"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." "Hi." "You've reached Nicole." "Please leave a message after the tone." "Thanks." "Mom, it's me again." "Where are you?" "I keep calling and calling." "Dad and I got in a fight." "I'm almost home." "Why aren't you picking up?" "Thank you." "Mom?" "Help!" "He's raping me!" " Detective Perry, Homicide?" " Yeah." "Lieutenant Benson, SVU." "Thanks for getting here so fast." "So, what we looking at?" "DOA is Trey Franklin, 15." "Rifle shot to the head, close range." "You said the shooter interrupted a rape?" "Yeah." "Luke Keller, also 15." "Saw Franklin assaulting his mother, Nicole Keller..." "Dr. Nicole Keller, 45." "Did you keep them separated?" "Yep." "We secured the scene and the weapon, took the kid's initial statements." "He's upstairs." "The mother's in the living room." "Okay, so we'll take the disclosure." "That's why I called you guys." "All right." "Rollins, you're with me." " Fin, Carisi." " We'll take the son." "Luke, I'm Detective Carisi." "This is Detective Tutuola." "I already told the other police." "I had to do it." "He was raping my mom." "Okay, just breathe." "We just want to know what happened." "I was supposed to spend the night at my dad's, but we got in a fight, so I came home." " What time did you leave?" " I left my dad's about 9:00." "I really wanted to talk to my mom." "I tried calling." "She wasn't answering." "Luke, now, did your mother have plans tonight?" "Staying home, doing paperwork." "She's a psychiatrist." "What time did you get home?" "About 10:00." "It was dark." "I heard a noise downstairs, thought someone was breaking in, so I called 911, and then went to the closet to get my rifle." "Your rifle?" "Yeah." "My dad gave it to me." "He likes to go hunting." " Then what happened?" " I walked into the kitchen, and he was attacking my mom." " What did you see?" " She was staring at me." "She was so scared." "Then she screamed "Help!" "He's raping me!"" "so I pulled the trigger." "I didn't think I was actually gonna hit him." "I have to see my son." "He can't handle this stress." "He's got a lot of generalized anxiety." "And I understand that, but right now we need to speak to both of you separately." "Right." "Okay." " Okay." " I understand." "So, Dr. Keller, I need to know exactly what happened from your perspective." "Okay." "Um, right." "I was in the kitchen." "I was..." "I was getting some wine." "And he..." "I was there, and I turn around, and... and he was right there." "And I tried to get away." "I did." "I tried." "And he... he overpowered me." "Was this a break-in?" "Or maybe he followed you home?" "No." "No." "I let him in." "You let him in?" "So you knew him?" "Yes." "He was my son's best friend." "The mother let him in voluntarily." "She said he was the son's best friend." "Explains why there's no signs of forced entry." "Okay, if Luke wasn't home, why did she let him in?" "He asked to come in to do his homework." "Apparently he's been having a rough time at home." "So, he just hung out in the house while she was upstairs working?" "That's what she said." "Okay, so, Luke walks in unexpectedly, hears his mother screaming that she's being raped, and he fires." "We're not thinking premeditation at all?" "He called 911." "The rifle was locked up." "Registered to his father, so technically not legal, but the shooting still sounds justifiable to me." "But I'm a cop, not a prosecutor." "Okay, what about the DOA?" "I mean, Trey Franklin's parents." "On their way to the ME's office." "How about if I meet one of your guys over there?" "Good idea." "Thanks." "_" "Is it okay if we pick up where we left off?