Law & Order (1990) s25e19 Episode Script
Accidentally Like a Martyr
1
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate,
yet equally important groups:
the police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
[UPBEAT POP MUSIC]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
Some fool here keeps on
dancing like it's party time ♪
Yeah, yeah, oh, oh, oh-oh ♪
Some fool here keeps on
dancing like it's party time ♪
You!
Thank you so much for coming!
Are you kidding?
I wouldn't miss this for anything.
Oh.
OK, OK.
We're gonna kick things off tonight
with a special birthday dance.
Angela, come on up here,
birthday girl.
Your favorite man
picked out his favorite song,
so let's do this.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[AL GREEN'S "LET'S STAY TOGETHER"]
♪
I'm ♪
Come on. Come on now.
Come on. Come on, me and you.
♪
Dad, I
Just one song.
Is all right with me ♪
'Cause you make me feel
so brand-new ♪
[CHUCKLES]
♪
And I ♪
Wanna spend my life with you ♪
Let me say that since, baby ♪
Since we've been together ♪
Pink Pony Club ♪
I'm gonna keep on dancing
at the Pink Pony Club ♪
I'm gonna keep on dancing
down in West Hollywood ♪
I'm gonna keep ♪
Hey.
Hey. Sorry.
Is it OK if I steal her for a sec?
Thank you.
Hey, look, I don't
I don't wanna make, like,
a big deal about this
or anything, but I think
I think I'm just gonna head out.
- What?
- Yeah.
- Oh, it's early.
- I know. I know.
It's just you yeah.
No, it's fine. Go.
But we'll celebrate
again tomorrow, just
just me and you.
OK.
I love you.
I love you, too.
More than anything.
OK.
[CHUCKLES]
Where is he going?
He, um
oh, he's tired.
- He's always tired.
- No, Dad, don't start.
He needs to grow up, Angie, fast.
He knew what he was
getting married into.
I'm just having fun ♪
On the stage in my heels ♪
It's where I ♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
Victim hasn't been dead for that long.
I'd say 90 minutes or so.
Vic's name is Angela Cole.
All right. Any witnesses?
Guy over there.
He saw the body.
Called 911, but didn't
see anyone nearby, so
OK, let's get some boots
on the ground.
Start canvassing for witnesses, video.
Hey!
It's a crime scene. Understand?
No, I need to know whose body that is.
Can we help you, sir?
Look, I need to know
whose body that is!
We can't reveal
any information at this time.
Is it Angela Cole?
Oh, God.
It's her, isn't it?
[SOBS] It's Angela.
Oh, my God, she's dead.
That's that's my wife.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
That's my wife.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
I can't imagine how hard
this must be for you right now,
but we do need to ask you
some questions if that's OK.
How did you know
that your wife was here?
I I tracked her on my phone.
And where were you before this,
30 minutes ago?
I was at my apartment.
And before that, we were at a party.
It was Angela's 30th birthday,
but I
I left early.
Why's that?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Angela's family is, um,
difficult.
They're very involved and
and controlling, and I
I couldn't take it anymore,
so I told Angie
that I needed to leave.
- She get upset?
- No. No, no, no.
She totally gets it.
She knew how frustrating
they could be.
So you went home?
What time did you get there?
Oh, I don't know, 11:30, 11:45.
I tried to go to bed,
but I was so wound up.
So I called Angie,
and she didn't pick up,
which made me nervous, so then I
I pulled up her location on my phone.
So other than all this family drama,
did anything unusual
happen at the party?
Any arguments? Fights?
No.
Angela was
really happy.
♪
OK.
♪
I talked to the ME.
Official cause of death is hypoxia
due to manual strangulation.
Lots of facial fracturing,
too cheekbone, hyoid bone.
Anything else?
Yeah, there's third-party DNA
on the victim saliva.
Lots of it, too
seven different samples.
Mm-hmm.
She was at a party. Lots of kissing?
Any hits on CODIS?
Negative.
OK, what about the family drama?
We think that's connected?
I don't know,
but there's a lot of tea.
Please share.
OK, so the father, Evan Cole,
has millions of followers,
and he's super weird, like, obsessive,
constantly posting
really intimate photos
of him and his family.
It's sort of sweet, but mostly gross.
OK.
So a week ago,
things got really heated.
Angela tweeted that
she was done with social media,
TV, et cetera, that she wanted
to live a simple life,
away from cameras,
but her father flipped out
and said that she had lost her way
- and needed psychological help.
- Is any of this real?
Or do they just put it out there
- to get a bigger audience?
- Who knows?
I got something.
All right. OK.
After leaving the party,
Angela gets into
an argument with her parents,
Evan and Sophia Cole.
Then the parents leave together,
but a minute later,
Evan Cole reverses direction
and walks after her.
- And what time is that?
- 12:22,
13 minutes before the 911 call.
Maybe the drama is real.
Go talk to the parents.
I'm confused. Why
why are you showing me this?
Well, this is 13 minutes prior
to when your daughter was killed,
so we're just trying to
figure out what happened
You're not suggesting
I had anything to do with it?
No, sir.
No, we're not suggesting anything.
We're just trying to
figure out what happened.
Well,
Angela was upset with me.
Apparently, her husband was, too.
So she stormed off
at the end of the night, so I
I went after her.
Did you catch up to her?
End up talking to her?
Yeah, I told her I loved her very much
and that I wanted to fix things,
and then
we hugged.
♪
And then I walked away,
and I flagged down a cab.
When you say, uh, "fix things"
We've just had some
some family issues.
Her husband is brainwashing her,
trying to convince her
that we are bad people.
He hates the media business.
He does.
And he hates us.
I'm sorry.
The truth is, I should never have
let my daughter walk home alone.
I know this is hard,
and I apologize for
even having to ask,
but do you happen to have
a receipt from that cab ride?
Sure. Yeah.
One last question, if you don't mind,
can you think of anyone who may
have wanted to hurt Angela?
Oh, yeah.
Cash White.
The singer?
He went to see her yesterday
to wish her a happy birthday,
and it did not go so well.
♪
So what happened there?
I I cut it on some glass.
Any chance you cut it putting
your hand through a window?
A window 10 inches
from Angela Cole's face?
Look look, man, I admit it.
I acted like a total idiot yesterday.
I wanted to wish Angela
happy birthday.
It was her 30th. That's a big deal.
So I went down to
her art studio and she
- And what?
- [SIGHS]
She wasn't really happy to see me.
- You mean she kicked you out?
- More or less.
Yeah, and that pissed you off.
Yeah, I wanted to
patch things up, you know,
talk it out, but she wasn't into it.
So you put your hand through
the window next to her head.
That is correct.
It just happened.
But I would never hurt Angela.
It's kind of a stupid thing
to say, don't you think?
What does that mean?
Well, we know about
your arrest for assault.
Saw the photos, too.
So I think it's pretty stupid for you
to say that you would
never hurt Angela when
we know that you already did.
I was in a really dark place
back then.
I was drinking a lot and doing drugs.
What were you doing on
15th Street last night?
I was gonna stop by Angela's
party real quick to apologize.
I didn't end up going.
I sent her a text instead.
Here.
