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.
[school bell rings]
- First I'm picking up patrick after school,
Then I'm gonna sneak in a quick mani/pedi.
Move it, patrick! I'm gonna be late.
[thud, glass shatters]
What the-- - mom, are you okay?
- Aah!
You ruined my son's life!
[overlapping yelling, screaming]
- Let her go! - What the hell's going on here?
- She told everyone that cory's a pervert!
- That's 'cause your son molested my boy!
- You lying bitch!
- Aah! [scuffling]
- Mrs. Sachowski, you're sure that cory molested your son.
- Yeah, I'm sure. I want them both arrested!
- Yeah, well, I want that lying whore arrested!
- Who you calling a whore, huh?
You sick mother of a pervert!
- Yeah? Come on! - Mrs. Banks, enough!
- Leave my mom alone! - Oh!
- That's it, everyone's going down to the station.
You okay?
- Now I know why they call them special victims.
Sync by Adriano_CSI for addic7ed
- I swear, nothing happened...
Except my mom's trying to ruin my life.
- You better check that attitude, mister.
I know what I saw. - So tell me.
- Cory slept over two nights ago.
I heard weird noises coming from patrick's room,
So I went to check it out.
I thought maybe they'd ordered dirty movies off pay-per-view,
You know?
I walked in, and him and cory... Were wrestling.
- Okay, wrestling isn't a crime.
- It is when you're both naked.
Cory was holding my son down from behind.
- Did cory touch you... Anyplace private?
- No!
We were just wrestling!
- So whose idea was it to take off your clothes?
- It was my idea.
- Mm. Did patrick want to take off his clothes?
- Yeah. When I told him games were more fun that way.
- [scoffs] well, he's ten.
I mean, being naked at his age doesn't mean anything sexual.
- It does to patrick's mother. So, cory...
You ever played these naked games with any other kids?
All you gotta do is tell me the truth.
You're not gonna get in trouble.
- Cory, what's wrong with you? Just tell him.
That you never have.
- But I did. - What?
- With a kid at camp last summer.
- You never told me this! - Mrs. Banks--
- No, wait a minute, I-- - mrs. Banks...
- Oh, my goodn--oh!
- So this kid at camp.
Did he want to play the games with you?
- Yeah. Kinda.
- What's the verdict?
Sexual experimentation or molestation?
- It sounds like cory's engaging in mastery play.
Children often reenact abuse they've experienced
To make sense of what happened to them.
- So...Cory didn't intend to molest patrick.
He was just working at his demons because he's been abused.
- And it might be ongoing.
I'd like to interview him alone,
Have a doc examine him and...
Can you get his mother away from him for a while?
- I've sent mary and patrick home.
We're not gonna charge cory with anything.
- [exhales] thank you.
I knew you didn't do anything wrong, baby.
- However, we still have to
Deal with the charges against you.
Ada elliot wants you to stay here.
- Why? What charges?
- Well, you hit mary with your car.
You punched her in the face. That's two counts of assault.
- Oh, my god--
That bitch is gonna seriously press charges against me?
- Well, maybe if you write mrs. Sachowski an apology,
She'll reconsider.
- Fine. Whatever.
We'll go right home after mama finishes.
Just take a few seconds.
- Well, actually, we still need to get your statement,
And your son needs to get checked out
By a doctor right away.
We have to make sure he wasn't injured
When you rammed mary's car.
- Well, how am I gonna take him to the doctor
If I have to write this?
- We could get cory to the hospital.
- You okay with that?
Yeah. You'll be all right.
- Dr. Sherman is gonna just take a few swabs,
And it won't hurt, I promise.
- Okay.
- Hey, where did you get that bruise on your arm?
- Wrestling.
Doug ferguson got me in a granby roll.
- Wow. That looks like it must have hurt.
- Coach simons made it feel better.
- He made it feel better? How'd he do that?
- He massaged it.
