All language subtitles for Law and order S10E19 - Surrender Dorothy

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.

Yeah, great.

Hey, it's not my fault that
your friends are so hung over

they can't get up this early.

It was your sister's party.

See that? That's why I won't bring
the car up the night before.

Steve...

They popped the trunk.

No, look.

Car's registered to a Dorothy Graham.
6-11 East 87th.

Long walk home.

Looks like they got
the hood ornament.

OFFICER: Faculty sticker.
I checked with the registrar.

Turns out she's a grad student.

She's gonna be
a couple of credits shy.

What about witnesses?

Couple of units
canvassed this morning.

No one saw anything,
but a bunch of people

heard some car alarms going
off around 11:30 last night.

I want any complaint
reports on those.

You got it.
Thanks.

Looks like strangulation.

Petechial hemorrhaging
around her eyes.

But whatever they used didn't leave
much bruising around her neck.

ED: So no sign
of struggle, then?

The hands are clean,
fingernails.

No scuff marks on
the heels of her shoes.

She was killed somewhere else.
That'd be my guess.

We're thinking, what, robbery?

CSU OFFICER: There's no purse.
Coat's gone, too.

You guys get a shot of this?
CSU OFFICER: Yeah.

Doesn't look like they
finished what they started.

They sure finished her.

Please have Lucy call her
father as soon as possible.

Dr. Graham.

It's very important.

Yes, that's right.

Thank you.

I guess I should also
call my father and sister.

We're sorry to intrude.
We just need a few minutes

to run some things
down with you.

Of course.

Uh, the last time you
saw your wife was when?

Yesterday morning,
before she went to class.

BRISCOE: She was
a graduate student?

In the Sociology Department.

Dorothy was going
for her Masters.

ED: You didn't speak
with her during the day?

No, I'm with
patients until 4:00.

On Fridays, Dorothy generally
went to the library

to work on her thesis.

Where'd you go after
your last patient?

I play racquetball
on Friday evenings.

I just came straight home.

ED: What time was that?

Around 7:00.

Anybody see you come in?

The doorman was helping
someone with packages.

I just picked up our mail
and came straight upstairs.

And your wife wasn't here?

Look, I assumed she
was at the library.

When she didn't return home
by 7:30, I got concerned.

ED: And that's when
you called the precinct?

About an hour later.

What about your marriage?

Things okay with
you and Mrs. Graham?

Things were just fine.

You're a psychologist?

Private practice.

Any of your patients you think might
be capable of something like this?

It's just basic family therapy.

Okay.

We'll call you with any developments
or questions we might have.

My wife...

She wasn't touched?

It doesn't look like that.

Dorothy taught
a 10:00 seminar.

After that?

Uh, she usually had office hours for
her students from 12:00 to 2:00.

BRISCOE: Did you
see her after that?

Yes, about 2:30.

She was grabbing some
coffee in the faculty lounge.

ED: Anybody with her?
Not that I saw.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Excuse me.

Green.

We're gonna want
a list of anybody

who had office hours
with her yesterday.

Sure.

Anything out of the
ordinary with her lately?

Well, Dorothy kept
to herself mostly.

But there was never
anything ordinary about her.

What do you mean?

Well, she had some
pretty peculiar notions

about the role of women
in today's society.

Most people would
call them outdated.

The stay-at-home mother, wife.
That sort of thing.

Thanks.

Okay, thanks.
We'll be in touch.

Complaints from those
other trunk pops.

Another Friday night
in Fun City.

Thank you.

I was going to meet
some friends in Brooklyn.

At midnight?

This club doesn't
open till 11:00.

The complaint you filed indicates
you saw some people near your car?

When I came around the corner,

four boys, teenagers.

One was going through my trunk,

and the others were
just sort of hanging out.

I yelled. They ran.

Can you describe them?

Kind of husky, a little
shorter than me.

Hispanic, I think.

A woman was murdered in the
neighborhood last night.

You think it was these guys?

Her trunk was popped.

Oh, my God.

I chased them.

Spray paint. Same colors.

I tried to wash
it off. NG.

Dealership says I gotta
paint the whole panel.

Did you see who did it?
No.

Wife and I just went
to dinner with our son.

