Accused (2023) s01e04 Episode Script

Kendall's Story

1
Come on, Mr. Gomillion.
Time to go.
Put your hands in the air!
Put your hands in the air!
Pick it up, pick it up!
Pick it up, pick it up!
I came to rock I came to rock ♪
Everybody just drop, hey, hey! ♪
Everybody just drop ♪
I make it hot I make it hot ♪
I make it hot ♪
I make it hot ♪
- Everybody don't stop ♪
- Whoo!
Everybody don't stop
Put your hands in the air ♪
Put your hands in the air ♪
Pick it up pick it up ♪
Pick it up pick it up ♪
That's right.
That's Winton's very own.
You saw it here first.
You know how we get down.
To my brothers from another mother,
doin' that thing we've been
doin' since third grade,
killing the vocals.
- C'mon now!
- Whoo!
Man, you was rhyming your ass off.
We just playin' out here.
Speak for yourself, little brother.
Folks come out to see me too.
Hmm That was so great.
Yo, Kendall, you're the G.O.A.T.
with them 90s lyrics, man.
Every week!
Hey, Stevie, I appreciate you,
brother. Thank you.
Listen. I got laid off.
Money's kinda tight right now
so if you got somethin'
at the warehouse
Stevie, does it look like we
tryin' to talk about work now?
Ain't nobody talkin' to you, Lamar.
- No, but I'm talkin' to you.
- Okay.
Stevie, give me a call next week.
Something might be opening up.
You got heart, K. Always have.
- My man.
- Hello?
That cat is always beggin'. Always.
He's having a hard time, Lamar.
Damn.
Hey, babe, what's wrong?
- Amber.
- I'm sorry, Mrs. Gomillion.
Mr. and Mrs. Gomillion,
Detective Douglas.
We spoke earlier.
Where's our daughter?
Exam room.
Hey, Ingy, hey.
Daddy's here and Mommy's
here too. You okay?
I'm sorry about the squirrel.
The the squirrel?
What squirrel, honey?
At the park.
It looked hungry and I had
some chips in my backpack.
Dr. Mendez needs your parental consent
before she can examine Ingrid.
Honey, it's okay, you can go
over there with the doctor.
We'll be right here, okay?
Now wait a minute.
- I need to speak with you.
- Okay.
I can only imagine how hard
this must be for you to hear,
so I'll be as direct as I can be
about what we know so far.
Ingrid and the babysitter were
separated for about five minutes
and in that time, a perpetrator
grabbed Ingrid from behind,
pulled down her underwear
and touched her genitals.
No.
Apparently
the perpetrator ran away
when the babysitter
started calling Ingrid's name
but we got a good description,
and we're able to put out an APB.
But you will catch him?
You will be first to know when we do.
What the hell?
It's okay, honey.
Come on.
Come on, sweetie.
- Get Ingy inside.
- Okay.
Excuse me.
Me and my family need some
some space right now. Okay?
We just showing our support, K.
I know and I appreciate it
but the best way you can show
your support now is
by giving us our privacy.
- K.
- Alright, thanks.
No man, no.
I'll talk to him.
K.
K, K, wait up!
What were you thinking, Lamar,
telling everyone our business?
There are laws against
revealing the name of a child
who was assaulted.
Oh man, listen, I wasn't thinkin'.
Clearly.
Use some common sense, just once.
Hey, Alisa, go give Ingy
her bath, alright?
I'll see you in a second.
- Look, Alisa's
- No. It's cool, it's cool.
I get it.
I get it, man.
The police catch the guy who did this?
No.
They're still looking for him.
- White.
- Yeah.
How serious do you think
the police are gonna treat this?
I mean, if a white girl's molested,
they'd be all over it, but one of ours?
Man, the detective is black.
You really need me to explain
why black and blue's a problem?
What I don't need is
this police conspiracy talk
right now, Lamar, alright?
Alright, I got to go take care
of my daughter.
I'll see you in the mornin'.
- I'm sorry this happened.
- I know.
I know you are.
Alright, brother.
The water's nice and warm, honey.
You sure you don't want to get in?
