In the criminal justice system,
sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members
of an elite squad known as The Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Slow down, sugar. I got something for you.
Hey, handsome. How you doing tonight?
I'm fine.
What's your name, honey?
- Lawrence. - I'm Vegas.
I've never done this before.
Don't worry, baby.
Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
What the hell was that?
It better not be some bitch working my stroll!
What the hell are you doing?
Yeah, you better run!
I say who gets their pole smoked on my block!
Rape-homicide.
Skimpy clothes all torn up.
Dumped under a grate on a lovers lane. Probably a pross.
Who called it in?
Vegas here. Friendly neighborhood hooker.
She didn't see the guy's face or the plates on his SUV.
Vegas ever see the girl?
Nah, but she said there's a lot of fresh meat working this track.
Didn't find Jane Doe's wallet or a purse.
Any DNA?
No visible fluids, but she's got something under her fingernails.
Fingertips are pretty torn up. Is that blood?
Red paint.
But I don't see anything around here that color.
Must be from where she was killed.
Got handprint bruising on both sides of her neck.
Any idea when she was strangled?
Given the lividity, I'd say midnight, maybe 12:30.
He wasn't dumping this girl. He was trying to bury her.
Maybe somebody she knew? Repeat customer?
Detectives!
Found her purse down there.
We got lipstick, perfume, breath mints, condoms.
Working girl's overnight bag?
No driver's license. But we got a college ID.
Hudson university. Her name's Caroline Pereira.
Cell phone in the purse too.
- Any recent calls? - Last one's from 11:15 this evening.
Number's blocked. I'll run the LUDs.
But someone also used this phone's camera.
Is that human?
Looks like a person to me. Shot at 12:07 A.M.
Warner said the time of death was around midnight.
Maybe Caroline got a picture of her killer.
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Law & Order SVU 7x17 Class
ORIGINAL AIR DATE ON NBC: 2006/03/21
Can you enhance it?
This is the best we're gonna get.
Cell phones take pictures at a very low pixel grade.
What's that burst of light in the corner?
Could be strobing or a reflection. No way to tell.
Notified the parents.
They're driving down from Lagrange to make the ID.
Man, what a cliche.
Poor kid from a small town finds a way to make quick money in the big city.
Wouldn't be the first time a college girl flat-backed her way to a diploma.
Hudson University Bursar's Office Thursday, February 23
Caroline was on work/study.
She washed dishes at the cafeteria, but she quit at the beginning of this semester.
Don't they have to keep working to keep their financial aid?
A university job's not required if the student's bills get paid.
Who paid them?
Caroline did. In cash.
Where did she get that kind of money?
Oh, that's none of our business.
A 20-year-old student walks in here with 15 grand in cash,
and you don't bat an eye?
We only ask about the payments when they don't come in.
You ask about your students when they don't show up for class?
That's not my department.
Is there anyone else on this campus who might know her a little better than you?
Uh, she has a roommate. Gloria Culhane.
Caroline and I never hung out.
Who'd she hang out with?
I don't really know. We run in different circles.
I bet. Nice ring.
Thanks.
I spent last semester in France. Forgot to fill out the housing form.
This is what they assigned me with.
This Caroline's side of the room?
Yes.
You're her roommate. You must know something about her.
All I really know is she went out a lot. I wish I could tell you where.
She stay out late?
A lot of times she'd come to class looking like hell.
Whatever she was doing, she was raking in the dough.
- Wow! - Gotta be a thou there.
You know anything about that?
Well, I doubt it came from her parents. They don't have a lot of money.
College girl's got a closet full of cash, she's either selling drugs or herself.
Caroline have a boyfriend?
No.
- Who's this? - Oh, that's Adam.
He's not her boyfriend, though. They just went to high school together.
You know where we can find him?
Probably in class. He goes here too.
I can't believe it.
Kel and I have been friends since we were kids.
She had a nice chunk of change in a shoe box.
Any idea where it came from?
She said she had a new job.
Doing what?
She didn't tell me. Why?
We found her body in a known prostitute area.
