Law & Order (1990) s06e06 Episode Script
Paranoia
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.
Hey, 'za run, Megan? Sorry, I'm beat.
Pepperoni and grease.
You'll sleep like a baby.
It'll help you out with Vivaldi.
It's Tchaikovsky.
Maybe.
I'll ask Alison if she wants to go.
Cool.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, Trish.
Alison Reich, 20.
Stabbed a whole bunch of times.
Roomy called it in.
She's pretty shook up.
Any witnesses? We canvassed the floor.
Nothing.
Well, there must've been some noise.
Any screams? Well, who could tell with Bovine Night Nurse blasting on the CD? Excuse me? Maybe it's time you think about retiring.
You're a regular Shecky Greene.
Exactly my point.
Diggs, you ever hear of Bovine Night Nurse? Alternative rockers out of Cleveland, I think.
Can you imagine dying while reading Moby Dick? Yeah.
It almost killed me once.
You actually read this thing? Made it through about 30 pages on whale blubber, then I bailed out.
So what have you got? Twenty stab wounds and counting.
Well, if a thing's worth doing I'm thinking one would have been enough.
This wasn't a pen knife.
What about rape? My guess, a negative.
But we'll run the kit and get back to you.
We found blood in the bathroom.
Could be our killer washed up before he left.
Send the samples to forensics.
Lennie, already done.
Had their own private john, huh? A far cry from the open stalls at CCNY.
Maybe if I'd had a room like this I would've finished the damn book.
About time.
Do you know how many girls live in that dorm? Oh, yeah.
Tough job.
Six hours of interviews.
Nothing, except everyone loved the deceased.
Can I help you? Coffee, please.
Get the special.
Just coffee.
Black.
Right.
Thanks.
So, how's the roommate doing? Still sedated.
So, the school costs upwards of 30 grand a year.
Smart.
Rich.
And dead.
Makes you think about home education.
If I did that, my kid would be at the track instead of two years into a nursing degree.
He only charged us for my coffee.
I told you to get the special.
That's not a mistake? The waiter's got a kid.
A couple of years ago, two jamokes put a piece in his face.
I popped them.
So? So, every once in a while he slips me a special.
Well, in OCCB, we call that a bribe.
Well, I call it a grateful citizen's way of saying thank you.
I wouldn't give you an A for ethical.
Ethical? Fifteen years ago, I'm working in my uncle's liquor store.
A guy comes in to buy a bottle of sneaky Pete, he gives me a 20.
By mistake I give him change for a 10, so I start to run after the guy.
My uncle says, "Whoa, whoa! We're not gonna tell him.
" I said, "That's not ethical.
" He says, " The only ethical problem I got "is whether or not to tell your Aunt Sylvia.
" Twenty-seven stab wounds.
No signs of sexual activity.
I thought multiple stab wounds were always sexual.
The guy didn't read the manual.
Stomach contents barely digested.
I'd say she died no more than two hours after eating.
What'd she have for dinner? Well, we find out where she was before she was killed, maybe narrow it down to who she was with.
Looks like rigatoni with marinara.
Good.
I'll take Luna.
You take the other 2,000 places.
Borak.
Yeah, they're here.
Sure.
Lucky you.
Her parent's are here.
They'd like to see the body.
Do me a favor.
Clean her up nice, will you? They're gonna be upset.
Let me handle them.
You know, a photo ID might be a little easier.
I have to see her.
You'll call us? As soon as we know anything.
Mr.
Reich, I'm very sorry for your loss.
I have three daughters.
I can only imagine what you're feeling.
Thank you.
Could you just answer one question for me? Rey.
No.
It's all right.
Did your daughter have a steady boyfriend? No.
We would have known.
She told us everything.
I see.
I kind of thought we had a deal.
No, what we had was a statement from you, "Let me handle them.
" You do know we'll find out about her love life from her friends.
Figured that out all by myself.
You like to pull the wings off flies, too? These people lost their daughter.
You get them in, you get them out.
Look, there are two types of kids.
The ones that tell their parents everything, and the ones that tell their parents nothing.
Right.
And now we'll find out which kind she was.
Very smart.
But? Well, wouldn't it have been just as effective, and a little bit more humane, to have asked the same question three or four days from now and get the same results? Point taken.
The computer assigns you a roommate as a freshman, and most girls are looking to change after the first semester.
Ali and I It would have been four years together.
When was the last time you saw her, Megan? We had dinner at the student union.
About what time was that? We left, I don't know, around 7:30, I guess.
I had a rehearsal room reserved at 8:00, and we walked back to the dorm together.
I had to get my violin.
The girls down the hall said there was music blasting.
Could she have been expecting company? No.
That's just the way she always studied.
Was she going with anybody? A boyfriend? Just Josh.
You don't think that I was Hey, we're just trying to get a line on this thing.
Well, you're looking at the wrong person, okay? Obviously.
Look, I know you're just doing your job, but if you want to save some overtime, I'll show you who did it.
Some kinkoid in cyberspace.
I downloaded this from a sex fantasy bulletin board.
I was gonna give you guys a call.
He describes the murder, for God sakes.
And I told Ali we should go to the cops.
She just laughed it off.
She said I was being paranoid.
Well, paranoia Next logical question, Josh.
What were you doing reading it? Homework.
The Literature of Cyberspace.
Professor Cooley assigned this sex bulletin board as required reading.
What the hell kind of class are you taking? Sex, Violence and It was Alison's idea.
I'm gonna get my MBA.
What the hell do I know? Are you guys through here? Young Josh may be onto something.
"Her brown hair, blue eyes "I saw her laughing at me in class.
Alice Rikhaus.
"A good slashing would take the smirk off her face for good.
" Alison Reich.
Alice Rikhaus.
Could be.
I want to meet this professor.
Isn't it obvious? Sex andlor violence define all contemporary literature.
If it's so obvious, why do you have to teach a course in it? Because obvious and complex are not mutually exclusive.
More often than not, the more obvious something appears, the more complex it is in reality.
Now I remember why I hated college.
Maybe you can help us, Professor.
We think someone maybe in your class might have written that.
I thought the morality police wore three-piece suits and ran for Congress.
They beep us when somebody ends up dead.
Now, that describes Alison Reich pretty well, wouldn't you say? I encourage my students to peek in on that sex bulletin board to expand their intellectual horizons and stimulate a dialog on the difference between pornography and art.
I don't believe they'd actually contribute to this cybercrap.
Do you think we could get a class list from you? You'll have to see the Registrar about that.
Well, how about it? Pornography or art? I give it a D plus, in both.
"The more I stab you, the more I want you.
" Sounds like Gershwin.
Damn.
My college's idea of sex in literature was Jane Eyre.
It's not just the colleges.
It's everywhere.
I won't let my kids near network television.
Last week, Stephan watched this mess on PBS about a crazy woman who stabs this guy, spends the rest of the story trying to wash the blood off her hands.
I don't think that's very funny.
I mean, some of that crap coming out of Hollywood is dangerous.
Hey, I never met anybody yet who got killed by a 35-inch Sony.
You get the names of the kids in that class? All 127 of them.
You want us to go alphabetically or by grade point? How about shortest distance? We leave a message on the computer bulletin board.
We'll just send this to his private mailbox and hopefully start a dialog.
You know what? I got a better idea.
Erase that.
Erase it and print this.
Read your stuff.
Am interested in discussing a publishing deal.
Sign it, Amos Brady, Pink Publishing.
Amos Brady, the porno guy? Yeah.
He's always anxious to do his civic duty.
Here.
Here's his business number.
Friend of yours? Hardly.
I sent him up for two-to-six for kiddie porn.
But young Amos doesn't hold a grudge.
Damn! Should've known you had something to do with this, Briscoe.
