Original subtitles

In the criminal justice system

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented

by two separate yet equally important groups:

the police, who investigate crime

and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

You think she had diseases?

What do I care?

Duh, I don't know.

Maybe because if you were with her

you'll catch one?

Hey, this is Mitchy Mitch.

I don't catch anything

I don't want to catch, all right?

Yeah, why's that?

Because, nitwit, I know what I'm doing, all right?

Hey, are you okay?

Too loose to break. I'm fine.

All right, let's go, come on.

I wonder who left this open?

Look, I don't know, man

but I don't think we should be here.

I'm going to check it out.

Dude, you're going to get eaten by a freaking rat.

He's out of his mind.

Hey, we're leaving.

Oh, my God.

CSU Officer: Two gunshots: one to the shoulder

one to the back of the head.

He had a wallet on him, $240 cash.

The name's Saul Caplan.

Becker & Caplan.

Anything missing from the store?

Register's empty. Looks like there might

be some merchandise missing as well.

Forced entry?

We found a broken padlock by the cellar doors.

There's an alarm, but it wasn't set.

Yeah, I guess he wouldn't activate it until he left.

If you're through, we'll send him to the ME.

Yeah.

He was in the office

he heard something, he grabbed a bat.

Yeah, looks like the pitcher blew one by him.

A man builds a business, brick by brick

creates something out of nothing.

For this, he's gunned down like a dog.

Had you been robbed before, Mr. Becker?

A couple of years ago, we had a break-in.

Before that, some junkie came in to hold us up.

Between Saul and me and Ronnie in the stockroom

he's lucky he's still walking.

So Saul just happened to be here last night?

He was going over the inventory lists.

He does it every Thursday.

Excuse me. One of the ones

who found the body said he needs to call his parents.

Tell him we'll be right there.

Is it possible to do this another time?

I need to go be with Saul's wife.

Sure.

Okay, what were you guys doing on Orchard Street

at 4:00 in the morning?

Going back to the dorm.

From where?

This bar.

What bar?

The Bowery Bar.

Orchard Street's not between the bar and your dorm, fellas.

We were coming from a hooker's apartment.

Oh, God.

Where?

Orchard near Delancey.

I'm the only one who went through with it, though.

Is it possible our parents not be made aware of this?

My father just had a bypass.

Oh, sure, I'd hate to see you get in trouble

seeing as how you didn't even

get your hat knocked off.

Look, we found the body, we called 911, we stuck around.

What more do you want from us?

What'd the hooker look like?

You see anybody else last night who looked

like they might've done a robbery?

Nuh-uh.

Come on, we know you were working last night.

I didn't say I wasn't working last night.

But you didn't see anybody?

What kind of robbery?

A leather coat store.

Oh, I don't know nothing about that.

Okay, we find out you're holding back

you're going to take a collar a week for a year.

I ain't been doing nothing but what I'm doing.

Don't be taking your frustration out on me

just 'cause you guys got nobody else.

Fine, just remember what I told you.

You guys know a tall drag queen--

blonde hair

used to work the trucks-- named Toreador?

Toreador got herself a new leather jacket last night

and the reason I know

is it wasn't the same skanky old thing she used to wear.

I said something.

She was like, "Oh, I can't be bothered."

Go check her sorry ass out, why don't you?

Where can we find her?

Toreador?

Can you give a girl some privacy, please?

You know, they've had indoor plumbing for 2,000 years.

Officers, I am so sorry.

Is it not permitted to relieve one's self

out of doors?

What kind of jacket is that, Dolce & Gabbana?

Oh, my, aren't we something of a fashionista?

How much did you pay for it?

It was on sale--

drastically reduced, don't you know.

Is that what you call murdering the shopkeeper?

Pardon?

You want to have this conversation here

or you want to have it down at the station?

All rights, all rights.

I found it.

Where?

By a dumpster.

You mind taking it off so we can take a look at it?

Not at all.

Ooh, chilly morning, though...

not quite unpleasant.

The pills are female hormone supplements

which are not, I don't believe, illegal.

Becker and Caplan tag.

Where'd you get it?

There's only two possibilities

worth considering.

One has you committing murder and robbery.

The other has you receiving stolen property.

I certainly did not murder anyone.

Then where did you get it?

Where were you last night, Ronnie?

Home.

Do you have anybody that can confirm that?

My wife, my kids, my neighbor.

