Murder One

Season One - Chapter Seven

U.S. air date: November 9, 1995

(Complete transcript) - [Final version]

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Disclaimer: These transcripts were made from personal video copies of
the shows and are presented for Fair Use only to Murder One fans. All
of the  characters and the scripts are the properties of Steven Bochco
Productions, Charles H. Eglee, Channing Gibson, ABC television and
their respective authors. No copyright infringement is intended nor
implied by the distribution of this document. It is solely meant for 
entertainment purposes only.
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"Previously on MURDER ONE"

Clip of Julie and Cross presenting Jessica's diary to Ted.

Cross: "Julie found her sister's diary today. My first thought was you
should see this." Cross hands the diary to Ted.

Clip of Chris, Justine and Ted discussing the diary.

Chris: "We have to submit this to the other side. Reciprocal discovery."

Ted: "We only have to submit it if we use it as evidence. I don't want to
let this thing out until we understand exactly what's going on."

Clip from TV show, Deadline: America. Ted and Louis watch. Connie Dahlgren
release info obtained through a leak in Ted's firm.

Dahlgren: "Informed sources confirm that a recent telephone survey conducted
by Avedon's legal team, shows that 67 percent... "

Ted: "We have a leak in the firm, Louis."

Louis: "It would seem so."

Ted: "Find it and cap it."

Clip from court where a motion to reinstate Neil's bail was to be decided
by Judge Beth Bornstein.

Judge: "I'm reinstating bail in the amount of ten million dollars. Previous
terms continue in effect."

Clips of Ted's theory of what really happened to Dave Blalock.

Ted: "Let me tell you a story. So Davey's at the motel. Carello meets him
there with the tape to prove his information's good. The tape shows Jake
Nichols making love to his wife, Beverly. But for that tape to be worth
a hundred grand and two people's lives, the other guy had to have been
Richard Cross."

CHAPTER SEVEN

On TV, Connie Dahlgren, Deadline: America. Ted and Louis are watching in
Ted's office.

Dahlgren: "The Goldilocks murder case has sprung another leak. Hard on the
heels of last week's news, that Defendant Neil Avedon had flunked a jury
survey commissioned by his attorney Ted Hoffman, comes another juicy rumor
du jour. A mystery witness known only to the Los Angeles District Attorney's
office. According to sources, this witness can place the troubled film star
inside the apartment of fifteen-year-old murder victim Jessica Costello,
hours later than he's admitted to police. This witness, say sources, is the
real reason the DA was willing to file against Avedon so soon after dropping
charges against philanthropist Richard Cross." Ted shuts off the TV.

Ted: "This case has more leaks than the Nixon White House. What I want to
know is who has an agenda in this firm."

Louis: "It can't the associates. Chris Dochnovich is here every night until
ten. He barely has time to take a leak must less leak to the press. And I've
talked to everyone else: Lila, Sydney, the para-legals. They all deny any
knowledge."

Ted: "They understand our attorney-client privilege extends to them?"

Louis: "If they didn't, they do now."

Ted: "What about our attorney service?"

Louis: "You couldn't stack the bibles high enough to cover their denial."

Ted: "Well someone is talking to Connie Dahlgren. She isn't getting this
stuff out of thin air."

Louis: "I hope that it goes without saying that yours truly would sooner
cut out his tongue with a rusty blade than divulge a company secret."

Ted: "Understood, Louis, but stay on this. There's a leak in this office
and I want to know who it is."

[Music and main titles roll]

Daniel Benzali as Theodore Hoffman
Mary McCormack as Justine Appleton
Michael Hayden as Christopher Docknovich
Grace Phillips as Lisa Gillespie
J.C. MacKenzie as Arnold Spivak
Stanley Tucci as Richard Cross
Dylan Baker as Detective Arthur Polson
Vanessa Williams as Lila Marquette
John Fleck as Louis Heinsbergen
Barbara Bosson as Miriam Grasso
Patricia Clarkson as Annie Hoffman
Jason Gedrick as Neil Avedon

Created by Steven Bochco & Charles H. Eglee & Channing Gibson
Executive Producer: Steven Bochco

[Episode credits roll]

Guest starring:
Joe Spano as Raymond Velacek
Bradford Tatum as ???
Hill Harper as Smooth G
Stanley Kamel as Dr. Graham Lester
Robin Gammell as ???
Adam Scott as Sydney Schneider
Gregory Itzin as DA Roger Garfield
Deborah May as Dana Benson
Ned Vaughn as Dean Crowley
Richard Cummings, Jr. as Officer Torres
Nancy Lee Grahn as Connie Dahlgren
DeJuan Guy as Darren Butler

Music by Mike Post
Casting by Junie Lowry Johnson, C.S.A.
Producers: Geoffrey Neigher, Marc Buckland
Supervising Producers: Ann Donahue, Joe Ann Fogle
Creative Consultant: David Milch
Co-Executive Producer: Michael Fresco
Executive Producer: Charles H. Eglee
Written by Doug Palau
Directed by Donna Deitch
------------------------

The morning staff meeting.

Justine: "Guess it was just a matter of time. I heard a Neil Avedon joke
on the elevator."

Chris: "Which of course you're going to share with us."

Justine: "It seems Neil's new girlfriend auditioned for a part in a movie.
She would have gotten it but she choked." The associates laugh. Ted enters.

Ted: "I had a rather unpleasant experience this morning, people. A report
on Deadline: America that the DA has a witness who can place Neil at the
scene later than he's told us."

Arnold: "Where'd they get that?"

Ted: "That's what I'd like to know. There have been too many leaks in this
case, people, some of them coming from this firm. Now I'm going to assume
no one at this table is deliberately leaking to the press. But we all have
to be more careful when discussing this case. Think before you speak. Loose
lips sink ships. On to current business. If this so-called mystery witness
is real, he or she had to have surfaced between the time Richard Cross was
released and Neil was arrested."