You saying he called already? Didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but I read his stuff.
Wasn't half bad.
Amos here's a real aesthete.
Hey, I don't go near narcotics.
What? Okay, let's cut the crap here.
This bozo leave a name, or what? Keep your pants on, amigo.
What is she, Amos, all of 14? You went to college, right? Supply, demand.
You sell crap to scum.
What's that make you? The Supreme Court says this is art, wise guy.
Biker Bitches.
Did you get a name, Amos? Merril Grupp.
Very good.
You got an address? Thanks, Amos.
You know, he's right about keeping your pants on.
Let's just get this over with.
I want to get home and take a shower.
Here you go, Merril.
Listen, are we gonna get started here soon? You gotta bear with me, son.
It's awful busy around here today.
So how long are we gonna wait? Till we see the dance.
The longer he waits, the more nervous he gets, the more cotton grows on the top of his mouth.
And the more water he drinks.
A suspect's more likely to talk with a full bladder.
Toe's starting to tap.
That's your cue, Lennie.
Let me take a shot at him.
Look, I know where this kid lives.
You know what a Pentium Processor is? Let him come to you.
Don't spook him.
Hey, how you doing? Listen, I really gotta go to the bathroom.
Didn't my partner tell you about the plumbing problem? Line's like half an hour.
Sit down.
It'll get better as soon as the shift changes.
Um, look, this is all a big mistake.
So, Merril, how long you been online? Since I was in the eighth grade.
AOL? CompuServe? Prodigy? What? What is this, good cop, good cop? You know, when I first started on the Internet, man, there was nobody out there.
Now, it's growing 10% a month.
Well, in some places it's growing 10% a week, but most of them are just flamers.
Mmm-hmm.
Hey, did Alison surf the net? How the hell should I know? I never even spoke to her.
You never met her before? That what you're saying? Yeah.
You were in the same class.
She won't even look your way, she's so perfect.
I know what that's like.
What's she gonna say to a computer geek like you, right? Do you know what a Miranda warning is? Yeah, it's when you're arrested.
Well, not necessarily.
We're just talking here, but I'd like you to sign one just so there are no misunderstandings.
Okay, but then can I go to the john? I'll have someone check on the line for you, okay? So how long you been a pervert, Merril? Listen to me.
The computer is probably the single most important invention of the century.
It can do wonderful things, but it can also do horrible things in the hands of someone like you.
Look, it's free speech.
It's protected.
Free speech, my ass! It's perverted.
Now, personally, I find out you did this, I'd be perfectly happy to bring you into a back room and castrate you myself.
What the hell did he say? Gonna need a mop in here.
You gonna bring my mom tonight? Yeah, I think that'd be good.
7:30? I wish I was.
I know.
Sweetheart, this is Lennie Briscoe.
My new partner.
Deborah Curtis, Lennie.
And this is Olivia, Serena and Isabel.
They're gorgeous.
Hey! Hey, Lieutenant, you remember my wife, Deb, right? Yes.
Lieutenant Van Buren.
Good to see you again.
Nice to see you.
Hello, girls.
Hi.
Can I steal you two for a couple? Yeah.
I just wanted to show them where Daddy's working.
Come here, give me a kiss.
Kiss.
See you tonight.
Bye.
Bye.
Keeping Grupp overnight is one thing.
We can't keep him forever.
We all know what he wrote, but it doesn't mean a damn thing.
I'd say it sounds like pretty good probable cause.
Well, I'd say you don't know the law too well.
I bought this computer magazine last night, trying to get a handle on this stuff.
From a magazine? Well, I didn't understand a damn thing, except I read this article about the Internet.
Do you know that go on that damn thing every day? What? A hundred million.
Could I make a radical suggestion? Yeah.
We get a warrant, search his dorm, see if we can come up with something.
Ah, twenty-first century police work.
"Sub-Atomic Particles.
" "Ron Stone, Advanced Programming in D-O-S.
" That's DOS.
"Tropic of Capricorn.
" At least the kid's well-rounded.
It's called a liberal arts education.
Well, it looks like the first half of his story checks out.
Night of the murder, he was typing dirty stories from 7:32 to 8:56.
Well, that fits into the M.
E.
's timetable.
I don't know.
A worm like Grupp? I bet the closest he gets to girls is staring at them in class.
I wonder what class he wears these to.
Some of these pervs like to keep souvenirs.
How do we know they're Alison's? Let's ask the roommate.
Do you know someone named Merril Grupp? No.
I never heard of him.
Is he the one? We don't know yet.
Maybe you recognize him.
That weirdo.
I never knew his name.
But you've seen him? Every morning.
He'd be staring at us at breakfast.
We'd walk to the library and there he was.
Ali thought it was funny.
He gave me the creeps.
Megan, we want you to look at something.
Are these Alison's? I don't know.
I'm sorry.
Well, thanks for your help.
Wait a minute.
On my way to rehearsal, I saw him.
Near the dorm? Walking that direction.
I crossed the street.
Looks like our friend Merril does a little more than just stare in the classroom.
Too bad we can't put him on the scene.
We can if we prove the underwear's Alison's.
Forensics says no way.
He doesn't know that.
So, Merril, do you wear the panties or just kill people who do? I'm not a pervert, okay? Look, I don't want to talk to him.
Okay, sit down.
Hey, I'm sorry about my partner.
He's kind of inexperienced.
He's a thug.
I agree, it was totally unprofessional.
But, you know, we're all just trying to save some time.
Panties are down at Forensics.
Boy, they got these amazing machines down there, and anything shows up, like a hair, a little flake of skin They can focus down to, I don't know, like a 100th of a millimeter.
Oh, we forgot to tell you something else.
Somebody spotted you hanging around Alison's dorm the night she was killed.
That was just a coincidence, right? No, I was online until 9:00, and then I went to the movies.
You sure you didn't stop by there, maybe to take a peek at Alison? No, I don't know what you're talking about.
Well, that's too bad, 'cause we could've worked something out.
But, well, I guess we'll just have to rely on the forensics.
You know, all that DNA stuff.
Those machines they got down there, I mean, anything shows up, like, I mean a trace of sweat, Merril, And you're toast.
Um, look, I I took her panties, okay? But that's it, see? I was at a party at her dorm about a month ago, and I was just wandering around, and In Alison's room? Yeah, and I was just looking for a picture, or something, and And you looked in her underwear drawer? Yeah, but I wouldn't hurt her, you know.
I loved her.
Just He writes dirty stories about killing her, and he takes her panties.
This kid's got Attica written all over him.
It'd be nice if we had a murder weapon.
It'd be nicer if Ken Burns was there making a documentary.
The kid's kinky.
I don't know if it's enough for a D.
A.
, though.
Hey, sending little ditties out into cyberspace while he's smelling her undies and bopping his banana has gotta get boring after a while.
I mean, any jury'll make that leap.
What's the problem? Well, we know the kid was on the computer till 9:00, right? So what? The roommate said she saw him heading toward the dorm.
She also told us that she was in a rehearsal room from 8:00 till midnight.
So either she was lying about seeing him or she was lying about where she was.
We only have 20 rehearsal rooms.
They go faster than Knicks tickets.
You charge a grand a pop, too? You got a sign-up sheet, or something? Music majors get first pick.
Then it's first come.
And I thought all cops were pot-bellied drunks.
Just my generation.
Last Thursday, Megan had the room from 8:00 to 12:00, like she said.
Megan Maslin? Yeah.
You get through Tchaikovsky's Concerto, you qualify for a permanent room.
So she's here every Thursday? Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Late shift.
The room's hers.
Do you know who had the room before Megan? Last Thursday? Scott Wilder.
Oboe.
Nobody appreciates the oboe.
It's an ill wind that no one blows good.
