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.

- And as we all know, any sexual assault

is a violation that shatters a victim's sense of safety

and a victim's sense of autonomy.

But there's an often unrecognized dimension

of sexual assault,

and that is unpredictability.

A sudden crime can make victims question everything--

their choices, their instincts,

even their own memories.

- Hey, didn't we just see you coming back from a matinee

of "The Notebook" the other day?

We did, right? - Yeah, Megan.

You're from Iowa. - Good memory.

[all chuckle]

- Going to another show already?

- I have seen six shows in five days.

- Get out of here. - Ooh.

Where's your husband? You left him home?

- Coming to New York all alone, what an adventure.

Must be some kind of special occasion.

- Nope, just...

life.

[ominous music]

[chuckles awkwardly]

* *

[applause]

Whoo.

Hi, hon.

- Hey, you were gonna call me after the show.

How was it? - Perfect. Magical.

- Where are you right now?

Uh, at a bar off of Times Square.

- By yourself?

- Well, the doorman at the hotel

said that "The Lion King" cast sometimes hangs out here.

[whispering] But I don't recognize them

without their makeup on.

- You miss me? - Of course, I do.

Um, I'll see you tomorrow night.

Okay, mwah!

- The hardest part is not just fear.

It's the realization

that the world they thought they lived in

was never real to begin with.

What was safe yesterday

does not feel safe today.

[siren wailing]

A tourist was raped in Times Square?

- It's a great ad for Broadway.

- The mayor's office is already preparing a statement.

- Okay, what do we know about the victim?

- Well, unis found her purse a few feet away

from where she was attacked.

Her ID says her name is Megan Wallace

from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

- Full wallet, her phone, a playbill in her bag.

- Theater usher over there found her dazed

and clothes in disarray.

- He's the one who called it in.

- So she was alone? - Yeah.

- All right, well, keep canvassing.

Check street cams.

I'll take her statement.

Hi. I'm Captain Benson from the Special Victims Unit.

How you holding up? - Okay.

- So I understand that you're from out of state.

- My flight home is tomorrow.

- So it would be real helpful

if maybe you could stay in town for a couple of days.

[apprehensive music]

- I just came to town to see some shows.

- How about--how about if I, uh, ride with you

to the hospital? - Okay.

- You know what? I'm gonna ride with her, guys.

Thanks.

[dramatic music]

* *

.

[indistinct chatter over hospital PA]

- Hey. How's she doing?

- Well, we gave her antibiotics.

She refused a sedative.

- Well, you finished the rape kit already?

That was fast. - Well, she's very organized.

She's been writing every detail in her daily planner.

- She's trying to make sense of what happened to her.

- Well, I hope this helps.

I was able to retrieve fluid, hair, and skin under her nails.

- That's a lot of evidence. Good.

Well, I'll see if she can tell me anything else.

- Okay, one more thing-- she has an underlying illness.

Seems like she was just diagnosed.

- All right, anything that would complicate the case?

- I think you should hear it from her.

- Okay.

How you doing, Megan?

- What are you doing to find the man that raped me?

- Uh, we're looking for witnesses.

We're pulling security footage. - I'm sorry.

I don't--I don't mean to tell you how to do your job.

- That's okay. I understand, believe me.

So is there anyone-- anyone I can call for you?

- Uh, my husband is in Iowa.

- Have you talked to him yet? - Not yet, but I will.

- So, uh, the SANE nurse mentioned that you--

that you've been writing in your daily planner.

- Yeah.

I wanted to make a list. - Uh-huh.

- It was just so I won't have to think about it all night.

- Okay, do you mind--do you mind if I take a look at that?

Okay, white, 30s, brown hair.

So--so, after the play, you went to go have a drink.

- At The Rum House. - Mm-hmm.

Did you notice anybody at the bar

paying attention to you?

- [scoffs]

I'm a middle-aged woman from the Midwest, so...

- Okay.

Did anyone follow you out?

- Not that I know of.

Um, the man who...

raped me--

uh, he must have already been in the alcove.

