Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 15, Episode 21 - Post-Mortem Blues - full transcript

In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

Sector two clear.

Building three is cleared

and sealed.



Friends are here.

Let's make it interesting for 'em.

Testing, testing.

This is William Lewis here.

I'm here with Sergeant Benson.

We're playing a little
game of Russian Roulette.

We're halfway through.

I'm sliding the gun across
the table to Sergeant Benson.

There's three chambers left and one bullet.

Pick it up.

Shh!

Pull the trigger, Olivia,

or I will.

Do it now.



Two chambers left...

one bullet.

Where the hell are they?

- Ground floor is clear.
- They're not outside.

You know how lucky I am.

Look away. Look away, Amelia.

Game over.

Say good-bye, Olivia.

This is the last thing

you're gonna think about...

before you die.

The last thing

you're gonna see.

10-13, officer down.

Police! NYPD.

Liv.

- You okay?
- He's gone.

He was...

he was about to shoot me.

Not another word. Get
'em both out of here now.

- No one touch anything.
- It's okay, I got you.

We go now. This is a crime scene.

It's okay. Hold on.

Got it.

There we go. Okay?

Come on.

Okay. Let's go.

Okay.

We'll meet at the hospital.

Don't talk to anybody, including Amaro,

until the rep shows up.

You did good.

All right, hey. That's good.

That's it for the blood work.

Listen, if we're done
with the body probing,

can we get somebody in
here to take care of her?

A doctor's on the way.
We'll give you something

for your heart rate and blood pressure.

Can I call anybody for you? Family?

No, it's... No.

Thank you.

How you holding up?

Testing for GSR. Hang in there, Sergeant.

How's the girl?

Her father and sister are with her.

Physically, she's unharmed.

He didn't...

No. No, he didn't.

She was... bait.

For me.

He got what he wanted.

Tucker's in the house.

- Grave-dancing mother...
- Easy, Fin.

Given the profile, One-PP is
gonna order this hot-washed,

dissecting every second
of the last 24 hours.

Still, he can't wait for
the blood to be off her face?

Stand down, you two. I got this.

Excuse me.

Sergeant Benson's not receiving visitors.

Lieutenant Tucker, IAB.
Who the hell are you?

Lieutenant Murphy, Acting
Commanding Officer, SVU.

Since when?

Since Lewis escaped.

You're on the job two days,
your sergeant slips her detail,

possibly executes a man
she was accused of beating?

Sergeant Benson did what she had to

to save a
12-year-old girl.

And you witnessed that?

Heard some of it on the radio.

We were on the scene in
the immediate aftermath.

Well, I need to hear
Sergeant Benson say that.

When she's out of shock

and her doctor clears her for visitors.

Fine.

I'll be seeing you at
IAB, Lieutenant Murphy,

along with the rest of your squad.

How's Liv?

They're giving her an exam now
and something to calm her down.

The vultures already circling?

Yeah, Lieutenant Murphy backed him off.

Not for long.

IAB's gonna be calling us
all into their inquisition.

So what? It's open and shut.

It will be,

as long as we agree now

that we made it there in time
to see Lewis shoot himself.

And lie under oath?

No, it's got to be the absolute truth.

The girl was turned away,
but she heard us enter.

Any detail we shade or
omit will boomerang back.

So, if your impulse is to
help Benson on the margins,

restrain yourselves. Less is more.

Whoa. You don't know Liv. We do.

She's telling the truth.
I'm not arguing, Detective.

Hey, all I'm saying is you sound defensive,

and IAB will smell that.

Keep it simple.

Let Benson tell her story.
Don't tell it for her.

You want us to get you anything to eat?

- Glass of wine?
- We can order in.

No, guys, I'm not hungry.

Well, you should drink something.

You want us to, uh, call Cassidy?

No, I spoke with him already.

He coming over?

I'm fine, Fin.

Well, one of us can stay.

You shouldn't be alone right now.

I appreciate it. I think I just...

I think I just need some quiet.

I just need to sleep.

I'm due at IAB first thing in the morning.

You have a lawyer, right?

A lawyer? No. For what?

Lewis shot himself.

You know what he said to me?

He said, "I want this to
be the last thing you see

before you die."

Screw him.

Get some rest.

