Law & Order Special Victims Unit s12e18 Episode Script
Bully
In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Great show, Andreas.
You've really outdone yourself this time.
- Every piece is brilliant! - Not brilliant enough.
The N.
E.
A.
Just cancelled my grant.
Three people in Missouri complained.
Andreas! Andreas, where are you? Here comes your new funding.
Hi, my darling.
Where have you been hiding? Your paintings are absolutely genius, especially the one in the other room.
What are you talking about? These are my only paintings.
No.
No, no, no.
This one.
This is it.
This symbolizes the death of light, of hope, of white privilege.
The red paint- it's a primal scream of agony warning society to wake up.
That's not paint.
Blood's from Ellen Sazelin, 43.
Business card says she's cfo of Luscious Grape distributors.
Never heard of it.
That's 'cause you don't buy $5,000 bottles of nene.
Neither do I, but I've seen their ads in the wall street journal.
Dead how long? Body temp puts TOD Somewhere between She exsanguinated from a severed carotid.
- Any evidence of a break-in? Locks on the windows and doors weren't tampered with, but we're dusting for prints.
- Mm-hmm.
Used a piece of glass from the broken vase, huh? She definitely struggled.
Panties are torn too.
- He rape her? - Signs of anal trauma no DNA.
Neighbors hear anything? Too much nsese from the gallery opening downstairs.
And get this- the show is called dollars and death: The politics of blood.
So she brings home a date, opens something from the company cellar, and he attacks her.
So much for romance.
Luscious Grape home page was the last site she visited before she was killed.
She worked around the clock.
Who's that woman in the video? Hi.
I'm Annette Cole, president and CEO of Luscious Grape, New York's premier wine and spirits importer.
We're here to satisfy all your imbibing desires.
And this is Ellen Sazelin, the CFO of Luscious Grape.
Annette and I founded our little business 15 years ago.
We planted a tiny seed and have had the pleasure of watching it blossom and mature into this marvelous vineyard of success.
I wonder if Ellen's killer resented what she had.
Maybe a jealous coworker.
Come meet Bruce clarkson, the head of our advertising department.
Annette and Ellen are not only coworkers.
They're mothers to us all.
And this is corrine Stafford, our newest LG member.
I'm the baby of the LG family, but the second I arrived, everybody made me feel right at home.
Hey, Justin! Justin Jennings our star salesman.
We're a small, tightly knit group here at LG, and Annette and Ellen make us all feel Real special.
And this is David Watson, our wine buyer.
We'd be lost without him And his nose.
Beautiful.
Here's to another fantastic year at LG.
Come be partrt of our family.
Share our love of Luscious Grape.
Cheers! - Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Luscious Grape I wonder if Ellen's neighbors are as friendly as her coworkers.
Shouldn't take long to find out.
There are only three tenants in the building.
The woman who lived above Ellen for ten years said she never made a peep.
Sure not the Ellen we saw in the video.
The story of Ellen's life the guy on three said she was so shy, wouldn't even say hello in the elevator.
What about the other tenant in the building? A Maureen Eland.
Neighbor says that she travels a lot for work.
I do.
What's going on here? You know Ellen Sazelin? Not really.
Did something happen to her? I'm sorry.
She's dead.
Oh, my God.
You ever notice anyone going in and out of her place? Not that I saw.
You should talk to Andreas.
The artist who owns the gallery? When he's not painting, he's prowling.
Creep showed up at my door about six months ago with a bottle of wine.
I drank too much and fell asleep, and I woke up, and he was on top of me.
- Did he rape yo - he tried.
I screamed and pushed him off.
Uh, he split.
- Did you call the cops? - No.
I had drank too much.
Plus, he owns the building, and the very next day, he gave me a break on my rent.
- Andreas? - Gallery's closed! Can't you read? Glad to see that last night's murder didn't stifle your creativity.
Uh, look, I already told the cops I didn't see anything except for the, uh, blood which dripped in from the ceiling there.
Right, baby? That's what he told them.
He's all about the truth you know? - Can you give us a minute? - Sure.
But don't upset him and screw up his mojo.
So Picasso, when was the last time you saw Ellen Sazelin? Ah, I don't know, like couple of weeks maybe? She's not exactly the type to grab my attention.
Really? 'Cause we heard you like to meet the neighbors.
Sure you didn't pop upstairs with a bottle of vino? Yeah, invite yourself in, rape Ellen to inspire your, uh, mojo? Who told you that? Maureen? 'Cause she invited me up, okay? And then once I was inside, she jumped me.
Look, I mean, I wiped my hands of her months ago, and I'm done with you too okay? Leave.
Hey get away from that! Is that blood on your hands? Son of a bitch used her blood to paint with.
I was never in Ellen's loft.
I just incorporated what had already dripped onto the canvas.
And hid it from the cops when they questioned you.
Why? The only piece I sold was to cindi.
I had to finish it.
So part of the deal was for her to pose naked to Inspire you? Hey, whatever gets the juices flowing.
Your muse also told a patrol officer that she came to the gallery an hour before the show, and she couldn't find you anywhere.
I left for a while.
To go upstairs and rape Ellen Sazelin.
I was down the block.
A guy named Michael Spero runs a blog called outrageous artists.
He was interviewing me online for an hour about my show.
No, no, no, no.
No, that's not what I'm saying.
I'm saying that to- you know, if you own my work, if you're fortunate enough to own my work you have to be able to understand the guiding principle behind the work, or you're not going to be able to get it, no matter how long you look at it.
You're not going to be able to grasp it fully, fully appreciate- - the guy may be a pretentious douche, but he's not lying.
He never had time to go up to Ellen's place.
So she's got no friends, no visitors.
You got anything else on her? Yeah, she was an only child.
Parents are deceased.
Never married, lived in the city her entire life, and never had as much as a traffic ticket.
And according to the neighbors, she had zero social life.
So where did she meet a guy that raped and killed her? - Could be a random grab- perp snatched her off the street and forced her into her place with a weapon.
Or she could have met him through her work.
Well, business must be good for Luscious Grape.
They just were awarded the medal of excellence by some fancy wine magazine? They also publish testimonials from their customers.
"I adore being a member of the LG family.
" "Not only are you wonderful businesspeople, you're wonderful people.
" "Thank you for all your personal time and attention.
" - Sounds too lovey-dovey to me.
So you're not buying the hype either.
Come on, no company satisfies every customer.
Maybe someone got pissed off at Ellen and took it out on her.
Let's ask Ellen's business partner, Annette Cole.
I can't believe she's gone.
Ellen and I Were best friends for years.
She was the younger sister I never had.
We're very sorry for your loss.
She was so upbeat last night.
Said this year was gonna be our best yet.
What time was this? We do dinner, uh, once a week at Angelino's.
Uh, afterwards, she headed home so she could get a jump on our corporate returns.
Sounds like Luscious Grape was her life.
Hers and mine.
We started it in a garage in Jersey city.
Everybody said we'd be out of business in six months.
Last year our sales were over $15 million.
And you and Ellen were the only owners? Uh, we have ten employees, but we all hold stock.
We're more like a family than a business.
You have any disputes with customers or vendors? Well, every transaction was aboveboard, thanks to Ellen.
I mean, I may be the public face of the company, but Ellen was the brains behind it a genius with numbers.
Together, we made one hell of a businesswoman.
Did Ellen have any outside friends? Maybe a boyfriend? Oh, she never gave herself the chance to date.
She spent so much time here.
I was afraid she was gonna burn out.
Who was she friendly with at work? Oh, the head of advertising, Bruce clarkson.
I always thought they were having an affair.
But Bruce has a boyfriend.
Other than my partner, Jack, Ellen was my best friend incredibly kind, a blast at parties.
Really? 'Cause we heard that she didn't go out much.
Ellen preferred to socialize with me and my circle.
Some people around here called her a fruit fly.
Meaning she liked gay men more than straight men? Ellen said that straight guys only cared about the surface, and she didn't have the looks.
