Law & Order (1990) s16e04 Episode Script

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.
You Okay? Doctor's ready.
The procedure's scheduled for 2:00.
They'll remove the feeding tube.
If you have any questions No.
Sweetheart.
This is what I promised you.
Remember? I love you.
He's here, he's out here! Murderer! Who made you God? Robert, call me later.
We got one DOA, four injured.
Of the four injured, none of them are likely.
Lucky they were on the doorstep of the E.
R.
The DOA, the driver, was a Robert Barrows.
Detective, where's the mobile command center? On its way, Lieutenant.
Well, until it's here or we're sure there's not another bomb around here somewhere, everyone is to stay off cell phones and radios.
Well, we don't have to look too far for a motive.
Seems pretty obvious.
To anyone watching the news.
Karen Barrows has been on a feeding tube for 11 years.
Her husband tried to get it removed.
The tube was supposed to be taken out today.
We got at least a dozen organized protest groups.
Citizens for Life, Disabled Rights, Christians Unified.
Not counting the people who came here on their own, which is probably most of them.
No shortage of suspects.
Just a couple of hundred, give or take.
Fragments taken from the chassis of the car.
Looks like a pipe bomb, home workshop model.
It didn't go off when Barrows started the car? Remote detonator.
You can download plans off the internet and buy the electronics from 100 different places.
Which means the killer was watching this whole thing happen from some place nearby.
Nature of the detonator, they'd have had to be within 200 yards.
Well, we'll get a couple of guys from the 11th Squad to help with the canvas and pull the hospital surveillance tapes.
And these news crews, we need to check out what they shot.
Now, when was this bomb planted? It didn't happen around all these people.
We'll find out where Barrows kept his car.
Robert parked it on the street.
Lot of access.
You'd think the police would have checked it.
They gave him a police escort to the hospital.
They put up bullet-proof curtains, they even gave him a police radio.
Has the car been out of your possession recently? Three days ago it was serviced at my cousin's shop in Queens.
But he wouldn't plant a bomb.
Well, has anyone shown up to threaten him personally? Besides her parents? Karen's parents? You haven't seen them? They went on the news.
They called him a monster.
They called me a whore for having kids with him.
When I met him, she had been like that for six years.
Robert dedicated his life to her.
He fought to get money for her care.
Fought how? A malpractice suit.
It took him four years to get a settlement.
How much money are we talking about? Three point two million.
And who will control this money now? Guess.
Of course we'll control the trust.
That's how it should've been since the settlement.
But this isn't about money, at least not for us.
You weren't too pleased with the way Robert handled things.
Robert was spending Karen's money on his girlfriend, buying her clothes, redoing their apartment.
Why do you think he wanted Karen dead? It's been a hard couple of days.
Good to meet you.
Reverend Harlan Dwyre.
How do you do? Yeah, I've seen you on the news.
Harlan's been a crucial advocate in our fight, and a good friend.
Were any of you at the hospital when Robert was killed? We don't go when Robert's there.
It's too painful.
Well, when you are there, do you ever hear anybody say anything about hurting him? No, and we would never encourage that.
You've been pretty harsh towards him on the news.
He's been trying to kill our child.
I'm sure that they understand.
And she's still in danger.
The police should be helping us instead of making us feel like we've done something wrong.
Excuse me.
It's Steven.
Hey, any news? Yes, I'll tell them.
The court has agreed to hear Karen's petition.
Until then, the feeding tube stays in.
Oh, that's good news.
Such good news.
If you don't mind me asking, who's Steven? Karen's brother.
Where does he live? I was getting gas downtown on my way to the hospital.
And I caught something on the radio about a car bomb.
Oh, yeah? What time was that? Uh, it was just before 11:00.
They said it just happened.
Did you happen to get a receipt for that gas? Come on, guys.
You want me to look for it? That'd be great.
All right.
You guys questioned my parents.
Couple of 60-year-old retirees, they seem like the car-bombing type to you? We're just gathering information, sir.
Don't confuse us with the protesters down at the hospital.
They've never met Karen.
Hey, did any of them ever contact you? No, and I don't go near them.
The reason some idiot planted a bomb To them, Karen stands for something.
To me, she's my little sister.
I just want her alive.
Here you go.
