All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.SVU.S04E01 - Chameleon

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
OVER SPEAKERS)

Is there anyone
sitting here?

Want to go somewhere
a Iittle more private?

Lead the way.

Police! Everybody,
stay right where you are.

Police!

AII right, all right,
all right, all right!

NYPD! NYPD!

Everybody remain
where you are!

Hey! Hey! That means
you don't move, sir.

Police! Everybody zip up
and stand against the wall.

Where you going,
sweetheart?

I swear, she just
brought me back here.

I'm having
a bachelor party.

Yeah?

We have a warrant to
search the premises

and to arrest anybody engaged
in illegal activities.

That's all of you.

You gonna fine that guy?
How come you're not
arresting him, too?

What's the problem?
Says some guy attacked her.

He tried to rape me.

Sweetheart, when they don't
pay you, it's not rape,

it's theft of services.

Look, I'm not Iying, okay?
That guy was nuts.

Point him out,
and I'II haul
his ass in with yours.

He tried to rape me.
I'm not moving
until I make a report.

This is a huge mistake.
I had no idea what
kind of a club this was.

FIy's down.

Eddie, what's happening?

Hit a Iittle snag
in our raid.

Gal here says her
name is Chantilly.
CIaims she was raped.

AImost raped.

AImost raped.

You know the policy.
She cries rape,
she's all yours.

Thanks, Eddie.
EDDIE: You're welcome.

Look, this guy
tried to attack me.

Miss Chantilly,
first things first.

Look, why don't we work
with your real name.

Lisa Perez.

Lisa Perez, me and you
are gonna have a problem

if you're making something up
to avoid charges.

He tried to strangle me.
Look.

I don't see anything

and if you weren't raped
and there's no evidence
of assault,

then there's not
a Iot we can do.

What do you mean
there's no evidence...

Detectives, you better
come see this.

Oh, my God.

That's Randy.

I told you guys.
I told you.

LISA: Why are you making me
sit through 10 Iineups?

Dude was gone when
the storm troopers
busted in.

I told you that 300 times.

Tell us 300 more times.
We Iove the sound
of your voice.

Hey, I am a victim.

Why are you gonna
disrespect me?

Now, Iook,
Detectives Munch
and Tutuola

are gonna get you coffee
while you wait
for the sketch artist.

That's your answer?
Coffee is your answer?

If you get something
in your mouth,

maybe you'II shut up
for five seconds.

Okay, you know what?
I want everybody's
name and badge number.

Hey, don't touch me
Iike that!

She's spunky.

You get an I.D.
on the victim?

Yeah, Randy Colligan,

a.k.a. Godiva, 23,
worked at the club
a Iittle over a year.

Two prostitution priors.

Anything conclusive
from the rape kit?

No fluids from
the preliminary.

Our guy probably used
a condom, and it Iooks
Iike she was strangled.

Trace evidence
at the crime scene
is gonna be a joke.

I don't even want to know
how many different DNA strands
are on that bathroom floor.

Well, this guy was ballsy.

Public place, plenty
of potential witnesses.

He tries to
rape one woman.

When she's too much trouble,
he just finds another.

My friends are getting killed
all over the place

and y'all are
taking a break?

Somebody please
find the sketch artist

and set her up as far away
from me as possible.

(CLEARES THROAT)

No, no, no, no, no, no.
You got the eyes all
messed up.

Miss, can you please
stop knocking my arm?

Sit down, Lisa.

Forget this.
You're not gonna try
to find this guy.

You don't care about me.

Okay, okay, the persecution
rant, it's getting really old.

My friends get
raped all the time.

Who's investigating that?

BENSON: Nobody,
if your friends don't
report the crime.

We get punished because
we don't act Iike society's
version of a woman.

We're at risk,
and nobody cares.

You're at risk
because you put
yourself at risk.

So do you, Detective.

Yes, to help
people Iike you.

Oh, no. The only people
who help us is us.

And Sister Peg.

I should've
Iistened to her.

She told us some whack job
was trying to choke girls.

The nun who hands out
clean needles to junkies?

How did Sister Peg
know about this?

I thought you were the cop
with all the answers.

That's good enough.
We done?

STABLER: Sister Peg?

Morning, Detectives.
Vice?

Special Victims. Stabler.
This is Benson.

That must go over
well with the church.

We've settled
on a "Don't ask,
don't tell" policy.

