.
- 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.
- "But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail
"had bread and milk
"and blackberries for dinner."
All right, sweetie, let's get you to bed.
Okay?
Aww.
I know, it's-- it's a little babyish.
- I like it.
It was Grandma Sheila's favorite.
I told her today we'd read it.
- And we did.
And you know what?
Grandma Sheila was really happy to see you.
- When will she get out of the hospital?
She doesn't look sick.
You know, Noah...
Do you remember, honey--
Do you remember when I told you that...
That Grandma Sheila
is a different kind of sick?
And she's sick the way she thinks.
- And she go into the hospital
so she can get better.
- That's right. - But she looks fine.
Maybe she can get out soon.
- Well, we'll just wait and see.
- Okay.
- Good night. - Good night, honey.
You sleep well, okay? - Okay.
Oh, Lourdes!
You look beautiful!
Alan, doesn't she look beautiful?
- Beautiful! - Thank you!
- Where are you going, Lourdes?
- Oh, out dancing, chamaco.
- I want to come.
- Ay, maybe next time, chamaquita.
But tonight, make sure you brush your teeth
with the timer for two whole minutes, okay?
- Okay, okay, go, go, go.
Have fun. We will survive.
- Not sure I will.
- Listen, stay out as late as you want.
We're taking the kids to my parents'
in Greenwich for the weekend.
We're gonna leave first thing. - Oh.
- Thank you. - Okay, bye.
- The worst is "Mommy night."
They all get buzzed on Sancerre,
pay zero attention to their own kids.
- Vodka soda, extra lime.
- Thank you.
- And then she expects me to run around
after six toddlers! No extra pay.
- She looked at me like I was asking
for one of her kidneys.
You are so lucky the Buckleys are decent.
- Yes, I am. And they are.
- No wonder you've been there five years.
But you don't want to be a nanny
the rest of your life.
Hmm?
Ooh, do you know him?
He's cute!
♪
- And why am I here and not at home
playing video games with Jayden?
- One, Jayden's too young to be playing video games.
Two, my rat He had these tickets,
and there was no way I was gonna let him have them.
And three, I needed company.
- Company.
Seems like you're doing fine right now.
- I'm just enjoying the music.
- Right.
Oh, and my dog died, and my truck broke down,
and I'm starting to feel like a third wheel.
- I realize it's Friday night.
My social life is-- is--is great.
Thanks for asking.
Teresa, I gotta tell you, I don't know what you've
been waiting for, but the last time I checked,
all the billionaires who look like George Clooney?
They're taken, you know?
Hey, I gotta go. All right, I love you.
Tell Mia I love her, too, all right?
What do you got?
- Picked up Mr. Smith here on the C train
offering to massage women's feet
with his penis.
- That's great.
- Come on.
- You really don't remember me?
- I--I-- I don't.
You're gorgeous.
I don't see how I'd forget meeting you.
- It was a long time ago.
- Sorry.
- That's okay.
We're here now, aren't we?
- Yes, we are.
This is it.
- I like it hot.
- Show me, show me more.
- Let me show you.
- Oh, yeah, baby.
- I want to show you something.
- Show me, baby. What do you got for me?
- Hey, whoa, whoa!
- No, I-- Wait, wait.
♪
- Okay, good night. I mean, good morning.
- Uh, I-- I have to talk to a detective.
- I'm off shift right now,
but somebody will be right with you, okay?
- I don't think this can wait.
- Please, don't do this.
What do you want, money?
- I don't want your money.
- At first it was some sex game gone wrong.
Maybe an assault.
- No!
I found it at a club last night.
I was gonna try and return it,
so I turned off the auto-lock feature
and I woke up to this.
I don't know, it's some kind of camera app.
You're telling me
this is live - Yes!
And if you don't do something about it,
I think this guy's gonna die.
- Tell me you remember me.
I don't! I don't know you!
- Say that again.
- I don't know you.
I've never met you.
- Oh, we've met.
I'll never forget.
I can hear your voice in my nightmares.
- That's not possible. - No.
You don't tell me what's possible.
I tell you what's possible.
What's impossible.
To see your face.
To hear your voice.
Inhale your smell.
Salt... Sweat...
Mineral... Tequila...
It's you.
- You're insane.
- Your breath is sweeter now, yes.
It's Cognac, not cheap tequila.
But your sweat...
Your sweat is still the same.
If you're going to shoot me, just shoot me!
- I give the orders here! Not you!
- This is live-streaming, and TARU can't trace it.
- They say the IP address is invisible.
- Yeah, it's gonna take a while.
The feed's coming through the dark net,
hidden by onion protocol, tor net.
