.
- 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.
[dramatic musical flourish]
- Good morning.
Hello World, it's me, Mandy.
It's Friday, September 8th, and in case you can't tell,
I'm actually excited to go to school today.
It's the fall pep rally.
And the first thing is to change.
[chime] That's better.
I don't know why they interrupt school to announce
sports team, especially the football players.
It's like, "We get it. You're popular."
Also, the whole rah-rah high school thing,
everyone says it's suppose to
be the best four years of your life,
you know, dances and parties and romance.
I like it but, I mean, sometimes I wonder,
you know, if I'm doing it right.
I've only been a sophomore for a week.
Hopefully this year will be different.
Hey, hey. It's Tuesday, September 19th.
The day the winners of the art competition are announced.
Oh, my gosh. Look at my parents.
- We want to wish you good luck.
- So embarrassing.
Well, at least my parents love me.
But what I really want is
to fall in love.
What I don't get is how do you know?
Like, if you feel like you're in love,
does that mean you're in love?
Isn't love just a bunch of chemicals swooshing
around in your brain?
My head hurts trying to figure it out.
Hello again, internet peeps.
It's me, Mandy.
I'm here with Stacey
and Ashley.
And the Sophomore Semi-Formal is coming up and we need dates.
[upbeat music playing]
I think Stacey should go with Mark.
- Totally babe-soda, but he'd never go with me.
Maybe... [sighs] Daniel.
- No, I'm not going to. She isn't that into me.
- [chuckles]
- Whoo, I could so see that.
Then Mandy could go with Andrew.
- Uh, no way, guys, he's like my brother.
Hey, guys. Say "hi", Andrew.
- Hi. [laughter]
- These cool kids? They're my crew.
And this is my fun, crazy life.
Take six for the talent show.
[Alessia Cara "Scars to Your Beautiful" playing]
* There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark *
* You should know you're beautiful *
* Just the way you are [cell phone dings]
* And you don't have to change a thing *
- What are you doing Saturday night?
We just got invited to a party.
Look. [giggles]
- That one text, it changed everything.
[sniffles] Hey, it's me.
It's October, 16th.
The worst day of my life.
My reputation is ruined.
And I'm done with Wollman High,
and I'm done with my so-called friends.
[mouse clicks]
- When was the last time you saw Mandy?
- This morning at breakfast.
She'd left for school at 8:00. - And she never came back.
We tried her cell, and it went straight to voicemail.
- And we called the school. They said that she'd been
in homeroom but not in any classes after that.
I checked her computer,
found this. - Uh, and Mrs. Fowler,
you told 911 dispatch that there were photos
of a sexual nature.
[tense music]
- "Mandy is a grade-A slut."
"Whore."
"Skank-ass bitch."
[scoffs]
These were the nicer messages that I woke up to yesterday.
The rest are way worse.
And this.
Someone did this to me.
Whoever did this,
and you know who you are,
please, just tell me why.
Why.
[dramatic music]
*
.
- Please, just tell me why.
- Mandy Fowler, 15,
she posted this on her blog this morning
and then disappeared.
The photo was being texted by her classmates,
and it was apparently taken at a party on Saturday night.
- So she's a victim of cyberbullying, and worse.
What else have we got?
- Well, her last ping on her cell was at 10:00
this morning from Wollman High.
We're tracking her cell phone records
and contacting her friends,
and of course she's active on social media.
- Okay. - So we're going through
all her accounts. - And the parents are here?
- Yeah and they seem loving, supportive.
There's no evidence of family issues.
Okay. - Hey.
Mandy hasn't used a debit or credit cards.
We got photos of her out at the
subway stations, bus terminals. [cell phone buzzing]
- Okay, has she ever run away before?
- The parents say, "No." She's a straight A student.
She's got no trouble with her peers.
- Until this weekend. - Hold on.
TARU got her cell log.
Before she powered down,
she texted an Andrew Drake ten times.
- Can we get an address? - Yeah. Upper West Side.
That's two blocks from the high school.
I'm on it, Lieutenant.
[both sigh]
- Listen, I'm so sorry to drag you back in here.
I know you left early to be with Noah--
- No. You did the right thing.
- Is everything okay at home?
- Yeah.
Yeah, all good. Let's, uh...
Let's go talk to the parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Fowler, I'm Lieutenant Benson.
- Did you find Mandy?