No way.
Kel would never do that.
How does a 20-year-old bring down that much cash?
I told you, I don't know.
Well, maybe you can get some ideas down at the office.
All, all right.
She was selling term papers.
I didn't know cheating could be so dangerous.
School's really bent out of shape.
- They investigating? - Yeah.
Whole thing's being headed up by this English professor, Dr. Farouq.
Plagiarism is an epidemic here.
And the internet has only made it easier for students to buy and sell academic work.
You catch anyone?
Take a look at this.
I designed a program that scans students' work
and searches for patterns of repetition and unoriginal material.
They e-mail me their term papers, and I feed everything into the program.
Now look here.
Three papers are being compared.
The fourth window you see pulls out and itemizes the content overlap.
The blue highlights show possible similarities.
The green sections are very suspect.
And the red passages are direct matches.
- You can prove who's plagiarizing. - Yes.
But here's the problem.
These three students cheated, but none of them wrote the paper of origin.
How do you know two of them didn't cheat off the third?
None of these three are capable of writing of this caliber.
But I'll find the original paper.
And then we'll expel all the guilty parties.
Caroline Pereira.
Did her name come up in your investigation?
No. Caroline took my class last semester.
Excellent student. And her work was wholly original.
She wouldn't have any reason to cheat.
The kids who handed in these plagiarized papers, we're gonna need their names.
Hudson University The Snack Annex Thursday, February 23
The pepperoncini gives it this insane bite, dude.
- It's key to the power of the sandwich. - Mark Duffy.
I need to talk to you.
Priya? / Yeah.
Finish this sub for me.
What can I get for you?
Busy today, huh?
I'm always busy.
Too busy to keep up with your schoolwork?
- What's this about? - Buying term papers.
Man, I bought, like one.
From her?
Yeah. ³×
Dude in my English class hooked me up with Caroline.
Whoa, is this like, uh, some big crime now or something?
- Am I in trouble? - Not if you cooperate.
How did you arrange the hand-off?
There was no hand-off.
How'd you get the paper, then?
You'd e-mail her the assignment.
Then you'd tell her what kind of English paper you needed.
And she'd send you back a couple of samples.
So you'd order, like, one from column A, one from column B.
Something like that. You'd only pay for the one you liked.
In cash?
Online, to a paymepronto.com account.
How much she charge?
- 200 bucks a paper. - That's pretty steep.
I'm pre-med.
I don't have time to read the faerie queene
So you buy the paper off Caroline?
- Everybody wins. - Caroline lost.
She was murdered last night.
- I gotta go. - Wait a minute.
Why'd you just get so spooked?
Because of Brian.
- Brian who? - Townsend.
He's in Farouq's English class too.
He bought a bunch of papers off Caroline.
When he heard about the investigation, he got really nervous.
What does that mean, "got nervous"?
He said he was going to take care of the problem.
Okay, so I bought a few term papers.
That's an honor code violation, not a crime.
Murder is.
Caroline was killed last night.
And we heard you had a problem you were gonna take care of.
Well, I, I didn't kill her.
I was gonna bribe her.
I offered her a grand to keep quiet.
She take the money?
No, she laughed in my face.
Waved that big freaking diamond ring around,
said it'd take more than a grand to keep her quiet.
That's gotta be the ring Gloria was wearing.
Gloria? Caroline's roommate?
You think I'm bad?
Gloria bought more papers off Caroline than anyone.
She was really freaking out.
Hudson University Department of Philosophy Lecture Hall Thursday, February 23
Today, it's not uncommon to hear Edmund Husserl maligned as a naive positivist.
his phenomenology had on the canon of French thought.
Stand up.
Excuse me?
Let's go. We need to talk.
I'm not going anywhere.
Sweetheart, do you want us to arrest you and lead you out of here in cuffs?
I didn't think so.
Sorry for interrupting.
Stay in school.
This is crazy.
I would never kill anyone, thank you very much.
How'd you get Caroline's ring?
It was just sitting on her dresser.
Where were you last night?
