24x12 - Duty to Protect

[bunniefuu]

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.

[PHONE BUZZING]

You look great.

Are you sure?

I swear.

You're perfect.

Okay, people.

Places, everyone.

Places!

- [SIGHS]
- Quiet on set!

And action.

My Best Defense.

It literally does everything.

Shields your skin from harmful
UV rays, hides blemishes,

leaves you looking and feeling flawless.

Use it as part of your
daily skincare routine.

It's the only protection
you'll ever need.

- And cut!
- [BELL RINGS]

Beautiful.

Let's reset and do it one more time.

[PHONE BUZZING]

There's a guy downstairs
looking for you.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪

She's a kid.

Can't be more than 16, 17.

MLI says body temp and
rigidity puts time of death

between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m.

We got a name?

No. No wallet, no ID, no phone.

Oh, boy.

Looks like she went face
first into this dumpster, huh?

Yeah, she was strangled too.

Got petechial hemorrhaging in
her eyes, marks on her neck.

Oh.

Necktie.

Make sure we get that to
the lab and have that tested.

Clothing still intact, so
probably not a sexual as*ault.

Who found the body?

Maintenance guy from
the flower shop nearby.



You know, I noticed they had a camera.

Let's make sure we
get that footage, okay?

Mm-hmm.

Somebody lost their child tonight.

And they probably don't even know it.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

About an hour ago, I
was taking out the trash.

I saw her legs.

And then all of a sudden, a guy bolted

from behind the dumpster.

Which way did he go?

- Up towards that corner.
- Thank you.

You get a good look at him?

Yeah, uh, white, thin, about 5'5".

- Hair color?
- Blond.

And he was wearing a blue puffy jacket.

Okay.

We're looking for a male,


wearing a blue jacket.

Let's set up a perimeter north
of Christopher, south of Bank.

Let's go.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

Yeah, blue puffer. Hey, kid.

Hey! Police!

[TIRES SQUEALING] [HORN HONKING]

Kid, stop!

NYPD!

Hey! Stop!

Hey! Do not move!

Keep your hands right there.

Get on the van.

♪

That's nice. Where'd you get this?

- I found it.
- You found it, huh? Where?

- In the trash.
- In the trash.

- How old are you?
- 18.

- Try again.
- 15.



He's 15.

We recovered the m*rder weapon,

and we're getting it tested for DNA.

And if it's a match,
that means life in prison.

I didn't k*ll anyone, though.

Does this kid look
like he wears a necktie?

We got a witness that says
they saw him running away

from the dead woman's body.

He was found with a very
expensive piece of women's jewelry.

Now, I'm willing to bet that we will

be able to prove that that bracelet

belongs to the dead girl.

Yeah.

I was looking for food.

And she was already dead,
so I took the bracelet.

All right, and how about
her phone and her wallet?

That's all there was.

I swear.

You living on the street?

His mother has a problem with drugs.

How about your father?

I don't have one.

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪

All right.

We will be right back.

Did the kid's story check out?

Got video from the flower shop

that was near the crime scene.

Check this out.

So that is our victim


maintenance guy found her.

But keep watching. It gets interesting.

Whoever the mystery man is, he drags her

in the direction of the dumpster,

where the body was found.

And then...


walking towards the dumpster...

no cameras back there.

Then three minutes
later, he comes back out

with the vic's bracelet.

He's telling the truth.

- Okay, call Social Services.
- Already did.

Uh, how'd you make
out at Missing Persons?

I cross-checked all the new reports.

No luck.

Facial rec?

Flower shop footage is too grainy.

This is the only other
photo we have of her,

and her face is too messed
up to make a comparison.

Poor kid.

The victim's DNA is on the necktie,

along with someone else's.

You run it through the database?

It's not in the system, so we
can eliminate convicted felons.

[SIGHS] Anything else?

Well, it's likely a Caucasian male,

but there's no shared genetic
makeup with the victim.

So we can eliminate
biological family members.

Well, that only leaves us

with a few hundred million suspects.

