Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 21, Episode 3 - Down Low in Hell's Kitchen - full transcript
A serial predator targeting men in gay bars proves difficult to catch, until a celebrity comes forward with his story.
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.
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING]
Another one?
And he waited three days to go to the ER?
And he won't report.
Okay, okay, I know, I know.
Confidentiality.
All right, understood.
NOAH: Hey, guys, wait up.
Hey, Noah, wait up.
Fin, I just heard from a nurse at Mercy.
There's another attack in Hell's Kitchen.
Black male, tased.
- He filing a complaint?
- No.
Then what are we supposed to do?
Your son still works at the
gay men's crisis center, right?
LGBTQ, as Ken reminds me.
So talk to him, right?
If we're hearing about this,
you know he is.
- Okay.
- Yeah, thanks.
Hey, honey. Let's go.
Mom, I don't want to go to practice.
Why not, honey? You feeling okay?
I mean, ever.
I don't like baseball.
You don't like baseball? Since when?
You love playing with Peter.
You love being on the team.
But now it's boring.
That looks like fun.
[MUFFLED HIP-HOP MUSIC]
♪ ♪
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING] _
Hang in there.
Call anytime. I'm here.
Dad, what's up?
Can't I just stop by?
Of course.
Uh, have a seat.
Jaden was just talking about you.
Yeah? He like that shirt I got him?
He'll grow into it.
[LAUGHS]
So, why are you here?
There's a rumor about a serial
predator working the gay bars.
In Hell's Kitchen.
Yeah. The victims
are all black, professional,
and everybody's talking about it.
But no one wants to talk, I know.
So do you think you can get somebody
to file a police report?
I can't.
These men, and I shouldn't
even tell you this much,
have wives, kids.
Oh, they're on the low.
That's why he's targeting them.
He knows they don't want to speak up.
Well, tell them we'll do our best
to keep their case confidential.
I'm their advocate, Dad, not yours.
Yeah, but if nobody says anything,
he has no reason to stop.
[CHEERING]
What's going on?
Of course. Good afternoon.
Yeah. Of course. Of course, I got you.
Thank you. We have to get going.
Yeah. All right, we good?
All right, y'all.
Keep it real, keep it real.
[CHEERING]
[CELL PHONE CHIRPING]
Oh, God. Look.
Oh, come on, man. Not right now, Fisch.
Then when? This is not going away.
Yeah, it is.
What are you talking about?
Hasn't everything worked out till now?
Don't bring my brother down, Fisch.
All you do is worry.
That's my job.
That's your job, huh?
Yeah, go home.
All right, have some wine, hug your wife.
Hey, yo, Vlad.
Vlad, pull over right here.
- No, Math.
- Look, I need some air.
All right, I'm just gonna walk.
See you tomorrow?
All right.
- All right.
- I trust you.
- Tell your wife hello.
- Be careful.
I will tell her hello.
- Have that wine.
- I will.
All right.
Where are you going?
It's all good, Vlad.
[UPBEAT POP MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
Hey.
Hey, you look like Mathis.
Nah, just got one of those faces, man.
Wait, you are Mathis?
This is you playing right now.
This is "Summer Sweat," my hype song.
I'm just not who you think I am.
Yes, you are. You're Mathis Brooks.
Okay, just relax, man.
Wait, can we take a selfie?
What? No. Hey, man, get that off me, man.
What's wrong with you?
Just taking a picture.
- Don't touch me.
- My bad, bro.
What's your problem, Mathis?
Hey, your song sucks, anyway.
Hey, look, it's Mathis.
Mathis Brooks! You don't want this?
That dude is... that dude is drunk, man.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪ ♪
We got a 1054, semi-conscious male
under the scaffolding
on the corner of 52nd and 9th.
Copy that, Central.
What do you wager?
Homeless or drunk?
Both.
Holy Mother...
[PANTING]
Please...
help me.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪ ♪
A serial rapist in Hell's Kitchen?
Yes, Chief, the victims are male.
He tases them,
and then he sodomizes them with a bottle.
We need to establish more of a pattern.
When did he start? How many assaults?
We don't know.
I'll try again.
How many reports have been filed?
None. We think he picks
his vics on the down-low
so he knows they don't want to report.
So are we divining it?
No, we're not divining it.
EMS calls, advocacy groups,
and the rumors are out there in gay bars.
I can't take rumors to CompStat.
I know, and I know that you just got here
and you don't want to report a spike
in assaults two weeks in, but...
That will never be my concern.
If stats go up, good.
It means people
trust us enough to disclose.
Thank you.
So what do you need?
Manpower for a wide canvass,
security cam checks.
I would like to augment with detectives
from Hate Crimes.
Well, they're spread thinner than SVU.
And if they'd heard about this,
they'd have looped me in.
So what do we do,
just wait on him to strike again?
No, we can be proactive.
Increase uniform patrols,
work your contacts.
Everything okay, Captain?
Detective Rollins
says that there's another vic
at Mercy Hospital.
So what's this new chief's deal?
Well, he's methodical, he's thoughtful,
and he's Ivy League educated.
So why is he a cop?
NYPD, coming through.
Step aside, please.
What's up with the paparazzi?
It turns out the vic is a celeb.
- Mathis...
- Mathis Brooks, the pop star?
Yeah.
Same pattern?
Close enough. Tased, beer bottle.
Hold on, I thought
Mathis Brooks was straight.
Yeah, I mean, as far as we know, he is,
but he was in the neighborhood,
and he has a gay following.
So the perp assumed,
the hospital called us.
Any chance he'll report?
I'm not sure, he's still in the ER,
and his brother and manager are here.
They're being protective.
We were recording at Slick
Beats till, like, 1:00 a.m.
Mathis, he's a perfectionist.
And where'd you go afterwards?
I went home.
Mathis needed air.
Mr. Fischer, there are a lot of gay bars
near where Mathis was assaulted.
Any chance he went into one?
Maybe. Mathis is friends with all types.
He's about all people being who they are.
He's an ally.
But he's not gay himself?
Mathis?
You know the women he goes out with?
One week, Halsey, next week, Ariana.
The kid...
pardon my French, gets more ass
than a toilet seat.
Outside the recording studio?
No one strange, really. It was all love.
Our man Vlad put us
into the SUV, no problem.
So the studio's
over by 11th Avenue, right?
Who got dropped off first?
Math got out on 9th.
Any idea where he might've gone?
After sessions,
he just likes to go on walks,
where he gets most of his ideas from.
Captain Benson.
Yes.
Mathis is ready to talk to you.
Great, that's good news.
Did you do a rape kit?
He's a little too traumatized
for that right now.
Understood.
I told him you guys were cool,
that you'd respect his privacy.
- You will, right?
- Absolutely.
Mathis, this is Captain Benson.
I told you about her.
Hi. And my sergeant.
Fin Tutuola. How you doing?
Honestly...
honestly, I'm still not in my body.
Mathis, I'll be right outside.
He's good people.
He said that you guys were, too.
Look, I don't know
if I could be of much help.
It all happened so fast.
No, if there's anything
that you remember,
anything at all would be great help.
I was...
I was under a scaffold, and...
I came to a zigzag in it...
and I heard somebody behind me,
so I turned
and that's when I felt this jolt.
We think that you were tased.
Knocked me off my feet.
Then the guy...
he bends me over the scaffold.
Pulled down my pants, and then...
It's okay.
Take your time.
He started yelling all these
horrible things at me.
He was calling me the F word.
And the N word.
You get a look at him
before you were tased?
