Previously on Your Honor...
You ain't fam.
Not to me.
Not no more.
Not to us.
We need someone we can trust with our lives.
Can you be that for us now?
Yes, I can.
I think I can get him down to negligent homicide.
And if I take the deal, I got to plead guilty.
No deal.
He's a child.
So was the kid he killed.
Your client is looking at life without parole.
And that's exactly what he'll get if we go to trial.
Chris' little brother Terrance.
13 years old.
Snorted half a fucking balloon.
It's not on you.
Nah. It's on Big Mo.
She care more about that fucking club than her own people.
She can't get away with this shit forever.
It was Chris.
J.
J, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry! J!
The Calabri family is interested.
In what?
A partnership.
We have an offer for you.
The eight figures that you need,
with one additional item.
We need access to your ports.
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't deal drugs.
You think you're better than me, you fucking son of a bitch?
I'm done watching you lie to yourself.
You are nothing but a thug.
Just like me.
It was a gas leak.
- It's got nothing to do with me. - Come on, Fia.
Eugene Jones tries to kill your brother
and hits the father of your child instead.
That's the thing about criminality like this.
It leaves victims everywhere.
I need you to get me inside the Baxter family.
I won't spy on my family.
Help me flip Fia Baxter.
Fia is the only member of that family who might cooperate,
and there's no one else who could get me that close to them.
You leave Fia and Rocco alone,
and I will get you Jimmy Baxter.
- Morning. - Morning.
Did you change your mind?
Are you coming to court?
Oh, uh...
No, I'm-I'm not. I-I... I can't.
We understand.
We will represent Adam.
Thanks.
Is Jimmy meeting us at the courthouse?
He's not coming.
He should be there.
I told him not to.
Why?
If we can't be united in private,
I have no interest in faking it in public.
He's the head of this family.
Well, he shouldn't be.
Today is about the family who are with us.
And I don't want to talk about those who aren't.
How you doing?
Me, too.
When you get into that courtroom,
chin up, shoulders back.
The jury will be watching us all the time.
All that matters now is that you walk out of here
with your freedom.
Hi, Charlie. Good to see you.
All rise!
The Honorable Thomas Doucet is presiding.
The matter of The State of Louisiana v. Eugene Jones
is called to order.
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --
Uh, Mr. Baxter?
Uh, Michael Desiato is here to see you.
Send him in.
Thank you for, uh, seeing me.
Uh, everything all right?
- Yes. - Fia and Rocco... ?
They're both well and-and safe.
Uh, I just had a... personal concern
I wanted to speak to you about, if I may.
Carlo, can you... ?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'll pull the car around.
I just wanted to say...
... I'm not trying to replace you.
You want to go for a ride?
Sure.
_
Do you have any recent photos of our grandson?
Oh. Uh...
Yeah. Sure.
Mm.
Oh.
What a face.
My goodness.
Look at that.
- His hair's getting so long. - Yeah.
Uh, Fia took that one when I wasn't looking.
_
Uh...
Why don't I get your number
and I'll, uh... text you some good ones.
Eugene Jones sat in the courtroom
and watched Carlo Baxter get acquitted on all charges
for the murder of his brother, Kofi.
And then Eugene Jones took matters into his own hands.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
this is a case about simple revenge.
It's not complicated.
The State will show that Eugene Jones purchased a gun
and came to the hotel that night with murder on his mind.
He fired the gun at Carlo Baxter
and killed Adam Desiato instead.
You will be presented with ample evidence
that supports these facts.
Eyewitness accounts, forensic analysis and other testimony.
All of it, seen in its totality,
will point toward one clear conclusion:
that Eugene Jones be found guilty of first-degree murder.
The defense will try to confuse you.
They'll try to convince you that what you see,
clear as day, is not what it looks like.
And perhaps there is good reason
to have compassion for this young man.
But everything the defense will say
is designed to make you look away from the simple truth
that Eugene Jones went to the Baxter House hotel that night
with the intent to kill.
And that's exactly what he did.
Chill. We just want to talk to you.
About what? A coup d'état?
Queen's slipping.
You were her top advisor, loyal to the fucking end.
What'd it get you?
It didn't get me killed, so that's something.
That's a low fucking bar.
This little insurrection you got,
if it don't work, then you'll all be in the ground.
