In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups-
the police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
I thought you were buying the paper.
Just checking the ponies. Yeah?
How did Johnnie Walker make out in the fifth? Cut me some slack, Gretch.
You know how much stress I'm under right now.
It is 8:00 in the damn morning. I'll go to a meeting.
Right. Jeffrey.
I really mean it this time, I swear.
Oh, my God.
White female, late 30s.
People who live in the garden apartment found her first thing this morning.
Guy's half in the bag. The early bird catches the hangover.
Looks like she took a header from one of the hotel balconies.
Get the crime techs up there. Check out all the rooms with balconies facing this backyard
Will do. Victim have any I.D. on her?
No pockets. She was wearin' a skirt. All right. Thanks.
- Brody, what you got for us, man? - Quick drive-by, blunt trauma smorgasbord.
Broken pelvis, shattered lower extremities, lots of lacerations,
rib cage like a bag full of broken china.
Jumpin' off a balcony will do that.
If she jumped, she would have hit that lower roof.
You saying she was pushed? I'll know more when I get her on the table.
But judging from the trajectory, I'd say, yeah, she had help.
Can you put a time on it?
Based on body temperature and lividity, I'd ballpark it somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00 last night.
Detectives, this is Mr. Wrightsman, the manager of the hotel.
How can I help you? What can you tell us about the upper floors, the ones with the balconies?
Those are our executive suites. So much for the golden parachute.
It's a nice view. I prefer a southern exposure.
Hey, Reed. You got anything? Usable prints? I doubt it.
But I did find this lying out here on the terrace.
Contact lens. Cutting-edge R.G.P. Rigid Gas Permeable.
- Could've popped out during a struggle. - Don't get your hopes up. It's extremely durable.
It could've been lying out here for days, weeks, months.
I know it's hopeless, but get it to the lab anyway.
What a novel idea. I was gonna auction it off on eBay. You want another idea?
Detectives?
Lisa Winslow checked in yesterday afternoon around 4:00.
Reception gave her one room key. She certainly didn't mess up the room.
Concierge said she just used it to freshen up before her speech...
at the Hoop-la International Convention last night.
- Hoop-la? - Licensees for various pro basketball products and spin-offs.
We have some of the top players here. Julius West, Jimmy Neal.
- What'd she talk about? - I gather she was some kind of motivational speaker.
Fire up the reps to sell more sneakers. That sort of thing.
Five-hundred-dollar-a-day dressing room?
I guess she could afford it, unless this purse is some kind of Canal Street knockoff.
Well, she's our high diver, all right. “Lisa Winslow."
No wonder she could afford to use the place just to powder her nose.
She's a local. Blackstone Avenue, the Bronx.
It's Riverdale. Trust me, this purse is real.
I'm sorry. Miss Winslow is not here. I don't know where.
Who are you, ma'am? I'm the nanny.
Uh, if we could just come in?
We need to talk to somebody about Miss Winslow.
Do you know if there's any family we can call?
Miss Lisa's sister is here. Why don't you go get her? Thanks.
You can wait in here.
I hate it when they have kids. You kidding? It's the worst.
- Can I help you? - Uh, this is Detective Green. I'm Detective Briscoe.
Renee Bishop. ls there a problem?
You're Lisa Winslow's sister? What is it? What's wrong?
I'm afraid that we have some bad news.
About Lisa?
She was found dead early this morning at the Park Terrace Hotel.
Oh, my God! She fell from a balcony
Sophie. Sophie?
My niece, Lisa's daughter. What am I going to tell her?
Is her father around?
Lisa's a single parent.
What's his name? Where can we get in touch with him?
There's no one to get in touch with. Sophie was adopted.
Mommy? Oh, Mommy's not home yet. I'll be there in a minute.
I can't find my princess doll.
I'm going to be with you in one minute, all right?
Lorena, will you help her look for her doll, please?
Of course. Come, mi hija.
When you're up to it, we're gonna need you to come down and identify her.
