Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s09e15 Episode Script
Inhumane Society
In New York City's war on crime, The worst criminal offenders are pursued By the detectives of the major case squad.
These are their stories.
You look good, kid.
Thought you were done with me.
I told you those punks were a problem.
Now you get out in two months.
Then what? Back to the top dog crew again? Animals tearing each other to pieces? People are hating you for that.
They're right to hate me for that.
I had something good, sal, and I threw it away.
Looking tough, ladies.
Looking tough.
Come on! Come on! Boom! Boom! Put the whup to it, danny.
Be a puncher now, huh? Jesus, if you were any slower, You'd be boxing with the ladies.
This lightning speed, relampago.
All right, all right, all right.
Yeah? Keep it up, you might get yourself a belt.
One? Nah, you got one.
I'm gonna collect 'em.
You know that guy I got to interview you? Called you a serious contender.
Come here, come here.
Hey, hey.
Yo, bait, take a blow! Jesus, come over here.
You and danny, five-minute rounds.
Body shots.
He can take it.
Really? This guy? Hey, sal, hold on a second, all right? yo, d-train.
Let's roll.
How many times I have to tell you? No dogs in my gym! Relax, pops.
He's a vegetarian.
Hey, you take it and it Out of my gym right now.
You're going off with those thugs? Sal, I'm going off with my boys, all right? It's cool.
See you in the morning.
How much you down for? Righteous.
My man is hungry for your dog.
Got a benjamin that says you're wrong.
How 'bout that? Razor's about to eat lunch again.
Oh, word? In your dreams.
Yeah, look, just put up or shut up, all right, player? All right.
Freeze! Hands up! Hands up! Nypd.
Show me your hands.
Hands up.
Look who's here, danny "the d-train" ford.
Lotta priors, counselor-- Assault, burglary, carjacking.
We add cruelty to animals, Little ron goes in 10 to 15.
There's people who'd like to see you hang For a damn dog, including me.
Now austin and danny are in other rooms.
It's whoever talks first.
We can give you this.
Danny ford, he bankrolled the whole thing.
Your client gives us that, 10 to 15 becomes A 5-year suspended sentence and garbage detail.
Little ron's betrayal took me down.
But still, what I did was wrong.
Austin's cool though.
He had my back in here.
Does that mean you're coming out To hang with losers again? You got a gift.
You, uh-- You come see me when you're ready.
Yo, dog.
Back off me, ron.
Hey, man, I came here to let you know I didn't have a choice, danny.
I was looking at some serious time, man.
Yo, come on, man.
Yo, don't be like this.
Come near me again, You're dead.
Zeus, apollo, stop! Hey! Hey! Zeus, stop! Sub by Adriano_CSI I'm a legit breeder.
I got papers on my dogs.
They're bred to show.
Show? What, blood? Hey, I told you, I don't do dog fights.
Do you know this guy? No, I've never seen him before.
- Really? - What? What, you think I put that sorry ass back there With my dogs? Sorry ass? What am I supposed to take from that? Animal control is gonna put zeus and apollo down.
They were just defending their territory.
What would you do if some stranger Walked in the middle of your house at night, huh? How would you react? Looks like somebody used a bolt cutter.
Hey, don't lk at me.
I got a key, all right? Thanks so much.
Anything? Ronald jordan.
Brooklyn address.
Allowed his organs to be harvested, Although probably not this way.
Liver temp? Puts the time of death around 8:00, 8:30 this evening.
Not a fun way to go.
What is, really? So what do you think, He, uh, wanders in to say hello, Maybe steal one of the dogs, And, uh, they made a meal out of his throat.
Gruesome.
But maybe not murder.
A dog thief? Have we sunk that low? Ron jordan, aka little ron, Sheet goes back to his teens.
Possession, assault, car jacking.
I don't see this belonging to mcs.
Well, little ron was arrested on charges Related to dog fighting.
Yeah, I see that, but he floated on a conspiracy charge.
Still doesn't qualify.
He had a friend who will give this case some profile.
Remember danny ford-- Oh, my daughter hates that guy.
She wanted me to demonstrate.
What did he catch, two years on the dogfighting? He's out.
And quite possibly very angry at our victim, Who put him in.
All right, then if danny ford's a suspect, Then it is major case.
Talk to the d.
A.
, Find out what little ron traded.
Danny ford, ron jordan, Austin darvis.
Called themselves the top dog crew.
T.
D.
C.
Ron's medallion.
Jordan trained the animals, Darvis ran the business, And danny ford bankrolled the whole operation.
Danny ford, pro boxer.
Had little ron dialed in as state's witness.
And let him plead out on animal cruelty? I don't get it.
- Came from above.
Why the leniency? A year earlier, There was a case in san francisco-- Hispanic woman killed by her neighbor's dogs.
Her neighbors were white professionals, And they skated.
I remember that.
It was a circus, everybody weighed in-- Coulter, beck, der spiegel.
It was an election year.
Danny ford got lucky that he only got two years.
And a high-profile case With race and cultural issues goes away.
All that's off the record.
Thank you, brianna.
Making dogs fight to the death, Definitely a male thing.
And boxing, that it's even considered a sport-- Hey, you should go to a boxing mah, Or wrestling, even a bullfight.
You'll see women cheering louder than men.
Bullfight? Yeah, women go crazy for bullfighters.
Didn't you ever read hemingway? Blood lust lurks in our character Across the gender line.
Okay, so cruelty is a flaw of our species, But, you know, how dumb is a promising athlete To risk his career on dogfighting? He wasn't thinking risks.
It's a neighborhood thing.
They were dumb kids.
Probably did it for the money and the rush.
Not much of a rush, two years in jail.
Da- rd Ah? We're here about your, uh, friend, ron jordan.
Little ron ain't no friend of mine.
He's been murdered.
What? Excuse me, excuse me.
No interviews.
We're not reporters.
Oh.
Salvatore biaggi.
Yeah, I know.
You own this place.
- That's right.
That's actually my belt over those photos.
Oh, yeah? Former champ.
Yeah, you got it.
Look, uh, I'm sorry for popping off, detectives, But, uh, I'm so used to bustin' their stones, Keeping 'em focused, sometimes I, uh, you know, Forget there's other people on the planet.
They said little ron's dead.
Yeah, he was murdered Sometime last night.
That guy was trouble.