Does your wife know about your friend, Jeffrey?

I don't know anybody named Jeffrey.

Jeffrey, who likes to dress up

in women's clothes and calls himself Toreador?

So what do you want to know?

When did you take the coat you gave her?

Last week.

You're sure it wasn't last night?

Saul was like

a second father to me, all right?

I mean, I took a coat.

Yeah, I took a coat, but I don't kill this man.

I loved this man, okay?

His alibi checks out.

He might've been stealing, but he's not our guy.

Has Street Crime Unit

Nothing. come up with anything?

What about CSU?

No usable prints.

ME's report confirms two shots:

one from about eight feet; hit him in the shoulder

the other from two to three feet; hit him in the back of the head.

The perp was probably standing right above him.

Hmm, an execution.

He died

somewhere between 11:00 and midnight.

Van Buren. Okay, thanks.

Forensics has something they want to show you.

This is the lock

that was found near the cellar doors.

And?

The lock appears to have been chiseled like this.

I know it looks like a lot of damage

but this kind of lock doesn't open that way.

You're sure?

We tried to replicate the damage.

Remember that commercial

where they shoot a bullet through the lock?

Truth in advertising, huh?

The only way to break one of these things

is to severe the shackle inside.

Otherwise, it's not going to open.

So whoever damaged the lock already had it open.

This isn't a good time to be doing this.

We apologize.

There's just a couple of things

we need to ask you.

We're sitting shiva here because Saul's wife's

in no condition to do it by her.

That's very nice of you.

It wasn't even a question.

There's some indication that this is an inside job.

I don't believe it.

Whoever accessed the basement had a key.

It's possible a key got lifted, no?

We know something?

Nothing.

This is my wife.

How do you do?

You okay here?

Fine.

Would they like something?

No, nothing, thank you.

If you could provide us

with a list of your employees

that would give us a starting point.

They think it was someone from the store?

Sylvia, they don't think anything.

They're investigating, that's all.

Well, the bookkeeper

was busted for marijuana possession.

How long ago?

1974.

Hmm, well, here's something a little bit more promising.

Sal Bonafiglio: arrested five times, three times for burglary.

Did a pound at Dannemora.

So you're saying you like him better than the bookkeeper?

See, Sal, whoever broke into the store

worked in the store.

Now, you work in the stockroom

and you have felonies on your record.

It's been three years since my last arrest, all right?

Mm-hmm.

Two of which you were in jail.

Burglary Three, Burglary Three, Burglary Two.

Then, just for variety, there's mail fraud.

Excuse me, but that was reversed on appeal.

Duly noted.

Look, I got nothing

to do with this, you guys.

I never whacked anybody in my life.

Hey, maybe you went to rob the place

and you didn't know Saul was going to be there.

All right, tell me the truth.

Is this because my last name ends in a vowel?

Maybe you didn't mean to rob the place.

Maybe you went there for legitimate reasons.

Caplan thinks you're going to rob him

and he comes after you.

You defend yourself.

Hey, maybe I get drafted

by the Giants to play linebacker.

What is it with you guys and the maybes?

Where were you Thursday night between 10:00 and 1:00?

I was with my nephew in Uniondale.

Whether this guy's alibi checks out or not

he's involved.

Well, he never used a gun before.

Why does he use one this time?

Well, maybe he didn't.

Well, check his incident reports.

See who his partners-in-crime were.

B and E in Westchester--

"Perp had apparently gained access to house

by searching for keys under doormats.

Partner backed truck into the garage door."

What's the partner's name?

Eddie Novello.

I just saw that name.

Uh...

"Assaulted a security guard with a crow bar

"when he and an accomplice

were fleeing the scene of the burglary."

His gun must've been in the shop.

Hey, Lennie.

There he is.

Eddie.

What's happening, man?

I don't know.

We thought you were still upstate.

I been back a while. Do I know you?

You staying out of trouble, Eddie?

Yeah.

What's in the bag? Nothing.

Mind if we take a look?

It's my gym bag.

Oh, we can see it's your gym bag, Eddie.

We just want to look at it.

Why, you don't want to let us?

I don't care.

Hmm, what you doing with this?

Nothing.

Where'd you get it?

This guy.

Becker & Caplan.

Get in the car.

See, Eddie, the thing about evidence is

you want to get rid of it.

Here's the thing, Eddie.