The only way she could approach a guy was if she was sloshed.
That's why she drank so much.
She had a drinking problem.
Secretly.
I don't think even Annette knew.
Then Uh, one night about five years ago, I saw Ellen in here working late, just bombed out of her mind.
I had a problem of my own, so we went to AA.
Together and have been sober ever since.
Well, it appears that she'd been drinking the night she was killed.
Oh, no.
You didn't know she'd fallen off the wagon.
Ellen did seem out of it lately, jittery and preoccupied.
Did you ask her if something was wrong? Last week in the parking garage, she was on her cell.
I could hear the person on the other end of the line screaming at her.
When she saw me, she hung up.
She said it was nothing, but she was really rattled.
I dumped Ellen Sazelin's phone for the past month, left are outgoing, right are incoming calls.
And I think I may know who's been harassing her.
This number she called four times in the last two weeks.
The person on the other end called her, what, 50 times? More like 63 times, all hours of the day and night.
Well, no wonder she was jittery.
The guy was harassing her.
Last time this guy called her back it was three hours before she was murdered.
This was on her voice mail.
I'm gonna kill you, bitch, unless you give me what I want.
I know where you live.
I'm watching you.
- Who's the stalker? - Number belongs to a business called "my leather fantasy.
" Accountant by day, dominatrix by night? - No, not "s" and "m"- high-end Italian handbags, wallets, gloves, and shoes.
And great customer service.
Website says it's owned by an Edward Ross Stanton who lives on park Avenue.
But I routed the phones to an office rented by a two-time hump named Juan Alvarez.
Knock, knock! Hey, I'm looking for a leather fantasy.
Name is NYPD-hey! I screwed up my shoulder busting in your back door.
Don't make me break my fist on your face.
I swear I didn't threaten nobody, man! - Yeah.
What's this? - I'm gonna kill you, bitch, unless you give me what I want.
I know where you live, and I'm watching you.
Technology's amazing.
Police! Up against the wall! Fin, call a bus.
You killed my wife! Murderer! You killed my Peggy! He murdered my Peggy! Mr.
Gilcrest, we have no records of your wife being murdered by Juan Alvarez or anyone else.
You don't always need a weapon to commit murder.
Maybe you'd better tell me what happened.
Peggy had early Alzheimer's.
Right before Thanksgiving, I was t-thinking she was asleep.
I went out to the store.
That's when she got online And started shopping at my leather fantasy.
That old broad bought five grand worth of merchandise.
When her husband called, I told him no refunds, no returns.
Pissed him off.
He started yelling, said he was gonna sue me.
Well, your phone records show that you called them dozens of times, usually in the middle of the night.
Okay.
So I harassed the bitch.
She started having panic attacks whenever the phone rang.
Two days ago, he called And my poor Peggy collapsed.
Her heart gave out.
He killed my wife.
You hounded Mrs.
gilcrest to death.
No, I didn't.
I told her if she wasn't happy, she could post negative stuff about me on the Internet.
Come again? The more comments you get online, good or bad, the higher your Google ranking.
Scaring people to death is now a marketing ploy? - For every pissed-off customer, Ka-ching! You are some piece of crap, you know that? - But I didn't kill nobody.
- All right.
Let's Let's talk about one of your other customers, Ellen Sazelin.
Now, your 63rd call to her came three hours before she was raped and murdered.
I was just trying to boost my search ratings.
But that wasn't enough, so you decided to stalk her? - No! - She comes home, you follow her in, but you get out of control? I never went near her house.
- Really? W- well, where were you? Scaring the crap out of Mary Ann Fitzgerald She came outside on her front porch, started screaming her ass off at me.
Go ask her.
It's not Alvarez.
Mary Ann Fitzgerald confirms.
He was across from her house from 6:00 to 10:00 the night Ellen Sazelin was murdered.
But he's still going down.
We got him cold on second-degree menacing.
And we got no one for Ellen Sazelin's murder.
If it was murder.
I'm ruling Ellen's manner of death as undetermined.
Wait a minute.
I thought you said that she was raped and had her throat slit.
But the autopsy found no DNA on or near her person, and csu found no fingerprints in the apartment but hers.
Well, the perp could have worn gloves.
Or she was so drunk, she accidentally fell on that vase and bled to death.
Her blood alcohol was 1.
6.
I also found healing bruises on her arms and legs and a fresh bruise on her back from a few hours before she died.
Well, we did only find one wineglass at the scene.
Maybe Ellen fell off the wagon, she downed a whole bottle of champagne, and she tripped.
And got anal trauma on the way down? A reaction to stress she might have been pleasuring herself with some kind of instrument and got too violent.
CSU found sex toys in her apartment.
And when I got her on the slab I discovered she had bald spots she tried to hide with hair extensions.
She pulled her hair out? She suffered from Trichotillomania, another reaction to severe stress, along with the violent masturbation and binge drinking.
Any idea how long she was stressed out? Based on the hair that's regrown I'd say months.
Wow.
She was really hurting herself.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
Everyone at Luscious Grape said they were all so close one big, happy family.
Wouldn't you notice if your sister was pulling her hair out? I don't know why Ellen was so stressed out.
Well, you said she seemed jittery.
I just thought it was from putting in so much time at work Just like the rest of us.
Ellen never said anything to me except "hi" in the morning and "good-bye" at night.
So you never saw her looking upset or depressed? This is a great company.
They treat us like gold here.
Everyone's always cheery and smiling, including Ellen.
"Cheery"? You just said that she barely spoke a word to you.
Yes, but when she did, it was with a smile.
I didn't know Ellen that well, but Her death is a huge loss to all of us.
You been working here since day one, and you didn't know her that well? I'm the top salesman, and even when I do come by the office, it A girl like Ellen really isn't your type.
Look This company treats everybody great, especially me.
If there's any office gossip, I'm out of the loop.
It's a great place to work.
There's nothing to gossip about here.
Really? Usually the smaller the company, the better the dirt.
I'm sorry, detective.
That's not Luscious Grape.
Ellen was brilliant at what she did.
Her death is a terrible blow.
It's only now really sinking in.
My friend My partner is gone.
I keep expecting to hear her laugh coming down the hallway.
Annette It's time.
If you'll excuse us.
We're headed to the memorial service.
Every one of these people made sure to tell us that Ellen's death was a huge loss.
Like somebody told them what to say.
Olivia Benson.
We better find something more than suspicions for Hardwicke, or we're gonna be stuck with Warner's findings that Ellen died in a drunken stupor.
Maybe her ghost is haunting her loft.
What does that mean? Someone's in her apartment? Andreas just called.
He said he heard loud noises, like somebody was wrecking the apartment.
I'll tell patrol to meet you there.
- The crime-scene seal on the front door was broken.
I entered, announced, and saw a figure racing down the fire escape.
- Male or female figure? - I couldn't tell was wearing pants and a hoodie.
I lost him by the time I reached the street.
Well, we spooked somebody from LG.
They raced over here as soon as the memorial service was over.
Tore this place apart looking for something.
Well, Ellen's computer's got a bunch of files open.
CSU cloned her hard drive.
They didn't find a thing.
Maybe Ellen backed it up and hid it somewhere? Uh How about in a Panda? Flash drive.
Looks like all of them shot at Luscious Grape.
But why is she making movies at work? Well, let's see.
Filmed herself with a webcam, huh? It's Wednesday, January 26th, It's the third time this week.
You're all incompetent! - That's Annette.
- David! I just went through these inventories myself.
You missed three cases! Do it again! And you, corrine, you can wipe that smirk off your face, with this crap you've been doing! And what about you, you big fruit? Do you expect me to accept this ad? This is the 21st century.
If you want to keep your job, I suggest you give me some decent work! And you, you lazy bitch! You're the worst of all! I just found three typos! Annette, just please calm down.
Screw you.
All these years, I have been carrying you, Ellen.