- Has he ever massaged you anywhere else?
- I pulled a groin muscle once. He massaged that too.
- Did it make you feel uncomfortable?
- Sorta. But a lot of guys get rubdowns from him.
- How do you know that?
- After every meet, he has a pizza party at his apartment.
Sometimes he takes a kid into his bedroom
For a sports massage.
- Wanna keep your crotch on your opponent's hips, okay?
You'll control him that way. - Mr. Simons.
- What can I do for you?
- Well, for starters, you can step away from the boy.
[blows whistle] - laps around the room.
Till the ceiling beads sweat.
- Cory banks.
He tells us that he's learned a lot of moves from you.
- Kid's got a lot of talent. He's not in trouble, is he?
- We were just wondering
Where he learned about naked wrestling.
- Not from me.
- So giving boys rubdowns in your apartment--
All coaches do that? - I'm a professional trainer.
Okay? You wanna see my license?
- Show it to me down at the precinct.
- You're hurting me. Let go of me!
- Yeah, you'll be saying that a lot in prison.
Our kiddy diddler clammed up. Didn't give me anything.
- Including his real name.
Tony acardo.
Convicted of forced rape of a minor in baltimore.
- Did ten years. Sprung last March.
I wish the school had fingerprinted him.
- There's more-- medical tests on cory's
Came back positive for chlamydia,
And the doc found extensive anal fissures.
[paper rustles]
- Let's turn the screw.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
[thud] - hey!
- I get a little clumsy around scumbag pedophiles...
Tony.
- Tony?
You got me confused with somebody else.
- No, you're the one that's confused
And very, very sick, mr. Acardo.
- Okay.
So I changed my name when I moved to new york.
Start a new life.
- Nothing new about what you did to cory.
- Hey, I never touched him!
- He tested positive for chlamydia.
- I'm clean...I was just at the clinic two weeks ago!
- Well, the doctor's gonna stick a swab in your penis,
Which you'll probably like,
But god help you if it comes back positive.
- I wanna talk to my lawyer, now.
- You tear that boy up...
You're gonna tell me about it.
- [gags]
I swear I haven't touched a boy since '98!
- El.
- I can't breathe!
- Elliot!
- I thought you people were done with me.
- We're here about cory.
- When dr. Huang brought him home,
He said he wasn't hurt in the car.
[door clicks open]
- Hon? What's going on?
- Mr. Banks, we're from special victims unit.
We're here about your son.
- Cory's my stepson.
He took my last name when eva and I got married.
Did something happen to him?
- Cory's been sexually abused.
- What?
By who?
- His wrestling coach. We have him in custody.
- He did time in a maryland prison for child rape.
- Oh, my god!
- And you're sure he hurt cory?
- Well, his medical tests indicate
On-going sexual abuse,
But he wouldn't tell dr. Huang what happened.
- Cory, come in here, please.
- I'm so sorry!
- Mom, what's wrong?
- Cory...Did coach sims ever touch you?
- No. I already told the doctor.
- It's okay. They arrested him.
- Cory! - Mrs. Banks--
- Wait, cory, come back. - Let me speak with him.
- Hold up. Why don't you give him a minute?
- Coach simons never touched me.
- He's done it to other boys.
- He didn't do it to me.
Do you hear me?
It wasn't him.
- Was it someone else?
- I can't. - Yeah, you can.
Tell me. I'll stop him.
- Cory.
- Mr. Banks, please let me just talk to cory alone.
- I'm his father. I'll do the talking.
Were you molested, son?
- No, dad.
Nobody touched me.
- Mr. Banks, the doctor has proof.
- My son's not a liar, detective.
He told you he wasn't molested,
So I think it's time you two left.
- You know what I think?
I'm gonna park myself across the street for the night
Just in case cory needs me.
- He'll be safe with me, detective.
Right, cory?
Now, go.
- Hey, cory...
We'll be right outside.
