Law & Order (1990) s09e07 Episode Script
Venom
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.
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING) If I ever again agree to attend another charity concert, please break this thumb.
They're donating their time.
It didn't help with you snoring along out of tune.
Maybe if the sopranos removed one piece of clothing with each aria.
You have no idea how lucky we were to get tickets.
Maria Matera hasn't performed outside of Europe (GUNSHOT) (GRUNTING) Oh, God! We heard a loud bang, and there they were.
We didn't see anyone else.
Nobody ran out of the alley? No.
And we were in there right away.
The door to the alley goes through the building and out onto 55th Street.
You checked it out? I used to wait in that alley to try and get autographs.
(CHATTER ON POLICE RADIO) Meet Stuart Wattman.
His driver's license says he's 52.
Shot once through the chest.
He was dead when the uniforms showed up.
What about the woman? Lianne Crosby, 44.
She was rolled to Beth Eden E.
R.
Shoulder wound.
Anybody talk to her? She was unconscious.
One shot, two down? Through him, through the girlfriend.
Found a.
357 slug here.
You should take a look at the tunnel it left through this guy.
I'll take your word for it.
Hmm, the shooter didn't have time to take his gold watch.
No time for the wallet, or the lady's purse either.
Maybe he had all the time he needed.
Stuart went out for a cigarette.
I went to join him.
I heard Stuart arguing with someone.
Who with? I don't know.
I stepped into the alley, there was a loud bang.
Next thing, paramedics were putting me on a stretcher.
Was it a mugging? We don't think so.
Uh How long have you and Mr.
Wattman been dating? Dating! Stuart Wattman? No.
Stuart was a walker.
Uh, an escort.
I'm a widow.
Stuart was just an arm to hang on to.
And what were you to him? A free ticket.
A ride.
My driver and I picked him up.
BRISCOE: What time was that? didn't make it to the concert in time.
Did Stuart ever talk about having problems with anybody? No.
We kept the conversation very light.
Stuart had a complicated life.
Complicated how? Well, he tried telling me about his boyfriends once, but I couldn't follow it.
SUPER: Look at this place.
I thought this guy was loaded.
I mean, he always had a suit and a tie on.
So do I.
Yeah, but the women this guy got, real high-class stuff.
They'd come to pick him up.
Well, from what we understood, Wattman was gay.
Mr.
Wattman? No way.
The other night, outside, he had this argument with some guy over a broad named Pamela.
This guy was pissed.
Who was this other guy? I don't know.
Some famous guy.
Orenstein.
Uh, I see his picture in the paper all the time.
Orenstein? Jeremy Orenstein? Poor Lianne Crosby.
Her husband drowns, Crosby Maritime nosedives on the NASDAQ, and now this.
Talk about bad luck.
Stuart Wattman, now that's bad luck.
Well, yes, yes.
Stuart.
What was your relationship with him? My relationship? I set an example for Stuart.
But the poor man never had the right equipment.
I beg your pardon? Uh Stuart always wore the same two Calvin Klein tuxedos.
I have seven, Armanis, Zegnas, and a custom one by Loro Piana.
(LIGHTER CLICKING) And cufflinks.
You can never have enough cufflinks.
Stuart never had enough, or the proper kind.
You got close enough to check? When you're a walker, you develop an eye for such things.
A witness saw you and Stuart having an argument about three days ago outside his apartment.
I wouldn't be surprised.
Over some woman named Pamela? That's between Stuart and me.
And now, us.
All right.
Pamela Marks told me that Stuart hit her up for 20 grand.
A loan, which I'm sure he was never going to repay.
How is that any of your business? Pamela told me Stuart threatened to spread nasty rumors about her.
For a walker, that's very bad form.
Who said anything about $20,000? The same person who told us Mr.
Wattman threatened to spread rumors about you.
Mrs.
Marks, if we have to dig this up on our own Now you're threatening me? All I'm saying is, if you play ball with us, we'll keep a lid on things.
Stuart knew about my husband's and my Special interests.
What do you mean, "Special"? We have a vacation home in Mustique.
I'm attracted to the local talent.
We're not talking about limbo dancing.
No.
Paul, my husband, he likes to watch.
This is beyond embarrassing.
Did your husband know that Wattman was shaking you down? Yes.
Does he own a gun? Of course not.
Where was he last night? With me, at the Temple of Dendur at the Met.
There was a benefit auction.
You're sure he was with you all night? Yes.
I kept him on a tight leash.
I thought Stuart was going to be there.
Was he scheduled to be there? I heard he was walking Bunny Malone to the auction.
I thought there might be a scene.
Imagine my relief when Bunny showed up with Bill Blass.
Bunny Malone confirmed she gave Stuart the heave-ho at 7:30.
So until then, Mr.
Wattman didn't know he was going to the concert.
Neither would whoever shot him.
They'd be waiting for him at the auction.
Well, what calls did he make after Ms.
Malone dumped him? LUDs show four.
Probably trolling for a date.
His last call was Lianne Crosby.
So that's when he found out he was gonna be at the concert.
Maybe the shooter followed him from his apartment.
Mrs.
Crosby picked him up in her car, doorman didn't see anybody waiting.
Well, who knew Lianne Crosby was going to the concert? She got her tickets three weeks ago.
And she was just an innocent bystander to the shooting? CURTIS: So she says.
See if the lab rats can straighten it out.
A walker is supposed to hold the door, hold your coat, and hold his tongue.
I hear Stuart was two for three.
Probably what got him killed.
We don't think he was the intended victim.
What do you mean? Our lab technicians found your blood on the front of Mr.
Wattman's jacket.
I don't follow.
Well, it seems Mr.
Wattman was behind you.
You were facing the shooter.
Simply put, Mrs.
Crosby, it didn't happen the way you said it did.
I turned the corner, I got shot.
I I don't know who was where.
Maybe you should tell us who'd want to hurt you.
There's no one.
BRISCOE: Mrs.
Crosby, whoever tried to kill you is liable to do it again.
Who'd want me killed? I have no enemies.
Go.
Charming as she is, she's full of it.
The Orenstein guy said the Crosby family business took a bath on Wall Street.
That's gotta make for a lot of unhappy people.
Lianne sold every share she inherited from Henry Crosby.
Investors panicked.
The stock fell Why'd she sell? Since her husband died.
She felt the company wasn't a safe bet anymore.
CURTIS: Was she right? (LAUGHS) No.
Oppenheimer's moved us from a hold to a buy.
So, a lot of people lost their money for nothing.
Yes.
If Lianne hadn't been distracted, she might have realized that she was making a mistake.
Distracted by what, her husband's death? She seems to have gotten over that.
She's been seeing someone since just after Mr.
Crosby died.
How do you know this? The Crosby family keeps a yacht at Surfside Marina.
The company charters it for business purposes.
Mrs.
Crosby has been using it for other purposes.
Kline tell you that? I should've known.
Open your yap to a suit, it comes right back to bite you in the ass.
Pays to be discreet, huh? Mr.
Kline wanted to know how often Mrs.
Crosby used the boat.
What was I supposed to say? What did you say? I told him.
Every other week.
She spends a couple of hours.
Her driver drops her off in the afternoon.
And her boyfriend, what, he swims in? He drives a motorcycle.
A kid in his 20s.
You know his name? No.
License plate on the bike? Don't know.
It was an old English bike.
What the Tommies used in World War II.
How long they been meeting? Since three months ago.
And the last time? Week ago.
I heard this screaming coming from the boat, and then the kid gets on his bike and drives off.
Looked like somebody spit in his breakfast.
Am I speaking on a frequency you can't hear? I've told you.
Whoever it was shot at Stuart, not me.
Maybe we're the ones who aren't getting through, Mrs.
Crosby.
We know you've been having an affair ever since your husband died.
Where did you hear that? A witness has seen you with a young man every other week on your boat.
I want the name of this witness.
BRISCOE: You had an argument last week with this young man.
I did not.
Is this what you do with our tax dollars, dredge up gossip? Look, you're not helping yourself by protecting him.
I have a plane to catch.
Mrs.
Crosby What? I can't leave? Sure.
Just, uh, in case we need you, you mind telling us where you're going? Saratoga Springs.
The sooner the better.
A World War II era English bike? Yeah.
He said the kind the British army used to ride.
This guy would know? He looks like he could've been there for D-Day.
He said it was painted a flat olive green, no chrome and, uh, cat's eye headlamp.
BSA M20.
Not too many of those in the U.
S.
How many we talking about? Fully restored? I wouldn't know.
