Law & Order Special Victims Unit s08e21 Episode Script
Pretend
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.
Dammit, where are you? There you are.
Idiot.
Hey, Cheryl, it's me.
Yeah, I left my phone at the salvage site this afternoon.
I just found it.
I'm not lying, Cheryl.
I was at O'Malley's watching the game.
I did not have my phone.
How could I have been avoiding your calls? That's weird.
There's a light on in the basement.
I thought I tore out all the light fixtures today.
I'll call you back.
What? Elizabeth, it's okay.
It's just a game.
Dad.
I had the best hand.
Flush beats a straight, dummy.
You sucked out on the river.
She flopped it.
I knew the heart was coming.
When did youuys become card sharks? You had a three-four, you ne.
You should have been out pre-flop when I raised.
Dad, it's your shuffle.
No, sorry.
Stabler.
I'm just losing my shirt, why? Keep playing those rags, Richard.
I will as long as you keep calling when I check-raise.
Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.
Uh, guys Go.
Dad, you're gonna miss the greatest comeback in the history of poker.
Yeah.
I already know how it's gonna end.
Watch out for the thumbtacks.
Are these part of the crime scene? Or did somebody drop them when they saw the victim? I found a few embedded in his back.
One of his tamer torture devices.
Really? This doesn't look so tame.
Is that a wiffle bat? Yeah.
But the barbed wire's real.
S&M mask, cuts all over his body Genital mutilation.
Maybe what the perp was aiming for, but he missed.
His right femoral artery was severed.
That'll give you about five minutes before you bleed out.
This much blood, cause of death is going to be hemorrhagic shock.
Hopefully, some of this blood is our killer's.
Cutting fetish? Looks like he was hit with several light tubes.
Glass is so thin, it pretty much pulverizes when it's smashed.
He's got crystallized fragments all over his body.
This mask makes it look like he was supposed to be the executioner.
Maybe it was consensual S&M gone bad.
Hands aren't bound.
No I.
D.
, huh? No.
I haven't even seen his face yet.
Can't be more than Empty house.
Who brought him here to torture him? The guy that ran past me had on a black leather mask just like the dead kid's.
So what were you doing here the same night as a murder, Tim? I left my cell phone here this afternoon.
Who else was here then? No one.
I was alone.
Doing what? Architectural salvage.
That a fancy name for looting? I have a contract with the city.
Place is scheduled for demolition.
The sconces I pulled out of here are Deco art glass.
Wrought iron grates in the window outside are beyond ornate.
You removed the security bars.
That's how they got in.
Might as well have put up an "Open House" sign.
What's wrong with you? Let me through.
I got it, Charlie.
What's the problem? They say a young boy was raped and mutilated in there.
Some kinda satanic ritual? Don't believe everything you hear.
People get bored, start making up all kind of crazy noense.
I know who did it.
Who? Darren Tolson.
He lives in that building at the end of the block.
You seen him around here tonight? I saw it on the fliers.
Plastered to his building every morning and then torn down by noon.
They say Darren Tolson is a convicted sex offender.
Says he targets young boys.
Mr.
Tolson's a model tenant.
I know, he modeled for a mug shot.
You should see his layout in the sex offender registry.
He fully disclosed that on his rental application.
And you rented it to him anyway? Who'd he beat out for the apartment? Jeffrey Dahmer? Mr.
Tolson paid his debt to society.
And he pays his rent on time.
Where do you propose ex-felons live? On the street? Yeah, I'd take an island from the nearest kid.
Then consider this an oasis.
I don't rent to couples with children.
How discriminating of you.
Well, it looks like somebody isn't as tolerant of Darren Tolson as you are.
It's from that woman who puts up the fliers.
He's got a restraining order against her.
Why don't you go arrest her for vandalism? We'll get right on it.
Mr.
Tolson? It's the landlord.
Doesn't appear to be in.
Open it up.
Not without a warrant.
Okay, we'll get one and come back around 4:00 a.
m.
We hope we don't wake you up.
He works the night shift at the Quality Bakery on Mott.
Go talk to him there.
My, what strong hands you have.
Looks like you're digging into flesh there.
Just doing my job.
All alone, I see.
Who would know if you were able to slip away for a bit? I started work at 7:00.
Look like I been slacking off? No, it looks like you're trying real hard to act unconcerned.
When cops show up to question innocent guys, they, uh They usually stop what they're doing.
Can't stop until the timer goes off.
You have to knead the dough for at least eight minutes or the bread don't rise properly.
It'll be dense.
Dense would be you thinking that you could get away with this.
Who is he, Mr.
Tolson? I've never seen him before.
So talk to us about Michael Ozello.
You confessed in court.
It's a matter of public record.
I served five years.
I haven't hurt anyone since.
And yet, another neighbor boy of yours is dead.
She sent you, right? Who's "she?" Sonia Briglund.
I get out of prison ten years ago.
Her son disappears the next day.
She hasn't stopped trying to pin it on me.
She the one putting fliers up in your building? No matter where I go, she's made my life hell.
And I never did anything to her kid.
Darren Tolson took my son.
He was never charged.
How can you be positive it was him? He'd just gotten out of prison for raping a boy a little bit older than my Joey.
The day before.
Did he have any contact with Joey before he disappeared? No.
He snatched him the first time he saw him.
From where? I let Joey go ride his bike.
This was a nice bedroom community back then.
No one told me a pedophile had moved in.
Tolson said that- that you've been stalking him ever since.
He killed me when he took Joey.
He should be in jail, but he's not.
So yeah, I keep an eye on him.
Were you watching him last night? Why, did he do something? Well, there's no evidence that indicates it was him.
But a boy was attacked.
He was killed.
How old was he? Mid-teens.
Joey would have been That's him.
That's Joey.
He was alive all this time.
That bastard had him! Our victim just got a name.
Joey Briglund.
Liv and Elliot went to pick up Tolson.
Where was he keeping him all this time? I don't know, but it'd be swell if you could figure it out.
We still have no evidence Tolson abducted or killed Joey.
Go see Novak about getting a search warrant.
Building where he was found? I didn't get a vibe anybody'd been living there a day, let alone eight years.
Uh-huh.
Excuse me? Hi, I need to talk to someone about the Riley Cuskey murder.
Who's Riley Cuskey? The boy you found last night at that old, uh, brownstone on Avenue A.
He's just been ID'd as Joey Briglund.
Well, he's not.
He's-he's Riley Cuskey.
What makes you think that? I filmed him getting killed.
Hey, Captain.
We got the abort call on Darren Tolson.
What's up? New development caught on video.
Listen up, dogs, we have a show for you.
This is Riley Cuskey.
And what you're about to see is for insane audiences only.
Tolson filmed Joey before he killed him? Tolson wasn't there, and neither was Joey.
Enjoy.
What is this? It's the video of his death.
His friend, Scott Heston, is explaining to Munch and Fin why he shot it.
You gotta be kidding me.
They're wrestling.
Extreme wrestling.
Wrestling is supposed to be fake.
