🏘️ Law & Order (1990) - Season 25 Episode 18
In the criminal justice system, the truth is rarely simple. In Episode 18 "The Evidence That Changed Everything", the NYPD and DA's office investigate a high-profile murder where the key piece of evidence may have been compromised. As detectives and prosecutors race to uncover the truth, ethical lines blur and careers hang in the balance. Who will uphold justice... and who will bend it?
🔹 Episode Highlights:
• Compromised evidence: a forensic detail threatens to derail the entire case
• Detective vs. ADA: conflicting priorities create tension within the team
• Witness credibility: a key testimony is called into question under cross-examination
• Courtroom climax: a surprise revelation shifts the trial's momentum
• Signature Law & Order intensity: moral ambiguity + legal precision + unforgettable twists
🔹 Series Info:
• Format: Police Procedural / Legal Drama / Courtroom Serial
• Original Network: NBC (US) / Peacock / International Syndication
• Series Launch: 1990 | Season: 25 | Episode: 18 | Title: "The Evidence That Changed Everything"
• Setting: New York City, USA | Language: English
• Runtime: ~42-45 minutes (full) | Clip/Highlight version: ~10-15 min
🎧 Prefer audio? Listen to Law & Order recaps & legal drama podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts.
👉 Enjoying the series? Hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and comment: "Was the evidence admissible? 👇" Turn on notifications 🔔 for Episode 19!
#ShowTVMovies #LawAndOrder #NBC #TheEvidence #S25E18 #LegalDrama #CourtroomTV #CrimeProcedural #BingeWatch #NewYorkLaw
⚠️ Copyright Disclaimer: This video is shared for promotional, review
In the criminal justice system, the truth is rarely simple. In Episode 18 "The Evidence That Changed Everything", the NYPD and DA's office investigate a high-profile murder where the key piece of evidence may have been compromised. As detectives and prosecutors race to uncover the truth, ethical lines blur and careers hang in the balance. Who will uphold justice... and who will bend it?
🔹 Episode Highlights:
• Compromised evidence: a forensic detail threatens to derail the entire case
• Detective vs. ADA: conflicting priorities create tension within the team
• Witness credibility: a key testimony is called into question under cross-examination
• Courtroom climax: a surprise revelation shifts the trial's momentum
• Signature Law & Order intensity: moral ambiguity + legal precision + unforgettable twists
🔹 Series Info:
• Format: Police Procedural / Legal Drama / Courtroom Serial
• Original Network: NBC (US) / Peacock / International Syndication
• Series Launch: 1990 | Season: 25 | Episode: 18 | Title: "The Evidence That Changed Everything"
• Setting: New York City, USA | Language: English
• Runtime: ~42-45 minutes (full) | Clip/Highlight version: ~10-15 min
🎧 Prefer audio? Listen to Law & Order recaps & legal drama podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts.
👉 Enjoying the series? Hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and comment: "Was the evidence admissible? 👇" Turn on notifications 🔔 for Episode 19!
#ShowTVMovies #LawAndOrder #NBC #TheEvidence #S25E18 #LegalDrama #CourtroomTV #CrimeProcedural #BingeWatch #NewYorkLaw
⚠️ Copyright Disclaimer: This video is shared for promotional, review
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:01In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups.
00:07The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
00:12These are their stories.
00:15And now, the moment we've all been waiting for.
00:19Please welcome our final two contestants from Miss New York Metro.
00:26I know how hard it is for these young women to stand up here.
00:30I was in their shoes just a few years ago, and I am honored to be back to judge.
00:35To many of you, this pageant may seem like a zero-sum game, but it's really about connection and sisterhood.
00:44Tonight, however, we do have to pick a winner.
00:48Our first runner-up is Miss Prospect Heights, making our Miss New York Metro 2026 Miss Astoria.
01:10Remember, we're all winners.
01:16We had the Miss New York Metro pageant here last night.
01:20She a contestant?
01:21No, a judge.
01:22Janitor found her this morning.
01:30Katie Harrington, age 29.
01:34Looks like she also worked for the local news station.
01:38Must have hit the carotid artery.
01:40Yeah, she bled out fast.
01:42You got a time of death?
01:44MLI said based on temp and rigidity between 10 and 11 p.m.
01:47All right, well, let's make sure we get the scissors dusted for prints.
01:51Any witnesses?
01:52None.
01:53The place is pretty much cleared out by that time.
