(horns honking)
(shouting)
(grunting)
(shouting)
How does it feel
to be a traitor?!
We got families, too, man!
Get off me!
Screw you and your family!
MAN: Take him down!
You damn scab!
You want to act tough, huh?!
Huh, you backstabbing son of a bitch?!
Get the hammer.
(grunting)
Come on.
(shouting)
(grunting)
Sorry, can't hear you!
Better wipe that look off your face
or I'll grind it to hamburger.
Stick it in your eye!
(yells)
(shouting stops)
(shocked murmuring)
Who says you can't get blood from a stone?
Bigger question: is it human?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
FLACK: Well, what we got here is a good old-fashioned Brooklyn
labor dispute.
Union guys are pissed at the scabs.
There's been ten arrests at this construction site
since the strike broke out.
I wonder if this concrete burial
has something to do with that.
Let's take a closer look to find out.
There's definitely someone buried in this concrete.
Judging from the radar image, it looks like our vic
was laid lengthwise under this slab.
Also looks like his arms
are in a defensive position.
This wasn't just a body dump.
Our vic was buried alive.
(screams)
Captioning sponsored by CBS,
CSI NY PRODUCTIONS,
and TOYOTA. Moving Forward.
♪ Out here in the fields ♪
♪ I fight for my meals ♪
♪ I get my back into my living ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪
(whirring and rattling)
BONASERA: Thank you so much.
I spoke with the site foreman.
The replacement workers have been getting threats
from the strike guys for weeks.
Lost wages and benefits are ample motive for murder.
We need to question every employee
connected to this strike.
Any leads on the concrete burial?
Foreman says
that he locked the security gate when he left,
and when he came back this morning, it was open.
The security chain
on the gate was busted
and there are tire treads
coming into the site that don't match any
of the construction vehicles.
Pull footage from traffic cameras
and nearby businesses.
Might help narrow down your analysis
of the tread pattern,
get us to a make and model of a vehicle
sooner rather than later.
A man takes a big risk crossing a picket line.
And this concrete tomb just might be a message.
(whirring)
(clicking)
♪ ♪
Cases like this bring the term "John Doe" full circle.
It was first used as a legal placeholder
during property disputes.
Seeing this, I can't help but wonder
exactly what type of dispute led to our John Doe's demise.
Looks like he took a beating.
Well, there's bruising on the left side of his face,
his eyes are bruised,
a burn mark on his skin.
(grunting)
(screams)
The official C.O.D. looks like asphyxia,
judging from the petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes
and the fact that our vic's airways
were blocked with concrete.
Getting close to an I.D.?
Well,
we're hoping to get prints as soon as we can clear a hand.
According to the ultrasound images,
our vic is approximately six-foot-two
and about 200 pounds.
I've given that much to Missing Persons.
Good.
Let's also compare it to the employee records
from the construction site.
Someone out there knows who he is.
(phone ringing)
(snaps loudly)
(snapping loudly)
(snaps loudly)
(phone ringing)
(whirring)
What do you got for me, Linds?
Well, it's true what they say.
A chain is only as strong
as its weakest link.
In this case...
2,300 pounds of pressure per square inch, which means
that we are looking for a vehicle with at least
350 horsepower.
So our perp couldn't have been driving anything
smaller than an SUV.
Here's the weird thing: the tire treads I found--
they were a match
to Snakehead 245/55/R18.
That's a brand of tires that's usually used on a sports coupe.
And a sports coupe doesn't have
enough horsepower to break through that gate.
Now, I also found...
...traces of black paint
on the chain, so I ran it through GC/MS.
I found a variety of pigments and polymers,
so you'd think car paint, right?
Except there's no trace of a solvent.
Well, that sounds more like powder coating.
It's commonly used on metal, like push bars.
So we're looking for a larger vehicle, any color,
with a black push bar.
Doesn't narrow it down much.
No, and the surveillance cameras
were no help.
