Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 17, Episode 13 - Forty-One Witnesses - full transcript
A woman is sexually assaulted by a group of teens outside of an apartment building. SVU tries to build a case against her aggressors, but none of the the dozens of potential witnesses who saw the attack are willing to come forward.
- 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.
- Yeah, I'll be there
tomorrow morning.
No, no, no.
After eight weeks
of maternity leave,
I'm definitely ready
to come back.
How have you been doing after
everything you went through?
- Oh, I'm fine, Rollins.
Thank you for asking.
Don't--don't worry about me.
Look, we are all very much
looking forward
to seeing you tomorrow.
- Yeah, all right.
Um, thanks, Lieutenant.
- You think I don't
know anything
about your whore tricks?
Shut up.
Are you lying to me?
I can tell right now
that you're lying to me.
I will get on a bus
and be there by morning,
and I will toss him
out the window
and kick your ass.
What are you looking at?
[growls]
What did you say?
Don't talk back to me.
I know you were with him.
You're gonna be sorry.
- Yeah?
Yeah.
[indistinct chattering]
Hmm.
[inhales sharply]
Mm.
[sighs]
- See?
[laughs]
- [laughs]
Follow me.
Yo, check it.
- That girl is wasted.
- Come on.
- Maybe she could use a friend.
- Yo.
What's up, babe?
Hey, girl,
what you got in that bag?
Now, where you get that?
What's up, babe?
- What's your name, girl?
- Hey, stop.
- Just want to have
some fun with you.
- You want to share with us,
right?
- Oh, I'm all out.
- Come on, baby.
- Oh, oh!
- Oh.
- We should get
out of here, man.
- You know what?
That's a great idea.
Come on, let's get
this lady home.
Yeah, come on, baby.
Come on.
Take her purse.
Let's go.
I've got you.
Come on.
Let's go, it's cool.
Easy now.
- [moaning]
Let go of me.
- It's cool, I got you.
- Ooh, we 'gon get you home.
[overlapping chatter]
[woman muttering indistinctly]
[dramatic music]
♪
Yo, my friend, she, uh--
she just partied too much,
that's all.
♪
- Hold her.
- [grunts]
Check her bag. Check her purse.
Get her keys.
Come on. Be quiet.
This one. This one.
Give me the keys.
Hurry.
- Come on.
- Just--
- Come on!
Come on, be quiet!
- Quiet.
- Hey, what are you guys doing?
Who are you?
- Let's go.
- Come on. Go. Go. Go. Go.
- Yeah, yeah, you better run.
Yeah, I'll call the police.
[door to building closes]
- Shh!
- Hold her.
- What are you doing?
Let her go.
- Relax.
- Yo, yo, yo, you ain't
never seen one like this.
I'ma tell you.
- [laughing]
- That ain't right.
- Easy. Easy, just relax.
Just relax.
Okay?
- Yeah, you like that?
- [gasps]
No, no, no!
[screaming]
- Shut up, shut up!
You want to get loud?
- Help!
- She gonna get loud!
[indistinct shouting]
♪
- I said hold her back.
You're acting like a bitch.
[shuffling, panting]
[overlapping voices]
- [groaning]
No, no!
- I want the jacket.
Open the jacket.
♪
[siren wailing]
- We've got head wounds,
signs of sexual assault.
- Yeah, welcome back, right?
- Yeah.
- Hey, honey.
Can you hear me?
Can you squeeze my hand?
- [moans]
- That's good.
That's good.
- Okay, how long was she
out in the cold--all night?
- Most likely.
We got to go.
- Okay.
- I'll ride along.
- Great.
- The vic is Libby Parker,
apartment B11.
Super found her
in the courtyard,
7:00 a.m.
- Anyone get eyes on the perp?
- No video.
No one's come forward.
- Guys, there's
100 windows up there.
Somebody saw something.
[dramatic music]
♪
- She ate that much?
Okay, there is, uh,
more milk in the freezer.
Right.
I told you that, of course.
All right,
I'll check in with you soon.
Okay, thanks.
Dr. Wilder,
can I talk to Libby now?
- Not yet. She has a concussion,
two cracked ribs--
between that,
the hypothermia,
and the drugs
in her system,
we're still trying
to stabilize her.
- It's all clear in here.
- Doesn't look like a robbery.
- All right, Freddy,
I'm gonna need names
of every tenant
that faces the courtyard.
- I'll make a list.
- No men's clothes.
- Yeah, well, someone
was in her life.
Looks like, uh, kids.
Maybe nieces.
[knock at door]
- Officers,
is the lady all right?
- No. Who are you?
You live here?
- Yeah, yeah.
I live across the hall.
- Were you around last night?
- Yeah.
Actually, I saw two guys
try to break in here
around 1:00 a.m.
- Was it anybody
you ever seen before?
- No.
Younger than her boyfriends.
They were Spanish, maybe.
- You call the police?
- No, I yelled at them,
and they ran away.
- You hear anything
after that?
- No, I, uh,
had my headphones on.
- That poor girl.
I saw the ambulance.
- Did you hear anything
last night?
- There was something going on.
- In the courtyard?
- Yes.
I went to the window.
She was out there
with some men.
- Can you describe them?
- They were wearing hoodies.
I couldn't really see.
- Did you hear her screams?
Then why didn't you
call the police?
- Lots of lights were on.
I figured somebody else
had called already.
She lives right below us.
always smoking at her window.
- Craig,
the woman was attacked.
I told you she was screaming.
- You heard screams?
- You said you heard a noise.
By the time I checked,
it was quiet.
She was lying in that
courtyard all night.
- It was dark.
You couldn't see a thing.
- So at least 10 residents
saw or heard an assault.
- Everybody thought someone else
was calling the cops.
- Police could've been here
in two minutes.
- I agree, so let's take it easy
with the witnesses.
We want them to cooperate.
- Hey, you can't go in there.
- I got to get my dog.
- Hey.
[dog whimpering]
- Hey, that's a cute puppy.
- Hey, thanks.
- Um, well, I don't take her
out on the street.
There are a lot of big dogs
in the neighborhood.
- Hey, I'm not ASPCA.
I'm NYPD, all right?
So you walk her
through here last night?
- Last night?
No.
- Did you, uh, hear anything
in the courtyard?
- Um, no.
I'm sorry, I--
I wasn't home last night.
I was at a bar
with my boyfriend.
- Okay, thanks.
You know what?
but at least they have people
who look out for each other.
- We caught a break.
in the East Village last night
at 11:00 p.m.
- You seen this woman?
How about you?
You see this woman last night?
- Hey, buddy,
what about you?
- That girl was high as a kite.
- She get her drugs here?
- There are no drugs here.
We have cameras.
Keeps them away.
- Okay, how about you
show me the footage
- The system only saves
the last hour.
The data slows down the server,
which makes the gamers angry.
- All right.
Anyone seen this woman
last night?
Or at any time at all?
No?
Anyone like bologna sandwiches?
[overlapping chatter]
Hey, you go to Fordham,
don't you?
- Uh, yeah.
Do I know you?
- Yeah, maybe.
I'm in night school there.
Listen, you think your
midterms are hard,
wait till you get to the Bar.
- [laughing]
- You, uh--you see
this woman last night?
- Yes.
Look, if this is
about the drugs,
then I don't know anything,
okay?
- She was assaulted.
So if you saw anything,
give me a call.
Okay, you too, huh?
Nobody saw anything,
all night long?
