In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
The doctor said if she survives,
she'll be brain damaged.
Were you with your niece when she got sick?
My brother called, frantic.
Alexis wasn't breathing.
Pete wanted me to meet him here to help take care of the kids
while they talked to the doctors.
How long has Alexis
lived with them?
He and Karen adopted her
from Romania last year,
when she was three.
These two were a surprise.
They were born right after the adoption.
The hospital called you because they think Alexis was poisoned.
What do you think?
My sister-in-law did it.
She's so cruel to her.
Never a kind word.
Never a kiss or hug.
And how does she treat the other children?
Karen dotes on the twins and Katie.
Alexis, she sees as a burden.
How old is Katie?
Seven.
Do you think she might be able
to tell us what happened?
She loves Alexis.
I hope so.
Can you tell me what happened
when you came home from school today?
I watched SpongeBob.
Where was Alexis?
In the corner, in the kitchen.
What was she doing in the corner?
When she's bad, Mommy puts her there
and makes her practice her numbers.
She can only count to ten,
so she has to do it over and over
and over.
What kind of bad things does she do?
Today, she wrote on the wall
with a crayon.
Did you see Alexis drink or eat anything bad today?
She drank the soapy water.
What soapy water?
Mommy gave Alexis a pail
to wash the wall.
She was crying, so Mommy put the sponge in her mouth.
She kept spitting it out.
Mommy got mad.
And when Mommy got mad, what did she do then?
She made it all soapy again
and put it back in her mouth.
Alexis was coughing.
Then what happened?
She threw up.
She kept trying to sit down
but Mommy made her stand in the corner again.
When Daddy came home,
Alexis fell and she wouldn't get up.
Katie?
Mama.
The doctor said that you needed to see us.
Why don't we let Katie say good night to Alexis.
Come on, sweetheart.
What's wrong?
We'd like both of you to come down to our precinct.
Well, we have to get the children home.
Lady, if I have anything to say about it,
you'll never see those kids again.
You're under arrest.
What?!
For attempted murder of your adopted daughter.
You have the right to remain silent...
Let's go.
Look, you're making a mistake. I love Alexis.
Not according to your sister-in-law.
Wendy never liked me. You can't listen to her.
Can we listen to Katie, Mrs. Campbell?
Oh, sure, Detective,
because seven-year-olds are so reliable.
Tomorrow, she'll tell you
that a pony with wings lives in her closet.
So Katie made the whole thing up, huh?
Like how you shoved
a sponge full of soapy water into Alexis's mouth,
repeatedly, while she gagged and cried?
I don't know where Katie would get that...
You made her stand in the corner,
counting, until she collapsed.
Plenty of children accidentally
ingest household poisons.
It's sad, but it's a fact of life.
It's not a crime.
So, it was an accident.
I feel terrible that I wasn't
paying close enough attention.
But I can't possibly be everywhere at once.
I have four children.
I'm a good mother.
I would never hurt Alexis.
Why don't you believe me?
We do believe you, Mr. Campbell.
That's why you're not under arrest.
My wife did nothing wrong.
But you couldn't know what your wife did.
You were gone all day.
I told you, when I got home from work,
Alexis had stopped breathing, and Karen
was hysterical.
If we wanted to poison Alexis,
why would we rush her to the hospital?
Actually, I'm interested
in why your wife does the things
she does. Like what?
Berate and emotionally abuse your adopted daughter.
That's a lie!
Are you calling your sister a liar?
She says Karen treats that girl
worse than a dog.
Wendy was always jealous of my wife.
How can I make you understand?
Karen loved Alexis.
You mean loves Alexis, don't you, Mr. Campbell?
Present tense. The girl's not dead yet.
The emergency room pumped two cups of detergent
out of Alexis's stomach.
Mrs. Campbell's accident story's a bunch of crap.
There is no kid who's going to drink two cups of that stuff willingly.
What about the dear old dad?
He had to know
that his wife hated that kid.
Wasn't home,
so he's not criminally responsible.
But we got the mother, right?
