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.
Hey, look, you want a donation to your favorite charity, fine.
Just tell me what it's gonna cost.
You'd rather pay a kickback than to put a black man on your payroll.
Let me tell you, my white brother,
you do business in this community,
you hire people from this community.
The hell with that.
Bobby, we're here to make this happen.
It ain't happening.
Just think what you're doing, Books, and who you're doing it to.
You don't like sweet potato pie?
It's like a damn sauna in there.
What happened is not good, Leo.
Books is gonna tank the whole project.
Hey, how about calling us a car service, huh?
Call 911. It's Mr. Books.
EMS took Roland Books to Columbia Pres.
The bodyguard Otis Cooke was laying
on top of him when we got here.
Doing what he was getting paid to do.
We got four shells on the ground. .25 Caliber.
This Books' car?
Belongs to his organization.
See the decal? AAC, African American Congress.
All their cars have them.
Where was Books coming from?
Around the corner. Viena's.
The hostess, Corrine Samuels, she said Books had an argument.
Thanks.
Miss Samuels, I'm Detective Lennie Briscoe.
You witnessed an argument involving Mr. Books?
With three white men.
He was having dinner with them,
and one of them got mad and left early.
Any idea who they were? No.
The short one offered me his business card.
He said he could fix our ventilation.
You have the card? No.
I told him we only use people from the neighborhood.
Well, we'd like you to try and describe
these three men to a sketch artist, if you would.
This officer will take you down to the precinct house, okay?
See anyone on the street? Maybe a car?
Well, when I came around the corner,
I heard a car hauling ass toward Amsterdam.
What about the two white guys who called 911?
They were over there. I don't know where they are.
Okay, thanks. Look, just give your number
to the officer over there, all right?
All right. This is cold, man.
Mr. Books was down for his people. Yeah.
Right now, his people look a little down.
The second time in four years a leader of the AAC has been shot.
What do they say, "It's lonely at the top"?
Yeah. Now we know why.
Books is in ICU under heavy sedation.
Do we have any good news for the Commissioner?
Does no news still count?
We got no witnesses, no prints on the shells...
Let's go with the obvious suspects.
Books' people forward his hate mail to our bias unit.
Volume one of four.
The man loves controversy.
A lot of his pen pals blame him
for his predecessor's murder four years ago.
Yeah. Marcus Tate.
Mike Logan worked on that case. It's still open.
Not according to these people.
They claim Books staged a palace coup.
Yeah, with Elvis and Bigfoot. Pass these off to Profaci and Gia.
In the meantime, find out who knew Books would be at Viena's.
Oh, right. That means talking to the friendly folks at the AAC.
Is that a problem?
I've read their literature. They just love white, middle-aged cops.
Mr. Books lectured at the Historical Society at 7:30.
I don't know what his plans were after that.
You're his executive assistant. Isn't it your job to know?
It's not my job to take attitude from public servants.
We're all a little jumpy, Miss Watkins.
We don't like this shooting any more than you do.
Mr. Books keeps his schedule loose
precisely to avoid what happened last night.
Well, last night he went to dinner with these three men.
Any idea who they are? I don't know.
You'll have to wait and ask Mr. Books.
Maybe if we take a look at his desk, see what he was working on.
If you think I'm going to let two cops search his desk...
If we think you're hiding evidence,
you're gonna have 50 cops up here.
These are his current projects.
Sickle cell research. Robeson choir.
Harlem retail mall.
Building contracts. AAC going into the construction business?
Mr. Books is pushing for minority hiring.
Yeah, that always makes contractors happy.
"Hudson Airworks, Incorporated."
The guy who wanted to fix the restaurant's ventilation.
I've heard of affirmative action before. 50% quota. Come on.
We understand one of your dinner companions was pretty upset about it.
I don't know what you're talking about. Right.
You were the only one who didn't hear him yelling?
Who is it, Mr. Robertson?
Robert Falco. Falco Structural Steel.
Books was putting him in a jam with the unions.
How big a jam?
Last year, Falco borrowed three-quarters of a million dollars
from the pension fund at Local 838.
Falco's having a hard time paying them back.
He's been underbid on a couple of projects.
And the union is leaning on him hard to make good on the loan.
And the Harlem contract would solve all his problems.
Yeah, sure, as long as everyone in Local 838 is on his payroll.