Chris: "Meaning Grasso kept if from us at the prelim."

Ted: "Apparently."

Chris: "Let's slap a motion to compel discovery on her. Force her to 
disclose the name or deny under oath that she has such a witness."

Ted: "Let me talk to Miriam first. If she plays hardball, then we take 
off the gloves. We're at war. For every witness on the prosecution list,
I want to know who was their best friend in the fifth grade, when they
lost their virginity and to whom. I want to know every conceivable agenda
their witnesses could have. Lisa, how's the case in juvenile court coming
along?"

Lisa: "I'm trying to collar Matt Barkley and see if I can get the charges
dropped."

Justine: "This is the gang kid?"

Lisa: "Darren Butler, aka Little Chill. Shot and killed a rival gang member
at a funeral for his cousin."

Justine: "What'd he do, look us up in the yellow pages?"

Lisa: "His brother's the rapper, Smooth G.

Arnold: "Based on his last CD, he can more than afford the retainer. A
million copies in the first six weeks alone. I listen to rap sometimes."

Ted: "Arnold, you have hidden depths." To Lisa, "If Barkley won't deal,
we have a fall back?"

Lisa: "It's tough. Fifty eye-witnesses, including six crash cops. I'm trying
to round up character witnesses but the kid's own grandmother doesn't want
to testify. She's pretty scared."

Chris: "Of the kid or the other gang?"

Ted: "Okay, folks. Let's get to work."

At reception, a number of friends of the juvenile are "chatting up" Lila.

Gangsta #1: "Ay, yo. So how 'bout you say you 'n' me do a li'l some-some
after dis?"

Gangsta #2: "Yo, she ain't tryin' to hear dat."

Lila: "I, I don't think so." Grabs the pad she writing on away from her.

Gangsta #1: "Yo, she tryin' to hear me. Ain't you?"

Lila buzzes Lisa: "Lisa, you're ten o'clock is here." They keep grabbing
papers from her desk and looking at them. She takes them back. "If you'll
take your seat, Ms. Gillespie will be right with you."

Gangsta #2: "You see? She playin' you, man?"

Gangsta #1: "Yo. She ain't playin' me, kid." Louis arrives to try and get
them to sit down.

Louis: "All right, gentlemen, you heard the lady. Please take your seats."

Gangsta #1: "Whatup, kid." And they both head for their seats. To Lila,
"Dat's your boss?" He points to Louis.

Louis: "And you, feet off the table." Spots young Darren Butler with a
cigarette and takes it away from him. "And, even if you were old enough,
this is a smoke-free workplace." Crushes it in the ashtray. Now. Mineral
waters for everyone?" Lisa arrives.

Lisa: "You can set them in the conference room, Louis. Hi, I'm Lisa
Gillespie. Which one of you is Mr. Butler?"

Darren: "Man, who is this?"

Smooth G: "I'm Smooth G. Who the hell are you?"

Lisa: "I'm your brother's attorney, Mr. Butler." They all laugh.

Gangsta #2 laughs: "What?"

Gangsta #1: "Yo, you trippin'"

Gangsta #2: "Yo, we came here to see the man! Not some whack-ass gray!"

Gangsta #1: "Word, kid. Man."

Smooth G: "Yo, you even know what we're talking about?"

Lisa: "No. And I won't pretend to. But when you're little brother here
walks into juvenile court, he's going to need more than street slang to
walk out again. The petitioner makes a prima facie case, we can't argue
attenuating circumstances, he's looking at a minimum disposition that
will have his head spinning. You know what I'm talking about?"

They assemble in the conference room.

Lisa: "Okay. Here's where we stand. I'll be talking to Deputy District
Attorney Barkley this afternoon. I will argue self-defense but I don't
expect him to dismiss. Count on going to a jurisdictional hearing in
Judge Leyland's courtroom on Wednesday."

Smooth G: "What are Little Chill's chances?"

Lisa: "Judge Leyland's not exactly a bleeding heart liberal."

Gangsta #2: "Basically, he's white." The gang laughs.

Lisa: "Darren, we need to arrange a time to go over your testimony."

Darren: "Look, my Tech-9 did all the talking I'm gonna do."

Lisa: "The judge is the sole finder of fact in juvenile court, Darren.
He's going to need to understand your state of mind at the time of the
shooting. If you're convicted, you will be confined to a juvenile facility
until your twenty-first birthday and they can add another four years to
that."

Darren: "Look, if it's either that or be a punk, I'll do the time." His
brother slams his hand down on the table, grabs the boy's chin to make
his point clear.

Smooth G: "No! You, listen to your lawyer. You think I'm paying all this
money so you can end up doing thirteen at CYA?" To Lisa, "He'll testify."

Lisa: "Maybe that won't be necessary. Let me talk to the deputy district
attorney first."

Smooth G: "Anything else?"

Lisa: "Unless you have any questions?"

Smooth G: "Naa, we're cool." He gestures for the others to leave.
"Understand this, Miss Thing. You come correct for my little brother or
it's on you. Hoffman or no Hoffman." He touches her cheek as if to indicate
he'd cut her face where he touched her. "You know what I'm saying?" And he
leaves.

Next scene: Grasso's office. There's a knock at the door.

Grasso: "It's open!" The door sticks. Ted finally opens it and enters.
"Teddy! What a nice surprise!"

Ted: "The subject is surprise, Miriam. Only there's nothing nice about it."

Grasso: "We sound kind of grumpy." She tries to hide a sheet of paper on
her desk.

Ted: "I don't like finding out from Deadline: America that you're holding
out a witness on us."

Grasso: "You can't believe everything you hear on those shows."

Ted: "Are you telling me you don't have a witness who claims to place Neil
Avedon at the scene?"

