"Emily!" "You're the medical examiner?" "Mr. Rose?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Rose but I cannot state conclusively that the cause of death was natural." "Your daughter, she..." "Excuse me, Father?" "Father Moore." "You'll have to come with me." " Father Moore!" " Will you plead guilty?" " Tell us about the exorcism!" " Over here, Father Moore!" "We're at Crescent County Courthouse." "We show you Father Richard Moore..." " What about the parents?" " They're not talking to the police." "Do we charge them?" "No." "Even the priest admits he ran the show." "We need a Christian on this." "Preferably a Catholic." "Somebody that knows this shit inside out and who the public will see as unbiased." "We're going after a holy man here." "Ethan Thomas." "He's not Catholic, though." "Methodist, I think." "But the guy practically lives at church." "Choir, teaches Sunday school." "He's no choirboy in the courtroom." "I've seen him tear people up." "He's a shrewd son of a bitch." "All right, pull him off whatever he's doing." "He's lead prosecutor." "There's ambition." "She never stops." "She even works while she drinks." " Gentlemen, you know Erin Bruner." " Of course." " Hello." " I was so sure Van Hopper would fry but you proved me wrong, lady." "The system worked, that's all." "Gentlemen, you'll excuse us, will you?" "Have you seen the news about this priest?" "I heard something about an exorcism gone bad, but I don't know the details." "The DA charged him with negligent homicide." "They offered a very reasonable plea bargain, but the priest turned it down." "Do not ask me to take this..." "The archdiocese specifically requested you." " Why me?" " They followed the Van Hopper trial." "They think you're smart and convincing." "They want you to ask the priest to reconsider." "Well, what if he won't?" "This sounds like a quagmire." "If I'm smart, I'll leave it alone." "Erin, the Van Hopper case got you back on the fast track." "Once again, you're a rising star." " Chivas, neat, please." " Tanqueray martini, dry." " What are you saying?" " I'm saying, you do this for me and the rising star keeps rising." "The case is yours." "And just how high do I get to rise this time?" "I've been junior partner for too long now, Karl." " It's not like other firms haven't called." " Erin..." "I want my name on the door, right next to yours." "Okay." "Try to get the deal." "If the priest won't and this goes to trial the archdiocese feels he could be an embarrassment." "So under no circumstances is he to testify." "No, of course." "If I'd put Van Hopper on the stand he'd be marking time on death row instead of sunbathing in Miami." "His tab." "Good morning, I'm Erin Bruner." "May I sit down?" "They brought the chair for my public defender." "I guess they left it when they decided I wasn't going to kill myself with it." "My firm represents the archdiocese." "Yes." "Yes, I was expecting them to send someone." " Why did they choose you?" " I wanted this case." " So you like the spotlight?" " I'm used to it." "I defended James Van Hopper." "And now you've come to further your celebrity." "No." "I'm here to make senior partner at my firm." " Are you a Catholic?" " No." "I'm an agnostic, I guess." "I'm not really sure." "If you're not sure, then you are one." "I don't think you're the right attorney." "I'll stick with my public defender." "He can't get the DA to get you a better deal." "I can." "I won't be making any plea agreement." "If you don't, the archdiocese won't post your bail." "You'll be stuck in here for the trial." "Do you understand how long they can put you away?" "It's been explained to me." "The DA's office doesn't like it when religion holds itself above the law." "And this prosecutor, Ethan Thomas?" "You're gonna need somebody hungry and smart and aggressive to even have a chance." "What would your strategy be to defend me against such a formidable man?" " That depends." " On what?" "On how you wanna be defended." "What's your main concern, other than staying out of jail?" " Is it how you're being portrayed?" " I don't care about my reputation." "I'm not afraid of jail." "What I care about is telling Emily Rose's story." "I want people to hear what only I can tell." "And what is that?" "What really happened to Emily and why." "If I let you defend me will you promise to let me testify and tell the truth about what happened?" "And what is the truth you would tell?" "That the ritual killed her?" " Was it your fault she died?" " No." "All right." "Then I'll let you tell her story." "But only if you agree to let me do whatever else it takes to win." "You're not used to this kind of place." "I'm sure our life is very strange to you." "Not so strange." "I grew up in a little town." "But our house wasn't as nice or as big as this." "My mother, she raised me alone." "She was a schoolteacher, so we had very little money." "What a wonderful thing to be." "That was Emily's dream, to be a teacher." "That's why she went away to the university." "A lot of cats live here." "There are 11 now, I think." "Emily always brought them home." "Ever since she was a little girl, she couldn't leave a stray abandoned." "Before these troubles began was Emily a happy girl?" "Oh, yes." "Before she went away to university my Emily was so very happy." "What is going on...?" "Girls!" "Mama." "Is it...?" "It's a scholarship, Mama." "They pay for it." "They pay for everything." "This is your dream, Emily." "You'll be leaving us." "It's okay." "I'll be okay." "I'm gonna show this to your father." " Counselor." "Thanks for meeting me." " Sure." "Can I buy you a drink, Mr. Thomas?" "He makes an excellent martini." "Just water for me, please." "So the judge thinks we should offer a new plea agreement." "She feels the community might be better served without this trial." "How do you feel about it?" "Personally." "My job is to represent the interests of the people and make an effort to be objective." "I ask because I know you're a churchgoer." "Now you're set to prosecute a man of God." "Your priest broke the law and a young girl is dead." "If he's a man of God, then, personally, I think he's even more subject to the laws of moral behavior." "If it were up to me, he'd get no deal." "And forgiveness and compassion?" "Isn't that part of your creed?" "Or does that just get in the way of your work?" "If you have compassion for your client you'll persuade him to accept this:" "Charges reduced to reckless endangerment." "Twelve months in a county jail." "Reducible to six, plus probation, if he stays out of trouble." "Somehow I expect he can manage that." "But please understand me." "If he refuses, I will seek the maximum." "Father Moore has made it clear there will be no plea agreement." "He will not lie or admit to something he is not guilty of." " And he was never neglectful of Emily." " "Never neglectful"?" "Have you seen the postmortem photographs?" "We'll go to trial." "My client wants the public to know the truth." "Good." "So do I." "Have a good night, counselor." "Let the record show that the defendant and his counsel are present and that the jury is seated." " Mr. Thomas, you may begin." " Thank you, Your Honor." "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." "My name