You investigating a rape?

Rape-homicide of a sex worker
at a nightclub called Onyx.

Did you warn Lisa Perez
about a man who was trying
to strangle prostitutes?

Yes.
How'd you hear about him?

Some of my girls.

I keep a bad trick Iist.

Sort of an internal memo
about johns to avoid.

"White guy goes
by Jack Psycho.

"BIack guy,
scar over his eye,
tried to kill me."

This is the bad trick Iist?

It's better than nothing.

They're traumatized.
I don't interrogate.

Well, do you
call the police?

My policy is no cops.
No offense.

None taken. This Iook Iike
the guy you heard about?

Well, I'II show it around,
Iet you know. Got a card?

Probably be better if we
talked to them ourselves.

I can't do that.

Well, we're not
gonna arrest them.

I believe you,
but they won't.

I start handing them over
to police, they stop coming,

and I can't do my job.

What exactly
is your job?

Trying to keep them smart
and safe, Iike you.

Well, your homicide victim
was a Iong-time sex worker,
that's most evident.

Hep B, hep C, PID.

Twenty-three years old,
probably would've been
infertile had she Iived.

How'd she die?

Hanging her with the belt
was done post-mortem.

Cause of death was
strangulation, but there's
no fingerprint bruising.

Looks Iike he used
his forearm.

How can you tell?

Check out this
crescent-shaped
indentation on her neck.

He must wear a jacket
with a flat metal
button on the cuff.

Pins her against
the wall or the floor,

presses down with the forearm,
Ieaves an imprint behind.

Once rigor sets in,
the indentation remains.

MUNCH: A rapist who wears
a jacket. That ought to
narrow it down.

Best I can do for now.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Rape kit was negative
for fluids. No blood
under the nails,

found three distinct hairs
other than her own.

She's a pro. AII that
proves is she had sex.

That was the captain.
They found another body.

How fortuitous.

How'd you Iike to ride to
the crime scene with two
handsome members of the NYPD?

My Iucky day.

This is a real party zone.
Needles, pipes, condom
wrappers, empty forties.

Neighborhood's
a known track.

She was probably a pro
just doing some business.

Nobody cares
if you scream.

MELINDA: Detectives.

FIN: Got something?

Give me a boost, will you?

I'm Iight as a feather.

Thank you.

Is that Iipstick?

Yeah.

And a nicely
preserved thumbprint.

Shawn Becker.

Convicted of assault
and attempted rape in '94,

released from Attica
three weeks ago.

His PO has been out
of contact with him
for the past four days.

We got a radio car
sitting on his residence.

Didn't take him Iong
to get back in the saddle.

Key witness against him
was an ex-girlfriend.

She's since moved
out of state.

And yes, you guessed it,
she's a blonde.

So he's Iooking
for a surrogate
to take it out on.

She hung him out to dry,
and he's doing
the same thing.

You've all
gotta be so Iiteral.

While Vice is handing out
his mug to the working girls,

I want you all
to do the same.

STABLER: You know where
we're heading off to?

Sister Peg.

Guy is on a mission.

Maybe now she'II be willing
to break their confidence
to save their Iives.

Thanks, this will
be a big help.

And now we need yours.

We need to talk
to the women
who've seen him.

Can't do that.
I'm sorry.

STABLER: And you care
about these girls, huh?

In the past year
I was mugged four times,
once at knifepoint.

You tell me, Detective.
Do I care about them enough?

What you're doing is great,
but explain how
you're helping anybody

by preventing us
from arresting this guy.

I have to keep my word.

But when he kills five,
10, 20 more times,

what's your word
gonna mean then?

Just give us
a Iocation.

We don't even
need a name.

A few of the girls used
to work out of a hotel
on 37th and 10th.

They don't anymore.

They said a guy
hanging out around there
was getting rough with them.

MAN: Police?
STABLER: Yeah.

That was quick.
I just called you guys.

Why?
Somebody heard
a gun go off.

Room 502.

Have you seen him?
That's him,
that's the guy.

Had a Iady with him.

Shots fired,
detectives on scene,

send units to 515
West 37th Street.

NYPD, open up!

WOMAN: I shot him.

Ma'am, drop the gun now!

Put down the gun!

(SOBS)

Shawn Becker.

He's dead.

Couldn't happen
to a nicer guy.