Well, go ahead and name one world-class oboist.
Well, I mean, you keep practicing and who knows, right? You practice last Thursday night? Yeah, I was here.
Till about 8:00? I'd say later than that.
Megan didn't show till around 9:00, 9:15.
Gave me time to get down the allegro.
She say why she was late? Violinists.
Think they own the universe.
M.
E.
Said she died about an hour after eating.
Now, Megan said they left the cafeteria about 7:30.
That gives her almost two hours before she showed up here.
I don't know.
A girl like that? It's hard to believe.
What, you think they wear signs? Think those girls thought Ted Bundy was a psycho? Susan Smith look like a child killer to you? Said she moved in down the hall.
Hey, Lennie.
Megan! Megan! She's definitely on something.
It was me.
I did it.
Alison, I'm sorry I can't go for pizza.
I have to practice What the hell did she take? Pupils are completely dilated.
Alison Here it is.
Downers.
Empty.
Lennie.
Curtis, 27.
Get an EMU to Mount Amsterdam College, Phillips Dormitory.
The girl had a bellyful.
I'd say she owes you guys a big thank you.
Can we talk to her? Help yourself.
But I figure she won't make much sense for another hour or so.
Excuse me.
If you need me, I'll be in 212.
Confession.
Murder weapon.
I owe you a drink.
Club soda.
I'm a cheap date.
Okay, what about your partner? You want to make him happy, buy him a couple of floppy disks.
Hey, well, don't say I never offered.
Megan? I wouldn't bother.
She hasn't moved since we got her in.
Michelle Kates, Morrissey, Kates and Blum.
I'll be representing Ms.
Maslin.
And you are? Claire Kincaid, Assistant D.
A.
Henceforth, any questions concerning my client will be directed to my office.
This your case? I'll be assisting Jack McCoy.
Jack? Oh, goody.
Is he still bedding what's her name with the red hair? No.
Oh, a serious one.
Don't sweat it, sweetie.
Ten more years in this business, even the tax code will break you up.
What do you say? Tomorrow, 11:00, Jack's office.
The blood on the knife is a match with the victim's.
She confessed.
I don't really know what this meeting's about.
This is America, Claire.
Everyone's entitled to ask for leniency before I send them on their way.
Well, somehow, I don't think Ms.
Kates will go all that gently.
Shelly's representing the Maslin girl? She's a real piece of work.
Don't kid yourself.
Shelly Kates can work 48 hours into a day.
She's a hell of an attorney.
- Yeah? - Shelly Kates is here.
Send her in.
Jack.
Shelly.
How the hell are ya? My day just got brighter.
Well, this is certainly better than being locked in a windowless room with you for five hours.
Pretty strong case here.
Don't I know it.
And before you try and offer me one of your low-fat granola deals, the answer is no.
Actually, I was thinking Your pearly whites notwithstanding, the answer's still no.
So why the meeting? Do you have any idea what a messenger costs these days? So I figure I'll save myself the bucks, maybe take the kid out to Coney Island or Yankee Stadium.
Motion to dismiss.
Pleasure, Jack.
Toodles.
Okay, first we have to decide what do we as a society value most? The need to protect the individual against brutal and coercive police tactics, or the need to unshackle law enforcement officers in their fight against criminal behavior? I think the courts have answered that for us already, Counselor.
It's called rhetoric, Jack.
And I assume there's a point to it? You bet there is.
This so-called confession was extracted sans Miranda, sans the presence of counsel.
Ergo, sans free will.
I have affidavits from the two detectives.
The confession was offered spontaneously, prior to any police interrogation, which makes it per se voluntary.
The declarant was doped up on upwards of 20 pills, Your Honor.
She had no idea what she was doing.
That's a non-issue.
She took the drugs herself.
She can't now turn and use that as a means of excluding evidence of her culpability.
Nice try, Ms.
Kates, but he's right.
It's black letter.
So is the fact that the warrantless search of my client's violin case renders the alleged murder weapon inadmissible.
Exigent circumstances, Your Honor.
The officers weren't looking for a murder weapon.
They were merely seeking to prevent further harm to Ms.
Maslin, who was obviously in serious need of medical attention.
Call me crazy, but if I were trying to save the girl's life, my first reaction would have been to call a doctor, not look to see what kind of fiddle she was playing.
They were searching for drugs, Your Honor.
Unfortunately, I happen to be one of the few jurists who'll actually believe the bloody glove should have been excluded.
The confession's in.
The knife's out.
"It was me.
I did it.
" Could mean anything.
In context, a jury might believe Megan was confessing to the murder.
Yeah, with any other lawyer, maybe.
Michelle Kates could convince a jury Jeffrey Dahmer had an eating disorder.
Megan lied to the police.
She was an hour late to the practice room.
Meaningless without evidence.
So, can I take my vacation now? You want something to do? Find out why she did it.
God, I can't believe it.
We have the evidence against her.
We just can't use it in court.
I mean, Megan is the last person you'd expect to kill someone.
She and Alison were always together.
There were jokes, you know, about how close they were, but none of it was true.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
I mean, Megan was always studying or practicing.
You know, she auditioned for the Philharmonic.
She didn't get it, but still, I mean, it's pretty good.
So she and Alison never fought? No, not that I know of.
Megan's one of our star students, one we actually thought would make a name for herself.
There were no emotional problems? Not that anyone reported.
No drug problems.
No visits to the school psychiatrist.
She never even asked for an extension.
Boy, the perfect student.
Amazing, considering what she went through before we accepted her.
Maybe you should bring me up to speed.
Well, when she was 12, her father was killed in a car accident on the Belt Parkway.
Six months later, her mom died of cervical cancer.
The admissions people nicknamed her little orphan Maggie.
Gave her a full scholarship.
Was she in foster care? Luckily, her sister was of age, and that kept her off the state's tab.
Where can I find her sister? Looks like she moved to Utah.
You want me to diagnose someone I've never seen? We're grasping at straws, Liz.
At best, it would be an educated guess.
That's all we're looking for.
Some pre-adolescents who lose either or both their parents might show some paranoid tendencies.
"The world is out to get me.
" These feelings are then reinforced by any setback or failure, no matter how big or small.
Wait a minute.
Megan tried to commit suicide.
Is that the MO for a paranoid? Look at Jim Jones.
There's a whole lot more going on there.
Well, isn't there always? I had a paranoid patient who jumped in front of the E train to escape imaginary attackers.
Well, I talked to Megan's friends.
They never noticed anything unusual.
Paranoids can appear perfectly rational.
But point your finger or look at them the wrong way, they endow it with a whole other significance.
Okay, let's assume the girl is a paranoid.
Does it make sense for her to be attacking her closest friend? Someone close to her could potentially hurt her the most.
Remember, this is all speculation, Jack.
Keep on speculating.
If she was paranoid enough to lash out this time, she might have done it before.
Claire, didn't you tell me that Shelly Kates showed up at the hospital room? Yeah.
Who called her? Uh, at the time, I didn't think about it.
Megan was unconscious the entire time.
Her sister's out of state.
Megan must have called her before she swallowed the bottle of pills, which means they had a prior relationship.
Time to hit Westlaw.
Nothing.
Megan doesn't even have a parking ticket.
Why don't you switch to the newspaper database? Try articles involving Michelle Kates And Jane Doe, juvenile.
Three articles.
The first Jane Doe was a black girl in Harlem.
Second, the defendant would now be 15.
Third involves a 14-year-old girl whose father was killed by a drunk driver and whose mother died of cancer.
Sounds familiar.
Jack, she killed her older sister.
With a knife.
Yeah, well, even if we could open her juvenile records, it'd be inadmissible as prior bad acts.
Jack, you have a relationship with her attorney.
Maybe you can work something out.