None of 'em had a clear angle
on the entrance gate.
Here's where we stand.
We have evidence for a larger vehicle
and a small sports coupe.
The sports coupe could have driven in
behind the larger vehicle, covering its tracks.
Which would mean we're looking for two vehicles.
And possibly two perps.
Hey.
It's Christmastime in Hollis, Queens.
I'm serious.
The trace found under our vic's fingernails...
...is Christmastime in Hollis, Queens,
also known as a blend between marijuana
and Salvia divinorum.
Salvia divinorum?
It's an organic enhancer for marijuana.
It's kind of like a coffee sweetener but for weed.
(laughs)
So we have a John Doe buried in concrete
with hyped-up marijuana under his fingernails.
At least tell me we got a hit on his prints.
No can do. I ran it through AFIS and got nada.
(groans)
Also, none of the workers
associated with the construction site
have been reported missing. However,
I did get a match
on the marijuana blend.
I ran it through the interagency
spectral library search
and I got a match
on a DEA sample
from a Sky High Treatment Center in Jersey.
Okay, now, several of the patients
consistently bought both marijuana
and Salvia, but one in particular fits
the description of our John Doe-- Colby Jenkins.
Put this in your pipe and smoke it.
I got an address.
What up?
(music and television playing)
NYPD!
Open the door!
Police! Open up!
(music and television playing loudly)
All clear.
Nobody's home.
Yeah, but by the looks of it, we're not the first visitors.
No, we're not.
Maybe this is where our perps jumped him.
MAN: Jumped who?
Who the hell are you?
Me?
Oh, no, I'm sorry, the, uh, guy behind you there.
Yeah,
you!
Yeah, I'm Clean Colby Jenkins.
And this is my humble abode.
(sniffing)
I just stepped out
to get some toilet paper.
And, uh, where is the toilet paper?
Oh, damn it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Oh, damn it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Stay right there, Cheech.
We need to talk.
FLACK: Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What are you doing?
Oh, don't worry.
I got plenty for you guys.
We're not worried.
Put it away.
But it's all legal because of my illness.
What illness?
Brain cancer.
That's what it says on my medical card.
All right, look, if you're Colby Jenkins,
who's that?
Because we found your particular meds
under his nails.
Whoa, yo, sometimes I go out
at night, I run into people looking to party.
They want to dip into the prescription.
Hey, buddy.
That man was murdered. Okay?
If you know who he is,
you need to tell us.
I think-I think I recognize this guy.
You remember his name?
Do you remember the last time you saw him?
No, I don't.
But I remember watching TV with him.
I think the Muppet Babies is hilarious.
Muppet Babies?
I gotta get my cartoon fix.
But, uh, The Gladiator-- he-he wasn't into it.
The Gladiator?
Yeah.
That's what they call him. I think.
(under breath): Right.
What are we talking about here?
Something you have to see to believe.
(mechanical whirring)
A gladiator.
♪ ♪
Time of death
was just over 48 hours ago.
What happened before that makes me curious.
I lifted a bone fragment from our John Doe
that doesn't belong to him.
Adam's working to identify it.
Also, although our vic was buried alive,
based on a CT scan,
there was cerebral hemorrhaging as well.
Bleeding of the brain.
Most likely a result of the beating he took.
These don't look like the hands
of someone used to taking a beating.
More like someone used to giving them out.
Indeed.
There's fresh bruising on the skin,
indicating that our vic defended himself.
Also, I found calcium deposits around the fifth metacarpals,
indicative of multiple fractures.
A common injury for boxers.
There's something familiar about this gladiator.
There used to be an amateur fighter
who entered the ring dressed in armor
very similar to our vic.
Joe "The Gladiator" Carthage.
A three time Amateur Fighting Federation champion.
And you believe this might be him?
I'm not sure.
Last I heard, he retired from boxing.
Well, he definitely wasn't in fighting shape
leading up to his death.
