- 4 hours ago
law and order s25e16
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:05In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally
00:10important groups.
00:11The police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
00:16These are their stories.
00:29I know, buddy, I know it's cold.
00:55Hello?
01:13Oh, plenty of room at the inn.
01:34Vanjo?
01:39What is it, boys?
01:42What is it, boys?
01:51Oh, my God.
03:14Helps hide the smell.
03:16Yeah, I'm good with that, though.
03:17I'm good, too.
03:19Lock was clipped.
03:21And the door to the exterior was pried open, too.
03:25Look at this.
03:26All right.
03:28Female, from the looks of it.
03:29Not a very tall one if she could fit inside this suitcase.
03:32No, definitely on the shutter side.
03:34Um, didn't find any ID.
03:35Based on decomposition and the amount of accumulated dust,
03:38I'd say she's been down here a long time.
03:40Like months, not weeks.
03:42Jesus, somebody just left her down here to rot?
03:44I can't take this no more, man.
03:45You miss smell stuff.
03:46I changed my mind.
03:53We need to talk to whoever owns the apartment
03:55the storage unit 9F belongs to.
03:57Oh, it's going to be tricky.
03:599F is owned by a man named Zhang Dao.
04:02Why is that tricky?
04:03Well, he owns the unit, but he doesn't live in it.
04:05His referral address is in Shanghai.
04:08As far as I know, he's never even set foot in the place.
04:11So the owner rents it out?
04:13No, it's just sitting there, unoccupied.
04:15It's true for most of the units.
04:17Rich dudes from other countries bought them all up.
04:20You're telling me this giant brand new building
04:22is basically empty?
04:22I guess it's a good investment.
04:24Or tax shelter, or I don't know.
04:26Must be a smart money move somehow,
04:28because they're all doing it.
04:28A housing crisis brought to you by conspicuous consumption.
04:32So who would have access to the basement storage units?
04:35We've currently got about 27 residents
04:37actually living in the units,
04:38so any of them, obviously.
04:40But honestly, it could have been anyone.
04:44Narrows it down?
04:45Yeah, word spread around the neighborhood
04:47about the building being empty,
04:48so people keep breaking into the basement.
04:50Got any cameras down there?
04:51Of course. I can get you the footage.
04:53Yeah, we'll need everything you got for the last few months.
04:55The system only stores the data for a couple of weeks.
04:58Sorry, guys.
05:05Well, the body was in rough shape,
05:07but she'd been in that suitcase
05:08for four or five months, at least.
05:11The cause of death appears to be a cervical fracture
05:14between the C1 and C2 vertebrae.
05:16Somebody snapped her neck.
05:17Mm-hmm.
05:18Based on everything I'm seeing,
05:19I'm comfortable ruling this a homicide.
05:21Were you able to ID her?
05:22The skin on her fingers was too decomposed
05:24to get a clean print.
05:26I ran her DNA through the system, but no luck.
05:28What can you tell us about her?
05:29She was Caucasian.
05:31Analysis of the pubic symphysis, cranial sutures,
05:34and sternal ribbons tells me she was post-puberty,
05:37but not by much.
05:38Likely in her late teens or early 20s.
05:41Any distinct characteristics
05:42that might make her easier to identify?
05:44She did have a tattoo on her left forearm.
05:47The fluorescent spectrometer was able to pick up the pigments.
05:50You can just make out the letters.
05:53MCF.
05:55Confirmed with the Chinese embassy
05:56that Zhang Dao,
05:58the owner of the storage unit where the body was found,
06:01has never actually traveled with the United States.
06:03Similar to the building security system,
06:05street cams in the area
06:06only store data for two months.
06:08There's no footage from around the time of the murder.
06:10What about forensics?
06:11Techs were able to pull a partial print off the suitcase.
06:14Okay, wonderful.
06:15Actual evidence.
06:16No hits in the system.
06:17There's always a chance
06:18that the print belongs to our Vic.
06:20Significantly less wonderful.
06:21Okay, so we don't know who our victim is,
06:24we have no suspects,
06:25and we have no leaks.
06:26It's a tough one, though.
06:28Start with identifying our Vic.
06:30A young girl missing for that long?
06:32Somebody must have noticed.