Maybe my database has something.
We scan in the classifieds of motorcycle magazines and newspapers.
Lots of stolen bikes and parts get unloaded through the classifieds.
Here we go.
Ad six weeks ago, Vintage Wheels magazine.
"Wanted, rebuilt carb for war-era BSA M20.
"Also front fender license blade.
" "Dennis.
" Manhattan number.
Sorry to keep you waiting, Detectives.
Why do you want to speak to Denny? Uh, he placed an ad in a motorcycle magazine.
And they gave us his name, Mrs Pollock.
And which one are you? Curtis? Briscoe.
We just wanted to make sure it was the same Dennis Pollock who placed the ad.
Uh, does he own an antique motorcycle? Yes.
Is anything wrong? No.
We just need to talk to him.
He's at work.
At the Thomas W.
Hookstratten Foundation.
Named for my late husband.
What do you want to talk to Denny about? Well, we'd rather discuss it with your son.
My son? Dennis is my husband.
Excuse me.
Are we talking about the same guy? Mid-twenties, rides a BSA M20? That's right.
He's 27.
And sometimes I ride on the back.
Excuse me.
Hey, she's a beautiful woman.
DENNIS: Joyce called to tell me you wanted to talk to me.
Something about my motorcycle Well, not quite.
Uh, do you know a Lianne Crosby? I know the name.
Why? Mr.
Pollock, we'll get along a lot better if we play straight with each other.
You've been seen with Mrs.
Crosby on her boat in the Surfside Marina every other week for the past few months.
If you're going to accuse me of cheating on my wife, the least you could do is keep your voice down.
Yes, I've been to the Surfside Marina to look at boats for sale as a surprise for my wife.
If that's your story.
So where were you last Thursday night? I was home.
Why, what happened? Someone tried to shoot Mrs.
Crosby and ended up killing her escort instead.
Yeah.
Just a week after you were seen having an argument with her, on her boat.
That's not possible.
I've never even met her.
Where was your wife Thursday? She was at home, with me.
What are you implying? Well, if we got the wrong impression about you and Lianne Crosby, maybe your wife did, too.
Can someone verify that she was at home? I can.
MAN: Mr.
Pollock? Excuse me, I have people waiting for me.
You're trying to tell me Joyce Pollock took a shot at How old is she? Widowed three years ago with 40 million bucks.
And her new husband's 27? Damn.
Some girls are just born lucky.
This one might be ready to kill to hang on to her little stroke of luck.
With a.
357? Her father was lieutenant governor of Idaho.
Here's a picture of her hunting elk at age 12.
She own any guns now? We put in a request for permits.
All this assuming there was an affair.
BRISCOE: The dockmaster said the only boat the kid was interested in was Lianne Crosby's.
Especially the cabin.
What's this? "Joyce Pollock has announced the appointment of Dennis Pollock "to the post of president of Hookstratten Foundation.
" Yeah, I bet she's sorry now.
Maybe not.
This is dated after Lianne Crosby was shot.
After Joyce would've known about the affair.
Mrs.
Pollock felt that Dennis had earned the job because he singlehandedly engineered the sale of our timber lands to the state of Maine.
It was a huge windfall for the foundation.
You sound impressed.
Well, the kid's come a long way.
When Joyce met him, he was sort of dabbling in antiques.
Is Mrs.
Pollock still impressed with him? (SIGHING) What do you mean? Well, any sign of trouble in the marriage? Oh, no, no, no.
To the contrary.
They're very much in love.
And Joyce has full confidence in Dennis.
You writing a press release? (LAUGHS) Listen, uh, a few weeks ago, Joyce had a very close call.
A broken gas heater in their country house nearly killed her.
Was Dennis with her? No, no.
He was up in Maine on business.
But he drove all night to be with her.
It frightened him.
Your point being? There was a pre-nup that kept Dennis away from the Hookstratten money.
Joyce realized just how much Dennis really loved her and tore it up.
When was this? Well, she signed an ovation two days ago.
Sounds like Denny Pollock has it made.
And if Lianne Crosby tried to upset the apple cart for him You think that's what they were arguing about on the boat? It's a possibility.
List of gun permits for Joyce Pollock.
Nine handguns? She's Charlton Heston's pinup gal.
There's a.
357 in there.
Well, maybe if we say please, she'll let us take a look at it.
I'd wait until she's not there, then ask the help.
There's two more in the master bedroom.
BRISCOE: There, .
357.
It's dusty.
(SNIFFING) Lots of oil.
This thing hasn't been fired in a long time.
Were you here on Thursday night last week? I left at 8:30.
I put dinner in the fridge for Mrs.
Pollock.
She was upstairs.
And where was Mr.
Pollock? Uh, he was here, too.
Where? (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY) I'm not sure.
Uh, watching TV.
You really want to lie to the police? No.
He called at 7:00.
I answered the phone.
He was at the motorcycle garage.
Woolly Pierce? Don't pay any attention to them, Mr.
Nelson.
They're cops, probably sent here by one of my exes.
Actually, it's about Denny Pollock.
Man up front says you help him work on his bike.
Keep loosening that clutch.
Try not to chip your fingernails.
They enjoy the abuse? Part of the outlaw biker mystique.
All included in the hourly rate.
So what's up with Denny? He use the wrong spoon for his soup? We're investigating him for a homicide.
Did you work with him a week ago, Thursday night? That was a long time ago.
Yeah.
Same vintage as your prison record, huh? You want to add to it by being a smartass? Last Thursday, what time did he leave? Must've been around 8:00.
Who'd he shoot? CURTIS: What makes you think he shot anybody? 'Cause he told me he wanted to get his hands on a piece.
And did he? Some of the bikers that come through here ain't as law abiding as me.
I heard he got himself one.
CURTIS: You hear what kind? .
357.
BRISCOE: It's all over for you except for the paperwork.
We're gonna find the gun, we're gonna match it to the bullets.
You might as well give it up and make a good impression on the D.
A.
Look, you tried to save your marriage, right? That's going to be worth something.
BRISCOE: You have this lovely wife, your biggest fan.
Practically handed you the keys to the kingdom, and this bitch, Lianne, was gonna screw it up.
There was nothing going on between us.
Come on, Denny.
She was gonna make a fool out of you.
Yeah? No guy should have to put up with that.
Say hello to Mr.
Pollock's lawyer.
Are you all right? My client is invoking his right to silence.
The search of his office and home didn't turn up a gun.
But his secretary told Lamotte that she placed a call for him yesterday to Adirondack Air.
The guy was gonna head for the hills.
Well, the airline booked six reservations around the time Denny called, but none in the name of Pollock.
Okay, thanks.
The person we couldn't reach was some phony number.
An Alex Robson.
He booked a round trip to Saratoga Springs for tomorrow.
That ring a bell? Lianne Crosby is up in Saratoga Springs.
There's also a motel room reserved in the name of Alex Robson.
The kid was gonna finish off Lianne Crosby.
Well, how was he gonna get a gun on a plane? Call that motel, see if they have a package waiting for Mr.
Robson.
METZLER: Well, about time.
You all have a nice nap? We've been busy, Mr.
Metzler.
Stand up, Mr.
Pollock.
Why? What's going on? VAN BUREN: We found a gun your husband had shipped to a motel in Saratoga Springs.
A.
357 magnum.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, huh, kiddo? Don't answer him, Dennis.
Make sure I get it right, Counselor.
Hey, Dennis Pollock, you're under arrest for murder.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be Ballistics confirmed the.
357 found at the motel was the one used to kill Stuart Wattman.
The gun in the package addressed to Alex Robson.
Latent find any prints on the package? A dozen prints, none of them belonging to Dennis.
The package was dropped off at a FedEx service center in midtown, paid for with cash.
And the flight reserved by Alex Robson? Guaranteed with a credit card in the name of Alex Robson.
The police are looking into it.
Terrific.
Why aren't we looking for this Alex Robson? Because our shooter is Dennis Pollock.
He must've gotten his hands on some phony ID, probably from the same source that sold him his gun.
Self-confidence is a wonderful thing.
When you have a minute, please inform Ms.
Carmichael of all the good works the Hookstratten Foundation has done for the city.
Right.
Then I'll show her the memo listing all the prominent New Yorkers immune from prosecution.
Either put that gun in Mr.
Pollock's hands or concede the motion to dismiss.
The bank said the credit card's legit.
The numbers and the name match Alex Robson.
P.
O.
Box in Atlanta.
And Mr.
Robson hasn't reported his credit card stolen? This card hasn't been used in the last 26 months, except for the annual fees, which are paid with money orders.
