May 16, 2005 Transcript
"You Could Throw the Case"

Ric: There is a very short list of people that Sonny would go to prison for. Ok, Carly is one of them, Jason maybe, Mike, his father --

Reese: What?

Ric: I can't believe I didn't see this before. It's obvious -- Sonny would do anything to protect his children. And the person who was hurt most by A.J., the person who was in the hospital --

Reese: Leave it alone, Ric. You have a confession.

Ric: No, what I have, Reese, is a lie from a father who is desperate to save his son. Michael did it, didn't he? Michael killed A.J. That's why Sonny confessed. Because he's trying to shield his son from the burden of that guilt.

Reese: It's dangerous to jump to conclusions.

Ric: That's all you've got to say? Huh? Fine. Fine, all right, I'll get confirmation from Sonny. I know what you're doing, Sonny. You confessed to A.J.’s murder because you're trying to protect the real killer -- Michael.

Sonny: Don't let your imagination get the best of you.

Ric: I don't think it is, Sonny. Sonny, why else would Michael conveniently be in A.J.’s room having witnessed Carly put the pillow over his face? Why would you all of a sudden just confess to A.J.’s murder? You're protecting your son. I understand that, ok, but Michael was the one who killed A.J.

Sonny: Do you hear yourself? Michael's a 9-year-old little boy, Ric.

Ric: Yes, a 9-year-old little boy who was confused and traumatized. Does that tell you something?

Sonny: You're letting Reese lead you down the wrong path. She's the one doing the protecting.

Ric: Sonny --

Sonny: Now, it's not common knowledge, but I'm going to let you in on something, ok? Reese and I, we've been -- we've been sleeping together the last few months.

Ric: Oh, I see. Well, congratulations, but what does that have to do with anything?

Sonny: Well, what I'm telling you is Reese will say and do anything to get me out of here and get back in bed with her, because we were -- you know, it was good. You know what I mean? Ok, you made up this crazy theory about Michael to keep me close. Well, you might as well give it up because it's not going to happen, ok? Tell Ric the truth; stop lying. Tell him that Michael did not kill anyone.

Sonny: Do it, Reese. Tell Ric the truth -- that all you are, all you've ever been to me is a fed. I knew that you wanted me and I used that attraction to get you to cover what I did to A.J., but you know what? You might as well come clean now because it's done. I have no further use for you, so there's no use in lying anymore.

Reese: I'm not lying -- about you or anything else.

Sonny: You see what's going on here now, don't you, Ric? Huh? She doesn't want me to go to prison, so she came up with an alternate killer.

Ric: I see.

Sonny: A little boy who's confused, scared, can't defend -- Michael didn't kill A.J. I killed him, Ric.

Ric: Ok, Sonny, why don't you tell me about that?

Sonny: The murder? You want me to tell you about the murder? I'll tell you about the murder, ok? Like I said before, ok, I walked into A.J.’s room, ok, picked up a pillow, and I -- I put it over that sick freak's face until he was good and dead. But I got to be honest with you. My imagination got the best of me. I wished that he wasn't immobilized because I -- I wanted to feel him struggle for the last breath that I took from him. But it didn't matter anyway because he was dead. That's all that counted. All right? So I walked out of A.J.’s room, never looked back. A.J. was long gone before Carly or Michael walked into that room.

Ric: Ok, Sonny, I believe that you have no problem with smothering the life out of anybody without batting an eye, especially A.J. but fundamentally, you are also a father who will sacrifice anything for his children. And you just proved that.

Carly: Get Ric out of there. I need to talk to Sonny alone.

Reese: You're too late, Carly. Ric already knows.

Carly: Knows what?

Reese: That Michael killed A.J. and Sonny confessed to protect him.

Carly: You selfish bitch. You betrayed a little boy who trusted you just so you could have Sonny for yourself.

Ric: For the record, Reese didn't tell me anything about Michael, ok? I figured it out for myself. As soon as you confessed, I was able to put the pieces together. You don't want Michael to have to get up on the stand and admit that he killed A.J.

Sonny: Michael doesn't know. He doesn't remember, Ric, just like I don't remember, you know, when our mother fell down the stairs when she was pregnant with you. That's what happens to the mind -- it shuts down when it needs to and it blocks out any pain you don't want to feel. That's what's happening to Michael, and I hope to God he keeps that lid shut tight. I never want -- I never want Michael to know what happened in A.J.’s room. If I'm convicted, he's never going to have to know. You got the killer behind bars, case closed, justice served.

Ric: I am not going to -- look, I can't put you in prison for a crime you didn't commit.

Sonny: Fine! Pick one that I have!

Ric: Here we go.

Sonny: Pick one that I have!

Ric: Ok.

Sonny: There are plenty. There are plenty. I mean, hey, you know what? I've done everything you've accused me of. I've -- I've stolen, I've killed. I violated RICO statutes that not even the government has ever thought of. And I'll tell you right now, if Michael had not been in that room, A.J.’s blood would be on my hands because I went into that hospital with the intent to kill. That's what counts, right -- intent?

Ric: I don't believe -- you know, your mind is a constant source of amazement to me. One turn to the left or to the right and you would have been a great attorney.

Sonny: Well, that's what you are, and you're a good one, Ric, so do what --

Ric: You're not listening to me, Sonny! You did not kill A.J., ok? Therefore, I cannot put an innocent man in prison!

Sonny: The only innocent here is Michael! And he's -- he's suffered too much already. We are brothers, flesh and blood. One day, that's supposed to count for something. I'm asking you, forget what you know about Michael and let my confession stand.

Carly: I need to speak with Sonny alone.

Ric: Just think about it.

Ric: For what it's worth, I told Sonny that you didn't tell me anything about Michael.

Reese: Well, there's a more important issue on the table here than whether or not Sonny feels betrayed. What are you going to do about Michael?

Ric: According to Sonny, Michael didn't even know that he killed A.J. How am I supposed to make him? How am I supposed to make my 9-year-old nephew walk around with that kind of guilt for the rest of his life and at the same time send my brother to prison for a crime he didn't commit?

Reese: You know, you could throw the case.

Ric: Ok, I can -- conceivably, I could throw the case. I could ask soft questions of witnesses, I could purposely alienate the jury, but there's not going to be a trial, Reese. Sonny's already confessed to committing the murder against A.J. The only thing he's going to go from here is to a sentencing hearing. Short of advocating leniency, there's not a lot I can do, unless -- unless I come forward with the truth and I tell them that Michael is the real killer.