All language subtitles for 23-Law.and.Order.Special.Victims.Unit.S05E23.Bound.720p.WEB-HD.x264-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.

You understand,

there's no wiggle room
on the price.

Well,

I'd like to see it
before we talk numbers.

A brownstone like this

won't stay
on the market for long.

What happened here?

Oh, God.

Donna! Call for help.

L... I need the police.

Two people are dead.

(Sutton)
Help.

[Gasps]

H-Help me.

Dead lady's
Donna Brooks, 70.

No sign of forced entry,
no security cameras.

Raped and strangled.

Lumalite show
traces of semen.

Okay. Dispatch said
that you had a live one.

Old guy's Richard Sutton.

EMS is treating him
out there.

Don't know why
he was here.

What happened to him?

Possible heart attack.

Marks? Bruises?

Not that we could see.

Is he stable enough to talk?

Yeah, but we gotta get him
to Saint Vincent's.
You can ride along.

I'm Det. Stabler.

Can you tell me
what happened?

(Sutton)
Donna, Donna.

Mr. Sutton,
tell me what happened.

God, I'm sorry.

For what?

I'm sorry.

[Machine beeping]

Mr. Sutton?

We lost his pulse.

We got
another heart attack?

He's in V-fib.

You know CPR?

Yeah.

Start chest compressions.
Grab the paddles.

Did he say anything
to you two inside?

Just that his chest
was killing him.

Back away. Clear.

Still in V-fib.

I'll shock him again.

[Police siren wailing]

Clear.

(Olson)
Got a rhythm and a pulse.

(Benson)
What the hell happened?

(Olson)
Okay. Let's get him in.

Heart attack.

Is that the victim?

No. More like the perp.

Richard Sutton
is still unconscious.

He's in Cardiac
Intensive Care.

Lives alone
on the Upper East Side.

Neighbors say he keeps
pretty much to himself.

What's he doing
hanging around with the queen
of the charity balls?

He's a good-looking guy,

Donna Brooks
is a wealthy widow,

maybe he's her boyfriend.

So this could be
a domestic dispute?

It makes sense.

There's no obvious signs
of robbery or forced entry.

Donna and Richard have sex,

they argue,
it gets violent,

he murders her,

and then has a heart attack
from all the excitement.

Or he finds her dead body,
then has a heart attack.

The victim's family
should know

if she and Sutton
were involved.

Her daughter Joset

is on her way in right now
from Jersey.

The marks on her neck
are distinctive.

You find the ligature?

No. But CSU's checking
for all possibles

in the victim's house:

Lamp cords,
belts, drapery pulls.

Warner give us
a time of death?

(Benson)
Based on rigor and body temp,

she puts it
at 10:00 last night.

(Cragen)
Okay. Keep on CSU
for the ligature report.

Captain.

Right this way.

Excuse me,

I'm, uh, here about my mother,
Donna Brooks.

(Stabler)
Why was your mother
selling her brownstone?

Because I forced her to.

She liked her independence,

but I wanted her
to spend the time she had left

with me and her grandkids.

She was sick.

Lymphoma.
She had less than a year.

When was the last time
you spoke with her?

I called her this morning,

but I got the machine.

I just figured
she was exercising.

She was that strong?

She worked out
every morning at 5:00.

She said

she... she wanted to stay fit
because there was

a lot of competition
for a good man.

Your mom dated a lot?

This is just so embarrassing.

So your mother
was sexually active?

(Joset)
With all sorts of men.

Did she ever mention
the name Richard Sutton?

No. I've never heard of him.

But that
doesn't mean anything.

I told her
to be more careful.

(Benson)
Was there anyone special?

Harvey Cohen.

He was an instructor
at Hot to Trot.

He taught her how to tango.

(Benson)
Excuse me. Can you tell me
which one Harvey Cohen is?

He's right there.

Right there. Thank you.

Harvey Cohen?

Yes?

Mind if I cut in?

Phil, take over, will you?

I could never refuse
a beautiful lady.

Then you won't mind
telling me

if Donna Brooks
was here last night.

Why don't we
step over here.

She's here every Monday.

Tell me, what is this about?

I just have
a couple of questions.

How well
did you know Donna?

We're partners.

We have a standing date
after class.

Oh, so you were
having an affair.

Oh, shame on you, Detective.

A gentleman
doesn't kiss and tell.

A gentleman
doesn't rape and murder
his girlfriend.

What the hell
are you talking about?

Donna Brooks,
she was murdered last night.