I passed by. He grabbed me.

He--he dragged me past some scaffolding.

- Mm-hmm.

I-it says here that he had luggage?

- Yeah, medium-sized black suitcase on wheels.

- Okay.

Tell me, Megan, what else-- what else do you remember?

- Um, after he...

finished, um, he left.

And then as I was pulling up my skirt, he--

uh, he doubled back. - What for?

- To grab something off the ground.

- Do you know what it was?

- It looked like a bottle,

but, I mean, I thought he was gonna hit me with it.

But he just took it and walked away.

- Did he seem intoxicated?

- I mean, maybe.

He was really well dressed.

- Like a businessman?

- Yeah, like, nice shirt, coat, tie.

I don't get it.

I...

[laughing, crying] I was wearing a thick jacket.

I mean, it's not like I was dressed

to attract any sort of attention.

- Megan, listen to me. Listen to me.

Don't take that on, okay? Don't take that on.

I've been doing this a long time.

And what you were wearing or how you were walking

has nothing to do with it.

Believe me.

[apprehensive music]

Um, also, the, um--

the nurse mentioned that you may have

an underlying health condition.

Is that--is that something that I should know about?

- Um... [sniffles]

Yeah. I, uh... [sniffles]

I haven't told my husband.

But, um, I was diagnosed with MS

two weeks ago.

- I'm so sorry.

Look, I know that I mentioned that I'd love you to stay

in town for a few days.

But if you need to get home to your family--

- No, nope. Nope.

I think I should stay here.

- Okay. I'll be right back.

- [sniffles]

- Hey. - How's our victim?

- Well, she got released from the hospital last night,

so she's back at her hotel.

Do we have anything on this guy?

- Well, it's Saturday night, Times Square,

so it's gonna take a while. - Okay.

- They're still looking through the cameras in the area.

- Okay, well, Megan said that her rapist was white, 30s,

and had a suitcase on wheels.

- That's half the tourists in Midtown.

- She also said that he went back to the crime scene

to pick up a bottle.

- He raped a woman and went back for it?

- Well, maybe he's worried about the DNA.

- Well, he wasn't worried about that when he raped her.

He didn't use a condom.

- Then why a double back for the bottle?

- Well, you guys are detectives.

Figure it out and find that bottle.

- Captain? - Yeah.

Hi.

Captain Benson. Can I help you?

- I heard people talking about that woman getting attacked

last night in Times Square. [cell phone buzzes]

I might have seen something. - Okay.

Uh, uh, just give me a minute, okay?

Hey, Finn.

Um, I just got a call about a press conference at 1PP.

Find out what she knows.

- So why were you there in the first place?

- I'm in the chorus of "Gypsy."

I had an after-work drink at Jimmy's Corner.

I was walking to the subway.

- Okay, what did you see? - Two people in an alcove--

older woman, younger guy.

- Was this the woman? - Yeah. That's her.

- What about the younger guy?

- White, 30s.

Had luggage with him.

Here's the thing, though-- I didn't think it was a rape.

I thought it was just two people hooking up.

- What made you think that?

- They were tucked into the corner of the alcove

like they didn't wanna be seen.

Her skirt was up. His hands were all over her.

But it's not like he had her mouth covered.

She wasn't screaming.

It's Times Square.

People get drunk and crazy there all the time.

[suspenseful music]

- Traffic cams don't lie.

White guy, 30s, in a nice-looking coat,

and with a bag on wheels.

- And a bottle, which he tosses into the marquee.

- Which is right up there.

- Looks like you're gonna need a ladder.

I'll call CSU.

* *

- Look what I found.

* *

- Let me see that label?

Emberdawn '95 Shiraz.

That's expensive. - It's Australian.

I thought they were known for that cheap stuff.

- Actually, this bottle is about $1,000.

- That explains why he went back to the scene to get it.

- Yeah, but not why he ditched it.

- Well, we can't go back to Benson empty-handed.

- How about a little old-school detective work?

- Oh, yeah? What are you thinking?

