Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 7, Episode 5 - Strain - full transcript

An AIDS activist is suspected of murdering a gay couple, and Detective Tutuola discovers something about a family member.

(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.

What's wrong?

Look at those.

Look at this.

I have been searching all over
the city for that pair of shoes.



I'll buy them
for you tomorrow.

We have to get here
when the store opens.

Wait a second.

Now what?

That's not a mannequin.

Oh, my God.

(Fin)
Who is he?

Robin Weller, 27.

What, he had
his wallet under his hands too?

In the storeroom,
in his pants pocket.

Along with his keys.

One opens the front door.

He worked here.

(Benson)
Robin was the manager.



I got his name off
a phone list in the office.

I called the owner.

He closed the store
at 7:00 last night.

Robin left at 5:00.

Maybe he forgot something,
came back,

and brought
the perp with him.

(Benson)
Or the perp showed up

after Robin
was already inside.

Then Robin must have known him
and let him in.

No forced entry.

He was shot right here,
execution style,

small caliber weapon.

But there's no blood
on any of his clothes

or anywhere else on him.

Perp cleaned them up.

This sponge was in the sink.

So we're thinking
that he was forced to strip,

sit in a chair,
bound with this wire,

and then shot.

How'd he get in the display?

(Vizcarrondo)
See those marks?

Perp dragged that chair
through the store

and lifted the body
into the window.

Guy's got a set on him,

doing it in full view
of the street.

Well, I don't think
anybody saw him.

Those shades come
all the way down

so they can change
the window dressing.

Gave him all the time he needed
to stage the scene.

And write "Killer"
in silver paint.

(Fin)
He went to a lot of trouble
to send a message.

If our dead guy's a killer,
who did he kill?

The early bird
catches the perp.

How we doing?

It's gonna take weeks
to rule out

the store employees
and customers.

We got a busload
of fingerprints.

I doubt the killer
left his.

The crime scene
is too methodical.

Wires, shoes, lights.

That must've taken
at least an hour.

That's a long time to go
without slipping up.

I don't think
he did.

Every element of the staging

was intentional
and meaningful.

Okay, so what's up
with these shoes?

Well, they're all pointing
at Robin

as if there was
a crowd around, watching.

(Cragen)
So you're saying
the perp staged it

like some kind
of a sick play?

It's theatrical.
He wants attention.

It's as if he's saying,
"Look at Robin.

We all stand
in judgment of him."

Your perp's trying
to tell a story.

To catch him,
you're gonna need

to know more
about who Robin was.

(Fin)
We can ask his father.

He's on his way to the morgue
to ID the body.

(Weller)
That's my son.

He looks so old.

He's not even 30.

When is the last time
you saw him?

Six or seven months ago.

You and him
have a falling out?

Over his mother's death.

My wife passed away
last year.

Robin and I disagreed

about her care.

We'll need your permission
to search his apartment.

Of course.

Look, I'd like to go home
and see to the arrangements.

Sure.

He's not gonna be
much help.

Guy's on a lifetime
guilt trip.

Fights with his son
over his dying wife

and never gets a chance
to say he's sorry.

You should take
a look at this.

(Fin)
I don't see anything.

Hit the light.

No fluids or sign
of sexual trauma,

but check out his hand.

(Benson)
"Green".

Looks like one of those

stamps you get when you go
in and out of a club.

(Fin)
The Green Ballroom Club's

on 13th Street,
not far

from where
Robin was killed.

If the stamp was
more than a day old,

it would have washed off.

Looks like
he went there last night.

(Benson)
Have you ever seen this guy?

(manager)
Uh, I don't recognize him,

but that doesn't mean
anything.

We were packed last night.
A huge circuit party.

So everyone in the place
was gay.

Not a lot of straight men
feel comfortable in that crowd.

We need to know
who was here last night.

Need to see your receipts,
talk to your bouncers.

What time do they get in?

7:00, but I can help
you now.

Well, I thought you said
you didn't recognize him.