Aside from marijuana use,
the Tox report indicates a high level of alcohol
in his system.
Not exactly the breakfast of champions.
So why was he dressed for a fight?
Rabbit, you're blessed.
You're blessed with God-given talents.
Yours just happen to be beating the crap outta people.
Now use it!
TRAINER: Use the jab.
Come on, use it!
Long distance, one, two.
Don't quit. Keep it up.
MAN: Come on, Rabbit, use 'em, use 'em.
TRAINER: Stay on your toes.
Come on, Rabbit.
Telly Gines?
Yeah, that's me.
I need to talk to you about Joe Carthage.
GINES: Yeah, that's Joe.
I saw him just last week.
I trained him his whole career.
I was the only family he had.
When we found him, he had drugs and alcohol in his system.
Well, boxing caused him a lot of pain.
Everybody's got their own medicine.
You should have seen him
a few years ago at Madison Square Garden.
I worked the corner for The Gladiator
when he fought for an amateur title.
I did see that fight.
One of the bravest fights you'll ever see.
He went the distance and he won.
Joe always fought with all his heart.
And it cost him.
Right after that, he slipped into a coma.
Eventually he came out of it,
but they told him he'd never fight again.
Did he mention any plans
for a comeback?
No way.
The doctor diagnosed him
with grade III brain contusions.
A single blow to his head
could have killed him.
Did he have any enemies?
No, everybody respected the hell out of him.
Do you know where he lived? Where he worked?
Well, he lived wherever he could find a bed.
As for where he worked--
he was catching shifts as a barkeep
at Dirty Drew's Bar.
Personally, I like to remember him like this.
Oh, hey, Stella.
We tested the bone fragments that Sid found.
Not only does it not belong to our vic,
it's not even human.
Really?
Yeah, we're still working on it.
Hawkes is processing trace from the armor,
and Sid gave me Joe Carthage's medical history.
How does a guy who's not supposed to fight
end up in the fight of his life?
Time to find out.
end up in the fight of his life?
Time to find out.
I can't believe Joe's dead.
Is there anything you can tell me about him?
He just did a shift the other night.
His official title might have been bouncer,
but in reality, he did a lot of things.
Take it easy.
Sorry, man.
WOMAN: Joe was charming.
He was a good worker.
And in a place where everybody complains,
he was the only one who didn't.
He just did his job.
Even when things got dicey.
What do you mean?
The other night he got into it with a couple of patrons.
I ain't joking. Come on, seriously. Come here.
Hey, beautiful, why don't you come take a break.
No, thanks. Can I order you anything else?
I thought this bar had good service.
That's a smooth way to get her attention.
He's just trying to be nice.
Why don't you just leave her alone.
Don't you ever touch me. I will kill you.
Don't you mess with me.
Yeah, get it, son. I'll drink to that. Yeah.
For a second I was actually pissed at him
for getting himself involved,
but I couldn't stay mad at him.
Joe stood up for me,
when no one else did.
Alex Contoursi.
You and your brother, Rick, were kicked out of a bar
the other night yelling death threats at Joe Carthage.
My brother and I yell a lot of things.
Maybe people should mind their own business.
Super janitor should have stuck to what he does best--
mopping up beer.
The guy was a wiseass.
Not wise enough.
His ass is dead.
Yeah, I know your family resume.
Your grandfather Marco's in prison on five counts of murder.
And you think we're living up to the family name.
I take that as a compliment.
Is that why you wanted to kill Joe Carthage?
To live up to the family name?
Unfortunately we know nothing about that.
Really?
Bar owner says you and your brother
waited outside at closing time.
RICK: Yeah, we were in that car.
A two-door Camaro?
Yeah, so?
So the tires on that car are the same brand
that left tread marks at Joe's burial site.
Let me tell you what I'm thinking.
After Joe embarrassed you,
you decided to teach him a lesson.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You want to be a gladiator?
