Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 16x23

1. In the criminal justice system,

2. sexually based offenses

3. are considered especially heinous.

4. In New York City, the dedicated detectives

5. who investigate these vicious felonies

6. are members of an elite squad

7. known as the Special Victims Unit.

8. These are their stories.

9. So the outlets are covered. Corner padding.

10. Miss Benson toddler-proofed every inch.

11. And he's been eating a lot lately.

12. How about outdoor activity?

13. He has scheduled exercise time at daycare,

14. and, of course, the babysitter takes him out every day.

15. And Miss Benson spends weekends and mornings with Noah.

16. And at night, of course, we read.

17. Noah didn't have a lot of verbal interaction as an infant,

18. so I want to make sure he doesn't get too far behind

19. in his language development.

20. Do you sing to him? That's also important.

21. - Of course. - Good.

22. You need a toddler bed before he climbs out of that crib.

23. Of course.

24. Okay. So...

25. You've passed all your home studies.

26. I'm going to recommend you be approved

27. - as an adoptive parent. - Thank you.

28. Thank you. Okay.

29. Thank you, Miss Jackson.

30. Good luck, Miss Benson.

31. That's great, Olivia.

32. So what's next?

33. I'll confirm with the agency

34. that Noah's free for adoption,

35. then we initiate proceedings and go before Judge Linden.

36. Paperwork seems in order. Noah's history.

37. "Birth mother—deceased. Birth father—unknown.

38. - No other known—" - Yeah, about that.

39. There's something that I should tell you.

40. So we stumbled across Noah's birth father

41. during an investigation.

42. There was a mother searching for her missing daughter.

43. Please, Nina,

44. where is Ariel?

45. The morning after he beat her, Timmer drove her to hell.

46. He killed her?

47. He took her to Johnny D.

48. Johnny D keeps his new girls chained up

49. for a whole week, lets all these pimps come in,

50. do whatever they want to them. That's how he breaks them.

51. - Did you know about this? - No. No, I swear.

52. Timmer asked for you by name.

53. If you're lying to me, you're dead.

54. Hey, Timmer, this is Johnny D.

55. Okay, now we know that you sold Ariel to him.

56. I'm going to ask you again. Where is he keeping the girl?

57. You think I'm crazy?

58. Nobody's gonna talk about Johnny D.

59. Look, he don't think twice about killing a pimp,

60. a whore, or a cop.

61. Hey, drop the glass.

62. All right, drop it now.

63. Johnny Drake, aka Johnny D, has run out of delaying tactics.

64. We are proceeding to trial on 17 counts of rape,

65. assault, trafficking, and kidnapping.

66. Nice work taking this from the Feds.

67. You'll need us to testify?

68. I'm assuming that won't be problem.

69. - Not at all. - Lots of witnesses.

70. - It's gonna be a long trial. - I want him put away for life.

71. All right, what can we do?

72. Means you got to re-vet every witness—no surprises.

73. Counselor, walk you out?

74. Just so you know, I've decided to name Johnny D

75. as Noah's birth father on the adoption papers.

76. No. We've talked about this.

77. You are under no obligation to do that.

78. It's not material to what he's being charged with.

79. This isn't about the trial.

80. The adoption paperwork lists Noah's birth father as unknown.

81. So what's the problem?

82. Lying doesn't work out well for me.

83. Okay.

84. Johnny D, family court— separate universes.

85. He'll never find out.

86. Maybe not,

87. but someday Noah might.

88. Or the courts.

89. I don't want my life with Noah to be built on a lie.

90. Don't do this.

91. Johnny D is a psychopath.

92. Do not open this door.

93. Stay seated.

94. - What? - Nice to see you, too, Johnny.

95. Remember this girl— Ellie Porter?

96. Crack whore who got set on fire. Wait...

97. Are they trying to pin her on me now?

98. Relax. Someone else took that rap.

99. So, why am I supposed to give a crap?

100. Because she may be your get-out-of-jail-free card.

101. I think I get why the Feds kicked this case to Barba.

102. 'Cause nobody wants to do

103. any more work than they have to.

104. - Our bust, our case. - That's true...

105. but geopolitically, Johnny D is a Canadian national.

