Original subtitles

.

- 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.

- We were able to ID our burn victim.

It was a cop. Maria Recinos.

You knew her?

- She really overcame a lot.

- The murder is connected to another one

that happened two years ago.

- And Homicide never closed it? - No.

It was my case.

- Maria was undercover, staying at that shelter

when those young women went missing.

- Don't you think that's a little dangerous,

especially for a rookie?

- I kept a close eye on her.

- Mr. Pinto, we found your DNA

on a young woman named Ana Machado.

- Pinto's alibi checks out.

- Real killer tried to frame him.

- We're gonna find whoever did this.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, I understand.

Yes, Chief, I understand.

Mm-hmm.

[scoffs]

1PP is all over me.

- If it makes you feel any better,

the eighth floor just smacked me and Price

with a three-hour lecture on media preparedness.

- This is, uh,

turning up to be quite a big press case.

- Three murders of women from shelters--

- Including a young cop at the beginning of her career.

Never should have put in a word for her.

- Liv, don't beat yourself up

any more than your bosses already are.

- TARU confirmed Miguel Pinto's alibi.

- The photo and the videos?

- Guy was in Staten Island.

- Which puts him an hour and a half away at the time

of Ana Machado's murder.

- OK, so we know that he's not good for it.

- Despite his DNA on her?

- Working theory from Brady's team

is that somebody framed him.

- With seminal fluid?

How the hell did they get it?

- That's for you to find out and me to cleanse from my mind.

I gotta go update Price.

- Lieutenant Brady, Lieutenant Gomez.

- Hi. Thanks for the invite.

- Yeah.

- We were kicking around this fact pattern on the way over.

- And?

- We're in the same investigative

cul-de-sac you are.

- Yeah, so let's try to make a U-turn.

So what do we know?

- We're looking for a pattern killer

targeting marginalized women, until Maria.

- He probably didn't know she was a cop.

- OK, well, what we do know is that our last victim,

Ana Machado, told Maria that she was raped.

- And Maria went into the warehouse looking for the perp

and became a victim herself.

- So you were her boss.

She didn't mention that she was going in there?

- She was undercover.

We only had check-ins every three days or so.

- OK, well, besides from the immigration status,

the only common denominator here that I see is geography.

- What about the Catholic shelter?

- Father Alberto's place?

- I don't know. Maybe he knows something.

- Look, he's a nice guy, but he wouldn't be

the first priest with a secret.

- All of our vics seemed to trust him.

- All right, let's go talk to him.

- I'll have someone put eyes on him.

- OK.

What?

- Rosa Ortega's mom is in my office,

and I have to tell her once again that we have

no idea who killed her kid.

- Gomez and I will handle it.

- You know, you didn't have to come with me, Captain.

- I wanted to.

- What, for Maria's sake?

- Look, you don't have to be Catholic to feel guilty.

- Maria told me the story of how you two met.

- Yeah, the 911 call.

- She said you never once got off the phone with her.

- Yeah.

- You were her lifeline.

- Well, I was until I wasn't.

- I was her supervisor.

How do you think I feel?

Tried to get her off the case. She didn't listen.

- Well, she was in her 20s.

Did you listen to your boss when you were 20?

- Nope. - Me neither.

- Wow.

- What is all this?

- Yeah, ICE did a pretty good job ripping this place apart.

- I don't think this looks like an ICE raid.

[tense music]

- Father Alberto?

* *

Father Alberto?

Father Alberto?

[dramatic music]

- We just want to talk.

- I got him.

- SVU Portable to Central.

We're in pursuit of a suspect in the Catholic church

on the corner of 159 and Broadway.

Gomez!

It's a Latin male.

He's wearing jeans, a sweater, and a clerical collar.

Gomez?

Gomez! - He's got my gun!

[grunting]

- Put the gun down!

- I can't!

- I said put the gun down now!

[gunshot] - I'm hit, I'm hit!

- Drop it! Drop the gun now!

Drop it! - [groans]

[gunshot]

- [gasping]

* *

- [groans]

- Hang in there.

You hang in there, Paul, OK?

OK. - [groaning]

- SVU to Central.

I got a 10-13, officer down.

Suspect is down too.

I need an ambulance, and I need additional units.

