Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010) s01e15 Episode Script
Hayden Tract
NARRATOR: In the city of Los Angeles 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.
CELESTE: As you know, my last job was in the building across the street at Helix 8.
I remember what this area was like 15 years ago.
Let's face it, it was a dump.
(PEOPLE CHUCKLE) But now it's become LA's answer to Silicon Valley.
That's how we rebuild our economy.
With private enterprise and strategic government support.
Can I get a picture with you? Oh, sure.
You work at Terravision.
I do.
Mmm-hmm.
Is Sandy still making his midnight margaritas? MAN: Where's my daughter? What have you done with my daughter? Who said that? (GUNSHOTS) (PEOPLE SCREAMING) We have seven dead, including State Senator Kelman.
No count on the wounded yet.
Suspect's at large.
Male, white, with a handgun.
Twenty-five to 30.
Baseball cap and sunglasses.
One guy did all this? SID's collected 26 shell casings so far.
Witnesses describe continuous shooting.
He didn't even pause to reload.
Must have had an extended magazine.
Most of the shots went this way.
RICARDO: Gather up all these cameras.
I could have stopped them.
I should have been here to stop them.
Excuse me, sir.
Did you know the gunman? No.
I was on my way here, but I stopped to buy a soda.
I heard the shooting.
I ran.
But it was all over.
If I hadn't bought a soda, I could have stopped him.
What makes you think you could have stopped him? I have a carry permit.
I should have been here instead of buying a damn soda.
DON: I was standing three feet from her.
It was supposed to be a homecoming.
Celeste used to run a video game company here.
Those maniacs killed her.
Which maniacs are those? Take your pick.
The right-wing nuts who ran ads with a bull's eye on her district.
Or the left-wing kooks who threatened to use a Second Amendment remedy if she cut union pensions.
Those stupid bastards.
Did you see the gunman? No, I got distracted.
Somebody in the crowd shouted something about their daughter.
I saw a man there with two kids.
When I heard shots, I hit the ground.
I should have protected Celeste.
We're sorry for your loss.
(RADIO CHATTER) (SIRENS WAILING) Mr.
John.
We're very sorry about your daughter.
My daughter? No, uh Jenny's my son's friend.
She lives next door.
I brought him here today to meet Senator Kelman.
(SOBBING) They're both so into video games, and I thought if they met someone like Senator Kelman, someone who tries to make a difference It would inspire them.
It was stupid idea.
I just told Jenny's mom (SOBBING) I'd have her back in an hour.
Mr.
John, just before the shooting started, someone in the crowd was heard shouting something about their daughter.
Yeah, the guy behind us.
The guy who shot everybody.
I turned around, I saw he had a gun.
I grabbed the kids and ducked just as he started shooting.
But I didn't realize Jenny Can you describe what he was wearing? Uh, sunglasses.
Black shirt.
His shoes had a checkerboard pattern.
My son says they're skateboarder shoes.
Skateboard shoes? You know what make? (SOBBING CONTINUES) Hey, hey.
It's okay.
It's okay.
We're very sorry about your friend.
MAN: (ON SPEAKER) Where's my daughter? What have you done with my daughter? CELESTE: Who said that? (GUNSHOTS) (PEOPLE SCREAMING) It sounds like he means somebody took his daughter.
There's the dad with the two kids.
And there's our man.
ARLEEN: Come on.
Turn around.
That one.
TJ: That's a Glock 17.
Looks like a 33 round clip.
ARLEEN: Number nine.
Rewind it.
Witness said checkerboard shoes.
(PEOPLE SCREAMING) TJ: He got away through the building.
BUD: You need a swipe card to access the elevators and staircases.
If he ran in here, he'd have nowhere to go.
Unless he's an employee with a card.
Come on, we got nothing but computer geeks working here.
What's behind this door? Hallway to a maintenance closet.
Is it secured? No, it's a shortcut to a fire exit.
GUARD: Mr.
Tancock, sir? A week ago, I found someone from a messenger service in there.
He said he got lost.
HANNAH: That's John Freeman.
He was always grabbing the runs to the high-tech companies.
Was? Well, he hasn't been in since last week.
You have a copy of his license? I hope you guys have good news for him.
What kind of good news? About his daughter, Ariel.
She went missing last year.
That's all he talked about.
I mean, when he talked, which wasn't all that much.
What else did he say about Ariel? She disappeared on her way to school.
Broke up his marriage.
He was always handing out fliers.
Address in the Bay Area.
Did Freeman have a local address? No.
He only started here six weeks ago.
I think he was living out of his car.
You have any of his flyers here? I really felt sorry for John.
I mean, for real.
Losing your kid like that? But he managed to get out of bed every day, come into work.
Keep it together.
Or not.
Ariel Freeman's name isn't on the national registry of missing children.
But her name pops up on websites about missing children.
A paper in Elko, Nevada, even published an article about Freeman's search for her.
This guy's all over the map looking for his daughter.
(CELL PHONE BEEPING) Including the Mormon Temple in West LA.
Freeman got picked up a month ago for trespassing.
He caused a disturbance in our Visitors Center.
He accused the church of protecting the people who kidnapped his daughter.
Did he name these people? We didn't recognize any of them.
He said he had been at the Elizabeth Smart trial in Utah.
He said that the people who kidnapped her belonged to the same group who took his daughter.
We told him the church has nothing to do with those people.
I see you declined to press charges against Mr.
Freeman.
Well, he was so distraught over his daughter.
He had already had problems with the police at the trial in Utah.
We didn't want to add to his burden.
We just had the police escort him off the property.
Why? What did he do? He killed seven people two days ago.
Sad to say, turning the other cheek doesn't always work out.
Any connection between Kelman and the Mormon Church? None that we found.
Salt Lake City Police arrested a man outside the federal courthouse four months ago, attempting to approach Elizabeth Smart's parents.
Another catch and release.
They're sending his particulars.
TJ: That's our guy.
ARLEEN: With a different name.
Lawrence Sheppard.
And a street address in Lodi.
Run him.
Sheppard must have switched identities after the Utah bust.
No criminal record for Mr.
Sheppard.
Oh, but he bought a gun in a store just outside Lodi three years ago.
Glock 26.
Maybe he's running home to Lodi.
TJ: (KNOCKING ON DOOR) Larry Sheppard, open up! It's the police! Excuse me! That's my house.
We're looking for Larry Sheppard.
My brother's in Stockton.
He hasn't lived with us since two years ago.
When's the last time you spoke to him? Maybe eight months ago.
What do you want with him? Why all the guns? We need to talk to him about his daughter.
His daughter? Ariel, she's missing.
We may have some news about her.
Larry doesn't have a daughter.
He doesn't have any kids.
Heck, he hasn't had a girlfriend in at least 10 years.