106. And they won't extradite a U.S. citizen back here

107. - for a capital crime. - Exactly.

108. So, rather than risk in an international brouhaha,

109. they give the case to Barba.

110. We should've shot him when we had the chance.

111. Probably. 'Cause even if Barba gets a conviction on all counts,

112. he's looking at 25 to life. He could be paroled in 15.

113. Okay, Barba, keep me posted.

114. - Liv. Hey, you got a minute? - Yeah, of course. Come in.

115. What's up?

116. Fin mentioned you're up for lieutenant

117. and that you might need a new sergeant.

118. Right now, that's just talk.

119. Well, deadline's Friday. Same with the sergeant's exam.

120. I just registered.

121. - Oh. - Yeah.

122. I'd like to try moving up the ranks.

123. After watching Munch, and you,

124. it's a track I can see myself on.

125. Of course. Just so you know, I had to approach Fin first,

126. - 'cause he has seniority. - I get that.

127. But he told me he's not interested in

128. the administrative part of the job and, well, I am.

129. Okay. Good.

130. Good.

131. Start studying.

132. I already have.

133. Mr. Braun, walk me through this.

134. Your Honor, we are moving for

135. an immediate dismissal of all charges.

136. The lead investigator, Sergeant Olivia Benson,

137. was informed some time ago by the M.E.'s office

138. that my client, unbeknownst to him,

139. is the biological father of the foster child

140. - she's attempting to adopt. - Your Honor, it's immaterial.

141. Yeah, unless Sergeant Benson's pursuit of my client

142. is motivated by her desire to deny his parental rights.

143. Sergeant Benson was not aware of the DNA

144. until after Mr. Drake was processed.

145. His DNA was not in the system prior to this arrest.

146. - Mr. Braun. - Both SVU and the DA's office

147. have offered numerous deals

148. in exchange for testimony against my client,

149. and they even wrested the case away from the FBI.

150. If it smells like a vendetta and looks like a vendetta...

151. Mr. Drake was arrested by Sergeant Benson

152. in the presence of other officers

153. while attempting to flee a dungeon

154. where he was keeping 4 girls imprisoned as sex slaves.

155. He's a dangerous career criminal.

156. And yet his DNA is not in the system?

157. Career criminal, or the victim of a single-minded blood feud?

158. This allegation of a vendetta is completely fabricated.

159. This motion itself is an overreach.

160. All right, Mr. Barba. Save the Ivy League oratory for trial,

161. if we get there.

162. Before I rule on defense's motion,

163. I'll need to speak to the M.E.'s office and Sergeant Benson.

164. We're adjourned.

165. - Olivia. - Hey.

166. Thank you for meeting me here.

167. Your squad know about the situation?

168. They do now. Listen, just to be clear,

169. I did not know that Johnny D was Noah's biological parent

170. - until after the arrest.

171. The M.E. confirms, we don't have a problem with it.

172. I mean, you probably should have kept it to yourself.

173. This scumbag will use any leverage he has.

174. But either way, as far as IAB is concerned,

175. you have absolutely no liability.

176. Thank you.

177. - Is that tea? - It is.

178. Man up, will you?

179. - Fine. - That was easy.

180. Can I get two glasses of...

181. Of the Nero d'Avola.

182. Listen, while you're here,

183. I wanted to run something past you.

184. Uh, Nick Amaro applied for the sergeant's exam.

185. - Did he? - Yeah.

186. You told me to think about my number two,

187. and I think he'll do very well on the test.

188. Thank you.

189. It doesn't matter if he gets a perfect score on the test.

190. He's damaged goods.

191. He's a solid cop.

192. And lately, he's turned things around.

193. He shot an unarmed 14-year-old kid,

194. chased after three others with a baseball bat,

195. - beat an innocent suspect— - Stop.

196. In all of those cases, he was exonerated.

197. Technically, yes, but realistically,

198. the way One PP sees it, Amaro could cure cancer.

199. They're still not gonna promote him.

200. Listen, I know you like the guy,

201. but this is never going to happen.