Of course I will. We also need to know where your sister worked.
She owned her own business.
I think I have her card in my purse.
I'll get it.
Lisa was one of the top motivational speakers in the country.
Her competitive background in athletics dovetailed nicely with contemporary corporate culture.
"1996 Olympic Swim Team."
“First place, Big Island Iron Woman Triathlon."
She won three triathlons.
Do you know how hard that is? What an accomplishment?
My idea of a triathlon was junior high punt, pass and kick.
So she did well. Oh, very well
- Business was booming. She was in great demand. - What about her personal life?
Lisa was much too busy to have a personal life.
No boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, husbands?
She was gay.
Oh, any girlfriends, ex-girlfriends?
She never mentioned anyone to me.
What can you tell us about this speaking engagement she had last night?
She rocked the house. They absolutely ate it up.
Finished the Q&A a little after 9:00.
What'd she do after that? There was a reception.
When I left, she was heading to the bar with a couple of players.
- Schmoozing was Lisa's forte. - Which players was she schmoozing with?
I'm sorry. I'm not in to basketball.
They were tall, African American.
She was in here last night. Had a few Cosmos. Actually, more than a few.
Who was she drinking with? A couple of black guys, looked like basketball players.
We got this Hoop-la-la Convention here all week.
So they had a couple of drinks-- A few laughs, then paid the tab and left.
- Together? - Yeah, I guess. Around 10:00.
How'd they pay the tab? One of the guys charged it to his room.
Yeah, we tossed back a couple with her. Honey said she was writing some sort of motivational book for athletes.
She wanted a few quotes, like what makes a winner, stuff like that.
Uh, why? We'll ask the questions.
After the bar, what'd you do? I went upstairs, hit the sack.
Alone? Yeah.
What about you? Me, I caught a ride downtown to this new hip-hop spot, TR Caesars.
How long were you there? Uh, maybe till, like, 3:00 in the morning.
Did you happen to get a taxi receipt? A taxi?
Call the limo company and they'll straighten you out. All right. We will
So, uh, am I off the hook? I mean, I gotta split.
Don't tell me I can't leave town. I got a big game in K.C. tonight.
You can go for now.
See you in Philly, bro. No doubt.
So you're on your way to your room. Did you ride the elevator with Ms. Winslow?
Yeah. She got off at her floor, I went on up to mine.
So as far as we know, you were the last person to see her alive.
This is messed up. I told you. I went to my room, man. My wheels are here.
That's gonna have to wait.
You were in the elevator with her. Y'all got this connection going. You end up in her room?
No. I told you. I did not go to the lady's room.
Only she's not interested in what you have to offer, and you can't figure out why.
This is so wrong. “No” is not a word you're used to hearing, is it, Shawn?
Look, I hooked up with a shortie, okay? A shortie?
A female. She was hangin' in the lobby, sweatin' me all night.
Finally gave her my room number, told her to holler at me around 10:00.
You got a name for this shortie? Alicia. I think.
So, Alicia. You didn't happen to notice her last name, did you? No, I didn't.
It was just a one-hitter quitter. She was sportin' team color.
Like a varsity jacket? Yeah.
What school? Marlboro. Yeah, Marlboro.
My mom's, like, in the Dark Ages.
If she finds out about this, she'll, like, totally freak.
Why don't you tell us what happened, and we'll try to make sure that she don't totally freak.
Shawn's Web site said he'd be in New York.
I thought it'd be cool to meet him. He's always been my favorite player.
He's so cute.
So you went up to his room? He's famous.
I've never been with a famous person before.
So how long were you two kickin' it?
I hooked up with him about 10:00, went home about 2:00.
He even paid for my cab fare home.
Gee, a real gentleman, huh?
All right. Thanks.
I'm glad I don't have kids.
It's a mixed bag. They're not all like Alicia. Some of them are worse.
Ed. These came in while you were out. Thanks, man.
M.E. says the D.N.A. on the contact wasn't Lisa Winslow.
