.
- 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.
- Noah is thriving.
My career is going pretty well.
So why do I wake up at 4:00 a.m.,
anxious and unhappy?
- When did you start feeling unhappy?
- About a year ago.
You know, Noah and I were fine during the pandemic.
But now, just don't have any, you know, closure.
- It's so interesting, you talk about closure.
What else happened in this past year?
- A lot of change.
My chief, my squad.
- Anyone else?
Mr. Barba?
- No, there's no closure with Barba.
- I'm also thinking about you and Elliot Stabler.
- Delia, have you had the locks changed yet?
- The super said he would, and I still got the order
of protection against Ty.
- He's violated the OOP before.
The last time, he broke your wrist.
- Yeah, and I called the cops, and they arrested him,
and ring around and ring around.
- Look, I just want you to be smart and safe.
- You want me to be safe?
Tell the judge to lock him up. - We're trying.
You know, I can get Victim Services to change that lock.
- I got it. Promise.
- That's good, Delia.
See you Thursday?
- Right. Sure.
- Most of your coworkers are in stable relationships.
- Yeah, they are.
And I am really happy for them.
- You're not wondering when your turn will come?
- Not really.
You know, between Noah and work...
Okay, so you think that I have intimacy issues.
- Is that what you're hearing me say?
- Can we just stop the shrink talk
and you just tell me what you think?
- What I actually think?
- Yeah.
- I think that you and Elliott either
need to see whether there's more there or move on.
[pensive music]
This idealized relationship is hanging over you.
Prevents you from true intimacy, Olivia,
either with him or with anyone else.
That's what I think.
- Well, how long?
I need that lock replaced, Marco.
You're the super. That's your job.
Okay, I'm sorry.
Well, when you can.
Thank you.
[gasps] Oh!
- Changing the locks on me.
- You're not supposed to be here, Ty.
- This is my apartment. You're my wife.
[tense music]
Get that scared look off your face.
There's nobody here to buy your little victim act.
- Ty, please, just-- just leave, okay?
I'm calling the cops.
- No, you're not.
- Come on, I shot that guy, like, six times in the head.
Die, man.
[phone rings]
Phoebe.
Another 15 minutes? That's cool.
Okay. I'll see you then.
Okay, let's go. Head shot, baby.
[upbeat hip-hop music playing]
♪
- That's game, baby!
You want to run it back?
- Nah.
No, no, these guys have been waiting a while.
Go ahead, guys. We're done.
- How about a beer?
- Uh, rain check. I gotta meet up with Rollins.
- You guys are solid, huh?
Let me ask you a question.
How did you know she was the one?
- I guess I knew for sure when she--
when she was giving birth to Jesse.
You know, there were complications,
doctors rushing in, and I looked at her,
she was--she was vulnerable.
She was--she was so strong, you know, the way she fought.
Yeah, that was-- that was it for me.
That's--that's when I knew.
- Something you said in our first session.
You said you didn't think happiness
was in the cards for you.
- Wow. I said that?
- Yeah, you were living a narrow life.
You went to work, you came home to a dark apartment.
- Well, I didn't have a lot to celebrate then.
- There is now.
You're a role model for survivors,
for women officers.
You have friends.
You have a happy child. You have a happy life.
- So...
Why am I feeling so sad?
- Oh, Olivia.
Everyone is feeling depressed now.
You and I have talked a lot about what you want.
What you need.
I'd like you to start thinking about something else.
- And what's that?
[pensive music]
- What you deserve.
You deserve happiness, Olivia Benson.
- [screaming]
[tense music]
- Let's go. Come on, come on, come on.
- [screaming]
- Ma'am! Ma'am! Back off!
- Drop the bat! - Back off!
- Drop the bat! Drop the bat! - Ma'am, drop the bat!
- Hey, hey, hey!
Detective Rollins, SVU. What's going on?
- What you see, she's crazy. - Okay.
- Drop the bat!
- Easy, easy, easy, all right?
What's your name? - What do you care?
- She's trying to help you! - Listen.
Drop--drop the gun!
See? Nobody's pointing anything.
I just, I want to get you someplace safe.
I just want to talk to you and see what's going on.
- I just want him to kill me, please.
- No. What's your name?
- I'm Delia.
- You don't need the bat, right?