[CHUCKLES] Yeah.

Well, in the more bad news department,

I still haven't been able to determine

this victim's identity.

I can't believe her parents

haven't reported her missing yet.

I know.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

Vince, I need you guys to
go back and canvass the area

around the crime scene,
see if anybody can identify

the picture of the vic.

Have you seen this woman?

Sorry.

- Any luck?
- None.

Excuse me, miss?

Have you seen this woman?

Yeah, I've seen her
around the neighborhood.

Do you know her name?

I've got ten preschool
kids to keep an eye on.

I don't really have time to socialize.

How about yesterday?
You see her yesterday?

Yeah.

She was with a guy, and
he was yelling at her.

Could you hear what he was saying?

No.

What time was this?

Well, I was on my way home
from work, so around 4:30.

And this guy, had you
ever seen him before?

No, sorry.

Can you describe what he looked like?

Uh, white, medium build,
medium height, bald.

How old was he?

Old. Like, 50?

Oh, and he was smoking a cigarette.

Can you show us where he was standing?

Thank you.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

I don't see any cigarette butts.

Mm.

Here we go.

It's a long shot.

Maybe we can get some
prints off the box.

I'll call the lab, see
if they can rush it.

Yeah, if we can't get him on m*rder,

maybe we can get him for littering.

Mr. Paven, NYPD.

Need to ask you a few questions.

Hey, what's up?

You know this woman?

What'd she say?

- Nothing now.
- You got a g*n on you?

- Yeah.
- Hands on the car.

Oh, wait, man!

But the g*n is legal.

All right? I'm on the job.

You're a limo driver.

Yeah, I also work private security.

Yeah, well, if everything
checks out, you'll get it back.

- Come on.
- I'm not going anywhere, man.

My client is in that building.

Tell him he's gotta find another ride.

Is this really necessary?

Look, whatever that
b*tch said, it is a lie.

You've got a lot of anger
towards this young woman...

girl...

and she's dead.

And we have a witness who saw
you bullying her a few hours

before she was k*lled.

Now, why were you, a grown
man, yelling at a teenage girl

on the sidewalk?

Maybe I should have a
lawyer here or something.

That's fine by me.

In the meantime, I'm going
to confiscate your g*n.

Wait, look, I need that for work.

I've got a license for it.

You can't just take that from me.

Yes, I can.

You're a person of
interest in a m*rder case.

You're refusing to
cooperate with the police.

As far as I'm concerned, that
makes you a threat to public safety.

H... hold on.

Look.

My son, all right, he follows
that girl on social media.

She was pushing some new sports drink.

You know, said that it
would make him strong

and full of energy or
some bull like that.

I mean, this girl made it a contest.

How many can you drink in a row?

So my kid ended up downing, like,
five of them in less than an hour.

And there was so much caffeine in it

that he ended up having
a freaking heart attack.

I'm serious, all right? He almost died.

How did you find her?

That girl posted, like,
everything she did,

literally everything.

So I knew that she
was doing a commercial.

She even said the name of the studio.

So I looked it up, went down there,

and, you know, I had
a little talk with her.

Okay, where were you between


I was in Jersey with a client.

I can give you his
contact info if you need.

Yeah, I'm gonna need the name
of the young woman you accosted.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

Kaitlyn was so special.

She's beautiful, inside and out.

I've gotta ask, is there a reason

that you didn't report
your daughter missing?

She didn't live here. We didn't know.

She doesn't live here anymore.

She was 17?

Yeah, um...

She's a... a...

she was a model,

so she lived with a group of models.

No school?

She graduated early.

But we're still very much involved.

We... we spoke to her every night.

Just not last night.

We were at a premiere,
Michelle's premiere.

She's a... she's a film director.

I promised my daughter
I'd take her this weekend.

Was Kaitlyn having any
problems with anyone?

She... [CLEARS THROAT]
She had a boyfriend.

He's... he's a little older.

They were in the process of breaking up.

♪

Who the hell lets their
daughter live alone at 17?