- Not yet, but I can assure you
that we're doing everything we can.
- I should have realized how upset she was,
made her talk to me.
- After the party on Saturday?
- She was...
[sighs] so excited to go, and..,
What they did to her--I just want to kill them.
- Well, I can understand that. So...
do you know where this party was and who was there?
- At Daniel's.
All Honors classmates.
- Would she say anything when she got home?
- I fell asleep on the couch.
When I check on her, she was asleep.
- Does Mandy have a boyfriend?
Was she dating anyone?
- No. - Did she mention
meeting someone online maybe?
- No.
Is this because of her vlog?
We never should have let her do that.
- How could we stop her? She...
She was so proud of it.
She had over 1,000 views last week.
- Maybe one of those perverts tracked her down.
- You know, we're checking into that.
- And this Andrew Drake?
Do you know if he was at the party Saturday night?
- Yes, but I can't imagine he'd have anything to do with it.
Mandy and Andrew were friends since first grade.
*
- I swear, I don't know where Mandy is.
- Do you know why she texted you
ten times this morning?
- No. - No?
You didn't read the texts?
Okay.
Listen, Andrew, I've been doing this a long time,
and I don't ask questions
I don't already know the answers to.
- Okay, okay.
She wanted to know why.
The same thing she asked in her vlog.
- Andrew, what is this about?
- Mrs. Drake, your son was at a party where somebody...
wrote some pretty awful things
on an unconscious, half-naked teenage girl.
- What? - Then they took a photo of it
and texted it. - I deleted that picture.
- Well who took the photo?
- I don't know.
Everybody thinks that Mandy and I are--are so tight,
that I know what's going on with her, but I don't.
- What do you know, Andrew?
- Mandy and her best friends.
They gossip all the time.
You should talk to them.
- Any friend in particular?
- Stacey Vanhoven, Mandy's bestie.
They had their heads together all morning.
Intense, like arguing.
- Arguing about what? - I don't know.
But I heard Mandy say,
"You aren't my friend anymore."
[door knocks, opens]
- Stacey.
This detective wants to ask you about Mandy Fowler.
- Oh, my God, did you find her?
- Not yet, but we would like to ask you a few questions.
- Yeah, um,
Dad, I got this.
- You sure? - Yeah.
- You and Mandy were pretty close, right?
- Yeah.
Best friends since... forever.
- So it must have hurt when she told you
she didn't want to be your friend anymore.
[tense music]
We know you two got in a fight this morning.
What was that about? - I can't tell anyone.
She said she would never talk to me again.
- Do you know who drew on her on Saturday night?
Who took the photo? - No.
I left the party early. [sighs]
- Then what do you know?
*
She's been humiliated.
She's probably angry. She's probably scared to death.
She's out there all alone,
and she could be in serious trouble, Stacey.
- [sighs] She's not alone.
- Who is she with?
- [exhales]
- Got something? - Yeah, it turns out
Mandy was in contact with some guy online
through ChatSlam.
It was hidden behind an app on her desktop
which is why her parents didn't know.
- ChatSlam? - Yeah.
It's a social media app, and it's untraceable.
It deletes conversations in seconds.
- So Mandy didn't want a record of whoever she was talking to.
- So can we tell if it was one of her vlog followers?
- Well the only thing I've got so far
is that it was chat connection
between her and "Ethan E-ManWomanHatr"
from Newark at 9:00 a.m.
TARU's trying to recover the conversation.
[computer dings]
Wait, hold up.
Mandy's going live on Facebook.
- TARU's tracing the social media, right?
- Yeah, yeah, all of them, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter.
- Carisi, SVU. Mandy Fowler.
Yeah, she's online right now. - It's right there, go.
[tense music]
- It's me, Mandy.
- Oh, my God, look at her.
- To all of you haters out there.
I'm in a better place.
- Okay, keep talking, honey.
Let us figure out where you are.
Keep talking, keep talking. - I'm better off
without my fake friends.
Their silence cuts deeper than words.
Mom, Dad,
I'm sorry, I can't come back.
- No, Mandy, hold on, hold on, sweetie.
Don't sign off. - Goodbye.
- TARU's got it.
It's an IP address in Newark, New Jersey.
- Great work.
*
[sirens wailing]
- The name on the account is Ethan Cohen.
It's apartment 223. - This doesn't look good.
[radio chatter]
- NYPD, open up.
