Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 5, Episode 19 - Sick - full transcript
A boy makes a threat so the team investigates. He reveals that he was molested by the man his father worked for. But the parents won't let the boy testify because the man paid them as part of a confidentiality agreement. And if he does they have to return the money. So Casey tries to find a way around the agreement. But they take the boy out of the country. And later a woman claims the man did the same thing to her grand daughter. And they learn the woman is doing things to her grand daughter.
NARRATOR:
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.
You know what sucks?
Cramming two people in a room
with only one phone line.
I hate dorms.
Use your cell phone.
I keep going over
my limit,
because you're always online.
You mind logging off
for, like, two seconds?
This is kind of life or death.
You're in a freaking chat room.
Read this.
"Rage is eating
me alive.
"Must release it.
"I have a knife and rope.
"And a five-year-old.
Screw her innocence,
then slice her up."
This is sick.
He swears he's not joking.
"Hey, Dickweed,
I'm calling the Denver cops."
We were trying
to calm him down.
He's replying.
"Thanks for the heads up.
"I love killing pigs.
"I'll mow them down...
come through my door."
Hey!
MAN:
His screen name
is Psycho Killer?
Yeah, in a chat room
for slasher film fans.
I tracked down
the Internet service provider.
I'm on hold with them now.
Guy's obsessed
with mutilation.
And killing cops.
He logged off half an hour ago.
Check out his last post.
"Got to get ready
for my big date.
See you in hell."
Uh-huh.
Hold on. Who?
Jeremy Ostilow?
I'm afraid he's a little
out of our jurisdiction.
We're in Denver, Colorado.
Where is he?
Where else?
New York City.
Maintain fire discipline.
He's got a kid in there.
Hit it.
Police!
Don't move.
Hands where we can see them.
Jeremy Ostilow?
Yes.
GIRL ( shrieks ):
Mommy!
It's okay,
sweetheart.
Are you okay?
What the hell are you doing?
Looking for a Psycho Killer.
A Psycho Killer?
Yeah, your slasher site
screen name?
We linked it to your
main account-- J-J-O-rules.
That's not
my husband's.
It's JJ's.
And who's JJ?
Our son,
Jeremy, Junior.
Found him under the bed.
It was just a joke.
Captioning sponsored by
UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION
and NBC
He's 12 years old,
for Pete's sake.
Didn't you pull pranks
at that age?
Pranks, yeah,
but I never threatened
to kill any cops,
or say I wanted to...
"Rip off her clothes,
slashing as
I defile her."
That's what
you'd like to do?
Trust me, no more horror movies
or Websites.
Don't blame them.
They didn't make me do this.
Okay, who did?
Please.
He was just trying to impress
other kids on the Internet.
Your son had hardcore
slasher fans freaking out.
They asked him
repeatedly,
"Are you joking?"
They thought you were serious,
and I got to tell you, JJ,
I still do.
Then you're an idiot.
Give it up, Detective.
My parents would die
before they'd let anything bad
happen to me.
MRS. OSTILOW:
Please don't do this to my son.
He's very sensitive.
Have you read
the print-out
that we gave you
from the Internet?
It's just nonsense he picked up
from comic books and movies.
He has no idea what it means.
He went into
graphic detail.
Look, who's going
to fix the door?
You can fill out a form
to be reimbursed by the city.
How long will
that take?
If you're lucky,
I'd say six to eight weeks.
No. It has to be tonight.
What will I tell
the neighbors?
Mrs. Ostilow,
how long has your son been
obsessed with violence?
He's not.
Has he ever hurt his sister?
Never.
I need to talk to her.
Lisette's in her room.
I'll get her.
Underage suspects are entitled
to have a parent present.
Underage victims are not
afforded that same right.
Lisette's not a victim.
I need to talk to her alone.
Fine.
She'll tell you,
she adores her big brother.
"Screw her innocence
and then slice her up."
This is about your sister,
Lisette?
No.
You telling me
there's another five-year-old
out there
who pisses you off that much?
Believe me, I know what a pain
little sisters can be.
Just tell me what she did.
She melted my favorite CD
in her EasyBake oven.
Well, that sucks.
What did you do?
Nothing.
I never do anything.
When someone
makes me mad,
I just imagine hurting them.
It makes me feel better.
So, it's like a release valve.
You think about it,
but don't actually do it.
That's what I said, moron.
You have these thoughts a lot?
All the time.
What are you so angry about?
Stuff.
What kind of stuff?
Life is really stressful,
you know?
Well, I know mine is.
I deal with dirt bags every day.
Like yesterday,
there was this case.
These four guys gang-rape
this sweet Haitian woman.
Detective.
You want to hear the details?
I really don't think
this is appropriate talk.
About how they beat her up,
and they degraded her,
and when she begged for mercy,
they defecated on her?
That's a child
you're talking to.
Read what he wrote.
He wants to act
like an adult predator,
I'll talk to him like one.
You really want to grow up
to be like one
of those perverts, huh?
Why wait?
BENSON:
So, Lisette,
has JJ ever hurt you?
He pulled my hair once.
He did?
That's not nice.
Has he hurt you
any other times?
I have a new game.
Want to play?
You know what?
Uh, maybe later,
but we need to finish talking
about JJ first, okay?
Okay.
Okay. So...
Lisette, I need you to show me
on this doll
all the places
where JJ hurt you.
Right.
And has he hurt you
anyplace else?
Not me.
Has he hurt someone else?
Who?
Beverly and Erica.
And do you know
where he hurt them?
Okay.
Now, Lisette, I need to talk
to Beverly and Erica.
Does your mommy
know where they are?
No.
They're in the hospital.
What hospital?
Lisette, sweetie,
we need to finish talking
before we can play.
But you said
you wanted to see it.
This is the hospital.
CRAGEN:
Mr. Ostilow,
your son needs help.
He's a boy.
Boys break their
sisters' dolls.
He mutilated 23 of them.
All in the genital area.
He's emotionally disturbed.
You're a psychiatrist,
are you?
No. No, sir, I am not.
That's why I would like you
to sign this.
What is it?
It's a parental
consent form
to commit JJ
for psychiatric
observation.
I won't have him branded crazy.
You'd prefer a criminal record?
For what?
Posting terroristic threats
is a felony.
I am so sick
of people co-opting nine-eleven
for their own agendas.
Where do you want to send him,
Guantanamo Bay?
I'd prefer Bellevue's
Adolescent Ward.
Absolutely not.
Well, he's not going
home to his sister.
So, it's either Bellevue
or juvenile detention.
Your call, sir.
MUNCH:
I hear they shipped
JJ off to the loony bin.
Cragen talked the father
into a 72-hour hold.
Learn anything
from the neighbors?
Yeah, that he should be locked
in a rubber room permanently.
Why, what's he done?
Traumatizes every
tot in the building.
Screams at them
till he's red in the face.
About what?
Any little thing.
Like looking at him
the wrong way.
Yeah, he locked a few
of them up in a utility closet,
convinced them
they were going to be murdered.
They cried for an hour
before he let them out.
Dad smoothed it out
with the parents.
Sent them all
expensive presents.
He's making it worse
by excusing it.
This kid is a
ticking time bomb.
Well, let's just
call the school,
and see if he's
exploded already.
WOMAN:
Trouble paying attention
in class,
poor grades,
inappropriate behavior.
Such as?
He drew a pornographic
image on a girl's desk
with a magic marker.
Tortured artist.
Another time he wrote
an obscenely graphic scenario,
passed it on to another student.
It upset her very much.
FIN:
Still have it?
I contacted his parents,
suggested he needed therapy.
They disagreed.
What's the school doing
about it?
We're not inviting him back
next year.
We'd ask him to leave now,
if it wasn't so close
to the end of the term.
Did he ever hurt
another student?
Well, we suspected
he did once, but
the victim denied it.
What was the incident?
A locker room fight.
Mitchell was a bloody mess.
JJ didn't have a mark on him.
It was perplexing.
Why is that?
If I had to name
the school bully,
it would be Mitchell.
MUNCH:
Dodge Ball?
They haven't outlawed
this barbaric practice yet?
I loved this game.
Yeah, well, you were a sadist.
You know, I literally
weighed 98 pounds.
I can still hear them.
"Break the Pencil."
I was a walking bruise.
I think we found Mitchell.
You're out.
What the...?
Get over here.
JJ came out of the showers.
Someone might have
pulled his towel away.
Why?
Something to do.
So, what happened?
He might have gotten snapped
by a wet towel or two.
All in good fun, you know?
MUNCH:
Yeah.
Getting pelted
by Neanderthals,
in the privates
sounds like a blast.
JJ went postal.
He started wailing on me.
Bloodied my nose,
gave me a black eye,
busted lip...
So, how is it a guy
like you doesn't fight back?
I was freaked out.
Why, because somebody
half your size
finally stood
up to you?
No. Because the whole time
he's hitting me,
he's screaming rape.
Explosive rage,
sexual acting out...
The slipping grades.
