell.

Asphyxiation.

Dehydration. Exposure.

I won't know until
I do the autopsy.

How long can a baby
live like that?

The Mexican earthquake,

babies survived nine
days buried alive.

Arrest the son of a bitch.

The arraignment
judge denied bail.

Beltran's lawyer is appealing.

He's lucky we didn't
charge murder one.

You think he relished
the torture of this child?

Maybe not.

But I wonder if he could hear
it screaming under the earth.

Where was the
mother in all this?

Beltran talked her into letting him
take the baby when they split up.

She claims she called him
at the in-laws a few times,

but that he refused
to let her see the baby.

Would you have taken
no for an answer?

You think she's lying?

Find out exactly
when the baby died.

The bag the baby was placed in was
filled with sawdust and plaster.

Only, I didn't find anything in either
the baby's lungs or nasal cavities.

The baby was dead before
it was placed inside the bag?

Thank God.

See here?

Fraying at the
ends of the bone.

That's a textbook indication
of severe vitamin deficiency.

How long does that take?

Not overnight.

This baby starved to death,
probably over several weeks.

Was it something the
parents could have missed?

I don't see how.

Was there any other signs of physical abuse?
Any fractures? Bruising?

No, there's no
indication of that.

But I did find some
blood on the baby.

The blood was on the
baby's hand and forehead.

But it wasn't his.

Forensics matched it to the blood found
in the bathroom at your apartment.

It was my blood.
I cut myself on the crib.

But the baby was okay.

The receiving blanket he was
swaddled in wasn't disturbed,

and the blood on his
face wasn't smudged.

I don't understand.

Your daughter bled on her child
after he was already dead.

Amy?

JACK: What happened
to your baby?

Tell them what happened.

And you tell them right now. No!
She's not telling them anything.

Our daughter wants a lawyer
before she says anything else.

We're not arresting her?

She's staying with
her parents at a hotel.

I'll have the cops make
sure no one checks out.

I want to talk
to the baby's father.

Okay.

Why would my client tell
you people anything?

You've accused him of
burying his son alive.

We now know that's not true.

At this point, we're not
sure how your son died.

What's happening with Amy?

You wife has asked
for an attorney.

You arrested her?
Should we arrest her?

If I tell what happened,

how do I know you'd believe me?

You can take a lie
detector test.

It's not admissible. The results
wouldn't be any help to us at trial.

JACK: We're not
talking about atrial.

Our office uses polygraphs to
eliminate suspects all the time.

CARMICHAEL: The polygraph
indicates he's telling the truth.

A six-week-old baby starves to death in plain
view of his parents, it's no accident.

How about the hospital record?

Full-term pregnancy. Birth
weight within normal range.

He was fine at the hospital.

He was fine until he came home.

Mother and baby were discharged
24 hours after the birth.

One day?
That's all they paid for.

But she was already
nursing the baby?

In the beginning,
it's just colostrum.

It's like a pre-milk.
Excuse me.

It has a lot of the mother's
antibodies that the baby needs,

but the actual breast milk
comes in a few days later.

And what if it doesn't?
What then?

Well, nature usually
makes sure that it does.

But in any case,
she would have seen

the hospital's lactation
counselor before her discharge.

I saw Amy Beltran twice. The
day that she was discharged

then three days
later as a walk-in.

A walk-in?

Her husband, I think,
had called and said

that they were having some
trouble, so I had her come in.

What sort of trouble?

Do you have any children,
Miss Carmichael? No.

Well, breastfeeding isn't
as easy as it sounds.

It takes a lot of patience.

Let me just say that Amy
was not one of the most

receptive clients that
I've worked with.

Why do you say that?

It's not unusual for a first-time
mother to have difficulty,

but Amy got frustrated
pretty easily.

Plus, she didn't have
a lot of help at home.

First-time fathers know
even less than the mothers.

So why not have her just
give the baby a bottle?

No, breast milk is
what's best for the baby.

It's just a matter of getting the
mother to put the effort into it.

Were you satisfied Amy Beltran
knew what she was doing?

Well, you'd always like to see them
come back, so that's why I called.

You talked to her
after the visit?

Yes. And she said that everything
with the baby was fine.

The lactation counselor says Amy was shown
the right techniques to breastfeed,

and the baby's sucking
reflex was fine.

She just resented
putting in the effort.

(GROANS) Sounds like
she resented her baby.

