All language subtitles for Law and Order s25e04 Two And Twenty.eng

- 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.

- I heard the good news.

- I still can't believe it.

And thank you so much
for writing that letter.

It means the world to me.

- He's a great kid.

Princeton's lucky to get him.

No, I mean that.

- Really?

He doesn't even nod hello?

I mean, here we are, working
on a Saturday to make him rich.

He doesn't even say hello?

- You're missing the point.

We're here to make
ourselves rich.

We're using him,
just like he's using us.

[ominous music]

- The lady over there
saw the body,

called 911.

- Did she see anything else?
- No, sir. Just the body.

- Any other
potential witnesses?

- No, sir.

? ?

- That's a lot of rage.

- Those are
some very deep wounds.

Thinking maybe a pipe
or maybe a bat?

- Got an ID?

- We didn't touch him.
We were waiting for you guys.

- His wedding band
and watch are still on him.

- Got a wallet.

Jon Geller, Higson Capital.

- Geller.

I know that name.

Wall Street guy, right?

He's kind of a legend.

- Can you bag that?

- Yes, ma'am.

- Probably on his way
to his beach house

or someplace fabulous.

- Yeah, but once in a while,

it's not so good
to be a legend.

? ?

[dramatic music]

? ?

- Cause of death was-
you guessed it-

blunt force trauma.

Pretty vicious attack.

10, possibly 11, blows
to the head and face

with a heavy object.

- Any idea what kind?

- No, but based on the wounds,
something with a sharp

and thin edge to it,
like a crowbar.

- Anything else?

- Found some third-party DNA

under Geller's nails.

- Figures.

The guy's been
scratching and clawing

his entire life, right?

- Are you sure?

He's not the only Jon Geller
in New York.

- Yeah, we're sure.

- Um, I'm very sorry.

We just need to ask you
a few questions.

Were you aware of his plans
for the day?

- Uh, he was heading
out to Long Island

to play golf with a client.

- Was he driving?

- No, no, no.

He was-he was taking
his helicopter.

He stopped by the office first.

- Was there anything unusual
happening lately?

Anyone harassing him,
stalking him, threatening him?

- Oh.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I got you. OK, all right.

Take a seat. Take a seat.

OK, breathe.

OK, just breathe.

- [crying]

- According to
the video surveillance

we just watched,
you guys met with Geller

earlier this morning?

- Uh, correct.

- And how long
did you guys meet for?

- About ten minutes,
maybe less.

- What'd you talk about?

- Business.

- Did he seem upset or agitated
or everything seemed normal?

- Uh, both.

- What does that mean?

- Jon's normal state of being-
at work, anyway-

was being agitated, so both.

- That your impression as well?

- Yeah, more or less.

He was a little more agitated
than usual.

- Why is that?

- Because the deal we were
working on hasn't closed yet.

He thought we weren't
working hard enough.

- Did he mention anything
about his plans for the day,

where he was going,
who he was meeting with?

- No.

- To your knowledge, was anyone
harassing or threatening him?

- No.

- Is there anything
you can tell us

that you think
might be helpful?

- He was carrying a putter.

He just had it custom made.

He said it was going
to change his life.

- [sighs]

- Good chance that new putter
was the murder weapon.

- Really changed
the guy's life too.

Excuse me.

Are you the assistant
for Mr. Geller?

- Yes, I heard what happened,
and I rushed over.

I wanted to see
if I could help with anything.

- What time did you arrive?

- About ten minutes ago.

- Did you happen to talk with

or text Mr. Geller
this morning?

- Yes, we texted around 8:30.

- About what?

- His flight to Bridgehampton.

- Was he traveling alone?

- No.

- I was waiting for him
at the helipad.

I just thought
he was running late

or got caught
on an early morning Zoom.

So I left and got a coffee.

- And you and Mr. Geller were
heading to Long Island

to play golf?

Is that right?

- Yes.

- Which course?

- Um, the one he belongs to.

It's private.

- You don't know
the name of it?

- No.