202. Got it.

203. Right this way, Mr. Braun.

204. Hmm. Nice digs.

205. My tax dollars at work.

206. Taxes? Don't most of your clients pay you cash?

207. Ha. That's funny.

208. What can I do for you?

209. Well, while my motion is pending,

210. I thought it'd be a good time to be proactive.

211. - Mm-hmm. Go on. - Here's what I can offer.

212. Johnny Drake had no knowledge of this child's existence,

213. and he has been deprived of his parental rights,

214. and he wants to do everything he can

215. to assert those rights and to be a good father

216. to Noah Porter.

217. Does he? Little hard to do when you're serving 25 to life.

218. Here's where that proactivity part comes in.

219. - Absolutely not. - Will you just let me finish?

220. Johnny D will relinquish all parental rights

221. and waive visitation.

222. Noah won't ever have to know he existed.

223. - He doesn't get to do this. - As I was trying to say...

224. they've offered a plea of

225. three to five years for prostitution,

226. which, I agree, is not enough.

227. - Not enough? - But I think I can sell them...

228. on one count of trafficking, pleaded down.

229. Braun indicated they might accept ten years.

230. Yes, because he knows that if this goes to trial

231. that Johnny D will spend the rest of his life in prison.

232. He sex-trafficked underaged girls.

233. He raped them, he brutalized them.

234. He does not get to plea this down

235. because I want to make my life less complicated.

236. Okay. There's something else you should know.

237. Regardless of whether he is convicted or not,

238. he can still appeal for his parental rights.

239. He could request, and has a good shot at getting,

240. court-ordered visitation.

241. You could be taking your son to visit Johnny D

242. in state prison until Noah turns 18.

243. You applied for the sergeant's exam?

244. Seriously?

245. Yeah. Why?

246. I don't know. What'd Liv say?

247. She thought it was a good idea.

248. Well, all right.

249. You should think about taking it.

250. You'd be on the fast track here.

251. Don't want to be a detective forever.

252. Yeah, I do.

253. I'm good as I am. My life is perfect.

254. Must be nice.

255. Hey, anybody heard from Sarge? She's late.

256. She's dealing with a lot right now.

257. Oh, good, you're all here. So I just met with Barba.

258. The judge threw out Johnny D's motion,

259. so it looks like we'll be going to trial in a few days.

260. You're not going to testify, are you?

261. I have to. I was first one on scene.

262. Yeah, if Barba doesn't call you, the defense definitely will.

263. They're going to try and cast shade on you.

264. Still say we should've shot him.

265. Okay, Fin.

266. So, Barba needs to schedule prep time with all of you.

267. He also wants to assign each of us to one of the witnesses.

268. - As bodyguards? - No. More as confidants...

269. so they know that we're looking out for them.

270. Also so we can let Barba know if anyone gets shaky.

271. - So we bond with them. - What about Selena and Timmer?

272. Their deal says they have to testify.

273. They're both up at Sing Sing. Make sure they feel secure.

274. Hey, Johnny D's not getting away, Liv.

275. Yeah. Nick, you got a sec?

276. Sure.

277. So...

278. I was talking to Tucker.

279. Tucker. What does he think I did now?

280. It's not him.

281. It's the department.

282. What does that mean?

283. It means that he thinks

284. that there's no point in you taking the sergeant's exam.

285. He thinks they'll just round-robin you out.

286. I get it.

287. - I'm sorry. - Don't be.

288. What was it Munch said,

289. "Don't fall in love with the job, kid.

290. She'll never love you back."

291. Been good for me here.

292. Cleaned up. Just working my program.

293. - One day at a time, right? - You got it.

294. Well, if you have any questions about the trial or whatever,

295. we're here for you.

296. Yes, I believe you. I believe my social worker.

297. I know I have to testify. It's the right thing.

298. Okay. That's good to hear.

299. Whatever you guys want, I do.

300. How about we go over what you'll be saying on the stand?

301. Thank you, Ariel, thank you, Martha,

302. for coming back to New York.

303. Ariel, you look good.

304. She's doing great.

305. So, Johnny D's going to trial.

306. We just wanted to prepare you to testify.

307. That's why we're here.

308. Screw you. I want to see my son again.

309. After you testify, right? That's the deal.

310. After I testify, I'll be dead.

311. We are going to protect you.

312. I don't believe you.

313. So what, I just tell the truth, the whole truth,

314. nothing but the truth, so help me?

