Law & Order Special Victims Unit s28e02 Episode Script
Midway
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.
What are you doing?
Walking with you.
Mom, it's not a playdate.
I don't need you to
walk me to the door.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Your hard-working mother
thought it might be nice
to spend a little extra
quality time together.
- Is this an imposition?
- No.
'Cause you know, I'm gonna
remember this next year
when you're off at
college and you call home
crying late at night 'cause
you miss me so much.
Okay, fine.
I guess you can walk
with me for, like, a block.
Wow, okay.
Rude.
So what are your plans for tonight?
AP History.
Got a big project.
- Really?
- Yeah.
On a Friday night?
And, like, maybe some video games.
And, like, maybe a
party at Kira's house
since her parents are away?
Kiddo, come on.
I wear a badge for a living. Yeah.
I can neither confirm nor
deny anything about a party.
Okay, fine.
But we still need to go over
- our ground rules first.
- Mom.
We do not take open
containers from anyone.
- No pills, nothing.
- Okay, I know. I know.
Second, we look out for our friends.
We keep track of
everybody through the night.
- Yep, gotcha.
- And third,
above all, we make
We make good decisions.
- Great.
- I'm good.
All right. Good.
Well, remember, I track
your location at all times.
You know, you're not
gonna be able to stalk me
- forever, Mom.
- That's very funny.
I can, and I will.
Be safe.
Love you.
Okay.
Love you.
- Bye.
- Bye.
[PHONE BUZZING]
Curry.
Helene?
Whoa, slow down, slow down.
All right, tell me what happened.
Are you safe?
Hey.
Got a call from Helene Brooks,
case from about eight months ago.
Helene Brooks, yeah.
Her son got molested by
- By the uncle, right?
- Yeah.
- Did 30 years?
- Yeah.
He's only nine years old, Leo.
I remember him. He's a sweet kid.
Yeah, well, after the
trial, I met up with Helene
to give her some resources for Leo.
I said if she ever needed
anything to give me a ring.
So, this afternoon, she called,
asking if we'd come out and help
because Leo's gone missing.
He shouldn't even have been with you!
I've been trying to
get in touch with you!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys.
I need you to step back.
Sir, settle down.
I should be able to take my own son
to a stupid carnival, you bitch.
- Whoa!
- Everyone stop and take a breath.
He lost Leo.
- He lost our boy.
- Okay, I understand, Helene.
Walk us through what happened, okay?
I brought him here 'cause I figured
he could use a little fun,
you know, like a normal kid.
- You go to hell, Thomas!
- Okay, Helene.
Sir, and then what happened?
Focus. Focus.
- What happened?
- We were having a good time.
Leo, he dropped his cotton candy.
He got a little upset
but, but no big deal,
so I went to get him another one.
So I turned around
and got back in line,
and he wasn't more
than 20, 30 feet away.
But when I turned around
after paying, he was gone.
And when was this?
Look, I'm not trying to
make a big deal over nothing.
I just figured that he wandered away
- to look at the games.
- Sir.
And I told him when we got there,
if we get separated to
meet me at the carousel.
So I waited there.
Mr. Brooks, I need you
to tell me when this was.
I tried looking myself.
When?
Two and a half, three hours ago.
Whoa, Helene, stop!
Whoa, whoa!
Get back, get back, get back!
I swear to God, if
something happens to him,
I'm gonna kill you.
You broke my nose!
Call a medic.
[BOTH SHOUTING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Leo Brooks, nine years old, last seen
wearing blue shorts, gray
T-shirt, and a green backpack.
Photos of him are
being sent to your PEDs.
So we are coordinating
with the 64th to establish
a 25-block perimeter.
DAS is sifting through
the CCTV footage.
They will update us as needed.
Just so you know, this kid
has already been through a lot,
so, let's bring him home.
- How's the mother?
- Terrified. Furious.
- So he wandered off, ran away?
- Or something worse.
Well, if he wandered
off, nobody noticed it.
And Funathon employees
haven't received
any word on a lost child.
Well, maybe he's hiding then.
Well, that would be ideal.
The citywide alert
has already gone out.
But before that, Curry, Griff,
go have a sit down
with the mother, Helene,
and see if you can get a sense
of where the kid may have gone.
You two, have another
run at the father.
It took him two and a half hours
to report the kid missing.
Ow, ow, ow!
Ow. Ow.
Take it easy, man.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I hope you got Helene in cuffs,
'cause I'm pressing charges.
We're a little more
concerned with finding
- your son right now.
- Aren't you?
Well, yeah.
Of course I am.
Well, that's good,
because dragging your feet
when Leo went missing
wasn't a good look.
I panicked.
I knew my psycho ex-wife was gonna
spaz over me taking him,
and I didn't wanna give her
any more custody ammo.
So why take him in the first place?
My boy should be doing
fun things, kid things.
Helene, just calm down.
It's gonna be okay.
You gotta find Leo,
please. I am about to lose it.
Listen, we are doing
everything we can.
Look at me.
Talk to me about Leo.
Anything new you've noticed?
Any changes we should know about?
It's been rough.
None of us are okay.
We've been through
half a dozen therapists
with the aggression, the nightmares.
He's withdrawn.
Okay, that's textbook
response for kids like Leo
after experiencing what he has.
He's still my sweet boy.
We-we are trying our best.
But with with the divorce
and the doctors, it's been a lot.
His mom's stuck in the past, obsessed.
I mean, how's he ever gonna
get over it if she can't move on?
And, hey, I get why you wanna move on,
because it was your
brother that molested Leo.
But acting like this, not
reporting him missing,
- people are gonna wonder.
- Screw you both.
I lost my whole family.
So, yeah
I hoped that a day here might help
to bring out the old Leo.
And did it?
Help?
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
No.
He was in a mood, angry.
You never know what
sets him off anymore.
Money's been tight, so I've
had to pick up extra shifts.
That's how Leo ended up with Thomas.
I my ma was watching him
while I was working a double.
Thomas shows up and
lies to my mother's face,
saying that I agreed he
could bring our son here.
- Now, if I'd have been home
- No.
If I'd have checked in earlier
Helene, Helene, we are
not gonna go down that path.
Okay? Remember, we
have been here before.
Nothing good comes from that.
What set him off today?
Leo and I got into a fight.
Okay.
He threw a tantrum, chucked
his cotton candy, and I
I lost my cool, and I shouted at him.
He just froze, like a scared animal.
And I know better.
But I was so angry that the words
just started leaving my mouth.
And then what happened?
I apologized.
I went to get a new one.
I wasn't gone for more
than a few minutes.
Please, find my boy.
I'm begging you.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Sorry, we've got a witness,
- you guys are gonna wanna talk to.
- Okay, all right,
just
give no, Helene.
Stay here.
We will be right back, okay?
[YELLING INCOHERENTLY]
Anyway, I look up from my phone,
and I see this skeevy guy,
homeless, hanging around the rides,
- so I started filming.
- Okay, what did he want?
Probably to get his
rocks off, I don't know.
He was, like, talking to all the kids.
Was this little boy with him?
No, not that I saw,
but, I wouldn't put
anything past that creep.
All right, let's go.
Hey.
Do not approach this guy
if you spot him, all right?
Just radio it in.
[KNOCKS]
We got patrols working from
Myrtle down to South Slope.
No luck along the Belt Parkway.
I got Rollins and Bruno checking
an encampment near the bridge.
I just can't get over this poor kid.