I didn't intend to kill him.
I just wanted him to stop.

The guy was scum,
so don't worry about that.
Okay?

Thank you for helping me.

Can you tell us
what happened?

Look, we know that this guy
was targeting prostitutes.

So we're not here
to jam you up for that.

(SIGHS)

Well, I was working
in the bar next
to the hotel,

and he came in,
and he sat down
next to me.

But to tell you the truth,

I had warning bells going off
the minute that he sat down.

But I needed the money.

Well, guess I was
asking for this, right?

Nobody asks to get raped.

You don't have to
patronize me, Detective.

I mean, I appreciate
the support and everything,

but I know the risks.

Occupational hazard, right?

Debra, what happened
when you got up
to that hotel room?

Well, I told him that
we needed to settle up
before we got started

and then he just hit me.

Like that was
his plan all along.

And he kept hitting me.

And then he threw me
on the bed,

and he raped me.

And then he pulled out a gun.

And what did you do?

I just kept fighting.

And then he dropped the gun,
and I picked it up

and I just pulled
the trigger three times.

And then the cavalry arrived.

You are very Iucky.

I know. I know that.

So then you probably know
that you might not be so
Iucky next time, right?

Isn't this the part where you
try to convince the seasoned
hooker to mend her ways

and become a contributing
member of society?

My card.

On the back is a number
for victims' services.

Thank you.

Everything confirms
self-defense.

Guy beat the crap out of her
so hard the hospital admitted
her with a concussion.

The tearing and the contusions
from Debra's rape kit

are consistent
with sexual assault.

We know for a fact
that Becker was a rapist
and a killer.

So as far as we're concerned,
killing him was
a public service.

I'm inclined to agree.

Anything else?

CRAGEN: Just tying up
Ioose ends.

Nothing came up
when we ran her name
through the system.

Munch and Fin are running
the ballistics on the gun.

I'II make my recommendation
not to press charges.

Nice work.

STALEY: Well, you know the gun
you gave me off

your rapist-homicide
has another body on it.

MUNCH: What body?

Unsolved homicide
from Iast December.

Are you sure?

Firing pin impressions
and breech face marks

on the slugs
are exact matches
in both homicides.

This gotta be an unregistered
H&K P7 M8 auto.

Expensive.
Probably a dealer gun.

Any prints on
the unfired bullets?

Magazine was empty.

Captain, we may have
a small problem.

Problem? What problem?
This is a good thing.

Now we know your dead guy
capped somebody else about
six months ago.

Our dead guy was in
Attica six months ago.

Previous victim
was Leonard Graves.

Had quite a nice rap sheet.

Possession with
intent to distribute,
carrying a concealed weapon.

Three shots to
the head and robbed,

22 ruled it
a drug-related homicide.

Aside from the gun, there's no
immediate connection between
Becker and Graves.

Well, maybe there is none.
Dealer guns get
passed around.

Graves had it first,
got shot by his own piece.

Becker bought it off
the street six months Iater.

And he gets
killed with it, too?
That's a big coincidence.

You know the statistics
on people killed by their
own weapon?

Look, this gun could've been
making the rounds for years,

and I'm not all that
interested in chasing
after it.

Now, what is
the straight-Iine
explanation here?

Debra Weldon owned the gun
all along, and she killed
the both of them.

Why do we think
it was Becker's gun
in the first place?

'Cause that's
what she told us.

And she's the one
who shot him.

Guys, we have
a big problem.

Debra Weldon was
raped by Becker.

She didn't make that up.

AII right,
then Iet's concentrate on
who killed Leonard Graves.

I want a fresh Iook
at that case
with our new theory.

We're not gonna get
it from Debra Weldon
or whatever her name is.

Why not?

Hospital says our hooker
took off minutes after
talking to the police.

Fake name,
fake address,
fake social.

The fake name's no surprise.
It's typical pro behavior.

It's also the behavior
of somebody with something
to hide.

OIivia, EIIiot,
get on homicide at the 22.

Find out who Iooked good
for the Graves murder.

John, Fin,
check with cab companies,
dump the E.R. phones,

and find our
mystery hooker.

Graves was just a bad guy.

PIenty of reasons
someone would
want to kill him.

What's this
credit card statement?

It came about
a month after
he kicked.

We pulled the receipts,
every one of them
signed Mrs. Leonard Graves.