What do you mean?

Kids leave for college
all the time at 18.

- Same thing.
- No, no, no.

Big difference between 17 and 18.

And college is filled with
college kids, you know?

You gotta let them
fly at some point, bro.

All I know is, when
my daughter turns 17,

she's not shacking up with some


[LAUGHS]

She's dead?

Oh.

That's, like, surreal.

Yeah.

Uh, hey, hey, Dylan.

Yeah?

Are you planning on going somewhere?

I just got back from Paris.

I was there for a magazine sh**t.

When's the last time
you spoke to Kaitlyn?

I texted her last night at


Never heard back.

Did that surprise you?

We've been fighting a lot.

- About what?
- [SIGHS]

She was cheating on me.

What makes you say that?

She'd been acting all
weird, spending a lot of time

with other people.

And she didn't wanna
be, you know, intimate.

Any idea who she was seeing?

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Can you show us her room?

♪

This her laptop?

You know the password?

Two hours before the m*rder, she googled

the address of Daisy's Donuts.

Four blocks from the m*rder scene.

Looks like they make
a hell of a cruller,

I'll give them that.

Does anyone remember seeing Kaitlyn?

- Nope.
- Did they have cameras?

They weren't working.

Manager just emailed me
the credit card receipts.

Is her boyfriend's name in there?

I don't see it.

This is interesting, though.

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Did you find something?

Do you know who k*lled my daughter?

We need to speak to
your husband right now.

- Is he here?
- Yes, yes. Of course.

Come in. He's...

What's going on?

- Do you guys have an update?
- We do.

We can talk about it
down at the precinct.

[SCOFFS] Now?

Right now.

It's a little late in the day.

Couldn't we do this first
thing in the morning?

No, this can't wait.

And we would prefer
to do it in our office.

So we need you to come with us.

I don't understand. What's the problem?

Am I under arrest?

We're giving you an opportunity

to come in voluntarily.

But if not...

[SCOFFS]

[TENSE MUSIC]

I guess so.

♪

We've got a credit card
receipt that puts you

in a café a few blocks
from the crime scene

a half hour before Kaitlyn was k*lled.

And Kaitlyn just happened to
google the address of that café

a couple hours before she was k*lled.

And we got surveillance
video from a flower shop

down the block that picked you
up after you left the café.

It shows a man who looks a lot like you

grabbing Kaitlyn by
the arm and pushing her

in the direction of the crime scene.

And you told us that you
didn't talk to Kaitlyn

the day that she was m*rder*d.

- Isn't that right?
- Mm-hmm, yeah. Yeah.

You lied about your
alibi, too, didn't you?

Said you were at a movie premiere?

No, I was...

I was at the premiere.

Really.

Well, the time stamp on the bill here

says that you paid six minutes
after the movie started.

- So help me out here.
- Correct.

I had coffee with my daughter,
and then I went to the movie.

- I got there late.
- Hmm.

Here's me and Michelle at the theater.

That corroborates my client's alibi.

The theater is, like, 15
minutes from the crime scene.

He could have k*lled Kaitlyn
and gotten back to the theater

before the movie was over.

Still, I'm confused.

Didn't the ME tell you the
DNA on the m*rder weapon

didn't come from anyone
in Kaitlyn's family?

The ME said that the
k*ller's DNA profile

didn't share any genetic
similarities with the victim.

He's not Kaitlyn's biological father?

According to family court records,

Ron adopted Kaitlyn
after he married Michelle

about ten years ago.

Can I go home now?

No.

We have a few more questions.

Hold him while you get
a warrant for his DNA.

If it matches the necktie,
charge him with m*rder.

Calling docket ending in 5912,

People v. Ronald Lawson,

charging m*rder in the second degree.

How do you plead, sir?

My client pleads not guilty.

I'll hear the People on bail.

The victim in this case is
the defendant's daughter.

The evidence shows that Mr. Lawson

pushed her into a dumpster,
causing a severe head wound.

Then, as she lay
bleeding on the pavement,

he strangled her with his necktie.

