NARRATOR: In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)
Can you take our order? We've been waiting forever.
MAN: Excuse me, miss, can we get some drinks?
I'II send your server right over.
You said that 15 minutes ago.
I'II be right back.
Danya. Yeah.
Where's Vanessa?
She was at the bar with some guy. A real hottie.
She's got six tables waiting and she's taking a bootie break?
Jake. Where's Vanessa?
With her boyfriend.
I thought she kicked him to the curb.
He didn't get the message.
They got so Ioud, I told them to take it outside.
Vanessa. I need you.
(GLASS RATTLING)
Girl, what are you doing back there?
(CAT MEOWING)
Damn cat. You scared me half to death.
You have blood on you.
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Jake! Jake!
Victim is Vanessa Bevins, 19. Waitress here at Dominique's.
AIso has an ID from Hudson University.
Hudson? That's... Maureen's school.
Cause of death?
Shot once, close range, after being raped and sodomized.
BENSON: How did you get that?
Panty's torn. Lumalite showed semen on her chin.
Do we have a weapon?
Yeah, right over here. Smith & Wesson Model 36.
Snub-nose.38, one round fired.
Anything else?
Gun shot residue on her hands.
Looks Iike she struggled for the weapon, went out fighting.
Who found her? Another waitress, Kimmie Robinson.
Kimmie, I'm Detective Benson, this is my partner, Detective Stabler.
I already told the officers what happened.
Okay, we'd just Iike to ask you a few more questions.
How Iong has Vanessa been working here?
About a month, part-time.
What else do you know about her?
Not much. She's a college girl.
She was always out there, feeding the cats and arguing with her boyfriend.
Like tonight.
Well, does her boyfriend have a name?
Vanessa calls him Dee.
I don't know what his real name is.
STABLER: What do you know about him?
Maybe he was her connection.
Vanessa got high?
I don't know. I never saw her using, but one night she was in here and she'd be flying
Iike a kite and next night, she'd be dragging her ass
Iike a zombie. You can't cross the Iine, buddy.
My daughter works there. The nightclub called me. Get me who's in charge here.
Sir. Sir.
Who are you? What's your name?
Ray Bevins. I'm Vanessa's father.
Now, they said there was an accident.
Is she okay?
Mr. Bevins, I'm sorry to have to tell you but your daughter...
Oh, my God. Not my baby. Oh, my God!
(SIREN WAILING)
(MAN CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO)
Mr. Bevins, you've been up all night.
We don't have to do this now if you don't want.
No, I want to help.
We're Iooking for Vanessa's boyfriend. You know him?
I didn't know she had one.
Would her mother know who she was dating?
No, Vanessa's mother died when she was three.
It's just been the two of us all these years.
How was she doing in school?
She always used to get straight A's
and then her grades fell to C and D's Iast semester.
BENSON: She talk to anyone about it?
The dean called me,
said that she was trying to take out a personal Ioan for $5,000.
I confronted her about it yesterday
and she wouldn't tell me why she needed the money.
Did your daughter ever have a problem with drugs?
(SIGHS HEAVILY)
She's been having violent outbursts,
she accused me of treating her Iike a child
when I told her to stop working at that club.
The Iast thing I said to her,
"Don't come to me for help, when you ruin your Iife."
I didn't mean it.
We know that. Look, I have three daughters myself.
When I'm angry, I say things I don't mean.
You can take it back. I can't.
Erratic behavior, keeping secrets, grubbing for money.
AII classic signs of a drug problem.
If she owed five grand to her dealer, maybe he decided to make an example of her.
The sexual assault was just an extra humiliation.
We finished canvassing Dominique's.
A Iot of people saw her boyfriend getting Ioud with her,
but nobody knows his full name.
Young guy, 5'10". The only thing everyone agrees on is he's cute.
Did you get a timeline together?
Vanessa put her Iast order in at 1:15.
Bartender said that's about the time Dee showed up.
About 2:00 a.m., Kimmie finds her body.
That doesn't allow a Iot of time for another player to walk onto the set.
So, the boyfriend's Iooking good for this?
Well, then Iet's find out who he is.
Munch, Fin, see if Ballistics got any prints off that gun.
EIIiot, you and OIivia follow up with Vanessa's roommate.
Maybe Dee is supplying more than romance.
His real name is Donovan AIvarez.
STABLER: He go to school here?
Yeah, he's Pre-Law Iike me,
but Vanessa dumped him Iast semester.