Grasso: "Well, I didn't say that."

Ted: "Then don't play games. We all knew you had more when you arrested
Neil. And this witness was it."

Grasso: "You want to take a deep breath and start over because I don't like
where this is heading."

Ted: "I think you owe me an explanation."

Grasso: "We arrested Neil off of the semen in Jessica Costello and his
inconsistent statements to the police."

Ted: "I don't believe that. You never would have charged him if that's all
you had."

Grasso: "If we're going to be pointing fingers, what about this phantom
diary of Jessica's? Or haven't you heard, they voted for reciprocal
discovery in this state."

Ted: "Come on, Miriam. Until I decide I'm going to use it as evidence I'm
under no obligation to hand it over."

Miriam: "You come on, Ted. If you're not developing evidence off of that
diary, I'll kiss your ass in Macy's window. And before you come in here
accusing me of unethical behavior, you better get your facts straight
first."

Ted: "Meaning?"

Grasso: "Meaning that the leak to Connie Dahlgren did not come from my
office."

Ted: "Then where did it come from?"

Grasso: "I wish I knew myself."

Ted: "Bottom line, Miriam, who's the witness?" She takes the sheet from
her desk and shows it to Ted.

Grasso: "Third name from the bottom."

Ted: "Susan Dominick?"

Grasso: "She's a night nurse at Zephyr House. She logged a call from Neil
at 1:45 a.m. the night of the murder from Julie Costello's phone. That's
two hours after he said he'd left."

Ted: "And I'm to believe this nurse just came forward out of concern for
the public good?"

Grasso: "The police dumped the records from Julie's phone. The call to
Lester's facility practically leapt off the page."

Ted: "And after a little arm-twisting, this nurse gave up Neil."

Grasso: "I'm not going to give you any more, Teddy. All this gratitude,
I'm starting to get a little grumpy myself." Ted gets up to leave. "Oh,
and the next time you come by, just in the spirit of quid pro quo, you
might like to bring that diary. I could use a good book." He leaves.

Next scene, Dr. Graham Lester's office at Zephyr House. Ted is speaking
with Susan Dominick. Lester is present.

Dominick: "A detective came by to see me. I can't remember his name."

Ted: "Polson."

Dominick: "Yeah, I think that's it. He told me the police had a record of
Mr. Avedon calling the clinic the night of that girl's murder. He made it
seem like I'd just be confirming what he already knew. It never occurred
to me he might be bluffing."

Ted: "And that's all you did? Confirm that the call came from Neil?"

Dominick: "That's all I knew. Dr. Lester took the call."

Ted: "Thank you, Ms. Dominick. You've been very helpful." She leaves the
office. "Whatever you're paying that girl, it's not enough."

Lester: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ted: "You're using her to undermine Neil."

Lester: "That's ridiculous."

Ted: "Is it? She functions under the same umbrella of privilege as you do.
She didn't have to talk to Polson and you didn't have to let her."

Lester: "I was out, or wasn't in the office. I resent your suggesting that
I would do anything to undermine the well-being of one of my patients."

Ted: "If you're so anxious to help, why didn't I hear about the call from
you a long time ago?"

Lester: "Maybe I didn't think it was in Neil's best interest to tell you.
Did that ever occur to you, counselor?"

Ted: "Would your definition of Neil's best interests include keeping him
out of the gas chamber?"

Lester sighs, walks over to be closer to Ted: "I want this understood. I'm
telling you this in strictest confidence and only because I know anything
I say here falls under Neil's attorney-client privilege."

Ted: "Get to the point."

Lester: "Neil confessed to killing Jessica. He called me that night. It
was, I don't know, about one-forty-five. He was frantic, out of his mind
on something."

Ted: "Did he tell you he was at Julie Costello's apartment?"

Lester: "I couldn't make any sense out of what he was saying. I told him to
come to the clinic. He showed up here about a half an hour later. Sobbing,
confused. He told me he'd just killed Julie's sister."

Ted: "And if he was out of his mind on drugs, how did he get here?"

Lester: "Cab, I guess. I'm not sure. I gave him a sedative, sent him to bed.
I'll rot in jail before I'll testify to any of this, Mr. Hoffman. But my
lips to God's ears, that's what happened."

Back at the firm, a staff meeting is under way in the conference room.

Ted: "We're on full damage control, people. Either Lester's telling the
truth about Neil's confession or he's running another errand for Richard
Cross."

Chris: "So you really think Neil confessed?"

Ted: "I'm not even sure he made the call but either way we have to shut
down this nurse's testimony."

Arnold: "I sense a motion to exclude."

Ted: "Arguably, her statements may fall under Lester's doctor-patient
privilege."

Arnold: "When do you need it?"

Ted: "I could have used it before she talked to Polson but I'll take it
now."

Arnold: "I'm on it."

Ted: "Ray, any progress up in Sonoma?"

Ray: "I ran down a couple of hookers who used to work for Carello. They
weren't exactly in mourning. If they knew anything about the tape or Davey's
murder they weren't talking."

Ted: "No family?"

Ray: "A sister, who hadn't seen him in months. I asked if he had a safe
deposit box, she didn't know."

Ted: "There's got to be a second copy of that tape."

Ray: "If there is, I'll find it."

Ted: "Let it go for now. Get on Grasso's witness list, starting with this
nurse. She's the weak link."

Chris: "If Cross got to her it had to be pretty soon after the murder."

Ray: "Lester wouldn't let you see her alone before. He'll have her tied
with ribbon by now."

Ted: "Check her financial records. See if there's been any recent rise
in her fortunes. A new car, credit cards paid off, you know the drill."
Louis enters the conference room.

Louis: "Neil Avedon."

Neil is in Ted's office. Ted enters.

Neil: "Teddy? What's the deal with the secret witness? How bad can she burn
me?"