We don't understand.
Larry is schizophrenic.
He couldn't even take care of a cat.
Larry was diagnosed in college.
He has never been violent.
He's never hurt anybody.
(SIGHS) I trust him with my kids.
You like your Uncle Larry, right? Yeah.
Mmm-hmm.
You're sure he doesn't have a daughter? When he got out of the mental ward in 2002, he got a vasectomy.
Showed me the scar.
TJ: Is there anyone he'd be in contact with? A therapist or a friend? No.
You're looking at all the friends he has.
Okay, kids.
You can get in.
Did you know Larry bought a gun in 2008? Look, I feel sorry about the people who were shot.
But (SIGHS) What can I do? He's my brother.
I don't want him getting hurt.
Neither do we.
But he now poses a danger to you and your family.
We'll have someone watch the house, but if he gets in touch with you, you have to let us know.
Do we understand each other? Sheppard's landlady in Stockton hasn't seen him in six months.
We found this in his apartment.
A business luncheon with the Senator four months ago.
He bought a ticket under his company name.
He's a freelance programmer.
Apparently, he didn't mingle much.
Never touched his food.
But he did ask the Senator one question.
My question's about the encampment, um Can the tracks only be seen by Burnell, or can the park rangers see them too? 'Cause after I installed the patch, I could control Burnell better, but his PO Vimage rendition was degraded, so I'd like an An answer to that.
MAN: Hey, next question.
(LAUGHS) No, I'll answer the gentleman.
While this isn't the best time to discuss Shadow Hills, the problem could be your patch.
The help line can walk you through a fix.
Now I'll take the next question.
What was that about? And what's Shadow Hills? It's a computer game.
"Shadow Hills is an interactive fiction video game "set in a city in the southwest "where a father searches for his missing daughter.
" That's a game? Sounds like a complete bummer.
A bummer Sheppard believes is real.
A bummer straight from the mind of Senator Kelman.
Her old company, Helix KEN: Shadow Hills was the last game Celeste developed before she left to get into politics.
JOY: She worked out the main character's emotional journey.
She wanted the player to have an authentic experience.
Well, unfortunately for her, she succeeded.
We're looking for messages from someone who thought the game was real.
(LAUGHS) What You think Celeste All those people were shot because of the game? We should get our lawyer in here.
They'll tell you one of two things.
Either cooperate or force us to come back with a subpoena.
That might suit your timetable.
But our suspect is a diagnosed schizophrenic.
He has his own timetable.
It might include other targets.
Uh We always get inquiries from players looking for secret levels or trap doors.
But one player was asking for source codes to bypass our abstraction layers.
You're losing me.
He was trying to get inside the architecture of the game.
Our help lines told him that he was asking for proprietary information.
Then they ignored him.
How did that work out for you? JOY: He hacked into our mainframe.
He managed to get past two levels of encryption before security shut him down.
I found messages on a Shadow Hills website that could be from Sheppard.
Three days before the shooting.
"The missing child can wait no longer.
"As a father, I'm ready to sacrifice everything for the one I love.
" And then, uh, the day after the shooting.
"Still alive.
The ones who live in the shadows "now know I have their lives in my hands.
"I will trade only for the innocent life they took from me.
" He's still on the hunt.
And he has a friend.
Uh, Sam2u has been leaving replies to all his messages, encouraging him, offering help.
Now, that's interesting.
The hacking attempt on the video game company used two computers.
One is untraceable, but the other one tracks back to an ISP address in Fontana.
SAMANTHA: It's not me.
I'm a computer dummy.
Well, I'm sure your buddy at the Shadow Hills forum gave you the step-by-step, Sam2u.
That's your screen name, isn't it, Samantha? We need to talk to your friend.
Have you been in touch with him? I haven't done anything wrong.
I just told John, "Don't give up.
" That's all.
Don't give up searching for his daughter, Ariel? Yes.
Please don't stop him.
You don't know what it's like for her.
She probably thinks that everyone's forgotten about her.
Samantha, you know, because it happened to you.
Is that right? When I was 13.
He kept me in a cabin.
In the woods.
For almost two years.
I escaped.
No one came to rescue me.
Please don't let that happen to Ariel.
Just leave John alone.
RICARDO: Samantha, Ariel doesn't exist.
John doesn't have a daughter.
What? You're lying.
TJ: John's real name is Larry Sheppard.
He has a mental illness that makes him think he has a daughter.
But he's in so much pain.
We know.
Five days ago, he did a terrible thing.
He shot and killed seven people, including a young girl.
Oh, my God.
What did I do? I just didn't want him to give up on Ariel.
Where is he, Samantha? I don't know.
He wrote me yesterday.
He said he was waiting.
That something would happen soon, and Ariel would be free.
RICARDO: We need you to get a message to him.
Tell him you have good news.
Let's make this quick, Sam.
Give me the key card.
Did you ask your friend if Helix 8 uses a code, or is the card all you need? What the (EXCLAIMS) (SIRENS WAILING) (SCREAMING) (SCREAMING LOUDLY) Police! Put the gun down! Put the gun down, now! (GRUNTING) Larry, don't! Who's gonna look after Ariel? You gotta stay alive, Larry! Turn around, put your hands behind your head.
How much? How much are they paying you? LARRY: You work for them, don't you? How much? How much are they paying you? "People v.
Lawrence Sheppard.
"Seven counts of murder with special circumstance.
"Sixteen counts of attempted murder.
" Your plea, Mr.
Sheppard? My client will enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, Your Honor.
I don't want that.
Your Honor, Max Hearn.
I'll be representing Mr.
Sheppard.
Thank you.
Go on, Larry.
Tell the judge what you want.
I want not guilty, period.
Very well.
Mr.
Dekker, will you be pursuing death or life without parole? Death, Your Honor.
Judge, they took my daughter.
They took my little girl, and the only way they can keep me from finding her, is by killing me or having me declared insane.
They took my daughter! That so? Mr.
Sheppard, I'm ordering a 1368 exam to determine your competence to stand trial, and I'm ordering you held without bail.
I get it now.
Goodbye, Mr.
Sheppard.
Larry! I'm here for you.
Mr.
Hearn, have you even read the psychiatric report? Not guilty by reason of insanity was the right plea.
But an NGI plea wouldn't be any fun, now, would it, Max? No soap box, no Anderson Cooper.
Not to mention Mr.
Sheppard didn't shoot anyone.
He was arrested with the murder weapon.
There's more than one bloody hand on that gun.
Stay tuned.
(RADIO CHATTER) Pasaporte.
(SPEAKING SPANISH) HEARN: (ON TV) The real culprit here is the failure of civil discourse in this country.
Celeste Kelman was killed because she defied both extremes of the political spectrum.