Goes to Hudson. Pre-med.

When we came out,
I could still smell the paint.

And what time was that?

12:00,12:30. They
broke the trunk, too.

Anything missing?

The hood ornament. A damn
Buick, for crying out loud.

Preliminary M.E.'s report.

She was killed Friday night
some time before 9:00.

Strangulation. Probably used some
type of cloth object under the chin.

No surprise there.

Well, maybe not.
But her tox screen might

explain the absence
of any sign of struggle.

Percocet.
Pain killer.

I wonder what hurt.

Well, you said her husband was
some kind of doctor, right?

Psychologist.
Can't write script.

Hey, graffiti's probably
not gang-related.

What, then?

Gang Intel says it's
most likely street art.

Like to hear them call it that
when it's on their car.

They gave me the name of this
gallery in the East Village.

They say the owner may be
able to identify the work.

WOMAN:
It's actually quite good.

ED: Can you tell us
who the writer is?

Someone's obviously trying
to bite the style of SENT 1.

Again, in English?

SENT 1. S-E-N-T.

SENT 1 was known
for the Wild Style.

This is a mimic or
a bite of that style.

Wild Style?

Wild Style letterforms bend and
fracture into other forms.

The result's pretty abstract,
at least, to the untrained eye.

But not to yours.

No. This writer's using symbols to
substitute for letters and numbers.

Like here, you have an eye.
That's the letter I.

Or a snake, an S.

And right there,
that's a blackjack hand.

Twenty-one.
Exactly.

IS21.

SENT 1's rumored to have gone to public
school, IS21 on the Upper West Side.

There's even a mural
he painted there.

We're looking for the person or
persons who painted that picture.

It looks like our mural.

That's what we were thinking.

But you're not sure
it was one of our students?

What we'd like to do is
have our witness come down

and take a look at
some of the kids.

You expect me to make my students
available for line-ups at school?

Hey, I'd do show-ups
at Carnegie Hall

if I thought I'd
find a murderer.

I'll call the Board
of Ed's lawyers

and see if they
feel the same way.

So, what? We bring the Connor woman
down here and sit outside in the car?

No. I got a better idea.

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)

May I help you?
Yeah.

I'm trying to get a yearbook.

Are you the parent of a
student here at the school?

No, actually it's for a friend.

Kid's godmother
down in Puerto Rico.

She doesn't get a chance
to see him much,

and I thought it'd be
a really nice gift.

In that case, I think I can
manage to drum one up for you.

That'd be great.
Thank you.

Here you go.

It's $25.

BRISCOE: The principal
refused to cooperate.

But using yearbook
photos as mug shots?

That's what Giuliani
tried to do.

I didn't think it was
a bad idea then, either.

Detective Green, may I see you?

I want you to get rid of that.

She just picked him out.
Ramon Soriano. Class of 2000.

If that ID gets
tossed out in court,

you're going to be the one to explain
it to the district attorney.

Ramon Soriano?

Yeah.

Why don't you put the
soldering iron down, Ramon.

Put your hands behind your back, kid.
You're under arrest.

What for?

For violating a luxury vehicle.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you do, say, can and
will be used against you...

You keep souvenirs from
all the women you kill?

My son's not a killer.

She sure looks dead to me.

ED: Maybe you didn't
mean to hurt her.

Maybe one of the
other kids did it.

Is that what happened, Ramon?

No, it wasn't like that.

We were just messing around.

If you know
something, tell them.

Uh...

That lady's car, the Mercedes.

Uh, we'd seen it around,
but never at night.

So what happened?

We started messing with it.

My friend, Alex,
popped the trunk,

and that's when he saw her.

But she was already dead.

You just happened to pick a car
that had a dead woman in it?

No, I told you,
we seen the Benz before.

ED: When?

Uh, that same day.
Maybe 4:00.

The lady got in with some
guy and they drove away.

What'd the guy look like?

Uh...

White guy, a cup of coffee,

Mets cap turned around.
He looked like a college dude.

(SIGHS) So, what do you think
of our struggling artist?

Nothing on his sheet.

It's a long way from popping
trunks to popping citizens.

They didn't touch
the other woman.

Well, start with
Mrs. Graham's students.

