I wanna review the updated witness list
so we're not blindsided.
Marcus?
It's for my niece. She's turning ten.
Arrr, give up your buried treasure
or we'll make you walk the plank!
Oh, really? Well, if you do that,
then who's gonna bring you your cake, Captain?
Mom, obviously.
Oh, you little traitor.
Hey, you seen your Uncle Pete?
Over there with Wendy's mom.
-Arrr. -Arrr.
Cake time in five minutes, everyone.
Cake!
Well, I haven't actually met anyone who's afraid of AI
who knows the first thing about AI.
Sorta like the perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Dunning-Kruger Effect?
Yeah, you know, when people of little competence,
they tend to overestimate their ability.
Another example would be me thinking
I could ask you out on a date.
Huh, didn't see that coming.
-You kinda saw it coming. -Pete, the candles?
-Hey, Marcus, this is Claire. -Wendy's mom.
Man, you had one job.
You were supposed to get the candles an hour ago.
Relax. Relax. I got you.
Sorry, you'll have to excuse my friend,
he's wound a little tight!
-It makes sense, though, right? -Yeah, it does.
Ah! You found him.
Yeah. He's over there talkin' to Claire Bellow.
-Wendy's mom? -Mm-hmm.
She's married.
When has that ever stopped him?
Man, I cannot believe
our little boy is turning
- seven years old. - Mm-hmm.
-It happened so fast. -Mm, not for me, it didn't.
Oh, sorry. I gotta get this.
Uh...
don't go anywhere.
- Yo. -'Pete, great.'
-'We got you on the line.' -Hey, yeah.
-'Are you with Marcus?' -Sorry.
-'Arun has an important update.' -Yeah?
'He needs to jump on a call' 'with you both. ASAP.'
-Okay. -'Can you grab him now?'
- All right. - Yeah, gimme a second.
Let's do this. You got the lighter?
-Yeah. Here you go. -Yo, Marcus,
I need you on this call. It's Arun.
Uh, no. We're about to do cake.
He says it's important.
Candles are already in, man.
Does it have to happen right now?
He says it needs to be now
and it needs to be both of us on the line. Come on.
Go ahead, take the call.
Yeah. We'll just, uh... we'll sing slow.
Slow!
All right.
-Let's go. -Let's go.
"Happy birthday to you"
Arun, man, it's Marcellus's birthday
so whatever you gotta tell us, just make it quick.
'Okay, check this out.'
'Google wants to buy Caraxon.'
Say that again?
'Google!'
'Their lawyers just' 'sent over a Letter of Intent'
-'to acquire Caraxon.' -How much?
'A billion.'
'Hey, but that's just' 'their opening offer,'
'so we'll get that number up.'
Okay. All right. Uh, thanks, Arun,
we'll talk to you soon.
-A "b"! -A "b"!
-A billion. -We did it! We did that!
Confirming a person's identity
by capturing their face,
that's our business model, right?
Well, man, I wish I could've captured
Pete's flabbergasted face yesterday
when we got that call.
Pete Vanderkamp,
the most annoyingly,
-frustratingly brilliant individual... -There we go.
...I have ever known.
And he just so happens to be my best friend.
Now, back in the day,
when Pete and I first started this company,
we knew it wasn't about just building out
Pete's algorithm.
We knew that we had to recruit the best of the best.
- Build out a real team. - Yeah!
And that's why we're standing here today,
because of you.
You believed,
you sacrificed your precious, precious time.
But now?
Now it's time to trade in all your sweat equity
for some real equity.
All right, chillax.
'Calmate.' Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The deal isn't closed just yet.
But until it is,
you guys just keep doin' what you're doin',
and just know that we truly, truly appreciate
and are grateful for each and every one of you
for making Caraxon a billion-dollar acquisition.
- Yeah! - In other words,
let's go!
What he said!
-Thank you. Thank you. -Yeah!
Back to work!