01:54What about the security camera situation?
01:57As far as we know, no cameras in the dressing room.
01:58I mean, I always heard these beauty pageants were cutthroat, but...
02:06Are there all increases?
02:19I mean, I'm not sure what you're going to do.
02:19We'll talk to you all about a footprint Всё.
02:22G Hosanna, the часть to paint the ceiling.
02:22How do you manage that 형ity?
02:54You turned off all of the cameras.
02:57We had 30 women backstage last night in various states of Undress.
03:00They wanted privacy.
03:02What about security guards?
03:03One guard was posted backstage.
03:04He see anything?
03:06Apparently he was FaceTiming with his girlfriend at the end of the night.
03:09It's usually an uneventful job.
03:11We can barely fill an audience these days.
03:13Why's that?
03:13Too much competition.
03:15YouTube, social media.
03:16So there are fewer pageants these days?
03:20Well, there used to be 10 a year.
03:22Now there were two.
03:23That really puts extra pressure on the contestants.
03:25And on the judges.
03:27For sure.
03:27Beauty pageants are still important to these people.
03:30Some of these girls, if they lose, think their life is over.
03:33We're going to need a list of last night's contestants.
03:36I'm surprised these pageants are still a thing.
03:39I mean, I thought we were way past that.
03:40Yeah, I gave up on those years ago.
03:43Hey, video just landed from outside the theater.
03:46Picked up someone running out the exit by the dressing room at 1025.
03:51Can you freeze it there?
03:53Not enough of the face visible for facial rec?
03:56That hat?
03:57What is that stitching?
03:59It's like they got to turn it inside out to hide the monogram or something.
04:02What is that?
04:03X-L-V?
04:04Yeah, I don't think it's a brand.
04:06Maybe Roman numerals?
04:07Do we have any other video of this person entering?
04:09No.
04:09And it was freezing that day, so half the people entering the theater were wearing beanies.
04:13But I have some good news.
04:15I found this interesting text from a Kehlani Arizaga.
04:20Be careful how you vote.
04:22There are consequences.
04:24Sounds like a threat to me.
04:26That name rings a bell.
04:27Hold on.
04:31Yeah, here.
04:33Kehlani Arizaga, Miss Prospect Heights.
04:35She was the first runner-up.
04:40I've known Katie since I was 15.
04:43She was like an older sister, a mentor.
04:45So you liked her?
04:47Loved her.
04:49Well, why did you send her that threatening text last night?
04:52The one that said there'd be consequences if she didn't vote the right way?
04:55What are you talking about?
04:58This one?
05:00No, you got it wrong.
05:02I wanted her to vote for someone else.
05:04You wanted to lose?
05:05I wanted to not win.
05:07Why'd you do it in the first place?
05:08My mom.
05:10These pageants mean everything to her.
05:12She says they can open doors, maybe even get me a scholarship for grad school.
05:17Can you tell us where you were last night after the pageant?
05:19Eating pizza.
05:20For the first time in a year.
05:23Got anybody who can back that up?
05:24Yeah.
05:25A few classmates.
05:27Kind of turned into a party.
05:29Mm-mm.
05:29I asked Katie if she wanted to join, but she said she couldn't.
05:35We gotta go.
05:36Katie's dad just got in from Alabama.
05:44I still remember the day I helped Katie move in here.
05:51Mom had just passed.
05:54Katie wanted to stay at home, look after me, of course, but I told her she had to follow
05:59her dreams.
06:02I just knew she was meant for great things.
06:05Mr. Harrington, were you and your daughter very close?
06:08Yeah.
06:09We talked every day.
06:11Was she having any problems with anyone, friends, a boyfriend?
06:15She was always too busy with work for much of a social life.
06:21I encouraged her to date.
06:23Didn't want her to be lonely.
06:29You know, there was this one guy.
06:32Kept chasing after her like a damn dog with a bone.
06:35You got her name?
06:36I never made it that far.
06:38Never even went out on a date, but he was persistent.
06:42Kept calling her, sending her flowers.
06:44Got a bit much for Katie, if I'm being honest.
06:46Do you know where he worked?
06:48How they met?
06:49Any detail will help.
06:50They met at some sort of cancer fundraiser.
06:53He was a hockey player.
06:54That's all I know.
06:57Any luck with the hockey player?
06:59Yeah, I checked out Katie's Instagram.