It'll make you feel better.
Look at all these bubbles.
They're amazing bubbles.
That's a lot of bubble bath, isn't it?
This is your favorite.
You can make a big snow
bubblebath mountain.
These bubbles are the best bubbles.
You know if I hadn't pushed us
into goin' to karaoke
- this wouldn't have happened.
- No.
Let's not play the blame game.
It's my job to protect our daughter.
It's both our job.
Yeah, but it's it's different for me.
Why? 'Cause you're a man?
Because my father showed up for me,
my grandfather showed up for him,
and that's what I've been
trying to do for Ingy.
I know, baby,
but beating yourself up is not
going to help her or us.
I know.
You know, I've been thinking
we should put Ingy's catechism
off 'til next year.
She doesn't need that kind
of pressure right now.
No. How does she get her First Communion
without taking her final test
for catechism?
She's been studying for three months.
She can do it next year.
Except all her friends are doing it now.
It'll be worse if she misses out.
I'm gonna get her ready for bed.
Alright.
Please describe for the court
Kendall Gomillion's behavior
during your investigation.
Hmm.
Detective?
It's a complicated question.
Then I'll simplify.
Would you characterize
the defendant's behavior as aggressive?
Well, Mr. Gomillion was
a concerned father
with a ten-year-old daughter
who was sexually assaulted.
Telephone records show that
he called and texted you 15 times
in the eight hours following
his daughter's assault.
I probably would have done the same.
Were you ever concerned that
his behavior would turn violent?
That his obsession would lead
to the aggravated homicide that
he stands accused of today?
Yo.
Louise dropped these off this morning.
- I don't want 'em.
- Oh.
Mechell needs to sign off on this,
you mind taking it to her?
- Sure.
- Thank you.
How's Ingy doing?
She has her final catechism
tonight, she's studying.
I didn't ask you what she was
doing, I said how is she.
Man, I spent the night
watching her sleep.
She had a couple of bad dreams.
She was mumbling things
I couldn't understand.
At the hospital they, um
they told us that
she should see a therapist.
Alisa and I are going to talk
to one later on.
Did you ever hear from your
boy, uh, Mister Detective?
He's an overseer.
What, Trent Douglas, right?
He was there when that white cop
killed Omar Keelings.
Looked the other way when a young
black man was beat to death.
Now if he didn't stand up for Omar,
what makes you think
he gonna stand up for Ingy?
She ain't never gonna be
in front of mind of any of them.
It's only been 12 hours, Lamar.
Twelve, twenty-four, man,
how much longer you gonna wait?
Another day? Another week?
The only way we get justice is
by getting it ourselves.
You sound crazy.
All I got to do is gather a few
of my boys down to the park,
tell them to look for that
white boy and we be alright.
Damn, man, are you are you
lookin' to go back to prison?
Because that's exactly where
you headed you talkin' like that.
You're the same kid
I met on the playground,
you were always looking for a fight.
You the same, too, K.
Always trying to find the good
in people that ain't there.
Thanks for the donuts, man.
You've reached the voicemail
of Detective Trent Douglas.
Mr. Gomillion.
I left you voicemail messages.
I've sent you texts.
You haven't responded at all
so I came to see you myself.
I was hoping to have
an update for you first.
Well, do you? Do you have any updates?
Please. Come in. Have a seat.
Mr. Gomillion, we're
canvassing the park,
the neighborhood, going through CCTV.
Everything that we possibly
can be doing, we're doing.
- But in the meantime
- Have you contacted the local news
so more people know
who you're looking for?
You want this guy locked up, I get that.
I just want to make sure
you want him locked up.
And I want you to tell me, man to man,
that you are not going
to look away from my daughter
like you did Omar Keelings.
Because that's what everybody
said you did.
I'm not gonna waste your time or mine
justifying what I did
or didn't do back then.
You have my word.
I'm going to do everything
that can be done
to find the man
who assaulted your daughter.
When we are baptized,
we get grace and can live
with God in heaven.
However, when we sin,
we can lose our grace.
If we lose our grace,
we become separated from God.
Ingy, it's okay.
Let's try it again.
