Maya Travis.
Already?
It's been eight long months,
and the trial that's divided the country
- is nearly over. - They're back.
Mega movie star Severen "Sevvy" Johnson
stands accused of stabbing his ex-wife, Cassandra Johnson,
and her friend Nancy Weeks to death nearly a year ago.
The London-born actor took Hollywood by storm
and became a fixture in American cinema
until the brutal murders that shook Los Angeles.
Although famed attorney Ezra Wolf
tried to sway the jury with an aggressive defense
that painted Johnson as a victim
of racism and police misconduct,
fiery prosecutor Maya Travis fought back
with powerful evidence of Johnson's guilt.
We all know what verdict to expect today.
Maya!
You bitch!
Go get 'em, Maya! Go get 'em!
Calm down!
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
In the matter of the people of the State of California
versus Severen Johnson,
case number B37-96.
We the jury in the above entitled action
find the defendant, Severen Johnson...
...not guilty.
No!
We did it, man.
No, you did it.
I told you I was innocent.
You did everything you could, Maya.
I wish that mattered.
_
Hey. He lost a shoe.
Thanks. Have you seen Riv?
Yeah. In the barn.
She took a bottle.
Mm.
Can I get you a BLT, no mayo?
I don't want to leave her yet.
It's a good thing I deliver.
Shh.
Matthew.
What are you doing here?
He did it again.
You have to come back, Maya.
This time, we're gonna get him.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
The body of Jessica Meyer,
the 26-year-old girlfriend of Sevvy Johnson,
was found five days ago
in a secluded area of Malibu Bluffs Park,
bludgeoned to death.
Mr. Johnson is not a person of interest
at this time.
There are multiple leads,
and police are pursuing them all.
Oh, come on. Go for the spread. Go.
Go!
We're live now at Hollywood Forever Cemetery,
where Jessica Meyer's funeral is about to begin.
Isn't that Sevvy Johnson?
Damn it.
I wasn't sure you'd show.
Me neither.
You, uh, packed light.
I'm only gonna be here a couple days.
Whatever I can get from you, I'll take.
I still see them in my dreams.
Cassandra and Nancy.
Me too.
I-I'll go through my files from the case
and see if there's anything relevant to this new murder,
anything that might help
connect Johnson to Jessica's death.
Beyond that, I-I can't do this with you, Matthew.
It took a long time, but I'm finally happy.
I just appreciate that you came.
Everybody's eyeballing me.
Come on, Dad. What did you expect?
Don't worry about it, Dad.
Been back at all?
No.
My condolences, John.
I'll stand with you.
I loved her, too.
I'm not gonna make a scene,
but I'm also not gonna stand here and pretend
that you didn't kill my daughter.
Don't... Don't say that.
You can't accuse me. I loved...
Hey.
Don't make this worse.
I loved Jessica.
What the hell are you doing here?
Keeping you out of trouble.
Look, you're not my babysitter,
and I don't need a lawyer.
I am not here as your lawyer.
I am here as an old friend.
You don't have friends.
And I didn't do anything.
So, you being here is making me look guilty.
You making a scene makes you look guilty.
Here's some friendly lawyer advice.
Go home.
Keep your head down.
And don't talk to the police.
Wolf, I just buried someone I loved.
So, how about you go home
and I'll take care of myself?
He killed them. The evidence was undeniable.
It wasn't about the evidence.
Wolf capitalized on 400 years of racial injustice
and a celebrity client
who knew how to break out a mega-watt smile.
Listen, while you're here,
maybe you could sit down with Loni Kampoor,
the lead attorney on Jessica's murder.
If this trip down memory lane sparks anything useful,
I'll talk to you.
But there is no way in hell
I'm going back into the D.A.'s office.
If I'm gonna build a case,
I need a search warrant for Johnson's house and car,
and for that, I need probable cause.
I've been in the country, not in a coma.
I'm still a lawyer.
