Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 7, Episode 16 - Gone - full transcript
Three teenage boys are suspected of foul play a when high school girl disappears after a night of partying with them. When Jason, one of the boys, agrees to testify against the other two boys, but when he disappears, Judge Donnelly has no choice but to dismiss the case. The suspicion aroused by the fact that without Jason's testimony there's no case is overshadowed by Casey's feeling of guilt, because she promised Jason he would be fine.
(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.
(Stabler)
There he is.
The plane's still
on the ground, Captain.
What is this?
Your son taking a little
one-way trip to Rio?
We've had this trip
planned for months.
Douglas Waverly,
you're under arrest.
Why can't you
leave me alone?
If we let them
cancel the prom this year,
you underclassmen
will never get it back.
All right, we have to fight
the morals police.
Hey, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Hi. We're the real police.
Jason King,
you're under arrest.
Nick Pratt,
you're under arrest for...
the rape and murder
of Jennifer Durning,
the 17-year-old Canadian
high school student
who disappeared two months ago
while on her senior class
trip here in New York.
This is preposterous!
No one asked you yet,
Mr. Gates.
Bail.
The People
request remand.
And the defense moves
for immediate dismissal
of all charges.
The People can't even
make out the basic elements
of the crime,
Your Honor.
Jennifer Durning has
a history of running away.
Once, when she was 14.
They can't prove she's dead.
They still don't have the body.
(Judge Ridenour)
Is that true, Ms. Novak?
Yes, Your Honor.
Then on what basis were
the defendants arrested?
A tip to the police hotline
saying that Mr. Waverly
was leaving the country.
Detectives arrested him
boarding a chartered plane
to Rio de Janeiro.
Which is not a crime.
And where my client's father
was taking him
on legitimate business
for his produce company.
And from where,
conveniently, we'd never
be able to extradite him.
Do the People
have any evidence
that a rape or murder
took place?
More than enough to guarantee
an indictment.
Care to share that with us,
Counselor?
We have a videotape
of the defendants
serving the victim alcohol
just before she disappeared.
Now, beyond that,
the People are not prepared
to divulge anything further.
They have nothing,
Your Honor.
You can't prove murder
without a dead body.
Or rape without
a live victim.
I'm familiar with
the rules of evidence,
Mr. Seaver.
On the charge
of endangering
the welfare of a minor,
the defendants are released
on their own recognizance.
Your Honor, move that the court
seize the passports
of all three defendants.
So ordered.
However, until the People
secure indictments,
I have no choice but to grant
the defense motion.
The charges of rape and murder
are dismissed.
[gavel pounds]
We had to arrest
all three of them.
You made the right call.
I swung for the fences
and struck out.
It was a ballsy move.
You bought us time.
Yeah, until
the D.A. finds out
and filets me
like a catfish.
Unless we can find
Jennifer's body before then.
Well, not likely.
She could be anywhere.
Okay, then, take me
through it one more time.
Just so I'm sure
I haven't missed anything.
Okay, we know Jennifer
went to the dance club
with her friends.
She left the dance club
at 11:30
with Nick, Doug, and Jason.
She came back to her hotel room
right before 1:00 a.m.
Okay, so she goes up
to her room.
She gets
the mystery phone call.
And then she
leaves again at 1:14.
Right, for the last time.
After that, there's no
sign of any of them,
until Nick and Doug
turn up at the Bayside Diner
and call the precinct
about their car
at 3:19 a.m.
You know, Jennifer's
hotel is in Midtown.
Middle of the night,
no traffic.
Bayside Diner's a 15-minute
trip from there.
Gives them more than two hours
to kill Jennifer,
dump her and the car.
Get to the diner,
grab a cup of joe,
report the Chevy stolen.
Maybe it was stolen.
A '71 Chevelle?
At today's gas prices?
(Benson)
Look, we checked
every cab in the city,
including gypsies.
Nobody drove those kids
to that diner.
There's over 1,000 places
in Queens alone.
They could have dumped
Jennifer in the car.
We don't even have
a place to start.
You can start by thinking
about what the hell you're doing
before you do it.
Here we go.
I tried to reach you.
Your secretary said
you were giving a speech.
You guaranteed
an indictment,
on the record,
in open court?
I had no choice.
We're gonna be lucky
if we don't get sued
by those three boys
for false arrest.
We know they did it,
Mr. Branch.
We've got DNA, videotapes,
witnesses.
Without a body
or a confession,
arresting them today
makes us all
look like idiots.
Now, find the girl or
flip one of those kids
before their lawyers find out
what we got on them.
(Stabler)
Flip 'em?
Lawyers start crying every
time we get near 'em.
We have more than
enough for warrants
to swab them for DNA.
Maybe that'll scare one of them
into giving it up.
Have Doc Warner
cook up a reason
to take the samples here.
And make sure those boys
all come in at the same time.
(Seaver)
Well, you're not
the medical examiner.
She'll be here
any second.
From her contamination
cleanup at the morgue?
Right.
Well, maybe while
you're waiting,
your client would like to see
himself on home video.
Jennifer's friend
Danna shot it.
Danna!
I never knew New York
could be so much fun.
This is my new friend
Jason.
We're gonna dance
till we drop,
and then who knows?
Yeah, we came here
for a DNA test,
not so you can assault
my client with videotape.
Jennifer's friend Danna
shot the tape.
She's also gonna
swear she saw
Nick and Doug Waverly
in the club.
Watch this.
We found some very interesting
security camera video.
There's your client
and his friends
leaving the club
with Jennifer.
Our lab enhanced
and edited the tape
so we could see you
all heading right for
your dad's '71 Chevelle.
Sweet ride.
You got pretty good parking
karma there, Nick.
Finding a spot
right across the street.
Lucky for us too.
(Fin)
We got your client
serving Jennifer.
What is that, tequila?
Unless the M.E. shows up
in the next
10 seconds--
Doorman to the club
will testify
he saw you four drinking,
then the four of you
get in and take off.
Let's go, Doug.
Wait a minute.
It gets better.
We know the rape happened
between 11:30
and 12:53 in the morning.
That's when
the security camera
caught Jennifer coming
through the front door
into the hotel.
And check it out.
She walked directly
through the lobby,
got on the elevator,
and went straight to her room
on the tenth floor.
(Benson)
And, look, she's crying.
I wonder what she's
so upset about.
Is there a problem, Jason?
Something bothering you?
This whole charade.
We're done here.
Don't leave without
a party favor.
Call to Room 817.
What is this?
It's a call Jennifer
made from her room
at 1:02 in the morning,
telling her friend
she'd been gang raped.
Captain.
(Cragen)
Sorry, I thought
the room was empty.
(Stabler)
So you remember Danna?
I'm sorry, Counselor,
that's the girl who, uh,
made the videotape of Jason
making out with Jennifer.
She's also the friend
Jennifer called.
And anything Jennifer
said to her is inadmissible.
Didn't the police academy
teach you about hearsay?
Sure they did.
They also taught me
that outcry witnesses
are an exception
to the hearsay rule.
Good show, Detective.
But we're gonna
skip the encore.
Nick.
M.E. tech is here
to swab Nick.
Good, just in time.
You know, Counselor,
while he's setting up,
why don't you take a look at
the other call from that night?
The number belongs
to the payphone down the block
from the hotel.
(Bradshaw)
We've had about
enough of this crap.
[knock on door]
Sorry I'm late.
I'm Dr. Warner.
Don't let me interrupt.
That call came in on the other
line in Jennifer's room
while she was still on the phone
with her friend Danna.
So what?
Jennifer said she called
Danna right back,
but she didn't.
Because the person
on the other line
lured her out of the hotel.
Are you suggesting
that my client called her?
(Benson)
Or one of his friends did.
How's that prove
rape and murder?
It doesn't.
But this will.
(attorney)
A pair of underwear.
They're Jennifer's, Jason.
Which she stripped off
with the rest of her clothes
when she got back
to the hotel room.
And then she took a shower.
What so many victims do
after they've been raped.
To wash you
and your friends off her.
I know what you're
trying to do.
The D.A. will
cut you a deal
if you tell us what
you and your friends did.
Do you understand me?
I'll never say anything
bad about Nicky!
Never.
You know what we found
on those panties, Nicky?
Her blood, and the semen
of three guys.
Her pants also
had semen on them.
Two stains,
two different DNA samples.
Won't take me long to match
this to one of them.
That swab's your one-way
ticket to Sing Sing.
It was Jason's idea.
My cousin got us
into this mess.
Jennifer came on
to Jason at the club.
She said we should all
get out of there, so we left.
So where'd you go?
We drove down
to South Street.
Under the FDR Drive?
Yeah.
Jason did her first.
Then me.
Then Nick.
She wanted all three of us,
I swear.
But Jason got greedy.