Why?
I don't know.
Donovan's a great catch. AII the girls were after him.
After him or his drugs?
Drugs? Donovan's a total straight-arrow, Iike Vanessa used to be.
So what changed?
She started blowing off class, acting wild,
short skirts, tight tops.
She flirted with everyone.
Must've pissed Donovan off.
He was cool about it. Said he Iiked that Vanessa was a free spirit.
Then one day, she dumped him.
Is this Donovan?
Yeah.
Where can we find him?
(SNIFFS)
When he's not in class, he's in the park playing speed chess.
You think you can take me, you patzer?
Shut up and move.
Oh, aren't we tense today?
Hey, we're in the middle of a game.
Not anymore. Move.
You're here about Vanessa?
Yeah, I can see you're upset about it.
What, do you grieve by hustling some fish in five-dollar blitz.
Chess takes my mind off her. I Ioved Vanessa.
So why were you arguing with her Iast night?
If you're trying to say that I killed her, you're wrong.
AII right, when I Ieft Dominique's Iast night, Vanessa was fine.
What happened to your neck?
I see where this is going.
I'm not answering any more questions without a Iawyer.
So give us a DNA swab and you won't need one.
I'm not gonna give you a sample so you can frame me with my own cells.
Why would we do that?
I don't know. Why would you stick a plunger up Abner Louima's ass?
If you want anything from me, come back with a warrant.
I believe that's check and mate.
Sure is, smartass.
STABLER: Couldn't get a DNA sample from our suspect, but I think we got prints.
Index finger and thumb.
I'II see if I can Iift a print off the body.
Meanwhile, I've got Iots to work with.
There's evidence of vaginal trauma,
I've got the perp's fluids, and I got skin cells,
from underneath her acrylic nails.
Great for trapping evidence.
Could explain the Band-Aid on Donovan's neck.
Vanessa clawed the son of a bitch.
She wasn't the only one.
The blood on the cat's fur was Vanessa's,
but the blood on its claws, was a match to the perp.
We gotta get Donovan's DNA.
I'II get the prints off the chess piece and send them
over to Ballistics to compare with the gun.
I dusted the gun. The wooden grip is too textured to raise prints,
and only your victim's are on the barrel.
Like Vanessa tried to grab it.
AIso found a greasy substance on the weapon.
Gun cleaning fluid?
No, I'd recognize that in my sleep.
I'II run some tests on it.
So that's it?
Would I waste your time?
I've got the gun owner.
You mean we have a Iegal, registered piece?
Mmm-hmm. Carry permit comes back to Marvin KIigman, address on Park Avenue.
Sure, Marvin had a gun.
My Iate husband, may he rest in peace, was in the diamond trade.
Dangerous business.
MUNCH: Where's the gun now, Mrs. KIigman?
In my Iock box.
May we see it?
Of course.
Does anyone else have access to the gun?
Only my son. He Iives in the dorms. At Hudson University.
It's gone.
I didn't take my father's gun.
How did it get used to kill your classmate?
I don't know anything about Vanessa's murder.
But you do know her. Yeah.
Yeah? You sleeping with her?
Yeah, I wish.
BENSON: Where were you Iast night?
At an all-night cram session with my study group. Go check.
Oh, we will, but right now you're the one who's Iooking good for this murder.
Okay.
I got a Iittle over-extended on the Super Bowl.
I was gonna sell the gun, but someone stole it.
You know Donovan AIvarez?
Yeah, sure, he Iives down my hall.
Could he have stolen it?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
I don't know...
Stabler.
Did Donovan ever see the gun?
Yeah, I was Iooking for a buyer.
I showed it to a Iot of people, including Donovan.
Did he see where you kept it?
Yeah, yeah, in my desk.
Warner. She wants to talk to us.
You fumed her.
It's amazing what you can do with crazy glue.
Vaporize it, and when it hardens, you can dust a print on skin.
Where's the print?
On the inside of her right wrist, where there's deep bruising.
STABLER: Like someone grabbed her hard.
With the glue, it's as clear as day.
Donovan AIvarez?
Ten point match.
PROFESSOR: In People v. Carmichael, the M.E. ruled that the death
was due to undetermined homicidal violence.
How did the District Attorney get a conviction?
Donovan AIvarez, you're under arrest for the murder of Vanessa Bevins.
PROFESSOR: Hey, what do you think you're doing?
You can't do this. Sure we can.
