Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010) s01e16 Episode Script
Big Rock Mesa
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.
NEWSCASTER: Firefighters are battling the blaze for a third day.
The fast-moving wildfire began just after 9:00 a.
m.
Sunday, two miles north of Big Rock Mesa.
Santa Ana winds continue to fan the flames.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of dozens of homes It, uh, looks like we got more people than usual for breakfast.
It's always like this after a wildfire.
It's not just homeowners that get burned out of the hills.
Hey, Freddy, aren't you gonna eat? He's a wreck.
Sick over Jenny.
She's in the canyon, at the camp.
She's gonna get caught in the fire.
Didn't they evacuate that area? Jenny wouldn't go.
Her cat just had kittens.
I'm gonna rescue her, David.
No.
I don't think that's such a good idea, Freddy.
Why don't we call the Fire Department? They wouldn't let me pass.
The road's barricaded.
Jenny's gonna burn.
No, I don't want you going up there by yourself.
We'll figure something out.
(SIRENS BLARING) Hey! Hey, hey! Folks, you're gonna have to move back! This is an emergency area.
We need to protect our houses.
With the wind, the fire's gonna jump over the break.
I can't let you up there.
It's firefighters only.
We want to save our homes.
Please.
I don't have insurance.
Look, ma'am, I'm sorry.
You're gonna have to move back.
Come on That's all of you! (EXCLAIMS) Finally some good news for Southland residents.
After five days of battling one of the most difficult wildfires in recent memory, firefighters got a hand from mother nature.
Intermittent heavy rain showers helping them put this blaze under control.
Unfortunately, some homes were lost.
The cause is still undetermined.
Authorities are suspecting arson.
Dean, over here! I've got three bodies here.
Call it in.
Tell them to send homicide detectives.
This one's got a bullet hole in his head.
GABLE: Two males, one female.
They were camping here? Some homeless people obviously were, but I don't know about these three.
The main fire started about two miles north of here.
We suspect arson.
The second fire, which started two days later, had a point of origin right in this area.
Now, if you can see this This is brake fluid, often used as an accelerant.
We also found traces of brake fluid at the main fire's point of origin.
Same arsonist, both times.
That's what we're thinking.
You know what they say.
"The bigger the fire, the bigger his thrill.
" And these three just happened to walk in on him? Hope he thinks the thrill is worth a seat on death row.
Smoke and fire were not the cause of death.
Jane Doe, blunt force trauma to the posterior skull.
John Doe, Sr.
, penetrating trauma to the anterior skull.
From some kind of heavy blade.
My nine-year-old could've guessed that.
Now that you're back to being a cop, you have to do better than heavy blade.
Okay.
John Doe, Jr.
, bullet wound.
Recovered a nine millimeter slug from his brain.
He also has a serrated edge cut to the posterior skull.
No I.
D.
in their clothes.
You pull any prints from the bodies? Not possible.
Dental records won't be of much help with the first two.
From the looks of it, it's been years since they've seen a toothbrush, let alone a dentist.
Junior looks like he's just come from the orthodontist.
Not only that, he had a titanium knee replacement within the last year.
There's a serial number.
We should be able to trace it.
New titanium knee.
Not standard issue for the homeless.
Maybe his hedge fund went belly up.
I'm not saying that it never happens, but arsonists usually work alone.
Well, say this one didn't.
What does that say about his profile? Well, I guess you could eliminate the sexual thrill, because he's gonna want an audience for that.
Maybe a revenge arson.
Well, what can you say about the arson method? The first fire on Sunday morning, the suspect used a combination match-and-tin foil starter device, with brake fluid as the accelerant, like this.
The second fire, though, he just used matches.
Can you show us where the first fire was set? Yeah.
Right here, The nearest outlet off the road is Mulholland, about a quarter mile from the Rock Slide Inn.
Pretty big with Sunday morning bikers.
What? I hung up my colors, not my bike.
We had to close last Sunday right after brunch.
The smoke was choking.
Anybody come in between 9:00 and Maybe two guys? Yeah.
Just after 9:00, two guys in a blue truck.
One of them had his arm wrapped, asked where the john was.
His arm was injured? Well, I couldn't see, because of the wrap, but the hair on his hand looked kind of singed.
I should've called the cops, but my ex dumped off my kid, and It's okay.
Did you notice anything else about the truck License plates? No, but But the other guy, while his buddy was in the john, he ordered a beer.
I told him, "No food, no beer.
" So he got a burger.
He was short on cash, so he charged it.
TJ: Last Sunday you charged a meal at the Rock Slide Inn.
What were you doing up there? I was, uh, just taking a drive.
All by yourself? Yeah.
Clearing my head.
Duane, the waitress said you had a buddy with you.
Right, uh, he's not my buddy, that's my brother-in-law.
That doesn't count.
She also said your brother-in-law had burned his arm.
Well, I don't know why she'd say that.
This ointment.
Maybe she meant you burned yourself? No.
I just drove.
Uh Blake burned himself on the engine block Checking the oil.
Engine was overheated.
Well, I guess we better talk to Blake.
Hup! Yeah.
So I burned myself.
So what? So you and Duane, in the vicinity of the fire, you with a burn on your arm.
It's a coincidence? Hey, they happen.
You studying to be a firefighter? No, it's just an interest.
Or another coincidence.
It's tough to make the cut.
You have to keep yourself in shape.
But the exam I hear it's hard to pass.
Not if you have the aptitude.
Oh, you took the exam? Aced it, as a matter of fact.
But you're not a firefighter.
What happened? They turned you down? No.
I decided against it.
Money wasn't great.
Okay? Can I get back to my workout now? Sure.
Don't forget to hydrate.
Blake Humphry.
Yeah, I remember him.
Took the exam last July.
He told us he passed.
He did.
He even passed the physical with flying colors.
But no way was this guy gonna get into the department.
Psych profile? You got it.
Anti-social tendencies, borderline personality, impulse control issues.
Fascination with fire.
All the red flags for pyromania.
RICARDO: It's not us saying this about Blake, it's the experts.
And now you're gonna be lumped in with him.
An anti-social pyromaniac.
That's not me.
Only way to prove that is to tell the truth.
I had nothing to do with the fire.
It was Blake.
I only drove him up there.
He promised me 100 bucks, which he didn't even pay.
TJ: What about the second fire? What second fire? There was another arson on Tuesday in Big Rock Mesa.
Must've been Blake.
I was working.
He was bragging about showing up the Fire Department, proving he was smarter than they were.
I told my sister not to marry him.
(SIGHS) RICARDO: This is the starter from the first fire.
And this is a photo of a similar device that we found in a manual in your apartment.
You studied that design.
And then there's Duane's statement.
Duane is a liar.
And an idiot.
Well, that part's true.
Yeah, we couldn't figure out why a clever guy like you needed him at all.
And then we realized it's no fun doing something clever if no one knows.
And that fire on Sunday was clever.
But what the Fire Department's really buzzing about is the second arson.
The one on Tuesday.
Now, that one caused them a lot of grief.
That one was yours, too, right? You see, we assumed, because of the complexity of the starter, that you were the architect of the second arson.
Yeah.
Yeah, that one was me, too.
Uh-huh.
See, the particular design of the starter, with the matches in a circular pattern, so much more sophisticated than the diagram in the manual.
Well, I made a few improvements.
Now, that's very ingenious.
So, uh how did you start it, the, uh, second fire? The starter's the same as the first one.
But I used aluminum foil to hold the matches together.
That really ignites the accelerant.
The Fire Department should've been able to figure that one out.