- We hit every upscale liquor store in Times Square,

see who sells $1,000 bottles of Shiraz.

- We want to reassure the public

that the NYPD is taking every precaution possible

to safeguard our streets.

Now, Broadway, on average, is visited

by 300,000 tourists a day,

making it one of the most visited places in the world.

And we are determined on maintaining its reputation

as one of the safest as well.

- How can you call Times Square safe

when something like this happens?

- Captain Benson, what is the status of the victim?

- We're not taking questions at this time.

[reporters shouting]

- You happy now?

That covers all the liquor stores

within a half-mile of the crime.

- But no Emberdawn '95. - You know what that means.

He didn't buy the bottle in this neighborhood.

- Well, maybe we should be canvassing the Upper East Side.

- Well, why would a guy in a suit

buy an expensive bottle of wine uptown

and then drag it down to Times Square

to just drink on the street?

- Well, there are a lot of bars in this neighborhood.

- Well, any high-end enough

to carry a $1,000 bottle of Shiraz?

- There's not a big market for upscale Australian wines.

Shouldn't be too hard to find.

- Yeah, sorry. We don't carry that type of wine here.

- Okay, well, thanks.

- Uh, but we did get someone in here yesterday

trying to sell me a case of it. - Like a wholesaler?

- A liquor rep, uh, like her but a guy.

- How old?

- Uh, 30s.

- White guy, brown hair?

- Yeah.

- Leave a card, a name?

- I mean, I told him straight up that I can't sell that here.

We mostly get tourists from the wax museum.

Trust me--they're not spending a grand on a bottle of wine.

- You get this guy on your security cameras?

- Yeah, he--he sat right there at the bar,

poured me a glass of the bottle he opened.

- We're gonna need your footage.

- So we're looking for a wine rep

with a black suitcase full of Shiraz.

- We can contact the label and get a list of reps.

- Okay.

- I was assaulted here last night

by--by a man in his 30s.

- Is that our victim? - Yeah.

What is she doing?

Mrs. Wallace. - Yeah?

- We met last night. We're with Special Victims.

- And?

- Can we ask-- what are you doing?

- I'm trying to find the man who assaulted me.

- We appreciate that, but it's probably not a good idea.

- I'm not worried about that.

- Yeah, but our captain will be.

- Um, I was assaulted here last night.

He was white, carrying a-a black suitcase.

Can you please help me?

He raped me, and he's still out there.

.

- Megan is canvassing Times Square,

looking for her own rapist.

- Maybe we should go talk to her,

see if she knows anything else.

- 'Cause we're at a dead end.

- We got something.

- Any luck reaching the vineyard?

- No. It's 4:00 a.m. in Australia.

The Shiraz he was selling--

the company only uses about 20 reps in the U.S.

- Well, how many in New York? - Seven.

- And, unfortunately, most of them are white guys

in their 30s.

But we do have a security still of one of them in the area.

- All right, so you guys keep canvassing the bars.

We know he was in Times Square at the time of Megan's attack.

I'll see if she can make an ID.

- Yeah, it looks like him.

Where is this?

- It's at a bar in Times Square.

So he was there last night.

And it turns out that he's a wine rep.

- Which is why he had a suitcase.

Wait. So he's not a tourist.

That means he could still be in the city.

He should be really easy to find.

- Well, except for the fact that we don't have a name

or any other way to ID him right now.

- [sighs] - But we have leads

from the company that he works for, so...

we're gonna catch this guy. - Okay.

I-I think I'm gonna go to that bar.

- Wait. Wait, wait, hold on.

I thought you said that your husband was on his way here.

- He is. I just--you know, I'll meet up with him later.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Megan, hold on a second.

Just--let's just take a beat here.

Look, I understand why you wanna catch this guy.

I really do. Believe me.

But, you know, what you're doing,

it's called displacement.

And it's when you put all your emotional energy

toward a problem that--

that you can do something about...

instead of--instead of one that you can't.

- You think this is about my MS?

[serious music]

* *

- So, um...

my father was a rapist.

