Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 5, Episode 2 - Manic - full transcript

While investigating a school shooting that claimed the lives of two students, the squad realizes that an alleged surviving victim is instead a possible suspect, and the side effects of a medication may have caused his actions.

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.

More blood.

( radio chatter )

Turn them down.

Floor's clean this way.



Elliot...
What have you got?

Print on the wall.

Psst! Psst....
something on the door.

It's locked.

BOY ( distant ):
Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!

( siren )

Patrol got the call
at 9:50 A.M.,

passerby saw a broken window,
open door, thought it might

have been a break-in
till they heard shots fired.

We found two dead kids
in the gym,

naked except
for shoes and socks.

Elliot's inside.

Hey, they get
the shooter yet?

Negative, your guy
just called



for ESU and HNT.

HNT. Bastard's got a hostage.

Let the boy go and we can talk.

We're not going to hurt you.

I repeat, we're not going to
harm you, just let the kid go!

( whispering ):
Any other exits?

I don't know.
Where's HNT?

On their way.

My name is Elliot.
What's your name?

Look, send out the kid,

I'm going to step away
from the door...

( gunshot )

Got the kid.

FIN:
Shooter's gone!

Might have gone out this way.

( moaning )

Where are you hit?

My head.

Okay. All right.

Everything's going to be fine.

Stay with me.

Gunshot wound
to the head.

Kid is passed out.

Manhattan SVU,
we got a teenage boy,

gunshot to the head,
put a rush...

Captioning sponsored by
UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION

and NBC

No luck?

Lady saw a tall
white guy running,

he' jumps into a car
a block away.

Make, model?

Black or blue or

green, maybe. Any
word on the kid?

Elliot called.
Kid is still

unconscious, but the bullet
only winged him.

Teacher lives close by, came in
when he heard the sirens.

Says the boy's
name is Joe Blaine,

ID'd the victims as
Luke Rhodes and Tyrell Dent.

School basketball stars.

Patrol's informing the families.

Takes hazing
to a whole new level.

What were the kids doing
here on a Saturday anyway?

Patrol found
a basketball outside.

Probably shooting hoops.

Killer came up, broke a window,
and forced them inside.

Captain...

Hector Recincto,
school security.

There's a gun missing.

Where from?

My lock-box.

I confiscated it
from a student Friday.

Patrol was going
to pick it up Monday.

What's the student's name?

Derek Fowler.

He's in the same grade
as these boys.

Police!
We have a search warrant!

Hands where we
can see them!

What'd I do?

Name!

Randy Fowler.
I'm clean,

ask my P.O.
Shut up.
Where's Derek?

In his room.

Don't go smashing
down his door.

What the hell?

Where's the gun, Derek?
What gun?

The one you brought
to school on Friday.

School pigs took it off me.
Kicked my ass out.

You stole my gun,
you little prick?

I was going
to tell you, Dad.

I didn't use it,
I was showing off.

Where were you
this morning?
Shut up, Derek.

You don't have to say anything.

That's right, listen

to your pops.

You can spill your guts
at the precinct.

The kid usually
lives with mom.

He's been suspended twice
for bringing knives to school.

Now he's graduated
to guns.

School expelled him,
maybe he decided

on a quick revenge.

Or maybe one
of the dead boys

saw the piece
and turned Derek in.

I checked
dad's movements.

He was drinking
his breakfast

from 10:00 to 12:00 AM
at the local bar.

That gives Derek
plenty of time

to go out and do his thing.
( cell phone ringing )

M.E. says that there's no hairs,

no fluids on the victims,
so no DNA.

No sexual assault?
Doesn't look like it.

FIN:
Well, our perp gets

his kicks out of killing.

He could've made those kids

strip just to humiliate them.

That was Elliot.

Joe Blaine is awake.
Get down there.

Show him an array.

See if he picks out
our little buddy in there.

Joe, do you recognize
any of these faces?

He went to my school.

Did he hurt you?

You can do this, honey.
You can help them.

How'd you get inside?

Who broke the window?

He made me do it.
I cut my hand.

And who is he?
Do you know him?

He has a gun,

he has a gun...

oh boy, oh boy,

he's shooting,

bang, bang...

It's okay.

Tell them what you saw.

I can't.

BENSON:
Did you see his face?

No, no, no...
I don't want to.

You're a really
talented artist, Joe.

I bet you could draw
his face.

I don't remember.

STABLER:
Think back.