06:35We get about 13,000 missing person reports annually,
06:38and that's just for New York City.
06:41Statewide, the number is way higher.
06:42The majority are between 15 and 25 years old.
06:46Same age as our Vic.
06:47So, looking for a needle in a haystack.
06:50It might not be that bleak.
06:51Most cases are resolved quickly,
06:53and it's common for one person
06:54to rack up multiple reports.
06:55You get a lot of repeat customers?
06:57Kids run away from home,
06:59get found, returned, then do it again.
07:01It's hard to stay disappeared,
07:04given today's technology.
07:05The number of current open cases is much smaller.
07:08Only a couple hundred.
07:09Is it possible to search
07:10based on what we know about our Vic?
07:11The reports are all streamlined
07:13into a database we can filter.
07:15You said she was in her teens or early 20s?
07:17Correct.
07:18White with black hair and a tattoo on her arm.
07:21Right arm or left?
07:22Left.
07:24Eight hits.
07:25Do you know what the tattoo was of?
07:26The letter's MCF.
07:28That one's a flower.
07:30That one's a butterfly.
07:32A zodiac sign.
07:34No dice.
07:35You said a lot of missing persons
07:37are reported multiple times.
07:38Is there any way to run the same search
07:40but on closed cases?
07:42Worth a shot.
07:45Got her.
07:47Lucia Felasco.
07:4918, former gymnastics phenom from Queens.
07:52Her birthday was last month,
07:53so she was 17 when she was murdered.
07:55Ran away from home twice last year.
07:57Who filed the reports?
07:58Guy named Craig Valparaiso.
08:00Yeah, he was Lucia's gymnastics coach.
08:02And according to state records,
08:04Valparaiso took full custody of her
08:06when her mother, Maureen Claire Felasco,
08:08died three years ago.
08:10MCF.
08:10Sounds like Lucia was trying pretty hard
08:12to get away from this guy.
08:14You've been missing for over five months.
08:15He didn't call it in this time.
08:17Find out why.
08:22Stay focused.
08:24Stay focused.
08:26Tighten up your form.
08:28You're losing it.
08:31You think that was acceptable?
08:33You think that's how you win?
08:35I think we can ease up there a little bit, Chief.
08:38What do you want?
08:39I'd like to talk to you about Lucia Felasco.
08:42I'm uninterested.
08:44Let's do it again,
08:45and this time actually try.
08:47I'm sorry.
08:48We said we'd like to talk to you
08:49as if you had a choice.
08:51We're homicide detectives.
08:53Lucia is dead.
08:55What?
08:57So why don't we go downtown?
08:59We could chat there.
09:09I swear I didn't kill Lucia.
09:11I could never.
09:12You what?
09:14You what?
09:15Cared about her?
09:17Because from what I hear,
09:18you didn't seem too concerned
09:19when two cops showed up
09:20and mentioned her name.
09:21I thought they were going to say
09:23she got in some trouble,
09:25that she needed help with bail or something.
09:27I didn't know she was dead.
09:28If you didn't know she was dead,
09:29why didn't you report her missing?
09:31You're her legal guardian.
09:33She'd been gone at least five months.
09:35Because I've already been through that circus twice.
09:38She just,
09:38she didn't want to be with me.
09:39She kept running away.
09:41So she took off again about six months ago.
09:43I just figured it out.
09:44You figured what?
09:45You'd let her fend for herself?
09:48She was going to be 18 soon.
09:50And then she could do whatever she wanted anyway.
09:52What were you doing?
09:54I made her want to leave so badly.
09:56I know what you're implying.
09:59There was nothing like that going on.
10:01I never touched her.
10:03Not in anger.
10:05Not in...
10:06any way.
10:07Well, it's very unusual
10:10for a gymnast coach to end up her guardian.
10:13I started coaching her when she was nine.
10:16When her mom died,
10:17no other family stepped up,
10:18so I took her in.
10:20You're quite the hero.
10:21It's certainly not what I planned.
10:24And she was talented.
10:26But by the time she took off,
10:27I wasn't even coaching her anymore.
10:29Well, what happened?
10:31Did you guys have a falling out?
10:32Two years ago,
10:33she slipped on the uneven bars
10:34and ripped her shoulder out of the socket.
10:36Tore her late room.
