Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 23, Episode 6 - The Five Hundredth Episode - full transcript
In the criminal
justice system,
sexually based offenses are
considered especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives
who investigate
these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as
the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
I really wish
you would consider
getting out of that unit.
Come on, Mother.
Let's not tonight.
Do you think
this is healthy for you?
You were raped,
for God's sake.
If your mom were still alive,
how old would she be?
Uh, my mother, Serena,
would have been 77.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
And you were already
a detective when she died?
I was.
Did she like
that you were a detective?
Well, it sounds like
you're being the detective now.
- Do you miss her?
- Yeah.
'Cause she was
a good mom like you.
Noah, you should know by now
that no one's
as good a mom as I am.
Mom, not at school.
- Love you.
- I love you.
Have a good day.
Put your mask on.
Sorry I was late.
I...
So I'm walking Noah
to school...
- Mm-hmm.
- And...
out of the blue,
he asked me about my mother.
You went with short answer?
- Yeah.
- Good.
So what is this
about a suspect?
He walked himself in.
He hasn't confessed yet,
but he says
he will only speak
to the captain.
And heads up,
this guy's a charmer.
- I'm guilty.
- Oh, my God, Nick.
- Whose idea was this?
- Mine.
What, you're captain now,
you don't like surprises?
I've never liked surprises.
- Hey.
- Hey.
What brings you to New York?
Work, a job I've been on
the last few years.
- A company called FORYM.
- Yeah.
I thought you were a PI.
No, I told you he went back
to grad school.
In genetics
and forensic science.
We test DNA samples
that used to be considered
too small or too degraded.
Solving cold cases.
That... seems like
a good fit for you.
Which means
we can work together again.
Nick has an old SVU case
that he wants to reopen.
1996,
Haley West is 15 years old.
Raped and strangled
on prom night.
Hold on,
this was one of Cragen's.
I remember... I remember him
talking about it.
But is it cold?
Didn't they catch
the... the boyfriend?
Ian Ridley, yes.
He actually did confess,
and he's still doing time,
but he recanted at sentencing,
and the only DNA
found on Haley's body
was from his saliva.
I was approached
by a true crime writer
looking into
wrongful convictions.
He asked me if we could try
to salvage old DNA,
so I'm coming to you.
Well, let's pull the files,
see if anything's there.
654.
West.
Haley West, right here.
Wow, she's so young.
And a sweet face.
Haley's mother
never got over losing her.
Ian's not the killer.
Hm, Burton Lowe,
the writer, he's here.
Nick, I thought you said
this place was a dump.
Ah, well, they've
fixed it up since I left.
Burton Lowe,
Detective Amanda Rollins.
- How do you do?
- Hi.
Captain's waiting for us.
Captain,
Nick's writer is here.
- Burton.
- Olivia.
- You haven't changed.
- Neither have you.
And now that we've established
that we're both liars...
Nick, you didn't tell me
that your crime writer
was... was Burton Lowe.
Should I have?
Um, we are old friends.
From a lifetime ago.
*LAW AND ORDER
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT*
*LAW AND ORDER SVU*
Season 23 Episode 06
Episode Title: "The Five Hundredth Episode"
Aired on: October 21, 2021.
My mother
was an English professor.
When I was 16, I started
dating one of her students.
He was a senior.
He was 21 years old,
and he asked me to marry him.
Look at this.
Serena would be proud.
Well, if you recall,
that wasn't
Serena's strong suit.
No, it wasn't, was it?
- Anyway, Haley West.
- Yeah.
Yes, of course.
Please have a seat.
So I called
my former captain, Cragen,
and he said
that the boyfriend...
- Ian Ridley.
- Confessed within 48 hours.
He did, but he was 18,
concussed, traumatized...
Concussed?
His initial story was that he
and Haley were making out
when an unknown assailant
knocked him out.
When he came to,
Haley was gone.
And they found
her strangled, beaten body
two hours later
in Fort Tyron Park.
My take, he was probably
so guilt-ridden
about what happened.
He convinced himself
that he did it?
Mm-hmm.
How'd you
get involved, Burton?
Ian's mother wrote to me
before she died.
I promised her
I'd do right by him.
At his parole hearing,
the board was ready to release
Ian if he showed contrition.
When it was time for Ian
to apologize, he couldn't.
25 years behind bars,
two words away
from walking free,
and instead he says,
"I believe in two things,
the truth and miracles.
I know the truth,
and I need a miracle."
New DNA technology
can be that miracle.
If there's even 15 cells
from the original sample,
my company can tease out
a genetic profile.
- After 25 years?
- Oh, yeah.
I'll need to call Carisi.
That's our ADA.
Understood.
Here you go.
I had to send my gnomes
deep into the crypt
- to get this out.
- I owe you, Melinda.
Once an SVU detective,
always an SVU detective.
You're lucky
this wasn't tossed.
You do know
this is a closed case.
Yeah, we know
that the saliva
on Haley West
matched Ian Ridley.
We're just... we're hoping there
might be some other samples.
Barely... there was a trace
of seminal fluid
- in the autopsy rape kit.
- And it was never tested?
The quantity
was too low in '96,
and, as is stated here,
the suspect confessed.
M.E. Rogers had no reason
to perform more testing.
- But it's still viable?
- Maybe.
The kit sat
in freezer purgatory
this whole time.
As DNA degrades,
it's much harder to analyze.
But with our new tech,
mixture deconvolution,
KinSNP analysis...
You get a chance
to rebuild the genetic profile.
Well, look at you, Dr. Amaro.
Doctor, no, not yet,
but I am working on it,
biophysics.
Yeah, it's good to see you.
And thank you for this.
Cognitive reenactment?
How'd you get a judge
to sign off on this?
Oh, I didn't.
I pulled a favor
from an ADA
who used to be
one of my detectives.
An ADA, a geneticist...
Your ex-detectives go places.
Well, I wish they wouldn't,
because, as my mother
used to say, everyone leaves.
Serena was a little dark.
You know, Burton,
if you needed help on a case,
you could've just told Nick
you knew me or gotten in touch.
I guess I was afraid
that you'd just say no
considering how we ended.
You know, my mother made me
write that letter to you
to break off our engagement.
She told me that you had
a real girlfriend in college.
I did not.
I was in love with you.
I told her that.
But you disappeared.
Oh, I wanted
to write you, to see you.
She told me if I even tried
to get in touch,
she'd have me
immediately expelled.
Well, then she lied
to both of us.
To be continued.
Hello, Ian.
This is Captain Benson
of the SVU.
Hey.
Mr. Lowe got you
to reopen my case?
If the detectives on the case
missed anything back then,
then I wanna find that out.
Okay, well, thank you.
I know it's been,
like, 25 years,
but I'm kind of...
Kind of freaked
to be back here.
That's... that's
completely normal, Ian.
Returning...
Returning to the scene
can trigger memories, right?
And that's why we're here.
So anything that comes
to your mind, a sound,
a smell, that can be helpful.
All right, guys, guys,
he's not going anywhere.
Yeah, just give him a minute.
Prom night.
Haley and I booked it out here
past the chaperones.
I snuck a bottle of champagne.
We just wanted to be...
We just wanted
to be together alone, you know.
Okay, so what kind
of night was it?
