Law & Order Special Victims Unit s27e18 Episode Script
Gimmick
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.
[SPORTS ANNOUNCER ON TV]
This one was supposed
to be done hours ago.
Let the front desk deal with it.
Housekeeping.
They'll just say we didn't try.
Housekeeping.
The lead down to six, 78-72.
Washington. We'll slow this down.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
That's allowed New
York back into this game.
Walt pounds it with
the left, now gives
Hello?
Housekeeping.
He closes off right side, tied up.
In the big bodies.
Goes baseline to Arnold
who drives it
[CHILLING MUSIC]
♪
Call 911!
What?
Why?
What's wrong?
♪
[SPUTTERS, GASPS]
[SCREAMS, PANTS]
Good evening, Katie.
Detectives, good to see you.
This a drowning?
We hear that right?
Attempted.
EMTs resuscitated the
vic, rushed him over to Sinai.
Okay.
Any idea how he's doing?
Above my pay grade.
But if I were you guys, I
wouldn't hold my breath.
Sorry, that's not what I meant.
Don't worry about it.
Bound and dumped in a tub.
You ever seen anything like this?
Nope.
This is a first.
Lucky us.
Front desk said that he
checked in under John Smith,
and he paid cash.
All right, so pseudonym,
skeevy hotel with hourly rates.
You think our vic was a pro?
Or the client.
It fits with the
booze, oil, condoms,
and a healthy amount of coke.
Okay, so party gone wrong?
No wallet, no phone.
All right, let's get unis to
canvass the neighborhood,
pull footage, I mean,
there's always a chance
that they dumped it nearby.
Okay, hang on a second.
Hang on.
We got party favors.
Zip ties, a box cutter,
and a snub nose.
Oh, so somebody
brought a kill bag to the party.
Which suggests that it
wasn't a crime of passion.
Yeah, but why leave the bag behind?
The vic wasn't stabbed or shot.
Maybe the perp
got excited, panicked.
Unless
Unless it wasn't his bag.
Well, whose ever stuff this is,
there is something
seriously wrong with 'em.
Wow.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Hey, any luck IDing the victim?
Yeah, Ian Larkin, age 37.
His fingerprints lit up SAFIS.
He's a repeat customer.
He's got multiple priors for
prostitution, drug possession.
He's been in and out of
the system since he was 18.
Including a 90-day stint last year.
Any idea where he was living?
Last known address
in the Lower East Side,
but the building came
down in September.
We did find a family address
out in South Orange, though.
Okay. So Rollins and I could
head there in the
morning, talk to the family.
Want me to swing by
Mount Sinai on my way home?
You know what?
I'm sorry, one sec.
Benson.
Mm-hmm.
Oh.
Okay.
Yeah, thanks.
Well, there's no need for
you to stop by the hospital.
Ian?
Dead.
He never regained consciousness.
So I want to hang onto this case.
I'm going to call Homicide myself.
They're short staffed, so I'm
sure they won't mind the help.
Why don't you head to the
ME's office in the morning
and see if you can find out
what really happened to Ian.
Should we start with the
drugs found in the room?
It's your show, Doc.
Well, it wasn't cocaine.
Really?
Meth?
Benzos.
So the perp drugged
Ian, knocked him out.
Wrong again.
Tox screen was negative.
Mr. Larkin was clean.
Turns out he was rendered unconscious
the old-fashioned way.
Cracked on the head.
Hotel lamp.
After that, the victim was restrained
with the zip ties, deep cuts.
Meaning Ian struggled.
And then the killer strangled
him underwater in the bathtub.
Note the bruising around the neck.
I thought Ian was alive when
the cleaning staff found him.
Best guess, he suffered
a hypoxic blackout
while being strangled,
stopped struggling, and sank.
Killer assumed he was dead.
And after they left,
Ian regained consciousness, poor guy.
So he was just
stuck in that bathtub?
- For how long?
- Judging by his skin maceration
Hours.
How are we with DNA?
Lousy, literally.
Bargain-bin hotel means we've got
samples coming out our ears,
loads of cross-contamination.
We'll run it all, but
- Needle in a haystack.
- Just about.
Ian was a good kid, kind,
had his mother's smarts, thank God.
He could have done
anything he set his mind to.
Were the two of you close, Louis?
Ah, I suppose.
Looking back,
maybe there are things I
should have done better with.
I think it always is
easier in hindsight, right?
Um
When was the last time you saw Ian?
Uh
He was
I think he was here this morning.
Did you get to see him?
How long has he been like this?
He's going on two years
now, went downhill after Ma died,
- another gift from Ian.
- Yeah.
Families tend to bear
the brunt of addiction.
Yeah, well, my
brother was definitely
the kind of junkie who used
and manipulated people,
our folks, most of all.
They lost their
savings because of him.
- That's terrible.
- Yeah.
Ma had to go back
to work, 67 years old,
put her in an early grave.
When did Ian start using?
[SIGHS] As long as I can remember.
He started in high
school, never looked back.
Louis, did Ian ever
talk about his friends
or other people in his life?
I think he should be home soon.
- School will be letting out.
- Okay.
It's almost a relief
that Ian's dead,
to know we don't have to
pay for his mistakes anymore.
[BREATHES DEEPLY] I guess
that makes me a bad person.
No, it makes you human.
Listen, do you happen to
know where Ian was living?
Yeah, unfortunately,
he conned a check
out of my dad last month.
Let me find you the address.
It's a pretty bleak existence.
Yeah. Welcome to
the life of an addict.
We got supplements,
steroids, syringes.
Got some crystal here.
Hey, I found a tablet.
Battery's dead.
Maybe we can pull
some emails or texts.
It looks like Ian went shopping,
bundle of zip ties,
empty packaging for a box knife.
Oh, hey.
Hey, look at this, some
bowls of crushed-up pills.
Put money on them being benzos.
If Ian is the one who
brought that bag to the hotel,
what was the plan?
Kink gone wrong?
Rob the John?
Something went sideways.
We are left with a
boatload of questions.
We might have an
answer to one of them.
This is where Ian was the day he died.
Pro fighter expo, I gotta
say, this is a new one for me.
Ian was a man of culture.
All right, let's split up
and see if we can find
somebody who recognizes Ian.
[FAINT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
What's that face?
That's Buffalo Joe.
That's Hawk Hawkins right there.
That's Chris "The Scary" Finnerty.
What's going on here?
I'm a fan, all right?
When I was a kid,
I used to watch these
fights with my uncle.
He'd splurge on a pay-per-view.
We'd stay up late on a Saturday night.
And we'd eat a bunch of
junk food, we'd watch it.
Beat the snot out of each other.
- It was great.
- All right, all right, fan boy.
Let's keep the questions to the case.
Okay, no promises.
Oh, and don't ask for
too many autographs.
Excuse me. Hi.
Captain Olivia Benson with the NYPD.
I didn't do it.
I just need a moment of your time.
Okay, hon, you are barking
up the absolute right tree.
Yeah, I'm always happy to
support the babes in blue.
Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
I'm wondering if you've seen this man.
He might have been in two days ago.
- You know what I have seen?
- What?
I've seen that you got a
spectacular set of baby browns.
Well, thank you.
That's very kind of you.
And those yams aren't bad either.
- Okay.
- Big, big money,
with sticks
like that in this line of work.
Noted.
You know, I think crowds
really go for Amazonian broads.
