Ransom

Give me another.

I was here.

Good for you.

Hey, didn't I see you outside Wichita?

Fueling up off I-35?

Wasn't me, amigo.

- I came up 75. - Yeah?

Hauling what?

None of your business.

Hey.

It was a friendly question.

Then ask it to someone else.

We got some kind of problem here?

Starting to, yeah.

All I asked is what you were hauling.

Well...

Whoa, whoa, whoa. - I'm not answering.

Hey. Boys, hey. Hey...

So get out of my face.

- Get him.

Pinche cabrón.

I see you again, I'll kill you!

Settle down.

: I'll kill you! I'll kill you!

I'll kill you!

And you didn't know Lowell Schroeder before that night?

Never even got his name.

Carlos didn't mean it.

The threat.

I had a temper then.

It was the kind of thing that I'd say

when I was... pissed.

Right, but you did kill him.

Yeah.

Later that night.

The cops had a witness who said I came outside

- and jumped him in the parking lot. - Which meant

he was making good on the death threat,

which meant it was premeditated.

Which is why you're on death row.

And even though you admitted to killing him,

you didn't go outside looking to do it?

I was a brawler then, never denied that.

I was on my way back to my truck

when he jumped me.

I had just a little bit too much to drink that night.

And when the police came to our house

the next morning for Carlos,

he still had Lowell's blood on his hands.

And with no evidence to prove your side of things,

- it's an open-and-shut case. - Until now.

Um, this ransom letter you mentioned on the phone, do you have it?

Yeah.

Like I said, whoever sent this...

said they have evidence that can get Carlos off death row.

For $500,000.

"I have proof that Carlos

was defending himself."

Meaning he wasn't making good on the death threat.

If the killing wasn't premeditated,

they can't execute him. It's not a capital crime.

$500,000. Do you have that kind of money?

Nowhere close.

You have any idea what this evidence might be?

No, man. No clue.

But if it is true,

it could save Carlos's life.

And, if we can prove self-defense,

maybe the charge gets dropped down

to manslaughter and Carlos gets out on time served.

But if it's not real, if it's just some criminal

looking to extort us, we wasted what little money

we have left on nothing but a prayer.

Stop thinking like that.

This is why we found Mr. Beaumont.

Let's hear what he has to say.

You want to know if I think you should buy this evidence?

And you need to decide fast.

'Cause there is something else.

They just signed my death warrant.

I'm being executed in 48 hours.

Morning.

Good morning.

The, uh... kitchen sink's backed up.

Uh, if I find a plumber, you think you could let him in?

Hmm. Depends when, sis.

- Got somewhere to be today. -

Oh, a job interview?

Meeting my parole officer.

Right.

Okay, well, uh...

don't worry about the sink.

I'll see you when I get back.

Morning. - Hey, hey, Zara. Morning.

Sorry, I would've invited you inside to wait, but...

It's the maid's day off?

Oh, hey, Eric. Morning.

Good morning.

Are you up to speed on Carlos Perez?

We're on his case pro bono.

Yeah, I read the police report.

A bar full of people heard Carlos

make that death threat.

He's lost four appeals over ten years,

the Supreme Court just denied him leave.

So even if we do negotiate for the evidence

on the off chance that it leads somewhere,

- can we deploy it? - It could be possible

to get an emergency stay,

pending a petition for executive clemency.

According to his trial history,

he's changed legal counsel several times.

So who's Carlos's lawyer now?

Actually... his wife, Donna.

Carlos had all these public defenders

but none who really believed in him.

So you went to law school.

You mind sealing this?

I'm contacting everyone on the governor's staff

in case we need to reach her.

Took as many night classes as I could and with...

the help of student loans, we made it work.

And even with all that debt, you still managed

to get money for this evidence?

Fourth mortgage on the house.

- Wow. - If Mr. Beaumont could get him down

on price, I have about $100,000.

I mean, he's very good at that. But, Donna...

You don't believe us, either.

No, it's not that.

But the odds of new evidence changing anything, it's...

You sound just like Carlos.

Afraid to hope.

Like he doesn't deserve it.

Look...

I know that he made some mistakes when he was younger,

but he is a good man.

He's been a father to his son,

got his GED.

They write each other every day.

He helps him with his homework.

If Carlos dies...

It's him.

Hello?

Do you have the $500,000?

First, we have a few questions.

Don't be alarmed, my name is Eric Beaumont.

I'm a private negotiator hired by Donna.

They think I'm lying? Then don't pay.

Nobody's saying that.

However, you're asking for a great deal of money.

How can we decide to pay if we don't know

specifically what evidence you have?

What I have shows the man on death row

didn't start the fight outside the bar that night.

How did you come to possess this evidence?

Let's just say I have it because I'm a Good Samaritan...

who's done answering questions.

All I'm trying to do is gather enough information

to recommend to my client that she pay you.

You help me do that, and you'll get your money.

Sir?

Watch the tape from October 3... carefully.

I'll call back in six hours.

You said that he would get his money.

- I don't have anywhere near the 500. - I know. I know.

But if he's emotionally invested in this deal, he's more likely

- to take less. He's volatile.

Coming forward, wasn't easy for him.

Maybe because hiding evidence is an obstruction of justice.

If he's been sitting on whatever this is,

he probably wants to stay out of trouble.

You know what he meant by "the tape of October 3"?

It was the night of the murder.

He must mean the security footage.

The bar only had one cam in 2009,

and-and I've... I've looked at it.

There's nothing to see.

Oh, he's saying there is.

Get ahold of Zara and Cynthia.

When they land, they should go to that bar

and make sure all the tapes were handed over.

We'll go over the original tapes in State's evidence.

You don't have them, do you, Donna?

No. Not anymore, and given

the district attorney is Heidi Ambrose,

it's not gonna be easy to access them.

Okay.

Your staff

explained why we're asking for State's evidence

against Carlos Perez?

Yes, but unfortunately,

there's nothing to be found which will help him.

And given his numerous legal proceedings,

Mr. Perez has had plenty of chances to review that evidence.

Due process has been followed.

We don't dispute that.

I'm a negotiator, Ms. Ambrose,

looking for information to help us decide whether

to negotiate. That's all.