It wasn't just her, Adam.

The police found unopened bottles and
cans of formula in their apartment.

Either one of those parents
could have fed that kid.

Well, then we try them both.

We have no grounds
to oppose severance.

If they get separate trials, he points the
finger at her, she points the finger at him.

Reasonable doubt.

What do we do, Counselor?

For now, nothing.
We build our case.

He's already under indictment.

We know where to find her. There's
no statute of limitations on murder.

Yeah.

The law has patience.
TV cameras don't.

Then let's go after her.

She's the one who
decided to have the baby.

Which means what? The father bears
no responsibility for the child?

I'm not saying that.

But women have fought to control
their reproductive rights,

and with those rights comes
a greater responsibility.

Politically correct or not, the mother
was this child's primary caregiver.

Forget whether or not we can
convict her alone. Should we?

And I'm not asking
you as a lawyer.

Yes.

I think it's the
right thing to do.

Even if it means we have to
make a deal with the husband?

Yes.

Then you should try the case.

I can see the feminist
fusillade in the op-eds.

Why? The case was assigned
to Judge Rebecca Steinman.

A woman will be presiding
over Amy Beltran's trial,

a woman will be prosecuting her, and you
can bet a woman will be defending her.

Well, I guess there's
nothing left for us to do,

but to take our cigars and brandy
and retire to the smoking room.

I won't testify against Amy.

Criminal negligence.
He serves a year.

Ask your lawyer if that's a good
deal on a homicide, Mr. Beltran.

It wasn't like that.
How was it, then?

Off the record?

She was too young
to have a kid.

People younger than your wife
have babies all the time,

but they don't
starve them to death.

You don't know Amy...
But you do.

I admire your devotion
to your wife, Mr. Beltran.

But your son is dead because
of a lack of any to him.

Don't you think that you owe it
to Kyle to stand up for him now?

(SIGHS)

Amy Beltran, you're under arrest
for the murder of your son.

No! It wasn't her fault. Please.

I didn't kill my
baby! I didn't!

Please, don't make this
any harder than it has to be.

ED: You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can...

TYRELL: They're charging
a woman who was breastfeeding

her child with
starving it to death?

Judge, this is ridiculous. Haven't these
people ever heard of the word "intent"?

There was nothing unintentional
about this baby's death.

TYRELL: She was a loving mother who
had trouble nursing her child.

Your client neglected advice. She
ignored all the warning signs.

Given her conduct, this
baby's death was a certainty.

And this comes
from who? Dad?

I'm sorry, Miss Tyrell,
but whether or not

your client's conduct was an
accident, is a matter for trial.

Your motion to dismiss is denied.
We pick a jury tomorrow.

How many of you are parents?

So, most of you have
changed a diaper,

woken up in the middle of the night
at the sound of a cry or a cough.

Is that right, Mrs. Chazin?

Many times.

Because it was
important to you,

as part of your
role as a parent,

to be aware of your child,
especially when they're young.

Yes, of course.

You're going to hear testimony
that a baby starved to death,

starved to death in
the arms of his mother.

Mrs. Chazin, can I have your promise that you
will remember your experience as a parent

when you consider whether or not
this could have been an accident?

Yes.

May I have that promise
from all of you?

Thank you.

We want you to remember,
too, Mrs. Chazin.

We want you to remember that first
night, when you brought your baby home.

Were you nervous?

Very.

Why?

Because I didn't
know what to do.

Or what to expect?

I guess. That, too.

What about you, Mr. Carouso?
I saw your hand go up before.

Were you scared, sir?

Oh... With our first, uh,
my wife wouldn't even put

the baby down long
enough to get dressed.

We want you to remember that,
Mr. Carouso, as you sit in judgment

of these autopsy photographs.

Objection.

Overruled.

We want you to remember that as you
sit in judgment of Amy Beltran.

Can you all promise
to do that as well?

My God.

Sidebar, Your Honor?

Step LIP...

Obviously, I'm going to have to
challenge everyone in that box.

The People oppose.

Did you see their
faces, Counselor?

Judge, if defense counsel intends to
continue showing the autopsy photos,

can we at least conduct
the questioning individually

in chambers so we don't
poison the whole panel?

Sorry, I just think she did it.

You understand you haven't
heard any testimony yet.

Come on, Judge, look at this.
She had to know.

Challenge, Your Honor.