10:38Her career was over before it started.
10:41Fate's cruel little joke.
10:44She was messed up after that.
10:46Hanging out with the wrong people,
10:47partying, staying out all night.
10:49I tried to enter in,
10:50but she wouldn't listen to me.
10:51That pissed you off?
10:54That she wasn't respecting your authority?
10:57I'm telling you,
10:58I had nothing to do
11:00with what happened to her.
11:04Talk to her friend, Julissa.
11:06First two times Lucena ran away,
11:08that's what they found her staying with.
11:11Guarantee you she knows more than I do.
11:15You two are close?
11:17Kinda, I guess.
11:19I hadn't known her long,
11:20but she was a good kid.
11:22Just a little lost.
11:24She crashed with you a few times
11:25after she ran away from her coach's house, yeah?
11:27Yeah, I was just trying to help.
11:29Like I said, she was good people.
11:31Got any idea why she kept on running away?
11:34I think it was just too hard
11:35for her to still be in that world,
11:37you know?
11:38Seeing Craig coach other girls
11:39who still got to live the life
11:40she thought she was gonna have.
11:42Plus, he was crazy strict.
11:45She stayed with you again
11:46September last year
11:47for a little while too, right?
11:48Yeah, for about two weeks.
11:50But then we kind of had a fight
11:52and she left to go stay
11:53with some guys she met in the city.
11:54You know the name of the guy
11:55that you went to stay with?
11:57No, sorry.
11:59But I do know where they met.
12:04Have you seen this girl before?
12:07She used to hang out here a lot.
12:09Nah, sorry man,
12:10she doesn't look familiar.
12:13You know this girl?
12:14Did she used to be blonde
12:16and date a dude named Nibs?
12:18I don't think so.
12:19Nah, I don't know her.
12:23Damn, she's cute.
12:25Yeah, I was.
12:27That literally wasn't the question.
12:30Oh yeah, I know her.
12:31You do?
12:32I don't know her name or nothing,
12:34but she hangs out here all the time.
12:35I haven't seen her in a while though.
12:37But her boyfriend,
12:38he comes here all the time.
12:39Who's her boyfriend?
12:40I don't know his name either,
12:41but he was here yesterday.
12:43White guy,
12:44Lauren Brown hair.
12:45He wears these crazy sneakers.
12:47They have like rainbow
12:47and gold sparkles.
12:50All right, thanks for your help.
12:51No doubt.
12:52I believe these kids are out here
12:53skateboarding in this weather.
12:55Well, that's dedication right there.
12:57Mental illness.
12:59Oh wait.
13:01You gotta be kidding me.
13:03Check out the sparkle shoes.
13:04Hey.
13:05Hey.
13:07NYPD, we need to talk to you.
13:09Stay right there.
13:11Hey!
13:18Hey!
13:19NYPD!
13:35I'm north on market.
13:37Hey!
13:39Hey, stop!
13:42Hey!
13:50Vince, I lost him.
13:52He crossed Monroe's, headed north through the alley.
13:55Copy that.
14:02I got him.
14:06Mechanic's alley.
14:12Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
14:22Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
14:34I need an ambulance ASAP.
14:36Mechanic's alley between Madison and Henry.
14:381053 HI.
14:39Man down.
14:41Hey, Ralph!
14:42You just ran him down!
14:44Vince.
14:45Vince, what's going on?
14:47You okay?
14:48And we'll have your badge for this, pal!
14:55Yeah, sure?
14:56Yeah, yeah.
14:59Hey, Lou.
15:00Hey.
15:01You okay?
15:05Walk me through what happened.
15:06We got a lead on the suspect, spotted him near the park.
15:09He ran, so I pursued him on foot.
15:11Vince was in the vehicle.
15:15I was closing in, and a civilian just stepped into the middle of the street.
15:19I mean, he came out of nowhere.
15:21Was your siren on?
15:22Yeah, of course it was.
15:23He just, you know, he didn't, he didn't hear it.
15:25He had ear protection on.
15:26What's his status?
15:27He's in surgery now.
15:29Did the doctor say anything?
15:30No.
15:32Do you know anything about this guy?
15:34Derek Crosby works for an electrical company.
15:36He was on the job.
15:37And he just walked into the middle of the road?