What's that mean?
After me and Doug were done,
Jason went another round.
She was screaming.
Jason wanted
to leave her there.
But Nick and I,
we both said no.
So we drove her back
to the hotel
and dropped her off.
Just like that?
Yeah.
But then Jason said,
"We should have killed her."
He got out of the car and ran
down the street to the hotel.
You and Nick
try to stop him?
We didn't want
anything to do with it.
We took off.
Where?
We just...drove
around the city.
Went over
the 59th Street Bridge,
and then headed home
to Muttontown.
How'd you wind up
at the Bayside Diner?
We got...hungry.
It was on the way.
And that's when
the Chevy got stolen?
Some homie probably
ripped it off.
Both boys
said the same thing.
Jason raped Jennifer,
and then he masterminded
her murder.
And you believe them?
They're the only ones
talking.
I can't make Jason
talk to you.
Well, if he doesn't,
he's gonna spend
the rest of his very
long life in prison.
I told him that.
What did he say?
He'd jump off
the Brooklyn Bridge
before he'd rat out
Cousin Nicky.
He's not talking to you?
No...but I'm
telling you, Casey,
this kid is too gentle.
He's too nice
to be a killer.
He's a piano prodigy.
He takes lessons at Juilliard.
Juilliard?
Every Tuesday,
from 3:00 to 4:00.
Your parents drive you
into the city?
I take the train.
To Penn Station.
What train did you catch
last Tuesday?
The 4:31 to Hicksville.
Like always.
How do you get to Penn
from Juilliard?
Subway.
Number One train
from 66th Street?
Yep.
Why?
(woman on tape)
Police hotline.
(young man)
Doug Waverly's going
to Rio tomorrow.
On a private plane.
That call was made
from a pay phone
in the 66th Street
subway station
at 4:07 p.m. on Tuesday.
What did you do, Jason,
cover the phone
with your sweater?
No. No, it wasn't me.
Miss Novak and the police
already know
that Doug Waverly called
your house that same morning.
Doug told you he was leaving.
You were trying to protect
Nicky, weren't you?
Nicky's my cousin.
Nicky and your
so-called friend Doug
blamed the entire thing
on you.
They're trying
to screw you to the wall
to save themselves.
Don't let them.
(Jason)
Nicky said that we had to go
to this club in the city
because I was...
you know, a--a virgin.
And I needed to get laid.
Whose idea was it
to leave?
Jennifer's.
She wanted to go alone
with me to her hotel room.
Did you go to her hotel?
Jason, please
answer the question.
I...I can't.
[crying]
You have been subpoenaed
to testify here today,
and you are under oath.
You will tell the truth,
or you will go to jail.
Please.
Please don't make me.
You told me that Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly
offered to drive you
and Jennifer to her hotel.
True?
Yes.
But instead,
Nicky drove Downtown
under the FDR, true?
Yes.
Then you and Jennifer had sex
in the back seat of the car.
No, I didn't rape her.
No, she--she said yes.
I swear she did.
I swear.
You tell the jurors
what happened next.
When we were done...
I got out of the car.
And--and Nicky says,
"Now it's our turn."
And he and Doug got in...
and they raped her.
And when they were done?
We dropped her off.
Around the block
from her hotel.
And what did Nicky say?
Jason, please.
Tell the grand jurors
what your cousin Nicky said.
He said that we
should have killed her.
So she couldn't tell anyone
what happened.
Did you try
and stop them?
I said--I told them
they were crazy.
But Nicky and Doug said
they were gonna do it.
So I got out of the car.
Then I left.
Where did you go?
Penn Station.
I took the train home.
Maybe if I had stayed...
Jennifer would
still be alive.
Who died?
DNA results are in.
All three boys' semen
was in Jennifer's underwear.
But the semen on the jeans
only belongs to Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly.
Which is
consistent with her
fighting them off
when they raped her.
What's the problem?
Crime scene found
a pubic hair
under the toilet seat
in Jennifer's room.
It's from a male,
but...
the DNA doesn't match
any of the three boys.
She was barely
in her room a half an hour.
We're sure no one
was in there with her?
Nobody even got off
the elevator on Jennifer's floor
during that time.
Then I'll
tell the Grand Jury
that we think the bathroom
wasn't cleaned thoroughly.
Let them decide.
No, I wanna
take it all back.
Before the Grand Jury
decides.
Jason,
you can't do that.
Just tell them I lied.
You'll go to jail.
Look, you're not the one
who's getting
picked on at school.
You're not the one who's
getting hang-up calls.
My friends won't even
talk to me.
Is...is there
any place you can go
until things calm down?
Uh...
we have a summer home
in the Hamptons.
Someplace your families
don't know about
would be better.
Remember, we rented
that ski house up in Catskills?
I could call the agency,
see if they
have anything available.
Indictments...
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly
for Rape One and Murder One.
(Stabler)
Good work.
(Novak)
We couldn't have
done it without you, Jason.
Oh, no.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Jason, I am sorry.
Please leave me alone.
Jason...you did
the right thing.
You told the truth.
Nicky was like
my brother.
I know.
I know.
I never--never meant
for any of this to happen.
It is not your fault...
that Nick and Doug
murdered Jennifer.
I'm sorry that I didn't...
[sniffles]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Everything's
gonna be okay.
(Stabler)
We reviewed every videotape
from every security camera
from the Thorpe Palace.
Jennifer Durning left
at 1:11 that morning
and was never seen again.
When did you enter
the case?
8:30 that same morning,
dispatch sent us
on a 911 call
about a missing
rape victim.
Made by whom?
Uh, Danna Simpson,
Jennifer's classmate.
How did Danna know that
Jennifer had been raped?
(Stabler)
Jennifer called Danna
after the rape
to tell her
what had happened.
Uh, Danna called 911
after Jennifer disappeared.
Detective Stabler,
do you know who Jennifer
was last seen with?
The two defendants,
leaving the dance club
at 11:30 that night.
That's a lie.
Any more outbursts,
Mr. Pratt,
and you will be taken
to the lockup.
Please continue,
Detective.
(Stabler)
We also have them leaving
the club with Jennifer
on videotape.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Did you instruct
the crime scene unit
to dust Jennifer's hotel room
for fingerprints?
There was no evidence--
A simple yes or no,
please, Detective.
No.
'Cause you didn't want
to have to tell this jury
that the two defendants'
fingerprints
were not in the room.
Objection.
Stating facts not in evidence.
(Judge Donnelly)
Sustained.
The jury will disregard
defense counsel's statement.
Be careful,
Mr. Gates.
Were you present when crime
scene unit Detective O'Halloran
found a pubic hair
on the toilet seat
in Jennifer's hotel room?
Yes, I was.
Did that come from
either of the defendants?
No.
Did it come from
Jennifer Durning?
No.
You have no idea
who it came from, do you?
No.
Then how can you
be so sure
that the two defendants
are the ones
that raped
and murdered Jennifer?
The semen in Jennifer's
panties
came from
the two defendants.
That just proves
they had sex with her,
not that they raped her.
Is there a question
in here somewhere?
Detective Stabler,
do you have any idea
the sex of the person
who left that pubic hair
on the toilet?
Objection.
Counsel in chambers, now.
I will not let you two
mislead this jury
with some unsubstantiated
red herring.
Our clients have the right
to present a legitimate defense.
Not until you prove
to me it's legitimate.
In front of the assistant
district attorney?
You can't force us to reveal
our trial strategy.
Well, then, I move
for a motion in limine
to preclude any questions
about the hair.
Which I will grant,
unless you can convince me
you can connect it
to some suspect.
The presence
of another male
in Jennifer Durning's
hotel room
doesn't prove that their
clients didn't rape her.
We'll lay it out
for you, Judge.
But ex-parte only.
Not with Ms. Novak
in the room.
Your Honor,
I strenuously object.
Noted.
But I have to be fair,
Casey.
And this I will say
in front of you.
If I get even a hint
that this hair is a smokescreen,
I am shutting you down.
Are we clear?
There's no way
we missed another suspect.
Well,
the defense must have
convinced Judge Donnelly
that we did.
Because of a stray hair?
It doesn't make those
two guys innocent.
I'm trying a murder case
without a dead body.
A loose end like that
could give the jury
enough reasonable doubt
to acquit.
Casey, we swabbed every one
of Jennifer's male classmates.
And the chaperones
who were on that trip.
Then where did
that hair come from?
That hair could have
been left by
any of the last 100 men
who stayed in that room.
Or some hotel employee
who used his pass key
to stop in and take a leak.
Which we can't see,
because there aren't
any security cameras
in the hallways.
But there were
on the elevators,
and no one got off
on Jennifer's floor
from the time before
she got raped
until after she left.
Okay, so how'd he get in?
Maybe Jennifer let him in,
or he picked the lock.