We've got Sal's version.

Now we need yours.

You want to make something up

start with that coat we found in your gym bag.

Hey, what did I tell you?

You keep doing that

we're going to put the cuffs back on.

Eddie, maybe you don't understand what's going on here.

We don't need your confession.

We've already got enough to put you away.

We're just trying to let you help us out

so we can help you.

You know, I killed a guy in the ring once.

I mean, two punches: bang, boom!

All right, time... time, Eddie.

See, what I don't understand is, why a guy who could fight

like you needed a gun anyway.

You never seen me fight.

Oh, but I heard about you, though.

I heard you hit harder than any middle weight since LaMotta.

Somebody said that?

Yeah.

See, what I don't understand is

why a guy who could hit like you

would need to use a gun.

I told Sal I don't need no gun!

I said I could take that son of a bitch out with my hands.

But he said he wanted it clean or he wouldn't pay.

What else did Sal say?

That I could take what I want.

Cash in the register, merchandise.

Just make sure the guy's dead.

How much did he pay you?

Five grand.

I bought my girlfriend a big-screen television set.

It's over, Sal.

Eddie gave you up.

Now, unless you tell us your version

we're going to have to take his word for it.

You ever get the feeling when you're talking to him

that maybe Eddie wasn't quite right in his head?

He said you gave him five grand to kill Caplan.

That's murder for hire, Sal.

First degree, whether he's right in the head or not.

Guy's got eyes the size of meatballs.

He told you what you wanted to hear

so he didn't have to talk no more.

You had access to the lock

plus you were arrested with Eddie before.

How the hell am I going to get five grand?

I make $8 an hour.

Then how did Eddie wind up with the coat?

I hang out with him at the gym sometimes.

He knows where I work.

He knows there's stuff in the basement.

Who left the lock open?

I don't know.

You're the friggin' detective.

I haven't been back here since the night that Saul was killed.

I can't even offer you a piece of cake.

We're actually all right.

We just need to ask you a couple of questions

and we'll be out of here.

Ask.

When your husband worked on the inventory at night

was there anybody who worked with him?

Boy, are you asking

the wrong person.

The only time that Saul would talk about the store with me

was if he would bring home a coat

that he thought maybe I would like.

I was his duchess.

Grandma?

Oh, come here, tatteleh.

You all right?

This is my grandson, David.

Hello.

These gentlemen are the detectives

that are investigating what happened with your zayde.

Did you ever work with your zayde, David?

No. Did either of your parents?

His father worked

in the store one summer.

He's a very successful cardiologist

with a big practice in Los Angeles.

He was here for the funeral.

Then he had to get back.

David interested in the business?

I'm leaning toward film school

right now.

If that doesn't work out, I'd think seriously

about maybe taking over the business.

He looks just like him, this one.

We can hold them both for now

but Sal's right about one thing: we've got no motive.

You believe him?

Well, I didn't say that, but what do we have?

The testimony of a mentally questionable coconspirator.

That's it.

Well, if Eddie's telling the truth

Sal either had reasons of his own

to get rid of Caplan.

What they are, we don't know.

Or he was doing it for somebody else.

Who that is, we don't know.

Yeah, what he said.

Go talk to the parole officer.

Sal was always on time for his appointments.

Urine tests came back clean, was holding down a job.

Anything to suggest he had money problems?

No. The only time I had to sit him down

was when I found out he was frequenting

this after-hours joint.

I said it once-- that was the end of it.

How'd you find out?

This goofball Frank works there.

He dropped a dime on him.

What did you say the name of the place was?

Red's, I think he said.

It's on Tenth Street between A and B.

And it's an after-hours place, huh?

Yeah. It doesn't open till 2:00 in the morning.

You better get in a nap this afternoon, Lenny.

We're looking for Frank.

Got me.

There wouldn't be any illegal substances

being passed in this establishment, would there?

He's in the bathroom.

You must be Frank.

You still got a little right there.

Come on.

Sal Bonafiglio-- do you know him, Frank?

Is this a shakedown?

Listen to the question.

Sal Bonafiglio. Right. What about him?

Do you know him?

Yeah. Good.

Now, what can you tell us about him?

Low-level coke dealer.

Says he's a wise guy, but I doubt it.

Any idea who his friends are?

He was hanging around with this bald guy, Eli.

Something of a coke fiend.

Comes in here periodically, looking to sell

leather coats or something.