15:40The street was closed off to traffic.
15:43There were signs posted?
15:46Did you see them?
15:49Yeah.
15:54Uh, the suspect you were chasing, was he armed?
16:01He had something in his hands that definitely could have been a gun.
16:09I wasn't sure.
16:10I mean, it could have been.
16:13Good.
16:15You follow protocol.
16:18Excuse me.
16:19Excuse me.
16:21My name is Sandra Crosby.
16:22I got a phone call that my husband was hit by a car.
16:25Yes, ma'am.
16:25He's here.
16:26He's currently in surgery.
16:27Oh, my God.
16:28Is he okay?
16:29What's happening?
16:31Why don't you have a seat over here?
16:33I'll have the doctor come and talk to you as soon as he's available.
16:36I'll try some coffee, tea, water.
16:44You know what, Vince?
16:45I'm going to handle the family, and I think you need to go home.
16:47I shouldn't.
16:48Yeah, but really, you shouldn't, right?
16:50You should just go home right now.
16:53She's right.
16:53It's been a lot there.
16:55As soon as I'm done here, I'll start an incident report.
16:57But right now, you need to go home.
16:58Get some rest.
16:59Okay.
16:59All right.
16:59All right.
17:05Yeah.
17:15Vince.
17:16Hey.
17:17Look.
17:17I'm fine, man.
17:19All right?
17:20I'm definitely not going home to take a nap.
17:22Look, I get that.
17:22Don't worry about it.
17:23You're going to find sparkle shoes.
17:25I'll go through some security footage from the subway stations around the alley where we lost him.
17:30We took a train.
17:31Maybe we could track where he went.
17:33Yeah, I'll start pulling street cam from the park.
17:35Maybe we'll get hit on facial red.
17:37Look, man.
17:38You sure you're good?
17:39I'm fine.
17:39All right?
17:40I've got a job to do.
17:41Let's go.
17:59You didn't touch your dinner.
18:01You should really eat something.
18:04I will.
18:06Any news from the hospital?
18:09Uh, Crosby is out of surgery, but he's still in the ICU.
18:14Apparently, he has significant swelling in his brain.
18:20Doctors say it's 50-50.
18:24And how are you?
18:26It will be a lot better when we catch this guy.
18:30Vince, I was thinking maybe you should call him.
18:34I'm fine.
18:36Okay.
18:37Really, I'm fine.
18:38Vince.
18:41All right, how about this?
18:42I will go to a meeting if I feel like I really need one.
18:47Okay?
18:49Okay.
19:00All right, that's him.
19:04Yeah, that's him.
19:06That's the man you were chasing?
19:07Yeah.
19:09From two days ago.
19:10What's he doing?
19:11Looks like he's recording himself doing tricks.
19:15When we saw him today, he was filming himself with a selfie stick.
19:20Hey, Bridge.
19:23I was doing my homework, Dad, I swear.
19:25I was just looking up how to spell a word.
19:27Yeah, sure you were.
19:30I'm not here to bust you.
19:32Well, in that case, I was actually on TikTok.
19:34Sorry.
19:35Yeah, that's okay.
19:36It's actually what I need your help with.
19:37Um, I'm trying to find somebody who I'm pretty sure posts videos online, but I don't know his name.
19:44Does this have to do with what happened today?
19:47You eavesdropping on me and Mom?
19:49You're the one who said I should always be aware of my surroundings.
19:53What do you know about the guy?
19:55Uh, not much, really.
19:57He makes videos of himself skateboarding in the park, and he wears these sneakers with, like, glitter all over him.
20:03So, I've been on Instagram and TikTok, and I've tried every variation of, you know, glitter shoes, uh, sparkle shoes.
20:10Let me guess, you got too many results?
20:12It's like everyone's a content creator now, really.
20:16Do you know what park he films in?
20:17Yeah, Lower East Side Coleman Skate Park.
20:19If he tags his location, you might be able to find him that way.
20:23There's a map.
20:25All right.
20:27Benny Haps, a.k.a. Benjamin Hoffman.
20:30The kid's got over 8 million followers.
20:32That's gotta be our guy.
20:33Come on, those are the same shoes.
20:34Oh, it's him.
20:35Tex pulled fingerprints off the skateboard that he dropped at the park.