Have you guys looked at
any of the video
from before Jennifer got back
or after she left?
Skimmed through 'em.
Didn't see her.
Then let's cover
our asses.
We go back to the tapes
and check out
every person who got off
the elevators
on the tenth floor.
From the day Jennifer
arrived in the city
to the morning that we
got to the hotel.
This is the tenth couple
I've seen making out
in the elevator.
I hope they saved some energy
for the honeymoon.
(Stabler)
Yeah, well, I've got
a catfight in car three.
I think the honeymoon
is over for these two.
Wouldn't wanna get
in the middle of that.
Well, get a load
of Luca Brasi.
Couple years,
another 200 pounds,
that's you, Munch.
The back of his coat,
the seam is ripped.
Captain, you better
take a look at this.
What is it?
It looks like he's hiding
something inside his jacket.
(Benson)
He's getting off
at the tenth floor.
(Stabler)
An hour after
Jennifer left
for the last time.
Fast forward.
See if he leaves.
What goes up must come down.
(Cragen)
How did we miss this guy?
And there he is,
20 minutes later.
(Stabler)
This time,
he's carrying a coat.
That's the coat
Jennifer was wearing
when she came back
from being raped.
Which she wasn't wearing
when she left a half hour later.
He took it from her room
after he used the john.
(Munch)
How'd he get Jennifer's key?
You know, Jennifer had
her purse at the dance club.
But when she came back
to the hotel after the rape...
no purse.
Maybe that's what he's
hiding under his jacket.
(Fin)
We'll canvass the neighborhood,
see who knows him.
(Uni Bamford)
Name's Keith Willis,
a.k.a. your friendly
neighborhood drunk.
(Munch)
Right where
any respectable alcoholic
would be at 10:00
in the morning.
Keith Willis!
Durvo.
Durvo?
Must be Bulgarian.
Keith think he's their
Ambassador to Washington.
You know who I am.
Yes, I have orders
to confirm I.D.
[mumbling]
Sir, we need to escort you
to Foggy Bottom immediately.
Can you tell me
where you got these?
From some boys.
Was it...
was it these boys?
Them!
How did you meet
those boys?
They gave me 50 bucks
to make a phone call.
What did they
tell you to say?
I have your passport.
Please come
to the phone booth
down the street,
and I return it to you.
50 bucks.
Then what?
Uh...a girl came.
They made her
get in their car.
This girl?
Yeah. Yeah.
Is Secretary Baker here yet?
What year is it,
Mr. Willis?
1989.
(Stabler)
Jennifer's purse and coat
were in Willis' roach-infested
dump of a home.
Look, Thorpe Palace
gives each guest two keys.
He goes through
Jennifer's purse.
He finds the one
in the envelope
with her room number on it.
Goes looking for
something good to steal.
Uses the toilet,
leaves the hair.
I need him on the stand.
Well, you're
looking for trouble.
He's demented,
probably from years
of alcohol abuse
rotting his brain.
He was the only one
who saw Jennifer
get into that car with
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly.
His short-term memory has
more holes in it than a sieve.
He's unreliable.
I just spoke to the hotel
security chief.
He showed a private investigator
the tapes two days ago.
Hired by the defense,
no doubt.
Well, it gets better.
The P.I. told him that
he's looking for some drunk
who followed Jennifer
back to the hotel.
Nick and Doug must have
told their lawyers about Willis.
Yeah, then used him
as an alibi.
But they
forgot to mention
he witnessed them
kidnap Jennifer.
What do you want us to do?
Have the M.E. match Willis' DNA
to the hair on that toilet
so we can eliminate him
a suspect.
Willis didn't see Jason?
Doesn't mean Jason
didn't see him.
Find out.
My husband and I
just got back from dinner
an hour ago.
Jason's asleep.
Do you have to wake him?
It's urgent, Mrs. King.
Well, that's his room.
[knock on door]
Jason,
it's Detective Stabler.
Jason?
He's gone.
Did you see Jason
when you got back last night?
His door was closed.
We thought he was asleep,
so we didn't bother him.
And no one
knows you're here?
(Roberta)
No, absolutely not.
My husband hasn't even
been to work
since this whole thing
started.
Well, I know
Jason was upset
about testifying
against his cousin.
Our son didn't run away,
Detective.
Jason finally saw Nick
as the entitled, spoiled brat
the rest of us
always knew he was.
One minute, please.
Munch dumped the phone
in the house,
Jason's cell,
and the parent's cell.
No incoming our outgoing calls
in the last two days.
Well, maybe Jason got tired
of living like a hermit
and he split.
It's 10 miles
to the nearest town.
At night?
In the freezing weather?
He had to walk, 'cause
the parents had the car.
There was another car
here last night.
I found tire imprints.
The larger ones are from
the King's Mercedes.
(Stabler)
Which the parents drove back
from dinner last night.
Over the tracks
of the second car.
Judging from the smaller
wheel base,
I'd say it's a compact.
I'll go back to the lab
to match the imprints
to give you the tire's
make and model.
Roadmaster Excelsior
is used on any one of a couple
dozen compacts.
It doesn't match our boys.
None of their families own
anything smaller
than a C-Class Mercedes.
And there's no sign of a
struggle in or around the house.
Jason must have known
whoever came to get him.
It had to be Nick and Doug.
Houdini couldn't
make people disappear
like these guys can.
How the hell did they find
where Jason was staying?
Are you saying
they found out from us?
Why are you
hanging around here
when you should be out
looking for Jason?!
We've been busting
our asses.
Jason is missing!
And Nick and Doug
are gonna walk,
unless you call in
the troops to find him!
We call in the troops,
and everybody finds out
Jason is gone.
You wanna think about that
for a second...
or just keep
playing your blame game?
Is that what this is?
A game?
I got her.
I told Jason
everything would be okay.
You don't know for sure
that it isn't.
We both know something bad
happened to him.
He trusted me,
and I let him down.
Beating yourself up
isn't gonna help us
find him any faster.
[sniffles]
You're right.
This gets out,
I won't have a case.
We have to keep it quiet.
What's the next move?
I have to tell the D.A.
Why the hell wasn't Jason King
in protective custody?
His parents volunteered
to take him out of town.
With Nick Pratt and
Doug Waverly out on bail?
It was only a matter of time
till they found out
where Jason was.
Is SVU tight?
As a drum, sir.
There's no way the leak
came from my people.
Well, I doubt if it
came from Casey.
That leaves
Liz Donnelly's office.
I'll notify her.
No, you won't.
Not yet.
You're not suggesting
that she's...
The leak?
Of course not.
It's just that her people
are the only ones
I can't vouch for.
You know, if she stops
the trial now,
double jeopardy attaches.
We can never try Pratt or
Waverly on these charges again.
Well, can't you read
Jason's grand jury testimony
at trial?
Not unless we can
prove he's been harmed.
The 14th Amendment
gives Nick and Doug
the right to face
their accuser.
If we don't
find Jason soon,
I'm gonna run out
of witnesses.
Then get some more.
Keep our case alive.
Stall as long as you can.
(Novak)
Danna, on the night
that Jennifer disappeared,
was it her idea
to go to the dance club?
No, it was my idea.
Did she ever seem
promiscuous?
No, the opposite.
I mean, she liked boys,
but she wasn't, you know,
a slut or anything.
(Novak)
Was she a party girl at home?
(Ally)
Not really.
But she wanted to have
a good time in New York.
So how did she do in school?
Jennifer was
a straight-A student.
She'd already been accepted
on early admission
to McGill University
in Montreal.
Do you know if she ever
ran away from home?
(Henry)
Only once.
She'd had a fight
with her mother.
Came over to my house,
slept over.
Uh, in the guest room.
And, uh, she went home
the next morning.
Your Honor,
this is the tenth witness
who's given the exact
same testimony.
Counsel approach.
Mr. Gates has a point,
Casey.
Well, the jury needs
to know the victim.
We get it.
Jennifer is a nice girl.
Ms. Novak's wasting
this court's time.
I appreciate you
looking out for my schedule.
But I'll decide that.
It's a stalling
tactic, Your Honor.
You have no right to dictate
how I present my case.
This is getting
a little redundant, Casey.
Where's your
star witness,
Jason King?
I have five more
character witnesses.
No, you don't.
Put Jason up next.
He's not here.
Then get him here.
By tomorrow.
We're in trouble.
I heard.
We can't bank on the police
to find Jason.
Any advice?
Well, when under attack,
circle the wagons.
Go back to your office,
Casey.
Relax.
Breathe.
Then meet me downstairs
by my car at 6:00.
We going somewhere?
Arthur.
Casey.
We need to talk to you.
In the middle of a trial?
I don't think so.
The defense had their
ex-parte moment.
In chambers,
not my living room.
This is different.