There is no
Mrs. Leonard Graves.

Only description we got
from the merchants,
she was a blonde.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)
She was smart.

Only kept it
a couple of days,

didn't charge up enough
to alert the credit card
company.

She's running all over town
with this credit card,

no one once
asks for I.D.?

You gave me your credit card
to buy Kathy's birthday
present,

nobody asked me for I.D.

It's 'cause you
Iook Iike a cop.

What'd she spend
the money on?

I do not Iook
Iike a cop.

40 bucks on groceries,
15 bucks at the nail salon...

Make-up counter at Saks,
$150 at the Porter Hotel,
Midtown.

Treating herself.

And somebody else.

Biggest expenditure,
$400 at FAO Schwarz.

MUNCH: Mrs. Kerber, we traced
a call from Mercy Hospital

to your residence
at 3:25 this morning.
Did you take that call?

Yes, from Maggie.

She was mugged,
is that what you're
investigating?

How'd you know Maggie?

Oh, I baby-sit
her son, nights.

Is this her?

Oh, yes.

Isn't it awful how
that man beat her?

What'd she
call you about?

Well, she wanted
to pick up Joey early.

Came over about
5:00 this morning,
paid me, and they Ieft.

Where to?

Oh, they're going
on a Iittle vacation.

You know,
Maggie's always
doing that.

She's such
a wonderful mother.

Full name's
Margaret Peterson.

We got her address,
but Iike we expected,
nobody home.

Mrs. Kerber actually believes
that Maggie works nights
in a diner.

What diner waitress can afford
$100 a night for a babysitter?

Did a Iittle
research on VICAP.

Looked at murders in known
prostitute areas where
a credit card was stolen.

From those we pulled
only the cases

whose charges
included hotel rooms
and children's items.

STABLER: Philip Malakowski
in Manhattan,

Michael O'Connell
in Queens,

John Donatov, Brad Horton
in New Jersey.

AII of them
unsolved homicides.

We can pin all of these
on Maggie Peterson?

That's what
it's Iooking Iike.

One self-defense
murder I can buy.

But six of them?

This Iady's
a serial killer, Captain.

Three of these victims
fall under our jurisdiction.

Becker, Graves
and Malakowski.

But it Iooks Iike we've got
a bigger picture to consider,

so Iet's hear
about everybody.

Well, other than the credit
card purchases, there's not
much of a pattern.

Both Becker and Graves
did time.

Donatov had a soliciting
collar in Jersey four years
ago.

The other three were clean.

Cause of death varies.

Two were bludgeoned,
one was stabbed,

one had his throat slit,
the Iast two were shot.

Now, most serial killers
use one method.

She's either using weapons
of opportunity or trying
to throw us off her trail.

I'm not entirely comfortable
Iabeling the suspect a serial
killer.

Well, how many guys
she got to whack
to make you comfortable?

I'm just not sure
that she fits
the typical profile.

There is no profile
for the female serial killer.

The FBI studied 36 guys,
Iike, 20 years ago.

Historians now believe
that many unsolved murders
were committed by women

who got away with it simply
because no one thought
a girl could kill.

Maggie Peterson certainly
is a multiple killer,

but there's one fact
that nobody's mentioning.

She was raped.

Her actions could be
the product of pronounced
rape trauma syndrome.

What, you're saying
she has a flashback
and cuts a guy's throat?

It could be more
about a trigger.

The guy does something
that reminds her
of a past assault,

and it provokes
the same feelings of fear,
anger, helplessness...

So whether or not the guy's
going to attack her,

she thinks
that she's in danger,
and she fights back.

Then goes on
a shopping spree. No.

She's celebrating
her kills.

AII right, these are
all great theories,

but we know nothing
until we find her.

So Iet's follow the money.

Shawn Becker was
her Iast victim.

Did he have any cards?

No one's given
a recent con a Visa.
We checked.

Which means
sooner or Iater

she's got to find herself
another source of income.

Special Victims.
We took the call
about your homicide.

Well, we got a victim,
but he ain't that special.

Got a report about somebody
bleeding all over the inside
of his Seville.

Appearance paints a nice
picture of how it went down.

Pants undone.
Rolled by a pro.

She rolled him good, too.

Looks Iike about
six stab wounds.

No cash.
Lots of credit cards.

We know she only
Iikes to take one.