is Ethan Thomas." "I'm the assistant district attorney, and I represent the people." "In the case before you, the evidence will show that the victim had a serious medical condition that demanded treatment." "We will prove that the victim's condition rendered her physically and psychologically incapable of caring for herself." "Her care was then wholly entrusted to that man, the defendant, Father Richard Moore." "She became his responsibility and he betrayed that responsibility by persuading her to abandon her medical treatment in favor of religious treatment:" "A ritual exorcism, performed by the defendant allegedly to cure the victim by ridding her of demonic forces." "We will demonstrate that this course of action directly resulted in the victim's death." "I said a moment ago that I represent the people." "We all know what that means, but it's a little abstract, isn't it?" "Miss Bruner, the attorney for the defense is seated right next to the man she represents." "And I stand here to represent the people." "That's not really why I stand here today." "I'm here on behalf of someone who can't sit at a table and look at you every day and gain your sympathy someone who can't take the stand to testify and tell you what happened in her own words." "A young girl that could've been your daughter." "Could've been mine." "A girl who trusted Father Richard Moore with her life." "This is what she looked like before the defendant began his religious treatment." "This is a photograph taken of her on the day that she died." "I stand here for Emily Rose who died horribly at age 19." "You won't be able to see Emily sitting here day after day during this trial." "But I hope you'll remember her as she was when she was alive and full of hopes and dreams." "And as she was when Father Richard Moore was finished with her and left her to die." "Thank you." "Is the defense prepared to make its opening statement?" "I'd like to reserve my opening statement until the presentation of the defense's case." "As is your privilege." "Prosecution may begin." "That was already my plan." "Thank you, Your Honor." "The people call Dr. Edith Vogel." "I've known Emily her entire life." "I took care of all of the Rose girls." "Can you describe Emily as you knew her growing up?" "She was a bit sickly in her early years." "She stayed inside a lot, reading, learning music." "How did she feel about going to school?" "Objection." "The witness is not a psychiatrist." "I'll rephrase." "Did you talk to Emily about going off to college?" "Yes." "She told me she was excited but nervous that she would be away from her family in the big city." "This was an overwhelming change for her." "Did you stay in touch after she went away?" "Yes." "She wrote me a letter saying that she'd been to a dance and she'd met a boy named Jason." "She didn't want her mother to know this because her mother did not approve of dancing and had warned her about the boys at school." "Did Emily communicate with you again last fall after you received the letter?" "Actually, it was her mother." "She telephoned me waking me out of a deep sleep at 4 in the morning." "She asked me to call Emily at a payphone on the university campus." "When Emily answered, she was quite hysterical." "At first, she just sobbed uncontrollably." "But eventually she calmed down enough to tell me what happened." "She said that she was alone that weekend." "Her roommate had gone home." "She had awakened and thought she smelled something burning." "There was no alarm, but she got up afraid there was a fire." "Dr. Mueller, what's your position at the university hospital?" "I am chairman of the Department of Neurology." "And after you heard about the dorm-room incident what were your initial thoughts?" "At first, I thought perhaps Emily had taken illegal drugs." "Some type of hallucinogen." "But we ran tests and found no trace of drugs in her system." "And the more she explained the incident to me the more I began to suspect something else." "Epilepsy results from uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain." "In a severe, or grand mal, seizure a person may lose consciousness for several minutes and suffer involuntary contractions of all the muscles of the body." "Is it possible for a person suffering such a seizure to have hallucinations or perceive the things that Emily described?" "The muscle contractions could feel like an extreme pressure on the body." "And it is certainly possible, with all that brain activity for a person to perceive all sorts of strange and violent things." "So suspecting that Emily was epileptic, how did you proceed?" "I administered an electroencephalograph." "What did the EEG reveal?" "It showed a possible epileptic focus in the patient's left temporal lobe." "Did this require a specific treatment?" "Yes, I began a medication schedule for Emily with the drug Gambutrol." "I also advised regular follow-up examinations and further tests." "But Emily failed to keep her follow-up appointments with me." "She give any reason for discontinuing these appointments?" "Yes, she told me she was convinced that her condition was a spiritual one." "It was the conviction of her priest, she said, and she shared his beliefs." "Was it your impression that Emily had placed her care entirely...?" " Leading the witness." "Sustained." "After the end of October did you ask Emily why she had stopped filling her Gambutrol prescriptions?" "Yes." "She said that Father Moore had suggested she stop taking the drug." "And what, in your medical opinion was the result of Father Moore's suggestion?" "I believe Father Moore's suggestion killed her." "Objection, Your Honor!" "The witness is asserting outrageous conclusions based on pure hearsay." "Technically correct, but I'll allow it as part of his expert opinion testimony." "Thank you, Dr. Mueller." "Your witness." "You said you observed a possible epileptic focus in the temporal lobe." "Doesn't this imply what you observed may not have been an epileptic focus?" "Yes, that's also possible." "Would Father Moore's advice to stop taking Gambutrol be good advice if Emily were, in fact, not epileptic?" "Of course." "But that's not the case here." "She was epileptic." "Really." "When Emily saw objects move on their own and felt an invisible presence on top of her was she experiencing symptoms typical of epilepsy?" "Not typical, no." "Are they typical indications of any other conditions?" " Say, for example, psychosis?" " Yes, I would say that's correct." "But isn't psychosis an entirely different medical condition from epilepsy?" " Yes, in my..." " So aren't you selectively choosing what parts of Emily's experiences fit your epilepsy diagnosis while ignoring those which indicate something else?" " Objection." "Argumentative." " Withdrawn." "No further questions." "We have to work fast." "They're only giving me an hour with you tonight." "Listen." "Before we get started, there's something I have to tell you something I should've said to you before I let you take the case." "Okay." "There are forces surrounding this trial." "Dark, powerful forces." "Just be careful, Erin." "Watch your step." "I see." "Look..." "Father, you don't have to worry about me." "I'm an agnostic, remember?" "Demons exist, whether