Can you step outside
a moment?
Why the cloak and dagger
routine?
We couldn't take the chance
your house was bugged.
Bugged?
Why would anybody
wanna bug my--
Jason King,
our star witness,
disappeared last week.
We have evidence
he was kidnapped,
but we can't prove it.
The leak's not
in our office, Liz.
Or SVU.
Whoever took Jason had
to find out where he was
from somebody
that works for you.
You think I have
a mole in my office
and you didn't tell me?
My orders.
If Jason's still alive,
and the kidnappers find
that we're on to them,
they could kill him.
Couldn't risk it.
We're going
to the courthouse.
Casey never told me
Jason's location.
She wrote it
on a piece of paper,
which I shredded after
I dictated the information.
To your secretary?
To my Dictaphone.
[echoing]
My secretary hasn't
transcribed the tape...yet.
[echoing]
Is that me?
[echoing]
I'm afraid so.
[echoing]
Is that the bug?
Yes, sir.
Battery's still working.
It could have
been there for months
and I never
would have found it.
Is there any way
to find out who bought it?
This is a cheap one,
available on the Internet
from dozens of vendors.
The receiver should
be close by.
I'll see if I can find it.
Who would do
something like this?
Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly's parents
have deep pockets.
Probably bought
somebody off.
I inherited my staff.
I don't know that much
about them.
And you can't
ask them now.
We could sure use
a mistrial here, Liz.
Unless you can prove
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly
bugged this office or that
they murdered Jason King,
you haven't got grounds
for a mistrial.
We're out of witnesses.
I know, Casey.
And I don't like it
any more than you do.
But I can't play games
with the law.
If you can find Jason
by tomorrow...
or show me that he's
met with foul play...
I'll grant a motion to have
his Grand Jury testimony
read to the jury.
Otherwise,
there's nothing I can do.
(Donnelly)
Call your next witness,
Ms. Novak.
The People rest,
Your Honor.
Your Honor...the People
have clearly failed
to meet their burden
of proof.
Uh, we move for directed
verdicts for both defendants.
For six days,
the People have offered
dozens of witnesses
and exhibits.
And the only rational conclusion
this evidence supports
is that the victim,
Jennifer Durning,
was alive and well when last
seen with the defendants.
Therefore,
as a matter of law,
this court has no choice
but to grant the defense motion.
Mr. Waverly...
Mr. Pratt...
I am dismissing all charges
against you.
You are free to go.
[gavel pounds]
I prefer shrimp cocktail
for an appetizer.
This is the entree.
Club soda, lime.
That liquid lunch isn't
going to change what happened.
Yeah, but...
it'll help me forget.
You played the hand
you were dealt.
I had to look
Jennifer Durning's parents
in the eye and tell them
that their daughter
would never get justice.
Because I let Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly
get away with murder.
Well, that wasn't
your fault.
But it will be if you let them
get away with another one
and don't try
to stop it.
We haven't found Jennifer.
So what makes you think
Jason's gonna be any different?
Because whoever planted
that bug in my office
knows what happened to him.
And you are going
to find that person
if you have to interrogate
everyone who works
in that courthouse.
Trial's over, Casey.
Put the gloves on
for round two.
Have there been
any strange calls,
like someone fishing for
information about the judge?
No, Ms. Novak,
nothing like that at all.
Anybody come in when
court's not in session?
Nobody suspicious,
if that's what you mean.
What about after hours?
I mean, do you ever
stick around?
All the time.
But nobody ever comes
into the judge's chambers,
except maybe
a court officer.
And that's routine?
Uh, not really.
This one had to use
the judge's private bathroom.
When was this?
Maybe a week before
the trial started.
I stayed late to pull a case
for the judge,
stepped out
for a bite to eat.
When I got back,
she was just getting out
of the judge's office.
She?
Yeah, new girl.
Just assigned up here, uh...
I think her name's Emily.
You wanted to see me,
Your Honor?
Officer McCooper,
what were you doing alone
in this office
two weeks ago?
I was...sick.
I didn't think I could
make it to the ladies' room.
Your chambers were closest,
so I ducked in
and used your bathroom.
Was that before
or after you planted this?
What is it?
(Stabler)
It's a bug.
But you know that,
because the receiver...
was in your locker
downstairs.
I listen to music
on that.
You save it, sister.
Now, how can you afford
a brand-new Mercedes
on a court officer's salary?
My father
bought me that car.
You mean your sugar daddy,
Nicky Pratt.
Because my old car
was about to fall apart.
Well, it held
together long enough
for you to go upstate
and pick up Jason King.
I don't know what
you're talking about.
What we're talking about,
young lady,
is life in prison
without parole
for murdering a witness
to a crime.
(Stabler)
Sit down.
Sit down.
(Stabler)
We have the '89 Acura
you traded in.
The tires match tracks
found outside the house
Jason King was staying in.
Now, our crime scene unit
is gonna vacuum
every inch of that car.
They find a hair...
a drop of blood...
that matches
Jason's DNA...
Nicky...Nicky didn't say
they were gonna kill Jason.
He just wanted
to talk to him.
But he didn't know
where Jason was.
So he asked you
to bug my chambers
and paid you for it
with a new car?
That was a present.
You're sleeping
with Nicky Pratt.
I was walking him
out of court after arraignment.
He said I probably looked
really hot out of uniform.
Next thing I know,
we're in bed in my apartment.
Nick used you, Emily.
Don't let him ruin
the rest of your life.
Did Nick send you
to get Jason?
He said I should wait
till Jason's parents left.
Then show Jason my shield
and tell him you needed him
immediately.
Where'd you take him?
The...produce place
Doug Waverly's father
owns in the Bronx.
Thanks, Counselor.
But Mr. Waverly Sr.'s
so convinced
Doug didn't murder
anybody in here,
he let us right in.
Any luck?
Crime scene and the pooch
are still inside searching.
But all we found
was a lot of roughage.
The court officer
brought Jason here,
but maybe Nick and Doug
took him somewhere else.
You know what
I'm thinking?
If they know
this area so well,
Jennifer's body's
not in Queens.
It's gotta be
around here.
And the Bayside Diner's
10 minutes
over the Throgs Neck Bridge
and down
the Clearview Expressway.
But how did they get there
if they dumped her and the car?
They had to be
driving something.
Which means their asses
are on toll booth candid camera.
All the exhaust and filth
dirtying up the camera lens,
how do these faces and plates
come out so clear?
How does a spy satellite
see you taking a crap
from 22,000 miles in space?
Hold up, here we go.
3:12 a.m., lane two,
right on the timeline.
Doug Waverly?
Yeah. But that's
no '71 Chevelle,
and Waverly's paying
from the back seat.
(Munch)
Of whose car?
My car.
Was he there too?
You bet.
Where'd you
pick them up?
Bay Plaza Mall.
In the parking lot.
This guy waved
a $100 bill at me.
He says this is mine
if I drove them
across the Throgs Neck
to Queens.
They tell you what
happened to their car?
Yes, that it was towed.
By the police.
Got it.
Dried blood and hair
all over the trunk.
That's gotta
be Jennifer's.
The car was in our own pound
the whole time.
We had the little bastards.
We sent out a flyer
on this car!
Yeah, well, whoever
checked it into the pound here
reversed two of the numbers
when they put it
into the computer.
How many '71 Chevys
you got?
Hey, we just
hook 'em and book 'em.
Everybody makes mistakes.
Your mistake just
let two killers walk.
Elliot.
She could have
been dumped anywhere.
But at least we know
that this car
was towed from that mall.
This car wasn't
towed from a mall.
What are you
talking about?
Truck picked it up
for blocking a fire hydrant
in Co-op City.
It's the right address.
Across from the river.
[Benson sighs]
They dump Jennifer's body.
By the time they get back,
the car's been towed.
Not gonna find
any cabs here,
so they walk the 10 blocks
to the mall...
Where they buy their ride
over the bridge
to the diner in Queens.
Called aviation.
They're sending in a bird.
We brought out two dogs.
One's got Jennifer's scent.
The other's looking
for Jason.
Detectives!
We got a woman's sneaker.
Flo here is all over it.
Must have
your victim's scent.
I watched those videotapes
1,000 times.
Jennifer was
wearing those
the last time
she left the hotel.
They dumped her
in the river,
no telling
where she'll wash up.
If she washes up.
Which means Jason could
be shark bait too.
(Benson)
Got something!
Over here!
What is it?
Jason. Got caught
on the bridge somehow.
Lucky us.
You didn't
kill him, Casey.
He was dead the minute he got
caught in Cousin Nicky's web.
We have Jason's body.
Let's get him some justice.
You make a scene
and embarrass our families,
I swear I will sue you all
for harassment.
Save it for after
the trial, Mr. Waverly.
What trial?