I know. - [groans]

- Hang in there.

- [groans] - Come on.

Hang in there, Gomez.

[dramatic music]

.

- [panting] My gun.

Did you bag it?

Please tell me you bagged it.

- Don't worry about that.

Force Investigation is all over it, OK?

- OK. - GSW to the shoulder.

- He's in good hands, Captain.

- --tube starting.

Trauma team is on its way.

I want this guy hooked up to a monitor now.

- Captain, you all right?

- Yeah. - What the hell happened?

- So we went there to question the priest

and he just took off running.

And then he went for the lieutenant's gun,

so Gomez grabbed his ankle piece and--and he fired.

Did the priest make it?

- Died in the ambulance.

- All right.

So let me go back to the crime scene and help FID.

- Yeah, the only thing you need to worry about,

Benson, is waiting here for your union rep.

- Gomez was shot.

- It's all over the radio. The guy killed a priest.

- Fin, we went there to talk to him.

- You think the Father may have something

to do with all these murders?

- Why else would he run, if he didn't?

- Miguel Pinto may know.

- The guy that we thought killed Ana Machado?

- Somebody had to plant the semen.

For all we know, Father Alberto went to visit Pinto in jail

and stole his secret sock.

- Grab Velasco and go talk to Miguel.

- Where you headed?

- I'm going to get out of these bloody clothes.

- I thought you were supposed to wait on your union rep.

- They know where to find me.

- [sighs]

- Heard what happened to Gomez. - Are you OK?

- Yeah, ish. I mean--

- Do you think that that priest is dirty?

- What's his part in all this?

- Listen, we can't ask him,

but we have to prove the connection.

- Just got off the phone with the lab.

They pulled some DNA from Maria's body.

- After she was burned?

- Some kind of new technique.

You want me to pull the car around?

- I would love that, but IAB just texted me and they--

they want to talk to me.

- How can we make your life easier, Captain?

- Well, for starters, I need you to re-question

the women at the shelter.

- That's going to be kind of hard

after the shelter got raided.

- And half of them are probably on ICE Air flights as we speak.

- Well, track as many as you can down,

because they may be the only way to tie him to this crime.

- They seemed scared the first time around.

- Well, I think that might be different now

that Father Alberto is dead.

[tense music]

* *

- You know, I--I heard what happened to Father Alberto.

- Mm.

- Did he really do what they're saying?

- Well, right now all we know is that he took a cop's gun,

and he shot him.

- He took care of me when I first got to New York.

If he's a bad guy-- [scoffs]

I don't know who to trust anymore.

- There was a girl a few years ago.

I saw her hugging Father Alberto.

- Anything inappropriate?

- It was late at night.

She was in his room.

I saw through the window.

It looked like she was crying.

- You have a way to reach this girl?

- She left the shelter.

- A name? Anything would be helpful.

- There's so many women that come in and out of here.

I--no, I'm sorry.

[tense music]

- It's a little late for breakfast, isn't it, Miguel?

- Yo, why are you even here?

It's starting to feel like harassment.

- This isn't personal.

- But we did find your DNA on a murder victim.

- And I already told you guys, I never even met that girl.

- You know this guy?

- No. - You sure?

- Maybe he paid you a visit in jail?

- Never seen him before.

And anyways, why the hell would a priest set me up?

- That's what we're trying to figure out.

- You need to think.

- Maybe you had sex with one of those women in the shelter?

- No.

But my cousin sent some whore over to celebrate

me getting paroled.

- You wore a condom, right?

- Yeah.

- So what'd you do with it after you got done?

- Put it in the bathroom garbage.

- She happen to go into the bathroom before she left?

- Yeah.

- Captain Benson, you were at the scene of the shooting.

Walk us through what happened.

- So Lieutenant Gomez and I went up to the Catholic church

on 159th to interrogate Father Alberto,

and as soon as he saw us, he took off running.

So Lieutenant Gomez chased after him.

I called in the pursuit, and I found both men

down in the catacombs struggling

over control of the weapon--um,

Lieutenant Gomez's Glock 17.

- Whose hand was on the trigger?

- Um--

both of the men had their hands on the weapon.

- Do you recall if either said anything as they fought

for control of the weapon?

To each other?