I don't want to.
Hey. Hey
Look at me.
You've got this. Okay?
Alright? Let's let's start again.
Come on.
That's good for now, sweetie.
In case you decide to wear it.
What do you mean, "in case?"
Can we talk?
You good?
Okay. I'll be right back.
What's up?
- She's not up to this.
- She said she was.
Because she knows that's
what you want to hear.
She wants to please you.
And I'm trying to help her
through this, Alisa, the best I can.
- C'mon now.
- Don't raise your voice, okay?
You're right. You're right, I'm sorry.
But look, trust me on this, okay?
- Just trust me.
- Okay.
Come in.
Uncle Lamar is here for you, Daddy.
Oh, what's up man?
- Come on.
- Hey, no, come here.
Come here. I found him, K.
White dude that touched Ingy.
What are you talking about?
I had David give a few of
these to my boys
and they went down
to Winton Park and they
Lamar, I told you to leave it alone.
I know what you told me
but I found him, K.
The guy on the poster,
got a tattoo on his arm.
- Who're you calling?
- Detective Douglas.
Man, put the phone down.
Hey, put it down!
Before you call the police,
let's just go over there
and see if it's him.
We don't want to call the police
on the wrong white dude, right?
Ingy's catechism is in two hours.
You'll make it back in time.
You'll make it back.
- Hey K.
- Where is he?
Playground.
Don't tell me you lost him.
- He had on a green sweatshirt.
- Seriously?!
He was there like five minutes ago.
Then he's still here somewhere.
- Spread out.
- Yeah.
Okay. Turn around.
Ah
that dress looks a lot better
on you than it did on me.
Are you sure you're up for this?
'Cause if you're not, it's okay.
- I could do it.
- Okay.
Take it off before it
gets wrinkled, okay?
Hey, I was just about to call you.
We're supposed to be at the
church in 20 minutes.
I know, Alisa, I'm sorry. I'm still
dealing with this work thing.
Kendall, you're the one
who talked her into this.
I know. Listen, I will meet
you at the church, okay?
Alisa?
Fine. Hurry up.
Alright, that's it. You have to
drop me off at the church now.
- Just a couple more minutes.
- No, now.
K, I'll get you back in time.
Stop talking and keep walkin'.
Hey, hey. Wait, wait.
Hey, that's him!
Alright, I'm calling Detective Douglas.
So he can look the other way
like he did Omar Keelings?
This us-against-the-world
business is tired, Lamar.
We're not 17 anymore.
You want justice for
your daughter or not?
C'mon.
Check his arm! Check his arm.
He's got the tattoo! It's him!
No! Please!
You know what he did.
The same thing he'll do
to someone else's daughter.
- Hit him!
- No. Please.
Hit him.
No, please. Aah!
That's all you got, K?
Alright, enough.
Don't stop. Don't stop!
Enough! Enough!
Let's go.
That's what we do to pedophiles!
Who you callin'?
Man, who you callin'?
Aaah!
Shut up!
Hey, leave him alone.
Alright, let's leave him,
let's leave him.
C'mon, bro. Leave him, man, c'mon.
Man, what the hell were you thinkin'?
What'd you thought I was gonna
do? Slap him on the wrist?
We did the right thing, K.
We all did.
Man, come on. Come on. Come on!
Thank you all for coming
to support our young people tonight,
but before we begin,
let's all take a deep breath.
Hold it.
And then let it go.
Now we can all enjoy the silence
of this sacred space
to consider the first part of the
catechism: Profession of Faith.
Because it's faith that
defines us as a community
and binds us together,
especially when bad things happen.
And it's our faith that
reminds us to trust in Him
so that we don't have
to carry the pain and the anger
that we all sometimes feel.
What is sin?
Can you tell us, Ingrid?
Uh
You can refer to your workbook
if that's easier.
It's okay, honey. Take your time.
Mom, how did I do?
You did amazing tonight.
Honey, go put your PJs on, okay?
Hey, I'm
I'm so sorry, baby.
Daddy had a work emergency,
Mommy told you that, right?
You know, if I could have been
there I would have.
I know.
