In the city of Los Angeles,
the people are represented
by two separate yet equally important groups.
The police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Welcome, everybody.
And to my sweet baboo,
Happy Birthday.
- Thank you, baby. - Mmm.
- I love you - mwah, love you.
- To the Jack-man, and our new friends.
- You guys party on now.
- Cheers! - All right, cheers.
[Laughter]
I gotta go.
You girls just smile sexy.
Pose for a few photos.
They got a nice pool.
Pool sounds fun.
[Laughs]
- Going to a d-cup really paid off.
More personal appearances.
I'll pass.
I'm retiring.
Gonna sell my jewelry online.
Hey!
We're lighting the candles.
Picture time.
Then we can split.
I'll be right there.
Hm.
[Crashing and yelling]
[Yelling, grunting]
[Screaming]
[Yelling, grunting]
[Whimpering]
[Loud crash]
[Screaming]
Where's the other girl?
- Victims were battered to death.
Homeowners David and Chloe Schwab,
plus three party guests.
Who called it in?
- Neighbor dropped by with a birthday gift.
Door was open.
She said the Schwabs were nice, decent people.
Hope you guys had dinner.
Uh, there's four in here.
- Fifth one's out by the pool.
"Happy Birthday, David."
- Someone left a party favor.
Rubber grip.
Was a professional hit.
Whatever David wished for, it wasn't this.
Jewelry and cash were untouched.
- Killers were after a bigger payday.
Coke.
Looks like it came off a brick.
- Nice, decent people with a drug business on the side?
The five were murdered
at 1556 Appian Way
around 9:00 pm.
LAPD have no motive or suspects at this time.
Reporting live, Pam chow for NBC news.
- This thing already has a name,
"the appian way massacre."
- All that's missing is a theme song.
- The chief wants a report from me.
So?
- We think the killers were after a stash of coke
in the bedroom, at least a brick,
maybe more.
Homeowners were dealers?
- Nah, they don't seem the type.
Birthday boy David Schwab was a movie sound man,
his wife was stuntwoman.
Jeff and Betty reetz owned a tropical fish store.
All had clean records.
- Now the fifth guest, found at the pool.
Lacy Von has a conviction for cocaine possession,
she had two joints and 800 bucks in her purse.
- They could have made a one-off drug deal with the wrong crowd,
set themselves up for a rip-off.
- Follow the guest with the drug bust,
maybe she set up a connection.
Wanna show me?
Police, open up!
Lacy had a roommate.
- Looks like she left in a hurry.
This could be why.
Same pink hoodie was at the Schwab's house.
Maybe the roommate was at the party.
Witness that got away?
Killers tore through this place looking for her.
- We need to find her before they do.
Hey, look at this.
Blonde's Lacy, the redhead could be the girl in the hoodie.
In a wig, maybe?
Sasha janes.
Roommates and co-workers.
- That might explain the 800 bucks.
They were the paid entertainment.
- Lacy and Sasha might have been hired
for a personal appearance.
I wouldn't know.
Just terrible about Lacy.
I didn't realize Sasha was involved.
We need to find her.
You have any idea where she might have gone?
- Don't have any contact info
beyond Lacy's home and address.
- "Sasha janes," is that her legal name?
- I'm in a business that sells fantasy.
- Okay, how about the name on her paycheck?
- I'd have to ask accounting.
I gave everyone the day off.
The sets will go dark for 24 hours in tribute.
Touching.
But your accountant's gonna have to grieve another time.
- Sasha's real name is Erin Ann Graydon,
no record, she's been under contract for the past year
to velour pictures.
Any progress tracking down
where the Schwabs got their drugs?
- Nah, no leads from their phone records,
and we keep getting the same refrain from their friends.
Just nice, ordinary folks.
- According to her bank, Erin's been paying off
a mortgage at a residential property in Bakersfield
and her last atm withdrawal was yesterday at 6:00
at a Denny's off the maricopa exit on the 5.
- On the way to Bakersfield.