I know the rules.
It's good to see you.
You got married.
Yeah.
To Effy.
The reporter?
Yeah.
Effy was there for me after the trial.
And you married a cowboy.
We're not married.
Johnson has been keeping a low profile
since his surprise acquittal
in the stabbing death of his wife, Cassandra Johnson,
eight years ago.
Though some still believe he was innocent,
the one-time A-lister
never regained his superstar status.
Overseas endorsements are his primary source of...
Former prosecutor Maya Travis
could not be reached for comment.
Johnson has so far refused to talk to police.
Dad.
Geez.
Hey, babe.
What are you doing up, hmm?
Come to Daddy.
Let's go get you some milk, huh?
Don't believe what they say on telly, huh?
It's just people talking.
I know, Daddy.
Good girl.
Are you looking at anybody besides Johnson?
For one, her personal-training client,
Ben Mitchell... he found the body.
But I have whole teams of investigators
looking into other leads.
You're here for Johnson.
Find me something that links Jessica's murder
to the ones eight years ago, a pattern or a...
I don't know what it is, but find me something.
You mean if there is something.
Yeah. Of course.
Do you really think he's dumb enough to kill again?
Collier.
Okay. Thanks.
Sevvy Johnson just walked into the police station.
He wants to talk.
Look, like I said, I'm an open book.
Anything you need to ask me, that's why I'm here, okay?
- We appreciate that. - Mr. Johnson...
No, no, no. Please.
Call me Sevvy.
We're working together here, all right?
You said that Jessica had early-morning clients
at the park.
Yeah. She's a trainer.
Well, she was a trainer.
Feels just like a movie, you know?
It's just so unreal.
You guys watch "Omega," the one I was nominated for?
I mean, it's just like that.
I love that one.
Yeah. What time did Jessica leave that morning?
I like this guy. He's, uh, all about business, huh?
You're like me, you know.
Well, we all just...
We want to solve Jessica's murder.
Well, look, that's why I'm here...
without counsel, right?
I came in to help you guys out
so you don't waste time on me
while Jess's killer's still out there.
How'd you guys meet?
You didn't read about it?
Tabloids had a field day with that.
Uh, my daughter... Star?
Well...
Jess was her roommate.
You hooked up with your daughter's roommate?
Yeah.
Star hasn't forgiven me for that one.
Um, let's talk about the last time you saw Jessica.
Yeah. Uh, I was out with my son Gabe.
Cassandra's son.
Well, he was four when I met Cassandra.
There wasn't a father in the picture,
so as far as I'm concerned, Gabe's my kid.
He didn't blame you for what happened to his mom?
Nah. He knew I didn't do it.
Just like the jury.
So, what'd you do?
You know, usual kid stuff, bit of this, bit of that.
Got some food down, uh, on Fairfax. Yeah.
They're playing it wrong.
They're trying to pin him to a timeline.
You think he doesn't know that?
It's not gonna work.
I need a piece of paper.
I didn't look at my watch, but...
This ought to shake things up.
Give this to the tall one.
They need to get him off balance.
Sir.
Uh, moo shu pork for me.
Uh, kung pao, please.
Sorry about that.
So, Jessica was in bed when you got home.
Yeah. Sound asleep.
So, you didn't get into a fight?
No.
When was the first time you hit Jessica?
I didn't hit her, man.
Listen, I came in here to help you guys out...
We just want to help you. You know, if there's anything
that's gonna come out later on,
make you look bad, it's just better if we know now.
She get tired of the beatings, tell you she was leaving, what?
Listen, you got a hearing problem?
I told you I didn't hit her.
I gotta warn you, man, the lies...
they're gonna come back and bite you in the ass.
Listen, where's all this coming from?
I came in here of my own volition.
Or was she cheating on you?
You know, that was it.
You couldn't keep up with such a young, hot piece of ass.
I mean, you're not as young as you used to be.
Piss off.