How's the seven-year-old?
Solid.
No chance you influenced her statement?
None.
Counselor, I've been doing this
a little bit longer than you.
Just making sure we're covered.
Children under nine aren't automatically considered swearable.
I can talk to her.
If she knows the difference between a lie and the truth,
and the consequences of telling a lie in court,
then she can testify.
Okay, tell me what color that is.
Purple.
Well, what if I said it was orange?
Would that be the truth or would that be a lie?
A lie.
How come?
'Cause it's purple.
Right.
Let me ask you something about... about promises.
If you promised your mother
that you're going to clean your room,
and then you don't do it,
what happens?
I get in trouble.
Why is that?
'Cause I promised.
Right again.
You're really good.
You ever go to church sometimes?
Who lives in church?
God.
Are you allowed to lie to God?
No.
If you make a promise to God
that you're only going to tell the truth,
do you have to keep that promise?
What if you tell a lie?
You'll really, really get in trouble.
Your chief witness
is the defendant's seven-year-old daughter?
That sounds a bit imprudent.
Prior courts have held otherwise, Your Honor.
Rittenhouse v. North Hempstead found a three-year-old
wasn't automatically presumed incompetent to testify.
Ah, but you're in my court now.
And LaPlant v. Atias
disqualified a seven- year-old witness.
It's completely subjective.
Which is why a psychiatrist examined Katie Campbell
and determined that she understands her duty
to tell the truth.
I'm sure the People won't mind
if I determine that myself.
It's not necessary, Your Honor.
But, again,
it's in my court.
Produce the girl and I'll conduct
a swearability examination
in chambers.
By the way, Ms. Novak,
when you appear in my courtroom,
I would appreciate you are dressed appropriately.
By that, I mean in a skirt.
9:00 a.m. tomorrow, counselors.
I don't want you to be afraid, Miss Campbell,
I just want you to answer the questions
as honestly as you can.
Understand?
You have to speak up for the lady typing.
Now, Miss Campbell,
do you understand the difference between the truth and a lie?
Yeah.
If you told us about something
you did not see or hear,
would that be the truth or a lie?
What?
Do you understand the question?
Speak aloud.
Let the record show that the witness
is unable to answer the question.
If you came into court, raised your right hand,
and you swore to tell the truth,
and you told a lie,
what do you think would happen to you?
I don't know.
Do you know what the word "truth" means?
Thank you. You're excused.
Well, I think that answers the question of swearability.
With all due respect, Your Honor,
I was confused by those questions.
I wouldn't go around
admitting that, Ms. Novak.
The defense moves
for dismissal, Your Honor.
Without the People's witness, there's no case.
Your Honor didn't say she can't testify.
She just can't be sworn.
Her statement can be corroborated
by the detergent found in the victim's stomach.
Evidence which also
corroborates an accidental ingestion.
It might.
Why don't we let a jury decide?
Mr. Gates, I'm inclined to agree with Ms. Novak.
Then I move to suppress the girl's testimony, Your Honor.
She spoke with an SVU detective
alone, without parental supervision.
That's standard procedure.
Child witnesses don't need parental supervision.
We can't be sure
that anything this girl said
wasn't influenced by the police.
SVU detectives are trained to interview children.
And I'd love to hear all about that.
I'm ordering a Hudy hearing.
Your detective proves he didn't tell young Miss Campbell
what to say, I'll allow her testimony.
Detective Stabler, at any point
during your questioning of Katie Campbell,
did you suggest her mother was responsible
for poisoning the victim?
Never.
In fact, Katie introduced her mother
into the conversation without any prompting.
Did you vilify
or criticize her mother in a way
that would influence her statement?
I expressed no opinion
about the defendant.
Thank you.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Why haven't we heard the audio tape
of this interview, Detective Stabler?
Standard procedure does not require police to record
interviews with witnesses.
How convenient.
So you make a mistake,
no one will hear it.
I didn't make a mistake.
In general, when a child is injured,
who is your first suspect?
Depends on the circumstances.