What were they thinking? Dude, hold on.
You got me in the leg.
Uh, it's bleeding like a mother.
How cool is that? Hold on, I've gotta lie down.
Turn the camera off.
It was a staged fight.
With real weapons.
Let's see what else he's got to say.
So how'd you end up down in that basement, Scott? Everyone called it the Haunted House.
We tried to sneak in, but it was a fortress.
Until yesterday.
Yeah, we saw a guy hauling stuff out.
Security bars were gone.
Who's "we?" Me, Riley, and Jake.
And what's Jake's full name? I- I don't know.
He didn't go to our school.
He was a friend of Riley's from camp.
Some friend.
He didn't mean to kill him.
It was an accident.
No one ever gets seriously hurt.
Guys all over the country do it for fun, and post their videos online.
Scott says he was the one filming this.
So you left your good bud Riley to die like a stuck pig.
One minute he was laughing, the next he was dead, okay? I wanted to call the cops.
You're a day late.
He said we had to get out of there.
I told him it was an accident, you know? It wasn't his fault.
He said he would kill me if I told.
So where can we find this Jake? I don't know.
He was a friend of Riley's, not mine.
I just met him yesterday.
Got an awful lot of cuts on your hands.
Yeah, I-I do the extreme fights too.
With Riley.
We were putting together a video of highlights to sell online.
Diyou fight yesterday? No, no, I was just filming them.
Well, the thing about that is the camera never moved.
It was stationary the whole fight.
Wait-no.
No, no, no.
I- no, I went in for a close-up when he got the really bad cut.
No, no, that only happened after the masked opponent walked off camera.
No, no.
Now, both fighters were bleeding.
So DNA will tell us who the other guy was.
Look.
Riley was my best friend.
Elliot.
He's only 16.
We were just taking his eyewitness testimony.
No parental presence required.
Okay, Scott, you're gonna call your parents.
You're gonna have them come on down here and then we're gonna talk about what really happened to your friend Riley.
Scott Heston cleans up nicely.
He looks like a choir boy today.
You should have seen him on the night of March 28, when he was pummeling Riley Cuskey with fluorescent light tubes, thumbtacks, chairs, and a bat wrapped in barbed wire.
It's hard to imagine, isn't it? Luckily, you don't have to.
Because he videotaped it.
You get to watch him actually wielding those deadly weapons.
And you'll see him acting with reckless disregard for human life.
Engaging in acts that brought about the death of Riley Cuskey.
Now in the video, Scott wears a mask, but you'll hear the confession he gave to detectives, admitting it was him, after he initially lied and claimed it was someone else.
Frankie Campbell.
You may not recognize the name.
He was a boxer who died after receiving a knock-out blow from Max Baer, Sr.
in 1930.
Now, Baer never received any jail time because the fatal blow was delivered during a sporting event.
A consensual activity.
Just like what my client was engaged in.
Now, the prosecution is going to try to paint Scott Heston as a homicidal killer.
Hmm.
And there are places in the tape where he looks like one.
But so does Riley Cuskey.
Why, you're gonna see Riley beating my client with that barbed wire bat, with these light bulbs and chairs.
You're gonna see him looking like he wants to kill my client.
Now, I'm not speaking ill of a dead boy.
They both appeared crazed because that was part of the game.
Riley Cuskey and Scott Heston were best friends.
And they staged these fights all the time.
And what happened was tragic, but it was an accident.
There was no intent.
What there was were mitigating circumstances.
Scott is clinically depressed.
How long have you been his psychiatrist, Dr.
Cohen? His parents first brought him to see me last fall.
Does Scott participate in these extreme fighting events because he, well, he wants to hurt someone else? No, for Scott, the coping device isn't inflicting pain in others.
It's receiving pain himself.
So what you're saying is, Scott's not a sadist; he's a masochist.
Some people become so depressed, they cease to feel anything.
In extreme cases, they'll purposely inflict pain on themselves just to feel anything at all.
Dr.
Cohen, with all due respect, isn't the symptom you're describing more aptly applied to teenage girls who cut themselves? That's exactly what it's like.
Isn't the point of cutting that they're hurting themselves, that they're in control of the pain? Yes.
Well, if that's truly what Scott is suffering from, why didn't he just hurt himself? Because cutting is considered a girl's disorder.
Boys don't see it as a socially acceptable outlet.
Are you implying that beating each other to a bloody pulp is? Historically and culturally, yes.
Miss Novak? Yes? The court officer at the door pointed you out to me.
I'm Cassandra Sullivan.
I was Riley's girlfriend.
Of course, of course.
His parents told me how close you two were.
I- I'm so sorry.
So am I.
You haven't been attending the trial.
I couldn't.
Scott was Riley's best friend, so he was my best friend too.
He's going to prison, isn't he? They just called to tell me the jury was back with a verdict, so He keeps writing me, telling me how sorry he is.
Did he write about what happened? No, just that he wishes it had been him, not Riley.
Listen, I have to go in.
You wanna come with me? Okay.
Has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
On the first count of the indictment, murder in the second degree, how does the jury find? We find the defendant not guilty.
On the second count of the indictment, manslaughter in the second degree, how does the jury find? We find the defendant not guilty.
On the third count of the indictment, criminally negligent homicide, how does the jury find? We find the defendant guilty.
The defendant is released into the custody of his parents until sentencing.
The jury is dismissed with the Court's thanks.
Cassandra.
No, Cassandra, wait.
Hold it.
Yes? Mrs.
Sullivan? No, I'm Mrs.
Farrell.
My foster daughter's last name is Sullivan.
Is she in? Every time I get a new foster home, I get a new school.
Riley was nice to me right away.
Was it serious? Yeah.
What about with Scott? I saw how he looked at you in the courtroom today.
He's in love with you, isn't he? Yes.
Did Riley know? No, I told Scott he never could.
So you were dating Scott on the side? I feel horrible, okay? It only happened once, but he wouldn't let it go.
Cassandra, this changes everything.
If Scott had a motive to kill your boyfriend, it might not have been an accident.
I know it wasn't.
How? Did Scott confess to you? No.
I had a physiology/anatomy class with Scott.
A week before it happened, we learned about the femoral artery- if it's cut, how quickly a person can exsanguinate.
What? That means bleed to death.
We've got a bigger mess than that.
Scott Heston just got away with murder.
I heard you got him on the E felony.
Yeah, which could get him four years or as little as probation.
Now I find out that he was obsessed with Riley's girlfriend and just learned his quick and effective killing technique in a science class.
Motive, opportunity, and intent.
And Double Jeopardy.
I can't retry him.
You can still make sure he gets the max.
Yeah, it would help if Cassandra would speak at his sentencing hearing, but she won't.
Why not? Guilt.
She thinks that it's her fault that he killed Riley.
Well, look, even if she did speak, it's still circumstantial.
We need a confession.
Man, I'm freakin' screwed.
Dude, you think you're in trouble? Last night, I used my dad's credit card to play online poker, and lost 1,000 bucks.
