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- Ms. Harper! - KJ! Can we get a comment?
Look this way, please!
KJ!
- Right here! - Ms. Harper!
- KJ! - Ms. Harper!
KJ!
Yeah! All right, baby!
You're almost there. Almost there.
- Almost out of the woods, baby. - I told you we'd get past this.
Three down, one to go. Fuck that prosecutor.
And that's thanks to you. You and your brass fucking balls.
We need to make a statement, press our advantage.
Stand behind me, keep your mouth shut.
It is over.
Let's go.
My client is a victim of a hate-fueled campaign
by a race-baiting zealot of a prosecutor.
Ms. Harper is making a name for herself,
but police officers who risk their lives
every day for us are paying the price.
Officer Jablonski, a number of your colleagues
have been calling in sick, not reporting for duty,
and now the city's facing a surge of violent crime.
As far as what's going to stop the unrest, who knows?
The governor calling in the National Guard?
Another dead cop?
There were 64 police officers killed in the line of duty this past year.
Well, our son was murdered this year.
Along with too many black boys to even count. So you do that math.
- Okay, thank you for your time. - Well, where's your outrage for them?
Where's the outrage for my son?
What if it was your child?
Where are our children in all of this?
Mrs. Butler, how can this be a hate crime
if the officer didn't know your son was black?
We're simple people, we don't have money for fancy lawyers like you.
- But we work hard. - Was your son in a gang...
We live life right, we just want what's fair.
We deserve justice!
Our son deserves justice!
In a surprising development today
in the Brenton Butler trial,
Prosecutor KJ Harper's mistake in court
may have cost her the case.
It was a stunning mistake
for her to make in the courtroom.
And as you can see, the response from the public,
as in the courtroom, has really been quite dramatic.
Get up!
We got work to do!
I know you've got a "Fuck off" in there,
so let it out now, save some time.
Gonna make coffee.
I'm out of coffee.
- I want to watch TV. - I fucked up.
I let that kid die. Now get up.
- I can't. - You do it.
God!
Pull yourself together. Come on. Jesus!
Whoa.
No, I...
I walked right into it.
I just handed her this prop for her goddamned show-and-tell.
- I fucking blew it. - Join the fucking club.
Doesn't mean you get to take your ball and go home.
It doesn't matter. He's not going away.
You do realize he's not gonna do any real time.
- We still have death by auto. - We have shit.
- And get off of me! I can walk! - Okay, then...
Ow!
Really?
I picked up the purchase report from Jablonski's blue SUV.
Oh, Jesus. We looked at that a million fucking times.
Yeah, but we never looked for the grille guard.
Look.
It was there when Marie Jablonski bought the car,
but not when he drove to the hospital the morning of the hit-and-run.
See? It's gone.
And I checked the hospital footage for the day before the accident.
They had a visit with the doctor and it was there.
- So? - So, it could be direct evidence
linking Jablonski to the accident.
Forensics can match it with Brenton's injuries.
You can make the case that this specific car hit Brenton.
It's gone, with the car, with every fucking thing, and...
You've got two choices here:
you crawl back in that bottle and you die,
or you get up off your ass and do your job.
We broke a lot of promises.
Pretty fucking epic ones.
We don't get to quit.
Bring up the grille guard in court and see who flinches.
Ain't nobody tryin' to see him play the black papa.
Ciao.
Wow, Daryll, was that really...
Your mom's gone, God rest her soul,
and you still sucking them fucking cancer sticks.
One of my vices. We all got 'em.
Like you with that cop Jablonski.
The advice was free, my time isn't. I came here to talk business.
Business?
What, with all the trouble your boy caused? Please.
Time for me to find a new partner.
One of you bitches under every rock in the pond, man.
The pond you refer to...
is the size of a Dixie cup.
You better be grateful for what you got
and you watch your fucking tone with me.
I wonder what your boy Jablonski would think
when he finds out that you're the one
that put the nine mil in the uncle's hand?
He won't. 'Cause you're the only one privy. Ain't that right?
Blaze don't know.
Nigga don't even fucking talk.
But me?
I'm a born conversationalist. Fucking soliloquies and shit.
You threatening me, you cripple motherfucker?
Look at you, man.
You so soft for that boy, it makes me wonder,
that prosecutor drag my ass into court, you gonna be soft then too?
Throw me under the fucking bus?
You should've fucked that little white boy
when you had the chance, man.
What the fuck?
