Tommy Molto is one of the main characters of the Apple TV+ streaming series Presumed Innocent. He is portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard.
Biography[]
Tommy is a rival prosecutor to Rusty at the Kindle County prosecutor's office.
Appearances[]
Bases Loaded[]
When news of Carolyn Polhemus is heard, and a meeting with all of his co-workers is held, Tommy volunteers to handle the case, but Rusty instead gives it to Raymond.
Tommy, alongside Nico, attends Carolyn's memorial. He later watches a video of a case that's connected to Carolyn's death and contacts Nico about it.
During a meeting with Rusty and his co-workers, Tommy interrupts Rusty with a couple of snide remarks and is called into Rusty's office to call him out.
A newscast where Nico was announced to be the new district attorney of Kindle County and Tommy would become the new deputy chief prosecutor.
The following day, Nico and Tommy meet with Rusty and Nico, and it's announced that Tommy is unsurprisingly handling the case involving Carolyn. Tommy wastes no time asking Rusty for clarity regarding fingerprints that match Rusty's found at the crime scene, whether Carolyn was pregnant, and whether he knows who the father is.
People vs. Rozat Sabich[]
Tommy questions Rusty whether he knows Carolyn's father, but he answers no. When Tommy asks Rusty for a paternity test, Rusty leaves the room. Later, when Rusty tries to leave, Tommy asks for a paternity test from him, and he gets a warrant.
Sometime after, Rusty confronts Herbert about a failed piece of evidence; Tommy vents the situation to Nico, who tells him to keep a level head and follow the facts, not his emotions.
The day after a warrant is issued, Tommy is confronted by Rusty over it, but Tommy defends his choice, stating that Rusty served warrants at dusk and puts him on administrative leave.
As Nico holds a press conference concerning Carolyn's case, Tommy stands beside him.
Raymond would indirectly mention Tommy and Nico during his conversation with his wife.
On the day of Rusty's arraignment, Tommy introduces himself as the prosecutor to Judge Lyttle and his associate district attorney, Nico. After the court session, Tommy and Nico confront Raymond, who brushes off the two.
Discovery[]
Tommy reprimands Rigo in his office for assisting Rusty in visiting Liam Reynolds in prison. Although Rigo defensively argues her case and the repercussions on the off chance that he decides to fire her, Nico escorts her out of his office.
A few key points against the prosecutor's side are mentioned during the pre-trial hearing of Rusty's trial. Those were how Raymond was listed as a witness in the case as a form of obstruction, Rusty's therapist Dr. Liz being asked to testify. Finally, how the prosecutor withheld evidence as they argued it was for analyzing purposes.
During a meeting with Nico at a bar, Nico suggests they drop the obstruction charge and focus on the murder charge against Rusty. Tommy disagrees, which leads Nico to call out Tommy's two complexes, which makes him so vindictive against Rusty.
Eventually, Tommy listened to a voicemail message left by Rusty on Carolyn's phone, which he psyched himself up over.
The Burden[]
At the courthouse, Tommy has Herbert practice his testimony on Rusty's case, much to Herbert's annoyance. However, he does promise to deliver the paper he wants.
Later that day, Eugenia confronts Tommy over being called to be a witness for the trial against Rusty. Although Tommy defends his choice, Eugenia holds it against him. Tommy then heads into the meeting room, where he talks to Michael and his father, Dalton, over the picture evidence that Michael took of his mother's house. The meeting is proven to be fairly valuable since Michael notes that his mother held resentment toward Rusty, as Carolyn claimed she was angry at a person she was working with.
At the courthouse, Tommy is confronted by Nico over having Eugena as a witness and how Raymond wants to hold a meeting with them, likely to strike a plea deal. Nico believes that Raymond thinks he has them by the balls, but Nico claims Raymond doesn't have his, and when he asks Tommy whether he has his, he denies it.
Eventually, Herber delivers the paper that Tommy wants, and he thanks Herbert for that.
On the day Raymond visits the DA office, Raymond tries to negotiate a plea deal with Nico and Tommy, but Tommy shows Raymond incriminating Rusty for Carolyn's murder. The evidence was Rusty's skin found under Carolyn's fingernails.
Pregame[]
While reviewing photographic evidence in his office, Eugenia confronts Tommy about being the first witness in Rusty's upcoming trial. Tommy defends his choice and mentions the possibility that she has feelings for Rusty, which Eugenia curses and leaves his office.
He recollects asking Carolyn why she doesn't want to work with him, but Nico snaps him out of it. Nico talks to him about Liam, who has a plausible connection to his case. However, Tommy dismisses that notion, citing that Liam is in prison and that they must focus on the case at hand.
While exiting the courthouse, Tommy is swarmed by the press, asking him about the case of Carolyn's death. Initially, Tommy brushes them off, but after a reporter about the appropriate measure of justice, he goes on a pompous rant about how the justice system fails the Commonwealth. This would later be discussed with Nico in his office, and to his own defense, Tommy claimed it was to formulate a strong will and respect from the jury.