"Sorry about today.
"I hope you have a great birthday.
I'll always love you no matter what."
Great, you'll always love her.
Where were you last night
after 12:14 a.m.?
Grabbed an Uber
and headed home at, uh,
12:19 a.m.
Uber receipt looks legit,
which means our guy
was in a car heading south
16 minutes before the 911 call.
So if he hit her at, say, 12:15,
then she would be lying on the
pavement for, like, 20 minutes
- before someone called 911?
- Not likely.
Found this near the crime scene.
What are we looking at?
Some dude who just
so happens to be hanging out
near the party venue.
He was there for, like, 20 minutes.
OK, that's Evan Cole
walking after Angela.
But this guy watches,
then walks in the same direction
toward Angela at 12:27.
So eight minutes before the 911 call.
Does he ever show his face?
- He does not.
- What about the jacket?
Looks like there's writing
on the back.
Thank you for joining us today.
The reason we're here is
a woman was killed last night.
We saw a guy wearing a coat that had
your company's name inscribed on it.
So if somebody here
was down on 15th Street
last night around 12:30 a.m.,
please raise your hand.
We'd love to talk to you.
Nobody?
OK, nobody was there. Good to know.
So I suppose none of you would object
if we collected your DNA.
What do you mean?
Well, we're trying to eliminate
as many suspects as possible,
and since none of you guys
were in the vicinity
at the time of the murder,
you got nothing to worry about.
Yeah, just to be clear,
this is voluntary,
so you are under no legal
obligation to do this.
And if your DNA doesn't match,
which we expect it won't,
then we'll destroy it.
So who's with us, guys?
Who's gonna help us solve this thing?
Hands?
Thank you.
All right.
Great, OK, so for the one, two, three,
four, five of you
who did not raise your hand,
we need to get your names,
which is standard procedure,
and then you'll be free to go.
- No matches.
- Makes sense.
Who would volunteer their DNA
if they were guilty?
Which gets us to the
five employees who refused.
Guys, I got something.
I found video of one of the holdouts
leaving his apartment at 10:45
the night of the murder.
And he's wearing the same pants
and boots as the guy we saw hanging
around the murder scene.
Let's get a warrant for
his apartment and his DNA.
Yep.
[KNOCKING]
NYPD, open up.
Alan Ross, this is a warrant
to search your apartment
and to procure your DNA.
You don't have a choice this time, Al.
Excuse me.
I I'd like to show this warrant
You can show that to whoever you want,
but that is a valid warrant,
which means they are gonna
search your apartment, and I am gonna
collect your genetic material,
so open up.
I-I'm not comfortable
sharing my DNA with
Don't care. Open.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Jimmy!
♪
Let's pack this up, Jimmy.
Hey, Walker?
♪
You got anything?
Sure do.
♪
What the hell?
♪
I think we're in the right place.
Gotta be honest with you, Alan
The facts don't look good.
We have video of you leaving
your apartment at 10:45 p.m.
and walking south in the direction
of the restaurant where Angela Cole's
birthday party was happening.
We have video of you
lurking outside the venue
for 20 minutes or so,
and then going off
and following Angela.
And
we can see your face clear as day.
There's no question it's you.
The only thing stopping us from
arresting you is the DNA test,
and we both know
it's going to match the DNA
on Angela's body.
And when that happens, it's game over.
So now is the time to talk to me.
Now is the time to tell me
your side of the story.
I want a lawyer.
OK.
You're gonna need a good one.
Actually,
you're gonna need a magician,
someone who can make
evidence disappear.
I just wanted to say hi
[EERIE MUSIC]
Tell her that I admired her,
but she was rude.
She
she called me a loser, and I just
♪
I went nuts.
♪
Alan Ross, the defendant
was arraigned and remanded.
- Evidence?
- Strong. He confessed.
What?
He told Brady he just wanted
to tell Angela
how much he admired her.
She didn't reciprocate his admiration,
so he got upset
and "went nuts," direct quote.
And the defense still wants
to take this to trial?
Sounds like a waste of time.
- Yeah.
- Maybe not.
They're filing a motion
to suppress the confession
and the DNA.
Detective Brady's quip about
Mr. Ross needing a magician
is, in effect, a backdoor
interrogation technique
and should be suppressed.
Or perhaps it was just a quip.
Also, when Detective Brady
uttered said quip,
she was exiting the room, which proves
that she wasn't expecting
or even hoping for a response.
In "Rhode Island versus Innis,"
the Supreme Court ruled
that an interrogation
includes any words or actions
police should know
are reasonably likely
to elicit an incriminating response,
such as using humor to mock
a suspect's potential guilt.
She simply said that
Mr. Ross needed a magician.
Which implies that the evidence
was compelling enough that
he'd be better off confessing.
The confession is out.
I also move to suppress the evidence
resulting from the detective's
improper DNA dragnet.
Your Honor, the police
made it emphatically clear
that this was a request, not a demand.
Moreover, Mr. Ross
rejected this request.
Police procured his DNA pursuant
to a lawfully obtained warrant.
With evidence procured as
a result of Mr. Ross's refusal
to volunteer his DNA.
There were four other
innocent men who also refused
to volunteer their DNA.
And guess what?
They're not complaining. Why?
Because they did nothing wrong.
The Constitution is designed to ensure
innocent men don't go to prison,
not to ensure guilty men go free.
I agree.
The DNA is in.
So this monster confessed, but
A judge ruled that it is inadmissible.
Because he'd already
asked for a lawyer?
Correct.
But the case is still strong,
even without the confession.
Yes, we're in a good position.
Do we know why this lunatic did it?
He was obsessed.
He had 30 framed photos
of Angela in his apartment.
He followed her every move
on social media.
- And
- Well,
there it is.
That's what we've been
trying to tell you.
Sharing your life with
the public is dangerous.
Please, now is not the time
to discuss this.
Oh, yeah, you're right.
We probably should have
had this discussion
before Angela was killed.
- If you just left her alone
- Who the hell do you think
you are, huh?
Evan, Evan, please
You're the one that left the party!
Oh, you're the one
who posted that stupid video
of you two dancing.
You told that maniac where she was!
- This is on you!
- Please go. Please.
- OK. It's OK.
- [DOOR SHUTS]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
But before all the drama,
you were saying
it's a very strong case.
Then why is he going to trial?
What can he possibly say that
will make him look innocent?
♪
Your Honor, we believe
there is substantial evidence
suggesting that someone
other than Alan Ross
killed Angela Cole,
and that someone else
was Cash White.
He had the evidence says otherwise.
Not necessarily.
I need more than that, Ms. Potter.
What proof do you have this man
committed the murder?
He got into a heated
argument with the victim
on the morning of the murder.
And in a fit of rage,
he punched his fist through
a window inches from her head.
But do you have
any evidence connecting him
to the actual crime?
We have video evidence putting him
near the crime scene around
the time of the murder.
Uh, except that Mr. White was
in an Uber 12:19 that morning,
five blocks from the crime scene.
The 911 call came in at 12:35 a.m.
Which proves my point.
He was near the crime scene
around the time of the murder.
He was in a car.
You don't know when the crime
was actually committed.