And talk to the guy driving that fuel tanker.
He almost hit my car on the way out of the station.
The brother's gas station receipt checks out.
And there was a fuel tanker there when he said there was.
What about the cousin who serviced Barrows' car three days ago? There's no record.
And no pro-life involvement that we could find.
Does the bomb squad know exactly where it was planted? It was on the chassis underneath the driver's seat.
So the cousin would have noticed it when he changed the transmission fluid.
Meaning our bomb was planted in the last three days.
That's our window.
Lieutenant, this is Detective Garcia with Intel.
He's assigned to threat assessment.
He's helping us sort out this hate mail.
Nice to meet you.
Anything? You remember when the Women's Center on 30th Street was bombed last year? Yeah, in the middle of the night.
This is a copy of the letter the center got two days before it happened.
"I am the instrument of God's vengeance.
" Guy couldn't spell vengeance.
Robert Barrows got this four days ago.
Never opened it.
"L am the instrument of" It's the same phrase.
Who caught this case? What a heartbreaker.
It was a ground ball then it all fell apart.
Who was the suspect? Walter Byrd, some pro-life nut-job.
Too perfect, right? Witness saw him hanging around the clinic at 4:00 a.
m.
A minute later, the whole storefront blows off.
How come it didn't stick? Well, he had no trace explosives on him, we got no prints, no one saw him plant the bomb.
So we cut him loose.
A week later, he's gone.
No forwarding address.
Nothing.
What type device was it? First page.
"Pipe bomb, bleach-based explosive," "potassium nitrate, remote detonator.
" Sounds like it could be our boy.
Well, we've got his photo, so if he was hanging out with the protesters at the hospital, then We'll check it out.
Karen feels the presence of those who love her, she feels joy and pain.
She is not in a vegetative state.
She is cognizant.
Excuse me.
Pardon me.
Karen can make hand signals to communicate.
Yo! Yo! Come here.
Seems like you've been around here for a few days.
Have you seen this man? This about the car bomb? Yes, it is.
What do you know about it? Someone had to stop Robert Barrows, but that wasn't the way to do it.
I'm not asking how it should've been done.
All I'm asking you is this, have you seen this man or not? Don't think so.
Anybody? Definitely.
He was handing out flyers.
When was this? About a week ago.
I saw him a couple of times.
Did you take a flyer? He's pro-life, which sort of bothers me 'cause I'm pro-choice.
Wait, do you know where I could find one? Maybe on the ground? They were orange with black lettering.
Hey.
I got two witnesses who saw him with these.
This it? I think so.
Check this out.
P.
O.
box to send donations.
Whatever he's done, I can't help you.
He gave your apartment as a billing address.
Billing address? Yeah.
For a P.
O.
box.
Do you recognize this? No, I don't.
He stayed over a couple of times last winter.
And sometimes he gets mail here.
Does he ever come and get it? Not for awhile.
Anyway, I threw it all out.
I don't want him here.
Why, wasn't he an ideal house guest? He damned near caught my curtains on fire soldering something in the back room.
Soldering what? Who knows? I threw it all out.
And when he called, I told him he was not staying here again.
Do you know where he called from? Didn't ask.
I heard kids in the background.
Does Walter have kids? None I know of.
His ex has kids.
Maybe they're back together.
You know? I don't think anyone's at home.
Well, I hear something.
Well, hello there.
What's your name? Is Walter home? Back door.
Got it.
I'll go around.
Come out here, honey.
That's it.
Police! I heard you go in there.
Step out slowly.
I want to see your hands! I'm coming out.
Put it out! Put it out! Help! Help! You okay? Yeah.
Easy, easy.
Easy! I lit a cigarette, which was stupid 'cause I had paint thinner on the table, and a second later, there's flames everywhere.
I was glad to see this guy.
Don't give us that bull, man.
You were trying to torch the place.
Why would I want to do that? Because you had more than paint thinner in that shed.
You had potassium nitrate, aluminum fillings, blasting caps.
And a bag of rusty nails like the ones you used in the car bomb, like the ones they pulled out of Robert Barrows.
Look, I'm not saying I don't make bombs.
I do.
But, uh I use them to go fishing.
Fishing? Yeah.
You throw one in the water and all the fish float to the top.
You heard of that.