07:01Looks like the only cancer fundraiser she attended in the last six months was the United Hands
07:05Leukemia Gala.
07:07Lots of photos of her and this guy named Alexander Hayes.
07:10Luke Smitten.
07:11Hockey player?
07:12Rookie left winger for New York's favorite hockey team.
07:15Islanders?
07:17Not funny.
07:18No choir boy.
07:19He just finished a five-game suspension for smashing a stick into his opponent's head.
07:23Here's the best part.
07:24He posted a story last night at 9.30 p.m.
07:28Vocation tag puts him two blocks away from the pageant.
07:38I adored Katie.
07:40I would never hurt her.
07:41Well, you say adored.
07:43We say stalked.
07:44We talked to her doorman.
07:45We know that you were sending her flowers, hanging outside her building.
07:48Yeah, it's a show that I liked her, that I was serious about dating her.
07:51She had two extra deadbolts installed in her door.
07:55Look, I was just trying to get a date.
07:57It's called being romantic.
07:59If she said yes, it's romantic.
08:00If she said no, it's scary.
08:02So what happened?
08:04You get tired of waiting for her to see how romantic you were?
08:06Maybe you stuck into her dressing room last night?
08:08What?
08:08We know you were near the theater where the pageant was held.
08:11Right around the time of the murder.
08:12Hey, look, you guys are crazy, all right?
08:14I was at a party last night with about 200 other people, and I was there until about midnight.
08:18Instead of wasting your time talking to me, you should look into the shady people she was dealing with at
08:23work.
08:24What does that mean?
08:25She told me that as a journalist, she had to take big swings to go where her colleagues were too
08:28scared to go.
08:29So if she was adding extra locks to her door, I mean, it's because of that, not because of me.
08:35You should go talk to her boss.
08:41I wouldn't call her segments dangerous, more like ambitious.
08:45She was a smart woman, had a great gut instinct, knew how to avoid trouble.
08:48Sounds like you knew her well.
08:50Well, I took her under my wing when she first started here.
08:52I got her out from behind the research desk, made her a field reporter.
08:55I was a producer on some of her segments.
08:58Very nice of you.
08:59Well, it's a tough business for women here, so I thought I could help wherever possible.
09:04If you don't mind, when was the last time you spoke to Katie?
09:08Um, she was in the office until about 5.30 last night, and then headed downtown to the pageant.
09:13You speak to her after that?
09:15No.
09:15I stayed working for a few more hours, and then I went home.
09:18And you were there all night?
09:21Sorry, just standard procedure.
09:23You know, the more people we can eliminate from her life, the better.
09:25Right.
09:26Of course I want to be helpful.
09:27Yes, I was home all night.
09:31Here is her work schedule.
09:34I hope it's helpful.
09:35We will take a look.
09:36Do you know, did she have a work phone of any sort?
09:39Yes, she had several.
09:42Good reporters always use burners to protect their sources.
09:47Katie was a terrific reporter.
09:50She was going to do great things.
09:55Hey, warrant for the burner phones came through.
09:59And?
10:00And we got a pretty interesting text.
10:03This is not okay, make this right, or things are going to get ugly.
10:07Any luck IDing the sender?
10:09Phone's registered to a Jasmine Hernandez.
10:11She's affiliated with the Cobra 10 gang, got a pretty healthy rap sheet too.
10:14Drugs, assault, weapons charges.
10:17Let's go talk to her.
10:22Yeah, that's me.
10:24I meant it, too.
10:26Could you be more specific?
10:29Katie came up here a few months ago with that other news lady, Anne Merrick.
10:34They convinced me to help them do a segment showing gangs recruiting young girls.
10:39So you were a source?
10:42I connect to her to the right people.
10:44It doesn't explain the angry text, though.
10:47When the segment came out a few weeks ago, there was a mistake.
10:50A guy that lives here, he was in some of the video they shot.
10:54They claimed he was a gang member.
10:56He was pissed.
10:57And now people are coming after me about it.
11:01All right, well, can you tell us where you were last night around 10?
11:05Work in the register at a bodega.
11:08166 and Webster.
11:10They got cameras everywhere if you want to check.
11:18So am I good?
11:20For now.
11:23Where did you get that hot?
11:26Anne Merrick gave it to me.
11:33All right.
11:34Yep.
11:36Turns out Anne Merrick had those beanies made for the station's anniversary.
11:40Okay.
11:42Anne told us that she went home after work and never left, right?