Sergeant?

Sergeant?

Do you need a moment?

No. I'm sorry. What...
what was the question?

Did you at any time notify
your commanding officer

of your location or intent?

I did not.

From the text that Lewis sent me,

I knew that if he saw backup

that Amelia's life would be in danger.

And when you arrived at his location?

Lewis met me, Glock in hand,

pointing it at my head.

He then took my weapon, and he threw it,

along with my vest and my cell phone.

Then what happened?

He forced me into his car,

handcuffed me to the door,

and eventually drove me to the granary,

where he led me at gunpoint
to where Amelia was tied up.

He then gave me a choice.

He said that he could rape
me first and then Amelia...

or Amelia first.

And you responded?

I told him to rape me.

Did he rape you, Sergeant?

He did not.

Why not?

Because I decided not
to offer any resistance.

Lewis gets off on the struggle,

so, as soon as I gave up, he got bored.

Rita... Counselor,

we're in the middle of an interview here.

Nice to see you too, Ed.

I've been retained to
represent Sergeant Benson,

and, gentlemen, this interview is over.

She's already consented.

She and I need time to consult.

And she has 48 hours to
make her statement to IAB.

Assuming I get the transcript
of whatever was said here today,

we will see you in 24 hours.

This isn't an issue.

Lewis shot himself. The ME will confirm it.

It is an issue. Ten hours
before you went rogue,

you publicly confessed to assaulting Lewis

and lying about it at his trial.

Now, we can argue that
your televised statement

was for his benefit...

There's something that I should tell you.

And that it was coerced,
but given the nature...

Rita...

I did make that statement
under duress, but it wasn't...

Stop talking, please. If
any of this goes to trial...

Trial?

You may have to testify
about that confession.

Hypothetically, if you were to tell me now

that you had beaten Lewis

while he was handcuffed to that bed frame,

then ethically I couldn't let
you deny that on the stand.

And, hypothetically, if I were
to admit it on the stand...

You'd leave yourself open
to charges of assault,

excessive force, perjury.

Your account of what
happened at the granary

would be called into question.

You'd lose your job, your
pension, risk jail time.

So let's agree not to
talk about that, all right?

Your attorney told you
that because that's her job.

It's my job to remind you

that you've been through
a traumatic experience...

Look, I know that you
think that this is PTSD,

but the truth of the matter
is, I knew the risk involved.

I knew that I could die.

It is what it is.

It was what it was, Olivia. It's over.

No, it's not over.

He wants me to remember him forever.

He wants to be inside my head.

You said "Wants," Olivia.
He's not here anymore.

I will deny ever saying this,

but sometimes shooting someone
can and it should bring closure.

He shot himself so I would
have to live with this image,

so I would have to live
with this aftermath.

You don't have to do
what he wanted you to do.

You're alive.

You're here.

He's gone.

Is he?

Lieutenant, this is ME Warner.

Thanks for meeting us, Dr. Warner.

Officially, you aren't here,

but I wanted to give you a heads-up.

I finished the autopsy
report on William Lewis.

He shot himself, like Liv said.

Actually, I can't confirm that.

Melinda, we were there a few seconds after.

We know what happened.

I wasn't there, so all I can confirm

is that he was shot, forward angle,

inches from his left temple.

Most suicide victims
use their dominant hand,

hold the gun right up to the skin.

Don't fall for that.

Lewis did that on purpose
to muddy the postmortem.

Well, if he did, it worked.

I have to rule it a cuppi.

Circumstances undetermined?

He shot himself.

He forced her to play Russian Roulette.

We heard it over her radio.

You did. I didn't.

There's GSR on both of them,

and both their fingerprints are on the gun.

I'm turning the report
over to IAB later tonight.

Which hand was Lewis holding the gun in?

Lewis had two guns.

He had a Glock that he kept pointed

at either Amelia or myself,

and he had his revolver.

And when he shot himself with the revolver,

which hand was that gun in?

His left hand.

Even though he was right-handed?

Lewis deliberately switched hands.

He forced me to play Russian Roulette.

In the first round,

he held the gun in his right hand,

and on the final round,

with one bullet left in the chamber,

he switched it to his left hand.

He pointed the gun at me,

and then he turned it on himself.