Can I have the bat maybe? You don't need that, right?
Look, see, I got the bat.
Okay. - [sobbing] Kill me.
- No, no, honey, nobody's gonna kill anyone, okay?
I got you.
[somber music]
It's over.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Hey, Rollins, are you okay? - Hey.
- What happened? - I'm okay.
It's lucky I came along when I did.
This rookie had his gun drawn. There was a taser.
- How is she doing? What's her name?
- Delia.
I talked to her social worker.
She's got a DV file ten years thick,
two failed marriages, a stint in rehab,
and today, her third husband violated his OOP.
- She have any broken bones? Any bruising?
- No, nothing visible.
He's a pro.
She's used to the beatings.
My gut is, he sexually assaulted her,
put her over the edge. - Where's he now?
That's an automatic arrest. - Yeah. Ty Hackman.
He works construction.
Social worker thinks he's on a job site.
- I'm just glad you're safe. - Mm.
- Detective Rollins.
Nurses say you can talk to Delia now.
- Oh. - You okay alone?
I got families back in my office.
- I'm fine. Thanks.
- I'll stay with the girls, okay?
- Okay. - Keep me posted.
- Delia.
How are you feeling?
- Oh, thank you.
They gave me something, and so now I'm smoothed out.
- Okay. - So you can arrest me now.
- I'm not gonna do that.
- Why not?
I vandalized a cop car. - Is that why you did it?
'Cause you wanted to be locked up?
- So then he can't get to me.
- I know you've been told this before, but...
[solemn music]
but you don't have to live like this.
- Oh, yeah? What do I have to do?
- This poor woman. So she was raped.
- Not for the first time, but she's never reported it
'cause they were married,
so she didn't think it was rape.
- And she's still married? - Yeah.
Divorced once and remarried
five years ago for round two.
- How--how is this guy not locked up yet?
- He got lucky with the judges.
Most of his charges got dismissed.
- She's not the most reliable witness.
Late for court, recanting allegations.
- Right, well, that's par for the course
for a long-term DV victim.
But this is our case now, and if we can get him
on the rape charge, he goes away.
- She agreed to a rape kit.
- He's gonna claim consensual. Any outcry witnesses?
- Me, at the hospital.
- We located Ty Hackman at a construction site in Chelsea.
- Great. Pick him up.
And before he can react...
- Get him on our side. We got it.
- Ty Hackman?
NYPD.
- My boss tipped me off. I should have skipped.
- That would have been a problem.
It's a good thing you didn't.
- But you already know the drill.
- Yeah, I got family on the job,
and technically, I know I'm in violation,
but she asked me to come over.
She was a mess.
- Yeah, well, no good deed, right?
- I hope you guys are getting overtime,
because we know how this ends.
I mean, the judge looks at me, working all day, looks at her.
- Right, sees crazy.
- Yeah, man, we parked around the corner.
We didn't want to have to cuff you in front of your crew.
- I appreciate that. - All right.
- The judge let Hackman walk. - Yeah, on violating the OOP.
- You didn't go for the rape charge yet?
- No, because I didn't want to start
the 180-80 clock ticking
till Delia's on board and consistent.
- Okay, so we'll go over her statement tomorrow.
[phone rings] - Oh.
Yeah, hi, Delia.
- Hi. Sorry to call so late.
- Oh, that's--that's all right.
Is everything okay?
- I got a question.
I want to modify the order of protection.
How do I do that? - She wants to modify the OOP?
- That cannot be her decision.
- I'm not sure that that's such a great idea.
Can you tell me why?
- Yeah, I just think it would make things
a little less tense. - Okay.
Well, I'm with the ADA now,
and he says that you'll--
you'll have to go before a judge.
- You're still at work. - Yeah.
- Never mind.
- But Delia, I can come to you. We can talk.
I can--I can help you figure-- - That's okay.
It's okay, I, um-- I actually gotta--I gotta go.
- Delia, I can--I can--
- Who was she looking at?
- You saw her looking up, right?
- He's not stupid enough to be in her apartment, is he?
- Call the local precinct. Now.
[tense music]
- So when do you go to see the judge?
- Soon.
So you can go now.
- I'm not going anywhere.
♪
.
- She needed help to reboot her wi-fi.
- Yeah, you're still under arrest.
Let's go. - No good deed, right?