No. Damn it.
Hey, I asked you a question.
Hey, I asked you a question!
Are you back there, Maya?
You're never gonna get me, Maya.
I'm an innocent man.
Thanks for coming.
He's been waiting.
You are a moron.
I wanted the cops to know that I didn't do it.
You never learn... ever.
My girlfriend is dead.
So, I don't give a damn about your stupid rules.
Oh. So you don't need me?
Great! Good luck!
Wait.
I need you.
The bitch is back.
Yeah.
She was at the station.
I could feel her.
So, they're not screwing around.
Look, I'm innocent.
Well, you were innocent eight years ago.
But you spent over a year in jail.
You paid me millions to get you off.
No complaints from me,
but do you really want to go through that again?
- What do I do? - You follow my stupid rules.
You lay low. No more interviews...
not with reporters and definitely not with detectives.
Anytime you go out in public, I control the optics.
Okay.
And Maya Travis?
You let me worry about her.
She's tough, but she fights fair.
That's always been her weakness.
I can't go back to jail.
You won't. You did the right thing.
You got the Wolf.
Now, don't let her looks fool you.
Jess shreds on these machines.
Check this out.
- I'm pretty hard-core. - Mm-hmm.
But he's the real shredder. I just try to keep up.
Now, we stay active, as you can see.
We eat healthy. And...
All right, Matthew,
I'm coming in.
Welcome back.
I'm not back.
Seriously?
Alan Wiest is the D.A.?
Mediocrity always rises to the top.
What did he think about you bringing me in?
Wiest does prayer breakfasts and press conferences.
I'm the chief deputy. It's my call.
Loni is lead on this case,
but I want to make this clear...
all leads will be followed,
not just Sevvy Johnson... all leads.
Sure. But off the record?
We all know he's our guy.
Johnson only lets women leave him in a pine box.
Unfortunately, this time he didn't leave
a trail of blood for us to follow.
Johnson's had eight years to think about his mistakes.
He won't make the same ones again.
Well, hopefully he's gonna make some new ones.
If it's him.
I love this new look, by the way, the whole thing.
Priority one is a search warrant.
Bludgeoning is bloody.
If he did it, there'll be traces of blood
in his car, in his house.
To that end, we've got detectives door-knocking,
checking surveillance tapes, talking to friends,
and we're waiting on forensics.
Our problem is motive.
With Cassandra, everyone knew
their relationship was a disaster.
But Johnson and Jessica were all sunshine and roses.
Did you see the "Inside Hollywood" tape?
Yeah.
Between the giggling and the googlie eyes,
it was defense gold.
Let's watch it again.
Jess shreds on these machines.
I'll tell you. Check this out.
I'm pretty hard-core.
Sorry I'm late.
I was checking out Ben Mitchell's story.
The training client who found the body.
According to Mitchell, their relationship
was strictly professional.
I haven't heard otherwise, but I'll keep digging.
Hey, CJ. How you doing?
Like I said, defense gold.
Not exactly.
Let's start with the googlie eyes.
Now, don't let her looks fool...
She's looking at him for permission to speak.
- ...on these machines. - Then she's seeing if
what she said meets his approval.
You see that look he gives her?
He doesn't approve.
She makes a mean green juice,
don't you, darling?
That laughter... it's a fear response.
Consciously or unconsciously,
she is trying to avoid conflict.
What do you notice about his bedroom?
It's masculine.
And she's lived there for how long at this point?
Eight months?
Where's her stuff? He didn't let her bring it.
She's like a decoration in his house.
Jessica was a smart, motivated woman.
She aced UCSB, volunteered, and she had lots of friends.
And then she met Sevvy,
and history began to repeat itself.
At first, he charmed her,
and then slowly but surely, he started to control her.
My guess?
She pushed back, and it all went to hell.
And then he killed her.
Admit it. That felt good.
Not even a little bit.