A cappella rehearsal. Go check.
We will, sweetheart. Don't worry about that.
Okay, it's no secret. I didn't like Caroline.
But I had no reason to kill her.
She was writing all your papers. The school was investigating.
Your ass was about to be expelled.
Hudson won't expel anyone.
Higher grades keep parents happy, and happy parents are big donors.
Like yours.
Your family has a building named after them.
And a couple of wings. A hospital and a museum.
You wouldn't wanna screw up a bright future by getting kicked out of school, would you?
Caroline's got your number. She talks, you're done.
Do you honestly think I could kill Caroline?
Well, I'll tell you what.
Why don't we ask your parents and see what they think?
Got a better idea. We call the Ledger.
"Culhane heiress in a murder investigation."
- Sell a lot of papers. - Look, wait.
Don't call anyone.
I'll check her alibi.
What?
Caroline bragged about ripping off some rich, famous guy for the ring.
She said he was really pissed off. Maybe he killed her.
Okay, so who's this guy that she stole the ring from?
All she said was he'd wake up the next morning and miss it real bad.
I told you my alibi would check out.
Singing the indigo girls in five-part harmony. That's painful.
I got a feeling we're gonna need to speak to you again.
So don't hop on any flights to France.
Cop, comedian. Is there anything you don't do?
No. Elevator's straight ahead.
Had a hunch about that ring.
So I talked to one of my boys who bounces at a couple of clubs.
It's a double D.
I thought rings came in a different sizing system.
- Double D as in diamond Dov. - Who's diamond Dov?
An Israeli dude. He's a jeweler to the stars.
Real popular with actors, musicians, and pro athletes.
If Caroline was turning tricks,
maybe she slipped the ring off some drunken John's finger.
Yeah, some rich and famous John who'd miss it real bad in the morning.
He tries to set up a meet to get the ring back.
When she shows up empty-handed, he loses control.
How much is that thing worth?
100 grand, give or take.
Blackmail's a strong motive.
If it's a custom job, diamond Dov can tell us who he made it for.
You must have some big spenders come in here for pieces this nice.
You bet your ass I do.
I use only the finest jewels.
I make art.
And celebrities around the world are my collectors.
My work ends up in movies, on TV, in the videos for all the rapping and the dance music.
Thanks to all my happy customers.
Okay, which one of your happy customers bought this?
What, you take me for a fruyer?
I'm sorry, detectives, but I don't give out personal information on my customers.
- That's why they love me. - I know who else'll love you.
The IRS, once we get a warrant for your files.
Okay, okay. Let's relax.
I made this ring for a football player.
Franklin. Roddy Franklin.
There. Are we cool?
Cool.
Roddy Franklin, wide receiver for New Jersey.
1,000 yards, nine TDs last season.
Let's go get his autograph.
Home of Roddy Franklin Hasbrouck Heights, NJ Friday, February 24
Look, I love the police, but, uh, my business manager handles all my donations.
That's not why we're here.
Hey, guys.
Guys!
All right, look.
Why don't you go in the kitchen with your mother, all right?
She acts all surprised when she feeds them full of sugar
and they run around like they're insane.
- Now, what can I do for you? - That belong to you?
Yeah. Hey, where did you, how did you find this?
First, let's start with where you lost it.
Man, I don't even know, dawg. I travel a lot.
Okay, dawg.
Travel anywhere two nights ago?
Yeah, my wife and I took the kids over to their grandmother's.
- Mind if I confirm that with your wife? - Not at all.
- What's this about? - Know this girl?
No, never seen her before.
Two nights ago we took the boys over to my mother's.
You sure about that?
Yes, I am. Why?
We recovered your husband's ring when we were investigating a homicide.
That thing.
He told me it was stolen.
I said, "of course it was."
Stupid to buy a ring that cost more than our first home.
Your ring was found in her dorm room.
Oh, then she must have been the one who found it.
Look, thank you for bringing it back to me.
Uh, why don't you give me your name, and I'll, uh, I'll send a reward.