Could be it belonged to the killer after all.
Also found circumferential bruises on her upper arms, contusion on her left hip.
That's consistent with being grabbed and pushed off that balcony.
I have a problem. Join the club. Shawn Beatty's alibi just got corroborated.
Lisa Winslow's parents are on their way here from New Hope.
They want to know why they had to find out about their daughter's death...
from a news item on the radio.
We told the sister. She didn't tell the family?
According to the parents, Lisa Winslow doesn't have a sister. What?
Then who was the woman we met at Winslow's house?
We sent a patrol car by to have a word with her.
Whoever she is, she's gone, and she took the girl with her.
Damn.
So you have no idea who this woman might be?
I'm afraid you're asking the wrong people.
Lisa kept us out of her private life.
Mr. and Mrs. Winslow, we need to find your granddaughter now.
She's really not our granddaughter. We've never even met her.
She is precious.
We got a lot of people working on this. There's a statewide Amber Alert.
If you know anything that can help, great.
If not, we're wasting valuable time when we should be out looking for her.
Um...
about eight years ago,
Lisa told us she'd met a woman in Florida,
and they were gonna adopt a child down there.
Said they were gonna get married.
You know, shack up together.
Said they were in love. Broke her mother's heart.
After that we didn't talk very much.
- Maybe a card at Christmas. - They were living in Florida?
After they split up, Lisa moved to New York. That was two years ago.
Do you know if she had any friends in New York we could talk to?
Anybody she might have confided in?
Who was that Susan girl at NYU, Paul?
Um, Susan Roberts, was it?
I think they kept in touch over the years.
Lisa wasn't the type to pour out her heart over cocktails.
Do you know if she was seeing somebody?
As far as I know, uh, a few dates here and there. No one special.
What about past relationships?
She had an ex in Florida. Renee something. I never met her.
I think we have. They were living in Miami. That's where they adopted Sophie.
Do you have any idea why they broke up?
Lisa said they'd just grown apart.
Been together something like seven years, didn't have anything in common anymore.
Except for Sophie. Yeah, except Sophie.
What I understand, Renee was devastated by the split, and so was Sophie.
I told Lisa I thought she was wrong to separate them. Renee was Sophie's mother too.
What did Lisa do?
Moved to New York, got a lawyer.
Do you know how we can find this lawyer? Yeah, I used her for my divorce.
Nancy Shapiro.
Madison and 53rd.
Where is Sophie, by the way?
Who's taking care of her? We're looking for her.
Renee has her?
Renee Bishop, still in Miami, far as I know.
Here's her contact info. I'm gonna call the squad, get 'em on it.
Why don't you tell me about the custody battle? There was none.
Custody battles occur when both parties have legal custodial rights,
which was not the case here.
It's our understanding that these two women raised the child together.
Heather Has Two Mommies.
Florida law prohibits homosexuals from adopting. Lisa filed as a single woman.
Which gave her legal custody. Sole legal custody.
So why hire you?
To protect her interests. Lisa didn't want Renee Bishop in Sophie's life.
Sophie was adjusting nicely,
and any further contact would have prolonged the agony of the divorce.
Renee Bishop took a whole lot of legal avenues to get some kind of visitation,
but under Florida law, she didn't have a leg to stand on.
Woman raises a kid for five years, then gets cut out of her life.
Sounds like motive to me.
It makes me a little less worried about the girl. At least we know her other mother isn't gonna harm her.
I just got off the phone with Bishop's roommate in Miami.
According to him, she left for New York City last week.
Did he say where she was staying? No.
What about her cell phone? Trace her through that?
Doesn't have one, but I did get the LUDS from her home phone in Miami.
Renee Bishop made over 50 calls to Lisa Winslow in the last six months.
That's a lot of calls to your ex. Not if you're fighting over a kid.
Lieutenant? Yeah,. Thanks.
Renee Bishop's credit card charges.
She's been staying at the Melrose Hotel all week.