You know, we solve his case, move on,
he's barely able to
pick up the pieces.
Now this?
I mean, how is he
ever gonna get right?
Not everybody makes
it out of the dark, Griff,
no matter what we do.
Got eyes on the suspect.
Old Fulton and Hicks.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Any sign of Leo?
Just our guy and one or two
individuals coming and going.
He's agitated.
He keeps yelling at
something or someone.
Kid could be in one of those tents.
Hang on.
Let's move.
Go!
Go, go.
Let me see your hands!
Come out!
Let me see your hands.
Come on.
Hands up.
No, no kid.
Okay, let's check all the tents.
Captain.
Captain, look.
Leo had a green backpack.
It's his.
Camp's cleared.
No other signs of Leo.
The mobile care team is en route
to help us with our new friend.
Okay, easy there.
- Unrighteous, unwelcome, unwanted.
- Easy there.
We don't want you to hurt yourself.
Unwanted. Unwanted and unfair.
I know you don't like
this, and quite frankly,
neither do I, but we
just have to do this
for your safety and for ours, okay?
We have whys, and we have
we have nothing above the ground,
above the ground.
Maybe we should wait
for MCT to show up.
Incentives, nothing.
I think maybe he's just
looking for a reason.
So you're here because
you had something
that doesn't belong to you, okay?
- The backpack?
- Satchel, yes.
- Haversack.
- Yeah.
My name is Amanda.
What's your name?
- Arthur. Artie.
- Artie?
- Artie, Artie.
- I like that.
Maybe did you get the
bag from a little boy?
Maybe this little boy?
No, no, no sprouts.
No shavers.
Cast aside in the box.
Muck and mire.
- Muck and mire.
- The trash? The trash?
Somebody threw it into the trash?
Okay, do you know if it
was a man or a woman?
Average-Joe, gent.
We tried to restore, to make whole.
Can you describe the man, Artie,
the man who threw away the bag?
Cloak lined with blood bars,
cast up on the horizon.
- Blood bars?
- Blood bars. Blood bars.
Wait, did he have he
had blood on his clothing?
No, no. Blood bars.
Blood bars.
Stripes.
Red stripes.
- Blood stripes.
- The carnival workers.
- They wear a red-striped vest.
- Did you find him?
Did you find my son?
You really should not be here.
Oh, my God.
[SCREAMS] That's Leo's!
My son! [SOBS]
We're doing everything we can.
Why did I leave him with her?
Where is my baby?
All right? We found his backpack.
We're gonna find him.
You have to trust me.
All right? We're going to find him.
Let's go sit down for
a few minutes, okay?
It's all right. No, I know.
Okay, trust me.
We are doing everything
we can to find him, okay?
I got a hundred people working here.
You can't expect me to just
hand over their private info.
I'm just trying to find a
missing nine-year-old boy.
But you know what?
Hey, if you'd rather be a problem,
then maybe I start pulling permits,
get a team of inspectors down here.
- Bull, you can't do that.
- Sure I can.
It's the last few weeks
of your season, right?
How's your bottom line gonna
look when I shut you down
for the next ten days?
Got about six guys, all
with sheets of some sort,
all seasonal, paid off-book.
It's tough for these guys
to get a job these days,
so I try to help them out.
Yeah, sure.
You're a real Samaritan.
Hey, Chet Esposito?
Yeah.
What do you want?
Let's start with answers
to our questions.
NYPD.
What's so important that not one
but three cops wanna bother me?
Why don't you set
that down first, all right?
We're here about a backpack.
I don't have a backpack.
'Cause you got rid of it, right?
You tossed it away in a dumpster.
I don't remember tossing a bag.
Oh? Hey, we have a witness.
Yeah, and you know
what? We have a lab.
I'm sure our lab will find
your fingerprints all over it.
So how about we
start over, Chet, okay?
What were you doing with the backpack?
Fine, I found it on a ride.
It had 17 bucks inside.
I took the cash and didn't
think it'd be a big deal.
Well, I'll tell you
what the big deal is,
is that backpack belonged
to a nine-year-old boy,
and that nine-year-old boy is missing.
Okay, hold on. I never saw a kid.
Well, you also said
you didn't know anything
about a bag just a minute ago.
- Okay, okay.
- So what is it?
Just wait, please.
And you also have quite a record, huh?
Sexual battery, statutory rape.
Yeah, and I paid that
debt a long time ago.
All right, but you're a
registered sex offender
working around a bunch of kids.
Isn't that a recipe for trouble?
I never touched little boys.
Oh, did you just touch little girls?
That's it, isn't it?
I think we have a discerning
sex-offender pedophile.
The facts are is
that a kid is missing,
and you had his backpack.
That's two strikes.
So tell us where the kid is,
or things are gonna get
real bad for you pretty quickly.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I think I should get a lawyer now.
Hey, Bruno and Griff are
cordoning the employees,
and I just found out
Esposito has an apprentice.
I'd like to see if she can
retrace his steps for us.
Maybe she noticed something.
Well, we'll take whatever we can.
I mean, Leo's odds are
getting worse with each hour.
Uh, I think he did some
work on the Gravitron
before heading to the Himalaya.
Yeah, the Himalaya.
Work with Chet very long?
I guess.
He came on about a year ago, maybe.
- Okay, what's he like?
- Chet?
He's okay.
Yeah, he's fine.
Does he ever do anything unusual?
Does he act weird?
You know, does he, like
does he, like, talk to kids a lot?
I don't know.
No, I couldn't say.
Is everything okay, Mary?
Are you all right?
Has Chet ever done anything
to make you feel uncomfortable?
You know, it's okay
if you wanna tell us.
The Gravitron is over this way.
Hey, Mary, if there's
anything you wanna tell me,
like if anything happened
between you and Chet, it's okay.
You're not in any kind of trouble.
You're safe.
Mary?
Hey, hey, it's okay.
You're safe. Chet's in custody.
He cannot hurt you.
[YELPS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Hey, you all right?
Yeah, go.
♪
Mary, stop!
Suspect is heading
east toward Steinway.
Help!
No, stop!
Stop, help!
Help, somebody help me!
- You good?
- Yes.
Help me!
- They're trying to take me away!
- Come on.
Help!
Get off of me!
Help!
[YELLS] You can't hurt me.
- Mary, please.
- You can't hurt me.
- Try to listen.
- I know what you're doing.
I know who you're working for.
I'm not stupid.
I'm not stupid. They can't hurt me.
Hey, once again, I promise you,
no one here is trying to hurt you.
Okay, so the searches came up empty.
This one won't answer any questions.
We are running out of time.
So maybe we put in a call to psych.
Maybe one of their people
can get through to her.
Curry.
Hey, are you sure you
shouldn't, you know,
take the night off, get some rest?
A couple of Advil, couple
of stitches, I'm right as rain.
- Promise.
- Hey. Get this.
Her name isn't Mary. ID was a fake.
Didn't show up in the
system, so I ran her prints.
- She have a record?
- Sort of.
They didn't show up in
any criminal database.
They were in NAMUS.
Missing-persons directory.
Her name is Christine Anderson.
She disappeared 14 years ago.
When she was just five years old.
Mary is a missing child.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I dug up old reports on Mary,
or I should say, Christine.
She disappeared fall of
2012 from a department store
- in Springfield, Mass.
- Mom was shopping.
Christine was playing hide and seek
in some clothing
racks, normal kid stuff.