You still good with 14 percent?
- I'll make it work. - Yeah, you will.
Throw this piece of shit in the river.
Father God,
I come before you today to...
ask for your help and your guidance in Brenton's case.
Why did you let this happen to an innocent child?
Where was your mercy?
I can't even close my eyes without seeing his...
last seconds.
How alone he must have been.
Show me something.
Show me something...
besides what's in my head. Please.
'Cause I can't see past it right now.
Show me that you were there with him.
Please.
Black lives matter! Black lives matter!
Blue lives matter! Blue lives matter!
She's gonna push to have all charges dismissed,
so you have to convince the judge on this grille guard business.
- Yeah, I know. - Emphasize, use the actual words,
- see if one of them cracks. - Will you give me some space here, okay?
I thought she was the one with the conscience.
She was.
All rise.
Court is now in session. The honorable Judge Robert Dolan presiding.
Please be seated.
Outbursts like the one yesterday will not be tolerated.
I hope I am making myself very clear.
Ms. Hennessy, before I recall the jury,
I'll hear arguments on your motion to dismiss.
Yes, Your Honor.
Given that we heard testimony from the State's own witness
proving that the victim's race was indeterminable,
I move to dismiss the hate crime charge against my client.
Furthermore, the State hasn't proven any elements of the other charges.
Therefore, I move to dismiss all charges.
This is a gross overreach, Your Honor.
The State is far from finished presenting its case.
Upon redirect with Mr. Lee, we will establish evidence
directly tying Officer Jablonski's car to the accident.
The defendant's SUV originally
had a grille guard attached to the front.
We believe it sustained the lion's share of the accident impact.
For the prosecution to introduce
new evidence at this late stage...
Hardly new evidence, Your Honor.
It's a separate line of questioning
based on evidence already in record.
Evidence which, even if true, is nowhere
near establishing my client's guilt.
I think that's for the jury to decide, Ms. Hennessy. Not you.
And the State will be presenting further evidence
substantiating the hate crime charge.
I'll give you some leeway, Ms. Harper, but not much.
Defense's motion to dismiss is denied.
Your Honor, I still need time to prepare.
You have an hour.
Then I'll be bringing the jury back in to hear testimony.
Court stands in recess until 2:00 p.m.
Should I be worried?
Right.
We're good.
Trice.
Did you know about Brenton?
I had thoughts.
I believed he told me everything.
Well, you raised him so he could.
I'm not sure I did.
Isaiah, I had no right to say that to you.
To say that you didn't love him. I know you did.
- What the fuck is going on? - Shut the fuck up, man.
The prosecutor knows where it is?
If she did, it'd be on display right now,
front and center.
If Jablonski cracks, that grille guard's the only thing
guaranteeing this shit lands squarely on him.
All right?
You think I'm gonna listen to you of all people on strategy?
Yeah.
'Cause out of all of us, my hands are the only ones stayed clean.
- Doing okay? Look a little queasy. - Get outta my face.
If you're not feeling well, you should go to the hospital.
Maybe have the doctor take a look at those scratches on your arm.
Did she look you in the eye when you shoved the needle in her?
Oh, you motherfucker, it was you.
Hey, you better believe I'm coming right at you.
The presence of a grille guard could certainly account
for the low number of paint samples found in the victim's hair, yes.
Are Brenton Butler's injuries consistent with this type of grille guard?
They are.
Mr. Lee, can you show the jury which of the victim's wounds
match the pattern of the defendant's grille guard?
These marks on the victim's scalp
at the anterior side of the skull
match the metal rod on this particular grille guard.
- Objection, Your Honor. - On what grounds?
Counselors, approach the bench.
Your Honor, this is a blatant attempt
to interrupt the flow of this witness' testimony.
I'd like to renew my argument the trial be continued
until after I have a chance to study this new evidence.
Your Honor, you already ruled on this motion.
That was until I understood the scope of the State's questions.
The State should at least be allowed to finish questioning.
Your Honor, the defense needs
ample time to study this new evidence.
At least over this coming weekend.
Oh, my God!
- Back up! - T!
Come on, give her some room!
- Teresa! - Take it easy, take it easy.
- She's all right. - Easy, easy.
Oh, my God, you're shaking like a leaf and you're so pale.
- Are you sure you're okay? - Stop, I'm fine, I told you.
But you're not fine. You just passed out in there.
You need to take her to the urgent care. She needs to see a doctor.