Anyway, you said you were at the hospital four days ago.
What were you doing there? It's wrong what's happening to that girl.
I was speaking out.
Speaking to who? Who'd you talk to? Lots of people.
We're going to dump your ex-wife's phones.
We're going to run down every call.
Go ahead.
And the lab's going to know if the explosive used in the car bomb matches the batch we found in your shed.
You know, somebody broke into the shed last week, took a whole bunch of stuff.
Are you trying to amuse us, or do you really think we're that stupid? Byrd's ex-wife backs his alibi.
He spent the last four days with her.
Ex or no, still doesn't mean much.
It goes beyond her.
At the time of the explosion, she and Byrd were firing guns at a range in Arden Heights, and the range confirms it.
Interesting couple.
Where's the lab on the chemicals in Byrd's shed? It matches the explosives used at the hospital.
Any prints on the bomb fragment? No, and Crime Scene Unit is not hopeful.
What about the ex-wife's phone records? So far, just friends and family.
We don't think Byrd used the phone at the house.
Well, someone had to detonate that bomb.
Who was he working with? It could be somebody from the Calvary Hill Foundation.
Religious group.
Last year, Byrd took an inciting to riot collar at an anti-evolution rally in Tulsa sponsored by Calvary Hill.
I'm sure they'll be very talkative.
Good luck.
Of course we'd like to be of help but we don't discuss our membership.
Even if they're a homicidal bomber? Having our literature doesn't make him a member.
And that kind of violent activity has no place in our ideology.
Well, except for that riot in Tulsa where there were 16 arrests made outside a school board meeting.
We didn't bring the batons and tear gas, Detective.
If Walter Byrd is a member of our organization and he did this bombing, it's purely coincidental.
Joe.
Is the Reverend Dwyre a member of your foundation? A supporter.
Was he also in Tulsa with you? He spoke at the rally.
Oh, now you think he's involved? Heated emotional situations, like Karen's, like in Tulsa, they bring out passionate people, also the extreme.
Like Walter Byrd? Unfortunately.
How well do you know him? Well, we've just been at the same rallies.
You just happen to cross paths with a bomb maker at a rally? Our center supports religious and ethical causes.
Now, he may believe in the same causes, but I deplore his tactics.
His explosions put your face on the news.
I mean, you're getting a lot of air time out of this.
Well, I have a feeling that will end soon.
Do you know the name Mitch Randolph? Mitch Randolph ls he the guy who blew up those four abortion clinics in Oregon? Half the country's been looking for him for two years.
He's always one step ahead.
Randolph's anonymous blog says that he was in New York recently.
That goes for a lot of other people.
He wrote he was supporting violent action to save Karen's life and he was here to offer support and knowledge.
And you think he's going to take responsibility? Yes, I do.
And this Mitch Randolph idea just came to you now, did it? In my work, it's not a name you drop lightly.
Mitch Randolph is a hero.
Willing to put his ass on the line, you know? And that you think we'd help you find him is incomprehensible.
Look, you guys are pro-life, right? Vehemently.
Our murder victim has two kids.
So why aren't you so pro-life about him? A man with a gun to his wife's head waiting for a godless court system to pull the trigger? Sorry.
We don't know where Mitch Randolph is and we wouldn't tell you if we did.
You're gonna want to watch the attitude.
We can subpoena your computers' files, track where he blogged from.
Do you really want all those hassles? You mean, again? What are you talking about? Before you harass people doing God's work, try talking to your pals at the FBI.
When the government is run by fools who condone murder and the bloodshed of innocents, it is the responsibility of the people to respond in kind.
It was posted on the Save Our Homeland website as a kind of morale video.
Did you figure out where it was shot? We matched the wallpaper and window curtains to the Bandicott Hotel in mid-town three weeks ago.
What was on the Bandicott's surveillance cameras? Randolph strolling through the lobby.
We need to see that.
There's nothing there.
And neither us or ATF have anything connecting him to this car bombing.
Just him promoting violence on a website.
Generic wacko rambling.
What about the fact he's in the city? Two weeks ago we had him allegedly spotted in Montana, and then a tip came in he might be hiding out in South Carolina with the survivalist dirt farmers.
We don't know where he is.
We still want to see the Bandicott surveillance videos.
There.
That's him.