Excuse us.
There was no aluminum foil at the second fire.
Yeah, he's describing a fire he didn't set.
There was brake fluid at the second fire, same as the first.
Maybe our victims walked in on a copycat arsonist? Or they were killed for a different reason.
And the killers set a copycat fire to cover their tracks.
So who would want to kill three homeless people? That's way above my pay grade, okay? But for this, I owe you one.
Thanks.
(SIGHS) One arsonist down, one murderer to go.
Our son David, are you sure? The serial number on the titanium knee traced back to him at this address.
He had his knee replaced last summer.
He injured it in high school.
Oh, God We're very sorry for your loss.
Where did you find him? Near Big Rock Mesa, after the fire.
He was shot, we think murdered.
That makes no sense.
When was the last time you spoke to David? Sunday night.
He's a law student at Pepperdine.
We didn't even know he was missing.
He was found in a homeless camp in a canyon.
He worked with the homeless.
He got a DUI last year.
He did his community service at a soup kitchen in Santa Monica, and he kept at it ever since.
Said he liked the guys.
Said they each had their own story to tell.
Sounds like David was a good person.
(CRYING) Someone shot David? The world's gone to hell in a hand basket.
He was one of our nicest volunteers.
TJ: When was the last time he worked here? Tuesday morning.
Anybody you haven't seen lately? Freddy Roga.
(STAMMERING) Fifty-something, about yay tall, African-American, missing front teeth.
Oh, bad news about Freddy, huh? Someone matching that description was with David.
Do you know what they were doing up there during the fire? Well, Freddy wanted to go rescue his girlfriend, Jenny.
She stayed behind at the camp.
Jenny wear a silver charm around her neck? Oh, dear.
Freddy kept pestering David all morning to go get her.
The access roads were closed.
Do you have any idea how they might have gotten up there? David drove an old jeep.
(SCOFFS) Some people are too nice for their own good.
TJ: I don't know why anyone would want to live up here.
It's like the apocalypse.
Mudslides, fires RICARDO: Well, it's the California spirit.
You know, going toe-to-toe with nature.
Looks like nature's winning.
Give me the flats of Beverly Hills any day.
RICARDO: (LAUGHS) Coward.
Hey, we're all gonna end up under water anyway.
If not the big quake, it's the super storm.
You're a real optimist, aren't you? I still live here.
Cozy little subdivision.
Looks like the fire missed it.
Pull up over here.
Landscaping gravel, colored glass.
Freddy Roga had colored glass in the treads of his boots.
Maybe they were here that day, lost or looking for shelter.
We can always ask the locals.
Help you? LAPD, Mr? Patrick Denton.
See your property made it through the fire.
Yeah, we did all right.
Touch and go.
You see anybody up here Tuesday, Mr.
Laight? Nah.
We were all gone by then.
Fire Department evacuated us on Monday.
We didn't get back up here until yesterday.
Why? What's all this about? We think there may have been some transients up here during the fire.
Well, we were gone by then.
You notice any disturbance to your property when you came back? I mean, aside from the fire damage.
Uh, screen on the side door was ripped.
I think it was animals.
There's a campsite for the homeless about a quarter mile away.
You have any contact with them? Some.
They've been up here fighting over garbage, making a mess.
You recognize any of these people? Uh, yeah.
I caught her going through my recycling bin about a month ago.
These run-ins with the homeless, you ever file a police report? Sure.
Doesn't do any good.
There's a no-camping ordinance, it's never enforced.
It's always something with these guys, you know? Fighting, drinking.
You ever see any of them with a gun? No.
Listen, I gotta clean my pool.
Sure.
If you think of anything, give us a call.
Not fans of their homeless brethren.
I'm sure the feeling's mutual.
That couldn't be me.
I'm live and let live, you know? You don't remember being cited for disturbing the peace? It's right here in the police report.
The homeowners said you and Freddy were fighting.
I loved Freddy, rest his soul.
It was those people, they were always making trouble for us.
Who? The homeowners? Yeah.
Chasing us off with a hose, like we were dogs.
They act like they're the kings up there, but the mountains belong to God.
Hey, sir, can you, uh, spare a dollar for a vet? No.
Sorry.
Ray.
Tuesday.
You go up the canyon with Freddy? No.
Too scary.
I got out of there Sunday night.
You could see the flames lighting up the sky from the other side of the hills.
But the people in the houses, they were having a pool party while they watched the world burn.
A pool party, you're sure? Yeah.
We could hear them, splashing around, the kids were hooting and hollering.
It's no common sense.
Here.
This morning, the pools I saw were drained.
If the Fire Department rerouted the residential water supply to fight the fire, maybe the homeowners used the pool water to wet down their roofs.
But when? They were evacuated Monday.
The fire marshal confirmed the water to the houses was cut off Monday at noon.
So in theory, if everybody was evacuated Monday, the houses must have sat empty until Friday, when the evacuation order was lifted.
Then what do you make of this? The houses at Big Rock Mesa are equipped with smart meters.
The DWP can remote-access the day-by-day use of electricity in all the houses.
This is last week at Patrick Denton's house.
Sunday, before they were evacuated, normal electricity consumption.
Monday, when they were evacuated, consumption drops 90%, then spikes back up on Tuesday.
When the houses were supposed to be empty? Right.
It goes back down on Wednesday until Friday, when they're allowed back into the houses.
It's the same story with Joe Laight and the other eight neighbors.
So somebody was in there Tuesday, burning electricity.
Using an electric pump to pump water from their pools onto their roofs.
So they snuck past the police lines to get back into their houses.
Ran into our victims, got into a fight Well, first, we've got to prove they were there.
I know this news camerawoman, always hanging off of a chopper.
Maybe she got footage of these guys standing on their roofs.
BRITTANY: No one got any footage.
It was a no-fly zone.
You gonna let a little rule scare you away? You're getting soft, Brittany.
You can check me for soft spots later, TJ.
The Fire Department choppers kept chasing us away.
I got no residential footage, nothing in Big Rock Mesa, nobody on their roof heroically trying to save their homes.
Except our homeowners don't know that.
Hi.
Thanks for meeting me.
Joe.
Brittany.
Patrick.
Like I told you on the phone, we have footage of you on the roof of your homes last Tuesday with your hoses, fire coming up the hill.
Terrific visuals.
But we need you to sign a release form before we can use it.
So I have the papers right here.
Thing is, Miss Rust, uh, we were hoping we could buy the footage.
I don't understand.
We don't want the attention.
(LAUGHS) You're heroes.
Don't be modest.
Uh It was an evacuated area.
We weren't supposed to be there.
We don't want our faces plastered all over the news.
So if we could just buy the footage Okay.
Will that work? Ought to be enough for a search warrant.
This isn't right.
We haven't done anything wrong.
You lied to us, Mr.
Denton.
You ignored an evacuation order and knowingly re-entered an emergency zone, which is a crime.
Now you're here.
Where were you when we were alone up here? Anna, it's okay, don't talk to them.
Detectives, I think we have something here.
This area was washed down with bleach within the last week.
Maybe to clean up blood after a gunshot wound? If David Holloway was shot here, He fell down, hit his head.
Does that look like a match to you? Mr.
Denton, we're placing you under arrest for murder.
Put your hands behind your back.
My husband is innocent.
Anna Those homeless people got killed by their own Listen to me.
Call Paul Roth, tell him what's happening.
Nobody say anything to the police, nobody say anything.
They've already made up their minds.
Don't help them hurt us.
Let's go.