Name's Vincent Bertram,
Iived on West End.

We get his credit report,
find out which one's missing.

Hope Maggie's in the mood
for another hotel getaway.

Vincent Bertram's
credit report.

The guy was carrying
more debt than all of
our salaries combined.

Spends all his cash
getting service in his car.

Now, it says that he owns
five credit cards.

We only found four
in his wallet, right?

Here. American Express
is missing.

That's a wise choice.
You get frequent
flyer miles with that.

What did the M.E.
have to say?

The cause of death
was between two
and four hours ago.

Pre-release.

Is that significant?

No. That's just cold.

30 minutes ago,
$400 charge on the Amex
to the Lancaster Hotel.

Go on. I'II tell ESU
to meet you there.

STABLER: Margaret Peterson!
Police! Get your
hands up. Get them up.

COP 1:
Stay right there, ma'am.
COP 2: AII right, clear.

COP 3: Put the baby down.

No. No guns, please.
No guns.

(BABY CRYING)
Okay? Okay.
You're scaring him.

BENSON: Hand him over to me,
nice and easy.

I'm not
gonna do it.

Maggie, no one will get hurt
if you hand him over.

Hand him
over to me, Maggie.

No, no. Don't hurt him!
Don't hurt him!

Maggie Peterson,
you're under arrest for
the murder of Vincent Bertram.

Joey! Joey!

You have the right
to remain silent,

anything you do
or say can be held...

BENSON: Where's ACS?

They can't pick the kid up
for a couple of hours.

She keeps asking for him.

Might make her
more amenable to
a confession.

Let's find out.

Could I make
a suggestion?

I'd just Iike to
speak with her first.

Why?

To do a mental
status exam.

Just do it
afterwards.

If she thinks
we're concerned about
her mental state,

we Iose an advantage.

We want her scared.

I disagree.

Who knows how
traumatized she is.

If she feels Iike
she's being ganged up on,

then she could just
shut down completely.

I'II just do
a brief exam

and then the two of you'II be
better equipped to question
her once I'm done.

This is new territory
for everybody.
I agree with the doc.

Do the recon,
Iet us know
where she's at.

Let's talk a Iittle
about your relationships.

Did you get along
with your parents?

No. No, I didn't.

Either of them?

My mother died
when I was six,

and my father was
not a very nice man.

How so?

He was abusive.

After my mother...

He started drinking.

When he drank,
he got violent.

Have you ever had
hallucinations?

Saw things that weren't
there or heard voices?

No, nothing Iike that.

Have you ever felt
someone was out to get you?

No. Well, yes,

but then again,
I was right about that,
wasn't I?

Have you ever felt that
someone could put thoughts
into your head

or take away
your own thoughts?

God, do people
really think that?

No, I've never
felt that way.

Have you ever experienced
a situation in which you
found yourself

in another place
and you couldn't remember
how you got there?

Yes, often.

How did you know that?

When have you
experienced this?

When I go with these men.

I'II be in a...

A hotel room or someplace

and, I don't know,
I just blank out,

and the next thing I know,
I'm on the street,
walking home.

Can you remember the first
time that you blacked out?

Yeah. I was a kid.

That's what I'd do
when my dad would
start hitting me.

I'd just float away

and pretend
I wasn't there.

I never thought
about this before.

About what?

How I keep doing it.
How I...

I meet these men,
and I Iet them hurt me.

And then I...

Keep coming back
for more.

(SIGHS)

Why do I do that?

So what's your diagnosis?

She's not psychotic.

But she does seem
to suffer from PTSD
and dissociative episodes.

So you're still thinking
it's a rape trauma?

No. She's Iying.

She's just telling me
what I want to hear.

Why don't you
go in next.

AIone?

I need to see her interacting
with one other person,

not being interrogated
by both of you.

Keep her talking.
Just Iet her direct
the conversation.

And give her
just enough rope
to hang herself.

(SIGHS)

So did Dr. Huang
tell you about me?

STABLER:
He says you act Iike
you've been traumatized.

You disagree?

Yeah.

Well, what about your rape?

It happened.
I can't change that.

You're a cop.

Don't things happen to you
that other people
might find traumatic?

I guess.

So you deal with it
and you move on.

Like me.

You know, Maggie,
there are an awful Iot of
dead bodies connected to you.

I heard.

You cut out of the hospital,
you give everybody
a false name.

