Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 7, Episode 14 - Taboo - full transcript

(male announcer)
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.

Angel!

Come back here.
I mean it!

Angel!

Angel, come back here!



Angel!

Can you grab my dog?

Ah, got her!

Bad dog, Angel.
Bad, bad dog.

What's that you got hold of,
little pooch?

That looks like afterbirth.

She just have puppies?
No.

Well, I've had three kids.

I'm pretty sure.

That's human.

You know, in some cultures,
they bury the placenta,

plant a tree over it.

Well, Angel dug this one
out of someone's trash.

Well, it could've been
a home birth.



And they just threw it out.
Is that legal?

Well, it's stupid.

A lot of parents are freezing
and storing them now.

For what?

Stem cells.

Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[growls]

Angel.
Shh, shh, shh, shh.

Angel. Angel.

[baby crying]

(man)
Baby Boy Doe.

Six pounds,
two ounces, Caucasian.

How long
was he in the trash?

He couldn't have been born
more than two, three hours

before they found him.

Garbage truck
was a block away.

His umbilical cord
was clamped off with this.

Or he'd have bled to death.

"Gourmet Coffee."

Well, I guess
he interrupted breakfast.

What are his chances?

He was lethargic
from dehydration

and hypothermia,
but otherwise healthy.

We got fluids
and formula in him.

Some nice,
warming lights.

And he perked right up.

Never got to bond
with his mother.

He needs all the human
contact he can get.

Welcome to the world, there,
tough guy.

Sanitation picked up
all the garbage.

Dog owner kept him from
hauling away our crime scene.

Let's hope our mother
didn't have twins.

Baby was stuffed in a bag
with these old clothes

and sheets.

The box was meant
to be his coffin.

Any identifying marks on it?

No. Placenta must've
been wrapped in that.

God.

Those sheets
that she gave birth on.

A lot of blood.

Yeah, stains are probably
amniotic fluid.

A low thread count but...

Nice stitching
on the border.

Color's taupe.

Who lives here?

Joe and Candace Shepherd.

Fin's inside
with them now.

What do we know about them?

Based on the anthropological
profile of their garbage,

I'd say he's a conservative,
she's a liberal.

Favorite food is Moo Shoo Pork
from Wok This Way.

Had it delivered three times
in the last week.

Sounds like somebody
had a craving.

I don't think Mrs. Shepard
could have been pregnant.

Why not?

I'm 51 years old.

I read a woman in Romania
gave birth at 66.

(man)
That was artificial
insemination.

After about 10 years
of fertility treatments.

If we went
to that much trouble,

why would we
just throw it away?

Okay, just 'cause
it wasn't you

doesn't mean someone else
in this house didn't give birth.

It's just
the two of us now.

Any of your neighbors
in the family way?

No.

But there is that poor woman
at our coffee place...Varla.

Varla works there?

She panhandles out front.

Can you imagine anything
worse than being homeless

and pregnant?

Gonna spend five bucks
on a cup of coffee in there.

You can get it at the Korean
deli for 75 cents.

Give the extra four bucks
and a quarter

to somebody
who really needs it.

You look cold.
Let us buy you a coffee.

I don't touch the stuff.

I had to give up caffeine
when I got pregnant.

Well, actually,
that's what we wanted

to talk to you about,
Varla.

You can't take my baby!
Please!

Varla!
[sobbing]
Don't let them take my baby.

Who's trying
to take your baby?

Social Services.

No drugs this time.
My baby will be born clean.

I swear!

Are you saying that
you're still pregnant?

What, are you blind?
I'm ready to pop.

Okay, let us take you
to see a doctor

just to make sure
the baby's okay.

It's okay.
Come on.

Let's go.

I was using all through
my first three pregnancies.

All my babies tested positive
at birth for crack.

ACS took them away.

I stayed clean this time.

How long?
Eight months.

This won't hurt at all.

I swore to do right
by this one.