Your Honor, the facts are the facts.
Moreover, Mr. White
was arrested two years ago
for assaulting the victim.
The police report states
that he repeatedly
punched and slapped Ms. Cole
following a verbal argument
involving his infant daughter.
Mr. White's horrific
behavior that evening
might be a convenient defense,
but it hardly meets
the evidentiary threshold
required under New York law.
There is no clear link between
Mr. White and this murder.
Not to mention, we all know Cash
didn't kill Angela because
the defendant himself
confessed to killing her.
And that has been ruled inadmissible.
It doesn't mean it's not relevant.
How's that?
[SIGHS]
Everyone in this room
knows Alan Ross confessed,
and Cash didn't commit this murder.
So why should the defense be allowed
to accuse a third party of a crime
the defendant himself
has already confessed to?
Because, as Ms. Potter said,
I've already ruled that
confession inadmissible.
That's not fair to Mr. White
or the jury.
You are basically giving them
a choice of killers,
even though we know only one
of them committed the crime.
We don't know a damn thing,
other than that the police
elicited a false confession,
that Mr. White has a history of abuse,
and that he was near the scene
at the time the murder
took place, Uber or no Uber.
You may proceed with your defense.
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
Hines is letting the defense
present an alternative suspect?
There is just enough
ambiguous evidence
that it is possible Cash could
have committed the crime,
even though we know, with
a high degree of confidence,
he did not.
Alan Ross confessed.
So it's a two-horse race.
One of those horses is a known abuser.
Good news is, we can pretty much
prove that he didn't kill her.
The bad news is
he is just horrible enough,
the jury might not care.
Well, do what you can do,
and whenever possible,
humanize this Cash White.
Not sure it's possible.
I get it, but we can't
let the defense turn this
into a referendum on domestic abuse,
which means you need to make clear
that the real killer, Alan Ross,
is the only person on earth
who could have committed this murder.
Can you please
tell the jury what you found
when you searched
the defendant's apartment?
We recovered clothes that
matched the clothing
the man spotted near the crime
scene at the time of the murder
was wearing.
What else did you find?
30 framed photos of
Angela Cole in the closet.
It was like a creepy shrine
in her honor.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
Just answer the questions, Detective.
Can you please read
the highlighted portion
of the forensic DNA report?
"The DNA sample provided by Alan Ross
is consistent with the DNA
profile found on the victim."
Can you please tell the jury
what this means in layman's terms?
That Alan Ross's DNA was
found on Angela Cole's body.
The odds of that DNA
belonging to someone else
is pretty much zero.
Thank you.
There is nothing illegal
about building a shrine.
Correct.
And the fact that
a man's DNA is present
on a dead woman's body doesn't
mean that person killed her,
because there are lots of ways
DNA can end up on someone's body,
like if someone sneezes
in the proximity
of the other person or kisses her.
Correct.
So the fact that Mr. Ross's
DNA is on Angela Cole
doesn't mean a damn thing.
In fact, there were six other
different DNA samples
found on her person as well.
Yeah, but those samples belonged
to family members and friends,
people who were at the birthday party.
But the fact remains,
there were six other
DNA samples found on her body.
Correct.
Nothing further.
Mr. Price?
People rest.
Ms. Potter?
Defense calls Evan Cole,
the victim's father.
Your Honor, um,
Mr. Cole is not on the witness list.
People request that
we adjourn for the day
so that we can prepare.
Sounds good to me. We are adjourned.
[GAVEL BANGS]
I probably should have given
you the heads-up about that.
Ah, it would have been nice.
So, uh, why are you doing this?
Testifying?
Testifying for the defense.
I'm not taking sides.
Uh, you are,
and you picked Alan Ross's,
and and we're just trying
to understand why.
Like I said before,
the evidence is compelling.
He was stalking Angela.
Cash was right there, too,
and he's a very violent man.
- I've seen it with my own eyes.
- That doesn't mean that he
And he's still madly
in love with Angela.
Talk about stalking.
Every birthday, every holiday,
he would reach out
to let her know how sorry he was.
What is really going on here?
Excuse me.
Why are you trying to help the man
who killed your daughter?
I'm just doing
what I believe is right.
No, you're ignoring the facts.
- Like I told you
- I believe.
We are
I believe what I believe,
and there's not
a damn thing you can say
that's gonna change my mind.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Mr. Cole, can you please tell us
what happened to your daughter
Angela on December 26, 2024?
Cash White beat the hell out of her.
That's what happened.
How do you know?
Because she called me screaming.
So I rushed over to her apartment,
and she was
her her face was swollen
and bleeding.
Are you referring
to this incident in which
Mr. White was arrested for
assault on the second-degree?
Yes, ma'am.
Your Honor, I'd like to
present the photos associated
with this report, exhibit H, I, and J.
Is this what Angela looked like
when you got to her apartment?
[TENSE MUSIC]
Yes.
But, uh, even worse.
She was still bleeding.
And, um, it it was
[CLEARS THROAT] It was awful.
After they split, did Angela express
some concern about Mr. White?
- Yes.
- Was she still fearful of him?
Very much so, yes.
Did you have occasion
to talk to your daughter
on her 30th birthday,
around 11:00 a.m.?
Yes, I did.
Can you describe the conversation?
I called to wish her happy birthday.
And while we were speaking,
Cash White showed up.
I heard Angela say
she was on the phone,
and then Cash started yelling,
very loudly yelling.
And then I heard the sound
of glass shattering.
What did you do?
I ran over to her art studio
to see if she was OK,
but she was terrified.
She was shaking.
And and there was
broken glass everywhere.
Cash had put his fist through a window
inches from where Angie was standing.
I tried to comfort her, but
she was a mess, as you might imagine.
She begged me not to call the cops
or tell her husband.
Why was that?
Because she didn't want
to ruin her 30th birthday.
Did she say anything else?
She did. She did.
She she said, "Daddy,
I think Cash might kill me one day."
♪
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Despite your belief that Cash White
is a cruel and violent man,
you and your wife sat
front row at his concert
two months prior to the murder.
He invited us, and we went.
And you posted this message
to your social media account
from the concert,
People's Exhibit 13
"Forgiveness is
much harder than hatred
- and more rewarding too."
- I did.
And and I believe that.
So you forgave Cash White?
You believed that he had changed,
that he was a good person?
I was hoping he might change,
but, uh, obviously, I was wrong.
You and your wife spend
a lot of time on social media.
You have approximately
13 million followers.
Yes.
On the night that Angela was killed,
you posted video of
the two of you dancing
- at her 30th birthday party.
- I did.
I just I wanted to share
some of the
the joy and happiness
that we were feeling
with my followers.
And you included the name
of the restaurant
where the party was being held.
I I don't remember.
People's Exhibit 14.
"Here we are at Lila's Cafe,
"celebrating the 30th birthday party
of the greatest daughter on earth."
This post is the reason
the defendant knew
where Angela was that evening.
This is the real reason
that you are here
testifying for the defense.
I'm I'm sorry.
I don't know what you mean.
If the defendant killed Angela,
the murder is your fault.
If Cash White did, it's not.
- That is outrageous.
- But it's true.