Honey, go put your PJs on, okay?
I'll be in there shortly.
I
I'm so sorry, Alisa.
Kendall, when you say
you're gonna show up
for that little girl in there,
- you show up.
- I do show up!
I work very hard for this family, Alisa.
I am not disputing that.
Every penny I earn goes toward
building a future that we said
I know that. Ingy knows it too.
How was she?
She was a little bumpy at the start,
you know, then she rallied.
She was good.
And I'm
I'm really happy that you encouraged
her to go through with it.
Yeah.
We're gonna be fine, Kendall.
Mornin'.
- Morning, sleepy head.
- Good mornin'.
Man, that was the first time
I've slept since forever.
You were just sleeping so sound
I didn't have the heart to wake you.
- Oh well, thank you.
- You're welcome.
Listen, I know you wanted
to take Ingrid to school,
but I can take her
on the way to the hospital.
I want Daddy to drive me.
Daddy is driving you.
What are you talkin' about?
Mmm
What is in these pancakes that
got them tasting so good, Momma?
Oh no, it's a secret.
Mommies don't keep secrets from daddies.
No, they do not.
Okay, fine.
I'll get that. Be right back.
Secrets
Detective.
Sorry for ambushing you like this.
Uh, may I come in?
Yeah. Yeah, sure. Come on in.
Thank you.
Mrs. Gomillion.
- Ingrid.
- Hi.
Can I have a word with you,
Mr. Gomillion? I won't be long.
Yeah. Yeah, sure.
I can take Ingrid to school.
Honey, Daddy will take you
to school tomorrow.
Come on. Get your backpack.
- Have a good day at school, baby.
- Bye.
Ingrid seems good.
Yeah, yeah.
She's um she's resilient.
Well, she's got parents
who'd do anything for her.
Well, detective, I have
to get to work soon,
so do you mind telling me
what's going on?
We have news about the man
we believe assaulted your daughter.
A jogger found him late
last night in Winton Park.
Unconscious, multiple
contusions all over his body.
By the time the EMTs got there
he was dead.
Are you sure it was him?
We're still waiting for his
mother to make a positive ID.
She's coming in from Cleveland.
But he matches
your daughter's description.
Clyde Ellman.
Short-order cook.
Doing that kind of harm to a man's body
takes some real anger.
Do you have any idea
who might have done this?
Why're you asking me?
The first question a homicide
cop asks is who's got motive.
So what you're really
asking is if I did it.
Did you?
No.
Because it struck me as a little odd
when I heard you missed your
daughter's catechism last night.
How do you know that?
Father Southgate.
I was at work. We had a work emergency.
Yeah, place must've been on fire.
I know how much Ingrid means to you.
Well, the job pays the mortgage.
I hear that. Yeah.
You have someone who can
confirm that you were at work?
Yeah. Sure.
Well, you have their
contact information?
Yeah, Lamar and David Perry.
We were all at the warehouse together.
Well, send me their contact information.
I'm good for now.
Thanks for letting me know.
Anything comes up, you've got my number.
Yeah.
He wanted us to hear it from him first
before we saw it on the news.
Does he know who did it
or why he was m
Uh, he didn't say and I didn't ask.
You didn't ask? You're not curious?
Honey, you've been all over him
since it happened.
Alisa, look, I just got
to work and I'm late.
We'll talk about it later, okay?
Kendall?
Lamar, David, in my office right now.
Close the door.
He's dead.
The guy in the park.
We killed him.
Detective Douglas came by my house.
He knew about Ingy's catechism,
and he knew I wasn't there.
He even asked me point blank
if I did it.
What'd you say?
Told him I was here
at the warehouse with you two.
Okay. Then we're good.
He's not done. He's gonna
reach out to you both.
And we'll say exactly
what you just said.
I don't know, man.
I think we need to just
tell him it was an accident.
I mean, we didn't mean to kill the guy.
- You think he'll believe us?
- It's the truth.
Hey, yo, that punk ass cop
can suspect all he wants.
If he had any real evidence,
you'd already be locked up.
I ain't goin' back to prison.
I'll die before I go back.
We we killed a man.