Oh, my God.

You don't think I killed her.

You just admitted
to having a date with her.

Well, I cancelled.

Why?

She was flirting
with another man

during class,
in front of everyone.

What did you do about that?

I told her to take
her boy toy and get out.

Does this boy toy
have a name?

Ben Pawler.

Young enough to be her son.

(Ben)
Donna and I
left class together.

Went back to her place.

What's the big deal?

Say about
a 40-year age difference.

You should try it.

Older women,
they have more experience,

they're less inhibited,

and you don't have to worry
about getting them knocked up.

You forgot to mention
financially independent.

Donna has a lot of dough,
definitely sweetens the pot.

Had a lot of dough, ass-wipe.

Donna was murdered
last night.

She was fine
when I left her.

No, I take that back.

She was satisfied.

Yeah, what time
was that, Romeo?

9:15.

Can anyone
back up that story?

Marion?

[Door opening]

I picked Ben up from Donna's
at 9:15, Detectives.

Benny, Harvey, Sutton.
Donna got around.

Guess she was
packing a lot of living

into the days she had left.

She should've
had better taste in men.

I got an update
on Richard Sutton.

Doc says he's
still intubated,
nobody can see him.

But I did some digging.

Turns out Mr. Sutton
had four wives.

All four still alive?

The first three died
of natural causes,

the last Mrs. Sutton
is still with us.

She's so sweet.

And loaded.

He knows how to pick them,
old and rich.

Yeah, but he didn't know
how to treat them.

The most recent Mrs. Sutton
filed a 61

for domestic violence
last year.

And they didn't
lock him up?

She conveniently
dropped the complaint.

Where's she now?

Social Security checks
go to an address in Queens.

Alexis, I wanted to
ask you about Richard.

Who?

Your husband.

Marty was my husband.

My one true love.

He died in Korea.

I have his medals.

(Ridley)
Sorry, Detectives.
I got held up.

Your message said
you wanted to talk
about Richard Sutton.

Not Richard, Marty.

Marty.

President Truman
sent me a telegram.

Alzheimer's?

Progressing rapidly.

No offense, Mr. Ridley,
but we heard she has money.

What is she doing
in a place like this?

Well, she did.

Until that snake Sutton
got hold of it.

He married her,
then he dumped her in here

so he could live like a king.

Does he ever
come and visit her?

Only when he needs
her signature.

She is obviously in no...

Hold that cracker!

...condition
to sign anything.

I filed a complaint,
but nothing happened.

Husband has the right to do
what he wants with the money.

(Benson)
Including romancing
other women?

If you call slapping
around women romantic.

He hit her?

After Sutton's last visit,

I found her lying on
the floor, all bruised up.

Did you report it?

I didn't see him do it.

And Alexis said that she must
have fallen out of bed.

This time Sutton's
gonna answer my questions.

(Stabler)
We found your wife,
Mr. Sutton,

the one you stashed away
at that dump in Queens.

You want to talk about her?

I'm not surprised.

Why don't we talk
about Donna Brooks, then?

(Benson)
Was she your next target,
Mr. Sutton?

What, did she reject you?

Is that why
you raped and killed her?

[Groaning]

How did you
get into the house?

Write your answer down.

(Benson)
The house was open.

What time were you there?

You were there at 9:00 a.m.?
This morning?

Where were you
at 10:00 last night?

(Benson)
"Home

alone."

So you have no alibi
for when she was killed.

"Not killed last night."
How do you know that?

(Benson)
"Donna exercises a.m.

"Windows

"always

open."

Did you shut them?

"Freezing."

You turned up the heat.

Mmm.

Postmortem body temp decreases
roughly one degree per hour

at average room temperature.

What was Donna's body temp
when the real estate agent
found her?

About 86 degrees, which is
12 degrees below normal.

That puts time of death at
10:00 p.m., 12 hours earlier.

Problem is,

I didn't account for
the freezing apartment

or the fact
she was exercising.

So, how does that change
your calculation?

The exertion
from working out

depleted her
adenosine triphosphate,

causing rigor
to occur faster.

So the exercise
sped up the rigor

and the cold
caused a rapid decline
in body temperature.

But what's it add up to now?

I was wrong about
the time of death.

Donna was killed
early this morning.

I'd say around 6:00 a.m.

We have to re-interview
all the men.

We didn't get alibis
for this morning.

I've got something
that might help.

I didn't find fibers

in the skin
of your victim's neck,

but the ligature's impression
is unusual.