Sure. I remember this little girl. Cute as a button. Here with her mom.
Renee Bishop. Bishop? Just a minute.
Here she is. Renee Bishop. They checked out an hour ago.
Damn. We're gonna need a record of her phone calls.
I'll print one out.
John, come here a minute. Doorman might know which way they went.
N.Y.P.D. They're looking for this kid and her mom.
Yeah, I remember them. I put 'em on a hotel shuttle to Port Authority.
Thanks. Great. By now they're on a bus to God knows where.
518. I know that area code. It's upstate someplace, right?
There were a couple of 518 calls on her Florida LUDS.
Same number. Bloomington, New York.
That's not that far. That's, like, two hours on the thruway, near Kingston.
Call the Port Authority, the phone company and the state police.
I'll drive.
Woman Speaking, indistinct]
Sir?
Have you seen this little girl on the bus?
They got off last stop, Rosendale.
They're not here, Ed. I know. Let's go.
Detective? They were sitting behind me. The little girl said she was hungry.
The mother said they would get something to eat after they got off the bus.
Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate that.
There's a pizza joint behind the depot. We're all over it.
Thank you.
Renee Bishop?
Please. Not here. Not in front of my little girl. Come on, ma'am.
Let's make this easy on everybody Grandma, what's happening?
Don't worry, baby. It's okay honey
- Everything's going to be okay. - You can come too, sweetie.
No!
- Leave her here with me. I'll take her home. - Sorry, ma'am. We can't do that.
I'm her grandmother! Ma'am, I'm sorry.
When we get to the city, Social Services will take very good care of Sophie.
Will I be able to see her? Sorry ma'am. That's not up to us.
We're gonna take a little ride. Mommy's coming too. What about Grandma?
Grandma's gonna have to stay here for now.
You go along with those men. I'll see you later, baby. Bye, Grandma.
Bye, baby. Bye, Mom.
Bye.
Bye, Grandma.
Docket 2206, People v. Renee Bishop.
Charge is one count kidnapping in the second degree.
Mr. Hobart, can we get a plea before Valentine's Day is history?
Not guilty. People on bail?
The People seek remand. The defendant was fleeing with the minor victim of the kidnapping.
Ms. Bishop was taking her daughter for a family visit.
The defendant bears no legal or familial relationship to this child.
The People are being disingenuous.
- Wouldn't be the first time, counselor. - Defendant is remanded.
Mr. McCoy, opposing bail? Was that really necessary?
Your client is charged with kidnapping,
implicated in Lisa Winslow's homicide.
Do you expect us to offer her a cup of tea?
I was taking my daughter to see her grandparents. Renee, please.
Mr. McCoy, your so-called kidnap is a custodial disagreement.
Parents run off with their kids every day in divorce cases.
There's no legally recognized relation between your client and Sophie Winslow.
- She's my child. - Not under Florida or New York statute.
Okay, what do you say we parse the finerpoints of family law another day?
We all know you would've brought homicide charges if you had a case.
Since you didn't, you don't. Not yet.
So what are you saying? You're leveraging a trumped-up kidnap charge to investigate a murder?
For better or worse, Florida law gives us that authority.
The law? The law wasn't there when I was on the phone with Sophie every day,
and she was crying, telling me how much she missed me.
My client was going to be in New York to visit her parents.
She spoke to Ms. Winslow a couple of weeks ago to see if something couldn't be worked out, for Sophie's sake.
Ms. Winslow agreed my client could see Sophie.
Sophie didn't have school that day,
so we decided to have lunch at their house.
When Ms. Bishop got to the house that morning, per agreement, she had no idea what had happened.
But after she talked to the police, she grabbed Sophie and ran off.
An understandable panic response.
When the police told her what had happened to Lisa, she was terrified she'd never get to see Sophie again.
You can imagine, Mr. McCoy, how I felt.
I can also imagine that you were so angry at Lisa Winslow.
for taking Sophie away from you...
that you threw her off a balcony in a rage.
