Bull

Thanks for picking me up from work.

No problem.

Do me a favor, little brother.

Pull over up there. I need to cash my paycheck.

You think it's still open? It's kind of late.

Trust me, it's open.

Just pull over.

And wait in the car.

Just drive, man. Just go.

What are you doing? Go fast.

You okay?

Just drive, man.

Just drive.

Dad, these expire today.

It's fine, honey.

Come on.

I wouldn't feed you spoiled meat.

Mom told me you used to cut mold off food and eat around it.

Well, maybe when I was a kid.

And I turned out okay, didn't I?

Kristen, the door!

Afternoon, ma'am.

We're looking for George Brown.

I think you must have the wrong house.

Nobody named George Brown lives here.

George Brown?

Are you addressing me?

My name's James Grayson.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right, Mr. Grayson.

Mix-ups happen all the time. Could I trouble you

to come down to the local police station with us

so we can clear this up?

I was barbecuing out back.

- I mean, is this important? - Actually, we have

an arrest warrant for George Brown

for a murder in Staten Island.

Thing is, all the authorities involved think he lives here.

I think they think he's you.

Pretty sure you're gonna want to come with us and clear this up.

Look, I-I don't know what's going on,

but he's not George Brown.

He's Jim Grayson. James Grayson.

Ma'am, I'd like you to lower your voice and back up.

Mr. Grayson, you have a nice family here.

You live in a nice neighborhood.

Don't make me come back with sirens and lights and...

Let's just clear this up.

Are you sure they know

we're just here to file a motion?

We've been sitting here over an hour.

Yeah, I've spoken to everybody.

They all know why we're here.

The next arraignment is for George Brown.

The defendant doesn't have a lawyer. Mr. Colón.

Would you be so kind

as to stand in for Mr. Brown's arraignment?

I love the way they make it sound like you have a choice.

Yeah.

I'd be, uh, happy to, Your Honor.

Okay, uh...

any family members here for George Brown?

I'm his wife.

I didn't know judges could just assign lawyers like that.

Are you our lawyer now?

No. No, I'm just standing in

until your husband gets his own attorney.

We only have a few minutes

to try to argue bail.

Is your husband employed?

If so, where?

Uh, what's your family life like? Does he have any friends?

Yes. He owns a restaurant.

He's a devoted father. We have three kids.

He's in a bowling league. What else can I tell you?

We just need to establish that he has roots in the community.

They want to make sure he's not a flight risk.

So, the police arrested your husband

after looking for this murderer for 18 years?

Mrs. Grayson, it doesn't seem

like the kind of thing they would do baselessly.

I don't know what to tell you.

I haven't slept for two days.

I just want my husband to come home.

Look, my kids just want their dad to come home.

Are you my lawyer?

For the purpose of this brief hearing.

How bad is it?

It's pretty bad.

You're being charged with a count of felony murder.

You're looking at 25 years to life.

But all I did was drive a car.

Please state your name for the court record.

George Brown.

How do you plead?

Your Honor, we'd like to enter a plea of not guilty.

George Brown is a family man, father of three,

community volunteer,

small business owner,

and he employs seven people in New Jersey.

Your Honor, 18 years ago,

George Brown was the getaway driver

in a robbery at a Fast Cash Express check cashing store.

His coconspirator and older brother,

Richard Brown, held up a 25-year-old man

by the name of Kirk Getty at gunpoint.

He tied him up, gagged him,

and Mr. Getty asphyxiated to death.

The older Mr. Brown stole $8,000 and fled the scene of the crime.

George Brown drove the getaway vehicle.

Police arrested Richard, or Rick,

a short while later.

He was captured on tape calling George

to tell him where the stolen money was hidden

and to take the money and flee.

And apparently started a new life as Jim Grayson.

- Did you know he had a brother? - No. No. No.

George Brown has been a fugitive from justice

for 18 years, Your Honor.

His fingerprints,

lifted from the gun used in the robbery,

were in the system

and finally flagged in New Jersey a few days ago.

He's clearly a flight risk.

And that is why we are strenuously requesting

that the Court deny Mr. Brown bail.

So ordered.

The defendant is remanded into custody.

I'm so sorry.

So, what happens now?

Now you need to find a good criminal lawyer,

someone who knows their way around felony murder.

And where do we find one of those?

When I get back to my office, I'll e-mail you a few names.

And what about the two of you?

Have you ever defended someone charged with felony murder?

Yes.

And did you win?

Yes.

So why don't we start with you.

After the fantastic job we just did for you here?

Apparently, he's been making them look like fools

for almost 20 years.

I don't think Johnnie Cochran could have gotten him off.

We own a restaurant.

We can pay you.

Just meet with him.

Listen to his side of the story.

And then if it's not for you...

I'll give him ten minutes.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

This is my boss, Dr. Jason Bull.

Your wife wanted us to meet with you,

hear your story, and see if we might

want to be of help to you.

How's she doing?

About as well as can be expected

given that after ten years of marriage,

she just found out she doesn't really know you.

She doesn't know your real name.

You want to tell us how you got here?

It's not much of a story.

I was 18 years old.

My older brother had a DUI,

so I was driving him home from work.

He was a janitor.

2:00 to 10:00 at the mall.

He said he wanted to go to this check cashing place.

Did you go inside?

I think I actually fell asleep in the car waiting.

I had no idea he was planning on robbing the place.

And what happened after that?

Right after? A lot of nothing.

Went about my life. I went to school the next day.

Came home. He wasn't there.

Figured he was at work.

But then I went to pick him up, and he never came to the car.

He was under arrest?

Turns out he had gagged

the guy behind the counter,

but couldn't tie the gag with his gloves on,

so he took them off.

Once they had his prints, it was all over.

And they picked him up at the mall.

I, of course, knew none of this.

Finally, Rick calls me a couple days later from jail.

Tells me where the money is. Tells me to take it and run.

So, if all you did was drive the car,

and if you didn't even know what your brother did

when he was inside the check cashing store,

why did he tell you to run?

Why didn't you go to the authorities,

tell them your story?

Rick told me the public defender told him

they were about to put out a warrant for my arrest.

They were convinced we were in it together.

Something called a joint venture.

Ah. In which case,

even though you were only the getaway driver,

in the eyes of the law,

you're as guilty as the person who held the gun.