Hold on a minute, Sergeant.

Let me get this straight, Sergeant.

With seconds to live, one
bullet in the revolver,

the rest of your squad
rushing to your aid...

you're unarmed, you're tied to the table...

he points the gun at you,
but instead of firing,

he turns the gun to his
head and ends his own life?

- That's exactly what happened.
- What's going on?

Rita, please.

Look we have no problem
with Lewis being dead,

but your insistence on telling us

that this was a suicide

makes it start to sound
like a bad cover story.

- And I'm telling you the truth.
- The GSR, the prints...

The fact that he was
shot in the left temple...

all consistent with your having shot him

with your right hand.

I didn't shoot Lewis.

I mean, is it possible

that there was a struggle for the gun?

You were trying to save the little girl?

That's not what happened.

If there was a struggle for the gun

and you pulled the
trigger to save your life

or the life of the little girl

that's a case IAB can close.

That's not what happened.

Sergeant... my office.

Is there a problem, Lieutenant?

Yeah.

What are you doing here?

Uh, I work here.

They took my gun and my shield.

I'm on modified desk duty.
We agreed you'd take leave.

Go home. Take care of yourself.

What you're going through

is more far more taxing than you realize.

Actually, I do better on the job.

All due respect, I disagree.

There's something else.

I'm hearing rumors IAB wants to call this

justifiable homicide.

And I made it very clear to IAB

that I would not perjure myself.

No one mourns William Lewis.

And no one wants to see you go down

for something that needed to happen.

Play the game here.

Get your story to line up
with their fact patterns.

So appearances are more
important than the truth?

Truth doesn't always
set you free, Sergeant.

IAB wants to do the right thing.

Let them.

With all due respect, I don't trust IAB.

And I'm not sure that I trust you either.

If IAB wants to call
it justifiable homicide,

we should back that up.

IAB might be setting a trap for Liv.

I don't trust them.

I don't either, but I do trust Murphy.

Why? Because he saved your ass?

Because he's charming?
What's up with you two?

Murphy comes waltzing in here,

suddenly I'm the only one not
throwing Liv under the bus.

Nobody's throwing her under the bus.

Fin, we know about life undercover, man.

It changes you. How long was he UC?

Nine years.

Nine years.

You spend that much
time putting on the Mick,

you lose any idea of who you are.

The only thing he cares
about is self-preservation.

You all on break?

Is that what this is?

If you were discussing the
case, you might want to know

IAB has a good working
theory on the shooting.

Or that's what they want us to think.

Easy on the persecution complex.

In light of the
inconclusive autopsy report,

it's cleaner for all concerned.

Hey, I'm not gonna lie.

No one's asking you to.

You didn't see what
happened. None of us did.

That's all IAB needs to know.

Over the radio, I heard William Lewis

threaten to kill the
girl if Sergeant Benson

refused to play Russian Roulette.

So she had the gun in her hand?

I wasn't there.

But I heard him say, for our benefit,

that he was sliding it over to her.

- For your benefit?
- Yes.

He was taunting Benson and us.

We heard Lewis tell Sergeant Benson

to pull the trigger.

- And did she?
- She must have.

The chamber was empty.

We heard Lewis over the radio,

said there were two chambers
and only one bullet left.

What did you take that to mean?

He knew the game was over.

The last thing we heard was Lewis

telling Sergeant Benson to say good-bye,

- and then the radio went dead.
- So you heard the shot live?

Yeah, the single shot from above,

and then we ran towards the stairs.

Then you don't know who fired?

No.

We only arrived in time to see
the suspect dead on the table,

the same table that Sergeant Benson's legs

were duct-taped to.

CSU found a Glock on Lewis

that only had his fingerprints on it.

He was clearly in complete control.

Yeah, but from what you witnessed,

it's possible that Sergeant Benson

shot and killed William Lewis.

I'm telling you what I know.

William Lewis shot
himself. That's the truth.

There's no evidence to prove that.

Her fingerprints were on the .38.

She had GSR on her hands.

When I drove Sergeant
Benson to the hospital,

she made a spontaneous admission
to me about the shooting.

Maybe you misunderstood or misheard.

Sergeant Benson was
under incredible stress,

suffering from PTSD, a gun to her head,

the deceased's blood all over her...

not exactly a reliable witness.