- Let me remind you
that we're investigating

a homicide here, OK?

So anything that you say
is actually-

- Sorry.

We weren't going out
to play golf.

We were gonna spend
the weekend together.

- Just the two of you?

- We were dating.

- So was this
a serious thing or-

- Yes.

- Did Mr. Geller's wife know?

- Jon said he was gonna
tell her about us,

ask for a divorce.

But he didn't wanna hurt her.

- Did you actually see Jon
this morning?

Speak to him?
- No.

He told me to meet him
at the helipad at 10:00.

- Any altercations?
Any arguments?

- Well, last night,
Jon and his wife

got into an argument
over the phone.

It sounded pretty heated.

- You know what it was about?

- Not really.

But I heard Jon say,
this is happening,

whether you like it or not.

And then he just sort of
stormed off,

told me he'd meet me
at the helipad.

And that was it.

That was the last time
I saw him.

- Do you think it's possible
that Geller told her

about you and the divorce?

- Yeah.

He said he was going to.

Wait, you don't think that-

- Wait, you're telling me
that Jon was-

he was dating a man?

- Yeah.

His name is Matt Thomas.
- [sighs]

I find that
very hard to believe.

- We're just telling you
what we know.

- This man was meeting Jon

at the East End helipad
yesterday morning.

- And he also says he heard
Jon having an argument with you

the night before he was killed.

- What are you talking about?

- They were out at a bar,

and he heard Jon say,
this is happening,

whether you like it or not.

Was he asking you
for a divorce?

- A divorce?

No.

We were arguing
about our son, Shane.

Jon wanted him
to repeat the sixth grade.

He thought it would give him
a tactical advantage,

you know, him being older
than other kids.

And I thought it was overkill.

That's what we were
arguing about.

- Did you find the person
who killed my dad?

- No, not yet, but we are
doing everything we can,

I promise you.

- Shane, honey,
please go up to your room, OK?

- Mrs. Geller,
I apologize in advance,

but where were you
yesterday morning at 9:45 a.m.?

- Well, I had a Pilates class
in the West Village.

- I know
we asked you this earlier,

but can you think of anyone
that was harassing

or threatening your husband?

- There's this one guy at work.

He was threatening to sue Jon
for a lot of money.

- You all right?

- Yeah.

I was thinking
about Geller's wife.

Dead bodies I can handle,

but telling innocent people
secrets about their loved ones?

Not my favorite.

- Yeah, I get it.

Part of the deal,
though, right?

Talking with perfect strangers
on the worst day of their life,

asking them personal questions,
telling them things

they never knew
about their loved ones.

- Hell of a job.

[keyboard clacking]

- Sorry to bother you,
Mr. Addis.

- I'm sort of
in the middle of something.

- Eh, this won't take long.

- We want to know why you were
threatening to sue Geller.

- [sighs] Excuse me.

Jon led me to believe
that I was going to be

named CEO when he retired.

Told me that, like,
five or six times.

- But he appointed
somebody else instead?

- Carter Getzelman.

Good guy.

We went to business school
together.

But I was still upset.

I've had lots of lucrative
offers over the past few years,

and every time I got one,
Jon persuaded me to stay,

told me I was going to run
the firm when he retired.

But I never actually sued him.

- Why is that?

- We talked it out
and renegotiated

my employment contract
for the better.

- How come
you didn't tell us this

last time we spoke?

- Well, you never asked.

- I'm pretty sure we did.

- Huh.

I lied. Habit.

- Excuse me?

- Three rules of Wall Street-

never admit defeat,
never use your own money,

and never tell the truth.

- Are you trying to be funny?
- Mm, a little.

- Knock it off.

- I didn't kill Jon Geller.

That's ridiculous.

Truth is, I liked him
and respected him.

He taught me a lot
and made me rich too.

- You happen to exit
the building that day

after Geller left?

- I went for a quick lunch
around 1:00.

- Got a receipt?

- Paid in cash.

- Didn't know
you could still do that.