He dragged you
to the boiler room,

he had a gun...

I know you can do this, Joe.

Just give us his face,
that's all we need, just give us

his face.

HECTOR:
Sure I know him.
George Waddell.

He's the janitor here.

What kind of guy is he?

He's got a temper.

Some kids messed
with him last week,

kicked his bucket over.

George went after them

with a mop.

And, uh, what kids were these?

There was
a bunch of them,

but you know who started it?

The kids that got shot,
Luke and Tyrell.

Call's gone out.

Now you said you kept
the gun in a lock-box?

Yeah, we confiscate a gun
it goes in here

till the cops come pick it up.

STABLER:
Who else has the key?

Only me.

BENSON:
And you keep it
with you at all times?

Of course. I keep
a spare set hidden back here.

Nobody ever
comes around this side.

Except for the janitor.

FIN:
We know you went
to the school today, George.

On Saturday?
Why would I do that?

'Cause you wanted a rematch
with those kids
that pissed you off.

No, sir, they were just
having a little fun with me.

MUNCH:
Sure you didn't want

to teach them a lesson?

Strip 'em naked? Embarrass them
like they embarrassed you?

No way.

You killed
these kids, George.

Whoa! I didn't
kill nobody.

Sure you did,
with the gun you lifted

from the security office.
I didn't shoot

nobody with that gun.

Seem to know
a lot about it.

I'm not saying anything else.
I wasn't at the school.

Yeah, well,
this puts you there.

Joey Blaine drew that,
after you tried

to put a bullet
through his skull.

I would never hurt Joey.

You stole the gun,

you killed Luke and Tyrell,

you dragged Joey
into the boiler room,

locked yourself in,
then you tried to kill Joey.

Oh, yeah?

So if I locked myself in,
how come I'm not still there?

You went out
through the window.

Nobody can get
out of that window.

FIN:
I did.

Look, man.
I got emphysema.

Maybe you could wiggle

your pretty little ass
out of there. Not me.

STABLER:
Well, he could be
telling the truth.

It would have taken
half-an-hour

for that wheezer George
to get out that window.

So how'd he get out?

SIPER:
Detectives. We got
ourselves a puzzle.

Fire a gun in here,
ricochet heaven.

If we trace
the bullet backwards,

it ended up at

the base of the wall.

Before that,

it bounced off the furnace,

after it first hit that pipe.

The bullet impact mark
is a perfect circle,

means the bullet was fired

straight up,
which doesn't make sense.

Unless Joe struggled
with the shooter

and forced him
to fire straight up in the air.

Could be the reason why
the bullet only grazed

the side of Joe's head.

Possible.

How you doing on prints?

We've got hundreds.

At least the kid's
are easy,

there's blood all over them.

Sprayed amido-black
to bring them up.

Did Joe leave his prints
on the inside door lock?

Yep. Shooter must've
made him shut it.

So what if the kid and the
shooter are the same person?

Joe comes in here,
he runs to the window,

it's too high, he can't get out,
he hears us on the outside,

he put the gun to his own head,

he shrinks from the shot,
bullet goes straight up.

He's bleeding, he panics,

so he looks for a place
to hide the gun...

Where else?

( knocking on door )

Detectives, did you find the guy

who did it?
Where's Joe?

In his room.
Why?

What's wrong?

Tell me.

Tell me!

Joe, it's the police.
Open up.

My God, what are you doing!?

What are you
doing with guns?

Please don't
hurt him!

Please, wait!

Where is he?

I don't know.
He was just here.

I guess that's one window
he could get out of.

Elliot...

school gym,
two bodies on the floor,

shooter standing over them.

He planned
the whole damn thing.

It's just a drawing.
It doesn't mean he did it.

BENSON:
Well, if he didn't do it,

then why did he run away?

He's terrified.

He saw his friends killed,
someone tried to shoot him,

and he's afraid the guy's going
to come back and get him.

School gym,

two dead bodies,
guy with a gun.

Your kid did this.

Nope. Drawing is
an outlet for Joey.

He drew what he saw,
not what he did.

What he saw?

This is dated July 4th.

Joe did this, Sandra.
This is what he did.

You're wrong.

He's a gentle kid.

He's a...

a really sweet kid.

I know
he's been depressed recently,

but he couldn't have done it.

Sandra...

Joe could hurt himself.

He could hurt somebody else.

Now, you need to tell us
where he is.

I already told you.