[snaps fingers]
All right, great.
Thanks for your
cooperation, people.
Appreciate it.
- The cafe's a drug den.
No one saw a thing.
- Still, her building--
I mean, how many people
face that courtyard?
- This one says his
window was closed.
That one says she
went to bed early.
Sometimes, the more witnesses,
the less help.
- Yeah, and no help from
the family, either.
I found an ex-husband
in Detroit.
He has sole custody
of their daughters,
and he was quick to tell me
that she's a junkie.
- Does he know that
she's in the hospital?
- He didn't seem too concerned.
- Hey, Lieutenant.
Sorry I'm late, but not only
did that girl from the cafe
see Libby with three guys
the other night,
but she got it on video.
- Great work, Carisi.
Try facial recognition
and get this to every
TV station in the city.
- I saw the video on the news.
I'm pretty sure those boys
are from our youth center.
- We appreciate your help.
Who are they?
Ronnie Ellis, Juan Flores,
and William Reeves.
Ronnie and Juan are hardcore,
but Will--
he surprised me, though.
He's been trying
to straighten out.
- Aren't they locked in
at night?
- They're supposed to be.
We've been having issues
with the night guards.
- And where are they now?
- Told them to wait
in the game room.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Looks like they didn't listen.
- Bobby, you said you don't
know where your bunkies went,
but do you mind
if we look around?
- Do they have cell phones?
- Old ones.
- So no GPS.
How about social media?
- Of course.
so they communicate
via Twitter and Facebook.
- There's nothing here.
- I'll get you what I can,
but they all use street names
on multiple accounts.
- Did they have friends here?
- Not really.
Ronnie's been kicked out
of three shelters.
Juan came from an abusive
foster family,
and Will was rescued from
a sex trafficking ring.
- And they run as a pack?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, Linda, these boys
are in trouble.
Where would they hide?
- Back on the street.
- Dealing?
- Ronnie and Juan for sure,
but Will...
he was picked up last year
for solicitation.
Brooklyn.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Got to be a tough way
to make a living.
- Once they hit the streets,
half these runaways are hooking
within a couple days.
♪
- Right there.
Right there.
[siren wailing]
Will Reeves,
hands in the air--right now.
Right now.
- Hey, New Jersey--
- Move the car.
Get out of here.
♪
- That's you, Will.
Social worker says the other two
are bad news.
She's disappointed you
got caught up.
- I didn't hurt that lady,
I swear.
- Okay, Will.
Somebody did.
Somebody dragged her
to a building,
raped her,
and left her for dead
in the courtyard.
- We have witnesses who
saw the whole thing.
- You just the fall guy?
It's all on Ronnie and Juan?
- Yeah, that's right.
- We can work with that.
Where are they?
- I don't know.
They out hustling.
- Okay, so DM them.
- No way.
Ronnie will kill me.
I can't. Please.
Can I just talk to Linda?
- You got to talk to us first.
- This kid's wetting the bed.
He's no thug.
- Look, we have Will's phone.
If he won't contact his friends,
we're gonna do it for him.
- I'll get a warrant for
social media accounts
on all three.
- Good news.
Libby's doctor says
she just came to.
- Great. Let's just hope she
remembers what happened to her.
- Yeah, the last thing
we want to do
is rely on our
see-no-evil witnesses.
- The doctor said
I've been out of it
for over two days now.
- Yeah.
You almost died.
Libby, is there anybody
that we could call for you?
- Um, no.
Not really.
- Okay.
Libby, you were
found unconscious
in the courtyard.
Do you have any idea
how you got there?
- Everything's fuzzy.
- You had a concussion.
- And they also found alcohol
and ketamine in your system.
- Please don't say anything
to my ex-husband.
Please.
I was trying to do better.
- He doesn't need to know,
but, Libby,
you were attacked.
You were beaten
and possibly
sexually assaulted.
Remember anything at all?
- I remember pavement
on my back
and being so cold.
[somber music]
I was floating outside
of my body, like--
like a bad dream.
- And what about
your attackers?
Do you remember what they
looked like or sounded like?
- No. No.
- Okay,
so how about we go back
to the last thing
that you do remember?
♪
- I was having a bad night.
- Okay.
- So I had more than
a few drinks at the bar.
Then I went to the cafe
to get coffee
and, you know,
sober up.
That's when this guy offered--
offered me Special K.
♪
I--I was stupid.
- All right.
Okay.
Do you recognize any
of these guys?
You can scroll through.
♪
- No.
Why, did some of them
do this to me?
- All we know is what
we've seen from a video.
Three of them
did surround you
there at the cafe,
and you all left together.
- We did?
- Yeah, you don't--
you don't recall that?
[clears throat]
They took you back
to your apartment.
- Did I invite them back?
- Well, they had your keys
and they were trying to
get into your apartment,
and they got scared off,
so...
then they must have
assaulted you in the courtyard.
- I don't remember that...
or any of them, but...
if I was in the courtyard,
some--
somebody must have seen
what happened to me.
- We're going to speak
with all your neighbors
and just trying to put
the pieces together.
♪
Well,
her memory may come back.
- Forget the head injury--
the drugs?
I wouldn't count on that.
- There's nothing
on the rape kit.
There's not much
on that video.
- Mm-mm.
- Look, we got to go back
and lean on those neighbors.
- Yeah, but good luck with that.
They all made it pretty clear
they don't really care for her.
- Well, maybe so,
but we have to.
- I--You know--
I know there's no such thing
as a perfect vic,
but this lady has got
two little girls.
She's doing drugs.
God knows what else.
You know how hard it is for
a woman to lose custody?
- Addiction is addiction,
Rollins.
- Yeah, but she's got kids.
You don't get to make those
kind of mistakes anymore.
- Okay.
- I mean, it's just not
her life to ruin.
- I hear you.
Hold on.
We have a lead.
Ronnie just DM'ed Juan.
They're moving some weed
out on Atlantic avenue.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Excuse me.
Hey, excuse me.
Have you seen these two?
Hello?
Excuse me, have you
seen these two at all?
- You got anything?
- No, I got nothing.
- All right, no sign of them.
Any luck over there?
- We just pulled up.
Nothing yet.
♪
- Hey, excuse me, guys.
NYPD.
Did you buy that around here?
- It's medicinal.
- Uh-huh, okay.
Where did you get it?
- Over there, by the subway.
♪
- I got eyes on both of them.
Atlantic and 4th Avenue.
- Straight ahead!
♪
- Oh--
Come on.
- NYPD! Stop!
[tense music]
- Out of the way!
Move!
- Yo! Over there!
Over there!
Let's go!
Let's go!
- Move! Move!
- This way.
- Oh, damn!
- Police!
- Yo, hop the gate!
[all grunting]
- Arms behind your back!
Arms behind your back!
- You're under arrest.
- [groans]
Ah, man.
- I don't have anything.
- Shut up!
Don't talk!
- Okay, get them
out of here, guys. Now.
♪
Good job.
Come on, guys, move along.
Move it.
- What you looking at, man?
- Thanks a lot, people.
No, thank you.
Citizens of New York,
I applaud you.
Give yourselves a hand.
Yeah, take a picture.
- Come on.
I'm staying out of trouble.
- Is that why you ran?
- You people were chasing me.
- Where were you
Wednesday night, Juan?
- I'm not sure.
What did Ronnie say?
- Man, we met the waste case
at the cafe.
All we did was try to
help her get home.
- You mean you dragged her home,
beat her, and raped her.