I could do those damn books with my arm tied behind my back! Now, let's get into my office.
No, I'm not going anywhere with you not until you lower your voice E.
Oh, really? Oh! Luscious Grape on the outside, poison on the inside.
No wonder they all pretended that everything was so wonderful.
They were scared that Annette's gonna fire them.
Or kill them.
You little bitch! You're the worst of all! I just found three typos! Annette, just please calm down.
Screw you! All these years, I have been carrying you, Ellen.
I could do those damn books with my arm tied behind my back! Now, let's get into my office.
No, no I was Ellen's friend.
We were just having a little disagreement.
You were publicly berating her and everybody else on your staff.
Somebody is trying to make me look bad.
Where did you get it? Ellen's apartment.
Guess you didn't look hard enough.
Well, you broke into Ellen's loft last night looking for this.
Now, I can't say that I blame you.
I wouldn't want anyone to see this either.
- What are you talking about? - So what happened? Ellen told you that she'd recorded the rants and she was gonna show them to the world? Or did she just want the sister she never had to stop beating the living crap out of her? - That tape's doctored.
- You wish.
Our techs checked it out, and it's real, along with all the other tapes she made.
- Other tapes? - 20 little horror films All of them starring you.
I push everyone as hard as I push myself.
No, you're a schoolyard bully who preys on the weakest kid.
Ellen preyed on me.
She treated me like her personal assistant.
Who are you kidding? You had that woman so stressed out, she started drinking again.
You have no idea how arrogant she could be always telling me I wasn't carrying my own weight, threatening to gang up with the rest of them to buy me out.
Ellen was scared of her own shadow.
You bullied her, and you treated her like your own personal punching bag.
You are taking that out of context.
Ellen was my best friend! That's not what your waiter said at angelino's.
No, he said that the night that Ellen was killed, you were screaming at her.
Oh, she was being impossible about changing import strategies, lording her damn numbers over me.
That very same waiter also said that you threw your coffee cup at Ellen when she left.
He's lying! Maybe you should have left a bigger tip.
You followed her home, didn't you? You found her drinking her pain away, and you tried bullying her into giving you those tapes.
I went directly home after dinner.
And when she resisted, you pushed her, the vase broke, and you were so angry, you grabbed the shard, and you jammed it into her neck.
Stop it.
I loved Ellen.
I would never have hurt her! Except when you're verbally abusing her to death every day of her life? She was a recluse, a drunk.
I am the head of a successful company.
You're a pissy little tyrant, and Ellen was the perfect victim because she never fought back.
Who you gonna beat up now? How about us, Annette? Pick on somebody who'll fight back.
Are you charging me with anything? Not yet.
Then I'm leaving.
If you want to talk to me again, call my attorney.
Queen of mean's on a tear.
Who's she gonna punish when she gets back to the office? - My bet-they're gonna smile, pretend she's mother Teresa, and then duck.
It's amazing the abuse people will put up with in a lousy economy.
Can't we at least charge her with battery? She knocked Ellen around, and she has the bruises to prove it.
Who's gonna back us up? Some of her friends at work? Without a corroborating witness, we got nothing.
Well, if we go back at 'em with better ammo I'll ask hardwicke to pull the company's financials and subpoena Ellen's disability and medical claims.
Bully's like a rabid dog.
Wants to take a bite out of everybody.
Maybe we can get somebody else she bit to talk.
Ellen filed five workers' comp claims last year? How am I supposed to know that? And you didn't notice your best friend was absent from work.
She said she was traveling on business.
You bought that? I mean, knowing how Annette was abusing her? What do you want from me? The truth about Annette's behavior.
Or did this $200,000 car that she bought you also buy your silence? - This was my year-end bonus.
Taking a little time off from work? Have you been following me? All the way over here to your shrink.
Work got you stressed out? I'm not allowed to have problems? Listen, you shouldn't be getting sick worrying that at any minute your boss might flip her lid.
Annette is a great boss.
I've got nothing more to say.
I don't know how many times I have to say it.
LG is a great place to work.
Especially when you got a place like this to come home to.
Nice digs Annette paid for.
Justin! Mother needs her juice! - Just a minute, mom! - I am parched.
- That your mom? - Mm.
Sang opera.
- Mm-hmm.
Must be weird having mommy so close when you're bringing home all that hot tail.
My mother's disabled.
I take care of her.
Kind of like how your boss takes care of you so you don't blab what a psycho bitch she is.
Justin! Annette's generosity is a godsend.
I am lucky to work for her.
Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy.
Oh, sure.
Working for Annette is a dream job.
I'll say.
She pulls strings to get your kids into the whitethorne academy, Springs for the $100,000 tuition.
She's their godmother.
It's all legal.
Well, killing Ellen Sazelin wasn't.
What happened to Ellen was a tragedy.
Her death is- - a great loss.
Yeah, I read the press release.
But who's next, David you, Bruce, corrine? You know Annette's totally lost control.
She might not be perfect, but none of us will say a bad word about her Ever.
What's wrong with you people? It's a form of Stockholm syndrome.
Annette's employees have bonded to her emotionally in order to survive.
Like an abused wife who says that her husband really loves her because he brings her roses.
Then he beats her again, and he buys her another present to say that he's sorry, and the cycle just keeps repeating itself until the victim thinks it's normal.
- I don't know.
- All right.
- This could be good old-fashioned greed.
I mean, if Annette goes down for murder, bye-bye Luscious Grape, a steady paycheck, and all the other goodies that go with it.
And the goodies are about to get even better.
A buddy of mine at the SEC.
Says globacol is about to buy Luscious Grape for $500 million.
That much for a booze distributor.
Sidney Frank sold grey goose for $2.
3 billion.
And next month, Luscious Grape is coming out with a premium line of vodka called polara.
And Annette's hold over her employees just gets that much stronger.
Subpoenaing them as hostile witnesses won't get you anything.
How do we break Annette's spell? What, wait until another employee dies? Don't have to.
Look what just hit the news.
- Yeah, amazing video- the secretly taped footage shows Annette Cole, ceo of Luscious Grape, a well-regarded Manhattan liquor distributor, verbally and physically harassing the company's CFO, Ellen Sazelin, who was found dead in her apartment three days ago.
Now, our producers tell us that msnbc received this package apparently sent by the victim herself Ellen must have mailed it after her dinner with Annette.
Well, well, well, the church mouse finally roared.
Tv's not the only place it hit.
It's all over the Internet.
"And you thought your job was bad.
" "Worst boss evah!" Looks like Annette was just found guilty in the court of public opinion.
Hey, it's the bully boss! Suck it, bitch! - Bad day, garbo? - Screw you.
I'm ruined.
Let me guess orders canceled, hate mail pouring in, people calling you to yell at you? How's it feel to get a taste of your own medicine? I know you people leaked that tape.
Ellen would never have done that to me.
Are you really that delusional? You'll be hearing from my lawyer.
I'm suing the NYPD for emotional distress.
I hope you have a good p.
R.
Person.
Annette, did you murder your business partner? - Leave me alone! - Did Ellen Sazelin kill herself because of years of your abuse? What's going to happen to your company? Protect me.
It's your job! You're the bully.
Show 'em who's boss.
Get out of my way! Get out of my way! - Annette! - Annette! - Leave me alone! - Annette! Annette! Video surfaced showing shocking abuse committed by CEO Annette Cole.
Globacol withdrew their half-billion-dollar offer for Luscious Grape, citing their morals clause.
- "Annette-a the hun.
" "Bitchy boss pops.
" "Luscious Grape or bully and rape?" She really is ruined.
And took down her own company and all its employees with her.
Well, if any one of them had had any guts, Ellen might still be alive.
Does a person like that ever look in the mirror and face up to all the damage she's done? I think she already has.
Annette's lawyer just scheduled a press conference at 10:00 A.
M.
tomorrow morning.
She wants to explain her actions on that tape.
You mean explain them away.
She also wants us to be there.