Oh, come on, Detective,
isn't it true you look to the parents
before anyone else?
When the situation warrants it, yes.
Are you out to get Karen Campbell?
Of course not.
Didn't you tell my client,
that if you had anything to do with it,
she'd never see her kids again?
That's out of context.
Yes or no, Detective?
Yes.
So it sounds like
you had some pretty strong feelings
about my client's guilt the moment you met her.
My feelings have nothing to do with any of this.
Now you assumed
my client was guilty and that influenced
how you questioned her seven-year-old daughter.
That's completely false.
I know how to conduct an interview.
Thank you, Detective. Nothing further.
You're excused, Detective.
Ms. Novak, I'm afraid the People
haven't met their burden
in proving the interview wasn't suggestive.
Therefore, the defense motion to suppress
the witness' testimony is granted.
This is a joke.
I beg your pardon, Detective Stabler?
I said this is a joke.
You'd be wise to remember
no one cares what you think
once you're out of that box, Detective.
The interview wasn't suggestive.
Elliot, stop...
One of these judges who thinks
cops strong-arm witnesses
in order to make their case?
What, you think I just bullied a seven-year-old into lying?
Elliot, leave.
No, Elliot, stay.
Enjoy the hospitality of our holding cells.
You're in contempt.
Officer of the Court,
escort the detective out of here.
You all right?
I'm great.
Thanks for getting me a couple of hours off.
You are not blaming this on me.
Well, you did let that defense attorney
trash me pretty good in that courtroom.
Yeah, and that stunt that you pulled.
That's going to help insure that Judge Taft
is going to screw me in the trial, but hey,
at least your ego is still intact.
My ego? You got me out of there to talk about my ego?
I did not get you out of there.
I called in a favor.
The contempt citation is withdrawn.
So if you could possibly stop acting like a petulant child,
that'll be thanks enough.
And you-- you need to start playing nice
with Oliver Taft.
This guy is an arrogant prick.
True, and he completely takes issue with young attorneys
who think they know more about the law than he does.
You're worried about my ego?
This guy abuses his power and gets away with it.
You didn't help the situation by mouthing off
to the trial judge.
This isn't law school, Casey.
This is the real world.
Pick your battles.
Winning the trial is more important than wearing a skirt.
If there are no other matters,
let's start jury selection tomorrow morning.
Amenable?
No conflicts, Your Honor.
That's fine, Your Honor.
It's so nice when we can all get along.
Assault One seems reasonable,
but we're not overreaching with the attempted murder charge,
are we, Ms. Novak?
The grand jury didn't think so, Your Honor.
Fine, just wanted to be sure.
Actually, Your Honor, the defense has one more matter.
My client would like to waive her right to a jury trial
in favor of proceeding before the court.
Your Honor, this is strategy.
People v. Williams, a waiver can be denied if it's intended
to seek an impermissible advantage.
What advantage, Ms. Novak?
Your perceived favor, sir.
Waiving a jury trial is more a risk to the defendant
than the prosecution.
Convincing 12 people of guilt is harder
than convincing one judge.
But if your client understands the consequences
of her waiver, I'll grant it.
I do, Your Honor.
Very well.
Then we proceed directly to trial.
Something else, Ms. Novak?
Yes, sir.
The People request that Your Honor
recuse himself from this trial.
On what grounds?
That your conduct indicates a clear bias toward the defense,
recusing yourself now
will preserve the appearance of impartiality
on the part of this court.
Judges are charged to examine their conscience
for any hint of bias and then decide accordingly.
Perhaps we should
do that more often.
I'm satisfied that I'm impartial in this case.
Your motion is denied,
Ms. Novak, but I do thank you for your candor.
Opening arguments tomorrow morning.
You ask an egomaniac to recuse himself?
He has much as told the defense
that if they waived the jury, he'd acquit.
"You're reaching
with the attempted murder charge, Ms. Novak?"
What the hell is that?
It's a tactic.
He's trying to get you to plead out the case
and make his life easier.
You're staying the trial?