- It wasn't us.
As soon as we got
right outside the cafe,
she got all belligerent
and took off.
- Then why do we have witnesses
that put you at her building?
- That's a bluff.
I saw the news.
No one called 911.
- Will, your friends
are giving you up.
- They are?
- So how about you tell me
your side of the story?
- Linda from the shelter--
she knows I wouldn't do--
- Yeah, Linda
can't help you now, Will.
Help yourself.
- I didn't hurt no one.
I didn't do nothing.
- Where are we on these boys?
- Nowhere.
Ronnie and Juan are lying
as we speak.
- Well, Will wasn't
any help, either.
- Ronnie had a second
cell phone on him.
The call log was deleted.
- Send it to TARU,
see what they find?
- Yeah, and in the meantime,
get a photo array
over to Libby's building.
- Maybe one of our
Good Samaritans can make an ID.
- Yeah.
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
- This one.
- Okay, good.
- Actually--actually, wait.
♪
Actually, this one.
Maybe both of them.
- Okay, um, why don't we
try the others and come back
to this group?
- Just take your time,
Mrs. Weissman.
♪
- I think he was there.
♪
- Are you sure?
- Should I be?
Am I wrong?
Which one is it?
- I don't recognize
any of them.
- We told you.
We barely saw anything.
Come on, we're late.
- We still need you
to take a look.
- I don't want to be involved
with a trial.
You know the DA can
subpoena you to testify.
- Do you have any idea
what this has been like?
It's all over the news.
People are blaming us for
what happened to Libby,
claiming we don't care.
- Well, then, show you do care.
Help us now.
♪
- So no one
could ID all three?
- Couple of them made one ID,
but couldn't make
the other two.
- Which does more
harm than good.
Try harder.
- Mr. Barba, just the man
I was looking for.
I got a call from
the youth center.
I'm representing Will Reeves.
- This isn't exactly
a civil rights case.
- Will's barely 18.
He's been a victim
of sex traffickers.
No one's ever really
looked out for him.
- Okay, which doesn't
make him innocent.
We have him on video
with the victim.
- Hypothetically,
if my client were present
but didn't participate
in the assault in any way--
- He'd still be
on the hook for rape.
- Even if he were
willing to testify
against the other suspects?
Ronnie and Juan have records.
Robbery, drugs.
- I have no way
of knowing who did what.
- Will's only prior
is for solicitation.
He's attending classes.
He's an A student.
- Good for him.
I can offer felony assault
or sexual misconduct.
- You need my client's
testimony.
According to
the "Daily News,"
no one in the victim's
apartment building saw anything.
- Okay, so which is it?
He was there,
he didn't participate,
or he wasn't there?
What about his friends?
Won't they have sob stories too?
- I gave you an opportunity
to wrap this up,
but if the guilty
need to walk
for my client to walk,
so be it.
I just heard back from TARU
about Ronnie's second cell.
- Okay, any texts or photos
from that night?
- No, but there was
a 911 call made from the phone
around the time of the rape.
Only lasts for a few seconds.
- He wouldn't call the cops
on himself.
- So it's not his phone.
Most of the contacts
are Hispanic females.
- So call them all.
Tell them that you're trying
to return the phone.
This is your phone,
right, Maria?
- Yeah.
Thank you, uh--
like I said,
I must've dropped it.
- Do you remember where?
- No, I don't.
- We just have
a few questions.
You mind if we come in?
- Was it in the building
where that woman was assaulted
a few nights ago?
- We read your texts,
and we know that you
nanny for a family that--
that lives there.
- I didn't see anything.
- Wow, what happened
to your eye?
- [sighs] I fell.
- On your eye?
- [sighs]
- Maria...
you did the right thing
by calling 911.
- I should not have.
- Now you need to finish
what you started
by telling us what you saw.
- That woman was passed out.
There were three boys with her.
I knew something was wrong,
so I called 911.
It barely rang before
the black boy hit me.
I was on the ground.
He had my phone.
He said he knew who I was,
and if I called the cops
that he would kill me.
- Okay.
♪
- So I ran.
- Did you get a good look
at their faces?
♪
- Number three.
♪
Number six.
♪
[voice cracks]
Number two.
- Thank you, Maria.
Thank you.
- Ready to talk, Mr. Guthrie?
♪
- You've got one good witness
and 40 bad ones.
- Maria's believable
and consistent.
She says Ronnie assaulted her
and stole her phone.
He was found in possession
of that phone.
Shall I go on?
- My client won't deny
that he was there.
- Oh, so now you're
changing your story?
- Well, he was afraid if he
told you what happened,
you would jump to conclusions.
- Really?
- Look, we went back
to her building.
She was high, horny.
Said she wanted
all of us at once.
- She said that?
Even though she had blacked out
and could barely walk?
♪
- Well, and that's exactly
why we said no.
She was messed up.
Kept saying
she wanted it rough,
but we not like that,
so we bounced.
- Your victim must have
gone back on the prowl.
How about misdemeanor assault
on the nanny?
- How about no?
We'll see you in court.
- I saw the three of them
dragging Libby Parker
towards the building.
- Uh-huh.
Ronnie Ellis, Juan Flores,
and William Reeves?
What happened next?
- I called 911.
But that one--
Ronnie,
he came backed at me,
punched me,
and took my phone.
Said he'll kill me
if I told anyone.
- Did you see them
hurting Ms. Parker?
- They were dragging her.
- Or trying to help her up.
Did you see them raping her?
- But you did see them
outsider her apartment door?
- Yeah, uh, those two
were trying to get inside.
They had her keys.
- What did you do?
- I yelled at them
and they ran.
- So you never actually saw
any of the defendants
with the victim?
- No.
- What did you hear outside?
- A woman screaming.
I went to the window to check.
- Could you see
what was happening?
- There were three men
surrounding her--
teenagers, really.
One black, two others
maybe Hispanic.
- Did you provide that
description to the police
before the defendants
were arrested?
- No.
It was dark.
I was confused at first,
but I'm sure I saw them.
- Why didn't you
call the police?
- I saw the other tenants
watching from their windows.
Nobody seemed upset.
I assumed
nothing bad was happening.
- You were wrong.
- Yes.
Libby was screaming for help.
- If you had heard her
crying for help,
wouldn't you have
called the police?
- I guess I wasn't sure
what I heard.
- So you came to
the conclusion
that she was screaming
for help after the police
told you she'd been assaulted?
- I told the police
what I saw.
- Initially, ma'am,
you said you didn't
see their faces.
- Well...
they were wearing hoodies
like the ones those boys
on the news had.
- [laughing]
You don't think every boy
wearing a hoodie
is a rapist, do you?
- No, of course not.
- I--I went to the cafe.
Um...
a man offered me Special K...
and I took some.
I'm not proud of that.
- What happened next?
- I'm not sure.
My memory of that night
did not completely come back.
- Do you remember giving consent
for a sexual encounter?
- No.
And I never would have
consented, ever,
to three strangers
outside in public.
That is not me.
- Thank you.
- I'm sorry about what happened
to you, Ms. Parker.
- It sounds like you've
struggled with drugs.
Was this the first time
you used ketamine?
- No.
- So you're familiar
with one of its
main side effects:
the loss of memory?
- Objection.
- I'll allow.
- Yes.
- And you don't
remember anything
Meeting the defendants in
the cafe, leaving with them...
- No, it was--
it was caught on video.
- But you don't remember
going back to your building
with them, do you?