Oh, my God. You scared me.
Sorry I'm late.
I didn't even hear you come in.
Ah, that's 'cause you're focused on...
a lil' house-hunting.
Nah, open it back up.
Let's see. I like that one.
-Oh, really? -Mm-hmm.
Yeah, oceanfront view, tennis court,
infinity pool, nine bedrooms. I mean...
there's only three of us, so let me see,
yeah, that means we get three bedrooms each.
Okay. All right.
Might be a little tight, but we can make it work.
No, I know it's stupid.
Nah, it's not stupid.
I mean, a little premature,
but there's nothing wrong with a little real estate porn.
It's just, you know,
we've been talking for all these years
about getting to this moment,
but we never talked about what we'd do once we're here.
Like I said, we're not there yet.
But we are close.
So, you can't keep pushing this away,
Marcus, this is really happening,
so we gotta start talking about how we're going to handle this.
-You're right. -Having all of this money,
all of a sudden, it is... it's disorienting
and frankly, it's pretty terrifying.
But...
we'll figure it out. We always do.
Okay.
As long as Marcellus doesn't become
one of those entitled brats we can't stand.
I ain't worried about that.
I know his mama.
You deserve this.
We deserve this.
Mmm. You had the dream,
and you made it happen.
I'm so proud of you.
Well, thank you, but...
none of this means anything without you and Marcellus.
- Mmm. - Mmm.
-That's nice. -I mean it.
Speakin' of nice,
-come love on me. -Oh.
- Please. Please. - Come over here.
Mmm. Mm-mm, don't answer that. Mm-mm. Come to bed.
-Come to bed. Marcus... -I know, I know.
I know. Just...
-Just... -All right,
I'll be waiting for you.
'Mrs. Skilling,' 'are you pleased' 'with this verdict?'
'Am I grateful that the police' 'who murdered my husband'
'will be punished? Yes, I am.'
'But my husband's side' 'of the bed will'
'still be empty tonight,'
'so there's no justice'
'that can make my life' 'any less lonely.'
'Excuse me.'
-'All right,' 'no more questions.'
Hello?
'I see you've' 'just watched the video I sent'
'of Mrs. Skilling.'
Who is this?
'It doesn't matter who I am.'
Tell me or I'm hangin' up.
'All that matters is what I know' 'about your company.'
What do you think you know?
'That Xavier Skilling' 'was murdered'
'because of your company's' 'negligence.'
'And I can prove it.'
-How? -'Twenty-million dollars.'
'That's my price' 'for keeping this to myself.'
'Unless you want me' 'to leak it to the media.'
Look, whoever you are
and whatever you're trying to do, this is really not--
'I'll be in touch.'
What the heck?
Marcus, you comin'?
Hey, what's wrong?
Um...
the bankers, they...
Uh, they want to file some disclosures
by tomorrow morning, so...
-I gotta go over 'em with Pete. -Now?
-Yeah. -No, M--
You can't do that over the phone, honey?
-You just got home. -I'll be home soon. I love you.
A pre-trial motions hearing was held two weeks ago
at which plea negotiations failed.
I understand that the defendant maintains
his plea of not guilty
for the charge of involuntary manslaughter,
and the parties have answered ready for trial today.
-Yes, Your Honor. -Yes, Your Honor.
All right then, let's bring in the jury
and start with opening statements.
Marcus, what the hell, man?
I've been trying to call you for like an hour.
Well, did it occur to you
that there's a reason I'm not picking up?
-We need to talk. -'Okay. I'm listening.'
Not on the phone.
'I'm outside your house' 'right now.'
What? You're here? Now?
Um...
Uh, okay. Uh, just give me a couple of minutes.
-'Hurry up.' -Yep.
Marcus.
Please don't tell Lycia.
A little afterparty after the birthday party, huh?
She had some issues with her husband.
You know, she needed someone to talk to.
So now you're a marriage counsellor?