I think it's a dominance thing.
But how's your right hook?
It's actually not bad.
- I bet it's pretty good.
- Yeah.
Can I
Have you seen this man?
Huh.
I don't know.
Maybe, maybe not.
I do know that my time is valuable.
Really?
All right, well, could have fooled me.
Okay, all right.
I like them spicy.
If you're a little low on funding,
we can make some kind of arrangement.
You know, I know my way
around a pair of handcuffs,
- if that floats your boat.
- Well, that's tempting.
But I think today, I'm going to
I'm going to stick with cash.
Will that do it for you?
It'll do something.
- Have you
- Yes, I've seen your fella.
He was here on the
day the expo opened.
Okay.
Did you speak with him?
Tried to sell him
a photo, half price,
and the prick turned me down.
- I mean, who In what world?
- All right.
Did you, did you happen to
notice, was he with anyone?
I didn't notice, no.
Did you notice where he went after?
Same place as everybody
else, to see the headliner.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very, very much.
♪
Deuce, keep these
folks in one line, will you?
And make sure they have cash.
Excuse me.
Do you mind if I take a peek at that?
- Oh, yeah, sure.
- Thanks.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Thank you.
♪
Oh.
[CROWD CHEERING]
I can't say the kid looks familiar.
He would have been here on Friday.
I mean, it's possible,
but I've seen a lot
of folks this weekend.
And unfortunately, the old memory
ain't what it used to be.
Occupational hazard?
40 years of taking
shots to the dome.
Yeah, I got to ask,
what's with the mask?
Oh, intimidation.
Walk out to the ring
wearing something like that,
you get in the other guy's head
before you even thrown a punch.
Plus, the fans go nuts.
Mm.
Everybody loves a character.
80 bucks, made in the USA.
You keep the credit card receipts?
Cash only.
Uncle Sam gets
sticky fingers otherwise.
Yeah, well, what about
what about the photos
that you take with fans?
You have any digital copies?
Polaroids.
I'm old-school. [CHUCKLES]
I feel like I'm kind of
striking out for you guys.
Wish I were more help.
We're used to it
occupational hazard.
I have to ask you where
you were on Friday night.
Sure.
We wrapped up here
and then that's right.
And then Sharon and
I, we spent the night
with a couple of the
bruiser fight guys.
Oh, speaking of
Sorry, I'm Sharon
Huntsinger, Clint's agent.
The crowd's getting restless.
I really need him back.
Okay, well, thank you so
much for your time, Mr. O'Neill.
And if there's anything
that you do think of,
- or anything comes back
- Oh, yeah.
Clint
And I will.
Who knows?
Maybe something will shake loose.
Great.
Thank you.
- Hey, Cap.
- Mm.
So off this new lens
of professional fighting,
we pulled the paper archives,
found a mention of Ian
in "The Post" back in 2002.
"Local boys looking for a fight."
Yeah, so the article talks about Ian
and these other teen superfans,
the Bruiser Fighting Championship.
It's kind of like a local MMA
precursor, got real popular.
They would hold these Tough
Dude Tournaments, right,
basically, like
legalized street fights,
real big personalities,
very few rules,
boxers like O'Neill,
judo guys, grapplers.
And they'd all try to kill each other.
It got real brutal, real brutal
knockouts, lots of blood.
And you would watch
this with your uncle?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we loved it.
It was amazing.
We weren't the only ones, either.
Ian, these other kids, they were
they were, like, obsessed,
never missed a bout.
And they'd hang out so much,
some of these fighters
would get to know them.
They would take them under their wing.
Hey, TARU was able to pull
some emails from Ian's tablet.
And one in particular stands out.
The day before Ian was murdered,
he got this email from a
user named Razor Crazor.
"Keep your mouth shut."
"You tell anyone about
us, and I'll effing kill you."
Razor.
Oh, yeah, here it is.
Okay, here's a photo
of Ian back in 2002
with another kid named
Roddy "Razor" Ray.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[BLOWS LANDING]
[FIGHTERS GRUNTING]
[GRUNTING]
[CROWD EXCLAIMS, CHEERS]
[APPLAUSE]
Yo, Razor, good fight, man.
Appreciate it, kid.
Hey, you're Roddy Ray?
It's Razor.
Why?
We're police.
We want to talk to
you about Ian Larkin.
Yeah, I don't have
anything to say about him.
Oh, yeah?
Why's that?
Because the dude is a
crackhead who can't be trusted.
Is that why you threatened him?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
"Keep your mouth
shut, or I'll kill you"?
Sounds pretty threatening to me.
Yeah, me too.
So where were you last Friday night?
Home, half a case deep.
Why?
Because Ian Larkin is dead.
[TENSE MUSIC]
You know anything about that, Razor?
♪
How'd you get those scratches?
Did you not just see us
jack each other up in the ring?
Yeah, I know, but, you know,
they could be from a
different kind of fight.
Do you mind telling
us why you wanted
Ian to keep his mouth shut?
It's private.
Okay.
We can keep a secret.
I said it's none of your business.
Hey, buddy why don't you calm down?
Do not touch me!
No.
- Not your best move.
- I said not to touch me.
Get your hands behind your back.
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
It doesn't matter how
many times you guys ask.
- I didn't kill Ian.
- We heard you.
But there's still an issue
of you not having an alibi.
Well, not to mention
you threatening to kill Ian.
- I didn't mean it like that.
- Okay. How did you mean it?
You never told one of your friends
you were going to kill him?
I mean, I've known
the kid for a long time.
All right, so you two met
as fans of the Bruiser fights.
So tell me about that.
It was fine.
Good, I guess.
Spend a lot of
time with the fighters?
Yeah, every chance we could
After an event, in the gym, wherever.
I mean, we wanted to learn.
So you did what they told you.
And maybe some of the
guys took it a little too far,
but
They were stars.
That's just the way it was.
And Ian?
Soft.
Yeah, he couldn't handle things.
Like, what kind of things?
Being messed with.
Okay, well, that's
a lot of responsibility
for a teenage boy, right,
who's hanging out with their idols,
guys that were heroes to them.
It's also an easy way for
kids to get taken advantage of.
You ever see that happen?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
You know, Razor,
childhood victims often carry
the weight of the abuse, right?
They carry the shame.
But the only one that
should feel shame
are the adults that betrayed them,
the adults that failed them.
You know, at first
It was like a dream,
getting to watch those
guys train and fight.
You get close to them,
you know, maybe share a couple drinks,
smoke some pot.
It makes you feel older, important?
Yeah.
That line gets blurred.
Yeah.
One of them starts
getting physical and touching.
It felt gross.
So that's what predators do.
They make things that
should feel really scary,
they make those things normal.
♪
Can you tell us his name, your abuser?
♪
Clint.
Clint O'Neill.
♪
And you could come forward
and hold O'Neill
accountable for what he did.
Screw that.
I'd be a joke.
I'm not about to throw
my career away for this.
Razor, you spend
Sunday nights at a VFW,
bleeding for a few dozen people.
What are you really losing?
This doesn't seem like much to you,
but fighting
This is the only thing that
I have ever been good at.
I'm not about to risk it.
I don't understand.
He-he
He had never said
anything to me or to our parents.
So it's very common
for victims of sexual abuse.
Especially young men.
[EQUIPMENT BEEPING]
I
I resented him.
I treated him like he was a burden.
Oh, my God, what's wrong with me?