And the union don't have a minority hiring program, you know what I mean?
After you left the restaurant, where did you go?
Eddie and me drove to Cardi's for a nightcap.
I needed a glass of Barolo to wash down the collard greens.
Who's Eddie? Eddie Page.
He's married to a cousin. He drives me around.
What time did you get to Cardi's?
20 minutes after we left the restaurant.
Hey, guys, am I a suspect here or what?
Well, we couldn't help but notice
how getting Books out of the way
helps you square things with Local 838.
Oh, sure. I chew out Books in front of a restaurant full of people,
then I clip him an hour later. That's subtle.
In your line of work, subtlety isn't required.
You want subtle? Get out of here.
Next time you want to talk to me, call my lawyer.
Last night?
Yeah, he was here. What time did he come in?
You see a clock on the wall?
Maybe one of your patrons looked at his watch.
You know, we can post a couple of uniforms outside
and ask everyone who comes in.
Falco came in around 10:30. He sat at the bar.
How long did he stay?
He was waiting for his driver.
Eddie showed up 45 minutes later.
What? Eddie was running an errand?
Falco didn't say.
Do you happen to know what they talked about?
Yeah, right. Eavesdropping on your customers.
They teach you that at bartender's school.
We went to Eddie's place in Bay Ridge. He wasn't home.
His super said he might've taken
a couple days off to go gambling.
Yeah. We faxed his photo and particulars
to Foxwoods and Atlantic City.
So, he's got 45 minutes unaccounted for. What else?
Well, he's been upstate a few times.
Truck hijack, trafficking in stolen goods, weapons possession.
And state troopers found him in possession of a.25 caliber in his belt,
and a.38 in the glove compartment.
Sounds promising. Dig a little more,
you get enough for an arrest warrant.
Briscoe. Yeah?
Until what time?
Okay. Thank you.
Books is awake and ready to talk.
Otis opened the door.
I heard a shot.
Then Otis pushed me down.
Did you see who did the shooting? No.
Otis was on top of me.
He saved my life.
Do you have any suspects?
We're looking at a few people.
We understand you had words with a Robert Falco?
Yes.
Is he one of those people?
Should he be?
Mr. Falco's beholden to powerful interests.
I was a fly in his ointment.
Detectives, it's time for Mr. Books to rest. Sure.
Mr. Books, if you think of anything else, let us know.
The doctors say I can go home in a couple of days.
I'll be watching you. We'll all be watching you.
This time we want results.
He's the reason I switched to homicide.
The victims don't usually mouth off to you.
Hey, he wants to look over my shoulder, be my guest.
Yeah, this is Curtis. You beeped me?
Uh-huh.
All right. Tell them to stay with him. Thanks.
Eddie Page showed up at the Paradise in Atlantic City.
Local cops are sitting on him.
He's rolling sevens at the craps table.
Mr. Page? It's hotel security.
What's the problem?
We need to come in, sir.
We have a smoke alarm signal coming from your room.
All right ladies, you can get dressed now. What is this?
This is between Eddie and us.
Who the hell is "us"? What is this?
Detective Curtis, Detective Briscoe, New York City Police.
New York City. Come on, guys. I came down here to relax.
Well, relax by answering a few questions.
Tuesday night.
Your boss was drinking alone at Cardi's. Where were you?
I don't remember. What's so special about Tuesday night?
Roland Books and his bodyguard were shot outside Viena's that night.
Why, and I'm the guy? You gotta be kidding me.
There's an ADA drafting a search warrant
for your apartment in Bay Ridge as we speak.
Okay, stop right there.
I ain't got nothing in there as it relates to this Books thing.
So tell us a story we like, and maybe we'll hold off on the warrant.
When Bobby was having dinner with Books,
I caught this black kid staring into our car.
He was looking to boost the stereo.
He already had a backpack full of Alpines and Blaupunkts.
Yeah, so?
So, he said he had another 20 units to unload,
so I told him to meet me outside the Guggenheim at 11:00.
I dropped Bobby off at Cardi's,
but then the kid never showed.
This kid give you his name?
KO. Something like that.
Hey, guys, none of this gets back to Bobby, okay?
Go put your pants on.
I couldn't commit the crime because
I was busy committing another crime.
That plays.