you believe in them or not." "Your involvement in this trial might just open you up to their attacks." "Look, Father, I appreciate your concern but you need to be worried about yourself." "Ethan Thomas is using the medical aspects of this case as ammunition and I have to be prepared for his attacks, so with what little time we have, I think we need to focus on your defense." "Now, what I need from you is more information about Emily's condition." "Specific details of how it progressed after the dorm-room episode." "Well, after the first incident she was sent to the university hospital for testing and observation." "Emily once told me that in her dorm room, she resisted the demons but at the hospital they overcame her." "So she believed that her possession began at the hospital?" "Yeah, I think she did." "And after that, things just went from bad to worse." "Emily!" "Emily?" "Oh, my God." "Emily?" "Don't touch me." "Jason, please don't leave me." "And I never did leave her." "I stayed until the end." "So much of what we shared was like a nightmare but I wouldn't give up a single minute I spent with her." "She woke me up, you know?" "To things I never felt before, things I never knew I could feel." "I never knew how dead I was until I met her." " Residential north metro district where James Van Hopper acquitted after a controversial trial..." " Can you turn that up, please?" "...has apparently struck again." "It was inside this quiet suburban home that police say James Van Hopper murdered a young couple today." "Sources close to the investigation say that Van Hopper who was acquitted of murder charges in April may have known both of the victims." "Their names are being withheld pending family notification." "Most glorious prince of the heavenly army holy Michael, the archangel defend us in battle against the princes powers and rulers of darkness." "Counsel Bruner, my courtroom day begins at 9:30 a.m." " I'm sorry, Your Honor, I..." " Which was 17 minutes ago." "Ready to proceed?" "Yes, Your Honor." "Dr. Briggs, please state your qualifications for the court." "I have advanced degrees in medicine psychiatry and neurology from Johns Hopkins and I have had three books and several dozen papers published in the fields of neurology and neuropsychiatry." "What was the cause of death, as determined by the autopsy?" "The decedent expired due to a gradual shutdown of the bodily functions." "Why did her body shut down?" "The autopsy found that it was a cumulative effect from numerous physical traumas exacerbated by malnutrition which severely inhibited her ability to recuperate from those traumas." "In other words, her starving body had little or no means to recover from the injuries it was sustaining, and so it eventually just gave out." "How did Emily get these injuries?" "Some were the result of violent epileptic seizures and some were self-inflicted." "And why, in your opinion, did Emily injure herself and why did she stop eating?" "Upon review of her complete medical file I concluded that Emily's epilepsy had evolved into a condition known as psychotic epileptic disorder." "This is a rare development, to be sure but one that I have witnessed numerous times." " Emily was epileptic and psychotic?" " Yes." "Explain how this psychotic epileptic disorder would manifest itself." "The seizures would have the symptoms of schizophrenia such as auditory and visual hallucinations and sometimes extreme paranoia." "The seizures may lock up the joints and slightly contort the body." "The pupils will dilate, making the eyes appear black." "So you believe that Emily had epilepsy which developed into a form of violent psychosis a condition that can be controlled with Gambutrol?" "Yes." "And it would've been, if she'd continued her treatment." "In your opinion, if Emily had continued with her medication would she be alive today?" " Absolutely." "If treated early, psychotic epileptic disorder is rarely fatal." "I mean, this..." "This was a very sick girl." "The defendant should've realized that Emily was in need of continued medical treatment." "Thank you, doctor." "Your witness." "Doctor, you testified that Gambutrol could've controlled Emily's condition." "How do you know that?" "It's the inevitable result of taking the drug." "It would've controlled her seizures which were the root cause of her psychosis." "But wasn't Emily still experiencing psychotic symptoms even after she started taking the medication?" "Yes." "Because Gambutrol has a cumulative effect." "It takes time to build up in the system." "You assume that Gambutrol would've helped her, but you don't know." "It's a reasonable assumption, but..." "No, of course, I can't be certain." "Doctor, is "psychotic epileptic disorder" a common medical term or did you just make it up?" "Well, I distinguished and named the..." "So psychotic epileptic disorder is really your own pet theory?" " Objection." "Argumentative." " Sustained." "When Emily chose to stop her medical treatment what do you think should've been done?" "Upon recognizing her condition I would have tranquilized her and force-fed her." "And then, if necessary I would've treated her with electroconvulsive therapy." "Electroshock treatment." "You would've done this against her will?" "To save her life?" "Absolutely." "Nothing further." "The witness may step down." "Your Honor, I offer into evidence this photograph as People's Exhibit 3-A." "And having done so, the people rest." "The photograph is entered into evidence." "We are recessed until tomorrow morning, 9:30 sharp at which time the defense will give its opening statement and call its first witness." "I'm sorry I was late." "I didn't get a lot of sleep." "Big power outage knocked out my alarm clock." " It won't happen again." " No, I didn't sleep either." "What kept you awake?" "Doesn't matter." "You're under attack." "What are you talking about?" "You're in a spiritual battle, Erin." "The forces of darkness are trying to keep you away from the light." "Don't let them." "Don't worry about today." "We're doing fine." "We're getting creamed." "I can't believe I walked right into that." "Look, if we don't find a doctor to testify that Emily wasn't epileptic or schizophrenic or schizo-epileptic, we're gonna lose." "Care of the city's main branch and the university library I bring you another dozen fun-filled books about the demonic and the mentally deranged." "They burned women at the stake during witch hunts for being possessed." "Glad you don't have to defend those guys." " How are we on our medical experts?" " Not good." "The psychiatrist you wanted is tied up in another trial." "And the neurologist is sailing to Costa Rica." "This book I'm reading, it's by an anthropologist." "It's about contemporary cases of possession, mostly in the Third World." "People there are still primitive and superstitious." "Maybe." "Maybe they see possession for what it really is." "Maybe we've taught ourselves not to see it." " You saying you believe in this stuff?" " No." "Maybe we shouldn't just try to invalidate the prosecution's case by punching holes in the medical approach." "Maybe we should also try to validate the alternative." " Validate possession in a court of law?" " Yes." "Okay." "I guess we could bring