Danny knows my feelings on that.
So what happened? We usually ask the questions.
Did you go out last night? Nope.
No, he was here with me last night.
Didn't take a break, get a beer or a sandwich? No, no, no, he takes his training seriously, huh? Doesn't drink.
You served two years 'cause little ron snitched on you.
I told you, we weren't friends.
He's certain of that.
Where were you last night? Hey, I told you, he was here with me last night.
Now he's about to make his mark as a champion.
Why would he do something stupid? Hey, he did something stupid before And served time.
That kinda attitude's Gonna make me want to get a lawyer.
Now come on, we gotta go get something to eat.
Yeah, in a second.
Danny, what about your friend you did, uh, time with, Austin Austin - Darvis.
- Yeah, darvis.
Have you seen him lately? No.
I don't violate my parole.
You happy? Come on, let's go.
Hmm, danny.
You forgot your hat.
Danny wasn't at the gym the night of the murder.
He was in church.
It was ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday? There was a smudge on his hat From the ash on his forehead.
You sure it was ash? "remember, oh, man, that you are dust, And unto dust you shall return.
" I've seen it many times.
I know the look.
You daub it here, And you don't wash it off Or the nuns get very angry.
Nuns in islamabad.
No, the nuns were in lisbon.
C.
O.
D.
Was a torn jugular.
He bled out.
There's a bump on his head.
Contusion.
Could've resulted from being forced to the ground By the dogs.
Huh.
How hard is dirt? My brother nearly took my eye out With a piece of dirt.
I had a goose egg the size of a-- Goose egg? Any sign of alcohol or drugs? No, no alcohol.
Found a minute trace of a chemical vasodilator In his system.
Either cyclohexyl or amyl nitrate.
Poppers.
Yeah, maybe he, uh, took one, felt the buzz, He took on the dogs.
C.
S.
U.
Combed the scene.
Where's the discarded vial? Well, he couldn't have popped amyl someplace else.
I mean, the high lasts a little longer Than an orgasm, right? Still, nothing nails this as a homicide.
Oh, don't be so hasty.
While we're on brainteasers, The fifth and sixth rib On his right side were fractured, Most likely by blunt force impact.
When the dogs jumped him? The break on the sixth rib is a transverse fracture.
The bone was cracked in half.
with a running start? Newton said for every action There is an equal and opposite reaction.
The force woulda snapped a dog's neck.
Someone delivered a hell of a body blow.
- Yo, d.
- Austin.
Where the hell you been? Been with sal, training.
He got me a shot at jefferson.
You ducking me 'cause sal say so? I gotta go, man.
I'll check with you.
Hundreds of catholic churches in the borough.
Danny coulda gone to any of them.
"danny ford "d.
O.
B.
February 23, 1990.
"crown heights.
Father killed in the gulf war.
" Here, "mother died in 2000," all right.
No wonder he took up boxing.
Here we go.
"ford, nancy a, "who passed away too soon On March 8, 2000.
" March 8th.
"she's survived by her beloved son daniel.
" Here, "services will be held in st.
Joseph's catholic church.
In crown heights.
" In 2000, Ash Wednesday fell on March 8th.
I've known danny ford his whole life.
Don't tell me danny's in trouble again.
This is just about gathering information.
So he's a, uh, member of your church? He dropped out for a while.
You know, he was mixed up with the wrong crowd.
But then he wrote me from prison.
Was he here for ash Wednesday? Yes, he was.
Hmm.
For an evening service? That's right.
Then we talked for a while afterwards.
The prodigal son returns? Yes, I believe so.
Thank you, father jacob.
So the guy with the most compelling reason For tossing little ron jordan to the dogs Has a priest for an alibi.
Little ron also put austin darvis away.
Maybe it's time to check his forehead.
D owdirou joasn wleanil K Yeah, woar ce ouamnd K About little ron and those dogs.
I can tell you're devastated.
I did two years off ron snitching.
You think I'm shedding tears? Hell of a comedown from the kinda money T.
D.
C.
Pulled in siccing dogs on each other.
Yeah, I'd expect you'd have attitude on that.
More than you can imagine.
So what do you actually want? An alibi for last night Between 6:00 p.
M.
And 9:00 p.
M.
Rondele, sports bar up in the bronx.
- You bet a game? - No, I drank.
Talk to anyone? Look, man, I'm on parole.
No pets, no past friends.
If my boss see you sweatin' me, he'll fire my ass.
I'm already a pallet behind 'cause of this chat.
- What'd you go and do, man? - What'd I do? Hey, hey, don't insult me with that.
You wanted little ron dead the minute you stepped into rikers.
So did you.
So you think killing little ron Is supposed to make us tight again? I didn't kill little ron.
Well, you called me for something.
Cops came to see me.
Guess what, they made a stop along the way.
But sal didn't boot your ass from the gym, did he? I got canned from my job.
I need a loan.
I got pups coming in, man.
Dude want his money Friday.
It's not my problem.
We friends, man.
T.
D.
C.
They're ain't no "we.
" Not no more.
No top dog crew.
I'm with sal now.
We talked to people at that sports bar.
And no one remembers austin darvis.
Uh-uh.
So no alibi.
That moves him up the list.
Yeah, well, if he wants an alibi, He can borrow one from danny ford.
He's got two.
Two alibis? Mm-hmm, the pastor of st.
Joseph's Puts him in church Wednesday with ash on his forehead.
And sal biaggi swears that he was at the gym.
To sal the trainer's lying? Or maybe danny was lying to sal.
You know, my parents are atheists.
Yeah, if they ever found out that I'd gone to a church, They would have set up an intervention.
Sal is a trainer.
He's training hitters.
He doesn't want to see anything on danny's forehead Except sweat.
So sal lies to cover for him.
And that leaves us with austin.
Well, let's assume that austin served ron To marciano's pit bulls.
Louis marciano claims that he never saw ron before.
If that's the case then how does austin, His close cohort, even know that marciano had pit bulls? Aggressive pit bulls.
Unless he knew him.
I'm gonna get a warrant For austin darvis' phone records.
Pay another visit to marciano, The dog lover.
Pay another visit to marciano, These are pao Shs.
Ot pay another visit to marciano, Rip-off ve gm iv'efoe ur, But three's enough And better for their immune system.
Right, girl? Huh? Right? - Can I? - Yeah.
Yeah, sweetheart.