We came home from
the hospital.

He went into his room.

I had no idea that
he'd gone, until

you guys come
busting in.

Does he have any friends
that he would go to?

He has his art, okay?

That's what matters.

What about family?

What about his dad?

No. It's just Joe and me.

His dad walked out
on us three years ago.

So why would Joe
pick out Luke and Tyrell?

HUANG:
Because they're athletes.

They're the kings
of the school.

Joe's a loner.
He's socially awkward.

He's been teased and bullied.

After years of humiliation,
he snaps.

Like Eric Harris
at Columbine.

Walks into the room,
shouts, "All jocks stand up,"

and then he starts shooting.
( knocking )

MUNCH:
This model citizen
has a confession to make.

Spill it, George.

I gave Joey the gun.

Tell them why.

He's always getting picked on.

It was just to scare
the other kids.

I had no idea
it was loaded, man.

If I'd known,
I never would have...

Yeah, right.
Thank you.

We got the LUDS from Moms.

Two hours after Joey
left the hospital,

someone made a call
to MetroNorth line,

passenger information.

WOMAN:
Computer logged your boy's call
at 4:05 p.m.

It also logged
the menu choices he made.

Where's he heading?

Let's see.

He checked the schedule
for trains

to Milford, Connecticut.

The first he could have caught
was at 5:35 p.m.

So my boys here checked
today's cameras from 4:30 on.

Alfonso struck gold.

FIN:
Look, kind of hard
to miss, isn't he?

5:25 p.m.

Psycho brat caught the 5:35.

I'll call Connecticut
state troopers.

Well, hang on. He's not leaving
the upper level.

So?

Out of town trains leave
from the lower level.

So he's going downstairs.

Not in that direction.

He's headed for the subway.

Staying in the city,
not leaving it.

FIN:
Well, that kid's
not smart enough

to pull that kind of stunt.

I'll say Mama's taking us
for a ride.

Sandra can't really think

she's going to get
away with this.

One of your kids
got into serious trouble,

what would you do?

I don't know.

Yeah, you do.

You'd hire the best lawyer
that you could,

and you'd tell them
to keep their mouth shut.

You know how the system works,
Elliot.

She doesn't.

It doesn't make what
she's doing right.

It makes her a mother.

There she is.

The subject's getting
into a cab

going north on Avenue C.

FIN:
Copy that.

Taxi dropped
Sandra off here.

She went around back.

Munch followed
her on foot.

Store's closed.
She got keys?

Service entrance.

Must be where she works.

Any sign of the kid?

MUNCH:
He's here all right.

Any chance of back-up?

We're on our way.

Where is he?

Storeroom.

Police.
Don't move.

STABLER:
Let's see the hands.

Let's see the hands!
Up, up!

Leave him alone.

Come on.
Come on.

You leave him alone.
Talk to me. Talk to me!

Get out of the way,
Sandra.

Get out of the way.

He didn't do anything!
It's my fault!

JOE:
Mom! Mom, help me!

Just leave him be.

Mom, what's
happening? Mom!

SANDRA:
Talk to me!

I was going to bring him in.
I was.

Mom, help me.

Was that before or
after your bus trip
to Phoenix, Arizona?

Mom! Mom...
I'm trying to protect my kid!

Mom!

BENSON:
Joe, why did you shoot
Luke and Tyrell?

Don't know them.

You don't know them?

You told us that
you went to school with them.

No, I didn't.

Joe, Joe, look at me.

You're in serious
trouble here,

and you need
to help yourself.

Don't want to.

Did you draw this?

Where's my pen?
I want my pen!

We can get you one.

I know you drew that.

Now, did you
also do this?

You don't have
to answer that, Joe.

Didn't draw that.
Didn't draw that!

Joe, who-who's this?

Who is this person here?

( quietly ):
Zoltar.

Who's Zoltar?

No! No, I won't!
Stop!

Come on, Joey,
take it easy.

Calm down.
Hey, relax.

Stop! I won't!

It's okay.

Zoltar's going to kill you.

Are you Zoltar?

He's going to kill you!

All right, come here.

Get off!

He's going to kill you!

Zoltar's going to kill you!

We're stopping right now.
This boy is sick.

He's going to kill you!

Zoltar's going
to kill you!

Joe's lawyer argues
that he's not competent

to stand trial.

I buy it.

Kid could be acting.

Ah, he's not acting.

He's having
a psychotic break.

