- D.A. Arthur Branch: [after defendants convicted of first-degree murder have been exonerated] You know this whole affair makes you think twice.
- Jack McCoy: About the death penalty?
- D.A. Arthur Branch: About where to buy you a steak.
- Serena Southerlyn: Maybe the governor of Illinois was right imposing a moratorium on capital punishment. People do make mistakes.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: Only it seems to me we've got enough evidence for two cases on this one. The only thing we don't have is a busload of nuns as eyewitnesses. I mean, am I wrong? Do we know these punks are guilty or don't we?
- Jack McCoy: They're guilty, but Arthur, are you sure this is the best case for you to prove a point?
- D.A. Arthur Branch: You don't like to be sandbagged. I don't like the race card thrown in my face.
- Jack McCoy: Hey!
- Serena Southerlyn: Well you've got to admit you're not the typical New York City District Attorney.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: Twenty years here and still the carpetbagger.
- Jack McCoy: My point is this decision may not sit that well with a large portion of the state.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: You worry about the law. I'll worry about the politics. Is there anything else?
- Ted Vavoulis: Specifically, my field is forensic accounting. I determine the worth of businesses, usually for the purposes of litigation or matrimonial matters.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: At my request, Mr. Vavoulis, did you evaluate the worth of Lucy Dolan's enterprise?
- Jack McCoy: [Objects] Again, no foundation.
- Ted Vavoulis: Actually, I can help with that.
- Judge Lisa Pongracic: Let's hear what you've got.
- Ted Vavoulis: This chart helps establish what we call a PBA, a pattern of business activity. The enormous volume of phone calls over the past five months is a clear indication of business activity.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: And the underlying data was derived from Lucy Dolan's home phone?
- Ted Vavoulis: No, it's a cellular phone. But the same principles apply.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: Go on.
- Ted Vavoulis: When this phone activity is viewed in light of Miss Dolan's net worth, as determined by her tangible assets. such as automobiles, home furnishings, personal property, I see not just a going concern, but a thriving one.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: And could you determine what kind of business Miss Dolan was involved in?
- Ted Vavoulis: No, but if I had to guess, based on the voluminous cell phone use and the hours of the incoming calls, I'd say it was something perhaps not legal.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: Drugs?
- Ted Vavoulis: Perhaps.
- Defense Attorney Andrew Maynard: And have you ever analyzed a narcotics business before, Mr. Vavoulis?
- Ted Vavoulis: Yes. I've been hired by the FBI on several occasions. And this fits the profile.
- Jack McCoy: Could this pattern also apply to some other home business, such as, say, selling Tupperware?
- Ted Vavoulis: Yes.
- Anita Van Buren: Mr. Branch, I was just coming to see you.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: What can I do for you, Lieutenant?
- Anita Van Buren: I saw your news conference.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: Yes. I thought it went well.
- Anita Van Buren: Well, I understand all about PR, sir, but I think you may have gone just a bit overboard on this one.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: To quote a great legal scholar, "So what?" The two nice ones carry the TV while the surly one does the shooting. Any way you deal the cards, Lieutenant, it's your garden-variety felony murder, punishable by death in this state. Besides, I'd think you'd favor this course of action.
- Anita Van Buren: You know what my problem is? If we fry Carton and Johnson, the next time my officers find themselves in a similar situation, the bad guys may just shoot to kill. What the hell? They'd be facing the death penalty anyway.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: You want to talk next time? What about the next time three punks hit a 7-Eleven? Do you want the two without the gun to get a pass, when their buddy blows the cashier's face off? That's not the message I wanna send for all the next times. And in case you missed the obvious, I'm trying to save the career of one of your officers.
- Anita Van Buren: Maybe his isn't the only career being saved. The Federal case could sway the jury in your murder trial, and we both know a D.A. Can't get re-elected in this city if he can't convict three men caught on tape leaving the scene with the victim's property in their arms.
- D.A. Arthur Branch: You know, Lieutenant, in the end, a man's motives are secondary to his accomplishments.
- Anita Van Buren: That same great legal scholar?
- D.A. Arthur Branch: That's right. Me.