So zeus and apollo? Animal control euthanized them.
And I had buyers too.
Dogfighting guys? I only breed for the show ring.
So where are your ribbons? Hmm? What are you saying? You ever see this guy? Um, no, I don't think so.
Look hard, mr.
Marciano.
Be a shame to send this litter to animal control.
I sold him a couple dogs a while back.
That's it, I swear, he fights dogs.
And your phone records show he called you yesterday.
He wanted a dog.
I make 'em sign papers before they buy, you know? I mean, there's no fighting with my animals.
And how do you enforce that? Right.
Dog lover.
What? You know what.
Police'll come knocking.
So? You were little ron's girl.
You didn't do nothing to him.
And what about what we do? Hey, police come, you don't say nothing about us.
Trina.
You think danny put ron with those dogs? Little ron snitched.
Danny's cold, but I don't know.
The micks never liked us.
Accused us of crowding their action.
Coulda been them or the puerto ricans.
Body blows.
Hmm? Before ronnie went, He said, "I won't take no body blows.
" Does that have any meaning? What the hell are you doing here? You move like a girl.
I'm not here for training.
Oh? Well, then bring it.
No, you bring it.
Show me that famous style.
Show me how you won that belt.
See? The problem for you is I know what's coming.
I seen you train.
I know your style, sal.
I know what you bring on.
You train my boy hard.
I like that.
Your boy don't want nothing to do with you.
Danny? He dead.
I killed him.
In my head, sal.
In my head.
You texted me using ron's phone To get me to that dog breeder to set me up.
Oh.
So you saw that punk die, huh? You got what you wanted.
I saw.
And now I want to see 40% of danny.
Yeah? And in what universe is that gonna happen? Starting with this next fight.
I'm making a champion.
My money backs him.
I never caved to a shylock or threats from a wise guy.
I sure as hell am not caving to you.
Well, they don't have what I have.
And you know it.
Any news from our canvass? Austin hasn't been to his apartment Since before little ron was murdered.
Too early to be running.
Well, maybe he found comfort elsewhere-- A woman named trina smith.
Austin's phone records.
Trina lived with little ron.
Tech missed the calls to her at first Because they were looking for calls Between austin and the dog breeder.
There's one to danny.
That's a parole violation.
Yeah, and nine to trina smith, Which is clearly a violation of little ron's home life.
Yeah, I talked to austin.
I talked to danny too.
What of it? It's the top dog crew.
I go way back with those guys.
And most recently, You were going with austin.
You want us to believe little ron wouldn't Have cared about that? Hey, we were just being friends.
Just being friends can make strong enemies.
Looki'm from the streets.
I know where you're going, And austin had nothing to do With what happened to ronnie.
Whoever called him out that night, It wasn't austin.
Why do you think that? The way little ron talked.
He was muttering, pissed about the call.
Muttering what? I don't know.
He talked about not taking body blows From some liver-punching son of a bitch.
Danny ford, 156 1/2.
Let's get the other fighter up to the scale now, please.
Out of my way, convict.
Jefferson, 158.
1.
Danny, you win, any of that purse Going to animal rights? And another 25 for the state's humane society.
Danny, since you've been pegged As the next greachampion-- Champion? While s ass was locked up, I've been the one lighting them up right and left.
Those two years inside taught me a lot.
Sorry for what I did to those animals.
But what I'm gonna do to tank, Help put a lot of things right.
I'll prove they punked your assman.
Someone made you a bitch.
Ah.
Hey, hey, danny.
Danny.
Danny.
What did I tell you about conducting yourself With dignity? Come on.
That was good.
Killer instinct kicked in.
Stick 'em, stick 'em.
Go ahead.
Put e whuppin' to 'em.
Stick 'em, stick 'em.
Be a fighter now.
Come on, move, move.
Move those feet.
All right, back out, back out.
You're dropping your left.
No, I'm not.
Kids never listen, do they? All right, all right, take a blow.
Jesus, come on over here.
We want you to tell us about your phone call With austin darvis.
Relax.
Sal can't hear you.
Don't make us take you to jail.
Austin wanted to meet.
So you violated your parole? I wagonna sai met him To tl him never to contact me again.
So austin wanted you back in the dogfight game, hmm? What did austin really want? Money.
He wanted money.
Did you give him any? Nope.
Since you violated your parole By seeing austin, You know where we can find him? Will you ask around? Will you forget about the parole violation? We'll want results.
Quid pro quo.
Let's go.
Hmm.
Come on, you're moving like a little lady.
Bob, weave, bob weave, bob.
All right.
Just lost the fight.
Come on, take a break.
You're fast.
Fighters who can only punch wear down, huh? Their punches don't land.
They think, "what the- I can't hurt this guy.
" Thr punch count goes down.
They start looking at you through the gloves.
And that's when you go in.
To the body.
The body, their head, for the kill.
No emotion.
No mercy.
An assassin.
Loyal to only one person, me.
- I got it, I got it.
- You don't got it.
You don't got nothing until you got a belt.
You want it? - I want one.
- You want it? - I want one! En you be ready to kill anything That gets in your way.
Period.
Period.
Hey, sal, maybe you should see somebody About those headaches.
Ah, and maybe you should quit giving them to me.
It's gonna happen, isn't it? Because you trusted me, huh? All but one night.
The night little ron was murdered.
I didn't kill him, sal.
I know.
You went to church.
I had some bait trail you.
You think the almighty gets you the belt? I went to honor my mother.
She died on ash Wednesday.
So you prayed to the god of mercy? You prayed to the god of mercy.
You let that in, and you will lose.
I know what's good for you.
I saw your gift.
Something a trainer sees only once in a lifetime.
I made you from scratch.
You're my champion, danny.
Come on, let's get to work.
I was jogging around for my last quarter mile When this van screams past me.
Once it'd gone past, I looked And he's there.
They must have thrown him out.
Is there anything about the van you can remember? The make? - It was going way too fast.
Color? White.
Oh, and it had a bubble window on the side.
- How 'bout a license plate? - I didn't see anything.
Look, I'm freezing.
Could I go? Looks like first they used body blows To incapacitate him.
Ruptured kidney, bruised liver.
They? Shoe sizes.
Someone wore an extra wide.
Someone else wears a rounder-toed boot.
He also suffered a comminuted sternum.
- Comminuted? - Pulverized.