Why?
To get Taft recused or disqualified.
I've got an appearance before an appellate judge this afternoon.
It's one thing to ask for a recusal,
but to publicly humiliate a judge?
You'll be the enemy in every courtroom in Manhattan.
I'm already the enemy as far as Taft's concerned.
The trial judge is the sole arbiter of recusal.
If Taft believes he's impartial, the appellate term will have
no reason to find otherwise.
So a biased judge gets to decide if he's biased?
Yes.
That's our legal system, so work within it.
Plead out the case or you're looking at an acquittal.
Bad news travels fast.
We have to plead Karen Campbell out, Elliot.
I have no choice.
Don't be so sure.
Records of the agency the Campbells used to adopt Alexis.
Karen tried to give her back.
When?
February of this year.
Six months after
they adopted her.
If she loved her so much, she wouldn't hurt Alexis-- bull.
Let's see Taft try and throw this out.
I was feeling overwhelmed with the twins,
I admit that.
And I'm embarrassed that I could even think about
giving Alexis to someone else.
But it was only because I thought she'd be better off
with a mother that could be devoted to her.
And you couldn't do that?
No.
And if I'm guilty of anything, it's of not being able
to keep my eye on her all the time.
After you discovered
that Alexis had gotten into the detergent,
how did she act?
Fine,
until she threw up.
But my other daughter had had the stomach flu the week before,
and I had just thought
that she caught it.
And then she passed out.
She turned blue.
My husband came home from work and we rushed her
to the hospital.
Thank you, Mrs. Campbell.
Your witness.
You say Alexis was fine all day?
Yes.
I'd like the court reporter to read back the testimony
of Dr. Langenhahn, the pediatrician,
regarding the exact nature
of Alexis's injuries.
"Dr. Langenhahn:
"The victim suffered pneumonitis from vomiting
"and then aspirating the cleaning solution,
causing her to slowly suffocate."
"Ms. Novak:
"What symptoms would someone with pneumonitis exhibit?"
"Dr. Langenhahn:
"Intense coughing, labored breathing, vomiting.
The victim would've been in excruciating pain for hours."
"Excruciating pain for hours."
Does that sound like Alexis was fine?
No, what the doctor said is not true.
Alexis was okay.
You knew she'd ingested
cleaning solution that afternoon.
Why didn't you take her to the hospital then?
I didn't know how much.
When you finally did take her
to the emergency room, were you afraid
the doctors might suspect that you poisoned her?
No.
Isn't that why you delayed getting your daughter
medical attention, Ms. Campbell?
Because you were more concerned about getting in trouble,
than saving your daughter's life?
No. I love Alexis.
Objection; she's badgering.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
There's little doubt in anyone's mind
that the events leading up to Alexis Campbell's
terrible injuries are tragic and regrettable.
No matter the outcome
of these proceedings,
a little girl will never be the same.
Mrs. Campbell, please rise.
After considering all the facts and weighing the importance
of the witness testimony, I find that there is
a single piece of evidence that is paramount
throughout this trial.
And that is the fact
that you love your daughter.
And because of that,
I believe that you did not force
or encourage her to drink
a poisonous substance.
This was a tragedy--
in some ways, compounded by this trial.
I will not compound it further.
Not guilty on all charges.
Thank you.
I'm sorry.
Don't be.
Look, I know you went to the mat on this one.
Sometimes it just doesn't work out.
I want Taft off the bench.
And I want a '65 Stingray.
I'm serious.
I'm going after him.
Casey, it's not worth it.
Look, what good does it do anybody for you
to kill your career?
If this is justice, I don't want this career.
Casey, what's wrong?
I need a favor.
If this is about Taft, forget it.
I've been going through his decisions
over the past ten years.
He's capricious, he disregards procedure on a whim.
He dismissed assault charges
without a motion and without a hearing,
and he repeatedly sets exorbitant bail to force pleas.
Casey, this is a total waste of time.
I and every attorney that asked for Taft's recusal,
they lose, including another child poisoning case.
