Case #3.20: "Partners/Loc'd Out (Part 2)"

After the "previously on" montage and theme song, Doug answers the phone at his desk. Tom asks if his partner can talk, then tells him he can't come into work. "Ya gotta talk to the captain," says Doug. Tom hangs up. 

Cap'n Rufus informs the rest of the Jump Street crew that Tom was identified by a witness as the shooter and his Mustang was seen parked on that street. "Hanson wouldn't even cheat on his time cards," says Judy. Booker points out, "He broke into my apartment." Judy thinks Booker must love that Tom is in the hot seat; the two guys have never liked each other. Rufus says the evidence doesn't support Tom being innocent.

Judy asks why Tom isn't there and if Doug has heard from him. Doug lies through his teeth. He says Tom was only trying to get evidence about Harry being shot. "We don't know that Tower set up Harry," says Fuller. Doug explains that Tom had witness who could prove Tower ordered the hit. Fuller doesn't understand why Tom didn't bring him that information: "If he's innocent, he should be here." 

Tower's partner Frank meets with his captain, who's trying to determine if Frank can handle looking into Tower's death. Frank thinks he has leads. Frank's captain tells him to see if anyone from Tom's current case was connected to Tower. Frank has also been assigned a new partner: Booker. Booker claims to be a transfer who worked the homicide division in another precinct.

Doug storms into Cap'n Rufus's office, demanding to know why he wasn't partnered with Frank. Rufus says Doug's too close to the situation. Like Frank should be investigating his own partner's murder in the first place. "Booker is there to make sure Hanson doesn't get railroaded or shot by an overzealous partner," says Rufus. Doug repeats that Booker is as bad a choice because everyone knows Booker hates Tom. Rufus wants to think Tom is innocent, but, again, the facts aren't on Tom's side. He adds, "If he tries to contact you and you don't tell me, your badge is gonna go in the trash along with his."

In a interview room, Doug tells Booker and Frank he hasn't talked to Tom; he hasn't even seen him since two days before Tower was shot. Booker asks if Tom has a secret place he goes. "Well, if he did, I wouldn't know about it, would I?" Doug sasses. Frank doesn't like his attitude and grabs Doug's jacket. Frank hits Doug; the bigger man's chair topples over backwards. Doug gets up, grabs Frank, and shoves him against the wall. Booker separates them. 

Frank threatens Doug's job. Doug leaves. Frank slams the table around. Booker tells him to take it easy and that's like Andy Sipowicz suggesting you need anger management. "You don't take a stand when your brother gets killed, you're nothin'!" yells Frank. Booker reminds him that they're on the same case.

Doug and Judy go to visit Harry in the hospital; Booker is already there. Harry's still in a coma. Outside in the hall, Judy asks about Tom again. Doug repeats, "I don't know where he is." 

Doug goes back to Crappy Casa to search for clues. He finds Tom's jacket in one of the bedrooms. There's a hot dog wrapper from Rocket Dog in the pocket. Doug rides over to the restaurant on his motorcycle. He peers in the front window. Tom taps him from behind. The two head across the street.

Tom has traded in Crappy Casa for an even worse hotel room, bad enough to make Doug say "Oh God" when he sees it. He tells Tom a lot of people are looking for him. Tom, of course, knows; he admits to shooting Tower, but he was only trying to fire a warning shot. Doug can't believe it. Tom tells him Tower was "selling automatic weapons to half the barrio." 

Doug asks if Tom was out for revenge. Tom dodges the question, asking how Harry is doing. "Doctor says he might not make it," Doug says softly. He asks if Tom needs anything and tucks some money in his friend's shirt pocket: "You'd do the same for me.

Tom didn't find any guns in Tower's house, but there was a list in his lockbox. He asks Doug to find out what it means and to check out everything he can about Tower. Tom thanks his partner and hugs him.

Tom meets with Diaper Head whose actual street name is Psycho. Diaper Head Psycho (sounds like a good name for a punk or death metal band) informs Tom that the war is on. He also heard that Tom "wasted [his] connection" and wants to know if he'll get a homeboy discount. Tom shows Diaper Head Psycho the list. Diaper Head Psycho tells him the list is useless; one guy moved away and another just had his house repossessed. 

Doug puts his days in the Intelligence division to work and does some snooping. He discovers Tower only had around $2,000 in the bank. He had no history of complaints against him, satisfactory personnel evaluations, and had been a sergeant since 1981. Doug also goes to an address on the list and learns the previous tenant moved.

The ballistics team recovered bullets from 3 different guns in Tower's walls: Tom's, Tower's, and an unknown. The homicide captain tells them they have a new case: gang shootout at the 5th Street underpass. When they arrive, the crime scene is full of police cars and ambulances. Baby G and Diaper Head Psycho are both dead.

Later, Booker brings a report to Frank's desk. Bullets from Diaper Head Psycho's gun match the unknown bullets they took out of Tower's walls. It should not be a surprise that the bullets that killed Tower came from Tom's gun. Wow, the writers had to change basically every aspect of Johnny Depp's character within 2 episodes so he could get out of his contract.

Doug goes to Horror Hotel to update Tom about the ballistics reports. Tom claims he dropped his gun while running toward the woods; Diaper Head Psycho must've picked it up and shot the dirty cop with it. Doug promises to look for the other gun to prove Tom is innocent. Give it up, honey, Tom's gun has already been impounded as evidence.