- Preferred network of child porn users and worse.
This is not a doggie cam. - Can we see the kid
who brought in the phone? He had nothing to do with it?
- He's got no record. There's nothing to connect him
to this kind of activity.
Look, I don't know what this is.
There's no ransom demand-- - TARU traced the cell phone
to a Miguel Lopez,
billing address 720 Bleecker Street.
- Go. Go, go, go, go.
- You don't have to do this.
- If you want me to say I'm afraid...
Yes, I'm afraid.
- Good.
Look at me.
Do you see me? - Yes.
- Close your eyes.
What color are my eyes?
- Brown.
- Young, I-- I don't know.
20, 25.
- 23.
I was 18 when you met me.
- You... You were 18?
Five years ago, I was living in Portland!
Working for a software company, I--
I'll give you the number, you can call personnel--
- Shut up! Look at me.
I sound different now.
I looked different then, too.
I had hope.
Life in my eyes.
What do you see now?
- You're beautiful.
- Wrong.
I was beautiful.
You took that from me.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
You burned me.
You cut me-- ven aca.
- You said
you were doing me a favor by sparing my face.
That you could cut off my nose,
or my ears.
That I should be grateful that beauty had value.
- My God...
Whoever did that to you...
They deserve to die.
But it wasn't me.
- Yes, it was!
So you know what?
I'll return the favor.
I'll shoot you in the heart.
- Yes.
- Not much.
He's a good tenant. No noise, no trouble.
- Does he have a girlfriend?
Maybe an ex? Anyone with a grudge?
- He keeps to himself.
He travels a lot.
He's got a sick grandmother, I think.
- Okay, all right, just stand back. Thank you.
- NYPD!
- This is the wrong apartment.
- Sorry, pal.
.
- You didn't shoot me.
You do believe in God.
- No, I don't.
But to just kill you, that's too easy.
- I want you to suffer.
I want you to suffer like I suffered.
What are you going to do?
- Torture you.
Then kill you.
Please.
- She's gonna cut him.
- We gotta find this guy, fast.
- Look, Rollins and Carisi said
that the super ID'd him as Lopez.
But wherever he is...
It's not the same address that's on his phone bill.
- So why does he have an app
with the security cameras to this location?
- Yeah, on an invisible IP address.
Where was the phone supposedly found?
- "Oscillate," a club in Chelsea.
- Okay, so maybe they know him there.
- On it. - I'm not who you think I am.
- Miguel is so sweet.
I locked myself out once in my undies.
He ran down to the doorman to get the key.
- Did he ever talk about staying anywhere else?
Maybe a friend's apartment?
- No, not that I can recall.
- I never saw him with a woman.
I thought maybe he was gay.
- I can't imagine he was involved
in anything illegal. - We're not saying that.
Did he ever mention any family, friends,
maybe someone whose apartment that he had the keys to?
- He didn't talk much.
He was Spanish-- or Mexican, I guess.
I could hear him on the phone through the walls.
- All right, thanks.
Is that what this is about?
- We're not sure, to be honest.
- Because if that's the case, I will vouch for him.
What's happening in this country
is a disgrace.
- All right... - Thanks.
Get anything? - Upstanding citizen
who wouldn't hurt a fly. - Yeah, well,
that's not what she thinks.
- I'm a nice guy, a regular guy, I--
I moved to New York City a year ago
from Portland. I'm a website designer.
- A website designer.
Vos mira, you--
You've done well for yourself!
- This isn't my apartment.
And the owner's due home today.
- You're lying. - No, no.
He could walk in any minute.
If you leave now,
we could forget this ever happened.
I'm sorry for whatever happened to you.
But I had nothing to do with that.
You have the wrong man.
And I have to use the bathroom.
- You have to go, go.
- You're a crazy bitch!
- Now that's the man I know.
- I'm sorry, I--
What did I do to you?
Is it because I tried to pick you up
at the club? - I approached you.
I recognized you!
Remember!
It's you.
- I told you, I'm a regular guy.
I like to drink,
go to night clubs,
pick up strange women.
Look how well that turned out, huh?
I'm joking, I--
Am I allowed to laugh?
- I like to laugh.
To dance, to go out.
In the dark, you can forget your past.
You're a different version,
a different person. I understand that.
- Did I meet you at the club?
What did I do to you?
Did I promise to call and never did?
- It's not that.
- You promised
I'd never have to see you again.
- You see this guy last night?
- Jesus! Uh, yeah,
is he okay? - No.
What can you tell me about him?
- Uh, that's Miguel Lopez.
He comes in here a few times a month,
always tips well. - Okay, so you know him.