That sucks, man.
Tell me about it.
You boys be careful.
Scotty's friendships don't end too well.
Later.
What's your problem? Being played by a punk like you.
We know about Cassandra.
What about her? You were banging your best friend's girl.
No, I wasn't.
She chose Riley, not you.
That's why you killed him.
Hoping that you'd get her by default? I don't know where you're getting this.
Not too swift.
Maybe too many blows to the head with a barbed wire bat.
Whatever.
It's a good thing you like pain, Scotty.
You're gonna have plenty of chances to be on the receiving end your four years in prison.
The judge might go easier on you if you take responsibility for what you did.
Look, I just lost my two best friends.
One's dead, and the other's never gonna talk to me again, okay? You think I care what happens to me? No.
Nothing matters now.
See you at sentencing.
I can't speak at the sentencing hearing.
Cassandra, hold on.
What Scott did wasn't your fault.
Yes, it was.
I led him on.
Were you in love with Scott? No.
Riley's the only person I ever loved.
Then why did you cheat on him? He dumped me once.
Said I was too needy.
I was devastated.
I went to Scott, screaming and crying, begged him to talk to Riley for me.
He hugged me and it just happened.
Cassandra.
Scott took advantage of you.
I've been shuttled between foster homes my whole life.
I never felt wanted.
Scott wanted me more than anything.
I understand.
But you didn't stay with him, did you? Riley and I got back together the next day.
I was so stupid.
I can't believe I did that to him.
If you want to make amends, you'll speak for Riley at that hearing.
Don't you think you at least owe him that? Okay.
Good.
Before I pronounce sentence, does anybody wish to be heard? Yes, Your Honor.
The parents of the victim are in the court and would like to make a victim impact statement.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Cuskey My name is Virginia Cuskey, and this is my husband, Sam.
On March 28th, we lost the most precious thing in our lives.
Our only son, Riley.
Where's Cassandra? I talked to her an hour ago.
She said she was walking out the door.
I told her we'd be in Part 17.
Would you go check and make sure she's not wandering around the courthouse, lost? Scott's parents get to see him move on with his life.
It is unbearable that I will never get to see my son go to a prom, graduate from high school, get married, have children Have her call me on this number if you hear from her first.
Thank you.
Where is she? The foster mother said that she left the apartment right after she talked to me.
She got cold feet.
Well, you don't think that Scott did something to her, do you? No, Novak said Gates had him here an hour early rehearsing his crocodile tears.
Riley and me both sucked at sports.
Neither of us ever made a school team.
Which just made us losers.
Then we found extreme fighting, and we were gods.
I mean, it's-it's the only time we ever really felt alive.
We watched the videos online for hours, you know, copied all the moves.
No one ever died doing it before.
I lost my best friend.
My only consolation is that Riley died doing what he loved.
I am going to have to live with what I did to him for the rest of my life.
Which I expect will suck.
I'm sorry.
More than you'll ever know.
Thank you.
Has everyone spoken who would like to be heard? I have one more person on her way if the court will indulge in a brief recess, Your Honor.
These proceedings have gone on for some time, Ms.
Novak.
If she's not here by now, I don't think she's coming.
I'm ready to pronounce sentence.
Five years probation.
It's not even a slap on the wrist.
He did have to sit through that stern lecture from the judge.
Well, at least she made continuing therapy a condition of his probation.
He'd been seeing that shrink for six months when he killed Riley.
Maybe he should order he find a new one.
Now she calls.
Hello.
Mrs.
Farrell? Mrs.
Farrell, you gotta calm down.
I can't-I can't understand a word you're saying.
I will meet you there.
I'll meet you at the hospital.
Cassandra was hit by a car.
What was the intersection? Avenue A and Third Street.
Do you know the exact time she was hit? Between 9:45 and 10:00.
Had to be Scott.
I don't know how.
Unless Gates is covering for him.
He was supposed to have been at the courthouse then.
You know these cameras don't automatically take pictures of accidents.
They're only triggered when a car runs a red light.
Witness said it was an old, black Beemer approaching from the north, ran the red light, andclipped her in the middle of the crosswalk.
On her way to court.
No way in hell this was an accident.
Here it is.
Wow, he really nailed her.
New York tag.
SRO-2876- I'll have a name and address for you in a jiff.
Can you zoom in on the driver? Mm-hmm.
That's not Scott.
No, it's not, but I've seen him before.
With Scott.
It wasn't me.
It sure looks like you.
And he's driving your pop's car.
Keith.
Dad, I'm sorry.
Now, weren't you already in trouble with him for stealing gambling money? What? You're in for a big surprise on your next credit card bill.
You need all the plastic you got.
Good defense attorneys don't come cheap.
This girl dead? Not for lack of trying- she's got a broken leg and her jaw's been wired shut.
She came out of nowhere.
Did you decide all on your own to go out and mow down Cassandra Sullivan? No.
Keith, you're looking at attempted murder.
Now, right now, trust me, you wanna share the pain.
I wasn't trying to kill her.
I was just trying to mess her up a little bit.
Why? I needed the money.
How much did he give you? Okay.
Who hired you? Who hired you? Scott.
We just arrested Scott Heston.
Why? He's the one who had this done to you, Cassandra.
So you wouldn't speak at his hearing.
I'm so sorry that we let this happen to you.
What now? Well, he's gonna go away this time.
Attempted murder could get him 25 years.
You should get some sleep now, okay? I'll come visit you tomorrow.
Excuse me, they told me that a detective was visiting Cassandra- is that you? Yes, Detective Benson.
Is she as bad as she looks? The tibia is snapped clean through.
But the jaw's just a hairline fracture.
And the wire can come off in a week or two.
Okay, thank you.
Um Detective, this is somewhat awkward, but I'm not sure who I should report it to.
Report what? The admission records say she's 16.
Yeah, she is.
On the X-ray of her jaw, I noticed she didn't have any buds.
Sorry, what are buds? Undescended wisdom teeth.
They don't come in until you reach adulthood.
Right When I was wiring her, I noticed that she had scars where her wisdom teeth had been extracted.
So what does that mean? Cassandra can't be 16.
Judging from how well the scars are healed over, I'd say she has to be in her mid to late 20s.
Cassandra Sullivan- her foster parents say that you placed her with them last November.
Here we go.
Ah, no, I need to see all the files.
This is it.
Well, it can't be.
She's been in foster care her whole life.
She's been through countless homes.
Not that we placed her in.
A social worker found her sleeping at Penn Station last October.
Where did she come from? Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Says she'd been living in a juvenile group facility there.
Did you get a copy of her birth certificate or Social Security card? Not many runaways think to take those.
We called A.
C.
S.
requesting them.
It appears we're still waiting.
Allentown A.
C.
S.
has no record of a Cassandra Sullivan.
What's that? No student by that name was enrolled in their school system last year.
So Cassandra lied about whershe came from.
Not necessarily.
PA social worker remembers a girl with basically the same story.
They found her at a bus stop, no I.
D.
A.
C.