315. You got it.

316. Look, don't worry about it. Johnny D's going down.

317. I'ma take care of that for you, baby.

318. - Hey. - It's okay, Fin.

319. Mr. Barba's gonna walk you through your testimony—

320. what you saw, what you knew.

321. No embellishments.

322. I got this, and, um...

323. you know I didn't mean no offense by that, right?

324. None taken.

325. That guy's working us. He's working you.

326. I don't trust him.

327. You don't have to trust him, Fin.

328. The only way he lives to see summer

329. is if Johnny D gets sent away. He knows that.

330. If you say so.

331. Amaro just finished with Selena. He's on his way out.

332. Is he okay?

333. He was all business about taking that sergeant's exam,

334. and after he talked to you,

335. I saw him throw his prep book in the garbage.

336. NYPD doesn't want to promote him.

337. Wow. That's tough.

338. Hey, there you are.

339. I trust Selena about as far as I can throw her.

340. Yeah, the same goes for Timmer.

341. (Fin) We don't have to trust them.

342. They're both survivors, and this is their last chance.

343. I hope you're right.

344. Let's get out of here.

345. During the investigation, we became aware

346. that Ariel was sold to the defendant—Johnny Drake.

347. And where was he keeping Ariel?

348. In Queens, in an abandoned hospital basement.

349. Ariel and three other underaged girls

350. were found locked up, they were drugged,

351. beaten, and raped.

352. This is a process

353. used by sex traffickers called "breaking in."

354. The girls suffer physical and emotional torture,

355. which basically destroys

356. any impulse they have to fight back or escape.

357. And when you and the other detectives arrived at the scene,

358. what happened?

359. We were able to rescue three of the girls.

360. They all had injuries that were consistent with

361. being brutally beaten.

362. They had bruising, broken ribs, lacerations.

363. We later found out that the girls were gang-raped

364. and tortured by Johnny D and several of his pimps.

365. Your Honor, exhibit "A"--

366. The medical report on the victims.

367. The M.E. and the girls will testify

368. to what they suffered in Mr. Drake's custody.

369. Tell us what happened next.

370. Well, we heard the sound of breaking glass,

371. and when we ran down the hallway,

372. we found Johnny D attempting to escape

373. with Ariel Thornhill as his hostage.

374. He was holding a shard of glass to her neck.

375. Eventually he surrendered,

376. at which time, we placed him under arrest

377. and read him his rights.

378. Do you see the man you apprehended

379. - in this courtroom today? - Yes, I do.

380. He's right there.

381. Thank you, Sergeant Benson.

382. Afternoon, Sergeant Benson.

383. Thank you for sparing the time.

384. You're not just a sergeant at SVU.

385. You're also foster mother to a toddler, correct?

386. Your Honor, we have been over this.

387. - Sergeant Benson only— - Gentlemen, approach.

388. Now that it's just the three of us, Mr. Barba.

389. Sergeant Benson only became aware

390. that Mr. Drake was her son's birth father

391. after he was in police custody.

392. But not after the investigation was completed.

393. The M.E.'s office's statement

394. confirms that Sergeant Benson was informed

395. one day after the arrest,

396. which was before my client was even charged.

397. - Completely irrelevant. - Not to my client.

398. The jury is entitled to hear about

399. Sergeant's Benson's conflict of interest

400. and possibly the DA's.

401. When did you became aware of

402. Your Honor, that may fall under attorney-client privilege.

403. While you're both working on this case

404. for the city of New York, I doubt that.

405. But how about I spare you the embarrassment

406. and possible ethical jeopardy of answering,

407. and you agree to drop the objection

408. on this line of questioning. Are we good?

409. Sergeant Benson,

410. you're in the process of adopting your foster son,

411. - correct? - Yes, that is correct.

412. And who did you disclose

413. was the child's birth father to the agency?

414. Johnny Drake.

415. The defendant,

416. the same man that you spent so much time

417. singularly focused on investigating and apprehending?