The detective sitting on Johnson's house
says Ezra Wolf was there this morning.
So he's scared. He's done talking.
Wolf will lock him down.
I need you here, Maya.
Loni's not gonna see the Wolfman coming.
He plays a special kind of dirty.
Just give me a few weeks.
Please?
I'll think about it.
Thank you, everyone, for canceling
whatever plans you might have had for the next six months.
You are all here to help me
keep an innocent man out of jail.
As long as Sevvy Johnson is under a cloud of suspicion...
and the fact that Maya Travis is back
means we are in for one hell of a storm...
your asses are mine 24/7.
I don't care if your mother has a stroke,
your kid has a birthday party.
You don't like it, I invite you to leave.
Good.
Now, this case has already been tried
in the court of public opinion,
a court that has gotten bigger over the past decade.
Now we have idiots on Twitter and Instagram
and Snapchat and Facebook and whatever else
spouting off.
Those idiots could be for us,
or they could be against us.
We are girding for battle.
And we are doing it now.
Which is why you're all gonna bow down to this man...
Mr. Ares Ahn,
our media consultant, our guru, our god.
Greetings from New York.
Ares, let the Age of Enlightenment begin.
Every time you all step foot outside of this office,
you are representing your client.
If the public doesn't trust you,
they won't trust him. If they don't like you,
they won't like him.
Getting the potential jury pool on Johnson's side once?
A miracle.
Twice?
Statistically impossible.
And that is why you're here.
Okay, then. Let's talk Q Quotient.
We are going to make America
fall back in love with Sevvy Johnson.
Hey, CJ.
Still in the dungeon?
It's quiet.
I like quiet.
What are you working on?
I'm checking pings from Jessica's cellphone
three days leading up to the murder.
So far, nothing.
Is there anything I can help you with?
Nope.
I thought about what you said about Jessica's stuff.
I checked to see if she had a storage unit, but no luck.
Look, I can tell that you're pissed at me.
Do you wanna talk about it?
You know how I found out you left L.A.?
I went by your house
and found three weeks' worth of newspapers
stacked up outside.
We were supposed to be ride or die, Maya.
I didn't even know where you'd gone.
You're right.
I should have told you. I was in a thousand pieces.
You know what? We all were.
It was tough on all of us.
I'm sorry.
Did Sevvy take Jessica to Bora Bora?
Not as far as I know of. Why?
That's his makeup gift for the first big beating.
You.
Mr. Meyer.
Are you here 'cause of my daughter?
I am so sorry for your loss.
He killed her, didn't he?
We don't know that. It's too soon to tell.
You know he did, or you wouldn't be here.
I-I tried to keep her away from him.
- Maya Travis? - I didn't try hard enough.
I didn't protect her.
Why don't we go somewhere and talk, okay?
But I'm gonna protect her now.
I don't want you anywhere near Jessica's case!
You lost.
If you'd done your job right,
that bastard would be in jail right now.
And my baby would be alive!
Can we get a quote, Mr. Meyer?
Former prosecutor Maya Travis was spotted
outside of the Los Angeles D.A.'s office today,
where she was confronted by
murder victim Jessica Meyer's father.
If you'd done your job right,
that bastard would be in jail right now.
- And my baby... - Thanks, honey.
...would be alive!
She's on every station.
This is not gonna help me convince her to stay.
You'll think of something.
I don't know. Maya's pretty set
on getting back to her old life.
Who can blame her?
We need her.
She's been through a lot.
So have you.
But you stayed when she ran.
You stayed and worked your ass off
to get to where you are.
You can't be the fall guy if this thing goes south.
Hey, Riv. It's me.
I just want to hear your voice.
I miss you.
We need to take control of the narrative.
I want every news station there...
cable, network, everybody.
Right. The beauty of the 24-hour news cycle.
I'll call you later.
Tuan.
Your guys didn't make the spread.
No. I know. I know.