I'll call ahead, have the local pd meet you.
- We don't know where Erin is.
It's just us and our son Matt
living here now.
- Your daughter could be in trouble.
When was the last time you talked to her?
She called yesterday.
She said she's gonna take a break from work.
From work.
- Yeah, she's a jewelry designer.
She made these.
She does very well.
And she's helping you with your mortgage.
- Well, since Beth and me were laid off from the oil company.
Last year.
Erin's a good daughter.
Oh, I'm sure she is.
I'm sure she wouldn't want to put you in any danger.
I think you should leave.
- These people she's running away from,
they were at her apartment.
They will find her.
They might hurt you, your son,
if we don't help her.
[Sighs]
[Door opens]
Erin.
It's okay, dad.
You'll protect my family too?
Whatever we can do.
- Lacy and I were paid $800 each to hang out
at this guy's birthday party.
You know, just pose for photos,
nothing dirty.
His wife knew our friend Jackie from their martial arts class.
I was outside by the pool
and his wife came out and said it was time
to sing "Happy Birthday"
and Lacy went in.
And then I heard screaming.
It was horrible, and then Lacy
stumbled out, covered in blood
and I just ran.
- Did you see the intruders?
No, I just saw shadows.
And the sounds...
It was like a nightmare, you know?
I didn't even know these people.
- Did you know there were drugs stashed at the house?
No.
They seemed totally straight.
Lacy asked if she could light up a joint
and they asked her not to.
Why? Was this about drugs?
- We think the killers were there to rip off the stash.
You and Lacy were in the wrong place, wrong time.
[Cries] God.
Jackie too.
- Your fried Jackie was at the party?
- Yeah, he was the one that got us the job,
but he had to leave early.
How early?
Just before the cake.
He keeps calling me but I haven't called him back.
When was the last time?
- He just left a video on my friendspace page.
Hey, girl.
Call me.
Are you okay?
I gotta know that you're alive.
- We need you to reach out to Jackie, okay?
- Why, you think Jackie had something
to do with the murders?
He's just an actor. - We're gonna find out.
You need to call him
from your parent's landline, all right?
- If I use their landline, he'll see the caller I.D.
He'll know where I am.
No, I can't help you.
- You have to trust us, Erin.
We're not gonna let you or your family get hurt.
Okay?
- So we're gonna have him pulling up to the house.
Two white males in a vehicle.
Here we go.
[Speaking native language]
All right.
What the hell?
- Police! - Put the guns down!
- Put your guns down right now!
Put them down now!
- Put your guns on the ground right now!
Put them down!
- Do not move. - We don't move.
- Oh, sure, now they listen.
The People ask for bail one million each.
These defendants are members of the Armenian power gang.
They face sentencing under three strikes
and they were arrested trying to kill a witness
to the appian way murders.
- They were on their way
to a party to celebrate Armenian independence.
But be that as it may,
they will post whatever bond your honor decides.
- I decide $1 million, Mr. Abel.
Next.
No deals, Mr. Abel.
I wanna see a jury piss themselves
when they hear that "lost in Bakersfield" story.
- You want a trial, that's fine.
My clients aren't concerned.
- Their boss, Mike Sarkissian,
he must be concerned or else he wouldn't be here.
Isn't that right, Mr. Sarkissian?
Forget it, Brandon.
Don't waste your time talking to the help.
- Great, Armenian power solidarity.
- How did a nice, middle-class couple
like the Schwabs get involved with those guys?
- Their buddy Jackie Lee probably helped them
buy the drugs, then double-crossed them
and set them up for a rip-off.
- He definitely helped the Armenians find our witness.
- We need to tie the Armenians to appian way.
Jackie Lee can connect the dots.
- Well, that guy fell off the grid.
- Well, we know he has one friend.
Or used to.
- I told you, I didn't see anyone's face.
You know, I can't believe Jackie
had anything to do with the murders.
I thought I knew who to trust.
- We know this isn't easy.