- No. - No, she don't.
We got news.
What news?
I guess she's still got that conscience.
- Oh, my God! - Yeah.
None of the others even blinked at the mention of the grille guard.
Osorio's the one that killed Nadine.
He's got scratch marks up and down his arm.
I can get one of the office detectives to follow Teresa.
You probably shouldn't be around them.
I'm doing this.
Something to keep in mind though about this crew
and how they handle loose ends,
Messiah's missing too.
They're cleaning house.
Which means we need to be extra careful with how we handle Teresa.
Look, offer her immunity, just whatever you need.
I'll do some research, dig up any skeletons if I can.
Just don't let her out of your sight, okay?
- Mrs. Butler. - Today went well, right?
The testimony today establishes damage.
Is it enough to put him away?
Probably not. Uh, but court's in recess until Monday
and I have another lead. It could be the break that we need.
That man has the cops,
the press, the entire justice system on his side.
I have you.
Get the fuck outta here.
We need to get you to a hospital.
- Don't touch me! - All right. I won't, I won't.
Don't touch me. Don't touch me.
How about...
I just sit here?
For as long as you want.
Seriously, you didn't have to do this.
Yeah, we did.
It's a big deal. You're having a baby.
You need this, especially now.
- Hey, come on, get off. - You gotta have some fun.
Isn't that bad luck?
- Hey, listen up. Ladies, shut up. - You're gonna be a great mom.
All right, get up.
I know it's early, but fuck it.
We have got to celebrate good news for once.
Watch your fucking language, babe.
Speech, speech, speech, speech.
You're one hell of a cop.
You're gonna be one hell of a dad.
The fuck is the matter with you? ¿Que te pasa, coño?
Yo, get the fuck off of me with that shit! Are you serious?
- No! No! - Hey, hey, hey! Get the fuck off!
- Walk away! Walk away! - He's fucking drunk!
- He's a fucking idiot. - Bitch!
Hey! Watch your fucking tone. All right?
Come sit down. He's an asshole.
Don't know what's wrong with him. He's acting crazy.
- Manny, you know what's wrong? - Nah, it's nothing.
- He's not sleeping. - Forget about it.
- It's cute, right? - It's so cute.
Our kids are gonna grow up together, just like we did.
We're gonna be mommies together.
You're gonna do great in court.
I trust you.
Mm-hmm.
All right? You drink with me.
Salud.
Here's to us.
To justice. Right?
Fuck him.
Petey, I need to tell you something.
- DiAngelo... - No, hey, hey.
I need to talk to you about something.
Let me grab you another beer. All right?
- I ain't going to let them hurt you. - Hey, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
- You can't smoke, you're pregnant. - Come on, stop, T.
- You're pregnant. - Come on, you gotta quit that shit.
You want your kid to come out with crab claws?
I know a girl on the shore, her kid came out
with fucking pincers, I swear to God.
- Oh, it's my last one. Promise. - Come on, you don't need to do that.
- Promise. - Come on, stop, stop, stop.
Fuck! What the fuck? What the fuck?
Hey.
I guess congratulations are in order.
- Little girls, man, they're the best. - You're spying on us now?
First time you see that face, it's gonna break your heart.
Break your kid's heart too, knowing she's gotta visit you in the clink.
Get out of here. You can't be here. It's trespassing.
I think it's good that you know the law.
It means you know what an accessory is.
So you know not talking about those cops killing that kid
and crushing his head under that SUV that you like to drive around...
You don't leave now, I will call them out here.
Let's do it. You should do it!
Call them!
Ask them about Nadine, the other little kid they killed.
What are you talking about?
Yeah. She was 15 years old.
She was gonna put 'em all away.
Look at her.
Your friends in there...
left her to rot in some swamp.
- Look at her! - Stop it!
They're worse than animals,
those people in there.
And they're all lying to you.
Even that cousin of yours.
Don't talk about my cousin, you asshole.
No. Why? Hey.
You stay away from her, you stay away from me!
- Okay! Hey, okay! - Hey, guys!
Hey, shh.
Know how to reach me if you change your mind.
Same place your old man works.
Come get breakfast.
Whether or not Brenton Butler was a gang member,
the 15-year-old did in fact have a juvenile record for drug possession.
All I got is cereal.
That'll work.
What about you and Mrs. Butler?
Y'all ain't checking for each other no more?
Just saying, Brenton would've wanted y'all to work it out.