I don't, but no one gets
in here without ID.

We scan them digitally
and store them.

Come on.

People said our business
would fall off,

you know, Big Brother watching
and all that.

But nobody really
seems to care.

Except the guys
who are married.

There he is.

Robin Weller, line 71.

Came in at 11:14 last night.

He may have come
with friends.

We'll check the names
before and after.

(manager)
The system cost 11 grand.

We had to put it in

after we got hit
selling liquor

to a 15-year-old girl.

Can you pull up the photo
on line 78?

[keys tapping]

Ken Randall.

You know him?

Yeah, I know him.

[door unlatches]

Dad.

What are you doing here?

I need to talk to you
about something.

I have company.

Is your company a guy?

Yeah.

You're gay.

Yeah.

You got a problem
with that, Dad?

Thought so.

That's why
I never told you.

I gotta go.

He didn't know Robin Weller,

didn't recognize him
from the picture.

Crime Scene's on their way
to Robin's apartment.

Let's go.

(O'Halloran)
Said you wanted to know
about the victim.

I pulled photos and e-mails
off his computer.

The victim liked to party.

(Fin)
'97, somebody's got a nice crib
on Fire Island.

(O'Halloran)
Plus South Beach,

Palm Springs, P-Town--
all gay hot spots.

He started young too.
Look at this.

Palm Springs White Party,
he's just 17.

And then five years later--
looks like he's 30.

Father was right.
He got old quick.

(Warner)
I think I know why.

Anyone find
his medicine yet?

Ritonavir.

This one's called
Enfurvitide.

Enfurvitide's a new
fusion inhibitor.

Both are anti-retrovirals.

So Robin was
HIV positive.

He had AIDS.

His T-cell count
was extremely low.

And his viral load
was through the roof.

And he got it recently.

How do you know?

When I saw his blood work,

I had the Health Department
fax me his notification letter.

He tested HIV positive
six months ago.

Isn't that awfully fast
to get full-blown AIDS?

It's unusual.

Speaking of which,

I already got a phone call

requesting Robin's
death certificate.

The body's not even cold.
Who called?

An insurance company.

His father took out
a policy on him.

How much?

$500,000.

We checked your financials.

You don't have
a nickel in the bank.

Your credit rating's
down the toilet.

You're broke.

You think I murdered Robin
for the insurance money?

Half a mil would solve
your cash flow problems.

You don't understand.

We spent all our money
on him.

On a son
you weren't speaking to?

[sighs]

That happened later.

When his mother was sick,

Robin came home.

I hadn't seen him
in years.

Why?

[sighs]

When he was 16...

he told us he was gay.

I couldn't deal with it.

I kicked him out.

When he came back,

I barely recognized him.

He looked terrible.

I-I asked him
what was wrong.

He said he had
a drug problem.

He wanted to stop,
but he couldn't.

You try to help him?

I spent our entire life savings
paying for his rehabs.

I couldn't even afford
a proper funeral for my wife.

Robin never stayed

clean more than a few months.

I knew it was just
a matter of time...

before he overdosed.

So while he was clean,

you took out
an insurance policy

to get your money back?

I knew Robin
was going to die.

If it wasn't from drugs,
it would be AIDS.

Or that boyfriend of his.

They had
a violent relationship?

Last time I spoke
to Robin,

he called from
the emergency room,

crying that the guy
had beat him up.

You know
the boyfriend's name?

Lydon Grant.

(male super)
You sure this is okay?

(Fin)
Come on, man, let's go.

No one home.

Oh, looks like
a snowstorm in here.

What the hell happened?

Fin.

"Killer".

(Warner)
Single gunshot to the head.

Entry wound, small bore--
just like Robin Weller.

Same theatrics,
same perp.

How long has he been dead?

Still warm,
just going into rigor.

I'd say no more
than eight hours.

It wasn't a snow globe
that got busted in here.

Crystal?

80% pure
methamphetamine.

