Law & Order (1990) s16e02 Episode Script
Flaw
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.
I moved from San Juan to get away from my mother-in-law.
And you're letting yours move in? Who told you she was moving in? Your wife.
She gets what she wants.
I told her we'd talk about it.
Four mouths to feed and now her mother's moving in.
Only if I say it's okay.
Not if.
When.
Hey! You okay? I'm fine.
He's not.
How long has this building been empty? According to building security, about three months.
Our squatter have a name? Yeah, Patrick Sullivan, 47.
Lives in Murray Hill.
Did us the favor of holding on to his wallet.
It still has cash and cards.
I'll give you three guesses.
He drowned.
Bullet to the chest at close range.
No exit wounds.
Bet you a bagel it's a hollow-point.
You have a time for us? Combo of rigor and lividity puts time of death somewhere between Hey, do you mind? Number's still on the screen.
Never got a chance to press send.
No, it's a local number.
Guess he died calling for help.
Or someone killed him to keep him from making that call.
Only one way to find out.
Detective Benson.
So what have we got? I'm not sure.
Now, you didn't get any strange phone calls last night? Any messages? Anything logged in as a missed call? No.
And you're certain that your vic was trying to call me? If his life flashed before his eyes, you were the star player.
And you say his name is Patrick Sullivan? Ring any bells? None.
Maybe his face will.
Never seen him before in my life.
Which begs the question Why did he die trying to call me? You check the SVU database? BADS, NITRO, online complaints.
Patrick Sullivan doesn't show up as a victim or a perp in any of our files.
Walk me through this crime scene again.
Sixteenth floor of an empty office building.
The victim was supine, with a bullet to the chest.
Fluids? Victim's blood, but something tells me that's not what you're asking.
He was alone and zipped up.
Which doesn't sound like a sex crime.
Exactly.
So Why'd he try to call me? Just because he's not in your file doesn't mean he's not connected to a case.
Good luck.
I give out thousands of business cards a year.
Victims, families, witnesses.
I mean, it could be anybody.
Well, there is something else we should consider, Detective Benson.
Suppose this is not about a case.
Suppose it's personal.
How long you been renting to Mr.
Sullivan? You'll have to speak up.
I'm a little hard of hearing.
How long has Mr.
Sullivan lived here? Two years.
When was the last time you saw Mr.
Sullivan? I don't usually.
He's got his own entrance.
I didn't hear him coming and going.
How many people are you renting to? Just the one.
Then why is Social Security sending checks to five different individuals at this same address? Hmm.
Check this out.
It's a receipt from a storage facility.
Okay.
Let's see what Mr.
Sullivan kept under lock and key.
Oh, my God.
Five bodies.
All elderly, all dead of apparently natural causes.
But I'll know more in an hour or two.
Well, I don't think they're gonna turn into homicides during your lunch hour.
To fit the bodies into the freezers, your guy had to double them over.
Before I can open up the last three, they gotta thaw out.
Whatever happened to respecting your elders? All right, your DOA, Patrick Sullivan.
In order to locate the slug in his chest cavity, I ran a series of X rays.
He had a broken collar bone? Yeah.
Along with four ribs, both arms, both legs, and his left foot.
Based on re-calcification, I believe the breaks happened at different times over a series of years.
What is up with this dude? So, you're telling me Patrick Sullivan's a con man.
Well, the man made a living off of cons, which explains the broken bones and the insurance fraud.
It's as old as Hammurabi.
Guy's been doing it since he was a kid.
You walk in front of a car, and bam! Make like it was an accident.
That's a hell of a way to make a living.
I guess he ran out of bones and went in for the easy money.
So, the bodies in the morgue match the names on the Social Security checks you found in Sullivan's apartment? Yeah.
Uncle Sam thinks all five are alive and well and living in the same joint.
Well, since all five of our seniors last resided at the same nursing home, we're gonna go there and check for Sullivan's playmate.
Sounds good.
Ona Schiller moved back in with her son and his family.
Let me guess, in Murray Hill.
How about Joseph Huffman? Uh, says here that he transferred to another facility in August.
Oh, but that can't be right.
He's listed at the same address.
It wasn't unusual to lose five patients in just a matter of months? Oh, not at all.
Just because your kids like the tour doesn't mean you'll be happy here.
We're gonna wanna talk to the doctor who was overseeing the patients on that list.
Oh, doctors do weekly rounds.
Nurses do the day-to-day.
That's who you want to talk to.
And, seems all five had Eduardo.
Patrick was murdered? Mmm-hmm.
When did you two meet? Six months ago at a Laundromat.
He said he'd buy me lunch if I spotted him enough to finish his whites.
Did you happen to mention to Patrick that you work at Walnut Ridge? I'm sure I did.
He had this way of making you feel so important.
So, you and Patrick We were soul mates.
We actually were gonna get a place together, but to pay my share I needed money.
So you scammed Social Security? We weren't hurting anybody.
We only picked the ones with no families.
What happened? A patient died, you'd call Sullivan and then what? And I'd help him slip out the body and file the necessary paperwork.
So where's the money now? I never saw any of it.
Patrick always made excuses, said they took a long time to pay out, but something else was wrong.
Turns out the bastard was cheating on me.
How did you find this out? I checked his cell phone while he was in the shower, got a name and Googled the guy.
Some fancy jerk named Glass.
I thought I said to leave me alone.
D, they're detectives.
Excuse me.
So what happened here? Nothing I can't handle.
Party got out of control.
Well, you guys got a warrant? Not yet.
Just a few questions.
Everybody's got questions for D.
Who is it this time? Vykarius? T-Lo? Don Toine? Horses? No, rappers.
And it looks like Mr.
Glass here has cornered the market on hip-hop investors.
All my clients are clean and I'm under no legal obligation to tell you otherwise.
Was it some of your clients who redecorated your place for you? You know the drill.
You wanna seize funds, get a warrant, yo.
We're not here to seize funds, yet, yo.
We're here about Patrick Sullivan.
It seems you two have a lot of late-night phone conversations.
Yeah, well, you drop half a mill of a client's money into someone's hedge fund, you stay in touch.
What about it? Well, we were just wondering if you were aware of Mr.
Sullivan's track record for fraud, deceit, extortion? Everything on my end was completely legit.
Well, all right then, MC Vanilla.
You wouldn't mind telling us where you were on Tuesday night? Oh, man.
Why you gotta be trippin', yo? I can't be a witness.
It'll get me killed.
Witness to what? I saw it go down.
I saw Sullivan get shot.
There were phones and And computers and bad art on the walls.
Sullivan was here waiting? Alive and kickin'.
I mean, the girl was already here.
What girl? Some blonde.
Hot.
She had paper for Sullivan, too.
Oh, man, this is whack.
How much? The buy-in was 500 G's.
Did you get introduced to the blonde? You know, I wasn't looking to make new friends.
Her clients were based overseas.
The phone rang once.