And look what I do for a living.

So I understand displacement more than you think.

- I will deal with my illness in my own time,

on my own terms, but right now finding the man who raped me

is the only way that I am gonna be able to go home.

- Okay, but that's why I'm here.

So will you just let me do my job?

- Fine. I won't go to the bar. [sighs] Sorry.

I won't go to the bar.

I will just go for a walk to clear my head, okay?

That's not illegal. - But just to be clear--

interfering with our investigation...

that is illegal.

- Okay.

* *

[door closes]

- Yeah, he doesn't look familiar.

- But you do buy Shiraz from a liquor rep?

- Yeah, Harper. - Harper?

- Yeah, she's great. Why?

- Thank you for your time.

- Nah, that isn't our rep.

To be honest, we deal mostly with liquor brands these days.

Wine has a shelf life, unlike vodka.

- If you do see him, give us a call.

- How long's it been-- five hours?

- Six.

- And so far, no sign of our rapist.

- Whatever he was selling, no one's buying.

- It explains why he was standing drunk and angry

in an alcove.

- Then we'll meet you there, Liv.

Our victim, Megan Wallace, is at a bar a few blocks away

with the suspect.

[tense music]

We're headed into the bar now, Liv.

[indistinct chatter]

- Oh, I love Broadway shows.

My husband, on the other hand,

doesn't want anything to do with them.

- [whispering] Sarge, what the hell is she doing?

- Looks like she's flirting with him.

- Or she's just trying to keep him there.

- It's him. It's him. His name is Gerard Ridley.

- Get up. - What the hell?

- You don't even know who I am, do you?

- Gerard Ridley, you're under arrest.

- For what? - Rape in the first.

- That's ridiculous.

- You raped me, you son of a bitch!

- You have the right to remain silent.

- She was flirting with me. This woman is crazy.

- Whoa, Megan. Whoa, whoa.

- She just assaulted me. You saw that.

Aren't you gonna arrest her? - [scoffs]

- Mrs. Wallace, hands behind your back, please.

- [stammers] You're arresting me?

- I don't want to,

but you didn't exactly give us a choice.

- I didn't rape anyone.

- Calm down, Mrs. Wallace. - Are you kidding me?

- Hey, what is going on?

You...arrested the victim?

- We had to. She attacked the suspect.

- It was him.

He was denying everything. He didn't even recognize me.

- Okay, let me handle this. I got it.

Okay, Megan, Megan, what are you doing?

You're interfering

with a police investigation, all right?

You're hurting-- you're hurting your case.

Assaulting a potential suspect?

- That was the best part.

- Okay. All right.

I need you to turn around. - Why?

- Because I'm going to uncuff you

and drive you back to your hotel.

[handcuffs clicking] And, Megan...

if you ever interfere with this investigation again,

I will arrest you myself, okay? - Okay.

- Am I clear?

.

- Your victim from Iowa

detained and then assaulted her own rapist?

- After I told her not to interfere

with the investigation.

- And Silva arrested her?

- Well, she was in danger of screwing up the entire case.

- You don't actually expect me

to charge her with anything, do you?

- No, I-I voided the arrest,

and I took her back to her hotel,

and I said to stay there.

- And the suspect, where is he? - Uh, he is with his lawyer.

Finn and Velasco are questioning him now.

- What else do we know about this guy?

- Gerard Ridley, 32.

He lives in a duplex in Jersey City.

- No record.

- But his DNA was all over Megan's kit.

- Well, guys like this-- they don't normally wake up

and decide to become rapists at 32.

- So check his employment record,

his HR complaints, his college transcripts.

I mean, there's gotta be something in his background.

- That's you, right? - So what? I was working.

- And here you are, disposing of a $1,000 bottle of wine.

- What do you want me to do-- drink all of it?

- My client's not denying

that he was in Times Square working that night

or that he was disposing of the wine.

His job was to sell to area restaurants.

- What we wanna know is what happened between those two.

Somewhere in there, Megan Wallace was dragged

into an alcove and raped.