Warm, pitch dark.
These lights...
They weren't here back then.
So I lit a cigarette.
Haley looked so pretty
in the dark.
Then we started kissing.
Okay.
Kissing and then?
Well, then we went
under the bleachers
to, you know, go further.
- But you didn't get that far?
- No.
Haley...
Haley was leaning
against that post.
I was kissing her.
I had my eyes closed and then...
Okay, Ian, your eyes
were closed.
Did you hear anything?
Yeah,
footsteps on the gravel,
then somebody bashing me
on the skull.
I remember Haley screaming,
him dragging her,
and then
it all just went black.
- So you're there now.
- You're there now.
My ears were ringing.
There was blood everywhere.
I saw her corsage
in the grass over there.
Do you remember
calling the cops?
My parents did that.
I ran home.
They took me to St. Luke's.
I got 12 stitches.
And the cops
still thought you did it?
I was so messed up,
I thought maybe I did do it,
but I didn't.
I swear I didn't.
I loved Haley.
My whole life ended
the night that she died.
Haley.
It's okay.
He was 21 years old,
and he asked me to marry him,
and I said yes
because I wanted
to get away from my mother.
It's kind of interesting,
isn't it?
Him showing up
in your life now?
Stabler, Burton.
Something's going on.
Nothing's going on.
I mean, Burton is
obsessed with his work.
You realize
that his last podcast series...
- He got a man off death row.
- Yeah, I Googled him too.
You also saw that he just
split up with his girlfriend?
Yeah, the French journalist.
I did see that.
And right after,
out of all the cold cases,
he chooses one from SVU?
Because Ian Ridley
is innocent.
The rape kit sample
was corrupted,
but we did find a tiny amount
of seminal fluid
on her underwear,
enough to tease out
a genetic profile.
And it's not Ian's.
No, no,
we excluded him right away.
No hits in CODIS.
We're looking at RMNE.
So random man...
Not excluded.
- I know.
- Of course you do.
Then you also know
that the DA's office
is unlikely to exonerate Ian...
Without a viable suspect,
mm-hmm.
That's the downside of CODIS,
just doesn't have
all the answers.
But now that we have
a genetic profile,
FORYM can start a search
of multiple
geological databases
and ancestry sites.
With any luck,
we find distant relatives,
digital shoe leather.
So we start wide.
We bore in.
I mean, it's all
new bells and whistles,
but it's basically old school.
Work the tree.
- So I'm getting out of here?
- One step at a time, Ian.
The lab did find male DNA
on Haley's body
that wasn't yours.
Whose was it?
Well, we don't know that yet,
but someone
who uploaded their DNA
to a genealogical website
is a close relative,
either a brother or a cousin,
and we've identified
three possible suspects.
One of the men lived
in California at the time,
one in Ohio,
but one of the men was local.
In fact,
he worked at your high school.
Mr. Murray?
I mean,
he was the girls' tennis coach,
but there's no way he did this.
He loved Haley.
Well, like I told Liv,
Roger Murray
was never a suspect.
I mean, how solid
is this new tech?
It works, but we don't have
Murray's DNA yet.
We do have a familial match.
Captain, you interviewed him
three times... why?
Well, he was one of the last
people to see her alive.
He was a chaperone at the prom,
and he also said
that he saw Haley
and Ian get in a fight.
Hm.
Yeah, what else did he say?
Well, he said that Ian
was really weird,
couldn't get a date
in his own grade,
and that Haley
had confided in him
that she thought
he was kind of creepy.
And you believed Murray?
Well, I had no reason
not to, Amanda.
Ian confessed.
And Haley's mother has said
that Roger was like
a second father to that girl.
I've never changed one thing
about this room.
Helps me remember Haley
as she was,
not as a murder victim.
We're sorry if this brings up
any painful memories,
Mrs. West.
- They've never gone away.
- Mm-hmm.
She was an artist,
an athlete.
She loved tennis.
Roger Murray saw her potential.
What can you tell us
about him?
Well,
after my husband's death,
he saved me.
He tutored Haley on her SATs,
helped her
with college planning.
So they spent
a lot of time together?
Is this about
that writer and his podcast?
I told him I'd never let
my daughter's death
be entertainment someone
listens to while they work out.
We're only here as NYPD.
We're just trying
to give you some closure.
Closure?
My husband
and daughter are dead.
I'll never see Haley
walk down the aisle.
I'll never bake cookies
for my grandchildren.
And we can't change
what happened to Haley.
Hey, leave me alone.
Ian confessed.
And Roger sends me a card
every year
on the anniversary of her death
just to let me know...
I'm not mourning alone.
- Excuse me, Mr. Murray.
- Can I help you?
Yeah,
I'm ADA Dominic Carisi.
I was wondering if we could
talk to you about Haley West.
Yeah, her mother told me that
you guys were nosing around.
Look, I told everything
I knew to the police.
It was Ian Ridley.
Yeah, we know.
I'm Nick Amaro.
Yeah, my old captain, Cragen,
told me he appreciated
all your help back then.
That's why we're here.
I don't understand,
Ian's in prison.
Oh, he is,
but, you know,
he's trying for an appeal.
Yeah, he's trying to get
the DNA re-examined.
- Unbelievable.
- Yeah, tell us about it.
Look, as a precaution,
we're gathering samples
from anyone Hailey
interacted with that night,
and Haley's mom
told us you chaperoned.
- Yeah, I chaperoned, but...
- What's going on?
How you doing, ma'am?
I'm Dominic Carisi.
I'm with the DA's office.
Ian Ridley
is trying to reopen the case.
I mean,
it's a bunch of nonsense...
Which is why
we need your husband's help.
We know how much Haley
meant to him.
Roger, do whatever they ask.
Haley was beautiful
that night.
Her mother said that she was
like a daughter to you.
I loved that girl,
and I would never hurt her.
- She knew that.
- I'm sure she did, Mr. Murray.
You looked out for her.
You protected her.
That was all
I ever tried to do.
At the night of the prom?
I let her down.
I mean, I saw Ian
dragging her out.
I should've stopped him.
You should have, or you did?
Well, that was
a long time ago.
Uh, whatever I said back then,
that was the truth.
The thing is, Mr. Murray,
with this new DNA technology,
it picks up the tiniest amount.
Like, even if you were
to have touched her corsage...
Yeah,
and I might've done that.
Okay, that's helpful.
Yeah, and now
that I think about it, I did.
I touched her arm because I
pulled her away from him.
Well, was that at the dance
or on the field?
Just in case we find
your DNA on her corsage.
They found that at the field.
What, and they kept that?
No, I really don't remember,
but it... it might've been
after the... afterwards, sure.
So you did follow them.
It makes sense.
- You were worried about her.
- Haley gave me a look.
She was afraid of Ian,
and she wanted me
to protect her.
Which you always did.
Yeah,
and I was the only one.
I'm... no dad,
her mom overwhelmed,
and that Ian, he was a bad kid.
So you had
to follow her and Ian?
Yeah, and he
was all over her.
Hand on her... her breast.
His mouth everywhere.
You had to stop that
for Haley.
Who knows
what he might've done?
So, yeah, I stopped that.
I stopped that good.
How'd you stop Ian,
Mr. Murray?
'Cause we know Ian
was hit on the head.