- You are testifying
- That is not true at all.
For the defense to
mitigate your own guilt.
That's not what I'm saying.
He's putting words in my mouth.
- Objection!
- Sustained.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
That phony bastard!
How dare he suggest
that I killed Angela.
Well, there's nothing
we can do about that.
We just need to focus
on your testimony
and make sure that you are ready.
The defense lawyer is obviously going
to bring up the prior arrest,
the fact that you punched a window.
Oh, she can go to hell.
Oh, see, that's the exact
reaction she's hoping for.
So if you can, please,
just try to stay composed.
And try not to sugarcoat the past,
because the jury will see
right through that.
If they think you're lying
about the past,
they will think you're
lying about the present.
I'm not testifying.
What?
My lawyer wants me to take the Fifth.
Your law no, no. No.
Um, the jury will assume that
you are hiding something,
that you actually did kill Angela.
I don't care! I'm going on tour soon!
It's it's 24 countries.
Look, taking the Fifth
will not change the past.
I'm done talking.
So if you don't mind
Look, Mr. White, please,
you need to think this through.
Yeah, I thought it through!
Now, please, get the hell out.
♪
We need to talk.
I told you, I'm taking the Fifth.
We are granting Mr. White immunity
from any and all crimes
that may result
from today's testimony.
What does that mean?
It means taking the Fifth
is no longer an option.
I told you, I'm not testifying.
I don't give a damn what you want.
Just get on the stand
and tell the truth.
You understand me?
You physically attacked Angela Cole
on December 26, 2024, correct?
We got into a heated argument,
and
yes, I assaulted her.
Punched her repeatedly.
It was two years ago.
She needed stitches
to stop the bleeding.
- Correct?
- I don't recall that.
She had a fractured orbital bone.
Like I said, it was a while ago.
OK.
Let's talk about
something more recent.
On the day of the murder,
you visited Angela at her studio
and asked her to have lunch with you.
Yes.
And when she said no, you got upset,
and you put your hand
through a window.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Yes.
Defense exhibit K.
This took place
on the morning of Angela's birthday
and eight hours before
her birthday party.
♪
That is you, correct?
Yes, it's not exactly
my finest moment.
Certainly not your worst either.
Defense Exhibit L.
Mr. White, that is you on 15th Street,
a few blocks away from Lila's Cafe,
the location of Angela's
30th birthday party,
at 12:15 a.m.
on the night of the murder.
Yes, I went there to apologize,
but I realized I was being selfish,
that I might cause a fuss,
so I went home instead.
You went home.
You didn't linger?
- You didn't follow her?
- No.
- You didn't confront her?
- No!
Why the rage, Mr. White?
'Cause you're accusing me
of killing someone I loved.
You love her,
and yet you beat the hell
out of her two years ago.
I was different back then.
I was I was drinking
and doing drugs, but
But what?
♪
She wasn't perfect either.
Are you suggesting it was her fault
that you beat the hell out of her?
That's not what I mean.
Look, I I wish
I could take it all back,
obviously, but I can't.
I I still get angry.
It it just happens sometimes.
It just happens, like
when you beat Angela the day
- after Christmas two years ago.
- Yeah.
And when you punched that window
- on the day of the murder.
- Yes.
And when you choked the life out
- of her on her 30th birthday.
- Objection.
Sustained.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
Hey.
Hey.
The jury isn't buying into this whole
Cash White nonsense, right?
I mean, I despise the man,
but he didn't kill her.
We are doing our best
to make that clear, Lucas.
And I think the jury knows that, too.
OK. Thank you.
Really believe that?
At best, the jury hates him
as a human being.
At worst, no,
they actually think he did it,
which means
we need to rehabilitate him.
- How?
- [LAUGHS]
I don't know.
But even a horrible human being
like Cash does something
decent once in a while.
Oh, wouldn't bet on it.
Well, we have nothing to lose.
[SIGHS] [LINE RINGING]
Cash is just as selfish
and horrible as we'd imagined.
No public service.
Doesn't help out his mother.
He give to charity?
Next to nothing,
on a gross income of $12 million.
Well, that was a total waste of time.
Well, not exactly.
Cash told me what
really happened the day
he was arrested for assault.
What really happened?
Angela was supposed to be babysitting
his infant daughter,
but went on a coke bender instead.
Cash got home, found the baby alone,
crying, covered in feces.
Why didn't he tell you this before?
Because he didn't want
to tarnish her legacy.
He felt he owed it to her,
given how badly he treated her.
How do you know
he's not just making this up?
He has lots of evidence
surveillance video
inside and outside the house.
This is why Angela
asked the DA's office
to drop the charges.
At a minimum,
it'll provide some context
for his violent outburst.
Yeah, if we introduce it.
If?
I don't know, Nick.
The idea of blaming Angela
for her own assault
feels disgusting.
Not to mention her legacy.
Like, her husband doesn't
need to know all of this,
not at this point.
It doesn't feel right.
Of course it doesn't,
but that's not the point.
As distasteful as this might sound,
there is a distinction,
if not a difference,
between a man flipping out
after someone endangers his baby
and a man flipping out
over something insignificant.
It's like the difference between
murder and manslaughter.
They're both horrible crimes,
but one is clearly worse
than the other.
I get it intellectually, but, well,
the idea of trying to parse
domestic violence
makes me uncomfortable.
You know what makes me
uncomfortable, Sam?
The defendant walking free
and killing another woman
or staring down her husband,
Lucas Peters,
and telling him
we should have done better.
Alan Ross needs to spend
the rest of his life in prison.
And if the cost of doing
that makes us uncomfortable,
so be it.
[KNOCKING]
Hey.
Look, I know Nick thinks
it's a good idea, but
Well, if it helps our case.
But does it?
We've already established that
Cash didn't commit the murder.
Even better, we've established that
he couldn't have committed the murder.
That should be enough.
Yeah, but Cash is a hell of a target.
He's easy to hate,
easy to blame.
Yeah, but trying to
somehow rationalize
his horrific behavior,
well, it could backfire,
alienate the jury even more.
Yeah, it's possible, but
It is never OK to beat the
hell out of your girlfriend.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Full stop.
♪
Where were you on the night
of the murder at 12:19 a.m.?
In an Uber.
People's Exhibit 15.
Pick-up time, 12:19 a.m.
Pick-up location, 632 15th Street.
Destination, 77 Greenwich Street.
Is this information accurate?
Yes.
A few years back,
you were arrested for assault, correct?
Yes.
And you have expressed deep regret
over this incident, correct?
Yes.
You wish it had never even happened?
Yes, but it did,
and I've gotta live with that.
I imagine that would be difficult.
It is.
A man should never do
something like that,
no matter what the circumstances.
♪
Right.
No matter what the circumstances.
♪
And, uh
♪
Despite all this, you continue
to love Angela Cole.
♪
Yes, very much.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
I heard about the mistrial.
Judge pushed them to reach a verdict.
You pulled up short
on this one, Nolan.
Letting the jury know
what really happened
that day might have made a difference.
You don't get paid
to do the comfortable thing
or the noble thing.
You get paid to win.