Says he owns a store, but I doubt it.

Most of the people in here pretty much lie on spec.

Well, that must be pretty tough

on a straight arrow like yourself.

Thanks.

We'd like to talk to your son, Mrs. Becker.

Eli.

Uh, If you don't mind, we'd like to speak to him privately.

Sure. Right this way.

How well do you know Sal?

Uh, not well at all, really.

Do you ever go to an after-hours club

on Tenth Street called Red's?

Yeah. I think I've been there a couple times, yeah.

You ever been there with Sal?

Can I ask what this is about?

Well, we think he might know more than he's telling us.

Well, like I said

I really... I don't know the guy all that well.

I mean, I-I just... I couldn't really tell you.

Did you ever sell coats at the bar?

No.

Somebody said they thought you did that.

Well, people say all kinds of things.

I mean, did I ever... give some chick a coat as a gift?

Maybe I did.

But, I mean, that's my family's business.

I'm entitled to do that, right?

What's going on?

We're just asking your son a few questions.

This is a house of mourning, Detectives.

The store will be open for business tomorrow.

Ask him or me or anyone else questions there, please.

I have to tell you.

I don't feel right doing this without Mr. Becker here.

This search warrant covers you.

You can tell him you were legally bound.

Receipts...

orders, inventory lists.

Any way you could've missed any stolen money?

Every night someone stays late

to check receipts against the register.

What about merchandise?

Not possible.

At the end of the week

I check the receipts against those inventory lists.

I would know if anything was missing.

Who makes the lists?

We checked Eli's inventory lists against the orders

placed by Becker and Caplan to their distributors.

It turns out Eli was accounting for coats that didn't exist.

Why hadn't anyone noticed?

Well, Eli was in charge of orders, too.

As long as nobody questioned the accuracy

of the inventory lists, it could have gone on for months.

How much money are we talking about?

$5,000 a month.

If Caplan exposed him, it would have ruined his chance

to take over the business.

Pick him up.

Where is he, Mr. Becker?

Where's who?

Your son.

He doesn't get in until 9:00.

The doorman in his building saw him leave

in the middle of the night with suitcases.

Where is he, Mr. Becker?

Somewhere you can't get him.

The police pulled the LUDs from Mr. Becker's apartment

and found a phone call to Hoffman Travel Agency.

An agent confirmed Eli was on a flight to Israel.

Are we sure this is our guy?

Eddie Novello says Sal paid him to kill Caplan.

Sal didn't have the means or the motive.

No question Eli was behind it.

Where's Sal now?

He's being held at Rikers.

Once we get Eli back, we can turn them against each other.

Has a formal request for extradition been made?

Yeah. We submitted it to the Israeli Consulate.

Let's see what they do.

Israeli law grants non-extradition

to a citizen of Israel who is also a resident there.

How can Eli Becker be considered a resident of Israel?

Well, he maintains an apartment in Tel Aviv.

Wait a minute.

Israel is violating its reciprocity agreements

to harbor a murderer?

No. We... we intend to cooperate fully

with your office and conduct a trial in Israel.

That's unacceptable.

This is murder for hire committed on American soil.

The only reason Eli Becker is in Israel

is to avoid prosecution

in an American court.

In 1935, the Nazis established the Nuremberg race laws

depriving German Jews of their rights of citizenship.

It was the beginning of the discrimination

that would lead to the Holocaust.

Now, when Israel was founded, we established laws

to protect Jews from being judged by non-Jews.

Given the current political climate in Israel

the tenuousness of Barak's coalition

the power of the religious parties

it would not be a good time

to stand accused of violating these principles--

even when it comes to a murderer.

He completely manipulated the system.

If we can poke holes in his residency claim

maybe the Israelis will send him back.

Okay, let me see what I can get from the parents.

What was Eli doing in Israel back in 1995?

Living in Tel Aviv, same as now.

No. What was he doing?

Living, working, what anyone does.

Who was his employer?

Do me a favor: talk to the lawyer.

He was working for himself, um, trying to get established.

Established in what?

Um, jewelry exporting, I think

and I think he was starting

to do some concert promotion.

Sylvia, we don't need to be doing her work for her.

Can you tell me when he applied for his travel visa?

I can't tell you anything.

Mr. Becker, after you purchased Eli's plane ticket to Israel

you refused to tell the police where he was.