- Morning, sunshine. - Hey.
- Anything goin' on? - All quiet, thank god.
What happened with the wrestling coach?
- Lots of backrubs to the team. No molesting.
- [chuckles] give him time.
- Well, don't worry.
We're extraditing him to baltimore
For failing to register as a sex offender.
He's going away for years.
- In the meantime, thomas banks is free to molest his stepson.
- He'd never risk it with you out here all night.
- Can't stay out here forever.
I'm telling you, I almost had him.
Cory was ready to tell me everything,
Then dad walked into the room...
Sacred the hell out of him.
- Well, I'm afraid... That's not all he's scared of.
Before banks came into the picture,
Cory and his mom are homeless, living in a shelter on 10th.
- Do you have any idea how eva met banks?
- Yeah. He volunteered, working in the kitchen.
- Perfect place to troll for needy boys who want a dad.
- Perfect family for a pedophile.
Marry mom...Gets unlimited access to cory.
- And he's too scared to say anything,
'cause he's afraid they're gonna end up on the street again.
- I'll tail him to school.
I'll get eva alone,
See if she'll talk without her husband breathing down her neck.
[school bell rings] - come here.
Have a good day. Talk to you later.
- Eva.
- Thomas told me not to speak to you.
- Cory was raped, even though he said that he wasn't.
- If that's true, how come he didn't tell us who did it?
- Because he's afraid of going back to the shelter.
- Not gonna happen.
- Look, I know you're trying to do the right thing.
- You don't know anything about me.
Do you know what it's like to get knocked up by a guy
Who can't stop hitting you?
And then when you finally find the nerve to leave him,
You wind up in a filthy city shelter with your kid?
Things are good right now, and they're gonna stay that way.
- I'm telling you that cory's not safe.
- What are you saying?
- I'm saying that your husband's molesting your son.
- [exhales] thomas is molesting cory.
You are so wrong. - Pedophiles are predators--
- He took us out of that shelter.
He saved our lives.
Thomas wouldn't hurt cory. I know it!
- Is thomas ever alone with cory?
- No! I'm watching him every second of the day.
- Well, you gotta sleep, don't ya?
- Oh, my god.
- What?
What is it?
- In the shelter, I had to stay up all night
To make sure no one would mess with our stuff
Or mess with cory.
It gave me insomnia.
Thomas made me go to this doctor
Who gave me these pills and--
- So now nothing wakes you up.
- I gotta go. - Eva...
Cory's being treated for chlamydia.
- What? - So you need to see a doctor.
- No.
Thomas and I haven't had sex in months.
The pills took away my desire. He told me that he understood.
He told me that he would never hurt cory!
He told me that he loved us!
Oh, my god! I gotta go.
I'm gonna kill him. I gotta go--no, I gotta go!
- Eva, listen to me. You gotta let us handle it.
- Listen to me. I have to get cory!
- Let us handle it. We're gonna stop him.
But I need your help.
- Cory.
- Mom.
Why is she here?
- Olivia needs to talk to you.
- But I thought everything was okay.
- So did I, sweetheart.
Listen, um...
Cory...
I know what happened.
- Nothing happened.
- Cory... - No, mom, nothing happened.
- Cory, baby, baby, listen to me.
I know what happened...
And it's okay.
Listen to me, baby.
I want you to tell olivia exactly what happened, okay?
And I'm right here.
- When we went to live with tom...
He kept asking me...
If I liked my new toys and clothes
And my new life.
I told him that I did.
He said that he'd been good to me
And now I had to be good to him.
At first...He'd make me undress in front of him...
And take pictures.
- It's gonna be okay.
- And then what happened?
- For a while, it was just the pictures.
But then one day he said he needed to videotape me.
I'm so sorry, mom.
Now we'll have to go back to the shelter.
- Cory, listen to me.
This is not your fault, okay?
I let you down.
I didn't protect you. I'm sorry.