♪
[PHONE BUZZES]
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
sync & corrections awaqeded
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate,
yet equally important groups:
the police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
[UPBEAT POP MUSIC]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
Some fool here keeps on
dancing like it's party time ♪
Yeah, yeah, oh, oh, oh-oh ♪
Some fool here keeps on
dancing like it's party time ♪
You!
Thank you so much for coming!
Are you kidding?
I wouldn't miss this for anything.
Oh.
OK, OK.
We're gonna kick things off tonight
with a special birthday dance.
Angela, come on up here,
birthday girl.
Your favorite man
picked out his favorite song,
so let's do this.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[AL GREEN'S "LET'S STAY TOGETHER"]
♪
I'm ♪
Come on. Come on now.
Come on. Come on, me and you.
♪
Dad, I
Just one song.
Is all right with me ♪
'Cause you make me feel
so brand-new ♪
[CHUCKLES]
♪
And I ♪
Wanna spend my life with you ♪
Let me say that since, baby ♪
Since we've been together ♪
Pink Pony Club ♪
I'm gonna keep on dancing
at the Pink Pony Club ♪
I'm gonna keep on dancing
down in West Hollywood ♪
I'm gonna keep ♪
Hey.
Hey. Sorry.
Is it OK if I steal her for a sec?
Thank you.
Hey, look, I don't
I don't wanna make, like,
a big deal about this
or anything, but I think
I think I'm just gonna head out.
- What?
- Yeah.
- Oh, it's early.
- I know. I know.
It's just you yeah.
No, it's fine. Go.
But we'll celebrate
again tomorrow, just
just me and you.
OK.
I love you.
I love you, too.
More than anything.
OK.
[CHUCKLES]
Where is he going?
He, um
oh, he's tired.
- He's always tired.
- No, Dad, don't start.
He needs to grow up, Angie, fast.
He knew what he was
getting married into.
I'm just having fun ♪
On the stage in my heels ♪
It's where I ♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
Victim hasn't been dead for that long.
I'd say 90 minutes or so.
Vic's name is Angela Cole.
All right. Any witnesses?
Guy over there.
He saw the body.
Called 911, but didn't
see anyone nearby, so
OK, let's get some boots
on the ground.
Start canvassing for witnesses, video.
Hey!
It's a crime scene. Understand?
No, I need to know whose body that is.
Can we help you, sir?
Look, I need to know
whose body that is!
We can't reveal
any information at this time.
Is it Angela Cole?
Oh, God.
It's her, isn't it?
[SOBS] It's Angela.
Oh, my God, she's dead.
That's that's my wife.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
That's my wife.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
I can't imagine how hard
this must be for you right now,
but we do need to ask you
some questions if that's OK.
How did you know
that your wife was here?
I I tracked her on my phone.
And where were you before this,
30 minutes ago?
I was at my apartment.
And before that, we were at a party.
It was Angela's 30th birthday,
but I
I left early.
Why's that?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Angela's family is, um,
difficult.
They're very involved and
and controlling, and I
I couldn't take it anymore,
so I told Angie
that I needed to leave.
- She get upset?
- No. No, no, no.
She totally gets it.
She knew how frustrating
they could be.
So you went home?
What time did you get there?
Oh, I don't know, 11:30, 11:45.
I tried to go to bed,
but I was so wound up.
So I called Angie,
and she didn't pick up,
which made me nervous, so then I
I pulled up her location on my phone.
So other than all this family drama,
did anything unusual
happen at the party?
Any arguments? Fights?
No.
Angela was
really happy.
♪
OK.
♪
I talked to the ME.
Official cause of death is hypoxia
due to manual strangulation.
Lots of facial fracturing,
too cheekbone, hyoid bone.
Anything else?
Yeah, there's third-party DNA
on the victim saliva.
Lots of it, too
seven different samples.
Mm-hmm.
She was at a party. Lots of kissing?
Any hits on CODIS?
Negative.
OK, what about the family drama?
We think that's connected?
I don't know,
but there's a lot of tea.
Please share.
OK, so the father, Evan Cole,
has millions of followers,
and he's super weird, like, obsessive,
constantly posting
really intimate photos
of him and his family.
It's sort of sweet, but mostly gross.
OK.
So a week ago,
things got really heated.
Angela tweeted that
she was done with social media,
TV, et cetera, that she wanted
to live a simple life,
away from cameras,
but her father flipped out
and said that she had lost her way
- and needed psychological help.
- Is any of this real?
Or do they just put it out there
- to get a bigger audience?
- Who knows?
I got something.
All right. OK.
After leaving the party,
Angela gets into
an argument with her parents,
Evan and Sophia Cole.
Then the parents leave together,
but a minute later,
Evan Cole reverses direction
and walks after her.
- And what time is that?
- 12:22,
13 minutes before the 911 call.
Maybe the drama is real.
Go talk to the parents.
I'm confused. Why
why are you showing me this?
Well, this is 13 minutes prior
to when your daughter was killed,
so we're just trying to
figure out what happened
You're not suggesting
I had anything to do with it?
No, sir.
No, we're not suggesting anything.
We're just trying to
figure out what happened.
Well,
Angela was upset with me.
Apparently, her husband was, too.
So she stormed off
at the end of the night, so I
I went after her.
Did you catch up to her?
End up talking to her?
Yeah, I told her I loved her very much
and that I wanted to fix things,
and then
we hugged.
♪
And then I walked away,
and I flagged down a cab.
When you say, uh, "fix things"
We've just had some
some family issues.
Her husband is brainwashing her,
trying to convince her
that we are bad people.
He hates the media business.
He does.
And he hates us.
I'm sorry.
The truth is, I should never have
let my daughter walk home alone.
I know this is hard,
and I apologize for
even having to ask,
but do you happen to have
a receipt from that cab ride?
Sure. Yeah.
One last question, if you don't mind,
can you think of anyone who may
have wanted to hurt Angela?
Oh, yeah.
Cash White.
The singer?
He went to see her yesterday
to wish her a happy birthday,
and it did not go so well.
♪
So what happened there?
I I cut it on some glass.
Any chance you cut it putting
your hand through a window?
A window 10 inches
from Angela Cole's face?
Look look, man, I admit it.
I acted like a total idiot yesterday.
I wanted to wish Angela
happy birthday.
It was her 30th. That's a big deal.
So I went down to
her art studio and she
- And what?
- [SIGHS]
She wasn't really happy to see me.
- You mean she kicked you out?
- More or less.
Yeah, and that pissed you off.
Yeah, I wanted to
patch things up, you know,
talk it out, but she wasn't into it.
So you put your hand through
the window next to her head.
That is correct.
It just happened.
But I would never hurt Angela.
It's kind of a stupid thing
to say, don't you think?
What does that mean?
Well, we know about
your arrest for assault.
Saw the photos, too.
So I think it's pretty stupid for you
to say that you would
never hurt Angela when
we know that you already did.
I was in a really dark place
back then.
I was drinking a lot and doing drugs.
What were you doing on
15th Street last night?
I was gonna stop by Angela's
party real quick to apologize.
I didn't end up going.
I sent her a text instead.
Here.
"Sorry about today.
"I hope you have a great birthday.