He waits for the elevator.
Elevator doors open.
He gets in.
Door's close.
Can we see it again? All right.
No, let it keep playing.
Who's the guy in the back doorway? That looks like Walter Byrd.
We're starting to see a bigger picture here, Mr.
Byrd.
Maybe you weren't the only one involved in this bombing.
I wasn't involved at all.
We want to move forward.
Trade up.
You familiar with the concept? Lam.
What's the offer? Twenty years.
Eight, max.
Eighteen concurrent with the clinic bombing after a full allocution on both.
No.
No.
I mean, you people got no concept of believing in a cause.
Conviction on one and you do at least 25 years.
Fifty if you get consecutive sentences.
There are people in the world who truly care about human life.
Ten seconds and the deal is gone.
People who think that killing is abhorrent.
Anathema.
Against the will of God.
Do you even believe in God, Miss Borgia? I do.
Goodbye.
Walter.
What do you want to know about the Reverend? Reverend? Dwyre.
He says Dwyre contracted him to build a bomb.
Byrd delivered it to the Reverend's hotel room.
Three days later Robert Barrows blew up.
And where does Mitch Randolph fit in? Byrd says he doesn't know him, he never met him.
How does he explain the Bandicott surveillance tape? He says it was a setup orchestrated by Dwyre.
HOW? Dwyer told Byrd to meet him at the hotel, then he never showed.
Knowing Byrd and Randolph would cross paths and we'd look at Byrd for the bombing.
That's what he says.
And Byrd wasn't just blowing smoke? All the specifics point to Byrd and Dwyre.
Did you find any calls between Byrd and the Reverend? None.
Well, they could've had contact outside the hospital.
Is there anything that Byrd knew about Dwyre that he couldn't have just made up? Something we can confirm.
Is that ayes? Okay, thanks.
Byrd told you that he delivered the bomb to Dwyre at the Leister Inn, room 1602? Yeah.
Dwyre's in 1602.
Pick him up.
Everyone? I have some wonderful news.
The Lamar family was just informed that the court has granted our motion to vacate prior rulings to terminate Karen's life.
Now, her feeding tube will remain in place and we will keep it in place until she is well enough to feed herself.
Detectives, did you hear? Yes.
Great news.
Can we talk to you for a minute? Not now, they need me.
Listen, you're under arrest.
You want to come calmly, 'cause we don't want to stir up the crowd.
Or are you just about making the news, Reverend? No, no, no, it's all right.
It's all right, everyone.
Whatever happens to me is nothing.
This is about Karen.
About her right to life.
Make yourself comfortable, Reverend.
You are making a huge mistake, gentlemen.
Oh, I don't think so.
An ordained minister who orders a pipe bomb through room service? I'd think it's your mistake, not ours.
Well, let me go on record that I did nothing of the sort.
Then Why'd you throw out Mitch Randolph's name, unless it was to put this on Walter Byrd? You're taking the word of that madman? Where were you when Robert Barrows got blown to pieces? In good time, gentlemen.
In good time.
You're gonna have all the time you need on Rikers Island.
I know you're not from here, but I'm sure you've heard of it.
Thought you'd want to see this.
Thank you.
So, that's how it's done in the blue states.
Threats and intimidation.
You've arrested me for what I stand for, not what you think I did.
Actually, we arrested you because you're a bomb throwing phony.
This is a report from the bomb squad.
They found traces of potassium nitrate on the desk in your hotel room, the same compound they used in the explosives that killed Robert Barrows.
Is there anything you'd like to say, Reverend? I want a lawyer.
"Docket number 53832, People v.
Harlan James Dwyre.
" "Murder in the second degree," "criminal possession of a dangerous weapon in the first degree," "four counts of assault in the first degree.
" I never thought I'd be saying this, but how do you plead, Reverend? Lam not guilty, Your Honor.
We all know that the only reason.
Reverend Dwyre stands accused here today is because he opposed the murder of a helpless young woman.
Because he stood up for life.
He's here for his role in the death of one individual and the injury of four others.
He saved Karen! Remove those people from the courtroom.
In fact, escort them out of the building.
Anyone else hollering out will be locked up and charged with contempt.
And if you continue to grandstand, Mr.
Kirby, the same goes for you.