The People vs. Rosalin Silvo.
All right, let me see it.
Here are the transcripts.
Silvo takes her daughter to the emergency room,
she gets arrested for poisoning her with antifreeze.
She waives her jury at the trial,
Taft disallows
an expert witness who's going to testify
that her daughter has a genetic disease.
Silvo's attorney asks for Taft's recusal.
Silvo's doing 25 to life. Do you know what this is?
You don't know what this is.
You have no idea what the circumstances were.
This is grounds for getting his ass thrown off the bench.
I need you to call Jack Dryer
at the State Commission on Judicial Conduct
and ask if anyone's filed
any confidential complaints against Taft.
No. Absolutely not.
You want to talk to Dryer, be my guest.
But I guarantee you he's going to laugh you
out of his office.
I'm asking you to make one phone call.
And I'm telling you that nothing you've shown me
proves that Taft has done anything unethical or improper.
You find such proof, bring it to me.
Otherwise, I'm done with this, Casey.
Judge Taft is a pompous son of a bitch.
I left criminal law because of him.
What did he do?
Well, for starters, wrongfully convicted my client
of a crime she didn't commit.
Your expert witness was ready to testify
that her baby had a rare disease.
He was a genetics professor.
He believed the antifreeze evidence was a lab mistake.
All I needed was the money to pay for the test.
And because you were court-appointed,
Judge Taft had to approve all expenses.
He called the test junk science
and wouldn't even let me introduce the theory.
Yeah, well, he's changed.
The Taft I know is a crusader for mothers.
Oh, wait. Let me guess.
You prosecuted June Cleaver--
wealthy, educated, husband still in the picture?
You think he's got some kind of class bias?
I think he's got a real specific idea
of what a good mother is
and Rosalin Silvo did not fit that mold--
poor, uneducated, no husband, two kids by two fathers.
He thought she was a slut
and he didn't even try to hide his contempt.
After he denied my recusal motion,
he let the word out to other judges
and all my referrals dried up.
I liked my job, but if I stayed he would've ruined me.
I'm getting Taft off the bench.
I need you to file a joint complaint with me
to the judicial commission.
You're nuts. I'm not going near this.
So he puts an innocent woman in jail
and that's okay with you?
Your office helped put her in jail.
Why don't you do something to help get her out?
August 2, 1993, Rosalin Silvo shows up at St. Mary's ER
with her one-year-old daughter Christine.
The baby was lethargic, vomiting
and having difficulty breathing.
Docs ran tests and found high levels
of ethylene glycol in her blood.
That's the active ingredient in antifreeze.
Christine was dead within hours,
the hospital notified police that she'd been poisoned.
Rosalin was charged with murder.
Who's this other kid?
They found out that Silvo was pregnant during her trial.
Had the kid in prison.
She's still in foster care.
Here's the interesting thing.
Cops never found antifreeze at Silvo's apartment.
She could have tossed it on the way to the hospital.
What did the M.E.'s office say?
Confirmed the hospital's finding.
Autopsy showed crystals in the baby's brain
that could've been caused by drinking antifreeze.
And they never turned up anything
about this mystery genetic disease?
There was a preliminary hearing
about some cousin on the father's side
who allegedly died of the same disease.
But the defense lawyer couldn't find the dad,
so Taft wouldn't allow the information to be introduced.
I'm all for getting an innocent woman out of jail
if she's innocent, but we don't have
the manpower to fuel a vendetta, Casey.
You know, Captain, it's really
not that much work.
I think we can swing it.
Well, thank you for being
such a real helper, Elliot.
It's two interviews: the mother
and the genetics professor who was supposed to testify.
If nothing pans out, I'll drop it.
Make it quick.
Do you think Rosalin Silvo was innocent, Dr. Calvin?
Well, it was a theory.
In the end, an untested one.
But it was possible her child had MMA,
methylmalonic acidemia.
What is it?
The body lacks an enzyme
to break down protein for energy production.
Untreated, it can be fatal.
The girl was a year old when she died.
