All language subtitles for Law & Order SVU - 4.19-eng

NARRATOR: 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.

(CHILDREN CHATTERING)

Everyone stay
with your partners
and sit in front.

Mrs. MacNamara,
Caleb's not sitting
in the front.

Yes, Stacey,
I can see.

We need to be Iet off
at the Natural
History Museum.

I stop at
81st Street.

CALEB: Mrs. MacNamara,
someone's Ieft
their suitcase.

It's pretty heavy.

Don't touch it, Caleb.
I want everyone off
this bus right now.

GIRL 1: Why?
GIRL 2: Why?

We cleared 250 feet
in every direction.
It's all yours.

Okay.

Gonna take Iong
to set up the X-ray?

No, they're good to go.

ESU SERGEANT: Could be
nothing. Maybe somebody
just forgot their suitcase.

BOMB SQUAD DETECTIVE:
Till it's properly ID'd,
I'm not taking any chances.

X-ray should tell
us clear enough.

Image is coming up.

Oh, man, it's not a bomb.

Female victim,
eight or nine, no ID.

Jammed inside a suitcase
which was Ieft on the bus.

Driver remember
who brought it on?

Nope. This was
his third run.

Could be anyone
from Union Square
to 147th Street.

Basically all
of Manhattan.

Cause of death?

I don't
know yet.

How Iong she been
in the suitcase?

WARNER: Hard to say.

She has Iigature marks
on her ankles and wrists.

That and the Iividity,
she had to be held
somewhere else first,

tied in the cuffing position,
hands behind her back.

She's got French nails.
Nice manicure.

Pedicure, too.
Salon job.

Looks Iike she got
the full treatment.

She's got dark roots.

She's not a natural blonde.

Isn't she a bit young
to be made up
Iike a fashion model?

BENSON: Not if she's on
the kiddy pageant circuit.

As in JonBenet?

Yep. We got ourselves
a dead beauty queen.

Rape kit was
positive for fluids,
I'm running the DNA.

We know
how she died?

Afraid so.

I found vomit
and fragments of
Iatex in her mouth.

So he ties her up,
he rapes her.

She's terrified, throws up,
can't remove the gag.

And our perp just
watches her die.

I also found a piece
of saw grass on
the inside of her sweater.

Saw grass?
Does that grow
around here?

No.

It grows almost exclusively
in the FIorida Everglades.

So, maybe he
kidnapped her down there,
brought her up here.

Anything to support
the beauty pageant theory?

You bet.

Obliquely oriented
cicatricial contracture along
the internal nasal vault.

What the hell is that?

A damn good nose job.

Suitcase model
was discontinued
10 years ago,

but it used to be
available nationwide.

Couple of partial prints,
but not enough to
make a positive ID.

Nobody saw the guy
Ieave it on the bus?

Patrol's passing out flyers
along the bus route.

Nothing yet,
except some old Iady
said she saw Osama bin Laden.

And the victim?

No missing kid reports
in FIorida or the tri-state
area in the Iast 24 hours.

Any hits on
beauty contests?

I faxed the victim's photo

to the Little
Miss Angel Pageant
in Westchester.

They checked it against
finalists for the Iast
two years, no matches.

Well, to make
the nationals, you must
have to compete Iocally.

Any recent contests
in the area?

BENSON: Actually,
in the Iast two months,

one in Queens,
one in Greenwich,

and one coming
up in Garden City.

I wonder how many
of these
Little Miss Angels

get nose jobs
when they're nine.

OIivia, you and EIIiot
talk to the nip and tuck
brigade.

John, what do you say,
you and me check out
the kiddie pageant scene?

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SYLVIA: Girls,
practice your entrances.

Six steps, stop,
smile and twirl.

Step, stop,
smile and twirl.

CRAGEN: New York City Police.
We need a word.

Parents actually pay you
to inflict this
on their kids?

Yes. The young Iadies
find it very
character forming.

I have taught
Iiterally hundreds
of aspiring Little Angels.

You teach this one?

Oh, my God!
What happened?

Her body was found
this morning. We think
she might be a contestant.

Not in any
recent competitions.

But I do keep files
of all the hopefuls
who don't make the cut.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

They're arranged
alphabetically.

What? Yeah.

So, can anybody get in
to see the pageants?

Oh, no, we are very
strict about checking
people's door badges.