What do you think you're doing?
Your teacher cover Miranda yet? What's going on? Hey!
You have the right to remain silent.
If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used...
This is your Iast chance, Donovan.
Just tell us the truth.
Once there's a DNA match, no one will care what you say.
I am telling the truth, all right.
I didn't kill Vanessa. I only went to the club to talk to her.
Because you were pissed off that she broke up with you?
No, I was pissed because she stole my credit card
and spent thousands of dollars on crazy stuff.
That sounds Iike a good motive to drag her out to the alley and kill her.
No.
We were arguing because Vanessa said she had bigger problems than paying me back.
So then you pulled the gun to make her take you seriously.
No, I didn't have a gun.
Come on, Donovan.
Vanessa was killed with a gun stolen from your dorm.
I don't know anything about that.
Why don't you believe me? I could never hurt Vanessa.
You grabbed her so hard your prints were bruised into her flesh.
She was walking away. I grabbed her arm so I could stop her.
Is that when she scratched your neck?
I cut myself shaving.
See for yourself.
Does this Iook Iike a scratch?
BENSON: You believe his story? I don't know.
Vanessa's on drugs, desperate for money,
she steals from her ex-boyfriend. Sounds Iike motive to me.
Donovan can't explain how Vanessa was shot with a gun that he had access to?
Something wrong?
Yeah. Ray Bevins, he called five times.
CRAGEN: DNA's back.
The semen, fingernail scrapings, and the blood on the cat's claw,
all come from the same person.
And it's not Donovan AIvarez.
So, Vanessa had sex with someone else earlier that night,
and then Donovan shoots her in the alley.
Possible, but not enough to hold a kid you arrested in front of a criminal Iaw class.
BENSON: We can't cut him Ioose.
And we can't talk to him anymore.
BENSON: Why's that?
Professor called and Iawyered up for him.
Ray.
Detective.
It's the middle of the night. What are you doing here?
I called.
I know. I haven't had a chance to get back to you. I'm sorry.
I just wanted to know if you had any Ieads.
Yeah, we're making progress.
Can't you tell me anything?
No. Ray, go home. Get some sleep.
I can't.
I can't... I mean, I can't sleep.
I just keep seeing Vanessa's face, in the morgue.
Ray...
If I have any news, I'II call you. I promise. You have my word.
Now go home. Go home.
Hey, how's he doing?
He's a mess.
The Iogs on Vanessa's phone. Check out this number.
Dozens of calls to it.
It's the Rape Crisis Center.
Why was Vanessa calling them two weeks before she was raped?
Vanessa must've called me 20 times, but she never gave a Iast name.
I was afraid if I pushed too hard, she'd stop calling.
I know what she said is confidential...
And any father would waive confidentiality to catch his child's killer.
Let's cut the red tape.
Good. Why was Vanessa calling you?
She was in a sexual relationship she couldn't handle.
So, she was raped.
She wasn't sure.
She needed help understanding what had happened to her, but it was rape all right.
She had gotten involved with this man that she met.
Donovan AIvarez?
She never gave his name.
He was a sadist. He Iiked to degrade her.
Make her have sex in public places. Get rough.
When she refused, he beat her up.
After that she was too scared to say no again.
Why didn't she call the police?
I gave her your number.
Vanessa just wasn't ready. She was very depressed.
She kept blaming herself instead of her boss.
Her boss?
Yeah, that's who was raping her.
Look, I understand the need for investigation.
I just don't see how I can help you.
Well, you were at the club, weren't you?
I was in the VIP room. I told that to the officers who interviewed me.
You didn't tell them you were sleeping with the victim.
(SIGHS)
Well, now I see. Someone's been talking about me behind my back.
Then Iet's talk openly, in our squad room.
Baby, I'm going now. You'II call me Iater?
Come here.
You know I will.
Give me a moment to call my Iawyer. I'II have him meet me there.
There's no need to. You're not under arrest.
And I'd Iike to keep it that way.
My client is more than happy to assist in the investigation.
He'II answer your questions.
Why don't we Iet his DNA sample do the talking?
Oh, hey, take a swab. It'II match.
I'm sure you'II find my blood in the alleyway, too.
Damn cat clawed the hell out of my ass.
Listen, I had sex with Vanessa that night. That's not a crime.
Rape and sodomy are.
(SCOFFS)
Rape? Detective, I don't need to force women to have sex with me.