[phone vibrating]

- Ooh.

Guys, I need to take this.

Addis.

[tense music]

? ?

- These Wall Street dudes are
so proud of being ruthless.

I'm not sure if this
Addis guy is as OK

as he suggests
at being passed over.

- Only thing
more intoxicating than money

is power, right?
- Yeah.

- And how about that video?

- There's footage of him
leaving the building

at 12:49 p.m.

- Nothing before that?

- No, but I'm guessing
there's a back exit.

For all we know, he could have
snuck out and snuck back in.

[phone dings]

- DNA results are in.

? ?

[siren wailing]

? ?

- OK.

This is just officially
getting ridiculous.

- Yes, it is,
but we need to talk.

- And why is that?

- Because your DNA matches
the DNA found

under Geller's fingernails.

- That's impossible.

- No, it's not impossible
at all.

We borrowed
some of the coffee cups

from the conference room.

Turns out the saliva-

- I don't drink coffee.

Never have.

So if the cups you borrowed
had coffee in them,

it wasn't me.

This is my stimulant of choice.

? ?

- Nick Rossi.

- What's going on?

- Can you give me that cup

and put your hands
behind your back?

- Why?

- Because you're under arrest

for the murder of Jon Geller.

- What?

- We found your DNA under
Jon Geller's fingernails.

People who commit murder
shouldn't leave

half-empty coffee cups
lying around.

? ?

- We just found your DNA
under Geller's fingernails.

And a patrol officer
just found the putter,

the one that you used to smash
Geller's skull, in a dumpster.

So I'm guessing we're gonna
find your fingerprints

all over that too.

And if that wasn't enough,
we've got video

of you leaving the office
the morning of the murder

at 8:48 a.m.

You don't return until 11:17.

So what happened, huh?

Why'd you attack this guy?

You know, I looked at your bio.

You graduated
top of your class at Fordham.

You played lacrosse.
You got a clean record.

I mean,
you seem like a good kid.

But good kids don't
kill people.

Not without a reason, right?

A good reason?

You know, Nick,
believe it or not,

I actually am trying
to help you here,

but I can't do that

if you don't tell me
your side of the story.

So just start at the beginning.

What did Geller say?
What did Geller do?

- He is the most disrespectful
human being

I've ever met.

He treats people like-
he acts like-

he acts like he owns you.

- That must be
very hard to deal with.

I know if someone treated me
that way day after day-

- I'm done talking.

I want a lawyer.

- Thanks for doing this.

Please.

The evidence against
Mr. Rossi is strong.

It's clear
that he killed Mr. Geller.

What I'm trying
to understand is why.

Was there anything going on
between these two?

Anything unusual?

Anything unrelated to work?

- Not that I'm aware of.

But they definitely weren't
romantically involved,

if that's what
you're suggesting.

- And what made Rossi,
who is seemingly

a normal,
law-abiding young man,

commit such a violent act?

The defendant worked
with Jon Geller for five years.

He was paid
quite handsomely as well.

Last year, his total
compensation was $745,000.

That's not bad for someone
who just turned 27.

And yet, the defendant
despised John Geller.

He thought
he was disrespectful,

dismissive, abusive.

And for the most part,
he'd been able

to keep this disdain in check

and carry out
his professional obligations.

But on July 19th,

on a crisp, sunny
Saturday morning,

something triggered him

to viciously attack
and kill Jon Geller.

To be honest, we don't know
the reason for this attack,

but we do know
the evidence will show

the defendant confronted
Mr. Geller

near the East End helipad

and beat him to death

with a golf club.

The defendant may look
like just another

clean-cut
former lacrosse player

trying to make it big
on Wall Street.

And for the most part, he was,

until the morning of July 19th, anyway.

On that day, he turned

into a vengeful
and cold-blooded killer.

- You've all heard
of Battered Wife Syndrome-

or Abused Person Syndrome,

as they say here in New York.

Nick Rossi was a victim
of something very similar,

Battered Banker Syndrome.