You can lock us all up, Judge, but you will never silence us.
Your Honor.
You were warned.
I find you in contempt of court, sir.
Judge Torledsky gave Dwyre and 10 days on a contempt finding.
He manipulated his arraignment into a pro-life media event.
You better get used to it.
This whole case is going to be the Harlan Dwyre Show.
And we're going to look like patsies if it doesn't have the right ending.
We flipped the bomb maker.
He'll testify against Dwyre.
Walter Byrd, a zealot himself.
Not the most credible witness.
Agreed.
But the explosive residue in Dwyre's hotel room corroborates Byrd's story.
I don't see the Reverend Dwyre crawling under a car.
Or pushing the button, for that matter.
He has thousands of supporters.
I don't think we'll ever know who all the players were.
Don't be so sure.
When push comes to shove, I doubt Dwyre's going to take one for team.
Harlan Dwyre will do whatever's best for Harlan Dwyre.
Dwyre's notice of alibi.
He was on a radio talk show at the time of the bombing.
Green and Fontana asked for his whereabouts.
He gave them the run-around.
Timing is everything.
Arthur Branch, closet liberal.
I always suspected.
Trust me, you're wrong.
Something put Dwyre in his cross hairs, Alex.
Can I call you Alex? We don't prosecute people unless there's evidence, Miss Sanders.
Or if it's election time with a bleeding heart constituency.
Why else bare fangs at a reverend trying to save a woman from torture and murder by an adulterous husband? Was Reverend Dwyre here at the time of the bombing or not? He was in that chair from Rodney's cued the tape for the exact time the bomb went off.
Oh, you're absolutely right.
It is madness.
And if you think it's going to stop with Karen and the unborn children, open your eyes.
We're on a ship called the culture of death, folks, with a legion of godless liberals at the helm.
It's 10:45 here on WPLF Radio.
And if that's not good enough, I'd be happy to testify in court.
It says on your program notes that Phil Lamar was a guest that day, but I didn't hear him say anything.
That's because Mr.
Lamar had to cancel that morning.
The reason I didn't appear on the program is I had a call from Karen's lawyers.
They were trying to get a last-minute appeal.
A stay.
I had to go over there and sign an affidavit.
I'll need the firm's name and address.
Pauley and Wyatt.
They're In Tribeca, Canal and Greenwich.
You don't believe me? I'm just doing my job, Mr.
Lamar.
Did Reverend Dwyre say something? The Reverend said a lot of things.
It just seems curious that you're here now, after the police investigated.
Well, we're discovering something new about the case almost every day.
My father obviously wasn't involved in any of this.
And if you want to speak to him in the future, you should contact our lawyers.
Bomb residue and a motive won't be enough to nail Dwyre.
Any indication who did the dirty work? There was a three-day window when the bomb could've been planted in the car but we can't put Dwyre in it.
Fontana and Green showed his picture up and down Barrows' neighborhood.
Do me a favor.
Have them retrace their steps with a photo of Lamar Senior.
Okay.
You're absolutely sure about that? Yeah, this receipt is from here.
I can tell by the station number.
They're father and son.
Can you remember which one was here buying gas that day? How can I remember? It's very busy here.
Well, there was a tanker unloading fuel here at the time.
It must be Tuesday morning.
It was a blue Volvo station wagon.
It had a bunch of bumper stickers on the back.
"It's a child, not a choice"? That would be the one.
Yeah, but these men were not in the car.
It was a woman.
What'd she look like? Gray hair.
Maybe 60? The gas station manager picked Mrs.
Lamar's photo out of the array.
Well, if she faked an alibi for her son, it probably means he detonated the bomb.
After his father located Barrows' car so they could plant the thing.
Dwyre had a lot of help.
Very nice.
A family project.
I thought we told you to contact us through our lawyers.
You did.
Mr.
Lamar, is the rest of your family here? Everyone but Karen.
Why? What's going on, Phil? I hope you have a warrant.
We do.
As a matter of fact, we have one for each of you.
You're all under arrest for conspiracy to murder Robert Barrows.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot I only got involved to save Karen's life, Miss Borgia.
Which amounts to a textbook justification defense.
If she'll come forward and be honest about what happened, we might consider it in mitigation.
I won't testify against anyone in my family.