Mom turned around,
and before she knew it
Christine was gone.
This is just like what
happened to Leo.
Springfield PD had minimal leads.
No security cameras, no witnesses
saw Christine leave the store.
A few tips came in pointing
to a couple suspects.
Also had a suspicious
vehicle description in the area.
But nothing ever panned out.
So she just disappeared
without a trace.
Until now.
Okay, well, this can't
be a coincidence.
What about the parents?
Left word.
Haven't heard back.
Gonna need answers when we do.
Well, we're gonna find those answers,
but right now, the most
important thing is finding Leo.
So this girl probably has
PTSD and complex trauma, but
But I'm willing to bet,
that she's our best
chance at finding him.
Hi.
I'm Captain Olivia Benson.
I'm sorry if we upset you.
Let me, let me get
these off you, okay?
We've just been very
concerned about a little boy.
He's, he's missing.
You might know a
little bit about what that
feels like, right, Christine?
That's not my name. My name is Mary.
But you know that your real
name is Christine Anderson?
No, my name is Mary.
My name is not Christine.
My name is Mary.
Okay, Mary, are you aware
of what happened to
you when you were young,
how you were abducted?
I wasn't abducted.
Well, it happened when
you were very young,
so you may not remember it.
No, I wasn't taken.
I was rescued.
- Rescued?
- Yes, I was rescued.
Who rescued you?
Bob.
He saved me.
Who is Bob?
Who did Bob rescue you from?
My parents.
They, they were
They were bad people,
and they didn't want me,
and they hurt me.
Bob risked his life to
get me away from them.
I wouldn't be alive
today if it wasn't for him.
And where's Bob now?
I-I know what you're trying to do.
- What?
- You know, he taught me,
about the police.
He said that I was smart
and that I was special.
I can see that. I'm
sure that Bob is right.
Well, it wasn't easy.
What do you mean?
I had to learn.
Bob had to teach me.
He had to be diligent with me.
And
And he was always patient,
even when he got mad at
me, because he loved me,
because he saved me.
Is that what happened to Leo?
Bob
Bob saved Leo too?
No.
- I did.
- You did?
Mm-hmm.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- So you know where Leo is?
- Yeah.
Well, this is great news.
Mary, we've been
very worried about him,
and I'm sure that
that Leo is terrified
and that he misses his parents.
No, he was scared.
He's not scared anymore.
He was scared when
he was with his dad.
I mean, he was just
yelling at him, at his own son
over, I don't know, cotton candy.
I mean, you should have seen
the look
in that little boy's eyes.
He was terrified.
I had to do something,
and I just had to help him.
So you had to save him?
- Yeah.
- Right.
Right.
So when his father stepped away
to buy him more cotton candy
- I took him with me.
- Mm-hmm.
And I let him pick out a
toy, and I calmed him down,
and I got him to be happy again.
I mean, his face lit up,
and he was just playing
- with this stuffed animal.
- Right.
- And then
- And then what?
Well, I didn't really know what to do,
but I needed to save him, and so I
I knew I had to take him somewhere.
So where did you take him?
Where did you take him?
Mary, listen to me.
I think that it was incredibly
brave of you to help him.
I really do.
And that's what we wanna do.
We just wanna help him.
And we also wanna help you.
Well, how am I
supposed to believe you?
Because it's true.
Believe me, it's true.
I would never let anyone
hurt Leo,
especially his father.
But in order for me to help him, I
I need to know where he is.
He's okay, he's
He's safe.
Okay, but where?
Where is he?
It's okay, honey, you can tell me.
Where is he?
He's with Bob now.
♪
Leo?
Leo?
♪
Cause of death on Leo Brooks?
Officially, multi-organ
system failure.
- And unofficially?
- Heatstroke.
Small box, hot van.
Leo's core temp shot well over 105.
No real way to say which
symptoms did him in
the organ collapse, brain
damage, circulatory shock,
or lack of oxygen.
Jesus, this poor kid.
It gets worse.
We ran a GC-MS scan,
found traces of
chloroform in his system.
He was drugged?
Probably when he was put in the box.
Too bad he didn't remain unconscious.
Wood fragments under the nails,
abrasions on the knuckles and fingers.
So Leo tried to get out.
He was terrified.
He suffered.
We got three DNA hits back
from the interior of the van.
Your suspect, the victim,
and a few faint traces
from an adult male.
Robert Watts.
Bob.
Mr. Watts got himself put in
CODIS for an attempted rape
back in 1999.
Yeah, but the only
problem is Bob's dead.
He had a
He had a heart attack,
last January, which means
Which means we need
to tell Leo's parents
how their son was murdered,
and Mary's parents that
their daughter is a killer.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I can't believe she's still alive.
I mean, part of us always believed,
but we never let ourselves hope.
Not after all these years.
I mean, Christine
had just turned five.
She still had her baby teeth.
And you're certain it's her?
We are.
Linda and Joe, your daughter
has been through a lot.
Well, all the more reason
we need to be there to help.
- We're her parents.
- Mr. Anderson,
we're not here just for
Christine's abduction.
I don't understand.
She's been involved
in a serious crime.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. What happened?
We can't share specifics
as it's an open investigation.
But, even
Even if we could,
the truth is, your daughter
doesn't want to see you.
What?
- What?
- And Christine,
is an adult now,
so we have to respect her decision.
I know that's not what
you were expecting.
I can't even imagine what
you're feeling right now.
But
Give her
Give her time.
Bottom line, your daughter's alive.
♪
Do you prefer Christine or Mary?
- Mary is fine.
- Okay.
Okay.
So I'm told that you've made progress.
I thought that it might
be helpful if I stopped by
and shared with you some of the things
that we've learned
about your situation.
And then if you're up for
it, maybe there are things
that you would be
willing to share with me.
It's your choice to make.
So Mary, this
Is Robert Watts.
This is the man who kidnapped you.
He's had a string of
arrests for public lewdness,
indecent assault, the attempted
rape of an underage girl.
And from what we understand,
he worked for a string
of carnivals and amusement parks,
moving from place to place,
from company to company.
And from what we can tell, that's how
he stayed ahead of the authorities
after he kidnapped you.
Now, you, you let
me know if I'm getting
any of these details wrong.
He told people that I
was his granddaughter.
And, these are your parents.
This is Joe and Linda Anderson.
They're from Springfield,
Massachusetts.
Joe works for the MSPCA,
and Linda is an art teacher.
This is your little brother, Wyatt,
and he just turned 12.
And, I hear that he's
very excited to meet you.
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Can I keep this?
Yes, of course, it's all yours.
Thank you.
So we know that Bob
died in January of this year.
But, what we don't know is
what your life was like with him.
And I would like to learn about that,
if you're willing to talk about it.
Mary endured years of
physical and sexual abuse
at the hands of Bob Watts.
She was brainwashed
to fear the entire world.
No friends, no school, only him.
Doctors say anyone on the outside
was considered a threat
Police, parents
they all wanted to take her away
from the one person that loved Mary.
- She never tried to escape?
- No.
By the time she was a teenager,
she was fully brainwashed.
She could come and go as she pleased.
She ran errands because
she always came back.
Yeah, according to records,
they would move
to a different carnival,
or a park each season,
and eventually, he
trained her as a mechanic.
She started working too.
And then Bob died, so she
continued with the only life
that she knew, but she struggled.
And so when she saw Leo,
she saw it as an
opportunity not to be alone.
And you think this
girl is fit to stand trial?