S.
in the state she claims she came from, they never heard of her.
What'd they do with her? Well, by the time they got suspicious, she was in the wind.
They're emailing me her school I.
D.
right now.
That's Cassandra Sullivan.
Well, Allentown Warner High knew her as little Loretta Sheridan.
I guess she didn't like that name.
What she likes is being 16.
She was a sophomore there too.
This was five years ago.
Yeah, I wonder how many times she repeated the tenth grade.
"I'm Cassandra Sullivan.
I'm 16.
" We know that's not true.
The thing about high school photos they got a way of coming back and embarrassing us.
Of course it is, Loretta.
Well, whatever your name is.
You're over 21, right? No! How long have you been doing this? Whyhave you been doing this? I hated tenth grade.
Go away.
We're not going anywhere until we sort this out.
Now, I'm sorry for everything that you've been through, but this is a completely separate matter.
What? You're an adult.
You shouldn't still be in foster care.
And you definitely shouldn't be dating high school guys.
"Riley's dead.
I'll never date again.
" Cassandra, I'm sorry.
Cassandra, you've gotta calm down.
You can't cry with your mouth wired shut.
You're not gonna be able to breathe.
Here, take a sip of water.
All right, you calm down.
Relax, relax, relax.
All right, get some rest.
But we're gonna be back to talk about this.
Denise Pickering, arrested for shoplifting in Detroit.
Who's Denise Pickering? Cassandra Sullivan.
AKA.
Loretta Sheridan, AKA who knows who else? She was 16 at the time of her arrest? That makes her 28 now.
Gotta give her one thing.
She does look good for her age.
The address listed on the report, that was her very first foster family.
Child services had removed her from an abusive home.
Foster mom said that she was in bad shape when she came in, but a happy kid by the time she aged out at 18.
So happy she didn't want to leave, apparently.
So, what, she just went from state to state sneaking back into foster care for the next 12 years? I think so.
Does she realize she could go to jail for theft over this? She's fraudulently been receiving a free education and free foster care from the state.
I think our biggest problem is we have a grown woman attending high school with a bunch of kids.
Not anymore.
Yank her out and notify A.
C.
S.
to cut all services.
What is gonna happen to her? Because I think psychologically, she still is a kid.
She's never taken care of herself.
Well, she's pushing 30.
It's time to grow up.
But I'll help her find some counseling.
If a cold chill just ran up your spine, it's because a defense attorney just walked in here.
I need to report a rape.
One of your clients take advantage of you, Mr.
Gates? No, one of my clients was raped.
I'm the outcry witness.
And who's that? Scott Heston.
Scott Heston was attacked in prison? No, in high school, by a 28-year-old woman posing as a student.
You gotta be kidding me with this.
No, I'm serious as a heart attack.
Cassandra Sullivan, or whatever her real name is, committed statutory rape.
I want her arrested.
And I want your sex crimes D.
A.
to prosecute.
Hold on.
You want Casey to prosecute the girl whose boyfriend that he killed? The girl that he tried to have murdered? Well, maybe that's why he did it.
Maybe he was suffering from rape trauma syndrome.
That's what this is about.
It's a legal tactic.
Scott's attempted murder trial is coming up and you need smoke and mirrors for the jury.
I hear that you found out about her weeks ago.
How come you haven't arrested her? They had sex once.
Detective Stabler.
I'm shocked by your double standard.
Is that what you'd say to an underage female victim who'd just been seduced by a lecherous old man? He seduced her.
So the victim was asking for it? Stat rape is a liability crime.
And you do not have discretion on whether to charge or not.
They kicked me out of school, out of foster care.
Everything I own in the world is in those two garbage bags.
If you hadn't gotten me into this shelter, I'd be living on the street.
I want you to take the plea.
I didn't rape anybody.
Technically, you did.
I'm only 16.
You're gonna have to drop that act, Denise.
My name is Cassandra.
If you don't take the plea, I'm gonna have to take you to trial.
Scott's gonna be transported from Rikers to testify against you.
I am not gonna admit to something I didn't do.
The sentence for rape three is 11/3 to 3 years.
I'm offering you probation.
Only if I admit that I'm that woman, and I'm not.
I wanna go to court to clear my name.
Then we're gonna have to find you a good public defender.
I don't want one.
I wanna defend myself.
Did you have sex with the defendant? I did.
And what age did you believe her to be at that time? And what did you later discover her true age to be? How did that make you feel? Sick to my stomach.
Creeped out.
Like all the kids back at school knew and were laughing at me.
Embarrassed and humiliated.
Nothing further.
Does the defense have any questions for this witness? I do, Your Honor.
Miss Pickering, the Court reminds you you're strongly advised to consult your court-appointed attorney, should you need to, regarding permissible lines of questioning.
Thank you, Your Honor, I will.
You stated that we had sex? You know we did.
Did I ask you out? No.
On the one night in question, did I make a pass at you? Yes, you wrapped your arms around me and pressed your body against mine.
I was crying on your shoulder.
Make that a question, Miss Pickering.
That's not my name.
You were crying over my friend Riley who had just dumped your skanky ass.
Objection.
You can't object, Miss Pickering.
Watch your language, Mr.
Heston.
My best friend, Riley, who you also tricked into screwing you because he thought you were 16 like I did.
I am 16.
You took advantage of us.
You're disgusting.
I'm disgusting? You're disgusting, calling Riley your friend after what you did to him.
Bailiff, take the jury out.
You murdered him.
I only killed him because of you.
It's your fault, you freak.
Court officer! Stop it.
I hate you.
Son, calm down.
Freak! Remove him from the court.
Get him out of here.
I got him to admit he killed Riley.
Was that your plan all along? Yes.
So pretending to think that you were really 16 was all just an act.
No.
I was gonna have to call witnesses to prove who you really are.
There's one I'd like you to see.
Mrs.
Hayes, you can come in now.
Denise.
You don't remember me? No.
I'm Jeannie Hayes.
You came to stay with us in Detroit.
A long time ago.
I'm so sorry.
You must have me confused with someone else.
I brought pictures.
The girl in the photo looks happy.
That's you, silly.
You loved that swing.
Used to spend hours on it.
Then you aged out of foster care, and you had to leave us.
They dumped me on the street.
I had no place to go.
That wasn't me.
It was the system.
They cut off the money.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I couldn't afford to keep you.
I was 18.
No one prepared me to go out in the world alone.
You were the first person who ever took care of me.
I really just wanted that back.
I'll have to refile, but I think I can get her to take the plea now.
I doubt the other DAs will be as lenient.
What other DAs? Her story got picked up on the news wire.
Other boys are coming forward.
Statute of limitations has run out on some of them, but not all of them.
Martin Lynch, from Catterick High in Indiana.
Harlan Stell from your school in Maryland.
Roy Fox from Park View, New Jersey.
Do you remember them? You had sex with those boys.
They were my high school sweethearts.
Riley wasn't the love of your life.
You didn't love any of them.
I did.
I loved them all.