Well, we can check with the 28, the smash-and-grab unit,
see if they heard of this kid KO. Yeah.
Your client had a slap hammer and three car stereos
in his backpack when he was arrested.
It's his first offense, Your Honor.
Of course it is. I'm giving him ROR.
Mr. Orgell, AP7, January 9th.
Stay away from cars until then. All right.
Yo, yo, KO. Let's take a walk.
Looks like a lot of white mos.
This one said you were supposed to meet him in front of the Guggenheim.
Yeah. But I got clicked before I got down there.
And you were outside of Viena's
just before Roland Books got shot, right?
Yeah. You see anybody hanging around?
Not on the street.
I saw somebody in a car, about a half a block from the corner.
What were they doing? Just sitting.
I mean, I only saw them from behind.
I didn't get any kind of look, you know what I'm saying?
Can you describe the car?
Blue Ford.
It was one of Mr. Books' people.
How do you know that?
I saw their sticker in the window. AAC.
You see that on a car, you stay away.
You don't want one of those people
catching you boosting their stereo, you know what I'm saying?
So, am I done?
Yeah. Just remember what the judge told you, know what I'm saying?
You know, I don't remember seeing a blue Ford on that street after the shooting.
A blue Ford belonging to the AAC.
Another palace coup?
Unless it was Elvis in the car.
We lease 26 cars.
Five Town Cars, the rest are Tauruses and Tempos.
14 of them are blue.
We'll need the names and addresses of the people with those cars.
But you're talking about the entire executive board.
Are we all suspects?
You know, Roland Books is your leader, not ours.
So why does it seem we care more about who shot him than you do?
For your information, I was home with my family
in Saddle Brook Tuesday all night.
Satima Tate? She related to Mr. Books' predecessor?
Yes. She's Marcus Tate's widow.
She serves as the honorary chairperson of our women's group.
And she drives a blue Taurus.
I'm not sure I can help you.
I'm no longer as involved as I'd like to be in my husband's organization.
Well, where were you Tuesday night?
I played bridge at the Third Baptist Church.
Same as every Tuesday night. Why do you ask?
A blue car similar to yours with an AAC decal
was seen in the area just before Mr. Books was shot.
And you see me driving around Harlem with a smoking gun?
A lot of people hold Books responsible for your husband's death.
So did I at one time. But I was wrong.
We've buried the hatchet.
Did you drive your car to the bridge game Tuesday night?
Yes, I did.
If you don't mind, we'd like to have a look at the car.
Well, my son Huey keeps it.
So, he had the car Tuesday night?
Yes, but he was home.
He called right after 11:00. He heard on the news about Roland.
I went to a movie across the street from Lincoln Center.
It was with that Chinese actress, Gong Li.
You go by yourself?
I don't need company to sit in the dark.
Did you take your mother's car?
I took the subway. I don't like to drive in the city.
So, the car stays where?
In a parking garage down the block from my house.
I haven't used it since I went up to Litchfield last month.
You know, your mother lied to us at first about your having the car.
Maybe she suspects you had something to do with the shooting.
I bet there's a lot more your mother hasn't told us, right, Huey?
Leave my mother alone. That's up to you.
I have to go back to work.
Is there any other way in?
There's a pedestrian entrance on the other side.
The mud in the tire treads isn't dry.
This car's been out in the last couple of days.
Mr. Dobbs, does Mr. Tate always park like this?
No, he's usually plumb in the middle.
Except when he's in a hurry. Hmm.
All right. Thanks.
The Chinese movie was playing at a multiplex.
Six screens. 1,600 tickets. Nobody remembers seeing him.
Well, how about the other 13 blue cars?
All those alibis checked out.
Well, if Books' secretary didn't even know he was gonna be at Viena's,
how would Huey Tate?
Books' lecture at the Historical Society
was announced in all the papers.
Huey could've followed him from there.
So could everyone else at the lecture.
LT, he lied about his car.
Damp mud? Did you check his aura too?
Hey, we checked the computer. For what it's worth, he has a jacket.
Criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, trespass.
In 1991, he broke into the South African consulate with a friend,
chained himself to a desk to protest apartheid.
Hey, at 18, I'd do the same.
Even his mother acts like he did it.
Talk to people who know him.
He didn't give us any references.
Well, what about the girl he was arrested with. Angela Roney?