- I guess it's not gonna help anything,
me turning into a basket case.
- No, we need you to think of any place
Jackie could go.
A friend's, lover's.
- He used to have a boyfriend in palm Springs.
Um, Larry something.
- Larry? All right, that's a good start.
How you sleeping?
How's the food?
That's one of the benefits of protective custody,
all the bad takeout you can stand.
[Chuckles]
You sound like my mother.
In a good way.
It's not so bad.
Gives me time to work on my jewelry.
I was in films for the money,
you know, to help out my parents.
It's not, like, my career.
- It's okay. It's not a big deal.
- Yeah, I don't know why
I felt like I needed to explain myself to you just now.
I don't wanna be scared.
- Jackie made calls on his cell
to a Larry hauser in palm Springs.
I'll see you later.
What?
You drive.
- I don't know where Jackie is
and I don't care.
You find that little neurotic pip,
he owes me 95 bucks.
He tracked dog mess on my sisal.
- When's the last time you heard
from Jackie, Mr. hauser?
Not long enough ago.
- How about the last time you saw him?
[Sighs]
Couple of weeks ago, Sunday.
Jackie takes a shuttle down from L.A.
Crashes here.
The usual.
But this time, he asked to borrow my car
to run an errand.
He's gone for three hours.
I figured he found himself another daddy.
How'd you figure that?
I tracked the GPS.
Some swank address in palm desert.
I Google map the aerial,
tennis courts.
I'm sure Jackie makes a wonderful ball boy.
- Looks like Jackie traded up.
Hola.
Habla ingles?
Are the owners home? - No, nobody home.
What happened?
Uh, break in.
Furniture broke. - When was this?
Uh, two weeks ago, Sunday.
943 mesa Grande drive.
Officers respond to a security alarm,
place is in shambles.
Somebody even defecated on the master bed.
- Who is the homeowner? - A Ms. Eileen gold.
She didn't want to make a report,
her son showed up with a lawyer.
Threatened to sue if the officers didn't leave.
- Her son? - Michael Sarkissian.
He said it's a family matter.
Why?
You guys got a suspect? - Uh, we do.
- We need palm Springs to put a bolo out on Jackie Lee.
This is his license.
We also need a warrant on the gold house.
Fingerprints, drug dogs, the works.
- We had this backwards. - Mm-hm.
- Sarkissian stashed the coke at his mom's house.
Jackie and the Schwabs ripped him off.
- And Sarkissian tracked Jackie down,
Jackie saved his own skin
by giving up his accomplices.
- And setting them up for the kill.
Moral of the story, don't mess with Sarkissian.
- Well, burglary's got a search warrant
for the gold house and the works,
and it turns out your suspect Jackie Lee's
already in our system.
Three arrests for drunk and disorderly.
Last time we picked him up, he was threatening patrons
at a nightclub with a samurai sword.
First two arrests
he was bailed out by his boyfriend Larry.
The third time by Adam Brennan...
Of velour pictures.
Yeah, I paid Jackie's bail.
He's my actor.
In his prime, there was no one more unique.
The Bruce Lee of porn.
He's also a material witness
to five murders.
- You think a sword-wielding porn star's bad publicity,
you ain't seen nothing yet.
I don't wanna fight.
Jackie called me yesterday.
He was in a panic.
Said people were after him.
I thought he was just being paranoid.
Told him he could crash at one of the sets I'm not using.
Jackie Lee?
It's the police!
- I guess set design isn't the point.
- Yeah, I think the idea is you're watching the women.
Yeah? Like Erin?
Is that the appeal? She's a porn star?
- So you're my dad now.
So much for a happy ending.
- The Armenians beat us to Jackie Lee?
Looks like it.
Palm Springs pd searched Sarkissian's mother's house.
They found slugs in a basement shooting range.
They match the slugs pulled from Jackie's body.
- Now the downside- no gun was recovered there
or at the mom's house
and nothing to tie the Schwabs to the break-in in palm Springs.
