Major Crimes s05e16 Episode Script

Quid Pro Quo

1 Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do.
DDA Hobbs? Thank you, Your Honor.
Detective Sykes, you were one of the investigators working the crime scene of this murder, is that right? Yes, that's correct.
And can you describe the victim, Thomas Edward Chandler, as you found him that morning? He had been shot once through the right side of his head.
Execution style from a 9-millimeter.
Sanchez: See the ring near the temple? Yeah.
Bullet just went right through his head.
Sanchez: And the cart of almond milk, sir.
Provenza: Almond milk, well, at least L.
A.
is living up to its clichés.
Looks like he slammed into this shelf, - falling backwards.
- Yeah, time of death? From the heavy coagulated blood, full rigor and complete lividity? Around 10 to 12 p.
m.
last night.
Sykes: And he wasn't found until early this morning when his wife, uh, Brooke, came back from Santa Barbara.
His wife just happened to be away when her husband was murdered.
Never heard of that before.
Sanchez: Sir, we checked all the windows and doors.
No sign of forced entry.
The only thing broken is that beer bottle there.
Like Mr.
Chandler was grabbing a drink last night after coming home from dinner.
Sykes: We confirmed Mr.
Chandler had a 7:00 reservation at The Jones Room with his work supervisor, uh, Lisa Kirk.
Oh.
What kind of work? Chandler was an engineer at Wescott Global, $30 billion international defense technology company - based at Silicon Beach.
- But not a federal employee.
Uh, government-adjacent with a fairly high security clearance.
Could be why he was killed.
His wife gave me his passcode to his laptop, but it had encrypted files that I need permission from D.
C.
to open, so I secured the computer and sent it downtown to Cyber.
Well, what about cameras? I mean, a guy like this would have security cameras.
Mrs.
Chandler said she prefers her privacy, and she's lived here much longer than the victim.
Sir, her first husband, Richard Bloom, bought the house in 2000.
Wife got it in the divorce in 2015 and remarried 11 months ago.
Newlywed divorcée.
Ah, well, does she have any children? Uh, one from her previous marriage a 15-year-old boy, Danny.
Danny.
Where was Danny last night? Catalina Island camping with his dad.
We have patrol waiting for him down by the ferry.
We're not making any kind of notifications, just having 'em come downtown separately.
Well, it's just a little miracle, isn't it? Everyone who lives here was away when our victim is murdered.
Huh.
Well, where is the newlywed widow? The door was locked when I came home, and no one has the password - except our family and our cleaning lady.
- Wait a minute.
Your door has a password? They open via Bluetooth.
- [Clicks.]
- It's keyless entry.
- It's actually called OffKey.
- OffKey? It's an app that manages security at your house.
My ex-husband installed it.
It was one of the startups that he was investing in.
Do you know your OffKey security user name and password? Yes.
It's [Inhales deeply.]
ChandlerFamily1, and the password is, um, God.
Tom changed it every seven days.
Uh, he went to a military boarding school, so we used that alphabet sequentially.
So the Monday before last was Charlie, so that would mean "D" would be Delta.
Yeah.
[Touchscreen clicking.]
[Cellphone chimes.]
Uh, Mrs.
Chandler, did the message you just got on your cellphone come from OffKey? Yes, it does that when a new device logs into the network.
Did you get a message like that last night? No.
My last alert was when [Sniffles.]
Tom moved in.
Hobbs: Thank you, Detective Sykes.
No further questions at this time.
Ms.
Rothman, your witness.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Good morning, Detective.
Since my client, Mr.
Bloom, had an alibi for the night of the murder, placing him a ferry boat ride away at the time of death on Catalina Island with his son, did you consider other suspects like, say, the victim's wife, Brooke? We looked at Mrs.
Chandler, yes, but she also had an out-of-town alibi.
Flynn: When did you leave for Santa Barbara? Thursday, to help throw my sister a baby shower.
So you stayed with her this weekend your sister? No, uh, I rented a room at the Biltmore.
I checked out this morning.
Visiting family and stayed at a hotel? I'll contact the Biltmore and get their surveillance video.
- Thank you.
- high school, and, uh, I see her all the time, and, uh I could afford the hotel room.
[Sniffles.]
Take a second, ma'am.