Now, that's obstruction, and it's a felony.

You're trying to send my son to jail.

Do you think I'm going to help you?

Even though he had your partner murdered?

That's what you say.

Are you aware your son has a drug problem?

That was years ago. It's over with.

We also have proof your son was stealing from your store.

Now, If I have to, I'll come back

with detectives and a search warrant.

I don't care if you come back with the United States Army!

Nathan. That's it!

What's the matter-- you people don't have enough to do?

No, Councilman, we have plenty to do. Please.

What is so terrible

if this person is tried in the State of Israel?

Everyone's equal before the law.

You can't treat one murderer like he's special.

I have a murder case starting next month

with a defendant who's Korean.

Shall I send him back to Korea?

Oh, so now I have to give a history lesson

on what it means to be a Jew.

I have a guy

who's looking at a lot of years in prison.

I imagine he could give you a pretty good one

about what it means to be Korean.

You might remind your deputy here

this is not the debating club at Dartmouth.

I have a great many people living in my district

and all through the City of New York

who understand full well what it means to be a Jew

and no, it is not the same as what it means to be a Korean.

That a Jonathan Pollard sits in an American prison

for trying to help the State of Israel

is a disgrace, and whoever finally manages to free him

will have themselves the undying support of the Jewish people.

What about a Samuel Scheinbein?

What about him?

Did allowing him to be tried and sentenced in Israel

when he murdered, dismembered

and burned his victim in Maryland earn anyone

the undying support of the Jewish people?

His exercising his right as a Jew to return to Israel

hasn't prevented him from being punished.

As we speak, he's in an Israeli prison.

No, the way I see it, as soon as you murder someone

you lose your right to return to Israel or anywhere else.

Not according to Israeli law.

Councilman, I uphold the law of the State of New York.

I want Eli Becker extradited.

Becker, Eli.

Father helped him apply for a travel visa

on September 12, 1995.

What if he was working there?

How long could he stay in Israel on that visa?

Travel visa lasts three months.

If he wanted to stay longer

or if he wanted a work visa, he would apply in Israel.

Okay.

What kind of documentation

did he show you to get this visa?

Birth certificate.

Born January 5, 1965.

New York Foundling Hospital.

In 1996, Eli Becker was granted

Israeli citizenship

based on the fact that he's Jewish.

But he was adopted.

His birth mother was a woman

by the name of Mary Elizabeth Kelly.

She's as Jewish as I am.

Given that the religion of the mother

is controlling, we may have an opening.

Did he convert?

Well, he didn't belong to a synagogue on his own

and according to the rabbi

at his parents' synagogue

he hasn't been seen or heard from since his Bar Mitzvah.

Which means maybe he didn't satisfy the requirements

for an orthodox conversion.

Well, the Israeli Attorney General wants to extradite.

Now, if he can provide proof to the Ministry of Religion

that Becker's not a Jew, it may do the trick.

So we turn over the information on the adoption

and if the conversion is defective, there's his proof.

No. Information from us won't satisfy the religious parties.

What, it has to come from a rabbi?

Exactly. There are rabbinical courts

in Brooklyn that settle divorces, contract disputes.

While the final say is with the Ministry of Religion

let's give it a shot that they'll take the word

of a few rabbis in Brooklyn.

Good morning, Rabbis.

My name is Abbie Carmichael.

I'm here representing

the District Attorney's office of New York County.

Before you are copies of a birth certificate

attesting to the fact that Eli Becker was born

to a Mary Elizabeth Kelly, a Roman Catholic.

He then was adopted by Nathan and Sylvia Becker

when he was six weeks old.

That is correct, Mr. Feldman?

Yes, Rabbi.

Now, it's my understanding of Halakic law

that there are three requirements for conversion:

circumcision, Hebrew naming and a ritual bath

known as a mikvah, performed by a rabbi.

Please forgive me if I've mispronounced anything.

You're doing fine.

Having reviewed the documentation provided

by Mr. Becker's attorney

it's our position that

a conversion did not, in fact, take place.

I don't know the basis for

Ms. Carmichael's presumed expertise in these matters.

All I'll say is that before you is a physician's affidavit

attesting to Mr. Becker's circumcision

a rabbi's affidavit attesting to his Hebrew naming.

As for the mikvah, we don't have documentation.

We trust that won't be held out as a fatal defect.