Nick Pratt,
Doug Waverly,
you're under arrest
for the murder of Jason King.
You can't prove
we killed anybody.
You like that sea bass?
You're gonna love what we
just pulled out of the river.
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.
(Stabler)
There he is.
The plane's still
on the ground, Captain.
What is this?
Your son taking a little
one-way trip to Rio?
We've had this trip
planned for months.
Douglas Waverly,
you're under arrest.
Why can't you
leave me alone?
If we let them
cancel the prom this year,
you underclassmen
will never get it back.
All right, we have to fight
the morals police.
Hey, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Hi. We're the real police.
Jason King,
you're under arrest.
Nick Pratt,
you're under arrest for...
the rape and murder
of Jennifer Durning,
the 17-year-old Canadian
high school student
who disappeared two months ago
while on her senior class
trip here in New York.
This is preposterous!
No one asked you yet,
Mr. Gates.
Bail.
The People
request remand.
And the defense moves
for immediate dismissal
of all charges.
The People can't even
make out the basic elements
of the crime,
Your Honor.
Jennifer Durning has
a history of running away.
Once, when she was 14.
They can't prove she's dead.
They still don't have the body.
(Judge Ridenour)
Is that true, Ms. Novak?
Yes, Your Honor.
Then on what basis were
the defendants arrested?
A tip to the police hotline
saying that Mr. Waverly
was leaving the country.
Detectives arrested him
boarding a chartered plane
to Rio de Janeiro.
Which is not a crime.
And where my client's father
was taking him
on legitimate business
for his produce company.
And from where,
conveniently, we'd never
be able to extradite him.
Do the People
have any evidence
that a rape or murder
took place?
More than enough to guarantee
an indictment.
Care to share that with us,
Counselor?
We have a videotape
of the defendants
serving the victim alcohol
just before she disappeared.
Now, beyond that,
the People are not prepared
to divulge anything further.
They have nothing,
Your Honor.
You can't prove murder
without a dead body.
Or rape without
a live victim.
I'm familiar with
the rules of evidence,
Mr. Seaver.
On the charge
of endangering
the welfare of a minor,
the defendants are released
on their own recognizance.
Your Honor, move that the court
seize the passports
of all three defendants.
So ordered.
However, until the People
secure indictments,
I have no choice but to grant
the defense motion.
The charges of rape and murder
are dismissed.
[gavel pounds]
We had to arrest
all three of them.
You made the right call.
I swung for the fences
and struck out.
It was a ballsy move.
You bought us time.
Yeah, until
the D.A. finds out
and filets me
like a catfish.
Unless we can find
Jennifer's body before then.
Well, not likely.
She could be anywhere.
Okay, then, take me
through it one more time.
Just so I'm sure
I haven't missed anything.
Okay, we know Jennifer
went to the dance club
with her friends.
She left the dance club
at 11:30
with Nick, Doug, and Jason.
She came back to her hotel room
right before 1:00 a.m.
Okay, so she goes up
to her room.
She gets
the mystery phone call.
And then she
leaves again at 1:14.
Right, for the last time.
After that, there's no
sign of any of them,
until Nick and Doug
turn up at the Bayside Diner
and call the precinct
about their car
at 3:19 a.m.
You know, Jennifer's
hotel is in Midtown.
Middle of the night,
no traffic.
Bayside Diner's a 15-minute
trip from there.
Gives them more than two hours
to kill Jennifer,
dump her and the car.
Get to the diner,
grab a cup of joe,
report the Chevy stolen.
Maybe it was stolen.
A '71 Chevelle?
At today's gas prices?
(Benson)
Look, we checked
every cab in the city,
including gypsies.
Nobody drove those kids
to that diner.
There's over 1,000 places
in Queens alone.
They could have dumped
Jennifer in the car.
We don't even have
a place to start.
You can start by thinking
about what the hell you're doing
before you do it.
Here we go.
I tried to reach you.
Your secretary said
you were giving a speech.
You guaranteed
an indictment,
on the record,
in open court?
I had no choice.
We're gonna be lucky
if we don't get sued
by those three boys
for false arrest.
We know they did it,
Mr. Branch.
We've got DNA, videotapes,
witnesses.
Without a body
or a confession,
arresting them today
makes us all
look like idiots.
Now, find the girl or
flip one of those kids
before their lawyers find out
what we got on them.
(Stabler)
Flip 'em?
Lawyers start crying every
time we get near 'em.
We have more than
enough for warrants
to swab them for DNA.
Maybe that'll scare one of them
into giving it up.
Have Doc Warner
cook up a reason
to take the samples here.
And make sure those boys
all come in at the same time.
(Seaver)
Well, you're not
the medical examiner.
She'll be here
any second.
From her contamination
cleanup at the morgue?
Right.
Well, maybe while
you're waiting,
your client would like to see
himself on home video.
Jennifer's friend
Danna shot it.
Danna!
I never knew New York
could be so much fun.
This is my new friend
Jason.
We're gonna dance
till we drop,
and then who knows?
Yeah, we came here
for a DNA test,
not so you can assault
my client with videotape.
Jennifer's friend Danna
shot the tape.
She's also gonna
swear she saw
Nick and Doug Waverly
in the club.
Watch this.
We found some very interesting
security camera video.
There's your client
and his friends
leaving the club
with Jennifer.
Our lab enhanced
and edited the tape
so we could see you
all heading right for
your dad's '71 Chevelle.
Sweet ride.
You got pretty good parking
karma there, Nick.
Finding a spot
right across the street.
Lucky for us too.
(Fin)
We got your client
serving Jennifer.
What is that, tequila?
Unless the M.E. shows up
in the next
10 seconds--
Doorman to the club
will testify
he saw you four drinking,
then the four of you
get in and take off.
Let's go, Doug.
Wait a minute.
It gets better.
We know the rape happened
between 11:30
and 12:53 in the morning.
That's when
the security camera
caught Jennifer coming
through the front door
into the hotel.
And check it out.
She walked directly
through the lobby,
got on the elevator,
and went straight to her room
on the tenth floor.
(Benson)
And, look, she's crying.
I wonder what she's
so upset about.
Is there a problem, Jason?
Something bothering you?
This whole charade.
We're done here.
Don't leave without
a party favor.
Call to Room 817.
What is this?
It's a call Jennifer
made from her room
at 1:02 in the morning,
telling her friend
she'd been gang raped.
Captain.
(Cragen)
Sorry, I thought
the room was empty.
(Stabler)
So you remember Danna?
I'm sorry, Counselor,
that's the girl who, uh,
made the videotape of Jason
making out with Jennifer.
She's also the friend
Jennifer called.
And anything Jennifer
said to her is inadmissible.
Didn't the police academy
teach you about hearsay?
Sure they did.
They also taught me
that outcry witnesses
are an exception
to the hearsay rule.
Good show, Detective.
But we're gonna
skip the encore.
Nick.
M.E. tech is here
to swab Nick.
Good, just in time.
You know, Counselor,
while he's setting up,
why don't you take a look at
the other call from that night?
The number belongs
to the payphone down the block
from the hotel.
(Bradshaw)
We've had about
enough of this crap.
[knock on door]
Sorry I'm late.
I'm Dr. Warner.
Don't let me interrupt.
That call came in on the other
line in Jennifer's room
while she was still on the phone
with her friend Danna.
So what?
Jennifer said she called
Danna right back,
but she didn't.
Because the person
on the other line
lured her out of the hotel.
Are you suggesting
that my client called her?
(Benson)
Or one of his friends did.
How's that prove
rape and murder?
It doesn't.
But this will.
(attorney)
A pair of underwear.
They're Jennifer's, Jason.
Which she stripped off
with the rest of her clothes
when she got back
to the hotel room.
And then she took a shower.
What so many victims do
after they've been raped.
To wash you
and your friends off her.
I know what you're
trying to do.
The D.A. will
cut you a deal
if you tell us what
you and your friends did.
Do you understand me?
I'll never say anything
bad about Nicky!
Never.
You know what we found
on those panties, Nicky?
Her blood, and the semen
of three guys.
Her pants also
had semen on them.
Two stains,
two different DNA samples.
Won't take me long to match
this to one of them.
That swab's your one-way
ticket to Sing Sing.
It was Jason's idea.
My cousin got us
into this mess.
Jennifer came on
to Jason at the club.
She said we should all
get out of there, so we left.
So where'd you go?
We drove down
to South Street.
Under the FDR Drive?
Yeah.
Jason did her first.
Then me.
Then Nick.
She wanted all three of us,
I swear.
But Jason got greedy.
What's that mean?
After me and Doug were done,
Jason went another round.
She was screaming.
Jason wanted
to leave her there.
But Nick and I,
we both said no.
So we drove her back
to the hotel
and dropped her off.
Just like that?