Probably done by an athletic shoe.
Traces of hydrated magnesium silicate.
Whoever stomped the chest area Had talcum powder residue on the bottom of his shoe.
Talcum.
Gyms.
Weight lifting.
Boxers.
Hmm, look who's a fan.
Actually, my father was, uh, big on ali.
The venerable dr.
Nichols? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee? I think it had more to do with the paris review.
If george plimpton was a fan of the rope-a-dope, Then my father was too.
What about you? This is sal biaggi Winning a heavyweight title in 1981.
He quit the following year.
Severe headaches.
Blurred vision.
Even more reason the so-called sport Should be outlawed.
He was what they call A, uh, liver puncher.
Like the last person little ron went to see.
Yeah, you know what these guys do? Here, come here.
They'd work you around.
You're getting in a clinch- boom, boom, boom.
And then they open you up and bam, bam.
Right there.
Do you know what the vagus nerve does? Not now, nor have I ever known.
It controls the internal organs AndAnd the lungs.
And it runs behind the liver.
You take a violent punch down there And everything just shuts down, Except the brain.
And you might suffer from broken ribs.
Most of sal's knockouts Were tkos.
His opponents, uh, were alert, but They didn't have the strength to go on.
That's right.
It's easy to picture little ron just sitting there, Trying to get up.
Mm-hmm, so sal worked him over And then threw him in the kennel.
First he had to wake him up.
This bump on the head.
I think sal conks little ron, And then he drives him to the kennel.
And then revives him with the amyl nitrate.
Yeah, trainers use it all the time On fighters who need to be revived From wooziness or being knocked out, you know? Mm-hmm.
But why not just toss him in unconscious? Wake him and he maybe puts up a fight, Maybe scrambles out.
Larry merchant, chicago trib.
Yeah, when sal was getting close to the title, They asked him what the most unique aspect Of his fighting style was.
Sal said he relished the idea Of knowing that his opponents were finished But not being able to do a damn thing about it but watch.
Nichols.
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Thank you.
Our stakeout on the gym.
A white van just pulled up in front.
Stolen plates.
Plates are registered to a 2009 mercedes, Reported stolen.
Thank you.
The van's probably hot too.
We go inside, they'd rather admit they watch oprah Than claim ownership of the van.
Yeah.
Well, somebody loves it.
Hey.
You got nothing on me.
There are 20 guys in your van right now Looking for any trace of blood or sweat You missed when you cleaned it up.
No, I think jesus might have successfully Cleaned up that van.
But, uh, you missed these.
Talcum on austin's chest where you stomped him.
Same talcum on your shoes.
What you lifting now, jesus? Look Danny's sal's boy.
Everybody knows that.
Sal says he's gonna be champ, he gonna be champ.
Sal gave us all everything in there.
Get to it, jesus.
Austin wanted to mess things up.
Mess 'em up how? Come up to sal, bugging him for money, Wanting a piece of danny.
So you beat him to death? Locos got out of control.
Did sal set that up? Sal didn't tell us nothing.
We did it for him.
He's got money, But he don't care where you come from.
- You mean from the street.
- That's right.
'cause only great fighters come from the street.
Great fighters like you? Like everybody in there.
Sal would live and die for us.
Now I live or die for him.
Okay? Haz lo que quiere.
What does sal call them, bait? And they have amazing loyalty.
So do pit bulls.
Sweet, loving dogs.
They'll fight to the death just to please their owners.
That's exactly what sal's loyal followers did.
Both victims were beaten in a manner That sal biaggi used in the ring.
Yeah, the fact that he taught that technique explains that, But it doesn't incriminate him.
What about motive? Well, little ron was a threat.
Austin was demanding money, Probably blackmailing sal.
And all we have is a pathetic kid Who would consider it a macho victory To take a fall for him.
Hmm, all to protect sal's dream Of having a champion.
That's all he cares about.
He might be willing to sacrifice everything.
Even himself.
Hmm.
Wow.
Detective stevens, you're a knockout.
You said you had something solid And we should blend.
Shall we? My fighter goes ring in 15 minutes.
We're not here for danny, sal.
Sal, you good? No, danny.
I'm afraid sal is not good.
You stay focused.
They got nothing.
Don't mess him up.
Jesus told us about how you Had them beat austin to death.
He never said that.
What, your bait would never betray you? You're lying, both of you.
No, danny.
They left sal's mark.
They smashed austin's ribs.
Liver punched him.
You know, you're a brilliant teacher.
Hard to get kids to listen, Be that loyal.
How'd you do that? I didn't do nothing.
Except murder two young men.
Well, technically it's not the case with austin, But I'm thinking that you did little ron On your own.
Did that feel good? Like the old days, round nine against connolly? You got no proof.
Amyl nitrate.
- Sal? - You stay outta this, danny.
Get warmed up.
You used a popper to revive little ron.
And then you liver punched him So that all he could do was watch While the dogs tore him apart.
Once again, proof.
The discarded vial, sal.
Easy to forget, isn't it? Those, uh, pinhole lesions in the forebrain, Did you tell danny about that? Of course he's young.
Comes later in life.
My brain works just fine.
But if you fight, goes with the game.
Sal, tell me what he's saying isn't true.
He's trying to think back to the kennel, danny.
Trying to remember if he took that used vial or not.
Oh, god, sal.
Hey, I told you to warm up.
And you, you stop this.
You stop it! You see what they're doing? They've picked this time, this moment When I care about something so much.
Look, you know what we got, huh? Don't let them steal it.
Don't hear the words.
Don't let them in! It's hard, isn't it? With your headaches, your memory, All those shots you had to take to the head Waiting for your opening.
You leave him alone, all right? Danny, he killed the guys from your crew, Austin and little ron.
Animals.
They fought dogs to the death.
They weren't like you.
You're better than that, a champion.
Tell me you didn't do this, sal.
Hey, I made you from scratch.
I made you a man.
No one was gonna steal my chance.
- I want the truth, sal.
- The truth? Without me, what are you, huh? Just, just a corner boy and punk.
- Punk? Punk! - Easy, easy, danny.
He talks like it, but he does not own you.
Yeah, you got rage now.
Good, then you take it out there And use it where it counts.
Come on, come on, it doesn't matter what I did.
I trained a champ.
Nobody can change that.
it's time, d-train.
They want me.