We know that this is hard.
No, let's just get it over with.
Okay.
How did your husband get along with his co-workers at Wescott? Like Lisa Kirk, the woman he had dinner with before he was murdered.
I've never heard of her.
You don't know the name of your husband's supervisor? No, Tom worked on super secret stuff.
He wasn't able to discuss personnel or projects at Wescott with anyone.
So if we asked you whether this dinner he had last night was professional or personal Oh, look, no one at Wescott was responsible for this this terrible thing.
I've thought about it [Sniffles.]
And it was Richard.
Richard killed Tom.
It had to be him.
Flynn: Well, if by Richard, you mean your ex-husband, we checked out his alibi, and he and your son have been on Catalina since last Friday.
That doesn't mean he couldn't have given his cellphone to someone else.
Mrs.
Chandler's right, isn't she? If her husband didn't open the door himself, the killer would have had to use a programmed phone to do it.
Is that possible, Mike? Mr.
Bloom giving his phone away? I don't know yet.
I'm pinging his cell, and right now it looks like it's on its way back from Catalina.
Richard could have left him on Catalina and come back and shot him.
Your ex hated your new husband that much? There were issues, like Danny's grades had dipped.
Tom and I had agreed to take him off of the golf team at school.
And your husband and your ex had words about that.
Not just words.
Two weeks ago, Richard showed up to our house, and when we wouldn't let him in, he took a swing at Tom in the front yard.
Our neighbor saw it.
Do you think Mrs.
Chandler understands that in accusing her ex, she's also building a motive for her teenage son? Maybe she's just desperate for us not to look her way.
Adding a new father to a family can be tricky.
Excuse me, Captain Raydor.
Commander Mason, what can I do for you? It's regarding your victim.
If we could speak privately Certainly.
Brooke: Well, I had heard things about Richard's past, - but I had never seen anything myself.
- Hmm.
- Flynn: Not a hothead? - No, Tom.
Tom loved his work And yet another candidate for Assistant Chief finds a reason just to drop by.
Hmm.
No matter who gets that job, it's going to be bad for us.
I was put on alert this morning that Mr.
Chandler's personal computer had left its residence.
When they tracked it to PAB, Wescott immediately called my office.
Why you, Commander, instead of me? Well, Criminal Intelligence was helping Chandler develop let's call it new surveillance technology for the LAPD.
The Feds allowed me to pull Wescott's confidential files from your victim's computer and leave you everything else.
Well, I'm surprised.
Usually, when Criminal Intelligence takes possession of evidence No one ever sees it again, that's right.
But [Lowered voice.]
Winnie Davis is watching you - as closely as she is me.
- ‭Mm-hmm.
And I can't afford for the more classified element of this case to throw you off track.
You want me to be Assistant Chief? Commander, you are very much in the running yourself.
- I'm happy where I am.
- Me, too.
Look, I've thought about this, and for one of us to keep our division, the other has to try and grab the promotion.
Because if Winnie Davis becomes Assistant Chief, she'll definitely try and restructure.
And we could both be gone, yes, I know, and there is Chief Howard to consider.
He's done, or he'd have the job already.
No, it's me, you, or Davis.
So now would be a terrible time for Major Crimes to get lost chasing dead ends like Wescott.
Hence the laptop.
And a little prayer that if one of us moves up, the other doesn't need to move out.
Commander, are you offering me a deal? Well, I know you love 'em.
Hope the computer helps.
Rothman: And you turned over all of your findings - to the defense during discovery? - ‭Yes, we did.
Every written report, every word of every statement? Of course.
Every photograph from the crime scene, every video? - Yes.
- You held nothing back? No.
Your Honor, permission to approach the witness and ask for her cellphone? Objection! What does the detective's cellphone have to do with anything? Your Honor, this goes to the credibility of the witness.
I have good reasons for this line of inquiry.
Okay, I'll allow you to look at the cellphone, Ms.
Rothman, but this had better be good, and it better be fast.
Very quickly, Your Honor.
You may approach the witness, Detective.
If you will open your phone, please.
This should only take a second.
I'm opening photos, and now I'm going to the date that the murder was investigated, and there are several photographs here from the crime scene that were not turned over to the defense, as well as a copy of the app allowing keyless entry into the house where Mr.