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Dr. Keller, you said that you knew that you shouldn't have let Trey in." "I had an instinct." "Something was wrong." "The way he looked at me, you know?" "Made me uneasy." "But you were okay with him being friends with your son?" "Yes." "I didn't want to shut Trey out." "I felt badly for him." "His family life was very unstable." "So, Trey came to your door at what time?" "Uh, it was around 9:00." "Nine o'clock." "Uh, I put my work away for the night." "And he asked where Luke was, said they were supposed to study." "And I said, "There must be a mix-up, 'cause Luke's at his father's house in Westport."" "Okay." "Go on." "Then he asked if he could..." "if he could come in anyway, do his homework." "And..." "I said yes." "And then I went upstairs to get ready for bed." "So, that's when you changed into your nightgown?" "No." "I already had my nightgown on, and I'd already started getting ready for bed when he rang the doorbell." "Okay, so, you answered the door in your nightgown, and then you went back upstairs." "Yes." "I-I went upstairs for about an hour." "It started getting late, so I-I went back downstairs and I told Trey..." "I told him it was time to go home." "So, during that time, your son was calling you." "Um, why didn't you pick up?" "No, I didn't get the message." "I didn't get any messages." "I... when I work sometimes I don't even look at my phone, and Luke was with his dad." "Right, but you weren't working then, right?" "Because he started to call I think at 9:30 to 10:00, right?" "You had already put your work down for the night?" "Right." "Yes, I had." "I went downstairs for a glass of wine." " Oh." " Okay?" "To relax." "And that's when I felt him..." "I felt his presence behind me, and I turned around, and it was Trey." "He was right there." "And he put his hands on me." " So, what did you do?" " I tried to stop it." "I tried to tell him I understood." "I understood sexual impulses and urges." "Believe me." "I'm a psychiatrist." "I've dealt with this issue many, many times." "But he... put me up against the kitchen counter, and... he lifted up my nightgown." "Okay." "Take your time." "I, uh..." "He forced himself inside me, and, um," "I-I tried to scream, and he put his hand on my mouth." "And I..." "There was a kitchen knife, and I tried to reach it, but it was too far away." "So I just closed my eyes, and I tried to survive." "And I thought about my son." "I thought about Luke, and I needed to stay alive for him." "And then... and then I looked up, and he was there, and I yelled help: "Help!"" "Mm." "Mm-hmm." "And then I heard the gunshot." "So, Mrs. Keller, did you know that your son had a rifle in the house?" "Yes." "In a locked safe." "Yes." "It was a gift... it was a gift from his father." "He's a hunter." "Okay." "Is Luke a hunter, too?" "No." "He... he's so sensitive." "He actually hated the idea of having a gun in the house." "Hated it." "He went hunting, and there was a deer in his sight, and he couldn't even pull the trigger." "I... it doesn't... it doesn't make sense." "It... it doesn't make sense." "That's why it's so..." "I want to see him." "Is my mom gonna be okay?" "Yeah." "Yeah, she's at the hospital." "She's... she's getting checked out now." "Come on." "I know what you went through." "I know it's tough, all right?" "Have a seat." "But we need to go over it again, step by step." "Can you do that?" "Think so." "Okay." "So, you said you walked into your house, you heard noises, you called 911, you grabbed your rifle, walked down to the kitchen, right?" " Mm-hmm." " Okay, Luke." "Before you fired, did you say "stop" or "get off of her,"" "or anything like that?" "I don't think so." "I just reacted." "When did you realize it was Trey?" "Not until after." "I thought it was just some man who broke in, not Trey." "How well did you guys know each other?" "We're best friends." "We were." "I killed my best friend." "Okay." "We're gonna take a break." "We'll get you some water." "Luke's dad is here." "Luke, you all right?" "Dad!" " Hey, hey, hey." " He was hurting Mom." "I swear." "It's okay." "It's okay." "I'm here now." "Uh, do I need a lawyer?" "We're still investigating, but it seems like Luke fired to save his mother from a sexual assault." "That being said, these cases can get tricky." "Appreciate your honesty." "We're done talking." "It's all right, buddy." "Come here." "It's all right." "Everything's gonna be okay, all right?" "_" "Yeah, that's his bracelet." "And the scar." "He burnt his hand on a camping trip when he was ten." "I want to see him." "I want to see my son's body." "Mrs. Franklin, ma'am." "It's better that you don't." "I still don't understand what happened." "A classmate of his, Luke Keller, he fired a weapon." "The bullet struck and killed him." "Luke?" "That