So Go.
You need to hear your rights.
Yeah.
Yeah, whatever.
These are their stories.
You look good, kid.
Thought you were done with me.
I told you those punks were a problem.
Now you get out in two months.
Then what? Back to the top dog crew again? Animals tearing each other to pieces? People are hating you for that.
They're right to hate me for that.
I had something good, sal, and I threw it away.
Looking tough, ladies.
Looking tough.
Come on! Come on! Boom! Boom! Put the whup to it, danny.
Be a puncher now, huh? Jesus, if you were any slower, You'd be boxing with the ladies.
This lightning speed, relampago.
All right, all right, all right.
Yeah? Keep it up, you might get yourself a belt.
One? Nah, you got one.
I'm gonna collect 'em.
You know that guy I got to interview you? Called you a serious contender.
Come here, come here.
Hey, hey.
Yo, bait, take a blow! Jesus, come over here.
You and danny, five-minute rounds.
Body shots.
He can take it.
Really? This guy? Hey, sal, hold on a second, all right? yo, d-train.
Let's roll.
How many times I have to tell you? No dogs in my gym! Relax, pops.
He's a vegetarian.
Hey, you take it and it Out of my gym right now.
You're going off with those thugs? Sal, I'm going off with my boys, all right? It's cool.
See you in the morning.
How much you down for? Righteous.
My man is hungry for your dog.
Got a benjamin that says you're wrong.
How 'bout that? Razor's about to eat lunch again.
Oh, word? In your dreams.
Yeah, look, just put up or shut up, all right, player? All right.
Freeze! Hands up! Hands up! Nypd.
Show me your hands.
Hands up.
Look who's here, danny "the d-train" ford.
Lotta priors, counselor-- Assault, burglary, carjacking.
We add cruelty to animals, Little ron goes in 10 to 15.
There's people who'd like to see you hang For a damn dog, including me.
Now austin and danny are in other rooms.
It's whoever talks first.
We can give you this.
Danny ford, he bankrolled the whole thing.
Your client gives us that, 10 to 15 becomes A 5-year suspended sentence and garbage detail.
Little ron's betrayal took me down.
But still, what I did was wrong.
Austin's cool though.
He had my back in here.
Does that mean you're coming out To hang with losers again? You got a gift.
You, uh-- You come see me when you're ready.
Yo, dog.
Back off me, ron.
Hey, man, I came here to let you know I didn't have a choice, danny.
I was looking at some serious time, man.
Yo, come on, man.
Yo, don't be like this.
Come near me again, You're dead.
Zeus, apollo, stop! Hey! Hey! Zeus, stop! Sub by Adriano_CSI I'm a legit breeder.
I got papers on my dogs.
They're bred to show.
Show? What, blood? Hey, I told you, I don't do dog fights.
Do you know this guy? No, I've never seen him before.
- Really? - What? What, you think I put that sorry ass back there With my dogs? Sorry ass? What am I supposed to take from that? Animal control is gonna put zeus and apollo down.
They were just defending their territory.
What would you do if some stranger Walked in the middle of your house at night, huh? How would you react? Looks like somebody used a bolt cutter.
Hey, don't lk at me.
I got a key, all right? Thanks so much.
Anything? Ronald jordan.
Brooklyn address.
Allowed his organs to be harvested, Although probably not this way.
Liver temp? Puts the time of death around 8:00, 8:30 this evening.
Not a fun way to go.
What is, really? So what do you think, He, uh, wanders in to say hello, Maybe steal one of the dogs, And, uh, they made a meal out of his throat.
Gruesome.
But maybe not murder.
A dog thief? Have we sunk that low? Ron jordan, aka little ron, Sheet goes back to his teens.
Possession, assault, car jacking.
I don't see this belonging to mcs.
Well, little ron was arrested on charges Related to dog fighting.
Yeah, I see that, but he floated on a conspiracy charge.
Still doesn't qualify.
He had a friend who will give this case some profile.
Remember danny ford-- Oh, my daughter hates that guy.
She wanted me to demonstrate.
What did he catch, two years on the dogfighting? He's out.
And quite possibly very angry at our victim, Who put him in.
All right, then if danny ford's a suspect, Then it is major case.
Talk to the d.
A.
, Find out what little ron traded.
Danny ford, ron jordan, Austin darvis.
Called themselves the top dog crew.
T.
D.
C.
Ron's medallion.
Jordan trained the animals, Darvis ran the business, And danny ford bankrolled the whole operation.
Danny ford, pro boxer.
Had little ron dialed in as state's witness.
And let him plead out on animal cruelty? I don't get it.
- Came from above.
Why the leniency? A year earlier, There was a case in san francisco-- Hispanic woman killed by her neighbor's dogs.
Her neighbors were white professionals, And they skated.
I remember that.
It was a circus, everybody weighed in-- Coulter, beck, der spiegel.
It was an election year.
Danny ford got lucky that he only got two years.
And a high-profile case With race and cultural issues goes away.
All that's off the record.
Thank you, brianna.
Making dogs fight to the death, Definitely a male thing.
And boxing, that it's even considered a sport-- Hey, you should go to a boxing mah, Or wrestling, even a bullfight.
You'll see women cheering louder than men.
Bullfight? Yeah, women go crazy for bullfighters.
Didn't you ever read hemingway? Blood lust lurks in our character Across the gender line.
Okay, so cruelty is a flaw of our species, But, you know, how dumb is a promising athlete To risk his career on dogfighting? He wasn't thinking risks.
It's a neighborhood thing.
They were dumb kids.
Probably did it for the money and the rush.
Not much of a rush, two years in jail.
Da- rd Ah? We're here about your, uh, friend, ron jordan.
Little ron ain't no friend of mine.
He's been murdered.
What? Excuse me, excuse me.
No interviews.
We're not reporters.
Oh.
Salvatore biaggi.
Yeah, I know.
You own this place.
- That's right.
That's actually my belt over those photos.
Oh, yeah? Former champ.
Yeah, you got it.
Look, uh, I'm sorry for popping off, detectives, But, uh, I'm so used to bustin' their stones, Keeping 'em focused, sometimes I, uh, you know, Forget there's other people on the planet.
They said little ron's dead.
Yeah, he was murdered Sometime last night.
That guy was trouble.
Danny knows my feelings on that.
So what happened? We usually ask the questions.
