Rusty Sabich is one of the main characters of the Apple TV+ streaming series Presumed Innocent. He is portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Biography[]
Rusty is the chief deputy prosecutor of Kindle County who is presumed to be the culprit murderer of his colleague Carolyn Polhemus.
Appearances[]
Bases Loaded[]
While playing catch with his son, Kyle, Rusty receives a phone call from his superior, Raymond, about the death of his co-worker Carolyn. Upon arriving at the crime scene, Rusty sees that Carolyn was killed in a way that matched the culprit Liam Reynolds, whose case Carolyn had once overseen and prosecuted.
Under Raymond's orders, the case was assigned to Rusty, much to the chagrin of Nico, who was running an election for Raymond's position as district attorney of Kindle County, and Tommy, who was after Rusty's position as deputy chief prosecutor.
Afterward, in his office, Rusty meets with Detective Rigo and gives her orders related to Carolyn's case. That night, Rusty watches a newscast featuring Nico, in which he comments he's exploiting Carolyn's death to curry favor with potential voters. Barbara soon joins him in bed and consoles him about the death of Carolyn's death, but while she agrees to support him, she won't attend Carolyn's memorial.
The next day, Rusty attends Carolyn's memorial, where he meets Raymond. They soon run into Tommy and Nico. Inside the church, where Carolyn's memorial was held, Rusty spots Carolyn's ex, Dalton, and his son, Michael, in attendance.
Afterward, Rusty and Raymond talk in a bar about the potential culprits in the case, and Rusty believes it to be Liam, whose MO closely matches Carolyn's death. At home, Rusty has a bonding moment with Kyle, and that night, he reviews the crime scene photos, which he questions the coroner workers about but gets told off by the worker.
A brief flashback is shown depicting Rusty watching as Carolyn prosecutes the case of Liam, where he's accused of killing a young lady known as Bunny Davis. Rusty and Rigo visit the prison in hopes of connecting him to the case, but he admits the way Carolyn matched his style of murder, aside from some differences. He didn't do it since he was imprisoned.
Eventually, Rusty visits Dalton and questions him about his relationship with Carolyn. He is also introduced to Michael, who learns about his hatred toward his family and the world.
Later, Rusty finds a manilla envelope containing a blue folder with files inside it and soon attends a meeting with his co-workers. At first, Rusty gives a compassionate speech about how they all look out for one another, but it's interrupted by snide remarks from Tommy. Rusty later confronts Tommy over his remarks in his office, and while Rusty is livid, Tommy keeps his cool throughout their one-on-one meeting.
The next day, people of the press confront Rusty on the court steps and ask him about the case concerning Carolyn. He denies answering anything concerning but redirects it to how great Raymond is and how slimy Nico's earlier remarks on the case were. Nico was watching the press interview and cursed Rusty for it.
That night, in bed with Barbara, Rusty has a heart-to-heart with Barabara about whether he's working on Carolyn's case, which Rusty indirectly confirms. Barbara mentions his affair with Carolyn that almost cost them their marriage but nearly broke her.
After doing swimming laps, Rusty talks to his therapist, Dr. Liz Rush, about his personal life and relationship with his wife and Carolyn.
Rusty and his family watch a newscast about Nico's election victory against Raymond, and Barbara asks him how it affects his job. Rusty answers that the only change is that he's no longer chief deputy prosecutor. Barbara and Rusty later talk about his meeting with Dr. Liz, and Barbara reinforces that Rusty must stop loving Carolyn.
The following morning, Rusty goes to work and meets with Raymond, who is packing his belongings, and they soon attend a meeting with Tommy and Nico. Their conversation is mainly about Carolyn's case, where Tommy alludes to the fact that Rusty may have killed Caroly due to fingerprint evidence and the fact that Carolyn was pregnant when she died. Tommy then asks Rusty if he knows who the father is.
People vs. Rozat Sabich[]
Rusty answers that he doesn't know who the father is that Carolyn was pregnant with, and after refusing to take a paternity test, Rusty leaves the room he was in with Nico, Tommy, and Raymond.
At his office, Rusty is confronted by Raymond in his office about his sexual relationship with Carolyn, which not only costs him his job but also his trust in Rusty. After this meeting with Raymond, Tommy confronts Rusty for the paternity test, telling Tommy to get an arrest warrant.