20:38It's a match to the partial we found on the suitcase.
20:40This kid's 18 years old, started blowing up when he was 14, posting videos of himself online, skateboarding, doing stunts
20:46and stuff.
20:47Have you slept at all?
20:51In 2024, a girlfriend of his accused him of choking her during an argument.
20:55She later dropped those charges.
20:57Clearly he has a history of violence against women.
20:59Well, and it gets better.
21:00According to this Forbes article I found, 10 content creators to watch.
21:04This kid made over 7 million last year.
21:06You're kidding me.
21:07Yeah, that's how he was able to afford a condo in the building where Lucia's body was found.
21:10But his name was not on the list of owners to build his manager sent over.
21:13Because he sold the condo.
21:15Four and a half months ago.
21:17Okay.
21:18Find him.
21:19Now.
21:26Someone lives here?
21:27I know.
21:28Pretty sick, right?
21:29Yo, Benny.
21:30There's some cops here.
21:31They want to talk to you.
21:33Okay.
21:34Look, man.
21:35I didn't want to run.
21:36We're going to run now, isn't there?
21:37Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
21:38Unless you want a lawsuit on your hands, I'd be a lot gentler, officer.
21:42Detective Riley.
21:43Who are you?
21:44I'm Cordelia Travers.
21:45I'm Mr. Hoffman's attorney.
21:49Don't say another word, Benjamin.
21:51Bye-bye me.
21:52Turn around.
21:52Benjamin Hoffman, you're under arrest.
21:57Not a word.
22:04Yeah.
22:06Hoffman's not talking?
22:08Already lawyered up.
22:10Cordelia Travers.
22:11He's not playing around.
22:13So, what do we have?
22:16Hoffman's fingerprints match the partial that we found on the suitcase,
22:19and his credit card statements show that he purchased luggage that matched the same make and model.
22:23Statements also show that he purchased Lucia a phone.
22:26We found a slew of messages between them.
22:29The text established that not only were they seeing each other,
22:32but she was staying with him in the condo building where her body was found.
22:35All communication from her stopped five months ago.
22:39So, what's the theory?
22:41It's some kind of lover's quarrel.
22:42Hoffman kills her, puts her in the suitcase, and then clears out.
22:45That's the most logical explanation.
22:46He's got a history of domestic violence.
22:48It's unlikely that will be admissible.
22:53We've got to charge him with something, or cut him loose.
22:56We charge him with a reckless endangerment.
22:58Derek Crosby, the worker who was injured during the pursuit, he's still in the ICU.
23:02Yeah, I don't think that'll be necessary.
23:04Um, let's charge him with murder, too.
23:07I can make this work.
23:14Vince?
23:17How'd it go with IAB?
23:19Fine, yeah.
23:20I told him what happened.
23:21Ruled it an accident.
23:23Good.
23:25If you want to talk about it, I'm...
23:27Yeah, yeah.
23:29I'm good.
23:30Thanks.
23:33Not a lot to say, you know?
23:41Introducing the prior accusation of domestic abuse is more prejudicial than probative.
23:47The prosecution is grasping here.
23:50I wouldn't characterize it that way.
23:51And I'm not sure that's relevant.
23:53The assault charges against my client were dropped.
23:56And quite frankly, Mr. Price should know better.
24:00Uh, my colleague's indignation notwithstanding, what I'm asking for, Your Honor, is to introduce
24:05a testimony from Amanda Waller.
24:07The, uh, defendant's ex-girlfriend?
24:09Yes, correct.
24:10She will testify to an incident where Hoffman got physically violent with her.
24:14The very definition of prior bad acts?
24:16You let me finish her.
24:17He got physically violent with her and specifically choked her.
24:20But Chia Falasco's cause of death was a broken neck.
24:23It speaks to a pattern of behavior and is therefore admissible under Molyneux.
24:28Choking someone and breaking their neck are not the same thing.
24:31Now who's grasping?
24:32Again, my client was never formally charged.
24:35It's just one woman's claim.
24:38And the jury has the right to decide if they believe her or not.
24:42I'm siding with the prosecution here.
24:46He had his hand on my throat.
24:48He was squeezing so hard.
24:51I screamed for him to stop, but he just kept going.
24:55Did you believe he was going to kill you?