See if we can
find that Met fan.

There's only four
guys in our section.

I haven't seen any of
them wearing Mets caps.

What time were you
in her office?

Like, 1:00 to 1:30.

She was helping me with
this paper I was writing.

Well, sort of helping me.

Why sort of?

She just seemed
kind of out of it.

You notice if any of the
guys had crushes on her?

(CHUCKLES) Mrs. Graham?

She thought flirting was,
like, majorly sinful.

What about the guys in, uh,
other sections of the course?

Any of them wear Mets caps?

Lot of guys wear hats.

Think hard, Lisa.
It's pretty important.

There was this one guy
outside in the hallway,

outside her office,
when I came out.

He might have been wearing
a Mets cap backwards.

You ever seen him
around before?

I go swimming at the gym.
Sometimes I see him there.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

BRISCOE: Hey! You,
out of the pool.

What's up?

ED: You a Mets fan?

Is that a crime?

BRISCOE: Depends
on the season.

You know a Dorothy Graham?

I had nothing to do with that.

So you don't have a problem
with me checking your stuff?

Uh...

Uh-oh.

Percocet.

And Ecstasy.

Let's go.

Look, I don't know what
you're talking about.

Four kids from the neighborhood

identified you getting into her
car the day she was killed.

So I was with her.

How'd you know her?
From around.

I audited a couple
of her classes.

And where was she taking
you, on a field trip?

Possession with
intent to distribute.

That's not recreational,
that's correctional.

I never sold her anything.

There was Percocet
in her blood.

I gave her the stuff
once in awhile.

But only when she asked for it.

Out of the goodness
of your heart, right?

We had a relationship.

BRISCOE: What kind
of relationship?

You know. Sex.

Look, she was messed up, man.

Messed up how?

I don't know. Uh, we didn't
spend that much time talking.

But, uh, she used to cry for no reason.
Stuff like that.

She do any crying that day?

I didn't kill her.

Her crying, being upset,

that had nothing to do with me.

It was about her
husband, I think.

So where'd you take her?

To my place.

When did she leave?

Around 6:45.

She usually had to
be back home by 7:00.

Where'd you go after?

Chinese restaurant,
23rd and Ninth.

I was there from,
like, 7:00 on.

Better hope your waiter
isn't a Yankees fan.

Lover boy's alibi checks out.

Cashier remembers him
leaving around 9:00.

Autopsy report says
she was dead by then.

Well, the kid said she was supposed
to be home by 7:00, right?

One with mustard.

But the husband doesn't call the
precinct for over two hours.

That's because he
knew where she was.

(SCOFFS) Yeah, usually
we're the last to know.

Well, let's see if we can
nail down his time line.

You betcha.
You gonna pay for this?

BRISCOE: Lance Dickinson?

Yes.

Lady at the front desk says
you were playing racquetball

with Perry Graham on Friday.

We play every Friday.
Is this about his wife?

Last Friday, you notice
anything different about him?

Not really.

He ever mention
any family problems?

(SIGHS) I've known
Perry 10 years.

Dorothy meant the world to him.

I'm sure he had nothing
to do with her death.

Mmm-hmm. So did they
have any problems?

Look, I don't know.
(EXHALES NERVOUSLY)

We didn't meet
them much socially.

Why is that?

Their relationship made my
wife a little uncomfortable.

At restaurants, Perry would
always order for her.

That kind of thing.
So he was pretty controlling?

(SIGHS) She didn't complain.

Hey, different
strokes, you know?

Yeah. So, uh, what time
did you play until?

About a quarter to 6:00.

That was a pretty short game.

Perry had a magazine
article due.

Wanted to get it proofread.

And where would he go for that?

His sister, Gwen.

Yeah, Perry was here
for about a half an hour.

He left a paper to proofread,

and then he...
He went home.

ED: He ever talk to you
about his wife?

Sometimes. He ever mention
any marital problems?

I don't understand
what you're getting at.

He never told you he suspected
his wife of having an affair?

That's crazy.

She might have been
a little troubled,

but Dorothy would never...

You... You think Perry had something
to do with Dorothy's murder?

No, it's not possible.

If your brother was jealous...

Extreme emotional disturbance
is a defense to murder.