Call Paul Roth! $50,000 bail? Who was the Judge? Dirty Harry? Don't blame him.
At this point, our evidence against Denton is paper thin.
He must've been on his hands and knees with a toothbrush and a bucket of bleach to clean that floor.
There wasn't a speck of blood left.
Now, what about the cut found on Holloway's head? Can't the police match that to the saw blade? The saw blade was new.
Denton must've replaced it.
Well, we have one thing going for us.
Denton didn't act alone.
Somebody else helped him carry them to the campsite and set the fire.
I vote for the neighbors.
The one who tried to buy the news footage with Denton.
We start with him.
It's not fair what you're doing to Patrick.
He's a good guy.
Yeah, so was the boy he shot.
A 22-year-old law student.
It's a shame what happened.
But we had nothing to do with that.
We snuck up there to save our homes.
We didn't see anybody.
We know those people were on your property.
Well, it must've happened after we left.
Patrick's house was broken into.
Mr.
Laight, you and Mr.
Denton lied to the police.
You and Mr.
Denton both tried to buy evidence.
You better start telling us the truth now, before somebody else does, trying to save his own skin! We came back.
We pumped out our pools, we soaked down the roofs, we cleared the brush and then we left.
All of us.
All of you.
How many is that? I'm gonna tell you so you can go after them, too? I don't think so.
(CLOSES DOOR) Next one.
I only wanted to keep my house from burning.
After my divorce, this is all I got.
I couldn't even keep up with the insurance premiums.
You hosed off the roof with water from your pool.
That's a big job.
Yeah.
Joe and Patrick helped me.
And then we left, before we saw any homeless.
And when we got back, Patrick's house The screen on the side door was ripped open.
There must've been people up here, trying to loot.
Right, the looters who broke in and didn't steal anything.
Those scratches on your arm, Mrs.
Burt How'd you get them? From my cat.
Must be a big cat.
Where is he now? I love cats.
He ran off during the fire.
Excuse me, there's a lot to do in the house.
The homeless woman had a fractured pinky.
There was a splint.
See, the pinky's taped to the ring finger.
So if she scratched, she would've left three marks, not four.
Mmm-hmm.
The homeless man, Freddy Roga, he had a cut to his anterior skull.
Yes.
It penetrated the bone.
Maybe a blade-tool used to clear brush? We use all kinds of tools to clear brush.
I even used to keep goats.
Yeah, but machetes and sling blades won't leave crap all over your lawn.
I haven't used those for years.
I had a blade skip off a tree trunk, almost took my leg off.
See? It doesn't answer what tool you were using Tuesday.
Okay, you know, this is really not fair.
I mean, I used to give a couple of bucks to the homeless, you know, especially the vets.
This brush axe in the photo, where is it? Uh, I got rid of it.
Months ago.
We've got one victim killed with a cutting wound to the head.
And one neighbor with a missing axe.
There's another neighbor with scratches consistent with the second victim, who was killed by a blow to the back of the head.
And then there's David Holloway, shot inside Patrick Denton's garage.
Three suspects.
No weapons, no blood, no forensics worth a damn.
We need to offer Denton a deal.
Denton shot David Holloway in the head.
How does that rate a deal? Denton can argue he found an intruder in his home, felt threatened and shot him in self-defense.
Holloway was in the garage.
Yeah, welcome to California.
Home includes the garage.
Holloway was a law student, he was a volunteer in a soup kitchen.
He's hardly a threat.
Yeah, says you.
As Denton's lawyer will no doubt point out to a jury, that Holloway was also a kid with a DUI.
I don't care about Denton's lawyer right now.
You're proposing giving a pass to someone who killed some college kid in cold blood.
No, I'm proposing giving a deal to someone who has a defense that a California jury will likely agree with.
Or you would agree with.
Don't come inside of my house without an invitation.
Call Denton's lawyer.
This isn't right.
Joe and Diana stuck up for me.
Well, that may not last.
They know that we're investigating them for murder.
The moment we charge them, their lawyers are gonna be fishing for a deal.
My client has a legitimate case of self-defense.
He was threatened in his own home by an intruder.
He still has to worry about the arson charge.
He and his accomplices set a fire to cover up the killings.
And although a jury may be sympathetic to him defending his home, they will not like him burning down the Santa Monica mountains.
So what's your offer? We won't contest his claim of self-defense.
But he serves two years for the arson.
If he refuses, he'll be charged with aggravated arson and serve nine years in prison.
Tell them what happened.
You have to understand, we had been working all day trying to protect our houses.
We heard that people were setting fires, looters.
We were scared.
I was carrying a gun in my belt.
I heard a noise in the garage.
And I went in, and there they were, three of them, all dirty.
And all I could think is, "My wife is in that house.
" I told them to get out.
And one of them made a move toward me and I shot him.
The other two took off.
Joe and Diana saw them, I told them they were looters.
We chased them.
The man turned on Joe.
Joe hit him with an axe.
The woman was going crazy on Diana, and then she turned to run and Joe said, "Don't let her get away.
" Diana hit her with a brick.
(SIGHS) Finish it, Mr.
Denton.
(SIGHS) We panicked.
We thought nobody would believe it was us defending ourselves.
And then somebody, and I don't remember who, said we should start a fire.
We heard about the arson, the brake fluid, so that's what we did.
Those people should've stayed away from our homes.
You kill someone in your garage, you get a walk.
You kill someone a few feet away, they throw the book at you.
Shades of gray.
Even in sunny California.
My clients know that every trial is a risky proposition.
They'd plead involuntary manslaughter, two years, paroled in 12 months.
I might feel more charitable if they hadn't tried to burn down half the county.
That was Patrick's idea.
I'll agree to a plea of voluntary manslaughter.
Eleven years.
Then off to trial we go.
I do know a thing or two about juries.
They don't like victims with records of drugs, DUI, thievery, violence.
They do like underdogs, blue collar homeowner, taking a stand against years of provocation and lawsuits to get them out of their house.
Joe and Diana are poster kids for citizens' rights.
We'll see you in court.
Citizens' rights.
A nice buzzword.
Too bad it's often used by one citizen to deny the rights of another.
The homeowners in Big Rock Mesa are being sued by a group called Citizens for Responsible Taxation.
They claim protecting a home in a fire zone is an unfair burden on taxpayers.
That's got nothing to do with this case.
Maybe not.
But one of the lawyers behind the lawsuit has an email address at Pepperdine.
David Holloway was a law student at Pepperdine.
COLES: David was a student of mine.
He came to me with some concerns about a group of homeowners in Big Rock Mesa.
What kind of concerns? He felt that they were waging a campaign of terror against some homeless living in the canyon.
Turning hoses on them, blocking paths, pouring quicklime on the garbage to keep them from scavenging.
So, David asked you to draft this lawsuit, for what, revenge? He just wanted to push back a little.
And the suit does have merit.
People shouldn't be allowed to build in high-risk fire zones.
It costs the county millions just to protect a few homes.
Were the homeowners aware that David was behind this lawsuit? I don't see how.
He kept his participation off the record to protect his homeless friends.
I'm sorry, my class is waiting.
Does it strike you as odd that Denton never mentioned this lawsuit? Well, of course we were worried about the lawsuit.
It was costing us thousands of dollars for a lawyer.
Even if we won, we could still lose the house.
Mrs.
Denton, when you were here that Tuesday, did you hear your husband in the garage? Yes.
I heard him tell someone to get out.
Did you hear the other person? Yes, a man's voice.
And what did he say? He said he was gonna run us out of the canyon.