God. [sniffles]
Mama didn't know.
Can you forgive me? - Yeah.
- Cory, these tapes and photos.
Do you know where he keeps them?
- If you don't stop harassing me,
I'm reporting you to your superiors.
- Yeah? Great.
Tell them how I dragged your ass to jail.
Thomas banks, you're under arrest
For sexually abusing your stepson.
Where's your laptop? - I don't have a laptop.
- In the closet. - You little weasel.
- A one-way ticket to prison.
Let's go.
- Cory...It's over.
My partner arrested thomas 20 minutes ago.
- I'm sorry it took me so long to tell the truth.
- What? No.
No, no, no, no, no.
You are a fighter.
Just like me.
Well...
It's time to pack, kiddo.
- Where are we going?
- I don't know, but we will find a place.
- A shelter?
- Maybe a motel until mama finds a job.
And we can-- - eva. Eva.
You don't have to move.
- But thomas pays the mortgage,
And he's never given me any of the passwords
On any of our accounts.
- So, we'll go to the bank, we'll show them your id,
We'll empty the accounts,
We'll start a new one in your name,
And then we come home here and we change the locks.
- Really? - Yeah!
- [exhales] ohh...
Damn, girl, you got a little gangster in you, huh?
- I never hurt cory.
I love him.
- We searched your computer. Those photos are not love.
- They're beautiful artistic snapshots.
- You think raping a boy's pretty?
- I don't rape boys.
- No, you just love 'em till it hurts, huh?
- What cory and I had is special.
It's more than love.
- Well, you're gonna see what it feels like in prison
When your 300-pound daddy more than loves you
And you give him chlamydia?
He's gonna bite your junk off.
- I wanna make a deal. - There's no deal here.
We got the medical evidence.
We got cory's statement, the naked photos in your laptop.
No. We're lockin' you up and throwing away the key.
- Not if I give you someone even bigger than me.
I know kevin o'donnell.
I'm supposed to have dinner with him tonight.
- I'm not swapping you out for another pervert.
- He's the president of our special love.
- The pedophile rights group.
- And at dinner, he's gonna give me the names and addresses
Of 5,000 members.
But only if you make my deal.
- We have a bulletproof case against banks,
And you want to cut him a deal?
- To nail an even bigger bottom-feeder--
Kevin o'donnell. - And he is...
- President of our special love,
The latest civil rights group for child molesters.
- They defend a pedophile's right to have sex with children.
- The same thing nambla tried to do.
- No, osl goes a step further.
They have claims that pedophilia
Is a genetically based sexual orientation
Like hetero or homosexuality
And that pedophiles are being persecuted like gays
In iraq and iran-- it's despicable.
- I've never seen you this ticked off before.
- Pseudoscience like this
Insults my intelligence as a psychiatrist
And my humanity as a gay man.
- What does this whacko want with banks?
- Thomas is an expert in corporate I.T.S,
The perfect person to run osl's data management
And internet security.
- But o'donnell needed to make sure
That thomas wasn't an fbi agent,
So he told him to have sex with his stepson
And videotape him.
- And the final test is he wants to meet cory
In the flesh.
- You want to put cory back in a room
With the man who raped him?
- It's our only chance to take osl down.
I will prep cory, make sure he can handle it.
- Not good enough.
You pose as cory's mom so we have a cop in the room.
- I can't. Kevin's seen a family photo.
He already knows who eva is.
- Look, if we do not collar o'donnell, thousands of kids
Are gonna be going through the same hell cory did.
- I want to stop him as much as you do,
But not at cory's expense.
- We'll make sure he doesn't get hurt...
Mentally or physically.
- [sighs] ohh...
I finally claw my way out of appeals,
And you guys bring me this cluster.
I want the mother's consent.
In writing. With witnesses.
- Listen, I changed my mind. I can't go through with this.
- Eva, it'll just be for a couple of hours.