Behavioral
and personality changes.
JJ's got all the classic signs
of being molested.
Question is, by whom?
Well, we canvassed the school.
He's not in any
extra-curricular activities,
so I doubt it was a teacher.
No older friends
anyone knows about.
MUNCH:
No friends at all.
Leaves the parents.
Dad was running interference
all through the interview.
Well, it's going to be hard
for JJ to tell about abuse
if his abuser is
sitting right there.
I think the mother
knows about it.
I got the feeling that she
was covering something up.
And aside from
her worrying
about what the
neighbors thought,
this woman has major
guilt issues.
We got to get JJ to open up.
We might have trouble
gaining his trust. I put him
through the wringer
a little bit there.
Huang's got privileges
at Bellevue.
We'll have him
pay a visit.
HUANG:
How are you feeling today, JJ?
I'm locked up
in an insane asylum.
How do you think I feel?
Uh, angry,
frustrated, betrayed.
You're the doctor.
Well, it seems to me
like you're angry.
Are you angry at someone?
My parents.
They're so lame.
What did they do?
They let me wind up here.
Well, maybe they thought
it was for your own good.
They don't care about me.
Sounds like
they let you down before.
I can't say.
You know, JJ, it's okay.
You can tell me.
You don't understand!
I'm not allowed
to talk about it!
Why not?
Because of the contract.
You made a deal not to tell?
I didn't.
My parents did.
JJ,
there isn't a contract
that can legally
cover up a crime.
They are not protecting you.
Why are you protecting them?
Tell me where it happened.
At a sleepover.
Mm-hmm.
There were a bunch
of kids there,
but I was the only one allowed
to sleep in the Treasure Room.
What's the Treasure Room?
His bedroom.
Whose bedroom?
Billy.
And
what did Billy do
in the Treasure Room?
He had these pajamas
laid out for me.
He helped me undress.
I can't...
( crying )
JJ...
( crying )
I'm real sorry
that your parents made you
keep this secret so long...
but you got to get it out now.
He touched me.
He made me touch him.
And did you tell your parents
what happened?
Yeah.
What did they do about it?
Got rich.
What do you mean?
Billy owns the company
my Dad used to work for.
He paid them so much money
not to tell,
they never have to work again.
Until three years ago,
Jeremy Ostilow, Senior,
worked for Tripley Toys.
Company did $1.7 billion
in sales last year.
Oh.
It's owned
by William J. Tripley.
CRAGEN:
Whom, I see by
his press release,
prefers to be called Billy.
BENSON:
35, never married,
clean slate.
Inherited the company
from Daddy.
He doesn't, uh,
actually run the empire,
but he does receive a bulk
of the profits.
We pulled the
Ostilows' financials.
Jeremy received a $2 million
when he left the company.
A lot of corporate executives
have golden parachute
provisions.
This guy was
middle management.
Still he received
an additional million
a year after he left,
and another million
earlier this year.
Boss molested their son,
then bought their silence.
MUNCH:
Tripley's always
had deep pockets
when it comes to kids.
He's given tens of millions
of dollars to charities,
usually child-related.
Programs for gifted kids,
sick kids,
underprivileged kids.
The man sure loves children.
BENSON:
Yeah, too much.
You got to figure that
there's other victims
out there somewhere.
How are we supposed
to weed them out?
We got JJ's statement.
I say we pick up Tripley now.
Have Novak get a search warrant
before he has time
to clean house.
STABLER:
Lederhosen?
Guilty.
Functioning soda fountain,
stuffed animals, arcade games.
All this for a guy who doesn't
have any kids of his own.
FIN:
He owns a toy store.
Maybe he likes
to bring his work home.
This has got to cost more
than my family car.
( chittering )
Whoa. What the
hell is that?
That's Mr. Tripley's lemur.
You've frightened it.
Lemur? Aren't those things
endangered?
It is here. God knows
what he's doing to it.
Don't you dare insult
Mr. Tripley. He's a saint.
Really? Well, have you ever
seen anything, uh,
inappropriate, you know,
questionable?
Never.
There are ten servants on staff.
Ask any of them.
Oh, we intend to.
We understand that you have a,
uh, secret Treasure Room.
You know about that?
It's no secret.
It's every child's
favorite place.
Pervert ahoy.
Pedophilic pirate motif.
Interesting choice.
What do you got to do
to get booty
from this treasure chest?
I wonder how many victims walked
Tripley's gangplank.
It's just like JJ said.
This is where he was molested
three years ago.
This bed's a tight squeeze
for two to sleep in.
Platonically.
Oh, this is just wrong.
Little jammies.
Each one a different theme.
What's this about?
Tripley's idea of lingerie.
Bag 'em up.
Give 'em to the crime lab.
Hopefully, they'll find
some dirty laundry
in the dirty laundry.
It's inconceivable that no one
has turned this guy in by now.
WOMAN:
Mr. Tripley...
( people shouting )
Don't worry, Billy.
I'll have you out
in 15 minutes.
Did you do
it, Billy?
How many kids have
you molested?
Detectives, is the victim male
or female?
No comment. Let us through.
There is no truth
whatsoever
to these outrageous
allegations.
Can you clarify
exactly what the
allegations are?
Scurrilous lies,
plain and simple.
Someone trying to
cash in, no doubt.
Please, people,
clear a path, please.
Billy has dedicated
his life to helping kids.
I can't fathom
why anyone would
smear his good name,
but I promise you, anyone doing
so will be sued for slander.
You're not trying
to threaten a witness
through the press, are you?
No. Are you trying to trample
my First Amendment right
to free speech?
Watch your head.
Excuse me, one more question.
Tell them I would
never hurt a child.
Hey, we're standing right
here, tell us yourself.
What's it going to take
to make this go away?
Oh, you mean a dollar amount?
I'm afraid
that Billy can-/////!t buy his
way
out of this one, not this time.
I didn't do anything.
I love children.
STABLER:
So we hear,
from the boy
you molested.
That's a big lie.
No, it was a
$4 million secret.
That's how much
you paid the family
to keep them quiet.
How many payments
you got left?
TRIPLEY:
The Ostilow settlement has
nothing to do
with molestation.
It was business.
BENSON:
Really? Do you mind
if we take a look
at the contract?
Sorry. We have a
non-disclosure agreement
involving a toy patent we
purchased from Mr. Ostilow.
That's a bunch
of crap.
It's hush money.
You molested their son
and paid them off.
Filthy lies.
BENSON:
Do you deny
having a nine-year-old boy
spend the night at your house?
Kids spend the night
all the time.
Billy has numerous
functions there.
You've seen the place.
Of course the kids
don't want to leave.
The parents are there, too.
And if they're not,
I always get their permission
over the telephone.
How often do you sleep
in the same bed with these kids?
All the time.
What's wrong with that?
You're a 35-year-old man.
I would kill myself before
I did anything to hurt a child.
Pedophiles never think
they're hurting them.
You're just loving them, right?
Yes. But not in the sick way
you're thinking.
I don't think that way.
There's nothing more natural
and more beautiful
than loving a child.
You're sick.
I think we're done here.
BENSON:
No you're not.
Billy still needs to be booked.
And you've got a long,
nasty trial ahead of you.
Unless you really do
care about kids.
In which case
you'll save the victim
an awful lot of pain
and plead out.
MAN:
Motion for Dismissal?
The D.A. has no
physical evidence,
no third-party witness...
We have the victim's
sworn statement
of inappropriate sexual contact.
Delusional fantasies
of an emotionally disturbed boy
obtained while he was sedated
in the lockdown unit
of a psychiatric facility.
Where he was sent for treatment
stemming from the sexual abuse
inflicted by Billy Tripley.
The alleged victim was
sent to Bellevue
for posting violent threats
on the Internet.
He made no mention
of my client.
The boy had suppressed
the facts of his abuse
for three years.
He'd been forbidden
to mention Billy Tripley.
The fact remains that
every sick threat
was proven
to be a fantasy.
Just like the accusations
against my client.
That's for
a jury to decide.
I agree. Anything else?
Motion challenging
the admissibility
of the alleged victim's
complaint.
Didn't we just go over this?
The statement
was taken by
Agent Huang.
JJ thought he was talking
to a psychiatrist, not a cop.
Dr. Huang is a psychiatrist.
But he concealed
his role
as an FBI agent from JJ
and encouraged him
to disclose information
under false pretenses.
This one I'll have
a closer look at.
I'll give you my ruling
next week.
Mr. Zeirko isn't
the only one who knows how
to draft a motion.
It's come to my attention
that the defendant,
who had no trouble
making bail,
has continued to entertain
children at his home.
Mr. Zeirko?
My client had many
charitable functions scheduled
prior to this nightmare.
He opted not to punish thousands
of needy kids
due to the bad behavior of one.
Let's err on
the side of caution.
Until this case is resolved,
he's restricted
to supervised visits with
children under the age of 16.
TRIPLEY:
Isn't he soft?
Very nice.
Tripley, got a call
from one of your neighbors.