And what did your husband say to that? I don't think I can help you.
Mrs.
Denton, I will put you on the stand, under oath, and make you tell the truth.
Patrick is my husband.
He knew, didn't he? He knew that David Holloway was behind that lawsuit.
Anna, what is going on? Mr.
Denton, you withheld material information about what happened inside of your garage.
I'll be re-filing charges against you.
Our deal is off.
Your Honor, for the record, I renew my objection to the witness on the grounds of marital privilege.
And again, for the record, marital privilege doesn't apply here.
The witness is being asked about statements her husband made to a third party.
The objection is overruled.
Continue, Mr.
Dekker.
Mrs.
Denton, I'll ask you again, what did you hear this other person say to your husband? Permission to treat the witness as hostile? Go ahead, Mr.
Dekker.
Mrs.
Denton, isn't it a fact that you heard this other person tell your husband in the garage that he was going to run you and your husband out of the canyon? JUDGE RUMFORD: Answer the question, Mrs.
Denton.
Yes, that's what I heard.
And how did your husband respond? Patrick, my husband, said, "It's you.
"You're the punk suing us.
" Then what did you hear? I heard other people yelling, I don't know what, and then I heard a shot.
Then what did you do? I ran out to the garage.
I saw someone lying on the ground.
Patrick told me to get back inside the house and lock the door.
Thank you.
No more questions.
Mrs.
Denton, how long have there been homeless camping illegally in your canyon? Uh, eight years.
It's gotten worse the last three years.
How does that make you feel? Does that frighten you? Objection, relevance.
The witness is not a defendant.
Your Honor, her state of mind is relevant to her husband's actions.
Overruled.
Answer the question.
Yes, it does frighten me.
About a month before the fire, I was home alone, working in the yard, and I turned around And there was a man, drunk, dirty, standing there.
He wanted money for beer.
I screamed and he ran off.
On the day of the fire, when it was getting dark and there were flames and smoke surrounding us, we were terrified.
You can't imagine.
And I'm sorry those people got killed.
What my husband did He was protecting me.
I love my husband.
I'm proud of him.
PATRICK: Sure, I saw the Pepperdine T-shirt.
I assumed he stole it.
I just wanted him and his buddies out of my garage.
What did you do? I pulled out my gun.
Then I told them again to leave.
And then the younger one, Holloway, he got real angry.
He said he was gonna run us out of the canyon, and that's when I made the connection that he was the one suing us.
I told him he'd better get out of the garage.
And then, the stupid kid, he came at me, he reached for the gun, and I shot him.
The other two ran off.
They attacked Joe and Diana, and Joe and Diana killed them.
We've heard testimony that you and your neighbors tried to cover up these deaths.
Well, I admit, it was stupid.
We were out of our minds.
Even if we were in the right, it still felt wrong to take a life.
We'd already broken the law going up there to save our homes.
We were afraid we were gonna lose everything.
Your house? Yes.
My father bought that house in 1962.
And when they died, they passed it onto me and I I finished paying it off.
We've had close calls with fires and mudslides.
We've sweated and bled to keep this place.
We can't afford to live anywhere else.
Why should we? I feel sorry for homeless people.
It's terrible to lose your home.
But Anna and I and our neighbors have earned the right to live where we live and feel safe in our homes.
Mr.
Denton, do know why David Holloway and his friends were inside your garage? No.
They spent the day climbing out of that canyon trying to escape the fire and the smoke.
Did you ever stop to think that maybe they were just desperate for some water? I told you, no.
You didn't ask them, did you? It wasn't my business.
No, the truth is, you just didn't care.
It's not that.
They were intruders.
Intruders, you mean like the homeless man that had frightened your wife a month earlier? Yes, that's right.
Or the ones who emptied out your garbage cans, and was staggering around drunk along your road? (SIGHS) Sure.
Must've made you pretty angry when you found them in your garage.
Angry? I was frightened.
Frightened? Well, why didn't you back out of the garage? What? Back out of my own garage? I mean, if you felt threatened It wouldn't have mattered.
They came at me.
You were standing between them and the doorway.
Maybe they were just trying to get out.
No, that's not where I was standing.
Mr.
Denton, we've heard expert testimony that when David Holloway was shot, he fell into the garage, away from the door.
And the gunshot was fired from someone standing in the doorway.
I don't remember.
All I know is that they came at me.
No, no.
The truth is you wanted this confrontation, didn't you? No.
That's the last thing I wanted.
Ah, the moment that you found out that he was the one behind that lawsuit, you made up your mind then.
No, not until he came at me.
He came at you because he knew what you were gonna do.
He knew you were gonna try and shoot them! That's not true.
The same way you made up your mind when you found them.
There was no retreat, there was no questions, there was nothing stopping you from venting your anger and indignation at these bums! These freeloaders who were trying to move you and your wife out of your home.
What was I supposed to do? Wait until they were inside my house, raping my wife? Mr.
Denton, look at your floor plan.
You were in the doorway, shooting into your house, into the direction where you said your wife was.
Were you really concerned for her safety? Or were you too focused on your anger to even care? No more questions.
Forensic science can't show us beyond a reasonable doubt what was said and done that Tuesday afternoon when Big Rock Mesa was burning.
When decent, hardworking people defending their homes confronted two homeless people and one of their advocates trespassing on their property.
Put yourself in my clients' shoes.
What would you, as reasonable people, have done? Freddy Roga and Jenny Pratt were part of an occupying army of 48,000 homeless.
The Big Rock Mesa story is the story of every neighborhood in our city.
So again, what would you, as reasonable people, have done? Your answer to that question can lead you to only one verdict.
A verdict which will return my clients to their homes and to their families.
Now, Mr.
Miklin keeps talking about this figure of 48,000 homeless.
He wants to scare you with this image of a horde of demented, substance-abusing maniacs.
But who are these homeless? In Los Angeles County over Men and women who have served our country, many of whom still bear the physical and mental scars from that service.
Tens of thousands of them are children, women running from abusive husbands.
People who, through misfortune or their own demons, have found themselves caught in the tentacles of circumstance and have lost their homes.
And if the last three years have taught us anything, it's that it can happen to literally any one of us.
Now, Mr.
Miklin asks you to put yourself in his clients' shoes.
Go ahead and do that.
Remember the last time you passed by your favorite park and found it over-run with homeless people getting high, fighting and carrying on.
That made you pretty mad, didn't it? How about when you came out of a restaurant after a nice meal with your family, and was hit up by some homeless person for some spare change? Or when you were walking to the store with your child and in the alley, there's a homeless person relieving himself without any decency.
Infuriating.
Got you pretty angry, didn't it? Even now, thinking back, you can feel that anger and helplessness welling up.
Just like it was for Mr.
Miklin's clients.
Now you're in their shoes.
Now you feel what they felt that Tuesday.
Anger.
Red hot anger.
Ladies and gentlemen, before the law, killing in anger is not a substitute for killing in self-defense.
Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
Will the defendants please rise? As to defendant Diana Burt, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
As to defendant Joe Laight, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
As to defendant Patrick Denton, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
For the defendants, on the count of arson, how do you find? Your Honor, we're unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the arson count.
We're deadlocked.
Thank you very much for your service.
(ALL MURMURING) Retrying them on the arson will just seem like sour grapes.
It was a tragedy what happened, but, you know, it's tough enough out there.
We're entitled to feel safe in our own homes.
Maybe our politicians will get the idea they need to do something about getting the homeless off our streets (SIGHS) I asked 12 people to put their conscience before their anger.
(SOBBING) I failed.