To you?

- Well, I engaged with Father Alberto directly.

I said to drop the weapon.

- Did he reply?

[tense music]

- He said, "I can't."

- What do you think he meant by that?

* *

Captain Benson?

* *

- How'd it go at IAB?

- Did you find any dirt on Father Alberto?

Anything at all?

- He might have had something going on with one of the girls

at his shelter.

- Would that make you run from the cops?

Would that make you grab a cop's gun and shoot him?

- No, but then again, I'm not a priest.

What are you thinking?

- I'm thinking that the church was pretty banged up when Gomez

and I got there, and it just--

it couldn't have been just from an ICE raid.

- You think someone threatened him?

What's in the bag?

- A Hail Mary.

So you were able to obtain sperm cells?

- Using differential extraction.

Deep tissue recovery.

Part of her cervix was still intact.

- So whoever killed Maria also raped her?

- I can't say whether the sex was consensual.

- And unfortunately, she can't tell us.

- Well, then, the evidence will have to speak for her.

- What is that?

- It's my jacket.

- Your jacket?

Covered with Paul Gomez's blood?

- Um--

- You can't put a cop's blood into the system

without consulting with 1PP.

- OK, Jess, I need you to hear me out.

- OK, I need you to give me the professional courtesy

of talking about it before you do it.

- Listen, there's something deeply off

about Father Alberto's shooting.

- How? He pulled the trigger first.

- But Gomez's hand was on top of the priest's hand

when the gun went off.

- So you think Gomez shot himself?

- I think that it's a possibility.

- What do you think is more likely--

that mental contortion, or the fact

that you might be suffering from temporary case blindness?

- OK, because of Maria?

- No, because you witnessed a shooting.

- All I know is the fear

that I saw in Father Alberto's eyes.

I'm telling you.

- OK.

OK.

But if you're wrong,

you're going to have to talk to the brass about why

we compared the blood of a decorated NYPD lieutenant

to a semen sample found in the corpse of his subordinate.

- I understand, and sometimes you have to ask for forgiveness

instead of permission.

- I'm going to take that as a yes.

- OK.

.

- Hey.

I didn't know we had a meeting scheduled.

- We didn't. - But we do need to talk.

- Yeah.

- All right.

Well, uh, now that we're all caffeinated,

what--what's this about?

- The semen found on Maria's body was a match to Paul Gomez.

- I'm sorry, since when was Paul Gomez a suspect?

- I don't remember submitting a warrant for this.

Do you?

- We didn't seize the DNA.

Not exactly.

- Well, how did you obtain it?

- From my jacket.

- What, from the shooting?

- That's a little macabre, but it's admissible nonetheless.

- What does this-- what does this prove?

I mean, really?

Other than Gomez and Maria had sex.

- We are looking for a pattern killer

who has a penchant for raping socially invisible women.

This is the first step in demonstrating that pattern.

- OK. What's the second?

- I'm going to ask Rosa's mother to exhume her body.

- All right, um,

let's go down this rabbit hole.

If you're right--and I'm not saying that you are--

it also means that Gomez, a decorated lieutenant,

framed Miguel Pinto for Ana Machado's murder and rape.

- How do you tie him to that?

- We can't right now.

- But the guy's got a long reach.

- Look, I think that he sent somebody

to threaten Father Alberto the morning that he shot him.

- And if he can do that, that means he's got help,

and he's organized.

- Look, he's been right next to us

this whole time, right there, watching us investigate.

I would not put it past him to plant evidence.

- So you're alleging obstruction of justice,

tampering with evidence--

- Uh, misconduct in public office, conspiracy,

not to mention the rapes and murders.

The question is, how do we prove it?

- So Miguel told Fin and Velasco that his cousin

hired a sex worker for him.

- And we think she took the condom out of the wastebasket

when she left.

- So Brady and I put in a call to Miguel's cousin.

He swears that he did not hire a sex worker.

- And you think Gomez did?

- I think that if you give us an electronic warrant

for Paul Gomez's phone, that we can prove that.

- What do you think?

- A case this size, involving a cop, no less?

We've got to loop Baxter in.

- Gossip travels at the speed of sound in police circles.

Who else knows?

- Just us.

- Good.