Ain't that what you want?
Not everything's up to me.
Finally made my peace with that.
I am thinking about starting a new job though.
Doing what?
Painting.
Something I been into since I was a kid.
So you trying to be an artist now?
- Like museums and shit? - Nah.
Just, you know, painting old houses, buildings.
Putting some color back.
Some light.
Life.
I might need some help if you're interested in a job.
I ain't no employee.
Shit.
If you're looking for a partner though...
we could talk.
I just might be.
You know, you always got a place to stay if you need it.
I appreciate the offer, but...
I got an aunt out in Mobile.
She's been hitting me up for a while.
Everything that's been going down,
seems like a good idea.
Think I could make it as some country Alabama boy?
I do.
Dear Heavenly Father, may you bless this food
for the nourishment of our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Bless all our loved ones and...
those who aren't here to be loved.
I spooked her.
She knows something, but she's not talking.
And she's in deeper than we thought too.
She's about to have Wilcox's demon child.
But other than that...
How about you?
Nothing.
Past jobs, old boyfriends,
I couldn't come up with anything to use as leverage.
What about the cousin, Marie?
One mention of her and she went nuts, like a Pekingese on PCP.
They grew up on the same block together.
But if she's about to start a family with Wilcox,
there's no way she's turning any of them in.
What about the other witnesses?
Messiah's AWOL, she's the last one.
Without that grille guard, auto death is mostly speculation.
And hate crime's a Hail Mary.
He had to have seen that blood near the ditch.
And those shoes, they were right there in plain sight.
Can't introduce the Timberlands without Nadine.
I know.
But Jablonski must've seen them.
If he did, he had to have known there was a kid in that ditch.
Have to do better than that. "Must have's" are not gonna sway a jury.
We got a couple hours before the trial. I'm gonna help you prep.
I'm gonna get some moo shu down the street
and we're gonna do a little mock trial here.
- No. No. - Huh?
You sat on Teresa all weekend, you did your part.
I just... I need to think, okay?
Let me do my job.
You sure?
I do a mean Jersey girl.
I already got the gum. See?
Go.
You're gonna do good tomorrow.
Goodnight, Fish.
Night.
I didn't mean to scare you.
You didn't.
You know what kind of message it sends,
you disrespecting me in public.
- Don't walk away from me! - I'm walking to my car, Officer.
There's a time and a place to discuss legal matters.
How is it you still don't get that we're a team?
The N.A.P. wanted their best man on this case,
and like it or not, it was me.
You wanna be a part of a team, join a softball league.
With a little more conviction.
Excuse me?
You didn't really own it.
I caught a little quiver in your cheek.
I got something for you.
You want to shake her up tomorrow, use this.
What is it?
That's a little thing called "inherent bias."
It works both ways.
People gunning for us,
'cause they can't raise their own families
without asking us for our help.
At the end of the day,
this whole thing is one big clusterfuck of Mommy and Daddy issues.
Like I said, you're gonna enjoy what is on that.
And whatever you think about me...
he's a good kid.
A naive one...
with his own Daddy issues.
But that's how you like 'em. Fatherless sons.
Do your job.
Get Jablonski off.
Is it... Is it true, in fact, Ms. Tonelli, that...
Come on, KJ.
That you are...
Oh, shit.
You ready to go?
- Give me a minute, I gotta change. - We're gonna be late, giddyup.
Put the yellow folders in my bag.
- Please. - Where are they?
On the couch or somewhere.
The city's gonna condemn this place.
I'm telling you, it looks like my Uncle Joe's,
and that guy was a bona fide hoarder.
He used to use plastic bags as a toilet.
I'm telling you, it's a slippery slope, KJ.
...Ms. Harper's bias against the police may prove her unfit
to try the Brenton Butler case.
Like you know how to do your [BLEEP] job.
Excuse me?
Agh! Now you want to act like a cop.
What'd you say to me?
You heard me the first time. So tell that [BLEEP]
- to give me my [BLEEP] car back! - Calm down, ma'am.
Why don't you mind your [BLEEP] business?
- You're all racist... - Let's go. Come on.
- Let's go. - ...every one of you cops!
I am an assistant prosecutor.
Seriously. Come on.
Sit down. Cool your jets.
Sit down.
All rise.
The honorable Judge Robert Dolan presiding.
Bring the jury in.
Everyone be seated.
May counsel approach?
Your Honor, we're all painfully aware of the news cycle this morning.