She didn't shoot him, all right?

You're not hanging this on her.

Detective Amaro.

Would you mind shutting the door?

How'd your testimony go today?

That's confidential.

You undermined your partner.

In this inquiry, perception
has more import than reality.

You're mad I didn't perjure myself?

A simple omission would have sufficed.

You're new to our unit. You outrank me.

So, instead of going to
the DA with your request,

I'll pretend we didn't
have this conversation.

We're not done having it.

Take a seat.

I'm not changing my testimony.

All right, then I'll change the subject.

You're right. I'm new here.

You've been at SVU how long?

Coming up on three years.

And you've been struggling,
especially this year.

We've all had a lot to deal with.

Lost a good captain, a
sergeant I was close to.

You shot a kid.

You're separated from your family.

I read your file.

Your marriage survived, what,

eight years on narcotics and warrants.

A mere two years here...

It's tough taking these crimes home,

isn't it?

Are you going somewhere
with this, Lieutenant?

I get the sense you're a
man who doesn't give up.

It's what makes you a good detective.

Oh, yeah? Which is it?

Am I a good detective, or do
I have a persecution complex?

All I'm saying is, life takes a toll.

This job takes a toll.

Sometimes you get in so
deep, you lose perspective.

Thanks for coming in so late.

This couldn't wait until morning?

One-PP wants our report tonight.

- Understandably, they're anxious.
- I told you everything.

So did the rest of your squad...

and your partner.

So what more is there to say?

Sergeant, we both want to make sure

you fully understand the repercussions

of your account of this incident.

My account?

Lewis shot himself.

And we're prepared to confirm that,

but if we do, it may not go away.

The new Brooklyn DA might look
on this as an NYPD cover-up.

Rita, do you want to talk with your client?

No, we're fine.

I am not going to admit
to justifiable homicide.

Okay.

Brooklyn DA is waiting
for us to call him back.

We'll tell him we have not found

sufficient evidence to dispute
your version of the events.

Good luck to you, Sergeant Benson.

We can now put William Lewis behind us.

You ready to get back to work, Liv?

- Oh, yes, I am.
- Good, 'cause I'm over Murphy.

I hate to break it to you,

but looks like he's gonna
be around for a while.

One-PP needs to put
you back in charge, Liv.

That could be Murphy. I invited him.

Murphy. Come on in.

We were just talking about you.

Uh, what are you drinking, Lieutenant?

I'm fine, thanks.

I'm not bringing good news.

What?

I just got off the phone with Barba.

- He fought it tooth and nail...
- Fought what?

The Brooklyn DA... is
troubled by IAB's report.

You got to be kidding me.

He and the police commissioner
are still going at it,

but the DA's office will be
sending you a target letter.

They're convening a grand jury

to investigate the death of William Lewis.

I'm sorry.

Dr. Warner, your autopsy report concluded

that William Lewis, who was right-handed,

was shot in his left temple.

Did you find that at odds

with Sergeant Benson's account of suicide?

Gun suicides are usually committed

with the dominant hand,

but it is possible he
shot himself with his left.

Possible, but unusual.

And when a right-handed
person shoots someone

at point-blank range in the temple,

in the position Sergeant
Benson and Mr. Lewis were in,

which side of the victim's head
would the entry wound likely be?

The left.

Is Sergeant Benson right-handed?

Yes.

If it was a homicide, at that range,

there would be blood spatter
and GSR on the shooter.

Was there blood spatter
and GSR on Sergeant Benson?

Yes, but a suicide at that proximity

could have left the same traces on her.

So you're saying it's possible

that William Lewis, who was right-handed,

shot himself with his left hand,

leaving the same blood
spatter and gunshot residue

on Sergeant Benson that would exist

if she'd killed him?

That's why I ruled it a cuppi.

The evidence is open for interpretation.

It most certainly is, isn't it?

Nothing further.

Just heard from Melinda.

How'd her testimony go?

She really couldn't
talk, but from what I got,

Strauss was pushing her to
say that it wasn't suicide.

Lewis knew what he was
doing when he switched hands.

Well, so tell that to the grand jury.

They'll believe you. That's
what happened with me.

But the difference is, now we're dealing

with a Brooklyn grand jury.