They found
a bottle at the scene.
Yeah, it's champagne
because the... the kid
brought it himself.
She was only 15.
So you had to step in
for Haley.
I really don't remember,
and I'm gonna need my digitalis
and a lawyer.
All these years
lying to himself.
My guess: he was aroused.
She screamed.
He put his hand over her mouth.
- Okay.
- Sorry, my writer's head.
I'll tell Ian.
- Oh, let's wait for the DNA.
- Oh, right, right.
Wow, Olivia,
how do you do this?
It's a lot, you know,
but I spend time with my son.
I listen to music.
I go on walks when I can.
How about a walk now?
I could use one.
Give me a minute.
New York,
still my favorite city.
Not Paris?
Didn't you live there
with your girlfriend?
- Ex.
- Oh.
She may have ruined
that city for me.
An old man dating a young woman
always ends up
playing the fool.
- Have you been to France?
- I have, Paris once.
- Romantic trip?
- It was, actually.
Oh, is he
still in the picture?
He's not.
Well, here's my hotel.
Plaza?
Podcasting has been
very good to me.
You have time for a nightcap?
I could be persuaded.
Uh, I'm sorry.
That wasn't very gentlemanly.
I didn't mind.
When a father is absent,
it is not unusual
for a younger girl
to be attracted
to an older man.
That's what this is about?
It happens a lot more
than you think.
How old were you?
- Almost 17.
- And he was?
Older than 17.
Hey, beautiful.
Midnight snack?
Raided the minibar.
What you thinking about?
I'm just time-traveling.
Can you believe?
All those years,
and it didn't matter.
They added up.
Well, in certain places.
Do you know
what I think about
- when I think of you?
- What?
Us cycling
through Central Park,
picnicking on the Great Lawn
as night falls
and the city lights
surround us.
What?
That was a sweet night.
So is this.
Oh, I'm sorry.
That could be my nanny.
No, it's a text from Amaro.
"Good news.
The semen sample came back
"from Haley's underwear,
and it is a match
to Roger Murray."
I don't even know
how to respond to that.
Mm.
And it is my sitter.
I'm sorry.
I gotta go.
Listen, I will...
I will call Carisi,
and I will push him
to get Ian released.
Okay, he needs a lawyer.
And I know
exactly who to call.
My client
was completely absolved
by the DNA evidence.
He spent 25 years in prison
for a crime he didn't commit.
What possible reason
could there be for a delay?
The DA's office
is supportive.
We've agreed to release
Mr. Ridley from prison.
But you haven't vacated
the conviction.
You said Roger killed her.
He should pay
for what he did to Haley.
Yes, he should.
We all want justice,
but I can't
just declare Murray guilty
without due process.
You did it to Ian
25 years ago.
Burton, please.
Look, I'll ask
the judge to expedite,
but I'm gonna need
to start prepping my witnesses.
I'm happy to testify.
My expert witnesses.
Where's Amaro?
Well, thank you, counselor.
Before I put Ian in the car,
he told me
he feels safe in your hands.
I just wish he'd had
a real lawyer the first time.
It's gonna be
an adjustment for him.
He knows that.
Excuse me.
Showtime.
We get it.
I do have
a podcast to promote.
Two words of advice.
Watch yourself.
I used to have
clients in publishing.
He's got a reputation.
So just... eyes open.
Always.
- Captain.
- Liv, I'm glad I caught you.
I've been thinking
about Roger Murray.
Yeah, he's fighting
the DNA evidence.
That's why I'm calling.
He always felt so guilty about
letting down Haley's mother.
Make sure that she is
at that hearing tomorrow.
We'll do, Captain.
Thank you.
Well, thank you, Captain.
You don't know how proud
it makes me to say that.
Our company's Brooklyn lab
has New York State Department
of Health approval to perform
forensic DNA testing.
Thank you, Mr. Amaro.
And here is that certification,
Your Honor.
Thank you, Counselor Carisi.
Your Honor, again,
my client is a retired teacher
who spends Saturdays coaching
his granddaughter's
softball team
on a field
that's been named after him.
He still gets holiday cards
from kids he taught
three decades ago.
We're not addressing
any of that at this hearing.
The people
have presented their case.
Frankly, Your Honor, I worry
that the ADA and this court
are being used to publicize
this DNA company
before it goes public.
Enough, Mr. Roth.
I've heard your arguments,
and I've heard
this state's case.
I'm ruling
in favor of the state.
The DNA will be admissible
at trial.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I need to change my plea.
I want to change my plea.
Not the time.
Not the place, Mr. Murray.
Mr. Murray,
we can talk about this.
No, I don't wanna talk
about it anymore.
I killed that poor girl.
I'm sorry, Joyce.
I've... I've never
forgiven myself.
So is it over?
The judge will want Murray
to allocute,
make sure that the guilty plea
was knowing
and voluntary, but...
So, soon?
I'll speak to the DA,
insist it's time.
Congratulations.
To both of us.
I'm gonna call Ian,
and then dinner?
- That sounds great.
- Excuse me.
You're a Captain Benson,
the head of SVU?
I am.
Can I ask you
what you're doing
- working with a predator?
- I'm sorry?
Whoa, what's going on?
You don't
remember me, Burton?
Andrea Malone.
Yes, of course.
I remember you, Andrea.
You were
my editor's intern on...
On your last novel
10 years ago.
Ask him what he did
to me back then.
I was only 20 years old.
Andrea, if I've upset you
in some way,
this isn't
the time or the place.
Upset me?
You raped me.
I want him arrested.
Is she okay?
Did you talk her down?
No, Burton,
I didn't talk her down.
I listened to her.
Fin and Rollins
are taking her to the station
to get her statement.
Olivia, I swear to God,
I did not rape her.
Well, that's not
Andrea's recollection.
I haven't seen her
in 10 years.
I am completely blindsided
by this.
So you're saying that you two
were never involved.
- I'm not saying that.
- Burton, so what did happen?
We had a flirtation
the summer she worked
for my editor.
The night before
she went back to college,
I took her out for dinner
to say thanks.
We had a few drinks.
We ended up back
at my hotel room.
- It was completely consensual.
- And after?
She left later that night.
I gave her the cab fare home.
She never said a word.
I have never been
in this situation before.
Just tell me.
What do we do now?
We don't do anything.
I have to recuse myself
from the case.
My sergeant will call you
and let you know next steps.
Understood.
It was the night
before I left
for my senior year at Holyoke.
I tried to put it
out of my mind.
I managed to do that
for 10 years.
Why come forward now?
All the press
about the case,
Burton freeing an innocent man,
putting a rapist behind bars.
I thought, "How dare he?
He should be behind bars."
You interned for Burton?
No, for his editor,
Kristin Thorton.
I wanted to be a writer.
Burton would come
into the office.
We'd talk.
He asked me
who my favorite authors were.
He gave me books.
We talked about art, music.
He put a bunch of songs
on a zip drive for me.
"Girl from Ipanema."
- And the night of the assault?
- He took me to Balthazar.
A few martinis later,
we ended up at his hotel...
kissing.
I remember
lying back on the bed.
I was drunk.
I must have passed out,
because when I came back to,
he was inside me.
I just let him finish.
Have you ever told
anyone else about this?
No, not until today.