Your point, Counselor?
Frankly, it makes these proceedings look like
an episode of the Jersey Shore.
The State may benefit from new counsel.
With all due respect, Your Honor,
that's not the court's decision to make.
Agreed. Now, ladies, can we get back to the point at hand?
Yes? Good. Thank you.
Ms. Harper, you may proceed.
I know you did it.
And what are you gonna do? Throw a punch at me too? Go ahead.
The State calls Teresa Tonelli.
Raise your right hand.
- It's the other hand, ma'am. - Sorry.
Left hand on the Bible.
Swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
I do. Okay.
Ms. Tonelli,
when you borrowed the blue Ford Escape
on the morning of February 22nd,
you had an altercation with the defendant, correct?
I don't remember.
I just, um...
Petey was upset, whatever.
Because you drove his car seven days after the hit-and-run?
No, 'cause Marie had been in the hospital.
They lost their baby girl last year.
She was stillborn.
It was terrible.
"You ever touch this truck again,
and I swear to God, I'll fucking kill you."
Do you recall the defendant saying those words to you?
Can the clerk please mark the interview with the neighbor,
Mr. Howard Beggs, as State's Exhibit S-3.
I'd like to direct your attention to line ten, page five.
And I remind you, you're under oath.
Yeah, he said that.
Whatever. He told me to get out of the car. It wasn't a big deal.
He grabbed you by the neck, dragged you out of the car,
and threw you against it.
- Really? - Objection.
- Is that a question, Your Honor? - It is. Sit down.
I'll be the arbitrator of that, not you, Ms. Harper.
Your objection, Ms. Hennessy, is overruled.
Counselor.
Are you afraid of the defendant, Ms. Tonelli?
No.
Are you afraid he might hurt your cousin?
He better not.
Yet he left a boy out in the cold to die.
A child, a black child...
Objection, speculation.
Sustained.
Why did you go to Brenton Butler's vigil?
He was just a kid.
He shouldn't have died like that.
He could have lived.
If one person spoke up. Just one.
I know you're scared.
And I know how easy it is
to walk away and to say nothing,
but you know the truth, and you know right from wrong.
Objection!
Don't leave him out in the cold, Teresa, please.
Objection! Is there a question here, Your Honor?
Ask the question, Counselor.
- Where's the blue SUV? - I don't know.
You do know, that's why you went to the park, to the vigil.
- I said I don't know where it is. - This is outrageous, Your Honor.
- Where's the missing grille guard? - She's harassing her own witness.
- Where is it, Teresa? Tell me. - Counselors, approach now.
He was bleeding and screaming
- and dying alone. A child. - Objection! Your Honor, please.
- Be that one person, Teresa... - She is violating...
...and tell me where the missing grille guard is.
It's not missing!
It's in his backyard.
Teresa!
How could you do that?
Get Mikey. Go quick.
- We can go now before it's too late. - You're crazy!
Me? How can you not see what they are?
They planted that thing in your pool.
- They don't care about you. - Fucking bitch!
- You fucking bitch! You fucking bitch! - Get off!
You fucking bitch!
You son of a bitch!
The baby!
There won't be a baby!
You think I'm gonna bring your child into this world? For what?
What kind of father are you gonna be?
You kill kids and you're looking at me like that?
- Yo, stop! Stop! Come on. - Fuck you.
Now we got something in common, Pete. You and me.
We're the same.
Fuck!
Hey, hey. I didn't have nothing to do with this.
I told them to get rid of it. Fuck.
Babe, come on, let's go, let's go.
You stupid fuck!
Hey! I'm talking to you! I'm fucking talking to you!
Back the fuck off!
No one is listening to you no more!
You destroy everyone around you!
Everything you fucking touch!
Just look around you, man.
Just look.
Let's get the fuck out of here.
- What is this? - Mrs. Butler, Mr. Butler.
What is this? What does this mean for the case?
It means we got him.
And we can get the other three now too
by turning Jablonski against them.
- In exchange for a plea. - A plea?
We won't agree. He's got to pay for what he did.
He'll still do time, I promise you that.
- But we can get all of them with this. - How much time?
I have to be reasonable or he won't agree to it. Eight years.
You make him get on that stand and say what he did.
Yeah.
You're right. He's got to. He's got to get up on that stand, KJ.
I need to hear those words come out of his mouth.
- I want that whole courtroom to hear it. - I understand.
I need to hear what happened to Brenton!
