- A corporate lawyer's interest in a decade-old murder case is piqued by a new confession that could clear the convicted killer, who sits on death row.
- A black man is sentenced to death for the brutal death of three people. However, weeks before his execution, new evidence indicating his possible innocence arises. William H. Macy stars as the defense attorney who must quickly determine his innocence and find the information to free his client. Meanwhile the original prosecuting attorney is concerned about her future if she bungled the case. The investigating officer, who is her lover, is totally convinced that they got the right man and is more than willing to destroy any evidence that indicates otherwise. Not so easily cast off is the confession of a dying man, who claims he actually did the crime and framed the other man.—John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}
- In 1996, there is a triple homicide in a dinning place, and Sergeant Larry Starczek is in charge of the investigation. His lover, the ambitious prosecuting attorney Muriel Wynn, follows him and they get the name of a suspect. The smalltime crook Romeo 'Squirrel' Gandolph is arrested, confesses the crime and is sentenced to the death row. Seven years later, Muriel is married and has had a meteoric professional ascension in her career; Starczek is retired; and the judge of the case Gillian Sullivan has just been released from prison after the accusation of bribery. A couple of weeks before the execution of Squirrel, the corporate lawyer Arthur Raven is assigned by his associates to defend Squirrel for free as a part of a political marketing. However, the confession of a cancerous prisoner assuming that he had committed the murder reopens the case exposing secrets and wounds.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Arthur Raven (William H. Macy) is a recently fired DA lawyer. Muriel Wynn (Monica Potter) is Arthur's colleague. A young woman (Louisa Remardi (Christina Collins)) and two other people (Gus Leonidas (Gerry Mendicino) & Paul Judson (Brian Heighton)) are killed in a Kindle County local bar. Experienced detective sergeant Larry Starczek (Tom Selleck) begins investigation on the murders. Larry is having a secret affair with Muriel, while Muriel wants to marry her boyfriend Talmadge Loman (Nigel Bennett). Muriel was having sex with Larry when the call came in and Muriel went with Larry to the scene of the murder. It looked like an armed robbery gone bad. The tiller was empty, none of the dead had money or jewelry on them. Louisa was sexually assaulted, but with a condom.
Muriel approaches Judge Gillian Sullivan (Felicity Huffman) late night to sign 2 search warrants and requests Arthur to go and get them signed, before he leaves office. She says that she was passing by the bar and saw the yellow tape. Gillian was in her house, in her robe. Paul and Louisa were seeing each other. Louisa worked at airport security and Erno Erdai (James Rebhorn) was her boss. Genevieve Carriere (Yanna McIntosh) was her best friend. Louisa had debts and her ex-husband didn't pay her any alimony, yet she was spending money beyond her means. Larry suspects she was into prostitution, but Genevieve is angry at that suggestion. Erno insists that she had no way of selling illegal airline tickets.
Erno's cousin Collins Farwell (Shemar Moore), is looking at life in jail for drug possession. He says Collins has information to trade for the homicide case, in exchange for a lesser sentence. Collins talks about a small-time thief Squirell / Romeo Gandolf (Glenn Plummer), who showed him a locket with a photo of 2 girls inside it. Romeo boasted about how the woman owed him some money and he took the locket instead. And he boasted that the woman is dead now. He confessed to killing the woman and the 2 men with her at the bar, news of which was in all the papers. Turns of Squirell was in the police hold up that night, but the locket was stolen by inspector Tom Woznicki (John Evans), who gave it to his girlfriend. Larry is angry as now the locket is not in the evidence sheet or the locker to prove that it came from Squirell.
Larry arrests Romeo and makes him confess to the murders of Lousia, Gus and Paul. But he insists that he never sexually assaulted Louisa. After a short trial Squirrel goes to the prison where he'll be executed. Gillian was the judge at the trial & Muriel was the prosecuting attorney (and it's a big win for her career). Arthur gets a job as a corporate attorney. Romeo was made to choose to waive his right for a jury trial and opt for a bench trial and Gillian finds him guilty.
The story now moves seven years later, as new evidence surfaces. Romeo has filed an appeal and Arthur's firm is asked to provide a pro-Bono lawyer to defend Romeo. Arthur is asked to pick the case. He investigates and finds that Gillian was since imprisoned for 6 years for graft. She works at a department store now. Gillian says she followed the law in the Romeo trial. She didn't consider the plea of insanity as no evidence was put forth. Arthur found it odd that Romeo confessed to murdering 3 people but denied sodomizing Louisa. Gillian remembers she got a letter from Erno, who is now in the same prison as Romeo. Erno is on his death bed and claims to have info on the Romeo case. Gillian meets Erno in prison, with Arthur. When alone, Gillian is distraught after visiting the prison. Erno is in prison for shooting a man.