- And you don't remember
begging them to have rough sex?
- I didn't ask to be raped.
- I'm sorry about your
injuries, Ms. Parker,
but you can't even remember
if those injuries were sustained
during rough,
consensual sex, can you?
- Objection--
badgering.
- Overruled.
Witness will answer.
[dramatic music]
- I don't...
like rough sex.
I never would've told them
that I did.
- Yet you don't remember
leaving the cafe,
or arriving home?
You don't remember if the sex
was consensual,
or even if there was sex.
You don't remember if
it was even the defendants
who were with you
in the courtyard.
You don't remember anything,
do you, Ms. Parker?
- [sighs]
♪
No.
♪
No, I--
I don't remember.
♪
That was awful.
They're gonna get off,
aren't they?
the jury heard what you
went through.
That--that counts
for something.
[knocking at door]
- Excuse me.
- Hi.
- Doug.
Hi.
- We wanted to see if
you're feeling better.
- Uh, come in.
Not really.
- Tough day in court.
- I got your flowers.
I should've thanked you.
Um, these are--
- Yeah, I remember him.
Um, why don't I come back later?
- Okay.
- Nice of him to stop by.
- Yeah.
Doug, he's--
he's an odd duck,
but he's--
he's been a friend.
You know, we're both single.
No family, no support--
except AA.
- He's in AA?
- Yeah, uh, we both are.
Uh, you know, I'm not
real good with sobriety,
but Doug, he's--
he's an old-timer.
He works his program.
Yeah, he gets real mad--
he's real mad when I slip.
- Um, excuse me one second.
I'll be right back.
- Yeah.
- Take your time.
- Excuse me, Doug.
Can I ask you
a few questions?
to your friend Libby.
- I wish I could help,
but like I told you,
I wasn't home that night.
- Yeah, you did,
but here's the thing, Doug.
You also told me that you were
out a bar with your boyfriend
and Libby just told me that
you're in AA and you're single.
Now, that's two lies
right there.
You were home that night,
weren't you?
- I didn't see anything.
- Yeah, but you were home.
Listen, Doug,
Libby needs your help right now.
These guys--they're gonna
get away with this.
- Better than having them
kill me.
- They're not gonna do that--
not if you testify.
You put them away.
[dramatic music]
I don't get this.
All you had to do
was call 911.
- I froze.
I'm--I'm--I'm--
I'm not good in high-stress
situations.
- It's just a phone call!
- I know.
But I didn't.
I couldn't, and--
and then it was too late.
- No, not for an ambulance,
it wasn't.
- I got drunk.
I screwed up.
That's what I do.
My whole life.
I don't know why.
- Okay, listen to me.
Everybody screws up, okay?
Everybody.
But Libby got hurt again
on that stand today.
And if you don't testify,
this case is over.
♪
- I'm not even sure putting
this guy on the stand
is a great idea.
- What, you got a better one?
- He's worse
than all the others.
And that's no easy task.
- Hey, Barba--
- Well, at least they admitted
that they were there.
- Okay, well, we're here now,
all right?
And he was there that night.
to see their faces,
to see what they did to her.
- And the jury believes him
because--
- Because I went over his story
backwards and forwards,
all right?
He gave a spot-on description
of each suspect.
Now, maybe he's a coward,
yeah, uh-huh,
but he's credible.
- So good memory, no morality.
Fantastic.
what time to show up,
since he's an hour late?
- He'll show.
- If you say so.
If not, I'll just vamp.
- Ah, I'm here, I'm here.
- Mr. Nelson, I am ADA Barba.
You're prepared to testify?
- Yes, I am...
prepared to testify.
- Doug,
have you been drinking?
- Yes, I have...
been drinking.
I'm drunk,
but I'm still eidetic.
- All right, so can we
get a postponement?
- I have no one else to call.
- I'm gonna get him some air.
- Just get him coffee.
Gallons of it!
- I was walking my dog
when I saw them in the middle
of the courtyard.
Libby looked barely awake.
I saw him and him
taking turns forcing themselves
inside her mouth.
- For the record,
the witness has identified
the defendants Ronnie Ellis
and Juan Flores.
Who else did you see?
- The other defendant.
- William Reeves.
- He was holding her down.
- What did you do next?
- I went home.
I know I should have
called the police,
but I didn't.
I...
started drinking instead,
until I forgot.
I will never
forgive myself for that.
- Thank you.
- Before the night in question,
when was the last time
you'd had a drink, Mr. Nelson?
- Almost five years.
- Is it possible
a relapse like that
could've affected your memory?
- I know what I saw.
I learned how to function
while drunk a long time ago.
- Did you ever describe
the suspects to the NYPD
before they were arrested?
- No, I waited too long
to come forward.
- When you found out
that your friend
had been seriously injured,
did you feel bad?
- Yes.
- Bad enough to positively ID
whichever suspects NYPD
had in custody,
even though you were too drunk
to remember what they
actually looked like?
- Objection.
- Withdrawn.
- Mr. Nelson, are you
intoxicated right now?
- Yes.
Yes, I am.
[people mumbling]
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Redirect, Your Honor.
- I'll allow.
- Why did you get drunk
that night?
- Because what I'd seen
was horrible,
but I failed to help Libby.
I was mad at myself
for being a coward.
- And why did you get drunk
this morning?
- [sighs]
I was afraid to testify.
I was afraid of what everyone
would think of me.
- Fair enough.
Um...
Mr. Nelson, can you remember
the questions that Mr. Henderson
just put to you?
- When was the last time
I had a drink?
Would a relapse have
affected my memory?
Did I give the police
a description of the suspects
before they were arrested?
Shall I continue?
- That's all right.
Can you remember
what the defendants
were wearing that night?
- Blue hoodie,
black vest,
black hoodie
with leather sleeves.
- Thank you.
Mr. Nelson, can you--
can you
look away from the jury
and close your eyes?
- Your Honor, are we
gonna have him
touch his finger to his nose?
- Just bear with me.
- This better be good,
Mr. Barba.
- Mr. Nelson, can you describe
the makeup of the jury to me?
[dramatic music]
- Six men, six women.
Four African-Americans.
Two female Hispanics,
one Asian woman...
[murmuring]
Three Caucasian men,
two Caucasian women.
Do--do you want to know
which ones are where?
- No.
You can open your eyes now.
♪
- Nothing further.
♪
- Mr. Barba!
My client would like
to testify against the others.
- It's too late, Counselor.
I don't need him.
- He was a bystander.
You just heard that.
He tried to stop them.
- Not hard enough.
♪
- What should I say to her?
- You could try "I'm sorry."
♪
- Libby...
I am so, so sorry.
- So am I.
♪
- Will the defendants
please rise?
♪
Members of the jury,
have you reached a verdict?
- We have, Your Honor.
- What say you?
- On the charge of
criminal sexual acts
in the first degree,
we find the defendants
Ronnie Ellis,
Juan Flores,
and William Reeves guilty.
[indistinct murmuring]
- Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,
the state of New York
thanks you for your service.
The defendants will be
remanded until sentencing.
[raps gavel]
♪
- Maybe Libby can move on now.
- Oh, you think she's
gonna change her life? I don't.
I think she'll be drinking
again by Friday night.
- You just got back.
You're tired.
Let me drive you home.
♪
- Good job.
[somber music]
- He's good.
He's sleeping like a baby.
Me? I'm fine.
I took the mandatory
time off, and--
Yes,
I'm seeing my shrink.