Come here. - What if thomas or kevin
Try to hurt cory?
- We will never let them lay a finger on him.
- No, you know-- listen, listen.
Isn't there any other way that we can do this?
- Just watch. We're gonna be right next door
Watching everything that happens.
We've got cameras covering every inch of your apartment.
- What if this screws up cory even more?
- If I do it... Will it help other kids?
- Yeah, it will.
- I wanna do it.
- You son of a bitch! - Keep her away from me!
- Eva--don't. - Eva, calm down.
Listen to me.
If o'donnell sees a mark on him,
He's gonna know something's up-- calm down.
- O'donnell just arrived. We're on.
- Eva...Can you do this?
- Yeah. I'll try.
- Come on.
- So glad you could join us, kevin.
- Your husband and I are old online pals.
- Here we go. - I can't tell you
How great it is to finally meet everybody in person.
- Where are you from, kevin?
- Ooh...All over.
But I'm happy to be in new york at the moment.
- Jeez, it took him less than five minutes
To touch cory.
- I bet you get all the girls in school after you, huh?
- Not really. - 'scuse me.
- Where's she going?
- Kitchen.
- [breathing heavily]
- What the hell is she doing?
- Keep it together.
- She's gonna kill him. - Hold on, el.
Come on, eva. Don't...
- [breathing heavily]
You can do this.
- Eva, you are an amazing cook.
- How long is he gonna drag this out?
- The chicken-- what is that called?
- Madre sucia. - Delicious.
- I hope you save room for a slice of cake.
- If it is half as good as that dinner,
I'll take two pieces.
- I'll go get it.
- Thomas, do you have your laptop?
- Sure do. - Here we go, el.
- Would you get it for me, please?
Can you keep a secret, cory?
- Yeah.
- Even from your mom?
Your stepdad emailed me this...
Because he wanted me to see
What a beautiful boy you are
And how loving.
- That's it, we got him.
- No. We just got him on possession of child porn.
- Cory's struggling. How much more can he take?
- If you want kevin, we need his files.
- People don't understand our special kind of love.
I know you're scared.
But...I don't want you to cheat on your dad.
Besides, I like little girls.
- Enough. I can't stand it.
- Thomas is back.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
All the osl data is on this flash drive.
It should transfer in just a few seconds.
- Police! - Show us your hands.
- O'donnell, get away from the table.
Get away from the computer. - How could you?
- Son of a bitch! - Aah!
- [whimpering, screaming]
- Eva, no! - Let me kill him, please!
Let me kill him, please! [crying]
- Eva, let go of the knife. Eva, let go of the knife!
- [sobbing]
- I need medics here now!
- How is he?
- His vitals are stable. No hemorrhaging.
- Eva. - I hope you die.
- Eva, stay back.
- You call this clown show an undercover operation?
You promised me there would be no injuries.
- We've got it under control.
- Until you get the wild card out of here.
Arrest her! - No, you can't take my mom.
- Alex.
Do you understand what eva's been through tonight?
She just endured dinner with her son's rapist
And helped us bust a pedophile ring.
- I cannot whitewash assault with a deadly weapon
When it happened on video in front of three detectives.
- Cory needs his mother tonight. Please don't do this.
- Book her.
- No, wait a minute. - No...
- Cory's gonna be fine. Come with me.
- Wait. Who's gonna take care of my kid?
What about my boy? - He'll be all right.
- What about my boy? No!
- This isn't right, alex.
That little boy faced his abuser,
And we locked up his mom.
- Eva stabbed her husband right in front of you.
Since when do we give domestic assault a free pass?
- We asked her to go through hell, and she snapped.
Alex, I'm not asking you to let her off.
Give her a desk appearance ticket.
That way she can stay with cory
And face her charges in six months.
- How's he doing? - Barely hanging on.
- All right. Let's not make this worse.
Give mom the d-a-t and cut her loose.
- Mom. - Eva, you can go now, eva.