Thank you all for coming.
I just want to say that, um I- I never meant to harm anybody.
I'm mortified by how I must look on that tape.
But To my business partners, let me say this Screw you for abandoning me in my time of need.
To my customers Who canceled orders and left hateful messages, you can all go to hell too.
Annette, stop this.
To the press who turned on me, and to the NYPD who hounded me mercilessly, you're scum- all of you! And to my family at Luscious Grape, my lying, backstabbing, ungrateful family you're all fired, each and every one of you.
You're as lazy and as useless as that bitch Ellen was, dragging me down so far the company I built with my own two hands.
I just want you to remember one thing.
You made me do this.
Annette, no! She feigns contrition to draw in her victims, and then she traumatizes them by saying, "you made me do this.
" It worked.
She shocked her employees, and lots of press there too.
What you get when you mix a sociopath and a narcissist a ticking time bomb.
So Hardwicke says she will take the rant about "that bitch Ellen" as Annette's coesession to murder.
Any word about the fate of the company? Yes.
Annette's attorney has petitioned a judge on behalf of her estate.
She's leaving every penny to her pooch.
So nothing for the loyal employees.
A final "screw you.
" Ellen's AA.
Pal Bruce is having a really bad day.
Got nailed by a hit-and-run.
I was walking along, trying to get that horrible image of Annette out of my head.
I didn't look when I crossed the street, and wham.
Yeah, the lady who called 911 she heard the hit.
She expected to find you in two pieces when she ran out.
- It was an accident.
- Did you see the car? Got hit, blacked out, woke up here.
The woman who found you said the car never stopped.
- It was totally my fault.
- Well Hit-and-run is a felony, so we're canvassing the area.
We're gonna find out who did this to you.
Security cam at the bodega on the corner brought us this little thriller.
Now, Bruce was walking down the street, up pulls a Chevy- check this out.
For someone who says he doesn't know who hit him, he sure is friendly with that driver.
Oh, that car's gonna run him down.
That was no accident.
So why'd Bruce lie about it? You better ask the driver.
- Donald fielding? - Who's asking? NYPD.
Oh, that was quick.
Ain't even called the insurance company yet.
Really? We heard you were in quite a hurry to get home.
Home? I haven't been out in two days.
- So who banged up your car- the dent fairy? Some old geezer backed into it.
Here on the street? Nah, at the parking lot at the store.
Okay, I'm now officially confused.
I don't drive no more, right? The dmv yanked my license.
This morning, my granddaughter borrowed the car to go to the market, said some old fart backed into her got so rattled, she forgot to bring me my smokes.
What's your granddaughter's name? - - You think I ran over Bruce? No, I think you chatted him up first, but that didn't go as planned, so you went after him with your grandfather's car.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Okay.
So how about now? You don't understand.
I don't understand why I am here.
We found the driver who ran you over.
We need you to make an I.
D.
Right here.
I told you, I didn't see the car.
Okay, so humor us.
So I borrowed my poppy's car, and I tracked Bruce down, and I was already so angry that when he blew me off, I just lost it, 'cause that son of a bitch ruined everything! - What is everything? - Corrine-don't! - Bruce killed Ellen.
- I did not.
I did not kill her! Let me in! Let me in! - Hold on.
All right! Corrine, I did not kill her! You did so! I told you Ellen was dead when I got there! Then who killed her? I don't know! It must have been Annette! No.
You had to be the one to go talk to her, and you both started drinking, and you screwed everything up! I'm sober! - Calm down! - That crazy bitch tried to run me over.
Because you killed Ellen and ruined our entire plan! Whoa! Wh p plan? Our plan to keep Ellen from revealing our secret at work.
Annette's bullying.
The bullying, the bonuses, and payouts to keep us all quiet.
You all had a lot to lose if that buyout didn't go through.
We had everything to lose if anybody found out about Annette our jobs, our future.
With everything she put us through, we earned what was coming to us! Well, you were all victims, but I think Ellen got it the worst.
Ellen was losing her mind.
She was always a little weaker than the rest of us, but she was really coming unglued.
One day I heard her at her desk mumbling about showing the world the truth and how, once her proof got out, Annette would get what she deserved.
So I went into the break room at lunch, and I told the others.
Who are the others? Me, Justin, David.
- Not Annette.
- Hell, no.
Annette was the enemy.
She never even knew about the tapes.
You all killed Ellen With your greed.
Your friend needed you, and you turned your back on her.
We just wanted her to shut up, just keep it together! We-we were even willing to give her part of our share of the buyout! He said that he would talk to her.
He said he could get through to her.
We never thought that he would kill her! I didn't kill her! She was already dead! But you still knew that somebody might find that flash drive, so you broke back in.
That was David.
And he couldn't find the tapes.
It was too late anyway.
Ellen had already sent them to the tv station.
I might have conspired against her, but I never hurt my friend.
We just wanted to be rich.
- What a cluster.
- So what do you think? Did Annette kill Ellen, or was this a drunken accident? It wasn't an accident.
Your victim was intoxicated, but someone else got her drunk.
CSU finally pieced together the champagne bottle that was in Ellen's apartment.
Well, if she didn't drink willingly, what did the perp do, ram it down her throat? I found no alcohol in her stomach.
Her BAC Was 1.
6.
I'm saying he didn't ram it down her throat.
You got to be kidding me.
I never found any fingerprints, but I hadn't looked at the rim of the bottle for cells.
I found these on the lip of the bottle.
These are crypts of morgagni, only found in the anus.
It certainly explains the trauma, but Why? It's an old alcoholic's trick.
You get drunk faster because the alcohol bypasses the stomach and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
There are reports of young girls saturating tampons with vodka.
Gets 'em loaded, but keeps their breath smelling sweet.
File under "things I never wanted to know.
" I bet I know someone who would.
I brought a bottle of champagne to Ellen, so I hate to tell you, but those aren't hard to come by.
I sell wine for a living, remember? Except it wasn't a brand that was sold by Luscious Grape.
But it was sold At a liquor store right down the street from Ellen Sazelin's apartment.
Why would I buy anything there? So your company inventory wouldn't get dinged d d none of your co-conspirators would know you weren't following the plan.
- Co-conspirators? Corrine, David, Bruce.
We have their sworn statements, which puts you on the hook for Ellen's murder.
This is crazy.
Justin! Mother needs more juice! Coming! Actually, it makes perfect sense.
You stood to lose millions if Ellen blew the whistle on Annette's bullying.
The only problem was everyone agreed that Bruce should be the one to try and shut her up.
You must have been saying, "really? Bruce? The company fruit?" He's not the guy for the job.
She needed somebody bigger, somebody better, somebody who could really rock her world.
Like a stud who knew how to close a deal with a woman.
You think Bruce knows how to close a deal, hmm? Or that toad David? So you went over to Ellen's place before Bruce could get there.
She was pathetic.
Crying about how Annette was hurtful and she couldn't take it anymore.
There's nothing worse than a weepy woman.
Right? I mean, get over it, bitch! You're about to be worth a fortune! So I tried to give her some champagne.
And she said no, that she was sober.
And you don't strike me as theypype to take "no" for an answer, so that's when you leaned in and kissed her - Yeah! And she- sh-she she rejected you.
- Can you believe it- a woman like that? Probably never been laid in her life.
So I-I tried again, and she slapped me.
And that's when you attacked her.
No! I just pushed her, not even hard.
And she fell back against the coffee table, and a vase broke, and I said, "God, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
" And I leaned down to help her up, and That's when I saw the-the glass in her neck.
There was so much blood.
- Why didn't you call 911? - I freaked out.
I just thought I had to make it look like an accident, you know? Like she was drunk off her ass.
Justin Jennings You're under arrest for the murder of Ellen Sazelin.
How'd you know it was me? Your mother was an opera singer, needed to save those vocal chords, so She downed her booze through the back door.
Justin! Where are you? I need you.
Mother's very clever Taught me a lot of things.
