Law & Order Special Victims Unit s27e08 Episode Script
Showdown
1
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.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Whelan's a good detective,
but he's a lot to take in.
- Meaning?
- You'll see.
Hey, Terry Bruno.
Ah, I see you're still
dressing like a perp.
Hey, John.
Nice fedora.
You know it's 2025, right?
Hey, the clothes
make the man, Terry.
Uh, who is this Tweedledum?
Jake Griffin.
Oh, Batman.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard about you.
Okay, yeah. Hopefully not all bad.
Uh, mixed, mostly.
Welcome to the circus, boys.
We got a guy inside,
said his girlfriend
was snatched in the middle of
the night, says she was raped.
- So here you are.
- How you wanna handle it?
Well, we put a BOLO
out on the girl, Nikki Suarez.
So we will handle the citywide search,
but the rape is all yours.
Terry, between us,
the media is already
flinging some wild theories,
so you're gonna need
to drill down on this guy's story.
It sounds like you're not liking it.
Hey, kid, everybody's got a story,
but this one's got some hair on it.
All right, 10-4. We'll let you know.
Okay.
And when I woke up,
the guy was
wrapping my entire head in duct tape.
And then
And then he pinned me down,
and that's when I realized that
he had wrapped my wrists too.
So you didn't get
a good look at him?
No.
What about his voice?
He sounded like a robot.
Like a what?
Look, I-I know.
All I could figure
was that he was using
some kind of
voice-altering technology.
Okay, what happened next?
And then it sounded
like he was assaulting her.
And I didn't do anything
because I didn't want him to kill her.
And, uh, and he kept saying
that he had cameras and lasers
set up watching
me and that if I didn't
remain still for at least three
hours, that he would kill her.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
What'd you do?
I-I-I did what he told me to do.
I-I stayed there, and I waited
for what felt like three hours,
and then
And then when I finally got myself out,
Nikki was gone.
Look, we're gonna find her,
but I need you to come
down to the precinct to help us.
Yeah, whatever you need.
You guys just have to find her.
You buying any of this?
He's definitely hiding something.
Well, the plot thickens, boys.
We ran our guy, Morrison.
He did a two-year federal
bid off a securities fraud case.
Got out three years ago.
Great, an ex-con
motivational speaker.
Yeah, and a story with
more holes than the BQE.
So Jimmy tells him NYPD
has a new forensic technique
where a murder victim's
eyes could be removed
to determine the last
image they saw before death.
This is genius, but
did it actually work?
Like a charm.
Guy gave up everything,
including stuff we
didn't even know about.
Okay, I love it,
and I'm gonna use it.
Thank you.
Ah, a panel on generative
AI and law enforcement.
Maybe Jimmy was onto something.
- What a world.
- Yeah.
How long were you two partners?
Five years in uniform,
four more as detectives.
Ah.
He was a great cop, a great partner.
You know how it
is when it just clicks.
I do.
I do.
And what got him?
Here was a guy who'd
been shot three times,
including one shielding
a witness, and in the end,
- it was cancer.
- Ah.
Jake was only 12.
All Jimmy dreamed of was
seeing Jake take the oath.
I appreciate you taking
him under your wing.
I mean, I know you didn't
actually have a choice.
Appreciate it just the same.
I was hesitant, but
Griffin has potential.
Yeah.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Benson.
Okay.
I'm three hours away,
and I'm at a conference.
Tell him we're heading back.
Okay, I'm on my way back, okay?
- I'm sorry, Chief.
- Don't be.
Active kidnapping, great
excuse to dip out of here.
Right?
Thank you.
Nikki Suarez, 24,
girlfriend of Greg Morrison, 50,
who's presently our guest
in interrogation room one.
- Why'd you bring him in?
- 'Cause he's hinky.
Care to expand on that keen insight?
He's rambling about the kidnapper
setting up lasers and
cameras and voice changers.
Plus, he's an ex-con
who peddles nonsense
as a so-called motivational speaker.
He did two years at Club
Fed for securities fraud.
And what about the missing woman?
There's a BOLO out on her.
2-1's in charge of the search.
But this guy isn't right.
Yeah, the whole story is wild,
but if it's true, we
still gotta find her.
Captain is on her
way back from Albany,
so, why don't you two
take your shot at Morrison,
and we'll coordinate with
Whelan, CSU, and canvass?
When we break
him, we'll let you know.
Okay.
If you could help me
out, I do not understand
the whole cameras and lasers thing.
I just I'm not saying
he was telling the truth.
I am just telling you what he said.
The whole voice-altering
technology thing.
Yes, he was obviously
using something to make
voice recognition impossible.
Well, maybe he thought
you'd recognize him, you know?
Who else had access to the brownstone?
I did renovations last month.
I gave the keys to my
architect, Sean Davey.
Sean Davey.
- You don't think he
- We'll check it out.
Anyone else you got beef with?
You know, anyone else who would, uh
Who'd want a reason to punish you?
Guys, please, I am begging you.
You have to find Nikki.
The whole city is
out looking for her,
but now, is a chance
for you to come clean.
Let's start at the beginning.
When was the last
time you saw Nikki alive?
Welcome back, Captain.
Hey.
So I spoke with Curry.
She said you're not
liking this guy's story.
It's more like a fairy tale.
The guy makes a living conning people.
He thinks he can con us.
He's hiding something.
We just don't know what yet.
Okay, Curry said
that one of his neighbors
said that she heard them
arguing a couple of nights ago?
Break it down for me.
Captain.
Oh, hold on.
Yeah?
There's a woman here that says
we have her boyfriend in custody,
Greg Morrison.
Nikki?
Nikki?
No, no, I'm Kelsey.
Uh, is Greg here?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Uh, come, come.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What's going on? Why is Greg here?
- Did he do something?
- So Greg is here.
He's just answering
a few questions for us.
So why don't you go
ahead and have a seat?
So, you said that
you're Greg's girlfriend?
How long
How long have you
been seeing each other?
About a year.
I live in Stanford.
We met after one of his lectures.
This morning, he wasn't
answering his phone calls
when I tried to contact him,
so I drove all the way down, and
And then there was,
like, a police officer at his place
and sent me here.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Look, can you just tell me
what's happening, please?
Should I have told you guys
that I was also seeing Kelsey?
Yeah, but
But that also has nothing to do
with Nikki being kidnapped.
If that's even true.
[SIGHS] Come on, guys, please.
Call me a louse.
Call me a cheater.
But you're losing focus here.
Are you gonna go find her or not?
The whole department
is looking for her.
- We need you to coop
- I think,
- you know where Nikki is.
- What?
I mean, how can we
believe anything you say?
You've been lying to us from the jump.
So Greg told us that his
girlfriend had been abducted,
that she was kidnapped.
What?
No, I'm I'm fine.
Yeah, no, I see that, um.
I will tell you that he
used a different name.
He said that it was
his girlfriend, Nikki.
♪
I mean, who
Who the hell
I've never
I've never seen this person before.
Okay, so that's Nikki Suarez.
I see that you don't
know anything about this.
No.
He said that's, that's his girlfriend?
I was gonna break
things off with Kelsey.
And I understand
that it was a bad thing
to hide it from you, but
Because you didn't wanna
look like a bad guy, right?
Yeah.
Kinda guy that would
kill one of his girlfriends?
Is that what you guys think?
We are just trying to understand
the nature of your
relationships, okay?
It might help us find the guy
who you said abducted her.
Who I said abducted her?
Why do I feel like you
guys don't believe me?
I feel
I feel so stupid.
God, I'm so embarrassed.
Don't be.
Now, so Greg was a
Some kind of
motivational speaker, right?
Yeah.
So guys like this can be very, um,
you know, manipulative.
Was he ever, um,
you know, controlling,
or, was he ever violent with you?