Go ahead.
You're gonna have to report back here in six months,
But by then... This will all have blown over.
- [softly] come on.
Get out of our lives.
Please.
- I'm gonna wipe that smile off his face.
- While you're at it, try to get a confession out of him.
[door bangs]
- You look pretty happy for a man facing 25 to life.
- I'll be exonerated.
I've done nothing wrong.
- Yeah, what about that nude picture of thomas and cory
You held in your sweaty little hands?
- Don't shoot the messenger.
Thomas gave that to me. I was just returning it.
- You and your friends.
You brag about molesting kids and the minute you're caught,
You all cry like the little bitches that you are.
- My organization promotes the protection
Of the true love between children and adults.
- You son of a bitch-- I'm gonna fix you right now
So you can't love any more kids.
- You can't intimidate me!
Someday, you and everyone else
Are gonna have to accept people like me.
Ah!
[chair clatters]
- I'll accept you when you're dead.
- Leave me alone. You've got nothing on me.
- Oh, yeah? I got your flash drive.
That's it, no porn? You sure?
- Just three cheesy pictures, totally innocuous.
- That doesn't make sense.
Why would o'donnell give banks these pictures?
- I didn't get it either, so I dug a little deeper
And found computer code hidden in a pixel.
I cracked it, I opened a secret file,
And found all these pictures.
- Pervert's pot of gold at the end of the digital rainbow.
- There's gotta be a thousand pictures here.
- It'll take thousands of hours to id the scumbags in 'em.
- Luckily, kevin is meticulous.
See those little blank squares in the rainbow?
Pdf files.
When members submit their proof of perversion,
Our special love asks for names and addresses.
- Insurance so anybody in the club can't go to the cs.
- Time to pick up the garbage.
- I still don't understand what I did wrong.
- I'm throwing you in a cage full of pedophiles.
See if they can help you figure it out.
- I've never seen that kid before in my life.
- Pictures don't lie. We got him sitting in your lap.
- I don't have anybody to watch my shop!
That's the least of your problems, baby raper.
Bet you didn't think nypd would be hosting
This year's our special love convention.
- Hey, all you vermin, you can thank your leader,
Kevin o'donnell, for keeping such meticulous records.
Enjoy, kev.
- You can't leave me in here!
I want my lawyer.
- She'll meet you in arraignment.
Tomorrow.
- Docket ending 5783.
People versus kevin o'donnell.
One count accessory to rape
And 1,600 counts of possessing
An obscene sexual image of a child.
- How does the defendant plead? - Not guilty.
And we move for dismissal. - On what grounds?
- Constitutional, your honor.
The law regarding my client's sexuality is discriminatory.
- She's trying to spin the rape of a 10-year-old boy
Into a civil rights issue.
- You wanna talk civil rights? Look what happened to my client.
He was beaten in their holding cell.
- Is that true, miss cabot?
- He had an unfortunate run-in
With some of his pedophile customers.
Apparently, some of them wanted their membership fees back.
- That's right, make fun of my client's persecution.
Everybody else does... But it's still discrimination,
No matter how you slice it. - Your honor--
- Relax, miss cabot. I'm not dismissing this case.
As for the defense, I'll allow it...
Though it gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Bail is set at $1 million.
- After 20 years of experience, I can tell you firsthand
Adults dating children is not only harmless,
It's victimless. - Victimless.
Don't you think a lot of people would disagree with you?
- Of course. Ignorance breeds fear.
Just because we're the minority doesn't make us evil.
We live, breathe, and love just like everybody else.
- So you contend that the loving feelings
You have toward children are normal.
- It's part of the normal continuum of human behavior.
Minor/adult relationships
Have been a part of every healthy society
Dating back to the greeks.
It's not the easiest topic to discuss,
But the truth that's hardest to tell
Is the one that should be told the loudest.
- What about all the psychologists
Who claim that children physically involved with adults
Are victims-- are they wrong?