We have video and credit card statement

putting him near the crime scene.

His DNA is on the weapon.

We'd submit that he's a
danger to the community

and a flight risk.
People request remand.

The only thing worse than
losing your child, Your Honor,

is losing your child and then being
falsely accused of k*lling her.

The People have no case,
no motive, no eyewitnesses.

My client is a respected
member of his community.

My client's wife, Michelle Burns,

who is also the victim's mother,

has signed an affidavit affirming that

they were at a movie premiere
at the time of the m*rder.

It was a three-hour film.

He had more than enough
time to k*ll his daughter

and saunter back into the theater

to enjoy his wife's movie.

The bail is set at 20 million.

Don't worry, I got you.

Okay?

The victim's mother
posted bail for the k*ller?

It was a first for me as well.

She also doubled down on her
husband's so-called alibi.

She obviously believes
in Lawson's innocence.

Are we sure we got the right guy?

Yeah, evidence is strong.

What about motive?

Why would Lawson k*ll his own child?

That is the one missing piece.

Have we done a deep dive
into their texts, emails?

Well, I just finished, actually,

and, uh, I think we have the answer.

Kaitlyn made a video,
was supposed to go live

the day she was k*lled.

It's horrific.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

My father, Ron Lawson...

sexually abused me.

It started when I was 14,
and he's still doing it.

I know it sounds weird, but, uh,

at first, it made me feel special.

I actually thought I
was in love with him.

But recently, I... I started to realize

how horrible and a*usive it actually is.

So...

I told him to stop.

He wouldn't.

So, um, I told my mother.

But she wasn't... she
wasn't able to help.

That's why I'm making this video,

to tell the world my truth.

The defendant k*lled Kaitlyn Lawson

because he was afraid of exposure.

He didn't want the world to know

his disgusting, perverted secret.

The evidence will show that
he invited her to a café,

where he tried to talk her
out of posting the video.

When she refused, he
grabbed her by the arm

and dragged her behind a flower shop.

He shoved her face-first
into a dumpster,

and then he used his necktie
to strangle the life out of her.

Ron Lawson thought by k*lling Kaitlyn,

his secret would be safe, but...

But now we all know what Kaitlyn knew.

The defendant is a pedophile.

He is also a k*ller.

And he must answer to that.

We're going to take a brief recess.

I'll see you all back
here in 20 minutes.

[GAVEL BANGS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

♪

[GRUNTS]

[SCREAMING]

Get back! Get back!

Stay...

No, no, no, no!

Back!

Hey. Ron, put the g*n down!

Put it down!

Do not do anything stupid.

Put it down.

- No, no, no!
- [g*nsh*t]

[SCREAMS]

♪

- That was...
- Yeah.

I don't even know how to process it.

Everybody okay?

I'm just glad no one else was hurt.

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]

Where do we go from here?

I presume you're gonna file a
motion to dismiss the charges?

Yeah, we'll have to.

Well, b*stard got off
easy, if you ask me.

Now nobody gets held accountable.

Maybe we should look into the mother.

Well, unfortunately, posting bail

for your a*usive husband isn't a crime.

She didn't just post bail.

She was aware that her
daughter was being abused,

and she did nothing to protect her.

She just let it happen.

Hard to imagine.

Is there a reason she
just looked the other way?

Oh, no idea.

Makes no sense to me.

Her movies are all about female
empowerment and gender equality.

So what do you wanna do?

I wanna charge her with
endangering the welfare of a child.

Can we prove Michelle had
knowledge of the abuse?

We have Kaitlyn's video.

Maybe.

If we offer it for the truth,

it'll likely be excluded as hearsay.

But I'm with you, Nolan.

Michelle Burns had a
duty to protect her child,

and she didn't, and
now the girl's dead, so.

Talk to Brady.

Maybe she can figure out a
way to get Michelle to admit

she knew what was going on

between her husband and Kaitlyn.

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

- Michelle.
- Oh.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Thanks so much for coming in.