Justin.
Justin? Justin!
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Great show, Andreas.
You've really outdone yourself this time.
- Every piece is brilliant! - Not brilliant enough.
The N.
E.
A.
Just cancelled my grant.
Three people in Missouri complained.
Andreas! Andreas, where are you? Here comes your new funding.
Hi, my darling.
Where have you been hiding? Your paintings are absolutely genius, especially the one in the other room.
What are you talking about? These are my only paintings.
No.
No, no, no.
This one.
This is it.
This symbolizes the death of light, of hope, of white privilege.
The red paint- it's a primal scream of agony warning society to wake up.
That's not paint.
Blood's from Ellen Sazelin, 43.
Business card says she's cfo of Luscious Grape distributors.
Never heard of it.
That's 'cause you don't buy $5,000 bottles of nene.
Neither do I, but I've seen their ads in the wall street journal.
Dead how long? Body temp puts TOD Somewhere between She exsanguinated from a severed carotid.
- Any evidence of a break-in? Locks on the windows and doors weren't tampered with, but we're dusting for prints.
- Mm-hmm.
Used a piece of glass from the broken vase, huh? She definitely struggled.
Panties are torn too.
- He rape her? - Signs of anal trauma no DNA.
Neighbors hear anything? Too much nsese from the gallery opening downstairs.
And get this- the show is called dollars and death: The politics of blood.
So she brings home a date, opens something from the company cellar, and he attacks her.
So much for romance.
Luscious Grape home page was the last site she visited before she was killed.
She worked around the clock.
Who's that woman in the video? Hi.
I'm Annette Cole, president and CEO of Luscious Grape, New York's premier wine and spirits importer.
We're here to satisfy all your imbibing desires.
And this is Ellen Sazelin, the CFO of Luscious Grape.
Annette and I founded our little business 15 years ago.
We planted a tiny seed and have had the pleasure of watching it blossom and mature into this marvelous vineyard of success.
I wonder if Ellen's killer resented what she had.
Maybe a jealous coworker.
Come meet Bruce clarkson, the head of our advertising department.
Annette and Ellen are not only coworkers.
They're mothers to us all.
And this is corrine Stafford, our newest LG member.
I'm the baby of the LG family, but the second I arrived, everybody made me feel right at home.
Hey, Justin! Justin Jennings our star salesman.
We're a small, tightly knit group here at LG, and Annette and Ellen make us all feel Real special.
And this is David Watson, our wine buyer.
We'd be lost without him And his nose.
Beautiful.
Here's to another fantastic year at LG.
Come be partrt of our family.
Share our love of Luscious Grape.
Cheers! - Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Luscious Grape I wonder if Ellen's neighbors are as friendly as her coworkers.
Shouldn't take long to find out.
There are only three tenants in the building.
The woman who lived above Ellen for ten years said she never made a peep.
Sure not the Ellen we saw in the video.
The story of Ellen's life the guy on three said she was so shy, wouldn't even say hello in the elevator.
What about the other tenant in the building? A Maureen Eland.
Neighbor says that she travels a lot for work.
I do.
What's going on here? You know Ellen Sazelin? Not really.
Did something happen to her? I'm sorry.
She's dead.
Oh, my God.
You ever notice anyone going in and out of her place? Not that I saw.
You should talk to Andreas.
The artist who owns the gallery? When he's not painting, he's prowling.
Creep showed up at my door about six months ago with a bottle of wine.
I drank too much and fell asleep, and I woke up, and he was on top of me.
- Did he rape yo - he tried.
I screamed and pushed him off.
Uh, he split.
- Did you call the cops? - No.
I had drank too much.
Plus, he owns the building, and the very next day, he gave me a break on my rent.
- Andreas? - Gallery's closed! Can't you read? Glad to see that last night's murder didn't stifle your creativity.
Uh, look, I already told the cops I didn't see anything except for the, uh, blood which dripped in from the ceiling there.
Right, baby? That's what he told them.
He's all about the truth you know? - Can you give us a minute? - Sure.
But don't upset him and screw up his mojo.
So Picasso, when was the last time you saw Ellen Sazelin? Ah, I don't know, like couple of weeks maybe? She's not exactly the type to grab my attention.
Really? 'Cause we heard you like to meet the neighbors.
Sure you didn't pop upstairs with a bottle of vino? Yeah, invite yourself in, rape Ellen to inspire your, uh, mojo? Who told you that? Maureen? 'Cause she invited me up, okay? And then once I was inside, she jumped me.
Look, I mean, I wiped my hands of her months ago, and I'm done with you too okay? Leave.
Hey get away from that! Is that blood on your hands? Son of a bitch used her blood to paint with.
I was never in Ellen's loft.
I just incorporated what had already dripped onto the canvas.
And hid it from the cops when they questioned you.
Why? The only piece I sold was to cindi.
I had to finish it.
So part of the deal was for her to pose naked to Inspire you? Hey, whatever gets the juices flowing.
Your muse also told a patrol officer that she came to the gallery an hour before the show, and she couldn't find you anywhere.
I left for a while.
To go upstairs and rape Ellen Sazelin.
I was down the block.
A guy named Michael Spero runs a blog called outrageous artists.
He was interviewing me online for an hour about my show.
No, no, no, no.
No, that's not what I'm saying.
I'm saying that to- you know, if you own my work, if you're fortunate enough to own my work you have to be able to understand the guiding principle behind the work, or you're not going to be able to get it, no matter how long you look at it.
You're not going to be able to grasp it fully, fully appreciate- - the guy may be a pretentious douche, but he's not lying.
He never had time to go up to Ellen's place.
So she's got no friends, no visitors.
You got anything else on her? Yeah, she was an only child.
Parents are deceased.
Never married, lived in the city her entire life, and never had as much as a traffic ticket.
And according to the neighbors, she had zero social life.
So where did she meet a guy that raped and killed her? - Could be a random grab- perp snatched her off the street and forced her into her place with a weapon.
Or she could have met him through her work.
Well, business must be good for Luscious Grape.
They just were awarded the medal of excellence by some fancy wine magazine? They also publish testimonials from their customers.
"I adore being a member of the LG family.
" "Not only are you wonderful businesspeople, you're wonderful people.
" "Thank you for all your personal time and attention.
" - Sounds too lovey-dovey to me.
So you're not buying the hype either.
Come on, no company satisfies every customer.
Maybe someone got pissed off at Ellen and took it out on her.
Let's ask Ellen's business partner, Annette Cole.
I can't believe she's gone.
Ellen and I Were best friends for years.
She was the younger sister I never had.
We're very sorry for your loss.
She was so upbeat last night.
Said this year was gonna be our best yet.
What time was this? We do dinner, uh, once a week at Angelino's.
Uh, afterwards, she headed home so she could get a jump on our corporate returns.
Sounds like Luscious Grape was her life.
Hers and mine.
We started it in a garage in Jersey city.
Everybody said we'd be out of business in six months.
Last year our sales were over $15 million.
And you and Ellen were the only owners? Uh, we have ten employees, but we all hold stock.
We're more like a family than a business.
You have any disputes with customers or vendors? Well, every transaction was aboveboard, thanks to Ellen.
I mean, I may be the public face of the company, but Ellen was the brains behind it a genius with numbers.
Together, we made one hell of a businesswoman.
Did Ellen have any outside friends? Maybe a boyfriend? Oh, she never gave herself the chance to date.
She spent so much time here.
I was afraid she was gonna burn out.
Who was she friendly with at work? Oh, the head of advertising, Bruce clarkson.
I always thought they were having an affair.
But Bruce has a boyfriend.
Other than my partner, Jack, Ellen was my best friend incredibly kind, a blast at parties.
Really? 'Cause we heard that she didn't go out much.
Ellen preferred to socialize with me and my circle.
Some people around here called her a fruit fly.
Meaning she liked gay men more than straight men? Ellen said that straight guys only cared about the surface, and she didn't have the looks.