When I saw Burton,
I just went off on him
and your captain.
It's a 10-year-old
"he said, she said."
He wasn't violent,
but she was drunk.
She may not have been
capable of consent.
No outcry at the time.
No rape kit.
Well, if she's not capable
of consent, that's rape three,
but 10 years ago,
past the statute.
What did you tell her?
That we don't have enough
to arrest Burton.
Should I call Carisi and see
if he thinks there's a case?
He won't unless
other women come forward.
So call his publisher,
his editor,
and his podcast producer.
Want me to deal with Burton?
No, Fin, I... I'll talk to him.
Thank you.
I am so sorry.
This woman... is she credible?
She was.
Whether you can prove
its rape three, I don't know.
Burton was 50.
She was 20.
He spent the summer
grooming her.
How?
What... what did he do?
He solicited her opinion
about his novel,
took her out
to nice restaurants,
- gave her books, music.
- Music?
Yeah, like
a Brazilian compilation.
"Girl from Ipanema."
Older man move.
Getz and Gilberto's
"The Girl from Ipanema"...
♪ Tall and tan
and young and lovely ♪
♪ The girl from Ipanema
goes walking ♪
♪ And when she passes
♪ Each one
she passes goes "ah" ♪
"To the girl who's tall
and tan and young and lovely."
He gave you
"The Girl from Ipanema" too?
And I thought
he was so sophisticated.
Did you get anything?
All his editors
and publishers acknowledged
he's a ladies' man,
but no HR issues.
As of now.
Andrea posted
on her Instagram last night.
Saying what?
Saying that she thinks
that we're protecting Burton.
She gave the details
of her assault,
and five women replied
saying Burton
did the same thing to them.
I have their usernames
here somewhere,
but, well, you get the point.
♪
Burton's a stalker.
Our PR firm used to rep him.
I was an office assistant.
Can you elaborate
on the stalker part?
He brought me coffee,
then flowers,
got too close at events,
asked me out for drinks.
- One night, I gave in.
- He asked for a nightcap.
So you went
to his hotel room?
He came to mine
with champagne.
I let him in, and it happened.
Did you want to
have sex with him?
I didn't stop him.
You're asking
if he's a predator?
You wouldn't have come to me
if you thought otherwise.
♪
How many women so far?
With Alexandra and Stacey,
uh, eight or nine.
What do you have?
So all of the women say
they felt pressured,
uncomfortable.
None of them say
that he assaulted them.
- Okay, so he's not a rapist.
- Maybe not, but he's a creep.
Or an old-school player.
He played me, but had
to have known you worked here
when he asked me
to look at this case.
He used me to get to you.
Nick, he wasn't trying
to deceive you.
I asked him about that.
He said that he wasn't sure
how I would react.
So I know that his wanting
to free Ian Ridley is sincere.
Is it?
Or this about his career?
His podcast?
Liv, I'm angry right now.
- Okay.
- I knew this guy was bad news.
All right, why don't you let
these ladies go home, please?
Nick, Ian Ridley
has been exonerated
after 25 years.
I don't want whatever this is
to overshadow that.
I'm sorry I walked him
back into your life.
Please.
I'm... I'm a big girl, Nick.
Still, I mean,
how old were you then?
Hmm, 16?
He was 21.
My daughter's 15.
And it was
a different time then.
We were in love.
Anything that we did,
I wanted to do.
It was my choice.
Well, that's the thing
about predators, Liv.
The good ones, the smart ones,
they make their victims
believe that.
Nick, thank you,
and I appreciate
that you have graduate degrees,
but I've also been here
for a very long time,
so I don't need your expertise,
but thank you so much.
Well, physician,
heal thyself.
I think we're done now.
She told me that if I
didn't stop seeing him,
that she would have him
kicked out of college,
and I told her
that I was moving out.
She was halfway through
a bottle of vodka,
and she dropped it.
It shattered
all over the floor,
and then she picked up
the jagged edge of the bottle,
and she came at me,
screaming,
"I'll never let
anyone else have you."
Oh, Liv, come in.
I'm so glad to see you.
I've been calling.
Yeah, I know.
Can I... can I get...
Can I get you something?
No, no.
No, thanks.
Listen, first,
I wanna apologize again
for the incredibly
awkward situation.
Yeah, it's been
a long couple of days.
Are you... are you sure
I can't get you something?
No, trust me.
Well, I'm gonna have another
because it's been a hell
of a 48 hours for me too.
My publisher's having
a meltdown, my publicist.
Do you know this woman,
Andrea Malone?
Do you know that her posts
just went viral?
- I know.
- You know?
I did.
I mean, do you what
that means in this day and age?
Cancel culture?
My podcast's on hold.
My reps are useless.
Have we resolved this?
Burton, my detectives
found Andrea's story credible.
What?
Do I need a lawyer?
The case is beyond
the statute of limitations,
so there's nothing
that we can charge you with.
Well, 'cause there's
nothing to charge.
I didn't do anything, Olivia.
And this one woman
is destroying my name!
First of all,
it's not one woman.
There are others.
Oh, no.
Oh, oh, God.
Wait, who?
I have a right
to know my accusers.
Look, none of
the allegations rose
to a level
of chargeable offenses,
so you're off the hook.
I haven't been
a saint, Olivia.
If a beautiful, younger woman
seemed interested in me,
I'm human.
I was grateful.
Yes.
Did I sleep with some of them?
Absolutely.
But I never took
advantage of anyone ever.
That's not
what these women are saying.
Burton, listen to me.
Come on.
You were
a powerful, successful man.
These women looked up to you.
You abused their trust.
Oh, come on.
They didn't complain
at the time.
Have I pursued women?
Yes.
You know what
it used to be called?
Seduction, not rape.
Come on.
You know me, Olivia.
Do you really not understand
the power differential?
Do you not understand
that you were their mentor?
I was, and so what?
It's okay for them to
obliterate a lifetime's work?
My reputation?
Over these... these fabrications?
That's okay.
But what about Ian Ridley?
What about
all the good I've done?
I need you to stand up
and defend me here, Olivia.
You're a captain at the SVU.
You can do that.
- I can't.
- Why not?
You slept with me
when I was 16, Burton.
You were 21.
And technically, that is...
That is sexual assault.
Oh, are you saying
that you're a victim now?
We were in love.
I was a teenager.
My house was a mess.
You knew that.
You knew that I
would do anything
to get away from my mother.
Oh, please don't get
her voice in your head.
We both know
she was stone crazy.
Was she?
Was she, Burton?
Or maybe...
Maybe she was
trying to protect me.
Do you remember
the first night we had sex
40 years ago?
I do.
You didn't put up
much of a fight.
And the other night,
are you gonna change
the narrative there, too,
and say that I raped you?
No, Burton, of course not.
Because that sure seemed
like consent to me.
What the hell do you
want from me, Olivia?
An apology because
I was in love with you?
Maybe.
Maybe I wanted
some sort of acknowledgement
because I was so young.
Well, you're not
gonna get it.
I can see that.
Oh, come on.
Where... where you going?
Oh, that's it?
We're done?
Goodbye, Burton.
I hate him
for what he did to you.
So do I,
and if he hadn't,
you would not be here.
Nick, it's Liv.