How hard is it
to get a badge?

$25.

That was OIivia.

Nassau cops put out
a missing kid alert
about an hour ago.

Girl's name is Cherie Lathan,
Iives in Valley Stream.

OIivia and EIIiot
are on their way
to talk to the parents.

Bingo, I got a match
on the victim.

Mr. Lathan,
how Iong has Cherie
been competing?

About four years.

After one of her friends
entered the Little Miss Angel
Pageant,

Cherie wanted
to do it, too.

And when was
her Iast pageant?

Three months ago,
right before she
had an operation.

PIastic surgery.

You're never gonna
have that edge,
if you don't go for it.

It's what
Cherie wanted.

It's what
you wanted.

Why did it take you
so Iong to report
your daughter missing?

Last night she slept over
at her friend
Amy Prescott's house,

and this morning
she was supposed
to go right to school.

That's where
I thought she was.

When was the Iast
time you saw Cherie?

Yesterday afternoon,
when he took her to
get new headshots.

And then I dropped
her off at Amy's.

We'II need Amy's address.
Have you been to
FIorida recently?

(SOBBING) We took Cherie
to Disney World
at Christmas.

We're going to
need a DNA sample,
Mr. Lathan.

It's standard procedure.

I know what you're thinking,
but I'd never hurt Cherie.

I worshipped her.

Did Cherie spend the night
here Iast night,
Mrs. Prescott?

Yes.

And did she go to school
this morning with Amy?

Amy came down
with the flu, so
Cherie went on her own.

I offered to give her
a ride to the bus stop,
but she said she'd walk.

How far away
is the bus stop?

Four blocks.

I should have insisted
on driving her,

but I didn't want
to Ieave Amy.

I'm sorry.

Amy, did Cherie
ever mention anyone
bothering her?

Kind of.

STABLER: Yeah?
Who's that?

There's this creepy
guy in tenth grade.

What's his name?

Kevin. I don't know
his Iast name.

What sorts of things
did Kevin do?

He used to come up to us
and tell Cherie that
she Iooked really hot.

You know,
Iike he meant it.

Mmm-hmm.

He ever follow
you guys around?

Sometimes.

And he'd hang around
at gymnastics practice
and just stare at us.

MUNCH: Kevin's
an enterprising
young man.

He posts his stories
for the world to read
on his own website.

Listen to this.

"9-year-old flesh is Iike
fruit from the tree,
firm but sweet.

"What I would do
to take a bite
out of Cherie."

It's downhill
from there.

School have anything
to say about him?

Guidance counselor said he
recently persuaded a sixth
grader to pose in a bikini.

He said it was
for an art project.

This creep is 15.
You tell me that's
not predatory behavior.

Well, he Iooks
good for it.

Especially since
the DNA on Cherie's
father came back clean.

He still turned
his daughter into
a sex object.

Made her ripe for
Kevin's picking.

CRAGEN: That must be
Kevin and his dad.
Talk to them.

Where were you
this morning, Kevin?
School marked you absent.

MR. ROUMEL:
You were ditching?

I was walking around.
It helps me think.

That's not much
of an alibi.

I don't need an alibi.
I would never touch Cherie.

You hurt her pretty bad
in your Iittle stories.

"She tried to escape,
but I was too strong.

"I held her down and
Iicked her tears away."

Look, they're just stories,
all right.
Creative expression.

The minute you censor them,
you're just Iike a Nazi.

Cherie was raped
and murdered.

I don't want to hear
about your damn stories.

Look, I make stuff up,
I don't do it.

Then give us a DNA sample.

No. You can't violate
my civil Iiberties

just because I've
got a good imagination.

He'II give
you a sample.

You can't force me.
MUNCH: Sure he can.

Parental consent
is all we need
till you're 16.

This isn't fair.
You fascists Iay one
finger on me, I will sue.

Sit down, you Iittle prick.

(GRUNTS)

Will this do?

Sorry, no match.
It's not Kevin.

Maybe not this time,
just give him
a couple of years.

So, we've got nothing.

Not exactly.

BIood traces in the perp's
ejaculate gave us something
interesting.

High Ievels
of progesterone.

Well, that's a female hormone.

Most often given
to high school girls
to prevent pregnancy.

So, why's our
perp taking that?

To block
testosterone
production.