Not me.
The doctors.
They said that Mary knew
that her actions were dangerous
and that she expressed regret.
But she's not delusional.
She was working within
a permission structure
she had learned from Bob.
So we have to decide
what exactly justice
looks like in this case.
Leo is our victim.
So is Mary. But she
also chloroformed a kid,
left him in a box to die.
Bob used to punish Mary
by drugging her, and
then locking her in a crate,
sometimes for days.
Apparently, she grew to
love her time in the crate.
When she was there, she was alone.
She was away from
Bob's, you know, affection.
Unfortunately for Leo.
Mary told you the boy was with Bob.
She already knew that he was dead.
When the police arrived,
she moved the van,
and when she went to check on Leo
It was too late.
So she saw this kid.
Yeah.
And she didn't call for help?
She didn't
She didn't come forward?
I think in her head that
she actually believed
that Leo was better off dead,
than with his father.
- Which reads as depraved indifference.
- Sure.
But if we push for murder two,
her side counters with
an affirmative defense
based on mental capacity.
And probably wins.
Also, do we believe prison
is where this girl belongs?
This brings us back
to the original question.
What does justice
look like in this case?
Helene.
I haven't heard anything.
It's been almost a week.
- What's going on?
- I know. I apologize.
I should have called sooner, but
Things are a little complicated.
What's complicated?
My son was murdered.
Lock that monster up
and put her in jail forever.
- She is still in jail, right?
- Yes, yes.
- The girl is still in custody.
- The woman
Who killed Leo.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
You're just doing your job,
but I
I am empty.
I have nothing.
The only thing that
is keeping me upright
is the thought of
justice for my little boy.
I know, Helene, and I want
that, too, for you and Leo.
I promise you, I do.
And as soon as I know
what that looks like,
you're gonna be the first to know.
♪
We're offering a deal.
Manslaughter in the second
degree, split sentence.
The first portion will be served
at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center
under close medical supervision.
I don't understand.
Is that a hospital?
Kirby is a secure psychiatric
facility on Wards Island.
It's a prison with doctors.
A split sentence means
that your daughter will spend
the first portion of her time at Kirby
until the staff there deems that
she's no longer a danger to others.
- And then?
- And then she'll be released,
to serve the rest of her
sentence on probation.
How long of a sentence are we talking?
- Ten years.
- Are you kidding?
No way.
Mr. Anderson, she could
receive 25 years at trial.
Be serious, Carisi.
No jury will convict this girl
after they hear what
she's been through.
An innocent nine-year-old
boy is dead, Cherise,
and nobody forced your
client to take those actions.
She did them of her own volition.
And we have a confession.
Well, then I guess
we'll see you in court.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,
please reconsider.
No.
We're not giving up our daughter.
We just got her back.
You heard them.
No deal.
♪
Saw your light on down the hall.
What are we burning the candle on?
Just the buffet of bad
options in the Brooks case.
I got a few minutes.
Why don't you read me the menu?
Sure.
Option one
We drop all the charges,
and Leo's murder goes unpunished.
Not a real option for
the people of New York.
Which is why we offered
a manslaughter plea,
but the girl's parents
won't accept any deal
that includes prison time.
If you bring manslaughter to trial,
we can't control the sentencing.
Yeah, which can range
from suspended sentence
to double-digit incarceration,
depending on how the judge feels.
Toothless to excessive.
Exactly, so
We have option three
Murder in the second degree.
Well, the facts of the
crime fit the statute.
Textbook depraved indifference.
And I get to keep the lesser
plea in my back pocket.
Ethically, it's the correct charge.
So what's the "but"?
Can we stomach that
harsh of a sentence,
knowing what this
girl has gone through?
- Lose-lose-lose.
- Yeah.
Unless, you can see
a win here that I can't.
Sometimes, when we have
cases with no clear answers,
we have to trust in
the law to decide for us.
Our system might not be
perfect, but it's all we have.
Follow the law,
through justice.
Provided you can
live with the outcome.
- Good night.
- Good night, sir.
Your honor, my client,
Christine Anderson,
was ripped from her
family and kept prisoner
for almost 15 years,
a tragedy that shouldn't
be allowed to persist.
As such, we are moving
for pretrial release.
Setting aside Miss Anderson's
previous circumstances, Judge,
the severity of this
crime cannot be ignored.
She drugged and
imprisoned a nine-year-old,
- leading to a slow and painful death.
- My client is a victim,
who
suffered unfathomable trauma.
She's also a defendant who admitted
to committing these crimes.
God forbid she hurts another child.
Since you mentioned
it, we are filing a motion
to suppress Miss Anderson's
- entire confession.
- On what grounds?
Christine is incapable of
making decisions for herself.
In fact, she may not
be fit to stand trial at all.
Your Honor, a five-person
panel of physicians
deemed that she
was fit to stand trial.
And our own independent
experts who disagree.
- I'm sure you do.
- JUDGE: Enough, counselors.
My courtroom will not be reduced
to some fifth-rate
junior debate class.
Arguments will be
presented uninterrupted
in a clear and concise manner.
Are we understood?
Or do I have to bring
this into chambers?
What are we doing here, Carisi?
This is not my show.
This is all Captain Benson's idea.
So my team and I feel
that there's something,
that Mary should see
before we head into a trial.
It's
It's important.
Mary, this is a video of Leo.
And he was the same age,
then, that you were
when you were abducted.
This is before he
became a victim of abuse,
before he was wounded by the world.
There'd better be a point to all this.
And I think what you recognized in Leo
was the pain that you both carried
by being betrayed by adults.
All right, that's enough.
This is highly inappropriate.
It's important for Mary to see him
to understand who he was.
Christine, you don't
have to watch this.
Mary, I know that you thought
that you were saving him.
I know that.
But Leo wasn't you.
All right, Carisi.
Instead of saving him,
you passed on the same
trauma that you endured.
And now he's gone.
He's taken from a
mother who loved him,
friends who cared for him.
I am disgusted by both of you,
manipulating a victim.
Everyone here,
police, parents, lawyers
we are all so convinced that
we know what's best for Mary.
And throughout this,
I have watched her
shut down, and shut the world out.
But, Mary, you can't
escape the truth forever.
Right?
Has anyone even bothered
to ask you what you think?
We know what our daughter wants.
She wants to go home.
No.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
No, I
I don't.
- Sure you do, honey.
- No.
No, I can't.
I don't
E ven know what home is.
I'm sorry.
Honey.
You don't have to apologize.
And I know you're supposed
to feel like my family, but I
But I don't, I don't feel it.
And I need help, to love you.
♪
I don't wanna hurt anyone else,
and I need help not to.
And I just need some help, please.
- Christine, don't say anything more.
- No.
- We should discuss this privately.
- No, no.
I-I know what I want.
I don't wanna hurt anyone else.
Can't we just take the deal?
Yeah, we can do that.
Christine.
No, it's okay.
I'll be home someday
But not yet.
♪
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
[HORN HONKING]
[HORN HONKING]
All right.
Hold on, sorry.
- Hey.
- Mom?
- Is everything okay?
- Yeah.
Because you don't just
usually show up like this.
- It's a little weird.
- I know.
I know, but
I got off work early.
I figured I'd give you
a ride home, no biggie.
We live, like, three blocks away.
I know.
Come on.
Come on.
Everything okay at work?
Yeah, you know, the usual.
Come on.
I guess I could use some quality time.