I wanted to tell you that
you were right about Burton,
and I'm sorry
for being so defensive.
And thank you.
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.
I really wish
you would consider
getting out of that unit.
Come on, Mother.
Let's not tonight.
Do you think
this is healthy for you?
You were raped,
for God's sake.
If your mom were still alive,
how old would she be?
Uh, my mother, Serena,
would have been 77.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
And you were already
a detective when she died?
I was.
Did she like
that you were a detective?
Well, it sounds like
you're being the detective now.
- Do you miss her?
- Yeah.
'Cause she was
a good mom like you.
Noah, you should know by now
that no one's
as good a mom as I am.
Mom, not at school.
- Love you.
- I love you.
Have a good day.
Put your mask on.
Sorry I was late.
I...
So I'm walking Noah
to school...
- Mm-hmm.
- And...
out of the blue,
he asked me about my mother.
You went with short answer?
- Yeah.
- Good.
So what is this
about a suspect?
He walked himself in.
He hasn't confessed yet,
but he says
he will only speak
to the captain.
And heads up,
this guy's a charmer.
- I'm guilty.
- Oh, my God, Nick.
- Whose idea was this?
- Mine.
What, you're captain now,
you don't like surprises?
I've never liked surprises.
- Hey.
- Hey.
What brings you to New York?
Work, a job I've been on
the last few years.
- A company called FORYM.
- Yeah.
I thought you were a PI.
No, I told you he went back
to grad school.
In genetics
and forensic science.
We test DNA samples
that used to be considered
too small or too degraded.
Solving cold cases.
That... seems like
a good fit for you.
Which means
we can work together again.
Nick has an old SVU case
that he wants to reopen.
1996,
Haley West is 15 years old.
Raped and strangled
on prom night.
Hold on,
this was one of Cragen's.
I remember... I remember him
talking about it.
But is it cold?
Didn't they catch
the... the boyfriend?
Ian Ridley, yes.
He actually did confess,
and he's still doing time,
but he recanted at sentencing,
and the only DNA
found on Haley's body
was from his saliva.
I was approached
by a true crime writer
looking into
wrongful convictions.
He asked me if we could try
to salvage old DNA,
so I'm coming to you.
Well, let's pull the files,
see if anything's there.
654.
West.
Haley West, right here.
Wow, she's so young.
And a sweet face.
Haley's mother
never got over losing her.
Ian's not the killer.
Hm, Burton Lowe,
the writer, he's here.
Nick, I thought you said
this place was a dump.
Ah, well, they've
fixed it up since I left.
Burton Lowe,
Detective Amanda Rollins.
- How do you do?
- Hi.
Captain's waiting for us.
Captain,
Nick's writer is here.
- Burton.
- Olivia.
- You haven't changed.
- Neither have you.
And now that we've established
that we're both liars...
Nick, you didn't tell me
that your crime writer
was... was Burton Lowe.
Should I have?
Um, we are old friends.
From a lifetime ago.
*LAW AND ORDER
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT*
*LAW AND ORDER SVU*
Season 23 Episode 06
Episode Title: "The Five Hundredth Episode"
Aired on: October 21, 2021.
My mother
was an English professor.
When I was 16, I started
dating one of her students.
He was a senior.
He was 21 years old,
and he asked me to marry him.
Look at this.
Serena would be proud.
Well, if you recall,
that wasn't
Serena's strong suit.
No, it wasn't, was it?
- Anyway, Haley West.
- Yeah.
Yes, of course.
Please have a seat.
So I called
my former captain, Cragen,
and he said
that the boyfriend...
- Ian Ridley.
- Confessed within 48 hours.
He did, but he was 18,
concussed, traumatized...
Concussed?
His initial story was that he
and Haley were making out
when an unknown assailant
knocked him out.
When he came to,
Haley was gone.
And they found
her strangled, beaten body
two hours later
in Fort Tyron Park.
My take, he was probably
so guilt-ridden
about what happened.
He convinced himself
that he did it?
Mm-hmm.
How'd you
get involved, Burton?
Ian's mother wrote to me
before she died.
I promised her
I'd do right by him.
At his parole hearing,
the board was ready to release
Ian if he showed contrition.
When it was time for Ian
to apologize, he couldn't.
25 years behind bars,
two words away
from walking free,
and instead he says,
"I believe in two things,
the truth and miracles.
I know the truth,
and I need a miracle."
New DNA technology
can be that miracle.
If there's even 15 cells
from the original sample,
my company can tease out
a genetic profile.
- After 25 years?
- Oh, yeah.
I'll need to call Carisi.
That's our ADA.
Understood.
Here you go.
I had to send my gnomes
deep into the crypt
- to get this out.
- I owe you, Melinda.
Once an SVU detective,
always an SVU detective.
You're lucky
this wasn't tossed.
You do know
this is a closed case.
Yeah, we know
that the saliva
on Haley West
matched Ian Ridley.
We're just... we're hoping there
might be some other samples.
Barely... there was a trace
of seminal fluid
- in the autopsy rape kit.
- And it was never tested?
The quantity
was too low in '96,
and, as is stated here,
the suspect confessed.
M.E. Rogers had no reason
to perform more testing.
- But it's still viable?
- Maybe.
The kit sat
in freezer purgatory
this whole time.
As DNA degrades,
it's much harder to analyze.
But with our new tech,
mixture deconvolution,
KinSNP analysis...
You get a chance
to rebuild the genetic profile.
Well, look at you, Dr. Amaro.
Doctor, no, not yet,
but I am working on it,
biophysics.
Yeah, it's good to see you.
And thank you for this.
Cognitive reenactment?
How'd you get a judge
to sign off on this?
Oh, I didn't.
I pulled a favor
from an ADA
who used to be
one of my detectives.
An ADA, a geneticist...
Your ex-detectives go places.
Well, I wish they wouldn't,
because, as my mother
used to say, everyone leaves.
Serena was a little dark.
You know, Burton,
if you needed help on a case,
you could've just told Nick
you knew me or gotten in touch.
I guess I was afraid
that you'd just say no
considering how we ended.
You know, my mother made me
write that letter to you
to break off our engagement.
She told me that you had
a real girlfriend in college.
I did not.
I was in love with you.
I told her that.
But you disappeared.
Oh, I wanted
to write you, to see you.
She told me if I even tried
to get in touch,
she'd have me
immediately expelled.
Well, then she lied
to both of us.
To be continued.
Hello, Ian.
This is Captain Benson
of the SVU.
Hey.
Mr. Lowe got you
to reopen my case?
If the detectives on the case
missed anything back then,
then I wanna find that out.
Okay, well, thank you.
I know it's been,
like, 25 years,
but I'm kind of...
Kind of freaked
to be back here.
That's... that's
completely normal, Ian.
Returning...
Returning to the scene
can trigger memories, right?
And that's why we're here.
So anything that comes
to your mind, a sound,
a smell, that can be helpful.
All right, guys, guys,
he's not going anywhere.
Yeah, just give him a minute.
Prom night.
Haley and I booked it out here
past the chaperones.
I snuck a bottle of champagne.
We just wanted to be...
We just wanted
to be together alone, you know.
Okay, so what kind
of night was it?
Warm, pitch dark.
These lights...
They weren't here back then.
So I lit a cigarette.