That was like five years ago. I mean, we were in high school.
What makes you think we stayed in touch?
Oh, getting arrested together can be a bonding experience.
You know, Bonnie and Clyde, Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden.
Look, I gotta get to work.
We'll give you a note for your boss.
You know, I don't have to talk to you.
And even if I did have something to say,
I wouldn't tell it to two city cops.
Hey, didn't you learn anything from Mr. Rogers?
A policeman's your best friend. Now you can leave.
Besides the consulate arrest, Roney's clean.
She's been on the road. I checked the national system.
'93, shoplifting in Santa Cruz.
'94, vagrancy in Colorado Springs.
'95, she bounced a check in Tampa.
Never showed up for court on that one.
I bet she's got a friend named Thelma.
The bounced check, is there a bench warrant?
Yeah. But it's like a $50 fine, Lennie.
Hey, it's enough to get her attention.
Angela left two hours ago. Suddenly she's very popular.
So we're not the only ones looking for her?
She found two cops with nicer suits.
I doubt that. They show you any ID?
I made them before they flipped their wallets.
Federal Bureau of Intimidation.
One of their names was Fletcher.
They put Angela under arrest?
I don't think so. She had a big grin on her face when she left.
After you contacted Miss Roney,
she knew she could no longer avoid being involved in this case.
She was extremely concerned about her safety.
That's when she called us.
What's she afraid of?
She has evidence against Huey Tate.
His father still has followers in the black community.
Yeah, well. We know how to protect witnesses, too.
Yes, well, I've heard about your witness protection program.
It's called Woodlawn Cemetery.
Let's get one thing straight.
Books is our case, and this girl is our witness.
We're not poaching, Detective.
For now, this is a local matter.
But we are taking an interest in Miss Roney's safety.
What evidence does Miss Roney have?
You guys are gonna love this.
It's a lot of money.
What if we ask the wrong person?
Hey, look, if you want to back out, hey, that's okay.
No, no.
I think of him standing over my father's casket,
that phony look on his face.
I know, baby.
I want that bastard dead. Blood for blood.
I have to do it.
That's mine. Let me call you right back.
Okay.
When was this recorded?
About two weeks ago. I used my answering machine.
Did you people know? No.
First thing we heard about it was this morning
when she called us out of the blue.
Why did you tape the conversation?
Well, I ran into Huey a couple of months ago.
And I hadn't seen him for about four years.
And all of a sudden he starts talking about killing people.
I don't know, I just got scared.
I made the tape to protect myself.
We have problems with your story, Huey.
You said you hadn't used your car since last month.
Well, we have physical evidence
that suggests you used it last week.
That's not true.
And there's your alibi.
We showed your picture to the ticket takers,
the ushers, the candy vendors.
Nobody saw you.
Somebody must have. I was there.
You weren't there. You were outside Viena's, waiting for Roland Books.
Waiting to avenge your father.
I don't think like that.
Didn't you love your father?
Yes. If someone did that to somebody I love,
I'd be out of my mind with hate.
My father taught me not to hate.
It's natural, Huey.
A jury will understand that.
You were right next to your father when he was shot.
I let it go. I was angry, but I let it go.
No.
I think of him standing over my father's casket,
that phony look on his face.
I know, baby.
I want that bastard dead. Blood for blood.
I have to do it.
Tell me what happened Tuesday night.
I want to call my mother. I want to talk to a lawyer.
Huey Tate, you're under arrest for the murder of Otis Cooke
and the attempted murder of Roland Books. Stand up.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you do or say can be used against you in a court of law.
Case number 91608, People v. Huey Tate.
One count murder in the Second Degree.
One count attempted murder in the Second Degree.
What's your plea, Mr. Tate? Not guilty.
Your Honor, this was a premeditated assassination.
The people ask for remand without bail.
Your Honor, the only evidence they have is a recorded utterance
made in the heat of the moment.
I see that in the write-up.
Miss Ross, give me a number you can live with.
In view of the seriousness of this crime, two million dollars.
Come on. My client doesn't have that kind of money.
Your Honor, may I speak as a friend of the court?
Who are you? Roland Books.
I'm one of the victims of this crime.
My organization will post any amount of bail necessary
to secure the release of Mr. Tate.
We believe he is the target of a government frame-up
And is in no way responsible for this cowardly...