A man who needed killing.
- Who molested your daughter!
- Put a pause on that, Lamar.
All this talk about the police,
and me defending my daughter
and gettin' her justice,
that's why we're into this right now.
So now you puttin' this on me?
- Yeah, I'm puttin' it on you.
- Stop it. Both of you!
The last thing we need is
to be gettin' at each other.
You know what? He's right, K.
Listen, we just stick to our stories,
watch each other's backs,
and this'll all blow over.
Okay?
Trust me.
Okay?
- Yeah.
- We good?
Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
when I am uncertain what I should do,
guide me along your path.
Help me to be attentive to your voice
as you guide me through life.
For you are my Savior,
you have rescued me from sin.
Shine the light of your love into me.
Bring clarity to my mind
through your mighty name.
- Amen.
- Amen.
I just left your house.
Show me how
Your wife said I might find you here.
Protect me from darkness and dispair.
We look to you to find the true way.
You went to my house?
After I talked to your boys.
You all go way back, huh?
We grew up together.
Yeah, they said what you said.
That you were all together
when Clyde Ellman was beaten to death.
Cool, then what else
do you need to hear?
How about the truth?
I get this whole
Three-Musketeer loyalty thing,
but you don't need me to tell you
that Lamar's spinning in circles,
going nowhere?
And his brother, David, c'mon
is he always so jittery?
Cops make black men nervous.
You should know that.
Here's what I do know.
Three people telling the same
story doesn't make it true.
But it does make it easier
to take that story apart.
Reading people, that's my job.
And my read is,
you're a good man
caught up in a bad situation.
I told you before
And I am telling you now,
if the law cuts you any slack at all,
it'll be because you told me
what happened that night.
What really happened.
I am your last best chance
to get through this.
The forensic report comes in tomorrow.
And there's no way
that a beating like that
doesn't have hard evidence.
So whoever did this will go down.
The only question is how hard they fall.
So let me help you, Mr. Gomillion.
And who knows?
Maybe you'll even get to walk
Ingrid down the aisle.
I told you already.
I had a work emergency.
Yo, you think Kendall told him?
I've been calling you for three hours.
I thought you you'd be sleeping,
I didn't want to wake you.
You thought I'd be sleeping?
Now tell me why that detective
came here a second time
and why weren't you
answering your phone.
And Kendall, please don't even
think of lying to me.
I wasn't at work.
The night of Ingy's catechism
I was with Lamar and David
in Winton Park
because they said they had found
the man who molested Ingrid.
Oh God, Kendall.
I only went down there
to make sure it was really him.
You know Lamar loves
to stretch the truth.
So we were just gonna hold him
until the police came
but then he started running
and we chased him down
and Lamar started beating him.
You didn't stop him?
Did you even try?
Lamar had me so wound up about
what that man did to our little girl,
I started hittin' him too.
Oh, Kendall, no.
And it felt good.
Until it didn't.
And I stopped and I swear to you, Alisa,
I swear on my life,
the man wasn't that bad.
But then Lamar, he kept kicking him
and he wouldn't stop.
And it took me and David
to both pull him off the man,
and even then I didn't think he was
Kendall.
I went to
Father Southgate,
to ask him what I should do.
I couldn't bring myself to tell him.
So I just kept walking
and I wound up in Winton Park.
Okay. You know what?
It's it's it's gonna
be alright, baby.
Okay.
You listen to me,
you're gonna tell that detective
everything you just told me.
I can't.
I can't do it, Alisa.
Me, Lamar and David,
we said we were together.
- We were each other's alibis.
- No. No!
Lamar took that man's life, not you.
He took a life that wasn't his to take.
Lamar will die
if he goes back to prison.
And is he wor
is he worth your daughter
growing up without a father?
He's my best friend, Alisa.
Lamar has not been your friend
in a long time.
You give and he takes.
And now he's made you
an accessory to murder.
Stop yelling. You woke me up.
Hey, I'm sorry, sweetie.
Alright, just go back to bed,
okay? It's okay.
It's okay.
No, Father, I'm I'm fine.
I'll be fine.
- I'll be here if you need me.