11:45Yeah, and her doorman confirmed it.
11:47I don't think her doorman saw that.
11:49Surveillance video from her garage, rear side of her building, shows her leaving at 9.24 p.m.
11:55Wearing an XLV beanie and an outfit that matches the video we have of the killer fleeing the scene.
12:02NYPD.
12:03Stop.
12:03We're about to go live.
12:04No, you're not.
12:05Hey, hey, you can't be here.
12:06Warren says we can.
12:07Stop the side.
12:08What's going on?
12:08Anne Merrick, you're under arrest.
12:10For what?
12:10The murder of Katie Harrington.
12:12What the hell are you talking about?
12:13Katie was my friend.
12:14She was like my little sister.
12:20Earlier today, veteran TV news anchor Anne Merrick was arrested on suspicion of murdering her...
12:24Who's that?
12:25Arresting a news anchor is big news.
12:27How's the evidence?
12:29Strong.
12:30The detectives found a beanie in her apartment, identical to the one seen at the crime scene.
12:35Plus, her DNA was on the murder weapon.
12:37A pair of scissors found in her neck.
12:39Motive?
12:41Still not adding up.
12:43So, this woman suddenly bolts from her apartment, walks three miles to this beauty contest, and stabs her colleague in
12:51a dressing room.
12:52Something must have triggered her.
12:54Question is what?
12:56Yeah, well...
12:59Since Nolan's out for a few weeks, this is your case.
13:04Oh.
13:05Okay.
13:09Great.
13:13And thank you.
13:23How can I help?
13:25You had a six-minute call with Anne Merrick the night of the murder just before she left her apartment
13:29to go kill Katie Harrington.
13:30We want to know what that call's about.
13:34I can put you in touch with New York 32's lawyers.
13:37Or we can subpoena you.
13:41Just tell us what you know now.
13:46Anne had been hounding me.
13:48She wanted to know why she hadn't gotten the paperwork for her contract renewal.
13:51So, I finally called.
13:53Told her we wouldn't be renewing her.
13:56Must have made her upset.
13:58Yeah, she was livid.
14:00She wanted to know how I could possibly justify firing her after all she's done for the station.
14:04And?
14:05I told her HR would discuss the matter with her.
14:08I've learned to keep these calls brief.
14:10You guys discussed anything else on this call?
14:13She asked who was replacing her.
14:15And you said Katie Harrington.
14:18Yes.
14:19I regret it.
14:22Yeah.
14:24Okay.
14:25Well, thank you for your help, Mr. Williams.
14:30There's your motive, Sam.
14:32Vengeance.
14:36Sam.
14:37Sam.
14:41Abby.
14:41Hi.
14:42Hi.
14:42How are you?
14:43Good.
14:44Busier than ever.
14:45Oh, we're overdue for dinner.
14:46Well, don't worry.
14:47You're going to be seeing plenty of me in the next month or so.
14:50What are you?
14:51I am.
14:52Well, Ann Arick has good taste in lawyers.
14:55We'll see.
14:57I gotta go.
14:57I'll see you in there.
14:58Okay.
15:06Your Honor, we've got DNA evidence that links the defendant to the murder weapon, video showing her leaving the crime
15:12scene, and clear motive.
15:14Your Honor, the people request remand.
15:16Your Honor, we plead not guilty and request reasonable bail.
15:20My client has no criminal record, strong community ties, and a face recognizable in most of the tri-state area.
15:28Good for her.
15:29But I'm denying bail anyways.
15:32Defendant is hereby remanded.
15:34All right, this way, ma'am.
15:39You open for a plea discussion?
15:41You're asking for a plea?
15:43That might be your record.
15:45Oh, we don't want to waste anyone's time.
15:47Meaning what?
15:48Meaning she doesn't intend to dispute the fact she killed Katie Harrington.
15:52But you just bled not guilty.
15:54To murder, too.
15:57But manslaughter, that's different.
15:59We're willing to plead guilty to that.
16:03No, I'm not open to discussing that.
16:06You're going to have a really hard time hearing our defense.
16:12I'll see you in court, Abby.
16:17Yes, Nolan, for the fifth time, I've double-checked the affidavits, the addresses, and everything else in the damn file
16:24so you can relax.
16:25Okay?
16:26Just focus on getting better.
16:28Who needs an appendix anyway?
16:34Okay, I'll do my best.
16:36I promise.
16:38Okay.