Yeah.
But then Jason said,
"We should have killed her."
He got out of the car and ran
down the street to the hotel.
You and Nick
try to stop him?
We didn't want
anything to do with it.
We took off.
Where?
We just...drove
around the city.
Went over
the 59th Street Bridge,
and then headed home
to Muttontown.
How'd you wind up
at the Bayside Diner?
We got...hungry.
It was on the way.
And that's when
the Chevy got stolen?
Some homie probably
ripped it off.
Both boys
said the same thing.
Jason raped Jennifer,
and then he masterminded
her murder.
And you believe them?
They're the only ones
talking.
I can't make Jason
talk to you.
Well, if he doesn't,
he's gonna spend
the rest of his very
long life in prison.
I told him that.
What did he say?
He'd jump off
the Brooklyn Bridge
before he'd rat out
Cousin Nicky.
He's not talking to you?
No...but I'm
telling you, Casey,
this kid is too gentle.
He's too nice
to be a killer.
He's a piano prodigy.
He takes lessons at Juilliard.
Juilliard?
Every Tuesday,
from 3:00 to 4:00.
Your parents drive you
into the city?
I take the train.
To Penn Station.
What train did you catch
last Tuesday?
The 4:31 to Hicksville.
Like always.
How do you get to Penn
from Juilliard?
Subway.
Number One train
from 66th Street?
Yep.
Why?
(woman on tape)
Police hotline.
(young man)
Doug Waverly's going
to Rio tomorrow.
On a private plane.
That call was made
from a pay phone
in the 66th Street
subway station
at 4:07 p.m. on Tuesday.
What did you do, Jason,
cover the phone
with your sweater?
No. No, it wasn't me.
Miss Novak and the police
already know
that Doug Waverly called
your house that same morning.
Doug told you he was leaving.
You were trying to protect
Nicky, weren't you?
Nicky's my cousin.
Nicky and your
so-called friend Doug
blamed the entire thing
on you.
They're trying
to screw you to the wall
to save themselves.
Don't let them.
(Jason)
Nicky said that we had to go
to this club in the city
because I was...
you know, a--a virgin.
And I needed to get laid.
Whose idea was it
to leave?
Jennifer's.
She wanted to go alone
with me to her hotel room.
Did you go to her hotel?
Jason, please
answer the question.
I...I can't.
[crying]
You have been subpoenaed
to testify here today,
and you are under oath.
You will tell the truth,
or you will go to jail.
Please.
Please don't make me.
You told me that Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly
offered to drive you
and Jennifer to her hotel.
True?
Yes.
But instead,
Nicky drove Downtown
under the FDR, true?
Yes.
Then you and Jennifer had sex
in the back seat of the car.
No, I didn't rape her.
No, she--she said yes.
I swear she did.
I swear.
You tell the jurors
what happened next.
When we were done...
I got out of the car.
And--and Nicky says,
"Now it's our turn."
And he and Doug got in...
and they raped her.
And when they were done?
We dropped her off.
Around the block
from her hotel.
And what did Nicky say?
Jason, please.
Tell the grand jurors
what your cousin Nicky said.
He said that we
should have killed her.
So she couldn't tell anyone
what happened.
Did you try
and stop them?
I said--I told them
they were crazy.
But Nicky and Doug said
they were gonna do it.
So I got out of the car.
Then I left.
Where did you go?
Penn Station.
I took the train home.
Maybe if I had stayed...
Jennifer would
still be alive.
Who died?
DNA results are in.
All three boys' semen
was in Jennifer's underwear.
But the semen on the jeans
only belongs to Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly.
Which is
consistent with her
fighting them off
when they raped her.
What's the problem?
Crime scene found
a pubic hair
under the toilet seat
in Jennifer's room.
It's from a male,
but...
the DNA doesn't match
any of the three boys.
She was barely
in her room a half an hour.
We're sure no one
was in there with her?
Nobody even got off
the elevator on Jennifer's floor
during that time.
Then I'll
tell the Grand Jury
that we think the bathroom
wasn't cleaned thoroughly.
Let them decide.
No, I wanna
take it all back.
Before the Grand Jury
decides.
Jason,
you can't do that.
Just tell them I lied.
You'll go to jail.
Look, you're not the one
who's getting
picked on at school.
You're not the one who's
getting hang-up calls.
My friends won't even
talk to me.
Is...is there
any place you can go
until things calm down?
Uh...
we have a summer home
in the Hamptons.
Someplace your families
don't know about
would be better.
Remember, we rented
that ski house up in Catskills?
I could call the agency,
see if they
have anything available.
Indictments...
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly
for Rape One and Murder One.
(Stabler)
Good work.
(Novak)
We couldn't have
done it without you, Jason.
Oh, no.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Jason, I am sorry.
Please leave me alone.
Jason...you did
the right thing.
You told the truth.
Nicky was like
my brother.
I know.
I know.
I never--never meant
for any of this to happen.
It is not your fault...
that Nick and Doug
murdered Jennifer.
I'm sorry that I didn't...
[sniffles]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Everything's
gonna be okay.
(Stabler)
We reviewed every videotape
from every security camera
from the Thorpe Palace.
Jennifer Durning left
at 1:11 that morning
and was never seen again.
When did you enter
the case?
8:30 that same morning,
dispatch sent us
on a 911 call
about a missing
rape victim.
Made by whom?
Uh, Danna Simpson,
Jennifer's classmate.
How did Danna know that
Jennifer had been raped?
(Stabler)
Jennifer called Danna
after the rape
to tell her
what had happened.
Uh, Danna called 911
after Jennifer disappeared.
Detective Stabler,
do you know who Jennifer
was last seen with?
The two defendants,
leaving the dance club
at 11:30 that night.
That's a lie.
Any more outbursts,
Mr. Pratt,
and you will be taken
to the lockup.
Please continue,
Detective.
(Stabler)
We also have them leaving
the club with Jennifer
on videotape.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Did you instruct
the crime scene unit
to dust Jennifer's hotel room
for fingerprints?
There was no evidence--
A simple yes or no,
please, Detective.
No.
'Cause you didn't want
to have to tell this jury
that the two defendants'
fingerprints
were not in the room.
Objection.
Stating facts not in evidence.
(Judge Donnelly)
Sustained.
The jury will disregard
defense counsel's statement.
Be careful,
Mr. Gates.
Were you present when crime
scene unit Detective O'Halloran
found a pubic hair
on the toilet seat
in Jennifer's hotel room?
Yes, I was.
Did that come from
either of the defendants?
No.
Did it come from
Jennifer Durning?
No.
You have no idea
who it came from, do you?
No.
Then how can you
be so sure
that the two defendants
are the ones
that raped
and murdered Jennifer?
The semen in Jennifer's
panties
came from
the two defendants.
That just proves
they had sex with her,
not that they raped her.
Is there a question
in here somewhere?
Detective Stabler,
do you have any idea
the sex of the person
who left that pubic hair
on the toilet?
Objection.
Counsel in chambers, now.
I will not let you two
mislead this jury
with some unsubstantiated
red herring.
Our clients have the right
to present a legitimate defense.
Not until you prove
to me it's legitimate.
In front of the assistant
district attorney?
You can't force us to reveal
our trial strategy.
Well, then, I move
for a motion in limine
to preclude any questions
about the hair.
Which I will grant,
unless you can convince me
you can connect it
to some suspect.
The presence
of another male
in Jennifer Durning's
hotel room
doesn't prove that their
clients didn't rape her.
We'll lay it out
for you, Judge.
But ex-parte only.
Not with Ms. Novak
in the room.
Your Honor,
I strenuously object.
Noted.
But I have to be fair,
Casey.
And this I will say
in front of you.
If I get even a hint
that this hair is a smokescreen,
I am shutting you down.
Are we clear?
There's no way
we missed another suspect.
Well,
the defense must have
convinced Judge Donnelly
that we did.
Because of a stray hair?
It doesn't make those
two guys innocent.
I'm trying a murder case
without a dead body.
A loose end like that
could give the jury
enough reasonable doubt
to acquit.
Casey, we swabbed every one
of Jennifer's male classmates.
And the chaperones
who were on that trip.
Then where did
that hair come from?
That hair could have
been left by
any of the last 100 men
who stayed in that room.
Or some hotel employee
who used his pass key
to stop in and take a leak.
Which we can't see,
because there aren't
any security cameras
in the hallways.
But there were
on the elevators,
and no one got off
on Jennifer's floor
from the time before
she got raped
until after she left.
Okay, so how'd he get in?
Maybe Jennifer let him in,
or he picked the lock.
Have you guys looked at
any of the video
from before Jennifer got back
or after she left?
Skimmed through 'em.
Didn't see her.
Then let's cover
our asses.
We go back to the tapes
and check out
every person who got off
the elevators
on the tenth floor.