418. And that had nothing to do with the paternity issue.

419. Well, you're trying to adopt this child.

420. Is it fair to say that the father's right to custody

421. - could interfere with that? - Of course it's possible.

422. - But it had nothing— - Is it also fair to say

423. that it's in your best interest

424. for my client to be found guilty?

425. My only interest is in making sure

426. that a sadistic, violent sex trafficker

427. be brought to justice.

428. Frankly, your anger seems personal to me.

429. - Your Honor. - Withdrawn. Nothing further.

430. Sergeant Benson, you may step down.

431. Thank you, Your Honor. The prosecution would now—

432. Actually, we'll recess for the day.

433. Prosecution's case will continue

434. at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Court is adjourned.

435. How's my son, Sergeant Benson?

436. That's enough, Drake.

437. I seen pictures. I can't wait to meet him.

438. That's never gonna happen.

439. Liv, let's get you out of here.

440. - He got to me in there. - It's not on you, Liv.

441. The jury's not gonna believe any of that crap.

442. - Who's gonna testify next? - It was gonna be the M.E...

443. but I'm gonna move up Timmer and Selena.

444. I'll call and have them transported.

445. It's still early—you want to take a ride up to Sing Sing?

446. - Give 'em one last pep talk? - Great idea. Go now.

447. Liv, stairs.

448. I testify tomorrow?

449. And after that, you'll see your son.

450. - If I live. - We'll protect you.

451. Trust us.

452. You know how you survive in here?

453. You trust nobody.

454. Yo, I'd like to change clothes, you know, before court.

455. - Get up out these greens. - Tomorrow.

456. You're a cooperating witness,

457. so we'll give you a little bit of latitude.

458. You're gonna stay in a motel tonight,

459. get a good night's rest.

460. Want you to look good for that jury.

461. Yeah. You know I won't let you down, right, my brother?

462. Look, I've been doing a lot of thinking when I was inside, huh?

463. I've spent all my life running, drugging, and pimping.

464. - I want to change that. - Yeah, well, now's the time.

465. Yeah, man, I been doing some reading, too.

466. You know, the autobiography of Malcolm X, Soul on Ice?

467. I become aware of what Eldridge Cleaver

468. would call touching to my higher uneducation.

469. We got Selena Cruz.

470. - Put her in. - It's your last chance, Selena.

471. How long you been out of the van?

472. What, you gonna write me up?

473. You couldn't wait 20 minutes?

474. Drop it. Drop it!

475. He attacked me.

476. I had to fight back. He was gonna kill me.

477. How the hell did this happen? Two prisoners, two officers.

478. One of 'em pulled over for a cup of coffee,

479. They figure since Selena and Timmer were testifying,

480. - they were on our team. - Or not.

481. Start a complete investigation

482. into the background of both officers.

483. Deceased is male, black, 30 years old.

484. In good physical shape.

485. Dr. Rudnick, what've we got?

486. Cause of death is severed carotid and jugular artery.

487. He bled out in less than a minute.

488. And the manner is homicide?

489. Goes without saying, Detective.

490. The woman who did this is claiming self-defense.

491. - Anything that backs that up? - In my opinion,

492. given his size, she used the element of surprise,

493. sliced his throat from ear to Adam's apple

494. before he knew he was under attack.

495. Any defensive wounds?

496. Some cuts on her hands and arms.

497. Absent video proof, it's impossible to know the sequence.

498. All right. Thank you.

499. Counselor, how's the trial going?

500. Better before this happened.

501. This Johnny D—he's a monster.

502. The torture, the injuries his victims suffered.

503. Did the jury understand the significance of my report?

504. That every one of those girls

505. had left ribs eight, nine, and ten broken?

506. It's a strange coincidence

507. unless one man has a pattern to his beatings.

508. We'll be calling you to testify to that.

509. It's horrible to think a man could do that to a woman.

510. And even worse that he might get away with it.

511. Thank you for your faith in me, Doctor.

512. Timmer pull out the blade. He comes at me.

513. He tells me I'm never gonna testify.

514. That he kill me first.

515. So you grabbed it and slit his throat?

516. - That's right. - Selena,

517. you're half his size.