Well, that does sound
like more fun.
Rain check?
Okay.
Okay, me too.
Bye.
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.
- Yeah, I'll be there
tomorrow morning.
No, no, no.
After eight weeks
of maternity leave,
I'm definitely ready
to come back.
How have you been doing after
everything you went through?
- Oh, I'm fine, Rollins.
Thank you for asking.
Don't--don't worry about me.
Look, we are all very much
looking forward
to seeing you tomorrow.
- Yeah, all right.
Um, thanks, Lieutenant.
- You think I don't
know anything
about your whore tricks?
Shut up.
Are you lying to me?
I can tell right now
that you're lying to me.
I will get on a bus
and be there by morning,
and I will toss him
out the window
and kick your ass.
What are you looking at?
[growls]
What did you say?
Don't talk back to me.
I know you were with him.
You're gonna be sorry.
- Yeah?
Yeah.
[indistinct chattering]
Hmm.
[inhales sharply]
Mm.
[sighs]
- See?
[laughs]
- [laughs]
Follow me.
Yo, check it.
- That girl is wasted.
- Come on.
- Maybe she could use a friend.
- Yo.
What's up, babe?
Hey, girl,
what you got in that bag?
Now, where you get that?
What's up, babe?
- What's your name, girl?
- Hey, stop.
- Just want to have
some fun with you.
- You want to share with us,
right?
- Oh, I'm all out.
- Come on, baby.
- Oh, oh!
- Oh.
- We should get
out of here, man.
- You know what?
That's a great idea.
Come on, let's get
this lady home.
Yeah, come on, baby.
Come on.
Take her purse.
Let's go.
I've got you.
Come on.
Let's go, it's cool.
Easy now.
- [moaning]
Let go of me.
- It's cool, I got you.
- Ooh, we 'gon get you home.
[overlapping chatter]
[woman muttering indistinctly]
[dramatic music]
♪
Yo, my friend, she, uh--
she just partied too much,
that's all.
♪
- Hold her.
- [grunts]
Check her bag. Check her purse.
Get her keys.
Come on. Be quiet.
This one. This one.
Give me the keys.
Hurry.
- Come on.
- Just--
- Come on!
Come on, be quiet!
- Quiet.
- Hey, what are you guys doing?
Who are you?
- Let's go.
- Come on. Go. Go. Go. Go.
- Yeah, yeah, you better run.
Yeah, I'll call the police.
[door to building closes]
- Shh!
- Hold her.
- What are you doing?
Let her go.
- Relax.
- Yo, yo, yo, you ain't
never seen one like this.
I'ma tell you.
- [laughing]
- That ain't right.
- Easy. Easy, just relax.
Just relax.
Okay?
- Yeah, you like that?
- [gasps]
No, no, no!
[screaming]
- Shut up, shut up!
You want to get loud?
- Help!
- She gonna get loud!
[indistinct shouting]
♪
- I said hold her back.
You're acting like a bitch.
[shuffling, panting]
[overlapping voices]
- [groaning]
No, no!
- I want the jacket.
Open the jacket.
♪
[siren wailing]
- We've got head wounds,
signs of sexual assault.
- Yeah, welcome back, right?
- Yeah.
- Hey, honey.
Can you hear me?
Can you squeeze my hand?
- [moans]
- That's good.
That's good.
- Okay, how long was she
out in the cold--all night?
- Most likely.
We got to go.
- Okay.
- I'll ride along.
- Great.
- The vic is Libby Parker,
apartment B11.
Super found her
in the courtyard,
7:00 a.m.
- Anyone get eyes on the perp?
- No video.
No one's come forward.
- Guys, there's
100 windows up there.
Somebody saw something.
[dramatic music]
♪
- She ate that much?
Okay, there is, uh,
more milk in the freezer.
Right.
I told you that, of course.
All right,
I'll check in with you soon.
Okay, thanks.
Dr. Wilder,
can I talk to Libby now?
- Not yet. She has a concussion,
two cracked ribs--
between that,
the hypothermia,
and the drugs
in her system,
we're still trying
to stabilize her.
- It's all clear in here.
- Doesn't look like a robbery.
- All right, Freddy,
I'm gonna need names
of every tenant
that faces the courtyard.
- I'll make a list.
- No men's clothes.
- Yeah, well, someone
was in her life.
Looks like, uh, kids.
Maybe nieces.
[knock at door]
- Officers,
is the lady all right?
- No. Who are you?
You live here?
- Yeah, yeah.
I live across the hall.
- Were you around last night?
- Yeah.
Actually, I saw two guys
try to break in here
around 1:00 a.m.
- Was it anybody
you ever seen before?
- No.
Younger than her boyfriends.
They were Spanish, maybe.
- You call the police?
- No, I yelled at them,
and they ran away.
- You hear anything
after that?
- No, I, uh,
had my headphones on.
- That poor girl.
I saw the ambulance.
- Did you hear anything
last night?
- There was something going on.
- In the courtyard?
- Yes.
I went to the window.
She was out there
with some men.
- Can you describe them?
- They were wearing hoodies.
I couldn't really see.
- Did you hear her screams?
Then why didn't you
call the police?
- Lots of lights were on.
I figured somebody else
had called already.
She lives right below us.
always smoking at her window.
- Craig,
the woman was attacked.
I told you she was screaming.
- You heard screams?
- You said you heard a noise.
By the time I checked,
it was quiet.
She was lying in that
courtyard all night.
- It was dark.
You couldn't see a thing.
- So at least 10 residents
saw or heard an assault.
- Everybody thought someone else
was calling the cops.
- Police could've been here
in two minutes.
- I agree, so let's take it easy
with the witnesses.
We want them to cooperate.
- Hey, you can't go in there.
- I got to get my dog.
- Hey.
[dog whimpering]
- Hey, that's a cute puppy.
- Hey, thanks.
- Um, well, I don't take her
out on the street.
There are a lot of big dogs
in the neighborhood.
- Hey, I'm not ASPCA.
I'm NYPD, all right?
So you walk her
through here last night?
- Last night?
No.
- Did you, uh, hear anything
in the courtyard?
- Um, no.
I'm sorry, I--
I wasn't home last night.
I was at a bar
with my boyfriend.
- Okay, thanks.
You know what?
but at least they have people
who look out for each other.
- We caught a break.
in the East Village last night
at 11:00 p.m.
- You seen this woman?
How about you?
You see this woman last night?
- Hey, buddy,
what about you?
- That girl was high as a kite.
- She get her drugs here?
- There are no drugs here.
We have cameras.
Keeps them away.
- Okay, how about you
show me the footage
- The system only saves
the last hour.
The data slows down the server,
which makes the gamers angry.
- All right.
Anyone seen this woman
last night?
Or at any time at all?
No?
Anyone like bologna sandwiches?
[overlapping chatter]
Hey, you go to Fordham,
don't you?
- Uh, yeah.
Do I know you?
- Yeah, maybe.
I'm in night school there.
Listen, you think your
midterms are hard,
wait till you get to the Bar.
- [laughing]
- You, uh--you see
this woman last night?
- Yes.
Look, if this is
about the drugs,
then I don't know anything,
okay?
- She was assaulted.
So if you saw anything,
give me a call.
Okay, you too, huh?
Nobody saw anything,
all night long?
[snaps fingers]
All right, great.
Thanks for your
cooperation, people.
Appreciate it.
- The cafe's a drug den.