- Captain Benson, SVU. - Yeah, we got your call.
Husband didn't resist. No sign of forced entry.
- Yeah, thank you for the quick response.
- She's down there. - Hey, Delia?
- He didn't hurt me. - Yeah.
Did you call him?
- Well, it's just, my TV's not working,
and my internet and everything--he does all that.
- Delia, I'm Captain Benson.
- He didn't do anything wrong.
It's not Ty's fault.
Am I in trouble?
- No, you're not in any trouble.
- So, he shouldn't-- he shouldn't be, either.
Um, can we--can we forget? - Delia, we can't.
We can't. No. - Listen, listen.
Delia, how about you come with us down to the station,
okay, and we can talk about what happens next.
- Do you have your apartment keys?
- I think they're in my purse. - Okay.
Let's go inside and find them. - Okay.
- My client was just helping his wife.
- Stop.
An order of protection doesn't have
a carve out for rebooting wi-fi.
- I'm sorry. - So we go before the judge,
and my client gets his other wrist slapped.
- Yeah, well, he's got bigger problems.
You're looking at sexual assault charges.
- What?
Come on. Jesus.
- Ty, let me talk. Based on what?
- Delia wanted to have sex! - Come on.
- I know that we shouldn't, but love is crazy.
- That's not what she told our detective.
- You mean after she went nuts, smashing up cop cars?
I saw the news.
- Yeah, if I was picked up for threatening cops,
I'd try crying rape too.
Any allegations are obviously fabricated.
- Look.
I love D. But she is a mess.
If I don't take care of her, she goes under.
[tense music]
- So he tried to explain the reboot over the phone,
and then he just said it would be easier
if he came over in person.
- How did you end up calling us about modifying
your order of protection?
- Okay, so we're on the ground floor, and we have mice,
and he said that, with the OOP, it's just too hard
for him to help me.
- Did he hurt or threaten you today?
- Well, when I asked him to leave,
he kind of smushed my head into the wall.
- Delia, if you need another apartment,
we can call your social worker,
and we can figure something out.
But you have to get Ty out of your life, right?
- I know, I'm--I feel nervous all the time.
I'm sick all the time. I can't even think straight.
- But he can, right?
And he's smart enough not to use a weapon
or anything that will get him real prison time.
- Except for the rape.
If we charge him with that, he goes away.
- And you would finally get a chance to get on your feet,
instead of him knocking you off-balance all the time.
- I asked them to hold Ty overnight.
I'll arraign him on the OOP tomorrow.
- Well, what about the rape?
We have her accusation, his DNA on the rape kit.
That's probable cause.
- Yeah, if she sticks to her story.
One thing I learned from Barba is,
you never get ahead of your victim.
- Barba? Please. Carisi, can we not go there?
- Oh, come on, are you still not talking to him?
- Carisi, he never should have defended Wheatley.
- Olivia, he was protecting you.
Look, any other defense attorney
would have annihilated on it.
- Well, I think he went after me pretty hard.
- Yeah, well, from what I saw, he was pulling his punches.
- You know, we both had a long day.
Let's just-- let's just call it a night.
- On the charges of criminal contempt,
intimidating a witness, and rape one,
court will accept the defendant's plea of not guilty.
People on bail.
- The defendant has a long, documented history
of assault against the victim, his wife.
He's already violated numerous OOPs,
and his behavior is escalating. The People request remand.
- Counselor?
- While we acknowledge Mr. Hackman's marriage
is tumultuous, as we will show in court,
it takes two to tangle.
Court should also be aware that Mrs. Hackman
is financially dependent on her husband.
- So they would both suffer if he can't work.
In view of that, I'll set bail at 50,000, cash or bond.
The defendant will wear an ankle bracelet
and may only go from his home to work.
- He got out?
- Yes, but he's being monitored,
and if he violates, he goes straight to Riker's.
- Delia, this is also on you.
Do not contact him in any way, do you understand that?
- Yeah, I do.
- I'll go ahead and take you home,
but if Ty contacts you, you call 911 immediately.
- I really don't deserve all this.
- Delia, you deserve a life.
And you deserve to be free and not afraid.
We're here to help you.
[apprehensive music]
♪
- Home, sweet ratty Airbnb.
- Word of advice.
Cut the jokes and stay away from Delia.