[ultrasound waves]

This is the uterus.

Oh, I get to see
my baby on that?

No, Varla.

You threw him away.

No, he's inside me.
No.

He's at the hospital.
Look, you see that?

You see? There's no baby
inside you, Varla.

This is a trick.

How could they steal my baby
without me knowing it?

Why? I did everything
right this time!

I need to place you
under arrest.

[crying]
Detective...

You don't have
to do that.

Varla hasn't recently
been pregnant.

Her belly
is still swollen.

I believe she's suffering
from pseudocyesis.

What's that?

It's a rare
psychosomatic condition

in which a woman
who's not pregnant

exhibits all the signs
of pregnancy.

Absence of periods,
morning sickness,

abdominal distension.

A fruitcake
with baby fever.

Woman at risk are in their
late 30s to early 40s.

Wanted desperately
to have children,

but were unable
to conceive.

Well, Varla's 41,
but she's had three kids.

All taken away
by the state.

Pseudocyesis can also occur
when a woman has miscarried

or lost a child.

Then if there's no baby
in there,

what makes the belly
so big?

That one's still

a medical mystery.

Well, here's another one.

Why would a mother throw
her own baby in the trash?

Where are we
on the canvass?

Baby was dumped here.

We've done these four blocks.

Mother couldn't have
traveled very far

after giving birth.

Assuming she's the one
that dumped the baby.

Could be the husband,
boyfriend, parent.

Drunken genius.

The crime lab
cleaned the T-shirt

the placenta was wrapped in.

Blood obscured a logo.

"Einstein's Drunken Genius."

(Benson)
What does that mean?

I did a narcotics bust
at Einstein's bar once.

It's a college hangout
right outside

the Manhattan
Institute of Technology.

That's six blocks
from the crime scene.

That T-shirt's from a promo
we ran back in October.

Trivia contest.

Geared toward the eggheads
of Man.I.T.?

Yeah...but the gimmick was
you had to take a short IQ test

after downing
four shots of Tequila.

The winner
is a drunken genius.

October...mother would have
been six months pregnant.

You remember
a pregnant winner?

A few had what I assume
were beer bellies.

How many of those T-shirts
have you given away?

One a day for a month.

Any chance you got
a list of the winners?

Well, they're
automatically enrolled

into Einstein's
Quantum Drink Club.

I got all their names
and addresses.

I don't wanna think about how
many brain cells I had to kill

to win that moronic shirt.

Didn't even fit me.

You still have it?

My ex-roommate borrowed it.

Never gave it back.

What's her name?

Ella Christensen.

She moved into a single
down the hall.

Well, I'm pretty sure I gave
that shirt back to Heather.

Well, she's positive
that you still have it.

And we really need
to account for every one.

Well, I can look.

Good.
Thank you.

I think I only wore it once,
to work out in.

Got a serious coffee habit.

Well, with my course load,
I have to.

Gourmet coffee.

You're missing a clip.

Huh? Excuse me?

How you doing
with that T-shirt?

Sorry, Heather
must be mistaken.

I love these pillowcases.
What is that, taupe?

Yeah, I guess.

Nice border, Ella.

What are you doing?

Where are
the matching sheets?

So how old are you, Ella?

20.
20!

Just a kid.

Way too young to be
starting a family.

Yeah, it's not even something
I've thought about.

I'm not pregnant.

Not anymore.

I've never been pregnant.

So would consent
to a medical exam?

Why?

To eliminate you
as the person

who gave birth
in that dorm room.

No one gave birth
in my dorm room.

I don't even know anyone
that's been pregnant.

You look just like him.

Who?

Your son.

I don't--this--

I don't have a son.
Carried him nine months.

You didn't want him,
you had legal options.

You have a problem with
abortion, that's your choice.

I understand that.
There's adoption.

You chose to give birth!

You have the wrong person.

You chose to walk
six blocks with him,

right past a firehouse!