She spoke Japanese.
Anyway, let me guess, the whole thing went south during the handoff.
We had both just given Sullivan our share when the door busts in.
It was some woman.
Said she was an SEC agent.
Sullivan went ballistic.
Started screaming about how he wasn't gonna go down like that.
He pulled a gun.
The agent pulled hers and she shot him.
That didn't sound right.
I mean, SEC don't carry firearms.
Should have been FBI.
Yeah, you know, well, clearly nobody told her that.
Either way, she was on to the scam.
Sullivan was dead.
The girl ran out.
I wasn't about to stick around.
You guys are gonna help me get my money back, right? Sounds to me like Mr.
Sullivan played with these friends before.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
What's he talkin' about? It was a con, man.
It's probable that everybody in the room was in on it except for you.
The only reason I'm talking to you guys is 'cause I need to get my money back.
You saw my office.
That was over a market correction.
I'm a dead man.
All right, now, this woman, the shooter, what did she look like? That's the blonde.
That's the brunette.
That's the shooter.
That's definitely them.
A real piece of work.
That's Lorraine Dillon.
The blonde is April Troost, her daughter.
Twenty-five, IQ off the charts, but good luck trying to find a heartbeat.
You had them on racketeering? And they walked.
Not this time.
You realize this is a long shot.
Sullivan died trying to call me.
You were right.
This was personal.
Thought you moved back to Florida.
Plans change.
Who's that? Well, hello, Detective Benson.
Did you miss us? Patrick Sullivan? Talk about Irish.
Never heard of him.
He seems to have that effect on women.
What happened to your face? Oh, would you believe a sailing accident? No, I wouldn't.
Too bad.
It's the truth.
From what I know, you wouldn't know the truth if it handed you a business card.
You've been spending too much time with Detective Benson.
She had you on fraud and extortion and you walked.
I'm very impressed.
She had a creative imagination but no proof.
Well, this is different.
We have an eyewitness.
Wow, you have a great face.
Where were you Tuesday night? At home with my daughter.
I'm bored.
I feel your pain.
You're stuck here with me when you could be out there blowing that $500,000 you scammed off of David Glass.
I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
He picked you out of a photo array.
A lot of girls look like me.
No, no, they don't.
We got you for fraud.
It's only a matter of time before we add murder.
We'll see.
You are something else.
Thank you.
Hi, this stops now.
Patrick Sullivan.
Two hours after you say he was shot.
The guy's a real sport, isn't he? Your eyewitness claims he saw Lorraine Dillon shoot Patrick Sullivan at 8:00.
So, uh, how was Mr.
Sullivan buying rounds at the Foxhead Bar at 10:00? Time codes mean nothing.
For all we know this could have been taped three weeks ago.
Could have been, but wasn't.
The game went into extra innings that night.
Go to the bar and check it out.
And contact the league.
Verify what time the game ended.
Yeah.
He was in here three nights ago.
A real sweet-talker.
On the tape, Sullivan was buying drinks for the house.
Did he happen to say what he was celebrating? Truth is I stopped listening.
I've perfected the smile and pour.
Did he leave alone? Well, there was talk about taking the party back to his hotel.
Did he say where he was staying? The Beaumont.
But, when he checked the time, he said he had somewhere to be and he bolted.
Have you ever seen either of these two women? Both were guests of Mr.
Sullivan on separate occasions.
Were either of them here Tuesday night? I couldn't say for certain.
Do you have surveillance cameras in this place? No.
Which is precisely why I can't leave the front desk unattended.
Let me know if you need any further assistance.
All right, then.
Thank you.
So we can place Sullivan here with Lorraine and April.
We can have these glasses tested for prints.
And these for DNA.
That is disgusting.
That's a lot of Trojans.
I guess he did more than just talk.
You know, if Glass saw Lorraine pull the trigger at 8:00, what was Sullivan doing back here gettin' busy after 10:00? My guess is showering.
He must have wore this when the con went down.
Check it.
Ah.
They used squibs.
So if they pulled it off, why'd he go back to the scene? To strike the set.
That would explain why it was empty when we found him.
So Lorraine and April were the only ones who knew where he'd be.
So maybe the ladies figured a 50-50 split is better than a three-way, so they killed him for his share.
I don't know.
The beauty of an elaborate con is there's never, ever a body.
So what are you thinking, a third party? I'm thinking maybe Sullivan opened up his big mouth to somebody who wanted a piece of the action.
Yeah.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
Hey, Amy.
What happened? He said to hold his calls and then he hugged me.
D doesn't hug.
I should have known.
Who trashed his office yesterday? Vykarius.
We're going to need a phone number on him.
Sure.
But he had nothing to do with this.
He left for Barbados last night.
I booked his jet.
Someone should call D's family.
Careful of his head.
Hey, Miss Flax.
Any chance of this playing like a homicide? Locked door, no sign of a struggle.
I'm calling it like I see it.
Suicide.
So much for the eyewitness.
So you're telling me that they're gonna walk.
Unless they committed another crime while they've been under lock and key, my hands are tied.
We've got nothing to hold them on.
This is a joke.
The videotape killed the murder charge.
David Glass only witnessed the scam.
Believe me, they did it.
And if they didn't, they paid somebody else to do it.
You got proof'? Or 'gust a grudge'? You and me both know that they're dirty.
Can't you hold them on fraud? With Glass dead, his ID is inadmissible.
Without the money, there is no proof of fraud.
We picked up April and Lorraine at their apartment two days after the murder.
Maybe they didn't have a chance to move the money? Divorce isn't as lucrative as it used to be.
Yeah, that explains why April and Lorraine are still in the game.
Hey, Green? Yeah.
What caliber was the gun used to shoot Sullivan? It's a .
38.
Kind of like this one? And what, may I ask, are you doing? Well, as soon as ballistics comes back on this gun, I'll be arresting your clients for the murder of Patrick Sullivan.
Oh, my God.
MARGOLIS: Say nothing.
Let me take care of it.
She had nothing to do with it.
- Lorraine, stop talking.
- Mom, no! April.
No.
No, no, no, no.
Mom It's okay.
I did it.
I killed Patrick.
It was self-defense.
According to Lorraine's grand jury testimony, it wasn't a new relationship.
She and Sullivan had an affair 10 years ago.
That was then.
This is now.
Where does the self-defense claim come in? Could I get a little more breathing room here, pal? Lorraine claims that the night of the murder, April came to her and revealed that Patrick Sullivan had molested her when she was 14 years old.
Lorraine confronted Sullivan, a verbal argument turned physical A mother hen protects her chick from the very fox she invited into the henhouse.
Kind of story the jury just loves.
Lorraine Dillon murdered Patrick Sullivan for his portion of the extortion money.
All we have to do is prove it.
It's gonna be an uphill battle.
A motion to exclude evidence of fraud.
We can produce a paper trail on Mr.
Glass' end, fabricated account statements and prospectuses which were generated by Mr.