I just got a glimpse of him.
He was a big, scary-looking guy.
White, black?
White.
Long hair, a beard, maybe, and a hoodie.
Like I said, it all happened so fast.
So, Mathis, you should know that we think
that the man who assaulted
you may be a serial predator.
- What?
- Yeah, he's attacking
black gay men in Hell's Kitchen.
That's horrible.
I mean, I'm not gay, but...
you mean just because
the color of my skin,
and because I was walking
down those streets...
Did you stop anywhere on your walk?
No.
No, I was...
I was just getting some air.
Like, that's all.
I'm walking after midnight.
You know what, guys, I'm sorry,
I'm getting really tired.
Do you think that we can do this later?
Of course.
If you remember anything else, call us.
Thank you.
He's crashing. Doesn't remember much.
Well, this may help.
I caught something on Instagram.
Mathis stopped by a bar last night.
Someone took a selfie.
Doesn't look too happy about that.
#SummerSweat.
I guess Mathis didn't walk straight home.
What, the cops are on Instagram?
Yeah, Mathis looked pretty
pissed at you in that picture.
No, no, those guys just forget
that their fans make them who they are.
Is that why you went at it with him?
The bartender said you threatened him.
No, that was just drama, all right?
I don't like tourists.
What do you mean?
Honey, Mathis is so deep in the closet,
he went past Narnia.
And that makes you mad?
They're saying security cam
saw Mathis leave the bar
after you two got into it.
And did you follow him?
No, I did not follow him.
- You didn't follow him?
- No, I...
I went uptown to meet someone.
Okay, someone got a name?
I didn't ask.
Listen, I'll pull up
his Grindr profile for you.
Spoiler alert.
He looks nothing like his picture.
We had a suspect who got into a
fight with Mathis at a gay bar.
So he didn't tell us
that he went into the bar.
I don't have to remind you
it's not unusual
for victims to leave out details
- that might make them look...
- Gay.
Is he straight, or claims to be?
He's not gonna cave
on that any time soon.
He's high profile.
We have a serial out there.
He has a civic obligation, Captain.
You want me to shame a celebrity
into coming out of the closet
so you can publicize the case?
I wouldn't say shame.
Motivate.
Excuse me.
Yo, I just want to thank all
my fans for the well wishes.
Look, I can't say too much
right now, but don't worry.
Your boy's gonna make it.
I'm gonna hit y'all later, okay?
Peace.
Hey, sorry about that.
My fans are concerned.
Well, so are we, Mathis.
Someone is out there, preying on gay men.
Gay men who are afraid to come forward,
to file a police report.
Mathis, your music means
a lot to people of all types.
If you were to come forward...
If you did that,
everyone would think he was gay.
Look, hold up, Fisch.
So you think that if I made
a public statement, that...
that it would matter?
No doubt.
More than you can imagine.
Come on, man.
Look, who cares if some people
choose to think that I'm gay?
This is bigger than Mathis now.
What happened to me can happen to anyone.
There's a predator out there.
It's targeting members of our community.
Our community. He outed himself.
I didn't think that
he was ready to go that far.
That's pretty brave.
Well, it's helping us.
I mean, the story went viral overnight.
This has led me to self-discovery.
Like many gay black men,
I felt compelled to live a lie.
I just want to thank you guys.
I looked into that man's eyes...
and I saw the hatred in his heart.
This experience,
even as horrible as it was...
Dad.
- Hey.
- Ken, good to see you.
This is DeVonn Thompson.
I told him anything he says here,
you'll keep confidential.
I was leaving a bar. "Swank."
In Hell's Kitchen?
It's low-key.
I mostly keep to myself.
Someone starts a conversation, okay.
Anybody talk to you that night?
No. I headed home.
I was going to the E train,
walked down under scaffolding,
and they said someone tased me.
Used a bottle.
I came to in the ambulance.
So you didn't get a look at him?
They say anything?
Not that I heard.
And how often do you go to this bar?
Tuesdays.
My family thinks I'm going out
with the choir after practice.
Has anyone ever approached you
on another Tuesday that seemed odd?
Yeah, actually...
about a month before,
I was outside smoking.
This white guy, drunk,
asked for a cigarette.
He saw they were menthol.
He gave me a hard time.
How so?
He said...
Your wife know you smoke those?
What, like he made you?
I got a bad vibe. Went back inside.
Is it possible that this guy was there
the night you were assaulted?
I didn't see him.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
- Hey.
- Excuse me.
Another vic called. A broker.
He saw Mathis on TV,
and he said I can come
downtown to talk to him
if I pretend to be a client.
So he's on the low too.
Ask him if he remembers
anyone asking about his wife.
My wife and my kids.
He asked if they'd be up when I got home.
Do you remember when this was?
July 23rd, Tuesday.
I came back into the city.
Okay. And you said he was blue-collar?
Rough, dirty-looking, reddish hair.
Could he have followed you?
I guess, but I didn't see who tased me.
What about his voice?
Did he say anything?
Not a word.
All I remember...
When he was...
assaulting me,
I could see the toes of his
boots covered with paint.
Six days ago?
Yeah. Tuesday, I visited my mother,
and got a beer on the way home.
Okay, when you stopped at the bar...
do you remember anybody
asking you about your
wife or your family?
Earlier that evening.
Tall guy, white, thuggish, trying to pry.
I shut that down.
My two worlds must run on
separate tracks. You understand?
Yeah. I'm just trying to catch this guy.
Thanks for waiting. What do we have?
Well, four victims, all assaulted
after leaving bars in Hell's Kitchen.
The perp knows the neighborhood.
He surprises all his vics
in isolated, scaffolded areas.
All tased and assaulted with a bottle.
And this hasn't gotten
to the grand jury why?
Because these victims won't testify.
They'll testify if we subpoena them.
Counselor, these men lead double lives
that we ought not force them to reveal.
They are helping us to find the pattern.
Right, the first three assaults
were on Tuesday nights.
Mathis was last Friday.
So Mathis is the only one
who saw his assailants come forward.
The other three only remember
a tense interaction with a big,
red-haired man at their bars.
And this is who they saw.
That's Mathis' sketch.
You've noticed the sketches diverge?
The MO is different too.
Mathis saw the guy.
He also heard him
say gay and racist slurs.
Which could be our perp
escalating or devolving...
- Or both.
- Right.
We can't have another assault.
Today's Tuesday.
We flood the zone tonight.
Chief, I don't have the manpower.
You will now. I'll borrow UCs
from Street Crimes
for every bar on the list.
Black UCs that read
as upper middle class,
late 30s, sophisticated?
Not a lot of those in Street Crime.
You know what, Chief?
Don't take this the wrong way,
but you're his type.
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING] _
That's, what, the fifth guy in an hour?
The Chief can pull.
Look at you.
Handsome, sitting by yourself,
playing all so hard to get.
Gay bars, straight bars,
pickup lines are always so sad.
If you say so.
Please.
All right, it's almost closing time.
Chief did his job. Just not our night.
Okay, nothing from the UCs
at the other bars, either.
I'll text the captain.
You sure I can't buy you a drink?
Thanks, I'm waiting for a friend.
I can be your friend.
Another time.
Whoa, whoa, hold up, hold up.
Incoming.
Here we go.
Some guys can't take a hint.
Haven't seen you around here.
You can't been around here.
Buy you a drink?
Thanks. It's late.
Wish you'd come in earlier.
White guy, red hair.
Fits the profile.
Yeah, it does.
Gotta get home to the wife?
Am I that obvious?