Chandler was found murdered.
Because I-I tested OffKey on my phone.
By downloading the app onto your personal device that day? Uh, I did, yes, because Which was also not included in discovery, which means that the detective lied when she said Okay, uh, Ms.
Rothman, that's enough.
The witness may temporarily step down.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're off for well, I'm not sure.
Go have lunch.
Court adjourned while we sort this out.
[Gallery murmuring.]
What just happened? [Lowered voice.]
Linda Rothman made it look like Amy was withholding evidence.
Now this entire case could fall apart.
That's what just happened.
Your Honor, the crime scene was well documented.
The photos on Detectives Sykes' phone are only other angles - of what already exists.
- If that's true, then why weren't these pictures included in discovery? And what about the OffKey app that Detective Sykes downloaded to her personal device? - That was not in the notes.
- Sharon? Detective Sykes did not document the app in notes - because she'd seen it in operation - [Sighs.]
but OffKey is covered in detail by our report.
Your Honor, the detective used her own phone to memorialize the crime scene, which is against LAPD policy, and then failed to divulge the materials to the defense.
Your Honor, unfortunately, municipal law enforcement policy cannot always change in exact tandem with technological advances.
Your Honor, the city, county, and state have enormous resources, and when they are prosecuting my client for first degree murder and for hiring a hitman that they can't produce Ms.
Rothman, I don't need to be briefed on charges I'm trying in my own courtroom, okay? And how did you know to ask about all this crap on the detective's cellphone anyway? ‭Yeah, excellent question.
I'm afraid that information is privileged, Your Honor.
- Your client told you? - Fascinating.
Isn't it? Failure to disclose a downloaded app is a new one on me.
I'd like to check for precedent.
But before we consider Ms.
Rothman's motion for mistrial, let me go through every exhibit from the crime scene and compare the videos and photos to the ones on this phone.
Wow, a lot of selfies.
It's as if Danny wanted to document himself on every square inch of Catalina island.
Sharon: Well, he's a teenager.
Looks like he really missed living with his dad.
Fathers are hard to replace.
Just so someone said it there's a world where Danny and his father worked this murder out together.
But both their phones were on Catalina the whole time.
Mr.
Bloom didn't like signing the consent form for his cell, and he seemed pretty nervous that we were talking to his son first.
I wonder why.
And no one will tell us what's going on, - and I'm worried about my mom.
- Don't be.
Uh, your mom wasn't even there when the Well, we'll call it the unlawful entry of your house.
How was Catalina? - Great, except for the food.
- [Door closes.]
Oh, were the two of you cooking for yourselves? If you call heating up canned beans cooking.
But my dad's always been more of "Let's put something in the microwave," and I can't make anything except scrambled eggs and toast, and I need a toaster for that.
So anyway, last night, we gave in - and, uh, went to a restaurant.
- Which restaurant was that? [Sighs.]
Uh, it was the only one on that side of the island.
Uh, Harbor Grill? Hopefully, Harbor Grill's online.
Provenza: About what time? A little after 7.
Okay, look, what's going on? Is something stolen from our house? - Provenza: We don't think so, no.
- And this looks like it.
Sanchez: Anyone see you at the restaurant? Nobody we knew, but, I mean, yeah.
Sure, lots of people.
There were, uh, five older girls that were on the ferry with us.
And my dad, like, made friends with the guy behind the register.
Now is this really important? Yes.
Made friends how? Okay, um, so the portable charger that we took it got lost, and my dad's cell ran out of power.
Mine couldn't get a signal.
And, look, Dad tried.
You know, went outside with it, around the campsite, and he goes back in and asks the guy behind the cash register if he could use their land line while, you know, he charged his phone behind the bar.
Really? [Chuckles.]
Um, who did he call? I don't know.
I didn't ask.
If Mr.
Bloom was walking around with his son's cell He could've opened the app, found the new user name and password, and called someone with it from the restaurant land line.
Tao: There's still a problem.
'Cause no new Bluetooth device was recognized at the Chandler residence.
I checked the wife's phone, and it never left Santa Barbara.
And she didn't either, if you believe all the security cameras covering the hallway - to her hotel room.
- Okay, Mike, Andy, it's time to call Harbor Grill and see what they remember and ask for a little cooperation.