You heard Shelly.
She didn't want to deal before our case went in the crapper.
Kates obviously knows all about Megan's past.
I mean, maybe, at least, we can get her into a hospital.
Somehow, that isn't all that satisfying, Claire.
Where in your job description does it say you're supposed to be happy? Call Ms.
Kates.
Try talking faster than she does.
Don't believe everything you read on a computer screen, Jack.
A serial killer, I can't take any chances.
A little dramatic, don't you think? Two murders with the same weapon.
You tell me.
First off, she pled to man one on the juvie charge.
Second, she didn't kill Alison Reich until the jury says she did, and I don't see that in the foreseeable future.
She's obviously sick.
Key to this business, Jack, know what you're talking about before you flap your choppers.
Off the record? Sure.
Megan's sister drank.
She used to bring guys from the bowling alley home to exchange bodily fluids on the couch.
Megan would say something, she'd get a whack.
Mom died, the whacking got worse.
Any physical proof of the abuse? No.
But whatever happened, she did her nine months in Spofford, so legally she's rehabilitated.
This girl's killed twice.
You want her to kill again? My job, as her attorney, is to keep my client out of jail.
And your job as an officer of the court is to protect society, morally.
Morally? Morally? She obviously needs help.
Plead her not guilty by reason of mental defect.
I won't object.
No.
No judge is going to take our word for it that she's nutso.
She talks to our expert, I have a feeling we'll have all the documentation we need.
Fine.
But your shrink says she was legally sane, we never had this conversation.
Of course it was difficult without my parents, but I survived.
You had to be strong.
What else is new? How'd you feel when your parents died? I was 12.
How do you think I felt? Look, no offense, but I never really bought any of the psycho-babble stuff.
Well, sometimes it's good to talk, Megan.
If you're scared or wimpy.
But you're not? You said so yourself, remember? I can see why you're so successful.
Hardly.
I should be in Juilliard, you know.
What happened? The cabbie.
He got me to the audition five minutes late.
I'm sure it wasn't intentional.
Come on.
You should have seen the way he was staring at me.
Report of Dr.
Elizabeth Olivet, Megan Maslin could have paranoid delusions.
Claire put the case on Judge Rafferty's calendar, morning session, Tuesday.
Well, she can pull the papers.
I thought My client says she's sane as a judge.
That alone makes me think she's bonzo, but that's another story.
Sorry, Jack.
I've gotta go with the flow.
The crazier you are, the more you argue that you're not.
So our hands are tied.
Not entirely.
Wasn't it you who said that her confession was worthless? Well, seems to me on my college application I was required to account for every year leading up to admission.
Now, did Ms.
Maslin include the time that she was incarcerated? The Dean said that he was never aware of any prior problems.
So what? Lying on your college application is not a felony.
No.
But fraud is.
The girl was on scholarship, right? And that's gotta be over 20 grand a year for four years under false pretenses.
That seems kind of petty for killing her roommate.
But to defend against the fraud, she'll have to take the stand.
Kates will never let her testify.
Maybe Kates won't be running the show.
For six months, during her freshman year in high school, Ms.
Maslin was on leave, due to illness.
Or so she wrote on her application.
Was she ever specific as to what illness incapacitated her for those six months? No.
We assumed that it was some sort of depression following the loss of her parents.
Was that in fact the case? As we discovered recently, no, it was not.
In fact, she was not hospitalized at all.
Hypothetically, Dean Kirkwood, had you known at the time that Ms.
Maslin was lying on her application, would you have still accepted her? We have an honor system.
We take it seriously.
No, we would not have accepted her.
Was Megan a mediocre student, Dr.
Kirkwood? No.
Her grade point average was 3.
8.
Well, that's better than an A minus, isn't that correct? That's correct.
How about social problems? Did she fit in? She appeared to have many friends.
Extracurricular activities? She was first violin in the orchestra.
Damn.
Smart, popular, talented.
It's a real shame you let her into your school.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Go ahead.
One more question, Dean Kirkwood.
Do you now know what it was that kept Ms.
Maslin out of high school for six months? Objection.
In my chambers.
This is great, Jack.
Really, wonderful.
The next time you talk to me about morality, don't.
Would someone fill me in here? The defendant has a juvenile manslaughter record.
Which is sealed and confidential.
That the school discovered the misrepresentation is essential to my fraud case, Your Honor.
Nice try, Jack.
But I'm not going to let you bring in the back door what won't fit through the front.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I wouldn't thank me quite yet.
The State sufficiently made out its prima facie case.
The girl lied.
What the lie was is irrelevant.
So Ms.
Kates, it appears the only way you can win this case is to present evidence justifying her lie.
You're asking me to drag her past in front of that jury? I'm not asking you to do anything.
I'm just telling you the only way I see for you to keep your client out of prison.
It's her decision.
May we resume after lunch? What? How'd you like to do us a favor? Coffee.
Light.
Three sugars.
Make mine black.
I could take a year on the fraud.
I'm going for the max, Shelly.
Well, there's no way I can keep her off the stand, which means I can't control her on the cross.
Heads, you lose.
Tails, you lose even worse.
I'm remembering something here, Jack.
Something you said about a hospital? You told me your client wouldn't go for it.
What she doesn't know Maybe I just look the other way.
You're going to sell out your client? If she testifies, anything could happen.
That's right.
She could talk herself into a murder two conviction.
Or she could cry herself into an acquittal.
You could be disbarred for this, Shelly.
Not if it's our little secret.
I'm also remembering something a very wise man told me about morality.
What do you say? I was 14 years old.
My sister abused me.
I had to protect myself.
And you killed her.
She was drunk.
She would have killed me.
I went to a youth facility for nine months.
Megan, why didn't you put that on your college application? The judge told me that it would always be confidential.
He said that it was the law, that after I was released, what happened was nobody's business but mine.
I believed him.
Thank you, Megan.
So the only reason you killed your sister is because of the abuse? Of course.
I don't go around killing people for no reason.
Really? What about your roommate, Alison Reich? Did she abuse you, too? Objection.
Irrelevant.
This is a fraud case, Your Honor.
The witness's credibility is at issue.
She's testified that she doesn't go around killing people for the hell of it.
I'm only testing the veracity of that statement.
Objection is overruled.
Answer the question.
I did not kill Alison, Mr.
McCoy.
Approach, Your Honor.
Judge Birch has already ruled that piece of evidence was illegally obtained.
It's inadmissible.
Not to impeach the witness, it's not.
You put it on the street, Counselor.
Your client just stepped in it.
Objection overruled.
I thought we had a deal here.
I can't look like a pushover, can I? This is yours, isn't it, Ms.
Maslin? Yes.
Forensics says it's got Alison Reich's blood all over it.
Let's try this again, shall we? Did Alison abuse you, too? She didn't hit me, if that's what you mean.
Sure, but there are other ways, aren't there, Megan? Objection.
Withdrawn.
You know we've been talking to your friends, Wendy and Trish.
What did they say? I really don't have to tell you, do I? I would have made first violin at the Philharmonic, but Alison hid my bow rosin.
Why would she do that? She was your friend.
Friend? Would a friend put poison in your toothpaste or ground glass in your water? My sister did that, too, you know.
What was I supposed to do, Mr.
McCoy? I had to protect myself.
The People request a stay in this proceeding, Your Honor, in order to amend the indictment to include a charge of murder in the second degree.
Motion granted.
Shelly convinced Megan to take an insanity plea.
She convince you to accept it? Yeah.
Something was going on in that courtroom.
I mean, Kates seemed to be a little off her game.
We won, Claire.
Don't you get paranoid on me.
Why not? It seems to be going around.
The Dean told me half the student body requested single rooms.
A little paranoia could be the answer to a long life.
