| “ | 'You owe me,' he said. 'We're blood.' I owe him? What about me? Yeah, I hit him. That was it. He hit his head on the desk... '.289, my son hit .289 in his rookie year.' You know, it would have been so nice to hear that one time without his hand being out. | „ |
| ~ Pat explaining how and why he killed his father |
Pat Williams is the main antagonist of the Law & Order episode "Wager". He is a major league baseball player who kills his gambling addict father in a fit of rage after the elder Williams demands money to pay his gambling debts.
He was portrayed by Malik Yoba.
Early life[]
A gifted baseball player, Pat was drafted into the New York Mets at a young age, rising up above his humble beginnings to make millions of dollars and be praised as a role model for young, Black athletes.
His life was not without problems, however. His father, Ben, was a gambling addict who was absent in his son's life until Pat became famous. Ben owed money to bookies and loan sharks all over New York City, and constantly pressured Pat to pay his debts for him. Every time he showed up asking for money, Ben swore to Pat that he would get help to stop gambling, but he invariably went back to placing bets after Pat got him out of trouble. Dealing with his father on top of his career and his responsibilities to his wife and children put a great deal of stress on Pat's mind and hurt his ability to play.
One night, Pat went to visit Ben, only to find his father bruised and bleeding after taking a beating from thugs working for bookie Henry "Papa Doc" Doirnell, to whom he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ben begged Pat to help him, but Pat had finally had enough and refused to give him any more money. Ben grew angry and demanded the money, saying that Pat owed it to him. This was the last straw for an enraged Pat, who punched his father in the face so hard that Ben fell backward and hit his head on a desk, breaking his neck and killing him. Panicked, Pat took Ben's wallet to make it look like Doirnell killed him and fled the scene.
"Wager"[]
NYPD Homicide Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Mike Logan investigate Ben's murder, and uncover his debts to Doirnell, making the bookie a prime suspect. Pat tells them he, not Ben, had placed bets with Doirnell, who had threatened to kill his father and his wife and children unless he got his money. Briscoe and Logan question one of Doirnell's henchmen, Joey "Dogs" Lang, who admits to beating Ben up at Doirnell's order, but denies killing him. They then arrest Doirnell for murder.
During Doirnell's trial, Pat testifies that he owed the bookie $800,000, and says that his father's death is his fault. When Doirnell's lawyer asks him what teams he had bet on, however, Pat cannot name any of them, or how much he had bet. Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone, who is prosecuting the case against Doirnell, begins to suspect that Pat knows more about his father's death than he lets on, and tasks Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid with finding out more about the Williams family.
Kincaid questions several of Pat's teammates, who all say that Ben had been using his son for money and protection for years, and that it took a toll on him, personally and professionally. Stone and Kincaid become convinced that Pat, not Doirnell, is the killer, and devise a plan to make him confess.
Stone arranges a meeting with Pat, his wife, and his lawyer, and tells them that the case against Doirnell is not going well and that he will likely go free. Pat protests that Doirnell will kill his family, but Stone replies that he has the power to make sure that does not happen. Stone's bluff works - Pat tearfully confesses to killing his father, while lamenting that all he wanted was for Ben to have loved him like a son without expecting a handout in return. He then pleads guilty to second-degree manslaughter and agrees to serve the maximum sentence.
External links[]
- Pat Williams on the Law & Order Wiki