No.
No, I mean, obviously he's shady,
and a frickin' good liar.
But, honestly, he was
always very respectful.
I think you killed Nikki.
If she's not really missing
We just
We need to call off the search.
Okay.
You guys obviously
are not here to help me.
So I would like to leave now.
And if you don't let me
leave, I want a lawyer.
You're not gonna motivationally
- speak your way out of this.
- I would like a lawyer!
One way or another,
you're going down for this.
Don't move.
We'll be right back.
Come on.
I don't like him.
If his girlfriend hadn't've showed up,
- he never would have told us.
- Slow your roll.
Griff, what is your take?
I don't know.
He's clearly not telling
us the whole story.
Okay, well, so we're not
there yet, and he's invoked.
I went in too hard.
That's on me.
He's just pissing me
off with this bogus story.
I agree that he's suspect,
but unless you have something
other than a theory,
we need to let him go,
and build a case that sticks.
So Rollins and Curry are
speaking with Nikki's roommate.
You two start with this architect
who claims he has
the key to his place.
Gentlemen, how can I help you?
Hey, I'm Detective Griffin.
This is Detective Bruno.
We're from Special Victims.
Special Victims.
We're investigating a kidnapping,
and the guy we're looking at
said you had keys to his place.
What happened to you?
I blew out my meniscus
playing ball in the park.
I had surgery last week.
Who
Who are we talking about?
Greg Morrison.
He said I had his keys.
Yeah, he did.
Yeah, why?
You don't?
Not anymore.
Morrison hired me to do
the plans on his renovation
about a month ago,
so he gave me the keys.
I drew up the plans
and explained to him
the permitting process, and he asked
if I could pay off the building
inspectors to expedite it.
Sounds like our guy.
I told him I didn't
pay off public officials,
so he fired me,
and refused to pay my bill.
Hmm.
And the keys?
I mailed them back to him
with my final payment notice,
which he ignored.
You ever meet his girlfriend?
Nikki.
Seemed like a nice kid.
Is she the one that was kidnapped?
That's what Morrison's saying, yeah.
Is there anything you
could tell us about her
or, her relationship with Morrison?
No, not really.
I only saw 'em together once or twice.
But one time when I let
myself in before he fired me,
I must have spooked her
because she freaked out.
Hmm.
Something about a guy stalking her.
I told her to report it, but
she said she wasn't sure,
and she she didn't
wanna seem paranoid.
She give you his name?
No.
But Morrison came home,
and she clammed up about it,
like she didn't want him to know.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Look, we're not close.
I mean, she moved in six months ago
but spent way too much
time with that boyfriend, Greg.
Oh, y'all want anything?
No.
I take it you don't like him much.
He's old enough to be her father.
I mean, I saw right through him.
Motivational speaker, my ass.
He's a creep.
Any reason to believe
that he would hurt her?
Like I said, we're not close.
It's not like she
shared that sort of stuff.
Well, they seem pretty happy here.
This is them, right?
Yeah, that's him.
Such a douchey smile.
Is she wearing a smart ring?
Did she wear that every day?
Yeah, she's a fitness freak.
She said it tracked
her heart rate and
I don't know, some other stuff.
Like location.
♪
Hey, your husband is gold.
He got us an emergency
order for the location data
from Nikki's smart ring.
He even knows how
to load a dishwasher.
Detective Whelan's
already got a search going.
This is the last place
that the ring pinged from.
- Hey, Whelan.
- Captain Benson in the flesh.
- How you doing?
- Well, I'll be better
once we find this girl.
Yeah, we're gonna find her.
I got a nose for stuff
like this, you know.
I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised
to see you out in the wild.
My captain's likely at
the 19th hole by now.
I see you're still
working the hat shtick.
Ah, yeah, well, I'm
gonna bring it back
if it's the last thing I do.
- Found it!
- Oh.
♪
Whelan, we've got a sighting.
We have a woman who
matches the description
of Nikki Suarez at Hector's Bodega,
533 Neptune Avenue in Brighton Beach.
Okay, 10-4.
I know right where that is.
- How do you wanna handle this?
- Tell them not to approach.
If this is indeed Nikki, then
she may still be in shock.
Okay, do not approach the suspect.
We're on our way.
- Watermelon
- It's okay. It's okay.
Maybe lemon Coke and
cotton candy's really good,
- even though it sounds gross.
- Nikki?
Coke and cotton candy.
Nikki, I'm Captain Benson.
I'm a police officer,
and I'm here to help you.
Okay? It's okay now.
It's over, Nikki.
It's over.
[SOBBING]
All right, I got you.
I got you. I got you.
You're safe.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Yeah, we got her, thank God.
That's great news.
How quickly can you get down here?
There's a press conference.
I'd like you there with me.
Oh, I can't.
Nikki's awake, and I
need to interview her.
You have a team of
very capable investigators.
Have one of them
do the initial interview.
You should be here.
Chief Tynan, I was the first one
to speak with her,
and she's traumatized,
so I-I don't
I don't think it would be fair for me
to pass off the initial
interview to somebody else.
Captain, our press people are saying
that your victim may have orchestrated
this entire kidnapping.
They're calling it a
"Gone Girl" situation.
- I need you to take the lead.
- [SIGHS]
That is ridiculous.
Then what do you
advise I tell the press?
Nothing.
It's premature.
Can this not wait?
No, it cannot.
Well, then tell them that
it's an ongoing investigation.
This is important,
Captain. I need you here.
I have to go.
Okay, well, I apologize.
I'm sorry.
I woke up with tape over my eyes,
and tape over my wrists.
It was really strong.
Did he say anything?
He kept calling me a bitch.
Uh-huh.
He said I should
shut up and take it.
The whole time, I just, um
I don't know
Disassociated.
That's your mind protecting you.
So where did he take you?
I'm not sure.
I remember being
in the trunk of a car.
Okay.
And then what happened?
He brought me inside somewhere.
Um
He raped me again.
And then he just
He left.
He said he was gonna
come back with more men,
and, if I moved,
I thought he'd kill me.
And how did you get away from him?
How did you escape?
I remember yanking
on the tape until I got free,
and then, um
I don't know.
The next thing I remember,
I was in that store.
Um
I have no idea how I even got there.
That's okay.
So your memory's gonna
come back in pieces, all right?
That's your
Your survival instinct kicking in.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So I
I need to tell you something
that's a little uncomfortable.
During our investigation,
we found out that Greg,
your boyfriend, is, um
Is actually seeing somebody else.
- What?
- Yeah.
He has a girlfriend.
Who?
Her name is Kelsey, Kelsey James.
Have you heard that name?
I don't know who that is.
Do you think she had
something to do with this?
We don't know.
We don't know.
We're just trying to
figure out if your attack
was orchestrated.
- Oh, Nikki, baby.
- Hold on, Mr. Morrison.
- Thank God you're okay.
- Who's Kelsey?
- Mr. Morrison.
- Wait, what?
- Who's Kelsey?
- Baby, I'm
- This is not the time.
- What, what did you tell her?
- Now is not the time for this.
- Baby
- Get out.
- Baby
Listen to me. I need
you to step outside.
- Please
- Step outside now.
Thank you.
Okay?
Your goons spent all
your time coming after me,
and now look what you've done.
If you don't walk
out of here right now,
I'm gonna lock you up
for witness tampering and obstruction.
Is that clear?
Now.
Go.
Investigation led by
Special Victims Unit
and the detectives
from the 21st precinct,
Nikki Suarez has been found alive.
She's currently in
the hospital receiving
needed medical attention.
Chief Tynan, do you
have any suspects?
I have no further
comment except to say that
this remains an ongoing investigation.
Any truth to the
rumors that the victim
orchestrated this entire kidnapping?