Maybe not to her.
You know what? I really should go.
Safe home, Cinderella.
What happens after midnight?
You turn straight?
Let's move.
No, you stay put, Counselor.
You want to make yourself useful,
get that napkin for DNA.
- Rollins.
- On it.
All eyes.
The suspect is following the Chief.
He's wearing a denim shirt,
jeans, and work boots.
Waiting for your prince?
Got something for you.
Hey! NYPD. Put it down.
Drop it. Drop the weapon.
Get your hands up.
Jeez. I was going for a walk.
- You all right, Chief?
- Glad you made it before he tased me.
I didn't do anything wrong, man.
It's for protection.
Keep talking, Prince Charming.
You're under arrest.
Just 'cause it's got a rainbow flag,
I'm not supposed to go into a bar
built with brick my grandfather laid?
I grew up in Hell's Kitchen.
Before these people came here...
These people.
What, gay people, or black people?
Or both?
You like seeing the
neighborhood change like that?
Put the bait and tackle
back in the box, Detective.
My client just wants
to clear this up and go home.
Sure. The bartender says
you're a regular on Tuesdays.
Yeah, I see my parole officer
on Tuesdays,
do my urine test,
I treat myself to a few beers after.
To be clear,
the urine test
is for narcotics, not alcohol.
- You're right.
- Right?
Moran was released
from Greenhaven four months ago
after a three-year bid on assault.
He's got a rap sheet
going back to his childhood.
Sexual assaults or hate crimes?
Neither, but he fits the profile.
And he obviously has
a problem with gays and blacks.
We caught him following Garland
with a stun gun in his hand,
and a bottle in his pocket.
I know the attorney.
He'll find the holes.
Call the victims and do a lineup.
Well, the first three
can only put him at the bar.
They didn't see their assailant.
But Mathis did?
Bring him in.
My brother's still got a way to go.
I don't know if now is a good time.
It's gonna have to be.
Mathis.
Hey. I'm Detective Rollins.
This is Sergeant Tutuola, you remember.
Looking better.
Yeah. What's been helping,
the love of my fans.
My friends.
I feel so blessed.
And creatively, it's opened him up.
He's working on a new album, "Phoenix."
It's all about metamorphosis.
The healing.
Well, this may make you feel better.
We have a suspect.
Oh, word?
Th-that's great.
What's his deal? Did he confess?
No, not yet, but...
You're the only one that's seen his face.
Nah, it was dark, so I don't know if...
Yeah, and Dr. Freeman,
that's Mathis' psychiatric advocate,
she doesn't want him triggered.
Don't worry about that.
There's a two-way mirror.
You can see them, they can't see you.
We need you to step up.
Okay, yeah.
Yeah, whatever you guys need, I'm in.
Great.
Take your time.
Number... number three?
Are you saying that it's number three?
Am I?
Actually...
It was number six.
Wait, was it... was it three?
What is this, Counselor, phone a friend?
Just saying what everyone's thinking.
Hold up, hold up.
You know what? I know what's wrong.
I turned, and then I got a glimpse.
Okay.
So I was like this.
Number two.
No.
- Number four.
- Okay.
No further questions.
Well, tomorrow is another day.
We're gonna go out this way.
Walk you out?
How'd it go?
Not great.
Doesn't surprise me.
Listen, on the drive over here...
he kept asking what number
the perp was gonna be.
The detective told me that she'd never
had a victim ask that before.
Okay, he was nervous.
Cross-racial IDs are always difficult.
We caught Moran with a stun gun.
But none of the other victims
have agreed to testify.
That puts Mathis front and center.
Moran's got an alibi for Friday night.
He said he was at a Mets game
with his ex-girlfriend.
An ex-con's ex-girlfriend.
I think you'll find a way
to deal with that.
Ms. Hadid, you warned me
that D'Angelo finds holes.
So fill them up after the arraignment.
The press knows we have a suspect.
This train's left the station.
Mr. Moran,
you're charged with four counts
of aggravated sexual abuse
in the first degree.
- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.
Your Honor, Mr. Moran
arrested while on parole.
It's a clear violation.
I'm sorry you didn't learn your lesson.
Remand to Rikers.
I'll get to you as quickly as I can.
Hey, Carisi.
I always liked you as a cop,
so here's a tip.
Your star witness is lying.
I mean, demonstrably.
You should save that for trial.
Oh, it'll come out before then.
Right now, I'm trying to decide
between CNN and Fox.
You got a preference?
A bizarre twist today
in the alleged tasing
and sexual assault
of pop superstar Mathis.
Security footage has surfaced
of his brother Aygon
purchasing a stun gun from this store.
Dumbass used his corporate credit card.
D'Angelo must've known
to go looking for his.
Did somebody tip him off?
Moran told him that he didn't do Mathis,
and he would know.
Moran's alibi check out?
Yeah, his ex took a selfie
of them and their kids
on the upper deck at Citi Field.
It's already all over Twitter.
#MathisMadeItUp.
So even if Moran is good
for the other three assaults...
Which he is.
Mathis poisoned the well.
Is this for real?
My brother buys a taser,
and now y'all think
I made the whole thing up.
No one here is saying that.
It's all over the news.
NYPD's trying to make me
look like a liar.
NYPD, or your brother?
He likes gadgets.
He has a drone, too.
And tasers are legal in New York State.
They are.
Any idea where your brother was
during the time of your attack?
I'm not his keeper.
You show know Moran has an alibi
for the night you were assaulted.
Okay, I see.
So y'all pick up the wrong guy,
and now you're trying
to make me carry the weight.
Okay, let's go over your story
and find out what we missed.
Maybe there's a copycat.
Huh? Maybe there's two guys out there.
Mathis, stop talking.
We came here to cooperate.
Is my client now a suspect in any way?
That remains to be seen.
- Then we're done.
- Whoa, whoa, listen.
We're just trying to get to the truth.
The truth is I was attacked!
Come on.
Brother, you saw me in the hospital.
The cuts, the burn.
I'm telling y'all this happened.
What that guy took from me
I can never get back.
Why in the hell would I make
something like that up?
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
He really believes it now.
You mean he's doubling down.
You gotta give him credit
for that copycat theory.
I think it's more likely
that he's the one
who copied the crime.
He's heard about these other assaults.
He piggybacked.
So we grill him until he admits it.
That's not gonna happen.
Can we at least agree
he didn't tase himself?
That's a good point.
So let's talk to Aygon.
He bought the stun gun. Ask him why.
_
Hey, Aygon.
Hey, buddy.
Hey. Hey, hey.
- Detective.
- Yeah, Rollins.
Working some stuff out, huh?
Must be stressful, your face in the news
like it is right now.
Well, tasers are legal in New York,
and I like gadgets. I have a drone.
Right, I heard.
It's just funny, you buying a taser
the same day your brother's attacked.
It's for protection.
Mathis told me he heard
about a guy attacking
some men at the studio.
Oh, so he knew about that
before he was attacked?
Probably from Twitter. He's always on.
Oh, okay. Well, another thing.
Our lab found some fingerprints
on the bottle
near the crime scene.
Those gonna turn out to be yours?
What's going on?
Mathis told you not to talk to anybody.
It's Vlad, right?
Can I ask you some questions?
No.
Everybody thinks Mathis is lying.
But I know that kid.
Did you know he was gay?
Oh, okay, that came as a bit of a shock.
I knew his family. They're church people.
I think he was just ashamed.
But he was brave enough to out himself
and say he was the victim of a crime.
Because of his integrity.