Mr. Becker, while not exactly frum, had Hebrew training

and was Bar Mitzvahed.

Rabbis, it's our position that Mr. Becker's

seeking refuge in Israel is a cynical attempt

to avoid the consequences

of the murder of his father's partner.

Except, even a murderer

is entitled to return to Israel if he's Jewish.

With all due deference, Rabbi

forgive me, but was it ever the intention

of the Law of Return to allow a criminal

to avoid having to answer for his crime?

Let him answer for his crime--

assuming he committed one--

in Eretz Yisroel as is his right.

He committed this crime in the City of New York.

It's the obligation of my office to the family of his victim

that he be tried here.

We offer no opinion

on the sincerity of Mr. Becker's beliefs

or on who's entitled to try him where and for what.

This is not up to us.

All we can determine is whether the standard

for conversion has been met.

Without proof of a mikvah, we have to say it has not.

Also, we see no evidence that to this point

Eli Becker has been living

what we would call a Jewish lifestyle.

Accordingly, Eli Becker is ruled not Jewish.

A shandeh!

Rabbis, rabbis, can I be heard?

Our ruling will be put into writing

and made available to both sides

by the end of the day.

I had half my family die in the ovens.

Who the hell are you to tell me that my son is not Jewish?!

I'm sorry, Mr. Becker.

This is not up to us.

A stinking technicality

and these momzers will hang him for it!

The Talmud has no technicalities, Mr. Becker--

only laws.

Drop dead!

Nathan.

Israel's sending him back.

I'm willing to make a deal if Sal agrees to testify.

Right now all you've got on my client

is the word of Eddie Novello.

In court, that counts for zero.

You don't have time for games, Sal.

You're bluffing.

There's no way you'd

do all this to get Becker back

then not go after him.

Then call my bluff.

You need Sal's testimony.

And Sal will never be in a better position

to negotiate than he is now.

Someone's getting life, Sal.

You get to choose if it's going to be you or Eli.

What's your deal?

Man One-- 15 to 25.

Not much of a deal.

You want to take your chances standing trial for murder?

The answer to that would be no.

Can you make it 10 to 20?

He's got to testify, and that means truthfully

with nothing left out.

You got it.

If the case depends on the jury

believing a career criminal who's cut a deal

I'd say we're in trouble.

We have a defendant who left the country

rather than stand trial.

Which the defense will attribute

to a combination of panic and religious fervor.

We can also establish that he was stealing from the business.

A business his father half owned.

Are we suggesting that we offer him a deal?

After what we went through to get him back here?

Not on your life.

Did you husband ever confront Eli about his stealing?

Did you husband ever confront Eli about his stealing?

He spoke to him about it, but not rough.

That was not the way that Saul did things

just to let him know

that he wasn't fooling anybody.

Except for Nat.

Eli's father didn't know?

I'm sure Eli begged Saul not to say anything

and my grandfather, being the soft touch that he was, didn't.

He has a lot of problems, Eli, he always has.

Most of his problems are of his own making.

You're talking about drugs?

Oh, not just the drugs.

Eli was adopted-- he knew he was adopted--

so he was all the time trying to make certain

that he wasn't being treated different.

Did it seem to you that he was being treated differently

or was that just something in his mind?

I know Eli a long time.

Probably the less I say, the better.

Do you think he might be responsible

for your grandfather's murder?

I don't know.

Do you want to know?

Mr. Ortega, you make up the inventory lists?

Yeah.

And what do you do with them?

I give it to Eli.

He takes the numbers

puts them in his computer

then he prints out a list to give to the manager.

Did you ever see the lists

after Eli printed them out?

Yes.

What did you notice about them?

They were wrong.

We had all kinds of merchandise

that wasn't listed.

If someone were stealing

would keeping merchandise out of the inventory

be a way of concealing it?

Objection. Speculative.

Overruled.

The witness can answer.

I guess it would.

Did you bring this discrepancy to anyone's attention?

Yeah. I told Mr. Caplan.

I have nothing further.

You ever take any merchandise, Mr. Ortega?

I squared whatever I did with Mr. Becker and Mr. Caplan.

Let's try again.

Did you ever take any merchandise?

Yes.

You give it to your wife?

Objection. Irrelevant.

Sustained.

Are you acquainted

with a certain transvestite prostitute

that was he or she

the recipient of any of this merchandise?

Objection. Irrelevant.

Sustained.