You're excused, sir.

How many more jurors
do we have left?

That's the last of them, Judge.

Your Honor, it is not my
fault defense counsel chose

to show those photographs
during voir dire.

What did you expect me to do?

Wait until your
closing argument?

Miss Tyrell is right.
She can't spend the trial

running from these photographs.

But there is another option.

A bench trial?

She waived a jury.

Now we have a judge deciding
the guilt of this defendant?

Judge Steinman was the
one who suggested it.

I need to go
rewrite my opening.

Did the judge wink?

I don't think Steinman would go
through a whole day of jury selection

if she's already
made up her mind.

Makes me nervous.
(GRUNTS)

Steinman held 34
bench trials last year.

Twenty-six acquittals.

So much for the power of
an autopsy photograph.

Read these lately? We're catching
flak for going after this woman.

Abbie knows what she's doing.

What I keep telling myself.

RODGERS: It's called
failure to thrive.

It refers to a baby's failure
to achieve certain physical

milestones on a
predetermined timeline.

And upon autopsy, did Kyle Beltran
exhibit any indications that he'd

suffered from
failure to thrive?

Yes. There was virtually no fatty
tissue anywhere on the child.

His bones were clubbed and frayed,
indicating a severe vitamin deficiency.

He also tested
positive for osteoid.

There's no question Kyle Beltran's
death resulted from starvation?

None.

The baby's length was within normal
parameters wasn't it, Doctor?

In fact, it was in the 85th
percentile for length at six weeks,

isn't that correct?

Yes.

And a long baby can sometimes
seem bigger than it really is?

It might.

Babies also often lose weight when they
come home from the hospital, don't they?

It's not unusual.

But those mothers aren't starving their
children to death, are they, Doctor?

No. But one would expect a weight
gain to commence within a short time.

How short a time?

It depends on the baby.

What you're saying then, Doctor, is
that the when part isn't so definite?

Yes.

So my client, being a new mother,
might simply have made a mistake.

Objection.

Sustained.

Doctor, have you ever come across a
death attributed to failure to thrive

where the infant was under
the care of a pediatrician?

I have.

Nothing further.

Any redirect?

Doctor Rodgers,

in the last days of
Kyle Beltran's life,

what would the defendant have
seen with respect to her baby?

Your Honor, is this necessary?

I think it is for me.

The child's skin
would have sagged,

and he would have developed a yellowish
tint from the vitamin deficiency.

His eyes would have
a sunken effect,

and he would also have
an aged appearance.

What about urine
and stool output?

Non-existent. His
diapers would be dry.

Crying?

Constant, I'd imagine.

But without tears.

We just weren't
ready for a baby,

for how difficult it is.

Kyle was always crying.

Amy wasn't getting any sleep.

She didn't have
anyone to talk to,

any help.

What about the
lactation counselor?

She went once.
She wouldn't go back.

Why?

She said she didn't have to.

She said she took Kyle to a clinic, and
they told her everything was fine.

What eventually happened
to your baby, Mr. Beltran?

I came home one night, and I
didn't hear anything, you know?

Not crying or anything.

And where was Amy?

She was sitting on the couch,

smoking a cigarette.

What did you do?

I asked her if Kyle was asleep.

She didn't answer,
so I went inside to look.

Kyle was in his crib...

Dead.

Then what happened?

I guess she must have
followed me into the room,

so I just asked her
again what happened.

When she didn't answer again,

I slapped her.

She started bleeding.

And then?

Then,

she went into the bathroom, and
that's when I heard the glass break.

She slammed the
medicine cabinet door.

Did she say why?

Mr. Beltran,

did your wife tell you why
she smashed that mirror?

She said she killed our baby.

Nothing further.

Amy never wanted
that baby, did she?

You were the one who insisted
that she have it, weren't you?

Yes.
Only, once she did,

YOU were never around.

Amy was the one getting up in
the middle of the night, right?

I was working.
Working?

You mean you were too
busy to feed your own child?

That's not what I said.

When you came home
and found your baby dead,

did you call the police?

No.
No.

Instead, you wrapped
your child in a blanket,

and then you stuck
it in your tool bag.

Is that right?

I didn't want anything
to happen to Amy.

Oh, is that why
you're here testifying?

Objection.

JUDGE: Sustained.

The medical examiner has said
that anyone looking at your baby,

could see that
it was in trouble.

Could you?