16:39Defense lawyer is claiming EED?
16:41Yeah, she's saying the defendant and Katie Harrington had an intimate mentor-mentee relationship,
16:47and that the idea of Katie taking her job triggered such extreme emotional disturbance that it drove the defendant to
16:55kill her.
16:55Nice try, but that's not how EED works.
16:58It's not meant to cover workplace issues.
17:00Exactly.
17:00It's a big stretch.
17:02I'm not surprised.
17:03Abigail Donahue is, uh...
17:06She's aggressive.
17:07I worked with her in the Brooklyn DA's office.
17:09Yeah, well, unless there's evidence I don't know about, this is murder, too, all day long.
17:14No, you're not missing anything.
17:16Yeah, I think, uh, Abigail is hoping that the jury is going to buy into the old trope that all
17:21women are prone to hysteria.
17:23Right.
17:28At the crime scene, we discovered a pair of scissors were jammed into her neck.
17:32In your experience, does that type of injury create a substantial risk of death?
17:38Yes.
17:38When the carotid is severed, the victim dies within minutes.
17:42Is it fair to say that these are the type of injuries you see from someone intending to kill?
17:47Yes.
17:48Can you please describe what you see in this video?
17:54That is the defendant exiting the back door of her apartment building.
17:58And what's relevant about her clothing?
18:01The clothing matches video we have of the killer fleeing the scene.
18:05One last question.
18:06Can you read the timestamp on the video?
18:089.24 p.m., about an hour before the murder.
18:13Nothing further.
18:16The back exit of my client's building, the southern exit, to be exact.
18:21Isn't that closest to where she was headed?
18:23Downtown?
18:24Yes.
18:25So the suggestion that she was headed out the back door to evade detection, it doesn't really make any sense,
18:30does it?
18:31Still makes sense to me.
18:35Lieutenant Brady, did you determine where the scissors in question came from?
18:39The scissors came from a hairstyling kit belonging to the victim.
18:42They were present in the victim's dressing room?
18:44Yes.
18:45Which means my client brought no weapon of any kind that night?
18:49Not that we know of.
18:51Hmm.
18:52So she went there to kill Katie, but she didn't bring a weapon.
18:59That doesn't make any sense either, does it?
19:01Maybe she didn't decide to kill Katie until she got into the dressing room.
19:05Ah, so Ann Merrick acted in the heat of the moment.
19:08I don't want to parse legal terms with you, but the intent to kill can happen fast, instantaneously.
19:16So it doesn't mean she acted in the heat of the moment.
19:18But you're the one who said that she was triggered in the dressing room.
19:21Objection.
19:21She's badgering the witness.
19:22Sustained.
19:25Nothing further.
19:33Mr. Williams, as chief executive of the New York 32 television station, you had cause to speak with the defendant
19:41on the telephone approximately two hours before the murder?
19:45Yes.
19:45Would you tell the court why?
19:47Well, I had to inform Ms. Merrick that the network would not be renewing her contract.
19:52How did she react?
19:53After 22 years of annual renewals, not well.
19:57She became extremely upset, and she accused me of sexism and ageism.
20:03Is that true?
20:05Did you fire the defendant because you don't like women, or because she's too old?
20:13No, it was performance-related, and I told her as much.
20:17Her response?
20:18Well, she demanded to know more about the performance issue, but I told her I wasn't at liberty to say
20:25more.
20:26Then what?
20:27Well, she asked me who was going to replace her, and I told her Katie Harrington.
20:31And then she got even more angry.
20:33Thank you, Mr. Williams.
20:34Nothing further.
20:39What was the performance issue you fired my client over?
20:43Ann had misidentified someone as a gang member in the segment.
20:48That was a mistake that exposed the network to significant legal liability.
20:52How did you know it was Ann who made that mistake?
20:57Katie Harrington told me.
20:59Your Honor, we move to admit, as Exhibit B, an email sent by Ms. Harrington from her New York 32
21:07account to the misidentified individual in the gang segment.
21:11Objection.
21:12Your Honor, we had no notice of this.
21:14Your Honor, we just got our hands on this email, and it's important that we present it now, because it
21:20undermines everything that this witness just testified to.
21:23Chambers, now.
21:29This was unfair surprise, Your Honor.
21:32Agreed.
21:32That's not how we do things in this office, Ms. Donahue.
21:35Your Honor, we just got verification of this email earlier today.
21:37We had access to Katie Harrington's work accounts for weeks.