- In other words, nothing that ties Sarkissian
to the appian way murders.
Except motive.
More than we had yesterday.
That and the slugs gets you
an arrest warrant for Sarkissian.
All right.
- So this is over now, I can go home?
- Well, that will depend on the D.A.'S office.
They'll be in touch with you.
- You don't sound so scared anymore.
- Seeing that guy's face on tv,
knowing he killed my friend,
I'm angry now.
I'd like to see my parents.
We can arrange that.
Anything else?
No.
You've been great.
Thanks.
Your job- all that stuff you see,
it must be hard to sleep.
Yeah.
Sometimes. - You ready?
- We'll, uh, check about your parents.
Take care of yourself.
[Scoffs]
What?
- I'm all for hand-holding a witness,
but take it easy.
I know that look, tj.
What do you have in mind for this girl?
- You're asking me my intentions?
I don't know, maybe after the trial
I'll take her out for dinner.
- Really? You can wait that long?
Screw this traffic.
[Siren wails] Let's make up some time.
- This girl, I don't know about her whole
"wrong place, wrong time" act.
She could be in on the drug bust-
- you're nuts, you are jealous!
- Look, you wanna burn yourself,
that's your business, but do not burn this case.
The arrest of Mike Sarkissian today
is the first step to neutralizing the Armenian power mafia.
My office will not rest until his whole network of murderers,
drug dealers, extortionists, and pimps
are behind bars for good.
Thank you very much.
- Reporting live, Pam chow for nb-
- Sarkissian was just a punk when I was a cop.
He's come up in the world.
And his lawyer is top notch.
Every link of our evidentiary chain
has to be unassailable. Where are we weak?
- We can prove Jackie Lee ripped off the house in palm Springs,
but we can't prove the Schwabs were a part of it.
- Despite the fact that drugs were stashed in their house.
- Palm Springs pd found Jackie Lee's prints
in the Sarkissian house but not the Schwabs' prints.
- So we put them in palm Springs another way.
Phone records, GPS.
- Just put them there before the preliminary hearing.
- Lots of calls to and from the Schwab home
that Sunday morning.
Nothing after 1:00 P.M.
And no incoming or outgoing calls to their cells.
[Tapping on keyboard]
No credit card charges that put them in palm Springs.
Here's a charge for that Sunday
on Chloe Schwab's card
to the angel of mercy er.
An injury during the break-in?
Yeah, I remember her.
It was a kitchen accident.
She reached into a dishwasher
and cut her thumb on a knife.
Six stitches.
- Do you remember anything Mrs. Schwab might have said?
- She asked for a latex glove.
She was worried about getting saltwater in the wound.
- She was going to the beach?
- No, sailing-she and her husband had plans
to go on a friend's boat off marina del rey-
[text alert beeps] Oh, sorry, excuse me.
- Well, unless they found a way to sail to palm Springs,
they didn't do the break-in.
- Sailing from 2:00 till 6:00 in the afternoon is confirmed
by the marina's harbor master.
Nice of you to tell us.
It's Brady material.
We had no choice.
- And now you have no case.
If the victims didn't break into my client's house,
they had no reason to kill them.
- Just because they weren't in palm Springs
doesn't mean they weren't involved.
The police recovered 5 ounces of coke
from the Schwab residence.
- And you can prove that it once belonged to my client?
That's a neat trick.
- We still have a case for the murder of Jackie Lee.
The slugs in his body are consistent
with a Smith & Wesson 9 millimeter.
The same kind of gun registered to Mr. Sarkissian.
- Smith & Wesson, ladysmith?
Look, I'm gonna shoot somebody,
it's not gonna be with a lady's gun.
- That gun, which my client
bought his mother for protection,
was stolen in the break-in in the palm Springs house.
A copy of the insurance report.
- What, you didn't put in the claim
for the cocaine, Mr. Sarkissian?
Let's go.
You'll never get past the prelim.
- We know Jackie did the break-in.
We know there was coke at the Schwab house.