How much does anyone really know about the person sharing his bedroom?
These are their stories.
Hey, 'za run, Megan? Sorry, I'm beat.
Pepperoni and grease.
You'll sleep like a baby.
It'll help you out with Vivaldi.
It's Tchaikovsky.
Maybe.
I'll ask Alison if she wants to go.
Cool.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, Trish.
Alison Reich, 20.
Stabbed a whole bunch of times.
Roomy called it in.
She's pretty shook up.
Any witnesses? We canvassed the floor.
Nothing.
Well, there must've been some noise.
Any screams? Well, who could tell with Bovine Night Nurse blasting on the CD? Excuse me? Maybe it's time you think about retiring.
You're a regular Shecky Greene.
Exactly my point.
Diggs, you ever hear of Bovine Night Nurse? Alternative rockers out of Cleveland, I think.
Can you imagine dying while reading Moby Dick? Yeah.
It almost killed me once.
You actually read this thing? Made it through about 30 pages on whale blubber, then I bailed out.
So what have you got? Twenty stab wounds and counting.
Well, if a thing's worth doing I'm thinking one would have been enough.
This wasn't a pen knife.
What about rape? My guess, a negative.
But we'll run the kit and get back to you.
We found blood in the bathroom.
Could be our killer washed up before he left.
Send the samples to forensics.
Lennie, already done.
Had their own private john, huh? A far cry from the open stalls at CCNY.
Maybe if I'd had a room like this I would've finished the damn book.
About time.
Do you know how many girls live in that dorm? Oh, yeah.
Tough job.
Six hours of interviews.
Nothing, except everyone loved the deceased.
Can I help you? Coffee, please.
Get the special.
Just coffee.
Black.
Right.
Thanks.
So, how's the roommate doing? Still sedated.
So, the school costs upwards of 30 grand a year.
Smart.
Rich.
And dead.
Makes you think about home education.
If I did that, my kid would be at the track instead of two years into a nursing degree.
He only charged us for my coffee.
I told you to get the special.
That's not a mistake? The waiter's got a kid.
A couple of years ago, two jamokes put a piece in his face.
I popped them.
So? So, every once in a while he slips me a special.
Well, in OCCB, we call that a bribe.
Well, I call it a grateful citizen's way of saying thank you.
I wouldn't give you an A for ethical.
Ethical? Fifteen years ago, I'm working in my uncle's liquor store.
A guy comes in to buy a bottle of sneaky Pete, he gives me a 20.
By mistake I give him change for a 10, so I start to run after the guy.
My uncle says, "Whoa, whoa! We're not gonna tell him.
" I said, "That's not ethical.
" He says, " The only ethical problem I got "is whether or not to tell your Aunt Sylvia.
" Twenty-seven stab wounds.
No signs of sexual activity.
I thought multiple stab wounds were always sexual.
The guy didn't read the manual.
Stomach contents barely digested.
I'd say she died no more than two hours after eating.
What'd she have for dinner? Well, we find out where she was before she was killed, maybe narrow it down to who she was with.
Looks like rigatoni with marinara.
Good.
I'll take Luna.
You take the other 2,000 places.
Borak.
Yeah, they're here.
Sure.
Lucky you.
Her parent's are here.
They'd like to see the body.
Do me a favor.
Clean her up nice, will you? They're gonna be upset.
Let me handle them.
You know, a photo ID might be a little easier.
I have to see her.
You'll call us? As soon as we know anything.
Mr.
Reich, I'm very sorry for your loss.
I have three daughters.
I can only imagine what you're feeling.
Thank you.
Could you just answer one question for me? Rey.
No.
It's all right.
Did your daughter have a steady boyfriend? No.
We would have known.
She told us everything.
I see.
I kind of thought we had a deal.
No, what we had was a statement from you, "Let me handle them.
" You do know we'll find out about her love life from her friends.
Figured that out all by myself.
You like to pull the wings off flies, too? These people lost their daughter.
You get them in, you get them out.
Look, there are two types of kids.
The ones that tell their parents everything, and the ones that tell their parents nothing.
Right.
And now we'll find out which kind she was.
Very smart.
But? Well, wouldn't it have been just as effective, and a little bit more humane, to have asked the same question three or four days from now and get the same results? Point taken.
The computer assigns you a roommate as a freshman, and most girls are looking to change after the first semester.
Ali and I It would have been four years together.
When was the last time you saw her, Megan? We had dinner at the student union.
About what time was that? We left, I don't know, around 7:30, I guess.
I had a rehearsal room reserved at 8:00, and we walked back to the dorm together.
I had to get my violin.
The girls down the hall said there was music blasting.
Could she have been expecting company? No.
That's just the way she always studied.
Was she going with anybody? A boyfriend? Just Josh.
You don't think that I was Hey, we're just trying to get a line on this thing.
Well, you're looking at the wrong person, okay? Obviously.
Look, I know you're just doing your job, but if you want to save some overtime, I'll show you who did it.
Some kinkoid in cyberspace.
I downloaded this from a sex fantasy bulletin board.
I was gonna give you guys a call.
He describes the murder, for God sakes.
And I told Ali we should go to the cops.
She just laughed it off.
She said I was being paranoid.
Well, paranoia Next logical question, Josh.
What were you doing reading it? Homework.
The Literature of Cyberspace.
Professor Cooley assigned this sex bulletin board as required reading.
What the hell kind of class are you taking? Sex, Violence and It was Alison's idea.
I'm gonna get my MBA.
What the hell do I know? Are you guys through here? Young Josh may be onto something.
"Her brown hair, blue eyes "I saw her laughing at me in class.
Alice Rikhaus.
"A good slashing would take the smirk off her face for good.
" Alison Reich.
Alice Rikhaus.
Could be.
I want to meet this professor.
Isn't it obvious? Sex andlor violence define all contemporary literature.
If it's so obvious, why do you have to teach a course in it? Because obvious and complex are not mutually exclusive.
More often than not, the more obvious something appears, the more complex it is in reality.
Now I remember why I hated college.
Maybe you can help us, Professor.
We think someone maybe in your class might have written that.
I thought the morality police wore three-piece suits and ran for Congress.
They beep us when somebody ends up dead.
Now, that describes Alison Reich pretty well, wouldn't you say? I encourage my students to peek in on that sex bulletin board to expand their intellectual horizons and stimulate a dialog on the difference between pornography and art.
I don't believe they'd actually contribute to this cybercrap.
Do you think we could get a class list from you? You'll have to see the Registrar about that.
Well, how about it? Pornography or art? I give it a D plus, in both.
"The more I stab you, the more I want you.
" Sounds like Gershwin.
Damn.
My college's idea of sex in literature was Jane Eyre.
It's not just the colleges.
It's everywhere.
I won't let my kids near network television.
Last week, Stephan watched this mess on PBS about a crazy woman who stabs this guy, spends the rest of the story trying to wash the blood off her hands.
I don't think that's very funny.
I mean, some of that crap coming out of Hollywood is dangerous.
Hey, I never met anybody yet who got killed by a 35-inch Sony.
You get the names of the kids in that class? All 127 of them.
You want us to go alphabetically or by grade point? How about shortest distance? We leave a message on the computer bulletin board.
We'll just send this to his private mailbox and hopefully start a dialog.
You know what? I got a better idea.
Erase that.
Erase it and print this.
Read your stuff.
Am interested in discussing a publishing deal.
Sign it, Amos Brady, Pink Publishing.
Amos Brady, the porno guy? Yeah.
He's always anxious to do his civic duty.
Here.
Here's his business number.
Friend of yours? Hardly.
I sent him up for two-to-six for kiddie porn.
But young Amos doesn't hold a grudge.
Damn! Should've known you had something to do with this, Briscoe.
You saying he called already? Didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but I read his stuff.