Ted: "If she's telling the truth, not good."

Neil: "Aw, man. Maybe we ought to think about a deal?"

Ted: "Who put that idea in your head?"

Neil: "Richard said Grasso offered a deal weeks ago."

Ted: "I told you not to talk to Richard Cross."

Neil: "Well, he's my friend."

Ted: "He is not your friend."

Neil: "Teddy, he put up a million bucks so I could stay out of jail. I call
that pretty friendly."

Ted sighs: "I'll make this real simple, Neil. I am your only friend.
Anything you say to anyone else can be used against you in court. For your
own sake you trust me and me alone. Until we're past this you consider
everyone else an enemy."

Neil: "Yeah, Teddy, but you should have told me about Grasso's deal.
Richard said you're supposed to do that.

Ted: "Do you want to spend the next six years in prison? That was the deal.
Given your condition at the time the offer was made I didn't think you were
in a position to consider it."

Neil: "Does that mean it's off the table?"

Ted: "Do you want me to find out?"

Neil: "Well I don't know."

Ted: "Then don't second-guess my judgment because Richard Cross is pissing
in your ear."

Neil: "I'm sorry, Teddy. Look, you're my guy."

Ted: "I'm not having a good day, Neil. I need the truth from you. Yes or no,
the night of the murder did you call Graham Lester from Julie's apartment?"

Neil: "I don't remember."

Ted: "Did you or did you not confess to him that you killed Jessica?"

Neil: "Teddy, I don't know."

Ted: "Then the answer to both questions is no. As far as you know you 
didn't call Lester; you didn't confess. The only person in that apartment
after midnight was Richard Cross."

Neil: "Teddy, I could have been there. Look, I want to be straight about
this."

Ted: "Save some nails for the DA."

Neil nods: "Okay."

Ted: "Go home, Neil. Lock the door. Don't talk to Richard Cross. Don't 
talk to the press. If you get bored, read a book."

Neil: "Whatever you say."

Juvenile court, Darren Butler's trial. A crash cop is on the witness
stand. Deputy DA Matt Barkley and Lisa Gillespie, along with various
members of both involved street gangs, are present. Judge Joseph Leyland
presiding.

Barkley: "Officer Torres, in your capacity as a member of the anti-gang
crash unit, did you attend the funeral of William Moore at Cypress Knolls
Memorial Cemetery on September 23rd of this year?"

Torres: "I did."

Barkley: "Had you known the deceased to be a member of the 1-8's street
gang?"

Torres: "Yes."

Barkley: "What were the circumstances of his death?"

Torres: "He was shot and killed in a drive-by three days earlier."

Barkley: "Who were the Avalon Treys?"

Torres: "A rival gang. Their territory abuts along Avalon Boulevard."

Barkley: "Were members of the Treys questioned in the shooting of Moore?"

Torres: "They were the logical suspects but we were unable to develop any
evidence linking them to the crime."

Barkley: "So, on the afternoon of Mr. Moore's funeral, you had every
reason to expect trouble."

Torres: "That's why we were there."

Barkley: "Please describe what occurred."

Torres: "Most of the 1-8's were present, including the minor, Mr. Butler.
The minister had just finished a eulogy when a late-model Oldsmobile 98
approached the site."

Barkley: "Did you recognize the occupants?"

Torres: "They were members of the Treys. Kevin Powell who I'd dealt with
previously was in the rear seat. When Mr. Powell proceeded to lower the
rear door window, the minor Butler pulled a semi-automatic pistol from
his jacket, fired four times, killing Mr. Powell."

Barkley: "Were any of the occupants of this car armed?"

Torres: "We stopped them two blocks from the cemetery. A search of the car
failed to turn up weapons."

Barkley: "Had Mr. Powell said anything, done anything to provoke such an
attack?"

Torres: "He never got the chance."

Barkley: "Thank you, officer. Your witness."

Lisa: "Are you familiar with a wall at the corner of 116th Street and
Avalon Boulevard, officer?" 

Torres: "Yes." Lisa rises and hands a copy of a photograph of the wall to
the prosecution and shows a second copy to the officer on the stand.

Lisa: "Does this wall in this photograph accurately depict the wall I've
just described?"

Torres: "It appears to."

Lisa: "Your honor, we ask that this photo be marked and entered into
evidence as Minor's Exhibit C."

Leyland: "So entered."

Lisa: "Officer, could you explain to the court what the graffiti on this
wall means?"

Torres: "The gangs would mark a wall like this to designate territory.
Another gang will come along and mark over the first gang's signs as
a challenge. If you know how to read the signs, you can usually predict 
violence between the rival gangs."

Lisa: "Had you been watching the wall in this photograph?"

Torres: "We kept our eye on it. Members of the Treys had x'd out the names
of 1-8's. They'd also written `187,' penal code for homicide alongside
several of the names, indicating their intention to kill those members."

Lisa: "Prior to Mr. Moore's death, had `187' been written on the wall
beside his name?"

Torres: "Yes."

Lisa: "Was Darren Butler's name on the wall?"

Torres: "Little Chill, his gang name, was below Mr. Moore's."

Lisa: "Anything written beside it?"

Torres: "`187.'"

Lisa: "So when Kevin Powell and his fellow Treys pulled in to Cypress
Knolls Cemetery, Darren had a reasonable expectation that they were coming
for him, didn't he?"

Barkley: "Objection. Calls for speculation.

Judge: "Overruled."

Torres: "I can't read his mind. I just know he shot four times."

Lisa: "Which is the only reason he's still alive today, isn't it, officer?"

Barkley: "Objection."

Lisa: "Withdrawn. You said you found no weapons in the car but isn't it
a fact that you recovered a nine-millimeter handgun in a dumpster a half
block from the cemetery?"

Torres: "Wiped clean. Entire neighborhood is known gang territory."