But I'm gonna pay you soon, Tuan.
We're not buying that anymore.
Well, then, you're not watching the news.
My cash cow just came home to graze.
So, you can tell your bosses that, as of this morning,
all my debts will be paid in full...
and then some.
It's not up to me.
Next time, it'll be the face.
- There she is! - Damn it.
We need a good shot!
That's her, that's her, that's her!
Maya, can we get a comment? Can we get a comment?
- Maya! - Come on, Maya!
- Any comment, Maya? - Give us a statement!
Do you believe that Sevvy killed her?
- Can you get him this time? - Maya, give us a statement, please!
Yeah?
Fundraiser?
Charity dinner. Mayor's house.
Any movement on the case?
Well, Detective Ramon just dropped this on my desk...
Jessica with Ben Mitchell, looking quite cozy together.
It was taken two weeks ago at Beacher's Madhouse.
Mitchell deleted the post from his Instagram
the same day Jessica was murdered.
So, when Mitchell said their relationship was all business,
he was lying.
But other than this, his story holds up.
And he's got a clean record.
Dig into this.
The press is gonna hand me my ass
if it looks like we're just targeting Sevvy Johnson.
And make sure Maya and Matthew see that picture.
I'll show Matthew.
Maya's not part of this case.
Did you know Maya used to be
the head of the office birthday party committee?
That's hard to picture.
Before Johnson, she was actually fun.
I was here when that trial went down.
I saw what they did to her.
Being lead was no prize.
Because she lost.
I plan to win.
How'd you guys meet?
You didn't read about it?
Tabloids had a field day with that one.
Uh, my daughter... Star?
Well...
Jess was her roommate.
Yeah. Star hasn't forgiven me for that one.
Aah!
Whoa! It's me!
God, Riv!
I almost shot you! What are you doing here?!
I was just worried about you.
I'm fine.
Yeah. I can see that.
I...
You saw the news.
Yeah. Everyone did.
Was it this bad last time?
It was worse.
It's okay. I'm here.
I know the ocean is there.
But I just can't see it.
Do you remember our first house?
It had a view of a back alley.
I don't know how we survived
bringing up three kids in that house.
We didn't.
And how are you holding up?
Ah, I can't sleep, barely eat.
I-I just can't believe she's gone.
And there's a damn cop car on my house!
A detective came by my place, too.
I didn't answer the door.
He left this.
Just like last time.
They always want to talk to the ex.
I can't go through this again, Jules.
Just tell me what you need, baby.
Wolf... he wants to do a press conference tomorrow,
the whole family...
- including you. - Don't I always show up for you?
How much?
$100,000.
For now.
I didn't do it.
I loved Jessica.
I believe you did love her.
Just like you loved Cassandra.
Just like you loved me.
You know, we probably have seven hours until our flight.
Wanna show me the Hollywood sign?
They asked me to stay.
What'd you say?
That I'd think about it.
But after yesterday,
this isn't my world anymore.
And I don't want it to be.
I was afraid you missed all this.
Nothing to miss.
Reporter.
Don't answer.
I'm gonna answer it.
With my mean face.
Oh! Hi.
What's going on?
You were right.
Jessica did stash her stuff somewhere...
just not under her name.
- That's her. - Star.
I don't want to talk to you.
Just give me five minutes... for Jessica.
My dad didn't kill her.
Maybe not, but somebody did,
and we're trying to find that person.
I don't know anything about that.
You actually might.
A week before Jessica moved in with your dad,
you got a storage locker.
Was that for her?
Her credit was shot. She didn't want
to ask my dad for money.
Well, according to GPS records,
she went to that storage locker a lot
in the last couple of months.
Do you know why?
You may not believe this, but nobody wants
your father to be innocent of this murder more than me.
Except maybe you.
I bet you're feeling a little guilty right now.
I didn't do anything wrong.
That's the bitch about guilt.
You don't have to do anything wrong to feel it.