[loud thuds]
- Ethan, we have a warrant.
Ethan Cohen.
- Yeah? - Open this gate.
[dramatic music]
- Where's Mandy Fowler?
- I didn't do anything to her. - Yeah.
- Where is she? - Mandy.
- She's okay, she's fine.
- Mandy. We're NYPD. Are you okay?
- Ethan, I trusted you. - I didn't call the cops.
- Mandy, it's okay, we're here to take you home.
- I'm not going with you. I live here.
- Sweetheart, you're 15 years old, that's not gonna happen.
Let's go. - Just tell them, Mandy.
- Tell us what?
- That party...
Those ass-hat high school boys.
They did more than just draw on her with a sharpie.
*
She was raped.
*
.
- I couldn't tell my parents.
They'd be so ashamed of me.
- Mandy, your parents know that this wasn't your fault.
- You told Ethan that you were raped?
Can you help us understand what happened?
- I don't remember.
I'd smoked a joint.
I never do that. - That's okay.
That has nothing to do with this.
- [sniffles]
The whole school thinks that I'm a slut.
[somber music]
My reputation is ruined forever.
- Mandy, listen to me.
We are gonna figure out who did this to you,
and we're going to help you fight back.
- I just want to know who, and why.
- Look.
You smoked a joint so you were a little high, right?
Your memory's foggy, that can happen.
So why don't we--why don't we start by you telling us
what's the last thing that you do remember?
- I somehow got into a cab.
And I made it home, and I pass out on my bed.
- Okay.
- And when I woke up,
I saw the black marker on my body.
*
And that was sore, down there.
I was bleeding.
- Do you remember consenting to sex?
- No...I don't.
- Hm.
*
- Is that enough? - Yeah, it is for us.
[school bell rings]
- I didn't know Daniel was having a party.
He's banned from Xbox
for the rest of the year, believe you me.
- I didn't do that to Mandy,
draw on her.
- Well, somebody did. Who else was there?
- I'm not sure. - Did I raise an idiot?
We live in a doorman building.
There are cameras in the elevator.
We're cooperating here, right, Daniel?
- Stacey, Mandy, me...
Max and Andrew.
- Just you three guys?
Okay, that narrows it down.
- Narrows what down?
I mean, the kids were just smoking some pot.
Okay, and they drew on that girl, but...
it's just a prank, right?
Nothing I wouldn't do as a teenager.
- It's more than a prank, Mr. Ross.
Mandy says she was raped.
- Not by me.
- By who?
- I didn't rape Mandy Fowler.
- Well, which one of your buddies did?
- None of them. - Your buddy, Daniel,
he told us that you're the one that drew on Mandy.
- And you believe this other kid?
- Dad.
It was just a joke.
- Did you take the pictures too, Max?
Hey, we have your phone.
- I deleted them.
- You know with technology that stuff never goes away.
- I told those guys to cut it out,
to leave Mandy alone.
- Okay, so, um...
When you told me yesterday,
that you didn't know who drew on her,
you didn't know who took the photos,
you were lying.
- I didn't want anyone to get in trouble.
- But now you're telling us the truth?
- Yeah.
- How did Mandy get half undressed?
- It must have been Max.
- Must have been Max.
Must have been. You don't know?
- No. - Stacey had left
at this point so it was just the four of you.
- Right.
- Hey, Andrew.
Were you ever alone with Mandy?
Remember I told you I don't ask questions
I don't already know the answers to.
- Okay, yes.
I was alone with her,
but just for a few minutes.
- You touch her? - Is that what she said?
- Let's focus on what you're going to say.
What really happened, Andrew.
[tense music]
- I kissed her.
But that's all.
- Okay, how did she respond?
- She liked it.
But she was too high, and so I left.
And those guys started messing with her.
I told them to stop.
- So the kid who drew on her and took the picture
admits to taking the picture.
- And the kid who gave her pot admits to giving her pot.
- And the third kid admits to--what?
A few innocent kisses?
- Yeah, so admit what you can't deny,
deny what you can't admit.
- And no one's admitting to the rape.
Anything from the kit?
- There's no DNA. There's genital trauma,
bleeding, bruising, all consistent with sexual assault.
- So one of these boys is guilty.
It's like playing three card monte.
- Yeah. - Who has the most to lose?
- I'd say the kid who took the picture of a half-naked
15 year old girl and texted them to everyone in the school.