He could be using it
to treat advanced
prostatic cancer,

or he's undergoing
male-to-female
gender reassignment.

And it's given
to sex offenders
to reduce sex drive.

But synthetic
testosterone isn't.

I also found traces
of that in the blood.

Our guy's trying to
reverse the effects of
chemical castration.

He raped a girl,
I'd say he succeeded.

And I bet that freak
won't stop at one.

New York doesn't
chemically castrate
sex offenders.

We got nine states that do,
Georgia being the closest one
to us.

What about voluntary
castration?

Technically you can
self-inject, but we're
doubting our guy did.

I mean, otherwise
what's he doing
taking testosterone?

He's done
his homework.

The effects of Depo-Provera
can be blocked within a week

by using testosterone
supplements.

So this guy
traded in his breasts
for a sex drive.

Does that fit
the crime scene profile?

Absolutely.

Beauty pageants
offer the killer
the perfect victim.

Sexualized children
who are both
innocent and provocative.

EIaborate bondage shows
that he fantasized
about this for a Iong time

before he dared
even act on it.

Get a Iist of castratees
from the nine states.

Check probation violations,
relocations and
child-abduction priors.

Prison bureau in Georgia,
they send you
to the parole board

which sends you to
the state attorney,

who sends you back
to the parole board.

Yeah, I got the same
run around in Oregon,
Texas and Louisiana.

Chemical castration
hasn't been Iegal
Iong enough

for there to be
a centralized database.

Look, there's got
to be a way for us
to narrow this down.

AII right,
FIorida is one
of our states.

We've been thinking that

Cherie got that
saw grass on her

when she took
that trip to Orlando.

But the ME says that
saw grass grows exclusively
in the Everglades.

That's south of there.

Our perp undresses Cherie,
he transfers the saw grass
from his clothes to hers?

Okay, maybe. Now, what do we
know about these three upright
citizens in FIorida?

Well, one died in a car crash,

and the parole
officers for the other two
say they're squeaky clean.

Squeaky-clean sex offender,
yeah, that's a new one.

Rob Canotti from Milwaukee
started chemical castration
treatments four years ago.

Had a supervised
relocation to Jersey City.

Well, maybe, he made an
unsupervised trip to FIorida.

What was Canotti
charged with?

He kidnapped a girl
from a beauty pageant.

He tried to assault
her in his car.

The girl escaped.
She was 10.

BENSON: Rob Canotti?

New York Police
in Jersey City.

Has a child
been attacked?

Why would you ask
us that question?

Why else are
you here?

To talk about
kiddie beauty pageants.

We hear they
turn you on.

If I denied it,
you'd call me a Iiar.

You ever see a Iittle girl
named Cherie Lathan compete?

Not that I recall,
but it's hard to keep track
of so many Iittle Iovelies.

Where were you
Iast night?

At home watching
Nickelodeon.

Can anyone
vouch for that?

I Iive alone.

Well, then, I think
you better come with us.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)
There's no point.

INTO PHONE: Benson.

The guy you're Iooking for
probably ejaculated
in his victim.

What are you saying?

(SIGHS)

The urges started
to come back.

So I had them
cut off.

What?

My gonads, Detective.
Take a Iook.

AII right, all right.
Put your johnson
back in your pants, Canotti.

That was Fin.

Turns out one of our
squeaky-clean FIorida boys

has a mother
who Iives two towns
over from Cherie Lathan.

What's his name?
Tommy Hedges.

Munch and Fin are on
their way over now.

This was Tommy's room,
but I've kept it the same
since he was a boy.

He ever visit from FIorida,
Mrs. Hedges?

No, of course not.
He can't Ieave the state
while he's on probation.

But he knows that his
room is here for him
when he's done his time.

That's your van
in the driveway?

It was my
Iate husband's.

FIN: Lady Iike you,
Iiving all alone,

what do you need
a big van for?

I'm keeping it
for Tommy.

Mind if we take
a Iook inside?

I haven't driven
it in over a year.

I don't even know
where the keys are.

Tommy ever talk to you
about his problems?

They're in the past.

I mean, he feels terrible
about what he did,
but he's changed.

FIN: How?

He's on medication,
and he's found
a job in FIorida.

He's determined to
start a new Iife.

That's awfully clean
for a van that hasn't
been driven in a year.

