Gordon Samuels is a civil attorney who orchestrated the murders of two undercover police officers.
Background[]
Samuels earned his law degree and set up a private civil practice with James Wilson. At some point in his life, he eventually married a woman and raised a stepson, Brian Brown, with her. Samuels grew close to Brian and eventually sent him off to law school in Georgia. Brian was later killed by an undercover police officer, Calvin May, for smuggling guns from Georgia to New York and selling three to May and his partner, Dexter Richmond. Samuels mourned Brian's death and eventually convinced his partner to represent Brian's college roommate and accomplice, Jeffrey North. North was convicted of gun smuggling and Samuels became enraged at how his stepson was killed by police officers.
Samuels eventually discovered 17 other handguns Brian bought and decided to use them to avenge Brian's death. He began his plan by bribing a court clerk with $500 to take pictures of undercover officers, including May and Richmond at the courthouse, and posted their names on a website warning people to stay away from them. He then represented a gun broker named Ramsey over a dispute with his landlord and offered him to give him the 17 handguns as payment for killing May and Richmond. Samuels' gave Ramsey six as a down-payment and gave the guns to Quincy Ellis and Preston Hubbard, told them about the website, and told them to kill May and Richmond.
Gunplay[]
Samuels' plan is eventually successful after May and Richmond are both shot once in the head by Ellis with Hubbard's help. When Hubbard and Ellis are arrested for murdering Richmond, May, and Ramsey, Hubbard cuts a deal and shows them the website. The court clerk who took the pictures identifies Samuels as the briber, and he is arrested in his office for the murders. He is represented by Roger Porter. During a meeting with EADA McCoy and ADA Southerlyn, Porter argues that Samuels didn't intend for anyone to be killed and files a motion to dismiss the charges, explaining that the website is a product of free speech and protected by the First Amendment. Porter and McCoy later argue before the judge, and when McCoy mentions two of the officers were killed because of his website, Samuels exclaims that eight of them are still alive. The judge advises Samuels to let Porter talk for him and grants Porter's motion to dismiss the charges with the option to reopen them when the DA's office finds more evidence. McCoy does convince the judge to order the website be taken down, despite Samuels' objections.
The investigators eventually discover Samuels' motive. While Samuels is in court, they execute a search warrant on his home and find the eleven other handguns Brian bought. Samuels is rearrested and McCoy tries to get him to accept a plea bargain after laying out all the evidence. In response, Samuels rants that the detectives lured Brian into a trap and murdered him, then angrily states that Brian had his whole life ahead of him despite this lapse in judgement, and May and Richmond are to blame. Samuels then asks to be taken back to his cell and refuses to make a deal. Later, his connection to Ramsey is discovered and the prosecution gets Hubbard to testify against Samuels. Afterwards, they all meet in McCoy's office to discuss another plea bargain in which Samuels will be sentenced to 40 years in prison. Porter tries to convince Samuels to take the deal, but he refuses and decides to represent himself with Porter acting as his standby counsel.
At trial, Samuels gets Hubbard to testify that they never met and never personally gave him guns. After the people rest, Samuels calls in an undercover officer that helped arrest Ellis and the judge allows him to examine her testimony, but clears the courtroom to protect her identity. Samuels makes a harsh derogatory statement towards Detective Luisa Valenzuela while she is on the stand, then rants about how she and the police are "creating criminals" by lying and breaking the law. Samuels vigorously rants about how the police are evil and should be punished before the judge orders him to stop and sit down. Samuels is eventually convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire and sentenced to life in prison.