- Yeah, don't call or text her, either.
- Don't worry.
Your wife accuses you of rape,
it kind of takes the bloom off the rose.
Thanks, guys.
- Delia's home.
Stopped and got her some groceries.
Her refrigerator was empty.
- Does she have anybody who can stay with her?
- No, she's got an older daughter that's upstate,
but she doesn't want to call her.
She's just...
alone in the world.
These kinds of cases-- - Make you feel so helpless.
- Yeah.
- Go home, Rollins.
Carisi cooking?
- Yeah, he, um, he's expanded his repertoire
to Middle Eastern. Don't tell his mother.
- You two are doing well, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
You and Stabler, you two worked on a case while I was away.
- Yeah. We're always a good team.
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
What?
- A year ago, when I was talking to my mom about Carisi,
she said, "Why don't you two just go get a hotel room
and get it out of your system?"
[phone buzzes] - That's--
- Some advice.
- I told Delia to give me a call if she needed anything.
Let me take this. Hello?
[tense music]
- We got here, the body was on the ground.
Homicide's upstairs. - What the hell happened?
- Yeah, I don't know. You gotta ask Homicide.
- Hey. Captain Benson, SVU.
What are we looking at? - Marital dispute.
Wife stabbed him in the back with a kitchen knife.
- She wasn't even supposed to be here.
- I got my guys with her in the kitchen.
- SVU. She's one of our cases. - Yes, ma'am.
- Delia, what--what happened?
- He took my phone charger, and I needed it,
so I came over.
And then he wouldn't let me leave.
And then...
♪
I--I just wanted to be free.
.
[door buzzer blares]
- Delia.
You didn't eat anything.
- Oh, um, I'm not very hungry.
- How are you doing?
- Pretty good.
Really, it's nice-- it's nice and quiet here.
I felt safe.
- Your lawyer's here.
- I had to go to Ty's 'cause he took my charger.
And I was at 1%.
- And what happened when you got there?
- He dangled it in front of me, like--
you know, like, Keep Away.
I tried to grab it.
And then he sat down, and he put it in his pants,
and the just said, you know, "Get on your knees
if you want to get it."
- What did you do?
- What he said.
He...pulled my head
into his lap, you know, yanking my hair.
And I said--I said no.
And he said, "You need to relax."
So he went to make me a drink in the living room.
And, um...
[tense music]
I'm sorry, it's just getting really blurry after that.
- Delia, just stay with us.
Just tell them what you told me.
- Okay.
Okay.
I was in the kitchen, and I just felt
like I had to get out, like-- like I had to get past him.
So I took the knife off the kitchen counter,
and--and then he heard me.
And...
I just kind of stuck him to get past him.
- Delia, so the ME said that
he was bleeding out for about 30 minutes.
- Okay.
- Why didn't you call 911?
- Well, I had to wait for my phone to charge.
And then, when it charged up, I called Detective Rollins.
I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
- Do you need a minute with your client, or...?
- We're good.
You can just tell the DA we're ready to talk deal.
♪
- Delia Hackman, married four times,
twice to the husband she killed.
In and out of rehab and asylums the past ten years,
and she's got a record.
Drunk and disorderlies,
destroying police property, four arrests for DV.
- This is minor compared to the 16 times
that the husband was arrested for assaulting her.
Broken bones, concussions, punctured lung,
fractured eye socket, all pled down to a misdemeanor
or she recanted or she refused to press charges.
Plus, he violated his OOPs multiple times.
- Yeah, but in this case, she is the one
who initiated the contact.
- Because she needed her cell phone charger.
- So she stabbed him to death?
- With a kitchen knife in his kidney from behind.
She waited a half-hour to call for help.
The guy bled out. - [groans]
This is a tough case for self-defense.
- This woman was raped. She was beaten.
And she was psychologically terrorized for over ten years.
- So, her lawyer will go
for the battered woman syndrome defense.
- Her lawyer's looking for a deal.
She'll take man one, single digits.
- This woman has been imprisoned her entire life.
- I was in an abusive marriage for 15 years.
I got out. I didn't kill him.
- And I'm sorry.
But I have to assume that you had more resources.
- Mm, that's a story for another time.
So this is a violent felony.
If we take this to trial and she gets convicted
on murder two, that's 15 years to life.