No one saw a thing.
- Still, her building--
I mean, how many people
face that courtyard?
- This one says his
window was closed.
That one says she
went to bed early.
Sometimes, the more witnesses,
the less help.
- Yeah, and no help from
the family, either.
I found an ex-husband
in Detroit.
He has sole custody
of their daughters,
and he was quick to tell me
that she's a junkie.
- Does he know that
she's in the hospital?
- He didn't seem too concerned.
- Hey, Lieutenant.
Sorry I'm late, but not only
did that girl from the cafe
see Libby with three guys
the other night,
but she got it on video.
- Great work, Carisi.
Try facial recognition
and get this to every
TV station in the city.
- I saw the video on the news.
I'm pretty sure those boys
are from our youth center.
- We appreciate your help.
Who are they?
Ronnie Ellis, Juan Flores,
and William Reeves.
Ronnie and Juan are hardcore,
but Will--
he surprised me, though.
He's been trying
to straighten out.
- Aren't they locked in
at night?
- They're supposed to be.
We've been having issues
with the night guards.
- And where are they now?
- Told them to wait
in the game room.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Looks like they didn't listen.
- Bobby, you said you don't
know where your bunkies went,
but do you mind
if we look around?
- Do they have cell phones?
- Old ones.
- So no GPS.
How about social media?
- Of course.
so they communicate
via Twitter and Facebook.
- There's nothing here.
- I'll get you what I can,
but they all use street names
on multiple accounts.
- Did they have friends here?
- Not really.
Ronnie's been kicked out
of three shelters.
Juan came from an abusive
foster family,
and Will was rescued from
a sex trafficking ring.
- And they run as a pack?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, Linda, these boys
are in trouble.
Where would they hide?
- Back on the street.
- Dealing?
- Ronnie and Juan for sure,
but Will...
he was picked up last year
for solicitation.
Brooklyn.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Got to be a tough way
to make a living.
- Once they hit the streets,
half these runaways are hooking
within a couple days.
♪
- Right there.
Right there.
[siren wailing]
Will Reeves,
hands in the air--right now.
Right now.
- Hey, New Jersey--
- Move the car.
Get out of here.
♪
- That's you, Will.
Social worker says the other two
are bad news.
She's disappointed you
got caught up.
- I didn't hurt that lady,
I swear.
- Okay, Will.
Somebody did.
Somebody dragged her
to a building,
raped her,
and left her for dead
in the courtyard.
- We have witnesses who
saw the whole thing.
- You just the fall guy?
It's all on Ronnie and Juan?
- Yeah, that's right.
- We can work with that.
Where are they?
- I don't know.
They out hustling.
- Okay, so DM them.
- No way.
Ronnie will kill me.
I can't. Please.
Can I just talk to Linda?
- You got to talk to us first.
- This kid's wetting the bed.
He's no thug.
- Look, we have Will's phone.
If he won't contact his friends,
we're gonna do it for him.
- I'll get a warrant for
social media accounts
on all three.
- Good news.
Libby's doctor says
she just came to.
- Great. Let's just hope she
remembers what happened to her.
- Yeah, the last thing
we want to do
is rely on our
see-no-evil witnesses.
- The doctor said
I've been out of it
for over two days now.
- Yeah.
You almost died.
Libby, is there anybody
that we could call for you?
- Um, no.
Not really.
- Okay.
Libby, you were
found unconscious
in the courtyard.
Do you have any idea
how you got there?
- Everything's fuzzy.
- You had a concussion.
- And they also found alcohol
and ketamine in your system.
- Please don't say anything
to my ex-husband.
Please.
I was trying to do better.
- He doesn't need to know,
but, Libby,
you were attacked.
You were beaten
and possibly
sexually assaulted.
Remember anything at all?
- I remember pavement
on my back
and being so cold.
[somber music]
I was floating outside
of my body, like--
like a bad dream.
- And what about
your attackers?
Do you remember what they
looked like or sounded like?
- No. No.
- Okay,
so how about we go back
to the last thing
that you do remember?
♪
- I was having a bad night.
- Okay.
- So I had more than
a few drinks at the bar.
Then I went to the cafe
to get coffee
and, you know,
sober up.
That's when this guy offered--
offered me Special K.
♪
I--I was stupid.
- All right.
Okay.
Do you recognize any
of these guys?
You can scroll through.
♪
- No.
Why, did some of them
do this to me?
- All we know is what
we've seen from a video.
Three of them
did surround you
there at the cafe,
and you all left together.
- We did?
- Yeah, you don't--
you don't recall that?
[clears throat]
They took you back
to your apartment.
- Did I invite them back?
- Well, they had your keys
and they were trying to
get into your apartment,
and they got scared off,
so...
then they must have
assaulted you in the courtyard.
- I don't remember that...
or any of them, but...
if I was in the courtyard,
some--
somebody must have seen
what happened to me.
- We're going to speak
with all your neighbors
and just trying to put
the pieces together.
♪
Well,
her memory may come back.
- Forget the head injury--
the drugs?
I wouldn't count on that.
- There's nothing
on the rape kit.
There's not much
on that video.
- Mm-mm.
- Look, we got to go back
and lean on those neighbors.
- Yeah, but good luck with that.
They all made it pretty clear
they don't really care for her.
- Well, maybe so,
but we have to.
- I--You know--
I know there's no such thing
as a perfect vic,
but this lady has got
two little girls.
She's doing drugs.
God knows what else.
You know how hard it is for
a woman to lose custody?
- Addiction is addiction,
Rollins.
- Yeah, but she's got kids.
You don't get to make those
kind of mistakes anymore.
- Okay.
- I mean, it's just not
her life to ruin.
- I hear you.
Hold on.
We have a lead.
Ronnie just DM'ed Juan.
They're moving some weed
out on Atlantic avenue.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Excuse me.
Hey, excuse me.
Have you seen these two?
Hello?
Excuse me, have you
seen these two at all?
- You got anything?
- No, I got nothing.
- All right, no sign of them.
Any luck over there?
- We just pulled up.
Nothing yet.
♪
- Hey, excuse me, guys.
NYPD.
Did you buy that around here?
- It's medicinal.
- Uh-huh, okay.
Where did you get it?
- Over there, by the subway.
♪
- I got eyes on both of them.
Atlantic and 4th Avenue.
- Straight ahead!
♪
- Oh--
Come on.
- NYPD! Stop!
[tense music]
- Out of the way!
Move!
- Yo! Over there!
Over there!
Let's go!
Let's go!
- Move! Move!
- This way.
- Oh, damn!
- Police!
- Yo, hop the gate!
[all grunting]
- Arms behind your back!
Arms behind your back!
- You're under arrest.
- [groans]
Ah, man.
- I don't have anything.
- Shut up!
Don't talk!
- Okay, get them
out of here, guys. Now.
♪
Good job.
Come on, guys, move along.
Move it.
- What you looking at, man?
- Thanks a lot, people.
No, thank you.
Citizens of New York,
I applaud you.
Give yourselves a hand.
Yeah, take a picture.
- Come on.
I'm staying out of trouble.
- Is that why you ran?
- You people were chasing me.
- Where were you
Wednesday night, Juan?
- I'm not sure.
What did Ronnie say?
- Man, we met the waste case
at the cafe.
All we did was try to
help her get home.
- You mean you dragged her home,
beat her, and raped her.
- It wasn't us.
As soon as we got
right outside the cafe,
she got all belligerent
and took off.