The night Saul Caplan was killed

wasn't one of the nights you were stealing, was it?

No.

Nothing further.

It started out, I'd get Eli coke.

Once in a while, I'd set him up with a hooker

on account of he was afraid to approach one on his own.

Did there come a point at which

Eli had you stealing from the store?

Right. At first he'd throw me something as a tip, kind of.

When I told him

I could move some quantity

he got hip to the money to be made on the side.

How much was that?

Like $5,000 a month.

Would you describe the conversation

that took place between yourself

and Eli on October 18th?

I saw him at the club.

He said Caplan found out we were stealing.

He asked if I knew someone who could take him out.

What did you take that to mean?

Have him murdered.

Is that when you contacted Eddie Novello?

Right.

Eli gave me ten grand.

I gave five to Eddie.

I told Eli to leave the basement doors unlocked

so Eddie could get in.

Nothing further.

You're not new to burglary, are you, Mr. Bonafiglio?

Not really.

In fact, you've been convicted

uh, three times.

Now, if Mr. Caplan found out

that someone was stealing from the store

doesn't it make sense

that he would accuse the convicted burglar

working for him?

Only Eli had a lot more to lose.

You had access to the basement doors

and being a three-time felon, you had every reason

to make sure Caplan never had you arrested.

The whole thing was Eli's idea.

I never would've done it except for him.

Mr. Bonafiglio, did the D.A. offer you a deal

for your testimony?

Yeah.

No further questions.

I don't know that he killed my grandfather.

It sounded like you suspected that he might have.

Not really.

Because it isn't in his nature?

Right.

What if he thought your grandfather

was about to blow the whistle on him stealing?

I don't know.

You'd rather we didn't put you in this position.

You're right. I'd rather make my little film

and not have to think about it.

You think maybe your grandfather deserves better than that?

Eli took me to clubs.

He introduced me to girls.

I was this wide-eyed doofus, and he showed me the ropes.

That was the old days.

He's the next witness up, David.

We want you to tell us what you know.

Are you saying you need me to?

We wouldn't be here if we didn't.

What's your relationship with Sal Bonafiglio, Eli?

I know him from work.

That's pretty much it.

You ever see him outside of work?

I ran into him at a club

called Red's one night.

Mm-hmm. Did you talk to him?

Yes, I did.

Would you tell us what you talked to him about?

Well...

I'd had a... pretty bad day that day.

I was stressed, frustrated.

I... I had

a couple of drinks.

I was looking to unload.

Sal was there, so I unloaded on him.

What'd you say?

Something to the effect

of how I wished that my father

and Saul would both retire

so I could run the business the way I wanted to.

Did you say you wanted Saul Caplan dead?

Absolutely not.

Did you offer Sal Bonafiglio

money to kill him?

Absolutely not.

Did you pay Sal Bonafiglio money to kill him?

No, I did not.

No further questions.

We've heard testimony

that together with Mr. Bonafiglio

you were stealing merchandise from the store and selling it

on the side.

Is there any truth to that?

None whatsoever.

So, when Ronnie Ortega

testified there were discrepancies in the inventory

attributable to you, that was a lie?

Oh, there might have been

discrepancies.

That doesn't mean I was stealing.

Are bars and after-hours clubs

customary outlets for leather coats

that started out at Becker and Caplan?

Look, sometimes the merchandise

in the store doesn't move, okay?

Y-you order more than you can sell

a new shipment's coming in, and you got to make room.

We've heard testimony

from half a dozen witnesses

that you sold coats to get money for coke.

We've heard from the individual

who sold you the coke, who witnessed

with his own eyes

the transaction from which you got the money.

Are you sure you want to sit up here under oath

and tell us you were just making room in the store?

What am I, the only person in this room who's ever used drugs?

I've used drugs, okay?

On occasion I have bought cocaine.

I'll tell you what I've never done.

I never murdered anybody

because I-I was worried about getting caught stealing.

I mean, stealing from who?

The store's half mine.

Do you know the victim's grandson, David Caplan?

Sure, I know him.

At some point

did you offer to buy out his interest

in the store with promissory notes?

Assume I did.

And when he declined to sell

did you resort to physical intimidation?

Physical intimidation?

Come... look, we're like a family, okay?

We-we had a misunderstanding, and he got upset.