- Wait. That's her story?

- Your DNA was in her rape kit.

- I'm not denying we had sex.

- Okay.

We're listening.

- She came on to me.

- So, when she pushed herself against the wall,

that was her idea?

- I'll admit--it was a little down and dirty,

but it was what she wanted.

- If this was her idea, why'd she tell us she was assaulted?

- After someone else dialed 911.

- She's obviously having second thoughts.

She's afraid her husband would find out

she hooked up with a stranger.

- The hospital must have checked

this alleged victim's blood alcohol.

- Yeah, they did. - And?

[scoffs] Look, an older married woman from Iowa

came to New York City alone,

dazzled by the lights of Broadway--

not to mention a few drinks. - She wanted excitement.

- Which my client provided.

- I mean, look at me and look at her.

- What's that supposed to mean?

- She stalked my client, tracked him down in a bar

after their first rendezvous, flirted with him.

- Then when I didn't remember her, she punched me.

- [scoffs] I think we're done here.

[suspenseful music]

- That's some story, huh?

- Didn't you tell me, though, that she did walk for miles

searching for this guy, even after you asked her not to?

- She wanted justice. - And she didn't call 911.

A-also, isn't there a witness

that says that this looked consensual?

- Okay, so her behavior isn't perfect.

But what victim's is?

And you should also know

that she was diagnosed with MS a few weeks ago.

- I'm sorry to hear that.

- Yeah, and she hasn't told her husband.

And I'm sure--I'm sure that she doesn't want that

brought up in court.

- Doesn't need to be. It's not relevant to her case.

But you know what is relevant?

Is the story that this suspect is telling,

because it's exactly what his lawyer

is gonna sell to the jury.

- Okay, well, I was in the ambulance with her,

and I was at the hospital with her, and she was raped.

- As of now, I can arraign him on rape one.

- Okay.

- But just make sure that Megan knows

they're gonna portray her as a bored housewife

on a Broadway Rumspringa.

- [scoffs]

- Celia Fowler?

- Yeah.

- Did you go to grad school with Gerard Ridley?

- Gerard and I were involved.

- "Involved"? Like boyfriend-girlfriend?

- I thought that's what I wanted...at first.

- You filed a complaint against him with the college.

- Sexual misconduct board.

- Can you tell us what happened?

- Look, I really gotta get back to work.

- Celia, Gerard is a suspect

in a case that we're currently investigating.

- For what? - Assaulting a tourist.

- The case on the news? The woman from Iowa?

What--what did he do to her?

- Well, we can't really go into details,

but anything that you tell us might really help.

- Uh...

one night, I was in my dorm, studying.

Gerard came over. He was upset.

I, uh--I tried to cheer him up.

We drank a bit, smoked a joint.

[soft dramatic music]

We started fooling around, and, um...

I told him I was on my period.

I didn't wanna go any further.

- And?

- And he didn't listen.

The board opened an investigation,

but Gerard denied everything.

He blamed me, so it went nowhere.

We had one shared class.

He stopped attending, uh, blocked me on everything.

I never saw him again.

- Celia never filed a police report?

- No.

- I get the sense she just tried to forget all about it

once the college investigation dead-ended.

- Okay, thanks.

All right, Counselor, so...?

- It's a different pattern. It's a different MO.

I'm not gonna be able to get her admitted

as a Molineux witness.

- So, as of now, this is just all on Megan.

- Captain Benson. - Megan.

Uh, this must be your husband. - Uh, Richard.

- Nice to meet you. - Hi. This is ADA Carisi.

- You're my wife's prosecutor? - I will be, yes.

- You're gonna nail this guy.

- I'm certainly gonna try. - Doesn't sound very confident.

- Richard, they're doing their best.

- It's--it's okay to be frustrated, Mr. Wallace.

What's not okay is giving a guy like Gerard Ridley

the pleasure of seeing it.

- We just need to be strong for Megan,

because she's-- she's the real victim here.

- [sighs]

- Okay.