- Then why do we have witnesses
that put you at her building?
- That's a bluff.
I saw the news.
No one called 911.
- Will, your friends
are giving you up.
- They are?
- So how about you tell me
your side of the story?
- Linda from the shelter--
she knows I wouldn't do--
- Yeah, Linda
can't help you now, Will.
Help yourself.
- I didn't hurt no one.
I didn't do nothing.
- Where are we on these boys?
- Nowhere.
Ronnie and Juan are lying
as we speak.
- Well, Will wasn't
any help, either.
- Ronnie had a second
cell phone on him.
The call log was deleted.
- Send it to TARU,
see what they find?
- Yeah, and in the meantime,
get a photo array
over to Libby's building.
- Maybe one of our
Good Samaritans can make an ID.
- Yeah.
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
- This one.
- Okay, good.
- Actually--actually, wait.
♪
Actually, this one.
Maybe both of them.
- Okay, um, why don't we
try the others and come back
to this group?
- Just take your time,
Mrs. Weissman.
♪
- I think he was there.
♪
- Are you sure?
- Should I be?
Am I wrong?
Which one is it?
- I don't recognize
any of them.
- We told you.
We barely saw anything.
Come on, we're late.
- We still need you
to take a look.
- I don't want to be involved
with a trial.
You know the DA can
subpoena you to testify.
- Do you have any idea
what this has been like?
It's all over the news.
People are blaming us for
what happened to Libby,
claiming we don't care.
- Well, then, show you do care.
Help us now.
♪
- So no one
could ID all three?
- Couple of them made one ID,
but couldn't make
the other two.
- Which does more
harm than good.
Try harder.
- Mr. Barba, just the man
I was looking for.
I got a call from
the youth center.
I'm representing Will Reeves.
- This isn't exactly
a civil rights case.
- Will's barely 18.
He's been a victim
of sex traffickers.
No one's ever really
looked out for him.
- Okay, which doesn't
make him innocent.
We have him on video
with the victim.
- Hypothetically,
if my client were present
but didn't participate
in the assault in any way--
- He'd still be
on the hook for rape.
- Even if he were
willing to testify
against the other suspects?
Ronnie and Juan have records.
Robbery, drugs.
- I have no way
of knowing who did what.
- Will's only prior
is for solicitation.
He's attending classes.
He's an A student.
- Good for him.
I can offer felony assault
or sexual misconduct.
- You need my client's
testimony.
According to
the "Daily News,"
no one in the victim's
apartment building saw anything.
- Okay, so which is it?
He was there,
he didn't participate,
or he wasn't there?
What about his friends?
Won't they have sob stories too?
- I gave you an opportunity
to wrap this up,
but if the guilty
need to walk
for my client to walk,
so be it.
I just heard back from TARU
about Ronnie's second cell.
- Okay, any texts or photos
from that night?
- No, but there was
a 911 call made from the phone
around the time of the rape.
Only lasts for a few seconds.
- He wouldn't call the cops
on himself.
- So it's not his phone.
Most of the contacts
are Hispanic females.
- So call them all.
Tell them that you're trying
to return the phone.
This is your phone,
right, Maria?
- Yeah.
Thank you, uh--
like I said,
I must've dropped it.
- Do you remember where?
- No, I don't.
- We just have
a few questions.
You mind if we come in?
- Was it in the building
where that woman was assaulted
a few nights ago?
- We read your texts,
and we know that you
nanny for a family that--
that lives there.
- I didn't see anything.
- Wow, what happened
to your eye?
- [sighs] I fell.
- On your eye?
- [sighs]
- Maria...
you did the right thing
by calling 911.
- I should not have.
- Now you need to finish
what you started
by telling us what you saw.
- That woman was passed out.
There were three boys with her.
I knew something was wrong,
so I called 911.
It barely rang before
the black boy hit me.
I was on the ground.
He had my phone.
He said he knew who I was,
and if I called the cops
that he would kill me.
- Okay.
♪
- So I ran.
- Did you get a good look
at their faces?
♪
- Number three.
♪
Number six.
♪
[voice cracks]
Number two.
- Thank you, Maria.
Thank you.
- Ready to talk, Mr. Guthrie?
♪
- You've got one good witness
and 40 bad ones.
- Maria's believable
and consistent.
She says Ronnie assaulted her
and stole her phone.
He was found in possession
of that phone.
Shall I go on?
- My client won't deny
that he was there.
- Oh, so now you're
changing your story?
- Well, he was afraid if he
told you what happened,
you would jump to conclusions.
- Really?
- Look, we went back
to her building.
She was high, horny.
Said she wanted
all of us at once.
- She said that?
Even though she had blacked out
and could barely walk?
♪
- Well, and that's exactly
why we said no.
She was messed up.
Kept saying
she wanted it rough,
but we not like that,
so we bounced.
- Your victim must have
gone back on the prowl.
How about misdemeanor assault
on the nanny?
- How about no?
We'll see you in court.
- I saw the three of them
dragging Libby Parker
towards the building.
- Uh-huh.
Ronnie Ellis, Juan Flores,
and William Reeves?
What happened next?
- I called 911.
But that one--
Ronnie,
he came backed at me,
punched me,
and took my phone.
Said he'll kill me
if I told anyone.
- Did you see them
hurting Ms. Parker?
- They were dragging her.
- Or trying to help her up.
Did you see them raping her?
- But you did see them
outsider her apartment door?
- Yeah, uh, those two
were trying to get inside.
They had her keys.
- What did you do?
- I yelled at them
and they ran.
- So you never actually saw
any of the defendants
with the victim?
- No.
- What did you hear outside?
- A woman screaming.
I went to the window to check.
- Could you see
what was happening?
- There were three men
surrounding her--
teenagers, really.
One black, two others
maybe Hispanic.
- Did you provide that
description to the police
before the defendants
were arrested?
- No.
It was dark.
I was confused at first,
but I'm sure I saw them.
- Why didn't you
call the police?
- I saw the other tenants
watching from their windows.
Nobody seemed upset.
I assumed
nothing bad was happening.
- You were wrong.
- Yes.
Libby was screaming for help.
- If you had heard her
crying for help,
wouldn't you have
called the police?
- I guess I wasn't sure
what I heard.
- So you came to
the conclusion
that she was screaming
for help after the police
told you she'd been assaulted?
- I told the police
what I saw.
- Initially, ma'am,
you said you didn't
see their faces.
- Well...
they were wearing hoodies
like the ones those boys
on the news had.
- [laughing]
You don't think every boy
wearing a hoodie
is a rapist, do you?
- No, of course not.
- I--I went to the cafe.
Um...
a man offered me Special K...
and I took some.
I'm not proud of that.
- What happened next?
- I'm not sure.
My memory of that night
did not completely come back.
- Do you remember giving consent
for a sexual encounter?
- No.
And I never would have
consented, ever,
to three strangers
outside in public.
That is not me.
- Thank you.
- I'm sorry about what happened
to you, Ms. Parker.
- It sounds like you've
struggled with drugs.
Was this the first time
you used ketamine?
- No.
- So you're familiar
with one of its
main side effects:
the loss of memory?
- Objection.
- I'll allow.
- Yes.
- And you don't
remember anything
Meeting the defendants in
the cafe, leaving with them...
- No, it was--
it was caught on video.
- But you don't remember
going back to your building
with them, do you?
- And you don't remember
begging them to have rough sex?
- I didn't ask to be raped.