He will. I understand.
All right, baby. It's almost over.
- I need to hear him say it. - It's almost over.
He'll give a written statement, that's it.
I won't have my hands tied if this thing goes south.
There's no deal if your client doesn't testify in open court.
Okay. I know your experience is limited,
so let me break this down for you.
My client is guaranteed death by auto, five to ten years,
if the jury hears him confess to the accident.
Would you rather gamble with 30?
That's if you can prove a hate crime.
Which you've failed at miserably up to now.
Wait, we want a plea.
- I ain't no rat. - Petey.
They put that thing in our pool.
You don't have to be loyal to them.
Mrs. Jablonski. Please.
Five years max,
you get your confession.
My last offer.
Eight years.
Can we have a minute?
Eight years for him and 20 each for the other three.
That's almost 70 years in total.
Think a lifetime's long enough for the Butlers?
Did you see the look on the jury's faces
when she paraded around those autopsy photos?
They don't like you very much right now.
Fuck them.
No. Fuck you.
Fuck your wife, fuck your kid.
He'll be 30 by the time you get out of prison.
I urge you to consider eight years and a confession your best option.
Hey, um, why don't you go inside? I'll be there in a minute.
Okay.
I'd kill you myself, but then I'd be no better than you are.
But know this...
you will meet your God.
On that you can depend.
You making threats?
No, no need for threats.
Prison's the one place a white man ain't no better than the rest of us.
They gonna kill you in there.
Oh, you don't know?
Your boy's gonna give you up.
He's gonna save himself.
I see what you are.
I know what you are.
You ain't nothing but a coward.
And the whole world's gonna see it now, too.
His diaper's soaked. Just give me a minute.
- We gotta go now. - What?
I'll get the bag. But let's go now.
I need to change Mikey.
- I'll wait out here. - I'm fine.
Just... I'll meet you inside. Hennessy might need to talk to you.
It's gonna be okay, babe.
I'm proud of you for doing this. You're doing this for us.
- Okay? - Yeah.
I love you.
I know what you're gonna do.
Do it.
Do it for your family, your son.
I understand.
It was me.
I made you drive away.
So you go in there,
and you tell them the truth.
Go on.
Go.
Mrs. Butler.
I'm so...
so sorry for your loss.
I can't...
I can't imagine what you're going through,
and I can't imagine losing my child.
I know...
there's nothing I can do to make it up to you. I know that.
But it was an accident.
My husband is a good man.
Your husband drove away from my child.
How could you sit in that courtroom
knowing what you know and say those words to me?
He didn't know.
He would've never done that if he knew.
He wouldn't.
There's a whole lot he doesn't know, that you don't know.
That man you sit next to...
in court...
every day?
The one you let hold your baby?
He wanted your husband dead.
All rise.
The honorable Judge Robert Dolan presiding.
Can you state your name and rank for the record?
Officer Peter Michael Jablonski, Jersey City Police Department.
You transferred from the East District to the South.
What was the reason for this transfer?
I joined the Anti-Gang and Narcotics Unit,
which is based out of the South.
Your ranking officer is Sergeant Michael DiAngelo.
And you're expected to obey his orders, is that true?
That's correct.
Directing your attention to the morning of February 15th,
can you recount the events that transpired in Liberty Park?
I'd just gotten a call from my wife's cousin.
Said Marie, my wife,
was in the hospital.
I was driving, on the phone,
not paying attention...
and I, uh... I hit something.
Something?
What did you hit, Mr. Jablonski?
I didn't see.
And when I got out of my car, I saw the grille guard hanging off.
And...
that bike underneath my wheels.
Is it true that officers found that grille guard in your backyard
after executing a search warrant last night?
Yes.
And this bike...
is it present in the courtroom today?
Yes. At the evidence table.
So you were fully aware that you hit a human being?
Not an animal,
not a tree.
Maybe a black teenager?
Objection, conjecture.
I'll rephrase, Your Honor.
Are narcotics officers like yourself
aware that this particular brand of bike, the Sarongo Series,
is used by members of the Five Kings, a black gang in Jersey City?
Yeah, but I didn't look too close at it.
So it would be a reasonable assumption
that whoever had been riding this bike could've been black?
I wasn't thinking about the bike.
Your Honor, the State agreed that questioning
would be limited to the actual events of February 15th.
Ms. Harper, you are aware of this.
What happened next, after you exited your vehicle?