Larry Sheppard is just a convenient patsy served up by lazy cops and cynical prosec (TV TURNS OFF) You see, Hearn made his bones by defending gangbangers.
He'd turn down plea bargains while he collected his fees from drug money.
After he'd bled his clients dry, he'd get one of his flunkies to cut them a quick deal.
Now, instead of drug dealers, he's exploiting a mentally ill man.
Asking for the death penalty just plays into his hands.
You know perfectly well that insane people can commit crimes for perfectly sane reasons.
And if that's what Sheppard did, he doesn't qualify for an insanity plea.
And if he did do it for an insane reason? That's for his lawyer to make that argument.
Our job is to keep Sheppard off the street by any lawful means possible.
Including the death penalty.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) (SPEAKING SPANISH) Go back to your hotel.
Enjoy the pool.
They don't have a pool.
Finish your beer.
DR.
RICE: Sheppard understands what a trial is.
He can assist in his own defense.
He's competent.
I could have saved you the trip to Chino and sent you my report.
I have a question about his sanity.
What sanity? He's a paranoid schizophrenic firing on all cylinders.
Does he fit the guidelines for an insanity plea? It would depend on his motive for committing the offense.
But that wasn't within the scope of my examination.
If he's found guilty and he goes to state prison, what kind of treatment would he get? In a state prison? This is where we conduct group therapy for mentally ill inmates.
Cages? They're not cages.
Therapeutic modules.
The inmates are locked inside.
There is a spit guard.
The therapist wears a shank proof vest and sits there, out of urination range, and then he plays Kumbaya for them for an hour.
That's the kind of treatment Mr.
Sheppard will get in state prison.
Hannibal Lecter would be proud.
And if he's found not guilty by reason of insanity? He'd go to Patton State Hospital.
No bed of roses, but he'd get actual treatment appropriate to his condition.
Señor Omar said I could trust you.
Do you trust señor Omar? Uh, that's not why I came here.
Does Cesar Vargas like you? He likes a lot of girls.
Do you like him? Cesar doesn't know who I am.
Last year in Cananea, they killed They even killed the cooks.
They were my mamá and papá.
I need to know that you're serious.
Cesar killed my partner in front of his wife and little girl.
This is a number only for my family.
When you're ready, call me.
(PHONE VIBRATING) We directed Samantha Lorber to arrange a meeting with Mr.
Sheppard on the pretext that she had an access card to Helix 8.
At the appointed time, Mr.
Sheppard approached the decoy and we placed him under arrest.
He was carrying a Glock 17 with an extended magazine.
Tests determine this was the murder weapon.
Thank you, Detective.
Isn't it possible that someone else shot the Senator, then dropped the weapon and out of panic, my client picked it up and ran away with it? RICARDO: Well, it's possible, but not likely.
Did you investigate the possibility that the shooter was inspired by this ad, with a bull's eye over Senator Kelman's name? No, we didn't.
This statement from a union member, "If she doesn't keep her hands off our pensions, "we're going to use a Second Amendment remedy to stop her.
" No.
It's political rhetoric.
It was a death threat.
Thank you.
Witness is excused.
Your Honor, the People have shown that Mr.
Sheppard premeditated his attack.
And, most damning, he was arrested with the murder weapon.
The People have shown cause to proceed to trial.
The People's case has more loose ends than a shag rug.
But fine.
Bring it on.
We welcome the chance to expose the real conspiracy behind these murders.
JUDGE: Mr.
Hearn, in view of your client's psychiatric history, is he sure he doesn't want to change his plea? He's sure, Your Honor.
Then the court finds the People have met their burden to proceed to trial.
This is appalling.
If Hearn won't change his plea, we should make a proffer.
Why would we do that? Because Hearn isn't acting in Sheppard's best interest.
Our experts found Sheppard competent to assist in his own defense.
It's not for us to interfere.
I don't really get what Mr.
Hearn's doing.
I mean, all that evidence.
I just can't see Larry beating the rap.
Have you talked to your brother? He's worried if people think he's crazy, they won't look for that girl.
You want him to get help.
If he goes to prison, it's not gonna happen.
I don't know what to do.
Talk to your brother.
Get other legal advice.
We'd be willing to take a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Larry'd get treatment in a hospital.
He'd be where he can't hurt anyone.
Sheppard wants to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.
I got a call from Hearn.
He said you talked to Sheppard's sister and suggested there'd be a deal if he changed his plea? I didn't make any promises.
No, you had no business suggesting anything to the sister, much less without talking to me.
Joe, Sheppard belongs in a mental hospital.
Have you seen the way they treat the mentally ill in prison? They lock them in these cages.
Then run for office, damn it, and campaign for prison reform.
But do not use this office to push your social issues.
The fair administration ofjustice is a social issue.
(SIGHS) I had dinner with Mike Cutter when I was in New York.
And he told me that you had pulled this sort of thing before.
Now, if you thought that LA would be much more laid back, you're mistaken.
We have a higher crime rate than New York, more murders Which leaves no room for a loose cannon.
(GUN COCKING) Hands on your head, white boy.
(GRUNTING) You left Mexico so fast.
You don't like the food? We're gonna take you back, man, for some barbacoa.
(GRUNTING) (GASPING) (CHOKING) (BREATHING HEAVILY) (GASPING) (RADIO CHATTER) So what do we have? These were in their car.
Plastic ties, duct tape.
And a secret compartment under the backseat big enough to hold you.
They had travel plans for you, hombre.
Come here a sec.
What's this about, TJ? Is it Vargas? Maybe he didn't like my size 13s in his face.
That's all it better be.
I called your cell phone last weekend, I got rerouted to Mexico.
I went diving.
In Caborca? That's in the middle of the Sonora Desert.
What's going on, partner? What? It's Casey's address.
You have to pack up the kids, take them to your mother's.
Why? What's happening? Vargas sent two guys after me.
What? They had your address.
I started something.
I have to finish it.
I'm sorry, Casey.
Okay, give me 10 minutes.
Lily! Lily, we're going to grandma's house.
JUDGE: Mr.
Sheppard, at this time, you may enter your new plea to the charges previously enumerated.
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
May the People inquire? Mr.
Sheppard, you do realize that by changing your plea, you're admitting you committed the crimes you're charged with? Yes.
And you're claiming that you acted under the delusion that you have a missing daughter? You're saying you have no daughter, there was no kidnapping, it was all a delusion.
Answer my question, Mr.
Sheppard.
You admit you have no daughter.
Enough, Mr.
Dekker.
Court accepts Mr.
Sheppard's change of plea.
The trial to determine sanity will be calendared pending the completion of psychiatric evaluations.
(SCOFFS) That was classy, trying to bait Sheppard into changing his mind.
Larry Sheppard is a dangerous man.