So why'd you leave them? They got older.
I didn't.
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.
Dammit, where are you? There you are.
Idiot.
Hey, Cheryl, it's me.
Yeah, I left my phone at the salvage site this afternoon.
I just found it.
I'm not lying, Cheryl.
I was at O'Malley's watching the game.
I did not have my phone.
How could I have been avoiding your calls? That's weird.
There's a light on in the basement.
I thought I tore out all the light fixtures today.
I'll call you back.
What? Elizabeth, it's okay.
It's just a game.
Dad.
I had the best hand.
Flush beats a straight, dummy.
You sucked out on the river.
She flopped it.
I knew the heart was coming.
When did youuys become card sharks? You had a three-four, you ne.
You should have been out pre-flop when I raised.
Dad, it's your shuffle.
No, sorry.
Stabler.
I'm just losing my shirt, why? Keep playing those rags, Richard.
I will as long as you keep calling when I check-raise.
Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.
Uh, guys Go.
Dad, you're gonna miss the greatest comeback in the history of poker.
Yeah.
I already know how it's gonna end.
Watch out for the thumbtacks.
Are these part of the crime scene? Or did somebody drop them when they saw the victim? I found a few embedded in his back.
One of his tamer torture devices.
Really? This doesn't look so tame.
Is that a wiffle bat? Yeah.
But the barbed wire's real.
S&M mask, cuts all over his body Genital mutilation.
Maybe what the perp was aiming for, but he missed.
His right femoral artery was severed.
That'll give you about five minutes before you bleed out.
This much blood, cause of death is going to be hemorrhagic shock.
Hopefully, some of this blood is our killer's.
Cutting fetish? Looks like he was hit with several light tubes.
Glass is so thin, it pretty much pulverizes when it's smashed.
He's got crystallized fragments all over his body.
This mask makes it look like he was supposed to be the executioner.
Maybe it was consensual S&M gone bad.
Hands aren't bound.
No I.
D.
, huh? No.
I haven't even seen his face yet.
Can't be more than Empty house.
Who brought him here to torture him? The guy that ran past me had on a black leather mask just like the dead kid's.
So what were you doing here the same night as a murder, Tim? I left my cell phone here this afternoon.
Who else was here then? No one.
I was alone.
Doing what? Architectural salvage.
That a fancy name for looting? I have a contract with the city.
Place is scheduled for demolition.
The sconces I pulled out of here are Deco art glass.
Wrought iron grates in the window outside are beyond ornate.
You removed the security bars.
That's how they got in.
Might as well have put up an "Open House" sign.
What's wrong with you? Let me through.
I got it, Charlie.
What's the problem? They say a young boy was raped and mutilated in there.
Some kinda satanic ritual? Don't believe everything you hear.
People get bored, start making up all kind of crazy noense.
I know who did it.
Who? Darren Tolson.
He lives in that building at the end of the block.
You seen him around here tonight? I saw it on the fliers.
Plastered to his building every morning and then torn down by noon.
They say Darren Tolson is a convicted sex offender.
Says he targets young boys.
Mr.
Tolson's a model tenant.
I know, he modeled for a mug shot.
You should see his layout in the sex offender registry.
He fully disclosed that on his rental application.
And you rented it to him anyway? Who'd he beat out for the apartment? Jeffrey Dahmer? Mr.
Tolson paid his debt to society.
And he pays his rent on time.
Where do you propose ex-felons live? On the street? Yeah, I'd take an island from the nearest kid.
Then consider this an oasis.
I don't rent to couples with children.
How discriminating of you.
Well, it looks like somebody isn't as tolerant of Darren Tolson as you are.
It's from that woman who puts up the fliers.
He's got a restraining order against her.
Why don't you go arrest her for vandalism? We'll get right on it.
Mr.
Tolson? It's the landlord.
Doesn't appear to be in.
Open it up.
Not without a warrant.
Okay, we'll get one and come back around 4:00 a.
m.
We hope we don't wake you up.
He works the night shift at the Quality Bakery on Mott.
Go talk to him there.
My, what strong hands you have.
Looks like you're digging into flesh there.
Just doing my job.
All alone, I see.
Who would know if you were able to slip away for a bit? I started work at 7:00.
Look like I been slacking off? No, it looks like you're trying real hard to act unconcerned.
When cops show up to question innocent guys, they, uh They usually stop what they're doing.
Can't stop until the timer goes off.
You have to knead the dough for at least eight minutes or the bread don't rise properly.
It'll be dense.
Dense would be you thinking that you could get away with this.
Who is he, Mr.
Tolson? I've never seen him before.
So talk to us about Michael Ozello.
You confessed in court.
It's a matter of public record.
I served five years.
I haven't hurt anyone since.
And yet, another neighbor boy of yours is dead.
She sent you, right? Who's "she?" Sonia Briglund.
I get out of prison ten years ago.
Her son disappears the next day.
She hasn't stopped trying to pin it on me.
She the one putting fliers up in your building? No matter where I go, she's made my life hell.
And I never did anything to her kid.
Darren Tolson took my son.
He was never charged.
How can you be positive it was him? He'd just gotten out of prison for raping a boy a little bit older than my Joey.
The day before.
Did he have any contact with Joey before he disappeared? No.
He snatched him the first time he saw him.
From where? I let Joey go ride his bike.
This was a nice bedroom community back then.
No one told me a pedophile had moved in.
Tolson said that- that you've been stalking him ever since.
He killed me when he took Joey.
He should be in jail, but he's not.
So yeah, I keep an eye on him.
Were you watching him last night? Why, did he do something? Well, there's no evidence that indicates it was him.
But a boy was attacked.
He was killed.
How old was he? Mid-teens.
Joey would have been That's him.
That's Joey.
He was alive all this time.
That bastard had him! Our victim just got a name.
Joey Briglund.
Liv and Elliot went to pick up Tolson.
Where was he keeping him all this time? I don't know, but it'd be swell if you could figure it out.
We still have no evidence Tolson abducted or killed Joey.
Go see Novak about getting a search warrant.
Building where he was found? I didn't get a vibe anybody'd been living there a day, let alone eight years.
Uh-huh.
Excuse me? Hi, I need to talk to someone about the Riley Cuskey murder.
Who's Riley Cuskey? The boy you found last night at that old, uh, brownstone on Avenue A.
He's just been ID'd as Joey Briglund.
Well, he's not.
He's-he's Riley Cuskey.
What makes you think that? I filmed him getting killed.
Hey, Captain.
We got the abort call on Darren Tolson.
What's up? New development caught on video.
Listen up, dogs, we have a show for you.
This is Riley Cuskey.
And what you're about to see is for insane audiences only.
Tolson filmed Joey before he killed him? Tolson wasn't there, and neither was Joey.
Enjoy.
What is this? It's the video of his death.
His friend, Scott Heston, is explaining to Munch and Fin why he shot it.
You gotta be kidding me.
They're wrestling.
Extreme wrestling.
Wrestling is supposed to be fake.
What were they thinking? Dude, hold on.