I called that counselor.

And did you follow up?

Amy said everything was fine.

But you knew that it wasn't,

didn't you?

There was formula in that
apartment, there were bottles.

Ever think to feed
your son, Mr. Beltran?

Amy said
we weren't supposed to.

Ever think to bring
your son to a doctor?

Amy did.

But did you?

No.

But she's the one on trial.

No more questions.

You saw Amy Beltran
twice, is that right?

STRICKLAND: Yes. Once at the hospital
and once as a walk-in to our clinic.

And you demonstrated the proper
techniques to breastfeed?

Absolutely.

And she was able to
breastfeed in your presence?

Yes. Her milk
production seemed fine.

And you spoke
with her a third time?

She was supposed to come into the
clinic for another appointment.

When she didn't, I called her.

She told me everything
was all right.

And this was about three weeks
after her visit with you?

Maybe a week before the baby died?
Yes.

Thank you.

Amy Beltran came to you because she was
having problems, isn't that right?

She seemed unsure of herself.

But you told her that women had
been doing this for generations.

That it was a normal
process. Correct?

Of course.

So if she was failing,
it was her fault.

If she was putting
in the effort,

there's no question she
would have been successful.

You told Amy not to give her baby
any bottles or formula, didn't you?

A bottle is easier
for a baby to suck.

Once it has the bottle, it may refuse
to latch onto the mother's breast.

Because breast milk
is best for the baby,

we encourage women to stick
with the breast only.

Yes, but you do more
than encourage, don't you?

I don't know what you mean.

You told Amy Beltran that bottle feeding
her baby could cause nipple confusion.

That her baby might not then
ever take to her breast.

Isn't that what
you said to her?

I use whatever methods I can to insure
that the baby gets breast milk.

Yeah, and those methods often include
threats and intimidation, don't they?

That's your interpretation.
No, ma'am.

That was my client's
interpretation.

Objection.

Sustained.

Breastfeeding is almost a crusade
with you, Miss Strickland, isn't it?

That's not true.

You lecture on the
benefits of breast milk.

You have written articles
on the subject, haven't you?

That's far from a crusade.

Not that far, when you insist that a
mother breastfeed her child exclusively,

when it's obvious that
a baby is in trouble.

You make it sound like breastfeeding
is an unnatural process.

Formula is what's unnatural.

Children have difficulty
digesting it,

and it doesn't contain the
same antibodies or immunities.

But babies don't starve
to death on it, do they?

The judge hated her.

If Tyrell hasn't made out reasonable
doubt, she's coming pretty close.

Strickland's testimony doesn't
relieve Amy of her responsibility.

Maybe not, but it helps
explain her conduct.

You thinking of
making her an offer?

If I do that, it'll
look like I'm worried.

You already look worried.

I don't know
what the next move is.

What if I make the offer?

That way, you can
keep the hard line.

Besides, it's been a while
since I played good cop.

Man one. She serves the max.
Eight-and-a-third to 25.

You're joking.

Do you see anyone
around here smiling?

There was a father here, too.

And a lactation counselor.

Any number of people were responsible
for the death of that child.

Why is it just the mother you
want your pound of flesh from?

Because, ultimately, she is
the one that failed that baby.

Criminal negligence.

She serves a year,
same as Jimmy.

Like you said, Jimmy's
not the one on trial here.

Man one.

I don't think so.

Come on.

(DOOR CLOSES) Well,

we gave her a chance.

Yeah.

Only one thing to do now
Stick the dagger in.

From the very beginning,
Kyle was having problems.

He wasn't doing like they
showed me at the hospital.

And there's, like, no way to tell
if he's getting anything, you know?

Why not give him the formula?

I signed a contract.

A contract?

At the hospital, I promised
I would only breastfeed.

Miss Strickland said that
breast milk was best for Kyle.

She made it sound like giving him
a bottle might be dangerous.

Well, what did you do?

I took Kyle
to a Medicaid clinic.

The nurse said that he was
normal size and everything.

But she told me
I couldn't see a doctor.

I didn't have my
Medicaid card yet.

She told me that I should come
back in about three weeks.

But by then...

Miss Strickland says that
you came to see her, too.

Yes.

And what happened
at that visit?

She started in again about
breast milk being best for Kyle,

and if there was a problem, it was
because I wasn't trying hard enough.

Miss Strickland has also testified that,
sometime afterward, she called you,

and you told her
everything was fine.