So, Mr.
Robson, whoever he is, doesn't know there's a credit card out there with his name on it.
Yeah.
Assuming there really is an Alex Robson.
There really is.
I ran the Social Security number on the credit card account.
Belongs to Alex C.
Robson, They send his Social Security check every month care of a bank in Jamaica.
Jamaica, West Indies? Uh-huh.
Social Security says the checks haven't been cashed in two years.
There's no phone listing for Alex Robson anywhere in Jamaica.
Is he missing? The Jamaican Consulate is looking into it.
They said they'd get back to me by Friday.
Two days too late.
If we can't connect Dennis Pollock to Alex Robson and that package Judge Barry might grant the motion to dismiss.
Margaret Barry? Great.
Just great.
They have a gun in a package addressed to someone other than my client.
A plane reservation in the name of someone other than my client.
We have a record of a phone call his client made to Adirondack Air at the same time the reservation was made.
Your Honor, this might get Mr.
McCoy around the world in a hot air balloon, but it's insufficient to sustain a conviction.
Maybe if Mr.
Robson were on trial JACK: It's our belief Mr.
Robson may be the victim of foul play, possibly at the hands of Mr.
Pollock.
Mr.
McCoy, the dockmaster at the Surfside Marina, will he testify he actually saw the defendant and Mrs.
Crosby together? He saw the defendant in proximity to her boat at a time he knew Mrs.
Crosby was on board.
And will the mechanic testify he saw the defendant with a.
357 magnum? He will establish the likelihood the defendant obtained such a handgun.
Sounds like a no, Mr.
McCoy.
Thank you for wasting this court's time.
Your Honor, we've gone to trial with just this kind of evidence before.
Not in my court, you haven't.
Mr.
Pollock, I'm dismissing the indictment against you.
And after processing, you will be released forthwith.
Mr.
McCoy? It was an accident.
He didn't mean to do it.
I met Denny a few weeks after Henry died.
I wanted us to be together.
I thought that's what he wanted, too.
But he kept putting it off.
Finally, I threatened to tell his wife.
That night at the concert, I went out for a cigarette, and he was there.
We started arguing.
He pulled out a gun He threatened to shoot you? No, he He was just trying to scare me.
I I tried to take the gun away And just as I grabbed at it, he jerked his arm and it went off.
And we didn't realize that Stuart had come out looking for me.
I told Dennis to run away.
It was just all a stupid accident.
Why come forward now? Why, I'm afraid.
Maybe Denny is unstable.
Now she comes forward? Regardless, Your Honor, I think it's sufficient to grant me leave to represent the charges against Mr.
Pollock.
First of all, you shouldn't even be talking to me ex parte.
Secondly, if and when your motion to represent crosses my desk, you better have a lot more than that statement.
I want the dots connected.
Now excuse me.
Mr.
Robson retired to Montego Bay four years ago.
Last seen two years later, driving away from the Royal Jamaican hotel in his car.
And what about his family? He had no immediately family.
His bank account was emptied by wire transfer two days before he disappeared.
Transferred to where? To a bank in Atlanta, into an account in his name.
Did the Jamaican police investigate? Of course.
There was no body, no sign of foul play, no laws broken.
Can I see the police report? The police made every effort.
They interviewed his acquaintances, filed the customary reports with the FBI, Interpol Excuse me, can I get a copy of this? Robson's friends told the police he was last seen in the company of an American woman he introduced as Lillian.
Blonde, 40-ish, attractive.
Lianne Crosby? Sounds like.
The day Robson disappeared, Jamaican customs has a Lillian Sobieski leaving on a flight to Atlanta.
Three days later, Robson's Atlanta bank account was cleaned out.
$200,000.
By Lillian Sobieski? They don't know.
But within a few months, Lianne turns up in New York.
And before you can say black widow, she's become Mrs.
Henry Crosby.
And now Robson's identification turns up in Dennis Pollock's hands.
Mmm-hmm.
(SIGHS) How did Henry Crosby die? Drowned in his pool in his townhouse last February.
Where was Lianne? Skiing in Aspen.
A dozen people saw her there.
And Denny? Uh, he used to rent a small space here selling antique firearms, when Joyce Pollock came in.
That's how he met her.
She likes old guns.
Yeah, and new ones.
Uh, last February 12th, do you know where he was? Uh, let me check.
He always knew what he wanted, an attractive, wealthy woman.
I guess she's attractive, if you like older women.
Ah! February the 12th.
Here.
We had an antiques fair in Boston.
Oh, right, except Denny begged off at the last minute.
He said he had the flu or something.
You didn't believe he was sick? Well I had a buyer for one of his long rifles.
I called Denny to find out what his bottom line was.
He didn't answer.
I called three times on Saturday.
He said he was asleep.
Pretty hard to answer the phone if you're helping old man Crosby take a header into the pool.
And helping your girlfriend inherit 18 million bucks.
Maybe she tried to return the favor.
The lawyer at the foundation said Joyce had some kind of accident a few weeks ago.
Joyce Pollock was spending the weekend at their cottage in Sag Harbor.
The flue in her gas heater malfunctioned when she was asleep.
The fumes nearly killed her.
Where was the boy husband? Up in Maine on business.
Let me guess.
Lianne Crosby.
She made a reservation at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Lenox, but she never showed.
So Dennis Pollock took care of Henry Crosby.
And Lianne was supposed to take care of Joyce Pollock.
Any forensics on the drowning or the gas heater? No.
Nothing to implicate either Denny or Lianne.
It's probably not the first time they've done this.
Might be more bodies out there.
The lives and loves of Lianne Crosby? Try, "On the road with Lianne, "AKA Lily Myers, Melinda Beauregard, Melissa Beck" Look 1992, shoplifting in Palm Beach, '89, check kiting in Boulder, '83, mail fraud in Seattle.
in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Five counts.
She was collecting checks for five other individuals.
Five individuals who mysteriously disappeared? No, she made up names and phony Social Security numbers.
Looks like she was working her way up to murder.
It wasn't all larceny.
She was collecting one welfare check legitimately.
One dependent.
A seven-year-old boy.
Dennis Beck.
A boy's best friend is his mother.
(SIGHS) What? A mother and son killing each other's spouses? What the heck kind of family is this? A dysfunctional one.
Then the son tried to kill his own mother? Maybe he grew attached to his new wife.
Maybe he wanted out.
I assume that arrest warrants are being drawn up.
We can re-file charges against the son for the Wattman shooting and the attempt on his mother.
What about for Henry Crosby? We have nothing to connect Dennis or his mother to Crosby's death, the attempt on Joyce Pollock, or the disappearance of Alex Robson.
We've sent what we have to the appropriate jurisdictions, maybe they can scare up a case against her.
She's a career criminal, she's committed murder Scare up a case against her here.
Mr.
McCoy, all you really have against my client is the testimony of someone even you consider a multiple murderer.
The fact that your client is here means we've connected enough dots to satisfy Judge Barry.
She's a lot harder to please than a jury.
I'm not worried about her.
If you have a better offer METZLER: You expect him to bargain for the privilege of putting his own mother behind bars? A few weeks ago he was ready to kill her.
Fifteen-to-life, to cover all counts.
JOYCE: No.
I will not let my husband spend one minute in prison.
That's not realistic.
You have no idea what a woman in my position can do.
Your money and your position are exactly why he married you.
He and his mother had a plan to kill you.
Not Denny.
He knows now what unconditional love is.
This isn't a greeting card, Mrs.
Pollock.
A jury can send him to prison for a minimum of 25 years.
Or they can send him to a hospital for a few months.
We're amending our plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Dennis will admit to the shooting, and Henry Crosby's death.
What mental disease? METZLER: The disease is Lianne Crosby.
She abused him, controlled him, pushed him over the edge.
So, Mommy made me do it? You expect to get that by a judge? Absolutely.
Not before our psychiatrist gets a crack at him.
Well, you have him call me to set up the interview.
When I was six, we were in a bus station.
There was a woman sleeping in the waiting room.
Mom told me to take her purse.
I didn't want to do it.
She said if I didn't, she'd leave me there, in the station.
I couldn't do it, I couldn't steal, so Mom told me to go and get some gum from the machine.
When I came back, she was gone.
I was scared out of my mind.
They were about to call the police when she finally showed up.
She told them all I'd run away.
That's just a lot of rehearsed crap.
A lot of kids get emotionally abused, but they still know right from wrong.
My lawyer told me it doesn't matter what you think.
It's all going to come down to the jury.