Muriel is married to Talmadge and is running for the office of the DA. Judge Harlow (David Fox) presides and Muriel is again the prosecuting attorney. Erno confesses to killing Louisa, Gus and Paul. Erno says he was obsessed with Louisa and stalked her. He saw Louisa having sex with an unidentified man in the airport parking lot car. Erno follows Louisa to the bar and tries to manhandle her. Gus intervenes with his gun and in the scuffle, Louisa is shot. he then shoots Gus in the head, when he tries to call the police. He finds Paul hiding in the diner. He gets Paul to move the bodies to the cooler and then shoots him as well. Erno knew that Squirell had stolen the locket from Louisa, well before she was shot. And decided to use that info to frame him. He was the one who coached Collins to lead the cops to Squirell. But he also insists that he never Sodomised Louisa.
Muriel tries to establish that Erno is giving his testimony as he is about to die, and he is under the protection of a black gang in prison, who have this favor to get Romeo (a fellow black) off death row. But the judge takes the case to trial.
Muriel and Larry decide to visit Collins in Boston, where he has a job now. Arthur tries to ask Gillian out for a date, but she refuses. Collins is all protected by lawyers and refuses to provide any answers to Erno's testimony.
Romeo claims to Arthur that Larry made him testify on video and confess to the murders, by making him believe that he did it. Arthur meets Gillian again and reveals how his sister Susan killed herself in a heroin overdose, days before he first met Gillian at her house to sign the warrants. Muriel tells Arthur that she doesn't want Collins to testify in court, which he anyways wouldn't as he is all protected by lawyers now. She also calls in Genevieve to record her testimony. Genevieve reveals that a few days before her death, a man came into the airport looking for Louisa. He didn't find her and spoke to Genevieve and asked her to give her a message that "He talked to Pharaoh, and she wasn't going to get away with it. Pharaoh wanted his share". At the time, she told Erno about this threat. Genevieve confirms that Louisa was stealing airline tickets. The man who came in to threaten Louisa was Squirell/Romeo.
Muriel and Larry rekindle their affair. Arthur is dejected due to Genevieve's testimony and goes to Gillian. Gillian and Arthur have sex. Arthur confronts Romeo who says that he was only trying to scare Louisa, as he had introduced her to Pharaoh, a guy who cashed her stolen tickets. Romeo wanted his share, as Pharaah was giving Romeo's share to Louisa, but she wasn't giving it to Romeo. And that when Louisa gave her locket to Romeo, as security, till she came up with cash.
Arthur confronts Erno, who says he knew Louisa was stealing tickets. Arthur suspects Erno is telling a lie about his affair with Louisa. Erno continues to insist that he had no accomplices. Muriel holds a campaign contribution dinner. Larry tells Muriel that the man that Erno shot was named "Faro". And maybe phonetically Faro and Pharaoh sound similar, so that's their man. Larry gets the evidence for the Erno case from the police locker and gets it analyzed for fingerprints.
Erno dies due to cancer. Bartender of the cop bar Ike (John Dunsworth) meets Larry and identifies Collins as the guy Erno shot, Faro. Larry tells Muriel, who tells Arthur. Muriel now has to depose Collins even if she has to grant him immunity. Larry is worried that the unraveling of this case might derail Muriel's campaign trail. 3 prints were recovered from the evidence, Erno, Collins and Gus. It was Gus's gun, that Erno had taken after shooting Louisa, Gus and Paul at the diner. He used the same gun to shoot at Collins 3 years later. This proved that Erno was telling the truth and that he did indeed kill Louisa. Larry wipes Gus's fingerprints from the casings to protect his case against Romeo. Larry admits the truth to Muriel, and she is confused between her ethics and the truth.
Muriel agrees to grant immunity to Collins to hear his story. Collins starts by saying that Squirell never killed anyone. Collins was there at the shooting. He says he had met Louisa via Squirell. He was the one who had sex with Louisa in the parking lot car. Then Louisa started to give him stolen tickets to cash. Collins made money, and Squirell was supposed to get his share, but Louisa cheated him. Squirell confronted Louisa and Erno came to know about the matter. Erno spoke to Collins. But Collins and Louisa don't stop and continue to scam the airlines. This led to the confrontation at the diner, when Louisa and Collins were together. Erno walked in and had an argument with Louisa about stealing tickets. Erno gets physical and Gus brings out a gun. In the scuffle, Louisa is shot. It was Collins who shot Louisa. Erno kills Gus. Collins didn't Sodomise Louisa either. Collins says that's where she kept the tickets.
Collins was arrested for possession and that's when Larry met him and coached him on what to say and negotiate for a reduced sentence. Collins was released after 3 years and that's when Larry and Collins had the argument outside the cop bar. Collins had Gus's gun and Larry was furious as it was evidence. Larry wrestled the gun from Collins and shot him. Jackson Aires (Ron Canada) is Collins lawyer, and he also tells Muriel that Arthur and Gillian are an item now. He also tells Muriel that back in the day Gillian was a junkie. She took the bribes to fund her drugs habit.
Muriel calls Arthur for a meeting. She offers to set aside Squirell's conviction since Gillian was a heroin addict at the time of the trial. Arthur agrees since Squirell walks. But she hides the whole of Collins testimony from Arthur. Arthus is livid and breaks up with Gillian. Squirell is released from prison and hires Jackson to sue the state for 7 years of imprisonment. Arthur forgives Gillian and they get back together. He quits his job and they both leave town.
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