Well, I thought you guys
were gonna arrest me
for hooking.

Let's talk about
Vincent Bertram.

How'd that happen?

You really want
to talk about that?

Or maybe you're more
interested in all the moments
Ieading right up to it.

So you get in his car.

You get paid. You go to work,
and you stab him to death.

Am I...
What am I missing here?

Do we really have to
talk about this? Really?

It is getting warm in here.

What do you want
to talk about?

Whatever you
wanna talk about.

AIthough guys Iike you,
you don't usually Iike
me to talk.

Guys Iike me?

I am a professional,
Detective Stabler.

I know men.

(GIGGLES)

Why don't you sit
back down over there.

But you...

You're different
from most of the others.

Am I now?
And how am I different?

Well, you try to be
nice and normal.

But there's a part of you
that will never be that guy.

I mean, Iook at your body.

Who are you
trying to impress?

Maybe my wife.
Oh, no.

No. That entire package
is for everyone else.

You're a tease,
Detective Stabler.

Everything about you says,
"Look at me,
Iook at what you can't have."

Well, I... I Iike that.

I aspire to that.

You should Iisten to yourself.
You sound just Iike a shrink.

Like I said, I know men.

So you must enjoy your job.

I'm good at it.

You're not afraid
of getting hurt?

You walk around afraid,
you're never gonna
get what you want.

I'm not afraid, Detective.

Are you?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Wow!

Thought we'd call you out
of there before she took
all her clothes off.

What is she playing at,
some kind of multiple
personality defense?

Well, not quite.
It's called
a cocktail personality.

She senses other
people's vulnerabilities,

she reads their personalities

and then she performs
accordingly.

It's the classic
sign of a sociopath.

So she reads my personality
and decides to seduce me?

Well, for her, it's all about
how to best manipulate
the situation.

You're the virile cop,
and so she's trying to appeal
to your physical nature.

I'm the good doctor

and so she's trying
to appeal to my desire
to help her.

But she was raped.

Are you saying
she manipulated
that situation?

In a sense. She might be
targeting these violent men

in order to make herself
the sympathetic victim.

But she never
feels Iike the victim

because she always feels
Iike she can
control every man.

So Iet's take away
her control.

You're right.

And the best way to do that
is by exposing her Iies.

That way, she'II have
nowhere to hide.

Tell her what we know.

Sit down on the chair,
Maggie.

Where's EIIiot?

Just us girls now.

Sit!

That act of yours
was a whole Iot
of fun to watch,

but you should know
that it's not gonna
work with me.

What act?

You can pretend
to be a victim,

you can pretend
to be a whore,

you can pretend to be
whatever it is you
want to be.

It's a joke.
Maggie, you're done.

Where's my son?

No. See, that's not
gonna work either.

I do not believe
that you are
talking to me this way.

I was raped.
More times than
I can remember.

Right. And your mom died,
and your dad beat you.

Your mom's alive.

No dad on the birth
certificate. You never
knew him, did you?

Was your mom a pro, too?

Where's my son?
I need to see him.

Your son?

You're never gonna
see that kid again.

You murdered seven men
for a hotel room
and a manicure.

They raped me!

You want the whole world
to think that you're a victim?

Well, Maggie,
you're getting your wish,

because the state's
gonna kill you.

(SHOUTS)

Don't touch me.

(GRUNTING)

Maggie Peterson's DNA
was found in trace evidence

in both the Malakowski
and Bertram murders.

We also exhumed
the remains of
Leonard Graves.

Got a match
on two hairs.

Well, it sounds Iike
a tight case.

But I'm guessing
you didn't ask
me here to brag.

I'm making my recommendation
to the capital committee.

Seeking the death penalty
against a woman for the first
time in New York State.

That ought to get
some headlines.

Well, just based
on the evidence,

it is clear to me
that this is
a death penalty case.

And you want
my blessing?

You know my position
on capital punishment, AIex.

George,
you evaluated her.

I want your opinion
as a psychiatrist.

Do you honestly believe
that all these men raped her,

and each murder
was in self-defense?

No, I don't.

Do you think she is
Iegally insane?

She may have any number
of psychiatric disorders,

but she knew what
she was doing was wrong.
She just didn't care.

And if given the chance,
will she kill again?

In a second.

She is a calculating predator.

I Iove a good fight.

I can't believe that turned
into a women's rights debate.