Sullivan and provide a direct link.
To who? Patrick Sullivan or my client? Your client and Patrick Sullivan were running this scam together.
According to Mr.
Glass, who unfortunately won't be able to take the stand.
Let's show a little respect for the deceased, shall we? Even if the People could prove that Glass and Sullivan were ripping off their clients, their paper trail doesn't lead anywhere near Lorraine Dillon.
We intend to show that Ms.
Dillon murdered Patrick Sullivan so as to claim the spoils of their scheme herself.
Documents go to motive.
And their prejudicial effect outweighs their probative value.
It does not withstand the balancing test.
You've made your point, Mr.
Margolis.
Multiple times.
Mr.
McCoy, unless you can provide more of a link, documents that reference Ms.
Dillon directly, an eyewitness, I won't allow evidence of fraud in at trial.
We still have the gun, which ballistics confirms was the murder weapon.
That doesn't prove fraud.
And if we can't provide a compelling motive for why Lorraine killed Sullivan All the jury hears is her self-defense sob story.
But to tell it, she's going to have to testify.
You think Margolis will risk putting her on the stand? Lorraine's gift is her power of persuasion.
She's admitted to pulling the trigger, but they have no evidence that it was done in self-defense.
Her only chance is on the stand, convincing a jury that she was justified in shooting Patrick Sullivan.
If she does that, we can use her as an eyewitness to the fraud.
She's our way in.
It was the greatest mistake of my life.
I was married, when I met Patrick, to a man who doted on me, loved my daughter as his own.
Yet you didn't leave your husband? I've made one promise in my life that I've never broken.
To always do what's best for my child.
April was only 14 at the time and she needed a home, a family.
You ended your relationship with Mr.
Sullivan.
I didn't see him again for 10 years.
And, when your paths crossed again, things were different? Right.
April was grown.
I was single.
Mr.
Sullivan asked you to marry him.
What kept you from saying yes? My daughter.
Ms.
Dillon, what did April say? That Patrick had molested her.
That man raped my baby when she was 14 years old.
You confronted Mr.
Sullivan? April begged me not to.
I was just so stupid that I thought he might have some kind of an explanation.
Instead, he admitted it.
He said that looking at April now was like looking at me when we first met.
I lost it.
I snapped.
And I hit him.
And he hit me back.
I'd ask to show what's been previously marked as People's 37.
You may publish it.
Now, I know how painful this is for you, but can you tell us what happened next? Yes.
I was on the ground.
His hands were around my neck like this.
And I saw the gun.
He was going to kill me.
All I thought about in that instant was my little girl.
The next thing I knew, Patrick was dead and I was holding his gun.
Aside from being in love with Mr.
Sullivan, weren't you also business partners? Absolutely not.
On the night of the murder, you, Mr.
Sullivan and your daughter, April Troost, were involved in an illegal business transaction, isn't that correct? Objection! May we approach? Mr.
McCoy's line of questioning is in direct violation of your ruling excluding evidence of fraud.
The ruling specifically calls for documents or an eyewitness to allow the fraud in.
Well, you haven't provided either.
You have.
I plan to use your client as an eyewitness to the fraud.
Your Honor? It's fair game.
You chose to put Ms.
Dillon on the stand.
Mr.
McCoy has the right to cross-examine her.
You had no idea that you were about to marry a con artist who supported himself by scamming insurance companies and stealing.
Social Security checks from the elderly? No, I didn't.
I only care about what he did to my daughter.
Isn't your story about sexual misconduct nothing more than an attempt to distract from the fact that the three of you conspired to extort $500,000 from a Mr.
David Glass? I don't even know who that is.
He was a money manager who entrusted Mr.
Sullivan with half a million dollars on the night you shot him.
Mr.
Sullivan is dead.
The money hasn't been found.
Wouldn't you say that's quite a coincidence? Objection.
Badgering.
Sustained.
He hurt a lot of people.
But I didn't know them.
Isn't it true that you wanted the money from the scam for yourself? That's why you shot Mr.
Sullivan, isn't it? I shot him because he was going to shoot me.
He hurt my child and he was gonna kill me.
So one or two of the jurors won't wanna have you at the table for Sunday dinner.
What really matters is whether they believed Lorraine Dillon.
A juror may hear the facts, but he'll act on emotion.
You had to show there was more to the story.
You didn't have a choice.
Maybe not, but I have the common sense not to make the same mistake twice.
You'll take April's cross.
Excuse me? You said it yourself.
I lost likability points with the jury.
They'll see anything I do as an attack.
You want a woman to be the one calling April a liar.
You keep asking for trial experience.
You want it or not? How long did the sexual abuse go on? A little more than a year.
Why didn't you tell anyone? If not your mother, a friend, a teacher? I was 14.
If an adult told you not to say something, you didn't.
And yet, you knew it was wrong? I knew my mother was happy.
How could I take that away from her? So, why tell her now? She and Patrick were talking about having children.
I couldn't let another little girl go through what he did to me.
What was your mother's reaction when you finally did tell her? She held me.
You have no idea how good it felt to finally tell her the truth and know that she still loves me.
The man who haunted your childhood reappears in your life and threatens to stay.
That must have been horrifying.
It was.
Your mother testified that you begged her not to confront Mr.
Sullivan.
Is that what happened? I thought he might hurt her, and he did.
You saw those pictures.
He was a violent man.
Then why did you go to his hotel room alone? I thought I could reason with him.
I begged him to stay out of our lives.
Why didn't you call the police? What could I tell them? That Mr.
Sullivan had molested you.
That your mother was about to face him alone.
That he had a propensity for violence.
But you didn't call anyone, did you? I tried to stop her.
Isn't the real reason you didn't call the police because you knew Mr.
Sullivan wasn't actually a threat? Of course he was! My mother killed him to try to save her own life.
Really? When you confronted Mr.
Sullivan in his hotel room about his sexual assault, did he attack you? No.
Then why, when your mother faced him with the very same information, would he try to kill her? Objection.
Speculation.
Sustained.
Mr.
Sullivan never molested you, did he? I don't know what to say.
Just answer the question, Ms.
Troost.
Patrick Sullivan and I were lovers.
- April! What are you doing? - Ms.
Dillon! I'm so sorry, Mom.
I can't lie for you anymore.
So, Mr.
Sullivan didn't molest you? It was consensual.
It was always consensual.
- Your Honor, I have to object.
- Overruled.
Did your mother know about the affair? Patrick told her that night.
That's why she shot him.
That's not true! Mr.
Margolis, control your client.
She killed Patrick out of jealousy.
Whose idea was the molestation claim? My mother's.
She came home that night.
She told me what she'd done.
She was acting crazy.
She was saying things about Patrick.
Things that never happened.
Then she made me say them back, over and over.
And the bruises on her face? She told me to hit her.
I didn't want to, but she said I had to.
She said it would help with the story.