You got me in the leg.
Uh, it's bleeding like a mother.
How cool is that? Hold on, I've gotta lie down.
Turn the camera off.
It was a staged fight.
With real weapons.
Let's see what else he's got to say.
So how'd you end up down in that basement, Scott? Everyone called it the Haunted House.
We tried to sneak in, but it was a fortress.
Until yesterday.
Yeah, we saw a guy hauling stuff out.
Security bars were gone.
Who's "we?" Me, Riley, and Jake.
And what's Jake's full name? I- I don't know.
He didn't go to our school.
He was a friend of Riley's from camp.
Some friend.
He didn't mean to kill him.
It was an accident.
No one ever gets seriously hurt.
Guys all over the country do it for fun, and post their videos online.
Scott says he was the one filming this.
So you left your good bud Riley to die like a stuck pig.
One minute he was laughing, the next he was dead, okay? I wanted to call the cops.
You're a day late.
He said we had to get out of there.
I told him it was an accident, you know? It wasn't his fault.
He said he would kill me if I told.
So where can we find this Jake? I don't know.
He was a friend of Riley's, not mine.
I just met him yesterday.
Got an awful lot of cuts on your hands.
Yeah, I-I do the extreme fights too.
With Riley.
We were putting together a video of highlights to sell online.
Diyou fight yesterday? No, no, I was just filming them.
Well, the thing about that is the camera never moved.
It was stationary the whole fight.
Wait-no.
No, no, no.
I- no, I went in for a close-up when he got the really bad cut.
No, no, that only happened after the masked opponent walked off camera.
No, no.
Now, both fighters were bleeding.
So DNA will tell us who the other guy was.
Look.
Riley was my best friend.
Elliot.
He's only 16.
We were just taking his eyewitness testimony.
No parental presence required.
Okay, Scott, you're gonna call your parents.
You're gonna have them come on down here and then we're gonna talk about what really happened to your friend Riley.
Scott Heston cleans up nicely.
He looks like a choir boy today.
You should have seen him on the night of March 28, when he was pummeling Riley Cuskey with fluorescent light tubes, thumbtacks, chairs, and a bat wrapped in barbed wire.
It's hard to imagine, isn't it? Luckily, you don't have to.
Because he videotaped it.
You get to watch him actually wielding those deadly weapons.
And you'll see him acting with reckless disregard for human life.
Engaging in acts that brought about the death of Riley Cuskey.
Now in the video, Scott wears a mask, but you'll hear the confession he gave to detectives, admitting it was him, after he initially lied and claimed it was someone else.
Frankie Campbell.
You may not recognize the name.
He was a boxer who died after receiving a knock-out blow from Max Baer, Sr.
in 1930.
Now, Baer never received any jail time because the fatal blow was delivered during a sporting event.
A consensual activity.
Just like what my client was engaged in.
Now, the prosecution is going to try to paint Scott Heston as a homicidal killer.
Hmm.
And there are places in the tape where he looks like one.
But so does Riley Cuskey.
Why, you're gonna see Riley beating my client with that barbed wire bat, with these light bulbs and chairs.
You're gonna see him looking like he wants to kill my client.
Now, I'm not speaking ill of a dead boy.
They both appeared crazed because that was part of the game.
Riley Cuskey and Scott Heston were best friends.
And they staged these fights all the time.
And what happened was tragic, but it was an accident.
There was no intent.
What there was were mitigating circumstances.
Scott is clinically depressed.
How long have you been his psychiatrist, Dr.
Cohen? His parents first brought him to see me last fall.
Does Scott participate in these extreme fighting events because he, well, he wants to hurt someone else? No, for Scott, the coping device isn't inflicting pain in others.
It's receiving pain himself.
So what you're saying is, Scott's not a sadist; he's a masochist.
Some people become so depressed, they cease to feel anything.
In extreme cases, they'll purposely inflict pain on themselves just to feel anything at all.
Dr.
Cohen, with all due respect, isn't the symptom you're describing more aptly applied to teenage girls who cut themselves? That's exactly what it's like.
Isn't the point of cutting that they're hurting themselves, that they're in control of the pain? Yes.
Well, if that's truly what Scott is suffering from, why didn't he just hurt himself? Because cutting is considered a girl's disorder.
Boys don't see it as a socially acceptable outlet.
Are you implying that beating each other to a bloody pulp is? Historically and culturally, yes.
Miss Novak? Yes? The court officer at the door pointed you out to me.
I'm Cassandra Sullivan.
I was Riley's girlfriend.
Of course, of course.
His parents told me how close you two were.
I- I'm so sorry.
So am I.
You haven't been attending the trial.
I couldn't.
Scott was Riley's best friend, so he was my best friend too.
He's going to prison, isn't he? They just called to tell me the jury was back with a verdict, so He keeps writing me, telling me how sorry he is.
Did he write about what happened? No, just that he wishes it had been him, not Riley.
Listen, I have to go in.
You wanna come with me? Okay.
Has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
On the first count of the indictment, murder in the second degree, how does the jury find? We find the defendant not guilty.
On the second count of the indictment, manslaughter in the second degree, how does the jury find? We find the defendant not guilty.
On the third count of the indictment, criminally negligent homicide, how does the jury find? We find the defendant guilty.
The defendant is released into the custody of his parents until sentencing.
The jury is dismissed with the Court's thanks.
Cassandra.
No, Cassandra, wait.
Hold it.
Yes? Mrs.
Sullivan? No, I'm Mrs.
Farrell.
My foster daughter's last name is Sullivan.
Is she in? Every time I get a new foster home, I get a new school.
Riley was nice to me right away.
Was it serious? Yeah.
What about with Scott? I saw how he looked at you in the courtroom today.
He's in love with you, isn't he? Yes.
Did Riley know? No, I told Scott he never could.
So you were dating Scott on the side? I feel horrible, okay? It only happened once, but he wouldn't let it go.
Cassandra, this changes everything.
If Scott had a motive to kill your boyfriend, it might not have been an accident.
I know it wasn't.
How? Did Scott confess to you? No.
I had a physiology/anatomy class with Scott.
A week before it happened, we learned about the femoral artery- if it's cut, how quickly a person can exsanguinate.
What? That means bleed to death.
We've got a bigger mess than that.
Scott Heston just got away with murder.
I heard you got him on the E felony.
Yeah, which could get him four years or as little as probation.
Now I find out that he was obsessed with Riley's girlfriend and just learned his quick and effective killing technique in a science class.
Motive, opportunity, and intent.
And Double Jeopardy.
I can't retry him.
You can still make sure he gets the max.
Yeah, it would help if Cassandra would speak at his sentencing hearing, but she won't.
Why not? Guilt.
She thinks that it's her fault that he killed Riley.
Well, look, even if she did speak, it's still circumstantial.
We need a confession.
Man, I'm freakin' screwed.
Dude, you think you're in trouble? Last night, I used my dad's credit card to play online poker, and lost 1,000 bucks.
That sucks, man.
Tell me about it.