I'll always love you no matter what."
Great, you'll always love her.
Where were you last night
after 12:14 a.m.?
Grabbed an Uber
and headed home at, uh,
12:19 a.m.
Uber receipt looks legit,
which means our guy
was in a car heading south
16 minutes before the 911 call.
So if he hit her at, say, 12:15,
then she would be lying on the
pavement for, like, 20 minutes
- before someone called 911?
- Not likely.
Found this near the crime scene.
What are we looking at?
Some dude who just
so happens to be hanging out
near the party venue.
He was there for, like, 20 minutes.
OK, that's Evan Cole
walking after Angela.
But this guy watches,
then walks in the same direction
toward Angela at 12:27.
So eight minutes before the 911 call.
Does he ever show his face?
- He does not.
- What about the jacket?
Looks like there's writing
on the back.
Thank you for joining us today.
The reason we're here is
a woman was killed last night.
We saw a guy wearing a coat that had
your company's name inscribed on it.
So if somebody here
was down on 15th Street
last night around 12:30 a.m.,
please raise your hand.
We'd love to talk to you.
Nobody?
OK, nobody was there. Good to know.
So I suppose none of you would object
if we collected your DNA.
What do you mean?
Well, we're trying to eliminate
as many suspects as possible,
and since none of you guys
were in the vicinity
at the time of the murder,
you got nothing to worry about.
Yeah, just to be clear,
this is voluntary,
so you are under no legal
obligation to do this.
And if your DNA doesn't match,
which we expect it won't,
then we'll destroy it.
So who's with us, guys?
Who's gonna help us solve this thing?
Hands?
Thank you.
All right.
Great, OK, so for the one, two, three,
four, five of you
who did not raise your hand,
we need to get your names,
which is standard procedure,
and then you'll be free to go.
- No matches.
- Makes sense.
Who would volunteer their DNA
if they were guilty?
Which gets us to the
five employees who refused.
Guys, I got something.
I found video of one of the holdouts
leaving his apartment at 10:45
the night of the murder.
And he's wearing the same pants
and boots as the guy we saw hanging
around the murder scene.
Let's get a warrant for
his apartment and his DNA.
Yep.
[KNOCKING]
NYPD, open up.
Alan Ross, this is a warrant
to search your apartment
and to procure your DNA.
You don't have a choice this time, Al.
Excuse me.
I I'd like to show this warrant
You can show that to whoever you want,
but that is a valid warrant,
which means they are gonna
search your apartment, and I am gonna
collect your genetic material,
so open up.
I-I'm not comfortable
sharing my DNA with
Don't care. Open.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Jimmy!
♪
Let's pack this up, Jimmy.
Hey, Walker?
♪
You got anything?
Sure do.
♪
What the hell?
♪
I think we're in the right place.
Gotta be honest with you, Alan
The facts don't look good.
We have video of you leaving
your apartment at 10:45 p.m.
and walking south in the direction
of the restaurant where Angela Cole's
birthday party was happening.
We have video of you
lurking outside the venue
for 20 minutes or so,
and then going off
and following Angela.
And
we can see your face clear as day.
There's no question it's you.
The only thing stopping us from
arresting you is the DNA test,
and we both know
it's going to match the DNA
on Angela's body.
And when that happens, it's game over.
So now is the time to talk to me.
Now is the time to tell me
your side of the story.
I want a lawyer.
OK.
You're gonna need a good one.
Actually,
you're gonna need a magician,
someone who can make
evidence disappear.
I just wanted to say hi
[EERIE MUSIC]
Tell her that I admired her,
but she was rude.
She
she called me a loser, and I just
♪
I went nuts.
♪
Alan Ross, the defendant
was arraigned and remanded.
- Evidence?
- Strong. He confessed.
What?
He told Brady he just wanted
to tell Angela
how much he admired her.
She didn't reciprocate his admiration,
so he got upset
and "went nuts," direct quote.
And the defense still wants
to take this to trial?
Sounds like a waste of time.
- Yeah.
- Maybe not.
They're filing a motion
to suppress the confession
and the DNA.
Detective Brady's quip about
Mr. Ross needing a magician
is, in effect, a backdoor
interrogation technique
and should be suppressed.
Or perhaps it was just a quip.
Also, when Detective Brady
uttered said quip,
she was exiting the room, which proves
that she wasn't expecting
or even hoping for a response.
In "Rhode Island versus Innis,"
the Supreme Court ruled
that an interrogation
includes any words or actions
police should know
are reasonably likely
to elicit an incriminating response,
such as using humor to mock
a suspect's potential guilt.
She simply said that
Mr. Ross needed a magician.
Which implies that the evidence
was compelling enough that
he'd be better off confessing.
The confession is out.
I also move to suppress the evidence
resulting from the detective's
improper DNA dragnet.
Your Honor, the police
made it emphatically clear
that this was a request, not a demand.
Moreover, Mr. Ross
rejected this request.
Police procured his DNA pursuant
to a lawfully obtained warrant.
With evidence procured as
a result of Mr. Ross's refusal
to volunteer his DNA.
There were four other
innocent men who also refused
to volunteer their DNA.
And guess what?
They're not complaining. Why?
Because they did nothing wrong.
The Constitution is designed to ensure
innocent men don't go to prison,
not to ensure guilty men go free.
I agree.
The DNA is in.
So this monster confessed, but
A judge ruled that it is inadmissible.
Because he'd already
asked for a lawyer?
Correct.
But the case is still strong,
even without the confession.
Yes, we're in a good position.
Do we know why this lunatic did it?
He was obsessed.
He had 30 framed photos
of Angela in his apartment.
He followed her every move
on social media.
- And
- Well,
there it is.
That's what we've been
trying to tell you.
Sharing your life with
the public is dangerous.
Please, now is not the time
to discuss this.
Oh, yeah, you're right.
We probably should have
had this discussion
before Angela was killed.
- If you just left her alone
- Who the hell do you think
you are, huh?
Evan, Evan, please
You're the one that left the party!
Oh, you're the one
who posted that stupid video
of you two dancing.
You told that maniac where she was!
- This is on you!
- Please go. Please.
- OK. It's OK.
- [DOOR SHUTS]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
But before all the drama,
you were saying
it's a very strong case.
Then why is he going to trial?
What can he possibly say that
will make him look innocent?
♪
Your Honor, we believe
there is substantial evidence
suggesting that someone
other than Alan Ross
killed Angela Cole,
and that someone else
was Cash White.
He had the evidence says otherwise.
Not necessarily.
I need more than that, Ms. Potter.
What proof do you have this man
committed the murder?
He got into a heated
argument with the victim
on the morning of the murder.
And in a fit of rage,
he punched his fist through
a window inches from her head.
But do you have
any evidence connecting him
to the actual crime?
We have video evidence putting him
near the crime scene around
the time of the murder.
Uh, except that Mr. White was
in an Uber 12:19 that morning,
five blocks from the crime scene.
The 911 call came in at 12:35 a.m.
Which proves my point.
He was near the crime scene
around the time of the murder.
He was in a car.
You don't know when the crime
was actually committed.
Your Honor, the facts are the facts.