You lied to protect the woman who killed the man you loved? She's my mother.
What was I supposed to do? Stop! April, how could you do this? Ms.
Dillon, sit down! After everything I've done for you.
That's it! Officer, remove the jury.
We will reconvene tomorrow when everyone has a hold of themselves.
Can't you see that she's lying to you? You've got the wrong one, Jack.
I've got your client's confession and a clear motive.
Tell me otherwise.
April came home that night and told me that she'd killed Patrick.
What was her motive? She said that he had molested her.
I wouldn't make up something like that.
A compelling story.
Why didn't you let April tell it at her own trial? Because I feel responsible.
I brought Patrick into our lives.
Mr.
McCoy, April knew that I would lie for her.
She played on my greatest weakness.
What's that? My love for her.
What can you give us? She agrees to testify to the fraud, she tells me where the money is, and we arrest April this afternoon.
Now, I can't, in good conscience hand you the rope to hang my client.
You'd have Lorraine on murder and fraud.
Not if she gives me tangible proof that it was April who pulled the trigger.
I don't have any.
Come on, Jack.
Today was nothing more than a lot of Sturm and Drang.
The jury's not going for the fraud motive, and the self-defense claim is still compelling.
Man two.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice No deal.
On the charge of Murder in the Second Degree, how do you find? We find the defendant guilty.
It's gonna be okay.
You don't look satisfied.
Are you? I think we got the right verdict.
That gun that we found in the apartment.
What if it's April's? But Lorraine took the blame.
Until April turned on her in court.
She was gasping for air.
I like to think I've been doing this long enough to tell the difference between the truth and a lie.
Believe me, so would I.
But April still managed to fool me.
A fact which could be affecting your judgment, Detective.
You could be too close on this one.
Close enough to know we might've just been conned.
That verdict put 500 grand in April's pocket.
Do you really think April killed Sullivan? At the very least, I think she was an accomplice.
So, tail April until she goes for the money.
She'll wait till we look the other direction and slip off.
April ran away when she was 14, maybe to the same place she'd hide the money.
Well, who else was in their lives then? Our marriage was a sham from the start.
Lorraine wanted my money, and I was foolish enough to want her.
Well, what about April? April? She was a magnificent child.
She was not only beautiful, but clever.
Lorraine saw her as a threat.
Is that why April ran away? She didn't run away.
She was sent.
By me.
Why? April was pregnant.
April was 14.
The last thing in the world I wanted was for Lorraine to ruin another child's life, so I sent her up to this place in Glens Falls.
They looked after her during her pregnancy and then arranged to have the baby adopted.
Do you know who the father was? I never asked.
Why would April turn to you for help? She trusted me.
We had a special relationship.
I was her stepfather.
Is that all? You'll excuse me, gentlemen.
I gotta get dressed.
April was a sadhakas.
A short term resident.
She stayed with us until the baby was born.
We provide girls like April with solace, support, options.
Like adoption? If that's the mother's wish.
As soon as April arrived, we began the process of finding a loving family for her unborn child.
Everything was progressing as planned but, then Wait.
Let me take a guess.
Plans changed? April seemed to embrace our approach to right living.
She even spoke of staying on after the child's birth.
So, what happened? She went into labor, left for the hospital, and we never saw her again.
Wait a second.
Are you telling us that you let a 14-year-old girl who was in labor drive herself to the hospital? The facility's cook drove her.
This cook still work here? So, you do know April Troost? Yeah, I used to.
In the conventional and the biblical sense.
You were sleeping with her? Not until after we left the facility.
And after the baby? You know about that, huh? The people at the ashram said that you drove April to the hospital, but there's no record of her ever giving birth there.
She gave birth in my car.
Why you gotta come around here? Bringing up bad memories.
Was it a boy or a girl? It was a little guy.
We could see he wasn't right.
What do you mean? His face, it was all, like, sunken in.
You know, like somebody hit him.
April freaked out.
Said we couldn't take him to a doctor, because her Mom would find us, make April go home.
We wouldn't be able to stay together.
They got you on a drug cocktail? Yeah, eight pills a day.
Shared a needle with a friend.
Now he's dead, and my white cell count's in the basement.
My life went from April to crap.
So why cover up for her? If you know where that little boy is, you need to tell me.
She walked into the woods with him wrapped in a towel she found in my trunk.
She walked out alone.
Are you saying April killed her baby? She said she put it in a trash bag she found, dug a hole, put it down there.
A month later, she was gone.
So was my cash and my car.
I'll see her in hell.
You sure this is where April buried the baby? Absolutely.
This used to be nothing but trees.
There goes any chance of finding the baby's remains.
Or nailing April for murder.
It was ten years ago.
He didn't see April commit the murder.
We can't produce evidence to substantiate it.
So, for April Troost the rules simply don't apply? We're not the first ones she's played.
No, but I'd like to be the last.
There's no body.
Everything rests on a spurned lover's word.
We both know April killed her baby.
We can think it.
We can't prove it.
April doesn't know that.
What do you have in mind? Let's con the con.
Hello, April.
You just don't give up.
Why don't you have a seat? I won't get too comfortable.
You never do seem to be able to keep me here very long.
Where's your lapdog? Don't need one.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Are you familiar with the Glens Falls area? Can't say that I am.
Used to be trees as far as the eye could see, and then a developer bought up the land, and uh They're developing When the developer broke ground, they found a little surprise.
They found a shallow grave.
And in it were the remains of a baby.
It was a baby John Doe.
Until yesterday.
And I care why? Save it, April.
DNA from the bone marrow proves that it was yours.
You wrapped your baby in this towel, and you buried him alive.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Did he cry, April? Did you wrap the towel tighter to muffle the sound? Could you still hear him after you'd buried him under all that dirt? I'm not a monster.
I would never hurt my baby.
Well, someone did.
It was Arliss.
I don't know what lies he's been telling you, but they're not true.
He said he'd take care of it.
I didn't know.
Are you sure, April? Because we also found a garbage bag.
Everything that Arliss told us to look for was there.
The towel, the bag That's because he did it.
He killed my baby boy! Okay, well, the only problem with that is, April, that Arliss' fingerprints weren't on the bag.
Guess whose were? I'll give you something on Lorraine.
Come on, April.
We both know that this is the end of the line.
Now, you either plead this out, or you take your chance with a trial.
I don't know.
I can be pretty convincing.
I was hoping you'd say that.
What is she doing here? I told them you confessed to me about murdering the baby.
That's a lie.
I told them how you called me that night, so scared and desperate, needing your mother.
I never did that.
You were sobbing, eaten up with guilt and shame.
Remember April, how I told you we'd get through it? As a family? When I testify, the jury's going to love it.
- I'm gonna kill you! Bitch! - Whoa! You sit down, April.
Well played, Mom.
What'd you get for talking? I'll cop to the baby as long as I get less than she did.
No.
You'll give me a statement, then maybe we'll talk about a deal.