Wasn't half bad.
Amos here's a real aesthete.
Hey, I don't go near narcotics.
What? Okay, let's cut the crap here.
This bozo leave a name, or what? Keep your pants on, amigo.
What is she, Amos, all of 14? You went to college, right? Supply, demand.
You sell crap to scum.
What's that make you? The Supreme Court says this is art, wise guy.
Biker Bitches.
Did you get a name, Amos? Merril Grupp.
Very good.
You got an address? Thanks, Amos.
You know, he's right about keeping your pants on.
Let's just get this over with.
I want to get home and take a shower.
Here you go, Merril.
Listen, are we gonna get started here soon? You gotta bear with me, son.
It's awful busy around here today.
So how long are we gonna wait? Till we see the dance.
The longer he waits, the more nervous he gets, the more cotton grows on the top of his mouth.
And the more water he drinks.
A suspect's more likely to talk with a full bladder.
Toe's starting to tap.
That's your cue, Lennie.
Let me take a shot at him.
Look, I know where this kid lives.
You know what a Pentium Processor is? Let him come to you.
Don't spook him.
Hey, how you doing? Listen, I really gotta go to the bathroom.
Didn't my partner tell you about the plumbing problem? Line's like half an hour.
Sit down.
It'll get better as soon as the shift changes.
Um, look, this is all a big mistake.
So, Merril, how long you been online? Since I was in the eighth grade.
AOL? CompuServe? Prodigy? What? What is this, good cop, good cop? You know, when I first started on the Internet, man, there was nobody out there.
Now, it's growing 10% a month.
Well, in some places it's growing 10% a week, but most of them are just flamers.
Mmm-hmm.
Hey, did Alison surf the net? How the hell should I know? I never even spoke to her.
You never met her before? That what you're saying? Yeah.
You were in the same class.
She won't even look your way, she's so perfect.
I know what that's like.
What's she gonna say to a computer geek like you, right? Do you know what a Miranda warning is? Yeah, it's when you're arrested.
Well, not necessarily.
We're just talking here, but I'd like you to sign one just so there are no misunderstandings.
Okay, but then can I go to the john? I'll have someone check on the line for you, okay? So how long you been a pervert, Merril? Listen to me.
The computer is probably the single most important invention of the century.
It can do wonderful things, but it can also do horrible things in the hands of someone like you.
Look, it's free speech.
It's protected.
Free speech, my ass! It's perverted.
Now, personally, I find out you did this, I'd be perfectly happy to bring you into a back room and castrate you myself.
What the hell did he say? Gonna need a mop in here.
You gonna bring my mom tonight? Yeah, I think that'd be good.
7:30? I wish I was.
I know.
Sweetheart, this is Lennie Briscoe.
My new partner.
Deborah Curtis, Lennie.
And this is Olivia, Serena and Isabel.
They're gorgeous.
Hey! Hey, Lieutenant, you remember my wife, Deb, right? Yes.
Lieutenant Van Buren.
Good to see you again.
Nice to see you.
Hello, girls.
Hi.
Can I steal you two for a couple? Yeah.
I just wanted to show them where Daddy's working.
Come here, give me a kiss.
Kiss.
See you tonight.
Bye.
Bye.
Keeping Grupp overnight is one thing.
We can't keep him forever.
We all know what he wrote, but it doesn't mean a damn thing.
I'd say it sounds like pretty good probable cause.
Well, I'd say you don't know the law too well.
I bought this computer magazine last night, trying to get a handle on this stuff.
From a magazine? Well, I didn't understand a damn thing, except I read this article about the Internet.
Do you know that go on that damn thing every day? What? A hundred million.
Could I make a radical suggestion? Yeah.
We get a warrant, search his dorm, see if we can come up with something.
Ah, twenty-first century police work.
"Sub-Atomic Particles.
" "Ron Stone, Advanced Programming in D-O-S.
" That's DOS.
"Tropic of Capricorn.
" At least the kid's well-rounded.
It's called a liberal arts education.
Well, it looks like the first half of his story checks out.
Night of the murder, he was typing dirty stories from 7:32 to 8:56.
Well, that fits into the M.
E.
's timetable.
I don't know.
A worm like Grupp? I bet the closest he gets to girls is staring at them in class.
I wonder what class he wears these to.
Some of these pervs like to keep souvenirs.
How do we know they're Alison's? Let's ask the roommate.
Do you know someone named Merril Grupp? No.
I never heard of him.
Is he the one? We don't know yet.
Maybe you recognize him.
That weirdo.
I never knew his name.
But you've seen him? Every morning.
He'd be staring at us at breakfast.
We'd walk to the library and there he was.
Ali thought it was funny.
He gave me the creeps.
Megan, we want you to look at something.
Are these Alison's? I don't know.
I'm sorry.
Well, thanks for your help.
Wait a minute.
On my way to rehearsal, I saw him.
Near the dorm? Walking that direction.
I crossed the street.
Looks like our friend Merril does a little more than just stare in the classroom.
Too bad we can't put him on the scene.
We can if we prove the underwear's Alison's.
Forensics says no way.
He doesn't know that.
So, Merril, do you wear the panties or just kill people who do? I'm not a pervert, okay? Look, I don't want to talk to him.
Okay, sit down.
Hey, I'm sorry about my partner.
He's kind of inexperienced.
He's a thug.
I agree, it was totally unprofessional.
But, you know, we're all just trying to save some time.
Panties are down at Forensics.
Boy, they got these amazing machines down there, and anything shows up, like a hair, a little flake of skin They can focus down to, I don't know, like a 100th of a millimeter.
Oh, we forgot to tell you something else.
Somebody spotted you hanging around Alison's dorm the night she was killed.
That was just a coincidence, right? No, I was online until 9:00, and then I went to the movies.
You sure you didn't stop by there, maybe to take a peek at Alison? No, I don't know what you're talking about.
Well, that's too bad, 'cause we could've worked something out.
But, well, I guess we'll just have to rely on the forensics.
You know, all that DNA stuff.
Those machines they got down there, I mean, anything shows up, like, I mean a trace of sweat, Merril, And you're toast.
Um, look, I I took her panties, okay? But that's it, see? I was at a party at her dorm about a month ago, and I was just wandering around, and In Alison's room? Yeah, and I was just looking for a picture, or something, and And you looked in her underwear drawer? Yeah, but I wouldn't hurt her, you know.
I loved her.
Just He writes dirty stories about killing her, and he takes her panties.
This kid's got Attica written all over him.
It'd be nice if we had a murder weapon.
It'd be nicer if Ken Burns was there making a documentary.
The kid's kinky.
I don't know if it's enough for a D.
A.
, though.
Hey, sending little ditties out into cyberspace while he's smelling her undies and bopping his banana has gotta get boring after a while.
I mean, any jury'll make that leap.
What's the problem? Well, we know the kid was on the computer till 9:00, right? So what? The roommate said she saw him heading toward the dorm.
She also told us that she was in a rehearsal room from 8:00 till midnight.
So either she was lying about seeing him or she was lying about where she was.
We only have 20 rehearsal rooms.
They go faster than Knicks tickets.
You charge a grand a pop, too? You got a sign-up sheet, or something? Music majors get first pick.
Then it's first come.
And I thought all cops were pot-bellied drunks.
Just my generation.
Last Thursday, Megan had the room from 8:00 to 12:00, like she said.
Megan Maslin? Yeah.
You get through Tchaikovsky's Concerto, you qualify for a permanent room.
So she's here every Thursday? Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Late shift.
The room's hers.
Do you know who had the room before Megan? Last Thursday? Scott Wilder.
Oboe.
Nobody appreciates the oboe.
It's an ill wind that no one blows good.
Well, go ahead and name one world-class oboist.