Only thing is, we don't think
that a crime took place.
You like Mathis, right?
I love him like a son.
The DA wants to come down on him hard.
Now, do you think your client
is so desperate for attention
that he would stage an attack?
'Cause we can subpoena your phone,
your email, your business records,
and if we find out
you were complicit in this...
I didn't know. I swear to God.
I thought he'd really been attacked.
Then you need to tell us
what you did know.
I didn't believe he was gay.
But TMZ was threatening to out him.
So he heard about the assaults
and he made a plan.
So why didn't TMZ break the story anyway?
I threw them some dirt
on a former client.
Crazy thing is, if you hadn't
found the actual guy,
this would've worked.
Last week, I was brutally assaulted
in this neighborhood.
When the NYPD asked me to come forward
at great personal cost,
I did the right thing
for the greater good.
What happens next?
They call me a liar.
[CROWD BOOING]
I'm heartsick
that the NYPD sees black men
as criminals and not victims.
[CROWD BOOING]
What the hell is this kid thinking?
He was gonna be outed.
He was getting in front of it.
He figured he could get
more sympathy as a victim.
Not from me. I want him in cuffs.
But, Chief, our other
actual victims are afraid.
So we go after Mathis,
then nobody comes forward.
It's too late for that.
If your other victims had been willing
to testify in the first place,
we wouldn't be here.
Okay, Ms. Hadid, you're new to SVU.
We don't blame victims here.
Human sexuality and criminal behavior
are a hell of a lot different
than securities fraud.
Thank you, Captain.
What I do know,
the longer this stays in the news cycle,
the longer we're standing here
with our junk in our hands.
- Excuse me?
- Oh, I'm sorry.
Egg on our faces?
Ms. Hadid, you're the one who
pushed Carisi in the first place.
Listen, all due respect,
but this feels like
a circular firing squad.
All Captain Benson is saying
is that we have an obligation
to make this case,
and Ms. Hadid is just reminding us
that the clock is ticking,
quickly and loudly.
The clock isn't ticking, Counselor.
It's blown up.
D'Angelo's already gotten a judge
to drop the charges
on the Mathis assault.
I don't see a path to
indictment on the other three.
It's there.
We just need to keep working the case.
I'll see if I can get you 24 hours
before the DA says drop the case.
With all due respect, Chief,
she is not my boss.
- You are.
- I am.
But she calls her boss,
and he calls my boss,
and the two of us are out
doing traffic stops
in Staten Island with Dodds.
I don't care about her exploding clock.
So...
talk to our other victims, find more.
I'm not letting this go.
Ken tried to get
DeVonn Thompson to come in.
- No dice.
- And I'm 0 for 2.
Marcus, Talbot, they won't
return my phone calls.
And we can't run the rape
kits without their permission.
Any evidence from the crime scene?
The only bottle CSU found was Mathis',
and that's just gonna end up
having his DNA
and Aygon's prints on it.
Did you recheck security cams?
Yeah, Moran grew up there, though.
He skirted the cams like a guy
staying dry in the rain.
Hadid gave us till end of day.
So go back to 9th Avenue,
see if any of the bartenders,
any of the patrons can put
Moran with the other vics.
We can try, but after Mathis,
their walls are up.
Can you blame us?
I came to you because of Mathis.
And now because of him,
even if I did testify...
who would believe me?
Ken said something I left out.
Could be helpful.
Talk to me.
You remember the first time
I told you I met Moran?
I was outside the bar, smoking.
I left out a part.
He followed me back into the bar...
then the bathroom.
He got down on his knees...
unzipped my pants.
Was that consensual?
Very.
I know I'm repressed, but...
once we started, he really let go.
Then what happened?
I went back to the bar.
I took a picture of us.
It was like Jekyll and Hyde.
He just... snapped.
I got out of there. Fast.
Now, this wasn't the same
night he assaulted you.
No, I ran into him
at the bar a month later.
I got out of there, but...
he must've followed me.
That explains a lot,
but unless DeVonn testifies,
that photo's inadmissible.
Let me call Carisi.
Maybe there's a way that
this gives him some leverage.
_
Plea bargain?
After your star client
has just been outed,
pun intended,
as the biggest liar since Pinocchio?
Forget Mathis.
Well, I would, but he's on every channel.
And plus, none of your other victims
say they saw my client's face.
Actually, I have one
who did very clearly.
In fact, I got some evidence
that you are entitled to see.
Exculpatory?
Yes and no.
What the hell is this?
That's a photo of your client
with a man that he later victimized,
taken shortly after your client
dropped to his knees
and expertly gave
this gentleman oral sex.
That's a lie.
In the downstairs bathroom at Swank.
You two look pretty cozy.
You son of a bitch. Take that back.
Calm down, Jeff.
Look, this photo is probative of nothing.
I mean, you just said
the interaction was consensual.
I did.
And a jury will be told that as well.
They'll also hear the next time
your client saw his lover,
he followed him,
he demanded his phone,
and then he sodomized him in rage.
Is that right? [CHUCKLES]
Try finding a juror
who hasn't heard about Mathis.
Nobody's gonna believe any of this.
That is fair enough. I just want
to make sure that your client knows
what is gonna come out in a public trial.
Also...
I mean...
maybe the trial doesn't go his way.
It's a pretty difficult backstory
to carry into prison,
as I'm sure Mr. Moran knows.
I'm not gay.
He's bluffing. You're not going away.
Maybe not, but, Mr. Moran,
here's your choice.
Confess, and you go into prison
as a straight man who assaults gays.
Or this goes to trial.
And everybody hears that you're
a self-loathing homosexual
who gets angry after he
services black men in bars.
As your attorney once said to me...
what's your preference?
Chief.
I have good news, and better news.
I heard you about being short-handed.
I'm getting SVU a white shield.
A white shield?
You mean somebody that's not a detective.
You'll both be great mentors.
Also, Ms. Hadid just called to thank me.
Jeffrey Moran took a plea.
He'll do seven years for sexual abuse 1.
So nobody has to testify.
That is great news.
Any thoughts on what changed his mind?
Um...
It's kind of a "don't ask, don't tell."
All right.
I'll take the win.
But next, we need to pursue
charges against Mathis.
We have to send a message.
And what message is that?
False reporting is extremely rare.
We keep this in the news,
and survivors are going to be afraid
that they won't be believed.
So Mathis never pays
for the damage he's caused?
He's paying.
Plenty.
For what it's worth, my Deputy Chief
wanted to put you in jail,
but we talked him out of it.
What, I'm supposed to thank you?
I didn't make this up.
Look, I don't know why
you did what you did,
but it's coming from a bad place.
This where you tell me
that you're disappointed in me?
That I screwed everything up?
Not everything.
I was talking to my captain.
If you hadn't ever came forward,
we would've never caught Moran.
That's true.
Nobody remembers that.
The whole world's just laughing at me.
Not me.
See, I know something was done to you.
It ain't about this time.
It ain't about this thing.
But you gotta deal
with whatever happened to you
in your past that brought you here.
♪ ♪
That's on you.
♪ ♪
Come in, hurry up. Class has started.
Hurry up, you're late.
Get in line, please.
Oh, hi. Can I help you?
I want to dance.
Um, uh, this is Noah,
and we're here for our first dance class.
Okay, great. Come on in.
Hurry up, you're late.
- Sorry.
- Get in line, get in line.
Can you see me?
Good? Ready?
Chin up.
And plié. And stretch.
Plié. And stretch.
Ribs in. Plié.
Stretch.
Go to second position.