in some priests to talk about exorcisms..." "No, the archdiocese won't let us do that." "They wanna limit the Church's exposure to Father Moore." "I've got three articles by the anthropologist who wrote this book." "She approaches the subject of possession from a scientific perspective and doesn't try to debunk it." " You want me to track her down?" " Yeah." "Keep looking for a medical expert to refute Dr. Briggs." "But send the case file to this Dr. Sadira Adani." "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury as you know by now, my name is Erin Bruner and I represent the defendant, Richard Moore." "Mr. Thomas has contended that Emily Rose suffered from a serious medical condition that required medical treatment, nothing more." "He has asserted that any attempt by my client to help Emily by anything other than medical means was not only inappropriate, but criminally negligent." "I'm now gonna ask that you keep an open mind to what our evidence and testimony will show." "Medical treatment was not the answer for Emily because she simply did not suffer from a medical condition." "She was neither epileptic nor psychotic." "Emily Rose's condition, in fact, was demonic possession." "An exorcism was her only hope for a cure." "Some of you may find yourself unable to reconcile Emily's beliefs or those of the defendant with your own." "You may not believe demons exist." "You won't have to." "Because you will see that after the utter failure of doctors to help Emily Father Moore simply tried to help Emily in a different way using an approach that he, Emily and her family firmly believed was her only chance for relief." "And we will show that despite his greatest efforts and his sincere love for Emily there was nothing he could've done to prevent the death of Emily Rose." "Are you okay?" "Aren't you gonna eat anything?" "She said it was terrible to hear the clinking of spoons and forks." "She was always hungry, but she said they wouldn't let her eat." "Who did she mean by "they"?" "The forces that were in control of her." "That were inside her." "You know, the demons." "Tell us what else happened that night." "I walked her back to her dorm and she seemed really nervous and scared." "So I held her for a while, trying to calm her down." "I fell asleep, but when I woke up, she wasn't beside me." "Emily?" "Hey." "Can you hear me?" "I called her father, and he told me to bring Emily home." "Jason and I put Emily to bed hoping she would sleep." "And when did Father Moore become involved?" "Emily stayed home after that." "She didn't return to school, and she kept getting worse." "Eventually, when she didn't get better, we called our priest, Father Moore." "When he arrived, I sent my daughter Alice upstairs to see if Emily was awake." "Emily?" "Can I come in?" " Our Father, who art in heaven..." " Emily?" "Father Moore is here." "Can you come downstairs?" " As it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread..." "Emily, can you hear me?" "Let's get her off the floor." "Alice, no!" "You've suffered a terrible loss, Mr. Rose." "I know this is difficult." "So thank you for being here today." "Sir, do you often read the Bible?" " Yes, I do." " So do I." "What about the DSM?" "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders..." " Have you read that?" " No." "So you're not aware that according to the DSM a person's refusal to eat is a common indication of anorexia?" "Objection." "The witness just said he hasn't read the DSM, Your Honor." " Sustained." " Mr. Rose are you aware that catatonic rigidity specifically a locking up of the body's joints is a known symptom of psychosis?" "No." "I haven't studied these things." "Have you ever visited an insane asylum or a hospital for the mentally ill?" "Once." "My aunt was in one before she died." "Really?" "So there's a history of mental illness in your family?" "I suppose." "Sir, if you saw someone eating insects on a street corner, would you say that that person is mentally ill?" " Probably, yes." " So can you say with confidence that the behavior you saw in your daughter's bedroom could not be the behavior of someone suffering from psychosis?" "I don't know." "She never had any problems like that before." "It just didn't feel that way to me or to Father Moore." " And you trusted him, right?" " Yes." "He is our parish priest." "Fair enough." "And after that night, would you say that you put your daughter entirely in Father Moore's care?" "Yes." "We had done all we could." "We said she was in his hands now body and soul." "Thank you." "No further questions, Your Honor." "Thank you, Mr. Rose." "You may step down." "The defense calls Dr. Sadira Adani." "I am currently a professor of anthropology and psychiatry at Northwestern University." "Where did you receive your education?" "At Yale, and then at Cambridge." "And what is your specific area of expertise?" "I study the spiritual experiences of people in various cultures and the physiological and psychological changes they undergo during these experiences." "Would it be accurate to say that you specialize in the study of possession?" "Yes. "Possession" is one term for a basic human experience reported by a great number of people all around the world." "In my fieldwork, I've seen many people who experienced a sense of being invaded by an entity from the supernatural realm." "Why do you think Emily was invaded?" "Why did this possession happen to her?" "Based on my study of the case file I believe that Emily Rose was a hypersensitive." "A person with an unusual connection to what Carlos Castaneda called "the separate reality."" "Hypersensitives are born different from everyone else." "They can have visions of the future, or see the dead and sometimes be uniquely susceptible to invasion by an entity that is alien to them." "Objection." "On what grounds?" "How about silliness, Your Honor?" "A young girl suffered terribly and died." "Do we have to subject her illness to this pseudoscientific analysis?" "Both counselors, please approach the bench." "Your Honor, this testimony is beyond ridiculous." "Visions..." "Supernatural belief systems are shared by millions of people." "We're in The Twilight Zone here." "Her expertise is relevant to the issues in this case." "Let's have a witch doctor sift through bones..." "Stop." "We've heard a great deal of testimony in support of a medical explanation for Emily's condition." "Now we have a witness who has spent her career studying the defense's alternative explanation." "An exorcism expert, if you will." "I think we'll hear what she has to say." "Thank you, Your Honor." "Dr. Adani, why do you think Emily's exorcism failed?" "The medical treatment." "Specifically, the drug Gambutrol." "Please explain." "The exorcism ritual results in a specific brain activity that cuts the person off from the possession experience." "But Emily's exorcism could not have achieved this because the doctor gave her Gambutrol which has an intoxicating effect on the brain." "The drug made her immune to the psycho-spiritual shock that exorcism is intended to provide." "What do you believe was the result of treatment with this intoxicating drug?" "Gambutrol locked Emily in the possessed state." "This left her unable to respond to