Big Mo's time is up.
But we got something special for you.
In or out, doesn't matter.
I'm Desire for life.
Look at us.
We are Desire.
Carlo!
I want the family standing together,
with Mayor Figaro next to me in the center.
All right.
You find it odd?
Fia runs away from our family
because of the... reputation we have.
And of all people, she turns to you,
a man who was in prison only a few months ago.
Maybe she's harder on you than she is on me.
Of course, there were things that I've done
that she doesn't know about.
You could have told her.
But you decided not to.
Why?
By the time we learned she was pregnant,
she'd already been through... so much.
I want to protect her memory of Adam.
By doing so, you also protected me.
Thank you.
I did it for her.
But, uh, I am curious.
You didn't tell her about the things I've done?
I always had such a strong belief of right and wrong, and...
I just don't want to be the judge about that anymore.
I hate this place.
I hate this courtroom for all it pretends to be.
I hate this city
in a way that only someone from New Orleans
is allowed to hate it.
And I hate this building
because inside these walls
I learned the most painful lesson of my life.
Don't trust anyone.
I don't know about you, but I'm already very, very confused.
Up until a few months ago,
Eugene Jones was dead.
We knew that because the NOPD told us that he was dead.
That's the same NOPD
that swore up and down that my client was a killer,
and then swore up and down that they'd found his dead body.
And just like that, the Baxter House shooting was solved,
and the Quarter was safe again.
An officer named Rudy Cunningham cracked the case
and solved the murder of Adam Desiato.
But the State won't be calling him to testify.
We can't ask him why he lied.
We can't ask why Detective Rudy Cunningham of the NOPD
attempted to murder this child
in the middle of our city.
Once it was clear his plot had been foiled,
Detective Cunningham took his own life
using the same gun he'd used to shoot Eugene.
We will never get his answer
to the most burning question of all:
What were you trying to cover up?
They solved the case.
Then they unsolved the case.
And now they promise you they've solved it again.
Every witness they are going to call
has their own reason to point the finger at Eugene Jones.
It's almost as if all of their problems will vanish
if they can just dispose of this boy.
Sometimes, the city can turn against you.
It will allow your life to crumble,
your family to be wiped out.
The levees are supposed to hold.
But when they don't...
... don't trust anyone.
Don't trust the police
when they tell you that, this time, they got it right.
Don't trust the witnesses who have ulterior motives
and every reason to lie to your faces.
Don't trust that robe.
I promise you, it's just a piece of cloth.
As for the lawyers...
do I even need to say it?
But here's the wildest part of all,
despite a police force that attacked him,
a justice system that failed him,
and a city that turned its back on him...
... Eugene Jones has chosen to trust you.
Please, take care of this child.
Do you believe in second chances?
I don't know.
It's what I hope the Baxter District will be,
an opportunity to start anew.
Do you think you've earned it?
Maybe I don't.
But when Baby Rocco came into our lives,
it gave me hope again.
You can't replace the ones you've lost,
but you can continue to grow.
You thought you were without a family.
It's not true anymore.
We're connected to one another.
Well, maybe we should embrace that.
I recently furloughed my righthand man of 14 years.
Find myself... wanting for wisdom.
Someone smart, educated.
Someone I can trust,
put my family's best interests ahead of his own.
You think that could be you?
Well, I've committed my share of sins.
I'm not looking to commit more.
- No one's asking you to. - Oh.
That's the whole point.
This is... a new chapter for our family.
A completely legitimate enterprise.
Completely.
I could use a mind like yours.
Lawyer, judge.
I've been disbarred.
Well, they can't take this from you.
This is about our legacy.
Building something that'll outlast all of us.
Bet you think I should've listened to you.
I know you should have.
And I think you know it, too.
That right?
You blew up a good deal so you could impress your girl.
How's that working out for you?
You got to be really feeling yourself to walk in here talking shit.
What, they get to you?
You never should've made me a free agent.
Oh, that's your justification for being disloyal?
Loyalty's earned.
So is betrayal.
Oh, you here to give me a philosophy lesson, Little Mo?
I'm here to give you a message.
- From Chris? - And from me.
A long time ago,
you said when it comes to Desire, it's all in or all out.
You haven't been all in for a while.
It's time to get out.