I say we haul Mom
in for questioning.

I don't Iike sweating
old Iadies. It offends
my sense of decorum.

Oh, you'd rather be
Iooking through garbage?

Cop's gotta do
what he's gotta do.

"Mundialfarmacia.com,
laboratorios de Mexico. "

Liquid testosterone.

Hey, get away
from there!

That's private property.
You can't just go on
Iooking through that.

It's on the street,
we can Iook all we want.

Tommy's been
coming home,
hasn't he?

I don't know what
you're talking about.

Well, that's his name
and Iast week's date.

We need to see him.

Look, you have to understand,
Tommy really is better.

He found a job
at an advertising
agency in New York.

He works Monday
through Thursday's,

and then he
flies down to Miami
to get his injection.

He's cured.

Tommy Hedges? Police.
We need you to come with us.

What for?
Parole violation.

Oh, Iook, I can explain that.
My parole officer knows
I'm here.

No, he doesn't.
Let's go.

Sure, no problem.

You don't mind
if we take this?

I Iooked for
a job in FIorida,

but no one would
give me a chance
because of my record.

So I came back home.

The Iast thing I wanted
to do was fly up each week,
but I was desperate.

BENSON: That's a sad story,
Tommy.

I'm not asking
for pity,

but everyone thinks
sex offender registration
is this great idea.

It's not. It's hell,

especially for those of us
who are trying to make
a new start.

Look,
I know I've broken parole,
but I'm taking my shots.

What does your parole officer
think you're doing?

Telemarketing from home.

He never does
a curfew check.

I fly back to Miami
every Friday,
and meet him and get my shot.

So what are you doing
with testosterone, huh?

That for jet Iag?

I want to Iive
a normal Iife.

Be in a normal
relationship.

What woman wants a guy
who can't perform?

Does Cherie Lathan
count as a woman?

I don't know
who she is.

It's the 9-year-old
you raped and killed.

No. This is a mistake.

STABLER: Well, okay.

Well, Tommy,
if that's the truth,

then we're gonna
be the first ones
to apologize to you.

We got plenty of ways
to check it out.

Which flight you
took from FIorida,
Friday night,

after you met with
your parole officer.

Whether there's any trace
evidence of Cherie Lathan
in your daddy's old van.

Whether your DNA
matches the fluids
found in the girl.

Some of that'II
take time,

but since you're
going back to prison

for parole violation
for at Ieast 10 years,

I guess you're
not in any hurry.

STABLER: Tommy.

What happened?

Just tell us.
You'II feel better,
I promise you.

What's the matter?

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

I'd noticed her before,
with the other girls,
just walking around.

She stood out Iike
a Iittle princess.

I offered her a ride.

I just wanted
to talk to her.

She was so
sweet and Iovely.

Where did you
do it, Tommy?

In the van.

She was crying afterwards.

She was saying she would tell,
and I had to keep her quiet.

And she wouldn't stop crying.

I had to stop her.

So you gagged her.

Yeah.

And then I Ieft
to get some air,

and when I came back,
she wasn't moving.

I didn't mean
to hurt her.

Tommy, have you hurt
any others, other than Cherie?

TOMMY: No.

I thought I could
control my feelings
until I read that story.

What story?

On the Internet. This...

It had pictures and
words and everything.

It stuck in my head.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Lab's got something
you should see.

In all, he's got about
40 kiddie porn shots on there.

His parole officer probably
missed, they were hidden
by the S-Tools software.

S-Tools?
Yeah.

"S" is short
for steganography.

Oh.

From the Greek,
meaning "hidden writing."

Mainly used by spies
to send concealed messages.

So Hedges downloads the child
porn and disguises it with
this stegosaurus stuff.

The porn can be hidden
in a photo of a sunset,
anything at all.

Hedges simply uses the S-Tools
to download and decode it.

So how'd you find it?

I went onto his hard drive
and used his own software.

This is what I thought
you should see.

"The Story of Janet. "

MORALES: Basically, it's a how
to on stalking, abducting
and raping Iittle girls,

with accompanying photos.

Wait a minute, she's tied up
the same way, and in the same
position, as Cherie Lathan.

The bastard downloaded
the photos, and copied
exactly what he saw.

Just because porn inspired
Tommy Hedges to murder doesn't
diminish his culpability.

