Fact1: powerful civic leaders including corrupt state 's attorney John Shaughnessy have lost millions of dollars in real estate investments due to decision by Archbishop not to develop on certain church lands, Fact2: Vail makes search of Archbishop 's apartment Following tip from former altar boy about videotape involving Stampler, Fact3: Stampler turns into Roy in open court, Fact4: judge finds Stampler not by reason of insanity, Fact5: both Catholic Church and city council had been trying to hide Archbishop 's crimes which
Output: Martin Vail Richard Gere is a Chicago defense attorney who loves the spotlight and does everything he can to get his highprofile clients acquitted on legal technicalities. One day, he sees a news report about the arrest of Aaron Stampler Edward Norton, an altar boy from Kentucky with a severe stutter, who is accused of brutally murdering the beloved Archbishop Rushman Stanley Anderson. Vail jumps at the chance to represent the young man, pro bono. During his meetings at the County jail with Stampler, Vail comes to believe that his client is innocent, much to the chagrin of the prosecutor and Vails former lover, Janet Venable Laura Linney. As the trial begins, Vail discovers that powerful civic leaders, including the corrupt states attorney John Shaughnessy John Mahoney, have lost millions of dollars in real estate investments due to a decision by the Archbishop not to develop on certain church lands. The Archbishop received numerous death threats as a result. Following a tip from a former altar boy about a videotape involving Stampler, Vail makes a search of the Archbishops apartment and finds a VHS tape of Stampler being forced to have sex with another altar boy and a girl named Linda. Vail is now in a dilemma: Introducing this evidence would make Stampler more sympathetic to the jury; but it would also give him a motive for the murder, which Venable is unable to establish. When Vail confronts his client and accuses him of having lied, Stampler breaks down crying and suddenly transforms into a new persona: a violent sociopath who calls himself Roy and confesses to the murder of the Archbishop. When this incident is over, Stampler once again becomes passive and shy, and appears to have no recollection of the personality switch  what he calls having lost time. Molly Arrington Frances McDormand, the psychiatrist examining Stampler, is convinced that he has dissociative identity disorder caused by years of abuse at the hands of his father. Vail does not want to hear this, because he knows that he cannot enter an insanity plea during an ongoing trial. Vail slowly sets up a confrontation in court by dropping hints about the Archbishops pedophilia, as well as Stamplers multiple personalities. He also has the sex tape delivered to Venable, knowing she will realize who sent it and—since she is under intense pressure from both Shaughnessy and her boss Bud Yancy to deliver a guilty verdict—will use it as proof of motive. Vail puts Stampler on the witness stand and gently questions him about the abuse he suffered at the Archbishops hands. After Venable questions him harshly during crossexamination, Stampler turns into Roy in open court and attacks her, threatening to snap her neck if anyone comes near him. He is subdued by courthouse marshals and rushed back to his holding cell. The judge dismisses the jury in favor of a bench trial and then finds Stampler not guilty by reason of insanity, remanding him to a maximum security mental hospital. Venable is fired for losing the case and allowing the Archbishops crimes, which both the Catholic Church and the city council had been trying to hide for the past ten years, to come to public light. Vail visits Stampler in his cell to tell him of the dismissal. Stampler says he recalls nothing of what happened in the courtroom, having again lost time. Just as Vail is leaving, Stampler asks him to tell Miss Venable I hope her neck is okay, which he could not have been able to remember if he had lost time. When Vail confronts him, Stampler reveals that he had faked multiple personality disorder. No longer stuttering, he brags about having murdered Archbishop Rushman, as well as Linda. When Vail says There never was a Roy, Stampler replies, There never was an Aaron, counselor. A stunned and disillusioned Vail walks away as Stampler taunts him from his cell.