Every trial results in a verdict, but not every verdict results in the truth. This is what the jury believed...
That's the opening line of the series In Justice, right before they show you how the jury though the crime went down. I know I talked about this a few weeks ago, but I was able to watch three more episodes since then, and I urge everyone to check it out. The premise of the show is attorney David Swain (Kyle MacLachlan) has a non profit organization called the National Justice Project. Their sole job is to free people who have been wrongfully convicted. The show airs on Fridays on ABC. Definitely try and check it out this week if you can. I'll do a better write up of it after this next episode.
In the last three episodes we saw a man who was has never met his son because for over ten years was locked up for a homicide he didn't commit. It took the investigators piecing together the evidence and talking to witnesses to figure out exactly what happened. I have to admit, it was a three or four hanky episode.
Another episode saw the introduction of one of the new investigators. In the first show, technically a sneak peak, we already knew her, but it was cool to see how she came to be a part of the team. Her brother was convicted of a crime he said he didn't commit. A woman was killed by being run over, and he was the last person to see her alive. Conti (Jason O'Mara) is the lead investigato, an ex cop with a shady past, who I think may be the secret reason why I love the show so much. That gorgeous skin and beautiful eyes makes my heart all a flutter. Anyway, Conti lets Sonya, the kid's sister, to sit in on all the meetings. Sonya becomes a key part of the investigation and after they prove her brother's innocence, Conti asks her to join the crew.
The episode from last week was probably the best I think...
In the beginning of the show we see what the jury believed. Kevin, about fifteen, is playing his music extremely loud in his room. His sister is throwing things at the wall trying to get him to turn it down. He comes into her room, pissed, and stabs her, throwing the knife out of the window. Kevin has been convicted, three years before, of murder, which he confessed to. Conti is watching an American Justice type show with this arrogant host. The show features clips from Kevin's interrogation. He notices that the interviewing cop's shirt changes colors during it, indicating that the interview lasted much longer then they said and much longer than the tapes the defense were provided makes it look like. He figures this is the reason for Kevin's false confession. Swain is curious about Conti's interest in the case, since no family members have approached them. Conti learns that Kevin is in the juvenile detention center and since he's an adult now, is being transferred to the tough and tumble San Quentin where a sweet looking kid like that won't survive long.
Swain in jail
Kevin denies he had anything to do with his sister's death, and the parents even believe him. The team investigates any leads, including the tapes the prosecution didn't give over to the defense. Swain even argues in court that this is grounds for a new trial, or at least a new hearing, hoping that the added time will keep Kevin at the juvenile center. When the judge doesn't grant Kevin more time, even with fact that there are tapes out there that could help the case, Swain goes ballistic and gets arrested for contempt of court. When they visit him in jail, he's made friends with the other prisoners and even ordered them all some lattes. He says he wants to stay in there and try to get more press for Kevin's case. Conti has a special bond with Kevin, and asks one of the jail guards to alert him if anything happens. He does, and Conti learns that the bus to San Quentin is leaving, with Kevin on it. They hadn't expected it to leave so soon. It was heartbreaking watching Conti talk to this scared, crying boy who's being shipped off to this mean prison. He starts giving him tips to help him survive. He tells him to not make friends with any of the guards. He also says to go up to any Hispanic con, that he has to be Hispanic and ask the con to take him to Damien Rojas. Kevin should tell Rojas that if he protects him, Conti will protect Mickey. I was seriously balling at this point. He also tells Kevin not to let them see him cry. He gets on the bus and heads to San Quentin.
The team tracks down a con that was in the area at the time of the sisters murder. He was staying at a halfway house and while there, Jon, one of the investigators, grabs a picture of him from the wall. Swain tries to get the tapes for the American Justice type show but the guy who host as an ass. Swain says that he got the tapes illegally, and like many of his stories, he knows they were leaked to him by someone in the DAs office. The man doesn't believe Swain's threat to out his source. The guy does send the tapes, but they've been magnetically corrupted. Eventually the DA, who's Conti's ex-wife's fiance, gives the tapes up, telling Conti that nothing is in them anyway. Conti starts to watch them and his ex-wife shows up. They watch together as Kevin consistently says he didn't do it. They even give him a lie detector test and tell him he failed. He's crying and being broken down. Eventually they tell him that his parents don't want to have anything to do with him. We realize that Conti is presenting this evidence in court. The prosecutor cross examines him and asks if he's lied to suspects when he was a cop, forcing a confession. He says yes, that he had. Then she talks about the man that he got to confess that was innocent. Apparently the man, before they overturned the verdict, killed himself in jail. Of course Conti feels bad about that. The judge rules against them. Eventually the team is able to track the guy from the halfway house down. His information leads them back to the guy who runs the halfway house. Conti questions him and lies, telling him that they have his DNA and gets him to confess. Apparently he's a pedophile and saw the sister while he had the guys out on a work detail. He went in to rape her but she fought him and he stabbed her. This new information of course gets Kevin released. Sonya questions Conti about lying to the suspect and getting a confession, just like they did Kevin.
Again, I encourage everyone to watch this show. It has good characters, good stories, and hello, Jason O'Mara is hot. Hehe.