A hospital where,
under safe haven laws,

you could have just
left him anonymously!

Why are you yelling at me?

Because you tossed him
in the trash,

like the garbage you are!

All those choices...

How is that even an option?

[door opens]

Liv, Elliot...

Could I see you a second?

(Benson)
I don't see her
lawyering up on us.

(Cragen)
Interrogation 101:

Overcoming resistance
through compassion.

I can't.

Not with this one.

It's Saturday.

Holding that kid,

she just...

threw away...

Kathy still has custody.

It's my week,
and the day's half gone.

I'm still here.

Look, Captain...

DNA's gonna close
the case on this one.

Go on.

Be with your kids.

Munch and Fin are
executing the search warrant

on the dorm.

That should be enough
for a court order to take DNA?

You just keep Ella from leaving
until it comes through.

[door opens]

Manhattan Institute
of Technology.

That's impressive.

You have to be a genius
to get in, don't you?

I'm on a full
academic scholarship.

Wow.

What's your major?

Um, Environmental
Engineering.

So, what, you're a junior?

Means you only have
one more year to go?

I could understand
how devastating that would be.

Be so close, and then...

have to give it all up.

How much longer
do I have to stay here?

Know what, Ella?

You'd really
be doing me a favor

if you could just
hang in a little longer.

[sighs]

You cold?

Yeah, it's freezing in here.

Then why
are you sweating?

I can understand why
you're so nervous, Ella.

I'm nervous
because I have to study.

I mean, seriously,
I have to go.

You know what, Ella?
Wait.

Just explain this to me.

[paper shuffling]

These are the sheets
that were found with the baby.

This matches your pillowcase.

Will you explain that to me?

Everybody
has those sheets.

They're from the university
laundry service.

Where are your sheets now?

My pen leaked on them.
I threw them out last week.

Great.

Sheets were pretty much
all we had

to justify
the search warrant.

And everyone has them.

What about the DNA test?

We can't get one now.

Why?
CSU found nothing.

Not so much as
an e-mail mention

or a baby-related
Google search

on her computer.

What about her mattress?

No blood,
no amniotic fluid, nothing.

Then she either did
an amazing cleanup job

or used a plastic sheet

and got rid of it
somewhere else.

Or she isn't the mother.

Get an order compelling her
to undergo a medical exam.

I overreached
on the search warrant.

No judge is gonna order
an invasive procedure

based on a whiff
of circumstantial evidence.

Well, then,
she is gonna bolt.

She had to tell someone.

Find me somebody quick
who knew she was pregnant.

(man)
No way was
Ella Christensen pregnant.

(Fin)
It's winter.
Everybody's bundled up.

Could she have been
hiding her weight gain?

Look, I'm probably going

to have to retake
Differential Equations

because all I do
is stare at her.

She's a goddess.
Her body is perfect.

Outside of your dreams,

how much of her body
have you really seen?

I've never dated
anyone at school.

Well, what about
outside of school?

Do you have
a boyfriend?

No.

Oh, a pretty girl
like yourself,

you must have
plenty of offers.

I've always just been
more focused on my studies.

(Munch)
Did Ella show up
for class yesterday?

10:00 a.m. sharp.

Sat in the front row.

Did she seem like
she was in any pain?

They all were.

I gave a test on Eigenvectors
and Undetermined Coefficients.

Well, how did Ellen do?

I might have misplaced
an exponential factor,

but otherwise,
I think I aced it.

Are you okay?

Cramps. I think
I'm getting my period.

I really have to go.

Ooh.

You know, women
don't get their period

for six to eight weeks
after giving birth.

Then I wish I had
given birth then.

I always find it fascinating
how female roommates

sync up on their periods.

Did that happen
with you and Heather?

Not that I know of.

You two get along?

She's a sweet girl.

Then why'd you move out?

[panting]

I think I'm gonna be sick.

