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.

Never doubted you for a second. Hello, Curry.

Next stop, Golden Globes. How you doing, champ?

I don't know. After months of training, I kind of wish it went longer.

That makes one of us. Nice work in there, partner. Okay, well, this was the

easiest hundred bucks that I ever made.

You were great.

So, guys, drinks on me at Long Shop? That's a no. I'm not going to say no.

All right, I'll grab a shower and I'll meet y 'all there. Okay.

All right. Hey.

Tremendous.

Chief. Didn't see you out there. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I have always been a fan captain.

Always? All the way from Philly? That's quite a compliment.

It's just that I've been educating myself.

A captain who's so dedicated to the mission of SVU that she takes what is

essentially a demotion to work in that unit.

That's dedication.

Well, it's a fulfilling assignment.

No regrets.

Not much room for advancement, though.

You and I both know the challenges in this department for women like us.

We're held to a different standard.

And yet, as far as you've come, here you are in a redundant position with no

real authority.

But the good news is, there is a path to change that perception.

Victim's name is Layla Hartman. Report came in to hotel security about an hour

ago. Okay, what is all this? Best would figure out. It's some sort of fan

convention. I've seen him on TikTok.

All right, who's in charge here? Hotel manager, Nate Smith.

Mr. Smith, I'm Captain Benson, SVU.

Where's the victim?

She's with the paramedics now.

Uh -huh. She was an attendee of the convention.

She said she was raped last night.

Okay, did you say where the rape occurred?

In a room on the 15th floor just after midnight.

Captain, if you could use some discretion. We don't want to alarm our

so I'm going to need footage from every single elevator and from the stairwell.

We don't have cameras in the elevators or the floors. My team checked the

stairwell cameras and the elevator logs.

No one had come or gone from the 15th floor since midnight.

Lock it down.

You got it. Lock it. You can't.

Mr. Smith.

This hotel is a crime scene now.

So nobody leaves without an interview.

Is there any insight to all of this? Yeah, it's weird. This Romeo kid, a

potential suspect, is some sort of ballet prodigy. He blew up on social

Had over 300 fans here last night. Okay, but the kid's talented, so what's

weird? It's the fans. They're intense. They travel all over the country to

conventions.

paid thousands of dollars to be quote super fans they pay for private lessons

they're obsessed okay well i had a college boyfriend that followed the dead

almost a decade yeah but your college boyfriend wasn't sending the dead

money and fantasizing about them turning 18 so it would be legal how old is this

kid 16 every person we talked to was a woman 40s 50s said romeo changed their

lives made them feel young again yeah it definitely gives you the ick His mom

supposedly runs everything, sets up all the cons, controls all the exes to him.

Okay, you two head up to the 15th floor, interview everyone.

I'm going to talk to the victim and find this mother.

I want to talk to her.

After the VIP event, Romeo asked me to come to his room to help him talk to his

mother.

What do you mean?

He wanted to stop performing, and he was afraid of her reaction.

I told him that I would be there for moral support.

Oh, so he must have really trusted you to ask you for that kind of help.

I thought so.

Okay, so you went to his room, right? And what room was that? Do you remember?

Um, 1550.

Okay.

So can you walk me through what happened next?

It was like a switch flipped.

She just got this look, like an evil look.

Okay.

You know what? We don't need to do this now.

Okay. So what's going to happen next is I'm going to have the ambulance take you

to the hospital where you're going to get a safe exam.

I'm not sure that I want that.

Oh, okay.

Okay. Well, it's entirely your decision.

You should know that it might help us with the investigation.

So, you know, why don't you talk to the doctor about it?

All right.

Thank you.

Of course.

She's ready to go.

Bruno,

the crime scene room, 1550.

Body's cold.

No pulse.

She's gone.

Captain, we got a body, a female.

I think it's Romeo's mother.

Yeah, it's Diane Martin.

Possible blunt force trauma to the head.

Where's Romeo's mother?

I'm on my way out.

Somebody went out the window.

Must have climbed into another room on this floor.

Trail stopped three windows down.

That's room 1533.

Open it.

Locked on the inside.

Take it.

NYPD!

There's no dad in the picture. He died six years ago. Did Romeo ask for a

yet? Not a word. But I wanted to take a peek at what we're dealing with. Kids

got over two million followers.

Oh. You are worthy.

You deserve love.

You deserve to love yourself.