the exorcism and therefore, it directly contributed to her death." "Thank you, doctor." "No further questions." "I'm looking at a list of your published articles, doctor." "You've been quite busy and prolific." "So based on your time spent with Holy Roller snake-handlers voodoo priestesses and Indians tripping on peyote buds based on observing these bizarre individuals you've concluded that possession is a basic, typical human experience?" "I must say, counselor that's quite a laundry list of disdain and one that thoroughly mischaracterizes my research." "No, I don't think possession is a typical experience." "But I am convinced that it is a scientifically verified culturally universal one." "Have you ever used Gambutrol in your studies to test your theory about its effect on the possession experience?" "Absolutely not." "That would be dangerous to the patient." "So this notion of Gambutrol locking someone in a possessed state the key to your assertion that her medical treatment harmed Emily this would be your own pet theory, correct?" " You're just making this one up?" " Objection." "Argumentative." "Sustained." "Although I think he's just taking a page from your book, counselor." "No further questions." "Erin!" "I've got a doctor who wants to testify." "He's an eyewitness, Erin." "He was there." "He was at the exorcism." " What?" " He called us." "Dr. Graham Cartwright, Department of Abnormal Psychiatry at St. Mary's Hospital." "Dr. Cartwright." "Ring a bell?" "Yes." "He was there?" " Yes." " Father if you want me to defend you, you've got to give me all the information I need." "With all of this medical testimony helping the prosecution how could you not tell me that a doctor attended the exorcism?" "He asked that I keep his involvement confidential and I said I would." "Dr. Cartwright?" "I recognize you from those courtroom drawings on the news." "You're much prettier in real life." " May I sit?" " Yes, please." "You're losing." "I had hoped Father Moore wouldn't need me but I don't wanna see him put away." "How do you know him?" "Well, I was his parishioner at St. Vincent's Church about 15 years ago." "I hadn't seen or heard of him for years when he called me last fall." "But he needed help, so..." "What kind of help, doctor?" "He wanted a medical perspective from a psychiatrist you know, one that he knew, trusted to observe Emily's physical and mental state during this..." "During the exorcism." "Yeah." "Doctor." "Doctor." "Can you help our case?" "That girl was not schizophrenic and she was not epileptic, or any combination of the two." "I've seen hundreds of people with those problems." "They can be terrible afflictions, of course, but they don't scare me." "But what you saw that night in Emily, that did scare you." "God, if I'd known, I never would've been there." "I started praying again since then, you know." "I examined that girl before I drove back to the city that night." "She was lucid and she was completely aware of this separate entity inside her." "When she wasn't in his grip, she was totally herself, completely normal." "The awareness of her alternate mental state is counterindicative of psychosis." "Crazy people don't know they're crazy." "That's right." "You'll testify to all of this, in detail?" "Everything you saw?" "Send me the case files and tell me when to be in court." "Thank you, doctor." "We need this." "Before he was arrested, Father Moore sent this to me." "He asked me to take care of it." "It's your burden now." "One more thing." "When you saw Emily did Father Moore ask you to give her any medical help?" "He was already trying to stop her from injuring herself and urging her to eat." "And I told him, as a doctor, I couldn't help her." "Dr. Cartwright's going to testify." "Don't you get it?" "He's not just an eyewitness to the exorcism." "He can also refute the prosecution's medical case." "This is huge for us." "When do I get to testify?" "I don't know." "Let's take this one step at a time." "No." "What matters most is Emily's story, which only I can tell." "I understand." "Have you thought about what I said before?" "About dark forces and demonic attacks?" "Yes, I have." "That day, after Briggs testified I was feeling awful." "And I went out for a walk just to clear my head and I was thinking about what you said to me." "Thinking:" ""What if demons really do exist?"" "And wondering what that would mean if I believed that." "Because God knows, I have my own demons." "And I saw something lying on the sidewalk." "It was a gold locket with the initials E. C.B. Engraved on it." "My middle name is Christine." "Erin Christine Bruner." "And of all the people walking by that day, I found that locket." "What are the chances of that?" "I don't know, maybe it was a sign." "Or maybe it was just some incredible coincidence." "But it made me feel like no matter what mistakes I've made in the past at that moment, I was exactly where I was meant to be." "Like I was on the right path." "You sound more like a mystic than an agnostic." "Are you wearing the locket now?" "No." "You should." "The archdiocese doesn't want you to testify." "They're just afraid that I'll embarrass them." "Testify to some medieval-sounding supernatural nonsense." "They're expecting me to talk you out of it." "I've just decided I'm not even gonna try." "Why not?" "If the archdiocese wants to avoid embarrassment they need you to walk out of here a free man." "I believe a jury will find you sincere and credible and when Dr. Cartwright corroborates your testimony and refutes the prosecution's medical arguments we'll get an acquittal." "And everyone will thank me for it." "Emily!" "God help me." "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help you God?" "I do." "Father Moore, before you could perform the exorcism you had to get the sanction of the Church, correct?" "Yes, on October the 27th of last year I presented my assessment and recommendation to the archbishop and he authorized the exorcism that day before I left the office." "Tell us what happened that night." "I drove home." "I sat up till after midnight studying The Roman Ritual thinking about what lay ahead." "You mean The Roman Ritual of Exorcism." "A text used by Catholic priests as a guide to performing the exorcism rite." "Yes, I think I actually fell asleep with the book in my hand." "What happened next?" "I woke up, freezing." "It was exactly 3 a.m." "Three a.m. Is the demonic witching hour." "It's a way for demons to mock the Holy Trinity." "It's an inversion of 3 p.m., the miracle hour which is traditionally accepted as the hour of Christ's death." "I thought I smelled something burning." "Only later did I connect it and I remembered that that same smell of something burning had been perceived by Emily." "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and..." "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our..." "At the hour of..." "What do you make of this gesture, this nod in your direction?" "I don't know." "Some kind of acknowledgment, I guess." "That the game is on." "You're really God's gunslinger, aren't you, Father?" "Standing tall and facing the devil with your prayer book at your side." "Objection, Your Honor." "Counsel's harassing my witness." "Sustained." "Mr. Thomas, you