You have any idea how many insanity pleas are successful? Hmm? Less than 10%.
Your lawyer tell you that? What are you doing? (SIGHING) I'm gonna go write my report.
You didn't even listen to me.
Oh, well, trust me, I've heard it all before.
No.
Wait.
What? What do you want to tell me? She My mother can't stand that I'm with Joyce.
What else? Like what? When you were 12 or 13, did you have any girlfriends? We moved around a lot.
Mom said you couldn't trust strangers.
All we had was each other.
What about Joyce? You said your mother couldn't stand that you were with her.
She told me to get to know her for her money.
What happened? Did you fall in love with Joyce? Yes.
Did you tell your mother? She figured it out.
And then she tried to kill Joyce? Mmm-hmm.
Denny, have you had sexual relations with your mother? (SCOFFS) What? When? At any time? On the boat? I I had to.
How long has the incest gone on? Since his teens.
His mother forced a sexual relationship to control him.
And it's still going on? Yeah.
Yuck.
No question.
Incest is despicable.
But from there to legal insanity? They'll reframe the issue.
Lianne's control of her son obliterated his capacity to tell right from wrong and appreciate the consequences of his action.
Well, he seems to have some free will left.
He did try to kill her.
After she tried to kill the new woman in his life.
She's still fighting for control.
Why do you think she turned him in? To keep him away from Joyce Pollock.
I hate to say it, but it might play to a jury.
At the very least, they might decide he was acting under extreme emotional disturbance.
But is it a crock? Yeah, well, there's no sound medical basis for it.
Good.
Then the judge'll never let the jury hear it.
JACK: According to our forensic psychiatrist, if Mr.
Pollock really suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he'd avoid situations that reminded him of his trauma.
He certainly wouldn't get involved with a woman over twice his age.
He was coerced into marrying Joyce Pollock by his mother.
He's told our psychiatrist he's fallen in love with her.
JACK: Your Honor, this defense is psychological claptrap.
Mr.
McCoy's opinion doesn't matter.
It's his burden to show this defense is impossible as a matter of law.
Mr.
McCoy, if Mr.
Metzler fails to make out the defense during trial, I'll instruct the jury to disregard all psychiatric testimony.
Look at the bright side.
To support his insanity plea, he has to admit Lianne forced him to kill Crosby.
We can use it against her.
He'd still have to testify to it at her trial.
Fat chance of that.
He's doing his mother another favor.
Since he's admitting shooting Mr.
Wattman, you don't need her as a witness to the shooting.
We'll use her as a rebuttal witness.
She'll deny the incest.
So she's going to lie.
Aren't we suborning perjury? We don't know anything for a fact.
They're the only ones who know what really went on between them.
So it's a contest which of these two will nauseate the jury the least.
Yeah.
She told them I ran away.
Then, she told me next time she'd leave me for good.
And the next time she asked you to do something wrong, what did you do? I did it.
When she sexually abused you, did you say no? I couldn't.
And when she ordered you to kill Henry Crosby? I did it.
Exactly the way she told me.
Did you think it was wrong? I didn't think about it.
I just did what she wanted.
(SIGHING) Tell us about her attempt to kill your wife Joyce.
I didn't want her to hurt Joyce.
I kept putting her off, but she tried anyway.
How did you react? I was It was like I was falling.
I couldn't sleep I wanted to run away.
I was so angry and freaked out.
I don't remember a lot of it.
I just felt crazy.
What we heard the experts describe as a temporary psychotic Objection.
METZLER: Withdrawn.
Dennis, tell us what happened the night of the shooting.
I I just wanted to scare her.
But when I saw her I felt I felt something was taking control.
I was yelling at my mother.
She was yelling at me.
She tried to take the gun away from me.
I must've jerked my hand away.
The gun went off.
I I don't remember anything after that.
Thank you, Dennis.
When you married Joyce Pollock, did you tell her about your criminal activities? About Henry Crosby? No.
About your incestuous relationship with your mother? Of course not.
You didn't want her to find out? No.
She wouldn't have taken it well? Objection.
Withdrawn.
And the only way that she could find out is if you told her or your mother told her, isn't that right? I don't know.
Nobody else knew about the incest, right? Yes.
That's why you tried to kill your mother.
No.
It was the most rational motive in the world.
Only your mother could pull the plug on your wonderful life.
No more motorcycles, fancy homes, expensive vacations You don't understand.
Objection.
Withdrawn.
Shooting your mother was the sanest thing you ever did, wasn't it? My mother My mother was I would have these dreams that That she ran away, and I'd wake up crying and go to her bed.
Your Honor.
And she'd take me in and hold me against her naked body to warm me up.
And It was my mother.
You just don't You don't understand.
I was a single mother trying to raise a boy.
Maybe I spanked him, or raised my voice.
I I never abused him.
Did you ever abandon him in a bus station? No.
He ran away from home.
Well, maybe I (SIGHS) Didn't love him enough, I don't know.
But I was very young when I had Denny.
I was alone, I was poor.
I He was all that I had.
It was hard providing for him, but I did the best I could, under the circumstances.
He testified that you ordered him to murder your husband, is that true? (SCOFFS) Of course not.
He testified that you tried to kill his wife, Joyce.
That's not true.
Finally, Mrs.
Crosby, your son testified that you've had sexual relations with him since he was a teenager.
Is that another lie? He said that? Under oath.
Oh, my God.
Denny I did.
I did terrible things to him.
I'm so sorry.
Mrs.
Crosby, are you saying this is true? Yes, I I couldn't stop myself.
I needed him so much.
What about his killing Henry Crosby, is that now also true? No! He made it up.
Denny wouldn't hurt anyone.
He tried to kill you, didn't he? He killed Stuart Wattman.
That was an accident.
Mrs.
Crosby, he was about to make another attempt on your life when he was arrested.
I don't believe that.
I called him from Saratoga Springs.
And he I told him where I was.
(STUTTERING) Do you think I would've told him that if I thought for a minute he really wanted to kill me? (SIGHS) He's just very sick.
And it's my fault.
ADAM: She got you but good.
"Don't blame my son, blame me.
" Who knew? She doesn't mind telling the whole world she had sex with her son.
You've got yourself a hung jury, if you're lucky.
I'm starting to feel a little sympathy for what Denny went through.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) The police checked the LUDs for Lianne's cell phone.
They confirmed a roaming call from Saratoga Springs to Denny's office.
She must've really believed he wouldn't try to kill her again.
She must've really believed wrong.
This mother knows her own son.
Let's call the police.
I need them to run some fingerprints.
I heard the jury wants clarifications on the difference between the insanity defense and a defense of extreme emotional disturbance.
I smell a deadlock.
JACK: Maybe.
I'm offering your client a last chance deal, if he agrees to testify against his mother about everything.
About Henry Crosby, Alex Robson, all of it.
Manslaughter one to cover all counts, parole recommendation after 10 years We'll take our chances with the jury.
I'm not done.
A warrant is being drawn up for Joyce Pollock's arrest.
The charge is conspiracy to commit murder.
Murder who? CARMICHAEL: Lianne Crosby.
We found your fingerprints on the package at the motel.
You sent the gun to Saratoga Springs.
The plane reservation for Alex Robson was for you.
JACK: You were going to do what your husband couldn't.
Get Lianne Crosby out of his life forever.
I'm ready to plead your wife out under very favorable terms, in return for your testimony against your mother.
If not, she's looking at eight and a third years minimum.
CARMICHAEL: It's your wife or your mother, Denny.
It doesn't get any simpler than that.
Come on, Denny, it's a no-brainer.
Denny? Please! We agreed.
You know I did it for you.
Think of our life together.
I'm sorry.
I'm I'm sorry.
No, I can't do it.
I won't testify.
Denny, for God's sake! Joyce, she's my mother.
BARRY: On the first count of the indictment, in the death of Stuart Wattman, murder in the second degree, how do you find? Not guilty.
Your Honor, we have determined the defendant acted in extreme emotional disturbance, and find him guilty of manslaughter in the first degree.
On the second count, in the wounding of Lianne Crosby, attempted murder in the second degree, how do you find? FOREMAN: Not guilty.
Guilty of attempted manslaughter in the first degree.
I thank the jury for your time.
We're adjourned.
Eight and a third-to-25.
No parole recommendation.
He'll do at least 15.
We can live with that.
Can we live with two years in minimum security for Joyce Pollock? She planned a murder.
Can't let her off with a fine.
I'll call her lawyer.
And Lianne Crosby gets away with murder.
Could be worse.