Don't leave that deal on the table for long.
- Listen.
Her public defender had 20 minutes for her,
and if she had a competent lawyer,
this might go a different way.
- Oh, Captain, nobody takes these DV cases.
The women are either killed or they go to jail.
Either way, they break your heart.
[tense music]
- How'd it go at the DA's office?
- Carisi is gonna wait 24 hours before he finalizes a deal.
- You gonna get her another lawyer?
- Is that on us? - Not really.
But her public defender is in over her head.
- I'm not gonna say murder's okay,
but if anybody had it coming...
- Look, I called Rita Calhoun, Baird Ellis, even Barth.
Nobody has time for this.
- You want to talk about the elephant in the room?
There is someone you're leaving out.
[apprehensive music]
♪
- Hello, Liv.
- Hello.
- You and I spent a lot of time in this place.
It's a shame they're closing, huh?
- Everything comes to an end.
I wanted to thank you for represented Delia.
- Rollins asked for the favor.
How many lawyers you call first?
- Three.
You think you can get an acquittal?
- I'll do my best.
Cabernet? - I can't stay.
- It's possible to sit next to someone, have a drink,
and not say a single word to each other.
I miss you, Liv.
- I gotta go.
♪
.
- The victim was stabbed in the lower left side of his back,
and the blade pierced his kidney,
nicked the renal vein.
In my estimation, he bled out in about 20 minutes.
- Dr. Truman, based on the location and the angle
of the victim's wound, is there any way
that he was facing the defendant when he was stabbed?
- No, he was definitely facing away from his assailant.
- In other words, stabbed in the back.
Thank you, Doctor. No more questions.
- Dr. Truman, when you say bled out,
are we talking about a geyser of blood?
- No, that's really more of a movie trope.
The bleeding was internal.
- Is it possible, given the small amount of blood
that Delia saw, that she didn't realize
the deceased was in mortal danger?
- Objection. Calls for speculation.
- Sustained. - That's all right.
We all know it's possible.
- I asked the responding officers to secure the scene
and isolate the suspect, Delia Hackman.
- And how did you ID her as a suspect?
- She was the only one in the apartment, and she confessed.
- Thank you.
- Can I ask you, Detective,
to describe Mrs. Hackman's affect?
- I'm not sure what you mean. - Was she contrite?
Upset? Defensive?
- No, I wouldn't say that.
- Would you say she seemed more defeated?
- Objection.
- To anything specific or my cross-examination in general?
- Calls for speculation. That work for you?
- Sustained. Mr. Barba.
- I'll accommodate the prosecution, Your Honor.
Detective, can you describe Mrs. Hackman's behavior?
Was her head held high? Was she looking right at you?
- No, she was looking at the floor,
you know, holding her head in her hands.
Kind of distraught. Or, like you said, defeated.
- When I arrived, Homicide detectives were on the scene,
and the body was in situ.
- And where was the defendant?
- Delia was in the kitchen, obviously in distress.
- What did you hear her say?
According to multiple witnesses, she said,
"I just wanted to be free."
Did you hear her say that?
- Yes, but I took that to mean--
- Thank you. Captain, you had me at "yes,"
and we both know how much Mr. Barba abhors speculation.
- I know the ADA cut you off,
but I'm sure the jury would like to hear the rest
of that thought, Captain. - Objection.
- Sustained.
[tense music]
- Captain Benson, we've heard a lot of testimony
about Ty Hackman's back being turned.
In your experience, is it possible for a battered woman
to feel threatened even if her abuser isn't facing her?
- Yes.
A victim of DV can fear for her life
even if her abuser is asleep or not in the same room.
- Thank you.
I know that, as an SVU captain, this is difficult for you,
that you'd rather not testify
against any victim of domestic violence.
- Your Honor, I know Mr. Barba loves
the sound of his own voice, but could you please
ask him to stop testifying himself?
- Walk it back, Mr. Barba. - I apologize.
I'm just passionate about defending my client,
Your Honor.
- Was it difficult, Captain, testifying for Mr. Barba,
when you were Carisi's witness?
- I was testifying for Delia. - I know.
- You were going pretty hard at Barba.
- Yeah, well, how'd he even end up taking this case?
I thought him and Benson weren't even speaking?
- Yeah, they're not.