Lisa: "Isn't it possible or even likely that a carload of gang members
fleeing a shooting would want to dispose of an unregistered weapon?"

Torres: "It's possible."

Lisa: "Thank you. Nothing further."

Ted's interview with Connie Dahlgren for Deadline: America, in the
firm's library.

Ted: "Leaks have only one purpose, Connie: To bias and inflame. There's a
pool of potential jurors out there, twelve of whom will decide my client's
fate. I want them walking into that courtroom with an open mind."

Dahlgren: "With all this publicity, can Neil Avedon get a fair trial?"
                                                                      
Ted: "These leaks are an attempt to poison the atmosphere of justice. The
question is whether jurors can be open-minded? Could you?"

Dahlgren: "Rumor is you had Miriam Grasso on the carpet over this."

Ted: "I respect Miriam, but I told her the same thing I'm telling you. Let's
try this case in a court of law, not before the television cameras."

Dahlgren: "One last question, how badly does this mystery witness hurt
Neil's chances for acquittal?"

Ted: "Connie, we don't even know what this so-called mystery witness has
to say, or what motivated this person to come forward. The testimony may
not even be relevant to the question of whether my client is innocent or
guilty."

Dahlgren: "That's great. That'll do it." The crew stops filming and begins
packing up. "The implacable facade of Ted Hoffman. Next time I'll bring a
chisel."

Ted: "You tell me something. Who told you the results of our jury survey?"

Dahlgren: "You know I can't answer that."

Ted: "If I've got a traitor working for me I'd like to know."

Dahlgren: "Then speaking hypothetically, just what do I get in return?"

Ted: "I'd say the pleasure of knowing you did the right thing, but I know
better."

Dahlgren: "Sorry, Ted. I'm afraid I'm just a girl who can say no."

In the firm's kitchen, Ted's searching for some aspirin.

Chris: "Ted."

Ted: "How goes it, Chris?" Opens cabinet doors.

Chris: "Just filed the Susan Dominick motion."

Ted: "And I just finished up with Connie Dahlgren. Do you know where Lila
keeps the aspirin?" Opens drawers.

Chris: "No. But I got a rumor I'll bet even Deadline: America doesn't have.
It's all over the courthouse."

Ted: "Yeah, do I want to hear it?"

Chris: "Grasso's quit the case." Ted stops his search, leans against the
counter and crosses his arms.

Ted: "Hmm."

Back at juvenile court, the hallway is filled with gang members of both
the Treys and 1-8's. Some members of the Treys hassle Lisa but she makes
her way through them to reach her client, Darren Butler. 

Trey: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What! What?" He blocks her way.

Lisa: "Excuse me." And pushes past him and others.

Trey: "Where you going? Come back here, man!" An officer hold him back.

Lisa: "Good morning. How's everybody doing?"

Smooth G: "Okay."

Lisa: "Darren, look, I know you don't want to testify but I need you up
there today."

Darren: "What are you talking about? The way you dissed that cop no way
they going to convict me."

Lisa: "Yeah I appreciate the vote of confidence but I'm not so sure the
judge bought it."

Darren: "And what am I supposed to do? Get up there and beg him? Man, he
can kiss my black ass 'fore I do that."

Smooth G: "What'd I tell you? All right then."

Lisa: "Okay." And she leads them into court. Darren takes the stand.
"Darren, when was the last time you saw your father?"

Darren: "I ain't never seen him."

Lisa: "Your mother?"

Darren: "Overdosed two years ago. I live with my grandmother."

Lisa: "When was the last time you saw someone killed?"

Darren: "Last month, my cousin Willie."

Lisa: "William Moore, whose funeral you were attending on September 23rd?"

Darren: "Yeah."

Lisa: "Can you describe how Willie died?"

Darren: "Bunch of us was chillin' on the corner. Couple of Treys rolled
up. Popped him." One of the Treys sitting in the courtroom laughs.

Lisa: "How close were you standing?"

Darren: "As far as I am from you." Approximately 10 feet.

Lisa: "Is your cousin the only person you've seen killed?"

Darren: "Man, you buggin'? Like I seen plenty of people killed. My cousin
Maurice. My brother Danny. K-Dog. Sleepy. Look, I dunno how many, maybe
twelve."

Lisa: "Have you ever been shot at yourself?"

Darren: "First time I was six. Bullet came through the wall while I was
sleeping."

Lisa: "Was that frightening?"

Darren shrugs: "I just sleep in the bathtub."

Lisa: "Darren, why did you bring a gun to your cousin Willie's funeral?"

Darren: "Figured there might be some bangin'."

Lisa: "Like Officer Torres, did you assume that there might be some
trouble if the Avalon Treys showed up?"

Darren: "Soon as I saw that window roll down I knew either me or one of my
homeys was going to get it."

Lisa: "How did you know the Treys weren't just arriving to pay their
respects?"

Darren: "Man, they came to bust a cap! No other reason for them to be
there." One of the Treys makes a gang gesture meaning that he'd be next
to die. Darren sees it, stands and shouts. "Man, you want me? Punk, ass!
Come over here!" Police intercede and try to remove the man.

Judge: "Bailiff, get him!" They try to take him from the courtroom.

Trey: "You're smoked!" To Smooth G, "You too, punk!" Smooth G gives his
own signal to the members of his gang. Darren resumes his seat on the
stand while order is restored to the courtroom.

Law TV does a piece on the Goldilocks murder case. Dean Crowley, host.
Grasso is watching it in her office. Ted and Chris are present.

Crowley: "In Los Angeles, the Goldilocks murder case continues to be beset
by leaks and rumors. With me to discuss the latest is legal expert Dana
Benson."

Benson: "The courthouse buzz is that Deputy District Attorney Miriam
Grasso has pulled out of the case in a dispute with DA Roger Garfield.
Now sources aren't saying how this dispute began it's yet another
blockbuster that's sure to rock this already sensational case."