We failed.
These are their stories.
NEWSCASTER: Firefighters are battling the blaze for a third day.
The fast-moving wildfire began just after 9:00 a.
m.
Sunday, two miles north of Big Rock Mesa.
Santa Ana winds continue to fan the flames.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of dozens of homes It, uh, looks like we got more people than usual for breakfast.
It's always like this after a wildfire.
It's not just homeowners that get burned out of the hills.
Hey, Freddy, aren't you gonna eat? He's a wreck.
Sick over Jenny.
She's in the canyon, at the camp.
She's gonna get caught in the fire.
Didn't they evacuate that area? Jenny wouldn't go.
Her cat just had kittens.
I'm gonna rescue her, David.
No.
I don't think that's such a good idea, Freddy.
Why don't we call the Fire Department? They wouldn't let me pass.
The road's barricaded.
Jenny's gonna burn.
No, I don't want you going up there by yourself.
We'll figure something out.
(SIRENS BLARING) Hey! Hey, hey! Folks, you're gonna have to move back! This is an emergency area.
We need to protect our houses.
With the wind, the fire's gonna jump over the break.
I can't let you up there.
It's firefighters only.
We want to save our homes.
Please.
I don't have insurance.
Look, ma'am, I'm sorry.
You're gonna have to move back.
Come on That's all of you! (EXCLAIMS) Finally some good news for Southland residents.
After five days of battling one of the most difficult wildfires in recent memory, firefighters got a hand from mother nature.
Intermittent heavy rain showers helping them put this blaze under control.
Unfortunately, some homes were lost.
The cause is still undetermined.
Authorities are suspecting arson.
Dean, over here! I've got three bodies here.
Call it in.
Tell them to send homicide detectives.
This one's got a bullet hole in his head.
GABLE: Two males, one female.
They were camping here? Some homeless people obviously were, but I don't know about these three.
The main fire started about two miles north of here.
We suspect arson.
The second fire, which started two days later, had a point of origin right in this area.
Now, if you can see this This is brake fluid, often used as an accelerant.
We also found traces of brake fluid at the main fire's point of origin.
Same arsonist, both times.
That's what we're thinking.
You know what they say.
"The bigger the fire, the bigger his thrill.
" And these three just happened to walk in on him? Hope he thinks the thrill is worth a seat on death row.
Smoke and fire were not the cause of death.
Jane Doe, blunt force trauma to the posterior skull.
John Doe, Sr.
, penetrating trauma to the anterior skull.
From some kind of heavy blade.
My nine-year-old could've guessed that.
Now that you're back to being a cop, you have to do better than heavy blade.
Okay.
John Doe, Jr.
, bullet wound.
Recovered a nine millimeter slug from his brain.
He also has a serrated edge cut to the posterior skull.
No I.
D.
in their clothes.
You pull any prints from the bodies? Not possible.
Dental records won't be of much help with the first two.
From the looks of it, it's been years since they've seen a toothbrush, let alone a dentist.
Junior looks like he's just come from the orthodontist.
Not only that, he had a titanium knee replacement within the last year.
There's a serial number.
We should be able to trace it.
New titanium knee.
Not standard issue for the homeless.
Maybe his hedge fund went belly up.
I'm not saying that it never happens, but arsonists usually work alone.
Well, say this one didn't.
What does that say about his profile? Well, I guess you could eliminate the sexual thrill, because he's gonna want an audience for that.
Maybe a revenge arson.
Well, what can you say about the arson method? The first fire on Sunday morning, the suspect used a combination match-and-tin foil starter device, with brake fluid as the accelerant, like this.
The second fire, though, he just used matches.
Can you show us where the first fire was set? Yeah.
Right here, The nearest outlet off the road is Mulholland, about a quarter mile from the Rock Slide Inn.
Pretty big with Sunday morning bikers.
What? I hung up my colors, not my bike.
We had to close last Sunday right after brunch.
The smoke was choking.
Anybody come in between 9:00 and Maybe two guys? Yeah.
Just after 9:00, two guys in a blue truck.
One of them had his arm wrapped, asked where the john was.
His arm was injured? Well, I couldn't see, because of the wrap, but the hair on his hand looked kind of singed.
I should've called the cops, but my ex dumped off my kid, and It's okay.
Did you notice anything else about the truck License plates? No, but But the other guy, while his buddy was in the john, he ordered a beer.
I told him, "No food, no beer.
" So he got a burger.
He was short on cash, so he charged it.
TJ: Last Sunday you charged a meal at the Rock Slide Inn.
What were you doing up there? I was, uh, just taking a drive.
All by yourself? Yeah.
Clearing my head.
Duane, the waitress said you had a buddy with you.
Right, uh, he's not my buddy, that's my brother-in-law.
That doesn't count.
She also said your brother-in-law had burned his arm.
Well, I don't know why she'd say that.
This ointment.
Maybe she meant you burned yourself? No.
I just drove.
Uh Blake burned himself on the engine block Checking the oil.
Engine was overheated.
Well, I guess we better talk to Blake.
Hup! Yeah.
So I burned myself.
So what? So you and Duane, in the vicinity of the fire, you with a burn on your arm.
It's a coincidence? Hey, they happen.
You studying to be a firefighter? No, it's just an interest.
Or another coincidence.
It's tough to make the cut.
You have to keep yourself in shape.
But the exam I hear it's hard to pass.
Not if you have the aptitude.
Oh, you took the exam? Aced it, as a matter of fact.
But you're not a firefighter.
What happened? They turned you down? No.
I decided against it.
Money wasn't great.
Okay? Can I get back to my workout now? Sure.
Don't forget to hydrate.
Blake Humphry.
Yeah, I remember him.
Took the exam last July.
He told us he passed.
He did.
He even passed the physical with flying colors.
But no way was this guy gonna get into the department.
Psych profile? You got it.
Anti-social tendencies, borderline personality, impulse control issues.
Fascination with fire.
All the red flags for pyromania.
RICARDO: It's not us saying this about Blake, it's the experts.
And now you're gonna be lumped in with him.
An anti-social pyromaniac.
That's not me.
Only way to prove that is to tell the truth.
I had nothing to do with the fire.
It was Blake.
I only drove him up there.
He promised me 100 bucks, which he didn't even pay.
TJ: What about the second fire? What second fire? There was another arson on Tuesday in Big Rock Mesa.
Must've been Blake.
I was working.
He was bragging about showing up the Fire Department, proving he was smarter than they were.
I told my sister not to marry him.
(SIGHS) RICARDO: This is the starter from the first fire.
And this is a photo of a similar device that we found in a manual in your apartment.
You studied that design.
And then there's Duane's statement.
Duane is a liar.
And an idiot.
Well, that part's true.
Yeah, we couldn't figure out why a clever guy like you needed him at all.
And then we realized it's no fun doing something clever if no one knows.
And that fire on Sunday was clever.
But what the Fire Department's really buzzing about is the second arson.
The one on Tuesday.
Now, that one caused them a lot of grief.
That one was yours, too, right? You see, we assumed, because of the complexity of the starter, that you were the architect of the second arson.
Yeah.
Yeah, that one was me, too.
Uh-huh.
See, the particular design of the starter, with the matches in a circular pattern, so much more sophisticated than the diagram in the manual.
Well, I made a few improvements.
Now, that's very ingenious.
So, uh how did you start it, the, uh, second fire? The starter's the same as the first one.
But I used aluminum foil to hold the matches together.
That really ignites the accelerant.
The Fire Department should've been able to figure that one out.
Excuse us.