Look, we gotta talk, man.
All right, brother, tell me what's goin' on.
You tell me.
You know what that is?
Analytics from, uh, our beta version
that we tested seven years ago
with the Sacramento PD.
Yeah, they're saying that our system has
a higher margin of error identifying Blacks and Asians.
Slightly higher. Statistically insignificant.
You want a drink?
So, you did know about this!
Yeah. Of course, I knew about it.
I'm the one who fixed it.
How'd you dig it up?
Someone sent it to me.
Someone smart enough to hack into our server
and contact me from a non-traceable VOIP.
What?
They're threatening to go public
unless we give 'em 20 million dollars.
And they're blaming us for Xavier Skilling.
Okay. The cops that killed Skilling
were supposed to confirm his identity
before they went in. Right? With their own eyes.
They didn't follow protocol. That's why they went to prison.
Human error killed Xavier Skilling, all right?
Not our software.
There's no universe where we're legally liable.
Yeah, maybe not in a court of law,
but in the court of public opinion,
we're gonna get crucified.
How could you release our software
when you knew this was a problem?
Because you said that we needed Sacramento
to get our second round of financing.
Do not try to turn this on me.
Tell me that I'm wrong.
Tell me that you didn't say our burn rate was so high
that if we didn't get Sacramento,
we'd have to shutter the whole company in six months. Huh?
So, what are we gonna do
when Google finds a discrepancy?
They won't.
They're auditing our analytics.
-I scrubbed the numbers. -You did what?
There's no record of the differential
after Sacramento. Okay? Google can't find something
that never happened.
Except the person that's blackmailing us has
-the unedited version. -Which is why you need to pay them.
-I can't-- -Marcus, we're takin' about
less than five percent
of what you and I stand to make from this deal.
But there won't be a deal if we don't pay them.
So, you tell me, what other options do we have here?
I don't know.
What do you wanna do, man? You wanna go to the FBI?
You wanna go straight into the 'New York Times?' What?
You tell me what you want to do, and I'll do it.
-I don't know! -Well, I do.
And unless you want to burn down
the last 18 years of our lives,
and the lives of everybody that works for us,
there is only one choice.
I asked them, and they have agreed to shorten
your employment contracts
from five to four years
and to accelerate your vesting schedules.
And how much do we have to give up?
Nothing. Not one dollar.
You're both basically just getting your payouts faster.
I love that you took a billion-dollar offer
and you thought to yourself, "You know what?"
"I can do better."
Haha! You're a genius, Arun.
Hey, I'm just here to help raise this unicorn
that you and Marcus gave birth to.
Ooh, giving birth to a unicorn,
that sounds painful.
Hey, Marcus, you joining the party or what?
Um...
Sorry, I was just...
making sure I understand it all.
Well, that's why you overpay us.
To translate it.
So when do we close?
Once you sign off on terms,
- they can start the due diligence process.
Right, and how long will that take?
Four months? Six, tops.
Their auditors just need to kick the tires and look under the hood.
Can we finish this later?
Um, I just...
need to go over a couple of things with Pete
before we sign, just in case we have any questions.
It's a letter of intent, it's non-binding,
but because of their accounting calendar,
it does need to be signed and submitted to the SEC
-by tomorrow. -Tomorrow's fine.
All right, then. Well, we'll come back tomorrow.
Cool.
All right, it's almost 2:00.
What was goin' on with you back there?
I thought we hashed this out last night.
When you first found out about the discrepancy
in Sacramento,
why didn't you tell me?
The same reason I don't tell you
about the thousand other glitches that I fix
every time we release a new version.
This wasn't just another glitch, Pete.
It was a problem that needed fixing, so I fixed it.
Just like I always do.
You still should've told me.
Do you tell me about every problem you have
on the business side?
No. No. And I don't expect you to.
It's divide and conquer, man.
It's the whole point of us being partners.