The victims
of this abuse suffer

the same debilitating
and disturbing

psychological trauma
as those who suffer

from Abused Person Syndrome.

Jon Geller mentally tortured

and abused Nick Rossi
for years.

The abuse was so extreme
and its effect on Mr. Rossi

so profound
that Mr. Rossi truly believed

the only way
to extricate himself

from this abusive relationship

was to kill the man
abusing him.

- "Battered Banker Syndrome"
is neither a legal concept

nor a psychological condition.

It is a made-up buzzword.

It's a clever phrase
the defense invented

with the goal of blaming
Mr. Geller for his own death.

They're-they're trying
to put Geller on trial

instead of the person
who killed him.

This is nothing more
than a thinly veiled attempt

to goad the jury
into ignoring the law.

- There's nothing veiled about
what we're trying to do here.

We want people to understand
just how degrading

and stressful it was
to work for Jon Geller.

- And this
Battered Banker thing?

- Is merely a variation
of a well-known condition.

In many ways,
it's the exact same thing.

The psychological consequences
of an abusive employer

to an employee are akin

to those of an abusive husband
to his wife.

- Except for the fact
that bosses

aren't named in the statute.

This law is meant
to address children,

wives, domestic partners.

- Or persons who are
or have been

in an intimate relationship.

- Correct, intimate,
not professional.

- Well, when you spend
100 hours a week together

in an office building-
- [laughs]

No, no, no. That is ridiculous.

If the legislature
wanted to include

employers in the statute,
they would have done so.

Furthermore,
there's no evidence whatsoever

that Geller was ever
physically abusive.

- That's not true.

Geller was constantly
threatening to harm my client.

- No, it was all hyperbole-

- Ah, a threat is a threat.

- That's a fair point.

But the facts don't
even remotely support

a claim of self-defense.

The defendant followed Geller

to the East End helipad.

He pursued the victim.

- I understand.

And if you're right,
and if the facts are

as clear as you suggest,
the jury will see that.

But Mr. Damaso is
free to present

the defense he wants,
flaws and all.

- Your Honor,
they are inventing a narrative

for the sole purpose
of confusing the jury.

- Pretty sure
that's Mr. Damaso's job.

- Mr. Addis,
could you please describe

your general impression

of the relationship
between Mr. Geller

and the defendant?

- My general impression is,

they really didn't have
a relationship.

I'm not sure Jon even knew
Nick's first name.

- And what was
your general impression

of the defendant's opinion
of Mr. Geller?

- Well, he hated him
with a passion.

- Why do you say that?

- Because he told me
all the time.

Geller drove him crazy.

- Can you be more specific?

- Geller was all about
business, money.

Two and twenty.

- What does that mean?

- We get 2% of the assets
under management

and 20% of the profits.

That's all
that Geller focused on,

growing our assets
and increasing our profits.

He had absolutely no interest
in anything else,

no empathy for employees,

no interest in
people's personal lives.

But everyone knew that.

That was the bargain
we all made.

Work like a dog,
be treated like crap,

get rich by 35.

But Nick didn't seem
to comprehend that.

He never quite figured out

that he'd made a deal
with the devil.

- Did the defendant ever say
that he intended

to inflict harm
upon Mr. Geller?

- Yes.
- When was this?

- About a week or so
before Geller was killed.

- What did he say?

- He was tired of Geller
disrespecting him.

Said if he kept it up,
he was going to beat his ass.

To be honest,
I just thought he was venting.

- Can you please describe
what happened

on the morning of July 19th?

- Nick and I were working,
trying to close a deal

we'd been working on
for months.

And Geller stopped by,
carrying this new putter

he had custom built,
and he was pissed.

He said that we needed
to close the deal this week,

or we'd both be fired.

- And then what happened?

- He left, said he was off
to the Hamptons.

- How did the defendant react?

- He just kept complaining
about Geller.

And then
about 15 minutes later,

he just walked out.

- Did he tell you
where he was going?

- No.

I just assumed that he had hit
his breaking point,

that he quit.