I ask that this be marked into evidence, Your Honor

as People's Exhibit Number 14--

a police report in which David Caplan claimed

that Eli Becker threatened to have his legs broken.

So ordered.

So, what, is he feeding you all this?

Did you threaten him?

No, I didn't threaten him!

I mean, t-the least

little argument, this kid, he overreacts.

You've led a very sheltered life, tatteleh, you know that?

Let me ask you something.

Have you ever lifted a finger?

Have you ever tried unloading a truck?

Have you ever tried selling?

Have you ever worked a day in your life?

The keys to the kingdom, this kid, he gets

because he-he looks like his grandfather.

Did you ever think

if you were not adopted

that the keys to the kingdom might have been yours?

No. I never thought that.

You're 35 years old.

You've worked in the store since you were a teenager.

It never struck you as a little odd

that your adopted father didn't see fit

to reward your efforts

with a piece of the pie?

If I had ever asked, my father would have given it to me.

Except that your father

had to answer to his partner

and so you knew not to ask

because to them, you were just an employee

like Sal Bonafiglio or Ronnie Ortega--

someone to be trusted to an extent

but never given a birthright because there was no birthright.

Objection! Don't say "them," all right?

There was no "them."

If Caplan didn't want me as a partner

that was all on him.

It had nothing to do with my parents.

My parents would do anything for me.

Is that why you wanted

Mr. Caplan killed?

I did not want him killed!

I ju... I...

It was like I said before.

I was just...

I was unloading in a bar.

You were so adamant he not be tried in Israel.

What I'm trying to see if I can do

is broker an arrangement

where at least he serves his sentence in Israel.

Well, he hasn't been convicted yet.

Assuming he's convicted.

Given that his conversion was found defective

why does Israel still want him?

Well, there are those

in the State of Israel who would like to apply

a more, uh, expansive reading of the Law of Return.

If Mr. Becker has spent his entire life

believing himself to be a Jew

and now wants to live in the State of Israel as a Jew

there are those who would say it would be a mitzvah to allow it.

Only a mitzvah?

What do you mean, "only a mitzvah"?

I mean, there are no elections riding on this?

The fate of nations isn't hanging in the balance?

There are people who would appreciate it

in Israel and in New York.

If that means something to you

and maybe you can help bring it about

and, uh, if it doesn't... it doesn't.

Lev Berenson is lobbying very hard

to let Becker serve his sentence in Israel

and right now it's a concession I feel inclined to make.

All due respect, Nora, I think this is dead wrong.

This is religious authority superseding civil authority.

We shouldn't just roll over.

That's a bit of an overstatement.

Tell that to the Iranians

who had to run for their lives from the Ayatollah

or the Afghani girls who can't go out

of their houses anymore.

Except that Israel is run by civil authority.

It's the civil authority we're responding to.

Well... Excuse me.

If Becker knows he can do his time in Israel

it might serve as an inducement to a plea.

What does it look like for a verdict?

It could go either way.

Make a deal.

He pleads to Murder Two.

No special circumstances, no death penalty.

20 to life, and he serves it in an Israeli prison.

He must be under the impression they're winning.

It's a pretty high stakes gamble if we are.

20 to life isn't

exactly a generous offer.

Considering this is

a murder for hire, I think it's exceedingly generous.

It's only generous

if he committed a murder for hire, and I say

he did not!

What does he say?

He doesn't say anything

and he doesn't have to say anything.

What happens if it goes to the jury?

They look at the evidence

they decide he's not guilty

and they let him go home.

I'm asking them, Nat.

If they find your son guilty of murder for hire

they'll remand him to custody.

The next step is the penalty phase

where they will try to determine

whether or not the death penalty is warranted.

You want him to run that risk?

He's innocent, Sylvia.

He knew Saul his whole life.

You think he had him killed?

What's wrong with you?!

Does Eli want to say anything?

Mom... Dad...

I don't know what to do.

If you're innocent, say now that you're innocent

and we'll fight for you as long as we have breath.

But, son

if you're not... take their offer.

Dad?

What your mother said.

By this time tomorrow night

he'll be on his way to Tel Aviv.

The U.S. Marshall's Service asked if we had any objection

to him being accompanied by a rabbi on the flight.

Did you?

No, we didn't.

Do you still think he's getting away with it?

I think we treated him differently

because of political pressure

under the guise of religious devotion.

Do I think he got away with it?

I think for the first time in his life, he didn't.