Your Honor. Sit down, Mr. Books,
and get out your checkbook.
Bail is set at two million dollars.
That was just the warm-up. You wait till trial.
Books will be in front of the camera every night.
Can't do anything about that.
Maybe you can, Mr. Schiff.
We'd like this case disposed of through a plea bargain.
The reason being?
Angela Roney can help us with other investigations.
A trial could compromise her usefulness as a confidential informant,
and expose her to reprisals.
Well. We'll see what we can do.
Always nice doing business with the Bureau.
Well, you think the boy will deal?
We have the tape, but no direct evidence he did the shooting.
Find some.
I must've been napping when they made us a field office of the FBI.
It's not what they want. It's what I want.
A conviction, not a media free-for-all.
We detected trace amounts of lead and barium
on the door latch here.
And on the steering wheel.
Gunshot residue? Yeah.
Whatever was on his hands, it rubbed off here.
All right. Thanks.
I'd rather have the murder weapon.
Yeah, I'd rather be in Hialeah.
Well, we tossed his apartment, his building, his garage, his workplace.
Here's what we found in the car.
Hiking the Adirondacks. Rock Climber's Field Guide. A regular boy scout.
He believes in being prepared.
Here's a pamphlet on self-defense classes.
I wonder if they include small-arms training?
Huey teaches self-defense twice a week.
He started as a student four years ago.
When our instructor moved away last year, he took over the class.
Are guns part of the curriculum?
No. Just hands, feet, knees.
We're not the Harlem militia.
Does he ever talk about his father's death or Roland Books?
It's obvious he misses his father.
Whatever he thinks about Mr. Books he keeps to himself.
It's hard for me to believe he shot him.
But not impossible?
You don't think we're trying to frame him?
If you were, you wouldn't be here looking for evidence.
Do you know if he owns a gun?
Ms. Scruggs, I need you to tell me what you know.
Huey was always concerned about his safety.
He told me he carried a gun. I even saw it in his backpack once.
Why can't we find the gun, Mr. Tate? Was it stolen?
Did you leave it on the bus?
How about your witness is imagining things?
We didn't imagine the gunshot residue on the car.
We're prepared to be lenient, Mr. Tate.
You plead to manslaughter in the first degree,
you serve eight and a third to 25 years.
We're not interested.
The offer is final.
The offer is irrelevant.
My client was entrapped.
Your Miss Roney violated his due process rights.
So now you're saying he committed the crime?
We're not admitting to anything.
But if you insist on prosecuting him,
we are going to plead entrapment.
First of all, whatever Angela Roney did,
she was acting as a private citizen,
not as an agent of the police.
Didn't your FBI friends tell you?
Two years ago, she testified as a confidential informant
in a Federal trial of four cult members in Colorado.
So, once a government snitch, always a government snitch.
I doubt a jury sees it that way.
This case is never gonna make it to a jury.
I'm moving for an Isaacson hearing and a dismissal.
Come on, Huey.
I didn't do it, but if I did, she made me.
People v. Butts. It's a brilliant strategy.
I wonder what else we haven't been told about Miss Roney?
We didn't tell you about Colorado
because the Bureau has a confidentiality agreement with Angela.
And the New York District Attorney can't keep a secret?
It's ancient history, Mr. McCoy. When she recorded Huey Tate,
she wasn't acting under anyone's orders.
I'm hungry. Anyone want anything?
We'll pass.
I'm gonna need three hours with her before she takes the stand.
What do you mean, take the stand?
Huey Tate claims you entrapped him.
A hearing is set for the day after tomorrow.
You told me all I would have to do was to authenticate this tape.
Now I'm not testifying about anything else.
You don't have a choice.
Oh, I wasn't talking to you.
Look, these guys have me living here in this hotel room
because there are people running around Harlem gunning for me.
Now, nobody is putting my face on the 6:00 news.
Angela, he's right, you don't... No. No. No. It's about time
somebody started treating me with respect around here.
Look, if it weren't for me, you would have squat on Huey Tate.
Mr. McCoy, you need to secure a gag order,
and an order to close the courtroom during her testimony.
After I ran into her at the book store, we hung out a few times.
She came on to me, talking sweet, that sort of thing.
It wasn't long before we became lovers.
Who first brought up Roland Books and your father's murder?
She did.