(Stabler)
Does it match anything
at the crime scene?

No.

The killer took
whatever he used with him.

Any idea what it was?

(Warner)
Sorry.

But the FBI has a database.

I forwarded the image
to their lab.

Huang works for the Bureau.

Maybe he can
expedite our search.

Thanks.

(Huang)
The murder weapon is a rope.

A static kernmantle.

It's used in rock climbing.

It's extremely strong
and doesn't fray.

That's why
there were no fibers.

Does VICAP have
any other cases where this
kind of rope was used?

I already checked
and there's 15 matches.

Tell you what,
let's narrow this down
by using our MO, okay?

Okay, give me
the search parameters.

Victim is a female,

age 60 to 80,
strangulation homicide.

(Stabler)
In her own home.

In her own home.

(Benson)
Wow. Two matches.

And the first one
is Susan Zelman, age 65,

killed two years ago
in Brooklyn.

[Sighs]

Second one,
Claudia Wooding, 70,

murdered 3 years ago
in Piermont.

(Benson)
Three females over 60,

all from the Metro area,

all strangled
with a static kernmantle.

We've got a serial killer
preying on the elderly.

(Cragen)
Three rich, elderly women,

all strangled
with the same rope.

(Stabler)
Perp's organized.

Doesn't leave
a murder weapon,

no prints,
no sign of forced entry.

The victims know him,
so they let him in.

Or he conned them.

Old people
make great targets.

They're lonely,
they're vulnerable.

Let's keep
the MO in-house.

Last thing we need
is a copycat.

What have you got?

The victims'
nearest and dearest.

Claudia Wooding's son
Eddie Wooding.

Detective on the case
says Eddie is a real schmuck.

Mother disinherited him
after he lost

a bundle of her money
in the market.

Where's Eddie now?

He owns a fancy
car dealership.

What about Susan Zelman?

No suspects
in her murder,

she's survived by
her husband Marvin.

(Cragen)
They look at him?

He's got
rheumatoid arthritis.

He's confined
to a wheelchair.

I doubt he had the strength
to strangle her.

Munch, Fin,
go talk to Eddie.

You two pay a visit
to Mr. Zelman.

There's gotta be a link
between these three women.

Apart from being dead.

I'll never forgive myself
for her death.

Why's that,
Mr. Zelman?

Because I was
out playing bridge.

She didn't want to go.

If I'd stayed home,
this wouldn't have happened.

Mr. Zelman.

Did your wife know
a Donna Brooks?

No, no.

And I know all of
Susan's friends.

How about Claudia Wooding?

Yeah, Claudia was my mother.

Why are you asking?

Did she know Donna Brooks
or Susan Zelman?

How the hell
do I know?

If you're sniffing around,
trying to reopen

my mother's murder,
save your energy.

I didn't kill her.

Any idea who did?

I just can't imagine
anyone hurting my Susan.

And the police said
it was probably

a drug addict
looking for money.

Was anything taken?

Not a thing.

She only had
$20 in her purse,

even though
she had plenty of money.

Who inherited
the money after she died?

Not me.

Bitch didn't
leave me a dime.

Sounds like a fine motive
for murder.

Why bother?

She was about to
kick the bucket anyway.

Lung cancer.

(Stabler)
Your wife was sick?

She had breast cancer.

And on the very day
she was killed,

the oncologist told her
she was in remission.

Who was the oncologist?

(Stabler)
Dr. Brelsford,
we need your help.

It's about
two of your patients:

Susan Zelman
and Claudia Wooding.

Unfortunately, they both died
several years ago.

Of cancer?

I believe
they were both murdered.

That's quite
a coincidence.

Isn't it?

What's this about?

Donna Brooks.

Is she a patient
of yours?

No.

She was treated
at this hospital.

Why are you
asking about her?

She was murdered also.

I assure you,
if I wanted to kill somebody,

you'd never know
it was murder.

Yeah, how's that?

Because I'd know how to...

(Stabler)
You'd know how
to cover it up?

Is that what
you were going to say?
No.

You make
some lethal house calls
to rich old ladies?

My patients are very grateful
for the quality of care
I give them.

I have no reason
to kill anybody.

I'm very busy. Is that all?

No. Where were you yesterday
at 6:00 a.m.?

(Brelsford)
At home.

With who?

I live by myself.

Doctor, we have two,
possibly three, dead women,

all of them connected to you.

You have to do
a little better than that.

Look.

Lots of people are involved

in the care
of cancer patients.

Like who?