Moreover, Mr. White
was arrested two years ago
for assaulting the victim.
The police report states
that he repeatedly
punched and slapped Ms. Cole
following a verbal argument
involving his infant daughter.
Mr. White's horrific
behavior that evening
might be a convenient defense,
but it hardly meets
the evidentiary threshold
required under New York law.
There is no clear link between
Mr. White and this murder.
Not to mention, we all know Cash
didn't kill Angela because
the defendant himself
confessed to killing her.
And that has been ruled inadmissible.
It doesn't mean it's not relevant.
How's that?
[SIGHS]
Everyone in this room
knows Alan Ross confessed,
and Cash didn't commit this murder.
So why should the defense be allowed
to accuse a third party of a crime
the defendant himself
has already confessed to?
Because, as Ms. Potter said,
I've already ruled that
confession inadmissible.
That's not fair to Mr. White
or the jury.
You are basically giving them
a choice of killers,
even though we know only one
of them committed the crime.
We don't know a damn thing,
other than that the police
elicited a false confession,
that Mr. White has a history of abuse,
and that he was near the scene
at the time the murder
took place, Uber or no Uber.
You may proceed with your defense.
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
Hines is letting the defense
present an alternative suspect?
There is just enough
ambiguous evidence
that it is possible Cash could
have committed the crime,
even though we know, with
a high degree of confidence,
he did not.
Alan Ross confessed.
So it's a two-horse race.
One of those horses is a known abuser.
Good news is, we can pretty much
prove that he didn't kill her.
The bad news is
he is just horrible enough,
the jury might not care.
Well, do what you can do,
and whenever possible,
humanize this Cash White.
Not sure it's possible.
I get it, but we can't
let the defense turn this
into a referendum on domestic abuse,
which means you need to make clear
that the real killer, Alan Ross,
is the only person on earth
who could have committed this murder.
Can you please
tell the jury what you found
when you searched
the defendant's apartment?
We recovered clothes that
matched the clothing
the man spotted near the crime
scene at the time of the murder
was wearing.
What else did you find?
30 framed photos of
Angela Cole in the closet.
It was like a creepy shrine
in her honor.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
Just answer the questions, Detective.
Can you please read
the highlighted portion
of the forensic DNA report?
"The DNA sample provided by Alan Ross
is consistent with the DNA
profile found on the victim."
Can you please tell the jury
what this means in layman's terms?
That Alan Ross's DNA was
found on Angela Cole's body.
The odds of that DNA
belonging to someone else
is pretty much zero.
Thank you.
There is nothing illegal
about building a shrine.
Correct.
And the fact that
a man's DNA is present
on a dead woman's body doesn't
mean that person killed her,
because there are lots of ways
DNA can end up on someone's body,
like if someone sneezes
in the proximity
of the other person or kisses her.
Correct.
So the fact that Mr. Ross's
DNA is on Angela Cole
doesn't mean a damn thing.
In fact, there were six other
different DNA samples
found on her person as well.
Yeah, but those samples belonged
to family members and friends,
people who were at the birthday party.
But the fact remains,
there were six other
DNA samples found on her body.
Correct.
Nothing further.
Mr. Price?
People rest.
Ms. Potter?
Defense calls Evan Cole,
the victim's father.
Your Honor, um,
Mr. Cole is not on the witness list.
People request that
we adjourn for the day
so that we can prepare.
Sounds good to me. We are adjourned.
[GAVEL BANGS]
I probably should have given
you the heads-up about that.
Ah, it would have been nice.
So, uh, why are you doing this?
Testifying?
Testifying for the defense.
I'm not taking sides.
Uh, you are,
and you picked Alan Ross's,
and and we're just trying
to understand why.
Like I said before,
the evidence is compelling.
He was stalking Angela.
Cash was right there, too,
and he's a very violent man.
- I've seen it with my own eyes.
- That doesn't mean that he
And he's still madly
in love with Angela.
Talk about stalking.
Every birthday, every holiday,
he would reach out
to let her know how sorry he was.
What is really going on here?
Excuse me.
Why are you trying to help the man
who killed your daughter?
I'm just doing
what I believe is right.
No, you're ignoring the facts.
- Like I told you
- I believe.
We are
I believe what I believe,
and there's not
a damn thing you can say
that's gonna change my mind.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Mr. Cole, can you please tell us
what happened to your daughter
Angela on December 26, 2024?
Cash White beat the hell out of her.
That's what happened.
How do you know?
Because she called me screaming.
So I rushed over to her apartment,
and she was
her her face was swollen
and bleeding.
Are you referring
to this incident in which
Mr. White was arrested for
assault on the second-degree?
Yes, ma'am.
Your Honor, I'd like to
present the photos associated
with this report, exhibit H, I, and J.
Is this what Angela looked like
when you got to her apartment?
[TENSE MUSIC]
Yes.
But, uh, even worse.
She was still bleeding.
And, um, it it was
[CLEARS THROAT] It was awful.
After they split, did Angela express
some concern about Mr. White?
- Yes.
- Was she still fearful of him?
Very much so, yes.
Did you have occasion
to talk to your daughter
on her 30th birthday,
around 11:00 a.m.?
Yes, I did.
Can you describe the conversation?
I called to wish her happy birthday.
And while we were speaking,
Cash White showed up.
I heard Angela say
she was on the phone,
and then Cash started yelling,
very loudly yelling.
And then I heard the sound
of glass shattering.
What did you do?
I ran over to her art studio
to see if she was OK,
but she was terrified.
She was shaking.
And and there was
broken glass everywhere.
Cash had put his fist through a window
inches from where Angie was standing.
I tried to comfort her, but
she was a mess, as you might imagine.
She begged me not to call the cops
or tell her husband.
Why was that?
Because she didn't want
to ruin her 30th birthday.
Did she say anything else?
She did. She did.
She she said, "Daddy,
I think Cash might kill me one day."
♪
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Despite your belief that Cash White
is a cruel and violent man,
you and your wife sat
front row at his concert
two months prior to the murder.
He invited us, and we went.
And you posted this message
to your social media account
from the concert,
People's Exhibit 13
"Forgiveness is
much harder than hatred
- and more rewarding too."
- I did.
And and I believe that.
So you forgave Cash White?
You believed that he had changed,
that he was a good person?
I was hoping he might change,
but, uh, obviously, I was wrong.
You and your wife spend
a lot of time on social media.
You have approximately
13 million followers.
Yes.
On the night that Angela was killed,
you posted video of
the two of you dancing
- at her 30th birthday party.
- I did.
I just I wanted to share
some of the
the joy and happiness
that we were feeling
with my followers.
And you included the name
of the restaurant
where the party was being held.
I I don't remember.
People's Exhibit 14.
"Here we are at Lila's Cafe,
"celebrating the 30th birthday party
of the greatest daughter on earth."
This post is the reason
the defendant knew
where Angela was that evening.
This is the real reason
that you are here
testifying for the defense.
I'm I'm sorry.
I don't know what you mean.
If the defendant killed Angela,
the murder is your fault.
If Cash White did, it's not.
- That is outrageous.
- But it's true.
- You are testifying
- That is not true at all.
For the defense to
mitigate your own guilt.
