All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.Special.Victims.Unit.S19E20.The.Book.of.Esther.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

.

- 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.

- We are living in the season
of the lord's return, friends.

Matthew 24 warns us
that no one,

not the angels in heaven,

not Jesus himself,

knows the hour
nor the day

that the Son of Man
will return.

Two men will be in the field.

One will be taken
and the other left.

Two women will be grinding
with a hand mill.

♪

- Down.

- End of the line.
Last stop.

Hey.
You hear me?

You got to get off
the train now.

Okay, I'm coming in.

- Unaccompanied teenager.

She locked herself
in the bathroom.

Looks like somebody roughed
her up a little.

- We're not sure yet.

- She's not real talkative.

- She still won't come out.

- Take it easy.

What's your name?

- It's okay.
We'll take care of you.

- She said anything
to either one of you?

- Not a word.
- Okay.

All right, honey.

Looks like you got hit
with something there.

Why don't you come on out
of the bathroom?

We can get you
some medical attention.

- Okay.

♪

My name's Amanda.

How long has it been
since you've eaten?

Ah, ah, ah, ah.

Look, I'll trade you

some candy for your name.

- Esther.

- Yep.
Now we're getting somewhere.

That's good.

Got a last name, Esther?

- The nation shall see
your righteousness,

and all the kings your glory.

And you shall be called
by a new name

that the Lord will give.

- Okay.
Good.

Here you go.
Come here. Come here.

Look.
Let me and you

get out of the bathroom,
off this train.

We can talk some more,
okay?

Okay, easy, easy.
Easy, you got it,

Works with Frannie.

- Frannie's a dog.

- All right, now we're gonna
go to a hospital.

We're gonna let a doctor
make sure you're that okay.

- Doctor.
- No--no.

It's gonna be all right.

I'm gonna--I'm gonna stay with
you the whole time, all right?

We're going to need
to call your parents

and let them know
where we're going, okay?

- They don't have a phone.
- Well...

- No!
- Whoa--whoa--whoa.

Okay. Easy. Easy. Easy.
Back--back off.

Lose the gurney.
- It's against regulations.

- I will take responsibility,
okay?

Now, I'll ride with her
in the back.

It's okay, Esther, it's okay.
It's all right.

Esther,
how you doing?

You know, pretty soon,
you're gonna

have to tell me where
your mom and dad live.

- Mm-mm, mm-mm.
I'll be punished.

- I'm not allowed to ride
on a train.

- That doesn't
sound like something

you should be
punished for.

- "The Lord has disciplined
me severely.

But he has not given me
over to death."

- Have you learned
the good book, too?

- Yeah, I used to go to church
a lot when I was a little girl.

My grandmama, she played
the organ every Sunday.

Hey, who told you
you'd be punished

if you rode the train?

- Fathers, do not provoke
your children to anger,

but bring them up
with the discipline

and the instruction
of the Lord.

- She's incredibly
malnourished,

barely 90 pounds.

She keeps asking
for more food,

but we've got to take it slow.

- I'm sure you noticed
the abrasions on her forehead.

There's also chafing
on her ankles

and her wrists.
She might have been tied up.

- Okay,
did you do a tox

- We tried. She looked
at the needle and flipped out.

Won't answer any questions
about her medical history.

I doubt she's bathed in weeks.

- Okay, what about
a rape kit?

- Did she say
she'd been assaulted?

- No, but she--she's
so traumatized,

I wouldn't be surprised.

- Well, she barely let me
swab her mouth for saliva.

I can't imagine subjecting her
to a pelvic exam right now.

- Do you need to keep her
overnight?

- I don't think so.

You can have her
for a few hours.

We've already reached out
to child services.

- Hey, lieutenant.
Of the four commuters

on the train that I talked to,
nobody remembers seeing Esther.

Also her prints are not
in the system.

- There was semen
in her underwear.

Send them to the ME
for DNA profiling.

- So we may be looking
at a sex crime

on top of the abuse.

Okay, I'll talk to her
and see if I can find out

what is going on here.

Rollins has already
kind of made

a connection with this girl.
- So you're thinking

another strange face
may not be the best idea?

Okay.

- Hey.

Dr. Hale said
that it would be fine

for you to have a slice
but I don't think two slices

will do too much damage.

- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

I know you got to be scared,
Esther,

but I'm really
just trying to help you.

You understand that, right?

Is there a reason you might
not want to go back home?

Do you live in a house
or an apartment?