Now, if your brother
snapped that night,

you aren't helping him
by not telling us.

I think that I should
call my father.

Sis says hubby went back home.
But nobody saw him.

He says the doorman was
busy helping somebody else.

Which gives him two hours to do his
wife, dump her, and cross home plate.

Plenty of time,
plenty of motive.

But not enough of
either for a warrant.

Hey, Arlen Graham just called.

Wants us to meet
with him and his son.

Get this matter
straightened out.

He's a shrink, too.

Oh, good. One
for each of you.

Perry has nothing to hide.

We're therapists.
We believe in the truth.

Yeah, so do we.
But we rarely hear it.

We understand you and your
wife were having problems.

Oh, show me a
couple who doesn't.

Dr. Graham?

We'd been married
over 10 years.

I can't say whether it was
one thing or the other.

Sometimes she did
get a little distant.

Did you know your wife was
sleeping with a Hudson student?

ARLEN: This is
according to whom?

ED: They were seen together.

Seen together?

Maybe she was helping
him with his work.

Look, I don't doubt many young men
would want an affair with Dorothy.

She was a beautiful woman.

But there is no way that my
daughter-in-law compromised her marriage.

Is that right?

Dorothy would never...

She couldn't do
anything like that.

Couldn't?

What my son means,
is that Dorothy was faithful.

I'd like to hear
it from your son.

Too bad your alibi
isn't stronger.

BRISCOE: We're going to have to check
into the background of your marriage.

Have to talk to some of your
friends, acquaintances, colleagues.

Could get messy.

Is that really necessary?

It is if we want to
get a search warrant.

What if my son consented
to a search of his apartment?

That would help.

Hmm? What are
they going to find?

Let's put an end to this
business, once and for all.

But I want my lawyer present.

You'll put everything back
just as you found it.

Yeah, sure.

What's this?

My journal.

No, this.

It's from my wife's datebook.

So what's it doing
in your journal?

Look at this on top.

"O-B-S-S. W/J."

Obsessed with John?

ED: He also circled 422B.

Your wife's boyfriend's
address is 422 Broadway.

Meaning what?

ED: Meaning, we should
all go down to the precinct.

With your consent, of course.

You lied about
your wife's affair.

You don't need to answer.

Right. He can take his
chances with the grand jury.

Grand jury?

Yeah, you know, the place where
they get murder indictments?

They're bluffing, Perry.

Yeah, listen to him.

He's been doing great
for you so far.

Okay.

Maybe I did suspect an affair.

ED: You tracked her to his
apartment, didn't you?

No. And then things
got out of hand.

Look, nothing got out of hand.

She was obsessed with a 19-year-old.
That didn't upset you?

She was confused.

Oh, really? That's not
what the kid told us.

He said she knew
exactly what she wanted.

You have no right
to talk to me that way.

Tough to imagine your wife in
the arms of a young lover.

Almost makes you want to
wring her neck, doesn't it?

All right, gentlemen,
we're done.

BRISCOE: Sit tight, Counselor.

(DOOR CLOSES)

A lover's address
and an unconfirmed alibi.

It's not enough to hold him.

I thought you people
could indict a ham sandwich.

Without the statement,
I'm missing the ham.

Have a unit sit on him.

Okay. In the meantime,

you guys show his photo around
the boyfriend's building.

No, sorry.
What's this about?

The guy in 2B. A friend of
his was murdered last week.

I was out of town, in a play.

What was it,
a break-in?

No. A woman he was
seeing got killed.

Really? 'Cause somebody last
month was asking about a woman.

Who?

Some guy said that
the landlord sent him

to check for illegal sublets.

Asked all these questions
about who was living in 2B.

Was there a woman staying
there, and stuff like that.

Said I'd get
a break on the rent

if I called him next
time I saw her around.

Is this the woman
he was asking about?

Uh, yeah, I think so.

This guy give you
a phone number?

Uh, I don't need a break
on the rent that bad.

But I remember
where he was from.

Uh, Crane Detective Agency.

I was pursuing a matter
for a private individual.

I'm afraid I'm not
at liberty to identify him.

There's no privilege here.

You know, we're not working
a jaywalking case here.

Look, I'm sorry
about the woman, but...