21:40An abundance of correspondence.
21:42Chambers, who is perfectly capable of reviewing discovery in a timely fashion, Your Honor.
21:46I request exclusion of this evidence at this point in time, since the people have been deprived of any meaningful
21:51opportunity to investigate.
21:53You will see the email comes from a New York 32 account.
21:56That's the news station that Ms. Maroon's witness has been testifying about.
22:00Wow.
22:02If that's the case, I will allow this exhibit.
22:04But, if this happens again, Ms. Donahue, there will be sanctions.
22:08Of course.
22:13That was not okay, Abby.
22:15I'm just trying to win a trial here.
22:17By hiding evidence from me.
22:19It's the oldest trick in the book.
22:21Well, you never taught me that one.
22:23Oh, can't give away all my secrets.
22:32Mr. Williams, will you please read the highlighted portion of the email sent by Ms. Harrington from her New York
22:3932 account to the misidentified individual in the gang segment?
22:44I'm horrified I did this.
22:47I'll remove all footage of you from our files and correct the name immediately.
22:52No, Katie told me that Ann provided all the footage and oversaw the identifications in that segment.
23:01Exactly.
23:03Katie Harrington, who the prosecution has portrayed as a hardworking beauty pageant winner turned TV reporter,
23:13actually threw her mentor under the bus to save her own skin.
23:20She had Ann Merrick, who had done nothing, but tirelessly champion her work since the day she started at your
23:29network, fired.
23:32Who wouldn't feel betrayed?
23:36Who wouldn't feel devastated?
23:40Out of their mind.
23:56So they're sullying the victim.
23:58It's the right move.
23:59You think the jury's buying it?
24:01I'm not certain.
24:02It definitely makes Katie look less than saintly, that's for sure.
24:06What do you think?
24:07I mentor a few women, right?
24:09I help them out, I pull them up whenever it's possible, and if one of them betrayed me like that,
24:14yes, I'd be emotional too.
24:16Fair.
24:17But I'm guessing you wouldn't slam a pair of scissors into someone's neck.
24:20Probably not.
24:22Neither would 99.9% of other people, which is why this is murder and not manslaughter.
24:27So who's their first witness?
24:29An expert in female workplace trauma.
24:31Well, I didn't know that was a field of study.
24:34Neither did I.
24:36Use that to your advantage.
24:39Yeah.
24:42And how would you describe the nature of the workplace relationship between female mentors and their protégés?
24:51Quite intimate.
24:52In what way?
24:54Powerful bonds form in stressful environments and spaces where women are outnumbered, and the relationship provides emotional support, often helping
25:01both women thrive in challenging situations.
25:03And what happens if the bond is threatened or ruptured?
25:08It's psychologically destabilizing.
25:10Given the intimacy of the relationship, a betrayal would cause a shock to your core sense of safety, akin to
25:17your spouse cheating on you.
25:18Would you say emotions dominate?
25:21Absolutely.
25:21And based on your evaluation, how did the termination psychologically affect Ms. Merrick?
25:27It was a highly traumatic event for her.
25:30That the one person in the work environment with whom she had formed a strong emotional bond, whose career she
25:38championed...
25:39Objection.
25:40Counsel's testifying.
25:41I'll rephrase.
25:42Based on your examination, how did the specifics of the dismissal shape her reaction?
25:49I believe it was a perfect storm that triggered an extreme emotional disturbance.
25:53She lost her capacity to reason when she realized what Katie Harrington had done to her.
26:00Nothing further.
26:03Dr. Fitzgerald, are you aware that the defendant has reported on police brutality, city hall corruption, human trafficking, and terrorist
26:11cells?
26:12I am.
26:14Yet it is your opinion that when she was faced with what essentially is a workplace conflict, she became so
26:22emotional that she lost all self-control and killed someone?
26:27Yes.
26:30As a preeminent expert in the field of workplace trauma, have you ever been called to testify in a murder
26:37trial?
26:38No.
26:40Well, do you know of any instance in which a perceived betrayal of a senior female employee by a junior
26:48employee resulted in murder?
26:50As I said, this would have been a perfect storm.
26:52Yes or no, doctor?
26:55No.
26:56So, if an emotional reaction like that has never happened before, it's impossible to call it reasonable, isn't it?
27:07I suppose so.
27:09But I have nothing further.
27:18Ms. Maroon?
27:21Ms. Maroon?