She could've had twins.
These are their stories.
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING) If I ever again agree to attend another charity concert, please break this thumb.
They're donating their time.
It didn't help with you snoring along out of tune.
Maybe if the sopranos removed one piece of clothing with each aria.
You have no idea how lucky we were to get tickets.
Maria Matera hasn't performed outside of Europe (GUNSHOT) (GRUNTING) Oh, God! We heard a loud bang, and there they were.
We didn't see anyone else.
Nobody ran out of the alley? No.
And we were in there right away.
The door to the alley goes through the building and out onto 55th Street.
You checked it out? I used to wait in that alley to try and get autographs.
(CHATTER ON POLICE RADIO) Meet Stuart Wattman.
His driver's license says he's 52.
Shot once through the chest.
He was dead when the uniforms showed up.
What about the woman? Lianne Crosby, 44.
She was rolled to Beth Eden E.
R.
Shoulder wound.
Anybody talk to her? She was unconscious.
One shot, two down? Through him, through the girlfriend.
Found a.
357 slug here.
You should take a look at the tunnel it left through this guy.
I'll take your word for it.
Hmm, the shooter didn't have time to take his gold watch.
No time for the wallet, or the lady's purse either.
Maybe he had all the time he needed.
Stuart went out for a cigarette.
I went to join him.
I heard Stuart arguing with someone.
Who with? I don't know.
I stepped into the alley, there was a loud bang.
Next thing, paramedics were putting me on a stretcher.
Was it a mugging? We don't think so.
Uh How long have you and Mr.
Wattman been dating? Dating! Stuart Wattman? No.
Stuart was a walker.
Uh, an escort.
I'm a widow.
Stuart was just an arm to hang on to.
And what were you to him? A free ticket.
A ride.
My driver and I picked him up.
BRISCOE: What time was that? didn't make it to the concert in time.
Did Stuart ever talk about having problems with anybody? No.
We kept the conversation very light.
Stuart had a complicated life.
Complicated how? Well, he tried telling me about his boyfriends once, but I couldn't follow it.
SUPER: Look at this place.
I thought this guy was loaded.
I mean, he always had a suit and a tie on.
So do I.
Yeah, but the women this guy got, real high-class stuff.
They'd come to pick him up.
Well, from what we understood, Wattman was gay.
Mr.
Wattman? No way.
The other night, outside, he had this argument with some guy over a broad named Pamela.
This guy was pissed.
Who was this other guy? I don't know.
Some famous guy.
Orenstein.
Uh, I see his picture in the paper all the time.
Orenstein? Jeremy Orenstein? Poor Lianne Crosby.
Her husband drowns, Crosby Maritime nosedives on the NASDAQ, and now this.
Talk about bad luck.
Stuart Wattman, now that's bad luck.
Well, yes, yes.
Stuart.
What was your relationship with him? My relationship? I set an example for Stuart.
But the poor man never had the right equipment.
I beg your pardon? Uh Stuart always wore the same two Calvin Klein tuxedos.
I have seven, Armanis, Zegnas, and a custom one by Loro Piana.
(LIGHTER CLICKING) And cufflinks.
You can never have enough cufflinks.
Stuart never had enough, or the proper kind.
You got close enough to check? When you're a walker, you develop an eye for such things.
A witness saw you and Stuart having an argument about three days ago outside his apartment.
I wouldn't be surprised.
Over some woman named Pamela? That's between Stuart and me.
And now, us.
All right.
Pamela Marks told me that Stuart hit her up for 20 grand.
A loan, which I'm sure he was never going to repay.
How is that any of your business? Pamela told me Stuart threatened to spread nasty rumors about her.
For a walker, that's very bad form.
Who said anything about $20,000? The same person who told us Mr.
Wattman threatened to spread rumors about you.
Mrs.
Marks, if we have to dig this up on our own Now you're threatening me? All I'm saying is, if you play ball with us, we'll keep a lid on things.
Stuart knew about my husband's and my Special interests.
What do you mean, "Special"? We have a vacation home in Mustique.
I'm attracted to the local talent.
We're not talking about limbo dancing.
No.
Paul, my husband, he likes to watch.
This is beyond embarrassing.
Did your husband know that Wattman was shaking you down? Yes.
Does he own a gun? Of course not.
Where was he last night? With me, at the Temple of Dendur at the Met.
There was a benefit auction.
You're sure he was with you all night? Yes.
I kept him on a tight leash.
I thought Stuart was going to be there.
Was he scheduled to be there? I heard he was walking Bunny Malone to the auction.
I thought there might be a scene.
Imagine my relief when Bunny showed up with Bill Blass.
Bunny Malone confirmed she gave Stuart the heave-ho at 7:30.
So until then, Mr.
Wattman didn't know he was going to the concert.
Neither would whoever shot him.
They'd be waiting for him at the auction.
Well, what calls did he make after Ms.
Malone dumped him? LUDs show four.
Probably trolling for a date.
His last call was Lianne Crosby.
So that's when he found out he was gonna be at the concert.
Maybe the shooter followed him from his apartment.
Mrs.
Crosby picked him up in her car, doorman didn't see anybody waiting.
Well, who knew Lianne Crosby was going to the concert? She got her tickets three weeks ago.
And she was just an innocent bystander to the shooting? CURTIS: So she says.
See if the lab rats can straighten it out.
A walker is supposed to hold the door, hold your coat, and hold his tongue.
I hear Stuart was two for three.
Probably what got him killed.
We don't think he was the intended victim.
What do you mean? Our lab technicians found your blood on the front of Mr.
Wattman's jacket.
I don't follow.
Well, it seems Mr.
Wattman was behind you.
You were facing the shooter.
Simply put, Mrs.
Crosby, it didn't happen the way you said it did.
I turned the corner, I got shot.
I I don't know who was where.
Maybe you should tell us who'd want to hurt you.
There's no one.
BRISCOE: Mrs.
Crosby, whoever tried to kill you is liable to do it again.
Who'd want me killed? I have no enemies.
Go.
Charming as she is, she's full of it.
The Orenstein guy said the Crosby family business took a bath on Wall Street.
That's gotta make for a lot of unhappy people.
Lianne sold every share she inherited from Henry Crosby.
Investors panicked.
The stock fell Why'd she sell? Since her husband died.
She felt the company wasn't a safe bet anymore.
CURTIS: Was she right? (LAUGHS) No.
Oppenheimer's moved us from a hold to a buy.
So, a lot of people lost their money for nothing.
Yes.
If Lianne hadn't been distracted, she might have realized that she was making a mistake.
Distracted by what, her husband's death? She seems to have gotten over that.
She's been seeing someone since just after Mr.
Crosby died.
How do you know this? The Crosby family keeps a yacht at Surfside Marina.
The company charters it for business purposes.
Mrs.
Crosby has been using it for other purposes.
Kline tell you that? I should've known.
Open your yap to a suit, it comes right back to bite you in the ass.
Pays to be discreet, huh? Mr.
Kline wanted to know how often Mrs.
Crosby used the boat.
What was I supposed to say? What did you say? I told him.
Every other week.
She spends a couple of hours.
Her driver drops her off in the afternoon.
And her boyfriend, what, he swims in? He drives a motorcycle.
A kid in his 20s.
You know his name? No.
License plate on the bike? Don't know.
It was an old English bike.
What the Tommies used in World War II.
How long they been meeting? Since three months ago.
And the last time? Week ago.
I heard this screaming coming from the boat, and then the kid gets on his bike and drives off.
Looked like somebody spit in his breakfast.
Am I speaking on a frequency you can't hear? I've told you.
Whoever it was shot at Stuart, not me.
Maybe we're the ones who aren't getting through, Mrs.
Crosby.
We know you've been having an affair ever since your husband died.
Where did you hear that? A witness has seen you with a young man every other week on your boat.
I want the name of this witness.
BRISCOE: You had an argument last week with this young man.
I did not.
Is this what you do with our tax dollars, dredge up gossip? Look, you're not helping yourself by protecting him.
I have a plane to catch.
Mrs.
Crosby What? I can't leave? Sure.
Just, uh, in case we need you, you mind telling us where you're going? Saratoga Springs.
The sooner the better.
A World War II era English bike? Yeah.
He said the kind the British army used to ride.
This guy would know? He looks like he could've been there for D-Day.
He said it was painted a flat olive green, no chrome and, uh, cat's eye headlamp.
BSA M20.
Not too many of those in the U.
S.
How many we talking about? Fully restored? I wouldn't know.
Maybe my database has something.