She said a friend of hers that worked at the AAC
told her Roland Books had my father killed.
At that time did you harbor any animosity toward Mr. Books?
No.
I told Angela I wasn't interested in any rumors.
Did she do or say anything to change your mind?
Yes.
She said she heard there was a plot to kill my mother.
Mr. Books was worried she was gonna take over the AAC.
I didn't believe it.
But every day Angela would tell me that my mother was in danger
and I started to think it was true.
So she created a fear in your mind, is that what you're saying?
Yes. What did Angela suggest you do about it?
She said I should find a way to kill Mr. Books.
She kept bringing it up.
At dinner, on the phone, at night after we made love.
She kept after me to say yes.
She said killing Roland Books is what a man would do.
It's what a son should do.
And after weeks of persistent solicitation,
what did you finally say to her?
I said I would do it.
But then I couldn't go through with it. I told her that.
I did not shoot Mr. Books.
Thank you.
Did you tell your mother about this threat to kill her?
No, I didn't want to worry her.
Did you call the police?
They didn't do anything to help my father.
Why should they lift a finger to help my mother?
Did you tell anyone?
There was no one I could trust.
Or is it because this whole story is a fabrication?
No. You always wanted Roland Books dead,
didn't you? You blame him for your father's death.
That's not true.
"Marcus Tate was murdered by men he trusted,
"by men who stole his mantle of leadership."
Your words, Mr. Tate? Objection.
I'm reading from a letter to the editor
of Barricade magazine attributed
to Huey Tate in their June 1994 issue.
It's irrelevant, Your Honor.
Under Isaacson, even if he was pre-disposed to commit the crime,
he can still have been entrapped.
It goes to credibility. He just said that he didn't blame Mr. Books.
Objection overruled. Mr. Tate, answer his question.
I wrote it. I was very angry and...
Thank you. No more questions.
He was obsessed with Books.
He talked about him all the time. He really hated the man.
Who's idea was it to kill him?
Huey's.
He asked me if I thought I knew how much it would cost.
And I made up some crazy amount,
thinking that maybe he'd forget about it.
Did he? No.
He decided to do it himself. I tried to talk him out of it,
but it was like, you know, talking to a stone wall.
During that time, were you acting under the direction
of any law enforcement agency? No.
Thank you.
Angela, how did you become an FBI informant two years ago in Colorado?
I was a member of the Children of the Seventh Seal.
It's a bunch of whacked-out people
stockpiling guns for doomsday.
I was arrested with an automatic rifle in my car,
and I was facing a 10-year sentence,
and Agent Fletcher said that if I informed on the cult,
they'd drop the charges.
Did you receive other compensation?
Don't look at those gentlemen over there. Just answer my question.
They paid me $40,000.
That's 10,000 for each cult member that you put in jail.
I believe the FBI calls that pay-for-performance.
Now, how much were you earning from the bookstore when you met my client?
$7 an hour.
$7.
And you never thought of earning thousands of dollars
by badgering my client into making
incriminating statements on tape?
No. Then why did you secretly record
your conversations with him?
Because I was afraid that if he killed Books,
the police would think that I had something to do with that.
Well, if you were so concerned,
why didn't you just go to the police before the shooting?
Well, I couldn't do that. Huey was my friend.
Weren't the people in the cult also your friends?
You don't have to answer that. Nothing further.
Angela hasn't served as a confidential informant since Colorado.
She was never directed to gather evidence against Huey Tate.
Thank you.
Are you saying you had no contact
with Angela since you transferred
to the New York field office?
That wasn't my testimony.
I'll take that to mean you had contact.
Go on, Counselor.
This contact, was it of a social nature?
I'm not at liberty to discuss it.
Your Honor, could you please direct the witness to answer?
Agent Fletcher, you will answer Mr. Dubois's question.
I can't, Your Honor. It would compromise Bureau operations.
Move to strike the witness's entire testimony.
He can't pick which question he'll answer.
My client has the right to confront the witnesses against him.
Your Honor. The question is material, Mr. McCoy.
Your answer, sir.
The witness' testimony is stricken.
You are excused, Agent Fletcher.
Mr. McCoy, any other witnesses?
No, Your Honor.
Then for the purposes of this hearing,
I find the informant was acting as a government agent.
Your Honor, the informant's testimony still stands.