Haley looked so pretty
in the dark.
Then we started kissing.
Okay.
Kissing and then?
Well, then we went
under the bleachers
to, you know, go further.
- But you didn't get that far?
- No.
Haley...
Haley was leaning
against that post.
I was kissing her.
I had my eyes closed and then...
Okay, Ian, your eyes
were closed.
Did you hear anything?
Yeah,
footsteps on the gravel,
then somebody bashing me
on the skull.
I remember Haley screaming,
him dragging her,
and then
it all just went black.
- So you're there now.
- You're there now.
My ears were ringing.
There was blood everywhere.
I saw her corsage
in the grass over there.
Do you remember
calling the cops?
My parents did that.
I ran home.
They took me to St. Luke's.
I got 12 stitches.
And the cops
still thought you did it?
I was so messed up,
I thought maybe I did do it,
but I didn't.
I swear I didn't.
I loved Haley.
My whole life ended
the night that she died.
Haley.
It's okay.
He was 21 years old,
and he asked me to marry him,
and I said yes
because I wanted
to get away from my mother.
It's kind of interesting,
isn't it?
Him showing up
in your life now?
Stabler, Burton.
Something's going on.
Nothing's going on.
I mean, Burton is
obsessed with his work.
You realize
that his last podcast series...
- He got a man off death row.
- Yeah, I Googled him too.
You also saw that he just
split up with his girlfriend?
Yeah, the French journalist.
I did see that.
And right after,
out of all the cold cases,
he chooses one from SVU?
Because Ian Ridley
is innocent.
The rape kit sample
was corrupted,
but we did find a tiny amount
of seminal fluid
on her underwear,
enough to tease out
a genetic profile.
And it's not Ian's.
No, no,
we excluded him right away.
No hits in CODIS.
We're looking at RMNE.
So random man...
Not excluded.
- I know.
- Of course you do.
Then you also know
that the DA's office
is unlikely to exonerate Ian...
Without a viable suspect,
mm-hmm.
That's the downside of CODIS,
just doesn't have
all the answers.
But now that we have
a genetic profile,
FORYM can start a search
of multiple
geological databases
and ancestry sites.
With any luck,
we find distant relatives,
digital shoe leather.
So we start wide.
We bore in.
I mean, it's all
new bells and whistles,
but it's basically old school.
Work the tree.
- So I'm getting out of here?
- One step at a time, Ian.
The lab did find male DNA
on Haley's body
that wasn't yours.
Whose was it?
Well, we don't know that yet,
but someone
who uploaded their DNA
to a genealogical website
is a close relative,
either a brother or a cousin,
and we've identified
three possible suspects.
One of the men lived
in California at the time,
one in Ohio,
but one of the men was local.
In fact,
he worked at your high school.
Mr. Murray?
I mean,
he was the girls' tennis coach,
but there's no way he did this.
He loved Haley.
Well, like I told Liv,
Roger Murray
was never a suspect.
I mean, how solid
is this new tech?
It works, but we don't have
Murray's DNA yet.
We do have a familial match.
Captain, you interviewed him
three times... why?
Well, he was one of the last
people to see her alive.
He was a chaperone at the prom,
and he also said
that he saw Haley
and Ian get in a fight.
Hm.
Yeah, what else did he say?
Well, he said that Ian
was really weird,
couldn't get a date
in his own grade,
and that Haley
had confided in him
that she thought
he was kind of creepy.
And you believed Murray?
Well, I had no reason
not to, Amanda.
Ian confessed.
And Haley's mother has said
that Roger was like
a second father to that girl.
I've never changed one thing
about this room.
Helps me remember Haley
as she was,
not as a murder victim.
We're sorry if this brings up
any painful memories,
Mrs. West.
- They've never gone away.
- Mm-hmm.
She was an artist,
an athlete.
She loved tennis.
Roger Murray saw her potential.
What can you tell us
about him?
Well,
after my husband's death,
he saved me.
He tutored Haley on her SATs,
helped her
with college planning.
So they spent
a lot of time together?
Is this about
that writer and his podcast?
I told him I'd never let
my daughter's death
be entertainment someone
listens to while they work out.
We're only here as NYPD.
We're just trying
to give you some closure.
Closure?
My husband
and daughter are dead.
I'll never see Haley
walk down the aisle.
I'll never bake cookies
for my grandchildren.
And we can't change
what happened to Haley.
Hey, leave me alone.
Ian confessed.
And Roger sends me a card
every year
on the anniversary of her death
just to let me know...
I'm not mourning alone.
- Excuse me, Mr. Murray.
- Can I help you?
Yeah,
I'm ADA Dominic Carisi.
I was wondering if we could
talk to you about Haley West.
Yeah, her mother told me that
you guys were nosing around.
Look, I told everything
I knew to the police.
It was Ian Ridley.
Yeah, we know.
I'm Nick Amaro.
Yeah, my old captain, Cragen,
told me he appreciated
all your help back then.
That's why we're here.
I don't understand,
Ian's in prison.
Oh, he is,
but, you know,
he's trying for an appeal.
Yeah, he's trying to get
the DNA re-examined.
- Unbelievable.
- Yeah, tell us about it.
Look, as a precaution,
we're gathering samples
from anyone Hailey
interacted with that night,
and Haley's mom
told us you chaperoned.
- Yeah, I chaperoned, but...
- What's going on?
How you doing, ma'am?
I'm Dominic Carisi.
I'm with the DA's office.
Ian Ridley
is trying to reopen the case.
I mean,
it's a bunch of nonsense...
Which is why
we need your husband's help.
We know how much Haley
meant to him.
Roger, do whatever they ask.
Haley was beautiful
that night.
Her mother said that she was
like a daughter to you.
I loved that girl,
and I would never hurt her.
- She knew that.
- I'm sure she did, Mr. Murray.
You looked out for her.
You protected her.
That was all
I ever tried to do.
At the night of the prom?
I let her down.
I mean, I saw Ian
dragging her out.
I should've stopped him.
You should have, or you did?
Well, that was
a long time ago.
Uh, whatever I said back then,
that was the truth.
The thing is, Mr. Murray,
with this new DNA technology,
it picks up the tiniest amount.
Like, even if you were
to have touched her corsage...
Yeah,
and I might've done that.
Okay, that's helpful.
Yeah, and now
that I think about it, I did.
I touched her arm because I
pulled her away from him.
Well, was that at the dance
or on the field?
Just in case we find
your DNA on her corsage.
They found that at the field.
What, and they kept that?
No, I really don't remember,
but it... it might've been
after the... afterwards, sure.
So you did follow them.
It makes sense.
- You were worried about her.
- Haley gave me a look.
She was afraid of Ian,
and she wanted me
to protect her.
Which you always did.
Yeah,
and I was the only one.
I'm... no dad,
her mom overwhelmed,
and that Ian, he was a bad kid.
So you had
to follow her and Ian?
Yeah, and he
was all over her.
Hand on her... her breast.
His mouth everywhere.
You had to stop that
for Haley.
Who knows
what he might've done?
So, yeah, I stopped that.
I stopped that good.
How'd you stop Ian,
Mr. Murray?
'Cause we know Ian
was hit on the head.
They found
a bottle at the scene.
Yeah, it's champagne
because the... the kid
brought it himself.