Doug drives to the 5th Street underpass. He opens some kind of door in a wall and finds several AK-47s in a crevice, but no handgun.

That night, Booker and Frank stop at a store. When Booker gets back, Frank is standing out in the freezing cold smoking a cigarette. He gives him some story that waiting alone in a parked car at night makes you a sitting duck. Frank insists on driving. He babbles the gangbangers might kill him before smoking does. Frank offers Booker a cigarette, but Booker's quit. 

Booker asks what Tower was like. Frank describes him as a character, lots of fun to be around, but lazy. I've heard those same words used to describe my father. Frank spots one of the gangbangers who was injured during the underpass shooting.

In the interview room, Booker asks if the gangbanger Diaper Head Psycho and Tom ever talked about going to Tower's house. Frank says they could "accidentally" put him in a cell with rival members. The gangbanger pleads ignorance about any hits. 

In the Chapel squadroom, Booker asks Doug if he'd like to visit Harry with him. Doug's not having any of his feigned friendliness. "You turned on one of your own," he says. Booker tells him, "Your best friend killed a cop." It doesn't matter whether or not Tower was dirty. Doug insists Tom would've killed Tower inside, "not fire a warning shot and then dive out the window." Booker wants an explanation for why none of Tom's bullets were found inside the house. He thinks Tom is dirtier than Tower was.

At Horror Hotel, Doug tells Tom that he couldn't find the gun. Tom thinks Diaper Head Psycho dumped it somewhere. Doug says every lead Tom gives him turns up blank and besides, Tom himself confessed to shooting Tower. 

Tom wants to go back to Tower's house to find the bullet he fired as a warning. He can prove Diaper Head Psycho was outside and shot Tower. Doug tells Tom that he can't go back to the house. Tom wants to get caught: "After I find the bullet, I want you to come and bust me." Doug looks confused. Tom explains he wants to keep Doug from going down with him as an accomplice. 

That night, Tom sneaks under the crime scene tape into Tower's house. Frank and Booker pull up outside. The older cop says, "Somebody's here," though it's not clear how he knows that. Booker goes in. When Tom sees Booker, he runs out the back door. Frank fires a warning shot as Tom enters the backyard. Doug arrives with Cap'n Rufus. Booker handcuffs Tom.

In the interview room, Tom is wearing an inmate jumpsuit. Doug tells Tom he searched the whole house and couldn't find the bullet. "I did everything wrong, one thing after another," says Tom, "My whole life is going down the tubes." Doug understands why Tom did what he did. Tom hasn't seen his lawyer yet. Doug tells him not to worry; the police union will send someone good. Doug can't perjure himself if the prosecutor asks if Tom confessed to him. "I would never ask you to," Tom assures him. 

Tom's lawyer Stuart arrives. He'll move for a dismissal because the D.A. doesn't have a murder weapon. If he doesn't get a dismissal, they'll plead self-defense.

Judge Briggs asks the D.A. to make an opening statement. The D.A. says this is really a simple murder case, despite what the defense may state; Tom's motives aren't important. Tom going into hiding shows consciousness of guilt.

A ballistics expert goes over what we already know about the evidence. Frank is called next because he was the first officer on scene. Stuart asks to make a motion without the jury present; he wants a dismissal. Judge Briggs says it's up to the jury to decide if a case was proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Stuart cross-examines the ballistics expert about the missing warning shot. Doug has been called away in the line of duty, so Stuart asks to have Tom testify next. 

Tom explains that Tower was illegally selling guns to minors and that the guns might be at his house. He admits to breaking into the house. Tower shot at him first, then Tom fired a warning shot. The D.A. asks why Tom didn't arrest Tower or get a telephonic warrant. Tom claims there wasn't time. He knows he was committing burglary by being in the house, gets agitated, and says Tower was doing worse. The judge orders Tom to step down.

Stuart leans over to his client, telling Tom they're basically screwed if Doug testifies. Tom doesn't care. The bailiff swears Doug in. Doug isn't allowed to mention Tower's suspected gun-running because it's hearsay. Stuart has Doug admitted as an expert witness regarding police procedure, specifically using deadly force. "[Procedures] say if someone fires at you, you fire at them. That's what I would do," Doug says. He adds that he's seen Tom in situations "where most people would be tempted to lie," but Tom has always maintained his integrity.

The D.A. approaches and asks Doug if he would burglarize someone's house without a warrant. "In order to believe Officer Hanson wouldn't tell a lie, we've got to believe you, don't we?" she goes on. Stuart's objection is sustained. Doug says he wouldn't lie. The D.A. wants to know if Tom confessed to Doug about the murder. "No, he did not," Doug says firmly. 

Stuart's closing argument is that Tom was defending himself. The D.A. has a request of her own to make without the jury present; she wants them to consider the felony murder rule. This rule means that a death, accidental or not, can be considered a murder if it occurs during the commission of a felony. Nobody knew that Tom would testify about breaking into Tower's house. Judge Briggs instructs the jury about the rule.

Time cut to after deliberation. "Will the defendant please rise?" asks Judge Briggs. Tom and Stuart get up. Judge Briggs reads: "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder, as charged." Widow Hanson chokes back a sob. Judy and Booker look shocked. Tom remains stone-faced. Cut to him wearing the same expression in a prison cell.

End of episode, end of Season 3, end of Johnny Depp's run on the series.

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