- Yeah, okay.
- Thanks.
- Goodbye.
Uh, Father Southgate has to
give someone their last rites.
But we're gonna go in without him
and he'll get here when he gets here.
- Okay.
- Alright.
Alright.
Okay.
Excuse me.
We're here to see Detective Douglas.
Kendall Gomillion.
- Have a seat.
- Thanks.
Hey
you know that your whole life,
you've done everything right.
Except this this one time
and you are making it right.
You know you are doing the right thing.
I can't have Ingy hating me.
Uh! She will never hate you.
She will understand that
her daddy made a mistake,
and that he did the right thing
by facing up to it.
She may not get it right away,
but she will in time.
I will make sure of that, baby.
Okay? I promise.
- Thank you.
- I love you.
Hey, sweetie.
Uh, hey, detective, uh, listen,
I I wasn't forthcoming earlier
but I am here to set
the record straight.
I'm willing to take whatever
I've got coming to me.
I'm just hoping that you can
help me like you said.
I'm not sure I can help you anymore.
Wha what do you mean?
I'm sorry, Mrs. Gomillion.
I really tried to help. I really tried.
Wait, wait, I don't understand.
What changed?
What did what did he tell you?
What what did you tell them?
Mr. Gomillion, you're under arrest
for the murder of Clyde Ellman.
- No!
- What did he tell you?
Officer Martin will read you
your Miranda Rights.
- You have the right to remain silent
- Lamar, what did you tell him?
Kendall was real messed up
after what happened to Ingrid
and and and he kept talkin' about
how the police wasn't gonna do anything,
and he had to to to
take control of things himself.
By hunting down Clyde Ellman
and beating him to death?
Nah He told us
that he just wanted to hold onto the man
until the police came but
He beat him to death instead.
Mr. Mingoe?
Yeah.
Yeah, he he he beat him to death.
I'll bring you in as soon as
your lawyer gets here.
Thank you, Detective.
A friend who has given y'all
as much as Kendall has,
it must be hard,
turning in a friend like that.
It's hard as hell.
I'll call your lawyer.
You know this ain't right, man.
It was him or me.
What about Ingrid?
- What about Alisa?
- What about me?
I'm your brother. You keep
talkin' about Kendall.
What about your blood?
We've heard from Detective
Douglas and your brother
about Mr. Gomillion's
anger and obsession.
Is that how you would characterize
Mr. Gomillion's state of mind?
- Yes, sir.
- And yet
you believed him when he told
you that all he wanted to do
was detain Mr. Ellman
until the police arrived.
- I did.
- Why?
Well, Kendall's always been
true to his word.
I mean, the man has
23 people working for him,
never misses church, owns his own home,
so when he went after
that man like a pitbull,
- I didn't know what
- That's a lie.
I won't tolerate any
disruptions in my courtroom.
But you'll tolerate his lies?
Counsel, please continue.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Can you tell the court why
you covered for Mr. Gomillion?
I was scared.
- Scared?
- Yeah.
After I saw what he was capable of,
I didn't want to take any risks
at betraying him.
You lying son of a
Order.
- I will kill you.
- Kendall, no!
- You hear me.
- Please!
I will kill you, Lamar!
I'll kill you, Lamar.
I swear it. I will kill
you, you hear me.
This is my family, Lamar!
This court is adjourned until
I have order in my courtroom!
You did this, Lamar. This is my family!
I will kill you.
Do you hear me? I will kill you.
- Calm down, sir.
- I will kill you.
You did this.
Alright, let's go.
C.P.D.
Officers, I'd like to have
a moment with Mr. Gomillion.
I believe you, Kendall.
I believe your friends lied,
and I believe you told the truth
but you just had too many things
workin' against you.
I should've taken the chance
you gave me, so it's on me.
Ah no, we all make mistakes. All of us.
I looked away once
and a young black man
paid the price.
Omar Keelings
He never got justice
because I looked away
and I'm not gonna let that happen again.
I'm gonna keep looking
until I break that story.
Until I find whatever I need
to find to make this right.
You have my word.
- I'll do what I can for him.
- Thank you.
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