Good.
Me too.
♪
♪
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
What are you doing?
Walking with you.
Mom, it's not a playdate.
I don't need you to
walk me to the door.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Your hard-working mother
thought it might be nice
to spend a little extra
quality time together.
- Is this an imposition?
- No.
'Cause you know, I'm gonna
remember this next year
when you're off at
college and you call home
crying late at night 'cause
you miss me so much.
Okay, fine.
I guess you can walk
with me for, like, a block.
Wow, okay.
Rude.
So what are your plans for tonight?
AP History.
Got a big project.
- Really?
- Yeah.
On a Friday night?
And, like, maybe some video games.
And, like, maybe a
party at Kira's house
since her parents are away?
Kiddo, come on.
I wear a badge for a living. Yeah.
I can neither confirm nor
deny anything about a party.
Okay, fine.
But we still need to go over
- our ground rules first.
- Mom.
We do not take open
containers from anyone.
- No pills, nothing.
- Okay, I know. I know.
Second, we look out for our friends.
We keep track of
everybody through the night.
- Yep, gotcha.
- And third,
above all, we make
We make good decisions.
- Great.
- I'm good.
All right. Good.
Well, remember, I track
your location at all times.
You know, you're not
gonna be able to stalk me
- forever, Mom.
- That's very funny.
I can, and I will.
Be safe.
Love you.
Okay.
Love you.
- Bye.
- Bye.
[PHONE BUZZING]
Curry.
Helene?
Whoa, slow down, slow down.
All right, tell me what happened.
Are you safe?
Hey.
Got a call from Helene Brooks,
case from about eight months ago.
Helene Brooks, yeah.
Her son got molested by
- By the uncle, right?
- Yeah.
- Did 30 years?
- Yeah.
He's only nine years old, Leo.
I remember him. He's a sweet kid.
Yeah, well, after the
trial, I met up with Helene
to give her some resources for Leo.
I said if she ever needed
anything to give me a ring.
So, this afternoon, she called,
asking if we'd come out and help
because Leo's gone missing.
He shouldn't even have been with you!
I've been trying to
get in touch with you!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys.
I need you to step back.
Sir, settle down.
I should be able to take my own son
to a stupid carnival, you bitch.
- Whoa!
- Everyone stop and take a breath.
He lost Leo.
- He lost our boy.
- Okay, I understand, Helene.
Walk us through what happened, okay?
I brought him here 'cause I figured
he could use a little fun,
you know, like a normal kid.
- You go to hell, Thomas!
- Okay, Helene.
Sir, and then what happened?
Focus. Focus.
- What happened?
- We were having a good time.
Leo, he dropped his cotton candy.
He got a little upset
but, but no big deal,
so I went to get him another one.
So I turned around
and got back in line,
and he wasn't more
than 20, 30 feet away.
But when I turned around
after paying, he was gone.
And when was this?
Look, I'm not trying to
make a big deal over nothing.
I just figured that he wandered away
- to look at the games.
- Sir.
And I told him when we got there,
if we get separated to
meet me at the carousel.
So I waited there.
Mr. Brooks, I need you
to tell me when this was.
I tried looking myself.
When?
Two and a half, three hours ago.
Whoa, Helene, stop!
Whoa, whoa!
Get back, get back, get back!
I swear to God, if
something happens to him,
I'm gonna kill you.
You broke my nose!
Call a medic.
[BOTH SHOUTING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Leo Brooks, nine years old, last seen
wearing blue shorts, gray
T-shirt, and a green backpack.
Photos of him are
being sent to your PEDs.
So we are coordinating
with the 64th to establish
a 25-block perimeter.
DAS is sifting through
the CCTV footage.
They will update us as needed.
Just so you know, this kid
has already been through a lot,
so, let's bring him home.
- How's the mother?
- Terrified. Furious.
- So he wandered off, ran away?
- Or something worse.
Well, if he wandered
off, nobody noticed it.
And Funathon employees
haven't received
any word on a lost child.
Well, maybe he's hiding then.
Well, that would be ideal.
The citywide alert
has already gone out.
But before that, Curry, Griff,
go have a sit down
with the mother, Helene,
and see if you can get a sense
of where the kid may have gone.
You two, have another
run at the father.
It took him two and a half hours
to report the kid missing.
Ow, ow, ow!
Ow. Ow.
Take it easy, man.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I hope you got Helene in cuffs,
'cause I'm pressing charges.
We're a little more
concerned with finding
- your son right now.
- Aren't you?
Well, yeah.
Of course I am.
Well, that's good,
because dragging your feet
when Leo went missing
wasn't a good look.
I panicked.
I knew my psycho ex-wife was gonna
spaz over me taking him,
and I didn't wanna give her
any more custody ammo.
So why take him in the first place?
My boy should be doing
fun things, kid things.
Helene, just calm down.
It's gonna be okay.
You gotta find Leo,
please. I am about to lose it.
Listen, we are doing
everything we can.
Look at me.
Talk to me about Leo.
Anything new you've noticed?
Any changes we should know about?
It's been rough.
None of us are okay.
We've been through
half a dozen therapists
with the aggression, the nightmares.
He's withdrawn.
Okay, that's textbook
response for kids like Leo
after experiencing what he has.
He's still my sweet boy.
We-we are trying our best.
But with with the divorce
and the doctors, it's been a lot.
His mom's stuck in the past, obsessed.
I mean, how's he ever gonna
get over it if she can't move on?
And, hey, I get why you wanna move on,
because it was your
brother that molested Leo.
But acting like this, not
reporting him missing,
- people are gonna wonder.
- Screw you both.
I lost my whole family.
So, yeah
I hoped that a day here might help
to bring out the old Leo.
And did it?
Help?
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
No.
He was in a mood, angry.
You never know what
sets him off anymore.
Money's been tight, so I've
had to pick up extra shifts.
That's how Leo ended up with Thomas.
I my ma was watching him
while I was working a double.
Thomas shows up and
lies to my mother's face,
saying that I agreed he
could bring our son here.
- Now, if I'd have been home
- No.
If I'd have checked in earlier
Helene, Helene, we are
not gonna go down that path.
Okay? Remember, we
have been here before.
Nothing good comes from that.
What set him off today?
Leo and I got into a fight.
Okay.
He threw a tantrum, chucked
his cotton candy, and I
I lost my cool, and I shouted at him.
He just froze, like a scared animal.
And I know better.
But I was so angry that the words
just started leaving my mouth.
And then what happened?
I apologized.
I went to get a new one.
I wasn't gone for more
than a few minutes.
Please, find my boy.
I'm begging you.
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Sorry, we've got a witness,
- you guys are gonna wanna talk to.
- Okay, all right,
just
give no, Helene.
Stay here.
We will be right back, okay?
[YELLING INCOHERENTLY]
Anyway, I look up from my phone,
and I see this skeevy guy,
homeless, hanging around the rides,
- so I started filming.
- Okay, what did he want?
Probably to get his
rocks off, I don't know.
He was, like, talking to all the kids.
Was this little boy with him?
No, not that I saw,
but, I wouldn't put
anything past that creep.
All right, let's go.
Hey.
Do not approach this guy
if you spot him, all right?
Just radio it in.
[KNOCKS]
We got patrols working from
Myrtle down to South Slope.
No luck along the Belt Parkway.
I got Rollins and Bruno checking
an encampment near the bridge.
I just can't get over this poor kid.