Again, the investigation is ongoing.
Chief, is this a
"Gone Girl" scenario?
We're investigating all angles.
That is the definition of
an ongoing investigation.
Chief Tynan, one more question.
Do you believe Ms. Suarez's story?
Okay, so the rape kit came
back negative for semen.
Are we sure that no
condoms were recovered
- from Morrison's house?
- Nothing.
What did Nikki say
about the ex-boyfriend?
Quentin Welsum
She met him on a dating app,
but it was only one
date eight months ago.
And then, a couple of weeks ago,
he started blowing up her phone,
saying that she was a man hater
and that she was a low-value woman,
and she thinks that
she may have seen him,
you know, a couple times
outside of Morrison's house.
This is Quentin Welsum,
38-year-old white male,
runs a tech startup out of Queens.
Voice-altering software?
He hasn't been to work
for the last three days,
but the staff there
does say that it's not
unusual for him to disappear.
- Okay, what about his residence?
- Same.
Doorman says no one has
seen him in a couple of days.
I blew it.
I spent all this time
zeroing in on Morrison,
and now Welsum's on the run.
Bruno, you went with your gut.
I get it.
Believe me, I've done the same thing.
Now, we have a BOLO out on him,
and if he's still in the
city, we're gonna find him.
And he's got a 2024
Queens conviction for stalking.
Look at this.
It came in first as burglary.
And, I spoke to the ADA
in Queens who told me
that they reduced it to stalking.
He's got a conditional discharge.
Okay.
So he's escalating.
- [PHONE BUZZES]
- Benson.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Great.
Great.
We're on our way.
So Whelan just said they
got a hit on his license plate
in Brighton Beach.
Let's roll.
[OFFICERS SHOUTING]
Hey!
Police!
Freeze!
♪
Stop!
Police!
[GRUNTS]
That's gonna leave a mark.
What the hell was that?
It's 18 months of
kickboxing finally paying off.
I wanna make a complaint.
That was police brutality.
That bitch busted my eye.
Okay, okay, I'm not saying I agree.
Do not quote me, but
That's a pretty ugly shiner.
- Why'd you run?
- I was scared.
You know there's a lot of
Russian gangsters in Brighton?
Come on, come on.
Help us here.
Okay, look, you guys seem okay.
I honestly got
nothing to do with this.
And this is the second time
some wacky girl's accusing me
of something I didn't do.
- Oh, you mean your case in Queens.
- Yeah.
Nonsense, just like this.
Let's start with Nikki Suarez.
She is saying you stalked her.
She is a lying bitch.
We went on one bad date,
and all she did was moan
about not being married.
And, you know, she wanted to bang me.
She wanted it, but I
was afraid it was a trap.
Okay, Quentin, I hear
you. I hear you. I do.
But come on, help us help you.
Like, maybe if there was
someone who could alibi you out
from what happened two nights ago,
that would go a long way.
And I'm sure Nikki's not gonna help
because she can't even
ID the guy that grabbed her.
But an alibi
Ned Wilson.
I was with him all night.
[KNOCKING]
[LOCK CLICKS]
Ned Wilson?
Who's asking?
Step outside, please.
- No, I don't think
- Hey, we're from Manhattan SVU.
We wanna ask you about Quentin Welsum.
- What, is he in trouble?
- What do you think?
When's the last time you saw him?
- Two nights ago.
- For how long?
What'd he say?
Well, he said that he
was with you all night long,
but we know he's lying because
he raped and kidnapped a woman.
But if you wanna lie for
him, then that's gonna
put you in some seri
Whoa, whoa, I'm not
doing time for that guy.
Look, he came by two nights ago.
He asked me to borrow my car.
I told him no, but
the guy's insistent,
and he gave me 100 bucks.
- So.
- So what?
I gave him the keys
to my car, and that's it.
And when he returned it yesterday,
he said if anyone asks,
I was with him all night.
- But I wasn't.
- Okay.
Where's the car?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yep, right here.
Duct tape.
We should check
this for fingerprints.
Yeah, if Quentin's
are on there, he's toast.
All right, we'll expedite this
and, tow in the car to
do a complete process.
Thank you.
Let us know if you find anything else.
- Wait, tow the car?
- Yeah, it's all right, Ned.
I'm sure insurance
will get you a rental.
No, no, I don't have insurance.
Well, sucks to be you.
- Bad news, Q.
- What?
- Oh, don't tell me Ned didn't stand up.
- No, bingo.
And we found a roll
of duct tape in his car,
which he said you borrowed.
I paid him $100.
Yeah? For the car or the alibi?
Look, guys, I didn't do
Enough, scumbag.
We got you.
You lied to us about an alibi.
You have a prior for stalking.
We found your prints on the duct tape.
And you called Nikki 36 times.
We have the phone records.
You're done.
Okay, listen, I didn't wanna tell.
I promised Nikki.
But I am not going down for something
that she put me up to.
What the hell are you
babbling about now?
She orchestrated the whole thing.
She found out her boyfriend
was cheating on her,
and she wanted revenge.
She wanted to, to bring all
this heat on him or whatever,
so she asked me to fake kidnap her.
You're full of it.
Well, you saw the news.
Even your boss didn't rule it out.
You, you must really
think we're stupid, huh?
Dan Olin.
- What about him?
- He's my lawyer.
I'm
I'm done with you bozos.
♪
- You believe this guy?
- No.
But this is not the worst move
I've seen a defendant make.
You think it holds up?
Look, I told Tynan
that the press conference
was a bad idea, and now
she's handed him a defense.
Hey, Liv, we got a problem.
Oh, well, good morning to you too.
- What's the problem?
- Griffin's DD5s.
Carisi, hold on.
Hey, what's going on?
Hey, Griffin.
Who taught you how to write reports?
- Carisi.
- What report are you
- What? I just
- Carisi, hold on.
- Take it easy.
- Take it easy?
We're about to go to trial,
and Griffin's 5s are gonna sink us.
"Greg Morrison is the prime suspect"
"in the disappearance
and probable murder"
"of Nikki Suarez."
- What is that?
- It's my fault.
I was the one who
was wrong on Morrison,
and I let my ego get the best of me.
I should have known better, all right?
- Don't put this on Griffin.
- It's nobody's fault.
He was our prime suspect at the time.
Carisi, if you wanna be mad
at somebody, direct it at me.
You are not gonna
be the one on the stand
defending this report.
Olin is gonna roast this kid.
It is not uncommon for a
case to take a different course.
Liv, with Tynan's press
conference and these 5s,
- we are in deep.
- And we will be prepared, Carisi.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Detective, you had better
study up on your cross
because with these 5s, there is no way
that I can keep you off the stand.
♪
He said he was gonna
come back with other men,
and if I moved, he'd know and kill me.
And what did you do?
I was able to free myself.
The next thing I remember,
Captain Benson was
talking to me in the bodega.
Ms. Suarez, there's been
some media speculation
that you might have
had something to do
with orchestrating this crime.
- Did you?
- Absolutely not.
What happened to me was horrific.
I
I have trouble sleeping.
I can hardly eat.
To suggest I had anything
to do with this is a lie.
Thank you, Nikki.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr. Olin.
Thank you, Judge.
Ms. Suarez,
can you identify the
man who did this to you?
No, I couldn't see him.
My eyes were taped closed.
Could you identify
his voice perhaps?
He used some sort
of voice-altering device.
A voice-altering device?
Yes.
So, as you sit here
today, you can't tell this jury
that it was my client who
did this horrible thing to you.
Correct?
That's true.
Thank you.
I'm done, Judge.
Well, the print is partial,
meaning it doesn't contain
all possible ridge detail.
There is a sufficient number
of unique characteristics
that correspond with the
defendant's left thumbprint.