Where do I start? The beginning.
These are their stories.
I moved from San Juan to get away from my mother-in-law.
And you're letting yours move in? Who told you she was moving in? Your wife.
She gets what she wants.
I told her we'd talk about it.
Four mouths to feed and now her mother's moving in.
Only if I say it's okay.
Not if.
When.
Hey! You okay? I'm fine.
He's not.
How long has this building been empty? According to building security, about three months.
Our squatter have a name? Yeah, Patrick Sullivan, 47.
Lives in Murray Hill.
Did us the favor of holding on to his wallet.
It still has cash and cards.
I'll give you three guesses.
He drowned.
Bullet to the chest at close range.
No exit wounds.
Bet you a bagel it's a hollow-point.
You have a time for us? Combo of rigor and lividity puts time of death somewhere between Hey, do you mind? Number's still on the screen.
Never got a chance to press send.
No, it's a local number.
Guess he died calling for help.
Or someone killed him to keep him from making that call.
Only one way to find out.
Detective Benson.
So what have we got? I'm not sure.
Now, you didn't get any strange phone calls last night? Any messages? Anything logged in as a missed call? No.
And you're certain that your vic was trying to call me? If his life flashed before his eyes, you were the star player.
And you say his name is Patrick Sullivan? Ring any bells? None.
Maybe his face will.
Never seen him before in my life.
Which begs the question Why did he die trying to call me? You check the SVU database? BADS, NITRO, online complaints.
Patrick Sullivan doesn't show up as a victim or a perp in any of our files.
Walk me through this crime scene again.
Sixteenth floor of an empty office building.
The victim was supine, with a bullet to the chest.
Fluids? Victim's blood, but something tells me that's not what you're asking.
He was alone and zipped up.
Which doesn't sound like a sex crime.
Exactly.
So Why'd he try to call me? Just because he's not in your file doesn't mean he's not connected to a case.
Good luck.
I give out thousands of business cards a year.
Victims, families, witnesses.
I mean, it could be anybody.
Well, there is something else we should consider, Detective Benson.
Suppose this is not about a case.
Suppose it's personal.
How long you been renting to Mr.
Sullivan? You'll have to speak up.
I'm a little hard of hearing.
How long has Mr.
Sullivan lived here? Two years.
When was the last time you saw Mr.
Sullivan? I don't usually.
He's got his own entrance.
I didn't hear him coming and going.
How many people are you renting to? Just the one.
Then why is Social Security sending checks to five different individuals at this same address? Hmm.
Check this out.
It's a receipt from a storage facility.
Okay.
Let's see what Mr.
Sullivan kept under lock and key.
Oh, my God.
Five bodies.
All elderly, all dead of apparently natural causes.
But I'll know more in an hour or two.
Well, I don't think they're gonna turn into homicides during your lunch hour.
To fit the bodies into the freezers, your guy had to double them over.
Before I can open up the last three, they gotta thaw out.
Whatever happened to respecting your elders? All right, your DOA, Patrick Sullivan.
In order to locate the slug in his chest cavity, I ran a series of X rays.
He had a broken collar bone? Yeah.
Along with four ribs, both arms, both legs, and his left foot.
Based on re-calcification, I believe the breaks happened at different times over a series of years.
What is up with this dude? So, you're telling me Patrick Sullivan's a con man.
Well, the man made a living off of cons, which explains the broken bones and the insurance fraud.
It's as old as Hammurabi.
Guy's been doing it since he was a kid.
You walk in front of a car, and bam! Make like it was an accident.
That's a hell of a way to make a living.
I guess he ran out of bones and went in for the easy money.
So, the bodies in the morgue match the names on the Social Security checks you found in Sullivan's apartment? Yeah.
Uncle Sam thinks all five are alive and well and living in the same joint.
Well, since all five of our seniors last resided at the same nursing home, we're gonna go there and check for Sullivan's playmate.
Sounds good.
Ona Schiller moved back in with her son and his family.
Let me guess, in Murray Hill.
How about Joseph Huffman? Uh, says here that he transferred to another facility in August.
Oh, but that can't be right.
He's listed at the same address.
It wasn't unusual to lose five patients in just a matter of months? Oh, not at all.
Just because your kids like the tour doesn't mean you'll be happy here.
We're gonna wanna talk to the doctor who was overseeing the patients on that list.
Oh, doctors do weekly rounds.
Nurses do the day-to-day.
That's who you want to talk to.
And, seems all five had Eduardo.
Patrick was murdered? Mmm-hmm.
When did you two meet? Six months ago at a Laundromat.
He said he'd buy me lunch if I spotted him enough to finish his whites.
Did you happen to mention to Patrick that you work at Walnut Ridge? I'm sure I did.
He had this way of making you feel so important.
So, you and Patrick We were soul mates.
We actually were gonna get a place together, but to pay my share I needed money.
So you scammed Social Security? We weren't hurting anybody.
We only picked the ones with no families.
What happened? A patient died, you'd call Sullivan and then what? And I'd help him slip out the body and file the necessary paperwork.
So where's the money now? I never saw any of it.
Patrick always made excuses, said they took a long time to pay out, but something else was wrong.
Turns out the bastard was cheating on me.
How did you find this out? I checked his cell phone while he was in the shower, got a name and Googled the guy.
Some fancy jerk named Glass.
I thought I said to leave me alone.
D, they're detectives.
Excuse me.
So what happened here? Nothing I can't handle.
Party got out of control.
Well, you guys got a warrant? Not yet.
Just a few questions.
Everybody's got questions for D.
Who is it this time? Vykarius? T-Lo? Don Toine? Horses? No, rappers.
And it looks like Mr.
Glass here has cornered the market on hip-hop investors.
All my clients are clean and I'm under no legal obligation to tell you otherwise.
Was it some of your clients who redecorated your place for you? You know the drill.
You wanna seize funds, get a warrant, yo.
We're not here to seize funds, yet, yo.
We're here about Patrick Sullivan.
It seems you two have a lot of late-night phone conversations.
Yeah, well, you drop half a mill of a client's money into someone's hedge fund, you stay in touch.
What about it? Well, we were just wondering if you were aware of Mr.
Sullivan's track record for fraud, deceit, extortion? Everything on my end was completely legit.
Well, all right then, MC Vanilla.
You wouldn't mind telling us where you were on Tuesday night? Oh, man.
Why you gotta be trippin', yo? I can't be a witness.
It'll get me killed.
Witness to what? I saw it go down.
I saw Sullivan get shot.
There were phones and And computers and bad art on the walls.
Sullivan was here waiting? Alive and kickin'.
I mean, the girl was already here.
What girl? Some blonde.
Hot.
She had paper for Sullivan, too.
Oh, man, this is whack.
How much? The buy-in was 500 G's.
Did you get introduced to the blonde? You know, I wasn't looking to make new friends.
Her clients were based overseas.
The phone rang once.
She spoke Japanese.