- Gerard Ridley, on the charge of rape in the first,

how do you plead? - Not guilty, Your Honor.

- People on bail?

- People request 50,000, Your Honor.

- My client has no priors. He's not a flight risk.

We request ROR.

- I'm setting bail at 25,000,

and the defendant will surrender his passport.

- That's it? The judge gave him bail?

- This is not uncommon for a first-time offender.

- Listen, they took his passport.

He's not going anywhere.

- What now? Can we go home? - No! I have to testify!

- So my wife has to get on the stand

in front of everyone and relive this entire thing?

- If we want a conviction, yes.

- There, you see? I told you.

I didn't want you to come to New York by yourself,

and this is why.

What happens if we just get on the plane

and go back to Council Bluffs?

- Well, um, unfortunately, that's not just your decision.

It's also Megan's.

Megan, may I--may I speak with you alone for a minute?

- Yes.

- We can give you a ride back to your hotel, Mr. Wallace.

- She'll get one too? - Yeah. I-I'll take care of it.

Are you upset at me again? - Uh, no.

[sighs]

So Gerard Ridley is going to claim

that everything that happened between the two of you

was consensual.

- What? - Yes.

And his lawyer is gonna say that you were drunk

and that you were looking for an out-of-town hookup

and that you stalked him for a few extra days

so, you know, you could see him again.

- That's a lie. - I know it is. I know it is.

But I need you to know

what they're gonna say in open court.

- [sighs]

I will tell Richard everything tonight.

- Have you told him about the diagnosis?

- No. [sighs]

[apprehensive music]

- Okay.

So, Megan, um...

you should know that, um, Mr. Carisi is aware.

- And?

- He's not gonna bring it up on the stand.

But you need to tell your husband.

- I can't.

- You can't, or you won't?

- I wanna testify!

[whispering] I don't wanna be viewed as someone who is sick

or weak or has to go home.

- I've known you for a very short time,

and I can assure you that nobody--

nobody thinks that you're even remotely weak.

- Listen, I am ready to fight. - Okay, well, good.

So hang on to that attitude,

because you're gonna need it to get through the trial

and whatever comes after.

- [sighs]

.

- I took the initial statement,

um, from the victim, Megan Wallace.

She was traumatized,

and she disclosed to me that-- that she had been raped.

- Did she give you details? - She did.

Um, she said that he was a white male,

um, early 30s, brown hair,

and that she was grabbed and pulled into an alcove

off 45th Street.

- And was she able to ID the defendant?

- She was.

And our investigation also, uh, concluded

that the defendant's DNA was indeed a match

to the semen in her rape kit.

- Thank you, Captain.

- Captain Benson,

did one of your detectives arrest Megan Wallace

for interfering in a police investigation?

- Yes, but--

- Not to mention she had assaulted the defendant.

- Megan reacted in anger to her rapist.

But I have since voided the arrest.

- Is it possible there's another reason

she assaulted him,

that the encounter was consensual

and she was angry that the defendant

didn't remember her? - Objection.

- Withdrawn. Nothing further.

- I was walking to my hotel from a bar

after seeing a Broadway musical.

- Can you tell the jury what happened on your way back?

- Uh, I was grabbed from the side

and, um, pulled into an alcove...

and shoved up against a wall.

And then I-I felt my skirt was pulled up,

and I felt him push into me.

- How did you react to that?

- I-I would have fought, but it just happened so fast.

I was in shock, and he--he just...

finished, zipped up, left.

- And what happened then?

- As I was, uh, trying to pull myself together, he came back,

and he grabbed a bottle from the ground.

- People's Exhibit Three, Your Honor--

this bottle, which you heard about in earlier testimony,

has the defendant's fingerprints on it.

Mrs. Wallace, were you able to see your attacker's face?

- Yeah, I got a quick look

w-when he was leaving for the second time.

- And can you identify him for the jury?

- Yes, the man who assaulted me

is Gerard Ridley, the defendant.

- And what happened after you'd been attacked?

- I was disoriented, in shock.