In the hospital,
there's a team of doctors,

nurses, social workers.

After discharge,
they often use in-home care.

(Stabler)
Who provides that?

I use RDH
run by Dr. Matt Spevak.

My patients wouldn't settle
for less.

Dr. Spevak is in a meeting,

but I'm Emma Spevak,
the Nurse Manager.

Are you his wife?

Sister.
What can I do for you?

We need to confirm
that Claudia Wooding

and Susan Zelman
were clients.

I-I'll check.

[Keyboard clacking]

Yes, they were.

How about Donna Brooks?

Yes, she was as well.

What's this about?

They were all murdered.

Oh, my God.

Please tell me what you need,
and I'll help you.

Did they have
a caretaker in common?

(Emma)
Nurse DeVaal
was the primary for all three.

What's going on, Emma?

(Emma)
This is Dr. Spevak.

Doctor, I'm Det. Stabler.

This is my partner,
Det. Benson.

Hey.

Oh, you must be here
about Donna Brooks.

I saw it on the news.

(Benson)
Two other patients of yours
were also killed.

Your sister says
a Nurse DeVaal
treated all of them.

Where can we find her?

(Spevak)
Him.

Gary hasn't been with us
for a few weeks now.

(Stabler)
Why?

A patient accused him
of stealing.

I fired him.

Which patient?

Donna Brooks.

Where is Gary working now?

Meals on Wheels.

[Knocking on door]

Gary DeVaal?

Yeah?

We'd like to talk to you
about Donna Brooks.

What about her?

Why don't we take a ride?

Gary...

You brought friends?

We're the police, ma'am.

The police?
W-What happened?

I can't stay today,
Mrs. Rabinowitz.

Here's your dinner.

Don't go.
No one else visits me.

I'll come back tomorrow.
I promise.

Shouldn't make promises
you can't keep.

Why did you steal
from Donna Brooks?

I didn't. The bitch is lying.

The bitch is dead, Gary.

I hated her,
but I didn't kill her.

Why didn't you like her?
Everyone else did.

Everyone else
didn't work for her.

Getting fired was
the best thing that
could have happened to me.

Why did you keep
her house keys?

Plan to pay her a visit?

I never got a chance
to return them.

"To my dear husband, Larry.
With love from Donna."

I guess, you didn't have
a chance to return

her dead husband's watch,
either, huh?

She docked me $20
for being 10 minutes late.

You took a $10,000 Rolex.
Fair trade?

That old bat gave $500,000
to feed the pigeons.

She didn't need
the lousy watch.

(Benson)
You steal from them as well?

No.

I'd never rip off Susan.

She was a sweetheart.

How about Claudia Wooding.
Is she a sweetheart, too?

I've never seen her before
in my life.

(Stabler)
RDH says
you were her nurse.

RDH is lying.
Someone's setting me up.

Check the files.

Is that enough
to subpoena RDH's records?

I'll get started
on the paperwork.

But since DeVaal's
shouting frame job,

I want the files
authenticated.

Take them to the forensic
document examiner.

We'll catch this lowlife
in another lie.

Keep DeVaal on ice.
I'll go check it out.

I reviewed
Claudia Wooding's file.

DeVaal's signature
is definitely
on the nursing logs.

So DeVaal is lying.

Not necessarily.

What do you mean?

The RNs have to sign off
at the end of each shift.

Now, these are
Claudia Wooding's case logs

from two different dates

with Gary DeVaal's signature
on each.

Now watch this.

They're identical.

Yeah.
But nobody signs their name

exactly the same way
every time.

We call it
a transposition forgery.

So someone Xeroxed
DeVaal's signature

and then cut and pasted it
onto files.

Which was then copied, making
the paste job undetectable.

So DeVaal was right.
He is being set up.

It's gotta be someone at RDH.

They're the only ones
with access
to the victims' files.

DeVaal is a sleazeball,
he got fired for theft.

He's a good fall guy.

But why kill these women?

They're all rich.

They're known
for their generosity.

Maybe someone made a profit
off their deaths.

You're right.
Someone made a mint.

I pulled copies of
the victims' wills.

Who's the lucky beneficiary?

The Golden
Memories Foundation.

Who gets the gold?

(Stabler)
Dr. Matt Spevak,

CEO of RDH and chairman
of Golden Memories.

Wow,

looks like the good doctor's
been killing old ladies
for their money.

I didn't kill anyone.

This is outrageous.

My client is a well-known
and respected physician.