That's not what I'm saying.
He's putting words in my mouth.
- Objection!
- Sustained.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
That phony bastard!
How dare he suggest
that I killed Angela.
Well, there's nothing
we can do about that.
We just need to focus
on your testimony
and make sure that you are ready.
The defense lawyer is obviously going
to bring up the prior arrest,
the fact that you punched a window.
Oh, she can go to hell.
Oh, see, that's the exact
reaction she's hoping for.
So if you can, please,
just try to stay composed.
And try not to sugarcoat the past,
because the jury will see
right through that.
If they think you're lying
about the past,
they will think you're
lying about the present.
I'm not testifying.
What?
My lawyer wants me to take the Fifth.
Your law no, no. No.
Um, the jury will assume that
you are hiding something,
that you actually did kill Angela.
I don't care! I'm going on tour soon!
It's it's 24 countries.
Look, taking the Fifth
will not change the past.
I'm done talking.
So if you don't mind
Look, Mr. White, please,
you need to think this through.
Yeah, I thought it through!
Now, please, get the hell out.
♪
We need to talk.
I told you, I'm taking the Fifth.
We are granting Mr. White immunity
from any and all crimes
that may result
from today's testimony.
What does that mean?
It means taking the Fifth
is no longer an option.
I told you, I'm not testifying.
I don't give a damn what you want.
Just get on the stand
and tell the truth.
You understand me?
You physically attacked Angela Cole
on December 26, 2024, correct?
We got into a heated argument,
and
yes, I assaulted her.
Punched her repeatedly.
It was two years ago.
She needed stitches
to stop the bleeding.
- Correct?
- I don't recall that.
She had a fractured orbital bone.
Like I said, it was a while ago.
OK.
Let's talk about
something more recent.
On the day of the murder,
you visited Angela at her studio
and asked her to have lunch with you.
Yes.
And when she said no, you got upset,
and you put your hand
through a window.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Yes.
Defense exhibit K.
This took place
on the morning of Angela's birthday
and eight hours before
her birthday party.
♪
That is you, correct?
Yes, it's not exactly
my finest moment.
Certainly not your worst either.
Defense Exhibit L.
Mr. White, that is you on 15th Street,
a few blocks away from Lila's Cafe,
the location of Angela's
30th birthday party,
at 12:15 a.m.
on the night of the murder.
Yes, I went there to apologize,
but I realized I was being selfish,
that I might cause a fuss,
so I went home instead.
You went home.
You didn't linger?
- You didn't follow her?
- No.
- You didn't confront her?
- No!
Why the rage, Mr. White?
'Cause you're accusing me
of killing someone I loved.
You love her,
and yet you beat the hell
out of her two years ago.
I was different back then.
I was I was drinking
and doing drugs, but
But what?
♪
She wasn't perfect either.
Are you suggesting it was her fault
that you beat the hell out of her?
That's not what I mean.
Look, I I wish
I could take it all back,
obviously, but I can't.
I I still get angry.
It it just happens sometimes.
It just happens, like
when you beat Angela the day
- after Christmas two years ago.
- Yeah.
And when you punched that window
- on the day of the murder.
- Yes.
And when you choked the life out
- of her on her 30th birthday.
- Objection.
Sustained.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
Hey.
Hey.
The jury isn't buying into this whole
Cash White nonsense, right?
I mean, I despise the man,
but he didn't kill her.
We are doing our best
to make that clear, Lucas.
And I think the jury knows that, too.
OK. Thank you.
Really believe that?
At best, the jury hates him
as a human being.
At worst, no,
they actually think he did it,
which means
we need to rehabilitate him.
- How?
- [LAUGHS]
I don't know.
But even a horrible human being
like Cash does something
decent once in a while.
Oh, wouldn't bet on it.
Well, we have nothing to lose.
[SIGHS] [LINE RINGING]
Cash is just as selfish
and horrible as we'd imagined.
No public service.
Doesn't help out his mother.
He give to charity?
Next to nothing,
on a gross income of $12 million.
Well, that was a total waste of time.
Well, not exactly.
Cash told me what
really happened the day
he was arrested for assault.
What really happened?
Angela was supposed to be babysitting
his infant daughter,
but went on a coke bender instead.
Cash got home, found the baby alone,
crying, covered in feces.
Why didn't he tell you this before?
Because he didn't want
to tarnish her legacy.
He felt he owed it to her,
given how badly he treated her.
How do you know
he's not just making this up?
He has lots of evidence
surveillance video
inside and outside the house.
This is why Angela
asked the DA's office
to drop the charges.
At a minimum,
it'll provide some context
for his violent outburst.
Yeah, if we introduce it.
If?
I don't know, Nick.
The idea of blaming Angela
for her own assault
feels disgusting.
Not to mention her legacy.
Like, her husband doesn't
need to know all of this,
not at this point.
It doesn't feel right.
Of course it doesn't,
but that's not the point.
As distasteful as this might sound,
there is a distinction,
if not a difference,
between a man flipping out
after someone endangers his baby
and a man flipping out
over something insignificant.
It's like the difference between
murder and manslaughter.
They're both horrible crimes,
but one is clearly worse
than the other.
I get it intellectually, but, well,
the idea of trying to parse
domestic violence
makes me uncomfortable.
You know what makes me
uncomfortable, Sam?
The defendant walking free
and killing another woman
or staring down her husband,
Lucas Peters,
and telling him
we should have done better.
Alan Ross needs to spend
the rest of his life in prison.
And if the cost of doing
that makes us uncomfortable,
so be it.
[KNOCKING]
Hey.
Look, I know Nick thinks
it's a good idea, but
Well, if it helps our case.
But does it?
We've already established that
Cash didn't commit the murder.
Even better, we've established that
he couldn't have committed the murder.
That should be enough.
Yeah, but Cash is a hell of a target.
He's easy to hate,
easy to blame.
Yeah, but trying to
somehow rationalize
his horrific behavior,
well, it could backfire,
alienate the jury even more.
Yeah, it's possible, but
It is never OK to beat the
hell out of your girlfriend.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Full stop.
♪
Where were you on the night
of the murder at 12:19 a.m.?
In an Uber.
People's Exhibit 15.
Pick-up time, 12:19 a.m.
Pick-up location, 632 15th Street.
Destination, 77 Greenwich Street.
Is this information accurate?
Yes.
A few years back,
you were arrested for assault, correct?
Yes.
And you have expressed deep regret
over this incident, correct?
Yes.
You wish it had never even happened?
Yes, but it did,
and I've gotta live with that.
I imagine that would be difficult.
It is.
A man should never do
something like that,
no matter what the circumstances.
♪
Right.
No matter what the circumstances.
♪
And, uh
♪
Despite all this, you continue
to love Angela Cole.
♪
Yes, very much.
♪
Nothing further.
♪
I heard about the mistrial.
Judge pushed them to reach a verdict.
You pulled up short
on this one, Nolan.
Letting the jury know
what really happened
that day might have made a difference.
You don't get paid
to do the comfortable thing
or the noble thing.
You get paid to win.
♪
[PHONE BUZZES]
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
sync & corrections awaqeded
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]