Did you go out last night? Nope.
No, he was here with me last night.
Didn't take a break, get a beer or a sandwich? No, no, no, he takes his training seriously, huh? Doesn't drink.
You served two years 'cause little ron snitched on you.
I told you, we weren't friends.
He's certain of that.
Where were you last night? Hey, I told you, he was here with me last night.
Now he's about to make his mark as a champion.
Why would he do something stupid? Hey, he did something stupid before And served time.
That kinda attitude's Gonna make me want to get a lawyer.
Now come on, we gotta go get something to eat.
Yeah, in a second.
Danny, what about your friend you did, uh, time with, Austin Austin - Darvis.
- Yeah, darvis.
Have you seen him lately? No.
I don't violate my parole.
You happy? Come on, let's go.
Hmm, danny.
You forgot your hat.
Danny wasn't at the gym the night of the murder.
He was in church.
It was ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday? There was a smudge on his hat From the ash on his forehead.
You sure it was ash? "remember, oh, man, that you are dust, And unto dust you shall return.
" I've seen it many times.
I know the look.
You daub it here, And you don't wash it off Or the nuns get very angry.
Nuns in islamabad.
No, the nuns were in lisbon.
C.
O.
D.
Was a torn jugular.
He bled out.
There's a bump on his head.
Contusion.
Could've resulted from being forced to the ground By the dogs.
Huh.
How hard is dirt? My brother nearly took my eye out With a piece of dirt.
I had a goose egg the size of a-- Goose egg? Any sign of alcohol or drugs? No, no alcohol.
Found a minute trace of a chemical vasodilator In his system.
Either cyclohexyl or amyl nitrate.
Poppers.
Yeah, maybe he, uh, took one, felt the buzz, He took on the dogs.
C.
S.
U.
Combed the scene.
Where's the discarded vial? Well, he couldn't have popped amyl someplace else.
I mean, the high lasts a little longer Than an orgasm, right? Still, nothing nails this as a homicide.
Oh, don't be so hasty.
While we're on brainteasers, The fifth and sixth rib On his right side were fractured, Most likely by blunt force impact.
When the dogs jumped him? The break on the sixth rib is a transverse fracture.
The bone was cracked in half.
with a running start? Newton said for every action There is an equal and opposite reaction.
The force woulda snapped a dog's neck.
Someone delivered a hell of a body blow.
- Yo, d.
- Austin.
Where the hell you been? Been with sal, training.
He got me a shot at jefferson.
You ducking me 'cause sal say so? I gotta go, man.
I'll check with you.
Hundreds of catholic churches in the borough.
Danny coulda gone to any of them.
"danny ford "d.
O.
B.
February 23, 1990.
"crown heights.
Father killed in the gulf war.
" Here, "mother died in 2000," all right.
No wonder he took up boxing.
Here we go.
"ford, nancy a, "who passed away too soon On March 8, 2000.
" March 8th.
"she's survived by her beloved son daniel.
" Here, "services will be held in st.
Joseph's catholic church.
In crown heights.
" In 2000, Ash Wednesday fell on March 8th.
I've known danny ford his whole life.
Don't tell me danny's in trouble again.
This is just about gathering information.
So he's a, uh, member of your church? He dropped out for a while.
You know, he was mixed up with the wrong crowd.
But then he wrote me from prison.
Was he here for ash Wednesday? Yes, he was.
Hmm.
For an evening service? That's right.
Then we talked for a while afterwards.
The prodigal son returns? Yes, I believe so.
Thank you, father jacob.
So the guy with the most compelling reason For tossing little ron jordan to the dogs Has a priest for an alibi.
Little ron also put austin darvis away.
Maybe it's time to check his forehead.
D owdirou joasn wleanil K Yeah, woar ce ouamnd K About little ron and those dogs.
I can tell you're devastated.
I did two years off ron snitching.
You think I'm shedding tears? Hell of a comedown from the kinda money T.
D.
C.
Pulled in siccing dogs on each other.
Yeah, I'd expect you'd have attitude on that.
More than you can imagine.
So what do you actually want? An alibi for last night Between 6:00 p.
M.
And 9:00 p.
M.
Rondele, sports bar up in the bronx.
- You bet a game? - No, I drank.
Talk to anyone? Look, man, I'm on parole.
No pets, no past friends.
If my boss see you sweatin' me, he'll fire my ass.
I'm already a pallet behind 'cause of this chat.
- What'd you go and do, man? - What'd I do? Hey, hey, don't insult me with that.
You wanted little ron dead the minute you stepped into rikers.
So did you.
So you think killing little ron Is supposed to make us tight again? I didn't kill little ron.
Well, you called me for something.
Cops came to see me.
Guess what, they made a stop along the way.
But sal didn't boot your ass from the gym, did he? I got canned from my job.
I need a loan.
I got pups coming in, man.
Dude want his money Friday.
It's not my problem.
We friends, man.
T.
D.
C.
They're ain't no "we.
" Not no more.
No top dog crew.
I'm with sal now.
We talked to people at that sports bar.
And no one remembers austin darvis.
Uh-uh.
So no alibi.
That moves him up the list.
Yeah, well, if he wants an alibi, He can borrow one from danny ford.
He's got two.
Two alibis? Mm-hmm, the pastor of st.
Joseph's Puts him in church Wednesday with ash on his forehead.
And sal biaggi swears that he was at the gym.
To sal the trainer's lying? Or maybe danny was lying to sal.
You know, my parents are atheists.
Yeah, if they ever found out that I'd gone to a church, They would have set up an intervention.
Sal is a trainer.
He's training hitters.
He doesn't want to see anything on danny's forehead Except sweat.
So sal lies to cover for him.
And that leaves us with austin.
Well, let's assume that austin served ron To marciano's pit bulls.
Louis marciano claims that he never saw ron before.
If that's the case then how does austin, His close cohort, even know that marciano had pit bulls? Aggressive pit bulls.
Unless he knew him.
I'm gonna get a warrant For austin darvis' phone records.
Pay another visit to marciano, The dog lover.
Pay another visit to marciano, These are pao Shs.
Ot pay another visit to marciano, Rip-off ve gm iv'efoe ur, But three's enough And better for their immune system.
Right, girl? Huh? Right? - Can I? - Yeah.
Yeah, sweetheart.
So zeus and apollo? Animal control euthanized them.