Well, then what's the point of being friends?
Marcus, you don't code,
okay? You wouldn't have been able to do anything.
So, is that real reason you didn't tell me?
You actually think
that I held this back from you because you're black?
You said it, not me.
Look, I understand
that you're wound up about this right now,
okay? So am I.
I'm just asking a question.
You're calling me a racist.
Yeah, um...
I'm here with my partner.
'Mr. Vanderkamp.'
Yeah. Hi.
So, the money you're asking for,
we don't have it yet.
The deal doesn't close for another six months.
You're getting 50 million
when you sign the Letter of Intent.
'How come you know' 'so much about our business?'
'Once you sign the LOI,'
'I'll contact you' 'with wiring instructions.'
And after we pay you,
how do we know you won't go public?
'You don't.'
Then what? We're just supposed to trust you?
Like you trust each other.
We done here?
Where are you goin' so early?
Couldn't really sleep,
so I figured I'd hit the gym,
but you...
-you go back to bed. -It's still dark outside.
Hey, I'll be back in time to make Marcellus breakfast.
Go to sleep.
'Mrs. Skilling,'
'please describe' 'your husband for the court.'
Xavier was the best man I've ever known.
You couldn't find a more loving husband
or devoted father.
He had a good business,
and he cared after his customers.
He liked people, and people liked him.
I had 30 years with him,
and I was looking forward to another 30 more, but...
I'm sure you must want to put all this behind you.
Not at all.
Every chance I get to tell anyone about Xavier
is a chance I'll take.
Cam, that knee is lookin' better.
Ooh, back on the dance floor, baby.
Even my most loyal customers don't come in this early.
Yeah, early business meeting,
so I thought I'd grab some bagels and donuts
to earn some goodwill with my employees.
No better way. So how big is your meeting?
Eight people maybe? So, a couple of dozen should work.
Do you want any particular kind,
or you want an assortment?
You're the expert,
so, you know, whatever you say, just mix it up.
What kind of business are you in?
Uh... tech.
Oh. Thanks, Jane. Tech.
Mmm. That remains a mystery to me.
I need my kids to change the settings on my phone.
You have kids?
Yes, ma'am. Uh...
One, my son. He just turned seven.
Oh, that's a good age.
I was checking out the photos when I walked in.
Girl in the cap and gown.
Oh, that's Willow. That's my daughter.
-Cam, can I get another box? -Yep.
She's in medical school.
And that's my son, Dwayne.
He's a ranger in the National Park.
The first time we ever took him,
when he was six,
he said, "That's what I wanna do,"
and that's what he did.
Impressive kids. You must be proud.
Yes, I am.
No bakers in the next generation?
Uh, they saw my husband and me wake up
at 3:00 a.m. all those years,
no. I can't blame 'em, though.
He's, uh...
He's passed.
It's just me now, so.
You ever think about sellin' it?
Yeah, I imagine I'll sell at some point,
but this is where my husband and I built our lives,
and raised our kids, and supported a community,
so it'll be hard to let go.
Well, I hope that your meeting goes well,
and that your team is hungry.
You know what?
I'll take a few more dozen.
Oh. Cam, can I get two more boxes?
Yep.
Thank you very much.
'Mrs. Skilling,'
both the criminal and civil cases
against the Sacramento Police Department were resolved
seven years ago.
Please tell the court
why you decided to testify today?
Because I wanted this man to see me,
and I wanted him to be seen for what he really is.
- Objection. - Sustained.
Prosecution will stay away from character evidence.
Yes, Your Honor.
Jurors will disregard the witness' last response.
I'm striking it from the record.
'I'm concerned,' 'I was watching that jury'
when Lenore Skilling was up there.
We knew she would make a compelling witness,
but she didn't bring any new facts to the case.
I'm not worried about the facts.
I'm worried about how she made them feel.
I saw their faces.
Did you see how they were looking at you?
Yeah.