Well, then tell me, Doc.

These women die
of natural causes?

Of course not.

But why would
I murder them?

(Benson)
I can think of about
$1 million worth of reasons.

Each victim left you
quite a bit of cash.

By killing them, you got
your hands on it quicker.

I don't inherit their money.

The bequests go to charity
for poverty-stricken seniors.

Right. The Golden
Memories Foundation.

(Spevak)
Golden Memories

is a legitimate
nonprofit organization.

Whose mission is to
fleece rich old ladies.

My company is doing well.
I don't need their money.

I started this foundation
to give something back.

You gave three women
back to God.

Does that count?

(Staines)
Excuse me, aren't we
missing something here?

Like direct evidence?

Your client had access
to the victims' homes

and profited substantially
from their deaths.

That's not
probable cause for arrest.

Call us if you ever get any.

Matt, let's go.

Spevak's laughing at us.

I'm not gonna let that bastard
get away with this.

I'm not so sure
Spevak's guilty.

Well, gee, Doc, do you know
something that we don't

or are you just
extending Spevak

a little
professional courtesy?

I'm giving you
my professional opinion.

A doctor would have
covered his tracks better.

What do you call
forging a nurse's signature?

What's his motive?

Money.
Best motive in the world.

These murders
were way too personal

to have been
committed for profit.

Choking the life
out of three elderly women
is a sign of rage.

Or a sign that he couldn't
get his hands on their money
fast enough.

(Cragen)
Okay, hold it.

We don't know if Spevak
got any of their money.

Where are we
on his financials?

Novak says we don't
have enough to subpoena
his bank records.

Golden Memories
is a nonprofit.

That means that its books
are public record.

Have a forensic accountant
see if Spevak's cooking them.

Last year, Golden Memories
took in $675,000.

And how much did they spend
in grants?

All of it.

Most which went for the care
of two indigent patients:

Maria Franco
and Andrea Robbins.

That's a lot of charity
for two people.

Yeah. Especially
two dead ones.

I checked
with Social Security.

Maria Franco
and Andrea Robbins

have been dead since '96.

Spevak's been keeping
phony records

and pocketing the money.

That's enough
for a search warrant.

(Fin)
Look at this place.

Gotta be at least
3,000 square feet.

Beautiful view, fancy art,
expensive antiques.

All of it unpaid for.

His credit cards
are all maxed out.

On what?

Gambling.

Every casino
from Atlantic City
to Foxwoods.

Answering machine's blinking.

Probably
a collection agency.

[Answering machine beeps]

(Arthur)
Hey, Spevak,
you're late again.

You better pay up, Doc,
or we're coming over.

Doesn't sound
like MasterCard.

Explains why he killed
the old ladies.

He needs money. Fast.

Lookie here.

When Spevak's not
killing old folks,

he's climbing rocks.

(Munch)
I'll say.

Webbing,

harness,

belay devices...

And our murder weapon.

(Emma)
Can't this wait?

My brother's in a meeting
with a new client.

Your brother is a suspect
in three homicides.

You're wrong.
Matt would never hurt anyone.

We have strong proof
that he did.

It's a mistake.

There's gotta be
an explanation.

I'd love to hear it.

As you can see, we offer only
the highest standards of care.

You'll be looked after
in the comfort
of your own home.

Emma, you'll have to wait.

I'm in the middle
of something.

I know. I'm sorry,
but it's...

Damn it, Emma.
I told you, no interruptions.

Detectives.

Excuse me.
I'll be right back.

(Benson)
No, you won't.

Matt Spevak,
you're under arrest

for murder
in the First Degree.

This is insane.

What the hell
did you tell them, Emma?

Nothing. I swear, Matt.

(Seligman)
How does the defendant plead?

Not guilty, Your Honor.

(Seligman)
I'll hear the People on bail.

Remand.

Dr. Spevak manipulated
three elderly women

out of their money,
and then killed them for it.

The funds have
not been recovered.

He's a flight risk.

My client is
a respected member
of the community.

Save it, Miss Staines.

Unfortunately
for the defendant,

I have an 80-year-old mother.

I didn't kill anyone.

Bail is set at $500,000.

Come on, Doc. Let's go.

He'll plead out
on the fraud, Casey.

Not enough. He pleads
to three counts of Murder Two,

I'll take the death penalty
off the table.

The death penalty?
My brother is innocent.

Don't worry, Emma.

Miss Novak is bluffing.
She has no case.

Let's post bail
and get Matt out of here.