One plus one should equal two.
- Unless Jackie wanted it to look like
they stole the cocaine.
- He set them up to be killed?
There's no evidence of bad blood between them.
What about the girls?
Didn't Jackie arrange to have them be at the party?
- When Jackie told me about the party,
I'd just gotten laid off.
Velour pictures is in some kind of trouble.
I couldn't turn down a job. - He invited you and Lacy?
Actually, just me.
I asked him if I could bring Lacy along.
I thought I was doing her a favor.
What?
- Erin, can you think of any reason why
Jackie might've wanted you killed?
- Me? No.
Why is he asking me that?
You said it was just bad luck I was at that party.
Uh, maybe it wasn't.
- Jackie and I don't even know each other that well.
- Is there anything else in your life you've had trouble with?
A boyfriend, drugs?
No, I don't do drugs.
I hate them, what they do to people.
My ex-boyfriend Joe was a drug addict
and I didn't know at first
and I tried to get him to go to rehab,
but he said no, so I had to walk away.
- When was the last time you were in touch with Joe?
A few weeks ago.
He left me a voicemail. It was weird.
He said he hoped I was happy, but his voice was mean.
- Erin couldn't handle my...Lifestyle.
- What lifestyle's that, Joe? Heroin?
Erin told us you're an I.V. Drug user.
- Yeah, well, she's a hypocrite,
if you wanna know the truth. Judging me?
She does porn,
so she's supposed to be okay with you being an addict?
- Hey, I never complained about what floats her boat.
- Yeah, what was the voicemail you left her, then?
- I just missed the sound of her voice.
- Well, the sound of your voice was threatening to her.
Two weeks later, someone tried to kill her!
Wasn't me.
I barely leave the apartment.
Because you're sick?
Ginger root, slippery elm, and anti-nausea treatments.
You HIV-positive, Joe?
- No. - The number one side effect
of anti-viral medication is nausea.
You have aids, don't you?
- No. - Did you tell Erin that?
I assume you two were having sex.
Does she know?
- That's none of your business.
I want you two to leave.
Hey.
Joe probably has aids,
which means Erin could be HIV-positive too.
- Not exactly a motive for murder.
- Maybe it isn't Joe that has the motive.
The same day he left a voicemail for Erin,
he called the head of velour pictures, Adam Brennan.
Three days later, Erin gets laid off.
Maybe it's because Joe told Brennan
that Erin might have aids.
- And that gets you a motive?
- Porn actors get mandatory HIV testing every month.
If Erin tested positive,
the health department gets alerted,
the porn industry shuts down.
- Right, it happened last year.
An actor tested positive,
the business shut down for six months.
- If Brennan thought Erin had aids,
he wouldn't want her to get tested.
His business is having financial problems,
he can't take another shutdown.
- Yeah, the test is mandatory.
There's only one way to avoid it.
By being dead.
- So Brennan got Jackie to set up
a drug hit by the Armenians
to obscure the fact that the real target was Erin?
- Yeah, he couldn't just kill her without raising suspicion.
It also means he probably killed Jackie
with the same gun Jackie stole from Sarkissian.
We have to tell Erin.
And we have to tell her she has to get an HIV test.
- W-w-wait, your theory's got too many moving pieces.
Before you talk to Erin or the D.A.,
find out what Brennan knew and when he knew it.
- I schedule the actors, so it's my job to make sure
their tests are up to date- HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea.
- And when was the last time Erin-
Sasha janes got tested?
Oh, let me check.
21 days ago. Negative.
She's due again in nine days.
- She mentioned being laid off her last...Film.
Do you know why?
- Mr. Brennan wanted to go in another direction-Asian.
- Did he ask you about Sasha's HIV test?
- A few days before he laid her off.
I said she was negative.
He asked me when her next test was,
then he wanted me to bag up her props.
Her props?
- The sex toys she used in the movie.
He had me send them to his office.
- Using the body fluid from her props,
Brennan could've had Erin tested for HIV
without her knowledge. - And more important,
without the department of health finding out.