I was so relieved when
I found out he was dead.
Shawn, you didn't know.
Well, I should have.
I'm his brother.
If I had seen something,
- I could have helped.
- You can't think like that.
It's my fault.
I got him into all that fight crap.
Buds of mine used to
hang around those shows.
Do you remember any of their names?
Probably.
Okay, well, we would
love to take a look
at Ian's belongings,
- if you have any of them in case
- Yeah, yeah.
Ian got off probation last year
and moved in with Dad and me.
And Ian left most of his stuff behind.
Oh.
Yeah, I get it.
Okay, thanks.
Didn't go well?
I spoke with Shawn's
high school friends.
All three spent lots of
time with the fighters,
including O'Neill.
One moved away, refuses to talk to me.
The other insists, never saw anything.
And the third?
Jumped off a bridge ten years ago.
Okay, so O'Neill's
alibi is holding up.
He had dinner with Sharon
Huntsinger, his agent,
and two other people.
And the GPS from his
phone shows that he went
straight back to his hotel,
which was clear across town
- from where Ian was found.
- All right.
So if it is O'Neill,
we're going to need
more to connect him to Ian.
Well, we went
through Ian's belongings.
It's mostly junk, but
We found a journal,
from around 2005.
He
He writes about the abuse, in detail,
locations where it happened,
specific acts that he was
forced to be engaged in.
He even talks about
how he blamed himself.
But, he never names O'Neill outright.
Also turned up records
of a payment Ian received
around the same time for
a whopping 1,200 bucks,
labeled as "reimbursement
for expenses."
He signed an
agreement for that money,
one with confidentiality,
non-disparagement clauses,
and release of any
claim to litigation.
Who was the agreement with?
A defunct LLC called
Fight Reps, Incorporated,
owned by Sharon Huntsinger.
- His agent.
- Yeah.
Makes this interesting.
Correspondence with a law firm.
From last year.
Ian wanted to sue Sharon and O'Neill.
According to the lawyer's notes,
Huntsinger flipped out
when the firm contacted
her over a potential suit.
So, maybe if Ian popped up recently,
she wanted to keep him quiet.
Or cover it up.
Look, I am going to give
Sharon a little squeeze
and see just how loyal
she is to her favorite client.
I'd be lying if I said
the fight game was easy.
People would rather watch inbreds
slap each other on the internet.
But I managed to
keep the place afloat.
Might not be fancy
offices on Park Ave,
but, my guys know I'm dedicated.
Well, you certainly
go the extra mile.
Clients love a personal touch.
That's curious phrasing,
considering that Clint O'Neill
sexually abuses teenage boys.
The hell he does.
That's a ridiculous claim.
- I never heard such a thing.
- Come on, Sharon.
We know that you paid a settlement
to Ian Larkin, on behalf
of Clint over 20 years ago.
Two decades, I'm supposed
to know who that person is?
Well, you had multiple
conversations with Ian's lawyer
about a potential lawsuit.
I have all the records
to prove it, so
So, yeah, I expect
you to know who that is.
Okay, yeah, maybe
that name sounds familiar.
You don't understand.
I know Clint.
He isn't capable of that.
What makes you so sure?
Clint's more than just my client.
He's like family, stuck
with me, thick and thin.
And some drug addict from
years back wants to ruin his legacy?
I can't have that.
That sounds like motive for murder.
What do you
What do you mean?
Well, Ian's dead.
He was killed opening
night of the convention.
So tell me, what happened, Sharon?
Were you scared he was
gonna make a scene, right?
Ruin the whole business?
- You can't think that I would ever
- You said it yourself,
you had to protect Clint's legacy.
Yeah, but I couldn't
overpower a man
You could, if he was
incapacitated, couldn't you?
♪
Clint didn't go back
to his hotel after dinner.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Where did he go?
I'm not sure.
He said he wanted to
take a stroll around the city.
After I paid the bill,
I saw Clint left his
phone on the table.
I brought it back to his hotel.
I left it with the front desk,
and, I didn't see Clint until morning.
♪
Are you sick and tired
of dishonest salesmen
and double talk?
Then come on down to Kennedy Motors,
where we shoot straight.
And dirty tricks end
up where they belong
[CLANGS]
Out with the trash.
Cut.
Great job, Clint.
Steph, let's take
the shine off that can.
Mr. O'Neill,
we'd like for you to come
downtown, answer some questions.
You guys can see I'm busy, right?
We can talk another time.
No, it's best for all involved
if you straighten this out now.
Everything okay, Clint?
Yeah. Yep.
Just give me a second.
Or if you'd rather,
Clint, we can explain
to these nice people how much you like
diddling teenage boys.
♪
Jason, Powell, I'm so sorry.
My calendar got crossed.
We're gonna have to
pick this up tomorrow.
Wait, what?
No, I'll see you tomorrow.
Clint!
So, Clint, your alibi fell apart.
We know that you didn't
go back to your hotel.
Pretty shrewd move,
leaving your phone.
It's a mistake.
I told you, memory
ain't what it once was.
So I got turned around on
the way back to the hotel.
Is that a crime?
Okay, so the problem with that,
is that we have you on camera,
one block from where
Ian Larkin was murdered.
I must have walked
further than I thought.
- [SCOFFS]
- And you lied
About not knowing Ian Larkin.
Come on, Clint, it's pretty
hard to forget someone
that you sexually abused,
not to mention somebody
that you had your agent
pay off to cover for you.
Do you have any idea the nonsense
people have made up
about me over the years?
It's the cost of doing business.
But, everybody wants
a piece of the champ.
Piece of the champ.
So
You're saying that
you're the victim here?
I ain't the villain,
I'll tell you that.
Okay, well, let's
say that that's true,
and you didn't intend
for any of this to happen.
I mean, we know that Ian
came to you with bad intentions.
We know that he had zip ties.
He had drugs.
He had a gun.
Maybe you did just
want to talk, but Ian
Ian threatened you,
attacked you,
and caught you off guard.
Maybe he was trying to hurt you.
And that would be self-defense, right?
It certainly is.
And if it is self-defense,
in that case, then we can
We can help you.
But
If we're gonna help you,
we need to know the truth.
Yeah.
Yeah, maybe there's a
story I can lay out, where, uh,
this junkie
Tried to get one over on me,
thinks I'm too old,
that I lost a step.
[SCOFFS]
This paper-thin twerp
thought I was stupid,
like I couldn't see
his game a mile away,
tried to put hands on me,
so I smacked him a couple
of times, just a warning,
give him a chance to walk away.
But, he keeps coming.
Crying and whining.
[SCOFFS] Pathetic.
But you know,
guys like that don't learn.
You got to teach them,
show them, there's a cost
for coming at the big dog.
And you know what?
I think the kid got it.
I think the kid finally
learned his lesson,
right there at the end,
just as the light left his eyes.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
That what you were hoping to hear?
Hmm?
Because it's nonsense,
stuff I'd say to hype up a fight.
But that's an act.
It's a gimmick.
Sure, I might talk like
a killer for the fans,
but, it's just that.
It's talk.
And I'm pretty sure you
don't have the evidence
to prove otherwise.
So if it's all the same,
I'd like my lawyer.
♪
Well, that was
quite the performance.
Yeah, O'Neill may be crazy,
but he's good at playing a role.
And he's going to
use it to his advantage.
I mean, he's charismatic.
He's good with a crowd.