We scan in the classifieds of motorcycle magazines and newspapers.
Lots of stolen bikes and parts get unloaded through the classifieds.
Here we go.
Ad six weeks ago, Vintage Wheels magazine.
"Wanted, rebuilt carb for war-era BSA M20.
"Also front fender license blade.
" "Dennis.
" Manhattan number.
Sorry to keep you waiting, Detectives.
Why do you want to speak to Denny? Uh, he placed an ad in a motorcycle magazine.
And they gave us his name, Mrs Pollock.
And which one are you? Curtis? Briscoe.
We just wanted to make sure it was the same Dennis Pollock who placed the ad.
Uh, does he own an antique motorcycle? Yes.
Is anything wrong? No.
We just need to talk to him.
He's at work.
At the Thomas W.
Hookstratten Foundation.
Named for my late husband.
What do you want to talk to Denny about? Well, we'd rather discuss it with your son.
My son? Dennis is my husband.
Excuse me.
Are we talking about the same guy? Mid-twenties, rides a BSA M20? That's right.
He's 27.
And sometimes I ride on the back.
Excuse me.
Hey, she's a beautiful woman.
DENNIS: Joyce called to tell me you wanted to talk to me.
Something about my motorcycle Well, not quite.
Uh, do you know a Lianne Crosby? I know the name.
Why? Mr.
Pollock, we'll get along a lot better if we play straight with each other.
You've been seen with Mrs.
Crosby on her boat in the Surfside Marina every other week for the past few months.
If you're going to accuse me of cheating on my wife, the least you could do is keep your voice down.
Yes, I've been to the Surfside Marina to look at boats for sale as a surprise for my wife.
If that's your story.
So where were you last Thursday night? I was home.
Why, what happened? Someone tried to shoot Mrs.
Crosby and ended up killing her escort instead.
Yeah.
Just a week after you were seen having an argument with her, on her boat.
That's not possible.
I've never even met her.
Where was your wife Thursday? She was at home, with me.
What are you implying? Well, if we got the wrong impression about you and Lianne Crosby, maybe your wife did, too.
Can someone verify that she was at home? I can.
MAN: Mr.
Pollock? Excuse me, I have people waiting for me.
You're trying to tell me Joyce Pollock took a shot at How old is she? Widowed three years ago with 40 million bucks.
And her new husband's 27? Damn.
Some girls are just born lucky.
This one might be ready to kill to hang on to her little stroke of luck.
With a.
357? Her father was lieutenant governor of Idaho.
Here's a picture of her hunting elk at age 12.
She own any guns now? We put in a request for permits.
All this assuming there was an affair.
BRISCOE: The dockmaster said the only boat the kid was interested in was Lianne Crosby's.
Especially the cabin.
What's this? "Joyce Pollock has announced the appointment of Dennis Pollock "to the post of president of Hookstratten Foundation.
" Yeah, I bet she's sorry now.
Maybe not.
This is dated after Lianne Crosby was shot.
After Joyce would've known about the affair.
Mrs.
Pollock felt that Dennis had earned the job because he singlehandedly engineered the sale of our timber lands to the state of Maine.
It was a huge windfall for the foundation.
You sound impressed.
Well, the kid's come a long way.
When Joyce met him, he was sort of dabbling in antiques.
Is Mrs.
Pollock still impressed with him? (SIGHING) What do you mean? Well, any sign of trouble in the marriage? Oh, no, no, no.
To the contrary.
They're very much in love.
And Joyce has full confidence in Dennis.
You writing a press release? (LAUGHS) Listen, uh, a few weeks ago, Joyce had a very close call.
A broken gas heater in their country house nearly killed her.
Was Dennis with her? No, no.
He was up in Maine on business.
But he drove all night to be with her.
It frightened him.
Your point being? There was a pre-nup that kept Dennis away from the Hookstratten money.
Joyce realized just how much Dennis really loved her and tore it up.
When was this? Well, she signed an ovation two days ago.
Sounds like Denny Pollock has it made.
And if Lianne Crosby tried to upset the apple cart for him You think that's what they were arguing about on the boat? It's a possibility.
List of gun permits for Joyce Pollock.
Nine handguns? She's Charlton Heston's pinup gal.
There's a.
357 in there.
Well, maybe if we say please, she'll let us take a look at it.
I'd wait until she's not there, then ask the help.
There's two more in the master bedroom.
BRISCOE: There, .
357.
It's dusty.
(SNIFFING) Lots of oil.
This thing hasn't been fired in a long time.
Were you here on Thursday night last week? I left at 8:30.
I put dinner in the fridge for Mrs.
Pollock.
She was upstairs.
And where was Mr.
Pollock? Uh, he was here, too.
Where? (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY) I'm not sure.
Uh, watching TV.
You really want to lie to the police? No.
He called at 7:00.
I answered the phone.
He was at the motorcycle garage.
Woolly Pierce? Don't pay any attention to them, Mr.
Nelson.
They're cops, probably sent here by one of my exes.
Actually, it's about Denny Pollock.
Man up front says you help him work on his bike.
Keep loosening that clutch.
Try not to chip your fingernails.
They enjoy the abuse? Part of the outlaw biker mystique.
All included in the hourly rate.
So what's up with Denny? He use the wrong spoon for his soup? We're investigating him for a homicide.
Did you work with him a week ago, Thursday night? That was a long time ago.
Yeah.
Same vintage as your prison record, huh? You want to add to it by being a smartass? Last Thursday, what time did he leave? Must've been around 8:00.
Who'd he shoot? CURTIS: What makes you think he shot anybody? 'Cause he told me he wanted to get his hands on a piece.
And did he? Some of the bikers that come through here ain't as law abiding as me.
I heard he got himself one.
CURTIS: You hear what kind? .
357.
BRISCOE: It's all over for you except for the paperwork.
We're gonna find the gun, we're gonna match it to the bullets.
You might as well give it up and make a good impression on the D.
A.
Look, you tried to save your marriage, right? That's going to be worth something.
BRISCOE: You have this lovely wife, your biggest fan.
Practically handed you the keys to the kingdom, and this bitch, Lianne, was gonna screw it up.
There was nothing going on between us.
Come on, Denny.
She was gonna make a fool out of you.
Yeah? No guy should have to put up with that.
Say hello to Mr.
Pollock's lawyer.
Are you all right? My client is invoking his right to silence.
The search of his office and home didn't turn up a gun.
But his secretary told Lamotte that she placed a call for him yesterday to Adirondack Air.
The guy was gonna head for the hills.
Well, the airline booked six reservations around the time Denny called, but none in the name of Pollock.
Okay, thanks.
The person we couldn't reach was some phony number.
An Alex Robson.
He booked a round trip to Saratoga Springs for tomorrow.
That ring a bell? Lianne Crosby is up in Saratoga Springs.
There's also a motel room reserved in the name of Alex Robson.
The kid was gonna finish off Lianne Crosby.
Well, how was he gonna get a gun on a plane? Call that motel, see if they have a package waiting for Mr.
Robson.
METZLER: Well, about time.
You all have a nice nap? We've been busy, Mr.
Metzler.
Stand up, Mr.
Pollock.
Why? What's going on? VAN BUREN: We found a gun your husband had shipped to a motel in Saratoga Springs.
A.
357 magnum.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, huh, kiddo? Don't answer him, Dennis.
Make sure I get it right, Counselor.
Hey, Dennis Pollock, you're under arrest for murder.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be Ballistics confirmed the.
357 found at the motel was the one used to kill Stuart Wattman.
The gun in the package addressed to Alex Robson.
Latent find any prints on the package? A dozen prints, none of them belonging to Dennis.
The package was dropped off at a FedEx service center in midtown, paid for with cash.
And the flight reserved by Alex Robson? Guaranteed with a credit card in the name of Alex Robson.
The police are looking into it.
Terrific.
Why aren't we looking for this Alex Robson? Because our shooter is Dennis Pollock.
He must've gotten his hands on some phony ID, probably from the same source that sold him his gun.
Self-confidence is a wonderful thing.
When you have a minute, please inform Ms.
Carmichael of all the good works the Hookstratten Foundation has done for the city.
Right.
Then I'll show her the memo listing all the prominent New Yorkers immune from prosecution.
Either put that gun in Mr.
Pollock's hands or concede the motion to dismiss.
The bank said the credit card's legit.
The numbers and the name match Alex Robson.
P.
O.
Box in Atlanta.
And Mr.
Robson hasn't reported his credit card stolen? This card hasn't been used in the last 26 months, except for the annual fees, which are paid with money orders.