Do you want a coffee
or water or something?

No. No, thank you.

Well, I can't imagine
what you're going through.

Yeah, it's, uh...

it's been a long few days.

I'm really very sorry, but I won't

take up much of your time.

I just... I just need to
tie up a few loose ends.

Have a seat.

Some of Kaitlyn's personal effects.

I thought they might be
of some sentimental value.

You can take them if you want.

I just need you to sign that form.

I have a lot of respect for your work.

I think your movies are very powerful,

and they remind me of Alice Munro.

I know she's a novelist, but, um...

I really admire her work as well.

Yeah, you two have a lot in common.

I mean, you're both
feminists that wanted to raise

strong, opinionated daughters, and...

And both stayed with men

even after we knew about their failings?

Well, yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

I know.

I'm not here to judge, Michelle, really.

Honestly, I'm just trying
to tie up some loose ends.

But now that you mention
it, actually, I'm...

I must say, I'm curious.

About what?

Well, you're a brilliant
and talented woman,

a powerful woman.

I... I... I just don't see how you could

sit there and let that happen.

I suppose I felt the same way Alice did.

You know, I love them both very much,

and I suppose I decided
that it was their business,

and it wasn't my place to get involved.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Not your place?

Well, I know on some level, yes.

I mean, if you eliminate
patriarchal norms

and expectations, why should
I be expected to dismiss

my own wants and desires,

or even worse, dismiss those
wants and desires for my child?

So you knew about the
video Kaitlyn made?

Yes.

And what about your
husband? Did he know?

Yes, I... I told him.

♪

Well.

Michelle, I have to tell
you, you make me sick.

- What?
- Get up.

- What the hell are you doing?
- Stand up.

Put your hands behind your back.

[GASPS]

You're under arrest.

She told her husband about the video?

That Kaitlyn was planning to expose her?

Sure did.

She might as well have
handed him a loaded g*n.

Ask me, this is more
than child endangerment.

You want me to charge
her with manslaughter?

Man two.

Michelle Burns had a
duty to protect her child,

and her reckless actions and inactions

directly led to her daughter's death.

Sam.

- Hi.
- Hey, how are you?

I'm good.

You represent Michelle Burns?

[SIGHS] I wish I wasn't.

I can't believe you're
actually prosecuting her.

She's a victim.

Her daughter was m*rder*d.

Yeah, I get it.

But she had a duty, a legal
duty to protect her daughter.

She didn't. So.

Well, you may be right,

but it's more complicated than that.

What are you talking about?

Kaitlyn wasn't the only
woman Ron Lawson abused.

I'm requesting the
court's permission to allow

an expert witness at trial...

a psychologist who can testify
to my client's state of mind

as a victim of physical
and sexual abuse.

How is that relevant to this case?

Mr. Price has a point.

What does a psychologist's opinion

have to do with this matter?

Well, the People are required
to prove that my client

ignored an unjustifiable risk

that someone's death would occur.

I'd like to tell the jury
why she failed to act.

Context is important.

It cuts to the very core of our defense.

The defendant's reasons
have no legal significance.

This is just a veiled attempt

to elicit sympathy from the jury.

I'll allow counsel
to conduct a voir dire

outside of the presence of the jury

to see what this witness has to say.

I'll issue my decision afterwards.

Dr. Mankin, did you conduct
a forensic evaluation

- of the defendant?
- I did.

She reported that she
was in a physically

and emotionally a*usive marriage.

Did she describe specific
instances of violence?

A fractured eye socket, a
broken ankle, a concussion,

and numerous bruises and cuts.

Did she tell you about her childhood?

Do I have to sit here
and listen to this?

Your lawyer asked for this hearing.

Please control your client.

Please answer the question.

When she was nine years old,

Michelle was the victim of sexual abuse

at the hands of an uncle.

Did that surprise you?

No. Children who are
raised in a*usive homes

are six times more
likely to find themselves

in a*usive relationships as adults.

Why is that?

For women like Michelle,

abuse becomes their definition of love.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Cross-examination?