She made it seem like
it was my fault, you know?

Like I was a bad mother.

I just...

I wasn't going to go
through that again.

Tell us about the
night that Kyle died.

That last day,
he got real quiet.

I thought maybe he
was getting better.

I went in to check on him,

and his little hands,
they were so cold.

I... I got a blanket
to wrap him, and, uh,

that's when I realized
he wasn't breathing.

What did you do?

(CRYING) There was
nothing I could do.

I was just so scared,
and Jimmy was so angry.

He told me he never
wanted to see me again.

He slapped me.

And he said that we
had to get rid of him,

rid of Kyle.

Why?

Because we didn't have
money for lawyers.

He said that we'd get
in a lot of trouble.

He said he'd take Kyle
to his parents' house.

Amy,

did you intend for
your baby to die?

No. No, I swear.

Okay.

You moved in with Mitch Palichek
the night Jimmy left, didn't you?

I couldn't stay
in the apartment.

We heard testimony
from Mitch Palichek that

when you woke up
the next morning,

it was the first night's sleep you
had in several months. Is that true?

It was.

So you were pretty happy about not
having a baby to take care of anymore.

That isn't true.

Because now you
could smoke and sleep

and do all the things you
couldn't when you were a mother.

It wasn't like that.

Mitch Palichek testified
that you told him you

wished you hadn't
ever gotten pregnant.

That's the way I...
I felt before he was born.

But you continued to feel that way
even after you had him, didn't you?

No.
That's the way you felt

even as you watched
him starve to death.

Objection.
No.

Even as you watched
your husband

put his tiny, lifeless
body into that bag.

TYRELL: Your Honor?
JUDGE: Overruled.

I tried!

Is that why you turned up the volume on the
television when you heard your baby cry?

Because you were trying?

I needed help.

You had help!
I didn't!

The hospital gave you formula,
but you didn't use it.

I told you why.

Even when you were turned
away from the clinic,

you didn't seek any other
medical help, did you?

The nurse said he was okay.

But you were his mother.

They said he was okay.

But you knew he wasn't,

didn't you?

You just wanted your baby dead.

I didn't know what to do.
I swear, I didn't know!

(SOBBING)

TYRELL: Hand pumps,
electric pumps,

bottles, formula,

nipple confusion.

Imagine how frightening it must
have been for a young woman

to have that kind of
responsibility, Your Honor.

Her husband at
work all the time.

No family around to
help her, to teach her.

She was isolated.

And the few people
she did reach out to,

only made her feel more inadequate
as a mother than she already did.

Amy Beltran failed her child.

She doesn't need this
court to tell her that.

Only a woman can know the social
pressure to breastfeed today.

And only a woman can suffer
the stigma of that failure.

Amy Beltran will live with it
for the rest of her life.

But her failure as a mother,

as tragic as it is,

is not criminal.

There is nothing confusing about
those autopsy photographs.

They're a picture of what this
defendant says she could not see,

and they are not the
picture of an accident.

It's hard to fathom a woman letting her
child starve to death before her eyes.

But that is exactly
what Amy Beltran did.

Her lawyer suggests
that others are to blame.

But are we really at a point
where even feeding our babies

has become someone
else's responsibility?

Whether she was or wasn't
too young to be a mother,

the same law that protects
her right to make that choice,

demands that she be ready
to be one once it's born.

Instead, this mother,

who gave her child life,

chose to take it.

And that was not
her choice to make.

In away, I think more than one person
should be standing before this court today.

Certainly a father

and advocates who dispense advice
in the form of intimidation.

Even medical personnel who are more
interested in payment than patients.

But ultimately,

the responsibility for a child must
be placed on the primary caregiver.

And even today, that
still means its mother.

Miss Beltran,

your depraved indifference to the warning
signs you had to have seen in your child,

is only vitiated by your attempts to seek help.
It is not excused.

I therefore find you guilty of
manslaughter in the second degree

for recklessly causing
the death of your baby.

(GAVEL POUNDS)

(WHISPERING)

CARMICHAEL: Judge
Steinman gave Amy Beltran

one and a half to four
and a half years in prison.

With one year
for Jimmy Beltran.

That's less than three years
between the both of them.

Talk about a throwaway child.

I'm not happy about this.

You tried the case you had.

But I chose the case.

Tomorrow is another day, Abbie.