Ella, you need
to see a doctor.

No, I just
need to go home.

Ella, listen to me.

Let me take you
to a hospital, okay?

Ella! Ella!

I need some help here!

[bell rings]
Somebody call a bus, now!

Ella?

Hey, how is she doing?

She'll be fine,
thanks to you.

It's a good thing you
brought her in when you did.

Complications
from childbirth?

I'm afraid I can't tell.

Well, you examined her.

Isn't it obvious if she
just gave birth?

You're misunderstanding me.

I'm saying I
can't tell you.

I'd be breeching
doctor-patient privilege.

You examined a suspect earlier
right in front of me.

I had that
patient's consent.

And if I remember correctly,
you were equally convinced

that woman was guilty
of a crime she didn't commit.

This is crazy.

I had a court order
in the works

right before
she passed out.

That's all I need.

Come and find me
when you have it.

[breathing heavily]

I just talked with
Dr. Aiken, Ella.

She told me everything.

"Retained products
of conception."

That's what
the doctor called it.

Part of the placenta was still
attached to the uterine wall.

Causing a massive infection.

I was septic.

I could have died.

Ella...

Why didn't you
go to the doctor earlier

to have this baby?

I had no idea
I was pregnant.

Missing your period
for nine months wasn't a clue?

I swear, I had no idea.

I didn't know.

You had to have
figured it out at some point.

No, not until it...

came out of me.

And you just panicked.

It doesn't seem real.
It just couldn't be real.

And I didn't see why
I was still being punished.

For having sex?

For being raped.

Why haven't you arrested
Ella Christensen?

She's not going anywhere.

I have a guard on her
at the hospital.

I just...wanted to look
into this rape allegation.

She never reported
being raped.

60% of rape victims don't.

And a bigger percent aren't

looking at attempted
Murder in the Second Degree.

Ella was traumatized.

Even if she was raped,

it doesn't excuse trying
to kill the result of it.

But it would affect
how you charge her.

"Genius throws baby in trash."

How do you think
I should charge her?

Wire service
picked up the story.

I just got a call from
Samaritan Hospital in Newark.

Nurse there remembers
Ella from about a year ago.

She was raped.

No...
she had just given birth,

but didn't have
a newborn to show for it.

They called the cops.

This nutcase

is a serial baby killer.

(Fin)
You investigated
Ella Christensen

back in August, 2004.

Yeah, that was mine.

Nice work there.

Look, I sat with her
for six hours.

The poor kid was only 18.

She hadn't gained
more than 10 pounds.

She had no idea
that she was pregnant.

You never arrested her.
You never filed a single charge.

I had no case.

What did she say
happened to the baby?

She disposed of it
herself.

For future reference,
that's called Murder Two.

She said the baby
was stillborn,

and I had no evidence
to the contrary.

The garbage had
already been picked up.

Yeah, and who wants to go
through a Newark dump in August?

We found the remains
a few weeks later.

By then, the doctors
couldn't tell us

if the kid had ever
taken a breath.

She killed that baby.

The most I
could have gotten her on

is illegal disposal
of a corpse.

A misdemeanor
and her first offense.
Not her last.

If you'd charged her,

maybe she would have
thought twice

before doing it again.

How come this never
made it into the news?

Ella's father
is a city councilman.

Everett Drake.

(man)
There was no impropriety.

I did nothing to impede
the investigation.

It was a tragic situation.
Ella had been through enough.

Apparently not.

We didn't raise her,
you know.

That was Everett's
first wife.

They divorced
when she was a baby.

The Gila monster moved
to Colorado with her

and cut off all contact.

Ella just popped back
into our lives

about 2 1/2 years ago.

When she came here
for college.

Her mother
was so nasty to her

we let Ella spend
her breaks with us.

(Munch)
The summer after
that first year...

you had to notice
she was pregnant.

(woman)
She seemed a little heavier.

We just chalked it up
to the Freshman 15.