Found it very unsettling
to see so many kids
coming through your door.
What's the special
occasion, Billy?
They lower
the age of consent?
That's not funny.
BENSON:
Well, what is funny
is a man in your position
finding reason
to celebrate.
A few of my friends and
associates threw a party
to show their support.
The crowd looks
a little young.
There are plenty of adults here.
Just make sure there's
no sleep-overs.
TRIPLEY
I'd invite you to stay,
Detectives,
but we only want
positive energy here.
You must be wrong about him.
Don't tell me,
he donated
a boatload of cash
to your organization?
Oh, no. I don't belong
to any organization.
I just met him today.
So, how did you
get on the invite list?
He couldn't possibly
be guilty with all
the good things that he's done.
I wrote him a letter thanking
him and he invited us
to this party.
Us?
My granddaughter
April.
April, come here a minute.
Are you having
fun, sweetie?
It's the best day
of my whole life.
Oh, good, good.
What kind of parents would let
their kids around this guy
knowing the
allegations
against him?
They can't tell
he's a freak.
They don't care as long as they
keep getting a handout.
The naive ones are just blinded
by his generosity.
Something tells me
he's been shoveling
more money on his problems.
Now what?
I just left another motion
hearing with Zeirko.
Imagine my surprise
when he handed me this...
The story I told you
about Mr. Tripley was a lie.
He never touched me.
He was never anything
but kind to me.
I apologize for any trouble
my lies may have caused him.
STABLER:
Mr. and Mrs. Ostilow?!
Open up this door
or we'll break it
down again!
What do you want now?
Tripley get to you?
Did he threaten to enforce
the nondisclosure agreement?
If JJ's abuse was
ever discussed,
then you'd have to pay back
all that nice money.
Lower your voices.
People can hear you.
Let us inside then.
We just want a quiet
word with JJ.
He's not here.
Where is he?
He's getting over
this whole mess
in a place you'll
never find him.
How gone is JJ?
He hasn't shown up
for school,
and no one in his apartment
building's seen him.
We pulled the Ostilow's
credit cards.
There's no bus or plane
tickets on 'em.
He's 12 years old.
Someone has to be
taking care of him.
We don't know who.
We have surveillance
on the parents.
They're not paying him
any visits.
They're saying
they sent their
son on vacation.
That's not a crime.
It's called hindering
a prosecution.
That's what I think,
but until I talk to JJ,
I can't prove it.
So, what,
you're just going
to dismiss the case
against Billy?
I don't see what
other option I have.
You're talking
about letting
a pedophile
walk free.
Find one.
I'm not dropping the charges.
I admire
your tenacity.
But you know without
a complaining witness,
your case is over.
Billy Tripley's guilty
of witness tampering.
Can you prove it?
Not yet.
But I know Tripley got
to the parents,
threatened to enforce
the nondisclosure agreement.
Are you absolutely sure
that JJ recanted under duress?
I know that boy was molested.
JJ told Huang he can identify
a birthmark on Billy's penis.
She doesn't get out much.
It's just so frustrating.
If a jury heard the boy's
original statement,
believe me,
they'd put Tripley away.
Well, unfortunately,
the boy's out of the picture
and we can't very well
go around violating
a defendant's eighth amendment
right to face his accuser.
We also can't allow
rich offenders
to buy their way around justice
with nondisclosure agreements.
There's your loophole.
The NDA.
They're always very carefully
worded.
There's never an admission
of guilt.
But there might be mention
of the boy.
And legally, a minor can't enter
into a binding contract.
No, but his parents acting
as his guardians can.
But the question is,
were his parents
acting in his best interest?
If not, that
boy deserves
a lawyer of his own.
And I think I know
just who it should be.
The People request
Jeremy Ostilow Junior
be appointed
a guardian ad litem.
What does that mean?
Is she trying to take away
custody of my son?
No, Mr. Ostilow.
Guardian ad litem
is a person appointed
by the court
to protect the interests
of a minor
for purposes
of legal matters only.
Your Honor, there
is no legal matter.
And if there were,
I've ably represented the
family for several years.
The family-- meaning
the parents, not the child.
Everything I've done
has always been
in my son's best interest.
Everything you've done about
what, Mr. Ostilow?
Are you referring to the
nondisclosure agreement?
Any answer he gives
to that question
would constitute disclosure,
thereby breaching the agreement.
This kind of
circular reasoning
is indicative
of the entire problem,
Your Honor.
The court must step in
for the child.
I'll appoint a law guardian
pro bono.
I'm available, Your Honor.
Mary!
What kind of back-
room deal is this?
The court
would be honored.
Thank you, Joe.
I'm now representing your son,
Mr. Ostilow.
Now, I need a copy of
that agreement made between
you and Mr. Tripley.
Your Honor, this is a blatant
fishing expedition.
MARY:
My client
informed authorities
that that agreement
pertains to him
and it also impinged
on a criminal matter.
LAWYER:
In a statement
he later recanted.
Begging the question why.
Why did you take
him to the lawyer
of the man he'd accused?
And why wouldn't you bring him
in to the police or the A.D.A.?
Because he was scared
to death of them.
They knocked down our door,
arrested him,
interrogated him
and then put him
in a nuthouse.
He just told them
what they wanted to hear.
It was the only way to get them
to leave him alone.
Let me ask
one more question.
Why, if Jeremy recanted
of his own volition,
are you hiding him?
I'm not.
He just needed to get away.
Isn't it so he can't
testify against
Billy Tripley?
No.
Mind if I ask him that myself?
You're not going
to talk to him.
In that case,
I request a Material Witness
Order to produce the child.
Your Honor, she's overreaching.
No, but she's
right at the line.
I want the boy produced
in my chambers.
I'm going to talk to him alone,
and then I'll make a decision.
No.
Sir, if you refuse to comply,
I'll be forced to find you
in contempt of court.
You don't want to go to jail,
do you, Mr. Ostilow?
They actually
put him in jail?
He's playing the martyr.
Claims he's protecting
his son.
He's protecting his millions.
JJ testifies,
he loses everything.
Gives him a big incentive
to sit tight.
I'll see that he sits there
till the boy turns 21
if I have to.
They didn't call her
"hanging judge" for nothing.
Who? Who called me that?
No one.
Why wait for Dad?
Let's find JJ
ourselves.
We're doing the best
we can.
We've pulled the phone
and credit card records.
So far, nothing, so...
I tell you
the good thing
about working
for a rich
law firm.
We've got resources
you civil servants
can't even dream about.
Including a slew of P.I.s
on retainer.
They're at your disposal.
Billy Tripley's PR machine
is painting JJ
as a pathological liar.
We still can't find JJ.
Detective Benson?
Yeah.
They said I should talk to you.
Why don't you have a seat?
Thank you.
How can I help you?
I run a program
for terminal patients.
Doing what, exactly?
Preparing them
for death.
I'm a therapist.
This morning I counseled
a nine-year-old girl
dying of leukemia.
That must be hard.
It gets worse.
I believe she was sexually
molested by Billy Tripley.
WOMAN:
It's all my fault.
I don't know how
I could have been
so stupid!
You got me.
You left your granddaughter
alone with this man?
We've seen him twice
since we met you.
Two days ago he threw a party
for kids just like April.
She's got leukemia.
Diagnosed a year ago.
Nothing the doctors
are doing seems to be helping.
So I'm searching
for alternative cures.
Where are April's parents?
I don't know.
There never was a father
in the picture.
My daughter got mixed up
with drugs.
Abandoned April
right after she was born.
I'm all she has.
We're going to need
to talk to April.
She had chemo this morning.
She's in maintenance.
Gets it every two
or three weeks.
She threw up all afternoon,
and, well, she fell asleep
an hour ago.
BENSON:
Thank you.
There you go.
I don't know
if I can keep it down.
Oh, honey,
try just a little.
We don't want you
dehydrating again.
We'll just talk
as long you feel
up to it, okay April?
So, can you tell me
what happened
at Billy Tripley's house?
There were lots
of kids there.
We played games.
Really fun ones.
Hide-and-seek and stuff.
She got overexcited.
Wore herself out.
Tell her what Billy said to you.
That I could take a nap.
He said kids took naps
there all the time.
And did he take you someplace
to lie down?
A place just for special kids.
Did Billy have
a name for it?
The Treasure Room.
Okay.
What happened there, April?
He said if I was good,
I got to pick a present
out of the treasure chest.
Did you get to pick a toy?
He said she
could have it
after the nap.
He didn't want her to wrinkle
her pretty outfit.
He had pajamas she could wear.
He took her clothes off!
I'm sorry,
Mrs. Hodges.
I understand how difficult
this is,
but I really need
to hear it from April, okay?
Thank you.
Honey, your nose is bleeding.
I'm sorry.
This happens
all the time.
Not that I wish it
on anybody else,
but why did it have
to be this girl?
Children with any disability
are twice as likely
to be sexually abused.
Cowards always target
the weakest prey.