So, Mr.
Robson, whoever he is, doesn't know there's a credit card out there with his name on it.
Yeah.
Assuming there really is an Alex Robson.
There really is.
I ran the Social Security number on the credit card account.
Belongs to Alex C.
Robson, They send his Social Security check every month care of a bank in Jamaica.
Jamaica, West Indies? Uh-huh.
Social Security says the checks haven't been cashed in two years.
There's no phone listing for Alex Robson anywhere in Jamaica.
Is he missing? The Jamaican Consulate is looking into it.
They said they'd get back to me by Friday.
Two days too late.
If we can't connect Dennis Pollock to Alex Robson and that package Judge Barry might grant the motion to dismiss.
Margaret Barry? Great.
Just great.
They have a gun in a package addressed to someone other than my client.
A plane reservation in the name of someone other than my client.
We have a record of a phone call his client made to Adirondack Air at the same time the reservation was made.
Your Honor, this might get Mr.
McCoy around the world in a hot air balloon, but it's insufficient to sustain a conviction.
Maybe if Mr.
Robson were on trial JACK: It's our belief Mr.
Robson may be the victim of foul play, possibly at the hands of Mr.
Pollock.
Mr.
McCoy, the dockmaster at the Surfside Marina, will he testify he actually saw the defendant and Mrs.
Crosby together? He saw the defendant in proximity to her boat at a time he knew Mrs.
Crosby was on board.
And will the mechanic testify he saw the defendant with a.
357 magnum? He will establish the likelihood the defendant obtained such a handgun.
Sounds like a no, Mr.
McCoy.
Thank you for wasting this court's time.
Your Honor, we've gone to trial with just this kind of evidence before.
Not in my court, you haven't.
Mr.
Pollock, I'm dismissing the indictment against you.
And after processing, you will be released forthwith.
Mr.
McCoy? It was an accident.
He didn't mean to do it.
I met Denny a few weeks after Henry died.
I wanted us to be together.
I thought that's what he wanted, too.
But he kept putting it off.
Finally, I threatened to tell his wife.
That night at the concert, I went out for a cigarette, and he was there.
We started arguing.
He pulled out a gun He threatened to shoot you? No, he He was just trying to scare me.
I I tried to take the gun away And just as I grabbed at it, he jerked his arm and it went off.
And we didn't realize that Stuart had come out looking for me.
I told Dennis to run away.
It was just all a stupid accident.
Why come forward now? Why, I'm afraid.
Maybe Denny is unstable.
Now she comes forward? Regardless, Your Honor, I think it's sufficient to grant me leave to represent the charges against Mr.
Pollock.
First of all, you shouldn't even be talking to me ex parte.
Secondly, if and when your motion to represent crosses my desk, you better have a lot more than that statement.
I want the dots connected.
Now excuse me.
Mr.
Robson retired to Montego Bay four years ago.
Last seen two years later, driving away from the Royal Jamaican hotel in his car.
And what about his family? He had no immediately family.
His bank account was emptied by wire transfer two days before he disappeared.
Transferred to where? To a bank in Atlanta, into an account in his name.
Did the Jamaican police investigate? Of course.
There was no body, no sign of foul play, no laws broken.
Can I see the police report? The police made every effort.
They interviewed his acquaintances, filed the customary reports with the FBI, Interpol Excuse me, can I get a copy of this? Robson's friends told the police he was last seen in the company of an American woman he introduced as Lillian.
Blonde, 40-ish, attractive.
Lianne Crosby? Sounds like.
The day Robson disappeared, Jamaican customs has a Lillian Sobieski leaving on a flight to Atlanta.
Three days later, Robson's Atlanta bank account was cleaned out.
$200,000.
By Lillian Sobieski? They don't know.
But within a few months, Lianne turns up in New York.
And before you can say black widow, she's become Mrs.
Henry Crosby.
And now Robson's identification turns up in Dennis Pollock's hands.
Mmm-hmm.
(SIGHS) How did Henry Crosby die? Drowned in his pool in his townhouse last February.
Where was Lianne? Skiing in Aspen.
A dozen people saw her there.
And Denny? Uh, he used to rent a small space here selling antique firearms, when Joyce Pollock came in.
That's how he met her.
She likes old guns.
Yeah, and new ones.
Uh, last February 12th, do you know where he was? Uh, let me check.
He always knew what he wanted, an attractive, wealthy woman.
I guess she's attractive, if you like older women.
Ah! February the 12th.
Here.
We had an antiques fair in Boston.
Oh, right, except Denny begged off at the last minute.
He said he had the flu or something.
You didn't believe he was sick? Well I had a buyer for one of his long rifles.
I called Denny to find out what his bottom line was.
He didn't answer.
I called three times on Saturday.
He said he was asleep.
Pretty hard to answer the phone if you're helping old man Crosby take a header into the pool.
And helping your girlfriend inherit 18 million bucks.
Maybe she tried to return the favor.
The lawyer at the foundation said Joyce had some kind of accident a few weeks ago.
Joyce Pollock was spending the weekend at their cottage in Sag Harbor.
The flue in her gas heater malfunctioned when she was asleep.
The fumes nearly killed her.
Where was the boy husband? Up in Maine on business.
Let me guess.
Lianne Crosby.
She made a reservation at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Lenox, but she never showed.
So Dennis Pollock took care of Henry Crosby.
And Lianne was supposed to take care of Joyce Pollock.
Any forensics on the drowning or the gas heater? No.
Nothing to implicate either Denny or Lianne.
It's probably not the first time they've done this.
Might be more bodies out there.
The lives and loves of Lianne Crosby? Try, "On the road with Lianne, "AKA Lily Myers, Melinda Beauregard, Melissa Beck" Look 1992, shoplifting in Palm Beach, '89, check kiting in Boulder, '83, mail fraud in Seattle.
in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Five counts.
She was collecting checks for five other individuals.
Five individuals who mysteriously disappeared? No, she made up names and phony Social Security numbers.
Looks like she was working her way up to murder.
It wasn't all larceny.
She was collecting one welfare check legitimately.
One dependent.
A seven-year-old boy.
Dennis Beck.
A boy's best friend is his mother.
(SIGHS) What? A mother and son killing each other's spouses? What the heck kind of family is this? A dysfunctional one.
Then the son tried to kill his own mother? Maybe he grew attached to his new wife.
Maybe he wanted out.
I assume that arrest warrants are being drawn up.
We can re-file charges against the son for the Wattman shooting and the attempt on his mother.
What about for Henry Crosby? We have nothing to connect Dennis or his mother to Crosby's death, the attempt on Joyce Pollock, or the disappearance of Alex Robson.
We've sent what we have to the appropriate jurisdictions, maybe they can scare up a case against her.
She's a career criminal, she's committed murder Scare up a case against her here.
Mr.
McCoy, all you really have against my client is the testimony of someone even you consider a multiple murderer.
The fact that your client is here means we've connected enough dots to satisfy Judge Barry.
She's a lot harder to please than a jury.
I'm not worried about her.
If you have a better offer METZLER: You expect him to bargain for the privilege of putting his own mother behind bars? A few weeks ago he was ready to kill her.
Fifteen-to-life, to cover all counts.
JOYCE: No.
I will not let my husband spend one minute in prison.
That's not realistic.
You have no idea what a woman in my position can do.
Your money and your position are exactly why he married you.
He and his mother had a plan to kill you.
Not Denny.
He knows now what unconditional love is.
This isn't a greeting card, Mrs.
Pollock.
A jury can send him to prison for a minimum of 25 years.
Or they can send him to a hospital for a few months.
We're amending our plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Dennis will admit to the shooting, and Henry Crosby's death.
What mental disease? METZLER: The disease is Lianne Crosby.
She abused him, controlled him, pushed him over the edge.
So, Mommy made me do it? You expect to get that by a judge? Absolutely.
Not before our psychiatrist gets a crack at him.
Well, you have him call me to set up the interview.
When I was six, we were in a bus station.
There was a woman sleeping in the waiting room.
Mom told me to take her purse.
I didn't want to do it.
She said if I didn't, she'd leave me there, in the station.
I couldn't do it, I couldn't steal, so Mom told me to go and get some gum from the machine.
When I came back, she was gone.
I was scared out of my mind.
They were about to call the police when she finally showed up.
She told them all I'd run away.
That's just a lot of rehearsed crap.
A lot of kids get emotionally abused, but they still know right from wrong.
My lawyer told me it doesn't matter what you think.
It's all going to come down to the jury.