(Fin)
What about this time?

We haven't seen her
in months.

She said she was taking
a very heavy course load.

Do you have any idea
who the father

or fathers could be?

I did everything I could

to get her to tell me
the first time,

but she said
she was too ashamed.

She just...kept saying
she was sorry.

Can you think of anyone that
she was especially close to?

'04.

It was an election year.

She spent a lot of time
with Jerry Spencer.

What does Jerry do?

I was Everett's
campaign manager.

I understand you worked
closely with Ella.

She was our hardest-working
volunteer.

What exactly did she do?

We used her for
the "get out the youth" vote.

She helped
her old man win.

Without some serious
spin control,

she's gonna
cost him the next one.

Great-looking girl.

I know,
and sweet as can be.

I can't believe
she did what they're saying.

(Fin)
She didn't
tell you about it?

Why would she?

Any chance you
fathered those babies?

I'm a happily married man.

So take a paternity test.

No.
[cell phone rings]

Doing that would be admitting
there's a possibility

I slept with her,
and I didn't.

(Fin)
Munch.

Ella got discharged
from the hospital.

We gotta pick her up
before arraignment.

We'll give Ella your love.

(man)
Ella, why did you
abandon your baby?

[all shouting]

(woman)
Look this way, Ella!

You evil,
disgusting skank!

Did murdering your first child
affect your life at all?

(woman)
Sterilize her!

Make it stop!

[crying]

What's gonna happen to it?

Your baby?

Well, thanks
to the media attention,

ACS is getting
flooded with calls.

His future's looking up.

I'm sorry.

You're only sorry
'cause you got caught.

You got lying down
to a science, don't you?

That one
about you being raped?

That was a good one.

You wouldn't understand.

As soon as I lodge you
with Corrections,

they're gonna take you
upstairs to arraignment.

And that's the last time that
we're gonna be allowed to talk.

Do you understand that?

So I suggest you tell me
if the baby's father

was involved
in this crime.

Have it your way.

[buzzer]

He didn't know
I was pregnant.

Ella, tell me his name.

No, I'd never
drag him into this.

Ella, I can see
that you care about him.

But why isn't he
here for you?

He's married.

With a family.

It'll ruin his life.

I need to talk to him.

Tell me who he is.
No.

Never. I can't.

(man)
Docket ending 23805.

People versus
Ella Christensen.

Attempted Murder
in the Second Degree,

Endangerment of a Child,

and Child Abandonment.

How do you plead?

Not guilty.

I'll hear the People
on bail.

Well, a million
has a nice ring to it.

The defendant
is a flight risk.

To where, Jersey?
She's a U.S. citizen.

Given the severity
of her crimes,

and the fact that she killed
a baby once before--

My client was never
charged with that crime.

In fact,
there was no crime.

That fetus was stillborn.

(judge)
Mr. Berger...

(Berger)
Your honor, this poor girl
lost a child.

How dare the People
twist that tragic incident

to suit their own needs.

You have got to be kidding.
No, you are.

My client doesn't have
as much as a parking ticket!

I'm sure if she did,
she'd just throw it in the trash

along with her babies.

(judge)
Oh, all right, that's
enough out of both of you.

As I believe the defendant
is not a threat to anyone

but her own offspring,

the court
is requesting that,

in exchange
for a lower bail amount,

she does not get pregnant again
before trial.

That's unconstitutional!

I'm not ordering that she

be sterilized,
Mr. Berger.

But if you do become
pregnant again, young lady,

you will be found
in contempt of this court.

And bail will be rescinded.

(Berger)
Your Honor has no right

to legislate procreation.

You think you could manage
to comply with that order,

Ms. Christensen?

I don't know.

Bail is set at $2 million,
cash or bond.

10 minute recess!

Her affect was flat.
Almost dissociative.

You think she's setting
the stage for a psych defense?

Well, it'll be
hard going if she is.

