January 10, 2006 Transcript
"When I was 16 ..."

Manny: I'm not going with you.

Man: Are you crazy?

Manny: Not anymore.

Man: There's a car waiting, and a boat after that. We got work to do, payback to get.

Manny: I'm not that man anymore, the one with no conscience, you know, who did terrible things. But I was once. I have to stand trial now and pay for it.

Man: Hector always said you had a few screws loose, but this is just stupid! Now, stop fooling around and let's get out of here!

Manny: I told you, no.

Man: You act like you think you have a choice.

Manny: No, bro.

Man: No, get --

Jason: This is for Sam.

Ric: Jason, don't!

Alexis: Pull that trigger and I'll have you charged with murder.

Jason: It's not my gun.

Ric: Then you should have no problem putting it down.

Lucky: Nobody move!

Ric: Oh, Lucky. The Ruiz family sent somebody to spring Manny. You got two officers down.

Officer: Harper's dead.

[Jesse groans, coughs]

Lucky: Jesse? Damn! Damn it.

Lucky: Tell me what happened.

Manny: My family sent my cousin Enrique to bust me out. But I didn't want to go. So I struggled with him, I make him drop his gun. And then Jason showed up.

Lucky: One cop is dead, another man was assaulted, my partner's fighting for his life. You're not going anywhere, so give me the gun.

Lucky: One cop is dead, my partner was shot in the back.

John: Look, Officer Spencer, I understand your frustration. Believe me, somebody is going to pay. So, what do we have here, an attempt on Manny's life?

Ric: Well, according to our client, his cousin Enrique showed up to set him free. Manny didn't want to go, they struggled for Enrique's gun, and apparently that's when Jason showed up here just in time to retrieve it.

Alexis: The salient point being that Manny refused to run.

Ric: Exactly.

John: Right.

Ric: Look, it's not a popular decision among crime families, durant, but Jason may have even saved Manny's life.

John: Really? Wow. Deputy Jason, our hero. So what happens? The ruiz family shows up, ruins your little party, hit went bad? Now Sonny's brother's trying to spin it, make it look like you're a hero -- you saved Manny's life.

Ric: That's what happened.

John: Yeah, and I should believe you why?

Alexis: Because Manny's my client, thanks to you.

Ric: And we like to keep our clients alive.

Carly: Well, even Alexis and Ric are defending him, so obviously Jason didn't do anything wrong.

John: Carly, you got to stay out of this!

Carly: It's called family, Dad. I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that, would you?

Jason: Carly, I'm ok.

John: What -- what --

Jason: You need to go home.

Carly: You're wasting your breath, because I'm not leaving until you've been released.

John: Carly, why do you refuse to see the truth about this thug? Sonny sent him to Manny for one reason and one reason only -- to put a bullet in his head.

Alexis: Manny had the chance to run and he didn't, so how on earth are you going to charge him with attempted escape?

John: So what are you talking about here? You'd like me to drop all the charges against him and let him walk, is that it?

Ric: No.

Alexis: No, I wouldn't, and my client doesn't want you to do that, either. He wants to take responsibility for the horrific things that he did. Keep in mind that medical evidence states that he had an underlying physical condition that affected his range of choices.

John: Until, of course, he had his magical surgery -- whoo -- and turned him into a nice, fine, upstanding citizen.

Alexis: We've all done terrible things, durant, and with the exception of Jason, none of us can claim a physical excuse.

John: Well, except for you, of course, and your own defense of insanity. What was it -- what did you claim -- mental defect? That was brilliant, by the way.

Alexis: Which has absolutely nothing to do with this case.

Ric: Look, Mr. Ruiz has stated that he wants to accept responsibility for his crimes.

Alexis: He didn't run when he had the chance.

John: So that's your story, huh? The new-and-improved Manny with his stitched-up brain refused to run when he had a chance, is that it?

Jason: That's what happened.

John: All right. Free to go.

Ric: Thank you.

Alexis: I'm not saying that the operation magically erased all the horrible things that he did and the person that heas.

Ric: Well, he's done some very serious damage, that's for sure.

Alexis: He certainly has. So have sonny and Jason. The only difference is they made knowing choices and Manny had a congenital defect.

Ric: If you can get that point across to a jury, I'll be very impressed.

Alexis: Right or wrong, the law is on Manny's side. If he was physically and mentally incapable of making better choices, then the law is not going to hold him responsible.

Ric: Ok, well, you know what? There's a difference between legal theory and human emotion. Let me ask you a question. Do you forgive Manny for the train crash that nearly killed you and our child?

Alexis: I don't know if I -- if I can, but I know that I should try.

Ric: Well, just for the record, I can't.

Alexis: You've been forgiven, I've been forgiven. Shouldn't we do the same thing for other people?

Ric: Alexis, what is this about, really? I mean, does this have to do with more than Manny?

Alexis: When I was 16 -- anyway, the point is, is that by Manny not escaping tonight, he gave us some very compelling evidence, and it actually could be the linchpin of our case.

Ric: Except for one thing -- what if he's faking?