And, uh, an usher who--who had left work saw me, called 911.

And then when SVU came,

I told Captain Benson what had happened to me.

- Mrs. Wallace, you later found the defendant at a bar.

Can you explain that to the jury?

- I recognized him right away, and I-I texted the police.

- Were you flirting with him? - No.

I...

I would certainly not characterize it as that.

I was simply trying to keep him there

until he could be arrested.

- But you did strike him? - Yes.

And that was wrong.

But I just-- I was still very angry

from being violated by him.

- Understandable.

Thank you.

- Mrs. Wallace, you said you had been to a bar

prior to encountering my client.

- Yes.

- And you had a few drinks? - Yes.

- According to the bartender, you had two martinis.

- That sounds right.

- Do you usually drink that much?

- Objection, relevance.

- I'll allow, but move it along, Counselor.

- Uh, I usually only drink on special occasions.

- Did you feel affected by the alcohol?

- Maybe a little.

- Thank you for your honesty.

You were alone in the city without your husband?

- Yes.

- Do you usually travel without your husband?

- No, but i-it was tax season, and he was busy.

And there were-- there were Broadway shows

that I wanted to see that were--

that were losing their original casts soon.

- So you were in the city without your husband,

had a few drinks.

Maybe this was one of those special occasions?

- No.

- But you said it yourself.

This wasn't your usual behavior.

- I-I don't understand.

- Mrs. Wallace, isn't it true

that a few weeks prior to this trip, you had received

what must have been devastating news?

- What do you mean?

- I'm referring to your diagnosis

of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

- Objection, Your Honor, relevance.

- I intend to show relevancy, Your Honor.

- Counselors, approach.

- Richard, I'm so sorry.

[tense music]

- Your Honor, the witness's private medical history

is irrelevant to this case,

not to mention a gross violation of her privacy.

- It's relevant to my defense. It goes to her state of mind.

If she was looking for a drunken last hurrah,

that goes to the issue of consent.

The jury needs to hear that.

- All right, I will allow this line of questioning

but limited in scope.

Proceed carefully.

- Your Honor, I need a minute with my witness.

- Your Honor, I'm ready to continue with my cross.

The jury needs to hear this

while it's fresh in their minds.

- I'll allow.

Mrs. Wallace, are you ready to continue,

or do you need a recess? - No, I'm fine.

I can continue.

- Step back.

* *

I'm instructing the jury that your verdict

should not be influenced by sympathy for this witness

but only by the evidence presented.

- Mrs. Wallace, you did receive a diagnosis of MS

prior to this trip. - Yes.

- Is it possible that your out-of-character behavior

was caused by your reaction to the diagnosis?

- Well, I-I needed some time alone, yes,

if--if that's what you mean.

- Time alone.

For what?

- I love Broadway. I-I'd never been.

It was--it was always on my bucket list.

- Was it also on your bucket list

to have sex with a good-looking stranger?

- Objection. - Sustained.

Move it along, Counselor.

- I was raped!

[shouting]

- But you didn't call 911 right away, did you?

- No.

- In fact, you didn't call 911 at all.

The police only responded when an off-duty usher

who saw you rearranging your clothes called.

- I was disoriented. I was trying to process--

- Process what you were going to tell your husband?

- What? No.

- Mrs. Wallace, is it possible you weren't ever planning

on calling the police?

And it was only when SVU showed up,

you told them you'd been raped to avoid having to admit

that you had casual sex with the defendant?

- Objection, Your Honor. - Sustained.

- Casual, consensual sex. - Your Honor.

- Counselor, I warned you.

- Withdrawn. Nothing further.

- Mr. Carisi?

- Your Honor, I fully intend to redirect this witness.

I-I just--I need some time.

- We're adjourned for the day.

You have till tomorrow morning, Counselor.

You may step down, Mrs. Wallace.

* *

[inaudible]

- You have MS, and you didn't tell me?

- I was going to tell you.

- What else have you been hiding from me?

- Nothing. - Was that lawyer right?

Did you have sex with that man? - No.