As Rusty swims laps in a pool, he recalls his time with Carolyn and later tells Barbara about how he's a suspect in Carolyn's death and that she was pregnant when she died. Though Barbara claims that their affair ended a year ago, he admits he had a brief continuation with her.
Lorraine "Lo" and Raymond discussed Rusty's affair. While at his home, Rusty finds a bombshell while reviewing Bunny Davis' files. He confronts the coroner over this, which gets confrontational between them. After this, Rusty tries to contact Rigo but cannot do so. Tommy vents his concerns about Rusty's behavior to Nico, who brushes it off and says that Tommy needs to follow the facts, not his emotions. In his car, Rusty tries to contact Rigo again, but cannot reach her.
At home, Barbara forces Rusty to confess his affair with Carolyn to their kids, and they don't take it well. Later, Rusty is confronted by Jaden about his affair, and when asked if he loves her mother, he breaks into tears. That night, Rusty has a dream of attacking Carolyn in a pool.
Awakening the next morning to the sounds of Kyle tossing a tennis ball at their garage door. When Rusty tries to reason with Kyle, moments later, Detective Stevens and her police force serve a warrant to search Rusty's home. Amid the search, Stevens takes a paternity test on Rusty.
Afterward, Rusty confronts Tommy about the police searching his house. Still, Tommy defends his actions as he follows the same protocols Rusty once enforced, and he puts him on administrative leave. Soon, Nico intervenes and notes that Rusty's actions lately have been inexcusable, especially toward the coroner.
Eventually, Rusty and Barbara talk with their therapist, Liz, about Rusty's affair and how it's affected their relationship. During this time, Rusty admits he's lied about several things; he wants to salvage his marriage, but knows that Tommy will have him arrested for the overwhelming evidence that convicts him of it.
Later, Rusty visits Raymond's house, hoping to have him represent him if he's likely to be charged. However, Raymond refuses to represent him, and inside his car, Rusty manages to reach Rigo, whom he asks to set up a meeting with Liam again. She does; however, it was a wasted endeavor.
That night, Raymond and Lo discuss his refusal to represent Rusty in the court case.
When Rusty returns home, he briefly talks to Jaden, and then the police arrive to arrest him, which he does without a hassle. From there, Rusty is booked and processed.
Raymond is present as his lawyer during his arraignment, but his family is also in the court audience. Raymond represents well, and Rusty thanks him for it.
At home again, Rusty thanks his family for being there for him, but gets a disturbing text about seeing him "there".
Discovery[]
Rusty tries to contact the person who sent the alarming text, but to no avail. When B approaches him about it, he confesses what it was about and that he was at Carolyn's house the night of her murder. Rusty appears in a nightmare that Raymond had, and he talks about his dream to Lo; she outlines the two varied outcomes of whether he loses or wins the case involving Rusty.
As news reporters surround his house, Rusty receives a text from the unknown accuser about a meeting between them. He later talks to Raymond about it, who informs him of a new helper he's hired called Mya Winslow.
On the night that B was put on hold from her job, she mentioned Rusty to the bartender she chatted with and talked about this encounter with Lo at her house.
Meanwhile, Tommy reprimands Rigo for assisting Rusty in visiting Liam at prison while Rusty visits the unknown person, who is revealed to have been Michael. He reveals that he has pictures and a video of him at his mother's house and that the DA's office already has them.
The next day, Rusty informs Raymond about his encounter with Michael. Mya soon joins them, and they all attend the pre-trial hearing that goes in Rusty's favor. He'd later talk about this to his family, but it takes a turn when Jaden and Kyle each ask a sensitive question; Kyle's question is what hurt Rusty the most, and B consoles him over it. However, Rusty doesn't hold it against Kyle, who apologizes to him.
Elsewhere, Nico and Tommy discuss Rusty's case, whereas Nico is focused on the case and Tommy is focused on his ego surrounding it.
The following day, Rusty reviews the evidence against him at Raymond's new office and answers Mya's question about why he fell in love with Carolyn so she can build a narrative for the case.
He visits Carolyn's house and has flashbacks of his time with Carolyn there. Rusty then talks to Raymond about the case and the possibility of implementing an alternative, but Rusty refuses that notion.
Later that night, Rusty receives the photos and video that Michael had taken, and from the photos, he spots Kyle riding his bike by Carolyn's house.