They're suspicious of NYPD.

Fin, do you know if they asked Melinda

about Lewis...

about the injuries, when I beat him?

Not as far as I know.

Liv, they're not gonna
bring up your confession.

Everyone knows that was
false. It was coerced.

I hope you people aren't
discussing the grand jury.

I don't have to tell you
how inappropriate it would be

to talk to anyone who has testified.

It's just a friendly lunch, Counselor.

Any news?

We're trying to figure out Strauss's angle.

I mean, say Strauss casts
doubt on it being a suicide.

Any alternate scenario they have

would qualify as justified use of force.

It's politics.

The DA, the mayor, they
just want to show everyone

that they got NYPD by the short hairs.

Maybe, but I know Strauss.

I mean, he is all ambition.

He's not coming in just
to rubber-stamp IAB.

So what's his endgame?

I was assigned to a
two-person protective detail

for Sergeant Benson.

And was she cooperative?

At first.

But later, she disobeyed
her commander's orders

and insisted we take her

to interview a witness at the hospital.

Would you say she was determined

to get involved in the
manhunt for William Lewis?

I'd say so, yes.

In fact, she was so determined,

she tricked you and your partner

in order to escape and rendezvous with him?

- Yes.
- Has that ever happened to you

- before, Detective Carlson?
- Not in all my 18 years

and certainly not by a fellow officer

we were risking our lives to protect.

Sergeant Benson informed me

she needed to use the ladies' room,

but it was a ruse.

And where did she go

after she ditched you and your partner?

She commandeered a town car,

threatened the driver,
and then went after Lewis.

Did she notify her commanding
officer of her intentions?

Absolutely not.

We informed him as soon as
we discovered her missing.

And why do you think Sergeant Benson

went to these lengths?

I assume it's because

she wanted to take him down on her own.

It took us some time to track
the town car to the granary,

and even then, it's a cavernous space

with a lot of ground to cover.

Despite listening to
your partner and Mr. Lewis

on the radio, you were not able

- to immediately locate them.
- That's right.

And you claim the radio went silent

- just before the shot was fired.
- Yes, it did.

So how soon after did
you, Lieutenant Murphy,

and the SVU squad arrive on the scene?

Just after the shot was
fired, a few seconds.

Sergeant Benson was handcuffed.

The girl was tied up,
screaming. Lewis was dead.

We did not tamper with
the scene in any way.

Well, that's something.

So her radio conveniently went silent

just before the shot was fired,

after you and your squad
had been searching for her

- for, what, 20 minutes?
- About that.

Then you conveniently
arrived en masse on the scene

just seconds after the shot was fired,

therefore... again, quite conveniently...

not allowing for you
or anyone in your squad,

to confirm or deny

Sergeant Benson's version of events.

We did not see who fired the shot, no.

But the crime scene indicated...

Detective Amaro, let me ask you this.

Are you happy William Lewis is dead?

Yes. Any decent human being would be.

He was an unredeemable psychopath

who'd gone on several
murder and rape sprees...

"Several," yet only one conviction, yes?

Still, the backbone of our judicial system

allows that every individual,

no matter how much we
might despise their actions,

has the right to due process,
has the right not to be subject

to police brutality or vigilante justice.

That's not what happened, Counselor.

Yes, that's the NYPD's story.

Thank you for coming, Miss Cole.

I'll try to make this

as brief as possible.

Sergeant Benson...

instructed you to look
away when she arrived,

is that correct?

Yes.

So I know you didn't see much,

but can you tell us what you heard

in the moments before the gunshot?

I don't remember exactly,

but I remember him saying
they had to take turns.

They were playing a game?

Yes, it was his idea...

Russian Roulette.

I kept waiting for the gun
to go off, but it didn't.

I heard a click, metal scraping.

I could hear sirens from outside,

police shouting.

What was the last thing
you heard Mr. Lewis say?

I think it was, "Goodbye," and then a shot.

You heard one shot?

Yes.

It was horrible.

I thought he had killed Sergeant Benson.

Why is that?

I didn't hear her screaming
or yelling or anything.

She was quiet? She didn't react?

No.

I started screaming.

Then I heard, "Police,
Police," and people running in.

Then they took me down.