Plié. Stretch.
And chin up.
Stretch.
Go to second. Plié.
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.
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING]
Another one?
And he waited three days to go to the ER?
And he won't report.
Okay, okay, I know, I know.
Confidentiality.
All right, understood.
NOAH: Hey, guys, wait up.
Hey, Noah, wait up.
Fin, I just heard from a nurse at Mercy.
There's another attack in Hell's Kitchen.
Black male, tased.
- He filing a complaint?
- No.
Then what are we supposed to do?
Your son still works at the
gay men's crisis center, right?
LGBTQ, as Ken reminds me.
So talk to him, right?
If we're hearing about this,
you know he is.
- Okay.
- Yeah, thanks.
Hey, honey. Let's go.
Mom, I don't want to go to practice.
Why not, honey? You feeling okay?
I mean, ever.
I don't like baseball.
You don't like baseball? Since when?
You love playing with Peter.
You love being on the team.
But now it's boring.
That looks like fun.
[MUFFLED HIP-HOP MUSIC]
♪ ♪
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING] _
Hang in there.
Call anytime. I'm here.
Dad, what's up?
Can't I just stop by?
Of course.
Uh, have a seat.
Jaden was just talking about you.
Yeah? He like that shirt I got him?
He'll grow into it.
[LAUGHS]
So, why are you here?
There's a rumor about a serial
predator working the gay bars.
In Hell's Kitchen.
Yeah. The victims
are all black, professional,
and everybody's talking about it.
But no one wants to talk, I know.
So do you think you can get somebody
to file a police report?
I can't.
These men, and I shouldn't
even tell you this much,
have wives, kids.
Oh, they're on the low.
That's why he's targeting them.
He knows they don't want to speak up.
Well, tell them we'll do our best
to keep their case confidential.
I'm their advocate, Dad, not yours.
Yeah, but if nobody says anything,
he has no reason to stop.
[CHEERING]
What's going on?
Of course. Good afternoon.
Yeah. Of course. Of course, I got you.
Thank you. We have to get going.
Yeah. All right, we good?
All right, y'all.
Keep it real, keep it real.
[CHEERING]
[CELL PHONE CHIRPING]
Oh, God. Look.
Oh, come on, man. Not right now, Fisch.
Then when? This is not going away.
Yeah, it is.
What are you talking about?
Hasn't everything worked out till now?
Don't bring my brother down, Fisch.
All you do is worry.
That's my job.
That's your job, huh?
Yeah, go home.
All right, have some wine, hug your wife.
Hey, yo, Vlad.
Vlad, pull over right here.
- No, Math.
- Look, I need some air.
All right, I'm just gonna walk.
See you tomorrow?
All right.
- All right.
- I trust you.
- Tell your wife hello.
- Be careful.
I will tell her hello.
- Have that wine.
- I will.
All right.
Where are you going?
It's all good, Vlad.
[UPBEAT POP MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
Hey.
Hey, you look like Mathis.
Nah, just got one of those faces, man.
Wait, you are Mathis?
This is you playing right now.
This is "Summer Sweat," my hype song.
I'm just not who you think I am.
Yes, you are. You're Mathis Brooks.
Okay, just relax, man.
Wait, can we take a selfie?
What? No. Hey, man, get that off me, man.
What's wrong with you?
Just taking a picture.
- Don't touch me.
- My bad, bro.
What's your problem, Mathis?
Hey, your song sucks, anyway.
Hey, look, it's Mathis.
Mathis Brooks! You don't want this?
That dude is... that dude is drunk, man.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪ ♪
We got a 1054, semi-conscious male
under the scaffolding
on the corner of 52nd and 9th.
Copy that, Central.
What do you wager?
Homeless or drunk?
Both.
Holy Mother...
[PANTING]
Please...
help me.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪ ♪
A serial rapist in Hell's Kitchen?
Yes, Chief, the victims are male.
He tases them,
and then he sodomizes them with a bottle.
We need to establish more of a pattern.
When did he start? How many assaults?
We don't know.
I'll try again.
How many reports have been filed?
None. We think he picks
his vics on the down-low
so he knows they don't want to report.
So are we divining it?
No, we're not divining it.
EMS calls, advocacy groups,
and the rumors are out there in gay bars.
I can't take rumors to CompStat.
I know, and I know that you just got here
and you don't want to report a spike
in assaults two weeks in, but...
That will never be my concern.
If stats go up, good.
It means people
trust us enough to disclose.
Thank you.
So what do you need?
Manpower for a wide canvass,
security cam checks.
I would like to augment with detectives
from Hate Crimes.
Well, they're spread thinner than SVU.
And if they'd heard about this,
they'd have looped me in.
So what do we do,
just wait on him to strike again?
No, we can be proactive.
Increase uniform patrols,
work your contacts.
Everything okay, Captain?
Detective Rollins
says that there's another vic
at Mercy Hospital.
So what's this new chief's deal?
Well, he's methodical, he's thoughtful,
and he's Ivy League educated.
So why is he a cop?
NYPD, coming through.
Step aside, please.
What's up with the paparazzi?
It turns out the vic is a celeb.
- Mathis...
- Mathis Brooks, the pop star?
Yeah.
Same pattern?
Close enough. Tased, beer bottle.
Hold on, I thought
Mathis Brooks was straight.
Yeah, I mean, as far as we know, he is,
but he was in the neighborhood,
and he has a gay following.
So the perp assumed,
the hospital called us.
Any chance he'll report?
I'm not sure, he's still in the ER,
and his brother and manager are here.
They're being protective.
We were recording at Slick
Beats till, like, 1:00 a.m.
Mathis, he's a perfectionist.
And where'd you go afterwards?
I went home.
Mathis needed air.
Mr. Fischer, there are a lot of gay bars
near where Mathis was assaulted.
Any chance he went into one?
Maybe. Mathis is friends with all types.
He's about all people being who they are.
He's an ally.
But he's not gay himself?
Mathis?
You know the women he goes out with?
One week, Halsey, next week, Ariana.
The kid...
pardon my French, gets more ass
than a toilet seat.
Outside the recording studio?
No one strange, really. It was all love.
Our man Vlad put us
into the SUV, no problem.
So the studio's
over by 11th Avenue, right?
Who got dropped off first?
Math got out on 9th.
Any idea where he might've gone?
After sessions,
he just likes to go on walks,
where he gets most of his ideas from.
Captain Benson.
Yes.
Mathis is ready to talk to you.
Great, that's good news.
Did you do a rape kit?
He's a little too traumatized
for that right now.
Understood.
I told him you guys were cool,
that you'd respect his privacy.
- You will, right?
- Absolutely.
Mathis, this is Captain Benson.
I told you about her.
Hi. And my sergeant.
Fin Tutuola. How you doing?
Honestly...
honestly, I'm still not in my body.
Mathis, I'll be right outside.
He's good people.
He said that you guys were, too.
Look, I don't know
if I could be of much help.
It all happened so fast.
No, if there's anything
that you remember,
anything at all would be great help.
I was...
I was under a scaffold, and...
I came to a zigzag in it...
and I heard somebody behind me,
so I turned
and that's when I felt this jolt.
We think that you were tased.
Knocked me off my feet.
Then the guy...
he bends me over the scaffold.
Pulled down my pants, and then...
It's okay.
Take your time.
He started yelling all these
horrible things at me.
He was calling me the F word.
And the N word.
You get a look at him
before you were tased?
I just got a glimpse of him.
He was a big, scary-looking guy.
White, black?
White.