- They shame children into feeling guilty
About what was a healthy relationship with an adult.
They make normal children into victims.
- Thank you, mr. O'donnell. No further questions.
- According to your testimony, we would have to change
The name of our sex crimes division
To special victimless unit.
- Objection. Combative.
- Sustained. - Do you have any medical
Or psychiatric research to support your position?
- No, because--
- Because it doesn't exist, does it?
- Exactly my point.
Anybody engaged in one of these relationships
Is terrified to speak honestly and openly
for fear of being demonized.
- Because it's illegal. Can you blame them?
- Up until 1967, it was illegal
For a white person and black person to marry.
Just a year ago,
Gay marriage was legalized in several states.
Were interracial and gay couples criminals?
No. They were victims of biased and bigoted laws.
- So you think pedophiles are being persecuted.
- If you call me and others a pedophile,
It's like calling african-americans the "n" word
Or homosexuals the "f" word.
Minor/adult relationships
Are normal, safe, and healthy.
- Then why do you think medicine, psychiatry,
And the law all recognize
That children are not mature enough
To enter into a sexual relationship with an adult?
- I really don't know.
- Because it's rape, that's why.
- Dr. Huang, you know better. - It's fine, your honor.
I'd like the prosecution to ask my so-called victim
If she called it rape.
I believe my former girlfriend is testifying next.
- Kevin and I dated from the time I was 11 to 14.
- And how old was he at the time?
- 30.
- And did you two have sex while you were dating?
- Yes.
- That must have been horrifying...
30-year-old man molesting a young 11-year-old girl?
- He never molested me.
I was the one who came on to him.
Kevin was a gentleman.
- Then why did you two break up?
- I went to live with my grandmother
In another state.
- So you don't consider yourself a victim of kevin o'donnell.
- Absolutely not.
It's probably the most normal relationship I've been in.
- Thank you.
No further questions, your honor.
- Isn't it convenient that your testimony
Of kevin o'donnell raping you
Falls just outside the statute of limitations?
- He didn't rape me. I consented.
- An 11-year-old is not mature enough to consent to sex
With an adult man.
That's why it's called statutory rape.
You said you moved away.
Why couldn't you stay with your parents?
- Because my father was beating me.
And my mother was too drunk to care.
- And there was kevin o'donnell,
Ready to take advantage of a vulnerable girl
From a broken home.
- I begged him to let me move in with him.
But he said society wouldn't understand.
- Because you were brainwashed by a predatory adult
Who knew he would go to jail.
- Kevin loved me so much,
He convinced me to move in with my grandmother,
Even though he knew it meant breaking up,
So I could be in a safe home.
- He broke up with you because you hit puberty,
And pedophiles are only attracted
To prepubescent children.
- You're wrong.
He broke up with me so I could have a life.
He told me to stay in school, to face my fears,
And now I'm getting a master's degree.
He made me the woman I am today.
- This trial is a sham!
We've got a pedophile claiming to be a victim
And a victim blowing kisses at her attacker.
- The jury's too smart to buy it.
- All it takes is one juror.
- Looking for a way to rationalize his lust
For his 10-year-old neighbor.
- I will bring in a thousand child victims
To tell their side of the story.
- I wish the judge would allow it,
But you know it's inadmissible. [telephone rings]
Hang on.
Alexander cabot.
Thank you.
[phone clunks]
This is a nightmare.
The defense is calling eva to the stand.
- She'll last five minutes
Before she starts punching people.
- I'll go talk to her.
- Cory said you'd be down here.
- You have no business talking to my son.
I told you we're through. - Eva...
I'm glad that you're putting the past behind you...
But you can't throw out a subpoena
Along with thomas's things.
- I told that bitch lawyer I'm not testifying.
- You don't have a choice.
If you don't show up, the judge is gonna throw you in jail.
- What does the defense want from me?