Happens a lot.

- Nothing further.

- If Mr. Rossi wanted
to go home

and take a nap
on the morning of July 19th,

Mr. Geller would have
fired him, correct?

- Yes, absolutely.

- If Nick Rossi were ill

and left the office
to see a doctor,

Geller would have fired him
for that as well, correct?

- No, Geller wasn't that crazy.

He probably would have
just tortured him

a little bit down the road.

Look, this business
isn't for everyone.

But if you sign up for it,
if you're lucky enough

to get one of the coveted
few seats of the table,

you don't get to be soft.

You have to be prepared
to do whatever it takes-

working through illnesses,

birthday dinners,
friends' weddings.

If you don't want to do that
or you can't do that,

then get a job
whipping up cappuccinos

at a caf� in the West Village.

- Nothing further.

- There were several
lacerations to the scalp,

including a linear laceration
measuring 13 centimeters

on the left temporal region
and a stellate laceration

with surrounding abrasions
on the right parietal region.

Multiple skull fractures
were identified

on the left frontal lobe,

as well as evidence
of cerebral contusions

and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

- Does the medical report state

how many times
Mr. Geller was struck?

- Yes.

Based on an examination
of the decedent's injuries,

the decedent was struck
at least 10,

possibly 11 times
with violent force.

- Is there a reason
why the medical examiner

wasn't more exact?

- Sometimes when the violence
is so severe,

it's just impossible
for the medical examiner

to determine
exactly how many blows

were administered with any
real degree of certainty.

- In other words,
this attack was so violent,

it is impossible
for the medical-

- Objection.

- Sustained.

- Nothing further.

- No questions.

- People rest.

[tense music]

- Photos seemed
to do the trick.

The jury was horrified,
in a good way.

- I just need
to keep reminding them

that Geller was the victim,
not Rossi,

and that having a bad boss
doesn't give you

the right to commit murder.

- Yeah.

The problem is,
people hate bad bosses,

and lots of people have them,
which means

some or even most of the jury
have them.

- That may be true,
but that's a good thing too.

- Why is that?

- Well, none of the jurors
killed their bad boss.

[overlapping arguing]

- You didn't know my husband.
You don't know-

- And you don't know my son.

- Why didn't he just quit?

He didn't have to bash
his face in!

- Your husband treated him
like dirt!

Didn't let him come
to my wedding.

My wedding!
- OK, OK.

- That's what he-
- OK, OK. Calm down.

- Stop talking to me!
- Screw your wedding!

- Everyone, back up, now.

- At least you have
your husband!

- I know
you're just doing your job,

but you're on the wrong end
of this one.

A man can only be pushed
so far.

- Let's go.
Time to leave.

- Dr. Morley, did you have
the opportunity

to examine Mr. Rossi?

- I did.

- And what were
your observations?

- That he is, in essence,
experiencing the same level

of fear, stress,
helplessness, and anger

that abused wives or domestic
partners tend to suffer.

- Would it be reasonable
for someone suffering

this kind of abuse to believe

they were in
imminent fear of death?

- Yes.

- Would it be reasonable
for someone

suffering from this condition
to believe the only way

to end the abusive behavior
was to kill the abuser?

- Yes, absolutely.

- Nothing further.

- There is no condition
or-or illness

in the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual

of Mental Disorders called
Battered Banker Syndrome.

- Correct.

- And most cases
of Abused Person Syndrome

are a result of abusive
intimate relationships.

The victim typically lives with

or is sexually involved
with the abuser.

- Yes.
- And to be clear,

in your examination
of the defendant,

he never once mentioned
that-that he was

intimately or sexually involved
with Mr. Geller.

- He did not.

- He didn't live
with Mr. Geller?

- That's correct.

- And Mr. Geller never

put his hands
on the defendant, either.

- No.

- OK. Thank you.

- On the morning of July 19th,
did you hear Jon Geller

arguing with Nick Rossi?

- Yes.

- What was the basis
of the argument?