Sex drug of choice.

Took a lot of crank
to blanket Lydon's loft.

Worth a hell of a lot
on the street.

Think the murder's
about meth?

Well, we know that Robin
and Lydon were lovers.

It's even money.
If Lydon used, so did Robin.

Explains the rehab

and why Robin
looked so much older.

I mean, meth ages you fast.

And it makes you violent
and paranoid.

Could be they both got high one
night and killed somebody,

and this is just payback.

But it doesn't scan.

We talked to family,
friends, colleagues.

These guys were well-liked.
There's no criminal records.

Crystal can change
all that.

Lydon had meth in his
bloodstream when he was shot.

(Fin)
He wasn't just using.

Nobody keeps that much around
unless they're dealing.

Now, if he's a drug dealer,
this could be a turf war.

Which means our perp
could be another dealer.

Let's find out if Narcotics
has Lydon on their radar.

(Pizzelli)
We got nothing in the system

on this Robin Weller.

But this guy Lydon Grant,
he's just

a blip on the screen,
low-level meth dealer.

Don't have much on him.

Where'd your intel
come from?

Wiretap last year.

We were up on a cell phone

that belonged
to a runner for MKS.

MKS?

Manhattan Killer Squad.
A violent drug gang.

Well, we have
two homicides.

The perp painted "killer"
on the side of the wall.

MKS ever use that
as their tag?

Not that I've seen,
but it's possible.

These kids are savages.

Into crystal meth?
Big time.

They killed their way
into control

of a big chunk
of the market.

Cooking it?
Heisting it.

They look for gay men
who are heavy users,

beat them half to death,
steal their drugs,

then they sell it
back to gay dealers.

So a circuit party's like
one-stop shopping.

Users and dealers.

Got anybody inside MKS?

Had an informant.
Surfaced in the East River.

Haven't found the right
replacement for him yet.

MKS crew's mostly young, white
psychos from the 'burbs.

Psycho enough
to kill a dealer?

Oh, I wouldn't
put it past them.

If MKS hit your victim,

there'll be chatter
on the circuit.

Gay kids in the club scene

know what's going on.

(Benson)
Thank you for meeting me.

You carrying water
for my father?

Nope.
He doesn't know that I'm here.

We're working on a homicide

that may be connected
to circuit parties.

So let's talk
to the token gay guy?

What do you want?

You ever hear of MKS?

Bunch of little freaks
from the Island.

They hit the clubs,
act like they're into the scene.

But they're not gay.

More like fag bashers.

MKS kid goes into the party,

spots a guy holding meth,
lures him outside.

Where the rest of his crew
is waiting to roll him?

They beat the crap out of him,
take his stash.

Have you ever been hurt?

I'm not into meth.

Fin probably thinks I am.
Another reason to hate me.

Your dad doesn't hate you.

My dad doesn't know me.

Why don't you give him
some time?

Look, you wanna know
about MKS?

There's a party tonight
at a club called Euphoria.

Lot of people'll be tweaking,
dealers will be there.

[crowd chanting]
Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

What's happening up there?

Some kind of protest.

(Cragen)
Those guys don't look
like MKS.

(Fin)
Ain't nothing going down
with all this drama out here.

Club must have the same idea.

They're opening
the rear fire door

so people don't have
to go through the protest.

[man over radio]
Captain, check out the guy
in the white shirt.

Meth equals death.

Meth equals death.

Hey, play it safe.
Use protection.

Go away, man.
Leave me alone.

Hey, sweetheart.

You lonely tonight?

Your 12 o'clock,
there's a skinny kid

black shirt,
blue jeans

hustling a guy
in a gray sweater.

Looks like
he could be MKS.

Could be just going
for a quickie.

Fin, check 'em out.

[men shouting]

You like that?

It's going down.

All units hit Cortland Alley.

[siren wails]
Police!

(male officer)
Stay where you are.

Don't move.
Get down, get down!

(officer)
Let me see your hands.