Crowley: "If Grasso withdraws, will that hurt or help Defendant Neil
Avedon?"

Benson: "Miriam Grasso is a top-notch prosecutor. The DA's office has 
others, yes, but if this rumor proves true I think the defense will be
sleeping a lot better in the nights to come." Grasso turns off the set.

Grasso: "How about it, Ted? Getting any more sleep these days?"

Ted: "I feel like I've been watching a production of `Waiting for Godot.'
It's fascinating, but what does it mean?"

Grasso: "It means that the leak about Lester's nurse came from Garfield. I
cornered him in his office. Told him I didn't appreciate him going around
me to the press. And then after a brief stab at a denial, he admitted it.
And one thing led to another and I quit."

Ted: "Do you think that's wise?"

Grasso: "I'm not getting rich in this job, Teddy. All I have is my
reputation. I think your client's guilty as hell. But I don't like to feel
like somebody's puppet, especially when it's Roger Garfield's hand that's up
my dress." She remembers that Chris is also present. "Excuse my language,
young man."

Ted: "Who's replacing you?"

Grasso: "It's up to Roger."

Ted: "Well, speaking personally, Miriam, I'm going to miss you."

Grasso: "With all due modesty, you've got a better chance of getting Neil
off without me."

Ted: "Maybe, but this case is turning into a circus. And if Garfield has
his way, it's going to get worse. This case needs your honesty, Miriam."

Grasso: "Blow any more smoke up my bustle and you're going to set the
sprinklers off."

Ted: "It's not flattery; it's the truth. Stay on the case."

Grasso: "Funny, you didn't seem quite this charitable last night on
Deadline: America." Ted and Chris both rise and Ted offers his hand
to Grasso.

Ted: "New deck, new deal. We'll start over." They shake hands.

Grasso: "I don't know, Ted. But I'll take it under advisement."

They leave and talk in the hallway outside Grasso's door.

Chris: "Teddy, did I miss something in there? Getting Grasso off the case
is the best thing that could happen to us."

Ted: "How much money you got in your pocket?"

Chris: "Uh, well maybe thirty bucks."

Ted: "I'll put up my next week's draw against your thirty dollars that
before the week is out Miriam Grasso will be back on the case and Roger
Garfield will be licking her boot."

Chris: "She just quit."

Ted: "She's paper-training that idiot. If you think Miriam is going to
walk off the biggest case in her life, you got another thing coming."

Back in juvenile court, closing arguments. Court is empty of all
spectators.

Barkley: "You cannot allow the law of the streets to become the laws of
this land, your honor. Now, Darren Butler committed a brutal act of revenge.
He may learn nothing if incarcerated until his twenty-fifth birthday but
he will surely learn nothing if allowed to go free. We ask this court to
sustain the petition."

Lisa: "Your honor, I grew up in a neighborhood where the only violence you
were likely to see was the occasional schoolyard bloody nose. Where `if I
die before I wake' was an innocent bedtime prayer. Darren Butler grew up
in a neighborhood where he had to sleep in an iron bathtub to avoid being
killed. He didn't start the cycle of violence in which he found himself;
he was trying to survive. You saw an example of that in this courtroom.
A gesture that most of us would not even have noticed was a symbol of the
deadly rules of engagement by which gang members live. To Darren the `187'
scrawled next to his name meant he was next. So when Kevin Powell rolled
down that car window Darren believed he was about to be killed and he
reacted in the only way he knew how, in self-defense. Remember, the last
time he saw someone roll down a car window his cousin Willie was shot dead.
Could he really afford to see what Kevin Powell's intentions were? Your
honor, these are children of war and no purpose can be served by punishment.
I ask that you find my client not guilty."

Next scene: Ted's office. Louis knocks and enters from the rear door.

Louis whispers: "Richard Cross. He doesn't have an appointment." Cross'
image is silhouetted through the glass door.

Ted: "Show him in." Louis opens and lets Cross in. "Richard."

Cross: "I'm not happy, Teddy." Cross paces back and forth.

Ted: "How can I help?"

Cross: "I called Neil today. He told me you instructed him not to take
my calls."

Ted: "That's true."

Cross: "Huh. I'm racking my brains here. Did I do something to offend you?
Because all I've tried to do throughout this entire process is to be the
best friend to Neil that I possibly can."

Ted: "I appreciate that Richard, but you need to understand Neil's in a
fragile state of mind."

Cross: "You're telling me? That's why I put up the kid's bail."

Ted: "And Neil's grateful for that. But what you consider a helpful
suggestion sends this kid into orbit."

Cross: "I mentioned that Grasso offered a plea. I thought he already knew."
Continues pacing.

Ted: "All the same, he came in here bouncing off the walls."

Cross laughs: "And you think that's my fault? Look, Teddy, I have
tolerated a certain level of innuendo here because I realize that you
have a job to do. But you cross a line when you tell him that he can't
even talk to me. I mean I think I deserve better than that. Don't you?"

Ted: "It was certainly not my intention to offend you, Richard."

Cross: "Well... " Stops pacing.

Ted interrupts: "But right now I need Neil thinking straight -- which means
listening to his lawyer, not his friends, however well-intentioned they
may be."

Cross: "As usual, you're right. This is not about me. This is about that
poor kid, fighting for you life." Walks over to Ted's side of his desk
and stands near him.

Ted: "I'm glad you see it that way."

Cross: "You know when this whole thing is over we should get together, you,
me and Annie. Get on the jet, go to my place in Breckenridge. Put this whole
case behind us."

Ted: "That sounds like a plan."

Cross: "Still friends?"

Ted: "Always, Richard." Slow-motion shot of the two shaking hands.

Press conference, DA Garfield announces Grasso's return to the Avedon case,
shown on TV. Chris and Justine are watching along with Ted in his office.