518. How did you grab that blade? Did you have help?

519. He threatened to kill my son.

520. I found the strength to fight back.

521. Well, you're still gonna have to testify.

522. No. I don't care what happen to me,

523. but my son?

524. You don't know Johnny like I do.

525. My Selena. She can get fired up.

526. Your Selena? You had her kill Timmer?

527. Why would I do that?

528. He was going to testify against you,

529. so you had her do your dirty work.

530. My client's been in Rikers since his arrest.

531. No visitors. Check the log.

532. I had no reason to kill Timmer.

533. He was never going to testify against me.

534. That's not what he said.

535. You bought that Eldridge Cleaver line?

536. I bet he called you "my brother" too.

537. We're done.

538. - I should say so. - Oh, before you go...

539. my client has something for your sergeant.

540. A present... for my son.

541. Yeah, we'll make sure she gets it.

542. Leave it to The Ledger.

543. Turns out, the female CO was dating one of Johnny D's pimps.

544. - She slipped Selena the blade. - Great.

545. We've already doubled security on all four girls—

546. Jessie, Nina, Pilar, and Ariel.

547. Doesn't matter. He's already in their heads.

548. So we keep going.

549. The longer we wait, the more spooked the girls get.

550. Make sure they're ready to take the stand tomorrow.

551. Timmer bled out? Good. He used to boot-stomp us.

552. Okay. Well, we just wanted to make sure

553. that what happened doesn't affect your testimony.

554. - It don't. - Okay, good.

555. 'Cause, Pilar, Johnny D's gonna be in the courtroom.

556. Just want to make sure you're prepared for that.

557. I'm not afraid. I'll look him right in the eye.

558. Thank you for coming in, Miss Morenas.

559. - You ready to take the stand? - It's just for practice.

560. Counselor wants to go over it again.

561. Okay, Detective Carisi.

562. So let's get started.

563. Miss Morenas, do you know Johnny Drake?

564. I was sold to him by another pimp.

565. Johnny D said he needed to test me.

566. He punched me and broke my ribs, and then he raped me.

567. And how old were you?

568. I met Johnny D when I was 15.

569. And what happened at that time?

570. Well...

571. Do you need a minute, Miss Morenas?

572. No. I'm fine.

573. Can you tell us what happened

574. when you first met the defendant—Johnny Drake?

575. He offered me money.

576. To have sex with him?

577. No. To clean his apartment.

578. I remind you that you are under oath.

579. Let me ask again, Miss Morenas.

580. When you first met the defendant,

581. was he a sex trafficker who beat and raped you?

582. No, he wasn't.

583. You testified to a grand jury

584. that Mr. Drake beat you and raped you.

585. I remind you again you are under oath.

586. I only said that so I wouldn't be deported.

587. I'm illegal. I was afraid.

588. Are you afraid of Mr. Drake now?

589. Is that why you're changing your story?

590. No. Johnny D never hurt or raped me.

591. He loves me, and I love him.

592. - Your Honor, I need to confer. - I'll grant a one-hour recess.

593. You can shout all you want. I told the truth.

594. - Barba... - Get her out of here.

595. - Counselor. - What?

596. That deal I shopped— it's off the table,

597. what with your star witness being dead and all.

598. You mean murdered by a hit that your client ordered.

599. We both know that's impossible.

600. And now you've got a witness reversing on the stand.

601. It seems to me that reasonable doubt

602. is suddenly very reasonable.

603. Whatever you're selling, Braun, we're not interested.

604. Well, you might be interested in this.

605. "Johnny D is requesting an emergency appeal

606. "to reinstate his parental rights

607. "and stop the adoption of his son—

608. Noah Porter... Drake."

609. Tucker said this was going to be a bad week.

610. I'm calling in favors to make sure

611. the right judge rules in this appeal.

612. Trevor Langan, Noah's attorney, he's on it.

613. He says that the best move would be to get a conviction.

614. Good idea, but these girls

615. are just so scared for their lives or scarred.

616. I'm worried they're gonna fold, too.

617. You know, they may not listen to us,

618. but there is somebody that knows exactly what they went through.

619. You know, I'm sorry to put more pressure on you, Ariel.

620. Don't be. You saved my life.

621. Yeah, one more thing.

622. I wanted to give you this.

623. "Fearlessness."