Renee Bishop just happens to be in town the day Lisa Winslow's murdered?
Never been a big fan of coincidence.
And given Renee Bishop's account of the facts,
I don't even know if a jury will see this as a kidnapping.
And I don't care, given the fact that Ms. Bishop is probably also a murderer...
and the kidnap charge lets us hold her.
Besides, Serena, the Florida statute is not some technicality.
It's the law. Florida's in the minority, sir.
- Is it? - Most states permit some form of gay adoption, including New York.
They don't specifically prohibit it, you mean.
Pusillanimous “don't ask, don't tell" policies.
Hardly a ringing endorsement of the underlying question,
which makes a lot of folks queasy.
Now, tell me, how are we gonna go about making out a homicide case against this Bishop woman?
Everything about Lisa Winslow screams type-A-plus personality.
Olympic athlete, Phi Beta at Brown.
Well, New York's full of ambitious women. What are you thinking?
Renee Bishop said that she arranged to meet Lisa and Sophie at their home.
You think she's lying?
I think that Lisa Winslow would sooner cut off her little finger...
than take time out of her busy schedule in the middle of a business day.
The 25th? Oh, you mean the day after.
All I see here are back-to-back-to-back meetings.
No mention of going home for lunch?
At 11:45, she was going to pitch her services to the GenTech Corporation.
Is there any possibility she canceled?
Blow off a potential Fortune 500 account?
Do you have any idea how long it took her to get that contact?
I'm gonna need the number for GenTech.
The C.E.O. of GenTech told me that Lisa Winslow never canceled her appointment
She even confirmed it the day before. Strike one on Bishop.
Lisa never made plans with Renee for lunch or for anything else.
Tell Jack, but you better count to 10 first.
I've already told you, Mrs. Bishop. I can't discuss the case with you.
I'm terrified of losing my daughter. Please don't take my granddaughter too.
Ultimately, it's not up to me. Whatever's deemed best for the child.
What's best for Sophie is to be with her mother, or us.
My husband and I, we're her family, Mr. McCoy.
If Renee has to go to jail, we'd adopt her.
We love her. It took a while with Frank. He's old-fashioned.
But when he saw those blue eyes--
Mrs. Bishop.
You can't send her to the Winslows, Mr. McCoy
They've never even seen Sophie.
They've never sent her so much as a birthday card.
And now she's with Social Services, and they won't let me see her.
I can't make any promises.
Anything you can do for us, Mr. McCoy, please.
All of the calls originated from Renee's phone in Florida.
There wasn't one returned phone call from Lisa Winslow.
She's harassing her. But look at the time frame, Jack.
All of the calls were between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.
After school, but before the end of the work day.
Renee talked to Sophie, never to Lisa.
The calls stopped two months ago.
Lisa finds out that Renee's talking to Sophie, puts an end to it and cuts off all contact between them.
And that pushes Renee over the edge.
She comes to New York and returns the favor, literally.
If you can confirm that, we're looking at a homicide charge.
I'll talk to the nanny. Go straight to the source.
Sophie.
Where'd you get your bunny?
Mommy Renee gave it to me.
She's a cutie-pie.
Did you and Mommy Renee ever talk after you and Mommy Lisa moved to New York?
I'm not supposed to say.
I have a secret too. You want to hear it? Yeah.
When I was seven,
I put soap on my little brother's toothbrush.
Gross!
Did you get a time-out?
I sure did. Me too.
When Mommy Lisa found out that you were talking to Mommy Renee?
She got mad.
What did Mommy Renee say, honey?
She said not to tell anyone.
You're not going to tell, right?
No, darling, I won't tell.
Grandma?
Grandma! Grandma!
Hey, baby!
Tell Mr. McCoy--
Tell him thank you.
Grandma?
Can you take me home now?
I'd rather observe an autopsy than go through that again.
And Sophie Winslow kept the calls secret from her mother?
I have assistants in this office that don't show that kind of self-restraint.