Tonight you die like one.
ALEX: The Gladiator?
That wasn't us.
You beat him down,
and then to add insult to injury,
you went old school and buried him in the concrete.
Whoa, whoa.
You seriously think we did this.
You got it wrong.
My brother and I--
we're not what you think we are.
RICK: With our last name,
we have to carry ourselves a certain way.
But we didn't kill anybody, okay?
Especially not a guy crazy enough to wear gladiator gear.
You don't want to do this. You really don't.
RICK: We never made a move, okay?
We just wanted a story to tell our friends.
You know, keep our reputation.
Look, this won't be made public record, will it?
Hey, Stell.
I know the Contoursi brothers may look the part,
but there's no way they did this.
I went over their Camaro front and back,
found nothing linking to our vic.
Anything more on the tread marks at the construction site?
I compared them to the Contoursi's tires.
They're the same brand, but different wear patterns.
Those tread marks are made by a different car.
I've seen wise guys.
These clowns, they're wannabes, okay?
They have no criminal record, and to boot,
they're both on the dean's list at Hofstra.
Wow. All right, we need to look at the trace,
and, hopefully, get a lead on where
Joe Carthage went after he left that bar.
Yeah.
What do we got, Doc?
Glass shards from our vic's armor.
They're pieces of brainy shades--
windows that can be tinted by remote control.
Gives you privacy, saves energy and looks cool.
(beeping)
DANNY: Huh. Brainy shades.
How did these pieces end up on our vic?
Don't know about that,
but check this out.
I contacted the manufacturer.
This technology's not even
on the mass market yet.
But there are seven businesses in the city
listed as clients.
One of those businesses dissolved and is now
a vacant office space in Midtown.
It's a good location to commit murder.
Hey, Doc, we got shards missing from this window,
same size as the pieces of glass you pulled from the armor.
(grunting, glass crunching)
Signs of struggle here.
We've got blood.
Plenty of it.
Whatever happened here,
our perps tried to cover their tracks.
There's spackle everywhere.
And whatever it was, there was
an audience for it. Why does an empty
office space still have security cameras?
And they're all pointing in the same area.
Doc, do me a favor
and spray as much luminol on this wall as possible.
Perfect.
All right, you ready?
There's your answer. It's covered in blood.
What kind of audience watches this?
And who was the main attraction?
♪ ♪
Mac, I got something you need to see.
You're not going to believe this.
Honestly, whatever
they've got can't be weirder than what I have.
Whoa, one at a time here.
Blood samples from the office space
match our victim.
LINDSAY: That office space
match our victim.
LINDSAY: That office space
is our crime scene.
I also found blood from other sources.
Could be the killers.
DANNY: Well, that
backs up my find. I found a partial print
in the wall spackle that doesn't
match our vic.
ROSS: Bone analysis here. The fragment
that they found inside Joe Carthage is a match
to the bone fragment I found in the office wall.
All right, but get this.
It's whale bone.
DANNY: That is weird.
You win.
LINDSAY: Wait.
Not so fast. I did a little research.
That circular pattern I found on the wall?
It's a Norse battle crest,
typical on Viking warrior shields.
Whale bone was
a common material used in Viking helmets.
So what are we saying? That there was
a Viking in the room?
More than that.
A Viking killed our gladiator.
♪ ♪
(indistinct shouting)
It looks insane,
but it's Blood and Guts Brawling.
It's an underground
wrestling league where people dress up as different personas
and then fight each other
in unusual locations.
Like, uh, Mr. Happy-Faced Lumberjack
versus The Viking Mauler in a parking garage.
(indistinct chatter)
TAYLOR: Or The Gladiator
versus the Viking Mauler in an office space.
Explains why Joe Carthage was dressed in armor.
Also explains the fresh battle scars.
Yeah, it's all about spectacle.
The bloodier, the better.
They get ten million hits
on the Internet for these fights.
Which means big money and big sponsors.