And I'm going to help you. I'm going to keep you accountable.

We'll do this together.

Let's go.

He seems like a sweet kid.

Has he done anything questionable?

Not that I can tell. It's all pretty wholesome.

So I looked into my mother's financials. The past few years, she's taken in $600

,000 in donations, all from fans, supposedly for his college friends. But

all went into her account.

That sounds like wire fraud.

We're pimping them out. We're that.

I know it sounds crazy. I mean, he's my son's age, for God's sake. But Romeo has

made me rethink my entire life.

He's just so positive, so encouraging. I love how he touches me when we dance.

My sex life?

Let's just say way more active.

He awakens something. They know he's a kid, right?

Oh, yeah, they know. Check out the comments.

If my thoughts were action, I'd be in handcuffs.

If he was a couple years older, I'd do a plie on his face, lovely.

Yeah, I just think there's more to the story here.

Clearly.

Let's go find out.

Now that I've read you your rights, are you willing to speak with us regarding

these allegations?

Hey, Romeo.

A woman by the name of Layla Hartman has made some pretty serious allegations

against you.

But we are willing to listen to your side of the story, okay?

Hmm?

I think if you want to help yourself out here, you should really talk to us.

take a shot here.

Hey, Romeo.

Listen to him.

Because he might be able to help you.

Before I can talk to you, you need to verbally acknowledge that you want to

to me.

I promise you'll understand.

Just let me know that you're cool with us talking.

Okay?

I asked my captain to leave the room because I'm going to share something

you that is very private to me.

Something that I honestly think may help you.

When I was 15, something happened to me that changed my life.

I was sexually assaulted in my bedroom by one of my mother's friends.

I was feeling the process.

What happened?

And when I began to understand it, I felt

incredibly confused.

Why didn't I feel lucky that she chose me?

Why didn't I appreciate the lesson?

Why did I feel so incredibly ashamed?

And then pretty soon that feeling went from shame to guilt.

Like, was it my fault?

Did I do something to bring this on?

And then that feeling, that feeling went...

I began to hurt myself.

I drank alcohol.

I quieted my thoughts.

I wanted to kill myself.

And then I wanted to kill everybody around me.

Look, I don't know what happened last night.

I only know what I'm being told.

But...

I promise you that if you tell me what happened, I'll understand.

Because I've been there.

I killed my mother.

How you doing? Homicide said someone was coming over. Hey, kid. You catch a

case? Yeah.

City never sleeps, right?

You want running down for me? Yeah, so the crime scene's on 15.

Victim's Diane Martin.

She's the mother of the kid who's being interviewed at SVU.

Wait, you're saying you think he's good for your rape and my murder?

That's what we're trying to sort out.

You seem skeptical.

I'm always skeptical.

And cynical.

All right, I'm going to head up to 15.

Have your captain notify me if she wants me to take a crack at that kid. 10 -4.

You know, I knew your old man.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

After my performance, my mom organized a VIP meet and greet.

What happens there?

The super fans pay for alone time with me.

I walk around the room and talk to them.

What do you talk about?

You know, I tell them they look great, give them stretching tips, take selfies.

So it's normal conversation?

It doesn't feel normal.

It feels weird.

At first they're nice, but they've usually been drinking and they,

I don't know, start talking about sexual stuff,

what they want to do to me when I get older.

You ever tell your mother?

She just said ignore it, but I hated it.

Because it's inappropriate.

Your mother should have put a stop to it.

What happened last night?

It was late.

My mom told me to go back to the room.

Layla got on the elevator with me. She was really drunk.

She tried to put her hand...

Under my shirt, but... I told her to stop, but she just laughed.

What happened when you got back to your room?

I told her not to come in.

She did anyway.

She... She pushed me onto the bed.

She pulled down my pants and put her mouth down there.

That's a crime.

She was assaulting you.

I told her to stop, but she kept going, and I remember she had a condom, and

I don't know, I just froze.

And then it was over, and she just, like, smiled at me.

She was so happy. It felt so weird.

It is weird.

Then Mom came in.

She saw us. She just flipped out.

Started screaming.

Layla grabbed this marble thing and hit her in the head.

There was so much blood.

And what did Layla do?

She just stood there like nothing happened.

And then she said we could be together forever.

I was so scared.

I...

Climbed out onto the ledge and tried a couple of windows until I found one that

was unlocked.

I'm so sorry it happened to you, Romeo.