Mr. Branch's office. Your theory's right, Jack, it's murder two.
Felony homicide. Renee Bishop intentionally killed Lisa Winslow...
in furtherance of the kidnapping.
The theory's beginning to look a lot more like fact.
M.E. just confirmed that Renee Bishop's D.N.A. was on the contact lens.
She was there. Game, set, match.
Before you go jumpin' the net, we've got the child to consider.
See if Mr. Hobart grasps the wisdom of a plea under the present circumstances.
The D.N.A. evidence is incontrovertible.
Not a word.
We'll be amending the indictment to include murder in the second degree.
That's absurd. It was self-defense. Ms. Winslow was drunk.
She attacked my client. They struggled.
Save it, Mr. Hobart. The facts say otherwise.
She pleads to the top count, we won't oppose the minimum sentence.
How long is that?
Sophie will be in college before you're eligible for parole.
I can't do that. Who'll take care of her? The Winslows?
They don't even want her. Some foster home?
She won't grow up without me.
Win, lose or draw, Ms. Bishop, you'll never have custodial rights.
Not necessarily. We've retained local counsel in Florida.
He filed suit this morning on Ms. Bishop's behalf,
challenging the constitutionality of the Florida law barring gays from adopting.
The Florida statute has nothing to do with the charges against your client.
It has everything to do with them. If Ms. Bishop is acquitted and if we prevail in Florida--
You win the criminal case and overturn the Florida statute. Ms. Bishop can sue for custody of Sophie.
At least she has a chance. If she takes a plea, she's a convicted felon, an unfit parent.
Any decision in Florida is years away. Things are moving fast.
Look at the Massachusetts case on gay marriage. It's only a matter of time.
You're being given dangerous advice, Ms. Bishop.
You'll lose both cases. You'll lose everything. Take the plea.
No.
I can't.
I have no choice.
Renee Bishop doesn't stand a snowﬂake's chance in hades of winning in the Florida courts.
The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the law against gay marriage is unconstitutional.
That's Massachusetts. We're talkin' about Florida-- why we have states.
Different states will draw the line at different places on this issue.
Just where we were going with abortion before Roe v. Wade.
Old states' rights proponent like you, I'm surprised you oppose gay marriage.
But I don't. Don't necessarily approve of it either.
As far as I'm concerned, it's none of my business, or the federal government's.
I can't believe we're on the same side of this.
I may have to reconsider my position.
Hobart's moving to dismiss the kidnapping charge against Renee Bishop.
“The Florida law barring gay adoption being unconstitutional,
“there is a parent-child relationship between Renee Bishop and Sophie Winslow.
Therefore, the New York kidnap charge is invalid."
A mother can't kidnap her own child.
Kidnap charge goes, proof of Renee's intent to kill goes with it.
The murder count is undermined.
We still have motive. One spouse kills another over a child.
It happens every day
On the other hand, if Hobart wins the motion--
He argues they just had a heated discussion that got out of hand.
It becomes “she said she said ” The odds of a conviction drop to 50-50.
Good luck to him sailing that past Judge Bradley.
Judge, the probability that the defendant will prevail in Florida is infinitesimal
New York law controls here. Ms. Bishop had no authority to take the child.
Ethnically, morally, Renee Bishop had every right to take Sophie.
The fact that she is a gay woman should not have been dispositive of her rights in Florida or New York.
I don't give a damn who sleeps with who, counselor.
I sure as hell don't care about some backward, redneck statute.
I see this more along the lines of a family dispute.
Renee Bishop is emphatically not family. Catch-22.
Florida law won't allow gays to marry, and then it says they can't adopt because they're not a family.
He's bootstrapping, Judge.
The defendant is the mother because she might overturn a law...
that bars her from being the mother.
You're putting the mule before the cart's even built, Mr. Hobart.
That's an issue for the Florida courts to decide some day,
Till then, the parties have a trial to prepare for.
- Motion to dismiss is denied. - Judge, if I may?