Make it out to Caroline Pereira in care of the afterlife.
What, she's dead?
Yeah, we found her body two nights ago.
Oh, man, I'm, I'm sorry you had to find it like this.
I'm sorry, it's evidence in a homicide.
You'll have to wait until we find the killer.
Guy loses a rock worth 100 grand. Doesn't report it.
You buying that?
His wife backed his alibi, but I got a feeling she's used to covering for him.
What if Franklin's Caroline's sugar daddy.
Caroline falls in love, threatens to go to the wife.
That's one big, fancy mansion Caroline could have brought tumbling down.
So what do we know about Franklin?
What kind of reputation does he have?
He keeps a low profile after that thing with the stripper a few years back.
- What thing with the stripper? - His wife caught him.
Had to buy her a diamond necklace that cost more than an aircraft carrier.
Maybe this affair was gonna cost him more than he could afford.
Caroline's gotta disappear.
I think they made a habit of disappearing together.
This is Caroline's credit card statement.
It's mostly stores and restaurants around the university.
But there are two charges from a pharmacy in Atlantic city.
The same weekend Roddy Franklin filled up at a gas station in little bay,
which is right outside A.C.
That's good place to take his mistress.
Famous guy doesn't turn as many heads down there.
People are discreet.
Well, if you have time for blackjack, stick with the $5 tables.
Hotel Del Mar Atlantic City, New Jersey Friday, February 24
Yes, of course. Mr. Franklin is a frequent guest of the casino.
When was the last time he was here?
- Celebrity poker tournament. - When was that?
Uh, the weekend of the... seventh. Two months ago.
Same weekend as Caroline.
You ever see him with this girl?
Sure. He finally catch up with her?
Maybe. She's dead.
Any idea why?
There's something you should see.
This is one of our private games.
Upstairs room. High rollers only.
There's Caroline and Franklin.
Mr. Franklin came here to play after the charity match.
How'd Caroline get in the game?
She comes down every other weekend. We comp her room and meals.
There it is.
After Caroline raises, Franklin bets his ring to go all in.
And not hard to understand why.
He had a straight to the Jack. Great hand.
But he got counterfeited.
Caroline had a King high straight.
And that was it. She wins.
Look, she puts on the ring.
And then really taunts him with it.
Franklin doesn't look too happy.
You're right about that.
New Jersey Civic Sports Arena Locker Room Saturday, February 25
I run up.
This cat takes a one-step. Fires it.
The rock hits me in the back of the helmet like he's a new dodge ball world champion.
Hey, Roddy.
What can I do for you?
Come with us. We'll explain in the car.
It's all good, fellas. Just the cops have found my double D.
That's not the only thing we found.
Your ass is gonna be astroturf you don't start talking.
About what?
Caroline Pereira.
We have you two on tape playing poker in Atlantic city.
Now, why'd you lie to us?
'Cause I wasn't supposed to be there, all right?
Look, the leagues have got me on probation for gambling.
The only reason why they let me play in celebrity tournaments
is because the money goes to charity.
So what, is Caroline your favorite charity now?
That's where you donate your ring?
I didn't donate it.
She fleeced me at the table.
Look...
the commissioner finds out about this, I'm facing fines and multiple game suspensions.
Well, right now, you're facing murder charges, buddy.
What?
No, yo, look. You all got the wrong one on this.
So why should we believe you?
'Cause I know who did it.
Okay, Roddy, who killed the girl?
Guy who runs an underground poker game.
She win one of his fancy rings too?
No, no, no, man. Look...
it was like this, all right?
I tried to buy my ring back, but she wouldn't let me.
Said I had to win it back.
You had to keep playing?
What else could I do?
Look, so I invited her to a private game in the city.
- But this girl was a ringer. - She kept beating you.
Me and everybody else at the club. She became a regular,
so I figured sooner or later I'd get back what was mine.
But instead, she got hers.
A couple nights back, Caroline hit a streak of bad luck.
Fell into the house north of 150 grand.
Dude that runs the game threatened her.