Hedges deserves everything
that's coming to him,

but whoever produced
these is guilty, too.

Of producing
and distributing child
pornography, not murder.

Look, Hedges copied
exactly what he saw.

These photos are as dangerous
as putting a Ioaded weapon

in the hands of
a violent criminal.

I'm not saying
child pornography
isn't repugnant,

but you would
have a hard time
convincing a jury

that a murderer
and a pornographer
are equally guilty.

Doc, what do you think?

A Canadian study found that
90% of child sex abusers
used hardcore pornography.

Well, did it make them
all go out and commit murder?

Pornography desensitizes.

Repeated viewing
can condition arousal,

so that the viewer seeks out
more violent,
more degrading images.

It can also increase
the tendency to act out

some of the activities
that are portrayed.

So the murderer has
no choice in the matter?
I don't buy it.

No, that's not
what I'm saying.

Hedges already
molested children.

So he was highly susceptible
to these images.

You view it,
you fantasize about it,
you do it.

I agree with EIIiot.

Cherie Lathan might still
be alive if Hedges hadn't
seen these pictures.

I can't
indict pictures.

You can indict the producers
and the distributors.

They could be
anywhere in the world.

Crime Iab found the website
through Hedges' Iaptop.

With the help
of ARIN registry,
we got the address.

Cyberloves Incorporated
in Queens.

Bust them.

STABLER: NYPD!
Everyone stay where you are.

MAN: Officers,
what can I do for you?

Get out of my way.

MAN: Excuse me,
this is private property.

BENSON: Yeah,
and there's your warrant.

STABLER: You all right?
What's your problem?

What's my problem?
How old are you?

Nineteen.

STABLER: Let me see some ID.

What's my problem?

You always carry around
a birth certificate with you?

Yeah, 'cause I'm
sick of getting harassed
by cops when I'm modeling.

Modeling, right.
It says she's 19.
Let's check that out.

This picture was found
on your company's website.

You know who she is?

No.

She Iook 19 to you?

No idea.

BENSON: Who do you work for?
Cyberloves.

I'm not breaking any Iaw.

Sweetheart, a 9-year-old girl
was murdered, just Iike
the girl in this photo,

and it was posted
on Cyberloves' website

by the dirt bag
that you're working for.

Who runs this operation?

BENSON: Who signs
your paycheck?

Excel Entertainment.
Stanley Billings.

No girl working for
Excel Entertainment
is underage.

That's the company policy,
and it is strictly enforced.

Now, Mr. Billings,
does your website,

cyberloves.net,
sell The Story of Janet?

Yes.

And on a Tanner scale,
she scores pretty Iow.

Tanner scale?
I don't know
what that is.

It's a body
development chart.

One being prepubescent,
5 being adult.

Now, Janet is a two.

Some girls
develop slowly.

Don't hand me that crap.
My 10-year-old daughter
Iooks more mature than that.

I told you,
we have a company rule,
no underage models.

Why would I risk
my business?

Happy pedophiles
spend more money.

(SIGHS)

You ever heard of
virtual pornography?

That girl is 18. Legal age.
We only help her
Iook younger.

And how's that?

With youth
enhancement software.

The people that
get off on this
don't think she's 18.

But she is,
and Iooking at that
is not a crime.

Thousands of men and women
enjoy the services of
Excel Entertainment.

Virtual pornography is
actually therapeutic,

it provides for men
a cathartic release,

and it still
protects the real kids.

Not all of them.

Somebody went out
and copied your images,

and a real 9-year-old
child wound up dead.

Then I'm truly sorry,
but I still haven't
broken the Iaw.

The Story of Janet
is a murder manual.

Your pornography is
responsible for the death
of an innocent child.

Read the Supreme Court ruling.
"The mere tendency of speech,

"to encourage unlawful acts
is not a sufficient reason
for banning it."

The scary thing is,
the girl in the picture
probably is 18.

You're telling me
photo touch-ups
can make her Iook 10?

Yeah, Billings takes
the digital software

used to age up
the missing photos of
kids on milk cartons,

but uses it in reverse
to age them down.

Look.

I took a photo of you,
OIivia,

and broke it down
into its thousands
of digital parts.

Once the parts are isolated,
you can morph them
in whatever way you want.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, the good news is that
a trained eye can
usually tell when it's fake.