And I had buyers too.
Dogfighting guys? I only breed for the show ring.
So where are your ribbons? Hmm? What are you saying? You ever see this guy? Um, no, I don't think so.
Look hard, mr.
Marciano.
Be a shame to send this litter to animal control.
I sold him a couple dogs a while back.
That's it, I swear, he fights dogs.
And your phone records show he called you yesterday.
He wanted a dog.
I make 'em sign papers before they buy, you know? I mean, there's no fighting with my animals.
And how do you enforce that? Right.
Dog lover.
What? You know what.
Police'll come knocking.
So? You were little ron's girl.
You didn't do nothing to him.
And what about what we do? Hey, police come, you don't say nothing about us.
Trina.
You think danny put ron with those dogs? Little ron snitched.
Danny's cold, but I don't know.
The micks never liked us.
Accused us of crowding their action.
Coulda been them or the puerto ricans.
Body blows.
Hmm? Before ronnie went, He said, "I won't take no body blows.
" Does that have any meaning? What the hell are you doing here? You move like a girl.
I'm not here for training.
Oh? Well, then bring it.
No, you bring it.
Show me that famous style.
Show me how you won that belt.
See? The problem for you is I know what's coming.
I seen you train.
I know your style, sal.
I know what you bring on.
You train my boy hard.
I like that.
Your boy don't want nothing to do with you.
Danny? He dead.
I killed him.
In my head, sal.
In my head.
You texted me using ron's phone To get me to that dog breeder to set me up.
Oh.
So you saw that punk die, huh? You got what you wanted.
I saw.
And now I want to see 40% of danny.
Yeah? And in what universe is that gonna happen? Starting with this next fight.
I'm making a champion.
My money backs him.
I never caved to a shylock or threats from a wise guy.
I sure as hell am not caving to you.
Well, they don't have what I have.
And you know it.
Any news from our canvass? Austin hasn't been to his apartment Since before little ron was murdered.
Too early to be running.
Well, maybe he found comfort elsewhere-- A woman named trina smith.
Austin's phone records.
Trina lived with little ron.
Tech missed the calls to her at first Because they were looking for calls Between austin and the dog breeder.
There's one to danny.
That's a parole violation.
Yeah, and nine to trina smith, Which is clearly a violation of little ron's home life.
Yeah, I talked to austin.
I talked to danny too.
What of it? It's the top dog crew.
I go way back with those guys.
And most recently, You were going with austin.
You want us to believe little ron wouldn't Have cared about that? Hey, we were just being friends.
Just being friends can make strong enemies.
Looki'm from the streets.
I know where you're going, And austin had nothing to do With what happened to ronnie.
Whoever called him out that night, It wasn't austin.
Why do you think that? The way little ron talked.
He was muttering, pissed about the call.
Muttering what? I don't know.
He talked about not taking body blows From some liver-punching son of a bitch.
Danny ford, 156 1/2.
Let's get the other fighter up to the scale now, please.
Out of my way, convict.
Jefferson, 158.
1.
Danny, you win, any of that purse Going to animal rights? And another 25 for the state's humane society.
Danny, since you've been pegged As the next greachampion-- Champion? While s ass was locked up, I've been the one lighting them up right and left.
Those two years inside taught me a lot.
Sorry for what I did to those animals.
But what I'm gonna do to tank, Help put a lot of things right.
I'll prove they punked your assman.
Someone made you a bitch.
Ah.
Hey, hey, danny.
Danny.
Danny.
What did I tell you about conducting yourself With dignity? Come on.
That was good.
Killer instinct kicked in.
Stick 'em, stick 'em.
Go ahead.
Put e whuppin' to 'em.
Stick 'em, stick 'em.
Be a fighter now.
Come on, move, move.
Move those feet.
All right, back out, back out.
You're dropping your left.
No, I'm not.
Kids never listen, do they? All right, all right, take a blow.
Jesus, come on over here.
We want you to tell us about your phone call With austin darvis.
Relax.
Sal can't hear you.
Don't make us take you to jail.
Austin wanted to meet.
So you violated your parole? I wagonna sai met him To tl him never to contact me again.
So austin wanted you back in the dogfight game, hmm? What did austin really want? Money.
He wanted money.
Did you give him any? Nope.
Since you violated your parole By seeing austin, You know where we can find him? Will you ask around? Will you forget about the parole violation? We'll want results.
Quid pro quo.
Let's go.
Hmm.
Come on, you're moving like a little lady.
Bob, weave, bob weave, bob.
All right.
Just lost the fight.
Come on, take a break.
You're fast.
Fighters who can only punch wear down, huh? Their punches don't land.
They think, "what the- I can't hurt this guy.
" Thr punch count goes down.
They start looking at you through the gloves.
And that's when you go in.
To the body.
The body, their head, for the kill.
No emotion.
No mercy.
An assassin.
Loyal to only one person, me.
- I got it, I got it.
- You don't got it.
You don't got nothing until you got a belt.
You want it? - I want one.
- You want it? - I want one! En you be ready to kill anything That gets in your way.
Period.
Period.
Hey, sal, maybe you should see somebody About those headaches.
Ah, and maybe you should quit giving them to me.
It's gonna happen, isn't it? Because you trusted me, huh? All but one night.
The night little ron was murdered.
I didn't kill him, sal.
I know.
You went to church.
I had some bait trail you.
You think the almighty gets you the belt? I went to honor my mother.
She died on ash Wednesday.
So you prayed to the god of mercy? You prayed to the god of mercy.
You let that in, and you will lose.
I know what's good for you.
I saw your gift.
Something a trainer sees only once in a lifetime.
I made you from scratch.
You're my champion, danny.
Come on, let's get to work.
I was jogging around for my last quarter mile When this van screams past me.
Once it'd gone past, I looked And he's there.
They must have thrown him out.
Is there anything about the van you can remember? The make? - It was going way too fast.
Color? White.
Oh, and it had a bubble window on the side.
- How 'bout a license plate? - I didn't see anything.
Look, I'm freezing.
Could I go? Looks like first they used body blows To incapacitate him.
Ruptured kidney, bruised liver.
They? Shoe sizes.
Someone wore an extra wide.
Someone else wears a rounder-toed boot.
He also suffered a comminuted sternum.
- Comminuted? - Pulverized.
Probably done by an athletic shoe.
Traces of hydrated magnesium silicate.