The Burden[]
After seeing pictures that Kyle rode his bike in front of Carolyn's house on one of the nights he visited her house, Rusty and B would talk to him about it. Kyle confesses that he knew about the affair months before. When Kyle breaks down, B asks him to leave and so Rusty takes a walk and has a flashback of when Carolyn practicing her opening arguments for the Bunny case.
Upon returning home, Rusty sees that one of the outside lights was broken so he goes into the garage to fetch a replacement bulb. He's soon joined by B who discusses what she learned from Kyle and suggests that he receives therapy. Although Rusty is against it and claims that B needs to shoulder some blame, B insists on it and not wanting to argue with Rusty any further, she leaves.
The next day, Rusty talks to Raymond about what he learned from Kyle and they have a heart-to-heart about it, and also how Rusty is coping with his guilt and shame over his affair.
Rusty is mentioned by Michael as being the one who killed Carolyn because he learned from having lunch with her that she was angry with him.
Eventually, Rigo contacts Rusty, claiming they've found a hit on the inconclusive sperm sample. The person's name was Brian Ratzer. When they visit his house, Rusty holds notable resentment toward him, which Brian picks up on and asks that they leave.
That night, Rusty awakens in his bed after having a nightmare about him, Carolyn, and Kyle. Searching for B, he finds her in the garage scrubbing down Kyle's bike. After Rusty embraces her, she notes her worry that he forgot that Kyle's black.
The next day, B visits Dr. Liz, who suggests that Rusty and Kyle see new therapists.
At Raymond's office, Rusty talks to Rigo about sex workers in the area where Bunny's murder occurred that can identify Brian. He's then called over by Mya and elaborates on what he was doing and did the night that Carolyn died. Later, Mya discloses her opinions on what she learned from Rusty to Raymond and her opinion on whether or not he should testify. She says no, and Raymond agrees.
As Rusty contacts people concerning Brian, he later contacts B, but she claims she's busy, and when she returns home, she has sex with Rusty.
When Raymond visits the DA's office to negotiate a plea deal with Tommy and Nico, they reveal they have incriminating evidence against Rusty. The evidence is Rusty's skin found underneath Carolyn's nails.
Sitting on lawn chairs, B and Rusty talk about the sex they had, and Raymond contacts Rusty to inform him about the newfound evidence against him. At that same time, Brian was banging at his door, making threatening remarks toward him, and to deal with him, Rusty, in front of B and Jaden, beats Brian.
Pregame[]
Rusty beats up Brian and demands that he leave and never return to his home. He'd later talk about this encounter to B. He's also mentioned during a conversation between Tommy and Eugenia and again during a conversation between Raymond and Lo.
Running on a treadmill, Rusty thinks about Carolyn. He eventually tries to break into Brian's house after he sees him leave with his wife, but a dog stops him, and Brian confronts him. Defensively, Rusty manages to convince Brian to talk with him.
Raymond discusses Rusty's encounter with Brian, and when Raymond calls over Mya, he has her listen to Rusty's diatribe on how Liam is connected to the case. However, it is futile, and Rusty scorns it and informs them that Brian will be there tomorrow to be questioned about Bunny's case.
As Rusty runs on the treadmill, Jaden and B talk about whether or not he killed Carolyn, and would later talk to Jaden about it.
Rusty is mentioned in a flashback featuring Carolyn and Tommy. He'd be mentioned again during a conversation between Nico and Tommy.
Raymond, Mya, and Rusty question Brian about his plausible involvement in the Carolyn case, but the discussion leads nowhere.
One morning, as Rusty prepares to leave for Raymond's office, he finds Kyle's bike in the trash. After learning why from Kyle, he puts it in the back of his car.
Later that day, B mentions Rusty when she confesses to Dr. Liz about her fling with Clifton.
Raymond and Rusty discuss the case on Raymond's building's rooftop and Rusty's trust in B.
The next day, Rusty and his family receive a police escort to the court, and Tommy gives his opening statement, which curses over.
The Elements[]
In a daydream, Rusty walks around the courtroom, examining everything in a third-person perspective as Herbert testifies.
After this, Rusty sits and watches as Tommy questions Herbert; after this, Raymond destroys Herbert in his second cross-examination.
Afterward, Rusty sits in Raymond's office, where Raymond and Mya suggest that Barbara act "closer" to Rusty. She refuses, citing her personal beliefs.