There was no aluminum foil at the second fire.
Yeah, he's describing a fire he didn't set.
There was brake fluid at the second fire, same as the first.
Maybe our victims walked in on a copycat arsonist? Or they were killed for a different reason.
And the killers set a copycat fire to cover their tracks.
So who would want to kill three homeless people? That's way above my pay grade, okay? But for this, I owe you one.
Thanks.
(SIGHS) One arsonist down, one murderer to go.
Our son David, are you sure? The serial number on the titanium knee traced back to him at this address.
He had his knee replaced last summer.
He injured it in high school.
Oh, God We're very sorry for your loss.
Where did you find him? Near Big Rock Mesa, after the fire.
He was shot, we think murdered.
That makes no sense.
When was the last time you spoke to David? Sunday night.
He's a law student at Pepperdine.
We didn't even know he was missing.
He was found in a homeless camp in a canyon.
He worked with the homeless.
He got a DUI last year.
He did his community service at a soup kitchen in Santa Monica, and he kept at it ever since.
Said he liked the guys.
Said they each had their own story to tell.
Sounds like David was a good person.
(CRYING) Someone shot David? The world's gone to hell in a hand basket.
He was one of our nicest volunteers.
TJ: When was the last time he worked here? Tuesday morning.
Anybody you haven't seen lately? Freddy Roga.
(STAMMERING) Fifty-something, about yay tall, African-American, missing front teeth.
Oh, bad news about Freddy, huh? Someone matching that description was with David.
Do you know what they were doing up there during the fire? Well, Freddy wanted to go rescue his girlfriend, Jenny.
She stayed behind at the camp.
Jenny wear a silver charm around her neck? Oh, dear.
Freddy kept pestering David all morning to go get her.
The access roads were closed.
Do you have any idea how they might have gotten up there? David drove an old jeep.
(SCOFFS) Some people are too nice for their own good.
TJ: I don't know why anyone would want to live up here.
It's like the apocalypse.
Mudslides, fires RICARDO: Well, it's the California spirit.
You know, going toe-to-toe with nature.
Looks like nature's winning.
Give me the flats of Beverly Hills any day.
RICARDO: (LAUGHS) Coward.
Hey, we're all gonna end up under water anyway.
If not the big quake, it's the super storm.
You're a real optimist, aren't you? I still live here.
Cozy little subdivision.
Looks like the fire missed it.
Pull up over here.
Landscaping gravel, colored glass.
Freddy Roga had colored glass in the treads of his boots.
Maybe they were here that day, lost or looking for shelter.
We can always ask the locals.
Help you? LAPD, Mr? Patrick Denton.
See your property made it through the fire.
Yeah, we did all right.
Touch and go.
You see anybody up here Tuesday, Mr.
Laight? Nah.
We were all gone by then.
Fire Department evacuated us on Monday.
We didn't get back up here until yesterday.
Why? What's all this about? We think there may have been some transients up here during the fire.
Well, we were gone by then.
You notice any disturbance to your property when you came back? I mean, aside from the fire damage.
Uh, screen on the side door was ripped.
I think it was animals.
There's a campsite for the homeless about a quarter mile away.
You have any contact with them? Some.
They've been up here fighting over garbage, making a mess.
You recognize any of these people? Uh, yeah.
I caught her going through my recycling bin about a month ago.
These run-ins with the homeless, you ever file a police report? Sure.
Doesn't do any good.
There's a no-camping ordinance, it's never enforced.
It's always something with these guys, you know? Fighting, drinking.
You ever see any of them with a gun? No.
Listen, I gotta clean my pool.
Sure.
If you think of anything, give us a call.
Not fans of their homeless brethren.
I'm sure the feeling's mutual.
That couldn't be me.
I'm live and let live, you know? You don't remember being cited for disturbing the peace? It's right here in the police report.
The homeowners said you and Freddy were fighting.
I loved Freddy, rest his soul.
It was those people, they were always making trouble for us.
Who? The homeowners? Yeah.
Chasing us off with a hose, like we were dogs.
They act like they're the kings up there, but the mountains belong to God.
Hey, sir, can you, uh, spare a dollar for a vet? No.
Sorry.
Ray.
Tuesday.
You go up the canyon with Freddy? No.
Too scary.
I got out of there Sunday night.
You could see the flames lighting up the sky from the other side of the hills.
But the people in the houses, they were having a pool party while they watched the world burn.
A pool party, you're sure? Yeah.
We could hear them, splashing around, the kids were hooting and hollering.
It's no common sense.
Here.
This morning, the pools I saw were drained.
If the Fire Department rerouted the residential water supply to fight the fire, maybe the homeowners used the pool water to wet down their roofs.
But when? They were evacuated Monday.
The fire marshal confirmed the water to the houses was cut off Monday at noon.
So in theory, if everybody was evacuated Monday, the houses must have sat empty until Friday, when the evacuation order was lifted.
Then what do you make of this? The houses at Big Rock Mesa are equipped with smart meters.
The DWP can remote-access the day-by-day use of electricity in all the houses.
This is last week at Patrick Denton's house.
Sunday, before they were evacuated, normal electricity consumption.
Monday, when they were evacuated, consumption drops 90%, then spikes back up on Tuesday.
When the houses were supposed to be empty? Right.
It goes back down on Wednesday until Friday, when they're allowed back into the houses.
It's the same story with Joe Laight and the other eight neighbors.
So somebody was in there Tuesday, burning electricity.
Using an electric pump to pump water from their pools onto their roofs.
So they snuck past the police lines to get back into their houses.
Ran into our victims, got into a fight Well, first, we've got to prove they were there.
I know this news camerawoman, always hanging off of a chopper.
Maybe she got footage of these guys standing on their roofs.
BRITTANY: No one got any footage.
It was a no-fly zone.
You gonna let a little rule scare you away? You're getting soft, Brittany.
You can check me for soft spots later, TJ.
The Fire Department choppers kept chasing us away.
I got no residential footage, nothing in Big Rock Mesa, nobody on their roof heroically trying to save their homes.
Except our homeowners don't know that.
Hi.
Thanks for meeting me.
Joe.
Brittany.
Patrick.
Like I told you on the phone, we have footage of you on the roof of your homes last Tuesday with your hoses, fire coming up the hill.
Terrific visuals.
But we need you to sign a release form before we can use it.
So I have the papers right here.
Thing is, Miss Rust, uh, we were hoping we could buy the footage.
I don't understand.
We don't want the attention.
(LAUGHS) You're heroes.
Don't be modest.
Uh It was an evacuated area.
We weren't supposed to be there.
We don't want our faces plastered all over the news.
So if we could just buy the footage Okay.
Will that work? Ought to be enough for a search warrant.
This isn't right.
We haven't done anything wrong.
You lied to us, Mr.
Denton.
You ignored an evacuation order and knowingly re-entered an emergency zone, which is a crime.
Now you're here.
Where were you when we were alone up here? Anna, it's okay, don't talk to them.
Detectives, I think we have something here.
This area was washed down with bleach within the last week.
Maybe to clean up blood after a gunshot wound? If David Holloway was shot here, He fell down, hit his head.
Does that look like a match to you? Mr.
Denton, we're placing you under arrest for murder.
Put your hands behind your back.
My husband is innocent.
Anna Those homeless people got killed by their own Listen to me.
Call Paul Roth, tell him what's happening.
Nobody say anything to the police, nobody say anything.
They've already made up their minds.
Don't help them hurt us.
Let's go.
Call Paul Roth! $50,000 bail? Who was the Judge? Dirty Harry? Don't blame him.