I was near Carlo and a few of his friends,
uh, in the middle of the restaurant,
and I looked toward the kitchen,
and I saw a dark figure standing there.
Can you describe what you saw?
He was odd. He just, he looked out of place.
He wasn't dressed for a party, you know, that was obvious.
He had on a-a hooded sweatshirt and baggy pants,
and I was, I was about to ask someone to see what he wanted,
and escort him out if necessary, and that's...
That's when I saw him raise his gun.
And he aimed for my son Carlo.
And then he fired.
I thought for sure Carlo was about to be murdered
right in front of me.
But God spared him.
And then I realized that Adam Desiato was hit.
My daughter, Fia, tried desperately to save him.
Mrs. Baxter, did you see anything else?
I saw the shooter drop his gun and run away.
And can you identify the shooter
- that you saw that night? - Yes.
Is he in this courtroom today?
It was the defendant, Eugene Jones.
Are you sure?
I'm positive.
Thank you, Mrs. Baxter. No more questions.
Mrs. Baxter,
what did you do when you saw the, uh, the "dark figure" with the gun?
Did you, uh, did you call out to your son, Carlo? Did you warn him?
I don't think there was time to say anything.
In which hand was the, uh, "dark figure" holding the gun?
I don't recall.
Was it dimly lit?
Not too dark to see.
You said you were celebrating your son's acquittal.
He'd been found not guilty?
- That's correct. - Of what crime?
He had been falsely accused of murder.
Who was the deceased?
He'd been charged with, uh, killing a convict named Kofi Jones.
- "Falsely," though? - Correct.
So, your son didn't kill Kofi?
He didn't murder him. It was self-defense.
I see. So, he did kill Kofi,
the older brother of Eugene Jones,
and this was a celebration because he'd gotten away with it?
- Objection. Argumentative. - Sustained.
Where did Kofi's murder occur?
- Objection. Argumentative. - Sustained.
Counselor, choose your words and your tone carefully.
Where did this killing in self-defense occur?
In Orleans Parish Prison.
Why was Carlo in OPP?
He'd been incarcerated because of a physical altercation.
- He'd gotten into a fight? - That's right.
- Was he hurt? - He survived.
And, uh, the other guy that he fought?
Uh, he sustained some injuries as well.
Isn't he permanently disabled?
So he says.
And for beating this man to the point of permanent disability,
Carlo was sentenced to a Louisiana state prison?
Yes.
So, why was he in a New Orleans jail
prior to his release?
He was transferred so...
he could attend his little brother's funeral.
How did your youngest son die?
He was hit and killed by a car.
Was anyone charged with a crime in his death?
Yes.
- Who? - Kofi Jones.
The young man Carlo killed?
The young man who attacked Carlo
in Carlo's jail cell.
How did Carlo end up in the same jail as Kofi?
I just told you that.
No, you told me why Carlo was in OPP.
I'm asking you how he came to be there.
He was granted a transfer
so he could attend his little brother's funeral.
Who made the request for that transfer?
I did.
- To whom? - The warden.
That's a pretty big request.
You drove all the way out to the state penitentiary
to personally ask the warden for a favor?
I would do anything for my son.
Except take a bullet for him.
Objection! Argumentative.
Sustained.
Mrs. Baxter, if you saw a gun pointed at Carlo,
why didn't you react?
React faster than a speeding bullet?
You didn't even try to get in between your child and the attacker?
- I would die for my child. - I believe you.
Which is why I'm having a hard time understanding why,
with a gun pointed at Carlo,
you didn't react at all.
Unless, you didn't see the gun
because you didn't see the shooter.
I know what I saw.
Thank you, Mrs. Baxter.
Members of the jury,
please report to the deputy tomorrow morning before 8:30.
We will adjourn for the day.
- Your Honor. - Yes, Mr. Rall?
The State moves to amend the witness list.
I would like to add a name,
Michael Desiato.
Th-This is ridiculous.
We've had weeks to change that list.
To do so now,
is a ploy on behalf of the State.
Counselors, let's do this in chambers.
Court's adjourned.
Mr. Rall, tell me why I should entertain your motion
to amend at this time?
Mr. Desiato is a unique witness.
That's one way to put it.
It had been my hope to avoid calling him.
Until Gina Baxter proved to be a less-than-ideal witness.
People often ask me what the worst part of my job is.