They're more
likely to comply,
less likely to report.
And Billy's been around
hundreds of terminally ill kids.
Makes you wonder
how many died
before reporting abuse.
I knew he'd have other victims.
I just wasn't expecting a girl.
Sexually indiscriminate
pedophiles aren't uncommon.
His victims are
all prepubescent.
There's less anatomical
differences at that age.
It's more about the
hairlessness, the innocence.
Billy's pretty childlike
himself.
Look at his lifestyle.
He lives in a magical toyland
playing with kids.
It's the Peter Pan Syndrome
to the extreme.
TRIPLEY:
Look, that really hurts.
Oh, come on!
Are you going to pull out
every hair on my head?
Have to make sure we get one
with the root attached.
Ten hairs
is standard procedure.
Look, this is police brutality.
STABLER:
Trust me, when
you're being
brutalized by me,
you'll know it.
You just threatened me.
Did you hear him threaten me?
Nope.
Open wide.
And if you bite me,
I'll hurt you.
What's that for?
Oral swab.
No pain involved.
You know,
if you can't take pain,
you shouldn't go around
molesting nine-year-olds.
I never touched her.
Not that way.
Nap time? The Treasure Room?
I can't bring myself
to go back in that room
since you people desecrated it.
Please lower your pants
and underwear.
Why?
Pubic hair sample.
I need ten of those as well.
I don't have any.
Any what?
Hair...
down there.
Stand up and strip.
WARNER:
Hmm.
Guess we can wait
till they grow back.
It's permanent.
I had laser hair removal.
It just gets freakier
and freakier.
Notice where
his birthmark is?
Right where JJ
said it would be.
Now if only we could
find JJ.
I got a call
from the investigator
Conway Clark gave us.
He might have picked up
JJ's trail.
Where does he
think he is?
Maine. Clark's sending him
up there now.
April mention any birthmarks?
Nope. She had
her eyes closed tight.
Have you seen
Tripley's bombshell?
STABLER:
It's more like
a firecracker.
His legal team
put a P.I. on Nora.
Followed her and April
into a department store
where he alerted security.
For what?
"Toy mogul's alleged
victim caught with
shoplifting granny."
So much for our perfect witness.
It's not like it sounds.
Let me show you
how it looks.
Tripley's private investigator
took a pretty clear
picture of it.
That's $200 worth
of merchandise you're stuffing
in your bag there.
Yes, it was all for April.
She needed clothes.
Well, that's no reason
to steal them.
I had to.
Her medical bills
have wiped me out.
I can't work because she's sick
all the time.
I didn't know what else to do.
Tripley's lawyers are having
a field day with this.
They can't punish April
for my mistake.
They already have.
It's in the papers.
My granddaughter has had
a miserable life.
Both her parents abandoned her,
she's dying of cancer,
and now she's been molested.
Please... let her know justice
at least once in her life.
NOVAK:
Grandma muddied
the case big time.
Luckily she's not the victim,
April is.
You couldn't ask for a more
sympathetic witness.
But I could ask
for a second one.
If a jury heard it from April
and JJ, it'd be a lock.
I take it Mr. Ostilow is
still sitting in his cell?
Yeah, maintaining his vow
of silence.
Clark's private
investigator made
it to Maine.
Thinks he's got
a bead on JJ.
What about April's rape kit?
Warner's still waiting
for the final results,
but she found a hair
in the girl's underwear.
Made a preliminary
match to Billy.
I heard he had
no hairs to leave.
It's from his head.
Let me know when
the full kit's back.
I need all the evidence
I can get.
I found something
that doesn't make sense.
So, is that good or bad?
As part of the kit, I drew
blood to check for STDs.
Please don't tell me
he gave her something.
This kid cannot
take another hit.
No. The CBC and differential
came back absolutely normal.
So, that's a good thing.
Yes, and
that's the point.
Leukemia affects
the white blood cells.
I expected to find
abnormal metamyelocytes.
So I checked the smear.
Still nothing.
Meaning no sign
of cancer?
None.
Well, could she
be in remission?
It's a possibility.
But when leukemia is diagnosed
in a child,
the pediatric oncologist
takes a bone marrow biopsy
to confirm it.
It's done by drilling small
holes in the pelvic bone.
They don't heal.
This is a pelvis after a biopsy.
See the holes?
As part of April's rape trauma
exam, I took a pelvic x-ray.
BENSON:
No holes. They didn't do
a bone marrow biopsy.
She never had cancer.
It's a good thing you brought
her in when you did.
Another few weeks,
she'd have been dead.
What's wrong with her?
Mercury poisoning.
What?
There's a toxic level
in her system.
Well, how was she
exposed to mercury?
Ingested it.
Probably put in her food.
Nora.
She was killing her
own granddaughter.
And judging by these levels,
I'd say for almost a year now.
I don't understand.
She was going to doctors
for chemotherapy.
No, she wasn't.
Her grandmother
convinced her
they couldn't
afford a doctor.
Told her she was
giving her the
medicine she needed,
but it had to be their secret.
STABLER:
The medicine was
actually the mercury
which was making her sick?
So let me guess.
Leukemia and mercury poisoning
have the same side effects.
Both inhibit cell growth.
Same nausea, hair loss,
weight loss...
April honestly believed
she was dying.
Is she going
to be okay now?
Mercury weakens the bones,
so some of the damage
is permanent.
But at least she'll live.
You're going to start
feeling better now.
They told me Gran's the one
who made me sick.
BENSON:
I'm sorry, April.
Looks like your gran
did a lot of bad things.
She lied about the leukemia.
Has she lied about other things
that you know about?
The stuff I told you
about Billy.
Okay, was
any of it true?
Gran told me to make friends
with him.
I took a nap there once,
but just on the couch.
Well, you sure knew
a lot of details.
How did you know what to say?
Gran read all the stories
about him
in the papers.
She cut them out.
Made a scrapbook.
She quizzed me from it
every day.
Do you know where she keeps it?
In the kitchen.
Between her cookbooks.
April, we know that
you didn't want to do it.
She said it was my only chance.
If we didn't get the money,
I'd die.
I just didn't want to die.
Sweetheart, you're not going to.
Gran said she loved me.
But how could she make me sick
if she loved me?
NORA:
I don't know
what's wrong with me.
I love that little girl.
Funny way of showing it.
I never wanted to hurt her.
There must be something
wrong with me.
There is.
It's called Munchausen
by Proxy syndrome.
What is that?
A recognized
psychological disorder
that causes a parent to make
their child sick
because of a pathological need
for attention.
So, let's talk about
the Tripley scam.
Well, that was April's lie.
And I believed it.
We have the scrapbook.
Well, it's not as though
he's an innocent victim, is it?
He's a pedophile.
He deserved it.
I'd just as soon clear this
one off the books.
So fill in the blanks
and I won't charge
you with the fraud counts
related to it.
It sounds like you know
everything already.
Crime lab found a hair
in April's underwear.
During the party I snuck
into his room,
and I took it
from his hairbrush.
When they asked me for the
clothes she'd been wearing,
I'd already planted it.
Do you have any idea how much
damage you've caused?
But you agree with me;
he deserved it.
He deserves
to go to jail.
Thanks to you he can claim
he's the victim
of a false allegation
every time a legitimate one
comes up in the future.
I'm sorry.
I don't believe you.
But you'll have a good long time
to pay for it in prison.
We just made a deal.
I'm not charging her
with fraud on Tripley,
I'm charging her with fraud
on the cancer scam.
Munchausen.
Bull. She's been
working this for a year.
Totaling all the bake sales,
canister donations
and Internet
solicitations,
she's bilked people
out of 60 grand.
What are
you offering?
Not a thing.
I'm taking you to trial.
Please, please, think of April.
There's no one else
to look after her.
You've got to
be kidding me.
What you were doing nearly
killed her.
I'm charging you with fraud
and attempted murder.
But you heard what she said,
I'm sick.
No jury's that stupid.
They'll see it wasn't
Munchausen.
Just pure, unadulterated greed.
Well, we found JJ.
Where?
He was with an uncle
up in Maine.
My P.I. got close,
but just missed him.
What happened?
They crossed the border
into Canada.
The material witness order
doesn't extend that far.
I don't have the authority
to bring him back.
FIN:
Unbelievable.
Two cases against Billy,
and both of
them blown up.
He's a Teflon pedophile.
What happens with JJ's father?
Well, now we know
where JJ is,
I'll have to
notify the court.
Oh, that's nice.
He gets out of jail
and keeps the money, huh?
CLARK:
Oh, no.
Sending his son
out of our jurisdiction
does not vacate the order.
Until he produces that kid,
I'm keeping his ass in jail.
This you got to see to believe.
Billy is having a victory party.
WOMAN:
Billy, do you harbor
any resentment?
He invited the media?
I do feel sorry for
that little girl, though.
She was as much
a victim as I was.
The mood in here
is pretty festive.
I've been vindicated.
But the real winners
are the children.
One of these kids is going
to be his next victim.