doesn't make any sense." " They're... they're friends." " Was it an accident?" "We're still looking into it." "But Luke's mother says your son was sexually assaulting her." "What?" " And that's why Luke shot him?" " It's possible." "No." "No." "It's not possible!" "Trey would never assault anyone." "Ever." "You may be right." "It's obviously very early in the investigation." "Is Luke under arrest?" " Not yet." " Oh, I see." "White kid shoots black kid, got to be the black kid's fault." "That's what you're saying?" "No." "Not even close." "We're just trying to figure out what happened." "Yeah, well, me too, 'cause my son was a good kid." "No." "A great kid." "I want to see my son." "Now." "Okay." "What do we know about Trey Franklin?" "Only son of Charles and Regina Franklin." "Father's an English professor." "Mother is an oncology nurse." "No priors." "Good student." "He started high school at Manor Hill in September." " Rape kit?" " There's no semen." "Just a few minor abrasions." "How long did the mother know Trey?" "A few months." "She said she didn't mind her son being friends with Trey, but she had a bad feeling about him from the beginning, whatever that means." "Because he's black?" "No." "I didn't get a sense that it was racial." "And Luke." "Do you believe his story?" "I do." "He's taking this hard." "He had no clue the alleged rapist was his friend." "But firing the rifle was the only way to stop the assault?" "He panicked." "He was trying to scare whoever he thought it was away." "Okay, so they were friends." "Any recent problems?" "Not that we can find." "So, Trey came over to study with Luke, but Luke wasn't there." "If Trey knew that Luke wasn't gonna be home, that would help to establish his mindset." "Then he went to Nicole's house knowing she was gonna be alone." "But we already checked Luke's phone." "There's no texts or emails between him and Trey." "Okay, so let's dig in to their social media account, talk to the friends, see if we can find anything out." "We should search his locker and his bedroom, too." "I'll get some warrants." "Thanks." "_" " You want Trey's computer?" " All electronic devices." "And what about Luke?" "Have you arrested him yet?" "We're still investigating, Mr. Franklin." "That's why we're here." "We're also gonna need to search Trey's room." "You're acting like my son's the killer." "This is outrageous!" "Just let them go." "They're not gonna find anything." "Fifteen's a crazy age." "Testosterone, impulses." "Yeah, but you don't just wake up one morning out of the blue and decide to rape your buddy's mom." "I don't know." "There's... there's something else going on here." "I don't know." "Everything here, though, looks good." "There's no weed." "No booze." "The only thing wrong is maybe a couple of dirty socks." "Check this out." "That's the mother?" "Dr. Keller?" "Definitely more wrong here than dirty socks." "Imagine our surprise." "Imagine my surprise." "I had a sense Trey was stalking me, but now I know." "You had a sense Trey was stalking you?" "Well, that's very different from having a bad feeling." "I wasn't sure, but I am now." "That's you in the photo, correct?" "Yes!" "Eyes closed." "Asleep." "Unaware this adult teenager was taking pictures." "You mind if we take a look around?" "Of course not." "So, just to be clear, you're saying that Trey walked up these stairs, he hopped onto your bed while you were sleeping, and he took these photos." "Well, that's the only thing that makes sense." "No." "There are other plausible explanations." "Do you always sleep naked?" "Sometimes." "Sometimes I sleep in a nightgown." "Sometimes I sleep in a Rolling Stones t-shirt." "Are you suggesting I had sex with that boy?" "Oh, I'm not suggesting anything." "I'm simply asking why you and Trey were in bed together, naked." "Because he was obsessed with me and snuck into my bed." "And you didn't wake up?" "You must be a sound sleeper." "I am." "Last few months, anyway." "I've been on sleep medication." "You said you thought Trey was stalking you." "If that's true, why did you give him so much access to your house, invite him in at 9:00 p.m.?" "Like I said, I was trying to help him." "Because of his troubled home life?" "Well, we talked to his