It's Tom's way or else.
Mom will take his side on everything.
You have problems with your stepfather? Yeah.
He had an affair with my mom while she was still married to my dad.
If you break up a marriage, maybe you have no business telling other people how to live their lives, you know? Well, maybe he didn't have any business being alive at all.
What? You don't have to worry about Tom anymore.
Someone shot him to death in your house last night.
What? Where? In your old kitchen by your old refrigerator.
Well, thank God my son wasn't there.
Thank God.
No, the two of you were safe on Catalina.
Where you made an interesting phone call from the Harbor Grill.
No, I I didn't call anyone.
Really? Because your son Danny has a different story.
And so does the manager of the restaurant, Bruno Ross.
We just Skyped with him.
I I honestly don't remember anything like that.
This Bruno must have me confused with someone else.
He picked you out from a lot of DMV photos we showed him.
Said you paid him a $50 tip for use of the restaurant phone.
Sharon: As a small "thank you.
" Yeah, thank you for letting me call my hitman, sir.
Harbor Grill's phone records show a 3-minute call to a Los Angeles-area pay phone at 7:08 p.
m.
Which is when your son claims that you were at the restaurant borrowing their land line.
Again, that wasn't me.
Pay phones? Aren't pay phones a thing of the past? All due respect, my son is misremembering the night.
And Danny handing you his cell and you walking around the outside of the Harbor Grill pretending to try to make a phone call is your son misremembering all that, too? Danny told you he gave me his cell? Sharon: But you didn't use it to make a call.
You used it to look at an app you installed on your son's phone years ago OffKey.
And you found the new user name and password to unlock the door of your old house.
Look, you have this all wrong.
Okay, then help us understand.
You made a call last night from the Harbor Grill to someone at a pay phone about a mile and a half at your ex-wife's house.
Who was that? Son of a bitch.
He really did it.
Mr.
Moneybags had someone kill his ex's husband.
You know what? I'd like to speak to a lawyer.
What a surprise.
[The Bomb's "Get Down" playing.]
Poetry, poverty, 21st century Can't run, can't hide Big girls don't lie My heart is racin' like a '70s GT My reputation's on the line, oh, now I need Small town kind of funny Mark? [Panting.]
What the hell are you doing standing in front of my apartment building? Wait, are you waiting for me? Good morning to you, too, Honor Roll.
No, do you know how seriously creepy this is? My boyfriend is upstairs right now.
- If he knew that you - Hey, that's why I didn't ring the bell.
- Oh, my - ‭You know, I never called you creepy, and you showed up at my boat unannounced, - spied on me.
- Yeah, for professional reasons.
Yeah, well, I have professional reasons, too.
You know, I was hired by a guy you people arrested yesterday.
The wealthy asshole.
Richard Bloom hired you as what, an expert drunk? Hey, I haven't had a drink in eight months, and like I told you before, sweetheart, I work as a investigator for the defense these days.
Bloom's hired me, and he's paying me top dollar to find the person who really killed your victim.
- He should look in the mirror.
- Well, you may be right.
I'll be starting by vetting the dirtbag, but I'll also end up working with his attorney, which you should know is going to be Linda Rothman.
Why are you telling me this? Your case against Bloom isn't just thin.
- It's anorexic.
- ‭[Exhales deeply.]
How do you convict a murder for hire without the hitman? Okay, before it's all said and done, we'll find Mr.
Pay Phone.
Oh, I don't know how much time you'll have.
Instead of dragging your feet, per usual, Rothman wants to rush to trial before you find the trigger man.
- How fast are we talking? - I've heard three months.
Bloom's got the money to push it through.
And add the fact that your victim was employed on a top-secret project with the LAPD, and I see a little tsunami of reasonable doubt surging your way.
[Clicks teeth.]
We like our chances.
Thanks for the heads up.
I need to, um Whoa, whoa, whoa.
That's not how this works.
I didn't drop by to give you an advantage so you can turn tail and run.
I got a problem.
You guys are arguing that the killer gained access through some stupid Bluetooth app.
And the app is called OffKey Security.
What about it? Well, I swung by the house to take a look at it.
You guys had already dismantled what I needed to see.
The ex-wife won't talk to me or let me anywhere near the kid.