It's sick.
We'll get him.
He'll give us a lot
more chances.
( cheering )
Who's your favorite toy maker?
ALL:
You!
Captioning sponsored by
UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION
and NBC
( wolf howling )
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.
You know what sucks?
Cramming two people in a room
with only one phone line.
I hate dorms.
Use your cell phone.
I keep going over
my limit,
because you're always online.
You mind logging off
for, like, two seconds?
This is kind of life or death.
You're in a freaking chat room.
Read this.
"Rage is eating
me alive.
"Must release it.
"I have a knife and rope.
"And a five-year-old.
Screw her innocence,
then slice her up."
This is sick.
He swears he's not joking.
"Hey, Dickweed,
I'm calling the Denver cops."
We were trying
to calm him down.
He's replying.
"Thanks for the heads up.
"I love killing pigs.
"I'll mow them down...
come through my door."
Hey!
MAN:
His screen name
is Psycho Killer?
Yeah, in a chat room
for slasher film fans.
I tracked down
the Internet service provider.
I'm on hold with them now.
Guy's obsessed
with mutilation.
And killing cops.
He logged off half an hour ago.
Check out his last post.
"Got to get ready
for my big date.
See you in hell."
Uh-huh.
Hold on. Who?
Jeremy Ostilow?
I'm afraid he's a little
out of our jurisdiction.
We're in Denver, Colorado.
Where is he?
Where else?
New York City.
Maintain fire discipline.
He's got a kid in there.
Hit it.
Police!
Don't move.
Hands where we can see them.
Jeremy Ostilow?
Yes.
GIRL ( shrieks ):
Mommy!
It's okay,
sweetheart.
Are you okay?
What the hell are you doing?
Looking for a Psycho Killer.
A Psycho Killer?
Yeah, your slasher site
screen name?
We linked it to your
main account-- J-J-O-rules.
That's not
my husband's.
It's JJ's.
And who's JJ?
Our son,
Jeremy, Junior.
Found him under the bed.
It was just a joke.
Captioning sponsored by
UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION
and NBC
He's 12 years old,
for Pete's sake.
Didn't you pull pranks
at that age?
Pranks, yeah,
but I never threatened
to kill any cops,
or say I wanted to...
"Rip off her clothes,
slashing as
I defile her."
That's what
you'd like to do?
Trust me, no more horror movies
or Websites.
Don't blame them.
They didn't make me do this.
Okay, who did?
Please.
He was just trying to impress
other kids on the Internet.
Your son had hardcore
slasher fans freaking out.
They asked him
repeatedly,
"Are you joking?"
They thought you were serious,
and I got to tell you, JJ,
I still do.
Then you're an idiot.
Give it up, Detective.
My parents would die
before they'd let anything bad
happen to me.
MRS. OSTILOW:
Please don't do this to my son.
He's very sensitive.
Have you read
the print-out
that we gave you
from the Internet?
It's just nonsense he picked up
from comic books and movies.
He has no idea what it means.
He went into
graphic detail.
Look, who's going
to fix the door?
You can fill out a form
to be reimbursed by the city.
How long will
that take?
If you're lucky,
I'd say six to eight weeks.
No. It has to be tonight.
What will I tell
the neighbors?
Mrs. Ostilow,
how long has your son been
obsessed with violence?
He's not.
Has he ever hurt his sister?
Never.
I need to talk to her.
Lisette's in her room.
I'll get her.
Underage suspects are entitled
to have a parent present.
Underage victims are not
afforded that same right.
Lisette's not a victim.
I need to talk to her alone.
Fine.
She'll tell you,
she adores her big brother.
"Screw her innocence
and then slice her up."
This is about your sister,
Lisette?
No.
You telling me
there's another five-year-old
out there
who pisses you off that much?
Believe me, I know what a pain
little sisters can be.
Just tell me what she did.
She melted my favorite CD
in her EasyBake oven.
Well, that sucks.
What did you do?
Nothing.
I never do anything.
When someone
makes me mad,
I just imagine hurting them.
It makes me feel better.
So, it's like a release valve.
You think about it,
but don't actually do it.
That's what I said, moron.
You have these thoughts a lot?
All the time.
What are you so angry about?
Stuff.
What kind of stuff?
Life is really stressful,
you know?
Well, I know mine is.
I deal with dirt bags every day.
Like yesterday,
there was this case.
These four guys gang-rape
this sweet Haitian woman.
Detective.
You want to hear the details?
I really don't think
this is appropriate talk.
About how they beat her up,
and they degraded her,
and when she begged for mercy,
they defecated on her?
That's a child
you're talking to.
Read what he wrote.
He wants to act
like an adult predator,
I'll talk to him like one.
You really want to grow up
to be like one
of those perverts, huh?
Why wait?
BENSON:
So, Lisette,
has JJ ever hurt you?
He pulled my hair once.
He did?
That's not nice.
Has he hurt you
any other times?
I have a new game.
Want to play?
You know what?
Uh, maybe later,
but we need to finish talking
about JJ first, okay?
Okay.
Okay. So...
Lisette, I need you to show me
on this doll
all the places
where JJ hurt you.
Right.
And has he hurt you
anyplace else?
Not me.
Has he hurt someone else?
Who?
Beverly and Erica.
And do you know
where he hurt them?
Okay.
Now, Lisette, I need to talk
to Beverly and Erica.
Does your mommy
know where they are?
No.
They're in the hospital.
What hospital?
Lisette, sweetie,
we need to finish talking
before we can play.
But you said
you wanted to see it.
This is the hospital.
CRAGEN:
Mr. Ostilow,
your son needs help.
He's a boy.
Boys break their
sisters' dolls.
He mutilated 23 of them.
All in the genital area.
He's emotionally disturbed.
You're a psychiatrist,
are you?
No. No, sir, I am not.
That's why I would like you
to sign this.
What is it?
It's a parental
consent form
to commit JJ
for psychiatric
observation.
I won't have him branded crazy.
You'd prefer a criminal record?
For what?
Posting terroristic threats
is a felony.
I am so sick
of people co-opting nine-eleven
for their own agendas.
Where do you want to send him,
Guantanamo Bay?
I'd prefer Bellevue's
Adolescent Ward.
Absolutely not.
Well, he's not going
home to his sister.
So, it's either Bellevue
or juvenile detention.
Your call, sir.
MUNCH:
I hear they shipped
JJ off to the loony bin.
Cragen talked the father
into a 72-hour hold.
Learn anything
from the neighbors?
Yeah, that he should be locked
in a rubber room permanently.
Why, what's he done?
Traumatizes every
tot in the building.
Screams at them
till he's red in the face.
About what?
Any little thing.
Like looking at him
the wrong way.
Yeah, he locked a few
of them up in a utility closet,
convinced them
they were going to be murdered.
They cried for an hour
before he let them out.
Dad smoothed it out
with the parents.
Sent them all
expensive presents.
He's making it worse
by excusing it.
This kid is a
ticking time bomb.
Well, let's just
call the school,
and see if he's
exploded already.
WOMAN:
Trouble paying attention
in class,
poor grades,
inappropriate behavior.
Such as?
He drew a pornographic
image on a girl's desk
with a magic marker.
Tortured artist.
Another time he wrote
an obscenely graphic scenario,
passed it on to another student.
It upset her very much.
FIN:
Still have it?
I contacted his parents,
suggested he needed therapy.
They disagreed.
What's the school doing
about it?
We're not inviting him back
next year.
We'd ask him to leave now,
if it wasn't so close
to the end of the term.
Did he ever hurt
another student?
Well, we suspected
he did once, but
the victim denied it.
What was the incident?
A locker room fight.
Mitchell was a bloody mess.
JJ didn't have a mark on him.
It was perplexing.
Why is that?
If I had to name
the school bully,
it would be Mitchell.
MUNCH:
Dodge Ball?
They haven't outlawed
this barbaric practice yet?
I loved this game.
Yeah, well, you were a sadist.
You know, I literally
weighed 98 pounds.
I can still hear them.
"Break the Pencil."
I was a walking bruise.
I think we found Mitchell.
You're out.
What the...?
Get over here.
JJ came out of the showers.
Someone might have
pulled his towel away.
Why?
Something to do.
So, what happened?
He might have gotten snapped
by a wet towel or two.
All in good fun, you know?
MUNCH:
Yeah.
Getting pelted
by Neanderthals,
in the privates
sounds like a blast.
JJ went postal.
He started wailing on me.
Bloodied my nose,
gave me a black eye,
busted lip...
So, how is it a guy
like you doesn't fight back?
I was freaked out.
Why, because somebody
half your size
finally stood
up to you?
No. Because the whole time
he's hitting me,
he's screaming rape.
Explosive rage,
sexual acting out...
The slipping grades.
Behavioral
and personality changes.
JJ's got all the classic signs
of being molested.
Question is, by whom?
Well, we canvassed the school.
He's not in any
extra-curricular activities,
so I doubt it was a teacher.