know I won't allow that in my courtroom." "Forgive me, Your Honor." "Father, did you understand this black-robed figure to be the devil?" "I believe it was a demonic manifestation." "Like the demonic force you believe possessed Emily?" " Yes." " Why do you think it appeared to you?" "I believe the demonic can appear as an apparition much like a ghost, in an attempt to excite our fear." " Did it excite your fear, Father?" " It scared the hell out of me." "So this night, when you began to prepare Emily's exorcism was it your first encounter with this demon ghost?" " Yes." " Have you seen it again?" "I've seen it ever since." "No further questions at this time." "Redirect, Your Honor." "Father Moore, after you received the bishop's authorization when did you proceed with an exorcism?" "October 31 st." "On Halloween." "Isn't that a bit dramatic?" "Halloween tradition is based on legends throughout history that indicate a real increase in spiritual activity on that night and I thought we could use the occasion to draw them into the open." " The demons, you mean?" " Yes." "Father Moore can you identify this?" "It's my tape recorder." "I used it to record the exorcism." "Inside is the tape I made that night." "Why would you make such a tape?" "Ever since the technology has been available exorcists have used tape recorders to authenticate the ritual and provide a record for review." "I offer into evidence this cassette recorder and audiotape..." "Objection." "The people were not aware of the existence of this tape until last night." " Neither were we." "This tape is new evidence that came into our possession yesterday." "We provided counsel for the people with a transcript of its contents." "You mean this tape was not given to you by your client?" "No, Your Honor." "We received it from a reluctant witness Dr. Graham Cartwright, who will also be called to testify to its authenticity." "The people will find his name on the updated witness list we provided to them this morning." "Very well." "I'll allow it into evidence." "Father Moore." "Will you play the tape for us now?" "This is the exorcism of Emily Rose." "Those present are myself, Father Richard Moore Nathaniel, Emily's father Jason, her friend a doctor who is here to monitor Emily during the ritual and Emily herself who has given her permission for the ritual to be performed." "All right, now listen." "You may say the rosary or any private prayer for her deliverance when you're not responding to my words." "Above all do whatever I ask, without question." "Don't ask it any questions or pay any attention to what it says." ""It"?" "We won't be dealing with Emily tonight." "Restrain her." "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us." "It has begun." "Let us pray." ""Because she hopes in you, my God."" ""Send her help from the holy place, Lord."" ""And give her heavenly protection."" ""May the Lord be with you."" ""And with your spirit."" "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." "My God." "Are you all right?" "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." "I'm fine." "Give us this day our daily bread." "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us." "And lead us not into temptation..." "But deliver us from evil!" "Who are you, demon?" "Tell me your name." "One, two, three, four, five, six." "One, two, three, four, five, six." "Trick or treat." "I give you treats and tricks." "One, two, three, four, five, six." "Father Moore!" "Papa!" "Emily!" "Emily!" "She feels so hot, Father!" "She's burning up!" "Hold her down there on the straw!" "Hold her!" "Emily!" "Doctor!" "I need you here now." "Watch her vital signs." "In the beginning was the word." "And the word was with God." "And the word was the word, and what a wonderful word it was." "Through him all things remain." "Without him, nothing was made that has been made." "And the 70 disciples returned again with joy, saying:" ""Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."" "Her heart is racing." "It's almost 180 beats a minute." "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." "Behold." "I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy." "And nothing shall, by any means, hurt you." "Get it off!" "Get it off!" "Get it off!" "Release him, demon." "I command you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ." "Tell me your name, wicked one." "He who commands you is he who ordered you thrown down from the highest heaven into the depths of hell." "In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I now command you:" "Tell me your name!" "Hear, therefore, and fear, Satan, enemy of the faith." "Give me your name, demon!" "Names!" "Names!" "Ancient serpents depart from this servant of God!" "Tell me your six names!" "We are the ones who dwell within!" "And I am Lucifer the devil in the flesh." "Mr. Rose." "Doctor, help him!" "After a few moments, Mr. Rose revived but the exorcism had to be abandoned." "Emily was taken to her room and soon fell into a deep sleep." "The whole thing was a complete failure." "Describe her behavior from the night of the failed exorcism until the time of her death." "Violence towards others and herself." "Sometimes she screamed for hours on end." "She drove her head through windows, tried to bite..." "Tried to bite holes in the walls, breaking several more of her teeth as you saw in the postmortem photograph." " You witnessed this?" " Some of it, yes." "I tried to visit every day and the family told me the rest." "Did you attempt another exorcism?" "I wanted to, but Emily refused." "And without the consent of the possessed the exorcism ritual can't be performed." "Did you encourage her to eat?" "Yes, every time I saw her but the few times she tried, it seemed like..." "Seemed like she couldn't swallow, or she couldn't keep it down." "What about medical care?" "I wanted her to continue." "I never said she should quit seeing her doctors." "That would be wrong." "Medical care is not my field." "But you did suggest she stop taking the drug Gambutrol." "Yes." "After the exorcism, she asked for my counsel." "She told me that the drugs had never helped her." "After all, she was on Gambutrol during the exorcism when her so-called symptoms were at their peak." "Ultimately, we both felt that she was beyond medical care and that she had to see this through to the end by faith alone." "The dual voices we just heard on this tape you're certain that they were both coming from Emily at the same time?" "Yes." "Yes, I heard them." "Have you tampered with this tape in any way?" "No." "No, I have not." "No further questions at this time." "Mr. Thomas." "Father Moore, you consider this tape to be proof of the supernatural?" "I think it's a record of certain indications that Emily was possessed." "Signs of possession, you may call them." "By "signs of possession," would you mean her speaking in languages we might assume she couldn't possibly know?" "And the vocalization of two distinct voices simultaneously?" "Yes." "Among other signs that I observed and described to the court while the tape was playing." "Things I saw." "Things you can't hear on the tape." "We'll just have to take your word, won't we?" " Your Honor." " Mr. Thomas." "I apologize." "Father, as