At this point, our evidence against Denton is paper thin.
He must've been on his hands and knees with a toothbrush and a bucket of bleach to clean that floor.
There wasn't a speck of blood left.
Now, what about the cut found on Holloway's head? Can't the police match that to the saw blade? The saw blade was new.
Denton must've replaced it.
Well, we have one thing going for us.
Denton didn't act alone.
Somebody else helped him carry them to the campsite and set the fire.
I vote for the neighbors.
The one who tried to buy the news footage with Denton.
We start with him.
It's not fair what you're doing to Patrick.
He's a good guy.
Yeah, so was the boy he shot.
A 22-year-old law student.
It's a shame what happened.
But we had nothing to do with that.
We snuck up there to save our homes.
We didn't see anybody.
We know those people were on your property.
Well, it must've happened after we left.
Patrick's house was broken into.
Mr.
Laight, you and Mr.
Denton lied to the police.
You and Mr.
Denton both tried to buy evidence.
You better start telling us the truth now, before somebody else does, trying to save his own skin! We came back.
We pumped out our pools, we soaked down the roofs, we cleared the brush and then we left.
All of us.
All of you.
How many is that? I'm gonna tell you so you can go after them, too? I don't think so.
(CLOSES DOOR) Next one.
I only wanted to keep my house from burning.
After my divorce, this is all I got.
I couldn't even keep up with the insurance premiums.
You hosed off the roof with water from your pool.
That's a big job.
Yeah.
Joe and Patrick helped me.
And then we left, before we saw any homeless.
And when we got back, Patrick's house The screen on the side door was ripped open.
There must've been people up here, trying to loot.
Right, the looters who broke in and didn't steal anything.
Those scratches on your arm, Mrs.
Burt How'd you get them? From my cat.
Must be a big cat.
Where is he now? I love cats.
He ran off during the fire.
Excuse me, there's a lot to do in the house.
The homeless woman had a fractured pinky.
There was a splint.
See, the pinky's taped to the ring finger.
So if she scratched, she would've left three marks, not four.
Mmm-hmm.
The homeless man, Freddy Roga, he had a cut to his anterior skull.
Yes.
It penetrated the bone.
Maybe a blade-tool used to clear brush? We use all kinds of tools to clear brush.
I even used to keep goats.
Yeah, but machetes and sling blades won't leave crap all over your lawn.
I haven't used those for years.
I had a blade skip off a tree trunk, almost took my leg off.
See? It doesn't answer what tool you were using Tuesday.
Okay, you know, this is really not fair.
I mean, I used to give a couple of bucks to the homeless, you know, especially the vets.
This brush axe in the photo, where is it? Uh, I got rid of it.
Months ago.
We've got one victim killed with a cutting wound to the head.
And one neighbor with a missing axe.
There's another neighbor with scratches consistent with the second victim, who was killed by a blow to the back of the head.
And then there's David Holloway, shot inside Patrick Denton's garage.
Three suspects.
No weapons, no blood, no forensics worth a damn.
We need to offer Denton a deal.
Denton shot David Holloway in the head.
How does that rate a deal? Denton can argue he found an intruder in his home, felt threatened and shot him in self-defense.
Holloway was in the garage.
Yeah, welcome to California.
Home includes the garage.
Holloway was a law student, he was a volunteer in a soup kitchen.
He's hardly a threat.
Yeah, says you.
As Denton's lawyer will no doubt point out to a jury, that Holloway was also a kid with a DUI.
I don't care about Denton's lawyer right now.
You're proposing giving a pass to someone who killed some college kid in cold blood.
No, I'm proposing giving a deal to someone who has a defense that a California jury will likely agree with.
Or you would agree with.
Don't come inside of my house without an invitation.
Call Denton's lawyer.
This isn't right.
Joe and Diana stuck up for me.
Well, that may not last.
They know that we're investigating them for murder.
The moment we charge them, their lawyers are gonna be fishing for a deal.
My client has a legitimate case of self-defense.
He was threatened in his own home by an intruder.
He still has to worry about the arson charge.
He and his accomplices set a fire to cover up the killings.
And although a jury may be sympathetic to him defending his home, they will not like him burning down the Santa Monica mountains.
So what's your offer? We won't contest his claim of self-defense.
But he serves two years for the arson.
If he refuses, he'll be charged with aggravated arson and serve nine years in prison.
Tell them what happened.
You have to understand, we had been working all day trying to protect our houses.
We heard that people were setting fires, looters.
We were scared.
I was carrying a gun in my belt.
I heard a noise in the garage.
And I went in, and there they were, three of them, all dirty.
And all I could think is, "My wife is in that house.
" I told them to get out.
And one of them made a move toward me and I shot him.
The other two took off.
Joe and Diana saw them, I told them they were looters.
We chased them.
The man turned on Joe.
Joe hit him with an axe.
The woman was going crazy on Diana, and then she turned to run and Joe said, "Don't let her get away.
" Diana hit her with a brick.
(SIGHS) Finish it, Mr.
Denton.
(SIGHS) We panicked.
We thought nobody would believe it was us defending ourselves.
And then somebody, and I don't remember who, said we should start a fire.
We heard about the arson, the brake fluid, so that's what we did.
Those people should've stayed away from our homes.
You kill someone in your garage, you get a walk.
You kill someone a few feet away, they throw the book at you.
Shades of gray.
Even in sunny California.
My clients know that every trial is a risky proposition.
They'd plead involuntary manslaughter, two years, paroled in 12 months.
I might feel more charitable if they hadn't tried to burn down half the county.
That was Patrick's idea.
I'll agree to a plea of voluntary manslaughter.
Eleven years.
Then off to trial we go.
I do know a thing or two about juries.
They don't like victims with records of drugs, DUI, thievery, violence.
They do like underdogs, blue collar homeowner, taking a stand against years of provocation and lawsuits to get them out of their house.
Joe and Diana are poster kids for citizens' rights.
We'll see you in court.
Citizens' rights.
A nice buzzword.
Too bad it's often used by one citizen to deny the rights of another.
The homeowners in Big Rock Mesa are being sued by a group called Citizens for Responsible Taxation.
They claim protecting a home in a fire zone is an unfair burden on taxpayers.
That's got nothing to do with this case.
Maybe not.
But one of the lawyers behind the lawsuit has an email address at Pepperdine.
David Holloway was a law student at Pepperdine.
COLES: David was a student of mine.
He came to me with some concerns about a group of homeowners in Big Rock Mesa.
What kind of concerns? He felt that they were waging a campaign of terror against some homeless living in the canyon.
Turning hoses on them, blocking paths, pouring quicklime on the garbage to keep them from scavenging.
So, David asked you to draft this lawsuit, for what, revenge? He just wanted to push back a little.
And the suit does have merit.
People shouldn't be allowed to build in high-risk fire zones.
It costs the county millions just to protect a few homes.
Were the homeowners aware that David was behind this lawsuit? I don't see how.
He kept his participation off the record to protect his homeless friends.
I'm sorry, my class is waiting.
Does it strike you as odd that Denton never mentioned this lawsuit? Well, of course we were worried about the lawsuit.
It was costing us thousands of dollars for a lawyer.
Even if we won, we could still lose the house.
Mrs.
Denton, when you were here that Tuesday, did you hear your husband in the garage? Yes.
I heard him tell someone to get out.
Did you hear the other person? Yes, a man's voice.
And what did he say? He said he was gonna run us out of the canyon.
And what did your husband say to that? I don't think I can help you.