Is there any chance that you could talk to your friends over at SID, give me a look at it? I promise not to touch anything.
Let's keep this simple.
[Sighs.]
See, this is how it works.
You got to fill in your user name and password - [Pen clicks.]
- Bloom claims he didn't know any of this.
[Scratching.]
ChandlerFamily1.
Delta.
Delta? Not much of a password for a security expert.
And installed it looks like what? Come on.
Okay.
- Thanks.
- ‭Yeah.
Keyless entry.
You guys are making a big deal out of this.
Really? Why? All right, to open the door to their house, the killer had to have known the Chandlers' user name and password.
Uh, password could be hackable, maybe.
And had a phone familiar to their network.
Because OffKey sends an alert anytime a new device is detected, and Mrs.
Chandler didn't get one that night.
So she says.
And you guys are basing your entire case on this app thing.
Not at all.
We find Mr.
Pay Phone, and it's game over.
Well, lucky for me, I get paid either way, but you better find your missing hitman soon, 'cause the clock is ticking.
And Bloom's not your usual moron.
Well it's great to see you again, Honor Roll.
Keep up the good work.
It suits you.
It does.
[Siren wailing in distance.]
[Sighs.]
[Horn honks in distance.]
Thanks for your patience, everyone.
Ms.
Rothman, your motion for a mistrial is denied.
The jury will be given the materials on Detective Sykes' phone, and that'll cover it.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Also, I believe there was no intentional misconduct on the part of Detective Sykes.
Further, I find that the withheld pictures, video, and downloaded app change absolutely nothing about this case.
But I also instruct the people that a refresher course on the subject of technology and established legal procedures might be in order.
We will definitely be reviewing that, Your Honor.
Thanks a lot for a wasted day, Ms.
Rothman.
Court is adjourned.
Tomorrow, 10 a.
m.
[Exhales.]
Hobbs: It doesn't matter that you're cleared, Amy.
No matter what the judge instructs them to do, the jury won't forget.
[Door closes.]
I screwed up.
I'm really sorry.
I know.
Oh, well.
We'll see what else Linda has up her sleeve.
Sharon: Andy and I still have some things to discuss with Andrea.
We'll talk later this evening.
- Yes, Captain.
- ‭Okay.
Excuse me.
- Amy.
- Thanks.
[Whispering indistinctly.]
[Door creaks.]
Amy.
- Get the hell away from me, Mark.
- ‭Amy, hold on.
I know what you're thinking.
It's 100% wrong.
Is it? You just did everything you could to destroy my credibility on the stand.
Rothman could only have known what was on my phone because you told her.
Look, you think I don't know what this feels like? I know what this feels like.
I lost my whole career on the witness box.
- [Elevator bell dings.]
- My reputation, too.
- You think I'd do that to you? - [Button clicks.]
You meant to lie in court, Mark.
You lost your career because you knowingly committed perjury.
- I didn't do that.
- Hey.
Amy, okay, you're a better person than I am.
No argument.
And what you did with your cellphone, I talked to Bloom about it, sure.
He brought it up to Rothman.
I guess she was looking for your pictures and stuff in discovery.
- And when it didn't show up - Screw you, Mark.
And if you ever come near me again, I'm putting a restraining order.
Provenza: What on earth were you thinking? Exchanging evidence with Mark Hickman, some of it off your phone without telling us? I backstopped all the information Hickman gave me, and I kept his name out of it because why upset people? Talking to Hickman isn't the real issue.
The real issue is that you withheld accidentally, but still withheld investigatory information from the defense.
Now do you have any other pictures on your phone that relate to other cases? Yes.
Um, there's a video from when we found that Iraqi sword and an interview that I did with Dr.
Joe.
I have photos from a few cases that we made deals on like the picture of the blue Burberry coat from the Jeffrey Day case that I texted to you, Lieutenant.
- Ye Gods.
- ‭Mm? I didn't include that photo in my notes, either.
Don't worry.
We will all be double-checking our devices.
[Sighs.]
Tao: Mark Hickman strikes again.
If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be spending all this time looking for pictures of old crime scenes.
Well, Sykes didn't do us any favors either.
Amy got caught up in the moment.
Hickman was giving her information.
We've all been there.
But the trial starts back up again tomorrow.