27:24Mr. Harrington.
27:25Hi.
27:27How are you, um, how are you feeling?
27:30You know it's not easy sitting in there.
27:33I want to know what all this means.
27:35I mean, that doctor, there's stuff about how Anne America is some sort of mental issue.
27:41Well, they're saying that the defendant was so overcome with emotions that she didn't have legal intent to murder.
27:50And if the jury agrees, then they can't put her away from murder?
27:55Correct.
27:57Well, then what happens?
27:59Well, then she'd be convicted with, uh, men, which is a class B violent felony.
28:07The sentence is five to twenty-five years.
28:10Five years.
28:14They're stabbing my daughter in the neck.
28:19Katie was twenty-nine years old.
28:21That woman stole her life.
28:25No.
28:27Five years is not okay.
28:32Twenty years ago, there were only a handful of women doing on-air reporting.
28:37Everyone doubted that we could handle real stories.
28:40My bosses handed me baking contests, nanny scandals, but I wanted to report real news.
28:47So I found my own features.
28:49Woke up at five a.m., worked till ten p.m.
28:51You made sacrifices?
28:53I didn't have time for relationships, marriage, children, but, um, it was worth it.
28:59I loved my job.
29:01And you excelled at it.
29:02You won several local Emmys.
29:05Three.
29:06Quite a feat.
29:08So when you got the phone call from Mr. Williams at New York 32 that your contract was not going
29:14to be renewed, how did that feel?
29:17Totally blindsided.
29:19I'd thought that I was on the path to national anchor.
29:21And suddenly a lifetime of work and sacrifices, gone.
29:29You know, it was terrifying.
29:31Why blame Katie Harrington?
29:34I had taken Katie under my wing.
29:36I wanted to make it easier for her than it had been for me.
29:42So what did you do to support her?
29:44I did what I had always done for all the young women that I had mentored throughout my career.
29:48And there have been dozens.
29:50I advocated for them and nurtured their professional development.
29:54Ms. Merrick, I want to show you some documents that were admitted to evidence.
30:03Will you please tell the jury what this is?
30:06Um, this is a letter of recommendation that I wrote for Katie's Hudson Fellowship application.
30:12And would you mind reading just the highlighted portion, please?
30:16Katie Harrington is a brilliant reporter with a great future ahead.
30:20Her work in our office has been nothing short of dazzling.
30:23I recommend her without hesitation and would do anything to help advance her application.
30:28Would it be fair to say that you were devoted to Katie Harrington?
30:33Absolutely.
30:34So what did you think when Mr. Williams let you know that he was replacing you with her?
30:43I was, uh, I was confused.
30:46He said that I was getting fired because I'd made a big mistake.
30:50And I had no idea what he was talking about.
30:52And then I remembered that Katie had misidentified someone in the gang segment.
30:56And she had told me that she was terrified that it was going to get her fired.
31:00So when he told me that she was replacing me, I thought that she had laid the blame on me.
31:09What did you do next?
31:10I went to find Katie to ask her how the network got the idea that I had made that major
31:15error.
31:15What did she say?
31:17She said she panicked.
31:21And told them that...
31:23That it was my mistake.
31:26Then what?
31:32Before I knew it, Katie was dead.
31:36It was a blur.
31:42Katie did not deserve that.
31:48I know that now.
31:52But on that night, in that moment, I just...
31:58I didn't think.
32:01I didn't think.
32:02I just...
32:02I just reacted.
32:04I just...
32:06Like I said, it was just...
32:08It was such a blur.
32:30Donoghue is trying to turn their work relationship into something much more deep and personal.
32:35Kind of like a husband and wife.
32:37Makes sense.
32:37That's where most of these EED cases live.
32:40Spouses catching their partners in bed with someone else.
32:43Hell of a lot different than losing your job to a protege.
32:46What I don't get, though.
32:48What?
32:49They were trying to paint Ann Merrick as the world's most amazing mentor.
32:53Right?
32:53A selfless, devoted woman who lived to help everyone around her.
32:57Yet they haven't called any of those so-called mentees to testify to any of this.
33:02It's strange, right?
33:05So talk to some of these women the defendant allegedly mentored.
33:08See what they have to say.
33:12I owe a lot to Ann Merrick.
33:14I was a total novice when I started at the station.
33:18And she was really helpful.
33:21And kind.
33:23Until I got hired by MSN.
33:26Then what?
33:28She...