Make it quick, Mr. Hobart.
Sophie Winslow-- I've decided to call her as a witness.
At what cost to Sophie?
I am disinclined to allow it, Mr. Hobart.
In her own mind, Renee Bishop was acting to protect her family.
The child can establish the familial relationship, at least in Renee's mind, existed.
- Novel theory. - Judge, it's an unnecessary burden for the child...
and a naked attempt to appeal to the jury's emotions.
Of which you are never guilty, Mr. McCoy.
The child can testify for the defense,
but I will cut you off in a heartbeat if I see her in trouble, Mr. Hobart.
The deceased weighed 137 pounds.
Had she simply fallen, her trajectory would have put her here,
on this lower rooftop.
How do you account for where the body was actually found?
To reach this point where her body was recovered, she had to have been pushed, hard.
Additionally, there were bruises to her arms and hip...
consistent with being grabbed and hurled with some force...
over the balcony guardrail
Nothing further.
What was Ms. Winslow's blood alcohol again?
1.2.
That's intoxicated, isn't it? Yes.
Well over the legal limit, in fact?
It affects different individuals differently.
body weight, stomach content, uh, tolerance to alcohol.
Are you familiar with the term, "falling down drunk"?
- Objection. - Sustained. Rephrase or move on, counselor.
Hypothetically, had Ms. Winslow, intoxicated as she was,
come at Renee Bishop,
isn't it possible that Renee Bishop,
in an act of self-defense, adrenaline pumping,
could have deflected Lisa Winslow's attack,
propelling her to the point where her body was found?
Not the way I read the evidence.
But is it possible, hypothetically?
Anything's possible.
Redirect, Mr. McCoy?
Nothing, Your Honor. The People rest.
I'm in first grade.
Last year I was in kindergarten.
When you were in preschool in Florida, who got you ready in the morning and who took you to school?
Mommy Renee.
And who picked you up from school? Mommy Renee.
And Mommy Lisa, did she ever take you to school?
She had to work.
What about when you got home from school? What did you do?
Sometimes we went to the park,
or we had a tickle fight, or we played dress-up.
- We? Who do you mean, honey? - Me and Mommy Renee.
Your Honor, we get the picture.
Ms. Bishop was the primary caregiver, Ms. Winslow the breadwinner.
A rather traditional arrangement we're all familiar with. Wrap it up, counselor
Thank you, Sophie. You did great. Thanks.
Hi, Sophie Hi.
You love Mommy Renee, don't you? Yes.
- How 'bout Mommy Lisa? - I love her too.
- You miss her? - A lot. She's on a trip.
When Mommy Renee called you just before she came to visit-- Do you remember that?
Yes. Did she ask you where Mommy Lisa was?
I told her she was at the hotel giving a speech.
It's her work.
Thank you, Sophie. Mommy Lisa's going to come home soon.
She's going to come and get me.
When I came out in high school,
my father told me that there was nothing I could do that would ever make him stop loving me.
But even with my parents' love and support, I felt completely alienated.
I knew that I would never get married,
have children...
or all the things that straight people take for granted.
Continuing objection to this line of questioning.
Get to the heart of the matter, counselor.
- What happened when you met Lisa Winslow? - We fell in love.
I wanted to make a life with her.
And when we adopted Sophie, it seemed complete.
We? I mean Lisa.
In Florida, gay people can't adopt,
so to get around the law,
Lisa adopted Sophie as a single parent.
She made a lot more money than I did.
She was a stronger applicant, and it just--
it just made sense.
- She said it was a formality. - Because of the Florida law.
- Tell us about your family life. - Your Honor, Sophie Winslow has already testified about this.
Sustained. Move on, Mr. Hobart.
- Why did your marriage break up? - Your Honor!
Withdrawn. Why did you and Lisa split up?
Lisa left me.
She met someone else.
I got a lawyer, but he told me there was nothing I could do.
I lost everything.
Renee, why did you go to the hotel?