Once she tested positive,
he had to get rid of her before her official test.
- Yeah, the test that would've closed down his business.
- Right, so Brennan got Jackie Lee
to set up the massacre on appian way.
- Erin's death was supposed to look like
collateral damage from a drug burn.
No motive tracing back to Brennan.
Interesting theory.
Tough to prove with Jackie dead.
And I doubt Sarkissian will cooperate.
- No, the first step is to confirm
that the intended victim is HIV-positive.
We'll take care of it.
- By the way, the intended victim has a name.
That can't be.
Joe and I were only together a few months.
- Did you have unprotected sex?
Oh, God.
I wasn't even looking for a boyfriend.
You know, everybody says in this business
being in love makes it too hard to work,
but...
I got lonely.
- No one's blaming you, Erin.
- So Mr. Brennan knew I was positive,
and he tried to have me killed?
- We're gonna take care of Brennan.
You know...
We didn't always use condoms on set.
I could've infected other people.
- All right, well, first things first,
you need to get tested.
So we'll set you up with a doctor-
it isn't fair.
I was ready not to be scared.
Not to be angry.
I thought after this trial was over
my real life was gonna start.
[Phone ringing]
Detective Jaruszalski.
Yeah?
Okay. Thank you.
[Phone slams]
- Erin graydon's test results came back.
She is HIV-positive.
- So now we go after Brennan.
The man killed five people.
- I went on camera and swore to take down
the Armenians for Appian Way.
- Brennan set the murders in motion.
- So get him to testify against Sarkissian.
- Well, he'll want a deal. He doesn't deserve one.
- You have no direct evidence against Sarkissian.
His people aren't talking.
Brennan's involvement is a godsend.
Use him to nail Sarkissian.
- Brennan should be the priority!
He's legally and morally culpable.
- Armenian power is responsible
for dozens of murders, drug deals, and extortions.
I promised Sarkissian's head on a platter.
Make a deal with Brennan.
- See if jo dekker's around.
- So my client had an actress tested, so what?
- It's a reason to have her killed,
to keep himself in business.
You condemned five people
to a brutal death because of greed.
And you had Michael Sarkissian do your heavy lifting.
- I've never even met Michael Sarkissian.
- I'm sure he'd love to meet you.
Once he hears you made a fool of him,
your life won't be worth much.
Unless...
We make sure that he's in prison.
- Okay. But it will cost you.
- Adam- - look, you guys want
Sarkissian locked up as much as I do.
The only question is:
Are you gonna play ball?
- We are. That's why Mr. dekker is here.
- I'm handling Mr. Sarkissian's trial.
And you'll be my witness.
[Whispering]
- My client wants full immunity
on all five appian way murders.
- And for the murder of Jackie Lee.
I'm not going down for that little queer.
Fine.
We'll agree to full immunity.
We'll begin prepping your testimony next week.
Good.
The jury will eat it up.
I'm a producer. That's what I do.
I manipulate idiots.
In between Jackie Lee and that ego-maniac Sarkissian,
it didn't take much.
Oh, and I want protective custody.
Not in some dump, either.
Four seasons.
Fine.
- Jackie Lee was one of my actors.
He owed me money.
He was a real druggie.
He told me an Armenian drug dealer he knew
said that Mike Sarkissian kept
a lot of coke in his palm Springs house.
- Mr. Sarkissian, the defendant?
- That's right. I knew the Armenian mob
had a rep for crazy violence,
so I hired Jackie to break into the house,
take the drugs, and trash the place.
I even told him to make it more personal
and relieve himself on Sarkissian's bed.
For what purpose?
To piss off Sarkissian.
So he would wanna kill the people
he thought were responsible.
Jackie said he would just pin it on
some goons he knew from martial arts.
- And you set this all in motion, why?
- I needed to get rid of one of my actresses.
Make it look like a drug murder.
So what was your plan?