You know, we solve his case, move on,
he's barely able to
pick up the pieces.
Now this?
I mean, how is he
ever gonna get right?
Not everybody makes
it out of the dark, Griff,
no matter what we do.
Got eyes on the suspect.
Old Fulton and Hicks.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Any sign of Leo?
Just our guy and one or two
individuals coming and going.
He's agitated.
He keeps yelling at
something or someone.
Kid could be in one of those tents.
Hang on.
Let's move.
Go!
Go, go.
Let me see your hands!
Come out!
Let me see your hands.
Come on.
Hands up.
No, no kid.
Okay, let's check all the tents.
Captain.
Captain, look.
Leo had a green backpack.
It's his.
Camp's cleared.
No other signs of Leo.
The mobile care team is en route
to help us with our new friend.
Okay, easy there.
- Unrighteous, unwelcome, unwanted.
- Easy there.
We don't want you to hurt yourself.
Unwanted. Unwanted and unfair.
I know you don't like
this, and quite frankly,
neither do I, but we
just have to do this
for your safety and for ours, okay?
We have whys, and we have
we have nothing above the ground,
above the ground.
Maybe we should wait
for MCT to show up.
Incentives, nothing.
I think maybe he's just
looking for a reason.
So you're here because
you had something
that doesn't belong to you, okay?
- The backpack?
- Satchel, yes.
- Haversack.
- Yeah.
My name is Amanda.
What's your name?
- Arthur. Artie.
- Artie?
- Artie, Artie.
- I like that.
Maybe did you get the
bag from a little boy?
Maybe this little boy?
No, no, no sprouts.
No shavers.
Cast aside in the box.
Muck and mire.
- Muck and mire.
- The trash? The trash?
Somebody threw it into the trash?
Okay, do you know if it
was a man or a woman?
Average-Joe, gent.
We tried to restore, to make whole.
Can you describe the man, Artie,
the man who threw away the bag?
Cloak lined with blood bars,
cast up on the horizon.
- Blood bars?
- Blood bars. Blood bars.
Wait, did he have he
had blood on his clothing?
No, no. Blood bars.
Blood bars.
Stripes.
Red stripes.
- Blood stripes.
- The carnival workers.
- They wear a red-striped vest.
- Did you find him?
Did you find my son?
You really should not be here.
Oh, my God.
[SCREAMS] That's Leo's!
My son! [SOBS]
We're doing everything we can.
Why did I leave him with her?
Where is my baby?
All right? We found his backpack.
We're gonna find him.
You have to trust me.
All right? We're going to find him.
Let's go sit down for
a few minutes, okay?
It's all right. No, I know.
Okay, trust me.
We are doing everything
we can to find him, okay?
I got a hundred people working here.
You can't expect me to just
hand over their private info.
I'm just trying to find a
missing nine-year-old boy.
But you know what?
Hey, if you'd rather be a problem,
then maybe I start pulling permits,
get a team of inspectors down here.
- Bull, you can't do that.
- Sure I can.
It's the last few weeks
of your season, right?
How's your bottom line gonna
look when I shut you down
for the next ten days?
Got about six guys, all
with sheets of some sort,
all seasonal, paid off-book.
It's tough for these guys
to get a job these days,
so I try to help them out.
Yeah, sure.
You're a real Samaritan.
Hey, Chet Esposito?
Yeah.
What do you want?
Let's start with answers
to our questions.
NYPD.
What's so important that not one
but three cops wanna bother me?
Why don't you set
that down first, all right?
We're here about a backpack.
I don't have a backpack.
'Cause you got rid of it, right?
You tossed it away in a dumpster.
I don't remember tossing a bag.
Oh? Hey, we have a witness.
Yeah, and you know
what? We have a lab.
I'm sure our lab will find
your fingerprints all over it.
So how about we
start over, Chet, okay?
What were you doing with the backpack?
Fine, I found it on a ride.
It had 17 bucks inside.
I took the cash and didn't
think it'd be a big deal.
Well, I'll tell you
what the big deal is,
is that backpack belonged
to a nine-year-old boy,
and that nine-year-old boy is missing.
Okay, hold on. I never saw a kid.
Well, you also said
you didn't know anything
about a bag just a minute ago.
- Okay, okay.
- So what is it?
Just wait, please.
And you also have quite a record, huh?
Sexual battery, statutory rape.
Yeah, and I paid that
debt a long time ago.
All right, but you're a
registered sex offender
working around a bunch of kids.
Isn't that a recipe for trouble?
I never touched little boys.
Oh, did you just touch little girls?
That's it, isn't it?
I think we have a discerning
sex-offender pedophile.
The facts are is
that a kid is missing,
and you had his backpack.
That's two strikes.
So tell us where the kid is,
or things are gonna get
real bad for you pretty quickly.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I think I should get a lawyer now.
Hey, Bruno and Griff are
cordoning the employees,
and I just found out
Esposito has an apprentice.
I'd like to see if she can
retrace his steps for us.
Maybe she noticed something.
Well, we'll take whatever we can.
I mean, Leo's odds are
getting worse with each hour.
Uh, I think he did some
work on the Gravitron
before heading to the Himalaya.
Yeah, the Himalaya.
Work with Chet very long?
I guess.
He came on about a year ago, maybe.
- Okay, what's he like?
- Chet?
He's okay.
Yeah, he's fine.
Does he ever do anything unusual?
Does he act weird?
You know, does he, like
does he, like, talk to kids a lot?
I don't know.
No, I couldn't say.
Is everything okay, Mary?
Are you all right?
Has Chet ever done anything
to make you feel uncomfortable?
You know, it's okay
if you wanna tell us.
The Gravitron is over this way.
Hey, Mary, if there's
anything you wanna tell me,
like if anything happened
between you and Chet, it's okay.
You're not in any kind of trouble.
You're safe.
Mary?
Hey, hey, it's okay.
You're safe. Chet's in custody.
He cannot hurt you.
[YELPS]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Hey, you all right?
Yeah, go.
♪
Mary, stop!
Suspect is heading
east toward Steinway.
Help!
No, stop!
Stop, help!
Help, somebody help me!
- You good?
- Yes.
Help me!
- They're trying to take me away!
- Come on.
Help!
Get off of me!
Help!
[YELLS] You can't hurt me.
- Mary, please.
- You can't hurt me.
- Try to listen.
- I know what you're doing.
I know who you're working for.
I'm not stupid.
I'm not stupid. They can't hurt me.
Hey, once again, I promise you,
no one here is trying to hurt you.
Okay, so the searches came up empty.
This one won't answer any questions.
We are running out of time.
So maybe we put in a call to psych.
Maybe one of their people
can get through to her.
Curry.
Hey, are you sure you
shouldn't, you know,
take the night off, get some rest?
A couple of Advil, couple
of stitches, I'm right as rain.
- Promise.
- Hey. Get this.
Her name isn't Mary. ID was a fake.
Didn't show up in the
system, so I ran her prints.
- She have a record?
- Sort of.
They didn't show up in
any criminal database.
They were in NAMUS.
Missing-persons directory.
Her name is Christine Anderson.
She disappeared 14 years ago.
When she was just five years old.
Mary is a missing child.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I dug up old reports on Mary,
or I should say, Christine.
She disappeared fall of
2012 from a department store
- in Springfield, Mass.
- Mom was shopping.
Christine was playing hide and seek
in some clothing
racks, normal kid stuff.
Mom turned around,
and before she knew it
Christine was gone.