In my professional opinion,
the partial latent print
is consistent to have
come from the defendant.
- Thank you, Detective.
- Nothing further.
Are you familiar with the
President's Council of Advisors
on Science and
Technology's 2016 report,
which proved that
error rates rise for partial
or poor quality prints, correct?
It does, yes.
Now, on direct, you
said my client's thumbprint
was consistent with
the print recovered.
I did.
But you can't say with
absolute scientific certainty
that it is, in fact, my
client's thumbprint, correct?
- That's true, but I think
- That's enough.
Thank you, Detective.
I'm done.
And can you tell the jury
what the defendant told you
about his supposed alibi?
Yeah, he said he was innocent,
because he was with a Ned Wilson
at the time of the crime.
And was he?
No, uh, no.
No, Captain Curry and Sergeant
Rollins were able to ascertain
that he was lying about that.
Detective, is it fair to
say that at the beginning
of this investigation,
you and your partner
believed that Greg Morrison
could have been involved
in Ms. Suarez's disappearance?
Yeah.
Yeah, but over the
course of the investigation,
we determined that
he was not involved.
Thank you, Detective.
Nothing further.
You said "we determined."
Who is "we"?
Myself, Detective
Bruno, our entire team.
So that's your job, to
determine who is guilty?
We make determinations
based on the evidence.
And, in fact, you
initially determined that
let me get this right.
You determined that, and I quote,
"Greg Morrison is the prime suspect
"in the disappearance
and probable murder
of Nikki Suarez."
Yes, but
Is that what you wrote in your DD5?
Yes.
Because you knew at the time
that Morrison was the prime suspect.
Yeah, so, well, we, at the time,
- we determined that he was
- It sounds like
you were
acting like judge and jury.
- What? No
- That's enough.
Let me ask you this, Detective.
Did there come a time
when you determined
that Ms. Suarez might have
orchestrated this entire hoax?
- No.
- No?
Did you see Chief of Detectives
Tynan's press conference?
Yes, I did, but
When asked about
Ms. Suarez orchestrating
a "Gone Girl" type
hoax, what did she say?
I I I don't remember.
She said, that the
investigation was ongoing.
Same words you just
said, ongoing investigation.
Yeah, yeah.
Isn't it true that the entire NYPD
was grasping at straws
throughout this ongoing investigation?
Well, I
I don't understand the question.
Some of you thought
Greg Morrison was guilty.
Others thought it was a hoax.
Did anyone bother to do
any follow-up whatsoever
to determine if Greg
Morrison or Ms. Suarez
were in any way involved in this hoax?
We determined your
client was guilty and
Because you played judge and jury
throughout this ongoing
investigation, correct?
No, no, I no.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm done with this
witness, Your Honor.
♪
Hey.
How's Griffin?
He's feeling defeated.
Defeated?
That's a good word.
Olin's killing us.
He's taking a shotgun approach,
and each pellet's
ripping holes in our case.
Carisi
- Put me up there.
- What?
You need somebody
to marshal the evidence.
You need somebody to
show the jury the nature
of ongoing investigations.
I don't think that will help.
Well, then let me
at least get up there
and defend my people
and take responsibility.
Liv, you don't have to do this.
We have nothing to lose.
Olin will come at you hard.
Let him try.
I'm not scared of him.
The defendant met
the victim at a prior date.
He was undoubtedly stalking her.
He had access to the
voice-altering software.
And his print was on the duct tape.
Now, all of these facts,
when they're viewed in isolation,
may seem circumstantial,
but when viewed in totality,
it made us understand
that the defendant
planned and executed the rape
and kidnapping of Nikki Suarez.
Thank you, Captain. Nothing further.
Captain Benson, where were you
when Detectives Bruno
and Griffin first brought
- Mr. Morrison in for questioning?
- Objection.
- Relevance.
- Overruled.
I was at a police conference.
- With Chief Tynan?
- Yes.
So, you were unavailable
to supervise this
investigation from the start.
No, I was in constant contact
with my entire team throughout.
Did you tell Chief Tynan to hold
the now-infamous press conference?
No, I did not.
- But you saw it.
- Yes, of course.
So after you saw her performance,
where she did not
dispute the possibility
that Ms. Suarez orchestrated
her own kidnapping,
did you call Chief Tynan?
No, I did not,
because I knew that the
allegation was ridiculous.
That was your determination.
That is a fact.
Hmm.
Very good, Captain.
But you know that facts are
for the jury to determine, correct?
I know my job, and I
understand the job of the jury,
but all I can tell you is
that the defendant raped
and kidnapped Nikki Suarez.
Objection.
Not responsive.
Sustained.
Jury will disregard
Captain Benson's opinion
as to the defendant's
guilt or innocence.
Thank you, Your Honor.
No further questions.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Well, we did what we could.
Well, it doesn't feel like enough.
Mr. Carisi?
The judge wants you back.
Here we go.
♪
I have a note from the jury.
They are, in their words,
hopelessly deadlocked.
It's been two days.
I'm declaring a mistrial.
Your Honor, in light of this,
I ask that you release Mr. Welsum.
Judge, we will retry this case
as soon as you are available.
The people move to continue to remand.
Granted.
Defendant is remanded.
We'll adjourn for three
weeks and set a new trial date.
♪
Hey, heads up, guys.
I have something I wanna say.
Um
- What is this?
- It's my transfer papers.
I don't think I should
be here anymore.
Okay.
Sit Sit down, Detective.
Sit down.
We all did our jobs.
Obviously, this is not the
outcome that we wanted,
but, it's not over, not by a long shot.
Now, these cases are tough.
But, we will not stop
until Nikki gets justice.
Obviously you're disappointed.
So am I.
But I am proud of you.
I need you all to go home,
and get some rest,
because we're back at it tomorrow.
Okay?
Okay.
Chief Tynan.
Since you always seem so busy,
I decided to come see you.
Okay.
Been a long time since
I've been in a squad room.
[CHUCKLES]
Still feels like home.
Captain, may we have a word?
Of course, of course.
This way, my office.
See you for Sunday dinner, Jake.
Yeah, yeah, Chief.
I'll be there.
Excellent.
Hey, um, Griff,
can I be your plus-one?
I think we should throw a wire on him.
Hey, I can help you put
these back together, partner.
- Ha, ha.
- Who's got the tape?
Yeah.
You guys are very funny.
[SIGHS]
I'm concerned.
We're gonna get him at the retrial.
From what I hear,
Jake looked like a fool
on the witness stand.
He did not.
He held his own against
a very skilled lawyer
on an extremely difficult case.
And if I may,
your press conference
didn't help matters.
My press conference?
No, it was the department's
press conference,
one that the police commissioner
asked me to conduct,
which I did, because,
I understand the chain of command.
This isn't about chain of command.
I told you it was premature.
Captain, it is unbelievable to me
that after all these
years in law enforcement,
you seem to have a
fundamental misunderstanding
of what your job is.
My job is to help victims,
end of story.
Your job, as a captain,
is not to boom doors with ESU,
or to search for
evidence with the K-9 unit.
It is to teach and
oversee your detectives
so that you do not find
yourself in the position
of having to defend
their shortcomings.
My team is the best
in the department.
- I'm sure you believe that.
- I do.
I'm starting to question
your supervision.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Meaning what?
You should reconsider my
offer to come to Police Plaza.
So you can keep an eye on me?
So this unit can be led by a captain
who understands how to supervise.
I'm not interested.
Well, Captain, chain of command
dictates that that is not
your decision to make.
So, Chief, I've been
here for a very long time,
and I have seen administrators
like you come and go.
I know how to do my job.
And I would like very
much for us to work together
and do something good for this city.
But you don't need to
tell me how to do my job.
What you need to do
is stay out of my way.
♪
That is not how this works.