Was he with a woman? - Uh, uh--
Yeah, yeah, he was here with someone.
Um, uh-- dark hair.
They seemed friendly.
- He seem like he knew her, or they just met?
It's a club, man. A few drinks, some blow,
everyone acts like they found their soul mate.
How the hell do I know? - True.
- Look at this.
- Yeah, that's her.
Was she on your guest list?
Did she come with any friends?
- No, I never saw her in here before.
- Huh...
- Just tell me.
Tell me where I met you...
When...
What I supposedly did.
- You really don't remember me?
I mean that little to you.
- No, I didn't say that.
- Do you know how that makes me feel?
- There's no ID on this woman from the club.
- No, and nothing on the facial-recognition
from the security still, either.
- Okay, any update from TARU?
- They're still running the trace,
but the IP address is hidden
behind multiple encryptions. - Wait.
Is that sunlight coming from the far window?
That's eastern exposure.
- Yeah.
It's art Deco, pre-war.
You're wondering who will show up
to my funeral? - Answer the question!
- No.
No, I'm not married.
- Just lucky, I guess.
Another bad joke.
I never met the right girl.
- Would it even matter to you if I said yes?
- No.
- I have children I care for, but...
You know that, don't you?
- I don't know anything about you.
- A boy and a girl.
I love them like my own, but they're not mine.
They'll grow up one day.
They'll forget all about me.
- You're young, you can have kids.
- No!
I'll never have a husband! I'll never have kids!
Who would want me?
I'm alone.
No past, no future. My life is over!
Whatever I do to you, I'll never be free!
- Don't say that-- - Nothing matters!
Nothing matters...
What was I thinking?
Nothing will change.
Not for me.
Not ever.
- Oh, my God, where's she going?
- She's gotta be going to a terrace.
That looks like Central Park.
- Yeah, from the West side,
looking to the East side skyline.
- Help.
Help me.
Help me!
Oh, no!
No!
- She just killed herself.
.
Where is she?
- She walked out of the room,
and we heard a gunshot.
- Okay, so if we heard it,
the neighbors must have heard it too.
- I'll see if ShotSpotters picked it up.
- See if 911 got any calls about a gunshot.
Guys, guys, hold on! She's okay!
She's alive.
- I thought you killed yourself.
- I thought about it.
I almost did.
- If I'm going to be your executioner,
you deserve a fair trial.
- With you as judge and jury?
- That's right.
- If I confess...
You'll let me walk out of here?
- Yes. - I confess.
Whatever you say I did to you,
I did it.
Yes, I did.
- Go on.
- You were 18 when I met you.
I drank tequila,
and stole your life.
- You remember me now.
- Yes.
I remember you.
That's good.
Keep going.
- You want more, you're going
to have to tell me what to say.
- You cut me. - Y-yes.
I cut you...
With my pocket knife.
I burned you with my cigar.
- Okay, so far, there's been six 911 calls
about a gunshot around 2 p.m.
Turns out it was a starter pistol
for a 10K race n Central Park.
The starting line was at the 77nd Street entrance.
The Seventies?
Every apartment building on that block has terraces.
- Right, let's move, let's move.
- Tactical team estimates there are 10 to 12 buildings
within earshot of the starting pistol.
- Okay. We're looking
for a terrace apartment, probably a penthouse.
- Pair up. we'll divide the sector,
grid-search each building.
Proceed with caution. Call for back-up.
Nobody needs to be a hero.
Let's go, let's go!
- You cut me...
You burned me...
You raped me.
Admit it.
- I didn't rape you.
I've never raped anyone.
Whoever did these things to you,
I'm sorry.
I'm--I'm sorry for your suffering.
But what you're doing now, this...
This isn't going to make you feel better.
- You don't know that.
- I know you have a life here.
In New York.
Children who will miss you.
I can help you.
I have connections with the police.
I can tell them what happened to you.
I can help you.
Let's get out of here.
You want this over!
- Yes.
- Then untie me.
- Jorge, don't come in here! Call the police!
Call for help!
- Put your hands up!
- She's crazy.
She's going to kill me!
Why? - Shut up!
Stop talking-- both of you stop talking!
- She's crazy! - Walk. Walk.
Keep going.
- Jorge!
Stop!
What are you doing?
What are you looking at? What are you looking at?
- I don't know! - You're lying.
You're lying to me.
- The feed cut out.
She disabled the camera.
- The feed's down. We're going blind.
- NYPD.
- Yeah--
You got a penthouse with a terrace?
- Two, actually.
Why? - Now.
- I need to check the log--
- No, no, no. We need access right now.
Let us up.