The only way she could approach a guy was if she was sloshed.
That's why she drank so much.
She had a drinking problem.
Secretly.
I don't think even Annette knew.
Then Uh, one night about five years ago, I saw Ellen in here working late, just bombed out of her mind.
I had a problem of my own, so we went to AA.
Together and have been sober ever since.
Well, it appears that she'd been drinking the night she was killed.
Oh, no.
You didn't know she'd fallen off the wagon.
Ellen did seem out of it lately, jittery and preoccupied.
Did you ask her if something was wrong? Last week in the parking garage, she was on her cell.
I could hear the person on the other end of the line screaming at her.
When she saw me, she hung up.
She said it was nothing, but she was really rattled.
I dumped Ellen Sazelin's phone for the past month, left are outgoing, right are incoming calls.
And I think I may know who's been harassing her.
This number she called four times in the last two weeks.
The person on the other end called her, what, 50 times? More like 63 times, all hours of the day and night.
Well, no wonder she was jittery.
The guy was harassing her.
Last time this guy called her back it was three hours before she was murdered.
This was on her voice mail.
I'm gonna kill you, bitch, unless you give me what I want.
I know where you live.
I'm watching you.
- Who's the stalker? - Number belongs to a business called "my leather fantasy.
" Accountant by day, dominatrix by night? - No, not "s" and "m"- high-end Italian handbags, wallets, gloves, and shoes.
And great customer service.
Website says it's owned by an Edward Ross Stanton who lives on park Avenue.
But I routed the phones to an office rented by a two-time hump named Juan Alvarez.
Knock, knock! Hey, I'm looking for a leather fantasy.
Name is NYPD-hey! I screwed up my shoulder busting in your back door.
Don't make me break my fist on your face.
I swear I didn't threaten nobody, man! - Yeah.
What's this? - I'm gonna kill you, bitch, unless you give me what I want.
I know where you live, and I'm watching you.
Technology's amazing.
Police! Up against the wall! Fin, call a bus.
You killed my wife! Murderer! You killed my Peggy! He murdered my Peggy! Mr.
Gilcrest, we have no records of your wife being murdered by Juan Alvarez or anyone else.
You don't always need a weapon to commit murder.
Maybe you'd better tell me what happened.
Peggy had early Alzheimer's.
Right before Thanksgiving, I was t-thinking she was asleep.
I went out to the store.
That's when she got online And started shopping at my leather fantasy.
That old broad bought five grand worth of merchandise.
When her husband called, I told him no refunds, no returns.
Pissed him off.
He started yelling, said he was gonna sue me.
Well, your phone records show that you called them dozens of times, usually in the middle of the night.
Okay.
So I harassed the bitch.
She started having panic attacks whenever the phone rang.
Two days ago, he called And my poor Peggy collapsed.
Her heart gave out.
He killed my wife.
You hounded Mrs.
gilcrest to death.
No, I didn't.
I told her if she wasn't happy, she could post negative stuff about me on the Internet.
Come again? The more comments you get online, good or bad, the higher your Google ranking.
Scaring people to death is now a marketing ploy? - For every pissed-off customer, Ka-ching! You are some piece of crap, you know that? - But I didn't kill nobody.
- All right.
Let's Let's talk about one of your other customers, Ellen Sazelin.
Now, your 63rd call to her came three hours before she was raped and murdered.
I was just trying to boost my search ratings.
But that wasn't enough, so you decided to stalk her? - No! - She comes home, you follow her in, but you get out of control? I never went near her house.
- Really? W- well, where were you? Scaring the crap out of Mary Ann Fitzgerald She came outside on her front porch, started screaming her ass off at me.
Go ask her.
It's not Alvarez.
Mary Ann Fitzgerald confirms.
He was across from her house from 6:00 to 10:00 the night Ellen Sazelin was murdered.
But he's still going down.
We got him cold on second-degree menacing.
And we got no one for Ellen Sazelin's murder.
If it was murder.
I'm ruling Ellen's manner of death as undetermined.
Wait a minute.
I thought you said that she was raped and had her throat slit.
But the autopsy found no DNA on or near her person, and csu found no fingerprints in the apartment but hers.
Well, the perp could have worn gloves.
Or she was so drunk, she accidentally fell on that vase and bled to death.
Her blood alcohol was 1.
6.
I also found healing bruises on her arms and legs and a fresh bruise on her back from a few hours before she died.
Well, we did only find one wineglass at the scene.
Maybe Ellen fell off the wagon, she downed a whole bottle of champagne, and she tripped.
And got anal trauma on the way down? A reaction to stress she might have been pleasuring herself with some kind of instrument and got too violent.
CSU found sex toys in her apartment.
And when I got her on the slab I discovered she had bald spots she tried to hide with hair extensions.
She pulled her hair out? She suffered from Trichotillomania, another reaction to severe stress, along with the violent masturbation and binge drinking.
Any idea how long she was stressed out? Based on the hair that's regrown I'd say months.
Wow.
She was really hurting herself.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
Everyone at Luscious Grape said they were all so close one big, happy family.
Wouldn't you notice if your sister was pulling her hair out? I don't know why Ellen was so stressed out.
Well, you said she seemed jittery.
I just thought it was from putting in so much time at work Just like the rest of us.
Ellen never said anything to me except "hi" in the morning and "good-bye" at night.
So you never saw her looking upset or depressed? This is a great company.
They treat us like gold here.
Everyone's always cheery and smiling, including Ellen.
"Cheery"? You just said that she barely spoke a word to you.
Yes, but when she did, it was with a smile.
I didn't know Ellen that well, but Her death is a huge loss to all of us.
You been working here since day one, and you didn't know her that well? I'm the top salesman, and even when I do come by the office, it A girl like Ellen really isn't your type.
Look This company treats everybody great, especially me.
If there's any office gossip, I'm out of the loop.
It's a great place to work.
There's nothing to gossip about here.
Really? Usually the smaller the company, the better the dirt.
I'm sorry, detective.
That's not Luscious Grape.
Ellen was brilliant at what she did.
Her death is a terrible blow.
It's only now really sinking in.
My friend My partner is gone.
I keep expecting to hear her laugh coming down the hallway.
Annette It's time.
If you'll excuse us.
We're headed to the memorial service.
Every one of these people made sure to tell us that Ellen's death was a huge loss.
Like somebody told them what to say.
Olivia Benson.
We better find something more than suspicions for Hardwicke, or we're gonna be stuck with Warner's findings that Ellen died in a drunken stupor.
Maybe her ghost is haunting her loft.
What does that mean? Someone's in her apartment? Andreas just called.
He said he heard loud noises, like somebody was wrecking the apartment.
I'll tell patrol to meet you there.
- The crime-scene seal on the front door was broken.
I entered, announced, and saw a figure racing down the fire escape.
- Male or female figure? - I couldn't tell was wearing pants and a hoodie.
I lost him by the time I reached the street.
Well, we spooked somebody from LG.
They raced over here as soon as the memorial service was over.
Tore this place apart looking for something.
Well, Ellen's computer's got a bunch of files open.
CSU cloned her hard drive.
They didn't find a thing.
Maybe Ellen backed it up and hid it somewhere? Uh How about in a Panda? Flash drive.
Looks like all of them shot at Luscious Grape.
But why is she making movies at work? Well, let's see.
Filmed herself with a webcam, huh? It's Wednesday, January 26th, It's the third time this week.
You're all incompetent! - That's Annette.
- David! I just went through these inventories myself.
You missed three cases! Do it again! And you, corrine, you can wipe that smirk off your face, with this crap you've been doing! And what about you, you big fruit? Do you expect me to accept this ad? This is the 21st century.
If you want to keep your job, I suggest you give me some decent work! And you, you lazy bitch! You're the worst of all! I just found three typos! Annette, just please calm down.
Screw you.
All these years, I have been carrying you, Ellen.
I could do those damn books with my arm tied behind my back! Now, let's get into my office.