Not the kind of person
you want in front of a jury.
- They'll eat him up.
- Which means we need more.
- What about other victims?
- We tried.
But, between it being so long ago
and there being no
real record of these boys,
I mean, we came up empty.
Well, either we tie O'Neill
directly to Ian, or he walks.
Razor.
I already gave my answer.
I know.
I know.
- I'm not changing my mind.
- I know.
Then what?
What are we doing here?
Because I'm on the clock.
All right, so I
I found one of Ian's journals.
And I thought you should
read one of his entries.
Just read it.
"I'm just tired of it all,
putting on a face,"
"going through the motions,
waking up every day."
"And if it weren't for"
Keep reading.
Look.
"If it weren't for Razor,"
"I would have checked
out a long time ago,"
"because I can't leave him alone."
"It's just us."
"No one else understands."
"They don't get it, but we do."
"And if I give up,"
"then the guy who hurts us wins."
"And that would piss off
Razor more than anything."
That's a cheap shot, lady.
Maybe.
But it's the truth.
And I wish that it
weren't the case, but it is.
Razor, if you don't come forward,
then O'Neill gets
away with everything,
everything that he did to you,
and everything he did to Ian.
The state of the room,
along with extensive
subdermal bruising on
the victim's arms and torso,
points to a violent struggle.
- Ian Larkin fought back.
- Yes.
Unfortunately, a
basilar skull fracture
led to a number of
intracranial hematomas.
Those, along with extensive
damage to the victim's larynx,
would indicate that he
suffered greatly before he died.
Do these injuries on Mr. Larkin
tell you anything about his attacker?
Laryngeal trauma this severe
requires a person
of significant strength.
Someone like Mr. O'Neill?
Yes.
No further questions.
Ms. Horowitz, is my
client the only person
of significant strength
in the New York area?
Probably not.
Do you know how
many strong individuals
were in Manhattan at the
time of Mr. Larkin's death?
No, I couldn't say.
Fair enough.
Could you say how many unique
DNA samples you recovered
at the scene of the crime?
- 34.
- And of the 34,
did any match Mr. O'Neill's DNA?
They did not.
Tell me, did the NYPD even bother
with those other suspects?
Or had they already
decided my client was guilty?
Objection. Argumentative.
Withdrawn.
Thank you, Ms. Horowitz.
Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
I do.
Mr. Ray,
when did you first meet Ian Larkin?
I was 15.
We were both Bruiser fight fans.
Honestly, I didn't
really like Ian at first
because he was sort of a know-it-all.
But, we bonded,
became fast friends.
And then the two of
you started spending
- time with some of the fighters.
- Yeah.
They kind of took us under their wing.
Some were great guys,
and we got to train with
the best in the business.
Mr. Ray, I know this is difficult,
but, could you tell the
court when the sexual abuse
first started?
No, I can't.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm sorry?
I was never sexually abused.
♪
Mr. Ray
Previously, you told detectives,
that you had been
molested by Clint O'Neill.
Yeah, that never happened.
I remind you, you're under oath.
I know.
[SCOFFS]
So, when you told Captain Benson,
that the defendant had groomed you,
plied you with alcohol and drugs,
and touched you
sexually, that was a lie?
Yeah.
And when you told
them that you believed
Clint O'Neill killed Ian Larkin
I was lying.
Or you're lying now.
Mr. Carisi.
Mr. Ray, why would
you lie to the police?
They said Ian was dead.
I felt terrible.
I told them what I thought
they wanted to hear.
But being here now in
the court, I can't do it.
I gotta tell the truth.
♪
[CAR HONKS]
[DISTANT CAR ALARM BLARING]
Hey, Ray.
Closing doors in 45, okay?
Yeah.
I just saw Sharon
Huntsinger outside, huh?
I'm assuming she's here to see you.
She might have said hello.
She's a fan of my work.
Ah, is that what you're going with?
Why is that so hard to believe?
What'd she give you?
- What?
- Contract to be a client.
She's going to book
me some gigs in Japan.
Was it worth it?
Was it?
What do you want me to say?
I want you to tell me how
you can let someone like O'Neill
get away with what they did to you,
with what they did to Ian.
Ian is gone, all right?
I'm here.
I've been living
with this for 20 years.
Do you know what I
have to show for it?
Pain, poverty.
These, this is it.
Clock's running out.
It's my last chance.
And you know what?
If Ian were here, he'd understand.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
[SIGHS]
I feel bad for what
happened to that kid.
I do.
But
I didn't know him.
And, I had nothing
to do with his death.
Why do you think
Mr. Larkin was fixated on you?
Well, I can't say for sure,
but, uh,
I've been fighting a long time,
lots of states, lots of cities.
And everywhere I went,
people always wanted
something from me,
wanted me to be their
hero, their dad, their teacher.
But in this case
I suppose I'm their monster.
But they got the wrong guy.
Nothing further.
You good at your job, Mr. O'Neill?
I'm a ten-time champ.
You tell me.
How many of those belts
were in professional boxing?
Two.
And since then,
you've fought exclusively
for Bruiser Fighting
Championship, correct?
Yep, bigger and better things.
It wasn't because you
were permanently banned
from boxing in 1992,
accused of taking a dive,
if I'm not mistaken?
If you say so.
Well, to be fair,
I'm not saying that.
That's every sanctioning
body in pro boxing,
the WBC, the IBF, the WBA.
Your point is?
Well, Mr. O'Neill, I
just find it interesting,
that you claim success
because of your skill in the ring.
But who's to say, given
your history of cheating,
that any of your fights
were on the level?
I mean, doesn't it call into
question your entire career?
No.
I wouldn't say that.
Of course you wouldn't say that.
You've got a legacy to protect.
But to the rest of us,
your willingness to lie,
to betray the sport
that supposedly you
care so much about
I have given my
life to this business.
But who's to say any
of your fights were real?
All your knockouts, your wins
how do we know that those
guys weren't taking dives for you?
You wouldn't last ten seconds
- with the men I faced.
- Oh, please.
We all know you don't fight real men.
Is that so?
Objection.
Badgering.
No, no. You're out
hurting teenage boys.
Sustained. Mr. Carisi.
Shut your mouth.
Is that what you tell
the children you molest?
Enough.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Do you have any pertinent
questions left, Mr. Carisi?
♪
No, Your Honor.
I have nothing further.
♪
As to the count of murder
in the second degree,
how do you find?
We find the defendant not guilty.
[CROWD MURMURING]
Ladies and gentlemen,
I know this has been
a lengthy and difficult deliberation.
Personally, along with the State,
I thank you for your service.
♪
Hey, I know that it's not
the verdict that we wanted,
so let's take the night to be pissed.
But tomorrow morning,
we start to build a new case.
O'Neill was acquitted, boss.
Of murder, not of sexual assault.
Do you really think we
can get enough on him
without Ian or Razor?
I think that Clint O'Neill
has been out there.
He's been a predator
for a very long time.
There has to be other victims.
We just need to find them.
It's going to be an uphill battle.
Yeah, so we widen the net.
We talk to every single
person that has crossed paths
with Clint O'Neill
in the last 20 years.
But, we do whatever it takes.
The fight goes on.
Captain Benson, message for you.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Hey.
Old fella was jumped
as he left the diner,
stabbed to death,
choked on his own blood.
♪
Rough way to go.
Is the attacker in custody?
Back of the squad car.