LINDSAY: Except it's all for show.
Their weapons are hollowed out.
They're not supposed to actually try and kill each other.
HAWKES: So our vic gets dressed up in his old gladiator armor,
leaves his job at the bar and heads to an empty
office space for some Blood and Guts Brawling?
TAYLOR: Carthage knew the risks
of getting hit in the head. It doesn't add up
why he'd take the chance by fighting.
BONASERA: It's also hard to imagine
building security not noticing something like this.
Well, Adam's checking with the security footage
from the night that Carthage was killed.
He's also tracking the output sources
for those ceiling cameras.
TAYLOR: Good.
Because someone saw everything that happened in there.
(grunting)
BONASERA: Surveillance from the entrance of the office building
didn't show anything out of the ordinary.
That means whoever attended the fight,
must've entered through the service entrance.
There's no surveillance there.
The ceiling cameras from inside the office
traced back to an IP address from this location.
The guy's name is Al Branson. He's the promoter
of Blood and Guts Brawling.
(knocking on glass)
Mr. Branson, NYPD!
(knocking on glass)
Mr. Branson, NYPD!
(knocking)
Mr. Branson, I'm Detective Bonasera. This is Detective Flack.
We'd like to ask you a few questions.
About what?
The murder of Joe Carthage.
I don't know the Viking Mauler.
Thing is, I never meet most of these fighters.
I don't talk to them on the phone.
I don't see them.
I mean, I don't even attend the fights.
So, how do you run this operation?
Grass roots meets high-tech.
I arrange a location,
then about hour before each fight, I twitter,
text or e-mail the time and place.
Fans show up, the fighters show up.
After that, it's all about streaming video.
I mean, this is where I was the night of the fight.
We need to see what you saw.
Fight's on the flash drive right there.
I was going to post it online today.
From what I saw, it looked good.
You know, both fighters, they were alive at the end.
Unfortunately, that's no longer the case.
And we are going to need everything you used
to correspond with those fighters.
It's all on my phone.
I'm sorry to hear about Joe.
You know, he wasn't like the other fighters.
What do you mean?
He didn't seem very happy in his situation.
♪ ♪
In Joe's case, I barely had to organize anything.
He was just eager to fight.
Al Branson,
you're under arrest
for the organization of illegal fights.
Oh, come on, man! This is how I make my living.
Yeah? Find a new line of work.
Let's go.
(indistinct shouting)
(grunting)
All right, that's enough.
That's enough.
It was a good fight.
(cheering and applause)
(cheering)
Al Branson just posted bail.
But his story checks out.
Carthage was alive at the end of this fight.
But the effects of a cerebral hemorrhage
aren't always immediate.
Well, he may have fallen unconscious later.
The killer must've panicked and dumped his body.
All we need is a positive I.D.
on the Viking Mauler and a DNA match,
and we might have our killer.
(cheering continues over video)
This is Joe's apartment.
Lock the door on your way out.
♪ ♪
(indistinct crowd chatter)
♪ ♪
(indistinct crowd chatter)
(bell dinging)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen...
...new Amateur Fighting champion,
Joe "The Gladiator" Carthage.
(cheering)
(beep)
(computer trilling)
(beep)
(hissing)
(beeps)
(beep)
Our Viking Mauler's name is Erik Overson.
(crowd shouting)
34 years old.
Works a 9:00 to 5:00 at an insurance firm.
There's only a few misdemeanors on his record.
BONASERA: Hmm.
No apparent connection
to Joe Carthage before the fight.
ROSS: It fits the story, though.
Overson does the weekend warrior thing,
fights our vic, thinks he killed him
panics by dumping the body.
There's also
no connection between Overson and the construction site.
That office space is in Midtown.
Why drag a body
to a construction site in Brooklyn to dump it?
When I left Joe,
he was alive.
Hey.
Good job tonight.
Should get a lot of hits on the Internet.
Thanks.