(Novak)
Spevak's attorney is no fool.

The fraud case is solid,

but the evidence on
the murders is weak.

(Stabler)
The crime lab says
the rope found

in Spevak's apartment
matches the pattern
on the victims' necks.

Is it the actual
murder weapon?

The lab didn't find any blood
or skin cells on it.

He wouldn't need much rope
to strangle someone.

3 feet at most.

He cuts off a piece,
he uses it, he throws it away.

We still can't connect him
to the murders.

Everything we have
is circumstantial.

What about the sister?
She runs Spevak's office.

She'll have to know
about the fraud.

Maybe she's the one
who forged DeVaal's signatures
on the nursing logs.

That would make her
a coconspirator.

Let's bring her in
for a chat.

[Police siren wailing]

Special Victims.

What's going on?

Gal from the nursing agency
was attacked.

Looked like she was
nearly choked to death.

Is she conscious?

Yeah. We called for a bus,
but she says she's all right.

EMT's checking her out.

(Benson)
Spevak,

can you talk?

Yes.

(Stabler)
Who did this to you?

I don't know.

I'm fine now. Really.

Look, you need to
get to a hospital,

make sure that you're okay.

I'm a nurse.
I can take care of this.

Emma, Emma, listen to me.

This guy nearly killed you.

I can't...

I can't.

Was it your brother?

He's been
under so much stress.

He said he needed some money.

When I told him
I wouldn't give him any more,

he freaked out.
He didn't mean it.

Please don't hurt him.

Looks like
the doctor's gonna split.

Check out the bedrooms.

(Uni #1)
Kitchen's clear.

(Uni #2)
Bedroom's clear.

Clear.

Maybe he had
a few errands to run first,

like choking his sister.

Or getting cash.

He's tapped out
with the loan sharks.

Posting bail would've
cleaned him out.

But he still knows
plenty of rich old ladies.

Let's see if he called
any of them. Caller ID.

Someone called at 5:05 a.m.
Vivian Calas.

Police. Search warrant.

Spevak, police.
Show yourself.

I'll check the back.

(Swat #2)
Clear.

In the bedroom.

She's dead.

So is Matt Spevak.

(Stabler)
Sorry, Doc. But there is
your serial killer.

He just picked
the wrong victim this time.

So the old lady killed him?

Vivian Calas shot Spevak
in the heart.

Bled out in seconds.

Then she must've been
pretty good with a gun.

(Judy)
Not that good.

From the trajectory
of the bullet,

I'd say she's on the bed,

pulls the gun
out of the nightstand,

fires once and misses,

then takes a lucky shot
and hits him.

Why lucky?

Detectives arrived
at 9:00 this morning.

Spevak's blood
had congealed.

That takes
at least three hours.

None of the lights were on
when we got here.

She shot him in the dark.

CSU found this jewelry
in Spevak's pockets.

Vivian called Spevak,
he rushes on over here,

he uses the opportunity

to rip her off
for some travel cash.

He takes the jewelry,
he's gonna strangle her,

but she has
a little surprise for him:

9mm Ladysmith.
Smith & Wesson.

(Stabler)
Registered in her name.

She shoots him,
dies of fright.

ME says that
the left-hand side
of her body was contracted.

Cause of death
was a stroke.

I don't see
any medications here

for hypertension
or blood-thinners.

She doesn't look like
she has any risk factors
for a stroke.

She's an 80-year-old woman

with a man in her bedroom
trying to kill her.

He scared her to death.

Well, if she's so scared,

then how did she
get a shot off in the dark

that hit him
right in the heart?

A stroke doesn't make sense.

(Warner)
Vivian Calas
did have a stroke,

but it wasn't caused by fear.

Puncture mark on her neck.

I missed it at first

because her skin
is so wrinkled.

(Stabler)
What was she injected with?

The tox screen
came back negative,

so my guess is air.

How would air kill her?

An air embolus injected
into the carotid artery

would cause a stroke.

The embolus acts like a clot,

blocking the blood flow
to the brain.

No syringe was found
at the crime scene.

We know Matt Spevak
didn't die of natural causes

and now you're telling me
she didn't, either?

There had to be
a third person in that room.

Only a health professional
would know about
an air embolus

and be able
to do it properly.

There's one other person
with access to RDH's files,

keys, and patients.

Spevak's sister, Emma.

Why Emma?

Maybe she and Matt were in on
the murders together.

She finds out
that Matt's gonna run

and leave her
to face the music.