♪
Shawn?
I had to do something.
♪
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.
[SPORTS ANNOUNCER ON TV]
This one was supposed
to be done hours ago.
Let the front desk deal with it.
Housekeeping.
They'll just say we didn't try.
Housekeeping.
The lead down to six, 78-72.
Washington. We'll slow this down.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
That's allowed New
York back into this game.
Walt pounds it with
the left, now gives
Hello?
Housekeeping.
He closes off right side, tied up.
In the big bodies.
Goes baseline to Arnold
who drives it
[CHILLING MUSIC]
♪
Call 911!
What?
Why?
What's wrong?
♪
[SPUTTERS, GASPS]
[SCREAMS, PANTS]
Good evening, Katie.
Detectives, good to see you.
This a drowning?
We hear that right?
Attempted.
EMTs resuscitated the
vic, rushed him over to Sinai.
Okay.
Any idea how he's doing?
Above my pay grade.
But if I were you guys, I
wouldn't hold my breath.
Sorry, that's not what I meant.
Don't worry about it.
Bound and dumped in a tub.
You ever seen anything like this?
Nope.
This is a first.
Lucky us.
Front desk said that he
checked in under John Smith,
and he paid cash.
All right, so pseudonym,
skeevy hotel with hourly rates.
You think our vic was a pro?
Or the client.
It fits with the
booze, oil, condoms,
and a healthy amount of coke.
Okay, so party gone wrong?
No wallet, no phone.
All right, let's get unis to
canvass the neighborhood,
pull footage, I mean,
there's always a chance
that they dumped it nearby.
Okay, hang on a second.
Hang on.
We got party favors.
Zip ties, a box cutter,
and a snub nose.
Oh, so somebody
brought a kill bag to the party.
Which suggests that it
wasn't a crime of passion.
Yeah, but why leave the bag behind?
The vic wasn't stabbed or shot.
Maybe the perp
got excited, panicked.
Unless
Unless it wasn't his bag.
Well, whose ever stuff this is,
there is something
seriously wrong with 'em.
Wow.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Hey, any luck IDing the victim?
Yeah, Ian Larkin, age 37.
His fingerprints lit up SAFIS.
He's a repeat customer.
He's got multiple priors for
prostitution, drug possession.
He's been in and out of
the system since he was 18.
Including a 90-day stint last year.
Any idea where he was living?
Last known address
in the Lower East Side,
but the building came
down in September.
We did find a family address
out in South Orange, though.
Okay. So Rollins and I could
head there in the
morning, talk to the family.
Want me to swing by
Mount Sinai on my way home?
You know what?
I'm sorry, one sec.
Benson.
Mm-hmm.
Oh.
Okay.
Yeah, thanks.
Well, there's no need for
you to stop by the hospital.
Ian?
Dead.
He never regained consciousness.
So I want to hang onto this case.
I'm going to call Homicide myself.
They're short staffed, so I'm
sure they won't mind the help.
Why don't you head to the
ME's office in the morning
and see if you can find out
what really happened to Ian.
Should we start with the
drugs found in the room?
It's your show, Doc.
Well, it wasn't cocaine.
Really?
Meth?
Benzos.
So the perp drugged
Ian, knocked him out.
Wrong again.
Tox screen was negative.
Mr. Larkin was clean.
Turns out he was rendered unconscious
the old-fashioned way.
Cracked on the head.
Hotel lamp.
After that, the victim was restrained
with the zip ties, deep cuts.
Meaning Ian struggled.
And then the killer strangled
him underwater in the bathtub.
Note the bruising around the neck.
I thought Ian was alive when
the cleaning staff found him.
Best guess, he suffered
a hypoxic blackout
while being strangled,
stopped struggling, and sank.
Killer assumed he was dead.
And after they left,
Ian regained consciousness, poor guy.
So he was just
stuck in that bathtub?
- For how long?
- Judging by his skin maceration
Hours.
How are we with DNA?
Lousy, literally.
Bargain-bin hotel means we've got
samples coming out our ears,
loads of cross-contamination.
We'll run it all, but
- Needle in a haystack.
- Just about.
Ian was a good kid, kind,
had his mother's smarts, thank God.
He could have done
anything he set his mind to.
Were the two of you close, Louis?
Ah, I suppose.
Looking back,
maybe there are things I
should have done better with.
I think it always is
easier in hindsight, right?
Um
When was the last time you saw Ian?
Uh
He was
I think he was here this morning.
Did you get to see him?
How long has he been like this?
He's going on two years
now, went downhill after Ma died,
- another gift from Ian.
- Yeah.
Families tend to bear
the brunt of addiction.
Yeah, well, my
brother was definitely
the kind of junkie who used
and manipulated people,
our folks, most of all.
They lost their
savings because of him.
- That's terrible.
- Yeah.
Ma had to go back
to work, 67 years old,
put her in an early grave.
When did Ian start using?
[SIGHS] As long as I can remember.
He started in high
school, never looked back.
Louis, did Ian ever
talk about his friends
or other people in his life?
I think he should be home soon.
- School will be letting out.
- Okay.
It's almost a relief
that Ian's dead,
to know we don't have to
pay for his mistakes anymore.
[BREATHES DEEPLY] I guess
that makes me a bad person.
No, it makes you human.
Listen, do you happen to
know where Ian was living?
Yeah, unfortunately,
he conned a check
out of my dad last month.
Let me find you the address.
It's a pretty bleak existence.
Yeah. Welcome to
the life of an addict.
We got supplements,
steroids, syringes.
Got some crystal here.
Hey, I found a tablet.
Battery's dead.
Maybe we can pull
some emails or texts.
It looks like Ian went shopping,
bundle of zip ties,
empty packaging for a box knife.
Oh, hey.
Hey, look at this, some
bowls of crushed-up pills.
Put money on them being benzos.
If Ian is the one who
brought that bag to the hotel,
what was the plan?
Kink gone wrong?
Rob the John?
Something went sideways.
We are left with a
boatload of questions.
We might have an
answer to one of them.
This is where Ian was the day he died.
Pro fighter expo, I gotta
say, this is a new one for me.
Ian was a man of culture.
All right, let's split up
and see if we can find
somebody who recognizes Ian.
[FAINT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
What's that face?
That's Buffalo Joe.
That's Hawk Hawkins right there.
That's Chris "The Scary" Finnerty.
What's going on here?
I'm a fan, all right?
When I was a kid,
I used to watch these
fights with my uncle.
He'd splurge on a pay-per-view.
We'd stay up late on a Saturday night.
And we'd eat a bunch of
junk food, we'd watch it.
Beat the snot out of each other.
- It was great.
- All right, all right, fan boy.
Let's keep the questions to the case.
Okay, no promises.
Oh, and don't ask for
too many autographs.
Excuse me. Hi.
Captain Olivia Benson with the NYPD.
I didn't do it.
I just need a moment of your time.
Okay, hon, you are barking
up the absolute right tree.
Yeah, I'm always happy to
support the babes in blue.
Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
I'm wondering if you've seen this man.
He might have been in two days ago.
- You know what I have seen?
- What?
I've seen that you got a
spectacular set of baby browns.
Well, thank you.
That's very kind of you.
And those yams aren't bad either.
- Okay.
- Big, big money,
with sticks
like that in this line of work.
Noted.
You know, I think crowds
really go for Amazonian broads.
I think it's a dominance thing.
But how's your right hook?
