"Some men never come across the Devil,
because they're traveling in his same direction."
Hello and welcome to<i> Case Closed.</i>
Wow!
What a macabre anonymous phrase!
Well, let's see what today's first case is about.
Please bring out the litigants.
The life I've led has been a personal hell.
I've paid for my mistakes with my own tears.
She's a traitor! I wish she were six feet under!
Hello and welcome.
-Hello. -Hello.
Erika, you're suing your husband Guillermo.
Yes.
Why are you suing him
and what do you demand to settle this case?
I'm suing my husband Guillermo.
I want a divorce and custody of our three-year-old daughter.
I want that too.
You both want the same thing?
Yes.
Well, at least you agree on something.
How long have you been married?
-Eight years. -Eight years.
I'm talking to the plaintiff.
Please remain quiet until I've finished with her.
You've been married for eight years
and you have a three-year-old child?
-Yes. -A daughter.
Is she your only child?
We used to have two.
-Two? -Yes.
Alright, tell me what happened, why you want a divorce,
and what happened to your other child.
I may be a terrible wife, but I'm not a terrible mother.
That's why I think my daughter should be with me.
I've always cared for her.
I'd like to tell you what happened to my son.
-Go ahead. -My son Guillermo was six.
One day, I was walking in the streets of Tijuana.
My one-year-old was with me on her stroller
and I was holding my six-year-old's hand.
I turned the corner and my daughter started crying.
I noticed she didn't have her pacifier.
I looked for it, found it, cleaned it and gave it to her.
When I turned around, my son had disappeared.
Someone had taken him.
I started yelling and calling him.
I was desperate.
A woman approached me
and told me she'd seen some people take my son.
She saw them put him in a gray van.
All I could think was that he'd been kidnapped.
The lady told me that I had to do something,
because people were kidnapping kids
and taking them to the border.
We called the police, but after 20 minutes they didn't show.
I took a cab and went to the border.
I'm sure you can imagine how many cars where in line.
-There were thousands of cars! -Yes.
I started looking for the van.
I spent about an hour and a half looking.
I saw the gray van and when I looked inside,
my son was there.
He was asleep, lying like this.
I told myself that I had to be smarter than them.
I had to get my son back.
I talked to one of officers and he told me to calm down.
He told me to wait until the van reached the checkpoint.
Once the van reached the checkpoint,
they asked a couple to get out.
They were wearing black. One tried to run.
They took my son out and tried to wake him up...
They took me inside.
I called my husband. My sister showed up as well.
Someone else came, but I don't remember who it was.
That's when they told me...
that my son was dead.
They explained a lot of things to me,
but I didn't know what was going on.
I asked to see my son.
I went into the room where they were keeping him.
He was lying on a bed covered with a sheet.
When I removed the sheet, he'd been opened up.
His organs had been removed, but not to be sold.
They'd filled him up with drugs.
They wanted to cross the border
with eight kilos of cocaine in his body.
I went crazy.
I spent over eight months in a hospital.
My husband Guillermo helped me get better.
I'd see my daughter every week.
Seeing her helped me get better.
What happened to my son ruined my life.
My daughter is all I have left. He can't take her away from me.
I'd die without her.
What happened to your marriage?
We don't love each other anymore!
It's over. He doesn't love me.
I don't love him. I just want my daughter.
-It was all your fault. -It wasn't.
What's that on your podium?
This is evidence of my stay at the hospital.
Alright, come here.
I also have information about the cartel...
I have information on the bastards who murdered my son!
It was your fault.
It wasn't my fault.
It was.
Alright, let me see this first. Let's see.
"This past week, the Border Patrol dismantled
a gang known to kidnap and murder women and children.
The gang not only removed their victims' organs
in order to profit from their sale,
but recently, they'd begun paying
anywhere from $500 to $2,000 for every young woman
or child they could get their hands on.
Their objective was to kidnap the victims, drug them,
and kill them so they could open them up,
remove their organs, and fill them up with drugs.
They would later smuggle the drugs into the US
through the border."
We're going to take a short break.
I brought a video to show you how close my daughter and I are.
Let's watch it before Guillermo responds.
Let's watch the footage.
What are you doing?
Huh?
Cleaning?
Make sure it sparkles, okay?
Alright?
Don't forget to do the laundry, alright?
Thank you, sweetie.
Guillermo, how do you respond?
Hello, ma'am.
I want a divorce and full custody of my daughter.
I have my reasons.
I can explain everything.
I've provided for my wife all this time.
I've been there for her.
I've worked for my family.
I've always been there for her.
She's been through a lot and so have I.
However, I'm here for another reason.
It's something she doesn't know.
What's that?
It's her fault my son's dead.
How can you say that? It was a tragedy!
You can't blame me.
Wait, Guillermo.
Why do you think she's to blame?
Because she...
-I don't know how to say it. -He just wants to blame me.
It turns out that she...
She was cheating on me.
She was sleeping around with another man.
That's why my son was kidnapped.
One day I got a call.
This man asked me if I was Guillermo.
I told him I was and asked him why he was calling.
He told me he needed to talk to me.
He said he was my wife's lover.
I couldn't believe it!
He asked to meet me in a parking lot to tell me everything.
He told me that my daughter's actually not my daughter.
That's not true! She's your daughter.
Lies! You're lying!
Do you have proof? Did you take a paternity test?
Yes.
I talked to him and he told me to do a paternity...
Come here. Let me see.
I did the test to find out the truth.
Well, this says she's your daughter.
-Of course she is! -Thank goodness.
Yes, but I was very worried.
I didn't tell her anything and took the paternity test.
I did this...
You had no right to do that!
So you met with a man who told you that he was her lover
and that she'd used the kids as to cover up their encounters.
Yes, I don't think it's fair for her to keep my daughter.