I think I should testify.
-Lycia, that's... -It might help.
Spousal privilege protects you from having to testify,
but once you do, he prosecution can cross-examine you.
I'll take that chance.
The jury needs to hear my side of this.
Because what happened was not just on Marcus.
Marcellus!
I'm sorry.
Why you ridin' that in the house any damn way?
I didn't mean to break it.
It was my present.
Hey, it's okay, baby.
It's okay. He knows you didn't mean it.
- Marcellus... - Let's go.
Walk away from the glass.
Marcellus.
Ah.
It's fine.
Let me see it.
It's fine.
Hey.
I didn't mean to yell.
Well, now you sound like Marcellus.
Neither of you meant it.
I gotta go talk to him.
First you need to talk to me.
I know you well enough to know when something's goin' on.
There's a lot going on, Lycia.
I'm tryin' to sell the company.
And that should be making you happy,
not short-tempered and sleepless,
leavin' all hours of the night,
screaming at your son,
drinkin' the minute you get home.
There's just a lot of stuff that, um, I gotta work through.
Okay. What kind of stuff?
Marcus, you can tell me, whatever it is.
I don't need to involve you.
Well, anything that involves you involves me.
And that's when your husband told you
he was being blackmailed.
He told me everything.
He even told me about going
to the bakery earlier that morning
because he couldn't sleep.
The idea that he had anything to do
with Xavier Skilling's murder is...
It was weighing on Marcus
to the point where he did not think
he could live with himself
if he kept it in.
Marcus wanted to...
to tell the truth. He wanted to step up
and do what was right.
But he didn't.
No.
Why not?
Because I said he shouldn't.
Well, Pete should've told you
exactly when it happened, obviously.
So, the two of you have got
a lot that you need to work out, but...
Honey, I...
I think... he's right.
Right about what?
Paying this person what they want.
And hopefully, it'll all go away.
An innocent man was murdered because of us.
Not because of you.
Because the police didn't confirm his identity
before they shot him.
If they weren't using our system,
Xavier Skilling would still be alive today.
Maybe. We don't know.
But is killing your company,
is blowing up this deal gonna bring him back? It's not.
They won't credit you for coming forward.
They'll just use it to take you down, Marcus,
and to keep you there.
Come on.
Is exposing this small margin of error
worth destroying our family?
After everything that you have sacrificed,
after everything we have both sacrificed to get here.
In that moment,
...I thought I was protecting my husband
and my son,
...but it's more than that.
And I'm not making excuses for what I did.
I'm still just trying to understand it myself.
My grandfather was a veteran,
and he couldn't get a loan under the GI Bill.
Redlining kept our families out of homes,
out of neighborhoods.
And now, here's my family
getting close to the kind of status
and power and...
all that comes with that kind of wealth.
And all because my husband built a company
from the ground up.
And I wasn't gonna let that get taken away.
I'm so sorry for what happened to your husband.
And I really don't expect you to forgive me.
But I hope that my husband might.
Marcus.
Let's do this.
Uh, yeah. I just gotta talk to Pete.
Yeah, I haven't heard back from either of you.
I'm assuming we're good to go on the LOI?
-Yeah. -Well, that didn't sound
very convincing.
Like I said, uh...
before we sign, I just...
gotta sort some stuff out with Pete.
Anything I can help you with?
-Nah. -Okay.
Hey, Marcus.
I've been meaning to thank you.
I mean this is a life-changing moment for a lot of us,
me included, and I didn't want that to get left unsaid
in all the excitement.
Some ride, huh?
Yeah. Some ride.
And you keep forgetting. When--
-I haven't forgotten a single thing. -Yes, you have.
-I've listened to you. -No--
Am I interrupting something?
Ask Pete.
The defendant claims
that Mr. Vanderkamp told him
that you were arguing over the equity stake
in the sale of the company.
-Is that accurate? -No.