It isn't right.

She wasn't perfect, but... She was my mom.

That was excellent work, Terry.

He's 16, he's a kid, and that woman took advantage of him.

You saw, right? His story was solid. I pressed, and he held up. I saw. I know,

know. We all bring our prior experiences and demons into this job. Yes, we do. I

am clear on this, Captain.

You're so clear.

And so am I.

And I believe you, Terry, and I believe him.

What our purpose, for him to be a victim.

So what did Layla Hartman tell you? She's tricky. She was reluctant to get a

rape kit done at the hospital.

And, you know, I mean, that's not totally uncommon, but... I don't know.

Something's flagging.

We need to be very careful how we approach this.

All right.

Yeah. It makes me wish I had somebody like you in my life when I was a kid.

Someone like you?

Who's brave enough to share their story?

To help someone else?

Look at all of these.

I mean, she must have attended every event.

So what are we looking for in here?

How about the murder weapon?

Let's see if they can rush the print. Yeah.

Well, you're not going to believe this.

What?

You're the sex cops. Is that what I think it is?

Yes, that is the used condom.

Oh, that's sweet.

The so -called victim kept the memento.

Hospital took good care of you?

Yes, thank you. So the doctor said that you declined the safe exam.

They said it wasn't necessary since I knew my attacker.

Oh, okay.

So, Layla, as you know, we've arrested...

Romeo Martin, and we're just looking to shore up her case. How is he?

Is he okay?

That must be so confusing to feel empathy for the person that

assaulted you.

He's just... I still think of him as the person I believed he was.

Well, that makes sense. I mean, you two had grown close.

Did he say that?

You said that.

You... You told me that he confided in you about wanting to quit ballet, so you

were obviously special to him.

He's a very special person, or I thought he was.

How did you two meet?

I was interested in getting back into ballet, and a friend of mine told me

this kid who was offering sessions online.

She said he was a prodigy. And you were a super fan?

Right. So you paid for private lessons?

Well, yes.

Lots of VIPs did that. But you were the only VIP that he confided in. I mean,

that must have made you feel really good.

I actually felt sorry for him because his mother was a monster.

How much interaction did you actually have with Diane?

Not much.

Hardly at all. But she did ban you from the group. When did that happen?

I don't remember.

Do you remember why she banned you?

Romeo told her I was supporting his decision to quit dance.

She didn't like that. She wanted to control him. It wasn't because you were

obsessed with Romeo?

That's a lie.

And what does any of this have to do with the fact that I was raped?

Hey, Captain. I'm sorry to interrupt. Can I talk to you for a second?

Stay here.

I'd really like to. Yeah, I'll just be a minute. Stay here, please.

Layla is in the system for a DUI from last year. CSU said her prints were all

over the murder weapon.

What about Romeo?

Nothing. Just Layla's.

Bruno, here with me.

Layla Hartman.

You're under arrest for the sexual assault of Romeo Martin and for the

his mother, Diane Martin.

What? Stand up. Put your hands behind your back.

You don't understand.

He begged me for it. I was saving him from that woman who was ruining his

He begged me for it.

Obviously, the arraignment judge saw right through the people's case and

to release my client on bond.

What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is yet another instance where the so

-called special victims unit rushed to judgment.

But the most outrageous thing about this case is that my client is the victim.

She was assaulted by Romeo Martin.

Quick question, will Ms. Hartman be testifying?

I will not try this case in the press, and I will have no further comment here.

See you in court, my friend.

Danny, only a prick announces that he won't try his case in the press at the

press conference that he called.

All the world's a stage, Carisi.

I guess that makes you the court jester.

See you at the show, sonny boy.

No one shares a bee in his bonnet about you, Carisi. What's his problem? I have

no idea, but I'm getting sick and tired of his games.

Yeah, we all are. Well, we made a good case. The guy's just a charmer. He

definitely made a fool of me last time. Yeah, you gotta shake that off.

So, court records say that Layla Harmon's husband filed for divorce six

ago. He might have something to say about that. All right, Curry.

Rollins, they didn't get him to talk.

How is Romeo doing?

Look, he's a kid, but he'll be ready.

Well, let's hope so. I feel good about the fingerprints on the murder weapon,

but he's our only eyewitness.

So this kid has got to hold up under Roland's cross.

If he folds, Layla walks.

Layla and I are legally separated.

I hired a lawyer, but he apologized, so we tried again, you know, for the

kids.