Said she had 24 hours to pay back the money, or else.
- This dude got a name? - Yeah. Riley.
He's got ice water in his veins.
Like he'd kill you and then send out for pizza.
Where's the game?
In the garment district. 38th street.
Three blocks from where we found Caroline's body.
Police! Stay where you are.
What the hell's going on here?
- You Riley? - I am.
And for the hard of hearing, I repeat. What the hell is going on here?
You're under arrest.
- For what? - For running an illegal poker game.
Hey, where you going, sweetheart? Your shift ain't over.
- Hey, come back here. - You're making a big mistake.
This is a friendly social gathering.
Friends don't steal friends' life savings.
- Hey, Fin, come here. - Put him in the car.
All right. Let's go.
What you got?
Check on the wall.
The red paint under Caroline's nails.
Riley killed her here.
I don't know anything about a dead chick.
I sure don't know what the hell I'm doing here.
- Get my lawyer. - You're gonna need him, pal.
We got a paint match from that wall, and you got a $150,000 motive.
That's pretty much a lock.
Why don't you shove your lock up your ass?
- What'd you say to me? - Fin, Elliot. My office.
This is Tom Cole. Secret service.
He's got some fascinating news.
- Riley's with us. - An informant?
Agent. Name's Doug Kirsten.
He's a long-term undercover working up a case.
What's the target?
Underground gambling clubs and their links to organized crime, domestic and foreign.
All the gin joints in this city, we had to walk into yours.
Agent Kirsten is not your killer.
He'll brief you,
but I've got to preserve the integrity of our investigation.
Get him out of the cage, without blowing his cover.
You'll be lucky if my client doesn't press charges.
My lawyer'll be seeing the police commissioner tomorrow.
Why don't you go solve a real crime instead of bothering an honest businessman?
Take it easy there, tough guy.
Don't even talk to me, ass wipe. You picked the wrong guy to mess with.
Running a casino's illegal.
Who's running a casino? I was entertaining friends.
Atrium, 56th and 5th, 9 A.M. tomorrow.
6 East 56th Street Sunday, February 26
If the girl was dead, why didn't you just call it in?
Not if it meant blowing a 15-month sting. One of my bouncers was there.
Couldn't break cover in front of him.
I couldn't have a body turning up next to the game.
The investigation had to come first.
So you had to leave her under a grate?
I was trying to preserve the evidence.
I don't feel good about what I did.
But I had to do it.
- It's part of the job. - What happened that night?
Right after Caroline left the club, heard a lot of yelling from the alley.
Players got nervous, thought we were being raided.
So I went out with one of the bouncers.
She was dead, and her killer was gone.
We know she hit the tables hard in A.C. She play anywhere else?
Online.
Chat up the players to learn about other underground games in the city.
Last week, Caroline tells me
she'd just been booted from her favorite online site, pokerfastlane.com.
You only get kicked off those sites for cheating.
- How do you cheat online? - Same way you do in real life.
Two people sit at two separate computers,
play in the same online room at the same time.
Share information.
And dump hands.
Sounds like Caroline might have had a silent partner.
Maybe he was bankrolling her.
The 150 grand she owed you was gonna come out of her partner's pocket.
Caroline dead, and her partner's identity is secret.
That debt goes away.
It's a hell of a motive for murder.
This is Caroline's account information from pokerfastlane.com.
It's a record of her logon/logoff times
in the three months preceding her account termination.
- So what does it give us? - Every time Caroline visited the site,
so did a player with a user ID Jack King.
Jack King?
Well, that's gotta be a code name. Can you track him down?
He uses an untraceable e-mail address to make wire transfers into his gambling account.
Dude's got an electronic poker face.
Yeah, but if he's a heavy gambler, he's gotta belly up to that table.
Hungry for a score.
Let's smoke him out. Send him an e-mail. Invite him to play poker.
Invitation's gotta come from somebody he knows.
Otherwise, why would he answer?
He knows who ran Caroline's game.
Let's have Riley e-mail him.
Raise.
I'll see that, and I'll raise you five.