Technically, it was me who asked him.
I should have told you.
- Yeah. Yeah, you should have.
- I'm sorry.
- I went to get my phone charger,
but Ty said I had to have sex with him first.
He went to the living room to make me a drink
so I could relax.
- What happened then?
Well, I felt trapped, like I had to get out.
And I saw a knife on the kitchen counter,
and I just, I grabbed it, just in case.
And I tried to be really quiet going out.
His back was--was towards me
'cause he was pouring the drink.
And I just heard him laugh, and I panicked.
- Well, why is that? - 'Cause I knew his moods.
I was used to him yelling a lot.
But it was that weird laugh-- like, that's when I knew
things were gonna get really bad.
I was really scared that if he turned around
and saw me with that knife, that he was gonna kill me.
- What happened next, Delia?
- Well, all I knew is that I was, like,
waving my arms around, and the knife was in his back.
And then he was on the floor.
- Did you try to revive him? Did you call for help?
- Well, I thought he would come to
'cause there wasn't a lot of blood.
- Uh-huh.
- I had to get the phone charger out of his pants.
- Why didn't you just go?
- Well, I didn't want to leave him lying there.
So I waited for my phone to charge up,
and then I called Detective Rollins.
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
- Mrs. Hackman, when you stabbed your husband,
his back was to you.
- Yes. - He wasn't moving towards you.
He wasn't physically threatening you.
- Well, no, but he had earlier.
- But not in that moment, correct?
- Correct.
- Did he have a weapon in his hand?
- No. - Did he say anything to you?
- No.
I mean, he was laughing.
- He was laughing. Okay.
Couldn't you have just ran out the door,
past him, called the neighbors for help?
- I didn't know the neighbors,
and I wasn't supposed to be there.
- No, no, you weren't, Mrs. Hackman.
And if you needed a phone charger, why didn't you just
go to any bodega and buy one?
- Well, it was the middle of the night,
and I had no power in my phone. - Right.
No, I understand that, but-- - I don't--
- Couldn't you have just stayed at home,
safe in your locked apartment, and just waited till morning?
- I guess.
- Wouldn't that have been a better choice
than going over to your husband's place, alone,
in the middle of the night? - Objection. Badgering.
- Move it along, Mr. Carisi.
- Wouldn't it have been a much better choice for you to just
simply walk out of the door instead of stabbing
your husband to death.
- I thought he was gonna kill me!
- No, no, no, Mrs. Hackman, you just told us
that he was not moving toward you.
He did not have a weapon.
Did he say that he was gonna kill you?
- He's too smart for that.
- Okay, well, if you felt so threatened at the time,
why didn't you tell that to the police when they showed up?
- I don't know. I don't remember.
- Well, they do.
They testified that the only thing that you said
was that you wanted to be free.
- I'm sorry. I don't remember.
- Objection, Your Honor.
Badgering. - Sustained.
- What did you mean by "you wanted to be free"?
Free from your husband?
I mean, isn't that what you said?
- I'm sorry, if you said I said that, then I said that.
[crying] I'm sorry.
My head's kind of hurting.
- She needs a recess.
- Mrs. Hackman, I just have one more question.
Okay? - Okay.
- When you realized that your husband was dead,
how did that make you feel?
♪
- I was--
I was happy that he was dead and I was alive.
I was--I was happy.
I felt happy.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
My head's really hurting.
♪
- No further questions.
- We're in recess.
The witness may step down.
- Okay.
- Bailiff. - Wait.
No, I've--I've got her. I've got her, Your Honor.
Delia. Delia.
- I'm sorry. - You did great. No.
You did great. You did great.
Oh! I got you.
- Okay.
[somber music]
♪
.
- How is Mrs. Hackman, Counselor?
- She was examined at Bellevue and released.
She's ready to resume, Your Honor.
- People have no more questions.
- Great, then I'd like to call my next witness.
- Dr. Sopher? Testifying to what?
- Dr. Sopher performed a neurological exam.
She found my client suffers from undiagnosed brain trauma.
- Oh, please don't tell me you're saying
she lacked mens rea.
- The jury decides her intent.
This testimony can inform the verdict.
- Hold on, Counselor. What are you arguing?
Self-defense? Battered woman syndrome?
Not guilty due to mental defect?
- All of the above.