parents." "There's no evidence of that." "Some of my patients are victims of rape, and the first thing I tell them is, "Don't blame yourself."" "Well, that's a lot easier said than done." "You didn't answer her question." "I'm sorry." "What question was that?" "Okay." "Dr. Keller, the night of the shooting, you were upstairs here in your bedroom, in your nightgown." "Trey was downstairs in the family room, and nobody else was in the house?" "That's correct." "And he didn't try and sneak up here into your room?" "I'm sorry, lieutenant." "I think it's best if you and your colleague here leave." "I'm sensing some underlying hostility, and it's making me very uncomfortable." "Yeah?" "And the naked selfies of you and Trey are making me very uncomfortable." "_" "Trey was cool." "He was only here since September, but we were friends." "Were you friends with Luke Keller, too?" "Yeah." "Luke and I have known each other since kindergarten." "He's a good guy." "A little..." "You can say it." "He's a bit of a nerd." "Yeah." "But he's okay." "But Luke and Trey were close?" "Yeah." "Tight." "Trey kind of looked out for him." "And Luke liked Trey?" " He idolized Trey." " Hm." "Thought he was a god." "I don't know... it's sort of crazy, if you think about it, that Luke ended up killing his god." " Thank you, Ethan." " Yeah." "I never heard rumors about Trey and Luke's mother." "Is that really what you think happened?" "We're not thinking anything yet." "Right." "Well, the answer is no." "I never heard anyone suggest that Trey and Dr. Keller were..." "Okay." "Anything else about Trey you can tell us?" "No." "He's a good kid." "For the most part." "For the most part?" "What do you mean by that?" "My son has already told the police everything he knows." "Okay, well, we just need to follow up on a few things about his relationship with Trey Franklin." "Now, Ethan, you told me that Trey was cool." "Here, have a seat." " That's right." " So, there's been no issues or problems between the two of you?" " None." " None?" "Okay, well, here's the thing, Ethan." "We just found out that you and Trey got suspended for getting into a fight a week ago." "Wait." "What's going on here?" "Lying to the police in a homicide investigation is a very serious matter." "Serious enough to derail that lacrosse scholarship I heard about." "Okay, okay." "Just..." "Tell them what happened." "Can you leave?" "I don't want to talk about this with you here." "No." "I'm not going anywhere." "Okay." "But what I did... the reason we fought..." "I can't tell you." " Ethan." " You don't understand." "Just tell the truth." "Now." "Your father's right." "Just tell us why you and Trey got into a fight." "We need to talk to you down at the station." "I already told you everything I know." "Yeah?" "Well, we talked to Ethan Miller." " You know him, right?" " Sure." "He's a friend of Luke's." "He said that you sexually assaulted him 10 times, maybe 11." " That's preposterous." " Then you moved onto Trey." "Ethan got upset, punched him." "They both got suspended from school." "They're kids." "They fantasize about older women." "It's a natural, healthy fantasy." "Nope." "There's nothing natural or healthy about statutory rape." "Let's go." "You're coming with us." "This is ridiculous." "Were you having a sexual relationship with Trey Franklin prior to the night he was shot and killed?" "Like I've been trying to tell you, he was obsessed with me." "That's a yes?" "It's an absolute, unequivocal no." "What about Ethan?" "That's an absolute, unequivocal no, too?" "Correct." "So, Ethan was lying?" "Of course he's lying!" "Okay." "Well, when he told me what happened, he started to cry." "And then he turned to his father, and he begged him not to hate him." "We have a believable 15-year-old boy in there who is claiming that you sexually assaulted him and Trey Franklin." "Making things worse, Trey is dead." "Because you told your son that he was raping you, when, in fact, you were raping him." " You're making this up." " The sooner you tell us the truth, the better this is gonna be for you." "And more importantly, Luke." "Don't you presume to tell me what's best for my son." "I'm not presuming anything." "I'm just stating facts." "My understanding