Don't move.
Get on the ground.

Cuff him.

Let's go.

Captain.

Check that out.

"Killer."

(Fin)
Hey, Killer.

You get that tattoo
for offing somebody?

It's my posse.

Manhattan Killer Squad.

They call you "Killer"?

No.
King Henry.

King of what?

(Benson)
Garden City, Long Island?

Hmm?

Henry Fanello.

Possession Seven,
Grand Theft Auto, Assault.

Oh, just turned
18 three weeks ago.

(Fin)
Happy birthday.

You're an adult.

No more calling Daddy.
No more juvie time.

I'll make bail before that
faggot gets out of the hospital.

Who's calling who
a faggot?

Your gaydar must be jammed.

Yeah, or maybe you're just
too scared to come out.

I'm not queer.

(Fin)
You're on the circuit.

That is, until we put you
in jail for murder.

Murder?

Yo, I never saw them.

(Fin)
Yes, you did.

And you killed 'em.

And you wrote your name
right there.

You think I whacked
those fags?

I ripped 'em off, that's it.

Why do you target gay men?

They're easy marks.

Don't call the cops
when they get jumped.

Don't want anyone to know
about their freaky sex lives

and their meth jones.

Killer.

Your tag,
your crime.
I swear.

I didn't do it.
I didn't kill no one.

[knocking at door]

Can I talk to you two
for a minute?

I think I know
what "Killer" means.

Yeah, him.

Doc doesn't think so.

Lydon Grant had AIDS,
just like Robin Weller.

Well, that's not a surprise.
They were lovers.

They both had
the same strain of HIV.

The so-called
killer strain.

Progresses from infection
to death

in less than a year,
resistant to most drugs.

First time I've ever seen it.

If Robin or Lydon had
unprotected sex

with anyone else, they could've
infected their partners.

Making them both killers.

(Cragen)
Well, this could be revenge.

Somebody who knew
both Robin and Lydon

had the new strain of HIV.

Maybe a sexual partner
one of them infected.

Or a vigilante
wiping out HIV victims.

Specifically crystal meth users
who are gay.

The whole country's
swimming in crank.

Why just kill gay men?

Because after years

of keeping HIV in check,

meth is causing an increase
in new infections,

especially among gay men
in the club scene.

They call it "PNP"--
Party-N-Play.

(Benson)
When you're tweaking on meth,

you can have sex for hours.

But you're high, so you're not
likely to use a condom.

And much more likely
to spread HIV.

(Fin)
Then why'd the perp trick
out the victims?

That just calls more attention
to himself.

(Huang)
The guy's desperate.

He wants people to wake up,
to pay attention to the danger.

(Benson)
But how did

our perp know that Lydon
and Robin had HIV?

I mean, this is not something
that you advertise.

It had to be a mutual friend

or someone like a doctor
or health care worker

who knew
they were both infected.

As soon as
they tested positive,

they'd have to submit a list
of their sexual contacts

to the Health Department.

(man)
I can't discuss anyone's
HIV status.

Not a discussion,
it's a homicide investigation.

Department policy.

Look, sir, someone
in this office

could be killing people
with AIDS.

You don't help us,
we subpoena your records

and bust you for obstruction.

Look, you didn't hear this
from me.

They said don't talk
about it.

Don't talk
about what?

Our computers were hacked.

Somebody got the names
of people with HIV?

It happened
in Florida too.

Well, shouldn't you tell
the public?

Our files are encrypted.

Hacker won't be able
to read the list.

We need those names.

We're reconstructing
the files.

They were damaged
when he copied them.

(Benson)
He?

You know who did this.

We can't prove it,
but our overnight supervisor

caught a janitor sitting
at a computer terminal.

What's the janitor's name?

Gabriel Thomason.
We fired him.

You wouldn't happen
to know where he lives.

No, but I can tell you
where he spends his time.

Wouldn't stop talking
about some AIDS group

called The Rainbow Army.

(Fin)
We're looking
for Gabriel Thomason.

