A Few Good Men

In a flashback, Jessup meets with the base’s lead medical officer, Commander Stone. They discuss Santiago’s death and Stone’s struggles to determine the cause of death. Jessup threatens to hinder Stone’s career unless Stone lists poison on the rag stuffed into Santiago’s mouth as the cause of death.

Kaffee talks with Dawson. He assures Dawson that the legal team are trying their best but warns him that they will likely “get creamed.”

In the courtroom, Judge Randolph presides over the case. Galloway objects to the heavy security in the room because it projects the image that the defendants are dangerous. Ross begins by calling Stone as a witness. Stone describes the rope marks on Santiago’s wrists, his partially shaved head, and the lab results, which indicated a buildup of acid in the lungs. Stone thinks that the cause of death was poison. Having rehearsed his cross-examination, Kaffee questions Stone. He uses Stone’s own medical reports on Santiago to suggest that he may have had a pre-existing heart condition, which may have caused his death. Ross questions Stone again, emphasizing the likelihood that Santiago was poisoned, while Galloway asks that Stone’s testimony be stricken from the record.