Emily's parish priest are you aware that she underwent advanced catechism training?" "Yes." "Yes." "Her family is very devout." "And in that training, did she study Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin?" "Yes, I think that's right." "Might have even studied Aramaic, Christ and his disciples' language which, according to the transcripts, we also heard on the tape, correct?" "She spoke Aramaic on the tape." "It wasn't part of her training." "But it was offered as an elective at her catechism school." "I have the school's curriculum here if you'd like to see it." "No." "I'll accept that she might have been exposed to that language." "And according to her high school records German was the foreign language she studied there, yes?" "I don't know." "If you say so." "So that covers the strange languages we heard on the tape, correct?" "Did I miss any?" " No." " Good." "We've already established you're no medical expert." "You said it's not your field." "But are you aware of the dual sets of vocal cords every human possesses?" " No." " Have you heard of the superior vocal cords, which are higher than the ones we use to speak?" "No." "So you didn't know that Tibetan monks, for example as part of their religious training, teach themselves to activate both sets of vocal cords at once?" "No, I didn't know that." "Well, now that you do know, would you think it's possible that Emily, in her psychotic state might have activated both sets of vocal cords so as to achieve the amazing effect we heard captured on your audiotape?" "Her state was not psychotic." "Father Moore, you told us that in the exorcism we heard you actually saw, once again, this black-robed figure or demonic apparition, am I right?" " Yes." "But we couldn't see him when you played the tape, correct?" " No, of course not." " Of course not." "So that would be another supernatural aspect of the exorcism your tape doesn't prove, correct?" " Yes." "Where is your dark figure, Father?" "Is he here now?" "Do I look like your demon ghost?" " Your Honor." " Counselor." "I have nothing further." "Does the defense wish to redirect?" "No, Your Honor, but we reserve the right to recall the witness later." "Very well." "The witness may step down." "Your Honor, my next witness must have been detained." "If we could take a short recess so I could..." "You've made this court wait before, counselor." "I'm inclined to..." "Your Honor, please." "Dr. Cartwright came to us in good conscience as an eyewitness to the exorcism on Father Moore's tape." "He can substantiate all of my client's testimony..." "Your Honor, the defense has already presented its exorcism testimony in dramatic fashion." "Do we really have to...?" "We have absorbed some extraordinary testimony today." "I think we'll take some time to consider it." "Court is adjourned until 9:30 tomorrow morning." " You can't find him?" " I went to meet him, he didn't show." "I called his office, I called his house." "Okay." "Go to the hospital, ask around." "Somebody's gotta know where he is." "What the hell happened?" "Tell Father Moore I'm sorry." "Tell him I know the demons are real and I admire his courage for standing and speaking against them." "Tell him I know what they can do." " Cartwright's dead." " I heard." "Are you drunk?" " Not yet, but I'm working on it." " Have you seen this?" " What the hell were you thinking?" " Karl..." "You told me you'd talk him out of testifying." "Instead, you put on a freak show with taped demons and a dead girl speaking in tongues and your client testifies that the archbishop sanctioned the exorcism." "We'll be lucky if the archdiocese isn't named..." "I had a doctor who was gonna corroborate." "Besides that, Father Moore's testimony's crucial to his defense." "Did you forget the archdiocese is paying for this defense?" "The archdiocese isn't on trial." "I swore an oath to do what's best for my client." "Spare me the law school pieties, Bruner." "You cashed in your conscience at the door." " People can change." " Like James Van Hopper?" "It's not over." "I can put Mr. Rose on the stand to corroborate Father Moore about the exorcism." "And there are the girls." "Her sister Alice, she saw part of it." "They all look like superstitious rubes." "They've got no credibility." "Thomas will rip them to pieces." "You'll be worse off than you are now, if that's possible." "You're gonna replace me on this case." "You've screwed it up beyond all repair." "But the archdiocese feels that replacing you now would only draw more unnecessary attention to the trial." "But just so we're clear, Bruner if you put that priest on the stand again, I will fire you." "You've been crying." " Dr. Cartwright is dead." " What?" "He was killed." "There was an accident." "I'm sorry." "I know he was your friend." "We've lost." "Without his testimony, it's over." "No." "No, no, no, it isn't over." "We're telling Emily's story." "That's what matters." " It can't be worth all this." " Yes, it is worth it." "Just let me go back on the stand and tell the rest of the story." " I can't do that." " You must!" "You must." "Erin, you once said that you felt you were on the right path." "Don't stray from that path." "Here, take this." " What is this?" " Just read it." "And then decide what you want to do." "I saw your eyes today in court when I explained the significance of 3 a.m." "It's not going to stop until Emily's story is told." "Are you gonna make a statement?" "Do you believe it was the devil?" "Is the defense ready to proceed?" "Yes, Your Honor." "The defense recalls Father Richard Moore." "The witness is reminded that he is still under oath." " When did you last see Emily alive?" " The night before she died." "Her mother, Maria, called me and said that Emily had asked for me." " Why did she ask to see you?" " To give me this." "Did Emily explain to you the letter's significance?" "Yes." "She said she'd written it the morning after the failed exorcism and that it was important for me to share." "Father Moore, was Emily a good person?" "I believe that one day Emily will be recognized as a saint." " So she loved God." " Yes." "She was very devout." "Father Moore, if Emily loved God if she was so good and so devout, why do you think God allowed this to happen?" " Objection." "What is the relevance of that question?" "Father Moore's belief in this matter is crucial in establishing his and Emily's understanding of her condition." "And that mutual understanding is paramount in determining whether Father Moore was, in fact, negligent." "I'm going to allow it." "Your Honor, you're not really gonna let someone testify about why God would allow the death of a young girl?" "The objection has been overruled." "Again, Father Moore:" "Why did God allow Emily to become possessed by demons and then die?" "I can let Emily answer that." ""Last night, on Allhallows' Eve Father Moore tried to cast six demons from my body." "They refused to go." "After the attempted exorcism..."" "I was taken to my room, and I fell into a deep sleep." "I awoke a few hours later, hearing a voice calling out my name." ""Again, I heard a voice calling my name." "It was the Blessed Holy Mother of God." "And when I looked at her she smiled at me and said:" "'Emily, heaven