24:57Objection.
24:58Calls for speculation.
24:59I will rephrase.
25:01Were you scared for your life?
25:02A hundred percent.
25:04If someone hadn't stepped in and pulled him off of me, he wouldn't have stopped.
25:08No further questions.
25:10Miss Waller, you stated that during the fight, my client had his hand on your throat.
25:19Not both hands?
25:20No.
25:22Where was his other hand?
25:23Holding my wrist.
25:25Because he was trying to stop you from pummeling him.
25:28In fact, multiple eyewitnesses report you instigated the altercation.
25:33You thought he was cheating on you, and you attacked him.
25:36They just said that because they were all his friends.
25:38A man should never be violent with a woman.
25:41He wasn't violent.
25:42He was trying to protect himself.
25:44And you dropped the charges because you were the violent one.
25:49No.
25:49I just knew people like you would take his side.
25:52This incident took place at a house party.
25:55Are you saying you really believed Mr. Hoffman was going to murder you in plain sight?
26:01Yes.
26:02You don't understand.
26:03Benny doesn't think things through.
26:05He just does stuff.
26:06And there are never consequences.
26:09And how old were you both when this fight occurred?
26:12It's two years ago, so 16.
26:14Just a child?
26:17He already lived on his own.
26:19He was an adult.
26:19Did you know Lucia Felasco?
26:21No.
26:22Were you present when she died?
26:24No.
26:25So you have no knowledge of what happened to her?
26:28Or who's responsible for her death?
26:31Not specifically, but I know how...
26:33No further questions.
26:40Mr. Mason, you were the defendant's assistant, correct?
26:43Oh, yeah.
26:44We didn't call it that, like, formal or whatever, but, yeah.
26:47He paid me to help him out shooting content and running air and stuff like that.
26:50Did he have you purchase a phone for Lucia Felasco in late September of last year with his credit card?
26:56He did.
26:57I thought it was pretty crazy.
26:59They only knew each other for, like, a week, and she was already living with him.
27:02Did you have the opportunity to spend much time with Lucia during that period?
27:06Yeah.
27:06We hung out a lot.
27:07She was cool.
27:08I am showing you what's already been entered into evidence as Exhibit 4.
27:13This is the data from Lucia's phone.
27:16Records of every keystroke, every time it was unlocked, every text she sent, every time she opened an app.
27:22Can you see that it shows that she interacted with the device dozens of times a day, just like you
27:28said?
27:29Yeah.
27:29And can you see that all interaction with the phone ceased at 11.47 p.m. on the evening of
27:36September 24th?
27:38Yes.
27:39From that point forward, there is no activity at all.
27:44Do you have any idea why that is?
27:46No.
27:47Is it possible it's because that's the night she was killed?
27:50Objection!
27:51Witness has no way of knowing this and already stated as much.
27:55Sustained.
27:56Mr. Mason, did you see Benjamin Hoffman on the night of September 24th?
28:00Yeah, I went over to his place around 9 and hung out for like half an hour.
28:04Was Lucia Felasco there?
28:06Yes.
28:06When you left around 9.30, were the defendant, Ms. Felasco, alone in the apartment?
28:12Yes.
28:13Did you ever see her again after that?
28:17No.
28:18She was never seen or heard from by anyone after that.
28:21Never touched her phone again.
28:23Did you receive a call from Mr. Hoffman the next day on September 25th?
28:28Yeah.
28:30He asked me to run an errand for him.
28:32He sent me to buy him a suitcase.
28:35Is this the suitcase you purchased on Mr. Hoffman's behalf?
28:38It looks like it.
28:39Yeah.
28:39It's a suitcase that was found with the defendant's fingerprint on it and...
28:44with Lucia Felasco's dead body stuffed inside.
28:48Nothing further.
28:52Did my client ever explain to you why Ms. Felasco was no longer living in his apartment?
28:57Um, yeah.
28:59He said that she broke up with him and took off.
29:01Something she had a history of doing.
29:03So is it possible that the reason she stopped using your phone was that she didn't bring it
29:08with her because she knew that Mr. Hoffman was paying for it?
29:11Sure.
29:12That makes sense.
29:13And isn't it also possible that he put the luggage that you purchased in his apartment
29:19storage unit in the basement of his building, a basement it has been established anyone
29:23could have access to?