Anyway, let me guess, the whole thing went south during the handoff.
We had both just given Sullivan our share when the door busts in.
It was some woman.
Said she was an SEC agent.
Sullivan went ballistic.
Started screaming about how he wasn't gonna go down like that.
He pulled a gun.
The agent pulled hers and she shot him.
That didn't sound right.
I mean, SEC don't carry firearms.
Should have been FBI.
Yeah, you know, well, clearly nobody told her that.
Either way, she was on to the scam.
Sullivan was dead.
The girl ran out.
I wasn't about to stick around.
You guys are gonna help me get my money back, right? Sounds to me like Mr.
Sullivan played with these friends before.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
What's he talkin' about? It was a con, man.
It's probable that everybody in the room was in on it except for you.
The only reason I'm talking to you guys is 'cause I need to get my money back.
You saw my office.
That was over a market correction.
I'm a dead man.
All right, now, this woman, the shooter, what did she look like? That's the blonde.
That's the brunette.
That's the shooter.
That's definitely them.
A real piece of work.
That's Lorraine Dillon.
The blonde is April Troost, her daughter.
Twenty-five, IQ off the charts, but good luck trying to find a heartbeat.
You had them on racketeering? And they walked.
Not this time.
You realize this is a long shot.
Sullivan died trying to call me.
You were right.
This was personal.
Thought you moved back to Florida.
Plans change.
Who's that? Well, hello, Detective Benson.
Did you miss us? Patrick Sullivan? Talk about Irish.
Never heard of him.
He seems to have that effect on women.
What happened to your face? Oh, would you believe a sailing accident? No, I wouldn't.
Too bad.
It's the truth.
From what I know, you wouldn't know the truth if it handed you a business card.
You've been spending too much time with Detective Benson.
She had you on fraud and extortion and you walked.
I'm very impressed.
She had a creative imagination but no proof.
Well, this is different.
We have an eyewitness.
Wow, you have a great face.
Where were you Tuesday night? At home with my daughter.
I'm bored.
I feel your pain.
You're stuck here with me when you could be out there blowing that $500,000 you scammed off of David Glass.
I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
He picked you out of a photo array.
A lot of girls look like me.
No, no, they don't.
We got you for fraud.
It's only a matter of time before we add murder.
We'll see.
You are something else.
Thank you.
Hi, this stops now.
Patrick Sullivan.
Two hours after you say he was shot.
The guy's a real sport, isn't he? Your eyewitness claims he saw Lorraine Dillon shoot Patrick Sullivan at 8:00.
So, uh, how was Mr.
Sullivan buying rounds at the Foxhead Bar at 10:00? Time codes mean nothing.
For all we know this could have been taped three weeks ago.
Could have been, but wasn't.
The game went into extra innings that night.
Go to the bar and check it out.
And contact the league.
Verify what time the game ended.
Yeah.
He was in here three nights ago.
A real sweet-talker.
On the tape, Sullivan was buying drinks for the house.
Did he happen to say what he was celebrating? Truth is I stopped listening.
I've perfected the smile and pour.
Did he leave alone? Well, there was talk about taking the party back to his hotel.
Did he say where he was staying? The Beaumont.
But, when he checked the time, he said he had somewhere to be and he bolted.
Have you ever seen either of these two women? Both were guests of Mr.
Sullivan on separate occasions.
Were either of them here Tuesday night? I couldn't say for certain.
Do you have surveillance cameras in this place? No.
Which is precisely why I can't leave the front desk unattended.
Let me know if you need any further assistance.
All right, then.
Thank you.
So we can place Sullivan here with Lorraine and April.
We can have these glasses tested for prints.
And these for DNA.
That is disgusting.
That's a lot of Trojans.
I guess he did more than just talk.
You know, if Glass saw Lorraine pull the trigger at 8:00, what was Sullivan doing back here gettin' busy after 10:00? My guess is showering.
He must have wore this when the con went down.
Check it.
Ah.
They used squibs.
So if they pulled it off, why'd he go back to the scene? To strike the set.
That would explain why it was empty when we found him.
So Lorraine and April were the only ones who knew where he'd be.
So maybe the ladies figured a 50-50 split is better than a three-way, so they killed him for his share.
I don't know.
The beauty of an elaborate con is there's never, ever a body.
So what are you thinking, a third party? I'm thinking maybe Sullivan opened up his big mouth to somebody who wanted a piece of the action.
Yeah.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
Hey, Amy.
What happened? He said to hold his calls and then he hugged me.
D doesn't hug.
I should have known.
Who trashed his office yesterday? Vykarius.
We're going to need a phone number on him.
Sure.
But he had nothing to do with this.
He left for Barbados last night.
I booked his jet.
Someone should call D's family.
Careful of his head.
Hey, Miss Flax.
Any chance of this playing like a homicide? Locked door, no sign of a struggle.
I'm calling it like I see it.
Suicide.
So much for the eyewitness.
So you're telling me that they're gonna walk.
Unless they committed another crime while they've been under lock and key, my hands are tied.
We've got nothing to hold them on.
This is a joke.
The videotape killed the murder charge.
David Glass only witnessed the scam.
Believe me, they did it.
And if they didn't, they paid somebody else to do it.
You got proof'? Or 'gust a grudge'? You and me both know that they're dirty.
Can't you hold them on fraud? With Glass dead, his ID is inadmissible.
Without the money, there is no proof of fraud.
We picked up April and Lorraine at their apartment two days after the murder.
Maybe they didn't have a chance to move the money? Divorce isn't as lucrative as it used to be.
Yeah, that explains why April and Lorraine are still in the game.
Hey, Green? Yeah.
What caliber was the gun used to shoot Sullivan? It's a .
38.
Kind of like this one? And what, may I ask, are you doing? Well, as soon as ballistics comes back on this gun, I'll be arresting your clients for the murder of Patrick Sullivan.
Oh, my God.
MARGOLIS: Say nothing.
Let me take care of it.
She had nothing to do with it.
- Lorraine, stop talking.
- Mom, no! April.
No.
No, no, no, no.
Mom It's okay.
I did it.
I killed Patrick.
It was self-defense.
According to Lorraine's grand jury testimony, it wasn't a new relationship.
She and Sullivan had an affair 10 years ago.
That was then.
This is now.
Where does the self-defense claim come in? Could I get a little more breathing room here, pal? Lorraine claims that the night of the murder, April came to her and revealed that Patrick Sullivan had molested her when she was 14 years old.
Lorraine confronted Sullivan, a verbal argument turned physical A mother hen protects her chick from the very fox she invited into the henhouse.
Kind of story the jury just loves.
Lorraine Dillon murdered Patrick Sullivan for his portion of the extortion money.
All we have to do is prove it.
It's gonna be an uphill battle.
A motion to exclude evidence of fraud.
We can produce a paper trail on Mr.
Glass' end, fabricated account statements and prospectuses which were generated by Mr.