of the law is unless I'm under arrest, I'm free to go." "I'll be calling my lawyer." "That's your right." "We'll be in touch." "I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about." "She's a stone-cold liar." "A psychiatrist... who's abusing teenage boys, emotionally damaging her own son." "That is deeper than lying, man." "That is pathological." "And we just let her walk out of here?" "Look." "I want to track her phone." "I need to vet Ethan's story." "She's smart." "And a liar like that... she covers her tracks." "That's why we need hard evidence that she cannot lie her way out of." "But first we need to make absolutely sure that Luke had no prior knowledge of what was going on with his mother and Trey." "That's crazy." "No way would my mom and Ethan... he's a liar... he's lying." "Listen." "I know this is hard to hear..." "Because it's not true." "My mom told me you were gonna say this." "Just listen to what they say, Luke." "I'm sorry to have to tell you this." "But it's not just Ethan." "We also believe" "Trey and your mom were having..." "She said you were gonna say that, too!" "There's no way that... that..." "It's just not true." "My mom would never do that." "Okay." "I think Luke is being completely honest." "Well, of course he is." "He's a good kid." "His mother, on the other hand, is..." "Is what?" "Complicated." "Dr. Keller, is there anything in Nicole's past or your relationship that might help explain this..." "this type of behavior?" "She is a malignant narcissist, probably borderline." "I'm a psychiatrist as well." "So, this lying, manipulating, abusive pattern of behavior's been going on for a long time?" "Since the day I met her." "Nicole is like the best and worst woman you've ever met wrapped in one." "Yeah, we've been getting that." "Well, when we first met, she's... she's charming." "She's brilliant." "But gradually, her sickness began to reveal itself." "How do you mean?" "Look, with Nicole... this woman truly believes that she's special, that she deserves this unique and constant admiration." "She lacks compassion, empathy." "Yet, at the same time, she is remarkably fragile." "She has no true sense of self, and I..." "I just..." "I couldn't take it." " So you left her." " Yes." "Yes." "Look, but I tried to make it work." "I-I couldn't." "You just let Luke stay there, live with her, knowing Nicole has all these issues?" "No." "I fought like hell for custody, but the judge sided with her, because, I'm telling you, this woman... she is incredibly charming and persuasive." "I never thought she'd destroy her own son." "Just tell me you're not gonna charge Luke with a crime." "Your ex-wife is the criminal here." "We're gonna speak with the ADA." "_" "I don't think that Luke intentionally shot Trey." "He truly believes that his mother was being assaulted." "I agree." "Council, look." "Luke had no clue that his mother was using his friends sexually." "He just happened to walk in." "I mean, if he hadn't gotten into an argument with his father that night, he never would've been there in the first place." "Nicole is the one who's lying, not Luke." "And this proves it." "Lab results are back." "Traces of fresh semen were found on a towel in Nicole's bedroom upstairs." "DNA matches Trey's." "She said Trey was upstairs that night?" "We asked her point blank, and she denied it." " Arrest her." " Statutory rape?" "Oh, I'm thinking a lot more than that." " Let's talk about that." " Okay, time's up." " What?" " I'm sorry, sir." "NYPD." "We're gonna need the room." " Are you kidding me?" " Nope." "Look, just get out of here, man." "Go." "First, you lie to my son." "Now you harass me in my place of business?" "Stop talking." "You're under arrest." "On what charges?" "Third degree rape of a minor." " I'm the victim here." " And murder." "Murder?" "I didn't murder anyone." "Look, lady." "Turn around." "Come on." "Get her out of here." "Let's go." "Okay, look, look, look." "Our only goal was to follow the evidence and bring the person responsible for Trey Franklin's death to justice, and that person is Nicole Keller." "To cry rape while she herself was sexually assaulting a teenage boy with her son ten feet away, holding a rifle, shows such depraved indifference to Trey