Long hair, a beard, maybe, and a hoodie.
Like I said, it all happened so fast.
So, Mathis, you should know that we think
that the man who assaulted
you may be a serial predator.
- What?
- Yeah, he's attacking
black gay men in Hell's Kitchen.
That's horrible.
I mean, I'm not gay, but...
you mean just because
the color of my skin,
and because I was walking
down those streets...
Did you stop anywhere on your walk?
No.
No, I was...
I was just getting some air.
Like, that's all.
I'm walking after midnight.
You know what, guys, I'm sorry,
I'm getting really tired.
Do you think that we can do this later?
Of course.
If you remember anything else, call us.
Thank you.
He's crashing. Doesn't remember much.
Well, this may help.
I caught something on Instagram.
Mathis stopped by a bar last night.
Someone took a selfie.
Doesn't look too happy about that.
#SummerSweat.
I guess Mathis didn't walk straight home.
What, the cops are on Instagram?
Yeah, Mathis looked pretty
pissed at you in that picture.
No, no, those guys just forget
that their fans make them who they are.
Is that why you went at it with him?
The bartender said you threatened him.
No, that was just drama, all right?
I don't like tourists.
What do you mean?
Honey, Mathis is so deep in the closet,
he went past Narnia.
And that makes you mad?
They're saying security cam
saw Mathis leave the bar
after you two got into it.
And did you follow him?
No, I did not follow him.
- You didn't follow him?
- No, I...
I went uptown to meet someone.
Okay, someone got a name?
I didn't ask.
Listen, I'll pull up
his Grindr profile for you.
Spoiler alert.
He looks nothing like his picture.
We had a suspect who got into a
fight with Mathis at a gay bar.
So he didn't tell us
that he went into the bar.
I don't have to remind you
it's not unusual
for victims to leave out details
- that might make them look...
- Gay.
Is he straight, or claims to be?
He's not gonna cave
on that any time soon.
He's high profile.
We have a serial out there.
He has a civic obligation, Captain.
You want me to shame a celebrity
into coming out of the closet
so you can publicize the case?
I wouldn't say shame.
Motivate.
Excuse me.
Yo, I just want to thank all
my fans for the well wishes.
Look, I can't say too much
right now, but don't worry.
Your boy's gonna make it.
I'm gonna hit y'all later, okay?
Peace.
Hey, sorry about that.
My fans are concerned.
Well, so are we, Mathis.
Someone is out there, preying on gay men.
Gay men who are afraid to come forward,
to file a police report.
Mathis, your music means
a lot to people of all types.
If you were to come forward...
If you did that,
everyone would think he was gay.
Look, hold up, Fisch.
So you think that if I made
a public statement, that...
that it would matter?
No doubt.
More than you can imagine.
Come on, man.
Look, who cares if some people
choose to think that I'm gay?
This is bigger than Mathis now.
What happened to me can happen to anyone.
There's a predator out there.
It's targeting members of our community.
Our community. He outed himself.
I didn't think that
he was ready to go that far.
That's pretty brave.
Well, it's helping us.
I mean, the story went viral overnight.
This has led me to self-discovery.
Like many gay black men,
I felt compelled to live a lie.
I just want to thank you guys.
I looked into that man's eyes...
and I saw the hatred in his heart.
This experience,
even as horrible as it was...
Dad.
- Hey.
- Ken, good to see you.
This is DeVonn Thompson.
I told him anything he says here,
you'll keep confidential.
I was leaving a bar. "Swank."
In Hell's Kitchen?
It's low-key.
I mostly keep to myself.
Someone starts a conversation, okay.
Anybody talk to you that night?
No. I headed home.
I was going to the E train,
walked down under scaffolding,
and they said someone tased me.
Used a bottle.
I came to in the ambulance.
So you didn't get a look at him?
They say anything?
Not that I heard.
And how often do you go to this bar?
Tuesdays.
My family thinks I'm going out
with the choir after practice.
Has anyone ever approached you
on another Tuesday that seemed odd?
Yeah, actually...
about a month before,
I was outside smoking.
This white guy, drunk,
asked for a cigarette.
He saw they were menthol.
He gave me a hard time.
How so?
He said...
Your wife know you smoke those?
What, like he made you?
I got a bad vibe. Went back inside.
Is it possible that this guy was there
the night you were assaulted?
I didn't see him.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
- Hey.
- Excuse me.
Another vic called. A broker.
He saw Mathis on TV,
and he said I can come
downtown to talk to him
if I pretend to be a client.
So he's on the low too.
Ask him if he remembers
anyone asking about his wife.
My wife and my kids.
He asked if they'd be up when I got home.
Do you remember when this was?
July 23rd, Tuesday.
I came back into the city.
Okay. And you said he was blue-collar?
Rough, dirty-looking, reddish hair.
Could he have followed you?
I guess, but I didn't see who tased me.
What about his voice?
Did he say anything?
Not a word.
All I remember...
When he was...
assaulting me,
I could see the toes of his
boots covered with paint.
Six days ago?
Yeah. Tuesday, I visited my mother,
and got a beer on the way home.
Okay, when you stopped at the bar...
do you remember anybody
asking you about your
wife or your family?
Earlier that evening.
Tall guy, white, thuggish, trying to pry.
I shut that down.
My two worlds must run on
separate tracks. You understand?
Yeah. I'm just trying to catch this guy.
Thanks for waiting. What do we have?
Well, four victims, all assaulted
after leaving bars in Hell's Kitchen.
The perp knows the neighborhood.
He surprises all his vics
in isolated, scaffolded areas.
All tased and assaulted with a bottle.
And this hasn't gotten
to the grand jury why?
Because these victims won't testify.
They'll testify if we subpoena them.
Counselor, these men lead double lives
that we ought not force them to reveal.
They are helping us to find the pattern.
Right, the first three assaults
were on Tuesday nights.
Mathis was last Friday.
So Mathis is the only one
who saw his assailants come forward.
The other three only remember
a tense interaction with a big,
red-haired man at their bars.
And this is who they saw.
That's Mathis' sketch.
You've noticed the sketches diverge?
The MO is different too.
Mathis saw the guy.
He also heard him
say gay and racist slurs.
Which could be our perp
escalating or devolving...
- Or both.
- Right.
We can't have another assault.
Today's Tuesday.
We flood the zone tonight.
Chief, I don't have the manpower.
You will now. I'll borrow UCs
from Street Crimes
for every bar on the list.
Black UCs that read
as upper middle class,
late 30s, sophisticated?
Not a lot of those in Street Crime.
You know what, Chief?
Don't take this the wrong way,
but you're his type.
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING] _
That's, what, the fifth guy in an hour?
The Chief can pull.
Look at you.
Handsome, sitting by yourself,
playing all so hard to get.
Gay bars, straight bars,
pickup lines are always so sad.
If you say so.
Please.
All right, it's almost closing time.
Chief did his job. Just not our night.
Okay, nothing from the UCs
at the other bars, either.
I'll text the captain.
You sure I can't buy you a drink?
Thanks, I'm waiting for a friend.
I can be your friend.
Another time.
Whoa, whoa, hold up, hold up.
Incoming.
Here we go.
Some guys can't take a hint.
Haven't seen you around here.
You can't been around here.
Buy you a drink?
Thanks. It's late.
Wish you'd come in earlier.
White guy, red hair.
Fits the profile.
Yeah, it does.
Gotta get home to the wife?
Am I that obvious?
Maybe not to her.
You know what? I really should go.
Safe home, Cinderella.