If he goes to a state hospital, he can be released if and when doctors pronounce him cured, whether next week or 50 years from now.
Is it that you don't think he's mentally ill, or you just don't care? I'm not convinced mental illness made him pull that trigger.
The standard here is People v.
Stress.
Sheppard's insane only if he acted under the sincere belief that killing those people would rescue his daughter.
Now, thanks to you, the burden of proof is on us to prove he didn't! That's why I'm putting you in charge of our team of experts.
If they can convince a loose cannon like you that Sheppard wasn't motivated by his insanity, we should have no problem with the jury.
I knew that I could get caught or killed, but they had my Ariel, and a man has to do what he must to protect his child.
They were gonna sell her As a child bride.
DR.
RICE: (ON SPEAKER) How did you learn about this? Clues were in the game.
They told me that Senator Kelman's death would set the children free.
RICE: Can you tell me about Ariel? My girl's the most precious child.
Her mother almost lost her in the second trimester.
They had to put her on an IValcohol drip to stop the labor.
I prayed for days that Ariel would make it.
And my deal with God was that if he gave me that gift, I would look after her with every fiber of my being.
He articulates his motive.
He killed for the greater good of rescuing children.
And he also knows a lot about miscarriages.
This alcohol IV for premature labor They gave one to my sister-in-law during her first pregnancy.
She was as drunk as a skunk.
(LAUGHS) Sheppard shored up his delusion with facts.
His facts are 10 years old.
That's when they stopped using alcohol IVs.
Ten years ago, he was in college.
In Northern California.
That's when he was first diagnosed.
I really don't want to revisit this.
Ms.
Miller, we wouldn't be here unless it was important.
You were his girlfriend in college? Yes, we went out for two years.
I'm sorry to ask you this, but did you get pregnant by him? That's nobody's business.
Ms.
Miller, do you know why Larry says he shot those people in Los Angeles? He thought, by shooting them, it would save his kidnapped daughter.
Larry has a daughter? No, it's a schizophrenic delusion.
But he gave her a name.
Ariel.
Oh, God.
Was Ariel the name of your unborn baby? Yes.
This picture It's me.
We need to know what happened between you and him.
I got pregnant.
We talked about marriage.
When I almost miscarried, he stayed with me every minute.
Then I started noticing changes in his behavior.
I thought it was stress.
A few weeks later, he had his crisis.
He went into the hospital.
What happened to the baby? (SOBBING) Larry was never gonna be the same.
The boy I knew had disappeared.
I couldn't be tied to him for the rest of my life.
You had an abortion? Yes.
(SIGHING) Larry was furious.
He tried to see me.
He wrote me letters saying that he would kill anyone who ever got between him and his child.
Do you still have any of those letters? Our experts and your experts all agreed that my client meets the standard set forth in People v.
Stress, namely, that he thought he was serving the greater public good.
We have something we would like to show your client.
It's a sonogram of his daughter at 18 weeks.
Do you see the name right here? Ariel.
HEARN: Where did you get that? From Sondra Miller's old medical file at the UC Davis Clinic.
You see, this is the Ariel that could have been.
Until her mother decided to abort her because she didn't want a child with a crazy father.
She had no damn right to do that.
HEARN: Larry It was my girl.
She murdered my girl.
You know this has nothing to do with the case.
I would like to read a letter that your client wrote to his former girlfriend "You took my child from me.
"I should do to you what you did to her and tear you to pieces.
"You're a whore, a demon whore, "who gorged on my daughter's blood.
"I swear, anyone, whoever comes between me and my child again "will get smashed into dust.
" Now, isn't that what Celeste Kelman did? Came between you and your child? Isn't that what she did at the luncheon? That bitch blew me off.
She blew me off! And you became frustrated because her company wouldn't help you.
Those people wouldn't give me the time of day.
I tried and tried and tried, but they just wouldn't listen to me! But it was because of Senator Kelman.
That's who you blamed! Who else? She could have just said "whizzo" and doors would have opened! So you got angry and you punished her.
You bet.
I drilled it right into her thick skull.
(BANGING ON TABLE) Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! (GRUNTING) GUARD: Calm down! Come on! That's right, bring on the trolls! That's not gonna keep me from finding my girl.
HEARN: This doesn't change anything.
You think you can control him in a court? Because that's what a jury will see, an angry man with murder in his eyes.
You're not gonna stop me from finding her! And they'll reject his insanity plea! And once they hear the victims impact statements.
They will give him the death penalty.
LARRY: Save my girl.
I lost her.
God, I lost my girl! I lost my girl! Life without parole.
You take the death penalty off the table.
(SOBBING) Ariel, she was gonna be my little girl.
She should've listened to me.
She could've been safe with me.
I'd have taken care of her.
Good care of her.
She'd have been safe with me.
She would have Would have been safe with me.
I loved her.
I would have been a good dad to her! I'll get back to you.
He killed my wife.
I'm gonna have a bullet in my spine for the rest of my life.
I'm just so full of rage.
If I saw him in a courtroom, I'd want to rip his damn I don't want people to see me like this.
I don't want to be a spectacle.
We lost our daughter, Jenny.
And we don't blame anyone else at all except Larry Sheppard.
We're private people.
We don't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt us.
Well, as it stands Mr.
Sheppard will accept a plea of life without parole.
Now, I could pursue the death penalty, but it would mean that some of you would have to testify.
Now, how many of you are willing to do that if it meant Mr.
Sheppard might get the death penalty? Mr.
Dekker, if there's any other way? Please, don't put us through it.
LARRY: She made me mad.
Her and her army of geeks.
They wouldn't help me.
So I got mad and I shot her.
Everyone else just got in the way.
That's it.
Mr.
Sheppard, you understand that by pleading guilty, you will be sentenced to a term of life without possibility of parole? Yes.
Your Honor, in the event that Mr.
Sheppard ever comes up for release, in lieu of testimony of survivors and victims' families, I'd like Coroner Nishizawa to read into the record the autopsies of the seven murdered victims.
Very well.
Celeste Kelman.
"The victim is a light skinned female "of reported age of 42 years.
"Death of this female is due to a single "penetrating gunshot wound to the head "at the hairline on the right side.
"The manner of death is certified as a homicide.
"Jennifer Sellers.
"The victim is a light skinned female "of reported age of 10 years.
"Death of this female is due to a gunshot wound to the torso.
"After penetrating the lower right back, "the bullet passed rightward, perforating the descending aorta.
"The bullet then passed through the liver "before exiting the lower left abdomen.
"The manner of death is certified as a homicide.
"Jeb Morrell.
"The victim is a light skinned male" This should be the last we hear of Mr.
Sheppard for the rest of our lifetimes.
Okay.
He had some sick days coming.