Okay, the question is,

was he psychotic
before he killed those two boys?

Sandra gave me
his school reports.

They mention moodiness,
irritability,

lack of attention--

these are all
signs of depression.

He's probably got
Attention Deficit Disorder.

A.D.D. doesn't turn kids
into murderers.

HUANG:
No, but you've
seen his journals.

His mom is right.

He's a really creative kid

with an elaborately dark
fantasy life.

Unfortunately today, something
tipped fantasy into reality.

So he really believes
that he's Zoltar?

I once treated a kid
from a Special Ed class

who whenever I asked him
a question,

he got under the desk
and barked like a dog.

Now did he think that
he was a dog? No.

He's just
blowing off steam.

Right. It was a displacement
activity to release his anxiety,

and that's what Zoltar does
for Joe.

It creates an escape.

The question is:
what made him turn violent?

Well, George Waddell
gave him a gun.

That gave him the means to kill,

but that's not enough
to trigger a psychotic episode.

Okay, so what does?

Alcohol, uh, drugs,
uh, lack of sleep,

any other stressors.

CRAGEN:
Okay, look,

I feel real sorry for Joe,

but I feel more sorry
for the two kids he killed.

Now we want a
confession here, Doc.

How do we get one?

You let him rest.

You get him something to eat,

you get him
a paper and pencil,

and you try again later.

When did you last sleep, Joe?

Wednesday.

This is Saturday.

That was three days ago.

I can't sleep.

I can't sleep!

I get bad dreams.

Are you taking
any pills, Joe?

I don't want to.

It's okay.

Why don't you want to take
the pills?

'Cause it puts voices
in my head.

I can't hear anything else.

They're talking so loud.
They're screaming!

Stop! Please tell them to stop.

Please, stop it!

Please tell them to stop!

Okay. Shh...

Please!
Please, stop it!

Joe... what are the voices

telling you?

They're telling me
to do things.

You mean Zoltar?

No one messes with Zoltar.

Kids mess with you?

All the time.

They laugh at me,
they pull down my pants,

they call me a shrimp.

But Zoltar punished them.

STABLER:
With a gun.

They're running,
and I'm shooting.

There's blood everywhere,
but they just won't die--

not till I get close.

Bang! Bang!

They finally stop.

I heard sirens.

I ran to hide.

I went to the boiler room,
but the window is too high.

So I put the gun to my head.

I don't remember any more.

Can I see my mom now?

Well, there's
your confession.

You want to try him in
Family or Criminal Court?

He's only 13,
but the murder was premeditated.

The DA will insist
on charging him as an adult.

We'll arraign on Monday.

Barry!

Alex, great to see you.

What are you
doing here?

Mr. Moredock has
taken Joe's case.

But this is a murder case.

There's no constitutional
issue here.

Really? What about
the freedom

to refuse medication?

Fourteenth Amendment
guarantees

the right to privacy.

What are you talking about?

It seems Joey's school
made him take Aptril,

a psychotropic

antidepressant.

That's your defense?

Some pills made him do it?

Barry, he confessed to killing

two of his classmates.

You're wasting
your time

and Mrs. Blaine's money.

Mr. Moredock is doing this
for free.

Before you
scoff, Alex,

consult the Physicians'
Desk Reference

for the known side-effects
of Aptril:

abnormal dreams, anxiety,
insomnia...

I suffer from anxiety
and insomnia.

I don't go out and shoot people.

Pleased to
hear it, Alex,

but you should also look

at the National
Drug Administration's

labeling enclosure for Aptril

which lists mania
as one of its side-effects.

How can you try a child
for murder

when he's got this poison
running through his system?

How did you get so well-briefed
on the subject?

You can thank the doctor
who called me about this case.

What doctor?

What were you thinking,
turning this case over

to Barry Moredock?

I'm concerned
about Joe Blaine.

I knew Moredock
would share my concerns.

So it wasn't enough you
had to call him in,

you also handed
him his defense.

I'm not against the use
of psychiatric drugs
to treat children.

I just don't think
they should be used

as an instrument
of school policy.

Then publish an article.

You had no business
interfering in my case.

Thousands of children
are being forced

to take powerful drugs without
psychiatric supervision.

Before you crucify
Joe Blaine,

maybe you should hear what
your detectives found out.

What, now you're working
on Joe Blaine's defense, too?

Alex, you weren't there--
this kid is seriously troubled.

We spoke to his
school counselor.