- You can't be serious. Federal child pornography charges?
- Yeah, we are very serious.
- God, this is--this is bad.
- Yeah, and it's gonna get worse unless
you give us a play by play.
- I'm no rat.
- Max, for God sakes.
- Do you know who assaulted Mandy Fowler?
*
- Oh, my God, it was Andrew?
Are you sure it was Andrew?
- The other two boys corroborate
that he was only one that was alone with you.
- What does he say? - He admits to kissing you.
Do you remember that?
- A little.
But I didn't want him to. I don't like him that way.
Why would I?
He was my friend.
Did he draw on me, too? Take photos?
- No, that was--that was the other two boys.
I'm sorry.
- All three of them.
All three of them did that to me?
- So what happens now?
- Well, we are going to arrest all three boys.
And...
let them know that there are serious consequences
to what they did and...
we're going to let the school
and everyone in it know as well.
*
- Everyone, your attention.
- Daniel Ross, Max Rivera, stand up.
- You're under arrest for reckless endangerment,
endangering the welfare of a child,
and disseminating indecent material to minors.
- Andrew Drake, stand up.
You are under arrest for rape in the second degree.
[dramatic music]
[indistinct whispering] - Settle down, everyone.
.
- You arrest him in front of his classmates.
He's 16.
- Mandy Fowler's 15.
And we're taking this very seriously.
- Do we need a lawyer? - That's your right,
but this is Andrew's chance to tell us his side.
- Yeah, Mom, I want to explain.
- Okay, great.
Go ahead.
- Okay, um...
We smoked a joint.
Um, Mandy was bugged out from being too high
so I took her to the study to calm her down.
- And it was just the two of you?
- Yeah. Uh, we talked.
She started feeling better.
Then we started kissing.
- Wait.
She kissed you or was it you that kissed her?
- I kissed her. - Hm.
- Okay, good, then what--what happened?
- Then we start making out.
I felt like she...
liked it. - Mm-hmm.
- And you know, one thing led to...
you know. - Well, yeah, I know, but
we need to hear you say it, Andrew.
[tense music]
- We had sex. - Okay. Good, good.
Look, I know this isn't easy, but earlier you said
that you two just kissed, and now you're saying
you had sex.
- Yeah.
But it was consensual.
- Did you hear her say, "Yes"?
- Not exactly.
- Okay, Andrew, stop. - No, no.
She--she wanted it.
I mean, her eyes were closed, but she was smiling.
- Smiling? Okay.
Andrew, why do you think you're here?
- Well, I know Mandy must be mad
about the markers and the photos, but I didn't do that.
Did you tell her?
- Yeah, we did.
- So the sex...
Is she--is she saying she regretted it?
- The only thing she's saying
is that she doesn't remember it.
The only thing she remembers is
that she didn't want to kiss you,
that it was like kissing her brother.
- No, that's not true.
She liked it.
I didn't do anything wrong. - Here's what I don't get,
Andrew.
If the sex was consensual
then why didn't you just tell us that in the first place.
- I wanted to protect her reputation.
- Stop talking, Andrew.
No more questions without a lawyer.
- Okay, that's fine,
but I got to tell you, Ms. Drake.
Your son's already given us all the answers we need.
*
[door opens] - What?
- We got a message from the VINE service,
Andrew's out on bail? - Yes.
But there's an automatic order of protection in place,
and the court doesn't think that he is a risk
or a danger to Mandy or your family.
- Well, maybe he's not but the kids at school are.
Bruce's car was spray-painted.
We had a brick thrown through our window.
Mandy's been getting threatening messages.
- Okay, you know what, we can put a patrol car
on your block,
and as for now, Mandy, it might be a--
It might be a good time to lay off
the social media for a while.
- Yeah, I guess.
- You know what, why don't--
Why don't we sit down, let's just...
Go through the next steps, okay?
Mandy, it's really important...
that you don't communicate with Andrew anymore
or anyone about the case.
- What about the other two boys?
- Well, they're going to plead
to reckless endangerment in exchange for testifying.
- Do I have to testify?
- No, of course, you have to testify.
- Well, actually,
it's Mandy's decision ultimately, and...
You know, and if this does go to trial--
- The kids at school hate me enough.
They think I'm a liar.
They trashed my locker. - I'm so sorry.