From the day Jennifer
arrived in the city
to the morning that we
got to the hotel.
This is the tenth couple
I've seen making out
in the elevator.
I hope they saved some energy
for the honeymoon.
(Stabler)
Yeah, well, I've got
a catfight in car three.
I think the honeymoon
is over for these two.
Wouldn't wanna get
in the middle of that.
Well, get a load
of Luca Brasi.
Couple years,
another 200 pounds,
that's you, Munch.
The back of his coat,
the seam is ripped.
Captain, you better
take a look at this.
What is it?
It looks like he's hiding
something inside his jacket.
(Benson)
He's getting off
at the tenth floor.
(Stabler)
An hour after
Jennifer left
for the last time.
Fast forward.
See if he leaves.
What goes up must come down.
(Cragen)
How did we miss this guy?
And there he is,
20 minutes later.
(Stabler)
This time,
he's carrying a coat.
That's the coat
Jennifer was wearing
when she came back
from being raped.
Which she wasn't wearing
when she left a half hour later.
He took it from her room
after he used the john.
(Munch)
How'd he get Jennifer's key?
You know, Jennifer had
her purse at the dance club.
But when she came back
to the hotel after the rape...
no purse.
Maybe that's what he's
hiding under his jacket.
(Fin)
We'll canvass the neighborhood,
see who knows him.
(Uni Bamford)
Name's Keith Willis,
a.k.a. your friendly
neighborhood drunk.
(Munch)
Right where
any respectable alcoholic
would be at 10:00
in the morning.
Keith Willis!
Durvo.
Durvo?
Must be Bulgarian.
Keith think he's their
Ambassador to Washington.
You know who I am.
Yes, I have orders
to confirm I.D.
[mumbling]
Sir, we need to escort you
to Foggy Bottom immediately.
Can you tell me
where you got these?
From some boys.
Was it...
was it these boys?
Them!
How did you meet
those boys?
They gave me 50 bucks
to make a phone call.
What did they
tell you to say?
I have your passport.
Please come
to the phone booth
down the street,
and I return it to you.
50 bucks.
Then what?
Uh...a girl came.
They made her
get in their car.
This girl?
Yeah. Yeah.
Is Secretary Baker here yet?
What year is it,
Mr. Willis?
1989.
(Stabler)
Jennifer's purse and coat
were in Willis' roach-infested
dump of a home.
Look, Thorpe Palace
gives each guest two keys.
He goes through
Jennifer's purse.
He finds the one
in the envelope
with her room number on it.
Goes looking for
something good to steal.
Uses the toilet,
leaves the hair.
I need him on the stand.
Well, you're
looking for trouble.
He's demented,
probably from years
of alcohol abuse
rotting his brain.
He was the only one
who saw Jennifer
get into that car with
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly.
His short-term memory has
more holes in it than a sieve.
He's unreliable.
I just spoke to the hotel
security chief.
He showed a private investigator
the tapes two days ago.
Hired by the defense,
no doubt.
Well, it gets better.
The P.I. told him that
he's looking for some drunk
who followed Jennifer
back to the hotel.
Nick and Doug must have
told their lawyers about Willis.
Yeah, then used him
as an alibi.
But they
forgot to mention
he witnessed them
kidnap Jennifer.
What do you want us to do?
Have the M.E. match Willis' DNA
to the hair on that toilet
so we can eliminate him
a suspect.
Willis didn't see Jason?
Doesn't mean Jason
didn't see him.
Find out.
My husband and I
just got back from dinner
an hour ago.
Jason's asleep.
Do you have to wake him?
It's urgent, Mrs. King.
Well, that's his room.
[knock on door]
Jason,
it's Detective Stabler.
Jason?
He's gone.
Did you see Jason
when you got back last night?
His door was closed.
We thought he was asleep,
so we didn't bother him.
And no one
knows you're here?
(Roberta)
No, absolutely not.
My husband hasn't even
been to work
since this whole thing
started.
Well, I know
Jason was upset
about testifying
against his cousin.
Our son didn't run away,
Detective.
Jason finally saw Nick
as the entitled, spoiled brat
the rest of us
always knew he was.
One minute, please.
Munch dumped the phone
in the house,
Jason's cell,
and the parent's cell.
No incoming our outgoing calls
in the last two days.
Well, maybe Jason got tired
of living like a hermit
and he split.
It's 10 miles
to the nearest town.
At night?
In the freezing weather?
He had to walk, 'cause
the parents had the car.
There was another car
here last night.
I found tire imprints.
The larger ones are from
the King's Mercedes.
(Stabler)
Which the parents drove back
from dinner last night.
Over the tracks
of the second car.
Judging from the smaller
wheel base,
I'd say it's a compact.
I'll go back to the lab
to match the imprints
to give you the tire's
make and model.
Roadmaster Excelsior
is used on any one of a couple
dozen compacts.
It doesn't match our boys.
None of their families own
anything smaller
than a C-Class Mercedes.
And there's no sign of a
struggle in or around the house.
Jason must have known
whoever came to get him.
It had to be Nick and Doug.
Houdini couldn't
make people disappear
like these guys can.
How the hell did they find
where Jason was staying?
Are you saying
they found out from us?
Why are you
hanging around here
when you should be out
looking for Jason?!
We've been busting
our asses.
Jason is missing!
And Nick and Doug
are gonna walk,
unless you call in
the troops to find him!
We call in the troops,
and everybody finds out
Jason is gone.
You wanna think about that
for a second...
or just keep
playing your blame game?
Is that what this is?
A game?
I got her.
I told Jason
everything would be okay.
You don't know for sure
that it isn't.
We both know something bad
happened to him.
He trusted me,
and I let him down.
Beating yourself up
isn't gonna help us
find him any faster.
[sniffles]
You're right.
This gets out,
I won't have a case.
We have to keep it quiet.
What's the next move?
I have to tell the D.A.
Why the hell wasn't Jason King
in protective custody?
His parents volunteered
to take him out of town.
With Nick Pratt and
Doug Waverly out on bail?
It was only a matter of time
till they found out
where Jason was.
Is SVU tight?
As a drum, sir.
There's no way the leak
came from my people.
Well, I doubt if it
came from Casey.
That leaves
Liz Donnelly's office.
I'll notify her.
No, you won't.
Not yet.
You're not suggesting
that she's...
The leak?
Of course not.
It's just that her people
are the only ones
I can't vouch for.
You know, if she stops
the trial now,
double jeopardy attaches.
We can never try Pratt or
Waverly on these charges again.
Well, can't you read
Jason's grand jury testimony
at trial?
Not unless we can
prove he's been harmed.
The 14th Amendment
gives Nick and Doug
the right to face
their accuser.
If we don't
find Jason soon,
I'm gonna run out
of witnesses.
Then get some more.
Keep our case alive.
Stall as long as you can.
(Novak)
Danna, on the night
that Jennifer disappeared,
was it her idea
to go to the dance club?
No, it was my idea.
Did she ever seem
promiscuous?
No, the opposite.
I mean, she liked boys,
but she wasn't, you know,
a slut or anything.
(Novak)
Was she a party girl at home?
(Ally)
Not really.
But she wanted to have
a good time in New York.
So how did she do in school?
Jennifer was
a straight-A student.
She'd already been accepted
on early admission
to McGill University
in Montreal.
Do you know if she ever
ran away from home?
(Henry)
Only once.
She'd had a fight
with her mother.
Came over to my house,
slept over.
Uh, in the guest room.
And, uh, she went home
the next morning.
Your Honor,
this is the tenth witness
who's given the exact
same testimony.
Counsel approach.
Mr. Gates has a point,
Casey.
Well, the jury needs
to know the victim.
We get it.
Jennifer is a nice girl.
Ms. Novak's wasting
this court's time.
I appreciate you
looking out for my schedule.
But I'll decide that.
It's a stalling
tactic, Your Honor.
You have no right to dictate
how I present my case.
This is getting
a little redundant, Casey.
Where's your
star witness,
Jason King?
I have five more
character witnesses.
No, you don't.
Put Jason up next.
He's not here.
Then get him here.
By tomorrow.
We're in trouble.
I heard.
We can't bank on the police
to find Jason.
Any advice?
Well, when under attack,
circle the wagons.
Go back to your office,
Casey.
Relax.
Breathe.
Then meet me downstairs
by my car at 6:00.
We going somewhere?
Arthur.
Casey.
We need to talk to you.
In the middle of a trial?
I don't think so.
The defense had their
ex-parte moment.
In chambers,
not my living room.
This is different.
Can you step outside
a moment?
Why the cloak and dagger
routine?
We couldn't take the chance
your house was bugged.
Bugged?
Why would anybody
wanna bug my--
Jason King,
our star witness,
disappeared last week.