- I'm sorry about your
injuries, Ms. Parker,
but you can't even remember
if those injuries were sustained
during rough,
consensual sex, can you?
- Objection--
badgering.
- Overruled.
Witness will answer.
[dramatic music]
- I don't...
like rough sex.
I never would've told them
that I did.
- Yet you don't remember
leaving the cafe,
or arriving home?
You don't remember if the sex
was consensual,
or even if there was sex.
You don't remember if
it was even the defendants
who were with you
in the courtyard.
You don't remember anything,
do you, Ms. Parker?
- [sighs]
♪
No.
♪
No, I--
I don't remember.
♪
That was awful.
They're gonna get off,
aren't they?
the jury heard what you
went through.
That--that counts
for something.
[knocking at door]
- Excuse me.
- Hi.
- Doug.
Hi.
- We wanted to see if
you're feeling better.
- Uh, come in.
Not really.
- Tough day in court.
- I got your flowers.
I should've thanked you.
Um, these are--
- Yeah, I remember him.
Um, why don't I come back later?
- Okay.
- Nice of him to stop by.
- Yeah.
Doug, he's--
he's an odd duck,
but he's--
he's been a friend.
You know, we're both single.
No family, no support--
except AA.
- He's in AA?
- Yeah, uh, we both are.
Uh, you know, I'm not
real good with sobriety,
but Doug, he's--
he's an old-timer.
He works his program.
Yeah, he gets real mad--
he's real mad when I slip.
- Um, excuse me one second.
I'll be right back.
- Yeah.
- Take your time.
- Excuse me, Doug.
Can I ask you
a few questions?
to your friend Libby.
- I wish I could help,
but like I told you,
I wasn't home that night.
- Yeah, you did,
but here's the thing, Doug.
You also told me that you were
out a bar with your boyfriend
and Libby just told me that
you're in AA and you're single.
Now, that's two lies
right there.
You were home that night,
weren't you?
- I didn't see anything.
- Yeah, but you were home.
Listen, Doug,
Libby needs your help right now.
These guys--they're gonna
get away with this.
- Better than having them
kill me.
- They're not gonna do that--
not if you testify.
You put them away.
[dramatic music]
I don't get this.
All you had to do
was call 911.
- I froze.
I'm--I'm--I'm--
I'm not good in high-stress
situations.
- It's just a phone call!
- I know.
But I didn't.
I couldn't, and--
and then it was too late.
- No, not for an ambulance,
it wasn't.
- I got drunk.
I screwed up.
That's what I do.
My whole life.
I don't know why.
- Okay, listen to me.
Everybody screws up, okay?
Everybody.
But Libby got hurt again
on that stand today.
And if you don't testify,
this case is over.
♪
- I'm not even sure putting
this guy on the stand
is a great idea.
- What, you got a better one?
- He's worse
than all the others.
And that's no easy task.
- Hey, Barba--
- Well, at least they admitted
that they were there.
- Okay, well, we're here now,
all right?
And he was there that night.
to see their faces,
to see what they did to her.
- And the jury believes him
because--
- Because I went over his story
backwards and forwards,
all right?
He gave a spot-on description
of each suspect.
Now, maybe he's a coward,
yeah, uh-huh,
but he's credible.
- So good memory, no morality.
Fantastic.
what time to show up,
since he's an hour late?
- He'll show.
- If you say so.
If not, I'll just vamp.
- Ah, I'm here, I'm here.
- Mr. Nelson, I am ADA Barba.
You're prepared to testify?
- Yes, I am...
prepared to testify.
- Doug,
have you been drinking?
- Yes, I have...
been drinking.
I'm drunk,
but I'm still eidetic.
- All right, so can we
get a postponement?
- I have no one else to call.
- I'm gonna get him some air.
- Just get him coffee.
Gallons of it!
- I was walking my dog
when I saw them in the middle
of the courtyard.
Libby looked barely awake.
I saw him and him
taking turns forcing themselves
inside her mouth.
- For the record,
the witness has identified
the defendants Ronnie Ellis
and Juan Flores.
Who else did you see?
- The other defendant.
- William Reeves.
- He was holding her down.
- What did you do next?
- I went home.
I know I should have
called the police,
but I didn't.
I...
started drinking instead,
until I forgot.
I will never
forgive myself for that.
- Thank you.
- Before the night in question,
when was the last time
you'd had a drink, Mr. Nelson?
- Almost five years.
- Is it possible
a relapse like that
could've affected your memory?
- I know what I saw.
I learned how to function
while drunk a long time ago.
- Did you ever describe
the suspects to the NYPD
before they were arrested?
- No, I waited too long
to come forward.
- When you found out
that your friend
had been seriously injured,
did you feel bad?
- Yes.
- Bad enough to positively ID
whichever suspects NYPD
had in custody,
even though you were too drunk
to remember what they
actually looked like?
- Objection.
- Withdrawn.
- Mr. Nelson, are you
intoxicated right now?
- Yes.
Yes, I am.
[people mumbling]
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Redirect, Your Honor.
- I'll allow.
- Why did you get drunk
that night?
- Because what I'd seen
was horrible,
but I failed to help Libby.
I was mad at myself
for being a coward.
- And why did you get drunk
this morning?
- [sighs]
I was afraid to testify.
I was afraid of what everyone
would think of me.
- Fair enough.
Um...
Mr. Nelson, can you remember
the questions that Mr. Henderson
just put to you?
- When was the last time
I had a drink?
Would a relapse have
affected my memory?
Did I give the police
a description of the suspects
before they were arrested?
Shall I continue?
- That's all right.
Can you remember
what the defendants
were wearing that night?
- Blue hoodie,
black vest,
black hoodie
with leather sleeves.
- Thank you.
Mr. Nelson, can you--
can you
look away from the jury
and close your eyes?
- Your Honor, are we
gonna have him
touch his finger to his nose?
- Just bear with me.
- This better be good,
Mr. Barba.
- Mr. Nelson, can you describe
the makeup of the jury to me?
[dramatic music]
- Six men, six women.
Four African-Americans.
Two female Hispanics,
one Asian woman...
[murmuring]
Three Caucasian men,
two Caucasian women.
Do--do you want to know
which ones are where?
- No.
You can open your eyes now.
♪
- Nothing further.
♪
- Mr. Barba!
My client would like
to testify against the others.
- It's too late, Counselor.
I don't need him.
- He was a bystander.
You just heard that.
He tried to stop them.
- Not hard enough.
♪
- What should I say to her?
- You could try "I'm sorry."
♪
- Libby...
I am so, so sorry.
- So am I.
♪
- Will the defendants
please rise?
♪
Members of the jury,
have you reached a verdict?
- We have, Your Honor.
- What say you?
- On the charge of
criminal sexual acts
in the first degree,
we find the defendants
Ronnie Ellis,
Juan Flores,
and William Reeves guilty.
[indistinct murmuring]
- Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,
the state of New York
thanks you for your service.
The defendants will be
remanded until sentencing.
[raps gavel]
♪
- Maybe Libby can move on now.
- Oh, you think she's
gonna change her life? I don't.
I think she'll be drinking
again by Friday night.
- You just got back.
You're tired.
Let me drive you home.
♪
- Good job.
[somber music]
- He's good.
He's sleeping like a baby.
Me? I'm fine.
I took the mandatory
time off, and--
Yes,
I'm seeing my shrink.
Well, that does sound
like more fun.
Rain check?
Okay.
Okay, me too.
Bye.