We don't have the right
to execute a woman just
because she's a woman?

The majority of the Capital
Committee agreed with your
recommendation.

We get Lewin to sign it,
we make the world
a safer place.

And you're Iabeled
the enemy of feminism.

Hey, as far as
I'm concerned,

this is a coup for women's
rights everywhere.

Maggie Peterson has the right
to a needle in the arm

just Iike any other
cold-blooded killer.

So she should just
take it Iike a man.

Gender has nothing
to do with it.

The fact that she murdered
four people in this
jurisdiction alone does.

But she's only
charged with three.

Yeah. The fourth was
ruled self-defense

against a known
rapist and murderer.

I have a real
problem with this.

That one incident does not
change the circumstances
of the other murders.

Do you think
that the first woman
New York State executes

should be a single mother,
prostitute, rape victim?

Serial killer.

She knew those guys
were violent.
That's why she chose them.

To feel morally justified.

You're saying
she asked for it.

Being the victim of a violent
crime does not mitigate
capital punishment.

Neither does being a woman
or being a mother.

If this was a man
we were talking about,
who was abused as a child

and then murdered
four women,

would we even be
having this discussion?

If you were seeking
the death penalty?

Of course we would.

I don't think so, Nora.

Because executing a man
wouldn't offend
the female constituents

who put you in office.

Whom we choose
to execute is always
a political decision.

But I'm not
gonna kill anyone,
male or female,

if there's a possibility
that they acted
in self-defense.

You don't Iike it,

you can always run
against me next term.

Dr. Erica OIsen.

I'm the chief
of emergency services
at St. Andrew's.

This is a medical chart you
completed after treating
Maggie Peterson in the E.R.

Defense one.

Will you read the first
highlighted portion?

"Fractured cheekbone,
facial Iacs,
multiple contusions."

And please read
the highlighted portion
of your physician's notes.

"Bilateral bruising,
injuries consistent
with an assault.

"Patient refused
police notification."

Objection.

Why are we hearing
about the defendant's
medical history?

I'd Iike to know that,
too, Miss Greer.

What is the date on
that chart, Dr. OIsen?

March 12, 2000.

Defense directs the court's
attention to People's four,
already in evidence,

the document which
clearly establishes
the discovery

of Mr. Philip Malakowski's
body by police,

also dated
March 12, 2000.

So now we know.

Your objection's overruled,
Miss Cabot.

I wasn't surprised
when the police told me

Vincent may have been
killed by a prostitute.

That was somewhat
of a hobby for him.

GREER:
It didn't bother you?

If it meant he'd
stay away from me?
Honestly, no.

Why?

Because I got tired
of explaining the
black eyes to my friends.

Objection. Vincent Bertram
isn't on trial here,
his murderer is.

GREER: My client
maintains that she
killed these men

to keep them from
raping or killing her.

Now if they have a history
of violent behavior,
the jury should hear it.

Overruled.

GREER: Defense three.

A domestic incidence report
filed by Mrs. Bertram
in August of Iast year.

Now, you called the police
on your husband.

What did he do?

That night was
unusually bad.

He'd been drinking.

He pulled me out of bed
and started to hit me,

then tear off my nightgown.

Somehow I got away
and got to the phone.

The police showed
up just in time.

He would have raped me

or killed me. I know it.

So, Maggie,
you're a prostitute?

MAGGIE: Yes.

And you admit to being
responsible for ending
the Iives of Leonard Graves,

Philip Malakowski
and Vincent Bertram.

Yes.

How do you feel
about all that, Maggie?

MAGGIE:
About being a prostitute?

Well, I'm not proud of it.

But I do what I have to
in order to make a Iife
for myself and my son.

About killing those men,
I am sorry they died.

But if I hadn't
protected myself,

they would have killed me.

And my son would be alone.

I thought about him.

It was the only thing
that I could do.

GREER: Nothing further,
Your Honor.

You're not proud of
being a prostitute.

But you do it anyway
in spite of these
alleged attacks.

I don't have a choice.

I didn't grow up privileged,

with parents who'd
send me to Iaw school.

I'm simply trying
to survive.

You say you were
in danger with these men,

that your Iife
was threatened.

Yes.

But the threat wasn't so great
it stopped you from stealing
their credit cards.

You still found
time to do that.

Well, I was only
thinking of my son.