It's actually not bad.
- I bet it's pretty good.
- Yeah.
Can I
Have you seen this man?
Huh.
I don't know.
Maybe, maybe not.
I do know that my time is valuable.
Really?
All right, well, could have fooled me.
Okay, all right.
I like them spicy.
If you're a little low on funding,
we can make some kind of arrangement.
You know, I know my way
around a pair of handcuffs,
- if that floats your boat.
- Well, that's tempting.
But I think today, I'm going to
I'm going to stick with cash.
Will that do it for you?
It'll do something.
- Have you
- Yes, I've seen your fella.
He was here on the
day the expo opened.
Okay.
Did you speak with him?
Tried to sell him
a photo, half price,
and the prick turned me down.
- I mean, who In what world?
- All right.
Did you, did you happen to
notice, was he with anyone?
I didn't notice, no.
Did you notice where he went after?
Same place as everybody
else, to see the headliner.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very, very much.
♪
Deuce, keep these
folks in one line, will you?
And make sure they have cash.
Excuse me.
Do you mind if I take a peek at that?
- Oh, yeah, sure.
- Thanks.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Thank you.
♪
Oh.
[CROWD CHEERING]
I can't say the kid looks familiar.
He would have been here on Friday.
I mean, it's possible,
but I've seen a lot
of folks this weekend.
And unfortunately, the old memory
ain't what it used to be.
Occupational hazard?
40 years of taking
shots to the dome.
Yeah, I got to ask,
what's with the mask?
Oh, intimidation.
Walk out to the ring
wearing something like that,
you get in the other guy's head
before you even thrown a punch.
Plus, the fans go nuts.
Mm.
Everybody loves a character.
80 bucks, made in the USA.
You keep the credit card receipts?
Cash only.
Uncle Sam gets
sticky fingers otherwise.
Yeah, well, what about
what about the photos
that you take with fans?
You have any digital copies?
Polaroids.
I'm old-school. [CHUCKLES]
I feel like I'm kind of
striking out for you guys.
Wish I were more help.
We're used to it
occupational hazard.
I have to ask you where
you were on Friday night.
Sure.
We wrapped up here
and then that's right.
And then Sharon and
I, we spent the night
with a couple of the
bruiser fight guys.
Oh, speaking of
Sorry, I'm Sharon
Huntsinger, Clint's agent.
The crowd's getting restless.
I really need him back.
Okay, well, thank you so
much for your time, Mr. O'Neill.
And if there's anything
that you do think of,
- or anything comes back
- Oh, yeah.
Clint
And I will.
Who knows?
Maybe something will shake loose.
Great.
Thank you.
- Hey, Cap.
- Mm.
So off this new lens
of professional fighting,
we pulled the paper archives,
found a mention of Ian
in "The Post" back in 2002.
"Local boys looking for a fight."
Yeah, so the article talks about Ian
and these other teen superfans,
the Bruiser Fighting Championship.
It's kind of like a local MMA
precursor, got real popular.
They would hold these Tough
Dude Tournaments, right,
basically, like
legalized street fights,
real big personalities,
very few rules,
boxers like O'Neill,
judo guys, grapplers.
And they'd all try to kill each other.
It got real brutal, real brutal
knockouts, lots of blood.
And you would watch
this with your uncle?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we loved it.
It was amazing.
We weren't the only ones, either.
Ian, these other kids, they were
they were, like, obsessed,
never missed a bout.
And they'd hang out so much,
some of these fighters
would get to know them.
They would take them under their wing.
Hey, TARU was able to pull
some emails from Ian's tablet.
And one in particular stands out.
The day before Ian was murdered,
he got this email from a
user named Razor Crazor.
"Keep your mouth shut."
"You tell anyone about
us, and I'll effing kill you."
Razor.
Oh, yeah, here it is.
Okay, here's a photo
of Ian back in 2002
with another kid named
Roddy "Razor" Ray.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[BLOWS LANDING]
[FIGHTERS GRUNTING]
[GRUNTING]
[CROWD EXCLAIMS, CHEERS]
[APPLAUSE]
Yo, Razor, good fight, man.
Appreciate it, kid.
Hey, you're Roddy Ray?
It's Razor.
Why?
We're police.
We want to talk to
you about Ian Larkin.
Yeah, I don't have
anything to say about him.
Oh, yeah?
Why's that?
Because the dude is a
crackhead who can't be trusted.
Is that why you threatened him?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
"Keep your mouth
shut, or I'll kill you"?
Sounds pretty threatening to me.
Yeah, me too.
So where were you last Friday night?
Home, half a case deep.
Why?
Because Ian Larkin is dead.
[TENSE MUSIC]
You know anything about that, Razor?
♪
How'd you get those scratches?
Did you not just see us
jack each other up in the ring?
Yeah, I know, but, you know,
they could be from a
different kind of fight.
Do you mind telling
us why you wanted
Ian to keep his mouth shut?
It's private.
Okay.
We can keep a secret.
I said it's none of your business.
Hey, buddy why don't you calm down?
Do not touch me!
No.
- Not your best move.
- I said not to touch me.
Get your hands behind your back.
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
It doesn't matter how
many times you guys ask.
- I didn't kill Ian.
- We heard you.
But there's still an issue
of you not having an alibi.
Well, not to mention
you threatening to kill Ian.
- I didn't mean it like that.
- Okay. How did you mean it?
You never told one of your friends
you were going to kill him?
I mean, I've known
the kid for a long time.
All right, so you two met
as fans of the Bruiser fights.
So tell me about that.
It was fine.
Good, I guess.
Spend a lot of
time with the fighters?
Yeah, every chance we could
After an event, in the gym, wherever.
I mean, we wanted to learn.
So you did what they told you.
And maybe some of the
guys took it a little too far,
but
They were stars.
That's just the way it was.
And Ian?
Soft.
Yeah, he couldn't handle things.
Like, what kind of things?
Being messed with.
Okay, well, that's
a lot of responsibility
for a teenage boy, right,
who's hanging out with their idols,
guys that were heroes to them.
It's also an easy way for
kids to get taken advantage of.
You ever see that happen?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
You know, Razor,
childhood victims often carry
the weight of the abuse, right?
They carry the shame.
But the only one that
should feel shame
are the adults that betrayed them,
the adults that failed them.
You know, at first
It was like a dream,
getting to watch those
guys train and fight.
You get close to them,
you know, maybe share a couple drinks,
smoke some pot.
It makes you feel older, important?
Yeah.
That line gets blurred.
Yeah.
One of them starts
getting physical and touching.
It felt gross.
So that's what predators do.
They make things that
should feel really scary,
they make those things normal.
♪
Can you tell us his name, your abuser?
♪
Clint.
Clint O'Neill.
♪
And you could come forward
and hold O'Neill
accountable for what he did.
Screw that.
I'd be a joke.
I'm not about to throw
my career away for this.
Razor, you spend
Sunday nights at a VFW,
bleeding for a few dozen people.
What are you really losing?
This doesn't seem like much to you,
but fighting
This is the only thing that
I have ever been good at.
I'm not about to risk it.
I don't understand.
He-he
He had never said
anything to me or to our parents.
So it's very common
for victims of sexual abuse.
Especially young men.
[EQUIPMENT BEEPING]
I
I resented him.
I treated him like he was a burden.
Oh, my God, what's wrong with me?
I was so relieved when
I found out he was dead.