What happens after midnight?
You turn straight?
Let's move.
No, you stay put, Counselor.
You want to make yourself useful,
get that napkin for DNA.
- Rollins.
- On it.
All eyes.
The suspect is following the Chief.
He's wearing a denim shirt,
jeans, and work boots.
Waiting for your prince?
Got something for you.
Hey! NYPD. Put it down.
Drop it. Drop the weapon.
Get your hands up.
Jeez. I was going for a walk.
- You all right, Chief?
- Glad you made it before he tased me.
I didn't do anything wrong, man.
It's for protection.
Keep talking, Prince Charming.
You're under arrest.
Just 'cause it's got a rainbow flag,
I'm not supposed to go into a bar
built with brick my grandfather laid?
I grew up in Hell's Kitchen.
Before these people came here...
These people.
What, gay people, or black people?
Or both?
You like seeing the
neighborhood change like that?
Put the bait and tackle
back in the box, Detective.
My client just wants
to clear this up and go home.
Sure. The bartender says
you're a regular on Tuesdays.
Yeah, I see my parole officer
on Tuesdays,
do my urine test,
I treat myself to a few beers after.
To be clear,
the urine test
is for narcotics, not alcohol.
- You're right.
- Right?
Moran was released
from Greenhaven four months ago
after a three-year bid on assault.
He's got a rap sheet
going back to his childhood.
Sexual assaults or hate crimes?
Neither, but he fits the profile.
And he obviously has
a problem with gays and blacks.
We caught him following Garland
with a stun gun in his hand,
and a bottle in his pocket.
I know the attorney.
He'll find the holes.
Call the victims and do a lineup.
Well, the first three
can only put him at the bar.
They didn't see their assailant.
But Mathis did?
Bring him in.
My brother's still got a way to go.
I don't know if now is a good time.
It's gonna have to be.
Mathis.
Hey. I'm Detective Rollins.
This is Sergeant Tutuola, you remember.
Looking better.
Yeah. What's been helping,
the love of my fans.
My friends.
I feel so blessed.
And creatively, it's opened him up.
He's working on a new album, "Phoenix."
It's all about metamorphosis.
The healing.
Well, this may make you feel better.
We have a suspect.
Oh, word?
Th-that's great.
What's his deal? Did he confess?
No, not yet, but...
You're the only one that's seen his face.
Nah, it was dark, so I don't know if...
Yeah, and Dr. Freeman,
that's Mathis' psychiatric advocate,
she doesn't want him triggered.
Don't worry about that.
There's a two-way mirror.
You can see them, they can't see you.
We need you to step up.
Okay, yeah.
Yeah, whatever you guys need, I'm in.
Great.
Take your time.
Number... number three?
Are you saying that it's number three?
Am I?
Actually...
It was number six.
Wait, was it... was it three?
What is this, Counselor, phone a friend?
Just saying what everyone's thinking.
Hold up, hold up.
You know what? I know what's wrong.
I turned, and then I got a glimpse.
Okay.
So I was like this.
Number two.
No.
- Number four.
- Okay.
No further questions.
Well, tomorrow is another day.
We're gonna go out this way.
Walk you out?
How'd it go?
Not great.
Doesn't surprise me.
Listen, on the drive over here...
he kept asking what number
the perp was gonna be.
The detective told me that she'd never
had a victim ask that before.
Okay, he was nervous.
Cross-racial IDs are always difficult.
We caught Moran with a stun gun.
But none of the other victims
have agreed to testify.
That puts Mathis front and center.
Moran's got an alibi for Friday night.
He said he was at a Mets game
with his ex-girlfriend.
An ex-con's ex-girlfriend.
I think you'll find a way
to deal with that.
Ms. Hadid, you warned me
that D'Angelo finds holes.
So fill them up after the arraignment.
The press knows we have a suspect.
This train's left the station.
Mr. Moran,
you're charged with four counts
of aggravated sexual abuse
in the first degree.
- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.
Your Honor, Mr. Moran
arrested while on parole.
It's a clear violation.
I'm sorry you didn't learn your lesson.
Remand to Rikers.
I'll get to you as quickly as I can.
Hey, Carisi.
I always liked you as a cop,
so here's a tip.
Your star witness is lying.
I mean, demonstrably.
You should save that for trial.
Oh, it'll come out before then.
Right now, I'm trying to decide
between CNN and Fox.
You got a preference?
A bizarre twist today
in the alleged tasing
and sexual assault
of pop superstar Mathis.
Security footage has surfaced
of his brother Aygon
purchasing a stun gun from this store.
Dumbass used his corporate credit card.
D'Angelo must've known
to go looking for his.
Did somebody tip him off?
Moran told him that he didn't do Mathis,
and he would know.
Moran's alibi check out?
Yeah, his ex took a selfie
of them and their kids
on the upper deck at Citi Field.
It's already all over Twitter.
#MathisMadeItUp.
So even if Moran is good
for the other three assaults...
Which he is.
Mathis poisoned the well.
Is this for real?
My brother buys a taser,
and now y'all think
I made the whole thing up.
No one here is saying that.
It's all over the news.
NYPD's trying to make me
look like a liar.
NYPD, or your brother?
He likes gadgets.
He has a drone, too.
And tasers are legal in New York State.
They are.
Any idea where your brother was
during the time of your attack?
I'm not his keeper.
You show know Moran has an alibi
for the night you were assaulted.
Okay, I see.
So y'all pick up the wrong guy,
and now you're trying
to make me carry the weight.
Okay, let's go over your story
and find out what we missed.
Maybe there's a copycat.
Huh? Maybe there's two guys out there.
Mathis, stop talking.
We came here to cooperate.
Is my client now a suspect in any way?
That remains to be seen.
- Then we're done.
- Whoa, whoa, listen.
We're just trying to get to the truth.
The truth is I was attacked!
Come on.
Brother, you saw me in the hospital.
The cuts, the burn.
I'm telling y'all this happened.
What that guy took from me
I can never get back.
Why in the hell would I make
something like that up?
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
He really believes it now.
You mean he's doubling down.
You gotta give him credit
for that copycat theory.
I think it's more likely
that he's the one
who copied the crime.
He's heard about these other assaults.
He piggybacked.
So we grill him until he admits it.
That's not gonna happen.
Can we at least agree
he didn't tase himself?
That's a good point.
So let's talk to Aygon.
He bought the stun gun. Ask him why.
_
Hey, Aygon.
Hey, buddy.
Hey. Hey, hey.
- Detective.
- Yeah, Rollins.
Working some stuff out, huh?
Must be stressful, your face in the news
like it is right now.
Well, tasers are legal in New York,
and I like gadgets. I have a drone.
Right, I heard.
It's just funny, you buying a taser
the same day your brother's attacked.
It's for protection.
Mathis told me he heard
about a guy attacking
some men at the studio.
Oh, so he knew about that
before he was attacked?
Probably from Twitter. He's always on.
Oh, okay. Well, another thing.
Our lab found some fingerprints
on the bottle
near the crime scene.
Those gonna turn out to be yours?
What's going on?
Mathis told you not to talk to anybody.
It's Vlad, right?
Can I ask you some questions?
No.
Everybody thinks Mathis is lying.
But I know that kid.
Did you know he was gay?
Oh, okay, that came as a bit of a shock.
I knew his family. They're church people.
I think he was just ashamed.
But he was brave enough to out himself
and say he was the victim of a crime.
Because of his integrity.
Only thing is, we don't think
that a crime took place.
You like Mathis, right?
I love him like a son.