Franklin's life that the DA's office feels compelled to punish this woman" "to the fullest extent of the law." "Thank you." "We applaud Mr. Barba's courage in taking on this case." "Our 15-year-old son, Trey, was abused by a manipulative and remorseless 45-year-old psychiatrist." "Because of her, he's dead." "Let's go." "Last Tuesday night, Dr. Nicole Keller was the victim of a sexual assault, and if it weren't for the actions of her son, Luke, she might have been killed." "Dr. Keller is a respected and empathetic psychiatrist who was simply trying to help Trey Franklin, and despite the fact that he sexually assaulted her, she is devastated by his tragic death." "And to suggest that she had anything to do with this is absolutely outrageous." "_" "Lieutenant Benson, this towel, marked exhibit D, was taken from the home of the defendant." " Are you familiar with this item?" " Yes." "Can you tell us which part of the house it was taken from?" " The master bedroom." " Where is that located?" "On the top floor of the brownstone." "Did you receive a report from the crime lab about this towel?" "Yes." "Trace evidence of fresh semen was found on the towel." "The DNA was a match to Trey Franklin." "When you questioned the defendant in the aftermath of the shooting, did she mention that Trey had been in the top floor of the brownstone?" "No." "She specifically stated that he was downstairs the entire time, and then, in a subsequent interview, restated it." "Thank you." "Nothing further." "No questions, Your Honor." "Prosecution calls Luke Keller." "When you walked into the downstairs kitchen, what did you see?" "My mother bent over with a man behind her, on top of her." "Did you know it was Trey?" " No!" " Then what happened?" "My mother looked at me and screamed," ""Help!" "He's raping me."" "Did she make eye contact with you?" " Yes." " Did she see the rifle?" "Objection." "Speculation." " Sustained." " Rephrase:" "did she ever look down at your hands?" "Yes." "I think so." "After your mother looked down at your hands and yelled," ""Help!" "He's raping me," what did you do?" "I pulled the trigger." "But I was just trying to scare him away." "I just wanted to save my mom from what was happening." "Nothing further." "That must have been traumatic, walking in on your mother like that." " Yes." " And you're young." "You don't know a lot about sex." "Must have looked to you like she was very frightened." "Right?" "Yeah." "I mean, it looked bad." "So, when she yelled, "Help!" "He's raping me,"" "you believed her." "Yes." "At the time." "But Lieutenant Benson told me about what they found." "Yes, but at the time, in your mind," "Trey was sexually assaulting your mother?" "Yes, but it was all happening so fast." "I..." "I just reacted." "Right." "You reacted to what you saw:" "a man attacking your mother." "As for the rifle, you have no idea if your mother saw it." "I mean, you have no way of knowing what her eyes were actually focused on." "Yeah." "I..." "I guess." "Especially since she was being raped." " Objection." " Withdrawn." "One other thing, Luke." "The prosecutor, Mr. Barba, made a deal with you including no jail time for testifying against your mother..." "Even though you're the one who killed Trey Franklin, correct?" "Yes." "Nothing further." "You may step down." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Come on." "Let's get you out of here." "I tried my best, but this is all my fault." "I didn't have to pull the trigger." "It took a lot of courage to get up on that stand." "Come on, Luke." "Let's go." "I'll walk you out." " Luke." "Luke." " Mom." "Poor kid doesn't know whether to hate her or love her." "It's hard to give up on your mother, no matter how sick she may be." "_" "So, what happened?" "I was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of wine." "Then I saw Trey walking toward me." "He grabbed me and kissed me, hard, aggressive." "I told him to stop, but he pulled up my nightgown and put his penis inside me." " Then what happened?" " I started to scream." "He put his hand over my mouth, told me to shut up or he'd kill me." "A few minutes later, I saw Luke." "What did you say to him?" "Well, I screamed, "Help!"" "I screamed, "I'm being raped!"" "Did