- Penthouse B.
To the left. - Fin.
- The feed's down. She found the camera.
- I know. - She's getting desperate.
- Let's just hope she doesn't look out the window
and see a street full of cops.
Montero?
- Just the maid.
She may have heard something.
- No, no, just take it easy.
- Help, help!
- Put the gun down! Or I shoot him in the head!
- Okay, let's--
let's talk this through, okay?
Put the gun down, or I kill him.
.
- I screwed up, Lieutenant. - There are about
a hundred cops downstairs, Miss--
- You don't need to know my name!
- If we're gonna talk like human beings, I...
I do. - This isn't
a garden party, lady!
It's not that hard!
Either you drop your gun, or I kill your friend.
- Please, Lieutenant.
Don't let her kill me, I got--
I got a wife.
I've got a kid.
- Okay.
Okay.
Let's--
Let's all take a breath, here, okay?.
- Put it on the floor!
- You've gotta give me something in return.
- How about I don't kill your friend?
Kick it over there, nothing stupid.
She's crazy!
- Shut up, or I shoot you next!
- Listen to me.
You haven't done anything seriously wrong.
You can walk out of here.
I've got like, what, three felonies here?
Take out your cuffs.
Not you! Take out your cuffs.
- Fin, over.
- 221 CPW is clear.
- Roger that.
221 CPW is clear.
Fin, over.
- We're clear. - Roger that.
Got a big goose egg at 173 CPW.
- Please, this man needs help.
- We all need help!
- Lieutenant.
- It's okay. You just do what she says.
- Get up.
Close that door.
Sit on the couch. - Just so you know,
if you shoot an NYPD lieutenant,
you go to jail. And you don't get out.
- I'm not gonna shoot you.
You're gonna be my witness.
Let's go.
Sit on the couch. - Okay.
Witness?
Witness for what? - You wanna stand
and ask stupid questions, be my guest!
- Don't listen to her! She's going to kill me!
- Nobody's getting killed here.
- Well, do something!
Look at her.
Sit.
- Needle-in-a-haystack time.
- More like needle in a stack of needles.
- I'll take this one. - You know what, I--
I called Liv a few minutes ago.
She's up there.
- Lot of terraces.
- Look, he's tied up
and I'm handcuffed.
So you-- you can put the gun down,
We don't want it to go off accidentally.
We don't want anyone to get hurt.
- I do!
Besides,
I know how to use a gun.
Miguel here showed me. Tell her!
Tell her how you shot those two girls
right in front of me.
- I didn't kill anybody. I've never even held a gun!
I'm a computer geek with a degree from Gonzaga!
For crying out loud, I-- - Stand up.
- I'm not gonna do anything with a gun pointed at me.
Okay?
Get up! Get up.
- Can-- can we just--
- Look into his eyes. Look into his eyes.
- Put the gun down. Put the gun down,
and let's talk this-- - Kneel.
- Okay, okay, okay.
Okay. Okay.
- Are those the eyes of a geek?
They're a killer's eyes.
Rapist's eyes!
- No!
I didn't rape her, I--
I have two sisters.
- You said that you wanted...
Me to witness this.
Why don't you tell me what he did?
I need to know exactly what happened.
- What do you think, Miguel?
Should I tell her?
How you sat in my mother's kitchen
and told us how you would get me to New York
to work as a nanny for a nice family?
How I would be a real American?
Or how you shoved me into a cooler
in the back of your van until we crossed the border?
- I--
How you cut me?
How you burned me?
And shoved a disgusting rag into my mouth
to keep me from screaming when you raped me
in the dirt in Texas?
Over and over you raped me!
- Listen to me, I can help you.
They gave you a magic wand
to erase what this demonio did to me?
- I've never been to Texas.
Nev--
- I'll never forget those eyes.
That smell.
- And the sound of his voice.
And the way that he grunted.
And the smell of his sweat.
I have the same nightmares as you do.
I wake up in the middle of the night, shaking.
Gasping for air.
The same as you.
But this...
Is not the way to get justice.
- No. Who would believe me?
- I do.
After ten minutes in this room,
I know
that he did something horrific to you.
When did this happen?
- Five years ago.
I pray and I pray to the Virgin,
asking her to let me die.
- I-- I feel bad for you,
I do, but it wasn't me-- - Shut up.
Why do you believe her and not me?
She's a crazy person with a gun--
- I said shut up!
- The first time
you held me down in the dirt,
I picked up a piece of bottle.
And I gripped it so hard,
it got stuck in the palm of my hand.
Do you see?
I kept it, and every time you raped me,
I clenched it as hard as I could.