Did the defendant ever
report any of this abuse?

When she was a child,
she told her parents,

but they didn't believe
her, and that was shattering.

It reinforced her
sense of powerlessness.

While the defendant
may have been suffering,

wasn't she still capable
of protecting her daughter?

I believe Michelle suffers
from dissociative disorder.

Her survival depends on her ability

to disengage emotionally.

As a result, she lost her
ability to recognize danger,

along with her maternal
instincts of protection.

You're not saying she's
legally insane, are you?

No, I'm not saying that.

Thank you. Nothing further.

You are excused.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

While what Ms. Burns
is alleging is tragic,

it is clearly not relevant to this case.

And as such, the law requires

that you deny the defendant's motion.

Respectfully, the defense has the right

to present a full and complete picture

of what happened... more specifically,

why this happened.

I agree with Mr. Price.

But Your Honor, as a woman,
how can you possibly...

Don't go there, Counsel.

My decision is based on the law.

And I find that the
defendant's state of mind

has no legal significance in this case.

Therefore, the defendant's
motion is denied.

Dr. Mankin will not be
allowed in this trial.

We're adjourned.

I'll see you all here tomorrow morning.

♪

I'm not sure about this.

Sure about what?

Leaving this evidence out
or even prosecuting Michelle.

She's a victim, Nolan.

♪

Hey.

I've subpoenaed
Michelle's medical records.

They corroborate the
psychologist's testimony.

In the last ten years,
Michelle was treated

for a broken ankle,
fractured eye socket,

and a concussion.

I also found a police report
from Westport, Connecticut,

where Michelle and Ron used to live.

Shows she called 911 to
report domestic violence.

Withdrew her complaint a week later.

Well, there was also a
report from Cleveland,

where Michelle grew up.

Teacher suspected there
was abuse in the home.

I don't dispute that the abuse happened

and that it's horrific.

Jesus.

It also certainly explains why
Michelle would stay with a man

who was abusing her daughter.

Yeah.

But the fact remains, Michelle Burns

had an obligation to protect her kid,

and she did the exact opposite.

She wasn't capable of helping.

She was fighting for her own survival.

You're right about that,

but she let her husband
abuse Kaitlyn for years.

And if that weren't enough, she told

a violent, sexually a*usive man that

he was about to be
exposed as a pedophile,

which directly led to her child's death.

She was more a perpetrator than
victim in this instance anyway.

What kind of precedent
would it be setting

if we gave her a pass?

Society demands that
people in positions of power

protect those who have none.

Parents are the ones
who hold that power.

Yeah, I agree.

But it doesn't mean that
we don't have an obligation

to protect Michelle too.

She's an adult. Kaitlyn
was a kid, a teenager.

In case of a tie, Michelle loses.

Sorry.

Move forward with the trial.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

Lieutenant Brady, did you
speak with the defendant?

I did.

And she told me she was aware
that her husband had been

sexually abusing her
daughter and that the abuse

had gone on for several years.

And did the defendant tell
her husband that Kaitlyn

- was going to expose him?
- She did.

And less than 24 hours
later, Kaitlyn was dead.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Cross-examination?

My client didn't k*ll anyone.

Fair to say?

Fair to say.

In fact, my client wasn't present
when Kaitlyn died, was she?

Objection, relevance?

Overruled. You may answer.

I don't believe she was, no.

The person who actually
did k*ll Kaitlyn,

Ron Lawson, shot himself.

So he's gone.

And now you and Mr. Price are
trying to compound this tragedy

by blaming it on his wife.

Objection, argumentative.

Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

I love my daughter very much.

[SNIFFLES]

More than I can even...

[CRYING]

And I tried very hard to protect her.

I know it wasn't enough, but I tried.

Tell the jury what you mean by that.

I taught Kaitlyn to be a
strong, independent woman.

I took her to self-defense classes.

I... I helped her become
financially independent.

I... I talked to her about
her sex, about her body.

[SNIFFLES] And when
I became aware of what

was going on with Ron, I...