No older friends
anyone knows about.
MUNCH:
No friends at all.
Leaves the parents.
Dad was running interference
all through the interview.
Well, it's going to be hard
for JJ to tell about abuse
if his abuser is
sitting right there.
I think the mother
knows about it.
I got the feeling that she
was covering something up.
And aside from
her worrying
about what the
neighbors thought,
this woman has major
guilt issues.
We got to get JJ to open up.
We might have trouble
gaining his trust. I put him
through the wringer
a little bit there.
Huang's got privileges
at Bellevue.
We'll have him
pay a visit.
HUANG:
How are you feeling today, JJ?
I'm locked up
in an insane asylum.
How do you think I feel?
Uh, angry,
frustrated, betrayed.
You're the doctor.
Well, it seems to me
like you're angry.
Are you angry at someone?
My parents.
They're so lame.
What did they do?
They let me wind up here.
Well, maybe they thought
it was for your own good.
They don't care about me.
Sounds like
they let you down before.
I can't say.
You know, JJ, it's okay.
You can tell me.
You don't understand!
I'm not allowed
to talk about it!
Why not?
Because of the contract.
You made a deal not to tell?
I didn't.
My parents did.
JJ,
there isn't a contract
that can legally
cover up a crime.
They are not protecting you.
Why are you protecting them?
Tell me where it happened.
At a sleepover.
Mm-hmm.
There were a bunch
of kids there,
but I was the only one allowed
to sleep in the Treasure Room.
What's the Treasure Room?
His bedroom.
Whose bedroom?
Billy.
And
what did Billy do
in the Treasure Room?
He had these pajamas
laid out for me.
He helped me undress.
I can't...
( crying )
JJ...
( crying )
I'm real sorry
that your parents made you
keep this secret so long...
but you got to get it out now.
He touched me.
He made me touch him.
And did you tell your parents
what happened?
Yeah.
What did they do about it?
Got rich.
What do you mean?
Billy owns the company
my Dad used to work for.
He paid them so much money
not to tell,
they never have to work again.
Until three years ago,
Jeremy Ostilow, Senior,
worked for Tripley Toys.
Company did $1.7 billion
in sales last year.
Oh.
It's owned
by William J. Tripley.
CRAGEN:
Whom, I see by
his press release,
prefers to be called Billy.
BENSON:
35, never married,
clean slate.
Inherited the company
from Daddy.
He doesn't, uh,
actually run the empire,
but he does receive a bulk
of the profits.
We pulled the
Ostilows' financials.
Jeremy received a $2 million
when he left the company.
A lot of corporate executives
have golden parachute
provisions.
This guy was
middle management.
Still he received
an additional million
a year after he left,
and another million
earlier this year.
Boss molested their son,
then bought their silence.
MUNCH:
Tripley's always
had deep pockets
when it comes to kids.
He's given tens of millions
of dollars to charities,
usually child-related.
Programs for gifted kids,
sick kids,
underprivileged kids.
The man sure loves children.
BENSON:
Yeah, too much.
You got to figure that
there's other victims
out there somewhere.
How are we supposed
to weed them out?
We got JJ's statement.
I say we pick up Tripley now.
Have Novak get a search warrant
before he has time
to clean house.
STABLER:
Lederhosen?
Guilty.
Functioning soda fountain,
stuffed animals, arcade games.
All this for a guy who doesn't
have any kids of his own.
FIN:
He owns a toy store.
Maybe he likes
to bring his work home.
This has got to cost more
than my family car.
( chittering )
Whoa. What the
hell is that?
That's Mr. Tripley's lemur.
You've frightened it.
Lemur? Aren't those things
endangered?
It is here. God knows
what he's doing to it.
Don't you dare insult
Mr. Tripley. He's a saint.
Really? Well, have you ever
seen anything, uh,
inappropriate, you know,
questionable?
Never.
There are ten servants on staff.
Ask any of them.
Oh, we intend to.
We understand that you have a,
uh, secret Treasure Room.
You know about that?
It's no secret.
It's every child's
favorite place.
Pervert ahoy.
Pedophilic pirate motif.
Interesting choice.
What do you got to do
to get booty
from this treasure chest?
I wonder how many victims walked
Tripley's gangplank.
It's just like JJ said.
This is where he was molested
three years ago.
This bed's a tight squeeze
for two to sleep in.
Platonically.
Oh, this is just wrong.
Little jammies.
Each one a different theme.
What's this about?
Tripley's idea of lingerie.
Bag 'em up.
Give 'em to the crime lab.
Hopefully, they'll find
some dirty laundry
in the dirty laundry.
It's inconceivable that no one
has turned this guy in by now.
WOMAN:
Mr. Tripley...
( people shouting )
Don't worry, Billy.
I'll have you out
in 15 minutes.
Did you do
it, Billy?
How many kids have
you molested?
Detectives, is the victim male
or female?
No comment. Let us through.
There is no truth
whatsoever
to these outrageous
allegations.
Can you clarify
exactly what the
allegations are?
Scurrilous lies,
plain and simple.
Someone trying to
cash in, no doubt.
Please, people,
clear a path, please.
Billy has dedicated
his life to helping kids.
I can't fathom
why anyone would
smear his good name,
but I promise you, anyone doing
so will be sued for slander.
You're not trying
to threaten a witness
through the press, are you?
No. Are you trying to trample
my First Amendment right
to free speech?
Watch your head.
Excuse me, one more question.
Tell them I would
never hurt a child.
Hey, we're standing right
here, tell us yourself.
What's it going to take
to make this go away?
Oh, you mean a dollar amount?
I'm afraid
that Billy can-/////!t buy his
way
out of this one, not this time.
I didn't do anything.
I love children.
STABLER:
So we hear,
from the boy
you molested.
That's a big lie.
No, it was a
$4 million secret.
That's how much
you paid the family
to keep them quiet.
How many payments
you got left?
TRIPLEY:
The Ostilow settlement has
nothing to do
with molestation.
It was business.
BENSON:
Really? Do you mind
if we take a look
at the contract?
Sorry. We have a
non-disclosure agreement
involving a toy patent we
purchased from Mr. Ostilow.
That's a bunch
of crap.
It's hush money.
You molested their son
and paid them off.
Filthy lies.
BENSON:
Do you deny
having a nine-year-old boy
spend the night at your house?
Kids spend the night
all the time.
Billy has numerous
functions there.
You've seen the place.
Of course the kids
don't want to leave.
The parents are there, too.
And if they're not,
I always get their permission
over the telephone.
How often do you sleep
in the same bed with these kids?
All the time.
What's wrong with that?
You're a 35-year-old man.
I would kill myself before
I did anything to hurt a child.
Pedophiles never think
they're hurting them.
You're just loving them, right?
Yes. But not in the sick way
you're thinking.
I don't think that way.
There's nothing more natural
and more beautiful
than loving a child.
You're sick.
I think we're done here.
BENSON:
No you're not.
Billy still needs to be booked.
And you've got a long,
nasty trial ahead of you.
Unless you really do
care about kids.
In which case
you'll save the victim
an awful lot of pain
and plead out.
MAN:
Motion for Dismissal?
The D.A. has no
physical evidence,
no third-party witness...
We have the victim's
sworn statement
of inappropriate sexual contact.
Delusional fantasies
of an emotionally disturbed boy
obtained while he was sedated
in the lockdown unit
of a psychiatric facility.
Where he was sent for treatment
stemming from the sexual abuse
inflicted by Billy Tripley.
The alleged victim was
sent to Bellevue
for posting violent threats
on the Internet.
He made no mention
of my client.
The boy had suppressed
the facts of his abuse
for three years.
He'd been forbidden
to mention Billy Tripley.
The fact remains that
every sick threat
was proven
to be a fantasy.
Just like the accusations
against my client.
That's for
a jury to decide.
I agree. Anything else?
Motion challenging
the admissibility
of the alleged victim's
complaint.
Didn't we just go over this?
The statement
was taken by
Agent Huang.
JJ thought he was talking
to a psychiatrist, not a cop.
Dr. Huang is a psychiatrist.
But he concealed
his role
as an FBI agent from JJ
and encouraged him
to disclose information
under false pretenses.
This one I'll have
a closer look at.
I'll give you my ruling
next week.
Mr. Zeirko isn't
the only one who knows how
to draft a motion.
It's come to my attention
that the defendant,
who had no trouble
making bail,
has continued to entertain
children at his home.
Mr. Zeirko?
My client had many
charitable functions scheduled
prior to this nightmare.
He opted not to punish thousands
of needy kids
due to the bad behavior of one.
Let's err on
the side of caution.
Until this case is resolved,
he's restricted
to supervised visits with
children under the age of 16.
TRIPLEY:
Isn't he soft?
Very nice.
Tripley, got a call
from one of your neighbors.
Found it very unsettling
to see so many kids
coming through your door.
What's the special
occasion, Billy?
They lower
the age of consent?
That's not funny.
BENSON:
Well, what is funny
is a man in your position
finding reason
to celebrate.