Did you hear Sergeant
Benson say anything else?

She said, "He's gone.

He's gone."

Did you hear her say he shot himself?

No.

Okay.

I'm so sorry.

It was like he was
putting words in my mouth.

No, don't worry, sweetheart.
I'm sure it's gonna be fine.

Thank you for saving me.

You take care of yourself.

For what it's worth,

Kings County Court leaks like a sieve.

You have a lot of friends there.

Or Strauss has a lot of enemies.

He's been pushing the
theory that your whole squad

waited for you to execute
Lewis before they rescued you.

Jury ain't buying it.

Well, that's a relief.

Maybe, but this isn't.

Strauss issued new subpoenas today,

including one for the doctor
who testified at Lewis's trial.

You sure?

Son of a bitch.

He can't get them to go
where he wants them to

on manslaughter, so he's pivoting.

Pivoting? To what?

Your televised confession.

He's gonna use it to
widen the investigation.

You admitted to assault,
excessive force, perjury...

- Lewis's jury rejected that.
- He was on trial, you weren't.

Look, the only way that
muppet can make his case

is by dirtying you up as a brutal cop.

Lieutenant, let's not get
too far ahead of ourselves.

She's gonna have to take the stand,

tell them not a word of it was true.

He had broken free of his handcuffs.

That was a lie. The truth is,

when I beat Mr. Lewis, he was handcuffed.

Aah!

Olivia!

- Sorry.
- You all right?

Yeah, I-I just didn't see it.

So you raced up the stairs

to discover Sergeant Benson alive

- and William Lewis shot dead?
- That's right.

But you didn't actually
see who fired the shot.

- No.
- All right, Detective.

Let me take you back to May of last year,

similar situation, when, once again,

Sergeant Benson was alone

with William Lewis, this
time in an empty beach house.

Because he kidnapped her
and he took her there.

And when you arrived at that scene,

what condition did you find Mr. Lewis in?

Nonresponsive.

Because he'd been beaten so severely.

He was nonresponsive.

Was he handcuffed?

Sergeant Benson re-cuffed
him after she subdued him.

- But you saw none of this?
- No.

So, in both situations,

you somehow arrived
moments after the incident,

be it a beating or a shooting, occurred.

Therefore, you're unable
to corroborate or deny

Sergeant Benson's version of events.

Are you saying this is a cover-up?

What'd you think of Mr. Lewis?

He was a sick MF...

psychotic, violent.

So, if you had seen Sergeant Benson

beating him when you arrived,

even if he were offering no resistance,

even if he were handcuffed,

would that be a detail you might overlook?

You were the jury forewoman
for the trial of William Lewis,

- were you not, Ms. Freed?
- Yes.

Thank you for your service, then and now.

Can you tell the grand
jury what you recall?

I watched the trial in horror

as William Lewis questioned Sergeant Benson

about his injuries and
the beating he had endured.

Can you elaborate?

I remember him saying he died several times

in the ambulance on
the way to the hospital.

When he questioned Sergeant Benson

about each of the blows,

she kept insisting that
he'd somehow broken free

of his handcuffs and lunged at her,

that she had to crack his
skull, shatter his knee,

collapse his lung, and
fracture his orbital socket

in order to subdue him.

Did you believe, as she
has since publicly stated,

that Sergeant Benson used excessive force?

Yes.

In fact, a number of us on
the jury felt so strongly

that we asked that it be
entered into the record

before we gave our verdict.

Why is that?

Our sense was she had a
vendetta against Mr. Lewis.

Even her own testimony indicated
that once he was subdued,

she ordered witnesses to leave the house.

And why do you think that was?

She needed time to do what she wanted.

She wasn't just trying to subdue him.

She was trying to cripple him for life.

The juror who helped
Lewis escape testified,

and my lawyer says that I can't.

And yet, you want to be heard?

If I tell the grand jury

that my public confession was true,

then they indict me for the assault.

If I tell them that I lied,
I perjure myself again.

Either way...

Lewis wins.

He's dead. You are alive.

And so is Amelia.

Now, this trap you're in...
he didn't trick you into it.

You chose to walk into it.

Why?

Because I knew what he would do to Amelia.

And before Amelia, last May,

you broke free of your restraints

because you were afraid
Lewis would be alone

with another little girl... Luisa.

