The Verdict is the eighth episode of Presumed Innocent.
Synopsis[]
Series Finale. The truth behind Carolyn’s murder is revealed.
Summary[]
As forensics take evidence from Tommy's home, Tommy, holding his cat, tells Nico that he believes that Rusty put the murder weapon on his kitchen counter. This makes Nico concerned for Tommy's well-being, and he asks if he's ok, to which Tommy answers no and decides to take his cat upstairs.
The next morning, Rusty woke up beside Barbara, who was still sleeping. He receives a phone call from someone, and it skips to Judge Lyttle's chambers. There, with Raymond by his side, new evidence is presented that Tommy tries to implicate that Rusty tried to intimidate him. It's also unknown whether or not it's the same fire poker that was used to kill Carolyn, as Nico claimed the housekeeper said it looked the same. After Tommy noted that there was no evidence left behind and that the place was meticulously scrubbed of any evidence.
Again, Judge Lyttle was okay with a mistrial, but Nico claims the prosecution was okay with the proceeding and asks that the jury be kept abreast of the situation. He further states that the fire poker shouldn't be considered as evidence. Rusty then asks if Dalton could have planted it, and then Raymond escorts Rusty outside alongside Mya. In the audience section of the court, Raymond tries to reason with Rusty about not wanting to have the fire poker put into evidence, while Rusty believes it should stipulate doubt that he did it. Raymond continues to try to reason with Rusty. Mya agrees, claiming that they want to pin Liam as an alternative, but Rusty retorts that Mya is now favoring Liam as an alternative. Despite this, Rusty insists on Dalton, but Raymond states that they won't implicate him, but rather Rusty.
Rusty talks to Barbara in the kitchen about the fire poker not being added to the evidence. Soon, Kyle steps in and takes a plate for Rusty.
The next day, Raymond questions a gastronomical expert about Chinese take-out food that Carolyn had consumed, which would have been fully digested by the time of her death. The expert claimed that Herbert was wrong in his estimated time of death. In Tommy's cross-examination, he tries to imply that Carolyn didn't consume the food she ordered. Still, the expert stands by what she claims and cannot confirm whether or not the food in her duodenum was the food she consumed earlier. From there, Tommy tries to argue that the witness is biased toward the defense as someone who is paid by the defense to testify in their favor, but the expert resents that comment.
Meeting at Raymond's, Mya, Rusty, and Barbara sit in Raymond's kitchen, where Raymond tries to see if they can establish that Rusty was home around the time of Carolyn's murder. Although Barbara volunteers herself, Mya is against it as she's biased and lists off hypotheticals to which the prosecutors could ask her. One of them was about Clifton, and Mya goes on to reveal that the office hires private investigators. Rusty then claims they should rest their case, and Raymond agrees but disagrees when Rusty notes he'll close, noting that doubt from him will work, but not from his lawyers.
Afterward, Lo hears about the situation and suggests that Raymond withdraw, but he can't. However, Raymond assures her that he'll retire and embrace a boring, slow life with her.
In his garage, Rusty practices his closing arguments, and he's soon joined by Jaden, who offers to help. She then asks whether he's serious about giving closing arguments, and he confirms it. Jaden then hugs Rusty, and after she leaves him, she stands by the poolside as Kyle practices his pitches, and Barbara watches from the house.
The next day at court, Rusty has a flashback of him and Carolyn in bed as Raymond talks to him.
As the court starts to begin, Barbara, Kyle, and Jaden take their seats, and Jaden spots Dalton and Michael in the audience. Once Judge Lyttle arrives, Rusty gives his closing argument, where he maintains his innocence, notes Tommy's vendetta against him, and the possibility of the Caldwells being suspects in his trial. Rusty stakes his fifteen years as a prosecutor to try to find the truth and that the prosecutors have no evidence to prove the charges against him. Furthermore, Liam is mentioned, and the ambiguous time of death is mentioned. He ends by noting that he accepts their contempt, but maintains that he didn't kill Carolyn.
Once it was Tommy's turn to start his closing arguments, he said that Rusty had an obsession with Carolyn and that he withheld evidence, obstructed, and told Rigo to direct all evidence to him. Tommy goes on to list the actions Rusty took that were against the case, including what he told Eugenia. Pictures of Carolyn's corpse are shown while Tommy mentions plausible people who could have done it, like Liam or himself. Tommy finishes off by making the jury look at Rusty, who says that they have the right to be contemplated with him.
That night, Rusty sits in the kitchen and recalls when he talked to Carolyn about how the jury deliberates over trials they oversee.
The next day, Tommy is visited in his office by Nico, who suggests that he go home and take care of his cat. However, Tommy is fixated that Rusty has left the poker in his house. After Tommy rhetorically asks Carolyn what she saw in Rusty, Nico asks Tommy how much he loves her. Before Tommy could answer, Eugenia informs them that a verdict has been made.
Everyone gathers in the courtroom for the verdict to be announced, and he's said to have been found not guilty.
Sometime after the verdict is given, Rusty and his family receive a police escort home.
At home, Barbara says that it doesn't feel real. Jaden then asks if the prosecutors can appeal, and Rusty denies that notion. He then goes to the press, where Rusty talks to the press, and Dalton, Michael, and Tommy all watch the newscast.
Nico visits Tommy in his office and notes that he tried his best on a difficult case based on circumstantial evidence. Still, Tommy laments that he lost against Rusty and that he let Carolyn down. On the other hand, Nico tries to redirect Tommy and get him to stop his obsession with Carolyn and Rusty so he can focus on a different case altogether.
Home again, Rusty finds a packed suitcase with Barbara's stuff inside and goes to the garage where she was on the exercise bike. He talks to her about the assumed vacation she's going on. Barbara details that it was Dr. Rush's advice and notes that it's in case there's another time in which Rusty tries to destroy the family. It's then that Rusty confesses he knows who did it and goes on to confess that he was the one who hog-tied Carolyn, after finding her dead body in her house when he returned there. It was his hope to gain a false confession from Liam, and as he alludes to that, Barbara planted the poker in Tommy's house after putting a tracker in her car. Jaden appears, confessing she didn't and that it was her. She then explains that she initially visited Carolyn's home to have her stay away from her father and family, but Carolyn admits that it's not her, but him. Carolyn then admits that she hopes to, but only for a while longer as she's pregnant with his child. When Carolyn got up and turned her back, Jaden killed Carolyn with the fire poker. She then drove home, convincing herself it was just a dream, and the next day, during breakfast, buried the murder weapon.
After Jaden's confession, Rusty claims that Jaden must never speak of it ever again and that it'll be a secret between them as a family.
Eventually, Raymond and Lo are seen doing gardening on their lawn. Tommy celebrates his football team, scoring a touchdown. Finally, Rusty and his family enjoy a meal together.
Characters[]
- Tommy Molto
- Nico Della Guardia
- Rusty Sabich
- Barbara Sabich
- Raymond Horgan
- Judge Lyttle
- Mya Winslow
- Liam Reynolds (Mentioned)
- Kyle Sabich
- Herbert Kumagai (Mentioned)
- Clifton (Mentioned)
- Lorraine Horgan
- Jaden Sabich
- Carolyn Polhemus
- Dalton Caldwell
- Michael Caldwell
- Alana Rodriguez (Mentioned)
- Eugenia
- Liz Rush (Mentioned)