A few of my friends and
associates threw a party
to show their support.
The crowd looks
a little young.
There are plenty of adults here.
Just make sure there's
no sleep-overs.
TRIPLEY
I'd invite you to stay,
Detectives,
but we only want
positive energy here.
You must be wrong about him.
Don't tell me,
he donated
a boatload of cash
to your organization?
Oh, no. I don't belong
to any organization.
I just met him today.
So, how did you
get on the invite list?
He couldn't possibly
be guilty with all
the good things that he's done.
I wrote him a letter thanking
him and he invited us
to this party.
Us?
My granddaughter
April.
April, come here a minute.
Are you having
fun, sweetie?
It's the best day
of my whole life.
Oh, good, good.
What kind of parents would let
their kids around this guy
knowing the
allegations
against him?
They can't tell
he's a freak.
They don't care as long as they
keep getting a handout.
The naive ones are just blinded
by his generosity.
Something tells me
he's been shoveling
more money on his problems.
Now what?
I just left another motion
hearing with Zeirko.
Imagine my surprise
when he handed me this...
The story I told you
about Mr. Tripley was a lie.
He never touched me.
He was never anything
but kind to me.
I apologize for any trouble
my lies may have caused him.
STABLER:
Mr. and Mrs. Ostilow?!
Open up this door
or we'll break it
down again!
What do you want now?
Tripley get to you?
Did he threaten to enforce
the nondisclosure agreement?
If JJ's abuse was
ever discussed,
then you'd have to pay back
all that nice money.
Lower your voices.
People can hear you.
Let us inside then.
We just want a quiet
word with JJ.
He's not here.
Where is he?
He's getting over
this whole mess
in a place you'll
never find him.
How gone is JJ?
He hasn't shown up
for school,
and no one in his apartment
building's seen him.
We pulled the Ostilow's
credit cards.
There's no bus or plane
tickets on 'em.
He's 12 years old.
Someone has to be
taking care of him.
We don't know who.
We have surveillance
on the parents.
They're not paying him
any visits.
They're saying
they sent their
son on vacation.
That's not a crime.
It's called hindering
a prosecution.
That's what I think,
but until I talk to JJ,
I can't prove it.
So, what,
you're just going
to dismiss the case
against Billy?
I don't see what
other option I have.
You're talking
about letting
a pedophile
walk free.
Find one.
I'm not dropping the charges.
I admire
your tenacity.
But you know without
a complaining witness,
your case is over.
Billy Tripley's guilty
of witness tampering.
Can you prove it?
Not yet.
But I know Tripley got
to the parents,
threatened to enforce
the nondisclosure agreement.
Are you absolutely sure
that JJ recanted under duress?
I know that boy was molested.
JJ told Huang he can identify
a birthmark on Billy's penis.
She doesn't get out much.
It's just so frustrating.
If a jury heard the boy's
original statement,
believe me,
they'd put Tripley away.
Well, unfortunately,
the boy's out of the picture
and we can't very well
go around violating
a defendant's eighth amendment
right to face his accuser.
We also can't allow
rich offenders
to buy their way around justice
with nondisclosure agreements.
There's your loophole.
The NDA.
They're always very carefully
worded.
There's never an admission
of guilt.
But there might be mention
of the boy.
And legally, a minor can't enter
into a binding contract.
No, but his parents acting
as his guardians can.
But the question is,
were his parents
acting in his best interest?
If not, that
boy deserves
a lawyer of his own.
And I think I know
just who it should be.
The People request
Jeremy Ostilow Junior
be appointed
a guardian ad litem.
What does that mean?
Is she trying to take away
custody of my son?
No, Mr. Ostilow.
Guardian ad litem
is a person appointed
by the court
to protect the interests
of a minor
for purposes
of legal matters only.
Your Honor, there
is no legal matter.
And if there were,
I've ably represented the
family for several years.
The family-- meaning
the parents, not the child.
Everything I've done
has always been
in my son's best interest.
Everything you've done about
what, Mr. Ostilow?
Are you referring to the
nondisclosure agreement?
Any answer he gives
to that question
would constitute disclosure,
thereby breaching the agreement.
This kind of
circular reasoning
is indicative
of the entire problem,
Your Honor.
The court must step in
for the child.
I'll appoint a law guardian
pro bono.
I'm available, Your Honor.
Mary!
What kind of back-
room deal is this?
The court
would be honored.
Thank you, Joe.
I'm now representing your son,
Mr. Ostilow.
Now, I need a copy of
that agreement made between
you and Mr. Tripley.
Your Honor, this is a blatant
fishing expedition.
MARY:
My client
informed authorities
that that agreement
pertains to him
and it also impinged
on a criminal matter.
LAWYER:
In a statement
he later recanted.
Begging the question why.
Why did you take
him to the lawyer
of the man he'd accused?
And why wouldn't you bring him
in to the police or the A.D.A.?
Because he was scared
to death of them.
They knocked down our door,
arrested him,
interrogated him
and then put him
in a nuthouse.
He just told them
what they wanted to hear.
It was the only way to get them
to leave him alone.
Let me ask
one more question.
Why, if Jeremy recanted
of his own volition,
are you hiding him?
I'm not.
He just needed to get away.
Isn't it so he can't
testify against
Billy Tripley?
No.
Mind if I ask him that myself?
You're not going
to talk to him.
In that case,
I request a Material Witness
Order to produce the child.
Your Honor, she's overreaching.
No, but she's
right at the line.
I want the boy produced
in my chambers.
I'm going to talk to him alone,
and then I'll make a decision.
No.
Sir, if you refuse to comply,
I'll be forced to find you
in contempt of court.
You don't want to go to jail,
do you, Mr. Ostilow?
They actually
put him in jail?
He's playing the martyr.
Claims he's protecting
his son.
He's protecting his millions.
JJ testifies,
he loses everything.
Gives him a big incentive
to sit tight.
I'll see that he sits there
till the boy turns 21
if I have to.
They didn't call her
"hanging judge" for nothing.
Who? Who called me that?
No one.
Why wait for Dad?
Let's find JJ
ourselves.
We're doing the best
we can.
We've pulled the phone
and credit card records.
So far, nothing, so...
I tell you
the good thing
about working
for a rich
law firm.
We've got resources
you civil servants
can't even dream about.
Including a slew of P.I.s
on retainer.
They're at your disposal.
Billy Tripley's PR machine
is painting JJ
as a pathological liar.
We still can't find JJ.
Detective Benson?
Yeah.
They said I should talk to you.
Why don't you have a seat?
Thank you.
How can I help you?
I run a program
for terminal patients.
Doing what, exactly?
Preparing them
for death.
I'm a therapist.
This morning I counseled
a nine-year-old girl
dying of leukemia.
That must be hard.
It gets worse.
I believe she was sexually
molested by Billy Tripley.
WOMAN:
It's all my fault.
I don't know how
I could have been
so stupid!
You got me.
You left your granddaughter
alone with this man?
We've seen him twice
since we met you.
Two days ago he threw a party
for kids just like April.
She's got leukemia.
Diagnosed a year ago.
Nothing the doctors
are doing seems to be helping.
So I'm searching
for alternative cures.
Where are April's parents?
I don't know.
There never was a father
in the picture.
My daughter got mixed up
with drugs.
Abandoned April
right after she was born.
I'm all she has.
We're going to need
to talk to April.
She had chemo this morning.
She's in maintenance.
Gets it every two
or three weeks.
She threw up all afternoon,
and, well, she fell asleep
an hour ago.
BENSON:
Thank you.
There you go.
I don't know
if I can keep it down.
Oh, honey,
try just a little.
We don't want you
dehydrating again.
We'll just talk
as long you feel
up to it, okay April?
So, can you tell me
what happened
at Billy Tripley's house?
There were lots
of kids there.
We played games.
Really fun ones.
Hide-and-seek and stuff.
She got overexcited.
Wore herself out.
Tell her what Billy said to you.
That I could take a nap.
He said kids took naps
there all the time.
And did he take you someplace
to lie down?
A place just for special kids.
Did Billy have
a name for it?
The Treasure Room.
Okay.
What happened there, April?
He said if I was good,
I got to pick a present
out of the treasure chest.
Did you get to pick a toy?
He said she
could have it
after the nap.
He didn't want her to wrinkle
her pretty outfit.
He had pajamas she could wear.
He took her clothes off!
I'm sorry,
Mrs. Hodges.
I understand how difficult
this is,
but I really need
to hear it from April, okay?
Thank you.
Honey, your nose is bleeding.
I'm sorry.
This happens
all the time.
Not that I wish it
on anybody else,
but why did it have
to be this girl?
Children with any disability
are twice as likely
to be sexually abused.
Cowards always target
the weakest prey.
They're more
likely to comply,
less likely to report.
And Billy's been around
hundreds of terminally ill kids.
Makes you wonder
how many died
before reporting abuse.
I knew he'd have other victims.
I just wasn't expecting a girl.