Our credibility's been attacked.
Hickman's trademark, don't you know.
So we should be rechecking Bloom's finances, see how he compensated Mr.
Pay Phone, see if we can find the guy.
I mean, why can't we find the hitman? Well, we could look at the video of our search - around the pay phone again.
- Watched it a dozen times.
Lucky 13.
Yeah.
Play it again, Buzz.
[Typing on keyboard.]
Okay, where is Sykes? - [Bell dings.]
- Ah, ah, there you are.
- Um, any luck? - The manager doesn't remember anyone from the night before last, but she also says everyone who shops here seems suspicious.
- [Chuckles.]
Big surprise.
Cameras? - None.
Just like the taco place across the street and the laundromat.
Killer got lucky.
Yeah.
Or Bloom was very careful in his choice of a pay phone.
Sir, it took me 32 minutes to walk here from the crime scene.
Which would place the shooter in Hancock Park just before 8 p.
m.
Laying in wait for Chandler to get home from dinner.
But who is he? Who is this hitman that Bloom hired? I mean, we cannot find any unusual payments - in Bloom's finances.
- [Air brakes hiss.]
He even paid all of his taxes.
All right.
Tao, prints? Oh, this might take a while, but what about bus cameras? Bus cameras.
You know, that's not a bad idea, Mike.
Buzz, contact Metro.
Let's see if public transit - can take us where we need to go.
- Metro? Do you know how many buses pass by here in a day? We only need video two hours before and one hour after Bloom called from Catalina.
[Bus departing.]
[Air brakes hiss.]
[Keyboard keys click, computer chimes.]
Provenza: Well, thanks for the umpteenth review of everything we know, but there's nothing new here, guys.
It's still the same man wearing the same clothes with the same slouch.
And no prints in the database.
Well, they could show up one day if he's arrested somewhere.
We don't need him one day.
We need him tomorrow.
Maybe he'll use the gun again tonight, get arrested, and the casings will match what we found at the crime scene.
Or maybe we're screwed.
- Buzz, need a lift? - Oh, sure, thanks.
The case against Bloom is still very, very good.
Yeah, and the jury will love me.
[Chuckles.]
[Under breath.]
How could they not? [Door opens and closes.]
Amy.
What happened to you on the stand was a mistake that could have happened to any one of us, and they will all learn from that.
Thank you, Captain.
I appreciate it.
[Telephone ringing in distance.]
[Horn honks.]
[Motor rumbling.]
[Brakes screech.]
[Air brakes hiss.]
[Telephone rings.]
[Ring.]
[Ring.]
Hello? You know, in the video you guys sent us, Mr.
Pay Phone slouched.
Mark? Like he knew to hide from the bus.
- Are you following me again? Unbelievable.
- ‭[Hangs up receiver.]
Unh, unh.
I was here first, Honor Roll, - so technically, you're following me.
- [Beep.]
- That's pretty creepy.
- What the hell are you doing? Same as you.
Just making sure I didn't miss anything with the pay phone, reconfirming that the only surveillance camera in the vicinity is on the bus.
Your potential hitman he slouched as he heard it approach.
Tried to hide his height, because he was aware that the bus could tape him.
Everyone knows this, Mark.
But do you know what this says about your successful businessman, Richard Bloom? Out of all the phones at his disposal, Picky Ricky selected this one because he's methodical, choosey.
Our successful businessman chances nothing, and in my oh-so-humble opinion, that's what I think this phone is a mistake because it reveals his character.
Part of himself that he can't control, and that's why I'm rethinking all the things I haven't seen.
Because somewhere, to commit a murder, he had to take a chance.
Anyway, bye, Amy.
See you around.
Well, I'm glad that you're naming and sharing your sources, Sykes, even if it has to be at 7 a.
m.
But what is Hickman saying here that's so damn important? I think Mark I mean, Hickman Hickman figured out something about the pay phone, maybe.
No, it's not the phone he figured out here.
It's our successful businessman who chances nothing.
Your Honor, the prosecution is asking for a continuance - based on new evidence that the LAPD - What new evidence? Please, let them finish, Ms.
Rothman.
Your Honor, we wanted to be careful to not prematurely disclose the results of our review.
But the moment it is complete, I will personally walk it over here to Ms.