See if you can get Gomez talking.

Don't push too hard.

It'd be nice to get an admission before he lawyers up.

- You know, you didn't have to do this.

- Come on, we were-- we were worried about you.

- Yeah. How you feeling?

- Good.

Ready to get out of here.

IAB came by yesterday.

I'm assuming if you're here, they spoke to you?

- Yeah.

Yeah, it's pretty straightforward.

- That's what they said. [clears throat]

I think they're going to rule it a clean shoot.

- Best possible outcome.

- [sighs]

Did you make any headway linking Father Alberto

to these crimes?

- Yeah, we're getting pretty close.

- What did you find?

- New DNA evidence.

- Oh. From?

- Maria Recinos' body.

[ominous music]

- Even though it was burned?

- Well, technology, right?

- It's amazing these days. - Yeah.

We're going to do our best to link it to the Father's.

- [chuckles]

[remote clicking]

- Everything all right?

- Yeah, I'm just in a lot of pain.

- Mm.

- Mr. Gomez, you buzzed?

- Yeah, my shoulder's on fire.

- I'll up your dose.

And it's time to clear your drain.

- All right.

Can I go to the bathroom first?

You don't mind?

- No, no, please.

- Hey, thank you for the flowers.

- Yeah.

What do you think?

- I'd love to know who he's calling.

* *

[bell ringing]

[indistinct chatter]

- Hey, guys.

Hey, where's Noah?

- He was just here.

- Noah.

Hey, who you talking to?

- I don't know.

This guy was trying to tell me to go into his car.

I wasn't going to, though.

- What?

Get over there.

Hey.

Hey, open the window. [engine starts]

Who the hell are you, and what are you

doing talking to my son.

Wait, wait!

[tense music]

* *

.

- You think Gomez sent someone to hurt your son?

- Who else would do it?

- To what end?

- To get me to back off the case.

- Where is Noah now?

- He's at our apartment with two unis.

- OK. What do you need from us?

- I need permission from you to pick him up,

so my son can go to school tomorrow in peace.

- As much as we would all like that,

unfortunately, we're still waiting

on the electronic warrant.

- What is taking so long?

- I know you don't want to hear this,

but it may be time for you to think about recusing yourself--

- Recuse myself from this case?

- Liv, this case is already delicate

for a variety of reasons.

- Gomez has been a cop for 20 years.

- And a smart one at that.

If he's been able to get away with all this--

- He knows that manipulating you into getting emotional

will tip the scales in his favor.

- Yes, and it doesn't take a genius to know that a threat

to my son would do just that.

- Right.

- Carisi, what do you think?

- Now that Noah is involved, it's going to affect the case.

- Oh, my God. [phone buzzes]

I can't-- - Excuse me.

- OK.

So what is the minimum that you need to pick him up

by the end of the day?

- Eyewitnesses who can put him at the scene.

Physical evidence that the defense can't

paint as merely consensual-- - OK, OK.

- Olivia.

[sighs]

I want you to know that I am on your side here.

Paul Gomez is a man who swore to protect and serve,

and he did the exact opposite,

and you are not the only one

who is infuriated by that.

- Hey, good news.

Electronic warrant just came through.

[tense music]

* *

- Here we go.

The call that Miguel made from the hospital

is to a lawyer named Rita Calhoun.

- Sounds like you know her.

- I certainly do.

We have history.

- So we bring him flowers and he calls a lawyer?

If that's not an admission of guilt, I don't know what is.

- Also, there is a 12-minute call to a woman--

a woman named Charisse Johnson,

the night before

Ana Machado was murdered.

- Was Miguel Pinto already out of jail?

- By a couple of days.

- Well, I think we found the sex worker

that helped set him up.

- We certainly did.

I'll follow up with Fin.

- [sighs]

- Hey, how are you doing on the, uh, ICE Air logs?

- Well, we managed to track down a few women that were deported,

and with any luck, one of them can identify the woman

who was hugging Father Alberto.

And Price told me what happened.

Someone threatened your son?

- Yeah, did he also tell you

that he asked me to recuse myself?

- He might have mentioned it.

- What would you do?

- Are you asking me as a cop or as a mom?

- Can you separate those two?

- Well, I think you have two choices.