Call.
I'm in.
Yeah?
Jack King.
- Here for the game. - Welcome.
Ah, I'll fold.
Hi, Jack.
Adam?
Sorry, buddy. You're not going anywhere.
I can't believe I fell for this.
You're not the only one who knows how to bluff.
Adam Halder, you're under arrest for the murder of Caroline Pereira.
Hey, I got it.
Thanks.
- Anything good? - Not really.
Adam doesn't come from much.
The dad works in a warehouse, the mom at a donut shop.
Adam doesn't even have a sheet.
That's what I thought.
Then why'd you get me in here to check?
Just wanna know who this kid is.
Usually we let the defense attorney dig up the sob story. / No.
Look, the more I know, the easier I can break him.
He's a murderer.
He killed Caroline Pereira to erase his debt.
- There's more to him than that. - So what?
- Told you I'm not thirsty. - Drink it.
You'll feel better.
I'm never gonna feel better.
You know, Adam, I've been doing this for a long time.
And I can tell when a good kid...
gets pulled into a bad thing.
Just talk with me, that's all.
Caroline was my best friend since we were kids.
All we wanted to do was get the hell out of Lagrange.
First step, same college?
But Hudson wasn't any better.
We were still just poor kids from the boondocks.
Washing dishes and serving up meals.
Must have been tough.
Caroline couldn't take it.
She started selling term papers.
That's when I started the poker partnership.
Okay, now...
so how'd that work?
We'd work different clubs.
And then every month, we'd switch after trading information about the regulars.
The money rolled in.
Caroline paid her tuition off her winnings.
What'd you do with yours?
The good life.
Clubs and restaurants...
concerts.
Hanging with the rich kids.
Well, you weren't working for them anymore.
I wasn't invisible anymore.
I wasn't on the other side.
I had a whole new life.
Then Caroline screwed it up.
I mean...
I told her to take things slow.
- Not to be so greedy. - But she wouldn't listen to you.
I was gonna lose everything.
The call she got that night, that was you?
Yes. / She told you all the money was gone.
Not just gone.
She dug us into a hole so deep, I knew we could never get out.
You had to stop her from destroying your future.
From going back to that cafeteria and dishing out that food to all your new friends.
Back to being invisible.
Yes. ³×
No one knew about your partnership.
No one knew about your half of the debt.
So you strangled your best friend.
It was an accident. I didn't mean to.
You need a lawyer.
Casey.
- I'm late. - No, it'll just take a second.
I want to talk to you about Adam Halder.
What about him?
Would you consider pleading him out?
He confessed to murder.
No one's denying that. I just think he deserves leniency.
What have they done with the real detective Stabler?
Hey, come on, look.
I know this kid.
- You know him. - How so?
Look, we come from the same place.
The guy works his ass off to get into Hudson, and these rich kids treat him like crap.
You know how that feels.
Yeah! I waited tables in law school and served my classmates.
It sucked, but it didn't make me kill anyone.
Would you at least make sure he gets a good legal aid attorney?
Yeah, I'll make a call.
Arraignment Part 46 Monday, February 27
Hey, Casey.
Walter. What are you doing here?
Can Adam Halder afford you?
It's nice to see you too.
I'm taking this pro bono.
Adam called me. We know each other from the poker clubs.
Come to order. Court is now in session.
Judge Lena Petrovsky presiding.
First case, docket ending 262. People vs. Adam Halder.
Murder in the second degree.
- How does the defendant plead? - Not guilty.
By reason of mental disease or defect.
What defect?
Gambling addiction.
Nifty defense, don't you think?
Are you kidding me? It's B.S., and you know it.
It's a real problem.
2% of adults in this country are gambling addicts.
But that doesn't make them kill.
I don't buy it as a justification for murder. And neither will a jury.
12 people in that box, you can be sure gambling addiction touches one of their lives.
If we go to trial and they hear my witnesses,
you will lose this case.
Plead him down, Casey.
Don't bet on it.
Trial Part 46 Wednesday, March 8
Is Adam Halder a member of the campus card club?