is not blind to your pain."'" "She said the Virgin Mary spoke to her in the middle of a field?" " Yes." " And do you believe her?" "I believe Emily spoke the truth." "Please continue." ""I asked the Blessed Mother, 'Why do I suffer like this?"'" "Why did the demons not leave me tonight?" ""She said, 'I am sorry, Emily." "The demons are going to stay where they are. '" "Then she said, 'You can come with me in peace free of your bodily form or you can choose to continue this." "You will suffer greatly." "But through you, many will come to see that the realm of the spirit is real." "The choice is yours. "'" "I choose to stay." ""In the end, good will triumph over evil." "Through my experience people will know that demons are real." "People say that God is dead." "But how can they think that if I show them the devil?"" "Did you see these wounds on both of Emily's hands and both feet?" "Yes." "Yes, the wounds lasted for some time." "And did you attach any supernatural significance to these wounds?" "I believe they were stigmata." "By that, you mean supernatural injuries that correspond to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ?" "Yes." "Stigmata are a sign, a mark indicating one is touched by God." "After that night, why do you think Emily refused another exorcism?" "I believe she'd accepted her fate." "Is there anything else you'd like to say about Emily?" "No." "The defense rests." "Father Moore attaches divine significance to the wounds on Emily's hands and feet." "Why?" "Because he sees them as confirmation of what he wants to believe." "That Emily was a saint, touched by the hand of God." "I'm afraid the truth is far less inspiring." "Because the truth is, by the time these miraculous wounds appeared Emily had already shown a tendency to injure herself and simply did so again on one of the barbed-wire fences surrounding the Rose family farm." "Father Moore's beliefs are based on archaic and irrational superstition." "Emily suffered because she was sick not because she was a saint." "I'm a man of faith." "And I am also a man of facts." "And in here, facts are what must matter." "And these are the facts of this case:" "Emily Rose had epilepsy, which caused psychosis." "And, given time, medicine would have cured her." "But it didn't." "Why?" "Because Father Richard Moore convinced Emily that she wasn't ill, that she didn't need medicine." "And in the weeks leading up to her death when she was clearly in need of medical treatment he failed to have her hospitalized." "So the defense has given us an extraordinary creative explanation for the events that led to this." "Ladies and gentlemen, don't you believe it." "Because the fact is, it wasn't the devil that did this to Emily Rose." "It was the defendant." "Counselor." "Ethan Thomas calls himself a man of faith." "I, on the other hand, am a woman of doubt." "Angels and demons." "God and the devil." "These things either exist, or they do not exist." "Are we all alone in this life?" "Or are we not alone?" "Either thought is astonishing." "Do I really believe that this tragedy is the work of the devil?" "To be honest, I don't know." "But I cannot deny that it's possible." "The prosecution wants you to believe that Emily's psychotic epileptic disorder was a fact because facts leave no room for reasonable doubt." "But this trial isn't about facts." "This trial is about possibilities." "Is it a fact that Emily was a hypersensitive as Dr. Adani suggests?" "A person who's more likely, by her very nature, to become possessed?" "I can't say that, but the question is:" "Is it possible?" "Is it a fact that Gambutrol anesthetized Emily's brain so that the exorcism ritual was rendered ineffective?" "I can't be sure of that." "But is it possible?" "Is it a fact that Emily was beloved by God?" "And that after her exorcism, she chose to suffer till the end so that we might believe in a more magical world?" "A world where the spiritual realm really exists?" "I can't say that's a fact." "But ask yourself:" "Is it possible?" "It's what Emily believed." "It's what Father Moore believed." "And that sincere belief is what determined her choices and his." "Now, for the most important question:" "Is Father Richard Moore guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, of negligent homicide?" "Did he, in fact, neglect Emily's needs in such a way that her death is now on his hands?" "No!" "That is not a fact." "It is not a fact that Emily was epileptic." "It is not a fact that she was psychotic." "Facts leave no room for possibilities." "The only fact the only thing I know beyond a doubt in this case is that Father Moore loved Emily with his whole heart." "He did everything in his power to help her." "He has risked his very freedom so we could hear her story." "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury in my job I sometimes have to defend bad men." "Father Richard Moore is not one of them." "Don't send a good man to prison." "I'm not asking that you believe everything that Father Moore believes." "I'm simply asking that you believe in Father Moore." "Madam Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?" "We have, Your Honor." "Please read the verdict out loud." ""In the case of The People v. Father Richard Moore we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of negligent homicide."" "The court thanks the jury for its service." "Sentencing for this case will be set for April 3rd." "Your Honor, if it pleases the court Father Moore requested at the start of trial that if found guilty, he would be sentenced immediately." "Yes, I recall that." "Does the prosecution have any objection to expedited sentencing?" "Very well." "Father Richard Moore, do you understand this sentence which has been found against you?" " Yes, Your Honor." "And do you understand the gravity of this crime?" "That you may, under the law, be sentenced to a term of up to 10 years?" "Yes, I do." "Are there any statements you wish to make before I impose this sentence?" " No, Your Honor." " Very well." "Excuse me, Your Honor but the jury would like to make a recommendation regarding the sentence." " Objection." "Sit down, counselor." "It's only a recommendation, and I would like to hear it." "We recommend a sentence of time served." "I'll accept that." "You are guilty, Father Moore." "And you are free to go." " This court is dismissed." " All rise." "Thank you." "Well, you shocked us all." "Everyone at the firm sees this as another victory." "The archdiocese is pleased." "They feel the trial has raised public interest in the Church." "Have you seen the news?" "There's our priest, leaving the courthouse a free man right next to you." "Just like James Van Hopper." "All right, I'll say it." "I was wrong." "But I'm ready to make it right." "I'm offering you a full partnership in the firm." "Keep it." "Will you be able to return to your parish?" "I can't go back." "Not now." "Once you've looked into the darkness I think you carry it with you for the rest of your life." "What about you?" "I believe you've seen the darkness too." "I don't know." "I'm not sure what I've seen." " Who chose the epitaph?" " I did." "It's from the second chapter of Philippians, verse 12." "Emily recited it to me the night before she died."