- A house...
with white window frames.

- You have brothers
or sisters?

- Yes.

- You must miss them.

Is there a reason why
you wanted to leave your home?

- I was scared.

- But the Lord says do not fear
for I am with you.

Do not be dismayed,
for I will uphold you

with my righteous hand.

- Is your father
the one that--

that hurt your head?

- I-I-I fell.

- Esther, did...did your father
force you to have sex with him?

- No.

- But you had sex
with somebody.

- Hey.

It's okay.
It's okay.

I can tell she's smart
by the biblical connections

she's making--
- But it's like it was drilled

into her--
- Oh yeah, this goes way past

the Sunday school
indoctrination

my mom made me sit through.

This is a form of control.
It's a way to discourage

analytical thinking.
- Or a place to turn

if she's lost or in pain.

- Or scare you into thinking
you're gonna burn in hell

if you--you wear a skirt
above your knee.

I mean, somebody's doing this
to keep her in line

and she's still
protecting them.

- DNA's back.

No hits on any
of the databases.

But it's a familial match.

- Well, the perp shares

partial matches with Esther
in ten alleles.

- Okay, so the father's out.

- Yeah, so it's a brother
or an uncle, maybe.

.

- Our girl is safe
and sound

in the custody
of child services.

- Did you make
any headway with her?

- No, every time I go
near sex, she shuts down

or she recites some of
that scripture

she's been brainwashed with.
- Okay. So,

we're going to have to do
the heavy lifting here.

Would be nice to know
who she actually is.

- Not much to go on.

There's no
missing persons report

matching Esther's description.

- She probably lives off
the Port Washington Branch

of that commuter train.
- Okay, Rollins,

get her picture
to the local media.

Somebody has to recognize her.

- On it.
- Carisi and I'll check

the Long Island railroad
security cams.

- And the thing is it all
goes on video these days.

There's no such thing as
the Fourth Amendment

in the five boroughs.

Guess that's why all the cops
I know live in Nassau County.

- She was on the 8:17 out
of Port Washington.

She got on after
the Little Neck station.

- So let's start
with Douglaston.

This is just as
the 8:17's pulling in.

- That's her right there.

- Freeze.

- Those two guys have on

the same jacket
the girl had on.

- You know how many
army surplus stores

there are in Douglaston?

I see you carry parkas.

- Snorkel parkas, sure.
You in the market?

- Well, actually, I'm looking
for the name of anyone

who bought one
in the last five years.

- I must have sold
hundreds of those things.

- Okay, how about
I narrow it down.

Any customer who bought
at least three of them

at the same time.

- That I could check.

We sold three of those
last year to a...

David Johnson.
- Okay.

- Is David Johnson
one of these guys?

- Wouldn't know.
Didn't make the sale.

Sorry.

We start randomly canvassing
Douglaston?

- If we have to, yes.
- Esther's on her way back here

and I'd really like another go.

- Look this TLC approach isn't
working with this girl.

I say we try a little fire
and brimstone this time.

- How are we gonna find
a perp if she won't

even tell us where she lives?

- Okay,
how about we give Amanda

a little more one

- Thanks.

- Excuse me...

I'm here for my daughter,
Esther.

Esther Labott.

My wife saw her picture
on the news.

- Yeah, we've been waiting
for you, Mr. Labott.

I'm--I'm Lieutenant Benson.

- Yeah, Esther's just fine.

- Okay,
so help--help us understand.

If you were worried
about your daughter,

why didn't you file
a missing persons report?

- We called
the Toms River Police.

They told us we had
to wait 24 hours.

They were no help whatsoever.

- Here.

- Yesterday.

My wife and I woke up
and she was gone.

- These two guys.
You ever seen 'em before?

- No.
- So it's just a coincidence

that they have on the same
coats as your daughter?

- My daughter doesn't
have a coat like that.

I appreciate you finding
my daughter

but right now I just
want to take her home.

- In cases where
there's potential abuse,

we can't just hand over
a child to her parents.

- Esther is not a child.

She's 27 years old.

- Oh, my God.

- Praise Jesus, Esther.
Esther. Esther.

What happened?
Did someone take you?

- No, no, no.
I-I ran away.

- I'm sorry, Papa.

- Esther,
your mother was inconsolable.

You know better, Esther.

- Children, obey your parents
in all things:

for this is well pleasing
unto the Lord.

- Mr. Labott...