She said that Joe was
exceptionally creative
yet extremely disruptive.

They suggested counseling,
medication,

but Joe's mother
always resisted.

Well, she said he
was special, needed
special treatment,

so in the end, the
school insisted that
he go see their shrink.

So that's who prescribed
Joe the Aptril?

Apparently not--
Mom wanted

a second opinion, so they
went to go see a Dr. Engles.

All right.
Find out when Dr. Engles

started Joe on the Aptril.

Then I can decide
if I should take this defense

as seriously as
Dr. Huang seems to.

MAN:
Come on, Detectives,
you know I won't discuss

a patient with you.
Fine, then we
won't discuss him.

Just tell us what
you prescribed.

That amounts to the same thing
and gets the same answer: no.

Your patient just shot and
killed two of his classmates.

The shooting at I.S. 41,
that was Joe?

STABLER:
Yeah.

Did you prescribe
the happy pills?

I didn't prescribe
him anything.

Well, he said he
was taking Aptril.

He didn't get
it from me.

Well, he and his mother
came to see you.

And agreed to try
a course of psychotherapy.

I thought Joe was bright
and willing enough

to be treated by therapy alone.

Obviously you were wrong.

We'll never know.

After the second session,
Joe's mother called

and said I was not on her HMO's
list of approved doctors,

and they were
refusing to pay for
the therapy sessions.

Would the HMO have paid
for the meds?

Of course.

Therapy takes countless hours,
costs thousands of dollars.

Prescribing meds
costs a fraction of that

and takes five minutes.

Okay, so why not
prescribe the Aptril?

It's a standard medication
for children with depression,

but I avoid prescribing meds
if I can.

Why?
Because, frankly,

we still don't
understand...

what impact these powerful drugs
have on developing brains.

CABOT:
So this whole drug defense

is a fake?

Joe's mental problems
aren't a fake.

Both doctors who saw him
agreed he was depressed.

Moredock can hardly
blame Aptril if Joe
wasn't even taking it.

E.R. faxed over Joe
Blaine's tox screen.

Negative for narcotics
and alcohol

but not for
phenyl oxypropylamine.

Aptril.
That's the baby.

How recently
did he take it?

Well, based on
the plasma concentration,

M.E. says he took a pill about
24 hours before the shooting.

But if a doctor didn't prescribe
Aptril, then how did Joe get it?

I mean a 13-year-old kid

can't just buy it
over the counter.

He might've got it
from school.

What do you mean?

Well, you got millions of
kids taking psychiatric meds.

School nurse stations
have more drugs than
some hospitals.

They're not handed out
like candy.

Good as.
STABLER:
And the drugs are being traded.

I've heard of college students
snorting Ritalin

just to help them
get through exams.

Or to get a good buzz--
they're too stupid

to know they're burning
their own brain out.

Well, I know one person
I could ask.

CABOT:
Did Dr. Engles

give you the Aptril?

I didn't want it.

He said I'd feel better
just by talking.

But you stopped
seeing him

after two sessions.

Did you go see another
doctor after that?

No.

( sighs ):
All right.

Did a school nurse
give you the meds?

Is there a purpose to this
fishing expedition, Alex?

Well, if you and
Joe are claiming

that Aptril made him a killer,

I think we should know
where he got it.

Joe?

I don't know.

Well, if you
won't tell me,

I can only assume that
you got it yourself.

Maybe you bought it

from a kid at school.

Maybe from the janitor,
George Waddell?

I'm not sure

what you're trying
to achieve here.

I think it's
pretty clear.

No doctor prescribed
the Aptril.

Joe took it himself--

not because he wanted
to get better

but because he wanted
to feel good.

If that's the best
you can do, Alex,

I think we're going to have
a nice, short trial.

Let's go, Joe.

WOMAN:
Serotonin is one of the brain's

chemical messengers--
it governs our moods.

If it's reabsorbed

into the brain too quickly,
people can have feelings

of depression,
worthlessness, fatigue.

And reuptake inhibitors,
such as Aptril,

can block this reabsorption?

Yes. They boost
levels of serotonin,

and it can
relieve depression,

giving a sense
of general well-being.

Thousands of lives

have been improved
by the drug.

MOREDOCK:
So what's the bad news?

In an FDA-approved
trial of Aptril,

its maker, Tauscher-Leto,

found that a significant
percentage-- 1.8% in fact--

of those taking the drug
suffered a manic reaction.