I can't imagine how difficult
this has been. - I can never go back.
Everyone's blaming me for taking down Andrew
and Daniel and Max.
Me. Not them.
- Honey-- - If you don't believe me
just search twitter for #FreeAndrew.
- Of course, of course, we believe you.
- Your true friends know what's right.
- I don't have any friends.
Stacey won't even call me back.
- You know what, there is still a chance
that the DA's office can reach a plea agreement with Andrew.
- Wait, wait, wait, don't we get a say in that?
- Yes.
But the goal is holding Andrew accountable for what he did,
and if we can do that while sparing Mandy from testifying,
I think that's the answer.
- I don't want to testify.
- She'll testify.
*
- We'll plead to forcible touching.
- I'm not impressed, Mr. Guthrie.
- I don't think the jury will be impressed
by a vic that was too high to ID my client
and testimony of co-conspirators who cut a deal.
- In the interest in sparing Mandy a trial
I'll drop to the E Felony.
No jail time, six years probation and--
- No way, he's not going on the registry for this.
- It's a sexual offense. It's mandatory.
Rape Three, that's my final offer.
- Look, wait, check this out. - Thanks, but no thanks.
- Well, this is all going away, anyway, Mr. Barba.
Mandy's not going to testify.
- That's not what she told me.
- She's telling the world on her vlog.
- I just don't care.
No more police.
No lawyer, no more trials,
no more being the victim.
And I feel great because I've figured out
that you can change the past.
I have the power, and I've decided whatever happened,
it's done. It's over.
It doesn't matter because I'm not that girl,
and I'm never going to be that girl again.
- She's talking about making a change...
- Hair is different. There's no nose ring.
Look, she cleaned her room.
She took down the family photos.
- [sighs] It's like--like I know what matters
and what doesn't,
and I feel like, I'm done with this whole situation.
- She's pretending whatever bad things happen
just didn't happen.
She's creating her own rosy picture,
right, a clean past.
She's pink clouding.
- So, this is the new me.
This is the new, new Mandy.
I just--I feel great.
So yeah, that's all I wanted to say.
I'm done now.
- She made a decision.
I got to go talk to her. - Uh, hey.
- You know, I lost a girl five years ago.
- I do, I remember. Let's go.
- Bruce is with Mandy in her room.
- Good, so we just need to talk to her.
- You're scaring me, detectives.
- We just want to make sure she's safe.
[tense music]
- I'm not going to testify.
This is what's best for me so don't waste your time.
- Okay, that's not why we're here, Mandy.
- You took down most of your pictures of all your friends.
*
- They're not my friends.
- You also took down the picture of your family.
- I just want to be clear, clean, a clean slate.
- You don't want to feel anything.
- Exactly.
It's better this way.
- It's better not to care?
- That's right. I don't care.
I don't care about the Facebook posts or the texts
or the tweets saying that I'm liar and a skank.
And I should just curl up into a ball and die.
I'm done. - But you made a decision.
You know, it might feel good to take control.
You know, you can keep a promise to yourself that...
if it does get too bad,
you could always do something about it.
- You don't know how I feel.
- I know more than you think.
You know I told you my name was Amanda, too.
Well, when I was your age I lived in a tiny town
in Georgia, and everybody gossiped.
And I did something stupid,
and I got a reputation.
And it's all I thought about,
the names that they were calling me,
"Easy-ass Amanda"
and worse.
It took a long time...
I realized what other people said about me...
It didn't define me.
Only I can define me.
[somber music]
And when I was old enough I went and got this.
*
It's my name, Amanda.
Just to remind myself that that's who I am,
not any of these other names that I was branded with.
*
- Why are you telling me this?
Why'd you even come here?
- Because we want you to know that you're not alone.
Your parents are here.
We are here.
And we're not going to let you go.
Look.
I know you think that you don't have a choice, but you do.
And I know that you know that inside.
Right?
Yeah.
- [crying]
- It's okay. Shh, shh, shh.
It's okay.
You're okay.
Yeah, it's okay.
.
- "We hate you, you ugly bitch."
"You wanted it
now you're crying rape, you piece of trash."
"Liar, liar, ugly little liar."
- Mandy's been sent dozens of texts,
messages, photos.
She's been bullied non-stop for the past three days.
She hasn't told her parents. She hasn't told anyone.
- Do we know who's sending these?