You boys be careful.
Scotty's friendships don't end too well.
Later.
What's your problem? Being played by a punk like you.
We know about Cassandra.
What about her? You were banging your best friend's girl.
No, I wasn't.
She chose Riley, not you.
That's why you killed him.
Hoping that you'd get her by default? I don't know where you're getting this.
Not too swift.
Maybe too many blows to the head with a barbed wire bat.
Whatever.
It's a good thing you like pain, Scotty.
You're gonna have plenty of chances to be on the receiving end your four years in prison.
The judge might go easier on you if you take responsibility for what you did.
Look, I just lost my two best friends.
One's dead, and the other's never gonna talk to me again, okay? You think I care what happens to me? No.
Nothing matters now.
See you at sentencing.
I can't speak at the sentencing hearing.
Cassandra, hold on.
What Scott did wasn't your fault.
Yes, it was.
I led him on.
Were you in love with Scott? No.
Riley's the only person I ever loved.
Then why did you cheat on him? He dumped me once.
Said I was too needy.
I was devastated.
I went to Scott, screaming and crying, begged him to talk to Riley for me.
He hugged me and it just happened.
Cassandra.
Scott took advantage of you.
I've been shuttled between foster homes my whole life.
I never felt wanted.
Scott wanted me more than anything.
I understand.
But you didn't stay with him, did you? Riley and I got back together the next day.
I was so stupid.
I can't believe I did that to him.
If you want to make amends, you'll speak for Riley at that hearing.
Don't you think you at least owe him that? Okay.
Good.
Before I pronounce sentence, does anybody wish to be heard? Yes, Your Honor.
The parents of the victim are in the court and would like to make a victim impact statement.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Cuskey My name is Virginia Cuskey, and this is my husband, Sam.
On March 28th, we lost the most precious thing in our lives.
Our only son, Riley.
Where's Cassandra? I talked to her an hour ago.
She said she was walking out the door.
I told her we'd be in Part 17.
Would you go check and make sure she's not wandering around the courthouse, lost? Scott's parents get to see him move on with his life.
It is unbearable that I will never get to see my son go to a prom, graduate from high school, get married, have children Have her call me on this number if you hear from her first.
Thank you.
Where is she? The foster mother said that she left the apartment right after she talked to me.
She got cold feet.
Well, you don't think that Scott did something to her, do you? No, Novak said Gates had him here an hour early rehearsing his crocodile tears.
Riley and me both sucked at sports.
Neither of us ever made a school team.
Which just made us losers.
Then we found extreme fighting, and we were gods.
I mean, it's-it's the only time we ever really felt alive.
We watched the videos online for hours, you know, copied all the moves.
No one ever died doing it before.
I lost my best friend.
My only consolation is that Riley died doing what he loved.
I am going to have to live with what I did to him for the rest of my life.
Which I expect will suck.
I'm sorry.
More than you'll ever know.
Thank you.
Has everyone spoken who would like to be heard? I have one more person on her way if the court will indulge in a brief recess, Your Honor.
These proceedings have gone on for some time, Ms.
Novak.
If she's not here by now, I don't think she's coming.
I'm ready to pronounce sentence.
Five years probation.
It's not even a slap on the wrist.
He did have to sit through that stern lecture from the judge.
Well, at least she made continuing therapy a condition of his probation.
He'd been seeing that shrink for six months when he killed Riley.
Maybe he should order he find a new one.
Now she calls.
Hello.
Mrs.
Farrell? Mrs.
Farrell, you gotta calm down.
I can't-I can't understand a word you're saying.
I will meet you there.
I'll meet you at the hospital.
Cassandra was hit by a car.
What was the intersection? Avenue A and Third Street.
Do you know the exact time she was hit? Between 9:45 and 10:00.
Had to be Scott.
I don't know how.
Unless Gates is covering for him.
He was supposed to have been at the courthouse then.
You know these cameras don't automatically take pictures of accidents.
They're only triggered when a car runs a red light.
Witness said it was an old, black Beemer approaching from the north, ran the red light, andclipped her in the middle of the crosswalk.
On her way to court.
No way in hell this was an accident.
Here it is.
Wow, he really nailed her.
New York tag.
SRO-2876- I'll have a name and address for you in a jiff.
Can you zoom in on the driver? Mm-hmm.
That's not Scott.
No, it's not, but I've seen him before.
With Scott.
It wasn't me.
It sure looks like you.
And he's driving your pop's car.
Keith.
Dad, I'm sorry.
Now, weren't you already in trouble with him for stealing gambling money? What? You're in for a big surprise on your next credit card bill.
You need all the plastic you got.
Good defense attorneys don't come cheap.
This girl dead? Not for lack of trying- she's got a broken leg and her jaw's been wired shut.
She came out of nowhere.
Did you decide all on your own to go out and mow down Cassandra Sullivan? No.
Keith, you're looking at attempted murder.
Now, right now, trust me, you wanna share the pain.
I wasn't trying to kill her.
I was just trying to mess her up a little bit.
Why? I needed the money.
How much did he give you? Okay.
Who hired you? Who hired you? Scott.
We just arrested Scott Heston.
Why? He's the one who had this done to you, Cassandra.
So you wouldn't speak at his hearing.
I'm so sorry that we let this happen to you.
What now? Well, he's gonna go away this time.
Attempted murder could get him 25 years.
You should get some sleep now, okay? I'll come visit you tomorrow.
Excuse me, they told me that a detective was visiting Cassandra- is that you? Yes, Detective Benson.
Is she as bad as she looks? The tibia is snapped clean through.
But the jaw's just a hairline fracture.
And the wire can come off in a week or two.
Okay, thank you.
Um Detective, this is somewhat awkward, but I'm not sure who I should report it to.
Report what? The admission records say she's 16.
Yeah, she is.
On the X-ray of her jaw, I noticed she didn't have any buds.
Sorry, what are buds? Undescended wisdom teeth.
They don't come in until you reach adulthood.
Right When I was wiring her, I noticed that she had scars where her wisdom teeth had been extracted.
So what does that mean? Cassandra can't be 16.
Judging from how well the scars are healed over, I'd say she has to be in her mid to late 20s.
Cassandra Sullivan- her foster parents say that you placed her with them last November.
Here we go.
Ah, no, I need to see all the files.
This is it.
Well, it can't be.
She's been in foster care her whole life.
She's been through countless homes.
Not that we placed her in.
A social worker found her sleeping at Penn Station last October.
Where did she come from? Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Says she'd been living in a juvenile group facility there.
Did you get a copy of her birth certificate or Social Security card? Not many runaways think to take those.
We called A.
C.
S.
requesting them.
It appears we're still waiting.
Allentown A.
C.
S.
has no record of a Cassandra Sullivan.
What's that? No student by that name was enrolled in their school system last year.
So Cassandra lied about whershe came from.
Not necessarily.
PA social worker remembers a girl with basically the same story.
They found her at a bus stop, no I.
D.
A.
C.
S.
in the state she claims she came from, they never heard of her.