This is just like what
happened to Leo.
Springfield PD had minimal leads.
No security cameras, no witnesses
saw Christine leave the store.
A few tips came in pointing
to a couple suspects.
Also had a suspicious
vehicle description in the area.
But nothing ever panned out.
So she just disappeared
without a trace.
Until now.
Okay, well, this can't
be a coincidence.
What about the parents?
Left word.
Haven't heard back.
Gonna need answers when we do.
Well, we're gonna find those answers,
but right now, the most
important thing is finding Leo.
So this girl probably has
PTSD and complex trauma, but
But I'm willing to bet,
that she's our best
chance at finding him.
Hi.
I'm Captain Olivia Benson.
I'm sorry if we upset you.
Let me, let me get
these off you, okay?
We've just been very
concerned about a little boy.
He's, he's missing.
You might know a
little bit about what that
feels like, right, Christine?
That's not my name. My name is Mary.
But you know that your real
name is Christine Anderson?
No, my name is Mary.
My name is not Christine.
My name is Mary.
Okay, Mary, are you aware
of what happened to
you when you were young,
how you were abducted?
I wasn't abducted.
Well, it happened when
you were very young,
so you may not remember it.
No, I wasn't taken.
I was rescued.
- Rescued?
- Yes, I was rescued.
Who rescued you?
Bob.
He saved me.
Who is Bob?
Who did Bob rescue you from?
My parents.
They, they were
They were bad people,
and they didn't want me,
and they hurt me.
Bob risked his life to
get me away from them.
I wouldn't be alive
today if it wasn't for him.
And where's Bob now?
I-I know what you're trying to do.
- What?
- You know, he taught me,
about the police.
He said that I was smart
and that I was special.
I can see that. I'm
sure that Bob is right.
Well, it wasn't easy.
What do you mean?
I had to learn.
Bob had to teach me.
He had to be diligent with me.
And
And he was always patient,
even when he got mad at
me, because he loved me,
because he saved me.
Is that what happened to Leo?
Bob
Bob saved Leo too?
No.
- I did.
- You did?
Mm-hmm.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- So you know where Leo is?
- Yeah.
Well, this is great news.
Mary, we've been
very worried about him,
and I'm sure that
that Leo is terrified
and that he misses his parents.
No, he was scared.
He's not scared anymore.
He was scared when
he was with his dad.
I mean, he was just
yelling at him, at his own son
over, I don't know, cotton candy.
I mean, you should have seen
the look
in that little boy's eyes.
He was terrified.
I had to do something,
and I just had to help him.
So you had to save him?
- Yeah.
- Right.
Right.
So when his father stepped away
to buy him more cotton candy
- I took him with me.
- Mm-hmm.
And I let him pick out a
toy, and I calmed him down,
and I got him to be happy again.
I mean, his face lit up,
and he was just playing
- with this stuffed animal.
- Right.
- And then
- And then what?
Well, I didn't really know what to do,
but I needed to save him, and so I
I knew I had to take him somewhere.
So where did you take him?
Where did you take him?
Mary, listen to me.
I think that it was incredibly
brave of you to help him.
I really do.
And that's what we wanna do.
We just wanna help him.
And we also wanna help you.
Well, how am I
supposed to believe you?
Because it's true.
Believe me, it's true.
I would never let anyone
hurt Leo,
especially his father.
But in order for me to help him, I
I need to know where he is.
He's okay, he's
He's safe.
Okay, but where?
Where is he?
It's okay, honey, you can tell me.
Where is he?
He's with Bob now.
♪
Leo?
Leo?
♪
Cause of death on Leo Brooks?
Officially, multi-organ
system failure.
- And unofficially?
- Heatstroke.
Small box, hot van.
Leo's core temp shot well over 105.
No real way to say which
symptoms did him in
the organ collapse, brain
damage, circulatory shock,
or lack of oxygen.
Jesus, this poor kid.
It gets worse.
We ran a GC-MS scan,
found traces of
chloroform in his system.
He was drugged?
Probably when he was put in the box.
Too bad he didn't remain unconscious.
Wood fragments under the nails,
abrasions on the knuckles and fingers.
So Leo tried to get out.
He was terrified.
He suffered.
We got three DNA hits back
from the interior of the van.
Your suspect, the victim,
and a few faint traces
from an adult male.
Robert Watts.
Bob.
Mr. Watts got himself put in
CODIS for an attempted rape
back in 1999.
Yeah, but the only
problem is Bob's dead.
He had a
He had a heart attack,
last January, which means
Which means we need
to tell Leo's parents
how their son was murdered,
and Mary's parents that
their daughter is a killer.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I can't believe she's still alive.
I mean, part of us always believed,
but we never let ourselves hope.
Not after all these years.
I mean, Christine
had just turned five.
She still had her baby teeth.
And you're certain it's her?
We are.
Linda and Joe, your daughter
has been through a lot.
Well, all the more reason
we need to be there to help.
- We're her parents.
- Mr. Anderson,
we're not here just for
Christine's abduction.
I don't understand.
She's been involved
in a serious crime.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. What happened?
We can't share specifics
as it's an open investigation.
But, even
Even if we could,
the truth is, your daughter
doesn't want to see you.
What?
- What?
- And Christine,
is an adult now,
so we have to respect her decision.
I know that's not what
you were expecting.
I can't even imagine what
you're feeling right now.
But
Give her
Give her time.
Bottom line, your daughter's alive.
♪
Do you prefer Christine or Mary?
- Mary is fine.
- Okay.
Okay.
So I'm told that you've made progress.
I thought that it might
be helpful if I stopped by
and shared with you some of the things
that we've learned
about your situation.
And then if you're up for
it, maybe there are things
that you would be
willing to share with me.
It's your choice to make.
So Mary, this
Is Robert Watts.
This is the man who kidnapped you.
He's had a string of
arrests for public lewdness,
indecent assault, the attempted
rape of an underage girl.
And from what we understand,
he worked for a string
of carnivals and amusement parks,
moving from place to place,
from company to company.
And from what we can tell, that's how
he stayed ahead of the authorities
after he kidnapped you.
Now, you, you let
me know if I'm getting
any of these details wrong.
He told people that I
was his granddaughter.
And, these are your parents.
This is Joe and Linda Anderson.
They're from Springfield,
Massachusetts.
Joe works for the MSPCA,
and Linda is an art teacher.
This is your little brother, Wyatt,
and he just turned 12.
And, I hear that he's
very excited to meet you.
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Can I keep this?
Yes, of course, it's all yours.
Thank you.
So we know that Bob
died in January of this year.
But, what we don't know is
what your life was like with him.
And I would like to learn about that,
if you're willing to talk about it.
Mary endured years of
physical and sexual abuse
at the hands of Bob Watts.
She was brainwashed
to fear the entire world.
No friends, no school, only him.
Doctors say anyone on the outside
was considered a threat
Police, parents
they all wanted to take her away
from the one person that loved Mary.
- She never tried to escape?
- No.
By the time she was a teenager,
she was fully brainwashed.
She could come and go as she pleased.
She ran errands because
she always came back.
Yeah, according to records,
they would move
to a different carnival,
or a park each season,
and eventually, he
trained her as a mechanic.
She started working too.
And then Bob died, so she
continued with the only life
that she knew, but she struggled.
And so when she saw Leo,
she saw it as an
opportunity not to be alone.
And you think this
girl is fit to stand trial?
Not me.