Shawn, you didn't know.
Well, I should have.
I'm his brother.
If I had seen something,
- I could have helped.
- You can't think like that.
It's my fault.
I got him into all that fight crap.
Buds of mine used to
hang around those shows.
Do you remember any of their names?
Probably.
Okay, well, we would
love to take a look
at Ian's belongings,
- if you have any of them in case
- Yeah, yeah.
Ian got off probation last year
and moved in with Dad and me.
And Ian left most of his stuff behind.
Oh.
Yeah, I get it.
Okay, thanks.
Didn't go well?
I spoke with Shawn's
high school friends.
All three spent lots of
time with the fighters,
including O'Neill.
One moved away, refuses to talk to me.
The other insists, never saw anything.
And the third?
Jumped off a bridge ten years ago.
Okay, so O'Neill's
alibi is holding up.
He had dinner with Sharon
Huntsinger, his agent,
and two other people.
And the GPS from his
phone shows that he went
straight back to his hotel,
which was clear across town
- from where Ian was found.
- All right.
So if it is O'Neill,
we're going to need
more to connect him to Ian.
Well, we went
through Ian's belongings.
It's mostly junk, but
We found a journal,
from around 2005.
He
He writes about the abuse, in detail,
locations where it happened,
specific acts that he was
forced to be engaged in.
He even talks about
how he blamed himself.
But, he never names O'Neill outright.
Also turned up records
of a payment Ian received
around the same time for
a whopping 1,200 bucks,
labeled as "reimbursement
for expenses."
He signed an
agreement for that money,
one with confidentiality,
non-disparagement clauses,
and release of any
claim to litigation.
Who was the agreement with?
A defunct LLC called
Fight Reps, Incorporated,
owned by Sharon Huntsinger.
- His agent.
- Yeah.
Makes this interesting.
Correspondence with a law firm.
From last year.
Ian wanted to sue Sharon and O'Neill.
According to the lawyer's notes,
Huntsinger flipped out
when the firm contacted
her over a potential suit.
So, maybe if Ian popped up recently,
she wanted to keep him quiet.
Or cover it up.
Look, I am going to give
Sharon a little squeeze
and see just how loyal
she is to her favorite client.
I'd be lying if I said
the fight game was easy.
People would rather watch inbreds
slap each other on the internet.
But I managed to
keep the place afloat.
Might not be fancy
offices on Park Ave,
but, my guys know I'm dedicated.
Well, you certainly
go the extra mile.
Clients love a personal touch.
That's curious phrasing,
considering that Clint O'Neill
sexually abuses teenage boys.
The hell he does.
That's a ridiculous claim.
- I never heard such a thing.
- Come on, Sharon.
We know that you paid a settlement
to Ian Larkin, on behalf
of Clint over 20 years ago.
Two decades, I'm supposed
to know who that person is?
Well, you had multiple
conversations with Ian's lawyer
about a potential lawsuit.
I have all the records
to prove it, so
So, yeah, I expect
you to know who that is.
Okay, yeah, maybe
that name sounds familiar.
You don't understand.
I know Clint.
He isn't capable of that.
What makes you so sure?
Clint's more than just my client.
He's like family, stuck
with me, thick and thin.
And some drug addict from
years back wants to ruin his legacy?
I can't have that.
That sounds like motive for murder.
What do you
What do you mean?
Well, Ian's dead.
He was killed opening
night of the convention.
So tell me, what happened, Sharon?
Were you scared he was
gonna make a scene, right?
Ruin the whole business?
- You can't think that I would ever
- You said it yourself,
you had to protect Clint's legacy.
Yeah, but I couldn't
overpower a man
You could, if he was
incapacitated, couldn't you?
♪
Clint didn't go back
to his hotel after dinner.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Where did he go?
I'm not sure.
He said he wanted to
take a stroll around the city.
After I paid the bill,
I saw Clint left his
phone on the table.
I brought it back to his hotel.
I left it with the front desk,
and, I didn't see Clint until morning.
♪
Are you sick and tired
of dishonest salesmen
and double talk?
Then come on down to Kennedy Motors,
where we shoot straight.
And dirty tricks end
up where they belong
[CLANGS]
Out with the trash.
Cut.
Great job, Clint.
Steph, let's take
the shine off that can.
Mr. O'Neill,
we'd like for you to come
downtown, answer some questions.
You guys can see I'm busy, right?
We can talk another time.
No, it's best for all involved
if you straighten this out now.
Everything okay, Clint?
Yeah. Yep.
Just give me a second.
Or if you'd rather,
Clint, we can explain
to these nice people how much you like
diddling teenage boys.
♪
Jason, Powell, I'm so sorry.
My calendar got crossed.
We're gonna have to
pick this up tomorrow.
Wait, what?
No, I'll see you tomorrow.
Clint!
So, Clint, your alibi fell apart.
We know that you didn't
go back to your hotel.
Pretty shrewd move,
leaving your phone.
It's a mistake.
I told you, memory
ain't what it once was.
So I got turned around on
the way back to the hotel.
Is that a crime?
Okay, so the problem with that,
is that we have you on camera,
one block from where
Ian Larkin was murdered.
I must have walked
further than I thought.
- [SCOFFS]
- And you lied
About not knowing Ian Larkin.
Come on, Clint, it's pretty
hard to forget someone
that you sexually abused,
not to mention somebody
that you had your agent
pay off to cover for you.
Do you have any idea the nonsense
people have made up
about me over the years?
It's the cost of doing business.
But, everybody wants
a piece of the champ.
Piece of the champ.
So
You're saying that
you're the victim here?
I ain't the villain,
I'll tell you that.
Okay, well, let's
say that that's true,
and you didn't intend
for any of this to happen.
I mean, we know that Ian
came to you with bad intentions.
We know that he had zip ties.
He had drugs.
He had a gun.
Maybe you did just
want to talk, but Ian
Ian threatened you,
attacked you,
and caught you off guard.
Maybe he was trying to hurt you.
And that would be self-defense, right?
It certainly is.
And if it is self-defense,
in that case, then we can
We can help you.
But
If we're gonna help you,
we need to know the truth.
Yeah.
Yeah, maybe there's a
story I can lay out, where, uh,
this junkie
Tried to get one over on me,
thinks I'm too old,
that I lost a step.
[SCOFFS]
This paper-thin twerp
thought I was stupid,
like I couldn't see
his game a mile away,
tried to put hands on me,
so I smacked him a couple
of times, just a warning,
give him a chance to walk away.
But, he keeps coming.
Crying and whining.
[SCOFFS] Pathetic.
But you know,
guys like that don't learn.
You got to teach them,
show them, there's a cost
for coming at the big dog.
And you know what?
I think the kid got it.
I think the kid finally
learned his lesson,
right there at the end,
just as the light left his eyes.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
That what you were hoping to hear?
Hmm?
Because it's nonsense,
stuff I'd say to hype up a fight.
But that's an act.
It's a gimmick.
Sure, I might talk like
a killer for the fans,
but, it's just that.
It's talk.
And I'm pretty sure you
don't have the evidence
to prove otherwise.
So if it's all the same,
I'd like my lawyer.
♪
Well, that was
quite the performance.
Yeah, O'Neill may be crazy,
but he's good at playing a role.
And he's going to
use it to his advantage.
I mean, he's charismatic.
He's good with a crowd.
Not the kind of person
you want in front of a jury.