This may be difficult to hear,

but when we found Esther

she had semen in
her underwear

and we tested it

and it was
a close familial match.

- I'm not surprised.

My wife...

She found Esther
and her brother...

at laying together.

I'll admit,
I did paddle her,

but I most certainly did not
abuse my daughter.

Hmm?

- Esther fasts to gain
spiritual understanding.

- When she decides to fast,
I often join her.

So you don't eat
for three weeks, either?

Hmm?

- We live
an unconventional lifestyle,

off the grid,
homeschooling our children...

but we are a loving,
law-abiding family

It's time for us to go.

- Nobody's going anywhere.
- Hey, hey, hey!

- Back up, sir.
Back up.

Okay?
We have...

A lot more questions.

- Which you can refer
to my lawyer.

If you try to detain me
or my daughter,

I can promise you there will be
legal consequences.

- Give Mr. Labott
his phone call.

- You don't have to go
with your father.

- I won't go against
Papa's wishes.

- We can protect you if you're
scared of going home, Esther.

Why don't you take
some more time?

Maybe--maybe another night
to think about it, okay?

- He loves me.

He didn't do anything wrong.

- Did...somebody else
in your family?

- No one did anything to me.

I want to go home,
Amanda.

- She insists on leaving with
that self-righteous creep.

- Labott's a piece of work.
- There's nothing worse

than a Bible-thumping
hypocrite.

- Okay, let's stay focused.
Carisi, what did we learn

from New Jersey?

- Labott used to teach geology
at Trenton Tech.

He made a little money
off this patent,

something to do with
water filtration.

- Birth certificate
and his driver's license

are legit.
- And I got off the phone

with Stone.
Turns out, believe it or not,

incest is not illegal
in the Garden State.

- There's no rape,
there's no assault.

- Plus the girl's over 18.

So endangerment
and child abuse is out.

- Cut him loose.
- No, we can't let Esther

leave with that man.
- Amanda, if she chooses

to leave, it is her choice
and there's nothing

that we can do--
- Not one thing

in his story makes sense.

I mean the Labotts don't
file a missing persons report.

- I know that, I agree--
- She ends up 90 miles

away from home with these two
guys in matching jackets...

- Agree with you, right, but...
- Hunting her down.

- She is a competent adult.

Labott knows his rights
and there is nothing we can do.

- She's not competent.
She's brainwashed.

She--she was tied up, Liv.
She was starved.

- I understand that,

but in New York state
there is no crime

that we can charge him with.

- I can't believe
this is happening.

You're free to leave.

- Thank you
for finding my daughter.

- Don't mention it.
- Let's go, dear.

- Good-bye, Amanda.

.

- Hey, Liv.

I just--I can just make it
home to read to Noah.

- I want to apologize
for going off on you today.

- Amanda, you and I both know
how hard it is

to walk away from something
when your gut

is screaming
that--that something's wrong.

- I overreacted.
And...

I'm thinking that I could use
a mental health day or two.

You want to dig in on Labott?

Fin and Carisi said

they'd hold down the fort.

- Do not ruffle any feathers
in New Jersey.

- I won't.
- And you keep me in the loop.

- I will.

Thank you.

- Labott's three months
in arrears.

- I rented to him about
four years ago.

- Labott!

I don't believe this.

Look what these animals
did to my property.

- I've no idea.

He said he had lots of kids,
but...

There's a dead rabbit in there.

Going through
the Labotts' mail.

That's a federal offense,
you know.

- Won't be a problem.

- Oh, sorry.
- No, it's okay.

When's the last time
you saw the family?

- They moved out
a couple of months ago.

- Did you ever notice
anything unusual about them?

Maybe with the kids?

- Oh, they stayed inside,
mostly.

Debbie told me that they
were licensed as a home school.

- Oh, the lady of the house.

She paid me
to forward their mail.

- I'm going to need
that address.

- I have it inside.
- Great.

- It's some place in Queens,
it--ah! Douglaston.

- Children, let's take
a picture before we begin.

Line up here.

Would you mind
taking our picture?

- Sure.
- Thank you.

Okay, don't forget to smile.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

Let's go bowling.

Bowling, let's go.

- Each kid got to bowl
one frame.

- They look like some kind
of reality show.

- Outfits are a bit much,
but other than that,

looks like a pretty normal
family outing.

- Yeah, William bought
five hot dogs

and broke them in half
for the kids.

- Well, maybe he's low on cash.

- Look, the kids
all look underweight.