- Geller was pissed the McKenna
deal hadn't closed yet.

He was worried
the interest rate might spike

and kill the projected IRR.

- Meaning what?
He'd make less money?

- Yes.

- Did you hear the exact words
Mr. Geller said

to Mr. Rossi?
- Yes.

I was standing in the hallway
near the coffee room.

And I heard Geller
screaming at Nick.

He said something like,

"Do not leave this office
until the deal is closed.

"If you so much as take
a walk around the block,

"I will fire you.

"No, wait. That's too kind.

"I will literally beat you
with a baseball bat

and watch you bleed to death."

- Have you seen
or heard Mr. Geller

verbally attack Nick Rossi
before that incident?

- Yes, several times.

- How would you characterize

the nature
of these verbal attacks?

- As sadistic.

I think Geller enjoyed
berating Nick.

I once heard him say,
"You are probably

the dumbest associate
I've ever hired."

- Can you recall
any other verbal abuse?

- About a month ago,
Geller was really upset

and started attacking
Nick's Italian heritage.

It was so outrageous,
I just started recording.

- Your Honor, I'd like
to introduce this video

as Defense Exhibit 22.

- I can't believe
I actually hired you.

I don't know
what I was thinking.

And I swear to God,

if you don't somehow

get smarter, a lot smarter,

I'm gonna throw your dumb ass
out on the street,

and you're going to be
pouring concrete

with your paisans
from Brooklyn.

- I'm sorry. I'll do better.
- No, no, no.

You don't get to apologize
or make mistakes.

That's not how it works.

You either get it right,
or get out!

And I'm serious.

You screw up one more time,

you're gone-

from here, from Wall Street.

Oh, I'll blow your ass up
at every firm in this city.

[dramatic music]

- So what happened
after the video ended?

- Geller walked back to his
office like nothing happened.

In fact,
he was kind of smiling,

like he was proud of his rant.

- And what about Nick?

- Nick started crying.

It was difficult to watch.

- Nothing further.

? ?

- No questions.

- The witness is excused.

- The defense calls Ron Moffit.

- Your Honor,
can we meet in chambers?

There is nothing
Mr. Moffit can testify to

that is remotely relevant
to this case.

- Really?

You don't think the fact
that Mr. Moffit's son

died at his desk
while working for Geller

is relevant
to this current case?

It literally couldn't be
more relevant.

It establishes
the reasonableness

of Mr. Rossi's fear
of imminent death.

- Can you be more specific?

- Geller abused
this young man, Ted Moffit.

He abused Rossi the same way.

And that kid wound up dead-

died at his desk
after working 72 hours

because Geller refused
to let him leave.

- Sounds relevant to me.

Call your witness.

- When was the last time
you talked to your son?

- The day before he passed.

- Was he sick?

- Yeah, he had the flu.

I told him to stay home
and get some rest.

He said that was not an option.

- What do you mean by that?

- Ted said they were working
on some important transaction,

and he needed to be
in the office.

I said, I don't care
how big a damn deal that was.

You need to stay home
and get in bed.

- And how did he respond?

- That if he stayed home,
Geller would have him fired.

So he went to the office.

He worked all night,

and he passed the next night
at his desk.

- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- Mr. Moffit,

Mr. Geller didn't
force your son

to go to work that day.

If Ted had listened
to your advice

and stayed at home,

no one from Higson Capital
would have come

to his apartment
and dragged him to the office.

- No, of course not.

But he would have been fired.

- According to Ted.

He may have believed
that he would have been fired,

but there's no evidence
of that.

That was simply
Ted's impression.

- All I can say
is that Ted didn't think

he could stay home that day,
even with the flu.

- Ted also had a pre-existing
heart condition as well,

arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

- That's correct.

- An autopsy was conducted
following Ted's death?

- Yes.

- And the official
cause of death was

determined to be
sudden cardiac arrest.

- Yes.

- So from
a medical perspective,

Mr. Geller had
absolutely nothing

to do with your son's death.