We have evidence
he was kidnapped,
but we can't prove it.
The leak's not
in our office, Liz.
Or SVU.
Whoever took Jason had
to find out where he was
from somebody
that works for you.
You think I have
a mole in my office
and you didn't tell me?
My orders.
If Jason's still alive,
and the kidnappers find
that we're on to them,
they could kill him.
Couldn't risk it.
We're going
to the courthouse.
Casey never told me
Jason's location.
She wrote it
on a piece of paper,
which I shredded after
I dictated the information.
To your secretary?
To my Dictaphone.
[echoing]
My secretary hasn't
transcribed the tape...yet.
[echoing]
Is that me?
[echoing]
I'm afraid so.
[echoing]
Is that the bug?
Yes, sir.
Battery's still working.
It could have
been there for months
and I never
would have found it.
Is there any way
to find out who bought it?
This is a cheap one,
available on the Internet
from dozens of vendors.
The receiver should
be close by.
I'll see if I can find it.
Who would do
something like this?
Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly's parents
have deep pockets.
Probably bought
somebody off.
I inherited my staff.
I don't know that much
about them.
And you can't
ask them now.
We could sure use
a mistrial here, Liz.
Unless you can prove
Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly
bugged this office or that
they murdered Jason King,
you haven't got grounds
for a mistrial.
We're out of witnesses.
I know, Casey.
And I don't like it
any more than you do.
But I can't play games
with the law.
If you can find Jason
by tomorrow...
or show me that he's
met with foul play...
I'll grant a motion to have
his Grand Jury testimony
read to the jury.
Otherwise,
there's nothing I can do.
(Donnelly)
Call your next witness,
Ms. Novak.
The People rest,
Your Honor.
Your Honor...the People
have clearly failed
to meet their burden
of proof.
Uh, we move for directed
verdicts for both defendants.
For six days,
the People have offered
dozens of witnesses
and exhibits.
And the only rational conclusion
this evidence supports
is that the victim,
Jennifer Durning,
was alive and well when last
seen with the defendants.
Therefore,
as a matter of law,
this court has no choice
but to grant the defense motion.
Mr. Waverly...
Mr. Pratt...
I am dismissing all charges
against you.
You are free to go.
[gavel pounds]
I prefer shrimp cocktail
for an appetizer.
This is the entree.
Club soda, lime.
That liquid lunch isn't
going to change what happened.
Yeah, but...
it'll help me forget.
You played the hand
you were dealt.
I had to look
Jennifer Durning's parents
in the eye and tell them
that their daughter
would never get justice.
Because I let Nick Pratt
and Doug Waverly
get away with murder.
Well, that wasn't
your fault.
But it will be if you let them
get away with another one
and don't try
to stop it.
We haven't found Jennifer.
So what makes you think
Jason's gonna be any different?
Because whoever planted
that bug in my office
knows what happened to him.
And you are going
to find that person
if you have to interrogate
everyone who works
in that courthouse.
Trial's over, Casey.
Put the gloves on
for round two.
Have there been
any strange calls,
like someone fishing for
information about the judge?
No, Ms. Novak,
nothing like that at all.
Anybody come in when
court's not in session?
Nobody suspicious,
if that's what you mean.
What about after hours?
I mean, do you ever
stick around?
All the time.
But nobody ever comes
into the judge's chambers,
except maybe
a court officer.
And that's routine?
Uh, not really.
This one had to use
the judge's private bathroom.
When was this?
Maybe a week before
the trial started.
I stayed late to pull a case
for the judge,
stepped out
for a bite to eat.
When I got back,
she was just getting out
of the judge's office.
She?
Yeah, new girl.
Just assigned up here, uh...
I think her name's Emily.
You wanted to see me,
Your Honor?
Officer McCooper,
what were you doing alone
in this office
two weeks ago?
I was...sick.
I didn't think I could
make it to the ladies' room.
Your chambers were closest,
so I ducked in
and used your bathroom.
Was that before
or after you planted this?
What is it?
(Stabler)
It's a bug.
But you know that,
because the receiver...
was in your locker
downstairs.
I listen to music
on that.
You save it, sister.
Now, how can you afford
a brand-new Mercedes
on a court officer's salary?
My father
bought me that car.
You mean your sugar daddy,
Nicky Pratt.
Because my old car
was about to fall apart.
Well, it held
together long enough
for you to go upstate
and pick up Jason King.
I don't know what
you're talking about.
What we're talking about,
young lady,
is life in prison
without parole
for murdering a witness
to a crime.
(Stabler)
Sit down.
Sit down.
(Stabler)
We have the '89 Acura
you traded in.
The tires match tracks
found outside the house
Jason King was staying in.
Now, our crime scene unit
is gonna vacuum
every inch of that car.
They find a hair...
a drop of blood...
that matches
Jason's DNA...
Nicky...Nicky didn't say
they were gonna kill Jason.
He just wanted
to talk to him.
But he didn't know
where Jason was.
So he asked you
to bug my chambers
and paid you for it
with a new car?
That was a present.
You're sleeping
with Nicky Pratt.
I was walking him
out of court after arraignment.
He said I probably looked
really hot out of uniform.
Next thing I know,
we're in bed in my apartment.
Nick used you, Emily.
Don't let him ruin
the rest of your life.
Did Nick send you
to get Jason?
He said I should wait
till Jason's parents left.
Then show Jason my shield
and tell him you needed him
immediately.
Where'd you take him?
The...produce place
Doug Waverly's father
owns in the Bronx.
Thanks, Counselor.
But Mr. Waverly Sr.'s
so convinced
Doug didn't murder
anybody in here,
he let us right in.
Any luck?
Crime scene and the pooch
are still inside searching.
But all we found
was a lot of roughage.
The court officer
brought Jason here,
but maybe Nick and Doug
took him somewhere else.
You know what
I'm thinking?
If they know
this area so well,
Jennifer's body's
not in Queens.
It's gotta be
around here.
And the Bayside Diner's
10 minutes
over the Throgs Neck Bridge
and down
the Clearview Expressway.
But how did they get there
if they dumped her and the car?
They had to be
driving something.
Which means their asses
are on toll booth candid camera.
All the exhaust and filth
dirtying up the camera lens,
how do these faces and plates
come out so clear?
How does a spy satellite
see you taking a crap
from 22,000 miles in space?
Hold up, here we go.
3:12 a.m., lane two,
right on the timeline.
Doug Waverly?
Yeah. But that's
no '71 Chevelle,
and Waverly's paying
from the back seat.
(Munch)
Of whose car?
My car.
Was he there too?
You bet.
Where'd you
pick them up?
Bay Plaza Mall.
In the parking lot.
This guy waved
a $100 bill at me.
He says this is mine
if I drove them
across the Throgs Neck
to Queens.
They tell you what
happened to their car?
Yes, that it was towed.
By the police.
Got it.
Dried blood and hair
all over the trunk.
That's gotta
be Jennifer's.
The car was in our own pound
the whole time.
We had the little bastards.
We sent out a flyer
on this car!
Yeah, well, whoever
checked it into the pound here
reversed two of the numbers
when they put it
into the computer.
How many '71 Chevys
you got?
Hey, we just
hook 'em and book 'em.
Everybody makes mistakes.
Your mistake just
let two killers walk.
Elliot.
She could have
been dumped anywhere.
But at least we know
that this car
was towed from that mall.
This car wasn't
towed from a mall.
What are you
talking about?
Truck picked it up
for blocking a fire hydrant
in Co-op City.
It's the right address.
Across from the river.
[Benson sighs]
They dump Jennifer's body.
By the time they get back,
the car's been towed.
Not gonna find
any cabs here,
so they walk the 10 blocks
to the mall...
Where they buy their ride
over the bridge
to the diner in Queens.
Called aviation.
They're sending in a bird.
We brought out two dogs.
One's got Jennifer's scent.
The other's looking
for Jason.
Detectives!
We got a woman's sneaker.
Flo here is all over it.
Must have
your victim's scent.
I watched those videotapes
1,000 times.
Jennifer was
wearing those
the last time
she left the hotel.
They dumped her
in the river,
no telling
where she'll wash up.
If she washes up.
Which means Jason could
be shark bait too.
(Benson)
Got something!
Over here!
What is it?
Jason. Got caught
on the bridge somehow.
Lucky us.
You didn't
kill him, Casey.
He was dead the minute he got
caught in Cousin Nicky's web.
We have Jason's body.
Let's get him some justice.
You make a scene
and embarrass our families,
I swear I will sue you all
for harassment.
Save it for after
the trial, Mr. Waverly.
What trial?
Nick Pratt,
Doug Waverly,
you're under arrest
for the murder of Jason King.
You can't prove
we killed anybody.
You like that sea bass?
You're gonna love what we
just pulled out of the river.