Oh, so you expect us to believe
that Vanessa Iiked being half-naked,
down on her knees in a dirty alley?
Yeah, she grew to Iike it.
Once you stripped away that schoolgirl exterior,
underneath Iay a very adventurous woman.
Why'd you go out back?
I don't Iike to share my girls.
I saw Vanessa go outside with a friend.
I went to make sure they weren't having a quickie.
Were they?
No, no. Her tastes had changed.
She told him to get the hell out.
BENSON: So, did you see him Ieave?
He got into a cab.
Vanessa and I had a Iittle fun, and then I went back inside.
So she fought with her boyfriend, had sex with you,
and then, a third guy came along and he killed her.
Is that what you're telling me?
Truth is stranger than fiction.
But you're the only one with a history of abusing Vanessa.
Oh, more gossip?
BENSON: No, we have witnesses.
Vanessa told people about your repeated sexual assault.
I don't recall anyone watching us having sex.
So unless you guys communicate with ghosts, you've got nothing.
AII right. My client has answered all of your questions.
So, unless you're arresting him, we're Ieaving.
(CLEARS THROAT)
You'II notify me if you want to speak to my client any further.
Oh, we'II be speaking to him again, yeah.
Come on.
Detective Stabler, any news about Vanessa?
Are you her father? Yeah.
Hey, I'm really sorry.
Thanks. Who are you?
Oh, sorry, Perry Williams.
How do you know my daughter?
I was her boss. Let's talk. Come on.
She was really sweet. What?
Why are you here?
WILLIAMS: I'm just answering a few questions.
About what?
My relationship with your daughter.
You bastard! You raped and murdered my daughter.
Hey, hey, I didn't have to rape her.
And I sure didn't kill her.
He's not worth it. Let him go. AII right?
AII right, all right. Come on.
Ray, you've gotta stop coming here.
I got nothing else to do.
What about your job?
I don't give a damn about my work anymore.
You're never going to make an arrest.
It's been three days, Ray. You gotta give me time.
That filth killed my daughter and you're just gonna Iet him walk out the door.
We don't have enough evidence to arrest him for murder yet.
You could at Ieast arrest him for rape.
He's claiming their relationship was consensual.
That's crazy. We need the proof.
What do you think? It doesn't matter what I think, Ray.
In your heart, what do you think?
We may never know.
PIease...
Just tell me...
Did he rape her?
We're Iooking at him for it.
Did he do it?
(SIGHS)
We're gonna get the guy.
Thanks.
Go home.
You sound Iike me talking to Ray.
EIIiot, there's nothing we can do tonight.
We'II start fresh in the morning.
I need to get that bastard.
PIenty of other bastards out there, EIIiot, why this one?
You know why.
I'm gonna go catch a few hours of sleep.
See you at 7:00.
Hey, it's Stabler. Sorry to bother you so Iate,
I need you to do me a big favor.
You gotta run the tests tonight.
I burned a sample of the greasy residue in the gas chromatograph.
Tell me it nails Perry Williams.
Hear me out.
The grease on the gun had three component organic substances.
The first two are Ianolin and talc.
Skin care products? Exactly.
Chemical compositions identical to the Iotion
and face powder brands Vanessa used.
So the gun touched her skin.
It doesn't explain the flakes trapped in the Iotion.
Cured tobacco, same brand as the cigarettes we found in Vanessa's purse.
Vanessa was carrying the gun.
She tried to defend herself. Perp took it away and shot her.
You'd think so,
but I decided to take another Iook at the residue pattern on Vanessa's hands.
Here it is.
But that residue pattern is not consistent with any defensive posture.
Not Iike this. Not Iike this. And so on.
So you have no match.
I think there might be.
Like this.
Fire in the hole.
It's a match.
Vanessa killed herself.
Perry Williams raped Vanessa and it drove her to suicide.
She steals the gun, brings it down to the alley to kill him,
Ioses her nerve.
When Perry rapes her again, it's the Iast straw, so she kills herself.
This bastards gonna escape, we got nothing on the rape.
You know, maybe Vanessa told someone in person, other than the rape crisis counselor.
We get an outcry witness, we got ourselves a chance.
Ray didn't know, none of her friends knew.
Hell, no one even knew she was suicidal.
They all say she was a party girl.
This may explain why. Vanessa's toxicology report.
It says that her blood was positive for Iithium.
What's that used for?
For treating bi-polar disorder.
No wonder she was flying high one day, and crashing the next.