Sullivan and provide a direct link.
To who? Patrick Sullivan or my client? Your client and Patrick Sullivan were running this scam together.
According to Mr.
Glass, who unfortunately won't be able to take the stand.
Let's show a little respect for the deceased, shall we? Even if the People could prove that Glass and Sullivan were ripping off their clients, their paper trail doesn't lead anywhere near Lorraine Dillon.
We intend to show that Ms.
Dillon murdered Patrick Sullivan so as to claim the spoils of their scheme herself.
Documents go to motive.
And their prejudicial effect outweighs their probative value.
It does not withstand the balancing test.
You've made your point, Mr.
Margolis.
Multiple times.
Mr.
McCoy, unless you can provide more of a link, documents that reference Ms.
Dillon directly, an eyewitness, I won't allow evidence of fraud in at trial.
We still have the gun, which ballistics confirms was the murder weapon.
That doesn't prove fraud.
And if we can't provide a compelling motive for why Lorraine killed Sullivan All the jury hears is her self-defense sob story.
But to tell it, she's going to have to testify.
You think Margolis will risk putting her on the stand? Lorraine's gift is her power of persuasion.
She's admitted to pulling the trigger, but they have no evidence that it was done in self-defense.
Her only chance is on the stand, convincing a jury that she was justified in shooting Patrick Sullivan.
If she does that, we can use her as an eyewitness to the fraud.
She's our way in.
It was the greatest mistake of my life.
I was married, when I met Patrick, to a man who doted on me, loved my daughter as his own.
Yet you didn't leave your husband? I've made one promise in my life that I've never broken.
To always do what's best for my child.
April was only 14 at the time and she needed a home, a family.
You ended your relationship with Mr.
Sullivan.
I didn't see him again for 10 years.
And, when your paths crossed again, things were different? Right.
April was grown.
I was single.
Mr.
Sullivan asked you to marry him.
What kept you from saying yes? My daughter.
Ms.
Dillon, what did April say? That Patrick had molested her.
That man raped my baby when she was 14 years old.
You confronted Mr.
Sullivan? April begged me not to.
I was just so stupid that I thought he might have some kind of an explanation.
Instead, he admitted it.
He said that looking at April now was like looking at me when we first met.
I lost it.
I snapped.
And I hit him.
And he hit me back.
I'd ask to show what's been previously marked as People's 37.
You may publish it.
Now, I know how painful this is for you, but can you tell us what happened next? Yes.
I was on the ground.
His hands were around my neck like this.
And I saw the gun.
He was going to kill me.
All I thought about in that instant was my little girl.
The next thing I knew, Patrick was dead and I was holding his gun.
Aside from being in love with Mr.
Sullivan, weren't you also business partners? Absolutely not.
On the night of the murder, you, Mr.
Sullivan and your daughter, April Troost, were involved in an illegal business transaction, isn't that correct? Objection! May we approach? Mr.
McCoy's line of questioning is in direct violation of your ruling excluding evidence of fraud.
The ruling specifically calls for documents or an eyewitness to allow the fraud in.
Well, you haven't provided either.
You have.
I plan to use your client as an eyewitness to the fraud.
Your Honor? It's fair game.
You chose to put Ms.
Dillon on the stand.
Mr.
McCoy has the right to cross-examine her.
You had no idea that you were about to marry a con artist who supported himself by scamming insurance companies and stealing.
Social Security checks from the elderly? No, I didn't.
I only care about what he did to my daughter.
Isn't your story about sexual misconduct nothing more than an attempt to distract from the fact that the three of you conspired to extort $500,000 from a Mr.
David Glass? I don't even know who that is.
He was a money manager who entrusted Mr.
Sullivan with half a million dollars on the night you shot him.
Mr.
Sullivan is dead.
The money hasn't been found.
Wouldn't you say that's quite a coincidence? Objection.
Badgering.
Sustained.
He hurt a lot of people.
But I didn't know them.
Isn't it true that you wanted the money from the scam for yourself? That's why you shot Mr.
Sullivan, isn't it? I shot him because he was going to shoot me.
He hurt my child and he was gonna kill me.
So one or two of the jurors won't wanna have you at the table for Sunday dinner.
What really matters is whether they believed Lorraine Dillon.
A juror may hear the facts, but he'll act on emotion.
You had to show there was more to the story.
You didn't have a choice.
Maybe not, but I have the common sense not to make the same mistake twice.
You'll take April's cross.
Excuse me? You said it yourself.
I lost likability points with the jury.
They'll see anything I do as an attack.
You want a woman to be the one calling April a liar.
You keep asking for trial experience.
You want it or not? How long did the sexual abuse go on? A little more than a year.
Why didn't you tell anyone? If not your mother, a friend, a teacher? I was 14.
If an adult told you not to say something, you didn't.
And yet, you knew it was wrong? I knew my mother was happy.
How could I take that away from her? So, why tell her now? She and Patrick were talking about having children.
I couldn't let another little girl go through what he did to me.
What was your mother's reaction when you finally did tell her? She held me.
You have no idea how good it felt to finally tell her the truth and know that she still loves me.
The man who haunted your childhood reappears in your life and threatens to stay.
That must have been horrifying.
It was.
Your mother testified that you begged her not to confront Mr.
Sullivan.
Is that what happened? I thought he might hurt her, and he did.
You saw those pictures.
He was a violent man.
Then why did you go to his hotel room alone? I thought I could reason with him.
I begged him to stay out of our lives.
Why didn't you call the police? What could I tell them? That Mr.
Sullivan had molested you.
That your mother was about to face him alone.
That he had a propensity for violence.
But you didn't call anyone, did you? I tried to stop her.
Isn't the real reason you didn't call the police because you knew Mr.
Sullivan wasn't actually a threat? Of course he was! My mother killed him to try to save her own life.
Really? When you confronted Mr.
Sullivan in his hotel room about his sexual assault, did he attack you? No.
Then why, when your mother faced him with the very same information, would he try to kill her? Objection.
Speculation.
Sustained.
Mr.
Sullivan never molested you, did he? I don't know what to say.
Just answer the question, Ms.
Troost.
Patrick Sullivan and I were lovers.
- April! What are you doing? - Ms.
Dillon! I'm so sorry, Mom.
I can't lie for you anymore.
So, Mr.
Sullivan didn't molest you? It was consensual.
It was always consensual.
- Your Honor, I have to object.
- Overruled.
Did your mother know about the affair? Patrick told her that night.
That's why she shot him.
That's not true! Mr.
Margolis, control your client.
She killed Patrick out of jealousy.
Whose idea was the molestation claim? My mother's.
She came home that night.
She told me what she'd done.
She was acting crazy.
She was saying things about Patrick.
Things that never happened.
Then she made me say them back, over and over.
And the bruises on her face? She told me to hit her.
I didn't want to, but she said I had to.
She said it would help with the story.
You lied to protect the woman who killed the man you loved? She's my mother.