- Not anymore. - Why not?
He said he moved on to bigger things.
That our pots were too small for him.
How small?
Oh, 50 bucks here and there.
We know where to draw the line.
- Did Adam? - No way.
He was out of control.
I think he was hooked.
- Did a college hook him? - Objection.
Withdrawn. Nothing further.
You just said that Adam was out of control. In what way?
He's raise and raise and try to borrow from the house to raise more.
He was trying to take people for money they didn't have.
It was crazy.
You gamble. Have you ever gotten carried away like Adam?
No.
Have you ever lost big at the tables?
Sure, everyone has.
You ever kill someone to get out of paying off a debt?
Objection, the witness is not on trial.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
Who funds the campus card club?
Hudson university.
We are an official student organization.
How much money do they give you each semester?
About $2,000.
That covers our felts, chips, cards, plus Xeroxing flyers.
So you could say Hudson university hooked Adam on poker.
Objection.
I'll rephrase.
You stated to Ms. Novak that Adam would raise recklessly,
and that in your opinion, quote, "it was crazy."
- Did you mean Adam was crazy? - Yes.
Why? / One time he lost a bunch of hands in a row,
just went off.
He flipped over three tables. We had to call security.
No further questions.
I'm not the kind of guy who says I told you so.
Well, that's good, 'cause I don't like those kinda guys.
But you should have taken the plea.
I'd rather sleep at night. I am not buying what you're selling.
This is real, Casey.
Okay, drunk drivers kill when under the influence.
Adam wasn't gambling when he took Caroline Pereira's life.
He was not high. He was in full control.
You have no idea what gambling addiction is like, do you?
Last year, I lost $30,000 in one night playing poker online.
And the next night, I chased my losses, and I lost another 40 grand.
My wife jammed my laptop down the garbage chute
and made me go to counseling. I kept on playing.
You know what made me stop?
Loan sharks broke my leg.
But you didn't kill your wife to pay the loan sharks off with her insurance money, did you?
You never lost your mind.
Gambling addiction?
Camp's a snake oil salesman.
Well, the jury might be buying it.
Well, maybe they should.
People addicted to gambling go broke,
and they take their whole families down the drain with them.
Gambling addiction is as hard to kick as drugs and alcohol.
Yeah, but drugs and alcohol affect the brain.
So does gambling.
Dopamine levels peak when we anticipate a win.
Gambling addicts are chasing a high, just like drunks and dopers.
You think Adam's an addict.
His behavior fits that diagnosis.
And I'm telling you this has got nothing to do with gambling.
What's going on with you and this kid?
You know, when I was Adam's age, I worked at my uncle's bar.
One night, I'm out back emptying the trash when these two rich punks jumped me.
Now, I know who they were because they'd spit in my face
earlier in the night when I wouldn't serve them drinks.
They had no I.D.
So we're rolling around, we're throwing punches,
and I pick up a bottle and I bust one of them over the head with it.
Kid nearly died.
Cops come, I give them my story, they send me home.
Next day, two detectives come to my doorstep and they arrest me.
For defending yourself.
Well, the kid's father was a partner in some white-shoe law firm.
He had a friend in the DA's office.
But my dad called in a favor from an old police academy buddy,
so he made the whole thing go away.
This wasn't just about self-defense.
You were pissed.
Look, this kid spit in my face.
He treats me like I'm a working class piece of trash?
No.
Like Adam.
Look, I'm just saying I get why he was angry enough to do it.
That doesn't justify killing Caroline.
If I want to convict Adam, I need the jury to focus on his guilt.
Then bring it back to his anger.
Show them that when Adam strangled Caroline,
it wasn't about addiction, it was about rage.
Trial Part 46 Thursday, March 9
From a blocked telephone number, you called Caroline that night.
Yes. / Why?
To check in on her.
That was very thoughtful of you.
What do you remember her saying?
- That she needed to see me. - How'd that make you feel?
- A little nervous. - Nervous?
So you remember feeling nervous.