Promiscuous, going on spending sprees, explains why everyone thought she was on drugs.
It also explains her inability
to break off from Perry Williams despite his treatment of her.
So why didn't the Iithium help?
Because the amount found in her blood wasn't a therapeutic dose.
My guess is she stopped taking her meds a week ago.
So why didn't anybody tell us about her diagnosis?
This is a woman who suffered in silence.
Now, I gotta tell Ray his only child killed herself.
First you tell me she's on drugs. Now you tell me that she's crazy,
and I'm telling you I know my daughter, and she was never suicidal.
If you'd Iike, you can talk to our medical examiner.
She can explain how she came to the findings.
Thank you. You know what, I will.
Did you know that she was taking medication for bipolar disorder?
She was moody. I mean, she felt things very intensely.
She was a caring... Look, my daughter was not sick.
Then Vanessa never mentioned that she was seeing a psychiatrist?
(SIGHS)
No.
Ray, maybe she was ashamed.
No daughter wants to disappoint her father.
Vanessa's "problem" was that bastard Perry Williams.
He murdered her, even if he didn't pull the trigger.
But Iegally, Ray, Iegally he's not responsible for her death.
Can you give us the name of her doctor?
I don't know.
She was using the college health care service.
Could you all just please Ieave?
Vanessa wanted help controlling her behavior.
The Iithium worked, and in combination with psychotherapy...
Well, she was making excellent progress.
Did she ever mention a Perry Williams in therapy?
Yes.
He was encouraging her to drink and stop taking her meds.
STABLER: Why?
To make her more vulnerable, more manic.
He Iiked being with a hyper-sexual party girl.
When she began to stabilize, he Iost his control over her.
That's when she realized he was abusing her.
Well, why'd she keep going out with him?
Well, he's a handsome, successful older man. She was blinded by his charm.
Our tox screen shows that Vanessa had stopped taking the Iithium.
Now you know what can happen to a manic depressive when they go off their meds.
What did you do about it?
What could I do?
She's an adult Iegally free to make her own choices.
STABLER: She was suicidal.
Not Iast week when I saw her.
You should have told her father what was going on.
The only way I could've disclosed anything
is if she'd been homicidal or suicidal and as I said, she wasn't.
Did Vanessa ever mention confiding in anybody else?
She was keeping a therapy journal.
Vanessa's roommate had the diary. I can see why she kept it hidden from Ray.
It's graphic sexual stuff, a catalog of Perry's perversions.
He's a sexual sadist, he doesn't want a partner, he wants a victim.
I'm not sure that's enough.
We talked to several of Perry's ex-girlfriends.
He gets off on pain, they'II all testify to that.
Were they raped?
No, but...
But then it's not enough.
Vanessa's body showed signs of sexual trauma.
Well, Perry will argue that it was rough but consensual sex.
And we've got her statements to the psychiatrist
and the rape crisis counselor, that she was forced.
AII right, those I can get admitted under the outcry exception to the hearsay rule,
but I would still Iike a confession from Perry.
AIex, it's all in here.
Everything that he did to her.
"I'm still bleeding from Iast night.
"I should go to the hospital, but I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone.
"When I said I couldn't have sex tonight, he punched me so hard I couldn't breathe."
Let's go after him for the rape.
But, just in case, tell Ray to file a civil suit.
CIean Perry out.
At Ieast arresting Perry might give Ray some closure.
Maybe you, too.
EIIiot, can I talk to you for a minute?
I'II meet you down in the car.
What you got?
Ray Bevins came by to see me,
asked questions about why we ruled Vanessa's death a suicide.
He accept it?
I walked him through the evidence as gently as I could, but I screwed up.
I mentioned the oral sodomy. I thought you told him.
No. I didn't want to put that image in his head.
His daughter on her knees in some filthy alley.
I'm sorry, but it's in there now.
He really Iost it. He Ieft mumbling something about a club.
Detective Charlie to Central K.
Sorry, Detectives. It was over when we got here.
Where's Ray Bevins?
In the wind. Dead guy was the only one here when we arrived.
We had him. We had Perry.
EIIiot, Ray's still got the gun.
(SIREN BLARING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
We boomed the door and swept the place. No sign of your guy.
Where could he be?
This is all about Vanessa. He'd want to be with her.
Detective Stabler, Section Central Park has a man with a gun to his head.
Description matches your guy.
Secure the perimeter. Tell Ray we're on our way. No one talks to him but me.
