Judge Preston's Court, 60 Centre Street, Manhattan -- Friday Morning Fandom Time (NFB)
ADA Casey Novak was desperate.
Sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom was one of the top hired killers in the world: Liam Connors, el Fantasmo, the Ghost. It was a miracle they had found him before he'd fled the jurisdiction. He'd come into New York and left a particularly grisly trail this time. He'd murdered entire families. One little boy, couldn't be more than six, had been shot point-blank in the head while he slept.
Somehow, the boy had survived. And had wanted to testify. That was, until Connors' associates had started taking potshots at the police escort.
Again, he'd survived, and they had met their grand jury appearance. But the indictment came down fifteen minutes too late. The judge had nothing to hold him on. He was slipping through their fingers.
Casey Novak
"I think witness tampering is grounds for an extension," she argued.
Roger Kressler
"My client's been on Riker's," her counterpart, Roger Kressler, argued. "He didn't shoot anyone. And I'm betting you don't have any proof of his involvement."
Novak
"So it's just a coincidence that Antonio Montoya was shot at on his way to testify against your client."
Judge Lois Preston
"I'm sorry, Miss Novak," the judge cut in. "I can't grant an extension without proof of the defendant's complicity in the shooting. The people have failed to meet the deadline. I'm ordering the defendant released until trial."
Novak
Released? "Your honor, the defendant is a flight risk. If you let him go, we will never get him back." Ever. Connors was a master at this. She didn't think he'd ever been arrested before.
Preston
The judge hesitated, as if she believed Novak, and regretted the truth of it. "I'm sorry," she said, looking only at Casey Novak when she said it. "You're free to go, Mr. Connors."
Novak
This wasn't happening. She wasn't going to let this happen. There was one more card she could play. There was one more crime the ballistics had matched. A ballistics report wasn't enough to base an arrest on but dear God, she didn't care right now. This was it.
"Arrest him," Novak told Stabler and Benson.
There was silence for several seconds in the courtroom.
"Your honor, my detectives are here to re-arrest the defendant," she bluffed.
Kressler
"On what charges?" Kressler insisted.
Novak
Novak ignored the crowd and met the judge's eyes squarely for this one. "The murder of Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot."
Kressler
This time, the crowd was in an uproar. Kressler started talking over it. "Your honor, this is a blatant attempt to --"
Preston
"Save it," she snapped. The judge's tone was threateningly dark. "Alex Cabot was a friend of mine."
It was backhanded as hell, but it was within the law. Just like Alex had always played it. Kressler wasn't getting anywhere this time.
Elliot Stabler
It was Elliot Stabler who reached Liam Connors first, with Olivia Benson trailing behind. He grabbed the man and cuffed him savagely. The guy wasa piece of shit, the piece of shit was going to jail, so ... this was a good thing. He was going to pretend he wasn't worried about this.
Liam Connors
Connors rolled his eyes. "You can't prove I killed her," he said. "The dead can't talk."
Olivia Benson
Benson sighed. Unfortunately, she and Elliot were the only two people in this whole courtroom who knew that Alex wasn't dead. So ... with all the paperwork of the arrest, that meant they were about to commit perjury. She knew it had to be weighing on him, too.
If it meant this guy went to jail for what he did to Alex, so be it. She'd take whatever consequences came her way, should it ever come out.
All in a day's work.
(Taken wholesale from episode 6x16, Ghost. This is part 1 of 3 of how Alex is making her big exit -- yes, she's leaving, zomg. Many thinks to my N-person for helping me throw together icons and coding and whatnot. NFB, NFI, but OOC is shiny.)
Sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom was one of the top hired killers in the world: Liam Connors, el Fantasmo, the Ghost. It was a miracle they had found him before he'd fled the jurisdiction. He'd come into New York and left a particularly grisly trail this time. He'd murdered entire families. One little boy, couldn't be more than six, had been shot point-blank in the head while he slept.
Somehow, the boy had survived. And had wanted to testify. That was, until Connors' associates had started taking potshots at the police escort.
Again, he'd survived, and they had met their grand jury appearance. But the indictment came down fifteen minutes too late. The judge had nothing to hold him on. He was slipping through their fingers.
Casey Novak
"I think witness tampering is grounds for an extension," she argued.
Roger Kressler
"My client's been on Riker's," her counterpart, Roger Kressler, argued. "He didn't shoot anyone. And I'm betting you don't have any proof of his involvement."
Novak
"So it's just a coincidence that Antonio Montoya was shot at on his way to testify against your client."
Judge Lois Preston
"I'm sorry, Miss Novak," the judge cut in. "I can't grant an extension without proof of the defendant's complicity in the shooting. The people have failed to meet the deadline. I'm ordering the defendant released until trial."
Novak
Released? "Your honor, the defendant is a flight risk. If you let him go, we will never get him back." Ever. Connors was a master at this. She didn't think he'd ever been arrested before.
Preston
The judge hesitated, as if she believed Novak, and regretted the truth of it. "I'm sorry," she said, looking only at Casey Novak when she said it. "You're free to go, Mr. Connors."
Novak
This wasn't happening. She wasn't going to let this happen. There was one more card she could play. There was one more crime the ballistics had matched. A ballistics report wasn't enough to base an arrest on but dear God, she didn't care right now. This was it.
"Arrest him," Novak told Stabler and Benson.
There was silence for several seconds in the courtroom.
"Your honor, my detectives are here to re-arrest the defendant," she bluffed.
Kressler
"On what charges?" Kressler insisted.
Novak
Novak ignored the crowd and met the judge's eyes squarely for this one. "The murder of Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot."
Kressler
This time, the crowd was in an uproar. Kressler started talking over it. "Your honor, this is a blatant attempt to --"
Preston
"Save it," she snapped. The judge's tone was threateningly dark. "Alex Cabot was a friend of mine."
It was backhanded as hell, but it was within the law. Just like Alex had always played it. Kressler wasn't getting anywhere this time.
Elliot Stabler
It was Elliot Stabler who reached Liam Connors first, with Olivia Benson trailing behind. He grabbed the man and cuffed him savagely. The guy wasa piece of shit, the piece of shit was going to jail, so ... this was a good thing. He was going to pretend he wasn't worried about this.
Liam Connors
Connors rolled his eyes. "You can't prove I killed her," he said. "The dead can't talk."
Olivia Benson
Benson sighed. Unfortunately, she and Elliot were the only two people in this whole courtroom who knew that Alex wasn't dead. So ... with all the paperwork of the arrest, that meant they were about to commit perjury. She knew it had to be weighing on him, too.
If it meant this guy went to jail for what he did to Alex, so be it. She'd take whatever consequences came her way, should it ever come out.
All in a day's work.
(Taken wholesale from episode 6x16, Ghost. This is part 1 of 3 of how Alex is making her big exit -- yes, she's leaving, zomg. Many thinks to my N-person for helping me throw together icons and coding and whatnot. NFB, NFI, but OOC is shiny.)