- What?

Well, he didn't
choke him to death.

He didn't stick
a damn knife in his chest.

But Geller contributed
to his death.

All that stress,
all that pressure,

plus the lack of sleep,

that is what caused
Ted's heart to malfunction.

- That's your belief, sir.

But the medical examiner
did not find any evidence-

- I don't care about
the damn medical examiner.

If it weren't for Jon Geller,
my son would still be alive.

I guarantee that.

[dramatic music]

- Nothing further.

- Can you please tell the jury
what happened

on the morning of July 19th?

- I was working on this deal
day after day,

trying to-
we were trying to buy

this luxury goods company
called McKenna.

- When you say day after day,
what do you mean?

- It means
I didn't leave the office

for three straight days.

- Not even at night?

- No.

I slept in my office.

- Can you describe
your-your state of mind?

- I felt like I was trapped,

like I couldn't leave
the building.

I literally felt like
I was gonna die like Ted.

And that scared me.

I was the one
who found Ted's body.

At first,
I thought he was sleeping,

but he was dead.

- If you felt this way,
why didn't you just quit?

- I thought about it
all the time,

but I couldn't do it.

I needed to stick it out, succeed.

- Even though
Geller was verbally

and mentally abusing you.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

- I'll rephrase-

even though you were miserable
and felt trapped.

- Yes.

Look, I know
it doesn't make any sense,

but I didn't think
quitting was an option.

Not for a guy like me, anyway.

- What do you mean by that?

- I didn't go to Harvard.

I don't have an MBA.

I kind of snuck in through
the back door, you know?

I wanted to prove myself
and prove that I belonged.

If I quit,
my career would be over.

Other firms would think
that I couldn't hack it

or that I got pushed out.

Rich kids with perfect r�sum�s
get to quit.

Blue collar kids
who went to Fordham don't.

So I sucked it up,
no matter how bad it got.

- When you left the office

the morning of July 19th,

what were you trying
to accomplish?

- What do you mean?

- What was your objective,
your goal?

- My goal was to free myself
of Geller's chokehold.

- Can you be more specific?

- I felt like
he was suffocating me.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

My heart was racing.

Like I said,
I thought I was gonna die.

So that morning,
when I left the office,

my purpose was
to kill Jon Geller

because I knew
that if I didn't,

I would have ended up dead.

- Your Honor, it's almost 5:00.

Can we adjourn for the day?

- Yes, good idea.

We'll see you all
tomorrow morning.

[gavel bangs]

- So you want me to testify
as a rebuttal witness.

- I need you to help establish
Rossi's state of mind,

his general demeanor
on the morning of the murder.

- Why?

- Because Rossi just told
the jury that he felt like

he was on the verge of death
that morning.

He couldn't breathe.
His heart was racing.

And he was very convincing too.

- Yeah, well,
I'm not sure I can do that.

[clears throat]

- Well, what do you mean?

You were there.
You were with Rossi.

- Oh, yes,
but I've had time to reflect.

And I'm starting to relate more

to Rossi's point of view
on all this.

- What the hell
are you talking about?

- Jon Geller
and his number two,

Carter Getzelman,
created a hostile

and poisonous work environment.

They constantly
and systematically

degraded employees,
made unreasonable

and unhealthy demands
of their time.

I don't wanna say anything
on the record

that might appear to support
this type of behavior.

- You son of a bitch.

- Excuse me?

- You're using this trial

to take out the new CEO,
Getzelman.

- No.

I'm trying to do
the right thing.

- [scoffs] Uh, no.

No, no, no.

No, the right thing
is to tell the truth,

is to get justice
for Jon Geller,

not to exploit his murder
for personal gain.

You said that you liked him,
that you respected-

that he made you rich.

- He did.

Just not rich enough.

- [sighs]
Hope it's worth it.

[elevator dings]

- I knew Geller was
a shark, but-

- It's all just a game
to these guys.

They see a pathway to more
money or power, they take it.

- Hell of a way to live,

if you exclude
the Hamptons houses

and the private jets.