- During one of the dummies' parties,
have Jackie leave the door open,
Sarkissian's goons break into the house,
take the drugs, kill everybody.
- Well, how do you know that the defendant was involved?
- I listened in on calls between Jackie and the defendant.
Sarkissian said he'd take care of it.
People's exhibit 11,
phone records showing the witness was conferenced in
on three separate phone calls
between Jackie and Mr. Sarkissian
the week before the murders were committed.
Nothing further.
Mr. Brennan...
The movies you make, the world you live in,
would it be fair to say that
some would consider the business you're in sleazy?
- Objection. Relevance.
- I'm sorry, I'd like to answer that.
I provide a service.
A service that I'm betting
everyone in this courtroom has used.
Yourself included, counselor.
I doubt it.
Isn't it true that you perjured yourself here today
implicating my client because Mr. dekker offered you
immunity on the six murders that you committed?
- I'm walking away, but I'm not lying.
No?
Sounds like you have a lot of motivation.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
- Mr. Brennan, did you agree to testify today
under a grant of immunity
because you were afraid we would convict you of murder?
- No. You have no case against me.
I was never afraid of you.
- But there is someone you are afraid of, isn't there?
Mr. Sarkissian.
You were afraid that once he found out
you used him to commit your murders,
your life would be in jeopardy.
Isn't that why you agreed to testify?
Right.
- And because that fear is real,
your testimony today is the truth, isn't it?
Right.
But Sarkissian is going to jail...
And I'm going into Witness Protection.
[Knocks]
- Guilty on all five counts.
The ball's in your hands now.
- Let's go break the news to Mr. Brennan.
Guilty, huh?
Told you I'd deliver.
You give people a narrative that's visceral,
that's what they respond to.
I hope you're here to thank me.
Not exactly.
What's this?
- Stand up, put your hands behind your back.
- We have a warrant for your arrest.
12 felony counts of aiding and abetting
unprotected sex with an HIV carrier.
- What? I have immunity for everything.
- Not for this. - Mr. dekker didn't tell you?
- You didn't inform Erin of her HIV status,
you let her work on an adult film set for 72 hours
without using a condom after you knew she had HIV.
That's criminal transmission of the HIV virus.
How's that for visceral?
- I'm all for creative prosecution,
but no one who wasn't actually having sex
has ever been convicted of criminal transmission.
So we get to work.
Next step is getting Erin's testimony.
- Testify? About what?
Like how many actors I did sex scenes with?
- We know you've been through a lot,
but we need you to do this.
- I'm not ashamed, but saying all that in open court,
I can't do that.
Maybe there's another way.
There isn't.
Erin, this is your only recourse
for justice for your friend Lacy.
And for you.
If Brennan is convicted on all counts,
he could get 26 years.
- I haven't told my parents what I do.
And now all their friends would know.
- We can help explain to your parents.
- Look, she doesn't wanna testify.
- Detective, can I see you outside?
You're bullying her.
- I invited you here because you have a rapport
with the witness, not to sandbag my case.
- We're just as bad as Brennan.
We used her as bait to get the Armenians,
now we're using her again.
- We're asking her to do the right thing.
- I want Brennan to go to jail, I do.
- We can't force you to testify.
End of the day, it's your decision.
- I don't know what's going on with you
and this witness. I don't wanna know.
- She's not a witness, she's a person.
She deserves to be treated that way.
[Door opens]
Erin has something to say.
It's okay.
I know this isn't just about me.
I started doing adult films a year ago
because I needed the money.
My parents couldn't pay their mortgage,
I don't have a college degree,
and I do okay acting-wise, but I'm no meryl streep.
- During the course of your work,
did you use condoms during sex scenes?
- Not usually. - Why not?
- Mr. Brennan said that condoms turn viewers off,
took them out of the fantasy,
and because we were tested for HIV every 30 days,
there was no risk. - And you believed him?
Yes.
He was my boss. I trusted him.
