unit 11: How to get away with murder

Warm-up

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever watched a crime TV series? Which one?

2. What do you think makes a good lawyer?

3. Do you think it's possible to commit the "perfect crime"? Why or why not?

Watch and discuss

transcript

Find your seat. You don't want to be a sitting duck when the shooter gets here. I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your karma is out of balance to get assigned to my class.

I'm Professor Annalise Keating, and this is Criminal Law 100—or as I prefer to call it: How to Get Away with Murder.

Here we go. I will not be teaching you how to study the law or theorize about it, but rather how to practice it in a courtroom like a real lawyer. Every year I choose four students to come work for me. This assignment is used to help me decide who that is. Now go find the defense that will free our client.

Step one: Discredit the witnesses.

"You should really pay attention. You might learn something."

"Are you color blind?"

"Yes."

The rest of you, step up your game.

Step two: Introduce a new suspect.

"How'd you get this? Was it... isn't exactly legal."

"And we just have to get creative."

Step three: We bury the evidence.

"You got him to lie on the stand!"

"I did my job."

Everything after this moment will not only determine your career, but life. You can spend it in a corporate office drafting contracts and hitting on chubby paralegals before finally putting a gun in your mouth—or you can join my firm and become someone you actually like.

"I want to be her."

"Welcome to Philadelphia."

"Professor! My God, thank you for keeping this between us."

"You're a misogynistic ass. Stop screwing the students."

"How'd you get that email?"

"I don't kiss and tell."

"The body stays where it is."

"No! The body is what gets us caught. Either we all agree or we stop right now."

"Just do it. It's the only way to destroy the DNA."

That's how you get away with murder.

 

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How to get away with murder:

answer key

1. Discredit the witnesses

2. Introduce a new suspect

3. Bury the evidence

 

1. What did Professor Keating mean when she said "How to get away with murder"?

2. Would you like to be a lawyer? Why or why not?

3. The professor says: "You can spend your life in a corporate office... or you can join my firm and become someone you actually like." What do you think she means?

Phrasal verbs with GET

The Case of Willow Lake

Daniel Harris is accused of killing his business partner, Carl, near Willow Lake. The prosecution believes Daniel is guilty, and here's why:

The Evidence Against Daniel:

Daniel and Carl worked together at a big firm, but they had been fighting for months. Daniel was tired of drafting contracts in their corporate office – he wanted to________________the entire business. But Carl refused to sell his shares. Witnesses say Daniel was furious and wanted to_________________Carl for blocking the sale.

Daniel's karma was clearly out of balance. On the night of the murder, Carl was a sitting duck – alone near the lake with no one to help him. The police found Daniel's fingerprints on the murder weapon. The prosecution believes Daniel thought he could_________________murder by making it look like a robbery.

Daniel tried to_________________the body and the bloody clothes he was wearing that night, but the police found them in a dumpster near his house. His DNA was on Carl's body – and there's no way to destroy that evidence now.

The prosecution says Daniel wanted to_________________Carl because of the business dispute. Daniel had_________________many times before – he even lied on the stand in a previous case. His history of terrible things always_________________him.

The prosecution is confident: Daniel Harris is guilty. No lawyer will be able to _____him __ this time. The defense has no chance. He will not_________________what he did.

Project: Be the Lawyer!

Your mission:

You are Daniel Harris's defense lawyer. The prosecution says he's guilty, but you believe he's innocent! Write your defense strategy using the 3 steps:

1. Discredit the witness – Why can't the secretary be trusted?

2. Introduce a new suspect – Who else could have killed Carl?

3. Bury the evidence – What evidence is fake or manipulated?

Use at least 5 phrasal verbs with GET in your defense.

Phrasal verbs to use:

•get away with • get into trouble • get rid of • get someone out • get control over • get someone off • get back at • get someone in trouble • get someone out of something•

 

The Verdict

 

After presenting your defense, the teacher will be the judge and decide:

Will Daniel Harris get away with it... or will he get into trouble?

Speaking Practice: Ask & Answer

Phrasal verbs:

Words from the transcript:

Student’s questions:

Phrasal verb	Word	Your question
get away with	ㅤ	ㅤ
get into trouble	ㅤ	ㅤ
get rid of	ㅤ	ㅤ
get back at	ㅤ	ㅤ
get control over	ㅤ	ㅤ

Speaking challenge:

Choose 1 questions from the list and answer it for at least 1 minute.