Good night, Captain.
♪
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.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Whelan's a good detective,
but he's a lot to take in.
- Meaning?
- You'll see.
Hey, Terry Bruno.
Ah, I see you're still
dressing like a perp.
Hey, John.
Nice fedora.
You know it's 2025, right?
Hey, the clothes
make the man, Terry.
Uh, who is this Tweedledum?
Jake Griffin.
Oh, Batman.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard about you.
Okay, yeah. Hopefully not all bad.
Uh, mixed, mostly.
Welcome to the circus, boys.
We got a guy inside,
said his girlfriend
was snatched in the middle of
the night, says she was raped.
- So here you are.
- How you wanna handle it?
Well, we put a BOLO
out on the girl, Nikki Suarez.
So we will handle the citywide search,
but the rape is all yours.
Terry, between us,
the media is already
flinging some wild theories,
so you're gonna need
to drill down on this guy's story.
It sounds like you're not liking it.
Hey, kid, everybody's got a story,
but this one's got some hair on it.
All right, 10-4. We'll let you know.
Okay.
And when I woke up,
the guy was
wrapping my entire head in duct tape.
And then
And then he pinned me down,
and that's when I realized that
he had wrapped my wrists too.
So you didn't get
a good look at him?
No.
What about his voice?
He sounded like a robot.
Like a what?
Look, I-I know.
All I could figure
was that he was using
some kind of
voice-altering technology.
Okay, what happened next?
And then it sounded
like he was assaulting her.
And I didn't do anything
because I didn't want him to kill her.
And, uh, and he kept saying
that he had cameras and lasers
set up watching
me and that if I didn't
remain still for at least three
hours, that he would kill her.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
What'd you do?
I-I-I did what he told me to do.
I-I stayed there, and I waited
for what felt like three hours,
and then
And then when I finally got myself out,
Nikki was gone.
Look, we're gonna find her,
but I need you to come
down to the precinct to help us.
Yeah, whatever you need.
You guys just have to find her.
You buying any of this?
He's definitely hiding something.
Well, the plot thickens, boys.
We ran our guy, Morrison.
He did a two-year federal
bid off a securities fraud case.
Got out three years ago.
Great, an ex-con
motivational speaker.
Yeah, and a story with
more holes than the BQE.
So Jimmy tells him NYPD
has a new forensic technique
where a murder victim's
eyes could be removed
to determine the last
image they saw before death.
This is genius, but
did it actually work?
Like a charm.
Guy gave up everything,
including stuff we
didn't even know about.
Okay, I love it,
and I'm gonna use it.
Thank you.
Ah, a panel on generative
AI and law enforcement.
Maybe Jimmy was onto something.
- What a world.
- Yeah.
How long were you two partners?
Five years in uniform,
four more as detectives.
Ah.
He was a great cop, a great partner.
You know how it
is when it just clicks.
I do.
I do.
And what got him?
Here was a guy who'd
been shot three times,
including one shielding
a witness, and in the end,
- it was cancer.
- Ah.
Jake was only 12.
All Jimmy dreamed of was
seeing Jake take the oath.
I appreciate you taking
him under your wing.
I mean, I know you didn't
actually have a choice.
Appreciate it just the same.
I was hesitant, but
Griffin has potential.
Yeah.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Benson.
Okay.
I'm three hours away,
and I'm at a conference.
Tell him we're heading back.
Okay, I'm on my way back, okay?
- I'm sorry, Chief.
- Don't be.
Active kidnapping, great
excuse to dip out of here.
Right?
Thank you.
Nikki Suarez, 24,
girlfriend of Greg Morrison, 50,
who's presently our guest
in interrogation room one.
- Why'd you bring him in?
- 'Cause he's hinky.
Care to expand on that keen insight?
He's rambling about the kidnapper
setting up lasers and
cameras and voice changers.
Plus, he's an ex-con
who peddles nonsense
as a so-called motivational speaker.
He did two years at Club
Fed for securities fraud.
And what about the missing woman?
There's a BOLO out on her.
2-1's in charge of the search.
But this guy isn't right.
Yeah, the whole story is wild,
but if it's true, we
still gotta find her.
Captain is on her
way back from Albany,
so, why don't you two
take your shot at Morrison,
and we'll coordinate with
Whelan, CSU, and canvass?
When we break
him, we'll let you know.
Okay.
If you could help me
out, I do not understand
the whole cameras and lasers thing.
I just I'm not saying
he was telling the truth.
I am just telling you what he said.
The whole voice-altering
technology thing.
Yes, he was obviously
using something to make
voice recognition impossible.
Well, maybe he thought
you'd recognize him, you know?
Who else had access to the brownstone?
I did renovations last month.
I gave the keys to my
architect, Sean Davey.
Sean Davey.
- You don't think he
- We'll check it out.
Anyone else you got beef with?
You know, anyone else who would, uh
Who'd want a reason to punish you?
Guys, please, I am begging you.
You have to find Nikki.
The whole city is
out looking for her,
but now, is a chance
for you to come clean.
Let's start at the beginning.
When was the last
time you saw Nikki alive?
Welcome back, Captain.
Hey.
So I spoke with Curry.
She said you're not
liking this guy's story.
It's more like a fairy tale.
The guy makes a living conning people.
He thinks he can con us.
He's hiding something.
We just don't know what yet.
Okay, Curry said
that one of his neighbors
said that she heard them
arguing a couple of nights ago?
Break it down for me.
Captain.
Oh, hold on.
Yeah?
There's a woman here that says
we have her boyfriend in custody,
Greg Morrison.
Nikki?
Nikki?
No, no, I'm Kelsey.
Uh, is Greg here?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Uh, come, come.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What's going on? Why is Greg here?
- Did he do something?
- So Greg is here.
He's just answering
a few questions for us.
So why don't you go
ahead and have a seat?
So, you said that
you're Greg's girlfriend?
How long
How long have you
been seeing each other?
About a year.
I live in Stanford.
We met after one of his lectures.
This morning, he wasn't
answering his phone calls
when I tried to contact him,
so I drove all the way down, and
And then there was,
like, a police officer at his place
and sent me here.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Look, can you just tell me
what's happening, please?
Should I have told you guys
that I was also seeing Kelsey?
Yeah, but
But that also has nothing to do
with Nikki being kidnapped.
If that's even true.
[SIGHS] Come on, guys, please.
Call me a louse.
Call me a cheater.
But you're losing focus here.
Are you gonna go find her or not?
The whole department
is looking for her.
- We need you to coop
- I think,
- you know where Nikki is.
- What?
I mean, how can we
believe anything you say?
You've been lying to us from the jump.
So Greg told us that his
girlfriend had been abducted,
that she was kidnapped.
What?
No, I'm I'm fine.
Yeah, no, I see that, um.
I will tell you that he
used a different name.
He said that it was
his girlfriend, Nikki.
♪
I mean, who
Who the hell
I've never
I've never seen this person before.
Okay, so that's Nikki Suarez.
I see that you don't
know anything about this.
No.
He said that's, that's his girlfriend?
I was gonna break
things off with Kelsey.
And I understand
that it was a bad thing
to hide it from you, but
Because you didn't wanna
look like a bad guy, right?
Yeah.
Kinda guy that would
kill one of his girlfriends?
Is that what you guys think?
We are just trying to understand
the nature of your
relationships, okay?
It might help us find the guy
who you said abducted her.
Who I said abducted her?
Why do I feel like you
guys don't believe me?
I feel
I feel so stupid.
God, I'm so embarrassed.
Don't be.
Now, so Greg was a
Some kind of
motivational speaker, right?
Yeah.
So guys like this can be very, um,
you know, manipulative.
Was he ever, um,
you know, controlling,
or, was he ever violent with you?
No.