You have any idea how many insanity pleas are successful? Hmm? Less than 10%.
Your lawyer tell you that? What are you doing? (SIGHING) I'm gonna go write my report.
You didn't even listen to me.
Oh, well, trust me, I've heard it all before.
No.
Wait.
What? What do you want to tell me? She My mother can't stand that I'm with Joyce.
What else? Like what? When you were 12 or 13, did you have any girlfriends? We moved around a lot.
Mom said you couldn't trust strangers.
All we had was each other.
What about Joyce? You said your mother couldn't stand that you were with her.
She told me to get to know her for her money.
What happened? Did you fall in love with Joyce? Yes.
Did you tell your mother? She figured it out.
And then she tried to kill Joyce? Mmm-hmm.
Denny, have you had sexual relations with your mother? (SCOFFS) What? When? At any time? On the boat? I I had to.
How long has the incest gone on? Since his teens.
His mother forced a sexual relationship to control him.
And it's still going on? Yeah.
Yuck.
No question.
Incest is despicable.
But from there to legal insanity? They'll reframe the issue.
Lianne's control of her son obliterated his capacity to tell right from wrong and appreciate the consequences of his action.
Well, he seems to have some free will left.
He did try to kill her.
After she tried to kill the new woman in his life.
She's still fighting for control.
Why do you think she turned him in? To keep him away from Joyce Pollock.
I hate to say it, but it might play to a jury.
At the very least, they might decide he was acting under extreme emotional disturbance.
But is it a crock? Yeah, well, there's no sound medical basis for it.
Good.
Then the judge'll never let the jury hear it.
JACK: According to our forensic psychiatrist, if Mr.
Pollock really suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he'd avoid situations that reminded him of his trauma.
He certainly wouldn't get involved with a woman over twice his age.
He was coerced into marrying Joyce Pollock by his mother.
He's told our psychiatrist he's fallen in love with her.
JACK: Your Honor, this defense is psychological claptrap.
Mr.
McCoy's opinion doesn't matter.
It's his burden to show this defense is impossible as a matter of law.
Mr.
McCoy, if Mr.
Metzler fails to make out the defense during trial, I'll instruct the jury to disregard all psychiatric testimony.
Look at the bright side.
To support his insanity plea, he has to admit Lianne forced him to kill Crosby.
We can use it against her.
He'd still have to testify to it at her trial.
Fat chance of that.
He's doing his mother another favor.
Since he's admitting shooting Mr.
Wattman, you don't need her as a witness to the shooting.
We'll use her as a rebuttal witness.
She'll deny the incest.
So she's going to lie.
Aren't we suborning perjury? We don't know anything for a fact.
They're the only ones who know what really went on between them.
So it's a contest which of these two will nauseate the jury the least.
Yeah.
She told them I ran away.
Then, she told me next time she'd leave me for good.
And the next time she asked you to do something wrong, what did you do? I did it.
When she sexually abused you, did you say no? I couldn't.
And when she ordered you to kill Henry Crosby? I did it.
Exactly the way she told me.
Did you think it was wrong? I didn't think about it.
I just did what she wanted.
(SIGHING) Tell us about her attempt to kill your wife Joyce.
I didn't want her to hurt Joyce.
I kept putting her off, but she tried anyway.
How did you react? I was It was like I was falling.
I couldn't sleep I wanted to run away.
I was so angry and freaked out.
I don't remember a lot of it.
I just felt crazy.
What we heard the experts describe as a temporary psychotic Objection.
METZLER: Withdrawn.
Dennis, tell us what happened the night of the shooting.
I I just wanted to scare her.
But when I saw her I felt I felt something was taking control.
I was yelling at my mother.
She was yelling at me.
She tried to take the gun away from me.
I must've jerked my hand away.
The gun went off.
I I don't remember anything after that.
Thank you, Dennis.
When you married Joyce Pollock, did you tell her about your criminal activities? About Henry Crosby? No.
About your incestuous relationship with your mother? Of course not.
You didn't want her to find out? No.
She wouldn't have taken it well? Objection.
Withdrawn.
And the only way that she could find out is if you told her or your mother told her, isn't that right? I don't know.
Nobody else knew about the incest, right? Yes.
That's why you tried to kill your mother.
No.
It was the most rational motive in the world.
Only your mother could pull the plug on your wonderful life.
No more motorcycles, fancy homes, expensive vacations You don't understand.
Objection.
Withdrawn.
Shooting your mother was the sanest thing you ever did, wasn't it? My mother My mother was I would have these dreams that That she ran away, and I'd wake up crying and go to her bed.
Your Honor.
And she'd take me in and hold me against her naked body to warm me up.
And It was my mother.
You just don't You don't understand.
I was a single mother trying to raise a boy.
Maybe I spanked him, or raised my voice.
I I never abused him.
Did you ever abandon him in a bus station? No.
He ran away from home.
Well, maybe I (SIGHS) Didn't love him enough, I don't know.
But I was very young when I had Denny.
I was alone, I was poor.
I He was all that I had.
It was hard providing for him, but I did the best I could, under the circumstances.
He testified that you ordered him to murder your husband, is that true? (SCOFFS) Of course not.
He testified that you tried to kill his wife, Joyce.
That's not true.
Finally, Mrs.
Crosby, your son testified that you've had sexual relations with him since he was a teenager.
Is that another lie? He said that? Under oath.
Oh, my God.
Denny I did.
I did terrible things to him.
I'm so sorry.
Mrs.
Crosby, are you saying this is true? Yes, I I couldn't stop myself.
I needed him so much.
What about his killing Henry Crosby, is that now also true? No! He made it up.
Denny wouldn't hurt anyone.
He tried to kill you, didn't he? He killed Stuart Wattman.
That was an accident.
Mrs.
Crosby, he was about to make another attempt on your life when he was arrested.
I don't believe that.
I called him from Saratoga Springs.
And he I told him where I was.
(STUTTERING) Do you think I would've told him that if I thought for a minute he really wanted to kill me? (SIGHS) He's just very sick.
And it's my fault.
ADAM: She got you but good.
"Don't blame my son, blame me.
" Who knew? She doesn't mind telling the whole world she had sex with her son.
You've got yourself a hung jury, if you're lucky.
I'm starting to feel a little sympathy for what Denny went through.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) The police checked the LUDs for Lianne's cell phone.
They confirmed a roaming call from Saratoga Springs to Denny's office.
She must've really believed he wouldn't try to kill her again.
She must've really believed wrong.
This mother knows her own son.
Let's call the police.
I need them to run some fingerprints.
I heard the jury wants clarifications on the difference between the insanity defense and a defense of extreme emotional disturbance.
I smell a deadlock.
JACK: Maybe.
I'm offering your client a last chance deal, if he agrees to testify against his mother about everything.
About Henry Crosby, Alex Robson, all of it.
Manslaughter one to cover all counts, parole recommendation after 10 years We'll take our chances with the jury.
I'm not done.
A warrant is being drawn up for Joyce Pollock's arrest.
The charge is conspiracy to commit murder.
Murder who? CARMICHAEL: Lianne Crosby.
We found your fingerprints on the package at the motel.
You sent the gun to Saratoga Springs.
The plane reservation for Alex Robson was for you.
JACK: You were going to do what your husband couldn't.
Get Lianne Crosby out of his life forever.
I'm ready to plead your wife out under very favorable terms, in return for your testimony against your mother.
If not, she's looking at eight and a third years minimum.
CARMICHAEL: It's your wife or your mother, Denny.
It doesn't get any simpler than that.
Come on, Denny, it's a no-brainer.
Denny? Please! We agreed.
You know I did it for you.
Think of our life together.
I'm sorry.
I'm I'm sorry.
No, I can't do it.
I won't testify.
Denny, for God's sake! Joyce, she's my mother.
BARRY: On the first count of the indictment, in the death of Stuart Wattman, murder in the second degree, how do you find? Not guilty.
Your Honor, we have determined the defendant acted in extreme emotional disturbance, and find him guilty of manslaughter in the first degree.
On the second count, in the wounding of Lianne Crosby, attempted murder in the second degree, how do you find? FOREMAN: Not guilty.
Guilty of attempted manslaughter in the first degree.
I thank the jury for your time.
We're adjourned.
Eight and a third-to-25.
No parole recommendation.
He'll do at least 15.
We can live with that.
Can we live with two years in minimum security for Joyce Pollock? She planned a murder.
Can't let her off with a fine.
I'll call her lawyer.
And Lianne Crosby gets away with murder.
Could be worse.
She could've had twins.