I went to the hotel to talk to Lisa, to find some way to reach her,
to do what was best for Sophie.
But Lisa was drunk and abusive.
She told me that she would never let me back into Sophie's life.
She said that Sophie was starting to forget me.
What happened then after she told you that you could never see Sophie again?
I felt sick!
I just went out onto the balcony to get some air.
I guess she followed me out there. She was yelling.
She was slurring her words, the way she always did when she got drunk.
She was pushing at me, and she's a lot stronger than I am,
and she's bigger, and I was just scared.
I guess I just must have pushed her back...
because then she just lost her balance and she-she fell.
Did Ms. Winslow invite you to her hotel?
No. Did she even know you were in New York?
I don't know.
In actuality, you went to her hotel and ambushed her.
No, I went to her hotel to talk to her, period.
When you got to her hotel, you attacked her and pushed her to her death.
I didn't. She attacked me.
She fell. It was an accident.
You didn't call 911 for an ambulance or the police.
You abducted her child and got on a bus!
My child.
Our child.
I just did what any parent would do.
You took Sophie and ran! Yes or no?
How could I abduct my own child?
If anybody is guilty of kidnapping, it was Lisa.
Can I get a pint, please, Marty?
You got any kids, McCoy? What difference does that make?
If somebody tried to take them, what would you do?
Fight like hell, within the strictures of the law.
That's easy for you to say. The laws are all on your side.
Even divorced, you don't lose your status as a father.
A crackhead who sells his daughter for $10 has a chance of getting her back.
Renee had nothing.
Should Renee Bishop be able to adopt a child with her lover, get married, raise a family?
Questions for other courts on other days, Mr. Hobart.
That day is coming... soon.
Offer stands. She can shave 10 years off her sentence.
She won't go for it.
She'll try anything to stay in her daughter's life.
You're banking on the hope there's a gay person on that jury.
I'm banking there's a parent.
This isn't about gay or straight. This isn't even about murder.
There was no murder here.
This is about a tragic accident...
arising from a tragic situation...
created by an unfeeling partner and an unfair law.
Most of all, this is about a parent, a mother...
whose child was taken from her.
Renee Bishop didn't come to New York to kill Lisa Winslow.
She came to talk to her, to reason with her,
to plead with her.
She came to see her daughter, their daughter
But Lisa Winslow didn't want to talk or listen.
She was drunk and angry.
She attacked Renee Bishop.
Renee Bishop did not act except in defense...
of herself and of her child.
Make no mistake.
There was no crime.
No murder on the balcony that night.
Only a tragedy
Of course, Renee Bishop is Sophie Winslow's mother...
in every sense of the word that matters,
but so was Lisa Winslow.
And what kind of parent kills her child's other parent?
Mr. Hobart reminds you of the bond...
between Renee Bishop and Sophie Winslow,
but he wants you to forget the bond.
Between Sophie and Lisa,
the woman who adopted her and loved her...
as much as Renee Bishop does.
This case is not about who's the better mother...
or about a law.
which may well be antiquated and unfair.
It's not about what Renee Bishop suffered,
but about what Renee Bishop did.
And what she did was kill Lisa Winslow,
and that law which she violated...
is as sure and certain...
as the evidence...
is conclusive!
As much as you might empathize with her plight,
you must return a verdict of guilty against Renee Bishop.
As to the first count of the indictment,
murder in the second degree, how do you find?
We find the defendant, Renee Bishop, guilty as charged.
As to the second count,
kidnapping in the second degree?
We find the defendant guilty as charged.
The jury is dismissed with the thanks of the court. Short date for sentence.
Come on, ma'am. Let's go.
You win some, you win some. I'm comfortable with the outcome.
Which would have been the same if they'd been heterosexual.
But would any of this have happened if they'd been allowed to adopt as a married couple?
They knew the law in Florida. If they didn't like it, they could have moved to another state.
I knew we weren't on the same side of this.
I say, let them marry.
Why shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?