You can either throw yourself into your work

or throw Gomez out a window.

- How'd you get my number?

- You know this guy?

- 'Cause he knows you.

- I might have gave him a massage.

- Look, Charisse, you're not in trouble.

We're SVU, we're not Vice.

- We just want to know who hired you.

- And what you did with the condom

when you took it out of the trash.

- You recognize any of these guys?

[tense music]

- What do I get if I cooperate?

- You get to stay in business.

- Before you were deported,

you were staying in a shelter run by Father Alberto

here in Manhattan?

- That's right.

- A woman we spoke to said you might know

the identity of a close friend of Rosa Ortega's.

- You're talking about Cassie.

- We've been trying to follow up with her.

- Yeah, I heard she just disappeared.

- Do you know Cassie's last name or an address?

- No, but

I think I might have a photo of her.

* *

Wait.

Just a moment.

* *

Would this help?

* *

- There she is.

- Cassie Reyes.

So she did disappear-- to a new life.

* *

- I'm not even going to ask how you found me.

I left that shelter a few months back,

and it was hell on earth.

- Well, you seem to have made a very nice life for yourself.

- And we do not want to interrupt it,

but we are investigating Paul Gomez

for rape and murder.

- We heard you were tight with Rosa Ortega.

- I saw her the morning she disappeared,

and then after that, nothing.

I--I assumed Gomez had killed her.

- Can you tell us more about that?

- He'd been raping her.

Me too, threatening us if we said no.

And the morning that Rosa disappeared,

she was going to go report Gomez to the cops.

- And you think he found out?

- I mean, the guy has a bunch of street-level dealers

paying him to look the other way.

He has eyes and ears everywhere,

and one of them must have tipped him off.

It took me a while to get clean,

but I'm glad I did, because then I wouldn't have met Sean.

We just got engaged.

- Congratulations.

- You said that you, um--

you left the shelter a few months ago?

- Yeah.

- Did you know her?

- Sofia.

Yeah, I know her, but not well.

I mean, she was the one who gave me the number

to the rehab that I got clean at

and helped change my life.

- So, um, her real name is Maria Recinos

and she was a friend of mine, and, uh, she was--

she was working undercover.

- [sighs] She--she's a cop?

- And we think Gomez killed her too.

[somber music]

- Um, she's--she's dead?

* *

When did this happen?

- A week ago.

- But listen, we are putting a case together

against Paul Gomez for killing Maria and Rosa.

Will you be willing to testify?

- [sighs] No.

No one in my life now knows about my past.

I mean, Sean's the love of my life.

I don't want him to know that I was a drug addict,

that I let a man rape me

so I wouldn't get arrested.

I owe Maria,

but if I testify, I'll lose everything.

* *

- She's a crucial witness.

Not only can she connect Rosa to Gomez,

she was raped by the guy herself.

- Righ, but she's also newly sober,

so let's try not to destroy that.

- Price might have a different opinion.

- There are other witnesses,

so one of them will just have to be enough to get it done.

ME Wagner will confirm a seminal DNA match

to Paul Gomez on both the bodies of Maria Recinos

and Rosa Ortega.

- The exhumation of her body paid off.

- What about Ana Machado's case?

- Charisse Johnson will testify

she delivered a used condom from Miguel Pinto to Gomez.

- Which he used to plant evidence on Ana's body.

- And Grace Brionés, from the shelter,

can put Paul and Maria together at the time of Maria's murder.

- OK, so we have two witnesses plus DNA,

which Gomez will likely say was consensual.

- Well, we actually do have a third witness

that could testify to the repeated rapes

of herself and Rosa Ortega.

- I'm interested. - Hold on.

She's not willing to testify.

- Why not?

- Because she has changed her life and moved on.

- We'll try to avoid it for now.

No promises.

So you guys have enough for an indictment.

What about going to trial? - I'm good.

- Same here.

- All right, pick him up.

- OK.

[dramatic music]

- Thanks for coming to get me, sis.

- Are you sure you're ready to leave?

Maybe you should have listened to your doctors.

- I'm fine. [police siren wails]

- Lieutenant Gomez.

Sorry, I got no flowers for you this time.

- Paul, what's this about?

- You're under arrest.

- Stop it, you're hurting him!