(PHONE RINGING) (VIBRATING)
These are their stories.
CELESTE: As you know, my last job was in the building across the street at Helix 8.
I remember what this area was like 15 years ago.
Let's face it, it was a dump.
(PEOPLE CHUCKLE) But now it's become LA's answer to Silicon Valley.
That's how we rebuild our economy.
With private enterprise and strategic government support.
Can I get a picture with you? Oh, sure.
You work at Terravision.
I do.
Mmm-hmm.
Is Sandy still making his midnight margaritas? MAN: Where's my daughter? What have you done with my daughter? Who said that? (GUNSHOTS) (PEOPLE SCREAMING) We have seven dead, including State Senator Kelman.
No count on the wounded yet.
Suspect's at large.
Male, white, with a handgun.
Twenty-five to 30.
Baseball cap and sunglasses.
One guy did all this? SID's collected 26 shell casings so far.
Witnesses describe continuous shooting.
He didn't even pause to reload.
Must have had an extended magazine.
Most of the shots went this way.
RICARDO: Gather up all these cameras.
I could have stopped them.
I should have been here to stop them.
Excuse me, sir.
Did you know the gunman? No.
I was on my way here, but I stopped to buy a soda.
I heard the shooting.
I ran.
But it was all over.
If I hadn't bought a soda, I could have stopped him.
What makes you think you could have stopped him? I have a carry permit.
I should have been here instead of buying a damn soda.
DON: I was standing three feet from her.
It was supposed to be a homecoming.
Celeste used to run a video game company here.
Those maniacs killed her.
Which maniacs are those? Take your pick.
The right-wing nuts who ran ads with a bull's eye on her district.
Or the left-wing kooks who threatened to use a Second Amendment remedy if she cut union pensions.
Those stupid bastards.
Did you see the gunman? No, I got distracted.
Somebody in the crowd shouted something about their daughter.
I saw a man there with two kids.
When I heard shots, I hit the ground.
I should have protected Celeste.
We're sorry for your loss.
(RADIO CHATTER) (SIRENS WAILING) Mr.
John.
We're very sorry about your daughter.
My daughter? No, uh Jenny's my son's friend.
She lives next door.
I brought him here today to meet Senator Kelman.
(SOBBING) They're both so into video games, and I thought if they met someone like Senator Kelman, someone who tries to make a difference It would inspire them.
It was stupid idea.
I just told Jenny's mom (SOBBING) I'd have her back in an hour.
Mr.
John, just before the shooting started, someone in the crowd was heard shouting something about their daughter.
Yeah, the guy behind us.
The guy who shot everybody.
I turned around, I saw he had a gun.
I grabbed the kids and ducked just as he started shooting.
But I didn't realize Jenny Can you describe what he was wearing? Uh, sunglasses.
Black shirt.
His shoes had a checkerboard pattern.
My son says they're skateboarder shoes.
Skateboard shoes? You know what make? (SOBBING CONTINUES) Hey, hey.
It's okay.
It's okay.
We're very sorry about your friend.
MAN: (ON SPEAKER) Where's my daughter? What have you done with my daughter? CELESTE: Who said that? (GUNSHOTS) (PEOPLE SCREAMING) It sounds like he means somebody took his daughter.
There's the dad with the two kids.
And there's our man.
ARLEEN: Come on.
Turn around.
That one.
TJ: That's a Glock 17.
Looks like a 33 round clip.
ARLEEN: Number nine.
Rewind it.
Witness said checkerboard shoes.
(PEOPLE SCREAMING) TJ: He got away through the building.
BUD: You need a swipe card to access the elevators and staircases.
If he ran in here, he'd have nowhere to go.
Unless he's an employee with a card.
Come on, we got nothing but computer geeks working here.
What's behind this door? Hallway to a maintenance closet.
Is it secured? No, it's a shortcut to a fire exit.
GUARD: Mr.
Tancock, sir? A week ago, I found someone from a messenger service in there.
He said he got lost.
HANNAH: That's John Freeman.
He was always grabbing the runs to the high-tech companies.
Was? Well, he hasn't been in since last week.
You have a copy of his license? I hope you guys have good news for him.
What kind of good news? About his daughter, Ariel.
She went missing last year.
That's all he talked about.
I mean, when he talked, which wasn't all that much.
What else did he say about Ariel? She disappeared on her way to school.
Broke up his marriage.
He was always handing out fliers.
Address in the Bay Area.
Did Freeman have a local address? No.
He only started here six weeks ago.
I think he was living out of his car.
You have any of his flyers here? I really felt sorry for John.
I mean, for real.
Losing your kid like that? But he managed to get out of bed every day, come into work.
Keep it together.
Or not.
Ariel Freeman's name isn't on the national registry of missing children.
But her name pops up on websites about missing children.
A paper in Elko, Nevada, even published an article about Freeman's search for her.
This guy's all over the map looking for his daughter.
(CELL PHONE BEEPING) Including the Mormon Temple in West LA.
Freeman got picked up a month ago for trespassing.
He caused a disturbance in our Visitors Center.
He accused the church of protecting the people who kidnapped his daughter.
Did he name these people? We didn't recognize any of them.
He said he had been at the Elizabeth Smart trial in Utah.
He said that the people who kidnapped her belonged to the same group who took his daughter.
We told him the church has nothing to do with those people.
I see you declined to press charges against Mr.
Freeman.
Well, he was so distraught over his daughter.
He had already had problems with the police at the trial in Utah.
We didn't want to add to his burden.
We just had the police escort him off the property.
Why? What did he do? He killed seven people two days ago.
Sad to say, turning the other cheek doesn't always work out.
Any connection between Kelman and the Mormon Church? None that we found.
Salt Lake City Police arrested a man outside the federal courthouse four months ago, attempting to approach Elizabeth Smart's parents.
Another catch and release.
They're sending his particulars.
TJ: That's our guy.
ARLEEN: With a different name.
Lawrence Sheppard.
And a street address in Lodi.
Run him.
Sheppard must have switched identities after the Utah bust.
No criminal record for Mr.
Sheppard.
Oh, but he bought a gun in a store just outside Lodi three years ago.
Glock 26.
Maybe he's running home to Lodi.
TJ: (KNOCKING ON DOOR) Larry Sheppard, open up! It's the police! Excuse me! That's my house.
We're looking for Larry Sheppard.
My brother's in Stockton.
He hasn't lived with us since two years ago.
When's the last time you spoke to him? Maybe eight months ago.
What do you want with him? Why all the guns? We need to talk to him about his daughter.
His daughter? Ariel, she's missing.
We may have some news about her.
Larry doesn't have a daughter.
He doesn't have any kids.
Heck, he hasn't had a girlfriend in at least 10 years.
We don't understand.