Emma kills Vivian Calas,

then calls Matt from her house
to come over,

tells him
that Vivian is sick.

When Matt gets there,
Emma shoots him.

She puts the old lady's
fingerprints on the gun,
on the phone,

and then makes it look like
Matt tried to rob her.

Except Emma said Matt
was the one who strangled her.

But that doesn't play
because Matt was dead

two hours before
Emma called 911.

Then who tried
to strangle Emma?

Emma strangled Emma.

If she's smart enough
to kill someone with air,

it's easy to choke herself.

(Novak)
It's gonna
be tough to prove.

And we're gonna need
the syringe

with Emma's prints to tie her
to Vivian Calas's murder.

Chances are,
Emma dumped it.

I looked at
the autopsy photos

of the first three victims.

Strangle me.

I'll try.

I'll hold the rope.

The first three
original victims

were between 5'5"and 5'7".

Matt Spevak was
nearly 6 feet tall. Pull.

Look at the angle
of the rope.

Angled upward
from front to back.

Which is exactly
the way it should be,

given Matt Spevak's height
and natural arm movement.

Now switch places with me.

Okay, the impression
angles downward.

That's what
you would expect

if the perp was shorter
than the victim.

Just like the person
who strangled Claudia,

Donna, and Susan.

(Stabler)
All angled downward.

Emma Spevak is only 5'3".

She killed them all.

Your rope trick's
not gonna be enough, Doc.

We need
a confession from Emma,

or she walks on five murders.

[Doorbell ringing]

(Benson)
Emma, we need to talk.

Can you please
come back later?

I'm just not up
to talking right now.

We know you've
been through a lot.

This won't take long.

(Emma)
I've been
mourning my brother.

I can't believe
that he's dead.

Mom's gone, too.

All I have are these.

[Projector whirring]

(Benson)
That's you and your brother?

And Mom.

You really loved her.

(Benson)
How long has she been gone?

Seven years.

What did she die of?

A stroke.

You said
you needed to talk.

About what?

Matt's death.

To be honest,
we're a little confused

and you could
really help us out here.

All right.

Why don't we start
with your attack?

I think I've told you
everything already.

Tell us again.

Now, who choked you?

My brother.

Why are you
torturing me like this?

Our problem is that
when EMS found you,

Matt was already dead.

Well, I passed out.

I didn't call 911
until I came to.

Y-You think
I'm making this up?

What should we think, Emma?

That Matt tried to kill me.

Matt murdered Vivian Calas.

No, we've ruled him out.
Matt did not murder Vivian.

Who did, then?

(Benson)
We don't know.

That's why we're asking you.

Well, If I think of anything,

I'll be sure
to call you right away.

So Emma killed
her mother, too?

She died of a stroke,
just like Vivian Calas.

How much you wanna bet
it was caused by
an air embolus?

How are we gonna prove it?

We have to
exhume her body.

I need more than that.

You've got to
check out Emma's house.

Place is like
a shrine to her mother.

Except she loved her,
that's hardly grounds
for an exhumation.

The point I'm making is
that mommy didn't reciprocate.

Matt got all the attention.

So now, she's killing
old women to get back

at her mom
for not loving her.

If Emma knows
how to kill with air,

why is she changing her MO
to strangulation with a rope?

It was her
brother's climbing rope.

She set him up.
Sibling rivalry.

So mom really was
Emma's first victim.

Most serial killers
start close to home.

If I can establish
that Emma's mother

really did die of
an air-induced stroke,

then we've got
our probable cause.

Yeah, but Emma's
not gonna fry herself

by letting us
dig up her mother.

You know any
friendly judges?

What the hell do you want?

I'm so sorry
to bother you at home,

Judge Terhune,
but it's urgent.

I'm in the middle of something
pretty important myself.

(Wyler)
Joe, are you
folding this hand?

No.

Come, come on, come on in.
All right. Come on.

I just need
Your Honor's signature.

You just hit
the jackpot, dearie.

I'm in.

(Terhune)
I believe you all know
A.D.A. Novak?

Judge Ridenour,
Judge Petrovsky,

Judge Wyler, Judge Bradley.

I've had this
nightmare before,
only I was naked.

Charming.

What could be so important

that it couldn't wait
until morning?

An exhumation order.

(Wyler)
You better sign it, Joe.

The corpse might be
a flight risk.

Your Honor,
this body may be the key

to solving six murders.

Bet.
And I take it the family
won't consent, hmm?

The suspect
is the sole survivor.

We want to exhume
her mother.