Because she's faking it.

No, because DSM4
diagnostic standards

still don't exist for postpartum
psychiatric illnesses.

Here we go.

Many courts
bar its admission.

That's the reason why
infanticide sentences

vary so wildly
in this country.

Some women are given
the death penalty,

and others are
given probation.

You think postpartum depression
should excuse

murdering your child?

It's not depression.

I think she's suffering
from postpartum psychosis.

Giving birth
made her crazy.

It's a hormonal imbalance

stemming from pregnancy.

Its onset can be
quick and severe.

Its symptoms
include agitation,

hallucinations,
delusions--

The Andrea Yates defense.

Look, the only thing
making this girl crazy

is the baby's father.

I don't know
what part he played,

but I know
that he's involved.

Liv, that was Warner.

She wants you
to stop by the lab.

The results of the maternity
test are in.

No big surprise there.

I was pretty surprised.

Ella has to be
the mother, right?

The DNA on the left
is Ella's.

Her baby boy's
is on the right.

He's definitely her son.

You had me scared
for a second.

He's too much her son.

What does that mean?

We get half
our chromosomes

from our mother
and half from our father.

Based on this result,

I expanded
the testing panel

to 25 markers.

Compared the alleles
of the mother

to the offspring's.

See all the overlaps?

This baby and his mother
have the same father.

He's a product of incest.

Yes?

Mrs. Drake,
is your husband home?

Well, he asked
not to be disturbed.

Is there anything
I can help you with?

Well, maybe there is.

What do you know about

your husband's
relationship with Ella?

Well, he obviously
loves her very much.

I just co-signed
the papers

putting up our house
as collateral.

For what?

Bail.

Where's Ella now?

She's inside
with her father.

Excuse me.

What are you doing?

Who are you?

She just
barged right in.

Your daughter
knows who I am.

I don't think it's appropriate
for you to be here.

Well, I don't think
you're fit

to talk about
what's appropriate.

Excuse me?

I'm sorry to be rude,
Mrs. Drake.

I just got a little upset
when I saw your husband

working on
a third baby to kill.

Did you tell your wife
that her grandson

is also her stepson?

What?

Your husband's been
cheating on you.

With his own daughter.

How did it start, Ella?

Do you have any idea
what it's like

to wonder who your father is
your whole life?

What do you mean?

I mean...

What does he look like?

What does he do?

Does he ever think about me
on my birthday?

On Christmas?

Ever?

I mean...

I never even
knew his name.

Do you have any idea
what that feels like?

Yes.

My mother could not

stand the sound
of my laugh.

She said
it was just like his, and...

I mean, she always
ignored me.

But if I asked about him,

then she wouldn't even
talk to me for days.

She'd...

She took what he did to her
out on you.

He didn't do anything to her.
She just didn't want him.

She didn't want him
like she didn't want me.

Ella...

I'm sure
that that's not true.

I knew she'd never love me.

Just like I knew
he always would.

You had never met him.

You idealized him.

How did you find him?

I found a copy
of my birth certificate

just before I left
for college, and...

It had my original
last name on it.

And my birthplace.

Newark?

It was easy enough
to track him down from there.

We fell in love
at first sight.

[door opens]

Ella was just telling me
how you two lovebirds met.

[sighs]

Showed up at my office...

pretending to be
one of my constituents.

Oh, so she tricked you.

She didn't tell me
she was my daughter.

Well, how did you
figure it out?

Was it the first time
you had sex with her?

Before.

You're a sick man,
Mr. Drake.

We couldn't help it!

She's your daughter!

I saw her as a woman,
not as my child.

You took advantage
of a young girl's

desperate need
for her father's love.

You think
I'm proud of this?!

You think this is something
that I wanted to have happen?

My life is ruined!

Well, it wouldn't have been
if you'd succeeded

in getting rid
of baby number two.

I wish to God
Ella had told me about him.