But up until that point, your head was clear and focused.
At that point, yes.
What did she say when you got there?
She'd lost $150,000.
You remember that?
Yes. ³×
What else did she say?
She said she was gonna tell Riley I was on the hook for half the debt.
It sounds like you remember that night perfectly well.
What happened next?
We started arguing.
And all of a sudden, she pushed me.
And you pushed her back.
Yeah, against the wall.
So you have a specific memory of pushing her against the wall.
Then what?
She fell.
She tried to stand, but I kept pushing her back down.
And then?
She started screaming, so I had to shut her up.
How did you do that?
I put my hands around her neck.
What was going through your mind?
Nothing. My head was spinning.
I kept squeezing her neck tighter and tighter.
Then there was a bright flash, and everything went white.
- I must have strangled her. - Must have?
You don't remember? 'Cause up until a moment ago,
you had a clear head and a steel trap memory for the night.
Yeah, but everything changed.
Everything changed because Caroline was dead.
No, it was all a haze.
You just finished telling the court how clear and focused you were.
No, that was before. Please, it was an accident.
An accidental strangling?
I swear, I didn't wanna kill her.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to.
I'm sorry.
People's two, your honor.
Was Caroline wearing this ring when you killed her?
Objection.
- Relevance? - I'll allow it.
Yes, she was wearing it.
What's your relationship to Caroline's roommate, Gloria Culhane?
I can repeat the question if you didn't understand me.
Gloria's my girlfriend.
Nothing further.
I'd like to request a recess, your honor.
We'll resume tomorrow morning.
How did you know?
Well, I'll be damned.
Check out the glare in the corner.
It's from the flash reflecting off Caroline's ring.
The same thing happened when Caroline photographed Adam attacking her in the alley.
That's weird. Why would she do that?
Well, a lot of things can make sense as a last ditch effort
to stop someone from taking your life.
This ring was on Caroline's finger when she took the photo.
- I don't know what you're talking about. - Sure you do.
Adam's your boyfriend.
I wouldn't call him that.
- He did. - He lied.
You're the liar.
You didn't find Caroline's ring on her dresser.
All right, Adam gave me the ring.
So you knew he killed her.
- I did? - Wipe that smirk off your face.
You're an accessory to murder, princess.
You've got nothing on me.
How did a poor kid like Adam get a girl like you?
He earned it. He bought me nice things.
He took me out.
He treated me the way I deserve.
I live a certain lifestyle.
If Adam wanted me, he had to give me what I need.
By whatever means necessary, right?
- Whatever. - When Caroline got him in debt,
Adam wouldn't have had any more money to spend on you.
Did you tell him that you'd stay with him,
even though he had to go back to washing dishes?
Or did you tell him to kill Caroline?
I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about.
Adam isn't addicted to gambling. He's addicted to you.
Is that so hard to imagine?
Look, Adam made his own mistakes. He faced losing everything.
He faced losing me.
He was enraged.
How enraged?
He was out of his mind. I'd never seen him like that before.
What happened when Adam contacted you that night?
I was at a cappella rehearsal.
He sent me a text message to meet him outside. I did.
He was in a state.
Gloria, please, stop!
Mr. Halder, control yourself.
Did Adam say he was going downtown to harm Caroline?
He said he might have to.
I love you! Don't do this!
One more outburst, and I will remove the defendant.
Adam, please.
Did Adam say anything else?
He said if she wouldn't keep her mouth shut, that he would shut it for her.
It sounds to me like his mind was made up.
No more questions.
On the charge of murder in the second degree, how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
Thank you for your service. This court is adjourned.
How could you do this to me?
You did this to yourself.
- That was cold. - So?
- You had a hand in this. - My hands are clean.
No, they're not.
That ring Adam gave you was stolen property.
It's a class C felony. You're looking at 15 years.
What are you talking about? Caroline was dead.
That doesn't make the ring yours.
Adam stole it. You knowingly possessed it.
This is insane!
They don't allow diamond rings in prison.
Think you're gonna have to settle for silver bracelets.
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