Hey, Gabe!

Got some folks here
to see you.

I'm Gabriel Thomason,
can I help you?

Detective Benson,
Tutuola.

Saw you last night
at Club Euphoria.

I had a permit
for the protest.

Yeah?
Where'd you go afterwards?

I, uh, hit a couple of clubs
to look for condoms.

What's the matter
with the drug store?

I was checking
on their supply.

There was a time when

all the clubs had bowls
of free condoms.

So now you run
the condom patrol,

since you got fired
from your janitor gig.

That was a misunderstanding.

(Fin)
We heard

you hacked the Health
Department's computers.

Yeah, what were you
looking for?

Uh, actually,
I was checking my e-mail.

It's typical.

They have a problem, blame it
on the faggot janitor.

He's gonna stick
to that story,

and we can't prove
otherwise.

He knows we can't nail him.

I bet my paycheck
he got that list.

Maybe we should
talk to somebody

at the Gay Officer's League.

Have a cop go undercover
inside the Rainbow Army.

Gabriel's already raised up.
He smelled a rat.

So where to next?

I'm gonna drop you off
at the squad.

I got a stop to make.

Informant?

Maybe.

Gotta go, Dad.

I just need a minute.

I made enough mistakes
with you already.

I'm not trying
to do it again.

Come on, man, I'm working
on a case.

Is it the one
Olivia told me about

with the circuit parties?

She talked to you?

Yeah.
About MKS.

Okay, I wanna show you
a picture of a dead guy.

Can I do that?

Yeah.

Why "Killer"?

The victim had a new
killer strain of HIV.

You can't scare me
out of being gay.

I'm not trying to.

Then why ask me
about this case?

Okay, this guy was murdered
after he came out

of the Green Ballroom Club
the night

you were there.

That's how you found
out about me.

It's all over the circuit
about these two guys.

I heard about this.

You ever heard about
the Rainbow Army?

See their flyers everywhere.

They do good work.

You think they're involved?

It's possible.

I mean, they're trying to help
gay men, not kill them.

Well, somebody is killing
these guys,

and if we don't find him,
I guarantee you

he's gonna kill more.

And you're telling me this
because I'm gay

and you want me
to be careful?

Yes.

And I also need a favor.

Okay.

You still majoring
in computer science?

(Ken)
You know, I don't have
classes on Tuesday.

I could come every week.

Good. We do a lot
of demonstrations.

Are your parents gonna have
a problem if you get arrested?

Oh, they'd be proud of me.

[laughter]

This one dude, his family could
deal with him being gay,

but they hated it when he
wound up in the papers.

"You gotta be
so public about it?

The whole world's gotta know?"

(Ken)
Right, what will
the neighbors think?

(Benson)
Hey, how's it going?

The glasses cam works great.

Who's Ken talking to?

His name's Jason.
Office manager.

Hey, Gabriel.
Hi, Jas.

This your man?
Yeah.

Ken Randall,
Gabriel Thomason.

There's our friend.

(Gabriel)
Jas told me all about ya.

(Ken)
Not much to tell.

Well, we're glad to have you.

You know, we, uh, we need
all the help we can get.

(Ken)
Seeing guys get sick,
being stupid

makes me want
to do something.

Cool. You wanna come
inside for a sec?

Sure.
You good?

(Jason)
Yeah.

So Jason tells me
you're a computer science major.

Thinking about
software engineering.

Unless I go premed.

But you're good
with computers.

That's what
my professors say.

Your fish just bit
the hook.

(Fin)
Not yet.

He's still sniffing the bait.

From one computer
to another, so--

(Ken)
I could teach you.

I want to help out.
I think you guys do great work.

Good.
Well, actually, um...

I got a little
software problem.

(Ken)
What kind?

(Gabriel)
It's a file I can't open.

Come to you by e-mail?

It's, uh,
it's on a disk.

From a different
operating system?

You lost me.