[sighs] I swear to God.

- Mr. Wallace...

there's a reason

that your wife didn't tell you about the diagnosis.

- I wanna hear it from her.

What was the real reason for this trip--

why you had to go now?

It wasn't because the Broadway shows were closing.

- I was upset.

Maybe I didn't wanna face it.

I had to clear my head and come up with a plan.

- Without your husband.

- I didn't want you to see me that way.

- What way?

- As some kind of scared invalid.

* *

Where are you going?

- Home.

- What am I supposed to do now?

I'm gonna lose this trial. I'm gonna lose my husband.

- Hey, Megan, listen to me.

There might be a way for you to discredit that lawyer, okay?

Mr. Carisi can redirect you on the stand,

and you can tell your side.

- No, no, I can't.

- You can't?

And what about Gerard Ridley?

- Oh!

I am done!

* *

.

- Well?

- She doesn't wanna fight this anymore.

- [scoffs] I'm so sick and tired of this argument

that a woman only cried rape because she doesn't want

to admit what really happened.

- That's not what's going on here.

- Yeah, well, I know that, and you know that.

But the jury needs to hear that from her.

- Hey. - Hey.

- I'm glad to see that you're still here.

- Yeah. Well, for the moment, yes.

- Okay, and Richard?

- Oh, he won't leave without me.

- Well, that's good news. - Yeah.

He's...

he's forgiven me for not telling him about the MS.

And--and he's gonna come with me to the doctor

as soon as we get back to Council Bluffs.

- I'm so glad to hear it. - Yeah.

So you two are gonna be okay?

- Yeah, I mean, we were up all night...

discussing what that lawyer said on the stand--

that I was crying rape to cover up infidelity.

- And?

- And he knows that's not true,

but it's already in the papers back home.

They're painting me like some kind of slut.

- It sounds like you need to correct them.

- How?

- On the stand.

- Ugh.

- Megan, fight for your marriage.

Fight for the truth.

And when this is all over-- and it will be--

I want you to fight to live your life...

because the world could use more...

more women like you.

[tense music]

* *

- I did not tell my husband about my diagnosis of MS.

- Why not?

- I was in shock, maybe even in denial.

I regret keeping it from him.

- Why did you come to New York alone?

- As I stated before, it was always on my bucket list.

- But the night in question--

was having sex with the defendant

on your bucket list? - No.

- And when Mr. Ridley grabbed you

and pulled you into that alcove,

was that part of your New York plan?

- No. He raped me.

It was in no way consensual.

[sighs]

I know I didn't tell the truth about my diagnosis,

but I am telling the truth now.

I love my husband with all my heart.

I have never had sex with another man.

I would never cheat on him.

* *

- Megan Wallace came to our city in an effort

to distract herself from a devastating diagnosis

by going to see some Broadway shows.

Now, was she less than forthcoming

to her husband about the reason for her trip?

Yeah.

But she's telling the truth now.

Mrs. Wallace was taken advantage of by a predator.

But you witnessed a second violation

right here in this courtroom, when his defense attorney

revealed her illness against her wishes.

But Mrs. Wallace never once gave up--

not after she was assaulted,

not after her privacy was destroyed.

She's, without a doubt, one of the most determined victims

that I've ever encountered.

And, Mrs. Wallace, I'm not giving up.

And neither should you.

One of the cornerstones of justice

is the determination to arrive at the truth.

And I hope that after hearing all the evidence,

you, good ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

can recognize what that looks like.

* *

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

- Yes, we have, Your Honor. - What say you?

- On the charge of rape in the first degree,

we find the defendant guilty.

- The defendant will be remanded into custody.

[inaudible]

* *

- You know, with everything that happened to me here,

this city, it's still magical.

- [scoffs] Well, I'm glad to hear that.

- Yeah, but for now, I'm ready to go home.

- If you ever wanna come back,

Broadway will be here waiting.

- Thank you. - You take care.

[soft dramatic music]

* *

[breathes deeply]

[dramatic music]

* *

[wolf howls]