But I'm just glad to be back.
All right. See you.
OVERSON: I didn't kill him.
And I didn't dump his body.
Yet, we have evidence
that you attacked Joe with blows to the head.
That's felony assault.
How was I supposed to know the guy had brain injuries?
You put yourself in a reckless situation.
You knew there were risks involved.
Not like this.
You know how many times I've hit guys?
You know how many times guys have hit me?
What was that guy doing there anyway?
(phone rings)
Hawkes.
Hey, Mac,
you said we needed a connection to Carthage's burial?
We got one.
The trace I found in the concrete?
It's an Amateur Fighting Federation pendant.
Now, they're only given to trainers of amateur
boxing champions.
And this one has initials inscribed.
"T.G."
Telly Gines.
HAWKES: Yeah.
There's a reason there's no connection
between our Viking Mauler
and that concrete burial.
It's 'cause he didn't do it.
Mac,
Telly Gines buried Joe Carthage.
TAYLOR: I'm back for round two.
That's right.
Don't talk.
You're a busy man.
Trainer by day, burying bodies at night.
You want to fill me in on how that works?
I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.
Now you're playing games,
and I'm really not in the mood.
Let's try another question.
How well do you know Al Branson?
Did you know he recruited Joe to fight?
Joe Carthage.
The Gladiator.
That's me.
Oh, I barely recognized you.
I mean, you trained under Telly Gines. You might have been
the greatest fighter I ever saw.
I mean, you ever think about giving it another shot?
Honestly?
Yeah.
But there's no way.
Oh, right because of the-the brain injuries.
I heard about that.
But hey, you know, there's a lot we don't know about the brain.
I mean, you've had a lot of time to heal.
TAYLOR: And that's where you came in.
How do you convince a guy who can't fight
to do just that?
You give him a sanctioned
and trusted opinion.
You've got to talk to him. I mean, you know how many
sponsors I could draw on a fight involving The Gladiator?
You would get a piece of the action
and you know how many opportunities that would open up.
Joe can't take another hit.
What about that don't you understand?
You haven't had a decent payday since you were managing Joe
and you're about lose this gym.
What about that don't you understand?
We have his phone records.
Branson texted you seven times a few nights ago
right after he showed up at the office.
Hey, man. What are you still doing here?
It was a good fight, but you've got to clear out
so I can clean this stuff up.
Joe?
You hear me?
Joe, hey...
TAYLOR: He discovered Carthage,
unconscious from blows to the head.
Probably figuring that there was still a chance to save Carthage.
He's done.
There's nothing we can do.
Hey... we're both in this together.
So, we both need to clean this up.
TAYLOR: So you went with Al.
Took his body to the site.
And dumped it in a pit.
You were Joe's family.
You knew his situation
and you still exploited it for your own good.
I ain't the one who hit him on the head.
The Viking had no prior
knowledge of Joe's health conditions.
There's a defense there for him.
That was an accident.
This was murder.
Like a snake in the grass,
you took advantage of Joe's passion for fighting
because of your passion for money.
You convinced him he was healthy,
and you led him to slaughter.
If you'd seen Joe in that barroom...
He was a champion, reduced to nothing.
I gave him his dignity back.
For one, brief moment before Joe died,
at least he lived again.
Except, you don't have the authority
to make those decisions.
And you're wrong about something.
He fought his heart out.
He fought to the very end the way he did in every fight.
He wasn't dead.
You buried him alive.
The brain injury Joe suffered put him in a coma-like state.
Joe was recovering
until he drowned in that cement.
♪ ♪
(crowd cheering, whistling)
ANNOUNCER: And now for the main event!
With an Amateur Fighting Federation record
21 wins, two loses.
The one, the only
Joe "The Gladiator" Carthage!
(whistling, applause)
♪ ♪
Captioning sponsored by CBS,
CSI NY PRODUCTIONS,
and TOYOTA. Moving Forward.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org