Capturing the Friedmans
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:58:08
I think there
was a recognition

:58:09
that Arnold's case was becoming
increasingly hopeless

:58:13
because of the child
pornography problem

:58:14
because of other people
coming out of the woodwork.

:58:17
So the strategy evolved to
:58:20
"What can we do to save Jesse?"
:58:23
Jesse's lawyer
very eloquently said to us

:58:27
"If there's a rowboat
and it's sinking

:58:30
and the rowboat
is tied to a rock

:58:33
you have to disconnect
the rowboat from the rock

:58:35
and save the rowboat
:58:37
even though the rock
is sinking"

:58:38
Meaning you had to separate
Arnold from Jesse.

:58:42
And Arnold was going to plead
:58:44
and Jesse would
in some way benefit.

:58:48
I was sitting there
potentially going to trial

:58:51
with no pornographic magazines
admitted into evidence

:58:53
without an adult pedophile
as a co-defendant

:58:56
and I understood
that sort of reasoning

:59:00
but it makes no sense
if my father pleads guilty

:59:03
and then I go to trial and say,
"I didn't do it"

:59:05
when all the jurors have already
read in the newspaper

:59:08
that my father plead guilty.
:59:10
And I did not want my father
to plead guilty.

:59:15
I arranged for Mr. Friedman
and his family

:59:17
to get a jury room
where they could sit

:59:20
and they could discuss
these plea options.

:59:24
And while I didn't go
inside the room

:59:27
except to knock on the door
and say where we're at

:59:30
in terms of what Mr. Friedman
wanted to do

:59:32
there was a lot
of yelling and crying

:59:37
and screaming going on,
coming out of that room.

:59:40
God damn it!
:59:41
When I screamed at Arnold,
I screamed

:59:44
"You must do it
because it'll help Jesse.

:59:47
Do it for Jesse. "
:59:48
And my brothers were
just furious at this notion

:59:53
that my father would go to court
and plead guilty.

:59:55
And at one point
in all of the chaos

:59:57
my father
just started screaming.


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