Wouldn't the mother have known something was wrong?
Symptoms often don't appear
for several months to over a year.
Why'd the hospital say the baby was poisoned with antifreeze?
Their lab found what they thought was ethylene glycol
in the girl's blood, using gas chromatography.
But MMA produces a substance
that the older tests mistook for ethylene glycol.
Would a newer test be able to tell the difference?
Definitely.
I just never got the chance to use it.
I kept waiting for someone
to figure it out, you know?
That it was all a mistake.
Don't get your hopes up yet.
There's no guarantee
our investigation will get you out.
I know. And it's okay if you think I'm guilty.
I probably would if I were you.
I think my daughter does sometimes.
You want to see her picture?
Sure.
She's about what, ten now, right?
Diana.
She's living with a real nice foster family.
Writes me letters and visits once in a while,
but I don't know if that's so good.
This place isn't right for a kid.
Your lawyer thinks that Christine died
of a rare disease.
What do you think?
She must have. She died.
Was she sick a lot?
No, she was fussy sometimes, but mostly she was very happy.
Maybe I wasn't paying attention.
But she was sick when you took her to the hospital.
She was throwing up and she wasn't breathing right.
Everybody at the hospital was really nice to me
until they did the tests.
They started talking about antifreeze and poisoning,
and I'm thinking,
"My God, who would do this to my baby?"
Then the cops showed up and arrested me.
Christine died while they were taking my mug shots.
We would like your permission to exhume Christine's body.
Now, if there is any chance
of proving that she wasn't murdered,
that's what's got to be done.
Diana asks me about her.
I tell her Christine smiled all the time.
That's what I like to remember.
Not all this.
Make sure they're good to her, okay?
We got lucky.
Enough DNA from hair to test for the genetic mutation.
Did the baby have MMA?
Without a doubt.
But MMA doesn't explain the calcium oxalate crystals
the medical examiner found in the brain.
These head CTs were in her medical records.
The crystallization is consistent
with ethylene glycol poisoning.
Okay, so where did they come from?
The hospital treated the baby with an ethanol drip.
Right thing to do for antifreeze poisoning,
exactly the wrong thing to do for a child with MMA.
The ethanol caused the crystals to form
and more than likely killed her.
In other words, Rosalin Silvo
just spent ten years in prison for nothing.
I don't know how I can be more clear.
Rosalin Silvo is innocent.
Here's the M.E.'s report.
Judge Taft let his bias run that courtroom.
He pulled the same crap he always pulls,
only this time he stole a woman's life.
That son of a bitch.
Seems to be the preferred way to describe this guy.
It's a disgrace.
He's an embarrassment to the bench.
I'll worry about him
as soon as I get Rosalin Silvo out of jail.
She's going to need a defense attorney.
I'll take her case.
I'll have to write up the 4-40 motion right away.
I already did it for you.
As stated in our brief,
we believe we have found sufficient evidence,
previously unavailable at trial,
proving the innocence of my client.
Furthermore, the opportunity to obtain that evidence
was denied to the defense by Judge Taft.
Justice in this case was not only blind, it was cruel.
Ms. Novak, where do the People stand?
Your Honor, we're joining the defense's motion
and ask that the court set aside Ms. Silvo's conviction.
After reviewing the motion, I must concur with counsel.
The only possible remedy is to vacate
Ms. Silvo's conviction.
We're adjourned.
Thank you.
Well, Judge Clark, it's nice
to see you haven't forgot your meager beginnings
as a legal aid attorney.
Ms. Novak,
are you going to be combing through
all the decisions I've made?
Because I can get the files, if you'd like.
That depends.
How many other defendants
have you falsely convicted?
History is full of mistakes, Ms. Novak, even your short history.
You're not threatening her, are you?
Some people might find that conduct unbecoming
of an officer of the court.
You can't bully your way out of this, Oliver.
That almost makes me miss all this.
I don't know,
I think you'd miss your expense account more.
Casey Novak.
Oh, God.
Why wasn't she in the hospital?
Released.