She denied acting on orders of the FBI.
I don't believe her, Mr. McCoy. I'm granting the motion.
The informant manufactured a crime by hounding Mr. Tate into an agreement.
The charges are dismissed. Yes.
Books is all over the news saying it's a great day for American justice.
Thanks to the FBI hanging us out to dry with a tainted witness.
You're not the first D.A. To end up on the Federal clothesline.
I want to know what they're hiding.
What do you think they're hiding?
That Roney was really working for the FBI.
Why not? Common sense.
I don't think the FBI put a gun in Huey Tate's hand
and let him shoot Books.
I see. FBI never makes mistakes.
Ever hear of Ruby Ridge?
So now it's a cover-up.
Jamie, there's no question Fletcher was
in touch with Roney before the shooting.
If we find out why, we might find grounds
to re-argue the entrapment decision.
Well, Angela didn't come to work wearing a shirt that said "Property of the FBI."
Had you seen her with Agent Fletcher before?
No.
How about other visitors? Or strange phone calls?
Everything about Angela was strange.
You work for six months in a bookstore, and you never read a book?
What did she spend her time doing?
Talking to customers,
getting herself invited to political meetings.
Maybe she aspired to be the Perle Mesta of the New York underground.
What about money? Did you see any change in her spending habits?
No. She hit me up for an advance a couple of months ago.
Said she was coming into some money,
but I'm still waiting to get paid back.
That was about the time she started seeing Huey Tate?
That seems right. He came in about then.
I don't know much about their relationship.
You should talk to her old roommate.
I always thought Angela was lying when she said she had friends in high places.
We're not Angela's friends.
Oh.
I'm not, either.
I just shared a place with her for a few months.
I found her off the bulletin board at NYU.
What did she say about these friends in high places?
They were supposed to help her with some major score.
Did you spend much time with her and Huey Tate?
No, they usually went to his place.
She said I might get jealous of all the good sex she was having.
How thoughtful.
Did you get the idea she was using Huey?
Yeah, I mean, Marcus Tate's little boy. That's a catch.
She was definitely taking advantage of the situation.
What do you mean?
Like when I moved out, she offered to help.
She borrowed Huey's car without telling him.
She even had her own keys made.
I checked her bank records.
Roney's deposited the same $300 paycheck every week
for the last six months.
Whatever money she was expecting from the FBI,
she never got it.
She's not on the FBI payroll. That's good, isn't it?
You can re-argue. There's a wrinkle.
Roney was in the habit of using Tate's car without his knowledge.
And we think she took his car to go shoot Books.
She shot Books? Why would she do that?
If I knew where the FBI was hiding her, I'd ask her.
Her landlady said she came by her apartment a few days ago with the FBI.
They filled a few suitcases and left.
Get me the US Attorney. Right away.
Convene a grand jury, get a subpoena.
She's in witness protection I can't tell you any more than that.
You have to comply.
We have 30 days, Mr. McCoy.
Right now, we're inclined to move to quash your subpoena.
The Federal interest in protecting informants
overrides the needs of local authorities.
Why do you want to talk to her?
To begin with, we'd like to know where she was on the night of the shootings.
What? Now she's a suspect? What the hell have you been smoking?
If you really think she's involved, get an arrest warrant.
Then we'll hand her over.
If we had enough to arrest, we wouldn't need a subpoena.
This kid stuck her neck out to make cases for us.
I won't put her through this bull... Ron.
We'll be in touch with your office about the subpoena.
I'd like a word with Agent Fletcher.
You misjudged Angela Roney, didn't you?
What? She approached you before the shooting.
She offered to serve up Huey Tate in return for money.
I don't know what you're talking about.
She told everyone she was expecting a windfall.
We're off the record here, Agent Fletcher.
On or off, I don't have anything to say.
Roney warned you Huey Tate wanted to kill Books.
You didn't believe her. You told her to get lost.
No. Never happened.
When Books was shot, you panicked. You thought you screwed up.
That's why you're protecting her now, to keep her mouth shut.
But Angela Roney shot Books,
to prove that you were wrong,
to make you look foolish.
That's a load of crap.
Her old roommate told us she has duplicate keys to Tate's car.
She drove his car to shoot Books.
My next subpoena's gonna be for you, Agent Fletcher.
If you cooperate, you might save your career.