Rothman myself.
So meanwhile, I'm left completely in the dark? Your Honor, we're only asking for 24 hours.
I object.
The description of this new evidence is entirely too vague.
You just wasted a day over nothing, Ms.
Rothman.
It's only fair to let the prosecution have the same opportunity.
See everyone tomorrow.
Mr.
Beck? A word.
Uh, yes, sir.
I-I mean, Your Honor.
My wife told me you changed your major from communications to a minor and that you're headed for law school.
Is that right? Yes, Your Honor, I feel like I can better help the people I've been telling stories about traumatized kids through the practice of family law.
I see.
You're smiling.
Well, as a judge you'll learn this in law school I try to stay neutral.
So I don't get many opportunities to say something like this while dressed in these robes.
Like what? Like I told you so.
Oh, and I think I've heard people in your position say they're going into family law before.
Well, time will tell.
Happy to see you someplace in my courtroom other than the witness box.
Keep up the good work, Mr.
Beck.
Very proud of you.
This guy was serious about perfecting his record.
Picky Ricky's investment portfolio was one success after another.
Mr.
Bloom makes his big money as a venture capitalist investing in smart start-ups like OffKey.
New companies that have their technology in place and only need capital for manufacturing and marketing.
Quick investments, fast returns, except in one enterprise a month before our victim died.
In which Bloom may have lost a cool $1 million.
Richard Bloom was starting a winery? Uh, no, ma'am.
Not Richard Bloom but his older brother, Paul Bloom.
For the last six years, Paul's been the sommelier at a high-end restaurant in Santa Monica.
That means they pay you to stay drunk.
And Richard Bloom's investment in a family member's business raises a red flag because? Because typically a winery takes about three years to develop.
Tao: Well, this might take even longer.
Paul Bloom bought plantable acreage in Napa Valley just a few days before the murder of Thomas Chandler.
It's completely outside the pattern of quick returns Bloom always gets off his investments.
It's still the defendant's brother.
Sharon: What's Paul Bloom's work history like? Has he ever started or tried to start a business before? A lot, ma'am.
Three different restaurants and two wine bars.
And did Richard Bloom invest in any of those enterprises? No, not one, because he chances nothing.
So Richard Bloom finally agrees to provide a little capital to his luckless brother.
And lo and behold, our victim gets shot.
And Paul Bloom is 6'3".
He was slouching at the pay phone.
Yeah, speaking of phones, I'd like to find out what kind of access Paul had to his brother's house before the divorce.
His ex-wife said the only people in their OffKey network besides the cleaning lady were family.
Paul Bloom used to be family.
And these clothes that he's wearing could still be in his closet.
While they had you waiting downstairs, we executed a search warrant on your apartment.
And we found these sneakers, pants, and this jacket matching what you were wearing in this screen grab we got from a passing bus.
And we were wondering if you could account for your time the night your ex sister-in-law's husband was shot to death.
We called the restaurant where you popped the champagne.
No sommelier on a weekend night.
I mean, Sunday evening is vintage drinking time.
You were at a pay phone waiting for your brother to call from Catalina.
Yes, and then you walked to your brother Richard's old house and you entered the new OffKey user name and password an app that you used all the time at Richard's door, and then you went in and you waited.
You can't this whole story lots of people have these kinds of clothes.
Come on.
You said I had the right to remain silent.
Do I have to even answer any of these questions? No.
But you do need to give us your phone.
Put it on the table.
Open it up, please, right now.
Excuse me, everyone.
Great job, by the way.
Really impressive.
Mike, I'm sure you can handle this as well as me.
Not as fast as you can, Commander.
[Chuckles.]
- [Door closes.]
- Does anyone else find this Mason guy kinda irritating? - No.
- What's not to like? He's smart, good at his job.
Young, energetic, attractive.
Oh, Commander.
Lieutenant.
Captain.
Commander Mason here runs our Criminal Intelligence division.
That is the CIA of the LAPD, and he is going to examine your phone.
In this day and age, sir, even if we delete an app, nothing ever disappears from our phones.
There is always a way to recover what we wish never existed.
Like when I was first handed your phone, the icon for OffKey was not here, but if you give me one moment If Mason can find a gun somewhere on that phone, I'll be happy.