- I need to make it clear
on cross

that Geller's so-called threats
were hollow.

They were just bluster
and hyperbole,

and that no matter how
disrespectful Geller could be

or how helpless Rossi felt,

it didn't justify murder.

The simple truth is,
Rossi got tired

of Geller degrading him,
and he snapped.

- If that's what you believe,

shouldn't we be considering
a lesser charge?

- Excuse me?

- You just said he snapped.

If that's what you think,
then-

- Yeah, yeah, he snapped,

but it was
a cold-blooded attack,

based on-on rage, anger, hate.

- Yeah, yeah, sure, but he was
in a tough situation.

- What do you mean?

- He knew
he didn't fit in, right?

That he was
different than most,

if not all,
the other associates.

Pretty sure they call that
imposter syndrome.

- I get it.

And it's understandable
for someone

to have doubts
about his or her status

or sense of belonging

within a highly competitive
organization,

but it obviously doesn't
justify murder.

- Oh, no.
No, of course not.

I'm just saying
it explains the-

the anger and stress.

You know, it's not easy
to work at a place

filled with really smart,
really driven people

who all went
to the best schools

when you're just a regular Joe.

You know, you try really hard
to fit in and be one of them.

But deep down,
you know you're not.

- I understand
how difficult that might be

and that it's easy
for someone in that situation

to feel insecure at times.

But once again, it has
nothing to do with this case.

It doesn't matter that
Rossi seems like a decent guy

and that he was
trying hard to fit in

or that he was being
overworked and disrespected.

That's the job.

That's what he signed up for.

- Well, what can I say?

I like to root
for the underdog.

- I know.

But unfortunately,
prosecuting decent people

who do horrible things,
people like Rossi,

that's part of our job.

That is what we signed up for.

When you accepted the offer
to join Higson Capital,

you knew that you'd be
required to work

incredibly long hours, correct?

- Yes.

- And that you would be asked
to work weekends

and even through the night,
on occasion?

- Yes.

- But that wasn't the problem.

- I don't know what you mean.

- Well, the problem was
Jon Geller.

You despised him.

You thought he was an elitist?

- Yes to both questions.

- It's hard

to work at a place like Higson,

a place that is filled
with really smart,

really driven people who all
went to the best schools

when you're just a regular Joe.

- It is.

- You try really hard to fit in

and to be one of them,
but you knew that you weren't.

And you knew
the second you screwed up,

Geller was going to kick
your ass to the curb.

- I suppose.

- And you hated Geller
for making you feel that way.

- That's not true.

- You didn't suffer
from Battered Banker Syndrome.

You suffered
from imposter syndrome.

- I don't know what that means.

- It means
you knew you didn't belong.

You knew your peers were
more accomplished than you,

and you knew that Geller knew.

- Is there a question here?

- Get to the point, Mr. Price.

- You didn't kill Jon Geller

because you were afraid
for your life.

You killed Jon Geller
because he made you feel

inadequate, small, weak.

You resented his wealth,
his pedigree.

- I resented his arrogance.

- And that's why
you killed him, right?

Because he was arrogant.

Because he saw
right through your fa�ade.

- He thought he was a king,

that he could say
whatever he wanted.

- And that pissed you off!

- Yes!
- Your Honor, a brief recess.

- So you killed-
- Your Honor-

- You didn't need
to kill Jon Geller.

You wanted to kill him.

- You're damn right I did!

And that son of a bitch
got what he deserved!

[dramatic music]

? ?

- That might have been
the quickest

jury deliberation ever.

- He confessed on the stand.

- Yeah.

I still feel bad for him, though.

- Not me.

- Really?

Not even a little?

Well, I aspire to be
as coldhearted as you someday.

- Good luck.

Look, I know
you were just venting earlier.

But you are no impostor, Sam.

And if I make you
feel that way-

- No.

No, you don't.

It's just, uh, the way
I see the world, I suppose.

[dramatic music]

? ?

[wolf howls]

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