Her parents didn't want to put her in a nursing home.
The aunt dropped by for a visit,
found Alexis in her bed, already dead.
Karen was the only one home.
She finished the job.
You have the right to remain silent.
If you give up that right, anything you say can and will
be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you...
So, here we are again.
What happened, you miss us?
Look, Karen, I'm really just looking...
...for the explanation.
I mean, you had the perfect out.
You just place Alexis in a nursing home,
you never even have to think about her again.
I'm trying to understand why you had to kill her.
Detective, you do understand
the child was severely brain damaged from hypoxia.
And that means she deserved to die?
That means she died of injuries
sustained from a prior
accidental poisoning.
That's convenient for you.
It's also collateral estoppel.
My client cannot be charged with murder
having been acquitted
of attempting the same alleged murder
simply because the child died.
Unless we're talking about two separate acts.
Which we are, right, Karen?
Alexis was suffocated.
Poisoning had nothing to do with her death.
You got nothing to say now, Karen?
Come on, tell me what a good mother you are.
Better yet,
tell me how it feels to place a pillow
over your daughter's face and suffocate her.
I didn't want to...
You didn't want to what?
I didn't want to bring her home.
Pete insisted.
Yeah, and that's a lot of responsibility.
A sick baby.
You had to take care of her, all by yourself.
She wouldn't stop crying.
That's frustrating.
I just wanted her to be quiet.
So you killed her.
You placed a pillow over her face
and you killed her, Karen.
It wasn't my fault.
What was it an accident again?
No.
The judge said I should do it.
It was his idea.
What judge?
Judge Taft.
He said Alexis
was too sick.
I have other children
to think about.
He said, we would all be
better off if Alexis just died.
When did Judge Taft say this to you?
The other day,
in court, right before I testified.
Interview is over, everybody out.
Did I hear her right?
That nut case thinks the judge
told her to murder her daughter?
Or she thinks it's a good way to get off a murder charge.
What the hell was Taft doing
talking to a defendant alone, during a trial, anyway.
Hanging himself.
We got the bastard now.
Doesn't that nullify her acquittal?
- Sure does. - Not that it matters.
We got her on homicide.
I want to make this clear:
I had no knowledge of this ex parte communication
and as an officer of the court, I would've been duty-bound
to inform you immediately.
What did he say?
Well, apparently he saw her crying
on the elevator at lunch.
She alleges that he told her that she had to think
of her other children now and that Alexis might be
better off if she died, anyway.
And Karen's using that to justify killing her?
Then he advised her to get psychiatric help
so that this tragedy wouldn't happen again.
He told her to get a shrink?
That's what she said.
And I think it's a fine idea.
Uh, I've advised her not to answer any more questions.
Let's get her booked.
After that, go pick up Taft.
On what charges?
Criminal Facilitation Two.
Taft told Karen to get help, which means
he knew Alexis' poisoning was no accident.
He was afraid she'd try it again with her other kids.
Acquitting her gave her the means and the opportunity
to commit a Class A felony.
He's protected by judicial immunity, Casey.
He smoked his judicial immunity
the second he had an ex parte communication
with the defendant.
Excuse me.
Detectives.
If you wanted an invite,
all you had to do was ask.
We thought we'd class the place up a little bit.
You're going to need to step outside with us, Judge Taft.
Why?
Just a private chat.
About what?
Alexis Campbell is dead.
Karen suffocated her.
You knew that she was a danger to that little girl,
and you let her go.
This is absurd.
Your Honor, you know
the law says we can't arrest you in your own home,
so, if you want, we could make a big scene.
You all are going to be very sorry for this.
And you're going to look so pretty for your mug shot.
Docket Number 42768, People v. Oliver Taft,
Criminal Facilitation in the Second Degree.
What is this?
Your Honor, the defendant is being charged
with knowingly facilitating a murder.
This is an outrage, Your Honor.
An overzealous ADA is upset because she lost her case
and is using the courts to exact retaliation.
He acted beyond the scope
of his position by communicating ex parte
with a woman who later committed murder.