Ray.
Put the gun down.
Don't do this, Ray.
I have nothing Ieft.
Let's just talk. Let's just sit here and talk.
Vanessa's gone, I mean...
There's no other way to end the pain.
Vanessa Ioves you.
She wouldn't want you to do this.
My daughter needed help, and she couldn't come to me.
I can't Iive with that.
Why here?
This was Vanessa's favorite place, when she was a...
When she was a Iittle girl.
Those memories are alive in you, Ray.
You keep her alive.
Everything that you and Vanessa had together, that's what you want.
I want her to know how much I Iove her.
(SOBBING)
I want her to know how sorry I am.
I couldn't be there for her.
She's here, Ray, in your heart. She's alive, here.
She can only die when you die, Ray.
(RAY WAILING)
EIIiot, I want to hear it from you.
Did you actually Iawyer up for Ray Bevins?
He needed an attorney.
So you called one of the best defense attorneys in town?
Usually you get a confession instead of throwing up
road blocks to protect the perps.
Ray Bevins is not a perp.
He killed a man in cold blood.
He killed a sexual predator that you said we couldn't convict.
I will not condone vigilantism.
I am not going to Iet my compassion for Ray prevent me from doing my job.
Well, I did my job. I arrested him. He's all yours.
I want manslaughter and probation. Extreme emotional disturbance.
Ray snapped when he found out his daughter's rapist would go unpunished for his crime.
For someone who snapped, your client was thinking clearly enough
to obtain a weapon, Iocate the defendant, and execute him.
That's not temporary insanity.
You know the EED statute was designed to downgrade murder charges,
when they are mitigated by the defendant's severe psychological trauma.
Only when the defendant's mental state creates a Ioss of self-control.
Ray's actions appear deliberate and rational.
Don't take our word for it, have your shrink evaluate Ray.
Perry Williams killed my daughter.
He took her to such a dark place that she couldn't find a way out.
So what did you do?
Guy I know at the work site gave me the gun.
I went to the club, said I had an appointment with Perry
and waited in his office.
And what happened after that?
Perry walked in.
I confronted him with Vanessa's rape.
He denied it, and then...
Then he said that she Iiked what he did to her.
Ray, how did Perry end up in the alley?
I took him there.
I forced him to his knees, the way he forced Vanessa to her knees.
He begged for his Iife, he swore that he would tell the truth to the cops.
I said enough, you know, enough Iies.
So I put the gun in his mouth, and I pulled the trigger.
Ray's emotional pain is genuine
and the cause for his mental trauma is Iegitimate,
but I don't buy his affirmative defense.
Why the hell not? This is a man who's Iost his daughter.
Well, despite his emotional distress, he had the presence of mind
to carefully plan this murder. He knew right from wrong.
He knew nothing. This is a guy drowning in grief.
HUANG: Ray made clear, Iogical, and deliberate choices.
He forced Perry out into that alley
and symbolically re-enacted his daughter's rape and murder.
He didn't shoot Perry in the chest.
No, he put the gun in Perry's mouth, imitating the oral sodomy.
I'II notify Ray's attorney that we're gonna fight it.
She'II probably try for jury nullification, get them to acquit out of sympathy.
They should.
Look. I'm not mourning for Perry Williams,
but I'm not rolling over for Ray, either.
I need that report as soon as you can get it.
I could've stopped him. I should've known what Ray was gonna do.
How?
I'd have done the same thing.
No, you wouldn't.
Wait till you're a parent.
Don't throw that crap at me, EIIiot. You made a mistake.
What?
You Iet Ray in.
You're right, I did.
He got to me, and now I'm responsible.
I don't remember Ieaving the nightclub.
EMMETT: What's the next thing you do remember?
Sitting in the park, by the Iake.
Vanessa and I went there since she was a Iittle girl.
She would feed the ducks her sandwiches when she thought I wasn't Iooking.
But you still had the gun?
Yes.
What were you going to do next?
Shoot myself, so that I could be with my daughter.
Thank you. No further questions.
You blame Perry Williams for your daughter's death?
Yeah, he raped Vanessa and that's why she killed herself.
CABOT: You sound very certain of that.
But Vanessa was emotionally unstable, wasn't she?
BEVINS: He made her that way.
Mr. Bevins, she was under psychiatric care
and had been prescribed Iithium for a bipolar disorder.
Are you suggesting that Perry Williams was responsible for that?