Pete accused me of blackmailing Marcus and him.
Based on what?
I'm the one who discovered the statistical anomaly.
I ran the analytics during the Sacramento pilot
after Xavier Skilling was murdered.
Other than Pete, I was the only one who knew about it.
Was Mr. Vanderkamp correct in his suspicion
that you were using the information to extort them?
Yes.
Let the record show
the witness has already pleaded guilty to extortion
and is awaiting sentencing.
So noted.
Ms. Wax,
why would you resort to blackmail
when you stood to earn
ten-million dollars from the sale?
Because...
Pete promised he'd compensate me for it,
but he never did.
Every time I brought it up,
he had some excuse.
So, when I heard about the company being sold
and Pete pretended
like he'd never promised me anything, I...
But that was Pete.
Promising something one minute and forgetting it the next.
Ms. Wax, after you found the anomaly,
why did you bring it to Mr. Vanderkamp's attention
and not Mr. Paul's?
I wanted to tell Marcus, I did,
but Pete didn't want him to know.
Why not? Why keep that information
from his best friend and business partner?
He said he wanted to protect Marcus,
that Marcus' heart was too big
and that he was too good to handle what we'd found.
She's not happy with her payout. It's fine.
I'll deal with her after the meeting.
We gotta talk.
Arun's waiting for us.
Let him wait.
What's this about?
Not here. Let's go.
Well?
This doesn't feel right.
Could you be a little more specific?
We gotta disclose the analytics from Sacramento,
or I'm not signing the LOI.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry, Pete, man, I can't.
We've already had this conversation, Marcus.
Yeah, I wish I could just hold my nose and sign it,
but I keep imagining
how I'd have to explain myself to Marcellus
if he ever found out.
He won't. Right? Marcellus is never gonna know.
Nobody is ever gonna know.
I'll know.
And the idea of carrying this with me
for the rest of my life,
I can't. I won't do it, Pete.
Not for all the money in the world.
We are talking about
a statistically negligible result
that's no longer an issue. Okay?
It-- It wasn't even an issue back then.
See?
That's exactly what I'm talkin' about.
What?
You're always so damn easy on yourself.
What does that even mean?
Sleeping with married women.
-Buying a house that you can't afford. -Oh, God.
Here we go.
Faking our company's analytics
right before a billion-dollar transaction,
which, by the way, is called fraud.
How many more examples do you need?
Pete just does what he wants to do.
And when someone calls you on it,
you always got a convenient little excuse.
It's who you are. Who you've always been.
And you're just realizing all of this right now? Hmm?
Right now. Now, when we're about to get everything
that we ever dreamed of, huh?
Wow! Marcus, I gotta tell you, man,
the timing here is pretty messed up.
Let me ask you a question, though.
If I'm such a bad person,
then why'd you come to me to start a company?
Huh?
It's gonna take some time for me to figure that out.
Well, maybe you should start by looking in the mirror,
you know, now that we're being so honest with each other.
Goodbye, Pete.
-We are not done here. -Yes, we are!
No, we are not.
What, you're too afraid to hear the truth about yourself?
Take your hand off me, or I'll take it off myself.
You have always known exactly who I was,
but I was your golden goose,
so you held on tight and looked the other way.
Okay, Ms. Wax, um, let's go to the day in question.
You told the police
that you followed Mr. Paul
'and Mr. Vanderkamp' 'into the stairwell landing.'
Yes.
Ms. Wax, please tell the court
why you followed them that day.
'Part of me...'
thought about telling them the truth,
because something ugly was growing between them.
And I knew I was responsible.
'But by the time' 'I opened the door...'
...it was too late.
Ms. Wax,
you told the police that you saw them fighting
in the stairwell.
Not right away.
'I tried listening' 'through the door,'
'but it was too heavy' 'to hear anything.'
So I opened it...
just a crack.
'And what exactly did you see?'
No, no, no, no, no!
I saw...