She was only 15.
So you had to step in
for Haley.
I really don't remember,
and I'm gonna need my digitalis
and a lawyer.
All these years
lying to himself.
My guess: he was aroused.
She screamed.
He put his hand over her mouth.
- Okay.
- Sorry, my writer's head.
I'll tell Ian.
- Oh, let's wait for the DNA.
- Oh, right, right.
Wow, Olivia,
how do you do this?
It's a lot, you know,
but I spend time with my son.
I listen to music.
I go on walks when I can.
How about a walk now?
I could use one.
Give me a minute.
New York,
still my favorite city.
Not Paris?
Didn't you live there
with your girlfriend?
- Ex.
- Oh.
She may have ruined
that city for me.
An old man dating a young woman
always ends up
playing the fool.
- Have you been to France?
- I have, Paris once.
- Romantic trip?
- It was, actually.
Oh, is he
still in the picture?
He's not.
Well, here's my hotel.
Plaza?
Podcasting has been
very good to me.
You have time for a nightcap?
I could be persuaded.
Uh, I'm sorry.
That wasn't very gentlemanly.
I didn't mind.
When a father is absent,
it is not unusual
for a younger girl
to be attracted
to an older man.
That's what this is about?
It happens a lot more
than you think.
How old were you?
- Almost 17.
- And he was?
Older than 17.
Hey, beautiful.
Midnight snack?
Raided the minibar.
What you thinking about?
I'm just time-traveling.
Can you believe?
All those years,
and it didn't matter.
They added up.
Well, in certain places.
Do you know
what I think about
- when I think of you?
- What?
Us cycling
through Central Park,
picnicking on the Great Lawn
as night falls
and the city lights
surround us.
What?
That was a sweet night.
So is this.
Oh, I'm sorry.
That could be my nanny.
No, it's a text from Amaro.
"Good news.
The semen sample came back
"from Haley's underwear,
and it is a match
to Roger Murray."
I don't even know
how to respond to that.
Mm.
And it is my sitter.
I'm sorry.
I gotta go.
Listen, I will...
I will call Carisi,
and I will push him
to get Ian released.
Okay, he needs a lawyer.
And I know
exactly who to call.
My client
was completely absolved
by the DNA evidence.
He spent 25 years in prison
for a crime he didn't commit.
What possible reason
could there be for a delay?
The DA's office
is supportive.
We've agreed to release
Mr. Ridley from prison.
But you haven't vacated
the conviction.
You said Roger killed her.
He should pay
for what he did to Haley.
Yes, he should.
We all want justice,
but I can't
just declare Murray guilty
without due process.
You did it to Ian
25 years ago.
Burton, please.
Look, I'll ask
the judge to expedite,
but I'm gonna need
to start prepping my witnesses.
I'm happy to testify.
My expert witnesses.
Where's Amaro?
Well, thank you, counselor.
Before I put Ian in the car,
he told me
he feels safe in your hands.
I just wish he'd had
a real lawyer the first time.
It's gonna be
an adjustment for him.
He knows that.
Excuse me.
Showtime.
We get it.
I do have
a podcast to promote.
Two words of advice.
Watch yourself.
I used to have
clients in publishing.
He's got a reputation.
So just... eyes open.
Always.
- Captain.
- Liv, I'm glad I caught you.
I've been thinking
about Roger Murray.
Yeah, he's fighting
the DNA evidence.
That's why I'm calling.
He always felt so guilty about
letting down Haley's mother.
Make sure that she is
at that hearing tomorrow.
We'll do, Captain.
Thank you.
Well, thank you, Captain.
You don't know how proud
it makes me to say that.
Our company's Brooklyn lab
has New York State Department
of Health approval to perform
forensic DNA testing.
Thank you, Mr. Amaro.
And here is that certification,
Your Honor.
Thank you, Counselor Carisi.
Your Honor, again,
my client is a retired teacher
who spends Saturdays coaching
his granddaughter's
softball team
on a field
that's been named after him.
He still gets holiday cards
from kids he taught
three decades ago.
We're not addressing
any of that at this hearing.
The people
have presented their case.
Frankly, Your Honor, I worry
that the ADA and this court
are being used to publicize
this DNA company
before it goes public.
Enough, Mr. Roth.
I've heard your arguments,
and I've heard
this state's case.
I'm ruling
in favor of the state.
The DNA will be admissible
at trial.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I need to change my plea.
I want to change my plea.
Not the time.
Not the place, Mr. Murray.
Mr. Murray,
we can talk about this.
No, I don't wanna talk
about it anymore.
I killed that poor girl.
I'm sorry, Joyce.
I've... I've never
forgiven myself.
So is it over?
The judge will want Murray
to allocute,
make sure that the guilty plea
was knowing
and voluntary, but...
So, soon?
I'll speak to the DA,
insist it's time.
Congratulations.
To both of us.
I'm gonna call Ian,
and then dinner?
- That sounds great.
- Excuse me.
You're a Captain Benson,
the head of SVU?
I am.
Can I ask you
what you're doing
- working with a predator?
- I'm sorry?
Whoa, what's going on?
You don't
remember me, Burton?
Andrea Malone.
Yes, of course.
I remember you, Andrea.
You were
my editor's intern on...
On your last novel
10 years ago.
Ask him what he did
to me back then.
I was only 20 years old.
Andrea, if I've upset you
in some way,
this isn't
the time or the place.
Upset me?
You raped me.
I want him arrested.
Is she okay?
Did you talk her down?
No, Burton,
I didn't talk her down.
I listened to her.
Fin and Rollins
are taking her to the station
to get her statement.
Olivia, I swear to God,
I did not rape her.
Well, that's not
Andrea's recollection.
I haven't seen her
in 10 years.
I am completely blindsided
by this.
So you're saying that you two
were never involved.
- I'm not saying that.
- Burton, so what did happen?
We had a flirtation
the summer she worked
for my editor.
The night before
she went back to college,
I took her out for dinner
to say thanks.
We had a few drinks.
We ended up back
at my hotel room.
- It was completely consensual.
- And after?
She left later that night.
I gave her the cab fare home.
She never said a word.
I have never been
in this situation before.
Just tell me.
What do we do now?
We don't do anything.
I have to recuse myself
from the case.
My sergeant will call you
and let you know next steps.
Understood.
It was the night
before I left
for my senior year at Holyoke.
I tried to put it
out of my mind.
I managed to do that
for 10 years.
Why come forward now?
All the press
about the case,
Burton freeing an innocent man,
putting a rapist behind bars.
I thought, "How dare he?
He should be behind bars."
You interned for Burton?
No, for his editor,
Kristin Thorton.
I wanted to be a writer.
Burton would come
into the office.
We'd talk.
He asked me
who my favorite authors were.
He gave me books.
We talked about art, music.
He put a bunch of songs
on a zip drive for me.
"Girl from Ipanema."
- And the night of the assault?
- He took me to Balthazar.
A few martinis later,
we ended up at his hotel...
kissing.
I remember
lying back on the bed.
I was drunk.
I must have passed out,
because when I came back to,
he was inside me.
I just let him finish.
Have you ever told
anyone else about this?
No, not until today.
When I saw Burton,
I just went off on him
and your captain.