And what happened in
that house in New Jersey

wasn't about poverty
or cutesy outfits.

The Labott family
is its own patriarchal cult.

Now this so-called father has
them inbreeding

and scrounging for food
like rats.

- Like the Turpin family
out in California.

- Well, if the incest happened
in Queens, it's a felony.

- So you want to press charges
on her now?

- Who even knows if that
was really voluntary?

Esther may not be a minor,

but most of
the Labott kids are.

- Have there been any
complaints to child services

in Queens or New Jersey?
- No, but--I mean

the neighbors have
to have their head in the sand

if they don't
see what's going on, right?

- Taking this kind of personal,
Amanda.

- If I don't,
what am I doing here?

- They moved in
a couple months ago...

I saw the guy shoveling
his driveway once.

We both waved
at each other.

That's about it.

- I've seen a bunch of them
piling in their minivan

a couple times.
They look weird.

- They're all pale, scrawny.

They all wear
these green jackets

and the same sneakers,
like some kind of uniform.

- Well, do you ever see them
leave the house

to go to school
or do they play outside?

- They're not on the school bus
with my two boys.

Their lights are on all night.
I see them inside...

marching back and forth,

back and forth.

And you never thought to call
Social Services, maybe?

- Hey, I mind my own business.

As far as I know, they're not
doing anything wrong.

♪

- Mom!

Mom!
I'm hungry!

[child hyperventilating
and crying]

Mom!

- No, no, no, shh.
It's okay, it's okay.

All right?
I'm here to help you, okay?

- Mom!
- No, honey, honey, it's okay.

All right? It's okay.
- Rachel.

Rachel, you must not
cry anymore.

- Esther...

- You should not be here.
- No, no.

- You'd better not
be playing the devil's games

in there again.
- You have to go.

- Listen, it's okay, it's okay.
- You have to go.

- I'm going to go get help,
all right?

- Get the hell off
my property.

- You're making
a big mistake.

- Better go now.

- Okay. Okay.

.

- Labott, his wife, at least

nine other family members,
half of 'em kids.

- Yeah,

at least two long guns,

a twelve gauge,
and a semi-auto.

Any threats against kids?

- Not so far.
- Well, we got ESU

and the hostage negotiation
team on the way.

- Okay, well,
I wouldn't classify

the adults in there
as hostages.

They're under the father's sway
and my bet is

that they'd rather stay put
then be liberated.

- Lieutenant.
- Is everyone okay

inside the house?
- Depends on what you mean

by okay.
- Well, now that you're here,

maybe you can explain
what Detective Rollins

is doing antagonizing
the people in my precinct

without any heads
- Let's not...

turn this situation
into a turf war.

- You didn't answer
my question.

- Hey, how about we get
something straight?

I ask you
the questions here.

- I am here as part
of an on-going

abuse investigation
into this family.

- We haven't had
any complaints.

There's a little girl in there

tied up to a radiator
with a chain like a dog.

- Yeah.

- I'm going to go figure out
where the hell ESU is.

- Okay, and when they show up,
you keep them out of sight,

'cause I don't want this
to escalate.

We need to open
a line of communication.

- Well, the local squad tossed
a throw phone up there.

Labott didn't take it.

- Okay, I need a megaphone.

Mr. Labott,
It's Olivia Benson from SVU.

I'd like to talk with you.

Please, Mr. Labott,
I'm concerned

about your children.
Can you at least tell me

that they're okay?

Please, Mr. Labott,
let's just talk.

- I don't know

if that's a good idea, Rollins.
- If we're not making headway

with William, maybe we can
reach him through Esther.

- Okay.

- Mr. Labott.

It's Amanda Rollins.

I-I helped your daughter
Esther out

when they found her
on the train.

Listen,
I'd like to see her.

I care about your daughter
and I-I need to know

that she's all right.

- Go out.

- All right.

Good.
Okay.

- You see, she's fine.

- Thank you, Mr. Labott.

Now, you know what?

Would it be all right if Esther
just went ahead and left?

Into a world where--where
greed and ignorance

are laying waste
to our Mother Earth?

Where technology
has corrupted our society

with narcissism
and alienation?

Esther understands
that the cataclysms

foretold in the good book
have come to pass.

Famine.

The rising seas.

- Come on...
- She needs to shelter

here with her family

for the end of days, period.

- William.

Can she make
that decision for herself?

Like you did.

Esther...

Do you want to stay?