If he can fake retrieving his OffKey app fast enough, we won't need it.
But we still have no hard evidence that Paul Bloom's our shooter, whether or not he was inside the Chandlers' house that night.
Ah.
Here we go, Paul.
Does this look familiar? Now let's find out when you last used OffKey.
Then we'll run your cell to Chandler's house, see if it sets off an alert.
While Commander Mason works with your phone, let's examine your choices.
While you still have them, because if we trace back all the information on your OffKey app before you cooperate Your brother could be found not guilty, and we would have no choice but to try you for Murder in the First.
And then you'll have to hear all about how your vines are maturing while you're sitting on Death Row.
Death Row? I'm afraid so, Paul, and it's a shame.
All your life, every business that you ever tried to get started, Richard held back.
You could have had successes several times over.
And when he finally came through for you, it was so he could make a killing.
[Touchscreen clicking.]
Almost done, guys.
Oh, dear.
The ruthless ticking of the clock.
Paul, which trial would you like to be a star of? Yours or your brother's? Objection, Your Honor.
I need a continuance.
New evidence? A disgruntled family member? What kind of deal did Mr.
Bloom strike - to be up here? - Mr.
Paul Bloom has agreed to second degree murder and 20 years in prison in exchange for confessing that he killed Tom Chandler for a $1 million investment from the defendant in a new winery.
He has given us the current location of the gun he used, and it's being retrieved as we speak.
Your Honor, this is obviously Paul Bloom's attempt to frame his own brother, to taint his reputation.
My client had nothing to do Rich begged me to kill Tom.
- Begged.
- Paul, please.
Your Honor, this so-called evidence is nothing more than Paul Bloom's attempt to reduce his own sentence at the expense of my client.
He's a complete screwup and a liar.
Sir, I will not tolerate outbursts.
I'm not lying! You said killing Tom was to protect Danny, but you never gave a shit about your son till your wife left you! You don't know what you're talking about Paul, as always.
Hey! ‭He's a failure! - Shut up.
- A complete failure.
- Order.
- I love my son.
- I said order.
- Tom was poison.
- Counsel.
- Ruining his life! - Tom broke up your joke of a marriage! - That's it! One more word out of either of you, and you'll find yourselves in solitary confinement for the first years of your sentence.
Mr.
Beck, please note, family law right here in front of you.
Counsel, up here with me, now.
[Lowered voice.]
So what's what's gonna happen? [Lowered voice.]
Hobbs is suggesting that in exchange for ending criminal proceedings today, Mr.
Bloom admit to hiring his brother and serve life in prison without parole.
But considering her client was looking at the death penalty, it's a win for Rothman, too.
If Mr.
Bloom agrees to this, it is a very big win for everyone.
Hey.
Do you have a second? Why? Well, I was just gonna say that, uh Thank you for trying to balance the scales here a little.
I have no idea what you're talking about, Honor Roll.
And do me a favor.
Erase our last conversation from your cell.
It won't make any difference to discovery now that the Bloom brothers have accepted their deals.
And it could be misconstrued by people.
Yeah.
Someone might think you're more of a decent guy than you let on.
[Elevator doors open.]
Wrong again, Amy.
Rothman betrayed my trust, and I screwed her back.
Don't read too much into it.
I'm not.
Just when you think people can no longer surprise you, something like this happens.
Something like what, Lieutenant? Julio, come with me.
Now, see, Mark? Julio's right where I said he would be.
Mark, what are you doing here? Julio! Julio, I'm back! Okay, you are.
You're back.
Uh, Mrs.
Urzua? I'm sorry, Julio.
Mark showed up at your mom's place all by himself.
I didn't know where else to take him.
Oh, my God.
Mark, I told you not to run away.
I had to.
Grandpa had a stroke last week, and Grandma's only come home twice since he went into the hospital.
And we're running out of food.
I don't know how to use the stove, just the microwave.
Uh, you wanna use the conference room for a bit? [Lowered voice.]
Maybe call DCFS.
No! Don't call those people! I know who they are.
Please! Please! I-It's just not working out.
Don't worry.
Julio will fix it or something.
[Door opens.]
[Sighs.]
[Door closes.]
Life can turn around very quickly.
And some people adapt to their new circumstances.
And some people don't [Picture thuds.]

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