Mrs.
Denton, I will put you on the stand, under oath, and make you tell the truth.
Patrick is my husband.
He knew, didn't he? He knew that David Holloway was behind that lawsuit.
Anna, what is going on? Mr.
Denton, you withheld material information about what happened inside of your garage.
I'll be re-filing charges against you.
Our deal is off.
Your Honor, for the record, I renew my objection to the witness on the grounds of marital privilege.
And again, for the record, marital privilege doesn't apply here.
The witness is being asked about statements her husband made to a third party.
The objection is overruled.
Continue, Mr.
Dekker.
Mrs.
Denton, I'll ask you again, what did you hear this other person say to your husband? Permission to treat the witness as hostile? Go ahead, Mr.
Dekker.
Mrs.
Denton, isn't it a fact that you heard this other person tell your husband in the garage that he was going to run you and your husband out of the canyon? JUDGE RUMFORD: Answer the question, Mrs.
Denton.
Yes, that's what I heard.
And how did your husband respond? Patrick, my husband, said, "It's you.
"You're the punk suing us.
" Then what did you hear? I heard other people yelling, I don't know what, and then I heard a shot.
Then what did you do? I ran out to the garage.
I saw someone lying on the ground.
Patrick told me to get back inside the house and lock the door.
Thank you.
No more questions.
Mrs.
Denton, how long have there been homeless camping illegally in your canyon? Uh, eight years.
It's gotten worse the last three years.
How does that make you feel? Does that frighten you? Objection, relevance.
The witness is not a defendant.
Your Honor, her state of mind is relevant to her husband's actions.
Overruled.
Answer the question.
Yes, it does frighten me.
About a month before the fire, I was home alone, working in the yard, and I turned around And there was a man, drunk, dirty, standing there.
He wanted money for beer.
I screamed and he ran off.
On the day of the fire, when it was getting dark and there were flames and smoke surrounding us, we were terrified.
You can't imagine.
And I'm sorry those people got killed.
What my husband did He was protecting me.
I love my husband.
I'm proud of him.
PATRICK: Sure, I saw the Pepperdine T-shirt.
I assumed he stole it.
I just wanted him and his buddies out of my garage.
What did you do? I pulled out my gun.
Then I told them again to leave.
And then the younger one, Holloway, he got real angry.
He said he was gonna run us out of the canyon, and that's when I made the connection that he was the one suing us.
I told him he'd better get out of the garage.
And then, the stupid kid, he came at me, he reached for the gun, and I shot him.
The other two ran off.
They attacked Joe and Diana, and Joe and Diana killed them.
We've heard testimony that you and your neighbors tried to cover up these deaths.
Well, I admit, it was stupid.
We were out of our minds.
Even if we were in the right, it still felt wrong to take a life.
We'd already broken the law going up there to save our homes.
We were afraid we were gonna lose everything.
Your house? Yes.
My father bought that house in 1962.
And when they died, they passed it onto me and I I finished paying it off.
We've had close calls with fires and mudslides.
We've sweated and bled to keep this place.
We can't afford to live anywhere else.
Why should we? I feel sorry for homeless people.
It's terrible to lose your home.
But Anna and I and our neighbors have earned the right to live where we live and feel safe in our homes.
Mr.
Denton, do know why David Holloway and his friends were inside your garage? No.
They spent the day climbing out of that canyon trying to escape the fire and the smoke.
Did you ever stop to think that maybe they were just desperate for some water? I told you, no.
You didn't ask them, did you? It wasn't my business.
No, the truth is, you just didn't care.
It's not that.
They were intruders.
Intruders, you mean like the homeless man that had frightened your wife a month earlier? Yes, that's right.
Or the ones who emptied out your garbage cans, and was staggering around drunk along your road? (SIGHS) Sure.
Must've made you pretty angry when you found them in your garage.
Angry? I was frightened.
Frightened? Well, why didn't you back out of the garage? What? Back out of my own garage? I mean, if you felt threatened It wouldn't have mattered.
They came at me.
You were standing between them and the doorway.
Maybe they were just trying to get out.
No, that's not where I was standing.
Mr.
Denton, we've heard expert testimony that when David Holloway was shot, he fell into the garage, away from the door.
And the gunshot was fired from someone standing in the doorway.
I don't remember.
All I know is that they came at me.
No, no.
The truth is you wanted this confrontation, didn't you? No.
That's the last thing I wanted.
Ah, the moment that you found out that he was the one behind that lawsuit, you made up your mind then.
No, not until he came at me.
He came at you because he knew what you were gonna do.
He knew you were gonna try and shoot them! That's not true.
The same way you made up your mind when you found them.
There was no retreat, there was no questions, there was nothing stopping you from venting your anger and indignation at these bums! These freeloaders who were trying to move you and your wife out of your home.
What was I supposed to do? Wait until they were inside my house, raping my wife? Mr.
Denton, look at your floor plan.
You were in the doorway, shooting into your house, into the direction where you said your wife was.
Were you really concerned for her safety? Or were you too focused on your anger to even care? No more questions.
Forensic science can't show us beyond a reasonable doubt what was said and done that Tuesday afternoon when Big Rock Mesa was burning.
When decent, hardworking people defending their homes confronted two homeless people and one of their advocates trespassing on their property.
Put yourself in my clients' shoes.
What would you, as reasonable people, have done? Freddy Roga and Jenny Pratt were part of an occupying army of 48,000 homeless.
The Big Rock Mesa story is the story of every neighborhood in our city.
So again, what would you, as reasonable people, have done? Your answer to that question can lead you to only one verdict.
A verdict which will return my clients to their homes and to their families.
Now, Mr.
Miklin keeps talking about this figure of 48,000 homeless.
He wants to scare you with this image of a horde of demented, substance-abusing maniacs.
But who are these homeless? In Los Angeles County over Men and women who have served our country, many of whom still bear the physical and mental scars from that service.
Tens of thousands of them are children, women running from abusive husbands.
People who, through misfortune or their own demons, have found themselves caught in the tentacles of circumstance and have lost their homes.
And if the last three years have taught us anything, it's that it can happen to literally any one of us.
Now, Mr.
Miklin asks you to put yourself in his clients' shoes.
Go ahead and do that.
Remember the last time you passed by your favorite park and found it over-run with homeless people getting high, fighting and carrying on.
That made you pretty mad, didn't it? How about when you came out of a restaurant after a nice meal with your family, and was hit up by some homeless person for some spare change? Or when you were walking to the store with your child and in the alley, there's a homeless person relieving himself without any decency.
Infuriating.
Got you pretty angry, didn't it? Even now, thinking back, you can feel that anger and helplessness welling up.
Just like it was for Mr.
Miklin's clients.
Now you're in their shoes.
Now you feel what they felt that Tuesday.
Anger.
Red hot anger.
Ladies and gentlemen, before the law, killing in anger is not a substitute for killing in self-defense.
Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
Will the defendants please rise? As to defendant Diana Burt, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
As to defendant Joe Laight, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
As to defendant Patrick Denton, on the count of murder, how do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.
For the defendants, on the count of arson, how do you find? Your Honor, we're unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the arson count.
We're deadlocked.
Thank you very much for your service.
(ALL MURMURING) Retrying them on the arson will just seem like sour grapes.
It was a tragedy what happened, but, you know, it's tough enough out there.
We're entitled to feel safe in our own homes.
Maybe our politicians will get the idea they need to do something about getting the homeless off our streets (SIGHS) I asked 12 people to put their conscience before their anger.
(SOBBING) I failed.
We failed.