you know he had a gun in his hand?" "No." "I was in shock." "I was being attacked." "What happened after you yelled "rape"?" "I heard a loud, horrible gunshot, and then it was over." "Nothing further." "Trey showed up at your house at 9:00 at night." "Your son wasn't home, but you let him in anyway?" "I felt empathy for his turbulent home life." "You kept telling the police that... "his turbulent home life,"" "even though his parents are happily married and he's a straight-A student." "Grades are not indicative of psychological or emotional problems." "We're not interested in your psycho-babble for the moment, but thank you so much for sharing." "Um, you also told the police that Trey stayed downstairs all night, and yet his semen was found on a towel in your bedroom, on the top floor of your brownstone." "Is there a question here, Your Honor?" "Yes." "How did it get there?" "I have no idea." "Maybe he snuck up to my room and masturbated that night." "Or maybe you had an initial sexual encounter with Trey in your room, then brought him down to the kitchen" " to have more sex." " Objection." " I'll allow." " That's not what happened." "That's exactly what happened." "You let him into your home late at night while wearing lingerie." " It was a nightgown." " We're not gonna argue about semantics." "This is what you were wearing." "Yes." "But I was ready for bed." "Or maybe you were ready to sexually assault a 15-year-old boy." "You let him into your house while wearing only a nightgown." "An hour later, your son interrupted you and Trey in the kitchen." "Even though you saw a rifle in his hand, you cried "rape"" "to cover up the fact that you were abusing his friend." " Trey raped me." " No." "You raped him." " Objection." " Withdrawn." "Your Honor, I'd like to testify again." "I need to change my defense." "What?" "I've been lying." "I just want to tell the truth." "The real truth." "Uh, Your Honor, we should discuss this matter in private." "Agreed." "Counsel, my chambers, now." "She's had a change of heart, Your Honor." "She wants to tell the truth." "What the hell does that even mean?" "You don't get to suddenly tell the truth because the jury isn't buying your lies." "I have the right to redirect the testimony of my witness, and in the course of that redirection, my client will offer a new defense." "What are you talking about, Mr. Buchanan?" "Dr. Keller's new testimony will contradict her prior testimony." "So, she's willing to admit to the jury, to the judge, that she perjured herself?" "She is." "She just wants to clear her conscience, and let the chips fall where they may." "I agree in concept, but first I'd like to know what this new defense is." "_" "Tell the jury exactly what happened." "Trey Franklin and I were in the kitchen having sex." "Then Luke walked in on us and shot his friend in the head." "So, you didn't yell, "Help!" "He's raping me"?" " No." " Did you make eye contact with Luke prior to him pulling the trigger?" "No, I did not." "Then what happened?" "What happened was I realized" "I didn't want my son to go to prison, so I told the police that Trey had raped me, and Luke killed him to protect me." "Oh, my God." " But that was a lie?" " Yes." "And Luke knew that you and Trey were involved" " in a sexual relationship?" " Yes." "How?" "One time, I saw him watching us having sex." "Okay, that's enough, honey." "We're gonna go." "Let's go." "No." "I want to hear." "What was your son doing?" "He was... he was in the doorway, masturbating." "You don't need to hear this, sweetheart." "Dr. Keller, are you saying your son has a romantic attraction for you?" "Yes." "It's not as unusual as you might think." "Yes, that's enough, honey." "I'm taking you out." "Right now." "Let's go." "Luke, it's my fault." "I should've taken better care of you." "I should never have gotten involved with Trey." "I take full responsibility for this." " Come on, honey." " Even though my son shot" " and killed Trey." " Luke, enough." "Objection, Your Honor." "Sustained." "Mr. Buchanan, any more questions?" "Um, nothing else, Your Honor." " We are adjourned." " Your Honor, I want to cross-examine this defendant now, today, while the jury is still..." "That's enough for today." "We will resume tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m." "She's burying her own son to create reasonable doubt." "Yeah, and she just might get away with it." "The jury's got to see what she's doing, hate her as much as we do." "Maybe." "But a few skeptical jurors, and she walks on a murder charge." "Excuse me, Mr. Barba?" "Oh, it's all right." "Show him in." "I'm sorry to come down here." "I didn't know where else to go." " What is it?" " Luke wants to plead guilty." " Guilty?" "Guilty of what?" " Murder." "But he can't even do that, right?" "You gave him immunity." "Qualified immunity." "Listen, if he changes his story now, he starts lying to protect his mother, that deal... that goes away." "The judge may very well accept his plea." "Dr. Keller, this makes no sense." "What exactly is Luke saying?" "He now believes he deliberately shot Trey, that deep down he knew his mother was screwing his friend." "She's spinning him upside down." "She wants him to go to prison?" "In her deluded mind, Luke is responsible for what happened, for her shame." "He is the enemy, so taking him down... that's gonna make her feel whole again." "Even if it means convincing her son he's responsible for a murder he didn't commit?" "Well, we can't let her do that, so, Mr. Keller, where is Luke now?" "I'd like to talk to him." "Hi, Luke." "Thanks for meeting me." "My dad said I had to." "You hanging in there?" "How about maybe we could take a drive?" " Yeah." " Okay." "My car's right there." "How about we go get something to eat?" "Actually, I'm not hungry." "And I don't want people staring at me." "We can talk here, if that's okay." "Sure." "Okay." "So, Luke, I know that you want to help your mother, but you can't plead guilty." "Why?" "I'm the one who shot Trey." "Because she begged for your help." "You told that to me and Detective Carisi a dozen times, Luke." "You were trying to save her life." "Yeah, I know, but I knew she liked Trey, and she was always real talkative when he was around." "Did you ever see the two of them together, physically?" " No." " Okay." "What my mother said about me... you know, watching... that's a lie." "I know that." "But I did hear her say that Trey was really handsome once, so maybe I did know, and I just didn't know that I knew." "Luke, listen to me:" "what your mother did to Trey and what she did to Ethan... that's a crime." "It's called statutory rape." " I was trying to save her." " I know that." "You are a good son." "And you are a very brave person." "I shot Trey." "That makes me a killer." "Look at me." "You didn't intend to kill Trey." "You know that." "I know that." "And your mother knows that." "Your mother told me the hunting story." "That... that you had a deer right in your sights, and you couldn't pull the trigger, because you couldn't kill a living, breathing animal." "That's who you are." "And it's not your job to sacrifice your life for hers." "_" "Mr. Barba, are you ready to begin your cross-examination of the defendant?" "No, Your Honor." "I'd like to recall a witness:" "Luke Keller." "Luke, did you intentionally shoot Trey Franklin because you were angry at him for being in a sexual relationship with your mother?" "No." "That's not true." "I shot him because I thought he was raping her." "And why did you think that?" "Because she looked me in the eye and yelled," ""Help." "He's raping me."" "Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" "We have, Your Honor." "What say you?" "On the charge of second degree murder, we find the defendant guilty." "On the charge of third degree rape of a minor, we find the defendant guilty." "The state of New York thanks you for your service." "Court is adjourned." " Luke!" "I love you." " Nicole, no." "And I forgive you!" "I do!" "Do you hear me?" "Do you hear me?" "I'm still your mother!" "I'll always be your mother, no matter what you've done!" "I will always be your mother!" " Let's go." " Congratulations, Lieutenant." "You've convinced my son I'm the devil." "No, Nicole." "You did that all by yourself." "You okay?" "Look." "He's a strong kid." "He'll be fine." "You really believe that?" "Can I buy you a drink?" "No, thanks." "I got to go home to see Noah." "I got to..." "I just want to be with my boy."