No, I'm not going anywhere with you not until you lower your voice E.
Oh, really? Oh! Luscious Grape on the outside, poison on the inside.
No wonder they all pretended that everything was so wonderful.
They were scared that Annette's gonna fire them.
Or kill them.
You little bitch! You're the worst of all! I just found three typos! Annette, just please calm down.
Screw you! All these years, I have been carrying you, Ellen.
I could do those damn books with my arm tied behind my back! Now, let's get into my office.
No, no I was Ellen's friend.
We were just having a little disagreement.
You were publicly berating her and everybody else on your staff.
Somebody is trying to make me look bad.
Where did you get it? Ellen's apartment.
Guess you didn't look hard enough.
Well, you broke into Ellen's loft last night looking for this.
Now, I can't say that I blame you.
I wouldn't want anyone to see this either.
- What are you talking about? - So what happened? Ellen told you that she'd recorded the rants and she was gonna show them to the world? Or did she just want the sister she never had to stop beating the living crap out of her? - That tape's doctored.
- You wish.
Our techs checked it out, and it's real, along with all the other tapes she made.
- Other tapes? - 20 little horror films All of them starring you.
I push everyone as hard as I push myself.
No, you're a schoolyard bully who preys on the weakest kid.
Ellen preyed on me.
She treated me like her personal assistant.
Who are you kidding? You had that woman so stressed out, she started drinking again.
You have no idea how arrogant she could be always telling me I wasn't carrying my own weight, threatening to gang up with the rest of them to buy me out.
Ellen was scared of her own shadow.
You bullied her, and you treated her like your own personal punching bag.
You are taking that out of context.
Ellen was my best friend! That's not what your waiter said at angelino's.
No, he said that the night that Ellen was killed, you were screaming at her.
Oh, she was being impossible about changing import strategies, lording her damn numbers over me.
That very same waiter also said that you threw your coffee cup at Ellen when she left.
He's lying! Maybe you should have left a bigger tip.
You followed her home, didn't you? You found her drinking her pain away, and you tried bullying her into giving you those tapes.
I went directly home after dinner.
And when she resisted, you pushed her, the vase broke, and you were so angry, you grabbed the shard, and you jammed it into her neck.
Stop it.
I loved Ellen.
I would never have hurt her! Except when you're verbally abusing her to death every day of her life? She was a recluse, a drunk.
I am the head of a successful company.
You're a pissy little tyrant, and Ellen was the perfect victim because she never fought back.
Who you gonna beat up now? How about us, Annette? Pick on somebody who'll fight back.
Are you charging me with anything? Not yet.
Then I'm leaving.
If you want to talk to me again, call my attorney.
Queen of mean's on a tear.
Who's she gonna punish when she gets back to the office? - My bet-they're gonna smile, pretend she's mother Teresa, and then duck.
It's amazing the abuse people will put up with in a lousy economy.
Can't we at least charge her with battery? She knocked Ellen around, and she has the bruises to prove it.
Who's gonna back us up? Some of her friends at work? Without a corroborating witness, we got nothing.
Well, if we go back at 'em with better ammo I'll ask hardwicke to pull the company's financials and subpoena Ellen's disability and medical claims.
Bully's like a rabid dog.
Wants to take a bite out of everybody.
Maybe we can get somebody else she bit to talk.
Ellen filed five workers' comp claims last year? How am I supposed to know that? And you didn't notice your best friend was absent from work.
She said she was traveling on business.
You bought that? I mean, knowing how Annette was abusing her? What do you want from me? The truth about Annette's behavior.
Or did this $200,000 car that she bought you also buy your silence? - This was my year-end bonus.
Taking a little time off from work? Have you been following me? All the way over here to your shrink.
Work got you stressed out? I'm not allowed to have problems? Listen, you shouldn't be getting sick worrying that at any minute your boss might flip her lid.
Annette is a great boss.
I've got nothing more to say.
I don't know how many times I have to say it.
LG is a great place to work.
Especially when you got a place like this to come home to.
Nice digs Annette paid for.
Justin! Mother needs her juice! - Just a minute, mom! - I am parched.
- That your mom? - Mm.
Sang opera.
- Mm-hmm.
Must be weird having mommy so close when you're bringing home all that hot tail.
My mother's disabled.
I take care of her.
Kind of like how your boss takes care of you so you don't blab what a psycho bitch she is.
Justin! Annette's generosity is a godsend.
I am lucky to work for her.
Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy.
Oh, sure.
Working for Annette is a dream job.
I'll say.
She pulls strings to get your kids into the whitethorne academy, Springs for the $100,000 tuition.
She's their godmother.
It's all legal.
Well, killing Ellen Sazelin wasn't.
What happened to Ellen was a tragedy.
Her death is- - a great loss.
Yeah, I read the press release.
But who's next, David you, Bruce, corrine? You know Annette's totally lost control.
She might not be perfect, but none of us will say a bad word about her Ever.
What's wrong with you people? It's a form of Stockholm syndrome.
Annette's employees have bonded to her emotionally in order to survive.
Like an abused wife who says that her husband really loves her because he brings her roses.
Then he beats her again, and he buys her another present to say that he's sorry, and the cycle just keeps repeating itself until the victim thinks it's normal.
- I don't know.
- All right.
- This could be good old-fashioned greed.
I mean, if Annette goes down for murder, bye-bye Luscious Grape, a steady paycheck, and all the other goodies that go with it.
And the goodies are about to get even better.
A buddy of mine at the SEC.
Says globacol is about to buy Luscious Grape for $500 million.
That much for a booze distributor.
Sidney Frank sold grey goose for $2.
3 billion.
And next month, Luscious Grape is coming out with a premium line of vodka called polara.
And Annette's hold over her employees just gets that much stronger.
Subpoenaing them as hostile witnesses won't get you anything.
How do we break Annette's spell? What, wait until another employee dies? Don't have to.
Look what just hit the news.
- Yeah, amazing video- the secretly taped footage shows Annette Cole, ceo of Luscious Grape, a well-regarded Manhattan liquor distributor, verbally and physically harassing the company's CFO, Ellen Sazelin, who was found dead in her apartment three days ago.
Now, our producers tell us that msnbc received this package apparently sent by the victim herself Ellen must have mailed it after her dinner with Annette.
Well, well, well, the church mouse finally roared.
Tv's not the only place it hit.
It's all over the Internet.
"And you thought your job was bad.
" "Worst boss evah!" Looks like Annette was just found guilty in the court of public opinion.
Hey, it's the bully boss! Suck it, bitch! - Bad day, garbo? - Screw you.
I'm ruined.
Let me guess orders canceled, hate mail pouring in, people calling you to yell at you? How's it feel to get a taste of your own medicine? I know you people leaked that tape.
Ellen would never have done that to me.
Are you really that delusional? You'll be hearing from my lawyer.
I'm suing the NYPD for emotional distress.
I hope you have a good p.
R.
Person.
Annette, did you murder your business partner? - Leave me alone! - Did Ellen Sazelin kill herself because of years of your abuse? What's going to happen to your company? Protect me.
It's your job! You're the bully.
Show 'em who's boss.
Get out of my way! Get out of my way! - Annette! - Annette! - Leave me alone! - Annette! Annette! Video surfaced showing shocking abuse committed by CEO Annette Cole.
Globacol withdrew their half-billion-dollar offer for Luscious Grape, citing their morals clause.
- "Annette-a the hun.
" "Bitchy boss pops.
" "Luscious Grape or bully and rape?" She really is ruined.
And took down her own company and all its employees with her.
Well, if any one of them had had any guts, Ellen might still be alive.
Does a person like that ever look in the mirror and face up to all the damage she's done? I think she already has.
Annette's lawyer just scheduled a press conference at 10:00 A.
M.
tomorrow morning.
She wants to explain her actions on that tape.
You mean explain them away.
She also wants us to be there.
Thank you all for coming.