STABLER: What's the bad news?

In the field of
image manipulation,

the porn industry
Ieads the way.

Are you telling me
these sick bastards

can make virtual kiddie porn
and not break the Iaw?

I'm afraid so.

Excel Entertainment
is skirting the Ietter
of the Iaw

by exploiting
the fantasies
of pedophiles.

It's reprehensible,
and it's perfectly Iegal.

Can't Excel be required
to safeguard their website
from vulnerable viewers?

They already do.
You have to be 18
or older to Iog on.

STABLER: What about
The Story of Janet?

They're sending
out sadistic pictures

along with instructions
on how to abduct
and rape Iittle girls.

Then they top it off
by telling you how to
avoid getting caught.

There must be
something we can
do about that.

No. Billings will
wrap himself up
in the First Amendment,

and cry freedom of speech.

This is so wrong.
Look, you're...

AII you're saying
is the constitution
allows someone

to publish a blueprint
for child rape as Iong
as he calls it art.

Wait a minute.

If we can prove that
Billings provided
assistance to Tommy Hedges

in the rape and murder
of Cherie Lathan,
then it's facilitation.

So, how do
we prove that?

I have to make
a deal with the Devil.

You give me Billings
and I'II take the death
penalty off the table.

Not good enough.

He sees Iight at the end
of the tunnel or
he doesn't talk.

Fine, murder two,
depending on what
Tommy has to offer.

When would I get out?

CABOT: Twenty-five years.

AII right.

When did you start
receiving e-mails
from Excel?

In January,
right after I
got out of jail.

They just sent ads
for websites at first.

Usually they
included samples.

Were you tempted?
Yes.

But I didn't give in,
not till they sent a preview
of The Story of Janet.

It was just a few Iines
and a photo of this girl
dressed Iike a princess.

It was just so...exciting.

So you signed up
for the website?

Yeah.

And I read the whole story,
and I saw the pictures.

And I wanted my body
to feel the way it used to.

But because of chemical
castration, you couldn't
become aroused, right?

Yeah.

So the next day
I ordered the testosterone.

You can't just come
barging in here.

Sure we can.
We're arresting you.

For what?
Facilitating the murder
of Cherie Lathan.

You're joking.

Does it Iook Iike
I'm Iaughing.
Why don't you turn around?

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say, can and
will be used against you
in a court of Iaw.

You have the right...

CABOT: I'm telling you.
This is a tough case.
I could easily Iose.

Stanley Billings
is the reason
this happened.

Maybe. But the facilitation
charge against him is a reach.

And no matter what we do,
the defense is going to say

we're trying to
stifle free speech.

Free speech? Okay.

Free speech,
Cherie Lathan's Iife.
I don't see the contest.

MOREDOCK: AIex.

Barry. Hi.

EIIiot, I'd Iike for you
to meet my old Iaw professor,
Barry Moredock.

How are you?
Barry, this is
Detective EIIiot Stabler.

Detective.
What are you
doing here?

We're doing
business together.

What do you mean?

Stanley Billings.

Don't tell me
you're representing him.

I see the First
Amendment under attack,
I Ieap to its defense.

But I was kind of surprised
to see you're the attacker.

Your client's kiddie porn
is the reason a 9-year-old
girl was murdered.

A convicted sex offender
killed that poor girl,
Detective.

My client merely exercised
his right to free speech.

US v. Barnett.
Publishing instructions
designed to aid another

in the commission
of a criminal offense

is not protected
by the First Amendment.

Very good, but all
my client published

was a work of virtual
pornography protected
by the Supreme Court itself.

Billings is a sleaze bag
who turns women
into Iittle girls.

He makes a mockery
of the Iaw.

Jurisprudence has to evolve
with the technology.

This is gonna be
a great fight, AIex.

I'm glad I taught
you so well.

You also taught me
res ipsa Ioquitur.
"The thing speaks for itself."

If it Iooks Iike kiddie porn
and smells Iike kiddie porn,
it is kiddie porn.

Maybe it's you
who should evolve
with technology, AIex.

There was no kid
in the kiddie porn.

The victim died
by asphyxiating
on her own vomit.

CABOT: How did that happen?

She couldn't remove her gag
because her hands
were tied behind her.

The People's exhibit 12.

Dr. Warner, is this how
the victim was tied up
at the moment of her death?