- Yeah, I mean, it's kids from the high school,
boys and girls,
and girls are actually more brutal.
- The school has issued some suspensions,
but they say that they can't police
off-campus social media use.
- Yeah, they're teenagers so...
They don't listen to their parents.
- Yeah, and they're empowered
because they're behind a screen.
I mean, even Andrew's been texting her.
- Anything that rises to the level of harassment?
- Oh. Yes.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Call me back." "We need to talk."
It's non-stop.
I mean, you ask me, that's harassment.
- You ask a judge, it's not.
- The level of viciousness
from these other kids, I mean...
They--they drove her to the point, you know,
right, she was on the edge of the cliff.
- And you and Liv pulled her back.
- Yeah, but-- - The only criminal act
I can charge right now
is violating the order of protection.
The parents can go after him, civilly.
- Yeah, and they plan to.
- The strongest message we can send
is a conviction on the rape.
How is Mandy's state of mind now?
Can she testify?
- She's... [sighs] she's getting counseling,
and her parents are supportive, but...
It's gonna take time. - Which we don't have.
- Can you make the case without her?
- If I have to.
I wouldn't want to.
Keep me posted.
- Teenagers have always been cruel.
When did they become cowards?
- Since the invention of the internet.
- What kind of world are our kids going to grow up--
- Just whatever we think we're going to have to worry about,
it's not going to be that.
It's going to be something we never saw coming.
[tense music]
- On that note,
Noah's biological grandmother
showed up at my door last week. - What?
Who?
Johnny D's mother?
- Ellie Porter's.
- Ellie Porter who has no living relatives?
Are you sure?
- I didn't take a DNA swab.
- Maybe you should.
- She's also filed a petition
to vacate the adoption.
Trevor says that I have nothing to worry about but...
- What? I'm sorry, what--
What did she have to say?
- She said she was just making me aware,
you know, not in a threatening way.
I didn't let her see Noah.
In fact, I closed the door on her face.
*
I guess it's just magical thinking on my part, right?
If I don't do anything about it,
then it will just go away.
[cell phone buzzing]
*
- We've got a problem in the squad room.
- Tell them what happened.
- It was after school.
He cornered me in the locker room.
He said what I was doing to Andrew...
throwing him under the bus was messed up, and I should pay.
- So they beat you up.
- He has a scratched cornea,
three fractured bones in his wrist.
- And who was it?
- I don't know. - Come on, give us the names.
We'll pick them up. We'll file charges.
- No.
What they did...
I deserved it.
- Max, listen to me.
Testifying against Andrew is the right thing to do here.
- No, not that.
I mean, I deserved it...
for what I did to Mandy. I mean...
this is all my fault.
If I hadn't drawn on her,
taken that stupid picture and texted it to everybody,
none of this would have happened.
- It's a little late for that, Max.
- Yeah.
I know, and...
I know you don't believe it, but...
I really liked Mandy.
I mean, we all did.
Even Andrew.
Maybe too much.
- You're right, I don't believe it.
- Well, believe this: my son is not testifying at trial.
- We had a deal. - And now we're backing out.
And save your Federal child pornography threats.
My brother-in-law's a lawyer.
He says you're bluffing.
Max, let's go.
[tense music]
- Now what?
Max is the one who saw Andrew go into the study.
He saw Andrew on top of Mandy,
heard him bragging.
- So without Max, I don't have a case.
- Can you compel his testimony?
- Yeah, I could but it usually backfires.
- Well, if Andrew wasn't open to a plea before,
he certainly won't be now.
- Yeah, not without some leverage.
What did Max mean when he said that Andrew...
liked Mandy too much?
- It's a teenager's justification
for taking what he wants without consent.
We've heard that before.
- Yeah, but we haven't heard it from Andrew.
- Maybe Mandy has.
- I thought you told her not to communicate with him.
- And since when do teenagers listen.
- I don't understand. I thought you said
not to talk to him. - We did,
but we're hoping that you did, anyway.
- I tried not to. - Okay,
and it's fine, we just want to know what he said.
It could help the case. - So did he text you back?
- A few times.
*
- Okay.
"I don't understand why you did this.
I thought you were my friend." And he texts back,
"Don't you get it? I don't want to be your friend.
"I'm sorry, but I was sick of trying to get you to like me.
Now both of our lives are over."
- Mandy, I wish you had shown this to us before.
- I didn't want to get in trouble.