Well, I mean, you keep practicing and who knows, right? You practice last Thursday night? Yeah, I was here.
Till about 8:00? I'd say later than that.
Megan didn't show till around 9:00, 9:15.
Gave me time to get down the allegro.
She say why she was late? Violinists.
Think they own the universe.
M.
E.
Said she died about an hour after eating.
Now, Megan said they left the cafeteria about 7:30.
That gives her almost two hours before she showed up here.
I don't know.
A girl like that? It's hard to believe.
What, you think they wear signs? Think those girls thought Ted Bundy was a psycho? Susan Smith look like a child killer to you? Said she moved in down the hall.
Hey, Lennie.
Megan! Megan! She's definitely on something.
It was me.
I did it.
Alison, I'm sorry I can't go for pizza.
I have to practice What the hell did she take? Pupils are completely dilated.
Alison Here it is.
Downers.
Empty.
Lennie.
Curtis, 27.
Get an EMU to Mount Amsterdam College, Phillips Dormitory.
The girl had a bellyful.
I'd say she owes you guys a big thank you.
Can we talk to her? Help yourself.
But I figure she won't make much sense for another hour or so.
Excuse me.
If you need me, I'll be in 212.
Confession.
Murder weapon.
I owe you a drink.
Club soda.
I'm a cheap date.
Okay, what about your partner? You want to make him happy, buy him a couple of floppy disks.
Hey, well, don't say I never offered.
Megan? I wouldn't bother.
She hasn't moved since we got her in.
Michelle Kates, Morrissey, Kates and Blum.
I'll be representing Ms.
Maslin.
And you are? Claire Kincaid, Assistant D.
A.
Henceforth, any questions concerning my client will be directed to my office.
This your case? I'll be assisting Jack McCoy.
Jack? Oh, goody.
Is he still bedding what's her name with the red hair? No.
Oh, a serious one.
Don't sweat it, sweetie.
Ten more years in this business, even the tax code will break you up.
What do you say? Tomorrow, 11:00, Jack's office.
The blood on the knife is a match with the victim's.
She confessed.
I don't really know what this meeting's about.
This is America, Claire.
Everyone's entitled to ask for leniency before I send them on their way.
Well, somehow, I don't think Ms.
Kates will go all that gently.
Shelly's representing the Maslin girl? She's a real piece of work.
Don't kid yourself.
Shelly Kates can work 48 hours into a day.
She's a hell of an attorney.
- Yeah? - Shelly Kates is here.
Send her in.
Jack.
Shelly.
How the hell are ya? My day just got brighter.
Well, this is certainly better than being locked in a windowless room with you for five hours.
Pretty strong case here.
Don't I know it.
And before you try and offer me one of your low-fat granola deals, the answer is no.
Actually, I was thinking Your pearly whites notwithstanding, the answer's still no.
So why the meeting? Do you have any idea what a messenger costs these days? So I figure I'll save myself the bucks, maybe take the kid out to Coney Island or Yankee Stadium.
Motion to dismiss.
Pleasure, Jack.
Toodles.
Okay, first we have to decide what do we as a society value most? The need to protect the individual against brutal and coercive police tactics, or the need to unshackle law enforcement officers in their fight against criminal behavior? I think the courts have answered that for us already, Counselor.
It's called rhetoric, Jack.
And I assume there's a point to it? You bet there is.
This so-called confession was extracted sans Miranda, sans the presence of counsel.
Ergo, sans free will.
I have affidavits from the two detectives.
The confession was offered spontaneously, prior to any police interrogation, which makes it per se voluntary.
The declarant was doped up on upwards of 20 pills, Your Honor.
She had no idea what she was doing.
That's a non-issue.
She took the drugs herself.
She can't now turn and use that as a means of excluding evidence of her culpability.
Nice try, Ms.
Kates, but he's right.
It's black letter.
So is the fact that the warrantless search of my client's violin case renders the alleged murder weapon inadmissible.
Exigent circumstances, Your Honor.
The officers weren't looking for a murder weapon.
They were merely seeking to prevent further harm to Ms.
Maslin, who was obviously in serious need of medical attention.
Call me crazy, but if I were trying to save the girl's life, my first reaction would have been to call a doctor, not look to see what kind of fiddle she was playing.
They were searching for drugs, Your Honor.
Unfortunately, I happen to be one of the few jurists who'll actually believe the bloody glove should have been excluded.
The confession's in.
The knife's out.
"It was me.
I did it.
" Could mean anything.
In context, a jury might believe Megan was confessing to the murder.
Yeah, with any other lawyer, maybe.
Michelle Kates could convince a jury Jeffrey Dahmer had an eating disorder.
Megan lied to the police.
She was an hour late to the practice room.
Meaningless without evidence.
So, can I take my vacation now? You want something to do? Find out why she did it.
God, I can't believe it.
We have the evidence against her.
We just can't use it in court.
I mean, Megan is the last person you'd expect to kill someone.
She and Alison were always together.
There were jokes, you know, about how close they were, but none of it was true.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
I mean, Megan was always studying or practicing.
You know, she auditioned for the Philharmonic.
She didn't get it, but still, I mean, it's pretty good.
So she and Alison never fought? No, not that I know of.
Megan's one of our star students, one we actually thought would make a name for herself.
There were no emotional problems? Not that anyone reported.
No drug problems.
No visits to the school psychiatrist.
She never even asked for an extension.
Boy, the perfect student.
Amazing, considering what she went through before we accepted her.
Maybe you should bring me up to speed.
Well, when she was 12, her father was killed in a car accident on the Belt Parkway.
Six months later, her mom died of cervical cancer.
The admissions people nicknamed her little orphan Maggie.
Gave her a full scholarship.
Was she in foster care? Luckily, her sister was of age, and that kept her off the state's tab.
Where can I find her sister? Looks like she moved to Utah.
You want me to diagnose someone I've never seen? We're grasping at straws, Liz.
At best, it would be an educated guess.
That's all we're looking for.
Some pre-adolescents who lose either or both their parents might show some paranoid tendencies.
"The world is out to get me.
" These feelings are then reinforced by any setback or failure, no matter how big or small.
Wait a minute.
Megan tried to commit suicide.
Is that the MO for a paranoid? Look at Jim Jones.
There's a whole lot more going on there.
Well, isn't there always? I had a paranoid patient who jumped in front of the E train to escape imaginary attackers.
Well, I talked to Megan's friends.
They never noticed anything unusual.
Paranoids can appear perfectly rational.
But point your finger or look at them the wrong way, they endow it with a whole other significance.
Okay, let's assume the girl is a paranoid.
Does it make sense for her to be attacking her closest friend? Someone close to her could potentially hurt her the most.
Remember, this is all speculation, Jack.
Keep on speculating.
If she was paranoid enough to lash out this time, she might have done it before.
Claire, didn't you tell me that Shelly Kates showed up at the hospital room? Yeah.
Who called her? Uh, at the time, I didn't think about it.
Megan was unconscious the entire time.
Her sister's out of state.
Megan must have called her before she swallowed the bottle of pills, which means they had a prior relationship.
Time to hit Westlaw.
Nothing.
Megan doesn't even have a parking ticket.
Why don't you switch to the newspaper database? Try articles involving Michelle Kates And Jane Doe, juvenile.
Three articles.
The first Jane Doe was a black girl in Harlem.
Second, the defendant would now be 15.
Third involves a 14-year-old girl whose father was killed by a drunk driver and whose mother died of cancer.
Sounds familiar.
Jack, she killed her older sister.
With a knife.
Yeah, well, even if we could open her juvenile records, it'd be inadmissible as prior bad acts.
Jack, you have a relationship with her attorney.
Maybe you can work something out.
You heard Shelly.