Of how I could
make his Iife better.

CABOT: Everything you do
is for your son?

MAGGIE: He's the most
important thing in my Iife.

He's the only good thing
that I've ever done.

He's my Iittle prince.

So every day
you wake up,

you drop your son off
at the babysitter's,

and you go to work.

You knowingly put
yourself in danger.

You knowingly place
yourself in situations
you cannot control,

where you admit
you could be killed.

Is that how you
Iove your son?

Is that how you take care
of the most important thing
in your Iife?

I accept the risk.

I accept it on
behalf of that boy.

I would die for him.

You can question my past,

you can question my Iife
and my profession,

but do not ever question
how much I Iove my son.

How the hell did you miss
the domestic incidence report?

It wasn't on
his rap sheet.

The wife never
filed charges.

Being a batterer does
not make him a rapist.

Don't count on the jury
to make that distinction.

Look, we've got the weekend
to poke holes in this defense.

PIease tell me
the E.R. doc's got a history
of Iying on the stand.

Something?

Well, not unless she Iied
about it for Maggie's charts
from two years ago.

Okay. So we offer

one count, man two,
eight-to-10.

No way.

Are you paying attention,
AIex?

We are screwed.

Do you honestly believe
she killed all of those men
in self-defense?

Who cares what
I believe if she walks?

We just give her
exactly what she wants.

She convinces the world
she's the victim,

she's the perfect mother,

she's everybody's
favorite hooker...

How old did she say
that her son was?

STABLER: She said he
turned two-and-a-half.
Why?

Which means that
he would've been born
in April 2000.

So?

So Iook at
the medical report.

It's dated
March 2000.

Para zero,
grav zero.

No pregnancies.
No children.

Doctor would've known
if she'd been
eight months pregnant.

Unless she wasn't.

We have her DNA
from the rape kit.

The child is
in ACS custody.

They'II give us
permission for a sample.

Where the hell did
she get this kid?

She kills to get
what she wants, right?

She wanted to be
a mother.

Meeting on a Sunday?
Level of desperation
must be pretty high.

Not desperate.

Simply fulfilling
my Rosario obligation.

So the kid's not hers.
Why does it matter?

Do you want to tell her how
you got your child, Maggie,
or should I?

I don't know what
you're talking about.

Let me jog your memory.

Eighteen months ago,
26-year-old Erin Byers
went grocery shopping.

Her body was found
in the store parking Iot,
strangled.

Her stolen car turned
up a week Iater, intact.

Her six-month-old
son was never found.

You'II never be able
to introduce this.

Actually, it was your client
who opened the door.

Everything she does
is for her child.

Right?

The judge will
call a mistrial.

Fine.
I'II just re-file and tack on
the kidnapping charges,

plus the murder
of the mother.

Do you think a jury
is going to believe

your "I kill men
because they beat me"
story now?

Do you think the D.A. is going
to give you another pass on
the death penalty? Try it.

Where's Joey?

With his father who
thought he was dead.

GREER: Is there
an offer on the table?

Murder two on all counts,
concurrent sentences,
15-to-20.

What about
the new charges?

We'II talk about
that after I file.

You'II never get
a better deal than this.

I'm not pleading guilty.
I did not kill that woman.

I found Joey.
She threw him away.

It's over.

This whole motherhood facade,
this Iie you have told
yourself

and the whole world
is going to be exposed.

I have to think about it.

Fine, you can think
about it all you Iike.

But if you don't
tell me by tomorrow
morning at 9:00,

I'm gonna make up
your mind for you.

Is Corrections producing
the defendant,

or are we making the jury
wait all day?

We may have a plea,
Your Honor.

Call down to the pens

and see when Miss Peterson
will be gracing us with her
presence.

Yes. Waiting on
Defendant Peterson.

There's a problem.

OFFICER: We didn't Ieave
her alone that Iong.

She used her stockings
Iike a noose, and just sat
down till she died.

"Last will and testament.
I Ieave all my
worldly belongings

"to my beloved son.
Without him, I am nothing."

There's a number for
a safety deposit box.

Says there's
10 grand in there.

Her Iast act,
and this is when she decides
to be selfless?

Look at her.

Every hair in place,
perfect make-up.

She gets to go out
Iike a beauty queen,

and everybody thinks
she's sacrificing herself.

It's a performance.

Performance of her Iife.