624. It works.

625. Thank you.

626. So you've all heard about Timmer,

627. about Selena.

628. And Pilar. Did Johnny D threaten her?

629. We don't know. She's not talking.

630. But what we do know

631. is that we need each one of you to tell your story.

632. Let the jury hear about the pain,

633. about the brutality that you've suffered.

634. Let the jury see... Johnny D

635. as the monster that he is,

636. and they will send him to prison

637. for the rest of his life.

638. Ariel.

639. Johnny D treated me, treated all of us,

640. like we were nothing.

641. Like we were worthless.

642. Just a body to own,

643. to beat, to rape...

644. To kill

645. so he could make money.

646. I lived in fear.

647. I cried every day

648. until I couldn't cry anymore.

649. Then I just... became numb.

650. Like all of you.

651. But we're free now.

652. And Johnny D doesn't control us.

653. He doesn't own us.

654. We don't have to be afraid anymore.

655. And testifying is the only way to prove that.

656. So promise yourselves,

657. promise each other

658. that you will get on that stand tomorrow

659. and you'll tell the truth.

660. I promise.

661. I promise.

662. So do I.

663. Me, too.

664. I'd been forced to have sex with 15 men in 12 hours.

665. I was raw, bleeding.

666. Johnny D forced me to take drugs

667. and then work another 12-hour shift.

668. He chained me to the bed,

669. and then brought in his sickest friends.

670. He let them do whatever they wanted to me until I passed out.

671. He said if I didn't bring him other girls, my friends,

672. he would rape my little sister.

673. She was 11.

674. He was kicking her in the head,

675. and her eyes glazed over.

676. He rolled her up in a rug and took her out.

677. I heard a gunshot, and... I never saw her again.

678. My pimp, Timmer, found out that I was trying to escape,

679. so he sold me to Johnny D.

680. Sold you?

681. Yeah. He said that after a few weeks with Johnny,

682. I'd crawl back to him.

683. What happened when he first brought you to Mr. Drake?

684. I was stripped, chained, raped,

685. and sodomized repeatedly by Johnny and four other pimps.

686. A few days after, Johnny D said we're going to a party.

687. He forced me to do cocaine and uppers

688. so I could perform.

689. We drove to the house.

690. Cops were there.

691. Johnny D accused me of setting him up,

692. so he slammed my head against the window.

693. He laughed.

694. Told me the cops were there looking for me.

695. That my mother was looking for me, too.

696. What else did he say?

697. That I'd never see my mother again.

698. Liv, those girls did great today.

699. Barba, too. Timed his direct to Ariel

700. so the judge had to adjourn before Braun could cross.

701. The jury replaying what those girls said...

702. not sleeping tonight.

703. Between what he's done to them, what he's doing to you...

704. He's not going to do anything to me.

705. Liv, I was wrong to add to your stress

706. with this sergeant thing.

707. No, it—

708. Look, I put you in a bad position, and I'm sorry.

709. I know how hard that must've been for you to hear.

710. I'm sorry.

711. But we'll get through this.

712. Yes, we will.

713. - See you in court tomorrow. - Yeah.

714. Liv, you see the look on Johnny D's face

715. when those girls testified?

716. He knows he's done.

717. Those were disturbing stories you told, Miss Thornhill.

718. And you've been a sex worker for how many years now?

719. - Objection. - Sustained.

720. I'll rephrase.

721. How old were you when you left home?

722. I didn't leave. I was kidnapped.

723. But not by my client.

724. - No. - In fact...

725. you'd only been working together for a short time

726. before he was arrested. Isn't that so?

727. I wasn't working. I was held prisoner.

728. Okay, and you'd been held prisoner by others

729. for three years prior.

730. Have you ever been asked to testify against anyone else?

731. No.

732. I see. And Sergeant Benson—

733. has she personally prevailed upon you?

734. I'm sorry, that means pressured you,

735. to testify against Mr. Drake?

736. She asked, but I wanted to.

737. He's a horrible man. He raped me repeatedly.

738. Liar!

739. You're a lying bitch.

740. Order. Order.

741. How you can let her lie like that?

742. - Order.