I stood there on the road next to my car...
looking at the statue.
The Statue of Liberty.
I could see her, even her torch, it was lit up.
How long did you stand there, on the road?
- I don't know. - Was it a few minutes?
- A few seconds? - I don't know.
Did you go to the ditch to see who was down there?
I told you, I stood on the road looking at the statue.
There was blood everywhere and you didn't think to go and look?
- Your Honor... - I was thinking about the statue
and this time when I climbed the stairs inside her torch...
when I was eight or nine.
My mother was standing on the stairs in front of me.
And I could see the bruises on the back of her legs.
- That's what I was thinking about. - Mr. Jablonski.
That's why I became a cop.
Because of animals like my father.
- I was never gonna be a coward like him. - Mr. Jablonski.
What did you do next?
Mr. Jablonski.
I drove away.
Let me remind you that you're under oath.
Your Honor, the question's been asked and answered.
- What did you do next? - I said I drove away.
That's not what you did and you know it.
Counselor, approach now.
- What did you do after you exited? - Ms. Harper, that is enough!
- Say it. Say what you did. - Your Honor, please.
Say what you did, goddamn it!
Remove Ms. Harper from my courtroom.
Say what you did. Say what you did...
- Let's go. - Don't touch me!
Say what you did!
Arrest her for contempt of court.
Look at them and say what you did.
- Get off. Get off of me. - Stop resisting.
You're an asshole.
Stop resisting.
Take it easy.
Get the fuck off me!
We gotta stop meeting like this.
Dolan wants to move forward, no bueno on the mistrial.
And he's gonna let you do your closing tomorrow.
Fair guy.
Connelly, on the other hand, wants your resignation after.
- And he sent you to deliver the message. - No, he told the press that.
Of course he did.
"Sit in the box,
and see what the jury sees." It's Trial Prep 101.
Today they saw
a broken-hearted little boy
gazing up at the Statue of Liberty.
Fucking great.
They don't get to see Brenton.
- He doesn't get to take the stand. - Make them see him.
I did, no one cares!
I told you, no one puts cops away.
I wasn't ever gonna win this. It was always about optics for Connelly,
a black face for the black vote.
It's the greatest show on earth, this shit.
- Wanna know something else? - Hmm?
- I'm a second-rate lawyer. - Mmm.
I can't win. I won't win. So...
just go.
- That might be true. - It is fucking true.
Okay, then it is. You suck. Now get up.
You got a dead kid to speak for. You got two dead kids... to speak for.
- You're all that they've got left. - It's over, Fish.
Tell that to him.
Not me.
You wanna quit?
But tell Brenton that.
I'm sick of hearing it.
This is your last call
for departure to Baton Rouge. The bus...
Mr. Butler told me you were leaving, so I...
Can I sit down?
I'd like to ask you something.
You were the last person that Brenton saw.
The last person he talked to...
What do you want from me, Mrs. Butler?
Anything. Just anything. I just...
want to know what he... what he said, what he was thinking.
I woke up that morning. Brenton was next to me.
That's all.
Was he happy?
He was home.
He sprayed that stuff...
that cologne...
before he left.
He liked that stuff.
My room still smelled like it.
At night...
he used to listen to the cars pass on the bridge.
Brenton said it sounded like the ocean.
Mobile, Alabama bus departs from gate five.
Mobile, Alabama bus.
Kadeuce.
Kadeuce, don't go.
Please don't go.
This is home.
Nah.
Home is where your people at.
You know?
Oh, sweetheart.
Thought you were gone.
I was... I...
You need a place to stay?
Nah.
I gotta find my own way.
There's something out there, I just...
I just gotta find it. You feel me?
It's too big for one person.
And Tricey ain't coming back.
I don't blame her.
Drove y'all away.
My wife, my son,
you.
I could've done what she said.
I could've just said it.
At the hospital...
she said, "Tell Brenton you love him."
Now he'll never know.
My son died not knowing I did.
That day at the ocean...
Yeah.
You remember that day?
You remember that?
Isaiah, you gotta remember.
You were there.
I was working so much back when he was small.
And Tricey got sick, there was so much to tend to.
Why you bring this up?
Why you think Brenton loved them seagulls so much?
Because his father brought him there.
Isaiah, you took that picture.
Showed him the best day of his life.
That's what he said.
You ain't gotta say the words, 'Saiah.
He knew.
Your son...
knew...
that you loved him.