I just want to say that, um I- I never meant to harm anybody.
I'm mortified by how I must look on that tape.
But To my business partners, let me say this Screw you for abandoning me in my time of need.
To my customers Who canceled orders and left hateful messages, you can all go to hell too.
Annette, stop this.
To the press who turned on me, and to the NYPD who hounded me mercilessly, you're scum- all of you! And to my family at Luscious Grape, my lying, backstabbing, ungrateful family you're all fired, each and every one of you.
You're as lazy and as useless as that bitch Ellen was, dragging me down so far the company I built with my own two hands.
I just want you to remember one thing.
You made me do this.
Annette, no! She feigns contrition to draw in her victims, and then she traumatizes them by saying, "you made me do this.
" It worked.
She shocked her employees, and lots of press there too.
What you get when you mix a sociopath and a narcissist a ticking time bomb.
So Hardwicke says she will take the rant about "that bitch Ellen" as Annette's coesession to murder.
Any word about the fate of the company? Yes.
Annette's attorney has petitioned a judge on behalf of her estate.
She's leaving every penny to her pooch.
So nothing for the loyal employees.
A final "screw you.
" Ellen's AA.
Pal Bruce is having a really bad day.
Got nailed by a hit-and-run.
I was walking along, trying to get that horrible image of Annette out of my head.
I didn't look when I crossed the street, and wham.
Yeah, the lady who called 911 she heard the hit.
She expected to find you in two pieces when she ran out.
- It was an accident.
- Did you see the car? Got hit, blacked out, woke up here.
The woman who found you said the car never stopped.
- It was totally my fault.
- Well Hit-and-run is a felony, so we're canvassing the area.
We're gonna find out who did this to you.
Security cam at the bodega on the corner brought us this little thriller.
Now, Bruce was walking down the street, up pulls a Chevy- check this out.
For someone who says he doesn't know who hit him, he sure is friendly with that driver.
Oh, that car's gonna run him down.
That was no accident.
So why'd Bruce lie about it? You better ask the driver.
- Donald fielding? - Who's asking? NYPD.
Oh, that was quick.
Ain't even called the insurance company yet.
Really? We heard you were in quite a hurry to get home.
Home? I haven't been out in two days.
- So who banged up your car- the dent fairy? Some old geezer backed into it.
Here on the street? Nah, at the parking lot at the store.
Okay, I'm now officially confused.
I don't drive no more, right? The dmv yanked my license.
This morning, my granddaughter borrowed the car to go to the market, said some old fart backed into her got so rattled, she forgot to bring me my smokes.
What's your granddaughter's name? - - You think I ran over Bruce? No, I think you chatted him up first, but that didn't go as planned, so you went after him with your grandfather's car.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Okay.
So how about now? You don't understand.
I don't understand why I am here.
We found the driver who ran you over.
We need you to make an I.
D.
Right here.
I told you, I didn't see the car.
Okay, so humor us.
So I borrowed my poppy's car, and I tracked Bruce down, and I was already so angry that when he blew me off, I just lost it, 'cause that son of a bitch ruined everything! - What is everything? - Corrine-don't! - Bruce killed Ellen.
- I did not.
I did not kill her! Let me in! Let me in! - Hold on.
All right! Corrine, I did not kill her! You did so! I told you Ellen was dead when I got there! Then who killed her? I don't know! It must have been Annette! No.
You had to be the one to go talk to her, and you both started drinking, and you screwed everything up! I'm sober! - Calm down! - That crazy bitch tried to run me over.
Because you killed Ellen and ruined our entire plan! Whoa! Wh p plan? Our plan to keep Ellen from revealing our secret at work.
Annette's bullying.
The bullying, the bonuses, and payouts to keep us all quiet.
You all had a lot to lose if that buyout didn't go through.
We had everything to lose if anybody found out about Annette our jobs, our future.
With everything she put us through, we earned what was coming to us! Well, you were all victims, but I think Ellen got it the worst.
Ellen was losing her mind.
She was always a little weaker than the rest of us, but she was really coming unglued.
One day I heard her at her desk mumbling about showing the world the truth and how, once her proof got out, Annette would get what she deserved.
So I went into the break room at lunch, and I told the others.
Who are the others? Me, Justin, David.
- Not Annette.
- Hell, no.
Annette was the enemy.
She never even knew about the tapes.
You all killed Ellen With your greed.
Your friend needed you, and you turned your back on her.
We just wanted her to shut up, just keep it together! We-we were even willing to give her part of our share of the buyout! He said that he would talk to her.
He said he could get through to her.
We never thought that he would kill her! I didn't kill her! She was already dead! But you still knew that somebody might find that flash drive, so you broke back in.
That was David.
And he couldn't find the tapes.
It was too late anyway.
Ellen had already sent them to the tv station.
I might have conspired against her, but I never hurt my friend.
We just wanted to be rich.
- What a cluster.
- So what do you think? Did Annette kill Ellen, or was this a drunken accident? It wasn't an accident.
Your victim was intoxicated, but someone else got her drunk.
CSU finally pieced together the champagne bottle that was in Ellen's apartment.
Well, if she didn't drink willingly, what did the perp do, ram it down her throat? I found no alcohol in her stomach.
Her BAC Was 1.
6.
I'm saying he didn't ram it down her throat.
You got to be kidding me.
I never found any fingerprints, but I hadn't looked at the rim of the bottle for cells.
I found these on the lip of the bottle.
These are crypts of morgagni, only found in the anus.
It certainly explains the trauma, but Why? It's an old alcoholic's trick.
You get drunk faster because the alcohol bypasses the stomach and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
There are reports of young girls saturating tampons with vodka.
Gets 'em loaded, but keeps their breath smelling sweet.
File under "things I never wanted to know.
" I bet I know someone who would.
I brought a bottle of champagne to Ellen, so I hate to tell you, but those aren't hard to come by.
I sell wine for a living, remember? Except it wasn't a brand that was sold by Luscious Grape.
But it was sold At a liquor store right down the street from Ellen Sazelin's apartment.
Why would I buy anything there? So your company inventory wouldn't get dinged d d none of your co-conspirators would know you weren't following the plan.
- Co-conspirators? Corrine, David, Bruce.
We have their sworn statements, which puts you on the hook for Ellen's murder.
This is crazy.
Justin! Mother needs more juice! Coming! Actually, it makes perfect sense.
You stood to lose millions if Ellen blew the whistle on Annette's bullying.
The only problem was everyone agreed that Bruce should be the one to try and shut her up.
You must have been saying, "really? Bruce? The company fruit?" He's not the guy for the job.
She needed somebody bigger, somebody better, somebody who could really rock her world.
Like a stud who knew how to close a deal with a woman.
You think Bruce knows how to close a deal, hmm? Or that toad David? So you went over to Ellen's place before Bruce could get there.
She was pathetic.
Crying about how Annette was hurtful and she couldn't take it anymore.
There's nothing worse than a weepy woman.
Right? I mean, get over it, bitch! You're about to be worth a fortune! So I tried to give her some champagne.
And she said no, that she was sober.
And you don't strike me as theypype to take "no" for an answer, so that's when you leaned in and kissed her - Yeah! And she- sh-she she rejected you.
- Can you believe it- a woman like that? Probably never been laid in her life.
So I-I tried again, and she slapped me.
And that's when you attacked her.
No! I just pushed her, not even hard.
And she fell back against the coffee table, and a vase broke, and I said, "God, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
" And I leaned down to help her up, and That's when I saw the-the glass in her neck.
There was so much blood.
- Why didn't you call 911? - I freaked out.
I just thought I had to make it look like an accident, you know? Like she was drunk off her ass.
Justin Jennings You're under arrest for the murder of Ellen Sazelin.
How'd you know it was me? Your mother was an opera singer, needed to save those vocal chords, so She downed her booze through the back door.
Justin! Where are you? I need you.
Mother's very clever Taught me a lot of things.
Justin.
Justin? Justin!