- This is for Maria and Rosa.

- Oh, my God.

- Jocelyn, call my lawyer, all right?

Rita Calhoun. - OK.

- Can you do that for me? - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Paul, what's this about?

.

- I received an anonymous call about a murder,

and when I arrived on the scene,

I discovered that the body had been burned

beyond recognition.

And I later learned that it was a young woman

named Maria Recinos

who had been working undercover

for the defendant, Paul Gomez.

- Were you able to identify the anonymous caller?

- She was a woman at the shelter, Ana Machado,

and Maria had given her my number.

- Why your number?

- Because Maria trusted me.

- So Ana was cooperating with the investigation?

- Eventually, yes.

At the beginning, she was hesitant.

She was quite afraid of the police,

for reasons that are now obvious.

- Objection.

- Sustained.

- And then she agreed to be interviewed.

- But you were not able to complete that interview?

- No.

I stepped out of the room and Ana fled the precinct.

She was frightened by something or someone.

And later, we found that she had been choked to death.

- Was the defendant, Paul Gomez,

at the precinct that day?

- He was.

He was supposedly working on business

that was related to the case.

And I spoke to him, and he denied seeing Ana,

which I now know was a lie.

- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- Captain Benson, you have no direct knowledge

that Anna Machado saw Paul Gomez that day, do you?

- No.

- In fact, you have no direct knowledge

that my client committed any of the crimes

that he is accused of, do you?

- Well, I wasn't an eyewitness,

but after being a police investigator for over 25 years,

the circumstantial evidence was too compelling to ignore.

- You had a personal relationship

with Maria Recinos, didn't you?

- You could say that, yes.

- You recommended that she be promoted to undercover?

[tense music]

- Yes.

- You were devastated by her death?

- I was.

- So isn't it possible, Captain Benson,

that your personal relationship in this case

made you biased against my client?

- Objection.

- I'll allow.

- I was deeply saddened

by Maria's murder,

and angered by it,

as I have been about many cases before.

- Thank you.

- But I have never let my emotions

interfere with my police work.

Quite the opposite.

* *

- I did an outcall job for a client named Miguel Pinto.

- But you thought it was Miguel's cousin

who hired you, correct?

- Yeah, over the phone.

- What were his instructions?

- To show him a good time, and to make sure

Miguel used a condom, and to take it with me when I left.

- And then what?

- I didn't expect it, but the dude was waiting

for me across the street.

He asked for the condom before I got in my QuikRide.

- And is the man who took that condom from you

in this courtroom today?

- Yeah. Yeah, that's him right there.

Paul Gomez.

- Thank you.

- Ms. Johnson, you just admitted on the stand

that you're a prostitute.

- Yeah, so?

- And the DA's office agreed not to prosecute you

for that in exchange for your testimony today.

- Yeah, but I'm telling the truth.

- Thank you. Nothing further.

- I was walking my baby back home.

I saw Maria Recinos go into a warehouse.

- And then what happened?

- Five minutes later, Lieutenant Gomez

followed her inside.

- Why didn't you report this to the police?

- I didn't want to be next.

- Thank you.

- Are you aware that you're under oath, Ms. Brionés?

- Yes.

- Are you aware that lying on the stand is a crime?

- Yes.

- That could possibly lead to your arrest

and possible deportation?

[ominous music]

- Yes.

- Then I am going to give you one last chance.

Are you sure it was my client you saw

following Maria Recinos into that warehouse?

* *

- No, to be--to be honest, I'm not 100% sure.

- Uh, Your Honor-- - Your Honor, I need a--

a moment with my witness.

- Gentlemen, approach the bench.

* *

- So our witness is completely compromised.

- She was obviously intimidated.

- We are in serious danger of losing this case.

- We still have Cassie Reyes. - Look, we talked about that.

- That was before we were facing a mistrial

or a motion to dismiss.

- I'm not going to ruin her life.

- That is what a subpoena was invented for.

- All right.

She's been brutalized by the system enough, don't you think?

- I don't like it any more than you do,

but this case is too important to just leave to chance.

You want it to be her choice,

you have till the end of the day.

[tense music]

* *

- God, what do you want?

- You know the answer to that.

- I already told you, I can't testify.