I would never
have let her do it.

You can't
still be claiming

that you didn't know
she was pregnant.

I didn't.

Wow!

Denial really does
run in your family.

I love her.

If I had known,
I would have taken care of it.

Legally.
If you loved her,

you wouldn't let her go down
for a crime that you committed.

I'm a public figure.

I can name at least a dozen
people who saw me that morning.

There's no way I could have been
in the city to dump that baby.

I'll be
checking on that.
Do!

In the meantime,
I need to see my daughter.

Yeah, like I'm gonna
let that happen.

I know you will.

I still have a license
to practice law.

(Benson)
Arrest him for the incest.

Even if Jersey weren't
outside our jurisdiction,

it's a hard case to make.

Take a picture!
That's your case.

It was consensual sex
between adults.

Adult incest
isn't a crime?

Not a sex crime.

Under New York penal code

it's listed
right next to adultery

as an offense affecting
the marital relationship.

That's insane.
It's an E-Felony.

He'd get probation.

He should rot in jail.

They'd have
to try Ella as well.

She committed the same crime.

So get him
on attempted murder.

I know that he's
involved in this.

He has a solid alibi.

We can't make him
legally culpable

just because
we want him to be.

So Ella gets put away
for attempted murder,

and he gets off scot-free?

Look at them.

I assume Berger
will be launching

an aggressive psych defense.

(Berger)
Dr. Wong, as a consulting
forensic psychiatrist,

you were called in
by Manhattan SVU

to observe the defendant.

I was.

And what assessment
did you give them

of a mental state?

That she might be suffering
from postpartum psychosis.

I see.
That she was insane.

(Novak)
Objection.

A diagnosis

of psychosis
does not imply insanity

under U.S. law.

Sustained.

Are you familiar

with Kendall's study

of postpartum women,
which showed,

"Psychiatric
hospital admissions

"increase seven times

"in the first three
postpartum months

"compared to pre-pregnancy

"and represent
the peak prevalence

for psychiatric disorders
for women."

I'm aware of

the biologically
vulnerable state

of the women
following childbirth.

So their brain chemistry
can be altered?

Their hormones go crazy.
Uh, sorry.

I'm gonna anticipate
an objection to that one.

Let me rephrase.

Their hormones...
go kooky.

I couldn't comprehend
what had just...

come out of me.

(Berger)
You're a bright girl, Ella.

Manhattan Institute
of Technology.

Engineering major.
Dean's list.

Yes.

And yet you didn't
recognize a baby?

No.

Well, how--
how is that possible?

It looked...

mutated to me.

Uh, deformed.

I didn't know what it was.

But I knew it couldn't
possibly survive.

(Berger)
What did you do with it, Ella?

I put it in...

a cardboard box.

And then...

I put that
in the garbage bag.

No further questions.

What else did you put
in the bag, Ella?

Nothing.

Nothing?

People's Exhibit "C."

The sheets on which

the defendant gave birth.

I don't remember
doing that.

They were further evidence
of your crime.

You had to get rid of them, too,
didn't you?

I don't remember.

Along with old clothes
to muffle

her baby's cries.

(Ella)
I don't remember.

What do you remember, Ella?

Being outside.

Walking.

To throw away your baby,

as far away as possible,
to cover up your crime.

No.

I didn't even know I had
anything in my hand.

Until it started
to feel heavy.

And then...
I looked down,

and I saw
it was a garbage bag.

What did you do then?

[crying]

I sat it on
a pile of trash.

And...turned around.

And went to class.

Did you tell anyone
about what you had done?

No.

Not even the baby's father?

No.

(Berger)
Are you and your daughter
close, Mr. Drake?

As close as two people
can be.

Expand on that
for the court, please.

For the past
two-and-a-half years,

my daughter Ella and I
have engaged

in a sexual relationship.

[murmuring in courtroom]

And this started
when Ella was 18, right?

That's correct.

