American Crime (2015)

After a young couple is attacked in their home, the case sends shock waves into the community, stirring up tensions across racial lines.

Thirty-six hours have passed and shock slowly gives way to the harsh realities now in front of the victims and accused.

Nearly a month after the arraignment of the accused, the emotional complications of all involved continue to deepen.

Russ and Barb receive a visit from their estranged son. Some new information sees Carter's defense team securing a bail hearing.

After being freed on bail, Carter attempts to flee jurisdiction with Aubry. Barb deal’s with her older son’s burial in Oakland as her younger son, Mark, reveals delicate news to his mother.

Barb talks to the media to gain some attention to her son's case. Carter's situation behind bars gets worse.

Carter remains in solitary confinement as Aliyah meets with an investigator who uncovers new details regarding her brother’s case. Mark’s fianceé arrives in Modesto to meet Barb.

Aliyah's plans to organize a march for Carter's cause results in heightened emotions.

Alonzo seeks helps from an unexpected source; Aubry receives news that leaves her distraught.

Russ must pick up the fight when new allegations against Matt Skokie's role come to light.

The case comes to a close, changing the lives of those involved forever.

Issues of sexual orientation and socioeconomic disparity come to a boil when lurid photos of a high school boy named Taylor Blaine are posted on social media following a school party. Circumstances become more complicated when Taylor accuses two players on his private high school's championship basketball team of drugging, assaulting and then posting the pictures of him online.

After Anne calls 911 to get help for Taylor, she encounters difficulty getting the authorities to pay attention to the alleged crime. Meanwhile, Leslie makes sure Leyland is ready for the impending investigation, Terri has an intervention with Kevin, and Eric's truth comes out.

A news article is published online describing what happened at the captain's party and naming Kevin as a participant in the alleged assault on Taylor. Anne is forced to defend herself after the item is published, while new evidence is revealed that paints a murkier picture of what really happened on the night in question.

Following the revelation that evidence was found on Taylor’s clothing, the parents of the basketball players and faculty of Leyland prepare for invasive DNA testing of the team. The impending testing forces Eric to make a painful revelation, while Taylor attempts to return to normalcy as he matriculates back into Marshall.

In the hours after Eric is forced to openly discuss his sexuality, Taylor must defend his actions on the night of his alleged assault to the police. Anne struggles with the discovery that her son is gay, while a critical decision by the detectives makes some involved feel as though the worst may be over, and at Marshall, Chris deals with the aftermath of a seemingly innocuous incident that begins to take on racial overtones.

Against the school lawyer's advice, Leslie decides to take it upon herself to welcome Eric back to Leyland with a school-wide showing of empathy—but Eric soon discovers that his return does not sit well with some of his fellow basketball team members. Meanwhile, Anne decides that she'd rather take the school to court over what happened to Taylor than accept a settlement, and Chris finds himself being vilified when students begin picketing Marshall after three Hispanic students are suspended for fighting with a black student, who received no punishment.

Feeling nothing but pain and conflict, Taylor continues to emotionally unravel after Anne's private medical records are anonymously posted online in an effort to shame her. The act catches the attention of Sebastian, who makes another attempt to engage Anne. Meanwhile, Leslie offers a generous settlement to Evy's father in order to protect the school from litigation, and Eric attempts to find some misguided solace with a stranger.

Leyland High School mourns the loss of one of their own, while Leslie finds her job on the line in the aftermath of the tragedy. Curt attempts to file a missing person’s report with the police when he suspects Lilah has run off with Peter, after she blames him for Eric’s sexuality. Becca makes a startling confession to Dan, and Sebastian reaches out to Anne in an attempt to help her bring retribution against those who caused Taylor’s downfall.

The entire community is forced to re-examine all of the choices they have made in the wake of the sexual encounter between Eric and Taylor, while leaked personal information implicates both Kevin and Becca to the shooting. Sebastian targets the Leyland school by releasing its most sensitive information online, causing Leslie to take drastic measures, and at Marshall, Chris finds himself at a career crossroads when he faces a school review board.

Sebastian gets a taste of his own medicine and is stunned to discover that someone is usurping his cause, initiating a chain reaction that could cause the downfall all of those involved. Dan and Steph deal with the fallout of Becca's arrest, while Michael goes to extreme measures to ensure that Kevin is not implicated as being complicit in the beating of Taylor, and Chris makes a decision about his future at Marshall.

Luis, a migrant worker from Mexico, transitions into life as a farmer, while Coy, a hopeless drug addict, also finds work on a farm. Social worker Kimara offers her aid to Shae, a recently rescued prostitute.

Luis finds himself sinking into servitude on the farm, while field captain Isaac forms a complicated relationship with Coy. Jeanette comes to realize her family's role in exploiting farm workers. Kimara tries to transition Shae from being an underage victimized prostitute to sustaining herself as she tries to convince Shae to testify against her former pimp.

Luis arrives at the Hesby Farm and receives important information about his missing son while Coy witnesses a horrific incident that changes his entire perception about life in the field and confirms his dark new reality. Meanwhile, Shae begins to reconsider her decision to stay in a shelter, and Kimara receives difficult personal news. After a deep and revealing conversation, Jeanette and JD attend the workers’ rally.

Luis learns about the fate of his son, as Coy devises a plan to get himself off the farm. Jeanette tries to plead her case about the working conditions in the fields to Laurie Ann while Shae comes to a decision that will affect the rest of her life. Meanwhile, business owner Nicholas Coates struggles with making a profit in a market that continuously demands lower prices while his wife, Clair, decides to hire and provide a working visa for a Haitian woman, Gabrielle, to be their son’s nanny.

Consequences of forced labor continue to roil, as Shae contemplates having another abortion while Dustin introduces her to the world of online sex work. Jeanette makes a decision that results in a disheartening situation, as she struggles to accept the value of her self-worth. Meanwhile, Kimara tries to help another troubled girl while Nicholas and Clair’s troubles worsen, and Gabriella experiences an unsettling incident that makes her realize her new life isn’t exactly what she hoped it would be.

Nicholas is distraught with the reality of his failing business and takes his frustration out on Clair. Upset about her deteriorating marriage, Clair becomes increasingly controlling over Gabriella. Jeanette attempts to find a job while continuing to live with her sister Raelyn, and Kimara is faced with a difficult decision that will test her morals. Meanwhile, Shae begins to feel as though she’s being shortchanged for her work in the webcam house, which leads to a tragic confrontation.

In the days following a fatal altercation in the webcam house, Dustin reaches out to Kimara for help, realizing he is no longer safe. Kimara struggles with the burden of a difficult moral choice and decides to take time off of work at her shelter. Meanwhile, Nicholas and Clair’s volatile marriage continues to unravel, which in turn makes Gabrielle commit an ill-conceived act based on fear for her life. Jeanette becomes alarmed when Raelyn overreacts to a random drug test request.

Kimara advises Dustin to inform the police about the crime that took place in the webcam house, which leads to an unforeseen outcome. Meanwhile, detectives open up a troubling investigation into Clair and Nicholas, who maintain their innocence and contend that Gabrielle is the guilty party. Jeanette must confront and consider the costs and sacrifices of social change.