Who devised the plan to kill your son-in-law? What do we get in return? I can't commit to anything until I hear details.
Reverend Dwyre said we had to be prepared if we lost Karen's case in court.
She couldn't protect herself against Robert so we had to do it for her.
It sounded right in principle, but then“.
Then what, Mrs.
Lamar? He started saying how everybody would be fine once Robert was gone.
He was advocating murder.
My husband thought it was just talk, but Steven wouldn't let it go.
Why? After we lost the last appeal, and we all knew Karen was going to die, Dwyre started taking Steven aside.
They'd have these private talks, pray together.
He got it in my son's head that something needed to be done.
That something being a car bomb.
Dwyre told him saving Karen was the most important thing he would ever do in his whole life.
He also said we needed to make a statement for all the other Karens out there.
Who planted the bomb, Mr.
Lamar? Steven said he was going forward with or without our consent.
He's our son.
We had to protect him, too.
"JACK".
Was it Steven? I won't say that in court.
That'll limit what lam able do for you.
Then can you do something for my son? He planted a bomb and killed a man.
It was Robert's life or Karen's.
His sister.
What would you do? Karen will recover.
She will walk and talk again.
So the threat of a court order to starve her to death keeps us awake at night with our stomachs twisted.
It consumes our It consumes our lives.
They made some very bad choices in an impossible situation.
What do you propose? Pleas down to conspiracy.
Five to 15 years for the father, probation for the mother.
If you're sure they're less culpable.
I buy their story.
Where are you on the other defendants? Neither lawyer is returning my calls.
Well, the son has no leverage, but you'd think the good Reverend Dwyre would be looking for a way to wiggle off the hook.
Maybe he thinks the evidence against him is too tenuous.
He supplied the weapon for the murder.
But he stayed just far enough away from its execution to have plausible deniability.
Or he believes he'll ride the Steven Lamar justification defense to an acquittal.
And greater fame.
Either way, I don't want him or need him.
Okay, then.
Set atrial date.
Steven Lamar was legally justified in his actions against Robert Barrows and I sit next to him proudly to defend this shameless attack on the Lamar family.
Aren't you afraid of going to jail, Reverend? For what? An innocent woman's life was saved.
Why would anybody go to jail for anything? Next question.
Should we bring the judge out here and try it on the steps? Why bother with a judge? We met in Central Park by the big fountain.
The Reverend wanted to know if I could make a device that could be planted under a car.
What did you do? Filled his order.
Bought some potassium nitrate, some PCB tubing, some nails.
Put it together.
Took it to his hotel room.
Which was where? The Leister Inn in Manhattan, room 1602.
What happened when you arrived there? I knocked on the door, he opened it.
Which defendant are you pointing to, Mr.
Byrd? Steve Lamar.
He said Harlan asked him to accept the package personally.
Harlan meaning? The Reverend Dwyre.
Any question what the package was? The Reverend ordered a bomb, that's what I delivered.
Nothing further.
My partner and I arrived on the scene to find a late model sedan that had been blown up by some kind of explosive device.
What did your examination of the car reveal, Detective Green? There was a body in the driver's seat, and because the explosion was so powerful, we couldn't determine the race or the gender.
But the car was registered to Robert Barrows.
So what did you do? We went to Mr.
Barrows' apartment.
Was anybody home? Yes, his long-time girlfriend, Susan Alfani, and their two sons.
We broke the news to her, and she confirmed that he did take the car to the hospital that morning.
What else did your conversation with her reveal? That there was bad blood between Robert and the Lamar family.
Specifically? That Robert had watched Karen waste away for six years and wanted to end her suffering, and the Lamar family didn't approve.
As part of your investigation, Detective Green, did you scrutinize over 500 death threats? We knew of them.
And how many of those did you trace back to the source of the threat? None.
No further questions.
Why didn't you trace the threats, Detective? Every one of those letters were anonymous.
Plus, we already had a positive ID on the bomb maker, which led us directly to the arrest of Reverend Dwyre.
Nothing further.
Mr.
McCoy, I think you've made your point charging me in this case and I'm willing to take my rap on the knuckles.
But you know this was a matter of personal conscience.
What was happening to Karen was murder in the eyes of God.
That's why you suggested a bombing and procured a bomb for the Lamar family, specifically Steven Lamar? He was the most devoted to the cause.