If not, I'm having you cited for contempt.
At best, you failed to stop an assassination.
At worst, you protected a murderer.
Wait.
Angela was always calling me
about dope deals and weapons sales,
but every time I gave her a polygraph, she failed.
Then she came in with this story about Tate.
She wanted $20,000.
I gave her another polygraph. She failed again. I blew her off.
After Books was shot, I thought I was finished in the Bureau.
You just said she failed a polygraph.
An informant warned the Bureau
about Arab terrorists and bombs.
They gave him a polygraph. They told him to get lost.
Six months later, the World Trade Center blew up.
What do you think happened to the agent that screwed that pooch?
This just came from Fletcher's office.
A set of car keys.
And an affidavit signed by Agent Fletcher,
stating the keys were found during a search
of Angela Roney's belongings yesterday.
Send them to forensics.
There's also an address of a motel in Long Island
where Angela Roney's being kept.
The keys fit Huey Tate's car. Your prints are on them.
We examined your clothing.
We found traces of gunshot residue
on the right sleeve of a leather jacket.
And finally, we can't corroborate your alibi.
It's not an easy case, but we've convicted with less.
What's the offer?
Murder two, 20-to-life.
Uh-uh.
You offered Huey man one.
You didn't kill to avenge your father's death.
You killed to impress people.
I can give you Huey.
He lied at the hearing.
Now, he never backed out of killing Books.
I mean, he didn't want to know who or when or where,
but he wanted it done.
Nice story.
You can tell it to your cellmate for the next 25 years.
Hey, smart guy,
why do you suppose he never reported the gun missing?
He supplied the gun to kill Books?
Yeah, that's right, and for man one I'll tell you where it is.
Murder two, 15-to-life.
Now where's the gun?
Man.
I knew Huey'd go for it.
He wanted Books dead.
All I had to do was suggest the means.
But then Fletcher and his stupid polygraph...
For 20 grand,
I could've handed him a conspiracy count on a silver platter.
I filed a motion to re-argue the entrapment decision.
With Fletcher's new testimony, the judge has to find
Roney wasn't acting under orders from the FBI.
Well, whatever she did can't be entrapment.
We can re-instate the charges against Huey Tate.
Good.
Ballistics matched the gun to the slugs.
But latent found no prints on it. We can't link it to Tate.
Until you do, you can't corroborate the girl's story.
You have no case against Tate.
At least we can return the gun to its legal owner.
Five years ago, it was licensed to Otis Cooke.
Books' bodyguard?
Good night.
Mr. Cooke was our chief of security.
He had permits for a number of weapons.
There's nothing unusual about that.
Huey Tate gave one of those weapons to the woman who shot you.
You don't know when to quit, Mr. McCoy.
Now why can't you leave that poor brother alone?
We talked to your executive assistant.
She remembers after Marcus Tate was killed,
Otis Cooke gave the Tate family guns for protection.
Does she have any direct knowledge of this?
No. She said you would.
That it could only have been done under your authority.
I don't have any recollection of any gun being given to Huey Tate.
So, you don't have any idea how that gun
ended up in Angela Roney's hands?
For all I know, she found it on the street.
She claims she got it from Huey Tate.
She claims he conspired with her to kill you.
That would make them accomplices.
Meaning her story doesn't mean a thing without corroboration.
That's why we're talking to you.
I have a better story, Mr. McCoy.
To create a schism within the black community,
the FBI used a misguided, pathetic sister to shoot me
and frame the son of a revered black leader.
It's ridiculous.
Ten years ago, if I told you
the CIA was selling crack in my neighborhood
to finance a war in Central America,
I would've called you ridiculous.
Far as we're concerned, this government is capable of anything.
I don't see how protecting a murderer advances your cause.
Does the spectacle of black fratricide?
My people need unity far more than truth.
What they need is justice.
What that is depends on which end of the bullwhip you're on.
I'll take my chances with Huey Tate.
You still think we're trying to frame him?
You might be right about him.
I don't know. And what's more, Mr. McCoy, I don't care.
Roland Books arm-in-arm with Huey Tate and his mother.
Nice to see everyone getting along.
Got to hand it to Books.
He turned a first-class goof-up into an FBI conspiracy.
He's preaching to the converted.
A black community primed to expect
the worst from its government.
Whose fault is that?