I'm sorry for driving you off...
for what I did.
I'm sorry.
You ain't gotta apologize, bro.
I gotta go.
Yeah. I gotta...
Yeah. All right.
You'll find it.
What you're looking for.
And when you do, hang on.
Ms. Harper, you may begin.
I went to the park this morning,
to the place where Brenton Butler lay dying.
I wanted to imagine...
what he felt...
as he watched the first light of the morning come,
and the last light of day fade away.
As he lay there,
in that ditch...
for 12 hours...
wondering what?
For his mother,
and for his father,
it is a terrible thing to have to imagine,
and not even know,
but imagine,
your child's last seconds.
"Did he cry out for me?
Did he wonder why I didn't come? Why no one did?"
This is what we know:
The defendant's blue Ford Escape
collided with the victim's bike on an icy road
on the morning of February 15th.
The grille guard from Peter Jablonski's car,
in addition to his own testimony, are proof of this.
Ladies and gentlemen, the State submits you have no other choice
but to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
of death by auto.
Peter Jablonski testified...
that after hitting Brenton Butler
and exiting his vehicle,
all he saw as he stood on the road next to his car
was the Statue of Liberty.
I want you to remember how he described that her torch was lit up
like a beacon in the sun.
And now I want you to think about the crime scene photos
that I've shown you over the course of this trial.
This morning...
I too stood on that road,
in the exact same spot the defendant stood.
Right here.
It's impossible to see the Statue of Liberty from the road.
It is completely blocked.
This...
is the view from the edge of the ditch.
So Peter Jablonski can only have seen the Statue of Liberty
if he stood at the edge of the ditch,
which means he saw Brenton Butler.
How long did he stand there?
How many seconds...
did he look down at Brenton?
One second?
Two seconds?
Three?
Four?
Five?
Six seconds?
Seven seconds?
Peter Jablonski walked away.
And Brenton Butler died.
When he could have lived.
Would he have walked away if Brenton were white?
Would you?
You must also consider this a hate crime,
because there is a bigger crime,
a bigger problem.
We have a problem,
and our country has a problem.
Our children are dying,
in plain sight,
left like roadkill on our playgrounds,
our streets, and our sidewalks.
Turn on the news.
Open a paper.
And read their names.
Each is a clear message to every black woman, man, and child
that our lives and our bodies have no value.
So how many names are enough,
before we, before you say,
"Enough"?
The defendant said that he never saw Brenton Butler.
I'd like you to see Brenton now.
And not how he died,
but how he lived.
See those seconds near that icy road.
Before a car met a boy on a bike.
See the sky above and the earth below.
And in these last seconds of a life,
see how beautiful it is,
how endless and precious his life is.
Do you see him?
Then let Brenton know...
his life mattered.
Father God, look down on us today with your mercy,
your great love.
Find justice for our child, your child,
- as you see fit. - Yes.
Give his mother and father the strength and fortitude
to bear whatever you bring to them today.
Yes, Father.
Your wisdom is bountiful,
vaster than the oceans and mountains of your great earth.
- See us today, Father God. - See us.
- Hear us today, Father God. - Hear us.
- Amen. - Amen.
Mr. Foreman, do you have a verdict?
We do, Your Honor.
Mr. Jablonski.
All right, will the clerk please publish the verdict?
The State of New Jersey v. Peter Michael Jablonski.
On the charge of hate crime, the jury finds the defendant not guilty.
On the charge of death by auto, the jury finds the defendant guilty.
Based on the outstanding record
of the defendant as an officer of the law,
Mr. Jablonski is sentenced to 364 days in county jail,
eligible for parole in 30 days time.
- Oh, my God. - That ain't right.
You can do it, Pete.
The defendant is remanded.
Marie?
Marie!
Ladies and gentleman, thank you for your service. You are dismissed.
All rise.
Today, justice was served.
We were given proof that no one is above the law.
And everyone, including the police,
will be held accountable for their actions.
Now this victory may not lessen the tragedy of a young life cut short,
nor heal the hearts of a family who suffered unspeakable loss.
But we must move forward.
I once thought that blindfold was a good thing.
Her back's turned to us, too.
Unless that's her...
- Say it. - I wasn't gonna.
Then you've really changed.
Yeah, you have too.
We failed him.
Maybe we all did.
It was good working with you, KJ Harper.
Yeah. You too, Fish.
- See ya around. - Yep.
- Don't forget about those mints. - Yeah.