Garfield: "Ah, thank you for coming today, ladies and gentlemen. I have
a brief statement to make regarding People versus Avedon." Reads from a
prepared statement. "`In any case involving significant public interest
there are bound to be unsubstantiated leaks and rumors. While it is
impossible to shut down all of these leaks, it has come to my attention
that at least one of them has emanated from this office... "

Ted: "`Shocking. Gambling in Casablanca.'"

Garfield: "... I want to give the strongest possible assurance to the press
and to the public at large that every effort has been made to see that this
does not occur again. To the extent that this episode has embarrassed Miriam
Grasso, she has my sincerest apologies... "

Chris: "Oh, he's not just down on one knee. He's in full grovel."

Garfield: "... This case is hers to win... "

Justine: "Yeah, in other words, guess who's ass it is if Neil walks."

Garfield: "... I'll let, uh, Miriam say a few words and then we'll take any
questions." Chris reaches into his pocket for the thirty dollars.

Grasso: "Thank you, Roger. Let me just say that I'm happy to be back on
board and I look forward to trying this case, where it always belonged,
in a court of law." Press begins shouting questions at them both.

Justine: "Way to go, Miriam." Chris rises and hands the money to Ted.
"What's that for?"

Chris: "Don't ask."

Ted: "We're back in business." Chris and Justine leave. Louis enters.

Louis: "Got a minute?"

Ted: "What's up, Louis?"

Louis: "I think I found our leaker. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I did
a little amateur sleuthing and you'll never guess who I saw coming out of
Connie Dahlgren's apartment at seven o'clock this morning, with wet hair
no less?"

Later on, Sydney Schneider enters Ted's office.

Ted: "Come in. Sit down. Before I start, is there anything you'd like to
tell me?"

Sydney, nervous: "Uh, uh, I'm not sure I follow."

Ted: "I think you do. You've been talking to Connie Dahlgren." 

Sydney: "Oh, God.

Ted: "Violating the confidentiality of this firm."

Sydney: "Mr. Hoffman... "

Ted interrupts: "Be quiet and listen. An attorney's fundamental duty is to
his client. To violate that privilege is to violate a trust. Not only have
you exposed this firm to possible civil liability, you've jeopardized your
own career before it's even begun."

Sydney: "Mr. Hoffman, I swear. I never meant for this to happen. I was
walking to my car and she was there. All decked out and smelling like... "

Ted interrupts: "I don't require the details, Sydney."

Sydney: "She asked me if I wanted to have a drink. Well, I don't drink. But
I thought, uh, `well, okay.' Two passion bowls later I was in her apartment.
She was undoing my tie. Next thing I know I'm not wearing pants. Uh, Mr.
Hoffman, I didn't have a date until I was a freshman in college. And here
was this, this incredible woman, I mean, breasts... "

Ted: "You were seduced."

Sydney: "Exactly."

Ted: "Sydney, the real measure of a man is what he does when no one else
is looking. When he's guided only by his own sense of right and wrong. By
that measure, you've failed."

Sydney: "I understand. I'll clear out my desk."

Ted: "There's no need to do that. Finish your internship. Take this
opportunity to grow to become the kind of lawyer I can be proud of, that
your parents can be proud of. If you do that, this matter will remain
between the two of us."

Sydney: "Thank you, sir. I'll never forget this."

Ted: "For your sake I hope not. Oh, and Sydney?"

Sydney: "Yes?"

Ted: "Next time somebody offers you a passion bowl, stick to shirley
temples." Sydney nods and leaves.

In juvenile court, Judge Leyland renders his verdict.

Judge: "I see too many of these cases. Young man shot and killed and another
accused of his murder. Usually I must decide whether the Defendant minor
committed the crime but in this case, I must consider why. By the standards
of his young life he could not afford to see what might happen once that car
window was rolled all the way down. I condemn the world that made him think
like that. But I cannot fully condemn him. I find Darren Butler acted in
self-defense. Therefore it is my order that he be released to the custody
of his older brother. I order that he perform three hundred hours of
community service for the facility for the elderly and that he report to
a probation officer of the juvenile court each week until his eighteenth
birthday. Young man, I'm giving you a second chance. Take it."
The two brothers hug.

Outside the courtroom, the other gang members of the 1-8's congratulate
young Darren.

Gangsta #2: "You know they lay in waitin' for you, right?"

Darren: "I'm on it. I'm hard and I ain't even worried."

Lisa, to Smooth G: "Is he going to be all right?"

Smooth G: "Ay-yat. He's back in the 'hood." Goes over to embrace his kid
brother. The gang leaves.

Back at the firm. As Ted walks through the empty firm late at night, he
comes across Chris, still hard at work in the library.

Ted: "What are you working on?"

Chris: "Going over prior testimony from Miriam Grasso's expert witnesses.
It's a pretty impressive crew."

Ted: "No doubt. Why don't you knock off, go home and get some rest?"

Chris: "Another couple of hours, as soon as I get through this."

Ted: "Dave Blalock lived for his work and in the end how many people cared?
Don't make the mistake he did. Get a girlfriend. Get a life outside this
office."

Chris: "That's good advice, Teddy. Thanks."

Ted: "'Night, Chris."

Chris: "Good night." Ted leaves.

Next scene, in a bedroom, probably Lisa's. The TV news is on with a story
about Lisa's juvenile case. Lisa is seen drying her hair after taking a
shower.

Reporter: "In other news, the younger brother of rap star Smooth G was
acquitted of first degree murder charges in the death of a South Central
teenager... " She walks around the bedroom.

Lisa: "I want to feel good about this, I really do. But I keep thinking,
putting this kid back on the streets is like getting someone off a speeding
ticket in Bosnia. Maybe the DDA was right. His chances of seeing his
thirteenth birthday are probably better in prison than there in his own
neighborhood." She climbs into bed. "But a win is a win, right? Help me
out here." Chris is finally shown in bed. He shuts off the TV.