Larry is schizophrenic.
He couldn't even take care of a cat.
Larry was diagnosed in college.
He has never been violent.
He's never hurt anybody.
(SIGHS) I trust him with my kids.
You like your Uncle Larry, right? Yeah.
Mmm-hmm.
You're sure he doesn't have a daughter? When he got out of the mental ward in 2002, he got a vasectomy.
Showed me the scar.
TJ: Is there anyone he'd be in contact with? A therapist or a friend? No.
You're looking at all the friends he has.
Okay, kids.
You can get in.
Did you know Larry bought a gun in 2008? Look, I feel sorry about the people who were shot.
But (SIGHS) What can I do? He's my brother.
I don't want him getting hurt.
Neither do we.
But he now poses a danger to you and your family.
We'll have someone watch the house, but if he gets in touch with you, you have to let us know.
Do we understand each other? Sheppard's landlady in Stockton hasn't seen him in six months.
We found this in his apartment.
A business luncheon with the Senator four months ago.
He bought a ticket under his company name.
He's a freelance programmer.
Apparently, he didn't mingle much.
Never touched his food.
But he did ask the Senator one question.
My question's about the encampment, um Can the tracks only be seen by Burnell, or can the park rangers see them too? 'Cause after I installed the patch, I could control Burnell better, but his PO Vimage rendition was degraded, so I'd like an An answer to that.
MAN: Hey, next question.
(LAUGHS) No, I'll answer the gentleman.
While this isn't the best time to discuss Shadow Hills, the problem could be your patch.
The help line can walk you through a fix.
Now I'll take the next question.
What was that about? And what's Shadow Hills? It's a computer game.
"Shadow Hills is an interactive fiction video game "set in a city in the southwest "where a father searches for his missing daughter.
" That's a game? Sounds like a complete bummer.
A bummer Sheppard believes is real.
A bummer straight from the mind of Senator Kelman.
Her old company, Helix KEN: Shadow Hills was the last game Celeste developed before she left to get into politics.
JOY: She worked out the main character's emotional journey.
She wanted the player to have an authentic experience.
Well, unfortunately for her, she succeeded.
We're looking for messages from someone who thought the game was real.
(LAUGHS) What You think Celeste All those people were shot because of the game? We should get our lawyer in here.
They'll tell you one of two things.
Either cooperate or force us to come back with a subpoena.
That might suit your timetable.
But our suspect is a diagnosed schizophrenic.
He has his own timetable.
It might include other targets.
Uh We always get inquiries from players looking for secret levels or trap doors.
But one player was asking for source codes to bypass our abstraction layers.
You're losing me.
He was trying to get inside the architecture of the game.
Our help lines told him that he was asking for proprietary information.
Then they ignored him.
How did that work out for you? JOY: He hacked into our mainframe.
He managed to get past two levels of encryption before security shut him down.
I found messages on a Shadow Hills website that could be from Sheppard.
Three days before the shooting.
"The missing child can wait no longer.
"As a father, I'm ready to sacrifice everything for the one I love.
" And then, uh, the day after the shooting.
"Still alive.
The ones who live in the shadows "now know I have their lives in my hands.
"I will trade only for the innocent life they took from me.
" He's still on the hunt.
And he has a friend.
Uh, Sam2u has been leaving replies to all his messages, encouraging him, offering help.
Now, that's interesting.
The hacking attempt on the video game company used two computers.
One is untraceable, but the other one tracks back to an ISP address in Fontana.
SAMANTHA: It's not me.
I'm a computer dummy.
Well, I'm sure your buddy at the Shadow Hills forum gave you the step-by-step, Sam2u.
That's your screen name, isn't it, Samantha? We need to talk to your friend.
Have you been in touch with him? I haven't done anything wrong.
I just told John, "Don't give up.
" That's all.
Don't give up searching for his daughter, Ariel? Yes.
Please don't stop him.
You don't know what it's like for her.
She probably thinks that everyone's forgotten about her.
Samantha, you know, because it happened to you.
Is that right? When I was 13.
He kept me in a cabin.
In the woods.
For almost two years.
I escaped.
No one came to rescue me.
Please don't let that happen to Ariel.
Just leave John alone.
RICARDO: Samantha, Ariel doesn't exist.
John doesn't have a daughter.
What? You're lying.
TJ: John's real name is Larry Sheppard.
He has a mental illness that makes him think he has a daughter.
But he's in so much pain.
We know.
Five days ago, he did a terrible thing.
He shot and killed seven people, including a young girl.
Oh, my God.
What did I do? I just didn't want him to give up on Ariel.
Where is he, Samantha? I don't know.
He wrote me yesterday.
He said he was waiting.
That something would happen soon, and Ariel would be free.
RICARDO: We need you to get a message to him.
Tell him you have good news.
Let's make this quick, Sam.
Give me the key card.
Did you ask your friend if Helix 8 uses a code, or is the card all you need? What the (EXCLAIMS) (SIRENS WAILING) (SCREAMING) (SCREAMING LOUDLY) Police! Put the gun down! Put the gun down, now! (GRUNTING) Larry, don't! Who's gonna look after Ariel? You gotta stay alive, Larry! Turn around, put your hands behind your head.
How much? How much are they paying you? LARRY: You work for them, don't you? How much? How much are they paying you? "People v.
Lawrence Sheppard.
"Seven counts of murder with special circumstance.
"Sixteen counts of attempted murder.
" Your plea, Mr.
Sheppard? My client will enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, Your Honor.
I don't want that.
Your Honor, Max Hearn.
I'll be representing Mr.
Sheppard.
Thank you.
Go on, Larry.
Tell the judge what you want.
I want not guilty, period.
Very well.
Mr.
Dekker, will you be pursuing death or life without parole? Death, Your Honor.
Judge, they took my daughter.
They took my little girl, and the only way they can keep me from finding her, is by killing me or having me declared insane.
They took my daughter! That so? Mr.
Sheppard, I'm ordering a 1368 exam to determine your competence to stand trial, and I'm ordering you held without bail.
I get it now.
Goodbye, Mr.
Sheppard.
Larry! I'm here for you.
Mr.
Hearn, have you even read the psychiatric report? Not guilty by reason of insanity was the right plea.
But an NGI plea wouldn't be any fun, now, would it, Max? No soap box, no Anderson Cooper.
Not to mention Mr.
Sheppard didn't shoot anyone.
He was arrested with the murder weapon.
There's more than one bloody hand on that gun.
Stay tuned.
(RADIO CHATTER) Pasaporte.
(SPEAKING SPANISH) HEARN: (ON TV) The real culprit here is the failure of civil discourse in this country.
Celeste Kelman was killed because she defied both extremes of the political spectrum.