33:30She wasn't happy about me getting that job.
33:34Was upset that I didn't tell her that I'd interviewed for it.
33:38That I didn't get her opinion.
33:42Then I found out the real reason she was so upset.
33:45She applied for the same spot.
33:48And when you say she wasn't happy, can you be more specific?
33:54She...
33:54She literally grabbed me by my collar.
33:57And said if I ever double-crossed her again, she'd kill me.
34:04She had this look in her eye.
34:07I think she really meant it.
34:09I think she really meant it.
34:30Abby.
34:32Hi.
34:33Come in.
34:38I got the email about Sarah Chase.
34:41Are you kidding me?
34:45Well...
34:46It's relevant information, Abby.
34:49Your client doesn't like it when her mentees succeed.
34:54Yeah, of course she didn't kill Sarah Chase, but she sure as hell threatened her.
34:58Ann Merrick is a woman of a certain generation.
35:01She had to put on armor in order to survive a male-dominated profession.
35:06She threatened vengeance when she thought other women crossed her.
35:09That's one way to put it.
35:11The other.
35:11She acted like a man.
35:13She used male language.
35:15She flexed verbal muscle, telling people not to mess with her.
35:19If a man said, I'm going to kill you, in this context, we wouldn't even blink.
35:24Let alone use it as evidence to prove intent.
35:32Look, Abby.
35:35You put on a solid defense.
35:38Solid defense?
35:41You know what I mean?
35:45I want to plead this one out, Sam.
35:49Man one is the right result here.
35:52Like I said before, I don't think this is EED.
35:55Yeah, because of existing sexist case law.
36:00That's why men have successfully been using EED for crimes of anger and rage.
36:06But women, we can only use it if we're traumatized, because the law doesn't allow us to be angry.
36:13This is a chance to move the case law forward.
36:16I can't tell Katie Harrington's father that the person who killed his daughter is going to be out in five
36:21years.
36:23You owe me this.
36:25I what?
36:27I got you this damn job.
36:30Yes.
36:32You definitely helped.
36:35And I'm grateful for that.
36:38I did you a favor.
36:40And now I'm asking you for one.
36:48Please.
36:53I haven't had a good result in a while.
36:59I need this, Sam.
37:16Any luck finding other rebuttal witnesses?
37:20Working on it.
37:23Everything okay?
37:28Did you ever have a mentor?
37:32Yeah, a few.
37:34Did any of them ever ask you to repay the debt?
37:38No.
37:40And no mentor worth her soul would ever ask that of you.
37:57Please call your next witness, Miss Maroon.
38:05Miss Maroon.
38:07Your next witness.
38:12Your Honor, the people call Sarah Chase.
38:32Miss Chase, was the defendant your supervisor and mentor at New York 32?
38:40She was.
38:41And is it true that you left five years ago for a better position in cable news?
38:47Yes.
38:48Sarah, can you please tell the court what Ann Merrick said to you when you told her about your new
38:53job?
38:56She grabbed hold of my collar and said if I ever double-crossed her again, she'd kill me.
39:16Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?
39:20We have, Your Honor.
39:23On the count of murder, in the second degree, we find the defendant guilty.
39:28Guilty.
39:40Members of the jury, thank you for your service.
39:44We are adjourned.
39:46Thank you, Miss Maroon.
39:48You're welcome.
39:58Abby, come on, Abby.
40:03Oh, God, Abby.
40:07I'd like to explain.
40:10We're done here.
40:17Good work, Sam.
40:22You did a great job.
40:37She's famous, right?
40:39Lots of family drama.
40:41The father is super weird.
40:42You were hiding something.
40:43Are you suggesting I had anything to do with it?
40:46Are you trying to help the man who killed your daughter?
40:48Law & Order, new next Thursday on NBC and Peacock.
40:55The victim was a fighter.
40:57Something went sideways.
41:00You ever seen anything like this?
41:02This is a first.
41:04SVU, new next on NBC and Peacock.
41:07You ever seen anything like this?
41:09You ever seen anything like this?
41:09You ever seen anything like this?
41:13You ever seen anything like this?
41:14You ever seen anything like this?
41:14You ever seen anything like this?
41:15You ever seen anything like this?
41:15You ever seen anything like this?
41:15You ever seen anything like this?
41:15You ever seen anything like this?
41:16You ever seen anything like this?
41:16You ever seen anything like this?
41:17You ever seen anything like this?
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