The Guardian - 35

Harm defended Paul Bauwer, a homeless former SEAL who killed three convenience store robbers/murderers in order to protect his son, Marty, who was playing a video game in the store. Bauwer had been MIA for 4 years as a POW and his personnel file was mostly sealed. Bauwer had gone AWOL from a psyc evaluation nine years previously for nearly killing a man who Bauwer had claimed was stalking his wife. He now watched his son anonymously while he was living on the street. He fled to a church where Bud just happened to be praying about not studying for his final law exam. H got B out and tried to protect Bauwer from trigger happy police but he was wounded by a sniper. H defended Bauwer against the "hot shot" prosecutor, Nardoni, who snidely gloated "welcome to the big league" when the judge refused Hs motion. Bauwer told H to NOT contact his ex-wife "under any circumstances." Nardoni went for the highest penalty because the last of the thugs was killed while he was running away from Bauwer. B was able to enhance the video surveillance tape by looking at a reflection in the cooler door and identified a boys baseball cap. Bauwer admitted that it was his son but wouldn't let H use him. He said that it was better "to put an old dog down who is more trouble than he's worth once he's outlived his usefulness." H finally found the boy, without help from Bauwer, then got the judge to order the prosecutor not to inform Marty about his dad. While passing the frustrated Nardoni in the hall, H told M "I think I like the big leagues." Nardoni laid it on about Bauwer having an antisocial personality disorder from complete hearsay evidence. Mac took him down showing that the man Bauwer had attacked for stalking his wife (and had been wrongfully prosecuted) had actually stalked two other women. Nardoni began harassing Marty on the stand so Bauwer grabbed him in a chokehold and had to be subdued. They gave an eloquent defense so Bauwer was found not guilty of murder. H arranged for him to apply for work at one of his friend's parachute schools. Marty came back and apologized to Bauwer for running away and said he hoped he wasn't a coward. Bauwer told him that he would see him around.