He was the weakest, wasn't he? And now you're throwing him under a bus.
Shadows your motivation, don't you think? There was no personal interest in this for me.
Your press conferences say different.
For testimony against Steven, 15 years.
Fifteen years? For preaching his beliefs? He preyed on the Lamar family like a vulture.
My only concern was saving Karen's life.
That may work for the Lamar family, but not for you.
Mr.
McCoy, it's my understanding that Steven did this for money.
To use the settlement to open a business.
To finally make something of himself.
He told me directly.
Fifteen years.
I will not go to prison.
That is in the hands of a higher power, Reverend.
The criminal justice system.
My family and I were grateful that a man of Reverend Dwyre's stature had taken on Karen's case.
After that, we thought maybe there was a chance.
A chance for what, Steven? To save Karen's life.
And was Reverend Dwyre able to accomplish anything? He was tremendous.
He brought out a lot of support for Karen.
He made the whole country sit up and take notice.
But it wasn't enough, was it? Well, the courts ruled against us.
We hoped the Governor or maybe even the President would step in and stop Robert from killing Karen, but nobody did.
There was only one thing we could do to save Karen's life.
Which was what? My parents had to get guardianship back.
And Robert wouldn't give it up.
So what happened? We drew up a plan.
I got the bomb.
I put it under Robert's car with duct tape, and I set it off when he was getting in at the hospital.
I know it sounds terrible, but isn't it like shooting a burglar in your home who's trying to harm your family? So why didn't you get a gun and shoot him, Mr.
Lamar? I don't know.
And then turn yourself in, as you would if you'd shot a burglar in your home? You killed Robert Barrows with a pipe bomb because you and Reverend Dwyre wanted the splashiest murder you could cook up for the news media? I never thought of it that way.
Or maybe all you were concerned about was not getting caught? No.
I mean, I just wanted my sister to stay alive.
If this was such a noble cause, why did you lie to the police? Why did you evade capture? Because the justice system is controlled by godless politicians who don't care about human life.
Is that something you believe, or something you heard from Reverend Dwyre? He doesn't put words in my mouth.
No.
He just sends you out to plant a pipe bomb under your brother-in-law's car? It was my idea, not his.
You decided, little old Steven Lamar, all by yourself, to play God? No, it wasn't like that.
Karen was a lamb that needed to be saved.
I was doing His work.
God's or Reverend Dwyre's? Why are you trying to blame this on him? He would never kill anyone.
He's a great man.
Who in your eyes was qualified to decide who should live and who should die? No.
Well, who contacted Walter Byrd? Who ordered the pipe bomb from him? Who had it delivered to his hotel room? I killed Robert.
So at the end of the day, Mr.
Lamar, only you get credit for saving Karen's life? Reverend Dwyre inspired me to do the Lord's work.
But I was His soldier.
I was the one who carried out the mission.
There's another name for that, Mr.
Lamar.
It's called "taking the rap.
" Objection.
Sustained.
You've made your point, Mr.
McCoy.
Has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
As to the defendant Steven Lamar, on the count of murder in the second degree, how do you find? We find Steven Lamar guilty.
As to the defendant Harlan James Dwyre, on the count of murder in the second degree, how do you find? We've been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Are you hopelessly deadlocked? I'm afraid so, Your Honor.
In that case I have no choice but to declare a mistrial as to Reverend Dwyre.
Mr.
Lamar will be remanded until the sentence date.
This court is adjourned.
I checked with the Department of Corrections.
The Reverend visited with Steve Lamar at Rikers over the weekend before he testified.
Convinced him of his higher calling.
Nailed him to the cross.
Next time, the jury will see through it.
Assuming there is a next time.
If we try Dwyre again, what's going to be different? We will be able to concentrate on one defendant.
With the same evidence you had on the first go-round.
And there's always gonna be folks on the jury who are sympathetic to Dwyre's position on the bigger issue.
Who decides who lives and dies? You have to check this out.
The press conference.
When I explained to Karen that she's not going to see her father and her brother for a long time, she got very sad.
Her lovely eyes, there were tears in them.
But she understands.
And she's grateful to Steven and her father for the sacrifice that they've made.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Thank you, everyone, that's all for today.