They assume it's dealing with defendants
or facing the victims of crime,
but you two, you remind me it's the lawyers
that make me dread coming to work.
Mr. Rall, preview Mr. Desiato's testimony for me.
He's the father of the victim, he can speak to who Adam was,
and he was at the hotel that night.
Potentially, he was an eyewitness to the shooting.
What do you mean "potentially"?
Well, I tried to speak to him, but he was reluctant to talk.
But I do believe he saw the shooter.
He's the surviving father of the victim.
The jury has a right to hear from him.
Yet, you didn't always want the jury to hear from him.
In light of counsel's cross-examination of Mrs. Baxter,
State now believes it's necessary to put forward
a substantiating eyewitness.
And your objection, Ms. Delamere?
Mr. Rall is worried that testimony from a mobster's friends
and family might not come across as particularly trustworthy.
And so, in a last act of desperation,
he's gonna call a convicted criminal to testify.
People with rap sheets can still witness crimes, Ms. Delamere.
- But what I'm trying to... - They can also do more damage
to a case than good, Mr. Rall.
So I want you both to submit memos to my office
by end of day tomorrow,
and then I'll make my ruling.
Have a good night.
Please, have a seat.
Uh, I want you to give some thought to my offer.
Maybe we can do big things together.
At what cost?
Your investors include the Calabri family.
Mm.
Associates of my father-in-law's.
They've only provided capital.
What they do in New York is their business.
Don't... tell me that you want me for my intellect
and then treat me like a fool.
I have no interest in what the Calabri family does.
That is not who I am.
There's a world of difference between who we are
and who we want to be.
In prison...
there was so much time...
Eh, time... for me to think about all my regrets.
And there's a lot of things that I wish I could take back.
But the one I thought about the most,
the one I thought about every day,
was that moment at the marina,
when you, you put a gun to my head
because you thought I was driving the car.
You thought that I killed your son.
Only I knew that it was Adam.
I didn't have to stop you.
I could've just let you pull the trigger.
And Adam's secret would have died with me.
What if the true test of family isn't loyalty,
but sacrifice?
If I join you,
if I become part of your family...
I fear the sacrifices I would have to make.
No one's putting a gun to your head.
Sometimes there's a gun to your head,
and you don't even know it.
Okay, we'll take the 2:50...
Okay.
Carlo, can I get a ride?
Let's go.
You know, I looked up Harry "The Hook."
Oh, yeah?
What'd you find out?
That it was the only time in history that someone was acquitted
and then prosecuted again.
They call that precedent.
It was upheld by the Seventh Circuit.
- You know what that means? - I do.
Means it only applies to the laws in Illinois,
Indiana and Wisconsin.
So, you were fucking with me?
I was fucking with you.
So...
your dad made you his driver to keep you out of trouble?
I'm not his driver.
Don't worry about me.
I'm working my way up.
Jimmy gave me assurances that he's going legit.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
That's sort of like... waking up with a hangover
and swearing you'll never fucking drink again, right?
So, what, you're saying that he's lying to me?
I'm sure he doesn't see it that way.
So, he can't face who he really is?
Well, that's why he's got me.
Mm-hmm.
To take care of the less legitimate side?
Right.
Well... your dad just offered me a job
to help with the more legitimate side.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
But you know what?
If you're in charge of crimes, then I'm out.
- Oh, yeah? Why's that? - Because you get caught.
Not anymore.
The idea is to stay clean, right?
Right.
The Calabris...
there's not a lot of mystery in their business model.
Whatever they do, won't be done in New Orleans.
My dad made sure of that.
So, the Baxters are just middlemen?
If I drop a bag off at your house,
and leave it there for a day,
and you never look inside,
and then someone comes and just takes it,
are you really committing a crime?
Let me off at the corner.
Oh, by the way,
Carlo, the answer to your question is yes,
smuggling is a crime,
and ignorance is not a defense.
Thanks for the lift.
Kill it.
Yeah, he's good in here. Pat him down.
So... this is Desire 2.0, huh?
New and improved.
I don't like new.
I don't trust it.
And I only do business with people I know.
I don't know you,
so I'm gonna need either Little Mo or Big Mo,
doesn't matter which.
I'm the only one now.
That works.
We gonna take this shit far and wide.
Couple months, we'll do this again.