Larry Sheppard is just a convenient patsy served up by lazy cops and cynical prosec (TV TURNS OFF) You see, Hearn made his bones by defending gangbangers.
He'd turn down plea bargains while he collected his fees from drug money.
After he'd bled his clients dry, he'd get one of his flunkies to cut them a quick deal.
Now, instead of drug dealers, he's exploiting a mentally ill man.
Asking for the death penalty just plays into his hands.
You know perfectly well that insane people can commit crimes for perfectly sane reasons.
And if that's what Sheppard did, he doesn't qualify for an insanity plea.
And if he did do it for an insane reason? That's for his lawyer to make that argument.
Our job is to keep Sheppard off the street by any lawful means possible.
Including the death penalty.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) (SPEAKING SPANISH) Go back to your hotel.
Enjoy the pool.
They don't have a pool.
Finish your beer.
DR.
RICE: Sheppard understands what a trial is.
He can assist in his own defense.
He's competent.
I could have saved you the trip to Chino and sent you my report.
I have a question about his sanity.
What sanity? He's a paranoid schizophrenic firing on all cylinders.
Does he fit the guidelines for an insanity plea? It would depend on his motive for committing the offense.
But that wasn't within the scope of my examination.
If he's found guilty and he goes to state prison, what kind of treatment would he get? In a state prison? This is where we conduct group therapy for mentally ill inmates.
Cages? They're not cages.
Therapeutic modules.
The inmates are locked inside.
There is a spit guard.
The therapist wears a shank proof vest and sits there, out of urination range, and then he plays Kumbaya for them for an hour.
That's the kind of treatment Mr.
Sheppard will get in state prison.
Hannibal Lecter would be proud.
And if he's found not guilty by reason of insanity? He'd go to Patton State Hospital.
No bed of roses, but he'd get actual treatment appropriate to his condition.
Señor Omar said I could trust you.
Do you trust señor Omar? Uh, that's not why I came here.
Does Cesar Vargas like you? He likes a lot of girls.
Do you like him? Cesar doesn't know who I am.
Last year in Cananea, they killed They even killed the cooks.
They were my mamá and papá.
I need to know that you're serious.
Cesar killed my partner in front of his wife and little girl.
This is a number only for my family.
When you're ready, call me.
(PHONE VIBRATING) We directed Samantha Lorber to arrange a meeting with Mr.
Sheppard on the pretext that she had an access card to Helix 8.
At the appointed time, Mr.
Sheppard approached the decoy and we placed him under arrest.
He was carrying a Glock 17 with an extended magazine.
Tests determine this was the murder weapon.
Thank you, Detective.
Isn't it possible that someone else shot the Senator, then dropped the weapon and out of panic, my client picked it up and ran away with it? RICARDO: Well, it's possible, but not likely.
Did you investigate the possibility that the shooter was inspired by this ad, with a bull's eye over Senator Kelman's name? No, we didn't.
This statement from a union member, "If she doesn't keep her hands off our pensions, "we're going to use a Second Amendment remedy to stop her.
" No.
It's political rhetoric.
It was a death threat.
Thank you.
Witness is excused.
Your Honor, the People have shown that Mr.
Sheppard premeditated his attack.
And, most damning, he was arrested with the murder weapon.
The People have shown cause to proceed to trial.
The People's case has more loose ends than a shag rug.
But fine.
Bring it on.
We welcome the chance to expose the real conspiracy behind these murders.
JUDGE: Mr.
Hearn, in view of your client's psychiatric history, is he sure he doesn't want to change his plea? He's sure, Your Honor.
Then the court finds the People have met their burden to proceed to trial.
This is appalling.
If Hearn won't change his plea, we should make a proffer.
Why would we do that? Because Hearn isn't acting in Sheppard's best interest.
Our experts found Sheppard competent to assist in his own defense.
It's not for us to interfere.
I don't really get what Mr.
Hearn's doing.
I mean, all that evidence.
I just can't see Larry beating the rap.
Have you talked to your brother? He's worried if people think he's crazy, they won't look for that girl.
You want him to get help.
If he goes to prison, it's not gonna happen.
I don't know what to do.
Talk to your brother.
Get other legal advice.
We'd be willing to take a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Larry'd get treatment in a hospital.
He'd be where he can't hurt anyone.
Sheppard wants to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.
I got a call from Hearn.
He said you talked to Sheppard's sister and suggested there'd be a deal if he changed his plea? I didn't make any promises.
No, you had no business suggesting anything to the sister, much less without talking to me.
Joe, Sheppard belongs in a mental hospital.
Have you seen the way they treat the mentally ill in prison? They lock them in these cages.
Then run for office, damn it, and campaign for prison reform.
But do not use this office to push your social issues.
The fair administration ofjustice is a social issue.
(SIGHS) I had dinner with Mike Cutter when I was in New York.
And he told me that you had pulled this sort of thing before.
Now, if you thought that LA would be much more laid back, you're mistaken.
We have a higher crime rate than New York, more murders Which leaves no room for a loose cannon.
(GUN COCKING) Hands on your head, white boy.
(GRUNTING) You left Mexico so fast.
You don't like the food? We're gonna take you back, man, for some barbacoa.
(GRUNTING) (GASPING) (CHOKING) (BREATHING HEAVILY) (GASPING) (RADIO CHATTER) So what do we have? These were in their car.
Plastic ties, duct tape.
And a secret compartment under the backseat big enough to hold you.
They had travel plans for you, hombre.
Come here a sec.
What's this about, TJ? Is it Vargas? Maybe he didn't like my size 13s in his face.
That's all it better be.
I called your cell phone last weekend, I got rerouted to Mexico.
I went diving.
In Caborca? That's in the middle of the Sonora Desert.
What's going on, partner? What? It's Casey's address.
You have to pack up the kids, take them to your mother's.
Why? What's happening? Vargas sent two guys after me.
What? They had your address.
I started something.
I have to finish it.
I'm sorry, Casey.
Okay, give me 10 minutes.
Lily! Lily, we're going to grandma's house.
JUDGE: Mr.
Sheppard, at this time, you may enter your new plea to the charges previously enumerated.
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
May the People inquire? Mr.
Sheppard, you do realize that by changing your plea, you're admitting you committed the crimes you're charged with? Yes.
And you're claiming that you acted under the delusion that you have a missing daughter? You're saying you have no daughter, there was no kidnapping, it was all a delusion.
Answer my question, Mr.
Sheppard.
You admit you have no daughter.
Enough, Mr.
Dekker.
Court accepts Mr.
Sheppard's change of plea.
The trial to determine sanity will be calendared pending the completion of psychiatric evaluations.
(SCOFFS) That was classy, trying to bait Sheppard into changing his mind.
Larry Sheppard is a dangerous man.