The DA wants to come down on him hard.
Now, do you think your client
is so desperate for attention
that he would stage an attack?
'Cause we can subpoena your phone,
your email, your business records,
and if we find out
you were complicit in this...
I didn't know. I swear to God.
I thought he'd really been attacked.
Then you need to tell us
what you did know.
I didn't believe he was gay.
But TMZ was threatening to out him.
So he heard about the assaults
and he made a plan.
So why didn't TMZ break the story anyway?
I threw them some dirt
on a former client.
Crazy thing is, if you hadn't
found the actual guy,
this would've worked.
Last week, I was brutally assaulted
in this neighborhood.
When the NYPD asked me to come forward
at great personal cost,
I did the right thing
for the greater good.
What happens next?
They call me a liar.
[CROWD BOOING]
I'm heartsick
that the NYPD sees black men
as criminals and not victims.
[CROWD BOOING]
What the hell is this kid thinking?
He was gonna be outed.
He was getting in front of it.
He figured he could get
more sympathy as a victim.
Not from me. I want him in cuffs.
But, Chief, our other
actual victims are afraid.
So we go after Mathis,
then nobody comes forward.
It's too late for that.
If your other victims had been willing
to testify in the first place,
we wouldn't be here.
Okay, Ms. Hadid, you're new to SVU.
We don't blame victims here.
Human sexuality and criminal behavior
are a hell of a lot different
than securities fraud.
Thank you, Captain.
What I do know,
the longer this stays in the news cycle,
the longer we're standing here
with our junk in our hands.
- Excuse me?
- Oh, I'm sorry.
Egg on our faces?
Ms. Hadid, you're the one who
pushed Carisi in the first place.
Listen, all due respect,
but this feels like
a circular firing squad.
All Captain Benson is saying
is that we have an obligation
to make this case,
and Ms. Hadid is just reminding us
that the clock is ticking,
quickly and loudly.
The clock isn't ticking, Counselor.
It's blown up.
D'Angelo's already gotten a judge
to drop the charges
on the Mathis assault.
I don't see a path to
indictment on the other three.
It's there.
We just need to keep working the case.
I'll see if I can get you 24 hours
before the DA says drop the case.
With all due respect, Chief,
she is not my boss.
- You are.
- I am.
But she calls her boss,
and he calls my boss,
and the two of us are out
doing traffic stops
in Staten Island with Dodds.
I don't care about her exploding clock.
So...
talk to our other victims, find more.
I'm not letting this go.
Ken tried to get
DeVonn Thompson to come in.
- No dice.
- And I'm 0 for 2.
Marcus, Talbot, they won't
return my phone calls.
And we can't run the rape
kits without their permission.
Any evidence from the crime scene?
The only bottle CSU found was Mathis',
and that's just gonna end up
having his DNA
and Aygon's prints on it.
Did you recheck security cams?
Yeah, Moran grew up there, though.
He skirted the cams like a guy
staying dry in the rain.
Hadid gave us till end of day.
So go back to 9th Avenue,
see if any of the bartenders,
any of the patrons can put
Moran with the other vics.
We can try, but after Mathis,
their walls are up.
Can you blame us?
I came to you because of Mathis.
And now because of him,
even if I did testify...
who would believe me?
Ken said something I left out.
Could be helpful.
Talk to me.
You remember the first time
I told you I met Moran?
I was outside the bar, smoking.
I left out a part.
He followed me back into the bar...
then the bathroom.
He got down on his knees...
unzipped my pants.
Was that consensual?
Very.
I know I'm repressed, but...
once we started, he really let go.
Then what happened?
I went back to the bar.
I took a picture of us.
It was like Jekyll and Hyde.
He just... snapped.
I got out of there. Fast.
Now, this wasn't the same
night he assaulted you.
No, I ran into him
at the bar a month later.
I got out of there, but...
he must've followed me.
That explains a lot,
but unless DeVonn testifies,
that photo's inadmissible.
Let me call Carisi.
Maybe there's a way that
this gives him some leverage.
_
Plea bargain?
After your star client
has just been outed,
pun intended,
as the biggest liar since Pinocchio?
Forget Mathis.
Well, I would, but he's on every channel.
And plus, none of your other victims
say they saw my client's face.
Actually, I have one
who did very clearly.
In fact, I got some evidence
that you are entitled to see.
Exculpatory?
Yes and no.
What the hell is this?
That's a photo of your client
with a man that he later victimized,
taken shortly after your client
dropped to his knees
and expertly gave
this gentleman oral sex.
That's a lie.
In the downstairs bathroom at Swank.
You two look pretty cozy.
You son of a bitch. Take that back.
Calm down, Jeff.
Look, this photo is probative of nothing.
I mean, you just said
the interaction was consensual.
I did.
And a jury will be told that as well.
They'll also hear the next time
your client saw his lover,
he followed him,
he demanded his phone,
and then he sodomized him in rage.
Is that right? [CHUCKLES]
Try finding a juror
who hasn't heard about Mathis.
Nobody's gonna believe any of this.
That is fair enough. I just want
to make sure that your client knows
what is gonna come out in a public trial.
Also...
I mean...
maybe the trial doesn't go his way.
It's a pretty difficult backstory
to carry into prison,
as I'm sure Mr. Moran knows.
I'm not gay.
He's bluffing. You're not going away.
Maybe not, but, Mr. Moran,
here's your choice.
Confess, and you go into prison
as a straight man who assaults gays.
Or this goes to trial.
And everybody hears that you're
a self-loathing homosexual
who gets angry after he
services black men in bars.
As your attorney once said to me...
what's your preference?
Chief.
I have good news, and better news.
I heard you about being short-handed.
I'm getting SVU a white shield.
A white shield?
You mean somebody that's not a detective.
You'll both be great mentors.
Also, Ms. Hadid just called to thank me.
Jeffrey Moran took a plea.
He'll do seven years for sexual abuse 1.
So nobody has to testify.
That is great news.
Any thoughts on what changed his mind?
Um...
It's kind of a "don't ask, don't tell."
All right.
I'll take the win.
But next, we need to pursue
charges against Mathis.
We have to send a message.
And what message is that?
False reporting is extremely rare.
We keep this in the news,
and survivors are going to be afraid
that they won't be believed.
So Mathis never pays
for the damage he's caused?
He's paying.
Plenty.
For what it's worth, my Deputy Chief
wanted to put you in jail,
but we talked him out of it.
What, I'm supposed to thank you?
I didn't make this up.
Look, I don't know why
you did what you did,
but it's coming from a bad place.
This where you tell me
that you're disappointed in me?
That I screwed everything up?
Not everything.
I was talking to my captain.
If you hadn't ever came forward,
we would've never caught Moran.
That's true.
Nobody remembers that.
The whole world's just laughing at me.
Not me.
See, I know something was done to you.
It ain't about this time.
It ain't about this thing.
But you gotta deal
with whatever happened to you
in your past that brought you here.
♪ ♪
That's on you.
♪ ♪
Come in, hurry up. Class has started.
Hurry up, you're late.
Get in line, please.
Oh, hi. Can I help you?
I want to dance.
Um, uh, this is Noah,
and we're here for our first dance class.
Okay, great. Come on in.
Hurry up, you're late.
- Sorry.
- Get in line, get in line.
Can you see me?
Good? Ready?
Chin up.
And plié. And stretch.
Plié. And stretch.
Ribs in. Plié.
Stretch.
Go to second position.
Plié. Stretch.
And chin up.
Stretch.
Go to second. Plié.