Whoever stomped the chest area Had talcum powder residue on the bottom of his shoe.
Talcum.
Gyms.
Weight lifting.
Boxers.
Hmm, look who's a fan.
Actually, my father was, uh, big on ali.
The venerable dr.
Nichols? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee? I think it had more to do with the paris review.
If george plimpton was a fan of the rope-a-dope, Then my father was too.
What about you? This is sal biaggi Winning a heavyweight title in 1981.
He quit the following year.
Severe headaches.
Blurred vision.
Even more reason the so-called sport Should be outlawed.
He was what they call A, uh, liver puncher.
Like the last person little ron went to see.
Yeah, you know what these guys do? Here, come here.
They'd work you around.
You're getting in a clinch- boom, boom, boom.
And then they open you up and bam, bam.
Right there.
Do you know what the vagus nerve does? Not now, nor have I ever known.
It controls the internal organs AndAnd the lungs.
And it runs behind the liver.
You take a violent punch down there And everything just shuts down, Except the brain.
And you might suffer from broken ribs.
Most of sal's knockouts Were tkos.
His opponents, uh, were alert, but They didn't have the strength to go on.
That's right.
It's easy to picture little ron just sitting there, Trying to get up.
Mm-hmm, so sal worked him over And then threw him in the kennel.
First he had to wake him up.
This bump on the head.
I think sal conks little ron, And then he drives him to the kennel.
And then revives him with the amyl nitrate.
Yeah, trainers use it all the time On fighters who need to be revived From wooziness or being knocked out, you know? Mm-hmm.
But why not just toss him in unconscious? Wake him and he maybe puts up a fight, Maybe scrambles out.
Larry merchant, chicago trib.
Yeah, when sal was getting close to the title, They asked him what the most unique aspect Of his fighting style was.
Sal said he relished the idea Of knowing that his opponents were finished But not being able to do a damn thing about it but watch.
Nichols.
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Thank you.
Our stakeout on the gym.
A white van just pulled up in front.
Stolen plates.
Plates are registered to a 2009 mercedes, Reported stolen.
Thank you.
The van's probably hot too.
We go inside, they'd rather admit they watch oprah Than claim ownership of the van.
Yeah.
Well, somebody loves it.
Hey.
You got nothing on me.
There are 20 guys in your van right now Looking for any trace of blood or sweat You missed when you cleaned it up.
No, I think jesus might have successfully Cleaned up that van.
But, uh, you missed these.
Talcum on austin's chest where you stomped him.
Same talcum on your shoes.
What you lifting now, jesus? Look Danny's sal's boy.
Everybody knows that.
Sal says he's gonna be champ, he gonna be champ.
Sal gave us all everything in there.
Get to it, jesus.
Austin wanted to mess things up.
Mess 'em up how? Come up to sal, bugging him for money, Wanting a piece of danny.
So you beat him to death? Locos got out of control.
Did sal set that up? Sal didn't tell us nothing.
We did it for him.
He's got money, But he don't care where you come from.
- You mean from the street.
- That's right.
'cause only great fighters come from the street.
Great fighters like you? Like everybody in there.
Sal would live and die for us.
Now I live or die for him.
Okay? Haz lo que quiere.
What does sal call them, bait? And they have amazing loyalty.
So do pit bulls.
Sweet, loving dogs.
They'll fight to the death just to please their owners.
That's exactly what sal's loyal followers did.
Both victims were beaten in a manner That sal biaggi used in the ring.
Yeah, the fact that he taught that technique explains that, But it doesn't incriminate him.
What about motive? Well, little ron was a threat.
Austin was demanding money, Probably blackmailing sal.
And all we have is a pathetic kid Who would consider it a macho victory To take a fall for him.
Hmm, all to protect sal's dream Of having a champion.
That's all he cares about.
He might be willing to sacrifice everything.
Even himself.
Hmm.
Wow.
Detective stevens, you're a knockout.
You said you had something solid And we should blend.
Shall we? My fighter goes ring in 15 minutes.
We're not here for danny, sal.
Sal, you good? No, danny.
I'm afraid sal is not good.
You stay focused.
They got nothing.
Don't mess him up.
Jesus told us about how you Had them beat austin to death.
He never said that.
What, your bait would never betray you? You're lying, both of you.
No, danny.
They left sal's mark.
They smashed austin's ribs.
Liver punched him.
You know, you're a brilliant teacher.
Hard to get kids to listen, Be that loyal.
How'd you do that? I didn't do nothing.
Except murder two young men.
Well, technically it's not the case with austin, But I'm thinking that you did little ron On your own.
Did that feel good? Like the old days, round nine against connolly? You got no proof.
Amyl nitrate.
- Sal? - You stay outta this, danny.
Get warmed up.
You used a popper to revive little ron.
And then you liver punched him So that all he could do was watch While the dogs tore him apart.
Once again, proof.
The discarded vial, sal.
Easy to forget, isn't it? Those, uh, pinhole lesions in the forebrain, Did you tell danny about that? Of course he's young.
Comes later in life.
My brain works just fine.
But if you fight, goes with the game.
Sal, tell me what he's saying isn't true.
He's trying to think back to the kennel, danny.
Trying to remember if he took that used vial or not.
Oh, god, sal.
Hey, I told you to warm up.
And you, you stop this.
You stop it! You see what they're doing? They've picked this time, this moment When I care about something so much.
Look, you know what we got, huh? Don't let them steal it.
Don't hear the words.
Don't let them in! It's hard, isn't it? With your headaches, your memory, All those shots you had to take to the head Waiting for your opening.
You leave him alone, all right? Danny, he killed the guys from your crew, Austin and little ron.
Animals.
They fought dogs to the death.
They weren't like you.
You're better than that, a champion.
Tell me you didn't do this, sal.
Hey, I made you from scratch.
I made you a man.
No one was gonna steal my chance.
- I want the truth, sal.
- The truth? Without me, what are you, huh? Just, just a corner boy and punk.
- Punk? Punk! - Easy, easy, danny.
He talks like it, but he does not own you.
Yeah, you got rage now.
Good, then you take it out there And use it where it counts.
Come on, come on, it doesn't matter what I did.
I trained a champ.
Nobody can change that.
it's time, d-train.
They want me.
So Go.
You need to hear your rights.
Yeah.
Yeah, whatever.