Windows, Mac, Unix--

you go from one to another,
stuff gets garbled.

Well, if I just
give you the disk,

do you think
you can open it?

I'll try.

There you go.

There's a better chance
I'll be able

to open this
on my setup at home.

All right,

well, just, uh,

take it and make sure
I get it back.

What's the file
you need opened?

It's a list of names.

Got him.

(Suarto)
Theoretically, encryption's
built into a system

with its own encoding key,
but Gabriel corrupted the file.

When it wouldn't open,
he saved it in another format.

Is it compressed?

I don't think so.

Maybe it's a UUE extension
or something like that.

I'll try that.

(Ken)
There you go.
What do you think, Dad?

Not bad, huh?

That looks like our list.

(Cragen)
Gabriel needs the list--why?

To warn men or to kill them?

Well, if he wants to stop

the spread of the killer
HIV strain,

he might kill anyone
who's infected.

Then we canvass everybody
on that list

and anybody who slept
with Lydon Grant

or Robin Weller.

(Fin)
Wait a minute.

Gabriel's last name
is Thomason.

One of the names
on Robin's list

is Alexander Thomason,
age 23.

Died three months ago.

Before that, he lived at

458 West 10th Street,
apartment 3B.

(Benson)
That's Gabriel's address.

Alex Thomason
is his younger brother.

I know a couple of families
with two gay kids.

If Alex and Gabriel
were close...

Gives Gabriel mondo motive
to murder Lydon and Robin.

And let the whole world
know they were "killers".

But why
the Health Department list?

He already avenged
his brother's death.

Gabriel wanted to know
who infected Lydon.

It's a chain.

He's working his way
backwards.

(Cragen)
Go pick Gabriel up

before he finds
his next victim.

[men chanting]
Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Meth equals death!

Gabriel Thomason.

Uh...

We're busy, detectives.

I can speak with you
at the office tomorrow.

Put the sign down, please.

This is a peaceful protest,
but she's gonna arrest me.

And what are the charges?

Loitering while gay?

No.
Homicide.

Gabriel Thomason,

you are under arrest
for the murders

of Robin Weller
and Lydon Grant.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can
and will be used against you

in a court of law.

I admit it.

I killed Robin and Lydon.

But what are two lives
compared to the thousands

that could be lost if the super
strain becomes an epidemic?

So you're confessing
to murder?

What choice did I have?

They're high on meth,
having sex with each other

night after night,
exposing their partners,

who would infect
their next partners.

Just like they infected
your brother.

Alex always used a condom.

Got tested regularly.

Until Robin Weller

got him hooked
on crystal meth.

I saw Robin
at the club that night.

He was so high,
he didn't remember me.

I came onto him.

He took me back
to the shoe store, he was...

expecting sex.

He killed my brother.
I killed him.

(Fin)
So you play God?

Decide who lives
and who dies?

It's called
a Messiah Complex.

Gabriel believes
that he can see things

no one else can see,
like a prophet.

So he's insane.

No, he knows
that it's wrong to kill.

He just feels justified
in his actions.

Then why was he so careful
not to get caught?

Because he still
has work to do.

Killing for the cause.

He believes
in what he's doing.

That's why he confessed.

Yeah, and the defense
will argue

extreme
emotional disturbance.

Gabriel was driven
temporarily insane

by grief over
his brother's death.

(Maddox)
You really think
I'm that predictable,

Casey?

(Novak)
Well, you're too late, Carolyn.

Your client gave it up.

Did he?
Mm-hmm.

Doesn't matter.

Gabriel won't serve
a day in prison.

How you gonna pull
that off?

You really expect me
to give you all my secrets?

See you at arraignment.

(clerk)
Docket ending 497.

We'll hear a plea,
Ms. Maddox.

Not guilty.

The defense can't argue
diminished capacity.

Gabriel Thomason clearly stated
in his confession

that he knew what he was doing,
and he knew it was wrong.

(Maddox)
We're not arguing EED.