MOREDOCK:
How many people

might be prone
to this "manic reaction"?

Current estimates
are that between

three and four million
children and adolescents

currently take at least
one psychiatric drug.

1.8% of that number?

That's... that's between
50,000 and 70,000, huh?

Yes.

So between 50,000 and 70,000

children and adolescents might,
at any time, be subject

to these manic reactions,
might feel omnipotent,

invincible... violent?

Yes.

Thank you, Dr. Petrus.

Dr. Petrus,
as a child psychologist

and psychopharmacologist,
you must be very familiar

with FDA-approved drug trials.

Yes.

This trial that you quoted,
how many people were involved?

I mean, actually
taking Aptril?
Uh, 190.

190. That doesn't seem
like a very large number.

Was that the only trial
that Tauscher-Leto did?

There were others.

And did they get the same
incidence of manic reaction?

No.

CABOT:
Isn't it true that in order
to have reliability,

a scientific experiment
must be capable

of being replicated?

Yes.

Yet the results of this trial

have not been repeated.

There is a wealth
of anecdotal evidence...

Dr. Petrus,
I thought you were here

as a scientist,
not a storyteller.

Your Honor...
Nothing further.

JOE:
It was like I was in a red fog.

The blood was pounding
in my ears.

The medication made
you feel this way?

Yes. Like nothing
could stop me,

nothing could hurt me.

MOREDOCK:
So you killed those boys.

Yes.

And afterwards,
how did you feel?

Like I wanted to die.

I put the gun to my head,

but my hand was shaking
too much.

Did you want to take
this medication,

this, uh, Aptril?

No.

I didn't want everyone to know
I was such a screwup.

But still, you took it.

Why was that?

'Cause if I didn't, they said
I'd have to leave my school.

Thank you, Joe.

CABOT:
Joe, did you do
this drawing?

Did you draw this?

Yes.

Dead bodies
in a gym,

a masked man with a gun.

What does it mean?

Nothing. It's just a drawing.

When did you draw it?

I can't remember.

Well, you dated it, Joe--
it's July 4.

That's two months
before you were referred
to the psychiatrist.

So doesn't that mean
that you had thought
about the shooting,

planned it, even,
long before anyone

ever mentioned Aptril to you?

MOREDOCK:
Objection.

Are the boy's
creative processes

on trial here, Your Honor?

Overruled. Answer the question.

I thought about it...

but I never
would've done anything,

not without the drug.

Who prescribed Aptril

to you?

I-I can't remember.

You can't remember

because no one prescribed it to.

Who gave it to you?

I don't know.
You said

you didn't like Aptril, you
didn't want to take Aptril--

how could you not know
who gave it to you?

I told you, I don't know!
The truth is, you did
want to take Aptril.

You wanted to find out
how it made you feel?
No!

And the reason
that you can't tell us

where you got it
is because you bought it

or you stole it at school.

No! Stop it!
Well, then how
did you get it?

Stop it!
Tell me.

Tell me, Joe,
where did you get
Stop it!

the medication?
Stop it!

Leave him alone, okay?

Just leave him alone.

I gave it to him. Okay?

It was me.

CABOT:
Sandra, why did you
lie to us?

I told Barry Moredock.

He said Aptril was the issue,
not where it came from.

So it was your Aptril?

Prescribed by a doctor?

No. It came in the mail.

You sent off for it, ordered it
on the Internet, what?

No, it just arrived.

It arrived just like that? When?

Right after I'd
heard from my HMO

that they weren't going to pay
for Joey's therapy.

I just started a new job...

and Joey was causing
all sorts of trouble at school,

and I kept getting
these phone calls.

My boss was on my case.

And his counselor calls
and tells me

that they're going to expel him
if I don't medicate him.

And then this package arrived...

with the Aptril.

Just the Aptril?

No letter, no nothing?

No, there was a letter.

This is on Tauscher-Leto
letterhead,

signed by a Dr. Carl Medwin.

Who's he?

That's my doctor
from about three years ago.

Well, he recommends
you try

this new weekly version
of Aptril.

Had he ever prescribed Aptril
to you before?

Yes. I got depressed

when my husband walked out.

It helped me.

So that makes it okay
to give it to Joe

even though
he didn't want to take it?

I love my son. Okay?

I would never do anything
to hurt him.

He was going to get
thrown out of school,

and I was going to lose my job.

So you forced this stuff
on your son

so you could get to work
on time?