If he goes to a state hospital, he can be released if and when doctors pronounce him cured, whether next week or 50 years from now.
Is it that you don't think he's mentally ill, or you just don't care? I'm not convinced mental illness made him pull that trigger.
The standard here is People v.
Stress.
Sheppard's insane only if he acted under the sincere belief that killing those people would rescue his daughter.
Now, thanks to you, the burden of proof is on us to prove he didn't! That's why I'm putting you in charge of our team of experts.
If they can convince a loose cannon like you that Sheppard wasn't motivated by his insanity, we should have no problem with the jury.
I knew that I could get caught or killed, but they had my Ariel, and a man has to do what he must to protect his child.
They were gonna sell her As a child bride.
DR.
RICE: (ON SPEAKER) How did you learn about this? Clues were in the game.
They told me that Senator Kelman's death would set the children free.
RICE: Can you tell me about Ariel? My girl's the most precious child.
Her mother almost lost her in the second trimester.
They had to put her on an IValcohol drip to stop the labor.
I prayed for days that Ariel would make it.
And my deal with God was that if he gave me that gift, I would look after her with every fiber of my being.
He articulates his motive.
He killed for the greater good of rescuing children.
And he also knows a lot about miscarriages.
This alcohol IV for premature labor They gave one to my sister-in-law during her first pregnancy.
She was as drunk as a skunk.
(LAUGHS) Sheppard shored up his delusion with facts.
His facts are 10 years old.
That's when they stopped using alcohol IVs.
Ten years ago, he was in college.
In Northern California.
That's when he was first diagnosed.
I really don't want to revisit this.
Ms.
Miller, we wouldn't be here unless it was important.
You were his girlfriend in college? Yes, we went out for two years.
I'm sorry to ask you this, but did you get pregnant by him? That's nobody's business.
Ms.
Miller, do you know why Larry says he shot those people in Los Angeles? He thought, by shooting them, it would save his kidnapped daughter.
Larry has a daughter? No, it's a schizophrenic delusion.
But he gave her a name.
Ariel.
Oh, God.
Was Ariel the name of your unborn baby? Yes.
This picture It's me.
We need to know what happened between you and him.
I got pregnant.
We talked about marriage.
When I almost miscarried, he stayed with me every minute.
Then I started noticing changes in his behavior.
I thought it was stress.
A few weeks later, he had his crisis.
He went into the hospital.
What happened to the baby? (SOBBING) Larry was never gonna be the same.
The boy I knew had disappeared.
I couldn't be tied to him for the rest of my life.
You had an abortion? Yes.
(SIGHING) Larry was furious.
He tried to see me.
He wrote me letters saying that he would kill anyone who ever got between him and his child.
Do you still have any of those letters? Our experts and your experts all agreed that my client meets the standard set forth in People v.
Stress, namely, that he thought he was serving the greater public good.
We have something we would like to show your client.
It's a sonogram of his daughter at 18 weeks.
Do you see the name right here? Ariel.
HEARN: Where did you get that? From Sondra Miller's old medical file at the UC Davis Clinic.
You see, this is the Ariel that could have been.
Until her mother decided to abort her because she didn't want a child with a crazy father.
She had no damn right to do that.
HEARN: Larry It was my girl.
She murdered my girl.
You know this has nothing to do with the case.
I would like to read a letter that your client wrote to his former girlfriend "You took my child from me.
"I should do to you what you did to her and tear you to pieces.
"You're a whore, a demon whore, "who gorged on my daughter's blood.
"I swear, anyone, whoever comes between me and my child again "will get smashed into dust.
" Now, isn't that what Celeste Kelman did? Came between you and your child? Isn't that what she did at the luncheon? That bitch blew me off.
She blew me off! And you became frustrated because her company wouldn't help you.
Those people wouldn't give me the time of day.
I tried and tried and tried, but they just wouldn't listen to me! But it was because of Senator Kelman.
That's who you blamed! Who else? She could have just said "whizzo" and doors would have opened! So you got angry and you punished her.
You bet.
I drilled it right into her thick skull.
(BANGING ON TABLE) Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! (GRUNTING) GUARD: Calm down! Come on! That's right, bring on the trolls! That's not gonna keep me from finding my girl.
HEARN: This doesn't change anything.
You think you can control him in a court? Because that's what a jury will see, an angry man with murder in his eyes.
You're not gonna stop me from finding her! And they'll reject his insanity plea! And once they hear the victims impact statements.
They will give him the death penalty.
LARRY: Save my girl.
I lost her.
God, I lost my girl! I lost my girl! Life without parole.
You take the death penalty off the table.
(SOBBING) Ariel, she was gonna be my little girl.
She should've listened to me.
She could've been safe with me.
I'd have taken care of her.
Good care of her.
She'd have been safe with me.
She would have Would have been safe with me.
I loved her.
I would have been a good dad to her! I'll get back to you.
He killed my wife.
I'm gonna have a bullet in my spine for the rest of my life.
I'm just so full of rage.
If I saw him in a courtroom, I'd want to rip his damn I don't want people to see me like this.
I don't want to be a spectacle.
We lost our daughter, Jenny.
And we don't blame anyone else at all except Larry Sheppard.
We're private people.
We don't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt us.
Well, as it stands Mr.
Sheppard will accept a plea of life without parole.
Now, I could pursue the death penalty, but it would mean that some of you would have to testify.
Now, how many of you are willing to do that if it meant Mr.
Sheppard might get the death penalty? Mr.
Dekker, if there's any other way? Please, don't put us through it.
LARRY: She made me mad.
Her and her army of geeks.
They wouldn't help me.
So I got mad and I shot her.
Everyone else just got in the way.
That's it.
Mr.
Sheppard, you understand that by pleading guilty, you will be sentenced to a term of life without possibility of parole? Yes.
Your Honor, in the event that Mr.
Sheppard ever comes up for release, in lieu of testimony of survivors and victims' families, I'd like Coroner Nishizawa to read into the record the autopsies of the seven murdered victims.
Very well.
Celeste Kelman.
"The victim is a light skinned female "of reported age of 42 years.
"Death of this female is due to a single "penetrating gunshot wound to the head "at the hairline on the right side.
"The manner of death is certified as a homicide.
"Jennifer Sellers.
"The victim is a light skinned female "of reported age of 10 years.
"Death of this female is due to a gunshot wound to the torso.
"After penetrating the lower right back, "the bullet passed rightward, perforating the descending aorta.
"The bullet then passed through the liver "before exiting the lower left abdomen.
"The manner of death is certified as a homicide.
"Jeb Morrell.
"The victim is a light skinned male" This should be the last we hear of Mr.
Sheppard for the rest of our lifetimes.
Okay.
He had some sick days coming.
(PHONE RINGING) (VIBRATING)