She didn't want to deal before our case went in the crapper.
Kates obviously knows all about Megan's past.
I mean, maybe, at least, we can get her into a hospital.
Somehow, that isn't all that satisfying, Claire.
Where in your job description does it say you're supposed to be happy? Call Ms.
Kates.
Try talking faster than she does.
Don't believe everything you read on a computer screen, Jack.
A serial killer, I can't take any chances.
A little dramatic, don't you think? Two murders with the same weapon.
You tell me.
First off, she pled to man one on the juvie charge.
Second, she didn't kill Alison Reich until the jury says she did, and I don't see that in the foreseeable future.
She's obviously sick.
Key to this business, Jack, know what you're talking about before you flap your choppers.
Off the record? Sure.
Megan's sister drank.
She used to bring guys from the bowling alley home to exchange bodily fluids on the couch.
Megan would say something, she'd get a whack.
Mom died, the whacking got worse.
Any physical proof of the abuse? No.
But whatever happened, she did her nine months in Spofford, so legally she's rehabilitated.
This girl's killed twice.
You want her to kill again? My job, as her attorney, is to keep my client out of jail.
And your job as an officer of the court is to protect society, morally.
Morally? Morally? She obviously needs help.
Plead her not guilty by reason of mental defect.
I won't object.
No.
No judge is going to take our word for it that she's nutso.
She talks to our expert, I have a feeling we'll have all the documentation we need.
Fine.
But your shrink says she was legally sane, we never had this conversation.
Of course it was difficult without my parents, but I survived.
You had to be strong.
What else is new? How'd you feel when your parents died? I was 12.
How do you think I felt? Look, no offense, but I never really bought any of the psycho-babble stuff.
Well, sometimes it's good to talk, Megan.
If you're scared or wimpy.
But you're not? You said so yourself, remember? I can see why you're so successful.
Hardly.
I should be in Juilliard, you know.
What happened? The cabbie.
He got me to the audition five minutes late.
I'm sure it wasn't intentional.
Come on.
You should have seen the way he was staring at me.
Report of Dr.
Elizabeth Olivet, Megan Maslin could have paranoid delusions.
Claire put the case on Judge Rafferty's calendar, morning session, Tuesday.
Well, she can pull the papers.
I thought My client says she's sane as a judge.
That alone makes me think she's bonzo, but that's another story.
Sorry, Jack.
I've gotta go with the flow.
The crazier you are, the more you argue that you're not.
So our hands are tied.
Not entirely.
Wasn't it you who said that her confession was worthless? Well, seems to me on my college application I was required to account for every year leading up to admission.
Now, did Ms.
Maslin include the time that she was incarcerated? The Dean said that he was never aware of any prior problems.
So what? Lying on your college application is not a felony.
No.
But fraud is.
The girl was on scholarship, right? And that's gotta be over 20 grand a year for four years under false pretenses.
That seems kind of petty for killing her roommate.
But to defend against the fraud, she'll have to take the stand.
Kates will never let her testify.
Maybe Kates won't be running the show.
For six months, during her freshman year in high school, Ms.
Maslin was on leave, due to illness.
Or so she wrote on her application.
Was she ever specific as to what illness incapacitated her for those six months? No.
We assumed that it was some sort of depression following the loss of her parents.
Was that in fact the case? As we discovered recently, no, it was not.
In fact, she was not hospitalized at all.
Hypothetically, Dean Kirkwood, had you known at the time that Ms.
Maslin was lying on her application, would you have still accepted her? We have an honor system.
We take it seriously.
No, we would not have accepted her.
Was Megan a mediocre student, Dr.
Kirkwood? No.
Her grade point average was 3.
8.
Well, that's better than an A minus, isn't that correct? That's correct.
How about social problems? Did she fit in? She appeared to have many friends.
Extracurricular activities? She was first violin in the orchestra.
Damn.
Smart, popular, talented.
It's a real shame you let her into your school.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Go ahead.
One more question, Dean Kirkwood.
Do you now know what it was that kept Ms.
Maslin out of high school for six months? Objection.
In my chambers.
This is great, Jack.
Really, wonderful.
The next time you talk to me about morality, don't.
Would someone fill me in here? The defendant has a juvenile manslaughter record.
Which is sealed and confidential.
That the school discovered the misrepresentation is essential to my fraud case, Your Honor.
Nice try, Jack.
But I'm not going to let you bring in the back door what won't fit through the front.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I wouldn't thank me quite yet.
The State sufficiently made out its prima facie case.
The girl lied.
What the lie was is irrelevant.
So Ms.
Kates, it appears the only way you can win this case is to present evidence justifying her lie.
You're asking me to drag her past in front of that jury? I'm not asking you to do anything.
I'm just telling you the only way I see for you to keep your client out of prison.
It's her decision.
May we resume after lunch? What? How'd you like to do us a favor? Coffee.
Light.
Three sugars.
Make mine black.
I could take a year on the fraud.
I'm going for the max, Shelly.
Well, there's no way I can keep her off the stand, which means I can't control her on the cross.
Heads, you lose.
Tails, you lose even worse.
I'm remembering something here, Jack.
Something you said about a hospital? You told me your client wouldn't go for it.
What she doesn't know Maybe I just look the other way.
You're going to sell out your client? If she testifies, anything could happen.
That's right.
She could talk herself into a murder two conviction.
Or she could cry herself into an acquittal.
You could be disbarred for this, Shelly.
Not if it's our little secret.
I'm also remembering something a very wise man told me about morality.
What do you say? I was 14 years old.
My sister abused me.
I had to protect myself.
And you killed her.
She was drunk.
She would have killed me.
I went to a youth facility for nine months.
Megan, why didn't you put that on your college application? The judge told me that it would always be confidential.
He said that it was the law, that after I was released, what happened was nobody's business but mine.
I believed him.
Thank you, Megan.
So the only reason you killed your sister is because of the abuse? Of course.
I don't go around killing people for no reason.
Really? What about your roommate, Alison Reich? Did she abuse you, too? Objection.
Irrelevant.
This is a fraud case, Your Honor.
The witness's credibility is at issue.
She's testified that she doesn't go around killing people for the hell of it.
I'm only testing the veracity of that statement.
Objection is overruled.
Answer the question.
I did not kill Alison, Mr.
McCoy.
Approach, Your Honor.
Judge Birch has already ruled that piece of evidence was illegally obtained.
It's inadmissible.
Not to impeach the witness, it's not.
You put it on the street, Counselor.
Your client just stepped in it.
Objection overruled.
I thought we had a deal here.
I can't look like a pushover, can I? This is yours, isn't it, Ms.
Maslin? Yes.
Forensics says it's got Alison Reich's blood all over it.
Let's try this again, shall we? Did Alison abuse you, too? She didn't hit me, if that's what you mean.
Sure, but there are other ways, aren't there, Megan? Objection.
Withdrawn.
You know we've been talking to your friends, Wendy and Trish.
What did they say? I really don't have to tell you, do I? I would have made first violin at the Philharmonic, but Alison hid my bow rosin.
Why would she do that? She was your friend.
Friend? Would a friend put poison in your toothpaste or ground glass in your water? My sister did that, too, you know.
What was I supposed to do, Mr.
McCoy? I had to protect myself.
The People request a stay in this proceeding, Your Honor, in order to amend the indictment to include a charge of murder in the second degree.
Motion granted.
Shelly convinced Megan to take an insanity plea.
She convince you to accept it? Yeah.
Something was going on in that courtroom.
I mean, Kates seemed to be a little off her game.
We won, Claire.
Don't you get paranoid on me.
Why not? It seems to be going around.
The Dean told me half the student body requested single rooms.
A little paranoia could be the answer to a long life.
How much does anyone really know about the person sharing his bedroom?