Where do you think this
strength comes from, Olivia?

Well, you think it's because
I can't fight for myself,

and I can only fight for other people.

Actually, Olivia, I
think you've been fighting

for yourself for a very long time.

When you were a little girl,

you saw your mother
drinking, falling apart.

You realized your father hurt your mother.

She was damaged.

You were defenseless then. You're not now.

Now, all these years later,

you're in a situation
where another horrible man

is about to hurt a little girl...

you risk your life.

Olivia.

It's time to let Lewis go.

If that's another subpoena, no, thank you.

I'm going in front of your tribunal today.

It's actually a heads-up.

I'm, uh, starting my retirement paperwork.

If I wait and the grand jury indicts,

then I could lose my pension.

I'm not gonna let them
or Lewis have that power.

Does everybody in this squad
always think the sky is falling?

We've had a pretty rough year.

You know, sometimes one door has to close

before another one opens.

I appreciate the stress you're under,

but I'd hate to lose you.

Go talk to the grand
jury, let them see you.

No.

I would have to lie under
oath about the beating.

I won't do that again.

No one should ever have to do that.

Sergeant Benson knew William Lewis

and how his mind worked better than anyone.

Even so, you did assign
a security detail to her

and order her to stay in
the squad room or a hotel?

Obviously there was a
safety protocol in place.

So, when she went to the hospital

to interview a witness?

I trusted her judgment.

And that night when she escaped

her security detail, when
did you find that out?

I was notified by her
detail 15 minutes later.

Again, given the circumstances,

I believe she made the right call.

- But you did try to track her.
- Yes, of course.

Because she went rogue

and might take the law into her own hands?

Absolutely not... just as backup.

Lieutenant Murphy, let me ask you

about Sergeant Benson's confession.

- You were present?
- Yes.

She gave her confession at the SVU

under the approval of the NYPD?

That's right, but it was
all a show at my behest.

Why?

Because you were comfortable
with her ability to lie

because of the way she lied on the stand?

I'm not sure she did lie on the stand.

But you don't know that she didn't.

And since, as is her absolute right,

she's not gonna testify
before this grand jury,

we'll never know either, will we?

Sergeant Benson said what she had to

to save a young girl's life.

Thank you. No more questions.

Actually, there's something important...

We're done, Lieutenant.

I think the grand jurors should hear.

We're done.

I have a question.

What was he going to say?

Well, I appreciate the diligence,

but the question doesn't specifically go

to the scope of this grand jury.

Can you ask the grand jury
warden to get the judge?

Because I remember him saying
we could ask questions...

I'll ask for you. That's protocol.

Lieutenant Murphy, what
is the important thing

you want the grand jury to hear?

I know for a fact

that Sergeant Benson's televised confession

was not true.

I know because I ordered her

to make the so-called confession.

She did not commit police brutality,

nor did she perjure herself.

It was a gambit, a police tactic,

to lure the weasel out just
enough so we could get him.

Thank you, Lieutenant Murphy.

I don't even know why we're here.

Sergeant Benson performed an act

of extraordinary bravery.

She single-handedly
confronted a career sociopath

who raped and tortured
elderly women, little girls.

He killed cops and innocent civilians.

You've heard days of testimony

regarding the sergeant's actions,

but has the prosecutor
discussed Lewis's conduct at all?

- Lieutenant Murphy.
- His history of barbarism?

Lewis spent his entire life

sadistically inflicting
his power over people.

Thanks to Sergeant Benson,
he's where he should be.

William Lewis will never
hurt anyone ever again,

unless you allow him to
exert his power over you.

You look happy. Sky's no longer falling?

Well, if I know,

that means that you knew a half hour ago.

What's that?

Calhoun says that the grand jury

refused to return an indictment.

She also says that you saved my shield.

Wasn't me.

It was the truth that set you free.

That's not what I heard.

Well, there are little truths,
and there's the larger truth.

I told the larger one.

Thank you.

And while you're in a good mood,

the boys at One-PP want me to
hang around here for a while,

and I was hoping you'd
stay on as my number two.

- I can do that.
- Good.

Take the rest of the night off.
I'll see you bright and early.

Okay?

Thank you.

_