Tommy watches a newscast about the trial from his office the night before. The next day, Tommy gives his opening statement to the jury.
The Elements[]
Tommy listens to Herbert's testimony concerning Herbert's testimony surrounding the injuries that caused Carolyn's death. Despite being told by Nico not to perform a re-direct on Herbert's testimony after Raymond's cross-examination. This creates a great opportunity for Raymond as he triggers Herbert's resentment. After the trial, Nico rebukes Tommy about this, but Tommy defends his actions and downplays Herbert's position in the trial.
The next day, Tommy questions the forensic pathologist Jeremy Buck, about his opinions on the skin and saliva DNA found on Carolyn's body. He noted that the rope was peculiar as no DNA was found on the item out of everything there. During Raymond's cross-examination, he raises the possibility of an alternative by the name of Liam. Tommy objects to it, and Judge Lyttle sustains and calls the two over to the side and instructs Raymond about his proposal.
During Tommy's questioning of Eugenia, he forces her to testify that she had prior knowledge about Rusty's affair with Carolyn. After Mya's cross-examination of Eugenia, where the witness testified that an HR report was filed on Tommy. However, Tommy tries to pacify the blow against him in his re-direct by asking if she witnessed him doing anything that was on the HR report, which she testifies she hasn't. He followed up by asking if she had witnessed Rusty and Carolyn doing things that violated the HR terms, and she confirmed that she had.
After this case, Tommy takes a train home, and upon arriving there, he's greeted by his cat. At their home, Raymond and Lo talk about how they pitty Tommy.
In Judge Lyttle's room, Judge Lyttle talks about rejecting Michael's dismissal from testifying, but requests that they go easy on him. She continues proposing a manslaughter charge against Rusty, but Tommy and Rusty reject it.
The next day, Tommy questions Tommy, and after that, Raymond tries to give his cross-examination; he has a heart attack.
The Witness[]
In the waiting room of the hospital where Raymond was admitted, Tommy apologizes to Lo. Later, he assures Nico that everything is going well despite Nico's disapproval.
The next day, Tommy and the other court members meet in Judge Lyttle's chambers, where they discuss how they'll proceed. It's decided that Rusty will represent himself.
Outside the Judge's chambers, Dalton yells at both Nico and Tommy that Michael has to now be cross-examined, by his mother's supposed murder. Still, Nico and Tommy assure him that all will go well.
On the day Michael was set to be cross-examined by Rusty, Tommy briefly interacted with Rusty in the bathroom. After this, Tommy witnesses Rusty cross-reference Michael, where he tries to implicate him or Dalton in Carolyn's murder. This caused an uproar in the court, and that night in the DA's office, Nico insisted he take over Rigo's testifying in the case. Tommy reluctantly agreed and watched as Nico handled it and Rusty cross-examined her.
Standing in a room with an informal wall of achievements, Tommy recalls when Carolyn had an achievement posted there, and he congratulated her for it.
The following day, when Judge Lyttle asks if the prosecutors have any more witnesses to call, Tommy answers that they do, and it's Rusty. Judge Lyttle then calls the two sides into her chambers, and there, she sides with Tommy on his decision to call Rusty to testify.
On the day that Rusty testified, Tommy grilled Rusty about several subjects. He starts with his relationship with Carolyn, his obsession with her, how he beat up Brian Ratzer, and finally assaulted Herbert. This earned him Nico's praise.
Upon returning home that night, Tommy found his home was broken into, and the murder weapon was on his kitchen table with a note that read, "Go fuck yourself".
The Verdict[]
As a forensic team takes evidence from his home, Tommy holds his cat and talks to Nico about how he suspects Rusty broke into his house and planted the murder weapon on his kitchen table. When Nico asks him if he's alright, Tommy answers no and goes upstairs to put his cat away.
The following day, in Judge Lyttle's chamber, a discussion is held on how to proceed now that the alleged murder weapon has been found. Although a mistrial is proposed by Judge Lyttle, Nico suggests against it.
Eventually, Tommy cross-examined a gastronomical expert and argued that the expert brought in was biased toward the defense.
On the day of closing arguments, Tommy argued that Rusty manipulated the case process using his influence as a former chief deputy prosecutor. He also shows pictures of Carolyn's corpse, claiming that only Liam or him could have put Carolyn in her compromised position, and ends it by having the jury look at Rusty. The man who committed Carolyn's murder.
The next day, Nico visits Tommy's office despite Nico suggesting he should leave for the day. He is fixated on the case, and just then, Eugenia enters the room and informs them that the jury has reached a verdict in the case.
Eventually, the verdict was that Rusty was proven innocent, and although depressed about his loss, claiming he failed Carolyn; however, Nico suggested that Tommy focus on other cases.
Tommy is finally seen in his house as the team he rooted for scored a touchdown.
Trivia[]
Gallery[]