- You're not. He is. What he texted you...
That's an admission of rape.
*
.
- "I'm sorry, but I was sick of trying to get you to like me."
- So, Andrew, are those your words?
- Yes. - That text
along with a half dozen others
shows remorse and a tacit admission of guilt.
- I'm sorry, Mr. Barba, I don't see a smoking gun here.
- No, neither do I.
- Andrew.
We get that...
you wanted her to like you.
We all understand that.
The question is...
did she want to have sex with you?
- No.
- Okay.
- I liked her.
Not like a friend...
I just wanted her to like me back...
like that.
Then she wouldn't let me kiss her.
She made this...
this face...
like I disgusted her.
I love her.
I just wanted her to love me back.
And now she hates me. - Oh, Andrew.
*
- [sighs]
Just to be clear, Andrew.
Did Mandy Fowler consent to have sex with you?
- No. - He didn't mean it.
He didn't mean to hurt her. - Mrs. Drake,
I know that this is difficult,
but your son has an opportunity
to take responsibility for what he did.
- Rape three, 18 months.
- Hold on-- - No, Mr. Guthrie.
I want to hear.
- Four years probation, and he goes on the registry.
- And he has to allocute.
- You need to confess in open court to the rape.
Andrew, the entire school thinks that Mandy is a liar.
So they need to hear the truth
from you.
*
- Mr. Drake, you may begin when ready.
*
- I am here to confess to the crime
I committed on October 14th.
I knew Mandy was high,
incapacitated.
I kissed her
which I knew she didn't want/
I had sex with her
which she didn't want and didn't consent to.
*
I'm sorry...
for making people think you were a liar.
Everyone should know that you were telling the truth.
- You're going to be okay, Mandy.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- What we talked about, you coming to the school,
you think you could do that?
- Whenever you're ready.
- Mandy just asked me to...
come to her high school,
talk about the issues. - So she's moving forward,
looking in the future-- - Lieutenant Olivia Benson?
- Yes.
- What is it?
- It's a Notice of Motion from Sheila Porter's attorney.
[exhales]
She's asking the court for financial disclosure
and a psychological evaluation.
She's trying to challenge my fitness as a parent.
*
- I'm a survivor of sexual assault.
I felt...broken.
I was sad, angry.
But then what came after...
the bullying...
I felt like...
like I was underwater, drowning.
And I want you to know,
what you do,
what you say to each other,
it hurts.
It has consequences.
- Yeah.
So, first, I'd just like to commend Mandy
for her incredible bravery.
So, you know, we're not here to place blame.
We're not here to point fingers.
We're here to start a conversation.
I would like to invite you all to, uh,
participate in a little exercise.
So if you would all close your eyes,
and just take a second to center yourselves.
[indistinct whispering]
- Come on, if I can do it, then...
- Great. So while keeping your eyes closed...
I'm gonna ask you to stand up
if you've ever been hurt by bullying.
[somber music]
*
Keeping your eyes closed,
stand up if you've ever been the victim of hazing.
*
If you've ever been hurt by gossip.
Stand up if you've ever been a victim of a sexual assault.
*
Stand up if you've ever been a victim of violence,
[exhales]
Okay, I'd like to ask you to open your eyes.
Take a look around.
I think, if you look around the room,
we can all agree that...
That we're all in this together.
You have the power to change this
by being more accepting,
more compassionate.
You're not alone.
- Mandy.
What happened to you, the same thing happened to me.
I was wasted at a party.
[voice breaks] Two older guys took me into a room.
I didn't tell anyone.
I was afraid...that...
what everyone would think,
that I'd be blamed.
- I'm so sorry, thank you for sharing that.
Would anybody else like to share? Add anything?
Yes?
- You're worried everyone's going to think...
You wanted it.
That it was your fault.
'Cause you were drunk.
- I don't want to be called a liar.
It's like...
You're so ashamed.
- Guys get bullied too.
It's embarrassing to admit.
It really sucks.
But we're expected to just ignore it.
But it still hurts.
- I thought that saying mean stuff was just...
joking around,
being a guy,
what you had to do to be cool.
But...
I was wrong.
*
- I didn't stand up for you.
I didn't think I was strong enough.
I don't know if we could ever be friends again,
but I just want you to know
I'm sorry.
*
- [breathes deeply]
[dramatic music]
*
[wolf howls]