I can force you to testify
in front of the grand jury.

Then force me.

Detective Green.

On your feet.
Oh, come on.

Look, can't we work this out?

Sure. You can tell
us who hired you.

Graham.

Perry Graham?

His father.

JACK: I thought it was the
husband's job to spy on his wife.

Maybe his father wanted to protect
him in the event of a divorce.

Pretty extreme, collecting photographs
of your daughter-in-law's affair.

You think he had
a thing for her?

Have we checked his
whereabouts that night?

Mmm-hmm. His secretary said he had to
speak at some kind of dinner party.

See if he stayed for dessert.

What time was Dr. Graham
supposed to speak?

It wasn't anything
formal, really.

Just taking questions, chatting
over coffee, that sort of thing.

About Surrendered Spouses?

It has saved thousands
of marriages.

Including ours.

Eric and I married young.
College sweethearts.

And then the kids came

and suddenly we weren't lovers
anymore, just Mom and Dad.

Truth is, we were at each other's
throats most of the time.

That is, until Dr. Graham
taught me how to just back off,

accept my husband's decisions.

You know, the funny thing
is, once she did that, I...

Well, it just wasn't as important for
me to be right about everything.

You both seem pretty lucky.

Yeah.

Since his wife died,
Dr. Graham's devoted his life

to helping couples
just like us.

He's a widower?

Yes. He lost his wife to an
illness several years ago.

So when was coffee served?

We waited until 8:30.
Dr. Graham was running late.

When did he arrive exactly?

It was after 10:00, I think.

He said he had a patient
who'd had a crisis.

Did he call you
and tell you that?

No, we phoned him.
But his line was busy.

Does Dr. Graham know
that you're here?

I'm not sure what
Dr. Graham knows.

I don't think we should answer any
more questions until we call him.

"Never argue with your husband."

"If he takes the wrong
exit off the freeway,"

"don't correct him."

Doesn't sound half-bad.

Yes, I'll hold.

What about his story, he had
some crisis with a patient?

Abbie checked with his service.

There's no record of any
patient call that night.

We also ran his LUDs.

And?

One call

to his granddaughter's
boarding school at 8:25.

To what? Tell her he
murdered her mother?

I'm running it down now.

We're also getting records
of his wife's death.

According to his
bank statements,

Graham's made millions
peddling his bunk

through the sale
of books and tapes.

And he used his son's
marriage as his role model.

So a divorce would hit him
right in his pocketbook.

CARMICHAEL: Yes,
thank you, very much.

That was the headmistress
at the daughter's school.

It wasn't grandpa who called.

It was Dorothy Graham.

I've advised Perry not
to answer any questions.

I hope you also advised him, that
since you were hired by his father,

you have a conflict
of interest.

Obviously, father and son
have the same interest.

Proving Perry's innocence.
Really?

Did you know your wife was at
your father's house that night?

What are you talking about?

She called your daughter from
there before she was strangled.

That's not possible.

Check with the school The
night operator took the call.

Your daughter was
already in bed.

Well, why would she call Lucy?

We're more interested in what your
wife was doing at your father's house.

I don't know.

You weren't aware your
father was spying on her?

Spying?

These were taken
by a private detective

hired by your father.

He had no right.

Why would she be at his house?

I don't know. Sometimes she
came to him for counseling.

My God.

Talk about a conflict
of interest.

I thought my father
was helping Dorothy.

Perry.

JACK: When you and your
wife visited your father,

where would you park your car?

Kinney's on 85th.

The Mercedes was picked up at 9:23.
Paid for by credit card.

M.E.'s report says she
was probably dead by then.

Gwen Graham. He used
his daughter to help him.

Let's pick them both up.

If he doesn't read,
you read it to him.

BRISCOE: Excuse me.

ARLEN: What...

Dr. Graham, you know why
we're here. Please stand up.

(SCOFFS) My lawyer's
going to have a field day.

Why don't you take your own advice, Doc?
Surrender with love.

I'm due in front of the grand jury,
Mr. Billings. What's so urgent?

Dorothy Graham wasn't the victim of a murder.
She killed herself.

You're claiming it was suicide?

This is Mrs. Graham's
suicide note,

along with an old
psychiatric report.