You introduced Jessica to your dad.
You believed he wasn't a murderer.
You stood by him all these years.
And I get that.
You love him.
But right now you have to be wondering,
did lightning really strike twice?
Where's Star?
- No clue. - We're here for you, Dad.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much for coming.
Just want to say a few words
on behalf of my client
and my friend, Sevvy Johnson.
No one can know about this.
Eight years ago, the D.A. and the LAPD
tried to frame Sevvy Johnson.
But I beat them.
I exposed the conspiracy.
And now they're looking for payback.
Payback, pure and simple. That's what this is.
They proved it when they brought back Maya Travis.
The fix is in!
Matthew should have seen this coming.
The mayor's on the line.
She sounds pissed.
I will not let lying prosecutors
and a corrupt LAPD
try to frame Sevvy Johnson again.
Tell the mayor I'm not here.
My client has fully cooperated,
but they don't want you to know that.
They don't want you to know that Sevvy Johnson has shown them
he's got nothing to hide.
And the worst part is,
the police know who the killer is.
Ben Mitchell was Jessica's client.
He was found standing over her body.
But are the police targeting him?
No. No, they're not.
And we all know why.
Because Ben Mitchell is a white man!
Sevvy Johnson loved Jessica.
And he never, ever would hurt her.
Never!
He did it again.
He gave me this
when I told him I wasn't ready
to leave Ray's dinner party last night.
The next morning, he told me
he would take me to Bora Bora to make it up to me.
I said no thanks.
I laughed too hard
when Gabe made fun of Sevvy's crappy golf swing.
My dad tried to warn me,
and I should've listened.
But I am not gonna wait around for him to change
and end up like her.
I'm taking these videos to the police.
That's probable cause in my book.
Call a judge. We're getting that search warrant.
Hey.
Plane's not gonna wait for us. We got to go.
I...
I can't leave.
Don't do this, Maya.
Just come home with me.
I will...
but not now, not until this is over.
And when this is over
Who will I get back?
I'm afraid if you take this on again,
it's gonna destroy you.
It's not your fight.
I have the chance to get justice,
not just for Jessica,
but for Cassandra and Nancy.
That makes it my fight.
I have to do this, Riv.
Yeah.
Why did you never sell this house?
I didn't want to deal with it.
No.
I don't think that's why.
I think you held onto it
because you're not done here.
So get done.
Then come home to me.
Just be careful.
I will.
If you called me in to let me know
you got the search warrant, I can save you some time.
I already heard.
Have a seat.
I am lead on this case.
You can't keep cutting me out of the loop.
Maya's staying.
I'm making her the lead prosecutor.
You're still on the team.
You're just not the lead.
Does Wiest know?
He's fully on board.
Maya's one of the best.
I look forward to working with her.
From this moment on, all eyes will be on us,
and they will see our every move.
So, good won't be good enough.
We need to be perfect.
No mistakes, no screw-ups, and for God's sakes, no misses!
Roll in fast and quiet.
Tear the place down to the studs.
- Yeah? - Where are you?
At home, where you told me to be. Why?
I just heard from my guy on the inside.
They got a search warrant. They're gonna come
banging on your door any minute.
Now, if there's anything you don't want them to see...
and I mean anything... you get rid of it now.
I owe you one.
Gabe!
Hey. Listen.
I've never thought of you as just a stepson.
You've always been my own son to me.
You know that, right?
Sure. Of course I know that.
And you know I didn't kill Jessica.
But they'll twist things. They always do. All right?
So I need you to get rid of this.
Now. Go out the back.
Go.
Pull the shades and cover the skylights.
Matthew Collier and Maya Travis
have just arrived at the scene.
Maya Travis left the D.A.'s office eight years ago,
but it looks like this case has brought her back.
Johnson's attorney, Ezra Wolf,
has pointed the finger at Jessica's client, Ben Mitchell,
who found the body.
Miss me?