It's a 10-year-old
"he said, she said."
He wasn't violent,
but she was drunk.
She may not have been
capable of consent.
No outcry at the time.
No rape kit.
Well, if she's not capable
of consent, that's rape three,
but 10 years ago,
past the statute.
What did you tell her?
That we don't have enough
to arrest Burton.
Should I call Carisi and see
if he thinks there's a case?
He won't unless
other women come forward.
So call his publisher,
his editor,
and his podcast producer.
Want me to deal with Burton?
No, Fin, I... I'll talk to him.
Thank you.
I am so sorry.
This woman... is she credible?
She was.
Whether you can prove
its rape three, I don't know.
Burton was 50.
She was 20.
He spent the summer
grooming her.
How?
What... what did he do?
He solicited her opinion
about his novel,
took her out
to nice restaurants,
- gave her books, music.
- Music?
Yeah, like
a Brazilian compilation.
"Girl from Ipanema."
Older man move.
Getz and Gilberto's
"The Girl from Ipanema"...
♪ Tall and tan
and young and lovely ♪
♪ The girl from Ipanema
goes walking ♪
♪ And when she passes
♪ Each one
she passes goes "ah" ♪
"To the girl who's tall
and tan and young and lovely."
He gave you
"The Girl from Ipanema" too?
And I thought
he was so sophisticated.
Did you get anything?
All his editors
and publishers acknowledged
he's a ladies' man,
but no HR issues.
As of now.
Andrea posted
on her Instagram last night.
Saying what?
Saying that she thinks
that we're protecting Burton.
She gave the details
of her assault,
and five women replied
saying Burton
did the same thing to them.
I have their usernames
here somewhere,
but, well, you get the point.
♪
Burton's a stalker.
Our PR firm used to rep him.
I was an office assistant.
Can you elaborate
on the stalker part?
He brought me coffee,
then flowers,
got too close at events,
asked me out for drinks.
- One night, I gave in.
- He asked for a nightcap.
So you went
to his hotel room?
He came to mine
with champagne.
I let him in, and it happened.
Did you want to
have sex with him?
I didn't stop him.
You're asking
if he's a predator?
You wouldn't have come to me
if you thought otherwise.
♪
How many women so far?
With Alexandra and Stacey,
uh, eight or nine.
What do you have?
So all of the women say
they felt pressured,
uncomfortable.
None of them say
that he assaulted them.
- Okay, so he's not a rapist.
- Maybe not, but he's a creep.
Or an old-school player.
He played me, but had
to have known you worked here
when he asked me
to look at this case.
He used me to get to you.
Nick, he wasn't trying
to deceive you.
I asked him about that.
He said that he wasn't sure
how I would react.
So I know that his wanting
to free Ian Ridley is sincere.
Is it?
Or this about his career?
His podcast?
Liv, I'm angry right now.
- Okay.
- I knew this guy was bad news.
All right, why don't you let
these ladies go home, please?
Nick, Ian Ridley
has been exonerated
after 25 years.
I don't want whatever this is
to overshadow that.
I'm sorry I walked him
back into your life.
Please.
I'm... I'm a big girl, Nick.
Still, I mean,
how old were you then?
Hmm, 16?
He was 21.
My daughter's 15.
And it was
a different time then.
We were in love.
Anything that we did,
I wanted to do.
It was my choice.
Well, that's the thing
about predators, Liv.
The good ones, the smart ones,
they make their victims
believe that.
Nick, thank you,
and I appreciate
that you have graduate degrees,
but I've also been here
for a very long time,
so I don't need your expertise,
but thank you so much.
Well, physician,
heal thyself.
I think we're done now.
She told me that if I
didn't stop seeing him,
that she would have him
kicked out of college,
and I told her
that I was moving out.
She was halfway through
a bottle of vodka,
and she dropped it.
It shattered
all over the floor,
and then she picked up
the jagged edge of the bottle,
and she came at me,
screaming,
"I'll never let
anyone else have you."
Oh, Liv, come in.
I'm so glad to see you.
I've been calling.
Yeah, I know.
Can I... can I get...
Can I get you something?
No, no.
No, thanks.
Listen, first,
I wanna apologize again
for the incredibly
awkward situation.
Yeah, it's been
a long couple of days.
Are you... are you sure
I can't get you something?
No, trust me.
Well, I'm gonna have another
because it's been a hell
of a 48 hours for me too.
My publisher's having
a meltdown, my publicist.
Do you know this woman,
Andrea Malone?
Do you know that her posts
just went viral?
- I know.
- You know?
I did.
I mean, do you what
that means in this day and age?
Cancel culture?
My podcast's on hold.
My reps are useless.
Have we resolved this?
Burton, my detectives
found Andrea's story credible.
What?
Do I need a lawyer?
The case is beyond
the statute of limitations,
so there's nothing
that we can charge you with.
Well, 'cause there's
nothing to charge.
I didn't do anything, Olivia.
And this one woman
is destroying my name!
First of all,
it's not one woman.
There are others.
Oh, no.
Oh, oh, God.
Wait, who?
I have a right
to know my accusers.
Look, none of
the allegations rose
to a level
of chargeable offenses,
so you're off the hook.
I haven't been
a saint, Olivia.
If a beautiful, younger woman
seemed interested in me,
I'm human.
I was grateful.
Yes.
Did I sleep with some of them?
Absolutely.
But I never took
advantage of anyone ever.
That's not
what these women are saying.
Burton, listen to me.
Come on.
You were
a powerful, successful man.
These women looked up to you.
You abused their trust.
Oh, come on.
They didn't complain
at the time.
Have I pursued women?
Yes.
You know what
it used to be called?
Seduction, not rape.
Come on.
You know me, Olivia.
Do you really not understand
the power differential?
Do you not understand
that you were their mentor?
I was, and so what?
It's okay for them to
obliterate a lifetime's work?
My reputation?
Over these... these fabrications?
That's okay.
But what about Ian Ridley?
What about
all the good I've done?
I need you to stand up
and defend me here, Olivia.
You're a captain at the SVU.
You can do that.
- I can't.
- Why not?
You slept with me
when I was 16, Burton.
You were 21.
And technically, that is...
That is sexual assault.
Oh, are you saying
that you're a victim now?
We were in love.
I was a teenager.
My house was a mess.
You knew that.
You knew that I
would do anything
to get away from my mother.
Oh, please don't get
her voice in your head.
We both know
she was stone crazy.
Was she?
Was she, Burton?
Or maybe...
Maybe she was
trying to protect me.
Do you remember
the first night we had sex
40 years ago?
I do.
You didn't put up
much of a fight.
And the other night,
are you gonna change
the narrative there, too,
and say that I raped you?
No, Burton, of course not.
Because that sure seemed
like consent to me.
What the hell do you
want from me, Olivia?
An apology because
I was in love with you?
Maybe.
Maybe I wanted
some sort of acknowledgement
because I was so young.
Well, you're not
gonna get it.
I can see that.
Oh, come on.
Where... where you going?
Oh, that's it?
We're done?
Goodbye, Burton.
I hate him
for what he did to you.
So do I,
and if he hadn't,
you would not be here.
Nick, it's Liv.
I wanted to tell you that
you were right about Burton,
and I'm sorry
for being so defensive.
And thank you.