There's no grounds for these charges.
An acquittal does not constitute aid to commit a felony.
Your Honor...
You're making a mockery of this court, Ms. Novak.
I'm throwing the charges out.
This is hubris and it reeks
of professional misconduct.
And you better believe
Arthur Branch will hear about it.
The charges are dismissed, Judge Taft,
with my apologies.
You're free to go.
We're at recess.
Well, I'll say this for you, you've got balls.
He probably won't get
more than a censure
from the Judicial Commission for the ex parte.
We'll see.
And don't forget,
now you've got a star witness
for Karen Campbell's murder trial.
Judge Taft, for the record, you are here under a subpoena,
which you unsuccessfully tried to quash.
That's correct.
You presided over Karen Campbell's
attempted murder trial,
in which she waived her right to a jury, correct?
I did.
What was your verdict?
Not guilty.
Why?
I felt the People had not sufficiently proven their case
against the defendant.
So you think she didn't try
to kill her daughter the first time.
I believe I already answered
your question, counselor.
Is that why you spoke to Karen Campbell
during her trial, because you thought she was innocent?
I admit the conversation with the defendant was ill-advised.
We were on the same elevator.
She was distraught about the condition of her daughter.
I allowed my empathy to overrule my intellect.
Did it ever occur to you that Karen Campbell might
be responsible for her daughter's condition?
Your Honor, I must object
to this line of questioning.
I'm here to discuss what I said to the defendant,
not to discuss my thoughts
or feelings about her.
On the contrary, Your Honor.
The defendant claims Judge Taft instructed her
to kill her daughter.
It's important to establish
the witness' state of mind
at the time of the conversation.
Judge Taft, answer the question.
I will remind you
that you have no legal standing
to object in this court.
You felt sorry for the defendant,
so you must have decided that she was innocent,
even though the trial hadn't yet concluded.
That's not true.
So you thought she was guilty?
I hadn't yet formed an opinion, as you just said.
The trial had not concluded.
I know, which is why it's so strange
that you were talking to her.
Why did you tell the defendant
to seek psychiatric help
so this tragedy doesn't occur again?
She was upset. Because it sounds
like you think she really did poison her daughter.
It was a mistake.
Is that what you want me to say, Ms. Novak?
One mistake in almost three decades on the bench?
Didn't you make another arguably bigger mistake
when you wrongfully convicted Rosalin Silvo
of murdering her daughter and sent her to prison
for ten years?
That's a totally separate issue
and completely immaterial to this case.
You can't object, Judge Taft.
But I can, Ms. Novak.
Get back to the case at hand.
Did you tell Karen Campbell to suffocate her daughter?
Absolutely not.
But you talked to her, even though it was clearly improper.
It was a mistake.
You don't make mistakes, though.
You make judgments.
Who's innocent? Who's guilty?
You saw Rosalin Silvo and she was a whore.
That means she's a bad mother.
And then you saw Karen Campbell.
Why did you talk to her, Judge?
Your Honor?
Why talk to Karen Campbell?
Why talk to a woman that tried
to murder her daughter?
I didn't know. Didn't know what?
That she'd turn around and try to do it again?
I thought they were good people!
That's enough.
Ms. Novak, try that again and you're in contempt.
Sir, you will be
as well, if you don't sit down.
Now.
Nothing further.
On the sole charge of murder in the second degree,
how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
you've performed your duties admirably.
And I thank you for your service.
And may I say, for the record,
this is a crime that could've been prevented.
While this trial exemplifies
the very best aspects of our legal system,
it has also highlighted its flaws.
It is my sincere hope that in the future,
those flaws can be corrected.
The defendant will be held over for sentencing.
This court is adjourned.
Your Honor, this way!
The Chief Administrative Judge says you're going
to be reassigned to civil court. What's your reaction?
The previous conviction of Rosalin Silvo was overturned,
how many other of your verdicts have come under scrutiny?
What about the rumor that the governor has asked
the Judicial Commission to investigate your conduct?