- We heard testimony from Joe stark,
your former boyfriend,
that he'd notified Mr. Brennan
that you'd been exposed to HIV
in a phone call on February 10th.
Were you told that you may be HIV-positive by Mr. Brennan
or anyone else from velour pictures?
- No. - When did Mr. Brennan
lay you off from the film that you were working on?
February 13th.
Three days later.
In those 72 hours,
how many different partners
did you perform sex scenes with?
Four.
And I did two group scenes with eight other performers.
Did you use condoms?
No.
- Now, had you been informed of your HIV status,
what would you have done?
- I would've stopped doing sex scenes.
I would've told my partners and acted responsibly.
That's what hurts
is that I might've infected other people
because Adam didn't tell me the truth.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Well, first off, miss graydon, let me say
I am so sorry for all you've been through.
But just to clarify,
you contracted HIV from a former boyfriend, correct?
Not from working at velour pictures?
- That's right. - And the number of times
you had sex for money for a film,
the kind of sex was your choice, wasn't it?
- Yes, but I wanted to do a good job for Mr. Brennan.
- But no one forced you or the other performers.
In fact, the more challenging the act,
the more partners you had,
the more money you were paid.
Is that right? - Yes.
I only agreed to do the scenes I was comfortable with.
- So opening your mouth, spreading your legs,
letting yourself be humiliated,
this was comfortable?
- I didn't think of it that way,
and I didn't feel that way.
- Well, so what about condoms?
Were you comfortable not using condoms?
- I would've preferred to use them.
Preferred?
But you didn't even use them
with your ex-boyfriend, the I.V. Drug user.
Objection.
Overruled.
- I didn't know he was an addict when we were having sex.
I made a mistake.
And I'm gonna be paying for that for my whole life.
I'm always gonna be sick.
And there are things I'll miss out on,
relationships and love.
- But you admit contracting HIV
was your fault.
Yes.
That was my fault.
- And the performers who had sex with you getting HIV
was a risk they assumed when they had sex for money
with a person like you.
With a person like me?
- A person who has unprotected sex in front of a camera,
who exhibits herself intimately for pay.
- But- - no more more questions.
- No, what you're doing right now is wrong.
Making me seem worthless, that's wrong.
And what Brennan did was wrong.
He knew I was sick and he didn't tell me.
He tried to kill me so he could keep making money.
He used me, but I am not worthless.
I'm not trash, I'm a person,
and I deserve to be treated like one.
- Miss graydon was having unprotected sex
with an I.V. Drug user.
It was her responsibility to get tested,
and to notify her fellow performers.
My client had no obligation, no duty
to inform her of her HIV status.
In fact, if not for my client laying her off,
miss graydon would have infected countless other performers
in the two weeks before her state-mandated test.
- Your honor, there was an implied obligation
when Mr. Brennan told his performers
that the state-mandated tests
were the only protection they needed.
Mr. Brennan's criminal intent is implicit in the fact
that he had miss graydon tested secretly.
And when her test came back positive, he fired her
without telling her or her coworkers
that she had aids.
His motive is clear.
He wanted to protect, to save his business, his wealth.
That he valued above the lives of those who worked for him.
Now we may make a judgment
about adult film actors.
We may even think they get what they deserve.
But these men and woman work legally,
they pay their rents,
they feed their children.
Every life has dignity.
Every life is worthy of protection.
And for that reason, Adam Brennan
should be prosecuted to the full extent
that the law allows.
I concur, Mr. morales.
The people have met their burden of proof.
The defendant will be held to answer for trial.
Let's talk.
- Yeah. - Yeah? All right.
- Thank you guys for coming.
Adam Brennan took a plea.
He'll serve just under 20 years.
Thank you.
- Your daughter's very brave.
- We'll be taking her home to Bakersfield for a while.
Good luck to you, Erin.
- I'll meet you in a minute.
- So you're ready for your new life?
Ready or not, right?
- You know, Bakersfield isn't such a long drive.
Yeah, it is.
I'll call you.
Let you know how I am.
Let's get out of here.