- To make you the bad guy. - Well, bring it on.
I'll show them who the real bad guy is.
- Eva, that's exactly what they want you to do.
You have to stay calm.
- You mean you want me to go in there
And lie down like a punk?
- Well, you tell me.
Is a guilty verdict worth it?
- What if I go in there and make everything worse?
- You can do this.
I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe in you.
- [scoffs]
I don't believe in me.
- You're a fighter.
Look at everything that you've overcome.
Don't quit now.
You just gotta use your head and not your fists...
And you're gonna win.
- Mrs. Banks, do you believe-- - excuse me.
I'm not going by that jerk's name anymore.
My last name is santiago.
- Sorry. Ms. Santiago,
Did kevin o'donnell ever hit your child?
- No.
But-- - thank you, ms. Santiago.
- 'scuse me. Let me just say...
What that piece of garbage did to my son--
Cory throws up and cries every night
Every time he goes to sleep.
And every time a grown man passes by him, he shakes.
- What does that have to do with my client?
He never touched your son, did he?
- No. But he encouraged
My soon-to-be-ex-husband to rape him.
- Really. And if he had encouraged your soon-to-be-ex
To jump off the brooklyn bridge, would he have done that too?
- Lady, you are twisting my words.
- Ms. Santiago,
Do you have any criminal charges pending against you?
- Objection. Irrelevant.
- Goes to the witness's credibility.
- Overruled.
Answer the question, ms. Santiago.
- Yes.
For assault.
- Don't you mean assaults?
Against a woman whose son goes to school with yours
And against your husband whom you stabbed with a knife.
And that's just in one week, right?
- I'm not a criminal. - Then isn't it possible
That your son is terrified
You'll take him back to a shelter
Filled with violent addicts and criminals like yourself?
- I'm a good mother, and my sov knows it.
- Didn't why didn't you know that your son
Was involved in a relationship with thomas banks?
- Because he was afraid to say anything.
He thought that thomas would hurt him!
- Your son is afraid of you.
- No! - Of what you would do
When you found out that thomas loves cory
And could give him all the things that you couldn't.
- Stop it! - You failed him as a mother.
- Thomas banks never loved my son.
He raped him every night for over a year
And videotaped it for that animal sitting right there
So that he can become a member of his kiddy rape club!
- You're full of blame for everyone but yourself,
Ms. Santiago.
You ever look in the mirror,
See what kind of mother you've been?
Raising your son around an abusive man...
Moving him into a drug and disease-infested
Homeless shelter,
Punching or stabbing anyone who gets in your way.
Blaming my client for your neglect.
- [whispers] you're right.
You're right.
May god forgive me.
I'm a bad mother-- - no, that's not true!
- Mr. Huang, what is this?
- Cory, what are you doing here?
- I gave dr. Huang a call. I need to be here for my mom.
- Young man, please be quiet.
- Thomas raped me, and that man made him do it!
- That's enough! [gavel bangs]
Detective benson, will you please escort--
- It wasn't love!
I begged him every night to leave me alone,
And he never listened.
Not once!
- The jury will disregard that remark.
- I love you, mom. I love you, mom!
- [crying]
- Oh, my goodness! Well?
- Guilty. Judge gave o'donnell ten years for accessory to rape.
- That's it? That's all he got?
- And two years for every photo on that flash drive
To be served consecutively.
- What does that mean?
- He was sentenced to 3,000 years.
He's never coming out.
- [exhales]
And thomas?
- 20 years.
- Oh, baby.
Thank you.
- No, eva.
Thank you.
So where are you goin'?
- Back to florida. - That's right, baby.
The sunsne state!
That's what we need, right?
You know what, why don't you do me a favor.
Bring your surfboard down to the truck, ok?
Okay.
Can you believe I sold this rotten place?
Who knew something good was gonna come out of this?
Now me and cory can make a new start, you know?
- I knew you could do it.
- Not without you.