What was I supposed to do? Stop! April, how could you do this? Ms.
Dillon, sit down! After everything I've done for you.
That's it! Officer, remove the jury.
We will reconvene tomorrow when everyone has a hold of themselves.
Can't you see that she's lying to you? You've got the wrong one, Jack.
I've got your client's confession and a clear motive.
Tell me otherwise.
April came home that night and told me that she'd killed Patrick.
What was her motive? She said that he had molested her.
I wouldn't make up something like that.
A compelling story.
Why didn't you let April tell it at her own trial? Because I feel responsible.
I brought Patrick into our lives.
Mr.
McCoy, April knew that I would lie for her.
She played on my greatest weakness.
What's that? My love for her.
What can you give us? She agrees to testify to the fraud, she tells me where the money is, and we arrest April this afternoon.
Now, I can't, in good conscience hand you the rope to hang my client.
You'd have Lorraine on murder and fraud.
Not if she gives me tangible proof that it was April who pulled the trigger.
I don't have any.
Come on, Jack.
Today was nothing more than a lot of Sturm and Drang.
The jury's not going for the fraud motive, and the self-defense claim is still compelling.
Man two.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice No deal.
On the charge of Murder in the Second Degree, how do you find? We find the defendant guilty.
It's gonna be okay.
You don't look satisfied.
Are you? I think we got the right verdict.
That gun that we found in the apartment.
What if it's April's? But Lorraine took the blame.
Until April turned on her in court.
She was gasping for air.
I like to think I've been doing this long enough to tell the difference between the truth and a lie.
Believe me, so would I.
But April still managed to fool me.
A fact which could be affecting your judgment, Detective.
You could be too close on this one.
Close enough to know we might've just been conned.
That verdict put 500 grand in April's pocket.
Do you really think April killed Sullivan? At the very least, I think she was an accomplice.
So, tail April until she goes for the money.
She'll wait till we look the other direction and slip off.
April ran away when she was 14, maybe to the same place she'd hide the money.
Well, who else was in their lives then? Our marriage was a sham from the start.
Lorraine wanted my money, and I was foolish enough to want her.
Well, what about April? April? She was a magnificent child.
She was not only beautiful, but clever.
Lorraine saw her as a threat.
Is that why April ran away? She didn't run away.
She was sent.
By me.
Why? April was pregnant.
April was 14.
The last thing in the world I wanted was for Lorraine to ruin another child's life, so I sent her up to this place in Glens Falls.
They looked after her during her pregnancy and then arranged to have the baby adopted.
Do you know who the father was? I never asked.
Why would April turn to you for help? She trusted me.
We had a special relationship.
I was her stepfather.
Is that all? You'll excuse me, gentlemen.
I gotta get dressed.
April was a sadhakas.
A short term resident.
She stayed with us until the baby was born.
We provide girls like April with solace, support, options.
Like adoption? If that's the mother's wish.
As soon as April arrived, we began the process of finding a loving family for her unborn child.
Everything was progressing as planned but, then Wait.
Let me take a guess.
Plans changed? April seemed to embrace our approach to right living.
She even spoke of staying on after the child's birth.
So, what happened? She went into labor, left for the hospital, and we never saw her again.
Wait a second.
Are you telling us that you let a 14-year-old girl who was in labor drive herself to the hospital? The facility's cook drove her.
This cook still work here? So, you do know April Troost? Yeah, I used to.
In the conventional and the biblical sense.
You were sleeping with her? Not until after we left the facility.
And after the baby? You know about that, huh? The people at the ashram said that you drove April to the hospital, but there's no record of her ever giving birth there.
She gave birth in my car.
Why you gotta come around here? Bringing up bad memories.
Was it a boy or a girl? It was a little guy.
We could see he wasn't right.
What do you mean? His face, it was all, like, sunken in.
You know, like somebody hit him.
April freaked out.
Said we couldn't take him to a doctor, because her Mom would find us, make April go home.
We wouldn't be able to stay together.
They got you on a drug cocktail? Yeah, eight pills a day.
Shared a needle with a friend.
Now he's dead, and my white cell count's in the basement.
My life went from April to crap.
So why cover up for her? If you know where that little boy is, you need to tell me.
She walked into the woods with him wrapped in a towel she found in my trunk.
She walked out alone.
Are you saying April killed her baby? She said she put it in a trash bag she found, dug a hole, put it down there.
A month later, she was gone.
So was my cash and my car.
I'll see her in hell.
You sure this is where April buried the baby? Absolutely.
This used to be nothing but trees.
There goes any chance of finding the baby's remains.
Or nailing April for murder.
It was ten years ago.
He didn't see April commit the murder.
We can't produce evidence to substantiate it.
So, for April Troost the rules simply don't apply? We're not the first ones she's played.
No, but I'd like to be the last.
There's no body.
Everything rests on a spurned lover's word.
We both know April killed her baby.
We can think it.
We can't prove it.
April doesn't know that.
What do you have in mind? Let's con the con.
Hello, April.
You just don't give up.
Why don't you have a seat? I won't get too comfortable.
You never do seem to be able to keep me here very long.
Where's your lapdog? Don't need one.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Are you familiar with the Glens Falls area? Can't say that I am.
Used to be trees as far as the eye could see, and then a developer bought up the land, and uh They're developing When the developer broke ground, they found a little surprise.
They found a shallow grave.
And in it were the remains of a baby.
It was a baby John Doe.
Until yesterday.
And I care why? Save it, April.
DNA from the bone marrow proves that it was yours.
You wrapped your baby in this towel, and you buried him alive.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Did he cry, April? Did you wrap the towel tighter to muffle the sound? Could you still hear him after you'd buried him under all that dirt? I'm not a monster.
I would never hurt my baby.
Well, someone did.
It was Arliss.
I don't know what lies he's been telling you, but they're not true.
He said he'd take care of it.
I didn't know.
Are you sure, April? Because we also found a garbage bag.
Everything that Arliss told us to look for was there.
The towel, the bag That's because he did it.
He killed my baby boy! Okay, well, the only problem with that is, April, that Arliss' fingerprints weren't on the bag.
Guess whose were? I'll give you something on Lorraine.
Come on, April.
We both know that this is the end of the line.
Now, you either plead this out, or you take your chance with a trial.
I don't know.
I can be pretty convincing.
I was hoping you'd say that.
What is she doing here? I told them you confessed to me about murdering the baby.
That's a lie.
I told them how you called me that night, so scared and desperate, needing your mother.
I never did that.
You were sobbing, eaten up with guilt and shame.
Remember April, how I told you we'd get through it? As a family? When I testify, the jury's going to love it.
- I'm gonna kill you! Bitch! - Whoa! You sit down, April.
Well played, Mom.
What'd you get for talking? I'll cop to the baby as long as I get less than she did.
No.
You'll give me a statement, then maybe we'll talk about a deal.
Where do I start? The beginning.