I encouraged her to move out of
the house as soon as possible.

But you were having your own problems.

Objection.

Sustained.

We've been through this, Ms. Hogan.

Your witness.

Cross-examination?

After your husband was arrested

for k*lling your daughter,

you posted his bail, didn't you?

♪

- Yes.
- He was in custody.

He was behind bars. And
you helped him get out?

I did.

You also helped him
create a false alibi?

Yes.

I know that this won't make
any sense, but I was afraid.

And so I did what he said

because that's the way it's always been.

Because if I disappointed
him, he became violent!

- Your Honor.
- Next question.

You have made several very
successful films, haven't you?

I suppose.

One of your movies
is about a young woman

who was abused by a family member.

Objection, relevance.

Overruled.

Please answer.

It was an exploration

in a complicated family relationship.

In that movie, the
daughter is hurt so badly,

she dies, doesn't she?

Objection. Where is he going with this?

The People are required
to prove that the defendant

consciously disregarded a
substantial risk to her child,

knowing that death could result.

I'm simply trying to establish
that the defendant was aware

of the risk involved in not
reporting her husband's abuse

because she made a film about it.

The objection is overruled.

Please answer.

♪

In the film, the daughter dies.

In your home, your husband's
abuse of your daughter

went on for years, didn't it?

Unfortunately.

And you told your husband that Kaitlyn

was going to expose him, didn't you?

Yes.

And 24 hours later, she was dead.

- Did I get that right?
- I...

I made a mistake.

I made a mistake.

I wish I could do it all over again,

be a different person,
a stronger person.

But I wasn't, and I didn't.

And I have to live with
that for the rest of my life.

I'm afraid you do.

I have nothing further.

♪

Nolan.

What you did in there, using her film

against her in that way?

That was fair game, Sam.

No, no, that was legal.

But it wasn't fair.

I...

you're the one who always
says trials are supposed

to be a search for the truth.

So please tell me how the
hell the jury is supposed to

make a decision about
Michelle, about this case

when they don't have all the facts,

when they don't actually know the truth.

The jury decides what is and
isn't true based on the facts,

on the relevant facts.

I respect that you
are a man of principle,

but I have my principles too.

Well, then we'll just
have to agree to disagree.

No.

Do you really think that you know more

about domestic violence than I do?

I... I have counseled victims.

I've volunteered at shelters.

I studied the psychological
impact of trauma.

And there's my sister, who
died at the hands of an ab*ser.

So please don't tell me what
Michelle should have done

or what she was legally required to do.

She spent most of her life being abused.

And the truth is, Nolan, she wasn't

capable of protecting herself,
let alone her daughter.

And there is no punishment in the world

that is going to change that.

♪

Now, if you don't respect my opinion

when it comes to this issue,

then I don't know what the
hell I'm doing in this office.

♪

What do you mean, you wanna cut a deal?

We've been through this.

We agreed Michelle Burns failed
in her duty to protect her child.

I'm having second thoughts.

Sam has been pretty
passionate in her defense

of Michelle Burns, and...

I'm starting to see her point of view.

I'm not so sure that sending
an abuse victim to prison

for 15 years is the right call.

Neither am I.

But I have to look at the big picture.

There are larger societal
implications here.

You're right. [SIGHS]

But let's face it, Nick, Sam knows
more about these issues than we do.

Maybe it's time for us
to start listening to her,

instead of telling her why she's wrong.

♪

Your Honor, the defendant
has agreed to plead guilty,

and we have a sentencing recommendation

- for the court's consideration.
- I'll hear it.

The defendant will admit to so much

of the complaint that
alleges endangering

the welfare of a child,

and she will serve one year in jail,

followed by three years of
post-release supervision.

Defense?

We have agreed to the terms.

Okay, Ms. Burns, I will
accept your change of plea

and sentence you to one year in jail.

Court is adjourned.

[GAVEL BANGS]

♪

Thank you for hearing me.

♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪

[WOLF HOWLS]