Details of a prior attempt by
her when she was in college.

Dorothy hung herself.

Where did this happen?

In my home, Friday evening.

And you didn't call the police?

I'm a trained therapist.

I thought Dorothy's suicide
would be too painful

for Perry and my
granddaughter to bear.

So you put her body
in the trunk of a car?

Look, she came to me
to talk about her marriage.

When she realized I knew about her
affair, she became hysterical.

I went upstairs
to check on her.

That's when I found her.

In the bathroom.

She'd used my bathrobe
tie to do it.

My daughter knows
what happened.

I saw her.

It was terrible.

So you see, Mr. McCoy, you
can't proceed with this case.

Your client lied to the police.

He concealed his
daughter-in-law's body.

I'm not about to take
his word for anything.

They'll both be arraigned
on felony complaints.

Then you intend to proceed?

I'll hold off
on the grand jury,

but that's as far
as I'm willing to go.

The court appointed separate
counsel for the daughter

and released them
on 100,000 each.

I see.

In other words, you're saying that the M.E.
doesn't know the difference

between a strangulation
and a hanging?

Her body was discovered
within a few minutes.

Rodgers says that time
frame explains the absence

of any stocking glove
distribution of blood.

Translation?

Why her hands and feet
weren't discolored.

She also had a V mark
under her chin,

but because she used a bathrobe
tie, it was just a shallow furrow.

So why rule it murder
in the first place?

A woman's body is recovered
from the trunk of her car

under the circumstance
of a robbery.

What other conclusion
would you have them draw?

The right one.

They had an expert
compare her suicide note

to excerpts from her date book.

They match.

Are we sure about
that suicide note?

Yes. She talks about being
distraught over her marriage,

angry about the
situation she's in,

fears about her
daughter's future.

There's also a prior suicide
attempt when she was in college.

Pills, yeah.

And Arlen Graham
was her therapist.

This man knew what happened,

and he still tried to
get us to call it murder.

I wonder what the ethics are of turning
a patient into your daughter-in-law?

Forget the ethics. I want
to know how he did it.

A suicide attempt
leaves a person vulnerable,

looking for away to make
sense of what happened.

Throw in the trust between
a patient and therapist,

and you have all the
ingredients for manipulation.

Plus, I'd say there's some
surrogacy going on there, too.

Surrogacy?

The man lost his wife, never remarried.
He's attracted to her.

It happens.

So he gave her to his son.

Ten years later, he's taking
dirty pictures of her.

He said she came to his house

because she wanted to talk
to him about her affair.

Imagine wanting to talk to your
father-in-law about your adultery.

What then?

The man's been telling her what
to do for most of her life.

It's pretty clear
she went for permission.

To commit suicide?

From her note, it's obvious she
was depressed, self-medicating.

I'd say she wanted out.

Out of her life?

You're saying her
suicide was predictable?

Foreseeable, definitely.

And there were indicators. I mean, what
this guy did was totally irresponsible.

What kind of indicators
are we talking about?

Prior suicide attempt, for one.

Almost 20% of people who attempt
suicide eventually compete it.

Graham knows that.

He also knows the risk
of using a shaming device

with someone
who's that fragile.

What's a shaming device?

Those dirty pictures again.
They're leverage.

Something to make it clear
to her she'd be exposed

if she refused
to rejoin the pack.

Even if he didn't strangle her,

he killed her all the same.

She's the one
that tied the noose.

Doesn't matter.
Not if we can prove

he recklessly ignored
the dangers of suicide

when he threatened her with the
loss of her child and career.

Big ifs.

Arlen Graham wanted us to think
she was murdered rather than

that she killed
herself. Why?

Protect her reputation.
Who knows?

Read the note. It was his
reputation he was worried about.

"You gave me no choice." She's
talking about her father-in-law.

And being forced to live the rest of
her life as a surrendered spouse.

This man put all the
ingredients together, Adam.

We can't just let him walk
away when the bomb goes off.

Can you prove
that's what happened?

We turn the daughter, he'll
be forced to take the stand.

We'll convict him
with his own words.

We both know there's no way you
can prove murder, Mr. McCoy.

That's why we amended
the indictment to man two.