Unless Mrs. Maxwell wants to do the right thing
and drop these charges.
- That's not happening, Counselor.
- Then I'm allowing this witness.
- Dr. Sopher, as a neuroradiologist
and a psychiatrist at Bellevue, you treated my client?
- Yes.
Her MRI revealed an alarming number
of tau protein deposits
throughout her brain, specifically along the cortex.
- What would that indicate, exactly?
- That she'd been suffering from chronic traumatic
encephalopathy, CTE, for some time.
This was further confirmed after a spinal tap
revealed more tau proteins in her cerebral spinal fluid.
- Is this something that could result from minor concussions
or a few bonks on the head? - No.
This would only be the result of years of traumatic injuries.
- I see.
Is it possible that someone suffering from this condition
might be unable to account for or even remember their actions?
- Of course--that's probably one of the most significant
of the symptoms.
[tense music]
- Dr. Sopher, I was under the impression
that CTE could only be diagnosed by autopsy.
- As an official diagnosis, yes, but--
- For the record, Mrs. Hackman is still among the living.
- Yes, she is.
- And her husband is not.
Nothing further.
- Delia, over the past ten years,
how many times would you say you'd been struck
in the head by your husband?
- Do you mean with a bat or with his fists
or, like, my head slammed against the wall?
- Anytime he hit you in the head.
- Five or six times a year.
He said I had a thick skull 'cause he only
knocked me out a few times.
- Over 50 blows to the head.
Did you receive medical treatment for these injuries?
- Well, he would take me to the ER if I had to get a bone set,
or if--when I lost a tooth.
Otherwise, I would just take aspirin.
- Do you still have headaches?
- Most days. - Problems with concentration?
- Oh, all the time. That drove Ty crazy.
He said I was stupid. - Dizziness?
Lack of balance? - Yes.
So I got--I gotta be careful with that,
'cause, like, sometimes, when I stop suddenly,
my head thinks I'm still moving,
so, like, I'll trip down subway stairs
or basically, just, you know, clumsy.
- What about mood swings or difficulty
performing small tasks?
So, this is how the eighth floor looks.
- What do you want, Mr. Barba?
- An apology from the people of New York
for bringing this to trial. - Don't push it, Rafael.
We're waving the white flag here.
- I'd love this to go to jury.
They'll be back before you have time for a cup of coffee.
- Criminally negligent homicide.
- How about misdemeanor assault,
with jail time and fines waived?
I've already written my closing arguments.
- Have a seat, Mr. Barba.
- Hey, how did Ms. Maxwell take the loss?
- She handled it with grace.
- And you?
- I felt relieved.
- Mm.
- Don't quote me.
You know, it's one of those things
you hesitate to say out loud.
- Like "I love you." [chuckles]
[soft music]
I do, you know.
- Still nice to hear.
I love you too.
♪
- You showed up.
- Last call at Forlini's.
Thank you for what you did for Delia.
- How is she?
- Her social worker is putting a team together--
PT, therapy, cognitive rehab.
And turns out that Ty had a settlement
from a construction site accident,
which is now hers, so all things considered,
she's in a better place.
- Unlike the two of us.
You're still holding onto this.
[pensive music]
♪
- I asked you not to defend Wheatley.
- And now he's dead.
We've been over this. I was trying to protect you--
- I didn't ask you to.
- No.
I guess you didn't.
I hear you.
- Thank you.
- What I don't get--
why you feel more anger at me
than you ever let yourself feel toward Stabler.
- You don't know anything about my feelings for Elliot,
and you don't know him.
- I got a glimpse.
- I've known him for 23 years,
and he's always had my back.
- And you grew up without a father to protect you...
- Please don't. Please don't. - I know how much that means.
- I grew up in a home, in a neighborhood
where I got bullied.
We're gonna see him through different prisms.
- This isn't about him.
This is about you and me, and how you betrayed me.
I asked you not to defend Wheatley, and you did anyway.
- We're going around in circles.
You're denying, you're deflecting.
You defend him.
It's all right. I get it.
That's what you do
when you love somebody unconditionally.
- Please don't tell me how I feel.
- In this case, I can, because I do know what it means
to love someone unconditionally.
When you're ready to stop feeling betrayed by me,
I'll be here.
- Rafa. - What?
- I miss you too.
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]