Then I caught her talking to that Romeo kid again, so it's complicated.

So she's still talking to him, and you're on the fence about divorce?

Look, my kids are only eight. I didn't think they were ready to give up on her.

But now, I guess this is finally the last straw.

Mr. Gibson, Layla is about to be on trial for murder and sexual assault.

Will you be willing to testify for the prosecution?

Oh, I don't know. I don't think I'm comfortable with that.

Why not?

She's still the mother of my children. Who was a murderer and who assaulted a

minor. Look, I don't know about what happened with all that, but if I testify

and she's convicted, I'm the one who has to explain to my kids why I sent their

mom to prison.

I can't do that.

Sorry.

Hey, John.

What brings you in?

Just dropping off some paperwork.

You got a second?

Sure. Come in.

I don't know what's going on with you and Tynan, but all of a sudden, she's up

my ass.

Well, I know the feeling.

Why was she asking about?

She's guarded.

You know, she always has been.

She's asking about the progress of the case, but... But what?

Well, it feels like she's just poking around about you and this unit.

Well, Chief Tynan and I have definitely had our issues, but... They have nothing

to do with this case.

Sounds like there's more to the story.

I don't want to tell tales.

But if you're at war with her, there's some things you might want to know.

All right.

So, 2001.

Cop is involved in an off -duty shooting. IAD does a cursory

They rule it a good shoot.

Whole thing goes away.

You know how things work back in the day. Oh, I do.

Well, rumor was that the cop's partner fixed things for him.

Then I take it the cop was Jimmy Griffin.

And the partner became my new illustrious shoot of D's.

Well, I don't know what you want me to do with that.

I don't expect anything.

Do nothing if that's your decision.

I'm just passing along information.

Well, John, as always, I appreciate you.

Well, I always like the way you handle your business, Captain.

If you need any help, you know where to find me.

Captain, a word, please.

Evening, Chief.

I left you a voicemail, too, in fact. You've been busy.

Yeah.

Sorry. It made me a lot to think about.

I appreciate your kind words and support, and while it's incredibly

to be considered... You're turning me down.

I think that's best for all of us involved.

You mean Captain Benson?

No. I didn't tell her about your offer.

I just don't think it's best for me right now.

I think you're making a mistake, Captain.

I might be, and that'll be on me.

But I'm also not real interested in being a pawn in someone else's game.

Respectfully.

Good night, Captain.

After the defendant sexually assaulted you, what happened?

I saw her kill my mother.

Mr. Martin, did you ever assault Layla Hartman?

No. I never would have done something like that.

I was a virgin.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

In the last year, how much money did you take from your fans?

I don't know.

My mother... Would it surprise you to learn that it totaled over $600 ,000?

In addition to the so -called gifts of sneakers and clothing and jewelry that

you solicited from them?

I don't know. Isn't it true, sir, that you preyed on these poor, lonely women?

No, no.

Are these not... your dirty underwear?

that you sent to my client with a request for $1 ,000. Objection, Your

These were never provided to the prosecution for inspection.

Your Honor, my client just discovered these this morning.

Mr. Olin, put those drawers back in the box.

You know better. The jury will disregard any mention of the undergarments unless

and until I admit them into evidence.

Fine, Your Honor.

You took advantage of their loneliness.

And their generosity, didn't you?

I did what my mother told me to do. But you wanted more. We all understand the

sexual desires of a 16 -year -old boy. And you decided that money wasn't

You decided to take advantage of my client by raping her. Isn't that true?

no, I would never. You took the money and you took my client sexually.

Isn't that true?

No.

I thought Romeo was a boy who was being exploited by his mother.

He wanted to stop dancing but she was forcing him to continue.

Did you attend RomeoCon 2026?

I did.

I just wanted to see if Romeo was okay.

When I saw him in the lobby he was happy to see me.

He told me he was trying to get his mother to stop but that she wouldn't

to him.

What happened next?

He asked me to talk to his mother with him.

And you agreed?

Yes.

I went to their room, but once inside, I realized that we were alone.

What happened next?

She pushed me onto the bed and ripped off my underwear.

I couldn't believe what was happening. I froze.

He...

He stepped back, he put on a condom and raped me.

Did he say anything?

He said that nobody would believe me because he was an innocent 16 -year -old

boy.

And after he violently raped you?

Diane burst into the room screaming.

Romeo picked up a book and hit her in the head.

