Thursday October 17, 1996
OU02
During Miriam's opening statement, she contends that Sharon was a spurned lover who killed Van Allan in a fit of rage because he forced her to have an abortion when she became pregnant with his child. Upon hearing this revelation, Jimmy requests an immediate recess because he is "indisposed".
During the recess, Jimmy asks Sharon if Miriam was correct about the pregnancy and abortion, and severely chastises her for not telling him about it. She tells him that she couldn't tell anyone, because killing her baby was the worst thing she had ever done. Later, Jimmy tells Justine that this statement convinces him that Sharon isn't guilty.
After court adjourns for the day, the defense team meets back at the office and discusses the effect of the revelation of Sharon's abortion on Juror #6, a devout Catholic. They begin looking for information to get him disqualified.
Jimmy and Frank meet with Terry Philbrick, a dirty tricks operative inside the Garfield campaign. For a $25,000 payment, he offers to testify that he overheard Garfield say that the only way to beat Van Allan is to kill him.
Jimmy finds out that his office has been bugged and sends Frank off to warn Philbrick. Frank is too late -- Philbrick is found dead in his hotel room
Jimmy's plans to introduce Laura to his mother over dinner go awry when Frances leaves abruptly after discovering that Laura works at a bank that Dietrich controls. After she leaves, Jimmy explains that his father was a labor organizer who took a payoff from Dietrich when the Wyler family ran into financial difficulties. His father died suddenly soon afterwards, and Frances claims he was murdered by Dietrich.
francklloyd
Editor