No, I mean, obviously he's shady,
and a frickin' good liar.
But, honestly, he was
always very respectful.
I think you killed Nikki.
If she's not really missing
We just
We need to call off the search.
Okay.
You guys obviously
are not here to help me.
So I would like to leave now.
And if you don't let me
leave, I want a lawyer.
You're not gonna motivationally
- speak your way out of this.
- I would like a lawyer!
One way or another,
you're going down for this.
Don't move.
We'll be right back.
Come on.
I don't like him.
If his girlfriend hadn't've showed up,
- he never would have told us.
- Slow your roll.
Griff, what is your take?
I don't know.
He's clearly not telling
us the whole story.
Okay, well, so we're not
there yet, and he's invoked.
I went in too hard.
That's on me.
He's just pissing me
off with this bogus story.
I agree that he's suspect,
but unless you have something
other than a theory,
we need to let him go,
and build a case that sticks.
So Rollins and Curry are
speaking with Nikki's roommate.
You two start with this architect
who claims he has
the key to his place.
Gentlemen, how can I help you?
Hey, I'm Detective Griffin.
This is Detective Bruno.
We're from Special Victims.
Special Victims.
We're investigating a kidnapping,
and the guy we're looking at
said you had keys to his place.
What happened to you?
I blew out my meniscus
playing ball in the park.
I had surgery last week.
Who
Who are we talking about?
Greg Morrison.
He said I had his keys.
Yeah, he did.
Yeah, why?
You don't?
Not anymore.
Morrison hired me to do
the plans on his renovation
about a month ago,
so he gave me the keys.
I drew up the plans
and explained to him
the permitting process, and he asked
if I could pay off the building
inspectors to expedite it.
Sounds like our guy.
I told him I didn't
pay off public officials,
so he fired me,
and refused to pay my bill.
Hmm.
And the keys?
I mailed them back to him
with my final payment notice,
which he ignored.
You ever meet his girlfriend?
Nikki.
Seemed like a nice kid.
Is she the one that was kidnapped?
That's what Morrison's saying, yeah.
Is there anything you
could tell us about her
or, her relationship with Morrison?
No, not really.
I only saw 'em together once or twice.
But one time when I let
myself in before he fired me,
I must have spooked her
because she freaked out.
Hmm.
Something about a guy stalking her.
I told her to report it, but
she said she wasn't sure,
and she she didn't
wanna seem paranoid.
She give you his name?
No.
But Morrison came home,
and she clammed up about it,
like she didn't want him to know.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Look, we're not close.
I mean, she moved in six months ago
but spent way too much
time with that boyfriend, Greg.
Oh, y'all want anything?
No.
I take it you don't like him much.
He's old enough to be her father.
I mean, I saw right through him.
Motivational speaker, my ass.
He's a creep.
Any reason to believe
that he would hurt her?
Like I said, we're not close.
It's not like she
shared that sort of stuff.
Well, they seem pretty happy here.
This is them, right?
Yeah, that's him.
Such a douchey smile.
Is she wearing a smart ring?
Did she wear that every day?
Yeah, she's a fitness freak.
She said it tracked
her heart rate and
I don't know, some other stuff.
Like location.
♪
Hey, your husband is gold.
He got us an emergency
order for the location data
from Nikki's smart ring.
He even knows how
to load a dishwasher.
Detective Whelan's
already got a search going.
This is the last place
that the ring pinged from.
- Hey, Whelan.
- Captain Benson in the flesh.
- How you doing?
- Well, I'll be better
once we find this girl.
Yeah, we're gonna find her.
I got a nose for stuff
like this, you know.
I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised
to see you out in the wild.
My captain's likely at
the 19th hole by now.
I see you're still
working the hat shtick.
Ah, yeah, well, I'm
gonna bring it back
if it's the last thing I do.
- Found it!
- Oh.
♪
Whelan, we've got a sighting.
We have a woman who
matches the description
of Nikki Suarez at Hector's Bodega,
533 Neptune Avenue in Brighton Beach.
Okay, 10-4.
I know right where that is.
- How do you wanna handle this?
- Tell them not to approach.
If this is indeed Nikki, then
she may still be in shock.
Okay, do not approach the suspect.
We're on our way.
- Watermelon
- It's okay. It's okay.
Maybe lemon Coke and
cotton candy's really good,
- even though it sounds gross.
- Nikki?
Coke and cotton candy.
Nikki, I'm Captain Benson.
I'm a police officer,
and I'm here to help you.
Okay? It's okay now.
It's over, Nikki.
It's over.
[SOBBING]
All right, I got you.
I got you. I got you.
You're safe.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Yeah, we got her, thank God.
That's great news.
How quickly can you get down here?
There's a press conference.
I'd like you there with me.
Oh, I can't.
Nikki's awake, and I
need to interview her.
You have a team of
very capable investigators.
Have one of them
do the initial interview.
You should be here.
Chief Tynan, I was the first one
to speak with her,
and she's traumatized,
so I-I don't
I don't think it would be fair for me
to pass off the initial
interview to somebody else.
Captain, our press people are saying
that your victim may have orchestrated
this entire kidnapping.
They're calling it a
"Gone Girl" situation.
- I need you to take the lead.
- [SIGHS]
That is ridiculous.
Then what do you
advise I tell the press?
Nothing.
It's premature.
Can this not wait?
No, it cannot.
Well, then tell them that
it's an ongoing investigation.
This is important,
Captain. I need you here.
I have to go.
Okay, well, I apologize.
I'm sorry.
I woke up with tape over my eyes,
and tape over my wrists.
It was really strong.
Did he say anything?
He kept calling me a bitch.
Uh-huh.
He said I should
shut up and take it.
The whole time, I just, um
I don't know
Disassociated.
That's your mind protecting you.
So where did he take you?
I'm not sure.
I remember being
in the trunk of a car.
Okay.
And then what happened?
He brought me inside somewhere.
Um
He raped me again.
And then he just
He left.
He said he was gonna
come back with more men,
and, if I moved,
I thought he'd kill me.
And how did you get away from him?
How did you escape?
I remember yanking
on the tape until I got free,
and then, um
I don't know.
The next thing I remember,
I was in that store.
Um
I have no idea how I even got there.
That's okay.
So your memory's gonna
come back in pieces, all right?
That's your
Your survival instinct kicking in.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So I
I need to tell you something
that's a little uncomfortable.
During our investigation,
we found out that Greg,
your boyfriend, is, um
Is actually seeing somebody else.
- What?
- Yeah.
He has a girlfriend.
Who?
Her name is Kelsey, Kelsey James.
Have you heard that name?
I don't know who that is.
Do you think she had
something to do with this?
We don't know.
We don't know.
We're just trying to
figure out if your attack
was orchestrated.
- Oh, Nikki, baby.
- Hold on, Mr. Morrison.
- Thank God you're okay.
- Who's Kelsey?
- Mr. Morrison.
- Wait, what?
- Who's Kelsey?
- Baby, I'm
- This is not the time.
- What, what did you tell her?
- Now is not the time for this.
- Baby
- Get out.
- Baby
Listen to me. I need
you to step outside.
- Please
- Step outside now.
Thank you.
Okay?
Your goons spent all
your time coming after me,
and now look what you've done.
If you don't walk
out of here right now,
I'm gonna lock you up
for witness tampering and obstruction.
Is that clear?
Now.
Go.
Investigation led by
Special Victims Unit
and the detectives
from the 21st precinct,
Nikki Suarez has been found alive.
She's currently in
the hospital receiving
needed medical attention.
Chief Tynan, do you
have any suspects?
I have no further
comment except to say that
this remains an ongoing investigation.
Any truth to the
rumors that the victim
orchestrated this entire kidnapping?
Again, the investigation is ongoing.