By the third time, the fourth time,
I couldn't feel the glass anymore.
I couldn't feel anything anymore.
- I want you to feel
what it's like to be dead inside!
- You're not dead inside. Look at me.
The numbness, the emptiness,
I know what that feels like, and that's not you.
I can help you move past this.
Honey, tell me your name. - It doesn't matter.
- It does matter!
You matter to me.
Tell me your name.
- Lourdes. - Lourdes, this--
this isn't gonna make you whole.
This isn't gonna get you justice.
Listen to me.
Are you sure
that this is him?
- It's him. It's him.
Watch, watch-- Miguel, Miguel--
Sing for us your song, your favorite song!
- I don't-- I don't know--
- Miguel, you sang it every time
you climbed on top of me! - I don't know!
- ♪ Para bailar la bamba
♪ Para bailar la bamba
Sing or I shoot, I will shoot!
Para--para--
♪ Para bailar la bamba
- ♪ Se necesita una poca
- ♪ De gracia
- Okay. - It's him. It's him.
Tell her, Mi--
- You said that you wanted me to bear witness.
You said you wanted me to watch,
and I want what you want.
I want what you want.
And the only way for you to feel whole,
the only way for the emptiness to go away,
is for you to hear it from his mouth.
You're gonna tell her
exactly what you did to her.
Do you understand me?
- Thank you. - I just want
to look into your eyes when you confess.
Confess,
or I shoot you.
Like you shot Estella and Lucita.
Confess.
♪
- Patrolman Montero isn't answering his radio.
He was with your lieutenant.
- Lieutenant, come in.
Liv, can you hear me?
- We have to answer the phone,
or they're gonna know that something's not right.
Okay? It's in my back pocket.
It's okay. Quick.
- Just be smart.
- Fin.
Yeah.
Yeah, everything's okay, um--
I have a few more apartments to go.
Mm-hmm.
All good. Oh, uh--
I-- I'm gonna need you
to ask Rollins
to pick up Jenny from school.
Because I think I'm gonna be a little late here.
Yep, great.
All good.
- She's in trouble.
Tell TARU to trace her cell phone.
.
- It was late at night, I--
When I-- The first time--
I-- I have to pee!
- Nobody's stopping you. Keep going.
- I don't know what you want!
- Let's see if I can refresh your memory.
Think, Miguel.
Think.
When I started kicking
and punching,
what did you do?
- I don't know, I--
I held you down, I--
- Here's another hint.
- Lourdes, stop! - I burned you!
- Stop!
- I just didn't want you to miss any
of the good parts.
What else?
- I held you down in the dirt.
And I raped you.
- Now that
sounds like a confession.
I am your witness, Lourdes.
Just like you wanted.
I heard that.
I believe that.
And I'm going to arrest you.
And I'm going to testify against you.
- Untie him.
- You are doing the right thing.
Oh, God...
- Stand up.
Both of you.
- Get up.
- To the terrace.
Look at that.
Who would ever think to put such a beautiful park
in the middle of such a filthy city?
I like to bring the kids here in the afternoons.
Harry likes to climb
the "Alice in Wonderland" statue.
Move.
Turn around.
Turn around!
We tried to run,
me and Estella and Lucita!
But he hunted us down like dogs.
He pointed his rifle at us and he said,
"One of you must die
to teach the others not to run."
He said I should be the one to pick
which one of my friends he should kill.
I couldn't choose.
They were just people.
They were people looking for a better life!
I couldn't choose!
So he killed them both.
"Plenty more where they came from," he said.
- Get up on the ledge.
- Lourdes-- - Get up!
- Lourdes, no!
- Now I give you the choice.
Either you jump
or I shoot you in the head!
- You cannot kill him, Lourdes.
Because if you do,
he becomes the victim.
And then nobody will know,
let alone believe,
what happened to you.
I promise you.
He will spend the rest of his life
in prison.
- Choose! - Please!
- What'll it be, you bastard?
Either a bullet in the brain
or a puddle of blood on the sidewalk!
- Lourdes, put down the gun.
- Choose!
- Please, I'll f-- I'm sorry I hurt you!
Please!
Please don't kill me!
- No, you're not gonna kill him.
You're not gonna kill him,
because whatever it was inside of you
that wouldn't let you choose
Estella or Lucita
is still in you.
And no one--
No one can take that away from you.
Give me the gun.
- Oh, God!
- Freeze, NYPD!
Liv! - Out here.
I'm okay.
Montero and the guy who lives here
are in the bathroom over there.
Fin.
- Damn, Liv.
Arrest them.
Both.
Take this.
- Put your hands behind your back.
- I need a minute.
.
♪