I was shocked.

I ran out. I didn't want him to kill me.

Thank you, Layla.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Nothing further, Judge.

Ms. Hartman, you heard Detective Bruno testify that you said that Romeo begged

for it. I did not.

That's a lie.

Oh, okay. How did the murder weapon with only your fingerprints on it end up in

your room?

I know now that it was planted.

It was planted?

By whom?

Probably the same detectives who are lying about me.

Well, maybe you can explain to me how a used condom containing Mr. Martin's

seminal fluid ended up in a coffee cup in your mini -fridge.

Condom in a coffee cup?

How ridiculous does that even sound?

Obviously, they have been railroading me from the outset.

Mrs. Hartman.

You're separated, correct?

I am.

And isn't it true that you and your husband separated over your obsession

Romeo Martin? That is not true.

My husband is a liar.

He abandoned us. But a family court judge awarded him joint custody of your

children, correct?

My husband is a criminal and a liar.

He paid off that judge.

Oh, okay. So just so that I got it straight,

The detectives lied, they planted evidence, the judge was paid off, and

husband's a criminal.

Is that your testimony?

It is not only my testimony, Mr. Carisi.

It's the truth.

The subpoena. I told you detectives are not testifying. I understand, but before

you make your final decision, I want you to hear what Layla said on the stand.

Hey, Lucy.

Lucy, can you... Sit down. Can you please read back Layla's cross

for Mr. Gibson?

The defendant.

My husband is a criminal and a liar. He paid off that judge.

Mr. Carisi.

Okay. Just that I got it straight.

The detectives lied.

Planted evidence.

The judge was paid off and your husband is a criminal. Is that your testimony?

The defendant. It is not only my testimony, Mr. Carisi.

It's the truth.

Mr. Gibson, are you a liar?

No, sir. Have you ever been arrested or even charged with a crime?

Absolutely not. But the defendant testified that you were a criminal.

It's not the first time she's lied about me.

Do you have any evidence of that?

I have a recording of a voicemail she left me.

Objection. No recording was ever turned over to the defense.

Approach.

What's this all about, Mr. Carisi? This is a transcript of the recording, which

will show that the defendant lied on the stand.

Your Honor, this is outrageous.

No recording was turned over during discovery.

Well, we just learned of the existence of this recording. It goes directly to

the defendant's credibility, which is always a question. And since she

testified... She may have committed perjury.

I agree with Mr. Tracy.

I'm going to allow it.

Judge... Step back.

Mr. Gibson, you said that you had received a voicemail from the defendant.

you please play that recording for the jury?

I will tell your boss that you are embezzling money.

I will get sole custody.

And you'll be humiliated.

Do not test me.

As to the charge of sexual assault in the first degree.

Guilty.

And murder in the second degree.

Guilty. Ladies, gentlemen of the jury, thank you for your service.

want to puke a little when people call me brave, but I'm going to call you

brave. You're great.

You're proud of yourself.

Thanks.

How do you feel?

I don't know.

I'm glad it's over. I kind of hoped it would make things better, but I don't

really feel any different.

I get that.

It takes time.

You know you can call me anytime.

I gave your grandmother the name of a therapist I really like.

You'll go, right?

I'll go.

What happened is not your fault.

Remember that.

It wasn't yours either, Terry.

What's with all the closed -door meetings?

What's up?

Chief Tynan offered me the SVU deputy chief position.

I'm sorry? I turned her down, and I am sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but

done and handled. Hold on. Just wait. Chief Tynan... Chief Tynan offered you

deputy chief.

Yeah.

Drop some women -like -us solidarity nonsense, too.

Okay. Look, first of all,

Renee, you can't just turn this down. We know what she's doing.

It's a play, and I'm not about to be played. I'm so sorry that you got caught

in all of this.

I don't know what her game is. I really don't, but... But I promise you...

There's more.

There's more.

I just got off the phone with the deputy commissioner for personnel, and I'm

being reassigned. No.

Executive officer here at the 16th. No, that's not happening.

I'm going to stop that. I'm going to ask you not to do that.

I never needed anyone to fight my battles, and I'm not going to start now.

is not your battle.

She's doing this to get to me.

I'm not letting that happen.

I'm sorry. Can you let me handle this the way that I want to handle it?

Please?

She's the chief of detectives. I mean, there's not anything you can do about it

anyway.

I'm not so sure about that.