29:25I guess so, yeah.
29:26And lastly, in your time working for my client, did you ever see him behave violently toward
29:34Ms. Felasco?
29:35Or anyone, for that matter?
29:38No.
29:40Uh, he was always pretty chill.
29:44Indeed.
29:46Nothing further.
29:49We'll end there for today.
29:51Trial will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.
29:53Court is adjourned.
30:05Price.
30:07Hold up.
30:08Oh, Cordelia, what?
30:09Let me guess.
30:10Uh, you want to discuss a deal?
30:11Oh, I forgot how brilliant you are.
30:13Not interested.
30:14Uh, you should be.
30:15And why's that?
30:16Because he's willing to tell you what really happened.
30:27I really cared about Lucia.
30:30She was funny.
30:31Sweet.
30:33Her life had been tough, you know?
30:35I understood.
30:37I started making real money as an influencer when I was 15.
30:40But my parents were stealing from me.
30:42My dad lost a lot of that gambling.
30:44So I took down the court.
30:46I got emancipated.
30:47We both have basically been alone since we were 15.
30:52Right.
30:52You're two lonely kids adrift in the world until you found each other.
30:56So what made you kill her?
30:57I would never hurt Lucia or anyone else.
31:01Okay.
31:01So you are just wasting our time.
31:03Would you let him speak?
31:06Why don't you just tell us what happened?
31:10Go ahead.
31:11They can't use any of this in court.
31:16I didn't kill Lucia, but I was there when it happened.
31:21We were partying that night.
31:22I mean, you were doing drugs.
31:26Cocaine.
31:28That's why Corey stopped by.
31:30He was making a delivery.
31:32We got high and Lucia started to show me some of her old gymnastic moves on my trampoline.
31:38It was all good vibes.
31:40We were laughing.
31:42And then she did a backflip.
31:47She was too close to the edge.
31:49So she hit the side and she landed on the floor on her head.
31:57And the sound was just...
32:10It was an accident.
32:15If it was just an accident, then why didn't you call 911?
32:21Um, I panicked.
32:24I...
32:24There were drugs everywhere.
32:26And even though she's only 10 months younger than me, she's still technically underage.
32:30So you thought that putting her in a suitcase and leaving her there would get you in less trouble?
32:36I was high.
32:37I wasn't thinking clearly.
32:39I just wanted to run away and never think about it again.
32:44I know what I did was wrong.
32:46I know.
32:48And I'm...
32:49I'm sorry.
32:51I just...
32:53I just felt like the rest of my life would have been ruined.
33:00Why didn't you tell us that when he was charged with murder?
33:04He just told me the truth two days ago.
33:09Tell me, Mr. Hoffman.
33:10Mr. Hoffman, do you have any evidence to back up this story?
33:16Uh, no.
33:18But I swear, it was an accident.
33:22He's willing to plead guilty to the concealment of a human corpse.
33:26That's the proper charge here.
33:32Offer declined.
33:42I just wanted to tell the truth.
33:46It was an accident.
33:52Call Riley.
33:54Tell him I need him to testify first thing in the morning about Hoffman fleeing.
33:58When they tried to question him, it will establish Hoffman's consciousness of guilt.
34:03Will do.
34:04But Nolan, are you sure we shouldn't consider accepting the plea?
34:11Just take his word for it that it was an accident?
34:13Well, we could call the assistant again and see if he was actually there that night to deliver the cocaine.
34:19Yeah.
34:20That still wouldn't prove that Hoffman's telling the truth about the rest of it.
34:23Well, I don't know.
34:24That scenario he laid out could very well result in a C1 cervical fracture.
34:28It's plausible.
34:29Okay.
34:30But he can't prove any of it.
34:31Well, we can't prove he's lying either.
34:33And if he's telling the truth, then the appropriate sentence is five years, not 25 to life.
34:39His actions don't make any sense in the context of an accident.
34:44He shoved her dead body into a suitcase and left her to rot.
34:48That is not the behavior of someone who is innocent.
34:50Well, sometimes people behave rationally when something crazy happens.
34:55The defense is welcome to present their version of events to the jury.
34:59I would love to see how they react to the news that Hoffman has been lying to them this entire
35:03time.