Yeah, let's just take it one deal at a time.
I'm not sure I have too much confidence
in the stability of your institution.
This... this is just the beginning.
Looking more like the end to me.
Slow down, playboy.
So, it looks like you guys still have some shit to work out, huh?
We good?
- We good. - Ándale pues.
God save the queen.
Damn right.
Sit your ass down.
Face the wall.
You fucked up, boy.
I made this shit look so easy
you got it in your head that you could be me.
You fucking traitor.
You see, I don't think you know what that word means.
How the fuck could you side with her?
That right there is my auntie.
How the fuck you think I would turn against her?
Blood is blood.
You made a bad call.
See, I may give up Desire one day,
but ain't a motherfucker that's gonna take that shit from me.
Fuck you.
- Fia? - Hi.
Please, come in.
Is everything okay?
I watched Mom testify in court today.
She swore on a Bible,
and then I'm pretty sure she lied to the whole world.
I can't take any more lies.
I just want to have one honest conversation, just one.
And I promise you that whatever you tell me,
it'll be okay, but if I find out that you lied to me,
you will never see me again.
All right.
Did Grandpa used to run the mob in New Orleans?
Yes.
And did you and Mom inherit that organization?
- I've built my own business... - Dad.
Yes, yes.
So, your business is illegal?
Some aspects of it have been.
Have you used violence?
Only when I had no other choice.
But you've hurt people?
Are you responsible for the death of the Jones family?
Look...
... with Kofi Jones killing Rocco and trying to kill Carlo,
I understand the speculation that our family
may have had something to do with that explosion,
and, sometimes, our people act on their own.
So, I looked into it.
Because, ultimately, I am responsible
- for the things our organization does. - Dad.
It was a gas leak.
Okay.
I should tell you...
I spoke with an assistant U.S. attorney.
I refused to cooperate,
but they are investigating you.
So, whatever it is you are doing
with the Calabri family, you need to stop.
They're watching everything you do.
All right, so are you sure there's nothing else?
I'm sure.
Just follow Carlo.
Whatever he's gonna do, he's gonna do it soon.
Hey, Michael.
You enjoyed this, didn't you?
Just a little bit, hmm? Teeny bit.
Oh, hey.
It's your buddy.
Hello, Mr. Mayor.
We've got a problem.
Jimmy Baxter just called off the deal.
What?
The entire development is being scrapped.
He said he couldn't come up with the money.
Wait. Well, did you offer him more time?
He didn't want it.
It's over.
Jimmy just abandoned the Baxter District.
? Now you say you're lonely ?
? You cry the whole night through ?
? Well, you can cry me a river ?
? Cry me a river ?
? I cried a river over you ?
? You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head ?
? While you never shed a tear ?
? Mm ?
? Remember ?
? I remember all that you said ?
? Told me love was too plebeian ?
? Told me you were through with me ?
? And now you say you love me ?
? Well, just to prove that you do ?
? Come on and cry me a river ?
? Cry me a river ?
? I cried a river over you ?
Yo, give us the room.
I love you, J.
For better or worse.
I love you.
For better or worse.
Mm-mm.
But I need you to love all of me, too.
Everything I got, I fought for.
I bled for.
This club, I bought for me,
I bought it for my papa,
bought it for my daddy.
But that stage right there,
I bought that shit for you.
What good is this club without the stage?
I am the best version of myself when I'm with you.
And it kills me...
it kills me that you don't realize the same is true for you.
Hey.
Long day?
Yeah.
You?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Where's Fia?
She's asleep.
With the baby. Tired, really tired.
Michael.
Lee.
The prosecution wants you to testify.
No. I-I-I already told them no.
You might be subpoenaed, but you can refuse.
I don't want any part of this.
It's a little late for that.
Don't be the one to send Eugene away for life.
Excuse me? You're in my house asking him to help the boy
that killed my grandson?
I'm asking Michael to fix just one thing that he broke.
What is she talking about?
You can't put me on the stand.
It's not my call.
What would you have me do?
Lie.
I can't do that.
Well, that's just perfect.
After everything you've done,
every manipulative move
and dishonest statement,
now you can't help but tell the truth?
What has the alternative ever gotten us?
Get out of my house.
Lee, I'm done lying.
Just keep me out of that courtroom.
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --