of steve abbott's ultimate fighting league championship defense.
Let's get it on.
Viegas strikes first with a sweeping leg kick.
But abbott wraps him up. He's got viegas against the fence.
And a huge takedown by abbott.
Viegas counters. He's going for the submission hold.
Abbott's got to be careful here.
Abbott breaks free and rolls away.
Both fighters are up on their feet.
This has been an incredible fight so far.
Oh! And viegas hits abbott with a vicious knee to the face.
Abbott's stunned. He's in trouble here.
But here he comes back on the attack.
Abbott's landing some brutal punches. And viegas goes down.
Abbott wants to put this fight away.
That's it! It's all over.
The referee's called the fight.
♪♪♪
And that was a scene earlier tonight
when reigning ufl champion steve abbott
demolished mike viegas with 32 seconds left in the second round.
♪♪♪
Morning.
Don't be gross, dad.
You ready to go?
Trevor's picking me up.
Is that okay?
Are you kidding? I love waiting around for no reason.
I'll be home for dinner. We can catch up then.
You're sure you can fit me into your busy schedule?
Oh, mom, I'll be by after school to come help you unpack.
-Okay. -Bye!
Well, she should shack up with the guy.
Careful what you wish for.
-First love, remember? -Not really.
-Oh, we disapprove? -Yeah, yeah.
So moving day, huh?
If there's a god,I have 200 boxes arriving at my new place in 45 minutes.
It's been fun having you here the past couple of weeks.
Claire, I just want you to know that...
you know, taking care of julie this past year,
giving up my practice...
things are different. I'm different.
some things never change.
Claire.
What?
Male, mid-30s,single gunshot to the head.
Coroner I.D.'D the victim as steve abbott.
The fighter?
He just defended his title last night.
You're into mixed martial arts?
Yeah, aren't you?
I never had the stomach for it.
You need to man up.
no sign of forced entry. Nothing missing from the house.
Sounds like a clean hit.
Yeah, no solid suspects.
Other than the 40 guys abbott beat to a pulp in the ring.
What about the family?
The wife was staying at her mother's house with their eight-year-old son.
Found the body about an hour ago.
Mrs. Abbott.
I'm sebastian stark.
I'm with the D.A.'S office.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
Would you be okay answering a few questions?
How long were you and your husband married?
Ten years... next month.
I was told that you and your son have been staying with your mother.
Yeah, I... I always do before one of steve's fights.
He needs to focus.
So there were no problems in your marriage?
Steve was everything to me, mr. Stark.
And now,I have to explain to our son
why he's never going to see his dad again.
Do you know of anyone who wanted to see your husband dead?
Steve hurt people. For a living.
But when he was here with us...
he was a good manand a great father.
I can't understand why anyone would want to do this to him.
Thank you for your help.
abbott was the best.
No one could figure out how to beat him.
It looks like someone found a way.
www.1000fr.com presents
Capture:FRM@Aihua Sync:FRS@??
Steve abbott was a cherished member of the mixed martial arts family.
We would like to extend our deepest sympat
to his wife, kelly, and their son, tommy.
Teddy banks, founder and ceo of the ultimate fighting league.
Seems pretty broken up.
Well, that's because they found his number-onebox office
attraction with a bullet in his head.
You're all heart.
I just assured every reporter in this city that steve abbott's death is our top priority.
Says who?
District attorney cutler.
So where are we?
Abbott's cell phone records show multiple calls
from two numbers the day he died:
His wife, kelly, and ck carris, another fighter.
Carris, he's been around for years.
Started back when the sport was still unregulated.
Guy's luck to be alive.
People actually pay to watch this?
The ultimate fighting league went international this year.
Clears more on pay per view than wrestling and boxing combined.
Yeah, abbott cleared over two million bones last year.
With a right hand like his, he was worth every penny.
I have a brown belt in aikido, so don't piss me off.
Abbott's financials show that
he was paying carris $5,000 a month for the past year.
The checks stopped a month ago.
Could be bribes, blackmail, gambling debts. Grab isaac and look into this.
Yeah, yeah, ay.
Anything from the crime?
Still waiting on the M.E.'S report.
Check on forensics. Madeline, you follow up with sid.
Trust me, you wouldn't last a round.
Rick carris.
Who are you guys?
Danny reyes. D.A.'S office, this is my colleague, isaac wright.
I'm a huge fan.
I didn't know I had any left.
I already talked to the cops.
All right, so you don't need to warm up.
Steve and I trained together for ten years.
We came up together.
Why was he paying you $5,000 a month?
To train with him.
Get him in shape for his upcoming title fight.
You talked to him four times the day he died.
I was trying to get him pumped up.
Abbott was in the title bout. You're saying he wasn't amped for it?
Look, ten years in this business takes it toll.
You know, steve was tired, was depressed...
plus kelly moving out didn't help.
Wait a minute-- she said she went to her mother's before every fight.
But they'd been arguing a lot.
Look, it wasn't kelly's fault. Steve could be a real head case sometimes.
Was he taking any performance enhancers that might've caused that?
Truth is, every fighter on this circuit is on something.
Steve was good. So were a lot of other guys.
In this sport,if you don't keep up, you're going to get killed.
Looks like steve found that out the hard way.
Thanks.
You don't understand.
Did you have anything to do with your husband's murder?
Let me put it another way.
You have five seconds to start talking,
or I'll have no choice but to arrest you in front of your son.
We were having problems.
That's why tommy and I were staying with my mother.
Steve was struggling.
"Struggling" how?
He had these mood swings.
One second he'd be fine, then, the next,
he'd be screaming and-and... and then he'd be in tears.
Rick carris said a lot of the fighters used steroids.
Yeah, steve would see this...
this league doctor for shots.
He said that they were safe,
but the fact is steve didn't even know what they were injecting him with.
And afterwards,he'd come home... withdrawn, sometimes angry.
If this was an accident,or self-defense, we can help you.
But you have to tell us the truth.
Did you kill your husband?
No.
Steve wasn't murdered.
When I came home...
come on!
I found steve dead... ...at the bar,
with a gun in his hand.
Your husband committed suicide?
He had been so depressed, but I never thought that
he would actually kill himself.
What happened?
I didn't know what to do.
I picked up the gun...
and I hid it.
I wanted to make it look like someone killed him.
And I know that it was wrong.
But...
no matter how bad things got,
I loved my husband. I would never hurt him.
Why did you lie to us?
Steve was a hero to a lot of people
and I...
I couldn't let our son know how he really died.
Ah, thanks for joining us.
Teddy banks, ceo of the ultimate fighting league, jessica devlin.
I came by to see if I could help with your investigation.
It was a shock when leo told me steve killed himself.
Teddy's an old pal; I promised to keep him in the loop.
Well, we're rechecking forensics,
but kelly abbott's claim does seem to hold up.
Well, do you have any idea why he would do this?
We can't be sure,
but abbott's tox screen shows massive steroid levels.
That doesn't sound like steve.
Really? Because your league steroid policy is a joke.
Come on, jessica.
Oh, leo, it's okay.
You really think that this is the only professional league with a steroid problem?
No, but in your little blood sport,
steroids cause a hell of a lot more damage than an asterisk in a record book.
Well, I'm sorry you're not a fan.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to speak at steve abbott's funeral.
-Great to see you. -You, too.
You want to tell me what the ell that was?
A man is dead, leo.
An eight-year-old boy lost his father.
I read the papers. Here's the deal.
Aside from being an old friend...
ah! Translation: Political crony.
Banks runs one of the fastest-growing sports in america, with millions of fans,
fans who fill huge venues, swill boatloads of beer,
and consume overpriced hot dogs between blic execution.
Le me guess: You got a few phone calls from the stadium owners?
Like you're reading my mind.
They call every time a case threatens their bottom line.
It's your job to ignore them.
Right, and I'll be reelected on my integrity and good looks.
Oh, no, wait.
That was your strategy and now you work for me.
Gunshot residue test was inconclusive,
but the M.E. Confirms abbott's wound could have been self-inflicted.
Anything else?
Yeah. They pulled abbott's prints from the gun kelly gave us.
Which all adds up to suicide, so we're done.
No murder,no prosecution.
Think again.
here we go.
Abbott's tox screen showed massive steroid levels.
Yeah, another athlete on drugs. Perfect job for the narcs at lapd.
No, abbott was treated by dr. Dan millman.
This clown treated all the fighters at the ultimate fighting league.
And?
Enhancer abuse at this level severely effects behavior.
I had danny do a little digging.
Two ufl fighters committed suicide last year.
Abbott makes three.
Don't tell me you want to go after millman for steroids violation.
Of course not-- I want to nail teddy banks for second degree murder.
The president of the league!
The doctor's just an errand boy.
Banks calls the shots.
He's subjecting his fighters to dangerous chemicals
as a condition of their employment.
That's reckless indifference homicide.
Forget the fact that cutler's going to have an embolism.
We have no case.
Respondeat superior.
Employer's responsible for the acts of the employees.
I dig the latin, but the fact remains...
hey, this bastard banks is peeling grapes in his skybox
while his players O.D. On goon juice.
So I take it we're not here to watch grown men beat each other to a pulp?
Well, actually, that's exactly why we're here.
Only I'm going to be the one bringing the pain.
Let me know if the blurred vision persists.
Dr. Millman, I presume?
We're with the D.A.'S office investigating the death of steve abbott.
Oh, steve was a wonderful guy. It's a tragedy.
Or a murder.
What are you talking about?
Abbott's tox screen showed dangerous levels of anabolic steroids.
And his widow says you were the guy holding the needle.
These guys get this stuff on their own.
I do my best to keep them safe.
It's funny. That's not what kelly abbott said.
In fact, she insists that steve had no idea
what you were giving him and that you advised him
to discontinue his antidepressants.
He asked me if they would affect his performance; I couldn't lie.
Yeah, you're a real boy scout.
By the time I'm done convincing a jury that
you gave dangerous drugs to dozens of fighters,
including a husband and father who just blew his brains out,
you'll be earning your next merit badge up in san quentin.
I swear this wasn't my idea.
I didn't secure the drugs. I was just following orders.
Whose?
ah, ms. Devlin.
Decided to give our little sport a chance, huh?
Looks like you're done mourning steve abbott.
Life goes on.
You're under arrest for the murder of steve abbott.
I was told he committed suicide.
Yeah, with a little help from his friends.
You're making a very big mistake.
I'm no welterweight.
You may think you fight dirty,
but trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet.
??? suggests that teddy banks
personally provided steroids to steve abbott.
At levels high enough to induce suicidal intent.
Uh-huh.
We're going after banks because his company's financial statements prove
that he obtained and distributed large amounts of performance-enhancing drugs.
Abbott is dead because banks ordered him off his antidepressants
and filled him full of poison.
He juices these guys out of their gourds.
Hey, better fights, fewer injuries, crowd goes wild.
And if they off themselves, he just goes down to the local gym,
finds another innocent kid, grabs a syringe and starts over.
He is a callous, greedy son of a bitch, and I'm taking him down.
So, there's your update, leo. I'm filing this afternoon.
Thought you should know.
Okay.
What did he just say?
I think he said okay.
Mixed martial arts is a dangerous, barely-regulated sport.
Someone needs to blow the whistle.
What about your good friend banks?
This is a matter of principle.
well, you had me there.
Bottom line-- the sport is a huge cash cow for this city.
If one of these thugs dies in the ring, the cow dies with him.
-He's back. -You're a true humanitarian, leo.
Go with god.
Just so we're clear, you're prosecuting my client
for a murder in which the deceased committed suicide?
Your client ordered steve abbott's doctor to administer life-threatening chemicals.
That's a load of crap.
Rick carris and dr. Dan millman are going to disagree... under oath.
My client is a high-profile target.
The D.A.'S office has gotten its publicity,
and now it's time to drop these frivolous charges.
Your client is a murderer.
-Prove it. -Oh, we will.
With steve abbott's grieving widow and son front and center.
In the interest of saving taxpayer money,
mr. Banks is willing to compensate the abbott family for their loss
and announce a formal change in the league's steroid policy.
It's a little late for steve abbott.
It's a generous offer. Take it.
It's tempting. Let's see.
Uh, here's our counter: Manslaughter, ten years.
This meeting is over.
A restitution and they change the sport?
You ask me, it's worth thinking about.
Oh, campos is a damn good lawyer.
If his client didn't have exposure, they would've never shown up today.
And we still need to prove that banks masterminded the doping of his fighters.
Then we'd better get busy.
I talked to ten of banks' fighters.
None of them are willing to testify that he was directly involved in steroids.
Okay, we still have rick carris.
Yeah. About that.
The ultimate fighting league is expanding to hong kong.
Banks just offered carris the job in the front office.
He'll be on a plane before the trial starts.
There's no way in hell the judge will compel him to stay.
God, banks definitely knows how to cover his ass.
The ufl claims that steve abbott's medical files have been misplaced.
Unbelievable.
So, our entire case against banks is resting on the testimony of a steroid-pushing doctor.
Yep. Pretty much.
You tell stark.
Why me?
Because you guys have that whole macho bond thing going on.
Yeah, but he won't hit a girl.
Don't bet on it.
Even if you accept dr. Millman's self-serving claim
that he was administering dangerous drugs
to fighters at the direction of my client,
the only evidence to substantiate these accusations is contained
in communications with his patients,
which are explicitly protected by doctor-patient privilege.
Mr. Stark?
We'll introduce witnesses, your honor,
who will voluntarily wave privilege and testify to mr. Banks' role in this matter.
And when exactly does counsel intend to produce these witnesses?
Keep your pants on, ramon.
It'll be worth the wait, trust me.
Yeah, well, my pants not withstanding, your honor,
a respected businessman has been charged with murder.
It's traditional to offer at least a modicum of proof.
The people's case is extremely thin, mr. Stark.
Well, it'll be a lot thicker, your honor,
if mr. Banks' company hadn't conveniently misplaced the victim's medical records.
The defense is making every effort to produce that material.
Can you provide any evidence of mr. Banks' complicity
in administering illegal drugs to the victim?
We are pursuing a number of witnesses, your honor,
who will shed light on this...
we don't charge people with murder on spec, mr. Stark.
Come back when you have a case.
The charges against mr. Banks are dismissed.
I should go.
What?
You can't stay longer?
I can'T. I...
I want to, but I feel like my dad's finally starting to trust me again,
and I don't want to mess that up.
-I'll see you tomorrow morning, right? -Sure.
-Bye. -Bye.
The dismissal of charges in the banks' case is a bitter disappointment.
Lives are at stake, and justice wasn't served.
Am I drunk, or is cutler standing up for us?
Wait for it.
While the prosecution of this matter is questionable,
the decision to pursue mr. Banks was mine alone.
It sounds like he's stepping up.
He just threw us under the bus!
Look, by taking responsibility,
our little leo scores points with the public
and the L.A. Sports establishment.
While we look like the morons who let banks get away.
He rides off on his tiny white horse.
I got something on the abbott case.
That's like bringing the jaws of life to a graveyard.
I've been going through the tributes to steve abbott online.
"I'm devastated by the loss of a good friend.
Steve's suicide is a terrible tragedy."
That was written by rick carris.
So he misses his buddy. What's the big deal?
Try this.
This was posted a day before steve abbott's death was
publicly ruled a suicide.
At the time of the posting, everybody thought that steve abbott was murdered.
There's no way carris could have known kelly moved the gun till a full day later.
Unless he discovered the body before she showed up.
Wait a second.
What if kelly called him and told him what she'd done?
I checked her cell, her house line, her mom's phone records.
She didn't tell a soul.
And carris doesn't have an alibi for the night of abbott's death.
What would happen if I kissed you really hard right now?
If I didn't kill you, isaac definitely would.
Fair point. Danny, madeleine, I need you guys
to recheck all the details of carris's whereabouts.
You have isaac meet you at the crime scene with S.I.D.
I am going to find out what happened the night steve abbott died.
What exactly are we looking for?
When abbott died,
S.I.D. Approached the crime scene based on the immediate visible evidence.
Body over here, blood.
But that was before we found out that kelly moved the gun.
jianreexamined the evidence as a suicide.
Right, but if carris has knowledge of the crime scene before kelly got home...
then this could be a murder made to look like a suicide.
Hey, check this out.
Luminol picked up blood spatter consistent with the gunshot wound.
But abbott was shot in the game room.
I think it's safe to say he didn't shoot himself in the head and then walk across the house.
The blood stains show the body was dragged across the floor,
but the blood stops here.
Maybe the shooter picked him up?
No.
Abbott weighed 280. There's no way carris could lift him.
Unless he had help.
All right, whoever did this
shot abbott out here,
carried his body into the game room,
put him at the bar
and planted the gun to make it look like a suicide.
Got it.
Madeleine and danny found a convenience store clerk on sunset and barrington
who I.D.'D carris's photo.
He came in the night abbott died.
All right, that puts him a few blocks from here.
All right. When's carris leaving for hong kong?
In a few hours.
Something tells me he's going to be missing that flight.
Sorry, rick.
Before you hit hong kong,
you need to stand trial for killing steve abbott.
It's your last big fight, buddy.
I hope you're up for it.
all right, the good news is we have carris in custody.
The bad news is we have no idea
who the second killer is.
Isaac is running carris' cell phone.
Nothing so far.
So we prosecute carris,
then flip him after we secure a conviction.
I love the optimism,
but what I need is a case.
The blood evidence found at the house only proves that abbott was killed,
not that carris killed him.
But the web site post shows
that carris knew the murder was staged to look like a suicide.
And we have him close to the scene near the time of death.
All right, so we're good on opportunity.
What about motive?
Well, two years ago,
carris fought abbott in the elimination match for the title
and lost ...
... pretty bad.
Career envy's going to be tough to sell to a jury.
Abbott went on to win the title
and sign a big contract with the ultimate fighting league.
Carris filed for bankruptcy and lost his house.
Then, a month ago,
abbott cuts carris off,
stops writing him $5,000 checks.
Getting warmer.
Subtropical, actually.
Lapd found these in carris' apartment--
pictures of the suspect
down in mexico with the victim's wife.
Carris was having an affair with kelly abbott?
Well, judging by the hairline and the hootie and the blowfish t-shirt,
these were taken at least ten years ago.
Before kelly married steve abbott.
These must have meant something to carris if he held onto them.
Yeah, so abbott got the glory, the big bucks, and the girl.
And we just got our motive.
Were you and rick carris having an affair?
- Of course not. - We found these in carris' apartment.
If you're lying
and the defense brings it up, carris could walk.
okay, I'm not lying and,
and I never cheated on steve.
I was a publicist for the league
and rick and I dated for a few months before I ever met steve.
How did it end?
I broke it off
and then, a few months later,
I fell in love with steve.
Did rick ever try and get back together?
He may have called me a few times.
Are you trying to say that
that rick killed my husband because of me?
We're looking at every angle.
Well, that's crazy.
Things between rick and me were never that serious.
Are you sure he felt that way?
Along with the photos,
we found a diamond bracelet,
still wrapped;
it was pretty expensive.
We tracked down the jeweler.
Carris bought it one week after you two returned from mexico.
You broke up with him before he could give it to you.
But he's kept it all this time.
Rick was one of steve's best friends.
He trusted him.
When rick was having money problems,
we tried to help him.
Carris' lawyer is going to come at you hard for taking the gun from the crime scene.
Well, I was protecting my husband and my son
and I would do the same thing again.
Jury won't argue with that.
Look, your testimony is key to establishing carris' motive.
Without that, we can't win.
Okay, tell me what I need to do.
So where did carris get the cash to hire stephanie downing?
I'm guessing mr. Banks didn't want his league's image tarnished by a murder conviction.
I've always wanted to go up against her.
Well, something tells me the feeling's going to be mutual.
Stephanie.
Sebastian.
Let's skip the chitchat.
Let'S.
Your client has harbored intimate feelings for the victim's wife for over a decade.
Kelly and I were friends...
don't speak.
That's speculative at best.
Pictures don't lie
and nothing says obsessed like a $2,000 tennis bracelet.
She's lovely, sebastian.
Jealous?
Absolutely.
What's the offer?
Your client names his accomplice,
we drop the charge to second-degree murder.
Forget it.
You have no forensics,
no eyewitnesses,
and a half-ass theory based on ten-year-old polaroids and a charm bracelet.
You didn't do this alone.
Why take the fall?
Please direct your questions to me, ms.--
Poe, madeleine.
Well, do me a favor,
poe madeleine.
Tell your boss
his offer's declined.
But
here's my card.
In case you've got a better one.
Stephanie is a notorious skirt-chaser.
Tried to warn you.
Actually, she's kind of hot.
Thanks for picking me up, dad.
Any word from trevor?
Uh-uh. He said he'd be here and he always calls.
I'm starting to get worried.
Look, I-I know it's been weird for you.
Me dating trevor,
mom moving back home.
Well, mom's not so bad.
Kidding.
I just wanted to say thanks.
You've been really great about all this.
there he is.
Don't those things usually have kickstands?
You should go.
Trevor...
what are you doing?
Look, I'm, I'm sorry...
god, trevor, I go to school here.
My dad is right over there.
Hey, mr. Stark.
Dad, it's okay.
Get in the car, sweetie.
Dad.
Now.
How's it going, trevor?
Not too bad. I just, I think julie's a little mad at me.
Yeah, it runs in the family.
you know, I've done my part to keep an open mind about you
because, frankly,
I had no choice.
That part's over.
As far as I'm concerned,
you want to drink until your liver explodes,
I couldn't care less.
But if you ever ...
put my daughter's life at risk,
I will cut your heart out and I will feed it to you.
Are we clear?
Shut up.
There's a coffee shop down on the corner.
You get down there, order yourself a grande latte,
and sober up,
and if you're lucky,
I'll give julie your keys.
- Mr. Stark... - I don't usually give warnings.
You've had yours.
Tell us about your husband's friendship with mr. Carris.
Steve and rick were close.
But, last month, they had a falling out.
Over what?
Steve was paying rick to be his training partner as a favor--
rick needed the money--
but rick kept missing workouts,
showing up late,
so, eventually, steve had to let him go.
Did they argue?
It got ugly.
Rick claimed that my husband promised to take care of him
when he won the title.
Is it safe to say that mr. Carris was
jealous of your husband's career?
Oh, definitely.
And was he also jealous of other things?
You, for example.
Rick had a crush on me.
We went out a few times,
years ago, before I even met steve.
i thought we had got over it.
Would it surprise you to learn
that he kept pictures and jewelry from your time together?
Objection.
Foundation.tiwu
Sustained.
Has mr. Carris made any advances towards you recently?
He called me at my mother's a few weeks ago.
And do you remember the nature of this conversation?
Rick asked me if I wanted to grab a drink.
And what did you say?
I said no.
I couldn't believe he was asking me out on a date.
A few days later, someone murdered my husband.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Oh, don't tell me about it. - I don't want to talk about it anymore.
Hey, we are talking about it whether you like it or not!
What's going on?
Well, julie's boyfriend almost killed himself today on his donor-cycle,
and if I hadn't been there,
your daughter would have ended up on the slab next to him.
Julie, is this true?
It wasn't his fault.
Oh, what, somebody slipped a pint of vodka into his morning oatmeal?
You don't understand!
He is going through a really difficult time right now!
He's 18 with a trust fund!
This is not exactly dickens!
Sebastian, calm down.
Oh, you know what?
It's your fault, too.
- My fault? - Oh, no, she's a smart girl, she can handle it.
I can!
Yeah, well, you're doing a bang-up job of it.
Look, I am not letting my 17-year-old daughter
date a future cautionary tale, period.
I love him,
and if you want me to move out,
I will,
but I'm not going to stop seeing him.
Ugh.
Thanks for the backup.
Sebastian, do you not think you're overreacting?
No, I think you are underreacting.
Your daughter is dating an alcoholic
and all you seem to care about
is whether to go with the shutters or drapes.
That is not fair.
I am just as concerned about her as you are,
but you cannot tell a lovesick teenager what to do.
Claire...
now, whether we like it or not,
all we can do is listen
and pray she does the right thing.
That does not work for me, okay?
If your idea of parenting
is to cross your fingers,
you might as well just stay out of it.
A year on the job and you're the expert.
At least I'm trying.
No, you are driving her away.
Well, good, why don't you have her move in here, then?
But you probably never thought of that.
Kelly abbott's testimony helped,
but it's not going to be enough to put carris away.
We need to find out who was in that house with carris when abbott got killed.
yeah. How?
We rechecked carris' background,
talked to his friends, his relatives,
and we got nothing.
This might help.
I finally tracked down those calls to carris' cell phone.
Air-to-land calls.
It took them some time, but the faa was able to trace them to a private jet.
Any idea who was flying the friendly skies?
The plane was registered to teddy banks.
He was in vegas closing a deal on the strip
and he flew back right afterwards.
Banks told the cops he went straight to his office,
but no one was able to confirm it.
So banks could've left vegas,
made it back to L.A. In time to meet carris at abbott's house.
They kill abbott, banks hires carris a fancy lawyer
and everyone walks.
I'll work up a timeline on his alibi the night of the murder.
I'll recheck forensics, see if there's any sign of banks at the house.
There's one little problem:
We have no idea why banks would want to kill his franchise fighter.
You've reached the starks.
Please leave us a message.
Hey, julie, it's trevor.
I tried your cell;
I guess you're not around.
Um...
look, I'm sorry about what happened at school.
Uh, I'm an idiot,
but I guess you already knew that.
I know I embarrassed you in front of your friends and your dad,
I just...I want to talk to you.
All right. Please call me back.
okay. I love you. bye.
What's up?
Nothing important.
With you, nothing important is usually grounds for disbarment.
Relax, we're just going to talk with rick carris.
Does he want to plea?
Not exactly.
Did his lawyer set this up?
Not exactly.
But she'll be there, right?
Not exactly.
Talking to a defendant without his lawyer present is a guaranteed mistrial.
Better than a guaranteed acquittal.
look, This is our only chance to get carris to turn.
Besides, if we call downing, she calls banks, he pays her fees. Remember?
Okay.
Didn't I used to be the one telling you you couldn't do stuff like this?
Yeah, but you got to admit,
this is a lot more fun.
No, You're not supposed to be here.
This place is like a suite at the ritz compared to the lifer's cells at tehachapi.
I want my lawyer.
Then give her a call.
Yeah.
Or be smart for once in your life,
shut your mouth, and listen.
Okay, talk.
Teddy banks' alibi
doesn't check out.
We know you two chatted the night of the murder.
It's only a matter of time before we put him at the scene with you.
I know you already tried to nail banks.
He's too smart for you guys.
Yeah, but this time we know his weak spot:
You.
The second we charge banks,
he's going to make a deal.
He's gonna roll over on you like a boulder.
He gets probation,
you get life.
That doesn't seem fair.
Yeah, but then again, we get paid no matter who we convict.
Love that part.
It's fight night, pal.
You got to scrape together whatever gray matter you got left,
get your hands up, and defend yourself
before they count you out permanently.
Banks called me after steve's fight.
Said that steve was going to quit the league.
Banks knew that we were friends
and he wanted me to help talk steve down.
He said he'd take care of me if I did.
What happened when you got to the house?
I can't believe you're gonna come up to my house...
Steve was freaking out.
He had been to a doctor,
they told him that he had really bad kidney damage from the juice that they gave him.
He wasn't just gonna quit.
No, he-he was gonna go public.
He was gonna expose banks.
He-he was gonna force him to change the league to clean it up.
So what'd banks have to say about that?
He calmed steve down
and he told him that he was right.
He said things had to change.
You know, I thought everything was gonna be cool.
Then, out of nowhere,
banks pulled a gun,
put it to steve's head...
and shot him.
Banks told me that we were just there to talk to him.
So rather than call the cops,
you helped banks cover his tracks?
I didn't know what the hell to do.
No, banks said that he could make this go away.
So, we...
moved the body,
made it look like a suicide and then we left.
I swear to god,
I did not know what banks was gonna do.
Steve was my friend.
You know, I loved kelly.
I-I would never do anything to hurt her.
What happens now?
Try something new.
Tell the truth.
so, you and steve abbott were friends.
Yeah. We, uh,
we trained together for years.
Steve was a great guy.
And didn't he help you financially on several occasions?
Steve helped me through some pretty bad times.
You know, I owed him a lot.
I advised you not to testify here today.
But you insisted.
Why?
Because I wanted everybody to know that I loved steve.
And if I could, I. I would trade places with him right now.
Mr. Carris.
Did you murder steve abbott?
No.
Teddy banks killed him.
Objection! Move to strike.
Overruled.
The testimony will stand.
May we approach, your honor?
What the hell was that?
I had no idea my client would make such a claim.
And I had no idea you'd pull such a cheap stunt.
Your honor, my client had an emotional outburst.
We apologize to the court.
The people will try to move past this egregious breach of ethics, your honor,
but we do request a recess.
One hour.
"egregious breach of ethics"?
I thought it was a nice touch.
I didn't know you did righteous indignation.
Well, it's a new color for me.
Yeah, well, let's hope banks bought it,
because if he refuses to take the stand,
we're screwed.
True, but you're forgetting about our secret weapon.
We have a secret weapon?
Big time.
Are you gonna fill me in?
What, and ruin the surprise?
We all know carris is lying.
But we've got a serious problem.
The jury will view the accusation against my client as desperate raving of a guilty man.
Maybe, but they also read the newspapers.
They know we've already charged mr. Banks in this matter.
Uh, unsuccessfully.
Yeah, we screwed up.
And I apologize.
Carris's lawyer has got no choice but to change strategy.
She's gonna hammer you with all the evidence we found at trial and some of her own.
Let her. There's nothing there.
There's enough to form reasonable doubt.
I mean, carris could walk.
Well, that sounds like your problem, not mine.
I wouldn't be so sure.
Leo.
You run a dirty business, teddy.
People are dying and that makes it my problem.
You know, leo, I've been very good to you.
Yes, you have.
But someone has to pay for the death of steve abbott.
And it's either gonna be rick carris or it's gonna be you.
The case against my client was dismissed.
Payment can come in many forms.
For example, this subpoena for all the accounting records of your league for the last ten years.
You've got to be kidding.
I don't think this is really necessary.
I disagree.
Either mr. Banks testifies
or my fraud and corruption unit takes apart his business brick by brick.
Earlier today, rick carris accused you of killing steve abbott.
Is that true?
Absolutely not.
Why do you suppose he would make such an accusation?
Because he knows he's going to jail for murder
and he's desperate.
So rick carris is lying.
Yes.
Thank you, mr. Banks.
Thank you.
I, uh, do actually have a few other questions for you.
Where were you the night steve abbott was killed?
Let's see, I was in las vegas,
closing on a business deal.
And then?
And then I went back to my office to finish up some work.
Here in los angeles?
Yes.
Anyone see you there?
Maybe the cleaning crew.
You know, it was pretty late.
Yeah, we checked with the cleaning company.
No one remembers seeing you
and you weren't on the building security tape.
Your honor,
as mr. Banks' attorney,
I would remind the court that my client is not on trial here.
Mr. Stark already tried that and failed.
Mr. Banks rebutted an accusation of murder under oath.
It is my job to demonstrate the credibility of that rebuttal.
Continue, mr. Stark.
You own a gun, mr. Banks?
I did.
Someone stole it from my home a few months ago.
And someone stole steve abbott's medical records from your offices.
It's interesting.
Did you knowingly supply dangerous and illegal performance-enhancing drugs to steve abbott?
Your honor!
Sit down, counsel.
Witness will answer the question.
No.
This is an affidavit from dr. Dan millman.
Attesting that you, teddy banks,
personally ordered him to administer illegal performance enhancers to fighters,
including steve abbott.
Steve abbott found out about the drugs you were forcing him to take,
- didn't he? - No.
And when he realized that those drugs were destroying his life,
ruining his body,
he threatened to quit, did he not?
Steve had a lot of personal problems.
In fact, he threatened to go public with your entire operation.
I don't have to listen to this.
That's where you're wrong.
This is a sworn statement from rick carris,
detailing your role in the murder of steve abbott.
You're about to swap places. Your honor.
The people would like to drop charges against mr. Carris,
and we would like to refile against mr. Banks.
Only this time,
it's murder one.
You can step down now.
I'm sorry. That's it for today. Thank you.
I can see the headline now.
Cutler ko's banks.
Perhaps something above the fold.
You were pretty damn good, leo.
And I have to say the subpoena for his financial records,
that was a nice touch.
I thought so, too.
You see how nice it can be when we all play together.
The problem is you only play when there's something in it for you.
Which makes me different from you how?
- Hmm. - Yes. He's got you there.
yes. The stadium owners get a scalp
and their big-ticket sport gets cleaned up.
And you're the guy who made it happen.
You're a real hero, leo.
I do what I can.
Pardon me. I-I just wanted to thank you both.
Banks is gonna cop a plea to dodge the death penalty.
Gonna spend the next 25 years in prison.
It won't bring steve back.
I know.
And I'm sorry about that.
Your dad was an amazing guy.
And he loved you more than anything.
Never forget that, son.

Bye.
thank you.
I'm a major jerk.
But we already knew that.
Place is shaping up.
You used to be a better liar.
Hey, you know, I was out of line
but I'm just so worried about julie.
Well, so am I.
But we need to stay on the same side.
Ah, this kid trevor is such bad news.
I know. We also know she's hopelessly in love with him.
I tried to talk to her.
How can she not see what a dead end this kid is?
You know...
some women have a remarkable capacity for overlooking the faults of the man they care about.
Right.
Well, if I know julie,
she's not gonna let this kid drag her down.
Is she upstairs?
Mm, she left an hour ago.
Said she was going to your place.
I was just there.
Hey.
What happened?
I got into it with some guys at the bar.
Are you okay?
Not really.
I got into a huge fight with my folks.
And then they, and they cut me off.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay. I can get a job.
I'm so sorry about what happened at the school. I didn'T...
- no, it's okay. - I didn't mean to--
- it's okay. - I just wanted to see you.
I just...
you're the only good thing in my life.
It's okay, I'm here.
I just feel like everything's out of control.
I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you.
I'm not going anywhere.
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