35:04Call Riley.
35:12Mr. Price, are you ready to call your next witness?
35:16Uh.
35:20Just one moment, Your Honor.
35:26Mr. Price.
35:30Your Honor, it seems we are having some difficulty locating our next witness.
35:35We request a brief continuance while we look into the matter.
35:37With all due respect, not our problem.
35:41Defense requests we move forward.
35:45I'll give you 24 hours.
35:50Okay, thanks.
35:54That was Brady.
35:55She spoke with Riley's wife.
35:56She can't get a hold of him either.
35:58He's not answering anyone's phone calls.
36:01Uh.
36:02Okay.
36:03Um.
36:05Well, let's start calling around hospitals,
36:08see if anyone has been admitted who matches his description.
36:11Hey, hey.
36:12Man, I'm sorry.
36:13Vince.
36:13I'm sorry, right?
36:15I was a no-show.
36:16We've been looking for you.
36:17We were worried.
36:19Now, what's going on?
36:21Uh.
36:23Are you okay?
36:25Uh.
36:25Derek Crosby was, um, declared brain dead this morning.
36:29And his family took him off life support.
36:33Why don't we go to my office?
36:39Uh, I will get us some coffee.
36:42Call Brady and let her know he's been found.
36:51Here, have some of this.
36:54Now, Crosby's death is my fault.
36:56No, it was an accident.
36:57No.
36:58No, I was reckless.
36:59Vince, have you been drinking?
37:01What difference does that make?
37:02Is that a yes?
37:04I saw the orange signs.
37:06I should have been more careful.
37:07You were pursuing a murder suspect.
37:09He stepped in front of your vehicle.
37:10There's nothing.
37:11I knew he wasn't armed.
37:13Hoffman.
37:14I had no reason to think that he had a gun.
37:15No, but you said that you saw it in his hand.
37:18I lied.
37:21Make my actions seem justified.
37:22Vince, you need to be careful.
37:23I just, I got so scared for my career and my, my whole life.
37:27I'm not the person you should be saying this to.
37:29I am a prosecutor, not a priest.
37:34You're exactly the person I need to say this to.
37:38I want to, I want to tell the truth.
37:40I screwed up.
37:42And now?
37:42Vince, stop talking.
37:55You didn't want this to happen.
37:58And you were doing your job.
38:01And, and, and.
38:05Accidents happen.
38:07It's not right.
38:08It's not fair.
38:10It's just the way it is.
38:17But you, you can't let one accident destroy the rest of your life.
38:33Is there someone I can call?
38:34Like, your wife?
38:35No.
38:35A sponsor?
38:36No, no, no.
38:37I'm good.
38:40I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.
38:51How's he doing?
38:55Uh, yeah, he's having a hard time.
38:58I'm just gonna go make sure he gets home, all right?
39:01But, um, call Corey Mason.
39:06Let's see if he backs up Hoffman's claims.
39:19So, what's this about?
39:20Well, your client's assistant confirmed that he was at the apartment that night to deliver
39:26cocaine.
39:27We are willing to drop the murder to charge in exchange for him pleading guilty to concealment
39:32of a human corpse and reckless endangerment.
39:35And, uh, assuming his version of events is true, he purchased and provided Lucia with
39:40drugs which were directly causal to her death.
39:42I'll be looking at six to eight years instead of twenty-five to life.
39:52We've got a deal.
39:53We'll drop the agreement.
39:56So, counselor, what caused you the reverse course?
40:04Thought there was a chance the jury might believe him?
40:06Wow.
40:07Not a change of heart.
40:09Well, that's a shame.
40:10I'll buy you a drink.
40:11Come on.
40:14It's been two months since I last rang.
40:19Prior to that, I'd almost made it to the one-year mark.
40:26But I...
40:29had a few bad days.
40:33And I...
40:35I slipped.
40:40And it's hard.
40:44But...
40:46today was easier than yesterday.
40:49So, there's that.
40:53I know I just have to get up every day and keep going.
41:01And I will.
41:05And I will.
41:06I will.
41:09I will.
41:14And it's hard.
41:16I know I will.
41:16I will.
41:26I know I will.
41:28I will.
41:31And I will.
41:36I will.
41:47Transcription by CastingWords
Comments