- It may not be up to you, Cassie.

If you don't agree, then the DA is going to subpoena you.

- I am an ex-drug addict.

I was high half the time I was in that shelter.

- But you're not now.

- And this--this is the version of you that we need.

- [sobbing] No, they're going to--

they're going to talk about my past.

- Listen, men like Gomez,

they want you to stay invisible.

That's what protects them.

- [sobs]

- You've got to get up there and show them

that you're not as invisible as he thinks you are.

- We're not asking you to do this for us.

We're asking you to do this for Rosa and Maria.

- [whimpers]

- And I know what they would want.

They would want you to choose justice, not fear.

* *

- [sobs]

[breathing shakily]

.

- Ooh-wee.

You might not know me,

but I know you.

And not in a vague kind of way.

- What the hell are you talking about?

- Your name is Mueller Hayes.

You joined the Academy in '95,

spent your first year on patrol.

Speeding tickets for your friends

quickly disappear, a little cash for courtesy.

Nothing major.

Nothing worth making a fuss over.

But I see the patterns in your life, even if you don't.

Fast forward a few years and, well, here you are, huh?

[grunting]

Got your head smashed up against the cold tile

under the weight of all your bad decisions

and a 600 FICO score,

which is why Paul Gomez owns you.

- [grunting]

- You and I, we're just going to cut through the noise.

If you ever go anywhere near my friend or her son again,

I won't take you down.

I'll take you apart.

- [panting]

- Tell Gomez to watch his back.

- I was living at the shelter for a while,

because I was a drug addict,

at rock bottom.

I felt like I had no options in life.

- Did you know Rosa Ortega?

- Yes, we were friends.

- Your Honor, again, this witness is

not on the prosecution's list.

- I've already allowed this testimony.

You'll have your chance to cross.

Mr. Carisi, you may continue.

- Ms. Reyes, when was the last time you talked to Rosa?

- The morning she was killed.

She said she was going to go to the police

about Paul Gomez raping her.

- And how was Rosa's affect the last time you spoke?

- She was scared,

and I know why.

Because Paul Gomez did the same thing to me.

He said that if I didn't have sex with him,

he'd arrest me.

- And you did as he ordered?

- Yes.

- Did you call the police?

Did you tell anyone?

- No, not until now.

- And what changed your mind?

- Because he...

killed two women I know,

Rosa Ortega and Maria Recinos.

[tense music]

- Thank you, Ms. Reyes.

- Ms. Reyes, you have no knowledge of my client

being directly responsible for Rosa Ortega's murder, do you?

You didn't see blood on his hands or a can of gasoline

in his possession?

- No.

- And you had no knowledge that Maria Recinos

had been murdered, did you?

- Not at first.

- Until the detectives here told you?

- That's correct, yes.

- By your own admission you were a drug addict.

- Yes.

- And my client had probable cause to arrest you--

- Yes.

- But let it go when you were willing to have sex with him.

- Objection.

- Watch yourself, Counselor.

- He--

He threatened me,

along with every other woman in that place.

He created a hell that I escaped from.

- Your Honor--

- You asked the question, Counselor.

- I was silent for years,

but not anymore.

Coming here today may cost me my new life,

but it is worth it to put Paul Gomez in prison.

* *

- Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?

- We have, Your Honor.

- What say you?

- On the charge of rape and murder

in the first of Rosa Ortega, we find the defendant guilty.

On the charge of rape and murder

in the first of Ana Machado, guilty.

On the charge of rape and murder

in the first of Maria Recinos, we find the defendant guilty.

[crowd murmuring]

- Members of the jury,

the court thanks you for your service.

* *

[somber music]

* *

- Hey.

Oh, Cassie, I'm so glad that you came.

- This is my fiancé, Sean.

- It's nice to meet you, Captain.

- It's nice to meet you, too.

- Cassie's been talking a lot about you.

- Oh. [chuckles]

- I'll meet you in a minute, OK?

- OK.

* *

- How do you feel?

- I feel known.

Maybe even for the first time.

- Mm.

* *

- You really fought for those women.

- So did you.

- It looks like Cassie's going to be OK.

- Yeah.

Are you?

- I am...

now.

* *

.

[dramatic music]

* *

[wolf howls]