Chris: "Seems to me, you've got two choices."

Lisa: "Mm-hmm."

Chris: "You can either take comfort in the fact that you did a great job.
Or you can agonize over this and drive us both crazy."

Lisa: "Do I drive you crazy?"

Chris: "Out of my mind. Hoffman says I should get myself a girlfriend."

Lisa laughs: "Oh? Who's the lucky babe?"

Chris: "Come here." They kiss.

The Hoffman household.

Annie: "So, Miriam Grasso's back on the case."

Ted: "And we found our leak."

Annie: "Who?"

Ted: "Sydney Schneider."

Annie: "Sydney Schneider? You're kidding? Why would he do something like
that?" Pours out some cognac for them both.

Ted: "He was seduced by Connie Dahlgren."

Annie: "Actually, sexually seduced? Little Sydney? I remember when he was
in diapers." Hands Ted a glass.

Ted: "He could have used one." Annie smiles. "He just about wet his pants
relating the saga. Remember the expression on Lizzie's face the first time
we took her to Disneyland?"

Annie: "What, the `I can't believe this is really happening but don't pinch
me in case it's a dream' look?"

Ted: "That's the one. You should have seen this kid's puss."

Annie: "What does someone like Sydney Schneider see in a harpy like Connie
Dahlgren?"

Ted: "I think breasts had something to do with it."

Annie: "Are you going to tell his parents?"

Ted: "Naaa."

Annie: "What are you thinking?"

Ted: "Husband-wife privilege?"

Annie: "Goes without saying."

Ted: "Graham Lester says Neil confessed to him. If it's true, you were
right about him all along."

Annie: "What does Neil say?"

Ted: "He was so coked and liquored up that night he doesn't know what to
remember."

Annie: "What do you do know?"

Ted: "Exactly what I have been doing."

Annie: "Teddy, how will you be able to look your daughter in the eye if
Neil Avedon killed fifteen-year-old girl and you get him off?"

Ted: "That's the wrong question, Ann. The right question is how can I look
her in the eye if I don't give Neil the same presumption of innocence the
Constitution does." Lizzie comes down from her bedroom.

Lizzie: "Daddy?"

Annie: "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I forgot. I promised you'd say good night
when you got home."

Ted: "Come on, honey." Kisses her. "Let's go upstairs."

[End titles]

Steven Bochco Productions
20th Century Fox Television, a News Corporation Company
Supervising Associate Producer: Gigi Coello-Bannon
Associate Producer: Chad Savage
Casting in New York: Alexa L. Fogel, C.S.A.

Co-Starring:
Jane Lanier as Susan Dominick
Mark Prince Edwards as Gangsta #1
Jermaine "Big Hugg" Hopkins as Gangsta #2
Samuel "Caffeine" Monroe, Jr. as Trey
Vanessa Zima as Elizabeth Hoffman
Lynn Blades as the News Reporter

Director of Photography: Aaron E. Schneider
Production Designer: Paul Eads
Edited by Kaja Fehr, A.C.E.
Unit Production Manager: Patrick McKee
First Assistant Director: Scott Printz
Second Assistant Director: Brian Faul
Costume Designer: Brad R. Loman
Legal Consultant: Howard Weitzman
Technical Advisor: David J. Gascon
Production Coordinator: Nancy Wilkerson
Costume Supervisor: Debra Beebe
Make-Up Artists: Norman Page, Jim Scribner
Hairstylists: Paulette Pennington, Anthony Wilson
Continuity Supervisor: Sonny Filippini
Camera Operators: David Boyd, Steve Smith
First Assistant Camera: Brian LeGrady
Gaffer: Mark Vuille
Key Grip: Harry L. Rez
2nd 2nd Assistant Director: Andy Spilkoman
Technical Consultant: Debra Carrillo
Production Sound Mixer: Susan Moore-Chong, C.A.S.
Supervising Sound Editor: Margi Carlton
Music Editor: Patty McGettigan
Background A.D.R.: Superloopers
Re-recording Mixers: Robert L. Appere, Ken Burton
Set Decorator: Mary Ann Biddle
Set Designer: Mindy Roffman
Lead Person: Randy Bostic
Property Master: Jerry Moss
Location Manager: John Armstrong
Script Coordinator: Michael Norell
Casting Associates: Libby Goldstein, John A. Aiello
Construction Coordinator: Pete Lawrence
Transportation Coordinator: Norm Benson
Assistant Production Coordinator: Ann M. Kaiser
Post Production Coordinators: Laina Mumbrue, Jamal A. Swinton
Production Accountant: Candace Montgomery-Lira
Asst. to Steven Bochco: Barbara Kroells
Asst. to Charles H. Eglee: Marian Devney
Asst. to Fogle/Buckland: Karin Londgren
Asst. to Donahue/Neigher: Holly Baker
Asst. to Michael Fresco: Maureen Milligan
EPR (R) Telecine and Electronic Assembly by Encore Video Inc.
Telecine Colorist: Steve Porter.
Re-recorded at Sony Pictures Studios
Post Production Sound Editorial by Dave Weathers, Miles of Fun Sound
Presented in Dolby Surround
Lenses & Panaflex (R) camera by Panavision (R)
Copyright (c) 1995 Steven Bochco Productions #7107 All Rights Reserved
Steven Bochco Productions is the author of this motion picture for purposes
of copyright and other laws.
(AMPTP) Color by Foto-Kem Laboratory (R)

The events and characters depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any
similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely
coincidental.

Ownership of this motion picture is protected by copyright and other
applicable laws, and any unauthorized duplication, distribution or
exhibition of this motion picture could result in criminal prosecution
as well as civil liability.