He Iowered her self-esteem, and told her not to take her medication.
My daughter was happy and healthy,
before she worked at that club.
As far as you knew.
There was quite a bit about her Iife that Vanessa did not tell you.
Did she tell you that she had been sexually assaulted?
No.
CABOT: So her relationship with Perry Williams
could have been consensual as he claimed.
You call the deceased a rapist, but you have no evidence
other than your personal beliefs.
That's not true.
Detective Stabler told me that Perry Williams raped my daughter.
Thank you. Nothing further.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
You're calling me to the stand?
No, the Defense is.
You've just become their star witness.
Excuse me?
EIIiot, did you tell Ray that you knew Perry Williams had raped Vanessa?
No. He says you did.
I told him Perry was a suspect.
Now they're going to use you to justify Ray murdering Perry.
Yeah? Well, the hell with him. He got what he deserved.
Well, now it's your turn.
You gave premature information to an unstable man.
You sure as hell better be ready when I cross-examine you.
Detective Stabler, did you have a conversation
with Ray Bevins about Perry Williams?
Yes.
Do you remember the content of that conversation?
Not word for word, no.
Do you remember telling Ray Bevins
that you believed Perry Williams raped his daughter?
I said we were Iooking at him.
Did you say, quote, "We're gonna get the guy."
Yes, I said that.
Who did "the guy" refer to?
STABLER: The killer. It didn't necessarily mean that I was Iooking at Perry Williams.
But it's reasonable to assume that Ray believed you meant Mr. Williams.
Now, did you tell Ray that you were powerless to arrest Mr. Williams?
At the time, we didn't have enough evidence.
Yes or no, Detective.
At the time of the murder did my client believe
you would ever be able to arrest Mr. Williams?
No.
Thank you.
"We're gonna get the guy."
Detective Stabler, when you made that remark to the defendant,
was it based on any official determination from the NYPD?
"Official determination"? No.
Was it based on any forensic evidence?
Yes, we had Perry Williams' DNA on Vanessa's body.
DNA proves that sex took place, not rape.
We had her diary.
A person, Detective, not her writings.
We had the rape crisis counselor.
An eyewitness, Detective.
No.
So your statement to the defendant,
that Perry Williams raped Vanessa was based purely on your individual opinion?
Yes.
Then why did you say that?
Because he needed something to hold onto.
So your sympathy for the defendant
Ied you to give Ray Bevins unsubstantiated information?
Yes.
Detective Stabler, do you condone Ray Bevins' murder of Perry Williams?
Detective?
No.
It was wrong.
Nothing further.
The Iaw is supposed to provide us with safety and justice
but the Iaw failed to get justice for Vanessa Bevins.
And in his time of grief,
Ray Bevins Iearned that the man who had abused, humiliated,
and raped his daughter was going to walk free.
Now, if it were your daughter,
your wife, your mother, who had been raped
and the police were unable to arrest their attacker, how would you feel?
Ray Bevins suffered every parent's nightmare.
He did what every parent knows in their heart they would do.
He acted from a place of profound grief, of overwhelming Ioss.
He did not have control of his actions.
He tried to get justice for his daughter in the only way he knew how.
And now you must make justice for Ray Bevins,
and return a verdict of not guilty.
Some of you may believe that Perry Williams raped Vanessa Bevins in that alley,
but Perry Williams is not on trial here.
In fact, he never got his day in court at all.
So in the eyes of the Iaw, he is innocent until proven guilty.
Even if his guilt had been established beyond a reasonable doubt,
he could not have been executed for his crime.
Ray Bevins executed Perry Williams.
He shot a man, who was on his knees, begging for his Iife.
Now some of you may think that he deserved to die.
But you have to ask yourselves
if you would execute a man whose guilt had not been proven.
We have all felt the need for revenge at some point in our Iives.
We have all Iashed out in pain and anger,
and we have all thought that justice means an eye for an eye.
But is that justice?
Does Perry Williams' family now have the right to kill Ray Bevins?
Does Ray Bevins' family then have the right to retaliate against Perry Williams?
When would it stop?
An eye for an eye Ieaves the whole world blind.
LARSEN: Has the jury reached its verdict?
Yes, we have, Your Honor.
Will the defendant please rise?
LARSEN: On the count of murder in the Second Degree, how does the jury find?
We find the defendant, Raymond Bevins, guilty.
LARSEN: Thank you for your service. You're excused.
Ray.
I'm sorry.
I'm not.