Yes.

And are these restraints
the same as
the bondage methods

depicted in
Excel Entertainment's
The Story of Janet,

which Tommy Hedges
downloaded onto his computer?

WARNER: They're identical.

Body position,
placement of Iigatures,
use of a Iatex ball-gag,

even the multifold,
overhand knot
tying the ankles.

So, in your professional
opinion, Dr. Warner,

did Tommy Hedges
copy the website photo?

In every detail.

No further questions.

Dr. Warner,
remind me
what killed Cherie.

She asphyxiated
on her own vomit.

So she wasn't choked
by a photograph?

No.

She wasn't
kidnapped by a story?

No.

Or bound and gagged
by a website?

No.

Thank you.
No further questions.

CABOT: Mr. Hedges,
why did you kill
Cherie Lathan?

I never meant to.

Did you mean
to rape her?

Yes.

Why?

Because I couldn't stop
thinking about being
with a Iittle girl.

You are a convicted
sex offender,
and you were sentenced

to chemical castration
to control your sexual urges.

Did it work?

Yes, for over two years.

When did those
impulses begin again?

After I got out of jail,
I started receiving
e-mails from Cyberloves

advertising their
child porn stories.

CABOT: What sort of e-mails?

They'd show a photo
of a young girl,

and they invited me
to find out more about her.

So, you signed up?

No.

I ignored them,
but the e-mails kept coming.

I tried so hard
not to Iook.

Then why did you?

Because they kept saying,
"She's waiting for you.

"Give her what
she really wants."

It Iit a fire in my head.

I couldn't think
about anything else.

So, you bought the story?

Yes. The Story of Janet.

And did you copy that story
when you tied up and raped
Cherie Lathan?

Yes.

It told me
exactly what to do.

CABOT: Nothing further.

Mr. Hedges,
you were convicted
in FIorida in 1999

for the sexual abuse
of a 13-year-old girl.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Did a story
make you do that?

No.

How about when you
abducted and sexually abused

a 10-year-old in
California in 1995?

Another story to blame?

No.

What about the very
first time you were
attracted to young girls?

Was that inspired by porn?

I don't know.

Or have you simply been
attracted to young girls

for as Iong as
you can remember?

I don't know.

Mr. Hedges, aren't you
desperately trying to blame

someone else for
your own depravity?

They kept sending me e-mails
when I was trying to control
my feelings.

Yes. So you've said.

But tell me.

Tommy,

did you enjoy
kidnapping Cherie?

Yes.

During that time,

did you have second thoughts
about what you were doing?

Yes.

MOREDOCK: You knew
it was wrong, but still
you raped and killed her.

Yes.

Whose fault is that?

Mine.

Thank you.

I have children myself,
so the Iast thing I want

is for a child to participate
in the making of pornography.

That's why
we began Cyberloves.

To make a non-exploitative,
Iegal product for people
with youth preferences.

You mean pedophiles.

A small percentage
of our clientele might
have those predilections.

Then what made Tommy Hedges
act on those predilections
after viewing your product?

I'm afraid I wouldn't know
what motivates a murderer.

Do you make any effort at all

to suppress the marketing
of your virtual porn
to sex offenders?

We market our product
to individuals over 21
who enjoy adult entertainment.

CABOT: Do you call
child rape entertainment?

It isn't against the Iaw
to explore the dark side
of human nature.

Mr. Billings, would you agree
the purpose of pornography
is to cause sexual arousal?

Yes.

And would you agree
that the purpose of
violent pornography

is to eroticize violence?

It can have
that effect.

So it would seem Iogical
that the purpose of
violent child pornography

is to arouse
violent sexual feelings
towards children.

I don't know the research
on child pornography
because I don't produce it.

You produce images
of child abuse.

I produce virtual pornography
that provides a safe release,

so the user can
satiate his fantasies
without abusing anyone.

The truth of the matter
is you don't care
what your customers do

as Iong as they continue
to pay for your porn.

Objection.

Nothing further.

The defense rests,
Your Honor.

Counsel approach.
Mr. Billings,
you may sit down.

Ms. Cabot is nowhere near
meeting the burden of proof,
Your Honor.

Even if the jury convicts
for emotional reasons,

I'II ask the court
to follow the Iaw

and render a not
guilty judgment.

I agree with Mr. Moredock.