Chief, is this a
"Gone Girl" scenario?
We're investigating all angles.
That is the definition of
an ongoing investigation.
Chief Tynan, one more question.
Do you believe Ms. Suarez's story?
Okay, so the rape kit came
back negative for semen.
Are we sure that no
condoms were recovered
- from Morrison's house?
- Nothing.
What did Nikki say
about the ex-boyfriend?
Quentin Welsum
She met him on a dating app,
but it was only one
date eight months ago.
And then, a couple of weeks ago,
he started blowing up her phone,
saying that she was a man hater
and that she was a low-value woman,
and she thinks that
she may have seen him,
you know, a couple times
outside of Morrison's house.
This is Quentin Welsum,
38-year-old white male,
runs a tech startup out of Queens.
Voice-altering software?
He hasn't been to work
for the last three days,
but the staff there
does say that it's not
unusual for him to disappear.
- Okay, what about his residence?
- Same.
Doorman says no one has
seen him in a couple of days.
I blew it.
I spent all this time
zeroing in on Morrison,
and now Welsum's on the run.
Bruno, you went with your gut.
I get it.
Believe me, I've done the same thing.
Now, we have a BOLO out on him,
and if he's still in the
city, we're gonna find him.
And he's got a 2024
Queens conviction for stalking.
Look at this.
It came in first as burglary.
And, I spoke to the ADA
in Queens who told me
that they reduced it to stalking.
He's got a conditional discharge.
Okay.
So he's escalating.
- [PHONE BUZZES]
- Benson.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Great.
Great.
We're on our way.
So Whelan just said they
got a hit on his license plate
in Brighton Beach.
Let's roll.
[OFFICERS SHOUTING]
Hey!
Police!
Freeze!
♪
Stop!
Police!
[GRUNTS]
That's gonna leave a mark.
What the hell was that?
It's 18 months of
kickboxing finally paying off.
I wanna make a complaint.
That was police brutality.
That bitch busted my eye.
Okay, okay, I'm not saying I agree.
Do not quote me, but
That's a pretty ugly shiner.
- Why'd you run?
- I was scared.
You know there's a lot of
Russian gangsters in Brighton?
Come on, come on.
Help us here.
Okay, look, you guys seem okay.
I honestly got
nothing to do with this.
And this is the second time
some wacky girl's accusing me
of something I didn't do.
- Oh, you mean your case in Queens.
- Yeah.
Nonsense, just like this.
Let's start with Nikki Suarez.
She is saying you stalked her.
She is a lying bitch.
We went on one bad date,
and all she did was moan
about not being married.
And, you know, she wanted to bang me.
She wanted it, but I
was afraid it was a trap.
Okay, Quentin, I hear
you. I hear you. I do.
But come on, help us help you.
Like, maybe if there was
someone who could alibi you out
from what happened two nights ago,
that would go a long way.
And I'm sure Nikki's not gonna help
because she can't even
ID the guy that grabbed her.
But an alibi
Ned Wilson.
I was with him all night.
[KNOCKING]
[LOCK CLICKS]
Ned Wilson?
Who's asking?
Step outside, please.
- No, I don't think
- Hey, we're from Manhattan SVU.
We wanna ask you about Quentin Welsum.
- What, is he in trouble?
- What do you think?
When's the last time you saw him?
- Two nights ago.
- For how long?
What'd he say?
Well, he said that he
was with you all night long,
but we know he's lying because
he raped and kidnapped a woman.
But if you wanna lie for
him, then that's gonna
put you in some seri
Whoa, whoa, I'm not
doing time for that guy.
Look, he came by two nights ago.
He asked me to borrow my car.
I told him no, but
the guy's insistent,
and he gave me 100 bucks.
- So.
- So what?
I gave him the keys
to my car, and that's it.
And when he returned it yesterday,
he said if anyone asks,
I was with him all night.
- But I wasn't.
- Okay.
Where's the car?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yep, right here.
Duct tape.
We should check
this for fingerprints.
Yeah, if Quentin's
are on there, he's toast.
All right, we'll expedite this
and, tow in the car to
do a complete process.
Thank you.
Let us know if you find anything else.
- Wait, tow the car?
- Yeah, it's all right, Ned.
I'm sure insurance
will get you a rental.
No, no, I don't have insurance.
Well, sucks to be you.
- Bad news, Q.
- What?
- Oh, don't tell me Ned didn't stand up.
- No, bingo.
And we found a roll
of duct tape in his car,
which he said you borrowed.
I paid him $100.
Yeah? For the car or the alibi?
Look, guys, I didn't do
Enough, scumbag.
We got you.
You lied to us about an alibi.
You have a prior for stalking.
We found your prints on the duct tape.
And you called Nikki 36 times.
We have the phone records.
You're done.
Okay, listen, I didn't wanna tell.
I promised Nikki.
But I am not going down for something
that she put me up to.
What the hell are you
babbling about now?
She orchestrated the whole thing.
She found out her boyfriend
was cheating on her,
and she wanted revenge.
She wanted to, to bring all
this heat on him or whatever,
so she asked me to fake kidnap her.
You're full of it.
Well, you saw the news.
Even your boss didn't rule it out.
You, you must really
think we're stupid, huh?
Dan Olin.
- What about him?
- He's my lawyer.
I'm
I'm done with you bozos.
♪
- You believe this guy?
- No.
But this is not the worst move
I've seen a defendant make.
You think it holds up?
Look, I told Tynan
that the press conference
was a bad idea, and now
she's handed him a defense.
Hey, Liv, we got a problem.
Oh, well, good morning to you too.
- What's the problem?
- Griffin's DD5s.
Carisi, hold on.
Hey, what's going on?
Hey, Griffin.
Who taught you how to write reports?
- Carisi.
- What report are you
- What? I just
- Carisi, hold on.
- Take it easy.
- Take it easy?
We're about to go to trial,
and Griffin's 5s are gonna sink us.
"Greg Morrison is the prime suspect"
"in the disappearance
and probable murder"
"of Nikki Suarez."
- What is that?
- It's my fault.
I was the one who
was wrong on Morrison,
and I let my ego get the best of me.
I should have known better, all right?
- Don't put this on Griffin.
- It's nobody's fault.
He was our prime suspect at the time.
Carisi, if you wanna be mad
at somebody, direct it at me.
You are not gonna
be the one on the stand
defending this report.
Olin is gonna roast this kid.
It is not uncommon for a
case to take a different course.
Liv, with Tynan's press
conference and these 5s,
- we are in deep.
- And we will be prepared, Carisi.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Detective, you had better
study up on your cross
because with these 5s, there is no way
that I can keep you off the stand.
♪
He said he was gonna
come back with other men,
and if I moved, he'd know and kill me.
And what did you do?
I was able to free myself.
The next thing I remember,
Captain Benson was
talking to me in the bodega.
Ms. Suarez, there's been
some media speculation
that you might have
had something to do
with orchestrating this crime.
- Did you?
- Absolutely not.
What happened to me was horrific.
I
I have trouble sleeping.
I can hardly eat.
To suggest I had anything
to do with this is a lie.
Thank you, Nikki.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr. Olin.
Thank you, Judge.
Ms. Suarez,
can you identify the
man who did this to you?
No, I couldn't see him.
My eyes were taped closed.
Could you identify
his voice perhaps?
He used some sort
of voice-altering device.
A voice-altering device?
Yes.
So, as you sit here
today, you can't tell this jury
that it was my client who
did this horrible thing to you.
Correct?
That's true.
Thank you.
I'm done, Judge.
Well, the print is partial,
meaning it doesn't contain
all possible ridge detail.
There is a sufficient number
of unique characteristics
that correspond with the
defendant's left thumbprint.
In my professional opinion,
the partial latent print
is consistent to have
come from the defendant.