Your honor, the plea
is self-defense

under the accepted theories
of "imminent harm"

and "greater danger".
Self-defense?

Robin Weller
was tied to a chair

and shot point blank
in the head.

How could he have posed

a risk
to Gabriel Thomason?

(Maddox)
Robin Weller and Lydon Grant

were the carriers
of a lethal virus.

But Gabriel wasn't having sex
with them.

He was never in danger.

(Maddox)
Two men with HIV

having drug-fueled,

compulsive sex puts
other gay men in danger.

My client was defending

the entire gay community
from two men

whose sexual behavior
threatened thousands.

Your Honor, this is ludicrous.

It's an interesting argument.

I'm not sure it'll work,
but the jury should hear it.

I'm going to allow
the defense.

(Sloan)
At the Centers
for Disease Control,

we monitor HIV
exposure patterns.

Then you must be very concerned
about this new strain

of HIV.

It may be more lethal
than anything we've seen

in the history
of this epidemic.

What does the CDC
recommend we do?

Notify the public,
increase education,

and preventive measures.

Some people are proposing more
radical solutions.

Like what?

Prosecuting people

who knowingly
infect their partners

or making them

bear a part of the cost
of their medical treatment.

(Novak)
How about killing people
who have the virus?

(Sloan)
Certainly not.

Killing is obviously
not the answer.

Thank you.

Your witness.

Dr. Sloan, is there
any treatment

for this new strain of HIV?

It's resistant to most

drug therapies.

We're trying
to develop new treatments.

The virus has mutated,

changed to fight off
our attempts

to kill it.

If it spreads further,
we may not be able to stop it.

Ever.

So you're saying those infected
will die quickly.

Yes.

I believe we might be
on the verge of a disaster,

a new worldwide pandemic.

(Maddox)
What can we do--
test everyone and

quarantine those with HIV
to a desert island?

Back in the '90s, the New York
City Health Department

established detention centers
for people with TB

who refused to take
their medicine.

Sounds like a good way
to protect the public.

Why haven't you tried that?

The law doesn't allow us
to quarantine people with HIV.

So those infected
with this new strain

can keep on having
unprotected sex

and spreading this virus?

Yes.
We have no way to stop them.

Thank you.

(Gabriel)
Well, I came of age

hearing about how
so many gay men died

in the '80s,
when there was no treatment.

And now it's happening again
because of crystal meth.

How does that make you feel?

Lonely.

Afraid.

Hopeless.

(Maddox)
How do you deal with that?

(Gabriel)
By trying to make a difference.

Teaching young gay men
to protect themselves.

I joined the Rainbow Army

to bring the message
to the circuit.

Have your efforts
been successful?

I couldn't save
my own brother.

Alex tested positive
last year, and...

And he died five months later.

After the funeral,
I read his diaries,

I made a list of the people
that he slept with.

Why?

So I could tell them
to be tested.

Was Robin Weller one of the men
you talked to?

Yes.

And he--he told me he had
the killer strain too.

That it was positive before he
had sex with my brother--

That he knew,
he didn't tell Alex--

And he infected him.

And that made you angry.

Yes.

And then I saw Robin

at the clubs,
picking up young guys.

I tried to warn them,
but they were high on meth.

They wouldn't listen.

I couldn't save them.

Robin was gonna murder them.

Just like he murdered
my brother.

(Maddox)
And that's why you killed

the two men responsible
for Alex's death.

I had to protect the other men
they would've infected

and all the men
they would've infected.

Gabriel, do you think
you did the right thing?

I do.

By stopping two lives,
I saved thousands more.

(Maddox)
Thank you.

"Stopping two lives."

That's some pretty fancy
gift wrapping.

You murdered two men,
didn't you?

Yes.

But they could've murdered
thousands of innocent others.

Like your brother.

You think Alex
was innocent?

Of course.

(Novak)
Your brother wasn't raped.

He chose to have sex
without a condom.

You're blaming him?