Manslaughter? You're
grasping at straws.

All the warning
signs were there.

You and your father simply
chose to disregard them

in order to browbeat your
sister-in-law back into the fold.

I had nothing to do with it.

CARMICHAEL: Are you really
going to sit there and tell us

you had no idea your
sister-in-law was in trouble?

What are you offering?

In exchange for your
client's testimony,

we are willing to dismiss
the charges against her.

Testify against my father?

Oh, I can't.

Can't or won't?

Your mother died when you
were very young, Gwen.

It must have been hard for you,

trying to be her replacement.

Well, it was an accident.

She slipped in the bath.

You were the one who
found your mother's body.

Yeah, I came home. She was
always there to greet me.

The autopsy report indicates that
she died from loss of blood.

There wasn't any
head wound, Gwen.

She slashed her wrists.

JACK: Your mother
committed suicide.

No. No.

Why would she be in a bath?

You said she knew you were
coming home from school.

Your father used
you to lie for him,

just as he's using you now.

Only this time, you have
to choose between him

and any relationship with
your brother and your niece.

Are you really prepared
to go to jail for him?

GWEN: I called my father
at about 8:30 that night.

JACK: He was home?

Yes. With my sister-in-law.

Did he say why she was there?

Objection. Hearsay.

JACK: These are
admissions, Your Honor.

You can answer.

He told me that he had learned some
terrible things about Dorothy.

But he wouldn't
tell me over the phone.

He asked me to come right over.

And when you arrived,
what happened?

Dorothy was on the
floor in the bathroom

and the tie to the bathrobe
was still around her neck.

She had hanged herself.

Did your father say why?

He told me that Dorothy had been
having an affair with a student,

and that she'd
been taking drugs.

Then he showed me
the photographs.

He kept saying that he'd
offered her a chance.

Did he explain what he meant?

He'd shown her the pictures

to make her stop the affair.

And he told her
that if she didn't,

he would expose her
to the university,

and that he would have Perry divorce
her and take custody of Lucy.

And she began crying.

Begging...

How could you, Daddy?

BILLINGS: Objection.

JUDGE: The jury
will disregard.

JACK: Did he say
what happened next?

He said he found her
hanging in the bathroom.

He was afraid. I've never
seen my father afraid before.

He asked me to help.

I wanted to call the police,

but I got her car

and

we drove the body
to the school.

The plan was to make
it look like a murder.

Nothing further.

Your father was upset
about Dorothy's suicide?

Yes.

So her death wasn't
something he wanted?

Well, I'm not sure anymore.

Oh, by the way,

did Dorothy ever come
to you for advice?

Maybe to chat?

Sometimes.

And in speaking with
your sister-in-law,

did you ever suspect
suicide as a possibility?

Well, no.

Nothing further.

ARLEN: I thought Dorothy's
marriage to Perry would be

a stabilizing influence
in both their lives.

It was your son
and daughter-in-law's

own decision to
marry, was it not?

Of course.

And your son used your Surrendered
Spouse program in his marriage?

And in his practice.

I know it's been
disparaged here,

but it's a very
natural principle.

Once a man's given
respect by his spouse,

freed from her criticism,

he's then willing
to assume any burden.

And that willingness
to provide for a family

leads to a more stable, more
faithful and more intimate marriage.

Did you expect

your daughter-in-law to
kill herself that night?

No.

I hoped she'd return to
being the loving spouse

she'd been through
most of her marriage.

Your witness.

She was 19 years old,

and you were her therapist.

Yes.

And you used this influence

to arrange her
marriage to your son.

The decision was theirs.

Was it?

12 years later you were
still manipulating her.

That isn't true.

Why else would she come to you
to discuss her adultery then?

For help.

And you thought
using photographs

to shame her into submission
would do the trick?

There are consequences
to behavior.

Dorothy was putting
her marriage in jeopardy.

Oh, I think she was putting a
lot more than that in jeopardy.

Reputation.

Fame.

A million dollar
self-help business.

Her divorce from your son
would have ended all that.

You can't foresee suicide.

Oh, come on, Dr. Graham.

Your daughter-in-law had
a prior suicide attempt.

She was depressed,
abusing drugs,

engaged in a sexual relationship

that threatened her
marriage and career.