No!
Did you talk
to a doctor

or a nurse or anyone?

Yeah, doctors, teachers,
the psychiatrists--

everyone said he should be
on the Aptril.

So why didn't you get a doctor
to prescribe it?

Because I didn't want him
to get labeled.

You know, those records, they'll
follow you your whole life.

I came home from work one day,

and there it was,
sitting on the stoop:

Aptril, like some kind of gift
from God.

I gave it to him--
I thought, you know,

it'll make him better.

( crying ):
No one will know,

and everything would be okay.

The pharmacy that sent
Sandra the Aptril

says it was legitimate:

a licensed physician
signed the prescription,

all they did was
mail out the meds.

But is there a crime here?

Well, it's pretty sleazy.

Sending powerful prescription
meds through the mail blind

is more than sleazy.

STABLER:
Tauscher-Leto
just gave me

the run-around.

The spokesman for
the CEO Dean Reynolds

categorically denies
that his company would ever

engage in
any unsolicited mail-out

of their fine
pharmaceutical products.

So how do they
explain the use

of their letterhead?

Ah, yes,

a rogue sales agent
who will be disciplined

as soon as he's identified.

They didn't send this stuff out
of the goodness of their hearts.

They were marketing it to people
they knew might use it.

It's your call, Counselor.

I don't think a doctor would
sign a letter to a patient

he hasn't seen
in over three years

without some kind of incentive.

Let's find out
who was paying Dr. Medwin.

MEDWIN:
It's my signature,
but I didn't write the letter.

Did you even read it?

Not until now.

You know, Doctor, aren't you
the least bit pissed-off?

I mean, they could have used you
to advertise crack cocaine

and you wouldn't
have had a clue.

The Tauscher-Leto
sales rep

told me the letter would be used

to market an improved
weekly form of Aptril,

and that samples would be sent
only to those of my patients

who had already
taken the drug.

Right. How many of these
letters did you sign?

Maybe two dozen.

Did you also
give the company

copies of your
patient lists?

Only those with a history
of depression.

With or without
their consent?

I did not consult them.

STABLER:
Oh, what the hell.

You make a couple easy bucks

off their medical problems,
right?

I got paid nothing.

They guaranteed a
three-month supply
of essential drugs

for my clinic.

Most of these patients
have no insurance.

If I don't help them,
no one will.

So you made a deal
with the devil.

If it means giving

poor patients the medicine
they can't afford, then yes.

Anyway, Aptril is
a well-established drug

with an excellent record
for treating depression.

So what harm could it do?

CABOT:
That's what one

of your patients
who received it thought.

So she gave the Aptril
to her son,

who had a psychotic episode
and shot

two of his classmates.

Oh, my God.

STABLER:
What's the name

of this Tauscher-Leto sales rep?

Jane Wellesley.

STABLER:
Ms. Wellesley?

Yes?

I'm Detective Stabler, NYPD.

This is Assistant District
Attorney Alexandra Cabot.

I'm sorry, I have
nothing to say.

How do you know
what we're going to ask?

Why did you send prescription
drugs through the mail?

I've told you, I
have nothing to say.

Did Tauscher-Leto
know what you were doing?

JANE:
Please, you're
in my way.

These your kids?

Give me that!
How would you feel

if someone sent a package of
prescription drugs to your home

and your girls
opened them

and decided to give them a try?

That would never happen.

Well, something very much
like it did happen.

Every sample we sent out was
to a carefully selected patient

with a genuine need,

together with a letter
giving precise instructions.

STABLER:
Well, not precise enough,

otherwise a 13-year-old
wouldn't have taken them

and executed
two of his classmates.

I have an appointment.
Excuse me.

Did you say
"we sent out"?

So it wasn't just you.

Tauscher-Leto did know.

( knock on door )

I need your advice.

Lie down on the couch.

Not that sort of advice.

What's up?

I think that Tauscher-Leto's
direct marketing tactics

were responsible
for Joe's manic episode,

which led to his shooting
Luke and Tyrell.

The company disclaims
all responsibility.

All the sales reps

are taking the Fifth.

The trial re-starts tomorrow
and I think I'm going to win

and I'm...
I'm not sure I want to.

Then plead Joe out.

How does that get justice
for Luke and Tyrell?

It doesn't.

You can't help them,
but you can help Joe.

Plead him out
and he'll get time

in a psychiatric
institution

where his treatment
will be decided by
doctors,

not insurance
and drug companies.