743. One more outburst, I will clear this gallery.

744. You don't tell me to shut up. You shut up.

745. That's it. Officers, every one of them out now.

746. - Come on, let's go. - What? Yo, leave her alone.

747. - Get back. - He's not doing nothing.

748. - Calm down, calm down.

749. - He has a gun. - Stay back.

750. - Drop the gun. Let her go. - Everybody back off!

751. - Nick. Nick, don't. - Drop it.

752. - How is he? - We got to move. We got to go.

753. - I'll ride in the ambulance. - I'll meet you at Bellevue.

754. - How's the judge? - She's okay.

755. She got hit in the shoulder.

756. Ariel, you all right, honey?

757. Yeah, I think.

758. She's gone. Point blank through the temple.

759. Johnny D?

760. He's dead. Two in the chest. Amaro got him.

761. - Is he gonna make it? - En route to Bellevue.

762. Rollins, how's Nick?

763. He's in surgery. A bullet hit his liver,

764. so they had to do an emergency laparotomy.

765. Now they're working on his knee.

766. The liver can heal itself, but a bullet to the knee—

767. Yeah, I know that, Carisi.

768. Sorry. I'll get us some coffee, okay?

769. - Yeah. - Amaro's okay?

770. - Considering. - Johnny D?

771. He's dead. The court officer, too.

772. A judge and another CO got hit.

773. What was he thinking? Grabbing a gun, shooting a judge?

774. No way he was getting out of that building alive.

775. That's exactly what he was thinking.

776. Hey, Lucy, thank you for staying.

777. Oh, of course. How's Nick?

778. Out of surgery, you know. His mother's with him.

779. It could've been worse.

780. Hi, my love.

781. You're still awake.

782. He didn't want to sleep without his mommy.

783. Oh, mommy's home. Mommy's home.

784. Mommy's home.

785. Father's recently deceased?

786. Yes, and the agency was unable to locate

787. any living blood relatives.

788. Okay. Sergeant Benson,

789. are you willing to raise this child as your lawful child?

790. Yes.

791. This child will inherit from you.

792. He will be treated no differently

793. than a biological child. Do you agree?

794. Yes.

795. I know it's been a long year, a hard process.

796. But everything seems to be in order.

797. Congratulations, Olivia.

798. And to you, Noah Porter Benson.

799. I'm signing off on the adoption.

800. Thank you, Judge.

801. Thank you.

802. All the best to you and your family.

803. Thank you.

804. We did it.

805. Noah Porter Benson.

806. Congratulations, Liv. You look happy.

807. - I am. - Amaro coming?

808. Yeah. He's on his way.

809. He's doing better, right?

810. Yeah. He's, you know, only two weeks into PT,

811. so it's gonna be a long road.

812. - Hey. - There he is.

813. Hey, you guys started without us.

814. Nick, Amanda, thank you for coming.

815. - For you. - Wouldn't miss it.

816. Thank you.

817. So I'll be hobbling around for three months.

818. There may be a cane.

819. Yeah. You're gonna be on desk duty for a while.

820. We'll work it out.

821. About that.

822. I haven't told anyone else yet,

823. but I've been talking to my delegate.

824. And with this knee injury,

825. they're gonna try and force me out.

826. Hold on. We're gonna fight that, Nick.

827. You're young, you're in good health.

828. Liv... I'm not going anywhere in the department, anyway.

829. Look, I could retire now, put in for 3/4 pay,

830. tax free, and start over again in California.

831. Nick...

832. Are you sure?

833. Zara's in LA. Gil's in San Diego.

834. I am sure.

835. I don't know what to say.

836. I know I wasn't what your old partner was for you.

837. No, you weren't.

838. I grew more in my last 4 years with you

839. than I did in the 12 years that I was with him.

840. You know, that relationship, whatever it was,

841. didn't allow for anything else.

842. But with you, with your support...

843. I have a family.

844. Yes, you do.

845. You helped me grow.

846. I appreciate you saying that.

847. Wow, so...

848. whatever happens, Nick Amaro,

849. friends for life.

850. Friends for life.

851. - To family. - To family.

852. Cheers.