She'd just sent her only child
off to boarding school.

Are you saying
that you couldn't tell

that her emotional
wheels had come off?

Dorothy made her own choice.

I think you simply
disregarded these facts

because they challenged the
very value of your program.

I never forced my daughter-in-law
to kill herself.

I told her the
affair had to stop.

She refused to listen.

I had to take matters
into my own hands.

She was in the bathroom crying.

I came up behind her
with the bathrobe tie

and I strangled her.

(AUDIENCE MURMURING)

(GAVEL STRIKING)

I keep telling you,

you can't count on suicide.

Who uses a murder confession
as a defense to manslaughter?

Someone with nothing to lose.

He figures if he can get one
juror to believe it was murder,

he buys himself reasonable
doubt on manslaughter.

You understand that if I allow this
case to go to the jury on man two,

double jeopardy precludes any
future prosecution for murder.

I don't suppose
there's a guilty plea

to go along with your
client's confession?

I'm afraid not.

Well, let's call his bluff.
Add a murder count.

If he really wants to play
pin the tail on the donkey,

then let's give the jury
some place to put it.

As satisfying as that
might be, Miss Carmichael,

I can't allow charges
to be added at this point

without defense
counsel's consent.

The People have rested
their case, Your Honor.

Of course, you could always
move to dismiss this case.

Re-indict for
manslaughter and murder,

and take your chances
with a new trial.

Charging him on both
counts only makes us look

like we don't know
what really happened.

Mr. Billings would
drive a truck

through the reasonable
doubt that creates.

Besides, what's to prevent
him from taking the stand

in the next trial and
claiming that it was suicide,

and he only lied here
to protect himself?

My client seems to have put you
between a rock and a hard place.

Not that hard.

This man manipulates every
situation to his advantage.

Lies when it suits him,

now confesses to a crime
that he didn't commit

in order to avoid conviction
for one that he did.

Only this time, I have an M.E.'s
report and a suicide note.

Tell your client we
didn't bite, Counselor.

I have no intention
of dropping this case.

Your client's going
to jail for what he did.

BILLINGS: No juror's duty

may ever be as difficult

as the one you're being
asked to do today.

But the law of a case
must come from the judge.

And your oath as a juror
to follow that law

must overcome any urge
you might have to ignore it.

My client's confessed to murder.

Yet Her Honor will instruct you
that all you are to determine

is whether Dorothy Graham
committed suicide,

and if she did,

whether my client was
criminally responsible for it.

A fair jury cannot

base its decision
on what it fears

might be the outcome
of an acquittal.

If you have any
reasonable doubt

Dorothy Graham did
not commit suicide,

that she may have
been murdered,

your oath as a
juror requires you

to find my client not guilty.

It's that simple.

You cannot put yourselves
above the law.

Only one man's tried to
put himself above the law.

The defendant.

Everything in this case
points to suicide.

Her depression, her
recent abuse of drugs,

an inappropriate
sexual relationship,

a desperate attempt to place her
only child out of harm's way.

And the forensic evidence
tells us it was suicide.

The telltale V mark
under her chin,

described by the M.E.,
only caused by hanging.

Her prior suicide attempt.

Admissions by the defendant
the very night of the crime,

where he told his daughter
what had happened.

And finally,

the words of the victim
herself, the suicide note,

which describes the horror
of this defendant's

concept of marital bliss

and the victim's
resolve to escape it,

even if it meant death.

Remember the power he held

as her therapist to manipulate,

and the special
knowledge and skills

his training and relationship
gave him to make mischief.

Don't be fooled.

Don't allow him to escape responsibility
for a crime he did commit

with false confession
to one that he didn't.

And think about all the times
Dorothy Graham's pleas for help

went unanswered,

and answer them now.

Has the jury reached
a verdict in this case?

MAN: We have.
Go ahead.

We the jury in the
above titled action

on the charge of manslaughter
in the second degree

find the defendant guilty.

False confessions
Double jeopardy.

This guy thought he could
control the entire system.

He underestimated 12
people no one can control.

Maybe. But you're
forgetting one little item.

If he really did kill her,

then he just bought himself
one hell of a plea bargain.

Three years for murder.