Was the sex between you
consensual?

I coerced Ella
into the relationship.

She...begged me
100 times

to end it.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't.

"I told her 100 times
that we had to end it.

Neither of us could."

Are those your words,
Mr. Drake?

I drove Ella crazy.

Because you seem to be
contradicting yourself

if they are.

My actions drove her
to what she did.

(Novak)
Answer the question, Mr. Drake.

It's all my fault.

"I wish to God...

"Ella had told me
about him.

I never would have
let her do it."

You can't punish Ella
for my sins.

Your words or not?

Bear in mind that you're
under oath, Mr. Drake.

Did you or did you not
tell Detective Benson

that your relationship
with Ella

was completely consensual?

I was facing
criminal charges.

And lied to cover my ass.

And now you're lying
to cover Ella's.

Have you reached a verdict?

(woman)
We have.

On the first count
of Child Abandonment,

how do you find?

We, the jury,
find the defendant...

not guilty

by reason of mental disease
or defect.

(judge)
And on count two,

Attempted Murder
in the Second Degree,

how do you find?

(forewoman)
Not guilty...

by reason of mental disease
or defect.

(judge)
Jury is dismissed.

Defendant is to be remanded

to the state psychiatric
hospital

until such a time as she
is no longer a threat

to herself or to others.

Court is adjourned.

[bangs gavel]

Jury nullification.
Plain and simple.

(Benson)
I think she had to be crazy,
don't you?

She did what Everett
told her to do.

I don't know.

But I bet she'll have
the hospital convinced

she's cured
in no time at all.

Then back to daddy.

Your father was involved
somehow, wasn't he?

No.

Ella, the trial
is over.

Double jeopardy is in play.

No matter what
you tell me now,

you cannot be retried
for attempted murder charges.

Do you understand that?

You know, I never knew
my father either.

What?

I have no idea
who he is.

To this day.

My mother never
told me about him until...

until after I grew up.

Why not?

I'm the product
of my mother's rape.

Oh, my God.

So I think
that I understand

what you went through
growing up.

I could never understand
my mother's inability

to love me.

Until after I learned
the truth about myself.

Why are you
telling me this?

Because I understand...

the desire to get rid
of the constant reminder

of your own rape.

That's what I was
to my own mother.

I'm sorry.

That's what happened
to you, isn't it?

You just couldn't face it.

I wasn't raped.

Yes, you were.

No.

Did your father tell you
to get rid of them?

Everett had nothing
to do with it.

He never even
knew about it.

He had to.
He had to have helped you!

No, he didn't!
I got rid of them myself!

I just thought
if I just ignored them,

they'd just...
go away, and...

And, like,
it never happened.

But then once they were born,
I couldn't ignore them,

because they just kept
screaming and crying

and screaming,
and they were...

That's why I threw them away.

And then they really didn't
exist anymore.

And I was right
all along.

Your first baby
wasn't stillborn.

Uh-uh.

Charges were never filed
on your first baby's death.

I'm gonna have to tell
the Newark DA's office.

Tell them what?

(Benson)
Will they charge her
with murder?

Not while she's in
psychiatric lockup.

After she's released?
Oh, they might.

But I bet they'll come up
with the same verdict in Jersey

that they did here.

Place her right back
in that hospital.

He's beautiful.

Just had his checkup.

No chromosomal
abnormalities.

(Everett)
Hmm, you hear that?

You're invincible.

Hand me that baby.

He's my son.

I'm taking custody.

That's never
gonna happen.

We were just finishing up
the paperwork.

We just came to serve you

with an injunction
barring Mr. Drake

from having any contact
with the infant.

I can give him a home.

And love.

He belongs
with his father.

But not with his grandfather.

Hand the baby
to Detective Benson

or you will be
placed under arrest.

Hand him to me.

Now.

You're never
getting this baby.

We'll see.

It's gonna be okay.

You're gonna be okay.