What'd they do with her? Well, by the time they got suspicious, she was in the wind.
They're emailing me her school I.
D.
right now.
That's Cassandra Sullivan.
Well, Allentown Warner High knew her as little Loretta Sheridan.
I guess she didn't like that name.
What she likes is being 16.
She was a sophomore there too.
This was five years ago.
Yeah, I wonder how many times she repeated the tenth grade.
"I'm Cassandra Sullivan.
I'm 16.
" We know that's not true.
The thing about high school photos they got a way of coming back and embarrassing us.
Of course it is, Loretta.
Well, whatever your name is.
You're over 21, right? No! How long have you been doing this? Whyhave you been doing this? I hated tenth grade.
Go away.
We're not going anywhere until we sort this out.
Now, I'm sorry for everything that you've been through, but this is a completely separate matter.
What? You're an adult.
You shouldn't still be in foster care.
And you definitely shouldn't be dating high school guys.
"Riley's dead.
I'll never date again.
" Cassandra, I'm sorry.
Cassandra, you've gotta calm down.
You can't cry with your mouth wired shut.
You're not gonna be able to breathe.
Here, take a sip of water.
All right, you calm down.
Relax, relax, relax.
All right, get some rest.
But we're gonna be back to talk about this.
Denise Pickering, arrested for shoplifting in Detroit.
Who's Denise Pickering? Cassandra Sullivan.
AKA.
Loretta Sheridan, AKA who knows who else? She was 16 at the time of her arrest? That makes her 28 now.
Gotta give her one thing.
She does look good for her age.
The address listed on the report, that was her very first foster family.
Child services had removed her from an abusive home.
Foster mom said that she was in bad shape when she came in, but a happy kid by the time she aged out at 18.
So happy she didn't want to leave, apparently.
So, what, she just went from state to state sneaking back into foster care for the next 12 years? I think so.
Does she realize she could go to jail for theft over this? She's fraudulently been receiving a free education and free foster care from the state.
I think our biggest problem is we have a grown woman attending high school with a bunch of kids.
Not anymore.
Yank her out and notify A.
C.
S.
to cut all services.
What is gonna happen to her? Because I think psychologically, she still is a kid.
She's never taken care of herself.
Well, she's pushing 30.
It's time to grow up.
But I'll help her find some counseling.
If a cold chill just ran up your spine, it's because a defense attorney just walked in here.
I need to report a rape.
One of your clients take advantage of you, Mr.
Gates? No, one of my clients was raped.
I'm the outcry witness.
And who's that? Scott Heston.
Scott Heston was attacked in prison? No, in high school, by a 28-year-old woman posing as a student.
You gotta be kidding me with this.
No, I'm serious as a heart attack.
Cassandra Sullivan, or whatever her real name is, committed statutory rape.
I want her arrested.
And I want your sex crimes D.
A.
to prosecute.
Hold on.
You want Casey to prosecute the girl whose boyfriend that he killed? The girl that he tried to have murdered? Well, maybe that's why he did it.
Maybe he was suffering from rape trauma syndrome.
That's what this is about.
It's a legal tactic.
Scott's attempted murder trial is coming up and you need smoke and mirrors for the jury.
I hear that you found out about her weeks ago.
How come you haven't arrested her? They had sex once.
Detective Stabler.
I'm shocked by your double standard.
Is that what you'd say to an underage female victim who'd just been seduced by a lecherous old man? He seduced her.
So the victim was asking for it? Stat rape is a liability crime.
And you do not have discretion on whether to charge or not.
They kicked me out of school, out of foster care.
Everything I own in the world is in those two garbage bags.
If you hadn't gotten me into this shelter, I'd be living on the street.
I want you to take the plea.
I didn't rape anybody.
Technically, you did.
I'm only 16.
You're gonna have to drop that act, Denise.
My name is Cassandra.
If you don't take the plea, I'm gonna have to take you to trial.
Scott's gonna be transported from Rikers to testify against you.
I am not gonna admit to something I didn't do.
The sentence for rape three is 11/3 to 3 years.
I'm offering you probation.
Only if I admit that I'm that woman, and I'm not.
I wanna go to court to clear my name.
Then we're gonna have to find you a good public defender.
I don't want one.
I wanna defend myself.
Did you have sex with the defendant? I did.
And what age did you believe her to be at that time? And what did you later discover her true age to be? How did that make you feel? Sick to my stomach.
Creeped out.
Like all the kids back at school knew and were laughing at me.
Embarrassed and humiliated.
Nothing further.
Does the defense have any questions for this witness? I do, Your Honor.
Miss Pickering, the Court reminds you you're strongly advised to consult your court-appointed attorney, should you need to, regarding permissible lines of questioning.
Thank you, Your Honor, I will.
You stated that we had sex? You know we did.
Did I ask you out? No.
On the one night in question, did I make a pass at you? Yes, you wrapped your arms around me and pressed your body against mine.
I was crying on your shoulder.
Make that a question, Miss Pickering.
That's not my name.
You were crying over my friend Riley who had just dumped your skanky ass.
Objection.
You can't object, Miss Pickering.
Watch your language, Mr.
Heston.
My best friend, Riley, who you also tricked into screwing you because he thought you were 16 like I did.
I am 16.
You took advantage of us.
You're disgusting.
I'm disgusting? You're disgusting, calling Riley your friend after what you did to him.
Bailiff, take the jury out.
You murdered him.
I only killed him because of you.
It's your fault, you freak.
Court officer! Stop it.
I hate you.
Son, calm down.
Freak! Remove him from the court.
Get him out of here.
I got him to admit he killed Riley.
Was that your plan all along? Yes.
So pretending to think that you were really 16 was all just an act.
No.
I was gonna have to call witnesses to prove who you really are.
There's one I'd like you to see.
Mrs.
Hayes, you can come in now.
Denise.
You don't remember me? No.
I'm Jeannie Hayes.
You came to stay with us in Detroit.
A long time ago.
I'm so sorry.
You must have me confused with someone else.
I brought pictures.
The girl in the photo looks happy.
That's you, silly.
You loved that swing.
Used to spend hours on it.
Then you aged out of foster care, and you had to leave us.
They dumped me on the street.
I had no place to go.
That wasn't me.
It was the system.
They cut off the money.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I couldn't afford to keep you.
I was 18.
No one prepared me to go out in the world alone.
You were the first person who ever took care of me.
I really just wanted that back.
I'll have to refile, but I think I can get her to take the plea now.
I doubt the other DAs will be as lenient.
What other DAs? Her story got picked up on the news wire.
Other boys are coming forward.
Statute of limitations has run out on some of them, but not all of them.
Martin Lynch, from Catterick High in Indiana.
Harlan Stell from your school in Maryland.
Roy Fox from Park View, New Jersey.
Do you remember them? You had sex with those boys.
They were my high school sweethearts.
Riley wasn't the love of your life.
You didn't love any of them.
I did.
I loved them all.
So why'd you leave them? They got older.
I didn't.