We think
she killed her, too.

The mom's death
ruled a homicide?

No. But we have
new evidence.

And you want me to disturb

the sanctity of the dead
on your say-so?

I have a very convincing
but long argument.

It will disturb the sanctity
of your poker game.

[Sighs]
Thank you.

Go, go.

Go, go.

What are the chances
of finding a needle mark
after 7 years?

New York State law requires
all cadavers be embalmed.

The skin should
still be intact.

Whenever you're ready.

[Engine starting]

What kind of family
engraves the name
of their kids

into their headstone
before they die?

(Stabler)
A really close one.

Check that out:

Matthew and Emma
born May 9, 1971.

They're twins.

(Huang)
Fraternal twins.

I checked
the hospital records.

Emma Spevak was born
two minutes after
her brother Matt.

She's been following
in his footsteps
her whole life.

Always trying to catch up,
but never able to.

(Huang)
That's why she used the rope.

She hates her brother,
but she's bound to him.

This is all fascinating,

but it doesn't help us
send Emma upstate.

This will.

Margaret Spevak's
mummified neck.

And a small needle mark
in the carotid artery.

Emma killed her mother
with an air embolus.

Can you prove it?

No.

Emma doesn't know that.

(Huang)
Be careful.

She's spent her whole life
hating her mother.

If you confront her
with what she's done,
she's never gonna talk.

So what? Empathy?

(Huang)
She'll need more than empathy.
She'll need an ally.

So how do we do that?

Reenact the sibling rivalry.

Can I get you
something to drink?
L... I'm okay.

Why did I have to
come down here?

Uh, we wanted to apologize
to you personally.

Apologize? For what?

For dragging you
into this.

Emma, we've made
a terrible mistake.

What kind of mistake?

We searched Matt's apartment

and we found his
rock-climbing equipment.

His rope matches
the strangulation mark

on those poor women's necks.

I understand.
You were just doing your job.

We are so sorry.

Am I free to go?

Yeah.

Come here. Come here.

Come here.

[Phones ringing]

What are you doing?

Are you apologizing to her?

What do you care?

What do I care?
I'm in charge.

My case, remember?
This is our case.

Please don't talk to me
like this in front of her.
We're equals.

[Snickers]
Right.

Did she bring you
down here? Yeah?

You bring her down here
so you can take the credit.

No I brought her down here
because I knew
you won't apologize.

You're damn right
about that.

We wouldn't be here
if Emma had the guts
to open her mouth.

What're you talking about?

You knew what was going on.

You knew your brother
was up to his ass

in gambling debts

and using the Foundation
to cover himself.

You did nothing about it

and you went
right along with him.

No.

You're a liar!
Elliot!

You protect your brother
and he almost kills you.
You're pathetic.

I loved my brother.

Elliot, leave her alone.

Shut up!

You know what the problem is?

Women shouldn't be cops,
they shouldn't be doctors,

they're too weak and stupid.

I'm sorry about that.

Does he always
talk to you like that?

(Benson)
You heard him.

He's in charge.

I'm sure you know how it is.

[Sighing]

Do I ever.

I was always the good girl.

Always the helper.

"Emma, do this.
Emma, do that."

I know how you feel.

My mother was a drunk.

I had to carry her
into her bed every night

and had to scrub
the vomit off the floor.

I thought I'd never escape.

But you did.

Yeah. After she died.

It's the only time
that I ever felt free.

[Sighs]

Mothers are all the same.

You try to be good to them

and all they do is
treat you like dirt.

You're a nurse.
You're a caregiver.

I'm sure you were great
to your mother.

She had cancer.

I took care of her
for five years.

Five years?

Where was your brother?

Matt was off
in medical school,

then doing his residency.

Mama used all of her money
to pay for it.

I'm sure he didn't
appreciate it,

I'm sure he just
took you for granted.

He made me work for him.

He made me take care
of all those women

that were just like Mama.

"Wash my clothes. Walk my dog.
Clean my fridge."

A girl can only take so much.

They thought
that my brother was a god.

I took care of them.
I did all the work.

You had to do something.

Yes.

With Matt's rope.

Then I was free.

Just like with your mother.

Yes.

How did you do it, Emma?

With a little shot of air.

It always worked so quickly.

What do you mean?

When I was in nursing school,

I'd see daughters
by their mothers' beds,

trapped, watching
their lives disappear.

So you helped them.

I set them free.

How many were there?

Dozens.

Do you remember
any of their names?

They were all called Mama.