- You speak to me,
not to my daughter.

Go.

- William.
- No, no, no, no.

Oh, no.

- You still think you can
reason with that lunatic?

- As long as
he's still talking to us.

Tell him to send out
the younger children

as a token of good faith.

- Mr. Labott has gone
to great lengths

to isolate himself,
to isolate his family.

No one is coming out
of that house

until he's good and ready.
- Come on.

- Wait.
- I want you guys to spot up...

- That's not a good sign.

Captain.

What's going on?

- There's a blind spot in the
northeast corner of that house.

We're going to put
a couple of guys

on the roof with a polecam.

- You cannot
move in on that house.

- That'll destroy any trust
that we've built up with him.

- I need eyes in there.
- Captain--

- If Labott starts
to lose it...

I can respond
before it's too late.

- Give me one hour
before you escalate this.

- Lieutenant,
stand down.

Or do I have to get
the chief of patrol out here?

ESU 5, do you copy?
- Copy.

- Execute stage one.
- Copy that.

♪

- Coming out.

- Move, move, move, move, move!

- Come on, come on, come on.

- All right, go, go, go.

- Open fire now!

- Hold your fire!

Hold your fire.
- Hold fire! Hold fire!

- No...
No! No!

- Hands up.
Let me see your hands!

- Let's go!

- Down on the ground.

All the way.
All the way down.

- Ma'am, down.
- Appears to be...

- Bathroom clear!

- You're okay.

- Clear!

- A child!

- No...

Esther...
No, don't, no...

- You killed my children.

For what?

.

The ones you didn't kill.

- They're headed
to a hospital.

Then they'll be moved
to foster homes.

- 'Cause you're not
getting out of here.

- Yet I take comfort...

that my family will carry on
and embrace the knowledge

that I gave to them.

- You're demented.

- You say that now.

But you'll remember the name
William Labott when

the fires of the apocalypse
are raging around you...

When you realize...

just as you and your kind
have turned your backs

on Him, so shall He...

turn His back on you...

At the second coming.

- If that woman
hadn't broken in,

none of this
would have happened.

My children would
still be alive.

- Don't you dare try to put
what happened out there on us.

Sit down.

I'm sorry for your loss,

but don't do that.

Explain to me how you could do
those terrible things

to your own kids.

- Open your eyes.

The government's controlled
by Silicon Valley.

Technology is a gateway,
an addiction to everything

that's evil in the world.

We had to trust and abide
in the Lord

and raise our children
so they could flourish

in a cold and corrupt world.

- Is that when the discipline
got worse?

- It didn't happen overnight.

Over the course of time, the...

fasting...

the punishments...

William said that we had
to be strict,

to teach them to be righteous.

We had to be tough on them.

- You were
very tough on them.

- Not always.

Sometimes.

- You knew it was wrong.

Didn't you?
- No.

- I don't believe that,
Mrs. Labott.

I know you ran out
of that house

carrying your little ones.

I know that there's something
still decent inside of you.

Why didn't you say something?

Why didn't you leave when
things started to get worse?

- Because I was afraid.

If I stayed there,
at least I could do

what I could to protect
my babies.

Am I going to go to jail?

- What is going to happen
to Jacob?

My baby.

- So God told you
to torture your kids?

- I was a good father.
Granted, I was severe.

- Your children were tortured.

Broken,
like animals.

- The chains
taught them discipline.

Fasting brought them
closer to God.

- No, you starved
your 27-year-old daughter

her entire life.

She was the size
of a little girl.

You know? It's really--
it's too bad we can't

rain down some
biblical punishment--

- Amanda. Amanda!
- It's really--

- Amanda!
My office, now!

- Amanda.

I know that this is hard.

Just imagine how hard
those kids' lives were.

And then to have to sit there
and listen to that zealot

use God to justify it!
- I get it.

Amanda, but I need you
to get your head on straight.

- Okay. I'm fine.

Do you think you can do that?
- Yes.

- Because when this case
is finally over...

- It is over.

- I wish that were true.

Preliminary ballistics
came back

on the siege
of the Labott house.

- That was fast.

- You fired the bullet
that killed Esther Labott.

- N--

Oh.

Oh, God.

- Amanda.

Oh, my--

- You know the drill.

You're gonna talk to
the force investigative group

and you're gonna talk
to IAB.

And I am confident
that...

that you're going
to be back on the job

in the next few days.

- I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

- Oh, my God...

♪

.

♪