- Thank you, Detective.
- Nothing further.
Are you familiar with the
President's Council of Advisors
on Science and
Technology's 2016 report,
which proved that
error rates rise for partial
or poor quality prints, correct?
It does, yes.
Now, on direct, you
said my client's thumbprint
was consistent with
the print recovered.
I did.
But you can't say with
absolute scientific certainty
that it is, in fact, my
client's thumbprint, correct?
- That's true, but I think
- That's enough.
Thank you, Detective.
I'm done.
And can you tell the jury
what the defendant told you
about his supposed alibi?
Yeah, he said he was innocent,
because he was with a Ned Wilson
at the time of the crime.
And was he?
No, uh, no.
No, Captain Curry and Sergeant
Rollins were able to ascertain
that he was lying about that.
Detective, is it fair to
say that at the beginning
of this investigation,
you and your partner
believed that Greg Morrison
could have been involved
in Ms. Suarez's disappearance?
Yeah.
Yeah, but over the
course of the investigation,
we determined that
he was not involved.
Thank you, Detective.
Nothing further.
You said "we determined."
Who is "we"?
Myself, Detective
Bruno, our entire team.
So that's your job, to
determine who is guilty?
We make determinations
based on the evidence.
And, in fact, you
initially determined that
let me get this right.
You determined that, and I quote,
"Greg Morrison is the prime suspect
"in the disappearance
and probable murder
of Nikki Suarez."
Yes, but
Is that what you wrote in your DD5?
Yes.
Because you knew at the time
that Morrison was the prime suspect.
Yeah, so, well, we, at the time,
- we determined that he was
- It sounds like
you were
acting like judge and jury.
- What? No
- That's enough.
Let me ask you this, Detective.
Did there come a time
when you determined
that Ms. Suarez might have
orchestrated this entire hoax?
- No.
- No?
Did you see Chief of Detectives
Tynan's press conference?
Yes, I did, but
When asked about
Ms. Suarez orchestrating
a "Gone Girl" type
hoax, what did she say?
I I I don't remember.
She said, that the
investigation was ongoing.
Same words you just
said, ongoing investigation.
Yeah, yeah.
Isn't it true that the entire NYPD
was grasping at straws
throughout this ongoing investigation?
Well, I
I don't understand the question.
Some of you thought
Greg Morrison was guilty.
Others thought it was a hoax.
Did anyone bother to do
any follow-up whatsoever
to determine if Greg
Morrison or Ms. Suarez
were in any way involved in this hoax?
We determined your
client was guilty and
Because you played judge and jury
throughout this ongoing
investigation, correct?
No, no, I no.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm done with this
witness, Your Honor.
♪
Hey.
How's Griffin?
He's feeling defeated.
Defeated?
That's a good word.
Olin's killing us.
He's taking a shotgun approach,
and each pellet's
ripping holes in our case.
Carisi
- Put me up there.
- What?
You need somebody
to marshal the evidence.
You need somebody to
show the jury the nature
of ongoing investigations.
I don't think that will help.
Well, then let me
at least get up there
and defend my people
and take responsibility.
Liv, you don't have to do this.
We have nothing to lose.
Olin will come at you hard.
Let him try.
I'm not scared of him.
The defendant met
the victim at a prior date.
He was undoubtedly stalking her.
He had access to the
voice-altering software.
And his print was on the duct tape.
Now, all of these facts,
when they're viewed in isolation,
may seem circumstantial,
but when viewed in totality,
it made us understand
that the defendant
planned and executed the rape
and kidnapping of Nikki Suarez.
Thank you, Captain. Nothing further.
Captain Benson, where were you
when Detectives Bruno
and Griffin first brought
- Mr. Morrison in for questioning?
- Objection.
- Relevance.
- Overruled.
I was at a police conference.
- With Chief Tynan?
- Yes.
So, you were unavailable
to supervise this
investigation from the start.
No, I was in constant contact
with my entire team throughout.
Did you tell Chief Tynan to hold
the now-infamous press conference?
No, I did not.
- But you saw it.
- Yes, of course.
So after you saw her performance,
where she did not
dispute the possibility
that Ms. Suarez orchestrated
her own kidnapping,
did you call Chief Tynan?
No, I did not,
because I knew that the
allegation was ridiculous.
That was your determination.
That is a fact.
Hmm.
Very good, Captain.
But you know that facts are
for the jury to determine, correct?
I know my job, and I
understand the job of the jury,
but all I can tell you is
that the defendant raped
and kidnapped Nikki Suarez.
Objection.
Not responsive.
Sustained.
Jury will disregard
Captain Benson's opinion
as to the defendant's
guilt or innocence.
Thank you, Your Honor.
No further questions.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Well, we did what we could.
Well, it doesn't feel like enough.
Mr. Carisi?
The judge wants you back.
Here we go.
♪
I have a note from the jury.
They are, in their words,
hopelessly deadlocked.
It's been two days.
I'm declaring a mistrial.
Your Honor, in light of this,
I ask that you release Mr. Welsum.
Judge, we will retry this case
as soon as you are available.
The people move to continue to remand.
Granted.
Defendant is remanded.
We'll adjourn for three
weeks and set a new trial date.
♪
Hey, heads up, guys.
I have something I wanna say.
Um
- What is this?
- It's my transfer papers.
I don't think I should
be here anymore.
Okay.
Sit Sit down, Detective.
Sit down.
We all did our jobs.
Obviously, this is not the
outcome that we wanted,
but, it's not over, not by a long shot.
Now, these cases are tough.
But, we will not stop
until Nikki gets justice.
Obviously you're disappointed.
So am I.
But I am proud of you.
I need you all to go home,
and get some rest,
because we're back at it tomorrow.
Okay?
Okay.
Chief Tynan.
Since you always seem so busy,
I decided to come see you.
Okay.
Been a long time since
I've been in a squad room.
[CHUCKLES]
Still feels like home.
Captain, may we have a word?
Of course, of course.
This way, my office.
See you for Sunday dinner, Jake.
Yeah, yeah, Chief.
I'll be there.
Excellent.
Hey, um, Griff,
can I be your plus-one?
I think we should throw a wire on him.
Hey, I can help you put
these back together, partner.
- Ha, ha.
- Who's got the tape?
Yeah.
You guys are very funny.
[SIGHS]
I'm concerned.
We're gonna get him at the retrial.
From what I hear,
Jake looked like a fool
on the witness stand.
He did not.
He held his own against
a very skilled lawyer
on an extremely difficult case.
And if I may,
your press conference
didn't help matters.
My press conference?
No, it was the department's
press conference,
one that the police commissioner
asked me to conduct,
which I did, because,
I understand the chain of command.
This isn't about chain of command.
I told you it was premature.
Captain, it is unbelievable to me
that after all these
years in law enforcement,
you seem to have a
fundamental misunderstanding
of what your job is.
My job is to help victims,
end of story.
Your job, as a captain,
is not to boom doors with ESU,
or to search for
evidence with the K-9 unit.
It is to teach and
oversee your detectives
so that you do not find
yourself in the position
of having to defend
their shortcomings.
My team is the best
in the department.
- I'm sure you believe that.
- I do.
I'm starting to question
your supervision.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Meaning what?
You should reconsider my
offer to come to Police Plaza.
So you can keep an eye on me?
So this unit can be led by a captain
who understands how to supervise.
I'm not interested.
Well, Captain, chain of command
dictates that that is not
your decision to make.
So, Chief, I've been
here for a very long time,
and I have seen administrators
like you come and go.
I know how to do my job.
And I would like very
much for us to work together
and do something good for this city.
But you don't need to
tell me how to do my job.
What you need to do
is stay out of my way.
♪
That is not how this works.
Good night, Captain.
♪