That's justice.

CABOT:
Your expert witness

imploded on the stand,

and Joe's drawings show
clear intent to kill.

Take the deal.

I think I'd rather
take the win.

All right, let's
say you do win
and Joe walks.

What happens then?

MOREDOCK:
What do you mean?

Sandra, you do acknowledge
that Joe has problems.

Yes. They're not
all his fault.

But they are the
reason that we're here.

If Joe is released,
then what happens?

He is dumped right back

into the same
hopeless situation:

HMOs that won't pay
for his treatment,

schools that demand
he go on medication.

How is he ever
going to get better?

MOREDOCK:
What do you propose, Alex?

Joe pleads guilty

to manslaughter.

He goes to a
psychiatric

institution where he
gets the proper treatment.

Do you understand
what she's saying, Joe?

Yes.

You have to decide
what you want to do.

Wait... we're not going
to do this right now.

CABOT:
We have to.

The trial starts again
tomorrow morning.

No, I have to think...
I have to talk to Joe.

Mom, it's okay.

You know what you want to do?

I want to get better.

( knock on door )

Alexandra, did you do a
deal with Joseph Blaine?

He pled guilty
to man two.

Man two for a
double murder?

I think you let
that oily-tongued,

Tennessee weasel
Barry Moredock

out-maneuver you.

Mitigating circumstances
came to light during the trial.

What mitigating
circumstances?

A particularly egregious
instance of corporate greed.

Corporate greed is
the beating heart
of America, Alex.

I'm not accountable
to corporate America.

But you are
accountable to me,

and I won't let
two innocent boys die

without punishing someone
for their murder.

Do you believe this
bleeding-heart nonsense

that Aptril
made Joe Blaine kill?

Tauscher-Leto
put that medication

into Joe Blaine's hands,
substantially diminishing

his responsibility
for his actions.

So who's guilty?

I don't know yet.

Then find out.

And I don't care how high
you have to go.

CABOT:
Jane? Jane?

Don't you give up?

There's someone
I want you to meet.

I'm not talking to anyone.

It's just two minutes
of your time.

Jane, this is
Joey Blaine's mother,

Sandra.

Ms. Wellesley,
you sent Aptril to my home.

You told me it was safe
and I gave it to my son.

That was your fault.

You shouldn't have
given it to him.

Why? Because Aptril can
cause psychotic episodes
in children?

Did your letter
warn Sandra of that?

Those reports are unproven.

No! My son proves them.

I-I didn't come here
to attack you.

I know what I did.

I know what my kid did.

And I have to live with that.

But you and your company,

you have to share
some of the guilt, too.

The letter gave you
clear instructions.

You didn't follow them.
I'm sorry.

You have children, don't you?

Yeah? Can you imagine
what it's like

to know your own kid
is a murderer?

Two boys are dead,

their families
are destroyed.

And I keep asking,

why didn't I do something
to prevent it?

How could I fail my own kid?

Please, if you love
your children,

please, don't let these people
destroy any more lives.

What do you want from me?

REYNOLDS:
In 2000,

direct-to-consumer marketing
of pharmaceuticals

was worth over one billion
in the U.S. alone.

Now, that figure can only rise,

and we're going to rise with it.

What's this,
a hostile takeover?

Funny man. Are
you Dean Reynolds,

Chief Executive Officer
of Tauscher-Leto?

I am. And you are?

The police.

This is Alexandra Cabot
of the DA's office.

What are you
doing here?

Uh, this memo approves
a direct marketing scheme

wherein Aptril would
be mailed directly
to patients' homes.

Do you recognize your signature,
Mr. Reynolds?

Where did you get that?

This approves of giving
doctors off-patent meds

free of charge in exchange
for their patient lists.

Is that your signature?

I don't have to listen to this.

Ladies and gentlemen,
we'll resume later.

And this third memo
threatens Tauscher-Leto
employees

with breach-of-
contract lawsuits

if they talk to either the
press or law enforcement

about the Aptril
direct mailing scheme.

Is that your signature?

That's enough.
I'm calling my lawyer.

Tell him to meet you
down at our lock-up.

Dean Reynolds, you
under arrest for
reckless endangerment

and for criminal diversion
of prescription medication.

You have the right
to remain silent...

But I haven't done anything.

Stop it, you're hurting me!

Take some Aptril, that'll
make you feel better.

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( wolf howling )