Unless you can prove
the defendant had
prior knowledge

that Mr. Hedges was Iikely
to commit a crime,

I'II have to dismiss
this case with prejudice.

You've got
until tomorrow.

We're in recess.

(BANGS GAVEL)

Tough day?

Yeah.

If I don't find
a smoking gun,
I'm screwed.

We've been Iooking, AIex,
we can't find what
isn't there.

Billings is a businessman.

He would do anything
to increase his profits.

I don't believe
he e-mailed sex offenders
by accident.

But if he spammed
the Internet,

odds are he's gonna
find a few freaks.

BARTENDER: You want
what the Iady's having?

I'II have ginger ale,
thanks.

As the wise man said,
I can resist everything
except temptation.

What did I say?

Hedges said
he tried to resist.

I wonder just how
much he was tempted.

How many times did Excel
e-mail you advertisements
for their porn?

I don't know.

Think, Tommy,
how many?

I don't know.
Maybe 50 or 60.

But you only
opened one?

Yeah.

Okay, what did you do
with the other ones?

I deleted them.

Did you ever ask Excel
to stop e-mailing you?

Yeah, I did.
I started selecting
the opt out option.

"Opt out"?
What's that?

It sends an e-mail back
to the company telling them

to take you off
their mailing Iist,
but it didn't work.

The e-mails kept coming.

My company employs
over 200 people

to deal with the thousands
who use our website.

You can't expect me to know
that one employee accidentally
overlooked a client's request.

21 times in a row
is not an accident,
it's a policy.

You bombarded a dangerous man
with provocative images
until he finally gave in.

That's a good try, AIex,

but a computerized oversight
is a Iong way from being
a smoking gun.

And, in case you've forgotten,
aggressive advertising isn't
against the Iaw.

Fine.

We'II just see what
the jury has to say.

I won't tell you
I Iike what my client
does for a Iiving.

I abhor it.

But I will defend his right
to publish pornography

because the protection
of free speech is vital
to our constitution.

The People have
made a great deal
out of a handful

of automated e-mail opt outs
Mr. Hedges sent
to Excel Entertainment.

But has she shown
one shred of proof

that my client
had any knowledge
of these messages?

No, she has not.

Stanley Billings
published a story,

a work of the imagination,

a work which
the Supreme Court
has ruled is perfectly Iegal.

Mr. Billings did
not know Mr. Hedges.

He did not know what
Mr. Hedges might do.

Therefore, he cannot be
held responsible for what
Mr. Hedges did.

The Iaw holds
my client innocent.

So must you.

Thank you.

There is no doubt
that Tommy Hedges
killed Cherie Lathan,

but Stanley Billings
played a part
in her death also.

Now each of you knows
that he is morally guilty.

The question you
have to ask yourselves

is if he is
Iegally guilty as well.

And the answer is yes.

Stanley Billings
put a deadly weapon
in Tommy Hedges' hands,

and Tommy Hedges
asked him to stop.

Not once,
not a handful of times,
but 21 times.

And 21 times,
Stanley Billings ignored him.

Now as chief executive officer
of Excel Entertainment,

he is responsible for
his company's actions
and his company's inaction.

And when Hedges finally
succumbed to Billings'
hard-sell tactics,

Billings sold him instructions
on how to stalk,
kidnap and rape a child.

That makes Stanley Billings
an accomplice to rape,

and it makes him
a facilitator of murder.

Has the jury
reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

We find the defendant,
Stanley Billings,
guilty of facilitation

in the murder
of Cherie Lathan.

(SPECTATORS GASPING)

(SIGHS)

They can't be serious.
I didn't do anything.

Okay, Stanley.
Take it easy.

Okay, but I'm innocent.

MOREDOCK: It's okay.

Here she is now.

AIex. Congratulations.

You're happy?

Why not? I'II get
the conviction
overturned on appeal.

Enjoy it while you can.

You got the bad guy,
and you didn't stomp
on the constitution.

I couldn't have
taught you better myself.

Yeah, well, thousands
of people are still Iegally
viewing virtual child porn,

so maybe the constitution
could use some stomping.

Thousands of people
are protesting
the war and burning flags,

you want to
stomp on them, too?

Where would it
all end, AIex?

Don't be upset.

In this case,
everybody won.

Not Cherie Lathan.