- They'll eat him up.
- Which means we need more.
- What about other victims?
- We tried.
But, between it being so long ago
and there being no
real record of these boys,
I mean, we came up empty.
Well, either we tie O'Neill
directly to Ian, or he walks.
Razor.
I already gave my answer.
I know.
I know.
- I'm not changing my mind.
- I know.
Then what?
What are we doing here?
Because I'm on the clock.
All right, so I
I found one of Ian's journals.
And I thought you should
read one of his entries.
Just read it.
"I'm just tired of it all,
putting on a face,"
"going through the motions,
waking up every day."
"And if it weren't for"
Keep reading.
Look.
"If it weren't for Razor,"
"I would have checked
out a long time ago,"
"because I can't leave him alone."
"It's just us."
"No one else understands."
"They don't get it, but we do."
"And if I give up,"
"then the guy who hurts us wins."
"And that would piss off
Razor more than anything."
That's a cheap shot, lady.
Maybe.
But it's the truth.
And I wish that it
weren't the case, but it is.
Razor, if you don't come forward,
then O'Neill gets
away with everything,
everything that he did to you,
and everything he did to Ian.
The state of the room,
along with extensive
subdermal bruising on
the victim's arms and torso,
points to a violent struggle.
- Ian Larkin fought back.
- Yes.
Unfortunately, a
basilar skull fracture
led to a number of
intracranial hematomas.
Those, along with extensive
damage to the victim's larynx,
would indicate that he
suffered greatly before he died.
Do these injuries on Mr. Larkin
tell you anything about his attacker?
Laryngeal trauma this severe
requires a person
of significant strength.
Someone like Mr. O'Neill?
Yes.
No further questions.
Ms. Horowitz, is my
client the only person
of significant strength
in the New York area?
Probably not.
Do you know how
many strong individuals
were in Manhattan at the
time of Mr. Larkin's death?
No, I couldn't say.
Fair enough.
Could you say how many unique
DNA samples you recovered
at the scene of the crime?
- 34.
- And of the 34,
did any match Mr. O'Neill's DNA?
They did not.
Tell me, did the NYPD even bother
with those other suspects?
Or had they already
decided my client was guilty?
Objection. Argumentative.
Withdrawn.
Thank you, Ms. Horowitz.
Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
I do.
Mr. Ray,
when did you first meet Ian Larkin?
I was 15.
We were both Bruiser fight fans.
Honestly, I didn't
really like Ian at first
because he was sort of a know-it-all.
But, we bonded,
became fast friends.
And then the two of
you started spending
- time with some of the fighters.
- Yeah.
They kind of took us under their wing.
Some were great guys,
and we got to train with
the best in the business.
Mr. Ray, I know this is difficult,
but, could you tell the
court when the sexual abuse
first started?
No, I can't.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I'm sorry?
I was never sexually abused.
♪
Mr. Ray
Previously, you told detectives,
that you had been
molested by Clint O'Neill.
Yeah, that never happened.
I remind you, you're under oath.
I know.
[SCOFFS]
So, when you told Captain Benson,
that the defendant had groomed you,
plied you with alcohol and drugs,
and touched you
sexually, that was a lie?
Yeah.
And when you told
them that you believed
Clint O'Neill killed Ian Larkin
I was lying.
Or you're lying now.
Mr. Carisi.
Mr. Ray, why would
you lie to the police?
They said Ian was dead.
I felt terrible.
I told them what I thought
they wanted to hear.
But being here now in
the court, I can't do it.
I gotta tell the truth.
♪
[CAR HONKS]
[DISTANT CAR ALARM BLARING]
Hey, Ray.
Closing doors in 45, okay?
Yeah.
I just saw Sharon
Huntsinger outside, huh?
I'm assuming she's here to see you.
She might have said hello.
She's a fan of my work.
Ah, is that what you're going with?
Why is that so hard to believe?
What'd she give you?
- What?
- Contract to be a client.
She's going to book
me some gigs in Japan.
Was it worth it?
Was it?
What do you want me to say?
I want you to tell me how
you can let someone like O'Neill
get away with what they did to you,
with what they did to Ian.
Ian is gone, all right?
I'm here.
I've been living
with this for 20 years.
Do you know what I
have to show for it?
Pain, poverty.
These, this is it.
Clock's running out.
It's my last chance.
And you know what?
If Ian were here, he'd understand.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
[SIGHS]
I feel bad for what
happened to that kid.
I do.
But
I didn't know him.
And, I had nothing
to do with his death.
Why do you think
Mr. Larkin was fixated on you?
Well, I can't say for sure,
but, uh,
I've been fighting a long time,
lots of states, lots of cities.
And everywhere I went,
people always wanted
something from me,
wanted me to be their
hero, their dad, their teacher.
But in this case
I suppose I'm their monster.
But they got the wrong guy.
Nothing further.
You good at your job, Mr. O'Neill?
I'm a ten-time champ.
You tell me.
How many of those belts
were in professional boxing?
Two.
And since then,
you've fought exclusively
for Bruiser Fighting
Championship, correct?
Yep, bigger and better things.
It wasn't because you
were permanently banned
from boxing in 1992,
accused of taking a dive,
if I'm not mistaken?
If you say so.
Well, to be fair,
I'm not saying that.
That's every sanctioning
body in pro boxing,
the WBC, the IBF, the WBA.
Your point is?
Well, Mr. O'Neill, I
just find it interesting,
that you claim success
because of your skill in the ring.
But who's to say, given
your history of cheating,
that any of your fights
were on the level?
I mean, doesn't it call into
question your entire career?
No.
I wouldn't say that.
Of course you wouldn't say that.
You've got a legacy to protect.
But to the rest of us,
your willingness to lie,
to betray the sport
that supposedly you
care so much about
I have given my
life to this business.
But who's to say any
of your fights were real?
All your knockouts, your wins
how do we know that those
guys weren't taking dives for you?
You wouldn't last ten seconds
- with the men I faced.
- Oh, please.
We all know you don't fight real men.
Is that so?
Objection.
Badgering.
No, no. You're out
hurting teenage boys.
Sustained. Mr. Carisi.
Shut your mouth.
Is that what you tell
the children you molest?
Enough.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Do you have any pertinent
questions left, Mr. Carisi?
♪
No, Your Honor.
I have nothing further.
♪
As to the count of murder
in the second degree,
how do you find?
We find the defendant not guilty.
[CROWD MURMURING]
Ladies and gentlemen,
I know this has been
a lengthy and difficult deliberation.
Personally, along with the State,
I thank you for your service.
♪
Hey, I know that it's not
the verdict that we wanted,
so let's take the night to be pissed.
But tomorrow morning,
we start to build a new case.
O'Neill was acquitted, boss.
Of murder, not of sexual assault.
Do you really think we
can get enough on him
without Ian or Razor?
I think that Clint O'Neill
has been out there.
He's been a predator
for a very long time.
There has to be other victims.
We just need to find them.
It's going to be an uphill battle.
Yeah, so we widen the net.
We talk to every single
person that has crossed paths
with Clint O'Neill
in the last 20 years.
But, we do whatever it takes.
The fight goes on.
Captain Benson, message for you.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Hey.
Old fella was jumped
as he left the diner,
stabbed to death,
choked on his own blood.
♪
Rough way to go.
Is the attacker in custody?
Back of the squad car.
♪
Shawn?
I had to do something.
♪