On the next trial day, Rusty sits and listens to both Jeremy Buck and Eugenia testify as witnesses.
Later that day, Jaden has a heart-to-heart with Rusty about what she learned in her psych class about trauma and disassociation, and how it triggers mental blocks. This makes Jaden as if he has ever had any, to which he answers no.
After finishing running on a treadmill, Rusty goes upstairs to his room, where Barbara is on the bed. She confesses to him that she had a fling with a bartender named Clifton. This causes Rusty to lash out and grab Barbara in anger, but he regains his composure after realizing what he has done. Still, Barbara leaves him for the night.
The next day, Rusty is forced to go to the trial alone as Barbara is going to visit Lo that day, and Jaden apologizes to her father for what she had said to him before.
In Judge Lyttle's room, she notes that she's denied the proposal to prevent Michael from testifying, and when she proposes a manslaughter charge, both Tommy and Rusty deny it.
On the day that Michael testifies, Michael constantly shows a bias toward Rusty as his mother's killer. However, moments after Raymond starts his cross-examination, he has a heart attack, and Rusty tries to perform CPR until the medical team comes and uses a defibrillator on him.
The Witness[]
While Raymond is in the surgery room, Rusty fetches Lo a water bottle and hugs her when she learns that Raymond will be fine.
Rusty is mentioned in a conversation between Nico and Tommy about how he tried to save Raymond's life, which may influence the jury.
The following day, in Judge Lyttle's chambers, Rusty decides to represent himself, and on the day, he's supposed to cross-examine Michael. Rusty questions him about what he did on the night of the murder and the texts he sent his mother and tries to imply either of them may have killed her, causing an uproar in court.
That night, Eugenia talks to Rusty about how Rigo was set to testify the next day. When she questions if Rusty had an argument over Carolyn's choice to keep his child and cause him to kill her, he demands she leave his car.
The next day, Rusty cross-examines Rigo, and his line of questioning causes Tommy to call him to the witness stand.
When Tommy questions, he explains his feelings toward Carolyn and how he attacked Brian and later Herbert. The line of questioning causes Rusty to break down and lose a lot of credibility toward himself.
Sitting at the kitchen table that night, Rusty is joined by Barbara, who asks him, "What now?"
The Verdict[]
Awakening in bed beside Barbara, Rusty receives a call from Raymond and learns that the alleged murder weapon was left in Tommy's house. The item is discussed in Judge Lyttle's chamber, and she proposes a mistrial, but Nico wants to proceed with the trial and keep the weapon abreast of the jury. On the other hand, Rusty wanted it to be submitted into evidence, which caused Raymond and Mya to pull Rusty aside and coax him to reconsider his choice.
During the next court day, Rusty sits in and watches a gastronomical expert testify about how the time of death was incorrect from the food consumed by Caroline.
That night, in Raymond's kitchen, Rusty, Barbara, Raymond, and Mya discuss whether they can use the new possibility of a time of death to give Rusty a reasonable alibi. However, it's ultimately decided that they'll rest their case, and although this is thought to be a bad decision, Rusty will give the closing argument.
Inside his garage, Rusty practiced giving his closing arguments and was soon joined by Jaden, who, after talking with him, gave Rusty a hug.
On the day of the closing arguments, Raymond talks to Rusty, who is lost in his thoughts about Carolyn.
When Rusty gave his closing arguments, he maintained his innocence, noted Tommy's vendetta against him, vowed to find the true culprit, and finished off by stating the plausibility of who may have done it. In Tommy's closing argument, Tommy mentions the undeniable proof that Rusty had killed Carolyn.
That night, Rusy sits alone at the dinner table, reflecting on a conversation he once had with Carolyn about how the jury deliberates its decision.
On the day of the verdict, it was announced that Rusty was not guilty, and he, alongside his family, rode a police escort home.
Afterward, Rusty sits on his couch with his family and then talks to the press about the verdict.
That night, Rusty finds Barbara's suitcase packed, and when he confronts her about it, she reveals that she's going on vacation as Dr. Liz suggested it. It's then that Rusty reveals that he suspected that Barbara was the one who killed Carolyn, and he confesses the steps he had to take to cover it up. However, after Jaden appears and reveals that she did it, Rusty hugs her and makes her promise not to talk about it ever again.
In the end, life goes on with Rusty and his family and they're last seen enjoying a meal together.
Trivia[]
Gallery[]