Pete going over the railing...
and...
falling into the stairwell.
But not because my client pushed him.
No.
Yet you claimed earlier my client was close enough
to Mr. Vanderkamp to catch him before he fell,
but he failed to do so.
-Yes, but-- -And you witnessed this
from outside the actual stairwell landing,
in what you yourself described as a... a narrow gap.
I had a clear enough view.
Well, how close were you to them?
Six feet? Ten?
Which is it?
Six? Ten?
It's hard to say exactly.
Is it possible the angle you viewed them from
made it even harder
to judge the distance between them?
I suppose so.
And by the time you actually entered the stairwell,
what'd you see?
Marcus was kneeling over him.
He was trying to help.
He was trying to help?
That doesn't sound like the intention of a man
who wanted to hurt Mr. Vanderkamp.
Objection. Leading the witness.
Sustained.
I'll rephrase.
Ms. Wax, please,
describe my client's emotional state,
when you saw him trying to help Mr. Vanderkamp.
Marcus was in pain.
'I've never seen' 'anyone so deeply'
and completely wrecked.
How long have you known Mr. Paul and Mr. Vanderkamp?
Several years.
I was their fourth hire.
And how well do you know them?
Very well.
We worked crazy, long hours,
all of us, so...
we got to know each other pretty intimately.
Other than his principles
and the company they co-founded,
could you describe their relationship?
They were friends.
Best friends.
And even that doesn't describe what they meant to each other.
Yes, they fought sometimes,
but only to make each other better.
And they'd still have that...
They'd still have each other
if I hadn't done what I'd done.
And I'm so, so sorry.
Your task here today is not to determine
the Caraxon Corporation's culpability
in the tragic murder of Xavier Skilling.
Mm-mm. No.
Your task is to decide
what was Mr. Paul's intent
when he caused the death of Peter Vanderkamp.
By failing to stop Mr. Vanderkamp's lethal fall
when he was well within reach,
Mr. Paul clearly demonstrated his intent.
His failure to act
is the literal definition of involuntary manslaughter,
the culmination of...
a lifetime of grievances that metastasized into a rage.
The prosecution rests, Your Honor.
Thank you.
Mr. Walker, you may present your closing statement.
Of course, my client harbored grievances that day,
but only after he learned Mr. Vanderkamp lied to him,
and withheld crucial information
about the company he co-founded,
a company to which he dedicated
almost all his adult life.
You're being asked today
to decide the fate of a man
based on the testimony
of a single disgruntled employee.
And as strenuously as the state has tried to prove otherwise,
they have failed to present sufficient evidence
that Mr. Vanderkamp's fall was
anything other than a tragic accident.
With any reasonable doubt
that this unfortunate death was premeditated,
it is your duty
to find my client not guilty.
The defense rests, Your Honor.
Have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
In the case of the State of California
versus Marcus Paul,
on the charge of involuntary manslaughter,
we find the defendant...
not guilty.
Thank you, members of the jury,
for your time and your consideration.
You are dismissed.
Mr. Paul, you are free to go.
- This court is-- - Your Honor,
uh, my client would like to address the court.
Go ahead.
Pete...
was my friend...
and my business partner.
And I'm...
I will always
carry the burden of his death.
And I will never know...
if our system misidentified Xavier Skilling
because he was black.
But if I would've known at the time
that that was even a possibility...
I would like to think that I would have disclosed it.
But maybe, Pete,
my best friend,
was just trying to protect me from...
the burden of facing that uncertainty.
And maybe part of me didn't wanna...
ask him those tough questions,
so I wouldn't have to confront those real truths.
Mrs. Skilling,
I echo my wife's words.
I do not expect you to forgive me.
But I promise you,
I will dedicate my life
to asking the questions I should've asked
before your husband was killed.
For the rest of my life...
I will honor his life,
and the way he lived it.
Thank you, Your Honor.
This court is adjourned.