-It's not my fault! -That's why you want custody.
You don't think she's a good mother.
I can't trust her.
How do I know this won't happen again?
-It won't! -What if it happens again?
She's suffering, but so am I.
I understand.
Go back to your podium, Guillermo.
I understand.
You're wrong. It won't happen again.
I'll take care of my...
I don't believe you. I don't trust you anymore.
-You damn liar! -It wasn't my fault.
You were sleeping around!
-We've been over this! -No!
So the day your son was murdered,
you were meeting with someone else?
Yes.
Cheater.
Who has witnesses?
-I do. -So do I.
Let's bring out the defendant's witness.
No wonder the marriage is over.
I'd been wondering what had happened,
and now I see the reason.
-Hello. -Hello.
-Your name? -Marlene.
You're the defendant's witness.
Yes, he's my brother.
I'm here to tell you three things.
The first of which is that my brother is a good father.
He'd die without his daughter.
Without her, he'd get depressed.
His daughter loves him and he's always been a good father.
I give you my word.
Along with our mother, my brother and I will...
-You have no right! -We'll take care of the child.
Alright, what else?
Secondly, when she was sleeping around at a motel,
the two kids were with her.
The two kids were in the same room where she was having sex.
She admitted it.
Alright, you'll tell me the third thing when we come back.
I'm a good mother!
-No good mother does that. -I love my daughter!
Let's bring out the plaintiff's witness.
-You don't know anything. -You've had everything.
Hello. Your name?
Hello, ma'am. My name's Alonso.
Pleasure.
You're the plaintiff's witness, right?
Yes, I'm their neighbor.
I'm here for two reasons.
First of all,
I'm concerned about her safety and her daughter's.
Second of all, this man might look calm, but he's insane.
You don't know me!
Ma'am, he can't stay with my daughter!
Alright, Alonso. Please explain.
About a week ago,
I was talking on the phone at my house's entrance.
I saw this maniac walking around
and when I hung up I asked him what he wanted.
He told me,
"Hey, you're Colombian. You can help me out."
To me, that was disrespectful.
I don't know what he meant by that.
He asked me if I knew anyone who could beat her up.
-Oh. -You see?
I was obviously alarmed. I told him he was crazy.
He reeked of alcohol. He's insane.
He looks like he's unhinged.
Good fathers don't want to have their kid's mother beaten up.
Right.
Alright.
That's why she can't stay with him.
You can still visit her.
Let's bring out...
Please be quiet!
Bring out Marlene Garcia, criminologist and sociologist,
and Dr. Madeline Hernandez.
-Hello. -Hello.
-This is horrible. -It is.
Please tell us about this new way of smuggling drugs.
I think that what we're seeing here is the desensitization
of people who are overexposed to a lot of violence.
This over exposure leads to them taking up
a "the end justifies the means" kind of attitude.
This is organized crime.
These people don't care about anyone's lives.
They're completely desensitized.
These are people who've seen so much violence in their lives
that the most horrifying act in the world, which is murder,
doesn't even faze them.
To them, it's just part of the business.
Alright, let's try to think about the child's well-being.
They're both fighting for the child's custody
for very different reasons, right?
He thinks she's a bad mother because she was cheating on him
and she took the kids and made them a part of the lie.
She was using the kids to cover up her affair.
Undoubtedly, that's...
It shows poor judgment.
It shows very poor judgment on her part.
However, how many women do that sort of thing?
There are many women who use their kids in different ways.
Sometimes they use them to cover up their infidelity
but sometimes use them to get back at their spouses.
These things are very common, which is sad,
because the kids are the ones who suffer the most.
In this case, the child was one,
so she won't remember.
The boy was murdered.
It's a bit worrying that she did that.
Though it doesn't mean she's unfit to care for her child...
Know what I thought was more alarming?
The video we saw here of the child cleaning the sink.
She even told her to do the laundry
and the laundry was a huge pile of clothes.
She's a very small child.
Yes, she is.
I was really confused by that.
She likes to help me.
I just recorded her
because I thought what she was doing was funny.
She always tries to help me.
She's trying to imitate me!
Oh, I don't know.
I don't think that's appropriate.
I think it's inappropriate.
It's very inappropriate.
She's always trying to imitate me.
Alright, that's enough.
What worries me the most is this woman's lack of judgment.
Obviously, children need their parents.
They need to be looked after.
However, it's important for her to use
the appropriate methods when raising her child.
I think there has to be some sort of control or supervision.
She might even need parenting classes
to help her understand what she must do as a mother
so that she can raise her child correctly and safely.
Alright, I'm ready to make my ruling.
You both live in San Diego, right?
Yes.
-You both do, right? -Yes.
Okay.
I grant you the divorce
because the marriage is irreparably broken.
I wasn't told of any assets.
You didn't mention it, but if you do have assets,
then split everything 50-50,
in accordance with the laws in California.
As for the child's custody,
I'll grant the father temporary custody of the child.
Ma'am, you can't do this!
Please, please! She's my daughter.
You'll have temporary custody until the plaintiff...
Please!
The plaintiff will be able to see her daughter
under supervision while she receives therapy, counseling,
and takes classes so she can be taught
how to do what's best for her daughter.
Once she's met all the prerequisites
and once she's taken parenting classes, therapy, etc.,
I expect them for them to have shared custody of the child,
which is the norm here in the US
as it allows both parents to have an input
in the raising of their child.
The problem is that right now I'm worried
that she might not be doing what's best for the child.
Once she's done everything, we'll change the arrangement.
You'll have custody
and she'll have visits on every other weekend.
She'll be able to see the child two days a week for dinner,
but the child will spend most of her time with you.
Please!
Do what I've told you
and you'll be reunited with your daughter.
It's final. Case closed!
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