The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
You are getting criminal mixed up with gangster. He was always a criminal, people like Al Capone are gangsters.
And just because he ordered hits doesn't mean he has the stomach to murder people himself, nor did he have a reason to in the season finale. That's what goons are for.at him commiting murder in front of Eli, who already betrayed him once and is currently facing jail time at his request. He's not smart enough to think Eli might snitch?
Fred.
To keep it breaking bad. Which is the bigger (faker) story. A Chem teacher to meth kingpin in a year. Or a decade long criminal to his first murder by his own hands?
That's all we saying. It's not a huge leap. He murdered his girls man so he could have her. Not to mention everything else. To say "ill be the only one to kill my son" ain't really a huge leap.
And yes he had to kill him. There's something called rep. Remember Carlitos way. U can't even be perceived as being soft. He wasn't Capone but he does business with him and bosses and killers worse than Capone. He can't be half a gangster and he saw that. Jimmy showed him that by taking his shyt so easy and nobody was scared of nucky when he did. They wouldn't pull that on Capone.
And no. Fear of getting killed would keep Eli quiet. Everyone was dead or back with nucky. He knew what was next if he started that snitch shyt. Nucky let him live and he knew it. Snitching would result in him being a nobody wot nuck in jail or dead.