You heard Dr. Sloan

testify about the need
for personal responsibility.

Robin Weller
wasn't behaving responsibly.

But neither was your brother.

(Gabriel)
Well, Alex--Alex

didn't know any better.

He was young,
he was high--

So was Robin Weller.

You blame one,
you blame both.

And what if Alex
hadn't died?

What if he'd gone on
using meth and partying?

He could've infected others.

Would you have
"stopped" his life?

Answer the question.

Would you have killed
your own brother?

(Maddox)
There are no mysteries here.

Two people are dead.

Gabriel Thomason has told you

that he shot
and killed them both.

And why he did it.

In 1981, 41 gay men
were diagnosed

with a rare form of cancer

no doctors had
ever seen before.

Now 40 million people
are infected with HIV.

40 million.

Gay and straight.

And we keep hoping that
they'll do something about it

before it's too late,
and no one does.

That's why Gabriel Thomason
took matters

into his own hands.

Robin Weller and Lydon Grant
infected

dozens of men.

And could've infected hundreds

if their drug and sex binge
continued.

They were terrorists.

Let me put it
to you this way.

You walk out of there tonight,
and on the courthouse steps

is Osama Bin Laden
holding a dirty bomb.

Everything you know
about this man tells you

that he will detonate it
and turn Manhattan

into a nuclear wasteland.

You've got a gun.

Would you shoot him
to save the city?

Desperate times require
desperate measures.

Gabriel Thomason did
what he had to do

to save innocent lives.

Now it's your turn.

Do what you have to do.

Find him not guilty.

Millions dying of AIDS
is an unimaginable tragedy.

But does that mean
that two more deaths,

two murders don't matter?

The defense argues that these
murders were justifiable,

because they prevented
future deaths.

It might sound rational.
But consider this.

Tobacco executives--
they make cigarettes.

And hundreds of thousands
of people who smoke

die of lung cancer.

Would it be all right
to murder the tobacco CEOs?

If you think
the two situations

aren't the same,
think again.

People who smoke--
they know the risks.

And they choose to smoke
despite them.

Just like people
who choose to get high

and have sex
without a condom.

So don't blame the victims.

Gabriel Thomason broke the law.

He killed two men.

He knew what he was doing,
and he knew

it was wrong.

You must hold him responsible.

2-1 he walks.

I wouldn't take those odds
on a double homicide.

Safe money, 25 to life.

You didn't see Gabriel
on the stand.

When he cried,
the jury believed him.

(Novak)
No, they didn't.

Guilty.
Murder 2, both counts.

Guess the jury
didn't buy his tears.

Sentencing report
will ask for the max.

Consecutive, Gabriel
gets 50 to life.

Judge could
still drop it down.

Not after she hears
Robin Weller's

father.

He's looking for revenge.
She'll give it to him.

(Novak)
Your Honor,
Robin Weller's father

would like
to make a statement

before you sentence
Gabriel Thomason.

Step up, Mr. Weller.

I miss my son.

I miss him every day.

There were years
when we didn't speak.

When I was so angry at him
for his life.

For his behavior.

But now I regret that.

It's painful every day.

But the last six months
I missed him

the most, because he wasn't
my son anymore.

He'd been taken over
by his addiction.

And the Robin I knew
was gone.

I don't know how many people
Robin infected

or how many more
he would've infected

if he'd lived.

I don't approve

of what Gabriel did.

But I understand
why he did it.

I didn't think
I'd feel this way.

I thought I'd want revenge.

Please...

don't punish him
too severely.

Thank you.

The court appreciates
your statement.

I couldn't stay
and listen.

How much time
did Gabriel get?

15 years.

It's the minimum
for murder.

He would've gotten a lot more
if you hadn't spoken up.

I did so many things wrong
with Robin.

Sure you did
the best you could.

The night he told me
he was gay,

I told him
I wished he was dead.

I'd give anything to have
another chance with my son.

[phone buttons beeping]

[line ringing]

[line continues ringing]