The doctors.
They said that Mary knew
that her actions were dangerous
and that she expressed regret.
But she's not delusional.
She was working within
a permission structure
she had learned from Bob.
So we have to decide
what exactly justice
looks like in this case.
Leo is our victim.
So is Mary. But she
also chloroformed a kid,
left him in a box to die.
Bob used to punish Mary
by drugging her, and
then locking her in a crate,
sometimes for days.
Apparently, she grew to
love her time in the crate.
When she was there, she was alone.
She was away from
Bob's, you know, affection.
Unfortunately for Leo.
Mary told you the boy was with Bob.
She already knew that he was dead.
When the police arrived,
she moved the van,
and when she went to check on Leo
It was too late.
So she saw this kid.
Yeah.
And she didn't call for help?
She didn't
She didn't come forward?
I think in her head that
she actually believed
that Leo was better off dead,
than with his father.
- Which reads as depraved indifference.
- Sure.
But if we push for murder two,
her side counters with
an affirmative defense
based on mental capacity.
And probably wins.
Also, do we believe prison
is where this girl belongs?
This brings us back
to the original question.
What does justice
look like in this case?
Helene.
I haven't heard anything.
It's been almost a week.
- What's going on?
- I know. I apologize.
I should have called sooner, but
Things are a little complicated.
What's complicated?
My son was murdered.
Lock that monster up
and put her in jail forever.
- She is still in jail, right?
- Yes, yes.
- The girl is still in custody.
- The woman
Who killed Leo.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
You're just doing your job,
but I
I am empty.
I have nothing.
The only thing that
is keeping me upright
is the thought of
justice for my little boy.
I know, Helene, and I want
that, too, for you and Leo.
I promise you, I do.
And as soon as I know
what that looks like,
you're gonna be the first to know.
♪
We're offering a deal.
Manslaughter in the second
degree, split sentence.
The first portion will be served
at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center
under close medical supervision.
I don't understand.
Is that a hospital?
Kirby is a secure psychiatric
facility on Wards Island.
It's a prison with doctors.
A split sentence means
that your daughter will spend
the first portion of her time at Kirby
until the staff there deems that
she's no longer a danger to others.
- And then?
- And then she'll be released,
to serve the rest of her
sentence on probation.
How long of a sentence are we talking?
- Ten years.
- Are you kidding?
No way.
Mr. Anderson, she could
receive 25 years at trial.
Be serious, Carisi.
No jury will convict this girl
after they hear what
she's been through.
An innocent nine-year-old
boy is dead, Cherise,
and nobody forced your
client to take those actions.
She did them of her own volition.
And we have a confession.
Well, then I guess
we'll see you in court.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,
please reconsider.
No.
We're not giving up our daughter.
We just got her back.
You heard them.
No deal.
♪
Saw your light on down the hall.
What are we burning the candle on?
Just the buffet of bad
options in the Brooks case.
I got a few minutes.
Why don't you read me the menu?
Sure.
Option one
We drop all the charges,
and Leo's murder goes unpunished.
Not a real option for
the people of New York.
Which is why we offered
a manslaughter plea,
but the girl's parents
won't accept any deal
that includes prison time.
If you bring manslaughter to trial,
we can't control the sentencing.
Yeah, which can range
from suspended sentence
to double-digit incarceration,
depending on how the judge feels.
Toothless to excessive.
Exactly, so
We have option three
Murder in the second degree.
Well, the facts of the
crime fit the statute.
Textbook depraved indifference.
And I get to keep the lesser
plea in my back pocket.
Ethically, it's the correct charge.
So what's the "but"?
Can we stomach that
harsh of a sentence,
knowing what this
girl has gone through?
- Lose-lose-lose.
- Yeah.
Unless, you can see
a win here that I can't.
Sometimes, when we have
cases with no clear answers,
we have to trust in
the law to decide for us.
Our system might not be
perfect, but it's all we have.
Follow the law,
through justice.
Provided you can
live with the outcome.
- Good night.
- Good night, sir.
Your honor, my client,
Christine Anderson,
was ripped from her
family and kept prisoner
for almost 15 years,
a tragedy that shouldn't
be allowed to persist.
As such, we are moving
for pretrial release.
Setting aside Miss Anderson's
previous circumstances, Judge,
the severity of this
crime cannot be ignored.
She drugged and
imprisoned a nine-year-old,
- leading to a slow and painful death.
- My client is a victim,
who
suffered unfathomable trauma.
She's also a defendant who admitted
to committing these crimes.
God forbid she hurts another child.
Since you mentioned
it, we are filing a motion
to suppress Miss Anderson's
- entire confession.
- On what grounds?
Christine is incapable of
making decisions for herself.
In fact, she may not
be fit to stand trial at all.
Your Honor, a five-person
panel of physicians
deemed that she
was fit to stand trial.
And our own independent
experts who disagree.
- I'm sure you do.
- JUDGE: Enough, counselors.
My courtroom will not be reduced
to some fifth-rate
junior debate class.
Arguments will be
presented uninterrupted
in a clear and concise manner.
Are we understood?
Or do I have to bring
this into chambers?
What are we doing here, Carisi?
This is not my show.
This is all Captain Benson's idea.
So my team and I feel
that there's something,
that Mary should see
before we head into a trial.
It's
It's important.
Mary, this is a video of Leo.
And he was the same age,
then, that you were
when you were abducted.
This is before he
became a victim of abuse,
before he was wounded by the world.
There'd better be a point to all this.
And I think what you recognized in Leo
was the pain that you both carried
by being betrayed by adults.
All right, that's enough.
This is highly inappropriate.
It's important for Mary to see him
to understand who he was.
Christine, you don't
have to watch this.
Mary, I know that you thought
that you were saving him.
I know that.
But Leo wasn't you.
All right, Carisi.
Instead of saving him,
you passed on the same
trauma that you endured.
And now he's gone.
He's taken from a
mother who loved him,
friends who cared for him.
I am disgusted by both of you,
manipulating a victim.
Everyone here,
police, parents, lawyers
we are all so convinced that
we know what's best for Mary.
And throughout this,
I have watched her
shut down, and shut the world out.
But, Mary, you can't
escape the truth forever.
Right?
Has anyone even bothered
to ask you what you think?
We know what our daughter wants.
She wants to go home.
No.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
No, I
I don't.
- Sure you do, honey.
- No.
No, I can't.
I don't
E ven know what home is.
I'm sorry.
Honey.
You don't have to apologize.
And I know you're supposed
to feel like my family, but I
But I don't, I don't feel it.
And I need help, to love you.
♪
I don't wanna hurt anyone else,
and I need help not to.
And I just need some help, please.
- Christine, don't say anything more.
- No.
- We should discuss this privately.
- No, no.
I-I know what I want.
I don't wanna hurt anyone else.
Can't we just take the deal?
Yeah, we can do that.
Christine.
No, it's okay.
I'll be home someday
But not yet.
♪
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
[HORN HONKING]
[HORN HONKING]
All right.
Hold on, sorry.
- Hey.
- Mom?
- Is everything okay?
- Yeah.
Because you don't just
usually show up like this.
- It's a little weird.
- I know.
I know, but
I got off work early.
I figured I'd give you
a ride home, no biggie.
We live, like, three blocks away.
I know.
Come on.
Come on.
Everything okay at work?
Yeah, you know, the usual.
Come on.
I guess I could use some quality time.
Good.
Me too.
♪
♪