Sexually indiscriminate
pedophiles aren't uncommon.
His victims are
all prepubescent.
There's less anatomical
differences at that age.
It's more about the
hairlessness, the innocence.
Billy's pretty childlike
himself.
Look at his lifestyle.
He lives in a magical toyland
playing with kids.
It's the Peter Pan Syndrome
to the extreme.
TRIPLEY:
Look, that really hurts.
Oh, come on!
Are you going to pull out
every hair on my head?
Have to make sure we get one
with the root attached.
Ten hairs
is standard procedure.
Look, this is police brutality.
STABLER:
Trust me, when
you're being
brutalized by me,
you'll know it.
You just threatened me.
Did you hear him threaten me?
Nope.
Open wide.
And if you bite me,
I'll hurt you.
What's that for?
Oral swab.
No pain involved.
You know,
if you can't take pain,
you shouldn't go around
molesting nine-year-olds.
I never touched her.
Not that way.
Nap time? The Treasure Room?
I can't bring myself
to go back in that room
since you people desecrated it.
Please lower your pants
and underwear.
Why?
Pubic hair sample.
I need ten of those as well.
I don't have any.
Any what?
Hair...
down there.
Stand up and strip.
WARNER:
Hmm.
Guess we can wait
till they grow back.
It's permanent.
I had laser hair removal.
It just gets freakier
and freakier.
Notice where
his birthmark is?
Right where JJ
said it would be.
Now if only we could
find JJ.
I got a call
from the investigator
Conway Clark gave us.
He might have picked up
JJ's trail.
Where does he
think he is?
Maine. Clark's sending him
up there now.
April mention any birthmarks?
Nope. She had
her eyes closed tight.
Have you seen
Tripley's bombshell?
STABLER:
It's more like
a firecracker.
His legal team
put a P.I. on Nora.
Followed her and April
into a department store
where he alerted security.
For what?
"Toy mogul's alleged
victim caught with
shoplifting granny."
So much for our perfect witness.
It's not like it sounds.
Let me show you
how it looks.
Tripley's private investigator
took a pretty clear
picture of it.
That's $200 worth
of merchandise you're stuffing
in your bag there.
Yes, it was all for April.
She needed clothes.
Well, that's no reason
to steal them.
I had to.
Her medical bills
have wiped me out.
I can't work because she's sick
all the time.
I didn't know what else to do.
Tripley's lawyers are having
a field day with this.
They can't punish April
for my mistake.
They already have.
It's in the papers.
My granddaughter has had
a miserable life.
Both her parents abandoned her,
she's dying of cancer,
and now she's been molested.
Please... let her know justice
at least once in her life.
NOVAK:
Grandma muddied
the case big time.
Luckily she's not the victim,
April is.
You couldn't ask for a more
sympathetic witness.
But I could ask
for a second one.
If a jury heard it from April
and JJ, it'd be a lock.
I take it Mr. Ostilow is
still sitting in his cell?
Yeah, maintaining his vow
of silence.
Clark's private
investigator made
it to Maine.
Thinks he's got
a bead on JJ.
What about April's rape kit?
Warner's still waiting
for the final results,
but she found a hair
in the girl's underwear.
Made a preliminary
match to Billy.
I heard he had
no hairs to leave.
It's from his head.
Let me know when
the full kit's back.
I need all the evidence
I can get.
I found something
that doesn't make sense.
So, is that good or bad?
As part of the kit, I drew
blood to check for STDs.
Please don't tell me
he gave her something.
This kid cannot
take another hit.
No. The CBC and differential
came back absolutely normal.
So, that's a good thing.
Yes, and
that's the point.
Leukemia affects
the white blood cells.
I expected to find
abnormal metamyelocytes.
So I checked the smear.
Still nothing.
Meaning no sign
of cancer?
None.
Well, could she
be in remission?
It's a possibility.
But when leukemia is diagnosed
in a child,
the pediatric oncologist
takes a bone marrow biopsy
to confirm it.
It's done by drilling small
holes in the pelvic bone.
They don't heal.
This is a pelvis after a biopsy.
See the holes?
As part of April's rape trauma
exam, I took a pelvic x-ray.
BENSON:
No holes. They didn't do
a bone marrow biopsy.
She never had cancer.
It's a good thing you brought
her in when you did.
Another few weeks,
she'd have been dead.
What's wrong with her?
Mercury poisoning.
What?
There's a toxic level
in her system.
Well, how was she
exposed to mercury?
Ingested it.
Probably put in her food.
Nora.
She was killing her
own granddaughter.
And judging by these levels,
I'd say for almost a year now.
I don't understand.
She was going to doctors
for chemotherapy.
No, she wasn't.
Her grandmother
convinced her
they couldn't
afford a doctor.
Told her she was
giving her the
medicine she needed,
but it had to be their secret.
STABLER:
The medicine was
actually the mercury
which was making her sick?
So let me guess.
Leukemia and mercury poisoning
have the same side effects.
Both inhibit cell growth.
Same nausea, hair loss,
weight loss...
April honestly believed
she was dying.
Is she going
to be okay now?
Mercury weakens the bones,
so some of the damage
is permanent.
But at least she'll live.
You're going to start
feeling better now.
They told me Gran's the one
who made me sick.
BENSON:
I'm sorry, April.
Looks like your gran
did a lot of bad things.
She lied about the leukemia.
Has she lied about other things
that you know about?
The stuff I told you
about Billy.
Okay, was
any of it true?
Gran told me to make friends
with him.
I took a nap there once,
but just on the couch.
Well, you sure knew
a lot of details.
How did you know what to say?
Gran read all the stories
about him
in the papers.
She cut them out.
Made a scrapbook.
She quizzed me from it
every day.
Do you know where she keeps it?
In the kitchen.
Between her cookbooks.
April, we know that
you didn't want to do it.
She said it was my only chance.
If we didn't get the money,
I'd die.
I just didn't want to die.
Sweetheart, you're not going to.
Gran said she loved me.
But how could she make me sick
if she loved me?
NORA:
I don't know
what's wrong with me.
I love that little girl.
Funny way of showing it.
I never wanted to hurt her.
There must be something
wrong with me.
There is.
It's called Munchausen
by Proxy syndrome.
What is that?
A recognized
psychological disorder
that causes a parent to make
their child sick
because of a pathological need
for attention.
So, let's talk about
the Tripley scam.
Well, that was April's lie.
And I believed it.
We have the scrapbook.
Well, it's not as though
he's an innocent victim, is it?
He's a pedophile.
He deserved it.
I'd just as soon clear this
one off the books.
So fill in the blanks
and I won't charge
you with the fraud counts
related to it.
It sounds like you know
everything already.
Crime lab found a hair
in April's underwear.
During the party I snuck
into his room,
and I took it
from his hairbrush.
When they asked me for the
clothes she'd been wearing,
I'd already planted it.
Do you have any idea how much
damage you've caused?
But you agree with me;
he deserved it.
He deserves
to go to jail.
Thanks to you he can claim
he's the victim
of a false allegation
every time a legitimate one
comes up in the future.
I'm sorry.
I don't believe you.
But you'll have a good long time
to pay for it in prison.
We just made a deal.
I'm not charging her
with fraud on Tripley,
I'm charging her with fraud
on the cancer scam.
Munchausen.
Bull. She's been
working this for a year.
Totaling all the bake sales,
canister donations
and Internet
solicitations,
she's bilked people
out of 60 grand.
What are
you offering?
Not a thing.
I'm taking you to trial.
Please, please, think of April.
There's no one else
to look after her.
You've got to
be kidding me.
What you were doing nearly
killed her.
I'm charging you with fraud
and attempted murder.
But you heard what she said,
I'm sick.
No jury's that stupid.
They'll see it wasn't
Munchausen.
Just pure, unadulterated greed.
Well, we found JJ.
Where?
He was with an uncle
up in Maine.
My P.I. got close,
but just missed him.
What happened?
They crossed the border
into Canada.
The material witness order
doesn't extend that far.
I don't have the authority
to bring him back.
FIN:
Unbelievable.
Two cases against Billy,
and both of
them blown up.
He's a Teflon pedophile.
What happens with JJ's father?
Well, now we know
where JJ is,
I'll have to
notify the court.
Oh, that's nice.
He gets out of jail
and keeps the money, huh?
CLARK:
Oh, no.
Sending his son
out of our jurisdiction
does not vacate the order.
Until he produces that kid,
I'm keeping his ass in jail.
This you got to see to believe.
Billy is having a victory party.
WOMAN:
Billy, do you harbor
any resentment?
He invited the media?
I do feel sorry for
that little girl, though.
She was as much
a victim as I was.
The mood in here
is pretty festive.
I've been vindicated.
But the real winners
are the children.
One of these kids is going
to be his next victim.
It's sick.
We'll get him.
He'll give us a lot
more chances.
( cheering )
Who's your favorite toy maker?
ALL:
You!
Captioning sponsored by
UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION
and NBC
( wolf howling )